I fell in love with this show for (initially) just one reason: Killian and Emma. I heard of the show via TV promos on the ABC channel and as a lifetime Disney fan, I couldn't believe there was a show out there who took my love for fairytales and put them together in the modern world. Moreover, I couldn't believe how fleshed out and incredibly well-acted they had turned Captain Hook. As the first half of season three was airing, I started recording the episodes and despite not seeing the previous two seasons or even understanding who all the characters were, I watched because I, like millions of others, felt the pure chemistry between Emma and Killian. After sparingly watching the show as season three began and ended, I decided to binge watch it on Netflix and I was immediately hooked as a diehard fan. Captain Swan became one of my first real OTP and the fandom on Tumblr was amazing.
Not too long later, as season five (?) was airing, I believe, I decided to publish this story with Sage Chamberlain as my main character. I had high hopes for this book (and even the series as I was planning on writing Sage through the entire show), but as the show went on and made creative decisions that I disagreed with, I fell out of love with the show. Consequently, I also fell out of love with this story.
The show slowly morphed (in my opinion) into a show that was more directed towards kids and the material was being saturated to fit a more family-friendly vibe. This is very different to how the first season was and as a teenage, I really wasn't feeling the 'kid-friendly' vibe the show was going in the direction of. There was also a dozen different creative decisions that I disliked (which I will be more than happy to talk to people about in the comments). I also didn't like a lot of the messages and themes the show was perpetuating towards the later seasons.
Sage was a character that I feel is a missed opportunity. If the show had gone more my way and had managed to keep my interest, I would have stuck around and crafted a really good arc for Sage, even fleshed her out more than where she was left on in the book (which was paralleling very hard with Emma). I wish the show kept my interest high, because truthfully, I was very excited to write about the blossoming love between Killian and Sage. I was really thrilled, had many ideas, but ultimately, my future outline of their relationship wasn't enough to make me write continuously about the show. Again, I apologize to all my readers who have been around since the beginning or even just picked it up recently, but I'm not going to force myself to write a book I no longer care about. With college going on and the day-to-day process of trying to build my career, I'm not going to spend my time writing a story I don't love anymore.
For a while I had very little interest in this book, but the constant encouragement and love from you guys made me keep going. Thank you everyone for all yours reads, votes, and comments. This is probably one of the stories I've posted during my time on Wattpad where I felt the most interactive with the readers, which is a blessing, because believe it or not, not many people comment lol
Thank you so much for sharing your love towards Sage, Killian, and their story. I can no longer make any promises on possibly returning one day in the future, but what I can somewhat say (again no promises or guarantees) is that I might one day publish some scenes from the other seasons with Sage and Killian. Don't hold your breath, but you never know - they would have had a lot of good scenes together.
I pulled up my old outline (which is very old and at the very bottom of my Google docs, haha) for the story and thought I'd share some of the plotlines that Sage was suppose to have if I had continue. I hope you guys enjoy the little snippets and if you guys have any questions or comments surrounding Sage and this story, please comment and I would love to have a conversation about it.
Sage Chamberlain's Character is Based On:
Mary Ann from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Youngest Thief from The Master Thief
The duckling from The Ugly Duckling
Bambi from Bambi
Death from Death's Messengers
The bird from The Nightingale
The dying girl from The Little Match Girl
Books:
SMOTHER (FIRST BOOK)
"In the darkness I will meet my creators and they will all agree, that I'm a suffocator"
MASTERPIECE (SECOND BOOK)
"You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece and now I'm tearing through the pages and the ink"
LIFEFORM (THIRD BOOK)
SMOKE (FOUR BOOK)
Headcanons ― Season Three (Neverland)
"I would never hurt you intentionally."
"I never meant to fall for you."
"If I could go back in time and fix everything, the one thing I would do was not leave you on that beanstalk."
"I'm falling for you and it's bloody terrifying." (3x09)
"I'm terrified too." (3x09)
After jumping into the ocean, in order to break the mermaid's control over everyone and to stop the storm, Sage retreats back to one of the empty cabins. Hook comes, all somber, tells her that she deserves "the captain's quarter". Once she's in there, he drapes a blanket over her shoulder. While in the doorway, ready to leave, he says "Don't do that again, love. I fear that the group would not survive without your presence". Sage stays silent as he leaves. (3x01)
While doing a night watch over the camp, Sage and Hook look up at the stars and discuss little bits of their childhood. It's that night that Hook figures out that Sage's father was a pirate; "Your father, he was a pirate wasn't he?", "Yeah, he was. A captain like you". While in Neal's cave and Hook says "He gets it from his mother", Sage questions him about Milah's personality and what she was like (3x04)
Sage and Hook talk about his older, deceased brother (3x08)
Sage talks about Thomas after she sees a drawing of Milah in one of the cabins of the Jolly Roger. Sage hopes that Hook will come to Granny's with them after he docks their ships and lands in Storybrooke (3x09)
"When you said that you hoped that our kiss meant something, I just wanted to tell you that ―" Sage paused, hot tears brimming at the corners of her brown eyes. The words were choking in the middle of her throat, an inner struggle of emotions raging inside of heart. She was never going to see him again; never look into his blue eyes, never hear his accent-laced voice, never kiss him again. This was their final goodbye. What more did she have to lose? She was being sent back to her homeland, all alone with no family or friends. No Hook. Without another second of hesitation, Sage released herself of all of her fears and let her heart take control, "― it meant everything to me." (3x11) --- context behind that is during the season three finale, while everyone is being sent back to the Enchanted Forest, Sage is sent back to Wonderland, because she was born there and the curse only took back people who were born in the Enchanted Forest.
Childhood and Life as a Orphan:
Being the lovechild of a married pirate and a mistress made life very hard for Sage. She lived on the outskirts of a tiny village in a small cottage with her mother. Her father, Hugo, never spent much time with her, because he was either out on his ship exploring or with his wife, Claudia, who was well-aware of the fact that he had an affair with Evelyn, Sage's mother, and indeed, had Sage. For the rest of her life, she would remain bitter that he chose to have a child with a prostitute, but not with her, causing her hatred and resentment to be guided towards both Evelyn and Sage. Whenever her father was around, though, he would take her on short trips on his ship or give her souvenirs from his exciting journeys.
Her mother, on the other hand, always showed animosity and distance, lacking the warmth that every mother is suppose to have. Little did Sage know that her mother was dabbling in black magic and was slowly drowning in darkness. Sage always admired her father, for his nobleness, love, and adventurous nature, causing her to aspire to become a pirate when she grew up. The night before her birthday, Sage walks in on her father speaking to his first mate Barnabas Mathews ― whom Sage calls Uncle Barns ― and explains that she is unable to sleep, because of her consistent nightmares. Hugo carried his daughter up to her room and begins talking to her:
"I'm afraid so, my dear. You're mad, bonkers, off your head, but I'll tell you a secret ―" He leaned closer, his voice a mere whisper, but he spoke with a smirk toying on his lips. "All the best people are."
As they continue to talk, he affectionately calls Sage "little sailor" and speaks to her about his wife, her birthday, and how she wants to grow up to be a pirate like him. Her mother interrupts the conversation by coming into the room. Finally, Sage's parents exit the room and she is able to sleep without any more nightmares. In the early morning of December 24th ― marking Sage's eighth birthday and Christmas Eve ― Sage is startled by her parents coming into the room. With only a robe and her stuffed toy-wolf, whom she calls Mr. Wolf, her mother drags Sage out of the house and into the forest, with her father silently following.
Finally, they reach an abandoned and slightly destroyed cabin. Her mother places Sage on the first step of the porch and tells her that they will be right back in an hour or so. While Evelyn is emotionless and seemingly unsympathetic, Hugo is much more emotional. The last thing he says to her is:
"You're on your own, little sailor."
With that, her parents leave and Sage is left on the porch of the cabin, alone and slowly freezing in the harshest winter Wonderland has ever faced. After hearing a loud scream coming from a long distance away, Sage begins calling out for her parents in a desperate plea for them to come back like they had promised. But after they don't respond, Sage sits back down and silently cries.
"Mother, where are you? Father! Mother! Mother..."
After days of sitting on that porch, nearly dying of hypothermia, Sage is finally found by a woman named Mazikeen, who says that she should come with her back to her house. Mazikeen takes Sage to the orphanage she runs called Sweet Home. Inside the house, while warming up in an empty bedroom, Mazikeen states that the orphanage is Sage's new home and that her parents aren't coming back for her.
"My husband and I run this place, it's an orphanage for children like you, children who were abandoned. There's twenty-seven children here, you make twenty-eight. We'll go over the ground rules tomorrow, but you need to understand something." She grabbed Sage by the shoulders and looked at her firmly in the eyes, "Your parents left you, because they didn't love you."
Sage's eyes widened in shock, "What ― "
"Which is a good thing since love is a woman's greatest weakness. Love is weakness." Mazikeen took one of Sage's strands of brown hair and put it behind her ear. "You'll learn that eventually. All the girls here do.
Later, Mazikeen takes Sage to the bedroom where the other twenty-seven girls sleep out. Some girls ― ranging from all different shapes, sizes, races ― are older and younger than Sage, even some being newborns. While the other girls don't give a warm welcoming to Sage, Mazikeen still leaves her alone. As everyone is going to bed and Sage is settling into her new bed, an older girl named Helena, who sleeps in the bed next to her. Helena apologizes to Sage about being abandoned and when Sage questions the bruises that run up-and-down her arm, she says that Master Malcolm ― Mazikeen's husband ― had punished her (in other words, brutally hit her), for being "rude and disrespectful). The girls don't speak after that and return to sleep, but not until Sage hears Helena mutter "You should have stayed in the woods". This is the beginning of Sage's new life as an abandoned orphan living in the Sweet Home Orphanage.
Sweet Home Orphanage and Teenage Years:
The purpose of Sweet Home Orphanage, ran by married couple Mazikeen and Malcolm (though he was called Master Malcolm by the orphans) was to take in abandoned children, specifically girls, and teach them how to survive in the world. The girls, no matter what age, were put through child labor and were taught very cruel life-lessons. By the time Sage was seventeen, she had learned the art of seduction, how to lie/manipulate someone, survival training, and how killing/hurting someone is sometimes necessary in order to gain something. The main lesson, which Mazikeen constantly reminds them, is that love is a woman's greatest weakness and that woman aren't suppose to be with men in the name of "love", but only for wealth.
One morning, Sage wakes from early, around six, in order to travel to the village and pick up milk bottles. While getting dressed, Beth (played by Emily Kinney), a young orphan who is innocent and is treated as Sage's little sister/daughter, begins to roll around in her bed, before screaming. Sage rushes over to hug and comfort her after Beth reveals she had a nightmare. Sage lays the child back down on the bed and sings her a lullaby. In the shop, she sees the clerk, Lloyd Barrinson, an old friend and crush. They subtly flirt and talk, before Sage picks up the cart of milk and travels back home. When she arrived at the house, all the other girls are there and preparing breakfast. Sage drops the cart of milk in the kitchen and sits down next to Beth. Everyone goes silent once Master Malcolm stumbles in, already half-drunk and acting aggressively, scaring the girls slightly.
After their breakfast, which is very small and is barely anything, Sage goes to the window sill and places a tiny bowl of fresh milk just as an orange kitty, named Toulouse, jumps up from below the garden and begins sipping on it. Sage pets Toulouse's fur, before taking off for work. All the orphans in the home have to do both farm and domestic work. The younger girls are in charge of keeping up with the garden and the farm animals, while the older girls do the much harder work, such as cleaning inside the house, washing the clothes, cooking the food, ect.
It was horrid; every morning, just as the sun was rising into the sky, until the night, where the sun slid down the horizon, was their work hours. Their days were filled with sweat and blood, but no tears since that was a sign of weakness and Mazikeen had strictly taught them to never show weakness and to never be weak. Sweat beamed down their faces as they worked, their once soft hand now calloused and hard, their eyes strained and, their body aching with fatigue and soreness. Most summer days, unlike the village children, were spent caring for the masters of the house, Mazikeen and Malcolm. This work, this life, was no place for them, for anyone.
While in the laundry room, Sage, an older orphan named Helena (played by Saoirse Ronan), and another older orphan named Valerie (played by Malese Jow) gossip and talk while washing the children's laundry. Helena is portrayed as a loving, mature woman while Valerie is rebellious, flirtatious, and mischievous. Sage brings up the fortunate fact that Valerie and Helena will both being turning eighteen soon, meaning they will soon be leaving the orphanage and be on their own. They will be the first and second out of the twenty-eight girls to ever leave.
The conversation turns solemn, once the two girls reveal to Sage that they have no idea what they are going to do after they leave, but only that Mazikeen says she'll "take care of them".
"You could smell the thick, musky scent of bourbon in his breath, which only paralyzed Sage with even more fear."
Sometime after this, when Sage is sixteen, Mazikeen laces all the girls' drinks with an infertility potion, sterilizing all of their reproductive cells. Mazikeen doesn't tell any of the girls this though. In the middle of the night, Sage abruptly awakes with excruciating stomach and abdominal pain. Sage, who is heavily sweating and heaving in intense pain, stumbles into Mazikeen's room, demanding to know what the hell's going on. Mazikeen calmly and emotionlessly explains that she drugged her and the other orphans' drinks with a potion that will stop them from having kids. A horrified Sage, who is both disgusted and shocked, questions the woman on why she chose to do this to them. Mazikeen replies that "having kids will ruin your already miserable lives; if you are ever to succeed in the world, the one thing that will distract you, to stop you from achieving wealth and power will be the love you feel for your baby".
* This was a plotpoint that was suppose to be translated through out the course of the show for the sake of Sage's development. The fact she was infertile would be a BIG thing for her and she would struggle with it during her relationship with Killian.
Whenever anyone mentions her time at the orphanage, Sage always trails away from the topic, dropping it. It's clear that Sage is traumatized and still heavily-affected about the years she spent in the orphanage, under Mazikeen and Malcolm's abuse. Mazikeen's lessons of "love is weakness" is still somewhat embedded into her mind and only increases once Cora repeats the words after she killed Thomas. When it comes to talking about Sweet Home, she usually talks about the topic with either Killian, Emma, or Snow, the three most understanding people in her life. Sage has made it quite clear that the abuse and neglect she suffered from created emotional scars.
The Runaway Pact:
The Wonderland fair rolls into the village and Mazikeen allows Sage to go out, which wouldn't have happened if Malcolm wasn't passed out drunk and unconscious, unable to refuse. At night, Sage goes to the fair where there are clowns, court jesters, fire-breathers, and lots of simple games to play, like apple bobbing and darts. She just so happens to meet Lloyd there, who is equally delighted to see her attending. They spend the carnival together, playing games and having a joyfully good time. It comes to the point where they seat next to each other at close proximity and Lloyd abruptly kisses her on the lips. The pair sneak off behind a empty tavern and begin to make-out, which escalated to they having sex. This was Sage's first kiss and first time.
Somewhere between them sitting on the log to sneaking off behind the tavern, Sage had slipped off her cloak and left it on the ground. Now, her back was pressed against the hard, cold wooden wall of the tavern. The gentle breeze of the autumn wind swooped in, sending shivers across her bare shoulders. Lloyd stood shyly in front of her, inching closer and closer with every small step. A bashful smile was curving on his lips, reflecting the bundle of nervousness that was trembling inside of Sage, nervousness that she was refusing to show. The illuminating lanterns that hung in the trees near them painted shadows across their faces and it was then that she noticed just how blue his eyes were.
Sage took a deep breath, arched her back, and cupped his face, before pulling his lips to meet hers. Tentatively, their bodies gently and innocently molding into each other, both of their eradicate heartbeats moving together in a unsynchronized rhythm. She felt his large, firm hands land on her waist, not daring to go down further. A smile quirked on her lips once she noted how much of a gentleman he was. Reluctantly, Lloyd pulled away, "Do you want to?"
Sage, without another moment or hint of hesitation, confidently nodded, "Yes."
Their kissing resume quickly, their lips dancing against one another in a fast yet intimate way. Sage had never done anything like this before, with a man. Helena and Valerie would always girlishly gossip about the handsome men in the village and their rendezvous with those particular men in vacant alleyways. Sage was never envious or jealous of those supposed meetings, but instead, was entirely too curious, which many girls her age were.
Lloyd gripped her waist and slowly turned her around, her back pressed into his front. Immediately, his warm lips began to place tender butterfly kisses up-and-down the exposed side of her neck. Sage closed her eyes and quietly sighed in bliss, wondering how such a little action could cause of all of her sensitive nerve to become inflamed with fire. As the kissing resumed, Lloyd reached up and began to gradually undo the laces of her pale pink corset. Sage let herself enjoy this moment, since she knew no other night would come like this.
After Sage and Lloyd have sex, Sage returns home. When she walks into the living room and notices that Beth is sitting on the couch, her face puffy and tear-stained from crying. When the older girl questions this, Beth confesses that she stole an apple from the pantry, violating a rule in the orphanage that no one is allowed to steal from Mazikeen and Malcolm. Sage snatches the apple out of Beth's hand and becomes angered with her, wondering how she could act so dumb to violate the rules when she knew damn well what would happen if she did. Once they both hear that Malcolm was coming downstairs, Sage snatches the apple and hides it behind her back.
Malcolm, in a simmering rage, walks into the room and questions the girls about the stolen fruit. Just when he's about to question Beth about it, Sage steps forward and declares that she was the one who stole the apple. At first, Malcolm doesn't believe her and comes to the conclusion that Sage is covering for Beth, the real culprit. That thought disappears once Sage reveals the apple from behind her back, stares Malcolm in the eye without any emotion (Sage recalls in that moment what Mazikeen always taught her: "that when standing in front of danger, you look it in the eye and show no fear), and bites into the apple.
In the middle of the night, Sage slips back into the house and sees Helena in the living room, waiting for her with lukewarm water, a rag, honey, and tea. Sage's body is heavily bruised; her lips were bloody, bruises and cuts scattered on her face, and welts were on her body. As Helena heals her wounds, Sage recounts the night's events. Sage then starts to become slightly emotional once she talks about spending the day with Lloyd and being the happiest she's ever been. Helena thens tells Sage of her and Valerie's plan to run away since Mazikeen's plan after they leave the orphanage was to sell them to suitable, rich men, something neither girl wants. Helena says that her and Valerie will run then, in a few months, come back for Sage since she will soon be turning eighteen and will soon be sold off like Mazikeen intends to do to them. Sage agrees with their plan and says she wants a better chance of living a good life.
Saying Goodbye:
Months pass and on the day that Helena and Valerie are set to return, Sage and Lloyd spent some time in a meadow of daisies. They sit in the grass, side-by-side, silent and just admiring the beautiful view of the sun setting. Lloyd breaks the silence by saying that he is leaving the village, because he's been drafted in the White Queen's army. That's when Sage, in her mind, proceeds to explain about the recent Civil War that is brewing in Wonderland, which involves the White Queen, the original ruler, and the Queen of Hearts, a recent ruler who's trying to control Wonderland. Lloyd reveals that men over the age of eighteen and below the age of thirty-five, with no kids, are being drafted into the war, just like he was.
Sage then solemnly reveals that she's running away from the orphanage with Helena and Valerie. She then says that once the others, Mazikeen and Malcolm, realize she's gone, they'll probably look for her.
Saying goodbye was something Sage was eerily equipped with doing. But just, because she knew how to do it, doesn't mean she liked it. Goodbyes sounded so permanent and final, an ominous ending to a pair's story. She remembered her parent's goodbye all those years ago, their false promise of returning to her. Sage didn't want to say goodbye, she didn't want this to be the last time she ever saw Lloyd or even spoke to him; she refused to say the words. She glanced over at him and for a split second, watched his movement. His jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed and filled with fire as he stared out at the setting sun. Inhaling deeply, Sage reached up and gently grasped his chin, turning his head towards her slightly. Before he could say anything, the brunette reached up and placed a gentle, but meaningful kiss on his lips, knowing it was going to be their last. They pulled away, their foreheads touching, and their hearts beating together. It wasn't love that was shared between them, but maybe, if they had enough time and if Sage wasn't the damaged girl she was, they both could learn to love one another without any restrictions. Sage got up and walked away, always going to remember the first man who paid her respect. She would always be thankful for that.
In the middle of the night, Sage is creeping downstairs to see Helena and Valerie waiting for her. Just as they are about to leave, Beth comes downstairs and questions why Sage is leaving. Sage begs Helena and Valerie to let Beth come with them, but they refuse, stating that they only have three tickets to travel on a sea-ship, not four. Sage, tearful and sad, promises Beth that when she is old enough, she will come back for her and take her away. Sage kisses Beth on the forehead, says her goodbye, and departs with Helena and Valerie.
"It seems there's just a tragedy sewn into your heart, dearie." ― Rumplestiltskin to Sage
"Blood and blood. As long as we are connected, we will always be sisters and sisters do not get left behind." ― Sage to Anastasia before she becomes the Red Queen
"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay." ― Sage sadly repeats to herself after letting go of Thomas
"No, we didn't date. Technically, he wasn't an ex-boyfriend. But he was an ex-something, an ex-maybe. An ex-almost." ― Sage talks about Graham
"[...] You'll lose the love of your life and you'll feel like you want to die. But that heartache won't kill you and eventually, the sun will shine again and you'll find the strength to live your life once more." ― Sage writes a letter to herself
"Sometimes the maddest stories are the truest ones." ― Sage tells Henry in Season One
"I've realized something about you, Ms. Chamberlain. To everyone else, you're fearless in the face of death, but broken as your core. You hope too dangerously and love too much. Perhaps that's why Killian fell in love with you. He needed a tragedy to mirror his own." ― Hades to Sage
"[...] You're gonna miss the days when your innocence wasn't a mask." ― Sage writes a letter to herself
"There might be a way to defeat Cora, but we may have to throw Regina under the bus."
"Okay, so what do we do?"
"Weren't you just listening? We get a bus...and throw Regina under it."
"[...] Your sarcasm isn't needed, Sage."
― Sage and David
"Well then I guess there's a glitch in my system since I apparently care too much." ― Sage repeating Rumplestiltskin's words about herself
"He may have been your salvation, but you, Sage, were his destruction." ― Liam to Sage about Killian and her
"Maybe the things we love the most are the things that destroy us in the end." ― Sage
"If you want to be strong then learn how to fight alone." ― James to Sage
"You're the orphan with the broken heart, but you are so much more than that." ― Killian to Sage
"This is bullshit! Yes, I screwed up! I ripped out Violet's heart and in the process, broke my brother's. But let's not pretend that we haven't all done terrible things! David has killed people as well, Regina has slaughtered countless people and has tried to kill all of us more than once, the oh so perfect royal couple got Maleficent's child taken' away, Killian was a murderous pirate, and Robin is with his ex-wife's murderer! Yet, me and Emma and Regina and Rumplestiltskin all get crap for it! How is it that the Heroes get a free pass yet I get burned at the stake!" ― Sage yelling at everyone
"I'm not drunk, I'm just sedating the pain." ― Sage who is obviously not drunk
"We're not promised a tomorrow." ― Sage about her and Killian
"Endings are the saddest part. Just give me a happy middle and a very happy start" ― Sage to Henry
"This is either mad or brilliant."
"Those two things work wonderfully together"
― Sage and Killian
"The darkness isn't what Sage expected. It doesn't make her want to kill every breathing thing in site or destroy everything precious around her. The darkness crackles and sparks under her skin. It's sleek yet reckless. It wants to savour in the misery, in the pain. It wants to listen to the cries of heartache, relish in the blood of its victims. The darkness makes Sage as sharp as the dagger yet as hard as steel."
"Rumpelstiltskin looked down at the object and chuckled.
Sage looked at him oddly with her arms crossed, "What? Does the dreamcatcher tell jokes?"
Storylines Per Season:
Season Two:
Sage tried to adjust to her new life in Storybrooke and in a take-down attempt to bring down the Regina/Cora pair, Sage ends up killing Cora by tricking her daughter and blowing the magical candle. Sage is overcome with guilt, but somehow doesn't regret killing Cora since something had to be done. She joins the Nevengers to stop Greg and Tamara. Along the way, she grows to care about Hook and is able to convince him that he can be apart of a community. She travels to
Season Three:
(s3A) The first part of this season consists of Sage helping the others defeat Pan and find Henry in Neverland while simultaneously falling for Captain Hook, a.k.a Killian Jones. After the second curse is cast, Sage is sent back to Wonderland since while she was present in the Enchanted Forest during the first curse, she is not a native and must be sent back to her homeland.
(HIATUS) For the next year, Sage returns to her old occupation of being a smuggler rather than a plan out thief since she wants to maintain her status as a hero despite being hopeless and depressed over being alone. She lives in the Mad Hatter's old place. Her past ends up catching up with her when multiple old colleagues are angry and upset over the fact that she was gone for the past twenty-eight years, and didn't pay anyone back. One night while walking in the Tulgey Forest, Sage is confronted with an figmentation of Rumpelstiltskin after saving a little boy from two men. Rumple reoffers his old deal from years before, after her escape from Cora's cell and after Thomas' death, but Sage declines, weary of him and stating that, "I don't do that anymore". "Unfortunately, dearie, you don't have much of a choice in that matter." replies Rumple, before he takes her arm and plunges it onto the bruise that's been forming on her left arm. Sage ends up screaming fiercely in pain, waking up all the birds and animals in the woods, before passing out. She wakes up in the Rabbit's house. A tattoo has now replaced the bruise (resembles a button shell with a black tail-like segment outlining it). Sage searches for multiple witches and soothsayers in order to somehow find a way home.
(s3B) Killian arrives in Wonderland after trading the Jolly Roger for a magical bean. He asks people around and people say that Sage doesn't stay long at any given place, but to check the Mad Hatter's House in the daytime. He finds her there and they have a delightful reunion (for a moment, he is is convinced they shared true love's kiss and is disappointed when it is not proven true). They stay the night together, catching up with each other. The next day, they visit the White Rabbit who begrudgingly travels them to New York.
(*1) The illusion of Rumpelstiltskin is later revealed to be Sage's 'adoptive' mother Evelyn. The bruise on Sage's arm appears after she and Mary Margaret kill Cora using the magical candle. After the year long hiatus after the second curse, when Evelyn (as Rumple) touches the bruise with the medallion, it transforms into a tattoo of a button seashell with a black tail-like attachment. In later seasons, it is revealed that Captain Hugo Chamberlain and Evelyn were not her biological parents; after Evelyn's "real" baby died in childbirth (while Hugo was off at sea), Evelyn couldn't stand the thought of losing Hugo (since their child was the only thing keeping him with her and not completely going back to his wife), she went to look for another. An alcoholic soothsayer, knowing for being the village's slum but often right with her fortune, sells her unnamed daughter, who just so happened to be born a couple days before Evelyn's original child, for drinking money. "View the profit." The soothsayer said when Evelyn wanted a closer look to make sure the baby somewhat resembled her and Hugo.
(S4A + B) Storyline with Emma where she is trying not to turn dark and is trying to break the curse. Her mother put a curse on her through the bruise/tattoo that would make her slowly become evil
(S5A) Sage becomes a Dark One along with Emma.
(S5B) Sage is in the underworld trying to save Killian. Along the way she meets multiple people from her past including Thomas, Prince James, Cora a.k.a Queen of Hearts, Valerie, Beth, Bluebeard, ect. Towards the end of the season, after everyone leaves the Underworld and Killian is left behind, Sage reconnects with Jefferson, but he is soon killed by her mother Evelyn. Sage is able to trap Evelyn, with the help of Rumple, at the well in the forest. After an intense argument, Evelyn is finally killed by Rumple, who spared Sage from having to kill her town mother. Sage then visits Jefferson's daughter Grace, who has already been told by the police.
(S6) Diverges from canon. ---- I stopped watching halfway through season six so I don't actually know where this plot was going. I know the evil half of Sage was suppose to appear though
(s6 BEYOND) - at the end (I didn't watch season 7 so I really don't understand what happened) but Killian and Sage were suppose to get married and find some way to have children (find some cure to infertility or adopt). It would be happily ever after for them :)
These notes from years ago are not nearly as detailed and organized as how I do my outlines now, but I hope they're enough to satisfy some curiosities about how the story was suppose to progress. Sage's backstory was suppose to be very dark, but I found that hard to write about give the kid-friendly vibe that the show was descending into.
Thank you so much for the love that spanned across the last couple of years! I will forever appreciate and adore the amount of suppose I received while writing this story!