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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋

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"A predictable excess of pomp and grandeur. Snow should have no trouble sneaking inside," Killian stated as the three of them sat on a patch of grass a ways away from the golden castle and watched the fireworks.

"What about us?" Everly asked with a hint of boredom in her tone, "are we supposed to just sit here and hope she pulls it off?"

"I don't like leaving things to chance," Emma added while keeping her eyes glued to the ball happening in the distance.

"I feel exactly the same way." The three of them jumped to their feet as soon as they heard the familiar voice before they turned to find Rumplestiltskin sitting on a tree stump next to them. "Which is why I never do," he finished before waving his hand through the air and making an invitation to the ball appear, "see, an invitation to the ball."

"So you'll be inside to watch out for her?" Emma questioned with a hint of hope in his voice.

"No, no, I'll be far too busy sorting out how to get you home," he responded as if his statement was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, who's the invitation for?" Killian questioned, causing a small groan to pass over Everly's lips before all eyes landed on her.

"Are you really that clueless?" the Jones girl asked the two people next to her, receiving annoyed looks from both of them as she continued speaking, "it's for us."

"There is a smart one among you after all."

"So when we're done inside, you can open our portal?" the pirate captain asked the Dark One as if he didn't just insult the former and the Savior.

"There's a powerful wand, which I...I came to possess," Rumplestiltskin explained, earning confused looks from the three from the future before he brushed them off and continued, "anyway, legend says it can recreate any magic that's ever been wielded. Now, with a little work, I can use it to recreate whatever portal brought you here."

"Please do it quickly," Emma begged the powerful man in front of her while Killian snatched the invitation from his fingers, "we'll be in and out before you know it. I wanna get out of here."

"Oh, confidence. I like it," the Dark One responded, earning a smile from the Savior in return then the three from the future started to head towards the castle.

Just as they were about to reach the path, Rumplestiltskin called out to them and made them stop in their tracks before they turned back around to face him. "You can't go to a ball looking like that."

Before any of them could respond, the Dark One swirled his hand in a circle then a cloud of maroon smoke surrounds the trio. When it disappeared, Everly couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Killian was now wearing a brown suit and Emma was wearing a beautiful red dress with her hair done up in a bun. It only took another moment for Everly to realize what had happened before she looked down to see herself wearing a purple dress and her hair was now in a braid with a variety of flowers from top to bottom. A small smile formed on her face as she glanced down at her necklace to see all the charms turned to gold and her bracelets covered by the sleeves of her dress.

"The Savior can't come this far and not play princess for a day," the Dark One said as the smile on his face slightly grew.

"But I'm not supposed to stick out," Emma stated without even trying to hide the panic in her voice as she stared at the shiny-skinned man, "what if someone remembers me in the future?

"Because what you had before was such an intricate disguise?" Rumplestiltskin mocked while he looked between the three heroes in front of him, "now, speaking of which, I've returned those stolen rags, luckily before they were missed. I mean, it's a miracle the timeline hasn't imploded already. Amateurs...allow me."

The three from the future exchanged a confused look before the Dark One made a mirror appear out of thin air. Everly just stared at the object in the man's hands for a long moment before she realized her facial features changed...all their facial features changed.

"A glamor spell. This is how you shall appear to one and all," the Dark One explained after seeing the confusion on their faces before the mirror vanished into thin air, "now, run along, and do everything you can to make sure Snow White gets that ring. Once they're back on track, everything else will be, too."

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When the three of them finally reached the front gates of King Midas' golden palace, Killian handed the guards their invitation to the ball. Everly heard the Savior and the pirate having a hushed conversation in front of her but she didn't much pay attention to it. Instead, the Jones girl looked around the huge ballroom while trying to take everything in.

"Greetings," a new voice greeted, pulling Everly out of her thoughts as she turned to face a man in a crown, "I am King Midas, father of the bride. Who do I have the honor of welcoming into my home?"

"I am...I am Prince..."

"Charles. Prince Charles," Emma responded for Killian, who continued to stare at the king with wide eyes, "and I'm Princess...Leia."

"And you are?" King Midas asked after his eyes landed on the blonde girl standing a few feet behind him.

"Lady Rapunzel."

"It's an honor to have you all," the king told them before he turned towards one of his guards while Everly ignored the irritated looks from Emma and Killian, "announce Prince Charles, Princess Leia, and Lady Rapunzel."

After they were announced, Killian and Emma headed to the dance floor while Everly went to the side of the room and watched the couples dance. It was sort of odd being the only one there not accompanied by someone but she knew she was going to have to get used to it.

The music changed while the Jones girl's eyes scanned the room as most of the couples proceeded to the dance floor. Everly was almost convinced that she didn't know anyone in the room until her attention landed on a face that was far too familiar. He looked almost exactly like the boy she met on Neverland except for his eyes. They were far too blue to be the boy she was thinking of.

"Excuse me." The Purest Heart froze at the sound of the familiar voice before she slowly turned around to come face to face with someone she thought she'd never come in contact with again. The two of them just stared at each other as her heart raced so fast she thought it was about to pop out of her chest. Everly would've thought she was dreaming if the boy in front of her hadn't said his next three words. "My name's Felix."

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"Where did you go?" Everly asked Felix as he dragged an unconscious Griff back to camp.

"I knew Griff would try to attack you so I ran a little ways ahead and doubled back when I heard his voice," he explained without so much as glancing down at the girl walking next to him.

"So you used me as bait?"

When the Lost Boy didn't respond, Everly stopped in her tracks before Felix copied her actions. The Lost Girl just stared at the boy who still refused to meet her gaze as she replayed everything that just happened in her head.

"You were hoping he would attack me."

"I was hoping he would face you, but I didn't want him hurting you."

"What if you weren't there in time?!" Everly shouted without thinking as an unexpected wave of rage washed over her, "he could've killed me?!"

The Jones girl was caught off guard after the Lost Boy turned around to look at her with a blank expression on his face. If it hadn't been for the pain that filled every inch of his eyes, she would've thought her words didn't have any sort of impact on him.

"I won't ever let anyone hurt you...I promise."

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Everly continued to stare at the boy in front of her as she took in every inch of his face. The only difference between the boy she knew on Neverland and the one standing in front of her was the lack of his scar. Other than that, he didn't look any different from the Lost Boy she met over thirty years ago.

"Rapunzel," the Jones girl finally responded after getting over the initial shock.

"May I have this dance?" the blonde boy asked as he held his hand out to her.

"You may," Everly responded with a smile before she took his hand into hers and let him escort her out to the dance floor, "fair warning though, this is my first ball."

"This dance is called a waltz," he explained after he let out a small laugh before Everly watched the familiar smile grow on his face, "there's only one rule."

The Thorne boy pulled the girl closer to him and took her left hand then placed it on his shoulder. Everly's eyes never left his as he held her right hand in his before placing his left hand on her waist.

"What's the rule?" the Jones girl asked after breaking out of her trance to see the smile on his face growing even wider.

"Pick a partner who knows what he's doing."

A small laugh passed over Everly's lips before she looked over Felix's shoulder to find Killian and Emma smiling back at her. The duo on the other side of the room watched the blonde girl for a moment longer before the pirate pulled the Savior in the same stance the Purest Heart was in. Felix brought Everly's attention back to him as he continued to guide her across the dancefloor. Her eyes met his once again as the Jones girl followed his lead before matching smiles on their faces.

However, the expression on her face didn't match the mixed emotions she was feeling. She knew that no matter how much she didn't want that moment to end, it would soon become another memory of the boy she fell in love with. She would need to get back to her time soon, a time where Felix was lost to her.

"Would you like to meet my brother?" the Thorne boy asked, drawing Everly's attention back to him before her smile returned.

"I would love to."

Once again, the smile on the blonde boy's face grew before he escorted her off the dance floor and in the direction of his twin and his date. As soon as the brothers' eyes met, a grin appeared on Fletcher's face. "Fletcher, this is Rapunzel. Rapunzel this is Fletcher and Harper."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Everly greeted them as her eyes flashed between the Thorne brothers and took in the similarities between the two.

"And you as well," Fletcher responded before he wrapped his arm around the girl next to him and pulled her closer to his side.

"Your dress is a lovely shade of lavender," Harper complimented while interlocking her fingers with the Thorne boy.

"And your's a lovely shade of blue."

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It had only been a week since Griff met his fate and Pan decided he wanted everyone to be better trained in case a situation like that happened again. More specifically, he wanted Everly and Baelfire to be better trained. The two of them had barely picked up a sword or a bow since they arrived on the island.

"Right, Ev?" the son of the Dark One questioned, bringing the Jones girl out of her train of thought as her eyes moved to meet his. Once he saw the lost look in her eyes, a small smile formed on his face before he opened his mouth to explain the current situation. "I told Pan that it's a waste of time training us to fight for him when he knows we won't."

"You're right, I won't fight for him," Everly stated before the memory of Griff pinning her down to the forest floor as if she was nothing came back to her, "but it would be nice to be able to hold our ground."

"Woah, is Jones finally agreeing with me?" Pan said while Baelfire stared at her with shock and confusion in his eyes, "I guess Griff knocked your brain straight."

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After a nice conversation with the two, Fletcher and Harper left to have another dance, leaving Everly and Felix in the corner of the room. A comfortable silence surrounded them as they listened to the music and watched the couples. It wasn't long before the Jones girl felt something brush against her hand, making her look back up at the boy next to her to find him smiling down at her.

"Tell me about yourself."

A moment of hesitation passed between them as Everly studied every inch of his face once again. Once she saw the hint of confusion cross over his features, the Purest Heart let out a small sigh and came up with a lie that she hoped out suffice. "There isn't too much to tell. I live with my sister and her...her fiancé in a distant land. Our parents passed a few months after my fourteenth birthday."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"And you?" the blonde girl asked in an attempt to turn the attention away from her lie and back to him.

"Like you, there isn't much to tell. My father left when Fletcher and I were eight. We managed to remain nobles despite there not being a true man of the estate. Over the years, my mother blamed my brother and me more and more for our father's disappearance."

"I'm so sorry, Felix."

"Don't worry. My brother and I finally saved up enough money to make it on our own. We are going to leave a few days after our birthday...maybe we can join you in your distant land"

It took everything within the Jones girl not to tell him to leave then and there to avoid what would on his seventeenth birthday. The only thing holding her back was knowing that would mess up the future completely. And who was to say that Pan wouldn't find them anyway...or something worse.

Another hour of the duo talking passed before the doors slammed open. The whole room became silent as everyone turned their attention towards the entrance to see the Evil Queen standing in the doorway. Everly's blood ran cold as she watched the brunette woman walk over to King Mida. After staring at the woman in black for another moment, the Jones girl looked at Killian and Emma. The worried looks on their faces only made the panic within Everly grow before she watched them have a hushed conversation.

"I need to get you out of here," Felix whispered in her ear, drawing her attention away from the pirate and the Savior before her eyes met his.

"I can't leave without my family."

"It looks like they can leave without you."

Confusion mixed with the panic the Purest Heart was feeling as she looked back over to where Killian and Emma were, only to find an empty space. Before she could even think of a reason why they would leave without her, Fletcher and Harper rushed toward them.

"Come on. We need to leave before one of the guards sees Harper," Fletcher stated after the couple stopped a few feet away from Everly and Felix.

Before the blonde girl could argue, Felix wrapped his hand around her wrist and forced her to follow them out of the castle. Right as they made it out into the cool air, they spotted Snow White getting on a horse and riding off into the distance, making a small smile appear on Everly's face. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of swords clashing before they looked up to the roof and saw Emma running back into the castle while Killian fought against the Evil Queen's guards.

"The Queen's guards are coming. We need to get out of here, now. She can't find me," Harper's fearful voice drew Everly's attention back to the situation at hand before they hid in the bushes.

Just as they made themselves invisible to the naked eye, they saw a group of the Queen's guards dragging Emma out of the castle. While Everly continued to watch her sister, she was completely unaware of Killian sprinting out of the castle with a panicked look on his face.

"Rapunzel!" Everly instantly turned towards the sound of her name then a wave of relief washed over her. The Jones girl didn't hesitate to jump out from where they were hiding before she rushed towards the pirate captain.

"What happened?"

"There's no time to explain. We need to go, now!"

Everly sent him a small nod in response and began to follow him when she felt someone grab her wrist. She hesitated for a long moment, knowing exactly who it was, before she spun around and came face to face with a determined-looking Felix. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't.  Please just...just stay with your brother," the Jones girl responded despite her wanting to spend as much time as she could with the Thorne boy. When she saw the defiance in his eyes, a small sigh passed over her lips before she took his hands into hers and continued speaking. "I promise I'll be okay. And when I promise something I never, ever break that promise."

Her words caused the determination in his eyes to instantly transform into defeat. It pained Everly to say goodbye to the boy but she knew that if he came it would mess up the timeline. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, he needed to make it to Neverland.

"Then promise me I'll see you again," Felix whispered, making the Jones girl hesitate once again as she continued to study the boy in front of her.

"I promise."

After sending her one last smile, Felix turned and followed Fletcher and Harper back to the castle. Everly's eyes didn't leave his retreating figure until he vanished from sight. Her feet stayed glued to the forest floor for a moment longer before she turned and follow Killian through the forest to find a way to rescue Emma.

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