────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍

────── ★★★ ──────

A smile was plastered onto Roland's face as she stared down at Cassie, who was talking to her baby siblings in her parents' arms. The Hood boy had grown close to Cassie since the day she was born. He was always near her and would make sure she was out of harm's way during their many adventures. But when he heard that Everly and Felix were expecting twins, Roland didn't know how to feel. He was happy for them and couldn't wait for the new additions to their family. On the other hand, he was terrified that he would lose Cassie.

But those worries instantly vanished when the Thorne girl still chose to remain by Roland's side and always brought him with her to see Fletcher and Dawn. It was then that he realized the bond they created was unbreakable, giving him a sense of comfort.

Cassie soon looked up at Roland with the biggest smile on her face, which the boy gladly returned. When she turned her attention back to her younger siblings, the Hood boy looked over at Robin...or where she should've been. Confusion flowed through his veins as he looked around for his sister, only to find her disappearing into the forest. Roland hesitated for a moment before telling Everly and Felix where he was going and following after her.

It wasn't long before he found Robin hiding behind a bush, staring at something that Roland couldn't see. A small smile formed on his face as he snuck up behind her before stopping a few feet away.

"What are you looking at?" The sound of Roland's voice made the Hood girl jump before she turned around to face him. The smirk on the eldest Hood sibling's face grew as his sister continued to glare at him. Without saying a word, Robin turned her back to her brother and focused on whatever was in front of her. The confusion within Roland returned as he moved forward to see what the Hood girl was looking at, only to find a blonde girl standing on the other side of the clearing. "Who's that?"

"That's what I'm gonna find out," Robin responded as she loaded her bow and walked out into the clearing before Roland could stop her.

The Hood boy had to fight the urge to scream in frustration at his sister's rashness. After watching her walk closer to the stranger, Roland loaded his own bow and followed her. But it was just the brunette boy's luck that he would step on a twig. The sound caused the stranger to spin around before coming face-to-face with Robin's arrow.

"Don't move, spy," Robin hissed while pulling back further on her bowstring.

The unknown girl just stared at the Hood siblings for a moment before dashing off into the forest. Robin let out a sigh as she glanced back at Roland, who was staring back at her with annoyance in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when they put their arrows back in their quivers and sprinted after the stranger.

After running through the forest while evading fallen trees and stones, Roland heard a loud bang in the distance. It only took one look from Robin for the Hood boy to know they were thinking the same thing. The two of them instantly turned and ran in a different direction, hoping they weren't too late. As soon as they arrived at their destination, they found the blonde stranger looking around at the Hood siblings' handmade cage for a way out.

"Who are you?" Robin questioned as she walked towards the cage before reaching for another arrow, "who sent you?"

"Nobody sent me," the blonde girl responded with confusion in her voice as she looked between the siblings, "I just...I wanted to see my papa."

"Then why are you lurking?" the Hood girl questioned while her brother continued to study the caged girl, unsure as to why she looked so familiar.

"Because..." the stranger hesitated for a moment before wrapping her hands around the bamboo bars and letting out a sigh, "his heart is poisoned. If I got any closer he'd die."

A wave of realization washed over Roland before he reached forward and forced Robin to lower her bow. The Hood boy ignored the annoyed look from his sister as he continued to study the blonde girl. "You're Alice, aren't you?"

"Nook's kid?" Robin questioned once she put her brother's clues together, only to receive another confused look from the blonde girl, "new Hook. It's a thing that my mom and...you know what? Doesn't matter. Wow, so you're the girl in the tower."

The confusion in Alice's eyes was soon replaced by annoyance as she glared at the Hood siblings. "I got out of that tower years ago."

"So we heard," Robin said, his voice sounding much softer than his sister's, which didn't go unnoticed by Alice, "I thought they left you in Wonderland looking for a cure for your father."

"Well, they did. But...I failed," the blonde girl told them after looking down at the forest floor.

Roland couldn't help but glance over at his sister, who was staring at Alice with sadness in her eyes. That continued for a moment longer before Robin broke the silence. "I'm sorry. I know he misses you."

The confused look returned to Alice's face as she looked back up at the Hood siblings. "How do the two of you know my papa?"

"We're part of the team," Robin responded with pride in her eyes, causing her brother to smirk and playfully roll his eyes at her, "you know, my mom and aunt, your dad, Everly and Felix, Sam and Katherine, Austin...and a bunch of other people I don't really know. Kinda new here. My name's Robin and this is my brother, Roland."

A smile instantly appeared on Alice's face as her eyes scanned over the girl in front of her. "New Robin. So, Nobin."

Roland couldn't hold back his laugh, earning a glare from his sister, which only made him laugh harder. "Oh, I'm definitely using that one."

"Do not call me that," Robin ordered as she glanced between her brother and Alice.

"But if Papa's Nook, it only follows that you should be Nobin, right?"

"She's got a point there," Roland said, earning a not-so-gentle elbow in the side from Robin.

After sending her brother another glare, Robin turned her attention back to Alice. "It's just different. It's not cool, okay?"

"'Cool'?" the caged girl questioned as she studied the girl standing in front of her, "why would you wanna be 'cool'?"

"You haven't gotten out much since the tower, have you?" the Hood girl responded as a smile began to form on her lips, something that didn't go unnoticed by Roland.

"I've been loads of places. And this cage? My least favorite in all the realms," Alice retaliated before taking a step back and gesturing around at her bamboo prison, "so, mind letting me out of here...Nobin?"

The smile on Robin's face instantly fell while Roland did his best to hold back a laugh. The Hood girl just stared at the girl in front of her for a moment before opening her mouth to respond. "Only if you stop calling me that."

The two girls studied each other for a moment longer before Robin turned around and pulled the lever behind her. Not even a second later, the cage began to lift up from the ground, granting Alice her freedom. The blonde girl just stood there for a moment before she took a few steps forward with a smile plastered onto her face. "Thank you...Nobin."

The next thing any of them knew, a loud growling came from somewhere in the distance. That caused all of them to turn their attention in the direction of the noise as the tension around them returned. It only took Robin a second to realize what made the sound. "That's the monster. I've been tracking him for days."

"I'm sorry, you've been tracking a monster?" Roland said as he turned to face his sister, who was staring back at him with a blank look on her face, "does Zelena know?"

"No, and you're not gonna tell her," Robin responded with determination in her eyes, earning a long sigh from her brother.

"Wait, wait, wait. I know that sound," Alice told them, causing them to turn back towards her to find a large smile on her face, "that's no monster. That's a friend."

"Yeah, well, your friend's been tormenting villages...and I have an arrow with his name on it," the Hood girl announced after looking back in the direction the growl originated from before calling over her shoulder, "see you around, Tower Girl."

"Wait! No, you cannot shoot him!" Alice shouted, only for Robin to continue sprinting into the forest before the former began racing after her, "stop!"

"I should've stayed back at camp," Roland muttered under his breath before following the two girls toward the monster.

The three continued to run until they ended up in a small village. Roland slowed his pace as he looked around at all the destruction, shocked that one creature could cause that much damage. After forcing himself back to reality, he walked down the main road to find Robin and Alice having a very heated conversation, completely unaware of his presence. It wasn't long after that when the two of them disappeared into the town's pub.

Despite wanting to get back to his sister's side, Roland knew it was probably better to stay outside in case they needed backup. So instead of following them inside, the Hood boy sat down on a barrel and waited for them to come back out. Only about ten minutes passed when the pub door opened once again. However, instead of Robin and Alice walking out on their own, they were escorted by a group of very angry-looking men.

────── ★★★ ──────

After spending all night and most of the morning at the police station, Everly finally arrived back home. It only took a half hour of arguing for Rumplestiltskin to give in, knowing that the Purest Heart would do anything to be back with her family. A smile formed on the Thorne woman's face as she walked up the steps before opening the door to her apartment. The first thing she saw was her children sleeping on the couch with the credits of a movie playing on the TV. The smile on Everly's face did nothing but grow as she quietly closed the door behind her.

Her eyes scanned over her children one last time before the reality of what was happening in the outside world finally returned to her. Even though she knew it probably wasn't the best idea, Everly walked over to where Roland was asleep in the armchair. A small sigh passed over her lips and she knelt down in front of him and carefully shook his shoulders. The Hood boy's eyes slowly opened before they landed on her. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Everly gestured for him to follow her. The duo moved as quietly as possible through the living room to avoid waking up the younger trio before they found themselves standing in Roland's bedroom.

"What's going on, Everly?" Roland asked after closing the door behind him to give them some form of privacy.

"It's Tilly, I mean...Alice. She's in trouble," the blonde woman told him, earning a concerned look from the boy in front of her, "I know how close you two were back in the Enchanted Forest and I think she might need you right now."

"In case you forgot, we're cursed. She's not gonna remember who I am," the Hood boy responded while trying to understand all the different emotions currently running through his veins.

"What Alice knows right now will surprise you. Plus, she knows Zach. Don't forget about how you helped Tilly out a few times in this world," Everly said before handing a slip of paper to Roland, "last I heard, she was with Hook and Sam at Henry's place but now she's gone. That's Sam's phone number. I think you should go help them."

The Hood boy just stared at the piece of paper for a long moment before looking up at Everly with a smile. After the two of them shared a long hug, Roland grabbed his coat and walked out of the room. His mind was full of memories he shared with Alice as he exited the apartment. It wasn't until he was on the sidewalk that he pulled out his phone and called Sam.

After listening to Roland leave the apartment, Everly walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen to look for Felix. She found her husband sitting at the counter with a mug in his hand...but he wasn't alone. Sitting across from him was Jasper, who was staring down at his mug with a blank look in his eyes. When Felix finally noticed his wife standing in the doorway, he got to his feet and walked over to her. A small smile formed on his lips as soon as he was standing in front of her before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. The couple stared at each other for a moment longer before turning their attention to the Tremaine boy.

"He hasn't said a word to anyone other than Cassie," Felix told her while keeping his eyes glued to Jasper, "I've dealt with a lot of Lost Boys in my time, Sunshine, but I can't get through to this one."

"Let me try," Everly responded before walking across the room and sitting down in front of Jasper. Felix stayed in the doorway, watching with a small smile on his face. The scene before him reminded him of why he fell in love with Everly. Her kind heart and warm smile could melt the coldest hearts on Neverland. Unknown to the Thorne woman, there was even a time when she almost broke Peter Pan, which was one of the main reasons why he couldn't stand her.

"Hey, Jasper. Is everything alright?" the Purest Heart asked in a soft voice, making the Tremaine boy look up at her. When he didn't respond to her, Everly reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm here for you, just like Jo was. That hasn't changed and it never will."

Jasper just stared at her for a long moment, as if trying to decide if her words were true. Everly's heart shattered when she saw how broken the boy sitting in front of her was. It was like he had gone through hundreds of lifetimes while only being fifteen years old. What felt like an eternity passed of the two of them just sitting there before Jasper finally opened his mouth to respond.

"I was there when Mother was killed," the Tremaine boy whispered, causing Everly's eyes to widen before she looked over at Felix, who looked equally as shocked as she did.

After her initial emotions faded, the Thorne woman turned her attention back to Jasper. "If you would like to, you can tell me what happened. But I'd understand if you don't want to."

"I was taken to this warehouse. Drizella and Anastasia were there, too," the brunette boy began as Felix walked across the room to sit beside Everly, "she wanted Mother to choose who to sacrifice to bring Lucy back. She wanted her to choose between Drizella and me. But Mother chose herself instead...and she killed her."

The Purest Heart's grasp around Jasper's hand tightened as a million emotions flowed through her. After swallowing the lump in her throat, Everly asked the question that was bouncing around in her head, even though she had a feeling she already knew the answer. "Who killed her, Jasper?"

A single tear made its way down the Tremaine boy's cheek as he spoke his next words. "Mother Gothel."

────── ★★★ ──────

Roland tried his best to keep a calm head as he followed the men who were escorting Robin and Alice. Despite wanting to jump in and fight them off to save his sister, he knew that wasn't a smart idea. He might've been trained by so many great warriors, but he knew when he was outnumbered. It would be better to break the two girls out of their cell than try to take on four men. It wasn't long until they reached a shack that looked as if it could blow away in a small gust of wind. Roland watched as the leader of the men opened the door before they forced Robin and Alice inside.

The Hood boy hid behind a boulder on a hill just above the shack with an arrow loaded onto his bow. His breathing was steady as he patiently waited for the door to open once again. He didn't have to wait long for the men to make their appearance again. As they turned to close the door behind them, Roland aimed his arrow at his target. It wasn't long before he found his mark and released his arrow. The brunette boy held his breath as he watched the projectile sail through the air before squeezing through the key loop on the leader's belt. The force from his arrow knocked the keys to the ground, which somehow went unnoticed by the men as they walked back in the direction they came.

As soon as the men were out of sight, Roland came out from his hiding spot and raced down the hill. His hand wrapped around the keys before he forced them into his pocket and walked inside the shack. The Hood boy's senses were on high alert as he walked down the only hallway before he was met by a fork in the road. However, Roland's decision on which way to go was made for him when a familiar voice greeted his ears.

"My papa used to say all the best people are mad," Alice said, causing Roland to walk down the hallway on his left, "he'd say, 'Starfish, you meet loads of people in this world. But the best ones, they'll challenge you. Make you see the world through a whole new looking glass.'"

"You're lucky. I never knew mine. He died when I was a baby," Robin responded, taking her brother by surprise and making him stop in his tracks just short of the cell the two girls were in, "no cute nicknames. No fatherly advice. All I have is his name and his legacy to uphold."

Roland hesitated for another moment before letting out a shaky sigh and stepping into the light. His presence caused the girls' attention to land on him followed by large smiles forming on their faces. A smirk appeared on the Hood boy's face as he held up the keys to their freedom. "Which is why you can't stay here."

"You're robbing me of an amazing escape, Rol," Robin declared after holding up the chains that were once around her wrists before she tossed them aside.

"It's what I do," her brother responded while putting keys into the hole and unlocking the cell.

"You two are amazing!" Alice exclaimed, drawing the Hood siblings back to her before holding up her chained wrists, "do me next!"

Roland chuckled while stepping forward to help the blonde girl, only for Robin to put a hand out to stop him. Confusion flowed through his veins as he looked down at his sister, who was staring at Alice with guilt in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Tower Girl. But hitting that troll is my one shot at honoring my father's legacy. And I'm not gonna let you stop me."

Before the Hood boy could comprehend what was happening, Robin pushed him back a few feet then turned around and locked the cell. Roland just stared at the sad-looking girl locked away before he muttered an apology and raced after his sister. As soon as he reached her, the Hood boy grabbed Robin's wrist and forced her to turn around to face him.

"We can't just leave her here, Robin," Roland declared while pointing back in the direction they just came, "we don't know what they'll do to her."

"We can and we will. Now let's go find this troll," Robin responded before turning around once again and walking down the corridor. Roland took one last look back at where the cells were before following his sister.

────── ★★★ ──────

It took a lot of convincing to get Hook, Sam, and Henry to let Roland help them search for Tilly. They went to all of her usual places, only to come up short every time. After going to the sandwich stop to find nothing but the owner, Hook parked his car in an alley so they could regroup and come up with a plan. While the three older men talked about the next places they could look, Roland's attention was on the people walking by in the distance. He was about to look away when he spotted a girl in a green coat.

The Hood boy's feet moved before he told them to, resulting in his allies calling out to him. However, all that did was make him pick up his pace. As soon as he was close enough to her, Roland grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her into the alley. It wasn't long after that when he noticed Hook, Sam, and Henry staring at him with shock in their eyes.

"I told you to stay put," Hook stated after his attention landed solely on the blonde girl, "somebody could've seen you."

"Nope. Nuh-uh. No one sees me. I'm invisible," Alice responded, earning confused looks from everyone around her before she continued speaking, "I was here yesterday. I thought someone might've seen me, but nobody did. I know everyone in the Heights but nobody knows me. What if...what if I don't exist at all?"

"You exist, love," the pirate captain told her as he took a step forward. Despite wanting to add to the conversation, Roland silently stood between Henry and Sam and watched the unknowing father-daughter duo's conversation. "Or else I'm the mad one, talking to no one. I'm not mad. If you say you were here, you were here. Just backtrack your moves. Like in chess, remember?"

"Okay. Um," Alice paused to wipe away the tears that escaped her eyes before looking back up at Hook, "well, uh, after I finished the beignets, I grabbed an apple from the bodega, tossed the core in the rubbish bin by the newspaper stand, uh, grabbed a marmalade sandwich, and then I...I ducked into this alleyway to eat it."

Sam and Roland exchanged a look as Alice pushed passed them to look into the trash can behind them. As they watched her rummage through the large green object, Henry let out a long sigh before opening his mouth to speak. "Unless you ran into Oscar the Grouch, you're not gonna find an alibi back here."

"My backpack! I thought I lost this!" Alice exclaimed after pulling out the item from the garbage can and turning to face her friends with a smile on her face, "now I know I can at least trust myself. It proves I was here."

While the blonde girl continued speaking, a new sound greeted Roland's ears. Concern flowed through his veins as he glanced behind him to find a police car driving past them. Without thinking twice, the Hood boy rushed forward and snatched the backpack, earning shocked looks from everyone who surrounded him. "They're looking for her. We can't stay out in the open where she can be easily seen."

"He's right. We're too exposed. Let's get out of here," Sam added before the five of them quickly got into Hook's car and drove away.

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