Blaise Blanc's POV

Blaise stared at his sword that laid on the wooden floorboards of the Jolly Roger. His father was the White Knight and taught him many things. Protect those who can not protect themselves, even if that means making sacrifices. Tristan Lily's death still haunted Blaise—Tristan was calm in the face of death, something Blaise has yet to master.

He sat in the center of his cramped quarters—in the hull of the ship—which only made a small bed by the corner and a writing desk. The lost pages were staying with him, he had laid them out on the floor too. His eyes didn't stray from the page from the Storybook of Legends that was his. The White Knight. Sign here. It almost compelled him.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he called out. Ladeline peeked her head through the door, her black hair braided nicely over her shoulder. She walked inside, glancing around the room.

"Good Grimm, this room is sad."

"Could use a paint job." Blaise glanced up at her. His gaze flickered. "Now that you're here, I've got a few questions for you." Somehow, it sounded like he was interrogating her like the FBI (Fairytale Bureau of Investigation, mind you). Ladeline joined him on the floor, resting her chin on her knee.

"What's up?"

"We're both Royals, correct? So... what made you want to follow Aladdin's footsteps?" Blaise asked, tapping his fingers against the floor. Stay grounded, he told himself. It's ironic since we saw how much of an asshat Aladdin was to Daphne in the last chapter when she and Ali went on their little date! Good thing Ladeline's way better than Aladdin.

"Awe, thanks, Nadine. Wait—Daphne and Ali went on a date? Tell me more later!" Ladeline said. Blaise blinked blankly at her, but Ladeline went on. "Stealing treasures all day sounds awesome, plus talking to a genie would be so fun. Sure, there's the whole marrying the Sultan's heir thing—"

Blaise rolled his eyes, shuddering. "God, please do not remind me—"

"—but most importantly, I'm secure and happy about my fairytale."

"Hm." Blaise thought it over a few times, but failed to come to a conclusion. Think of loyalty and honour, his father would say. But then his mother's voice echoed in his head. Go do the things that make you happy, even if you have to break the rules. This was a rather awful choice to make.

"What's on your mind?" Ladeline asked.

"Well... Now that I've got my page yet, I'll have to sign the Book to fulfill my destiny. But things have changed and I told you my, you know, secret." Blaise had kept this weighting secret for years, but ever since telling someone the truth, the pressure had been lifted off his shoulders. "I've had time to think, now I'm having doubts. Do I become the next White Knight or...?" Reject my fate?

"Did you become the White Knight to please your father?"

"No! I mean, I don't think so. It's just... My dad missed my mom a lot, but they couldn't be together. Training with him kept him distracted, it was good." For a bit. Blaise enjoyed the duties of being a knight, but there was one drawback that wandered in his mind. "If I sign my destiny, then there's a chance I'm never coming back to EAH."

Ladeline stilled.

Blaise sighed, tilting his head up to the ceiling. He couldn't bring himself to meet Ladeline's eyes. "I'll have to go back to Wonderland, my knightly tasks would require me to never leave. I'd never see any of my friends again." Or you. He didn't bother to mention. Heat crept up his neck at the mere thought of Ladeline and him together.

HAHAHAHA, Blaise's got a crush, Blaise's got a crush—

I forgot Blaise can't hear Narrators, but Ladeline can. Well... Shit.

Ladeline tried to smile. "Would you like to go back to Wonderland?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." He pinched the bridge of his nose, running his fingers through his hair. It was bleached; he had been lying a lie for his family his entire life. Blaise glanced back at Ladeline, a familiar flush coming back to his face. He cleared his throat. "I think I should apologize. For snapping at you when we were talking the other day. And walking away, I guess."

Ladeline stifled a laugh. Blaise rolled his eyes. "Are you laughing at me, Eline?"

"No," she said with a loopy smile on her face, "definitely not."

"Do you think we'll retrieve all the pages from the Storybook of Legends?"

"Hopefully." She leaned against him, staring down at the sword that Blaise's father gifted him. Blaise's face only reddened as he tilted his head against Ladeline's. Their fingers brushed against each other. "You know you can trust me, right? I'm not going to become some psychopath who reveals everyone's secrets. That's someone else's job."

Blaise chuckled. "Yeah, sure." He saw his reflection in the sword's blade. He wasn't completely tone-deaf, he knew he had a more grumpy and serious demeanor compared to the others. Maybe he even came off as mean (which isn't exactly a lie). But trust is trust. Perhaps his mood was more uplifting ever since Ladeline walked into his life.

When you take on the sword, you take on the responsibility of life and death, the White Knight's words suddenly pop into Blaise's head. He gazed between the sword Ladeline—two worlds splintering Blaise's morals apart. Life and death. It was hard to figure out which was which.

Blaise gently kissed Ladeline's forehead. He had made up his mind.

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Winifred Darling's POV

"I can take over now," Willow said to Winnie. They had been sailing away from Neverland for a while now, they'd be back to EAH in two days. Willow leaned against the railing, crossing her arms. "Did you take another night shift?"

"I'm fine, we need to deliver the lost page back to Raven Queen." Winnie rested her chin on the steering wheel, dark eye bags lingering. She muffled a yawn, shading her eyes from the blinding sun on the horizon. The Jolly Roger was a fine vessel, she had been keeping guard of the seas for the past few days. "You should go check on Lynari, you know."

Strangely, Lynari had suddenly fallen sick yesterday. Winnie wasn't trying to be rude at all—but the fairy looked like a walking corpse, truly. Nari insisted it was just the common cold, but Winnie feared it was something more threatening. Another reason why we need to get back to Ever After High even faster.

"Ladeline's looking after Nari right now. Are you okay?"

Winnie nodded, tilting the steering wheel slightly. Her mind had been buzzing like a bee, she could not escape the voices that circled around her. Her fingers gripped the wheel tightly as she pressed her lips together. "It was supposed to be an easy quest." She dug her nails into her palms. "No one was supposed to get hurt."

"I know," Willow said quietly, "We didn't calculate that extra risk."

"I thought... Hook looked me in the eye—he saw me—and then..." Winnie's throat closed up as she shook her head. "I hope karma gets him, I don't care if I'm his daughter." The pain would not dull. "Plus I'll have to face Holton when we get back."

Willow scoffed. "Good luck there." Then she became more serious. It was odd, actually, to see Willow act all grown-up. Winnie was used to being the older sister. "Winifred, you know it's okay to admit and realize what happened. Neverland's a dream but... It often gets us caught up—we lose the face of reality."

Not everything is a dream.

"How could h-he just die? Tristan said couldn't..." Winnie was angry, she had rage simmering like no other. She let go of the steering wheel, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears welled in her eyes. "He couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe. He was in so much pain, he died that way."

Willow toyed with the hem of her jacket. "I know." Her words were heavy.

"I couldn't hear his heartbeat." Winnie stared at the ground.

"What?"

"I held him in my arms a-and then I suddenly couldn't hear his heartbeat, Willow." She took a shaky deep breath. "He was lifeless, he was gone just like that. That isn't fair, he deserved his happily ever after." She wanted to cry, but how could she? Her friends still needed her. "I'm so angry, I can't even think. I'm mad that Captain Hook was hurting you guys. I'm mad at myself for not reacting quicker."

"It wasn't anyone's fault," Willow comforted.

"But I was so close to Hook, I could have done something." She was starting to feel riled up now. She shook her head repeatedly, wiping furiously at her eyes. "And God, this sounds awful but I'm mad at Tristan too. He let himself die, he wanted to go and I can't forgive that." Sorrow filled Winnie to brim as she wept, mourning the boy she loved and lost.

Willow wrapped her arms around Winnie's shoulders, melting into her hug. "Winnie, there's a difference between wanting to go and being ready to go. Tristan was ready to leave this world behind." She soothed Winnie's quiet cries. "This was unfair, but perhaps there's peace in death too."

"I..."

"Rest knowing he's at peace."

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?'s POV

I can't feel anything. It's almost as if someone had hollowed my guts out, leaving my flesh and bone to dry out in the sun. Yet, there's a kind of peace and bliss in this. I've been buried, yet I still breathe air. I have no heart beat, yet I am still full of love. I am one, I am whole with the spirit world and nature.

This was paradise—heaven.

I blinked faintly, seeing butterflies hover over me. A firefly came to me, landing on my finger. "Hello," I said softly, "aren't you a beacon of light?" Honey melts into my voice as I watch the firefly flutter its wings, eventually flying away. I sat up, touching the soft blades of grass beneath me, tall trees blooming with beautiful flowers standing over me.

Perched on a branch of one of the trees was a white dove. Pure, happy. Doves were the symbol of joy, but also love. Strangely, there was an itch in the back of my head. The dove reminded me of something—someone—but who?

I blinked blankly. Fair skin, blond hair, and those familiar brown eyes. There was a girl before, someone I left before. The dove cocked its head, cooing and flapping its wing. My mind felt fuzzy, like I had woken up from a weird dream.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from my chest. I glanced down, seeing blood flowing down my body. It was a gunshot wound, but it wasn't there before! Heat seared through my skin as the blood started to gush out and envelop me. "Help—I can't—" My words were muffled as the liquid turned black, covering me from head to toe. I could not scream or see; the last thing I saw was the white dove, distressed.

And then the ground swallowed me whole, turning this paradise to a nightmare.

Then the stinging sensation stopped and my vision returned, although blurry. I lifted up my shirt slightly, my fingers lingered over the wound, only to realize it was smooth skin. The injury had disappeared suddenly!

I looked around my surroundings, I had awoken in a forest. Except this was different from the one before, the trees around me now were rotting and falling apart. There was a faint rotten smell among the woods. There was a loud buzzing in my ears and a dull pain that ached within my bones.

"Hello."

I jumped back, startled. A dark figure walked up to me, appearing from nowhere. It had no form—it was just a woman's shadow. "Who are y-you?" I asked, my voice shaking. "And where am I? This wasn't the forest I was in before! And..." He faltered. "Who am I?"

"I rescued you. I am your saviour." The woman's voice sounded sweet like honey. She crouched down, observing me silently. Although she had no face, she sounded tired and weak. "It took a lot of strength to bring you back to this plane."

"Plane?"

"Realm is a better word."

I narrowed my eyes. "You have not answered my question. Who are you?"

"Call me..." The woman cocked her head. "Essence."

"What happened to me before?"

"That is not relevant. Now, get up."

"There was a girl," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "My friend. She's... Please, I need to see her again. And my other friends." My memory was fading rapidly, it was like a spell had woven into my mind. "Essence, please help me."

"I saved you." Her voice was no longer sweet, it was like spoiled honey. She stood up, holding out her hand. "You obey me, I brought you back. What you breathe is mine. What you think is mine. What you speak is mine."

She snapped her fingers. Suddenly, I felt drowsy as I took Essence's hand. "Good, you will prove to be a useful tool eventually."

A/N: CHAT LET ME COOK WITH THESE NEW VILLAIN ARCS!!!