The Lost Princess - A Once Upon A Time Fanfic

On Edge // Storybrooke

Kyla, sitting across from Rider, stared at him after he told her about his mother. So many thoughts and questions were running through her head, she didn't know where to begin. But, she started with what seemed to be her most pressing question. 

"You didn't think you could tell me about your mom?" She asked, her voice saddened. 

"You don't understand," he said, "looking at your family, they're all heroes, magical and not. My mother who was magical got herself killed because she thought she was smarter than she was. She was powerful and immediately chose her own selfish intentions. My family wasn't heroic like yours."

"But I'm not a hero!" She contested. 

"Yes, you are," Rider pressed. 

"No. And I've never claimed to be," she said, then took his hands. "Look, Rider, I would never ask you to be anything that you are not. Just because your mom wasn't a hero doesn't mean that you're not." 

He shook his head. "There's still so much more-"

"And you don't have to share any of it until you're ready," she reminded him. "But you need to know that I'm never going to judge you. I'm never going to think differently of you. You can trust me."

"How are you so okay with this?" He asked. 

"If you knew half of my stories, you would see that nothing fazes me. But, I don't want to scare you." 

"Likewise," he said. 

"So, no more secrets?" She said. He smiled and nodded. 

"That sounds great." 

She returned the smile, then, for the first time since his telling of his story, noticed the dark under his eyes. He lifted a hand up to rub the tired away. 

"You need to get some rest," she said. 

"No, no, I'm fine." 

She shook her head. "You've been carrying this weight with you." 

"But, Maleficent-" 

"Is dead," she reminded him. He shook his head. 

"It feels wrong. Ursula and Cruella-"

"Yeah," she interrupted him again, "when are you going to tell me about that?" 

"That?" He asked, almost shocked. "They hunted me down before I got into the tower. Maleficent had gotten her magic back and they wanted to make sure I knew that she was coming after me."

"For revenge?" Kyla asked. He nodded. 

"She never got the chance, however. Between me getting trapped in the tower and Regina stealing the curse from Maleficent, I don't even know what happened to her or how she died." Rider said. Kyla laughed. 

"Yeah, Maleficent was trapped in her dragon form under Storybrooke. Emma killed her right before the original curse broke. So, like I said, you have nothing to worry about." 

"Cruella and Ursula?" He asked. 

"Not as much of a threat as you'd believe," she said. 

"You don't know them," he said, his tone monotonous. Fearful. 

"No, I don't," she conceded. "However, we have the Evil Queen and the Savior on our side. Plus, Rumple isn't here. And I'm on high alert, I promise. So, if anything feels off, I'll let you guys know. I promise." 

He leaned over and kissed her quickly. "What would I do without you?" 

She smiled, then told him again, "Go to bed."