Promises

Alicia remembered the first time she met Flynn Rider, the man who married Rapunzel De Corona, a princess from the East Seas. He was a thief who had randomly saved the long lost princess from her kidnapper after 18 years of isolation. And with his great deed, he earned the love and respect of his wife and a new kingdom.

Alicia's first encounter was at their wedding. She, Regina, and the Charming family were all invited as guests. Ali had very much enjoyed their wedding cake.

When they were introduced, he wasn't Flynn Rider anymore but went by his true name, Eugene Fitzherbert.

So she wasn't exactly convinced when Peter claimed he was her brother.

"You're lying," Alicia simply said. She tossed her hair to snub Pan but all he did was chuckle in response.

"Why would I lie?"

"Because you're an ass," she snapped. Peter handed her more papers with more sketches. Ali threw them away, not even looking at them.

"I'm not interested in your lies."

"But I'm not lying," he growled back, "he resides in a realm called Wonderland. His power even rivals yours. In fact, not only is he your brother, but he's also your twin."

She scoffed. Alicia stood to her feet and dusted off her clothes. She crossed her arms and turned to Pan.

"Flynn Rider is married to Princess Rapunzel and he looks nothing like those sketches," she said but Pan immediately cut her off.

"You met Eugene Fitzherbert, a man who took the name of your brother to escape the law. The real Flynn Rider is your brother and he looks exactly like those pictures," he responded. Alicia frowned and let out another scoff.

"Okay. Say you are correct and I do have a brother in Wonderland by the name of Flynn Rider... Why should I care?" She hissed. Peter was taken back for a moment. He was sure the princess would be overjoyed that she had more family out there. Instead, she looked as if she didn't care.

"I just thought-"

"If he is out there and doing whatnot, you telling me is useless. I made a promise with you to stay here on Neverland. Just like you said, I can never leave," she said. Of all the things he thought she would counter with, this wasn't it. He let out a sigh as she handed back the papers.

"I'll take you to Wonderland. If you'd like," he suddenly said. His words surprised not only Alicia but himself too. For a split second, Ali considered his gift.

But if there was anything Rumpelstiltskin and Regina had taught her, it was that all magic came with a price.

Even when making magic-less deals with a monster.

"What's your price?"

"Excuse me?"

"I find it really hard to believe that you are willing to take me to a new realm just because you're feeling nice. So what's the catch?"

Peter hummed before leaning back against the cave wall. He didn't want anything and that's what bothered him.

Why did he want to take Alicia somewhere where she could potentially leave him?

It caused an unknown fire to burn in his chest.

"No price. Consider it your birthday gift," he whispered.

She didn't believe him.

Alicia was a lot of things, including impatient, annoying, and hot-headed.

But she was not gullible.

The princess didn't believe Peter one bit.

"As pleasing as that sounds, I'd rather shove a fork in my eye than have to owe you a debt," she snarked.                     
Pan rolled his eyes. With one last sigh, he used some of his magic to conjure up something. He opened up his palm to show Alicia a small little jar full of something. Ali squinted. Once she realized what it was, her eyes widened and she had a head rush.

"Is that-"

"This is some pixie dust. It started collecting itself up again after your magic was infused into the island. It will help us fly to Wonderland."

Alicia scrunched her face.

"How did you even find out about him?" She questioned suddenly. Peter shrugged carelessly and gave a smug smile.

"I do my research," he said, "when I was searching for the perfect power source for Neverland, I went through a lot of possibilities. That was before the Manticore predicted you would one day be born with impeccable power. Once he told me, I made sure to track down your family line. I found your brother down in Wonderland and you were already in Storybrooke."

"Ugh, gross, you knew about me before I was even born," Alicia hissed and flipped her hair to hit Pan. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Okay... If you already knew about Flynn, what about my parents?"

Peter knew this would happen. Alicia was a curious girl and liked to question everything. He knew telling her about her brother would lead to further questions about her family. And he had no choice but to lie to her.

"I never found out who they were either."

And Alicia believed him.     

"So..." Peter cleared his throat and stood to his feet. He turned to her and offered the princess his hand.

"You wanna fly away to Wonderland?"

~

Alicia tightened her grip on her satchel as she waited impatiently for Peter. She huffed as he continued to bark orders back and forth to the lost boys.

"Felix, you're in charge, don't do anything stupid! If I find even one thing wrong all of you are getting punished!"

Ali growled as she continued to wait through Pan's threats. She was getting impatient with Peter. She wanted to leave already. She began to pace around, kicking rocks to show her annoyance.

"You excited?" Slightly asked as he stopped her pacing. Alicia sighed and took it as a sign to sit on a log. Slightly sat next to her.

"I suppose... I mean, what would you do if a random girl showed up and said they were your long lost sister?"

Slightly shrugged and ruffled his hair.

"Probably leave Neverland. I would want to be near her," he admitted. Alicia hummed with interest but left it at that. While Slightly's response was sweet and genuine, Ali knew that if that happened, Peter probably wouldn't let him ever leave.

Such a sad truth.

Alicia let out a happy sigh when Peter finally approached her. He took her hand and lifted her up to her feet. She brushed the dust off her pants.

"We going now? Are you done ordering your pansies around?" She asked with a mocking smile. Peter rolled his eyes before mumbling some insults and pulling her away.

They made it to the beach and Peter began to stretch his arms.

"Been a while since I've flown," he commented. Ali followed his actions and began to stretch her legs.

"Hey, I've never flown before... How exactly am I supposed to do this?" She asked. Peter pointed to her untied boots before gesturing her foot up onto his thigh so he could tie it himself.

"All we need is faith, trust, and a sprinkle of pixie dust."

Peter suddenly sprinkled some pixie dust onto Alicia with no warning. Ali instantly sneezed.

"Oh my God, allergies!" She hissed before sneezing again. Peter rolled his eyes before tossing whatever was left of the dust onto himself.

He turned to Alicia to find her rubbing her eyes. Some dust had gotten into them. Peter swatted her hands away before peering into them.

"You ready to fly?"

Alicia shrugged. Peter took it as a yes and stood firmly before the princess.

"Okay. You need to close your eyes-"

"Why?"

"Just do it, Alicia."

She let out a stubborn growl but for once, she obeyed. Peter took a deep breath. For a second, he got distracted by her face. She actually looked calm for a moment. It was rare to ever see Ali calm and relaxed. Peter liked it. He quickly cleared his throat and averted his eyes when Ali peeked one of her eyes.

"You need to think of a happy memory. The happier, the better the effects of the pixie dust."

Alicia nodded and hummed.

And Alicia Knights remembered the moment her life changed for the better.

There was nothing worse than having to find a place to sleep during the harsh winter weather. Small and orphaned Alicia Knights had to fight her way through life for as long as she remembered. If she didn't find somewhere warm to sleep, she feared she would get sick. Or worse, die of the frost.

Her old abandoned house had just gotten demolished by some town workers. Alicia had to watch as they tore apart the only place she had known as home. With a small satchel full of everything she owned, Alicia set out to find a new home. It was easier said than done.

Storybrooke wasn't known for its hot weather. Ali knew it would be nearing impossible to find somewhere warm.

Her stomach growled. Alicia couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. It wasn't easy to steal from the small stores. She had managed to get a small loaf of bread and she had survived off of it for a week. But now she was at the end of the line and it was time to take drastic measures.

Alicia thought of a crazy scheme. Something in her bones told her to go to the docks to try and fish up some dinner.

To her luck, Ali found a fishing pole resting against a wooden post. She borrowed it, along with some bait, and heading to an isolated place where she could fish in peace without anyone spotting her.

Alicia was glad the water hadn't frozen over yet. There were times when it got so cold, the harbor froze over. The young girl sneezed once before finally flinging her fishing rod into the water. She liked the ocean. If she could, Alicia would like to sail away on a boat to a place where the weather was warmer.

After two hours of waiting, and not a single bite from the fishes, Alicia gave up. In a fit of anger, she threw the pail full of bait into the sea and stomped on the fishing rod until it broke. Shoving her cold hands into her tattered pockets and adjusting her bag, she turned to leave.

Alicia didn't expect to see the mayor standing before her.

The people of Storybrooke were intimidated by Regina Mills. She was a woman of power which meant she wasn't someone you wanted to make an enemy out of.

So Alicia was very cautious when the mayor simply stared at her.

"Can I help you, Madam Mayor?" Alicia asked. Regina smiled at her before gesturing to the broken fishing rod under Ali's boot.

"Didn't catch anything?" Regina asked. The little girl scoffed and shook her head.

"Fishing is for losers anyways," Ali snapped. Alicia found a new hatred for fishing.

"Are you hungry?" The mayor asked. The young girl narrowed her eyes. How long had this woman been watching her? Alicia didn't really say anything besides nod her head.

Regina nodded back and gestured towards town.

"Come on. Dinner's on me."

Regina expected Alicia to follow but the little girl knew better. Stranger danger was a thing, no matter who it was.

Regina glanced back to find Alicia still standing firmly on the dock. She had no intention of moving.

"Come on. I promise I don't bite."

Alicia still wasn't sure, but all it took was a loud growl from her stomach to remind her of the hunger she had brewing and she caved. Ali followed the mayor like a lost puppy to Granny's Diner, a popular restaurant with the best fries Alicia had ever tasted.

Alicia found herself sitting in a booth with Regina, looking over a menu. Alicia grew excited by all the options but remembered she was with the mayor. Ali placed her menu down and stared at the table. The waitress, Ruby, finally came up to take their order.

"What can I get you, ladies?"

Regina ordered and then looked expectedly at the girl before her. Alicia continued to stare at the table so Regina ordered for her.

"A cheeseburger for her with extra fries and a chocolate milkshake. Add some onion rings to the side. Bring the food out as soon as it's ready."

Ruby nodded before rushing off to place their order. Upon hearing all the food, Ali again grew excited. Her stomach couldn't contain its hunger.

The first thing that arrived was Alicia's onion rings. Ali was so tempted to devour it all but she simply gazed at it, not sure if she could eat. Regina sensed the girl's uneasiness and pushed the plate close to Ali, giving the girl the permission she needed.

Alicia ate as slow as she could but it was proving to be a difficult task when the more she ate, the hungrier she got. By the time her burger, fries, and milkshake came out, Alicia was done with her onion rings. This time, she dove straight into the burger, not even waiting for Regina to say if she could or not.

They didn't really converse all that much. Ali was too concentrated on the food to even remember that the mayor was before her.

By the end of the main meal, Regina had also gotten her a piece of cheesecake for dessert, and Alicia had nearly cried by how delicious it was. Alicia had found a new love for sweets.

When Regina paid and they stepped back out into the cold, Alicia was hit with reality again. She still didn't have a place to sleep. At least her stomach was happy and full. She turned to face the mayor and was so happy she even bowed.

"Thank you for dinner Madam Mayor. I am forever in your debt."

Alicia tied her scarf around her neck and headed down Main Street again. She wasn't sure where she was going now, but night had already fallen and she needed a place to sleep.

Regina watched as she left. The mayor could tell the girl had nowhere to stay. She turned on her heel and headed to Mr. Gold's shop, where she had a few questions to ask of him.

Back on the harbor, Alicia had found a broken down sail that wasn't used for ships anymore. Ali was thankful her night was finally looking better. It wasn't exactly ideal but the sail would keep her warm enough through the night. Sneaking onto one of the small boats around, Alicia made herself as comfortable as she could. She used her bag as a pillow and covered herself with the sail.

The warm food in her belly and soothing sounds of the sea swayed her to sleep.

She didn't even notice when a police car had arrived at the docks.

~

Regina had heard enough from Mr.Gold to know she had to take in the girl she had found on the street. She knew she would head back put to the docks so with the help of the town sheriff, they found Alicia snoring away on a boat.

"Is this her?" Sheriff Graham asked as he gestured to the sleeping girl. Regina nodded. Graham turned to the girl and kneeled down. Careful not to wake her up, he picked Alicia up and carried her to his police car. Regina quickly grabbed the girl's bag and walked after them.

In the car, as they drove to Regina's house, the mayor snooped through the girl's bag. She found spare old clothes, a toothbrush, some paste, a small switch knife, a broken hairbrush, and a lot of trinkets that could pass as trash. The only money this girl had was loose change, not even enough for a pack of gum.

"She's an orphan?" Graham asked as he turned into the mayor's driveway. Regina sighed and nodded.

"It would appear so."

After Graham carried Alicia into one of Regina's guest room, he bid the mayor goodnight and left. Regina peeked into her room before heading into her office. She looked around for old papers she had made of everyone in town and searched for one that matched Alicia's description.

She was surprised this young girl had once been a feared pirate back in their old world.

"Well, I'll be."

Regina tossed the papers away and sighed. Looking through another file, she found some documents she had been searching for.

With a stretch and a fresh pen in her hand, Regina Mills began filling out Alicia Knights guardianship papers.

And she and Alicia never left each other's side from that day forth.

"Open your eyes, princess," a low voice rang in Alicia's ears once again.

Ali opened her eyes to find her hovering off the ground. In fear, Alicia toppled over into Pan and he quickly caught her before she flipped out.

"This is not natural! Humans weren't made to fly, they were meant to stay on the dirt and dance!" Alicia screamed as she looked down to the ground but she immediately closed her eyes when she realized they were already pretty far from the island. Her grip tightened onto Pan's arms even more.

"Promise you won't let me go, you bastard!" Alicia screeched, her eyes still closed from terror.

Peter took a deep breath before nodding even if she couldn't see him.

"I promise."

*unedited*

Oof a long chapter.

Hope y'all enjoyed Ali and Regina's backstory.

Cheers 🌸