Author Note: Hi everyone! This is not my first story, but it is the first one I have decided to publish. Since season 3 just started I got inspired to write a story on one of my favorite characters. I will try hard to keep it as true to plot as I can. So I hope you guys enjoy it and review! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time, except for my own original characters.

A strident knock on the door erupted the dreams of a young woman who was asleep in bed. She stirred in her sleep, entangling herself deeper within the sheets.

"Clarissa darling, it is time you wake up." A masculine voice surfaced from the other side of the door.

The comment however, went unbeknownst to the girl resting. Her head was still filled with dreams and desires. The unresponsive stillness caused for another, louder knock. "Clarissa!"

This time the girl heard the voice. "Father…" Clarissa groaned while nuzzling into her pillow, "leave me be…"

"I'm afraid I cannot fulfill your request. The King has ordered our presence at the castle. We mustn't disappoint."

Clarissa let out a heavy sigh as her father's words sunk in. An order is an order, but more importantly it is an order from the King himself. So with much displeasure, Clarissa pulled the sheets off her and swung her legs to the side of the bed. She stood up and made the bed, followed by the continuation of her usual morning routine.

When it was time to get dressed, Clarissa opened her large wooden wardrobe. The grand dresses inside reflected her higher social status. She picked one without much hesitation and thus began the difficult process of dressing herself. Even though the dresses were beautiful, she always hated how hard it was for women of her status to fit into the appropriate attire. This dress, like the others, was tight fitting throughout the waist to create the desired shape of her curves and it lifted her bust. Not that it would be hard to see without the aid the dress offered. Fortunately, she inherited her mother's nice curves and well-endowed body. Come to think of it, most things she inherited were from her mother. The only feature Clarissa got from her father were his honey colored hazel eyes.

After dressing herself, Clarissa brushed her dirty blonde hair as it cascaded down her shoulders and finished by applying light make-up onto her face. "One must look their best whenever greeting the King." is what her parents have always taught her.

"Father, I'm ready." Clarissa said as she stepped out of her personal chamber and into the dinning room.

Her father was already in his armor and so nodded at her. "Good, now I can fetch the horses."

They rode under the bright blue sky in silence through their village, passing the houses of their neighbors and the marketplace. Although it was still early, the marketplace was bustling with commotion. Merchants and customers gathered together doing their common activities. It was never too early or too late to make a good bargain.

Clarissa's father looked at the frown on his daughter's face and sighed. "I apologize for waking you so early darling. If I could, I would have let you rest, but you know how things are."

"I know, it's quite alright father." Clarissa responded.

Her father was no ordinary man in this kingdom. He was a very brave and skilled swordsman, earning him a place in the King's guard. Only the most noble Knights have received that honor. She was truly very proud of her father. Being the daughter of a Knight gives you a higher status and grants you the title "Lady". The reason she had to be present at the palace with him as well was because the meeting was a sort of social gathering. The Knights go to the castle accompanied by their wives and when they go off with the King to discuss plans, the women stay and interact with each other.

Clarissa's mother passed away when she was only a child. She didn't get to know her too well, but she does remember loving her an awful lot. Life without a mother has been tough, but her father has been a good parent and raised her well on his own. So since her mother is no longer alive, Clarissa took her place in going with her father to the castle ever so often.

"Don't look so gloomy." Her father added. "Besides, you enjoy going to the castle to see your friend."

Clarissa smiled. That was true; she did enjoy seeing her friend very much.

As they past the solid gold gates, they finally reach the wide crafted doors of the palace. Leaving their horses to the servants, they enter inside. The palace was certainly beautiful, both inside and out. Her breath was taken away every time she set foot within its walls. This was not the only castle inside the Enchanted Forest; and if she thought this one was beautiful, well she couldn't wait to one day see the beauty of the other kingdoms.

The sound of a trumpet blasted through the vast throne room of the palace, signaling their arrival. Heads turned in their direction awaiting the declaration.

"Sir Arnold and Lady Clarissa!" announced the guard at the entrance hall.

From across the room, the King and his Queen made their way past their guests until they stood in front of Arnold and Clarissa.

"Your Highness" Arnold and Clarissa said in unison with a small bow.

The King and Queen smiled and greeted them. They were both nice people, full of love and care for their citizens. Clarissa was happy to have them as their rulers and never doubted their decisions once.

The King then raised a hand, "Now that we are all here, we can begin the meeting."

Without question, the Knights all followed the King into their hidden quarters while the women continued their conversations with each other. Looking around the room, Clarissa tried to spot her friend within the crowd. It wasn't until she heard a voice behind her, did she realize that it was she who was spotted.

"Lady Clarissa!"

Clarissa spun on her heel and came face to face with her friend. Her wavy brown hair looked stunning under her pretty tiara and her vivid blue eyes held the same warmth they always did.

"Good day Princess Aurora!" Clarissa smiled back. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you." She replied. "What about you? How have you been?"

A small frown made its way to Clarissa's lips. "Oh you know, same as always. Nothing new."

Aurora noticed the change of mood in her friend, so she suggested they take a walk outside through the royal garden. The garden was beautiful and Clarissa loved seeing the unique flowers as she strolled next to Aurora. The roses in this garden were especially gorgeous; they came in a variety of all sorts colors. As Clarissa knelt down to admire the roses more closely, the brunette spoke up.

"So are you going to tell me why you're upset or do I have to beat it out of you?"

That comment made Clarissa giggle. She couldn't picture Aurora beating up anyone; she wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Well?"

Pulling her hand away from the petals, Clarissa glanced over at Aurora. "I don't know…I guess I feel a little bored."

Aurora tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"I'm tired of reliving the same day over and over." She answered while standing back up. "I want something new, different. I want to go on adventures and travel the world. Silly, huh?"

"No, not at all." Aurora assured with a grin. "I'm not as brave as you, but I think it's a great dream to have. To travel and see what the world has to offer."

The blonde gave a sad smile, "Thank you, but I'm afraid that dream won't be coming true for awhile. My father needs me here and I don't want to leave him alone…"

Aurora looked at her friend with saddened eyes. She had known this girl since they were young. They were almost the same age, making it easier for them to open up and discuss their feelings. Although they weren't always able to see each other, she enjoyed their time together a lot. If Aurora could, she would help her in anyway possible.

A breeze blew through the garden as the girls silently stared at each other.

"Well enough about me!" exclaimed Clarissa breaking the silence. "How are things going with Prince Phillip? Any more secret meetings in the forest I should know about?" she winked causing Aurora to blush.

The girls giggled as they continued their stroll through the garden. The sad mood was lifted as their laughter filled the air. Things might be a little dull, thought Clarissa, but at least she had her friend and father to keep things exciting.

"April? Hellooo April? Earth to April Dawson."

The young blonde woman flinched back in surprise as her hazel eyes focused on the hand waving in front of her face.

"Jesus Ruby, you scared me!"

The pretty dark haired waitress of Granny's Diner smirked, "Well if you weren't off daydreaming, I wouldn't have spooked you."

April sighed, "Yeah, you're right. My bad."

"You alright? Your head has been in the clouds a lot lately." Ruby asked with concern.

"Yep, I'm fine. Just feeling a little distracted is all."

Ruby nodded, "There's been a lot of that going around."

April agreed for she has witnessed it herself. The citizens of the small town of Storybrooke, Maine have all been feeling a little strange. It all started when the mayor's son, Henry, brought his birth mother to town. That was also the night when the clock tower finally unfroze. In a bizarre way, it felt like things weren't moving forward until the clock moved. Her life in Storybrooke was something like a blur, she couldn't remember much about her past except always living in this town.

"So anyways," Ruby continued, "what would you like?"

"Coffee's fine, thanks." April replied with a smile.

"You got it." and with that, Ruby went back behind the counter with her grandma.

Today would be another regular day for April. After her morning coffee she would have to go to work at the small boutique she owned. Maybe after closing the shop, she would spend some more time with her friends Ruby and Mary Margaret. In such a small town, there wasn't much to do. Yet April sometimes felt that something was missing, like there was a void in all their lives.

"April!" shouted a small voice from within the Diner.

Turning her head toward the entrance, April saw Henry come in through the door, followed by Emma, his birth mother. She gave the two a smile and waved, "Hi guys!"

Henry came to the booth she was sitting in and sat across from her. He scooted over so Emma could join as well. April was good friends with Henry; she thought he was the sweetest little kid.

"Sorry for interrupting your morning." Emma said.

"Oh it's no problem at all! I love getting to see Henry." April gestured over to him. "And how are you doing Henry? Ready for school today?"

"Yep!" he squeaked, "Emma was going to drop me off where the school bus picks me up."

April grinned, "Isn't that nice."

Ruby soon appeared with April's coffee and greeted the other two, asking if they'd like to order. They ordered their usual hot cocoa with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. It was cute how they matched. Like mother, like son April supposed.

After Ruby brought back their drinks, April noticed the book next to Henry. At first she thought it was just a regular school book, but then she realized it was Henry's fairytale book. It was a rather large book covered in a brown framework with beautiful gold lettering.

"I see you're taking your fairytale book to school again today." She commented.

Henry nodded, "Yeah, I try to take it with me everywhere I go."

"Because you're trying to break the curse right?" she asked enthusiastically.

Emma's eyes widened, "You believe in the curse too?"

April shot Emma a quick wink without Henry noticing. Henry has been going on about the town being cursed for awhile now, since Mary Margaret gave him the book. He hasn't told everyone his ideas yet, but the few of us that he trusted he did. Henry thinks, for example, Mary Margaret is Snow White and Prince Charming is David Nolan. April honestly didn't believe in the curse. She just went along with it to entertain Henry. It would be pretty great if it was somehow true, but fairytales and magic is nowhere near possible. Not in this world.

"Tell me Henry, who is Emma in the story?" she asked curiously.

Henry opened his book and flipped through a couple of pages before turning it over. "She's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming!"

"Interesting choice," she replied while looking at Emma.

"Who does he think you are?" asked Emma.

Finishing the coffee, April placed it down. "Oh, he's not exactly sure yet. But he has three good guesses." She raised three fingers, "Either Dorothy, Lady Clarissa or um.…"

"Ariel!" he reminded.

"That's right, the mermaid." She giggled. "Don't think I can pull off red hair though."

Emma chuckled, "Which would you prefer?"

April placed a finger on her cheek while tilting her head. "I can't see myself as Lady Clarissa, she sailed with pirates and I'm not a fan of the ocean. I get seasick; so I guess that leaves me Dorothy. Oz seems like a pretty cool place to live."

The three of them continued their conversation for a couple more minutes until it was time for Emma to take Henry to his bus. They paid Ruby for their drinks and parted ways outside the Diner. April made her way to her boutique which was located next to the abandoned library under the clock tower. Right as she grabbed the keys from inside her purse, someone startled her from behind.

"Good morning Miss Dawson,"

"Mr. Gold," she acknowledged.

"I'm sure you know why I'm here." He stated.

April looked into her purse, "Yes, I have this month's rent ready for you." She opened her wallet and handed him the money. "That should be all of it."

He nodded, "Good, pleasure doing business with you."

As he left, she let out a sigh of relief. He was the most powerful man in town, next to the mayor of course. He seemed a little eerie at times, and it made her nervous to be around him.

Finally she managed to open the door to her shop and she entered inside. April went behind the counter and put away her purse. Her boutique was somewhat small, but not too diminutive. It mainly held women's clothing, but had a few outfits for men. It wasn't a popular store, but she did receive a couple of costumers during the day, enough to keep her in business.

With a heavy sigh, April stood behind the register waiting for another average day to begin.