Forever Belle

Disclaimer: Don't Own 'Once Upon a Time' or anything associated

Belle sat in the corner of her prison though they said it was for her own good. She didn't believe that for a second. Not with the evil queen coming to visit once a month like clockwork - leering in at her through that slot. The only view of the outside was her barred windows at the end of her bed.

They were too thick to break no matter how hard she tried. And she had tried. The first time she'd tried had been years ago – how many she'd forgotten since even time blurred for her – when she saw her Rumple on the other side of the glass. She'd hit the glass, trying to break it, trying to get his attention. But her attempts failed.

That was long ago now. Now she was stuck in a prison they called a hospital, no human contact.

But at least she had her memories. Everyone in that 'psych ward' had their memories. Some had arrived there in that ward with no memories of the world they now found themselves. Others had been sparked by something from the 'real world' out there and remembered the other lives they'd lived. She'd never had the choice.

A prisoner in one world becomes a prisoner in another.

After her love had thrown her out she'd been captured by the queen she'd foolishly trusted. She'd been locked away and half-starved. At least in this prison the room wasn't cold, the bed was descent, and she was given three meals a day.

But no matter how they told her that her name was Leyla Carine she knew the truth. No matter how the queen tried to force her to remember – no matter how those 'doctors' were fooled into believing the lies she knew.

She knew her rumple was out there. She saw him every so often through her windows. She knew her father had been brought in because they'd wheeled him past her window though nobody ever saw her. And she knew – without a doubt – that she was Belle. She'd been a princess once turned prisoner of Rumpelstiltskin whom she fell in love with.

One day she'd find her man again. One day she'd break out of her prison. Until that day she would always be Belle.