Guard (W.05)

This Palace Guard found out that Will Scarlet was gatecrashing the King's ball along with his girlfriend, and subsequently threw them both out.

Before the Curse
}} We are shown the the interior of Wonderland's palace during the extravagant ball, and Will and Anastasia, both in noble attire, are amidst it, having sneaked in. The latter is stunned by the sight, commenting that it's even more beautiful than she imagined, but Will, who's fidgeting around in his uncomfortable trousers, says that he feels like they're on backwards. Embarrassed, she tells him to stop squirming, as people are looking, but Will tells her that that's because that don't belong there. Ana tells him to, just for a moment, imagine that they do; "If we believe it, so will they." Looking over at where the catering is, Will is astounded by the amount of food, which disappoints Ana, and he says that it'd be a shame to let it all go to waste. She tells him that she would like to look around, and he says he'll be back soon, wandering off into the crowd and towards the food. Anastasia looks over at some noblewomen, one of whom comments on the other one looking lovely, and, in a posh accent, the other woman replies, "Thank you. I was just admiring the crown jewels, darling. Simply to die for." Ana hears this and smiles, and, to herself, she attempts to mimic the higher-class accent, whispering "I was just admiring the crown jewels, darling" a few times over. In her newly adapted accent, she approaches a nobleman and says, "Hello, darling." "Most people go with 'your majesty'," says the King, whom she has just addressed, and Anastasia apologizes to the monarch, saying that she didn't mean to offend him.

He simply laughs, accepting her sorrows, and telling her that there's no need to apologize; he then gestures a waiter to give him two glasses of champagne, and hands one to Ana, who appears delighted. The two of them clink glasses before each taking a sip, and she comments on how long it's been since she's been to a proper ball. The King jokingly asks if there are many improper ones, and Ana answers positively, making him smile before confessing how much such occasions bore him. He goes on to say that he's desperate for a change of scenery, and Anastasia, who can easily relate to this, tells him that she knows the feeling. As he advances on her, the King says that he knows every lady of his court, and asks why he hasn't ever seen her before; Ana suggests that either he hasn't been looking hard enough, or that she's no lady, and the King laughs. A commotion suddenly begins as one of the attendees repeatedly yells the word "thief" in regards to Will, who is being dragged through the ball by two royal guards. They stop by the king where one of the Guards states that Will is an impostor, and before they know it, one of the female guests accuses Anastasia, upon seeing her, of stealing her dress from out of her carriage. The King gestures for his guards to take Will away, and as one begins to do the same to Ana, the monarch halts him, but the poor woman has nothing to say. She is soon escorted out of the area as well as those around her yell remarks such as "impostor" and "peasant". The King appears disappointed.

Outside, Will is thrown to the ground by the palace guards whilst Anastasia is simply let go, albeit roughly. Will gets to his feet, breathing heavily, and the knights soon dismiss the two thieves, heading back inside. Ana appears angry, and Will tells her that they "did it". This confuses her, as, in her words, they "got pinched", but Will assures his true love that they're the ones who did the pinching, revealing that he managed to hide a few loaves of bread beneath his shirt and cape, saying that it should last them a week at least. Hiding the bread on his personal again, Will says that they won't have to deal with those "stuffed shirts, literally", and she agrees, clearly begrudged. She then smiles as Will suggests they go home, saying that the bread's still warm, and Anastasia follows him after hesitation, after looking up at the crown jewels in their casing up in a tower with an open balcony door.