Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-24304025-20140614160011/@comment-4975807-20161214052855

Reginaandgold101 wrote: Did Belle remember being Lacey while she was locked up or was she already suffering with amnesia? And why didnt she remember Lacey when she fell across the town line? Why does Belle still refer to herself as Belle in Storybrook when everyone refers ro themselves as their cursed names. Especially as she is married to Mr Gold so her name should be Lacey Gold not Belle Gold. And why was Lacey so so different from Belle? They share no personality traits, one dislikes the others favourite things and vice versa, 1 plays exceptional pool while the other reads. Strange!! I always assumed Belle didn't remember a cursed persona of herself after she fell over the town line because Regina never built one for her after the curse was cast. All that simply happened to Belle after the curse was cast is she became amnesiac, and I think that's what Regina always intended for Belle; to be living under the curse with no idea of her own identity or why she was locked up in the asylum.

As for the cursed "memories" Regina gave Belle after her fall over the townline, I think that was just a trick Regina came up with it on the spot to further hinder Belle and Mr. Gold's relationship. My personal impression is that Regina enchanted the Rabbit Hole card to give Belle false memories, but those fake memories were drawn out from the potential for darkness in Belle. I also believe Lacey was supposed to represent the exact opposite of Belle. A prime example would be how Lacey found Mr. Gold to be boring during their date because he was too nice, yet Belle probably would've been quite happy to see Mr. Gold be a good and pleasant person. Lacey was drawn to Mr. Gold being violent and ruthless with Keith, and she laughed and smirked as she watched him beat him. But, had Belle witnessed that, she likely would've been horrified at Mr. Gold's capacity for violence and brutality.