Even though all of our main players have departed for Neverland, Once Upon a Time season 3 will still feature Belle and the other Storybrooke characters.

In the season 2 finale of Once Upon a Time, we saw Emma, Snow, Charming, Regina and Mr Gold all get on Captain Hook’s pirate ship and begin their journey to Neverland to rescue Henry from the shadowy Peter Pan figure.

Although Storybrooke was not destroyed, fans have questioned whether there will be much room in the story for returning there in season 3.

Especially because the finale also revealed that Neal (who will be a regular character next year) has washed up on the shore in the ruins of fairytale land, where he was found by Aurora, Mulan and Philip.

But Emilie de Ravin, whose character, Belle, will presumably step in as leader of the town now that she has her memories back, has revealed to TV Guide that she’ll remain a regular in season 3, meaning that she’ll be at least somewhat significant.

While Belle will be upset about being left behind, “She’ll gain her strength back, and she’ll have to if she’s going to protect an entire town,” de Ravin says.

What does the town need protecting from? And why do they need Belle to protect them from it?

The other question is what kinds of new character dynamics we might expect now that there aren’t any main characters left to interact with.

Meghan Ory (Ruby) has departed Once Upon a Time to star in the CBS drama Intelligence, which only leaves Belle with supporting characters like Grumpy and the dwarves, Tiny, Granny, Archie, Gepetto and Mother Superior.

Will they be given a chance to shine in season 3? Or will the triple storylines (and potential flashbacks within each thread) mean that the supporting cast will continue to be sidelined?

Once Upon a Time season 3 premieres this fall, airing Sunday nights on ABC.