"Your highness?" a small voice said behind her.
Emma looked around; searching for the person the voice was referring to. But there was no one around. Just Emma her-self, and a little girl standing shyly behind her. Emma turned around fully to face the little girl.
"Your highness?" the girl repeated quietly, looking up at Emma.
"Are you talking to me kid?" Emma asked gently. The girl looked like she was five years old, no more than that. Her big eyes stared into Emma's, and the look on her face suggested that she thought Emma had personally hung the stars.
The little girl nodded slowly, a small smile spreading on her face. "Yes your highness," she whispered, bowing, her tiny hands holding the tip of her dress.
"Oh," Emma blushed, "there's no need to bow, kid. I'm just Emma".
"Yes," the girl cried excitedly, "Princess Emma".
"Just Emma, sweetheart," Emma pressed. "What's your name kid?"
"Ellie," the girl said shyly, turning around to glance back at the road before looking back at Emma.
"Are you all by your-self Ellie?"
Ellie shook her hear. "No, my Mummy is over there," she said, pointing at where she came from where Emma could see a woman walking slowly in their direction. "I ran as fast as I could. I wanted to say Hello to you Princess Emma".
"It's just Emma," she muttered under her breath.
Walking closer, the woman opened her mouth and called her daughter. "Ellie, what did we say about running away from Mummy?" She glanced up, her eyes widening in alarm once she saw Emma.
"I'm sorry Mummy," Ellie said quietly.
"Oh, Ellie, did you bother the princess?" the woman said to her daughter, sending an apologising look. "I'm sorry".
"Oh no, that's just okay," Emma said, putting a smile for the woman
"But Mummy, I was polite I promise. Just like you taught me," Ellie said proudly.
Emma looked at the girl with a smirk before looking at the woman. "Don't worry… Umm…"
"It's Helena," the woman bowed gently.
"It's okay, Helena. And just like I told Ellie here, there's no need to bow. I'm just… just Emma".
"Of course," Helena said with a smile. "Have a good day".
"Good day to you too. And have a nice day Ellie," she said, looking down at the excited girl.
"Thank you, your highness," the girl whispered, before running after her mother and catching her step.
Emma stood there, staring as Helena and Ellie walked away, the mother already telling her little girl different stories, having her daughter's full attention. Finally, she turned around, and walked in the direction of her parents' house. She made a promise to make it to family dinner, and she was not going to miss it for the world.
Ever since she came back from the past, she had been doing her best to adjust to the life in Stoorybrooke. Her relationship with her parents was growing closer as she finally let herself open to the idea of them actually being her parents, Neil was as beautiful as ever and she just loved having a little brother, and Henry… Well Henry was every-thing she had ever wanted.
She took out her key and opened the door, quietly walking inside. Judging from the silence, Neil was upstairs sleeping. She took off her coat, careful not to make any sound as she hung it in place.
"Is every-thing okay? You're late," her father said behind her.
She turned around and smiled at him. "I… got caught," she stammered.
He raised his eyebrow in question, and she was about to answer when her mother and son walked down the stairs, chatting quietly.
"Mum, you're home," Henry said happily.
"Yeah kid, said I'd come for dinner, didn't I?"
He nodded, and looked up at Snow. "So are we sitting down?" he asked.
"Sure," Snow said with a smile.
They sat down to the table, each of them staring at the plate Snow placed before them. Emma would never admit it aloud, but her mother's meals were always some-thing she looked forward to. No matter what they had to eat.
"So, Emma, you were saying earlier," David prompted after a few quiet second.
She looked at him quizzically, so he explained. "You said you were caught up, on your way home?"
"Oh," she blushed, "Yeah, it was nothing".
"Is every-thing okay?" Snow asked.
"Yeah, just a little girl, Ellie, I think".
Snow let out a short, high-pitched voice, and all eyes turned to her. "Oh, I know her," she said through a smile, "such a cute kid. Let me guess, she called you Princess Emma".
Watching Emma blush, both Snow and David chuckled. "Yeah, she insisted. I tried to make her stop, but she kept calling me…" Emma said, trailing off.
"Yes?" David smirked at his daughter.
"Your highness," Emma breathed out.
"That's what I thought," Snow laughed. "This little girl is so polite, always runs to wish me a good day when she sees me".
"Yeah, well, I tried to ask her to call me Emma, she just wouldn't," Emma repeated, taking a bite of her chicken.
"Well, if I understand correctly, she's a little girl," charming said, looking at his wife for confirmation, "and little kids in the Enchanted Forest always looked up to their Princes and Princesses".
Snow nodded in agreement. "And being so young, they keep seeing us just as much as Princes and Princesses as we were over there".
"I've never been over there," Emma said gently, looking at her son, "and I'm just Emma. Not Princess Emma, not Your Highness, not Your Majesty. Just, Emma".
"But honey," Snow pushed gently, "you're a princess. You're her princess".
"And," David continues, "She's five, so she's looking up at her princess, wishing to be just like her when she grows up".
Emma rolled her eyes at her father. "Dad, she held her dress while she bowed," she insisted.
"Then she's been taught well by her mother," David answered, sipping from his glass.
"Mum, seriously, don't take it that hard," Henry chuckled. "The little girl just wanted to meet her princess in person".
"Yeah, and you probably made her day," Snow added.
"Fine, fine," Emma smiled, throwing her hands in defeat, "I just hate when people call me that".
"Well get used to it, your highness," David smiled, "you're royal, and there's nothing you can do about it".