Once upon a time in the enchanted forest lived a charming king and his beautiful queen. They were beloved throughout the land, well known for their incredible story of true love conquering all. This is not a story about them, but rather their daughter. You see, the queen, though loved by most, was despised by one person, her stepmother Regina. Regina was known throughout the land as the evil queen. In the duration of her short reign, she managed to be the cause of more pain and misery than most people had ever seen in their lives. But that is a story for another time.
Now, when Regina discovered the King and Queen were expecting a child, she leapt at the opportunity to cause them to be as miserable as she. Nine months later, a beautiful baby girl was born with her father's blonde hair, and her mother's hazel eyes. Her name, was Emma. She was instantly loved by all and the kingdom rejoiced at her birth. However, all was not well. Unbeknownst to them, Regina had been busy with a plan of her own. Just two short months after Emma's birth, Regina broke into the castle, her dark magic rendering her undetected. She had intended to crush the child's heart as it was done to her true love, but when she tried to take it, her hand was met with resistance. Eventually, after a few sharps tugs, the heart gave way, and in her palm she held a small, brightly glowing heart. This was something the queen had never experienced before. Only the product of true love could have such great magical power as to repel her. In that moment, with this new found revelation, she decided not to kill Emma, but to kidnap her, and raise her as her own. When Emma was old enough, she would teach her magic and use her as a weapon loyal only to her. Not wanting to be followed, she left a note and the heart, so that the king and queen would eternally be tortured with the knowledge that their daughter was alive, yet forever out of reach.
A/N: Hi everyone! So, this is my first Once Upon a Time fanfic, and I am really excited about it. I am not always the best at updating, but I will try my best. :) This story is based loosely off Tangled, so as a disclaimer, I do not own Tangled, or Once Upon a Time. (although that would make me very happy) BIG SHOUT OUT to my co-author Tennesseetrouble369! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue, I hope to have the first official chapter up sometime next week. Please review and tell me your thoughts. :)
