Growing Up and Letting Go
Here's another Gremma fic! I have always shipped them and now I find that writing about them is tons of fun, so expect some more. This is going to be a multi chapter fic, and I do have some ideas for the next chapters but if you have any drop me a PM. Thank you to Spaceroses on tumblr for the prompt:
AU fairy tale world where a Princess Emma and a Huntsman Graham grow up together/knowing each other.
Emma and Graham, aged 4 years old
Emma's feet pounded the forest floor, as she ran from the man chasing her. Her bare feet dug into the soft grass, and dirt kicked up behind her, landing on her red dress. Her long blonde hair whipped through the air behind her, and she tripped on an upturned root. Her arms splayed out in front of her as she fell to the ground. The trees above her began to spin, and the man finally grabbed her. And began to tickle her.
"Daddy, stop it!" Emma yelled, laughing as her father tickled her more. James finally stopped and sat down beside her, a look of alarm coming across his face.
"Are you hurt, Emma?" he asked, touching a tender spot on her head from where she had fallen. Emma, having gotten her strength from her mother and stubbornness from her father, shook her head. "I'm okay Daddy, really."
Her father smiled, and threw her onto a piggy back before beginning to head back to the castle. The sun was beginning to set through the trees, but Emma wriggled free of her father's grip and fell off his back, pouting. She crossed her arms defiantly, and James laughed at how much she reminded him of Snow.
"Princess, we have to go, Mommy is not going to be happy," Charming said, crossing his arms, and mocking Emma.
"Just one more game Daddy! Please?" Emma gazed up at him with big, brown eyes and he easily gave in like he always did. "Fine, what do you want to play?" James asked, kneeling down to her level. "Hide and Seek, and you're it!" Emma yelled over her shoulder, running as fast as she could. Charming laughed, and hid his face against a tree, counting loudly. "1, 2, 3…"
Emma came into a clearing, whipping her head around to find somewhere to hide. The trees did not offer much concealment, but she finally saw a hollowed out log and climbed inside. She gazed outside at the forest, crawling farther in, trying to get away from the opening. Suddenly, she bumped into something, and almost screamed when she saw the outline of a young boy with curly hair next to her. He clamped a hand over her mouth, almost pulling her into a hug as he stared into her eyes: "Be quiet okay?"
Emma nodded, wondering what the boy was doing in the log, looking around, scared of coming out. Her father finally poked his head in the opening: "BOO!" Emma laughed and crawled out of the log, right into her father's embrace. He let her down onto the forest floor, as the boy slowly crawled to the opening but not completely into the forest. Charming looked down at Emma with a confused expression, before smiling at the boy and kneeling down to the log.
"Hey, what's your name son?" Charming asked, sounding sincere as he looked over the small boy. He had a tiny frame, thick curly brown hair, and deep brown eyes. Most alarming of all were his clothes, which were ripped and tattered, with mud staining them. There was also a single scar that ran near his chin, reminding Charming of his own. The boy looked up at Charming, a mix of hurt and fear in his eyes.
"Graham," the boy finally answered, and Emma smiled at him in reassurance. She took his small hand in her own, and the pair felt a small tingle down their spines. Graham climbed out of the log, never letting go of Emma's hand. A mutual smile broke out over both of their faces, and Emma looked away as she blushed a faint pink. Graham kept his eyes on her, keeping his hand locked on hers, finding comfort in her tight grip.
"Where the hell are you?" a loud, male voice broke through the trees, startling even James. The voice belonged to a large man, his clothes equal to that of Graham. Although he bore no real resemblance to the young boy, his eyes a steely blue that housed a look of anger. The man grabbed Graham away from Emma, causing James to protectively stand in front of his daughter. Emma peered at Graham from behind her father's legs, trying to not look as scared as she felt.
"Sir, is this your son? My daughter and I found him in this log," Charming looked over at Graham who looked down at his feet.
"Is that true Graham?" the man asked, anger rising in his voice. Graham nodded slowly, keeping his eyes locked onto Emma's. The man then simply smiled, a forced smile and shook James' hand. "Sorry for any trouble my son may have caused you. We were just out hunting and I lost track of him. We live in the village over the hill, and we need the food," the man explained.
"Oh, no trouble at all," Charming replied, smiling back at the man, although his was also a forced smile. The man turned away, tipping his hat to James and Emma. Graham turned his head to watch his father go, before slowly walking back over to Emma.
"Here, this way you'll always remember me. I hope we can stay friends," Graham whispered in her ear, smiled at her and pressed something into her hand. He then took off running before smiling at James one last time.
James laughed loudly while holding Emma's hand. "Seems like someone's got a crush!"
Emma hit him on the back, smiling up into his blue eyes before he hoisted her onto his back again. Emma kept one arm around James's neck, but clutched onto the object Graham had given her with the other. She slowly opened her hand and stifled a gasp as she saw what he had given her.
A silver necklace, with a small circular pendant and a single swan engraved in the middle. Emma smiled up at the trees, as she hoped that one day, she would meet the small boy with the crooked smile again, and they would be able to stay friends for a long time.
Hope you liked it! Writing Gremma is so much fun, and I intend to do so even more hopefully in the future. Reviews would be amazing, and hope you stick around for chapter 2.