Title: I've Heard About You
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters.
Summary: Drabble prompted from Tumblr:"Gremma Princess/Huntsman AU first meeting"
Note: My one-woman mission to keep Gremma fics in the Gremma filter. ;)
"I've heard about you."
Emma's head jerks up, meeting a set of deep blue eyes. The air is momentarily sucked out of her lungs, her heart gently pulling in response to … something. Something good, she thinks.
She came out here to have a moment before the true hustle and bustle of the party. The air was heavy with anticipation, busy with frantic energy as people flitted about in preparation. Her gown was already prepared and hanging in her room, a tub to scrub away the grime she was currently accumulating being filled. The skirt of her long violet dress was painted in colors of earth, smudges of mud and grass from wandering through the gardens all day.
She had thought she'd found a corner no one would be in, this close to the tree line before such a big night. She was aware guests were arriving, but she hadn't intended on meeting any until later. She finally brushed back a stray strand of blonde hair, smirking up at the handsome stranger. "I should hope so," she replied. It was her kingdom, after all.
His eyes darted away, and she worried for a moment that she offended him. Instead, a slow smile crossed his face. "I mean from your parents, Princess."
She crossed her arms in front of her. "You're here for the ball, then. One of the honored guests?" she questioned curiously. The ball was specifically in celebration of finding the chamber of hearts; they were finally being restored to their owners. It had been decades since the Queen who stole them had left the realm, but her legacy still lay in the Heartless Ones.
Now, these men and women could finally live their lives as they had wished, no longer frozen in strange immortality with no emotion.
He nodded, slowly. His expression had darkened some, somber and cool where before it had been easy and warm. "I am," he answered simply. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. "I met your parents long ago, and perhaps they feel they owe me something. They don't."
She studied him more closely, stepping forward a few careful paces. She noted the furs, the leather. She bit down hard on her lip, certainty rolling through her. "Huntsman?" she asked.
His mouth tightened, but he once again nodded.
She had heard stories of this man; he was the reason she was born. He had saved both of her parents, before she was a thought in their head. Her hands dropped to her side, eyes widening. This was the hero of her bedtime stories, the legend she had dreamed of. Before she could stop it, a blinding smile overtook her features. "You! I – I don't know what to say! Thank you!" she cried, grabbing his hands in her own.
He stiffened as she did, those cobalt eyes snapping up to hers. He looked almost fearful, startled and worried.
She dropped his hands awkwardly, pulling back. "Oh, I'm so sorry. This must be terribly strange for you. You've only just gotten your free will back! Your emotions!"
His gaze had not broken from her face, but they were swimming with a sheen of tears. "Yes, it is strange to feel again," he murmured.
She offered an apologetic smile. "I just needed to thank you for all you've done. You have no idea what you mean to me and my family. I didn't even think! It must be overwhelming to suddenly gain everything after so long," she mused.
Before she could stop herself, her hand shot out again to rest over his chest. Her brow furrowed as her palm flattened, a beat not thumping against her skin.
"Yes. Especially when my physical heart hasn't been returned to me," he murmured.
End.