Living in the castle made this sort of thing difficult, but Emma never minded whenever the door to the little cabin closed and Red backed her onto the bed. Her parents knew by now that she and the tall brunette were definitely more than just friends, something that carried over after the curse on Storybrooke broke. She called her "Ruby" there, and initially, learning to call her Red rather than that name presented something of a challenge, but the blonde got over it quickly. These visits to a cabin a day and a half's ride away from the castle became a habit for the pair. Red didn't much care for court life, and after spending most of her years in the land without magic, Emma found the adjustment somewhat uncomfortable as well. The idea of royalty never even crossed her mind, let alone how to behave as an actual princess. Once in a while, she needed out. No one asked questions when the two women picked up and left for a while every so often. Running to this cabin was more than just sex, even though that was obviously the only thing on Red's mind as soon as they crossed the threshold of the little house.
It wasn't like they couldn't do this in the palace, but rather Emma felt a little strange about it. Her parents were sweet, and generally people accepted the fact that she loved Red, but having loud sex in her room down the damned hallway from her parents in a palace constantly filled with people always felt a little rude. The palace still didn't feel like home to her, and so it felt a little like having sex while a guest in someone else's house. Odd. Awkward. Red didn't seem to mind the situation like Emma did, but at least respected the blonde's space when she pushed her away or stopped things before they got too far. Frustrating, sure, but Red could wait. It usually meant that they spent the entire first day in the cabin in bed or at least in various states of undress, and this was no exception. Usually when they arrived, they started a fire and dug out candles before impatience finally won and they landed in bed, but this time, Red physically insisted on foregoing their usual order despite the chill and the snow that fell heavily outside. Part of Emma wanted to stop this and perform the necessary housekeeping-variety tasks before they became too distracted, but the brunette's mouth on her pulse instantly silenced those thoughts. The pair left a trail of snow-dampened clothes all the way to the bedroom and finally crashed onto the bed entirely undressed.
The first time was rough and fierce, all needy kisses and nips that nearly broke the skin. Red didn't give Emma what she wanted until the blonde practically screamed, entire body quaking with anticipation under Red's, and the princess returned the favor in much the same fashion. The second time, the pair slowed down as they tried to pull every ounce of pleasure from each other's bodies. Red's fingers brought Emma to an orgasm that spread through her body with a gentle warm sensation, and the feeling persisted as one final thrust of the blonde's fingers tipped the brunette over the edge as well. It left the pair in a tangle of blankets and hair plastered to sweaty bodies, sated and content. They dozed on and off in this fashion until the sun went down, Red on her back with Emma's head at the junction of her shoulder and her upper chest. Thoughts came and went through the blonde's head fleetingly and she didn't even attempt to hold onto them for more than a few seconds, though the idea that they probably should have started a fire lingered long enough to force her a little further under the blankets with a weak shiver. Their bodies cooled and so did the cabin, and after a while, the two curled into each other and attempted to sleep despite the chill felt even through the topmost down comforter. Emma finally succumbed to sleep with her face buried in Red's neck, unbothered by the blanket of glossy, brown curls that stuck to the sweat on her shoulders. If she could live the rest of her life like this rather than as a princess in a castle, she would do it in a heartbeat.
Hours later, Emma awoke when the brunette under her started to fidget. In the course of the night, she rolled onto her side and had her back to the window where moonlight streamed through the middle of the shutters. She cracked open a blue eye and moved her head slightly to peer up at Red, whose eyes fully open eyes stared intently at the window.
"Go to sleep," she slurred into the skin of the woman's collarbone. Red only sighed stiffly in response. Emma pressed her lips to the woman's skin and closed her eyes again in hopes of drifting to sleep. Once more, the tall brunette moved uncomfortably, jarring Emma awake again. This time, Red lifted her head to watch something through the small split in the shutters, and Emma moaned childishly when the shift disrupted her comfortable sleeping position.
"Red," she admonished, and the owner of the name dropped her head to the pillow and wrapped her arms around the blonde. Satisfied, Emma tucked her head into its original place below the other's chin, but it didn't last long before something grabbed Red's attention strongly enough to force her off the bed slightly. She leaned on one elbow, staring at the window, and Emma slid off her chest to the bed with a displeased whine.
"Gods be damned, Red," she swore, "can't you pander to your dog-senses in the morning?" Emma stared up at the woman's face to see if the scolding got her anywhere, but it was like Red hadn't even heard her. In attempt to force Red to pay attention, Emma pulled a hand out from under the warm blankets and touched the woman's face with her fingertips, only to have her hand pushed away as Red crawled over her to the window. Emma grunted audibly as the woman practically ran her over to get to the object of her interest and rolled over to watch her. Even though frustration and annoyance burned through her tired body, she couldn't help but trace the lines the dim moonlight made on Red's skin. The way it outlined her bare shoulders and touched stray strands of hair softened the irritation of being rudely awoken and ignored.
"Come back to bed," Emma pleaded softly, but Red paid her no heed her once more. Emma frowned deeply. "Red. Hey, Rubes, you realize you're ignoring a naked woman in your bed telling you to get the hell over here, right?" Nothing. Emma grunted again and covered her hands with her face, defeated. Completely and utterly incorrigible, that one. What happened next, Emma couldn't have predicted if her life depended on it.
"Get up," Red urged. She'd crossed the room from the window to the bed in a bound and started to physically roust her lover. Now even more irritated by the fact Red insisted she enter the cold air outside their tangled nest of blankets, Emma grabbed the other woman's arms and held her still.
"Red, why. What's going on?" she demanded. Red simply stared at her, jaw set and expression grave. Emma thought she caught a flicker of gold pass through her eyes in the pale light and instantly did as the brunette asked. Something was wrong. She released the other and slid out of bed. The two collected their clothes and dressed, and the blonde kept silent until Red peered through a crack in another window to watch something. Emma walked nervously to her side and slipped an arm around her waist, concerned. Whatever had her attention, it scared the woman enough to want to run in the middle of the night. She opened her mouth to inquire, but the brunette grabbed her wrist and they plunged into the frigid snowfall outside.
"Red, seriously, what-" Emma stopped short and stared in the direction of the palace and the village that surrounded it. From here, they certainly couldn't see any of the buildings because of distance and tree cover, but the brilliant orange glow against the otherwise dark blue and black sky was unmistakeable. It burned.
"No," Emma breathed.
"You have to get out," Red said finally. Her grip on Emma's wrist tightened and they walked towards the tiny stable that housed their horses. Red grabbed the princess's saddle and rushed to place it on the back of Emma's big gray mare before she made quick work of the girth. Next came the bridle. Before Emma could protest, she thrust the loose reins into the blonde's hands and headed to her own horse's stall. This time she bypassed both saddle and bridle and simply placed a hand midway between the animal's muzzle and eyes as she lead it outside, trailed by a perplexed Emma and her mare. The look on her face was like a punch to the stomach for the blonde. The bay gelding was steadfast and fearless, the only horse in the stable who didn't cower at Red's presence when they first bought him at a local livestock auction. The brunette always said she hated horses because they gave her problems, but she'd grown attached to this one. She was saying goodbye. A moment later, she slid her hand off the horse's face and he trotted away without hesitation. Red simply watched with hands limp at her side and shoulders sagging. Only seconds passed before she whirled and pushed Emma towards the gray mare's side towards the saddle.
"Get out," she instructed firmly, "You need to run." Emma looked towards the orange and gold aura and tightened her jaw.
"I have to go, my parents are there!" she snapped. Red grabbed her upper arms with such ferocity that it actually scared the blonde.
"I said get out," Red repeated at a low growl and placed her face an inch from the other woman's. Stubborn and determined, Emma shook her head and wrenched her arms away from the brunette.
"Red, we-they-" She stumbled over her words, which only intensified her frustration. Emma pounded the air once with her fists, unable to express the feeling in any other way. "Most of my family is there, the only family I've ever known! And you expect me to run? To just turn my back on them?"
"Yes!" The brunette roared, and a tear slipped down her face. "Emma, your family's kingdom is burning. If your family isn't dead, they-whomever did this-has them. And as much as you don't want to admit it, you are a princess. You are a thing to be used as a pawn. You need to get out of here." The distraught written across her face contrasted oddly with her sharp tone. Taken aback, Emma simply watched as Red wrapped up her red cloak and tied it to the back of the saddle on the horse's back before she returned to Emma.
"I am no one," she said, and raised a hand for silence when the other woman opened her mouth to protest. "You are a princess. I am, to them, no one. You need to run, to survive this." Red now stood close enough to Emma to place her hands on both sides of the woman's face. Their hips touched and she placed a gentle kiss on the woman's lips. When she drew away, she placed her forehead against the blonde's and forced a small smile.
"You remember the stories your parents tell?" she asked sweetly. Emma's lips parted and her brows knit. This wasn't happening. "I will always find you, they say. I will find you, Emma."
The blonde raised her hands to the Red's and curled her fingers around them. She squeezed them tightly and closed her eyes. The kingdom burned, they probably hunted her, and Red told her they needed to part. Too fast. This was all too fast.
The brunette pulled away and started down the hill at a jog, leaving Emma to watch her back as she left. The blonde climbed into the saddle, shaking almost too hard to pull herself up. For a moment she watched, and for a second, Red stopped and turned. Emma swore she caught the reflection of gold in her eyes before the woman melted into a wolf and raced towards the blaze. Everything she knew ended that night.