"Please Aunt Ruby!" Emma said, looking up at her mother's best friend with pleading eyes. "Please don't stop me! I promise I'll be home for the ball tonight, but I just…I need a little space or I'm going to go crazy!"

Emma should have known it would be impossible to sneak out of her parent's castle when her aunt was visiting. The woman was a werewolf, after all. She could hear a pin drop from a mile away.

"Emma…" Ruby said, her beautiful brown eyes looking troubled.

"Please!" Emma tried again. "I know how important this ball is. I know I have to do my duty by my country and find a man to marry, and I'll do it. I promise. I just…I just need one day, one day to myself before I have to play the dutiful daughter and princess."

Ruby took a step forward and placed a comforting hand on Emma's shoulder. "Emma, I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately with the Evil Queen threatening the kingdom again and your father's council recommending a marriage alliance with a neighboring kingdom as our best hope, but your parents love you, and they know how important True Love is in a relationship. You know they won't force you into a marriage you don't want, don't you?"

Emma dropped her eyes. "Yes, I know," she said in a small voice, "I know that if I refused to marry, they'd support me, but I also know that we can't let the Evil Queen take back power. If I make a good match, we'll have a strong ally on our side, and the kingdom needs that. I'll do my duty as princess. I just need one day to be an ordinary person. Just Emma, not the princess, not the kingdom's savior, just Emma. I swear to you I'll be back in plenty of time to prepare for the ball."

Ruby stood still, merely looking at her for another moment, and then finally nodded. "Okay, Emma. I'll keep your secret."

Emma impulsively hugged her aunt. "Thank you! I'll be back before you know it!"

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Emma settled on the wooden bench on the docks, exhaustion settling over her. It was a busy day in port, people from all over coming in for the ball, others milling around the docks and peddling their wares, yet still there was something about the sea, about looking at the horizon over the waves that calmed Emma. It always had.

And with her day as "just Emma" drawing closer and closer to a close, Emma needed that calming influence more than ever. Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach as she thought about what awaited her. She knew what she had to do, but how could she make the decision to marry a man she barely knew? A man she may never learn to love? How could she agree to live with him as husband and wife? How could she…engage in the activities that would be necessary to produce the required heir to the throne?

Emma looked around at the common folk talking and laughing and hurrying through their day and felt a quick stab of jealousy. These people were free. They could marry whomever they wished, or remain single if they liked. They could order their lives according to their own wishes.

The guilt bubbled up at the thought. Emma had no reason to complain about her life. She'd grown up as a princess. Her parents loved her and doted on her. Her home had always been a place of joy and love and laughter. She couldn't have hoped for a better upbringing.

Emma took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Any of it. She still had a few hours before she had to return to the castle; she was determined to enjoy them.

To that end, Emma looked around, taking in the sights and sounds around her. In front of her sat a lovely ship in the nearest dock slip. The Jewel of the Realms was emblazoned on the side in ornate, golden letters. Emma watched as the sailors walked the gangplank and came ashore. The men seemed happy, eager for a bit of shore leave, yes, but it was clear their life aboard their ship was a pleasant one.

As Emma continued to watch, two officers emerged on deck—one with brown curls and laughing eyes, clearly the captain, and the other…

Emma felt all the breath leave her lungs in a whoosh. The other was beautiful, there was no other way to put it. His jet-black hair was pulled back into a neat queue at the nape of his neck, his bright blue eyes were as deep as the sea. But it wasn't his beauty that made her heart stutter and then race. She'd seen plenty of handsome men in her day, it was something else. Something she couldn't explain. It was as though she felt something tethering her to this man, something drawing them together.

It was like her heart knew it had finally found its missing piece.

It was ridiculous, of course, Emma knew that. There was no such thing as love at first site, no such thing as soulmates—at least for most people. At least for her.

The lieutenant suddenly looked around, his blue eyes making contact with her green ones. She should look away, she really should. His gaze was too mesmerizing, too intense. There was shock, and something akin to wonder in his eyes as they bore into hers, and it was almost too much, almost more than she could bear.

But try as she might, Emma couldn't look away. What was wrong with her?

Suddenly the bench beside her sagged.

"Well now, what have we here, Claude," a large, dirty man leered as he took a seat on the bench beside Emma. "Looks like someone in need of a little companionship."

Emma recoiled at the stench that surrounded him like a cloud, at the feral look in his eyes, at the sheer breadth and size of him. Her heart began pounding once again; this time for an entirely different reason than it had when she'd spotted the lieutenant. She jumped to her feet. "I must be going," she stammered, "I…I don't need any companionship."

Emma took a step back, but her exit was suddenly blocked by a second man, as big and malodorous as the first. Large, beefy arms came around her from behind, trapping her own arms at her side. Emma struggled as the fear began to surge. But if anything, her struggles only caused the giant at her back to increase his strangle hold as the man on the bench got to his feet and began stalking toward her.

"Kinda rude to run away from a bloke when we're just getting to know each other," the man said, menacing gleam in his eyes. "And believe me, my young tart, you and I are about to get to know each other quite well."

The adrenaline surged, and Emma fought back, kicking out, managing to strike the man in the shins. He roared, as he rushed toward her, taking her face in a bruising grip, clearly intending to attack her with a very unwanted kiss.

"Unhand the lady!" came a sudden, lilting British accent. "Unhand her, or my sword goes through your heart!"

Notes:

-As mentioned, this story was originally posted as part of my Fluffy Fridays series, so if it seems familiar, that might be why.

-Sorry for the bit of a cliff hanger there at the end, but the good thing about this story being complete is that you won't have to wait long for a resolution. I plan to post a chapter each day.