So this idea has been tumbling through my head all summer. I have it completely planned and much of it written. I had thought I wouldn't post it until the next hiatus. However, I sense we have a bit of angst coming on the show and thought this might be good therapy.
I have not forgotten my other fics. I will be posting the final chapter of Flirting, Fraud, and Other Bar Crimes later this week. But I thought I would post this first chapter for you all here and see if there is any interest. Obviously this is a divergence from the show. No curse, but much of the rest is the same. You'll see…
When word came to the palace in Misthaven that King George was dying, Emma could see the torn and pained expression on his face as he delivered the news to his wife. It was not a loving or a concerned feeling that overwhelmed him. That much Emma knew, as the relationship between the two was strained one that was based more on political power and less on love of father and son. She'd heard her royal parents speak of someone named James and dragons as they retired to their chambers to discuss their next course of action.
"He's the heir to throne," some of the staff whispered loud enough Emma to hear. "This kingdom is Snow's, but that one is even bigger."
The blonde princess lingered at the dinner table, ignored by hustle of the staff and attention thrown at her younger brother Leo. Stealing away into the kitchen, Emma winked at the young dish girl, who was just about eight years old – same as her brother – and grabbed a plain piece of bread as she snuck out the side door toward the lake where she and her friend Elsa used to skate as children. The ice was gone now, the beginnings of spring sprouting up among the rocks and landscape. She loved spring at the castle, the soft winds blowing through open windows and the promise of warmer days that started out so cool and stark.
Slipping past the pasture where she had first learned to ride a horse under her mother and a stable hand's watchful eye, she paused briefly at the fencing field where her father had helped her brandish her first sword. She knew that others lived much more quaint lives, but to her the opulence of the palace was home. She had grown up playing at her parents' feet in chambers. Her first steps had been down the long corridor long since used for the royal family to gather in before appearances. Her parents had shown her the night's blanket of stars from their balcony window where she had been presented to the people in a formal naming ceremony when she was only days old. Each corner of it carried a memory, a feeling, a longing that she could not quite explain. She had missed it while she was away and felt its pull now more than ever.
She crumbled the bread in her hands, tearing off tiny chunks to toss to the two Swans that had already found their way back from their winter homes. Majestic and white, the two birds floated on the glassy lake, straining out their necks to catch the offerings from her hands. She watched for them for a moment longer, the hem of her gown bunched in the dirt and staining with its darkness. Perhaps her mother would lecture her over such a thing, wasteful of their beautiful things.
Such a lecture would be a relief, Emma thought. It would mean the end of the silence and the polite chatter that seemed to punctuate their relationship now. It would do nothing to stop the disappointment though. She wasn't sure how to make that go away, especially with her father whose eyes always looked so sad now when he saw her.
She might have pondered the situation longer had she not heard the footsteps of children approaching, their joyful conversations echoing among the trees as they spoke of some game they were playing. They were clearly from the local academy, a school that housed students for much of the year. Emma had visited it once or twice herself with her former tutors.
"Milady, I didn't realize anyone was here," stammered the only adult among the bunch. "We aren't on palace ground are we?" He looked panicked as he scanned the tree line for evidence as to their location.
Smiling kindly, Emma held her hand up as if to stop the panic. "You are, but it is quite alright. My father and mother are big proponents of education. They should be glad to see such a group on their land."
"We won't disturb anything," he assured her, motioning to the children to line up. They each stared at her in awe, an appearance by one of the royal family a rare sight. The young princess even more rare.
"I'm sure you won't, but it is quite alright," she said, excusing herself to steal back along the path to the palace. She knew she had overstayed.
***AAA***
The burn of the amber liquid in the glass was almost as familiar as the quaking feeling in his legs at sea. Killian Jones was an avid drinker and sailor both. Lifting the drink to his lips again, he welcomed the sensation on his tongue and the fuzziness to his other senses. It was late and he wasn't even sure which port they had docked in the day before. Still relishing the freedom of having left Neverland, he was sure that his own identity was not yet up to the reputation he had previously built. It had been more than 200 years of plotting and waiting, only to find himself without allies in the world. All had died and life moved on from the time when he was last there, none of the new faces even remembering the stories of him.
"The inn keeper would like a word with you, Captain," his first mate said with a nod to a gray haired woman behind the counter. Her stern look was formidable, but Killian was sure that it was merely a façade for a gentle kindness that most of his elderly interactions had provided. She looked a bit drawn and pale, coughing into a linen handkerchief that seemed above her station. "Probably something about the payment of the rooms."
Killian had captained the Jolly Roger for as long as most people could remember and then some, his hands on approach earning him the respect of the fellow buccaneers. He left nothing to chance and controlled his every move with grace and precision whether it was navigating treacherous waters or managing the supplies aboard ship. Nothing was ever a surprise to him, which was the way he liked it. He was aware that rooms in Mist Haven's outer villages was scarce, as were good hiding places for treasure and loot. Still, he found himself comforted by the familiar sights of a place he had last seen nearly 25 years ago on a scavenging mission for a young but vigilant leader in Neverland.
The pirate slammed the mug down on the table and ignored the groaning protests of his crew that thought he was leaving. A bit more unsteady on land, he sauntered toward the bar and flashed a dazzling white smile at the older woman. She did not respond in kind. "Milady," he said, more formally and with more poshness than was needed in the situation. "You summoned me?"
"You and your boys can't be staying here too much longer," she said, coughing again. "They royal family's due through here in a few days. Can't be having pirates hanging about with the family." She readjusted her glasses on her nose. "So you'll be…"
"On our way within a day or two, milady," he winked at her and then at her granddaughter who was delivering drinks to another table. The raven haired beauty was a few years older than most of the women who worked in such establishments, but her body showed none of the years.
Killian rejoined his crew at the long table, ignoring the glares from the men and admiring looks from the women. As the night grew later he would surround himself with a few of the lovely ladies who would surely wish to keep him company, but for now he was content on his own.
***AAA***
Emma woke the next morning with the scent of breakfast tickling at her nose. While protocol called for her to have breakfast with her father and brother in the dining room, since her return to the castle a few years earlier that ritual had been dropped. She was often served in her room just as the other married women of her station. She would sip at tea as her maids selected her outfits and nibble on pastries as Johanna, her former governess detailed the schedule for the day.
She half expected the announcement of another royal ball to come soon, another chance for her to be shown to society as potential marriage material. While there were a few blemishes to her reputation, her father and mother ruled one of the largest kingdoms in the land. That power alone made many a man salivate at the idea of marrying her. The thought of it also left her uneasy.
Wrapping herself in her dressing gown, Emma sat on the overstuffed settee in the corner of her room and lifted the lid on the plate of food that some unnamed servant had left her. The plates were always too full, including fruits, meats, cheese, and a few sugary pastries that would not agree with her thin frame. Usually she sent it back barely touched, asking that some of the servants' children be allowed to feast upon it rather than it go to waste.
She was trying to decide what to eat when the sweet faced Johanna entered the room, apologizing for having slammed the door accidentally. Her short stature and wide waist gave the illusion of a ball rolling as she hurried toward the princess. "Your mother has been detained," she announced from across the table, causing the young princess to jump from her thoughts. "She'll be here momentarily, your highness."
Emma recognized the voice immediately, even from the shadows as that of Johanna. The short and square shaped woman had been the governess of the White family for generations, caring for the young ladies until they were old enough for children of their own. When Emma's mother had married the prince of a neighboring kingdom and become a Nolan, she had sought the assistance of the kindly woman who had been an integral part of her own life.
"She's a trifle excited," the woman continued, stepping into the room that was designated as Emma's dressing area. "Quite a plan she has for you and your little brother."
Resisting the urge to grimace, the princess bowed her head in thanks for the message and settled further onto the settee in the corner of the room as the older woman detailed that most of that day's activities were suspended because of the situation with King George.
Emma knew her mother was often full of plans, whether it was dancing lessons before fencing or quick country jaunts to inspect the well-being of local villagers. They were not necessarily bad ideas, but Emma still felt under her parents' thumbs. Lately the hints had been subtle, but still noticeable that at her age Emma should be considering marriage. The blonde princess hoped that was not her mother's latest message for the day.
The feast spread before Emma would have fed half the castle's staff for a week with an abundance of buttery pastries and finely cut fruits layered trays around the eggs and thick slabs of meat. She was picking at one of the items when her mother entered the room.
"Good morning," the woman with raven hair said as she sashayed around the table to kiss her daughter's upturned cheek. "You look lovely."
Emma missed her mother's warmth that she had not seen in the past few years. The uneasy truce having settled over them was not that comfortable. Even with her naturally golden hair and fair complexion, she always felt a bit inferior to her mother who was known throughout the lands as the most beautiful woman. While Emma was pretty, her mother was strikingly beautiful. "You wanted to see me?" Emma asked, taking a crumb of the pastry into her mouth.
Snow's mouth turned up with the secrecy of plan, excited as a child would be to know something that others didn't. "Your father feels it is necessary that we see to things with King George," the queen announced with a sweet familiarity that overrode protocol. "It will take us several days to get there and I'm not sure that it is necessary that you and your brother should be made to accompany us. He's a bit rambunctious still."
Leo had been described by many around the castle as the royal terror. A surprise and late in the marriage baby, the young boy had both his parents wrapped around his pinky. He was always glowing with mischief. Having been born premature, he was still somewhat small for his age, but made up for it with a quick wit and a daring personality.
"We'll be fine here," Emma said, realizing that her mother must mean to leave her in charge of her brother's care.
"That's what I thought too," the young queen said, holding her hand out to pat her daughter's forearm. "I had thought that perhaps you would be happier here, but then word came just this morning of another situation."
There was a darkness to her mother's words that reminded Emma of her childhood when the threat of her mother's step-mother loomed over them. There were days when Emma was sent into hiding and fears that the woman who had once ruled with dark magic would somehow regain control of the kingdom. She almost asked her mother if something had happened with the former queen. Was she again a threat?
"It's Red and Granny," her mother said, discontinuing thoughts that the kingdom was under possible siege. "Granny's taken ill and Red is concerned that she is doing too much."
Emma nodded thoughtfully. Red was her mother's oldest and dearest friend, a commoner with a wild streak that seemed far too ordinary to be friends with a royal. However, Red's early loyalty to Snow during a trying time and her devotion since had earned the granddaughter of an inn keeper a place at the hand of the queen. It also did not hurt that Red had amazing tracking skills and was often called upon in times of crisis for her expertise. Granny was just as fearsome, though quite elderly at this point. She looked like a mild mannered woman with her soft gray hair and knitting always nearby.
"She's been so good to us," her mother continued with a gentle nod of her head as she clearly thought more on the topic. "I was thinking to repay the favor." Red had spent nearly a year at the castle with the royal family when the queen was expecting her second child. While there were staff members and professionals, it was Red who had done much of the heavy lifting and made sure that the birth of young Leo was both healthy and happy time for the family.
"I'm sure that she would be grateful," Emma said, biting into a piece of the fruit on her fork. Her mother adored the fresh fruits that were delivered to the royal residence. Her one exception was apples, which she referred to as the devil's fruit. Thinking that her mother meant to send her father on his own and that she would go to see to her friends, Emma wasn't sure that there was much to say about the plans. She would gladly watch her brother and allow her parents the time to complete the needed tasks.
"Your brother though…it would be hard for him to be at either location," the queen said thoughtfully of the young boy who followed his father around with boundless energy. "I would not feel right to leave him under only Johanna's watchful eye, send him with you, nor to bring him. It is a quandary that has perplexed me."
"I can see that might be a problem," Emma answered, not sure what her mother might be getting at with this visit. "Wait? Bring him with me? Where am I to go?" Usually she saw both her parents before the midday meal and again when they addressed court in the afternoon. Other calls were not often made due to increasingly busy schedules and demands.
"I was hoping you might be willing," Snow said, finally letting down her formality a bit as she ducked her head guiltily. It was much to ask the young princess, as it would probably be more help to send a professional or at least one of the married women at the castle. "You would be such a comfort to her. I can understand if you don't wish to go. What with everything that happened with Baelfire and…"
Her throat felt tight as her mother's words sank over her and enveloped her in a memory she would rather forget. She let her long lashed lids flutter shut as she considered the implications of the request and trembled at the very thought of such a task. "If you think it is best," she said in a soft voice. "I'll be happy to go."
Relief was evident on the queen's face as she gathered her skirts before reaching out to grab her daughter's hand. "Oh thank you, Emma," she said with her trademark smile. "I knew that I could count on you to care for my friend and her grandmother. It will be a great adventure for you to be away from home for such a long time."
The thought of being away did appeal to the young woman, her own smile growing stronger as she considered it. In that village few if any of the people would recognize her. She could blend in and have a taste at the life of real people before her family lost patience with her inability to find a suitable husband. Maybe this would delay it for a while longer.