Here it is! The last story in the 'The Swan-Feather Cloak' Trilogy. If you haven't read the previous two stories - 'The Swan-Feather Cloak' and 'The Hat and the Heart' - I'd recommend reading before this, as this will definitely make way more sense that way.

I hope you enjoy the first chapter, and I'd love to hear any feedback. Thank you to BlackDragon733 for beta-ing!


Chapter 1

Her reflection looked wrong. The dress was beautiful, pure white with a cinched waist and delicate ivory flowers embroidered on the sleeves, but when Emma looked at herself in it, all she wanted to do was take it off and put it away, somewhere she would never have to see it again.

It didn't fit well anymore. Weeks spent walking through forests with little food had made her thinner, and now the dress needed to be laced tighter, like a trap. The red lines on her arm, scars from her fight with flying monkeys weeks before, stood out brightly against the white of the dress. Although Killian had made her find them beautiful, she didn't feel that way anymore. Not in this dress.

She had worn the dress before, months earlier, and although she hadn't enjoyed wearing it back then, it hadn't created the sense of wrongness it did now.

She wanted it off, but this was something she had to do. Even though it pained her to even consider such a thing, she had no choice. Too many people had died for her to be selfish now.

Emma grimaced and then turned away from the mirror, collapsing into a nearby chair and sighing as the dress flounced around her. Today was one of the days where she wished she had never come home, had instead taken Henry to the Jolly Roger and enjoyed the freedom she had found on it. She had heard that ignorance was bliss, and as selfish as she felt the thought was, she couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like now if she was sailing the seas with Killian, unaware of her kingdom's problems.

Even all the kingdom's troubles would be more bearable with Killian beside her.

But a month had come and gone and he wasn't there.

And she missed him.

The worst thing about his delayed return was that she still believed he was coming back to her. However, the longer she waited, the harder it was to cling to that belief. She may have been certain that he would return, but the more time he was away from her, the more she worried something had happened to him.

He wouldn't leave her. She had never believed she could be so certain of something, especially when it came to trusting another person, but with Killian she knew that something had to have happened to keep him away.

Unfortunately, unless he came back within the next few hours, it would be too late. Thoughts of a simple happy life together would be no more than daydreams, an impossibility.

She fisted her hands in her skirt, trying to keep herself from imagining varying scenarios that could have delayed him, the silk crumpling in her hands, and then it was too much. She couldn't look down and see the dress she hated, the dress that symbolised the marriage she was about to trap herself in.

Determined not to think about that, she scanned the room, looking for the cloak she knew was somewhere. Her swan-feather cloak was something she hadn't worn since she and her son had returned home, as it carried too many memories that made her yearn for the life she had imagined, with Henry and Killian.

It was nothing like the life she was about to give in to.

For the first time since her return, she tied the cloak around her neck, adjusting it so when she looked down, her wedding dress wasn't visible. She closed her eyes, desperate not to cry as she remembered how Killian had been so eager for her to stop wearing it, how he had teased the ribbons near her neck when they spoke, wrapped her up in it before they slept in the woods, slipped his arms beneath it whenever he embraced her.

Emma remembered what he'd said to her once, that if they were apart, she had to know that his heart would always belong to her. She still clung to those words, still believed them, because he had done too much for her to doubt him now.

But today, she couldn't bear to think about Killian. Thoughts about him led to daydreams of him bursting through the palace doors before she said 'I do' and stealing her away, her son by her side, and Emma hadn't allowed herself to be a romantic since Baelfire, but those images were too appealing for her not to wish they would come true.

And she knew they wouldn't, which only made everything hurt so much more.

She closed her eyes, determined to take all the feelings that were haunting her and bury them, just for that day, so she could do what needed to be done, but when she felt a warm hand touch her shoulder, she couldn't do it. She hated how easily she gave in, sagging towards whoever it was behind her and exhaling shakily as the person - her mother - wrapped their arms around Emma.

"You don't have to do this." Snow White's voice was warm, comforting, and Emma wanted to turn around and let her mother hug her properly, but she knew that would be too much. "I want you to be happy. Before you left, this marriage didn't make you this upset. Whatever's changed, you can tell me. We can still find a way to stop everything."

"I have to. Regina can't kill that many people again." Emma said, trying to convince her mother as much as herself. "If this is what needs to be done, I can do it."

Snow released her daughter, turning her gently so that Emma met her eyes and then placed a hand soothingly on Emma's cheek. "You haven't talked to me much. Not since you got back. But you found it, didn't you? True love. That's why this is so hard for you."

Emma gazed at her mother, and then everything felt as if it was rising up inside her, and she fell into her mother's arms, letting Snow hold her in a way that she hadn't in years. Snow murmured into her hair, a comforting stream of sound that Emma clung to.

"Do you want to tell me about him?" Snow asked. "How did you meet? What's his name?"

"Really?" Emma frowned in confusion. Things had been difficult between her and her parents since she returned, bringing with her a son that neither of them remembered. It had been impossible to convince them of the truth, and their lack of belief in her had made it so she didn't want to tell them about her travels. Without memories of Henry, they couldn't understand why she had left so suddenly. "You want to hear about him?"

"If you want to tell me, I'd love to know."

"His name is Killian." Emma smiled softly, picturing him in her mind, his dark hair mussed by wind and his blue eyes soft and intense, the way they always were when he was looking at her. "He helped me find Henry. He loves me. But he didn't think he was good enough, even though I thought he was incredible… a man of honour, even. So he went away, for a month, to try and be better. But he's not back yet and now I have to do this, and I don't know how I can have my happy ending if he's not here."

"He sounds wonderful." Snow said quietly, fussing with Emma's hair and arranging it so that it was still in the elaborate up-do she had fashioned for the wedding. Emma glanced up her mother, seeing a sly smile on her mother's face. "Is he handsome?"

"The most handsome man I've ever seen." Emma stated, surprised by the smile that crossed her own face when her mother laughed. "But I might be biased."

"Maybe." Snow agreed. "I personally think no man will ever be more handsome than your father."

Emma's smile widened slightly and she let her mother hold her tighter. "Mom?" she asked after minutes of silence. "I'd know, wouldn't I, if something happened to him? If he was hurt or dead and couldn't come back to me?"

"If it was serious, you would know. Your father felt it when I went under the sleeping curse, and I'm certain I'd know if anything happened to him. Anything that would be terrible enough to keep him away from me." Emma bit her lip and glanced down. As much as the words comforted her, reassuring her that Killian was alright, she had to wonder why he wasn't back yet. What could possibly keep him from returning to her side? "Perhaps you have to hope. Happy endings always start with hope, Emma."

"I do have hope. I hope he'll come back to me. But you're right. If anything happened to him, I would know. I would feel it." Emma insisted, her voice cracking as she spoke, betraying her nervousness that she'd never see him again. "And Graham knows the truth. I told him. We might be getting married, but he'll always come third to Henry and the man I love. He knows that."

Snow's jaw clenched, the way that it always did when Emma brought up Henry, and Emma grimaced and pulled away from her mother. Snow had loved Henry before, had doted upon him, but she still looked at him without any love in her eyes and still doubted Emma, and it was this that was creating a distance between Emma and her mother.

"I know this wedding won't make you happy." Snow White stated, the uncomfortable silence too much. "And I do hope your Killian finds you, and you can be with him. But Graham truly is a good man. You may never love him, but I'm sure he will be a friend to you. I remember the past decade, Emma, how so many suitors turned you down, and I'm so happy that you won't be alone anymore. I could only be happier if you were with the man you wanted."

"I've always been happy with just you and dad." Emma reassured. "I wasn't ever unhappy with you. I never felt alone. I'm just happier with Killian. The same way I'm happier with Henry."

"I'm so proud of you." Her mother took her hands, clasped them between hers, her lips trembling slightly. Emma may have wanted to make her mother feel better, but the more she reassured Snow about the past, the more Snow appeared to worry about the future. "You're sacrificing a lot for the people of this kingdom, more than I thought you were. You'll be an amazing Queen one day, Emma." Snow gently pulled one hand away from Emma, reaching into a pocket and holding out a gold ring, a small peridot embedded in the metal. "I know this marriage is not what you want, and it's happened very quickly, but I want you to have something that means something, even if it's not traditional. You don't have an engagement ring, but you could wear this, something your father and I chose for you. I hope that, when you look at it, you'll know that your father and I will always be there for you and that, no matter what, you will always be loved."

Emma almost rejected the gift, recalling her parents' harsh words when she reintroduced Henry, how they refused to accept her story, but she shook that impulse away. Such a response would only have been pettiness, a cruel attempt to hurt her mother the way she was hurting, and she would regret it almost instantly. Instead, she let her mother slide the band onto her ring finger, glad that she wouldn't only be wearing a symbol of her tie to Graham after they were married.

"Thank you." she whispered, tilting her hand back and forth and watching the light dance on the gold. "Really."

"You're welcome, honey." Snow stated, brushing a stray hair away from Emma's forehead and then standing up. "Now, I have to sort everything out. For some reason, most of the diplomats and royals we invited haven't shown up, so your wedding will be rather quiet."

"More food for us then." Emma stated miserably. "Go. I need some time alone to mentally prepare myself anyway."

"If you're sure." Snow said hesitantly and then brightened, as if she had an idea. "I could always send Henry along. Wouldn't you like to see him?"

It was the first sign that Snow might come to accept Henry, and Emma beamed at her."I'd like that more than anything."


After fifteen minutes with no sign of Henry, Emma resigned herself to spending the hour before her wedding alone, fidgeting with the new ring on her finger and wishing that she didn't suddenly want a marriage as solid and loving as her parents.

Before this, before Graham, Emma hadn't thought too much about marriage, but although she now had to be married to someone, she didn't want it to be like this.

She needed to convince herself that marriage was a political thing, and maybe if her parents had been anyone else, that would have been easy. Most royals did marry in order to create ties between kingdoms, she knew that. Her father had almost entered a marriage like that, one that was meant to bring wealth to what was then King George's kingdom, and he would often speak of his relief that he hadn't married Abigail.

And how the one thing he had always wanted was to marry for love.

She wished she could afford that, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible for her.

She had to believe that she was doing the right thing.

The one thing she was thankful for was the lack of guests. Although she didn't understand why the invited dignitaries had not shown, she was glad her marriage wouldn't be a big celebration. With only her family and Graham present, she could marry Graham - make the peace arrangement - with no need to put on a show for an audience.

She prepared herself to mope for the remaining time, but then she heard the creak of the door opening behind her, and before she could turn around she felt the familiar weight of her son barrelling into her, and she twisted round to pull him into a tight hug, one hand mussing up the hair that had likely been meticulously styled by palace servants as she ruffled it affectionately. "Don't you look fancy, kid?" she teased, holding him away from her so she could take in the full effect of his brocade tunic and smart trousers. "It's almost as if there's some event on or something?"

"And you look wrong." Henry replied, his eyebrows furrowed. "You don't look happy. I hate it when you're not happy."

"Of course I'm not happy." Emma pulled him back towards her, her arm around his shoulder. "Here I am, getting married, and my son's not in the wedding party. All I want is to have you standing next to me, so everyone can see just how handsome you're looking. You really do look adorable."

"I don't look adorable, mom!" he protested, but it was halfhearted. "Really!"

"Well, I think you do. And I'm your mother, so I know best." Emma teased, Henry's presence making her feel better than she had in hours. Henry rolled his eyes, but still looked upset. "Now, Dad may have mentioned there's going to be a feast after the wedding. And I gathered it's very expensive. You know how grandpa gets when he thinks we're buying too much. So, you can eat whatever you want."

"I don't want that!" Henry said, getting up and stomping his foot. "I want you to not get married. Not to Graham. You have to marry Killian! He is coming back and it's stupid that you're not waiting! If you don't want to wait, then we should go find him. Because that's what this family does! Grandpa and Grandma found each other, you found me and now you have to find him."

Emma sighed. If only things were as simple as Henry believed. "But if I go to find Killian, then people will die. The Evil Queen will kill again and it will be my fault. This is the only chance we have to stop her, and I can't throw it away because I'd rather be with Killian."

"But Killian could stop the Evil Queen, couldn't he?" Henry was pleading now, and all Emma wanted was to make him feel better. "You told me all the stories about him. He's Captain Hook. Surely he can stop her."

"I can't risk it." Emma muttered. Henry looked so disappointed with her response that she almost spoke again, gave him hope. But false hope was worse than no hope at all and she couldn't do that to her son. "I have to do this."

"No, you don't." She bit her lip, trying to stop it trembling. If she hadn't doubted her choices enough, Henry's insistence was making things far worse. His suggestion of going to find Killian was tempting, and she toyed with the idea of taking Henry and running away with him, the way she had when Henry had been taken, fleeing to the docks and hoping she would find a ship to take her where she needed to be.

Maybe fate would intervene again and it would be Killian's ship waiting for her. The way it had been before.

Henry was an observant child, always had been, and she could tell from his bright eyes that he had seen her moment of uncertainty and he was leaping on it. "Mom, you ran away from everything for me. You didn't care what the Evil Queen was doing or what would happen if you left. Why can't you do the same for him?"

"You're my son. It's different. I would do anything for you."

"Just don't. You don't have to pretend for me. If it's true love, then you should go after him. Grandpa and Grandma always tell us their stories and say how they were selfish. They would have done anything to be with one another and you should do the same. Because it's your true love this time, so you should do whatever it takes to be with him. And I really want to go on his boat. At least once. Which means you have to find him."

"We have to hope, Henry, that Killian will find me." Emma whispered, feeling her son's arms wrapping around her. When he was standing beside the chair, he was tall enough to bury his head in her neck as he clung to her. "I can't run away this time. The kingdom needs someone to do something, and if I've got the chance to be that person, to be a hero like in all your stories, I have to take it. They need that."

"I already thought you were a hero like in all my stories." Henry said earnestly. "You saved me from my Grandpa, Rumplestiltskin, and that's what a hero would do. But if you really do have to, I'm not going to stop believing Killian will come back. Because this isn't a happy ending and you are going to get one."

Emma smiled tremulously. How she had managed to raise a son like Henry was a question she couldn't answer, but she was grateful that she had. "Henry, please don't worry about me. That's not your job. Just know that my happy ending doesn't depend on which man I marry. As long as you're with me, I have my happy ending. After months searching for you, I know that for certain."

"You're crying now. It isn't a happy ending." Henry insisted, and Emma sighed. This was clearly not an issue that she could persuade Henry to ignore, the way she was determined to, and as much as she took comfort in her son's presence, his words made everything harder with each syllable.

"Henry? Let's not talk about this. Please." She was begging, and Henry look utterly taken aback, gazing at his mother in surprise. "Just sit with me and talk to me about anything."

Henry stared at her, mouth screwed up in annoyance, but then he nodded. "Fine. When we last went into town, I asked Pinocchio to make me a new toy ship." he began, and Emma should have guessed his toy ships would be his choice of discussion. "I have all the naval ships, but Grandpa doesn't play with me anymore so I can't wage wars against him. I wanted a pirate ship, because Grandpa wouldn't play with one of them anyway so it doesn't matter that he doesn't remember me and keeps calling me Harry."

His words cut through her and she crumbled, her shoulders sagging and breath trembling when she realised how selfish she was being. She wasn't the only one struggling at the moment. Her own son had returned to a home where he was unknown and unwelcome, his grandparents not recognising him as family. Her boy had once been a prince, taught naval strategies and sword fighting by her father and their advisors, but now he was left alone. Her father didn't even play battleships with him anymore, and she was sure that was hurting Henry the most.

Emma opened her mouth, ready to say something but not sure what that something would be, other than that it would be some sort of apology. "Mom. It's okay. I know you've been busy because of all the stuff you left behind so that you could come and get me. And I do miss Grandpa, but Papa's been here a few times and he's seen all my ships and he said that next time he'll bring me a new one and we can have a big sea battle. And when he's not here, it's fine because I always win the wars when there's no one playing against me."

"It's not okay, Henry." she stated, finally releasing Henry from their hug. He stepped back, Emma taking his hands in hers as she spoke. "But you've been so amazing and I'm so proud of you. You're my brave little prince, even if the kingdom can't remember that."

Henry squirmed, grimacing and Emma laughed slightly. Apparently calling him a brave little prince was going too far, but before he could complain, she saw his stare focus on the door behind her, and then she heard the creak of it opening.

"Henry?" It was Graham speaking, and Emma couldn't think of a reason why he would be here instead of outside, waiting to marry her. "You shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you." Henry pointed out, Emma turning so she could see the huntsman.

He was dressed in his usual hunting gear, not the formal tunic she had been expected, his knuckles white as he held tightly to the doorframe. "I need to speak to you. It's important. I don't know how much I can tell you."

"What are you talking about? Graham?" Emma stood so that she could cross the room, but Graham held a hand out to stop her.

"I don't want this. I don't want to marry you and I know you don't want it either." Emma frowned, each word he said sounding strained. "You told me you love another man. I don't want you to be married to me when it's all a lie. But I'm not talking about us. This marriage is disguised as a peace agreement but I know the truth."

"The truth?" Emma repeated, the man's stress worrying her, clinging tightly to her son's shoulder. "What is the truth?"

"Regina doesn't want peace. She wants you dead. She wants me to kill you and your father at the wedding. She wants me to break your mother before she can ruin her. And I can't say no. I have to do it." Emma shook her head, horrified by what Graham was saying. "I can only warn you now because Regina's busy, she hasn't thought through all the loopholes, hasn't stopped me from telling you. This is something she's spent months planning. Why do you think none of the dignitaries showed up? Regina didn't want them here to watch her rip out Snow White's heart and take her happy ending."

"No, Graham, it doesn't make sense!" Emma protested, but her voice was shaking with uncertainty. Carefully, she pushed Henry to stand behind her, protecting him. "Why go to such effort? What did she even do to keep people away? Why insist that I marry you?"

"We were never going to be married, Emma." Graham forced out, his teeth clenched. "But you don't have time for questions. You need to take your father and run. As for your mother, it's probably too late."

"Too late?" Graham shook his head, and it was then that Emma noticed his arms were shaking, the way he seemed to be trying to hold himself back from doing something. Emma didn't know what he was going to do, but a shiver of fear ran through her veins, not for herself but for her family. "Henry, run. Get Grandpa."

At her words, Graham's eyes closed and when he opened them, they were empty of emotion, as if he wasn't himself anymore. He released the door frame and took a slow, threatening step towards her. "I'm sorry." he said, pulling a dagger from his belt and lunging.

Despite all his warnings, his attack was sudden and Emma could only push Henry out of the way before Graham collided with her, knocking her to the ground, his dagger catching the side of her arm. His hand gripped her wrist tightly, holding her prone beneath him, the blade dancing dangerously by her throat, and with every struggle she made, Graham muttered an apology.

Emma tried to throw him off, kicking out and struggling, but Graham was strong, and she couldn't get free.

And then there was a loud thump and Graham fell onto her, unconscious.

Emma blinked, eyes widening when she saw her son standing above her, a heavy candlestick balanced in his hands. "Mom?"

"Good thinking, kid." she said with a grunt, pushing Graham's weight off herself and clumsily standing up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you?" Emma nodded, pulling him close to press a thankful kiss to his forehead.

"Henry, go find Grandpa. I'm going to find mom before the Evil Queen can do what she plans." Emma insisted, pulling Henry towards the door and then pushing him down the hallway, running in the other direction, towards the ballroom where she was meant to be getting married.

She hesitated by the door, terrified in a way that she hadn't been since seeing Zelena rip Killian's heart out, and she wasn't sure she could bear it if she burst into the room to see her mother injured or worse.

But surely it was better to go in there and see instead of waiting outside and not knowing.

She took one deep breath and then pushed the doors open, eyes widening when she saw the Evil Queen standing in the centre of the ballroom, Snow White frozen before her in a hazy glow of magic.

The instant Regina caught sight of her, she took in a deep breath, looking utterly furious. "It appears my huntsman is less useful than I had hoped." she hissed, a cruel smile spreading across her face as she looked from Emma to her mother. "But actually, I think this makes everything even better." Emma took a step closer, but then Regina thrust her hand into Snow White's chest, laughed and then pulled the heart out. She held the heart out to Emma, as if displaying it, a look of disgust on her face. "Look at this, Princess, it's so pure. I can't wait to corrupt it."

Everything was too familiar, Emma had seen too many hearts held in too many people's hands, and she was desperate not to see another heart being crushed in front of her, especially not when this time it belonged to someone she cared about. She refused to take another step forward, not when her mother's heart was prone in Regina's hand.

"Regina, why are you doing this?" Snow's voice was strong, unafraid. "I had hoped you had changed. I had hoped your offer for peace was true. I suppose I need to learn that for some people, change just isn't possible."

A slow smirk spread across Regina's face. "The last time I was in this ballroom, Snow White, I promised you that I would destroy your happiness. And I was patient. When my first plan fell through, I spent years figuring out how I could best destroy you, and I had it perfectly planned out. I had to delay it a while when your daughter ran off, but I don't mind."

"What was your plan? To wait until my daughters wedding day, one that you forced her to be part of, and kill me in front of them?"

"Not at all." Regina replied with a shake of her head. "I'm not going to kill you. Not yet. First, I want you to have to watch your own hands destroy everything, to ruin anything you touch until your own kingdom is begging for me to take your place. Only then will I kill you. And I'm going to start with your own family. I had planned for Graham to take your family away from you, but I think it will be better if I make you do it. Starting with your own daughter, and then your oh so precious Prince Charming."

"Villains never win, Regina." Snow said, flinching when Regina squeezed her heart in what appeared to be an impulsive twitch. Emma took a step closer, stopping when Regina shot her a pointed, threatening glare. "You may succeed in hurting me, but you will never be happy. Not like this. And someone will beat you, even if it's not me."

"They won't. I'm going to make you kill the only people who would have known what I've done, and then no one will stop me because no one will know. This time, they'll be trying to stop you." Regina laughed again, then lifted the heart to her lips. "Now, Snow White, kill your daughter."

"Emma, run." Snow White said, stepping towards her daughter, a sword materialising in her hand courtesy of Regina. "I don't want to hurt you. Get your father, get Henry and get out of here. Please."

Emma looked one more time between the Evil Queen and Snow White, wishing she could do something but uncertain what option she had other than to do what her mother had asked. She waited for one more minute, until Snow had swung her sword perilously close to Emma's head, and then she spun on her heel and darted down the hall, stumbling over the hem of her wedding dress.

She didn't stop running until she collided with her father, the two of them crashing to the floor. The king struggled to stand up, and Emma had to cling to him, determined to stop him from running to Snow White only to have her take his life away. "Dad!" she yelled, the raw panic in her voice causing him to stare at her in shock. "Daddy! Please. It's too late. We can't do anything now. She'll make mom kill you."

"She would never hurt me." David insisted, but Emma shook her head, pulling him the other way down the corridor, Henry taking his other arm and trying to help. "She couldn't."

"She's not her anymore. If we do anything to mess up Regina's plan, she'll crush Mom's heart." Emma begged. "We have to leave now and find a way to save her later, when Regina isn't literally holding Mom's life in her hands. Please. I can't lose you too."

It was only the last sentence that stopped her father's struggling, and he turned to look at her, the despair in his eyes greater than any Emma had ever seen before, a few tears escaping him. "I'm not giving up, Emma. I can't give up on her."

"And we're not." Emma stated, holding onto her son with one hand and her father with the other, leading the two of them to the nearest exit of the palace. "But we have to know that right now, we can't save her. We need to save ourselves, so that we're alive and we can get her heart back. Before it's too late."