Author's Note: basically, this is an AU where Emma and Lily were both raised by their parents in the Enchanted Forest. The spell to transfer Emma's darkness to Lily happened, but Lily wasn't sent to the Land Without Magic, and the Dark Curse never happened. This fic starts when they're young teenagers, about the same age as in Breaking Glass.

Once upon a time, a pure-hearted Princess was captured by a terrible dragon. Many knights fought valiantly to save her, but each of them failed. One day, a Prince heard of the beautiful Princess held captive by a dragon. He was told to stay away, for all who had faced the dragon had perished, but his noble heart could not bear to leave the Princess in danger. He rode into the dragon's lair and fought with courage, slaying the beast. The Princess fell in love with her rescuer, and the two were married and lived happily ever after.

Emma closed the book and looked up at her mother.

"Did that really happen?"

Snow White smiled.

"Who knows? It's just a story. But dragons are real, and so are happy endings. Who's to say it didn't happen?"

"When I grow up, I want to have adventures like that," said Emma. "I want to be a hero, like you and dad."

She thought she saw a hint of sadness in her mom's face, but after a moment it was gone.

"You will," Snow said softly. "What else could you be?"

Suddenly, Grumpy burst into the room.

"Your Majesty!" he shouted. "We're under attack!"

Snow's eyes widened. She squeezed Emma's shoulder gently.

"Stay here, sweetheart," she said as she got up to leave.

Emma nodded. Once they were gone, she rushed to the window. Looking out at the turrets and courtyards of the castle, she saw a dragon flying at them, its face a terrible snarl, spitting fire. Her heart skipped a beat. She took a step back from the window, reeling with fear. But beneath the fear was a thrill of excitement. She had always dreamed of being a hero like her parents. Maybe this was her chance.

But of course her parents and their knights would slay the dragon while she stayed safe indoors. Was that how it would always be? Maybe she wasn't old enough to be a hero yet, but when would she be? Would there still be dragons to fight then?

She wasn't a child anymore! If she could slay the dragon and save everyone in the castle, maybe her parents would see that. She would be a hero. Smiling confidently, she made her choice. She slipped out the door to her bedroom and ran down the castle corridor, gathering her skirts in her hands to keep herself from tripping. She paused at the door to the armory, knowing she would never be allowed to simply take whatever weapons she wanted. Until now, she had only ever practiced with wooden swords, not real ones. But how different could it be? Quietly, she slipped inside and grabbed the first sword that she saw. The heaviness surprised her, but she lifted it as well as she could and ran, dodging down another hallway before anyone even realized she had been there. No one knew their way around the castle better than the Princess.

When she finally made it outside, the dragon had reached the castle. A group of knights prepared to charge it as it flew towards them, fire streaming from its mouth. Emma stopped to watch in awe. Suddenly, the dragon swerved, its eyes locked on Emma. Ignoring the knights, it flew straight in Emma's direction. Her heart pounded as she lifted her sword. The knights looked around in confusion.

"Emma, no! Run!"

It was her father's voice, but Emma ignored him. As the dragon approached, she slashed her sword at the air clumsily, hampered by the weapon's weight. The dragon snatched her up in its claws and lifted her off her feet. The sword slipped from her grasp and clattered uselessly to the ground.

"Help!" Emma cried out, struggling against the dragon's grip. An arrow whizzed past her head, missing the dragon completely. Her father and the knights rushed to her aid, but it was too late. The dragon was flying away, taking Emma with it. The ground dropped further and further away, and she squeezed her eyes shut out of fear. She wasn't trying to escape from the dragon's claws anymore; she was holding on for dear life. When she finally dared to open her eyes again, the castle was a speck on the horizon, and far below, the knights were turning back in defeat. Her heart sank.

Up ahead, another castle loomed in the distance. The dragon landed just in front of it and released its grip on Emma. She heard the sound of ripping fabric as she tumbled to the ground. Standing, she brushed herself off and turned to look defiantly at the dragon. A sudden burst of fire surprised her, and she ducked out of the way, barely avoiding being burnt to a crisp.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded, not expecting an answer. "What did I ever do to you?"

To her surprise, the dragon paused. In a whirl of smoke, it was gone, and in its place stood a human girl, near Emma's own age, with caramel skin and beautiful dark hair. She glared daggers at the Princess. Pulling up a black leather sleeve, she showed Emma a star-shaped scar on her wrist.

"This is what you did."