A/N: Hello there everyone! So this is a totally AU story; there was never a curse so Emma was raised as a princess by Snow White and Charming. She also never had Henry. And Prince Eric is very made up as well haha. I'm pretty excited to see where this goes, so I hope you all enjoy it as well!

Also regarding the rating; the prologue is rated T, but will go up to M for the next chapter (and further chapters), so I'm just leaving the rating as is for now.

Emma sat in the window of her room, looking out over the land her parents ruled. She did this frequently; it was a way for her to clear her thoughts, especially on days when her mind was racing. Days like this. She wasn't happy with her life or what was about to happen, but as a princess she had to put on a smiling face for kingdom. Nobody could know she didn't want any of this. There was a slight knock on her door and she turned her attention to the sound of the noise.

"Come in," she spoke softly, smiling at the sight of her mother entering her room.

"Haven't seen much of you today, just wanted to make sure you were alright," Snow White said as she made her way over to her daughter. Emma jumped down from the window ledge and sat down on her bed, Snow joining her shortly after.

"I'm fine, just taking everything in."

"You know you can say you're fine all you want but I know you're not. I am your mother after all."

"I just-" Emma paused as her eyes met her mother's. Snow looked so understanding, but she knew that if she told her how she felt, she wouldn't be happy

"Yes?"

"I… I don't want to marry Eric," Emma finally admitted, fiddling with the lacy fabric of her dress.

Snow smiled and pulled her daughter close. "Honey, it's just pre-marriage nerves. Even I had some doubts before marrying your father."

"First off, I doubt that. Second off, it's not nerves mom. I really don't want to marry him."

"Emma," Snow said sternly, "I know that this is hard for you to understand, but this is what's best for the kingdom and-"

"But what about what's best for me?" Emma asked suddenly. "What about what I want? Do you honestly think that arranging a marriage between me and a man that I hardly know is what I want?" Emma was on the verge of tears as she spoke. She had felt this way since her mother told her the news. Their kingdom was in trouble because of a curse that Rumpelstiltskin planned to put on the land. Snow and Charming had tried to convince him otherwise, but were in no way about to make a deal with someone as evil and vile as Rumple. So the only way to keep everyone safe from the dark magic approaching was to join forces with the neighboring kingdom. The King knew of a counter spell to resist the magic and was more than willing to help Snow White and Charming keep their land safe; the only catch was that Emma had to take his son Eric's hand in marriage. After contemplating and arguing for hours, Snow White and Charming decided it was best for everyone to take the deal. Well, everyone but their own daughter.

"Emma, we don't have a choice. If you don't marry Eric the whole kingdom will be destroyed," Snow tried to console her daughter best she could as she spoke.

"Do you honestly believe that though? That there is no other way?"

Snow sighed and looked her daughter in the eye. "Honestly, I don't know. For now though, yes. It's the only way."

Emma stood up and walked to her desk, opening up the small box with the ring it. She stared at it, outlining the diamond with her eyes, and then slowly closed the box. "I just can't do this mom. I don't love him and it doesn't feel right. You of all people should understand how much an arranged marriage can hurt someone."

Before Snow could speak, Emma set the box down and grabbed the jacket off her dresser. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back later." Emma left the room quickly and out of the palace, needing an escape. Something. Anything.

Emma found herself wandering the palace gardens regularly. Especially when all of the flowers were in bloom. It was peaceful and magical, full of color and soothing to her problems. Even if just for a moment. She picked a lily from its stem as she paced around the grounds, inhaling its scent and smiling. It reminded her of innocence and simpler times; times when she could run freely without any responsibilities or a care in the world; back when she was young and so full of life. Oh how times had changed.

She looked beyond the garden to the enchanted forest. Snow had always warned to never go in it. Even as a child her adventurous side yearned to know what was beyond the kingdom and in the woods; see why it was so dangerous. She never was able to find out. Something always stopped her when she would try to sneak off. And now, as a young woman, the ache was still there. After noticing she was completely alone, she decided to soothe her wondering thoughts and hastily made her way towards the woods, praying she wouldn't be caught.

Once inside the woods she felt free, rebellious, scared, and excited all at once. This was something she never thought she'd experience. The vast space and openness of the enchanted forest; she longed to know what was so enchanting about it. She turned around and made sure the palace was still in her sights as she began wandering around, through the trees and the brush. There were endless possibilities to what she could encounter. And for a split second, a crazy thought crossed her mind. She could run away. Leave. Never come back. Never have to deal with the absurdity of marrying a man she didn't love. As quickly as the thought crossed her mind it vanished, as she realized how hurt her parents would be if she was to do that. This sobered her adventurous needs and she quickly stopped and turned back around to head home. The thought of something happening to her and her mother and father having to deal with it was something she couldn't fathom.

A branch snapping stopped her in her tracks. She looked around but didn't see anyone, or anything for that matter.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone there?" After no response or further noise she shrugged her shoulders, assuming she was hearing things. Suddenly another branch snapped. This time she knew it wasn't just her imagination. "Who's there?" she called out once again. A deep voice unexpectedly spoke, causing her to jump around to face the source.

"Well men, I do believe we've found ourselves a princess."

The last thing Emma remembered was the sight of a metal hook gleaming in the sunlight before her entire world went black.