Chapter 1

"Emma! Hurry up. We're going to be late for your dress fitting."

Emma sighed, throwing one of her floppy hats on her bed. The last thing she wanted to do was go dress shopping with her mother. She hated getting dressed up, no more than attending balls. "Coming," she shouted, picking up her many layers of skirts and heading out of her bedroom.

Mary Margaret paced back and forth in the foyer, waiting for her daughter to come down. She stared at the grandfather clock impatiently, noting that they only had fifteen minutes to get across town. Mary Margaret's attention was interrupted by a knock on the door. She sighed, walking over to open it. "Oh! Killian! What a surprise! What are you doing here?"

The tall young man with thick black hair and sea blue eyes held a long case out in front of him. "I have a delivery for the king. Made specially for him."

"Oh! Well then, come in. I'll go tell him you're here."

Killian waited in the foyer for Mary Margaret to come back with David. He laid the case on the small table in the middle of the room, opened it, and gazed down at the two swords, his finest work yet.

"Killian!"

Killian snapped his head up at Emma, who was making her way down the stairs. He chuckled as she tried to run over to him, her skirts slowing her down. "Milady," Killian said, giving her a small bow. He couldn't help but laugh at her unamused expression.

"Don't call me that," she exclaimed, punching him in the arm. She smirked as Killian pretended to be hurt by her punch. "You can call me Emma, you know. We've known each other for twelve years now," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his scruff tickle her cheek as she hugged him.

Killian laughed, pulling away from Emma. "Yet you are a princess and I am just a blacksmith."

"Who cares about that?"

"Your parents."

Emma gave him as sad smile. Killian was only nine when he was brought forth to the king for stealing from a bakery. He was extremely skinny and dirty and had no home. Mary Margaret felt sorry for him so she raised him along side of Emma. The two basically grew up together, until Killian was sent off to be a blacksmith's apprentice when he was thirteen. Emma had a crush on him since she was eight and tried her best to hide her feelings for him, but he knew right away. Killian always had the ability to read her as if she was an open book. Of course, he wasn't good at hiding his feelings for her either. "Well, I'm not going to be stuck in this castle forever..."

"I sure hope not," Killian slowly moved closer to her. "There are some things, you know, we can't do when they're a-"

"Killian! Be quiet!" Emma frantically looked around for her parents. "My father will kill you if he hears you say something like that to me!"

"I do know some things about sword fighting, so I'm not worried," he replied, giving her a cheeky grin.

Emma rolled her eyes and tried to stifle a smile as she gave him a light shove. "So what did you bring my father this time?"

David and Mary Margaret watched their daughter and the blacksmith laugh and talk for a couple minutes just before entering the foyer. The queen looked up at her husband, noticing that he didn't seem too excited about his new swords.

"What's the matter?"

"What does Emma see in that blacksmith?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "I don't know. Your father didn't know what you saw in me either."

"That's different."

"Is it now?" She grabbed David's arm and pulled him into the foyer. "Emma, honey, we really need to get going. We're already late for the dress fitting."

Emma let out a groan as she left Killian's side, hearing him snicker at her pain. She stuck her tongue out at him, only getting a wink in response. She followed her mother into the carriage that was waiting outside and sat across from her. Emma stared out the window, watching the town roll by.

"Are you excited for the ball? I can't believe it's only two days away," Mary Margaret exclaimed, trying to converse with her daughter.

"Sure," Emma replied sarcastically. "I'm jumping up and down with excitement."

"Why do you hate attending balls so much?"

"I don't hate attending the balls. It just seems like you guys are trying to sell me off or something."

"Emma!"

"What? It seems like you are! I mean, every time we host one, there are always lines of men trying to convince me to marry them."

"Your father and I just... We just think it's a good idea for you to meet some of the men out there. You are nineteen now."

"And what if I don't want to meet them?"

Mary Margaret cocked her head at Emma's comment and let out a long sigh. "Just try."

"Fine," muttered Emma, and she went back to staring out the carriage window.

Once Emma and Mary Margaret got back to the castle, David and a young man were waiting for them in foyer. Emma cursed under her breath, receiving a nudge in the arm from her mother.

"Emma, I would like to introduce you to Sir Neal Cassidy. He is from one of our neighboring kingdoms and will be attending our ball in a couple days."

"I've heard so much about you, Miss Swan. And your just as beautiful as everyone says," Neal said, bringing Emma's hands up to his mouth and lightly kissing it.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Emma quickly tore her hand away from his grip, clasping both her hands together to keep them from shaking.

"How old are you, Sir Cassidy?" Mary Margaret asked, trying to ease the obvious tension.

"Twenty-five this winter." Neal took Emma's hands into his and brought her in close to him, their faces inches apart. "And how about you milady?"

"I'm-"

Just then, Killian entered through the door, following one of the castle's knights.

"Your majesty, I forgot to-"

Killian stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes flicked down to Emma and Neal's hands, and then up to how close together their faces were. "I'm so sorry to interrupt. I'll come back another time," he said bitterly, avoiding eye contact with Emma.

"Killian..." Emma started, but he didn't hear her as he stormed out of the castle.

"Ugh. Commoners," scoffed Neal. He shook his head with a disgusted look on his face. "That is one of many reasons why they can never be one of us. Anyway, what were we talking about?"

Emma tuned him out, not taking her eyes off of the castle doors where Killian had exited.

The next morning, Emma woke up to the sun shining in her eyes. She tried to block the light by pressing a pillow against her face. She grumbled as sat up, looking out at the blue skies. She heard her father and Killian talking in the distance, so she got out of bed and quietly left her room. She crept to the edge of the railing, giving her a good view of David and Killian conversing in the foyer.

"Well, I wish you a safe trip, then."

"Thank you, your majesty." Killian bowed his head slightly. "I was hoping I could also speak to Emma privately as well."

David shifted in his stance and placed his hands on his hips. "May I ask what about?"

"I want to tell her about it myself. Instead of her hearing it from you or the queen."

"Tell me what?" asked Emma. David and Killian looked up at her, David's mouth slightly agape and Killian's cheeks slowly turning red. She didn't understand why they seemed so embarrassed until she realized that all she was wearing was her sleeping gown.

"Why don't you get dressed first, Emma. And then Killian will tell you himself," David replied, nodding at Killian before leaving the room.

Emma ran into her room and threw on a simple dress and quickly joined Killian down in the foyer. "So, what do you have to tell me?"

"Lass, I'm leaving town tonight. I'm-"

"What? No! Killian, you can't le-"

"Emma, love, let me finish. I'm leaving tonight to search for my father. People tell me that he left for the coast years ago, and I want to see if he's still alive. I've been planning on this for awhile now and I think the timing of my departure is reasonable with your ba-"

"How are you going to get there?"

"I have a ship. I've been saving up for it."

"Killian, you can't leave." Emma felt her eyes welling up with tears. "What happened to waiting until I get out of this place?"

Killian let out a long sigh, taking her hands in his. "Well, tomorrow night you have a ball. You'll probably meet some suitor who loves you and can support you and help the kingdom. A lot better than me, that's for sure. I'm sure he'll treat you right."

"But I know I'm not going to meet anyone. I don't love anyone out there. I only..." Emma trailed off, trying to blink back tears.

"You never know. But if you do meet someone, I can't be here to see you with him. I wouldn't be able to deal with it." Killian took his gaze from their intertwined hands to her watering eyes. "I'm sure you'll find someone." He pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye Emma Swan." Killian let go of her hands and walked out the door.

Emma felt the tears slip down her face as she let out a small sob. She wanted to collapse. She ran up to her room and slammed the door, lying on her bed and crying into a pillow.

From a doorway leading into the foyer, David looked down at his feet. He shook his head slightly at the thought of what Emma was going through and walked away.