Henry Mills stood in front of the mirror in his room, straightening his tie for the millionth time, nervously hoping he looked alright. Tonight he was going on a date with Violet Roberts, the beautiful stranger he had met in Camelot. This was their first official date since the carnival. They had been texting back and forth for a few weeks now, but that didn't stop the butterflies in his stomach. He checked the time; 6:30 p.m. He was supposed to pick Violet up at Granny's Bed & Breakfast at 7:00. The door opened behind him, and he turned to see David.
"Nervous?" His grandfather asked with a small smile on his face. "A little. This is our first date since the carnival, and I want to make sure everything goes alright." Henry answered. "I'm sure everything will be fine. She's a sweet girl and you're a catch. Just be yourself and hope she doesn't hit you over the head with a rock." David chuckled. "Thanks, Grandpa." Henry hugged him briefly before grabbing his phone and the picnic basket he had packed to surprise Violet, heading to the café.
Violet's father met Henry downstairs when he entered. "Henry." The man held out his hand. Henry shook it firmly, meeting the man's eyes. "Hello, Mr. Roberts. Thank you for letting me take Violet out." Henry said. "You got my daughter's horse back; you are a good young man. If anything happens to her or if you break her heart, just know I am a knight. I can and will make your life miserable." Violet's father said, an edge to his voice now. "Yes sir." Henry said, his heart pounding against his chest. "Hi, Henry!"
Henry turned to see Violet had joined them. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders with a braid in the back, and she had on a periwinkle dress, a soft beige shawl to cover her shoulders, and a small gold locket shaped like a heart around her neck. "Violet, you look amazing." Henry sputtered, overtaken by her beauty.
The young girl smiled sweetly at him. "You look quite dashing yourself." She complimented him, laying a hand on his arm. Henry couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. Violet turned to her father and hugged him, kissing his cheek. "I expect her home by 9:00. No later." Her father said. "Yes sir." Henry answered him, grabbing the picnic basket at his feet.
Emma and Regina watched from the bar and Henry gave them a smile before taking Violet's arm and leading her out. Henry bravely took Violet's hand and led the way towards the pumpkin patch where he had found Nicodemus. Violet didn't mind, and she squeezed his hand comfortingly, leaning in a bit closer.
Henry stopped just before the pumpkin patch, a thicket of trees blocking their view. "Close your eyes." He told Violet. She giggled and stared at him. "What for?" The girl asked. "I have a surprise for you." Henry said, pulling out a bandana which he tied around her eyes. "Henry." Violet said, and he could hear the nervousness in her voice.
Henry took her hand in his own once more. "I'll lead you. Just hold on tight." He said softly, making a path for them to cross. Once they had entered the field of pumpkins and were standing in front of the barn, Henry took uncovered Violet's eyes and pushed open the doors. Violet gasped as she saw the surprise Henry had spent days working on.
Twinkling lights were strung from the ceiling, the straw on the floor swept away and replaced with a checkered blanket. Nicodemus and another horse Henry had borrowed from Robin were in stalls next to each other, eating pumpkin and whinnying softly. Regina had taken the barn roof off temporarily with magic so they could see the stars while they ate.
Henry led Violet over to the blanket and sat down, playing 'Only You' by Yazoo on his phone. Violet sat down next to him, still amazed. 'Henry this is beautiful! Thank you." She said. "I thought you might like it." Henry said, opening the picnic basket. Inside was Regina's lasagna, a bottle of apple cider, and apple strudel. He pulled out two cups and poured a glass for each of them before serving the lasagna.
Violet took a bite of the food and Henry smiled as her face lit up. 'She is so amazing. Everything is going great!' Henry thought to himself, taking a drink of the cider. "I love this food! This- um-" Violet frowned as she tried to figure out what exactly she was eating. "Lasagna." Henry finished for her. "My mom made it."
"Well it's delicious." Violet said. Henry grinned and pulled a small box out of his pocket. He couldn't wait to give this to her, he knew she would love it. "For you." He said, handing it over. Violet opened the box and gasped. A silver bracelet lay on the velvet, a horse charm dangling on it. "Henry it's beautiful! Thank you!" Violet kissed his cheek, tears in her eyes.
"You're welcome. I'll help you put it on." He fastened the bracelet around Violet's wrist, holding her hand for a few seconds longer. The two finished eating, and Henry grabbed his phone and two saddles, letting the two horses out of their stalls. "I thought we could go riding. I'm not much good, but I want to learn." Henry said nervously. Violet's face brightened. "I can teach you. You just have to trust the animal."
She climbed up into the saddle and waited for Henry to do the same. 'C'mon you did this once already when you brought Nicodemus to the carnival. Act natural! Don't make yourself look stupid.' He thought to himself, grabbing the saddle and putting one foot in the stirrups. As soon as he lifted himself, the horse whinnied and jerked forward. Henry landed hard on the ground. His cheeks burned as Violet started to laugh.
"It's alright Henry. You'll get the hang of it." She giggled, jumping off Nicodemus to help Henry up and on his horse. They set off into the woods, admiring the scenery. "So your father seems nice." Henry initiated the conversation. "Yeah, he is. I just wish I had my mother around sometimes. You're lucky you have two moms that love you." Violet looked away, a frown on her face. "I am lucky to have my moms, but sometimes I wish I had my dad around. There's just some things I can't talk to them about." Henry said quietly.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your father?" Violet asked. "His name was Neal. He died a long time ago. He was a hero, he sacrificed himself for his family." Henry answered. "I'm sorry. How noble of him, to do so. I'm sure you miss him very much." Violet took his hand. Henry smiled sadly and squeezed hers. "I do. I'm sure your mother was a great woman like you are."
Violet smiled, and Henry noticed how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. Her hair shined under the pale white glow, her bracelet glinting, her eyes kind and honest. Henry leaned in and kissed her, feeling his heart jump in his chest. Violet kissed him back, and then pulled away, a hand on her lips. "I'm sorry. I should have asked first." Henry apologized, kicking himself for acting on impulse. "No, it's alright. It's just, no one has ever treated me like this. You made me feel special, Henry. Thank you. I really like you a lot."
Henry's heart leaped, and he smiled. "I- I really like you too Violet." He confessed.
He got Violet to her father at 9:00 sharp, earning a firm handshake from him. "You make my daughter happy, Henry. I give you permission to see her, as long as your mothers are okay with it." Sir Morgan said. "Thank you, sir. Violet makes me happy too." Henry said to him. After a goodbye kiss and a hug, Henry left Granny's and went home. When he checked his phone, he was happy to see a message from Violet. 'Had a great time tonight! You impressed my father greatly and you made me very happy. Can we meet for lunch tomorrow?' The message read. Henry smiled and sent her back a smiley face.
"How did the date go?" Regina asked. Henry turned to see his two mothers and his grandparents in the kitchen. "It went great. She really liked it, and Sir Morgan gave me permission to date her if it was okay with you guys." Henry answered. "That's great!" David said excitedly. "Was there a goodnight kiss?" Mary Margaret teased. "Actually, there were two." Henry answered.
Emma came over and hugged him. "When did you grow up so fast?" She asked, kissing his forehead. Henry hugged her back. "So is it okay if I date Violet? She wants to meet for lunch tomorrow." Henry asked hopefully. His two moms looked at each other. "Alright." Regina answered, hugging him. "But only if you invite her over for dinner so we can properly meet her." She said. "Is tomorrow okay?" Henry asked. "Sure." Emma said.
"Thank you!" Henry ran upstairs to pick out an outfit for his date tomorrow and crawled into bed. He fell asleep clutching his storybook tightly, dreaming of his own happy ending.
That's the end of chapter one! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I love writing it! I thought it would be cute to have a romantic story of Henry & Violet as I ship them. VioletBeliever is the ship name I think. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!