After sitting in her room pouting for an hour, Emma decided she should probably start getting around for the ball that she was forced to go to. Emma walked down the hall again and peeked inside where her mother was already dressed and ready.
Snow looked at herself in the mirror as she applied some lipstick. She had on the red dress with her hair in an up-do. Emma envied her mother's beauty and wished she could look just like her.
"Mom," Emma started to get her mother's attention, "Can you help me?" Snow looked over at her daughter after putting the lipstick down.
She smiled, "Of course! Go and grab your dress and bring it in here, okay?" Emma nodded, as she ran back to her room picked up her dress and shoes and ran back to her mom and dad's room. Emma put the shoes down and brought the dress over to her mom who hung it up. Snow motioned for Emma to sit on the chair that was now in front of the mirror. Emma sat down. "Are we thinking up or down?" Snow asked as she started picking up parts of Emma's hair.
"Down," Emma smiled trying to be enthusiastic. Snow began to pull strands of Emma's hair and braiding parts of it.
"Did you bring in those shoes we picked out last week?" Snow pulled another part of her hair and braided that as well.
"Yeah," Emma paused, "Why was daddy being mean earlier?" Snow pinned the two braided parts of Emma's hair together thinking about how to word her next sentence.
"Because he's your dad," Snow couldn't think of a better way to put it. "He can't always be nice, but he tries… just like me." Snow smiled at the thought of Charming. Emma sat there quietly with her face slightly scrunched up in a thinking face.
"So, why do I have to go to the ball? Daddy said I didn't have to at first." Snow continued to mess with Emma's hair.
"Sweetie, just because your father says you can do something after I say no doesn't always mean you can. Your father and I are a team and we make decisions together. You can't keep going back and forth until you get the answer you want, Emma." Emma wasn't too pleased upon hearing this from Snow, but took it in nonetheless. Emma sat there quietly as Snow finished combing out her hair. Snow smiled, pleased with herself, "Alright, what do you think?"
Emma looked at herself in the mirror, "I like it! Do we put on the dress now?" Snow fumbled through her makeup finding some light colors. She held them up.
"A princess always needs just a little bit of this," Snow got down in front of her daughter and applied minimal amount of makeup. Emma had no other choice, but to look at her mother's face.
"I hope someday I grow up to look just as pretty as you," Emma gave a small smile, trying not to move too much. Snow lightened the color on Emma's eyes with the pad of her thumb.
"You are already more beautiful than me, honey." Snow smiled. She put the makeup back in its place and walked over and grabbed the dress. Emma got up and let her mother help her get the dress on. Once it was on, Emma looked at herself in the mirror, twirling her dress around.
"How do I look?" Emma looked back at her mother clearly wanting approval. Snow looked at her daughter thinking Emma was already beautiful and as she got older her and Charming would have their hands full fighting off guys.
"You look beautiful, sweetie." Snow was about to tear up, but to hold them back she walked over and picked up her daughter's shoes off the floor and handed them to Emma. While Emma put on her shoes, Snow looked around and spotted something: her first tiara. "You can't be a princess without your tiara," She picked it up and walked over to Emma.
Emma stared at it in awe. She had never been able to wear the tiara before because her mother kept telling her 'in time'. "Can I wear it?" Snow nodded as she placed it on Emma's head, making sure to fasten it down.
"I think you are old enough to wear it now, but there is one condition." Snow made sure she had Emma's attention. "Wearing this tiara means that you show kindness to everybody including non-royals. Everybody is equal…" Emma nodded in understanding.
"I won't let you down and I promise to be kind to our people just like you and daddy," Emma smiled finally happy about going to the ball because her mother finally let her wear the family tiara. Snow smiled back at her daughter knowing that everything she said was true.
"I know," was all Snow could say as she rubbed her daughter's arms looking at the beautiful, strong young woman in front of her.
