A/N: This chapter is all about Emma as a teenager, frustrated at having grown up under so many restrictions for her own protection.

Please let me know what you think of the story so far! Taking a minute to do that makes all the difference for me. So, leave a review! :)

Chapter VI – No Damsel in Distress

Being cursed was no laughing matter. From the moment Rasputin's curse was cast, the inhabitants of Everton Castle, as well as the guests, were in uproar. The celebratory mood came to an abrupt end; anxious wives clung to their husbands, imperial men scowled solemnly, their outrage barely concealed beneath their grim features, each of them bound by one single thought. Their minds were set. This Rasputin figure would not get away with his stunt. He would pay, and bigtime. What he had done was cruel, inhuman even. They would find a way to defeat him and offered their support and solace to the Charmings.

The royal guests who had travelled from afar to see the birth of a princess be celebrated, had instead witnessed an innocent baby girl be doomed to an enchanted, death-like sleep, which was to outlast all her living relatives, leaving Emma to wake up a hundred years from her eighteenth birthday, with no one left to love or cherish her – alone in the world. This was to be her fate if she didn't defeat Rasputin first.

David felt his eyes glaze over. What had he just witnessed? Could this nightmare really be true? Had his daughter, his only little girl, his pride and joy, truly been sentenced to what basically could be equated to an untimely death? Would Emma be stolen from him and Snow before her time, gone forever once she came of age? What had he done to deserve this? What despicable act had he committed that would warrant such disdain towards his family?

"It's not your fault!" Snow told David sternly, reading his mind. "Do you hear me? He's a psychopath. This is not on you," she stroked his arm consolingly and David marvelled at the way she always knew what he was thinking.

"I know," David replied, realising his thoughts of self-blame had been irrational, but he couldn't prevent his grief from sucking him in like a massive black hole, an abyss of desperation. "But why can't we just be happy for once? Why is there always something, always someone standing in our way?" he asked Snow, a pleading undertone in his voice. He was half-dazed, barely able to stand upright.

Snow held him fast by her side, gripping his arm tightly. "We will get through this," she soothed. "We will find a way." Snow was determined to believe, to stay hopeful, because once she let even a faint glimmer of doubt cloud her mind, it would all be over. She would have no choice but to give in to the weight that was pushing her down if she gave up now; this weight, which was trying to subjugate her to its will - but she wouldn't let it. Snow wouldn't allow the doubts to creep in and fester inside her. There had to be a way around this. Even if it took everything out of her, Snow would never give in. Even if it meant she had to fight to the death, she would do everything in her power to protect her beloved Emma. No one would touch a hair on her daughter's head!

"Rasputin...urgh! What an ugly name. He is a vile creature; repellent, like a hideous, lethal snake!" Flittle, the Blue Fairy, hissed in contempt during a royal congregation a month after the casting of the curse.

All the creatures of the forest who were on the Charming's side, all the townspeople who wanted to get involved in supporting Emma and all the courtiers and knights of Everton were gathered round an oval, mahogany table in the library of Everton Castle. They were there to discuss the precautions that needed to be taken in order to protect Emma. What they had agreed upon was that, not only should all the spinning wheels of the entire realm be burned, but a protection spell should be cast around the premises of the castle, possibly even the entire town, reaching as far out as the woods, known also as the "Enchanted Forest." Merlin was once again the man for the job. The warlock had once again obliged to help the Charmings at a further unconventional request.

As the other two fairies had been summoned to lend a helping hand in a crisis in Maravia, one of the other kingdoms of Aragon, it was the Blue Fairy who stepped up and took it upon herself to fly over Aragon on the lookout for any traces of Rasputin - but sadly, he was nowhere to be found. When Flittle came back from her outing, Snow noticed that the fairy had changed just ever so slightly. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the Blue Fairy must have been so shaken up by the events that had transpired in Everton Castle, that something had shifted in her personality. She was previously more reserved, but now wanted to be in the thick of it.

Flittle had even wished to make sure personally that Rasputin wasn't still lurking somewhere in Aragon. It had taken her three weeks to skim over the numerous little towns and vast spaces of countryside of Aragon; now flying high over unpopulated land, now soaring low to ask around if anyone had seen a lanky, papery-skinned, beastly looking man - a man so withered and pale, he faintly resembled a corpse.

However, all the Blue Fairy's efforts were in vain. That was why she later made it her personal responsibility to take care of Emma when she got back from her journey. Flittle would ensure personally that no harm came to the princess. Not only would she watch Emma's every move, but she would also teach Emma how to wield her magic. That was why Emma grew up under the close supervision, not only of her parents, but also of her guardian and personal protector, the Blue Fairy. She was Emma's guardian, governess and teacher all rolled into one. The Blue Fairy was also Emma's only and best friend. This thought made Emma despair. If only she could find a way to get out into the world!

One rainy Sunday afternoon, Emma stared out of her French windows mournfully, the brims of her eyes crimson from all the crying she had done today. She was now sixteen years old and all she knew of the world was this room, this castle and the gardens outside.

Not bad for a prisoner! thought Emma with contempt. At least she wasn't confined to one tiny cell, like Cora. That frightful woman had now been locked up for twenty odd years. That was a whole lifetime when you thought about it.

Compared to Cora, Emma was indeed very well off. She even had a balcony with a view of the castle gardens - but then again, she hadn't tried to kill anyone, had she? And despite the fact that Emma had never harmed a soul, she was still cooped up here in Everton Castle, forbidden to cross the invisible line drawn up around the estate and its premises.

Just like Cora, Emma was contained in this place by a magic spell cast by Merlin - only Emma was considered privileged, because she was allowed to go outside.

And yes, even though Emma appreciated the vast gardens that belonged to her family, she longed to climb the garden wall and to just run off to explore the world that lay beyond the castle grounds. The prospect of living a life on the run, falling into one adventure after another, excited Emma – but, sadly, she could only dream of travelling the world. Until she was eighteen, there was no chance of her ever seeing anything but the same old confining walls inside the castle and the same old birch trees and gorse bushes in the gardens. That was, of course, if she could somehow reverse this curse.

Emma had always wanted more. She needed more. How could she thrive, how could she become who she was meant to be, if she had to stay inside most of the time? The atmosphere in her room was stifling! Emma felt like she was withering away, stuck in this turret room. And whenever she was let loose outside, Emma was never left to her own devices. She was always accompanied by the Blue Fairy.

It was strictly forbidden for Emma to cross the grounds of Everton Castle, for what lay beyond them was too dangerous. The premises of Everton Castle lay at the edge of the Enchanted Forest, an area that was strictly off limits. Due to the protection spell cast around the castle premises, Emma wasn't able to go there, nor could she explore the town of Everton, let alone think about seeing the other kingdoms or foreign lands that lay out there.

This curse had forced Emma to grow up in isolation. How she wished she could go off one day and wander into unchartered territory! How she longed to finally be free! But freedom was not in the cards for Emma and never would be, not before her eighteenth birthday, anyway. And who knew if she would even live beyond that? Sometimes, Emma wished her life wasn't so damn complicated!

Best-case scenario, Emma would find a way to defeat Rasputin. Worst-case scenario, Emma would fall into a one hundred year's sleep or die. If Rasputin had had his way, Emma would have perished on her eighteenth birthday, but with Blue's help, she would "only" fall into an enchanted sleep, which was "only" to last one hundred years.

Although Emma was grateful to have been saved from Rasputin's initial plans for her, she still felt like her present curse was not much better. While Emma would have died beforehand, she would now sleep for a hundred years? Wasn't that sort of the same thing? According to Emma, not much of an improvement!

These days, people treated Emma like she had a terminal illness, telling her things like, "You'll fight this!" and "We believe in you!" While Emma did believe herself to be capable of winning against Rasputin, Emma hated these phony well-wishers.

The young princess would often make light of the fact that people were worried about her. It frustrated Emma to think about her future, or the possible lack thereof. And hearing people tell her how much they were rooting for her just made Emma feel worse, like she didn't stand a chance to begin with. If people really believed she could survive this curse, then why did they feel the need to constantly encourage her? Emma felt like a lost cause with no real purpose in life. She couldn't think about "the future," because hers was hanging in the balance. Sometimes Emma wondered how she had been capable of holding on to her sanity with all the restrictions she was placed under all these years, as if she were a ticking time bomb.

But Emma wasn't the one holding the reins. She felt like she didn't really have all that much control over the outcome. This curse couldn't really be fought, not even by burning all the spinning wheels or casting the most powerful of protection spells. This curse would take its course eventually, unless Rasputin gave Emma the opportunity to crush him. If he showed up here again, Emma would certainly do more than leave her mark. Even now, she was ready to end him. Although Emma wasn't inclined to killing, especially not the innocent, Rasputin didn't fall under that category. He was a bad seed and Emma needed to wipe him out for her own survival. If she had to choose between Rasputin and herself, she wouldn't hesitate one instant to choose herself.

When she was in a particularly cynical mood, like today, Emma would think it wouldn't make much of a difference if she carried a notice around her neck, saying Fragile! Handle with care! For that was how Emma felt she was being dealt with anyway. All her childhood, Emma was treated with so much caution, she started to feel like she was made of glass and might break at the slightest touch.

People really seemed to think Emma might fall apart at any moment. Emma scoffed at this invasive thought. Fall apart? She would never! She was ready to fight for her life, ready to make Rasputin pay! But - Emma did have to admit that for all her strength and willingness to defend herself, she still felt helpless in a way. Was there even a chance of her withstanding this curse if she never encountered her adversary again? How would she be able to fight back, if Rasputin never showed up here again? The curse was cast and couldn't be reversed by anyone but Rasputin. Only with his death, would the curse die too.

Emma let out a fierce growl at the back of her throat, as she thought this. She would show him! She would show that tyrant what she was made of!