as this is probably going to be my last chapter before the holidays, i would like to take this opportunity to wish all who celebrate a merry christmas, and everyone else a happy new year! my christmas will be spent, as my ancestors before me, seeing les miz and eating chinese food ;) then i get my wisdom teeth out the next day, so i'm not sure when i'll have time/energy to update.

hope y'all enjoy this one, and i'll see you when i see you! xoxo!


"Are you okay, Snow?" Aurora leaned into her friend, examining her face.

Snow sighed. "I suppose." She shook herself off, trying not to wince at the soreness in her joints from the impact of jumping from the beanstalk.

She wasn't okay; not really. She hadn't been since the ogre attack, which though only a few weeks ago, felt to her like an eternity. Several eternities. No parent should ever have to see their child in such grave danger, but especially when that child is grown, and has just returned into the care of her parents after a lifetime apart. Maybe that's not how the saying went, but Snow had been beyond furious when Emma had been in danger. And then, after the ogre was dead, Emma had withdrawn from Snow even more. Snow was heartbroken, and confused, and then inconsolable all over again when Emma had disappeared.

She couldn't bring herself to think that Emma had run away, and even less so that she could be...dead. Snow knew that Mulan thought Emma dead, and she was pretty sure Aurora shared the same views as her companion. But deep within her, Snow had a feeling that, although gone from her right now, Emma would find her way back. That is what their family did, after all - they found each other.

Snow had retrieved the compass, just as she'd allowed the giant to have his way with Hook. She was through being "the fairest of them all" - she felt neither beautiful nor just. She wanted one thing, and one thing alone, and that was to get back to her family. She felt that Emma must have figured out a way to reach Storybrooke, and she was sure that her husband, daughter, and grandson were all waiting for her safe return.

The giant had given her ten hours - he would either release and kill Hook, or he would release Hook and be killed himself. But they had a ten hour cushion, in case Hook prevailed. Snow had refused to rest, and instead insisted that they spend their time trying to reach Lake Nostos, where the portal could be created. Mulan and Snow were sure that Cora would know of Hook's death, and try to open the portal with the ashes as soon as she could. So the trio had huffed and puffed their way back through the forest and to Snow's actual wedding spot.

But they were too late. Cora stood in the middle of the lake, surrounded by glistening purple flames and a magical typhoon. She threw her head back and cackled, tossing the ashes from the wardrobe into the vortex with a villainous smirk. Snow felt the compass lift from her hands, and she did her best to keep it, but lost her grip and fell face-first into the dirt.

"Snow!" Aurora cried, rushing to her friend's aide. Mulan had already started to battle Cora's henchmen, parrying Cora's own magic thrusts with her enchanted sword. Aurora went to make a grab for the compass, while Mulan and Snow defeated Cora's zombies.

"Ah!" Cora shrieked, the storm ceasing as the Queen of Hearts was tossed back against a nearby dune. Aurora was thrown backwards as well, and Mulan ran to her side. Snow stood back, staring at two figures in wonderment. The two small children shook themselves off, looking around fearfully.

"Toto, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore," the girl quipped. "But where are we?" She asked the boy.

He shook his head in confusion. "I have no idea."

"Henry?" Snow asked softly, disbelieving. When he turned at the sound of his moniker, she grinned and said it again. "Henry?"

"Snow!" He yelled, running towards her with his arms flinging themselves around her neck. "How'd you get here?"

She wrinkled her nose, perplexed, but before she could answer, Snow's eyes widened and she turned them around to block his body with hers.

"Oh, how sweet. Mother and grandson, together again." Cora had gotten back up, and was standing over them with a ball of magic writhing in her palm.

"Grandson?" Henry asked dazedly.

Snow gasped at the small figure running up to Cora, standing in front of Snow and Henry with her arms outstretched.

"If you want to hurt them, you'll have to go through me," the little girl said, her voice quavering slightly.

"How...quaint," Cora sneered, trying to brush the girl aside with her magic. But, somehow, the girl did not budge. Cora growled, and threw a fireball in the girl's direction, but as it neared her shoulder, it disappeared in a puff of sparks and ash. Enraged, Cora threw her arm out, and her right hand plunged deep within the girl's left chest cavity. "Victory," Cora hissed.

The girl's backbone was rigid, Snow noted, and her chin was upturned in prideful defiance. Snow noticed that she shook, a little, but otherwise acted as if she was unfazed.

"Please, Cora," Snow pleaded, reminded so much of her own daughter by this girl. "You may have my heart. Just...don't hurt this child."

"How valiant," Cora smirked. "But you should know better than to bargain with me, Snow. I will have your heart, oh yes - but only after having hers." Cora began to jerk her arm back, thrilled at the prospect of removing Snow White's heart once and for all, but could not, for the life of her, seem to remove the heart of this tiny ten-year old.

"I read a story, once," the girl began. "About a greedy goblin and a hungry man. The man had a jar of pickles, and the goblin - disguised as a child - asked for some. The man gave him a pickle, but he was unsatisfied, so the man gave him two more. The goblin demanded the whole jar, and the wise man said he may take as many as he liked. But when the goblin stuck his hand in the jar, he grabbed all the pickles and couldn't remove his fist. He got so mad that he stomped himself into pieces, leaving the hungry man with all the pickles he'd started with."

Her voice grew weaker as Cora's tugs grew fiercer, but when she reached the last line of the story, a white light pulsed around her body. Cora withdrew her hand as if burned.

"Who are you?" She cried, her hand beginning to redden and throb.

"I'm Emma," Emma replied. "And I'm the savior."

Her eyes wide, Cora lifted her uninjured hand and vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.

When they were sure that Cora was gone, Mulan and Aurora let Snow have her time with the two ten-year olds.

"Emma?" Snow asked quietly, reaching a tentative hand out to cup Emma's cheek. "Is that really you?"

Emma blushed, but pressed her palm against the hand holding her chin. "Yeah, Snow. It's really me."

"How did you-I mean, what did you...Oh, Emma," Snow babbled, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug.

When Snow released Emma, the girl looked at her feet guiltily. "I think we need to have a talk," she mumbled.

"I'm so confused," Henry added.

Snow furrowed her brow, finally taking in every piece of the situation. "Yeah, me too."

Emma followed her mother and brother to the grassy knoll where Aurora and Mulan had set up camp. The two women were preparing dinner together and talking, so Emma went to a shady spot under a maple tree and waited for her family to join her.

"I'm not really sure where to start," she whispered, picking at a loose thread on her sweater. "I mean, I could start from where I left you, Snow, but then Henry would be confused. Or I could start from the beginning of my story with Henry, but then you'd be confused."

"Why don't you start by explaining how you got like this," Snow suggested.

Emma looked at Henry in apology. "This is gonna be really weird for you," she said.

"At this point, weird is pretty normal," he answered, placing a comforting hand on Emma's knee.

"Okay, so, I wasn't always this age," Emma told him. "Once upon a time, I was her age."

"And," Snow began, then paused awkwardly, unsure if she should've said anything at all.

"And...your mother," Emma finished uncomfortably.

Henry's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

"Wait," Snow interrupted, wheels turning in her head. "You were?"

"I guess I should've done introductions first," Emma muttered. "Snow, meet Henry, my brother."

"What?" Snow asked, flabbergasted.

"In this new universe, Henry and I are twins. You're our mom, and Charming is our dad."

"Okay..." Snow was pretty much speechless.

"Can I just get this story over with?" Emma asked.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry," Snow apologized. She pulled Henry a little closer to her, feeling like he might feel unwanted by her. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she smiled in relief.

"Okay, so I ran away from you, and somehow ended up in Rapunzel's tower. She tried to fix my ankle-"

"Fix it?" Snow asked. "What happened to it?" She reached a hand out to Emma's foot, searching for injury.

"Snow, I'm fine!" Emma moaned. "I twisted it, but that was a long time ago. Anyway, she sang this song about turning back time and fixing what was lost or finding what was broken, I don't remember, and I ended up in Hartford, at the foster home I was in when I was ten, the first time. I found my way to Storybrooke, met you, met Henry, and then remembered everything that had happened in my first life. Henry helped me believe, again, but then I got put under the sleeping curse, you woke me up, and then Henry and I ended up here."

"How exactly did you end up here?" Snow asked.

"Well, we went out exploring, and the well in the forest was bubbling, and we looked closer, and-ow!" Henry winced, rubbing his knee cap. "What was that for?"

"Shut up!" Emma hissed.

"And where, exactly, were your parents while all this was happening?" Snow asked sternly, focusing her glare on Henry, as she knew that he'd likely cave first.

"Um, they were in a town meeting," he answered. "But it's not like we were trying to end up here," he reasoned. "We were just trying to figure out why there were earthquakes."

"Henry!" Emma groaned. 'Sometimes you can be such a doofus,' she thought to him.

"Hey!" He said with a pout. "I'm not either!"

"You're not either what?" Snow asked, confused at the half-silent argument taking place.

"She called me a doofus!" Henry whined.

"It's not my fault you invaded my mind!" Emma shot back.

"Hey!" Snow shouted. "What is going on?"

"Henry can read minds," Emma said.

"And Emma thought mean things to me," Henry tattled.

"The both of you are on pretty thin ice with me right now," Snow warned, "so I wouldn't push it."

"Yes, ma'am," they muttered. Henry pinched his sister's elbow, and Emma whacked her brother's leg.

"Enough!" Snow ordered. Both kids stuffed their hands between their knees.

Snow sat between the twins at dinner, to keep them from picking at each other. Aurora giggled quietly at the looks they shot each other across their mother, and Mulan tried hard to keep a smile from forming on her lips.

"Mulan, what is our next move?" Snow deferred to the warrior.

"Well, that depends. We don't know where Cora's hideout is, though I don't think it prudent to try and defeat her again, so soon after our latest stalemate. So perhaps we should regroup, and try to figure out another way to get you home. The three of you," she said, nodding at Henry and Emma.

"We can't leave," Henry said, looking between Snow and Mulan. "This is where the final battle will begin!"

Snow frowned. "But what about Charming? What about your mother, Henry?"

"We could get them all to come here," Emma suggested.

"What's here for them to come to? And how would they get here?"

"Like Henry said, the final battle will take place here," Emma responded. "It said something about that in the book - I can't remember what, exactly, but it was there! And don't you have your home here? You don't wanna stay in Storybrooke forever, do you?"

"Well, no," Snow answered honestly, after a moment of pause. "But there's so much work to be done, and the ogres..."

"Will all be taken care of in the battle," Emma assured her. "As for the work, well...Leroy and the boys can do a lot of it, right? And Marco, and..." Emma bit her lip, remembering something. "Snow?"

"Yes, Emma?"

"Was Lancelot your only friend from the Round Table?"

Snow furrowed her brow. "Well, no, actually...but I suppose Cora must've...well, when she defeated Lancelot."

Emma shook her head, slowly. "I don't think he's dead."

Snow sniffed. "Emma, I-"

"Henry," Emma said, ignoring Snow's protest. "Did Cora look young, to you?"

Henry wrinkled his nose in disgust. "No, she looked ancient! Gray hair, crow's feet...she was awful!"

Emma smiled. "That's what I saw, too."

Snow opened her mouth. "She-"

"I think it's a glamour," Emma said, cutting Snow off again. "Just like the one she used to pose as Lancelot. Only this time, I could see through it - literally."

"But what does that have to do with Lancelot being alive?" Mulan asked, getting frustrated at the runaround.

"It's impossible for her to actually change her appearance," Henry said, his eyes lighting up in understanding.

"Exactly!" Emma cried, beaming at her brother. "If she could de-age herself for good, she would've done it already. But instead, she has to use a glamour." Emma looked at Snow, then Aurora, then Mulan, hoping to see a glint of acknowledgement in their eyes. She got nothing. "Grownups," she muttered with a sigh.

"I think I got it, sis," Henry said. "Okay, so. Cora exists on this plane as an old lady, so she can't physically change her appearance - she has to use a glamour, or a mask. Using that information, it would be safe to assume that she could only use someone else as a mask if they, too, existed on this plane."

"Because," Emma continued, picking up where her brother left off, "Young Cora did exist on this plane, at one point. She doesn't exist now, which is why the glamour can't be permanent. Lancelot must exist on this plane in some form in order for Cora to be able to use him as a mask, because otherwise there would be nothing to draw his energy from."

"I think I get it," Aurora mused. "But she hasn't used a Lancelot glamour since we tricked her at the castle."

Emma bit her lip. "Would you buy that I have a good feeling about this?"

Snow nodded immediately. "Of course."

Aurora was swayed soon after, but Mulan was harder to convince.

"That's okay," Emma said with a shrug. "We just need to find them."

"Well, Camelot was destroyed, just like everything else in the Enchanted Forest," Snow said sadly. "So they can't be there."

"Didn't King Arthur have another home?" Henry asked.

"Well, Avalon, but-"

"There was an island, legend tells, that was not affected by the Dark Curse," Aurora said. "My fairy godmothers used to tell me stories of it when I was a girl. Bits and pieces of the Forest remained untouched, some say by an even darker magic than the Evil Queen's."

"Did they ever tell you how to find it?" Henry asked excitedly.

"Well, no," Aurora said with a frown.

"That's okay," Snow said thoughtfully. "I know someone who does."


The group bid their goodbyes and thanks to the Lady Elaine, and stepped off the boat onto the rocky shores of the Apple Island. Snow stretched and looked around, her children coming to stand beside her, and her friends keeping a bit of distance from the little family.

"The castle should be through this orchard," Snow said, pointing to a grove of apple trees. She wrinkled her nose slightly at the offensive fruit, but forged ahead, Emma and Henry following close behind, followed by Aurora, and Mulan holding up the rear.

They walked for what seemed hours before breaking through the wood on the other side. Henry and Emma marveled at the marble and stone structure, even more massive and grand than they had imagined.

"It doesn't look like anyone's been here for decades," Mulan said, a note of disdain in her voice.

"Almost thirty years?" Snow mocked. "That's what happens when you're cursed."

Mulan shut her mouth, and followed the Queen silently as she led the group up the drawbridge.

They split off, Aurora and Mulan looking upstairs, and Snow and the children going down into the dungeons. Emma grabbed a torch and led the way, while Snow herded Henry along in front of her.

They peered in every cell, each dustier and emptier than the next. Snow was about to have them turn around and go back, but Henry leaned up against a wall and revealed a secret corridor. Each of the six cells were full.

"Snow? Snow White?" A deep, velvety voice called from the end of the row.

"Lancelot!" Snow yelled, grabbing a second torch off the wall and running to her friend. "I thought you were dead!"

"I have been gone a long time," he said sorrowfully. "But then, so have you! How did you get here?"

"It's a long story," Snow answered ruefully. "But Cora had been using your identity!"

"She's the one who locked us up here," Lancelot murmured.

"Could someone get us out?" An impatient, nasally voice called, rattling the bars of the cell to prove her point.

"Morgan," a stern voice sighed. "Don't bite the hand that frees you."

"Well, they haven't freed us yet!" She bit back.

"If you'll all just wait a moment, we'll get you out as soon as we can," Snow said calmly. "We just need to find the keys."

"Great," Morgan whined sarcastically. "We'll never get out of here."

'Henry,' Emma mind-whispered to her brother. 'Did it say anything about our powers in the book?'

Henry caught his sister's eye, and shook his head sadly.

'Children,' a deeper voice entered Henry and Emma's non-verbal conversation. 'come over to my cell.'

Emma walked forward, stumbling towards the place where she'd heard that voice speak earlier.

"I'm Merlin," he introduced himself, when Henry and Emma finally stood before him. "I'm the resident warlock of the Round Table."

"I know who you are," the twins spoke together.

"Well, one thing you may not be aware of is that I am rather practiced at reading auras."

"What?" Emma asked, puzzled by the new word.

"Aura," Henry repeated. "It's like, this cloud that surrounds you all the time, and tells people if you're a good or bad person."

"Sounds pretty hippy-dippy, if you ask me," Emma grumbled.

"In magic," Merlin continued Henry's explanation, as if he hadn't heard Emma, "it also can show what powers a person possesses. I can already tell that you both are very strong, but if you give me a moment..." He paused, closing his eyes and mumbling under his breath. When he opened his eyes, they were glassed over, and appeared to look right through Henry and Emma.

"Oh," he whispered, pressing his palms together excitedly. "Oh, indeed!"

"What?" Emma asked, a bit freaked out by his actions.

He didn't answer, but began to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet. After a while, he snapped out of it, and stared at the twins in awe.

"Sun and moon," he whispered. "The prophecy is true!"

"What prophecy?" Emma asked him.

"The one in the book, Emma," Henry said. "The one about us!"

"When dark's curse fails and lightness rise, and silver and gold light up the skies, the two babes who are bound as one shall reign once more as moon and sun." Merlin quoted, still gazing at Emma and Henry as if they were the most wonderful beings he'd ever seen. "There's more, about the moon reflecting the sun, and a swan and a fox, but I'm not really sure what it all means," he explained.

Henry tugged the talisman from beneath his sweater. "My necklace has a fox on it," he said nervously. "And Emma's has a swan."

"That's how I got my name," Emma added.

"Well, it says something to the effect of the fox's fire burning and healing, and the swan freezing and flying," Merlin said, scrunching his eyebrows together to try and recall the verse he'd heard so long ago. "Let me see...ah, yes. The fox hath fire, bright and true, to burn through wrong and health renew. The swan hath flight, to flee and fight, and ice's freeze to guard the night."

Emma and Henry shared a look, a bit confused by all those words. Merlin seemed to notice their discomfort, for he quickly elucidated. "I believe what it means is that you, Henry, have the power to create fire and to heal all manner of wounds, and that Emma has the ability to freeze things and to either fly or travel with ease. Your aurae are very bright," he continued. "Silver and gold. It would be my honor to train you in magic for your upcoming battle," he said, giving them a slight bow.

"Alright, Merlin," Snow said, not having heard the conversation. "Are you ready to be out?" Mulan and Aurora had come downstairs looking for Snow and the kids, and had heard the commotion in the secret corridor. They'd found the key ring on a rack upstairs, and brought it down with them. Everyone was free except Merlin, and Emma and Henry moved out of their mother's way so she could unlock his cell.

"Everyone, this is Lancelot, one of my very best friends," Snow announced proudly, dragging the tall, dark, and handsome man over to meet Mulan, Aurora, and her children. "The real Lancelot," she amended. He bowed to them, and Henry and Mulan bowed back while Aurora and Emma bobbed curtsies, Emma's more tentative than Aurora's. "This is King Arthur," she introduced, presenting a tan, dark-haired man with icy blue eyes, "his wife Guinevere," she continued, gesturing to a freckled woman with tan skin and dark curls swept into a bun, "his sister Morgana," the blonde with the nasally whine and celery-green eyes curtsied stiffly, "and his advisor Dindrane." Another dark-haired woman curtsied, but her curls were loose, and her features were schooled in a much shyer expression than the Queen's. Her pale skin flushed slightly under the attention, and her honey-colored eyes stayed trained on the floor.

"And I see you've already met Merlin," Snow finished, wrapping her arms around her old friend as he walked out of his cell. In the brighter light, Emma and Henry could see that he had lighter skin, dark shoulder-length hair, and wide, dark, almond-shaped eyes.

"We've introduced ourselves," Merlin nodded, pulling back from the embrace.

"Dear Snow, do say that you and your company will stay in our palace?" Arthur offered, reaching his hand out to grasp hers.

"That's a very nice offer, Arthur, but-"

"I will not take no for an answer," Lancelot stepped up. "What have you been doing, sleeping in the forest?"

Snow flushed slightly and looked away.

"Then it's settled," Guinevere said. "We will have rooms prepared for you, and we'll dine together tonight."


"Lancelot, I mean it! I refuse to put my children in harm's way!" Emma and Henry stood at the top of the stairs, hanging over the banister and listening in on the meeting taking place in the hall below them. Snow was adamantly against them beginning any sort of training, and it was taking all of their combined willpower not to go down there and throw a double trouble tantrum.

"Snow, please," Guinevere tried to calm her friend.

"No, Gwen! I have lost them twice - I'm not about to lose them for good."

"I understand your concerns, Your Highness," Merlin's soft voice entered the fray. "But think of the danger they'll be in if they're not trained in their powers. Forget being unprepared for battle - they'll be veritable dangers to themselves and everyone around them!"

"They're not going into battle," Snow said fiercely.

Emma opened her mouth to protest, but Henry jabbed her thigh with his elbow. She'd changed into a borrowed nightgown, and it offered far less protection from her brother's bony joints than her thick jeans. She'd wanted to wear an outfit like Henry's, which consisted of knit leggings and a flannel tunic, but the thrilled look on her mother's face when she presented Emma with the frilly garment was enough for Emma to hold her tongue.

And that sent a spear of guilt through the girl's heart. She knew, in her old mind, that this Snow was particularly protective of her and Henry for a couple of reasons. One, she'd already lost Emma multiple times, as she'd said. This was her second chance at motherhood, and she wasn't about to let that go without a fight. Two, she had memories (as Emma herself did) of the last time Emma had been in battle in the Enchanted Forest - and how badly that had almost ended for them both. But Emma also felt, especially as a ten-year old, that she could handle anything if she was properly prepared. And there was a prophecy stating that she hadto be the one to fight the final battle; she and Henry were the saviors.

"Think of the prophecy," Merlin went on, echoing Emma's most recent thoughts. "They're the ones who will defeat the curse - and Cora - for good. Wouldn't you like the Enchanted Forest to be safe for them?"

Snow sighed, and Emma could tell she was irritated and tired. "That's not fair, Merlin."

"Nor is it to prevent them from achieving their destiny," he countered.

"They're ten years old," Snow whispered, her voice breaking under the stress. "Please, try to understand."

"We do, dear," Gwen consoled. "But we also understand that they are born for this. And, I believe, they want to do this."

"Why don't we ask them?" Merlin asked.

Emma and Henry looked at each other, frozen in place.

'Do you think he knows we're up here?' Henry's eyes were wide and panicked as he shot a message to his sister.

'No, there's no way,' Emma thought, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"It's alright, children, you may come down now."

Merlin's voice jerked them from their thoughts, and Emma led the never-ending march down the stairs and into the wide foyer.

Neither child had to look up to know that their mother was glaring at them full force. Emma rolled her lips together, and Henry grabbed his elbows behind himself.

"Well?" Snow asked, when neither of them has said anything. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We want to fight!" Emma blurted. She chanced a peek at her mother's face, and knew right away that she'd said exactly the wrong thing.

"Not a chance," Snow said firmly.

"But Snow," Henry said, nearly whining. "We have to!"

"And you could train us, so you know we're safe," Emma added, trying to win her back over. "I've always wanted to learn archery."

Snow snorted.

"Please, Snow," Henry begged, making his eyes as big and sad as possible. "This is important."

"What's important is you two being alive for your eleventh birthdays," Snow said, her voice heavy with worry.

"We will be!" Emma insisted. "We will win. We just need your help to do it. Running from your problems doesn't help them any; it just makes them worse."

Snow turned fresh eyes on her daughter. She knew that the old Emma was inside her, somewhere, and that made the revelation all that more poignant. Her Emma would have never been able to see that running from your problems was a bad idea, and Snow's heart panged as she realized that this Emma was a result of that Emma running away.

"You're right," she finally said. "I suppose I should know by now that you can't cheat fate."

Henry and Emma grinned widely in victory.

"But you should know that there will be some ground rules!"

The children tried hard not to groan, and thus jeopardize their chances at maintaining this breakthrough.

"First of all, there will be no swordfighting. Period. I will teach you archery and royal etiquette, which I'll enlist Aurora and Gwen to help me with. Mulan and Lancelot may teach you the basics of the duel, but I want no practicals, understand?"

Emma and Henry squirmed under her harsh gaze, and finally nodded their assent. "Yes, ma'am."

"I suppose Merlin and Morgana will assist you with your magic, and Arthur and Dindrane can work with you on battle strategy."

"What about horses?" Henry piped up. "I've always wanted to ride a horse!"

"Well, that's more of your fath-Charming's territory," Snow said with a sad smile. "I'm sure he'd have my head if I let you go riding without him! But before you ride at all, you must get to know your horses. I'm sure getting you each a steed can be arranged."

"We have a stable here on Avalon," said Arthur. "Our ponies are only a few years old, due to the curse. I believe there were two foals born around the same time as you two - they could be perfect."

"Thank you, Arthur," Snow smiled. "But we can work out the logistics in the morning. You two," she said, turning a stern eye back on her kids, "had better be asleep when I come to check on you in about a half-hour, or you will be very sorry."

Emma gulped, knowing the implication there, and grabbed Henry's hand as she ran for the stairs. "Goodnight!" She called down behind them.

"Goodnight!" Chorused the Round Table.


"Very good, Henry!" Snow praised, patting her son on the back as he landed his second bullseye of the morning. He still missed occasionally, but they were coming fewer and further between, and most of his arrows landed in the red and yellow regions of the target.

Emma, on the other hand, had just tossed down her bow in frustration. Her target was peppered with arrows in the white and black rings, with a handful in the blue ring, two in the red, and none in the yellow dot in the middle. Her hands shook when she extended the string, her vision blurred when she loosed the arrow, and most of her quiver had been lost to the wood behind their targets.

"Emma, sweetheart," Snow murmured, rubbing her daughter's shoulders. "Try to relax, alright? You need to focus."

"I am focusing!" Emma screeched, wanting anything but to be coddled and patronized.

"Hey!" Snow scolded lightly. "Don't speak to your mother that way. I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah? Well, you're not!" Emma kicked her bow aside, tossed a nasty glare at her mother, and ran off into the forest.

"Emma! Emma Swan, you get back here right now!" Snow yelled. "Henry, dear, go back to the castle, please. I'll go find your sister."

"Okay," Henry acquiesced, slightly annoyed at his twin's childish behavior. He picked up his bow, shouldered his quiver, and began the trek back to his current home.

They'd been training for a few weeks. Emma was progressing much further than Henry in their magic lessons, possessing a higher "start value" of raw magic to begin with. But he never complained about that! And it irked him that in archery, where he was doing better than she was (for once), she had to throw a fit and cut their lesson short. He kicked a pebble along in front of himself as he walked.

Strategy was fun enough, because Arthur and Dindrane were very good teachers. To Henry, it was sort of like playing a game - and it often was, because chess was a big part of their lessons. And though he wished they could joust for real, learning about fighting with Lancelot and Mulan was always pretty entertaining. Sometimes, they even did demonstrations for him and Emma. The most boring course, so far (though he'd never say this to Snow) was royal etiquette. He and Emma had to be on their very best behavior at all times, and learn how to walk and talk and eat and bow like kings and queens. Aurora and Gwen were nice enough, but Snow really laid into them when they messed around too much.

As Henry walked across the palace green and into the kitchen through the back door, he wondered why Emma had chosen today, of all days, to be such a big baby.


Emma didn't get too far before the stitch in her side and the tears in her eyes made it impossible for her to run any further. She forced herself to climb up the nearest tree, and counted the branches she hopped over to calm herself down. By the time she got as high as she could go, her sobs had subsided to a mere whimper every now and again.

She wiped her tears with the hem of her tunic, and rested her back against the scratchy bark of the apple tree. Hunger squeezed her innards, but she wasn't yet hungry enough to chance eating an apple.

"Emma?" She heard her mother call. Her voice was less angry, now, and a bit more worried. "Emma?"

Emma debated whether or not to call down, but the choice was made for her when she accidently knocked an apple off its twig and it landed by Snow's feet, causing her to look up. Her expression of confusion quickly changed to one of dismay, and she yelled up at her daughter.

"Emma Swan, you get down from there!"

Emma wanted to disobey, but she knew she was already in enough trouble, and decided she'd better not push it. Plus, she really was hungry, and knew it was nearly time for lunch. She began to descend, carefully testing her weight on each branch before stepping on it, but when she was about three-quarters of the way down, the limb she stood on snapped. Snow shrieked in horror, and caught Emma in her arms as the blonde tumbled about seven feet down. The impact caused Snow to fall backwards, and she rolled Emma off of her as she tried to regain her breath.

"Are you hurt?" Snow asked her daughter.

Emma shook her head no, having felt for any broken bones or sprains. Just to be sure, Snow checked her over again, and affirmed that she was alright.

Once sure that Emma was fine, Snow flipped the girl over her lap and peppered her behind with furious slaps. "How many times, Emma," she scolded, "must I tell you that you're not to run away from me or put yourself in harm's way? When will it finally sink in?"

"Ouch," Emma cried, the coral-colored linen and brown wool leggings doing little to protect her bottom from the barrage. "Please, Snow, don't! I've learned my lesson, please!"

"Really, young lady? Because I don't think you have! If you had, you would've tried to have a conversation with me, instead of throwing a tantrum like a toddler."

"I'm sorry!" Emma shouted, flinging her hand back to protect herself. "Please, no more!"

Snow gave her a final few swats, and turned her right-side up to rest on her lap. She cradled her daughter's head against her collarbone, running a soothing hand through Emma's unruly ringlets. "I wish you felt like you could express yourself without running from me," Snow whispered.

"I'm sorry, really I am," Emma promised.

"I know. But will you remember that next time? That's what I'm unsure of."

Emma opened her mouth to agree, but Snow placed a finger across her lips.

"Don't answer me yet. Just think about it, okay?"

Emma nodded into her mother's shoulder, and allowed herself to be placed on her feet. Snow dusted herself off, then her daughter, and grabbed Emma's hand to lead her back to the castle.

"You should apologize to your brother," Snow suggested. "I think you hurt his feelings when you got your archery lesson canceled."

"I just hate not being good at things," Emma muttered guiltily.

"Hey," Snow said, grabbing Emma's chin between her thumb and forefinger. "You listen to me. You are good, and you will get better. I know it's hard for you to focus, and I know you've been having trouble controlling yourself. If you want, we can start having sessions, just the two of us, and we can work on getting you up to par with Henry."

"Okay," Emma said, not really believing her mother, but appreciating the sentiment all the same. "I'd like that."

"Good," Snow said with a smile.

Emma's stomach growled, and Snow laughed.

"I suppose it's time for lunch!" She grinned.

Emma smiled softly, still feeling a bit embarrassed, but better now that her mother was no longer mad at her.

"Let's go eat," Snow said, as they neared the castle. "And don't forget, you and Henry have your magic lesson this afternoon. I hear you're making some good progress?"

Emma grinned, then, a true and genuine smile. "Yep," she agreed. "Since we can't get ourselves to Storybrooke, we're bringing Storybrooke to us!"