Emma sat at the table of a tavern sipping her drink completely exasperated, she had spent the good portion of her day trying to acquire a small plot of land away from civilisation to build a cabin on and live out her days. She was a nineteen year old princess who had conceived a child out of wedlock, ran out on the almost selling off of herself to her best friend who apparently loved her, and given away the child she'd conceived to a woman in which was the daughter of an evil sorceress who had once tried to sabotage her mother's happiness and ran away from home. All since her eighteenth birthday where she had gone on what she hoped would be a grand adventure, it was an adventure most definitely, but not grand.
Emma sighed and lifted the goblet of wine in front of her. She sipped it and contemplated what to do next, she had her horse and roughly enough gold to acquire a small house but she wanted solitude for a while, craved it if anything. She missed her home and her parents but she could not go back, not after they tried to sell her off. She rubbed her neck and pulled out a copy of a book she'd found in a bookstore in a previous village. Emma sat quietly in the corner reading and sipping wine, occasionally beckoning over the bar maid for a refill, it was nice to sit quietly and enjoy her own company.
Until it wasn't so nice and there was a considerable amount of screaming happening out in the streets, screaming and clattering. Emma looked up startled as a man ran into the bar screaming about a witch, a frown appeared between Emma's brows.
"A witch, she's terrorising the outer village, she has my wife!" The man said just before he collapsed into a chair and began to sob.
Emma got up and walked over to him, she knew she shouldn't get involved her magic was unpredictable at best but she felt she should.
"Explain to me where sir?" Emma asked.
He looked up tear tracks on his face.
"A short ride away in the last of the fields, but there is nothing you can do. She is powerful." He choked.
Emma smiled bitterly.
"Oh there is something I can do." She smirked, got up and with a flick of her wrist disappeared to the location.
When Emma materialised in the field where the scene was a wreck, a woman clearly mad with power hovered in the centre of the field there was a red headed woman at her feet chained up. She was ranting on and on about dishonour and promises to be kept with a dying breath. There was a burning barn a few feet away from Emma, she could hear screaming and whimpering coming from inside and that's when she kicked into action. She spun her hands above her head and a jet of water shot out and started extinguishing the flames that were building up the stables walls. Emma focused hard and attempted to build the strength of the spell up. She stumbled as the flames died out, the strength of the spell depleting her energy. A woman, a man and three children climbed out of the drenched barn and she realised with a start it was the same people she had asked to buy land off of earlier in the day.
"Run to the village." Emma said.
The family nodded and said their thanks as Emma turned back to the scene in the middle of the field. She heard the group leaving heading into the woods towards what Emma hoped was safety. Emma felt close to collapsing but she pushed on and walked towards the middle of the fields.
"Pick on someone your own size." Emma shouted.
She flicked her hands and a jolt of power flew at the witch in the centre of the field, knocking her to the ground. Emma almost sank to get knees with the effort the spell used but locked them instead, her use of magic was depleting her strength considerably but she had to win this for herself.
"Who are you to meddle in the issues of the supreme witch?" The insane lady seethed.
"I am Emma Swan, the product of true love." She smirked.
The statement was wasted on the witch who flicked her hands and engaged Emma in a magical battle, fireballs and electric balls and other kinds of magical orbs were thrown about. Walls of earth were erected and shattered as they fought. Emma drew the witch further and further away from the woman in the field as they fought hoping that the woman would get the incentive to leave the field.
With each spell Emma became more and more exhausted until finally with one last bolt of power she blasted the witch into a tree across the field. Emma collapsed to her knees and looked up into the eyes of the witch who stood over her smiling.
"Are you tired young one?" The witch mocked.
Emma was sweating considerably but smiled a cruel smile.
"Never." She stuck her hands the ground and with all that she had left pulled the ground apart.
The earth swallowed the witch and where she stood a tree formed. It was an ugly tree but it was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.
Sometime later Emma woke up in a room, she began to panic. She had no idea where she was and she began to thrash around, sparks flying from her body. The door opened and a old woman peaked inside.
"Calm down dear!" The woman said, a hint of shock in her voice.
"Where am I?" Emma asked backing up into the headboard.
She was dressed in the same clothes as her battle which were charred in places. She looked around the room and realised it was the inn she had been staying in.
"Oh..." She said a bit sheepishly.
She calmed down and the sparks stopped too.
"How did I end up here?" Emma asked curiously.
"The woman in the field you saved, she bought you to the village and obviously I know you're staying here so we bought you in." The woman said.
Emma nodded and attempted to get up, to which the old inn keeper assisted her sitting herself against the headboard with plush pillows supporting her.
"You drained yourself considerably dear, I've got some soup on a cart for you let me get it."
The old lady left the room for a second and bought in a steaming bowl of soup and assisted Emma whilst she ate, with each mouthful of soup Emma's energy restored itself. Eventually she felt well again and ready to take on the world.
"Thank you for the soup, it was lovely." Emma smiled.
The woman patted Emma's arm affectionately.
"You're more than welcome dear, there's some clean clothing on the dresser for you. When you're ready there are some folks who'd like to thank you." The old lady smiled and left the room.
Emma got up out of bed and surveyed the damaged done to her body in the fight, she had a cut on her hip from the impact of a clump of soil and a few scrapes here and there from various other things but other than that she knew nothing was broken. She closed her eyes and ran her hands over the wounds healing them.
She took the clothes from the dresser and walked into the bathroom, a bath had been prepared for her and she bathed in it washing away dirt and dried blood. When she was done she crawled into the clothing the old inn keeper had left out for her and made her way down to those who awaited for her. When she got there she was greeted by a little girl who flew into her arms.
"Thank you." The little girl giggled.
Emma was confused as an elder woman, possibly in her later thirties pulled the girl away a scolding look on her face.
"Abigail." The mother chided.
"Sorry..." The little girl said sheepishly.
Emma smiled at the pair.
"Don't worry, it's fine." Emma said.
She still didn't know who they were, until it clicked. The little girl was one of the three who had left the barn after she had drenched it.
"We just wanted to say thank you for saving us." The woman smiled a hand placed lovingly on her daughter's head.
"It's okay, it was my... Pleasure" Emma said stuck for an appropriate wording for what it was.
The woman chuckled.
"I wasn't sure we'd make it out of there and then well you know." The woman looked at her daughter with fondness.
"We'd like to give you the small portion of land you asked for..." The woman said biting her lip.
Emma smiled broadly.
"Thank you, that would be lovely." She said.
The woman nodded and took her daughter's hand.
"If you'd like... Come by and we'll talk." She said before walking away.
Emma grinned to herself, proud. She'd done a good deed and been rewarded considerably. She was beaming with herself when she walked into a leather clad body that was oh so familiar.
"Careful Lass." The voice drawled.
Emma looked up startled into familiar and lovely blue eyes.
"Princess." He said a note of shock in his voice.
"Killian." She responded.
"What are you doing here?" - "Why are you here?" They asked simultaneously at the same time.
A grin spread wide across the pirates face at the situation. A frown appeared across Emma's.
"I asked first." Emma said a smile pulling at her lips.
"I came in search of glorious treasure and some new recruits for my ship." He beamed.
Emma rolled her eyes but the possibility of joining this young and dashing pirate seemed almost unbelievable. Emma nodded a smile on her lips.
"And what about you, lass?" He asked.
"Adventuring after running away from home." She confessed.
Killian nodded in understanding.
"What a coincidence... It would seem a shame to not ask you to join me." He grinned.
Emma rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Sounds like a plan Captain." Emma placed a hand on his bicep, that familiar spark igniting between them.
"Let me get my stuff and make arrangements for my horse and I'll meet you on your ship." Emma said.
She turned away and climbed the stairs of the inn to her room where she threw all of her clothing and gold into her bag and made the bed she'd slept in. She cleaned up the room as best she could, when she was done in the room she paid the Inn keeper for the hospitality and for her service to her. She took her horse and rode to the farm in which she had destroyed with her powers and offered them her horse. She told them that maybe one day she'd return for her but until then they could use her as they see fit, to plough or to drag carts to the village. However they deemed fit, really and when she was done she walked to the centre of the field and concentrated on the ground. Where she pointed the ground she had overturned returned to its original state. She walked to the witch turned tree and smiled, with another flick of her wrist Emma transported herself to the docks and walked aboard the Jolly Rodger to await the Pirate she would sail away with.