Chapter Twenty-Six
"I'm feeling much better."
Hook and Will both raised their eyebrows at Emma.
"Seriously!" She insisted. Lied, whatever. She didn't exactly feel any better, but she wanted to, and that was something. She still felt weak, like her legs could barely support her own body weight, but she stopped leaning against the edge of the ship's deck for a moment to try to prove she could walk by herself. She didn't want to seem weak returning to the Enchanted Forest. Or to seem weak at all, really, if she could help it. Besides, she'd finally dried off from swimming to Hook's ship in Neverland, which helped a bit.
Hook sighed. "Your parents are going to have my head when I return you in this condition."
"You?" Will said incredulously. "It's not your fault, it's mine!"
"It doesn't matter," Emma said quickly, before they could start arguing. Maybe here, Pan and Hook weren't mortal enemies, but they still didn't exactly get along.
"Behold," said Hook, gesturing in the direction the ship was sailing, "The Enchanted Forest."
Emma regarded it with the same amazement she'd felt yesterday. It was, well, straight out of a fairytale. Electric blue, cloudless sky, a quaint little village and a massive palace above it on a cliff overlooking the clear blue sea. They were headed to the side of the palace, to a field of grass that bordered the water. Emma couldn't really make out any details, though. She wondered where her parents were, and if they'd be just as happy to see her as she would be relieved to see them.
Finally, they reached the edge of the grass, and Hook anchored the ship and unfolded a ladder that could be used to exit or enter the ship, digging it into the grass. Will helped Emma down, and Hook followed them.
They'd just started walking up the hill, Emma leaning heavily on Will, when a familiar voice shouted, "Emma!"
It was Snow. She and Charming were running down the hill towards them, and Emma instantly felt lighter, seeing them. Seeing them actually want her. It was still strange to her to have people like that, rather than people who were just obligated to take care of her.
But she wasn't complaining.
"Emma!" Snow cried again once she reached her, and she and Charming both crushed her in a massive hug. "Emma, we were so worried . . ."
"Are you all right?" Charming asked, when they pulled away. "You don't look too good."
"Dreamshade," Hook said. "One of the Lost Boys' arrows pierced her. Oh, yes, Baelfire did, indeed, sent them to Neverland. How creative of him."
"Dreamshade?" Snow looked horrified. "How did you . . . how are you . . ."
"Alive? Pixie dust," Emma said. "It's supposed to help. I think it's keeping me alive."
"Is she going to be okay?" Snow asked Hook, her eyes wide with concern.
"Should be all right," Hook said, casting a glance at Will. "Depends on how much pixie dust they managed to steal."
"Stole?" Charming raised an eyebrow at Will.
"It was our only way to get back here," Will said defensively. "I know it was wrong, but . . . look at it this way. If we hadn't stolen it, Emma may be dead."
"No, she definitely would be."
"Thank you for your input, Hook." Charming narrowed his eyes at him.
"Thank you for saving Emma," Snow said. "I cannot properly express how grateful I am, but if there's ever anything we can do-"
"I'll let you know," Hook said. "Goodbye, Pan. Emma, I hope you're feeling better soon." He nodded at all of them, and turned to climb back onto his ship.
"We should get you inside," Snow said to Emma, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She turned to Will. "I'm glad you're back," she said, a little tightly. Emma could tell she was holding something back.
Will nodded at them. "I'll be off, then. Goodbye, Emma." He bowed his head politely at her.
"Will," Emma nodded back.
"Next time you want to drag someone into a portal with you," Charming said, "Make sure it's not my daughter."
Emma wanted to defend Will, but what could she say? He had dragged her through that portal, and he shouldn't have. So she just watched him walk away, not glancing back at her and her parents.
They guided her up the hill to the palace, and she told them all about Neverland. How she'd run into a threatening Lost Boy, snuck into Tinkerbell's treehouse to get the pixie dust, how she'd been shot by an arrow tipped with fatal poison. She didn't really get into that aspect of their trip; she didn't feel like discussing it just yet, and she didn't like knowing how close she'd come to dying.
"You'll love the palace," Snow said. "I suppose we can show you around another time, when you're feeling better, maybe tomorrow? But it's just wonderful. Exactly how we left it."
"You guys don't look too great, either," Emma pointed out. "Unless I'm imagining those dark circles under your eyes."
They exchanged a look. "We didn't really sleep last night," Snow said.
"Because of me?" No one had ever been close to that concerned about her before.
"Well, yes," Charming said. "We were worried about you."
"Not to mention that everyone's been storming the palace all day, asking what to do about their houses and their property and everything," Snow added. "I've almost forgotten what it's like to be queen."
"So we're the royal family?" The thought made Emma want to laugh.
"Yes," Snow answered, smiling. They had reached a side door of the palace now, and a guard standing there opened the door for them. "We are."
"I'll take you upstairs," Snow said, "And get you some new clothes. And a hot bath. And whatever else you need, all right?"
Emma nodded. Charming went off to deal with people from the villages surrounding the palace, and Snow led Emma upstairs.
Emma couldn't believe this place actually existed, much less the fact that she was going to live here now. It was impossibly massive, with dozens of winding staircases and doorways and regal-looking portraits lining the walls and palace staff bustling everywhere.
"Here it is," Snow said, opening a door to a bedroom upstairs for Emma. "At least, this is one of our bedchambers. You obviously don't have to stay in this one, but your old room . . ."
"My old room?"
"Yes." Snow smiled, a little sadly. "You left before you could spend any time in it. But we thought we would have more time with you, obviously, and we . . . designed you a room."
"Can I see it?" Emma asked.
Snow looked surprised at the request. "I don't see why not," she said. "Here, this way."
Emma followed her further down the corridor and around a corner, then down another hallway. She felt like collapsing on the dusty stone floor, but she was so curious to see the life she could have had, if Regina hadn't enacted the curse.
"Here it is," Snow said, and hesitantly opened the door, almost as if she was afraid of what was inside.
Emma stepped in after her, and her eyes widened as she took it in. The room was bigger than the last foster home she'd been in; it was lined with every kind of toy and book imaginable, and frilly purple curtains matched the blankets nestled in a tiny white crib. Her throat felt tight. This was supposed to be her life. This was supposed to be her home. Not a string of crappy houses assigned to her by Social Services, but this.
"Isn't it nice?" Snow said. Her eyes were glassy. "I guess I knew in the back of my mind that you might not get to spend any time here, but I never thought . . ." she trailed off, her voice wavering. "I just didn't think you'd be taken from us for so long," she finally said.
"I'm here now," Emma told her, in an effort to cheer her up. "And I . . . I want to stay in this room."
Snow looked at her curiously. "Really?"
"Yeah. If I hadn't been sent through that tree thing to the real world, I would be living in here. This would still be my room, wouldn't it?"
"Yes," Snow said, sounding a little happier now. "Yes, I suppose so."
"So I'm going to stay here, if that's all right. Obviously, I'll have to redecorate a bit . . ."
"Yes, of course!" Snow said immediately. "I'll have it ready by the end of the week."
Emma grinned. "Sounds good."
Snow led her back to the guest bedroom, where she had a maid run her a bath-Emma hadn't taken a bath since she was five, but she guessed there were no showers in the Enchanted Forest-and showed her a closet full of new clothes were.
"They were my old dresses," Snow said. "I hope they fit, until we can have some of your own made."
Emma felt exponentially better after cleaning the grime from Neverland off her and seeing in the room's vanity mirror that the dreamshade wound had nearly faded completely. She was starting to feel stronger, too; the dust was really taking effect.
Thanks, Will.
She examined the closet full of dresses, alarmed. Each one seemed girlier and frillier than the last, and that simply wasn't her style. But that was just something else she was going to have to get used to, she guessed. She chose to slip on a light blue one that had the least amount of embellishments; it was just a simple silk dress with some lace around the hem and short sleeves. Nothing crazy.
She wanted to explore the palace, but more than that, she was exhausted. So she lay down on the room's massive bed and drifted off, finally feeling at peace with herself.
She was shaken awake sometime later by Snow. It was dark out, and dark in the room except for a lantern that her mother carried.
"Emma," she said frantically. "Emma, please wake up."
"What?" Emma said, confused. What was going on?
"Emma, the guards were on their night patrol, and they . . . they found something," Snow said cautiously. Her voice shook uncharacteristically; something terrible must have happened to make her so upset.
"What did they find?" Emma asked.
"They found a body."
Sooo who do you think it is? A major character? A villain? Someone Emma knows? I think you might be surprised . . .