My Dearest Swan Princess,

I hope this missive finds you well and content. I miss you terribly, my love. Has it only been seven months since last we were together? The time has seemed interminable, but I content myself with the knowledge that my current tour of duty has passed the halfway point. I shall be back by your side—and dare I hope it? Back in your arms—in five months' time. Whilst I wait for that day, the small portrait you sent must suffice. The likeness is uncanny, Swan, but the artist didn't do justice to your hair, as lovely and precious as spun gold, or your eyes, twin emeralds, sparkling with fire and joy and a zest for life.

I'd imagine, my Swan, if I were to speak such sentiments in your presence, you'd swat my arm and call me utterly ridiculous. And so I am—utterly and ridiculously captivated by you. How I long to hold you in my arms, to bury my nose in the crook of your neck, to let the golden strands of your hair slip gently through my fingers, to taste those rosy lips once more…

But such things cannot be, at least not yet.

Aside from my longing for you, I've no complaints about my time at sea. There's something exhilarating about being on the open water—letting out the sails and letting the wind rush through your hair as the ship speeds on. The Jewel truly is a marvel, love. The fastest ship in all the realms, I'd wager.

Being back with my beloved brother is a dream in and of itself. I'd follow him to the ends of the earth. Have you heard the news, Swan? Our captain plans to retire his post when this tour is at an end. Liam only yesterday received word from your father that he will be named the Jewel's new captain! It's an honor he so richly deserves. But it's not only Liam who looks forward to a promotion. Your father has assured me that when Liam has become captain, I'm to take his title as Lieutenant! It boggles the mind, love. A lieutenant at a mere nineteen years of age! I'm deeply humbled by your father's trust in me. I can only hope to make myself deserving of it.

You expressed concern for my safety in your latest letter. You've no need to fear, darling. Arthur has yet to breech the rules of diplomacy. I've not been engaged in a battle yet—although as you know, we spotted pirates on our journey to Camelot. I believe it was the dread pirate Roberts. Liam tells me his reputation is far more terrible than his actual person.

Camelot, itself is a lovely place, beautiful as a dream. I hope one day to bring you here—perhaps dance with you at one of the much-celebrated Camelot balls.

I must go, my love; the Captain is calling us to duty. I shall write again as soon as I'm able. Until such time, just remember that I love you to the depths of my heart, my Swan Princess.

Your most devoted servant,

Killian

Emma smiled, lazily tracing his signature with one finger. Folding the letter, she brought it to her lips, kissed it tenderly, and then added it to the growing pile of his love letters she kept under her pillow at night.

Killian said he missed her, but his longing couldn't be nearly as strong as hers. She hadn't realized just how much his constant presence in her life had meant to her. For eight years he'd been a staple in her life. He'd gone from being the enemy to being her dearest friend. He was the one she wished to confide in. He was the one she wanted to spend lazy afternoons with. He was the first one she thought of when she awoke in the morning, the last one she thought about at night.

To be separated from him for such a very, very long time was torture.

Emma absently tossed on her nightgown and headed for her bed. Once situated, she touched her lips softly, recalling the moment she'd kissed him. She could still feel his warm, firm lips against hers, recall the clean, minty-ness of his breath, the gentle way he murmured her name on a sigh as he fully gave himself over to the kiss. Confusing feelings—pleasure, anticipation, nervousness—welled up within her every time she thought of Killian and the kiss.

She didn't know what to make of these feelings—or what she should do about them.

Emma's musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Emma called, and smiled gently when she saw her mother walk through the opening.

"I've come to say goodnight Emma," Snow said, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her daughter and smoothing Emma's hair back from her forehead.

Emma relaxed into the touch, believing no one had such comforting hands as her mother. "Mama, we said goodnight before I came up to bed. I think I'm a little old to need to be tucked in."

"Now listen to me, young lady," Snow said with mock sternness, "you're never too old to be tucked in by your mother.

Impulsively Emma sat up and threw her arms around her mother. In many ways she found it easier to relate to her father; they were a lot alike, after all. But Emma loved her mother dearly. She shuddered to think of what might have happened if Grandma Regina hadn't given up her plans to enact the dark curse. What would she do if she was alone in the world with no one to care for? It would be such a lonely, heartbroken existence.

"So, did you enjoy your letter from Killian?" Snow asked casually—too casually—after a moment.

Emma felt herself blush straight to the roots of her hair. "Yes," she said, attempting to sound just as casual as her mother. "He writes very well, and he had some good news about his and his brother's promotions."

Snow reached over to Emma's nightstand and grabbed her favorite hairbrush. Emma sighed happily as her mother began pulling the brush through her hair, smoothing out the flyaways as she went. It was a soothing gesture; one Snow had always employed on the nights when Emma was particularly agitated.

"He looked handsome in his navy uniform, don't you think?" Snow observed.

Oh yes! He looked positively divine, and it took all my willpower not to jump into his arms and kiss him senseless as we said goodbye.

"I suppose so," Emma said aloud. "He's not a difficult man to look at."

Snow was silent for a moment, the only sound in the room the pleasing crackle of the hairbrush gliding through Emma's hair. Finally, she spoke again. "You know, Emma," she said hesitantly, "You can tell me anything. You need never hide anything from me. Your father's not the only one who will listen."

"I know," Emma said. She wanted to tell her mother of her feelings, of the feelings Killian confessed to her on a regular basis, of the hopes and dreams she was beginning to have with regard to a certain handsome soon-to-be-lieutenant, but it was different with Mama. Somehow they'd never really talked like this before. They loved each other, but it was always Papa who soothed her hurts and talked her through her angst.

"Mama," Emma began, after another pause in the conversation, "how did you know?"

"How did I know what, honey?"

"How did you know you were in love with Papa?" she asked. "How did you know it was True Love?"

Mama smiled the distant, secret smile she always used when she thought about Papa and their love story. "It's not something that can be explained, honey. I just knew. Why?"

"It's just…. well, I kissed him."

"Who?

"Killian," Emma said quickly. "I kissed Killian. It was the day before he left. I kissed him."

Snow was silent for a moment. "Oh, well did it mean anything?"

"No!" Emma began, "well…yes…well…I don't know! Mama why is love so complicated?"

Snow laughed and then leaned over to hug Emma. "It's one of the great mysteries of life, I guess. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out you love someone. It certainly took your father and I long enough to admit our feelings for each other!"

"But…what if it goes wrong? What if you start courting someone—your friend—and then it all falls apart. What if…what if you lose him…not just as your sweetheart, but as your friend too?"

Snow wrapped her arms even more tightly around Emma and leaned down to rest her chin on top of her daughter's head. "There's no way to be 100% sure, honey, you have to take a leap of faith. You can build walls around your heart, and they might keep out pain, but they also keep out love, and you know what? Love is so worth it."

Emma felt her heart leap. Suddenly she knew; she just knew. She loved Killian. She loved Killian! She didn't want to build walls around her heart. She wanted to take that leap of faith.

To that end, Emma sat tall and squared her shoulders. "Mama, I'm in love with Killian Jones."

Mama smiled. "I know it, Emma. I've known it for some time, even if you hadn't realized it yet. The real question is: what are you going to do about it?"

Emma thought for a moment. Perhaps she should tell him when she wrote him back? After a moment, she tossed that possibility away. Something so incredibly important, so incredibly life-changing needed to be spoken in person.

"I'll tell him as soon as he returns from his tour of duty in five months."

"I'm proud of you Emma," Mama said, "and just so you know, I've been watching Killian as well, and I don't think you have anything to worry about. That man loves you to distraction. No matter what happens, he'll stand by your side."

Emma smiled, thinking of the words of love and devotion in the letters under her pillow. "I know he will."

Mama ran the brush once more through Emma's hair, and then put it aside, getting to her feet. "Goodnight, honey," she said gently, moving steadily toward the bedroom door.

Suddenly Snow stopped and turned back toward Emma. "Oh! All this talk about Killian almost made me forget! We will be entertaining guests at the end of the week. The Dark One plans to visit."

"The Dark One!" Emma exclaimed in surprise. "What can he want with us, Mama?!"

"Nothing to worry about Emma," Snow reassured. "It seems his son has finally returned home—from a different realm, no less—and he wants to introduce Baelfire (or Neal, as he now wants to be called) to the other royals and dignitaries of this realm. It's nothing more than a visit of state, but this Baelfire is not too many years older than you. If you could keep him company while they're here, I'm sure the Dark One would be very grateful."

Emma shrugged. "Sure. If you think it would be helpful, I'd be glad to hang out with him."

Notes:

-Quick note about ages: A few chapters back, when Killian first realized he had feelings for Emma, I had Emma 15 and Killian 16t, but I've decided to move up the timeline to make things flow better (I'll probably go back and edit the previous chapters when I get a chance). At the time he went off on his tour of duty, Killian was 18 and Emma was 17.

-As usual, I didn't get through everything I put in last week's "Up next" section. Honestly, I kind of doubted I would. There's a lot to cover! I wasn't necessarily planning this mother-daughter moment, but I thought it worked well here.

-Up next: Rumple and Bae visit the castle…and Bae ends up feeling far more for Emma than she does for him. When she gently turns him down….yeah, his dad is none too pleased by that and makes his displeasure well known…