No bombshells this chapter, but there's some important stuff hidden here ;) I can't wait for you guys to piece everything together. For those of you waiting for Killian's return, sorry but you're gonna have to wait a little bit longer. I promise it'll be worth it!

Big thank you to demisexualemmaswan for being my beta! You're an amazing collaborator and I love bouncing ideas off of you! 3

The lullaby is from Albion, The Enchanted Stallion (which JMo has a small role in!)

xxxXXXxxx

Chapter 7:

Emma couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "Snow White's my mother? That's a good one, kid."

"It's true. You're her daughter and you're the only one who can stop the Evil Queen."

"I think you're mixing up your stories. Snow White was the evil one."

"She's not! She's a hero! The queen is the evil one!" Henry insisted loudly. A few of the villagers looked over at them, confused. No one had ever dared to speak ill of the Queen before. At least no one had dared to and lived to tell the tale. Perhaps it was the shock of hearing someone do so that kept them from running to fetch the Black Knights. Some began to whisper amongst themselves, others glanced nervously at Regina, who luckily didn't notice. But no one moved against Henry.

"Whoa, take it easy," Emma said, holding her hands up defensively. "There's no need to-"

"The queen was the one who invaded Snow's kingdom. She used Dark Magic to create the curse so that she could make Snow White suffer. But your parents sent you away so you'd be spared."

Once again, Emma had the urge to laugh. Her face must have betrayed this because Henry then shouted, "This isn't a joke! It's the truth!" which made more people stop and stare at them, including Regina. Emma waved at her reassuringly, then knelt down in front of Henry.

"You need to keep your voice down."

"You're the Warrior in White! The hero who's going to stop the darkness!" he said breathlessly. "I- I thought you knew already. That's why you're here, right?"

"What?" Emma recoiled. "No, I'm no warrior. I'm not fighting anyone, let alone my mother!"

"Yes, you are! It's your destiny! You- "

Emma firmly placed her hands on Henry's shoulders, silencing him. The villagers were still staring at them. It was making her feel uncomfortable and that familiar feeling of unease was building in her stomach. Why was Henry saying things like this? Had she unknowingly encouraged his behavior? Did she step out of line because of a misguided attempt to help?

If his words got back to Cora, the retribution would be swift and brutal not just against him, but the entire village as well.

Unconsciously, she clenched her hands slightly to keep them from shaking.

"Listen, kid, I don't know who told you this story, but they're wrong," she said quietly. "My parents didn't send me away. And I'm no hero." She straightened up and began to walk back to the wagon.

But Henry chased after her, continuing: "Please, I'm not making this up. You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and you're the one who's going to defeat the Evil Queen. It says so in the book!"

"Henry!" Emma said sharply, stopping him in his tracks. She took a breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say next. "If I ever hear you say things like that again, I will send for the Black Knights."

Henry didn't say any more. He stared at Emma in shock, as if she had just struck him. His eyes began to well up with tears. Emma in turn felt sick. It was as if her mother had been speaking through her. Forcing herself to turn away, she kept walking.

"We have to go." She said gruffly to her sister.

"What was that about?" Regina asked.

"Nothing," She said shortly. She unhitched Icarus from the wagon and climbed into the saddle. "Come on, we'll be late for lessons."

Regina followed suit, but her face remained puzzled. She whispered, "Emma, is everything-"

"I said it's nothing!" she answered impatiently. "Let's go!" Emma then tapped her heels, a little too hard.

As Icarus galloped back home, she tried not to look back at Henry's tearstained face.

xxxXXXxxx

The baby wouldn't stop crying and the room wouldn't stop shaking.

Like the many nights before, Emma stumbled about, trying to find the child's location. They usually ended the same; a blinding flash of white light and a familiar sounding tune. But this dream was slightly different. The walls were shaking more violently and the baby sounded more in distress.

"Where are you?" Emma shouted over the rumbling. In response, the floor under her lurched. She tumbled hard and felt her teeth inadvertently bite her tongue. There was a bitter taste in her mouth and her eyes watered. Frustrated, she pounded her fist against the ground.

"What do you want from me?!"

And with that, the shaking and the crying stopped. Everything was silent and dark.

The white light began to shine, but it wasn't as bright as usual. In the distance, Emma could just barely see the outline of a figure.

"Emma…" the room whispered. She quickly got to her feet.

"Hello?" She called out. "Who are you?"

The room began to sing:

"Through our land

This sacred land

Nightmares spread confusion

But stand your ground

Until you've found

The strength to light your way."

The light was slowly growing brighter. Emma could now see the figure in the distance appeared to be a woman with long black locks. Her face was unseen. The woman stretched out her hand towards Emma, beckoning. Emma hurried forward, her fingertips just about to brush the woman's when-

"Emma! Are you even listening?"

Emma suddenly jumped in her seat. Her teacher was angrily staring at her, his book open. Next to her, Regina stared too, slightly concerned.

She must have dozed off during her lesson.

"Sorry," she muttered, sitting up slightly.

The teacher made a noise of disapproval and returned to his book. He began to drone about the legend of Excalibur. But Emma was no longer listening. A few things were occupying her mind:

The bitter taste of blood was still in her mouth.

There was now a crack in her desk, just about where her hands had been resting.

And the song from her dream was still ringing in her ears.

xxxXXXxxx

The remainder of the day passed like a blur to Emma. When lessons were over, she went to her room and stayed there until dinner time. She briefly tried to sleep, hoping that she'd have the dream from earlier again, but her mind was running wild.

Henry had called her a hero.

But was she really? Perhaps Henry only saw her as such because she was the first figure of authority that showed him compassion. Yes, she had helped someone but it was partially motivated by Killian Jones's display those many nights ago. If she had never met him, would she still have helped those people? She had been content all these years before to just live her life behind the castle walls, without much concern for her subjects. After all, she was not next in line for the throne. She didn't matter.

The truth was Emma was afraid. She was afraid of her future as the spare, she was afraid to be seen as anything more than that and worst of all, she was afraid of her mother. Her armor kept her safe from the cruelest of insults but it did nothing to help her stand tall. Perhaps the worst thing was when Regina caught her earlier in the stables, a part of her had been hoping that her sister would tell their mother because she'd been so worried that she was in over her head.

The clocktower began to toll six. Emma dazedly changed into her evening dress and went down for dinner. It was usually a quiet affair; her mother would ask her daughters about their day and mention a new possible suitor for Regina. Her father seldom spoke. And occasionally, there would be an argument between Regina and Cora or between Emma and Regina or even between all three of them. It usually ended very loudly.

But when Cora asked her usual questions, Regina did something unexpected:

"Emma and I brought supplies to the village today."

It was as if time had suddenly froze. Emma's heart began beating hard against her chest. If the table hadn't been so wide, she might've given Regina a sharp kick.

Cora didn't visibly react. Yet her eyebrows quivered slightly. "Oh?"

"Mm-hm. Just this morning, before lessons."

"I thought I told you both not to go there." Cora paused to take a sip of her wine. Her words dripped with venom as she asked, "Is there any reason why you disobeyed me?"

The air around them suddenly felt charged. Emma was trying not to imagine all the horrible ways her mother was going to punish them or the village. But surprisingly, Regina was not cowed.

"Well Mother, I've been thinking much about the kind of Queen I want to be." She said casually, as she cut into her roast swan. " About how all it takes is 'one weak link' to ruin things. So I decided to take that advice. I went to the village and I've decided I'm going to help their community. I want them to see me as a benevolent queen."

"I see. And what exactly will you be doing to help them?"

"Oh, just the usual. Build new buildings, offer more supplies. Simple things."

Cora said nothing. Then, she nodded to herself. "Well then, I think it's a wonderful idea, sweetheart."

"Really? You're not angry at me?"

"Quite the contrary." Cora smiled. "I'm pleased to see you taking your duties seriously. It's time you were given a few more responsibilities. After all, I believe someone told me recently that you just needed 'an opportunity to prove yourself'."

Emma's ears were burning. She wasn't angry that her sister was taking credit for her idea, but just how she spoke about it as if it were a new fun hobby for her.

"How did you come up with that idea, Regina?" Emma asked, bitingly. "It must have taken a lot of effort."

Regina glowered at her. "Now, Emma." she said, condescendingly. "There's no need to be jealous. You'll find something useful to do, one day."

"Indeed," said her Cora. "Tell me more, Regina. I'd like to hear about this new project of yours."

As the dinner dragged on, Regina talked more and more about her "plans" for the village. Emma wasn't paying attention. Her mind once again returned to Henry. She couldn't stop thinking about what he had said about Snow White

"She's a hero! The queen is the evil one!"

Why would he say something like that? Yes, her mother was not the easiest person to get along with. But she wasn't evil. But then Emma wondered about Snow White. The stories were vague about her. It was only mentioned that she was wicked and Cora banished her to save the kingdom. But from what? What had been so bad about her?

Before she could stop herself, Emma blurted out. "Why did you curse Snow White?"

Once again, time seemed to freeze. All conversation around the table stopped. Everyone was staring at her as if she had just spoken another language. Her father had gone pale. Regina looked surprised. Cora's face, however, had darkened.

Regina was the first to break the silence.

"Emma," She laughed nervously. "What a funny thing to say. You know why Mother did it."

"I don't, though. At least not completely. Why did you do it?"

"It is a very odd question, Emma." said Cora, as she gave her an unblinking stare. "Why do you ask?"

"I-" Under her mother's gaze, Emma suddenly felt small again. Her face was getting hot. It might have been her imagination, but the plates began to slightly rattle. Get a hold of yourself, she thought as she dug her nails into her shaking hands. "I was just curious." Her voice quaked slightly.

Cora stared at Emma for a few moments then said very slowly, "I banished Snow White because she was wicked."

"But why was she wicked? I don't understand why."

From across the table, her father's eyes were wide. He very subtly shook his head at her, signalling her to stop. Regina too was also looking at Emma pointedly. Both of them were slightly intrigued to see how this would turn out.

"She was just wicked, darling. Some people are just born that way, that's all." Cora sipped her wine and continued. Her voice was almost bored. "Snow White would've destroyed everything I worked hard to build. I sent her away so that you girls would never have to worry about having your rule be challenged." She then fixed Emma with another hard stare. "Does that answer your question?"

Emma held her mother's gaze. This time, she refused to let herself shrink. She squared her shoulders. "Where did you send her then?" She asked evenly.

Cora smiled icily. "Let's just say I sent her someplace where I can always keep an eye on her." She then picked up her fork and knife and returned to her meal. "Now, let's talk about something else."

Regina was more than happy to pick up the conversation. But Emma was no longer listening.

Did this mean Snow White was not only still alive, but somewhere nearby? Why would she have destroyed everything?

She just had too many questions. And it was clear that her mother was not going to give her the answers she needed. She realized there was only one person who could.

And that was Henry.