I've said this before, but as this is an AU, the way of breaking the curse is going to work a tad differently.

Rylin: No? haha. I'm afraid I don't understand your comment.

Chapter Four: Broken

3 Years Ago

Emma ran through the meadow, her heart racing a mile a minute. Her parents were visiting a nearby kingdom and Alise was out with Hank. She had gotten word that there had been an accident and she had dropped it all. She found August leaning against a tree stump, moaning in pain. Lord Rogers stood nearby, looking worried.

"Auggie!" The teen kneeled in front of him. "What's going on?!"

"Rothbart," Lord Rogers replied, softly. "He wasn't gone like we thought. He cursed your brother."

"Cursed him? Cursed him to what?"

"You know what he once was, the wizard figured it out too. We need to act quickly."

Emma felt so confused. She grabbed her older brother's hand and squeezed it. She could see his skin was clearly shifting to make room. "What do you mean? Is there a spell I can use?" She scanned her mind of all the ones she had learned, but she had been taught that curses were near impossible to stop once they were sent into effect.

"No, not a spell. True love's kiss, it can break any curse," the lord explained.

"But August isn't in love with anyone."

"True love isn't just romance. It comes from family."

Emma looked down into August's eyes. It was as if he didn't even know she was there with the pain he was under. She wasn't sure if it was going to work, but regardless, she had to try. Carefully she brought his hand to her mouth and kissed it. She watched as a bright light passed over him. For August, the pain suddenly ceased and his skin stopped moving. He looked up at his baby sister, grinning.

"You did it," he told her. "You broke the curse."

Emma grinned. "Of course I did, who else am I going to give premature grey hair to? Little hard to do to a puppet, I'm sure."

August laughed, pulling her down into his arms to hug her tight. All Emma's life he had done all he could to protect her and in that moment, she had repaid the favor.

Present

When Emma came through the other side, she fell on her knees. August was through a moment later and crouched beside her, beginning to panic a bit. 2 seconds in this new realm and she was already hurt.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She batted him away and stood up, looking around. "Where are we?"

August was silent for a minute but then he saw a sign, pointing to it. "Storybrooke, Maine."

Emma took that in. She had heard of many realms and different lands, but this Storybrooke was not one of them. "Interesting. What do we do?"

"I guess we just start walking, see if this place is really it."

The blonde slowly nodded and they made their way down the long winding road. August removed his cloak and draped it around his sister as a chill crept over the air, causing her to sigh.

"I was fine."

"Sure you were." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You shouldn't have come with me."

"I wasn't about to let you come to this strange new place alone. It's my job to protect you."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You need to start living your life."

"I have a life." There was some silence for a minute. "Alise is going to panic."

"I sent her a letter when we stopped at that inn," Emma explained. "She won't get it for a little while, but at least she won't worry."

"Did you tell her the truth in this letter?" August asked.

"Yes."

"Then she is definitely going to panic."

The rest of their journey was silent. When they finally made it to the edge of things, they were in shock. The whole place didn't look like any land they had seen. The stores were huge and not open like the marketplace. There was a place advertising a bed and breakfast, but it seemed so different. Not to mention, there were strange heaps of metal parked along the street (which was paved, no dirt roads).

"What is this place?" August whispered.

"I don't know." Emma's brows furrowed. "It seems so exotic." She noticed a woman walking out of one of the buildings wearing super short shorts and a top that just barely covered her stomach. "She's allowed to walk around like that? I've never seen even villagers in such clothing." That's when she noticed her brother was staring. "August? What's wrong?"

"That's Red," he explained, softly.

"Red?"

"I knew her from the Enchanted Forest. She was best friends with the queen, but she herself wasn't royalty or anything. In fact, she's a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" Emma couldn't believe it. She had heard of such creatures, but there were none where she came from.

"At least we know we're in the right place. Though, I'm not sure how well we're going to fit in." August gestured to her dress and his own outfit. While they had dressed down in a sense, they still were going to stick out a bit.

"If I can break the curse, then this won't be weird to anyone."

"We need a plan, Emma. We can't just go in there, talking like we're from some other land. From the way Blue described it, in this world, we're all stories to them. Like mythology, legends. If they're cursed to forget their true selves, I'm sure they're also cursed to think like the rest of this world."

"Emma." A deep voice from behind them caused them to spin around. There stood a man, dressed in a nice suit, clutching a cane. His eyes twinkled with delight.

"Do we know you?" August asked, putting a protective arm around his sister.

"No, but I'll be able to help you."

"We don't need your help."

Emma cast him a glare. "What? Yes, we do."

"I'm not stupid," the man continued. "So, I'll lend you a hand. You need to break the curse, savior."

"The curse?" Emma repeated. "I thought no one was supposed to know about that, I thought you all forgot."

"I did. But then I heard your…whatever he is here say your name and…" he snapped, laughing a little. "It all came flooding back."

"What is your name?"

"Rumpelstiltskin."

August's grip on his sister didn't lighten. While he had never met the man, he had heard stories of the Dark One. How at first, he was good, he liberated the children from the Ogre Wars but then his darkness took over the kingdom. When the curse was set, he was locked up in the king and queen's dungeon.

"Stay back," August warned, his hand going to the sword in its holster. Rumple rolled his eyes while Emma continued to look bewildered. "He's dangerous, Emma."

"And who are you and how do you know anything about me?" The man asked.

"It doesn't matter. All that does, is that I was sent from our land to protect her and I'm not going to stop that by allowing you to hurt her. Plus, I've heard of your stories. Nothing you do, is for free."

"Ah, true," Rumple nodded. "However, I benefit from this curse being broken myself."

"How?"

"That's really none of your business. Now, the two of you have a choice to make. You are going to stick out here like a sore thumb. So, while the princess goes on a journey to find her parents, people will get suspicious. No one more than the queen, she still has all her memories and seeing the two of you will be a big tipoff. But I know where both of them are."

Emma studied him for a minute. She could almost tell that he wasn't lying, though she wasn't sure how much she could actually trust him.

"Are you going to want something in the future?" She asked.

"Let's just say, you'll owe me a favor."

"Emma, don't do it," August interrupted.

Emma held up her hand. "Just be quiet for five seconds." She had learned a lot about deals and such, she knew how wrong it could all go, but in the moment her brain was swimming. Not three nights prior, she didn't know any of this existed, she didn't know the responsibility she had. If she had to make a deal in order to break the curse, then that was what she was going to do. "Fine, deal."

Rumple smiled. "Excellent choice, dearie. Now, follow me." He started off and Emma began to follow him, only to get pulled back by August.

"What do you think you're doing?" He whispered, harshly. "How do we even know that we can trust him?"

"We don't. But this is a land without magic, as you told me. So, your sword will be enough to stop him if he tries to hurt us."

Her brother sighed but followed her closely, his hand staying on the large weapon hanging from the holder. When they reached where Rumple was waiting, he was by one of the heaps of metal.

"What is this?" Emma asked.

"It's a car. This realm's equivalent to a horse and carriage," he explained. "They have much more technology. Now, get in."

August sat up front, Emma climbing into the back. The ride was silent, as the princess took in the town. Not all of the people were dressed like Red, but she had never seen any outfits like them before. Not to mention, their shoes. Some of them were brightly colored with funky laces. Their homes weren't palaces or anything, but they also weren't like the villager's homes she had seen while on her travels as a child. What was this place? And why hadn't it been in any of her books?

Finally, the car came to a stop in front of a large white building. Emma read the sign.

"A hospital?"

"In this land, there are no castles, at least not here, so people don't have wings dedicated to medical care. Let's go."

"Why are we here?" August asked.

Rumple let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm trying to help you, here."

"I know who you are, this could be a trick."

"What would I benefit from tricking you? I don't even have my magic."

"You have magic?" Emma asked.

"I did."

"I wonder if mine would work here," she mused, softly.

"Don't even think of it," August interrupted. "Just show us what you want to."

Rumple lead them inside and into a funny looking contraption he called an elevator. When he made it to the right floor, they went down a maze of hallways until they reached a door that read "John Doe". On the other side, Emma stopped in her tracks. The woman sitting in the chair by the bed, she shared a striking resemblance to the woman in the portrait her mother had included in the box. The only difference was that her long curly dark hair was cut short. She was by a bed which contained a man that looked like the man. These people were them…

Her parents.

August placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. He couldn't imagine the feelings she was experiencing in that moment and he wasn't sure what he could say to make any of it better. To his surprise, it was the first time she didn't flinch away from him. Instead, she put her hand on top of his and he squeezed it. The woman looked up, a little confused.

"Mr. Gold?" She asked. "What's going on?" Quickly, she worried the forceful landlord was going to have the mystery man moved from the hospital or worse, taken off life support. In that moment, she didn't even notice Emma and August.

"Do not worry, Miss Blanchard. Emma?" He nodded to the princess who let out a shaky breath. That's when Mary Margaret noticed her. She saw the pain in her eyes, the worry…the fear.

"Are you okay, honey?" Mary Margaret stood up and stepped closer. "You looked rather frightened."

She had such a kind face. Emma couldn't believe that this was the woman that had given birth to her. The similarities between them were almost too much for her to handle. She had her eyes, her chin. And in this moment, she didn't know who her daughter was. Hopefully, that could all be changed in a moment.

"Are you a relative of his?" Suddenly, the woman's face shifted a bit, to happiness. If he had a family, then maybe they could finally figure out who he was, where he came from.

"You…you could say that," Emma replied, unsteadily. She gently pulled away from her brother and stepped closer to the unconscious man. Nothing seemed wrong with him, it was just like he was taking a long nap. His hair, the blondeness. All her life, she had been told she got it from Odette, but in reality, it was from him. This was her father.

Her mind flashed to her other father. The one that had lied to her for years, the one who didn't want her to fulfill her destiny, who hadn't wanted her to save anyone. And all she could wonder, was for what? It wasn't like she was ever going to be queen. Even if anything ever happened to Alise, she was further down the list. Was she just meant to live a cushy life, marry some other prince? Maybe be the queen of another kingdom? All the while the people who had brought her into the world were cursed, unable to know their true selves. She didn't even know how she felt about them yet, but she had to at least try to help them.

"I hope this works," she whispered. Gently, she bent down and kissed the man's temple. Suddenly, a bright white light went across the room.

Mary Margaret was confused for a minute more until suddenly she remembered it all.

Charming, how they fell in love. Running from Regina, defeating her and George.

Finding out she was pregnant, the temporary joy replaced with fear.

The wardrobe that only took one, Charming taking the baby to give her, her best chance.

A gasp escaped her lips just as the man in the bed's eyes flickered open. A grin spread across her face. It was her husband. How could she have ever forgotten him? Quickly, she rushed to his bedside and took his hand. He looked up at her, smiling.

"You found me," he said, hoarsely.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" She asked with a slight laugh.

"This long nap gave me pause," he admitted. He slowly sat up so he could kiss her. For them, it seemed like just yesterday that they were being separated, not even a whole day. Now, here they were again. They found each other, just like they always had and always would. "You broke the curse."

"It wasn't me, it was…" Snow trailed off and turned to the blonde teenager that had kissed him. She suddenly realized what Rumpelstiltskin had called her.

Emma.

The couple took her in. She didn't look close to being 28, to them she barely looked like a teenager. There was no doubting that this was their daughter. She had her father's hair, her mother's eyes and chin. Tears clouded both their eyes. Slowly, Charming climbed out of the bed, continuing to stare at her. That was his daughter, his little girl. How many years had passed since he cradled her in his arms?

"So…all of this is true," Emma whispered. The way these people were staring at her, with such love, devotion. She had only ever seen it on a few other people before…her other family.

Snow walked closer, cupping her face as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "You found us," she croaked out. Suddenly, she had wrapped Emma in a hug. Charming joined, not caring that he was wearing a hospital gown. He cradled the back of his daughter's head, just as he had done, to what to him, seemed like 5 minutes prior.

August stared at the couple before him, taking in their faces. Emma just looked so overwhelmed, so confused. There was no going back now, the curse had been broken. What would come from that, he had no idea. When he turned to ask Rumple, he realized that he was gone.

Of course.

August himself knew there was someone he had to look for, but then wasn't the time. He had to watch out for Emma, make sure she was safe.

Though from the way the king and queen were looking at her, he wondered if he was even going to be needed anymore.

A shorter one, but I didn't want to add more than I already did. Hope you guys enjoyed this one! As always, tell me what you want to see, especially now that the curse has been broken! This is when the story turns into a Charming Family one, haha. Until next time, friends. =)