If you want an image of Daniel he's lovely based off Josh Bowman - still as attractive, just younger. Also Emma is Anastasia Stezhko. I have a tumblr were i occasionally upload character's. It's onceandforever-k2t on tumblr if you're interested. Emma's jacket in this chapter has been posted. As will most of her outfits moving forward (if they're described that is).
"Emma." Her father's voice rang through the hallway. Emma groaned from where she had collapsed on her bed. She could see her father appear in her doorway, albeit upside down because of her vantage point. "They you are lazy bones. I've been looking all over for you, and here you are lounging around in bed."
Emma's eyes narrowed playfully as she grabbed a small pillow from her bed and threw it at him. James batted it away, laughing at his daughter's antics. Emma rolled over to face him head on. "Lazy? I've been helping Mother Christmas get the castle ready for the better part of the day. Where have you been exactly? Hiding out?"
James shrugged, a guilty smile on his face. "I may have purposely left paperwork and documents to deal with today."
Emma shook her head, feigning annoyance. "Brilliant. I can't fault you for being smart. But I can hold a grudge for not warning me."
"Fair enough." Charming acquiesced. "And I am a little wary of your grudges, you seem like a dangerous person to be on the wrong side of."
"This is true." Emma agreed. "You'd be wise to keep that in mind."
The light threat elicited a deep laugh from her father. "So I assume since you're holding such a serious grudge you have no interesting in escaping this festive palace with your brother and I for the afternoon?"
Immediately Emma parked up, pushing herself into a sitting position, the lure of getting outside too good to pass up. "Are you serious?"
"I am." Charming grinned at his daughter's sudden mood shift.
"She's ok with letting us out?" Emma asked in shock. "When there's still so much to do?"
"I don't know that there's really more that needs to be done so much as your mother is a perfectionist." James shrugged. "But no… she's probably not thrilled with the idea of us skipping out on her plans but what she doesn't know…"
"You're the worst." Emma laughed.
"It's only going to work if you get ready quick." James warned. "We have a small window of escape."
"On it." Emma leaped from her bed. "I'll be out in a minute." Hurrying into her dressing room she pulled out her warmest riding pants and tunic. She found the fur lined black satin jacket with gold embroidery her father had given her and pulled it on. Her wool-lined winter boots were uncovered from the back of the closet and laced up tight. Finally she grabbed her heavy red cloak from where she had tossed it the day before. "I'm ready."
"When you said a minute I didn't think you'd mean literally a minute." James eyed his daughter with surprise.
"I have a lot of experience with getting ready on a moments notice." Emma shrugged. "So are we going or not?"
"Just as impatient as always." James shook his head, a smile on his face. "We just need to spring your brother and we can go."
"We're already here." A voice startled them from behind. They turned to find Will and Daniel both dressed against the cold and ready to go out.
"You're coming?" Emma looked at Daniel in surprise.
"You didn't think I was going to let you break out without me did you?" Daniel grinned cheekily. "Come on Em's, I thought we were always partners in crime."
"We are." Emma laughed. "I apologize for considering leaving you behind."
"I'll find some way to move on." Daniel lamented. "Besides, your father said we needed an even number."
"For what?" Emma turned a questioning eye to her father.
"You'll see." Charming's eyes sparkled as he beckoned the three kids after him. They slipped out of the castle through one of the garden doors into the courtyard beyond. A beautiful blanket of white snow covered the palace gardens, crystals of ice wrapped around the tree branches, both forms of frozen water glittering in the sunlight, creating a winter wonderland.
Oh I love the snow." Emma turned her face up to the softly falling flakes. "It's a shame we so rarely see it. Only when we're allowed to travel to the ice festival which is rare."
"You do not have snow in Altair?" Will asked.
"No." Emma sighed, turning to her brother. "Altair is a land of… well basically one season. We have weather but it's only really rain and sunshine. And as wrong as it sounds to complain about perfect weather almost all the time you do miss the seasons sometimes."
"So you mean you don't get to make snowmen or have snowball fights?" Will asked as if it were the worst fate imaginable.
"Not unless we create it ourselves." Daniel shrugged.
"You can create it?" Will looked at the boy in awe.
"Oh yes." Daniel grinned. "It's not easy, but there are some of us who can make little winter wonderlands, if only temporarily."
"Cool." Will looked wildly impressed. "Tell me more."
"That jacket looks lovely on you." Her father complimented as they walked.
"Thank you. You have excellent taste. It was a lovely gift." Emma smoothed her gloved hands over the jackets. "And it match the gloves perfectly."
"Well tell that to your mother because she is under the impression that I have no taste what so ever." James laughed.
"I wonder where she got that idea?" Emma teased.
"Hey." James feigned offense. "That is hurtful."
"I'm sure you'll move on." Emma rolled her eyes playfully, freezing when something slammed into her back. "Hey!" She whipped around, finding a guilty looking Will and Daniel with a smirk on his face behind her. Before she knew it the find powder was dumped over her head by her father. "Not fair!" She scooped up a handful of snow and launched at James while Daniel tackled Will into a drift.
"Starting a war young one?" James threatened playfully. "Are you sure that is wise? With a king so experience in the arts?"
"It wouldn't be the first one." Emma held up a snowball. "I'm very skilled at warfare strategy."
"Don't you dare." James held up his hands.
"Too late." Emma shrugged, firing the snowball.
"You're a good shot but then again I knew that." James created a snowball of his own, firing back, eliciting a shriek from his daughter.
"Hey Em." Daniel's call gave her just enough time to see him running at her, taking her to the ground with him as Will's snowball hit its target in his father.
"Ugh." Emma groaned at Daniel's weight on top of her. She blew her hair out of her face. And raised an eyebrow at Daniel. "Really?"
"Always attack an enemies weakness." Daniel shrugged.
"Your enemy?" Emma asked in amusement. "Is that so?"
"Why yes." Daniel nodded. "For first place in our class."
"Well I think you might be dead before you get that chance if my father catches you on top of me." Emma laughed as Daniel shot a worried look at her father.
"Point taken." Daniel pushed himself off Emma and offered her a hand up, only to have her sweep his feet out from under him, pinning him to the ground.
"Find their weakness right?" Emma grinned, pinning Daniels arms down. "Guess your fear of my father is yours."
"You play dirty." Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"I win." Emma shrugged as a snowball hit her in the face. "Will!"
The four continued their war sounds of laughter and shouts of joy filling the courtyard. They exchanged snowballs, covering each other in the icy water. Daniel and Will teamed up, launching an assault on Emma and James. James grabbed his daughter, lifting her in front of him, using her as a shield.
"No!" Emma shrieked. "Aren't you supposed to protect your heirs?"
"Oh is that what I'm supposed to do?" James asked, launching a snowball at the two boys.
"It's what I've been told." Emma launched an attack of her own.
"Well then come on." James bent down, beckoning Emma onto his back. "I'll protect you." He turned to the boys, Emma behind him. "Back, stay back I warn you. You attack the King of this kingdom and it's princess."
"Consider us your usurpers." Will called back.
"An attack on my crown." James gasped. "How dare you."
Emma held on as her father dodged the boys attacks, Emma acting on the offensive. Eventually the fight devolved into the boys attacking one another and James spinning Emma around, her laugh as she held on tight to him like bells in the crisp winter air. James grinned, her laughs the most beautiful sound he had ever head.
"Come on you four." Snow's voice drifted across the winter wind. "Come in before you catch your death of cold and you truly do lose your heirs."
"Come on hooligans." James dropped Emma lightly to the ground. "The queen calls."
"Ah dad." Will groaned.
"Come on kid." James ruffled his son's hair. "You know better than to cross her."
"The real ruler of this family." Will grumbled.
"You got that right kid." James laughed, guiding all three to the door where Snow was waiting.
"Your cloak is soaked." Snow fussed as Emma passed through, holding out her hand for her daughter to turn it over. "All of you, take off your wet cloaks and gloves. The rest of your clothing will have to dry by the fire." Emma added her coat to the pile, leaving her in only her tunic and riding pants, the outfit she felt most comfortable in. "I have something for you four in the kitchen."
"Yes!" Will cheered, leaving Emma and Daniel with confused looks and eliciting laughs from both her parents. Emma looked to her parents for an answer.
"Your brother loves your mothers hot cocoa." James explained. "We all do. Come to think of it I'm going to follow your brother before he drinks all of it."
"I make it with cinnamon." Snow added. "It was your favorite treat."
"I guess that's where I got my love of cinnamon from." Emma smiled, taking the hand her mother proffered and following her lead into the castle kitchen. Both her brother and father were already there, indulging in their own cups. Emma and Daniel took the cups offered to them by Snow, all five gathering around the crackling fire to warm up from their adventure outside, sharing stories of adventures and Christmas's past. They laughed at the antics each one of them had displayed at one time or another in their lives. They laughed when Emma covered Daniel's nose in whipped cream for teasing her with a particularly embarrassing story from their past. They remained gathered by the fire for hours, letting worries of their duties and roles fade away as the simply enjoyed being together. Emma smiled at the scene around her, at her parents, her brother, her best friend all gathered together, all happy. This was her family and after years of wondering what it would be like, she finally understood how incredible it was to have one.