A/N: Thanks for sticking with this, lovely readers! I originally wanted this chapter to be longer, but that would have ruined my cliffhanger :)
Emma stood on the hill that held the Queen's tent, staring down at the battlefield. Not that much battle was going on. The two sides were quiet, holding their lines but not fighting. A single soldier in white was passing between them, delivering the scroll that Snow White had composed.
It was baffling, the idea that all of this was about her. After a whole life of being unwanted, Emma found herself with parents who wanted her enough to go to war. And while she wasn't sure what her father would be like, she had to admit that her mother was sweet, exactly the kind of mother Emma had always envisioned.
She'd finally found what she'd always wanted, but Emma felt that familiar urge to run. She wanted out, back to a world where she knew the obstacles, the dangers and the costs. More than anything, she wanted back to Regina, and waiting for some elaborate diplomatic process to take place was going to drive her insane.
There was a sudden cloud of dust where the other side of the field met the road through the forest, and Emma took a few steps forward, trying to make out the cause in the fading light. A red carriage burst through the dust, and Emma's curiosity turned to horror at the sight of the troops following it. So much for diplomacy.
She turned back towards the tent, mouth open to yell, but said nothing as she realized that she didn't know what to call her mother. Mom? Snow White? Your Majesty? None of them felt right.
"Hey!" she finally shouted, and Snow appeared almost immediately, concern on her features.
"Are you all right, Emma?" Emma just wordlessly pointed behind her, and the Queen took in the scene grimly. And then her expression lightened, and Emma looked again to see a man getting out of the carriage. Snow's hand immediately flew to her hair. "Are you ready to meet your father?" she asked.
Emma shrugged, following her mother back into the tent and watching, almost amused, at the way Snow fluttered around. "You look nice," she said stiffly, and Snow smiled at her.
"Even after all this time, he makes me so nervous."
Emma gave her an awkward smile. They stood there, Snow still fussing with her hair and armor, the blonde scuffing patterns in the dirt with the toe of her sneakers.
She was caught off guard when her mother suddenly embraced her. "I'm sure he will want you to go with him," Snow said, tears in her eyes. Emma patted her back hesitantly. "I only hope you know how sorry I am that you had to grow up without us. And how happy I am to know that you are well and that you have found love."
Emma shrugged out of the embrace. "I'm not going with anyone," she insisted. "Just Regina." They would decide together what to do, where to go. After all these years alone, Emma was not about to be tugged between two parents.
"Either way," Snow said with an indulgent smile, "know that I love you."
Emma shifted from one foot to the other, not sure how to respond. She didn't love this woman, didn't even know this woman. When the man from the carriage threw the flaps of the tent open and stormed inside, Emma wasn't sure if she was relieved to be interrupted.
Charming had his sword drawn, conflicted eyes fixed on Snow for a moment before he turned to look at Emma. "Is this her, then?"
"Emma, this is your father," Snow said softly, never tearing her eyes from her former husband.
Charming put away his weapon and stepped towards Emma, studying her skeptically. Then his expression softened. "She has your eyes," he said, his voice surprisingly quiet given the bluster of his entrance. He pulled a card from his pocket and held it up, glancing back and forth between it and his daughter. "It's really you."
Emma snatched her license from him, heart racing as she realized where he must have gotten it. "Where is she?" she demanded. "Regina. Where is she?"
"Emma…"
She knew that tone all too well. The one that meant that she wasn't getting adopted, that she was moving to a new foster home again, that there was no chance Ruby wanted to be seen with her in public. She'd been told no every day of her life by everyone except Regina. Emma clenched her hand around her license, the plastic digging into her palm. "No," she whispered, anger and heartache battling for dominance.
"She escaped," Charming explained quickly, and at least Emma could breathe again. At least Regina was alive.
"From where?" Snow stepped up to join her daughter, setting a surprisingly reassuring hand against Emma's shoulder.
"She disappeared from her chambers in my castle a few hours ago." Charming took a step forward as if he, too, wanted to reach out and offer comfort, but Snow looked fiercely protective, the old gleam back in her eyes, and Emma looked like someone who didn't want to be touched. "I have scouts looking for her."
Emma frowned, not liking the sound of this. Regina was smart enough to know that sticking with the King would have brought them together again, so something was clearly wrong if she'd struck out on her own. Sending soldiers after her was only going to keep her on the run. "No offense," she said, "but I don't know you and I don't trust your scouts. I'm going to find her."
Charming shook his head immediately. "I won't let you out of my sight. Not after…" His confident voice cracked just slightly. "Not after I just got you back."
It was Snow who fought back, her own confidence rising now that she had her daughter and a true cause to fight for. "Our daughter will not lose her true love because of our senseless war," she said firmly. "We will do everything in our power to help you, Emma," she promised, bending down to remove the dagger that was strapped to her leg. She handed it to the girl for protection.
Both women stood ready to fight whatever Charming said next, but he surprised Emma by apologizing. "I did not know that she was so important," he said, this time reaching out and clapping his hand to Emma's other shoulder. "I should have kept a closer watch on her." He reached to unclip something from his belt with his free hand, holding up a compass.
Emma took it, staring confused at the blank face. "I was never a Girl Scout or anything, but I'm pretty sure these are supposed to say something on them," she said, watching the needle spin wildly.
"It's enchanted," the King explained, taking it in his hand again. All three watched as the needle immediately stopped spinning and pointed directly towards Snow. "It guides the holder towards true love."
Emma watched the needle as he set it back in her cupped palms, seeing it finally settle on a single direction. "Thank you," she said, hoping against hope that it worked the way he claimed. She didn't hesitate, didn't give either parent a chance to stop her, just gave each a smile before running from the tent.
There was a long silence, and Charming broke it with a chuckle. "Stubborn."
"Yes, well, she's your daughter," Snow teased.
Charming smiled at that, and the two stood side by side, alone together for the first time in so many years.
Snow was the first to speak, finally remembering that her role as Queen outweighed her desire to be near her former husband. "Will you accept my surrender now?" she asked quietly. She'd tried to surrender over and over in the past, but he'd always rejected her, too angry to seek peace. Snow didn't dare hope for forgiveness. All she could ask was for the end to a war that had gone on far too long.
"We will begin peace talks when our daughter returns," Charming promised. He made his way towards the exit, prepared to call off all but the bare minimum of his troops, but he paused, his rigid posture easing. He kept his back to Snow to hide his emotions, but they showed in his voice. "I never thought this day would come. I never thought I'd see her again."
"I'm sorry that I've cost us all so many years."
For once, instead of immediately rejecting any attempts to apologize, Charming simply nodded before he left Snow alone.
It was growing too dark for Regina to be sure, but she had a feeling that they'd been riding in circles. The distance between the kingdoms had been relatively short earlier, but she'd been in the woods for hours now, and there was no telling where exactly she was.
Trusting a horse to navigate, she knew, hadn't been her brightest idea ever, but she was almost out of options. Almost.
The forest canopy was so thick that Regina could only see a few stars at a time. She got off the horse near a sturdy tree, contemplating the lowest branches.
She'd never climbed a tree before—Cora had never allowed it. But then she'd never scaled down the side of a building before, or met a king, or seen someone die. Not too long ago, she'd never even kissed a girl or skipped school or worn jeans.
Still, the nerves were unbearable as she stepped up onto the first branch that seemed as though it might hold her and reached for another. She focused on her aim, keeping her eyes up and refusing to look down. She needed to find the stars, to determine which direction was which… although, she realized, holding on tight as her stomach lurched, there was no promise that the constellations here matched the ones at home. But maybe the castles would be visible above the trees. There had to be something to guide her back to Emma, and just about anything would be more reliable than her stolen horse.
The horse whinnied just then, and Regina started, losing her grip. It all happened in a span of seconds, but she was aware of every detail: the horse disappearing into the forest, her head swimming at the distance she was about to fall, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing for the impact that never came.