Regina stared up at the stars, admiring how the sky's color shifting as the sun prepared to welcome another day. She glanced to her left as Emma snored on a few feet away, facing her, head cradled in her arms. She thought about strangling her a few times but found the way she kept an eye on her despite being tired endearing. She hadn't had someone worry about her in ages and the feeling warmed her heart. She pulled her hood back up over her head, careful not to stir the woman as she slept on, oblivious to how close she'd come to the end. She adjusted the hood of her cloak, pat Bug's neck appreciatively and stepped out into the dawn.

Emma let out a groan as, her body stiff from the terrible angle she'd settled into in her sleep. She rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands, yawning and stretching out her legs. Smacking her lips together and tasting dirt on her tongue she slowly opened her eyes, half expecting Regina to be sitting upright, a smirk on that pretty mouth but found where she'd been was empty. Emma sat up, wincing as her lower back tightened up with the sudden movement. "Regina?" she rasped, voice still thick with sleep. She stood and looked around the campsite, dismayed that she'd snuck off and hadn't disturbed her. She looked down at the fire pit and saw the bowl was still there, evidence that she hadn't made up the encounter in the first place. Swallowing hard, Emma bent down to pick up the bowl and started cleaning up the camp.

Emma checked her traps for rabbits, glad to have found one trapped in a particularly good snare. She picked her way around the perimeter; dismayed that Regina hadn't tripped up any one of her burglar alarms and they were damn good traps if she said so herself. It unnerved her how easily the woman who claimed to be running away so easily made her way in and out of Emma's camp without so much as a sound. It bothered her still how she just let Regina in, knowing full well that that witch was somewhere out in these woods and that there were people just as dangerous as she was roaming around, just waiting for good people to take advantage of.

After packing everything back and feeding Bug, Emma set back out on the King's Road, checking the path for Regina as she picked her way out of the forest, a shiver moving up and down her spine again.

Emma continued talking to Bug as the horse walked alongside her, chewing on her bit. "Well, you see, Snow White was always looking for Prince Charming, she just didn't think she'd ever find him, so when she did," a whinny from Bug, "I know it sounds terrible but it's a real story…" she stopped at the sight of a vanguard up ahead on the road. "Go take a break." She nudged Bug into the bushes, making sure the horse hid the way she always did. She couldn't help the smile that lit up her face as she darted up the opposite way, picking through the underbrush to get a better look.

Two of the royal horses were saddled poorly their manes matted and dirty and attached to a carriage that had been stripped and poorly repainted in an attempt to remove the markings. Emma scanned the road for the second carriage. She spotted two horses that were somewhat better kept attached to a cleaner carriage, their riders fussing with the stolen armor they were wearing. She shook her head. These were not good odds. They had two carriages; which meant one of the two was an ambush carriage, meant to grant them entry into a nearby province and the other was the decoy with uncertain number of bandits inside. She remembered one of the bounties crossing her father's table during a council meeting, describing a group of men who'd taken to overpowering vanguards and repurposing them for their own needs. This had to be them.

Her mother would be beyond angry if she knew she was out bounty hunting again but she had nothing else better to do and she honestly couldn't stand to be around Hector as he bragged about being her father's chosen sword.

She adjusted her hood, making sure the only thing visible were her ice blue eyes and inhaled slowly, steading her heart and letting out a deep breath. She slipped out from her hiding spot, short sword drawn and catching one of the straggling bandits from behind. His body landed with a hearty thud in the dirt. The group turned at the sound and drew their weapons. Emma hefted her broad sword, a smirk on her face. "I think you dropped this."

They fell on her in the way a gang of unruly bandits could, clubs, axes and blades swinging wildly for Emma's limbs and head. She easily deflected the first wave, knocking three of the seven men to the ground. A bald, toothless wonder that smelled like the rear end of the horses they'd stolen, swung a double head axe right for her mid-section. She doubled back, chiding herself for not wearing her armor, holding the sword between them as he tried an overhead swing at her head.

Her sword hit home.

She fended off two attackers, knocking one into the other and holding off a third with her sword, the blade stained with blood.

The bruised and bloodied bandits regrouped, clutching their sides and some wounds while still aiming their blades at Emma, determined to hold onto their stolen bounty. Emma wiped at the flop sweat on her brow and waved at the dead men on the King's Road. "Barely broke a sweat guys. C'mon…"

They threw down their weapons and surrendered. Emma Swan was going home.

"Your Highness." A page knocked on the door leading into the royal chamber. David answered and the page bowed. "The bounty has been claimed."

"Would it be our intrepid nameless bounty hunter?"

"Yes m'lord."

"Excellent. I'll be right out."

David took the steps two at a time, jogging the rest of the way to the council hall where the bounty hunter stood, fully cloaked and impatiently pacing around the room. The guards nervously eyed the hooded figure, their hands resting on the pommels of their swords. Weaponless or not, they weren't going to be taking chances on this blood spattered bounty hunter.

David entered the room and smiled as the bounty hunter bowed.

"Once again, you never cease to amaze."

The bounty hunter nodded.

"Guards, take these men to their cells."

The guards rounded up the bloodied and battered men, leading them out of the meeting chamber. "Hector," He watched Hector approach, a look of concern on his face.

"Your Highness…?" up, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

"I'd like a moment to speak to our friend alone."

"I have to advice against that your Highness."

"I'll be fine." He pat his dagger for emphasis. "I trust our friend here."

Hector prepared to argue but shuffled out, still eyeing the bounty hunter as he exited, positioning himself outside the door, prepared for anything. "I'll be outside."

David watched the door and eyed the bounty hunter. He busied himself with arranging the contracts on the table, deliberately avoiding making eye contact with Emma. "What exactly do you do with the payments you receive? Not that we're unhappy to see you but…you're here often"

Emma's body stiffened. She felt her heart pick up it's pace and her palms began to sweat. He'd never asked the guards to leave or directly spoken to her, with the exception of his saying thanks and awkwardly squeezing her hand. Her forehead wrinkled in thought, watching David as he folded up the contract, melting wax on a nearby candle.

"You've brought in some of the toughest men in the land and stood here without saying a word, collected your pay and off you went. I always wondered what was wrong with the bounty hunter who so easily brought in men twice his size but never said anything. Were you cursed? Did someone cut out your tongue? Have you taken a vow of silence? I would imagine that kind of vow was taken with one of poverty but, I would imagine that you wouldn't be out collecting bounties to begin with were that the case." He dripped the wax onto the folded contract, sealing it with the royal crest. "Then I thought you were a sell sword and I guess in a way, you are but sell swords are braggarts, they like to talk, they have no loyalties to anyone but you were always very good about who you owed your loyalties to. Those men had our carriages for days, they struck around the same time as the problem with the witch in the Dark Tower, Hector didn't have enough man power and most of the kingdoms sent their men in a show of support so I honestly forgot about them. Now, here they are, a little worse for the wear but..." He rapped the folded contract against his palm, a dazzling smile crossing his face. "Emma, this was just impressive. Stupid but impressive."

The bounty hunter's shoulders slumped and her hands went up to her face, pushing back the cloak and scarf in frustration. "What gave it away?"

"Your bow needs work."

"Just like her curtsy." Mary Margaret chimed in as she entered through one of the hidden doorways, her face the portrait of disappointment, even as she pulled her daughter into a fierce hug.

"I'm not sure what's worse, the fact that you were out on the King's Road by yourself, taking on bandits or…or…" Mary-Margaret she released Emma from her grip, her fair cheeks pink with frustration. "You could've gotten killed, Emma! You need to think. What if those men out manned you? Took you for hostage? Killed you? What then? You can't just…run around like…like…"

"You did when you were my age? Seriously? You met David doing more or less the same thing…" Emma countered, popping a grape into her mouth and grimacing. It was tart.

"I wasn't holding up bandits…"

"You were the bandit."

"That's not the point."

"Mary Margaret, Emma's right…"

"Don't you start." Mary Margaret turned on her heel and shot her husband a warning look.

"Well, I kept the supplies safe, saved the village, collected another bounty..." she ticked off her reasons on her fingers. "Wait. Do I even get the bounty? There was a bounty on them."

"Emma…" David warned exasperation etched in his handsome face.

"You did this for the bounty?" Mary Margaret picked up without missing a beat.

"Actually, I was working on something else and I remembered those guys and since Hector was busy I thought I'd…"

"I said you will not be the King's Sword." Mary Margaret cut off Emma's reply.

"It's called the King's Sword…" Emma muttered.

"Not helping." David warned, standing up and placing his hands on his wife's shoulders. "What other thing could you possibly be working on?"

"King Armand has a bounty out on a thief who made off with his crown jewel but honestly, I think it's a dead end…"

"Emma…"

"The missing witch." Emma blurted out, her eyes wide as though she was surprised she'd even said it. The image of Regina by the campfire flashed in her mind. She was telling the truth about their being a curse that much she was certain but just how innocent Regina was kept nagging her. "I'm going to find her."

"Emma, we love you." David's face softened, his tone losing the regality. "We let you chose your path from the moment you were old enough to do so. That is the job of the King's Sword and he's doing it to the best of his ability."

"But…" Emma protested

"To be the King's Sword," he continued, almost ignoring Emma's protest, " means a life of honor, duty and sacrifice. You don't have a choice in your own life, it's war, battle strategy, preparations, protecting the crown…there's no room for anything else."

"I know that but you don't understand. I don't want to be the King's Sword."

"Honestly Emma, you're too told to be rebelling." Mary Margaret groaned.

"I'm not rebelling."

"Then why are you wanting to go out gallivanting after the witch?"

Emma bit her nails, staring at the toes of her scuffed up boots. "You said so yourself, I'm the best you've seen. I've taken down guys bigger than me without breaking a sweat and I always come back home."

"Emma..."

"No. I want to get the witch. I want to help. If he's overseeing the process," she pointed at David as though he wasn't her father but someone standing her way, "then I can be part of the execution at least! I'm a far better tracker than anyone on the royal guard and I know the woods better than Hector does. I can do this. I can capture her and end this once and for all."

David was at a loss. "Emma…"

"No. She's right." Mary Margaret whispered. If she was a boy, she would be expected to be on the front lines of this…"

"I won't bring her into the council meetings. My father wouldn't stand for it and Hector wouldn't send her out with the scouts…" David paced the small room, stopping at the window overlooking the courtyard where some of the guards practiced their drills. "Emma, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Of course it is."

Regina swore under her breath as she trudged along the King's Road, already exhausted and dirty from the trek. She regretted not taking a horse from the tavern. She was certain the imp said he would be easy to find on the fringes of the Dark Forest but so far, for all her walking, she wasn't able to find anything that would lead her in that direction. She stopped and leaned against a large boulder and blew out a gust of air in frustration. She wanted to use a summoning spell but that required blood, time and patience. She had seen too many of the King's guard milling around the surrounding areas; performing magic while they searching for the missing witch was the fastest way to earn herself a trip to the gallows.

She escaped a terrible fate and she was better for it but all the magic in the world hadn't done much to assuage the growing anger in her heart. That castle had been hers. A life she'd made for herself and it was taken by someone she knew shouldn't have been able to take it from her. She angrily ground her heels into the dirt, picturing her rival's face underneath her boots.

She found herself missing Emma, an odd sensation seeing as the blonde had almost seen through her guise. She wasn't some hapless farmer's wife, she was a queen, even if it wasn't by birthright or proper marriage. She'd made herself, raised herself to be someone to fear and admire. She sought out the powerful wizard Rumpelstiltskin and learned dark magics, magic that had a price but one she was willing to pay if it meant she would never be hurt, would always be in control and define power. She didn't care what the cost was, even as she watched Daniel disappear from this world; it fueled her, it made her resolute. It made her powerful. Her mother wanted to make her into something like a monster but she knew that she couldn't be that cruel, at least not to those who didn't deserve it.

That tower was hers and she was going to take it back.

She stood up and looked up the road, spotting a smokestack in the distance. She felt her stomach rumble and decided she needed to eat and think. She raised her hands and disappeared in a plume of purple smoke, watchers be damned.

Despite being miles away, Regina could see the firelight in the towers of the castle from the tavern she'd taken refuge in. She poked at her meal, appetite gone at the sight of it. She was quite fond of Emma's stew. She sighed, wrapping her cloak tighter around her shoulders, wishing she could've been there, watching them take down her rival, helping somehow. That castle was hers, she'd earned it, fought for it, bargained for it and in a matter of moments it was taken from her because she wasn't strong enough. She flexed the fingers of her right hand, willing herself to summon magic but she stared glumly at her palm. She had to remember not to start trouble this early, she needed to take her time, plan, find the imp and regain her power.

"She's not powerful, " she straightened up, staring at the fireplace, her hand growing hot. "She got lucky and her luck will run out." A slow smile crossed her face, the first genuine one she'd felt in a long time. Regina knew exactly how she would get everything back.

Late afternoon sunlight streamed into the stables, dust moats dancing in the sun's rays as Emma brushed down her horse. They'd spent the afternoon planning how best to let their only daughter out after a dangerous woman whom they still knew nothing about. They agreed that Emma would leave just as she always had and use the hidden caches around the kingdom to keep herself out of Hector's line of fire; David was certain he would demand a bounty be issued for Emma's capture. From those caches, she would relay information back to the castle and keep them updated with her progress. David knew the entire plan was a risk and that he would incur his father's wrath, even risking his ascension to the crown but he couldn't say no to Emma and he knew that the more people out looking for the witch, the better the chance of a united front against her once they did find her.

Emma was determined to see this through.

Mary Margaret stood on the farther end of the courtyard, wrapped in a heavy wool cloak watching Emma as she worked. Emma was a blur of energy, lugging around travel bags and trying to keep the blacksmith quiet as he tended to her weapons. Emma was exactly who they raised her to be: brave, bold and honorable. She was the best parts of herself and David, including being stubborn, hardheaded and bold. She made her way across the courtyard, pulling the cloak tighter around her shoulders. "You're far too old to be sneaking out, Emma Swan."

Emma peered over her horse's back. "Well to be fair, you never really set any restrictions on me so…"

Mary Margaret frowned. "Atleast stay around until your father finishes with Hector and we can have dinner as a family."

The kitchen smelled like heaven. Ruby followed her nose into the galley, stealing a roll and sauntering into the dining area. She cut into the roll, stacked various meats and cheeses into it and unceremoniously bit into it with joy as she reclined in one of the high backed chairs. "Heard you're leavin." Ruby said around a mouthful of food as Emma entered, tying her long blonde hair into a bun. "Where you goin?"

"Oh hey Ruby, I'm alright." Emma replied, smacking at Ruby's calf. "You know not to put your boots up like that." She chided as she prepared a sandwich for herself before flopping into the chair across from Ruby.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Emma replied, swallowing and reaching for the pitcher filled with juice. She poured out a goblet for herself and Ruby, moving it across the tabletop towards the wolf girl.

"Where're you going without telling me?"

"Well you obviously overheard so…"

"It could've just as easily been gossip."

Ruby took a deep pull from the goblet before answering. "You know there's no such thing as gossip around here…" she jutted her chin toward Emma. "Are you really going after the witch?"

Emma's eyes went wide, her jaw hanging open, partially chewed food in full view. "Ruby, c'mon!"

"Be honest, is this about the King's Sword thing?"

"No it's not." Emma looked around, knowing that the only person in the kitchen was Ruby's grandmother, who because her life was just that magical, was also a werewolf. "And would you keep it down?"

"Em."

"Ruby." Emma held Ruby's gaze, seeing a bit of the wolf flash in her friend's eyes. She pat the back of Ruby's hand when the brunette dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry Rubes, I just…I've been really doing so well with this, so I want to take it a step further."

"So you go straight to witch hunting? That's several steps beyond bounty hunting." Ruby replied with wide eyes. "Do you even get to keep the last bounty?"

"No, I never kept any of it, especially this one."

"That's a waste." Ruby replied, polishing off the rest of her sandwich. "Emma, you know what goes into that King's Sword thing right? You'd willingly sacrifice everything worth having in life just to carry a big sword and beat people up? You do that without having to swear an oath. "

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I don't want to be the King's Sword…"

"Then what do you want?"

Emma sighed and leaned forward on her elbows, suddenly not hungry and wishing she'd just ridden off when her mother left to get David for the very meal she and Ruby were very sloppily eating. "I don't know. David and Mary Margaret are letting me figure it out."

"It's still so weird you call your parents by their name sometimes."

"It's weird that you turn into a wolf on a full moon."

"Touche."

Ruby took a long pull from her goblet, studying Emma as she picked at her roll. "You deserve to go after the things you want. I mean your parents did it."

"Thanks Ruby." She glumly chewed on a piece of bread as her parents entered, holding hands twin smiles on their faces. "Speak of the devils…"

"Your mother tells me that you attempted a daring escape but the promise of a real meal kept you around for awhile."

"Way to my heart…" Emma joked as she pat her stomach appreciatively. She stood to hug her parents for what she feared may be the last time. She needed to make this journey, whatever it was and where it was going to lead her. She needed to figure out what she was going to do in this kingdom. It was something she needed to see all the way through. She couldn't help but think about Regina, somewhere out in the woods as she waited for Ruby's grandmother to announce the main course. She had to remember to pack extra supplies on the off chance their paths crossed again.

They spent the evening the as though Emma was not planning on riding off into serious danger come the morning and she drank up every happy moment, locking it away in her heart for the times when it would inevitably become impossible to bear. She knew this was what she was meant for; somehow, she knew that she was the one who would save the kingdom from the threat just like the stories her parents told her. She watched as David kissed the back of Mary Margaret's hand, joy in his eyes for what felt like the first time in a long time. Maybe she was right, maybe this was the way to deal with threats, as a family. She yawned suddenly, drawing a few chuckles from the group.

"Keeping you up?" Mary Margaret teased.

"Some of us were out in protecting the kingdom…" Emma jibbed, rubbing at her eyes with the backs of her hands again. "So yeah, only a little bit." She smiled and stood up, stretching her arms up overhead the hem of her top pulling upward, revealing a few bruises from the day's scuffle. She quickly pulled the fabric down, aware that her mother saw the injuries. "I'm going to bed."

She tossed and turned on the down mattress, punching her pillows up and letting out a defeated sigh when she just couldn't get comfortable. Not one night ago she was dreaming of this very room, this very bed and the warmth of the sheets and now that she was home, she was so restless, she contemplated crawling out into the stables and sleeping in the hay. She sat up, her bare feet hovering above the stone floor. She looked out of the window, taking in the breathtaking view of the kingdom as it glittered under the full moon. In the distance, she could hear howling; Ruby must be having a great time. She braced herself for the shock of the cold stone floor, planted her feet and crossed the room towards the window. All her life she'd dreamt of adventure and here it was, just hours away from her. She was a mess of emotions; she excited, she was nervous, she was terrified. She needed to calm down. A clear head leads to a steady heart and a steadier hand. She couldn't go up against this witch, whoever she was, with fear in her heart and clouded judgment, not when it was her idea and with so much at stake. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

"It's just another hunt, Swan. You'll be fine."