A warm glow washed over her body. She could feel the energy slowly returning to her body but she could not yet bring herself to open her eyes. Her entire body felt heavy and lethargic. The voices around her began to come more into focus.
"How long will it be until she wakes up?" A voice that sounded like Snow 's asked.
"I cannot say for sure." Another, even more familiar voice, answered.
"How can you not be sure?" Snow sounded worried.
"It is different for every person and every situation." The voice sounded like Serafine. "You do not need to worry, she is going to be fine."
"Fine?" Snow's voice rose. "She's been unconscious for two days how is she fine?"
"That is normal." Serafine promised. "Her body is recovering and recharging. She will wake up when she is ready.
"It's just not normal for someone to be unconscious for so long and it to be considered ok." Snow worried.
"Well Emma is far from normal." Serafine sounded amused. "When you are dealing with magic there are many things that normal humans cannot understand."
Emma groaned, feeling the ability move returning. She shifted her weight in her bed.
"Emma?" Snow and Serafine spoke in unison.
"What the hell." Emma blinked her eyes open. She was shocked to find herself in her room with both Serafine and Snow looking at her. "Where am I and what happened?"
"You're home Emma." Snow spoke as Serafine said, "You're in your parents castle."
Emma could see the awkward tension between the two. She looked towards Serafine. "What are you doing here?"
"Daniel asked me to come." Serafine said firmly. "Do you remember why?"
"I do not think I was privy to that conversation." Emma struggled to sit up and Snow hurried to help her daughter, fluffing her pillows around her.
"Emma." There was a warning tone to Serafine's voice. Emma immediately glanced down, unused to being reprimanded by Serafine. "What were you thinking Emma?"
"I did it for my family." Emma explained.
"You could have asked for help." Serafine said evenly. "Anyone would have been there to support you. I know you were aware that this is something that could have been hazardous to you."
"I will admit it got a little bit out of hand." Emma said.
"A little bit?" Daniel walked into the room, raising his eyebrows. "You blew out every single window in that hall."
"Traitor." Emma muttered. "I was just trying to scare him."
"I think you succeeded in terrifying everyone." Daniel quipped.
"Daniel." Serafine held up a hand silencing him immediately. She turned back to Emma. "Emma these are not chances someone like you should be taking."
"Don't you want me live up to my full potential?" Emma shrugged. "Shouldn't I be seeing how far I can go."
"Not when lives are at stake." Serafine's eyes warned Emma not to argue. "We have put too much into this to risk loosing it. Both of you should have known better."
"Sorry Serafine." Emma mumbled.
"Sorry Madame." Daniel looked at the ground.
"Please Daniel." Serafine looked at Daniel. "At this point I think you have earned the right to call me Serafine."
"Of course Serafine." Daniel nodded.
"Well look who's moved up to number two." Emma teased.
"Number two?" Serafine looked at Emma.
"Daniel always says I'm your favorite so its playing off that joke." Emma shrugged.
"I do not have favorites." Serafine reminded them.
Daniel snorted earning a chastising look from Serafine. Daniel blushed immediately. "I apologize."
"It seems as if the absence of etiquette classes has affected both of your behavior." Serafine chastised.
"They are both extraordinarily well behaved." Snow said in defense of Emma and Daniel. "They are just being teenagers."
"They both know I expect more out of them than to act as common teenagers." Serafine gave a pointed look to Emma and Daniel.
"Yes Serafine." Both nodded.
"Good." Serafine seemed satisfied. "Now Emma have you been keeping up with your training?"
"Of course." Emma said.
"Regularly?" Serafine asked knowingly. Emma hesitated. "That is what I assumed. We will meet this afternoon."
"Of course." Emma nodded.
"This afternoon?" Snow looked surprised. "But she just woke up."
"Which means her body has recovered." Serafine said simply. "Now it is time to see how this absence has affected her abilities. Emma for you sake I hope it hasn't."
"It hasn't Serafine." Emma assured her. "I promise. I will be focused and ready to go."
"That is what I like to hear." Serafine turned to Daniel. "I assume you will be joining us as well."
"Of course." Daniel looked surprised that he was being invited.
"I shall see the two of you at an hour after noon." Serafine said with finality before leaving the room.
"So." Emma looked to Snow. "You've met her."
"Yes." Snow said tersely as she began to fold the clothes that were scattered at the end of Emma's bed. "She is something else."
"She's intense." Emma agreed. "But she means well."
"She certainly seems to be harsh on you." Snow pursed her lips.
"She expects a lot out of me." Emma shrugged. "It's because she see's my potential. She only wants the best for me. That's all she wants for any of us."
"But putting you through a lesson so soon?" Snow asked. "After everything you just went through?"
"I'll be fine." Emma assured her. "My energy has returned now she wants to see how my stamina has been affected. With Serafine your endurance needs to be at its maximum at all times."
"And if it's not?" Snow asked.
"Then she does not make your life fun." Emma looked away.
"That's an understatement." Daniel muttered.
"Speaking of stamina I had better get out of this bed." Emma pushed the covers off."
"Emma." Snow chided. "You need your rest."
"I'm fine." Emma brushed her mother off. "You heard her. My body has recovered. I am as good as new. I haven't pushed my body in two days though and if I'm going to be training this afternoon I need to exercise before hand." Emma walked over to her wardrobe where her tunics and pants were kept. She pulled out a simple pair of brown pants with matching brown leather boots. She pushed the tunics her mother had made for her aside revealing a few of the sleeveless shirts she had brought with her. She picked a greyish blue one and walked into the washroom to change. "Are you coming Daniel?"
"Is it going to be like normal training?" Daniel asked warily.
"Of course." Emma responded. "Just be glad it's not at its normal time."
"I suppose you're right." Daniel grumbled.
"Of course I am." Emma returned to the room, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She looked at Snow. "Is the lake swimmable?"
"Swimmable?" Snow repeated. "I guess."
"So do you want to swim the lake or run around it?" Emma turned to Daniel.
"You can't possibly run around the lake, that is mad. It's enormous." Snow's mouth dropped open. "Especially when you've just woken up."
"Well we'll run for as a long as we usually do and then return." Emma shrugged. "I think we can make it pretty far in two hours."
"Two hours?!" Snow seemed shocked.
"That's what are normal morning workouts are." Daniel explained. "Before breakfast too, so in reality this is much more pleasant."
"They make you run for two hours before they allow you to eat?" Snow was aghast.
"We wake up at six and eat at eight so it is not as if we eat late." Emma said as if it were perfectly normal. "We are allowed to have fruit or nuts before we work out for energy. It's not just running, it's swimming and other sorts of training. We're all in peak physical condition."
"For what exactly?" Snow asked.
Emma looked nervously at Daniel, unsure of what to say. "It's just the way things are in Altair. Come on Daniel, if we want to get it in need to go."
"Emma I don't think this is the best idea." Snow called after her daughter.
"I'll be fine." Emma shrugged. "Serafine said so herself. She understands this type of thing better than you. You don't have to worry, she wouldn't let me do anything that would hurt me."
"Emma's right." Daniel tried to assure Snow. "The best way for her body to reboot itself is to go back to training as normal."
"We'll see you later." Emma smiled before they disappeared down the hallway leaving Snow standing alone in her room.
She stood there in shock for a few minutes before James wandered into the room. When he caught site of the empty bed he stopped. "Where's Emma?"
Snow snapped out of her surprise. "Out for a run."
"A run?" James seemed shocked. "When I checked twenty minutes ago she was unconscious in that bed."
"She was." Snow sighed. "Then she woke up and decided she wanted to go exercise."
"And you gave her permission to?" James was taken aback.
"I didn't have to." Snow said tersely. "She got it from Serafine."
"Serafine isn't her mother." James crossed his arms. "She doesn't have the final say on our daughter's life."
"It sure seems like she does." Snow shook her head. "Those two respect her a lot more than they do you or me. They listen to her, they trust her to guide them. It's almost as if she's their…"
"Snow." James could see where his wife was going with this. "You are her mother. You always will be."
"Yes well it seems like despite biology the person Emma trusts to have her best interests at heart and will listen to over anyone else is not me but that woman." Snow said tersely.
"It's because she has spent the majority of her life under that woman's tutelage." James tried to comfort his wife. "and the years she spent here she does not yet remember. But no matter what, you are her mother and that woman can not take it away from you."
"She's held that place over me for as long as Emma can remember." Snow said sadly. "That woman understands her James. She can be there for her through her struggles. She can train her. She can give her everything we cannot. How can we compete with that?"
"We don't have to." James said. "We are her parents. And while we cannot train her in magic or teach her about all the different worlds we can love with everything in us. We can do everything in our power to protect her and make her happy. That's what we can give her that Serafine simply cannot. A family, a love so strong nothing can compare."
"I don't think Emma see's it that way." Snow shook her head.
"She will with time." James promised as he wrapped his arms around his wife.
"Do you really believe that?" Snow looked at her husband.
"I have to." James admitted. "The alternative is just too painful to consider."
"Emma focus." Serafine instructed calmly.
Emma remained serene, allowing her magic to flow through her. She imagined the water surrounding her, winding around her in a column. When she opened her eyes it was doing just that. She could see Serafine's approval and Daniel's impressed face. With a simple thought the water vanished into the air it had come from.
"Very good." Serafine nodded, impressed. "You no longer need a body of water to control it."
"I told you I have not been ignoring my training." Emma said respectfully. "I'm not completely sure how, but I have improved."
"You have dedication and talent." Serafine said simply. She looked at Daniel. "You both do. If only I could get you back to Altair."
"I know." Emma apologized. "I'm sorry."
"Emma what are you doing here?" Serafine sighed.
"I don't know." Emma admitted. "Honestly I'm more confused than when I left."
"Is this one of those finding yourself crisis's they have in other lands?" Serafine asked warily.
"No." Emma let out a laugh. "You don't have to worry about me chopping off all my hair in a form of self-expression like Johanna."
"While that's comforting that's not exactly what I'm concerned with." Serafine said.
"You're telling me you'd be ok if I cut this off?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"You are old enough to do as you please." Serafine said simply.
"Come on." Emma wanted to roll her eyes but knew it would be a show of disrespect and she had been brought up to know better. "You would be furious if I cut this off. You use my beauty to our advantage when you send out ambassadors to other lands."
"Your beauty and youth make men less guarded." Serafine didn't object to Emma's comment. "It makes getting what we need much easier. You are an asset."
"I play the ingenue well." Emma agreed.
"Except when you need to play the femme fatale." Daniel teased.
"I think I'm still a little young for that role." Emma rolled her eyes.
"I agree." Serafine nodded. 'But in time your beauty will help you play many a role."
Emma glanced at Serafine. "Like I said you'd be unhappy if I ruined that. It's part of my role in society."
"Regardless it's your body you may do with it as you please." Serafine said. "I will not stop you."
"That's like an invitation to do something inappropriate." Daniel shook his head earning a glare from both Serafine and Emma. "I'm just saying, your parents would not be ok with that."
"Daniel honestly it does not matter what her parents think." Serafine said firmly.
Emma and Daniel glanced uncomfortably at one another. "What is it?" Serafine asked.
"It's nothing." Daniel shook his head.
"I've known the two of you since you were six years of age." Serafine said pointedly. "You cannot and will not lie to me."
"With all do respect…" Emma said slowly. "They kind of do… have a say in my life."
"And what give them that right?" Serafine raised an eyebrow.
"They're my parents." The ever-confident Emma said nervously.
"They have not been your parents for the last ten years." Serafine pointed out. "Blood does not give them a say in your life."
"It hasn't really been their choice to be absent." Emma pointed out.
"It was their choice to cast you off." Serafine reminded her.
"We don't really know what happened." Emma said weakly.
"What I know is that I found a sobbing little girl alone in the forest saying her parents neither loved nor wanted her. Must I remind you of that?" Serafine said in a harsh tone.
"No." Emma glanced at the ground.
"They don't seem like those type of people." Daniel spoke up in Emma's defense. "At least not anymore. I cannot speak for the past but I can speak for the present and they do seem to love her very much."
"Love can be deceiving." Serafine warned. "I've warned you two to be wary of its effects."
"Yes Madame." Both teens muttered.
"I am not saying love is a weakness." Serafine added in a more gentle tone. "Nor am I saying it is forbidden. Love can be a beautiful thing and it can produce a powerful magic as proven my someone in our very presence but it can also be incredibly dangerous if you allow it to blind you."
"We know." Daniel and Emma said in unison.
"Good." Serafine nodded. She looked at Emma. "I won't tell you what to do, but I will warn you not to let your emotions get the best of you. I know you seem to like it here and those people seem to care very deeply for you. I see what Daniel does. I can understand why, coming from the world you did, you would crave an interaction like this. But do not forget where your home is. Maybe I did the two of you a disservice by sending you into other worlds as ambassadors so early on. I exposed you to the biggest thing that Altair cannot offer you. But Emma I cannot let you forget what led you to me in the first place. Something caused you to be alone in those woods that night. Something caused you to be inconsolable. Something tells me people who love you more than anything wouldn't cause that kind of pain. But maybe I'm wrong. Regardless I encourage you to discover the events that led up to that night. It might reveal a lot about this place."
"Yes ma'am." Emma nodded, knowing Serafine was right. This did seem so perfect in the here and now. Her parents were so loving towards her but something led her to be on her own ten years ago. Something led her to Altair, the place she had grown up, the place that had become her home, her safe haven. She needed to find out what that event was. Once she did maybe she could figure out what she wanted to do.
"Oh hello." Snow put on a smile when she walked into the Great Hall and ran into Serafine. I was wondering if you had seen Emma or Daniel."
"No." Serafine shook her head. "I have not seen them in hours."
"They were with you last." Snow seemed annoyed. "Did you not ask them where they were headed?"
"No." Serafine said simply. "They are adults and I trust them to be responsible and take care of themselves."
"They are still children." Snow said, surprised by Serafine's reaction. "They are far from being adults."
"By this realms standards they may still be children I can assure you in our world those two are very mature beyond there years." Serafine said firmly. "They can be trusted to take care of themselves. They have proven themselves more than capable of it on many occasions. Your daughter is not the child you still see her as."
"She is sixteen." Snow crossed her arms.
"And she has lived more life than I suspect you have." Serafine said pointedly.
Snow's eyes narrowed. "You know nothing about me."
"And you know nothing about her." Serafine said coolly. "You may think you do but what do you know about her life in our world, about what she has done? Have you even asked her about it? I suspect not because you would rather pretend that she does not have a home in our world. You're scared of her other life."
"How dare you." Snow snapped.
"You are not my queen." Serafine warned. "I do not owe you that respect."
"Emma is my daughter." Anger began to seep into Snow's voice.
"But you did not raise her." Serafine pointed out. "You do not know or understand her like I do. You never will. I trust Emma and Daniel. I know they have been raised well, I raised them."
"Yes you haven't let me forget that in the few short days you've been here." Snow said tersely.
"I don't know what fantasy world you and Emma and the rest of your family has been living in while Emma has been here but I assure you that life is not as you pretend it to be." Serafine kept her cool. "You can only ignore who Emma is for so long. I can tell you one thing, Emma is not the daughter you always dreamed of."
"You know nothing of what I want in my daughter." Snow shook her head.
"I know you didn't plan on her turning out the way she did." Serafine shrugged.
"Maybe not." Snow admitted. "But I love her just the same."
"Do you really?" Serafine raised her eyebrow.
"Of course." Snow insisted.
"Well." Serafine smirked slightly. "It doesn't matter. Emma has a destiny. There is a plan for her life. That plan requires her to return to Altair. Her purpose is there. She knows this."
"Her purpose?" Snow raised an eyebrow. "Is that all she is to you? A powerful being? A tool that can be of use to you?"
"She is so much more than that." Serafine objected.
"Do you even love her?" Snow asked.
Serafine straightened and stared straight into Snow's eyes. "I care for her very deeply."
"That's not what I asked." Snow shook her head.
"Love is different in our world than in yours my dear Queen." Serafine said simply. "It's complicated."
"There's nothing complicated about loving someone." "Snow argued. "Either you do or you do not. My husband and I love Emma more than anything in this world. That is something you clearly can not provide her."
"It is not something she needs." Serafine said firmly.
"And who says that is your decision to make?" Snow fired back.
"It is not your decision to make either." Serafine stiffened.
"I know," Snow nodded. "It is Emma's."
"Well I raised her right." Serafine knew the comment would have the intended effect. "I trust her to make the correct decision."
"Oh I know she will." Snow nodded. "It just might not be the right decision by your standards."
"What makes you so sure of yourself?" Serafine raised her eyebrow.
"She is my daughter. True love has played an important role in who she is. You said so yourself." Snow shrugged. "Maybe it is more important to her than you realize."
"Hi…" Emma said brightly as she walked in with Daniel and Red. Immediately all three noticed the tension in the room. "Oh did we walk in on something? Because we can leave."
"Yea Snow it is not a problem." Red sensed something was wrong with her friend. "We'll go to the library and you can find us later."
"No of course not sweetheart." Snow put on a fake smile, something she was well practiced with. "You are absolutely fine. Stay, please."
"Ok." Emma said unsurely. Her eyes shifted from Serafine to her mother, trying to understand what the tension could be caused by.
Finally Serafine turned to Daniel and Emma and put on a terse smile, letting the two know she was not pleased. Both shifted uncomfortably. "I was just telling your mother goodbye."
"You're leaving already?" Daniel asked in surprised.
"I have a lot of responsibility back in Altair. Your friends are waiting for me." Serafine said pointedly, reminding the teens about their life in Altair.
"Of course." Emma nodded.
"I'm sorry to say goodbye. But I'll see you two soon." Serafine glanced at Snow, getting one last dig in about who had the most control over their lives.
"Goodbye" Both Daniel and Emma received a hug from Serafine.
"I'll walk you out." Snow offered.
"No need." Serafine held up her hand. With a final wave she disappeared out the grand hall leaving Snow flustered and the remaining inhabitants of the room confused.
"Wow." Red turned to Snow. "What was that about?"
"What was what about?" Snow feigned innocence
"Oh come on Snow. You are not in a pleasant mood. I know you." Red eyed her best friend. "You can't lie to me."
"Everything is fine. I'm very excited in fact. I have news to share." Snow smiled at Emma.
"Oh no." Emma paled. The last time her mother had new they were traveling to Drell and that had not ended well for anyone.
"You sound nervous." Snow seemed surprised.
"I am." Emma said seriously. "Very."
"Well you have no need." Snow assured her.
"What do you have planned?" Emma asked warily.
"Your father and I have decided it's high time you meet some of our close friends." Snow smiled. "And some of your close friends for that matter."
"I was six." Emma said slowly. "How did I have close friends?"
"Our friends children." Snow explained. "You were all born very close to one another. You were nearly inseparable."
"I don't see how that's possible if we lived in different kingdoms." Emma quipped.
"Emma" Snow warned.
"Right..." Emma glanced down. "Sorry."
"Anyway Ella and Thomas, they rule Erril. Do you remember?" Snow asked.
"Yes I remember." Emma nodded.
"They will be arriving tomorrow." Snow continued.
"Tomorrow." Emma swallowed nervously.
"Yes tomorrow and they're bringing with them their son Andrew who is Will's age and their daughter Alex." Snow smiled.
"I assume she's the inseparable one." Emma said unenthusiastically.
"She's so excited to see you." Snow tried to excite Emma.
"I can hardly wait." Emma faked a smile.
"Well I need to get some things done before their arrival tomorrow." Snow suddenly moved into Monarch mode. "I'll see the two of you at dinner tonight. Red will you be staying?"
Red looked surprised but glanced at Emma. "I wasn't planning on it but why not. I'd love to spend some more time with my goddaughter."
"Excellent." Snow nodded. "See you later."
"Was it just me or was that strange." Emma watched Snow walk out and turned to her friend and godmother.
"Very strange." Red agreed.
"They were arguing before we came in." Daniel said what everyone was thinking.
"About what?" Emma did not like the idea that two woman who were so important in her life were not getting along.
"Are you seriously asking that?" Daniel asked.
"What?" Emma asked.
"They were arguing about you." Red said gently.
"You don't know that." Emma said but her voice didn't sound convinced.
"What else could they possibly have to disagree about?" Red asked.
"Um everything?" Emma pointed out. "They are the opposite in every way."
"Which is exactly the problem." Daniel explained. "They disagree on who you should be, where you should live, how you should live."
"It's my life." Emma shook her head. "They shouldn't be disagreeing about what I should do with it."
"That probably has something to do with it." Daniel said. "You've been raised to believe you are independent and in charge of your own destiny. You've been able to more or less make decisions for yourself from a young age. That probably would not have been the way it would have been here. Yes you would have been raised to be as independent as your parents, but you would not be considered an adult responsible for your own well being."
"I hate people arguing about me." Emma sighed. "I don't want my two worlds to clash."
"You had to know this would happen." Daniel said gently.
"I know." Emma bit her lip unhappily. "It had to happen sooner or later but I just want to keep my worlds apart for as long as possible."
"And what happens when they come crashing together?" Daniel asked. "Because they will."
"Then…" Emma sighed. "I'll deal with it when it happens. But I do not want to discuss it any further. I'm serious Daniel."
"Ok then." Daniel held up his hands. All three stood awkwardly, not knowing how to continue. While the conversation itself had not been terribly uncomfortable, the connotation it carried, on of having to make a choice between worlds weighed heavy in the back of everyone's mind.