Sorry it's been so so long! I knew what was going to happen but sometimes the inspiration for writing the scene takes a while to come. But man when it comes it comes fast! I have the next few chapters mapped out, so as long as the inspiration comes they shouldn't take too terribly long to write, but I will put this disclaimed that my med school apps and summer internship tend to dominate my life at times. Anyway you all are the best. Let me know your thoughts! And as always, any questions, let me know and I'll clear things up!
"Would you rather live with the Kitsai for a month or dropped in the middle of the Irisus sea?" Daniel prompted Emma. They had been walking for the better part of the day and both were getting bored. This was a game they had often played to entertain themselves in Altair, it seemed only right to use it as a distraction now.
"Irisus sea for sure." Emma answered immediately. "I could not survive with the Kitsai."
"Really?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Daniel you are the only person who could get along with those people." Emma shook her head. "I would actually go crazy stuck with the Kitsai. And the weather? Hell no."
Daniel laughed. "I'm sure you'd survive."
"I'm not so sure." Emma mused. "Ok I have one. Would you rather have to retrieve something from the Cave of a Thousand Souls or be trapped in Vadana with no weapon or back-up?"
"Is that even a question?" Daniel asked, eyes wide.
"Uh…" Emma looked confused. "Yes?"
"Vadana in a heartbeat." Daniel insisted.
"Really?" Emma laughed. "That place is full of bloodthirsty slave owners who'd kill you just for their own amusement."
"Emma it's called the Cave of a Thousand Souls." Daniel emphasized. "How do you think it got that name? Not by letting people leave it."
"You're such a wuss." Emma rolled her eyes.
"I'd like to see you go in it." Daniel challenged.
"I would if I needed to." Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "We both know it's true."
Daniel sighed and gave a slight shake of his head. "The sad part is you're not lying."
"Not at all…Wait," Emma held out her hand, silencing Daniel. "What was that?"
Daniel paused, listening to hear what had caught Emma's attention. The others stopped too, Snow looked at Emma in concern while Evander glanced around the forest. Both Evan and Red listened carefully for any sign of danger. Daniel's eyes widened as something caught his attention, looking worriedly at Emma. "How many?"
"More than us." Emma said quietly. She looked up at Evan. "What now?"
Evan set his mouth in a line and closed his eyes, trying to formulate a plan. He was trained to do this with Altarian warriors, but Red, Snow, and Evander complicated things. Finally he opened his eyes. "Emma, Daniel, I need you to do what you're trained to. As for the three of you, I know you all can fight, but I also know that it is ingrained in the three of you to protect her at all costs. You can't do that right now. The best way to protect her is to let her fight and take care of as many enemy soldiers as you can. Spread out, watch each other's backs."
Both Emma and Daniel nodded, immediately drawing their swords in preparation, turning to face away from the group. The other's were slower to react, but eventually each drew their weapons as the snapping of sticks and rustling of branches grew louder around them.
A small sound caught Emma's ear and her eyes grew wide. "Down!" Emma dropped as an arrow flew over her head, burying itself in a tree behind her. She looked back at her stunned mother who was still standing, the arrow barely missing her. "Trust me when I say down."
Emma felt the first attack before she saw it, gracefully ducking under the blade and bringing her own sword up to meet the attackers. In an instant the clearing went from an eerie silence to the chaos of battle, filled with ringing sounds of clashing swords and the whistle of arrows flying through the air. Though it had been months since she had trained consistently the movements came back easily, her muscles moving almost instinctively with the sword as an extension of herself. In the moment she remembered why she had been so fond of this life. The fluid movements made her feel both graceful and powerful at the same time. The fight akin a practiced dance, even though she had never encountered this particular enemy before. She worked quickly, moving from one enemy to the next without breaking stride. She caught sight of the other members of her group, but was too focused on her own battles to assess anything other than if they were in dire need of help. In a battle with other Altarians they knew to call for aid if needed, but Red, Evander, and her mother weren't trained in the manner she was, adding a complicated layer to the already precarious situation.
While her size didn't do her any favors in terms of brute force in battle, her speed and agility more than made up for it. The years of training had allowed her to become aware of her body and how best to maximize her skills. Perhaps her biggest advantage was a mix of fearlessness and recklessness that allowed her to be more physical than most, unafraid to use an elbow to get in a first blow before allowing an opponent to meet her sword. In most battles this came as a complete shock to the men she was fighting but something was different about this situation. They seemed unphased by her speed, almost prepared for it. While this momentarily unnerved her, she composed herself, reminding herself that the surprise aspect of these skills wasn't the only thing that made them valuable. She ducked easily under swords, using her feet to rebound off a tree, catching an enemy off guard with the quick change in direction before ultimately bringing them to their knee's with her skill.
"Emma." Daniel's call was filled with a steady but urgent tone. Emma's head whipped around, sending her hair flying as she caught sight of him fighting an increasing number of attackers. But it was not himself he was concerned with but the attacker approaching Evander's back. She turned back to her own battle, bringing her sword up to block her enemy's blow before drawing the dagger from her belt and driving it into his heart. She brought her foot up, sending him flying backwards and pulling the dagger out in the process. In a seamless motion she whipped around, sending the dagger straight into the throat of the man moving toward Evander.
Evander turned instantly at the movement, seeing the fallen enemy following the line to Emma with wide eyes that displayed both shock and admiration. The moment lasted only briefly before both returned with clashing swords to the battle at hand, finishing off the opponent he had been focused on. With one dagger gone Emma was forced to pull the one from her boot to continue fighting. While it was easier to fight with both hands on the sword, she had it calibrated light enough that she could manage with one. In situations where they were so far outnumbered she found she much preferred fighting with a sword in one hand in the dagger in the other, increasing her efficiencies with disposing of the enemy.
She began to notice an increasing number of assailants around her to the point where she was battling upwards of five at one time. Emma found herself surrounded but remained calm, using the dagger in her left hand to drive into the chest of the man behind her, immediately bringing her right elbow up, driving it into the face of the man on her right before swiftly following with a sword, taking advantage of his momentary incapacitation. She brought her foot up, knocking one attacker out of the way before spinning, releasing her dagger in the direction of the fourth attacker while bringing her sword around with both hands to finish off the fifth. She held her right hand out, causing the dagger to fly handle first back into it, and in a fluid motion brought it down into the heart of the man she had knocked away.
With the momentary pause in the battle she glanced at the scene behind her which looked to be like the dying moments of a battle. In her moment of distraction she felt a blow to her arm, causing her sword to fall out of her grasp. She moved quickly before the blade struck the ground where she had been only moments before. Her eye caught her sword, which had been knocked out of arms reach. Before she could hold out her hand to call it back the attackers sword was swinging around for another blow. She ducked out of the way again, regaining her balance and resigning herself to being forced to fight without a weapon. She spun, bringing her foot around to the attackers face. She took the moment of recoil to land another hard blow to his chest. But her attacker was resilient, finding the balance his balance and his attacking form quickly. With his free hand he sent a blow to Emma's own face, giving her only seconds to manage to move only inches from where his sword landed.
Emma knew the only way she was going to win this is if they were on even grounds in term of weaponry. In a bold move she knew her instructors would not approve of she lunged forward in a movement that would not allow her to regain her balance if the attacker didn't move as she predicted he would. But in a stroke of luck, or simply Emma's own recognition of his battle strategy, the man took the bait, sending what seemed like a surefire blow to Emma who only just managed to move out of the way, grabbing the arm and shoulder of his sword hand before using her foot to kick out his knee, buckling the man's knees and giving her the upper hand long enough to smash his hand into the tree, causing the sword to fall out. In a movement of sheer force she threw him to the ground pressing her foot against his throat. She knew the immobilization would last only briefly. She glanced up across the clearing at the one person who she knew she could count on more than anyone else in this situation. "Daniel!"
In a movement almost synched with hers he pulled the dagger from his belt and sent it flying her way. She caught the handle easily, bringing it down with enough force to ensure that it drove through the man's heart. As she stood she felt an arrow whiz dangerously close to her head. She whipped around, somewhat stunned to find it lodged in the heart of one of the enemies, the light draining from his eyes as he collapsed to the ground. She turned back to find her mother, lowering her bow, content that she had taken down the last threat to the group and her daughter.
Emma let out a breath as she saw that every unknown man in the clearing was lying dead while the six of them, though worse for wear, all remained standing.
Evan immediately fell into his practiced role, taking the lead on ensuring the stability of the situation. "Daniel, Emma." His voice was calm and authoritative. "I need the area locked down now."
Daniel and Emma both nodded, quickly examining the situation around them before turning their eyes to the woods beyond, looking, listening for any indication of a second wave of attackers.
"Daniel." Evan called after ensuring his own are was secure. "Are you clear?"
Daniel hesitated momentarily, ensuring the forest beyond was clear before turning back to Evan. "I'm clear on the west side. Emma?"
"East is secure as well." Emma reported back. Emma made brief eye contact with her Aunt and mother, both of who seemed shocked by the calmness and formality the three of them were handling the aftermath of the battle with.
"Emma are you good?" Evan implored, his way of asking if there were any injuries."
"Yea." Emma nodded. "Just a small lac, nothing that won't take care of itself."
"Daniel?" Evan turned to the boy.
Daniel looked over himself, searching for injuries. "Slightly larger lac." Daniel gingerly touched his bleeding arm. He looked back up at Evan. "But if we tie it off it should be fine."
"Good, take care of it." Evan instructed. "Emma status update?"
Emma nodded, immediately falling into a practiced role, glancing around to take count of the situation. "Look to be about 30 or so men."
"They're not Regina's men." Evander offered. "I've never seen this livery or these weapons in this land."
Emma examined the body nearest her closely. She caught sight of a pouch and pulled, snapping the string and releasing it. She opened the bag, peering inside to find gold and small vials. "That's because they're not from this land. They're mercenaries, hired hands. Most likely sent by Morion."
"So he knows we've splintered off?" Red asked.
"He knew from the start we wouldn't be with the group." Evan said calmly. "But if he knew where we were, he'd be here now. He sent off splinter groups to disrupt us, weaken us, whatever it is, he'll find out when they don't report back. Our time frame just got shortened."
Emma turned to Evander. "How far are we from the clearing?"
"Less than a day." Evander admitted.
Emma sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Ok well we need to keep moving because this is a dead give away to our position." Emma glanced at Daniel, biting her lip worriedly. "And we need to get to that clearing before Morion finds me. If we don't this isn't going to work."
Evan took the comment in stride, immediately moving into action. "Let's move out."
Red and Evander immediately moved to follow Evan. Daniel paused, waiting on Emma. Emma, however, noticed her mother standing in somewhat of a shocked silence, her eyes locked on her daughter. Emma could almost feel the concern radiating from her. Emma nodded Daniel on. She tucked the pouch she had removed from the man into her belt, securing it for later, before moving toward her mother. She reached out and gently took her elbow, nudging her forward. "We need to move."
Emma sensed her discomfort as they walked. "Are you ok?"
"I'm unsure." Snow admitted.
Emma cast her eyes downward, realizing the source of her mother's unhappiness was due to the battle, specifically the part Emma played in the battle. "I thought you said that was what you wanted me to do."
"It was," Snow spoke quickly, attempting to quell her daughter's fear. "No it definitely was, it's just that…"
"You didn't expect it to be quite like that." Emma finished for her.
"You were unphased and professional throughout the entire situation. You took on five men at once and didn't falter. And even after you didn't blink at the scene around you. They way you and Daniel responded to Evan, it was like you do this all the time." Snow explained in astonishment.
"I do more or less do this all the time." Emma said, her voice quieter than usual. "This was part of my life, it would have been my life had…"
"Had you not come back here?" Snow offered.
"I don't think Its as simple as that." Emma gave a small laugh. "All of this was planned long ago. I was always supposed to attract Morion's attention to begin this war before my eighteenth birthday. I think letting me come home to put this plan into motion was they're way of apologizing, of trying to make amends for how it had to be done."
"I understand that it was to save your life but…" Snow shook her head. "I just wish they had gone about it differently. Maybe if they had told us the truth."
"Would you have let me go even if you knew the truth?" Emma implored, already knowing the answer.
Snow took a deep breath. "I don't know how to answer that question."
"I do." Emma said gently. "We both know you and dad wouldn't have let them take me away."
"If it was for your safety…" Snow's voice faltered. She took a moment but found the strength to continue. "It would have been the most difficult decision we had ever made, but if it was to keep you alive, I believe we would have let you go."
"We still would have been separated for eleven years." Emma pointed out. "I still would have come back a different person."
"Yes but I would have known that you were safe and alive." Snow explained. "That in itself would have made the agonizing years of separation easier to handle."
"Well." Emma looked ahead. "There's no point in focusing on the could have been. We can't change the past. We only have the future to control."
"Head's up Em." Daniel called, tossing an object her way. "In your distraction you almost forgot this back there."
"Oh man." Emma caught the hilt of the dagger. She wiped it on her pants to clean it before tucking it into her boot. She double-checked to make sure her other one was safely secured in her waistband before readjusting her tunic. "Thank you so much. I would have been so upset had lost it."
Snow eyed Emma in surprise. 'You carry two daggers in addition to your sword?"
"Of course." Emma spoke as if it were the most common thing in the world. The line was simple but it reminded Snow again how unknown her daughter was to her in so many ways. "If you have to throw one in battle you don't want to be left without a backup. This one?" She pulled the one from her belt. It's Gualranian, exceptionally difficult make to come by, we went through hell to get it but it was worth it." Emma slipped the dagger back into place before pulling out the one from her boot. "But this one? This is special. I've had it since I was what?" She looked over at Daniel. "Eleven?"
"Ten." Daniel corrected.
Emma looked back at her mother with a mischievous grin. "I swiped it off a high ranking official in the city. It's been by my side ever since."
"You stole it." Snow clarified.
"Yea." Emma shrugged. "Juliana was a mix of horrified and proud when she found out about it. Evan was just amused."
"It was hard to balance not letting you get too out of hand with the impressiveness and absurdity of the situation. A high ranking and trained official, taken by a ten year old? It's unheard of."
"Yes well I was no ordinary ten year old." Emma smirked.
"Oh that is too true." Evan shook his head before looking back to Snow. "Your daughter and her friends spent years prematurely aging me."
"Now that I can believe." Snow finally laughed. Emma dropped back as Evan and Snow felt into step, discussing Emma's various exploits in amusement.
Emma felt someone move to take her mother's place beside her. She glanced over to find it was her aunt who had moved to her side. They walked in silence, the sound only of Evan and Snow's quiet conversation in the distance and their footsteps as they moved.
Emma caught Red casting looks her way, knowing she wanted to say something. While normally she would call someone out on it, she sensed that this was a situation where it would be better served if she waited for Red to speak first.
"You were truly impressive back there." Red finally broke the silence.
"Thank you." Emma blushed slightly at the compliment. She was unsure why. Praise and critiques were normal after a battle in Altair, she expected one after every training round, simulation, and true fight. But something about the approval of her aunt, something her younger self had craved deeply, still had the ability to make her feel inexplicably proud.
"You are an extraordinarily talented young woman." Red said sincerely. "I'm sure you here it enough but I haven't been able to tell you and honestly I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to."
"Red." Emma began to protest but her aunt put a gentle, silencing hand on her shoulder.
"Physically you are gifted beyond anything you parents or I could have imagined. Don't tell your father but I think it's safe to say that your talent surpasses even his." There was a glint in Red's eye as she spoke. "But it is the beauty within that is truly stunning. You are a strong and compassionate young woman, everything that your parent's could have dreamed of. I don't think they hoped your compassion and sense of duty would cause you to put the lives of other's before your own but with parents such as yours, it was inevitable."
"Inevitable for me to become a martyr?" Emma looked up at her aunt.
"Hey." Red squeezed Emma's shoulder supportively. "You're not a martyr yet. And I choose to believe you won't be one. I believe you will be a great hero, because you are going to come out of this alive."
"And if I don't?" Emma dared to ask. It had been something that she had discussed with Daniel, but it was the first time she had dared to broach the topic with someone she considered family.
Red paused as she tried to figure out how to answer the question. For so simple a question, it was exceptionally difficult to answer. Finally she looked at Emma, unshed tears shining in her eyes despite the soft and reassuring smile on her face. "If you don't, then we will have been lucky to have the time with you we did. We will be so incredibly grateful to have had someone so selfless and brave in our lives, and as long as we our alive, you will live on in our memories and in our hearts."
Emma turned her head away, giving a quick nod in an attempt to hide the tears that were forming in her own eyes. After a minute she spoke quietly. "Thank you."
"For what?" Red asked.
"For being honest with me." Emma looked up. "For admitting that there is an outcome where I don't make it back and for trying to reassure me that despite it, everyone would find a way to continue on."
"It will be so incredibly difficult to continue on without you." Red assured her. "It is a pain unlike anything I have ever known. We will do it to honor your memory Emma. But I don't believe it is something we will have to do. If you fight as you did back there, with so much passion and skill, I know we will all come back from this."
"I wish it were as simple as that." Emma looked forward. "But when I face him I will have to do something I have never done before. I will have to fight with magic, I will have to take a life with magic. And I don't know if I am capable of doing that. What happened back there… that won't even come close to comparing to what I'll have to do tomorrow.
"You'll find a way Emma." Red assured her gently. "Your family always does."
They had walked well into the night in an attempt to put as much space as possible between them and the battle site before some came across the bodies. It was obvious that everyone was growing tired but no one spoke, seeing the determination on Emma's face to keep moving. Finally it was Evan who spoke, satisfied with the shelter and vantage point a small clearing offered them. "We should stop here."
"We need to keep moving." Emma insisted.
"Emma." Evan said in exasperation, clearly too tired to argue with the girl.
"We need to get there before he finds us. If we don't…" Emma glanced at her mother. "Well we just need to."
"He's not going to move at night." Evander offered.
"How do you know?" Emma snapped, far more harshly than she had intended.
"Em you're still protected, he can't sense where you are unless you let him." Daniel pointed out. "We'll set up guard shifts. It will be ok."
"We need to keep moving." Emma argued.
"Emma." The sharpness in Evan's voice cut through his weariness in a way that told Emma not to argue. "You are an incredibly gifted young individual but you stand no chance against Morion if you are exhausted. We all need to sleep to prepare for tomorrow."
Emma pursed her lips, still unhappy with the idea, but knew better than to argue.
The other's left Emma to her thoughts as they set up camp and delegated rations for a late meal. Finally Daniel dared to approach her. "Here." Daniel held out the small loaf of bread to Emma. Emma took it reluctantly, her stomach, though in knots, telling her she needed to eat.
"Worried about tomorrow?" Daniel asked knowingly.
Emma gave a short, bitter laugh. "That's one way to put it."
"Em…" Daniel couldn't bring himself to tell her that everything would be ok, because there was a good chance that it wouldn't be.
"It's just hard to have hope for the future when there are so many signs that there won't be one." Emma admitted finally.
"You're concerned about the prophecy." Daniel nodded in understanding. "Emma you can't focus on those. You know as well as I do that prophecies can be wrong. They're not a guarantee."
"Prophecies fortold by two separate people?" Emma challenged.
"Two?" Daniel raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"The prophet who saw it all those years ago." Emma took a deep breath and looked at her best friend. "And me."
"You?" Daniel said slowly.
"The dreams Daniel, the one's I had before I came to Altair." Emma looked away. "It was always the same nightmare, or a different version of the same nightmare. But I always saw the same thing, a girl dying at the mercy of magic, a girl that I didn't know, couldn't know that I would grow up to be."
Daniel reached out and took Emma's hand, squeezing it lightly. He chose to hide his surprise and concern at the revelation, instead choosing to tease in an attempt to lighten her mood. He knew worrying could do her no good. "Well someone's putting a lot of stock in her abilities."
"Oh shut up." Emma rolled her eyes.
"You never shown sign's of the gift of prophecy outside that situation." Daniel pointed out gently.
"But that doesn't mean I don't have it." Emma countered. "If I really am the next… if I am as powerful as they say, it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that I have the power of prophecy."
"Regardless of what any prophecy says Emma you know as well as I do that they do not dictate the future." Daniel said.
"But they reflect the most likely scenario." Emma said quietly. "And clearly the most likely scenario is not one where I survive."
"Well then you will simply have to defy the odds." Daniel shrugged. "If there is anyone who can its you."
"That's what everyone keeps saying." Emma mused.
"Well then I'd go with the majority." Daniel said simply. A wry smile crossed his face as he pulled something out of his pocket. "You must have been really distracted back there not pick through the mercenaries."
Emma rolled her eyes at his boyish excitement of there tradition. "I was a little preoccupied with assuring my mother that I wasn't a monster."
"We all know the best part of a battle is the spoils afterward." Daniel let the few bags he was holding swing back and forth. "Looks like I'll be the big winner this time."
"I grabbed one off the mercenary I was inspecting." Emma recalled the bag in her waistband, pulling it out to examine the contents. She had seen the gold coins before, not that she had any need of them for multiple reasons. She pulled out the three vials, examining their contents. "It looks like we have healing serum, triton root, and…" Emma couldn't tell what the golden liquid was on sight alone so she pulled out the stopped, sniffing the contents. "Oh… and some very strong alcohol."
"Liquid courage before tomorrow?" Daniel teased.
"I'm not so sure my mother would approve." Emma laughed. It felt good. Laughing was becoming harder as time ticked closer to her encounter with Morion. "What do you have."
"Nothing too exciting." Daniel shrugged. "Some money, various wares and serums, but I did get this." He held up a small vial proudly with a delicate but beautiful flower resting in it.
"No way." Emma gasped. "Is that an elderflower?"
"I believe so." Daniel grinned. "I guess I really do win."
"I bow down to your incredible find." Emma agreed. "Too bad none of this will be of use to us as we'll be dead tomorrow."
"You if people asked me what about you made me want to be your best friend your positivity would definitely have to be at the top of the list." Daniel said sarcastically.
Emma was about to respond when Daniel was called to assist Evan. Emma nodded in Evan's direction, silently giving him permission to do what was needed. It was after all what had been instilled in them for years, duty before anything else.
At the sight of Daniel's absence Snow took the chance to take his place by her daughter. Neither spoke at first, Emma sharpening her knives while Snow inspected the state of her arrows. They sat like this for a time. The only sound was that of metal on metal as Emma put the finishing touches on her second dagger.
Emma looked over at her mother, realizing she was unsure of how to start the conversation. Emma decided to ease the tension, speaking first. "Did you retrieve most of your arrows?"
"Most yes." Snow nodded. "But no matter, arrows can be replaced, you cannot." Snow reached out gently to cup Emma's cheek. Emma winced and pulled away as her mother's hand touched a tender spot. "Ah."
Snow, eyebrow's knit in concern, reached up to gently turn Emma's face so it was illuminated by the firelight. The light revealed a flowering purple bruise. "Oh Emma. That's bruising. I thought you said you were fine other than the cut."
"I am." Emma shrugged away, attempting to play off her mother's concern. "Bruising doesn't qualify as an injury. It happens. The magic in our bodies have adapted to healing very quickly in that respect. It will be gone by tomorrow, the following day at the latest."
"It concerns me how ambivalent you are to injuries." Snow sighed in displeasure.
"They happen all the time in battle." Emma explained plainly. "You can't get upset over a bruise."
"I can." Snow inspected the bruising closely. "I'm your mother.
"Mom." Emma groaned
"Let me at least put something on it." Snow grabbed the small bag by her side, searching through it for salve.
"It's fine." Emma insisted. Her petulant tone was almost amusing in the midst of the seriousness of the situation they faced.
"Emma please let me do this. If I can't…" Snow looked down at the ground, collecting herself before continuing. When she looked up the sadness and regret in her eyes took Emma by surprise. "Just please, please let me do this for you."
"Mom, what is it?" Emma searched her mother's eyes for an answer. "What's wrong? You can tell me."
"It's just…" Snow shook her head, disappointment and guilt clear in her tone. "Emma you were the one watching out for me back there. You were protecting me more than I was you. That's not the way it's supposed to be. I'm the mother, I'm the one who is supposed to protect you."
"No one was protecting anyone back there. We were all just doing our best to come out alive." Emma reached out and took her mother's hand, a rare initiation of contact from the girl. "I know that you're my mom and because of that your instincts are to do everything in your power to protect me. But in these situations I'm the one with more experience. And I know that isn't the way it's supposed to be, that it's a painful reminder of what happened, but it's ok to let me watch out for you. We're on the same tea. We can look out for each other. Because that gives us the best chance to bothmake it back alive. It gives you the chance to be my mother for some time longer."
"I know I just wish my inability to protect you in all of this didn't make me feel like such a failure." Snow lamented.
"It doesn't make you a failure." Emma said firmly. "It is because you want so badly to protect me, that you feel guilt that you cannot take my place that you haven't failed me as a mother. Circumstance caused all of this to happen, plans and destinies and lines of succession that have been set long before you and father ever fell in love."
"That may be true but it is still hard to accept." Snow cast her eyes downward.
"Life is hard to deal with some times. It is unfair when things happen that are beyond our control." Emma agreed. "But its something we have to find a way to live with. Because this is the life we were given, and it is beautiful and tragic and painful and all we can do is appreciate those we have for the time we have with them."
Snow looked up at her daughter, the love evident in her eyes as she gently cupped her cheek, making sure to steer clear of the bruise. "You are truly the wisest person I know. And regardless of what happens tomorrow, I could not be more proud to have you as a daughter."
Emma blushed. "I love you mom."
"I love you too sweetheart." Snow said honestly.
Emma glanced over to where Evan and Evander were strategizing by the fire. Daniel had drifted off to talk with Red. "I'm going to talk to Evan and Evander about tomorrow quickly. Are you ok?"
"Yea." Snow waved her daughter off. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Ok." Emma said unsurely. "I'll be back soon."
"Emma." Snow's voice was quiet, so much so that Emma would have missed it had she been any farther away.
Emma turned back to look at her mother. "Yes?"
"I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter who makes it back." Snow looked fondly at her daughter, a look filled with love and admiration for the young woman she had become, gratitude for the time they had been afforded together, regardless of how short it was. "I will always be your mother."