So it's been like, forever. My sincerest apologies. I am truly sorry for those of you who have been following this story, you deserve more. My only excuse is that I'm graduating so everything has been kind of insane. Regardless that's not even an excuse at this point.
I promise I will get to some of your reader questions in the story in the next chapter (Which is already mostly written! I couldn't write this chapter for some reason so i procrastinated by writing the next one lol). Anyway, this is more of a filler chapter that was needed to explain some plot points, but I hope you like it!
Welcome to all the new readers and thank you for the faithful mainstays - you are all incredible.
It felt as if she was plummeting down to earth as her head began to swim back into consciousness. Slowly the ringing in her ears faded and the awareness of her body and the ground beneath her finally returned. A groan escaped from her lips as she fought her way back to awareness, forcing her eyes open. She put her hand to her head as she attempted to get her bearings.
She didn't recognize her surroundings but by the presence of the table covered in maps and markers she guessed she was in a war tent. Her gaze drifted down along the edge of the bed she had been laid on, finding a familiar gaze looking back at her with an amused grin.
"You just always have to be the center of attention don't you?" Daniel smirked as he caught Emma's gaze, appearing as unburdened and unconcerned as he had always been before the war had begun. "You couldn't handle everyone being worried about me after I fell unconscious, so you had to go and do it yourself."
"Excuse me but you fell unconscious because you were hit by dark magic and couldn't handle it." Emma narrowed her eyes but there was an amused nature behind her fake glare. "I on the other hand passed out because I was just too powerful."
Daniel burst out laughing, shaking his head at Emma's ever-present sharp wit. "Your never-ending depth of modesty amazes me."
"Well I am truly one of a kind." Emma replied with a straight face.
"That is for sure." Daniel chuckled.
Emma took a deep breath, looking around. "So what happened exactly?"
"It's all a little confusing to be honest." Daniel admitted, trying to figure out how to best explain what had happened to Emma. "You unleashed this giant burst of magic and it just caused every enemy to drop unconscious. And then you yourself collapsed, but of course your night in shining armor caught you before you could hit the ground. You didn't kill them, probably because your magic won't let you, but you did incapacitate all of them. They couldn't move, couldn't see until they were all in custody."
"That's terrifying." Emma said slowly, unnerved by Daniel's description of what happened. Her eyes were wide with concern. "I did that?"
"Yes." Daniel nodded, fear beginning to fill his own gaze. "Without meaning to as well. Em your power is… well, terrifying. And it's not even all under your control. You have everyone scared."
"For me?" Emma asked slowly. "Or of me?"
"Well." Daniel gave a shrug, trying to smile good-naturedly for Emma's benefit. "Depends on who you ask."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "And if I were to ask you?"
"Me?" Daniel gestured to himself. "I'm not scared of anything."
Emma laughed at the absurdity of the comment. "That's a lie."
"I'm a little scared of you," Daniel admitted before a mischievous smile graced his face. "But then again I've always been a little scared of you."
"A healthy fear." Emma nodded with a smirk. "My parents?"
"They're scared for you." Daniel replied honestly. "But I'm learning that's pretty normal for parents."
"It's been a learning curve for us both." Emma grabbed Daniel's hand, her voice softening. "I know that biologically they're not yours, but you will always be family to me, and to them. They see you as part of our family. They love you."
"Even Will?" Daniel teased.
"Oh." Emma pushed herself up. "I think he might love you more than me."
"Emma," The relieved voice of her mother filled the tent as Snow pushed through the opening. "You're awake."
"That was extraordinarily careless Emma." Serafine appeared behind her mother, her sharp voice cutting through the room. "I know you were trained better than that."
"I think that's my cue to leave." Daniel pushed himself to a stand, knowing what was coming and not wanting to be around for it. He knew how stern both women could be. When it came to Emma it stemmed from a desire to protect her, but it didn't dampen the disapproval or harshness that either of them were capable of.
"Traitor." Emma glared at Daniel as he escaped. She turned to the two women who were standing on either side of her, waiting for a response. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not entirely sure I believe that is an honest apology." Serafine looked pointedly at the girl.
"Well it is the best I can offer." Emma shrugged.
"Emma." Snow warned.
Emma looked down, surprised by how guilty the tone could make her feel. She had learned to be strong and independent in Altair, to not worry about what other's thought, but when it came to her parents, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, their opinion seemed to matter so much. "Sorry."
"Now that one I believe." Serafine nodded, a sign of accepting the apology.
"What in the world were you thinking running off like that?" Snow chastised her daughter.
"I wasn't." Emma admitted.
"That was apparent." Serafine replied sharply. "And that use of magic? What in the world possessed you to do that?"
Emma looked at the ground, her voice low. "It wasn't intended."
"That's all the more concerning Emma." Serafine pressed.
"I know that." Emma replied sharply, looking up at Serafine with fire in her eyes. "I get how dangerous this all is, how dangerous I am right now. I'm just as worried as you are. I know we have a long way to go before we figure this all out."
"And we have time to do that." The severity in Serafine's voice lessened, realizing her charge understood the gravity of the situation. "We will figure this all out Emma. That I can promise. Right now we need to focus on ensuring you are all right."
"I am." Emma promised her mentor. "Truly, I fell fine. It's surprising to me as well after everything that happened. But I am ok."
"You're lucky that is the case." Snow cut in, her gentle but firm voice in stark contrast to Serafine's earlier tone. "What you did was so incredibly dangerous. You promised you wouldn't get involved."
"In all fairness you had to know I would break that promise when I made it." Emma pointed out. "I am your daughter after all."
"So you're saying I can't trust you when you make promises like that?" Snow crossed her arms, looking pointedly at her daughter.
"You can trust me to always do whatever it takes to protect the people I love." Emma looked her mother in the eyes. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same if it had been Dad or Aunt Red there."
"That's not the same Emma." Snow countered.
"It's exactly the same." Emma replied firmly. "I understand your need to protect me. I do. And I am so grateful for it. But every man and women out there has a mother or father or spouse that would give anything to protect them. But they let them go because they know that they are risking their lives to defend their kingdom. I know that as a royal I can exempt myself from that duty, but what kind of example does that set? If their leader asks them to risk their lives but isn't willing to risk their own? And if that doesn't resonate with you as I suspect it does, could you really ask me to stand by and watch someone I love die knowing I could have done something to help?"
"I would be asking you to give up protecting someone you love so I could protect you." Snow replied slowly, the realization of what she was asking of her daughter weighing heavily on her mind. "I would be asking you to experience that pain, to protect myself from it."
"I know it's not easy to see things that way." Emma said gently. "Especially when someone you love is risking their life."
"Well you've never really made life easy." Snow looked up, a smile gracing her lips as she spoke. "Amazing, joyous, incredible, yes, but easy? Not so much."
"I'm pretty sure that's my job as a kid." Emma teased. She turned to Serafine, knowing there was something she still needed to apologize for. "I am sorry for running into battle without a plan or backup. I know it was careless, and I know it was impulsive, and I know it was completely against protocol. I apologize. But I don't regret it. Given the choice, I would do it again without a thought."
"I know." Serafine sighed. "It's part of what makes you so challenging as a student." A rare smile graced her lips. "And so amazing as a leader."
"So this is all really over?" Emma asked hesitantly. "Ten years leading up to war, countless lives lost fighting it in almost every realm and in one day here, it's over?"
"It is finally over." Emma looked up to see James entering the tent, bruised and battered, but alive. Emma could feel the tightness in her chest lessen, the fear that the prophecy might have been true, that her father might have truly been a casualty of the war, no longer plaguing her every thought. James walked over to his daughter, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so relieved to see you awake sweetheart."
"I'm relieved to see you alive." Emma took her father's outstretched hand. "I've never been so thankful to be wrong."
"You don't know how glad I am that you were wrong." James squeezed his daughter's hand.
"Wrong about what?" Snow looked between her husband and her daughter, trying to understand what the two were discussing.
"It's nothing important anymore." Emma shook her head, smiling at her father. "It was all just a bad dream. That's all it will ever be."
"Just a bad dream." James agreed.
Emma turned back to Serafine. "What I still don't understand is the prophecy, it said part of me had to die, but I don't feel any different, and Daniel's still here."
"Prophecies are powerful, they see the decisions and events that almost always occur." Serafine explained to her charge. "But they do not determine the future, they just predict it. The most powerful thing you can understand is that your fate is your own to decide. It may take great struggle to change the future, but nothing is ever set in stone."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "And that's something you didn't think to teach us in those endless lessons of yours?"
"It's an important lesson to learn." Serafine continued. "But it's also a dangerous one. Many people die trying to change their future. It's rarely worth the risk."
"But for me there was no other choice." Emma replied, realizing what Serafine was trying to tell her.
"I believed in you." Serafine assured her charge. "I have always believed in you. You are more powerful than any of us realizes. It is not just your magic, but your strength of character, your willingness to do what is right no matter the cost. You don't see the world as black and white. You see the shades of grey in everyone, the good and bad, and you accept it. That is what makes you truly extraordinary."
"It's what's always made you extraordinary." Snow ran her hand over her daughter's hair, looking at Emma with unconditional love.
James looked over to the woman who had spent ten years raising his daughter into the strong young woman she was today. "So what comes next?"
"Well as for the future of your realm, that is the jurisdiction of you and your fellow rulers. You may deal with your war criminals as you see fit. You will have no further interference from us. But I suspect you were asking more for your daughter's sake. Her future is up to her. It is her decision where she chooses to remain." Serafine looked at Emma. "Though, if I know her at all, I suspect I already know her decision. I ask only that you allow her to return to Altair regularly for training sessions so we may continue to understand and learn to control the power that resides within her."
"Of course." Snow answered readily. She looked back to her daughter, realizing the decision was not hers to make. "I mean, if that's what Emma wants."
All three sets of eyes suddenly turned to focus on her. She knew in all likelihood she could ask for more time, she had been through a lot, she had endured a lot, she knew these three people who cared so much for her would give her that request. But Serafine was right. In her heart she did know what she wanted. Regardless of how things had happened, she was eternally grateful for her life in Altair. It had made her strong and independent, it had challenged her to be open to the different ways of life, to not judge others simply because the values of the world they grew up in was different. It had showed her what she was capable of, to be proud of who she was and the gift she had given. Her time in Altair had taught how to respect her power, how to wield it, how to manage the responsibility and expectations that came as a result. She had a life of adventure and experience, but more than anything it had given her friends, people who could understand her, who understood what she was going through in a way no one else could. But as much as Altair felt like her home, as much as it would always feel like her home, her return to the land of her birth had made her realize what she had missed. That despite all the support, and opportunity, and adventure that she thought had been enough for her, it had never been able to replace the emptiness left by the loss of her family. She knew in her heart not only where she needed to be; but where she wanted to be. And while she couldn't have both worlds in their entirety, she could still have them both in her life. She looked back at the three pairs of eyes watching her expectantly before giving a small nod. "It is."
"Well we have plenty of time to figure out how that will work. And of course there will be a festival in Altair to celebrate her ascension." Serafine continued, glancing up at Emma's parents. "The both of you are welcome to attend. As her family it should be no problem to get you permission to remain in our land."
"Ascension?" James looked at Serafine questioningly.
"As the Great, the magical being that oversees all those who possess magic." Serafine looked at Emma proudly. "The worlds have been waiting a very long time for her, they all long to celebrate the dawning of her Era."
"So she'll be their ruler?" James asked slowly, unsure exactly what this meant for her daughter. "Is that what they are celebrating?"
"Not exactly." Serafine shook her head. "She does not control any of the magical realms, though she does have the power to keep them in check if need be. The Great acts more so as a counselor, someone who's purpose is to keep peace and balance within all the realms. Of course she is still young and will not truly step into the role in this capacity until she is older. But even now, she holds the title."
Snow tightened her grip around her' daughters hand, fearing what that might mean for her future. "Does this mean she will have to leave us when that time comes?"
"Not necessarily." Serafine assured Snow, seeing the worry and fear on her face. "She can choose to fulfill her duties while she remains here. She will just have to learn to balance her roles when she is needed in other realms. It will be difficult, but I trust she can manage."
"That sounds wonderfully ambiguous." Emma mused.
"There is no guide-book for this." Serafine apologized. "And unfortunately the one person who was supposed to teach you succumbed to greed and power."
"Mohrion was supposed to teach her?" Snow asked in disbelief.
"As each Great's Era ends, they are supposed to teach and guide the next Great at the beginning of their journey." Serafine attempted to explain. "They are the only ones who can understand the position they are in. "
"Well it wouldn't be my life if it wasn't a challenge." Emma rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Emma looked to Serafine. "Not that I don't appreciate you being here but isn't your responsibility elsewhere? Reorganizing our people, helping the council pass judgment on war criminals, accounting for… for those we've lost."
Serafine shook her head. "You know far too much about my responsibilities for your own good."
"I can study you just as much as you can study me." Emma gave a simple shrug. "We've been studying your routines and casing your habits for years. How do you think you we snuck out so much?"
Serafine set her mouth in a line, but a sparkle played at her eyes, giving her amusement away. "I find it amusing you think you snuck out without being noticed."
"We snuck out before we were noticed." Emma pointed out.
"Touche" Serafine conceded. "But yes, I am needed elsewhere. I only wanted to ensure you were all right and to clarify what would happen next."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "And to chastise me for my imprudent behavior."
"Well that is my job." Serafine reminded the girl, straightening up and regaining her usual stoic poise. "I shall return soon as we still have much to discuss regarding your future, but for now I can see you are in good hands."
"Thank you." James spoke up. "For everything you've done for our daughter. No matter how we may feel about how it happened, you protected her for ten years, and in doing so gave us the rest of her life. You taught her to be a strong, independent, and an incredible young woman. There is no end to the depth of our gratitude for that."
"Well I owe you my thanks as well." Serafine replied honestly. "Training Emma was one of the greatest pleasure of my life. But I cannot take credit for all of those qualities you just listed. I believe they come more from you than from me. I am sorry for the pain I have caused your family. And I hope more than anything you can finally have time to just be with one another. But as Emma has pointed out, I must go as I am needed elsewhere." Serafine turned one final glance to her student. "Once I have everything settled I will return to talk with both you and Daniel. We have much to discuss."
"I'll be waiting." Emma assured her. With a small nod, Serafine was gone, vanished into thin air without a sound, surprising both James and Snow. James recovered first, turning to his daughter, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as he smiled at her lovingly. "Well my darling, I am needed out on the battlefield to deal with the aftermath. But when I return to the castle I promise we will put aside all royal duties and spend time together as a family."
"That sounds pretty incredible." Emma agreed. James squeezed her shoulder, smiling at the two most important women in his life. "My loves, I shall return to you both soon."
Snow reached out and brushed her daughter's hair out of her face. "I know you're father has already said it, but we are so thankful you are ok. I don't know what I would have done if…" Snow trailed off, unable to continue.
"Hey." Emma grabbed her mother's hand, trying to provide her comfort. "Don't think about what might have been. I didn't happen. I'm still here. I'm stubborn, just like you and dad. It's not that easy to get rid of me."
"It was just…" Snow bit her lip and shook her head. "Watching you at there, and then when you disappeared and I didn't know if I…"
"I know." Emma nodded. She understood what her mother had felt; she had felt it herself. "It scared me too… terrified me, honestly. I knew what could happen, but it didn't, and that's what matters. That's what we need to focus on. We can't live in fear, especially not of things that didn't happen."
Snow wrapped her hand tighter around her daughter's. "How did you become so incredibly wise at such a young age."
"Honestly, I attribute it to rigorous daily training but we can pretend I'm just amazing." Emma teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"Knock, knock?" Both looked up toward the tent entrance at the new voice. A relieved smile crossed Emma's face as she caught sight of the familiar blonde mop of hair.
"Chris." Snow greeted the boy warmly. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, all things considered." Chris nodded wearily before gesturing to Emma. "I'm more worried about that one. May I enter?"
"Of course." Snow replied. Chris didn't hesitate, immediately moving to Emma's side and wrapping an arm around her.
"And I'm fine Chris." Emma assured him, leaning into his hug. "There's no need to worry. If anything I should be the one worried about you. Taking on Regina? What were you thinking?"
"I uh…" Chris looked over at Snow, debating whether or not to speak.
Snow took this as her cue to leave, realizing the two needed a moment alone. "I'll just be outside." She locked eyes with her daughter. "Call if you need anything."
"I will." Emma promised. Snow studied her for a moment longer before finally acquiescing. Snow pressed a quick kiss onto her daughter's temple before excusing herself from the tent. Emma looked back at Chris, confusion etched across her face. "What was that about?"
Chris gave a small shrug before allowing the admission to slip out. "I didn't want your mother to hear."
"Hear what?" Emma prompted.
"The reason I chose to fight Regina." Chris explained. "She was going after your father."
"Why would that…?" Emma stopped, her eyes widening in realization as what Chris was saying sunk in. "You know?"
"I do." Chris nodded slowly. "Your father mentioned it to me last night."
"Why? Why would it…" Emma shook her head. "It doesn't really matter. What matters is that you risked your life for his. Which is incredibly stupid, but also incredibly sweet. And it means the world to me. So thank you."
"I was only doing my duty. He would have done the same thing for me. But speaking of stupid things, what about you? What you did with Regina out there? Why did you do that?" Chris studied Emma's face, searching for an answer. "Why would you risk your magic… for me?"
Emma's face softened. She reached out to take his hand, rubbing her thumb over his hand. "How can you not know the answer to that question?" She looked up into his eyes. "There's no world where I could stand by and watch you die. I couldn't live with myself if I did that. And honestly I wouldn't want to."
Chris's hand tightened around Emma's at her admission. "You don't know how much it means for me to hear you say that. Outside of a sense of duty, I'm not sure how many people would truly make that sacrifice for me."
"I had a plan the entire time." Emma reminded him.
"Yes." Chris nodded slowly. "But we both know it might not have worked out."
"Yeah, don't make my mother aware of that." Emma gave a small laugh. "She's already freaked out enough as it is."
"That is not surprising considering who your mother is and everything you've been through." Chris paused. "This may sound weird but there is something I was wondering about?"
"Yes?" Emma asked.
"It's something that Serafine said, it made me think back to something I read in the library in Altair." Chris looked up. Emma could see in his eyes that he was afraid to ask his question. "These era's that represent each Great's reign, they're long… aren't they?"
Emma nodded slowly, realizing exactly what Chris was piecing together. "They are."
"Longer than a normal life?" Chris asked quietly.
Emma took a deep breath. She knew that the people she cared for would find out eventually, but she had hoped to have more time to figure out how to handle the situation. But it appeared that that hope was not to be. "Yes."
"And a Great survives even past their era in order to teach and advise the next one." Chris continued.
"That would be correct." Emma admitted softly.
"So how..." Chris stopped, his thoughts were racing through his head faster than he could process them. "Will you not age the same as the rest of us?"
"Inherently magical beings live far longer than normal humans. We are not immortal, our magic just extends our lifespans, and our aging process." Emma explained slowly, not sure how exactly to explain something so complicated in a short answer. "However we can choose to give that up if there is a reason, for instance someone we want to grow old with. "
"So you give up your immortality for love?" Chris asked.
"It's not immortality but yes, more or less." Emma nodded.
"But if you do that, won't the world be left without a Great until the dawning of the next era?" Chris questioned.
"Things work a bit differently for me. I can choose to forgo my extended youth, to age with the ones I love." Emma answered. "But when I die, if it is a natural death, I will not leave this world like everyone else. I will be returned to Altair, to live out the remainder of my Era."
"You'll be reborn?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
"In a manner of speaking." Emma nodded. The explanation wasn't technically correct, but it was close enough for the moment. "But when it happens, I will never be able to return to the realm in which I chose to live. To them I will be dead."
"Wow." Chris breathed. "That's… that is truly tragic."
Emma looked down, her eyes tracing the pattern of the cushion she was sitting on. It wasn't something she wanted to think about. She knew she would have to deal with it all eventually, but it was just too much for her to process in the moment. "It is the price we pay for loving someone who is not like us."
Chris picked up on Emma's discomfort and, despite having many more questions, decided not to push her any further. "We don't have to talk about this anymore if you don't want to."
"It's not that I don't want to it's just…" Emma trailed off.
"It's that you don't want to." Chris finished knowingly.
"It's a lot to have to think about when you've never really considered the possibility before." Emma admitted. "Honestly I never thought I'd be in this position. I never thought there'd be anyone I'd want to give it up for, and now… Well now it's not something I have to worry about for a while so I'm going to be irresponsible and push off dealing with it."
"You're a teenager, you're supposed to be irresponsible." Chris teased.
"Yes well I think we've all established I'm not a normal teenager." Emma rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Emma sighed, her eyes looking around the war tent. "I know that this is probably a really good learning opportunity for us, but since our parents are here, we don't actually have to be here to deal with all of this do we?"
"Technically no." Chris shook his head.
"So how would you feel about finding Daniel and getting out of here?" Emma asked hopefully. "I think I've had enough war and battles for a very long time."
A smile crossed Chris's face as he held out his hand to help Emma up. "Nothing would make me happier."