To Drown or Swim

It was with a shaking hand that a young man with black hair and forest green eyes penned a letter, the last letter he would ever write as he sat in his quarters of the castle of his father. He tried to breathe deeply as he wrote the words he couldn't bring himself to speak to his family.

Oh, his family…what would they say? What would they think when they found this letter? When they realized what he'd done?

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes as his freehand came to rest on top of the small desk beside him so he could lean forward, forcing himself to breathe. He needed to remain focused, he needed to just…get the words out, he had little time if he was going to…

"Ethan!" a voice shouted moments before the door to his chambers were thrown open with such force that it slammed against the wall and bounced off.

"Leopold!" the young man, Ethan, gasped, his hand quickly curling into a fist, crumpling the paper into a tight wad when he spotted the person who had entered.

"Brother," Leopold beamed at him, striding over, his chest slightly puffed as it always seemed to be now that he was a married man, the same forest green eyes that he held sparkling in the light, "What's that?" he eyed the paper that Ethan was attempting to shove behind his back and into a pocket.

"Nothing," Ethan said quickly.

Leopold eyed him a moment before letting out a deep laugh, "Oh I see, trying to write up your coronation speech?"

Ethan nearly let out a breath as his brother's assumption, actually thankful, for the first time since Leopold had married that the man HAD married. All he had heard since the betrothal had been set was how lovely his future wife, Eva, was, how kind and gentle and pure and good. All he'd heard after was how wonderful she was. The only good thing that had come out of his brother's devotion to his wife was that Leopold was less…observant than he used to be. Had this been before the wedding, before he'd agreed to marry his Eva, he had no doubts that his brother would lunge forward and wrestle him for the paper in his hand, do whatever he could to pry it from his fingers and read the contents.

And that was not something he needed his brother to see, it was not something he needed anyone to see until the deeds listed in the letter were done.

Right now he silently thanked Queen Eva for her existence when he'd been cursing it only months earlier.

"Yes," he nodded, going with his brother's assumption, "Yes…it's not quite right yet."

"You'll get it," Leopold waved it off.

"Have you come here for a reason brother?" Ethan eyed him, "Or did you merely wish to scare me to death while also breaking my door?"

Leopold laughed again, "No, no, nothing like that, I merely came to collect you."

"Collect me?" Ethan shook his head, "For what?"

"Your fitting," Leopold smiled, "You're to be fitted one more time for your coronation clothing today!"

Ethan gave him a look, sighing, "Leopold, my last fitting was yesterday."

Leopold blinked, "Was it?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Your wife, unlike her daft husband, had mind to remember and collected me for it at the proper time. Do give her my thanks."

"Oh," Leopold said slowly, before smiling again, "Yes, Eva is a treasure isn't she?" he let out a sigh, "I truly do think I've found my true love, brother."

Ethan gave him a sad smile, "And I am happy for you."

Leopold looked at him, a teasing expression coming to his face, "And when shall we see you find the same?"

"Oh," Ethan shook his head, "I don't believe my true love is out there. I…I don't think I have one. It is said to be rare to find, and we cannot all be so lucky as you."

"I have hope for you yet brother," Leopold countered, "I did not find my true love till after I was crowned, perhaps it shall be the same for you."

"Perhaps," Ethan murmured, "Speaking of loves, should you not be attending to yours?" he glanced out the window, seeing that the sun was starting to set, "Do you not usually walk around the gardens at this time?"

The way Leopold's eyes widened and how quickly the man ran out of the room would have been amusing had he felt that emotion within him any longer.

Ethan waited a moment longer before he stood slowly and made his way to the doorway, staring out the hall in the direction his brother had gone before he shut the door. He turned, leaning against it, then let himself slide down to the floor, his knees curling up to rest his arms on, resting his head back against the wood so he might stare at the ceiling for a time.

He reached behind him and pulled the paper from his pocket, opening the crinkled pages and shaking his head, what had he been thinking writing a note?

His brother had reminded him of exactly what was driving him to this, to the message in the letter. And he couldn't, he couldn't do it, he couldn't leave a message as he'd planned, no…the reaction, the backlash if he were to explain that he was planning these events…it would be terrible for his parents and his brother and he didn't want to cause them any more harm than his actions undoubtedly would. He turned and tossed the ball into the fireplace nearby, a small fire burning within, quickly eating up the paper till there was nothing but ashes left.

He let his head fall forward, resting it in his hands as he groaned.

~8~

Ethan stood on the edge of a shore, a torch in hand, the full moon hanging high in the sky, just…staring out at the waves as they broke against the sand. It…had been surprisingly easy to sneak out of the castle, to make is way to the beach. It had also been surprisingly easy to decide to come there, no, not really, it hadn't been all that surprising.

He'd been planning this for months already, this exact event, at this place, on this night.

It had to be this night, the night before his coronation as king.

He closed his eyes just thinking about that, about the weight of the crown, about what it meant for his father. His mother and father were both the heirs of their kingdoms, two different kingdoms. His brother was the eldest, he was meant to inherit both, he should have inherited both. The kingdoms should have merged and become one larger realm and his brother would have been the king of it, he SHOULD be the king of both…

Not him, he shouldn't have a kingdom or a title of King or a crown…

And yet he was about to receive all of it, in mere hours unless he did this now.

He took a deep breath and walked to the edge of the shore, standing just before the water, the salted liquid barely brushing against the toes of his boots before he frowned. He probably should have thought more about this before he arrived. But it was difficult, more difficult to garner this little knowledge that he did have than it had been to sneak out of a fully alert castle.

This was a lair, a Siren lair, or so the whispers around the kingdom claimed. It was a small alcove, a nook tucked into the side of the sea. This was not where true Sirens of the Sea resided, they favored being out in the depths of the oceans, luring men to their doom. But, sometimes, they would come closer to shore, especially if there were towns and villages nearby that they could see their nature fulfilled with mere fishermen and cargo shippers. They didn't reside here, per say, they did not live in the little cove, but they rested there, at night, when there were few people out or near, they were said to rest until morning or before returning to the sea.

He hoped the whispers were right, NEEDED them to be true really. It had taken quite a few measures to find out where the particular cove that the sirens were said to be near was, but he'd finally worked it out. And now he was there…and he realized that he had no idea how to even summon a siren.

He let out the breath he'd taken, kicking the sand in frustration at his own stupidity. He needed a Siren to rise and greet him and he needed one soon…yet he hadn't stopped to think about what to do to lure one to him. He didn't know what he expected, it wasn't as though he thought they'd all be lounging about the rocks like mermaids were said to do, bathing in the moonlight or singing songs into the darkness. He didn't expect them to be flocked there, filling the cove, yet he had thought there would be something, some sign that there was even one siren about and…

"Oomph," he winced as a pebble struck him in the chest, the shock of it happening making step back more so than the actual force of the hit.

His head snapped up and he looked to the sea, to the reflection of the moon in the water…which was now rippling. He could feel his mouth drop open as he saw something light, nearly white, starting to rise from the deep…and realized it was hair. It was pale hair, the palest he'd seen in his life on anyone that was not an elder. It was so light he would have thought the hair was truly white had it not been for the gentle hue of the moon making him realize it was a light yellow. The hair revealed pale skin of a forehead, dark, dangerous eyes, a sharp nose, light pink lips that were curled into a dark smirk. His eyes trailed down the face of the woman that was rising from the ocean, down her long, exposed neck, down her bosom, though he quickly shook himself out of that and tried to pull his gaze away from that area, noting that she seemed almost dressed in seaweed that was covered in a net that hung off her one shoulder, the seaweed sparkling in the moonlight as though there were small crystals set into it or the net itself.

His gaze snapped back up to the woman's face when it reached her feet, covered by the netted green cloth of her skit and realized she'd finished rising. She was tall, thin, her head held high, chin slightly lifted, back far too rigid to be comfortable. But that wasn't what drew his gaze in more, it was how she was looking at him…with such dark promise in her eyes, as though she could give him everything he desired…

"I have never been attacked by a human with a pebble before," the woman spoke.

He would have been embarrassed by the groan he'd nearly released at the sound of her voice, sultry and deep, echoing out into the darkness and ringing in his ears…had he not been startled at her words, "Pebble?" he murmured, about to ask her what she meant, when he realized that a pebble had been thrown back at him. He must have kicked it out into the water when he'd kicked the sand, "My apologies," he bowed his head to her, "I did not mean to cause insult, merely was looking for some way to request your presence."

The woman tilted her head to the side, eyeing him, curious, "Why would a human, of all creatures, seek out me?"

"I sought a Siren."

"Ahh," she gave a slow nod, "And for what purpose?" she began to move towards him at a sedate pace, walking on top of the water, a sway in her hips that drew his gaze down to them for only a moment before she spoke again, "Do you wish to capture me?" she hummed, "Trap me? Attack me perhaps?"

"No," he shook his head, clearing his throat when his words came out far too breathy.

"No?" she raised a delicate eyebrow at that, reaching him just at the edge of the shore, she reached out and lightly touched the edge of his cloak, tracing her finger just within it, along the exposed skin of his shirt near his neck, "You plan nothing of the sort? Not trickery? No magnificent quest that must see a Siren dead for victory? No…challenges of valor and restraint?" she leaned in, whispering the last words to him.

"N…no," he closed his eyes, almost leaning towards her…

When she lashed out, gripping his neck with her other hand, her entire expression hardening into a snarl, "There is NO other reason to seek a Siren than to attack us!" she hissed at him, her voice taking on something far more dangerous than before, "Your kind," she sneered, tightening her hold on his neck, her strength keeping him from breaking free despite grabbing at her hands, "You land-walkers, you seek out our magic and kill us for bestowing it! You hunt us down for sport and for feats of heroism! We may be dark creatures but it is YOU who are the monsters!"

Ethan gasped as she shoved him backwards onto the sand, panting for breath though he made no move to scramble away from her as she towered over him.

"WHY do you come?" she snarled, "Why do you seek us out? Were you searching for our cove? Were you to discover our location so your other land-walkers could eradicate us? Attack us while we slept?!"

"No," he shook his head, trying to get up, moving to his knees to push himself up…

Before he could even blink the Siren was crouched before him, her hand snapping out to gather the cloth of his cloak and shirt in her hand, yanking him towards her, so close that her face was nearly nose to nose with his own.

"You are a threat to my family," she determined, "And I will end you…"

"Yes," he nodded, "Please."

Whatever the Siren was going to do, whichever method of death she had planned to use to see him vanquished…halted.

Her expression did not harden even a fraction, but her lips pursed, her eyes narrowing as she observed him for a long moment.

Ethan held his breath, not daring to speak, not daring to cause her to take back her promise of death.

But the Siren must have seen something in his eyes, for her lips curled into the darkest version of an amused smile he had ever seen, she looked as though she were entertained by the pathetic nature of something before her, which he could admit he rightly was.

"You wish to die."

It wasn't a question.

So he didn't bother to answer, she already knew the truth, he could hear it in the conviction and certainty with which she'd spoken.

"A land-walker…who wants to drown," she murmured, sounding as though she had made some sort of bizarre discover, "Now that is a novel thing," she tilted her head, studying him, her grip on him not lessening despite her obvious surprise…until, very suddenly, she tossed him back onto the shore once more, "Get yourself gone, land-walker."

"No!" he called as she turned to walk back into the ocean.

No, he couldn't…he couldn't let her leave, not now that he'd finally gotten a siren before him, he just couldn't let her go.

"Would you…would you disappoint your clan?" he asked her as she paused to give him a look over her shoulder.

She glared at him, though she turned to face him, "You know nothing about my clan or our ways."

"I know enough that what you're doing is against your nature," he stood, "Sirens…you drown those that you catch. You caught me, you would not let me go. That is not in the nature of Siren to let her prey escape."

"In what way were you ever prey?" she taunted him, "You came to me willingly, you came here," she gestured around, "Seeking a Siren. You found one, now leave."

"But…"

"You pose me no challenge in your compliance and desire to drown in my waters," she continued, "You are a worthless specimen," she eyed him, noting how he didn't flinch at her words but merely frowned, "For if there is no challenge, there is no worth in the kill, no joy to be had in it. I do not serve you humans, I do not fulfill your desires upon YOUR whim."

"A kill is a kill, isn't it?" he shook his head, "My life is worth as much as any other you would kill upon the open seas."

"A life given so willingly is a life worth nothing to the one who holds it," the Siren countered, "And worth less to me. Find a value in it, and then return, and I shall be all too glad to take it then."

And, with that, the woman stepped further and further into the waters, sinking down into them with each step, till she was gone, leaving him alone on the beach, his life still to live.

~8~

The next time he came to the shore was the very next night, a crown upon his head, a glare upon his face as he grabbed a rock instead of a pebble and purposefully threw it into the waters, disturbing them, "Are you happy!?" he shouted out at the waters as they calmed, "I'm still alive, thank you so VERY much."

It wasn't right, it wasn't what was supposed to happen. The Siren was meant to come to the surface, see him, attack, and drown him, ending his misery not refusing to and leaving him to live in it!

"Hello?!" he called, storming towards the water, causing all manner of noise as he splashed into it, wading to his waist, not caring if his kingly robe or ceremonial sword got soaked or rusted, "Thank you, you bloody cross beast! What would you like me to do? Hmm? What must I do for you to rise?" he asked when there was no sign of the siren. He huffed, recalling a slip she'd said the night before, and pulled his sword out, swinging it around, "Oi! Any Sirens out there? Come fight me! I'll kill the lot of you and be glad to do i…"

His words were cut off as something grabbed his leg and pulled him under the water mid shout, filling his lungs with water as he tried to take an unexpected gasp. He thrashed, naturally, fighting against the water filling him, till he saw it, saw her, pulling his leg, using the momentum of the water to propel him towards her, grabbing his shoulders and shoving him down into the beach just under his feet, holding him there as his body fought against her, despite his mind wanting this to happen. The murderous expression on her face at the threat he had made her family should have frightened him…had it not been what he had been planning for.

Unfortunately, he hadn't quite planned for her to throw him out of the water, literally, causing him to land on the beach, sprawled out on his back, coughing and rolling to his side to expel the water.

"Have you some mental affliction?" the Siren's voice echoed into the night as she rose to the edge of the water, "To threaten a Siren's family is to sign a death warrant."

"I…know… he managed to wheeze out, "You…would not…listen to me…last night."

Her eyes narrowed, "And you believed to threaten my family would cause me to react? I do not serve land-walkers, I shall not be a pawn in whatever game you intend to play."

"It's not a game!" he groaned, managing to get his breath back, "If it was…I would not be here. This is no game to me. This is my only option…or it was," he huffed.

"If you wish to die as keenly as you do, there are other ways than to drag myself and my clan into it," the Siren spat at him, eyeing him, "You are a king," she assessed, "I take your life, your kingdom takes mine and those of my family, and I will NEVER allow harm to befall them!"

Ethan frowned at that, blinking as he realized…he hadn't quite thought of that, of what the reaction would be for the sirens afterwards if he had gone through with his plans. He…hadn't quite thought of that, hadn't cared. He hadn't even thought that the Sirens could speak till last night but he had been so focused on the failure of his plans, so consumed by the events of the day, that he hadn't even realized that he thought them unintelligent creatures driven by instinct instead of reason.

But here she was, a siren, speaking to him, with actual words and cold logic.

"I…did not consider…"

"Consider us as beings to be concerned with?" the Siren cut in, "I am aware of what your kind thinks of us. I will not allow my actions to cause harm to my clan."

"I'm sorry," he offered, bowing his head, "I truly am…I…I just…" he sighed, "I needed your help, I needed a Siren to take my life. There was no other way."

She pursed her lips at that, "There are many ways to kill beyond drowning."

"I know THAT," he huffed, "I meant…there were no other options for one such as myself to take."

And that was true, there wasn't.

His brother was going to inherit the two kingdoms, it had all been planned, his brother had bene groomed from infancy to rule, it was in his heart and soul and character to be king, it was his destiny…but their parents had had a change of heart. His brother had a kindly heart, gentle and forgiving, he truly desired for his subjects to be happy, which was a noble sentiment…but foolish in that it was impossible, foolish in that it was neglectful to the kingdom as a whole to make every single person happy. He wouldn't manage, he would be taken advantage of, he would…be lenient when he needed to be firm.

It would be a ruin to him and the kingdoms as well.

A ruler needed a firmer heart, a stronger will than Leopold had, though he loved his brother dearly, even he could see that.

And so could their parents, they would not risk the fate of TWO kingdoms falling should Leopold's methods prove as ineffective as they all feared. They had spoken at length, consulted advisors, looked into lineage and inheritance, even spoken to Leopold about the thought of keeping the two kingdoms separate, bestowing one upon Leopold, their father's, and turning their mother's over to HIM. It had been done before, in titles, for the nobles. When a man had only daughters and no sons, as with his mother, there could be a way to carry on the lineage despite the lack of a son. If the daughter had TWO sons, the first would, naturally, be his father's heir. But the second…the second could be given its mother's name and title and inherit what she would have as their grandfather's heir instead of the mother.

He hadn't been prepared for it, he hadn't been groomed for it and he was…ill suited for it. He was as bad as Leopold in the reverse, he was too firm, too strict, his people would hate him. He hadn't been taught politics or negotiation, treasuries and banquets, treaties and lawmaking. He hadn't been taught anything that would fall into the realm of a king until only months ago.

And it was too much, it was all too much. The lessons and the pressure and the expectations that he be the king his brother wouldn't be, that he take upon himself the slack his brother would undoubtedly put on his own kingdom. It was too much, he was expected to go from spare heir to crowned King in mere months and he couldn't do it. He couldn't handle it, he couldn't take the pressure and the fear and the responsibility. He was miserable, he barely slept, he barely ate, he feared the future and the state that he would lead the kingdom to.

He just…he didn't want to do it any more, hadn't wanted to do it at all.

But he couldn't even step down. His parents had decreed the separate kingdoms already. If he abdicated, it would fall to another male heir to inherit it and it would break his mother's heart. He couldn't give up the throne either, he couldn't turn it down or it would be an insult to his parents and their faith in him. He could not physically say no to them, it was impossible…

But there was one way out, if he was not there any longer to claim the kingdom. If he were to disappear with the claim still on HIM, with the understanding that he had accepted it…if he disappeared, the kingdom would fall to Leopold instead as his 'heir.' He couldn't just disappear though, he was too recognized, he would be spotted and returned to the castle in no time. Which left only one more option, a more permanent method of disappearing.

Death.

To be honest…he had been considering it long before he thought about how it would keep the inheritance within his main family and send the kingdom back to Leopold. The pressure it was just too much, he truly just…he couldn't continue with it, he wanted it to stop and to end and to be free of it all…he'd contemplated what to do, how to do it. He had been writing his note before, had been about to leave it for the family so they would know he was sorry…

But it would be just as devastating to know that he was planning this. He'd just wanted to have some way to say goodbye to them, tell them he loved them, and that he was sorry he couldn't be the son and king they hoped for. As he gave it more thought, his method of death wouldn't have been believable if he left a note. To take his own life would be seen as him giving up his claim to the throne, it would be just like abdicating.

No, he had to make it seem like he'd been killed or that some sort of horrible accident had occurred.

And that was where the Sirens had come in.

They were well known throughout the realms, their magic a tale of caution to all those that came near a lake or travelled the sea. Anyone, anyone at all, even Leopold, could fall prey to them easily, could fall under their enchantments. Some heroes of legend had been able to free themselves from it in the past, some had been able to defeat the sirens and escape with their lives. But others hadn't. So many others had been drowned in the siren waters. It wouldn't be hard to believe that he might as well, that he hadn't been able to fight or had been caught unawares and killed.

He needed that, he'd realized, he needed to be killed instead of just…kill himself. Take his own life and he was forfeiting his mother's kingdom to someone else. But if he happened to…face a tragic accident, be murdered as it was, then Leopold would stand to inherit the kingdom. It would not be what their parents wanted, it would be the exact opposite of it, to give the man the kingdom they wished to save for HIM. But it would still be in the family and he had to hope that, maybe, his 'death' would help lessen his brother's naïve thoughts on happiness and goodwill and perhaps give his heart just the littlest pain to make him a stricter ruler. He had seen many people change after they lost someone they loved and he knew his brother loved him. He had seen many a person become someone different after another's death, colder, harder and while he doubted his brother would ever become a dark or hard or cold person, maybe just a little reality to his life and to face the harshness of life, to be unhappy himself would make him realize that you couldn't make every single person happy and not have a kingdom suffer for it.

But his plans had been dashed. He'd needed it to happen last night, not now. Die the night before his coronation and the next day, with everyone there for attendance and everything set up for the ceremony…and him not to arrive or be found floating in the waters…his brother could step into his place. As terrible as it was for his parents, as horrible as he knew it would be, they were royals, they were the king and queen until after the coronation was over, they would have to see it through for the sake of their many visiting guests, it could not be for nothing. And perhaps it would be a lesson to Leopold as well that, as badly as a king might be hurting, he had to put that aside for the people and do what was necessary, however much his brother would have raved and ranted against taking the crown.

Now though? Now he had no idea what to do. Now he was king of a kingdom he knew he was ill fit to rule.

And yet, even now, the desire to be relieved of the kingdom and the burden on him had only increased. He didn't care if he lived now, he was still unwed without a child for an heir, if he died, then his brother could still take over the kingdom though it would mean that HE would be listed in the history books as the king. He hadn't wanted that, he'd wanted no notoriety at all, he just…he couldn't stand it! He didn't want this, he couldn't bear it, but it was being forced on him and it was all too much.

He just wanted it to end.

"Please," he nearly begged, "It isn't too late. I need this to happen."

"I do not cater to the needs of the land-walkers nor others that would be threat to my family," the siren hissed, turning to leave once more.

"I'll come back!" he swore, giving her pause, "I'll come back. Every single day, until you do it."

The Siren narrowed her eyes to him, before slowly crouching down and scooping up a handful of water, clenching it in her fist, "Then this I swear upon the waves," she slowly let the water fall from her hand, "I, Ilayda, shall never take the life of this man,"

Ethan glared as he watched the Siren, Ilayda (who knew they had names?) slowly sink into the water. He cared not for her solemn oaths or swearing upon water, it was water, it was fluid and changeable in direction, just as the flow of a river or pour of water could be changed with effort. And he had that, he was not going to let this go. He could tell that it would just get worse, now that he was king, all the responsibility he'd only heard about and tried to prepare for would be actually upon him.

It was going to get so much worse now. The people would come to HIM for help, HE would be the one inspecting the guards and the villages, HE would be the one drafting the laws and maintaining order, the one in charge of passing judgment and orders of executions. He would be the one that must maintain the treasury, but supply his people, protect them but also train the soldiers. He would be the one handling sicknesses and famine, threats and treaties and…

He closed his eyes, feeling his heart racing painfully in his chest, and gripped it, he would be the one every single person turned to instead of his parents. It made him want to weep just thinking of it he had no idea how he would survive the coming days. He had to find some way for Ilayda to revoke her oath, to become her prey, he just…he had to. There was no other way to do this without dishonoring his family.

He forced his eyes open, taking a deep breath, and swore an oath himself. He would return, every night, to this very beach, and he would not leave until Ilayda had risen, until he had lured HER into taking his life. He doubted harm would befall her family afterwards, she would realize what threat might be coming for her and leave the cove, never to return, his people were not quite seafaring, they would not venture out that far over him. And if his brother did take his place on the throne the man was so softhearted he would give a simple speech about the dangers of the waters and not dare seek revenge, for that was too dark a deed to do.

Yes, he would return and find a way to get the bloody siren to do as was her nature.

Yet, as he turned to storm away from the beach, not once did he consider there were clearly OTHER Sirens there that he could find a way to lure out, as Ilayda had mentioned her clan, that she would not bring harm to them, they would have to be nearby for her to be concerned. Nor did he realize that…he now had a plan. He now had a desire to see the next night, to be on that beach and speak to that siren in particular, he already was thinking of what he would say or do on the morrow, considering what he would attempted the night after if it failed. He didn't realize that he was starting to look to the next day instead of wish this one was his last.

But, perhaps that would be beneficial in the end, if he were to look forward to the days to come for some reason. Perhaps it would make Ilayda think him willing and wanting to live instead.

Never did he consider that, perhaps, there was a chance it would actually make him willing and wanting to live instead.

And that he'd have a Siren to thank for it.

A/N: From what I understand, Ethan means firm and strong, which was fitting while also being ironic in the sense that Ethan wasn't quite at his strongest here, but later would grow to be the strong and firm one of the brothers ;) Also a little fitting and ironic is Ilayda (which I pronounce in my head as Ill-A-dah), which means 'water fairy' which is fitting because of water but ironic because she's certainly NOT a fairy and her daughter would one day come to dislike fairies too ;) But now we know Piper's parents names! :) King Ethan and Queen Ilayda :)

I wanted to sort of do a little prequel to Piper's story, like how she even came to be :) We'll also see the point where Ilayda decides to leave her family for Ethan (and why) and his family's reaction to her ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I can say there probably won't be a Regina/Robin encounter in this story, but Piper will encounter both of them separately. Robin's reaction to some things might be quite...surprising in how dark they actually are }:)

If Gold left for an extended period, it would depend, in this story, the reason behind it ;) He left Storybrooke once before, with Piper, to get Neal and they were both fine (for a reason I can't quite say just yet ;)). So, in this story, if he left the town like normal, he would be fine and so would Piper. Because they both left before and weren't affected by their hearts, I have another reason planned for what affected Gold this time ;) I felt like, in the show, they implied that Robin had only been in NY a few days and if he and Gold left around the same time, then Gold was only there a couple days too before his heart started to give. Which, to me, seemed to be just about the same amount of time he spent outside of Storybrooke when searching for Neal, so I didn't understand why he suddenly started to have his heart give out then so quickly. In the story, there'll be a different reason for his heart giving out than just that he left Storybrooke. In normal circumstances, their hearts would be fine. For the theory, in this story, Gold would probably be fine, and Piper would probably be fine, she'd still be in a magical area so his heart wasn't leaving to a place where the darkness could affect it, and her own heart in Gold wouldn't be affected because it's not HIS heart in his chest as he leaves ;)

I can say Emma and Henry will both give her a hug at different points yup ;)

I think David might get a little gold star like 'you tried!' lol :) As for Snow, it's definitely tricky for her, because it's almost like, even though she grew up with her cousin and saw her aunt, through a child's eyes she almost just brushed it aside, because only her cousin and aunt were like that and not like everyone else, so it's more like a quirk to her than a real and deep understanding into their nature. She's not a siren so she can't possibly understand what Piper feels about family, she can be told about it, see actions of it, but she has no idea just how deep the feeling goes. She tries to understand and learn about Sirens, but, for her, it's one of those things that she'll never full grasp till she can experience it herself and there's no way for her to do that :( It's a little bit of both for Henry. He sort of wants it to be an Operation JUST for him and his mother, since he had one almost exclusively with Emma, he fully plans to let Piper and Gold in on it later, but for now he really wants to do this for his mother and have it be something for just the two of them :) Oh the Shattered Sight curse will be interesting to see. There will be quite a few twists coming that the other characters might not see coming or even...be a little angry about afterwards }:)

I definitely wanted to keep to the thought that Piper and Gold developed, Villains don't GET happy endings, they have to FIGHT for them, fight themselves at times to have it :) Season 4B will be a bit tricky for bonding, but Piper will very much still want to have Emma's back, though I can say there will be a very big couple of bonding moments coming up for Emma and Piper ;) Emma would definitely turn to Piper for both a villain and family's perspective on events. I can say it may be one of the very rare times where Piper fully condemns Snow's actions despite herself being a villain, though it'll be for a MUCH more personal and hurting reason than the mere crime of harming Lily }:)