Welcome to the Family?

Ilayda had not known what it meant to fidget before Ethan had identified the odd habit she had seemed to develop while standing before the closed doors to the former King's private study, a study that now belonged to her betrothed…land-walkers, they had such odd names for their mates, most seeming to identify varying stages of this 'courtship' Ethan had mentioned to her. Why they could not just call their other half their mate was beyond her, but she was not in a position to truly question their customs.

She had been in the castle, Ethan's castle, in his kingdom for just shy a week, and didn't time move oddly for land-walkers as well. She kept time by the tides, by the moon or sun being in the sky, needing no other knowledge of minutes or hours or seconds, what purpose did they serve? She had been there a short time, she knew that much, and Ethan had already sent word to his parents, the former King and Queen of the land, that he had found a woman he wished to marry. He had assured her that his parents would love her, that he had made clear that this was not a flight of fancy, that he had been in contact with her for a year and had developed feelings for her. He had even gone so far as to claim that she would be an enormous benefit to the kingdom should they wed, how that was possible she didn't know. She was a banished, powerless, Siren trying to live on dry land with nothing else to her but her name now that her magic was gone.

Most would likely think that the reason for her fidgeting, for going back and forth from foot to foot while staring at the heavy wooden doors, that she was nervous to meet her mate's parents. But she truly was not worried nor did she care what they thought of her, so long as Ethan's heart hadn't changed, what his parents thought meant little to her. They weren't Ethan. No, her 'fidgeting' as Ethan called it was more a result of living her life in the sea and standing on the constantly moving water, she was unused to being motionless while standing and was compensating in using her normal method for stability. If she had felt nervous at all, it would have taken shape much earlier. Like when the people had first seen her enter the kingdom. There had been whispers of course, when she and Ethan had arrived at his castle the first day. She had taken a while to get used to walking on a floor that didn't shift and sway and sink beneath her, it had taken them longer than it should have to get to the castle and she had nearly lost balance more times than she cared to admit. The peasants were already out and about their business for the day, they had seen him leading her towards the castle, her clothing quite obviously of the sea being made of seaweed and netting, the king's own cloak thrown over her shoulders when she realized that she was cold. That was another odd sensation, warmth and chill, it didn't exist much in the waters, her magic kept her comfortable while below the waters and above. Now that she was without, she had started to shake till Ethan realized she wasn't reacting well to the temperature in her wet clothing and covered her.

The people had been startled, shocked, and very wary of her, seeming able to guess what she was by her appearance and clothing, likely what was told to them a Siren was by means of warning. They had been especially so when she entered the castle with the king and never stepped out of it again.

If Ethan's people reacted like that just from seeing her and having no other idea about his intentions with her…she could only imagine how his parents would react. She was almost intrigued as to what that would be. She had not heard any distinct shouting when the former royals had arrived, Ethan had rushed them into the castle and to the study to speak. She had been watching from her room high above and had later gone to try and distract herself in the garden where there was a large fountain situated, sitting on the edge of the stone and absently letting her hand drift along the waters within. She hadn't seen Ethan's parents since, but now she had been summoned to an audience with them.

She considered it lucky that it was to take place in the study and not the throne room though. She had seen Ethan hold court there briefly, it was an imposing room and without her magic she felt just slightly more intimidated by the humans than she normally would have, especially being so outnumbered by them, being essentially powerless to protect herself by her normal means, and knowing what humans naturally thought of her kind. Oh she had no doubts Ethan would keep true to his word and protect her, ensure she was safe, and cherish her as his wife, she did not doubt that at all. She had no need to fear his parents and had expressly said as much, which had only earned a light chuckle from Ethan when he asked why she appeared to be fidgeting with nerves at the mention of their arrival then. He had gone to see his parents shortly after, to explain the situation, and she waited till now. No, it was best in private than in public, she was not one to be open and warm to others who had not earned it, and she knew it would upset Ethan if she acted so to his parents in front of all his subjects.

She took a breath, shaking her head from her thoughts and straightening her spin, lifting her chin, she was NOT a simpering and weak human by any stretch of the imagination. Magic or no, she would hold herself with all the power and grace a Siren was meant to have. She would not back down, she would not cower before two land-walkers that meant little to her. Yes, they had been the king and queen, but they had since given up that power to Ethan, they gave up the title that gave them a say in the kingdom. And yes, they were her mate's family, but they were not HER family, not yet, perhaps not ever. If they disagreed with this pairing, then she was sure of two things. The first was that they would never be seen as family in her eyes, never be allowed into her heart as part of her new clan. The second…even if they disapproved, Ethan would still go through with their marriage. He had sworn that to her, no matter what they would wed.

With that in mind, she strode for the doors, pushing them open a little more forcefully than she intended but with a power that seemed to startle the older man and woman within. She gave a passing look at them, taking them in quickly as she entered. The former king was sitting before a small fire in the fireplace on a plush armchair, his wife across from him in an equally plush chair. Both were, she was sure the humans would think, elegant in their age, their faces devoid of the many wrinkles she had seen elderly peasants wearing, but with a line or two to show their age. Their hair was dark, already greying though, and they wore clothing of white with dark red and gold embellishments. They were ever the picture of royalty despite having stepped down to allow their sons to rule.

She made a small note to inquire where Ethan's brother was in this charming family reunion, but pushed the thought aside.

She pulled her gaze away from the former royals and towards Ethan, "My love."

Ethan's smile was radiant at her words as he quickly pushed away from the mantle of the fireplace he'd been leaning against to speak to his father to walk to her, taking her hand and quickly kissing the back of it, "My love," he repeated, a softer tone in his voice than had been in hers, but that was just how her voice was.

Unless she was singing, her voice and tone tended to remain the same, sounding impassive and cold to others, especially around others she didn't trust, but he looked more in her eyes when she spoke, he saw more of what she was feeling than her words expressed.

"Mother, father," he turned, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm, which drew her gaze down to it for a moment, still not used to the conventions and customs of the land-walkers, especially when it came to men and women, "I would like to present to you my future wife, Ilayda."

The former queen looked her up and down, her lips pursed in a tight line, "Pleasure."

Ilayda could feel her eyebrow raise at that, a gesture she had seen Ethan do when he was expressing curiosity or a sarcastic disbelief. The woman did not sound pleased at all, though Ilayda couldn't help but glance down at her attire at the critical look the woman was giving her.

It was a dark blue gown, simple but elegant, nothing too elaborate as she wasn't used to the corsets and other odd lacings and contraptions that seemed to come with a majority of gowns in court. Ethan seemed to have gone a bit mad with the seamstresses of town and even of the castle, requesting dresses in blues and greens and some browns, it appeared he was trying to give her a bit of the sea back, making gowns that were of the different hues of the ocean. She appreciated it, it did give her more confidence, a Siren of the Sea she may not be any longer, but the sea was still a part of her. It warmed her inside to know that Ethan didn't want to take away every part of her past. He had acknowledged that asking her to marry him would be asking much of her, of a Siren, because it would mean she'd have to leave the sea behind. But he didn't treat her like she was now a fully human woman. He took care to explain the oddities around her, he dressed her in blues, he had even been speaking to some odd inventor about if it would be possible to create a mattress that was filled with water as he knew she had been having difficulty sleeping in such a stationary bed. He wanted her to sing when she wanted, he let her be as distant as she pleased with others, he never forced her to conform to what would be expected of her as a human, he understood she wasn't one and wouldn't be one.

He loved her anyway.

He loved her because of it.

"Is it?" Ilayda fired right back at the woman, sounding not quite challenging, but almost careless, as though she didn't give a fig what the woman thought of her or if she liked her or considered it a pleasure to meet them either, which she didn't.

Instantly the former queen bristled, but Ethan let out a low chuckle, patting Ilayda's hand on his arm and offering his parents a smile, "Father?"

The former king rose to his feet but made no move to approach further, "So you are the one that wishes to marry my son."

"He wishes to marry me," Ilayda corrected, ignoring the distaste in his voice, "I merely accepted."

Ethan gave her a warm smile despite the frowns his parents were now wearing. He understood her better than they did. The fact that she had even accepted clearly meant, to her, that yes she did wish to marry Ethan. But she was also making a point to remind them that he DID want to marry her too.

"And you think you would be a good choice of Queen?" the man grunted in disapproval, he had given this kingdom to his second son instead of his first because he had thought Leopold, as beloved as he was, was too soft and kind to manage two kingdoms. He had never thought that would drive Ethan to choose a Siren, something known to be hard and cruel, to be his Queen!

"Father," Ethan frowned now.

"The King seems to," Ilayda responded coolly, "I should think he would know best what is good for his kingdom," she knew from their many talks how much he did care for his kingdom, he would not do something that would risk its well being, even if it meant not being with her.

"He would," the former king nodded, "If he were in his right mind."

Before Ethan could even defend his mental state, his mother was on her feet, "What did you do to our son?" she demanded, taking her position beside her husband, glaring at Ilayda, "We know what you are, a Siren," the sneer in the last word made her look as though she'd smelt something disgusting, "We know what they can do. You've bewitched him, haven't you?!"

"I have done no such thing," Ilayda glared at them.

"She can't," Ethan added, "Mother, father, in choosing to marry me she has left the sea. She has given up her magic to be with me. She can no more bewitch me now than anyone could short of striking up a deal with Rumpelstiltskin," he held up a hand, realizing his mistake the moment he said it, "And no, she has NOT done that either. Sirens are too clever to be taken in by his lies and loopholes."

"She must have done something!" his father shouted.

"She saved my life," Ethan stated, straightening up to stand as rigidly as Ilayda was despite how he sighed, "I did not wish to tell you this, to burden you with this knowledge but…" he looked at his love, "If it will help you see what she has already done for this kingdom," he turned back to his parents, "I met Ilayda when I went to the cove, hoping a Siren would be there to drown me."

"What?!" his mother gasped, her hand flying to her chest, over her heart as his father looked stunned.

"I didn't want to be king then," Ethan admitted, "I didn't think I could handle the burden. I thought that Leopold would be better for both kingdoms. I had it planned out, no one would fault a Siren for doing what their nature dictates, no one would fault me for 'falling under their spell' should my life end. I wanted it to happen…Ilayda," he looked at her again, smiling when he saw her looking back, all her attention on him as he spoke. He loved that about her, how she gave him attention when he spoke, listened to him, just as he did her, "She was the Siren I approached, and…she refused."

"You posed no challenge," Ilayda remarked dryly, sounding to the others as though she were expressing a defense she had used numerous times already.

Ethan smiled more at that, "That was her reason not to take my life, at first," he turned to his parents, seeing they were actually listening now, "But I kept challenging her, trying to trick her to do it…"

"You kept returning?" his father seemed horrified, whether from the fact his son had felt so lowly or that he hadn't noticed no one knew.

"I did," he nodded, "She kept refusing. Slowly, we began to talk. Slowly, the meetings became less of me wanting her to drown me and more…me wanting her to talk to me. We grew to respect and care for each other, to love one another," he lifted Ilayda's hand once more to press a kiss to it, holding it now instead of tucking it back into his arm, "She forsook her clan to stay with me, to marry me."

For one brief moment, Ethan thought his parents had finally grasped how important Iladya was to him, how much he needed and loved her, how she loved him…

But it was all torn apart when his mother's expression hardened, "No," she shook her head fiercely, "I refuse to believe that. You would NEVER…" she cut herself off, unable to even utter the thought of her son wanting to take his own life, instead, she turned her glare on Ilayda, "My son would NEVER marry a…a creature…" she sneered the last word, "Not unless enchanted!"

"Mother!" Ethan cried, appalled.

"You are correct," Ilayda spoke, startling the three of them, though Ethan was a bit more wary than his parents, seeing her starting to smirk, "Your son would not marry a creature. But my mate, he most certainly would. And he shall," she took a step away from Ethan, standing before the rigid former queen, "You have no power here," she warned the woman, "He is not YOUR son any longer. He is MINE."

Ethan was quite sure he should have felt a little less of a thrum through him when he heard Ilayda claiming him in such a way, as though he were an object to be possessed, but in the context of Sirens, he knew it was quite a different thing. She was claiming him into her clan, into her heart, somewhere he would forever stay so long as he never betrayed her (which he had no intentions of ever doing). She was letting his mother know that he was not some boy to be ordered about any longer, but the king, a mate of a Siren of the Sea, and that, as his mate, Ilayda would allow no one to manipulate or control him. It was her way of showing her protection, her possessiveness, and her love for him, to stand up to his parents in such a way.

He was sure, too, that he should have felt disheartened or even angry that she was making it so clear that he was HERS and not his parents' any longer. It felt, almost, as though she were trying to say he was no longer a part of their family but only Ilayda's. But he could concede to that, she had given up her entire clan, her home, her magic, for HIM, he could do this for her, he could cut the ties of power his parents had over him and claim her as his only family as well.

He was the king after all, his parents wanted him to be strong and able and unwavering.

"As she is mine," Ethan nodded, standing firm against his parents even as they looked at him, heartbroken and aghast, "You have no say in this," he agreed, "I wished for your approval, but I do not NEED it to marry my Queen."

And with that, Ilayda's smirk grew full blown.

~8~

Apparently, Ethan was quite the cunning mind in his own right, Ilayda could admit, as she stood before the steps of the castle, the former king and queen behind them, wearing rather forced smiles. Her own smile was a little more genuine as she watched Ethan half-run down the steps to greet the last member of the family to arrive, his brother Leopold and his own wife, Eva. It had been Ethan's plan, she now knew, for Leopold to have been there while he informed his parents of their upcoming marriage, knowing his brother would take the news far more easily than his parents would. Leopold had been unfortunately detained, his wife, Eva, had recently discovered she was carrying his first child and travel took them longer with how Leopold fretted over her. Still, he was there, and she could already tell that Ethan felt infinitely lighter and more hopeful that this small family reunion would turn out better.

"Leopold!" Ethan greeted, hugging his brother tightly, nearly lifting the man off his feet.

"Ethan," Leopold grinned, returning the hug, "Look at you," he pulled away, "My baby brother, now king of the land."

Ethan shoved him away for that remark, before looking at the young woman stepping out of the carriage after him, "Look at YOU," he smiled softly at a woman with pale skin and black hair, her stomach only barely hinting at the future rounding of a child within, hardly noticeable unless one knew or truly looked, "Eva, you are glowing."

"Thank you, Ethan," Eva smiled even as her gaze turned more suspicious, "YOU appear to be glowing as well, though I doubt it is for the same reason."

"Ah, yes," Ethan blushed, clearing his throat, "There is someone I would love you both to meet," he quickly turned and held out a hand for Ilayda, who slowly began to walk down the stairs to join him, taking his hand as she reached him, "Leopold, Eva, this is…" he smiled at her, "This is Ilayda. I intend to marry her."

"Marry?" Leopold's eyes widened, "But you're too young! Just a baby!"

Eva elbowed her husband in the side, knowing that he was teasing the poor boy and taking pity, "Congratulations," she stepped forward, hugging Ilayda, effectively startling the woman, "I wish you both every happiness."

"I…" Ilayda blinked at that, truly surprised the woman would say that, "Many thanks."

"You have a unique look to you, my Lady Ilayda," Leopold remarked, taking her in, noting that her hair was quite pale, her eyes very dark in comparison, her skin almost paler than his Eva's which was saying something, "Might I ask from which land you hail?"

"I hail from no land but the sea," Ilayda stated, not wishing to start with a lie, nor feeling any need to lie in the first place, she was proud of what she was.

"Beg pardon?" Leopold blinked.

"Yes," Ethan sighed, now it was his turn to fidget. His parents he could handle the disapproval of, his brother was another story. If he had to choose, he would pick Leopold's opinion over his mother and father every time he shared that close a bond with him. He dearly wanted his brother, and Eva, to accept Ilayda, "Ilayda…she's a Siren, Leopold. A Siren of the Sea."

Ilayda wasn't sure what to make of the wide-eyed looks she was now getting from the two people who had greeted her most warmly only moments ago.

~8~

Ilayda sat in the courtyard of the castle, looking up at an open window on the floor above her. She could still hear better than most humans and, while she was sure Ethan and Leopold were making every effort to be quiet and not be overheard, she could still make out their discussion from there.

While Eva and Leopold had been shocked at the revelation Ethan was going to marry a Siren, they hadn't had a chance to even comment on it before Ethan's parents were coming down to greet their other son and his human wife. She didn't miss the way that the two nearly fawned over Eva, how certain remarks and praises they made to her were clearly meant to be a dig at her and her creature-status. It bothered her not, she knew what she was, why would what anyone else had to say about it bother her? That was a fact that the former king and queen seemed to come to a realization about rather quickly when their remarks were met with apathy from her, and equal parts anger and unamusement from their son. They quickly gave up trying to irritate her via that method and instead turned to trying to just ignore her as best they could.

Leopold and Eva had been cordial, when they had been allowed to get a word in, polite to her, but she could sense a new distance, a wariness as they seemed to observe her more than speak to her. It was just as well for her, she cared not if they liked her…though she did know that Ethan, while feeling able to stand up to his parents for her, would be heartbroken to have to do the same to his brother. She knew the two men shared a strong bond, if he were forced to pick her over his brother as he had his parents, it would be very hard on him, it would cause a rift he would never recover from and she didn't want to do that. She hoped it wouldn't come to such a matter…the conversation going on above her, while not as supportive and thrilled as Ethan had hoped it would be, was less horrible than the one he had apparently had with his parents.

Leopold was above, in the rooms he'd been given for the stay, speaking to Ethan in what they thought was privacy. He wasn't shouting, which was, she assumed, a good sign, but he did not seem completely happy for his brother either. She could hear him asking questions about her, about how he could trust her, about how he knew that, as a dark-creature, she wasn't plotting some nefarious plot. To his credit, Leopold didn't sound as disgusted as his parents had been, he sounded genuinely concerned for his brother more so than the kingdom as the men's parents had been. Also to his credit, he listened to Ethan and his answers, he took time to process and asked different questions instead. He seemed to be trying to absorb everything and accept it for his brother's sake. She…appreciated the effort.

She could tell Leopold was hesitant, she did not fault him for it either, she knew what Sirens of the Sea were thought to be like, she was proud of it, she understood they were dark creatures by human terms, they were thought and proven to be dangerous and deadly, Ethan wouldn't have sought one out if they weren't. She knew her kind were not seen as anything good, but more monsters that needed to be destroyed, Sirens saw the humans to be the same. The fact that Leopold seemed to care about his brother's happiness and safety did mean quite a lot to her though. She was not one to hope, but she could feel a small stirring of it rising in her, that at least Leopold would support his brother or at least not be wholly opposed to their marriage.

"Oh!"

Ilayda blinked and looked over, startled by the sound of someone else, to see Eva had walked into the garden, "Queen Eva."

Eva gave her a small smile, shaking her head, "Eva, please," she offered, moving to sit on the fountain right beside her, closer than other humans would likely have sat, "We are, after all, to be sisters. There is no need for formalities between family."

Ilayda tilted her head as she observed the woman, sitting there and looking at the sky, absently fiddling with a red rose in her hand that she had plucked when she entered, but…not seeming at all worried that there was a creature next to her, not seeming concerned that there might be an attack waiting to happen. She didn't even seem to be acting like a Siren was there, but just…a person.

"WE are family?"

Eva blinked and turned her head to look at Ilayda, "I would like you to think of us, er, Leopold and I, as that, yes," she nodded, understanding that her in-laws were not likely to be counted as that any time soon.

"Why?" Ilayda shook her head, "You know what I am."

Eva nodded lightly, "I do," she agreed, glancing up at the open window, "And I know my husband is in there right now speaking to Ethan, wanting to ensure he has thought this match through, which, I know he has," she looked back at Ilayda, "Ethan is not one to go through with anything without a plan of some sort, without true and deep thought. He chose you for a reason, and that is good enough for me."

"Is it?" she seemed started at that, that someone could just…accept her that easily, especially someone that wasn't Ethan's blood-family.

"For me," Eva repeated, "I watched you, you know," she returned her attention back to the sky, "When everyone else was looking away, I looked at you and Ethan," she smiled, "He smiles around you. He was always so serious whenever I saw him, but he's smiling now. And that's because of you," she nodded to herself, "And you care for him a great deal, I can tell. I see how you two are together, when no one else is watching you, when you think it can be just the two of you for a moment. You love each other," she glanced down at her hands, at the rose, in thought, before focusing on Ilayda again, "I don't believe you would hurt him, anymore than I think Ethan could be capable of hurting you. You make him happy, and for that, why wouldn't I accept you as his wife?"

"I am a Siren," Ilayda stated, not entirely sure if she was actually arguing why Eva shouldn't accept her or curious to see what the woman would say. She thought it might be the latter reason, she had seen much opposition from everyone it seemed, she was curious what someone who seemed to accept her would think, how they would reason that.

"Yes, you are. But you're here, with Ethan. I may not know much of Sirens, but I do know that their power is tied to the sea," she gestured around, "There is no sea here. You chose Ethan, over being a Siren. And that has to mean something," she eyed Ilayda as she looked down, "A great deal of something, I'd say."

"I have…given up my home," Ilayda admitted, feeling surprisingly like she could actually talk to Eva, "My family, my magic…for Ethan."

"Because you love him."

"Because I love him," she nodded.

Eva reached over to put her hand on Ilayda's as it rested in the woman's lap, squeezing it, "Love is the greatest magic of them all, you'll see, I bet it will win over the kingdom in time."

"I am not…one to hope," Ilayda shook her head, that seemed quite far fetched to her, that anyone in the kingdom would accept her as Queen just because she loved Ethan. She knew something of land-walkers and their marriages, especially among nobility, they were not always done for love.

"Well, I have enough for the both of us," Eva shrugged lightly, though she seemed to grow just a little thoughtful, "I have to believe in hope, I have to believe that people can change for the better."

Ilayda gave her an odd look for that, before tilting her head, eyeing Eva more critically than before. The woman was pale, unnaturally pale, and thin…far thinner than she should be for being with-child, she doubted that part of anatomy was so different between human and Siren, "Are you well?"

"Hmm?" Eva blinked, shaken from her thoughts, "I'm fine," she tried to smile reassuringly, "Don't worry for me."

"You are cursed," Ilayda stated bluntly, making Eva's eyes widen in shock, "I may not possess magic, but I can still recognize it. You have been cursed."

"Yes," Eva whispered, glancing at the open window, "You can't tell anyone," she squeezed Ilayda's hand more tightly, "Please, not even Leopold knows and, with the baby, he'll fret and I don't know what he'd do if…"

"It is not my secret to tell," Ilayda said simply, "I have no say in what you do or do not tell your husband."

Eva gave her an almost chastising look for that, as though she were trying to say that, while she appreciated the sentiment, the way that had been phrased had been in poor taste. She took a breath, "An old…rival," she supplied, "For Leopold's hand. She has been studying magic, she cursed me when she found out I was expecting Leopold's heir," Ilayda was silent, waiting for her to continue or not, but it seemed Eva had been waiting quite a long while to get this off her chest, to have someone to confide in, "I was not always…the most accepting person, the kindest, the most pure of heart," she gave a bitter laugh at that, "I was spoiled and cruel and selfish once upon a time," she looked down at the rose in her hand, her mind flitting to the white variety of the flower, how pure it was, "That's what the curse feeds on, all that darkness in me."

"The child…"

"Will be fine," Eva assured her, looking up, "I have a magical ally," she added, "She has assured me that my child will be well, that…that I might survive longer than I thought. The curse cannot be broken," she explained, "It can be prolonged though, with good intentions and kindness, with love and compassion, everything I hadn't been. I changed, for my child," she patted her stomach, "So I might be there for them, to see them grow up as long as I can before the curse takes me."

Ilayda looked at Eva's stomach, hesitating just a moment before reaching out her free hand to lightly place it on the woman's abdomen, inhaling softly when she felt the firmness there, the child not large enough to be felt moving but the tightness alone signalling a child within, "I will watch over your child," she promised the woman, "I will accept them as family," she glanced up at Eva, "As you have accepted me."

Eva could feel tears gathering in her eyes at that. She knew enough of Sirens to know how protective and caring they were for their families, to hear Ilayda promise that her child would be looked after once she was gone, that it would have a mother-figure and someone to care for it, even if it was a Siren, especially that it was a Siren…it was a relief she hadn't known she needed till now. Her child would always be safe and protected so long as Ilayda was alive and from what she knew, not much could take out a Siren.

Eva felt herself smile at that, "Thank you," she whispered, holding up the red rose almost as a gift, almost as a symbol of her welcome to the family.

Ilayda shook her head, "It is I that should thank you," she pulled away slightly, giving Eva the smallest of smiles, genuine smiles, when she accepted the proffered rose, "Sister."

Eva could only beam in return, she may not be able to control her in-laws or even her husband's thoughts on Ilayda (though she didn't doubt Leopold would come around once he saw how happy his brother truly was), but she knew herself and she knew what SHE thought.

From this point on, Ilayda was family.

A/N: I always wondered what could have happened to Eva that made her change so much from the sort of spoiled brat she was to the kind and generous Queen we saw when she died. I got the impression from the episode where Eva died that she had been poisoned more so than just had an illness, but in order to poison someone for that long, I can't see even Cora managing it, so I thought maybe it was a curse, especially with how fixated Cora was on turning Snow White's heart dark, it made me think darkness had something to do with Eva's death. Sort of like how darkness seems to poison someone, Cora managed to make it manifest in Eva as an illness, the more negative thoughts or feelings or actions she has, the worse she gets, the happier and kinder and more compassionate she is counteracts the speed of the curse. It can't be stopped, because Eva spent quite a few years being less-than-kind and the curse fed on that, but it could be slowed down to the point where Eva managed to make it a good number of years before her body just gave out. Just my little headcanon ;)

I also really wanted to show sort of a difference in generations here too. Ethan's parents know Sirens only for being evil and think their son MUST have been taken advantage of, he's their baby after all and to a parent their child is always too young. Leopold knows his brother well enough to try and be civil and then give Ilayda a chance, to be more open. It might take him longer than Eva, who has her own reasons for accepting Iladya, but he will eventually care about her as family. And their daughter will be raised to love her aunt and cousin, Siren or not...or so I think they'd hope ;)

And a little bitty hint of Piper in there too, seems red roses became a little symbolic to Ilayda ;)

Also, tiny apology. I've been trying to get the links on my profile to work for a few different sites that should have links on them. But FF is being weird and all my attempts never show up :( I'll keep trying though :)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll have to wait and see when the others find out about little Golden Rosebud ;)

I hope you do well on your exam and second presentation! :)

I can't say what the baby will be just yet }:) They seem to have a run of sons going on, but a daughter would be adorable too and, I think, something they would both want to try their hand at raising too :)

At this point, I sort of feel I'd take a copout ending of no one can leave the Underworld and so they all just end up in 'heaven' which is living in heaven's version of Storybrooke even if it means we don't see baby Neal or Robin's daughter again, just so the show can finally END. I mean, Snowing cheated death, which I doubt he'd be happy about, Emma's trying to cheat death and bring back someone that legitimately died and if we assume her and Hook being Dark Ones linked them then technically an argument could be made that Emma belongs in the Underworld with Hook being tied to him, Gold technically sort of died when he dealt with Pan, and Regina and Robin have the Fury to sort out (as the writers never explained if it just was defeated for a moment or if the five people gave up portions of their lives to equal out Robin's remaining life). None of them should really be coming back from the Underworld at this rate :/ It made sense to me and sounds like a very cool concept ;) And thanks! I'll definitely check it out :)

I sort of feel like the entire town's been brainwashed to that too. Like before the Snow Queen was revealed, the town was ready to angry-mob hunt Elsa over Marian, not even listening to Archie try and say they should talk to her or considering she might be scared and her magic reacted :/ I think it's definitely the fairytale-ness of it, it's always so black and white with them, most people from the land without magic seem to be of the understanding not everything is black and white, or at least they eventually remember that. That bothers me too, how the characters just seem to forget everything that happened for the now, I try to have Piper bring up the past when that happens, but I can say that Emma will, very soon, do the same. There'll definitely be some carry over into Series 5 for Piper and Snow, and Emma will definitely need more than what the show provided to work past what her parents did }:) Oh I fully plan to have Emma being the Dark One affect her more and have more a lasting impact on her, especially when it comes to her understanding of the villains and the darkness ;) And yes, I have a VERY big twist for why Emma becomes the Dark One. Hook may or may not be involved on the surface, but there is a much, much deeper reason in this story }:) (I have to do the evil smirk but I wish there was an even more evil emoticon to express my grin right now lol). We'll have to wait and see what siren-traits Emma has that may or may not be influenced by the Dark One though ;)

Piper was definitely my reason to watch Season 5, in a way though she was also sort of what made it worse. Like an OC should not be the only thing that keeps me watching a show. The more I was frustrated with the show, the more Piper popped into my head, and the more I started to dislike the season because her reactions to events just made everything seem that much more stupid to me because they were stupid and ridiculous to her :( Sort of a catch-22 for me there :( I won't be getting my hopes up for the second half of the season :( The Hook twist threw me off too, after spending 300 years learning every detail about the Dark One, Hook really didn't realize that he hadn't slept in days and wasn't even tired? :/ I'm torn about how he was as the Dark One. On one hand, it was excellent to see a really 'evil' Dark One and see him just give in to being evil, but on the other hand it sort of felt like he was doing it in retaliation to Emma hiding it from him and not because he was just being evil. He shouldn't have needed to remember becoming the Dark One for him to be dark, sort of thing. It still felt like what he was doing was based around Emma. Before it was what he could do good to make her like him, this time it was what he could do bad to hurt her, still always around Emma :/ Yeah, Maleficent and Lily disappeared quickly (will NOT be happening in at least one of my OUAT stories, I can tell you that). But then again, huge deal about Neal and he barely appears. Huge deal about Zelena's baby and Robin and Regina just waltz into the Underworld without a thought to her or even Roland. I feel like the writers are making the same mistake I've actually seen a fanfiction writer or two make (thinking mostly on past plagiarizers of my stories though since I don't look at many other stories but that), of bringing in way too many OCs and just losing track of them and the plot in general :( And no worries, vent away! :)

Oh Snow's guilt, I am waiting for just the right moment for her to feel that doozy }:) Charming never really liked Piper so his going along with Snow is expected I think, but I can say that he will feel quite guilty at one point too ;)

I have some twists to deal with the Robin mess, I agree I want Regina and Emma to finally be happy. Zelena really was NOT necessary to bring back and, in my opinion, if it had really been Marian that would have opened up SO MUCH possibility for character development. But I guess the writers lost their touch on how to really do that after season 1 and are loving their plots more than the characters :( I can say that, in one story I have planned, we'll see a unique dynamic between Emma and August, mostly in the future AU for this story where Piper does raise Emma. They'd grow up together as siblings and just thinking about Emma having a brother and a family from the start makes for a very different Emma and a different trust system and bond for her and him ;)

Oh Snow and Charming have not yet even begun to feel the consequences of their actions in this story }:) There's still much more to come for them ;) I've started to take what the writers say with a grain of salt, so to speak. I remember reading they also said, when Zelena came back, that hers and Regina's relationship as sisters would be a main focus and that she'd be redeemed through Regina and building that relationship back up...and that went out the window pretty quickly. I wouldn't put it past them to say Belle didn't know and will confront Regina, and then have Regina say 'You told me I could but I made you forget' just as a way to end an issue before it begins or even have them say it will happen but it never does, which seems the more likely at the moment to me :(

I think Snow is basing all her feelings about Neal possibly going dark on Emma. Like she realized what she did was wrong, even if she won't admit it, and since she can't do what she did to Emma to Neal, she's just going to have to actually RAISE him and hope for the best. Or she hasn't had any visions or warnings or prophecies about her baby boy being dark. Or she's thinking that, because he was 'innocence' in Zelena's time travel spell that he is light and innocent and without the potential darkness, because how can he be dark and also innocent? Or she's hoping that it's just a female thing, her aunt, her cousin, her daughter being all females that Neal, being a boy, would be safe. She's got a whole list of reasons, some based in a denial that 'it CAN'T happen a second time!', for why Neal won't have the potential to go dark like Emma did. We'll definitely see someone bring up Neal to Snow and her thoughts on it though ;)

I think that Maleficent and Piper would definitely bond if given the chance. Maleficent might take time to reach that point though, because she wants to focus on her daughter once she gets her back and a part of her still associates Piper with Snow White on some level. But once she is fully driven away from Snow and Maleficent sees that she'd probably be a little more open to a new friendship, especially with Regina now being pro-Snow. There won't be much time for it to happen in this story, but I can say that I do have plans for Maleficent to be around in the first half of Season 5 more than she is in the show and it will have something to do with Piper yup ;) For a moment I thought Lily's father was 'The Dragon' that August met, but Lily's coloring and features don't quite fit and, from what I've seen, the casting has usually been very good about the likenesses of their characters. I don't know who he could be, but I'm interested to find out :) I'm not quite sure it's canon that a year passed between Gold being banished and returning. Everything I've read online for recaps and summaries says the mid-season break was 6 weeks, and that the absolute most time that passed between Gold's banishment and his heart giving out was about 9 weeks. In canon, the actual episodes, the first episode after the break Hook specifies 'it's been 6 weeks!' and then in Heart of Gold the captions specify that it's been 9 weeks since Robin left to the point where Regina calls him and decides to rescue him immediately after. So really, it was only about 2-3 months going (about 9 weeks by this point), no deviation here ;) The show does seem to like making it hard to keep track of time lol :)

Oh Snow will definitely have to prove herself to Piper as she now knows Snow would be willing to rip the darkness out of a baby }:) Talk about Snow finally facing consequences lol :) I like to think Emma is getting a bit of Siren coming out in pausing to think about things more, like she's just slightly more distant in the story than in the show and, through knowing Piper, now knows there's usually more going on than what meets the eye. Her trust is hard to earn but once you have it, Emma would trust you and give you the chance to hear you out, I like to think :) She's more reasonable when it comes to Piper too, because Piper has always been the most honest with her and she has seen just how far Piper would go to keep her family safe, so for her to just 180 or do something that seems to be against all that, makes Emma go 'hold on, this is nothing like what I KNOW for a FACT about her, something else HAS to be going on.' I can say we'll definitely see more of Grey-Emma in the AU for this story once I get to it, she'll have been raised by Piper and understand better than anyone the balance and how not everything is good or evil, she'll want her magic to be more oriented and be less afraid of the dark magics and even dark acts ;) Snow will definitely learn about the ritual, but I can't say when or how it comes about just yet ;) I hope we see more of Neal too, I'd love for him to come back and it might be possible since he seemed to have basically traded his life for Gold's in the show, maybe if Gold agreed to stay in the Underworld the debt would be reversed? Not sure, but even if he can't be rescued, I hope that he at least becomes their guide in the Underworld for quite a few episodes :) I tried to get my dad to watch Tut, but he fell asleep about 20 minutes into it, which made sense, he also fell asleep during the 5th Harry Potter movie when I got him to go see it with me. I'm glad your grandmother enjoyed it at least :)