A/N: Hello all! Sorry for the late update. I really wanted to set them up to meet in this chapter, but I also wanted to post before the finale, but I still wanted to make sure I was using good-quality work, and so I had to postpone the update. I promise you another chapter this week, though, so you will finally see our heroes meet, in the same room! (or should I say ballroom?) Speaking of the finale, I should mention what spoilers this story will contain. I'll be using similar backstories for most of the characters, so as far as those go if you haven't watched up to 'Heroes and Villians' S4E12 of Once Upon a Time, you'll be in for a few surprises. I won't ignore the rest of the season, it's just that any spoilers that come from past that episode won't be at all obvious. If anything changes, I'll let you know before posting the offending chapter. There will, however, be many spoilers for the movie Anastasia, so I highly recommend you watch it before reading further. Also, I love hearing what you guys have to say, even if you're just letting me know a typo I missed (especially then!), so if you want to leave a review or message me, that would be fantastic! And with that, I'll leave you to it. Cheers, and enjoy!
CHAPTER 3
GIVEN THE NUMBER of women in the Royal City, Killian thought it would be far easier to find a princess-lookalike. After two days of excruciating auditions, they hadn't found anyone even remotely like the lost princess, and Grumpy was starting to get… well, grumpy.
"That's it, brother, game over." The dwarf grumbled as they left the theater.
"Not yet, my friend." Killian smirked.
"How? We've spent our last dime on this flea-infested theater, and we've got nothing to show for it! How are we supposed to pull the Lost Heiress con with no lost heiress?" Grumpy flung his hands around as he talked, and Killian took a few steps back. Dwarf he may be, but Grumpy's fists had some force to them.
"Ah, we'll find someone. If not here, there are plenty of wenches along the coast desperate for a better life. Until then, we'll just do what we usually do." Killian shrugged off Grumpy's concern.
"Steal? I thought this would put an end to our thieving days. Wasn't that the plan? Make enough money to buy a boat, sail the realms carefree and honest?" Grumpy's pleading tone was beginning to irritate Killian.
"Aye, and it still is, but the fact remains that we need to get a lass and ourselves all the way to Arendelle, and that will require some piracy. Unless you know another way past the Evil Queen's men?" Grumpy was silent. "I thought not. Cheer up, Grumpy! At least we're not homeless."
Killian strode ahead, making his way through the town towards the one roof that towered over all others.
"No, we're just living in a cursed castle." Grumpy muttered darkly, trudging after his friend.
EMMA GRINNED IN relief when she finally made it to the Royal City. She'd had a hard few days, making her way through the forest near the main road to avoid the Evil Queen's soldiers. After one to many close calls, where she'd been forced to dive into a snow bank to avoid their galloping horses and speeding carriages, she decided that the forest would be safer, if colder.
Henry loved the forest, romping through the snow and chasing squirrels up the trees. He even caught a rabbit, which made for a delicious supper. That was the one good thing that came out of her escapade three years ago; she learned how to survive in the forest.
Her thoughts of a warm bed and hot food were interrupted by harsh reality when she remembered that she had no money. The first few inns she passed wouldn't let her work for her food, and the last two had been completely full. Sighing, resigned to the fact that she'd be sleeping on the streets again, Emma hardly noticed the wizened old woman until she was nose to nose.
"You are looking for money, yes? Food?" The woman spoke with a strange accent, but Emma could make out her words.
"Uh, yes."
"See Killian, he can help you. Or you can help him. I forget which." The woman scratched her nose, puzzling over her dilemma.
"How?" Emma asked, suspicion coursing through her. Nobody in this world was kind to strangers, especially not grimy teenagers dressed in rags.
"He is looking for someone special, oh yes. You might be her, you might not. Either way, there's a meal in it for you, and your little pet." The woman bent to pet Henry, who seemed to like her. That more than anything decided it for Emma. If Henry liked the woman, then Emma could trust her.
"Where is this Killian?" She asked.
"At the old palace. But you didn't hear it from me!" The woman's voice fell to a hoarse whisper. Emma had to lean in to hear her, and her swan necklace fell out of her shirt. The old lady's eyes pounced on the metal bird, and she sucked in her breath. In one swift motion, far quicker than Emma thought the old woman could move, she grabbed the pendant and dropped it down Emma's blouse. Emma leapt back, startled.
"Best to keep that hidden, dear." Was all she said, before walking back the way she'd come. Emma didn't even have time to ask how to get to the palace, but she suspected it wouldn't be too hard. She'd seen the turrets peering over the roofs of the city, their shining grandeur silently judging Emma's raggedy clothing. Resisting the urge to poke her tongue out at the castle, she whistled to her runaway dog.
"C'mon, Henry. Let's go find our dinner." The puppy barked excitedly, and trotted after Emma.
ALL THE ROADS in the city eventually led to an empty town square, attached to a series of docks and boatsheds. From there, one long promenade paved the way up a slight incline to the Royal Palace. Small storefronts advertised seamstresses and bakers long since abandoned, their goods looted and the buildings turned into housing for those who could fight to keep them.
Emma would have felt out of place in the old city, walking past disapproving glares and frilly dresses, but in this new town she felt right at home. The few people she saw eyed her suspiciously, expecting her to be a threat to their property or here to challenge them for a store home. They needn't have worried. Emma had other plans.
Henry didn't like the street or the people, trotting close to Emma's skirts. Eventually she took pity on the pup and carried him past the occupied portion of the road. A quarter of a mile before the palace gates the buildings stopped, but the people refused to go nearer to the palace. Looking around her, Emma wondered why. The grassy plain was perfect to build shelter on, flat and soft. What was so bad about an old castle?
She felt a bit strange, walking through the gates of the castle and up one grand staircase after another. Shouldn't there be guards stopping riff-raff like her from entering, courtiers to look down their nose at her, servants scurrying around obeying orders? It didn't even look like the place had been looted, every shiny candlestick and pottery vase still perfectly in place.
Emma approached one of the vases, a beautiful white and blue piece painted with white swans and brown bears. Some shred of memory assaulted her senses, and she nearly dropped Henry on his head. The dog quickly righted himself, yipping in annoyance at his sudden reunion with the ground. Emma blinked, the memory gone.
"Sorry, Henry." She bent to pet the dog, then straightened and walked deeper into the castle. "It's just, this place… it's like a memory from a dream."
She pushed through a set of gilded doors and found herself in an enormous ballroom, lit by high windows and the fading afternoon sun. All the walls and pillars were crafted from white marble, and the dance floor was etched in a silver pattern of diamonds and stars. Emma was standing at the top of a grand staircase, curving slightly inward to the bottom.
Surrounding her were large portraits of what could only be the previous tenants, the royal families spanning back generations. She felt drawn to the newest, a smaller family, just the King, Queen and one Princess. Looking at the adoring way the girl's parents looked at her, even in a painting, made Emma's heart clench.
"Jealous of a painting? Really?" She asked herself, speaking out loud to come back to reality. "They're probably all dead, anyway. Don't see why else they'd want to leave."
Turning back to the staircase, she made her careful way down to the dance floor. Henry seemed to like this idea, hurtling down the steps and across the room, before skidding to a halt on the slippery floors.
"Easy there, boy!" Emma laughed, her voice echoing. She stopped, startled at the loud noise. The high ceiling carried her voice far, and she could hear sudden movement deeper in the castle. Uh oh.
"Henry, come here," she hissed, crouching to gather the puppy into her arms. She didn't see the man run into the room across from where she had entered.
"Hey! What are you doing in here?" Emma heard the shout, and her instincts kicked in. She ran.