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For a moment, the light blinded Emma and Elsa. They could hear the cheering crowd, but they could not see them. Emma vainly hoped that she had gone blind, for to acknowledge these people would almost be as if she was accepting Ingrid as the rightful Queen of Arendelle, which she clearly was not.
Elsa was still gripping Emma's hand. She had to believe what Emma had said, her promise to bring Elsa back to Storybrooke and to reunite her with Anna. It was all Elsa wanted. Family first, ironically it was what Ingrid believed too.
Despite Emma's vain attempts at believing she had actually gone blind, soon her eyes came to adjust to the bright white reflections that the light hit off snowy Arendelle. She glanced around the square, trying not to take in too much, but failing because she felt entitled to know about her surroundings entirely.
The square was enclosed by the castle itself and two fountains, frozen in theatrical shapes that could been seen as threatening, which was probably what Ingrid wanted. It was snowing, as Emma had expected and there were large snow drifts beginning to form despite the shovelling Emma could see the guards doing as she stood on the stone steps. Hundreds upon hundreds of people stood in the actual square itself, waving at the three of them, smiling and laughing, as if what was stood before them was a miracle. Chants of "Long live Queen Ingrid, Princess Emma and Princess Elsa!" rung through the air of the courtyard, making Emma shiver with embarrassment, although she told herself that it was just the cold.
"Wave Emma." Ingrid whispered, a fake smile plastered across her face. Emma obliged, she imagined that if she hadn't Ingrid would have used her magic to make her anyway, so it was pointless to object.
Emma was at a loss. She was the least experienced, having never grown up as a princess, as the other two had. Instead she thought back to how her Mother had carried herself when she was presiding over mayoral duties without Neal as a distraction. Emma straightened her back, put her free arm in front of her and waved like how she had watched the Queen of England do when she was young and watched her on the TV. Emma felt ridiculous. As a child she had sneered at the British royals for being so up themselves. Now here she was trying to emanate their very leader.
"Let's walk through the crowds." Ingrid said, delighted at the reception that she had created for herself. She motioned to the four guards and they made their way down the steps, towards the now kneeling crowds.
Ingrid walked in front and every so often she would touch a citizen on the head, or say a few words. Elsa felt physically sick. She knew most of the people Ingrid was addressing, for they belonged to her town, and it seemed Ingrid was only approaching the ones that she knew Elsa would know.
Emma, on the other hand, knew no one. A few people reached out to grab her dress or called her name but Emma kept her eyes on the back on Ingrid's collar, smiling blankly but with no real conviction.
Ingrid topped abruptly, and Emma almost walked into her. She was reaching down to talk to a boy with dark hair. Emma wasn't paying attention, until it dawned on her that Ingrid hadn't moved for a very long time. She looked to Elsa, who was staring, horrified, at the boy Ingrid was now kissing on the cheek. Emma looked down.
Henry.
There was no mistaking him. His dark hair and dark eyes matched his pale complexion. He was wearing different clothes. Pauper clothes. But that didn't matter, it was him. Emma opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Elsa grabbed her arm roughly.
"It's not him!" She whispered urgently "It's not him, it's like with Kristoff!" Elsa pulled Emma towards her. "Listen to me! Emma!"
But Emma was not listening, instead she pulled her arm away from Elsa and pushed Ingrid out the way, her eyes full of tears as she embraced her son.
"Henry, oh Henry!" She said, as she began to cry. "I'm so glad you are here!"
Emma hadn't realised it, but her son was pushing her away, crying out. Emma released him, shocked. The square had gone quiet.
"Henry?" She whispered.
"I'm sorry ma'am but this isn't your Henry. He's my son, and his name is Paul." A fat lady wearing and dirty apron pulled Henry away from Emma. Emma recoiled, unable to speak. Elsa grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her up.
"I'm sorry!" Elsa said. "Especially to Paul. My sister and I know someone from a different land who looks remarkably like your son." Elsa said, holding onto Emma's hand as she tried to get away.
Emma was panicking. Henry. Paul. What was happening? She tried to wriggle out of Elsa's firm grip but could not do so. She could feel tears threatening to spill over and she just wanted to get away, far, far away from this Henry who didn't know her. Of all the people Ingrid could have decided to bring back, Emma was not sure Ingrid could have topped it with this. Henry was her one true love, and now, he pushed her away when she tried to hug him.
Emma pulled away from Elsa, running back towards the castle as fast as her pink dress would allow her. She didn't stop until she was well inside the castle, sitting behind a curtain on a windowseat.
That was when Emma started to cry. FOr that long she had been able to hold it together. For that long no real threat to her family in storybrooke or her personal life had followed her to Arendelle. Now, Emma's world had crumbled. Henry had forgotten her or his memories of her had been taken. It was like Elsa said when Emma wasn't listening. He had had the same effect as Kristoff. He had no clue who she was. He even believed he had another Mother, perhaps a new Father and maybe some siblings too.
Elsa and Ingrid had finished the tour of the square. Elsa turned on Ingrid, holding her arm out in a threatening manner.
"What did you do to her son?" Elsa shouted.
Ingrid chuckled. "Only the same as I did to Kristoff."
"You have crushed her! She will never love you! We will never love you!" Around the two of them, the guards lingered in the shadows, staying out of the way of a fight which could involve dangerous magic.
"But Elsa, you will love me." Ingrid said as she pushed down Elsa's arm. "Once I give you these back." She held out two sparkly purple stones - Elsa knew it was their memories they had lost.
"Never!" Elsa walked away from Ingrid, turning her attention to finding Emma. It was easy, for it was as if every sound that Elsa heard escape from Emma's mouth as she tracked her down was set to the pitch and frequency that would shatter any sane or loving person's heart in a second. Elsa pulled back the curtain, revealing Emma, holding a hand to the window where she was sitting, watching the waves crash on the rocks of the palace wall, crying hysterically.
"Emma..." Elsa hummed as she sat at the other end of the windowseat. Emma looked at Elsa and looked out the window again, fed up of pretending.
"He doesn't even remember me." She whispered after watching a few more waves crash against the rocks.
"It's not him." Elsa replied, holding one of Emma's hands in her own.
"But it's him in body." Emma replied, turning to Elsa. "I've hardly known him, and he's been snatched from me again." A fresh wave of tears spilled over Emma's cheeks, her body shaking beneath Anna's dark pink cloak.
Elsa hardly knew what to say.
"He'll come back for you." Elsa said. "Anna was always there for me."
"Yes but you knew her." Emma shook her head, looking at her sodden dress that she had been using to wipe her eyes. "He has no idea who I am."
