Snow strode purposefully up the slight incline. She glanced at the field that was once been sown with wheat but now it's sadly neglected. Not that Snow wanted it that way, but the war had made life in Enchanted Forest overwhelmingly oppressive. She's not a farmer but a great hunter and a good cooker. She struggled to tend to the fields without David. Snow stopped, lifted her head up to the heavens, and surveyed the coming storm. She secretly prayed for David, he's never seen or heard ever again. She suspected that he's been in prison or trapped somewhere under Evil's Queen. As she walked, waves of memories swept over her, running from Evil Queen, meeting David, and most blessing of all, her Emma. She changed her last name to Swan to keep her a secret from Evil Queen.
She hated this war, every day of her life from the beginning, she hates being without David, she's another casualty of the war. The legacy of Snow White and Prince Charming, spreads throughout the Enchanted Forest and here I am, hidden in a small farmhouse, sharing with her daughter, Emma. She paid the price of her family and her community, the love of her people, her hair surly slowly turning gray prematurely.
Snow hoped Emma would get married, a good man to Bae, a son of the Dark One, but he's nothing like him. He has been kind to them, looking after them, sometimes he would come by and check on Emma. Snow has seen how well Emma knows how to cook, clean, and take care of a household. She's proud of her daughter and she's sure she'll make a capable wife, but she's out there, practicing swords and desires to fight along with brothers and sisters. She even made suggestions to Emma and once again dashed the hopes of her mother, went away without any firm commitment.
Snow smiled when she saw her daughter waiting for her at the gate. "Have you finished the chores?" She asked, knowing full well Emma hadn't. Emma was perfectly capable of spending the whole day reading or fighting, joining the ranks of men.
Emma nodded, "some," although not very convincingly since she got a stern look from Snow. "Did the pigs buy it?"
Snow sighed sadly, "yes. The dwarfs said they wanted it."
"Did you get any vegetables or meat?"
"We have enough and some to share." Snow ruffled Emma's golden curly hair, "I see there's a boy taken a liking to you."
Emma leaned against the fence and looked up into the dark heavens, "I do not care, Mama."
"Emma, Bae is a good man. What's wrong with him?"
Emma sighed, "he's old enough to be my brother or a father."
Snow stared open-mouthed at Emma, "he's handsome, Emma."
"Yes," Emma knows this, "I don't like older guys."
"You don't like tall boys. You don't like short boys or boys with brown hair or boys with black hair," Snow counted on her fingers the many variations of boys that Emma had rejected. "Child, are there any boys you like?"
Emma shrugged
"One day, you will have to settle on a boy because you're going to be left alone and nothing is worse than being left on a shelf for a young woman," Snow once again reminded Emma, although she knew there were worse things.
"One day, I'm going to meet someone who will be just right," Emma grins, "You'll see, Mama. That person won't have to ask twice."
"I hope so. I certainly hope so," Snow shook her head and walked inside to start dinner. "Go and feed the animals."
Emma was fed up with cleaning the house and her other chores when she wanted to fight, she wants to help and win the war. There were more exciting things to do. She wants to go down the river, read a book, practice magic and fight alongside with her brothers and sisters. Emma has gone behind the chicken shed for some quiet time; it had a small overhanging shingle that protected her from the rain. She groaned when she heard her mother's voice.
"yes, Mama," Emma muttered and got up from the ground, leaving the small magic book in the safe cache so that her mother will not see it and find out her secret. She rounded the corner to find Snow glaring at her.
"You know you have to help me get these chores done! Were you reading again?"
"I'm going to see the world one day. I will defeat Evil Queen and win this war," Emma mumbled, repeating what she had told Snow many times before, much to her mother's annoyance.
"The only place I want you to see right now is your room. Clean it up!"
"But, Mama …"
"Emma, please, don't argue with me," Snow let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'm going to leave here one day. You'll see."
Snow decided to humor Emma, "where would you go?"
"To be the best fighter in the entire Enchanted Forest, to bring back the White Kingdom. I want to be somebody, like Papa."
"You are somebody," Snow put her arm around Emma. "You are Emma Swan, my little rebellious savior at the moment, but generally a good girl."
"I want to leave."
"And leave me alone?"
Emma looked up into her mother's eyes, "You'll come with me. I'll take you home once I take the White Kingdom back."
Snow smiled at her young daughter, already a savior, "I want to see what's over there, beyond Enchanted Forest."
"What's out there is the Evil Queen's militias, they are crawling everywhere."
Emma angrily picked up the stone and threw it against the barn. Snow sighed deeply, "we can't leave, Emma. We can't go anywhere."
"Why can't we live with our aunt?" Emma grumbled, "I am not a child, mother! I'm nearly fifteen years old. I'm old enough to get married."
"Yes, you are old enough, but it's not safe. I hear stories of what happens when people got caught by Evil Queen. She's cruel and will torture us."
"Why can't Aunt Ruby come here?" Emma persisted.
"What did I just say about single travelers?"
"She's fearless. No one would try anything with Aunt Ruby, she will kill them all with one single bite, Mama." Emma begged to go with Aunt Ruby, "I want to be with her."
Snow put her arms around Emma and laughed, "Just because someone is a werewolf, doesn't make them invincible."
"No, but Aunt Ruby is."
"I wish we could join Ruby, but that can't happen," Snow hugged her daughter. "Have you seen August?"
"Not today. I'm going into town tomorrow. You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Emma looked at Snow, who had an anxious look on her face. Emma turned to see what attracted her mother's attention. A column of Evil Queen's militias and carriage passed through the dirt road, throwing up a cloud of dust in their wake. "Whose is that?"
"A new king," Snow replied, "I heard he was coming in today and it's not another of our commanders."
Emma grinned as she watched the procession pass through, "that fat fig got a very nice send-off by our boys."
"Emma, you shouldn't be happy about someone's death."
"Yes, I can and will not mourn for them, fucking pigs. I will dance on their graves, "Emma started dancing a jig as she swirled around the courtyard among the chickens. "I will dance on the graves of anyone who occupies our Enchanted Forest."
Snow shook her head and laughed, "my little savior, war is not a dance."
"No, but this is our home, Mama. This is my land and the pigs are invaders. We will beat them. I will find a way to beat Evil Queen," Emma determined to be a hero, looked at Snow and held her hand. "Don't worry, Mama, once this war is over. I'll get married to a nice person and everything will be perfect."