Misthaven Kingdom was finally in an era of peace. No longer did they have to worry about Regina gathering followers to rise up against them. No longer did they have to worry about Emma being swayed by dark magic, with it threatening to swallow her whole. No longer did they have to worry about her younger siblings being kidnapped, threatening to be sacrificed because a witch wanted to go back and change the past.

No, now, the world was quiet and peaceful. Even the Dark Ones had finally been tamed, after a hard-fought battle between love and darkness. She never would have thought that Rumplestiltskin had a son, and that said son would be so forgiving after everything he'd told her about his childhood.

"Emma, come on, it's time to get ready for the ball!" her mother called, and she groaned a little, rolling her eyes. As much as she liked attending balls, the process of getting ready for said balls could be… a lot, and rather annoying with everyone fluttering around her, making sure she was perfectly presentable, even though many of the invitees had seen her bloody and bruised on the battlefield during the war.

Oh well.

Snow White practically fluttered into the room, much like the birds she so loved to care for, followed by Emma's personal stylist carrying the dress she'd picked out ages ago.

She was eighteen now, and this ball was a birthday party doubled as her big debut to the eligible bachelors in the area. She wasn't forced into a betrothal, thank goodness, but her parents wanted her to begin looking for suitors.

Ugh.

She sat comfortably in front of the mirror, hands folded in front of her as her mother set a small flower crown on top with a smile.

"No royal jewels tonight, mother?" Emma asked with a curious look. "With tonight being for me to find a husband I would have thought…"

Her mother shook her head. "I thought this would go better with your dress."

Emma couldn't deny that, and she smiled. "I'm glad we got here, and that Regina and Zelena aren't issues for us anymore."

"I am too. Now then, your father has a special gift to give to you. Come in, Charming."

Her father entered then, dressed in a deep blue outfit and holding a small box in his hand. "Emma… you look beautiful. Are you ready for tonight?"

She nodded. "I get to celebrate my birthday. What could be better than that?"

He laughed a little. "Yeah, of course. I just wanted to give you one more gift before we go downstairs and greet our guests."

Emma took the box into her hands and pulled it open, finding a small pendant inside. It was less spectacular than most of her jewelry, but she honestly loved that. It looked almost homemade or at the very least, not made by one of the royal jewelers.

"It's beautiful, father… where did you get it?"

"It belonged to my mother. Your grandmother."

Emma's eyes widened. She knew her paternal grandmother had been killed by King George before she'd been born, but she didn't know her father had kept this necklace. "I love it even more, knowing it belonged to her," she said with a smile. "Mother, can you put it on me?"

Her mother nodded, carefully doing so. "You know, Emma, this pendant is enchanted by magic. If you hold it above your hand it'll tell you the gender of your firstborn child."

"Really?"

"I don't know if that's true. It was wrong for your mother," her father replied as they left the room and started making their way to the staircase, where they were announced as the royal family and joined the party below.

Her mother rolled her eyes and shook her head as she leaned to whisper in Emma's ear. "It was right, I just let him think it was wrong. North to south is a boy, east to west for a girl."

Emma concealed a giggle behind her hand as the family was finally introduced to the rest of the hall.

Emma took a deep breath and tried to put on a brave face as she danced with one potential suitor after another. Prince Philip the Second, Prince Ali of Agrabah, Prince Jack of Tintagel… all of them were nice, she supposed, but she just wasn't sure. So, once dinner was over and the dancing wore on, Emma stepped outside for some fresh air.

"I'm surprised to see the birthday girl out here all by herself," a voice said.

She looked over in surprise. "Bae! I was wondering if you were here!"

Bae stepped out from behind a statue. "Of course I'm here. I couldn't let you celebrate your birthday without me, right?" he teased with a grin. "Papa and Belle are here too, with Gideon. Don't worry, you won't have to worry about being set up with him, he's too young."

Emma laughed. "Yeah, I know. He's only five. Eva though…"

Neal threw his head back and laughed as well. "So why is the birthday girl all alone? One of your suitors couldn't keep you company?"

"I don't want them to, ugh. And they aren't suitors… just potential suitors," she replied with a frown. "I just needed some space to breathe, that's all."

He hummed. "Ah, I see. And the ball's still going for a few hours, right?"

Emma nodded.

"I think I can help you. I know a great place to watch the stars. Once the ball is over, meet me outside the palace gates and I'll take you there."

Emma could only grin. "It better be worth it."

"Oh, trust me, it will be."

She grinned, and felt her heart skip a beat, anticipation rising in her, but renewed with energy to see the ball through so she could see what he meant.

When the ball concluded, Emma sneaked through the servant's quarters - an old trick she'd learned long ago as a way to sneak through the castle to avoid her parents, and made her way outside, cloaked and dressed in riding gear. Baelfire met her outside the gates as he said, with his horse, and she climbed on behind him, before they galloped away, to a large hill overlooking Mishaven's largest village of Grimsund.

The stars were bright and clear, the only trees were behind them, the rest of the hill full of tall wildflowers and grasses.

"Oh wow…" she whispered. "What a beautiful area. How did you even find this place?"

Bae laid out a blanket on the ground, taking a seat on it and staring out at the stars above them. "This was the area where I grew up, before your ancestor's managed to take it over from the corrupt officials. It's the only thing that hasn't changed in three-hundred years."

Emma took a seat next to him. "Oh, wow… so you probably come here a lot, huh?"

"I used to, when I first came back from the Land Without Magic. It was the only place that felt familiar enough," he said with a frown. "But now I think I'm getting used to all the changes that have happened."

"I'm glad," she said with a smile. "What was it like? The Land Without Magic?"

He smiled a little. "It was… amazing. There was a giant sundial - no, wait, Wendy called it a clock - there to help the whole city tell time. And there were so many people, not like in these little villages too. The clothes were a little more comfortable too, honestly. And so were the people there." He had a faraway look in his eye that made her a little sad.

"That's good, I suppose."

"Yeah, it was good," he agreed. "So where'd you get that necklace? It's enchanted, isn't it?"

Emma blinked in surprise, one hand coming up to grasp the pendant. "Father gave it to me for my birthday. It was my grandmother's. How'd you guess it was enchanted?"

"Papa taught me to sense enchanted objects," he said with a shrug. "What's it do?"

"It tells you the sex of your firstborn child."

"Did you do it?"

Emma snorted. "Of course not! I'm not thinking of having a kid yet!"

He wrapped an arm around her, and she almost instinctively leaned into him. "Yea, of course not. You only just started getting suitors after all. Did you find your one true love tonight?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. No, not out of the guys that were there tonight, I don't think," she sighed, looking up at the sky.

"You don't think?" he asked with a raised brow.

Emma shrugged. "I like spending time with you, y'know?"

He grinned down at her. "I like spending time with you too. But are you sure it's a good idea for you to catch feelings for me? I mean, I'm not a prince."

"That didn't stop my mom," she said with a smirk.

He leaned closer, lips brushing against hers. "Mm, that's very true."

And with that, he swept her into a kiss, under Misthaven's starlit sky.