The Swan Princess

Epilogue Part 1

The door to Granny's Diner swings open. It's unusually packed, with patrons filling the booths, lining the bar, and even a line for the dartboard. Twenty years have past since Emma and Hook left for the Enchanted Forest. Now, there is a cause for celebration. At long last, the barrier between the two worlds has been broken.

A mirror, not unlike the one that hangs above the mantle in Rumplestiltskin's old castle, hangs in the home that he and Belle have shared together for the last two decades. It has remained untouched, save for the little fingers of their son Maurice when he was still a toddler. The enchanted looking glass became a gateway between Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest when magic on both sides collided. This is cause for celebration indeed, for the Swan Princess has finally returned home.

"She's on her way." Emma calls out, and the diner is silent. Mary Margaret looks like she is ready to jump out of her chair, one hand holding tightly onto David's, the other holding her son Neal's. Henry leans against the wall next to the dartboard, a smirk on his face. The entire town is waiting to meet this child they've heard so much about, this child who is no longer a child, but Henry will only ever think of her as his baby sister. She's nearly twenty-one now, and he is already in his mid-thirties.

"Now, you've all been waiting for this moment for a year. We understand if you're anxious to speak with her. But she'll need some time to take this all in." Killian explains, one arm wrapped around Emma. "And we're sorry we didn't bring her here sooner. She needed to take a break from fairy tale life after... After everything she's been through."

And he's right. In the past five years, a civil war has all but destroyed the remainder of the Enchanted Forest. Those who opposed Zephyra and her forces had gone on a rampage, destroying her castle, burning the forest, and driving innocent citizens out. In an effort to stop the fighting, Zephyra had left the safety of the Jones family's cottage in the middle of the night and had given herself up to the rebellion. The next morning, they had held a public execution, to which the entire population of the Forest was witness. Eva was included.

Seeing the woman who had parented and mentally abused her for ten years, only to turn around and be a kind and loving mother for almost ten more years, murdered before her eyes had taken a toll on the young princess. When the portal had been found and she had stepped foot in Storybrooke, the first thing she had told her parents was, "I can't be here now. I'll be back soon." 

She'd written letters and kept in touch over time. She had all but given up on magic. She found herself living in New York, then Virginia, then California. And now she was ready to return to Storybrooke, to her family, and to her life.

The sound of the car pulling up brings all eyes to the closed door. The engine turns off, a door shuts, and faint steps are heard outside. Then, the door slowly creaks open, and Mary Margaret has to cover her mouth to keep from gasping audibly.

Eva looks around at the people she now considers "family." Her grandparents and her uncle sit at one booth, beaming at her like she is a newborn baby. Belle and Maurice are sitting at the bar, and Mr. Gold is holding the door open.

"Thanks." she half-whispers, and steps in so he can close it behind her. "Hello, everybody." She smiles and does another glance over the entire room. All she sees are smiles and teary eyes.

"Welcome home, dearie." Mr. Gold says as he pats her on the back, and the room is lively again as games, conversations, and a whole lot of crying commence.