*prepare for fluff and feels*
(Emma's POV)
We had been traveling non-stop for almost a week. To say 'my legs are sore' would be the understatement of the year; sitting atop a horse, your thighs against the tough leather of a saddle for several hours a day was exhausting. We had stayed the night in a clearing in the woods, next to a fire we had made, my head on Killian's shoulder.
When I woke up the next morning, Killian was stroking my hair "Good morning, Love." He said, as I opened my heavy eyelids. Sleeping in Killian's arms was definitely helping with the nightmares that came with being the Dark One.
"Five more minutes..." I slurred, my voice still heavy with weariness. I buried my face deeper into his chest.
All of the sudden, I was being lifted off the ground. I gasped in surprise as Killian threw me over his shoulders. "Sorry, Swan but I have a surprise, so we have to get moving." He placed me atop my horse and then tied it to his; before climbing up. I fell into an uncomfortable sleep in the saddle.
Before I knew it, Killian was gently shaking me awake. "Come on, Sleepyhead." I opened my eyes to find my self still on the horse, but our surroundings had changed. We were in a bustling town in front of a large castle.
"Where are we?" I wondered aloud.
"Your parents Kingdom. Welcome home, Swan." He said with a smile as he lifted me from the saddle. He gave his signature smirk. "Surprise." He whispered as he pulled me in for a kiss. I willingly pressed my lips to his, our movements in sync with each other's. His hands were wrapped tightly around my waist, and mine were wrapped around his neck; each of us trying to get closer to the other.
When we broke apart someone approached me. A person dressed finely in bright robes who looked as if he was trying to see me more clearly. When he came closer he immediately dropped to the ground, his mouth giving a surprised gasp. I leaned over to whisper in Killian's ear. "What's he doing?" I asked, obviously confused.
Before I could answer the man gave a nervous reply. "Princess Emma?" He gasped, and stuttered on the words.
"How did you know who I am?" I questioned.
"If your Highness would indulge me, I would like to show you." He said, rising from his bow with a hopeful look. He led us into the castle with ease, obviously knowing his way around the area. We arrived at the gate quickly. The large doors swung open to admit us. He led us into a hallway that had a multitude of paintings in it. "These are my works of art." He gestured to the paintings on the wall near the end of the hall.
The wall closest to us had a long row of old family portraits; the paintings were of each generation of the royals one painting for each ancestor and their spouse, ending at my parents. The painting of my parents was beautiful, my mother was in a purple corseted gown, and my father in a fine vest, and leather pants; my mother's hair was long which surprised me, compared to her usual pixie cut. "You look so much like them." Killian said with a smile, I noticed that lately he had been smiling rather than smirking. I liked when he smiled it showed a sincere side of him that I liked to think was only for me.
The painter- Thomas he said his name was- guided us to the wall. "This," his heavily accented voice explained. "Is a wall of your family." He pointed to a portrait of my parents: my mom had flowers in her hair and was leaning on my dad's shoulder. "This is when they were expecting you." He explained, then he pointed to one of my dad dancing with someone, I looked closer to discover the someone was me.
"When did he have this painted?" I questioned.
"When they got sent back here, and found out your mom was once again expecting. Your dad came to me claiming he had a dream about dancing with you. He wanted me to paint the dream, so he gave me this to go off of." Thomas pointed to a pencil sketch of me, it was in exact likeness.
"Did my father draw this?" I asked, astonished at his artistic ability.
"Yes, he was always very good. When he asked me to paint this though, he was in a bad place, he was nearly driven mad with his need to reunite with you... Which caused this, he had it made while he was here." Thomas reached into a closet and pulled out a mannequin with the dress from the painting. The light blue tulle was lined with silver and jewels, intertwined with white feathers, the bottom flared out, causing the dress to be extremely fluffy.
But, I kind of like it.
"I will give you two some time to admire them, come find me when you are done." He said as he walked out the door.
I examined the dress before Killian assured me: "Try it on, it was made for you." He then turned his back to me, giving me some privacy to change.
Always the gentleman.
I had the dress on, but it wasn't laced up. "Killian can you help me?" I asked, suddenly extremely self conscious of my slightly exposed back, but he didn't mention it, or my flushed cheeks as he laced the back. He tied it at the end before whispering. "All done, Swan." Then, he turned me around so I was flush against him, his arms firmly around my waist. He gave me a small, soft kiss; then he moved one of his arms so that our hands were interlocking, and out to the side of us.
When I realized what he was doing it was too late to protest, he lead me around the floor guiding me through the intricate steps of the dance. I was doing much better than when we first came to the enchanted forest. Now, I actually had some experience in waltzing.
Once we finished the dance Thomas showed around the rest of the castle. But I had one thing left to do, get a present for Neal and my parents. I walked into what used to be my nursery. Like when I came here the first time- and first met Killian- the place was torn apart, ashes, and ripped toys everywhere. But there it was. On it's side, what could have been my crib. I saw it in the portrait of my parents earlier, and it gave me the idea to repurpose it for Neal. I walked over to it, setting it right-side-up. It was dusty and stained, but I could tell it was a light blue with intricate circles on the side, and a soft interior. I felt the magic bubbling in my chest, and let it out gently, so that it refurnished the crib.
Good as new.
And with that, I sent it off, transporting it to my parents apartment with a note inside it, and another special gift.
***
(Snow's POV)
I was sitting in the living room with Charming, we had been playing with Neal. When a gust of wind came in and something strange happened. In the nursery, on the opposite side of the apartment a crib appeared. I recognized it instantly, and the blue fabric blended nicely with my apartment. Emma's crib. I walked over to it, inside was a blanket, almost identical to Emma's but instead of purple writing: 'Neal' was seen into the soft white fabric in blue letters. Underneath that was a letter from Emma that said: Hey, mom and dad. I'm currently at your castle, with Killian, on my way to Merlin. I found a gift for you guys and for Neal. Thomas your painter made this all possible, so if you see him again I suggest giving him a raise.
Love, Emma
Also lying in the crib was a painting of Killian dancing with Emma in a blue ball gown with another note: For dad, Thomas told me about your dream. I'm so glad that I finally am getting the chance to be your little princess.
Love, Emma
Charming came over, and read the note, tears slipped from his eyes, and dropped down his smiling cheeks. "My little princess." He whispered.
***
Sorry this took so long, but I put a lot of thought- and time- into this! I hope you guys like it, I think it's my favorite chapter so far. It's REALLY LONG, but it's also really fluffy, which I like! Anyways, do you prefer long chapters with wait time, or quickly updated short chapters? And, which chapter is your favorite? Do you like multiple POVs or just one?
P.S. This is the longest chapter so far!