Six-year-old Emma Swan ran across the room of her thatched-roof home and jumped up on her father's lap as he sat by a roaring fire, warming himself after a long day of tending the sheep on the farm his family had managed for multiple generations. Colliding directly with his abdomen, David Swan clutched his stomach as his daughter laughed, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the sight of her father in pain caused by her actions.
"Well hello to you, too," David remarked, rubbing his daughter's head and effectively messing up the meticulous blonde braids her mother had spent so long ensuring would stay intact throughout the day. Emma just giggled up at her father, pushing his hand away, while David snuck his other hand around and tickled Emma's ribs, causing her to squeal with delight.
"Daddy!" David just laughed and wrapped his arms around his daughter tightly. When they parted, they heard someone enter the room, and both father and daughter looked up to see Mary Margaret, David's wife and Emma's mother, walk in from the outdoors.
"The two of you are making such a noise! I could hear you clear from the other side of the barn," she remarked, smiling at her husband and daughter, who both returned her look with bright smiles.
"She started it!" David yelped, rubbing his stomach once again as he remembered the onslaught of force from Emma a few minutes earlier.
"I gave Daddy a stomachache," Emma remarked, giggling again at her own antics. Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow at her daughter and grinned at her family.
"I see," she started. "And did Daddy do that to your hair in retaliation?" Mary Margaret asked, motioning to the mess of blonde curls that made up Emma's hair. Emma looked at her quizzically.
"What's 'ree-tal-A-shun'?" Both David and Mary Margaret smiled jovially at Emma's attempt to understand the new word.
"Retaliation, my girl," Mary Margaret reiterated.
"It means to get back at me!" David remarked, and went back to attacking his young daughter with ticklish fingers to her ribs. Emma roared with laughter once more, and it rang out throughout their small house. Mary Margaret shook her head and turned towards the kitchen, a smile playing across her lips as she listened to her family giggle.
After a few moments, David and Emma calmed themselves and set about discussing their day. David learned all about Emma's busy morning of searching for bugs in the flower beds and moving them into the pasture so her flowers wouldn't get eaten, and how she had helped Mary Margaret with hanging up their clothes to dry from the wash. David looked at her skeptically when Emma told him she had hung two of his shirts all by herself.
"It's true, David," Mary Margaret said from the other side of the room. "She hung them all by herself while she stood atop the very chair you sit in now." Mary Margaret smiled at David, and he returned the sentiment, understanding etched in his eyes. He then turned his gaze back to his daughter.
"Well while you were out protecting the flowers and helping your mother with the chores, I got you a present." Emma's eyes went wide with excitement and David mimicked her expression as she leapt off his lap and danced around him, begging him to show her the newfound treasure he had tucked away.
"What is it, Daddy?" Emma pressed. She began to pull on his arm, hoping that would entice him to reveal the surprise sooner. David let go of his daughter's hands and turned his back to her as he fetched something from behind the chair. Emma waited patiently at his side, having trouble standing still as the thrill of her new gift pulsed through her tiny body.
With a sudden movement, David whipped back around and presented a beautifully carved piece of wood and handed it to Emma. But when Emma grabbed it from him, she had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to be.
"What is it?" Emma asked, looking at the piece of wood with a confused expression. David looked down at her.
"Well, it's a sword of course!"
"A sword?!" Mary Margaret screeched from the other side of the house. David winced at her voice and prepared himself for an onslaught as she rounded the corner and came up to them. "David Swan, please tell me you did not just give our daughter a weapon! A sword?! What were you thinki—"
"A wooden sword," David explained, interrupting Mary Margaret on her rampage. As soon as she looked down at Emma and the fine-crafted wooden sword, she relaxed, but only a little.
"Oh."
"Look Mommy! Look how pretty it is!" Emma exclaimed, holding the sword by the blade instead of by it's grip and waving it about. David laughed.
"Emma, let me show you," David said, taking the sword from her hand. "You have to hold it here," he started, placing the hilt in his hand and wrapping his fingers around the grip, the pommel in line below his wrist. "You have to hold it tightly so you won't drop it, but not too tight so that you can't fight. The blade - the pointy end there - stays far away from you. That's the part you stick into the bad guy!" David thrust forward pretending to impale an enemy and Emma scrunched up her face, causing him to laugh.
"David..." Mary Margaret tested. David looked over at her and wiped the grin clear off his face. He kept his eyes on his wife as he began his next sentence.
"Ah, but we don't want to do that." David nodded quickly to Mary Margaret, then returned his gaze to Emma, making sure to capture her attention so she would hear him through and through. "Never fight with your sword with the intent of hurting anyone. Use it for protection only. Protect yourself, and your family - the ones you love. But never pick up a sword just because you're mad or angry and want to see someone hurt. Do you understand?" David asked, continuing to look into Emma's eyes. Her young face looked straight at her father in a way that seemed to tell David that she understood completely.
"Yes, Daddy. I only use it to protect you and Mommy." David nodded in agreement.
"That's right. But in order to protect us, you will have to learn how to use it the right way, don't you think?" David asked Emma. She nodded her head vigorously, a wide smile spreading across her face. David returned the grin then looked over at Mary Margaret. "What do you say, Mommy? Can Emma and I go outside and start learning how to use a sword?" Emma's mother shook her head and laughed.
"I don't know if I'll even be able to stop you both," she murmured, to which David and Emma looked at each other with glee and started for the door. But Mary Margaret's voice stopped them before they ventured outside. "Only for a little while though! Supper will be ready soon, and I expect you both in here and washed up when I call for you."
"Understood, m'lady," David said. Then he ran over to his wife, placed a big and rather loud kiss on her cheek, and returned to his daughter. "Shall we?" And with that, he scooped both Emma and her new sword up into his arms, and walked through their door to the outside to begin.
Ten Years Later
Emma felt the air push against her face as the swish of a sword flew mere inches away from her nose. She jumped back and brought her own sword up to block the next swing as it went for her midsection. The swords smashed together with a loud clang, and she placed her other hand against the hilt to brace against the strike from her opponent. They pushed against one another, their swords sliding across each other, the sound of screeching metal filling her mind. She felt a surge of energy start at her toes and rush like fire through her bones and muscle, and she pushed with all of her might against the sword of her opponent. She was successful, and watched her opponent stumble backwards. While attempting to right their stance and re-engage in their swordfight, Emma brought the tip of her sword up to her opponent's neck, causing them alarm and to stop dead in their tracks. She had succeeded in beating them, and it was time for the finish.
Emma stepped back and laughed, letting her sword fall to the ground, then placing it back into the scabbard she wore on her belt. She used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow and glanced up at her opponent, who was now looking off into the distance and avoiding eye contact with her. He continued to look anywhere but in the direction of Emma as he placed his sword in his own scabbard.
"Oh don't tell me you are sore at me now!" Emma exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders while the man walked away from her. "I won fair and square, and you know it." The man continued to ignore Emma, distancing himself further away from her and refusing to acknowledge the fact that she even existed. Emma scoffed, then ran after the man. As she caught up to him, she placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to stop and turn to her.
"If you must know, I do not enjoy being bested by a...a..." the man started.
"A girl?" Emma provided, raising one eyebrow and smirking at the man.
"Yes, alright? I bloody well hate it when you win," the man grunted, shrugging Emma's hand off his shoulder and continuing on the path back to their village.
"Killian, really?" Emma asked, trotting up to him again and falling into step beside him. "Don't be this way. You know you're the best one around for me to battle with. If I didn't have you around, I wouldn't be as good as I am. And besides, I rarely ever best you."
Killian Jones looked down at his best friend and took into account that she seemed to just be trying to butter him up and inflate his ego a bit, something she did when she wanted something from him. Whether it was because she actually meant what she said, or she just wanted to make sure he stuck around to fence with her at any time, he didn't bother to dwell on. The coddling and ego boost did the trick, and he decided in that moment that he was happy enough to let Emma get the best of him this time for the sheer purpose of the rain of compliments she spewed afterwards to keep him around.
"Alright, Swan. You won, fair and square." Emma smiled at him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Then he suddenly pulled her in and rubbed the top of her head with his hand, tightening his grip as he felt her squirm to get free. When he finally released her, Emma's hair stuck out at all ends, making it look as if she had been struck by lightning.
"You asshole," Emma muttered. Killian bowed to her in a lavish, over-the-top display.
"At your service, m'lady." Emma only pushed him as she walked past, and Killian stumbled yet again for the second time that day because of Emma. He righted himself and muttered a curse under his breath before joining her on the path back to the village. Emma looked over at him and they laughed lightly.
"You know, you are getting rather good," Killian noted, broaching the subject that he knew Emma refrained from talking about yet wanted to talk about at the same time.
"Yeah?" Emma asked feigning disinterest, even though Killian knew he had her full and undivided attention. He watched Emma drop her head down and kick rocks around in the dirt, keeping her gaze plastered to the ground.
"Your skills continue to improve. I'd say, if we keep up with our games, you could be working for the royals in no time." Killian cocked his head, his eyes glinting in the sunlight as he looked at Emma. She shifted her eyes to meet his gaze, then returned to staring at the hard ground beneath them.
"Killian..."
"I know, I know. It's just a 'pipe dream,' you'll 'never be a Knight,' it's just 'not in the cards' for you," Killian interjected, repeating phrases Emma had told him time and again in the past. Emma nodded her head solemnly. Killian looked over at his dejected friend, and couldn't help making a comment.
"Honestly, I think you're full of shit, love." Emma's head shot up to stare at Killian, but he only looked at her with a knowing glance.
"What?!" Emma spat.
"You heard me." Killian stopped in his tracks and turned to Emma. "I think you just tell yourself that in order to avoid disappointment." She looked at him with utter confusion written across her face. "You're bloody brilliant with a sword, you know what you're doing every moment we skirmish together, you sense obstacles and movements before it even gives a hint of happening..." Killian grabbed her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, making sure to capture her full attention before he continued.
"You're good, Swan. You're really good. You're better than most men I watch fighting our battles in the royal court even. You have skill, and you're light on your feet. I don't know why you make this so hard on yourself. You could easily make it as a knight. There have been women knights before you, and there will be for many generations after. Don't let something like what you've got between your legs stop you." He smirked at her while uttering his last comment, causing Emma to roll her eyes at his crass nature. But she still seemed to have heard the words he said and gave them pause to let them sink in. She dropped her head to stare at the ground once more, and Killian watched her for a few moments, waiting to give her time to respond. She finally lifted her head again to look at him.
"But in truth, I am nowhere near ready, not in the slightest. My father and you have been my teachers, where those that become knights go through rigorous professional training. Sometimes their whole lives beforehand!" Emma remarked. But as she thought more about the idea of truly pursuing it, the corners of her mouth started to rise in a smile. But she wasn't about to let it be seen that she was beginning to believe her best friend. However, Killian didn't miss the change in demeanor. He broke out in a huge grin and squeezed her shoulders tightly.
"I think it's time I introduce you to an old friend of mine," Killian spoke after a few moments. Emma looked at him with curiosity.
"Oh?"
"I believe it's time. Let's take a walk through the forest, shall we?" Killian turned on the path and extended his arm to the left, beckoning Emma to stray from the path and walk directly into the thicket of the woods that surrounded them. "He's just this way." Emma looked at him warily, but when he responded with a wink, she smirked at him.
"You're not leading me to some doom where I'll fall prisoner to some old hack who you owe a favor to, are you?" Emma asked sarcastically as she moved to the edge of the path and pushed past the first layer of brush. Killian followed directly behind her.
"Not at all," Killian responded with a teasing voice. "No, I just want you to meet one of the greatest swordsman I know."
"And why is it you've waited until now to introduce him to me?" Emma questioned as they moved further into the forest.
"Well, I wanted to wait until you allowed yourself to think of yourself as a good swordsman...er...woman." Killian looked confused, but shook off his mistake and continued. "But I think this is as good a time as any."
"Why does he live in the middle of the woods? Why not in the village with everyone else?" Emma asked.
"He...uh...he's an odd sort. Never really liked people much. Got into some trouble in the past but has remained separated from his dark beginning." Emma stopped abruptly and turned around to face Killian. The young man almost ran straight into Emma before he caught himself and avoided an accident. He scrambled to explain before Emma could question where, exactly, he was leading her. "Don't worry! He's perfectly safe." Emma raised an eyebrow. "I swear, he's fine now. But, because of his past, he just keeps to himself. He trains people every so often, teaches them about some of the magical mysteries of our world. But he's relatively harmless."
"Relatively?" Emma responded, seeming to think over Killian's words. After a moment, she seemed to accept the explanation, and returned to walking through the wood. Killian fell into step right at her heels as soon as she started off again.
"He's just up here, take a left at the oak," Killian instructed, pointing to a tall tree in the distance, before returning to the original conversation. "I believe this man could help refine your skills, help ensure that you secure a place on the royal court as a knight. The worst he could do is show you a few new moves." Killian laughed at his comment, but heard no such response from Emma. He cleared his throat and took the lead on their trek.
"Killian, what is this man's name?" Emma asked.
"Ah, fair question," Killian remarked, pulling aside a set of brush towering over them both and exposing a small setup of a thatched-roof home with smoke billowing above the sturdy chimney built on it's side, a storage structure combined with a makeshift barn that produced faint noises of horses neighing behind its door, and multiple weapons, supplies, and trinkets laid about on the ground around them. "This man is known to our kingdom as the one and only, Mr. Gold."
Nine Months Later
"Emma! Wait!" A man shouted from across the tavern, flailing his arms in the air and grabbing Emma's attention before she walked out the door. She turned towards the call and watched her boss, tavern owner Victor Whale, approach her quickly. He stopped in front of her before speaking.
"Don't forget, we won't be open tomorrow on account of the King's wedding. I shan't expect you in again until the day after." His crisp blue eyes looked her up and down and a sickening grin spread across his face. Emma groaned internally, but expected as much. The dress she was required to wear for tavern work didn't leave much to the imagination. But it helped in ensuring she got some great tips while she served food and drink to the patrons of her kingdom. But Victor was no better, and Emma suspected he appropriated this dress code to her and the other girls for his own benefit.
"I remember. Thank you for the reminder, Whale." Emma turned back around to continue her exit, but was stopped yet again when Whale put his hand on her arm, holding her back. She turned to face him again, shrugging off his touch in the process.
"Maybe we could...go together?" Whale asked, his devil grin reappearing on his face as he watched Emma for a reaction. Holding back the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of attending any function with this heinous man, she began to shake her head.
"Thank you for the invitation but, no. I already have a companion taking me to the event." Emma was quick to give her excuse for refusing his motions, hoping that her alibi would suit him enough to not press the matter further.
"Damn, I was too late to snatch you up this time," Whale commented, snapping his fingers. Then his gaze returned directly to Emma's eyes. "But there's always a chance for later." He brought up his index finger and traced it down the side of Emma's neck, running along her collarbone and skimming across the tops of her breasts. She backed away before his hand could wander any further, then set her gaze to bore straight into his soul.
"If you lay a hand on me like that again, you won't have a chance for later with anyone in our kingdom. Do you understand?" His eyes went wide at her words, but after a few moments, he nodded his head. She nodded her head once in response. "Goodnight, Whale." Then she turned around for the final time, and made her way to the door.
As her hand grasped the handle and pulled the door of the tavern straight open, letting in the cold air from the night outside, Whale spoke once more.
"I like a woman with a fiery passion," he whispered, cackling slightly. "I will count down the minutes until I see you again, Emma." Emma squared her shoulders and stood up tall, and without a word, walked out the door and into the night.
"I hate that you have to deal with that festering cesspool of a man," Killian remarked. He paced back and forth inside the small room of Emma's parent's home as she finished getting ready for the King's wedding. Emma wasn't the type to get overly dressed up, but after the night before and having to deal with Whale, and then a long day perfecting her swordplay, she had looked forward to a bath and putting on her finest wear for the royal wedding.
"You forgot 'idiot,'" Emma responded, contributing to Killian's list of insults for Victor Whale. She heard Killian laugh heartily.
"Yes, well, I had assumed that was a solid known fact, and therefore refrained from including that identification." Killian chuckled to himself lightly again. "Where are you in the process of readying yourself for this evening? You are taking longer than usual." Emma rolled her eyes, despite the fact that her best friend couldn't witness it. With one final look at the mirror, she deemed herself set and proceeded out into the main room. As she walked through the doorway and saw Killian standing by the hearth of her parent's full stone fireplace, his gaze turned to her and he seemed to do a double take. His eyes went wide, then returned to normal size, all the while admiring Emma's look as she approached him.
"What is that look on your face?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow at the man standing in front of her.
"That would be shock, love," Killian responded, a smile appearing, to which Emma responded in kind. "I don't believe I've ever seen you look this..." Killian tried to finish the sentence.
"Beautiful?" Emma asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"I was going to say 'clean,'" Killian responded. Emma punched him in the arm. Killian laughed while rubbing the area of impact on his shoulder, then proceeded. "You do clean up nice, Swan." Emma did smile at him then, a true smile that spread across her face.
"Thank you, but don't even think about getting used to it."
"Not until you're working as a knight in the King's castle. Then it will be pretty dresses and iron-clad armor for the rest of your life." Killian teased, raising his eyebrows in unison countless times over. Emma rolled her eyes and shrugged as she reached for her shawl hanging by the door.
"Killian, don't start."
"Why not? If only you would take the apprenticeship with Mr. Gold, you could be well on your way to achieving that highest of honors. Why are you still holding yourself back? Why not dream? Pursue!" Killian paused for a moment, and then looked directly into Emma's eyes. "Why are you afraid?"
"I am not afraid," Emma stated quickly. Killian gave her a look that said otherwise. She sighed heavily as she realized her fears were exactly what was holding her back. "I just don't think I'm as good as the others Gold has trained, nor the actual knights we see whenever we visit the castle. They're all so stoic and built like battering rams." She paused for a moment, and Killian watched her with tender eyes. "I am nothing like any of the knights that currently serve in our kingdom. How is it that you think I would ever be able to become a part of that world, let alone even succeed with Gold?" She asked, looking Killian in the eyes and pleading with him, as if he had the answer to that all-encompassing question for Emma's future. But when she saw Killian take a deep breath, her gaze fell to the side as she knew he didn't have it.
"I know you may think that you don't...match the look like a knight for our kingdom. And in some ways, I know you are right," Killian began, prompting Emma to snap her head up quickly to look at him. "But in some ways, that makes you all the better, because you possess skills and a stature that other members of our army can't." Emma was slightly taken aback at Killian's perspective. "You can sneak around corners, move quickly between men, surprise even the tiniest mouse with your presence." He grabbed a sword off the wall that David Swan kept, and in one quick movement, he threw it directly at Emma, blade first. Before she could even process the action, her body took over, her arm springing forward to catch the blade and whip it upside down so that the hilt landed in her palm. She had assumed a fighting stance, one foot in front of the other, her left hand placed gently at the small of her back while her right held the sword directly in front of her, the blade tipped towards Killian. He smiled at her, and beckoned towards her with his hand.
"You see?" He asked with a smile. "You're a natural. You have talent coursing and bubbling under your skin unlike anyone I've ever known. And if Mr. Gold thinks you are worthy of his teachings, he wouldn't have offered to take you on as his apprentice. He would have moved on and not given you a second thought." Emma looked down at the blade still held at the ready in her hand, and marveled at how her body took over as soon as the sword was in the air coming toward her. "You are skilled in this world, Emma," Killian began again, shocking her with the use of her name directly. "It is time you use it for the good it is intended to be."
Emma let her arm drop from its position and heard the tip of the sword clang against the stone floor. Her eyes followed its descent to the ground as her mind ran with thoughts at the possibility of one day being able to leave her job at the tavern and join those who fought so bravely to protect her kingdom. That outcome seemed more accessible now with these new possibilities circling.
"Maybe you're right." Emma picked up the sword and put it back up on the wall next to the others. She turned back to face Killian. "Thank you for your encouragement." And then she did something she'd only done just a few times with the man in front of her. She hugged him.
Shocked and taken aback by the sudden, and frankly, unexpected act that Emma Swan granted him, Killian took a moment before he patted her on the back and cleared his throat.
"Right." He cleared his throat once more, slightly uncomfortable at the tenderness bestowed upon him. "However, I'm not sure how many knights hug one another in our arsenal." Emma punched him in the arm again and Killian laughed. "Come on, Swan. Let's get over to the castle before we give the knights a real reason to seize us." Putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her roughly out the door into the dark, Emma rolled her eyes but still happily walked beside him towards the evening's festivities.
Killian and Emma arrived at the castle along with the rest of their kingdom. Emma found her parents, and shuffled along as they were all shown to their seats. Emma and her family ran into people they knew and hadn't seen for some time, using the occasion to catch up and learn about all the new events in their lives. Her parents looked absolutely stunning, even in their older age. Emma had always admired her father and how handsome he still looked, even with spots of gray dappled throughout his hair. When they were finally seated, Killian sat to Emma's left while her mother sat to her right, seated beside her father.
As they chatted quietly amongst themselves, a sudden shock of beautiful orchestral music erupted from the musicians behind the altar. Emma, Killian, and her parents all rose from their seats, as did the rest of the audience. King Leopold entered and strut down the aisle, the priest leading him down the way. Emma watched as they both settled into their positions at the front of the altar, awaiting the new Queen about to make her very first entrance to the people of the kingdom.
In that moment, Emma's memory jumped back to the day her mother ran into the home and notified both her and her father that King Leopold had found a new wife. Never really a follower of the social news of her kingdom, this piece of information actually served a purpose to her. If she were to become a knight, if ever given the chance, this new Queen would be someone that she would swear to protect, in addition to the kingdom in which she reigned over. But what was this woman to be like? Would she be quiet and timid? Or would she be evil and manipulative? Her kingdom had adored the first Queen to King Leopold before she had died. She had always been kind and open to the people, and the kingdom had flourished with her in it. But after her death, the King had changed, which resulted in the kingdom mourning her death in more ways than one. From that day forward, all in the kingdom had wondered who it would be that the King would choose and marry in her place.
Now this woman was about to make her first appearance to so many suspecting people. Emma could feel the tension in the room as if it were a tangible object, sitting above each and every head in attendance, ready to suffocate every person upon it's reveal or dissipate immediately, depending on the outcome. Emma was not excluded, and she held her breath as the music changed and watched servants of the castle pull the tall, wooden doors of the room wide open for the new Queen to step through.
The entire ballroom held it's breath.
And then she appeared.
Emma sucked in a small amount of air as the new Queen made her way elegantly down the aisle beside her father to the awaiting King at the altar. But Emma saw none of those details. In fact, to Emma, it seemed as though the entire room - the same ballroom filled with every single citizen of her kingdom - began to disappear. A ringing pulsated in her ears, blocking out any noise, and her vision seemed to slowly fade into darkness - all except for a spotlight on this new Queen. Emma was in awe. This woman was poised, elegant, and held herself with an air of confidence that was hard to find among women of her time. The new Queen looked to be Emma's age, yet she invoked a sense of wisdom and intrigue that seemed to possess only those women of a certain stature and age. But she was one thing above all else that Emma immediately noticed.
"She's...stunning," Emma whispered, the words escaping under her breath without preamble.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Killian whispered back, much to Emma's surprise. But she didn't respond. She kept her gaze glued to the woman now arriving at the front of the altar, watching as the new Queen turned to face her father before the final steps to begin the ceremony. That was when Emma saw her fully for the first time. Something within Emma tightened at seeing the full face of the new Queen. A core piece of Emma's body, connected right with her soul, gripped her tightly. Emma felt short of breath, yet starved for quiet at the same time. Her heart quickened its pace, yet her breathing slowed. Everything felt fast but gradual all at once.
But then Emma watched the face of her new Queen as she kissed her father's cheek, and she felt as if she saw something there that was out of place, an expression that exuded fear and sadness. Emma wasn't privy to seeing the Queen's father's own expression, but with the way he kissed her cheek, so desperate and so full of an emotion Emma could not identify, she began to wonder what could make this, what was supposed to be a momentous and happy occasion, seem so bleak to this beautiful creature about to marry the King.
Then, the King assisted his new Queen to the altar, and the audience of the kingdom took their seats once more. Emma sat and watched the nuptial take place along with all of the citizens surrounding her, but barely noticed the ceremony happening. Her eyes stayed glued to the face of her new Queen, and the expression on the Queen's face as she kissed her father ran through her head over and over again. Something told Emma that what she had witnessed had not been seen by many, or even any, others in the ballroom. Somehow, she was the only one who saw the expression of unbridled emotion cross the new Queen's features before she turned to the altar.
However, before she knew it, the ceremony had ended, and the priest was pronouncing the King and new Queen as wed. She knelt before the priest as the crown came forward, carried by a smart-dressed servant on a pillow made of gold-painted lace. The priest took it from the young man before turning back towards the new Queen. Raising his head to address the audience in front of him, the priest smiled brightly as he held the crown over the new Queen's head.
"I now introduce you to your new Queen. Presenting - Queen Regina of Misthaven!" The priest shouted across the ballroom, encouraging applause and cheers from the crowd, setting the crown atop the Queen's head.
"So I guess she's the one you're going to have to impress now," Killian shouted over the cheers from the crowd. Emma didn't respond to Killian, but instead watched the new Queen - Queen Regina - close her eyes and accept the crown. Then she rose from her spot and took the King's arm.
"That looks to be the way of it," David eventually responded for her, stretching his head above the crowd to watch as the newly married royals moved away from the altar. But Emma paid no attention. She watched as the King and Queen began to walk along the aisle and through the double doors. Emma kept her gaze on her the new Queen the entire way of her retreat, until she and the King were out of sight completely. Feeling as if she had awoken from a daze, Emma felt something change within her. She no longer felt unsure or out of place in her pursuit of her dream. She believed everything Killian had said, and shown her, just this very evening and many times before. She realized she had only been holding herself back instead of preventing disappointment at the possibility of failure. If she never even gave herself the option to try, there wouldn't even be an opportunity for disappointment.
With these thoughts running through her mind, she boldly turned around to face Killian and her parents. "I've decided," Emma said, causing all three of the people closest to her to look at her directly. "I know it now. I will accept the apprenticeship with Gold, and I will become a knight."
There was a pause before both David and Killian erupted in cheers and wide grins while her mother smiled over at her with such tenderness and understanding. But in the end, it was Killian who broke the silence.
"About bloody time, Swan!"