Emma was sitting at her window with the sheer curtains pulled back so she could stare at the kingdom her parents have told her again and again would one day be hers. The sun was high in the bright blue sky and in the distance she saw large ships pulling into the ports of the small town below. There was to be a ball tonight to celebrate her brother's birthday. Friends and families were traveling from many regions to come celebrate. They traveled in large fleets, aware that Regina still had influence across the lands. Despite her parents having banished her to the Shadowlands, she has been known to lash out during occasions such as this. Regina refused to let anyone be happy as she suffered the karma that had been dealt to her from her choices while living the rest of her life in isolation with only those she forced at her side by taking their hearts. Her parents tried binding her magic once and though it weakened her she still managed to escape their prisons.

After her failed dark curse her parents had given up on Emma's step-grandmother. Regina still blamed Emma's mother for everything that's happened to her in her life, including the death of her father despite Regina being the one to crush the man's heart. She even branched out at times, and attacked Emma to get at Snow.

Emma remembered, on her fourth birthday, a gift coming wrapped in purple paper and delivered to her room by servants she hadn't known. She hadn't known better and opened the box, unaware that the 'servants' were agents of the Queen, only to be attacked by a beast. Her screams had her parents running to her room. Only, when they burst into her room, the beast was surrounded by her magic and frozen in place. That was when they knew she was special and knew that if anyone other than their most trusted friends knew of this magic she would be an even larger target to those like the Dark One and Regina.

Her mother had been furious the day Emma returned with Leo from the pirate attack. Furious that she'd let her magic be shown. But Emma had lifted her chin and proclaimed that she did it to protect her brother and that she would do it again. The Captain, Guards, and other crew of the merchant ship had been surprised to see her come back to the ship in a white cloud of magic. Emma saw the fear in their eyes... Magic had destroyed so much in this land because of Regina and the Dark One... Emma knew she would be feared for her gifts... Her parents even feared her at times, and though they said keeping her behind locked doors was for HER protection... Sometimes Emma wondered if they also thought keeping her here was for other's protection as well.

Emma looked away from the window and smiled as her mother's dearest friend, and the person she considered her aunt, walked in. Ruby had always been by her side and a person to talk to when it came to Emma's downfalls when it came to controlling her powers. Ruby and her wife Mulan were the two people Emma ran to when she was feeling down. Mulan had trained Emma to fight in secrecy, as a way to vent her aggression her father had always refused to do under Snow's wish that her daughter be a princess and not a warrior. The hypocrisy was not lost to Emma, who'd heard stories of how good her mother had been with a bo and arrows. Emma had felt at ease, knowing Mulan's weapon could guard against magic... So any accidental magical burst had been deflected but it hadn't taken Emma long to learn to control her powers in a way even the Blue Fairy failed to do with Snow's pleas.

As well as a wicked right cross that could put any man down on his back.

"Ruby!"

"Hello my Emma," said Ruby, extending out her arms, wrapping them around the Princess. "How are you?"

"I am well, and you?"

"I am also well." Ruby frowned, pulling back to tuck a piece of stray hair behind Emma's hair. "How are you, really? I heard about the pirates last week."

"Did my mother rant to you as well?" asked Emma, stepping away. "What was I supposed to do? Let them take Leo? Hurt Leo? I don't regret it, Ruby."

"And you shouldn't," said Ruby with a nod. "You did what I, and even Snow, would have done. She just worries..."

"Sometimes I feel more like a burden than her daughter. Sometimes I wonder, if my father had put me in the cabinet before they stopped the curse, what my life would be like."

"Emma," scolded Ruby. "How could you say such things?"

Emma sighed then nodded. "You are right. I am sorry."

Ruby nodded before heading to Emma's wardrobe. "You mother sent me up here to see how you were fairing in getting ready." She eyed Emma and smirked. "Not so well I see."

"I hate these parties, Ruby. I understand it's Leo's birthday but... I feel like I'll be fending off marriage proposals tonight instead of eating cakes."

"Well then," said Ruby. "Let us make you look so beautiful that every man you say no to tonight will go home in tears."

Emma laughed. "Well, when you put it that way..."

.

.

.

"Captain?"

"Yes, Smee?"

"Do you think it wise to-" Smee swallowed deeply as a sharp hook flashed before his eyes, the tip of it dangerously close to his jugular.

"Are you questioning my orders, Smee?" asked Hook dangerously.

"N-No."

"Good." Hook stepped back, detaching his hook and instead putting on a fake hand. He then walked to the mirror and studied his reflection. Gone were all the signs of being a pirate. Instead, he looked like a Duke. Or a Lord. Perhaps he could even pass off as a Prince with the clothes he'd stolen from a nearby ship. He kept a few of his trophy rings on, the rubies and emeralds showcasing the wealth that would be accepted here. "You know the plan..."

"Wait for your signal. You distract the princess..."

"Aye, and when I get the magical cuff on her, you help me take her before she alerts her guards." Hook lifted the cuff he was speaking of, pocketing it in the navy blue dress jacket. "The Queen was quite specific on her demands."

"Captain, can we take the Queen at her word?"

Hook had reached out to Regina after his dealings with Emma. She'd been quite pleased to hear that she had magic and offered him a deal. If he could get her Emma... She could get him a way to defeat the Dark One once and for all. Apparently, the Dark One had done some misdeeds to the Queen that had her wanting some payback for the Crocodile. She insisted she knew where he kept his dagger and that she could take him there. So long as he brought her Emma. He hoped to use the Princess to get her kingdom back.

"Perhaps not, Smee, but she is my best chance to getting my revenge," said Hook. "With her help, I just might kill that Crocodile."

"Your papers, Captain, for the ball."

"Ah, yes, and the gift for the boy? One must not show up without a gift."

"Uh..."

"Smee..." Hook closed his eyes. "Did you forget the gift?"

"I..." Smee jumped as Hook slammed his hand down on his desk. "I can go find something right away!"

"Forget that." Hook's eyes traveled around his quarters until coming to a compass. He sighed before taking it. It had belonged to his brother, but if plans went as he wanted them to, he wouldn't need it. "This will do."

"But Captain, that belonged to your-"

"I'm more than aware of who it belonged to, Smee."

Hook pocketed the compass before leaving his room.

He had a princess to capture.

.

.

.

"Emma!"

Emma smiled as her brother came running to her. She knelt and opened her arms to hug him closely. Behind him stood her parents, looking happy, and Emma offered them a smile before looking to Leo.

"Hello little brother."

"I'm not so little anymore. I'm now ten!"

"That you are," said Emma. "Are you ready for your party?"

"A saw a horse at the gates. Do you think it's mine?"

"Well, there is only one way to find out," said Emma, standing straight, offering her hand.

Together they walked, Prince and Princess, wearing similar colors clothes. While his green jacket was fitting for the prince, her green dress definitely indicated that she was a princess. Ruby had chosen it, the smooth lines of the bodice acceptable to Emma who was never a fan of the contraption. The skirts flared at her hips slightly. She'd left her hair down, it curling naturally, and Ruby had put pins in to keep it in place. She frowned while touching the top of her head, missing the crown that had been made for her long ago. She'd lost it during the pirate attack. It was lost to her now, probably bartered in some port, hopefully far away from here.

"You look beautiful, Emma," said her mother.

"Indeed she does," said her father, beaming, making Emma smile. Together the family walked through the double doors to greet their guests. Everyone cheered and the music started, and soon everyone was enjoying conversation, food, wine, and dancing. "Emma! Come meet Count Dukard and his son..."

Emma sighed. She was in for a long night.

.

.

.

He'd been watching her for some time. She was beautiful, he'd admit that, and there was something about her smile that had him almost entranced by her. Oh, not the fake ones for all those who asked for a dance, but the real ones that seemed to be reserved for her brother, a woman named Ruby, and other close friends of her. He watched as she looked around before blending to the wall of the room and he smiled, flicking the tip of his nose to signal Smee to follow, before shadowing her to the balcony. She leaned over the stone railing and sighed and he used that moment to clear his throat and make his presence known. She tensed, sighed, then turned around to face him. Her eyes widened in surprise when seeing who stood behind her then narrowed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I come in peace, Miladay."

She gave a very unladylike snort. "Yeah right."

"Truly. I heard of your brother's birthday and came to pay my respects."

"You're a pirate," she said with a quirk of her brow.

"Well, perhaps I'd wanted to see you again," he said, voice softening, showing a lot more Killian Jones than Captain Hook.

"Really?" she said, skeptical, and he had to give her credit. At this point his targets were always eating out of his hand, eager to be given compliments from the handsome stranger or devilish pirate. "Somehow I doubt that."

He reached into his pocket and she tensed, hand raising.

"A gift," he said, slowly pulling his hand out, bringing the swan tiara out on display. Emma's eyes widened and he saw a flash of yearning in her green depths before she put her armor back on. "For you. A peace offering. I will be retiring soon. I was hoping this could..."

"What? Butter me up so that I talk to my father for you?" She scoffed. "Fat chance."

He laughed, offering her the tiara. "Take it."

Emma hesitated before taking a timid step forward, then two. She kept her eyes on the pirate, waiting for an attack. Her eyes fell on her tiara and she smiled before reaching to take it. And that was when the pirate moved. She shouted as he grabbed her hand then put a cuff around her wrist. She tried to use her magic on him but nothing worked.

"Ah, looks like the Queen was right about that cuff," he said with a grin. She opened her mouth to shout but he covered it with his hand. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or the-OMPH!"

Hook doubled over as her knee connected with his gut. His hand fell from her mouth and she shouted, alerting some of the guards on the perimeter. Hook growled before moving to grab her but she evaded him before lashing out.

"If you think I'm defenseless without my magic you couldn't be more wrong!" she shouted, using the tiara she'd just gotten back to hit him upside the head with.

"Bloody hell, SMEE!" shouted Hook, hand going to his head. Hook's eyes widened when he saw Smee being rounded up by the guards. He chuckled before wagging his finger at Emma. "You are quite the woman, Princess."

"And you are quite the idiot for thinking to come here and kidnap me for Regina," said Emma as they were surrounded by the guards. Hook made a move to dash for the railing, to escape over the balcony, but Emma put out her foot at the last moment, making him trip and fall: his head hitting the stone railing to knock him out. "Take him to the dungeons."

"Yes, your Majesty," said the guards, picking him up.

Emma then looked down at the cuff on her wrist. She did everything her in power to try and pull it off but it wouldn't budge. It was stuck...

And now, she was powerless...

TBC