My name is Emma Swan.

I come from a legendary line of hunters. Not that I knew them. Centuries ago, a ruthless and bloodthirsty queen ruled my homeland. Her legion of vampires terrorized the land; thousands were slaughtered with a wave of her hand. That was when my kind returned. My parents pursued the queen and her legion, along with their pack of werewolf friends. I remained hidden, unknown, for my own safety. The blood feud between the queen and my family was never to reach me.

Slowly, the land was reclaimed by my mother – the true queen. The fairy tale of Snow White and her Prince Charming is far from accurate. My mother did not sing to bluebirds or live in a whimsical cottage. She slept in trees and sunk silver arrows into the hard hearts of vicious demons. She drank an Elixir of Wild Rose daily to keep poison from an unfortunate bite at bay, so that one day she could return to me. I do not remember her face; but her hair was black and her lips were blood red with stain from that elixir. It was my mother who let fly the fateful arrow meant for the heart of the cornered Evil Queen, famed in your versions of the fairy tale. But she, the queen, vanished; the arrow sinking into a white ash instead. A heart breaking curse tore through my land, cast by the Evil Queen witch.

I never laid eyes on the woman that determined the course of my life. My caretakers shoved me in a wardrobe to shield me from the curse. I was six. I do not remember my family, or those who cared for me. I was too young. All I remember are the trees. I woke in your world, alone. Your world is a dark, unfriendly place. You think it devoid of magic, but it is steeped in evil. By my sixteenth name day, I had learned the cruelties of your world well. I know it as well as I had known my own. And my destiny was clear. Your world needed a hunter – my mark appeared sometime in that year. My foster family thought I had illegally gotten a tattoo, for that is how it appears. It took me many years to understand what it meant, what it was. Sometimes I still am not sure. The only thing I know for sure is that it means I am your Savior.

The vampires have returned to plague my new life, perhaps they were never gone. For the past twelve years my purpose has been to keep your people safe. The other Hunters are long since gone. I am alone. I have searched your world several times over searching for the manifestations of my destiny. I have learned much, and will continue in my search. I have heard many stories of my world; for yours thrives on romantic fairy tales. But they are wrong. So very wrong. Fairy tales are not always what they seem. Keeping my secret is hard, but essential. There are new breeds of vampires cropping up all the time. You never know who is going to flash you the grin of death next.

My cover job, bounty hunting for the United States government, has taken me away from my investigation in Seattle. Not that I am concerned, that species tends to be taking care of itself. But they know my calling card. I am on my way to the northern edge of Maine in search of a fugitive. But my mission does not waiver.

My name is Emma Swan. And I am a vampire hunter.