"I hate this forest."

It had been half a day since she crossed the border of her kingdom; three long days on foot only to be greeted by stormy skies in the neighboring kingdom of the south. Of course, it had begun to rain because that was her luck. The upside was it would thankfully take care of tracks. But it also meant mud; she was in squishy ankle deep mud, and it was cold. Gods, it was cold. It had gotten worse with each passing hour. It was now at the point where she could see her own breath in the air. And she was without much more than the canteen slung around her shoulder and the cloak on her back. It dawned on her that she hadn't thought this through well. That's when the string of colorful curses began.

She tried to spot the sky through the canopy of trees as she cursed at the Gods. The rain blanketed everything above her.

"Is this punishment for being an idiot?" She yelled at the sky.

No answer.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" She trenched on until her left boot wedged between two rocks. This was supposed to be a five day journey. The rain would set her back at least another day or two perhaps even three. She'd also have to find a suitable place to sleep. She shuddered at the thought. Sherwood Forest was not somewhere she ever planned to lay her head. Bad blood had long existed between her kingdom and that of Prince John of Nottingham. Seeing as he was the only living relative of King George, well, it was to be expected.

The fog rolled in blinding her line of sight. She wanted to cry. Here she was standing in the pouring rain freezing her ass off with her foot stuck. She REALLY didn't think this through. Getting her boot out took more strength than she anticipated. When it pulled free, she stumbled to her right where her knee jarred against the side of a large stump.

"GODS DAMNIT!" She let out a shrill hiss. Had half a mind to kick that stump till her face turned blue. "Fuck you." She glared at the two rocks. "And you too!" She shouted up at the sky. "And especially you!" She seethed at the stump. "I hate this place!"

Sherwood Forest was familiar to her in tall-tales told by the dwarves and the occasional warning from her parents whenever the neighboring kingdom had been brought up in casual conversation. The forest circled around the kingdom of Nottingham and provided protection from the Dark One's kingdom to the west, and the Evil Queen's kingdom to the east. Throughout her life, she'd listen in as Grumpy'd reminisce his and her mother's adventures hiding from the Evil Queen in these woods.

"Rats as big as a dwarf." He had slurred one night after their sword lesson before finishing off whatever lined the inside of his flask. "Rivers of fire."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Rivers of fire, my ass. You honestly expect me to believe there are rodents five feet tall?"

Grumpy nodded. "You better believe it sister."

She scoffed at the memory and wrinkled her nose. "Yeah Grumpy, it's a real nightmare."

So far the most vicious thing she had encountered was the blood thirsty stump that sought to remove her leg when it magically appeared from thin air. The forest was nowhere near what any of her godfathers had described. She had yet to spot any rodents as large as a dwarf. No sign of any rivers of fire. Just trees, mud, and rain clouded darkness.

For all the warnings she recieved about the surrounding forest, Emma was pretty much in the dark when it came to Nottingham. All she really knew for sure was it was the only neutral kingdom from the raging war on the continent. And yet abstaining did nothing to help its citizens. Many in Nottingham were living in poverty as they were being outrageously taxed by their Prince. Those who failed to pay were publicly humiliated and then jailed.

There had even been an execution. A few years ago, she had overheard Lieutenant Jones discussing an absurd law with her father and-

She swallowed hard.

"Killian." She whispered his name.

He had been sleeping when she peppered his forehead with gentle kisses. She knew he'd understand the note; Gods, if he were able to he'd come after her. It wouldn't be the first time he followed or found her. Emma had run off more times than she could remember, but never this far. Never past the border of her kingdom. The war gave her an advantage. There would be no carrier birds sent out with messages to say she had gone missing. News would have to be done carefully on foot. In a kingdom she'd never seen, she'd hoped that this would mean she would not meet anyone who'd recognize her face. Tracking her would be damn near impossible. At least, she hoped so.

He had to of been angry with her. Thoughts of him being unable to meet her eyes as his eyebrows bunched together and his lips thinned and pursed and… she could imagine that look because she'd seen it before. It was the look he gave her when he was upset. For all the years of bickering, to actually upset the Lieutenant was rare. Getting on the Lieutenant's nerves was one thing, a thing she had become particularly skilled at, but to upset him… The first time it happened, she ran away from him. Hid in her bed chamber till his ship sailed into the horizon. She cried the entire night.

Once upon a time Emma'd lie through gritted teeth to anyone who asked if the Lieutenant's opinion of her mattered. It always did, even if she'd never admitted it. And it made her throat dry and stomach clench to know that when he woke up without her that morning he'd be hurt. Even more so that he'd be disappointed she'd be so reckless. She knew it. This was dangerous, but she needed to save everyone.

If the roles were reversed Emma would never forgive him. She shook her head at the thought.

"Liar." She drawled out with a sad smile. She would. She would forgive him, but she'd make him suffer for letting her worry.

Suffer. She cringed. What did Rumplestiltskin do to him? Killian had been locked up in a cage. Or a dungeon. Maybe something worse.

"Fuck this forest."

She could barely see two feet in front of her own face through the rain. The world tilted around her as she paused to gather the tumultuous emotions that had screamed their way into the center of her already clouded mind. Letting them bleed freely in the woods would not help her. Help her… help him.

What did Regina do to Captain Jones?

She peered into the rainy darkness trying to catch a glimpse of anything. But instead of moving forward the lump that had formed in the back of her throat got the best of her. "I hate this place." She croaked out wanting to pinch her cheeks. She wanted to numb the sadness that pooled in her insides. "So fucking much."

What would Regina do to her when she offered herself as a trade?

Every limb in her body caved. Emma frowned as she slumped down against the evil leg-vicious stump letting her head thump against it. She glanced down at her boots. Her feet throbbed. This was the most she had ever walked in her life. The fiery burn that ached on her heels would have to wait. She had worn enough uncomfortable shoes in her life to know once you took them off the swelling wouldn't let you get them back on. Everything would have to wait because she had to get up and carry forward. She had to reach the edge of this damn place. She had to save his brother… had to save her family… most of all, she had to save her people. The people in her kingdom needed her. This stupid war, and the lies and the danger she put all her loved ones in needed to end. It all needed to end.

"Why can't you get yourself up, Princess?" She sobbed. Emma closed her eyes and tried to believe she was home. Thankfully the rain made her tears indistinguishable. "You have to save everyone. Get up."

Was it this easy for everyone to lose control of their life? She felt disconnected and the more she tried to fix things the more she felt like she was drowning. If only she could bury the panic that squeezed her chest. Killian, she reminded herself as thunder clapped above her, only has his brother. Killian needs his brother. "You need to give your people a reason to feel safe."

Maybe in another life you could of had him. Been good enough to even show him how much you love him without all this-

Emma rubbed her palms up and down her face smacking her cheeks before pulling herself up.

"You can do this." She grumbled taking a shaky first step forward. "You can bring the people you care about some kind of happiness."

Maybe one day, you'll be able to start over. Find happiness with the Lieutenant. She chuckled at the thought. Her mind was at war with itself. A never ending loop of her desires and self-loathing.

"You can save his brother." She told herself taking in a deep breath. Happiness wasn't in her cards anymore. This was her mistake to fix. She tried to imagine a time before everything became so complicated. A day before that damn bell rang.

Would they have ever found happiness if that damn bell never rang?

AROUND FOUR YEARS AGO

"You can't say no!" Emma said bringing the stein to her lips and sharing the devious twinkle in her eyes with the several men who surrounded her at the bar. "Gentlemen, please, I am the Princess after all. How could you possibly say no to your Princess?" She pouted and then threw in a wink. The tavern erupted into laughter. Even she ended up snorting into her drink. The bubbles of the amber ale tickled against her tongue as she took another sip.

If there was one good thing that came out of her embarrassing encounter last summer on the Jewel it was Phillip introducing her to the wonderful world of alcohol. Alcohol had become a new way to escape all the pressures and burdens a girl her age should never of had to carry in the first place. Getting her hands on it was tricky, but she managed. Tipping the castle guards extra coins worked until her mother found the bottles stashed in her linens. After that it was few and far between with the boring balls. Prying eyes made that a challenge.

It had been a two day journey into the country that brought her to this establishment. The barmaid had dropped the stein she had been carrying when first spotting her. To be honest, she was disappointed that even this far out in the country she was immediately recognized. This was the farthest she had ever gone, and her hopes of a night without the title were lost on arrival. Now she sat idly joking about the title she hated to be called more than anything.

She could never be only Emma. To everyone, she was always the Princess first. And Gods she hated it. She hated it so fucking much.

"I'm surveying the many towns of the kingdom. Greeting the people." She had said. It was the first thing to come to her mind. They never questioned it. Everyone appeared to buy it, and before she knew it alcohol was being handed to her left and right. The problems she had ran from slipped away as the bubbles and laughter drifted her into a much needed comfortable night.

"Where is your escort, Your Highness?" A portly man asked as he downed the remainder of his drink.

Emma's body tensed. "Where indeed? It seems he's wandered off." She laughed. "I'm sure he can't be far off."

"Fear not, Your Highness." Emma spit her drink back in her cup. "I've returned."

Oh no.

She glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there adorning the fakest smile she had ever seen on his smug face. He was without the uniform. How long had he been standing there? How long had he been watching her? She wanted to groan, but for appearance sake flashed a toothy grin.

"Oh there you are!" She said with a laugh. "Care to join us?"

"I'm afraid we must be on our way for the evening, Your Highness." The men all groaned. "We have quite the journey ahead of us."

"Indeed." Emma said sliding her drink across the bar. She pulled several gold coins from her coin purse and stacked them in the barmaids hand. "Shall we?"

He nodded.

"You're getting better at hiding your tracks, Your Highness." She rolled her eyes. She didn't even want to look at his face because she was sure he was beaming with pride that he found her… AGAIN. "However it was easy to find you with your predictable behavior."

Emma scoffed. "I didn't ask for your opinion on my behavior, Lametenant."

"Aye, just as I didn't ask to go trekking along the countryside for two days."

The horses had come to a stop. The Lieutenant had made his way off his and extended a hand in a peaceful gesture to assist her down. She flicked it away and jumped down on her own landing ungracefully in a pile of loose dirt. She coughed briefly. "Why are we stopping here?"

"To rest." He announced pulling supplies from his horse. "It would be unwise to continue onward for much longer with no light. It's my duty to bring you home safely."

"We could have stayed at the Inn in that town." She said.

"No, we could not. You are going home, and it's my job to do that in a prompt manner. A town has many places for you to wander off to. To hide in."

"Why are you here? You don't even need to be here!" Home was the last place she wanted to be. She had no desire to face any of them not after-

"I-" She choked on her words. Tears started to work their way out of her eyelashes. "They only sent you to humiliate me knowing how much I dislike you!"

"They sent me because I am able to find you. Given this is the third time this year you've run off, which I'll note, have all occurred when I am on my leave." The Lieutenant folded his arms and looked away from her. Tension was visible in his shoulders. "There's no need to-"

"To what?" She snapped frivolously wiping her eyes. "I can cry if I damn well please! Don't you dare tell me how to feel!"

"You're intoxicated." He murmured.

"I only wanted time away from my obligations. Why must-"

"It's dangerous." He interrupted. "Need I remind you the price on your head from our colorful neighbors to the south?"

There was no retort. When she pulled her arm away from her eyes, the Lieutenant was already at work setting up a camp.

"Do you understand me at all?" She hissed expecting a snarky reply. None came. He busily worked on laying out linen and clearing rocks and fallen tree limbs from the area.

Emma shivered next to the small fire.

"How did you manage to get as far as you did so quickly?" His voice broke an uncomfortable silence the two had kept up for several hours.

Her head spun to see him leaning against the trunk of a large tree. "A carriage. I snuck on a carriage."

"And they failed to notice a stowaway?" He asked as his eyebrow lifted. Clearly he saw through her lie.

Emma smiled. "Nobody would turn away their kingdom's Princess or ten gold pieces. Getting away is always easy."

The Lieutenant shook his head. "What happened this time? It's not just wanting a night on the town. You wouldn't of come this far for that."

Emma flinched. The way he read her didn't sit well in her stomach. His all knowing eyes searched her face for the answer. She sighed. "I hate that."

His brow knitted together in confusion. "Clarify, if you will."

"You can't do that. You can't just expect an answer."

"I'm sure I'll find out one way or another. Word will eventually reach this far out that you've run off again. The entire kingdom will search for you until you arrive safely at the palace." He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "You mention being free from your obligations but-" He paused briefly to contemplate his words. "Our obligations are apart of who we are. I cannot say no to finding you when asked by my King."

"Maybe I don't want to be a Princess." She snapped. "I don't need another lecture on how I have disappointed everyone with my shortcomings yet again."

"This is not a lecture, Your Highness." He replied.

"Right, Lametenant. What is it then? Advice? You are the last person I'd ever want to have this conversation with."

The had only known each other a little over a year, but Gods he got under her skin.

"And you are the last person I want to interrupt my leave. This is supposed to be my holiday. Bloody hell."

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. "You could of said no."

He rolled his eyes. "Aye, that would have went over well with my brother and His Majesty."

"It isn't your job to watch over me! Haven't you caused enough problems in my life?"

He snickered. "Not as many as you've caused in mine, Your Highness."

Emma's ears were ringing. Everything felt hot. She couldn't take the pressure that had been building in her chest anymore. She popped.

"Advisors mentioned the prospects an arranged marriage would bring." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "My parents just sat there and listened without saying a word. I left immediately. They might not of even known I had overheard. I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place."

"Your family would never-" He froze. "As often as they speak of true love and such at all those bloody balls."

Emma snorted. "Yeah well, people are full of surprises. Like how I am telling you this in the first place."

He cocked his head. "I doubt your assumptions on that are correct, Your Highness."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Well, you're bloody well getting it." He replied. Her eye twitched. His entire demeanor had changed. The stiff angry and annoyed Lieutenant had something unrecognizable etched in his features. "Talk to your parents."

Emma groaned. "Will you shut up, Lametenant?"

"Your parents love you." He said ignoring her huffing. "They'd never force you to-"

"Fuuuuuuucccckkkkk." She got up from her seat on the ground peeling her cloak from around her. In anger, she balled it up and tossed it away from the fire. "Stop. Please. I don't want to talk about this."

"-marry anyone." He continued. "They have yet to have you meet any potential suitors."

Emma gave an encore of curses. "How do you ever know that?"

"I am a lieutenant in His Majesty's royal navy." She rolled her eyes. What in seven hells did that have to do with anything she had just asked? "The entire kingdom would know when their Princess would have suitors come to court her." His voice was harsh. "Even a lowly sailor."

"Oh so now you're just a sailor?" She found a stone she had noticed when pacing about. She kicked it towards the fire. "You shove your damn title down my throat every time our paths intersect."

"I worked hard to get to where I am." He said narrowing his eyes.

"Oh dear Gods I need to go to sleep. I can't take anymore of-" her hand gestured to him, "-this."

She hated him. Gods she hated him. She had the way he stupidly held himself when preaching to her about her life. He didn't understand anything about her life.

"Expect my free opinion each time you run off." He chimed as Emma whined to herself with her back facing him. "Because I will always find you."

"I shall never run off again!" She called out accompanied by a string of curses. "Please tell me your leave ends soon."

"Not for another three weeks."

"You ruin everything!" She shouted.

Emma caught as he cursed unobtrusively in the background.

She was jolted awake by a thunderous shriek.

"What the fuck was that?" She panted out as she grabbed her chest. The rain had let up. Above her, the trees stirred; the air seemed heavy with every gulp. Something didn't sit right, and her instincts screeched that it was time to go.

Time to get up Emma. Time to move. You need to move now.

She lunged for her canteen slinging the strap over her shoulder. Another screech filled the sky, and she vaulted to her feet. Slowly she slid through the trees attentive to every step.

You have to be quiet, Emma.

She held her breath for as long as she could fearing that even her breathing would attract whatever was bellowing in the distance.

He could of teleported you there, she tells herself nicking her arm on the corner of a jagged branch. It was always an option.

"Yeah." She sniggered. "But you would never forgive yourself, Princess. No time to be laughing now."

She gasped when something behind her snapped. She peered over her shoulder. Nothing.

Time to pick up the pace, Princess.

Emma sprang to run. She dodged obstructions in her way, but each step rang a muddy pop. Every noise made her cringe. She had to get out of the damn woods. She had to get out before whatever it was made sure she wouldn't.

Something landed behind her. Something so large that the force toppled her entire body forward.

There was a growl.

Suddenly the dwarves tall-tales didn't seem absurd.