~Happily Ever After~

Emma slipped away from the lights and the music needing a respite from all the dancing. It felt like she had already waltzed with every eligible bachelor in the Enchanted Forest by this point. Kicking off her heeled slippers, Emma went barefoot into the palace gardens. The feel of the cool grass between her toes was such a relief after standing for so long.

Sighing, Emma glanced up past the castle walls to gaze at the full moon which hung brightly overhead. She wondered just how many wondrous places that moon shone down on. And she wanted to see them all, rather than spend the rest of her life shut up in this place.

Her parents had grand adventures in their youth, why couldn't she?

"I thought I might find you out here." Said a voice, startling Emma.

"Killian!" She turned to face him with a loving smile.

He looked remarkable in his tailored black and grey ensemble which befit the king's favorite ward. Despite his 19 years, Emma could still see the wild 13 year old boy she had first met in his eyes. They had come so far since then, from the Princess and the Orphan, to simply Emma and Killian.

Content that no one was watching, Killian pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. She smiled against his mouth, leaning in. This still seemed beyond belief. Could anyone really get their happy ending so easily?

"They're going to be missing you." Killian pointed out, pulling back slowly.

"Let them." Emma said flippantly. "It's my birthday after all."

She wanted to stay here with him where she could be herself. Not the famed daughter of Snow White, not the Crown Princess, just Emma - the headstrong girl who fell for her best friend.

Killian laughed, looking suddenly nervous. "In that case, happy birthday Swan."

He reached into his front pocket and drew forth a delicate wooden ring. It was clearly painstakingly hand carved with minuscule scrollwork and flying swans. Emma looked from the ring to Killian, her eyes wide. She seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Was this what she thought it was?

"It's apple wood from the tree where we met." Killian's voice was hoarse and his face flush. "I promise to buy you a real one someday."

"No." Emma said quickly then saw his face fall. "I mean, yes obviously, - sorry I screwed that up. I meant I don't want a different one, it's perfect." She rambled knowing she was blushing.

"Yes?" Killian was trying to follow the conversation. Hope sprang back into his features. "You want to marry me?"

Emma smiled the way she only did for him, like the sun bursting from behind the clouds. "Of course!"

She pressed her lips to his, willing him to understand all she felt with a single kiss. He seemed to get the message.

Killian watched Emma sleeping with a dazed sense of awe. She was curled under a single sheet, which outlined her slender frame, her golden locks spread out over the royal marriage bed.

She was so beautiful it nearly hurt to look at her. He pressed a kiss to her naked shoulder, remembering the sensation of her body joining with his. Emma smiled in her sleep and snuggled more firmly against his warmth. Killian couldn't imagine any man being luckier than he was.

Her resplendent wedding gown, crusted with gems and pearls fitting a princess, lay unceremoniously abandoned on the floor. As radiant as Emma had looked in it coming down the aisle, he soon found himself cursing whoever designed a dress with so many buttons.

"Time to wake up." Killian whispered in her ear. He knew they had to leave soon if they were going to make it to the docks in time.

"Too early." Emma muttered without opening her eyes. She scrunched up her nose adorably in protest.

He chuckled. "Perhaps I shall get on the ship without you then?" He mused teasingly.

That got his wife to open her cornflower blue eyes. "You most certainly will not." She cried, moving swiftly to pin him to the bed with the weight of her body.

Emma's hair fell in a golden halo around him. Killian was fully aware that every inch of their skin was touching, which was remarkably overwhelming. His breath caught in his throat.

She grinned, enjoying his reaction and kissed him happily. "So where are we going first?"

Killian reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, brushing Emma's cheek softly with his thumb. "On an adventure, just like I always promised you."

Emma waved to her parents standing side by side on the docks. The great crowd of her citizens, who had come to see her and Killian off, roared their approval. Killian squeezed her hand tightly.

"Stay safe!" Her mother called.

"Avoid pirates!" Her father yelled.

Emma laughed. "We'll be home soon!" She called back to them.

And they would. This was only the first of many diplomatic voyages to come. She and Killian would travel the realms together and Emma would finally see the world beyond the palace walls.

"Are you nervous?" Killian asked, taking her hands as they got underway.

Emma glanced back at the palace then into his handsome features. She grinned pulling his mouth down to hers.

"Not a bit."