This Unfamiliar Road

Chapter 1

A knock at the door alerted Bae to his father's presence. Grimacing, he answered - "Yes, Papa?"

"Baelfire!" The Dark One swept into the room, commanding attention in a way he reserved solely for those times when he had convinced himself that he had discovered the key to regaining his son's affections. Despite these convictions, he had yet to succeed in doing so, and the four years since Bae's return had been fraught with tension between the two.

After spending countless years barely surviving in a cave on the shores of Neverland, Bae had one day been plucked up out of his life - if you could call such an existence a life - by the one fairy he'd counted as a friend. Without word and without explanation, she had carried him through a portal and back to the Enchanted Forest, a place he'd hoped never to see again. Unceremoniously, she deposited him on the doorstep of the very man he'd spent centuries dreaming of - at first with the fervent hope that he would come to his rescue, then later in his nightmares, over and over, as he released Bae's hand while clinging to the dagger. Clinging to the dagger, clinging to his power, to his greed and his gold and all of the things that mattered more to him than his own son's well-being. As far as Bae was concerned, his father was gone, replaced by this monster who somehow thought he could win the affections of the boy who had once adored his Papa.

"Yes, Papa?" Bae asked again, eyes rising to meet the former spinner.

"Pack your things! Tomorrow we shall leave on our journey," he cackled, exuding an attitude indicative of the fact that he felt Baelfire should accept this as a great gift.

"What journey?" Bae questioned, dread rising as he considered the possibilities. He shifted in his chair to fully face his father, never dropping his gaze, willing himself to breathe in the midst of the storm that was sure to arise from the answer.

"The journey to retrieve your bride, of course."

Bae was silent, staring at his father for a moment. "I have no bride, Papa," he replied flatly.

"Which is precisely why we are going to retrieve one for you," the Dark One said, giggling at a joke that was evident only to him.

Bae's stunned silence returned, and in his shock it took a few moments for him to regain his power of speech. "What have you done, Papa," he replied anxiously, more an accusation than a question, as he was certain that he did not really want to know the answer.

"You hide in your room for days on end. You refuse to associate with me, in fact you refuse to associate with anyone... it is high time you have a companion. I was promised a young woman in a deal some time ago, and it has come time to collect."

"You arranged to acquire me a wife in a deal?" Bae said, jumping to his feet. "Papa, I cannot - I will not!"

"Suit yourself, dearie, but you know what happens to those who break deals," came the flippant reply.

"You can do whatever you like to me," he replied impertinently, "I won't go along with this scheme."

"Ah, but you're not the one who made the deal, now are you? If the marriage falls through, then the deal will be broken, and those who made the deal will be the ones to pay the price."

Bae closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a breath and steeling himself for the answer to the question he'd not yet asked. "Who made the deal, pray tell?"

"Why her parents, of course."

"Papa, you cannot kill them!" he exclaimed, voice rising again. "They are innocents!"

"Ah, but if the deal is broken, someone must pay the price, Bae. That's how it works - and it will most certainly not be you."

Baelfire took a step towards him, lifting his head and pulling his shoulders back as he took a stance against the Dark One. "You must stop meddling in my life, Papa! First you arranged to have me brought back from Neverland and deposited into your clutches… only to spend four years controlling my every move. Now you're requiring me to marry or have this family's blood on my hands?!" He was irate now, utterly incredulous at the lengths to which this monster would go to in order to win his affection. Bae found it troubling enough when his own life was decimated by actions that were apparently meant to protect him, but dragging other people - innocent people, who had nothing to do with the situation - into the mess was utterly unconscionable.

"Tinkerbell assisted with your return at great benefit to herself. As for this family," he said with an indifferent shrug, "they sealed their own fates when they chose to make this deal. Likewise, it is your choice whether to assist them in upholding it or not."

Bae heaved an angry sigh. "Papa, perhaps we can go speak with them, modify the bargain somehow. I cannot - I will not - have their blood on my hands. We need to find a way around this situation."

"There is no 'way around it,'" he sneered, "They must uphold their end. My portion of the bargain was delivered long ago, and in exchange I was promised the choice of their daughter's suitor."

Bae, catching the loophole in his father's statement, leapt at the possibility of altering his father's thinking. "Cannot she marry someone else? If the choice is yours, why must you choose me?!"

"I can think of no young man more deserving than my own son! You are in need of companionship and this marriage will do the trick nicely. The deal is set and it will be fulfilled - or the family will pay the price." He was in Bae's space now, uncomfortably close and frighteningly intense.

Bae refused to back down under his glare, despite knowing that he was in an unwinnable battle. Locking his brown eyes with ones that bore no resemblance to those of the father he so adored, he spat an answer at the monster that wore his father's face. "If it is a marriage your require to spare their lives, a marriage there shall be."

"Very well, then," his father replied as he turned to leave, clearly pleased with himself and calming as quickly as he had spiraled up. "We leave at first light."

"Papa?" Bae called after him, taking a deep breath as he forced himself to speak evenly. His father paused in his exit, waiting for the question that was sure to follow. "Who, pray tell, have you arranged for me to marry?"

The Dark One turned back to Bae and a small smile threatened at the corner of his mouth as he replied. "A young woman about your age from the northern kingdom. I believe her name is... Emma."

"Emma? Surely you cannot mean Princess Emma," Bae replied, incredulous once again.

"Yes, that's her," his father confirmed airily as he resumed his exit. "This agreement was to save her from a fate far more heinous. It shall be a favorable arrangement for both of you."

"Being forced into a marriage shall not be favorable for anyone!" Bae yelled after him, the battle with his temper forgotten in his shock, but the only response was the resounding closure of the solid wood door.

18 years prior...

Snow White paced back and forth across the ornate rug that lay at the foot of her bed. Her husband, Prince Charming, sat perched on the edge of a nearby chair, leaning forwards as he was engaged by his wife in conversation.

"I think we have to do it, Charming," she implored.

"We cannot let that man control her destiny," he replied, desperation evident in his voice.

"He already controls her destiny," she said, subconsciously placing a protective hand over her midsection. "He will allow this curse to be cast, and she will be alone until she is an adult. Utterly alone, he said - no family, no friends, no love."

"But you'll be with her," Charming said, rising to his feet and moving to where his wife was pacing. Their plan wasn't what he would have chosen for their life, but it was a plan that would keep his wife and child safe, and in the end, that was all that mattered. He placed both hands on her upper arms and gave them a gentle, reassuring squeeze, halting her pacing and commanding her attention. "She won't be alone."

Snow shook her head, slowly, sadly, as she moved to meet his gaze. "The imp said she'd be alone."

"He lies!" he exclaimed, unable to wrap his mind around using the word of the Dark One to make such a decision about the path of his child's life.

"Charming," she said softly, "Rumplestiltskin is many things, but a liar is not one of them."

"But you're to go - you're to go with her in the wardrobe," he argued. "That's the plan!"

"He can see the future," Snow replied. "Something must happen to change the plan. If he says she'll go alone, we have no reason not to trust him."

"We have every reason not to trust him," the prince stated firmly.

Snow shook her head sadly. "Not in this we don't. We've had many dealings with him before, and although his motivations are always murky, not once has he lied to us. Given all of our options... we need to agree to his deal."

The prince dropped her arms, shoulders slumping in defeat. "She should be free to marry whomever she wants. Our daughter is born of true love - she should have the opportunity to find a love of her own."

"And perhaps she yet shall. You know how that imp twists things, changes deals - look how he did so with Ella, agreeing to give her back Thomas and let her keep the baby in exchange for a simple trinket."

"You don't think he'll follow through on the arrangement of her marriage?"

She sighed. "I think that even if he does, she'll have had eighteen years of love and a solid upbringing to prepare her for that life. Those marriages often blossom into something more... my parents' did."

Charming frowned. "Nonetheless, I don't like it."

"Nor do I, dear Charming, but if the alternative is twenty eight years alone..." She took a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly. "We have to give her her best chance, David. I have to believe that we are her best chance. Not some life alone in a far-off land."

Her husband nodded, slowly and resolutely, and sunk back into his chair, resigned in the decision. "He needs to be a good man," he stated plainly, and Snow tilted her head to the side as she questioned him.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

David let out a bitter laugh. "I think the time for that has long passed. But Emma's suitor... whomever he chooses for her... we need to stipulate that he be a good man. I won't have my daughter married off to someone who will do her harm."

Snow's head bobbed in agreement. "So we agree, then? If Rumplestiltskin can subvert the curse, can keep Emma safe and in our care, then we will consent to his arrangement of Emma's marriage."

The prince met her gaze solemnly, no hint of a smile to be seen. "Yes, Snow. We agree."

Present day...

"No, Colleen. Thank you, but I don't think I like that one either," Emma said to the handmaiden who was standing in her bedchamber, holding out the sixteenth dress in a row for the princess' inspection.

"Princess Emma, this is the last of the dresses in the wardrobe."

"Oh," she replied, frowning slightly. "What about the dark green one?"

"That was made for a ball several seasons ago. You've grown three inches since then, so your mother instructed that we be rid of it."

"Hmm," Emma replied. "And there is no possibility to make another gown before the ball?"

"I could ask the seamstress, but with less than a week to go, I find it doubtful that she would finish it to your satisfaction."

"Hmm," she replied again. "The navy might be an option then. Why don't you grab that one and-"

"The sea foam?"

"No, Mama hates the sea foam," Emma said, shaking her head.

"The color is lovely dear," her mother affirmed as she breezed into the room, "but the cut does not flatter you about the waist. And we wouldn't want to start any rumors, particularly at this ball of Alexandra's," she said with a laugh.

The ball in question was to be this weekend, thrown by King Thomas and Queen Ella, to announce the impending arrival of an heir for Emma's dear friend Alexandra. The neighboring kingdom allowed marriages at the sixteenth birthday, and though it baffled Emma, Alex had been so moon-eyed over Abigail and Frederick's son James that they'd been united mere weeks after she came of age. It was a beneficial union for both kingdoms, Emma understood, but nonetheless it left her thankful that her own parents had not yet pushed her towards finding a suitor. They too had married young, she knew, but even waiting a few years into their twenties seemed to provide allowance for so much more life than marrying at just sixteen.

As for herself, Emma wanted to do far too many things - embark on adventures, travel the realm - to yet be ready to settle down. She'd marry eventually, she supposed - if only to produce an heir of her own - but there was no hurry there. If her parents' legacy rang true, perhaps she'd even find her own true love, rather than marrying for political alliance as so many of her friends were prepared to do. In the interim, she was content to hone her archery skills, travel the countryside on horseback and continue her tutelage on the diplomacy of the kingdom. Heavens knew those studies would be necessary if she was ever to rule - nearly eighteen years she'd been alive and she'd yet to learn to hold her tongue. Her mother had long since declared it hopeless, but her father was undeterred in his insistence that her temper may yet be tamed.

To her credit, the princess saved her sharp tongue for moments it really mattered, and just as she'd been taught by her mother - passed down from her mother before her - it would never, never be levied at the servants. And so, despite her displeasure at lack of appropriate attire for the ball, she remained gracious.

"Mama, what do you think?" she asked, looking up at her mother standing before her.

"I think the navy will suit you nicely. You've not worn it yet to a ball," she replied as she took a seat next to Emma.

"No? I thought King Midas' birthday..."

Snow shook her head. "It was similar in color, but you've outgrown the one you wore then. That was nearly two years ago."

"How do you remember these things, Mama?" Emma asked with a laugh.

Snow smiled demurely. "Acquired skill, my darling daughter. Some day you will do the same."

"I'm afraid not," Emma replied. "I have no eye for these things. Ball gowns are not my forte."

"Emma…" Snow said, hints of an oft-repeated argument evident in her tone.

"I know, I know," she said with a roll of her eyes, "I cannot wear my riding trousers to the ball. I am not suggesting such a thing! Merely noting that unlike most of my peers, I do not live and breathe for the Saturdays we spend in fancy dress."

"You are my daughter after all," Snow said with a chuckle. "I would expect nothing less."

"What?" Emma replied in mock astonishment. "The daughter of the great warrior Snow White, preferring trousers to ball gowns? Do not tell Daddy, he will faint dead away from the shock of it all."

"Your father fainting at the shock of anything is perhaps the most amusing notion here, dearest Emma," Snow replied, and both mother and daughter descended into a fit of giggles at the picture it painted in their minds.

It was Emma who recovered first, and she surfaced for air with an apology. "I'm so sorry Colleen! I don't know what's gotten into us. The navy will be lovely for Saturday. Thank you so much!"

"My pleasure," Colleen replied with a curtsey as she ducked out of the princess' bedchamber, arms full of rejected dresses. This left mother and daughter alone to resume their giggles, and they did so without delay.

"Poor Colleen," Snow finally gasped out as she attempted to recover.

"Mama, I should think she'd be used to it by now, we only giggle like children several times a week."

"My darling girl, whatever would I do without you here to keep me young?" Snow looked at her daughter with a glimmer in her eye, leaning over to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her into a hug.

"Certainly life would be quite boring," Emma replied as she returned the embrace. "I am sure running a kingdom would occupy none of your time."

"None whatsoever, my dear Emma," she laughed in response. "Nor tending the staff, or spending time with your father..."

"Where is Daddy, by the way?" Emma asked, tilting her head in a manner reminiscent of her mother.

"He had an appointment in the village," Snow replied. "He should return shortly."

"Perhaps I'll walk down to meet him, now that the dress fitting is done," Emma mused.

"Very well," her mother replied, "Just bring him back in time for supper. No heading off on an adventure and forgetting to eat!"

"Yes Mama," Emma said with another giggle. "I'll make sure we both return in time to be fed."

With that, she darted off towards the foyer, and out onto the road beyond. The road towards the nearest village saw little traffic this time of year, with most harvests complete for the season, and so Emma was able to enjoy a few moments of solitude on the mild autumn day as she walked. Several minutes into her travels, she spied her father galloping towards her on horseback, and she happily called out to him. "Daddy!" she cried, greeting him with a wave and a smile as he slowed the animal.

"Darling Emma," he replied, pulling at the reigns to halt the horse as a grin overtook his face. Dismounting, he asked, "What brings you out here?"

"Mama said you'd gone to the village. I thought I'd take the opportunity to meet up with you and enjoy the weather. Did your appointment go well?" she replied. They began to walk side-by-side, Charming leading the horse with one hand as Emma linked her arm in his free one.

"Indeed. I settled a dispute between farmers over a piece of land. I would have been back hours ago, but I was waylaid by a merchant who was concerned about the expiry of our trade agreement with Avonlea. I must have explained five times before he understood that the agreement does not expire for more than a year yet, far too early to begin negotiations."

"Goodness," Emma said in response. "You have the patience of a saint. I would have bitten his nose clean off."

"Nonsense, Emma," he replied with a fond look at his daughter. "You'll learn, in due time, just as I have."

"I suspect matters of sword and bow will remain my forte," she said with a laugh. "Now come, Mama was adamant we not be late for dinner."

With that, they returned to the castle and the small family dined - blithely unaware that this dinner together would be the last they had before their world was turned upside down.