I saw this prompt on Reginamlls Tumblr (x) accompanied with a gifset and it gave me so many feels I had to write a mini ficlet, that got a fair few requests to turn into a multi chap! so here it is! Thanx to my amazing beta Jess for just being amazing!

AU: Both Regina and Emma are princesses in the EF, they fall in love and when Cora finds out, she banishes Emma to "our world". Regina casts the dark curse, sacrifices her mother and tries to find her true love.

"Come on father I'm only going out in the woods. And I'll be armed so it's not like anyone could hurt me." Emma protested, her hand curled around the sword attached to her hip.

"Emma, if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, you are not allowed out of the grounds unaccompanied. If not by me or your mother at least take Killian. He is your bodyguard after all." David sighed, this was not the first time his daughter had attempted to evade her guard and go out alone. To tell the truth he was impressed, but Snow would never forgive him if anything happened to Emma. David waved Killian over from his position by the door.

"My lord I don't know if the lass needs any protection" Killian said as he moved to stand next to Emma, limping slightly.

"Hey it's not my fault you got in the way. You're lucky it wasn't any worse." Emma smirked as she remembered the last time she had gone out to practice her fighting. Killian had not been paying attention whilst surveying the area and had walked right into Emma's 'firing line' as it were, and had payed dearly with a blade in his thigh.

"Emma." David's stern voice pulled Emma from her memories. Knowing she wasn't going to win, she sighed and kissed her father on the cheek before beckoning Killian to follow as she strode out of the hall.

Killian kept his pace with Emma and once she found a suitable spot in the nearby forest, he swept the area for bandits. He nodded to show the area was clear and leant against a tree, out of the way of the Princess's blade.

Emma rolled her shoulders, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Bringing her sword up so it was level with her waist, she turned suddenly and extended her arm so the tree behind her now had a branch missing. Smiling at the damage she had inflicted, Emma retrieved her sword and aligned herself to go again. After several more trees had lost branches Killian stepped forward and raised his own sword, raising an eyebrow in a question he didn't need to voice after 5 years of being her chaperon. Emma grinned and swung her sword up only to have Killian block her attack, he twisted his arm so the tip of Emma's sword hit the ground before she swung it across taking out Killian's legs so he landed on his back with a satisfying 'oof'. Emma laughed as Killian clambered to his feet. "Very good M'lady." Killian said impressed.

The pair of them spent the next 30 minutes in similar fashion, Emma only losing twice. She was about to floor Killian once more when he froze. There was a sound of hooves, closely followed by laughter from behind the trees. "M'lady hide." Killian said, pointing to a fallen log at the edge of the clearing while he picked up his sword and went to investigate the source of the noise. Slowly moving into the open bushes with his sword raised, Killian watched as a young woman riding her horse cantered towards them, laughing away without a care in the world. "False alarm M'lady." Killian put away his sword and stepped back to the log.

"I can see that Jones." Killian turned to find Emma on the edge of the clearing watching the woman with wonder. Emma watched as the woman galloped the length of the clearing, her hair flowing out behind her and her laughter getting lost in the open air. Emma must have wandered out too far as the next thing she knew, the woman screamed and her horse rose up on its hind legs to avoid colliding with her.

"Whoa Rocinante, whooaa. It's okay." The brunette said calming her chestnut horse, a white stripe the only break in the brown hair. She slowed to a stop and dismounted, keeping a good hold on the reins.

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to startle you or your horse. I was just mesmerised by… well… you" Emma's voice trailed off as the brunette blushed and nervously bit her lip, fiddling with the reins in her hands. "Okay let me start again. I'm Emma White, this is Killian, my chaperon."

"Wait… You're Emma? The King's daughter?" Regina asked in disbelief. Remembering her manners, she curtsied.

"Oh please you don't need to do that. I'm not really a fan of all the rules, as you can probably tell." Emma chuckled as she held up her sword for the woman to see. "So I know that this is Rocinante but I never got your name." she added as she approached the horse, hand held out.

"Sorry. I'm just not used to meeting royalty, I'm Regina, Regina Mills. If you don't mind me asking, why are you so far from your home?"

"I wanted to practice my sword fighting, my mother doesn't like me doing it in the castle. Truthfully she doesn't like me doing it at all, but father lets me practice out here as long as I'm accompanied." Emma replied waving one hand at Killian, the other buried in Rocinante's mane. "And you Regina? Where's home?"

"Just the other side of the hill. This clearing is the best place for riding… but if I don't get back soon my mother will not be happy. She's already limiting my time with Rocinante, she thinks its unlady-like of me to ride without a saddle, she's not happy I ride at all, she'd rather I use the carriage but it just feels like-"

"-a cage" Emma finished, noting the sadness in Regina's voice. "Well feel free to introduce her to me. I'd wager I'm the least lady-like of the two of us." Regina smiled at this, a small laugh escaping her red lips.

"She would definitely not approve of you." Regina eyed Emma's outfit; "A Princess should not be wearing that. Where did you get a jerkin like that?"

Emma chuckled, looking down at the blue jerkin she wore, comparing it to the green jacket that hugged Regina's figure; "It was a gift from my parents. Mom wasn't too happy that I kept coming back with mud and tears in my dresses. She figured that if she couldn't talk me out of learning to fight, she could at least stop me ruining my dresses."

"I really must go, it's almost tea-time. A lady never misses her tea-time." Regina sighed as she climbed back onto Rocinante, Emma reaching out absentmindedly to help.

"Can I see you again?" Emma asked, biting her lip as she waited for an answer.

Regina's eyes mirrored the smile on her lips as she replied. "I ride in this clearing every day at 3."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow." Emma said, bowing comically before Regina rode off. "I think I've had enough sword fighting for one day Killian" she added, turning to face Killian once Regina had disappeared over the hill.

"Until tomorrow then?" Killian asked, smirking as he followed Emma who had already started walking back to the castle.

"I think tomorrow I'll take out Max, he hasn't been out for a while." Emma mused, more to herself than Killian, but Killian hummed his understanding nonetheless.

Once the pair arrived back at the castle Emma handed Killian her sword and headed to her quarters to change into something more 'lady-like' for dinner. Emerging a little over an hour later Emma now wore a pale blue dress, her hair in a loose braid and a giant smile on her face.

"Good day honey?" Emma hummed at her mother's question, not really listening. "What's with the smile?"

"Oh… I… uh, I met someone today." A rosy tint overcame Emma's cheeks when her mother squealed.

"Who is he?" Snow asked eagerly, no doubt already planning a wedding in her mind.

"Oh… um… actually I met a girl, but we're just friends. I'm going to see her again tomorrow. Her name is Regina."

"Regina? Regina Mills? Her family live close by don't they? I hear the mother is quite ambitious." David chimed in.

"Yes she is, but Regina isn't. She just wants to be happy. I can tell. Do you fancy going for a ride tomorrow father? I can introduce you two."

"I wouldn't want to intrude and besides, I have some state business to attend to tomorrow." David replied "I'll come another day. I owe you a fighting lesson anyway." He added, noticing his daughters face fall.

"What about you Mom? Or do you have state business as well?"

Snow stared meaningfully at her husband before saying that she'd love to come.

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully; David and Snow discussing matters of state, Emma playing with the vegetables on her plate. When she started to flick her peas at her father, Snow waved the groomsman over to clear the plates before a full on food fight erupted.

"Emma dear, what would you like to do tonight? Other than start a food fight." Snow asked, jumping in quickly when a mischievous grin appeared on her daughters face.

Emma thought for a moment, eventually coming up with an idea. 10 minutes later Emma was running through the halls in search of a hiding place her father hadn't already found while Snow counted to 100 in the dining hall.

Just beyond the clearing the atmosphere in the Mills household was a far cry from that of the White's. Regina had kept a solemn look on her face throughout dinner, fearing that if her mother discovered her meeting with Emma she would try to exploit it. She now sat on her windowsill, gazing out over the courtyard and the tree tops beyond. There was a knock at her door, her father entering when acknowledged.

"My dear is everything alright? You were quieter than usual at dinner." Henry asked, sitting down next to his daughter.

"I met Emma White while out riding today."

"And you don't want your mother to find out." Henry finished Regina's thought, making her nod. "Regina you know she just wants what's best for you, don't you? She wants you to have everything she never did."

"I know father. But I don't want it. She has me meeting with all these suitors but I don't want to live a life like that. A loveless marriage, royal duties and endless state meetings, all so that she can climb the social ladder." Regina's rant had brought her to her feet, pacing her room, trying to keep her voice low. The maid had a nasty habit of reporting everything she said to her mother.

"I know dear." Henry got up to soothe his daughter, wrapping her in his arms like he used to do when she was little. "Are you going to see Emma again?" Henry felt Regina nod and continued, "I shall try to keep Cora distracted. I'd like to see you happy my dear, and if you want to see Emma again, I'll cover for you."

Regina lifted her face, tears threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered, burying her face in her father's shoulders once more.