All Souls Night

By: IsabellaHeat

Author's Notes: I HIGHLY recommend listening to Loreena McKennitt's All Souls Night and her live version of Huron Beltane Fire Dance to get an idea of what inspired the fic as well as what the drums/music they are dancing to sounds like. It makes a huge difference! I promise! This may be turned into a bigger fic depending on responses and if you guys want it to. Let me know what you think yes? I always appreciate it and it makes my day just a little bit brighter! Thanks!

The bonfires were lit, burning brightly against the black back drop of the night. Stars twinkled merrily over head as Princess Emma White Swan made her way towards the hills. Her parents were finally allowing the young princess to enjoy her first All Souls Night without hovering over her or sending the guards with her. They knew she was perfectly capable of defending herself and with the disappearance of the Evil Queen there was really no great evil for them to worry about anymore. Still the princess had tucked her dagger into her boot and kept her sword belted to her side. Tonight her parents had allowed her to do as she chose and chose she had. Wearing leather pants and a tunic like a man she was more than happy to enjoy All Souls the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Dancing, drinking and listening to the pulsing drums as the night grew darker and the moon overhead grew brighter.

She paused, her hand self-consciously touching the feather mask around her eyes. It was another reason her parents had agreed to let her go out without an escort. They would retire to the palace once they had blessed the festivities like usual. While they allowed the fertility rites to be celebrated they were never ones to participate themselves. At eighteen, the princess was more than ready to enjoy the revelry for herself and after months of begging her parents had finally agreed to allow it. Her eyes lit on a large fire and the half dressed women shaking and writhing their bodies around it. The drums beat steady as the fires crackled happily loud and noisy. Each of the women wore a mask similar to Emma's which made her smile and pause as she saw them drop to their knees and shake their chests their stomachs moving in and out with each breath and release in steady tandem with the drums.

She looked up as the curved horn blew signaling the release of the men to hunt the King Stag. She smiled as she watched the "Queen", a beautiful girl chosen from the village, waiting patiently by the may pole to be given to the winner of the men who would be her "King" until Samhain where he would "die" and be brought back to life by the "Queen's tears". She smiled watching as the girl began to weave her way through the fires stopping to bless them by removing a flower woven into her thick red hair and throwing it into the fire. She stepped back giving the Queen room to move as the dancers continued to writhe on the ground adding their chants to the Queen's blessing.

The revelry continued as she was handed a cup of wine and brought into the dancing by a strong man without a shirt. His mask resembled an eagle. His arms cupped her waist twisting her around and around in the motions the female dancers had taken on now as they selected their own partners from the crowd and encouraged them to dance. Emma twisted and moved her body properly watching the other dancers to make sure she was doing it right. She felt a bit awkward the motions were rather sexual and certainly different than those seen at court but she was starting to feel a bit more comfortable when she happened to glance across the fire. At first glance she wasn't sure what had caught her eye until movements and then brown eyes hidden behind a feathered peacock mask met hers. She gasped pushing back against her partner as she stumbled a bit but his strong arms held her up.

The woman twisted in her own partner's arms and dropped to her knees tossing her head back. Her jet black hair danced dangerously close to the licking flames but somehow she never got burned. Her partner dropped beside her pulling her to him as he made a motion to kiss along her neck. Tilting her head back brown eyes met jade green not breaking contact for a moment. The woman rose ever so gracefully to her feet pulling away from her dancing partner. She gave a smile, her white teeth flashing in the night before she turned. Glancing back over her shoulder she darted away from the fire heading down the hills and towards the woods. She paused a few times looking back as Emma started to follow her and with another flash of her pearly smile she was off in the trees.

Emma paused at the tree line looking around for the dark haired beauty. A part of her contemplated whether or not this was a good idea. She knew of plenty of creatures that could assume human form on All Souls Night. It was after all the most magical night of the year at least that's what the priests that tried to forbid them from lighting the fires claimed anyways. But the fires and All Souls itself was a tradition that was so strongly rooted in their communities that everyone ignored it in favor of the blessings they believed the fires and the celebration provided. Magic wasn't necessarily feared, it was those that wielded it that left something to be frightened of.

The last known magical threat being the Evil Queen that had disappeared when Emma was just a child and Rumple…well everyone knew that he was locked up in the abandoned dwarf mines. Now a days things were peaceful and magic was used only for good. Emma looked back up at the fires and then back into the trees.

The woman peered out at from around a large tree, her smile flashing again playfully calling out without a word for the blonde princess to join her. Decision made the blonde began to walk towards the tree that was being used as a hiding spot. The woman gave her another devilish little smirk and away she went in a flash of her deep burgundy skirts which were washed out a bit by the moonlight that beat down on them. Running through the trees chasing her quarry left the princess breathless and not necessarily in a bad way; every time she'd pause the beauty in the feathered mask would stop as well peering out at her from behind a tree; her soft hand caressing the bark as she waited for Emma to catch her breath and continue their chase.

Finally they came to a very large tree in the center of the other trees. It stood off by itself; its roots were thick taking over the surrounding area without leaving any room for trees growing around it. Emma paused as she looked up at its thick leaves and branches. Here the noises from the festivities could barely be heard but the driving pounding beat of the drums was still quite clear. She glanced away for a moment and then heard a soft sound. Peering around the thick trunk with her small hand resting on the tree branch the woman waited for her to make her move. Her mask was still firmly in place and her dark hair spilled around her shoulders settling around her in loose waves as she watched Emma's every move.

The blonde slowly moved towards her and crimson lips tilted up in a bright smile before the woman slid around to the other side of the tree. They peered at one another as Emma made a move to the left side planning to go to her the woman moved. They made these movements a few more times before Emma caught on and faked her move to the right. She hid behind the tree and when the woman moved she grasped her small waist feeling her corset underneath the silk fabric of her simple burgundy gown.

"Got you," Emma murmured in her ear as she held her against her back.

The woman twisted in her arms and the princess slowly loosened her grip to allow the movement but instead of moving away the woman moved closer. Small slender arms went around her neck pulling her into the smaller woman. It was only then that she realized she was slightly taller than the woman despite the fact that she was standing on one of the tree's large roots. She wondered briefly if the woman was part fae but that thought quickly left her mind when warm ruby colored lips met hers.

Emma felt like fireworks were going off in her brain at that first electrifying touch. The woman's slender hands tangled in her hair holding her into the kiss not that the princess was trying to fight to get away or anything. After all, a kiss like this happened only once in a lifetime or so she'd been told. She could remember her mother's voice when she was young telling her softly what her first kiss with her husband had been like. How she'd seen sparks and everything seemed just that much brighter. Was this what this was? Was this woman dare she say it her true love?

The woman pulled away from her looking at her through the almond shaped holes of her peacock mask. The princess' hand slid up grasping the edge of the mask ready to remove it so she could see the beauty she was sure was underneath when a soft touch to her wrist stilled her movement. Her hand was pushed away with the shake of the woman's hand and she felt her long dark hair tickling over her hand. She nodded in understanding realizing silently what the woman was asking for. It was she that brought her back into another heart wrenching kiss. As tongues began a duel for dominance clothes became an obstacle in their way to get even closer.

Emma practically ripped the dress over the woman's head even as small hands clawed to remove her tunic. She sighed when her heated skin was finally exposed but frowned when she realized the other woman still had her corset on. She reached for the ties thinking about just ripping them when small hands stopped her. The woman tenderly pushed her down so that she was sitting on the large root and then moved to straddle her lap. The princess' hands came up holding onto her hips as the woman reached behind her and slowly unlaced the corset. Emma felt like a kid at Yule all over again waiting to see what sort of present lay underneath the wrappings just ready for her. The simple black corset loosened before finally falling away as the strings were loosened enough. It caught around her hips but exposed her breasts to Emma's hungry view.

All around them she could still hear the steady beat of the drums and knew that sometimes magic didn't need to be wielded it just existed. Like it did in this moment; she pulled the woman towards her sealing their lips together once again. It was quick to turn as passionate as their other kisses had been as hands began to wander over warm bare flesh. The princess despite her lack of knowledge slid her hands to the small mounds of flesh resting on the dark haired beauty's chest. The woman sighed sweetly into their kiss as Emma squeezed her breasts, massaging the mounds in her calloused hands.

The blonde's lips trailed down nipping and sucking the woman's neck as her hands continued to knead her small breasts. She could feel the pebbles of her nipples against her palms as she squeezed and stroked. The woman broke her silence then moaning pleasure as Emma's hands moved to her waist and her warm lips trailed over her collar bones. She licked a line back up her fragrant skin tasting her spicy skin. There was a hint of apples and smoke from the fires as well as some sort of unique hint of lavender and something earthy. She liked it she decided as she nipped at the long column of warm tan flesh. The woman cried out again pushing her breasts against Emma's hands again as she slipped them from her waist.

Emma's lips trailed lower causing the woman to arch her back allowing the tender touches to her honeyed skin. Emma paused at her nipples studying them for a moment before making a decision. Tenderly she nipped one with her teeth before sucking it between her lips closing her eyes as she listened to the woman's guttural moans. She felt her hips moving over hers and smiled softly around the hard little pebble of flesh in her mouth. Emma's hand slid down feeling her wetness through her undergarments. She moaned happily pleased to find the woman's excitement matched her own. Slowly she pulled away and gently pushed her off her lap. She stood up and removed her leather pants leaving her high boots on though. The masked woman remained where Emma had placed her waiting almost predatory in her kneeling position.

She waited until Emma had them off to pounce sending the blonde back onto the thick roots with a thud and an oomph. Luscious red lips sealed to hers as the princess panted trying to catch her breath back from the fall but the dark beauty didn't seem content to let her do that. She gasped against her lips feeling her tongue sliding inside her mouth. Her eyes fell closed as she got lost in the kiss, the need to breathe taking a backseat to other sensations. The woman's hands were everywhere, caressing, kneading, fondling. The kiss broke as the woman's lips trailed down her neck nipping and biting the same way Emma had as the drum beat took on a low driving beat. The heady smell of the burning fires and the moving leaves in the trees reached them as the wind picked up ever so slightly.

What was left of what little clothes they were wearing disappeared as they pressed their hungry bodies together. Emma gasped as she heard the woman above her give a soft moan. The sensation of becoming so sensitive to touch raced through them both as their bodies writhed together. They rolled through the leaves and roots of the large tree ignoring the way the leaves stuck in their hair. The heavy beat of the drums seem to only spur them on further and further until they both screamed at the exact same time. Collapsing against each other softly glowing jade eyes met warm honey brown giving her a tired smile. The woman returned it. Emma's hand slid up as she tried yet again to remove the mask only to have her hand pushed away with a small shake of the beauty's head.

"I want to see you." The princess murmured to which the brunette gave a tired smile and another shake of her head. "Why not?" She asked.

The woman lifted her hand to her mouth pressing a finger against it in a quiet motion. The leaves rustled again and Emma sat up slightly. A large stag with beautiful full horns stood nearby watching them. Suddenly a thick bush rustled nearby and a small light brown doe came to stand at his side. The big brown eyes of both animals took in the naked couple as the humans eyes stared at them. Emma was simply enchanted. To see a stag and his mate on All Souls was a great boon; a symbol of luck and good tidings for the next year. She also knew the animals; a mated pair was considered a symbol of a lasting romance.

She slipped to her feet slowly making her way towards the two. They remained put watching her as she slowly approached with her hand held out to them. Suddenly the trees blew again and they spooked turning tail and running away, their white tails bobbing as they raced back the way they came. She turned back and gasped as she ran back towards the spot she'd been in just before. The beautiful woman was nowhere to be found nor was her forgotten clothes. Emma sighed looking around trying to figure out where she'd gone but it was no use. She slowly pulled back on her clothes when it caught her attention. Hanging from a low tree branch right in front of her, glimmering in the moonlight the beautiful feathered peacock mask hung blowing in the soft breeze of the night.