Destined to Love

Summary: This is a Captain SWAN fic! It's filled with destiny and unknown futures. Emma Swan must marry her true love by her twenty-fifth birthday or she will have her crown taken away and be banished from her kingdom. Her parents give her until her twenty-fourth birthday before they step in and arrange a marriage for her to Prince Neil. While trying to learn to love Neil, Emma crosses paths with the famous Captain Hook. Her feelings of dislike towards him are strong. How will he play a part in her already complicated life?

Okay here we go! It has been YEARS since I have written any fanfiction but I am in LOVE with Captain Swan so I figured I'd give it a go! Rating is just to be safe because there will be language and sexual themes throughout the whole story.

Hope you enjoy! Let me know!

Chapter One- The Deal

Emma Swan was no ordinary princess. Although she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming (yes THE Snow White and THE Prince Charming) she wasn't prim and proper and girly like you would expect. Emma was stubborn and hardheaded but most of all right now, she was pissed off.

"Mom, can't we just make another deal and get out of this?" Emma said frustrated. Her and her mother were in Emma's bedroom having the same conversation they had had at least once a month since Emma turned eighteen. She was now twenty-four, meaning this conversation was a regular occurrence now. The only difference is that each time they had the conversation Emma was a bit more irate since the deadline was approaching faster.

"Emma honey, I told you a million times before we are not making another deal with that horrible man. We are lucky this is all he asked for in return the first time. I know you are upset and as much as I hate to remind you again I will, we gave you your chance." Her mother answered annoyance showing through in her voice as much as she tried to hide it.

Emma would have felt sorry for her mother if her entire future wasn't looking so bleak. She knew her parents were going through a lot with the war that was bound to break out any day now against King Midas. However, she didn't have time to feel guilty now, she knew her mother wasn't going to budge on the subject but she still had to try, at least arguing with her got some of her aggression out in the process.

"Mom just because I didn't stumble upon true love so easily like you did doesn't mean that I don't deserve a fair shot at it." Emma argued, hoping to strike a chord in her mother.

"Emma honey," he mother replied looking into her eyes, "you know how I feel about true love. If you end up marrying Neil then that's fate's way of saying he is your true love. I don't know why you won't give him a chance."

Emma sighed. Yes she wasn't girly or prissy but she had grown up watching her parents, the definition of true love, therefore that made her somewhat of a closet romantic.

When Emma was three years old King Midas' wife Regina snuck into her bedroom at night and put a deadly curse upon the child. Her parents woke up the next morning and found Emma unconscious with a heart that was slowing down. The called every doctor in the land to try to come cure the child but after twelve hours they knew the curse was killing the child. No doctor could come up with a solution. That was when Rumpelstiltskin appeared. Rumpelstiltskin was a sorcerer whose past was very unknown, however he was famous for one thing: making deals.

In their time of need Rumpelstiltskin made a deal with Snow White and King Charming that he would save their daughter but it would come at a price. The price was that Emma had to marry her true love by her twenty-fifth birthday or she would be stripped of her throne and banished from the kingdom. The kingdom would then be automatically given to King Midas. Her parents at the time thought that this was a very fair trade and made the deal quickly. Rumple then cured the child and vanished.

The first eighteen years of Emma's life were wonderful. Her father taught her to swordfight and her mother taught her to read. Emma was introduced to her best friend Ruby at age eight and the girls had been inseparable since. She was happy, even though she was a princess her parents had taught her to think critically and encouraged her to voice her opinion, they said these traits would be important when ruling.

All of that changed abruptly on her eighteenth birthday. She was opening her presents in the courtyard that was filled with family and friends. She had been given many beautiful dresses and even some makeup (which she rarely wore), she was having a lovely time when her mother approached her with a small box.

"Here Emma honey, you have one gift left." She said smiling.

Emma quickly took the box and looked at it. "Who is it from? I don't see a card?" She asked her mother.

Snow's brow creased, "That is strange, because I don't see one either. Maybe it's inside?"

Emma quickly unwrapped the small box and opened it. All that was inside was a folded up sheet of paper. She opened it and read, 'Seven years…don't forget.' Emma quickly flipped the piece of paper over but found no signature. She looked up at her mother confused but found her mother looking at the sheet white as a ghost.

Before Emma could ask any questions Snow had rushed off to find Charming. The rest of the party went smoothly, Emma knew it wasn't the proper time to ask questions so she waited until after. She watched her parents go through the motions of having a good time, all the while she knew something was terribly wrong.

After the party her parents sat her down and told her the story. Emma was shocked to say the least. Her parents pretended it was no big deal and told her she had plenty of time to find her true love. She just had to start looking.

Immediately Emma started going out on dates regularly. Her parents tried to keep her dating schedule quiet and spaced out in the beginning because they didn't want the people in the kingdom to get the wrong impression about their daughter. As the years went on, Emma went out with many men. She had grown into a beautiful young woman so finding dates was never hard for the princess. The hard part Emma had was enjoying them. Most of the men she went out with she lost interest in before their dinner was over. Some of them had ulterior motives and only wanted to get to the throne. Her parents told her they would give her until she was twenty four before they stepped in.

Not all of Emma's dates were bad. She went out with the head of her father's guard a few times and actually enjoyed herself. His name was Graham and although he was certainly good-looking she never felt attracted enough to him to let it become anything serious. They became close friends but that was all. Unfortunately along the way Emma did find herself in bed with a few of her suitors (of course her parents didn't know that part). Most of them were the devilishly handsome ones who had just stopped in port for a night or two. They cared nothing for her title or for her once they were done with her.

Finally on her twenty-fourth birthday Emma's parents had sat her down and told her their plan.

"We found a husband for you," he mother said slowly because she knew Emma was a firecracker.

"He is a perfect match. He is already a prince so he is not after your title, he is also well-educated and very good in battle. His name is Prince Neil and he is King George's son." Her father explained to her.

Emma had heard of Prince Neil, she had heard all about his good looks from Ruby and about his bravery from Graham. She had seen him a few times at parties but had never interacted with him.

"You just expect me to fall in love with a man you've picked for me?" Emma said her temper rising.

"Emma honey, we gave you your chance. We gave you six years! I'm not saying you don't have a right to be picky, but I will not let you be stripped of your title because you can't find the right guy to settle down with. Prince Neil is a good match, we aren't matching you up with an ogre." Her mother stated firmly.

"What if I don't love him?" Emma asked stubbornly.

"You have a year to learn to love him. You have to learn to love him Emma, you have to give him a chance. If not you will not only be stripped of your title but you will be banished from our land. I'm sure Rumple foresaw you as a strong-willed girl and that is why he so easily made this deal with us. He knew that it wouldn't be easy for you and he is taking great joy in watching us suffer. We cannot let him win though. I will not lose you because of a deal." Her father said sternly.

So for the last four months Emma had been trying to love Neil, she tried to fantasize about him being her true love and them starting a perfect life together. However, as much as she liked Neil, she knew he wasn't her true love. She had watched her parents her whole life, she knew that her and Neil didn't have the connection they had. They laughed and spoke but they weren't destined to be together. Emma was quite certain that if she knew she felt that way, so would Rumpelstiltskin.