Henry paddled back to the shore as fast as he could, hoping that his mom hadn't gone to the beach yet. He was relieved to find Grace waiting for him on the shore.

"Where are Hansel and Gretel?" Henry asked her.

"They went back to the castle to try and stall," she replied. Henry's heart rate quickened as he heard the sound of hoofbeats though they were faint. He turned back to Grace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Grace threw him a questioning look. "Why would you be sor~" But she didn't finish her sentence for Henry pushed her into the water suddenly. She had half a mind to scream right now but it died in her throat when the Princess approached, after dismounting from her horse. Her expression spoke 'you better have a good reason you're out here instead of in there' and it made Henry gulp and Grace pale.

"We were swimming," Henry explained.

"Swimming? When you know full well that guests have been arriving all afternoon in honor of your coronation ball?" His mom queried.

Grace got out of the water, pushing herself up onto the dock. "That's it, Your Highness. You know how Henry prefers family gatherings instead of parties thrown in his honor. He just wanted to get away for a little while."

"And why wouldn't he tell me?" Emma asked.

"He thought that you wouldn't let him have a few minutes of freedom what with the preparations and everything," Grace responded. Henry shot her a grateful look with a touch of awe that she was able to come up with such excuses so easily.

Emma turned to her son. "As understandable as it is that you had to rest, you should have informed me first. Regina and Mother have been combing the castle looking for you."

Henry bowed his head. "I know. I'm sorry."

Emma's eyes softened as she placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "I know how it feels for it all to be so overwhelming." Henry looked up at his mother as she continued on. "I know how it feels to get away from it every once in a while and just let you be you. You want to take a moment to stop and take in all that is happening around you, otherwise you feel you just might explode.

"I'll give you a few more minutes out here. Just be back before sundown," she reminded her son sternly before smiling at him and Grace before mounting her horse and galloping off.

As soon as Emma was out of earshot, Grace grinned and said, "Henry, I can't believe it. She didn't suspect a thing." However, her grin faded as she saw her friend's pensive expression as he sat down on the dock, with his toes barely skimming the water.

She sat down beside him. "What's wrong?"

Henry turned to look at her. "What my mom said.

"She's right. It is overwhelming. Not only am I going to be officiated as an heir but I find out about my three possible fathers and I still can't choose who's the real one. I haven't really taken a moment to let it sink in. Ever since I had the possibility of having a complete family on one of the biggest events of my life, I didn't take time to think about me."

Grace looked at him. "But didn't you do this for you? So you could find your dad?"

"It's not just for me, Grace. I also factored my mom in, because she's spent a big part of her life taking care of me, not thinking of her own happy ending. I've been dealing with all this and the ceremony, that I didn't stop to think for me."

"Well, now that you're out here, you can let it all out. It's not sunset yet and it's just you and me," she replied, nudging his shoulder.

Henry smiled gratefully at her, glad to have her with him. As much as he loved Hansel and Gretel, Grace was always the one he could turn to about his feelings. "How I feel? Like I said, overwhelmed. Also, nervous because of the ceremony, hopeful that I can find my dad, and disappointed because I don't know who it is."

"Is that all?"

"Well, I'm confused."

"About what?"

'About you' was his thought but he didn't want to scare her away. He needed her right now and he didn't want to let his feelings get in the way of his current issues. She was his friend and that was what he was glad to have with him right now.

"About what to do next," he told her instead.

Grace looked out to the horizon. "Well, you started what you're dealing with right now. It's up to you to see it till the end," she replied.

They hurried back to the palace, so as to make it in time for the ball preparations that they both would have to undergo. They went up to Henry's room, where they found not just Hansel and Gretel with rather scared expressions but also Regina sitting tall with her eyebrow raised. Henry knew that look: it usually spelled trouble.

"Hello Aunt Regina," he greeted. Even though Regina was older than his grandmother, she tended to treat him as more of a nephew rather than a great-grandson.

"Hello Henry. I just received some interesting information," she informed him and Grace.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, I came here, deciding to check if you came back but we didn't know it and I find your two friends here." Henry turned to them and they couldn't help but shrink back in guilt a little.

"And I just ask them where you went and they kept coming up with excuses, none of which I could follow, might I add." She then patted the two kids on the shoulder. "So I decide to try a truth spell on them and do you know what they tell me?" She smirked, making Henry audibly gulp.

"That Henry is out with three men who he hopes are his father and that Grace is staying at the docks for backup," She declared.

Sorry for the lack of updates. After a rather severe case of LaziBlock (Writer's block and laziness, terrible thing indeed), I decided to come back. I rarely leave things at a cliffhanger but I felt that it would be a good idea for this one. Also, I wrote this before the Frozen & Dark Swan/Camelot arc, if anyone is confused as to why there's no Elsa or Violet.