"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."― C.G. Jung

Chapter 1: Time to Wave Goodbye Now

It was so embarrassing. The whole spectacle of the thing felt completely overwhelming. Emma just stood there at the entrance; her arms were at her sides, as Snow cried dramatically and clutched her like a porcelain doll.

It was bad enough she'd never been away from her home castle for even a night in her whole life, and now she was going to be away for the entire summer.

Emma thought she was going to like die here. Her mother was not going to be able to let her go ever. She could just imagine Snow bringing along an extra suitcase in the chauffeur carriage and jumping at the chance to move in to her dormitory chamber with her, too.

She let out a long whining sound when her mother squeezed her tighter and hummed, shaking her lightly back and forth. Maybe the sound of oxygen being pushed forcibly from her lungs was the sound of her soul escaping her body. She should be so lucky.

"Mom, come on, geez. I'm going to get teased enough," she whispered into Snow's ear and immediately regretted it. She felt her mother stiffen and pull away. She kept a hold of Emma's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. She released her grip with one hand to push a curled lock of hair behind her ear and fawned over her some more.

"Can't a mother show her daughter some affection? This is a goodbye, darling." Snow sniffled, and Emma just stared at her blankly as she hunched up her shoulders in sheer mortification. She looked around the courtyard that was bustling from the commotion of all the other princesses getting dropped off for school.

Everyone was watching her, she realized. She was powerless to do anything but let the sickening display of motherly doting continue.

"Mom, please," Emma pleaded with wide eyes and gritted teeth. "Just leave already!"

That was the wrong thing to say because Snow cried harder and increased the volume. She turned from facing Emma and fell against her husband. Her dad had his arms wrapped around Snow, and Emma could see his lip quivering as he tried to hold it together. She knew she came from a big royal family of saps, but this was bordering on pathetic.

Apparently, crying jags were contagious.

Of course, she was super uncomfortable because it was hot outside and she had to wear a formal white gown emblazoned with her family crest. Mom's glam squad of bluebirds and mice had done her hair and makeup for the big day.

The flowers and twigs were a bit of a overkill: the back of her head looked exactly like a nest because that was the only style the birds knew how to do. Emma just hoped none of the decorative little blue eggs dropped out and cracked on the marble.

She had been waiting for this summer for years: her whole life really. At least as far back as she could remember. Ever since her mother had told her about her special summer at La Ville Flottante Des Fées, Emma had looked forward to her turn to go. She'd been sheltered and molded her entire life, and she'd finally get a chance to meet other girls who were just like her.

Princess Charm School was basically mandatory for all princesses in all realms upon reaching their eighteenth birthdays. It was one of those things that royalty just knew about, an annual tradition:

A grand time to grow and prepare for all the rigorous duties that accompany being born of royal blood.

That's what the invitation parchment had advertised.

As Emma saw it, most of her princess duties were already behind her. She hadn't even cried at her Coronation ceremony, she'd been a beautiful child, posing at the foot of her parents' thrones for commissioned paintings, and waving from her father's side out over important gatherings.

Her personal storybook, a scrap book of sorts that chronicled her life, was drawn up and illustrated by her personal royal bard. She was aware of the fact that even the announcement of her birth was one of the happiest days her kingdom had seen.

When she hit her teenage years, things had taken a bit of a downward turn. Snow would never admit it, and even went so far as to have Emma's storybook slightly falsified to paint a more becoming picture of her life events.

Emma hadn't really been into being a princess anymore. She worked hard at her studies, but started to resent the flowery, over-the-top poofy gowns she had always been dressed in. She preferred to spend her free time watching the knights training in the courtyard, and longed to dress in leather and armor while wielding a sword.

Her parents called it a phase.

Alas, she wore the gowns and had resigned herself to her station in life and tried to be grateful for everything she had. She did have more than any other young woman, or any other princess in her kingdom, and her maids and tutors reminded her of this on a daily basis.

Her life milestones were already set out for her before birth. When she reached her sixteenth birthday, she had her first ball, where she danced far past midnight and snuck hard ale from her father's chalice. The ball had felt a bit stuffy and pink, but all in all a good party. Her mother called it a failure because she hadn't met her true love.

The whole true love prince thing was a sore spot for Emma. It was becoming a point of contention within her family.

Emma saw this summer school as a place where the question of 'What now?' would finally be answered. Both her parents were still relatively young and healthy, there were no big wars looming on the horizon that might endanger either of their lives, so Emma was a de facto princess with no hopes of becoming a Queen anytime soon.

That is, unless she married a nice prince. She wasn't worried about her next milestone yet. She had a whole summer to enjoy before she had to find and fall in true love and make her happily ever after, despite the pressure from Snow. She didn't want to disappoint her parents or Mike, the bard, who had to write her story.

Being a princess wasn't something she could just quit, after all.

Her father took his turn holding on to her, and she patted his back and quirked her lip up in a smile as he hugged her for what felt like an eternity.

Sometimes it was hard for them to let go.

Emma felt a gust of wind on her face and looked across the marble floors to where the Bird King and Queen, of the Raptor Kingdom, had just landed along with their feathered princess.

"She's coming, too?" Emma whispered, at risk of sounding rude, but she was under the impression that the princess school was for humans only.

Snow was on friendly terms with all of the animal kingdoms in the Enchanted Forest. She had a unique ability to speak to any and all woodland creatures, and though Emma could understand them mostly, she didn't communicate as well as her mother did.

"Of course, Emma." Snow smiled hugely and waved her hand at an owl that fluttered her wing in return and hooted in greeting. Snow lowered her voice in sympathy, "They adjust the age requirement for the animals, as most of them have a much shorter life span."

Emma's sudden concern shifted to the thought that her roommate might be a snake or a toad princess. Emma looked around as a squirrel and a fox darted past her and started the climb up the bridge that led to the Floating City, where the school was. (Really it was just a fancy name for an island.)

"Mom, what if certain princesses are natural enemies?" Emma asked as she received a curtsy and a bashful smile from one of the Rat King's daughters. Certainly, that predator and prey animals on one campus could turn into trouble.

"Honey, you signed an agreement, don't you remember?" Snow answered with another question. At least she'd stopped crying. David was unloading her book bag from the carriage, while her valet started carrying her heavier luggage over the bridge.

"Oh, yeah, what did it say again?" Emma remembered signing something, but she hadn't bothered reading up on everything.

"That as long as you are on premises and in attendance that you agree to participate in a truce with all natural and unnatural enemies of our kingdom."

Snow rummaged through her purse and brought out a copy of the contract scroll. She read, "There will be no harming, killing, eating, maiming, or disembowelment of any princess in attendance. Violations will not be tolerated and will result in expulsion and possible criminal prosecution."

"I think I can handle that." Emma nodded confidently. She didn't have any desire to eat or kill anyone else of any other species. "So I should probably get going. I think I hear the bluebells ringing on the island."

David placed Emma's book bag, which held her books and study materials, in his daughter's hands and clapped her on the back as he offered a proud smile. "Be good, Emma. I'm sure you'll have a grand time. Remember to just say 'no' to any girls who offer to teach you magic. We don't do that in this family."

"Dad, that's not gonna happen!" Emma rolled her eyes, and held onto her bag.

"I knew we raised you right, baby," he chucked her chin playfully, and she gave her father one last hug. "Now, I've gotta wrangle your mother into the carriage before she insists on staying for another round of goodbyes."

"Thanks, Dad. Bye, Mom." Emma waved at them both and, for the first time; she felt a prickle of tears in her eyes and an itch in her nose.

"I love you, baby!" Snow yelled even as the royal carriage was far down in the foothills. Emma took one last look and then turned to face the bridge that led across to the floating city.