"I can't believe her," Emma mumbled to herself, "I was promised one night without balls, one night where I could be left alone in peace, without having to dance with imbeciles, and make nice with noblemen." A sigh of frustration escaped the blonde as she flopped down onto her bed, fighting the angry tears welling in her eyes. Deciding that she needed to distract herself Emma reached under her bed and pulled out her sword, hoping that the repetitiveness of sharpening and polishing her sword would help to ease her troubled mind.

Knock, knock, knock.

Emma's head turned towards her door, glaring at who whoever had dared to interrupt one of her rare moments of peace. "Who is it?" Emma called out, not bothering to hide the aggravation in her voice.

"It's August," A rough voice hesitantly replied

"What do you want August?" Emma replied irritably, making no move to get off her bed. "I told you I wanted to be left alone until it was time for my mother's weekly parade of idiots." The blonde sneered at the thought, giving her sword a particularly vicious swipe with the sharpening stone. "These balls she forces me to attend are truly infuriating, god forbid I find true love, like her and father, she acts as though that would be the absolute worst possible thing that could happen to me. Her mentality of 'do as I say not as I do,' is really starting to piss me off." The princess said as she finished sharpening her sword and began to shine it.

"I'm sorry your highness but…" The guard stuttered, tentatively opening the door to the Blonde's room.

"August I've already told you, we grew up together therefore you have earned the right to call me Emma, I hate my title, it's just another way my parents try to distant themselves from our subjects." The blonde said not moving from her bed, as she carefully continued to shine her sword.

"You may hate it but that's the title you were given at birth. It is your right, just as it was mine and I will not hear you undermine it, or me is that clear." A raven-haired woman criticized as she swept into her daughters room. "As for the ball you will be attending, you have no choice. It's absolutely ridiculous that at your age you have yet to find a suitor." Snow White sighed with disbelief and mild shame. "When I was your age I had already met your father and was preparing to take over the crown from my father. What have you achieved in 20 years? Nothing, all you have managed to do is play with a sword and irritate almost every eligible bachelor within kingdoms."

"Well maybe if you would let me pick someone instead of forcing boring old men down my throat. What's so wrong with someone interesting, or at least close to my age? How about someone who actually has a brain and who doesn't expect me to simply stay by there side and agree with everything they say without expressing any thought of my own. And what's up with you mother, you're normally stuck up and stubborn but not to this degree, did someone step on your dress? Oh! Or maybe someone dared to challenge the color scheme for tonight's torture?" Emma spat, hatred radiating from almost every pore.

"Some witch had the audacity to use their magic on a small child, and then the witch claimed that the child had broken their arm and she was just helping. You know how punishing magic users tends to leave me in a bad mood. Enough about me your behavior has been deplorable, I have heard from yet another prince that they no longer wish to ally with our kingdom because, and I'm quoting them directly here, 'your princess is volatile and too free willed, she seems to be more of a risk than an advantage'. You may not like it, but every time you are rude or turn down one of the princes or lords introduced to you, you give our kingdom a bad name. You need to smarten up and do as you're told." Snow said harshly.

"You're a hypocrite you that?" Emma replied bitterly not even bothering to look up from the sword she was still polishing. Thoughts of burying the blade in her mother's abdomen running through her mind, Emma shook her head, removing the pleasant image from her mind.

"Oh really? And why is that?" Snow asked with a quirked eye brow.

"You and dad both are actually. Ever since I was little I've heard both of you say how lucky you were, lucky that you had found your true love and lucky that you hadn't been forced to marry someone else for the betterment of the kingdom. And yet here you are telling me that I have to pick a husband and that it doesn't matter if I love him or not. All that matters to you is the political connections you can make. You don't care about my happiness and you never did." Emma stated coolly, finally looking up from her sword to send her mother a withering glare.

"Yes well your father and I have talked, and we've decided that you're right." Snow stated. Emma's eyes went wide as she looked at her mother with an open mouth expression. "Your father and I have decided that forcing you to pick was completely unfair, you don't know who would benefit our kingdom the most. Therefore we have decided that our best course of action is that we choose for you, in fact the man you are to be betrothed is here tonight." Snow stated simply

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Emma screamed at her mother. The blonde's heart plummeting to her stomach as she felt her world come crashing down around her. Emma and her mother hadn't gotten along since Emma was 9 years old. Around the time that she had decided that she didn't like going to balls and wearing fancy dresses. Emma had realised that she would much rather spend her time in the training yard with August and the other guards, practicing with her sword as well as perfecting her archery technique.

"We can, and we did. You are to marry Prince Baelfire of the eastern Kingdom, His family is very wealthy and they have a very strong army, they will be very powerful allies and you will not screw this up for your father and I." Snow informed harshly. "The ball is tonight at eight and you will be there, you will wear the dress that I have laid out and you will accept when Prince Baelfire asks you to dance, and that is final young lady."

"Question, if this goes according to plan, when will I be getting married?" Emma asked hesitantly terrified of the answer she would receive.

"In a fortnight, the Blue Fairy is going to officiate, therefore it's binding, and only way out of it is if one of you dies." The Queen said smugly. Emma's mind was racing, in two weeks time she would be married, whether she wanted to be or not. In her desperation Emma began to formulate a plan that would utilize the talents she had kept hidden for so many years, for fear of persecution.

"Alright mother you're right," Emma said sadly allowing her mother to believe that she had truly won the argument, "I will be down at the ball at Nine and then I will dance with Prince Baelfire to his hearts content, and when he proposes I will accept." Emma promised meekly, hoping that her mother wouldn't see the defiance in her eyes or hear the hammering of her heart.

"Why at nine? I just told you it started at eight." Snow questioned cautiously, although happy that her daughter had finally seen reason.

"There's no way that I can get myself ready in just 3 hours, I have something special in mind and I need at least four to get it done properly." Emma explained, as a gleam appeared in her mother's eye. "And after all doesn't my betrothed deserve the best?" Emma added on hoping to sell her mother on the need of extra time.

"That sounds lovely dear, would you like your father to escort you down? Make a grand entrance?"

"No mother it's fine I'll have August do it. I want to surprise you and Father with my entrance," Emma replied sweetly, her mother smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Oblivious to the other Woman's plans.

"Alright that sounds find, I'm so glad you finally see reason. I shall see you down stairs at nine." And with that Snow swept out of the room leaving a silently fuming Emma behind her.

Once she was sure her mother was gone the Princess jumped into action. "August, get in here," The princess called as she ran around her room gathering her necessities and as many of her weapons as she could reasonably carry.

"Yes Emma?" The man asked as he walked into the room, confusion lacing his features as he watched the blonde run around her room.

"You are to keep everyone out of my rooms until my mother and father are the ones demanding entry, and only then are you to allow them entry, do you understand?" The blonde demanded as she halted her gathering to look at her guard.

"Yes your highness, may I ask why?" The guard requested

"Yes you may, but it doesn't mean I'll answer. Now please leave, I have a lot to do so that I can get ready for this evening."

"Of course your highness," With a low bow August made his way out of the room. Once the heavy door had shut Emma ran towards her closet as she began pulling out her riding clothes as well as a bag in order to hold the small amount of food she planned to bring with her.

Glancing around the room Emma's eyes quickly scanned the tops of her bed and dresser drawers, ghosting over every surface to ensure that she had all of the essentials. She had food in her bag, her sword attached to her hip as well as her quiver of arrows and her bow attached to her back. Finally the princess checked the small daggers she kept in her boot and at her hip, checking to make sure they were properly positioned so as not to jab her in her side or ankle. Finally Emma made her way towards the bathroom, where she quickly filled the tub with water. With a quick glance behind her to make sure she was alone Emma carefully place a warming charm over the water to keep it warm for the next five hours. Hopefully when her parents discover the empty room in 5 hours they would order the room searched. The full bathtub with warm water would, if she was lucky, make them think she had only just left thus casting a much smaller search radius for the wayward princess.

With a final glance around her room Emma was finally certain she had everything she would need. Closing her eyes and visualizing her destination Emma felt the familiar tug from deep inside as she allowed herself to be transported to the stables, right beside her treasured black Arabian, Shadow.

"Hey boy," Emma whispered as she stroked the powerful animals muzzle, "Are you ready for a long ride?" she questioned. Shadow turned his head, his large brown eyes questioning the blonde. "We're finally getting out of here," Emma answered, " away from my mother and her balls and expectations, away forced marriages for the betterment of the kingdom." Emma sighed taking one last look at the castle she had called home for the past 22 years. "We're going to the one place I don't think she'll ever look for us, and if she does, there's no way that she'll be allowed in." Emma whispered as she saddled her horse, at her words Shadow moved his large head to nudge her, if horses could display a look of shock Emma was almost positive that's what she would see now on her companions face. "Don't look at me like that, it's the only place I think I'll be safe…once I demand an audience with the Queen that is. Even if the queen throws me in a jail cell it's still better than here because I can use my magic there without fear of being persecuted, I won't be forced to marry anyone either, so look at me like that all you want, but we're going."

A loud thumping came from out side the stables as a guard drunkenly crashed into the side of the building. Emma quickly hid herself behind a bale of hay in Shadows pen, barely breathing as she waited to be discovered. Once the noise had died down and Emma was sure no one would be bothering her she swiftly stood up and led her Horse out the back end of the stables quietly making her way to the gate, and after a quickly mumbled cloaking spell, Emma and Shadow slipped out of the castle gates unnoticed.

"Come on boy, I can't magic us to the Dark kingdoms borders until we're in the forest so it's going to take a little bit to get there, we need to move," With that Emma kicked the horse into a trot as she quickly made her way towards the Dark Kingdom, without a backwards glance.

TBC

Hey everyone,

This is the first of my revised chapters. I know it seems very similar but a fair amount of things have been changed and added. I hope you enjoyed and as always please leave me a review letting me know what you thought.

Carolyn