The Swan Princess

-5-

Emma Swan's world was caving in on her. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Without the anaesthetics of the hospital, she could feel every ounce of pain as the child inside of her announced that it was ready to enter the world. She could barely feel Henry's hand gripping hers; her ears were almost deaf to the shouts of her husband. 

"You're nearly there, Swan. Come on!" Killian shouted over the screams of his wife.

Emma was weak. She felt like dying, but before she could succumb to the pain, a wave of relief swept over her. Breathing heavily, she opened her eyes to see...

"It's a girl." Henry smiled, squeezing his mother's hand. 

Emma sighed with relief as Killian used his cleanest dagger to detach the child from it's mother, handing the baby to her. "We have a daughter..." she said, laughing weakly. She took a shawl from a bag lying nearby and used it to clean off her newborn baby, wrapping her up to shield her from the chill of the night.

"I'm a big brother!" Henry shouted into the trees, to anyone who would hear this wonderful news. "I have a baby sister!" 

"What shall we name her, my love?" Killian asked, sliding over to be next to his wife and child. 

"I like Eva... my grandmother on my mother's side." Emma replied, looking up at her husband for approval. 

"Eva. I like it. And for a middle name?" 

"What about your side of the family?" she asked. Hook shook his head, laughing.

"There's nobody in my family worth naming a child after, especially not a child as precious as this. What about your other grandmother?" 

"Ruth?" Emma asked. "Eva Ruth." 

"It sounds great." Henry said, kneeling next to his mother. She extended her arms, handing Eva to her older brother. Henry's eyes widened. "A-are you sure?"

"You're great with Neal, kid. You'll be fine with your own sister."

Henry took the baby in his arms, and Hook lifted his wife into his lap, cradling her. 

"We did it, love." he whispered in her ear. 

"Yeah, we did." she whispered back. Watching her two children illuminated by the firelight warmed Emma's heart in a way she had never felt before. Remembering her dream from earlier, a tear fell down her cheek. Please let me keep her... Let me keep her safe... she begged to no one in particular. 

Hours later, when the sun had finally risen, Hook warned the group that they should get moving. Emma smiled as he helped her onto her horse and handed her their child, who was as sound asleep as any newborn baby would be. Slowly they rode through the forest, Hook turning to check on Emma every couple of minutes. 

Emma kept a cautious eye on the surrounding trees, watching for a woman in a cloak. Praying that she would not appear. She'd already gone without raising one of her children. She couldn't bear to have that happen to another. 

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The infant princess slept soundly cradled in the arms of her mother. Emma gently kissed her daughter's forehead, grateful that this child remained by her side. It had been three days, and without a single sign of the woman who intended to ruin her happiness, Emma believed that her family was safe.

Though she was happy in the moment she was in, she desperately longed for her own mother and father. It had been over a year since she'd seen them. It finally occurred to her that she hadn't asked Henry how he'd arrived in the Enchanted Forest. If he could get here, maybe they could get back.

"Henry." she called out to the boy behind her. No answer. "Henry." Complete silence.

Emma turned around to see only trees. "Killian!" she screamed.

"What is it, love?!" he yelled, stopping his horse and turning his head. Immediately, Killian noticed the absence of the young boy who had accompanied them. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" The baby stirred in her arms, waking up with a small cry. She began rocking Eva slightly, her heart pounding. Not Henry...

She could barely see something behind the trees. "There's someone out there." she called to her husband. "I can see them. Killian?"

Emma turned around to face her husband but he had vanished. His horse was galloping through the forest at high speeds, terrified of whatever it had just seen.

"HELP!!!" Emma screamed, the child in her arms screaming with her. "Please don't hurt them... Please." The shadow in the forest was walking towards her, and she could barely hear a sinister laugh coming from it.

The last thing Emma heard was a shriek from her daughter and everything went black.

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"Swan... Oh God. Swan, please wake up. I love you. I'm so sorry. Emma, please."

"W-what..." Emma groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Above her were only trees, sunlight barely shining through the tops. "What happened?"

Instead of an answer, Emma was met by the tight embrace of her husband. "I tried so hard. I've failed you, my love. I'm so sorry." He sobbed into her shoulder, but she pushed him away, looking him directly in the eyes.

"What happened?" she asked calmly.

"She took them. She took them both." It was then that Emma realized that she and Hook were the only two people around. Her children were gone. The baby had been taken. Henry was nowhere to be found. Her breath stopped momentarily and panic filled her mind.

"Henry?!" she shouted. "Henry, answer me!" Killian buried his head in his hand, unable to control himself. Emma's eyes were welling up, too, but she knew she needed to be strong. The kids were around her somewhere. They wouldn't just leave.

Her heart filled with sorrow as she felt how empty her arms were. Her baby, her Eva... It was all too much. She exploded into a puddle of tears, clutching her husband who held her, and they both cried.

((A/N: Yeah, Henry was taken too. Sorry. Gee, I wonder what happens to him and Eva.))