Emma's POV*
I opened my eyes and the first thing that registered was emptiness. He left me. He LEFT me. I gasped and water surged down my throat. I screamed and more water. I realized then what the blackness was, icy waters. Where was I? I wondered fearfully. I stroked my arms but which was up and which was down? My mother once told me a trick about that, she said- ugh what did she say? I sputtered involuntarily trying to free myself of the waters but only hurting myself. Bubbles! That was it! Bubbles float to the surface! Follow them! I blew air out of my mouth and watched the bubbles float downwards. Down? That could not be right? But I trusted them so I fought furiously hitting the water and slowly moving.
See I had never technically learned how to swim. I knew enough about how to survive in water and had taken a dip or two in the palace pools but I could always stand if need be. My hwad broke the surface and I heard them. Their screeching cackle so angelic yet demonic. I thrashed harder trying to stay afloat. A gleam of light to my right I whipped my head and was caught by the splash of a tail. What were these things? A face. To my left, beautiful and smiling, it was my mother. Snow. "Come on," she cooed. "Hurry now before we both drown. Mommy's here." She got closer to wrap her arms around me.
I shook my head. "Its not you!" I said aloud trying to remind myself. I wanted my mother so badly though, i needed her more than I was willing to conciously admit. "Mommy.." i whimpered like a hurt dog.
"I'm here," she whispered with a smile.
I decided to give in. There was nowhere for me to go, no one to fight for. Why bother? My parents would have another child. They would move on from me, the lost princess. I hope they might remember me happily and not with heavy hearts of disapproval. I reached out almost to her and she lunged. Her body about to sink me down when I was ripped from the water. Her head was bobbing separate from her body. The cold clung to my skin and I shook with fear and chills.
"Just get it over with, please," I begged. "Just hurry and kill me." I squeezed my eyes shut tight. I did not want to see my doom.
"Kill you?" A husky male voice teased. "Why in Neverland would I kill you when I just went to so much trouble to SAVE you?" He asked arching his eyebrow. He was holding me in his one hand and the other, a hook, carefully placed under my back as to not hurt me.
I tilted my head to see him. He was a pirate, a beautiful beautiful pirate. His eyes a deep blue like the ocean waves and his hair pitch black as the waters were now. His chin was unshaven and he had a silver hoop in one ear. His thick eyebrows arched often when he spoke making his eyes all the more enchanting. I smiled as I stared at him. "But you're a pirate." I gasped.
"Ah that I am princess," He hung his head gloomily. "But what other occupation could fancy me here trapped in Neverland?"
"Trapped?" I asked. "How did you know who I was?" I asked bringing his face up.
"What do you mean?" He asked arching one of his eyebrows again and I could not help but giggle.
"You called me 'princess'?" I reminded him.
He shrugged. "That is what I call the women too young to call love." He glanced right at my eyes, "Who's prescense am I lucky enough to be in? Cinderella or Snow White? Perhaps you are Rapunzel, no no no your hair is much too short."
I laughed throwing my head back at his absurdness.
"What's so funny?" He cocked his head to one side.
