"Secrets, Lies, and Blessings" (A SwanFire FanFic)

Chapter I

       18 year old Princess Emma made sure Ava and Robert, her younger siblings, were asleep before heading out of the castle. Once she made sure they were sleeping, she breathed a sigh of relief and headed to her bedchamber to change into something more suited for her plans. She grabbed her lantern as she left her room. She took off her shoes and tiptoed through the hall and down the stairs. She looked around. She heard the guards talking. She pulled her cloak off its hook and put it on, covering her head. She grabbed a sword, sheathed it, and headed toward the door. She decided to go out the back entrance hoping she might slip out unnoticed. The guard stopped her.
      "Princess Emma ..." he said, crossing his weapon in front of her chest. "Where are you going?" He asked.
        Darnit! Emma thought silently. She squared her shoulders confidently. "It's a beautiful evening, I thought I'd take a little walk," she lied.
       The guard cocked his head. "Without an escort?" He asked, puzzled.
        "Oh, it's FINE," she assured him. "I'm in a disguise and I have one of my father's swords. You know he's taught me everything he knows. I'll be fine. I just ... need some time to myself right now. It's been a long day and I wasn't feeling well and I think the fresh air will help." She said as sweetly and as innocent as she could. It wasn't a complete lie - she had been feeling under the weather these last couple of weeks.
       The guard wasn't so sure. "But, Your Highness..." he started. "What if the king and queen find out that you left the castle without any protection?" he asked anxiously.
       Emma thought for a moment. This could be a problem, she thought. An idea struck her. "Well, first of all, they're NOT gonna find out because they're not here. And if they DID find out, you'll have nothing to worry about because I'll say that I snuck out with some of the servants." She said, putting a hand on the guard's shoulder. He nodded and looked the other way. Emma bolted out the door before anyone else might stop her. She pulled the hood of her cloak back over her head, tucked her thick blonde hair inside her cloak as well as she could, and headed toward the forest.
        When she reached her destination, she stood still and listened until she  heard movement. She turned around and a large smile flashed across her face. "Baelfire!!" She said excitedly. He returned her smile with his own smile. She reached out and hugged him, then took his face and kissed him. He kissed her in return and she flung her arms around his neck and tightly hugged him. Emma pulled away and  placed her hands on her hips. "You have NO idea how hard it was to escape tonight!" She exclaimed. She affectionately ran her hands up and down his arms. "I think the castle guards are on to me."
         Baelfire smiled. "I thought you said you were good at escaping unnoticed." He said teasingly. He kissed her forehead.
         Emma rolled her eyes. "Well I am!" She retorted. "Usually. I don't know how the guards got so smart all of a sudden." She added with a shrug. "But I'm here now! So let's just walk. Please? It's kinda chilly tonight. One could freeze to death if they stood still for too long."
          "Okay," Baelfire put his arm around her shoulders and lovingly squeezed them. Emma looked up at his eyes and smiled amorously.
      Baelfire cleared his throat. "So, have you told your parents about us yet?" He asked her.
     Emma gave him a quizzical look. "Um, no! Why would I wanna do that?"
     "Because we probably should. Especially if we plan on getting married." He answered. Emma crossed her arms. "It's been almost two years..." he added.
      Emma swallowed. "Well... it's not so much my mother I'm scared to tell. It's Daddy..." she paused. "He can be a little ... overprotective at times. I'm kind of afraid he'll tell us 'no'." They stopped walking and she turned to face Baelfire. She looked at him in his round, hazel eyes. "What about you?" She asked. "Have you told your father about us?"
        Baelfire looked to the side to avoid her thoughtful, caring gaze. "He ... I don't think he needs to know that I'm in love with the princess," he swallowed hard and looked back at Emma. "He'd be really upset with me... something about how marrying the daughter of lightness will weaken his power."
        Emma placed her hands on his shoulder. "Understandable." she said. "We have a bit of a problem then. I can't tell my parents we want to get married because Daddy might want to kill us. You can't tell your father because he may use it as an excuse to find a way to ruin the kingdom while also trying to break us apart." She looked off into the distance and then back at Bae. "Well then," she began again. "Until we decide what to do and when to tell them about our relationship, we'll just have to keep meeting like this." She kissed him and he returned it. Emma briefly broke away to smile at him. As he returned her smile she then kissed him again, this time with more passion. He returned the same and gently held her face. Emma pulled away for a moment. "I just have to be back home in time before the change of the guard. I uh ... kinda bribed the one that saw me sneak out..." she told him.
      Baelfire gave her an amused look and smiled. "Naughty," he said with a mischievous grin.
      She put her finger on his lips. "Mmhm..." she nodded with a seductive wink. "And you are too for going along with this." She stroked his face.
       They walked deeper into the forest and Emma didn't give a care what the guard thought or suspected. Or if she'll ever be caught. All she cared about at that moment was that she was with Baelfire, her true love, and she was going to savor every second she had with him tonight. She wasn't going to let anyone, or any negative thoughts, ruin their night with one another.