A Timeless Tale: Captain Swan

Chapter 2

Emma was the first to get off the ground.

She looked around and quickly realized she and Killian weren't in the old barn where they'd opened the portal. They weren't even in Storybrooke.

Emma gasped as she looked around, realizing she was standing in a beautiful valley, full of yellow and purple flowers. Green grass and a blue river made it seem like a gorgeous dream.

The meadow seemed like a place Emma would love to spend time. Perhaps on a date with Killian, but right now, she'd rather be at Granny's Diner or her parents' loft, safe. With her family. Alive.

"Bloody hell," Killian cursed behind her.

Emma turned around to face him. "This is... Beautiful..." She whispered.

Killian nodded. "Aye, that it is. But with you here in comparison..."

Emma smiled, cheeks surely turning red. "As much as I'd love for you to finish that sentence, we need to figure out where the hell we are," she said, touching his arm lightly.

Killian chuckled and nodded once again.

They started walking down the valley, Killian picking flowers and handing them to a blushing Emma. After a few minutes, Killian noticed someone in the distance.

Long, chocolate brown hair that fell in lose curls down her back. A similar length to Emma's actually.

She was facing away from them and Emma and Killian nodded at each other, silently agreeing to approach her.

It was a bright day, with the sun high in the sky, meaning it must be the middle of the day and it shone down on the girl's hair, making it seem more red than brown from close up.

"Uh, excuse me, I'm-" Emma started as the girl turned around with a start.

"Oh my god..." The girl who, facing them, appeared to be thirteen of fourteen said.

Emma looked at the girl in awe. She had beautiful green eyes and Emma recognized something in them. Something she couldn't quite place.

The girl's face was, oddly enough, a very similar shape to Emma's own, but her features screamed "Killian."

Emma and Killian looked at each other, then back at the girl in unison.

"M-mom? Dad?" She asked slowly.

"No..." Emma said quietly.

Seeing their reaction the girl sighed.

"Sorry. My name's Kaitlin. I'm queen here. Welcome to the Southern kingdom," she said.

"Queen? You seem a tad young," Killian remarked.

Kaitlin nodded. "Yeah, I'm not quite sixteen. My parents, the king and queen have been... Missing... For a while, and I kind of took over,"

Emma sighed. "And, judging from how you reacted when you saw us, I'd say we look like them?"

"You are them..." Kaitlin said, taking a deep breath.

Emma's face went pale, Killian's heart fluttered and a single tear streamed down Kaitlin's face.