The Secret Kingdom

Chapter One: Don't Leave

Swear to the swan, a promise exchanged between mother and son, something that they treasured and kept close to their hearts. They were the only ones who knew about this phrase and so it would remain until their final days.

After swearing their vow to be reunited, Emma returns to packing for her journey.

Henry cradles a pillow in his arms, squeezing it so tightly that it hurts. He doesn't want this to happen, there's a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach that something bad could happen to his mom. What if it did? What if he was left with just his father? How could he go on like that?

"Why can't Grandpa Stiltskin come here and train you?" he asks.

It amuses the blonde that her son addresses the Dark One so casually; a creature who was the most infamous and evil being in all the kingdoms and also happened to be the kid's paternal grandfather.

"You know why... someone has to protect our world from the outside and allow people in and out. He's our gatekeeper and our eyes and ears out there."

What the woman was referring to was the world outside of her family's kingdom, a place that had been cloaked in a mist and surrounded by a vastly deep lake to provide protection from the many threats that seemed to plague their world.

"I know, but why can't he take a few days to finish your training here. He comes here once a week anyway to see Grandma, Dad, Aunt Crystal and Uncle Gideon."

"With Merlin filling in for him during those times. It's too risky to leave the barrier unguarded for too long."

She finally finishes packing her satchel and stares at her baby blanket, her name embroidered in purple thread. Turning to her son, she hands it to him.

"Keep this with you and if you start to miss me, give it the biggest hug you can."

While Henry was ten and would be growing into a teenager in a couple of years, he was still a sensitive kid and cared deeply for everyone he loved. He felt pain and sadness more than anyone else, most likely because he had such a loving family and had never been apart from them for too long. He cradles the blanket and pulls it up to his chin, memorizing the scent.

"I hear Granny is knitting another one for baby boy number two," Emma says, she pushes open the door to her room, which was large and fit for the princess her parents always claimed that she was. It was ridiculous that she had this gigantic, beautifully decorated room when she barely needed any space at all. When Henry was born, most of the room belonged to him and all the things he needed, but when he'd grown old enough for his own space, the place was just too big for one person. It should really be turned into a library or something else, no sense in letting it all go to waste.

Her son follows her down the hall towards the main part of the family's manor. When she'd become an adult, Emma had the desire to live independently and while that seemed impossible considering how clingy her parents could be, they'd built an addition to the manor that was a separate apartment where she could raise Henry and have privacy away from her other siblings. It was the best compromise that she could get with her parents, but the blonde did have to admit she loved being able to walk and go see her parents whenever she wanted.

They push through the heavy oak door into the halls of their "royal" manor, even if the family didn't consider themselves as such. Her parents, Snow White and David were never the ones to want a castle. While they were technically royals and the rightful king and queen of the land, they'd wanted a simple life to raise their children. The extravagance and frilliness of such a structure were too much for them, especially considering her father came from humbler roots that included a farm. The family property was rather large, but only because there were farms and livestock on their lands. Nothing went to waste in the eyes of her parents and everything was used accordingly to benefit their family and others.