eachdraidh | {4th Hope; Video; Seelie}

[The locket turns on to show Snow sitting cross-legged on her bed, a rather large book at her lap, titled 'Once Upon a Time'. Which is decidedly familiar to at least one particular other. If not various others in some more vague way. Fairytales. Though the ones in this particular book aren't quite the traditional ones most would be familiar with. She sets the locket to try show the pages, the pictures and at least some of the text.]

I know others probably had gifts recently, from home. This is what I was given. A book I found in my wardrobe and gave to my grandson. It has stories from our world. From the Enchanted Forest. Stories most probably consider fairytales for children. I thought I'd read at least one of them.

[When Snow White meets her Prince Charming. Of course. To show people aren't always as they seem. To show even if some might disagree initially, they can work together. Can come to care about each other in spite of the obstacles surrounding them.

She tells the story, starting from Charming and his fiance in the carriage, the road being blocked by a tree in a trap from a bandit who steals some jewels from the carriage when the prince gets out to find out what the hold up is. Chasing the bandit, he realizes it is a woman. She smacks him over the head with a rock and flees, only to later get caught in his trap, held up in a net. Between the banter and blackmail - him threatening to tell the Queen he's found the infamous Snow White, she agrees to help him get his ring back for his fiance. They go to the Troll Bridge and she uses her pixie dust to defeat them and save his life. The honorable thing to do. After returning the ring to him as they agreed, they part ways. Not yet realizing just how much of an impact this meeting would have.

There's a hint of an almost bittersweet smile at her lips as she reads, as she finishes that particular chapter and closes the book at her lap. Memories. Charming. How much she misses him in all of this.]

And that's how Snow White met Prince 'Charming'. Or, rather, the Shepard. But we can continue that story another time. Most of you probably already have plenty of questions from that as it is, I imagine.

[Really. Because. Snow please. At least Charming has a scar to forever remind him of said meeting with his future wife. Best first impressions.....]

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( bittersweet is right. Emma honestly gets a little sad when she looks at her son's book, knowing he's somewhere without her. it hurts, probably as badly as it hurts for her mother to be away from the man she loves so much. it's a reminder of home, and they're not home.

still, it's a sweet story. almost hard to believe it's real, that somebody lived that. if Emma had stolen from a guy and beaned him with a rock, she's pretty sure she would have done her damnedest to stay away from him... or, well. hadn't she stolen from Neal and ended up falling for him? maybe life wasn't that simple. )

Hell of a story. He was really trying to marry somebody else, how did that happen?

He was, an arranged marriage to Abigail, the daughter of King Midas. For the benefit of his kingdom, threatened with his mother and farm if he didn't cooperate with King George in this. Of course, Midas and his daughter had no clue about him actually being a shepherd. But.....well. Things worked out in the end, obviously. Both were able to find True Love regardless.

[Still. It wasn't easy, and Snow would never say that there weren't obstacles. That there wasn't some sacrifice and loss along the way, because that would be a lie. There was. His mother, many civilians in Regina's crusade to try get to Snow somehow or other. It wasn't the best first impression and she knows and admits that, but she'd been doing what she had to to get by while on the run. Even when that might mean stealing to survive.]

Threatened his mother?

( Emma can see her father agreeing to just about anything to protect his family and the people he loved, so his reasoning doesn't surprise her. she's never really thought about her own grandparents, though, and now she wonders. she knows that Snow's were gone, but... )

What happened to her? Is she in Storybrooke, somewhere?

She--she died before the Curse was enacted. They obviously found out about the cottage she was staying at, where we were going to meet her. We were too late. She was hit by an arrow and we were too late at the lake for it to work.

[And it was thanks to Ruth that they had Emma, had Henry at all. Else Snow would never have been able to concieve. And she wouldn't have agreed if she'd known what his mother intended to do in order to help, to lift the curse of being barren from her intended daughter in law. Maybe one day she would open up about that to someone. But not like this. Not over the network publicly at least.

But of course if she were in Storybrooke we'd have been a family all the more. She'd have been so happy to know we had you. Had Henry.

I'm sorry.

( it's silly, to mourn a grandmother she never got a chance to meet, but, just because she was gone before Emma was even born doesn't mean she's never wanted a grandmother. she would have loved to meet her, and she'll never get the chance thanks to a war over a little girl not keeping a secret. )

He's a pretty great kid. I think any great grandmother would be proud to have him.

( she's not sure that she'd be as exciting. she's not quite what her parents wanted, Emma isn't sure she wouldn't have found a way to disappoint her grandmother, too. )

He is. And I'm sure she would. Of you too.

[Really, she regrets that neither Emma nor Henry got to meet either of the grandparents. But there's nothing for it. Not when George, when Regina and Cora killed them long before either were born. Just more missed opportunities because of that feud which has long since been buried between her and Regina in favour of trying to work together to protect the town and each other. To protect Henry above all else.]

I'm sure they're in here too, if we go back farther. If you wanted.

( Emma doesn't blame anyone for the people she doesn't get to meet. it'd be easy to point fingers at regina, but it's way more complicated than that. even Emma has realized that by now.

the offer takes her by surprise, but, not in a bad way. Emma pauses but smiles, not that Snow can see it. )

Yeah. I mean, when you're not busy. I'd like that.

I can always find and make time for you, Emma.

[Or at least, she's determined to try. There's always distractions and periods of craziness but in between all that at least. She'll make it work. Somehow. She owes it to Emma, for sending her and Henry away, changing their memories like that. For sending her away without even a single night together as a family back then all those years ago.]

Sometimes it's not that easy.

( Emma is always running around frantic when things are wrong, so it's easy to forget her parent's advice to slow down and take her moments. especially when those moments are spent without her son.

she knows Snow would give her the time, but do they really have it to spare? )

I know. But I can do my best to at least try.

[At the least. It's what anyone does. What any mother does. Making time for their children amid the housework and jobs and everything else that comes up.]

If we both try, we can make it happen.

( even in a wartorn world, there has to be some time when they're both not constantly moving. so why not spend it together? )

Of course. We'll figure it out.

[It might take time. Might not potentially be quite as frequent as they might like, but they can try. It's all they can do. All Snow wants, considering the circumstances back home.]

{4th Hope; Video; Seelie}

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