swanfire appreciation week || day 3: no curse (our world) au / season 3 au
Henry darted forwards to hug his dad and Neal pulled Emma into the group embrace. After a moment, one of them began to pull away – Emma wasn’t sure who – and now Neal was clearly crying. Not taking his eyes off Henry, he said, “Hey, this isn’t over. I’ll see both of you again.”
“You don’t have to,” Regina interrupted, appearing next to Henry.
Emma stared at her. “I’m sorry?”
Regina put one hand on Henry’s shoulder and addressed Neal. “You weren’t a part of the curse. You can leave with them.”
inspired by There But for the Grace of God by Shepherd23
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🦢🔥 Day Four: Red String Of Fate/True Love or Movie Of Your Choice AU // “You’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me and at every table i’ll save you a seat”
Swanfire Appreciation Week Day Two: Tallahassee AU
Let’s pretend August never confronted Neal and everything worked out according to plan. Emma and Neal make it to Tallahassee and live happily ever after. Here’s a playlist of cheesy love songs you might listen to when you’re a teenager going on a road trip with your soulmate and you can imagine Emma and Neal listened to on the way to Tallahassee. x
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We Were Both Young When I First Saw You (SF Week Day 1)
Partners In Crime or Enchanted Forest AU
AO3 || FFN
“Papa, are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine, Baelfire. We’ve only got a bit further to go.”
Baelfire couldn’t help but frown at the castle looming in the distance. He wasn’t entirely sure what his Papa’s version of “bit” was, but he knew they wouldn’t even reach the castle by sundown if they tried.
They had been journeying for weeks now, having only barely scraped enough money together for food or the occasional night at the inns on the route from Senaela. There was to be a spinning contest in Misthaven, hosted by the Queen and Prince Regent. The prize money would be everything to them - and Baelfire knew his Papa was the best spinner in all the realms.
But that didn’t mean Baelfire wasn’t tired of traveling.
Still, he pushed on. For his Papa. For a better life.
Despite the burning in his lungs and his legs, he pushed on, the cart moving slowly through the forest.
They stumbled upon a small village, and were settling down to eat the rations they’d found when the sound of horses cut through the serenity.
The lead horse had a banner with a crest of the royal family on it, and Baelfire sighed in relief. It wasn’t their Duke’s men who came to take him away to fight against the ogres. They had escaped. They were safe.
“Clear the area! Make way for Princess Emma and Prince Neal!” the man on the lead horse called.
The residents buzzed with excitement as they cleared the main street of the town, gathered on either side. Children stood on tiptoes, peeking out from behind their mother’s skirts or seated upon their father’s shoulders.
Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin stood off to the side in surprise.
“Princess Emma and Prince Neal seem quite popular…” he said softly.
“Oh, they are!” the woman standing next to him remarked. “The whole royal family is, actually. They say the prince was a poor farm boy before Queen Snow married him. They always hear out the woes of the farmers that live on the edge of the kingdom.”
More horses galloped through, carrying banners of the royal family.
“Emma and Neal seem to be following in Queen Snow and Prince David’s footsteps too. They’re always out talking to the people. It really makes me feel like I’m being heard, y’know? My mother used to tell me we’d be lucky to see King Leopold once a year.”
“We don’t even know what our king looks like,” Papa said. “Only the duke of our area.”
The woman smiled kindly. “Have you considered staying here after the tournament?”
“Well… the people here have been quite friendly,” Papa hummed in consideration.
They couldn’t very well return to their village they’d come from, given they had managed to escape from the Duke and his awful reign of terror. The truth was, Baelfire wasn’t sure if Papa had thought it all the way through after their escape.
Finally, three horses arrived. One white, carrying a girl with blonde hair, one chestnut brown, carrying a younger boy, and the third was a majestic black stallion, carrying a woman with dark hair and sharp features.
The horses came to a halt, and the riders dismounted, leading their horses to the troughs of water available.
Baelfire felt his heart stop as the girl met his gaze, fingers moving of their own accord in a shy wave.
“Princess Emma!” the woman next to them called. “It’s so lovely to see you and Neal out and about.”
Emma laughed a little, hopping over a small mud puddle to meet them. “It’s nice to see you too, Miss Diana. Neal and I figured we’d get a bit of freedom before the contest starts and Mama and Daddy have us stuck being stuffy royals all day.” Her face, which had screwed up into a scowl, softened as she looked at Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin. “I don’t think I’ve seen the two of you before.”
Papa bowed immediately, holding on to his walking stick carefully. “No - no your highness. We’re new here… we’ve come from Senaela for the contest, you see.”
“It’s okay - you don’t have to bow. I’m surprised that news of the contest reached there after mother and father had a falling out with King Thomas and Princess Ella…” Emma trailed off, then shrugged. “Welcome to Misthaven regardless. It’s nice to see some new faces here.”
“Thank you, your highness.”
“Emma,” she said. “I’m Emma.”
Baelfire still felt awestruck, reaching to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m Baelfire. This is my Papa, Rumplestiltskin.”
Emma curtseyed just a little. “It’s so nice to meet you both. What’s - ”
“Emma! We need to get back to the palace!” the older woman called.
A scowl appeared on Emma’s face as she turned away from them briefly. “Coming, Regina!” She turned back, smiling at Diana. “You’ll help them get to the palace grounds tomorrow, won’t you, Diana?”
“Of course, Princess Emma.”
Emma gave them a small wave before retreating back to her horse, and within moments, the royal caravan had gone, and Baelfire’s heart was still stuttering.
The next morning, Baelfire was in awe as he took in the castle grounds. It looked more like a festival than a normal contest. Tents of food and other vendors lined the edges of the main path, and games were scattered along the immaculate lawn.
Papa was up on the stage, spinning up a storm with the other contestants, but he could see the piles of wool next to Papa growing larger than the others.
Baelfire sat on an empty patch of grass, listening to a small group of musicians playing. This place was a dream. No evil duke, no ogres… were they finally safe here?
“Hello Baelfire.”
He jumped to his feet and twisted around, bowing. “Hello Princess Emma.”
“How are you enjoying the festivities?”
Baelfire smiled. “It’s very fun. Why did you guys throw a festival like this? I thought it was just a contest for spinners.”
An early spring breeze brushed against them, and Emma pulled her cape tighter around her. “It’s a spring celebration. We’ll hand out the yarn to those that need it, so people can make blankets and warm clothing for next winter,” she explained.
“Wow… that’s so kind. I didn’t think royalty could be like that.”
Emma giggled, holding out her arm to guide him through the festivities. “Well, Daddy knows how hard it is to survive winters. He didn’t want to see the people suffer when he married mother.”
Baelfire smiled. He couldn’t imagine being worthy of living in a place like this. But then, anything would be better than the village they’d come from, with the ogres and the dukes drunk on power.
“What are you and your Papa going to do after the contest is over? Will you return home?”
Baelfire bit his lip. “We don’t really have a home anymore. We fled from the Ogre Wars. The duke wanted to take me away to be a soldier on the front lines.”
“You can’t be much older than I.”
“Fifteen.”
“We’re the same age, then. And they expect you to fight in a war?”
“It used to be thirteen.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “That’s terrible! I mean, Mama taught me how to fight, but she would never tell people our age to go fight in a war! You must stay in Misthaven. You’ll be safe here.”
“Thank you, Princess Emma.”
“Emma! There you are!” an older woman called.
Baelfire glanced over his shoulder, then stiffened when he realized the queen and prince regent were coming toward them. His manners kicked in when he saw the sword on the prince’s hip, dropping into a low bow.
“Mama, Daddy, I was just showing Baelfire around,” Emma explained. “His Papa’s in the contest today. Rumplestiltskin.”
“Ah, the favorite to win,” David said. “Your father is quite the talent.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” he managed to squeak out. “We’re very honored to be here.”
Snow glanced up at the sky, gauging the direction of the sun. “We should be announcing the winner in about an hour, if you would like to wait with your father, Baelfire.”
He nodded slowly as Snow and David walked off. He and Emma wandered around the square for a bit longer before he stood on the stage alongside his father, who was a bundle of nervous energy, his good leg bouncing.
“And the winner of this year’s contest is… Rumplestiltskin!” Queen Snow announced.
Despite the thunderous applause and cheers from the people fathered, all Baelfire could focus on was the wide smile on Emma’s face, and the light dusting of pink in her cheeks.
