Treasure

Chapter 81

Emma ran as fast as her trembling legs could carry her. Her boots kicked up dirt as she gasped for air. Tears were running down her face, but you could hardly tell with the equal amount of sweat dripping from her forehead. She paused for a moment and fell to the ground. What she had just learned shifted her entire world. Rumplestiltskin, her best friend's father, wanted her magic. Magic she was prophesied to have. Magic her parents urged her to learn about and control so it would become stronger. Magic she never even wanted. In a heartbeat, she'd give it up, but the price would be her life.  However, it was a small price to pay for her baby brother's life. 

She didn't understand how a man who watched her grow up could want to kill her. This man threw her parties, gave her wonderful gifts, always made sure she was safe in his disgusting kingdom. The princess thought she was a damn fool for thinking that Rumplestiltskin protected her because he cared about her. All those times men harassed her in his kingdom, or when she in Neal would get into sticky situations, he came to the rescue. It was all a lie. He only protected her to keep her alive long enough for her to gain control over her magic, then kill her himself.

And Neal, how could he lie to her once he found out? They were best friends. They grew up together. They were engaged for god sake. It started to make sense why he was so quick to drop their engagement. It wasn't a secret he loved her, but everyone knew the Princess of Misthaven only fancied him as a friend. It also explained why he was always in her kingdom, whispering with her parents.

Emma's head continued to spin as she leaned up against a nearby tree. Her anger grew as she realized all the people who knew. Regin, Robin, and all of her parent's friends. People who could look at her as if she didn't have a death sentence.

As she thought about it, it wasn't a huge shock that her parent's friends would keep this secret from her. They kept many things from her. After all, they weren't her friends. But to know that Robin and Regina kept this secret, stung a lot more than she was willing to admit. Out of all the family she had, the princess felt she could have trusted them the most. She even trusted them more than her parents at times.

Regina was that fun aunt who you'd go to complain about your parents while she made you some cookies. She was the aunt who helped you get away with things you shouldn't be doing. The kind of aunt who'd cover for your ass, no questions asked. Aunt Regina made her feel like more than a princess. The two of them drank, shared jokes, and had many secrets. To know that she kept this secret was infuriating.

Robin knowing, on the other hand, annoyed her. Emma was angry with her aunt but annoyed by Robin. She did love him very much, and the two got along quite well, but at times she could only think of him as Regina's lover. Not her uncle. It was a shame too because he knew how to comfort her when no one else could. Robin always provided her with a good laugh and the best hugs. Not to mention, he'd always bring her something from his travels. But at the end of the day, he didn't feel like family, and he didn't have a right to keep this secret.

Speaking of family, the princess was more than angry at her parents. How dare they look at their only daughter every day, knowing what they did. How dare they play this perfect king and queen, with the perfect kingdom and adored daughter. Not only had they lied to her, but they lied to their entire kingdom and put them in danger. Rumple may not hurt the royal family, but the kingdom was defenseless against him. And this baby, her brother... already given a death sentence as well.

For some reason, she didn't care so much about her fate. But to know the fate of her soon-to-be-born brother, she couldn't forgive them. It was beyond idiotic to promise his life over for hers. Even if they didn't plan on having him, it still wasn't a good excuse. There were many ways for them to prevent pregnancy, yet they failed miserably. She hoped that the baby resented them as much as she did right now.