Every King Needs a Queen (Wattys 2017)

Chapter 16: The bracelet

Chapter 16: The bracelet

She woke up with a start, her head pounding. She rubbed her forehead as the pain grew more intense by the second. It took her a few more moments to realize she wasn't laying in her bed at Killian's castle. Instead, she was laying down on an uncomfortable couch in a carriage, the horse's hooves making loud noises, breaking the silence around her.

She glanced up and saw her parents and her little brother sleeping peacefully on the opposite side of her in the large carriage.

Her wrist held an unknown weight. Emma looked curiously at the silver bracelet that was tightly wrapped around her wrist. She didn't remember putting it on, nor did she remember anything else after the accident. When she was asleep, she could hear Killian's voice though, but she couldn't move her heavy limbs, nor reply to Killian's monologues. She tried and tried but something was holding her back, a barrier that made her body unresponsive to her mind's will.

As the fog in her head slowly subdued, she realized Killian wasn't with her. She was suddenly wide awake as she felt that something wasn't right. She opened the curtain hanging in front of the small window that was trying to keep the sun out as they moved through a forest she didn't recognize.

Emma frowned and moved her gaze back to the bracelet that was now hanging on her wrist. It felt too tight, almost breaking off the blood circulation, leaving an uncomfortable feeling in its wake. She tried to find the clasp of the bracelet, twisting it around wrist painfully. She couldn't find a clasp on it, not even a hidden one. She tried to take it off, trying to slide the silver jewelry off her wrist. This time, the bracelet didn't bulge. It didn't matter how hard she tried to slide the silver pendant over her wrist, it just wouldn't move. Then she remembered her magic. She focused and wished she had more practice but tried anyway. After a few moments, she could feel the tingly sensation of her magic flowing through her veins before it shocked her. It felt as though she was being hit by lightning.

She gasped in pain as the stinging slowly left her body. The silver glowed, making Emma realize it was the bracelet that made her own magic turn against her.

"Emma, you're awake." Emma removed her gaze from the bracelet towards her mother's voice. Snow White looked relieved to see her daughter finally awake.

"Why are we traveling?" Emma asked, her voice raspy from the lack of water the past few days. Her throat hurt and she felt weak.

"We wanted to keep you safe." Snow White replied, looking at the silver bracelet wrapped tightly around Emma's wrist. Emma shifted her gaze towards the bracelet again, not noticing the look of satisfaction in her mother's eyes.

"Keep me safe from what?" Emma asked, not understanding why her parents took her away from Killian. As far as she knew, Killian's palace was the safest place she could be at.

"Yourself." Snow White simply replied, opening the curtains of the large carriage to let the sunlight in. Emma looked at her confused, not understanding what her mother meant with that statement. As soon as the curtains were drawn and the sunlight lit up the whole carriage, David woke up as well, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out.

"You're awake." He said happily when he opened his eyes and saw his daughter sitting up.

"I really don't understand what's happening." Emma said, ignoring her father's happiness as the confusion still hung around her head. "Why don't we just go back to Killian, I'm sure he'd love to know that I'm awake."

"I'm sorry, darling, but we can't do that." Snow White replied.

"I don't know why I need to be kept safe. And from myself? There is nothing wrong with me!" Emma was becoming more furious by the second. She couldn't believe her parents were capable of doing this. First, they made her live her childhood all by herself, having no one who loved her. And now – almost 18 years later they were suddenly the protecting parents? She was almost an adult, she didn't want nor need their protection. She became weary of her parents as they stared at her. She wanted to be back with Killian, kissing him senseless until they both had to gasp for air. She closed her eyes and willed her magic to take her back to Killian, knowing it would a long shot that her magic would actually work this time.