Chapter Text
The airport was packed with people running around trying to get to the gates on time.
Emma was accompanied by her mother to the check in. And as she was leaving her mother pulled her back.
"Look before you go off to that Brooke place I want you to know something"
"Kingdom of Storybrooke mother....what is it?"
"It's okay to put yourself out there. I know you want to focus on your job but meeting someone new might do you some good."
"Mum, me and Killian dated for five years before we broke up. It's gonna take a while to heal"
"I know. But don't be afraid. Maybe it's time to move on"
Emma smiled at her mum and hugged her before heading through security.
-------------
12 hours later, two planes, one train and an odd conversation with an information desk lady. Emma finally alighted the train at the Storybrooke train station. After finding the lines to the Taxis hailing one over and immediately getting that one stolen by a tall lanky person with a beanie and sunglasses she finally managed to get herself into a vehicle and was headed towards the Palace.
She had been hired as private security for the royal family, under the public guise of being a governess for the 13 year old Princess. The royal family had been incredibly vague about the threat that made them hire Emma. She opened her email once again and re-read the forwarded email in her inbox. This was her first big role, but she could do this, she had trained and studied for this very role for almost a year.
The taxi took a sharp turn left towards a mountain and there it was her new home. The Palace. It had beautiful, germanic architecture. looked over the forests and hills, she was sure she was only seeing a small portion of the many wings and all of it baffled her, it was lovely.
~~~~~~~
The taxi came to a halt when it reached the front entrance where Emma was greeted by the Head of the House Staff, Butler Graham.
The man took a look at the younger girl and said "well I suppose that will have to do for today, no time to change"
He motioned for her to follow him and then took Emma right upstairs to the Queen’s office for her to meet the family.
"I trust you know the protocol when it comes to the Royal Family"
she nodded silently, but this didn’t seem good enough for the Butler so he continued
"You are to courtesy before the Queen and Princesses and you are to call them by their official titles. You will have to follow a strict dress code and you will not talk out of turn."
"Okay..."
"Good we're here." He said as he knocked on the door. "Your Majesty, Miss Emma Swan, the new governess."
Emma entered the room and saw three people in there. A little girl was sitting on a divan visibly trying to concentrate on the book he had been given and the other two were standing on the other side of the room. She immediately recognised the younger woman as the one who had stolen her taxi.
"You!" both said at the same time
"You know each other?"
"No mother we don't. Our paths have crossed before but we have never talked, rude weasel was it?" the princess crossed her arms in an amused tone.
"You did steal my Taxi"
"But that would be so anticlimactic, Miss Swan. Imagine if I only walked in now?"
Emma stared at the Princess for a couple of seconds not knowing whether to be amused or annoyed by the whole conversation.
"Miss Emma, might I introduce you to the family." the Queen said politely.
"My eldest you know, Regina just turned 25 last month, I’m sure the two of you will encounter each other frequently.” Queen Cora said as if Regina had been pulling her strings earlier. “And this is my pride and joy Princess Thalia, Thalia say hello to your new governess”
The small girl looked up from her book and politely muttered a hello, nice to meet you. “I believe you'll have enough time to meet each other." said Cora.
"Now Miss Swan please, follow me. I'll show you to your room."
Emma quickly bowed and turned around. As she did she was certain she had seen the Princess look her up and down. She knew of the rumors about the princess royal, but she didn’t tend to believe things she read in tabloids. She rapidly Butler Graham.
The room she was staying in was huge. With a double bed and a bathroom of her own. It was the size of half her apartment in Boston.
“Miss Swan, before I leave you I have here all the documents you need for the purposes of your…stay. Family schedule, Code of conduct, non disclosure agreements… and dress code”
“Already with the dress code” she muttered under her breath.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing!” she replied quickly.
“Please return them to me tonight” He nodded and left her to it.
After a careful read of the many documents, Emma signed the papers and put them in an envelope. She decided to go to the Butler’s office and hand them in.
After five minutes wandering around she was about to give up. They neglected to give her a map. or a tour. She had no clue where to go and the corridors were empty.
After entering three huge rooms that in no way resembled an office, she saw someone cleaning some bookshelves in what she assumed was the library.
“Excuse me?” Emma pipped up, and the girl cleaning the shelves jumped out of her skin “Oh my god. I’m so sorry”
“It’s okay” the girl laughed gently “you must be the new governess”
“Umm, yes, Swan, Emma Swan.”
“I’m Ruby!” she shook Emma’s head vigorously “Can I help you?”
“Actually yes. Butler Graham didn’t really give me a tour and I’m trying to find his office”
“OH, he’s like that. His office is next to the kitchen in the servants' halls. I would assume you're not living there, seeing you are not really household staff”
“Umm no, i guess I’m not”
“Oh don’t worry about it we’re all very welcoming downstairs, now i need to get back to the cleaning before the family come down for tea, find me in the kitchen later and I can slip you some of Grannies sugar cookies”
“Thank you Ruby. I’ll see you soon.”
She descended to the servant’s halls and found Graham's office. She knocked politely and he welcomed her in, he took the envelope she gave him with all the documents and asked her to sit down.
"Do you have any questions?" he asked
“Not really, not right now”
“Good, now the only people who know why you’re really here are the Queen and the heads of Staff, myself and Miss Abigail”
“what exactly am I ‘securing’”
“The Queen believes that the Princesses need someone close by to keep an eye on them with everything that is happening this year”
“What’s happening? The contract was very vague Mr. Graham”
“Regina is due to be engaged by the end of the year. And there have been problems in the past with royal engagements. Princes and suitors getting…handsy with the royal family. Now that the King has passed the Queen feels like security needs to be increased.”
Emma stayed silent for a second and the Butler took the opportunity to keep talking.
“You are expected to act as a governess with all the roles that constitute that position. You will be by Princess Thalia’s side most of the day, unless specifically said otherwise. You have a meeting scheduled after lunch, but please refer to the schedule because I won’t be keeping tabs on you constantly Miss Swan”
“Emma”
“You will be Miss Swan, or Governess Swan to the household staff and myself.”
“Okay”
That is when the Butler got up and headed towards the door, indicating that their meeting was over. And Emma left with a simple nod.
She decided to explore the whole Palace before her meeting, despite being jet lagged out of her mind.
---------------
"Mother, why do you keep insisting I need to be engaged by the end of the year? I can be a great ruler without a person by my side."
"That is not how we do things Regina"
"But mother, isn't it time to change things! Modernize. I won’t love the man you set me up with."
" We’ve already modernized the rules for you, you are now allowed to marry a non royal. You have had 5 years to choose, time is up darling."
"If you just listened to me mum, I won’t love them. I loved Daniel. I won’t love again"
Queen Cora ignored this and waved her off, she left her mother’s office and sulked all the way to the library.
Ruby was cleaning bookshelves as Regina walked in. In seeing the Princess Royal she almost bolted out but Regina stopped her.
“Hi Ruby, you know you don’t have to run right?”
“I know your majesty but I don’t want to get in trouble with Butler Graham.”
“I will make sure you won’t, how are you getting on with the new job?”
“Oh just fine your majesty, I do need to finish my cleaning if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Of course not, I’ll go to the sitting room, carry on.”
Regina found her younger sister sitting in the sitting room with her book “Black Beauty”. Thalia didn’t tend to take her nose out of books when she started reading, but she looked up at Regina as soon as she sat down next to her.
“Mum didn’t like your proposition?” Thalia asked
“Nope, I still need to be engaged by the end of the year. To a man”
“Does she know about…”
“I don’t know, she knows about Dani, I saw myself marrying him, but it wouldn’t be a normal marriage…he was fine with that…I know the next guy won’t be like that. especially if Mother is choosing him”
“Miss Swan seems nice…”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Regina crossed her arms indignantly.
“That she seems nice…and that I’m not blind I saw you making eyes at her.”
“MAKING EYES?”
“Gina, you were eyeing her up and down, now to the untrained eye it doesn’t seem like much, but to me your ever so caring sister I can clearly see that you wanna get to know her…better”
Regina laughed “Oh Thalia you’re too smart for your own good. I guess I do want to know her, but because she’s your Governess not because of anything else”
“Sure, whatever you say.” Thalia started reading her book again, and muttered “smitten” under her breath.
Next thing she knew her sister had taken the book out of her hands.
“SMITTEN? I barely know the woman, she seems tolerable but that’s about as much as I know about her how can that mean I am Smitten” she looked at her sister for a second “Smitten… you read too many romances”
“But wouldn’t it be a perfect love story?”
“She’s not even…whatever”
Thalia smiled and took her book back from Regina. “I have my first meeting with her in a bit, I need to go get ready.” she smiled mischievously at Regina and left her sister to think. Regina did not like how out of control her mother was making her feel.