Chapter Text
It felt as if they had been riding for days, though it had only been a handful of hours since they’d left the Island of Avalon. The walls of Camelot were visible in the distance, a heartening sight after so long a journey.
She was exhausted, they both were. The final steps to remove the darkness had taken a toll on her, both emotionally and physically. She had no energy to sit up anymore. She wrapped her arms tightly around her pirate - no, her saviour now - and rested her head against his shoulder and sighed.
“Almost there, love,” he said, and she could feel the gentle vibrations of his words resonating through his back. “Your parents will be glad to see you.”
She hummed in response, her eyes closing on their own as the soothing rhythm of the horse’s movements threatened to put her completely to sleep.
He turned his head, glancing back at her golden hair. Her white dress, pure white, was flowing gracefully in the wind. After everything they had been through, it was over, finally over. She was pure again, the evil purged, her white magic restored. He was sorely tempted to stop their ride, to rest in the meadow they were passing through, to just be - with her, his Emma, his love. But everyone was waiting at the castle.
“Hold on, love,” he murmured. “Just hold on.”
She whispered back, her voice barely audible over the sound of air rushing past them.
“Always.”