That lone reason was why Emma Swan had been a topic of conversation for the week she had been in town. Citizens had spoken to the new arrival finding her just as normal as they, if not just a tad private, and Ruby had even attested that the blonde was evidently in a good mind set and was not blackmailed into Regina's presence. In fact, Regina had taken the rest of the week off from work and had pulled Henry from daycare, confirmed by the pre-school teacher, Ms. Tina Bell. Many residents swore they saw the trio out and about, taking walks around some of Storybrooke's bigger landmarks like the old chapel that had withstood a nasty rainstorm that brought down the surrounding trees around it, and according to the Sheriff himself, the Mills family and their guest had even gone on a nature hike up to Firefly Hill that overlooked the town.
But the news that spread like wildfire was when Regina, Henry, and Emma had returned from their hike, their uptight and stoic Mayor in fashionable boots and jeans no less, to have cherry pie at the diner. The kicker, as witnessed by numerous members of the community, was that Emma had made Regina laugh.
It was a sound the citizens of Storybrooke had never heard before in Regina's adult years. She shared quiet giggles and smiles with her son, but her privacy and her moments with Henry were sacred and shared with no one. Seeing the Mayor so carefree was something that needed to be seen to be believed, which was why the few lucky residents who had been invited to Henry's birthday, whether they were parents of the children with whom he went to daycare with or like the Lucases who were catering the event, were ecstatic to see the spectacle up close and personal that Saturday afternoon.
"Are those carrots and broccoli?" Emma asked coming into the kitchen once the living room had been sufficiently decorated with castle pin ups and stickers of princesses, knights, and dragons. "They're three."
"And they all have teeth that will rot should they overwhelm themselves with too many sweets. They all will receive their cookie once they get to the decorating station," Regina reasoned as she neatly arranged the assortment of veggies and dip on a platter before fixing the arrangements of apples, grapes, and strawberries on a different one.
"Woah there, one cookie. Don't go overboard with the junk," Emma teased, moving over to the drawer where she had bought a bag full of aluminium foil rolls.
"Are you planning on using the oven?" Regina asked, eyeing the tin foil and already moving to clear away the stove.
"It's for the little prince."
As if on cue, Henry darted into the kitchen, excited for his party. Emma and Regina had a tough time putting him to bed the night before, and both had been disturbed in the middle of the night when Henry had escaped from his room to see if it was time for his party yet. Emma had helped him make a cardboard sword and shield the night before while Regina was cooking dinner, and Emma had been on the unfortunate receiving end of being poked and prodded into waking up at two in the morning. The dining room table still had stubborn traces of glitter to show for their arts and crafts session. Regina had made a mental note to cover her tables with newspapers where the children would be designing their crowns and cookies.
"Are they here yet?" Henry jumped up and down, the sword he made hung through his belt loop swinging carelessly at his hip. "Are they here yet? Are they here yet?"
Emma laughed and caught Regina's eye, muttering, "I bet road trips are fun."
"You have no idea," Regina answered eyeing the hyperactive boy before kneeling down to his level and brushing her fingers through his already mussed hair. "They'll be here soon, dear."
"Come on, kid." Emma crouched down beside Regina and extended a roll of tin foil. "Let's make you a knight."
Regina was a perfectionist, anyone could attest to that. But after three years of planning the best birthday parties she could for her son, the stress and anxiety of any and everything going wrong always took hold of her in some form or another. First it was the clown incident at Henry's first birthday, then it was the food allergy at his second - but honestly, what child is allergic to guava? This year, however, the stress had yet to come, and Regina was waiting anxiously for it to make its presence known.
The Lucases had arrived fifteen minutes prior to the start of the party with their trays of chicken fingers and potato wedges for the children and pasta salad for the adults. Graham had followed shortly after attempting to bring in a piñata, but as soon as Regina saw the candy-stuffed dragon she ushered him out of the door saying how moronic he was and if he wanted the children to poke their eye out with that whacking stick, he could do it at his own child's party. On his way out, the children from Henry's daycare began showing up dressed up in little princess dresses and mini tunics. Regina would have thought them cute if she hadn't been waiting for disaster to strike.
The kids had gone over to the crafting station where they decorated pre-cut crowns before icing their dragon cookies meant to take home along with their loot bag. Now, with Henry decked out in tin foil brandishing his sword and shield, the children hid around the living room where Pongo with a dragon hat strapped to his head attempted to breath his saliva-based fire onto the poor royals of Mills Castle.
"Hi." Emma nudged Regina who watched over the children like a hawk while the invited adults mingled around the room and kitchen. "There's lots of adults here."
"Yes." Regina never took her eyes off the laughing children.
"And you're not talking to any of them," the blonde pointed out, motioning around the room where Ruby was conversing with Pongo's owner, a red-headed balding man with a fondness for tweed, by the presents table, and a few parents had formed a circle in the corner.
"I'm talking to you."
"According to you, I'm a kid."
Finally Regina tore her eyes away from Henry and his friends and cocked an eyebrow at Emma who had an adult-sized cardboard sword slung around her shoulders. "I called you immature because you made one for yourself."
"Oh, come on, this is cool." Emma showed off her sword that she had also covered in foil. An apple was drawn into the helm of the sword that Emma had claimed was the Mills family insignia.
"And what about this?" Regina pressed her hand to foil that was wrapped around Emma's forearms and darted her eyes to her similarly cladded legs.
"The kid wanted to match," she defended.
"And you don't see yourself as a knight," Regina teased, turning back to the children.
Emma rolled her eyes, leaving for just a moment only to return when Regina felt something placed on her head. She automatically reached up to feel a construction paper cone hat with ribbon glued to the tip. She examined it to see the same apple insignia as Emma's sword and Henry's shield placed at the base of the hat. "Then you're a princess," the blonde grinned.
"I'd be a queen." Regina couldn't help but return Emma's smug grin though it was accompanied by an eye roll as she replaced the hat on her head. "Better?"
"Much."
Henry's loud scream made the women jump. There it was, Regina thought. Disaster had struck. But when they turned to the noise, already stepping forward to find the boy, they saw that Henry was pinned under Pongo, the Dalmatian licking him fiercely.
"Help, Mommy! Help, Emma! Dragon eat me!" Henry gasped out between licks.
"The prince of Mills Castle needs some assistance," Emma said in a loud stage voice.
"If only there was a knight around," Regina played along.
Emma smirked and held up her sword, marching toward the swarm of children narrowly avoiding Pongo's licks. "Did somebody say dragon?"
Emma dropped down on the couch, a garbage bag full of gift wrappings, paper plates, and empty juice boxes slumped by her feet. It was only evening, but Emma could already feel the weight of the day tiring her out in the best possible way. She had rescued Prince Henry from the treacherous Pongo, and according to Henry, Queen Regina had to give the brave knight a favour. The napkin with blue and red balloons on it had sufficed and was currently still in Emma's pocket.