I_Love_Siobhan_Magnus

When a heart is ripped out, whoever possesses it is in control of the heartless person, physically and mentally. That's not possible if a heart is just a virtual carrier of human emotions.

Being burnt to ashes seemed to be what Regina's nightmare was implying. That was not my idea, and not Emma's or Snow's either.

DigificWriter

Emma's title and birthright have nothing whatsoever to do with the circumstances in which she might find herself currently. They are part of her DNA and therefore transcend everything. Even if she never makes it back to the Enchanted Forest, she IS a princess and always will be.

I_Love_Siobhan_Magnus

I've drawn my conclusion about that a few pages ago. Emma's title and birthright are always there in FTL where nobody's stealing or nullifying them. My point was about Emma's circumstance in the States where David and Mary are not king and queen, hence Emma is not a princess. It's like what you've got in your old company - title, salary, bonus, resources, men, everything - doesn't go with you to your new workplace.

xNaley23x

Agreed.

But also I get Jonathan's point. That regardless of her title by birthright, its all null in the real world.

If they ALL end up back in FTL with Emma and Henry too, it would be interesting to see how Emma might transition to the role expected for her there. She would still be the saviour, but in FTL there's no denying her parents are royalty, so she would have that princess role coming into play as well.

Here in SB/NY/Land without magic, she's seen as the Saviour more than anything else by the people. But if they all returned to their homeland, then they would also look to her as a princess - the daughter of their king and queen. It would be interesting to see how Emma would handle that

DigificWriter

Regardless of where they are or what has happened to them, Snow and Emma are royalty - and have access to royal titles and privilege - because they were born directly of royal stock. David can lay claim to royal titles and privilege because of his marriage to Snow, but those titles and that privilege could be taken away and he would be nothing more than a shepherd, but such is not the case with his wife and daughter.

I_Love_Siobhan_Magnus

Yeah, they're royalty. Royalty that nobody acknowledges beyond Storybrooke.

DigificWriter

It doesn't matter if they're recognized as royalty or not; the bottom line is that they're still royalty.

xNaley23x

That's very true. Your birthright can't be taken away from you

Jamie Choate

Agreed.

I_Love_Siobhan_Magnus

Yes it matters. Without legitimacy and acknowledgement, royalty is an empty word. No one can claim themselves royalty without substantiation. Charming and Snow are always king and queen, while David and Mary are a pickup driver and a school teacher. That's what they're defined and recognized in the real world, and though David and Mary are their cursed selves, they're needed everyday because Charming and Snow wouldn't know how to live as American citizens in the 21st century, only David and Mary do. The same applies to Emma who shall be a princess in FTL by her birthright and the savior in the real world by her destiny.

CityGal

Are we really doing this? Sometimes I feel like the child in the backseat with the arguing parents up front.

I_Love_Siobhan_Magnus

All in all, royalty is the nature of Snowing and Emma, but in the real world, they are nurtured to play different roles that didn't exist in FTL. It's a simple fact. Storybrooke needs a pickup driver, a school teacher and a new sheriff more than three royal members.

Jewel Leigh

People can claim to be royalty and even be royalty without acknowledgement. They just wouldn’t be acting as royalty. If a princess ran away to a different country to get away from her life, she wouldn’t be known as royalty in this new country, she wouldn’t wouldn’t be acting as royalty in this new country, but she could still say “I’m princess in this other country.” That can’t be taken away.

David and Mary Margaret are pickup driver (actually his job was working at the animal shelter. He just happens to drive like most citizens do) and school teacher, but after the curse broke, they became both. Most of the citizens of Storybrooke acknowledge them as both as well (except for Whale, for example, who made point to tell Charming “you aren’t my prince”). Since the curse broke, Snow and Charming haven’t acted in their old jobs at all, but of course, they do use knowledge that they have from their cursed selves (and Snow would have learned things from living in the world for 28 years).

Anyway, since the curse broke, Storybrooke has been in shambles. Regina was kicked out of office, which means the town had no leader. Charming, Snow, and Emma have all acted as sherriff, co-sheriffs and leaders, but their power is limited. Regina never got a trial. Hook didn’t get a trial. 
Between a wraith and a giant, much of the town has been destroyed.

Point being, if Storybrooke hadn’t been dissolved, they would have had to figure out a new ruling system. Yes, Storybrooke is in the USA which doesn’t have a monarchy, but no one in the USA actually interacts with Storybrooke. For all purposes, Storybrooke is its own world. Storybrooke would do what they want, and as most people already acknowledge Charming and Snow as their leaders and rulers, that would make since to make that official and give them legal jurisdiction.

If Storybrooke had continued, I find it unlikely that Snow and Charming would go back to teaching and working at an animal shelter. That isn't who they are anymore.

DigificWriter

Your argument makes no sense. It doesn't matter what Emma and Snow 's current roles in life are/were; they're still royalty.

Or are you trying to tell me that Prince Harry isn't a Prince when he's on active duty as a Captain in the British Navy?

I_Love_Siobhan_Magnus

Prince Harry is a British prince. He's always who he is regarless of his location or duty. Emma is the heir of Snowing's kingdom, but she's NOT a princess in/of the States or any country. Assuredly, she's royalty, which is fictional, while Prince Harry's is not.