Emma Swan

"You just gotta punch back and say no, this is who I am." — Emma to Ashley Boyd. Emma Swan is a main character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She is the birth mother of Henry Mills II, and in turn is the daughter of Snow White and David Nolan. Emma is also known as the Saviour because it was prophecised that she would destroy the dark curse 28 years after her birth. Emma is portrayed by actress Jennifer Morrison.

Before the Curse
On the night that the dark curse is cast, Snow White gives birth to her and Prince Charming's baby, Emma. However they soon realise that they are doomed because the dark curse has already been cast. Instead, they remember Rumplestiltskin's prophecy about Emma being the saviour, and decide to send her through a magical wardrobe that transports her to earth, protecting her from the dark curse which consumes fairytale land.

Season 1
Emma, now 28 years old, goes on a date with a man named Ryan, and it seems to be going well, before it is revealed that she is actually a bail bondsman - or 'bail bondsperson' as she puts it - and she after Ryan, who is an embezzler. Ryan attempts to flee, but he finds that he can't start the car as his car is locked with a tire boot. He tells Emma fearfully that he will give her money, to which Emma knows he is lying and that even if he did have the money he should give it to his family, to which Ryan cruelly asks what she knows about family. Emma snaps and slams his head into the steering wheel, knocking him out cold, where she replies "Nothing". She arrives home with a cupcake, as it's her 28th birthday. She puts a blue star-shaped candle into the cupcake and lights it, before making a wish. Seconds after she blows the candle, the doorbell rings and Emma answers it, surprised to see a little boy named Henry, claiming to be her son. She decides to take him back to his home in Storybrooke, Maine. There, it is revealed that he is the mayor's adoptive son, and she drops him off, meeting Henry's adoptive mother, Regina Mills, the evil Queen. However, Emma isn't aware of this. After a brief chat and a glass of apple cider, Emma attempts to leave.

As she is about to drive out of Storybrooke back to Boston, a wolf appears in the middle of the road and she dodges it but hits the town sign. She is knocked out during this, and awakes up at the police station, in one of the small jail cells. The sheriff shows up, thinking that she crashed because she was drunk, and when Regina comes rushing to the station claiming that Henry is missing again, she appears almost disgusted that Emma is still here. Emma makes a deal with Regina and Graham Humbert, that if they let her out then she will help them find Henry. They go to the school and Emma meets Mary Margaret Blanchard, who is actually the cursed form of Snow White - Emma's mother. Emma doesn't know this at all, and Mary Margaret tells her that Henry might be at his secret castle playground. Emma once again takes him home, and this time Regina isn't so grateful, and eventually goes off at Emma demanding her to leave Storybrooke. However, this just makes Emma want to stay as she is also concerned for Henry, and the thick rivalry between Emma and Regina is forged.

Relationships

 * Baelfirehook

Appearances

 * S1, E1: "Pilot"
 * S1, E2: "The Thing You Love Most"
 * S1,E3 snow falls
 * S1,E4 the price of gold