@MerryLeeplaying wrote:
Perhaps the reason Emma remained outside of SB was to be able to grow up unnoticed by the EQ.
This is an interesting theory. It reminds me of Harry Potter. In HP1, Dumbledore places Harry with his Aunt and Uncle, knowing he would grow up outside the hoopla of the magical world. Even though the Dursleys were horrible people, they met his basic needs, educated him, and grounded him in a humbling reality that served him well when he came to a world that idolized and celebrated him. It also protected him so he could one day fulfill his destiny.
Similary, maybe Emma needed to be away and have a tough life to strengthen her for the upcoming battle and war. Would she have been able to slay the dragon if she was a pampered girly girl adopted from a wealthy family? Maybe not. Plus, like you said she probably needed protected from Regina. Who knows what she would have done to baby Emma if she had known. It looked in the pilot that she ordered her henchman to kill the baby. She might have done it in Storybrooke, too.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.