#from immediate spark to hostility to realization to eternal love

[ricksmarlene]

You're the love of my life. I'm Yours.

RICK & MICHONNE GRIMES' RELATIONSHIP PARALLELS

[frozenartscapes]

My Frozen 2 Ending

AN: I am only going off of what we’ve been told so far - which is actually very little. A lot of the sources are shaky, at best, and I’ve been taking everything with a grain of salt. That said: I thought about the possibility of Elsa having to stay in the forest for whatever reason, and I came up with my own idea of what might happen. I wanted to post it before any more info or trailers come out, because I’m curious to see how close or how far this idea ends up being from the real thing. Anyway, enjoy!

---

Anna watched as the mist surrounded her sister, seemingly pulling Elsa away from her. She called out in desperation. Elsa reached back with just as much distress, but the magical forces that keep the two worlds separate were too great. And in only a few seconds, Anna was alone, standing between the four great stones marking the Unknown.

“Elsa!” she called, praying her sister could still hear her somehow, “Elsa!” She sniffled, then, shoulders beginning to drop in defeat. “Come back to me,” she uttered quietly.

Elsa could still hear Anna. In fact, she could still see her. She was standing right in front of her, but in a different realm. The land of Magic, unseen by mortals. “Anna,” she tried to comfort her sister, but she couldn’t touch her, “I’m still here. Please don’t cry.”

“Come,” a mystic voice said from behind her, “Let us get you settled in your new life.”

Elsa’s eyes narrowed, unable to tear her gaze off her sister. Her hands clenched at her sides, and her mouth morphed into a furious sneer as she gritted her teeth together in anger. She turned to face the Elementals, and stated: “I’m not leaving her.”

“Magic cannot leave this forest,” the Nøkk - the water horse - replied.

“I promised her I would never leave her again,” Elsa shot back, her resolve unwavering.

“You should not make promises you cannot keep,” the Nøkk returned, their unearthly voice showing a hint of condescension, “Now come, Snow Queen.”

Elsa’s magic surged within her as her anger did. “No,” she growled.

The other Elementals were shocked by her tone, looking to each other in amazement. Only the Nøkk remained stoic. “Magic cannot leave this forest,” it said again, taking an intimidating step forward, “And that means you cannot leave.”

Elsa held the horse’s hostile gaze. She had defeated it once, and she was willing to prove that ice could beat water once again. But that would get her nowhere, and Anna wouldn’t wait in the forest much longer.

“Then take it,” she said in a low voice, “Take my magic.”

Finally the horse had an emotional reaction. It cocked it’s head in questioning, and it seemed to raise one eyebrow in skepticism. “You wish to give up the power you possess for this mortal?” it demanded.

“For my sister,” Elsa corrected cooly, “Anything.”

“You do not even know what that will do to you. Living with such magic all your life and suddenly being stripped of it could kill you,” the Nøkk told her.

“I don’t care.”

“But then you will not be with your sister.”

“But there’s a chance that I can be.” Elsa was done arguing. This was her decision, and she wasn’t changing her mind. “I don’t care if I’ll live forever here. I don’t care about infinite knowledge or power. I don’t care if I never make a single snowflake ever again. I care about Anna. And I am not abandoning her. Not again.”

The Nøkk turned to face the other Elementals. After wordlessly agreeing, it turned back. “Your spirit would have made a great addition to this world, Snow Queen,” it told her, “But we will give you what you want. Just know that from here, there is no going back.”

Elsa nodded, bracing for what was to come.

The Elementals’ eyes began to glow. Streaks of light - coloured to represent each of them - erupted from their chests and merged before Elsa, creating a brilliant ball of white light. Once enough magic had gathered, the white light shot toward her, striking her heart and immediately pulling her magic out. The initial hit took her breath away, but then the true agony started as she felt every last iota of magic be ripped from her body. She let out a pained cry as she felt herself weakening and her body warming. The pain was so great that she started to blackout. But just as the world faded away, she locked eyes with her reflection - a woman with pure white hair, striking blue eyes, and an aura of winter surrounding her. And then she collapsed.

---

Anna had slowly turned away and was about to walk away from the stones when a brilliant light appeared from behind her. She whipped around, hoping beyond hope that it was what she thought it was. The light was blinding, and she squinted to see if anyone was coming from it.

And someone did, but rather than walking triumphantly out of the light, they collapsed to the ground in a heap. But the light blue dress was unmistakable. “Elsa!” Anna cried, at first ecstatic. But Elsa wasn’t moving, and something seemed wrong. She pushed forward and dropped to her knees on the ground. “Elsa?” she repeated, this time with worry and desperation.

As her elation disappeared, Anna finally realized what was so unsettling: Elsa’s hair was brown. And there was more colour to her cheeks. “Elsa?” she said, shaking her sister’s shoulder, “Wake up!”

Elsa winced, and with a groan, slowly opened her eyes. Anna couldn’t hide her gasp when she saw not bright blue eyes, but dull, near-grey hazel. “Anna?” Elsa murmured.

“Wh...what happened?” Anna demanded in shock, “Y...your hair and...”

Elsa smiled weakly, and explained simply: “Magic can’t leave the forest.”

“You...you gave up your magic?” Anna gasped, “But... It’s... How could you?”

Elsa merely shrugged, and replied, “I didn’t want to leave you.”

“I...You... You can’t... I...” Anna sputtered. Elsa slowly pushed herself up with a grunt and wordlessly pulled her sister into a tight embrace. It was then that Anna finally found her words: “You stubborn idiot.”

“I promised I wouldn’t leave you,” Elsa breathed, “I’m not breaking that one again.”

“I just... I can’t believe you made that sacrifice for me...”

“...I love you.”

Upon hearing those words, the shock of the situation wore off and the true impact set in. Anna felt sobs rising up and she held her sister tight as tears of joy and relief began to fall. Elsa held her just as close, her mind feeling strangely empty and her body strangely quiet but her heart was still full of love. She had Anna - that’s all that mattered.

Her other half watched on from the magic realm. She still possessed her mortal appearance, but no longer had a corporeal form, instead made up of light and cold and magic. She watched her mortal half embracing her sister and realized that, despite possessing boundless power and strength, she was missing something. Something only her mortal half held within her heart.

“Come,” the Nøkk said, “Let us leave this place.”

It and the other Elementals turned to leave. Elsa’s magic remained, watching two mere human sisters tightly hugging and crying. Feeling. Loving. One of them had just given up the chance to be a god for the other. And the other had at one time defied death itself for her sister. She felt a call from the forest, the same call she had been hearing ever since this journey began. The forest tells her she belongs here. She’ll be accepted here. This is her home.

She watched the pair of sisters and realized that the forest was lying to her.

“No.” Her voice was the same yet different. Distorted by magic, by the cold. It sounded almost foreign to her. But it would help make her point.

The Nøkk stopped in its tracks. “What did you say?” it said menacingly.

“I’m not leaving her either,” she stated, voice unwavering.

The Nøkk turned around. “I will say this one last time,” it warned, “Magic cannot leave this forest.”

“Cannot or does not?” she challenged, “Because it seems to be able to come and go when it’s most convenient.”

The Nøkk glared at her. “Why even care?” it asked of her, “Your mortal half agreed to leave you behind to be with her precious sister. You have no connection to either of them anymore. Yet you still hold your old form. You are free to be whatever you want, whoever you want, yet you still choose to pander to pathetic little humans?”

“I am choosing what I want to be, who I want to be,” she shot back.

“So you wish to go back to that life? A life of tediousness and banality? Where instead of commanding powerful storms and holding mortal life in your hands you’d rather make snowmen for little children? You are a being of pure destructive magic - not a child’s plaything.”

The Nøkk was standing over her, now, towering above and glaring down at her with the intensity of the ocean in a storm. But she was a force of nature of her own. “So you’re going to keep me here?” she asked in a low voice.

“Yes.” That single word brought a stillness to the magic forest. Time itself seemed to stand still as it waited for her response.

“Then I will be all you want me to be,” she growled, blue eyes glowing dangerously. Dark clouds formed overhead. The air swirled around them, bring with it little blade-like snowflakes and chilling cold. Frost began to snake up the trees, scaring the bark with pure white crystals. “I will make storms - the likes of which you’ve never seen before. They will make your storms on the oceans look like a pleasant day. And I will bring them down on this forest you hold so dear. I will not stop until every tree, every leaf, every living thing in this land is dead and buried until a mile of ice and snow. I will bring about a new Age of winter and destruction and you will never get this forest back. Rocks will crumble under glaciers. The wind will answer to me alone. Fire will have its breath snuffed out before it can even be a spark. And all water will be frozen, unmoving, and trapped by my icy whim for all eternity. I am Winter, the season of Death, and I will unleash it upon this land.”

Finally, the Nøkk showed fear. It stepped away from her, ears twitching anxiously, as it watched winter rapidly consuming the clearing they stood in. The other Elementals shared the same concern. “You wouldn’t dare,” it challenged, but uncertainty tainted its voice.

Elsa’s magic nodded toward her better half. “She wouldn’t,” she stated, “Because she has what I do not: love. I have learned of a much more powerful magic than I, and it is one none of us possess. Only they do.” She pointed to the royal sisters. “Humans are stronger than you give them credit for.”

“So you are willing to give up your freedom?” the Nøkk asked, “Now that you are separate from your human, all because of love?”

Elsa’s magic chuckled. “Do you even know what it’s like?” she asked, “To feel love? To be loved? Because I do. I have been both feared and loved. To see awe and excitement in people’s eyes as I work my craft. To hear their praise, their laughter, their joy. To be wanted, valued for my talent and ability. I had that with her. With them.”

She sobered, then, and turned around to watch as Anna was helping Elsa shakily to her feet. “She needs me,” her magic uttered, “And I need her. We are not two separate beings, one a master and the other a slave. We are like the moon - I am the dark, the cold, the shadow; she is the light, the warmth, the comfort. Two sides of the same being. We need each other, and we both need Anna.”

“And if we do not allow this, you will destroy this land?” the Nøkk reiterated slowly.

“It is as you said: I am a being of pure destructive magic,” she said, “Love is the only thing that will thaw my ice.”

The Nøkk’s eyes narrowed. It then turned to face the other Elementals.

---

“Are you sure you’re gonna be ok?” Anna asked worriedly, seeing how hard it was for Elsa to even stand.

“I’ll be fine after I get some rest,” Elsa replied, winded by the act of speaking.

“You’re not exactly filling me with confidence,” Anna tried to say lightly, but she was too scared to make the joke work. She wasn’t sure how Elsa was going to get back home if she could barely take a couple steps.

Just then, another bright light filled the clearing. “Oh now what?” Anna demanded, turning around to observe the spectacle.

This time, it was someone walking triumphantly out of the light. The woman who appeared before them was god-like. Ethereal beauty, hair as soft and fluffy as freshly fallen snow, eyes like the clear winter sky, a dress made of silvery frost. She looked...familiar. Yet entirely foreign all the same. Like looking into a dream.

She felt Elsa’s weight shift beside her. With a grunt, her sister had stepped forward on her own, toward the mysterious woman, despite the weakness in her body. Her eyes were wide, her jaw hanging open in shock. “Y...you’re...” she stammered, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

The mysterious woman smiled, the closed the gap between them. Anna stood by her sister protectively, eyeing the Queen’s doppelganger suspiciously. Elsa took another step forward, and subconsciously Anna grabbed her hand.

“Anna...” Elsa said with some difficulty, “It’s ok.”

“But...” Anna began to protest. But this ghostly version of her sister didn’t seem to show any malice. In fact, there was almost a peacefulness to her expression. “Ok,” she sighed, reluctantly releasing Elsa’s hand, “I trust you. Both of you.”

Elsa nodded in gratitude and took another shaky step forward. Her legs gave, then and she stumbled forward. But her magic caught her, one hand holding hers, and the other on her shoulder. The contact was enough, and almost instantly, Elsa felt life returning to her body. Pale, grey eyes met impossibly blue ones, and then her magic dissolved into streaks of brilliant light that started to encompass her.

Anna eventually had to shield her eyes from the blinding light that consumed both figures of her sister. And as the light faded, she realized there was only one Elsa standing before her.

Her Elsa.

Elsa gazed down at trembling hands, once more feeling her power thrumming inside of her, feeling the ice in her fingertips, feeling whole once again. She looked to her braid which was once again a light blonde. And her magic - she had never felt more harmonized with it. Like it was embracing the love in her heart and giving her a new source of power - one of rebirth, and life, and joy. The elation bubbled up inside, and she unable to contain it burst into a warm laugh.

“Elsa!” Anna crashed into her, nearly knocking the wind out of her with her hug but Elsa was too happy to care. She hugged Anna back, just as tightly, and the pair laughed and cried together as they realized just how fortunate they were. 

Anna eventually pulled away, still holding Elsa’s shoulders tight. “Wait. I thought magic couldn’t leave the forest,” she said, “Doesn’t this mean you have to stay?”

Elsa thought for a minute. “No,” she replied, doing her characteristic frown whenever she thinks too deeply about something, “I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like I’ve gotten permission to leave. With my magic.”

“So that was your magic?” Anna wondered, “The other you?”

Elsa simply shrugged. “She wanted to be with me. With us,” she said.

“That’s...strangely comforting to know that insanely powerful winter magic actually would rather live with my antics and demands for snowmen over living here in a literal magical forest,” Anna replied with a laugh.

Elsa chuckled warmly with her sister. She then made that same frown again, pausing as if to listen for something.

“Are you hearing the call again?” Anna asked anxiously.

“No...” Elsa said slowly, “I’m...not. I’m not drawn to this place anymore. In fact, I’m actually more drawn to...”

“Home?” Anna finished hopefully.

Elsa smiled. “Yes,” she agreed, “Let’s go home. To Arendelle.”

Anna nodded eagerly, and the pair of sisters then turned to leave, stepping out the forest hand in hand - just as they had entered. And they did not look back.

---

In the realm of magic, the Elementals looked on with mixed emotions. “We truly lost something special,” the Fire Spirit said with a disappointed sigh, “Think of what she could have become had she stayed here.”

“But she wanted to destroy everything if she was forced to stay!” the Wind Spirit reminded them anxiously.

“A fool if you ask me,” the Fire Spirit spat, “Why pick living life as a mortal when you could have chosen the life of a god?”

“Perhaps she was not as strong as we thought?” the Earth Spirit asked.

The Nøkk, ever stoic, stood at the edge of the clearing, watching as the small family of adventurers disappeared into the distance where no magic dared go. “No,” it said simply, causing the others to pause their conversation, “She was stronger than any of us.”

[chrome-mind]

Angel Wings

Summary: Not everyone wants to go along with Angel’s plan. Note everyone wants to lose a friend.

Warning(s): Character Death

“Hey Angel, you listening in? Angel?”

“Yes… sorry.”

“Nah, just wanted to talk to you anyways.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

    You shifted the Jakobs sniper rifle in your arms uneasily. Something was wrong. The sick sense of dread was creeping in as you finally neared the Core with the other Vault Hunters. The BNK3R had been an unexpected surprise, but even after it’s destruction it caused you worry. Jack was putting a lot of effort into defending this place. Sure the Vault Key was there, but if his ever increasingly hostile ECHOs were anything to go by, this was something more personal. He was getting desperate.

“Hey Angel, why are you helping me- well, us.”

“Pandora needs your help, it needs a hero like you.”

    “Angel… what exactly is in here besides the vault key?” you asked hesitantly. “Me.” the response was instantaneous, but not enlightening. “Alright, but why are you in here?” your expression turned worrisome “What are you doing in there?” One of the other Vault Hunters moved forward towards the voice recognition, the weird alien looking one, waiting for Angel’s instructions.

“The password is: I love you.”

“What’s life like for you? There’s no way you could actually be an AI.”

“You… catch on very quick.”

“Do you live on Pandora?”

“Not exactly.”

“Helios, then?”

“It’s rather complicated.”

    With the voice modulator, the door was soon open. You were the first to enter, peering warily over your now raised gun “Angel?”

“Consider this your final warn-- no, consider this MY final warning. Turn around and I promise I'll make it quick. But I swear, you take one more step, every soul back in Sanctuary will die staring at their own lungs as I rip them from their chests.” Handsome Jack threatened viciously, all previous signs of arrogance wiped away.

“Hey Angel?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Jack acquired his Siren catalyst a long time ago. He kept her hidden from the world for years, but finally -- you will be able to set her free.” Angel continued speaking as if he didn’t exist at all. “Eridium alone could never charge the Vault Key. It needs a catalyst -- something to awaken its power. It needs... a Siren.” the elevator you had stepped into, which you would embarrassingly admit you did not notice was an elevator, let alone that it had begun moving, was starting to slow down.

“What are we doing here Angel?” your voice was starting to sound more forceful, your anxiousness getting the better of you. She seemed intent on ignoring your questions “I detect you're getting close. Hurry and reach me -- you must get the Vault Key and... deal with me.” “Angel.” The elevator stopped.

“Executing phase shift.” she spoke again “The Key is here, but…” the sense of dread you had was resurfacing the more she spoke. The ECHO she had been using since the first time she had spoken was fading as you and the Vault Hunters got closer. “To truly stop Jack from waking the Warrior, you cannot just steal the Vault Key -- you must destroy his catalyst.”

“You must destroy…”

The girl who has only been a repetitive video feed of a face on your ECHO, whose been the voice in your ear since the beginning of this mess, appeared. You looked over her form warily, it looked worn down. Hopeless. “...me.”

“What. I did not do all of this just to kill you!” you burst out angrily. From the corner of your vision you saw the other Vault Hunters shift. You did not know if it was from discomfort or if they were preparing for a fight. Sad blue eyes stared at you “Jack's spent years pumping me full of Eridium, using me to charge his Key and manipulate his enemies.” you couldn’t tell if she was trying to make it seem like it would be worth it to do this, but all you could do was sit in your frustration as she spoke. “Destroying the Eridium injectors that keep me... alive... will stop the Key from charging. And it will end a lifetime of servitude. Now--” She was suddenly yanked back, away from you and the others.

“You get the hell away from MY DAUGHTER!” Jack yelled angrily, even as Angel screamed. You rushed forwards immediately to follow after her, not even waiting for the rest “What the hell are you doing?! ANGEL?!” He seethed, still out of view. You finally set eyes on the Core itself, the machine that was holding Angel in place. The Vault Key. “What the hell is this?” you said aloud, horrified. “Stopping you, you piece of--” Angel cuts herself off, though Jack responds anyway. “Rrgh -- language!”

“The Eridium injectors! Destroy them!” Angel shouted. The siren Vault Hunter was quick to raise her gun and aim at the injectors. “No!” You shouted, slapping the gun in her hands away from the injectors. This gave Jack the chance to raise shields over the mechanisms. “What are you doing?!” Angel looks at you desperately, hands raised but not touching the barrier around her. “You can’t be serious!” You’re sure Jack is watching your every move now “How is this the only way?!” “I’m-” “You were put in that machine, don’t you dare tell me you can’t be taken out!”

Angel looks so sad now, but it looks odd. No. Not sadness. Pity. The other Vault Hunters are wearing the same expression as they watched you, gun raised. “I’m sorry.” she speaks softly “There isn’t.”

You realize her odd pity was also bitter. She wanted to live, but knew she couldn’t. You let out an agonized laugh. “We’ve been through a lot of shit that we didn’t expect to live through, this isn’t much different.” Even as you talked, your gaze flicked all over the room for something, anything.

“I’m sorry soldier.” Roland said through the ECHO.

“No you’re not,” you spat harshly “You’ve been ready to do this since the beginning.” “Look, kid, we can’t let you risk everything for one person.” Lilith decided to put out unkindly. You threw your ECHO comm on the ground, cracking it against the hard floor.

“You, Vault Hunter.” Handsome Jack spoke up. Everyone in the room turned to face at least one of the screens. He pointed at you, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. “If you protect my baby girl- if you let her live, I’ll pay you more than anyone could give you on Pandora.” he said seriously, almost desperately. You sneered at him after only a moment of silence “I’m not doing shit for you. She’s not dying, but she sure as hell isn’t staying here.” The CEO’s features darkened and you could see Angel’s pained expressions from the side of your vision. The first wave of loaderbots began materializing in The Core.

You lifted your gun to aim at whoever attacked first, the loaderbots or the Vault Hunters.

A sudden blow to the back of the head made you stagger and drop. You instinctively turned your body over to face whatever had hit you, your eyes met the blank mask of the assassin. On the ground, your ECHO still crackled, Lilith's voice filtering through. “Sorry kid, we can’t let you screw this up.”

Your ears rang and you let your head drop onto the ground with gritted teeth. Consciousness wavered for who knows how long, the sounds of guns firing and going off reaching your ears at random intervals. You were sure that the loaderbots had stepped over you a couple of times. In a moment of clarity, you gripped the gun that still lay in your hands, somehow never being knocked out of your grasp while you were incapacitated. You shakily raised the gun towards a panel on the side of one of the Hyperion made constructors. With a deep breath, your arm steadied and your finger pulled the trigger.

The shot almost missed, nicking the panel only just enough to do what you wanted. The constructor began materializing more loaderbots, faster than it should have now that the regulator had been damaged. Loaderbots seemed to stream from the constructor now. You did not get the chance to see if they had overpowered the other Vault Hunters as your awareness finally failed you.

-

When you awoke, it was silent. You were afraid to open your eyes. When you did, you wished you had kept them closed and just lied there for eternity. The sparking and scattered pieces of loaderbots littered the room, the gun arm of one of them had fallen on you sometime after its destruction. Picking yourself up with shaky limbs, you scanned what was left of the room.

Angel’s body laid limpy against what used to be The Core, Eridium pools surrounding the structure. You hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye.

These thoughts plagued you as you stared at the broken figure of what used to be Handsome Jack. He was still alive, but barely. The Vault Hunters had left him to bleed out, or get eaten by one of Pandora’s wildlife. Whichever came first. All you had to do to retrace the other Vault Hunters steps was follow the trail of dead bodies. The corpse of The Warrior lay half submerged in the lava.

“You could have let her go. You should have let her go.” there was no emotion in your voice as you sat in front of the man, hands resting on your knees.The former CEO simply stared at you bitterly. His mask had been taken by the Vault Hunters, the mark of the vault in plain sight. He remained silent, even as he bled to death only feet away from an Anshin hypo. You stayed there until the Rakk’s began to circle overhead.

[daily-invites]

03.31.19 ~ The Table of God’s Will

There are many tables to eat at in life. There is the table of public opinion. The food is sweet, but it sours in the stomach. There is the table of personal achievement. That’s a power meal for sure, yet the crash is as rapid as the ascent.

There is only one table with rich food that settles well and brings supernatural strength - it’s the table of God’s will.

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.”  - John 4:34 NASB

John 6:24-59 (Passion)

So when the people saw on the shoreline a number of small boats from Tiberias and realized Jesus and the disciples weren’t there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to search for him.

When they finally found him, they asked him, “Teacher, how did you get here?”

Jesus replied, “Let me make this very clear, you came looking for me because I fed you by a miracle, not because you believe in me. Why would you strive for food that is perishable and not be passionate to seek the food of eternal life, which never spoils? I, the Son of Man, am ready to give you what matters most, for God the Father has destined me for this purpose.” 

They replied, “So what should we do if we want to do God’s work?”

Jesus answered, “The work you can do for God starts with believing in the One he has sent.”

They replied, “Show us a miracle so we can see it, and then we’ll believe in you. Moses took care of our ancestors who were fed by the miracle of manna every day in the desert, just like the Scripture says, ‘He fed them with bread from heaven.’ What sign will you perform for us?”

“The truth is,” Jesus said, “Moses didn’t give you the bread of heaven. It’s my Father who offers bread that comes as a dramatic sign from heaven. The bread of God is the One who came out of heaven to give his life to feed the world.”

“Then please, sir, give us this bread every day,” they replied.

Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty. Yet I’ve told you that even though you’ve seen me, you still don’t believe in me. But everyone my Father has given to me, they will come. And all who come to me, I will embrace and will never turn them away. And I have come out of heaven not for my own desires, but for the satisfaction of my Father who sent me. My Father who sent me has determined that I will not lose even one of those he has given to me, and I will raise them up in the last day. For the longing of my Father is that everyone who embraces the Son and believes in him will experience eternal life and I will raise them up in the last day!”

When the Jews who were hostile to Jesus heard him say, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” they immediately began to complain, “How can he say these things about himself? We know him, and we know his parents. How dare he say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”

Jesus responded, “Stop your grumbling! The only way people come to me is by the Father who sent me—he pulls on their hearts to embrace me. And those who are drawn to me, I will certainly raise them up in the last day.”

Jesus continued, “It has been written by the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God himself.’ If you are really listening to the Father and learning directly from him, you will come to me. For I am the only One who has come from the Father’s side, and I have seen the Father!

“I speak to you living truth: Unite your heart to me and believe—and you will experience eternal life! I am the true Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert and died. But standing here before you is the true Bread that comes out of heaven, and when you eat this Bread you will never die. I alone am this living Bread that has come to you from heaven. Eat this Bread and you will live forever. The living Bread I give you is my body, which I will offer as a sacrifice so that all may live.”

These words of Jesus sparked an angry outburst among the Jews. They protested, saying, “Does this man expect us to eat his body?”

Jesus replied to them, “Listen to this eternal truth: Unless you eat the body of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have eternal life. Eternal life comes to the one who eats my body and drinks my blood, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my body is real food for your spirit and my blood is real drink. The one who eats my body and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. The Father of life sent me, and he is my life. In the same way, the one who feeds upon me, I will become his life. I am not like the bread your ancestors ate and later died. I am the living Bread that comes from heaven. Eat this Bread and you will live forever!”

Jesus preached this sermon in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Philippians 4:12-13 (Passion)

I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.

Questions: ~ Where have I gotten my sustenance? Have I been fully relying on God to provide my strength?  ~ What has God been speaking to me about relying on Him in all things? Am I willing to continue towards that goal?

Prayer:

Father -  Thank you for providing us with Your strength. Help me to continue to learn how to rely on You each and every day. Please continue to infuse Christ’s power in me, so I can accomplish Your purposes and show Your love and glory. Yes + Amen.

[terreisa]

The Savior and The Scoundrel: Set an Open Course

Emma has had a few titles attributed to her in her life: princess, captain, pirate but none sat so heavily on her shoulders as Savior. When fate forces her to step into the role prophesied before her birth the only saving she wants to do is to bring back the man she loves. Fulfilling the Prophecy along the way is an additional reward. Sequel to A Crown and A Captain.

Prologue, Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9

ff.net, AO3

Turning over in her bunk for what felt like the fiftieth time in under an hour Emma sighed and screwed her eyelids shut even tighter in an attempt to force herself to fall asleep.  She knew it wouldn’t work, the previous six nights of similar attempts had effectively proven that to her.  The best she could hope for was an hour or two of jagged dreams before either the ache in her shoulder or the sounds of others moving about the ship signalled it was time for her to go about starting her day.  Never mind that it felt as though all the previous days had seemed to meld into one long, unending day.

After Regina had informed her of Killian’s situation the rest of that day had become a blur of memories.  She knew that Roland and Grace had returned with the rowboat but she couldn’t remember when or how.  She remembered returning to the Jewel and speaking with Turner but she didn’t remember what she had said or if she had even acknowledged Marty or the others before holing up in the captain’s cabin.  The first solid thing she remembered from that evening had been when Grace had forced her to eat something before swallowing another handful of Regina’s pebbles as Grace cleaned up her shoulder once more.

At first it had been easy to hide her inability to sleep from the others.  As she was recovering from an injury caused by the woman known as the Evil Queen a blanket of hostility had settled over the ship and nearly everyone was too wound up to truly pay her any attention.  Grace and Roland left wherever they had been, whether it was the galley, Emma’s cabin, or even above deck, whenever Regina came within spitting distance.  Turner and Marty on the other hand had tried for civility and edged into almost manic cheerfulness in their attempts to maintain peace.

Finally Emma had had enough.  She’d ordered Turner to return with Regina back to shore to gather what information he could and so Regina could keep up the appearance that nothing was amiss.  Everyone had argued for nearly two hours after she’d given the order, both for and against her decision.  In the end Emma pointed out that they had a limited amount of supplies and that Zelena or her men would go looking for Regina eventually if she disappeared completely.

At first light the next morning Turner and Regina had rowed to shore and immediately it felt as though a dark cloud had been lifted from the Jewel’s deck.  Marty and Roland wasted no time in curiously examining some of the items Regina had originally brought with her from the rundown cottage and placed in the galley.  Grace had joined them not long after, a reluctant curiosity in her eyes.  Despite knowing Regina had put the strange things out with the intention that they could be looked at Emma still felt the shame of being a snoop as she sat at the table and examined the odd doodads herself.

Some it turned out were strange equivalents of things they’d known all their lives.  There were lanterns and heavy metal cylinders that could be lit with some fiddling and poking and without any visible wick or flame, a multitude of foodstuffs, and what seemed to be a portable cooktop that produced a strong metallic odor when its knobs were turned.  Then there were a handful tools the likes of which they could never guess the use of without Regina there to explain.  Their favorite by far was a confusing looking metal box that with the same fiddling and poking they had done to the lantern produced music and talking from seemingly nowhere.  When Turner and Regina returned at dusk they had been sitting around the box for a majority of the day and bombarded Regina with questions when she entered the galley.

After that they established a routine.  During the day Turner and Regina went ashore to gather supplies and to spy on the town while those left on the ship poured over the previous day’s haul and information.  At night Regina explained as much as she could about the realm they had found themselves in, sometimes in generalities other times spending hours explaining how one thing worked, like the strange carriages.  Tensions lessened as the days went by and although trust was still an issue there were no longer open hostilities between everyone on board the Jewel.

It wasn’t until the morning of the fourth day after they’d returned to the Jewel that Emma was pulled aside by Grace.  At first she’d merely asked how she had been sleeping and when Emma had been fumbling over her answer Grace had asked what Regina had said to upset her.  As Grace had intended Emma had been caught off guard by the question and had answered honestly.  Grace had cursed both Regina and Killian’s names under her breath but she hadn’t left Emma’s side or pushed her to elaborate on how she was handling the information herself.  She also hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else and for that Emma was eternally grateful, even if she’d had to deal with Grace pestering her about getting more sleep instead.

Despite only Regina and Grace being aware of Killian’s marriage under the curse and the other’s preoccupations with learning about the new realm the days were not much easier than the nights.  There were stretches of time where she was nothing but idle, her shoulder prevented her from doing any kind of ship maintenance which Marty gladly took upon himself.  Cataloguing the supplies and goods brought back to the ship weren’t much to keep any of them busy for long and she mainly left it for Roland and Grace to complete if there wasn’t anything particularly interesting among them.  It was during those seemingly endless, boring times that her mind inevitably turned to Killian.  No matter how hard she tried to fight against it.

In the beginning her thoughts had been focused on the cruelty of Zelena’s curse.  The way Killian’s eyes had yet to light up in recognition when he saw her or the small, fond smile that would play at his lips when she spoke to him had been replaced with intrigued lust, light suspicion and not a single spark of any memory of her.  Emma’s ire would rise at the unfairness of it all, leaving her nearly spitting with rage at Zelena for taking her Killian away from her.  Then, inevitably like a bucket of ice cold sea water dumped over her head, she would remember once again that Killian was married under the curse and the vicious cycle of cursing Zelena would start anew.

Late one night, as she had been about to drift off into uneasy sleep, a troubling thought had occurred to her.  Regina had told them that the curse had been cast with the intention of making everyone under its spell miserable, as Zelena intended.  The idea that had struck Emma, forced her to sit up gasping in the dark and blinking back fresh tears of anguish, was the idea that perhaps Killian’s misery wasn’t compounded by his cursed marriage but somewhat alleviated by it.  That he could be even the smallest bit happy with his wife felt as though a red hot blade had been slid between her ribs, straight into her heart.  Emma couldn’t shake the feeling that Zelena hadn’t intended Killian’s marriage to be a torture for him but for her, on the chance that she would eventually arrive to try and break the curse.

As much as she wanted Killian back, whole and his memories intact, she knew that she couldn’t bring herself to want to cause even a fraction of the heartbreak she’d been feeling since their separation to anyone else, Killian especially.  The agony of her realization that Killian could possibly love another, even a cursed love, only added to her worries and her fragile state of being.  Any hope she had of finding sleep had evaporated leaving exhaustion and despair to become her constant companions.

Emma blinked back tears as her mind once again ran rampant with imaginings of the life Killian was possibly living under the curse.  No matter how often she reminded herself that what Regina said about the misery under the curse was, in fact, truth she couldn’t help but picture Killian’s lips kissing another, holding her, comforting her, loving her and it was a torture better than anything else Zelena could have imagined.  The thought had dug into her mind like a parasitic worm that burrowed ever deeper with each passing hour causing her to pull back from the others and more into herself and her misery.  It wouldn’t be long before someone other than Grace noticed her distress and she dreaded having to put her fears into words.  That somehow saying them aloud would make them true.

Watching the slow lightening of her cabin from the rising sun Emma forced herself to think about other things.  She finally settled on wondering how much longer they could feasibly lie in wait.  Sooner or later Killian wouldn’t be the only one aware that there were strangers in the town.  It was only a matter of time before Turner would be questioned more closely during one of his trips to shore or the Jewel was spotted and Zelena informed of their presence.  With a heavy sigh she pulled herself out of her bunk and settled blearily at her desk to try and come up with a plan for when they were inevitably discovered.

Two hours later a knock sounded at her door, startling her awake from the fragile doze she’d fallen into.

“Come in,” she  called, hoping she sounded somewhat alert.

Emma looked down and was embarrassed to see that the piece of parchment she’d intended for her plans was instead covered with scribbled ramblings about Killian and the curse.  She quickly slid it under her captain’s log as Grace stepped into the cabin.

“Morning,” Grace said quietly.  She had two steaming cups of tea in her hands and offered one to her before settling herself down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk, “There was coffee in the galley but you don’t really need anything that will only increase your inability to sleep.”

Scowling, Emma sniffed at her cup and rolled her eyes at the slight floral scent of chamomile mixing with the sweet notes of honey and a bitter tang of something most likely meant to ease her into sleep.  Of all the wonders in the new realm the abundance of goods had astounded them all.  Items that had been only fit for purchase by the wealthy or royalty in their realm could easily be bought at the marketplace by anyone of any standing.  Exotic spices, decadent sweets, luxurious fabrics and more were all practically for the taking according to Turner.  Of everything it was the ease with which she could indulge in a cup of bitter coffee at any moment she wished that Emma was most grateful for, especially as the nights without rest continued on.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emma deflected, blowing almost too harshly on her tea.

“You’re not as clever as you think you are,” Grace hummed, sipping at her own cup. “Young Marty has noticed the shadows under your eyes, Roland’s heard you pacing your cabin at night, and even Regina has attempted to talk to me about it.  I’d say Turner was ignorant of it but I know he’s been contemplating using his bag of poppy dust on you, damn the consequences.

“I know coming to this realm, discovering what we have about it, has been trying but there something more than that weighing you down-” Grace paused before leaning forward to catch her eye, “You will break this curse and Killian will be by your side once more.  Of that I- no, we have no doubt.”

Her stomach clenched painfully as the cup in her grip began to shake, sloshing scalding tea

onto the back of her hand.  Hissing in pain Emma was horrified to discover tears welling up in her eyes as it all became too much to keep locked down inside her.  She was barely able to set her cup down on the desk before she dissolved into shuddering, disjointed sobs.

Emma was vaguely aware of Grace moving to her side and trying to comfort her as best she could.  Even as her body shook and hot tears trailed down her cheeks she recognized that it was a break that had been a long time coming.  She had pushed herself to her limit, physically and emotionally.  As she fought to steady herself and stave off her tears she knew she needed to tell someone else about the dark thoughts that had been consuming her.  Her first child like wish was for her mother to be the one comforting her, to listen to her troubles, but she dashed that yearning away like she had so many times before and turned to Grace with a feeble smile.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, belatedly realizing she had Grace’s hands gripped tightly in her own.  She released them quickly and wiped at the tears still coursing down her cheeks, “It’s been a rough week.”

“Emma, you’re not made of stone.  It appears I was right to be concerned that you thought you were,” Grace said softly with a light scolding edge to it.

“I don’t think I’m made of stone-” she hiccupped, “I just didn’t want to worry anyone else with my problems.  We have enough going on that my dumb issues aren’t important right now.”

“Of course they’re important,” Grace said fiercely, tsking at her before practically shoving her cup of tea back into her hands. “If any one of us had been acting as you have would you allow them to continue suffering in silence or would you have approached them?”

She dropped her eyes to her cup still reluctant to share what she’d been feeling, “If it affected how they were able to work with the others I would have talked to them.”

“But not otherwise?”

“No, I would have asked what was going on the moment I realized something was wrong,” she whispered, her shoulders hunching in defeat.

“I’m not going to pressure you to confide every maudlin thought with me Emma but you do need to talk about some of the things plaguing you.  And you need to drink that entire cup of tea, no arguing.”

With a small, halfhearted nod Emma took a tentative sip.  The tea was still hot and the generous amount of honey in it felt soothing as it passed over her throat that was somewhat ragged from her sobs.  She ignored the slightly bitter aftertaste of whatever potion they had added to help her sleep and took another sip.

“Do you ever wonder- or, um, worry about your children?” Emma asked tentatively, keeping her gaze fixed firmly on her tea.

“Every day from the moment they were taken from me,” Grace answered easily. “I worry that they’ve been hurt or that they’ve been sent to work in unforgiving conditions.  I wonder if they’re still together or if they were separated and each of them is alone.  But most of all I’m afraid that they believe that I’m never coming for them or worse, that they’ve forgotten me altogether.  Some days are harder than others but I never let it wear me down.  I’ll find them, if only to set my mind and heart at ease.”

“Have you ever thought about what you would do if you found them and they were... happy?” Emma asked almost in a whisper.

Grace sat back on her heels.  Emma was still stubbornly focused on her cup but she could see Grace’s fingers drumming on her knee out of the corner of her eye.  Finally Grace sighed and stood, slowly moving back to the chair she’d vacated.

“Not often but yes, I’ve sometimes wondered if they’d found happiness with another family or that they’ve escaped Regi- Zelena’s clutches and made a life for themselves that they’re satisfied with.  Then I remember my own childhood, being separated from my father and raised by a loving couple in his stead.  I was happy at times but I was never satisfied because I knew a large part of myself was missing.  It’s a hole in my heart that’s never been filled.”

Emma could feel tears threatening again so she hastily took another sip of tea.  A lethargy was starting to steal over her but she fought against it, knowing if she didn’t speak then that she never would and her troubles would only continue to grow.

“What if Killian is happily mar- married?  What if he’s grown to love the woman Zelena cursed him to be with?  If I break the curse what then?  He’d be forced to choose, wouldn’t he?”

“You’re afraid he’ll choose her,” Grace sighed knowingly.

“We were barely together before the curse and it’s been over a year since it was cast.  He’s been with this woman, his wife, for that long, with false memories of a life together for longer than that.  Not only could he choose her over me but he could hate me for making him choose in the first place.  I could live with him being with someone else.  I will if it means that it will be only my heart broken as a result,” Emma said as resolutely as she could with the waver in her voice.

Grace was quiet for a moment before rapping her knuckles on the desk to grab her attention.  Emma looked up slowly to see Grace smiling sadly at her.

“From what I’ve seen and from what you told me of the last time you saw him he doesn’t seem particularly happy with his lot in this cursed life,” Grace said gently. “Regina told us that the curse has made everyone unhappy.  I’m sure that this marriage of his is just another way of doing so.”

“But-”

“But it’s not only about him.  There are many more people here living in misery because of what Zelena has done and we came here to save them.  Think of your father, Roland’s father, your friends and family that are roaming around this realm lost and without hope-” Grace shrugged sadly, “and if it turns out things are more complicated after the curse is broken then we’ll handle it.  We can’t leave everyone to their suffering in order to spare ourselves a little pain of our own.”

“You’re right,” Emma said with a touch of guilt and a slight drag to her words. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“Get some sleep,” Grace said, tilting her head towards Emma’s disheveled bunk. “I promise that things won’t look so dire after a few hours rest.”

“I know you put something in my tea-” Emma smirked half-heartedly, even as her eyes started drooping closed.

“And yet you drank it anyway-” Grace shrugged.

“M’m sure you woud‘ve found some way to furce me t’ take it.”

She was slightly surprised by the distinct slur that her words had acquired and that she couldn’t quite keep Grace in focus.  Blearily she marvelled at the speed with which the potion had worked.

“I was going to slip it in your porridge if you refused the tea,” Grace said with an unapologetic shrug. “Roland was ready to hold you down if it came to that.  Turner and Regina aren’t going ashore today and there’s plenty to keep us busy.  Sleep, we’ll decide our next move when you wake.”

Emma winced, which turned into a slow blink, as she realized that she had been fooling no one.  Then with an almost unbelievably long, jaw cracking yawn she found that she couldn’t find it in herself to care.  Either the sleeping potion or her exhaustion had finally silenced her thoughts and she looked at her bunk with longing.

“Have Turner show Marty how t’go through the food stores and Ro-Roland needs to repair that loose board on the deck ‘fore someone gets hur-”

“Emma, go to sleep,” Grace scolded, laughing.

With a slow nod Emma heaved herself up from her chair and practically threw herself onto her bunk.  She barely heard Grace taking her leave before she fully succumbed to the potion and let oblivion carry her away.

When she woke it was to stiff muscles and quickly darkening quarters.  Wincing she slowly uncurled herself from her bunk, marvelling at how clear her thoughts were despite the cobwebs of sleep still clinging to her.  She still felt exhaustion pulling at her bones, a few hours of sleep could only put a slight dent in several nights of no sleep at all, but with her stomach rumbling loudly and the urge to finally do something beside wallow had her moving towards the galley where she knew the others would be gathering.

“Hail, the princess has awoken from her slumber!”

Emma rolled her eyes at Roland who merely grinned widely back as Marty snickered at his side.  Regina and Turner were also sitting at the table looking over what seemed to be a map of the town while Grace was busy cooking something that smelled heavenly.  She gave Emma a small smile over her shoulder before turning back to the pots in front of her.

“Ha, ha.  What have I missed?” She asked, her voice sleep rough, as she plopped down at the table and grabbed a pear from the massive bowl of fresh fruit at the center of the table.

“Not a damn thing according to young Marty here,” Roland chuckled as he clapped Marty on the shoulder. “Hasn’t stop complaining once about how boring it’s been today.”

Marty flushed and twisted out from under Roland’s hand, “You weren’t the one who had to go through sacks of flour looking for weevels or sort out the rotten fruit or try to rid the hold of rats all day were you?  Bloody busy work it was.”

She bit back a smile as the others around the table rolled their eyes, clearly having heard his grumbling all day.  It was also painfully clear they were trying to avoid asking her why she had spiralled out of control after months of holding herself together under seemingly worse circumstances.

“On this or any ship you do as the captain orders and keeping our stores fresh and free of rot and pests is just as essential as a repairing a sail or swabbing the deck is in ensuring the ship will make it to the next port.  It may not seem like it but when you’re in the middle of the ocean with no food because of negligence of duty you learn very quickly how the most boring chores are often the most important,” she said seriously, almost laughing at the way Marty blushed redder before feeling bad for teasing him. “But yeah, it’s a bore.”

The galley erupted in surprised laughter.  Emma finally let her smile unfurl, feeling a bit more herself.

“I’m, uh, sorry I haven’t been focusing on why we’re here or you all for the past week,” she said apologetically, focusing on the pear she was turning round and round in her hands. “I guess everything just dropped on my shoulders at once and I handled it poorly.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“You found out the guy you came all the way here for was married I’d say you handled it fine.”

Grace and Regina had spoken at the same time but it was Regina’s cavalier statement that drew nearly everyone’s bewildered gaze.  Grace slammed a lid down on one of the pots and spun around to glare at Regina.

“For someone who keeps harping on about how much you want to change I fail to see you actually making an attempt to do so.”

“For someone who has said barely two words to me and pointedly leaves a room when I enter you seem to have already have a iron clad opinion of me,” Regina snapped back.

“I don’t need to spend any more than a minute with you to know that you’re only helping us so that we won’t immediately imprison you once we make it back to Misthaven,” Grace snarled. “You may have them fooled but I for one won’t be blinded by your smoke and mirrors, you bi-”

“I want to go ashore!” Emma all but shouted.

Widened eyes settled on her, even Regina and Grace who were both breathing hard in anger.  She took a steadying breath, nervous for some unknown reason.  Going back into the town wasn’t something she had considered but somehow it felt right.  It was obviously doing her no good to isolate herself from her problems, even if it was something she was practiced in doing.  Her years of avoiding Misthaven and it’s wrathful queen the biggest instance of such tactic.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Turner said nervously, his eyes darting between her, Regina and Grace. “I haven’t been questioned yet but it’s only a matter of time before someone becomes suspicious as to why I’m lingering around the town.  Especially when I’ve been avoiding the main thoroughfare as much as possible.”

“I thought we didn’t want to risk Zelena or one of her cronies seeing you,” Regina bit out, clearly still fuming.

“I’m not planning on wandering around aimlessly,” Emma huffed. “You and Turner have gathered enough supplies to last us for a while.  I want to explore the docks.”

“What?”

“Why?”

“Are you insane?”

“Can I come?”

Only Grace had remained quiet, regarding her with a small smile of satisfaction.  Emma took it as encouragement.

“I may not know a lot about this realm but if you’re looking for information about a new place the docks are always the best place to find it.  I also have a feeling that my chances of running into Zelena there are almost non-existent.”

“And going to the docks has nothing to do with the fact that that’s where we first ran into Killian?” Roland asked with a quirk of his brow.

“Not entirely-” she shrugged, knowing anything else she could have said wouldn’t have been believed anyway.  She took in a short, pained breath, “He may be mar- married but he’s the only one I’m certain about that doesn’t work for Zelena.”

“You can’t know that,” Turner said gently. “Many of the town folk remain suspicious, no matter how short their interactions with me have been.  He could just be putting on a ruse to gain your trust and hand you over to Zelena to gain favor.  We don’t know who he is in this realm.”

Emma shook her head slowly.  She didn’t want to argue with him that she somehow knew that the true Killian was still somehow there, merely buried and stifled under the curse.  The way he looked at her or his need to protect her or even his jealousy was enough to convince her.  Yet she couldn’t explain her gut feeling about it without sounding off her rocker, especially with her behavior from the past week.  She knew Turner was merely being cautious and practical but she feared it would only hinder their attempts to break the curse.

“We won’t know who he or anyone else is if we stay cloistered here,” she said with a half shrug. “I need to see what this curse has actually done if I’m going to have any chance at breaking it.”

“I told you what it did,” Regina snapped, glaring at her.

“And I believe you-” Emma said placatingly, “but I want to see everything for myself.  I’ve only talked to Killian but if I could find Red or Pinocchio or even my father I could get a better measure on how deep the memories are buried.  The docks are as good a place as any to find them.”

“Ruby- er, Red runs the diner in town,” Regina said somewhat reluctantly. “It’s called Granny’s even though the woman herself is at Sunset Storybrooke.  I already told you about your cranky father and I don’t know who Pinocchio is, either from when we were in Misthaven or here so good luck finding him right away.”

Pressing her lips together she absorbed the new tidbits of information.  As much as she wanted to inquire further, to ask why Granny wasn’t with Red or what a diner was, she knew that Regina had already told her everything she cared to know.  It wasn’t in her to be concerned with anything  or anyone that didn’t directly affect her.

Emma was even more convinced than before that the docks were the best place for her to start.  Like her Pinocchio had been a sailor practically longer than he had done anything else in his life.  Red also had an affinity and draw to the sea that could be strong enough to make itself known even under the curse.  If she happened to run into Killian first all the better.

“Don’t you think it would be rather odd if the lot of us are snooping around the docks?” Turner asked wryly.

“Um, no-” Emma hesitated, knowing that her next statement would cause an even larger uproar than her desire to go to the docks. “I’ll be going, alone.”

As she predicted the galley erupted into a cacophony of angry shouting from everyone.  Even Grace wasn’t staying quiet, berating her while she waved a spoon at her.  From what she could discern from the din only Turner, Regina, and Grace were upset that she wanted to go alone while Roland and Marty were yelling about potentially being left behind on the Jewel again.  She waited calmly as they quieted one by one until only Marty was complaining with a voice still cracking with adolescence.

“It’s not fair!  The whole reason I left was so that I could do things not to still be treated like a bloody kid!”

Marty flushed a bright red when he realized he was the only one still yelling.  Emma waited to see if anyone would immediately begin berating her again but when no one did she took a deep breath.

“Turner’s right.  It’ll look suspicious if more than one of us is looking around the docks, especially when we will probably all still stick out like sore thumbs no matter how well Regina outfits us.”

“Then let someone go with you,” Roland growled impatiently. “Even if it’s Regina.  You shouldn’t go alone.”

“I’ll need Regina to be in town to head off Zelena or anyone that will report back to her right away,” Emma said in what she hoped was a calm and logical tone.  In truth she was wildly piecing together a plan as she spoke. “The rest of you need to prepare the Jewel to sail.  I want to be ready to make our presence known when Zelena finally discovers I’m in town.”

“I thought you were just planning to look around the docks, not cause a disturbance,” Regina said with an arched brow.

“You’re the one who keeps saying that I’m practically asking for Zelena to find out we’re here-” Emma pointed out. “I’ve had years of practice avoiding notice when I want to but I’ve always had a backup plan for when things go wrong.  Eventually it’ll happen and I’d like to be prepared.  Which means I need you, Turner, to remain on the ship to make sure everything gets done right and for the rest of you to help him.”

“I don’t like you going alone,” Grace said with a frown.

“I’ve been at far worse ports than what I’ve seen here.  There isn’t even a tavern by the water to keep the sailors nearby,” Emma huffed indignantly, hoping her cavalier attitude would persuade them.

“She’s right,” Regina said begrudgingly. “The docks aren’t exactly the worst place for her to be alone.  It’s mostly fishermen and the people who work at the cannery that are down there and I haven’t seen Zelena set foot there once since the curse dropped us here.”

“I can’t believe we’re considering this,” Roland said incredulously.  His gaze flicked between Grace and Regina before looking at Turner, “Please tell me you have an argument against this madness.”

“I don’t...” A light blush formed high on Turner’s cheeks. “Not without admitting that I’ve been doing exactly what Emma’s proposing every time I step foot in that town.  I’m here because Killian is not only my prince but he’s also family.  I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of him in all the time I’ve been off this ship.  She’s seen him twice and quite by accident both times.  I believe she’ll find him again and discover what she needs to know.”

“Grace?” He turned to her with desperation.

“I’m sorry Roland, but I agree with Turner,” Grace said apologetically. “Emma is destined to break this curse.  We need to give her the chance to do so.”

Emma gave her a wan smile as she clamped her hands together.  They had begun to tremble when Turner had supported her and increased to a steady shake with Grace’s declaration.  She saw Regina looking at her suspiciously and tightened her grip.

“I’ll take her to the docks before heading into town,” Regina said, still looking at her closely for a moment before turning to Roland. “Explain a few things, make sure no one close to Zelena happens to be there-”

“And if they are?” Roland asked grumpily.

“Then we’ll wait until they aren’t but I’m not coming back to this ship until I get a chance to look around,” Emma answered stubbornly, unwilling to let him talk her back from her decision in any way.  With a deep sigh she unclasped her hands and grabbed his hand, “I know this seems like a stupid move that will just end up with me caught in Zelena’s claws but I have to do something.  I promise I won’t go running off like I did that first day.  I know a little bit more about what we’re dealing with here.”

“I hope you do,” he grumbled.

Grace quickly began serving up their supper as they hesitantly returned to the ongoing conversation they’d been having about the strange carriages that Regina called cars.  It was easy to tell that it was a half-hearted discussion on everyone’s part, merely eager to keep the peace.  Only it seemed that Marty was still angry about how the previous conversation had gone, sulking until he stormed out of the galley with his food as soon as Grace placed it in front of him.

Emma knew that nothing short of allowing him to go ashore would satisfy him but it was a risk she wouldn’t yet allow.  With a quick glance around the table she could feel that everyone agreed with her on that at least.

The rest of the evening passed without any further incident.  Marty returned sullen but resigned and joined in on the questions they were all peppering Regina with about how exactly an engine worked.  Not long after Regina rebuffed them with a frustrated growl about not being something called a mechanic Emma returned to her quarters.  Even though she had slept the day away she was still exhausted.  As soon as she laid down in her bunk she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

The next morning Emma was abruptly awoken by a loud banging sound.  She quickly grabbed one of her hidden knives and leapt to her feet, ready to defend herself.  It was a bleary and confused moment before she realized it wasn’t another pirate looking to pillage her ship but Roland sitting casually behind her desk, feet propped up on its surface.  To her dismay she realized that he was holding the piece of parchment she had tiredly written down her concerns and muddled thoughts about Killian.  With a sigh she lowered the arm holding her knife and plopped back down on her bunk.

“I hope you’ll believe me when I say he’s not the only reason I want to start at the docks,” she said with a yawn, brushing her hair back from her face. “There’s every chance that Pinocchio is there too or Red or maybe one of the dwarves.  I could even talk to your father or Little John.”

“Don’t,” Roland bit out as he dropped his feet to the floor and crushed the parchment in his fist. “This isn’t a joking matter, Emma.  My father looked right through me and Killian seems to see nothing but you.  It’s never been more obvious that you’re the one that’s going to break this curse and you still don’t believe it.”

“I believe-”

“Not enough,” Roland said vehemently.  He frowned and shook his head sadly, “I didn’t come here to make you feel guilty or try and convince you to let me come with you.  Even if would be better for everyone if I did.  I just wanted to remind you that there’s more at stake here than Killian.”

“You think I don’t know that?  It’s all anyone seems to be reminding me of lately,” Emma said angrily. “I’m sorry Robin didn’t recognize you and I’m sorry you seem to think I’m only concerned about my happy ending instead of my entire kingdom that’s been condemned to this town.  Forgive me for letting the pressure of all of it get to me at such an inconvenient time.”

“Emma I didn’t-”

“I think you need to leave now,” she said, cutting him off as effectively as he had done to her only moments before.  She pointed to the door with the knife, “I’ll be sure to give your father my warm regards.”

Roland gaped at her as though she had slapped him.  She almost wished she had even as he left her quarters without another word or a single glance back.  It took several deep breaths and a swig of rum before she was ready to face the day ahead.

Still fuming slightly she first tried on the clothes Regina had unceremoniously shoved in her arms the night before.  Emma put them on but quickly realized that even if she looked the part the stiff, heavy, and somewhat itchy canvas the pants were made from had her moving as though they were made from pins and needles instead.  She quickly took everything off and donned her own shirt, soft dark leather breeches and boots.  As a concession to what Regina expected of her and the bite of the oncoming winter in the air she pulled a thick knitted cream colored sweater over her shirt and grabbed the deep red woolen overcoat she’d pilfered early on from the multitude of clothing Turner had brought back from his forays into town.

Before leaving her quarters she packed a satchel with what she thought she might need while onshore.  Along with a knife, an ordinary compass, a skein of water and a flask of rum she added the crumpled piece of parchment Roland had left on her desk and the journal she had been writing her letters to Killian in.  She knew they were essentially useless if she found herself in a tight spot but she felt a comfort in knowing they would be by her side.  Slinging the satchel over her shoulder she made her way to the galley.

Unsurprisingly it was nearly empty.  Regina was seated at the table sipping on coffee, her dark eyes tracking her closely as she crossed the galley.  Emma ignored her as she poured the remnants of the pot into a battered tin cup, the last of her anger at Roland dissipating as she watched the steam curl away from the surface.  It was only when Regina brushed past her to take care of her dishes that she realized she had let her mind wander through inconsequential thoughts.  As a result her coffee was lukewarm and she didn’t have any time to savor it as Regina moved past her again and out of the galley.

When she emerged on deck minutes later she was disappointed to see that only Turner was there to see them off.  Emma figured that Roland and Marty were avoiding her completely and had anticipated not seeing them but she thought at least Grace would be there as well.  She had hoped that in working together Grace’s animosity towards Regina would have abated somewhat.  It was clear by only the three of them standing on deck that her hopes were nothing but childish wishes.

“Better get a move on,” Turner said with a nod towards the port side of the ship where the rope ladder leading down to the rowboat was situated.

“We’ve already missed the fishermen that leave before dawn,” Regina huffed even though she was clearly grateful Emma hadn’t insisted on being at the docks at that time. “We should get there in time to see the cannery workers file in.  If you’re ready to go that is.”

“I’m ready if you are,” she answered with a roll of her eyes.

Regina pursed her lips but stayed quiet as she climbed over the rail and disappeared down the side of the ship.  Emma crossed the deck to follow only to be stopped by Turner lightly grasping her elbow.

“Be careful.”

She turned to brush of his concern but stopped short when she saw the worry in his eyes.

“Is there something I should know?” She asked in a low voice she knew wouldn’t carry.

“Nothing I can prove, Captain,” Turner answered just as quietly, slipping into the speech pattern of a sailor giving a report. “Just that when we reach the town’s borders we go our separate ways and not once have I seen her throughout our day until it is time to return to the ship.  I don’t know what she’s been doing and we don’t truly know where her loyalties lie.”

“I see,” she said with a frown.  Looking at the top of the rope ladder she considered his warning, “Thank you, Turner, but I chose to trust her and I’m going to hold on to that.  She could have ratted us out any of the times you two were onshore but she didn’t.”

Turner looked as though he was about to argue and Emma cut him off.

“She’s the only one we can safely talk to about this town and the curse.  I’ll keep an eye on her today but I have to believe she wants to help us.”

“Right,” he said shortly, standing at attention as though she’d given him an order to follow.

“I will be careful, though,” she said softly, giving him a small smile as he relaxed slightly. “I do have a request of you while I’m gone.”

“Yes?”

“Talk to Roland?” She tried not to smile wider at the blush that quickly stained his cheeks and mostly succeeded. “Right now he’s angry at me over this but I know it’s something more.  He won’t talk to me but he needs to talk to someone or things could get out of hand.”

“Of course,” Turner said with a nod, the redness fading. “And what about Marty?”

“I think Grace will have that one handled.”

Turner was still laughing as Emma descended the ladder into the rowboat.  Regina gave her an exasperated look once she was settled.  She didn’t mind it, not when she was on her way to finding out exactly how far she’d have to dig to find the real people underneath the curse.  With a smug look of her own she handed the oars to Regina, only slightly exaggerating the weakness of her injured shoulder as she untied the rope that moored the rowboat to the ship.

They made it to shore with only a small amount of complaining from Regina and a good distance away from the piece of driftwood Turner had been dragging the rowboat up to.  Emma knew better than to tease Regina about her sense of direction but couldn’t help wondering if the trip back to the ship would take three times as long just trying to stay on course.  After a few minutes of dragging the boat behind them in the shallows and then up to the piece of driftwood Emma noticed that Regina was almost too quiet.  When she looked up to see why Regina looked away quickly and waved her hand toward the path leading up the cliffside.

“We have to hurry now if we want to see the workers going in.”

“After you,” Emma said with a tilt of her head, content with following if only to try and suss out what had Regina watching her so closely.

It wasn’t until they could see the harbor with its gently bobbing ships and a few workers milling about laid out below them that Regina cleared her throat in an unconvincing attempt at casualness.  She paused turning to look back at her with a calculating look.  Emma pushed forward, unwilling to let whatever it was that Regina felt she needed to say hold her back.

“How long?”

“How long what?” She asked back as she stepped onto the pathway that she vaguely remembered walking her first night in town.

“The tremors in your hands.  How long?”

Emma almost stopped short in shock, only barely managing to keep walking in her own attempt at casual engagement in the conversation.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she shrugged, willing her hands to stay steady for once.

“Last night wasn’t the first time I noticed it.  I’m surprised it hasn’t been brought up before, then again your motley crew isn’t very observant,” Regina scoffed.

“Do we really need to talk about this now?” Emma asked annoyed and slightly afraid that Regina knew exactly what was happening to her.

“We’re alone, relatively, and that mother hen Grace wouldn’t hesitate to gag me if she thought I was upsetting you.  Which, by the way, I don’t know what I did to her but can’t she just move on?  The rest of those idiots have,” Regina said with an imperious wave of her hand.

“You know for someone so willing to move on from the past you keep acting like a royal pain in the ass,” she snapped back.  As much as she was glad they weren’t discussing her shaking hands she wasn’t thrilled by the change in topic, “You’re not doing yourself any favors by acting all high and mighty now that you’re out from under your sister’s thumb.”

“Well that’s where you’re wrong, princess,” Regina said with a sneer. “You’re just as much under her thumb as I still am.  I mean, you’re hiding out on a ship even though you know you’re the only one who can break this curse.”

“Watch it, Regina,” Emma growled lowly, aware that they were closing in on the docks. “I was recovering from you stabbing me, in case you forgot.”

“Moping more like it.  It wasn’t your shoulder holding you back but your damn fragile emotions.  Too worried that maybe you weren’t strong enough, in love enough, to do what needs to be done.  Hate to break it to you, Savior, but where we’re from prophecies always come to pass.”

Emma stopped walking, ready to refute everything Regina had said but the words died on her tongue when she saw the expression on her face.  It was one of triumph.

“There it is, the shaking you think no one sees.  Too bad you can’t hide it when you don’t even notice it yourself.”

She looked down and sure enough her hands were shaking, almost too slight to be noticed but they were.  Balling her them into fists she shoved them into the pockets of her coat.  Before she could come up with any kind of explanation a curious male voice interrupted them.

“Is there a problem here ladies?”

Turning slowly, Emma dreaded looking at the speaker.  Roland’s look of hurt at her last barb flashed through her mind as her eyes settled on his father.  Robin was watching them with careful interest, his eyes only flitting to her for a moment before settling back on Regina.  He looked cleaner in a way, his hair shorter than she remembered making it seem a darker brown than she was used to.  He was wearing a quilted olive green coat over a dark blue shirt with a small red scarf wrapped around his neck.  Clipped to waistband of his dark brown pants was a small, shiny gold shield,a symbol of his status in the town.

“We’re perfectly fine, Archer,” Regina said cooly.

“Didn’t seem so to me or the few people who could hear you arguing,” Robin said slightly amused, hitching of his thumb over his shoulder where a few people had gathered to watch. He turned to her and she could feel her face getting warm, “Now, I pride myself in knowing the goings on in town and I haven’t heard anything about someone as lovely as you paying a visit.  I’m Ren Archer, deputy here in our lovely little hamlet Storybrooke and I���d like to officially welcome you…”

She knew he was waiting for her to introduce herself but she hadn’t anticipated talking to anyone let alone come up with an alias.  Out of the corner of her eye she could see Regina stiffen in panic.

“Eva,” she said quickly, noticing his brow begin to furrow.  She ignored Regina gaping at her in surprise as she held out a steady hand for Robin to shake, “Nice to meet you.”

“I assure you the pleasure is all mine,” he said with a cheeky grin she recognized.  He turned to Regina the smile slipping into seriousness, “The Mayor would like to see you Ms. Mills.”

“I’ve left the cabin and I haven’t done anything that would warrant a meeting with that woman,” Regina said disdainfully.

“Nevertheless she wants to meet with you,” Robin said with an amused chuckle.  He looked back at her, “Alas that means you’ll have to finish your little tiff later and that you’ll be without company for the time being.  If you’re willing to wait I’d be more than happy to return after I drop Ms. Mills here off at city hall.”

“That won’t be necessary Deputy.”

It was Emma’s turn to stiffen in panic.  The voice had come from behind her and the one thought that rose above the sudden cacophony in her mind was that Killian would always catch her unawares.

He stepped up next her her and flung his left arm over her shoulders.  She hissed involuntarily at the press of his chest on her injury.  Before he could pull away or even react to her distress she pressed down on his foot with her own to warn him not to.

“And how do you know Jones, Eva?” Robin asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“She was a classmate of my brother’s at uni if you’d really like to know,” Killian answered quickly, a sharp edge to his voice.  He dropped his arm from her shoulders and took a step towards Robin, “As soon as she found out about his murder she offered her prodigious skills as a private eye to help me.  Seeing as how the good sheriff’s office hasn’t done a thing about it and all.”

Robin paled as he glanced around at the crowd that had gathered.  Emma could see Regina trying to edge closer to her but Killian was between them twirling his hook in a clear sign for her to go along with his lies.

“I told Kieran that I wanted to take a walk around town,” she said slowly.  Killian tapped his hook on his leg twice with a slight quirk of his lips, a hint she was on the right track, “I got a little turned around and, um, ended up here where Regina found me.  She was trying to explain how to get back to, er, Granny’s Diner and I didn’t want to listen.”

“Brilliant but stubborn-” Killian gave her an approving smile before turning back to Robin. “Now if you’ll excuse us Archer I think you have a town nut to deliver to the witch in her castle.”

Killian placed his hook at her lower back and led her away from a sputtering Regina and a puzzled Robin.  Emma didn’t dare look back to see what was happening with Regina or at Killian, instead she focused on where Killian was taking her not wanting to actually get lost in the town.

“Eva, lass?  I could have sworn your name was Emma,” Killian said conversationally once they away from the crowds at the docks. “I also could have sworn that you were uninjured when I last saw you.  Busy week?”

“Not particularly,” she murmured with a shrug of her good shoulder.

“Ah, still going to play it coy.  I respect that.  So, which is it Eva or Emma?”

“Which do you prefer?”

Killian hummed as he kicked a stone down the roadway, “Are those my only choices?  Not Emily or Evangeline or Edith?”

“Emma will do,” she said with a reluctant chuckle. “Eva was my grandmother.”

“Lovely name but I’ll admit I do prefer Emma-” he leaned over to make sure she looked directly at him.  When she finally did he smirked with a wink, “It’s what I’ve using when I think of you.  Which has been quite often since I last saw you.”

Despite all her thoughts and promises that she could handle herself Emma found that she couldn’t fathom trying to hold a full conversation with the practical stranger beside her.  She silently cursed her weakness around Killian but resolved to find Red or Pinocchio before the day was out.

“Thanks for getting me out of that mess with Ro- er, Archer but I think I’ll be fine on my own now.”

“Bad form, lass, leaving a man hanging when I fully intended on giving you that tour of the town,” he said with a mock pout, leaning against a shiny black car with a golden image of a bird in flight on its front.

“I need to find Regina,” she said hesitantly, looking back towards the way they had come.

“If Zelena truly wanted to see her it’ll be at least an hour before she’s free to be found-” Killian crossed his arms over his chest with a smug look. “Give me at least that long to convince you I can be of some kind of service to you.”

Finally Emma took the chance and looked directly at him.  He was wearing almost all black, from his leather coat to his heavy boots.  The only color on him was the midnight blue patterned shirt he had on under a black silk waistcoat and the glinting silver of his hook.  The darkness of his clothes only accentuated the bright blue of his eyes, which were following her every tiny move with careful attention.  She could see an eagerness for her to say yes in their depths and that decided it for her.

“I want to go to Granny’s Diner,” she declared, enjoying the way his eyes widened in surprise at her sudden change of heart.

“Best onion rings in Maine, lass, good choice.”

He gave her another wink as he dug into his pocket, pulling out a jingling mass of metal.  She realized it was a set of keys when he inserted one of them into the door of the car he had been leaning on.

Emma looked back towards the docks once more.  There were only a few of people walking about, no one she recognized with both Regina and Robin gone.  A creaking sound had her turning back to Killian and she saw he had circled to the opposite side of the car and had opened the door.

“Shall we sail away then?”

With a nod she walked around the car towards him, hoping with all her might that she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

If you’d like to be tagged so you don’t miss future chapters let me know.

Tagging: @teamhook, @galadriel26

[loveastrologer]

Astrologer for Love Problem Solution

Love is the most eternal and long-lasting bond between couples in a relationship. Turning this pure, everlasting bond into marriage and entering into marital bliss is the ultimate goal of all relationships.

However, these days we can see that many marriages fail due to lack of love, or that love marriages end abruptly due to differences between families. Couples fail to realize that marriage brings a completely different dimension to their relationship. Now, Astrologer for Love Problem Solution on a phone call - +91 7665787887

 The efforts of both partners are required to sustain through the years of marriage, at the same time understanding the strong pillars of support for both families and a good level of warmth.

It is very common for marriages to go backward and to end in divorce settlements. The reasons are many. Disputes between couples and their families, not being able to provide quality time and care to each other, not being able to provide the same kind of love and affection that once existed before marriage are some of the many reasons.

 If you are looking for guaranteed answers and solutions to all your love related problems, don't lose hope! Get a quick solution from our love problem solution astrologer and erase all impending love issues in your life.

 Maharaj Sankalp Nath Jiis known for his effective approach to solving the most complex love problems. Introducing quick fixes after realizing your problems at a high level and bringing back lost love and helping your partner get married without any trouble.

It requires expertise to solve love matters. Love solution expert MaharajSnankalpNathJi is famous for his love experience and extensive knowledge in the field of competent love.

 Cases related to love may have different complications. Couples who are in love but are able to convince their families to tie the knot and marry each other, couples who have lost love in their relationship but are looking for a way to revive it, and many more some.

 The third angle of this love problem is also the reluctant entry of a third person, which lends the relationship to a complex triangle. To come out of this imminent confusion and set the stage for harmonious alimony in the wedlock, meet our love problem-solving Maharaj Ji today!

We provide instant remedial solutions in just one click! You can consult Maharaj Ji on a phone call - +91 7665787887. Astrologer for love problem solution is here to solve all your love problems.

 Time fixes all issues and provides a new world of love and strength from within. We provide the right solution to overcome your sufferings and bring a new ray of hope to your love relationship.

See the best love problem solution astrologer to analyze your horoscope in detail. Maharaj is a top astrologer when it comes to studying birth charts in detail. You will be offered a highly rewarding treatment after thorough calculations of the effects and star movements of individual planets.

 Love is the support and support of each other in both good and bad times. Sadly, many relationships soured when both partners were passing through troubled waters.

"Break-up" has become a common term among couples, especially among high profile and celebrity classes.

Our love problem solution astrologer Maharaj Ji offers the best advice among reviving couples to revive the spark and reunite them in love again.

 A life spent in loneliness and separation from loved ones is disturbing as well as hopeless. Our extensive customer base is going through a rough patch of love problems in their lives such as divorce issues, losing love in personal life, separation, changing love in marriage, parent issues at the time of marriage, and more.

 Maharaj Ji has initiated effective methods to dissipate the negative forces around the suffering couples and bring them back towards love. Love problem astrologer Maharaj Sankalp Nath Jihas to face impeccable record in bringing hostile situations between lovers.

 f you do not have prominence in your love life and think whom to contact for the most effective love problem solution, then here is your golden opportunity! Meet expert astrologer Maharaj Sankalp Nath Jitoday and explain your problems completely.

Maharaj Ji provides comprehensive solutions that positively impact the couple as well as revive their understanding within families. We provide immediate assistance to couples after understanding their problem in detail.

 We examine the family role involved in issues between couples, the possibility of a third hand in deteriorating cases, and the blocking of the pathway to terminate the aspect of the third role.

Contact Maharaj Sankalp Nath Ji that they will be able to bear on your love affairs and lead a life of joy and prosperity. Choose the best solution from Maharaj Ji and trust our services to bring your love life back and bring the spark back in your eyes! Call us on +91 7665787887 or connect with us over the phone.

 Source :- https://justpaste.it/7zdyf