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sailtoafarawayland · 3 years

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How We Got Here (Entwined Series)

Summary: Killian wakes and his mind can't help but wander to the warmth of the man pressed against his back, and just how they got there – his life so different than he ever imagined it would be, even after he fell madly in love with the blonde goddess who held a knife to his throat and abandoned him at the top of a beanstalk, but sometimes the paths that are least expected are the ones with the greatest rewards.

Series Information: A series of connected one-shots following the polyamorous relationship of Emma, Killian, and Hook. Each piece can be read standalone and is non-linear, but together will reveal some backstory and how these three came to be. Tags/warnings that are specific to each piece will be posted at their heading, but it is safe to assume all of them will contain some version of M/F/M and M/M (unless otherwise noted in the tags). If this is not your thing, carry on. If you would like to be removed from my tag list, please let me know. Keep in mind, I maintain one list for all of my work.

Rated: Explicit

Relationships/Alternate Tags: M/M, Killian/Hook, Emma/Killian/Hook (background mention only), Anal Sex, Gay Sex,

Many thanks to @hollyethecurious for the lovely cover art!

AO3 - FF

How We Got Here

It was one of those rare nights, Killian's body drifting into wakefulness though the sun was still far from rising, his mind refusing to be lulled back to sleep by the gentle patter of rain against the windowpanes. He'd kicked the sheets from himself at some point, a cord of them twisted around his waist, leaving his chest and legs chilled by the night air. Emma had volunteered to cover the night shift for Will that evening, her place in the bed an empty stretch of white lit by the moon shimmering through the sheer curtains.

Killian had fallen asleep wrapped in his other partner and woke just the same, Hook's hips still tucked firmly against him beneath the sheets, his rough stubble pressed against his back that was warmed by his lover's content, even breaths, scarred wrist resting lightly against his stomach. Though the night was still young and the rain dancing on the roof far above them should have been enough to let him drift off once more, Killian found his mind was too awake to allow for it.

He'd always been contemplative, brooding even, as caught in his own thoughts as a fish in a net, and in the quiet darkness of their bed, Hook's warmth seeping into him, his found himself picking and turning memories over that he hadn't examined in a long while.

There was a time when he couldn't have imagined being in the situation he'd just woken to, stretched comfortably in a bed that was his own, in a home that was his, and with another man pressed against his back – but not just any man, and perhaps that was the piece that allowed it to all make sense, that made everything fit perfectly between the three of them.

He and Emma had been happy together when it was just the two of them – a whole, as he'd thought – and no ordinary third would have fit into what was already complete, but Hook was no ordinary man. He was another version of himself, slightly older – and as he insisted on arguing, far wiser – a man of shared experiences and pain, of shared beauty and shared love with both of them.

They had been whole together, just he and Emma, but with Hook, they were something more, something washed in so much love that what they were had grown and changed, finding new corners of themselves to share and welcome him into.

At first, for Killian at least, it had been a maelstrom of curiosity and unexpected attraction – he was, after all, devilishly handsome no matter the version, and the addition of some gray streaks and fine lines had only enhanced that appeal...and he would have had to be a blind man not to see the connection forming between his other self and Emma. He'd recognized it as the same bond that he and Emma themselves had nurtured and grown over shared adventures and vulnerabilities. At first he'd feared it, back when he and Hook had first met in this very room. Hook hadn't known what the Seer's words would portend, just who his happy ending would be, but Killian had understood immediately – it would always be Emma.

Though their knowledge of the various realms was still tenuous at best, they all believed that there was no version of Emma left in the Wish Realm, that whatever facsimile she'd replaced at the bidding of the Evil Queen's wish had been destroyed, and then once she'd left...once she'd returned to him, that was it. Honestly, the rules of how that entire realm worked were a mystery, but without being able to explain why, Killian knew that if Hook were to find his happy ending anywhere, it would be here – he'd known it in his very soul, and it had terrified him.

As they welcomed him into their home and aided him in his quest to find a way to reunite with his daughter, it became clear there was something undeniable between his wife and this older version of himself, and though at first it had pained him, he couldn't look at his twin, lonely and broken and desperate for help, and not truly want the same happiness for him that he'd found with Emma – that sense of completion and understanding that came with True Love, the feeling of home. How could he have fought against that, especially knowing that it may very well be the thing that would unburden Hook of his curse and make saving his daughter possible once more?

But then everything had changed – the attraction between them that had at first been focused around Emma, on her pleasure and needs, it had grown to encompass things Killian had never thought would be possible. A late evening spent conversing over glasses of rum, sharing their past experiences and how they'd differed – the varying nuances of the history they shared – but no matter the small details, the larger tragedies had all been markedly exact. At least they were until their paths had diverged and Hook had traveled to Gothel's tower – until he'd been tricked into intimacies and conceiving a child. And then – when he'd loved and cared for the child her entire life – he'd suffered having her taken away by the very witch who'd birthed and abandoned her all those years ago.

Killian couldn't imagine the pain, being forced from your child when all you desperately wanted was to hold them and keep them safe from the world. He'd always wondered if perhaps he and Emma – now he and Hook and Emma – might someday have a child of their own, and to dream of being given that happiness only to have it ripped away...it was a tragedy he couldn't bear having to live through, and the fact that Hook had, that he was still fighting to fix it...

Killian wouldn't take the chance that his reluctance would prevent Hook from finding his happy ending and daughter once more, so instead of fearing what he felt changing between the three of them, he embraced it, looking for all the things to love in the other man that Emma saw in him each day, the things he saw in her. Not surprisingly, considering there was true love involved, becoming three instead of two had only made their love reach its roots deeper, strengthening all of them.

Behind him Hook stirred, perhaps sensing his lover was awake in his arms, murmuring small, half-asleep noises as he pressed a kiss to Killian's shoulder, his wrist rubbing circles against the hard planes of his stomach. Killian felt a familiar surge of warmth in his chest at the gentleness, Hook's arm stretching beneath his neck before pulling him more securely into his chest, his lips whispering across his back once more and stirring a far different warmth somewhere else.

“What are you doing awake?” Hook rumbled behind him, his leg edging forward to push between Killian's, his words broken by the soft caress of his lips.

“I couldn't sleep,” Killian sighed, his teeth catching his lip as Hook's stubble rubbed deliciously across the skin he was taunting with the hot wetness of his mouth – a mouth Killian was very desperately imagining elsewhere.

“Missing Emma?”

“I do always miss our Swan when she's not here, but actually, I was thinking of you,” he teased, his voice still rough with disuse as he pushed his own hips more tightly against Hook's, smirking as he felt his twin's cock start to harden against him, his grip tightening as he awoke more fully.

“Were you indeed?” Hook crooned, his teeth catching around Killian's shoulder as he thrust gently against his firm backside, his cock sliding against the fullness of his cheek.

“Aye, is that too much for an old pirate to believe?”

“Not this old pirate,” Hook quipped, smiling as Killian rolled in his grasp, his legs slipping free, one coming to rest contentedly over his own as their eyes met, lashes heavy with sleep and pupils leaving only a sliver of blue to be seen in the dark room. “And just what were you thinking about?”

“How we got here,” Killian nearly whispered, winding his fingers through Hook's ruffled hair, his streaks of silver bright in the moonlight. He tilted his lover's head back, exposing the sharp ridge of his stubbled jaw as he leaned forward, his mouth trailing heat along the line of his neck and tasting the warm sheen of sleep still lingering on his skin.

A low rumble caught in Hook's throat at Killian's ministrations, and he tugged him more firmly to his body, the press of skin against skin chasing away the fog of sleep as his mind turned to more pleasurable activities – like how sinful that tongue would feel sliding across something other than his neck. Killian's nails dug sharply into his hip and he suddenly rutted his hips forward, their cocks brushing together, and Hook knew his lover was of the same mind.

He wasted no time in rolling on top of his younger self, enjoying the way his thighs settled heavily on either side of Killian as he took control, his stunted wrist pressing his hand into the bed as his fingers echoed the command on his other side. His tongue swept over his lips as he studied the unbridled longing in the face of the man below him – a face that was so much more than a reflection of his own, it's lines and nuances speaking to everything that ran below the surface.

“I like to think it was fate,” Hook smirked, dipping low to taste his twin's lips, the movement between them becoming more desperate as their tongues swept together, stroking and pulling, breaths gasped and sharp. Tearing himself away, Hook slanted his body and pressed his member roughly against Killian's, rocking back and forth and groaning as he felt his lover's teeth hook into his shoulder, the pain softened by the breathless moans surrounding it.

“I like to think it was my...fuck...devilishly good looks,” Killian moaned, twisting and pulling himself free of Hook's knees in an attempt to gain a better hold of his lover, his legs wrapping around the other man as he thrust upward, his head digging into the bed as he sought firmer pressure between their bodies.

Hook chuckled against his neck before working his way down Killian's chest, ignoring the growl of dissatisfaction from his lover as the warm press of his body moved away from his throbbing cock, leaving cold air between them.

“So desperate,” he teased, his teeth grazing over a nipple before continuing down, his tongue sweeping along the hard, flexing planes of his stomach, following the trail of black hair that would lead him toward his treasure. “Is this what you were really thinking about?”

“Just bloody get on with it,” Killian growled, knotting his fingers into Hook's tousled hair and pushing him roughly against his cock, hissing as warm lips and scratchy stubble dragged along his length, moving lower until the heat of his breath was ghosting against his balls, his fingers wrapping perfectly around his thick shaft.

“As I said before...” Hook murmured, tonguing one of the soft orbs in front of him before sucking it into his mouth, heavy and full, laving it with his tongue before letting it pop free “...desperate.”

“Jones,” Killian choked out, his grip on his lover's hair tightening as he angled his face back toward him, “if you don't get on with it, mate, I might just take what I need...”

“You forget who you're talking to – ” and suddenly Hook's palm was like a vice around his length, his breath hot against the taut skin of his bollocks as he slid his grasp higher, rolling over the swollen head of Killian's member and pulling a broken groan from his lips. “ – so if you want my mouth wrapped around this beautiful cock of yours, then I'll need to hear you beg for it.”

The sharp sting of Hook's teeth dragging against his tender skin, his tongue immediately soothing the ache, quelled the last of Killian's reticence and he let out a soft moan, thrusting up into the strong hand holding him.

“Bloody hell, Jones, please...just...”

“Just what?” Hook crooned, another slow roll of his hand drawing more noises from his lover. Killian's knees were splayed around him as he hovered over the dark tip of his cock, his mouth only a breath away from where his pirate needed him the most.

“Just take me,” Killian hissed, a note of desperation in the words that were fumbled, half supplication and half command, from his lips. “Take me in that mouth of yours, love – I need you...need to feel you around me...in me...all of it...”

Hook dove forward with a pleased rumble in the back of his throat, his hair falling in a sway of black and silver – brushing against Killian's stomach as he wrapped his lips around him and welcomed him into his warmth, his lover's hips rising to meet him, his tongue laving around the hot, throbbing flesh, tracing each vein and ridge that he'd lavished with attention so many times before. He loved the way he tasted, the way he filled his mouth so completely, slipping against the back of his throat and pulsing against his tongue. He loved the way Killian's fingers wound in his hair, pulling him closer and dragging him away, hissed words of approval caressing his ears as he moved with the soft rocking of his lover's hips. His hand pressed wantonly along the firm line of Killian's hip, reveling in the way his skin stretched taut over both muscle and bone, swelled over the thick expanse of his powerful thighs, black hair dusting his lover's body and tickling his palm.

“Gods, I love you,” Killian groaned, “come here.”

Hook relinquished his lover's hardness at his urging, clambering back up his chest and seizing his lips once more, their lower bodies pressing together and rutting shamelessly as they sought that perfect friction between them, Killian's mouth nearly bruising in his desire to taste every inch of himself on Hook.

“I want to feel you inside of me, pirate,” Killian breathed, running his foot along the back of Hook's leg and thrusting. “I want you so deep inside of me that I don't remember what it's like to have ever felt anything else. How's that for begging, Jones?”

“Bloody fucking hell, Killian,” Hook rasped, fumbling toward the nightstand and tearing open the drawer, nearly dropping the bottle of lube in his haste to return to their activities.

Killian's hand was wrapped around his own cock, jerking it slowly to the side as Hook shuffled back between his splayed legs and pressed open mouthed kisses to wherever he could reach, his blunted wrist urging his legs higher. Goosebumps erupted along his stomach as Hook drizzled a generous stream of lube against his ass, pumping more into his palm and smoothing it over his own cock.

“Are you ready, love?”

“Aye,” Killian groaned, stroking his shaft more quickly as he watched Hook take himself in hand, lowering his body so he could pressed the glistening tip of his cock against Killian's tight entrance, the both of them letting out a sharp breath at the sensation.

“You're so tight like this,” Hook hissed, pushing forward slowly, Killian's legs rising to ease the soft burn of his cockhead spreading his tight ring of muscle, then dropping to rest on his twin's backside as he slipped through and delved further in, his shaft slowly filling him in the most delicious way.

“Didn't want to wait,” Killian huffed against his neck, “just needed...needed this.”

“Aye, love,” Hook breathed, holding back the indulgent chuckle he could feel tickling his throat – normally when they made love, they both preferred slightly more preparation, the foreplay half the fun, but then there were those times where desire and something far deeper nipped at the both of them, leaving them impatient to be joined. “So you'll finally admit that I was right then, that you woke desperate to feel this thick cock inside of you?”

“You're insufferable,” Killian sighed, his mock irritation changing to a low whimper at the delicate thrusts Hook was making to prove his point. He carded his fingers through his lover's hair, admiring the way his fringe draped silver and black across his face, the lines around his eyes ones of laughter. “Just fuck me already.”

Hook smirked, knowing he'd won, and began to move, his shallow thrusts becoming something deeper as he kept a close on his lover's face for any signs it was too much too soon, but their moment of banter had been enough to relax him, and he slipped further into his body easily, Killian's brow furrowed in silent pleasure as he concentrated on the sensation. A panting breath left Hook's lips as he settled fully within his lover, losing himself for a moment in how tightly Killian was surrounding him, how perfect and right it felt to be connected to him in this way, ripples of pleasure shared between them with each small movement he made.

“Jones,” Killian pleaded, trying to roll his hips and digging his heels into Hook, his face flushed pink and mouth fallen open as he clenched himself purposefully around the impressive length filling him. “Move, please...”

Needing no further urging, Hook drew himself back, Killian's body grasping and pulling pleasantly along his skin as he retreated, his movements shadowed by the soft moans falling from his lover's mouth as he rocked over him. Pleasure surged through his gut as he thrust back in, his balls slapping heavily against Killian's firm backside.

“Gods, you're so...bloody perfect,” Hook hissed, pleasure burning along every inch of his skin as he set a decadent pace, pulling himself farther out as Killian began to relax around him, the head of his cock rolling over his prostate before delving back in to fill the deepest parts of him. A sharp cry flew from Killian's mouth as he changed his angle, hitting that spot that was unlike any other more intensely, and Hook's arm slanted quickly over his twin's mouth, silencing him. “Not that I don't like the enthusiasm, mate, but you'll have the children bursting in thinking the town's been set upon by some new villain.”

Killian's teeth bit none to gently at Hook's skin, his eyes narrowing as he mumbled something about knocking around the muscular forearm still pressed firmly against him. Hook's pace slowed as he dragged his length achingly from his partner, flexing his shaft so the tip of his cock bobbed against the edge of Killian's tight entrance, making his eyes roll closed, a soft hum falling from him on a sigh.

“Can you be quieter?” Hook smirked, flexing once more as Killian nodded against the bed sheets, his hips pushing to meet him. “That's a good boy...”

Killian let out a heavy breath as Hook pulled his arm away and plunged himself back into the heat he'd been missing, their bodies falling into a familiar rhythm as his legs dragged over Hook's skin.

“Don't stop,” Killian gasped, his hand fisted in the sheets as he arched his back in time with his lover's thrusts, his cock bouncing between them, swollen and dripping cum along his stomach as his muscles flexed with each movement.

With a growl Hook lurched forward, his wrist and hand pushing at the back of Killian's knees and forcing them upward, the angle opening his twin and letting his girth slide more quickly into his depths. His pace quickened, he was nearly pulling the entirety of his cock free before slamming back in, his twin's body rocking beneath him as their moans and grunts were lost amid the damp slap of their bodies meeting.

“I won't last much longer,” Hook moaned, feeling the tightness building behind his balls, the sparks of pleasure racing along his skin and bursting somewhere in his chest, “touch yourself for me, love...”

Killian yanked his hand from the sheets and wrapped it around his cock, knuckles white against his swollen, red shaft as he started moving, his hand slipping along skin already slick from the cum flowing easily from his body, Hook's constant stimulation of his prostate ensuring he was already at the edge. He rolled his palm over the head and shuddered, Hook's thrusts faltering as his release drew near.

“Bloody hell,” Killian hissed, his grip tightening as he worked his shaft with short, rough strokes, “I can feel you...so close...gods...”

A low broken moan poured from Hook as he thrust deeply a few more times, his cock swelling and pulsing within Killian's tight channel as he buried himself deeper, his pelvis digging into his lover as he pumped his release into his hot depths, his eyes never leaving Killian's as he writhed against him, his fist flying desperately over his own member before it finally erupted, ropes of cum shooting across his stomach and the bed, painting his chest with arousal as he panted and heaved on the mattress.

The quiet of the rainy night was undisturbed save for the harsh rhythm of their breaths as they came down together, Killian's legs slumping back to the mattress as Hook softened and slid from his body, the evidence of his release slowly following. Pressing a kiss to Killian's sated smile, he slipped from the bed and padded into the bathroom, letting the water run for a minute before returning with a warm cloth and carefully cleaning his lover, Killian jerking at the new sensation against his skin that was still sensitive from their activities.

“Come back to bed, Jones,” he grumbled, listening to the water run once more in the bathroom, the noise of it splattering in the sink as Hook washed his face suddenly quite loud in the otherwise silent night. “You'll be the one to wake Alice and Henry this time.”

“Unlikely,” Hook chuckled as he turned the tap and crawled back into bed. “The faucet on a rainy evening is far less alarming than screams.”

“I wasn't bloody screaming,” Killian growled, nosing the smirk on the other man's lips before pressing his own smile in its place, tugging him in close for a slow, relaxed kiss that faded into soft caresses as they found a comfortable position that avoided most of the spots on the bed where their sweat had dampened the sheets – and if that happened to be on Emma's side, well, she'd hardly find out until the morning.

Hook watched as Killian settled back into sleep on the pillow beside him, his eyes heavy and features relaxed in a way that only deep slumber could bring. He let his thumb brush along the edge of Killian's, both of their hands devoid of the heavy rings they normally favored during the day, but graced with the same identical silver wedding band.

There was a time that he too had wondered just how he'd gotten to this place – his happy ending – but when his gaze fell back on the man sleeping beside him, and he thought of the woman who'd be returning home to them shortly, it was no mystery at all.

END

Tagging: @justanother-unluckysoul @kmomof4 @the-darkdragonfly @teamhook @zaharadessert @xarandomdreamx @jrob64 @wefoundloveunderthelight @tiganasummertree @pirateprincessofpizza @lfh1226-linda @alexa-fangirl-forever @alifeofdreams @superchocovian @donteattheappleshook @hollyethecurious @caught-in-the-filter @snowbellewells @itsfabianadocarmo @stahlop

#Captain Swan #CS fic #cs fanfic #entwined #sailtoafarawayland #Killian and hook #m/m #wish hook

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thegreatbigfourmain · 3 years

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Married to a Demon

Part 1 and 2

It was late into the night when they were led outside to the carriage waiting to take them to Burgess kingdom. The tired yet anxious blonde sat in silence beside her husband as she said goodbye to her old life in Corona. She looked up to her old room to see Tooth, wiping away tears as she waved. Rapunzel felt a pain in her heart as they rode away, leaving the only person who loved her as much as her parents did.

The ride to her new home was quiet, with the only sounds being the clopping of the horses pulling the carriage along. A mixture of excitement and nerves fueled her attention as she watched the beautifully lit moon cast over them. This was the first time she saw the moon other than outside her bedroom window. To actually see it above a forest and not overhead her old home overwhelmed her heart. This was a new chapter in her life that she had yet to explore, and now she will with a husband.

Rapunzel bit her bottom lip as she glanced over to her husband. He was looking out his own window, seemingly fine. Even from behind, the blonde blushed over the memory of his grinning handsome face. The way his eyes lit up and his melodious chuckle caused her heart to skip a few beats.

The growing question of ‘now what’ plagued her mind. She opened her mouth a few times as her throat was dry from anxiousness to speak to him in such an intimate setting with just the two of them.

“Jack?” she managed to whisper out. It must have been loud enough for him to turn to her with those icy blue eyes she always seemed to fall for. She momentarily froze before clearing her throat to speak.

“How, how is your kingdom?” Rapunzel asked, genuinely curious to see what lies ahead of her. Her husband gave a slight smile, pondering over his answer as he faced forward.

“It’s a bit bigger than yours, both castle and land. During the winter, there’s a lake nearby that freezes. I have a few pleasant experiences there…” He muttered that last sentence quietly to where she heard a hint of pain in his voice. She should change the topic.

“I bet it’s beautiful. In my home, I wasn’t able to go out the palace walls. Will I be able to now?” Rapunzel asked, her emerald eyes watching him cautiously.

It was the one thing she wanted to change more than anything about her life. The chance to leave her room without anyone behind her or be able to leave the castle to the outside. Gothel forbad her to venture off on her own. It was almost as if she wanted to hide her away from the world. She overheard many maids blame it on jealousy. To this day, she didn’t know if that rumor was true, but it would sure explain a lot about her childhood.

The male beside her grinned, “Is that something you wish wife?”

Wife. The new title still felt strange, and even so hearing it. He said it so casually. How could he if he too was a newlywed? Or was he?

“Yes please,” she replied softly. Jack simply gave her an approving head nod before the carriage came to a halt.

“Looks like we’re here. Welcome to your new home princess,” Jack said as a man opened the door to let them out.

Rapunzel stepped foot on the foreign land and gasped. It was much grander than her kingdom, which makes sense as to why Gothel wrote her away in the arranged marriage. It was beautiful. Made with ivory walls, the palace stood high on a hill as the rest of the kingdom stood below.

The garden is what truly stood out for her. They stopped in the middle of the castle instead of in front. It was late into the night and their arrival will probably be announced in the morning once everything got settled. There was a big fountain in the middle of the garden surrounded by grass and bushes in all kinds of shapes. Different varieties of flowers were symmetrically scattered across the garden. It was truly a beautiful sight.

“There you are little brother,” a man exclaimed so loudly it caused Rapunzel to jump a bit in her place.

She looked around to see a tall and thin man coming their way, dresses all in black. His raven-colored hair was slicked back to express his handsome facial features. His skin was a tad bit darker than Jack's, whose snow-white flesh was even more so compared to this man.

Speaking of Jack, he came to stand beside Rapunzel, though she felt a change in his presence. It seemed dark and cold, causing her to glance at him. His usually calm expression changed. He looked upset, his brows coming together to look harshly at the man who called him little brother. His pearly whites frowned and he presented a protective stance slightly in front of Rapunzel.

What was going on?

“I was beginning to think your bride left you,” he chuckled before glancing at Rapunzel.

The way he looked at her made her feel uneasy. It was as if it was a predator watching his prey, his eyes a golden irises color seemed to flash with bad intentions towards her.

Rapunzel felt the large hand of her husband grab hers. She watched as the two men stared each other down.

“No brother. We just left a little later than scheduled,” Jack replied in a low voice. It seemed almost threateningly. Rapunzel squeezed her husband’s hand, which seemed to ease the tension in the air by Jack releasing the tension in his hand by the way he held hers.

“Well, you and your wife must join me and my wife for dinner soon. I’m sure it’ll be fun for all of us,” He grinned devilishly.

“We’ll see brother. Now if you will excuse us,” Jack responded before pulling Rapunzel behind him towards the castle.

As they walked through the corridors, Jack must have relived the interaction as his anger returned by the way he squeezed her hand. Rapunzel didn’t say anything until it became too painful to hold on. She winced in pain a bit before letting out a small noise of discomfort, causing Jack to turn around.

“What’s wrong?” he asked harshly, almost annoyed that he was interrupted from his thoughts.

Rapunzel was shocked by the way his mood changed so rapidly. The man she was introduced to before was playful and charming. This man intimidated her to the point of fearing him. She was almost terrified to answer him in fear of making him angrier, but the pain from him holding her hand nearly broke her hand.

“… My hand… it hurts…” Rapunzel managed to say, looking down at the ground, fearful of his reaction. It was silent for a long moment, during which she felt him let her hand go. She heard him sigh, causing her to look up and examine his expression. He looked almost guilty by how he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at everything besides her.

“Our room is just right here… it’s late,” he said softly before leaving her to herself as he entered their room. Rapunzel trailed behind him before closing the door.

“This is the bathroom, your own personal room. This is mine. If mine is locked, leave me be,” her husband explained while pointing to which room was which. He spoke so fast Rapunzel watched him intensely to remember everything he said. Something told her that his brother wasn’t the nice man he pretends to show.

“Jack, are you alright?” she timidly asked, playing with her hands as she stood by the door. Jack stopped his pacing and sighed before sitting on the edge of the bed, his back turned to her.

“I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day, don’t you agree?” he replied while taking off his shoes and royal clothes. He threw it on the ground haphazardly, down to his bare chest. Rapunzel watched with wide eyes at how carelessly he acted.

It was different than the man with who she first interacted. He was poised and confident, regal in his presence. Now he was in a shaky nervous frustration that mirrored that of a child against a prideful older brother.

If it wasn’t for such an encounter, she would probably be madly blushing at his lack of clothing to sleep off the day. His skin nearly glowed fluorescent in the darkly lit room, with only the moon gleaming through the windows. His white locks seemed to stand out all the much more. However, what truly made her want to touch his flesh were some faint lines trailing on his back. They seemed fern-like in design. Could they be scars? A birthmark perhaps?

“Are you getting in bed or will I be sleeping by myself tonight?” Jack asked harshly, only to lay on his side to get ready for slumber.

The blonde jumped a bit at the sudden loudness of his voice and moved to get ready for bed. She hesitated on removing her wedding dress for a nightgown, but considering his back was turned to her and that they were now married, she figured she had to get used to it. Rapunzel quickly changed into a silky white gown that was laid out for her on her side of the bed.

Slowly, she slipped into bed and faced the other side towards the door to sleep. Her heart was beating out of her chest at the realization of their first night together as wife and husband. Will he try to do something to her? Will she have to see a naked man for the first time in her life?

By the way he was acting, those thoughts shot down in her head.

“Good night Jack,” Rapunzel muttered out into the darkness.

Even though he wouldn’t respond, she still felt a little better saying it. It was like she made the first move, establishing how this is all that will happen tonight; sleep.

Having her nervousness die down enough for her to finally have a restful sleep, Rapunzel heard her husband’s baritone voice.

“Goodnight Rapunzel…”

#married to a demon #drabble #jackunzel #arranged marriage fic #this wasn’t my best #but I’m content with it and want to move the story along already

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the-blue-fairie · 4 years

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New Beginnings

@cassunzelweek

AO3

Note: I have decided that all of my pieces for Cassunzel Week will be part of an interlinked series of vignettes, all dealing with Cassandra’s return to Corona and Rapunzel, as queen, trying to make things work in a relationship with both Cass and Eugene – a relationship that could have serious fallout for the realm. As such, you should probably read both pieces I wrote for the previous days, especially the one I wrote yesterday. Yesterday’s vignette, called Secrets and Promises, dealt with a young guard accusing Rapunzel of adultery and dishonoring the throne, ultimately leading to a trial by combat where Cass volunteers to be the queen’s champion. Cass prevails and the final scene is of her and Rapunzel in the gardens after the horrifying ordeal of the day. In today’s piece, I attempt to shed more light on how the relationship began as well as provide details of the consequences of that combat.

Also, I love hearing your feedback and your thoughts. Please review and tell me what you think. You comments inspire me.

***

“I love you, Raps.”

She had spoken those words before her departure and letting them fall from her lips was like letting a sword fall to the ground.

Like letting a sword fall after battle, letting it clatter to the ground – its heaviness no longer in her hands.

Yet even with a sword relinquished, even with the battle done, a heaviness remains – the heaviness of consequence.

Letting the sword fall, letting the breastplate fall away to expose the heart, does not heal the wounds, does not give relief.

She thought the words would be like a cordial to her wounds – and they were – they were, after a fashion.

And Rapunzel’s words… Rapunzel’s embrace… they were a more healing cordial.

And yet, wounds still can heal imperfectly.

Wounds can still be left to fester.

Cassandra had thought, for once in her life, she had not been letting the wounds fester.

Thought she had been getting them out in the open, baring her heart.

And perhaps she had.

There had been a softness in Rapunzel’s response, as of understanding...

As though Rapunzel knew what she meant, what she truly meant – and Rapunzel’s embrace, in the moment, had been such a balm to her…

In the moment.

A chance to be open, a chance to be true – Cass thought she had taken that chance, and that, with that openness, the days ahead could be her new beginning.

The wounds of her past ready for mending.

Yet, when Cassandra returned to Corona –

When she felt Rapunzel’s touch again –

All those unmended wounds she hoped were healed reopened.

As though all the openness, all the truth that those simple words, “I love you, Raps,” had carried amounted to nothing – because it was still equivocation in its way, still tucked in the discreetness of a friend, of a traveling companion, of an honorable knight…

Even if it had been like the shaking of a body after battle to say it, the shaking after sword and armor fall away and you have nothing but your flesh which can be hewn – and you know how well it can be hewn because you have been on the field – and it feels like you are being hewn all over again, and so you spasm at the memory that is like a phantom –

Even if it had been like that, it had not been enough.

Except… maybe it was?

Maybe it was enough and Rapunzel knew, Rapunzel understood. Maybe Cass knew she understood. Maybe Cass understood herself, understood it was enough. She didn’t have to do any more. Doing more, saying more would only reopen wounds for Rapunzel. Doing more, saying more would only hurt herself and the ones she loved. Doing more, saying more was selfish… but…

But wasn’t letting the wounds fester the egotism that led her to take the Moonstone?

Wasn’t saying nothing just letting the wounds rot more darkly?

And so she spoke, horrified all the while, horrified that with every sentence, she was hurting Rapunzel – horrified that she was doing this for herself –

(would that be bad? to be doing this for herself, to be honest with herself and with Rapunzel? but she wasn’t… not… honest with herself – but then was she doing this for Rapunzel? she was, and yet she was so scared, scared of losing Rapunzel as a friend, scared of revulsion – but even revulsion was a certainty, a stability –)

– she let herself spill forth, said I love you, I’ve loved you for so long, the way you love Eugene, the way Eugene loves you and she was crying and her tears spilled with the words, spilled like the blood and pus of wounds and Rapunzel’s face was a mask –

– until Rapunzel was kissing her and still Cassandra had no certainty – could not be sure it was not a kiss of pity, of pity and affection, an angel’s kiss, white-marble and aloof – and when the kiss deepened, when Cassandra realized she was savoring the sweetness of Rapunzel’s lips and Rapunzel was savoring hers – not white-marble but rose-flesh in all its loving warmth – when Cassandra realized what was happening, she tore away –

Stillness.

Stillness in the candelabra’s light. In its pulse.

Pulsing heat, tinging their tear-stained faces (Cassandra’s tears had smeared Rapunzel’s face in the kiss, mingled with the beads of sweat upon her brow) with hues of orange.

Warm as rose-flesh.

Weak as the walls that keep love out.

The walls should have been stronger.

But no – they should not have been. Cass knew walls too well, knew how they confined.

The walls around Rapunzel’s heart…

Walls higher and harder than the walls of her tower.

Rapunzel, who exposed herself to the world, who scaled mountains in her bare feet, who seemed as open and exposed and true as the free air of a meadow, as the beams of the sun through the blue of the sky…

One’s feet must be tough to scale bitter slopes barefoot.

One’s will must be tougher.

Harder walls than Cassandra’s breaking down.

The understanding that Cassandra had sensed, the understanding that had been understanding.

Understanding of Cassandra, understanding of herself.

Exposed.

Buried.

Buried like the nagging fear that something had been off in the tower, buried like the dream deferred at every silken scoff of Gothel’s…

Exposed like the bolt of light to the heart, the sun-splash that turned waves to fire that rose and crashed in purifying blaze – epiphany’s blaze – as the sun-pattern of all her artistry glistened before her and reawakened memories – let in the softness and tenderness of love shut out…

And then Eugene at the doorway, blinking in understanding, making some glib comment that diffused the tension – gave them all relief –

For the life of them now, neither Rapunzel nor Cassandra could remember what he had said…

New beginnings.

New beginnings, new beginnings, new beginnings.

New beginnings until the next new beginning and the next.

Departing Corona, returning to Corona. Letting Cass go, praying for Cass’s return, praying secretly, knowing the prayer and yet not knowing it while Eugene knew, while Eugene understood and she understood but neither saying it just as Cassandra never said it – except when she did, except when they all did, moving heaven and earth, defying a demon-sorceress out of love for each other – Eugene reaching out to pull Cass into the hug –

The trial by combat was over.

The boy drummed out of the guards and sent into exile.

Queen Rapunzel, beloved by her people.

Queen Rapunzel, kneeling at the boy’s feet before the duel – speaking to him softly, sensitively, as she spoke with all – tears welling in her eyes, voice cracking, the tenderness becoming a plea, the softest plea – she could make him understand, she was not his queen but a young woman, a young woman who had endured so much, so much pain – tower-walls high about her even when the tower had collapsed and crumbled into dust…

He spat on her – and she sobbed.

His spit mingled with her tears.

Ascending after that, judge and judged, Guinevere and Arthur both.

Forced to be white-marble and aloof, the statue of a queen, the artifice-monument to justice –

Forced to be white-marble when she was rose-flesh. Terrified the terror behind her eyes had already betrayed her, half-hoping that it had because then Cass would be spared and the boy would be spared –

Except that Cass would not be spared.

Rapunzel was queen and Eugene her husband.

None would turn on her.

(Was she so sure of that? Was not this boy living proof to the contrary?)

But Rapunzel had antiquity as armor – and Eugene, the marriage-bonds.

Cass had – her own nobility of heart, the name she had made in her travels, through her heroism. Nobility’s absolution, however, what did that matter when set against the image of her – face of ash, hair like blue fire – witch-at-heart, seducer, deceiver?

Cass would let the mob tear her to pieces for Rapunzel’s sake…

Let them cut her throat to see if ash poured out instead of blood, a demon’s homunculus and not a woman – and Rapunzel would be forced to watch as deep red blood spilled from Cassandra’s pallid neck, pallid as the corpse-homunculus the mob had already named her, pallid as the rose-life ebbed away…

But that was a nightmare that had passed…

The boy was gone, giving way to a new beginning…

New beginnings and beginnings and beginnings.

One after another with Sisyphean incessancy…

#cassunzel #cassunzel week #cassunzelweek #unknighted dream #cassunzel week 2020

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spartanguard · 4 years

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(love will see us through these) Dark Days [CSRT; 2/7]

Summary: A century ago, the United Realms of Pomem had been a land of peace, prosperity, and magic. Until war tore the land apart, leaving behind cruel leaders and even crueler laws regarding the use of magic. And each year, the youth of each realm are subjected to a fight to the death, both for entertainment and to weed out anyone capable of wielding magic. In the 99th Magic Games, past victors Emma Nolan and Killian Jones find themselves serving as mentors, while Alice Gothel and Robyn West end up representing their realm. Everyone has secrets; everyone has something to lose. Who will win? Who will die? Just don’t forget: all magic comes with a price.

rated M | 7k words | part 1 | AO3

A/N: And here’s chapter 2 of my story for the CS Rewrite-A-Thon! (@captainswanbigbang) Thanks to everyone who read and commented on the first part! And eternal thanks to the best beta ever @optomisticgirl. Please don’t get too mad at me for the flashback at the beginning of this. Title comes from "Come Away to the Water" by Maroon 5 f/Rozzi Crane.

part 2: Come away little lamb, come away to the slaughter / To the one appointed to see this through

Twenty-three years ago

The falling rain should have been sign enough of what was to come. Nothing good happened on dreary, drizzly days—not since Mama had passed, at least. But all Killian was really concerned with was the way it was working its way through his threadbare jacket as he stood and shivered in the town square with his classmates.

He was nervous, too—who wouldn’t be at their first Reaping?

Liam had tried to calm him that morning, as he attempted to smooth down the cowlick on the crown of Killian’s head. “You’re only 12, so your name is only in there once. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“What about you, though?” At 18, Liam’s name was in there seven times.

“My odds are still good; don’t worry, little brother.”

“Younger,” Killian muttered under his breath.

His brother’s words, right as they were, did little to calm him. The Games had a way of making the worst things happen.

Killian’s heart rate picked up when the escort from Olympus reached into the bowl containing everyone’s names. The name he read out wasn’t familiar, thank goodness, and a guy from farther back in the crowd shuffled his way forward. His head was hung low; even if Atlantica was the reigning champion of the Games, and was generally considered to be a realm who did well in them, it didn’t mean that being Reaped was still anything less than a death sentence.

The kid was guided to the back of the stage, standing by last year’s champion, Milah Cassidy, and the escort turned his attention back to the bowl. Killian began to breathe deeply when he took out the next slip.

And then Killian’s heart stopped altogether.

“Killian Jones.”

No. No—it couldn’t be. Liam told him—his chances were so low—how? Just, how?

But it seemed as though his fate had been chosen for him, like always; no sense fighting it now. The crowd of kids his age began to part around him, and he straightened his spine and began to cross the short distance to the stage. But then something even worse happened.

“I volunteer!”

Killian turned and stared at the shouting voice, to see Liam struggling against Black Knights who were holding him back.

“I volunteer as tribute.”

He was once more stunned, speechless, and frozen in spot, as the guards let Liam go and he began to come to the front. Calm and noble—that’s how Liam always was.

But not Killian. His own fate he could have dealt with—but not Liam’s. As soon as his brain caught up with everything, he ran at his brother, who barely was able to brace himself for the impact of a gangly preteen slamming into him.

“Liam, no—you can’t; you can’t!” Killian cried in his ear; Liam would probably be just fine without him, but Killian—he couldn’t—he wouldn’t—

“It’s alright, brother,” Liam whispered, then somehow pried Killian’s arms off of him. Killian was too shocked to try to follow. He was vaguely aware of the Black Knights coming to stand on either side, but his gaze was transfixed on Liam as he took the stage.

“I’m Liam Jones,” he said, when asked for his name.

“Oh, then I bet that was your brother, wasn’t it?” the smarmy escort had said.

“Aye,” he nodded solemnly. The rest of the scene was blurred by Killian’s own tears.

He was vaguely aware, however, of being escorted by the soldiers into the city hall, where tributes were able to make their goodbyes. Killian was left in front of a door, and even though time was probably limited, it took a full minute for him to work up the nerve to open it.

In the small room, Liam was pacing, head down in thought—like he often was when trying to figure out how to make their last bit of food stretch enough for the two of them until they could afford more, or how to repair their roof, or one of the many problems that had been shoved onto his shoulders since Mama died and their father left.

He looked up when the door opened, though, and ran to Killian, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Liam, how could you?” Killian sobbed. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you!”

“Shh, you’ll be fine.”

“But what will I do without you?”

“You’ll survive; you always have and you always will.”

For what seemed like eternity, Killian sobbed into his brother’s shoulder. It was great that Liam was so confident, but he certainly wasn’t. “Why did you do it?” he finally asked through hiccups.

Liam took a deep breath. “Remember what I’ve always told you: that a man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. This is what I want.”

“You want to die?” he snapped back.

“No, little brother—I want you to live.”

There was nothing more Killian could say to that, so they just held each other tight until their time was up.

“You’ll try to win, though, right?” Killian asked.

“Of course I will.”

Sniffling, Killian pulled off the chain that hung around his neck. “Here—take Mama’s ring, for protection.”

Liam took the antique—one of the few things they had left from their mother—and slipped it around his own neck. “I feel safer already,” he said, though Killian was old enough to know it was an empty platitude.

“I love you, Liam.”

“I love you too, little brother.”

Black Knights arrived to escort Liam to Olympus, and it took every ounce of reserve in Killian’s lanky body to not cling to him; but he followed as long as he could, and watched as Liam walked down the long hallway to the train depot, then out of sight.

He managed to hold it together until then, but the door leading outside had barely closed before Killian collapsed on a bench, sobbing again. What the bloody hell was he supposed to do? He had no family, no money...honestly, Liam should have just let him go and freed himself from the burden of a little brother.

“Is this seat taken?” An older voice startled Killian; he looked up, blinking through his tears, to see a vaguely familiar man standing over him.

“N-no; go ahead,” he stammered, then wiped his nose with his wet jacket.

The man sat down next to him and didn’t say anything for a bit; not until Killian had calmed down (which he’d really only done because he had company). But eventually, he spoke up. “It’s Killian, right?”

“Aye, sir.”

The man held out his hand. “I’m Nemo.”

Politely, Killian took it, and the name jogged his memory: Nemo was a past Victor, who he thought usually served as a mentor. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to Olympus?” he asked.

Nemo gave him a half smile, and there was sadness in his eyes. “Not this year. And it seems that you aren’t, either.”

“No,” Killian agreed in a small voice.

“Forgive me if this is forward,” Nemo continued, “but I couldn’t help but notice your parents weren’t around today. They’re gone, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, seeing as neither of us have anywhere to be or anyone to be with, could I invite you to stay at my home for the duration of the games?”

Killian blinked; a Victor—who didn’t even know him—had just invited him to stay with him? “Why?” was all he could say.

Nemo chuckled. “I live alone in that big house, and I could use some company. Just until your brother gets back, of course.”

They both knew that promise was slightly hollow, and while pride and propriety should have insisted that Killian turn down the offer, he also hated the idea of spending the next few weeks (and however much after) on his own. “I...okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah.”

Nemo grinned, and stood; Killian wiped his face again and followed. “So, what’s your favorite food, m’boy?”

Looking back, there was no way Killian would have survived those weeks without Nemo. He made sure he had food; made sure he got his schoolwork done; and was there by his side each night when they had to watch the recap of the day’s events in Neverland. Nemo was the one who eased his fears on the first day, and all through the first week of the Games, as Liam managed to get into the top five; and Nemo was the one who held Killian as he watched Liam’s slow, painful, lonely death after a brush with the dreamshade plant.

Nemo was also there on the rainy day that the Black Knights turned over custody of Liam’s body to Killian when it came off the train.

“You can stay with me as long as you need, Killian,” Nemo had said solemnly after they buried Liam. Killian didn’t answer—didn’t even acknowledge the statement—he just...went with him. It was the closest thing he had to home anymore.

And he didn’t leave until the next time his name was drawn, six years later.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Present

Every ounce of self restraint that Killian possessed was in use as he stood on the other side of the door—and had been in use for the past few days, ever since the Reaping. His tributes were probably terrified of him, or at the very least worried for their lives (more than they already were), with his cool aloofness on the train journey to Olympus, even if Ariel, his co-mentor, assured them otherwise.

He’d just been trying to rein his raging emotions long enough to get here.

But now no one was answering his polite knock, or the buzz of the door chime on the electronic keypad outside, though he knew they were in there—tributes weren’t given free run of the castle that served as home base for the Games, and it wasn’t quite time for them to get ready for the parade. So why wasn’t he getting a reply from the Sherwood quarters?

Losing his patience, he banged on the door instead. That should get their attention.

Finally, he heard steps approach the door, and saw the green light on the peephole that let him know he was being watched. The heavy bolt unlatched, but it somehow sounded reluctant and unhappy—much like the reception he knew he’d get from the person on the other side.

“What are you doing here?” Eloise asked, annoyed, giving him a stern look with a hand on her hip.

“Where is she?”

“Getting ready.” Her tone was aggravatingly nonchalant, and had been as long as he’d known her.

“No, she’s not; don’t bloody lie to me. Where’s—“

“Papa?”

In the room beyond, Alice was standing and staring at him, still in the dress she’d been wearing at the Reaping. He knew Olympus’s stylists would doll her up and make her fit their standard of beauty, but he took a long moment—hopefully not the last—to memorize how she looked now: curly blonde hair framing her face, wide-eyed innocence in her blue eyes, and wrinkles in her skirt from where she’d been fidgeting with it.

“Alice,” he said on a breath, then dodged around Eloise to bring her into his arms. She wrapped herself tight around him as he hugged her close, cradling the back of her head like he had when she was a babe.

God, would he ever get to do this again?

He blinked back the tears pricking the corner of his eyes and continued to hold on until she said, in a small voice, “Papa, I’m so sorry.”

Sighing, he stepped back, but still held onto her shoulder. “Starfish, what the bloody hell were you thinking? You know what all this is like.”

“I know, but...I couldn’t let him go, Papa,” she said, sniffling a bit. “It’s like what Uncle Liam did. Nicholas...he’s too young; his mother needs him. And I...well, I…”

“If you think for one second that no one needs you, there are two people here who can tell you that you’re sorely wrong,” he refuted, brushing a falling tear from her cheek with his thumb, while mentally cursing the fact that she’d somehow inherited his brother’s bloody noble streak. “Alice, if I lost you, I…” gods, he couldn’t even voice it. He just pulled her back into his embrace, vaguely aware of the tears soaking his shirt (and not caring one bit).

He felt an electric charge on his back, where she was gripping his shirt. “Breathe, darling; breathe.” The last thing they needed was her magic setting itself loose and making her an easy target. He’d seen her do some amazing things with it, but now wasn’t the time.

“Uh, am I missing something here?” another young voice asked; over Alice’s head, he could see that the other tribute had joined them; she looked to be about Alice’s age, and also incredibly confused.

“This is Killian Jones,” Eloise introduced. “He’s the mentor from Atlantica.”

“Yeah, I know that,” the girl replied. “My mom always swoons over him. But why is he here? And...doing that?”

“Because—” Eloise started, but Alice interrupted.

“Because he’s my father,” she explained, stepping away. “And you can’t tell anyone, alright?”

The other girl gaped for a long moment, but then closed her mouth and nodded. “Wow; these Victor families are full of drama, huh?”

“Something like that,” Eloise muttered. That was all they needed to say for now. “Now, is that the only reason you came here, or is something else on your mind?”

It was a good thing they’d never actually been in a relationship, because it would have ended in spectacular fashion. “Actually, yes. I’ve spent the last two days trying to figure out just how I was going to be able to focus on protecting the tributes in my charge, when the one I’m the most worried about is here.”

“What, you don’t trust me?” she threw back.

In all honesty, he didn’t; there was a reason Alice spent so much time with him. Letting that on would only make things worse, though. “Let’s be frank, Eloise: you don’t exactly have the best resources here. But if anyone were to catch onto me helping you, we’d be found out.”

“Oh, like that even matters anymore. Look at where we are, Jones; it’s past time to be worrying about sordid secrets.”

She had a point there. They’d only kept Alice’s paternity a secret to keep her out of the Games; so much for that.

“But,” she continued, “if you want to form an alliance, I don’t think we’d be opposed.”

He couldn’t handle how calm she was about this. “I can suggest it to my tributes and hope they take it, but you know I can’t force it. I’ll do my best, though.”

“See that you do.”

He couldn’t hold back the roll of his eyes this time, but instead of picking another fight, he turned back to Alice. “I’ll try to find you again before you leave here; I promise,” he told her, then kissed her forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Papa,” she said, and threw herself back at him. He let her hold on as long as she wanted—until Eloise said it was time to go.

He just gave Alice another kiss on the cheek, then left the apartment; he didn’t want to see the cool indifference on Eloise’s face anymore.

Letting the door slam behind him, he crossed the hallway to the elevator, punched the button for the ground floor, and as the door closed, leaned against the back wall and stared at his angry reflection in it.

If anything happened to Alice—anything—her blood would be on Eloise’s hands. And there would be next to nothing he could do about it.

He hated—hated—that so little of his life was under his control. It hadn’t taken him by surprise—he grew up with Nemo, after all—but he still loathed the hold Olympus had on him.

At least he could get a drink; the bar in the reception area would be open downstairs. Perhaps he could get one (or a few) in him before he had to make nice with anyone else. He wasn’t even in the mood for another Victor right now, even though that’s where he’d most likely find sympathy.

So, of course, that’s when the elevator slowed a few floors too soon. He groaned.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Emma was expecting an empty elevator when she rang for it, assuming she was the only one crazy enough to be heading down for parade stuff already. She could tell her tributes weren’t enthused with her inexperience and hoped that she could reassure them by arriving early. (Or, at the very least, shake off her own nerves.)

She was not anticipating running into a brooding Killian Jones.

It took her aback at first—everyone knew who he was, Victor and citizen alike: the only person to survive being reaped twice. But seeing him up close in person was a bit of a shock. And honestly, he was even more attractive than he looked on screen, with his dark, tousled hair, neatly trimmed scruff, and bright blue eyes.

Eyes that were now shooting daggers at her. “Are you hopping on or not?” he barked.

Emma jumped, then scurried on; thankfully, he was headed down, too. The responsible part of her yelled that this would be a great networking opportunity, but the tense clench of his jaw and furrow of his brow told her not to say anything. The games hadn't even started; what was he already angry about? (Other than, you know, the entire concept. But they weren’t here to change the world.)

“Can I help you?” he growled, giving her a side-eyed glare; she jolted again at the realization she’d been gawking.

“Sorry; it’s just...you're Killian Jones.”

He smirked back at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes—it looked almost rehearsed. “It’s always nice to make an impression.”

“I’m Emma; Emma—”

“—Nolan. I know.”

She just nodded; given how little time she’d spent in Olympus, she had no idea how well-known she was or was not.

“I also know that your mother taught you better than to stare at people.”

Wow, he was definitely in a mood, and it was making her bristle. “Yeah; she also taught me not to be a jerk to people you’ve just met. Didn’t yours?”

She regretted the words as soon as she said them; it was common knowledge that his parents were long gone. Emma didn’t exactly go seeking knowledge about fellow Victors, but when watching the games was mandatory, you picked up stuff along the way, even if he’d won several years before her.

Briefly, fire gleamed in his eyes, sending a chill up her spine; the light glinting off the hook at the end of his left arm didn’t help. But then it dulled to something closer to resignation.

“How did your parents do it?” he asked quietly.

“How did they do what?”

“How did they watch their only child march into the arena, knowing full well what it’s like in there, and that there was an incredibly high chance they’d never see you again?”

She swallowed; he definitely knew who she was, then. Where the hell had that question come from, though?

“I have no idea,” she answered quietly. Because she really didn’t—she hadn’t asked and she didn’t want to know. And the thought of ever having to do that was both impossible to imagine and her worst nightmare.

He huffed and stared at the floor, shoulders slumped. It looked like he wanted to say something, but then a ding sounded as the elevator stopped.

Killian pushed off the wall, leading with his hips, then took a few swaggering steps out of the lift. She started to follow, but then he turned back, still looking at the ground.

“As you’re new, I should probably give you some advice,” he said. “It’s this: Don’t fuck up.”

And without another word, he headed off toward the bar.

What the hell had that been?

Her magic started to lick at her edges in response to her elevated heart rate; she did her best to squeeze it back before leaving the elevator.

But she was still mentally scratching her head when she reached the staging hallway for the parade; a line of chariots, each pulled by two sleek, white horses, was waiting for the tributes, though it would still be a while until the kids were done with the stylists and prep teams. Emma was never much for fashion, but was always curious to see what Olympus came up with—and was praying it wasn’t anything as bad as what she’d had to wear. Bark was not meant to be worn as a garment.

Graham was already by their chariot, brushing one of the horses; they were the only ones there so far. “Hey,” she said casually as she walked up behind him, then looked for another brush so she could take care of the other steed. Nervousness was seeping back in and she needed something to do with her hands, lest an involuntary shower of sparks fall from them.

He turned abruptly and pulled her close with his free arm. “Hello, darling,” he said softly, then pressed a kiss to her lips. She stiffened at first and almost recoiled until she remembered: everyone thought they were madly in love. And even if they didn’t have an audience, they knew better than to assume that no one was watching; the only place in the castle without cameras was each realm’s quarters.

If she was being honest, that was a big part of why she’d avoided Olympus, almost as much as Henry was. Emma was not a talented actor; thank goodness Graham was.

He at least gave her an apologetic look when he pulled back, then waved in the direction of the extra grooming tools. “Are the kids in good hands?” he asked as he went back to work.

“Good enough,” Emma shrugged, giving the other horse a gentle sweep of the brush. “I guess we’ll see in a bit. When do the other mentors show up?”

“Soonish,” he replied. After Emma’s games—which were only a couple years after his own victory—Graham had traded off mentoring with David every so often, so he wasn’t completely new; at least one of them had some idea of what they were supposed to do.

“And then we try to make friends?”

“I suppose.” He peered at her over the neck of the horse; she averted his gaze by focusing on the one in front of her. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she lied, but she didn’t need to look up to know he was giving her a look of disbelief. “It’s just...is everyone like Killian Jones?”

“In what way?”

“I just met him on the elevator and he was...well, he was kind of a dick. I know not everyone is going to be how they seem from afar, but I thought he was supposed to be some charming ladykiller.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No; he was surly and told me not to, and I quote, ‘fuck up’.”

“He’s not wrong.”

Graham deftly dodged the brush she threw at him, laughing.

“Calm down; it’ll be fine,” he assured her, ducking around the horses to stand by her. “I haven’t spent much time with Jones, but he plays fair—I know that. So don’t let him get in your head. Let’s focus on getting through tonight first; alright?” He grabbed her hands and squeezed comfortingly; there was a bit of static at his touch, and she realized he was helping tamp down her magic—again. Fuck, this was gonna be hard.

“Alright,” she sighed, but Killian had really just been voicing her own fears. It wasn’t that easy to shake them.

“So, were his eyes as blue as everyone says?”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Prettier than mine?”

“Eh, different kind of blue.”

He placed a hand on his chest and gasped in mock offense. So she tickled his side in response. Even if they weren’t romantically involved, he was still her best friend, and she was glad he was here with her.

(But she wasn’t going to tell him the other thing she was thinking about: just how good it looked when Killian walked away. He might be an ass, but damn did he have one.)

They went back to brushing the already-gleaming coats of the horses, and Graham introduced her to some of the other mentors as they trickled in, even if she already had the general idea of who they were: Belle and Archie from Arendelle; Jasmine and Cyrus from Agrabah; Mulan from Erebor; Eloise from Sherwood; and Ariel from Atlantica, who was the polar opposite of her partner. Emma took an immediate liking to her—and the way Graham blushed when she placed a friendly peck on his cheek before running her bubbly self off.

“I see that,” Emma teased, which just made him blush harder.

“Piss off; she’s married.” Still—it was cute, but also a sharp reminder of what he’d given up when he entered the lie their lives had become.

Thankfully, their tributes arrived then, to distract her from any further sulking. Tamara and August at least weren’t wearing actual wood this year, but when your realm was also known as the Enchanted Forest—and responsible for most of Pomem’s lumber production—it was hard to get away from either looking like a tree or a lumberjack.

The stylists had gone with the former this year, weaving leaves through the kids’ hair and putting them in beaded brown jumpsuits. Not awe-inspiring, but not terrible. The tributes still seemed uncomfortable, though, and Tamara was clearly trying to avoid moving too much and damaging it. It was definitely the nicest, most expensive thing either kid had ever worn—something Emma tried not to think about too much, because she’d only get more upset at everything.

They got the kids settled in their chariot and then headed to their seats in the stadium that held the opening ceremonies. An entire building that they only used three days a year; ridiculous.

Misthaven’s escort, Tink, was already at their assigned seats and waved them over. For someone from Olympus, she was...tolerable. Possibly immortal, too—she’d been the escort when Graham won his Games, but somehow looked younger than Emma. Just another example of Olympus’s fixation on youth and beauty, probably, aided by their scientific advancements that bordered on magical (which was another irony Emma hated thinking about).

“Don’t the tributes just look fabulous?” she gushed as they sat down. “Probably the best yet from Misthaven!”

“Yeah, I think so,” Emma halfheartedly agreed (which wasn’t saying much—and she was pointedly ignoring whatever that said about her own looks).

“Oh, the parade is always my favorite,” Tink sighed happily.

From Emma’s memory, it was only the least stressful part. But again: bark itches.

Graham continued to introduce her to people—even the new head gamemaker, Jefferson Hatter, who was in his first year of designing the Games—until the house lights went down, leaving just the ones on the track at the center of the stadium.

Overhead, the voice of Sidney Glass, perennial event host, announced the start of the parade, and then the first chariot appeared with the tributes from Agrabah.

Ideally, the costumes the tributes wore had something to do with each realm’s chief industry; as the primary supplier of energy for Pomem, the kids from Agrabah wore costumes that lit up. Not original, but it worked. Over the course of 99 years, Emma figured some ideas were bound to be recycled.

The rest of the realms followed, in no particular order. Next was Stormhold, known for its agriculture; then Arendelle, the technological hub of Pomem. The Misthaven tributes were fairly well received, but the most enthusiasm definitely came from Tink. DunBroch’s tributes were almost identical to Stormhold’s, given that they were just a different kind of farmer (livestock); and Erebor’s tribute to mining was just confusing. The kids from Atlantica were dressed like mermaids; Emma doubted their fishermen found too many of those nowadays. Oz almost always wore something green and military, this year being no exception; and Phrygia was stereotypically covered in gold, being both the richest realm and the supplier of luxury items (that obviously only went to Olympus).

Sherwood brought up the rear, which honestly sucked for them, being the poorest realm, and likely meant the parade would end on an anticlimactic note; it was all about the spectacle, after all. But this year—wow. For the first time in the parade, Emma was actually invested. The realm was known for its textiles, and finally, someone in Olympus had put that to use. The girls wore absolutely stunning gowns, with capes somehow floating behind them that seemed to mimic cottony clouds. The tributes were holding hands and absolutely beaming at the audience, who was lapping it up. Even the rest of the mentors, Emma noticed, were staring in rapt attention; hell, it looked like Killian was crying (maybe he wasn’t such an ass, then).

“Well, that just complicated things,” Graham muttered as the chariot retreated.

“How so?”

“After a presentation like that, everyone is going to want to sponsor them.”

He was right, she knew. Which just made their job that much harder.

She cut her palms with her nails with how hard she was squeezing her fists to drown the sparks.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Alice’s heart was absolutely racing. To be fair, it had been like that pretty much ever since she stepped forward back in Sherwood, aside from when she was asleep. But now, during the parade? Faster than a rabbit.

Not because of the crowd, though that was indescribable.

Not because of her dress, even if it was gorgeous; Tiger Lily, their stylist, had done an incredible job.

And not because of the image of her mother on one of the stadium’s screens, actually almost smiling. That never happened.

No; it was because she was holding hands with Robyn. And Robyn was also smiling at her.

God, this was terribly inconvenient. But if they didn’t have a ton of time left, then she was going to enjoy it, even if she was still too embarrassed to let on her crush. She just really hoped she could keep enough control to not burn Robyn’s hand with the sparks of her magic.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

The first day in the tribute training center was done, and the Atlantica kids were waiting for dinner back in their quarters with their mentors. It was only the first day, he knew, but Killian didn’t like their chances this year. He’d never let that on to the teenagers, though; they were nervous enough as it was. Even in their lodgings, where they had the chance to relax and indulge in the luxuries that were standard in Olympus, they seemed on edge. Killian couldn’t decide, though, if it was due to the fact that they were being treated to more opulence than they’d ever seen before (although spartan by Olympus standards, the Tribute Castle was a literal palace compared to the seaside villages in Atlantica) or just the overall anxiety of the situation; he remembered feeling overwhelmed by both during his games.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think their tributes had what it took—the boy, William, was a decent fighter and clever, and the girl, Ursula, had a fierce streak that seemed to be a mile long. The whole point of the training center was to learn fighting and survival skills to use in the Arena. Most realms took advantage of it, and he could see that the kids were learning; but the tributes from Phrygia and Oz—who train year-round for the games, even though that was technically illegal—just used it as an opportunity to intimidate the others. Thankfully, Alice and Robyn were looking good, as well; it turned out Robyn was an excellent shot with a bow. (And, even better, Alice was managing to keep her magic under wraps.)

As they waited for the meal, Killian and Ariel began to discuss strategy with the tributes. Ariel was the first tribute he mentored who’d gone on to win. On the surface, she seemed sweet and demure; but when she had a trident in her hands, she was downright scary.

“It’s not a bad idea to form an alliance early on. It can really help you get farther in the games,” Ariel said. “Were there any tributes you noticed today that you’d want to work with? We can talk to their mentors and set something up.”

“Actually, yeah,” William said. “The pair from Misthaven—Ursula and I talked to them a bit, and they seemed pretty cool.” Ursula nodded in agreement.

“That’s actually pretty smart,” Ariel said, looking over at Killian. “Misthaven is forest, we’re water; that covers almost every arena scenario.”

“Aye, that it does. Good thinking, Will,” Killian said with a small smile. “It looked like the pair from Sherwood had a pretty good grasp on things, too.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Ursula answered, though she sounded less than enthused at the idea. Ariel cast him a very knowing look; she was one of the few people aware of the situation, and had spent several hours on the train giving him a good, long hug. He could say she was his best friend, but the truth was, she was really one of his only ones—though she didn’t let that hold her back from saying the same about him.

(They had once very briefly discussed the idea of more; but after he lost his first love, he was pretty sure his heart didn’t work that way anymore, and then she met a handsome, sweet fisherman named Eric and that was that.)

“Just let us know, and we’ll talk to the Misthaven mentors tomorrow, or whoever else,” Ariel told the kids.

They glanced at each other, nodding, and Ursula said, “Yeah, we’d like that.”

“It’s a plan!” she exclaimed, then turned to Killian. “Do you want to talk to them, or should I?”

A general feeling of shame washed over him. “Uh, you should probably do that. I’m not sure I’d be the best one to make a case.”

She crossed her arms and gave him another look that reminded him just how well she knew him. “What did you do?”

“What makes you think I did anything? You wound me, mermaid,” he threw back, using the nickname he knew she hated (but would never live down on account of her strong swimming abilities—skills that helped her survive her games).

She just raised her eyebrows at him, unamused.

He sighed. “Let’s just say I got off on the wrong foot with Ms. Nolan and it’d probably be best if you headed that charge. I can handle anyone else.”

“Alright. I expect the full story later, though,” she warned, and likely only stopped persisting because of the arrival of dinner. Honestly, it was like having a little sister sometimes.

Down at the training center the next day, he saw his tributes approach the pair from Misthaven, and the little group stuck together, showing each other skills they had learned in their respective homes. He surveyed the rest of the room to see what others were doing (though it was a bit hard to distinguish them when everyone was wearing the same games-issued black top and pants). Phrygia and Oz were already in a pack, as could be assumed, and he watched Robyn continuing to work with an archery instructor; his brow furrowed when she nailed the center of the target. If she was forming a strong partnership with Alice, it was good; otherwise...he didn’t want to think about it.

Alice herself was learning how to set snares with rope; he’d taught her how to tie all the sailor’s knots he could, so it was no surprise she was having success there.

“Well, at least that seems to be going good,” Ariel commented as she stepped up to his side. “Sorry they weren’t receptive to your idea.”

“It was a longshot,” he answered, a bit more resigned than he probably should have sounded.

“How do you think she’ll do?” A glance told him she was looking at Alice, too.

“Honestly...I have no idea.” More Victor’s children died in the games than won; Emma Nolan was definitely an anomaly. He’d love to be able to pick her brain, or Graham’s (he was Emma’s mentor, if he recalled correctly), but that might give away too much.

“Well, she’s definitely resourceful,” Ariel continued. “If anyone can win out of sheer ingenuity and stubbornness, it’s her.” Despite his worry, he had to chuckle at that assessment; Ariel was probably right.

Movement at the other end of the room caught his eye; Emma and Graham had arrived. He nodded in that direction, saying, “Looks like you’re up, mermaid.”

She gently punched him in the shoulder. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it.” If anyone could establish an alliance, it was Ariel and her effervescent optimism.

She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless and then headed over to their hopeful teammates.

In the meantime, Killian fixed his eyes back on Alice, and racked his brain: he had to find a way to help her win. He had to.

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Everything was abuzz in the training center in the hour or so leading up to the start of the Games. The interviews were done, tribute scores had been given, and the kids all said their goodbyes before being whisked away to the Arena, somewhere in the expanse of Neverland surrounding Olympus.

The training center had been transformed overnight, almost magically; Emma didn’t even recognize it when she walked in. Gone were the weightlifting equipment and educational stations; while she wouldn’t exactly call it cozy now, it certainly had all the necessary amenities: food, lots of plush seating, and screens everywhere. Along one wall, the largest screen displayed a map of the arena, with glowing dots indicating each tribute’s location; they were all still in a perfect ring in the middle. The myriad other screens across the room were focused on each tribute, in addition to panoramas of the forested arena and its central lake. If it wasn’t about to be the setting of so much death, Emma might have found it beautiful.

Saying goodbye to Tamara and August had been tough; trying to keep them alive would be harder.

“We’ve got this,” Graham murmured, squeezing her hand in encouragement. As if the task ahead of them wasn’t enough, she also had to keep up that charade, too.

“I fucking hope so.”

He tried to give her a stern look for her language, but it didn’t last long before melting into a grin. “Well, shall we join our alliance mates?” he asked, nodding to his right.

Off to the side, Ariel and Killian were standing, chatting with each other. The proposal shocked Emma, but it was hard to say no when two experienced mentors approached like that. It was hard to say no to Ariel, too—especially for Graham.

But Killian...she still wasn’t sure on.

“Yeah, let’s do this,” she answered.

Ariel, unsurprisingly, greeted them with a huge grin and massive hugs. Killian offered his hand to Graham, giving it a firm shake, before turning to Emma.

“I, uh, I owe you an apology for our first meeting, lass,” he said solemnly, eyes cast down. “Unfortunately, the Games have a habit of doing that sometimes.”

“I get it,” she answered. It was more of an apology than she had expected to get. “Think you can teach me how to avoid that happening here?”

“I can try,” he shrugged; that was probably a tall request on her part.

“Works for me. To an alliance?” She offered her hand to him.

He gently took it in his. “To an alliance.” Then, to her shock, he brought it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. She was definitely gaping again, but the intense way he was staring made it hard to look away. No wonder he had such a scoundrel reputation.

The moment was broken by an announcement: “Tributes, to your starting positions; the Games begin in one minute.” Sidney Glass was apparently ready; guess they better be, too.

They all turned their attention to the screens, glancing around to find their tributes. Graham quickly located theirs, which gave Emma a few extra moments to glance around and see what everyone else was doing.

Ariel, too, was focused on the screens with Atlantica’s tributes, but Killian’s attention was elsewhere—at Eloise, oddly enough. The woman was staring back at him, then gave him a nod before looking up. Huh; that was odd—but Emma could worry over what that was about later.

“Forty-five seconds,” Glass called out, and the platforms the tributes were standing on rose up into the Arena.

“Thirty seconds.” The platforms came into place, and everyone, tribute and mentor alike, got their first view of the Arena. Emma saw lots of trees—perfect for a kid from Misthaven.

“Fifteen seconds.” Graham found her hand again; this time, she was the one squeezing—both to anchor her emotions and to quell the sparks of magic that were threatening to escape.

“Ten.” Her eyes began to dart around in nervousness—just like they had when she was the one standing on that platform.

“Nine, eight...” Graham’s eyes were glued to the screen.

“Seven, six…” So were Ariel’s.

“Five, four…” Killian’s were, too…

“Three, two…” ...but why was he looking at the girl from Sherwood? (And why did it make her think of the rest of their conversation in the elevator?)

“One.” Emma’s gaze darted back to her own screens and she clenched her fists.

“Let the games begin, and remember: All Magic Comes With A Price!”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

thanks so much for reading! tagging some peeps @kat2609 @thesschesthair @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @amortentia-on-the-rocks @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @wingedlioness @word-bug @distant-rose @wellhellotragic @welllpthisishappening @let-it-raines @pirateherokillian @its-imperator-furiosa @killianmesmalls @sherlockianwhovian @ineffablecolors @laschatzi @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @killian-whump @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes

#cs ff #captain swan rewrite a thon #csrt 2020 #my ff #the magic games #(love will see us through these) dark days

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sunsreign-moved · 4 years

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STUDY : Rapunzel Repost it, do not reblog.

tagged by : @xkuja (always tagging me in the good stuff) and @7thlight tagging : My brain is fried. ....... ANYONE. If you wanna do this, do it.

— basics.

▸ is your muse tall / short / average ? She’s 5′1 so I’d say pretty short.

▸ are they okay with their height ? Yes, with her long hair she can lasso things down from the highest shelf. Her neck does hurt after awhile when talking to VERY tall people.

▸ what’s their hair like ? Long, blonde, shiny --- It’s very soft and has a nice flowery scent. I actually HC that her hair smells like the sundrop flower and in sundrop flower incarnate verse.... she smells like that in general. In verses where her hair is cut. it’s short and brown, still shiny -- a bit uneven at the back from Eugene’s FANTASTIC hair cutting skills (or her own.. if we’re counting the series)

▸ do they spend a lot of time on their hair / grooming ? Yes, she has seventy feet of MAGICAL hair to take care of. It takes about an hour to brush it on her own. She also tries figuring out unique ways of washing it. ----Sometimes she just uses a nearby waterfall.

▸ does your muse care about their appearance / what others think ? She wants to be presentable, and thanks to Gothel’s abuse ... sometimes she does feel a bit insecure about her looks ... so sometimes she does seek out other people’s approvals. But she’s not FOCUSED on that..... not a huge priority,

— preferences.

▸ indoors or outdoors ? outdoors ▸ rain or sunshine ? Sunshine ▸ forest or beach ? Forest ▸ precious metals or gems ? Gems ▸ flowers or perfumes ? Flowers ▸ personality or appearance ? personality ▸ being alone or being in a crowd ? in a crowd. ▸ order or anarchy ? Maybe a bit of both depending on the situation ▸ painful truths or white lies ? Painful truths ▸ science or magic ? Magic ▸ peace or conflict ? peace ▸ night or day ? day ▸ dusk or dawn ? dawn ▸ warmth or cold ? Warmth ▸ many acquaintances or a few close friends ? a few close friends. ▸ reading or playing a game ? ahhhh she loves BOTH.

— questionnaire.

▸ what are some of your muse’s bad habits ? Not having a good idea of what personal ‘SPACE’ is. Sometimes she’s a little too affectionate. Tends to paint things without ASKING.

▸ has your muse lost anyone close to them ? how has it affected them ? She’s seen both the closest people to her DIE (Eugene and Cass) but she’s a magical princess, so they aint dead no more.... I think the most haunting loss was Gothel. Her last moments were horrifying ... and Rapunzel def blames herself for the woman’s death. Even if she was kidnapped by her.... to Rapunzel, she was still her ‘MOTHER’ the only human being she had any contact with until Eugene. It’s hard to let go of something like that. She has nightmares and constantly wonders if things could’ve been different.

▸ what are some fond memories your muse has ? I think her fondest memories would be Eugene and Cass coming back from dead and then--- the biggest one being meeting her REAL parents. Another big one was meeting Pascal for the first time. Like, Pascal was her first OTHER social interaction aside from Gothel...so he’s pretty important.

▸ is it easy for your muse to kill ? She is a healer, she’d never kill anything. Sooo, no ---

▸ what’s it like when your muse breaks down ? She holds everything inside, smiles and hopes no one asks questions. She’s supposed to be the SUNSHINE PRINCESS. ONLY POSITIVE AND UPLIFTING FEELINGS.

▸ is your muse capable of trusting someone with their life ? Yes, she trusts her friends deeply and hopes they trust her just as much. I meannnn she’s already brought a couple of them back to life... so ya know....

▸ what’s your muse like when they’re in love ? Disgustingly mushy. (she’s a disney princess after all...) she’s very supportive of her SO and will pretty much do anything for them. She’s very self sacrificing too --- so ayyyyyyyy. The only negative side is I think she may get a little jealous occasionally but nothing extreme ...and it’s something she can move past if she and her SO communicate.

#♔‘ﾟ‣ {Ooc } — ❝ Sundrop speaks❞#dashgames #ayaya #this was fun

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shestillhasherquill · 5 years

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At the Heart of Darkness (9/11)

Hello, hello! I almost forgot that today was Thursday - I started at a new job! Anyway, you don't care. Thank you for your continued interest in this fic. I love reading your tags. I appreciate all the support!!

Thank you Mods of @captainswanbigbang for being chill about a lot of stuff and for being so freaking organised.

@sambethe was so great throughout. Thank you, for the banner and the artwork for chapter 2 and chapter 5. And for being a third set of eyes on this fic! @downeystarkjr I still can't get over how great your videos are, both the teaser and the longer one. Please go to their tumblrs and check their hard work out!!

@accio-ambition, thank you for being so sweet and for finding the time to edit this despite how busy you were. Ily.

Also, special mention to @peglegsjones whose portrayal of the Dark One in her fic Alone, until I get home inspired me and the way I chose to write the Darkness.

omg we're almost at the end!!!!

Summary: Killian Jones lives in the Land without Magic, with no memories of his family. Until Emma Swan comes into his life like a whirlwind, reminding about everything he had lost. He embarks on an adventure to destroy the Darkness, only to discover that Emma might not be telling him the whole story.

Rating: M

Content Warning: Mentions of Miscarriage, Angst, Gothel (Please heed the Gothel warning, ugh God, she sucks)

Current Chapter: ao3 ff.net

Chapter 8: Don’t bother writing (I’m gone)

Present Day: Enchanted Forest

“What did Emma tell you again?” Killian asked, taking leaping steps just to keep pace with his daughter’s rapid steps.

“That the Dagger was with an old friend. There is only one person Mama would give it to,” Alice replied, trying to hurry as much as she could.

“Someone she trusted the most?” Killian guessed. But as far as he knew, Emma hardly trusted anybody, let alone enough to entrust his dagger to them.

“Nu-uh, that would be the first person anyone would torture. She gave it to Ariel, Queen of the Water Realms. She can travel between the realms anytime she wanted, and could make a quick getaway.”

Killian knew Ariel; they had been something like friends at some point, despite the animosity between pirates and mermaids. “Ah. She’s a nice lass. How are you going to contact her though?” he asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Alice huffed, stopping in her tracks, pulling a seashell necklace from around her neck. “Using this. I have already sent her message via shell. She should be waiting for us, we must hurry. Now, stop asking questions and follow me!”

Killian frowned, a reprimand ready on his tongue. But he realised with a pang that she was not a little girl anymore; she had been right to take that tone. Emma and Alice had a plan in place and he needed to respect that she knew what she was doing. They had only a small lead, with Gothel being occupied with Emma. She would come after them soon if she realised that they had the Dagger. So far, the only person Gothel thought knew about the Dagger was in her custody. And they had to maintain the ruse for as long as they could.

It took them a few hours, but Alice and Killian finally managed to break through the treeline and onto the short beach. Alice looked around frantically, vibrating on the spot like she was ready to explode. Killian might not know much about this version of his daughter, but her anxiety was not anything new.

“Starfish, Ariel will be here. It will be fine,” he said in a soothing, slow tone, grabbing Alice softly by the shoulders and making her look at him. “Deep breaths, sweetheart. That’s it, just concentrate on your breathing.” He did the breathing exercise along with her, until he felt she had calmed down enough.

Alice sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “Why would Mama do that?!” she exclaimed. “I never should have let her.”

Killian chuckled, despite the situation they were in. “Love, I’ve come to realise that once your mother has set her mind on something, it is neigh on impossible to change her mind. Besides, in her place, I would have done the same thing.” He let out a long breath, his hand and hook resting on his hips. “That does not mean I condone what she did.”

“That’s exactly what you did. Actually, what you did was a million times worse.” Alice’s tone might have been matter-of-fact, but her words hit him in the gut. He had had the chance to apologise to Emma, but he hardly even said goodbye to his little girl before he left her.

“Starfish, I’m so sorry. I-” But Alice held up her hand to half him mid-sentence.

“It’s alright, Papa. I mean, it’s not alright, but it is for now. We will have time for apologies and regret after we get rid of the Darkness and save Mama.”

“That is exactly what your mother said.” He was in awe of the young woman in front of him, and he owed it all to Emma. She was the one who had raised Alice into a smart, brilliant young woman. He couldn’t have done a better job; there would always be a part of him that loathed himself for missing out on the chance to be a good father. And unwittingly, he had lost that chance again because of what had happened with Charles.

He was saved from the dark direction his thoughts were taking by Ariel’s timely arrival. His joy was short lived, though, because the moment he stepped closer to Ariel, the voices in his head grew louder, the Darkness calling out to him, telling him to take his Dagger and run away. To protect himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, staying rooted in place and watched as Alice greeted the mermaid and exchanged pleasantries that he was too far away to hear, and too consumed by the sudden urge to hunt Gothel down.

He lost track of how long he had stood in one place, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to block his ears against the assault of the Darkness. He realised that he had been in control for so long because the Dagger was in another realm. It was a hundred times harder now to quell the voices in his head. He was forced out of his catatonic state by Alice dumping a bucket of cold water over his head. He started at her, dripping with salt water as she stood above him, panting slightly and the now empty bucket still held aloft.

“Th-ank you,” he sputtered out, pushing his hair from his face, and standing up properly. “I apologise, Starfish. I don’t know what got over me.”

Alice nodded, dropping the bucket next to him and taking a seat. She patted the spot next to her, but he could still hear the dull echoes of the Dagger and chose to stand instead. “Was it the Darkness?” she asked softly.

He hesitated to answer her for a very long time, but finally relented, letting out a giant sigh. “Aye.”

“It’s the Dagger.” It was more of statement than a question, and Killian was unsure what he could reply to that. Alice nodded to herself, staring at the horizon for a long time, both of them in somewhat comfortable silence.

“D’you know I hate magic?” she asked, but he had a feeling it was rhetorical, and allowed her to talk. “I do. Magic is what trapped me in that tower, magic is what took you away from me. Magic is what caused Emma and I so much pain in our lives. I could never understand why Mama loved it so much, even after all that had happened. She even wanted me to learn, harness my own magic. But she always understood. She even stopped using magic for me. She’s- She my mother in every single way. Not just in the way that counts. I actively reject Gothel as my mother.” The last part was said with such vehemence, so completely different from the tone she had adopted for the rest that it startled Killian.

He finally took a seat next to Alice, while still maintaining enough distance from the Dagger. “Darling, I realise that I have not been the best father. I know that Emma has made sure that you do not have to suffer the same fate as we both did as children. You are right, she truly is your mother in every single way, and I have just treated her so terribly. I have treated you terribly. How do we get past that? I don't have the answer to that question, I don't have the answer to so many things. I just feel so lost, I feel so miserable and ashamed. So tell me, what do I do?”

Alice sighed heavily, resting her chin on her bent knees, and just stared at the horizon. Killian waited with bated breath for a moment, before deciding that he would not be getting a reply from her. But just as he was about to get up, Alice finally responded. “You don't do anything, Papa. You just need to give her time, give me time, and be there for us. We will get past it because we are family, and family means we never stop trying.” She got up, giving him a hand and pulling him up, dusting the sand from her dress. Killian nodded at her, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. This might not have been forgiveness, but Alice’s words gave him hope. She hesitated, as if she was contemplating saying something. “I love you, Papa. Even when I feel like I should hate you. I love you, because you’re my Papa, and because you’re here now.”

Killian swallowed thickly at the lump in his throat, wordlessly accepting the olive branch she had offered. “Let’s go, love. We have quite the journey to Camelot.”

She reached into Emma’s satchel, retrieving a leather cuff from it and handing it to him.

“I don’t think that’s my style, Starfish,” he chuckled. Regardless, he took the cuff from her, examining it. As far as leather cuffs went, it was fairly routine, nothing that stood out to him about the craftsmanship or the quality.

“It suppresses magic,” Alice explained. “In case you lose control,” she added.

Killian’s jaw clenched, the Darkness in him hissing at her insinuation. It scared him, how quickly his darker impulses came to the fore. The fear of doing something to harm his daughter was enough for him to place the cuff on immediately.

If Alice noticed the haste in which he put it on, she did not comment on it.

-/-

20 years ago: Enchanted Forest

Killian could feel every cell of his body corrupted by the black sludge of the Darkness, burning him from the inside out. All the pain and heartbreak that he had gone through amplified until his heart was nearly bursting from the agony, so much so that all he wanted to do was rip his heart from his chest and cut off his feelings all together. He felt unbelievably violated, the Darkness had taken over his body. He could feel the muck and grime settle in every crevice of his soul.

And when he emerged from his transformation, the Darkness had taken over so entirely - he felt born again, no longer restricted by the whims and restrictions of human existence. He felt the immensity of power at his disposal. He was Captain Hook once again. His lips spread into a wild grin - he had a blonde beauty to thank for liberating him.

Little did he know that Killian Jones was trapped, but alive, under the layers of rotten, filthy darkness.

-/-

Emma teleported herself back to the tower, making both Smee and Alice jump in fright. She couldn’t blame them; she did practically stumble in like a deranged maniac, frantically yelling at Smee to “Leave, now!” Alice backed away from Emma, her eyes wide and blue, fear crystal clear in them. Emma sucked in a deep breath, if only to not frighten Alice any more than she already had.

She quickly relayed what had happened to Smee, promising to tell him the whole story after she had made sure Killian was fine. She hurriedly packed a sack for Alice, carelessly throwing together outfits for her. But she had not been fast enough. When she rounded the corner from Alice’s space into the main room, a silent and docile Alice in tow, Killian was waiting for them, leaning casually against the window ledge. He looked up at that exact moment, a predatory grin on his face as he stalked towards them

Emma stopped dead in her tracks, pushing Alice behind her, the only defense between the child and the Dark One. Because the thing in front of her now was not the man she loved. This was not Killian, and frankly, she was afraid to find out who he was.

Killian stopped just in front of her, his head tilted to the side in a disapproving manner, lips in a slight pout.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” He crouched in front of Emma, his gaze shifting to Alice who was hiding behind her, her grip tightening on Emma’s trouser’s leg. “It’s me, Starfish,” he crooned, his predatory look shifting into something far more soft.

“Papa?” Alice sounded scared, tentative. Emma saw Killian’s jaw clench and he glared up at Emma, as if she was the one at fault for Alice fearing him. Emma met his gaze fearlessly.

He was the first one to look away, all of his attention focused on Alice. “Aye, my love. Are you ready to get out of here?”

“Really?” the child asked, a slight edge to her tone, almost like she was afraid to be hopeful.

“Aye, Starfish. Papa found a way. Told you I would, didn’t I?” he grinned, reaching past Emma and taking a willing Alice into his arms, balancing her on his hip. He turned to Emma, his electric blue eyes fixed on hers.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked in an unexpectedly soft tone.

Emma was afraid for him. She was scared about what the Darkness was doing to him, his mood all over the place, unreadable to her. But she did not fear him. But she knew, she could bring her Killian back. She stepped forward, tentatively brushing her knuckles over his cheek, her magic sparking, triggered by the Darkness in him. He then closed his eyes at her soft touch, his entire countenance losing the air of a man with great power. When his eyes opened, they were back to the cerulean of Killian Jones. She smiled.

“I could never be afraid of you. I’m afraid for you, my love,” she confessed, her eyes shifting to Alice, who had her head resting against her father’s shoulder, her thumb in her mouth. She only did that when she was most distressed.

-/-

Killian nodded in acceptance. He grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, and pulled her closer, enveloping his girls in his arms. Once he was certain that they would be shielded properly, he expelled a blast of magic, strong enough to break any spell. He wanted to get the Dark One to free his daughter, and one way or another, that was what he did. The tower started disintegrating around them, and once he felt the spell keeping Alice trapped break, he magically transported all of them to a safer location.

His feet hit the ground hard, jostling the little girl in his arms, while Emma managed to land quite gracefully on her feet. Both the adults turned their gaze on Alice, who looked around her in awe. She was truly outside the tower for the very first time. She squirmed in Killian’s hold, forcing him to let her go. And he hesitated for just a moment, concerned about her exploring too far. But Alice remained by their side, walking around and touching each tree, plant, and rock, gasping each time.

He had been enraged at Emma in the beginning; if it weren’t for her insistence that he grab the Dagger, he would have escaped this curse. But it was only because of the Darkness that he had been able to save his daughter. That couldn’t have been a bad thing, could it? He watched with amusement as his daughter explored the area around her, keeping up a constant chatter.

He chanced a glance at Emma, who was standing on the other side of the clearing they were in, but she was already looking at him with a strange expression. But she smiled at him when she noticed him looking. Odd, she looked almost contemplative.

Emma walked up to him, her hands behind her back. “I have something for you.” She looked serious, confusing him further.

“What is it, Swan?”

“Something that belongs to you,” She brought her hands forward, revealing the Dark One’s Dagger.

The Darkness flared up, screaming at him to possess it, to never let it out of his sight. With the Dagger in his hands, he could do anything he wanted. He reached for it, his hand trembling, but Emma stopped him just before he could touch it.

“Wait. Wait, we need to talk about this.”

“About what?” he growled, not able to take his eyes off of the Dagger.

“You seem different, Killian. You’re not you. Maybe I should just hold on to the Dagger for you,” she suggested. “I am just wo--”

Whatever the rest of her sentence was, Killian could not hear her over how loud the voice in his head was.

How dare she? The Darkness screamed inside his head. It’s yours to take. She is trying to control you. Is that what you want?

“Shut up! Just shut up.” He meant to snap at the voice in his head, but Emma jumped at his harsh tone, hurt flashing in her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry,” she whispered, dropping the Dagger and backing away. “I’m going to go, and um, find us some food.” Emma walked away from the clearing and toward the dirt road that led to the village. He watched as she glanced at Alice, hesitated, and then kept walking. His gut clenched: he scared her.

What if she was running away from him?

He took and Dagger and placed it in his jacket. He grabbed Alice, despite her protests against being dragged away from turtles, and followed after Emma. Alice continued to cry, beating on his back to let her down, but as much as it pained him, he needed to find Emma, and reassure her. It was just a misunderstanding; everything would be alright.

-/-

Present day: Enchanted Forest

Emma struggled against the magical shackles Gothel had her bound in, but it was in vain. Her binds were too tight. Her wrists painfully rubbed against them when she tried to wriggle her hand out.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you after me?” she spat out at Gothel.

Gothel ignored her, rummaging through the myriad of bottles on the table opposite, her back turned to Emma. A couple of moments passed and Emma started to sweat in the humid room. Gothel had restrained her in the woods and used magic to transport them both. The place resembled the mines, except instead of stone, the walls were made of soil. So it was damp, but still very hot.

Gothel let out a triumphant shout, finally having found what she had been looking for. She moved to face Emma, dangling a small vial at her. “Do you recognise this?”

“Should I?” Emma sassed, glaring at the witch.

“It’s something I made, just for you. It’s mostly sulphur.”

“Aw, you shouldn’t have.”

Gothel ignored Emma’s cheekiness. “Actually, I did use it on you once. Do you remember that?”

Emma glared at her, her heart raced simply remembering the pain Gothel’s poison had caused. But Gothel continued, observing Emma with curiosity. “It was meant to corrupt you; that was what the sulphur was meant for. It destroys light magic from within. You should have never been able to survive that.” She crouched in front of Emma, her head tilted to one side, her cold eyes staring at her unblinkingly, unnerving her. “I wondered, how you managed to stay so young over the years. I always assumed you used a glamour spell or a potion. It was only when I realised that my potion did not work that I started understanding what was really going on.”

Gothel smirked at her. Emma knew her panic was clear by her expression. “You have a part of the Darkness in you, Princess,” Gothel whispered gleefully. “My dark magic is no match for that, I know that now. I’m sure you’re suffering enough as it is. You wouldn’t survive losing your magic - you can’t live without it and you can’t live with it.”

Emma couldn’t understand how the witch had figured out her secret. She had been so certain that no one knew about it - not even Alice. It had taken a couple of years for Emma herself to even realise and understand. When Killian had linked the two of them together, some of the Darkness from him transferred to her. Emma assumed that the dark magic she had been sensing had been through the link belonged to Killian. But it was the dark magic in her own veins. Her magic was corrupted, both light and dark a part of each other. It had only become worse over the past 20 years.

Emma had not revealed this part of the plan to Killian for this reason - once they destroyed the Darkness, it would destroy her magic as well. It had been made pretty clear what would happen to her without her magic. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her daughter and her love that she would not survive this. That there was no happily ever after for her.

-/-

20 years ago: Enchanted Forest

Emma heard Alice’s cries before she heard Killian calling her name. She whirled around, startled to see the latter run up to her, holding a crying Alice in his arms.

“Swan,” he breathed, stopping a few feet away from her.

“What’s wrong with Alice?” she asked, stepping forward and taking the crying child into her arms, rubbing her hand over Alice’s back to comfort her. Alice wrapped her arms tightly around Emma’s neck, her cries muffled on Emma’s shoulder.

Killian looked helpless, like he was on the verge of crying himself. He sank to the ground, sitting slumped against a tree, running his hands through his hair, pulling at it painfully. It hurt Emma to see him in such a condition, but she was clueless to help him.

“I think I frightened her. I just- I needed to come after you. I needed to stop you, Swan,” he said after a long while, desperation dripping from his voice.

Alice’s cries had died down by then, and she had drifted off, slumped against Emma. She did not blame her; Alice had had a very eventful evening and it must have been too frightening and confusing for a six-year-old to handle, no matter how intuitive she was.

“Stop me from what, Killian?” Emma snapped, her voice coming out in harsh whisper. “You yelled at me to ‘Shut up.’ I thought you needed a moment to calm yourself.”

“I do not need to calm myself. I’m fine,” he bit out through clenched teeth.

“No, you are not. This is not who you are - flying tempers, making Alice cry? That is the Darkness. You are losing control. We need to get rid of it.”

He rose up, his eyes narrowed, and he looked at Emma contemplatively. “Oh, is that why you held on to my dagger? So you can ensure I don’t ‘lose control?’ You want to control me, is that it?”

“Of course not!” Emma protested. She switched Alice to her hip, leaving one hand free. She did not want to, but if it came down to it, she had to protect herself and Alice against the Darkness. Even if it meant she had to harm him. “Killian, this is not you.”

“No, Emma. This is better,” he argued, keeping his voice down. Emma was relieved that he did not wake Alice up: she did not want the little girl to see her father this way. “I was finally able to get my daughter out of that hell. The only way I was able to do that was with magic. My magic. Not yours.”

Emma reeled at that, feeling like she had been slapped. “I offered to use my magic. I would have done anything for Alice, you know that!”

But Killian ignored her, powering through his own speech. “You told me to grab the Dagger, Swan. You forced this on me, and now that I actually seem to like it, you just can’t handle it.” He wagged a finger at her, grinning like a maniac. “That’s it, isn’t it, love? You can’t handle the fact that I’m stronger than you. That I don’t need your magic.”

Emma bit her lip, her heart clenching at his accusations, trying to convince herself that it was the Darkness making him say these things. He wanted to hurt her, but she couldn’t give him that satisfaction.

“You and I both know that that’s not true. We are a family. It doesn’t matter who is more powerful.”

“Ah, see, that’s where you’re wrong, Swan. All this time, you had me convinced that I needed you, that I needed your magic to save my daughter, when in fact, I didn’t need you at all. Maybe you knew all along what needed to be done. You were just afraid that you would be left alone again, forever the orphan Princess.”

Tears came unbidden to Emma, every word coming out of Killian’s mouth hitting the mark. She pulled Alice closer, drawing comfort from her daughter.

“That is not fair. You’re not thinking straight,” she said quietly. Whether she was trying to convince Killian or herself, she wasn’t sure. Her hand trembled as she reached for his, the dark magic sizzling under his fingertips. “This is not you. This is not the man I love.”

“Perhaps the man you love is no more,” he whispered, his eyes looking away from her, unable to meet her gaze.

Emma was rendered speechless. She was not sure what she could possibly do to bring her Killian back to her.

“I refuse to believe that,” she said with conviction, drawing his attention back to her. “I love you, Killian Jones. Whether the Darkness likes it or not, I am not leaving.” She grew more confident when he seemed to listen, drawing closer to him, her hand drawing up his arm and resting against his chest. “I know your heart, I know you’re still there. Push the voices away. It’s just the three of us here - you, me, and Alice.”

Killian let out a deep breath, stepping away from her, Emma’s hand dropping. “I don’t know what’s happening, Swan,” he confessed, biting down hard at his lip. He squeezed his eyes shut, massaging his forehead.

Emma looked on, worried and helpless, wondering what she could possibly do to help her fiancé. “Talk to me, tell me what is going on inside your head. Lean on me.”

Killian nodded, pulling her closer. He hesitated, before holding his arms out to take his daughter, and letting out a relieved breath when Emma handed her over. He held Alice close, centering himself.

“I apologise for the things I said to you, Emma. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Emma nodded, wordlessly accepting his apology. But she had to know. ”Did you mean any of it? Do you really think- do you think that I kept things from you? That I tricked you into falling in love with me?” Her questions slipped out one after another, her insecurity rearing its ugly head.

Killian immediately pulled back, his hook resting on her waist. “No, absolutely not! I was- They were senseless words said in spite, my love. I was being an arse, and I’m sorry.” A beat later, he added, “I never meant for those words to come out, Emma. It- I was just so angry, I was hurt. And in that moment, I wanted to hurt you, like you hurt me.”

Emma swallowed thickly, not allowing him to notice the fear she felt building inside, painting a smile on her face instead. “It was the Darkness, Killian. It wasn’t you. I’ve seen this before, I’ve seen the way it corrupts and destroys. We need to get rid of it, once and for all.”

-/-

Present day: Camelot

It had taken Killian and Alice a week to reach Camelot by foot. He couldn’t use his magic, and Alice had never tried using hers. While it had given them plenty of time to talk and for Killian to get to know his daughter again, each day was agonising as they both feared for Emma’s life. Neither of them could understand why Gothel would want Emma, but the longer it took them to get rid of the Darkness, the worse their imaginations became. It had come to a point where neither of them spoke about what was happening to Emma; once again, she had sacrificed herself for Killian and Alice. Talking about it did nothing to relieve their guilt.

“Have you met this Merlin fellow before?” Killian asked, turning to Alice.

“Well, sort of. A very long time ago, we heard a rumour of an ancient sorcerer who could destroy the Darkness. But after a couple of months of research, we grew tired. It had been ten years at that point, I think, since you had been gone. It was a difficult year, for Mama. I was a hellion during my late adolescence,” Alice said, making Killian chuckle.

Another good thing about the time he had spent with Alice? He was slowly beginning to let go of his guilt and enjoy learning new tidbits of information about his daughter’s life.

“I’m sure if anyone could have handled it, Emma could have.”

“You’re not wrong. But that did deter her from looking for a way to get rid of the Darkness. Perhaps, if we had kept looking, we could have been reunited sooner.” Alice shot him a tight smile, before looking down, remorseful.

Killian couldn’t have his daughter blaming herself in any way. He stopped her, grasping her shoulders with hand and hook, waiting patiently for her to meet his eye. “Listen to me, Starfish. You have nothing to feel upset about. Things happened the way they were bound to happen. Emma made a decision to be a mother first. If I were in her place, I would have done the same thing.”

Alice shook her head, pushing Killian away, her arms crossed petulantly. “This is all my fault. This started because you wanted to rescue me from that tower. Maybe I was better off-”

“No!” Killian snapped, making Alice jump. He wouldn’t blame her; even when she had been a child, he had never raised his voice at her, let alone as an adult. “You need to stop blaming yourself. That is far too heavy a burden to carry on your shoulders, love. Gothel trapped you in that tower, and nothing you could have said or done would have stopped either me or Emma from saving you. You’re our daughter - and that is what you do for your family, Alice. So, don’t you dare think we would be better off. You saved me from a life of a pointless pursuit for revenge, you were there for Emma all those years I was gone. I probably never would have met Emma if it weren’t for you. I owe everything to you, my darling.” He smiled, drawing her into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head. “Enough with such talk. Let us get to Merlin.”

Another fifteen minutes of walking led father and daughter to a dilapidated bridge, both of them looking around concerned and confused. The more they ventured into Camelot, the more they were starting to realise that there was no one there; everything in Camelot seemed to be broken down, vines and shrubbery overgrown on the buildings. Everything looked abandoned, not like the thriving city Killian had come to expect.

“Are you sure this is the right place, Starfish?” Killian asked, helping her over a large, fallen pillar.

“Aye,” she said, jumping to the ground with a grunt. “At least, I think so. This is Camelot.”

“And this is where Merlin is supposed to be?” Killian asked with a scoff. “It looks like he hasn’t been here for a while.”

“Looks can be deceptive, Captain Jones,” a man’s voice spoke from behind them.

Killian and Alice whirled around, both of them drawing their cutlasses out and pointed them at the man’s throat. He seemed oddly calm, smiling at them despite the threat. Killian regarded him curiously: he was dressed in brown and gold robes, his arms at his sides and looking at them pleasantly, as if his life wasn’t being threatened. Killian could only think of one person who could be that brave.

“Merlin,” he declared, his sword still held pointed at the wizard.

“Indeed. Now, if you could be so kind as to lower your weapons…”

Killian and Alice complied, sheathing their weapons. But Killian couldn’t shake the wariness he felt. “What did you mean, ‘looks can be deceptive?’” Killian’s eyebrow raised questioningly at the wizard.

If possible, Merlin’s grin grew wider and he waved his hand. Killian and Alice gasped at their surroundings melted away like candle wax, the decrepit area replaced by a thriving town square, people milling around them, vendors selling their wares.

Killian and Alice gaped as they saw all the people - Killian could not wrap his head around the display of magic. Just a moment ago, the place had been completely empty and neglected.

“Just a simple glamour to keep out unsavory characters,” Merlin assured, his hands clasped in front of him. “Queen Guinevere had it put up when she formed the kingdom with Ser Lancelot,” he informed them.

Killian was taken aback; all the stories that he had heard in the Land without Magic, King Arthur was the ruler of Camelot, and Lancelot was just a knight. “What about King Arthur?”

Merlin sighed, shaking his head. “Arthur...Well, he was nothing but a disappointment. Thankfully, our queen recognised it and made sure the people did not suffer from his obsession and neglect.” He clapped his hands together, making father and daughter stare at one another doubtfully. “However, you are here for a different reason, aren’t you?”

Killian shared a look with Alice before he stepped forward. “Perhaps there is somewhere else for us to speak, mate? Somewhere private, maybe?”

-/-

Present: Enchanted Forest

Emma let out an agonising scream, straining heavily in her bonds, as Gothel’s newest creation wreaked havoc on her. The witch had been torturing Emma for the past week, injecting her with different concoctions, exploiting the Darkness in her to make her weaker. For so long, she had been able to manage having the Darkness be a part of her, had resisted using her magic for this very reason. Every time she had used her magic, it had been painful. It had taken her a year or two to get used to the Darkness and to train herself to draw from the light magic only. It had been fairly easy, there was hardly any dark magic in her. But she had not accounted for the Darkness to draw power from the light magic, never accounted for its growth.

The more the Darkness grew in her, the weaker she had become. She hadn’t noticed it all until a year ago when she had found Merlin. He had noticed the growing Darkness in her, he had been the one to tell her of her fate; he had also told her that there was no way for them to separate the dark and light magic in her. They exist as one and would be destroyed as one. Perhaps, if you had come to me sooner, he had said. He had been the one to tell her Killian would be the only other person who would be able to remove just the Darkness. It had originally been a part of him, and would thus go back to him, leaving her light magic behind. Theoretically, that would be the outcome. She had almost tested that theory out, before Alice had come back.

Unfortunately for Emma, Gothel had learnt her secret as well. She had been injecting Emma with different potions to activate the Darkness in her. The weaker Emma grew, the less resistant she could be to Gothel’s magic. She intended to get Emma as weak as she possibly could, before Gothel forced Emma to reveal the plan to get rid of the Darkness.

For the past week, Emma had been confident that she would be able to make it. Until today, Emma could feel the Darkness take root. She could feel the pain in every cell of her body, as if she was burning from within. It was unbearable, and Emma couldn’t help but cry out. She had almost given up, almost begged Gothel to make it stop - but she refused to give the witch that satisfaction. She was stronger than that - she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Her parents had faced death with dignity; they might have been defeated, but they had their integrity. If Emma had to die, she would prefer to have her integrity intact. It was all she had left of her parents.

“My, my, aren’t you the stubborn one,” Gothel spat, wrapping her hand around Emma’s throat and squeezing. “But you are so weak now, Emma. You’re no match for my magic.”

“Do whatever the hell you want. You can never stop the Darkness from being destroyed.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, my dear. You’re going to tell me exactly what your plan is, and I’m going to make certain you lot rue the day you met me.”

-/-

20 years ago: Enchanted Forest

Killian and Emma had managed to set up camp at a riverbed. He caught them some fish, despite not feeling hungry, and Emma built a fire. Alice, now awake, watched everything they did with rapt attention, and she even helped Killian catch fish, jumping with joy when she first felt the water lapping at her feet, the smaller fish tickling her as they swam past. Killian silently enjoyed her carefreeness, her heart soaring at her happiness. This was all he wanted for her - but he had never anticipated the price would have been so steep. He knew what needed to be done, now. He had no control over this Darkness. He was weak, he had succumbed to it before in the past, and he had let it take over today. He could not imagine what would happen when he was not strong enough to pull back. He had seen the way it had wrecked Baelfire’s family, seen what the Darkness had turned Rumplestiltskin into.

He did not want that for his family. He pulled out the magic bean he had been carrying with him for centuries, having stolen it from Pan on his very last visit to Neverland. He had held on to it in hopes that he would use it once he had freed Alice. But he needed to get away from here, where the temptation was always there. Nothing would be able to stop him from sinking, not even his family.

He had heard of the Land without Magic from Baelfire; he would use the bean to go there. He would make sure he did not have his memories, that he would have nothing that would bring him back here. Not until Emma had found a cure to this plague. She would understand his reasons, she had to. Killian could not handle being here, he did not want to fight against the Darkness for a second longer than he had to. And if he went to the Land without Magic, he wouldn’t have to.

Once the fish was caught, cooked, and consumed, Alice promptly fell asleep again. That was good, he decided. He would not be able to tell Alice goodbye; he couldn’t watch her cry again. He had hurt her enough.

“Killian?” Emma called out, pulling him away from his thoughts. “Is everything alright? Is it- is the Darkness speaking to you again?” she asked, worry evident in her tone.

He smiled at her half-heartedly, grabbing her right hand in his own, fiddling with the green stone ring on her finger. He remembered the night she had told him the story about it, about how her mother had stolen the ring from her father, and how Prince David found Snow White, and how they fell in love. He wanted something like that for them. He wanted True Love. He wanted to believe that they would find each other again, no matter how long it took.

“No, darling. Just my own thoughts that are keeping me awake.”

“Do you want to talk about it? After all, aren’t married people supposed to share their burdens?” Emma teased, smiling coyly at him.

“Oh, Swan,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him. Emma snuggled into his body, pressing her nose to his neck, exhaling softly. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too, Jones.”

He closed his eyes, revelling in the moment, burning it to his memory. He needed just a moment, where everything was alright. He had finally managed to free his child, and he was engaged to the woman he loved. If it weren’t for the Darkness, this would be the best moment of his life; he wanted to pretend that it was. Just for a moment.

So he did, but he pulled away the next. “I need to talk to you, Emma.”

Emma pursed her lips, staring at him seriously. “Why do I get the feeling that I won’t like what you are about to say?”

“Oh, you will most surely hate it. But I-”

“Don’t say it,” she cut him off. “Don’t do it. Whatever you are thinking of - don’t.”

He sighed deeply, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away. She eyed him warily, her arms wrapped around herself protectively. “You don’t get to hold my hand and break my heart, Killian.”

“Dammit, Emma. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m doing this for you,” Killian snapped, standing up and starting to pace. “I need to leave, get far away from here. I am not strong enough to control this. I will descend much deeper into the Darkness, and I cannot come out of it. I will hurt you and Alice. I don’t want that.”

“What about what we want?” Emma whispered, eerily calm. “What about what I want? I want you to stay, and fight this. You have us, lean on us.” She stood up too, her eyes glassy with tears, her teeth biting the inside of her cheek.

“I can’t, Emma. Please, don’t make me. I can’t fight. I will fail, and I don’t want that. I don’t want this Darkness. I never should have taken the Dagger.” Killian could hear the desperation in his own voice.

Emma let out a long, shuddering breath. “What do you want to do?” she asked, after a long silence.

And so he told her, every detail of his plan laid out in front of Emma. He could practically see how every word out of his mouth broke her heart a little bit more. But she let him talk and listened attentively. She didn’t say a word, not until he was done.

“You’ll be in this Land without Magic, and you will not have any of your memories, is that right?” she asked softly, her eyes trained on the ground.

He waited a beat, hoping she would look up at him. But when it became evident that she wouldn’t, he replied with a simple ‘Aye.’

She took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, nodding to herself. She finally looked him in the eye, her gaze sharp and determined, every bit the stubborn, strong woman he had fallen in love with. “I will get the answer to this dilemma, and I will come for you. I will find you.” Her words were confident and firm. Before he could thank her, however, she cut him off. “Do not think for one moment that this doesn’t break my heart.”

He swallowed thickly, knowing that there was only one thing left to you. “I need to leave now. Before Alice wakes up.”

Emma’s brows pulled together, and he could sense her anger. “You’re not even going to tell your daughter goodbye?” she demanded.

“I can’t do it, Emma. She will be devastated, she will make me stay. I can’t allow that to happen.”

She stared at him quietly, her rage radiating off of her in waves, her eyes wide and nostrils flaring. “You are a coward, Killian Jones,” she declared.

He hung his head in shame, moving toward his sleeping daughter, kneeling beside her. His throat was thick with tears, his heart hurt simply thinking about leaving her. He had never been so far from her - now, not only would he be in another realm, he would have no memory of her. It was for the best, though. It had be.

He squeezed his eyes shut, brushing Alice’s hair away from her forehead, pressing the lightest of kisses there, lingering for a moment before he pulled away. He took her in for a moment, knowing that he would miss watching her grow up. Just a few years, he told himself. You will see her in a few years.

“You don’t have to leave, Killian.” Emma’s soft voice floated through the air. “You could stay.”

Killian got up, taking one last look at his daughter before he turned to Emma. “Have you come up with a way to replace my memories in the Land without Magic?” he asked her, ignoring her statements.

She sighed, clearly still angry with him, but nodded. “I can modify your existing memories, I can store the real ones in a Dreamcatcher.”

“Let us do this, then.”

-/-

Present: Camelot

“This is yours?” Killian asked, tracing the hilt of Excalibur, Merlin’s name etched on the blade. It looked just like the Dark One’s dagger, only much longer and with an end missing. But Merlin explained that as well - how he had forged Excalibur, how the sword was broken by the first Dark One, how the Dark One had murdered his love, Nimue. How he tethered the Darkness to the Dagger.

The Darkness hissed at that, screaming at Killian to destroy the wizard and ravage Camelot, to let it free. He was thankful for the cuff preventing him from doing any magic, because he was certain he would have given in. He could hear the whispers from the Dagger, driving him insane.

“Yes,” Merlin answered. “Now you know everything you need to. We need to hurry, rid the world of this Darkness. Once and for all.”

“What about Gothel?” Alice asked. “What if she decides to stop us?”

“She will need to go through me, then,” Killian piped up, his jaw clenched tight. “Where do we need to go to find this Promethean flame?” he asked, addressing Merlin.

“It’s not too far, but I need to warn you. This is your battle, Killian. The Darkness will try everything to convince you not to do this. You will either win, or it will take over you, forever. There can be no cuff stopping you from using your magic,” Merlin warned. “This is ancient magic, more powerful than you could ever imagine. You did not have to face its true extent for decades, if what you say is true.”

“Aye, I understand.” Killian had made up his mind - after everything his daughter and Emma had sacrificed for him, he needed to step up. He had to face everything he had run away from, and he needed to start with the Darkness.

“Papa, perhaps we should talk about this?” Alice suggested, looking vexed at the task ahead of them. “Couldn’t I do this?” she asked Merlin.

“No, Starfish. It is my turn to take care of you now. I need to face my demons. And I will,” Killian vowed. He turned to Merlin. “Tell me everything I need to do, and I will do it.”

-/-

Present Day: Enchanted Forest

Emma panted heavily, her wrists sore from the constant friction against the shackles, feeling weak and useless as Gothel used her vile magic to delve into her mind. It was the worst torment, feeling a strange presence in her mind, moving through her thoughts and memories, invading her. It was a great violation, one that left her sick to her stomach. No matter how much she tried to resist, Gothel’s magic was stronger than Emma’s.

If there was any light magic left in her, it was hindered by the shackles she wore or was buried deep under layers of dark magic. Emma wanted to cry; her light magic had been the only constant in her life, and for it to be violated and corrupted, hurt in innumerable ways. She had never thought there could exist a person so cruel, a person who understood how precious natural magic was and could still inflict such horrors on another, like Gothel was.

She had tried so hard, for so long, to fight. But she had lost all ability to - and if she was being honest with herself, all will to. Emma was tired of being strong. She had finally been broken, and she did not have the fight left in her. She knew that was what Gothel wanted, and she had tried so hard not to give the witch that satisfaction - but she couldn’t hold on anymore.

Emma closed her eyes, tears running down the corners of her eyes, and she gave complete control of herself to Gothel. The Darkness had won.

-/-

20 years ago: Enchanted Forest

Emma gave the Dreamcatcher to Killian, not able to bring herself to take his memories. He understood, knowing that what he had already asked of her was a great enough price. She could not believe what Killian was about to do. She was certain that it was the Darkness in him that had made him so paranoid and so selfish. She would have fought him on his decision, if she had been talking to Killian alone. But the Darkness was unpredictable, and she could understand Killian’s fear. She might not support his decision, but she could at least understand where he came from.

She stood to the side, as she watched him perform the spell to transfer his memories on to the Dreamcatcher once he had crossover to the other realm. She still had him here with her, for a few moments at least. She fiddled with her mother’s ring for a moment before she took it off all together. Emma approached Killian, both of them smiling shakily at each other.

“My pirate,” she whispered fondly, looking up at him, her eyes roaming over every inch of his face, etching him into her memory. “It’s almost time, isn’t it?”

“Aye. Emma. I am sorry, love.” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek softly, looking at her with a kind of broken tenderness that made her gut clench.

She pressed her mother’s ring in his palm, shocking him. He stared at her, his lips moving wordlessly. “I just thought - Well, you gave me a ring. It felt right, to give you my mother’s. It’s a promise, I guess. And- We never got to the wedding, technically, and I expect that once you come back. But until then….” She trailed off, closing his fingers around the ring.

“Until then,” he vowed, softly, but with great conviction.

She nodded, swallowing hard at the lump in her throat. It was useless, though, as tears welled heavy in her eyes. She clutched the lapel of his greatcoat tightly, pulling him down to her. She pressed their lips together, kissing him with everything she had, wet and desperate, their breaths mingling every time they pulled back for air. She was loathe to end it, biting down on his lip. Killian was the one to pull away, his hand on her shoulder, both of them breathing heavily.

He pulled the Dagger from inside his jacket, handing it to Emma with a trembling hand. “Hold on to this for me, aye?”

Emma took the Dagger with both hands, her thumb tracing his name etched in the metal. “There’s still time to change your mind.”

“Swan.”

“I know...I - I don’t know how long it will be until I see you again. What if I never find a way to save you? You’re immortal, I am not.”

Killian nodded, his eyes serious and unwavering. “I know, love. And I think I know a way to prevent that.”

“What?” she asked, curious. He hesitated, looking at her with a strange, apologetic look in his eyes. “What is it?” she demanded, pulling away from him completely.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I couldn’t think of another way,” he said, sounding helpless.

“What do you-”

But before she could finish the sentence, he released a burst of magic her way. Emma gasped, feeling the Darkness hit her, the force of it sending her flying. She felt her magic flare up to fight against the invading power, the heavy, foul magic pushing its way through. Emma could feel it flow through her veins, her entire body unbearably hot. She could hardly move, laying slumped against a tree.

Emma gaped at Killian, the betrayal causing bile to rise in her throat, tears of anger threatening to fall. He looked remorsefully at her, his heartbreak apparent on his features.

“I am so sorry, Swan,” he called out. He threw the bean to the ground, the portal opening up immediately. “I love you. This was the only way I could make sure we see other again.”

Emma choked on a sob, feeling breathless and crippled, watching as Killian walked through the portal, leaving her with a gaping hole in her chest, and whatever spell he hit her with, destroying both her heart and soul, in one fell swoop.

#cs ff #knightrook #csbb #cs angst #tw: gothel

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 164: Catalyst

Snow and David gave her anxious and fearful stares, as she uttered those four little words, for nothing good ever came from the phrase, we need to talk.

"It's about Emma...isn't it?" Snow asked fearfully. Regina cast her gaze downward, before looking back up at them.

"Regina…" David said, as they saw the tears in her eyes.

"No…" he uttered.

"I'm sorry…" she cried.

"NO!" David refuted, as he clenched the counter top and his knuckles turned white.

"She can't be…" Snow pleaded, as tears were swimming in her eyes. Tears fell from David's eyes as well, as Regina came out from behind the bar.

"Nana? It can't be true," Bobby said. Tears slipped down Regina's cheeks, as she fell to her knees and hugged him.

"I'm sorry...Emma's dead," she said. At those words, Snow's knees buckled and she let out an anguished cry that chilled Regina to her bones. She had heard that same agonizing cry from her only twice before. One was the night of the first curse when she had invaded their castle and heard such echoing through the halls. It was the moment that she had sent Charming away with Emma to place her in the wardrobe. The next time was the moment Snow crushed David's heart in Atlantis and he fell dead to the ground. And now...it was because she had lost Emma again, perhaps forever this time.

David managed to catch Snow, before she collapsed to the floor and they collapsed together, sobbing in each other's arms.

"How...how did this happen?" David choked.

"David…" Regina protested.

"How? How did I fail my daughter? I need...I need to know," he cried.

"You didn't fail her...you never have," Regina sniffed.

"Did we block it out...is that why we don't remember?" he asked, as Snow sobbed uncontrollably against his chest.

"I...I don't know why. It could be the chalice...we don't know where it is or what's happening with it. Weaver is trying to find it," Regina responded.

"Clayton…he did this," David growled.

"And Gothel...she's the mastermind behind all of this," Regina added.

"Then she's here...somewhere too," Snow sniffed.

"Victoria has her under her thumb right now, but I don't know how much longer that will be true. That witch is manipulating her and she can't even see it," Regina replied.

"We need to see what happened that night," David insisted. Regina sighed.

"It's only going to bring you pain," she warned.

"We know...but we have to see," Snow said. Regina glanced at Bobby and then took out a small vial from behind the bar, which had a tiny drop of potion remaining in it.

"Take this home and put it in some water. Then you both need to drink it...it should wake you up the rest of the way," Regina said, as she handed the vial to Snow.

"Then once you know...Weaver is counting on you both being ready to fight," she added. David looked at her and his jaw was set in determination.

"Tell him we'll be ready...they're not going to know what hit them when we get done," he said.

"They killed our daughter...there's no mercy or forgiveness for that," Snow added harshly. The looks in their eyes worried Regina a bit, as she had only seen them like this a couple times. Each time they had faced some sort of separation or curse, Snow and David had a feral air about them when it came to finding each other or protecting one another. But this was a step further than that and she knew this is what Weaver wanted. He knew the news of Emma's death would get them ready to fight in a way they never had before. She didn't like it either. She didn't want them to do things that would darken their heart, but this was a loss of a child they were dealing with and she knew that there was no way that it couldn't have this effect on them. She just knew that she would have to be there to pull them back from the edge when the time came and only hoped their other children could keep them grounded.

"We'll make them pay...we'll make them hurt for this," Regina promised.

"Even if we do...and even if we somehow break this curse, how are we ever going to get home? We're in the past...we can't just drive across country to Storybrooke now," David lamented.

"I'm not sure...but if anyone is going to fix this, it will be you two. I know that you both need to grieve and that your first instinct is going to be getting revenge. I know that feeling...I know revenge and it won't help ease the pain," Regina warned.

"The only thing that will is defeating them for the right reasons and protecting the rest of our family," she advised. Snow's eyes glistened with tears.

"Emma…" she uttered, as she broke down again, this time, clenching her fists on David's shirt.

"There is still a small chance that Belle and Robin will figure out what happened," Regina offered.

"That's right...they weren't there. They're still in Storybrooke, our Storybrooke," David realized, as he ran a soothing hand along Snow's back.

"How will they ever figure out we're in the past though? How do we do this without Emma?" Snow cried, as he held her and Bobby close.

"I don't know, my darling...but I know that we'll figure it out. Emma's still with us...in here," he promised, as he pointed to her heart, even as he choked up again and tears fell. He could still hear her laughing or chiding him when he got overprotective. He remembered opening his eyes for the first time in ten years and seeing his baby Princess there, scared and alone, pleading for him to wake up. Had Emma died alone? Or had he at least been able to hold her...he needed to know. He needed to see, even though he knew it was going to break him.

"Gods...I'm a mess and we still have to tell Summer," she cried.

"Does Weaver have any idea where the chalice is?" David asked.

"He thought Clayton might have it, but he hasn't been able to discern where he might be keeping it. Since it doesn't have magic here, there is nothing stopping him from touching it, so it's really hard to say where they stashed it," Regina replied.

"We should go get Summer now. I'll check in with...Weaver later," David said, as he led his family out to his truck. Regina stayed behind, looking really defeated. She didn't know how Robin or Belle were ever going to figure out where they were. But there was one person she could call for reinforcements. The problem was getting her to listen at all and then getting her to remember was a whole other problem. But she knew she had to try and pressed call on the name Kelly West in her phone.

~*~

Storybrooke - 2023

The portal opened in the middle of Main Street and these days, that really wasn't anything newsworthy in their town. Portals were easy now and Tiny had a thriving crop of beans that were monitored, but not withheld from people in town wanting to travel to other realms. The four of them quickly made their way to the pawn shop and were lucky that Belle was there.

"Anna...is that you?" Belle asked, as Gideon sat beside her, playing a game on his tablet.

"Oh my God...Emma, what happened?" she exclaimed.

"Something very bad...her heart was poisoned. We'll explain everything, but we need to get her outside the town line and quickly," Elsa said. Belle nodded and grabbed her phone.

"Leroy...I need you to bring your van to the shop immediately. It's an emergency," she said, as she hung up quickly and then dialed Robin.

"Robin...it's Belle. I need you to meet me at the town line. Something's happened," she said, as she hung up the phone.

Robin and Roland got out of the car, as they reached the town line and they were surprised to see their friends from Arendelle there. And Emma, looking paler than they had ever seen.

"Emma...my Gods, what happened?" he asked, just as Aphrodite and James appeared too.

"Emma…" they uttered.

"I need to...get somewhere without magic," she said, as Aphrodite released a pulse of magic, allowing them all the pass through the barrier and outside the town. Emma felt instant relief and her color began to return.

"What the hell happened?" James asked.

"There's been another curse...and my heart was poisoned," she explained.

"Okay...start from the beginning," Aphrodite replied.

~*~

Snow and David arrived home with the kids, having picked Summer up from practice. The mood was obviously incredibly subdued from this morning's and Summer had dried tear tracks on her face. Her sister was dead and she had never seen her parents more devastated than now. It scared her to the core. She had thought that things could only get better from this point now that they remembered. But she was wrong.

After seeing them both off to bed, Snow and David collapsed onto the sofa together, clinging to each other for dear life.

"How do we do this?" Snow sniffed.

"I...I don't know. She can't be gone, Snow...she can't be," he cried, as if saying it might make it true.

"Oh Charming…" Snow cried, as they held each other and began crying again.

"We have to do this…" he said reluctantly. She nodded.

"I know," she added, as she poured the drop from the vial in a glass of water and then took a drink, before handing it to him. He drank too and they held each other's hands for dear life, as the memories that were being blocked were unlocked like a movie in their heads.

~*~

The Enchanted Forest 3

Storybrooke year 2023

Lucy blew out the candles on the huge birthday cake, made especially by her Aunt Sabine and Uncle Naveen. Everyone cheered for her and clapped, as she beamed with joy.

"Okay...time for presents!" Jacinda said excitedly, as Lucy prepared to open the mountain of gifts before her. But just as Lucy was getting ready to open her first gift, while her parents were cutting the cake, Snow and David both felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

"Charming…" she uttered, as they felt the warning being communicated to them from the chalice, as it glowed.

"Yeah...I feel it and I see it," he muttered, as they noticed the hooded figures closing in around the courtyard from all sides. He clutched her hand, as they stepped up to intercept the invaders. Regina and Emma flanked them on one side and Rumple on the other. The figure in the center dropped their hood and revealed herself to be a woman with blonde hair, matted and tangled with dreadlocks.

"Who are you?" David demanded to know.

"I have many names. Some have called me mother Earth. Some call me chaos...as I'm sure your little cup is telling you I am. But I prefer Mother Gothel," she stated.

"You're the woman Aphrodite warned us about…" Snow said.

"Yes...it was your predecessors that locked me away for almost three millennium, but I am free now and here for my retribution," she responded.

"You were defeated once...and we'll do so again," David insisted.

"Oh, you'll try...but I think you'll simply be too busy trying to save those you love to stop me," Gothel retorted, as there was a rumbling beneath the ground, as nature heeded her call and vines emerged and began to wrap around everything in their path. Henry grabbed Lucy out of the way and huddled with Jacinda, as Gothel's followers unleashed their magic upon them.

Emma immediately countered her powers, while her siblings tried to protect everyone else. Vines wrapped around Tiana and Naveen, until Leo hacked through them with his sword, releasing them. He then shocked them with his lightning until the vines died. Ella gasped, as she saw some vines heading for them, but suddenly, they were in a protective bubble and they breathed in relief, for Summer had saved them. A couple of the witches surrounded her, intending to gang up on her, but there was a rumbling beneath them, as the ground opened up and collapsed beneath them, thanks to Bobby's powers.

"You've ruined enough lives...I won't let you hurt us anymore," Alice refuted, as she prepared to unleash her magic on Gothel.

"Is that so? You know...I am your mother, Alice. We could rule together once I restore order to all the realms," she offered.

"I would never join you! You are no mother...Emma has been more a mother to me than you ever have!" Alice countered. Gothel smirked.

"Really? Then perhaps I should probably thank her for trying to take my place," the witch hissed, as she set her sights on the Savior.

"Like hell you will, bitch," Snow growled, as she and David unleashed the chalice's magic and it collided with Gothel's. The witch only smirked and battled them, for they were doing exactly as she wanted them to. As she battled them, her vines multiplied and slowly captured every member of their family, except Emma, who continued to battle her with them.

"Surrender the chalice...or I will crush the bones of everyone you love to dust!" she warned. They looked horrified.

"Even if we wanted to...we can't. It can only be used by us," David refuted.

"That's true, for the most part...unless you will it to me. Do it...or I kill everyone you love, starting with the little ones," she growled, as the vines wrapped around Lucy and Bobby's necks.

"NO!" Snow cried, as they didn't hesitate and joined hands to do as she asked. The Chalice glowed brightly and Gothel's eyes filled greedily with power, as she reached for it. With it being freed from Snow and Charming's will, the spell on Drizella and Clayton was broken, as their stone forms had life again.

"Hey tree huger…" Emma called, as she blasted Gothel away from the chalice. Snow was quick to grasp it again, as they willed it back under their control and freed their family members with blasts of white magic, only to be immobilized with a blast of dark magic and the source was revealed to be none other than Dr. Facilier.

"Facilier…" Naveen growled.

"Let them go...if you ever cared about me, then let them go," Regina pleaded.

"There was a time you would have done anything to see them suffer," he countered.

"And everything has changed since then," Regina responded.

"Yes, you cast your curse or should I say...his curse, which ruined our chance at a future together," Facilier said, glaring at Rumple.

"What's done is done...it can't be changed," Regina refuted.

"Oh but it can...they can change it. They have the power with the chalice. Use it...turn back time!" Facilier demanded.

"You're insane...time travel isn't possible! We've been down this road," David refuted.

"Wrong...it is if you will it. But you two idiots vastly under-utilize that chalice. Its power is unlimited!" he ranted.

"We're not tampering with time travel...the consequences of that could be devastating," Snow admonished.

"Then I'll make you do it," Facilier said, as he snapped his fingers and employed his well practiced technique in hypnosis. Before Snow and Charming could look away, their eyes became fixated on the charmed medallion in his hand.

"You will do everything I tell you...and obey only my commands, Your Majesties," he leered, as he pulled them under his spell.

"No way Dr. Voodoo…" Emma growled, as she blasted him away and hurried up to her parents.

"Mom...Dad...snap out of it!" she cried, as Leo rushed over. With a tiny jolt, he touched them and awoke them from the trance.

"What the hell…" David uttered.

"He hypnotized you both...don't look at his medallion!" Emma called to everyone.

"Enough games...it's time for the end," Gothel stated.

"Like hell it is…" Emma growled.

"I will get what I want now…" Gothel said, as she surprised everyone and her hand went into Emma's chest.

"Emma!" Snow and David cried. But Emma looked smugly at the witch.

"Haven't you heard? My heart can't be ripped...none of ours can," Emma said, gesturing to her siblings.

"We're the products of the truest love and it's the most powerful magic of all," she continued. But Gothel smirked back.

"Oh I know...I'm not trying to rip your heart. I only mean to poison it," she said, as she released a pulse of her toxic magical poison, causing a sickly green glow emanating from Emma's chest. She collapsed to her knees and her parents rushed to her.

"Emma…" David cried.

"What have you done?" Snow shouted.

"I told you...I've poisoned her heart. Now her only chance at survival is going to a place without magic," Gothel stated.

"EMMA!" Killian cried, as he fell to his knees beside her and then glared murderously at Gothel.

"Why?! Haven't you caused enough pain and suffering?" he spat.

"No...not even close. This world...all the worlds are going to burn, Captain. And they shall make it happen for me," Gothel replied.

"What makes you think we'd ever help you," David spat, as he cradled their dying daughter with tears streaming down his face.

"Because the only way to save her...is the Dark Curse. And I know you both will do anything to save one of your precious brats," Gothel hissed.

"Haven't you been paying attention, you lunatic? They already cast the Dark Curse. They have no heart to use, nor do I," Regina growled. Gothel smirked.

"Very true...but once one has cast the Dark Curse, it makes its mark on that person's DNA, so to speak. So...all that is needed for another one is their blood," Gothel explained, as the Chalice glowed before them and a cauldron with all the other ingredients for the Dark Curse appeared before them. Tears slipped down Snow's cheeks, as she realized that another curse was the only way to save their daughter.

"Why does this keep happening?" she murmured and her sorrow made the rage inside David boil over, as he lunged at Dr. Facilier.

"I won't let you...I won't let you do this! I won't let you monsters separate us again!" he raged, as he punched the doctor and he used his magic to thrust David several feet back. Snow rushed to him and helped him up, as they fell into each other's arms, clinging fiercely to one another.

"We have to save Emma...even if it means losing each other," she cried. He nodded, knowing she was right and his half heart was already aching.

"Mom...Dad...don't do this," Emma pleaded, as they knelt beside her.

"We have to, baby...we can't lose you," Snow cried, as she kissed her forehead.

"But we'll be cursed…" she reminded.

"We will...but I'll find you and Mom. I'll find all of you," David promised, as their other crying children huddled around them.

"He will babies...Daddy always finds us," Snow promised, as she sobbed and the twins hugged her for dear life.

"Dad...what's gonna happen to me and Summer? Will we be with you and Mom?" Bobby asked. Horror filled David's features, as he realized that their older children could be on their own, but Bobby and Summer were still kids.

"Dad...that's why you can't do this. You can't let them be alone out there," Emma pleaded.

"A bubble...maybe if Summer can use a bubble, it can keep them with at least one of you," Regina suggested.

"You've wasted enough time...cast the curse! Or your daughter dies!" Gothel demanded. Snow pulled away from her children and David helped her up, as they approached the cauldron, glaring at the smug faces of Clayton and Drizella across from it.

"You lose Charmings...true love is about to die again," Clayton said smugly.

"True love never dies, you bastard and we'll prove that again, just as we always do," Snow spat in return, as she sliced her hand with her dagger and then David's. They let their mixed blood drop into the cauldron and it activated the curse. Purple smoke billowed from it and began to rise into the air. The look on Gothel's face was one of pure victory.

"Yes...finally, my revenge is at hand!" she cackled, as the Charming family huddled together, all crying around Emma.

"This is a white elephant...take it. It will keep you and Alice together," Rumple said, handing it to Killian.

"Shouldn't we give this to young Bobby?" Killian questioned.

"Summer's bubbles can do the same thing this does," Rumple answered, as the former pirate spied Ella and Henry clinging to their daughter and each other in desperation. His heart sank and as much as he wanted to be with Alice, he knew Lucy needed her mother more. Alice knew it too and nodded sadly to him.

"I love you starfish...and I've been a part of this family long enough to know that...I will find you," he promised.

"Not if I find you first, papa...I love you too," she cried, as they hugged and he kissed her hair, before hurrying over to Ella and handing her the white elephant.

"Lucy is much younger...she needs her mother. Take it," he pleaded, as she looked at him with grateful eyes.

"Thank you," Henry cried. Killian nodded and clapped his shoulder, before hurrying back to Alice and Emma's side.

"It'll be all right, Emma...the pain will be gone soon," he promised, as he kissed her hand, as the curse reached full boil and it began to take the people, forming a literal bubble around them.

"It's here!" Killian cried.

"Summer...you have to put yourself and Bobby in a bubble!" Regina cried, as the winds of the Dark Curse whipped around them.

"What about you?! What about Mom and Dad?!" she cried.

"We'll be fine...but your parent's true love is the only hope for any of us! It could be up to you and Bobby to find them and bring them back together!" Regina cried, as she saw her parents, clinging to each other for dear life. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It was happening again...they were all going to be separated. Her older brothers and sisters huddled around her parents, while Bobby clung to her mother's legs, with her father's strong hand on his back. And Emma was moments from death, unless they were taken to a place without magic. She tried to make a bubble, but her magic faltered, for her emotions interfered and it was much harder since the curse was sucking all the magic out of the air.

"I...I can't…" she cried.

"You have to, baby...I know it's not fair," Regina said. Summer nodded and hugged her.

"I love you, Nana...I'll find you," she promised. Regina smiled.

"I know you will," she replied, as she prodded her toward her parents.

"Daddy…" she said tearfully, as he put his arm around her. She watched her parents look at each other and there had only been one other time she had seen them look so utterly broken. When Dr. Jekyll almost separated them when she was little.

"Charming…" Snow choked through a sob.

"I'll find you…" he promised tearfully.

"No...you won't…" Clayton interjected, as he stood there smugly with the others that were responsible for all this.

"See...we're not going to some inclusive town like your beloved Storybrooke. We're going to the real Land Without Magic; a very large city where there will be no hope of any of you reuniting," Clayton informed.

"You're lying!" Leo roared.

"No…I'm not, boy. There's no hope this time. No magic, which means no chalice and no true love," he retorted smugly. The looks of desperation and hopelessness in her parent's eyes frightened Summer to her very core. She clenched her eyes shut tightly and her bubble wavered, as she tried with all her might to summon her powers. She reached out and grabbed Bobby's hand, managing to encase him fully in the bubble and then herself partially in one. She clutched her father's shirt for dear life, while Bobby held onto Snow.

"We'll make you pay...I swear it," Emma said weakly. Gothel smirked.

"Oh...except you won't be there to do anything at all, dear Savior. You see, the Queen was right about one thing. Your parent's true love cannot truly be defeated. They may be separated and kept apart for a while, but despite what this idiot Collector thinks, they'll find each other somehow. In fact...I'm counting on it," Gothel revealed.

"What?" Snow uttered. She smirked.

"That's right...remember New York, dear Snow? Do you really think it was just the Olympian crystal was the only thing bringing magic to a land without? No...you and your Charming can do the same with the chalice and it's exactly what I need," Gothel revealed.

"Why?" David demanded to know. But she just kept smirking.

"That's my business, handsome. Just do what you do best...and find your darling Snow for me when we get there. Then I can begin the true retribution," she hissed. And they screamed, as Emma was pulled away from them and encased in a bubble, not unlike the one Cora had once used to keep herself and Killian from being taken by the first curse, for he recognized it instantly.

"No...Emma!" he cried, as he placed his hands on the barrier, but couldn't get through.

"It's okay…" Emma choked out weakly, as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I love you…" she uttered.

"I love you…" he responded, as she looked at her parents, who looked absolutely devastated.

"This is going to kill them when they remember...please look after them once you get your memories back," she requested. He nodded, even as he cried.

"I promise," he replied, as he put his hand on the barrier and then disappeared with the curse.

"EMMA!" Snow cried and her cry was agonizing.

"I love you guys...you're the best parents a kid could ever have," she said tearfully.

"EMMA!" David screamed, as he tried to use the chalice to nullify the barrier, but Gothel's magic was too powerful.

"It's okay Daddy...I'll be okay…" she promised, as her family, faces full of grief and anguish disappeared, along with the rest of her family and friends, until she was alone. The barrier disappeared at that point and anger at the witch that had done this to them swelled in her. But then she remembered something...Elsa. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff would be arriving later. If only she could survive long enough...maybe leaving her behind could prove to be an incredible error on Gothel's part. She crawled on her hands and knees into Tiana's castle. If she was going to survive long enough to get help, then she had to find a place to rest and take care of herself.

"You think you've won, Gothel...but you underestimated a Charming and that was your first mistake," she rasped.

"I'll find my family...and we'll defeat you," she promised.

~*~

Snow and David's eyes snapped open and they stared at each other in disbelief. The last thing they saw was their daughter, laying on the ground and dying before them. Snow's face crumpled in anguish and she fell against him, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Emma…" she cried in agony, as he cried with her.

"I'm so sorry, my darling...I failed. I failed us all," he sobbed with her. But she shook her head.

"No...you have never failed us, my love. None of this is your fault. It's that witch...she did this. She did all of this. That Doctor and the Collector helped, along with that little bitch, Drizella Tremaine," Snow said fiercely.

"They're going to pay...I swear to you, Snow. They're going to pay for what they've done to our family," David promised, just as fiercely.

"Revenge has never been our way," she said uncertainly.

"It's not revenge we're after...it's justice. Justice for our daughter...justice for separating this family. Justice for all the evil they have wrought. We will not become them...we will seek justice through the light," he promised.

"What do we do first?" she asked.

"We find the chalice...I think if anything can fix any of this, it's where we should start," he replied, as there was a knock at the door and she answered it.

"Regina…Gold," Snow said, as she let them in.

"We have a huge problem," she replied.

"What's happened now?" David asked.

"It's Lucy…" Weaver said gravely...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #Season 7 AU #Snowing centric season 7 #Hyperion Heights AU #Roni #Weaver #Rogers #Gothel #cursed Snowing #romance #adventure #family #finding you always #the epic continues

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enixamyram · 6 years

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After they go to Rogers apartment, and get ready for bed, Robin winces as she tries to take her jacket. She tries to hide it from Alice, as she is pretty sure her side is bruised from being thrown on the ground earlier.

As the door opened and the light switched on, Alice was surprised by howweak her knees felt when she stepped inside. She had been fine a few secondsago but now, she had a great whiff of her fathers lingering colonge and awarmth that hit as hard as a punch to the gut. In fact she shook so badly thatRobin immediately moved up behind her, sliding one arm around her waist whilethe other rested on her shoulder, gently guiding her past the living room intothe small bedroom that had become her own not more than a few months back.

A few months? Had it really been so long? It felt like just days agothat they were cursed, separated from one another in a world where she was allalone, just drifting through life without purpose. That had been a horribleexistence, but then it had gotten better somehow. It had been awful, but it hadled her and her father to live together and then she had shared beautiful dateswith Margot, aka Robin, and she had been almost happy. In fact, scratch that,she had been happy. She had an almostperfect life and now half that perfect life had been ripped away from her forthe second time.

“Come on,” Robin said, her voice a gentle whisper as she began to slowlyguide Alice towards the bed.

Alice slowly looked around the room. The room was so empty, with only afew of her personal posessions scattered inside, and yet it was truly her homebecause it was the room she had under the same roof as her father. Despiteeverything, this cursed life she had been given really wasn’t as terrible as ithad been for everyone else. Even if it started out that way, it ended up betterthan her real life had.

“You want to talk about it?” Robin asked, watching Alice with a worriedlook on her face.

“No.” Alice whispered. She walked over, kissing Robin gently and smilingsadly at her. “I just really want to go to bed and skip to tomorrow already.”

“Then let’s go to bed.” Robin nodded firmly.

Alice turned away from her and began to strip off her clothes, throwingher coat and her jacket down onto the floor without care. When she was ready, shestumbled towards the bed and glanced up in time to see Robin wincing as hepulled off her top. Underneath the strap of her bra by her right shoulder bladewas a frighteningly dark purple bruise.

“What is that?” Alice gasped, rushing over to her side.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Robin said, wincing and turning away only for Aliceto grab her arm and hold her still.

“Let me see,” Alice said, reaching and tracing her fingers over thebruise, frowning.

The bruise extended over her shoulder blade and tucked slightly underher arm, trailing halfway down her spine and stopping short just on the back ofher shoulder. There were a few scratches on her side like she had been dragged acrossa rough surface and Robin winced like even her gentlest touch caused her pain.It was then that Alice realised where the injury was from.

“Oh…” Alice gasped, taking a small step back.

“Alice, it’s fine.” Robin said, quickly, turning to face her. “Itdoesn’t even hurt.”

Alice ignored her. “I did that…” She whispered.

“No, it wasn’t you.” Robin said, clutching her face between her hands.“It was Gothel.”

“It was me.” Alice whimpered. “I hurt you.”

“No! Alice! It wasn’t you!” Robin grabbed her arms tightly; squeezingand making Alice listen to her. “It was Gothel! She did this! You would neverhurt me, I know that.”

Alice burst into harsh tears, not even hearing Robin’s kind words whenshe was talking right at her. All she could see was her hand lashing out andthrowing Robin backwards with a blast of magic and now the bruise, which wastaking up almost half of her poor back. She had done that. She had done that tothe one she loved. Alice had hurt her, and then she’d hurt her papa with theircurse. Now her papa was gone and Robin was hurt and it was all her fault.

She barely realised what was happening when Robin had wrapped her in herarms and pulled her close, calling to her the whole time about how it wasn’ther fault. She wanted to cling to her but was afraid of causing her more harm. Soinstead she curled her body against Robin’s, sobbing into her neck and tryingto make herself seem as small as possible, like that would undo the damage shecaused.

At some point Robin had moved to guide Alice to the bed, climbingbeneath the sheets and holding her close to her the whole time. She continuedto reassure her even knowing it wasn’t getting through and hoped Alice’s heavysobs were more from the shock of the day’s events than actual self blame. Shecouldn’t stand the idea of Alice suffering any more than she already head. AfterAlice had finally drifted to sleep house later, tears still clinging to hereyelashes, Robin gently brushed the hair from her face, making the decision rightthen to stay awake for her in case she had any nightmares at all during herslumber. Robin may not be able to kill Gothel or make her pay for everythingshe had done, for all the misery she had put her love through, but she coulddamn well protect Alice now that she was gone.

With that in mind, she pressed a gentle kiss to Alice’s still weak cheekand sat up slightly, leaning back against the headboard. She could have a napin the morning once she was sure Alice was alright.

Of course, a few hours later her eyes had given way and she was slumpedback down on the bed, unconsciously reaching back over and cuddling Aliceclosely and shielding her from the world even in her sleep.

#Curious Archer Short #Alice Jones #Robin Mills #OUAT 7x20 #Once Upon A Time #Curious Archer #Anonymous

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anonymouswriter2311 · 6 years

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My Robin, Chapter 15

Just a little warning, this chapter deals with some homophobia, apart from that it’s mainly just mad archer fluff and Neverland adventures!

The birds had just begun their morning sing-song high in the trees, the winds carried the soft hum of the river and crunching sounds of nuts being nibbled on by the small creatures above. The sun was low in the sky, not quite ready to say goodbye to the moon and take up their duties of the day, much like the two lovers who lay cuddled under their cloaks, arms tangled, faces pressed together, lips red and swollen from events of the night before. The archer was the first to stir, being used to early morning hunts she had seen the skies like these many times, but this time was more special, because this time she was seeing it with her true love, tucked safely in her arms snoring silently. Robin still couldn’t believe that she had managed to find someone like Alice, someone so kind and pure. Especially with all the things that life had thrown at her, she was still the most good-hearted person, that Robin had ever met -and she used to live in the same town as Snow White and Prince Charming- Alice was so much more than any words could describe, and Robin had tried, but none of them seemed to do her justice, she was just simply Alice. Not the girl from the stories that falls down a rabbit hole, -although Robin thought that she would probably end up doing that eventually on one of her travels no doubt- she was not just the girl who was forced to spend her life trapped in a tower, and she was just not the Guardian, the one to finally put the Dark One curse to rest. Yes, she had parts of those things in her, but that wasn’t who she was…she was Alice, Robin’s true love, Captain Hook’s daughter, the Wicked Witch’s future daughter in law, maybe. But right now, when Robin looked down at the peaceful blonde in her arms, she was just Alice, her Alice.

“Morning sunshine,” Robin whispered as she gently leaned down to kiss her lover sweetly, making the blonde stir slightly in her arms.

“Mmm…Morning.” Alice mumbled against Robin’s lips, gripping onto the archer undershirt tightly, trying to do the impossible and pull them closer together. “How early is it?” The blonde muttered as they pulled apart, prompting the blonde girl to cuddle up against the brunette once again.

“Pretty early, the sun isn’t even up properly yet.” The brunette spoke sweetly as she ran her fingers through the tattered blonde hair. “Do we have to get going? Or can we stay like this for a while?”

“We can stay like this forever…” Alice smiled as she moved to straddle the brunette, kissing her hungrily.

“Sounds good to me.” Robin moaned as Alice moved from her lips to her neck.

“I love you Nobin.” Alice stopped suddenly to say, still not over the fact that she could say those three words.

“Not as much as I love you.” The brunette coed, sweetly before flipping them over so that she was now on top.

“Cheater…” The blonde giggled as the archer attacked her neck with

“You love it!” Robin smirked, as she pinned the blonde’s hands above her head, as she stared hungrily at her love.

“Maybe I do…” Alice whispered as she wrapped her legs around the archer’s waist, pulling her closer. “Maybe I’m tired of waiting.” The blonde whispered against the brunette’s lips, before kissing her fiercely.

“Are you sure?” Robin’s eyes lit up as she pulled back, she needed to be sure before she ruined everything.

“I need you Robin…I’m sure.” Alice purred before she was attacked by Robin’s lips, all the pent-up frustration being poured into every kiss. Alice’s hand found there under the archer’s shirt, scraping her fingernails down the brunette’s bare back as she pulled them closer, melting together, both willing and ready to take this next step…that was until an arrow flew by, just missing Robin’s head.

In a flash, Robin threw herself off the blonde and reached for her bow and quiver, only to find that both seemed to be missing, “What the heck?” Robin cursed, as she finally turned to come face to face with their attackers.

“Looking for this?” Both girls gasped in surprise, as they looked up at the man that haunted Alice’s nightmares sometimes. Standing tall, with Robin’s bow in hand and a giant smirk plastered on his face. “Miss me?”

“You! Give me my bow back!” Robin hissed through gritted teeth, at the man who had led the angry mob of villagers after them, the man who had locked them up and chased them through the forest, a few months ago.

“I knew you were a bunch of troll lovers…but this!” The man spat, as Robin helped Alice to her feet. “This is just disgusting…”

“And what’s it to you?!” Robin moved to walk towards the man but was quickly stopped by Alice’s hand on her arm.

“Robin don’t…giving into bullies never achieves anything.” The blonde whispered.

“That may be true, but punching this jerk in the face will make me feel a whole lot better!” The brunette violently whispered back, before taking a deep breath and smiling gently at the blonde. “Sorry, I’ll leave the punching to my mind and not his face,” Robin mumbled calmly as she shrugged out of Alice’s hold and stepped towards the man. “Give me what’s mine and then leave.”

“You kind of people make me sick! I thought we had run you lot out of town, seems I was wrong.” The man spat, ignoring every word that Robin said.

“Seems like this realm missed the pride memo.” Robin mumbled sarcastically to herself, “Look, I’m not interested in fighting with you again, you have your beliefs, I have mine. So can you just gave me my stuff back so we can all get on our way and hopefully never see each other again?”

“People like you don’t deserve to walk these realms freely. If it was up to me, I’d lock you all up in a tower and throw away the key!” The man spat, pushing Robin violently.

“What the hell is your problem? Is your life that lonely and pathetic, that you spend your time trying hurt people?” Alice spoke up, shocking the pair.

“And the crazy speaks. Thought you were going to stay hiding behind your pretty little girlfriend here.” The vile man winked at Robin, only angering the blonde woman more and more.

“Don’t you dare even look at her! People like you don’t even deserve to breathe the same air as someone like her!” Alice moved to run at the man, but she was thankfully stopped by Robin quickly grabbing her waist and lifting her to stand behind her.

“What is a pretty girl like you doing wasting your life with a crazy bitch like her?!” He spat taking a step towards Robin, who clenched her fists in anger. “Come with me and I’ll show you how a real man could make you feel.”

“Really? You could help cure me?” Robin played dumb as she stepped closer to the man, swallowing the disgust as she allowed him to take her hand.

“And this will all be some nightmare left in the past. What do you say?” He smiled to himself, actually believing that he had won Robin over.

“Well, how could I possibly say no to such an amazing offer.” Robin coed, as she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe like this.” The brunette whispered, before bringing her knee up violently, smashing it into his privates.

“You bitch!” He cried out as he fell to his knees in pain, allowing Robin the chance to grab her bow and quiver from his hold.

“I suggest that you walk away before I do something else you’ll regret!” The brunette spat at the shivering man, who nodded weakly. “Coming Tower Girl? I believe we have a date to get underway.” Robin winked as she extended her hand to the now calm blonde.

“Can’t wait!” Alice chirped before placing a small peck on Robin’s lips, taking great pleasure in the moan of disgust that came from the injured man.

“You two will regret this!” The man shouted as the two girls jumped onto their horse.

“We’re shivering in our gay boots! Have fun icing your balls!” Robin shouted as she took off on the horse, Alice happily tucked behind the archer this time.

***

The cave where Wendy brought them to was dark, wet and smelt like a mermaid’s toilet. The magic that Regina and Zelena possessed was ripped from them and Hook’s ability to fight dampened. The three prisoners stood huddled together, Hook holding them both protectively as the effect’s of their loss of magic took its toll on their bodies.

“It won’t last forever. Only until you leave my home.” The young girl appeared in a puff of yellow smoke, sitting on a throne of rocks.

“This wasn’t part of the deal!” The pirate spat, as Zelena pushed herself out of the man’s hold, able to regain control over her body, considering this wasn’t the first time she had been drained of her magic.

“I swear if you do anything to hurt us…”

“Silence…I brought you here because the trees can’t be trusted.” Wendy shouted as she jumped down from her throne to face the trio. “The Lost Boys, they never accepted me as their ruler, not really anyway.”

“I don’t care if you can’t seem to keep a bunch of children under control, tell us what you need from us!” Regina snapped, still holding onto Hook’s arm as she took a step towards the girl.

“I need to show them who the real ruler is…and for me to do that, I need you to find this,” Wendy smirked as she pulled out a tattered piece of parchment paper, with a badly drawn stone scribbled on it.

“A rock? You essentially kidnapped us, because you want us to find a bloody rock!” Zelena snapped, having to hold herself back before she did something she would regret.

“You have not been kidnapped by me…you are all welcome to leave whenever you want!” The honey blonde girl smirked as a doorway appeared in front of Zelena. “But, then you won’t know what Gothel has planned for Alice Jones and Robin Mills…”

“We get this rock, and you tell us everything?” Hook questioned, his face dropping at the mere mention of his daughter.

“That’s the plan, but if you think this task too…mundane for you, I’ll happily just take this little potion. Erasing the encounter with dear Gothel from my mind entirely.” Wendy giggled as she played with the small vile in her hand. “So, do we have a deal or not?”

“Aye, we have a deal.” Hook answered before any of the women he was traveling with had a chance to speak. “Where can we find this rock of yours?”

***

The two girls rode in silence down the deserted road, neither knowing what to say about the events of their morning. They had come so close to finally being together, there was so much want and desperation in their kisses, so much love and lust in their touches and so much promise and hunger in their breathless words. But all that was crushed, when that pig-headed idiot appeared. It wasn’t the first time Robin had been a victim of that kind of bullying, Storybrooke wasn’t exactly a very accepting place, but she had thought things would be different here. This was supposed to be the place where true love wins, and magic exists, so what was so wrong with two girls loving each other?

“You okay?” Alice mumbled against Robin’s back, pulling the brunette from her horrible daydream filled with all the heartache and homophobia that she assumed was waiting for them at every corner.

“Yeah…just thinky,” Robin replied quietly with a shrug of her shoulders.

“I’m sorry.” The blonde whispered, just loud enough for the brunette in front of her to hear, prompting her to stop the horse in its tracks and jump off.

“What could you possibly need to be sorry for?” Robin paced as she waited for the blonde to get off the horse, both of them wanting to get this conversation out of the way before they reached their destination.

“I’m sorry that…” Alice looked down, embarrassed for causing a scene in the middle of the forest. “I’m sorry that I’m not a man!” The blonde shouted before hiding her face in her hands.

“What? Why would you think that I wanted you to be a man?” Robin couldn’t help but let out a small giggle, as she forced the girl to remove her hands from her face. “Is this because of what happened with that jerkwad?” Alice gave her a watery smile, before nodding slightly.

“Things like that would never have happened if one of us were a man.” Alice kicked the ground, she didn’t understand why people like him didn’t accept her, why she had been afraid to tell her own Papa that she was into girl’s and not guy’s. She wasn’t stupid, she knew what a being a lesbian meant in the enchanted forest, it meant strangers staring at you, it meant being alone. But she thought she had gotten past all that when she met Robin when she kissed Robin. She knew that she wouldn’t be alone anymore, she just thought that they could be just like any other couple.

“If one of us were a man, then we wouldn’t be us,” Robin replied simply, reaching out to touch the smaller woman’s hand gently. “I could have dated a guy if I wanted to…but I didn’t, because I don’t care about what other people say. I like girls, it’s part of who I am and if people don’t like it then screw them!” The brunette pulled the blonde into her arms abruptly, causing her to let out a squeak.

“You really don’t care about the looks we’ll get when we hold hands in public, or the whispers when we share a small kiss?” Alice mumbled as she relaxed into her archer’s arms, allowing the taller girl to sway gently with her.

“Nope!” Robin said with a pop. “None of that matters to me, as long as I’ve got you by my side.”

“You really mean that?”

“With all my heart.” Robin winked, “We are probably going to come across people like him our whole lives, but as long as we are happy together, they can’t do anything to hurt us.” The brunette promised, before dipping her head to capture the blonde’s lips with her own.

“I just wish that we didn’t have to fight to be happy…” Alice mumbled as she cradled her head in Robin’s chest.

“Me too, Tower Girl…and one day, maybe we won’t.” Robin kissed blonde hair as they stayed holding each other for a little while longer.

***

“This is the last time you get to make a decision for the group pirate!” Zelena hissed through gritted teeth, her skin green with sickness as the small rowboat rocked against the frightening waves.

“It was for our daughters! And I’d happily do it again if it meant they stayed safe.” The one-handed man spat back, as the rowed carefully.

“Will you two quit it! We’ve come this far, we can’t let a child come between us! Let’s just get what she wants, find out what she knows and then get off this horrible island!” Regina snapped, thoroughly annoyed with her two traveling companions bickering.

“Fine.” “Aye okay.” The two said in unison.

“Are we nearly at Skull Island? The sooner we retrieve the stupid stone the better!” Zelena moaned, thinking back to the conversation they had just been forced to have with Wendy.

“I think we’re here,” Regina spoke quietly, nodding towards the large skull-shaped rock floating on the sea.

“Just as I remember it…” Hook muttered to himself, as the little rowboat neared the shore of the rock island. “Keep your wits about you, nothing good has ever come from this place and I’ve got a feeling that’s why that little missy sent us here instead of her.”

“Always the brains of the operation, aren’t ya Hook.” Regina rolled her eyes as she accepted his help to step out of the boat.

“If you don’t want my expertise, just say the word.” The pirate shot back playfully, knowing that Regina was only messing with him.

“Now, why would I do that? We wouldn’t want our favorite pirate to feel left out, would we?” The brunette teased right back, as Zelena looked on smugly. She couldn’t believe how easily her sister had gotten along with this version of Hook, considering how much she disliked the other one.

“If you two are quite finished. Let’s find this Power Stone or whatever it’s called.” The redhead proclaimed before strutting off into the dark cave. “So pirate, where is this little stone hidden?”

“It says here, it’s hidden in the eye of the heart.” Hook spoke as he pulled out the tattered piece of parchment.

“The eye of the heart? What can’t you pirates be straightforward?” Regina moaned, as she used her magic to light up the cave.

“Why don’t we split up?” Zelena suggested, mimicking her sister's actions.

“Like that’s gone so well for us in the past,” Hook muttered, earning a scowl from the redhead.

“And to think I was just starting to like you!” Zelena spat playfully, knowing that all of them were running on nothing, completely exhausted and frustrated with their current situation. “What do you suggest then pirate?”

“Why don’t we follow these?” The pirate mumbled as he held the torch up to strange markings that littered the walls, leading up to a small corner just below the right eye of the skull.

“Always the smart arse, aren’t you Captain!” The one-handed Captain scowled at the familiar voice of his former nemesis filled the cave.

“Pan…”

“Nice to see you too, Hook.” The young boy smirked as he came into the light. “Now, what brings you to my humble little home?” Pan asked, taking a step towards the group, only to be stopped by the sharp blade cold against his neck.

“I haven’t forgotten our last encounter, or what I said would happen if I ever saw your smug face ever again!” The pirate spat, putting pressure on the boy’s neck.

“Seems only fitting that you’d be the one to end me, once and for all.” Pan smiled sadly at his old enemy. “Get it over with Captain!”

“Wait!” Zelena shouted before Hook delivered the final blow, prompting the pirate to stop before hitting his target. “We need him!”

“Aye…” Hook muttered, lowering his sword. “What do you know of this?” He asked, pulling out the parchment paper for the young boy.

“What use would a man like you, have with a stone like that?” The boy’s eyes lit up as he snatched the paper off the pirate.

“Do you know where it is or not?!” Hook snapped, raising his sword once again.

“Temper, temper Captain!” Pan laughed, as he circled the man. “I can give you what you desire,” The boy smirked, with a flick of his wrist a dark stone appeared, replacing his right eye with a glowing hole.

“How do we know it’s not just one of your little tricks?” Regina questioned as the boy held out the stone for Hook to take.

“What could I possibly gain from this? That bitch has me trapped he! Forced to watch as she runs my island into the ground!” The boy grew frustrated.

“Wendy? She’s the one who trapped you?” Hook asked, stepping closer to the two women behind him, just in case Pan was to try and strike.

“She’s one of them! Her and that monster Gothel, they imprisoned me! But not before they could get their hands on this!”

“The stone...it’s the key!” Zelena reached out, quickly plucking the stone from the boy’s hand.

“She sent you here, didn’t she?” Pan asked rhetorically, smirking at the trio. “Whatever you do, you have to swear that you’ll take the stone and leave! Gothel can never get her hands on this!”

“Why should we trust you! You’ve only ever led me astray before!” Hook shouted, as they cave began to glow, light bouncing off of every surface.

“If there was one thing I was loyal to, it was the stone! Find the rest, that is the key to stopping her!” Pan shouted as the light began to engulf him. “Goodbye, old friend...find them!”

“Where did he…” Zelena was the first to speak when the lights finally settled. “Is he?”

“Dead? Aye...and we need to get off this bloody island before that witch gets us!” Hook shouted as they clung to each other allowing Regina’s magic to teleport them to the Jolly Roger.

***

“Okay, so what it lacked in candy apples, it definitely made up for in festival games!” Robin smiled happily, as she handed the small plush fox over to the blonde.

“For me? But you won it!” The blonde asked in confusion, as she tried to hand the small fox back.

“I won it for you silly!” The brunette laughed, before pulling the blonde into her arms and placing a small peck on her wanting lips, blissfully ignoring any strange looks they received from passersby.

“Thank you, I love it!” Alice cuddled into Robin, as they walked through the small streets filled with vendors and market stalls. “What do you want to do next?”

“Honestly? I saw a little inn a few streets back…” Robin teased, thinking back to their morning together.

“Oh really? And what would we want with an inn? When we’ve got the whole forest at our disposal.” Alice played coy, as she snuggled closer.

“Alice, I love you...but I don’t think my back could survive another night sleeping on the ground!” Robin moaned, pulling Alice into a nearby alleyway. “And I don’t feel like being interrupted again.” The brunette purred as she hungrily attacked the blonde's lips, pinning her against the wall.

“About that…” Alice mumbled, afraid to look Robin in the eye.

“Hey, talk to me.” The brunette placed a gentle finger under the blondes chin, gripping it slightly as she tilted her head upwards.

“I...I’m kind of glad that we got interrupted. I know that I said that I was ready, but…”

“Alice, my love. I told you, you don’t ever have to worry about telling me stuff like that! If you're not ready yet, I’m perfectly content with just spending the night with you in my arms.” Robin smiled the brightest of smiles at her red-faced lover, before kissing her passionately. “I love you, with every piece of me and I will wait as long as you need me to.”

“I love you too My Robin.” Alice beamed, as she stole a kiss from her archer. “Now, about that inn?”

AO3

FanFiction.net

#My Robin #madarcher #mad archer #curious archer #curious archer ff #robin mills #alice x robin #robin hood #alice jones #alice in wonderland #Peter Pan #Hook #zelena mills #regina mills #wendy darling #once upon a time #once upon a time ff

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scottish-purple-shrubbery · 6 years

Text

The Ghost King in the land of Sun

Chapter 1

(first shot at fanfics. please be nice :) )

Summary: life has been great for Rapunzel since she found her family. granted not everything has gone smoothly, with her not knowing everything about being a princess but she was making it work. even getting her long golden hair back didn’t cause her too much worry, she was with people she knew loved her. it was going fine till she met someone that seemed to not be from her world.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

“Thanks Cassandra,” Rapunzel sighed as she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air around them. “I needed a day out.”

Her short haired handmaid/personal warrior laughed and gilded her horse around a puddle in the road. “Believe me, Raps - I also needed a break from Eugene’s winning.”

Giving her a look of reproach she trusted Max to guild them out of the muck, “He wasn’t winning… just vocal with his complaints.”

Snorting Cassandra shot back, “A pretty way to say winning.”

Rapunzel huffed, unable to dispute that. Her boyfriend had been quite loud for the past few days, complaining about the onslaught of rain that had been falling on the kingdom, saying that it was almost as bad as snow. It still hasn't cleared up but it had leased enough for Rapunzel and Cassandra to consider an outing. With cloaks keeping them from the damp the two of them were about an hours ride from the castle, enjoying not being cooped up inside.

Suddenly feeling a spur of giddy energy Rapunzel sent her friend a cheeky grin. “Race you to the farms!” then without any other warning kicked Max into a gallop, who complied with a joyous whinny.

“Are you sure that the best idea?” Cassandra started but Rapunzel and Max were already out of earshot. With nothing else to she followed after her charge. The rain made the run slippery and the two of them had a harder time seeing where they were going but Rapunzel let out a whoop of joy as they reached the top of a hill with her contagious laughter gilding her friend down the hill. She continued to voice her merriment till Max did an exaggerated stop next to a old farmhouse that she’d labeled the finishing point.

Still smiling broadly Rapunzel jumped off of Max and turned to scratch his chin, congratulating him on a wonderful run. He tossed his head at her as if to say, what did you expect? However he quickly lowered his neck for more scratches.

Cassandra came up to them more slowly and stop alongside them. Cassandra looked the Princess over and raised a brow. “Your going to need a bath.”

Rapunzel blinked then glanced down, her bare feet were covered in mud and her legs had splatters on them. Unable to hold back a snort she grinned at her friend, “Bubbles.”

Cassandra groaned and glared at her. “We’re using less bubble soap this time.”

Rapunzel laughed at her decree remembering the last time she’d had a bubble bath. She’d been in awe of it all, since Mother Gothel had never spent a penny on sure luxuries. The first time she saw them Rapunzel had dived into it still with her dress on and proceeded to add more of the soap into the water. She’d flooded the whole bathroom with bubbles.

No longer being able to be stern with her charge Cassandra rolled her eyes and tugged at her rains, “Come on, we should be getting back to the Castle.

“In a bit.” Rapunzel promised and started for the broken down gate for the farmhouse.

“Raps no, we need - uuuurrrrggg!” Cassandra groaned and dismounted, “Why does she have to explore everything she comes across?” However despite her grumbling she followed her princess in to the old house. The rotting wooden floors cracked as the two of them entered the main space, where furniture and household items lay abandoned.

Going over to the cold hearth Rapunzel dusted an ratty doll whose crimson yarn hair was starting to fall out. “It looks like they just… left. Do you know what happened to them?”

Cassandra sighed and looked around the desolate building. “The kingdom can’t provide for everyone.” she answered sadly then walked over the fire picker and curiously picked up an old sword that was propped up there. Wiping the dust off she squinted at the metal, “Odd shape for a sword,” she muttered and ran her glove down the leaf like shape of the blade. “And this looks like bronze. There haven’t been any bronze swords made in years. Everyone switched to steel and iron.” Watching her Rapunzel shrugged as Cassandra backed up and started to swing it experimentally. The familiar swoosh filled the air as she swung but stopped when she hear a curious hum coming from the weapon and blinked when it glowed a bit in the dim light.

“Stranger and stranger,” she muttered and swung it again, the hum becoming stronger. Frowning she took off her glove and ran her finger over it, flinched a bit when the sword dug a bit too deep into her flesh. A drop of blood fell from her finger and hit the tiles around the hearth. Rapunzel gasped but she waved away her concern. Bringer her finger to her mouth she stopped the scratch from bleeding and muttered, “Its so old but still sharp…”

As Cassandra frowned at it Rapunzel approached her, “Can I see it?”

“Raps, it's a sword. Your better with a - alright, take it from my hands; go ahead.” Cassandra huffed as the princess lifted it so she could look closer at it. Crossing her arms she watched Rapunzel clumsily swing it, causing the hum again. She did it a couple of times then finally let the ring fade out. “Hum,” she huffed and shrugged.

Shaking her head Cassandra took it from her, “We can examine it later, Varain would love to take a look at it. We should be getting back to the castle.”

“Fiiiine.” Rapunzel huffed and followed her outside, where it was still raining. They had just mounted again when an eerie wail started to surround them. Clutching the rains Rapunzel looked around, “Does this normally happen when it rains a lot?”

Looking around Cassandra's face tightened. “No,” she admitted causing a shiver to crawl up Rapunzel's spine.

Clearing her throat she hunched in the saddle, “I think your right. Let's get back to the castle.” Cassandra nodded and they both urged their horses forwards. It rode in silence for a bit, granted it was hard to talk as that wail rose and fell around them. They had just gotten back onto the road then fog descended on them and they couldn’t see anything more then a few paces.

“Great.” Cassandra took the lead with a huff and looked back at her friend, “We’ll be fine as long as we go slow. I know you’re not used to traveling in fog; just make sure that you can see me.” she smiled when she got the small nod that she was hopping for then Cassandra started to lead them back home.

They hadn’t gone for then a few meters when an unearthly scream shook the air, causing their horses to prance and whinny. Max quickly gained his head again and looked around for an enemy if there was one. Cassandra followed his example, drawing her sword as they stood their ground. Tightening her grip on the hilt Cassandra searched for anything in the fog.

They sat there in strained silence then a dark shape moved and Cassandra sprang off her horse and drew her sword down in a quick slice, making Rapunzel jump when there was a metallic clang. Cassandra bounced back and help her sword ready, “Who’s there?”

“You’re not a Empousa,” was her answer as the fog parted enough so the two woman could see their attacker. They both blinked when a young man stood there, blood dripping freely from his sword arms as he lowered his weapon. He looked half-dead with his skin a shocking pale and eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Shocked by his appearance Cassandra slightly lowered her sword. “Emmwhatta? What’s that?”

Frowning the boy blinked a couple of times, mouthing something but he stumbled and had to use his sword as a crutch. “How can a daughter of Aries not know a Empousa?” he slurred before his legs gave out from under him and he fell onto his side.

“Daughter of Aries?” Cassandra muttered then gasped when Rapunzel slipped from her saddle. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The princess looked at her reproachfully as she knelt next to the small swordsman. “He’s hurt.” Then before Cassandra could answer she placed a gentle hand on his heaving chest, “Are you alright?”

Black eyes sliding towards her the boy huffed, “Do I look alright?” then surging upwards he tried to stand. “I have to catch it, before it hurts anyone else.”

“Whoa,” Rapunzel clutched his shoulder and forced him down, “You’re not going anywhere like this.”

He groaned in pain as he flopped back down and looked at her again, his eyes trailing her long hair. Smirking slightly he muttered, “You must be a child of Apollo…” before his eyes rolled back and he went limp in her arms.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

#tangled series #rapunzel #cassandra #nico di angelo #pjo #my writing #fanfic #tangled varian #TGKitLoS #The Ghost King in the Land of Sun

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kingreywrites · 3 years

Text

Before Something Breaks (that cannot be fixed)

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 6843

Summary: She can't bet Eugene's survival on her hope, Rapunzel understands with a start. It's as if time resumes its course, and suddenly she realises that Eugene is still alive, still fighting and she needs to do something.

Or Eugene doesn't bleed out quite as fast as he does in the movie. Rapunzel desperatly tries to save him.

Note: HAPPY TANGLED ANNIVERSARY!! I’ll spare you my half-coherent sappy speech, just know that I love this movie and this fandom with my whole heart and that my life wouldn’t be the same without it :’) I hope you like this story, and have a great day!!

Read on ao3

Her mother's yell echoes for what feels like forever. Some part of her brain whispers that she should call her Gothel, because she was never her mother, but that only makes her eyes sting with tears of pain and fear and anger. The window she had spent her childhood looking out appears dim and frightening now, and she wonders what she would see, if she looked down this time. She wonder what mother- Gothel- she wonders if she's-

Eugene, her mind screams, shaking her from her thoughts. "Eugene," she repeats out loud, turning towards him quickly, and her blood freezes when she sees him lying prone and motionless on the ground.

She doesn't think as she hosts him up in her lap - she can't think beyond the terror gripping her. Eugene is too limp, too heavy, and her ears are buzzing too loudly for her to hear herself repeat "no" over and over again, as if she can say it enough for him to listen.

His cheek is still warm when she touches it lightly, unsure of what she can even do. When Eugene coughs, the sound feeble and pained, her relief tastes like poison. He's hurt, and she can't- she can't- His head lolls to the side again, and she feels like she can't breathe.

"Look at me," she pleads, intimately aware that she's the only thing keeping his head up, that he doesn't seem able to even open his eyes. "Look at me Eugene," she repeats, "I'm right here." She brushes his hair away with her trembling hands and trembling voice, hoping he can hear her, that she can comfort him just as much he did her before he… Before he cut her hair, and doomed himself for her.

He doesn't open his eyes. Rapunzel feels like she's dying along with him, because that's the only thing that could explain the terrible pain building up in her chest.

"Don't go, stay with me Eugene," she begs him, before begging the universe to listen to her one last time.

She takes his hand in hers, ignores how cold and unresponsive it is, brings it to her hair and sings. She sings, and hopes against hope that everything will be alright, that her gift will answer to her like it did all her life. It has never been as important as today. She's falling apart at the second line, because she knows it's not working. When she sang the incantation, the warmth always built from within her, before her hair started to glow but now... Now she's cold. Empty. She keeps going against the sobs that violently try to escape, keeps going despite her hope abandoning her - but Eugene whispers her name, and she stops for him. Of course she does.

His eyes are open now, but she can see how hard he's struggling to keep it that way. He does it for her, and she knows that. Knows that once again, he's fighting his own pain and fear to be with her, to reassure her. His hand has slipped from her hair to her face, and though she's still the only thing keeping it raised, Eugene's fingers twitch as he tries to cup her cheek. Her eyes are welling up, burning with an emotion she can't admit yet, but she blinks the tears out as best as she can to look at him.

He seems tired. He seems scared. He's obviously in pain, his face too pale when she remembers it glowing warmly under the light of the lanterns.

"You were my new dream," he breathes out, and it feels like the world is crashing down around her, because her heart bursts with love and terror and sorrow, all at the same time. She wonders if this is grief. Wonders if there's anything she can do to fix this.

"And you were mine," she whispers, because that's the only thing she can say. She hopes he understands everything she's trying to tell him here; hopes he knows that the lanterns suddenly pale in comparison to the joy and love he makes her feel, and that she's never felt as strongly about anything before. She holds his hand as tightly as she dares, deathly afraid of hurting him.

Eugene smiles. Rapunzel's heart is bleeding, even if no one can see it.

He opens his mouth, trying to say something else, but a deep, rattling cough interrupts him, and he grows even paler. She didn't think it was possible. His expression twists with the pain, and Rapunzel is hit by the weight of her own inability to help him. What is she, now that she's not useful? What does her dearly desired freedom mean, faced with the loss of the man she already loves so deeply?

Eugene's hand feels heavier than her hair ever was, when she carefully lays it next to him. His breathing is laboured, and she can hear his lungs straining against the shock settling over his body. Her hands hover above his wound, and her first thought is that she should try to finish her song, that maybe- maybe-

She can't bet Eugene's survival on her hope, she understands with a start. It's as if time resumes its course, and suddenly she realises that Eugene is still alive, still fighting and she needs to do something. She can't spend that precious time wallowing. She takes another look at his wound, trying to think about what she can do now that she doesn't have any magic left. His gasps of pain break her heart a little more, and she knows she needs to think quickly.

She remembers that, when she had been drawing in the public place, a little girl had fallen, and hurt her knee. Rapunzel had touched her hair worriedly, because she had felt guilty that she couldn't help, and Eugene, who had immediately noticed, had assured her that people healed naturally. "Sure, magic is quicker," he had added jokingly, "but doctors have learned to do without it for a while now."

Doctors. She needs to find help.

Her mind is muddled, going through every of her possibilities, though the first one she rejects outright is leaving Eugene alone and hurt while she seeks help. She might be faster by herself, but if he- if he's alone when- she refuses to leave him. There's only one thing left to do, and it's taking him with her to the Kingdom - her Kingdom. She may not know much about Corona, or royalty, but she knows being the Lost Princess will mean that they'll help her.

Most importantly, that they'll help Eugene.

Looking around, she gets up quickly to grab the closest tool she finds, brushing off the tears from her eyes. She would cry later; for now, she raises her hammer and strikes as hard as she can on the chain of the manacles. Her wrists are still burning from her time being bound; she had fought, of course she had, panic and horror in her throat because it was her mother and nothing made sense anymore, but she hadn’t managed to get free. She finds a sick comfort in striking the metal over and over again now, muscles hurting and arms trembling from the adrenaline.

The chain finally breaks. Rapunzel is shivering, but she can't stop to think about it. She pats Eugene's face as tenderly as possible, and he opens his eyes to a slit - but he doesn't seem able to meet her gaze. His skin is cold and clammy, and Rapunzel feels like crying, but she doesn't have the time for that.

"This is going to hurt," she whispers, loud in the silence of her broken childhood home. "I'm sorry."

His lips twitch, but he doesn't answer - she'll probably never know what he was trying to say. She takes one of his arms and passes it around her shoulders, this motion enough to make him whimper in pain. She repeats how sorry she is, again as she makes him sit up and he cries out, again as she gets them both standing in one swift movement, again as she sees a tear slips through his tightly closed eyes.

And again. And again. And again, because Eugene can't even hold himself up, and she feels his blood flowing under the palm of her hand, and he's hurt, terribly hurt, and it's all her fault. Now look what you've down Rapunzel, she thinks bitterly as each step of the staircase she had only discovered today feels like torture. The soft moans of pain coming from Eugene are preferable to his silence, but it's a terrible kind of preference. It means that he's alive, and that he's suffering, all because she was too gullible, too naive to see beyond her mother's lies.

She stumbles, nearly makes them fall, and the wrenched noise coming from Eugene is enough to make her dissolve in excuses and void reassurances, but it's not enough. It won't be enough until she saves him - but this thought is enough to spur her into motion again.

She's breathing heavily for the last steps, and Eugene is too, for different reasons. She doesn't feel like she'll be able to survive the abominable fear within her heart, not when she can hear how laboured and pained his breaths are. If he dies-

Maximus meets her at the base of the tower, looking scared. He startles when he sees Eugene barely hanging onto her shoulder, blood starting to stain the top of his trousers, and nothing of the confident thief he had spent these last years chasing. Rapunzel takes another step, and Maximus comes closer quickly, kneeling to make it easier for her and Eugene to climb.

She helps Eugene sit down first, before moving his right leg on the other side of the saddle. She sees as he clumsily tries to help, but he's too weak, and immediately starts to fall sideways - she keeps him sitting up as best as she can, and apologises again when a too sudden move makes him cry out softly. There's not enough apologies in the world to make this better. She sits down behind him, letting him rest against her chest, his hair tickling her neck as his head lolls on her shoulder. She holds him tightly, and tries to ignore the blood on her hands, and her dress, and Max's usually stark white coat.

She hears a squeak, and turns to see Pascal climbing next to her, looking sad and worried. Just like that, her guilt grows even bigger, because she nearly forgot her best friend in her panic; but Pascal pats her hand gently, settles on her thigh, and she knows she can't focus on that right now.

Maximus stands up again, and he takes off, going more quickly than Rapunzel ever went in her life. She has never ridden a horse before, but there's no joy to be found in the wind whipping through her hair and the scenery racing past her - she doesn't even notice these things. She's too busy listening to Eugene's raspy breathing, muttering comforting words that she's not sure he can hear, and praying, praying for everything to be alright.

She wants to believe in their happy ending. She wants to believe that unfairness has an end, that there is a kindness in the world that her mother had never seen, and that she deserves it. Rapunzel is tired of sacrifices.

She holds Eugene in her arms, and knows that she can neither wait nor give up on this new dream. She thinks about the future; thinks about it as much as she can when it feels like it's slipping through her fingers; and she knows that no matter what, she wants Eugene to be a part of it. She's certain already that the feeling blooming in her heart is love, that Eugene makes her feel seen and loved, and she doesn't want to go back to an existence without him. In three days, he gave her more than she had ever expected from life; he gave her comfort, and friendship, and trust. He gave her confidence, and pushed her to see that her life didn't have to stop at the lanterns, that she deserved more than what she had. He gave her the courage to stand up for herself, to reclaim the freedom that was taken from her so long ago.

And he gave her his life, too, or tried to, and now her only wish is to give it back. So she keeps Eugene nestled against her, and begs Maximus to go faster, knowing that he can't. Max still tries.

There's an irony in her place of birth being so close to her prison, but Rapunzel doesn't notice it, too busy panicking because she thought Eugene had stopped breathing. One hand under his neck, she seeks his heartbeat, and tries not to tremble when she finds it weak and uneven.

But Eugene is still breathing. It's an obvious struggle, but he does it. "It's gonna be okay," she whispers again, adjusting her grip on him. She can't let him fall. She won't let him die. "I'll save you. I promise."

Eugene doesn't answer. She knew he wouldn't, but it hurts nonetheless, because Eugene loves to talk, and tell dramatic stories, and laugh. She wants him to be able to do it again. She wants him to talk to her again, selfishly perhaps. She wants him to tell another stupid joke, and feel a smile so big on her face that it hurts her cheeks. She wants him to look at her again like she holds the universe in her eyes, she wants- she wants-

Maximus enters the kingdom at full speed, and she hears startled screams all around her as they rush through the streets.

"Halt!" someone yells, and Rapunzel sees the golden armours of the guards from the corner of her eyes, catching the sunlight as they run to corner them. Maximus is smarter than them, however, and manages to escape their strategy easily enough.

"It's Rider!" she hears too, the surge of protectiveness and anger within her another incentive to keep going, if she even needed one. She won't let anyone hurt Eugene more.

The horse's jumps and sharp turns save their lives, but make the travel rough, and Eugene's grunts of pain feel way louder and accusatory to Rapunzel than the chaos going on around them. Her hands are trembling. Her dress clings to her left leg because of the blood that Eugene is still losing, and the sensation is enough to make her want to cry, but she can't. Not now.

Maximus comes to a stop in front of the castle's doors, and what feels like hundreds of soldiers point arrows and spears at them. Rapunzel knows she can't be afraid.

"Rider! You!" a man shouts, and she recognises him as the one who ordered the soldiers around earlier. Their Captain? He's red with anger as he looks at them. "Both of you get down from this horse, you're under arrest!"

"I need help," Rapunzel says loudly, hating the tremors she can hear in her own voice. "He's hurt, and he needs a doctor."

The Captain pauses, his eyes not leaving Eugene, before a surprised smile appears on his face. "Well, at least he's gonna be easier to arrest that way. He's condemned to death anyway."

Eugene moans. She was holding him too tight. She breathes out an apology, and hopes he can't hear how furious she is. Still on Maximus, she towers above all these men, and feels the way her short hair moves with the wind as she raises herself up even more.

"You're going to let us through, and get us a doctor," Rapunzel orders harshly, "because I am the Lost Princess."

A heavy silence follows her declaration. For the first time, the Captain stops glaring at Eugene and looks at her, truly looks at her. She sees the mirth in his eyes slowly turns into awe, as shock, horror and a multitude of emotions play on his face. Rapunzel wonders if she looks like the mother she had seen on the mosaic, royal and graceful as she held her baby, strength shining in her delicate features; she wonders if she looks like the father at her side, eyes hard as he watched over those he loved, ready to protect them at any cost.

She knows that her eyes are as green as they were back then.

Chatters erupt among the soldiers, hiding the noise from the Captain's sword hitting the ground. His voice, however, cuts through the crowd easily.

"Lower your weapons."

"What-" "Cap!" "But-"

"I gave you an order!" Rapunzel feels like her entire body is buzzing with anxiety. The weapons are lowered. "Maximus, get them to the infirmary."

Just like that, they are moving again, the guards letting them go through the door. Rapunzel hears the Captain order someone to go find the King and Queen, but she's too focused on Eugene to care right now. She doesn't notice the beautifully decorated hallways, or the flock of guards following a horse inside the castle. She hears Eugene's raspy breathing, and feels how limp and heavy he is against her, and there's nothing else but these sensations in this moment.

They arrive in front of a door and nurses start piling out, assessing the situation in one glance and giving out instructions harshly. When guards try to help her lower Eugene, Rapunzel's first instinct is to fight them; fight to protect him while he can't, like he did for her before. Panic is choking her, but she comes to her senses, and lets them take him, as hard as it is. Quickly enough, Eugene is carried to a bed, and a woman is trying to ask her questions, but Rapunzel rushes past her mindlessly.

She's not going to leave Eugene alone. She thinks she says that out loud, because people look at her worriedly, before going back to their organised chaos. They force her to stay back a few feet from Eugene, and the distance feels like a physical strain.

There are too many people moving and talking around her, so she focuses on Eugene's face, the glimpses she gets of it, and ignores the way her stomach twists with fear. They're taking off his jacket, and the patch of bright red on his white undershirt makes her want to puke.

"-kay?"

"Huh?" Rapunzel startles, meeting a young woman's concerned face.

"Are you okay?" She points at the blood on her hands and on her dress. Rapunzel feels herself shake, and wishes the courage she had found in herself earlier hadn't faded away so easily. She feels young, and very stupid, suddenly.

"It's his," she chokes out, and that's enough to garner a look of pity and compassion - but she's already looking back at Eugene. She wants to hold his hand. Wants him to know that she's here, that she got help, that everything is going to be alright. She wants to believe that too, that soon she'll feel the steady and sure beat of his heart on his wrist, his breathing calm and peaceful.

She tries to take a step towards him, dizzy and terrified, but someone stops her. She's numb as she recognizes the Captain, his eyes disbelieving and, now, full of a certain softness as he watches her. It's a far cry from the hatred he had shown earlier.

"Rider needs space, your Highness."

"Eugene," she corrects, harsher than she intended, "his name is Eugene." And I'm Rapunzel, she doesn't add, still reeling from the title. She's convinced him fully, somehow, that she was telling the truth, but she still has trouble believing it herself.

"Eugene," the Captain repeats, but doesn't seem to care all that much - he's too focused on her this time.

"He- he saved my life. I just want him to know that… that I'm here," she stutters. It’s woefully inadequate to describe what Eugene did for her, but she’s not sure if that’s something she can truly explain. Every word feels lacking.

"Where... We searched for you," the Captain says fervently, as if he's scared she doesn't believe him. She doesn't care much about that, right now. "Everywhere, every year, we sent soldiers to find you. I swear-"

"It's okay," she mumbles, before cringing and repeating it louder. Her eyes keep straying to Eugene's prone form, hidden away by the medics around him, and the more she's away, the more terrified she feels. "I just want… I just want Eugene to be fine. Then I'll be fine."

The Captain grimaces, and she remembers dizzily that he hates Eugene. Or maybe he thinks Eugene won’t be fine? Before he can try to say anything, however, a nurse starts yelling that there are too many people here, and asks everyone who isn't necessary to leave. Rapunzel's head is swimming, her feeling both overwhelming and muted, and she's trying to come up with an argument to be allowed to stay - but, before she says anything, the Captain intervenes in her favour, and as easy as that, they move her around and sit her on a chair next to Eugene's bed. He has blood on his lips, and her eyes are glued to this speck of red against his too pale skin.

Time is moving too fast and too slowly. She blinks, and suddenly she has a blanket over her shoulders, and she feels Pascal holding her hand under it, hiding so he doesn't scare anyone. Her other hand is holding Eugene's though. It's the same hand that she healed, not even one two days ago. The same hand that cut her hair, and set her free at the same time it condemned him.

His wound is now bandaged. Her eyes go to it, and she sees that it's starting to bleed through anyway, his chest rising and falling achingly slowly.

"Miss?"

"Rapunzel," she says, noticing that there are way less people around Eugene now. There's still a guard at the door, and the same young woman from earlier is looking at her again, a kind smile on her face. “Is he… How is he?”

The woman bites her lips. That’s not a good sign. Rapunzel thinks distantly that she can still count on her fingers the number of people she talked to directly in her life, and she wonders if it’s why nothing seems to make sense. Her head hurt, like it sometimes does after a good, long cry, but she hasn’t spilled a tear since she saw Eugene abandon her - though now, she knows he didn’t want to.

Will she be able to ask him what happened? Will she be able to talk to him ever again?

The nurse is talking to her, but the buzzing in Rapunzel’s ears blocks most of it out. Her voice is nice, low and soothing, talking to her like she talked to hurt animals that sometimes ended up in her tower. The nurse’s hands are cold against hers, but she helps her wash off the blood with a wet towel, and Rapunzel is frantic to get it off, letting go of Eugene’s hand for a few minutes that feel like years. The other woman tries to get a look at the chaffing on her wrists, but Rapunzel doesn't let her, instead taking Eugene's hand again, because she wants him to know she’s here. She hopes he’s not scared. He doesn’t look conscious of much right now, but there are lines of pain around his eyes, and his mouth is twisted, and she’s… She’s worried. Terrified. She doesn't even notice the nurse leaving her side; she isn't aware of anything but Eugene.

Rapunzel did everything she could, but it doesn't feel like enough. So she watches over him, and silently swears to protect him, to never let anything else happen to him if only he can wake up for her this one time.

“Please,” she whispers, leaning towards Eugene, blind to the odd looks she was getting from the people in the room. “Just do this last thing for me, and I’ll never ask anything again, I promise.”

It’s the kind of promises that Gothel would have liked. But Eugene, she remembers, fought for her happiness, and sacrificed- tried to sacrifice everything for her freedom. Gently, Rapunzel pushes his hair from his eyes, and tries to come up with better words, a better promise that Eugene would want to listen to. And she knows it’s not money, not an island, not her crown that Eugene wants; it’s not her hair either, not her devotion, not her obedience and loyalty. He's not Gothel. He's not Flynn Rider. He's sweet, selfless, courageous Eugene Fitzherbert, and she loves him.

“I don’t think I can be happy without you,” she admits to him, and to herself.

She was scared to even think about it, this possible “after Eugene” that she can barely conceive. She still is. There’s no after that seems worthwhile, and her own words make it all the more obvious to her. But she’s still holding his hand, and he’s still breathing, despite it all, and she’s certain that, more than anything, Eugene wants her happiness.

So she promises him that there’s nothing that could make her as happy as his survival, and hopes that it will be enough. It has to be.

------

Doctors and nurses keep coming in and out of the room. They check on Eugene, and refuse to meet her eyes as they leave again, looking more worried than before. Rapunzel tries not to care. She wants to ignore everything but Eugene; wants to forget about the guard still standing here, as if Eugene was ready to spring up and flee the crown; wants to forget about the murmurs surrounding her, and the word "princess" people keep muttering. There were more people in the city, but Rapunzel has never felt as crowded as now.

The door opens. There’s a gasp, that Rapunzel nearly misses, so focused as she is on ignoring everything but Eugene. But she still hears it, and curiosity makes her look up.

When she raises her head, she meets eyes that are as green as hers.

She sees, from the corner of her eyes, a nurse curtsying before leaving the room quickly. The guard leaves too, without anyone having to ask him to. But Rapunzel barely notices it - her eyes are glued on the people who just entered the room; on the woman taking an unsteady step forward, looking exactly like her, and on the tall man behind her, his face a mixture of awe and shock.

The Queen and the King.

Her mom and her dad.

Something uncurls in her chest, and as she gets up slowly, still holding Eugene’s hand, she knows this… This feels right. This feels like the key to understanding a mystery she didn’t even know was there, feels like looking into a mirror and finally seeing in her appearance something that resembles home.

Rapunzel doesn't know who took the last step, but suddenly, her- her mom is holding her tightly in her arms, and she melts. Her mom is... She’s warm. She smells like flowers, somehow. And then Rapunzel’s dad is here, a steady and strong presence enveloping her, and it’s better than all the hugs Gothel ever gave her.

She doesn't know them, but she can sense how genuine their love is in the teary laughs from her father, and the contained shaking from her mom. And deep down, she wonders if she can finally fall apart here, secure in the idea that there will be someone to pick up her pieces.

Her hand still hasn't left Eugene's. They're all standing awkwardly next to his bed, and she knows she can't let herself cry now, not yet, not when he still needs her to be strong for him. Her mom’s hand trails down from her shoulder, before hovering above Rapunzel and Eugene’s linked ones, and she’s the first one to look up from the hug so she can watch Eugene. Her eyes crease with concern, and Rapunzel lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, because they don’t seem to hate Eugene. She won’t have to defend him from their words, won’t have to hear their disappointment in her choice of friends, won’t have to fight to heal h- for them to try to heal him.

“Is this…”

“Eugene,” Rapunzel interrupts softly, before biting her lips. “I- He’s the one who… saved me.”

“And we will do anything in our power to save his life, sweetheart,” her dad says, his voice low and warm. He still has tears in his eyes when he cups her cheek softly, as if he’s scared to touch her. “Is… Is your name…?”

“I’m Rapunzel,” she answers, suddenly wondering if that’s another thing Gothel took from her, another part of her identity that was lost all those years.

She’s reassured by her mom’s warm expression. “That’s the name we choose for you. After the flower that saved your life, and mine,” she smiles, brushing Rapunzel’s hair away from her eyes. “I missed you so much.”

Rapunzel isn’t sure what to say to that. She didn’t miss them, not really, because she didn’t know there was anyone she could miss - but she had been missing them, in a way. She can’t really explain. They don’t look like they expect an explanation, anyway.

They tell her their names, Frederic and Arianna. She’s not sure if they would be okay with her calling them that - Gothel absolutely hated being called anything but mother. Thankfully, she’s saved the awkward question by a little squeak from under the blanket.

Pascal pokes his head out. The queen gasps, and Rapunzel is already preparing her excuses, ready to beg mother to let her keep him because she doesn’t think she can survive without Pascal or without Eugene and she can’t-

“Aww,” her mom smiles, booping Pascal’s head. “And who’s that little guy?”

Eugene’s hand is still heavy in her own, but for an instant, Rapunzel feels lighter. She explains who Pascal is, and wishes that there was a soft and joking voice next to her arguing that he was a frog, not a chameleon.

But Eugene stays unconscious, and despite being surrounded by new people that love her, Rapunzel feels lonely.

------

The night is cold.

Rapunzel still has the blanket they gave her earlier, but she's shivering despite it. Everything is silent, except for her breathing and Eugene's, though his is so quiet she has to strain to hear it.

"This night will be tough," the doctors had said to her parents, when they thought she was too far away and distracted to listen. "There's a chance that Mr. Fitzherbert won't make it."

Her dad (the word still felt new in her mind, because she never had a dad before, and never thought she would) had asked quietly about Eugene's odds, and she didn't hear the doctors' response, but their faces were answer enough.

She hates the hopelessness that's growing within her. She hates that she can't be strong enough to ignore the crushing panic and fear that Eugene is going to die.

She doesn't want to grieve him.

When her parents told her that she had a bedroom for the night, and that she needed to get some sleep, she said that she wanted to stay here. When they assured her that Eugene wouldn't be alone, she asked if she could be the one who looked after him, if they could be left alone. Her parents couldn't refuse her anything. (Some part of her mind whispers that it's because they think Eugene will die, and don't want to keep her away. Rapunzel is too tired to fight it.)

Her chair is close enough to the bed that she can rest her head on the pillow easily, but she's too scared of falling asleep to do it. She hadn't slept the night before already, instead walking all night with her heart in her throat and her mother- Gothel at her side as they made their way back to the tower. The exhaustion is making her jittery now, but if she closes her eyes and Eugene dies, she will never forgive herself.

Eugene coughs. It sounds like he's breathing broken glass, and Rapunzel can only stroke his cheek gently, trying to bring him comfort in the middle of this pain. She's not sure it means much, but just in case it does, she'll do it.

"It's gonna be okay," she says softly. "No matter what, Eugene, you'll be fine."

She realises halfway that this sounds like a goodbye. But Eugene is hurting, face pale and pinched as sweat makes his hair stick to his forehead. Eugene is hurting, and earlier she told him that he needed to wake up so she could be happy, but if he can't- if he dies, thinking that he was disappointing her, that he was responsible for her sadness, Rapunzel would never forgive herself.

So this is a goodbye, maybe. She doesn't want it to be.

"Thank you," she breathes, bringing her face close enough that her nose nearly touches his.

The moonlight is the only thing illuminating the room, and it's oddly reminiscent of their time in the flooding cave, the darkness revealing their softness and vulnerabilities. Eugene Fitzherbert, he had told her, a shy and awkward smile on his lips - but a genuine smile, which shone brighter than her hair ever did, and gave her the faith to keep going.

"Thank you, for everything," she repeats, her heart and her voice breaking as one. Her lips tremble. Eugene's breathing sounds slower, more difficult as time goes on. "Thank you for breaking into my tower," she laughs wetly, "and for making me meet all these wonderful people. Thank you for taking me to the lanterns and- and thank you for making me see how much more life had to offer."

Thank you for saving me, she can't bring herself to say, because she has never wished for anything more than for Eugene to have been a little bit more selfish. He should have saved himself, her mind keeps screaming, with an accusatory and angry tone she barely recognises. (“You should have saved him,” it yells even louder. Rapunzel squashes the self-hatred, knowing that it will come back with a vengeance later.)

She puts her hand above his heart softly, and feels the slow and jerky inhales of his lungs, and knows that she failed. She failed, and she lied, because she didn't save him, and he's going to- he...

Eugene is going to die.

The tears she had managed to keep at bay until now flood her eyes. She sniffles quietly, and wonders if she made a difference at all, if all of this... if it helped Eugene, or only helped her. She wonders if that was her being selfish again, hurting those she loves because she wanted more of life than what it could give her.

But she can't regret fighting for Eugene. She knows he would have fought for her too, that he wouldn't be angry with her for wanting to be free, or to save his life.

"Thank you for being my new dream," she whispers, because she doesn't think she can voice the affection and hope and love he gave her in another way. Eugene had found exactly the right words, as he always seemed to do.

She might have dreamt it, but a smile seems to appear at the corner of his lips, tiny and fleeting before she can truly look at it. Eugene sighs, a little louder than before. She's close enough to see his face relaxing unnaturally. Close enough to hear that there's nothing to hear anymore. Close enough to feel when his chest doesn't rise up as it should.

Just like that, Eugene is dead.

Gently, feeling as if her hands aren't really hers, Rapunzel touches Eugene's cheeks, her thumbs tracing faint circles under his eyes. He's still warm. The night is still cold. And Rapunzel is freezing, her heart like ice into her chest, spreading numbness in her veins with every beat.

"Flower gleam and glow," she sings, without even thinking about it. Maybe she's seeking the warmth the incantation always gave her. Maybe she's not ready to give up yet. She doesn't know. She doesn't know, doesn't think, as she rests her forehead on Eugene's, her eyes blurred by tears.

(Let your power shine)

Rapunzel keeps singing. The words she knows by heart feel different on her tongue.

(Make the clock reverse)

(Bring back what once was mine)

They're bitter.

(Heal what has been hurt)

(Change the fates design)

They're desperate.

(Save what has been lost)

(Bring back what once was mine)

It's a hope she can't help but cling to, even though it's burning her. But the song doesn't answer. The warmth of the sun has disappeared, dying with Eugene, perhaps. It would make sense. He has brought light into her life, of course it would die with him.

"What once was mine," she finishes, thinking of everything they shared, everything they should still get to share together, because Eugene didn't deserve to die like this, not this young, not this painfully, not- not because of her.

Eugene deserved... They deserved a happy ever after.

She can't stop her tears any longer. There's no need to be strong anymore, so she crumbles and sobs over him quietly. The world feels small. Muted. Like it's narrowing around herself.

And then, there's a light.

She opens her eyes in time to see the remnants of a golden flower disappear from Eugene's cheek, colour coming back to his skin. Before she can process that, his wound starts glowing under the bandages, the strands of lights like warm and bright gusts of winds around her. She's breathless, eyes wide with disbelief as they switch between Eugene's face and the flower made of light erupting from his wound.

The light disappears as quickly as it came. There's a beat, a second when Rapunzel isn't quite sure what to expect, and her hands tremble as she tries and fails to push her hair out of her face.

Eugene blinks his eyes open, and whispers her name.

"Eugene?" she asks, because she's scared of believing it's over only to be hurt again, and she can't... she doesn't understand how-

"Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?" he smiles, and that's such a Eugene thing to say that relief explodes in her chest all at once, and she scrambles on the bed to hug him, new sobs escaping her. He hugs her back tightly, his head on her shoulder, and he feels here and alive and strong - it's the best thing she has ever felt.

She can't stop holding him, even as she raises her head back up to look at him. She sees the tears in his own eyes, and the shy, happy smile on his lips, and she can't contain the love she holds anymore. She kisses him, and nearly cries when he kisses her back, both desperate and happy and an impossible mixture of other emotions too. He's warm under her. His pulse is fast, but it's because she's kissing him, and nothing else. He shuffles to sit up more correctly, and she hugs him again, whispering his name over and over, scared that it's all a dream.

But this feels real, like nothing has ever felt. The sun is rising slowly, but Rapunzel's sees its light already in the way Eugene's eyes shine when he looks at her.

"You saved me," he whispers, his nose touching hers. She thinks of all the ways she failed to do that, or at least tries to, but he's already cupping her cheek softly, as if he knew exactly where her mind would go. "I don't remember everything but... But I know you saved me. And even before that you- I... You saved me, Rapunzel. Thank you."

"Thank you," she answers with a laugh, tears tracking down her cheeks. This isn’t a goodbye anymore, and the realisation makes her hold on him even tighter, the tears falling faster. "Thank you for saving me too."

She’s not sure if she’s talking about him cutting her hair, or him coming back to her. Maybe it’s about him, making her see that she deserved to be free, that she was so much more than what Gothel wanted of her. Maybe it’s about his smile, shining brighter than the sunlight behind him, making her life brighter too, only by existing.

She hugs him again, as tight as she can, and knows that whatever it is, her statement still holds true. Eugene is her new dream, and she’s his - she may not be sure of what her future holds, but she knows she’ll have Eugene at her side for it. And there’s nothing that could make her happier.

#tangled #tangled the series #Rapunzel #Eugene Fitzherbert #Tangled 10th Anniversary

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karenhikari · 7 years

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The Ones Who Wander-1. A Place to Stay

Alright folks, I came back from the dark abyss of school to invite you over to this advernture. I know, you're probably asking what I'm talking about. Well, you see, the chapter you're about to read is the first one to a massive story.

If you've been my reader before (which I'd be very thakful about) you'll know that I rarely write long-fics and, well... this is going to be the exception to the rule: this story will be humongous work, so I thought I'd let you know.

Also, I can't promise I'll update constantly or that I'll have a schedule for it, because once vacations are over I'll become a hostage to school. I mean, that's just how it goes for me.

What I can promise, though, is that I won't abandon this story. You see, these are my children and I am very, very excited to start this, so please rest assured that I will finish it. I'm so completely in love with this story and the character growth you'll see through it that I don't think I can properly express how thrilled I am to share it with you and I really hope you'll love it as much. I'm pretty sure you will because there will be a little of everything and a litle for everyone, so here it goes.

I'll try to post as many chapters as humanly possible while I am still enjoying summer vacations, so please feel free to suscribe and bookmark.

Now, to make this story possible I needed the help of some people. First of all, I want to give a huge shoutout to geminalupus, who has kindly promised to keep up with me and who will be the official beta for this story.

There's also a very special friend of mine who was part of the behind-the-scenes work and helped through the planning, the drafting, the research and the whole bunch of headcanons that will become canon for this story... Hotema, shoutout for you!

And last but not least my very best freind in the whole world, my first beta ever and a huge support in every aspect of my life, Cris, will also be helping me through this, so if you actually like this story you have these people to thank to, because they're the ones making it awesome.

PS: this story won't be taking in account neither the second book nor the second movie because, when the planning for this monster began we didn't even know if we'd get another movie, so... Yeah, I've been planning this for more than a year, you know why I'm so excited now.

Alright, after this very long introduction all I can do now is step aside and let you enjoy...

Ginny Gothel was used to a lot of things. For starters, she was used to the sour coffee of the goblins that always left her with a bitter taste dancing in her lips, to the winter-y coldness that took possession of the island during all four of the seasons despite the scorching sun above them, to the feeling of an empty stomach, not only because there was not much to eat in the Isle but, more importantly, because she still held on to the mild hope that, one day, if she was thin enough, made up enough, graceful enough, Gothel would turn to look at her. Talk about heedless thinking.

Of course, living in the Isle of the Lost one had to get used to some things.

However, there was one thing that she would never, try as she might, get used to, and that was Gothel ways. The reason for it was simple and no, it was not that she was not yet ready to accept the fact that Gothel would never change. It was the complete opposite: what made it impossible for her to learn and resign herself to her so-called mother's ways was the fact that they kept changing.

At the moment, all Ginny wanted was to get her out of her hair. Literally.

"It's time, it's finally time!" That's what had woken her up, just before Gothel's long fingers found their way to her curls and dragged her out of the heap of dirty rags she called her bed.

"What are you talking about? You're hurting me!" Ginny screamed back at her, trying to make her mother let go of her hair. Old as she was, Gothel had a strong grip and, what was more, a crazed gleam in her eyes that had only worsened with the years she'd spent in the Isle.

"Ha! It's finally time, finally time! After sixteen years of being trapped with you, useless child, I'll finally get a chance to come out of this place and be young again!"

"What are you talking about, Gothel? It won't work, let me go!"

"Sixteen years, but it will be over soon, very soon!"

"It won't work, let me go!" Ginny repeated, already feeling tears prickle in the bottom of her eyes.

This wasn't something out of place, dare she thought about it that way. Gothel had been "working" on a way to leave the Isle long before she was even born, though those last "sixteen years" Ginny had become nothing other than her guinea pig. Well, that and the one responsible for her stretch marks and even more premature aging process. Not that Ginny would have been born to her if she'd had been given the option.

"This is stupid, Gothel, let me go!" Ginny cried, knowing full-well that it was stupid to try to reason with her mother, but knowing, as well, that she was not above it.

"I've waited long enough, idiot child!" Gothel laughed, her iron grasp around Ginny's locks seeming tighter to the girl once she stopped fighting back and allowed her mother to haul her out of their deteriorated hut.

This wouldn't work, Ginny knew that. The barrier wouldn't come down even if she bled to death and her hair was cut and washed away by the sea. No, Gothel wouldn't become younger even if she bathed in Ginny's tears and she transfused Ginny's 'purer' blood into her body. And she had tried all of those things.

No matter what Gothel did, Ginny wouldn't become a blonde, willowy girl with huge emerald eyes and a hair so long it wouldn't fit in their shack.

No, all Ginny had to offer to her mother was a skinny daughter with waist-long curly hair and chestnut eyes. All she was could be summarized in raven hair and 'not enough.'

Yet, Gothel wouldn't stop trying to get her 'poor flower' back. She wouldn't, for the life of her, accept the fact that beautiful, innocent Rapunzel was gone and all that was left behind to replace her was the maiden she was dragging towards the woods, the maiden with eyes darkened with blood and sleepless nights.

"Hickory, oak, pine and weed, bury my heart underneath those trees*," Gothel started chanting, unheeding of Ginny's huffs. "And when a southern wind comes to raise my soul, spread my spirit like a flock of crows."

"It won't work!" Ginny shouted once again. "You will never see Rapunzel again!"

That was when Gothel's fingers let go of the girl's hair, and despite the fact that Ginny had thought that to be the one thing she desired, the gesture wasn't as she'd pictured it―instead of simply letting her free, Gothel shoved her against the trunk of a tree. Before Ginny even had time to scream in pain, Gothel's jeweled fingers were already in her cheek, the strike of her slap strong enough to make Ginny's neck crack as it was forcefully turned.

"You have no right to speak her name!" Gothel roared. "My baby is out there, living with thieves and monsters and meanwhile I'm trapped in this dumpster with you and your pitiful attempt of being her!"

"I will never be like her!" Ginny managed through the blood that dripped from her mouth.

"That I know," her mother spat, gripping the neck of Ginny's dress so she could pull her closer to her as she spoke. "And that is why I need to get rid of you to get her back."

Gothel was crazy, that was all Ginny knew for sure. She became crazier by the second and nothing, magical, medical or mundane would give her back the sanity she had lost centuries in the past.

"Old heat from raging fire, come and light my eyes. Summer's kiss thru electric wire, but I'll never die!"

Ginny had heard that song a thousand times, as seasons changed, as she became older, and it could only mean one thing: Gothel had come up with another way to reach immortality and de-age, which, in return, could only mean one thing―Gothel had a plan to torture her so she could recover her own youth.

"It won't work, it won't work, it won't work," Ginny whispered, a plea so notorious in her voice it would have been painful, had they not been in the Isle of the Lost. Gothel, however, had long in the past turned a deaf ear to whatever her daughter said.

Ginny closed her eyes and let her tears run down her cheeks freely, careful, nonetheless, of biting the inside of her cheek to prevent a scream from coming out once the pain began. She didn't get to see the dagger that shimmered in Gothel's hand, neither did she take note of her mother's triumphant smirk. What she did feel, though, was the acute end of the weapon as Gothel stabbed her chest.

"Sycamore, ash moss and loam, wrap your roots all around my bones. And when they come for me, when they call my name, cast my shadow like a bellow's flame."

She didn't have time to cry in pain before Gothel made her next movement: dragging the knife across her skin, first vertically, then horizontally, up again and then from left to right, as if she were marking something, typecasting it into a squared box of blood and flesh.

True to her word, Ginny didn't scream, and it wasn't only because she had a reputation to live up to, but rather, because she was too horrified to even utter a witness to the agonizing convulsion that pierced through her body.

"You can bury my body, but I'll never die! Hickory, oak, pine and weed, bury my heart underneath those trees."

"M-Mother…." Ginny managed through her trembling lips, surprised even in her state that Gothel didn't correct her.

Gothel, to not break the habit, ignored her and continued with her newly invented ritual, this time, letting go of the dagger, which fell, blood-stained and harmless, to the ground before her fingers, with nails so long they seemed a crow's claws, entered the ensanguined cavity she had just created in Ginny's chest.

To be honest, the girl didn't even feel the pain anymore, she didn't force herself to choke down sobs or a plea for mercy. What she did feel, however, was the warm liquid that exited her chest and was soon tainting her torn-up dress with a bright red, brighter than Ginny had ever seen, warmer than she had ever felt.

It was only a few seconds before Gothel found what she had been looking for and, with hands that dripped blood and vengeance, took Ginny's still-beating heart out of her chest.

"Sixteen long years, that's how much I've waited for this!" the old hag laughed, bringing the blood-soaked organ to closer to her face. "Sixteen years with you, a useless nobody, tugging at my sleeve and twenty years of torture away from the mainland! That's how much I've waited!"

Thunder roared in the distance, and either Ginny's vision was clouding or there was really something magical in Gothel's actions, as the unforgiving sun of the Isle was suddenly covered by a veil of clouds as gray as her mother's hair.

"M-Mother, please…" Ginny let out in a shaky whisper, knowing full-well, that Gothel would ignore her. It didn't matter, she would think later, since her voice had been so low she couldn't even remember if she'd actually said the words or just thought about them.

She must have been delirious, Ginny thought as she saw Gothel prepare to chew on the heart that she taken out from her body, heart that she could still feel beating loudly in her ears, heart that, if the crimson lines that marred her vision didn't deceive her, was still connected to her body.

The ground started shaking. Cracking. Disappearing.

Who knew, Ginny thought dizzily, perhaps it had worked. Perhaps, this time, her mother's spell had finally worked. And through all of it, the only thing that she was certain of was that, be it that Gothel recovered her long-lost beauty or not, at least, at least it would be too late for her. She wouldn't recover from the gap in her chest or the blood loss. At least, for her, it would be over.

Soon, soon enough, in a jiffy, and what an irony it was that she thought of her death in so mundane words.

Suddenly, there was a scream in the distance. Or had it been close to her?

Numbly, Ginny opened the eyes she hadn't noticed she'd closed and was even more flabbergasted than she was already at the bizarre sight that greeted her: a humanoid blue figure towering over her mother, boney fingers making wide gestures.

"And I've spent twenty years listening to you idiot mortals lament over what you lost when that stupid beast put you here!" the newcomer exclaimed in disgust.

Whatever her mother answered ―if she even did― was lost for Ginny. In fact, she must have lost conscience all together, because the last thing she recalled thinking was: he must be Hades, Lord of the Dead.

And, by her train of thought, that could only mean one thing―she was, as she had predicted and even desired, dead. Dead, there was no more to it. No more scolding from her mother, no more cuts, no more anything. She was dead. Funny, Hades was another villain and through her hazed state all she could think of him was that he was her savior.

Hades, despite having spent the last twenty years trapped in the Isle like all the other villains, was rarely seen. He didn't like to mix with those commoners. Dirty mortals, that's what he called them.

"Oi, girl, do you plan to lay there the whole day or stand up?" a murmuring voice questioned her limp body. Ginny didn't even stir, so Hades sighed. Mortals.

Tracing the girl's sweaty forehead with his ice-cold fingers, he finally managed to make her eyelids flutter. As soon as Ginny's eyes focused on him the scream she had been swallowing for oh-so long found its ways through her lips.

"What are you doing?" she let out hoarsely as she tried to gather the rags of her torn dress and cover her breasts with it.

"Oh, no fancy introductions?" Hades smiled with his pointy teeth. "No 'Oh, lord Hades, I am so fortunate to have you here, thank you for saving my life'?" he questioned. "It's a shame, you mortals are losing your manners."

"What do you want?"

"Quite some things, actually. To get out of here, to conquer Olympus, to see my wife, but then again, none of them can be granted by you, can they?"

"What?"

"Oh, girl, how is it you're called? Gin?"

Numbly, she nodded, despite the fact that no one had ever called her that. She had always been Ginny, nothing more, nothing less.

"Alright, so, Gin, if I wanted to take away your innocence and your ephemeral life, don't you think I would have done so already?" he inquired, pointing at something in the ground.

That was when Ginny noticed it―the unconscious body of her mother, sprawled on the dry grass as an open wound on her head bleed.

"G-Gothel!" she whispered. "Is she… is she…"

"Dead?" Hades offered. "Ha! She is as dead as you are, and by that I mean very much alive!" He laughed, nudging Ginny's side as if to question why she wasn't cracking with laughter as well.

"What did you do to her, you monster?"

"Oh, here's what I get for saving your life," Hades said, a smile much more sinister than the one he'd sported until then plastering his lips. "This is why I'm not a hero, it would have been much easier to let you die, if you prefer that I can disappear and leave you to the tender mercies of your progenitor."

"What?" Ginny uttered. And that was when she remembered―the dagger, the knife, the blood. Forgetting about her inhibitions, she stopped trying to cover her naked breasts and instead dropped what was left of her dress to inspect her wound.

There was dry blood prickling at her skin and some of the liquid was still warm in the fabric of her skirt, but, where she should have had a deep gap and an empty chest all that was left was a scar. A prominent, notorious, worm-like scar but she supposed that was better than bleeding to death.

"You did this," she let out, more a statement than it was a question.

"Wrong again, sweet pie, I didn't do that," Hades laughed. "I put your mother to sleep, but you? You're not my problem."

"Then how…Why?"

"Oh, sweet children like you don't stand a chance in the outside world, do you?" he continued. He had a smile that made Ginny uneasy, and not precisely because it was vicious, but rather because it looked almost… nice. Kind. Those were not things you encountered in the Isle. Suddenly, his snicker turned darker. "The barrier around us does not only keep magic out. Far from it, there's magic inside the Isle as well, though it's not one we can bend and use, it has specific instructions. For example, no one can die inside the Isle. How else do you think you children haven't died after your parents drink too much? How else do you imagine villains haven't killed each other in a battle to gain power."

"What?"

"But, darling, I'm a god, and the silly magic the fairies possess is no match to my powers. Fairies die, gods do not, girl, remember that," Hades continued, not paying attention to Ginny's interruption, much like Gothel had done. "The barrier, however, is becoming weaker. Soon enough, there won't be a barrier anymore. Strange things are happening in Auradon, and it's just a matter of time before they start happening here as well. Hide from Gothel, there's nothing more she can take from you and don't trust I'll have your back a second time. Hide and wait for whatever will happen to happen. This will be over, and despite the fact that I cannot see the future, I foresee it won't be as bad as you expect."

"What?" Ginny whispered, her head throbbing.

The earlier fog seemed to reappear as her mind whirled, the forest around her seeming to tilt on its axis as she tried to comprehend all she'd been told. The barrier? Weakening? One day… to fall? That was… that couldn't happen. Thinking it could would be like hoping the sun would fall off the sky or that one day her mother would start treating her like the queens from Auradon's corny shows did their daughters. It was, simply, something that wouldn't happen.

"What are you waiting for, girl? An invitation," Hades taunted, the sand under his feet turning to a blueish smoke that was soon swallowing his figure completely. "Get out of here, Gin, before I regret having come out of my house for you."

Ginny ran. She didn't remember raising to her feet, she couldn't conjure the last image she'd seen of Hades or of her mother. She ran, that was all she knew. And in the distance, louder than the waves crashing on the shore, all she could hear was Hades' maniacal laugh.

She arrived to the place she'd called her house and packed. She changed her dress and tried to wash the blood away. She tried not to flinch whenever the wound in her chest sent waves of pain through her back and arms.

The only place she could think of to "hide" was the old church of the Isle. The fact that they had an emaciated replica of the Cathedral of Notre Dame had been hilarious until then, mostly because the majority of villains were god-less and the their descendants didn't want anything to do with a compassionate god when they had only known the opposite of that in their lives.

She didn't arrive to the cathedral, panting, because of what it represented to the believers. She only went there because Claudine Frollo, the only girl she had some kind of relationship with, lived there.

They weren't friends, of course, there were no friends in the Isle of the Lost, but they had spoken a handful of times and she had defended Claudine from the Gastons on a couple of occasions. Claudine had fed her in return.

This time, Ginny didn't want food, she didn't even want clean water. All she would ask for was a place to stay.

Well... this is the first chapter and I am so eager to know what you think,oh my gods!

Okay, first things first, the * goes for the song. It actually exists and, of course, I didn't write it. This was "I Will Never Die" by Delta Rae. I absolutely love the band and you should too because they're amazing.

Also, I have a confession to make: I'm as passionate about reading fanfiction as I am about writing it and my favorite story for this fandom is "Nothing In This World But Myself to Protect Me" by thatoneshippyblog. If you can check out this account and read that story, please go ahead and do it. If by any chance you end up enjoying my fic, then I beg you go and check hers out because, really, I'm no match when it comes to that story.

And I am giving you this long-winged paragraph about that story not only because it's flawlessly written, but also because it's so wonderful that my mind has immediatly taken some of the things written there as facts. One of them is the idea of the magical barrier keeping magic inside too so the villains didn't kill each other. I'm sure there will be a lot of other details like that that I won't really remember are not canon, so... this time I can point you out to the master mind behind it, I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell apart canon from thatoneshippyblog later, and that's why I want to apologize and to let you know that, if you want to separate thatoneshippyblog from Karen and canon you must read that story.

This is all for now and I'll post the second chapter as soon as I can!

I really hope you enjoyed!

#Descendats #Long as hell fic #Hurt-comfort #Mal #Yeah #everyone in Disney #Love #Abuse #Healing

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kingreywrites · 3 years

Text

Even If It Hurts - Chapter 1 - The one they lost

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 2029

Summary: There are days when the tears can't help but fall, no matter how much Rapunzel and Eugene don't want them to. There are days when these tears are shed for family; for the one they lost, the one they found, and the one they created.

Note: This is a gift for @unfragilelove !! And also a new way for me to make New Dream cry asdfdhsj There will be 3 chapters, one each day, and I hope you’ll like them!

Read on ao3

1. The one they lost

Sometimes, Rapunzel cries.

It's the most heartbreaking sight that has ever met Eugene because... Because Rapunzel should never look small and defeated. When Rapunzel smiled, the world became brighter; when she laughed, the sound echoed to the confines of the universe, and made it kinder; when she danced, the stars danced with her. Rapunzel changed the world simply by being herself, and she was supposed to stand tall and proud as she finally lived the life she had dreamt about for years. And even when she wasn't happy - even when she was angry, or sad, or even jealous, her emotions were big enough to overturn everything around her, because Rapunzel doesn't try to hide her existence from the world anymore.

Except when she cries.

Rapunzel cries alone. She cries at night, if she can. She hides from everyone and lets her tears fall as silently as possible, trying to contain the tremors of her body as she curls up on herself. Rapunzel cries like someone who had lived with no privacy, and had to hide her tears from the controlling mother that would use them against her - she cries as if she's back to the tower with Gothel, and she's trying to disappear.

Eugene isn't sure she would have let him witness her breakdowns for a long time if he didn't surprise her during one. It... stings, a little, even though he'll never admit it to anyone - but it's the idea that he hasn't made himself safe and trustworthy enough for Rapunzel to rely on him that hurts the most. He wasn't upset with her at all, more with himself, when he stumbled upon her crying, and realised that she would have kept it all to herself if he hadn't. She had hurried to brush her tears away while he was trying to come up with a good thing to say. There was nothing. But he went to sit right next to her, and held her in silence, and somehow, he thinks that was... good. Not the best, but what she needed.

That doesn't mean he's prepared for the next time. Or the next. Or the next.

When he opens the door to her bedroom that night, and sees an empty bed and a worried chameleon looking over its edge, his stomach twists with worry immediately. He knows, before even hearing her muffled sobs, that she's not okay.

"Sunshine," he says quietly, more to announce himself than anything else. She doesn't answer, so he gently pads across the room, to get to the other side of her bed.

She's here, curled up on herself, her head on her knees and her arms circling them. The only thing he can see of her is her dishevelled blond hair, and the pale blue of her night gown, looking almost white in the moonlight.

Eugene sits down softly. He lets Pascal climb on his shoulder, patting his head gently to try and make the worried frog smile. Rapunzel doesn't acknowledge him.

He can hear the jerky sounds of her breathing she can't muffle.

"Sunshine?" he asks. "Can I hold your hand?"

She doesn't move for a few seconds. He opens his mouth to say that it's okay if she doesn't want to, but it's at this moment that she slowly lowers her left arm, and blindly seeks his hand. He takes hers immediately, and feels her squeeze his fingers tightly. Her hand is cold. Shaky.

Eugene scooches over, until his shoulder touches hers. He knows she won't talk if she doesn't want to. He knows it'll still help, to feel that he's right there, and that he won't move, for as long as she needs him.

"You need to breathe, Sunshine," he murmurs at some point. Her intake of air turns into a tiny sob, and the only thing he can do is rub her knuckles with his thumb gently.

Thinking that she could have gone through all of this alone, only to pretend that nothing happened the next day, makes his heart hurt. He's glad, in a way, for forgetting his book in her room. He's glad he hasn't waited for tomorrow to get it back.

Rapunzel's voice is so muted he may not have heard it, if he wasn't listening closely. "Can you..." she murmurs, trailing off for a few seconds. "Can you try to distract me?"

It's as close to asking for help as Rapunzel can allow herself. Eugene smiles, knowing she can't see it, and softly starts to hum a melody. He doesn't remember the face of the kid who used to sing lullabies when Eugene was still part of the younger kids; but he does remember her voice, and the lyrics. He feels a little silly singing. He hasn't done so in a long while, and though the lyrics aren't nonsensical, they're not that deep either - it's about someone knocking on their neighbours' doors in the middle of the night, asking for a quill.

As ridiculous as he feels, he doesn't stop. Rapunzel uncurls her legs quietly, and leans over so her head can rest on his chest. He passes his arm around her waist, and grabs her hand again with his other one, holding it on his lap as he rests his head on the top of hers. He keeps singing, his voice the only sound in the quiet, her tremors the only thing he can feel. It's not hard for him to make up a new verse on the fly, and so he keeps the story going, imagining how each new neighbour would react.

Rapunzel laughs wetly when he messes up a rhyme.

"Still not the best poet in Corona, am I?" he smiles.

"You're amazing." Rapunzel sounds too raw as she says this; he doesn't think she's talking about his poetry skills. She hesitates. "How does the story end? Do they find a quill?"

"I'm sure they do. Though, I've always wondered why anyone would need a quill so late in the night."

"Maybe… Maybe they had a bad dream," Rapunzel says morosely. "Maybe they needed to pai- write their thoughts to feel better, but they couldn't find a quill."

Eugene squeezes her side gently for a moment, wishing he was in a better position so he could kiss her forehead. He knows that when she's upset, kissing her hair will only make her feel more scared.

He starts singing again, and makes the last verse about a nice neighbour, finally opening their door. They give the person singing a quill, and invite them to stay for the night, so they don't have to be alone.

"Thank you, Eugene." He thinks she's smiling as she says that, so he smiles too.

"Of course, Sunshine. Do you want me to keep going? I still have a lot of rhymes in store, like… cheese and bees." That makes her laugh, but she shakes her head, and they fall into silence for a moment. Rapunzel isn't crying anymore, and as long as she's comfortable, Eugene doesn't mind.

"I didn’t even fall asleep," she whispers. Her voice is always really quiet when she's sad; he thinks it's because she doesn't want anyone to hear her. It breaks his heart. "I was… I thought about Gothel."

She doesn't keep going. He squeezes her hand, and asks if she wants to talk about it. She nods, but the silence stretches on for a little bit longer.

"I was talking with my mom about cakes this morning," Rapunzel chuckles weakly. "I was telling her about how much I loved baking, and… I… Gothel is the one who taught me how to bake," she whispers.

She shifts, and he hugs her closer, hearing how fast her heart is still beating. She's shaking.

"Gothel was… She wasn't a good mother, even though I never really understood that back then. But she wasn't always… She- learning to bake is a good memory," Rapunzel says, sounding frustrated. "She doesn- didn't have much patience, but she helped me make my first cake, and told me it was a good first attempt and- and-"

"Hey," he breathes, before letting go of her waist so he can turn and look at her. He gently moves her hair back, his hand on her warm cheek, and there's no mistaking the new tears running down her face. "Hey, Sunshine-"

"Why do I miss her?"

Her voice trembles and breaks when she asks that, and her shoulders start to shake again, even though she desperately tries to restrain herself. Suddenly, she's throwing herself in his arms, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, and he can't do anything but hug her back tightly.

"My real mom was right in front of me, and all I could think about was her," Rapunzel keeps going, gripping onto his shirt tightly. "And even now, I can't- I can't stop this feeling, despite how much I want to. I shouldn't- I…"

"Rapunzel, you… Gothel was your mother, for eighteen years," Eugene says. He's deathly afraid of telling her something he shouldn't, something that would hurt her, but the idea of Rapunzel blaming herself for the feelings she can't help is an even scarier perspective. "You loved her. You loved her, because you've always had so much love to give, and you've always given it without any condition. And that…"

Softly, he pushes her, and she lets go easily. He touches her chin, and guides her head up, until her bright and shining eyes meet his.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Sunshine."

Her lips tremble, but this time, she doesn't try to hide the silent tears falling from her eyes. Cupping her face, he brushes one away with his thumb, before pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. She melts in his arms once again, but… but she doesn't hold back her sobs anymore. And it hurts, it hurts to see Rapunzel break down, it hurts to hear the tired and pained sounds she makes, but it's a relief too, because at least, she's allowing herself to be heard.

She's allowing herself to feel, without trying to punish herself for it.

"I wish I never had to think about her again," she mumbles against his skin, knowing that he's listening to her no matter how quiet she's being. "I- I- Sometimes I wish she had been an awful monster to me all the time, so I could simply… hate her. I don't want good memories."

"Good memories don't mean that your anger or hurt are less real Sunshine. Good memories don't mean that what she did to you wasn't awful. I- I can't imagine how you feel right now," he admits, "but I know that you don't have to meet a quota of bad things to have the right to feel like you do. And… And missing her, missing the good moments of your childhood, it's as normal as being angry, no one will ever fault you for it."

This part is harder to say for him, because there's nothing but hatred for Gothel in his heart. He'll never forgive her for what she did to Rapunzel, and he- he might not have planned killing her when he cut Rapunzel's hair, but he never regretted it. His feelings aren't what's important here however. What's important is that Rapunzel needs love, and support, and he'll always give it to her. Of course eighteen years of emotional abuse weren't entirely composed of suffering - thank god they weren't! But as confusing as these memories might be, they were part of Rapunzel too.

There was no part of her that was unlovable.

"I'm worried missing her makes me a bad person," Rapunzel whispers.

"I think it simply makes you human."

She laughs softly at his answer, and stays quietly in the warmth of his arms, one hand laying above his heart. He doesn't mind at all. He'd die for her in a heartbeat if she asked it of him; spending the night holding her is nothing in comparison. She's his everything.

"I've got another song if you want," he smiles, and when she nods, he starts humming it, happy to feel her settle more comfortably against him.

#tangled #Rapunzel #Eugene Fitzherbert #Tangled the Series

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