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pocket-anon · 7 years

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The Long Way Home (Epilogue)

It's finally done! Oh, thank God. *giddy laughter* It seems appropriate that I'm posting the epilogue to this story on a Wednesday, just as I did with the rest of the chapters. Writing this fic has been an insanely wild ride for me, fulls of high highs and low lows, and I really can't thank you all enough for the astounding things you guys have said about this story and the encouragement you gave me to keep pushing forward even when I really didn't feel like it. You're the best. XOXO

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Summary: After an unnaturally long life fraught with personal tragedy, Killian Jones has become known throughout the realms as the infamous Captain Hook, an opportunistic ne’er-do-well and one of the most formidable pirates to ride the waves. When he crosses paths with a mysterious young woman with no memory of who she is or how she arrived there, he recognizes the chance to claim a monetary reward that will constitute his biggest score yet. But a journey across the world to get her home leads to a series of adventures that reveal that her value lies in far more than gold and jewels. A Captain Swan Anastasia AU - sort of. (Captain Swan Enchanted Forest AU. Romance, Adventure, & Eventual Smut. Rated E.)

Warning: Brief but graphic depictions of violence, peripheral character death, and smut.

“Your face is going to get stuck that way, you know.”

Killian looks up from the rolls of parchment laid out before him on the low table in the sitting area by the fireplace, the wrinkle between his eyes fading and his features turning amused. “Afraid it will make me less handsome, Swan?”

Emma rolls her eyes and comes over, forcing him to sit back in the chair as she slides into his lap. “Seriously, you’ve been studying those plans for an hour.”

“You’ve seen the Jolly,” he says patiently, settling his left arm snugly around her hips and admiring the way the her face appears luminous and her hair shines like actual gold in the firelight. “You know how complex square-rigged vessels are. Building a few more for the fleet is no small undertaking. Failure to plan properly—”

“Yes, yes, I know.” She chuckles and touches her lips to his cheek. “But tomorrow’s a big day. We should go to bed.”

He hums, turning his head to meet her for a quick kiss. “I’d like nothing better.” He pulls back a few inches and tucks a stray lock behind her ear. “But I can’t tonight. Go to bed. In our bed, I mean.”

Emma’s back goes ramrod straight, and she cocks her head. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m not staying here tonight,” he says, blinking at her as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

She narrows one eye, an incredulous grin hinting at her lips. “You can’t be serious. We’re already married.”

His brows flatten into a straight line of pure indignation. “A seafaring man—”

“—does not take superstitions lightly,” she chimes in, bobbing her head resignedly and rolling her eyes at him again despite taking great pleasure in how adorable her pirate husband is being. “I know, I know.”

As if on cue, there comes a knock on the door. Marcus enters when they bid it open. “Pardon the interruption, Princess,” he says with a little bow. “I came to see if the Captain’s things were ready to be moved to the guest quarters. We have the rooms prepared for him.”

Emma’s forehead creases at how she seems to be the last to know about Killian’s plans to spend the evening elsewhere, and her mouth opens and closes in unspoken protest as he moves beneath her to stand.

“I suppose I should be going,” he says, climbing to his feet after she clears his lap and leaning over to gather up his schematics.

She watches him set the papers aside on a bookshelf, and her jaw drops when he retrieves a small gunny sack that sits in plain view beside the washstand.

He slings it over his shoulder and eyes her pout with a soft smile. “Don’t worry, love,” he murmurs, coming back to her to plant a lingering kiss on her lips. “After tomorrow, there’ll be no getting rid of me.”

The corner of her mouth twitches. “Promise?”

The confident grin on his face makes her heart flutter. “Aye.” He leans in for one last kiss before heading for the door, waving off Marcus’ offer to carry the sack and throwing her one last wily smile over his shoulder before he disappears.

Emma nods to Marcus as the groom gives her a hasty bow and hurries after him. Despite her disappointment at having sleep alone, she catches herself grinning until her cheeks protest as she readies herself for bed. She studies her silhouette in the full-length mirror while she brushes her hair and bites the inside of her lip, anticipation stirring in her stomach. Tomorrow is a big day, she thinks again, forcing herself to take a deep breath in and out to try to quiet her excited nerves. A private smile pulls at the side of her mouth.

Understatement of the year.

* * *

Though it’s been busier than usual all week with the arrival of dignitaries and royal entourages and the delivery of food and flowers and other assorted provisions for the wedding, the courtyard becomes a virtual hive of activity just after daybreak. Squires bearing the colors of their individuals houses run to and fro, maids and grooms bustle by on their appointed tasks, and an intense cloud of chatter rises to Killian’s ears as he observes it all through the open guestroom window. His mouth quirks as he spies Alec and Thomas, as clean and well-dressed as he’s ever seen them, flirting with a pair of ladies-in-waiting, the young women tittering and flashing his men appraising looks before wandering away.

There’s a solid knock on the door, and Killian turns. “Yes?” He blinks with pleasant surprise when Emma’s father appears, dressed in a resplendent bright red coat with elaborate platinum beading that is truly fit for a king. “Good morning.”

“’Morning.” David holds up a small polished wooden box. “The dwarves just delivered this, and I thought I’d bring it up myself.”

Killian accepts it with a curious wrinkle across his forehead. “What is it?” He flicks the small swinging latch open and uses his hook to lift the lid. His brow arcs at the first glint of silver.

“As Emma’s husband, you’re entitled to a royal signet ring,” David explains. “You’re not obligated to wear it, but it’s yours now. You know,” he catches Killian’s eye and a wry grin tugs at his mouth, “as a member of the family.”

Killian blinks several times as he takes in the wide polished surface of the engraved sigil – the seven flowers above a lion that he’s grown accustomed to seeing everywhere now accented by a small object in the center of the chevron that separates them. His eyes widen as he recognizes the shape. “Is that an anchor?”

The King shrugs, his crow’s feet crinkling. “Hope you don’t mind us presuming. We wanted to make it yours. It was Emma’s idea.”

Killian licks his lips, a small swell of emotion rising in his chest at the idea of Emma and her parents collaborating on this in order to surprise him. “It’s amazing,” he croaks.

“I know you’ve already got several rings,” David says hastily, gesturing at Killian’s hand. He frowns when he realizes that Killian’s jewelry is conspicuously absent. “Which are…”

“Put away, mate,” Killian supplies, rotating his wrist to display his bare fingers. “Pieces of the man I used to be.” He sets the box down on a dresser and pulls the signet ring out, finagling it past the knuckles of his first finger. “This is a better fit for me now.” He admires it one more time before setting the box aside and looking up at his father-in-law soberly. “Thank you.”

David beams and claps a hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be a good day.”

Color blooms on Killian’s cheeks, and he chuckles. “Yes, it is.”

* * *

The wedding is like something out of a dream, but better and more magical than any of Emma’s girlhood fantasies. The bodice of her daringly strapless gown is covered in swan feathers that wrap around her torso and fan out over the top of the bustle behind her before giving way to yards of white organza that swirl and layer down to the floor like the foamy waves of high tide. She’s tried the dress on several times for fittings last week, but it isn’t until she sees herself in it today – staring at her reflection in the mirror with her hair done up in a romantic chignon at the back of her head and borrowed, jewel-encrusted earrings dangling from her ears – that the thrill of the occasion really sets in. She fingers the large, intricate, diamond-studded clasp that sits at her waist like a belt buckle and smoothes her hand down over her belly with her lip between her teeth. Everything is perfect.

Her mother looks weepy as she stands behind her shoulder and takes it all in, her hands pressed together and held up to her lips. “Oh, Emma. You look incredible, honey.”

Emma aims a watery smile back at her through the mirror, her heart fluttering in her chest. “The dress looks really good, doesn’t it?”

Snow nods eagerly, breaking into a happy laugh. “Yes, it does.” A knowing grin pulls at her cheeks. “You’re going to have such a wonderful wedding,” she says with a blissful sigh. “I probably shouldn’t tell you, but Killian has a few surprises waiting for you today.”

Emma’s brows angle upward. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm.” Snow’s smile turns dreamy. She steps forward and hugs Emma from behind, one hand wrapped around each of her daughter’s shoulders. “He loves you so much. I’m so happy you found each other.”

Emma runs her hand down the front of her dress again, fingers lingering momentarily just below her waist, and suppresses a happy shudder. “I am too.”

The Rainbow Hall, the same room where her parents were married, is sparkling with its namesake colors, sunlight spilling through the enormous, jewel-toned stained glass windows to glimmer off every surface and set the room aglow like a prism. Rainbow light, Emma thinks with a nostalgic grin as she walks through the grand double doors. A good place to celebrate True Love.

In the heart of it all, at the foot of the round central dais and surrounded by a endless sea of guests, stands Killian, handsome as ever in his long leather coat with his boots polished and his cutlass at his side. Emma catches sight of a new deep red vest peeking out from between his customary layers of black, and she smiles as it reminds her of the color hidden in the stone of the ring he’s about to give her once again. His lips part when he sees her, his shining blue eyes and his awed smile drawing her like a beacon as she makes her way down the aisle with her father on one arm and her mother on the other.

The dwarves stand at the front of the crowd beside spry old Granny Lucas and her granddaughter, Emma’s godmother, Red, and there isn’t a dry eye among them, least of all Grumpy’s. The crotchety little man sniffles as she passes, moisture glinting in the corner of his eye like a diamond, and Emma chuckles and flashes him an affectionate smile.

To her right she sees Killian’s men, hardly recognizable in clean clothes and freshly washed faces, and she beams impossibly wide and blushes at the wondrous expressions worn by Alec, Thomas, Martin, Smee, and even Roberts when they see her, the windblown girl who used to sit upon the top and dance barefoot on deck now looking like an angel come down from heaven. Her heart swells as she takes a quick account and realizes that every member of the crew has come, and somehow she knows that they’re here for her as much as they are their captain.

When they finally arrive at the dais, she exchanges tearful hugs and kisses with her parents before her father genially grasps forearms with Killian and the King and Queen step aside. She reaches for her husband’s outstretched hand, blinking back the sting in her eyes, and the two of them share a smile that feels oddly private despite being witnessed by hundreds of well-wishers.

“Ready, love?” he murmurs, squeezing her fingers.

She glances down and notices the new signet ring on his index finger, the clean, silver band over his thumb, and a vacant spot on his ring finger – a spot reserved now for her ring – and she chokes back a little laugh and nods.

He leads her up the steps, and she gasps when they’re met at the top, not by the bishop, but by her godfather, Lance, a majestic sight with his close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and blood red cape draped over his gleaming suit of armor.

Lance’s face splits into a big, white smile, and his dark eyes dance as her mouth falls open. “Hope you don’t mind,” he rumbles jovially, “but I couldn’t let my favorite goddaughter be married by just anyone. May I have the honor, Emma?”

Emma shares a look with Killian, his smiling eyes confirming that he was in on this first little conspiracy, and she swallows the lump in her throat and nods her head hastily, willing herself not to cry before she can even say her vows in front of the whole kingdom.

Lancelot raises his voice to the crowd. “My friends!” he booms, “Once upon a time I had the great privilege of conducting another wedding ceremony in a field far from here between the then Princess Snow White and the man she has always called her Prince Charming. Not many people know that the King and Queen were married quickly and in secret long before their formal nuptials ever took place in this hall, but I remember it like it was yesterday.” He throws Emma’s parents a wink before letting his gaze fall back to the young couple in front of him. “As it is with you, she wore white,” he says to Emma, “and he wore black and red,” he tells Killian. “And as it is with you, there was no question that pair of them were destined to be bound together forever.

“You, Emma and Killian, are yet another reminder that what is good and new can come from the darkest of circumstances and that hope for something better is always worth having, even when that something is hundreds of years in the making.”

Beside her, Killian chuckles.

“Never lose sight of that hope or of each other, because they are what will sustain you if you must ever face darkness again,” Lance continues. “Do you, Captain Killian Jones, promise to take this woman as your wife and love her for all eternity?”

Killian’s eyes swim with emotion as he accepts his brother’s ring from Emma’s godfather and slips it into place on her finger, taking her hand back into his and stroking her knuckles with his thumb as he nods solemnly. “I do.”

“And do you, my dear Princess, promise to take this man as your husband and love him for all eternity?”

Emma blinks hard and suppresses a sniffle as she takes the simple silver wedding band from Lance’s outstretched hand and slides it home on Killian’s finger, a single tear finally escaping down her cheek when she looks back up at him and meets his widening grin with a breathless smile. “I do.”

The abrupt honking sound of Dopey blowing his nose off to the side makes her burst into a little giggle, and soft laughter ripples through the crowd.

Lancelot chuckles. “It is my great honor, then, to pronounce you husband and wife. May the love between you always be strong, true, and eternal.” He fixes Killian with a broad grin and nods. “You may kiss your bride.”

The applause from the assembled is deafening, the riotous cheers and whistles from the Jolly’s crew encouraging the dwarves to also let loose with enthusiastic calls, but it’s all largely lost on Emma as Killian’s arm snakes around her back and he pulls her to him for a kiss so long and so sweet that even those who still question the ability of a man like Captain Hook to reform for the sake of love are left believing in love’s power a lot more and doubting him a lot less.

The celebration that follows is an historic affair, with commoners and nobles alike packing the Great Hall. White roses appear to climb the stately oak columns that tower above the assembled like pairs of great trees, while gigantic, overflowing floral arrangements are scattered throughout the room and fresh new banners bearing the royal crest sway gently high overhead. Firelight from dozens of gold chandeliers and candelabras and the hall’s six huge fireplaces combines with the last rays of the setting sun that filter through the series of tall, arched doorways standing open along the west wall. The party extends to the expansive terrace beyond with guests passing to and fro, mingling and laughing and dancing beneath both the vaulted stone ceiling and the twilight-colored clouds to the lively melodies of a merry troupe of musicians that plays in one corner.

No sooner have Killian and Emma arrived at the hall when Blue’s telltale light appears and comes down to greet them. Around them, people crane their necks to get a glimpse of the fabled fairy as she hovers in front of the newlyweds.

“Congratulations, Emma, and to you as well, Captain,” she says with a warm smile. “No one deserves greater happiness than the two of you.” She gestures behind her. “Emma, at your new husband’s request, I brought you a special guest as a wedding gift.”

Their eyes travel beyond her, and Emma lets out a surprised cry as she recognizes the figure that starts forward from the crowd to greet them. “Maggie!”

The tavernkeep, now in a fine green cotton dress, opens her arms wide, and Emma bustles forth to accost her with an exhilarated hug. The pair laughs and sniffles at their happy reunion. “Oh, my dear,” Maggie hums, her voice thick, “I just knew you were no ordinary girl. What a sight you are for sore eyes, and what a stunning wedding it was!” She reaches one arm out and claps Killian fondly on the neck. “Well done, Captain.”

Killian chuckles, his cheeks flushing with pleasure. “Maggie.”

Emma turns and fixes him with wide, delighted eyes. “You did this too?”

“Well, she did this,” he says, nodding toward Blue, who continues to float next to them. He amiably drapes his arm over Emma’s shoulders as she tucks herself into his side. “But yes, I did ask. You and I might never have met had it not been for Maggie,” he points out, flashing the older woman a grateful smile. “It only seemed right to have her here to see us married.”

“It was the least I could do,” Blue adds kindly, “considering the sacrifices you made to keep the fairies safe from the Dark One. We owe you a great deal.”

“I pretty near fell over into the cooking fire when she first came to me though,” Maggie tells Emma with a laugh and a shake of her head. “Quite a shock to meet a fairy for the first time, though the news she brought was the best I’ve ever heard.” She reaches for Emma’s hand and gives it a squeeze.

Emma chuckles and squeezes back. “How long can you stay?”

“As long as you like,” Blue answers. “When she’s ready to go home, you know how to find me. I hope you all have a lovely time.” They watch as she arcs upward and soars out through the nearest doors, her blue light disappearing into the evening sky in a brilliant flash.

Emma turns back to Maggie with her brows raised hopefully. “You’ll stay, won’t you? At least a few days? You’ll be our honored guest.”

The other woman laughs and comes forward again to wrap her arms around both her and Killian in another motherly hug. “My gorgeous girl, nothing would make me happier.”

It’s a bit later in the evening when Killian reveals his third surprise for Emma, nodding covertly to Roberts as he and the Princess finish yet another demure formal dance on the side of the hall that has organized into an impromptu ballroom. Moments later, when he and Emma are dipping into their final bows, the sound of a fife suddenly pierces the air, and after several introductory notes, the entire group of musicians launches into a much more spritely melody with Killian’s quartermaster taking the lead.

Emma gapes as she instantly recognizes the tune, her cheeks glowing and her eyes bright, and they’re suddenly surrounded by the crew of the Jolly, the men clapping and whooping and launching into the familiar sea shanty with gusto.

The maiden, oh, the maiden, oh,

The sailor loves the maiden, oh!

Laughter bubbles up from her belly, and she barely has time to kick her high-heeled slippers aside and appreciate the scandalized sound Marcus makes before she finds herself being swept around the floor by each of the crewmen in succession. Tonight each pauses to kiss her on the cheek before spinning her into the arms of his comrade, and she cries out with delight when Alec busses her and then hands her over to her father, who’s left his sword with the Queen and stepped forward to claim his own turn.

The King’s pale blue eyes gleam with gratification, his distinguished features stretched into the biggest smile Emma can remember ever seeing him wear, and though he’s a little less sure of the steps than the rest of them, he acquits himself admirably, the pair of them chortling through the dance and springing back and forth across the floor with carefree, if slightly uncoordinated, abandon. And when at last his turn is ended, her father draws her forward and plants a heartfelt kiss on her forehead. “I love you, sweetheart.”

Emma sniffles. “I love you too, Papa.” She looks back up at him with wet eyes and giggles as he raises their joined hands and whirls her in Killian’s direction. The world around her blurs again until she lands back in her husband’s embrace with a happy shriek, her fingers closing instinctively around the curve of his hook while his arm winds around her back. Her heart gallops even faster as he grins devilishly and tugs her close.

“There’s my beautiful Swan,” he rumbles. “Shall we show them how it’s really done?”

She consents with a laugh and allows him to launch them back into the familiar rhythm of their favorite jig, her bare feet flying across the cool stone floor, and while it’s harder to dance in this gown than it had been in her trousers, she still manages to follow his lead without faltering, anticipating and complementing his step with ease. He sings again to her tonight, bellowing the tune unapologetically, and her smile feels permanently plastered across her face by the time the song is ended. Thunderous applause and cheers erupt around them, and Killian dips his head and silences her wild giggles as he kisses her for all he’s worth.

Unrestrained happiness threatens to burst from her every pore in this moment, and her face is alight when he finally pulls away. “That’s three surprises,” she pants over the din, clinging to him and stealing another quick kiss before grasping his fingers and his hook and dragging him toward the terrace. “Come on. My turn.”

The guests trail after them as she draws him out to the balustrade. Emma she releases him and turns, elbows falling to her sides and palms aimed upward, and Killian and the rest of the crowd watch, enchanted, as her hands begin to glow with tiny colored flickers that seem to penetrate from beneath her skin. Waves of rainbow light suddenly burst forth and rocket skyward, drawing every eye to the heavens. The beams expand into huge, amorphous swatches of multicolored radiance that illuminate the sky, and the surrounding gasps turn into excited cries when the hues then twist back in on themselves and explode into fireworks, glittering showers hundreds of feet wide raining down high overhead in shades of pink and purple and blue. Emma’s self-indulgent smile spans ear-to-ear, her skin humming as she channels all her love and joy into her magic.

Killian laughs and presses his chest to her back, looping his arms around her waist. “It seems I’ve been outdone,” he remarks, smiling against her ear as he marvels at her handiwork.

Emma chuckles, taking her eyes off her fireworks in order to shoot him a coy sideways glance. “And I’ve still got another ace up my sleeve.”

His interested hum sends shivers down her spine. “Pirate.” He presses a kiss to her cheek and raises his gaze back to the sky. “And when exactly do you plan to reveal this other surprise, Swan?”

“Eager, Captain?” She arches an eyebrow fetchingly, her heart skipping a beat beneath her ribs.

She doesn’t need to see Killian’s face to hear the smirk on his lips. “Naturally, when it comes to you.”

Goosebumps rise over her shoulders, and Emma funnels her pleasant shivers into another surge of magic, launching the last and most impressive of the fireworks in a kind of grand finale. She rotates her head toward him and inches her mouth toward his, the extreme brilliance of the lights casting them in a warm glow. “When we’re alone.”

He blinks, and his eyebrow raises in that way that makes her weak in the knees. “I suppose it would be bad form to just hang the rest of the party,” he growls, his breath warm on her lips, “and let your husband haul you off to your chambers.”

“Our chambers,” she mutters with a smug grin. “And yes, terrible form.”

His lashes flutter closed as he seals his mouth over hers. “Damn.”

* * *

They do manage to sneak away half an hour later, once the festivities begin to die down, their hurried footsteps and hushed, conspiratorial laughs interspersing moments spent pressed up against stone walls and kissing like lovesick teenagers.

Emma chuckles against him as they come up for air for the third or fourth time, grateful that the guards who are normally stationed in this particular passageway are down at the celebration keeping an eye on the guests. “If we keep doing this, we’ll never get there,” she says, her voice throaty. She sighs blissfully as his lips find her jaw and begin to work back toward her ear.

“The door’s just around the corner,” he points out, humming with pleasure at the little gasp she makes when he nibbles his way along her earlobe. He runs his hand solidly around her hip, relishing the idea of his Swan wearing feathers and simultaneously wanting nothing more than to get her out of them.

A mewl escapes her, and he feels her fingers delve into his hair. “Actually,” she breathes, trying to stay focused, “I had another stop in mind first, if that’s okay.”

Killian pauses and pulls back to fix her with a playfully chiding look. “Are you asking me to delay taking you to bed on our wedding night again, love?” he rumbles, his heart rate already quite insistent. “Because I may not possess that kind of self-control.”

She giggles. “Just one stop. It’s for my other surprise.”

He hums in mock contemplation, his fingertips brushing aside a loose strand of her hair and drifting down her neck affectionately. “I make no promises,” he warns, flashing his dimples like a scoundrel.

“Mmm.” Emma bites her lip. “I guess I better make it quick then.” She seizes the collar of his coat and poofs them away.

The smoke clears to reveal a dark room, and it takes his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim moonlight that shines through the few windows of what looks to be a storage room, the ghostly shapes of cloth-covered furniture surrounding them on all sides.

Killian cranes his neck around curiously, and Emma gently pulls away. “Um, darling? Where are we?”

“Just above our chambers,” she answers breezily. “At the top of the tower. I need to find something.”

“And what’s that?” He arches an eyebrow and glances around the room again as she moves closer to one of the windows, looking rather ethereal in her white gown beneath the pale light.

She turns, and he can tell by the way she freezes that she’s found her quarry, her eyes widening and a smile curving her mouth. “This.” She pulls at the sheet covering an object that’s long and rectangular and surrounded by decorative finials that reach chest-high.

Killian squints as he approaches for a closer look. “What is it?” He watches as she drops the sheet to the floor and runs her hand tentatively over the scalloped edge of... His eyes grow round, and his heart stutters. “Swan?” he croaks.

“It’s… it’s my old crib,” she mumbles, now looking shy and a little anxious. “I just…” She raises her eyes to him, her cheeks flushed and her lip between her teeth again. “We’ll be needing it early next year.”

His jaw slackens, and he’s never seen anything so wonderful in his life as the sight of her – his wife – glowing at him beneath the full moon and standing next to the crib meant for… for their child. Bloody hell. His stunned gaze darts toward her belly before fixing back on her rosy face.

“Is… is that alright?” Worry creeps across her brow.

It’s as though her words restore his ability to move, and he rushes her, scooping her into his arms and kissing her fiercely, his eyes starting to burn. “You’re…?”

He feels her relax and give in to heady laughter against his chest as she kisses him back and nods. “Mm-hmm.”

Killian pulls back and cups the side of her face with his hand, studying her with helpless adoration. “How long have you known?”

“Maybe a week,” she admits, eyes shining. “I wanted to tell you first.”

A baby. They’re going to have a baby. The most perfect woman in all the realms is going to bear him a son. Or a daughter. He realizes he doesn’t care which as he leans forward to capture her lips again. Emma sniffles against his skin and winds her arms up around his neck, her fingers curling along the base of his skull and her shoulders quivering slightly as she shudders with perfect contentment. She’s his. And this child is his. And he doesn’t bloody deserve either of them, but he’ll fight to his dying breath to keep them all the same. Because this is his life now. Emma and the little one growing inside her – they’re his life. And more than he has since arriving at the castle, he feels home.

“I love you,” he whispers, tracing her cheekbone with his thumb and swiping through the wet trail of a happy tear.

“I love you, too.”

He looks down at her stomach and lays his hand across it with the greatest reverence, and she laughs and lays her hand atop his.

“So what do you think, Captain?” she teases. “Are you ready for another adventure?”

Killian’s chuckle reverberates in his chest as he gives her belly another caress and then pulls her flush against him. She rests her head on his shoulder, and he presses a kiss to her temple, his heart rising to his throat as it suddenly occurs to him that he’s holding his new family in his arms. “With you, my love?” he murmurs, hugging her tighter and smiling into her hair. “Always.”

Thank you so much for reading! For a behind-the-scenes look at this fic, click here for a reader Q & A!

#csbb #cs ff #cs fic #captain swan #captain wench #captain duckling #cs ef au #cs anastasia au #cs au #cs au ff #ouat ff #ouat fanfic #my writing #the long way home

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lt-sarai · 7 years

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Someone gifsetted it but did anyone write it???

#CS anastasia AU

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bucklesomeswashswan · 4 years

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At the Beginning (5/11)

Once Upon a December Sequel

Thank you! Thank you a million times for everyone who read and responded to the last chapter! You put a smile on my face each and every day!

This chapter has one of the first scenes that came to me for this story, and one of the reasons I wanted to write a full sequel. Hope you enjoy it!

Captain Swan Steampunk Anastasia AU Summary: Emma might have thought her troubles were over after she defeated Gold, the leader of the Industrialists. But not everything is as it seems and Misthaven is in danger. Mysterious new faces and gangs lurk in the shadows as Misthaven struggles to find its footing in the power vacuum left behind when the Industrialists fell. Time is running out to regain control and alliances form and crumble as the betrayals come from those closer and closer to Emma. Will she be able to have the life she always wanted with her family and Killian or will the secrets from the past tear apart everything she thought she knew?

Rated M AO3 Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 Start over with Once Upon a December [AO3]

Chapter 5: When the Storm is Through

Emma woke to the feeling of pale sunlight blanketing over her and soft lips brushing against her bare back. She smiled into the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut.

Killian’s hand brushed her lower back as his nose traced up her spine. She felt his warm breath as he sighed against her, his forehead resting between her shoulder blades.

She squinted one eye open looking back over her shoulder to the messy black hair falling over her skin. “Killian?” she whispered.

“Shh,” he murmured into her skin, “If we don’t make a sound, maybe the world will forget to wake up.”

As if in answer to that thought there was a clatter on the street outside, the sound of hooves across the cobblestones. He groaned, letting out another sigh.

He pressed a last kiss into her skin before pulling away. She half expected him to try to initiate another round of last night’s activities, but instead he said something even better.

“You want some breakfast?” he asked.

She rolled over, pulling the sheet with her, meeting his gaze. “Yes,” she said, the word almost a moan. “I’m starving.”

Suddenly she frowned and leaned up on her elbows, a thought striking her. “Wait, you haven’t been here in months. How can you have food? Are we going to have stale crackers and dry beans?”

His eyes skimmed over her like a touch, making her very aware of the thin sheet that was all that was between them. “Look who’s getting awfully entitled now that they’re a princess,” he said with mock indignation.

She reached out to swat at him.

He chuckled, dodging her hand. “Don’t worry, love, there’s a bakery up the street.”

It was such an incredibly normal sentence. She was struck again by how the city was familiar and natural to him. He lived here, knew the bakeries, knew the people. She had been given a country by birthright that felt foreign to her and she wanted so badly to see it through his eyes. The way he knew it.

“Any specific requests?” He asked her, an eyebrow arching up.

She bit her lip thinking. “Hmmm, cheese pastry.”

He leaned forward his fingers tangling in the sheet, it slipped an inch down her.

“Cheese pastry,” he repeated, placing a kiss on her abdomen over the sheet.

“And apple turnovers,” she said.

The sheet slipped another couple inches. “Mmmm,” he murmured, placing a kiss at the base of her ribs.

“Eggs and bacon.”

He shook his head against her as the sheet slipped over her breasts. “I’m not sure they have that.”

“Fresh strawberries.”

“It’s the middle of winter, love,” he said, the words a little muffled against her skin.

“Any kind of fruit.”

He placed a kiss over her heart. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The last kiss he placed on her lips. Her hands came up to hold him there, but too soon he pulled away.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her. “You won’t even miss me.”

She watched him move about the room pulling on clothes, a light blush colored her cheeks thinking of the reason they had gotten so scattered. She loved when he got desperate, his usual calm and collected demeanor gone, his skilled fingers hasty.

Knowing exactly what she was doing she leaned back on the soft pillows, stretching languidly, the sheet still around her hips. She saw him glance back at her from the doorway, the way he froze, the words dying on his lips, his eyes wide. It seemed an effort for him to make himself turn and leave the room.

Emma bit her lip, breathing a laugh into her hand. She’d never get used to the way Killian made her beautiful.

She heard the front door downstairs close behind him. After a moment of quiet she looked around the room, morning chasing away the shadows in the corners.

She rolled off the bed and pulled on Killian’s shirt from the night before, the fabric soft and worn. Her bare legs were a little cold now that the fire had burned out. She sank back onto the soft mattress, comfortable. She wondered if they would spend a thousand winter days like this, just the two of them.

Or maybe not alone…the thought was so dangerous and one that she had never really entertained. She imagined a quiet home and the patter of small feet. A family like she had wished for every night, full of love, and always there. It wasn’t even something she truly wanted right now, with everything so turbulent around them, but maybe after things stabilized. It was a glimmer of a future she’d never fully allowed herself to imagine before. She’d never met anyone she had wanted to consider more with, but now...

As if her thoughts had conjured him, Killian pushed open the bedroom door with a couple paper bags in his hand. There was a dusting of snow on his jacket and melting into his hair. He caught sight of her on the bed in his shirt and his smile was like the morning sun, waking in her all the possibilities. And she felt herself fall just a little more in love with him.

He dumped their loot between them, rattling off all the treats he’d brought. She barely waited for him to finish before reaching for the bear claw in the center. The sweet pastry and honey made her eyes fall closed in bliss. Killian was making quick work of one of the cheese danishes. He chuckled at her expression as she licked thick sugar off her fingers, utterly content.

They ate through a frankly alarming amount of sweets and pastries. Teasing and talking about nothing. This was what lazy mornings should be like: muted sunshine, easy laughs, unmade bed, and crumbs on the sheets.

“The snow is starting to accumulate out there,” he told her. “That storm is picking up.”

She glanced toward the grey clouds out the window, the snow in the air.

“Maybe we’ll be snowed in,” she said in a teasing tone. “We’ll have to think of lots of ways to spend the time.”

His answering frown surprised her, he didn’t rise to the bait.

She sat up straighter. “What is it?”

“As lovely as that sounds,” he said, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket. “There’s something else I have to do today. This was slipped under the door, it’s from Agatha.”

“What’s it say?”

“I need to go speak with her,” he said. He glanced from the paper to her. “You should stay here though.”

She crossed her arms. “Why? I can go with you.”

He shook his head. “Not this time, Emma.”

She held his gaze steadily. “You don’t need to protect me.”

“I know.”

“But?”

His expression almost begged her not to pick this fight. “But,” he said slowly, “There are dangerous people here who don’t support your family. We don’t know how to harness your magic, or even how powerful it is. We can’t act like you’re invincible when really it’s unpredictable. I'm not willing to risk anything we don’t have to.”

“You let me go with you last night,” she reminded him. “You didn’t care that they saw us together.”

He looked away. She wondered if he regretted it.

She didn’t want another fight, but if they never talked about what was bothering them then they’d only drift apart again.

She took a deep breath.

“I know you’re still upset that I went to the city with August, but I didn’t choose him over you. You were already gone and I can’t explain it, but there was something calling me to the castle. I needed to see it again for myself.”

“I’m not upset about August,” he said softly. “I was terrified when I heard you were with that witch from the Dark Palace.”

“Witch?” she repeated in surprise, it felt like cold water had been dumped over her. “Her name’s Regina and I think she might actually be able to help me.”

His hand rubbed over his face. “She’s dangerous. She’s a killer.”

“She understands magic.”

“Dark magic, Emma,” he said. “She understands dark magic. It poisons, corrupts, and destroys. I don’t trust her.”

His tone was so final. She picked at the hem of his shirt.

“Do you trust me?” she asked him, not looking at him.

“Yes,” he said at once. His eyes moved over her face. “Of course I trust you.”

“Then promise me we won’t judge her too quickly.”

He seemed to struggle against that request. She could tell it was warring against his instincts.

At last he nodded. A small gesture but one she knew he’d have never done if anyone else had asked. She knew exactly how much it meant.

“Thank you.”

“Will you do something for me too?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Let me do this alone today.”

She wanted to protest but this was how it was meant to work. Compromise. It felt like finally they weren’t keeping so many secrets from each other.

It was another step, hard won. She had to believe it would make them stronger.

He looked over at the worn clock on the mantel. “I should go,” he said. “Make yourself at home.”

She liked the way that sounded. Home.

“Like this?” she asked, pulling at the fabric of his shirt she was wearing. “Try all your things?”

He leaned forward. “Just like that,” he murmured against her lips.

His kiss was soft and sweet. An apology. A promise they’d talk more later. Do many things later.

For a moment she almost asked him to stay. To forget the world outside. But he drew away and pulled his heavy coat back on and left.

She fell back onto the pillows staring at the ceiling, tracing the cracks in the old paint. She pondered the day stretching out before her, boredom creeping in, it almost felt like a luxury greater than gems. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a day all to herself when no one was expecting anything from her.

Her fingers drew lazy patterns into the sheets around her as she remembered their night. The feeling of dancing pressed against him, the wild energy of the catacombs. She had never dreamed such a place existed. The surprise of seeing Killian’s home. Butterflies fluttered within her again as she thought about his lips on her, the desire that flared even now as she thought about him under her, the firm grip of his fingers on her.

Suddenly it felt like an eternity until Killian would return. She couldn’t just lay in this bed missing him, wanting him. She had half a mind to race after him and ravage him in some secluded back street. But she had promised to let him go alone.

Determined to remain true to her word she explored the room a little more, trying to take in any new details about Killian, any new secrets she hadn’t learned yet. She loved the way it felt familiar, the home of an old friend. It felt like being back at the castle had, like she had found a part of herself she had forgotten, hadn’t realized was missing.

She walked over to the window in the corner. There was a small window seat beneath the sill. She climbed up folding herself into the spot looking out at the view. The way the thick snowflakes fell outside the glass.

She knew at once why Killian and Ruby had chosen this place, it hadn’t looked like much from the outside, but the view from here was priceless. The city spread out before her blanketed in a layer of white sparkling snow. The sloping roofs, small patches of the canals visible through the gaps between buildings, and up on the hill was the crumbling ruin of the castle. She paused staring at it.

She wondered how many times Killian had sat here looking up at its silhouette against the sky.

She wondered if he had ever thought of that night years ago. If he’d ever remembered her. If she had ever crossed his mind as he looked out over the city and the castle.

She thought of his words just now. He was right, she didn’t know how powerful her magic was. And she’d be a liability until she knew how to use it.

As relaxing as lying around reading Killian’s books and snacking on leftover dates and apples from breakfast sounded, as she looked out at the castle a new plan formed. Regina might be in the castle right now. So close. She didn’t know when she’d be in the city again. She doubted Regina made house calls. And she had no idea how long Killian would be, but she’d probably be gone and back before he returned.

With her mind made up, she gathered up her clothes from the floor. But she frowned as she held up the leather bodice, thinking of her bare arms last night. She glanced again at the thick snow falling. She had known what she was doing when she chose them, but despite the lovely effect these clothes had had on Killian, they weren’t really winter attire.

She glanced around his room for other options, her eyes landing on the dresser in the corner. She knew his clothes would be too big, the shirt she was wearing now was proof of that. It hung loose and baggy enough to slip right off of her. And while that seemed ideal for a day spent in bed with Killian, she wasn’t sure the streets of the city were ready for that kind of scandal.

But even if she looked hard enough, did she actually want to find another woman’s clothes in his things? She didn’t have illusions that she was the first, hell, you didn’t do the things he did without a little practice. But that didn’t mean she wanted to see the concrete proof, or that she’d even be willing to wear anything she found.

Her eyes moved to the open doorway and the hall beyond. Ruby. She’d forgotten.

Emma moved out to the landing and the narrow door at the other end. She almost knocked just to be polite, even knowing Ruby wasn’t inside. She gently turned the knob and stepped inside.

Ruby’s room was different from Killian’s. Tucked under the sloping roof, it felt like a cozy den. And while Killian had surrounded himself with sentimental items and books filled with adventures, Ruby’s room was filled with bits of luxury she had scraped together for herself. The plush pillows and comforter piled on her bed. The thick velvet curtains hanging beside the windows. A set of polished silver candlesticks. A stack of gold bangles on a table with bottles of perfume and rose water. Bits of makeup sat beside a mirror in a thick scrolling frame.

And Emma understood it immediately, Ruby had not been trying to emulate some life she had lost, she was proving to herself that she didn’t have to be the girl the world would try to see her as. She might have lost everything but she wouldn’t be held down forever. And she would get to decide everything she was and had.

Emma moved to the closet door that was propped open with a pair of black leather boots. The bedroom had only slightly prepared her for Ruby’s closet. The tiny room was filled to bursting with clothes in rich reds, purples, and blacks. Not the lace and silk and tulle that filled Emma’s armoire in the palace. This was thick wool, printed velvet, and leather. Warm and grounded but elegant. Emma smiled. Very like the girl they belonged to.

She found a blouse of soft cotton and lined leggings to wear under her skirt. She let her hands run lazily over the textures of Ruby’s many cloaks before at last settling on a thick black one. It wasn’t as much of a statement as the bright red cloak Ruby typically favored, but it was beautiful in its own way.

“Thanks, Ruby,” she whispered to the room as she took her finds back across the hall.

It took a few minutes to pull on all her layers. She laced her boots and braced for the cold outside these warm walls.

~*~

Ruby ran her hand along the rough walls as she wandered through the second story gallery of the factory. She was searching for secret corners and listening for bits of conversations between the other Lost Boys. Anything that would give her information about what they did here, what Peter’s plan was.

He'd found her early this morning, bringing her into his office, no whiskey this time. He'd asked her about the King and Queen, and Emma: their relationship, their history. Peter was poking at the royal family looking for weakness. Ruby told him about Emma's desire to be a part of her family, the way she was trying so hard to make them proud. And Emma was their source of hope. She was the glue holding them together.

"Give me something that would break her then," Peter had said, his words like a hiss.

Ruby had stared at him, wondering how a person got to such a place, where people were obstacles to be destroyed.

She knew the easy answer to his request: Killian. She knew Emma would do anything to protect him, she'd seen it first hand. But she'd sooner tear herself apart than give Peter any reason to hurt Killian or Emma.

"Don't underestimate her," Ruby had told him seriously, meeting his eyes. "She's been fighting her whole life and she's got the strongest natural magic I've ever heard of."

He seemed to consider her words. "Then we don't fight her head on. Not without something equally powerful or impervious to magic."

He didn't elaborate, and he'd dismissed her soon after. Getting rid of her as soon as her usefulness ran out. She was just another pawn on his chessboard. A game too complicated for her to understand the scope of.

She ran through his words over and over. Trying to find their true meaning. Something to break her. We won't fight her head on. Something impervious to magic.

Footsteps echoed on the steel floors behind her pulling her from her thoughts, and she glanced back to see Robin approaching.

She leaned against a wide window looking out over the narrow winding streets and waited for him to catch up.

“There you are,” he said. “I heard Peter was looking for you this morning.”

Ruby lifted a brow. “Jealous?”

“I was just worried…” he looked around to be sure they were alone. “Everyone's on edge. I don't want anything to happen to you.”

She gave him a smile. Every moment she was aware of the fact she was in enemy territory. One misstep from danger. She was out of her depth and losing ground. No matter how much Peter appeared to trust her, confided in her, he never gave her any useful information.

Having Robin here, a familiar face, was a huge comfort. They had to protect each other here. They'd promised as much last night when he'd given her Killian's message, warning them about Peter's history with Gold.

A flash of shadow down on the snowy street below the window caught her attention. She straightened and pushed back off the glass and leaned closer to the window, squinting through the falling snow.

“What is it?” Robin asked, moving to see what she’d seen.

“I thought I just saw… me,” Ruby said moving to the next window to get a better view.

“There,” she said pointing. “That’s definitely my cloak.”

“Your cloak?” he asked. “Were you robbed?”

She watched the figure in her cloak turn down the side street away from the factory disappearing from view. The pieces falling in place in Ruby’s mind as the figure's tracks were covered over with new snow.

“No,” she smirked. “It means Emma spent the night at our place.”

“Emma? Where’s she going?” Robin asked his eyes following the path the street took.

“You mean where’s she going alone,” Ruby said, already pulling on her gloves. “Let’s find out.”

“Ruby!” Robin said in a harsh whisper.

She turned back to him eyeing him up and down. “Are you not coming then?” she asked him.

He rolled his eyes with a long suffering sigh. “I guess someone’s got to make sure you don’t yourself killed.”

“Please,” she scoffed. “When have I ever gotten myself killed before?”

Robin didn’t seem to find that comment funny but she didn’t wait to see if he was following her. She slipped down the back stairs of the factory and out the back door. Robin was beside her even before the door had fully closed.

They found Emma easily enough. They knew shortcuts she didn’t. They strolled up the street, tailing her at a distance until she turned up the hill to the ruin of the castle.

“The castle?” Robin asked.

“She’s going to talk to the dark sorceress,” Ruby said, she should have figured it out sooner. She glanced back the way they had come wondering where the hell Killian was. He wouldn’t be thrilled with this plan. She wondered how Emma had slipped him.

“Bloody hell, why do I keep letting myself get into these situations for you lot?” Robin muttered beside her.

Ruby hurried up the slick cobblestones without answering. Honestly, she wasn’t sure why he stuck around either. Maybe he craved the adventure like she did.

She led the way through the broken battlements to the eastern wall and the small door tucked behind the tower. It was the entrance she always used with Killian. Hidden and long forgotten.

“This way,” she said to Robin as she slipped inside the cold, dark, silent castle.

Maybe she should have been ashamed that she knew the layout so well from countless times breaking in. A thousand petty crimes with Killian, sometimes to steal something to sell for food, sometimes for business, sometimes just to get out of the biting wind for a few hours. She spied the small room where she had cheated at poker with a few miscreants from South Bend, and she led Robin up the staircase she had slipped down when she was thirteen and twisted her ankle. Killian had carried her around for a week, and though he’d grumbled she knew he loved playing the chivalrous knight.

They passed the main hall, the ballroom still covered in ashes from the revolt, the half crumbling entryway. All around the place felt frozen in time, stuck in the moment the monarchy died day after day. This place was a tomb to memories and ideas from another time.

“Wait,” Robin said, grabbing her arm. “There’s something here.”

He pulled her into the old library. Unlike the rest of the abandoned castle, this room didn’t look as neglected. There were even a couple candles burning on the tables at the center of the room, a sure sign someone had been here recently.

Ruby studied the flame, the way the light flickered, the cone of black at the center. It was conjured false-fire. She remembered the smell of burning cloves and black center of the flames from when she’d seen it as a girl. A group of gypsies from the south performing in the square. Their brand of magic was as wild and wicked as they were, born from the dry air and desert rocks and burning sun from where they lived. Acrobats and fortune tellers, and fire eaters who could summon false-fire, flames dancing across their knuckles and lips. She remembered thinking they must have been descended from the dragons in her bedtime stories. They never returned after the revolt, driven off or smart enough to stay away, now they were just a story too.

Ruby looked carefully around for anyone who might be hiding among the stacks of heavy books covered in cobwebs. False-fire was a bit of dark magic and that meant the sorceress was here. She didn’t want any surprises, with only one door this room could easily become an ambush.

Robin shifted through some of the papers on the table, too new to have been from before the revolt.

“Help me look through this,” he said. “There may be something useful here.”

Ruby joined him and grabbed a stack of parchment and started skimming the endless writing for anything important.

“She’s been gathering information on anyone important in the city,” Robin murmured, shuffling through several pages.

Ruby glanced over. “What’d she write about me?”

Robin flipped over the last page. “Absolutely nothing.”

“That’s rude,” Ruby huffed.

Robin chuckled. “Well if you’ve got a pen I can write in some notes. Tall, brunette, smartass, spy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Perhaps leave that out while I’m on a top secret assignment. Don’t want to blow my cover.”

“And this is just an assignment?” he asked her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked him, putting her hands on her hips.

“I know you like the thrill of the chase. You don’t sit by and just discuss action at a council table.”

Ruby paused. The words surprised her, cutting right down to her truth. “Maybe I’ve changed. Things are changing.”

She thought of the royal banners moving through the streets, the empty airship docks, the way Killian looked at Emma.

“People don’t change that much. People are predictable,” he told her. “Mulan told me she found you at the Central Station. That was always your favorite spot.”

She jerked at Mulan’s name, awkwardly turning back and becoming fascinated with the papers in front of her.

She felt Robin’s heavy gaze on her, dissecting her reaction. He’d always been a better poker player than she was.

“I had a feeling you two would get along,” he said. A loaded observation.

“Just making friends,” she shrugged.

“Sure, sure,” he said a smile in his tone. “You’ve always got a smooth answer for everything.”

“What do you know about her?” Ruby asked casually, turning over another sheet of parchment.

She saw his smirk but he didn’t tease her.

“She’s one of the good ones,” he said. “She appeared after Gold fell. Peter scooped up many people he felt would be assets.”

“You and her included,” she said.

He nodded.

“She’s got military experience that Peter wants. She fought in the Ogre Wars deep in the Enchanted Forest. They massacred her village. She’s seen real monsters, she’s not about to be taken for a fool by -”

“Wait,” Ruby said, cutting him off. “Look at this.”

She held out the bit of parchment that had caught her eye.

Robin studied the page. “Ingredients? Some kind of potion?”

“Valerian root, moonflower, nightshade,” Ruby said, pointing out a few items on the list. “It’s a sleeping potion. A curse.”

Ruby glanced again at the light of the false-fire. The dark magic core. The malice needed to create a sleeping curse.

“The sorceress could make this,” she told him.

“There’s more,” Robin said, pointing to the next piece of parchment. “She’s been monitoring the Royals’ movements. She knows all their plans.”

Ruby blew out a shaking breath. “She’s going to put the King and Queen under a sleeping curse,” she said.

Robin nodded. “She’s probably using Emma to get close to them.”

They both looked toward the door of the library to the rest of the castle where Emma was with the sorceress at that moment. She’d thought this could be an ambush, but it wasn’t a trap set for them.

~*~

“You’re not listening,” Regina scolded. “How am I supposed to teach someone who isn’t willing to learn?”

“I’m trying,” Emma said through gritted teeth as she stared at a small candle that would not light no matter how hard she tried. How could she have done so much powerful magic but not this?

“You need to focus, bend the magic to your will. Until now you’ve been throwing out random waves of magic, the power knocking over anything in its path, but some problems require precision. You lack control.

“Imagine what you are trying to achieve. See the flame, think about the light, the heat, the smell, the way it changes how the rest of the room looks. The ripples of every action.”

Emma stared at the candle but nothing happened.

Regina leaned back against the bookshelf on the wall. “You’re scared of your power aren’t you? You’re afraid to let any of it out, afraid of what you’ll unleash.”

“I’m not afraid,” Emma said stubbornly.

“Stop acting like a petulant child and listen,” she said. Emma shot her a glare. Regina continued, “Your fear will paralyze you. Magic cannot come from a place of fear. Fear makes you reactionary. Magic is not a reaction, it’s a decision. It has to come from a solid, grounded place within you. It has to come from an emotion more powerful than fear.”

Emma hated that there might be a little truth to it. She was afraid to open the lid on her power. When she tried to release the tight grip she had on the small place within her that she had pushed her magic down into, she saw the destroyed forest and she panicked.

“But you use dark magic,” Emma said. “Maybe it’s different?”

“It’s not.”

Emma looked at her flatly. “How would you know?”

“My magic used to be much like yours.”

Emma balked. “You had light magic?”

“Magic can evolve.”

Emma thought about the stories she knew. Merlin and Maleficent. Good wizards and Evil sorcerers. You were born with a proclivity for one or the other.

“But how can light magic just become dark?”

Regina walked over to one of the gas lamps. “Light and darkness are a balance.” She turned the knob and the flame sprang to life throwing out light so bright it was almost painful to look at. “The brighter the light, the darker the shadows it creates when it encounters an obstacle.” She held up her hand and a stark shadow appeared on the wall behind it. “Using light magic has the potential for great darkness. You must acknowledge the darkness too or you’ll never be able to truly control it, or understand the consequences.”

Regina sighed. “I wish I had known that at the beginning.”

Her words were heavy with a story Emma realized went much deeper than she’d thought. Everything about magic was more complicated and tangled than she’d imagined.

“What happened?”

Regina looked out the narrow window for a long moment. Emma could tell she was about to get to the secret she had sensed from the moment they met. Some truth that would explain everything.

“Emma, there are things you have to understand,” Regina said, and from anyone else that might have been condescending enough to ruffle her feathers but from Regina it just made her straighten in her chair, intent.

“Things were different, it was a different time,” Regina continued. “Magic was more prevalent, woven into our everyday lives. It wasn’t vilified. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t still mysterious or coveted. I discovered I had magic when I was twelve years old. I was riding in the back pasture when my horse spooked. She took off and tried to buck me off. I clung to her terrified. I was sure I was going to die. She galloped off blind with fear just running from some imagined danger. I couldn’t calm her or get her to slow down. We were headed right for the wall surrounding the pasture. A high stone wall with a deep ravine on the other side. I knew there was no way we would make the jump or survive the fall. I closed my eyes and tried with all my might to stop her, to save us. I felt weightless for a moment. I thought we had jumped and I waited for the impact. But it didn’t come. I opened my eyes and we were standing in the middle of the pasture. My horse was calmly grazing grass. It was like it had never happened. I might have even believed I had imagined the whole thing if my mother hadn’t seen it. She rushed out to me, pulled me down from the saddle, and held me tight.”

Emma knew all too well the fear and exhaustion that she had felt after using magic the first time. She knew the feeling of just wanting to be held and feel safe after it was over. Regina seemed to read her expression and she frowned.

“My mother was never a loving woman. She was practical, driven. As she held me I felt loved, the way a girl should feel in her mother’s arms. But then she pulled away with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. ‘We’re saved’ she said. I didn’t understand at the time. But my mother had seen an opportunity the moment my magic had saved me from disaster. She saw a way to elevate herself and crawl her way out of our humble life.”

“She wanted to use your magic for herself?” Emma asked.

Regina gave a slow shake of her head. “No, not for herself. She sold my magic to whoever would pay for it. I was trying to get used to the feeling of having magic and learn how to use it and my mother was demanding I use it for increasingly complex things, never worried about the cost or the strain.”

Emma knew exactly what Regina was describing; the restless feeling of new magic not quite harnessed or understood. At times it seemed to rage within her like a wildfire and at other times it slipped out of reach like water through her fingers. She tried to imagine going through all this with someone as ruthless as Regina’s mother pushing her past her limits.

“My mother made sure to spread the word of my abilities far and wide. It became more exaggeration than truth. People came to us claiming to have heard that I had done, things I had never dreamed of. Then my mother would look at me with that look and demand I make it so. Within a year we were summoned to the capital and the castle.”

“The castle?” Emma asked in surprise. “My family?”

Regina nodded. “King Leopold, your grandfather. He was very interested in what I could do. I wasn’t even allowed to be part of the conversation, my mother speaking for me, shuffling me from the room so I couldn’t contradict her. But whatever happened during those negotiations, the end result was my indenture to the king and my mother got an advantageous engagement to a wealthy lord. She didn’t even say goodbye before she left to go to his castle.”

“She left?”

“I never saw her again. I guess she got everything she wanted: position, wealth, connections. Well, perhaps until the revolt. Those early days of Industrialist control were not kind to the gentry. I never cared to find out what happened to her. She was never a mother to me.”

“What did King Leopold want your magic for?” Emma asked, already dreading the answer, but this was her family and she needed to know.

“It was small things at first. I would ensure favorable weather for the harvest and smooth sailing along the shipping routes. For a while that was enough to placate the king. He was delighted as the profits poured into his country and his coffers. It was a prosperous time. But it wasn’t long before the nearby kingdoms took notice. As Misthaven grew wealthy and powerful it also became a target. There were skirmishes on the borders and soon armies were massing against the King.”

Emma frowned at the similarity. The dark forces gathering against them, except this time it wasn’t neighboring kingdoms looking to get a share of the spoils, now it was vultures looking to pick clean the withered corpse of something that was once grand.

“Leopold was demanding I be a weapon to help him in his wars. We would travel to the front lines along the borders and I would tear out the hearts of rival commanders, pull air from the lungs of entire legions of infantry, and burn down camps to embers with alchemical fire. I left death and destruction in a smoldering wake behind us. In the end it helped us win the wars. The King was thrilled. But neither of us had anticipated what it would do to me and my magic.”

“Magic is a living thing. It has a soul that is both a part of you and something entirely separate. As I tapped into the darkness to bring about such evil and carnage it poisoned my magic and my heart. I could feel it blackening. At night the nightmares consumed me and during the day my hate haunted me, bleeding into my thoughts. I began to resent everything that had happened. I hated myself for letting this be done to me. I knew I couldn’t be a pawn any longer. I wasn’t going to be used for my magic.”

Emma looked up at Regina and felt like she was looking into a mirror. Used for her magic, Gold had it ripped from her and set to an evil use. For so long Emma had felt so completely alone but now hearing Regina’s story she felt like there might be someone who could truly understand. Someone who was like her.

“I ran away,” Regina continued. “I went to the deepest part of the forest and I built a castle. I poured every bit of malice and hurt into the very stones. I built a fortress to protect me from those who had wronged me. Even the forest around it twisted and grew thorns. Lakes turned to sulfur, boulders came alive as huge trolls and rotting corpses rose again as ogres. Eventually it crept through the forest to the villages at the edge of the wood. My knights guarded the shadows, crops turned to ash, the ogres flattened hovels. I didn’t stop it. I let them fear me. The Dark Palace they called it, a place fit for an evil sorceress. The one who could tear out hearts, the one who only brought death. If they wanted death I was more than willing to give it to any who came near my palace. Of course Leopold couldn’t have that kind of threat within his borders. But he also knew exactly how lethal he had crafted me to be.

“At first he sent letters, pleading for me to leave his lands. He offered passage across the sea. A chance to start over in a fleet of ships filled with gold. He didn’t understand, I didn’t want to leave. I had everything I wanted: my free will, my powers, and my revenge. The longer Leopold did nothing against me the more he looked weak, the more his power eroded.

“Eventually he sent his army. They breached the walls, roaches scurrying through my halls. Leopold found me in the throne room. I fought him and his best fighters, one by one they fell. Until at last Leopold took up the sword of one his generals stood his ground and demanded a truce. He said he’d cut out the heart of a deer from the wood and tell his people it was my heart. That I was vanquished. In return I would be left in peace to live a quieter existence within my palace. A shadow only, not a danger to him and his people. I agreed.

“I stayed in that palace until I knew he was dead. Until I heard his beloved daughter had been thrown off her throne, their kingdom dashed. I’m ashamed now at the joy I felt at that news. Because it turned out the man who took control was even worse. Gold soon banished magic and hunted down anyone rumored to have it. He came to me in my palace. Looking for a way to harness magic, to use it to fuel his infernal machines, trinkets, and inventions. I turned him down, but I knew he’d be back, and next time he wouldn’t ask. I fled my home, the only thing I still cared about. In the end everything I had sacrificed along the way meant nothing and I lost it all again.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said softly. She knew it wasn’t enough. She knew her apology wasn’t the one Regina had wanted and that it wouldn’t do any good at this point. But the words slipped from her.

“Emma,” Regina said. “I’m not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me. I’m telling you so you will understand. This country is fragile. It’s unstable, now more than ever. If it falls into the wrong hands none of us will be safe. You and I least of all.”

“The wrong hands?” Emma said.

“Anyone without magic. We all saw what happened with the Industrialists. They don’t understand us, and eventually they all come to fear us. We are too different from them. Too powerful.”

“My parents aren’t like that,” Emma said. “They know I have magic. They love me. They aren’t anything like the Industrialists.”

Regina gave her a skeptical look. “They’re so different from the Industrialists? They wouldn’t misuse people with magic?” she asked. “Not like... your grandfather?”

Emma frowned. “That wasn’t them.”

“We won’t ever be protected if someone without magic is in charge.”

“What are you saying?” Emma asked. “That my parents shouldn’t rule?”

“I’m saying they have had their chance, and the people made their opinions quite clear about their leadership.”

Emma’s thoughts raced. If Regina wanted someone with magic to rule, did that mean she wanted Emma to rule?

She watched as Regina poured herself a glass of wine. Regina had never seemed to think all that highly of her, but maybe she had been mistaken. She couldn’t help but be flattered. And Regina would be a powerful ally to have on her side.

Feeling bolstered, Emma looked at the candle on the table again. A flame suddenly lit the wick sending flickering shadows dancing across the table. Emma beamed.

“See,” Regina said, looking smug. “You need to have confidence in yourself alone. Don’t listen to the other voices and doubts within you.”

You can do it by yourself. Don’t listen to anything else.

She knew what Regina wanted now. Knew why she wanted it and everything she had been through. She would help her get it.

It was unforgivable what her family had done in the name of power. And more than anything she needed to know if her parents, her mother, had known. She had to know exactly what kind of world her parents thought they had come back to restore.

“I need to go,” she said, grabbing the black cloak from where she’d laid it by the fire.

“The snow will be thick on the roads outside the city,” Regina said looking out the window.

Emma wondered if Regina would insist she stay at the castle. But instead she said, “Take a horse from the stable. I have a few.”

Emma nodded her thanks and hurried down the dark hallways. Stray snowflakes drifted in through broken windows and danced across the stone and marble floors as she went past.

She found the stables easily. Old memories guiding her. She quickly saddled up a black mare in one of the stalls and snapped the reins cantering out of the castle grounds, guiding the horse around the drifting snow in the streets and out of the city.

~*~

Regina took a sip of wine dark as blood. The castle echoed with silence since Emma had left. The air felt heavy with tension like clouds gathering and pressing down around her. The storm outside rattled against the windows. The wind howling through the ruined castle walls.

She turned to the heavy gilt mirror on the wall. The image that faced her was one she knew well, her eyes stared darkly back and she could sense her magic like a shadow beside her. A dark partner to her reflection.

“That could have gone worse,” she murmured to the glass.

The first part of any trap is always the least certain. She heard in response, a whisper like cold wind. All prey will consider their options before temptation wins out.

The candle flickered on the table, guttering out. She wondered distantly when the voice so deep it could have only come from the darkest depths of her mind had started to seem like sound advice.

“Her faith in her family will be hard to completely break.”

It’s already begun even before you, seeds planted years ago. You cannot unroot abandonment.

“Perhaps,” she said, swirling the liquid in her cup, watching the wine streak down the sides. “But she still holds on to hope.”

She felt more than saw the shadow sneer back at her. If the darkness is deep enough it can devour any light.

For a moment she wondered if that was referring to Emma, or her.

She drained her cup, the face in the mirror started to blur, the edges growing dimmer. She couldn’t quite tell now where she stopped and the shadows started. She didn’t mind the haziness, not like she used to. In the end it was always easier to give in. Darkness won only when you stopped fighting it, it was like sleep that way.

And for years she’d been so damn tired.

~*~

Emma passed off Regina’s horse to the farrier at the lakeside palace. Barely pausing on her way toward the wide front doors. She’d made good time, she knew she could catch her parents before they retired for the night.

She shrugged off Ruby’s cloak and left it beside the door.

“You’re back,” a voice said behind her. She spun to see her mother and father waiting for her.

“Where were you?” her mother asked.

Emma looked at them, the judgement clear on their faces. She’d always just be a child to them. But she’d learned long ago how to survive without a parent. Regina was right, she could do just fine on her own.

“I’m back now,” she told them, skirting the question.

“You shouldn’t be alone in the city,” her father said.

She looked between them. The worry on their faces had an edge of something darker.

“I wasn’t alone,” she assured them.

They looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone to follow in after her.

“Where’s Killian?” her mother asked.

Guilt flooded through her. Killian. She’d been in such a rush to know the truth for herself she’d forgotten she was meant to be waiting for him.

She shook her head. “I wasn’t with Killian.”

They exchanged a loaded glance. For a moment she was sure they somehow knew the truth.

“Who were you with?”

“Regina,” Emma said, challenging her parents to berate her. But they stayed perfectly still, silent. Their lack of reaction confirmed her fears.

Emma shifted her weight, narrowing her eyes. “What do you know about her?”

It was a test, but she had to know.

“She’s dangerous and manipulative,” her mother said.

“Yeah, I’ve been told.”

Her parents were watching her so carefully. Warily. They both seemed nervous about what she might say next.

Magic crackled through her, desperate to give real power to her anger. She took a deep breath, remembering to find the part inside her that would keep her from losing control. What would they think if they knew it was Regina helping her right that moment not to detonate.

“Emma-” her father started.

She didn’t want to hear excuses or careful diplomatic explanations. She wanted the truth.

“Did you know?” she asked them.

“Know what?”

She met her mother’s gaze. “Did you know what your father did to Regina? Do you know what he did to his enemies? What he did to keep his power? Is that the legacy you came back to continue?”

Her mother’s face drained of color. It was answer enough.

Emma felt tears in her eyes. Her family had lied to her. Lied to everyone. They were worse than the monsters they claimed they’d saved everyone from.

“Emma, you need to understand that-”

“No.” Emma shook her head, holding up her hand to stop them. She didn’t want to listen to what they had to say. “I understand perfectly.”

With that she turned, leaving them behind and ran for her room. She wanted to be alone.

Emma sank down onto the mattress, her head falling into her hands. She couldn’t stop the sobs that tore from her. Everything she held within her for so long was finally escaping.

She cried for Regina and she cried for herself. For everything a person could lose. For the people who had known and still hadn’t saved them. She cried until she didn’t have any more tears, and exhausted, with nothing left within her to fight, she fell asleep.

#captain swan #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs au #cs crew #steampunk anastasia au #once upon a december sequel #at the beginning #My writing

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teamhook · 4 years

Text

Un-Kissable CS AU::never been kissed

Hello. I know it has been a long time but I’m going to finish this. I’m aware I have a lot of WIPs but if you’re patient and stick around I will finish them all. To those who have stuck around and the new readers thank you. Okay so here we go. This is the last update of my older fics. Since it has been so long I will share a link to the first chapter and to the current.

I want to thank @ultraluckycatnd for being the lovely beta she is. Art by @herhookedhero

FFN |CH1| |CH6|

AO3 |CH1| |CH6|

Will Scarlet stands outside of Storybrooke High. He enters the school, turning to face the security guard and nods. He swaggers down the hall only to come face to face with a beautiful woman. She is a petite brunette with blue eyes. Will's heart stops. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

The lovely brunette turns to him with a soft smile. "Hello, may I help you?"

"Lass, I'm looking for the Principal's office. I'm here to pick up Killian Jones."

"Oh," she smiles, "I can walk you to the office."

"I'd appreciate it, thank you," he says, smiling.

They walk in silence.

All Will knows is that this woman is the most beautiful creature he has seen in his life. He is speechless, which is an uncommon occurrence. They arrive at the office and for a mere second, they awkwardly stand in silence.

She clears her throat. "We're here. This is it." She smiles at him.

They gaze into each other's eyes one last time before the clerk breaks the moment between them.

"Sir, how can I help you?"

Belle smiles at Will. "She'll help you." She hesitates for a second and turns to leave.

"I'm here to pick up Killian Jones. I was called to come to pick him up."

"Oh, yes. He is with Mr. Hopper and the nurse. One moment please." She picks up the phone. "Mr. Hopper, they're here for Mr. Jones. Yes, sir." She smiles. "Mr. Jones, could you follow me please?"

Will's eyes widen, and he nods and follows her. They enter the office of Mr. Hopper, the principal. He gestures for Will to sit down.

After an apology from the kind man, Will and Killian emerge from the office. Once they're out of earshot, Will comments. "Mate, you could have at least tried covering your face." Will winces as he looks at Killian's face.

Killian laughs and winces. "Bloody hell, it hurts when I laugh. Let's go."

"So, I'm Jones now?"

"I couldn't let them call Liam," Killian defended. "You know he acts like if he was my father instead of my older brother."

Killian looks at Will, who is distracted.

"I just encountered the most beautiful creature," Will sighs.

"Wait, I thought things were going well with Anastasia. Didn't you just invite me to go out with you lot to meet her and her friends?"

Will turned red. "I was trying to get you laid. Besides, she made it clear that she isn't interested in me. She invited her new boyfriend. So although I wasn't the only man there, I wasn't exactly wanted there. Her friends looked at me with pity, Killian, but this girl takes my breath away. I just hope she is not a student here."

Killian grimaces as they continue their walk.

"So what happened?" Will asks.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"I suppose. So, do I drop you off at your place?"

"Aye, Shadow will keep me company."

"I don't know, maybe I should take you to the hospital or a doctor? You might have a broken rib or something."

"Nurse Ratched checked me and didn't find any severe damage. Although she did enjoy prodding me a bit too much." Killian shuddered as he remembered the exam the nurse had given him.

Once Emma is in her classroom, she becomes distracted. The school isn't known for violence, but there are a few bad eggs. She chooses to see the best in everyone, but right now her anger for what had happened to Killian was blinding her. Yes, she cares for all her students, but Killian is different. She wonders if anyone in her class is responsible. Oh yes, she knows Peter and Felix are bullies. She had caught them when they picked on Henry. She had sent them to Principal Hopper's office on several occasions and to the counselor, but they were obviously not taking the warnings seriously.

She smiled as her eyes landed on Henry. He was such a sweet kid. He had eagerly attached himself to Killian. She had been so happy to see him make a friend.

"Class, I'm sad to say that one of your classmates, Killian Jones, was attacked and will be out for a couple of days." She looks around the classroom and gauges their reactions.

Henry looks disappointed as he turns to Killian's empty seat. His big brown eyes become wide and suddenly a smile begins to form. "Miss Emma, I was wondering if we could make him a get-well card? Or maybe buy him some flowers?"

Peter and Felix snicker. "Cause he is a pansy just like Henry."

Emma glares at Felix and Peter, shaking her head. "Henry, that sounds like a lovely idea. Isn't that right class?"

The classroom erupts in agreement except for the grunts of the two scowling trouble makers.

"Alright, class. we have work to do." Emma smiles at the class. She is happy they are so welcoming to the new kid. Keyword kid, she has to remind herself.

After Will drops him off at home, Killian feeds Shadow. He was tilting to the side to offset the pain. He takes an ice pack from the freezer and stops by his medicine cabinet for some painkillers. He hates staying still, but that's his only option. He lays down on his bed with the freezing pack pressed to his side. He hissed as he feels the cold numb the pain, Shadow purring next to him waiting for his attention. Killian smiles. "Shadow, I'm sorry mate I can't spoil you rotten right now." The piercing eyes show understanding as he meows and purrs contently, nuzzling his head on Killian's hand. Killian unconsciously pets him until his eyes start to close.

The next morning, Liam decides to check in on Killian. He hasn't told him how his assignment is going, which makes him worry. Killian had been so eager to tell him about the assignment and then nothing. Liam opened the door with his emergency key and notices the room is as quiet and neat as ever. His little brother was compulsive when it came to tidying up the place. He waits for Shadow to show up and attack. That little cat was ferocious and even more protective of Killian than him; Killian had once called him his little guard cat. Liam walks into the bedroom to find his brother sleeping. He approaches to wake him up because it is late and very unlike Killian to oversleep. He was going to be late for school. He notices the bruises on his face and the melted ice pack next to him. Liam shakes his head. "Killian, wake up."

A groggy Killian shifts in his sleep and mumbles, "Leave me alone, Liam."

"Killian, you're going to be late for school," Liam says as he waits for the words to get through his brother's sleep-addled mind.

Killian jumps up, startling Shadow and breathing heavily as his eyes land on a cross-armed Liam glaring at him.

"Brother, do you have anything to say to me?" Liam asks patiently.

Killian winces and falls back on the bed. "Liam, what the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Killy, what happened?"

Killian sighs. "Nothing. I fell."

Liam laughs loudly. "I didn't fall for that when we were younger. I'm not about to start now. Try again."

"Fine, but promise me you will not overreact."

Liam's jaw clenches. "I can only promise to try."

"There are some bullies at school and I suppose they are not my biggest fans." Killian shrugged.

"Killian, did you at least try to defend yourself?"

"No Liam, I just tried to cover my face. Do you forget I'm an adult? I would get in trouble at work for blowing my cover and for hitting a minor."

Liam shook his head in disbelief. "No story is worth your safety. I think you should quit. I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

"Liam, this is my chance."

"You need to be more careful. Killian, you shouldn't need to risk your life for a story in a high school."

"Liam, so tell me, brother. How would it work if I ever have a serious story? Hmm? I would have to tell Sidney I can't because it's dangerous and my brother doesn't want me to? If I can't do this, then why would I want to be a reporter?"

Liam sighs. "I get it. I'm not exactly living my dream. There's no need for both of us to be miserable."

Killian smiles. "Thank you."

"I suppose you're staying home today. I'll bring you something to eat. Just relax and focus on getting better. Wait, should I take you to the doctor or the hospital?"

"The school nurse checked me thoroughly. I don't think Nurse Ratched takes her job as a joke."

Liam simply nods as he walks back to the freezer for another pack to help soothe his brother's pain. "Alright, I will be back."

Liam left with one thought on his mind. He needed to find a way to protect his little brother.

Henry had called the day after to check on him. He was proving to be a good friend. He wanted to drop off his class assignments, but Killian had quickly asked him if it was alright for his brother to pick them up. Killian hated lying to him about his true identity, but how would he explain living alone? He also wanted to prove himself. Not once had Killian thought that taking this assignment would have the possibility of changing his personal life as well as his professional one. Killian remembered the concern he had seen on Miss Swan's face while she cared for him, but now was not the time for silly crushes. She surely couldn't possibly feel the same.

Killian returns to school after a couple of days at home recuperating, his bruises fading into a purplish-black color which makes his eyes more vibrant. His face has a fuzz due to not shaving for days. He looks older and there is also a hint of danger to his appearance. He also has to resort to wearing his contacts because he had lost his glasses the day of the attack.

He can feel Peter and Felix keeping an eye on him. Days pass and there are no new attacks. Miss Swan had asked him if he saw anything, but he lied to her saying no, but he had a feeling she knew he was lying.

After two weeks, Sidney finally calls him to his office, furious.

"Killian, can you explain to me what this is?" Sidney hands him his iPad to read an article.

Killian mumbles as he reads it. "I agree. Skull Rock is where all the cool kids hang out."

"Hmm. Can you explain to me why, no, how you were scooped by The Author? Killian, you've been at this school for weeks and have nothing to show! I want you to hang out with the cool kids; if they go to prom, you will be with them. That's where the story is. Is that understood?"

Killian tries to explain, but Sidney's glare warns him it is better to stay quiet.

Killian left Sidney's office deflated. How was he going to make that happen? What could he do to fit in with the cool kids? He had to come up with a plan, and fast.

@rumdrum91 @itsfabianadocarmo @xsajx @hookedonapirate @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked @profdanglaisstuff @let-it-raines @revanmeetra87 @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @kymbersmith-90 @branlovestowrite @thejollyroger-writer @shireness-says @ilovemesomekillianjones @thisonesatellite @thesschesthair @winterbythesea @stahlop @resident-of-storybrooke @superchocovian @lfh1226-linda @artistic-writer @thislassishooked @shardminds @winterbaby89 @xhookswenchx @ultraluckycatnd @gingerchangeling @laschatzi @wellhellotragic @xemmaloveskillianx @courtorderedcake @pirateherokillian @optomisticgirl @darkcolinodonorgasm @andiirivera @djlbg @nikkiemms @jennjenn615 @scientificapricot @officerrogers @imlaxdris71 @therealstartraveller776 @kday426 @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @donteattheappleshook @spacekrulesbians @lassluna @carpedzem @captainodonoghue @killian-will-do @jarienn972 @tehgreeneyes @demisexualemmaswan @queen-serena88 @swanslieutenant @tiganasummertree @whimsicallyenchantedrose @bethacaciakay @ohmakemeahercules @jrob64 @klynn-stormz @mariakov81 @sals86 @elizabeethan @brooke-to-broch @hookedonhiddles @onceratheart18 @the-darkdragonfly @veryverynotgoodwrites @jonesfandomfanatic @wefoundloveunderthelight @cocohook38

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willexxmercer · 4 years

Text

fic writer asks

tagged by @thelittlefanpire (tsym!!!!!)

Feel free to say I tagged you if you want to do this!

Name(s)?

Tee

Katrina

teeandrainbows (on ao3)

TyrellRose (sometimes)

Fandom(s)?

The 100 (mostly Becho, Echoven, Memori, Linctavia, Blake Siblings, and Sea Mechanic)

Julie and the Phantoms (Juke and Willex)

Game of Thrones (mostly Theonsa and Sansaery)

Harry Potter (mostly Drarry, among others)

Once Upon a Time (Captain Swan)

ATLA/LOK (Zutara, Zhurrick)

Star Wars (Reylo, Anidala)

among others

Where do you post?

Ao3, and I used to post on ff.net but i keep forgetting to cross-post. Moodboards get posted here on tumblr!

Most popular multi-chapter (by kudos)?

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Becho XMen AU! (wip, as are all of my multichapters haha...)

Favorite story you’ve written so far?

if you choose to fly - the Bechoven fic I wrote for the Raven round of Chopped Madness!

Fic you were nervous to post?

Hello Mr Blake - my first smut fic, a Becho mile high club fic!

How do you choose your titles?

Titles suck, but I usually get them from quotes, songs, lines from the fic, or I get quirky with references. Really, it’s a little bit of everything!

Do you outline?

The only fic I have ever properly outlined is Things I Almost Remembered, which is still a wip. That outline was written on a 5 hour plane ride while I was amped up on 3-4 coffees and two rum-and-cokes. I’m still using it. Otherwise, no outlines, we write from the heart in this house

Complete works?

46 posted on ao3!

In-progress works?

8 wips posted on ao3 because i’m trash BUT I HAVE AN UPDATE SCHEDULE PLANNED STARTING IN JANUARY!

Felix Culpa (Zhurrick The Proposal AU)

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Becho XMen AU)

Things I Almost Remembered (Reylo Anastasia AU)

Something About the Sunshine (Theonsa Modern AU)

They Picked Us (Captain Swan Life As We Know It AU)

Ocean’s Roar (Theonsa Mermaid AU)

Riptide (Becho canon divergent fic)

Puppy Love (Becho Modern AU)

Coming soon/not yet started?

OH BOI DO I EVER HAVE A LIST OF UPCOMING FICS

Theonsa New Years oneshot

CS Neverland New Year

CS January Joy

Space Sisters Orgy (yes you read that right)

Zutara Post-canon

Echoven Pirate AU

Bobby-centric character study

Willex fic set in the same universe as your package has been delivered

Juke Starstruck AU

Echoven ATLA AU

Zutara Prince of Egypt AU

Spacekru Shipwrecked AU

Drarry Frog Prince AU

Plus whatever Chopped comes up with next!

Prompts?

Sadly, I don’t like to accept prompts because it’s hard for me to fill them in a timely manner; if you REALLY want me to write something, though, you can shoot it my way and I’ll add it to the queue of potential ideas!

#about me #tee writes #my brain just constantly churns out ideas and i'm like PLS STOP

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kmomof4 · 6 years

Note

What's your favorite CS fic and why? It can be right now, of all time or just in general :)

Favorite fic? As in singular? You’re kidding, right?

@hollyethecurious and @winterbaby89 had mercy on you because I wanted to give you the list of all my all time favorites, but that list literally had 87 fics on it...

so, you can thank them or blame them. I choose to blame them... because that list is true... and pure... I can honestly say that when I was reading a fic on that list, it was my all time favorite fic. And now I feel like I’m withholding that knowledge from you. So, if you’d like to know what all was on that list, come back and ask me and I’ll gladly tell you all while sticking my tongue out at Hollye and Laura. But, as it stands now, I still couldn’t pick just one fic, because I just love them all so much and I just refuse to do that, so I chose to give you my top 11 favorite authors with my favorite fic that they wrote. And that’s not even strictly accurate. Some authors have 2 or more fics that I can’t choose between, so there you go...

Without further ado...

@hollyethecurious

The Legend of Captain Killian Jones, rated M, 2 shot, written for Halloweek last year tells the story of Killian Jones, cursed to wander his family estate until he can break his curse and Emma Swan, restorationist charged with bringing the Jones family estate back to its former glory.

And co-authored with @winterbaby89

Dark Hook Comes to Storybrooke, rated M with 29chs. Will be completed this coming Sunday and is a s1 canon divergence in which Captain Hook gets his revenge on his crocodile just before Regina’s dark curse hits. My other favorite of Laura’s is The Red Dress Affair, rated M one shot. This is a short sexy piece she wrote for Valentines day last year.

@totheendoftheworldortime

Her Unlocked series is a polyamory series featuring Liam, Killian, and Emma. Rated E with 4 books in the series with a 5th coming soon. The fourth book has one more chapter before it’s complete. We Own Tonight is a CS story inserted into the Frozen storyline and it also features FrozenJewel! Rated E with 35chs.

@artistic-writer

Between Now and Nether, rated T with 18chs, tells the story of Killian and Emma and his quest to make her believe that he’s not really gone. Will he succeed? Or will he be lost to the nether forever?

@kymbersmith-90

Fairytales, every fangirls dream. Emma is a huge fan of Killian Jones and his series Fairytales. So what happens when she actually meets him in person OUTSIDE the con she’s attending? Rated E with 27chs so far.

@flslp87

The Beach House is a fic based on the movie The Lake House. How can 2 people who’ve never met be in love? Read it to find out. Rated T with 20chs. The Promise is an amazing fic that tells the story of Emma and Killian as they fight for their Happy Beginning. It is rated T with 30chs on ao3, it’s rated M on ff.

@pocket-anon

A Fairytale Beginning is a CS/Enchanted AU. What happens when Captain Hook crosses the Evil Queen? He gets sent to NYC where he meets cynical single mom Emma Swan. Rated T with 9chs so far. Only missing the epilogue. The Long Way Home was her submission for the CSBB last year and tells the story of Captain Hook as he seeks to return the missing princess to her home. CS/Anastasia AU, sort of... Rated E with 11chs.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose

By Land or By Sea series is a canon divergent from 3x11. It tells Jen’s imaginings of what 3b would be like, leading to Emma and Killian’s wedding, and the next crisis immediately following their nuptials. Rated T with 3 works included.

@seriouslyhooked

Within Your Ocean Eyes tells the story of the famed pirate Killian Jones and his lady love Emma Swan. Set in the 1800′s. Rated M with 22chs. Lifted By Love is a modern AU where 4 girls meet 4 guys while on vacation. Rated M with 8chs.

@wordsmith-storyweaver

His Dark Beauty, rated M with 28chs, tells the story of Emma Swan after she draws the attention of Prince Killian when she saves his beloved daughter’s life. Fancy That is a Neverland canon divergent one shot. Rated M.

@lenfaz

Old Habits Die Hard, rated M with 15chs, is a canon divergence in which Liam has been alive in Neverland this whole time and escapes back to the EF just as Regina’s curse hits. He and Emma become friends when she arrives in Storybrooke, and when his long lost younger brother Killian arrives, things get interesting fast!

So there you have it. I’m sorry it took so long to answer this ask, but even narrowing my list down to those 11 AMAZING and INCREDIBLE ladies and then further narrowing down to my favorite fic or fics they wrote was very, VERY difficult! I still blame Hollye and Laura... So go read their fics, show them some love, and come flail with me!

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initiala · 7 years

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Hi! I just watched your Anastasia reblogg, and coincidentally, I watched the movie yesterday and I thought that it would be an awesome CS AU! (Except instead the grandmother, the ones who escaped were Snowing). Do you know any fic like that, or would you consider writing it as a prompt for a one shot? Thank you! (Ooh and I love the way you write)

Ooooof dang, I’m POSITIVE there are at least like, three Anastasia CS fics but I don’t know them off the top of my head.

Shipmates!!! Call to arms!!!

#captain swan #Anonymous

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onceuponaprincessworld · 7 years

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CaptainSwan WIP Recs p.2

Hello Beautiful Fandom, here is a list of some awesome CaptainSwan fanfiction in progress that I believe deserve your full and prompt attention 🙂 ❤️

Hope you enjoy, and yes once again is a long list, I don’t think I can creat small ones.. you can find the first part here, and my other lists here

The Reason, @xemmaloveskillianx

The three of them share a laugh before they all look to Emma. She has yet to comment on the new addition because she isn’t sure what to say. She usually doesn’t like change, they have a good thing going there, just the four of them. Plus, they all know him and she doesn’t, but she trusts their judgement, and she’s sure any brother of Liam can’t be all that bad. So, with a shrug and a smile she says, “Welcome to Storybrooke, Killian Jones.”

Castle on the Hill, @secret-captain-swan-blog

English Literature PhD student Emma Swan just needs money to pay for her last semester of grad school tuition. Killian Jones has always dreamed of opening a bookshop but has never been able to afford it. So when the small principality of Misthaven is looking for their lost princess, the pair decide that this might just be the perfect money making scheme.

A Multi-chapter Modern Day + Lost Princess (think Rapunzel/Anastasia-esque) + Book Lovers in a Coffee Shop AU

Blunders and (happy) Beginnings, @effulgentcolors

The result of too much Jane Austen and associating everything with Captain Swan.

A Cold Awakening, @swanderful1

Modern crime AU. Twenty years have gone by since Storybrooke was shaken to the core by a gruesome crime that went unsolved. Sheriff David Nolan and his partner, daughter Emma are forced to revisit the crime. At the same time, Killian Jones and his older brother Liam have been drawn back to the town they had longed to never see again, struggling to find their own answers.As taunting notes and clues show up they are taken on a journey to finally bring justice for the Jones family. And Emma Nolan finds herself caught in a situation more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

Fate, Doodlelolly0910

Emma Swan and Killian Jones are best friends. Both successful in their own rights and both missing something in their lives. What happens when friendship takes a turn into something more, and even unexpected?

The Cuddlist, @the-reason-to-sail-home

ProfessionalCuddling!AU. Maybe going to a professional snuggler was the craziest idea Emma ever had, but it certainly wasn’t her worst. In fact, weekly cuddling with Killian Jones could’ve been the best decision she ever made.

The Fallout of Fall Festival, @beardetective

Emma and Killian were well on their way to becoming an official ampersand couple in their small town of Storybrooke, Maine, when a surprise visitor caused a rift between them.

The Proposal, @hook-is-killian-me

A Modern CS AU based off of the movie 'The Proposal'. Killian is in danger of being deported, so he enlists Emma's help to stay in the country. By marrying him. Rating based off slight language, if it's any more than a few curse words, I'll put it at the beginning of the chapter.

Princes and Princesses, @artandteaandstuff

Sequel to Kings and Queens. Emma is finally getting used to life in the spotlight. She has many people to help her along the way; her son, her friends and her boyfriend, Killian Jones. But changes are going to have to be made on Kings and Queens, and the world she's getting used to is about to turn upside down, leaving her questioning if she ever really understood it at all.

Sparks, @bashful-killian

Killian meets Emma on his wedding day after being left at the altar. Will she able to help him pass through his issues and Killian help her open up to others around her?

Strange Places, @artandteaandstuff

Emma Swan is only just getting to grips with the whole fairy-tale thing, let alone the villains. She's already defeated the Evil Queen. But the Evil Queen's mother is a new story entirely. Not to mention Captain Hook. She will do whatever she has to to take him out. Until one day she wakes up in an entirely different bed, only to find out she's married to him.

As Destiny Has It's Eyes On You, @winterbaby89

Princess Emma Swan of Misthaven has been prophesied as the Savior since before her birth. Now with the help of a Lieutenant from her past she is going to take her destiny into her own hands, to defeat the Evil Queen.

Accidentally My Ass, @ilovemesomekillianjones

Based on this prompt - BOSS: Know why I called you in here? ME: Because I accidentally sent you a dick pic BOSS: (stops pouring two glasses of wine) Accidentally?

Something like you love me, @killians-dimples

Emma decides the best way to get Mary Margaret off her back about Walsh is to say she already has a boyfriend. Except she doesn’t. That’s where Killian comes in. Fake!Engagement fic.

Hollywood Love story, Finchel4everyoung

Emma is a world famous singer who at the ripe age of 24 is ready to give it all up. After a heartbreaking end to her first love and actor Neal Gold, she is tired of the fame and all the heartbreak that comes with it. But when she goes to end it a chance opportunity causes her to meet another actor who has his had his own trouble finding love and trust. Throw in a few movie premieres and a few award shows and their story writes itself.

Call Me, @mayquita

Emma loses her phone after a chase, but she finds a phone in a cafe just when she needs it most. Killian forgets his phone in a cafe when he is about to take a flight to Ireland. Killian makes a call to his own number hoping someone answers on the other end of the line. What will happen when Emma answers the call?

Professor Jones, @ashar663

This is an alternate universe with Emma as a college graduate student and Killian her professor. Smuttiness ensues.

#cs ff #cs rec ff #cs rec fic #cs rec list #Captain Swan #captain swan fanfiction #my rec list #my fic list #CS fanfics #cs fanfiction #cs fic rec #captain swan fic rec

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j-philly-b · 7 years

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So, ofc 7x03 blew my theory away immediately, but thank you for sharing yours in return! I find the idea that LT is an imposter interesting, but I doubt the writers want to use the wishrealm more then necessary (just the characters, ha!), so she's probably simply from the Alt!EF, and WWH left right after Emma did. I suppose Rapunzel could still be the daughter, or LT could be Rapunzel, but the two things are probably unrelated, and LT and WWH just crossed paths like you said. We'll cont

cont probably know more after 7x04, but rightnow I feel like Alice has more of a connection to Rumple. But, if I remembercorrectly, Alice had Daddy issues (at least the OUATIW version did), so whoknows, she could very well be looking for WWH and that’s why she’s travellingto so many places. Honestly, I wonder if Rumple knows she’s the daughter andthat’s why he’s keeping her in his back pocket? That thing about Henry’sdaughter being a weak point was very suspicious! But it would be cont

cont more entertaining to me if Rumple ismistaking WWH for our Killian, that would be a great dynamic! I’m not sure Ithink the writers are creative enough to come up with inception over bloodmagic, but aging down over blood magic was pretty out there too… Maybe it willbe used to identify the daughter? No, wait, I forgot the chess piece! But Iagree that the mother will be unimportant and therefore remain a mystery. It’sthe daughter that matters!

Awwww, my theories get blown away all the time! The fun part is thinking about what could be, because let’s be real, the stuff we all think up is way better than what usually winds up on our tvs!

I was thinking of your theories after 7x03, andI have to say that I’m more on board with the LT as a grown-up Rapunzel theorythan I was before. It would be an OUaT kind of twist for Rapunzel to have thewitch locked up in her tower, wouldn’t it? I still doubt that they’d turn oneof Disney’s princesses into a full-on villain, but it would be an interestingstory to explore if they do go in that direction.

The bit with Anastasia being only mostly deadand LT/Victoria looking for a heart to bring her daughter back was unexpected.We also know now that Victoria isn’t cursed, and it looks like the witch isn’teither. Another interesting bit of information, and automatically makes mewonder if there are others who aren’t cursed as well, like Alice for example.

I agree that Alice’s story is tied to Rumple,but to what extent? I think I’ve said a few times that Alice reminds me verymuch of Jefferson – unaffected by the curse, but crazy in other ways so no onereally pays attention to her. I’m starting to think that Alice’s brand of crazyis more strategic, that she went along with Rumple as a way to ride the curseinto the LWM for a specific purpose. Maybe to look for her father who shelearned has been traveling the realms looking for her? Maybe, at least that’swhat I’m sticking with right now.

Yes, in OUaTiW Alice’s father and stepmother(?)put her in an asylum, so definite daddy issues in that show. (I still can’tbelieve I watched that entire thing, I’m in the minority of not having been afan of any of the characters in that story.) By writing this season as an AU ofall their canon though, A&E have given themselves an out from thatparticular storyline. Maybe they want this version of Alice to have a slightlyhappier ending with her entire family?

The impression that I got from the promo wasthat Alice was holding the gun or threatening Weaver or whatever she’s about todo because Rumple told her how and when to wake him up from the curse, and she’sdecided that now is the time. Maybe one of Alice’s many “eat me” “drink me”potions was able to protect her from the memory loss part of the curse, andthat Rumple took advantage of that situation to guarantee he had a loophole tobreak him out of the curse early this time as well. Although I’m stillwondering if Rumple really is cursed, I do think that Rumple would have a veryhard time willingly staying away from Belle and Gideon for so long if he knewabout them and had a way back to them. (Whether or not Belle would want Rumplearound is another story, and one that still angers me with its handling by thewriters.)

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that thisseason is all about the children and what their parents will do/sacrifice forthem – LT and Anastasia (poor Drizzy, you have to wonder if she will be hermother’s downfall though), Hook 2 and his daughter, Jacinda and Henry and Lucy.I guess we have a clue what 7x04 will be about then, and I expect that we’llfind out on Friday how Rumple became involved in the alt!EF shenanigans. I’mleaning toward Rumple knowing that it’s Hook 2 and not Killian, mainly becauseit gives the writers a lazy way of bringing those characters back to beingantagonists and not having to develop the characters beyond sniping at eachother. I assume that Hook 2 gave up on his revenge against Rumple when Hook 2’sdaughter was born/he found out about her, and wish Rumple was locked away inSnowing’s dungeon. (Ugh, too much thinking about that ridiculous storyline, Ihave to leave this here before I start throwing things. Sorry, nonny!)

Also, interesting point that theirpersonalities haven’t changed that much under the new curse, I hadn’t reallythought about that before you pointed it out! I’m also sideeyeing LT a lot cozpretty frequent magic use?! What happened to that antimagic speech of yours,Milady? But I’m not that bothered by the way they are rushing Henriella, lookslike CS will stay the only slow burn grounded in reality on this show, everyoneelse is just fairy tale love at first sight. As long as it’s cute…

Honestly, LT’s reliance on magic, Victoriahaving a witch locked up in her tower, it’s all getting a bit heavy-handed atthis point, right? Similar to Rumple taking on the darkness to save Bae putthen falling prey to the power of the darkness above all else. LT and Victoriamake it abundantly clear that she is in it for the power, and now we know thepower has to do with finding a way to bring her daughter back. So she’ll find away to bring Anastasia back only to lose her daughter because of it? I’massuming that’s where the story goes. Then Victoria will have to choose powerover love, etc., etc., etc.

As for Henry “I only met you 27 minutes ago,but you knocked me out and stole my motorcycle so I’d like you to meet mymother” Mills and Cinderella? I don’t know, I’m not really feeling it yet. Ihave to admit to not being a huge fan of our current Cinderella, I’m not seeingany chemistry between her or any of the others just yet. Tiana (what is her HHname? I can never remember), on the other hand, that woman has chemistry witheveryone. I can see why they decided to make her a regular.

#j rambles #anonymous #spec nonny #ouat speculation #ouat s7 spec #thinking it ouat

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zofmoesia · 7 years

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I have a sudden need to write a CS Anastasia AU... I also wanna write BLTPS in which my OC was one of the vault hunters.

#arty gets personal

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welllpthisishappening · 7 years

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how many stories do you have in the works

Oh hai, anon.

A couple! None of them have any concept of word count, like, at all. So, I’m still posting Out of the Frying Pan (shameless self promotion to read that here), but I’m also doing the CS Big Bang this year and it’s honestly the longest thing I’ve ever written. It’s so long.

There’s half a sequel to that started, a half-plotted out Anastasia!AU in response to how mad I was about Anastasia on Broadway and maybe, someday, I’ll finish the You Play Ball Like a Girl sequel that I started, but stopped because I kind of hated it.

I am almost always writing. Or plotting. Mostly plotting - I spend a lot of time in traffic.

#anon #laura rambles

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pocket-anon · 7 years

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The Long Way Home (10/10)

Holy cow, guys, we made it to the (not quite) end! I have so many mixed emotions about finally getting to release this chapter - excitement at getting to finally share it, extreme relief because I spent the better part of this year bemoaning the fact that this fic was never going to get done (and if it did, it wasn't going to be pretty), and sadness that it's all nearly over now. But never fear - I've been promising an epilogue, and I intend to deliver. I just want to thank you all again (and again and again) for the incredible support and enthusiasm you guys have shown this story. Your generosity has been amazing. Love and hugs.

As always, thanks to my beta, @captainstudmuffin, and to @lifeinahole27, @clockadile, and @ladyciaramiggles for their additional feedback. Additional thanks to my wonderful CSBB artists, @waiting-for-autumn and @giraffes-ride-swordfishes for providing some gorgeous artwork to accompany this fic! Links to their illustrations of certain scenes (*) will be in the text - go show them some love!

Find it on AO3. Nautical term glossary here.

Missed a chapter? Get caught up here.

Warning: Brief but graphic depictions of violence, peripheral character death, and smut.

The air seizes in Killian’s lungs as invisible forces tear him from the ground and send him soaring backward. He slams into a pillar, the impact knocking his cutlass to the floor, and magical vines burst forth from the stone and bind him upright, the thick green branches wrapping around his torso and pinning his wrists while he screams in indignation. “No!”

His voice mixes with those of the King and the Queen as Emma’s parents are similarly flung backward and restrained against opposing pillars.

“David!”

“Hang on!”

Emma spins back and forth in panic, her eyes darting between each of them before she turns her attention back to the Dark One, her face written with fear and outrage. “Let them go!”

“So sorry to interrupt your lovely little reunion,” he says, strolling in with a wily grin, “but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, you see – your parents and your new beau in the same place!” He giggles menacingly and flicks his wrist, and Killian grits his teeth as vines snake around his neck and draw tight. “I mean, look at all the wonderful leverage!”

“He is not her beau,” the King grunts, shooting Killian a cross look as he continues to struggle against his restraints.

The Dark One’s high-pitched laugh is filled with glee, and he flashes Emma an evil smirk, pressing the tips of his splayed fingers together. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I spoil the happy surprise?”

Emma’s mouth falls open, and she shares a look with Killian and then meets her father’s disbelieving stare with a guilty expression. The King gapes, too dumbfounded to even continue thrashing.

The Crocodile chuckles and saunters over to Killian. “You.” He surveys him, his features tinged with venom. “What a fortunate coincidence, you and the Princess running into one another. Now I don’t have to hunt you down separately!” He affects a comical grimace. “And breaking her memory curse with True Love’s Kiss? You restored her usefulness and delivered her back to me from the other side of the world.” He leans closer, his eyes shining dangerously. “I’d be grateful if I wasn’t so set on killing you.”

“How did I get there?” Emma demands, drawing his attention away. “To Vicarstown. Did you send me there?”

“Well, your mother’s birds didn’t carry you.” His lip curls snidely.

“Why?”

“Well, your heart is rather difficult to rip out, you know,” he says, “all that nasty light magic around it and whatnot. Besides, killing you when there was a chance you’d be useful again someday would have just been wasteful!” He shakes his head and wags a finger back and forth. “No… no, no, no. Better to just send you as far away from home as possible and condemn you to live as a penniless orphan, working in a brothel or a scullery somewhere. You finding your way back, well…” the Dark One shoots a disdainful look at Killian, whose face grows darker with every word, “that was unanticipated.” He steps back from her. “But no matter. It worked out rather well, don’t you think?”

He wanders back over to Killian and makes a show of studying him with a sneer. “You’d best cooperate, you know,” he tells Emma over his shoulder. “The first time he lost a woman he loved, he became quite the villain.” He smiles wickedly. “Losing another might make him darker than me.”

Killian lashes out against his bonds in a fit of renewed rage. “You bloody son of a bitch…” he rasps. The pressure on his neck doubles, and his words end with a strangled noise.

“Now, now,” the Demon admonishes, motioning for the vines to squeeze tighter. “Such language around your Princess.”

“I know about Milah,” Emma barks, raising her hand for him to stop. “I know you killed her.”

“He killed her,” the Dark One bites out, “when he stole her from me.”

Killian sees confusion flicker across Emma’s face, and his heart sinks.

“Ah.” The Crocodile pauses, his eyebrows lifting delightedly. “That’s right. She was my wife. I imagine he neglected to mention that.” He points a talon-like fingernail at Killian. “He helped her run away from me and our son, and it tore our family apart.” His eyes shrink into slits. “He brings nothing but ruin to the people who are foolish enough to care for him. Believe me, I’m doing you a favor.” He waves his hand, and huge black spots appear in Killian’s vision as his living noose draws even tighter.

“No!” comes Emma’s ragged scream. “Please!”

The vines relax a fraction, and Killian’s chest heaves as his world swims back into focus.

The Dark One whirls on her again, incredulous. “Really? A million skeletons in his closet, and you still want him?” He cocks his head inquisitively. “Why?”

Emma licks her lips, shooting a nervous glance at her parents. “I know he has a lot to answer for,” she says. Her eyes fall on Killian, and the emotion he sees there causes him to feel the sting of tears. “And I know he’s been angry for a long time. But he’s not the man he was. And he’s not beyond forgiveness. I’ve seen him be brave and generous and self-sacrificing. He’s a good man,” she argues, her voice on the verge of cracking. “And I love him.” She takes a deep breath and spins, fixing the Dark One with a wet and furious glare. “Now let them go.”

There’s no longer any amusement, mock or otherwise, on the Crocodile’s face, only bitterness. “You know my price,” he hisses.

The vine tightens again, and Killian knows by the Queen’s weak cry that all three of them are being strangled this time. His head pounds, his lungs burn, and darkness beings to close in on him once more.

There’s a dazzling flash of light as a magical rift splits open in the air next to Emma, and he can vaguely see her reach through and draw something out of it. The light winks away, and she’s left wielding an elaborate sword with a large red stone gleaming in the pommel. “You want it?” she asks angrily, swiping the blade through the air with a turn of her wrist and shifting into a fighting stance. “Come get it.”

The Dark One snorts. “Oh, come now. I defeated him once with a sword,” he says, nodding at Killian and conjuring a blade for himself out of thin air. “You really think you’re a match for me?”

“Considering this sword can actually kill you,” Emma snaps, “I’d say it’s at least a fairer fight.” She holds up her empty left hand. “There’s also this.” A glowing white sphere of energy rips from her fingers and strikes him dead on, and she launches forward with her sword as he stumbles back, executing a swing toward his left side.

He manages to catch her weapon with his at the last moment, his snarl barely audible over the clash of the steel. “Yes, that is a little irritating, he admits, pushing her away with a grunt.

Emma comes at him again, and their arms blur as they crisscross through the air, the blades contacting over and over in a mesmerizing flurry of strikes and parries. She dodges a blow to her right and spins left, launching another series of magical blasts on the return.

Killian feels the slight loosening of the vines around his neck and chest, but the Demon otherwise weathers Emma’s onslaught looking none the worse for wear. He straightens after her latest volley and blocks another blow, his blade catching hers near the hilt. “Is that the best you can do?” he grunts, shoving her backward again.

Emma reaches down and pulls out her dagger. “No.” She narrows her eyes and whips it in his direction.

The Dark One laughs, avoiding the little knife easily and wading in for another strike.

Killian glances down as best he can and glimpses Emma’s dagger embedded in the vine binding his hook, the blade having just skimmed the thick leather of his brace. Bloody brilliant woman. He tears what’s left of the vine with a yank, pulling his arm free and reaching up to finesse the tip of his hook beneath the length of the vine encircling his neck. The sharpened steel slices right through, and he sucks in a deep breath as the plant falls away.

Emma gives a guttural yell the likes of which he has never heard from her, anger burning in her eyes as she unleashes an even more powerful torrent of magical energy, the sustained blast actually driving the Crocodile to shield his face and retreat a few steps.

Killian winces at the blinding light, ripping away the last of the vines as quickly as he can. He drops to the floor, pulse bounding in his ears as he snags Emma’s dagger and rolls toward the hearth, his arm stretching the blade toward the purplish-black ink pooled on the worn stone.

Emma’s power is fearsome to behold, but after several long minutes, she can sustain it no longer, and the magic finally dissipates. She nearly loses her grip when the Dark One bats her feeble follow-up strike aside, his muddy brown hair now haphazard in his eyes and his features twisted with feral resentment.

“That’s quite enough, Princess,” he bellows.

He waves his free hand, and Emma utters a cry as an invisible wave catches her in the chest and flings her sideways. She crashes into one of the elaborate stained glass windows that line the west wall, and Excalibur clangs to the floor as she collapses beneath a shower of sparkling rainbow shards.

“Emma!” Her parents scream, watching with horrified expressions as the Dark One advances on their daughter’s fallen form.

“No more games,” he fumes.

Killian launches forward, wrapping his arms around the Demon’s shoulders from behind and plunging Emma’s dagger into his chest with a loud grunt. The ink-coated blade slides home, and it’s as though flesh turns to stone when the Dark One suddenly freezes like a life-sized statue.

“I agree,” Killian grits, his tone fierce and deadly in the Crocodile’s ear. He releases him and scrambles to Emma’s side, broken glass crushing beneath his boots as he kneels and gingerly brushes the shards off of her with his sleeve. “Emma? Love?” His voice betrays his fear as he gently rolls her over.

She winces a little and groans.

Her signs of life lift an enormous weight off his chest. “Thank the gods,” he breathes, tracing the side of her face reverently with his fingers. His jaw clenches at the sight of blood oozing from a jagged cut on her forehead. “Lie still, darling. It’s going to be alright.”

Wrath writhes and thunders like a tempest in his chest, and his eyes fall on Excalibur. He rises, taking up the sword and swinging it in the Dark One’s direction. “I’ve waited over a century for this,” he grinds out, stalking toward his foe. “You don’t know the number of ways I’ve dreamed of ending your miserable existence.”

The Crocodile grunts, still frozen. “Then do it,” he manages, his face locked in a nightmarish scowl.

Killian gnashes his teeth and raises the blade level with his shoulder, drawing back his elbow and preparing to ram the weapon straight into the other man’s heart an inch below Emma’s dagger. He stares down the length of the blade, momentarily eyeing the intricate engraving that covers the flat of the undulating steel with a black floral motif. One lunge. One thrust to get his revenge and end the threat to Emma forever.

Murder and revenge change you. They turn your heart dark.

I’m already a villain. My heart’s as dark as they come.

Your heart may not be as dark as you think.

His conversation with the Blue Fairy echoes into his head, followed by the whisper of Emma’s words spoken into his skin.

I love you.

After all these years, you’re still capable of good things.

Good things. He remembers her smile when he rallied his crew to go after the slavers, and the palpable hope he’d felt watching children running free across the deck of the ship that had imprisoned them suddenly resurfaces and quells the storm raging in his heart. He thinks of singing to her as they dance, of the sweet sound of her laughter, of the satisfaction of drawing her close, of the peace and contentment – elusive for so long – that he finds in cradling her sleeping form.

And something in the depths of his soul cracks.

Perhaps there’s something more valuable than gold or jewels or even revenge worth fighting for now.

“A lifetime contemplating your death,” he growls at the Crocodile. “My revenge was all I had left, and I let it turn me dark.” A wave of anguish and shame washes over him, and he turns his head toward Emma, blinking back the emotion in his eyes and taking a slow breath. “But I have something else now,” he says quietly. “Someone else. And she’s more important than my vengeance.”

He registers the surprise in those golden eyes as he steps back and whips Excalibur around sideways so the strong of the blade comes to rest at the base of the Dark One’s throat. “Leave Emma and her family alone,” he orders gravely. “From this day on they are all to be permanently protected from your interference. In exchange, I let you live.” He lifts his brow expectantly. “Do we have a deal?”

The Dark One’s eyes flit across his face, as though searching for a weak point, a bluff. “An interesting proposition, Captain,” he drawls.

Killian presses the blade more firmly into his skin, the edge dangerously close to slicing flesh. “I’m still an impatient man,” he warns. “You have five seconds to accept. Five… four…”

“Oh very well, very well!” The Crocodile rolls his eyes in disgust. “Agreed.”

A low moan reaches their ears, and Killian turns his head to see Emma trying to sit up. He lowers Excalibur and hurries over, setting the sword next to him as he drops back down and carefully buoys Emma up against his chest. “Easy, Swan.”

“Killian.” She rotates a little and throws her arms awkwardly around his shoulders, pressing the side of her face to his neck.

“You okay?” he whispers, cupping the base of her skull and winding his fingers into the mess of her hair that has long since fallen out of its braid.

She nods eagerly against him, and they both breathe grateful sighs as he closes his eyes and squeezes her tight, gratified to feel her arms firmly squeezing back. Emma reaches up to stroke the back of his head reassuringly. “Help me up.”

They struggle to their feet, with Emma reaching for Excalibur’s hilt and bringing it with them.

He eyes her wound. “Your head, love…”

She straightens with a soft groan, but flashes him a hasty smile, some encouraging color returning to her face. “Later,” she promises. She turns and waves her free hand, and the vines binding her parents disintegrate into nothingness.

The King and Queen fall away from the pillars, coughing and rubbing their necks, and Emma’s father stumbles over to her mother to make sure she’s alright.

While her parents regain their composure, Emma raises the sword aloft and releases it with a gesture. The blade hovers in mid-air, and Killian watches her raise her arms, bowing her head as determination hardens her expression. The veins bulge on her forehead, and her outstretched hands begin to tremor. Gold-white light pours from them and envelops the sword, growing brighter and brighter until it wrenches the blade into two with a great flash and the sound of rending steel. The pieces float apart, rotating lazily in the air until she poofs them away, one after the other.

The squid ink wears off and the Dark One stumbles forward just as Excalibur disappears. Emma shoots him an appraising frown as he regains his balance. “Sorry. Looks like you’re going back to the drawing board,” she tells him flatly.

The Demon’s face grows malevolent, and he yanks her dagger from his chest and tosses it aside. “At least I get a consolation prize,” he snaps, waving his hand.

Killian yells as he’s flung backward again. He crashes into the edge of the round table this time, severe pain erupting in his side and the wind leaving his lungs as he groans and struggles to brace himself upright.

The Dark One closes the distance between them. “You left me a little loophole, dearie. There’s nothing in our deal that says I can’t still kill you.”

Killian’s nostrils flare as he tries to catch his breath, every excursion of his chest wall searing like a red-hot poker. He grits his teeth in defiance. “I protected the people that matter,” he wheezes.

“Stop!” The commanding tone of Emma’s voice is enough to make even the Dark One pause and turn his head. She runs forward and positions herself in his path, shoulders rigid and head held high as she stares him down. “You will not touch him.”

“You and your parents are free to go.” The Demon flips his hand dismissively toward the door before pointing at Killian. “But this one is mine.”

“No,” she counters forcefully. “He’s mine. And you can’t have him.”

Yellowed teeth gleam as the Dark One smiles coldly. “That’s very touching,” he simpers, narrowing his eyes. “But, if you haven’t noticed, our deal only protects you and your family.”

“Yes.” Emma licks her lips. “And that includes my husband.”

The Dark One falters, his brow wrinkling, and Emma spins, grabbing Killian’s shoulders and fixing him with an earnest expression. “I know this is unconventional,” she says with a nervous little laugh, “but I’ve spent my whole life hearing about True Love.” She glances at her parents’ unreadable expressions before turning her eyes back up to him. “And I have you now, and I’m not letting you go.”

Killian reaches forward and grunts at the wrenching discomfort that shoots along his ribs when he pulls her into his arms. “This isn’t how this was supposed to happen,” he groans with an agonized chuckle. “I was going to let your parents hold my feet to the fire for a while and then win them over with my charm and dashing good looks before I asked for their blessing.”

Emma chuffs, her bright eyes growing wet as she fixes him with a lopsided smile. “Really? You had a plan?”

He does his best to smirk. “Of course I had a plan, Swan.” He re-sobers, wincing and attempting to keep his breathing even. “Since the day I met you, all I’ve wanted is to be by your side.”

She bursts into another soft little laugh and sniffles. “So what do you say?”

The words lodge themselves in his throat, and he glances anxiously at the King and Queen.

“Oh, do it already!” Emma’s mother suddenly blurts out, looking misty.

His heart leaps, and he meets the King’s eye. Emma’s father appears solemn and apprehensive, but he gives him an almost imperceptible nod at last. Killian nods back, reaching toward his breast to lift one of his chains over his head. A small silver ring with flowers flanking a dark oval stone dangles from his fingers, and his chest is tight with both pain and emotion as he holds it out to Emma. “I know it’s not fit for royalty,” he says softly, “but this belonged to Liam. Now it belongs to you.” He raises his gaze, folding the ring into her upturned palm and giving her a watery smile. “Princess… Emma…” He chuckles at how shaky he is. “Swan. Will you marry me?”

Emma cups his face in her hands, her eyes shining. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

Her kiss fills him with tearful elation, and he thinks, despite the stabbing pain in his side, he’d be happy to just live this moment over and over again for the rest of his life.

Perhaps out of curiosity or, dare it be suggested, an actual shred of respect, the Dark One waits until they pull apart to clear his throat. “If you two are quite done, allow me to ruin the moment by pointing out that you’re not married yet,” he remarks, though his tone is less insistent than before. “I can still kill him anytime between now and the wedding.”

“They don’t need a wedding.”

All heads turn toward the King, whose stony mask is softened by suspiciously red-rimmed eyes.

“As King and Queen, we can declare them married even without a ceremony,” he says calmly. “If what you said before is true and this is True Love – if he loves Emma the way I love her mother,” he arches an eyebrow at Killian, “then you can consider it done.”

Killian’s mouth falls open at the King’s words, and he turns back to Emma to see the surprise and awe he feels reflected her eyes. She throws her arms around him impulsively, and he recoils and yelps.

“Oh gods! Sorry! Sorry.” Emma jerks away, chagrined. “Here.” She hastily loops his chain over her head before reaching out and applying her hands to his injured side. They glow golden, and the most delicious warmth penetrates his skin. His breaths grow deeper and more relaxed as the pain begins to ease almost immediately.

“There will be a wedding, though,” Emma’s mother interjects, catching his eye from across the room and looking hopeful, “won’t there?”

Killian looks down at Emma. Her attention remains on his broken ribs, but he spies the dimple that appears in her cheek, and he smiles. “Yes, your Highness. I suppose there will.”

“Well, congratulations, pirate,” the Dark One snarks, looking slightly nauseated. “You’re now subject to the whims of the female sex.” He takes a step back. “Let’s hope you find it a fate worse than death,” he mutters.

Killian chuckles as Emma's magic fades, and he gazes down at her fondly and gathers her in his arms. “I’ll take my chances.” To his grim delight, the Crocodile huffs, flicking his wrist and disappearing in a swirl of thick plum-colored fog without another word.

The remaining tension leaves Emma’s shoulders as soon as the Dark One is gone, and Killian turns his attention to her face, his thumb grazing her cheekbone as he inspects the drying blood on her temple with concern. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

She rolls her eyes and erases all traces of the injury with a wave of her hand before rising up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his mouth. Her lips curl upward into a grin that matches his. “Never better.”

The King harrumphs, and they spring apart, Emma flushing pink like a rose. She grabs the crook of Killian’s arm and hauls him over to her parents, dropping into a brief curtsy. “Thank you, Papa.”

Her father’s gaze softens, and he steps forward to sweep her into a bear hug, his relief more obvious on his face now. “No, sweetheart. Thank you. You risked your life to protect us. Twice. I’m so proud of you.”

Fingers touch his arm, and Killian suddenly finds himself looking into a familiar set of green eyes when he turns toward Emma’s mother. Snow White’s face shines with unexpected warmth, and she holds out her hand. “Thank you for taking care of our daughter, Captain.”

He plants a kiss on her knuckles, and his breath catches when she suddenly pulls him into a hug of her own, her arms wrapping around his and causing emotion to bloom in his chest. “You know what it’s like to love someone,” he manages with a weak laugh, embracing the petite woman carefully. “What else could I have done?” He blinks hard when she returns him to arm’s length. “I know I’m not the man you and your husband wanted for Emma,” he admits, bowing his head and trying to swallow the heavy lump in his throat. “I’ve hurt a lot of people and been on the wrong side of good for too long.”

Snow scrutinizes him intently. “We’ve all done things we regret, Captain. And for what it’s worth, you won’t be first person in this family who’s spent time as a wanted criminal,” she replies. Her eyes dart momentarily toward Emma and the King. “Emma has always been an excellent judge of character, and she’s turned down a lot of suitors. If she chose you, you must be someone very special,” she says with a kind smile. “You’re willing to put her first, and you’re her True Love.” Snow fixes her daughter with a wistful gaze and sighs. “And that’s all we’ve ever wanted for her.”

* * *

The sound of steel on steel and the occasional enthusiastic calls from Emma and Killian to one another fill the morning air as the couple spars in the west courtyard just outside the royal living quarters, all smiles as their blades fly and flash in the sun.

From the terrace of their breakfast room above, David watches his daughter and her… new husband (the thought still makes him bristle a little) engage each other and break apart to regroup over and over again. He catches himself smiling grimly when Emma executes a daring attack on Killian’s right and nearly succeeds in throwing him off balance. She’s gotten better – much better, he thinks. He’d noticed it even during her battle with the Dark One – how much more sure and fluid her movements are, how she transitions from a block to her next strike much more instinctively, how much more effectively she guards herself.

There’s nothing for him to do but grudgingly admit that the pirate has been teaching her well – as far as swordplay goes, anyway. The King’s stomach clenches at the idea of what else the pirate has been teaching his little girl late at night away from prying eyes, and he swallows hard as he tries to put the idea out of his mind for the umpteenth time. Tensions between the two men had in fact come to a head that first evening when Emma had faltered at the idea of Killian being housed in the guest wing and – in quite possibly the most awkward conversation David can remember suffering – she’d finally confessed that she preferred to have Killian share her quarters instead. Snow had turned far more red than white but had done her best to be gracious, stammering that of course Emma would want to “spend time” with her new husband, but David had merely stared daggers at the pirate, too overwhelmed with unwanted mental images and indignation to say anything. That was two days ago, and while he’d like to think he’s managed to be civil, a cloud remains over his head.

He watches as Emma and Killian appear to agree to a rest, and he purses his lips. “Marcus?” he calls.

Hovering nearby as he usually is this time of day, the groom pokes his head into the room. “Sire?”

David narrows his eyes in Killian’s direction. “Can you have my sword taken down to the yard please?”

“David.” Still finishing her morning cup of tea at the breakfast table, Snow shoots him a warning look he knows all too well.

He does his best to look innocent. “I just feel like a little practice, honey. Maybe Emma or Hoo- Killian will indulge me.”

“Right.” She eyes him dryly. “You know if you injure him, you’ll have to answer to Emma, right?”

He comes over and steals a quick kiss. “No one’s getting hurt, I promise.” He smiles as his wife rolls her eyes, planting one more peck on her forehead before he heads for the door.

Emma looks similarly suspicious when he arrives in the courtyard asking for a match, and her eyebrows lift with dismay when Killian gamely volunteers. David doesn’t miss the look of foreboding, so like her mother’s, that she shoots her new husband, but the pirate merely grins, his posture relaxed. “No worries, Swan. I told you when we first met that I thought you’d been trained by a great swordsman.” He gestures at David. “Now I have the pleasure of proving myself right.”

She snorts.

“We’ll be fine, sweetheart,” David says firmly, accepting his favorite longsword from one of the valets with a grateful nod.

“If you hurt each other, I’m not healing either of you,” she huffs, spinning on her heel and heading inside.

The men watch her go before turning their attention back to each other.

Killian grins. “So what do you say, Your Highness?” he asks jovially. “First to disarm?”

David unsheathes his weapon and tosses the scabbard to the valet before rotating his wrist a few times to loosen it up, his face turning humorless as the steel swings like an extension of his arm. “Sounds good.”

They face each other and assume their stances, taking silent stock of the other’s posturing and subtle movements. Having already seen the pirate spar with Emma, David has a sense of what he’s up against. He knows Killian has a right to be confident, but there’s still something about the lack of tension in the man’s shoulders and the anticipatory gleam in his kohl-lined eyes that fuels David’s desire to take him down a peg.

There’s only a brief moment before he springs forward with his first attack, his sword cutting through the air and meeting Killian’s block with satisfying force, the impact vibrating up the length of the blade and buzzing his hand before he reverses direction and slices again from the left.

Killian remains purely on the defensive for the first few minutes, trading his smirk for a look of concentration, his lips folded and his brow bent. When he does begin to execute cuts of his own, his attacks are precise and perfectly-timed, and it becomes obvious to David that the pirate is actually much better than he originally anticipated. Sweat dampens his forehead and his arms grow tired, but he keeps up his offensive, pouring his frustration over having lost his daughter only to have her returned but lost to him in an entirely different way – and to a pirate, no less – into every blow.

To his credit, Killian seems to understand his need to fight, shouldering the wordless anger patiently while never giving ground.

At last, when there’s more exhaustion than resentment in his movements, David pulls back and pauses, narrowing his eyes at his new son-in-law. “Why haven’t you won yet?” he demands, chest heaving.

“Your Highness?” Killian also catches his breath while feigning ignorance almost convincingly.

David angles his head as he considers the possibilities. “You’re holding back.” He braces his free hand on his hip. “Why?”

Killian averts his eyes and shrugs. “Maybe I’m just enjoying the chance to have some real competition.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so. You were sparring with Emma before this. You have to be at least a little tired.” The King squints. “Are you trying to let me win?”

Killian chuckles and arches an eyebrow. “You think a dastardly pirate would give up bragging rights over a king?”

David surveys him thoughtfully. “You’re not dastardly. Not anymore, anyway,” he says at last.

Emma’s husband lets his confident façade fall away for a rare moment, blinking at him with eyes that look almost anxious. “You really believe that?”

David sighs, recalling Killian’s heroism in the battle with the Dark One, and the ire he’s been feeling for the past few days begins to lessen as he nods. “I do.” He glances down at his sword and shakes out his arm a little. “I also believe you want to throw this match in order to get on my good side.”

“Would you fault me if I did?”

He finally cracks a smile. “I guess not,” he acquiesces. He meets Killian’s eye soberly. “You really love Emma.”

The emotion that appears on Killian’s face at the question makes his nod unnecessary. “More than my life,” he says quietly. He chuffs. “More than my ship, even.”

David frowns. “What are you planning to do with your ship, by the way?”

Killian gives him a sad smile. “I don’t know,” he admits. “I don’t know what use I’ll have for her beyond pleasure cruises now, but that’s not what she’s built for. I may give her to my crew. At least I know they’ll take care of her.”

David bobs his head, jutting his lower lip out as the seed of an idea begins to form. After a moment, he raises his sword once more. “I want you to try to disarm me,” he announces. “No going easy, just fair and square. And when you and I are done here, I have a proposal that might interest you.”

“A proposal?” Killian’s face lights up, his dimples appearing with that devilish grin of his. “I don’t know how to break it to you, mate, but I’m a happily married man now.”

David laughs in spite of himself and shakes his head as he aims a fresh cut at Killian’s midsection. “Shut up, pirate.”

* * *

The night air is filled with the chirps of frogs and crickets, the whisper of wind through thick groves of trees, the occasional hoot of an owl, and the soft slosh of the lake against the rocky shore. Emma closes her eyes as she listens, leaned up against the stone doorway leading out to her balcony and pulling her hairbrush through a section of her locks in a long-practiced rhythm. Home. Her lips tilt upward. It sounds like home.

The quiet pad of footsteps makes her turn and look over her shoulder. Killian approaches, dressed in the pale cotton shirt and trousers he’s taken to wearing at night. She smiles to herself at the half-open way he wears the shirt – not so different from the way he wears any shirt, really. She flushes. Pirate.

“You’re still awake,” she observes with a grin.

“Aye. As are you.” He slips his hand around her waist as he draws near enough to all but press her up against the doorway. “You’d best come to bed soon if you still plan on making the trip with me back to the harbor tomorrow. We leave early,” he reminds her, leaning in for a slow kiss that makes her toes curl.(*)

She hums and smiles against his lips. “Of course I’m coming. I want to see the crew again.” Her eyes flicker back and forth over his face with gentle concern. “How do you think they’re taking the news?”

He sobers a bit and pulls away to wander out to the balustrade. “Well enough. I imagine some of the men have decided to stay and help us build the new naval guard your father proposed. The ones that don’t can find positions on other crews that come through or travel to bigger ports and find opportunities there. With their share of the reward money, I imagine they’ll all be quite comfortable, at any rate.”

Emma deposits her brush on a small table just inside the doorway and follows, subconsciously turning her ring around her finger and facing him with her hip against the rail.

He glances over and takes her left hand to admire, yet again, how well the band fits. “What shall I give you at the wedding ceremony, love?” he asks, thumbing the silver. “This ring? Or would you prefer a prettier one? Something with a nicer stone, perhaps.”

“What? No,” Emma chuckles and shakes her head. “I love this stone.” She gives him a sly sideways look. “It reminds me of you.”

Killian’s eyebrow arcs, and he lifts his head, adorably perplexed. “Does it?”

“Mm-hmm.” She hums coyly and turns her eyes back to the ring. “When you first gave it to me, I thought the stone was black. That’s how it looks at a glance or in the shadows.” The corner of her mouth quirks knowingly. “But put it in the light,” she continues, triggering white light to glow from her right hand and using it to illuminate the ring, “and it shows its true color.” A rich crimson hue appears in the depths of the stone, and her smile widens as she gazes down at it fondly. “It’s not as dark as you think it is. It’s just a much deeper red than most red stones.” She hums. “It’s like carrying your heart with me.” Emma looks up at him shyly. “Does that sound silly?”

The softness of his expression –wonder and love radiating from his handsome face – makes her heart skip a beat, and though he’s kissed her hundreds of times over the last two weeks, her breathing still grows shallow as he leans in. “No, Swan,” he murmurs, his voice a little thick. “That sounds lovely and kind. Just like you.”

Her arms find their way around his neck, and he drags her to him with his hand and brace on her hips, rumbling low and happy in his chest. Their lips move in tandem, the now-familiar burn of his scruff sending a excited shiver across her skin, and the gentle slide of his tongue against hers stokes the heat gathering in the pit of her belly. Killian stops kissing her just long enough to reach down and hook his arm under her legs, and he sweeps her up off the flagstones, the lace hem of her nightgown fluttering gently in the breeze. Emma giggles as his mouth finds hers again, and she feels his dimple appear under her thumb. “Time for bed?”

“Aye.”

* * *

“You’re sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Snow lifts her eyebrows and fidgets a bit with her hands as she stands in the courtyard and watches Emma and Killian double-check the contents of their saddlebags. “We could change clothes and be ready to go in no time.”

The morning is clear and crisp, and the gentle wind that plays with their hair carries the earthy scents of spring and neutralizes the warmth of the sunlight that spills across the castle grounds.

Emma flashes her mother a patient grin and shakes her head with a subtle swish of her ponytail. “We’ll be alright,” she assures her again, tugging the heavy satchel flap down and securing it before coming over to indulge the Queen in a prolonged hug. “We won’t be gone long.”

“I know, but you just got home,” Snow sighs over her shoulder. She pulls back and holds Emma before her with a helpless smile, fondly admiring the way her daughter looks in her newest riding ensemble complete with trousers and swordbelt. She brushes an imaginary speck of dust off of Emma’s smooth black leather jerkin with dark red trim that, aside from the deep curving V-neck, is apparently very reminiscent of one of the King’s favorite coats. “Can you blame me for trying?”

Killian finishes with his bag and approaches, reaching out to pat his black and white charger on the neck in passing. “I brought her back to you safe once,” he says with a chuckle. “I promise to do so again.”

“We’ll hold you to that,” Emma’s father’s voice carries over to them. The King finishes inspecting the contents of the armored wagon that’s to accompany them, nodding his approval to the guardsman who stands by. He swings the door shut and comes to join them, wiping some trace grime off his hands. “The gold is set,” he announces. “Give your men our thanks.”

Killian grins. “Aye, I will.” His heart swells as the King holds out his hand and they grasp forearms.

“You two stay safe and come home soon,” David tells him solemnly. The crow’s feet at corners of his light blue eyes deepen ever so slightly. “I don’t know if I can get her mother to hold off on wedding planning for more than a few days.”

A quiet laugh escapes him, and Killian bobs his head.

The King turns to Emma and cups the back of her head with his hand, planting a firm kiss on her head as he draws her close. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart. We’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, Papa.” Emma hums and grins as he releases her. She tugs her jerkin straight over her white ruffled shirt and turns back toward her horse. “Time to go, Bug.” The pretty golden buckskin with black mane and matching stockings knickers in response as her mistress slides into the saddle.

Killian grins at the obvious affection between his wife and her favorite mare as he mounts beside them, getting his seat and reaching for the reins as Emma does the same.

“Try to keep your second trip together less eventful than your first,” David suggests up to them with a wry chuckle.

Killian’s eyes glint mischievously. “If you insist.” He glances over at Emma. “Ready?”

The Princess looks to the guards driving the wagon and smiles when they give her a nod. “Yeah,” she says, turning her sunny face back to him.

He sidles his horse a step closer to hers. “Then by all means, love,” he says with a wink and a tip of his head toward the castle gate, “lead the way.”

Thanks so much for reading! Ready for the epilogue? Click here!

#csbb #cs ff #cs fic #captain swan #captain wench #captain duckling #cs ef au #cs anastasia au #cs au #cs au ff #ouat ff #ouat fanfic #my writing #the long way home

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edgeofrealms · 7 years

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are there any well written cs au's based on anastasia? hit me up cause ya girl NEEDS it

#captain swan #cs ff #cs au

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bucklesomeswashswan · 5 years

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At the Beginning (3/11)

Once Upon a December Sequel Thank you for everyone who has been reaching out about this story! I love hearing your thoughts and reactions! I’m excited to post this chapter, it just flew onto the page and it was one of the first ones I wrote and it’s one of my favorites!! Enjoy!

Rated M AO3 Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 Start over with Once Upon a December [AO3]

Chapter 3: Unexpected

They crossed into Misthaven in the evening the next day. There was no fanfare, no joyous welcome for the royal family. There were no parades, no cheering crowds. There was little more than a carved stone to mark the border on the side of the path as it twisted down from the mountain pass. Just a few words on a rock to let them know they were back.

Ruby was glad that at least this time as they crossed the border they weren’t dodging bullets. They had had their share of dangers in the mountains.

But the quiet, peaceful golden light of the fading sun just made it feel more ominous. It felt a bit like a gilded trap waiting to spring shut around them. Each step from this point had to be taken with even more care than the last. Each step from this point was a step further into dangerous territory.

They slowed to wait for the scouts they sent ahead to report back. Ruby thought this halting careful pace felt much more like that of a sneaking criminal than the return of someone coming triumphantly home.

Killian stood a few yards away keeping watch, his hand lingering on the hilt of the sword at his hip. He had been even more tense since they crossed the border. She wondered if he was half expecting to see the dark shapes of blackguards between the trees like she was. In these familiar woods it was hard not to slip back into old habits, old fears.

The sun had set giving way to the eerie light of dusk when a group of their scouts rode up the road returning to their party. Ruby and the others all stood as they approached. There was a new man riding with them at the front. He pulled up his horse just in front of them swinging down from the saddle and bowing to the King and Queen.

“Your Majesties,” he said. “It is good to have you home at last.”

Then the man caught sight of Emma standing beside her parents and froze. His face lit up. “Princess Emma?”

Emma was looking at him with confusion that slowly blossomed into recognition. “August?” she breathed after a moment. Then she was launching herself at him pulling him into a hug.

Ruby caught Killian’s equally shocked look. His brows pulling down as he watched them pull apart, August’s hands lingering at Emma’s waist.

“How are you here?” Emma asked him.

August’s smile spread a little wider. “Same as you, I’d guess. Sheer stubborn force of will.”

There were equal parts sadness and understanding in Emma’s expression.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” August told her. She gave the shoulder of his coat a reassuring squeeze before stepping back enough that his hands dropped from her.

“Is Marco with you?” The Queen asked.

August turned away from Emma and shook his head.

“No. He’s gone, Your Majesty,” he said. “The revolt…”

The Queen’s face fell. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

August nodded. “It was years ago. The important thing is you’re back now.” He glanced at Emma again. “All of you.”

“How did you find us?” The King asked.

August gestured to the guards who had scouted ahead. “We’ve been watching the roads from the mountains. When I saw the royal guards I knew I had to see if all the rumors were true.”

“We?” the King repeated looking over August’s shoulder to see if there were more new faces.

August looked between them all. Ruby saw his eyes pause where she and Killian were standing. “We’re a small group but we’ve all returned from exile in preparation for your return. The city has become a powder keg, too many people have been scrambling for power since Gold fell. It would only take a small spark for a war to break out in the streets. We came to be sure that doesn’t happen, and that the rightful leaders take control.”

The King and Queen exchanged a look.

August continued, “It will be full dark soon, these woods aren’t safe. You need to come with me.”

“Where?” Emma asked.

August’s attention slid back to her and he pointed east. “We’ve taken back the Lakeside Palace. It’s our closest outpost. I’ll take your group there.”

Ruby had heard of the palace by Lake Nostos but she had never been there. It had been built hundreds of years ago as a summer retreat for the royal family. But over time it had fallen out of favor for the royals to flaunt such luxury. The palace had served different purposes, it had functioned as a hospital, an orphanage, and a campus for the University. Now it seemed to be a home for refugees.

The King reached out and shook August’s hand. “Thank you.”

With that they were all following as August lead them down another path twisting through the woods as the shadows deepened around them until at last they broke through the trees to the sight of the wide lake stretching out to the horizon and the sprawling palace estate sitting on the shore.

Pale stone stood out against the dark night. Hundreds of thick glass windows faced out toward the water, carved stonework and arches added an elegance to the edifice. It wasn’t as menacing a presence as the castle in the city but something softer and sophisticated.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she said as Killian paused beside her.

“It’s certainly easy to see why someone thought this would be a fitting place for a palace,” Killian replied. “It makes it easier to forget what it’s really like just a few miles from here.”

He was right. Not five miles away the city churned away, deals made, people cheated, children starving in the alleys. But in this place it almost seemed like the revolution had never happened. It was a small piece of old Misthaven that still lived. This place was an illusion to shield people from reality. She wondered if it was a mistake to bring the King and Queen here. Maybe it was too safe here. Had they just gone from one cozy hideaway to another? If they never saw the reality of what had happened after the revolt then they would never really understand.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

August pulled open the wide doors to the palace, engraved wood inlaid with silver. Ruby stepped into the wide entryway. It was clear that the palace had been neglected for years, and probably had not been properly cared for in generations, but it still took Ruby’s breath away.

White marble floors reflected back the light from the gas lamps. The smell of the flames mixing with the scent of the forest and the lake that wafted in through the open windows lined with gossamer curtains. Delicately carved panels of dark wood lined the walls interrupted only by paintings of landscapes of places in Misthaven.

“Do you like it, Emma?” August asked. Emma turned her gaze from the tiled ceiling to him.

“It’s lovely.”

August smiled, as if he himself were the architect she was complimenting.

“This way,” he said leading them through an arch in the far wall of the entryway.

Ruby saw Killian move closer to Emma as they made their way to a sitting room. There were a few groups of cushioned chairs and across from the windows was a stone fireplace with a large crackling fire.

“You said this was the closest outpost?” Emma asked him. “How many others are there? Are you positioned in the city as well?”

August frowned. “We haven’t been able to find a safe place within the city yet, but we have rallied some farmers in the south and we have a large group of supporters in White Cove, enough to control the port.”

Ruby had to admit she was impressed. It was more of a start than she thought they’d have when they arrived.

“We’ll need to take control of the city if we are going to take back power,” the King said.

The others nodded but August frowned slightly.

“We’ll stay here tonight,” Killian agreed. “Then tomorrow we can go into the city.”

“I have to advise against that, a lot has changed since you left,” August said.

Killian looked almost surprised to be challenged, his eyes running down August.

“I think I know the city. I’ve only been gone a few weeks,” Killian said standing up to his full height. “I’m not afraid of dark alleys and pickpockets or scoundrels. The city has always been like that for those of us without a silver spoon.”

August bristled but had the good sense not to argue.

“Fine,” the Queen said stepping in to diffuse the tension. “But no one leaves until the morning. And no one goes alone.”

“I’ll go with him,” Emma said.

“No,” Killian and August said at the same time. Both of them glanced at the other before turning away. August had the sense to look apologetic.

“Killian,” Emma said quietly, there was more of a plea in her eyes than her tone. “You can’t go alone.”

They stared each other down for a moment, a clash of wills. The answer seemed clear to Ruby.

“I’ll go,” Ruby said, speaking up at last. “Killian won’t be alone.”

Emma didn’t look convinced crossing her arms but she didn’t argue further. The Queen gave Killian a loaded look. It spoke to a deeper understanding between the Queen and Killian than she had realized existed.

“You’re just going to look around,” the Queen told them. “I don’t want anyone starting conflict before we even know who we are up against.”

~*~

Killian and Ruby left before dawn. They reached the edges of the city just as the sun was rising. It was a strange feeling to be back at the place where they had started, back at the beginning.

He walked slowly, his footsteps echoing on the cobblestones. He had walked these streets hundreds of times but now it felt unfamiliar. They had been here just a couple months ago but now he felt like a different person. The buildings on either side seemed to sneer down at him. Their cracked walls looking more rugged than when he had last seen them.

“I had almost forgotten the feeling,” Ruby muttered from beside him.

He knew what she meant. The city pressed in around them like a physical presence. Desperation and helplessness thick in the air like fog.

They passed over the canal, the black water reflecting back a distorted reality. This neighborhood had been his home. Each brick in these crumbling buildings had been a familiar face. He had known what was lurking behind every corner. Once it hadn’t had any secrets he didn’t know. This had been his kingdom.

They passed a few people on the street and each of them eyed Ruby and him carefully. He heard the rushed whispers that rustled in their wake. He wondered if people had noticed when he and Ruby had left. Had there been any whispered tales of their escape or disappearance? Were they like ghosts to the haunted faces around them?

He glanced over at Ruby and the small smirk on her lips as she took in the city around them. She looked almost pleased to be back, the hustle and grind of the city’s underbelly making her come alive. The blossom that bloomed in the ashes as the world burned around her.

He was so distracted by his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the young boy coming towards them until he stopped, blocking their path.

“You need to come with me,” he said. His clothes were scuffed and his boots were worn enough to be from this part of town, but his face wasn’t one Killian knew.

“Why would we do that?” Ruby asked him.

The boy’s eyes cut to the shadows across the street where Killian could see several sets of eyes watching them carefully. One hulking figure stepped forward his hand landing on the hilt of a dagger shoved through his belt. A few others joined him, blocking any route of escape.

Ruby shot Killian a glance. They were outnumbered. He couldn’t tell how well armed they were, but from the weight he could see sitting in a coat pocket, he imagined they were also soundly outgunned. Fighting wouldn’t get them far, so he shifted his weight into a casual stance and gave the boy a shrug.

“Might as well get this over with,” Killian said with a nonchalance he didn’t feel.

“Good,” the boy said as if he hadn’t expected any other outcome. “Follow me. This way.” He turned to lead them past the others where they fell into step around them, not unlike guards leading prisoners.

Ruby met Killian’s eyes again. He wasn’t exactly sure what they had walked into but once again he was glad Emma hadn’t come with them. This was about to be something he didn’t want her caught up in. Either some old feud coming back to haunt them or a new threat, in any case Emma’s newfound status as a princess would only have put her in more danger.

They were led down winding streets weaving their way through the city. The gutters dripped from above them and conduits clanged loudly as they passed. It was a sound so ingrained in Killian’s memory of the city that it brought back a dizzying mix of emotions.

He knew where they were headed long before they reached the old factory on Breaker Street. It had been abandoned by the Industrialists years ago, forgotten by them long before Gold fell. It had been a place homeless factory workers squatted and it was a bastion in the city’s underworld. A place where dangerous games of chance were played and where countless scams were hatched. You could always find a job at the factory as long as you weren’t picky about legality.

As they approached it loomed above them, throwing them into shadow. Killian held the heavy iron door open for Ruby, and together they disappeared inside.

There was a beauty to the factory that time and neglect hadn’t been able to completely erase. The tall arching ceiling was made of thick glass through which Killian could see the thick gray clouds. And around them the iron beams rose holding scrolling and tarnished sconces whose light flickered off the brass arms of machines and engines arranged in assembly lines that had been silent for years. It should have been a jewel of the Industrialist regime but they had ruthlessly practical and cast off anything that no longer served a purpose regardless of its beauty.

“Wait here,” the boy said and Killian was surprised when the others followed him out of the hall, leaving him alone with Ruby.

Killian looked around noting the doors off the main hall marking any possible exit. An old habit he was once again thankful for. Look at them, he thought unable to bite back the smallest smile, back at the Breaker Street Factory, backs against the wall, the two of them against the world… it was just like old times.

“If they know who we are, there’s a very good chance they know who we came back to Misthaven with,” Ruby said her eyes alight, already running through several plans to navigate this situation, weighing the odds of each. It was one of those things that made her an invaluable partner. He watched her do what she did best and he had to admit he had missed this too.

They’d have to trade on their old reputation for as long as they could, with any luck that still carried some weight. Then again luck was the only thing you couldn’t steal or cheat away from someone else and so it was always in short supply here.

“Killian? Ruby?” a voice said from behind them. Killian swung around in disbelief.

There, standing before them, looking much as he had the last time they had seen him, was Robin. Killian couldn’t stop the shock that crashed over him, his mouth falling open. He glanced around as if there might be some indication this was a trick. Ruby slowly sank to her knees her hand covering her mouth.

“Robin?” she choked out, her voice unsure, as if she was afraid if she spoke his name he might disappear. Only an illusion.

Robin helped her up from the floor and pulled her into a tight hug. Killian looked around looking for any other surprises waiting for them in the shadows of the hall.

“Killian!” an excited Roland exclaimed appearing and racing over to him. He slammed into Killian gripping his waist tightly. Killian absently, acting more on instinct than anything, ruffled Roland’s hair in a familiar gesture, one he hadn’t thought he’d do again.

Roland released him and hugged Ruby. She folded him tightly into her as Roland babbled to her about all the things they had missed.

Robin reached out clasping Killian’s hand tightly. Solid, warm. Killian searched his face for any sign of a trap or trick.

“How?” Killian asked him, “How did you get away?”

They had heard the gunshots in the woods. The blackguards closing in, surrounding them. He’d been so sure Robin hadn’t escaped.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Robin said. “When we were ambushed those blackguard bastards were hellbent on stopping you from crossing the border. They barely glanced at me and the Merry Men before tearing off after you.”

“I suspect I know why.” His eyes flicked between him and Ruby. “The two of you alone never garnered that kind of blackguard attention. But your lovely companion, Emma, was definitely more than the orphan girl you were attempting to pass her off as to have a legion of blackguards on her tail.”

He could only imagine the wild stories that had torn through the streets, exaggerated and warped at every retelling. But he kept quiet. He wasn’t about to confirm any rumors about Emma’s true identity that might put a target on her back, not even to Robin. Everything would be revealed soon, he had no doubt, but he wasn’t going to show their hand all at once.

“What about the Merry Men?” Killian asked steering the conversation away from Emma. “Is this your new hideout?”

Robin pursed his lips looking away. “The Merry Men don’t exist anymore,” he said.

Ruby looked up at that. “What do you mean?”

“We survived the skirmish at the border, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have consequences. The blackguards were everywhere after that. Members getting dragged in for questioning, homes raided. I disbanded the group because it was too dangerous.”

Robin continued, “Gold became unhinged. Tearing apart the city for any trace of you and where you were going. Whispers of a key, some kind of power source, they were saying you stole it when you left. Gold was adamant about getting it back. Dozens of blackguards were sent over the border after you. I’ve never seen anything like it. He tightened his grip on everything.”

Killian knew the destruction Gold could have brought down on the lives of everyone they had known. The looks they had gotten in the street were starting to make a bit more sense.

“Then the real rumors started,” Robin continued. “The Princess had been found. Gold had been defeated. The richest Industrialists packed up anything that wasn’t nailed down and fled. One day they were everywhere and the next they were gone. No one knew what was happening. And just like after the revolt people turned on each other trying to take anything they could in the confusion. Without any leadership new gangs formed and claimed territory. And then the Black Knights came, adding to the panic.”

“New gangs?” Killian asked gleaning onto that information.

Robin’s gaze cut to him, an unreadable expression there.

“This seems as good a time as any for an introduction,” a voice said from the end of the hall. A figure moved forward, lean and stalking toward them like a cat. His face somewhere between a boy and man, timeless and cunning.

Killian noticed how Roland shrunk back against Robin as the newcomer approached.

“This is Peter, leader of the Lost Boys,” Robin supplied. “They control the slums on the west side of the city.”

“You’re the one who brought us here?” Killian asked Peter sizing him up, the thin scar on the back of his hand, his tailored clothes. “So what now? You want us to pay you money? Declare allegiance?”

Peter laughed, the sound was like grating metal, it sent a shiver up Killian’s spine. “No, I just wanted an introduction with two of the most notorious players this city has ever known. Imagine my delight when I found out my new friend Locksley was a close acquaintance of yours.”

Killian’s brows raised the smallest amount as he listened. There was a threat hidden in Peter’s words that did not fall on deaf ears. Fall in line like Robin obviously had or there would be trouble.

Killian looked over at Ruby who was standing with her hands on her hips in a way Killian knew meant trouble, waiting for the slightest opportunity to pounce. Peter might know who they were but clearly he didn’t know them well enough. He’d have better luck bottling lightning than pinning Ruby to a cause she didn’t believe in.

“And now you’ve introduced yourself,” Ruby said her tone calm but her eyes shone like fire, “Clearly we need no introduction. We may have been out of the city these past few weeks but we haven’t forgotten how this game is played.”

Peter’s smile stretched at the word game, like a child who had finally found someone to play with him.

“I’m merely offering you amnesty with the Lost Boys,” he said, his eyes raking over Ruby in appraisal. “I didn’t intend to offend, Miss.”

Killian didn’t like it. He didn’t like Peter, his veiled threats, or his hungry look at Ruby.

“We’re not looking to make new friends,” Killian told Peter. “We are just here to see what became of the city after Gold.”

Peter turned his black eyes on Killian. “Actually, I’ve heard you’ve made quite a few new friends lately. Friends in high places. Friends I’m sure you will be reporting all this back to. Well, be sure to tell them that this city is already spoken for, and it has no need of Kings and Queens.”

The way he said it made it clear he was well informed about their party at the lakeside palace.

Killian looked over at Robin who was impassively watching their exchange, not jumping to the aid of either side. A master of patience, reading the ebb and flow of power, and playing his advantage at the right time. It was how they all had survived this long.

Robin noticed his look and seemed to read his expression because he took a step forward, raising a hand. “There’s no need to draw any battlelines. None of us want to make enemies of each other.”

It wasn’t lost on Killian that for all his intervention Robin’s words were still artfully neutral.

Robin might not be outwardly picking sides, but Killian was going to trust Robin more than some punk ass kid who had managed to wrangle together a half baked gang from the ashes. And if Robin wanted them to play nice for the moment Killian could take a hint.

He gave a half nod, his hand slipping to his side from where it had been resting on the hilt of his sword.

“Good. Now that we’ve achieved some civility, perhaps there are things we might discuss in private,” Peter said his gaze moving between them. He waved for them to follow him.

Robin stayed where he was and when Ruby shot him a glance he just nodded to them waving them on. His job done, a pawn to put them at ease before Peter dug in his claws. The bait for the trap they were walking into.

Killian and Ruby followed Peter to an iron spiral staircase at the far end of the room that no doubt lead to offices that had once been for foremen. Now they were serving Peter’s purpose.

The stairs creaked under their feet. Killian glanced down at the floor below them, his stomach swooping at the height through the grated steps.

He kept careful track of the turns they made in the hallway beyond the stairs. He had a feeling they’d be making a getaway sooner rather than later.

Peter stopped at a large corner office with large windows looking out at the gray sky.

“Sit,” Peter said waving to the chairs beside a desk as they entered the office. Instead, Killian’s eyes scanned the papers and notes tacked to the walls. Crinkled order forms and invoices, notices, shipment reports, airship routes, handwritten lists of names. Killian stepped closer his eyes scanning for any familiar names. He couldn’t tell if these were all left over from the Industrialists or were compiled by Peter. He wondered exactly what this gang had its hands in.

“Get some refreshments for our guests, Felix,” Peter said to the tall lanky boy who appeared at the door.

Killian turned and studied the boy’s wild blond hair and gangly gait.

“Seem familiar, Jones?” Peter asked following his gaze. “I believe you had a run in with his brother, Rufio?”

Killian felt the blood drain from his face. A terrible memory struggling to break free. Peter seemed to mark his expression with the ghost of a smirk before sinking into the chair behind the desk.

“It’s okay,” he told them calmly with a wave of his hand. “I don’t hold grudges. What happened, happened. We all have been given a second chance. Let’s not waste it.”

He pointed again at the seats in front of him. Ruby hesitated before obliging, slowly sinking into one of the chairs. Killian remained standing beside Ruby.

“What exactly are you proposing?” Ruby asked.

Peter steepled his fingers in front of him as he watched Ruby. “Yours is an interesting story, Ruby,” he said and Killian noted his use of her first name, suddenly informal. “Interesting, but not unique.”

Ruby’s fingers knotted in her lap, her knuckles white, the only crack in her relaxed facade.

“The Lost Boys, and you’ll have to pardon that gendered title,” Peter said with a smirk. “Every one of us has suffered at the careless hands of past rulers. First the aloofness of the Royals and then the violence and oppression of the Industrialists. Most of us lost our families in the revolt. We are orphans of the revolution. Abandoned. Lost. Forgotten. Left behind.”

Ruby’s brows pulled down the smallest fraction.

“But together we have become stronger. Each a piece in a larger machine, a part of something that matters. Together we found a family. You could be a part of that family.”

He had eyes only for Ruby as he finished his speech.

“That’s a nice sentiment,” Ruby told him with just a hint of an edge to her tone. “But I already found a family.”

Peter’s eyes flicked up to where Killian was standing as if he only suddenly remembered he was even there. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. People can drift apart when they have conflicting interests.”

“We don’t have conflicting interests,” Killian said firmly.

Peter smiled a sly smile and leaned forward toward Ruby before saying conspiratorially in a whisper he knew they could all hear, “But which of his ladies do you think he would really choose if it came down to it? You or a Princess? I hear she’s beautiful-”

“That’s enough,” Killian said angrily shoving around the chair toward Peter. He didn’t care if he strangled the little shit in the middle of his stronghold full of his followers, at least it would be satisfying.

“Hold it there,” Felix said as he let the tray he had brought back clatter to the floor, porcelain shattering. He held a pistol pointed right at Killian’s head. “Not one more step.”

Peter waved Felix off as he looked up at Killian with venomous delight. “So, it is true then,” he murmured. “Jones hooked a Princess. Well, I’ll admit I’m impressed.”

Killian looked down at him on the opposite side of the desk.

“I don’t care what impresses you,” Killian said icily.

Peter stared at him for a long moment and for the first time since they met Killian got a sense of the danger Peter might actually be. “You will care someday.”

“We’re leaving,” Killian said nudging Ruby up from the chair his words daring Peter to try to keep them hostage.

But Peter made no move to stop them. He just flicked his hand, a small card appearing between his fingers as if by magic. He moved around the desk and held the card out to Ruby. “Just in case you change your mind.”

Her eyes met Peter’s, holding there. For the briefest moment Killian felt a small flash of uncertainty, maybe she was actually considering his offer. But Ruby merely took the card and slipped it into one of her pockets and then she was gripping his arm and steering them from the office.

“You’re just letting them go?” Felix growled in disbelief behind them.

Peter’s answer was lost as they rounded the corner and moved quickly down the stairs half running past the abandoned machines down the main gallery.

Robin was there waiting where they left him. He seemed a little surprised by their hurry and his eyes flashed from them to the staircase leading to Peter’s office.

“You didn’t kill him, did you?” Robin asked concerned.

“No,” Ruby said with a smirk. “Just overstayed our welcome I think.”

“Leave it to you two,” Robin muttered leading them a few yards to a side door. “This way.”

They slipped by him out the door when Robin reached out grabbing Killian’s arm pulling him up. “Take the back alleys toward the canal. He only patrols the main streets. And for god’s sake keep the Royals out of this part of the city. Be careful.”

Killian gripped his shoulder. “We’re staying at-”

Robin shook his head holding up a hand to stop him. “It’s better if I don’t know.”

Killian frowned. “Robin, come with us.”

It was similar to what he had said in the woods at the border. Robin smiled like he remembered too but he was already pulling away.

“Not this time,” he said before adding, “You’re going to need allies before this is over. When you need me, ask for me in the catacombs.”

Before Killian could answer Robin slipped back inside the factory and the door shut in their faces.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ruby said and he followed her down one of the narrow sloping alleys.

They were halfway back along the forest road to the lake before Killian stopped looking over his shoulder, every minute expecting to hear hooves or gunshots following them. But the road was quiet and they slipped out of the city unnoticed. Or more likely they had been allowed to leave.

Away from Peter’s infuriating arrogance and cold eyes he felt his guilt bubble up. He had lost his temper. Peter had seemed to know the exact words to say to rile him up, he’d delighted in seeing him unravel. A cat playing with its prey. And Killian had played right into his plan. Now they had less than before, and it was his fault.

For days now he had been sure it would be the King and Queen that would make some misstep that would doom them all. He hadn’t expected to be the idiot who tipped their hand too early. Ruby walked silently beside him and he wondered if she blamed him too.

He smelled the still water of the lake before he saw the palace. It was a welcome sight. He just wanted to see Emma. Selfishly he just wanted someone to look at him like he was worth something.

Ruby turned to him in the entryway, “We better fill in the Queen,” she said.

He looked around the room for Emma, but she wasn’t among the faces there. “Go on ahead,” he told her. “I’m going to find Emma.”

She looked at him for a moment like she was going to protest but she simply turned and headed off toward the library. Killian hesitated watching her go. It wasn’t like her to hold back, she must have been more mad than he suspected.

He stopped a guard in the hallway. “Where’s Emma?” he asked.

“The Princess isn’t here,” he said. “She stepped out.”

Killian frowned, the image of her curled alone in the woods still fresh in his mind. “Alone?”

The guard shook his head. “She went with Lord August,” he said before walking on.

Killian hadn’t thought it was possible for his mood to darken, but the universe seemed to be rubbing salt in his wounds.

~*~

All day the walls of the palace had seemed like a cage and Emma had paced like a captive animal. The world beyond the windows was calling to her. Some need thrummed within her, a beacon calling for her, begging her to come find the source.

Finally by midday, Killian and Ruby hadn’t returned and she had cracked and made a plan, reckless and admittedly not well thought out. But she had needed to get away or she was going to lose her mind.

“I still can’t believe you’re back,” August mused again for what must have been the fourth time as they walked down the road. “We all hoped you were being hidden somewhere, of course. It just seemed with each year that passed that it was less likely.”

Emma met his eyes and gave him a small smile. She wondered if it had been a mistake to ask August to come with her, but she knew she would never have been allowed to leave the lakeside palace without someone accompanying her. She had sensed August wouldn’t deny her request, some deepset loyalty to the young princess he had known, the one he saw when he looked at her.

They had made their way to the city, a feat that had taken no small amount of pleading and flirting on her part before August agreed to despite his better judgement. She had promised they would stay in the nicer parts of the city, with shops and galleries. And she’d goaded him just a little saying she’d understand if he was afraid to go, playing off Killian’s comment the night before. He’d agreed to take her at once.

“Do you remember it?” he asked her quietly as he looked at the stone buildings around them. “All those summers my family came to the castle? The days we spent playing together?”

Emma tried to remember, tried to imagine hours spent in the gardens and running through the stone halls of the castle. But even as it was getting easier to recall her memories it was all still a little murky. Like a dream she couldn’t fully remember the details of. “I remember you, the rest is foggy.”

“Hell,” August sighed, “the things we’ve all gone through. To think that now, with you back, maybe it will all be over.”

Emma’s stomach sank at his words. Yet another person expecting her to change everything, to be the answer. She wondered if anyone had told August about how she had leveled a half mile of forest by accident. That might dim the admiration in his tone.

“We’ll be able to get things back to how they were,” he went on. “No more corruption, the criminals scrubbed from the streets. Trade will start again and everyone will prosper. This summer we could have the Solstice Festival. Can you remember the last time that happened?”

He went on about his memories of the festival. The music playing all through the city, the petals that had floated in the air from a hundred thousand blooms in all the trees and decorating all the houses. The smell of fried dough and raspberry sauce. Emma wasn’t sure if she was remembering those things or if he was describing them so well that she could almost pretend the memories were her own.

As they moved further into the city Emma couldn’t stop the sense of deja vu. All their talk of the past made it all look more familiar. They passed a group of workers in rough cut clothes and dull colored coats. One narrowed his eyes as she passed and she pulled her hood a little lower over her face.

She wasn’t sure exactly where she was headed but she didn’t want to be recognized. She knew Killian would be mad at her for coming to the city. Mad that she hadn’t taken him with her, and even more peeved when he found out she’d chosen August. But she needed someone who wouldn’t challenge her the way he would have. She almost felt guilty but with each step that pull pulsed a little stronger, and her curiosity won out.

They turned down the tree lined avenue at the center of the city and Emma saw the old castle sitting on the hill. Her heart lifted a little at the sight. The ruined building had been her home, it was where she had met Killian. And now some part of her told her that it was where she needed to go now. That pull leading her back to where everything had begun.

August followed her gaze.“The castle. It’s just a shadow of what it once was.”

He continued to tell her about the damage that had been done during the revolt. The towers and battlements that had crumbled, those parts of the castle’s history lost.

She led the way up the road to the old castle walls. The old gate had been blasted apart, a pile of rubble. She reached out to run her fingers along the rough surface of the stones, a mix of emotions twisted within her like a pit of snakes.

She turned to him. “August, would you give me a minute alone? I just need to see it again.”

August glanced around clearly not sure if he could argue with her. He was probably remembering the promise he had made to her parents earlier to keep her out of trouble. They were just going on a walk, she’d told them. She’d just left out the part about that walk being in the city.

In the end August just nodded, agreeing as she knew he would, before adding. “Be careful.”

“Keep watch,” Emma said and she left him outside the castle wall and scrambled over the hewn stones onto the grounds. There was a thin blanket of snow clinging to the overgrown grass, untouched and unmelted by footsteps, machines, or gas conduits like out on the streets of the city. It crunched beneath her boots with each step leaving a trail of prints behind her.

It felt like crossing a border to a different realm, walking through the looking glass into memory. Here, nothing had changed. Each new view brought back dozens of memories, just being here again making them clearer and more real. As she moved she shed all the worries and fears she had armored herself with over the years until she almost that young girl who had called this castle home.

She turned the corner of the west tower lost in her thoughts when motion caught her eye. She froze, for a moment she thought she had imagined it, but then a shadow moved at the edge of the courtyard. A figure stepped from behind the row of leafless trees strolling in an unhurried way through the grounds. They wore a heavy cloak that dragged along behind them leaving a path in the snow.

Emma ducked behind one of the toppled stone statues and watched. Who else would be within the castle walls? A looter, or worse? She considered turning back but then she felt that strange force tugging at her again, urging her to follow after the stranger.

She slipped from her hiding place and half ran down the row of hedges doing her best to stay hidden as she followed, gaining on the intruder.

The figure paused at the entrance to the old rose garden, a gloved hand resting on the gate. Emma slowed staying in the shadow of a twisted oak. From this distance she could see the intricate silver embroidery on the thick black velvet coat, a sign that this was no street urchin from the wrong side of the river. The figure swept their hand over the lock the air shimmering like purple starlight and the gate clicked open.

Magic.

Emma was moving before she had even made the decision. “Hey!” she called running after the intruder, her feet slipping on the slick snow. She caught up just inside the garden sliding to a stop just as the person turned lowering their hood.

Her black hair fell to her shoulders and framed her pale face. Her beauty and expression as cold and harsh as the winter around them, but in her eyes burned a deadly fire.

“Well, I see I’m not the only ghost here tonight,” the woman said mildly, her gaze pinning Emma in place.

“Who are you? I saw you do magic,” Emma said waving toward the gate.

The woman didn’t look remotely intimidated and her eyes seemed to dissect Emma as they moved over her. Emma felt as if her every fault and imperfection was suddenly visible and she grappled for her usual armor even as she felt it cracking beneath the weight of her scrutiny.

“And you what, you’re going to report me?” she drawled sounding supremely bored by this exchange. “The blackguards don’t run this land anymore.”

“I know that,” Emma said bristling. She had defeated Gold herself after all.

The corner of the woman’s lips tipped up in a smirk. “I suppose you would, Princess.”

Emma gaped, realizing this woman knew exactly who she was.

“I’m Regina,” she said, not raising a hand or any display of cordial greeting. Emma felt her stomach drop as she remembered the reports of the sorceress from the Dark Palace. “I’m the Queen here, and you’re trespassing.”

Emma swallowed, her mouth closing with a click. She was definitely out of her depth and suddenly aware of how alone she was. She chanced a glance behind her, but August was nowhere close, still faithfully waiting beyond the tall outer walls. A tendril of fear slithered around her heart.

“You’re not the Queen,” Emma said hoping she sounded braver than she felt.

“Tell me, Emma,” Regina said advancing a step closer, “Did you and your parents really think you could come back here and the people would give you control just like that? It takes more than a name to rule a country.”

Regina curled her hand, a wisp of smoke swirling through her fingers. “It takes power. And it takes will. Without either you cannot take back what your family so carelessly lost. You are nothing here anymore.”

There was condescension in her tone that sparked something in Emma. She was not a child and she had not gone through hell to be brushed aside by an intruder.

“Even when I was orphaned and didn’t know who I really was, I was never nothing,” Emma said through her teeth.

She could feel her magic waking within her spurred on by her anger. It crept up her spine and crackled just under her skin. It felt like a wildfire burning through her, rebellious and dangerous, eclipsing every other emotion. She tried to push it back.

Regina tilted her head a little watching her, a wicked glint in her gaze. “Prove it.”

Emma knew she was egging her on. Regina wanted to see her lose control. Rationally Emma knew she probably wasn’t a match for Regina. But fear and defiance churned inside her stronger than reason, and she could sense the dim shine on her skin as her power flared.

Regina grinned in victory. Emma had the sense she knew exactly the struggle raging within her.

“No,” Emma said more a command to herself than an answer to Regina. She wouldn’t be manipulated. She took a deep breath and concentrated on pushing back on her magic, shoving it back within her.

When Emma looked up Regina was still watching her carefully.

“Your magic drew you here didn’t it?” she asked reaching to sweep off one of her gloves and holding her hand out to Emma.

Emma stared at it. Her magic was still simmering within her making her feel a little drunk or like she was trapped underwater watching this happen from beneath the surface. “What?”

“Like calls to like. Magic pulls at other magic like a magnet. You felt it didn’t you?” Regina said motioning for Emma to take her hand.

Emma didn’t move.

“We’re not as different as you think. Aren’t you curious?” Regina asked her dark eyes meeting Emma’s. “I can feel it too.”

Emma looked at her outstretched hand again. “You can?” she asked.

“Your magic is flooding off you, struggling for release.” Regina shrugged. “I couldn’t control my magic either before I was trained.”

That made Emma pause.

“Trained?” she repeated.

Regina plucked a frozen blossom from the rosebush beside them. The petals were blackened from the cold. She ran a finger along the folded edges. “What you want to grow strong you must first cut down to the root.”

Cryptic. And yet Emma had never met anyone else with magic. All records of it had been destroyed. She had begun to think she was totally alone, drowning.

And now she was being thrown a lifeline.

“Magic is powerful,” Regina continued.

The rose in Regina’s hand started to grow brighter, the dying edges strengthening and becoming young again. Emma stared at the suddenly deep red blossom in Regina’s palm.

“But magic always comes with a price.”

The rose suddenly withered and turned to ash, crumbling and blowing away.

“You’ve done quite a lot of magic recently haven’t you?” Regina said brushing the last bits of ash from her hands. “That price must be paid. It always must be paid.”

Emma looked from Regina to the black embers on the white snow. She remembered the ash in the forest, hundreds of trees burned away to nothing. The price must be paid.

“Can you help me?” she whispered. Her mother would have frowned at her for begging. Killian would have dragged her back from making any deals with a known enemy. Look where that had gotten her before. But they weren’t here now, and they didn’t understand. Not the way Regina could.

Regina seemed to consider with a wicked glint in her eyes before turning and walking back toward the castle.

“Follow me,” Regina called over her shoulder. She didn’t look back but seemed to know Emma would fall into step behind her.

Emma searched within herself for some sense of danger or regret as she trailed after Regina two steps behind. And maybe it was foolish, naive, but all she felt was relief and hope that maybe she would find an answer to help control her magic and keep everyone safe.

They ended up in a stateroom in the north tower of the castle. Emma felt drawn to the window on the far wall. The stained glass window cracked open and the cool winter air making the flame of the candle on the side table flutter. Emma looked out at the castle walls and the city beyond. This view was slightly different than what she remembered as a girl, this side of the castle had been used only for guests. She wondered if Regina had known that.

“Does it feel strange to be back here?” Regina asked making Emma turn from the window.

Her eyes traced the stone walls pausing on Regina’s things in the room, objects she had never seen before. It seemed Regina had moved in, making good on her claim that she was Queen.

“It’s not the same,” Emma admitted.

Regina’s expression was unreadable. “That’s not a bad thing.”

Regina gathered a few things on the table at the center of the room. A candle, a small silver bell, a large leather bound book in a strange language, an apple.

“Magic is emotion made real. It’s the tangible reflection of what is inside,” she said, apparently starting a lesson right away.

Emma listened carefully, damn the risks, she needed this help.

Regina moved closer and once again held out her hand and this time she obeyed and pressed her palm to Regina’s.

“Magic is joy, love, kindness, like fire and light,” she said and Emma’s skin shimmered and warmed.

“But it is also ice and darkness. It is hate, anger, fear, and hurt.” Regina’s touch was at once freezing against her, overwhelming the heat within Emma. The cold snaked down her arm making her gasp and shiver as she jerked away.

Regina smiled at Emma’s weakness. “The key is control.”

“How do you control it?” Emma asked flexing her fingers as she tried to shake off the chill lingering there.

“You have to find something that grounds you, something true to you, something that makes you remember who you truly are.”

Emma tried to pinpoint what grounded her. What brought her back to herself. At once she thought of Killian.

“Not a person,” Regina said, seeming to read her mind.

“What?”

“It can’t be a person. You need to find something within you to center yourself on. You need to find this strength within yourself. Concentrate on the feeling you feel with the person not the person themselves.”

Emma closed her eyes and imagined Killian here with her. She felt a spark of excitement in her stomach, a feeling of safety, and the relaxing sense of home. She focused on that feeling, trying to lock it in her mind so she could find it later when she needed it again.

Already she felt her magic quieting, settling within her. It was working.

She thought of other things that put her at ease. The sight of her favorite wildflowers, the smell of warm cocoa, the sound of waves on the shore.

“Emma!” a voice called echoing down the stone hallway.

Her eyes flew open and she turned to the door just as it burst open and August entered. He looked around the room taking in Emma just a few yards away from Regina. He drew his sword leveling it at Regina.

“Stay back,” he growled at Regina. She rolled her eyes at his valor.

“You’re safe now, Princess.” August motioned for Emma to move toward the door. “Come with me.”

Emma hesitated looking back at Regina. There was so much more she needed to know.

“Remember what I said,” she said to Emma. “And next time leave your watchdog at home.”

August’s expression darkened. “There won’t be a next time,” he said firmly and he took hold of Emma’s arm pulling her a step.

“It’s fine, August, I’m not in danger,” Emma said.

He looked taken aback at her words. “Emma, you don’t understand what she is.”

The words rang in her ears, what she is. Regina gave her a loaded look, but she didn’t say anything. And then Emma was being pulled from the room.

A few steps down the hall she jerked out of his grip. “I’m capable of walking on my own,” she said icily. “I don’t need your protection.”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You disappeared. I thought you might be in danger. What am I supposed to think when I find you with her.”

Emma tried to see it from his perspective. She had walked off and been found in the company of the Dark Sorceress. But it was clear to her that Regina was simply misunderstood, everyone’s fear of magic had poisoned their perception of her. If Emma didn’t get help how long would it be before the public’s opinion turned on her too. Dangerous, they already whispered behind her back.

August was walking stonily beside her and she decided it wasn’t worth a fight and together they made their way silently back to the lake.

~*~

Killian sat in the window seat off the main hall looking out at the moonlight shimmering off the surface of the lake. He had thought that by waiting here it would be easy for Emma to find him when she returned. But even after the commotion and rumors of her return swept through the palace over an hour ago, she still hadn’t tried to find him.

He wondered if she was avoiding him, but also knew with Emma it was usually best to give her a little space and not push her. A little more of the doubt from the afternoon crept over him. Maybe she liked August’s presence better. They were old friends after all, and it was obvious that whatever childhood crush August had harbored for Emma had never disappeared.

He was saved from brooding any longer when a figure slipped into the dim hallway moving toward him. Killian straightened up thinking it might finally be Emma. The person slowed when they noticed him in the window.

“Killian?” Ruby’s voice said from beneath the hood of her cloak.

“Ruby?”

“What are you doing still up?” she asked him coming closer and pushing off her hood.

“I’m waiting for Emma,” he said.

Ruby glanced back up the staircase the way she had come. Toward the bedrooms. “Emma came back a while ago.”

She must have seen Killian’s small grimace because she hastily added, “I think she went straight to bed.”

Killian could hear the lie but he wasn’t going to call her on it. Instead he asked, “Where are you off to so late?”

For a split second Ruby looked guilty chewing at her lip. He wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. “August and Emma went into the city today.”

He had suspected as much. There were only so many places you could take a walk around the lake and none of them took 6 hours. Apparently August wasn’t nearly as wary of the city as he had made it seem. Then again he knew Emma could be charming when she wanted something.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re sneaking out in the middle of the night,” he observed.

Her eyes flashed. “Just drop it, Killian.”

Killian sat up pushing off the seat. “What’s going on? Look, I’m sorry I lost my head with Peter. It won’t happen again.”

She looked confused. “I’m not mad about this afternoon,” she told him. “Frankly, Peter deserved it. If I could have, I probably would have tried to punch him too.”

Killian bit back a smile. He almost wished he’d gotten to see that.

Ruby blew out a breath. “It’s the Queen-” she broke off seeming to try to find the right words, her hand moving through the air as if she might grab them out of the space between them. “They finally found a useful job for me.”

Killian frowned. “You’re on the council, you already have a job,” he said.

Ruby slowly raised an eyebrow. A questioning look as if to ask if he really believed that was a useful job for her. It made him feel suddenly left out of everyone’s secrets.

“What are you saying?” he asked her. It wasn’t like Ruby, she was very direct, usually to a fault.

“They want me to gather information on our opposition,” she told him.

“A spy?”

She nodded. “I thought I’d start with the Lost Boys. Infiltrate their ranks. It was the Queen’s idea but it makes sense.”

“No,” he said immediately. “I think we burned that bridge.”

She shook her head holding his gaze. “No, Killian, you burned that bridge. That’s why I’m not asking you to come with me. Alone, I still have a chance.”

“I don’t trust Peter, he’s dangerous,” he said.

She barked out a laugh. “Oh, yes, well, keenly spotted. I don’t trust him either, Killian. But we need to know more about his operation and how much power the Lost Boys have.”

“What about Robin? Can’t he get us that information. You wouldn’t have to go.”

She straightened her cloak not quite meeting his eyes. “I have to do this. I want to.”

His jaw clenched but he didn’t argue. Ruby was smart and capable and too valuable a resource for them not to use, but not going with her felt wrong on a fundamental level. They were a pair, perfectly matched, years spent learning to cover each other’s blind spots. Separated they were vulnerable, armorless, exposed.

She took a step to leave but he reached out and stopped her because there was one last thing.

“Ruby, what he said… about choosing Emma. He’s an ass.”

She met his gaze. “It was said to drive a wedge between us. He knows we’re a threat. There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m not going to make you choose.”

He nodded and dropped his hand from her.

“Be safe,” he told her, because he wasn’t going to try to choose for her either. If this was what she wanted to do, what she felt she needed to do, then he wouldn’t stop her.

“I’ll see you later,” she said and she slipped toward the front door and disappeared into the dark night beyond.

#captain swan #cs ff #cs ff au #cs fanfic #cs crew #steampunk anastasia au #steampunk #once upon a time sequel #my writing

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