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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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kay-emm-gee · 6 years

Note

Ahhh I’m so excited you’re opening Bellarke prompts!! I feel like I’ve seen you post a couple of Anastasia gifs so do you think you could do an Anastasia AU with one of your favorite scenes?? ❤️❤️

oh anonny, this request is a great one, for several reasons. (1) you were my first prompter so yayyy! (2) i actually have a much longer steampunk!Anastasia AU in the works (loooong time in the works) that i still plan on tackling at some point, meaning i’m not going to write this specific prompt... (3) ....but it does mean that i will share a snippet of that AU, just for you (also bc this has been gathering cobwebs in my WIP folder for too long and my muse craves feedback like lorelai gilmore craves coffee lmao)

Clarke glanced at the tiny, clicking cogs on the face of her father’s radionite watch and sighed. “She’s late.”

Beside her, Lincoln gave a slow and unconcerned shrug. “It’s barely five past.”

“We can’t leave without her,” she murmured. Her thumb brushed again and again at the bronze rim of the wristguard watch, a years-long nervous habit that had rubbed that exact spot brassy by now.

“It’s a madhouse in here today. Which is why we picked this time to leave, if you remember,” Lincoln chastised. To get lost among the many, to avoid notice as they slipped away with their prize. “She may be held up by the crowds.”

She threw Lincoln a skeptical look. “Or she could have changed her mind. I knew we should’ve put a tracker on her.”

“As I said before, it was too risky here.” He shot a reprimanding look at her watch, and she instinctively pulled her shirt sleeve down to hide it again. “And she will come. She wants this enough.”

“She wants out enough,” Clarke corrected. Lincoln did not argue. As she looked around the smoggy train station, she could understand why someone would want to leave Arkadia. Citizens’ heads tipped downwards as they shuffled through the capital city, and all the dim browns and greys of the handmade clothing blended together in an indistinguishable mess. She had seen smiles and laughs here; it was not hell entirely. Still, over it all there was a cloud of defeat, that bleak acceptance that one could not stand out too much, that it was so much safer to be one of the many. Just another worker, just another cog in the machine.

Clarke grimaced at the thought, bitterness twisting inside her. The irony of the citizens of Arkadia seeming like automatons, when the General’s entire rebellion platform had rested on banishing such technology from Arkadia, did not escape her. Since her rise to power nine years ago, the General had wiped out all traces of radionite technology. Every teapot and sewing machine, every carriage and streetlamp, all of that steel and iron and copper melted down and reforged into ordinary machines, ones that did not need the neon green rockdust to function.

Radionite had been new then, only starting to rise in use and popularity. The royal emperor had been an advocate, making trade agreements with other nations who were mining and refining it in order to bring it to Arkadia. A better way of life, he had proclaimed, and more prosperity for all. And it had brought that, until he introduced it into the factories. Rumors of jobs lost and lethal accidents grew in number and volume. They might have died down, lost amongst the roar of progress, if not for a young army lieutenant who gave those anonymous whispers a single, unified voice that was strong enough to scream down a dynasty.

The emperor had boldy–too boldy, too heedlessly–tried to move Arkadia into the future, and he and his family had been murdered for it. Clarke clenched her hand into a fist. Taking in a deep breath, she used the exhale to uncurl her fingers one by one and resisted reaching for the watch again. The royal family hadn’t been the only family lost in the civil war that followed, and that was a wound that Clarke still felt, even all these years later.

She startled when Lincoln laid his large hand on her shoulder. “There,” he whispered, nodding to their right. A petite woman was pushing through the throng, cap pulled low over her brow. Her black pants and grey shirt were like everyone else’s, and her dark brown hair was braided over her shoulder in the traditional style. For all intents and purposes, she was just another youth leaving the capital and heading to another no-name Arkadian factory town for work.

Clarke and Lincoln knew better. This girl had the potential they sought, a capacity to change their world–if only they could shape her towards that end.

When Octavia reached them, she had on that breathless grin from their last meeting. It seemed their decision to cast her in the role of Arkadia’s lost princess had been warranted; there was no hesitation in her gaze, only an eager sort of hunger to get on with it.

#asks #2 #3 #4 #5 #my fanfiction #steampunk!anastasia au #ngl i wanna write this so bad but am intimidated by the genre and all of the ideas i have #might have to pull out all the plotting plan stops for this one tbh #i hope this satisfies you anonny!#Anonymous

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valorianknights · 2 years

Text

I just wanted to make a list of Huntlow au's for fan art or fic ideas, enjoy 👍💛💚

Human au

Soulmate au

Florist and Tattoo shop au

Hadestown au

Hogwarts au

Percy Jackson au

Golden Compass au

Snow white with the red hair au

Dark shadows au

Hairspray au

Labyrinth au

ATLA au

Coffee shop au

College au

Cinderella au

Selection au

Divergent au

Hunger Games au

Role swap au

Beauty and the Beast au

Red String au

Phantom of the Opera au

Phantom of the Auditorium au (goosebumps)

Deaf au

Your Name au

Day of Unity goes wrong au

Hades and Persephone au

My Hero Academia au

Sky High au

Dance au

Beta au

Stranger Things au

Alice in Wonderland au

Through the looking glass au

Willow and Gus almost die on the Day of Unity au

Haunted Mansion au

Miraculous Ladybug au

Multiverse au

Rogue au

Meeting Earlier au

Pen pal au

Thumblina au

Aladdin au

Toy Story au

In My Dreams au ( Hallmark movie)

Anastasia au

Prince and the Pauper au

Rivalry au

Sports au

The Nutcracker au

The Steadfast Tin Solider au

Steampunk au

X-men au

Rise of the guardians au

Titanic au

Band au

Detective au

Spy x Family au

Zombie Apocalypse au

Angels and Demons au

Amnesia au

Arranged Marriage au

Atlantis: The last Empire au

Blade Runner au

Bakery au

Body Swap au

Circus au

Corpse bride au

Groundhog Day au

Pokemon au

Artist au

Promised Neverland au

Black Butler au

Host Club au

Spirited Away au

Howl's Moving Castle au

Toilet bound hanako-kun au

Ghost au

Reincarnation au

Roommate au

Star Wars au

Time Traveler au

Tron au

West side story au

Victorian au

Vampire/ Werewolf au

Tangled au

Garden Club au

Stardust au

Childhood friends au

Also, here's some not quite finished Huntlow art and a little drawing of Katherine Clawthorne on the top right:)

#huntlow #the owl house #willow park #hunter the golden guard #hunter x willow #winter toh #A list of au prompts and ideas #I must feed my fellow shoppers during the hiatus

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emeraldwaves · 7 years

Note

Hi-ya, daily request bot Mirai asking for a little kacchako request? What about servant!Bakugou getting princess!Uraraka out of trouble at a masquerade dance? n__n

AHHH Mirai I don’t think you understand how much this idea means to me. It really sparked my muse and I’m so sorry it got so out of hand it’s crazy and this huge steampunk AU now LOL! XD I hope you enjoy this!! Thank you SO MUCH for the request!!

To The Skies

Part 1 (Ao3)

Summary: When the royal family’s masquerade ball goes horribly wrong, it’s up to servant boy Bakugou Katsuki to rescue the princess, Uraraka Ochako. But his rescue mission is about to change both of their lives completely, and eventually Uraraka will want to reclaim her throne.

WC: 5,417

Tiny fingers curled around counter, red eyes barely peering over the edge. The smells of the kitchen permeated his nose, freshly baked bread, shrimp, meat, and in the background was the hint of cake, still cooking in the oven. It practically sparkled on the table, pristine, untouched…and he was so close. If he moved his tiny fingers forward even a bit, he could probably grab–

“Kacchan! What are you doing?” A small voice hissed out behind him.

Fuckin’ Deku. Always ruining his fun.

Bakugou lowered his feet to the floor. “Shut up, Deku. It’s none of your business.”

“That food is for the party! Not us!” Deku hissed. His green eyes darted back and forth nervously, as though they had both been caught stealing from the counter.

“Do you think I’m dumb?” Bakugou growled. “I know who the food is for.” He rolled his eyes; Deku spoke as though they both hadn’t grown up in the kitchen of the royal family.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Deku mumbled, wringing his hands together. “And your mother was looking for you, she said you have to go get dressed! We have to start serving soon,” Deku said, his hand running down his tiny tie.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bakugou growled, wiping his dusty hands on his pants as he stormed back to the servant living quarters.

He and Deku were too young to actually serve, but it was their job to deliver the plates from the kitchen to the ballroom floor. It was a terribly boring job, and Bakugou especially hated when Deku tried to be so damn intense about it. He acted as though the world would end if they didn’t move the plates from one place to the next. However, Bakugou was certain the world wouldn’t come crashing down if they skipped out on one event. But skipping meant getting yelled at by at least five different people, and Bakugou didn’t feel like dealing with that.

He also didn’t feel like getting into formal serving attire, but there was no avoiding it.

“It’s so fucking stupid!” he growled as his mother adjusted the bow tie around his neck.

“Katsuki!” she snapped, tugging on his ear. “Language! If any of the royals hear you…”

“It’s dumb,” he growled, yanking his head away from her grip. “We’re never even seen on the floor! Why does it matter what we wear?!”

His mother sighed, attempting to smooth down his unruly blond locks. “I don’t understand where this poor attitude came from,” she said. “Just be a good boy and do your job Katsuki.”

“Technically it’s your fucking job,” he grumbled, biting down on his lip hard as her hands pressed harder and harder on his head.

“Language!” his mother bemoaned. “You’re ten years old and you’re already speaking like this,” she sighed to herself, clearly disappointed in her son’s poor mouth.

Wriggling away from his mother’s grip, he ran his hands through his blond hair, messing up the poor job his mother had done of attempting to quell the unruly spikes. He folded his arms, huffing out a long breath of air, semi-resigned to his awful fate. He would do his job, sure, but he wasn’t going to be fucking happy about it.

She reached forward, but Bakugou quickly jumped back. His mother’s eyebrow twitched and she rubbed down the bridge of her nose. “I don’t want to deal with getting another scolding from the head chef because you can’t keep your opinions to yourself, Katsuki. Why do you insist on making things difficult for your poor mother?” she sighed dramatically.

Bakugou wrinkled his nose. “Whatever,” he growled, yanking his vest from her hands. “I’ll be ‘good’.” He pulled the vest over his button up shirt, and made his way back to the kitchen to find Deku.

“Wait! Katsuki, your mask!”

“Hah?!” he grumbled.

“It’s a masquerade,” his mother reminded, holding up the black mask.

Every event was the same, they all blurred together. Bakugou in the wings, delivering delicious looking food he would never get to eat. Deku would be a nervous wreck, scared about messing up each damn step he took. Remembering this particular party was a masquerade was the last thing on Bakugou’s mind.

“Why do I have to wear a mask?” he snapped, groaning loudly when she placed it on his face. It was black, covering the upper half of his face, with long flame like spikes curling around his ears. It hooked around his ears and stuck up through his blond hair. “I won’t even be seen!”

“It’s a precaution, in case someone stumbles somewhere they’re not supposed to. The royals asked for everyone to be in masks,” she explained. “Just have fun with it Katsuki!” she said, tying the mask around his head.

“There’s absolutely nothing fun about this!” he growled.

“I don’t know what happened to make you such a bitter child,” his mother sighed yet again, sending him off to the kitchen. “Please, please please be good tonight, and don’t cause any trouble.”

Bakugou chose to not answer his mother, he wasn’t going to make any sort of promise, especially when in the past he hadn’t done a very good job of keeping them.

He found Deku in the kitchen, holding two trays. One was filled with warm, buttery rolls, folded in the shape of crescents.The crescent moon was a part of the royal crest, and was often depicted in their decorations and food. Bakugou was used to seeing the style, and yet it didn’t stop him from drooling internally. The stupid rolls smelled damn good. He yanked the other tray from Deku, filled with some sort of rolled up meat on it. It also looked good, but at least the smell didn’t attack his nose every five seconds.

“I guess you’ll take that one then,” Deku said, a nervous smile on his lips. He was wearing a strange green bunny mask. It looked like something he had made himself, and then his mother had desperately tried to fix it, but had failed. Both of them had failed; one of the ears was slightly droopy, and the nose of the bunny sat slightly crooked over Deku’s own nose.

“Yeah I don’t wanna smell the fuckin’ bread,” he growled.

“But it smells good!” Deku said, holding the tray close to his nose.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “I fucking know,” he growled, “that’s why I don’t want to carry it.”

“Ah…” Deku said, his eyes widening a bit when he realized what Bakugou was saying. “It is pretty tempting,” he giggled, rubbing his neck with his free hand.

Bakugou left Deku giggling to himself as he started carrying the trays to the designated area. Usually they had to wait for empty trays halfway through the night so they could refill them, but at the beginning of the event, it was a lot of back and forth for the two young boys. They would hand the trays to the wait staff, and they would deliver the empty trays back, waiting for more. It was incredibly boring, especially in the down time when they weren’t moving.

He went back and forth, Deku stumbling to keep up with him, delivering tray after tray until they were stuck waiting. Whenever this happened, Bakugou would always crouch near the servant door, and peer into the ballroom.

The ballroom had a high ceiling, golden, and decorated with ornate art. Some of it was of gods Bakugou forgot the names of, and on the walls were large paintings of members of the royal family, both living and dead. Next to their door was a large, white table, filled high with food and fountains of different colored drinks, some alcoholic and a few not. Pink and red flowers decorated the table, scattered around the food.

On the opposite end of the room was a large string band, playing music for the guests to dance to. A majority of them spun around the room with a partner, all their faces covered up by a variety of colored masks. Many had adorned the masks in jewels or lace, showing off their riches. Some held them up to their faces, and others had tied them directly on. Bakugou silently wondered what it would be like to have money like that to squander on random objects like a mask they would probably wear once.

His gaze zoomed over the crowd and fell upon the royal family. They, of course, looked to be the most decorated of everyone. The king and queen sat upon their thrones, holding hands, and it looked as though they were smiling at each other, enjoying the lavish scene in front of them. Bakugou had no idea what this party was even for, probably for nothing. The royal family often held random events, simply to have a good time it seemed, or maybe it was to show off the masks they had had made for the occasion.

The queen’s mask was beige, and covered most of her face, diamonds hung from the side of her eyes, and it was covered entirely in glittered. Pieces of lace decorated the edge of the mask, and it shimmered against the bright lights. The king however, wore a bright red mask with black and gold jewels rimming the edge. His was simpler than the queen’s, but it felt powerful, especially with the way it shaped his forehead and nose.

Then Bakugou’s eyes fell upon the princess. She was smiling, her mouth open wide, and Bakugou could almost hear her gentle laugh. She was twirling in front of her parents, and dancing with a man who Bakugou could guess was her uncle. It was hard to tell from this distance, especially with the masks.

The princess, Ochako, wore a pink puffy dress, and with each twirl it swirled around her tiny body. She hopped about, her long hair flowing around her round cheeks. She had the roundest face Bakugou had ever seen, but the mask she had chosen suited her face perfectly. It was white, lacy, and covered the majority of her face. The sides hooked around her ears and had feathers billowing off the ends, as though she had angel wings shooting from her eyes. There were pink jewels around her eyes as well, which Bakugou could see shimmer against the light when she twirled in the right direction.

“Oi! Move kid!” a gruff voice came, and Bakugou snapped back, immediately taken off guard. He stood up, grumbling and clicking his tongue angrily as he walked away.

“Kacchan!” Deku whispered, waving his arm to him. “We have to bring these trays back!”

Rolling his eyes, Bakugou stormed over to the table and yanked a pile of trays off of it. Someday he wouldn’t just be a servant boy. Hell, maybe someday he’d be the one in the fancy suit with the decorated jeweled mask. He’d made it his goal to get out of this fucking place.

Bakugou made his way back to the kitchen, turning down the longer hallway. There were two men he didn’t recognize coming down the opposite direction. Both were tall, wearing large black suits and had their faces completely covered by plain black masks. He’d never seen men in the wait staff who were so tall. Who the hell were they? Were they supposed to be here? Even if he could’ve seen their faces, he was certain he wouldn’t have known who they were.

Frowning, Bakugou tucked the trays under his arms. “Oi!” he called out to them, both men freezing at the sound of his voice. Their masked faces stared at him, and Bakugou felt a chill on his arms, getting the distinct feeling the men knew they weren’t meant to be in the area. “You’re not supposed to be back here!” he snapped anyway, the words escaping his lips before he could stop them. The two men stopped walking for a minute, but shared a glance before continuing forward, pushing past Bakugou. “Oi!” Bakugou repeated.

“Shut your mouth kid,” one of the men spoke darkly, as he and his partner turned the corner.

“Shit,” Bakugou cursed under his breath, listening to them walk down the hall. However, they seemed to be headed in a different direction than the servants’ hall. Where the hell were they going?

“Kacchan! What are you-” Quickly covering Deku’s mouth, Bakugou turned the corner, pressing his back against the wall.

“Shh!” he hissed. “There are two guys back here I don’t recognize.”

“Eh?” Deku said quietly. “What do you mean?”

Bakugou began following the two men down the side corridor which led to the other side of the ballroom. Technically, he and Deku weren’t allowed down this hall, but neither were these men.

“They had on plain black masks, and their suits were all black too,” he noted, letting Deku follow him. The men were by the other door, near the band, and Bakugou ducked into a small alcove, taking Deku with him. The two men had stopped walking, and pushed their masks up. Both of them looked older and Bakugou had been correct; he had no idea who they were.

“You’ll go in first, gun out, you can fire as many shots as you like. It doesn’t matter who you hit, as long as you don’t hit the royal family. We need to keep them alive. After you go in shooting, I’ll follow and open the main door to the balcony, allowing the others who are waiting outside to come in and help.”

“K-Kacchan! What are they-” Bakugou immediately covered Deku’s mouth again, hushing him. Even with his soft whisper, Bakugou didn’t want to risk getting caught.

“Wait, don’t we want the royal family dead? Isn’t that the point?” he asked.

“No, you idiot. We want to use them as a bargaining tool. Everyone else is fair game though,” the first man shrugged.

“Alright, we’ll give it another song then,” the second man said, peering through the small crack in the middle of the door.

“Dammit,” Bakugou growled, hissing under his breath. “Deku…you run back to the kitchen and tell everyone what’s going on.”

“Right,” Deku nodded. “Wait…what are you going to do Kacchan!? You can’t just dash out there after those men!”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “No idiot, I’m going to sneak behind the royal family and warn them!”

“Oh…well…be careful Kacchan…” he mumbled.

“Just get going!” he snapped softly.

“Right!” Deku called back, running down the hall fast.

One song wasn’t very much time, and Bakugou knew he had to act fast. He knew there was a door behind the thrones, but getting to it was another thing entirely. If they began shooting into the party, the scene would be hectic. He had to get to them first.

He ducked down, waiting for a few of the servants to pass by, and for once he was thankful he was just a kid. Peaking around the corner, he stepped forward towards the door, which opened up on a giant curtain.

However, as the door squeaked open, there was a loud shot, followed by a cacophony of screams. “Shit,” Bakugou cursed, peering through the side of the curtain. The scene was a that of a mob. A few of the guards were dashing up the stairs to get to the royal family, though Bakugou saw one fall almost immediately. He could see the king and queen standing, the king stepping in front of the queen. “Shit, shit, shit,” Bakugou continued. There was no point in warning them now…but maybe…

It was hard to focus on one thing, between the screams and the shots, Bakugou tried his best to locate the princess. She was covering her ears, crouched near the throne…The men had said they were going to keep the royal family alive, but he had feeling they wouldn’t keep them alive forever.

‘How the hell did these men get in? What the fuck were the guards doing?’ Bakugou wondered silently as he slowly walked behind the curtain, not wanting to make any fast movements and alert the crowd to his presence. The screams were growing louder, and the shots were more frequent. The first man must’ve opened the balcony doors as he had intended.

Bakugou slipped his hand into the slit of the curtain, pushing it back enough to stick part of his face out. People were running for the exits and guards were attempting to block the thrones, shooting their own guns, however it was doing little to stop the massive crowd, or the intruders. Bakugou slipped through the curtain, pressing his small back against the lower part of the chair, completely hidden from view.

Princess Ochako had her ears covered, her small arms trembling. He tapped her shoulder, and leaned forward, wrapping his hand around her mouth. “Shhh,” he whispered as she began to struggle against him. “I’m going to get you out of here! Just be quiet.”

She turned her head, attempting to meet his eyes. Her brown eyes were wide underneath the white mask, but she quickly nodded once she was able to see Bakugou was about her age. He was thankful she’d calmed enough, though he supposed a kid in serving clothes wouldn’t seem all that suspicious, but given the circumstance, he was thankful she hadn’t tried to get away.

He pulled her quickly under the curtain and through the door, slamming it behind them. Hopefully no one had seen him drag the princess away. “C'mon,” he said, moving his hand from her mouth to her hand. “Let’s go. We’re getting out of here.”

“W-Who…Who are you!?” she stammered, pulling her hand away. “What is…happening?! What about my parents?!” she asked, stopping in her tracks.

“Listen up shitty princess,” Bakugou said, ignoring the gasp which escaped her lips when he swore. “I don’t know what’s going on with these guys, but they’re after your family and we gotta get you out of here. My mother works in the kitchen, I’m just a server.”

Ochako blinked. “A server? That’s why you’re wearing that!” she said, as though she finally realized.

“Yeah, but who cares about that, we gotta go! Follow me!” he snapped and began to run back to the kitchen, occasionally checking to see if she was behind him. She was much slower than him, probably because her damn dress was so puffy. If they could get to his mom, she could give her something else to wear and they could send her out to get away from the castle.

Making it to the kitchen, Bakugou wasn’t shocked to see people scrambling about, running as fast as they could to the servant exit. Letting out a large breath of air, Bakugou grabbed Ochako’s hand. “Alright, this way,” he said, ducking down to zigzag between the cabinets. Behind him, he heard Ochako yelp as a few bowls and pans fell in the chaos.

“Bakugou!” one woman called out. “Get to your mother!”

“Trying!” he snapped back, running out of the kitchen finally, heading back to his room. He was glad no one had stopped him, or noticed he was dragging the princess along with him. Thank goodness for confused chaos.

He ran down the servants quarters hallway, pounding on his door. “Mother! Open up!”

“Katsuki?!” she said, yanking the door open. “Oh thank goodness,” she sighed, pulling her son into her arms.

“Mom, we don’t have fucking time for this!” he snapped, pushing away from her.

“KatsukI! Language! And do you realize what’s going on?! We have to-…” his mother froze, staring at the young girl standing behind Bakugou. “P-Princess?!” she gasped, and looked around the hallway, quickly pulling them both inside.

“Mom. We have to leave!” Bakugou snapped. “We can’t hide, they’re looking for her!” he said, gesturing to the princess.

“Bakugou Katsuki, I have no idea how you found her, but I’ve never been prouder of you,” his mother sighed, and began digging through a small trunk on the side of the room.

“Eh?” Bakugou snorted.

“Come here sweetie,” she said, handing her a pair of tattered clothes. “We don’t have much time. These people…they’ve blocked off the servant’s exit. But don’t worry, change fast.” She pulled out a large hat, and handed it to Ochako. “Tuck your hair under this and don’t take it off for any reason.”

Ochako blushed, but quickly turned around, pulling her large dress over her head as she yanked the ornate mask off of her face, starting to change into the tattered brown pants and shirt.

Bakugou’s mother reached under her bed and handed Bakugou a small bag of coins. “This isn’t much, but it will get you both on an airship. Go. Take her somewhere, anywhere that isn’t here. Keep her safe. She is our princess, and if these…people take over, there won’t be anyone else but her with claim to the throne.”

“What the…Mom, what are you saying? Aren’t you coming?” Bakugou asked.

She cupped his cheeks, pulling him close. “Honey, someone needs to make sure no one follows you out. I love you…and I want you to do your best to not get into any more trouble…” she whispered. “Can you do that for me?”

“But-”

“Bakugou Katsuki, for once in your damn life please just listen to me!” she snapped, pulling him into a final hug. “Now go, take the secret passage out of the castle I know you and Deku have used before, the one that leads to the forest,” she said, gesturing to the door.

Bakugou nodded, silently wondering if Deku had made it out. Probably, the little sneak was good at everything, especially avoiding trouble. The princess probably would’ve been better off getting out with him. He quickly shook the thought from his head. Of course she was better off with him, he was way better than Deku, and hell if anyone tried to get her, he’d fucking punch them out.

“Thank you,” Ochako said quietly, bowing her head, clutching the hat hard so it didn’t fall off.

“No…darling…thank you. I truly believe you are our future,” Bakugou’s mother smiled softly. “Now go…and stay safe!” she hissed, pushing them out the door.

Staring at the door, he paused, unable to look away from his mother’s face. She’d always annoyed him, pressured him into doing what was right, and being good. He’d been trapped in this damn castle because of her…but at least…they’d been together. Swallowing, he nodded once to his mother, and turned away. “C'mon,” Bakugou said finally, as they both went their separate ways down the hall.

“T-Thank you…Katsuki,” Ochako whispered, her voice trembling.

“You can’t fucking cry. You’re stronger than that,” he said, squeezing her hand hard, knowing neither of them could look back. “You’re a princess, you’re our princess, and we’re going to get you away from here.”

Screams called out from further down the hallway. It seemed his mother hadn’t been lying about the men infiltrating from the servant’s entrance.

“Fuck,” he cursed again, and tugged her hand around, heading towards the entrance his mother had mentioned. He’d been surprised she’d known about it, but then again, his mother was a lot smarter than she let on. He climbed down a flight of stairs, and headed to the small door which led down a winding corridor to the bottom floor of the castle. There, he found the tunnel just large enough for children to crawl through. “C'mon,” he gestured, “we gotta crawl through this hole.”

“Right,” she nodded, and got down on her hands and knees, crawling through the hole immediately.

Bakugou blinked, surprised she had done it so easily. He’d expected her to be a snob about crawling on the ground, what princess wanted to get dirty?

“You had no problem doing that,” he muttered, wiping the dirt from the front of his hands.

“Well, I used to see other kids playing outside, but I always had to be in lessons…” she mumbled. “I sometimes wondered if it would be fun to…roll around in the dirt,” she giggled, and Bakugou raised an eyebrow. Though he was pleased they were at least trying to stay somewhat positive.

“Hey! What do you kids think you’re doing?!” A man in black called out from far around the other side of the castle, and Bakugou blinked, shocked the man had seen them.

“Guess it’s time to run,” Ochako said, and Bakugou nodded, taking off into the woods while making sure she followed behind.

“The docks aren’t too far from here, just down the hill and through the town, maybe we can lose them?” he panted heavily, glancing behind himself every so often. The men weren’t directly behind them, but he did hear a few gunshots.

Ochako yelped, stumbling forward as she slipped, landing directly on her butt as she knocked into Bakugou, the two of them tumbling down the steep hill. Normally Bakugou would’ve taken her a much easier way, but after the man yelled, he hadn’t taken the time to think. The two rolled to the bottom, and Bakugou took a minute to catch his breath, looking up at the darkening sky. If the damn sun would just set, they would’ve had a much easier time escaping in the dark.

“There they are!” a voice called from far up the hill, and Bakugou scrambled to stand up.

He grabbed her hand, and ran across the bridge, heading directly for town. A few more gunshots rang out behind them, but nothing even came close. Bakugou couldn’t tell if they were aiming for them, or if the men were simply firing warning shots into the air.

A few small cries of terror left Ochako’s lips as she used her free hand to cover one of her ears. Her other, held onto Bakugou tight, not wanting to let go.

The town was coming up on the horizon, and once they crossed the second bridge, Bakugou slowed his running when they made it to a crowd of people. He panted, his hand on his knee. “I think we lost them,” he sighed.

“Thank goodness,” she whispered.

“Let’s get to the docks…” he muttered softly. “I don’t want to give them any chance to catch up,” he growled.

“Right,” she nodded her head. Not once had she cried, not once had she looked back. She’d followed him the whole way. This whole time, he’d thought Princess Ochako Uraraka was simply that…a princess. A little girl who couldn’t do anything for herself…and yet…she was far stronger than he’d given her credit for. The girl was anything but weak-willed.

The two pushed their way through the crowd and Ochako squeezed his hand. “Thank you again, Katsuki. I know it probably wasn’t easy to…up and leave your mother to help me.”

Bakugou turned around, raising his brow at her. “Me? You left your home too you know,” he snapped. “Think about yourself, ’m doin’ just fine,” he grumbled, his steps growing brisker.

There was silence between them now as they walked to the docks. Besides the occasional hand squeeze, neither of them spoke. There wasn’t much to say, as the reality was beginning to slowly settle in for both of them. Where were they supposed to go? And what exactly were they supposed to do? Be in hiding forever? Was their country about to go to war? Who were the people who had come to destroy their peaceful lives? Bakugou had a million questions running through his mind, and yet, he could only focus on protecting Ochako and possibly destroying those men in the near future.

Pushing through the crowds, both of them paused when they finally made it to the docks. Bakugou looked for the main stand where he could purchase tickets, and Ochako stared up at the massive airships.

“Wow…” she whispered.

“What? Have you never seen an airship before?” Bakugou snorted, turning to look at her.

“Not…a public one…” she whispered. “We would take private airships all the time, but these…are huge!” she smiled. “They’re pretty amazing, right?”

“Y-Yeah, they’re cool…” Bakugou muttered, and pointed to the ticket booth. “We gotta go over there.”

The two approached the desk, and Bakugou dumped the coins in front of the man. “Can I…help you?” he asked, staring at the decent pile of coins in front of him.

“We need two tickets, as far away as possible. What can this get us?” Bakugou said.

The man reached his hand forward, pulling the coins towards himself as he counted them out. “Hm. Should get you a couple islands over…but I gotta ask, why are two kids traveling alone? Where are your parents?” he asked, leaning forward over the desk.

Fuckin’ adults always had to ask so many damn questions. Bakugou glanced at Ochako, and back to the desk, thankfully she hadn’t been recognized. “We’re uh…meeting our father. Our mother had to send us first though…cause she’s gotta…pack a lot of stuff…” It was a horrible excuse and Bakugou was certain he wouldn’t be getting away with it, but the man handed him the two tickets anyway.

“Well, be careful. It’s dangerous for two kids out there,” he said, tipping his hat to both of them.

“Got it,” Bakugou snapped, yanking the tickets off the counter as he dashed away before the man could change his mind. “Fuckin’ adults,” he snapped, glancing at the tickets. “Alright, dock number 7 and then we can get on the ship and leave this disaster behind.”

Ochako giggled. “You handled that so well though,” she said, following after him. “Great excuse.”

“I can’t believe he bought it,” Bakugou smirked, looking rather proud of himself.

“I’m…not really sure he did,” she said.

“BOSS! I found ‘em!” A voice called out from the crowd, and Bakugou’s eyes widened when he realized the men had indeed found them. A group of men in black suits began running towards them and Bakugou pursed his lips. There was no way they’d get away with that many of them in tow.

Taking the ticket, he shoved Ochako’s into her hand. “Go,” he said. “I’ll distract them. You get on the boat, and I’ll meet you. If I don’t make it…just…go. Hide, stay safe.”

“But Katsuki, I-”

“Don’t you fucking argue with me!” he snapped. “You’re the fucking princess, and the whole reason we’re here is to make sure you get away.”

“Katsuki…”

“Shut up!” he growled. “You’re brave. You’re the bravest fucking princess I know…so go.”

Her brow furrowed, and she tucked the ticket into the pocket of her pants. Tugging a small pink crescent moon ring from her finger, she handed it to him. “Here,” she said, shoving it to his chest. “Take this, and show me it when you find me so I know it’s you.”

Bakugou looked at the small jewel, and tucked it into his pocket. “Right,” he smirked. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

She nodded, giving him a thumbs up. “I believe in you Katsuki! And…thank you for everything.”

“Shaddup! Just go!” he said, waving her off, but he heard her giggle at him one last time, and she turned, running up the ramp to board the ship.

The men were cutting through the crowd and Bakugou smirked, stepping forward. “Hey you fuckin’ idiots, you really think you can catch me?!” The men’s attention was immediately on him, and Bakugou turned to run the second they started after him. He was fast, but they were adults, and much faster than he was.

He was probably going to die, die for this girl he’d only watched from afar his whole life…for a girl he’d only talked to for the first time tonight. But he was also going to die for his princess, as though he were her own personal guard.

Bakugou glanced towards the ship, catching the back of her hat as she stepped onto the boat. There was no way these idiots would notice her now. He smirked, he supposed if he was going to die as her personal guard, that was a pretty bad ass way to go. But Bakugou wasn’t one to finish things quietly. Hell no, if Bakugou Katsuki was going to go, he was going to go out with a bang.

And with that, he turned on his heel and charged directly towards the men.

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littlemisslol-fic · 4 years

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Fic Masterlist

Might as well get all my garbage together for the sake of organization. Links to everything I’ve ever written under the cut!

Longer Fics:

Like a Rowboat On an Angry Sea and its sequel Set the Kindling, Strike a Match

Varian with an edited family history. Lots of angst and kidnapping for those who want a good cry.

Dear Fellow Traveller

A Varigo centered, Moonstone!Varian AU. Lots of angst here as well, but this one has a lot more bickering and sass.

Alone We Have No Future

Apocalypse AU, focused on the Team Awesome dynamic. Mild angst, but a lot of physical violence and generally precarious scenarios.

Cor Meum

A Steampunk AU, co-written by myself and the beautiful @izaswritings! Also has a tumblr devoted to itself over here for organization’s sake!

The Silent Opera

Varigo soulmate au! Lots of angst, an arranged marriage, and shakespearian level melodrama.

Darling, so It Goes (Some Things Are Meant to Be)

Varigo week 2022 submissions! 7 days, 7 prompts, 1 overarching narrative linking them all together. Hugo tries to propose to Varian, and the universe kind of smacks the hell out of him for it lmao

Oneshots:

A Thousand Lifetimes (And I'll Always Love You)

Varigo Week 2020 submissions, 7 days, 7 prompts. Cozy/Soft, First Kiss, Betrayal/Possession, Campfire, First Meeting/First Date, Flirting/Teasing, and a free day!!

The Dating Game

Also called “Fantasy Bachelor” by my friends on discord. Varigo. Rapunzel tries to find Varian a boyfriend, not knowing that Varian already has one. Generally light hearted shenanigans ensue.

Save Your Convictions (They Never Will Do)

Also Varigo. Canon verse. Varian and Hugo return to Corona after the events of the Varian and the Seven Kingdoms AU, with mixed reception on Hugo’s part.

Now That You’re Here (It’s Time for You to Go)

Team Awesome with a twist! Based off of Finnoky’s AU, where the Dark Kingdom never fell, and Eugene and Varian were rasied as brothers. Eugene gets a new baby sibling, and is less than stoked about it.

Your Blood’s Gone Bad (I Knew It Would)

Based on the absolutely AWESOME/SAD comics by the illustrious Dr-Chalk on tumblr. Cassandra uses the mind-trap early. It doesn't end well for Varian. (Warnings for Major Character Death)

Things I Almost Remember

Varigo Anastasia AU! A birthday present for my beautiful friend jjgg_art

The Idea of One

A Trigun Fic! A Post-Fall Vash gets his hair cut and has a crisis about it.

Fic Answers for Tumblr Asks (Unnamed):

Prompt: Fever and Shackles

Eugene and Varian end up caught by the Saporians. They’re not very good hosts. Angst ahoy.

Prompt: Varigo and Puppy Love

Varian and Hugo break into an abandoned amusement park for a cute little date. Very fluffy!

Prompt: Rowboat!Verse, “Weight of the World”

Rapunzel watches over Varian after the evens of Like a Rowboat. A little angsty, but mostly introspective. Darling, so It Goes (Some Things Are Meant to Be)

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cactusspatz · 4 years

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Fic Tag Game

Thanks to @cortue for tagging me! I always feel self-conscious writing about writing because even though I like doing both, my brain is convinced that people aren't interested - but at least one person is! so here goes.

Name: Spatz, from the German word for ‘sparrow’. I learned the word in Austria on a student exchange trip the summer before I picked my LJ pseud, I love sparrows, I wanted something short and elemental/related to nature, and it sounded like ‘spaz’ which teenaged-me thought was funny because I’m a klutz. I was actually thespatz on LJ before I managed to snaffle spatz back from the user who squatted on the blank journal for years, (much like @spatz here; yes I'm still bitter, but at least I nailed my name down on AO3) so I had people think both that I had thespian interests and that I spoke/was German, neither of which are true, but otherwise it's served me very well for almost 20 years.

Fandoms: SO many, jfc. In terms of 'things I've read fic for', I've got 370 just counting my Pinboard tags, with many more than that unbookmarked. The intense ones that really latched onto my brain, lasted months or years, and inspired me to read/participate/create the most are probably Supernatural (S1-5), the MCU (mostly Phase 1 + TWS), Person of Interest, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Untamed. Then there's fandoms I had really intense flings with and recommend to all comers, like Nirvana in Fire, and fandoms that are old friends that I'm always happy to see but don't spark fannish creation in me, like Leverage and Avatar: the Last Airbender. There's also a lot of fandoms (often small/Yuletide fandoms) that own well-worn corners of my heart that I revisit semi-annually and sort of catch up on, like Banlieue 13 or Temeraire or The Goblin Emperor or NIF. tl;dr I'm a fandom butterfly/hoarder.

The other nice thing about small/Yuletide fandoms where you’ve written a good story is that when you’re feeling insignificant, you can go to that fandom tag, sort by kudos/comments/bookmarks/whatever, wait for the story to turn up near the top, and go ‘Aha! I wrote That One Story Everybody Likes!’ and get a little ego boost.

Tropes: ...All of them? *laughs* Hurt/comfort is at the top of the mountain, for sure, though that might be a genre more than a trope. If we're going with specific story tropes, Hero with Bad Publicity is my JAM - I imprinted on The Fugitive and Spider-Man (2002), and as you can see The Untamed is also hitting that button perfectly. (Intersects with my love for the wounded protector characters who are traumatized/have been through some shit but are still trying to do the right thing, as well.) I'm also super weak for the full spectrum of amnesia tropes, from Anastasia AUs to everything Winter Soldier to Bourne Identity to Hollywood temporary amnesia nonsense. The questions of identity, nature vs nurture, choice vs history, and belonging that amnesia stories provoke are so good for me. Oddly, I've never written it - though I do have a Wangxian Anastasia AU prodding at my backbrain that I'm trying to resist because it wants to be ridiculous and steampunk.

I'm also bizarrely fond of the really specific 'X character got turned into a cat/small animal and then picked/taken care of up by their nemesis/crush, and oh no, they have too many feelings about this'. (I think that one's exclusive to fandom, but if anyone knows an actual canon that this came from, please share) Perhaps that's part of a larger love for the 'character changes their mind drastically about another character' aspect of Hero With Bad PR - not necessarily enemies-to-lovers, I like the gen version too, but that's within the circle.

Fic I spent most time on: Hmm. Probably Learning Curve (MCU) which was inspired by @arsenicjade's SES-verse fic, so I spent a long time re-reading and mining the originals for compelling tidbits and details and then expanding on them. thrill as only we know how had a lot of tricky plotting, but it was co-written with @inmyriadbits so I don't remember it being as much work because we were bouncing off each other.

Fic I spent least time on: Probably one of the short MCU fics I wrote for a kissing meme back in the day.

Longest fic: thrill as only we know how (Mission: Impossible 4), at 28K. I'm a terse writer who’s bad at finishing things.

Shortest fic: Pass the Hat (Alice 2009), my one true 100-word drabble.

Most hits: Learning Curve, by quite a lot. Since AJ is a much more popular author than me, I get more people through the related work link on The Goat's Back than I normally see on my stories. And that series in particular seems to draw re-readers, judging by my own comments.

Most kudos: also Learning Curve, followed by Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fryer, which was a well-timed Clint/Coulson fic that I posted right after The Avengers premiered. I love my terrible pun title.

Most comments: thrill as only we know how, which is chaptered, followed by Trust Fall, my other chaptered and only serially-posted fic.

Most bookmarks: Learning Curve. I love all ya'll re-readers.

Favorite fic you’ve written: Probably still Precession, a Yuletide fic I wrote for the TV show Life. I got hit with Yuletide magic and wrote the post-canon Dani/Charlie story I really wanted, and there's a casefile and canon-typical motifs and Dani sorting through the glass shards of her trauma to realize that what she wants isn't going to hurt her this time. I'm really proud of thrill as only we know how, but all of my favorite bits are the ones @inmyriadbits wrote, so I feel like it doesn't count here. *laughs* In terms of stories of my own that I’ve re-read most lately, both Seed (Nirvana in Fire) and a fight you can't win (Untamed) came from my id in a strong way and so I come back to them.

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: Hm. I don't really feel the urge to re-write things, once it's posted I can resist the urge to fiddle with it, and I never posted any of the terrible fic I wrote when I was younger. I'd maybe expand Occam's Razor? There's a tragic lack of always-a-girl fic in The Losers fandom, and the fic was a fun start but I didn't know where I'd go with it, since canon would go pretty much the same, just with Cougar having less facial hair. Solar Wind Rising might get a short sequel, we'll see how inspired I am the next time I re-watch NIF.

Share a bit of a WIP: This one’s from an Untamed AU where Lan Wangji arrives just a few minutes earlier at Nightless City after the Wens die -

“From now on, you and I will never stand on the same side!”

High above on the roof, Wei Wuxian laughed and jumped up to stand. Lan Xichen felt the hair on his neck stand up at the mad, uneven sound of it, the drunken sway of the Yiling Patriarch as he stood on the ridge above his audience. How had such a bright young man fallen so far?

“You say you admired me?” Wei Wuxian called out. “How come in the time you admired me, I've never seen you? But once I'm hated by everyone, you jump out to wave your little flag?” He started laughing again, even more high and jagged than before.

Lan Xichen's eye caught on a flicker of white in the sky above the palace, and his stomach clenched in terror as his brother flew down to land on the ridge across from Wei Wuxian, Bichen sliding neatly back into its sheath as Wangji's feet touched down.

Wei Wuxian laughed again, short and sharp, like it had been struck out of him. “Ah, Hanguang-jun. I should have known you'd come. Your hatred and admiration are not as cheaply won as that man's, so what shall it be? Will you and I not stand on the same side again?”

“Hanguang-jun would never stand on the same side as a scoundrel like you!” Sect Leader Yao shouted next to Lan Xichen, and he winced.

On the roof, Lan Wangji hesitated – and then reached behind himself to slide Bichen into the back of his sash.

Tagging @louciferish, @primarybufferpanel, @arsenicjade, @inmyriadbits, @pluckyredhead, @philomytha. No pressure, ya’ll, have fun or don’t bother <3 And anyone else who wants to play please do!

#writing #meme

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xtarmanderx · 4 years

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WIP Meme

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it!

Thanks @manonisamelon for the tag! I don’t usually do these kinds of games, but I thought this would be fun! I’m not going to give the titles that are in my docs because that would take ages to sort though, but I made a list several months ago and will post it here!

- The Raekoning

- Aftershock

- Jump In au

- Treasure Planet au

- Hercules au

- Lilo & Stitch au

- Hunger Games au

- Teacher sequel

- Josh/Liam College

- Josh/Liam assassin

- Motocrossed au

- Black Cauldron au

- Icarus

- Yoga teacher Thiam

- YouTuber Jett

- Season 5 rewrite

- 6b soulmate au

- Steampunk au

- Misadventures of Garrett/Theo/Liam

- Pirate Jett

- Slowburn Thason

- Cruise Jett

- Asher/Henry

- Jett longfic

- Miam hunters

- DJ Theo

- Road trip Thiam

- Briam vacation

- Static hearts

- Jurassic Park III

- Good boys are golden boys

- Trans Josh series

- Avatar au

- Fighter Theo

- coffee shop Gaskier

- Anastasia Thiam au

- Julie and the Phantoms but Thiam

- Josh/Liam/Brett

- Thiamson soulmates

- Asylum sequel

- making a believer sequel

- Jett romance novel

- Thiam Narnia

- S5 soulmates rewrite

- A Ring of Endless Light au

- Fallen Angel Liam, human Mason, demon Theo

- Thiam Halloween fic 2020

- Thiam Halloween fic 2019

- Thiam resurrection

- Skater/parkour au

- Sunday morning Jett

- First meet Miam

- Under construction Thiam

- Sunset Boulevard Thiam

- Jurassic World Alan/Billy

- Thiam Captain America

- Jurassic Park III post-canon Alan/Billy

- Jasher can’t keep secrets

- JJ/Asher library fun

- Asher/Henry amnesia

- Jasher homecoming

- Jett from my season 6 soulmate rewrite

- photographer/model Thiam

- Zombieland Thiam

- Tattoo artist Jett

- Brett/Theo/Mason depression

- Brett/Sean/Josh set in Garrett/Theo/Liam college verse

- The Ugly Truth Brason

- Jett don’t let life pass you by

- Jasher post episode fic

- Thiam graveyard dare

- Theo helping Liam hide from Hayden

- Different teacher fic (married)

- Pomegranates are forever

- Tarlos fic

And then I’ve got a TON of drabbles and prompt requests that I’m waiting to crank out one afternoon

I will tag: @lovelylittlegrim @eclecticklutz @tabbytabbytabby @cryptid-coalition @colder-bones @extrasteps @snaeken @flyde

And anyone else who wants to do this!

#teen wolf #all american #light as a feather #wip game #I have so many prompts to write #thiam #jett #Thiamson #brason #Jasher #JJ/Asher #thason #josh/Liam #too many other pairings to tag #I am double posting this and will answer on both accounts

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ao3feed-captainswan · 5 years

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At the Beginning

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2YxyjTg

by bucklesomeswashswan

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?

Words: 5935, Chapters: 1/11, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Once Upon a December Series

Fandoms: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Emma Swan, Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Prince Charming | David Nolan

Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Anastasia AU, Steampunk Anastasia AU, Captain Swan - Freeform, Captain Swan AU - Freeform, once upon a december sequel, Sequel

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2YxyjTg

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Captain Swan #CS fanfics

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bluemoon1331 · 3 months

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Yippee, chapter 2!

#Ahoy thar be smut!#moon fnaf #sun fnaf #fnaf #ghost au #glamrock chica #mentions of eclipse #phasmophobia #demonologist #hurt/comfort #Anastasia inspired #haunted mansion inspired #smut #blood #kinda steampunk #kinda futuristic #embers and ash

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fangirltothefullest · 6 years

Note

How are you able to keep track on all the au's that you make?

I dunno, they just sort of float around in my head? All I do is brain dump. XD

My Sanders Sides AUs so far (some are collabs):

HP AU

Moulin Rouge AU

A Primrose Promise

The Butterfly’s Shelter (collab w/@wisepuma23)

Centaur AU

Fusions

My Fanged Sides

Superhero AU (collab w/@teacupfulofstarshine AKA “winged roman AU”)

THEY DON’T CALL ME THE AU MONSTER FOR NOTHING, THIS IS CHILD’S PLAY CONSIDERING WHAT I’M USED TO PROVIDING.

You should have seen me during my hijack kick....

The Epic AU

Sleeping Beauty AU

Pastel/Punk AU

CM AU

Spider and Snowflake

Egyptian Gods AU

Atlantis AU (for both movie and TV show)

Corpse Bride AU

Greek Gods AU

Ice Skaters AU

“Deertaur” AU

Monster AU

Monster’s University AU

Coraline AU

Anastasia AU

Thumbelina AU

Lady and the Tramp AU

Spy AU

The Last Unicorn AU

Steampunk AU/Steam Robot AU

Android AU

“Nightmares” AU

“Titanium” (AKA the Wall-E AU)

“9″ AU (based on the movie)

Gems AU

Total Recall AU

“Werewolf at Midnight” AU

Tin Soldier AU

Demon AU

Wolf and Bunny AU

Winged AU

Puppets on Strings AU

Wildcup AU

Fallen Star AU (which I should do with the Sanders Sides because it’s SUCH a fun AU)

Hogwarts AU

Swan Princess AU

Siren Song (AKA The Pirate AU)

Superhero AU

Journey AU

Royals AU

Seasons AU (in like 4 different forms of the same idea)

“Shatter Me” AU

“Show By Rock” AU

Arranged Marriage AU

Servant-Master Eloping AU

And probably a lot more I can’t remember off the top of my head. Any of the ones I listed above are also likely to slip into the Sanders Sides cause it’s my newest obsession.

In fact, anyone interested in a Royality Swan Princess AU??? Cause I have Ideas.

#sanders sides #personal #my aus #Anonymous #tashi answers

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radarsteddybear · 1 year

Text

A Master Post

Bullet point fics/ideas/meta:

Winter Soldier!Cosmo Brown

Winter Soldier!Tintin

Muppets Singin' in the Rain

What if Donald hadn't made up with Scrooge by the time Della returned from the moon?

The next "Indiana Jones" should be a woman

The Outsiders meta

Original fiction WIPs:

Cassandra | Minnow (the spy story)

↳Whumptober 2023

The Pirate Story

The Knight and the Princess Story (amnesia story)

Miscellaneous:

My gifs

Other Places You Can Find Me:

AO3

Pillowfort

ff.net

Twitter

Fics (non-exhaustive):

Hogan's Heroes

The Last of the POWs (G) [Post-Apocalyptic AU] A world in which both sides came up with the atom bomb before the war's end. "The only thing we have left for sure is each other, and we're not going to let you lose that, too."

The Last Escape (Andrew Carter & Felix the Mouse, G) [Steampunk AU] London has ordered the men of Stalag 13 to return home. Meanwhile, Felix has a nasty run-in with the Kommandant's clockwork mouser. Written for Tumblr's AU Roulette.

That's a Lot of Blood (T) Once [the gunshots] faded away, the men cautiously rose to their feet, brushing off dirt and wincing as they shook out joints and limbs that had made rather abrupt contact with the ground. Nobody seemed to notice that Hogan was the last to get up, favoring his right side. Prompt: "Shit. Shit, that's a lot of blood." (I am not currently taking prompts.)

That's No Scratch (G) What if LeBeau's wound at the beginning of "That's No Lady, That's My Spy" had been more than just a graze?

Name, Rank, and Serial Number (T) Carter is taken in by the Gestapo for...questioning.

Sabotage and Anxiety (Robert Hogan & Louis LeBeau, G) What's going on inside Colonel Hogan's head as he and his men blow up a bridge.

Unwilling Pillow (Louis LeBeau & Hans Schultz, Louis LeBeau & Peter Newkirk, G) LeBeau is a little stuck.

A Small Price in War (Robert Hogan & James Kinchloe, G) Kinch watches over an injured Colonel Hogan.

Blue on Blue (Andrew Carter & Peter Newkirk, G) Someone gets a little trigger-happy on a mission.

That's Not a Kraut (Louis LeBeau & Peter Newkirk, G) "I-I mean it, Fritz! Reach for the sky!" The rustling stopped, and a big, dark shape emerged from the bushes. "That's not a kraut," LeBeau said, looking way, way up at two gleaming eyes.

Singin' in the Rain

The Baby Grand Piano (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood, G) Once Don Lockwood had become a bona-fide, certified movie star, the first thing he had done was buy a baby grand piano.

Ashes (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Seldon, T) Cosmo drinks his sorrows away after Kathy discovers that he and Don are more than just friends.

Ring (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Seldon, G) Cosmo comes home from Don and Kathy's wedding to a wonderful surprise.

Snow (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Seldon, G) Cosmo, Don, and Kathy wake up to find that it's snowed.

The Rat Patrol

A Blue Tin Kettle (G) A ficlet based on the phrase/idea "a blue tin kettle."

Insomnia (Jack Moffitt & Tully Pettigrew, G) Moffitt has trouble sleeping. Tully gives him a hand.

First Aid (Jack Moffitt & Sam Troy, G) Moffitt tries to patch himself up. Troy doesn't think it's a particularly good idea.

DuckTales 2017

Things My Heart Used to Know (a DuckTales Anastasia AU, G) (also known as The Fusion Fic) "We have to go," Donald said. Scrooge turned to Louie and pressed something small and solid and round into his hand. "Guard it well," he told him before disappearing into the smoke. Or, Louie gives a new meaning to the nickname "Captain Lost."

An Old Letter (Donald Duck & Mickey Mouse, G) The boys help Donald write a letter to an old friend. Written for Mickey Mouse's birthday (November 18). Happy 89th, Mickey!

A Phone Call and a Visit (Donald Duck & Mickey Mouse, G) After a year of letter writing, Mickey Mouse calls Donald on the phone and they arrange a visit. Sequel to "An Old Letter." Written for Mickey Mouse's birthday (November 18). Happy 90th, Mickey!

Just Christmas (Donald Duck & Family, G) Scrooge doesn't quite bring the kids home in time for Christmas, and Donald can't help but be upset about it. Takes place right after "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!"

Mother Hen (B.O.Y.D. & Gyro Gearloose, G) Yep, that was Gizmoduck, launching rockets at Mark Beaks in an effort to keep him at bay. And there was 2-BO flying around, blasting lasers from his eyes. ... And there was 2-BO flying around, blasting lasers from his eyes. OR B.O.Y.D. is damaged and Gyro just about loses his mind.

Lullabies (G) If you ask Donald, he'll tell you that the very moment he lost control of his life was when he found himself up at 2:00 in the morning trying to figure out how to clean up the lyrics of the old sea shanties he knows to make them suitable to sing to his boys.

Ducktober 2017 A collection of short one-shots for "Inktober for Writers" (Writetober?) 2017. Mostly fluff with a little bit of whump here and there.

Ducktober 2018 A collection of short one-shots written for Fictober. I'm using a whump prompt list that can be found here. Prompts might not be written in order. Most (but not all) will be Lena-centric, and those that are (for the most part) take place at some vague future point after Lena is freed from being Webby's shadow and returns to her corporeal form.

Fictober 2019 A multi-fandom collection of short one-shots written for Fictober. I'm using multiple prompt lists this year, including this year's Inktober prompts and these two Whumptober lists.

#master post #pinned post #about the Teddy Bear #Teddy Bear musings #my OCs #original post #teddy bear writes

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bucklesomeswashswan · 5 years

Text

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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