Bare feet pounding against the sea-slick stones of the jetty, Anna raced through the frigid night towards the Jolly Roger. Killian had to be aboard. There was no time to check anywhere else.
"Mister Smee! Mister Smee!" she cried. "It's Anna, let me come aboard!"
Anna scrambled up the gangplank, wooden splinters digging into her palms as she gripped the edge of the ship. Mister Smee pulled her aboard, a bewildered expression plastered on his round face. Gently, he leaned Anna's trembling form against the ship's mast.
"Where's Killian? Smee, is he here?"
He nodded. "Yes, miss. He's-"
Darting towards the door that led to the lower decks, Anna pulled it open and raced down the stairs, purposely ignoring Mister Smee's cries for her to wait. There was no time. Her father had made a deal with Zoso, the Dark One. In exchange for half of her father's cargo for fifteen years, Zoso would create a potion to strip Killian of his memories of her and convince him the first woman he kissed after drinking the potion was his true love. So much heartbreak, and all to preserve her father's reputation. Bceause Almin's finest merchant couldn't be known as the man whose daughter ran off with a pirate.
"Killian! Killian, don't do anything. Don't ki-"
Anna yanked open the ornately carved door that led to Killian's quarters and stumbled over the threshold. Trembling hands shot up to suppress a sharp cry as Anna took in the scene unfolding before her.
Killian's arms were wrapped around a woman from the villiage and his piercing blue eyes were glazed and unfocused. The woman, Milah, whirled around to stare, wide-eyed, at Anna. Left alone, Killian staggered and sat heavily in a nearby chair, the potion locking him in a trance-like state until Milah kissed him.
"Milah, please!" Anna begged, taking a hesitant step forward. "Please don't do this."
"I have to Anna, I'm so sorry," Milah replied tearfully.
Lunging forward, she shoved Anna back through the doorway. Anna's head collided with the opposite wall, momentarily leaving her in a breathless haze. When her vision cleared, she rushed to her feet only to be greeted by the very sight she had tried to stop.
A deep, wrenching pain shot through Anna's heart as she watched Killian become more animated; one hand fisting in Milah's hair, while the other pressed against the small of her back. And his lips! His sinfully beautiful lips were locked against Milah's, moans of pleasure barely escaping their wild passionate kiss. Anna couldn't help but wonder if this was what she and Killian used to look like to others. Just then another pang echoed in her chest and Anna stumbled backwards, letting out a ragged sob as the pain tore through her. So this is what heartbreak felt like. It felt as though someone was reaching into her chest and yanking at her heartstrings one by one until they snapped, leaving behind a searing emptiness. Death seemed kinder.
Only when Anna collapsed into the hallway with a thud, tears streaming down her porcelain cheeks, did the pair look up. Milah wore an expression of triumph mixed with pity, while Killian's face held the barest traces of recognition. As he stared at Anna, those traces were replaced with anger.
"Who are you, girl, to trepsass on my ship?" he snapped, holding Milah to him by the waist.
Anna staggered to her feet, silently cursing her dress for tangling around her legs.
"I-I...no one. I am no one," she whispered hoarsely before fleeing up the stairs.
She tore across the deck, ignoring the wooden splinters that thrust into her feet with every frantic step, ignoring Mister Smee, ignoring everything. Her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. Getting away. She was no longer welcome in town, the village, or the Jolly Roger. Automatically, her feet changed direction, carrying her towards the perfect place for nobodies from nowhere. The Enchanted Forest. With its tales of magic and monsters and mad men, no one would come after her.
Anna staggered through the trees, rocks and sticks cutting into her bluing feet. Not that she noticed. The initial pain of heartbreak had worn off, leaving Anna with a numb, achy sensation throughout her body. It was so dark now, she had no idea if she were treading deeper into the woods or round and round in tired circles. Not that she cared. Anna was haunted by the look in Killian's eyes. Despite the semblance of anger, his eyes seemed fragile. As though an integral part of him had been removed and he might shatter at any moment.
Anna halted her rambling trek and let out a ragged scream. "Damn you!"
She wasn't really sure who she was damning. Her father for making the deal to aqquire the potion, Killian for drinking the damned thing, or Milah for giving it to him. Milah, she decided. She was a married woman. She had a son. And she was running off with another's love. If she didn't take care of Killian...heaven help her. Anna wasn't a violent person by nature, but if Killian wasn't happy, she would hunt Milah down and end her. Even if Killian hated her for the rest of his days.