"For the darkest of souls can only exist when the lightest of beings shine on the horizon. Light and shadow forged together by the Gods above. For one to abandon the other, they shall both cease to exist."

He twirled the tiny scroll in his hand, the words permanently branding his soul. The price to obtain it had almost cost him his life and to obliterate nature's decree would cost him his soul . But what did that matter? For Judgment Day was about to rain down on his enemy and he was going to be its executioner.

Emma held her breath as she listened to the palace guards greet the cloth seller as they gave the command for the gates to be opened. Once she felt the cart moving again, hauling alway its treasures in silks and satins, plus one princess, past the castle's boundary she almost snorted in excitement. "Freedom here I come!" she whispered to herself. Now she only had to wait until the man stopped at a resting inn before she made her escape, with him none the wiser with his royal stowaway.

She didn't have long to wait. Once she was sure the man had gone inside the inn, she clamored out from beneath the bundles of cloths and stretched every which way. She did a happy little jig, and let out a yelp of excitement before catching herself and clapping her hands over her mouth. She looked furtively around the courtyard to check if anyone had heard that little girly squeal. Clearing her throat, and pitching her voice as low as it would go she said to the winds, "Give me an ale." Not bad she thought. She couldn't quite achieve the deep rumbling tones of her dad but she could pass as a man. Ok, maybe a boy on the verge of manhood she corrected herself honestly.

She stuck her hands in the borrowed peasant trousers and began strutting like a man to the inn's doors. This would be the ultimate test. She had never tried her disguise this close to the castle before but the natural arrogance of born royalty and youthful innocence was a lethal combination. Self-doubt was not something the princess was cursed with. "Give me your best ale" she repeated one last time.

"You might try giving that order inside lad. Or were you expecting tankards of ale to start falling from the sky at your royal command?" came the voice threaded with amusement.

Emma gave a yelp of surprise and whirled around to confront the voice. Too bad her trousers were a tad too long and she ended up tripping over her own feet and landed on her bottom.

The stranger let out a deep chuckle and extended his hand to help the young boy.

She glared at the hand before turning her nose up and got up with as much dignity as she could muster. "Who the hell are you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her imperious tone.

Emma gave a little cough before lowering her voice even more. "I mean why are you sneaking around like a common thief? Didn't your momma ever taught you to not to sneak up on people?"

"Wasn't sneaking around lad. I can't help it if you were too busy speaking to yourself to notice your surroundings." He added as an afterthought, "That can be deadly boy."

Emma guffawed. "I can take care of myself. And I'm a man, not a child" she added churlishly.

The man raised his eyebrow in that supercilious way of his again. Oh how she wished she could slap his condescension right off his face. "To the dungeons" she would command. Then she smiled inwardly at that little bloodthirsty fantasy. Like her parents would let her get away with that.

"Are you even old enough to imbibe spirits? Or visit such an establishment?" he questioned waving his hand towards the door. " He grabbed her chin and turned her face this way and that. "Don't have any hair I see."

Emma slapped his hand away and pivoted around and headed inside, throwing her response cheekily over her shoulder, "Come on old man, let me show you how to get it done."

He smirked in genuine amusement at the little princess' antics before remembering his mission and slowly the smile turned more sinister.

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Emma abruptly stopped in the doorway and blinked. Her eyes rounded at the sight that greeted her, drunk men and even more women. Scantily clad women. Scantily clad voluptuous women.

"Oh heaven help me" she whispered. It hit her then that this was no regular inn. Oh no, this was what she had heard whispers at night about by the guards and servants, a den of iniquity.

Suddenly she felt an arm slap around her shoulders, almost throwing her off her feet again, urging her forward.

"Come on lad, you were going to show me the ropes were you?" he mocked.

He led her to a table and confidently straddled one of the stools there, lounging back against the wall in a lazy manner. With a smile and wave he beckoned one of the serving gals over.

And the next thing Emma knew, their table was taken over by wenches like buzzards over a dying body. The stupid man was grinning as if he were in nirvana. He had 4, count them 4 women draped all over him competing for his attention! Emma wanted to gag and kick his shins. Too bad she couldn't get to any part of him since they were all claimed.

He glanced over and smirked. "Ladies, ladies, lets not ignore my good young friend over there."

Emma gulped and shot him a dirty look when one of the ladies moved into her personal space. She tried to squeeze herself further back against the wall, "Uh no need, the old man needs a lot of attention. A whole lot!" she emphasized.

He pushed a tankard towards her. "I see someone needs to loosen up here."

Glaring at him, she grabbed the glass and chugged it down all in one go. "Ladies, I think we need something stronger for the captain here. How about rum?"

Emma watched him down shot after shot of rum. She was hoping he would get drunk so she could make her escape from him. The idiot hadn't realized that she was dumping her rum back into his glass yet.

Once the women were down for the count and he finally laid his head down on the table, Emma squeezed past him and ran for it. Bursting through the doors, she breathed in the fresh night air.

"I hate him. That stupid oaf. Ogre. Bastard. Simpleton. Drunken lech."

There were no words in existence that could properly express her disgust for him. He had ruined her adventure. She had waited almost an entire month for this moment, when she could finally escape the castle's walls again and it was all for nothing. Now she had to find a way back before her parents caught on to her bids for freedom. She had wasted precious hours with that lout.

"Are you speaking to yourself again or to an imaginary friend?" came a voice so close to her ear she she felt the vibrations.

She screeched and shoved him back. "You, you..." she sputtered.

"No words? Hmmm you didn't seem to have such a limited vocabulary grumbling to yourself. Tsk tsk that won't get the ladies lad."

She crossed her arms angrily across her chest and glared at him. "I'm going to kill him" she thought to herself. "For one second, I will forget all of my parents' lessons and rip him limb from limb." Then she'll feed his remains to her Aunt Ruby on the full moon.

"Plotting my demise, Princess?"

Emma came out of her bloody reverie with a start. "What did you say?" she shakily asked.

He gave her a mocking bow, "I said at your service, your royal highness."

Then faster than he could give her credit for she whipped out a short knife and backed him into the tree, the knife at his throat.

"Who are you?"

"A guard sent by your parents to protect you."

"You're lying!" She pressed the blade harder against his throat. "Tell me who you are or I'll kill you."

He looked in her eyes and saw the slight edge of panic in them. Panic was not good. Panic made people react without thought. He sighed.

"Killian Jones. But most know me by my more colorful moniker, Hook."

Emma swallowed. "As in Captain Hook?"

"Ah so you have heard of me" he smirked.

"How did you know who I was?"

"I have ears and eyes everywhere my Princess. At every place you've been, there has been people paid to keep an eye on your lovely head. Did you really think the Queen and King were ignorant of your secret jaunts outside the hallowed walls of your castle?"

Emma stepped back in surprise. "My parents know?"

He nodded in affirmation.

Emma wanted to howl in frustration. All those times she had elaborately plotted and schemed to get away? All those times she thought she was so clever to pull the wool over her parents' eyes? They were just indulging her? Of course, because the all wise and knowing Snow White and her Prince Charming saw everything with frightening clarity. She spun away from him and his probing eyes.

"And you, Captain, what do you want with me?"

He stepped right beside her, "Everything."

She shivered a bit in response. How he managed to make that one word sound so menacing yet sensual confounded her. She turned her head to look at him but he had straightened away from her. He carefully removed his hook from his coat and twisted it on, snapping it into place with great relish. All the while he kept his eyes on her.

"What do all pirates want?"

"Treasure."

"Exactly, and you Princess Emma, have a castle full of them."

"So what are you going to do, kidnap me for ransom?" As if she was daring him to try it, she twirled the knife in her hands, the blade glinting brightly in the starless light.

He laughed. "Oh no. Nothing so crass. I suggest a trade of goods."

She turned a snooty look on him. "And what goods do you have that I would want in exchange for my family's jewels and gold?" she mocked.

"Myself of course."

Before Emma could respond with a scathing remark he clarified. "Your royal highness, you want adventure. To be free from the cloak of royalty. You hunger for it with a desperation. I can give you that and more with the Jolly Roger at your disposal."

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Hook looked in on the sleeping Princess. If she wasn't so exhausted from the day's adventure she would've woken up at the burning intensity in his eyes at he took inventory of every inch of her. This lightest of being, born from the greatest power, true love, etched in decree by the Gods of this world. He was told he would know it the moment he came into her light. And it was so. The moment he laid eyes on her finely spun golden locks, eyes the color of the lush earth that nurtured every living being, the mischievous smile born of eternal joy and the spirit of pure innocence and goodness, he had known it in his soul. This was her. Princess Emma.

And he would snuff it all out. For that evil imp and his most hated enemy, Rumpelstiltskin wanted her. Needed her to cast his dark curse for darkness was fueled by lightness. It was the way the Gods mandated the balance of the universe be kept. For lightness needed a resting place in the cool shadows or it would burn itself out. Darkness needed light to shine its way from the shadows. He would kill the light to kill the Dark One. So be it.