I got this idea from tags I saw in a Will/Elizabeth gifset by robbstarked. I literally wrote this out really quickly because I was overcome with feels and if I didn't write it out when the time was right, I wouldn't ever. It pretty much ended up being Tangled-esque as well. I hope you all enjoy it!
Prompt: In which Killian is Will and Aurora is Elizabeth. And Killian went off to Neverland with a simple, 'keep a weather eye on the horizon.' And when he comes back she's become queen and is promised to Phillip.
He was a pirate. She was a princess. Two people that were never supposed to meet, never supposed to exchange a glance, ended up together.
She knew that the moment she saw him. He had been trying to pass himself off as a Duke of some sorts at a ball held to celebrate the New Year. He was smartly dressed, and blended in with the finery of it all. No one paid him a second glance. He appeared to be one of them, so it must have been true.
Still, he stood out to her like a sore thumb.
She had heard her parents feuding one night about a pirate ship that had docked in the harbor miles away from the kingdom. If they caught her eavesdropping she knew she would be punished, but it was all so thrilling to hear. A beautiful ship said to be made of something magical, something that could make it fly. It all sounded beautiful to Aurora, and she had sat at her window for most the night staring out at the ocean, hoping the beautiful ship would fly to her window and carry her away to some magical land.
It was strange to think that King Stefan wouldn't allow his only heir to the throne knowledge about the kingdom's dangers. She was growing up, and soon would rule. That's what he always spouted on and on about. One day she would be queen, but he never allowed Aurora to know what truly went on in the kingdom, or the needs of her people. Aurora didn't want to be a passive ruler. She wanted to protect her people, and be a fair, firm leader for them.
Aurora had asked her aunts about this pirate her father was so worried about. The little old ladies who had been with the royal family since before Aurora's birth clucked and chuckled and told her it was nothing she needed to worry about. But that night she found his wanted poster tucked into the pocket of her robe. Her aunt Merryweather had given her a wink and a grin as the ladies left the princess for the night.
Aurora had studied the poster of the famed pirate. Killian Jones was his name. He was known throughout the land for thieving, and was wanted for stealing many priceless items from the kingdoms.
But the longer Aurora stared at his face drawn in charcoal, she could barely believe he was as bad as everyone thought. He didn't necessarily look menacing, and he wasn't as tough and large as she thought pirates were meant to look.
He was rather handsome, actually.
Aurora stared at his wanted poster almost all night. In the morning when her mother came to wake her, Aurora quickly tossed the paper into her fireplace, a sly grin on her lips.
So of course the princess recognized him as he skulked around at the ball. All night Aurora had exchanged gazes with him. The fire in his blue eyes made her feel something she never had before, something that created a fire within herself.
Everything within her told her to run. She knew better than to become entangled with a pirate.
And yet she found she couldn't stay away from him.
He asked her to dance, and she should have refused and had him arrested. He was a wanted pirate, after all. Instead, she slipped her hand into his and allowed him to lead her around the dance floor.
No words were exchanged at first. Simply glances. Powerful, soulful glances. They both knew it was wrong. He knew who she was and she knew who he was.
The pirate and the princess. Two creatures never meant to meet.
Aurora couldn't help but break the silence. She found herself telling him he was much more handsome in person than his wanted posters. He threw his head back and laughed, and Aurora was certain she had never heard a more lovely sound.
Somehow they ended up in the quiet hall while the ball went on, talking about this and that. He had come to the kingdom in search of fairy dust. Aurora giggled and promised him that their kingdom didn't have any of that, but he was welcome to stay while he searched for it.
He liked this little princess. He had never seen anything more beautiful than her, and he had seen many treasures in his life. She was a true princess who would someday rule her people with grace and beauty. She was witty and smart and strong willed, despite appearing to be a spoiled little princess wrapped in sparkling lilac fabric.
She was a sweet little surprise.
He told her about Neverland, about how it was a magical place where you never grew old. He told her about the Lost Boys and the mermaids and how you could fly if you had pixie dust and how there was never any worries or any care in the world.
Aurora's bright blue eyes lit up with excited curiosity, and he found he couldn't help but kiss those upturned pink lips. She tasted of sunshine and warmth. He had never encountered a princess, much less kissed one. Princesses never ended up with pirates, not even as a bed partner.
Surprisingly, he didn't want her like that. She was so much more than someone to warm his bed. She was of some other world, some sort of magical siren that was not meant for something as tainted and dark as he was.
The kiss started something. Something within Aurora burst, and her heart thumped away with love.
Perhaps he was the one who would break her curse.
Her parents promised Maleficent's curse would never happen. They promised that they would keep her from pricking her finger. Aurora's mother, the dear Queen Rose, had been the target of Maleficent before. She had been put under the sleeping curse. When Maleficent promised the same would happen to Aurora, but this time she would die, the King and Queen took extra precautions to protect the little princess. Aurora's aunts, being the good fairies that had protected the Queen, promised that Aurora would be protected, and if her finger was pricked she would not die, but sleep, just as the Queen had before.
The ladies suggested that they could take care of Aurora in the forest, far away until her sixteenth birthday. But the King and Queen knew Maleficent would be expecting that, since they had done the same for the Queen when she was in this position. They promised they would find a way to protect Aurora, to shield her when the day of battle came upon them.
A scaly man from another part of the kingdom called Rumplestiltskin even offered his help, but the good Queen Rose would have nothing to do with his dark magic, and he was sent away quickly.
Aurora knew that if she fell under the sleeping curse, true love's kiss would wake her and break the spell.
Perhaps Killian was her true love. Perhaps this kiss would someday save her.
Perhaps princesses could end up with pirates.
Killian and his crew stayed in her kingdom, making the people uneasy with how casually they strolled about town. As many riches as Aurora's family had, he was not interested in that. He was interested in finding fairy dust, and getting to Neverland and never growing old.
Aurora could see he wanted something more than that though. She knew the gleam in his eyes was much different than just what he had said.
She snuck him up into her tower, which had been constructed when her mother had been under the sleeping curse. Her mother had slept up in the highest tower until she had been awoken by true love's kiss. Now it had been turned into a place just for Aurora.
It was filled with books about far off lands and thrilling stories. She always daydreamed about having an adventure of her own. Sometimes she would sit in her tower and stare out the window at the ocean far off in the distance and daydream about floating away.
He was amused with her many books and her babbling of the stories she had read, much more content with telling her stories of his own. But he liked listening to her voice, and the way she lit up when she talked. Something about her surprised him.
She was a sweet little distraction.
But none of her books and stories ended with a beautiful princess living happily ever after with a pirate.
Aurora never told Killian about the curse she would have to face one day. She didn't tell him about the battle that would wage against the witch Maleficent, or the way he could wake her should she fall under it.
She still had hope that she wouldn't have to go through with it, that her father would truly protect her.
She had hope that perhaps Maleficent would lift the curse, would give up and let her and her kingdom be.
Even if she told him, it might make him leave her faster. No one wants a cursed princess.
Still, when he asked about her tower, she made a joke about it once belonging to a princess many years prior that let her long hair down a window for her prince to climb up.
He just laughed at her and said the poor man must have made a tangled mess of that princess' hair.
They spent many days together in her tower, talking about this and that and exchanging a kiss or two. No one knew the princess was sneaking a pirate up into her tower for storytime with tea and kisses on the side.
And she wouldn't let anyone ruin their happiness. As simple as it was, she was happy with him. She loved hearing his tales and learning about him and life as a pirate. It was all so much different than what she had ever experienced, and she wanted an adventure with him.
Killian was getting closer to finding his fairy dust. He was closer to finding whatever it was he was looking for. But it would send him far away.
To Neverland. A place where no one ever had to grow old. They wouldn't ever have to worry about aging or losing him. She wanted him to take her with him, so they could be together and never have to worry about losing each other.
When she told him that he just laughed and touched her face and said, "Princesses don't belong with pirates, love."
He had promised to come back. He stood with her on the shoreline, his blue gaze full of determination, full of excitement. He had never seemed so happy before. How could she make him stay with her when he was so happy?
'I love you. Please stay, please fight for me. Then after, we can find your silly fairy dust. Together.'
The words had been on the tip of her tongue as his hands cradled her close, his gaze softening just slightly as he stared into her cornflower gaze.
"Don't miss me too much, alright, love? I'll take you with me next time, I promise. I must prepare you a new kingdom, and make sure the lost boys are ready for you." He grinned at her. "I promise, I'll be back soon. You won't even have time to miss me."
She locked his promises away in her heart, against her better judgement.
He would keep it. He had been true to his word thus far.
Tears filled her eyes and he tilted her face up, pursing his lips slightly. "Hey, you stop that. Princesses don't cry over pirates."
"Says who?" She managed a smile, despite the pain in her heart.
He kissed her then, and she was thankful he silenced her with those lips of his. She wanted to babble, to cry and make him stay with her. She didn't want to do this alone. She knew she had to, knew she couldn't tell him. She couldn't keep him from his adventure, from his chance. She drowned herself in his kiss, allowed herself to memorize how his lips formed against hers, how his stubble scratched her skin as he pulled away to kiss along her cheeks.
He would find her. She knew he would. He would wake her when he returned and they would find a way to be together.
She had to be strong. She had to be strong.
"Keep a weather eye on the horizon." He whispered into her hair. When he pulled away, she managed a small smile and nodded her head slowly.
He walked to the little boat tied to the shore, and she watched as he faded away to where his ship was anchored. She stood firm as his ship began to slip further away, taking her heart with it. She watched as the Jolly Roger moved straight towards the horizon, and when she blinked, it was gone.
The days passing, she posted herself at her window in her tower and watched. He had promised it would be quick. He would come soon. The days were slipping by, and still he did not come to her. He did not appear in the night and whisk her away. She knew time was frozen in Neverland. Perhaps he did not realize it had been so long.
So she waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Months passed before she knew it.
Time was running out. Her sixteenth birthday was approaching.
Still, she waited a little longer. He had promised he would come back soon.
And she waited.
He never came.
Her mother and father didn't like to see her so despondent and quiet. Their daughter who had once been full of light and innocence, was now full of sadness and pain. They didn't understand the reason behind her pain, the weary look behind her hollow violet gaze. They had thought the news of her betrothal to Prince Phillip, a childhood friend, would have lifted her spirits.
It didn't.
Phillip was warm, like the sunshine Aurora was named after. He was sweet and kind and a true prince. He truly did love her, and he always had since they were children. Their marriage would unite two kingdoms together, would bring unity and a peace to the land. They would be prosperous and rule together.
Aurora didn't want to love him, didn't want to get attached to him.
But she knew he wouldn't hurt her. She knew he would love her forever and be a good husband and a good king.
Aurora began to stop watching the horizon. She had to do what was right; she had to protect her family and her people and marry Phillip and do the right thing.
She was a princess. He was a pirate. They never would have worked out.
Aurora began to enjoy Phillip more. She began to fall for the warm way he laughed and the love in his soulful brown eyes when he watched her speak. He was attentive and gentle and soon, Aurora felt herself letting go. She felt the cold lump in her chest she once called a heart begin to grow warm again.
Despite her best efforts not to, Princess Aurora fell in love with Prince Phillip.
Because that's how these things worked. A princess marries a prince and they live happily ever after.
The wedding would be held the day after her sixteenth birthday. Aurora would be kept hidden with her aunts, and they would place a shielding spell over the princess to protect her from going and pricking her finger. Everyone was preparing for battle against the witch.
Phillip promised to come for her when the battle was over. He kissed her and held her close and promised the warm sunlight of the next day would bring their wedding about.
Aurora wanted to tell him, wanted to tell him she loved him and would be waiting for him.
But instead she watched another man slip away from her while she kept this secret silent once more.
As the day dwindled away and sunset drew near, Aurora said she wanted to be alone, just to gather her thoughts in her tower. She stared at the horizon, willing that magical ship to appear and carry her away from this curse.
But pirates didn't come back for princesses. Cursed or not. And she was done waiting.
When she turned, her books were gone, and a pedestal lay in the middle of the room, a spinning wheel nearby. Maleficent stood there in all her finery, a pleased smile on her face.
Just a prick, and she would spare Aurora's family. Hiding away was for cowards. The kingdom would be saved. All Aurora had to do was sacrifice herself.
Aurora told the witch it had been her plan all along, and that she would not hide or run away.
But who would wake her?
At this point, Aurora wasn't so sure if anyone would, if anyone could. She didn't even know what true love was anymore. She didn't even know if what she felt for Phillip was the deep, pure love that her father had when he woke her mother.
Still, she did what had to be done.
Prick!
It only took one touch.
When her aunts found her they wept over her. They shouldn't have left her alone like they did her mother. They promised to protect her. And they had failed again. Still, part of them knew Aurora would do this, that she would sacrifice herself for the sake of her family, for her people.
All the old women could do was wait. The one who could awaken the princess was amidst battle.
Or perhaps he was in another land entirely.
They braided Aurora's silken hair and laced her crown amidst the honey strands. The princess never flinched, never cried out. She appeared to be relaxed, as peaceful as if she was merely napping and lost in a dream.
Aurora was lost, that much was certain.
Lost in a hellish, fiery dream. She couldn't scream, couldn't escape, couldn't do anything. She was completely alone. The longer she remained in this red room, she burned, and she ached.
And there was no escape.
A great dragon towered over the kingdom, destroying everything in her path. The witch had broken her promise to Aurora. The king and queen and many in the kingdom perished while Aurora slept. Thorns grew up into the tower where the princess lay.
Maleficent didn't want the prince to find her. She would kill him before he woke Aurora.
The witch was quite tired of happily ever afters and true love's kiss. It might have been something Regina allowed in her kingdom, but Maleficent surely wouldn't here.
But against all odds, the valiant Prince slayed the monster, and cut through the thorns to where his princess lay.
He would fight for his princess. He would keep his promise and hold her in his arms and assure her that everything would be okay.
Merryweather went to the prince as he chopped into the thorns that surrounded the castle. She led him to the tower, where his princess slept.
His dear Aurora. She wasn't supposed to do this. She could have been saved from this.
She deserved better than the pain she would wake up to find.
The weary prince leaned over his princess, cupping her cheek gently in his hand as he pressed his lips to hers. A surge of energy surrounded them, and when he pulled back, Aurora gasped, blue eyes opening quickly.
She was disoriented, weak and weary. Her body was on fire from the cursed red room. Her gaze was hazy, and for the briefest moments, she mistook Phillip for a dark pirate. But when she blinked, that smirk and those clear blue eyes were gone. Phillip's warmth welcomed her with a hopeful, exhausted smile.
"P-Phillip?" She whispered.
"Yes, yes Aurora. I'm here. It's all over now." He whispered soothingly, his fingers gently brushing over her cheek. "Everything is going to be alright."
But nothing was alright. Not at all. Maleficent was gone, but the kingdom was nearly in ruins. Most of those who had survived fled, fearing the witch to return. The King and Queen were dead, leaving the weight of this tragedy on the shoulders of Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora.
Aurora cried as she drank in the sight of her ruined kingdom, of the things Maleficent had done. But she made no sound. This was her responsibility. She always knew she would be Queen one day. She was born to rule, born to lead her people, no matter how many were left.
They were married as planned, but in a small ceremony, with her faithful aunts as their only witnesses. It was not a joyous, loud celebration that lasted many days as it should have. It was quiet, and intimate, and somber.
Phillip held Aurora close at night and she clung to him, his warmth and gentle touch alighting her cold heart. His lips might not have made her fly, might not have made her hope for far off lands and the ocean, but he was strong and sturdy. He would not leave her. He helped her feel again, helped her feel safe. When she woke with nightmares from her sleeping curse, he would hold her in his arms and sing to her, and light a candle to keep the nightmares away.
She would be strong.
She was a Queen of the Sands, and Phillip her King.
It was how it was always meant to be. They were always meant to rule together.
That was how it was supposed to go.
Princesses weren't supposed to weep over pirates and wait for their return. Princesses were meant to be Queens and marry a Prince who would become a King.
Queens were made to rule. And that was exactly what she intended to do.
She and Phillip began to rebuild their kingdom, and soon, its former inhabitants started to return. Aurora promised Maleficent had been slain, that she would not return to hurt them. She promised to lead them, to rule them fairly just as her parents had in the past.
It took many years, but soon enough the ruins of the past were gone. The kingdom thrived. The people loved their King and especially their dear Queen who ruled them fairly, just as they were always supposed to.
Aurora admitted to Phillip one day about Killian. He hadn't seemed surprised, and even shared his own story of forbidden love with a warrior girl from another land. It seemed to bring the King and Queen closer, if possible.
True love's kiss had woken her, so true love they must be.
On a seemingly normal day, a ship appeared in the harbor. A rather famous ship from the past. When Aurora received the news of it, she didn't want to believe it, didn't want it to be true. Not now, not ever.
She hadn't been watching the horizon. She hadn't for years. He could only come back if she watched the horizon. And she hadn't been.
He wasn't allowed to come back now.
Not after everything she had been through.
He was brought before the court for an attempt of stealing from the King and Queen of the Sands. Apparently the new Queen's crown was something of value to the thieving pirate.
His interests had obviously changed from fairy dust.
He had two hands when he left. Hands that held her tiny body close to him, hands that brushed her curls away, hands that worshiped her and protected her. But as he knelt before her, his left had been replaced with a hook. The guards had removed it and brought it to the king.
Aurora watched as Phillip turned the hook in his hands, inspecting it with his dark eyes. It gleamed, and in the sunlight it looked rather beautiful. But it was menacing to know that Killian no longer had a hand, but wore this weapon as though it was the same thing. It was sharpened, ready to kill. Aurora was certain it had already been used to kill many.
She slowly looked towards him, curious to know just how he lost it, what had become of him.
His blue gaze no longer held the mischief of the past. He was no longer the pirate that had left her. He was no longer the man whose gaze softened when he looked upon her, no longer the man who held her like she was the most priceless treasure to him in the world. Now he lusted. Lusted for blood, lusted for treasure, lusted for something she couldn't see.
There always was, and always would be, something she could never fully see in his eyes. There was always a secret, always something hidden from her.
She wanted to be alone, wanted to hide from this man who had promised her so much and given her nothing. She wanted to kill him, to make him hurt like she had hurt. She wanted him to go through the same pain she had endured.
But something in his hate filled eyes told her that he had. Something had happened to this man she had once known.
She ordered for everyone to leave them. If she was going to be alone she would be alone with him. Phillip touched her hand, his dark eyes questioning her silently. She had torn her gaze away from the pirate on his knees and nodded her head gently at Phillip. This was something she had to do alone, without prying eyes to make her weak.
Once they were alone, everything was silent. He watched her every move as she stood from her throne and walked towards him. But he no longer watched her with that interested gleam like before. He stared straight through her, his gaze hard and unfamiliar.
"Sorry it took me so long to return, love. I became wrangled in a duel with a crocodile and a rather stupid little boy." He drawled, his lips quirking into a smile.
She remained silent, her hands folded together as she stared down at him.
She was no longer some little princess. She was the Queen of the Sands. A strong queen that would not let a hooked pirate ruin her life.
She squared her shoulders, kept her chin held high. Her cornflower gaze was icy as she stared at the pirate who had once stolen her heart.
She would not bend, she would not break.
"My, how you've changed." He grinned, his eyes raking up and down her body without shame.
"And you as well." She murmured. He bowed proudly as far as his chains would allow with a wide grin. "I should have you killed. Stealing from a queen is a crime. All it would take is just a snap of my fingers and I could have your head on my mantle."
"Cheery." He smirked. "But you wouldn't do that."
"How do you know? You've no idea who I am anymore or what I have been through." She glared at him, and still he grinned at her like an idiot.
"So kill me then. If you really can kill me, keep your word. Show me. I've not much to lose nowadays." His voice wavered ever so slightly on his last words. Had anyone else been with them they might not have noticed.
But Aurora did.
"Why should I keep my word when you can't even do the same?" She whispered.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he finally got a good look at her. He had been avoiding this, been avoiding looking straight at her and seeing the girl he once knew, the girl he had deceived. Gone were the frilly, brightly colored gowns he had always seen on her. Instead she wore a gown of subdued, deep purple. Royalty. She was royalty. A Queen. No longer his little princess. She carried herself with great dignity, with grace. She was a true ruler, a true Queen of the Sands.
"I can still take you to Neverland, if you'd like. Though I can't say the Lost Boys and I aren't on the best terms anymore." He chuckled.
She stared at him icily, her hands folded at her middle. She was not weak. She never had been. He had never known her to be weak.
"All I ask is that you return my crown and take your ship and never return here. I ask that you leave me in peace." She said quietly, her voice calm and level.
"Your guards obtained my satchel. I'm sure you'll have it back soon enough."
"Why would you take it in the first place?" She asked, quirking an elegant eyebrow.
"Pirate." He muttered. "I steal, I plunder, I rifle, and loot. Yoho." He said dryly, his lips quirking into a smirk again.
"If I let you go, do you promise to leave me and my kingdom forever?" She asked softly. "Can I have your word on that?"
"Aye." He finally murmured.
"Then we are done here." She nodded her head, and stepped past him to retrieve her husband and the guards.
"Wait." His chains made a heavy clanking sound as he lifted his arms, stump and hand closing around her tiny wrist. She nearly jumped away. He couldn't touch her, couldn't bring back those memories.
She would not allow him to weaken her.
"Let go of me this instant." She ground out. "One scream and Phillip will burst in and personally cut your other hand off."
"I doubt that. Your pup of a king doesn't seem like he could lift a sword much less duel me." Killian laughed.
"He's slayed dragons, fought battles. You have no idea what he's capable of. Now unhand me before he bursts in and proves himself to you."
"May I at least have my hook back, when I'm set free? I have a reputation to uphold, and with a moniker like Captain Hook without a hook….you understand my dilemma."
"Yes, you may. Now let me go." She said again, trying not to focus on how his warm, calloused hand clutched her wrist almost desperately.
But he let go.
Just as she had been forced to.
As Aurora walked away, he called out to her again. "Did you watch the horizon? Did you not wait for me?" He asked, his voice softer than it had been only moments before.
"I did. I watched until I had to fight for my kingdom. I waited for you, waited for you to take me to Neverland. But I got tired of waiting." She replied, pausing to look towards his bent figure, his back still facing her.
"Did you cry for me?" He finally asked.
Aurora crossed towards him, and knelt in front of the pirate. Killian looked up at her in surprise as she touched his face, as she studied the man she once knew.
He was gone.
All that was left was a stranger.
Before she could stop herself, Aurora kissed him. He flinched, but did not pull away. His lips stung, tasted sharp and spicy like cinnamon. Phillip was so sweet, so gentle. But Kilian…Killian was another story completely. His kisses left Aurora burning, left her aching. She pulled away, not looking at him as she began to kiss along his cheek, just like he had before. Aurora felt his breathing change as she moved to kiss his hair.
Stubborn tears she had held at bay for many years began to fill her eyes.
But she was strong.
She closed her eyes, a few hot tears dripping down her pale cheeks. She breathed in his scent, memorized the way his dark hair felt against her cheek before she uttered a quiet whisper.
"Princesses don't cry over pirates."
Fin.