Disclaimer: Chances are if you recognise it, I don't own it. All OUaT characters belong to Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis.
One should never mistake persistence for patience. It had been over 200 years since he had embarked on his quest for vengeance and everyday his spirits sank lower and lower. He had long since stopped believing that the gaping hollow in his chest could ever heal. In all this time there had only been two occasions in which he was able to distract himself from the pain; two occasions in which he fooled himself into believing that he could be happy again. He knew better now. He would continue until his goal was reached but he would never return. Honestly, he always knew the truth; it just took a while for him to acknowledge it; to desire it. This quest for revenge would be his end. After all, with his revenge sated, what other purpose could he find in a world without Milah; a world without love.
The hesitant knock on his door broke his reverie. The timid tapping and the sound of shuffling feet told him all he needed to know.
"You know my orders, Mr Smee," Hook called, a dangerous warning clear in his voice. There was silence on the other side and Hook returned to sharpening the metal hook attached to his arm.
"Begging your pardon, Captain, but this may be of some importance," the little man announced barging through the door.
Hook was on his feet, sword drawn in an instant, "May be?" he growled menacingly. He expected the man to cower before him. Smee was never a particularly brave man, but damn useful. It would be a shame to lose him. But he had given orders and failure to comply must be dealt with swiftly. The man's lip began to quiver but he held his position, only moving to raise his hand and bring the letter held within to his captain's attention. Their eyes stayed locked upon each other for a full minute before the Captain finally relented. Smee had been his companion for a very long time the least he could do was read the blasted letter before he ran the man through.
The captain snatched the letter from the man's hand and noted with satisfaction that Smee didn't seem any more relieved with the change of situation. He pulled his ugly red cap from his head and began twisting it, anxiously awaiting his fate. Slowly, Hook broke the seal, and unfolded the heavy piece of parchment.
Anger gave way to amusement and Hook didn't try to hide the laugh that escaped him as he read the elegant script once again. Plans already shaping in his mind as he sifted through all the information they had gathered over the years.
"You are certain this is genuine?" He asked, Smee.
"Aye, Captain. That's the queen's seal and it was delivered by one of her personal guards," Smee swiftly responded. The man was still wringing his battered red hat in his hands nervously awaiting his Captain's response. Hook supposed that he had been a little harsh since they found the dagger. Any celebration the success invited was short lived as he quickly realised how difficult it would be to find a crocodile that hasn't been seen in 18 years. The dagger should have allowed him to control it, summon it even, and yet it did not. However, it seemed their luck was finally changing.
Smee, apparently too nervous to wait any longer, started babbling out an excuse, "I know that you said you didn't want any distractions but I thought-"
"Well done, Mr Smee!" He interrupted the man before he could gain momentum.
"Captain?" the man uncertainly asked for clarification.
"Do you know what this is, Smee?" Smee shook his head and Hook couldn't help but think that he must be making his men nervous if Smee would come in here without a sure thing. "This is a summons from the queen to assist them in regards to a 'delicate matter'"
"A delicate – The Princess!" Excitement glinted in his eyes as he began to piece together the same things he had, all be it at a seemingly slower rate.
"That was what your informant told you, was it not?" He retorted.
"but how…?" Smee would know the value of assisting in the rescue of a royal. He always saw things in relation to how much gold it was worth, but he knew that only one thing mattered to his Captain, he just wasn't sure how this could help.
"Do you not think a princess will be adequate leverage for the information we require?" Smee grinned conspiratorially, as he placed the final pieces of the puzzle.
"Queen Snow and King James are thought to be the last people to see The Dark One," He stated with a sly smile.
Hook responded likewise, "Tell the men, the hunt is on again!"
The lack of cover left him with a feeling of unease as he walked across the long bridge to the awaiting guards standing before the gatehouse.
"Hook?" questioned a short, gruff and greying man. One of the queen's dwarves, he assumed. He flashed a toothy grin and gave the unimpressed dwarf a mocking bow, "The one and only."
"Follow me," he grunted, leading the pirate inside.
Hook wasn't surprised that he was met at the gate by one of the queen's personal guards, he was, however, interested that they hadn't attempted to disarm him. After all, he was a pirate. The dwarf set a brisk pace as he marched across the courtyard, turned down a stone walkway, pushed his way through an intricately carved door and led him down another long walkway before they eventually pushed their way through a simple wooden door.
Killian paused as he arrived through a side door into the grand foyer. A large portrait of the royal family hung over the stair case. The artist had been incredibly talented, capturing each shadow, line and glimmer. King James stood in a typical heroic pose, staring out of the picture with courage and determination, his hand placed protectively on the shoulder of a beautiful blonde. Queen Snow mirrored his stance; her hand on the girl's other shoulder; justice and compassion radiating from her soft features. The blonde seated in the centre of the portrait couldn't have been more than 16 or 17. She was decked in a gown of what looked to be soft white feathers. Her long blonde curls were pinned up and she wore a silver circlet with a dazzling green stone positioned in the middle of her forehead, bringing out the colour in her eyes.
Her eyes.
There was something about them that seemed so familiar. Her eyes held that hidden longing for adventure and freedom that he'd seen when he first met Milah, but there was more, a stubborn determination and fierce glimmer of… hope… that he was sure he'd seen before and yet failed to place. He studied the girl carefully, to most her smile would seem sweet and demure and perfectly ladylike, but he could see the promise in the mischievous quirk at the corner of her mouth. He had never laid eyes on the princess but he had heard tales of her beauty and it was clear to see that they weren't exaggerated.
"You coming or what?" barked the gruff dwarf. The man nodded toward a small door under the stairs. Hook shook himself from his thoughts, marching past the dwarf and flinging open the door. Fond of making an entrance, Hook was disappointed to see no one even glanced in his direction, their focus drawn by the handful of individuals shouting about a round table in the centre of the room.
"How can you be certain we can trust this information?" Questioned a regal looking woman with dark hair and an imperious gaze.
"I'm still not sure we can trust you," grumbled an old lady, clicking her knitting needles as though the whole meeting was nothing but a waste of her time.
"After all you did shack up with a thief," The Dwarf that had met him at the gate added as he sat in a spare seat.
"Firstly, if you utter the term "shack up" it my presence ever again, I may find myself forgetting the truce Snow and I agreed to, and secondly Robin is no more a thief than your queen!" A boy in his early twenties laughed beside her, but the dwarf she had been speaking with bristled. However, before he had a chance to respond, a gruff looking man on the other side of the hall, jumped in.
"Don't for a second think that anyone here has forgotten how we suffered at your hands, Regina. You may have a truce with Snow, but one wrong move, and there would be few here who would hesitate to kill you."
"I don't know why you're so upset, huntsman. You got your heart back; you got your… happily ever after. What do you have to complain about?"
The woman beside the scruffy huntsman let out a fierce growl which, he had to confess, sent a shiver down his spine.
"Alright then!" A man brushed past Hook as he made his way to stand behind Regina and the boy. As he placed a hand on the back of both and Hook was surprised to see the woman visibly softening under the touch. "Perhaps we should get back to the matter at hand. None of us will be able to breathe easy until little Emma is home," the man continued.
The king nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Robin."
After a moment of silence, Regina, spoke again, "I don't mean for this to sound… cruel, but, didn't she run away before, when she was ten. She left you a note telling you that she refused the crown and was running off to a place where she would never have to grow up, only to return 6 months later babbling about shadows."
It all fell into place rather easily and he was infuriated that it had taken him so long to realise… honestly he should have guessed from the feathers. "Neverland," his entrance may not have garnered any attention, but that word certainly did. The King and Queen were automatically drawn to it and everyone else followed with them.
Queen Snow gave him a bright smile and he had to fight the urge to squirm under the hope shining in her eyes. "Captain Hook," the relief in her tone was audible to everyone in the room, yet Hook had no clue what he had done to deserve such a reaction.
"You know why you're here then?" questioned the king who seemed more wary than his wife.
"Not really, no," Hook responded, "The shadow wouldn't have her back, not after the circumstances under which she left."
"No, our information suggests that she's not in Neverland this time. Our daughter fell through a portal to a land without magic." Hook's spine straightened as he digested the news. "We have been searching for a way to track her down without magic; she doesn't know anybody that she could turn to in that land; she would be completely helpless."
"I doubt that's true. The girl I knew was never helpless. And if she's in the world without magic, I can't see her being alone for long," Hook informed the group.
"Of course there have been those from magical lands including this one to travel there before, but without magic she would having as much hope of finding them as we would her."
"Not necessarily," Regina mused. "We are well aware that Emma's magic is something special. It was not something she took or studied. She doesn't have magic, she is magic. This world may attempt to supress it but she should be able to channel enough to see her safe. Her magic would be seeking a way home, enough that it may even to lead her to her heart's desire; perhaps a friend."
"If she knew anyone there!" the king maintained, obviously feeling this discussion was pointless.
Hook hid his surprise at the fact that Swan had magic, filing that information for later, he focused on the most important fact that they all seemed oblivious to, "She does know someone there."
Once again all eyes fell on him looking at him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
"Explain yourself, pirate." The king ordered.
"Your daughter obviously left out a few key details of her time in Neverland. Before she and I were acquainted she became close friends with a boy on the island. He found a way home before she did and begged her to leave with him. But he would not take her back here, despite her pleas and assurances. He was headed for a world without magic where he might be able to start afresh. They were good friends and if she had found herself in a world without magic I assure you she would have sought him out."
"You seem well acquainted with both, this boy and our daughter," Hook didn't know where the queen's words were leading but he doubted he'd be pleased. Nonetheless, he was this close to his revenge and he wouldn't risk it now.
He answered obediently, "I recall them well, Your Majesty,"
A broad smile spread across her face as she turned to her husband, before returning her warm gaze back to Hook, "With your assistance, Captain, I'm certain our party will not fail!"
"My assistance?"
"Magic may not exist in this realm but it is possible that magical items will retain their properties. Our daughter is wearing an amulet that protects her from being located through magic." She spared a sad little glance for the boy at Regina's side, "However, it is likely that this boy you mentioned does not. And with your help we may discover him."
"And why should I do this for you?" He questioned the queen but it was her husband that answered.
"My daughter once told me that a fearsome pirate, known as Captain Hook, was essential to her survival and escape in Neverland… and that he left her with a promise that if she ever needed him again, all she had to do was make a wish and he would find her." The pirate silently cursed the little brat. "Well it seems my daughter needs you and my wife seems to think that your arrival in our kingdom so soon after our daughter's disappearance is... fate. You do not do this for us, but for our daughter."
"It seems I don't remember our final conversation quite the same way. I owe your daughter nothing."
'Is there really no way I'll be able to get in touch with you after I leave?'
'That's the way it works, Swan,'
'You're certain?'
'Well you could try closing your eyes and wishing really hard, but I wouldn't hold your breath.'
Her hand flung out and hit him across the middle. He chuckled and ruffled her hair. She growled at him but she met his eyes and her anger passed as quickly as it had come. 'I'll miss you,' she whispered as she threw her arms about his waist. Hook patted her head awkwardly but before he could reply he heard the shout down the beach.
They separated quickly, 'Good luck, Swan,' he gave her a fake smile, hiding the doubts that made him want to tells her to stay and that they'd find another way.
She flashed him a cocky grin 'who needs luck when I have Pan's pixie dust?'
Hook tried to ignore the lump in his throat as the little girl threw her rucksack over her shoulder and, with a final parting nod turned and trotted down the shore leading to the mermaid's lagoon.
"Look, I don't know what your daughter told you, but she was well aware I never did anything for free." The queen's expression faltered and the king was glaring daggers, but he felt a lot more comfortable with these reactions than their previous ones.
"And just what kind of payment did you have in mind?" Regina's voice was a cold and quiet hiss as she studied him through narrowed eyes.
"Nothing too difficult, I assure you. I simply desire a location."
"A location?"
"I simply need the last known location of the crocodile known as Rumplestiltskin." A slow, dangerous grin crept across Regina's features but she turned toward the royal couple, awaiting their response. King James and Queen Snow seemed to be having a heated argument with their eyes. Eventually the king murmured "For Emma" and the queen released a defeated sigh. She turned her reluctant gaze on him, "When you return our daughter safely to this castle, you shall have your location."
It took a few hours to iron out the details. In the end they decided a five man crew would leave at dawn. The king, the huntsman, Hood's boy and a fierce looking female warrior would be joining him. No one was particularly forthcoming about how they were getting to this world without magic or what items they had access to, but if it would bring him closer to the crocodile, he didn't care. Turning down an offer to spend the night in the castle, he took his leave citing the need to prepare his crew for his absence. He knew they wouldn't take much organisation. Smee would see to the ship's safety and the bag of gold inside his coat, a gift from the queen, would keep his crew satisfied for a while.
Not that he was too concerned over their loyalty. Neverland took its toll and all those that remained after their return were fiercely loyal, bonded through their pain and suffering as much as their victories and wealth. They were a strange sort of family but the only one he had. There were those that still served him as they had served his brother years ago. They had joined him in taking the plunge into piracy with both feet and hadn't looked back. They understood that a man's death should mean something. They all felt Liam's loss and understood his need to turn from the crown to honour their fallen captain. When he lost Milah, so did they. They were as eager for revenge as he, but, time heals many wounds and 200 odd years proved too much for most. Now they all prayed for his success but only so he might finally find the peace that had evaded him these long years.
"Hook!" The captain turned at the sound as the young man that had sat beside Regina, Robin Hood's son, came running down the road after him. "Good, I was hoping to catch you," the boy huffed, trying to catch his breath. He was the handsome sort, in his early twenties with dark hair, dimples and a beguiling smile that was sure to catch the eye.
"And why would you want to do that, lad?" Hook asked the boy, not bothering to hide his irritation. He had spent all day around these people and from tomorrow he would be stuck with them until he found Swan.
"I wanted to thank you. Emma told me the real story about what happened in Neverland, not the codswallop she fed her parents."
"Is that so?" He studied the boy curiously. Had she really confided in him or was he just fishing? Surely he wouldn't be standing here thanking him if he knew that he had kidnapped the brat and kept her locked up for days.
The boy seemed to sense his thoughts and addressed them directly. "She told me that you took her prisoner but that you never actually hurt her. She said you were quite the gentleman. Honestly, I think she had a bit of a crush on you." Hook raised an eyebrow but made no comment as the boy continued. "She said that you made her one of your crew; taught her to sail; taught her to fight," The captain scoffed.
"Swan always knew how to fight. I just helped her with her technique."
"Take her down to the brig. Until she tells us that damn fairy's location she doesn't eat!" A strangled cry caused him to whip his head back to the scene before him. Of the two men who had grabbed her, one was unconscious and the other was clutching a bloody ear.
"The little bitch bit me!" he shouted as the bitch in question slid the man's sword from its scabbard before he could make a grab for it. Hook watched interestedly as the girl made a surprisingly good pose. It was obvious that she couldn't compare in strength. And yet he watched as she steadily took down another two of his crew before he decided to draw his sword and put an end to the farce.
"Swan?" The boy questioned, confusion marring his features.
"The name she went by in Neverland," He replied, surprised by the worried look that crept over the boy. "What is it, lad?"
The boy seemed to startle back to reality, "Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. And it's Roland, by the way."
"Right… I was surprised they were so quick to let you join the crew crossing over tomorrow, but you do seem rather close to the princess," the boy, Roland, allowed a warm smile to brighten his face at the thought of Swan. No doubt he was remembering some secret little adventure the two had shared. "Were you and she…?"
"Me and Emma?! No! Sure, I love her like a sister, but I would most likely kill her before I married her. She's argumentative, head strong, selfish, rough, crass, and tactless and she doesn't listen to a thing that anyone says."
Hook couldn't help but smirk at his accurate description of the little spitfire that joined his crew, but then he remembered the portrait, "All that and a gorgeous princess, sounds like the perfect girl to me."
"Maybe for a pirate, she always meets more men at bars than balls."
"Impressed them all with her rowdy renditions of the old shanties, did she?"
The boy burst out laughing, "You should have seen how thrilled her parents were when they stumbled upon their 12 year old princess leading the children of nobility in a rousing chorus of 'Asshole Rules the Navy'"
Hook failed to contain the peel of laughter that ripped through him as he imagined the scene. "She was a brilliant pirate. It never even crossed my mind that she was a princess." Hook reminisced.
"You really never knew?" The boy questioned, curiously.
"You didn't see the feral little brat that I picked up."
"No, but I saw her when she got back. If her mother hadn't been so happy to have her home she probably would have fainted at the sight of her hair." The boy smiled fondly once again and Hook knew that for all her apparent faults, this Roland would go to any lengths to see her safe.
There was a moment of awkward silence, before Hook ended it. "So, what was it you really wanted to talk about?"
The boy's expression sobered at the reminder.
"I…" the boy began uncertainly before he seemed to find his resolve, "The boy in this land without magic, was his name Baelfire?"
"Aye…" The pirate answered cautiously, "The princess mentioned him?"
"Yeah," the boy answered distractedly, his face once again clouded in thought.
"Let's not make a habit of that. Hey, lad?"
"What?" The boy asked shaking off his contemplations.
"This thing where I give you information, you use it to make some sense of the puzzle in your head, and then neglect to inform anyone of what you just understood."
The boy straightened his back his and narrowed his eyes, "What knowledge I have gained is none of your concern."
"It's my concern if it will help me find Swan sooner."
"It won't," he answered too quickly and the captain knew that he was on to something.
"She didn't just fall through a portal, did she?" He questioned, watching the boys eyes for the truth.
"How should I know?" he responded, quickly.
"She chose to leave, didn't she? Did she open the portal herself? Why?" He fired off questions relentlessly, watching the nervousness grow in the boy's expression.
"I don't know!" He snapped back defensively.
"I'm guessing it has something to do with Baelfire." A flicker in the boy's eyes confirmed his suspicion and he took a further leap. "And it somehow ties back to her name in Neverland." The boy took a few hasty steps backward, and Hook followed. "Why was it so important that she went by the name, Swan?"
They may have been of a similar height but Hook had years of experience and could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to. His presence seemed to tower over the lad. Roland's hand reached to the hilt of his sword in warning. "I have to go; my parents will be looking for me." He took a few more steps backward before turning and running back up the road.
"This conversation isn't over, lad!" he called to the boy's retreating form. Roland didn't look back but raised his hand in both acknowledgement and dismissal. Hook wasn't too concerned. The boy would talk one way or another and soon he would finally be able to skin his crocodile. With a contemplative sigh, Hook continued on his way back to the docks.