A/N: So I am going to attempt to do all seven days of CS AU week. This is day 1, which is an Alternative Version of our beloved ship. In this case, I have chosen knights and it's based off of the dragon guarded tower prompt in this list. I may post what I'm thinking to be a prequel for this fic on Day 3 but we'll see. Anyway, enjoy!
Emma set down her mug of ale on the table. Killian, fellow knight in shining armor (although both of their armor was looking quite dirty), sat across from her. Both of them were sore and tired, every single muscle aching from the exertion of training since dawn. The dark tavern was full of people in a similar state, albeit different circumstances, all of them hoping to find some solace in alcohol.
"Why did we decide to do this again?" Emma asked, swirling her drink around.
"Glory? Honor? Lack of mud? I don't know but I guess we were wrong on all accounts," he replied. They fell silent and sipped out of their mugs. They had been friends since childhood, two orphans who had found each other on the streets. Emma trusted him with her life and knew he felt the same. She had felt something deeper for him for quite some time, though she wasn't sure if returned those particular feelings, especially because he was always gallivanting about with various women, so she had kept her mouth shut about it.
"This was probably the worst idea you have ever had," she said sullenly, rolling her neck to get the kinks out.
"No one said you had to go along with it, Swan. Besides it was either this or pirating," he said, grinning.
"Like that was going to happen," she laughed. One of the things she liked (loved?) about him was that he always seemed to make her laugh, even when she thought it was impossible.
"What, you can't picture me with a hook for a hand and flask of rum?"
"Only if you can picture me with an eye patch and a peg leg."
"Maybe not those specifically, but I've always thought there was a little pirate in you Swan." He downed the rest of his ale and gestured to the barmaid to bring more for the both of them. Killian had always been able to hold his drink, but it didn't take much for Emma to get drunk and she was beginning to feel the effects of the ale already.
"I've always thought though," she said once the barmaid had set a new mug down in front of her, "that there would be much more adventure in being a knight. Maybe pirating is the route we should have taken."
"There's plenty of adventure to be had if one is willing to seek it out," Killian replied, then cast his face down as if in thought.
"You know," he said after a minute, "there is the legend of Excalibur."
"The sword in the stone? What about it?"
"Well the stone itself is in Maleficent's castle. Legend has it that whoever can pull the sword from the stone is the true ruler of the land. I think," he said, leaning closer, "if we want an adventure, that's a good place to start."
"We don't even know if the sword exists. For all we know it's just a story to give people courage and hope," she said skeptically. She knew that magic existed-this was the Enchanted Forest after all-but tall tales like that had never struck her as being true. They just seemed too much like miracles and she had stopped believing in those long ago.
"We'll never know unless we look now will we?" he said raising his eyebrow. Emma sighed, knowing that now he had the idea in his head, he wasn't going to let it go.
"Killian-" He put a hand up.
"I'll make a deal with you. We'll go tonight, if the sword doesn't exist then I'll do your night watch duties for a week and vice versa if it does. Come on, I've never known you to back down from a challenge." That got her attention.
"Fine," she said, "We'll go, but if your eyebrows get burned off by dragonfire, you only have yourself to blame."
"Duly noted," he said, grinning, and held up his mug, "A toast then, to our first and greatest adventure." Emma rolled her eyes and smiled, clinking her mug against his.
A couple of hours later, they arrived at the castle, slightly buzzed from the alcohol coursing through their veins and the excitement at what they were about to do. The castle was situated on a rock formation overlooking a lake and the climb had been almost treacherous in the dark, even with the help of the supplies they had stolen. They had decided against armor, both thinking that it would be too noisy but each brought their swords, knowing that there would be a good chance they would have to use them.
"They certainly didn't want people coming up here did they?" Emma asked, pulling herself over the last rock with Killian's help. The castle loomed over them, dark and ominous.
"Probably. Keeping a sword that could change the fate of the land is probably best kept out of plain sight," he replied, as he sized up the castle and looked for possible entrances. He finally settled on a window that, although relatively low to the ground, was still not in reaching distance.
"There," he said and they walked toward it. Emma tied a grappling hook to a rope and Killian swung it up and through the window, pulling it tight against the ledge. He tested the strength of the rope before climbing up, bracing his feet against the tower wall. She watched as he pulled himself up and through, disappearing agilely through the window. Now it was her turn. She got in the same position that Killian had been in and started up the rope, the muscles in her arms and legs burning as she went.
She finally reached the top and she pulled herself over. But her foot caught the ledge and instead of going down gracefully like any knight should, she fell. She braced for impact on the wide stair below her but instead she hit Killian and sent them both sprawling. They both groaned in pain. She realized that she was completely on top of him and she raised herself up on her elbows, looking down at him as he peered back up at her. He was looking at her funny; there was something in his expression that she didn't recognize. He looked away quickly and began to mumble to himself.
"...so many times, but never like this," he said, so low that that was all she could make out.
"What?" she said, raising her brow.
"Nothing," he said, "Now if you would please get off me? You're a lot heavier than you look and we have a sword to find." She glared at him and climbed off, making sure her knee dug into a certain place as she did in return to his jab.
They started up the stairs, both stealing torches hanging from the walls. Emma's heart began to pound as they reached the top, going through the door there. It lead to a hallway so full of twists and turns that Emma wondered if they would be able to get out. Finally, they reached a set of giant double doors.
"This is the door to a dragon's lair if I've ever seen one," Killian said and before Emma could reply he had pushed it open. She had been expecting to see jewels and coins everywhere, but instead the lair was damp and cavernous. It didn't look like anyone had been there in years. The only source of light came from a large opening in the ceiling, where moonlight streamed in. They set their torches in the holders on the wall, giving them just a bit more light. As they walked further into the cave, Emma noticed that its beam shown particularly on one point: the sword.
"Ha!" Killian exclaimed, "I knew it existed!"
"Would you be quiet? Being roasted was not on my list of things to do today," Emma scolded, more disgruntled at having lost the bet than fearful.
The sword was stuck in the stone almost to its hilt. It was fairly ordinary looking; the only thing distinguishing it from their swords was the blue-green jewel in the hilt. The stone itself, however, was on the opposite side of where they stood. They walked over, both mesmerized by it. Emma was reaching out to touch it when they felt the ground shake. The doors they had come through flew towards them, taking chunks of rock with them. But where Emma had expected to see a dragon, only a woman stood. She came toward them and Emma's heart pounded faster and faster. The woman was wearing all black, with a strange horned hat atop her head. She regarded them carefully.
"What do you think you're doing in my castle?" she asked. Emma couldn't speak, but Killian clearly wasn't having that problem.
"Your castle? This castle belongs to the dragon Maleficent," he said matter-of-factly. It was in that moment that Emma had not wanted to knock him unconcious more. But the woman just smirked.
"Just so. Anyway, do you both think you're the first humans to try and take the sword for themselves? Look around you," she said, gesturing around the room. Bones lined the walls and floor. Emma had been so wrapped up in the sword that she hadn't even noticed them. She looked up at Killian, seeing that some of his bravado had left him.
"I hate to say this, truly, but it looks like you're going to meet the same fate," Maleficent continued, inspecting her nails as if she didn't have a care in the world.
"W-why do you say that?" Emma asked shakily, her voice so quiet that she wasn't even sure she heard it.
"Well, like I was saying earlier this is my castle. But-oh I must have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Maleficent," she said and with that a puff of dark smoke whirled around her. It grew bigger and bigger, swirling the whole time until it finally cleared, revealing the legendary dragon.
"Emma, run!" Killian yelled, going for his sword. She didn't have to be told twice. They both grabbed their swords out of their scabbards, and scattered on opposite ends of Maleficent, just as she breathed a firestorm.
They both went on each side of her, hoping to stab her and slow her down so they could escape, but she knocked them both aside. Emma hit the wall and her sword went clattering off into the darkness and she heard Killian's do the same. Maleficent turned on him, intent on killing him first.
No!, she thought and ran to her sword, picking it up and heading off in Maleficent's direction without a second thought. Emma stabbed her in the side, successfully taking her attention away from Killian. But it wasn't enough to kill her and though Killian did the same, it only served to make the dragon focus on him again. Emma went to Excalibur and tugged, hoping against hope that some miracle would happen and it would loosen.
And it did.
She brought the sword out, and the cascade of light that reflected off it was enough to stop Maleficent just as she was about to take Killian from Emma. The dragon's eyes widened in surprise.
Emma threw the sword.
It landed square in Maleficent's chest and she exploded in flames and radiance; Excalibur clattered to the ground. Emma stood stunned for a moment, unable to believe what just happened. But Killian's approach snapped her out of her reverie. She threw her arms around him, sword forgotten, and felt as his arms wrapped tight about her.
"You okay?" he whispered and she nodded quickly. She had been so sure that they weren't going to make it, that she would die without the chance of being able to tell him how she truly felt. She didn't want to waste another moment.
"I love you," she murmured into his shoulder. He went still for a moment and she thought about telling him that he didn't have to say it back. He pulled back and his lips came down on hers, warm and soft and just like she had imagined for years. He broke from her and went down on one knee with his head bowed, a knight's stance. But he soon looked up at her and smiled, the most dazzling and true smile she had ever seen.
"And I you, Your Highness."