~*~Chapter 1.~*~
Night had fallen quickly in this type of land. The enchanted forest.
Emma let out a foggy breath and stuffed the compass deep into her side pocket. Smooth Emma...Real smooth...She thought and furrowed her brows as she looked around. And to think I'd never see this place again...Before the curse that is..
That's right. Emma Swan, the woman afraid of nothing, was stuck in a place hundreds of years ago, clueless.
How she'd gotten here had been much of a blurred memory, and if she tried to think of it. She'd only harm herself.
"Dammit Swan!" Emma snapped at herself as the cold breeze of the land swayed past her.
Biting her lip she looked up from the tiles of the pavement and back to the village. Her never to be village suited it better.
Emma decided to let the pain that crept into her drop and allowed herself to savor the moment.
The village lit up by the lanterns, glimmered in the moonlight gallantly, quite perfectly, it looked perfectly similar to the one in Henry's storybook.
She slapped a hand to her forehead momentarily. It is a village in Henry's storybook...A knot in her chest tightened again. Henry.
She failed to get them back to Storybrooke. She failed to get back to Henry. She was doing this all for him. And she failed.
Emma's shoulders slumped shamelessly, but all was forgotten when she looked back at the village in awe. Each tavern lit, the streets oddly deserted. It had looked cozy, dangerously cozy.
Caught up in her thoughts, Emma hadn't realized the shape lingering just past her at the corner of her eye.
And just like that, the moment was ruined.
Blinking, Emma turned her gaze to fix out a slightly slender form, shorter than her; she concluded.
A light blue silken cloak draped over it as it hurried on much quicker, drawing the cloak closer to it's face as it did a fine job of blending in with the shadows.
Judging by the movements, Emma figured it was a woman, it had to be for it most certainly was not a guy.
Sure enough she witnessed a strand of dark curly brown hair fall from the cloak and woman quickly pulled it back, scurrying into the village.
Being the arrogant ass that she was, Emma followed her carefully.
She eyed the taverns in curiosity when she neared, yet had been careful enough not to lose the woman out of her sight.
Each tavern seemed dimmed and lighted, warm, comforting. Emma pursed her lips and frowned as she slightly tilted her head in attempt to read out a sign which clearly stated in large faint letters. 'Inn.'
The woman came to a sudden stop beside a dark tavern.
Emma briskly came to a stop as well, though more clumsily than she intended. Her boots clicked against the pavement as she missed a step.
In front of her the woman straightened up quickly and looked from side to side.
Emma held her breath. God dammit, what am I doing? Why did she follow this woman? What made her do so in the first place?
The woman slumped down again and turned as she walked up the steps of the tavern. Oblivious to the stiff blonde lingering in the background.
Once she opened it, Emma could here loud cheers of men coming from inside. Then her form disappeared inside as the tavern door shut behind her.
Emma stood in her spot awkwardly. It only occurred to her that the tavern or pub, hell whatever it was. Was beside the dark, silent, ocean.
"This is crazy," Emma muttered and shook her head as she turned away to leave. Maybe, she just had this thing of following people who'd seemed to catch her eye. Maybe she followed her because her instincts told her to?
Either way something warned her about this place. Hell something even warned her about being out here at night, alone, by herself. Did she already mention alone?
Maybe I should check out the inn and revise a plan on how to get the hell out of here. Emma told herself in thought as she shivered again.
Mary-Margaret would well damn scold her for being out here in the cold, at night, alone, by herself.
Not many things ringed her memory about old century villages, but she'd known from a fact that a lot of unpleasant things went around. Especially at night. Emma reminded herself. Rape, murder, stealing, kidnapping...Shall I continue?
The door of the tavern swung open again and a few drunken, what she assumed to be, pirates stumbled out halfway. Out yelling each other as they swayed from side to side, arms slung around each other. They then tripped clumsily and stumbled a bit more before face-planting into the cement. Not bothering to even move, they lay there.
Emma rolled her eyes, "pathetic." She murmured and finally made up her mind, passing the passed out pirates she couldn't help a smirk. She took a deep breath. Then entered.
Emma observed the tavern.
The pub was warm and smelled of alcohol...Perhaps something stronger? She just couldn't pinpoint what.
Sure she noticed the half drunk men, half passed out knights, bandits, thieves, and mostly pirates. But what really caught her attention was the woman.
The woman's blue eyes sparkled, her curly raven hair bounced as she laughed to something a man told her.
Most likely a pirate.
Emma finally decided to move to her spot and down to the center pub.
Men would start eyeing her if she'd stood there any longer, and she did not want to mention how much they scared the shit outta her already.
"Care for something to drink, love?" The bar tender told her in a gruff voice, eyeing her as she sat down after a small hesitation.
Emma cringed as he called her that, oddly enough, the only person she didn't mind calling her that was a raggedly handsome, roguish, pirate.
Emma silently rolled her eyes, as if she could still here the cheeky bastard clearly in her mind.
"Cider will do," she replied casually and pulled out a few coins out of her side pocket, handing it to him.
"One cider coming right up!" He chided and twirled away.
She rose a brow.
Emma nodded to him gratefully when he came back a moment later and took the cup, briefly observing the cider before she downed it. The alcohol burned her throat, causing her head to spin for a moment.
Then she pushed the cup away from her.
Though it wasn't long before the door of the tavern swung open again, loud stomping followed after loud cheers of men as they parted.
That wasn't what caught her attention.
A very familiar pirate strolled in laughing as he clasped his hands.
"Ah, here we meet captain!" Someone hollered.
"Where's my beer?"
Someone handed him a mug and he took a swig, "cheers!" He called and clunk his mug with others. Then turned in her direction briefly.
Emma caught his gaze for a moment, the same ocean eyes holding back mystery and mischief. It was only a brief moment, he turned and looked back and chatted away with the group still surrounding them, the group soon parted as he and his jolly crew strolled over to a table in the corner. Passing her along the way.
She was about to call out his name when she paused. He doesn't even know who you are yet...Hell he has both his hands, so why call him Hook? The nagging voice inside her mind made her crazy!
Sure enough not only had he caught her attention, but someone else's along side of that.
The woman she'd followed.
Her eyes glinted as she looked to him in awe, admiring him? Probably.
Yet she too watched Ho-Killian, interact with others.
While her time here, Emma figured it was not necessary to spill to him that she knew who he was. He would find her insane. Because she knew she would if she were to be stuck in the same situation.
Then it happened.
He laid eyes on the, 'woman'. Excuse her if she didn't know her name. And watched as the woman returned his gaze a few times, quickly looking away as a blush threatened to creep onto her face.
How cute...Emma thought and downed her drink, as she resumed to watch them.
Stalker. She told herself and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair.
Finally, Killian got up and strolled over to the woman sharing a few words with her before he asked her to join him at his table.
Which she gladly accepted.
Emma didn't know how long she'd been listening to their conversation, but it had been interrupted when a frail looking man stumbled into the pub with a stick.
"Milah!" He called out as the crew parted.
She looked up at him, then looked away ashamed.
"Milah.." He motioned to her, "it's time to go." He spoke softly and Emma recognized him right away to be no other than Rumple himself.
He looked more frail in this form, and less...Dangerous.
"Good," Milah replied briefly glancing up at him as she sat down and poured herself another glass of who know's what. "So go."
"Who's this?" Killian spoke with slight interest as he glanced to him briefly before looking back at Milah.
"Ah, that's just no one," she replied as if Rumplestiltskin was really a nothing. "Just my husband."
"Oh," Killian looked to Rumple again with that cocky grin of his, "well he's a tad taller than you described."
Everyone laughed but her.
Emma only narrowed her eyes, having a sudden urge to defend him.
"Please," Rumple begged, "you have responsibilities."
"You mean like being a man, and fighting in the ogre wars?"
"Other wives became honored widows while I was lashed to the village coward." Milah spat, then sighed. "I need a break." She poured herself another glass, "run home Rumple." Milah glanced at him. "It's what your good at."
Killian watched Rumple smugly.
"Mama?" A small child like voice came from behind Rumple and a moment later a cute little boy appeared.
Emma's heart melted. He had looked so innocent and vulnerable. Much like Henry.
"Bae," Rumple looked down at the child as he spoke in surprise and cupped his shoulder.
"You were supposed to wait outside son."
Milah's smile faltered, soon enough, she got up and grabbed her cloak as she took Bae by the shoulders and led him out. Rumple trailing behind like a puppy.
Killian only watched their retreating forms briefly, frowning.
Smug bastard...Emma thought and stretched as she got up and dropped another few coins off before trailing out of the tavern and into the cold of the night once again.
She could think of a few dozen reasons for them to be happy, but she didn't. Emma could care less whether their relationship took off or not.
Her mainly focus was on getting back to her family. To Henry. And she knew just how to do it. So she thought.
Emma shivered against the cold and stopped briefly, trying to remember where she'd last seen the 'inn.'
Sucking in a breath, she turned to go. Sad to say, it was with wrong timing.
The pain of the sudden forced open door was too unbearable. In which it caused her to stumble back, rubbing her forehead. "Ah! What the hell!"
The dark tall clad stranger looked almost apologetic. Hell, her vision was too blurred at the moment.
"Lass, you should really watch where you go-"
"And you should really watch who you hit doors with!" Emma cut in with a sharp response and straightened up.
"Have I not done that already?"
Wait...That voice.
No, no, no! Oh dear god no!
Her head quickly snapped up to meet a pair of deep blue eyes.
Her apologetic stranger was no more than a pirate dressed in leather. And not only that. Killian Jones himself! Give this guy a round of applause.
He rose a brow at her, genuinely amused after witnissing the color drain from her face.
"Are you alright?" He asked now more concerned. "I didn't hit you hard enough, did I?"
Why on so many occasions did that sound so wrong? And who the hell was he to go around being nice to her after the scene he displayed in the tavern?
"I'm fine." She replied. Not only was Emma tired and frustrated. She was angry with him. But was it really his fault she winded up in this mess? Of course not.
"Any way to make it up m'lady?" Was that a wink?
She sighed in defeat. Emma by now couldn't care less about him or his ways. She wanted him to leave her alone. She wanted sleep.
"Take me to the nearest inn." Emma said.
His brows rose further as his lip twitched up into a smirk. "Well, I'm flattered that you think so highly of me. But love, we've only met each other. I'm not interested."
She shot him a pointed look. "Not like that. I mean take me to the nearest inn. I want to go to sleep." Emma shoved past him. "You know what? Never mind. Hell to that. I'll find the inn on my own!"
"Lass?"
"WHAT?"She spun around.
Killian made a gesture. "Inn's that way."
"I knew that." Emma snapped walking back past him again.
"No you didn't."
"Shut up."
He smirked as he rested a hand on the hilt of his cutlass. " Darling! I didn't even get your name!"
"That's because I didn't give it." Her response echoed through the silent night before she disappeared around the corner.
Fiery little lass, wasn't she now? It was alright. Killian loved a challenge.
That said. He turned and sauntered back into the tavern.
I know I wanted to do a sequel to Second Star to The Right. But as of now, I don't have many ideas. I can't promise a day it'll be published but it'll be soon ;) Anyways! Enjoy. Reviews wouldn't hurt.