Even before Aurora had opened her eyes, she could feel the warmth of the fire she knew to be around her. She had come to expect the netherworld every time she went to sleep since the curse, and she had yet to be treated to anything less.
Aurora had grown to become used to this nightmare of a place, just as it had become accustomed to her. There was a time she tried to build up mental defences in her head, to try and remember what Snow White had told her in the brief time they knew each other, and prevent herself from drifting back into this horrid state of mind.
However, nothing ever seemed to work for Aurora. But it didn't matter much anymore, because over time, the flames seemed to grow bored of her presence. Now they usually left her to herself, they no longer burned or bothered her, and she didn't mind it that way at all.
It had been a while since Emma and Snow travelled back into their realm. It had been a while since she had last seen Henry, Emma's beloved son, too. She figured that with the help of Rumplestiltskin, the Evil Queen, a caring family, and whoever else was present in this Storybrooke world, he had found a way to rid himself of the nightmares. She was happy for him, really. Emma and Snow too. She was glad they were reunited; they were lucky to have people who cared about them as much as they did. She only wished she could have the same for herself too, as selfish or greedy as that was for her to want.
Aurora sighed. There was nothing for her to do but wait until her body had enough rest and woke up naturally, for if she tried to go to sleep in the netherworld, she would wake up in the real world, and that was an endless cycle that never did her any good.
She had nothing but her thoughts to keep her company each night. And although she would never wish the sleeping curse, or its after effects, on anyone, she often found a part of her hoping that someday, someone would turn up to keep her company.
The flames danced around Aurora as usual, sometimes getting just close enough to her skin for her to feel an intense heat, but not so much that it caused a burn. She gracefully seated herself on the ground and stared into the flickering swirls of red and orange, it was almost hypnotising. She had never thought that something so destructive could be so beautiful at the same time. For just a brief moment, she almost felt peaceful.
A loud cry of pain broke her out of the trance. Her eyes quickly darted to the source of the noise; it seemed to be coming from an opposite corner of the room, although her view was mostly obscured by the large expanse of flames in her way. It seemed like the fire had magnified in that certain area to engulf its prey—a dark figure writhing underneath the hungry blaze.
"Stop!" Aurora called out, as if her word would do anything against the fickle mind of such an inferno. She picked up her lavender gown and strode forwards to closer inspect the scene, just as another scream sounded.
From what Aurora could see, the person before her was most likely a grown man. That eliminated the possibility of it being Henry or Snow; the two people she knew for certain could've travelled into the netherworld. Suddenly she remembered how Mulan had told her that while she was kidnapped by Cora, Prince Charming put himself under the sleeping curse to see Snow White. Could this be him, then?
It didn't matter who it was, she told herself, either way she had to help, and she wasted no time in doing so.
Aurora rushed into the flames. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, the adrenaline coursing through her veins numbed her body as she was swallowed up by fire. This was definitely going to leave her with burns in the morning. But to her surprise, the fire started to avoid her, some of it even parting to let her through.
When she reached the man, she bent down and attempted to drag him out of the roaring blazes, only to find that she was unable to make contact with his body.
The flames quickly lost interest in the newcomer, however, and vanished, reappearing in another part of the room and going back to the business of flickering out and then back again to their own contentment. Aurora supposed they were a reasonably safe distance away from the fire—at least for now.
She turned her attention to the injured man and knelt down next to him as he rolled onto his back with a groan. Now was her chance to find out who this stranger was, and when she glanced at his face, she recognised it immediately.
Even though he was almost completely covered with ash and burns, his features were still unmistakable. "Hook?" Aurora exclaimed, her astonishment not in the slightest bit subtle, "Captain Hook?"
"The one and only, your highness." Hook replied in a weak, raspy voice. Despite his current condition, he still had it in him to joke.
Aurora stood up and backed away a little, unsure of what to do with his presence, "H-how are you here?" She questioned, her shock still evident.
"Well, it's a long story, but it goes something along the lines of: I tried to kill Rumplestiltskin and he put me under a sleeping curse." The pirate explained, trying to push himself up with his elbows, but wincing at the pain his burns caused him.
"You're under a sleeping curse? At this very moment? Then… how are you here, in the netherworld?" Aurora voiced her train of thoughts, supplying Hook with even more questions, "This—" She gestured at her surroundings, "—is for people who've awoken from the curse."
"That, princess, is as much of a mystery to you as it is to me." He told her with the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips as he managed to prop himself up into a sitting position, using the wall as a support for his back.
Aurora stayed quiet for a while; she needed to collect her thoughts. She seemed to have recovered from the unexpected surprise, however. She kneeled down next to Hook once again, and when he turned to face her she found that she was at a loss for words.
Desperately searching through her mind, the princess uttered the first thing that she could pull out of her head, "I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do for your burns."
Hook chuckled, "I'm a pirate, believe me when I tell you that I've suffered through much worse than a few burns."
Aurora couldn't help but smile a little as she took a seat next to the pirate, leaning against the wall, just as another question begged to be asked, "How do you intend to break the curse?"
Captain Hook wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but since he literally had nothing better to do than answer the princess's queries, he decided to humour her, "Well, considering the fact that I'm currently lying somewhere in Storybrooke, fast asleep. There's really nothing much I can do about it right now, is there? Although"—and he had only reached the realisation himself—"I'm certain that Smee and the rest of my crew are doing everything in their power to help their captain out."
A small giggle escaped Aurora's lips as an absurd thought that crossed her mind, "You do know how this curse is broken, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I've heard all about this curse, I know how to break it." His tone was slightly defensive; he didn't need a princess mocking him.
"You need true love's kiss… and I hardly doubt you're going to get that from any of your pirate friends." She clarified, in case he was only bluffing about his knowledge. Pirates were known to do so.
Captain Hook let out a small humph, "I know. But I don't have a true love, now do I?" He paused, then continued with confidence, "That's no problem though, I'm sure there's another way, just like how there was another way to travel between realms."
He seemed so sure of it, as if being under a sleeping curse didn't bother him at all. A thought struck Aurora. It wasn't fair; shouldn't he be plagued with nightmares right now? His deepest regrets? How could he maintain this attitude when he was supposed to be overwhelmed by his greatest fears?
"Don't you… don't you experience the nightmares? You know, the elements that make this a curse rather than a simple sleeping spell."
His arrogance seemed to drip away as the words travelled to his ears. He hadn't expected the princess to become comfortable around him as quickly as she did. Perhaps she was just as desperate for some company in this place as he was. A part of him wanted to treat her to another one of his snarky replies, in fact, he already had one prepared. But a larger part wanted someone he could talk to, someone who would understand and provide him with some sense of solace.
"Of course I do. I see my ship, the Jolly Roger, sinking. I see myself being devoured by those merciless mermaids. I hear the droning siren song. Feel my hand being cut off." He listed, "Worst of all, I see Milah, my—well, my true love. I see her dying again, and again, at the hands of the crocodile, Rumplestiltskin. And I'm powerless; unable to do anything about it." His said, his tone sincere, "It's everything that I dreaded happening, and everything I regret. But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? After all, it was only recently that you finally rid yourself of this horrid curse, wasn't it?"
Aurora nodded slowly in agreement. He had revealed more than she thought he would. It was like he had completely turned her perspective of him around with those few sentences.
"I saw everything that I took this curse to prevent in the first place." She blurted out, "Of course it's gone now, but I still remember it all too clearly. I mean, seeing the same thing over and over for 28 years really burns it into your mind." She didn't know why she had felt compelled to tell him what she went through, perhaps it was because she felt she owed him that much since he had shared his nightmares with her.
Hook smiled like he understood. No, he actually had understood, he was living with the very same thing. "I don't know how you could stand this for as long as you did and not go insane. I've only been put under for a few days and I already feel like I'm losing my mind." Aurora could hear the underlying plea for help in his voice. He might've once been tied to a tree for ogres to find, but this was the first time that he seemed truly vulnerable to her.
Without thinking, she reached out towards him. She didn't know why; to offer him comfort or show that she was there for him. But her hand went right through his shoulder. It was as if he wasn't even there, he was merely a projection. Which he was, Aurora reminded herself.
She quickly pulled her hand back. If he noticed the movement, he didn't acknowledge it. They simply sat in each other's company, not making a sound.
Aurora broke the silence, "I'll help you." She told him, "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll help you break the curse." She finished with certainty. Nobody deserves this, Aurora thought to herself, not even the notorious Captain Hook.
The pirate seemed taken aback by the sudden offer, "Have you forgotten that we're in completely different realms? We're literally worlds apart. I appreciate the offer, but I honestly don't think there'd be very much you can do for me."
"Have you forgotten that I reside in a land filled with magic?" The princess raised an eyebrow, "Like you said, there could very possibly be another way. I'll try and find it."
Just as she had finished speaking, Aurora's vision began to blur, slowly being overcome by darkness. She knew what was happening; she was waking up.
"Hook? My body—my real body—it's waking up. I have to leave now." Aurora informed him, "I'll see you soon? Tonight, I suppose. That is if you're still here."
"Well I don't believe I'll be going anywhere, anytime soon. I'll be right here." He hesitated, like he was thinking about saying something else, then added, "And thank you, you know, for wanting to help. I, uh, I appreciate it. Really."
She gave him a sympathetic smile, before completely fading from his view. As Hook watched her disappear, he couldn't help wishing that she didn't have to go. To his surprise, he had actually quite enjoyed the princess's company. And as the horrific nightmares surrounded him once more, he tried to keep hold of the mere thought of her. She was the one thing that could perhaps keep him sane.