Prologue. The Tale.
Once upon a time, in an enchanted forest, a beautiful baby was born out of true love. Her parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, were beyond happiness. The little girl, whom they named Emma, spent her first years filled with love and affection, for she wasn't just loved by her parents, but by the whole kingdom. And finally, things were just as they should be. Good had once more proven to be stronger than evil.
However, there was one person in the kingdom that didn't share the bliss that the couple felt, in fact, she was disgusted by it. The Evil Queen. For years, nothing was heard of her, and the Charmings allowed themselves to believe that maybe Regina had gotten over her thirst of revenge over Snow White. Maybe, indeed they were finally being able to live happily ever after. But oh, how wrong they were.
Emma was only eight years old by the time Charming and Snow saw her for the last time. With her blonde locks and greenish eyes, and the warm smile she would always offer those around her, it was clear the girl would grow up to be as beautiful as her mother, and with a heart as pure as hers too. One night, without a trace, the princess disappeared. They looked for her all around the castle, all around the nearby lands; but they already knew very well they wouldn't find her that easily. They didn't need any confirmation, they knew who had taken her.
Desperate, they went looking for the only person who could tell them something –anything– about her daughter's whereabouts: Rumplestilskin.
"Your daughter is very much alive, and far, far away from here!" From behind the cells of his prison, he spoke to them between laughs. "You will find her indeed, but getting her out of her tower? That shall not be an easy task, for she is guarded by a terrible beast! And I warn you, the child has been cursed, and when she turns twenty-eight... The girl will stop existing."
In that moment, his laughter became louder than ever.
"But worry not, even the strongest curses have their flaws. Your princess will be locked away for many, many years, but she can be saved. A brave hero, it's what she needs. One who's smart enough to outwit the Evil Queen. And said hero, shall give her a true love's kiss, that way the queen's plans will be ended once and for all."
Rumplestilskin words were true. Snow and Charming spoke to every nearby kingdom, every possible suitor for their daughter, so they would look for the lost princess. They searched all around the Enchanted Forest, until they finally found the tower. Many weren't able to get in, and those who did, no matter how much of a great warrior they were, they stood no chance against the beast that guarded the tower.
And so, years passed by, and Snow White and Charming weren't able to do anything more than watch as their little girl ran out of time, trying to remain hopeful that someday someone, whoever they were, would save their daughter and bring her back to them.
Taking a sip from his dear bottle of rum, the pirate stared at his surroundings, wondering what did the pub had to offer him that night. Plenty of times he would only drink his demons away from his mind, some other times he would drink himself unconscious. And there were those lucky days, he would get some more action and meet a lady he could satisfy his needs with.
It seemed as if the only thing he would be doing that day, would be to drink as much rum as he could.
His crewmates seemed to be already affected by their drinks, their drunken laughs being the more prominent noise at the place. Killian, however, still had a few drinks left before he could share the bliss his mates were feeling.
"So..." One of them began speaking slowly. With his wrinkled skin and a beard extremely white, he was the oldest one in the Captain's crew. "A story reached my old ears lately. And not any story, mates, a fine one. King's offering a big reward. Oh yes, all the gold any of you lads could ever dream of having will be given to the one who gets him the princess that shall marry his son."
Killian couldn't help but to let out a snort. Not that same story once again...
"Honestly, Williams, if you're going to tell a story, make sure it isn't one that everybody in this kingdom knows. Ever since our feet landed in this place four days ago, it's been the only thing I've heard people talk about," the pirate spoke, eyes still away from the table.
The old man laughed.
"Believe me, Captain, you would be far more interested in the story, if you'd actually let me speak of it fully."
Rolling his eyes, he gave the sailor a somewhat sarcastic smile. "I'm all ears."
"More than nineteen years ago, the princess was taken to a tower very far away from her home by a very evil witch. Said witch cursed her, and it is said that said curse was that once twenty years passed, the princess would perish, unless the noble guy who rescues her gives her a true love's kiss... Do the math, Captain, and you'll see that the lass hasn't got much time left. Her folks are desperate, and the reward they'll give to the prince that saves her with his kiss, will be far greater than the one the king and his son are offering to the one who gets the princess out of the tower."
Indeed the information was beginning to draw Killian's attention, and his eyebrows raised with curiosity. He took another sip of his drink before speaking again.
"So, let's get this straight: Handling the princess over to the prince can make you rich, and the prince as well will become even richer by kissing said princess. How come the prince hasn't gone to find her himself? Why is he paying people to do the work for him? And the biggest question, how come no one has gotten to her by now, knowing they'll be very well awarded?"
In that moment, Killian came to notice that for the first time that night, the entire table had fallen in silence, not wanting to miss out any word that would come off from the elder's mouth.
"Well, the thing is that in nearly two decades, half of the people that have gotten there, claim there actually is no way of entering the tower." Williams answered.
"And the other half?" One of the sailors broke into the conversation, voice filled with curiosity.
"Those who figured out how to get in, never got out of there alive, for there's a beast protecting the tower." There was an amused look on the man's face. "You seem quite interested now, Hook, are you thinking about taking that reward for yourself?"
Killian let out a chuckle at his question.
"Not looking for any rewards. I've stolen plenty of gold my entire life, and I can continue doing so. There's no need to do someone's dirty work just to put some coins in my pockets."
"Do you have any idea of who this princess is?"
Actually, every time that the pirate had heard the tale of the lost princess locked away in a tower, he had never gotten to learn the princess' name, nor where did she came from.
"Should I?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Who says gold has to be your reward? The lass is Princess Emma, daughter of King David and Snow White."
"So...?" asked Killian, not very sure about where the conversation was heading to. "Are those names supposed to ring any bells?"
"They've done their best to remain quiet about it, but if you know the right people, like I do, you'll learn that for more than twenty years, they've had the man you've been wanting to kill for nearly two centuries locked up." Williams smiled.
There was no need to speak his name, there was no way Killian wouldn't know who Williams was referring to. He felt a tingling sensation in where his left hand once used to be. It was a funny thing how after all those years, the mention of Rumplestilskin briefly brought back the ghost of his lost hand.
"The crocodile." He pronounced, voice darkened by the hatred he had been carrying for many, many years. "That cannot be. How can someone imprison the Dark One?"
"Oh, but they did. A bit of Squid Ink to paralyze him, and there you have it." Killian couldn't help but wonder how the old man knew all of that stuff. "And if you save the girl..."
"They become in debt with me." Killian finished his sentence, eyes widening and glistening with the idea of finally getting a chance to get his revenge. He didn't have to think much about it. Facing a monster in exchange of finding the Dark One and getting his revenge? He could handle that. When it came to his revenge, Hook had never feared dying.
He bent over the table, smirk widening as he got as close as he could to the sailor.
"So, tell me, Williams, where can I find this princess?"