A/N: I love Princess Emma + Dark Hook so here is my interpretation of their non-curse, Enchanted Forest, HBO-version love story / adventure. Don't own anything. OUAT isn't the best for continuity in the first place so I'm taking artistic license here and there with character ages, timelines, locations, etc.
Prologue.
It was meant to be a time of peace in the Enchanted Forest. The Evil Queen was locked away in the dungeons of Queen Snow and King David's castle, the ogres were almost extinct from the realm and nearly a decade had passed since Maleficent gave up her nefarious designs on Queen Briar Rose. Peace, or something resembling it for the first time in many years, had settled in the southern kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest.
The north was a different story entirely. The Dark One had taken over the Northern Kingdom, the native people of that land now refugees in other peaceful kingdoms while their royal family took refuge at King Midas's castle in the midlands. Those that remained in the kingdom had their hearts ripped out of their chest, forming an army under the Dark One, and extending his influence further still.
Where the Dark One's reach ended that of the evil sorceress Cora began. Having killed her father-in-law King Xavier and her husband Prince Henry, Cora claimed the Eastern Kingdom for herself and promptly began a reign of terror that drove the common folk further south. It wasn't apparent if Cora and Rumpelstiltskin were working against each other or together, stories were varied and it was hard to trust word of mouth when so many were no longer in possession of their own hearts.
Only the small kingdom of Caledonia, farther north than even the Northern Kingdom remained peaceful, but they had strange ancient magic protecting them there, magic even the fairies didn't fully understand.
In the midlands and south, royals and peasants alike comforted themselves in the knowledge that their immediate foes, Maleficent and the Evil Queen had been defeated.
After three weeks at King Stefan and Queen Briar Rose's castle, Princess Emma was more sure than ever that the kingdoms of the south were fooling themselves into thinking they were safe. It was a feeling in her gut that she couldn't shake. Every procession of court jesters and mistrals, every feast of rich food, every elaborate dress or pair of silk shoes reminded her of the evil that Cora and Rumpelstiltskin wrought in the north.
"I must say, there are an awful lot of cannons on this ship," Aurora mused happily from her place next to Emma on the docks. They were waiting to board the royal navy vessel that would take them to Emma's home kingdom.
Her twenty-first birthday was fast approaching and her parents were hosting an extravagant ball for all the royals in the realm to celebrate. She and Aurora were to travel by ship while the King and Queen traveled by litter across the countryside in an effort to raise the spirits of their people.
Emma watched one of what seemed like hundreds of trunks heave into the bowels of the ship by Aurora's family's sailors. All full of furs and silk shoes and feathered fans and other superfluous items that seemed unbearably extravagant to Emma. Her mother had always said she was a worrier; Emma believed herself to be a pragmatist.
She realized Aurora was waiting for her to respond to her cannon observation. "Well... I suppose they'll keep us safe," Emma said awkwardly. What she really thought was that Cora or the Dark One could appear on the ship at any moment they pleased and rip the heart out of every living soul on board regardless of the number of cannons. Gun powder was no match for magic.
But there was no need to worry Aurora. She was only two months younger than Emma but somehow they felt years apart. Perhaps because Aurora's days were spent embroidering, singing, dancing and learning to manage a household while Emma practiced with her bow and sword and rode whichever horse in the stable she pleased. These past weeks locked indoors with a loom had nearly driven her insane, her only reprieve to trick Aurora into gambling over cards and sneaking Dwarf Whiskey from the kitchens.
The sea lapped at the gangway as the two princess boarded the ship. Sailors held their caps over their hearts and bowed their heads low in the presence of royalty. Normally Emma would brush off such courtesy with the grace she'd learned from her mother, but presently all she could think of was getting to her cabin and out of the corset and panniers squeezing her guts into an unnatural shape.
Aurora continued to comment on different parts of the ship as the captain escorted them to their cabin - how magnificent and beautiful the fat white sails were and how handsome the young navel officers were in their funny hats and jackets trimmed in gold brocade. Emma listened politely, her thoughts flickering between annoyance at her corset and anxiety at the prospect of an encounter with one of their foes from the north.
When one sees their mother hunted by a deranged witch for the whole their life, one does not tend to underestimate danger.
The captain bowed low as he left the girls to get acquainted with their quarters, a small but comfortable cabin already housing some of their trunks wherever space allowed. Emma lifted the lid on one of the trunks and sighed in disgust at the fancy lace and ribbons filling it. She tried another trunk, which was stacked with men's boots but to Emma's great joy a nearly full bottle of Dwarf Whisky was poking out of one of the boots.
A sudden flash of sparks and blue smoke in the middle of the cabin nearly made Emma drop the bottle and Aurora yelped in surprise when The Blue Fairy appeared before them.
Emma's mouth fell open in surprise, "Blue!" She was so happy to see the fairy's familiar face she wished she could hug the tiny woman.
"Princess Emma," The Blue Fairy said in her always serene voice. "Princess Aurora"
Aurora looked nervously at Emma, not used to such a display of magic. "Madame Fairy," she dropped into a deep curtsy that made Blue smile and, Emma suspected, suppress a chuckle.
"What are you doing here Blue?" Emma stepped forward, trying not to sound as distressed as her heart felt.
"Your heart is heavy," Blue said, as if reading Emma's mind. "But not without good reason," she added solemnly, looking between Emma's hard eyes and Aurora's confused ones. "Your fears are true, princess, but I have come to tell you of a prophesy that will save all the lands and all the realms. We fairies can see some of the future, and it is a hard future that you both have yet to face. But it has been foretold that a young princess born under the spring moon in the year of the lamb will save the realm." Blue's eyes lit up as she continued, "This princess will be known as The Savior." She looked between the two girls. "Princesses, you were both born under the spring moon in the year of the lamb. One of you will be The Savior and the High Queen."
Aurora immediately gasped and fainted, Emma only just managing to catch her.
Blue fluttered in mid air for a moment longer, watching as Emma carefully laid Aurora down on her bunk. When she looked back up, Blue's petite face was creased with concern.
"Emma," she pursed her lips. "You must be strong. You must keep your heart open."
Emma stared at The Blue Fairy, not sure what this meant as she cradled Aurora's strawberry blonde head in her lap.
Blue seemed to read her mind again. "You will see, Emma. Keep your heart open, for love is often found in the darkest places."
With a sad smile Blue waved her hand and disappeared.
The ship began to pull away from the dock, moving out to sea as it began its westward journey towards Emma's home kingdom. She sank back on Aurora's bunk, or at least attempted to in whatever angle her corset and panniers allowed and ran The Blue Fairy's words over in her mind.
Emma looked down at the bottle of of Dwarf Whiskey in her hand. It was a three day journey by sea to her parents' castle. With the fairy's prophesy rattling around her brain, her friend unconscious across her lap and untold evils waiting to pounce on the kingdom she would one day rule, now seemed as good a time as any to indulge.
The Jolly Rodger was moored near Mermaid's Cove, ironically one of the only places in Neverland where a sailor was least likely to stumble across those accursed harpies. The ship bobbing gently in the night sea and Killian - or Hook as he was more colorfully known - stood at the helm brooding in the tropical night air with a full flask of rum in hand. His crew were sleeping below deck but he wasn't interested in the blackness of unconsciousness, not when he would only be tormented by dreams of his Milah. Reliving her final moments when the Crocodile ripped out her heart over and over again. He scowled, teeth clenching and jaw working and sipped his rum.
Killian's mind drifted from Milah to her son Bae, whom he'd lost to Pan years ago. How many years, he wasn't sure, but loosing Bae had almost been as bad as loosing Milah all over again. They had the same dark colouring, the same giddy light in their brown eyes at the prospect of adventure, the same haunted downturn of their lips when they spoke of the Crocodile.
Even if he had lost Bae Killian had gained one valuable piece of information all those years ago: the Dark One was controlled by a dagger. Where he would find that dagger, Killian did not yet know but it was now his life's mission to find out.
Most of his nights were spent drinking himself into a stupor while endlessly fantasizing about what this dagger could look like, where it could be and how he could get his hands on it to finally achieve vengeance for his Milah.
Inevitably he would have one sip too many and slip into unconsciousness where Rumpelstiltskin still haunted him. It was never ending.
"Thinking about your Crocodile again?" Pan's boyish voice called from up in the main sail's rigging, taunting as per usual.
Killian's kohl rimmed eyes slid up to the pixie-faced tyrant who had inadvertently become his employer over the past two or so centuries. How could one consider oneself a pirate if they worked for a satanic nymph like Peter Pan? He felt a swell of self-loathing in his chest.
Killian scowled, his hooked appendage digging into the wood of the helm. "What the bloody hell do you want?"
"I have a job for you in the Enchanted Forest," Pan said coolly, watching Hook intently. "The cargo is more precious than your usual fare - there are three boys from one of the northern kingdoms. Princes. They called to me but the magic of their land protects them from my shadow." He pursed his lips, "So i'm going about it a more direct course"
"Kidnapping?" Killian drawled, arching an eyebrow "I'm not bloody well kidnapping any princes, Pan. Try again."
Pan vanished from his place at the main sail and reappeared close to Killian's face. "Come now, Killian. I'll make it worth your while." He hissed, leaning in "Bae told me about his father's dagger. About Rumpelstiltskin."
Killian sent the boy a genuinely unimpressed glance and took another long pull of rum, raising an eyebrow. "Going to have to do better than that, mate. Bae told me about the dagger too."
Pan vanished and reappeared on Killian's right side, "What if I told you I could help you get the dagger, Hook?" A smug smirk lit up his boyish face as Killian stiffened, not wanting to be made a fool but unable to hide his curiosity. This was the reason he was in Neverland in the first place. To learn how to defeat the Dark One.
Without giving anything away Killian lazily arched an eyebrow at the boy, "Can you now, mate?"
"Aye," Pan sneered and grabbed his hook which gleamed in the starlight. "I can enchant it so you can rip Rumpelstiltskin's heart from his chest. It won't kill him but you will control him and force him to give up the dagger." An even more nauseating lear graced his face as he forced Killian to meet his gaze. "Wouldn't that be sweet justice, Killian? All these years in Neverland and you'll finally get the vengeance you've so desired."
Killian did not respond to this. The rum was fogging his mind and although it was most certainly against his moral code to kidnap children, the desire for revenge in his heart was nearly overwhelming. He would have given his other hand if it meant the Crocodile was dead.
"The daughter of Queen Snow White and King David is turning twenty-one in two weeks and they will be throwing a lavish celebration," Pan's voice was bored but his eyes were full of mirth. "All the royalty in the realm will be attending. And lots of cakes, I imagine, " he added with a smirk, catching Killian's eye.
"Cakes?" Killian repeated, disbelievingly.
Pan spread his hands and smiled softly, "Cakes," he repeated. "Nothing more than cakes for the lost boys. But if you were to find a prince for me then perhaps I could lend you a hand in finding the dagger of the Dark One."
The idea of working with Pan to get his vengeance sat uncomfortably in Killian's belly, but similarly, he could ignore that discomfort as a means to an end. Cakes for the lost boys were normal cargo, children not so much. He was silent for a while before asking, "Why do you want these princes so badly?"
"Because I must be able to get what i want!" Pan exploded. "I'll make it easy on you." He vanished back into the rigging. "They're identical triplets so I suppose one will suffice."
Killian ran his tongue over his teeth and stared out at the black sea. "Cakes and a prince," he said numbly.
Pan floated down from the rigging to land in front of the helm, "Cakes and a prince," he echoed. "And you shall have your vengeance over Rumpelstiltskin. You can even return to the Enchanted Forest and never come back if you so wish." Pan's lip curled, "You're not as much fun as you used to be, you know that Killian?"
Killian held his hook up and stared into Pan's eyes, "Do it now," he said quietly.
Pan smirked and raised his hand, a small iridescent bean sitting in his palm. "Bring me a prince."
Killian plucked the magic bean from the damned demon's hand and rubbed his thumb over the curve, "These princes are traveling to Snow White and Prince Charming's Kingdom then, aye?"
Pan just looked at him, seeming not to deign this question worthy of an answer.
Killian pocketed the bean, and gave a tight smile, "Makes more sense to intercept them at sea on their travels, mate."
"Well then," Pan said irritably, "You best get on your way, mate."
And with that he vanished.
Killian ran his hand through his hair, breathing hard through his nose and stared out at the water, wondering at what point he'd turned down this path and become this man he no longer recognized.
After another long pull on the flask he retrieved the bean from his pocket.
"All right, mates! All hands of deck!" He bellowed, "We've got some pirating to do"
His crew scrambled up on deck and Killian forced his face into an arrogant smirk, focusing on the task at hand.
His Crocodile.
A/N: Hope to see some reviews ...!
The artwork for this story is Frida Kahlo's "What The Water Gave Me" which does not belong to me.