Hi!I'm not used to quick updates, but since this chapter was pretty short to translate, I made it. I also wanted to upload it because I feel like it was too tied to the first chapter to let you wait too much.
This chapter doesn't feature Captain Swan so much, it's mostly Killian's thoughts. You might think this is moving too fast, but I'm sticking to Killian's moral code, he would do anything for someone who saved his life. Besides, he might be angry and in full pirate mode, but he still has the Lieutenant buried somewhere deep in his heart, as he has always had on the show.
If you know me, you'll also know I hate Regina with a passion on the show, but at times, when it comes to AUs, I can write her as the pleasant person she was in s7, aka the only season I could actually stand her. I'll explain who she is to Emma in the future, and it'll also explain why she acts as she does in this chapter.
Thank you for follows, favourites, comments and kudos, I hope you'll stick with me in this journey.
P.S.: 10 points to those who catch the two tributes I made to a show and a book ;)
Chapter 2 - You saved my life with blood and through sacrifice
The moment he entered the tavern with Emma in his arms, Widow Lucas hurried to him, grabbing Emma's wrist and searching for the heartbeat, her eyes worried behind the thick lenses.
«Come with me, Captain, let's bring her in her room,» the woman whispered to him before picking up her skirts and leading him upstairs. Killian followed her quickly, feeling Emma shivering his arms and not because of a simple wound, no, that dagger must be poisoned and he found himself praying that nobody else had been sent to Neverland after them, otherwise the girl would soon exhale her last breath.
«Lay her down on the bed,» the widow ordered opening the door of one of the most isolated rooms. Killian didn't need to be told twice and laid her on the soft bed, taking a moment to brush her hair from her forehead beaded with sweat.
He felt a hand on his arm and saw the woman bent over Emma's side, studying the dagger. «Scott, Isaac!» she called after a few minutes in her usual commanding tone. Two teenagers, probably twins or at least brothers, immediately showed up at the room's door, ready to receive their orders. «Go to the Dark Palace, tell the Queen Emma's been poisoned and that she's here. She'll know what to do. Go and don't stop in front of anything.»
The woman hadn't even finished talking that the two had already ran away, ready to turn into wolves the moment they were away from prying eyes.
Emma shuddered, and Killian clutched the hand she had healed him tightly. «We need to remove the dagger,» he murmured loudly enough for the widow to hear him.
«I'll take what we need, the more we slow down the poison the better it will be for Emma.»
Killian nodded slightly, feeling a light pressure against the hand holding Emma's. He lifted his gaze but only met her closed eyes. She was shivering, her slender body pervaded by shivers, her skin so pale that recalled a ghost's. He reached to brush her hair from her neck, her lips moving, forming words he couldn't understand.
He'd seen many poisons worm their way to their victim's heart, but only two acted instantaneously, and he was grateful he could rule out the one produced by Agrabahn vipers and the one that'd killed his brother.
Despite his mind was screaming at him to stay as far as possible from that woman, she'd taken a dagger in his place, a poisoned dagger no less. He couldn't simply wash his hands of it just because he didn't know her.
«Hold her still.»
The widow's voice made him wince but he acted immediately, leaning forward to place a hand on Emma's left shoulder as his right one landed on her side. He hoped that, as the woman rapidly pulled out the dagger, Emma was unconscious, hope that shattered the moment her lips parted to emit a pained scream that shook him from head to toe as he held her down on the bed so she wouldn't hurt herself even more.
«Help me undress her.»
Without letting that order intimidate him – bloody hell, he was a pirate! – Killian unfastened the belt Emma had around her waist and then unbuttoned her blue leather vest. He tried not to let himself be distracted by her pale and soft stomach when he pulled up her shirt, instead focusing his attention on the wound, a red gash from which branched out black veinings. He blinked, that poison reminded him of the one that had killed his brother; Killian was grateful it wasn't the same poison.
He refused to believe that King George had sent more men on that mission, Killian had burned the only way to reach Neverland, after all, unless he'd been lucky enough to find the Hatter or magic beans.
Emma's scream echoed in the room once again when the old widow poured rum on her wound. Killian knew that pain well, he'd many scars on his body to prove it. Emma, for her part, seemed to be less inclined to be wounded, or at least to bring the scars of her battles.
Widow Lucas applied an ointment on her wound, its reek made Killian wrinkle his nose. «The bloody hell is that?»
«It'll slow the poison, but not for long.»
«That dagger wasn't meant for her,» Killian murmured, looking the woman's hands work on Emma's snow white skin.
She shook her head. «That dagger was meant for Emma, but Randall must have decided to use it against you.»
Killian lifted his gaze on the woman, skeptical. «How do you know it was him?»
«My hearing isn't as good as it used to be, but I'm not deaf,» she replied with a wolfish grin. «Besides, it's always been him who imposed his rules amongst George's men, he alone knew how much important was for them to use that dagger on Emma. George won't be pleased.»
«Why would the king want his granddaughter dead?»
The woman's eyes seemed to pierce right through him as they met Killian's. He felt himself shiver; evidently that was something he shouldn't know. Now, though, he was too involved to back off, this might be his only way to avenge Liam.
«Emma is not tied to the king in any way, but this is known only to her closest relatives. It's not up to me to tell you her story, just know that Emma is a victim in this game, a pawn that thinks she's moving as she will when instead her life is under George's control.»
«On whom does he want to get revenge? Who cares that much about Emma's life?»
With a sigh, the woman just said: «Keep her up and try not to touch the wound too much.»
Pursing his lips in a thin line, Killian moved to seat behind Emma and gripped her delicately by her shoulders, lifting her up until she found herself almost seated in his lap, allowing the woman to bandage her wound.
Once she was done, the widow stood and grabbed a heavy blanket she then draped over Emma after Killian had laid her down. Instinctively, Killian brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her cheek, noticing how the situation had made it almost lifeless, of a pale yellow instead of its golden shade he'd admired just a few hours before.
It looked like the poison was giving her a bit of a break; despite her furrowed brow, the rest of her body was relaxed, almost as if she was just having a nightmare.
Usually, Killian would've left here there, after all there was someone capable of saving her, he could wash his hands of it, yet he couldn't move away from there, he couldn't imagine abandon her. She'd saved his life – even if a part of him thought Emma would've found a way to heal him if the dagger had hit his target. No one, not even his own crew had ever cared about him that much, since Liam's death nobody had ever cared about him so much to put their own life in danger to save his own. And it was extremely strange, inconceivable, even, because they didn't know each other. Of course, maybe Emma thought she'd put him in danger with her presence, maybe she thought it was all her fault, and that made his heart tighten.
«It's strange seeing a man like you be concerned about a girl he doesn't even know.»
Killian bit back a smile. He could've replied that he already knew her because she populated his dreams or with some hint about soulmates – soulmates? Get a grip, you bloody idiot of a pirate – but he just shrugged. «She saved my life,» he replied with ease, as if that explanation was enough to satisfy the woman's curiosity.
«Then I strongly hope you won't make her regret it.»
He lifted his head to ask the woman what she meant but she'd already closed the door behind her back, leaving Killian sat on the edge of the bed. He wondered what the widow wanted, that would probably be the last time he ever saw Emma: once confirmed that she would be alright he would set sail and, if he was lucky, Milah would go with him.
Then why, suddenly, the thought of leaving with another woman felt wrong? All of a sudden, the thought of leaving Emma hurt him. Had she bewitched him? He'd felt that way all night long since he'd met her gaze. Gods, she'd looked so much outraged with him for having stomped on the wolf's tail. What would he have done to see her like that once again, awake and combative, an actual spitfire.
As he watched her pant in her sleep, he asked himself if she loved the sea, if she ever had contemplated sailing away. With you, maybe, a voice from a distant part of his mind added. He banished it with a jerk of his head.
I have Milah.
No, the voice inside his mind replied, you don't have her, Milah has her husband, her son. Do you want an innocent child to be an orphan? Do you want him to become like you?
Killian shivered at the thought. No, he didn't want Milah to abandon her son, and in his opinion their relationship was too new to ask her to bring her son with her. He couldn't say a ship wasn't the best place to raise a child, after all he too had been on a ship when his father had abandoned him and Lam, but his was a pirate ship.
No, he couldn't ask her something like that, not even if she wanted it, not even if she'd fall on her knees and beg him.
He didn't know how long he stayed there looking at Emma, admiring the perfection of her smooth and delicate skin sprinkled with golden freckles he was sure would shine bathed in sunlight, but his daydream was abruptly interrupted by a cloud of purple smoke that materialized in the room.
Killian's hand went to his cutlass, ready to defend Emma from the intruder.
«Great,» the woman in black scowled, «now she doesn't have just watchdogs, but even pirates.»
Standing up, Killian narrowed his eyes, pointing them in the woman's chestnut ones. «Sorry to disappoint, love,» Killian hissed, his sword now aimed at her. He knew he had a poor chance of winning against her or of wounding her, but it was worth trying. Emma was worth it.
«Move, each minute I lose because of you the poison will spread closer to heart, in your foolish attempt of saving her from me – ridiculous, let me tell you this – you could be the cause of her death.»
«How do I know you didn't came here to finish that bastard's job?»
The expression on the woman's face was priceless, eyes wide and mouth agape in surprise and disgust. «Unbelievable,» she huffed to herself, addressing him next. «Listen, pirate, this his my granddaughter, so don't you dare put yourself in my way.» Her eyes shone with an almost golden light as she neared him until she was in front of him. «Now move.»
«Listen to her, boy, if there's someone who can save Emma, this is her.» Widow Lucas' voice didn't make him jump, but it was the order that made him move, allowing the woman in black to sit where he'd been just an instant before.
«At least it's not dreamshade,» he heard her mutter as she inspected the wound. The name of that plant, of that damned poison that had ripped away from him the only person in the world who had never abandoned him, made Killian clench his jaw.
He sheathed his cutlass, knowing that if he held it one second more he would modernize the room's furniture – and he would probably find himself a wolf at his throat, unforgiving.
Killian already knew it wasn't dreamshade, that beast was fast and lethal. If it'd been, another person would've perished in his arms and would've died because of him.
Emma moaned as a purple light passed form the woman's palm to her wound. With the other hand, the woman made a little chest appear. It opened under her touch, revealing vials containing various liquids, powders and animal's parts. If he hadn't been so much nervous maybe he would've made a joke about it, but his eyes were focused on Emma, on her furrowed and beaded with sweat brow.
«Help me instead of staying there like a codfish,» the woman hissed, ordering him to come closer to the chest with a nod of her head. «Take that empty vial and put inside snake's tongue, mandrake's root and salamander's skin.»
Feeling out of that world, Killian followed her orders, trying his best to decipher the woman's contorted calligraphy, finding all the ingredients. He hissed grabbing the salamander's skin, glaring at the woman, who was barely concealing her smirk.
Emma hissed when the woman poked her wound with a dagger, drawing blood and poison, smearing of black and crimson the silver blade. Without making any single drop of blood fall, she transferred it inside the vial Killian was holding out to her.
«Close and shake.» The order would've made him see red hadn't it been for Emma's pained moan. He breathed in deeply, following the order without taking his eyes off Emma. She had hers half-closed, part of those green irises that earlier had bewitched him were visible under her blonde eyelashes, dull and glassy.
«Will this help her?»
«No, this will just tell me what kind of poison it is, only then I'll be able to cure her.» Shaking the vial, Killian noticed it started to emanate a purplish glow. The woman gave an amused chuckle and he glared at her. «We've been lucky, I've dealt with Agrabahn vipers, I know how to cure it. Fortunately for her, my administrations of poison contrasted its deathly power.» She evoked another vial, this one with a dense silver liquid in it. «Keep her mouth open.»
Killian did as he was told, moving behind Emma's head and caressing her face with his fingers. She tried to move away, but he slightly tightened his grip. «Come on, love, don't be stubborn.» He asked himself what the woman meant when she said she'd administrated her poison, the only case he could think about was that she was trying to make Emma invulnerable to poisons. He'd heard of people doing that, but until then he'd never met anyone capable of not succumbing to a poison.
The woman opened the vial and brought it to Emma's lips. Killian remembered how it was to be in her place, feverish and needing a too expensive medicine Captain Silver wasn't willing to give him. Liam had done everything to get hold of it, forcing it down his throat until he'd swallowed the last drop. He brushed the girl's hair, remembering the feeling of his brother's fingers on his own skin.
Emma seemed to relax more and more in his arms, her breath more regular and no more a hiss pushed through her teeth, no more moans as the poison corroded her blood.
«This should be enough,» the woman said, noticing how the tangle of black veins withdrew until it disappeared completely. She waved her hand and Emma was wrapped in a cloud of dense purple smoke. Killian winced, tightening his grip on her. When the smoke dissipated, instead of her clothes drenched with sweat, Emma was wearing a white nightshirt of fine craftmanship with a red ribbon under her breasts, emphasising them.
«Let her rest, but wet her lips once in a while. Weigh anchor with the morning's tide and take her as far away from here as possible.»
She was about to wave her hand and disappear when Killian stopped her with a gesture. «Take her? Aren't you capable of, I don't know, causing that bastard a heart attack? Or protecting her?»
The raven-haired woman seemed about to lose her patience, or she already had, however she didn't disappear, but smoothed a jewelled sleeve. «Unfortunately, she isn't safe here, my mother is allied with George and until she will be, everything I'll do won't be as powerful as what she could do. Besides, I wouldn't bring the Dark One into this, especially not after a certain pirate spent months trying to bed his wife. Now, I don't actually think he's much interested in her, no, he prefers his servant, however he's rather possessive and doesn't like to lose.»
Suddenly, Killian connected the dots, understanding who Milah actually was and why she was so unhappy. He ran a hand down his face, tired of everything that was happening to him, as if destiny had decided to lay an ambush after another. «Where must I take her?»
Her face softened slightly, a minimal change dictated by a faint smile accentuated by the scar on her upper lip. «Show her the world, Captain, bring her on new adventures, distract her, don't make her think about home and don't let her come back here, not until I'll tell you so. I have a plan, but I can't deal with the guards that are constantly hunting her down trying to poison or kill her.» With a last glance to Emma, she looked him in the eyes. For the first time, Killian noticed how sad they were. «Make her live a wonderful life, Captain.»
With that, a cloud of smoke enveloped her and the Queen disappeared from his sight.