Here's the second chapter! I'm writing this as part of my NaNoWriMo story! I've got quite a bit of it planned out/written out already, so, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Please review if you can!

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or any of the characters, they all belong to ABC/Disney corporations!


They didn't really know what to expect from their prison but this wasn't it. Emma stared at the crumbling wall and frowned. Whoever had kidnapped them was not someone wealthy, it just didn't make sense. Why would someone of important background bring a princess and...a pirate – was he actually a Captain or did he just use that title to scare people? – to ruins? If they wanted any sympathy from her parents and her kingdoms allies, they would've had to take better care of her. She wasn't about to jump to conclusions, of course. Her carriage was randomly attacked and a wealthy woman was kidnapped. Possibly for ransoms, maybe for something else. She shuddered to think of what could've happened to her.

"This is a bloody hell hole," Hook muttered picking up a rock and examining it, "These rocks have been weathered, but the dust amongst the ground is disturbed."

"They've been occupying the ruin for quite some time," Emma added, looking around for any hint that screamed 'Here is a relatively safe exit!'. No such thing popped out at her. Her companion tossed the rock onto a pile of rubble. "How long were you conscious before?"

"Just after I got through," he jerked his chin towards the door, "Must've not hit me head hard enough."

Emma nodded and headed towards one of the still intact doors. She examined the floor and glanced over at the other doors. The dust disturbed could indicate how often the room was used, but the scratches from the door scraping along the floor were more proof. She pressed her ear against the door and listened. Hook walked over to another door examining that one curiously. She ignored him as she listened. Hook opened the door and there was a brief period of silence before she heard someone cry out in anger and the clash of swords. She twisted around to see Hook going against two armed men.

"Idiot," she grumbled and unsheathed her sword, she didn't need it however. Hook twisted one of his enemy's weapons out of his grasp before stabbing the other man in the neck with his hook. Emma hurried over just as Hook smashed the pummel of his sword against the unarmed man's temple. To say she was impressed would be overstating it, sure, she admitted his was adept with a sword but that didn't mean she was impressed. "I want to make it out alive-"

"Lass," he sheathed his sword before pulling out a scarf to wipe the blood from his hook and face, "We'll make it out alive, but who is to say we'll stay alive? Showing these bastards we aren't afraid of them will make them question coming after us again. Raise a little hell."

Emma pursed her lips together. If she got back to her family, they surely wouldn't be able to go after her again very easily. Him on the other hand...er hook? She nodded her head before glancing into the room. "What interested you about this room anyway?"

"It's their treasury," he explained, walking in and heading towards the crates at the back. He popped the top off one and examined its contents. Furs. "Can't you smell the amount of metal in the air?"

She shook her head and he gave her a curious look before moving onto the next crate, he opened it and she saw gold twisted into all sorts of artifacts. Hook picked one up that looked like a plate and examined it. As if he was appraising it for its wealth. He scoffed, "These are painted to mimic gold," he attempted to bend the plate but it didn't budge. "See?"

Now that impressed Emma, he was able to tell what was gold just by looking at it. Obviously these as he said 'bastards' didn't know much about what they were getting. They looked through a few more crates. Emma attempting to find anything useful they could bring, while Hook examined the table that sat in the middle of the room when he picked up a coin purse, attached to note. He read it aloud to her, "'Here is the payment. The rest will come when you finish the job.' Bloody mercenaries it is then."

"Mercenaries?" Emma parroted, looking at him with disbelief, "Mercenaries kidnapped us? Don't they usually deal with hacking and slashing?"

"For a good price, love, they are willing to do whatever you pay them to."

"For gods sake," she grumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"As long as it benefits them in the long run, that is," he explained, pocketing the coin bag and examining her for a moment. "Though, I still fail to see why either of us would be worth all this trouble."

Oh, if he only knew. She shrugged a shoulder before turning her attention back to the crate. Nudging aside the useless items, she saw something lying amongst the bottom and picked it up. A gold compass that looked like it was stuck facing one way, and it wasn't pointing north. In fact, it was useless; it didn't even have any directions printed onto the base, just the arrow. She examined it a few more moments before tucking the chain around her neck and hiding the compass within her breastplate. She turned around to see him digging through a chest and pulling out cloaks. "We'll need these," he hummed before handing her one. "For when we escape."

She thanked him quietly and pulled it on, "Let's get to the escape portion."

"After you," he smirked and waved to the door. "Let your expertise guide us out."

Emma rolled her eyes and brushed past him. They headed from the treasury room and towards the room Emma had originally wanted to go through. The door revealed a hall that had crumbled on one side revealing the outside night sky. Both of the companions examined the drop and wordlessly agreed that even if they could risk it, they would probably end up with a broken bone or two. Not something smart to travel with. They continued.

Her adrenaline was starting to decline, making her more and more aware of the heaviness of the armour and the weariness of her muscles. Too long without food and water was starting to take its toll on her. If she didn't get a proper night's sleep, food and water, she would surely die within the next few hours. However, she hid her discomfort and struggle well. Being a princess also meant that any discomforts of wearing tight corsets so she could barely breath, and heels that pinched and dug into her feet, were to be kept to herself. At least until the end of the day where she freely complained to her parents, and said she would've rather been born a male so she could wear pants and comfortable boots to balls and parties.

Hook unconsciously let Emma take the lead; he had started to lead once they had gotten past the crumbled hallway but he fell behind her and let her guide the way. Even if neither of them knew the way. They were heading further into the ruins without meaning to. Emma didn't muse her thoughts of their only being one exit aloud, because the moment she did that she knew that she would have to face the possibility that it would be surrounded by more mercenaries. Sure, the two of them could stand a chance if she wasn't malnourished and he wasn't suffering the same thing but of a lesser degree. Now, she didn't want to admit that they couldn't stand a chance if that occurred.

So, they continued in silence.

"Odd that there isn't many guards," he whispered to Emma, his breath tickling her neck as she peered around a corner. She shrugged one of her shoulders, the movement severely downplayed by the armour. "Where do you think they are?"

"Probably doing what they are paid to do, ransack people's lives," she murmured back and started down a hall. Hook's hook caught her armour and pulled her back. He pointed to a slightly open door down the adjacent hallway that had an orange glow leaking out from it. He placed a finger to his lips but she didn't need to be told. Fire meant someone was there, and that was a mercenary. Hook moved first slowly unsheathing his sword; she barely heard the scrape of the metal that normally sounded out like a scream in the middle of the night. Nudging the door open, they crept inside. A man was bent over the fire, adjusting the logs with the tip of his sword.

Emma shivered at the thought of having to fight against a man with a sword that was just in the fire. However, she quickly found out she didn't need to. Hook crept up behind the crouching man and pulled him into a choke hold. The man's sword fell onto the fire sending a spray of embers up, the two struggled but soon the man fell unconscious and Hook deposited him onto the ground. Emma quickly crouched beside the men and fished through his pockets, finding a note within the pouch that hung from his side. Her mouth pressed into a thin line. The writing was familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen it. "What does it say, love?"

"Go back to calling me lass," she grumbled, standing up, she handed it to him to read.

"Your kidnapping payment amount," he said eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Why would anyone pay so much money to kidnap you?" She could hear the part accusation and part actual curiosity in his voice. He couldn't figure it out, and she was glad. She simply ignored his words and looked about the room. So far, it was the nicest room they had entered. A bed in the corner meant that someone slept in the room, and judging by the amount of armour and money this man had on his person, she assessed that he was the leader of this operation. Also the reason why he had the note about his current, and highest, paying job.

She bent down, a frown gracing her features.

"What are you doing, lass?" he asked, "He ain't got anything else of importance."

"Exactly," she breathed and stood up, staring at him. "Where is the note hiring them to kidnap you?"

"Probably with some lesser..." he stopped talking when she drew the dagger from before and pressed the tip to his throat. "Lass...what are you doing."

"How do I know you aren't working for these men, or working for someone else?" she demanded, putting a bit more pressure on the dagger.

"Have I lied to you yet?" he asked, not stepping away to lessen the pressure. Emma had been gifted with what she liked to call a magical power. She was able to tell when anyone was lying. She stared at him intently. "I am a prisoner just like you were, I will not harm you."

She wanted to believe him, but at the same time, she didn't. Sometimes, she had to admit, her powers went haywire when she was too close to the situation. That on top of her current malnourished state meant that she couldn't be a hundred percent sure that her lie detecting ability was working properly. He held no fear in his eyes and wasn't backing down, and that unnerved her a bit. From what she knew, people generally cowered away from a blade to their throat.

A loud caw startled her, the blade dug a bit into his throat and she pulled it away a thin line of blood already forming. He looked a bit surprised, but just reached up and touched his cut before giving her a thoughtful look. Emma turned to the newest threat so she wouldn't feel sorry for hurting him. A large raven sat on the windowsill, tilting its head looking at them with dark eyes. It cawed again and scratched at the sill with its foot. Waiting for someone to take the letter tied to its leg. Emma approached calmly, with Hook making a warning noise, which could've been something he said but she ignored him. The bird flew towards her and landed on her shoulder, she froze slightly before reaching up and taking the scroll from it.

The raven leaned towards her hand and pecked. Emma jumped and cursed before the bird flew off. She waved her hand, before examining the wound. The raven's beak had broken her skin, blood was welling up already. She brushed off her wound and unravelled the scroll. She felt Hook standing behind her, reading the scroll. They were silent. "There's your proof, lass," he murmured close to her ear, "They were going to kill you and frame it on me. The dreaded pirate captain." With a sigh she turned around, he grasped her hand and examined the wound. His eyes met hers before he pulled something out of his pocket – a flask, and uncorked it; he poured the contents over the wound. She cursed again, but louder. "A curse from your lips sounds absolutely sinful," he winked before pulling out a scarf and wrapping her hand with it.

"What was that?" she demanded, as he used his mouth and good hand to finish tying the scarf. His eyes met hers and her breath nearly hitched.

"Rum and a bloody waste of it," he sighed, picking up the cork and replacing it back in the flask again. He put the rum flask back into his coat. "An animal bite should be treated with more concern than you showed."

Emma studied his face for a moment, a look that he had yet seen on her face present. He couldn't distinguish the emotion behind it before she threw up a wall around herself and she turned her attention back to the note.

She recognized the writing even more now, and the symbol at the bottom. Her mind flipped through various people whom she knew wrote with symbols. It clicked after a moment, when she was younger she had found a book that contained spells – a book that her parents didn't know about. Within it, there were scribbles along the side from someone who use to live with her mother.

The Evil Queen.

Her most common moniker, however, she was Regina. A powerful witch who had nearly caused the entire Enchanted Forest their happy endings. With the help of Rumplestiltskin, her parents had been able to avoid the curse. They, in return, and helped him secure a way to find his son. Last she knew of the Dark One, was he had his son back and they lived contently with a woman named Belle further north, close to Sir Maurice's lands.

"Looks like Regina overstepped her treaty rules," Emma murmured, tossing the note into the fire. If the mercenary leader woke up, he will have never gotten the note. Hook's eyes darkened.

"Regina is behind this? That bloody wench," he grumbled before hesitating, "Treaty?"

She closed herself off again, "The Evil Queen isn't supposed to have any influence outside her own corner of the world. She's able to live as a Queen and has rights to be treated as a true Queen of the realm, as long as she abides by the Treaty. Queen Snow and King James signed it a while ago, don't you know of the treaty?"

He paused, "You're from that kingdom?"

She simply nodded, not willing to divulge further into her past, and defiantly not touching on the fact that she was the Princess of the beloved True Love couple. He watched her for a moment before turning away and striding towards the door. "We should get out of here; gather what supplies we can find. If Regina is behind all this, then we best leave while we still can. She won't be pleased if she finds out that we're still alive, and even worse if she finds out we escaped."