4

Unpleasant Truths

Belle always enjoyed her visits to Enchanting Treasures, the jewelry and collectible shop co-owned by young Archie Hopper and his best friend, Geppetto Woodsman. It was also the site of one of the Jolly Roger gang's worst crimes five years earlier, the crime that put them at the top of the Most Wanted list and certain to earn a few of them a trip to the gallows. Late one evening Killian Jones and three other members of his gang burst into the shop and demanded all the Hopper and Woodsmith stock along with what cash was locked in the safe. Fearing for their lives, Adelle and Shane Hopper complied but the gang did not leave as they hoped. They took the terrified couple into the back of the store where the Woodsmiths were working on some new clock designs, forcing the men to watch while their wives were raped and then murdered before they too were killed. The Woodsmiths' son Geppetto had been out of town purchasing supplies and Archie on his honeymoon with Bonita "Bonnie Blue" Windmere, the Duchess's only child. Archie hadn't been planning to go into the family business, his parents had urged him to live out his dream of becoming a doctor but he set his dreams aside to carry on the business his parents worked all their lives to build.

Bonnie was behind the counter arranging a set of earrings and necklace on a black velvet display when Belle walked into the shop.

"Good morning, Bonnie," Belle greeted warmly.

"Mrs. Gold! Good morning. And good morning to you, Aurelia."

"Good morning, Missus Hopper."

"Is Archie in today? I would like to talk to him about some purchases."

"He's in the workshop working on some new pieces but I know he'll take the time to come out to talk to you." Bonnie pulled the older woman aside while Aurelia looked around. "I was told my mother was robbed by the Jolly Rogers. They didn't…hurt her…did they?"

"No, honey, they didn't. Did you try to go to see her?"

Bonnie nodded. "And had the door shut in my face again. After all these years…She doesn't even want to see her grandson." Bonnie's eyes welled with tears. "But I keep hoping."

Belle patted her hand gently. "Don't fret over, it dear. It's her loss, not yours and Archie is a wonderful husband and father, far better than that silly sod Duke Ettington."

"Had I not followed my heart like you advised me to I would never be this happy. But…since the news of what happened with Mother and that attack on the stage…Archie is worried they might try to rob us again."

"It's best that I tell you before the town gossips do that we've taken young Emma Swan into our home."

Bonnie gasped. "She…she's one of them! Mrs. Gold, have you gone mad?"

"She's not like the others, Bonnie."

"I do hope you're right or . . ."

"I know I am," Belle said firmly. "She is one of the reasons why we're here. We're interested in purchasing that lovely swan necklace Archie's father made for her as a Yuletide gift. The girl's never known the love of a real family."

"But…after Gideon I thought…you've always seen the best in people, Mrs. Gold. I just hope you and Mr. Gold aren't played for fools."

"We won't be."

"Missus Hopper, is Shaney here?" Aurelia asked, referring to the Hoppers' son.

"He's in the workshop with his father and Geppetto. Come on. I'll take you both down there and make them take a break. They've been working too hard all morning anyway." She put up the Closed sign and locked the door to the shop, leading Belle and Aurelia downstairs to the workshop where Archie and Geppetto sat at their tables working on their projects, young Shane Hopper watching his father work. "Daddy! Missus Gold's here with Aurelia!"

Archie looked up from the frame of a brooch he was making and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs. Gold. Beautiful day, isn't it? Shane, why don't you show Aurelia the new toy Geppetto made you."

"Come on! It's over here!"

"So what brings you by?"

"I'd like to purchase the Swan necklace . . . if it's still for sale."

"Of course it is!"

"And ahhh…I'm buying it for Emma Swan."

His eyes narrowed. "Oh Mrs. Gold, not again! And she is one of THEM."

"Archie, she wasn't with them when your parents…"

He looked away. "That doesn't mean she hasn't learned all their tricks and my mother-in-law claims it was a woman that took her prized brooch."

"Archie, did you see Mama?" Bonnie asked hopefully.

"No, my Bonnie Blue. Lady Bouchard and Lady DuPres were discussing the robbery yesterday afternoon when they came in to pick up their headpieces and they mentioned a woman being with the gang along with a rather rough looking boy."

"I hope they catch them and justice is done for our parents!" Geppetto said angrily. "Mrs. Gold, please be careful. I know you want to help the girl if she is innocent but if she's not . . ."

"All I'm asking is that you trust us. Now that she's away from Mr. Jones and his ilk we're hoping she'll finally see him for what he is. She doesn't know the full extent of his crimes yet and I'm afraid it's going to be quite a shock for her."

"As shocking as it was to return from our trips and learn our parents were murdered, our mothers violated and tortured before they died?" Geppetto asked bitterly. "Let us talk to her. We'll tell her the kind of man he is."

"I'll keep that in mind but I'd like to see how she behaves during Yuletide," Belle said softly. "But Rumple and I firmly believe she is only a thief not a murderer."

Archie stood up, raking a hand through his hair. "I'll try to trust your judgment, Mrs. Gold, but you must understand it isn't easy."

Belle nodded sympathetically. "My husband will do everything he can to help you find justice for your parents."

And knowing her husband as well as she did, she suspected he had his own plans for luring the gang of thieves out of hiding.

He unlocked the case holding the swan necklace and held it out to her.

"We'd like to have it engraved but I'm not sure what I want the inscription to be yet. Would you mind keeping it here until then?"

"Not all, Mrs. Gold."

Aurelia ran up to her mother, her arms full of toys. "Mama, Mama, I want these."

"Aurelia! All of those for Yuletide? But . . . I thought you might want some books too."

"I do but I really like these." She held two wooden dolls, a bear and a pony.

"All right but you are still getting a surprise for Yuletide, young lady."

"Thank you, Mama!" Aurelia hugged her waist.

She picked up a new ring for her husband, a cobalt blue cabochon with a sterling silver band engraved with a verse from one of their favorite poems. She would purchase a new leather saddle for Bae at the livery and bought a diamond necklace and earring set for her sister. Archie promised to have both the swan necklace and the ring finished before Yuletide and helped her driver load her parcels into the chaise and they walked down the street to the bookshop.

"Mama, can I give Emma a vial of the Dearie rose perfume for my Yule gift to her?" Aurelia asked as they walked past the chandlery. The smell coming from the shop recalled to her the plan to give Emma some perfume.

Belle smiled, pleased. "Why yes, darling. That would be wonderful! And I have the perfect vial to put it in—the one with the climbing rose and swan cap."

Aurelia clapped her hands. "I hope she likes it, Mama. Though I don't see why she won't—everyone loves your perfume."

Not everyone, Belle thought ruefully. Anne maintained she disliked floral scents and refused to wear it. But Belle wasn't sure if that were true, since she could clearly recall her sister wearing lily of the valley perfume as a young debutante, and her disliked stemmed from the fact that Belle had created that perfume from her roses. Anne had made sibling rivalry into an art form.

"Aurelia, you go on ahead to Book Haven, I need to stop into the chandlery and purchase some extra beeswax tapers for Twelfth Night and the Yule dinner in two days," her mother told her. "You can purchase the gift for me and Papa while I'm doing that, all right?"

"That's good!" her daughter enthused. "And I'll have Mr. Marlowe wrap it so Papa can't peek at it."

"You do that," Belle giggled, proud of her daughter's innovative ways to outwit her clever father.

Aurelia ran down the street, and entered the bookshop two doors down. Belle watched till her daughter was safely inside, then turned to enter the chandlery. Her purpose there was twofold. One was the reason she had told her child. The other was to purchase a special candle for Aurelia that she had seen earlier. It was made from special apricot scented wax in the shape of a winged cat curled up sleeping. Aurelia had recently lost her favorite cat, Whisper, to a sudden ailment, the cat had been old, nearly fifteen, but he had been around since Aurelia was a baby and her daughter loved the old gray and white cat fiercely. Belle hoped the candle would help soothe some of the loss.

She also hoped that Whisper's mate, Bastet, would have her kittens on Yule. Rumple had planned to give one of them to her as one of her gifts. This would be Bastet's last litter, as the golden queen was almost past bearing age.

Aurelia entered Book Haven with a merry heart, and found its proprietor, a libromancer named Chris Marlowe, up on a ladder shelving some recent acquisitions. "Morning, Mr. Marlowe!"

Marlowe, a ginger haired man of about her papa's age, close to forty, peered down at his new customer. "Hello, Miss Aurelia! Come to pick up your present?"

"Yes, sir! But we gotta hurry. Mama's in the chandlery but she won't be long."

Marlowe chuckled and climbed down the rolling ladder attached to the bookcase. He was a spare man with hair which neatly brushed his shirt collar, and sparkling green eyes in a mobile face that reminded one of a fox. He wore a green shirt tucked into beige breeches and soft floppy boots. A patchwork vest hung nearly to his knees, sewn lovingly by his only child, Phoebe. Marlowe had lost his wife Euphemia to the Great Pestilence that had scourged the Enchanted Forest four years ago. He had very nearly lost Phoebe, but the gods had been merciful, and spared his child, though the disease had left his pretty daughter half-deaf in one ear.

Phoebe was Aurelia's age, and her best friend. She and Aurelia shared the same tutor, as they were some of the few girls in town who were taught to read and write. Most girls were not taught to read more than a few basic words, and enough to write their name and the names of common household food items. Boys went to school, girls were taught at home once they were eight by their mothers in running a household or a business if the family happened to have no sons to inherit. But in that case, they used a scribe to do the accounts and other tasks which required writing or reading.

"Mr. Marlowe, is Phoebe around?" Aurelia queried, glancing around the bookshop for her friend. She inhaled deeply of the familiar odors of old paper, ink, and leather which always permeated the air here.

"Sorry, Miss Aurelia, but Phoebe's out on an errand for me, getting some things at the green grocer's." said Marlowe apologetically. "But I'll tell her you were asking for her."

"Thank you. If she finishes her errand early perhaps she can meet me and Mama at the teashop. We'll be eating there around noon." Aurelia said hopefully.

"I'll tell her. Now, let's fetch your memory book," the libromancer said.

He went into the back room of his shop and unlocked a special chest with a magical key. Inside the chest was where he kept magical books for his special customers. Being a book mage, one who both enchanted books and broke curses upon them, Marlowe had a collection of rare enchanted tomes. These he sold only to other magicians or to people he trusted.

The book Aurelia wished to buy was called a memory book, and it was enchanted to allow its owner to place certain memories within its pages, and when 'read' the reader would then be transported back to when and where the memory occurred for a time. It was a kind of living history book, and Aurelia had saved for over a year to be able to afford it—and even then Mr. Marlowe had discounted it. He had shown Aurelia how to place a memory within the pages, and she had put one of herself with each of her parents in the beginning pages—one of herself and Belle reading her favorite story in the rose arbor and the other of her and Rumple debating a law treatise in his office. The rest of the pages were for them to fill.

"Here you go," Mr. Marlowe brought the enchanted book to rest on the counter, which was worn and scratched from so many books being passed along it. The memory book was made of first grade parchment with gilded pages. The leather was of the finest calfskin, a creamy gold color with embossed vines, roses, spinning wheels, and Lady Justice. In beautiful crimson script were the words Tale As Old As Time. The book had a lock on it, and a key in the shape of a jeweled rose which would unlock it.

Aurelia reverently stroked the book cover. "Oh, Mr. Marlowe! It's perfect! Now can we wrap it? So Papa doesn't see?"

"It would be my pleasure," Marlowe smiled, and took down some pretty paper with red bows and wreaths on it, then he wrapped the book up neatly and tied a large velvet ribbon around it.

Aurelia paid the balance of the book, then put it in her satchel and wandered about looking at some other books while her mother was absent.

The girl paused to caress old favorites with fondness and examine new treasures, her eyes glowing with delight. Belle had instilled in her a great appreciation for the written word, and Aurelia could have spent hours browsing the stacks.

"Did you find anything you liked?" Belle asked, coming up behind her.

"Mama!" the girl spun around, still holding a book in her hand.

"A Treatise For Young Attorneys," Belle read the title aloud. "Is this something your papa recommended?"

Aurelia nodded. "He said it will give me a good grasp of the laws and how they're used. Can I get this now, Mama?"

Belle knew her daughter would be driven crazy trying to figure out what was inside the book if she insisted she wait for Yule, so she said, "You may. But show me what other books caught your eye, so I may choose from them for another gift."

The Yule celebrations lasted for twelve days, and while it was not necessary that you receive gifts on all twelve days, the Golds enjoyed giving one small gift till Twelfth Night, where there was a huge feast and a masked ball and a large gift—sometimes the only gift if it were particularly expensive—was given.

"Over here," Aurelia led the way to some books on adventure tales and magic. These were not spellbooks, only stories, but she loved them anyway.

"Good morning, Belle," Mr. Marlowe called from the counter. "Shall I get out a crate?"

"Maybe two, Chris," she called back gaily. Had Christopher not been in love with Euphemia since they were toddlers, Belle could have easily fallen for him. But she had always felt a sincere fondness for the libromancer, like that of a sister for a brother. Chris' father had run Book Haven back then, and Belle had spent many a pleasant hour here.

The bookseller laughed, and promptly set out two large crates with packing straw inside. "How's Rumple doing?"

"He's doing quite well." Belle replied, selecting several books from the shelf Aurelia had indicated, then bringing them to the counter. "Hide these," she mouthed to Christopher.

He winked, and passed a hand over them. Twinkling motes of magic danced in the air for a second, then vanished. The covers of the books now said things like A Dictionary of Rhymes, Mrs. Cushing's Household Remedies, and so forth. "They'll change back when you get home." He whispered.

"Thanks." Belle then spent half-an-hour or so browsing, and as she did so, Marlowe brought out tea and scones, which he always kept on hand for his customers.

She bought a dozen more books, some for Bae, some for Rumple, and some for herself, chatting with Marlowe all the while.

Of course Christopher had heard about Rumple bringing his client home, but the libromancer only cautioned Belle a little. "I'm sure Rum knows what he's about, but just a word of advice. The girl herself might not be dangerous, but the gang she traveled with is. Watch yourselves, Belle. Jones might be at large, but that doesn't mean he won't come back and strike again."

"Thank you, Chris. I'll remind Rumple, though he says that he's already spoken with Sheriff Graham and they've come to an arrangement with some deputies to patrol our grounds."

"Good. I'd hate for anything to happen to you like it did to the Hoppers and the Duchess," Marlowe said feelingly. "The Jolly Roger gang needs to be taken down, so its wickedness doesn't spread and harm more innocents."

"When I think about what happened to Archie and Geppetto's parents..." Belle cringed.

She would sooner plunge a dagger into those thieves' black hearts than allow herself or her daughter to be violated.

"Terrible! Just terrible! They all ought to be strung up!" Marlowe hissed.

"And their manhoods removed!"

Marlow was inclined to agree with her. He despised men that thought with their manhoods instead of the brains they were born with and intelligence was severely lacking in the Jolly Roger Gang.

Belle finished her tea and set her cup down. "We have so little time with Emma but I'm afraid we'll have to tell her about all of Hook's crimes. One thing puzzles me though...Bonnie's mother did see a woman at her estate that night but it wasn't Emma. This woman was much older and the Duchess claims she may have seen her in town before...around the time Rumple was still a soldier."

Chris's eyebrows rose. "Hmmm...I do recall Papa speaking of a madam that once lived here though she was cast out. Milah I believe her name was. Quite popular with the soldiers."

"I wonder if Emma knows about her..." Belle mused.

"I would say no. And it may just be the leverage Rumple needs to break Hook's hold on the girl."

"I hope you're right. We should be going. Thank you, Chris. We'll see you soon. Aurelia! Come on sweetie!" she called out.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Rumple called Emma into his study. He handed her several sheets of paper. "I've written down some topics we need to discuss for your defense. I know it's not a pleasant subject, dearie, but I want you to be prepared."

Emma stared at the paper, biting her lip. "Ummm...all right, Mr. Gold."

"Is something wrong, dearie?"

"No, nothing."

"Then why don't we start here?" He pointed to the first set of words on the paper. "Can you tell me what you remember about that night?"

"Ahhh . . . what night?"

"The first one I have written there . . ."

"I . . . well . . . ahhh . . . ."

"Dearie, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you haven't learned to read."

She looked away. "I didn't want anyone to know . . . they already think the worst of me and now they can add dumb to the list!"

She threw the pages down.

"It's not the end of the world," Rumple assured her and rose from his chair. As he leaned down to try to pick them up, she grabbed them and put them back on the desk.

"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting your leg . . ."

"That doesn't concern me at the moment. This issue with you not being able to read can be fixed, if you're willing?"

"How?"

"By taking lessons with Belle and our daughter. They will be more patient with you than the Sisters. I'm assuming that's why you never learned."

"I gave up too easily," she confessed.

"You won't have reason to now. I'll read the items on the list to you but once Belle comes home we'll discuss starting your lessons, the sooner the better."

"Mr. Gold, I don't want to be that dumb gallows bait girl anymore."

"I'm going to see to it that you're not. Now then, do you remember what you were doing the night the Duchess was robbed?"

"Oh I didn't go to that one."

"You didn't?"

"No . . . ummm . . . Killian only gave me the smaller jobs."

"What did he mean by 'smaller jobs,' Emma?"

"Picking pockets . . .things like that. I … ahhh … stole a coin purse from one of the men that owns the jewelry shop. Tall, red hair, spectacles and carries an umbrella. I don't even think he knew I did it. His coat had a hole in it. Made him an easy mark."

Rumple jotted some notes down on another sheet of parchment.

"When did you arrive at the inn?"

"Right before Killian did. He gave me everything and told me to hide it but I'd been out on the streets most of the night and tired."

"Emma, are there any other women in the gang?"

"No."

He gazed at her intently. "Are you certain of that, dearie?"

"Yes!" she said firmly.

"I'm afraid Mr. Jones has been deceiving you, Emma. The theft of the Duchess's brooch was committed by a woman but the description she gave was of someone older."

"But I don't know of any women in the gang."

But he has women in every town…you should know that, Swan. He's not saving himself for the likes of you. What interest would he have in a virgin?

"Tell me everything," she said through gritted teeth.

"Well, from what I learned from the Duchess' description of the robbers, one was a woman with dark curly hair and eyes. She was painted and wore breeches and white shirt like a man, but she was no lady. She carried a cutlass and wore a small mask over her eyes—but not large enough to prevent you from seeing her face. More like those we wear on Twelfth Night, like a costume. The Duchess's description fit a woman I used to know long ago, when she had a . . . err . . . business here back when I was still in the army. Many of my soldiers frequented her place. Do you understand what I mean, dearie?"

Emma gulped. "You mean she ran a—a bawdy house."

"Yes. She was the madam of the Night Owl. Her name was Milah."

"Did you ever . . . uh . . . go there?" Emma blurted, her cheeks coloring hotly.

"Not to avail myself of her pleasures, but to retrieve my men, yes, on occasion. I stayed away from the ladies of the night, because you never know what diseases they might carry. Eventually, because of that, I forbid my men to go there and the town eventually closed it down. It was a place where many a sailor or soldier got into brawls and knife fights, not the kind of place Silver Falls wished to be known for. So they evicted Milah and her girls and they moved to a larger town away from here, one with a port. That was the last I'd heard of her. Until now."

"You—you think she's the robber with the Jolly Rogers?"

"I do. Her description matches the one I know, and it wouldn't surprise me if she were running with that sort of scoundrel. She always favored that sort anyway, and many of my men used to complain about losing their pay to her ladies, who would pick their pockets while they slept." Rumple shrugged. "But that was the price they paid for frequenting such places." He folded his hands on the desk top. "So . . . the evidence would indicate that the good captain has been less than truthful with you, Emma. And a man who will lie about one thing generally has more than one secret to hide."

Slowly, she nodded, thinking how stupid she had been. Killian had played her for a rube. "I . . . I didn't know."

"I believe you," he said evenly. "But now we must come up with a way to make the jury believe you also . . ."

They spoke at some length about the ways in which this could be done, and Gold also read her the accounts of the other crimes Jones and his gang had committed—especially the murder and rape of the Hoppers and Woodsmiths several years ago, the crime for which Hook was wanted dead or alive.

Emma, who had learned long ago to tell when someone was lying to her—unless the liar was an expert poker player—saw in Rumple's eyes that he spoke nothing but the truth. And she realized then why Killian never spoke of his past to her. It had nothing to do with wanting to forget, but everything to do with fooling her into thinking he wasn't as bad as his reputation claimed.

You've been a fool, Swan. An utter blind bloody fool! You fell for a slick rogue with a pretty face and devilish tongue, just like any schoolgirl fresh off the farm. And you thought you were so clever and worldly.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Rumple was waiting for his wife and daughter in the parlor when they arrived home. Sensing her husband needed to talk Belle asked their daughter to go outside with Bae.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

"I've had a chat with Emma about a few things. She's upstairs resting now but later I'd like you to speak with her about reading lessons."

"She's never been taught."

"Not by one with your patience. And," he sighed, "she now knows the truth about Killian Jones. It was not easy for me to say or for her to hear but it had to be done. Fortunately he only gave her simple pickpocketing jobs and someone who can verify where she was when one of the robberies occurred."

"Who?"

"Robin, the proprietor of the Sherwood Tavern. I'll be speaking with him tomorrow. Also, Archie will be able to tell me whether he had a coin purse go missing when his mother-in-law was robbed."

"I'll go up and see her."

He kissed her tenderly. "I'll see you at dinner."

Page~*~*~*~Break

" . . . Mr. Gold said you would teach me how to read and write," Emma confirmed. "I know that most girls don't, but I . . . I want to be able to. So people quit thinking of me as just some dumb gallows bait."

"It would be my pleasure to, Emma," Belle smiled at her. "I believe that everyone, boy or girl, should learn how to read and write. The written word is power, dear, the power of knowledge and self-discovery. Once you learn to read, you'll find that worlds are open to you that you never knew. And with knowledge you can live out your dreams."

"I can? You know, I never really liked stealing stuff, Mrs. Gold," Emma admitted. "I did it because nobody would hire a beggar brat without a reference, and I had to eat. I didn't want to end up starving and selling myself the way I'd seen some other girls do." She shuddered. "I also didn't want to be a servant in a religious order, scrubbing and sweating for the rest of my days while the sisters looked at me with pity and sneers. I might only be an orphan, but I still have some pride."

"Even an orphan deserves a chance to prove herself," Belle declared. "And we shall give you one here. At least until the trial. Rumple told me what you discussed. I know it was difficult for you to hear, Emma, but . . . everything he said was true. The Hoppers and Woodsmiths assault and murder were talked about for months afterwards, and they still are remembered as the most horrifying thing ever to occur here in this peaceful village. Archie, Bonnie, and Geppetto are friends of mine and Rumple's. And Rumple promised to see that they receive justice, no matter how long it takes."

"I understand, Mrs. Gold. And . . . if I can . . . I'd like to help," she offered tentatively. "I'm not a murderer. And I don't hold with . . . violating women either. I never knew that Hook did any of those things. He always made it seem like he was just . . . some dashing fellow outsmarting all the idiots. He told me he only killed in self-defense . . . and every woman loved him."

Belle gave a soft laugh of disbelief. "Only the most conceited and brainless man would speak so of himself. He sounds like my old fiancée Gaston." She laid her hand on the girl's shoulder. "We can discuss your reading lessons after dinner. Why don't you wash up and change your dress before supper? I believe Mr. Cuisinaire made grilled pork chops with apples, cabbage, and bacon tonight, along with new potatoes, fresh rye bread, and a chocolate trifle for dessert."

"Sounds delicious!" Emma licked her lips, thinking that she had never tasted any food as good as what the Golds had for supper.

Belle left, and as Emma washed her face and tidied her hair, she wondered what Killian was doing now . . . and prayed he stayed far from her. Let him take his loot and leave, please all the gods. I thought I could love him . . . but now . . . now I can't even think of him without feeling sick . . .

Two tears glistened in her cornflower blue eyes and then fell into the washbasin.

She dabbed her eyes with the washrag, then curled up on her bed, hugging her knees, thinking how quickly one choice could change a life forever.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Hook stood on the deck of the vessel that had once been the Rhuel Ghorm, the fastest and sturdiest ship in the royal navy, congratulating himself for at last having his revenge against the captain that destroyed his chances of a naval career. The man was now hanging from a rope tied to the crow's nest while the bodies of the rest of his crew were being tossed into the sea for the sharks.

"We set sail at dawn, boys!" he called out.

"What about Emma?" Smee asked him.

"What about her?"

"I was thinkin we were gonna go back and get her…I mean…she's proven her worth…"

"No we are NOT going back to get her!" a woman yelled, slamming the door to the Captain's quarters. "She can stay where she is and keep her mouth shut!"

"Milah!" Killian groaned, annoyed when his wife attempted to undermine him in front of the crew. "Get back to the cabin and make sure Davey has it cleaned up!"

"YOU'RE his father. YOU tell him to clean it up!"

He grabbed her arm and shoved her against the door. "You tell him to clean it up…or you'll be spending the rest of the day in bed and it won't be from a good tumbling!" he snarled.

The crew carried on with their work, accustomed to seeing their violent confrontations. They met years earlier after Killian's dishonorable discharge from the Royal Navy for passing out on the evening watch after having too many pints of rum down at the Lion Tattoo. Soldiers and sailors were the lovers of choice for Milah and the girls in her house since the Ogre Wars but she never imagined she'd take a fancy to a boy fifteen years her junior but fancy him she did and married him even knowing he had wandering eye, especially for younger girls.

He would return for his wild swan all right, he'd grown tired of the harpy he'd anchored himself to and young Emma was ripe for the bedding.

But first he had to have a talk with son and his mother about who was the captain of the ship. He grabbed his wife by her hair and dragged her into the cabin where their son had just gotten finished scrubbing the floor, a sulky pout on his face. The boy was ten, and had his father's looks and his mother's smart mouth.

"Now, lad," he said coldly. "We need to have a talk."

The crew continued their work while inside the cabin a young boy screamed and his mother sobbed as he wielded the lash without mercy. No one on the ship would ever attempt to usurp his authority again.

A/N: Hope you're enjoying this, dearies! To clarify—the Enchanted Forest still has magic and magic workers in it—but none of the Golds or their family members are magic wielders. There also was never a Dark Curse in this world, and the Dark One is Zoso.

Please continue to read and review—we love to hear from you!