After what felt like hours, Emma tip-toed her way past the palace guard stationed -and finally distracted- in the wing they had taken Lieutenant Jones, and swiftly jogged past three corners to reach his temporary quarters. She smoothed down the frizz in her golden hair and stroked her red cheeks with the tips of her fingers.
Gods she was nervous. Would he be awake? Would he be better?
She hesitated to knock. Her loose fist hovered beside the wooden door. Her chest swelled in dismay.
Knock, Emma. She tried to will herself. Knock. Why aren't you knocking?
What if he were still under the notion that she hated him? Furthermore, what if he despised her? So much time had passed where all she had craved was the chance to see his face, and now here she was shrinking behind the door that separated them.
You can do this. She inhaled. All you have to do is-
Knock. Knock. Knock.
She rapped her fingers against the wood and shut her eyes.
"Come in!"
She exhaled and coiled her hand around the brass knob before slowly turning it and gently pushing the door open.
"Emma."
She held herself in the doorway half her body leaning into his quarters the other half holding back. Her lips thinned, and she could feel her heart beat increasing. He rarely used her name unless she propelled him over his boiling point. She was ever Your Highness or Princess when he addressed her.
"L-l-l-l-" She noticed her hand shaking, and she tightened her hold on the door handle. She attempted to straighten her posture. This couldn't be the way he saw her after two years, she thought. She had become skilled in concealing her emotions; why was it a struggle now?
"Lametenant." She paused. "Hello."
He snickered. "Old habits die hard, Princess." He waved his right hand. "Close the door less you desire to be caught. The guard makes his rounds on the hour." She stepped in and pressed her back against the door using the weight of her body to close it. "I can't imagine you going through the trouble to sneak past guards to see me." He said with a sigh. "And yet, here you are. Perhaps I am dreaming."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Would your dreams include me?"
"Aye." He answered with a nod. "And nightmares."
At that, she laughed. "More of the latter I presume?"
He didn't answer.
She could feel the flutter of anxiety attempting to destroy her gut. To distract herself, Emma's eyes examined his quarters. There were fresh linens stacked on a desk. His naval uniform had been washed, pressed and laid by their side. One black ribbon was arranged neatly on top of the folded clothes. She scoffed.
"What is so humorous, Your Highness?"
Emma hurried to the desk and clutched the ribbon letting it dangle in-between her fingers. "I'm fond of this when it's in your hair." He chuckled. "I've attempted to tug this thing out more times than I can recollect."
"I won't be requiring it any longer." He replied as he propped himself up into a sitting position. She caught the wince he quickly endeavored to hide. "I asked them to lop off the additional hair once I realized where I was. I am shocked it took you this long though I suppose the guards were a hinderance."
Images of her and Grumpy struggling to carry him from the cliffs flashed in her thoughts.
"You have always excelled at making your presence known in a prompt manner."
His left arm had been slinked over her shoulder as she gripped it with one hand and wrapped her other arm around his waist tugging his weight onto her as she trekked through the slick grass.
"I was certain I'd wake to find you hovering over me." He said shaking his head. "Not in the good way." He added with a chuckle. "You do have two years of being unable to torture me."
She had slipped and heard something crack. Her frantic eyes scanned over his body as Grumpy pulled at the lieutenant's torso to get them back up.
"Thankfully I'm out of uniform at the moment. I'm sorry Princess, but you'll find it harder to drag me to your sinister plots without my cravat."
She frowned before scrunching her nose. "Shame. It was one of the easier ways to tease you."
He let his eyes fall to his side. "I have plenty of nicks and bruises to deal with at the moment."
She let the ribbon drop from her hold.
"Princess?"
He had been unconscious for five days. Her mind whirled with questions. What had happened? Where had he been? Who had found him? How did Rumplestiltskin get him to her so quickly? Why was he struggling so hard to appear … normal?
"Are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost."
Emma swallowed hard. "Please don't say that." She brought her hand to her forehead and dipped into it. She could feel her eyes as they started to gloss over. Her breathing was speeding up into frantic short breaths. "As much as I abhor you… I never wished any harm on you."
The first tear trailed down her cheek and burned. She lost control of the despair that encompassed her and began to shake once more. "I thought you had died." She whispered followed by a sob. "I could not bear it."
Her vision was a blurry swirl of dull color. White and blue and grey clouded her sight. She bit her lip to silence herself. She clamped down until she tasted iron on her tongue.
"I-I-I-" she stammered before one more sob emerged. "I waited for you every day hoping I'd see your stupid ship sailing on the horizon."
Two years. She had held this in for two long years. She had kept hope he would return until the day-
"I spied on my parents and their advisors. The Jewel had gone missing. All I thought of was the last thing I said to you. I regretted it every bloody day."
"Bloody?" He intervened. The inflection in his voice had changed.
"BLOODY!" She wailed rubbing the tears from her eyes with her fist. "I missed your presence so much I began to talk like you. I have been scolded a myriad of times for swearing. I struggled."
"With what?" He asked his voice a throaty whisper.
She was nervous. She couldn't say what she ached to say. "That I do not hate you. I cannot fathom going through the rest of my life without having told you that."
"Isn't this touching?" He had appeared on the window seat without a sound. A cocky smirk expanding from ear to ear. "Reunited at last!"
The Dark One. Her body tensed as her eyes flew toward Killian. Something dark blanketed his features.
"What are you doing here?" She seethed at the imp.
"I have free reign, Your Highness. I can be wherever I please."
Emma's gasped. No. No. No.
"Oh yes." He sang. "Yes. Yes. Yes." He let the tip of his tongue slide out his lips as he swung his legs over the window seat and happily descended to the floor.
"Princess." The lieutenant strived to remove himself from the bed. He grunted immediately upon his unsteady legs hitting the ground. "He's a demon. Run."
The Dark One feigned being insulted. "Honestly is this how you welcome me after all I've done? Lieutenant Jones you wound me."
"Get out!" Emma hissed. "Get out or I'll scream."
"Ah, but you see-" he pointed a finger in the air and slid toward her. "You can't. Part of our deal."
"Deal?" The lieutenant slowly moved toward Emma; each step he took was visibly painful. "What deal?"
"Oh!" He jumped in amusement. "You haven't told him? Nobody told him? Oh this is good. This is really good." He clasped his hands together. "Go on and tell him dearie. Tell him how he was rescued."
Emma turned her head away from him hoping she wouldn't have to see the disappointment in Killian's face. "Why are you here?" She managed to ask.
"To watch you squirm."
She tried to disregard the burning sensation in the back of her throat. She tried to ignore the lieutenant who was nearly at her side. Why was he reaching for her? Why was he striving to guard her when he was severely injured?
"I made a deal." She said trying to appear calm and collected. "You and your safety for him to able to walk freely in my kingdom."
"Why?" He asked as his arm touched her shoulder. The pressure sent a pulse throughout her body. "Why would you do that?"
"Would you prefer the alternative Lieutenant Jones?" The Dark One chimed in. "Another etch on the wall for another day in the dungeon."
Emma gasped. "Dungeon?"
"How many days? 100?" Rumplestiltskin tapped a finger to his lips as he sauntered closer to the pair. "150?"
No.
Emma's knees gave in. She would have fallen if not for him clutching onto her.
"Don't worry." Killian said into her ear.
All the bruises, she thought clamping her eyes shut. Did the Dark One do this to him?
"I did! Reckless of you to have waited so long to call, Your Highness. 200 days?" Rumpletstiltskin simpered. "Am I getting warmer lieutenant?"
Emma felt his grip tighten around her shoulder.
"Funny to see you mum. I could hardly ever get you to shut up."
Emma trembled as she balled up her fists. "Get out!" She demanded. "Get out of here! GUARDS!"
The Dark One rolled his eyes. "Do that again and I'll snap your neck. Listen Princess and listen well: I will shred this kingdom apart from the inside out if I do not receive what is mine."
"You cannot provoke destruction." Emma stepped forward challenging the dark cores of his eyes with her own. "Walk and talk; remember?"
"Here-" he gestured around the room. "You're unquestionably right. But in my kingdom I can do as I please. I will take everyone you and your family loves and grind their hearts in my palm until they're nothing more than dust." He pointedly fixed his gaze on Lieutenant Jones. "Starting with your brother."
Captain Jones. Oh Gods.
"You don't have Liam!" He growled. "He was taken long before you arrived on the Jewel!"
Rumplestiltskin smiled grimly at the lieutenant's outburst of anger. "I don't, but Regina does."
Emma concentrated on his face. Everything was hard. Nothing in his voice wavered. He gave no impression that he were deceiving them.
No, she thought. No, it can't be.
"The war…" She gasped. She hoped that she was wrong. "What are you two fighting for?"
"There's a reason your parents kept you in the dark, Your Highness. They would have nothing to worry about as long as you were ignorant to the gravity of the situation. They stole from me." Emma's head was spinning. "Regina and I are not at battling with each other."
She grimaced. "My kingdom."
"I suggest you get me what I want." He shuffled past the pair. "Or I'll pick them off one by one until you're all alone in this world." He snapped his fingers and vanished into a purple haze.
Emma couldn't think straight. Her head felt as heavy as a rock. The air was thick, and the walls were twirling around her. What did her parents take?
"Princess?" His voice echoed in her ears.
"I am a fool." she uttered tearing apart from his hold and toppling toward the door. She tumbled over her own foot and smacked her fists against the tile. "I only thought about myself when I made that deal. I loved you so much…" Her voice broke. "I couldn't bear to be in pain another moment."
His eyes stretched wide.
"Now everyone will burn. And it will be all my fault."
