What is up my amazing people? And please don't say the ceiling, that joke is so old :P
Like always I would like to thank you all for the support and welcome all the new comers to the story.
Review replies:
xXAncientBanexx: Aww I wouldn't feel too bad for Anton, maybe one day a very lazy author will write him a happy ending WINK. However that is a big maybe lol. Yeah girl when an ogre comes you better run! I could be wrong but dare I say, I see a hint there with Cora? Hmm I will take that into account XD
Average Everyday Sane Psycho: Glad to be back! I'm on summer break so I'll probably update more frequently. Sorry for the long wait but it means so much you didn't give up, brings a tear two my eye :')
lozzy035: Is this a fast enough update or what? ;D
Guys do I use too many emoticons? I think I have an addition to them...
"Run, lass!" Killian bellowed just after he shoved the blonde girl away from him.
He had led them to the drinking river in hopes there was some animals the ogre could feed off of instead of them but unfortunately there were none so here he was.
Killian considered himself an honourable man, perhaps that wasn't the right choice of words. It was more like a pirate with a code, he would break as many laws as he damn well pleased but when it came to damsels he would put his life before theirs as that was only good form. His mother taught him that and he would go to the grave with it.
Once he had distanced himself from Emma he took out his sword and prepared himself for a battle. The ogre pushed past the trees in its way like they were nothing but specks of dust. It's head was slightly angled to the side with it's ear facing Killian's direction so it could hear better; ogre's were blind and could only hunt based on hearing alone. It must have heard the argument between him and Emma and that's why it chased them.
He thought quickly on his feet and made some noise to distract the ogre, just like he did the giant.
"Hey, ogre! You're a tad slow for a beast your size, I've ran laps around you and now I'm just stopping drink!"
The creature roared in retaliation and chased the pirate down the stream. Killian was no fool, he knew that more rushing water would throw off the ogre's hearing and maybe if he got to high ground then he could take it out.
It seemed that luck was not on his side that day because ironically this ogre was probably the fastest one of it's kind and it quickly started to gain on him. He was dead for sure.
"I'll be damned if I go out running." He muttered to himself before abruptly stopped and swung his sword at the beast's ankle which didn't even seem to affect it at all. It was like trying to stab a brick wall with a needle. "Damn."
The ogre swatted his hand at Killian and batted him out of the river, nearer the forest. He landed with a thump and groaned with pain, he was done for now.
"Do your worst, beast!" He clutched the side he landed on but stood up despite the throbbing pain. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. Killian lost his sword when he was hit with the monster's hand but he still had his namesake. He held up his hook ready to attack.
The tension in the air couldn't be cut by even the sharpest knife as the ogre slowly approached the pirate with a snarl permanently imprinted on it's hideous face. When it was in front of him the ogre raised it's arm in the air and roughly lowered it down to the puny man beneath him, almost like squashing a bug but before the hand reached him-
"STOP!" Emma finally regained control over her legs and followed them both to the end of the stream to see Hook get batted into a nearby tree yet still stood up asking for more. She could have just let him be killed by the ogre but he was willing to die by giving her long enough to get away so she felt obliged to return the flavour plus she had been playing damsel in distress for over 300 hundred years in that bird-cage and it was time to do the saving for a change.
The ogre returned it's hand back to it's side and sniffed the air. It seemed fear like it usually did on a hunt but there was more to it than that, the air was filled with love and purity and hope. The ogre turned it's back to the now forgotten meal and followed the intoxication sent.
Emma felt another wave of fear rush through her body when the ogre came closer to her and actually bent down so they were face to face, she held her ground though. Surprisingly the beast actually looked... Calm? No that wasn't the word for it. It looked finally at peace, like something just gave it hope. She honestly had no clue what was going on but the intensity of the situation was making her uncomfortable. She raised her hand and put it on the ogre's forehead trying to push it away from her but the strangest thing happened:
It smiled.
The ogre stood at it's full height and left the woman alone confused.
The forest was deadly quiet, everything seemed to be calm.
"What in the bloody hell was that? I told you to run!"
Well it was nice while it lasted.
Hook was by her side looking furious. He was actually giving her a lecture about the consequences of putting herself in danger like that but she was tuning him out, all she could think about was the look on that ogre's face. She felt a feeling of pride go through her and couldn't keep the grin about it.
"And did you even stop to think about what would happen if that thing never had a change of heart? Swan are you listening to me? Wipe that stupid grin off your face! What is it with you and giant monsters?" He grumbled for a few more minutes.
"I saved your life." She said still sporting a ridiculous grin.
"Yes," He let out a breathy laugh. "I suppose you did, love. That still doesn't excuse your actions. Next time I tell you to do something, I expect it to be done."
He already knew how that wasn't going to happen when she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and let out an unladylike snort.
"Yeah that'll happen." She shoulder barged past him and held her head high when she marched into the forest. "What are you waiting for, another ogre attack?" She called out to him not even bothering to face him.
"Actually I'm waiting for you to go in the right direction. Cora is that way." He pointed to the path next to the river with an amused smirk.
Emma mentally face palmed and swiftly turned back.
"How am I meant to know that? You're the one leading us, idiot." She hurried back next to him and made sure to shoulder barge him again as she walked past again. She kept her head low to hide the blush forming on her cheeks.
He couldn't stop laughing for five whole minutes.
Hook picked his sword back up when they passed it on the river and sheathed it again.
They walked along side each other in comfortable silence for a while until Emma broke it.
"Thank you, by the way." She said so quietly he wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "For distracting the ogre and giving me a chance to run away."
"I could say the same to you, love." They shared a small smile before continuing their journey.
"Where are we even going?" Emma asked after half an hour of nothing but walking.
"To a Lake Nostros. It's said to be washed up now because a prince defeated the siren who lived there and kept it alive but apparently Cora believes there to still be magic harboured there so that is where we're headed."
"How long till we get there, my feet are killing me." She groaned. Killian couldn't help but smile at her childish behaviour.
"I could always carry you. It's been a while since I've swept a lady off her feet." He sent a quick wink in her direction only to be faced with one of her deadly glare. It was like she was trying to shoot lasers from her eyes to zap him with.
"You know what, my feet feel better all of a sudden." Emma crossed her arms over her chest and pouted the rest of the way there. Hook did actually feel some what bad for her because she was walking around a forest barefoot so he decided to take her mind off of her aching feet with one of his charming conversations.
"Tell me, love, what do you plan to do after the witch removes your bracelet and your free to go?"
The question seemed to stun her.
The truth was, Emma had no clue what she would do with her freedom. It had been so long since she had thought of what she would do after she got away from Anton because she gave up hope on leaving the tower. Would she go back to stealing? Would she blend in with society and just be another faceless nobody? Would she learn to let down her walls? The questions in her mind were endless. It wasn't until she had stopped dead in her tracks thinking about it she released she still hadn't answered him.
"Maybe start an ogre taming club?" She shrugged her shoulders. Hook did not look amused at her attempt of a joke.
"Perhaps you can become a town's jester seeing as you're so talented with the jokes." He gave her a sarcastic smile and she gave one right back to him. The comfortable silence was replaced by an awkward one.
"Why did you from that cage?" Emma asked as nonchalantly as she could but they both knew that question was in the back of her mind since it happened.
"If I'm being perfectly honest, when I first laid eyes on you all I seen was the most beautiful treasure in the tower and that is all I seen you as: An object I wanted to possess. When I was a wee lad my mother would tell me stories of beautiful princesses being saved by the noble prince but my favourite one was about a golden goose. It basically went along the things of a jealous queen turning a princess into a goose and she gave it to a giant so it could keep her prisoner, she sang to him every night because she was terrified of him. One day he let her out of the cage to explore and she found a way out but instead of leaving she came back to him and he kissed her-"
Even though Emma found the story very interesting (and strangely familiar) she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the true love's kiss.
"It was true love's kiss, the spell was broken and she returned to the beautiful princess but instead of staying with the giant she left him to go back to her palace and marry a prince. The moral of that is 'a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets' and the fact that your story reminded me of that story is what made me want to help. It was when you bested me I wanted to start a friendship instead of possessing you." He said honestly. Emma admired his honesty and resisted the urge to scoff every time he mentioned 'possessing her' but once he had mentioned starting a friendship she couldn't keep the smile off her face. They had both got so lost in the story that they had reached the end of the river.
There was nothing but sand and dried up dirt for miles.
"This was the lake?" She asked while looking around at the dusty wasteland.
"Aye."
Hook had walked out ahead in search of Cora but couldn't find her there.
"Blasted woman, she said she would be here." He cursed and turned back to Emma. "I guess that means more bonding time for us."
She pursed her lips. "Fine but if you give me anymore of your lame pickup lines then I am literally going to gnaw my arm off just to have something to throw at you."
"Actually I find his lines to be quite entertaining." A voice said behind them.
It seemed that Cora had heard them and appeared out of thin air in her usual dramatic way.
"Hello Hook. Who's your friend?" The witch smiled in a wickedly sweet way.