They remained in Arendelle for three days. Elsa and Killian tried to talk Emma into staying longer, arguing that she needed the time to practice her magic. After all, she'd be going up against one of the nastiest villains in the known realms, but Emma wouldn't hear of it. Every minute she spent in Elsa's court was torture because it was another moment that her family and her whole kingdom suffered under their sleeping curses.

One day when she was young, Prince Philip and Princess Aurora visited their castle, and Emma had overheard her mother and Princess Aurora talking about what it was like under their respective sleeping curses—the loneliness, the blackness, the knowledge that you were separated from everyone you loved, the burning room. Snow hadn't realized Emma was in the room, otherwise she likely wouldn't have spoken so openly and graphically, but Emma had been in the room and she'd heard every word. She'd had nightmares for a week about it.

And now everyone she loved was suffering in that hell.

If it hadn't been for Killian, Emma thought she would have gone crazy with the waiting. He'd been so patient, so encouraging, so comforting. One night he'd stepped out of his room to visit the garderobe at the end of the hall and he'd found her pacing her chamber.

"Swan?" he'd asked, tapping on her partially opened door. "Is something the matter, love? Why aren't you abed?"

She'd turned desperate eyes in his direction. "Of course something's the matter, Killian!" she'd said, coming to stand before him in the doorway. "My parents, my whole kingdom! They're all being tortured in that burning room, and I'm stuck here! I can't stop it; I can't help them. I don't know why I ever thought I could!"

"Shh," he'd hushed her, stepping into the room and wrapping her nightgown clad form in his arms. "Do stop talking nonsense, love."

She pulled back and glared up at him. "Nonsense! Are you really saying that me worrying about my family under a sleeping curse is nonsense."

He'd grinned, reaching up a gentle hand to smooth her tangled hair away from her face. "That's not the nonsense of which I speak. Of course you worry about your family. The nonsense is you denying your abilities. You, Swan, are the strongest, cleverest and most capable woman I've ever met. I've seen the magic you've learned during our short stay here with Queen Elsa. You're bloody brilliant, a marvel. The Black Fairy doesn't stand a chance."

Her eyes had shone with unshed tears, and a sudden, intense tenderness welled up within her. Not thinking, simply feeling, she'd reached up and brought his head down for a quick but fervent kiss. He'd returned the embrace, tightening his hold on her for a moment, before letting her go and stepping back, looking embarrassed.

"Thank you, Killian," she'd said, reaching up to swipe at her damp eyes. "You've no idea what your encouragement means to me."

He'd led her to the bed then, and for a moment she was sure he was going to join her (for a moment, sheltered princess though she was, she'd hoped he would), but he'd simply tucked her in, sitting on the edge, telling her story after story about his life as a pirate, until finally she found her anxiety ease and her eyelids begin to droop.

Her last thought before sleep claimed her that night was I love him. It was a thought that would have scared her witless in the light of day, but for the moment it brought her nothing but comfort, confidence. The Black Fairy may be the most formidable villain she could ever face, but with Killian at her side, Emma felt like she could defeat the devil himself.

On the fourth morning, Emma, Killian, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Killian's pirate crew boarded the Jolly Roger and set sail for Misthaven. Emma settled her belongings in the officer's quarters, which she was to share with Elsa (Anna and Kristoff being given the captain's quarters, being the only married couple aboard), and then slowly made her way topside.

"Cap'n, this is madness," she heard Smee argue as soon as she stepped free of the ladder. Emma stepped behind a box, not wanting the captain and first mate to know she'd heard.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Smee," Killian said absently, peering at a map, charting their course. "What the devil are you on about?"

"Taking the princess back to Misthaven," Smee said. "It's madness! Why are we risking our lives for her? Queen Elsa has an entire navy at her disposal! Let her take Princess Emma back to her home. We can be off in the opposite direction."

"Mr. Smee, I don't recall asking your opinion," Killian said in a clipped voice.

"But your revenge!" Smee continued. "You've fulfilled your end of the deal with the King and Queen! If you bring Emma back to her land, you'll forfeit your prize! Why are we doing this?"

Killian turned toward his first mate, his face thunderous. "My reasons are my own. Question them again at your peril."

Smee sighed. "I just hope you know what you're doing, Cap'n."

"I swore to aid Princess Emma in any way that I'm able," Killian said, "and that's a vow I damn well intend to keep. So you have a choice, Smee. Either accept your captain's orders or walk the bloody plank."

Smee backed down, muttering a half-hearted apology before scurrying away. Emma watched Killian for another moment, her heart falling at the conversation she'd overheard. Was she being selfish? Was she leading Killian and his men to their deaths?

"You can come out now, Swan," Killian said, from his place near the wheel, where he'd just run a frustrated hand through his hair. "I know you're there."

Emma felt her face flame at being caught. "I…I'm sorry, Killian," she stammered. "I didn't want to disturb you."

"It's no matter, Swan," Killian said. "Mr. Smee has a rather infuriating streak of cowardice running through his veins. Be assured, I am the captain of this ship; I give the orders, and my orders are to assist you in your every endeavor."

"Thank you, Killian," Emma said, stepping up to him and putting a gentle hand on his forearm. "I appreciate your honor and bravery, but…but maybe Mr. Smee is right?"

His eyebrows raised. "Pardon, love?"

"You told me what happened to your brother," Emma said, "and you finally, finally have a chance to avenge him. How can I ask you to give that opportunity up just for me?"

Killian turned fully toward her, putting his hands on her waist and looking her firmly in the eyes. "You've asked nothing of me, Swan," Killian said earnestly. "I assist you because I want to assist you."

"But your vengeance…"

Killian glanced aside for a moment before meeting her gaze once more. "The loss of my brother will always be a pain deep in my heart," he said finally, "but in the last few weeks…I've come to realize that perhaps there's more to life than vengeance. Perhaps there's a future for me after all, a chance to return to the hero I was before Neverland."

Emma watched him closely for a moment, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. "And what changed your mind."

"You did, Emma," he said softly. "Your selflessness, your willingness to do anything to save those you love, they've inspired me to be a better man."

"But Killian, Smee's right," Emma said, reaching up to cup his face, unable to stop herself. He leaned into her touch. "There's no guarantee I'll succeed, no guarantee I'll be able to defeat the Black Fairy and save my family, and if I fail…helping me could prove to be a suicide mission."

He shook his head. "You will not fail, and I will not leave you to your fate."

"Why?"

"Because…" he stopped for a long moment, seeming to gather his courage, "because my darling, I cannot let you go into battle alone. I will be by your side, fighting for you until my dying breath. Do not ask me to leave you to fight your battle alone; it's something I cannot do; you've become far, far too important to me."

"I…I have?"

"Aye," he said firmly. "Swan, I love you."

Her heart raced and she sucked in a quick breath. Stepping up on her toes, she kissed him, one single tear sliding down her face. When she pulled back, she looked up at him. "I…I think I love you too."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The return journey to Misthaven took a mere two days' time, the wind being at their back. There'd been no time to talk about his declaration to Emma or hers in return. What's more, he'd found no time to broach the subject of True Love's Kiss.

She loved him, he knew that; he could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him, but was it enough? True Love was a rare and magical thing. Could her love for him truly rise to that level?

He was afraid to find out, and so he'd focused all his attention on returning them to Misthaven as quickly as humanly possible. Meanwhile, Swan and Queen Elsa spent nearly every waking hour in their quarters (which he and Smee had, of course vacated for the duration of the voyage) practicing their magic, gearing up for the fight that was to come.

"Land ho!" The shout came from one of his crew members, and Killian put his spy glass to his eye, verifying the truth. He felt Swan come up behind him, the lavender and vanilla scent of her hair alerting him to her presence before he saw her. She took his free hand, lacing their fingers.

"Are you ready, love?" Killian asked.

"I…I don't know," Emma said. "If I fail…"

He cut her off with a quick kiss. "Impossible. Absolutely bloody impossible. I'll be at your side every step of the way, and when you succeed, when you send this witch back to the abyss where she belongs, I'll be there to celebrate your success with you."

"I think you're good for me, Killian Jones."

They weighed anchor, and the crew lowered the longboat into the sea. Killian, Emma, the Arendelle contingent and a select few of Killian's best fighters rowed their way to shore, ready for the battle that was to come.

The first thing Killian noticed upon the arrival on land was how very still and silent Misthaven was. There was not a sound to be heard. No one stirred, even the animals and insects seemed to be slumbering. The still and silence was unnerving.

They moved quickly through the empty streets, intent on reaching the castle with as much alacrity as possible, but when they reached Snow and Charming's magnificent castle, a truly bizarre sight greeted their eyes; everyone from the guards to the dwarfs to the maids and footmen were slumped over, fast asleep.

Emma took in the scene before her, a soft distressed cry on her lips as she hurried through the palace halls, Killian at her heels. Finally she reached her parents' throne room, and slowly pushed open the door. She uttered a heartbroken cry at the scene before her. The king and queen sat together on their thrones, their hands entwined, Snow's head inclined on Charming's shoulder.

"I knew they'd been cursed," Emma said in a broken voice, "but somehow seeing it…it makes it real, you know? And Killian I have no idea how to save them."

Killian took a deep breath and released it slowly. Now was the moment of truth. "I…" he began, cleared his throat, and then began again. "As it happens, in my research, I did discover a way to break a pervasive sleeping curse."

She turned wide eyes in his direction. "You did? Oh Killian what is it? What do we need to do?"

He glanced aside, reaching up to scratch behind his ear. "There is only one way to break a kingdom-wide sleeping curse," he said finally. "True Love's Kiss."

"So…I kiss my parents?" Emma asked, brow furrowed.

"I'm afraid that won't work, love," Killian said. "A curse this powerful needs something more. The only way to break the curse on your kingdom is for someone connected closely with the kingdom to share True Love's Kiss with a willing participant who's equally awake. It would seem, Swan, that you must share True Love's Kiss with…someone."

She looked back at him blankly for a moment, and then sudden color filled her cheeks and she glanced away. "Killian, maybe we…you and I…would you try it with me? Would you kiss me?"

He came to her in a single bound, taking her into his arms. "Are you sure, Love?"

She looked up into his face and shrugged. "Killian, I don't know if this will work, but I love you. I think I've loved you almost since we met. Please, please kiss me."

"Swan," he breathed, reaching up to cup her face in both hands, "I love you to the very depths of my soul."

He looked down into her eyes for another moment, and then he lowered his mouth towards hers, focusing his attention on how deeply, how passionately, how eternally he loved her. Finally his lips connected with hers, and it happened immediately, a pulse of rainbow energy spread from their joined lips to wash its way over the entire kingdom.

Killian pulled back, and together they watched as all around them, the color seemed to return to the room. Finally, the king and queen began to stir, yawn, and then sit up, fully awake.

Emma ran to them, hugging first her father and then her mother.

"Emma!" Snow said, smoothing a hand down her daughter's hair. "You saved us."

Suddenly there was a cloud of black smoke filling the chamber, and when it cleared, the Black Fairy stood in its place.

"Good show, Emma," she said, her voice deceptively sweet and gently. "I'm quite impressed. I'm afraid, however, that you should have taken my deal. Since you were oh, so stubborn in your refusal, I'm afraid after I've killed you, I'll have to do the same to your entire kingdom."

Notes:

-Sorry I'm a day late with the update. My hard drive at work completely died, and I've spent the last few days trying to get the stupid thing up and running again. (For those of you following my other stories, I have Fluffy Fridays about half done, and I'll post it tomorrow. The update to The Honeymoon will come either tomorrow or Saturday, whenever I'm able to find time to write it.)

-So True Love conquers the sleeping curse! Yay!

-But of course, the Black Fairy couldn't let Emma and Killian bask in their success. She has to show up to cause trouble yet again.

-Up next: This story is starting to wind down. We've got just one more chapter and an epilogue to go. Coming up next week, we have the final battle. Will Emma be able to defeat the Black Fairy, or will the villain the villain triumph and make good on her threat to kill the entire kingdom? (Lol, that last possibility would be about the most depressing way to finish out a story ever!)