Chapter 10: No One to Save You

Killian's head is throbbing and his body is as stiff as a plank on the Jolly Roger. He cannot process what has happened, the last thing he remembers is Emma kissing him and then everything went black. Had Gold done something to him? Squeezed his heart until he collapsed? Force him to do something like what happened with the Apprentice and then wipe his memory afterward. He doesn't hear any sounds, everything is quiet and… cold.

It's very cold around him, to the point where his whole body hurt. Was he dead? Had Gold followed through on his plans and sent him to the Afterlife? Or was it the Underworld? No, it was too cold to be that…Was this some cold dark place he was forced to spend eternity in? He had done many horrible things in his life as a pirate, but he was trying to change, to redeem himself a little bit, was that enough warrant attention from Hades, god of the Underworld? Was it some sort of frigid prison?

"Rise and shine Captain," he hears a voice. It was very familiar. His mind connects the dots and this very much explains the cold.

He opens his eyes to see that everything around him is white. He's blinded for a brief moment while they adjust for the brightness. He can see his breath as he lays on his side. He slowly attempts to push himself off from the floor and he meets the gaze of a very pleased Snow Queen.

"It's about time you woke up," she says, putting her hands on her hips like he was a child that was late for class.

"You bloody witch!" he hisses. He summons as much strength as he can, despite the drop in his body temperature and rises to attack the woman. Or at least he tries to. He tries to stand up and run but immediately falls onto the ice floor again. The coldness in his body made everything hurt even more. Killian looks to see that his foot has some sort of snow shackle around it, preventing him from moving. Immediately, he goes for his hook, which was enchanted with magic and could easily break the wicked woman's spell. However, his left piece of hardware has been removed from its brace, leaving him defenseless.

"You really thought that I'd leave you with this?" Ingrid chuckles, holding up Killian's silver hook. "Even though it does suit your moniker, I can't have you escaping. Not like it will make a difference before too long.

"What the bloody hell do you mean?" the pirate hisses. He uses his only good hand to push himself up, but this becomes hard against the ice-cold floor of the Ice Queen's cave. He sits on the cave floor, still on guard in case the woman decides to attack. He pulls himself into a ball in an attempt to keep the last of his body heat from escaping. He'd never felt this cold ever in his life. He knew how to survive in chilly ocean waters, but this was the solid form of said element and he stood little to no chance of surviving. His body felt heavy, almost stone-like and he shivered occasionally.

Ingrid goes to where her mirror is hanging and then places the hook on an ice shelf beside it, displaying it as a trophy.

"What I mean is Captain, that you won't have much time left before the last bit of warmth drains from your body. Before long, you'll become just like that poor Marian girl."

Killian cannot believe what he just heard, he was slowly becoming an ice statue, just like Robin Hood's wife. He stands up and begins trying to hack off the shackle around his ankle. If his heart was in his chest, it would be pounding in desperation and fear. He cannot become another ornament, a harmless statue for this cold-hearted witch's collection. He had to get back to Emma. Already he notices that his strength is fading, his body feels weak and heavy. His body is shivering in a hopeless attempt to get warm, but he can feel his body becoming colder and colder with each passing moment. And being in the ice cave does not help either.

"You're a monster," the pirate hisses, knowing his words are his only weapon at the moment.

"It's a matter of opinion because, from my perspective, I'm helping Emma."

"How could turning me into a block of ice help her?" he snaps.

"It keeps you away from her, away from potential heartbreak."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know all about you, the famous Captain Hook, knowing for pillaging many lands and women along the way. Kept his promise of revenge against the Dark One for 200 years… you are hardly a good influence on her."

Killian growls before barking obscenities at the woman. He pulls at the shackle again, trying to do something, anything to break free.

"Me keeping you hear is just the first step in my plan…" She pauses, wondering if she should reveal the said plot to the pirate, but since he didn't have a lot of time left, she figured it wouldn't matter.

"The one for the shattered sight curse, we bloody know all that already."

"That is mostly for the rest of the town, but when I do cast it, I want my sisters to love me and want to be with me."

"EMMA IS NOT YOUR SISTER!" he shouts angrily. His blood should be boiling in anger, but it is mostly slowing down inside his veins. Heat continues to escape from his body. He now feels like a rock, heavy and now even moving is hard. His shivering is becoming slower and slower. His hands and feet are numb with the cold. The cloud of his breath comes out thinner and thinner, with more warmth leaving him.

"She very soon will be, but it is clear to me that based on what happened at the Sorcerer's mansion, it will take a lot more work to sever those ties. The fear I instilled in her and the rest of you over her magic was my first attempt, but Elsa, of course, won her over with self-acceptance. So, this is Plan B, ridding her of her loved ones completely. I started with you because, despite the feelings you have towards one another, it's not love..." she steps closer to Killian, a smile growing on her face. "No matter how much you wish to think that it is. Emma is a broken woman, she cannot trust because she's afraid of getting hurt. Believe me, I know this, I watched her grow."

"How did you…"

"She'd rather be alone than with someone, especially if they are going to die," Ingrid smiles. "After all… Neal, Graham and even Walsh… are gone without having uttered an 'I love you.'"

Killian's blue eyes go very wide, haunted by the fact that the Snow Queen has somehow overheard their conversation at Granny's that night, the one that happened the first time this woman tried to kill him. He clenches his fist and tries to swing at the woman, however, his joints protest and it feels very painful. Ingrid dodges his feeble attempt at an assault and merely snickers in amusement.

"I want her to be with people who won't leave her broken-hearted or alone…" she says before taking a step back. "Like all of you have."

"She'll never join you and she's never been alone! She will fight and she will defeat you!"

"That's what all heroes say, especially when there is no one to save them," she snickers. "Now if you'll excuse me, Captain, I must go to see the new parents who have brought the Saviour a brother."

"If you touch them…" Killian shouts. He cannot move any longer and his body is like a stone. He continues to shout as the Ice Queen teleports herself away, no longer needing to hear the pirate's ramblings. She knows that the connection between parent and child will be harder, so she will go after the weaker link, the child… in the form of a newborn prince.