Chapter 14

The Enchanted Forest – Charming Castle

It felt as if Killian had failed. He had vowed he would not return home without his Little Swan. But after what Emma had gone through, seeing Elizabeth in the mirror and talking with her, seeing her get caught, he was not going to leave her side again. They agreed Henry would bring his family to the castle and await news from Gideon together. So they had parted in Camelot so Henry could fetch Astrid and Lucy and close the Hall for now.

Upon Hook and Emma's arrival, his first order of business was to check in on David. Emma had told him about Ruth's power, how his best friend had really survived, but he wanted to see it for himself.

As he walked into the great hall he heard David's familiar voice joyfully exclaim, "Killian!"

Killian watched carefully as his old friend walked towards him, arms open wide. David looked tired still but seemed to no longer be worse for the wear, and he allowed some of his stress to be released as he accepted the king's embrace.

Although it may not have been masculine, Killian held on an extra moment as he thanked the gods for the gift of the breath in David's lungs.

Charming seemed to sense Killian's misgivings and as they pulled away into a handshake, he said gently, "I'm alright now, Hook, don't worry. I'm not the one we need to be worrying about."

Elizabeth. He meant Elizabeth. And once more Killian's mind was on edge.

"Killian?" David asked, seeing his friend retreat into his own mind.

Hook shook his head as if he was trying to shake away his own fears, "I'm fine…it's fine I'm…" He couldn't find the words to lie to his father in law or to himself. He wasn't fine, far from it actually. For the past sixteen years he had devoted his life to his miracle, his Little Swan. After all that had happened, especially during Emma's pregnancy, he cherished every second he was able to spend with his beautiful daughter. Elizabeth was a gifted sailor but she preferred star gazing and navigation to the physical task of manning the ropes. She loved racing horses and the thrill of a tournament, when she was allowed to participate. Her talents with the sword outranked any she had with the bow and arrow, but as their own little secret he'd also taught her how to use a pistol. And her aim even with his Enchanted Forest pistol was unmatched. He couldn't imagine her lethality should she be allowed a chance with Emma's 9 mm that she had been able to bring back from Storybrooke. But Emma would kill him if he would ever let their daughter get a hold of that, probably with that gun.

Again he had gone into his own mind and all the king could do was pat him on the shoulder comfortingly, "We will see her again, Hook. This plan will work."

The plan. For Gideon to go to his father and negotiate Elizabeth's release. To do whatever it takes.

"I don't trust him, David." He replied honestly. It was a truth he did not need to share with Emma or Henry, but one he needed to vocalize. He had put the greatest hope for his daughter's return in the hands of someone with whom he held little faith.

"I know." David's answer wasn't patronizing, nor was it judgmental. They shared a look, knowing each remembered that night in the middle of Main Street when David had held Killian back so Emma could accept her destiny. It had taken a long time for Hook to forgive Dave for that particular move, even though his wife had survived. Killian cared little about destinies or fate, he cared that all he saw for years when he tried to close his eyes to sleep was Emma's face as the sword went through her.

He had his reasons not to trust Gideon with either of his girls.

About a year before…

Killian was walking through the gardens on the way to train Neal, again. The young prince was a good swordsman to be sure, but he wished to be legendary, like his father King David. Since Killian had "defeated" David in spars, Neal had decided Killian would be the one to help him reach the next level. Neal was a middle child for sure, Snow mused when Killian had told her, he's not the Savior, he's not the heir to the throne, but he still holds the burden of being the product of true love.

"It's a great gift, but also a challenge for him to either match or surpass," she confided, "He wants to be the greatest he can, but he can't seem to accept the ordinary can still be great."

That gave Hook a lot to think on, considering Elizabeth's position. She was also the product of True Love. But she was an heir, once he and Emma chose to depart this world.

As he was thinking, he thought he heard his daughter's voice coming low from just below the hedge. Then he heard another familiar voice that made his blood run cold. Gideon. The boy was visiting for a few weeks in the summer as he always was welcomed to by Snow and Emma, much to Killian and in a lesser part David's chagrin.

"I just… I don't know what this means."

"You have magic, Gid, it's not that big a deal. My mom has magic, I'm sure there are others besides her, Auntie Regina, and your father. It's doesn't mean yours is…"

"How do you know, Liz?" Killian heard the terror in Gideon's voice, "Explain the dreams!"

Killian was now full on eavesdropping, leaning against the hedge as his daughter's conciliatory voice carried to his ears.

"Ok explain this to me again, you're in the middle of a strange street…"

"And this woman comes up, we get in a duel, with swords, and then I….I"

"You kill her…"

Hook's heart dropped to his stomach. All this time he had been told that Gideon would have no memory of who he once was. No memory of the boy who was kidnapped and raised by the Black Fairy, raised to be a killer, and yet he had just heard those words. Gideon was dreaming about the worst night in Killian's memory. The night he killed Emma.

"And you didn't know who it was?"

Did Killian imagine the moment of hesitation before the reply?

"No, I didn't recognize her."

"Well…" Elizabeth's voice was very casual for what they were talking about, Killian thought, but why shouldn't it be? She wasn't there for that painful part of their family history. And to be fair, neither Killian nor Emma had told their daughter about it either. She thought she was helping her friend talk through a bad dream.

"I don't think there's anything to worry about, Gid," she said warmly, "Dreams can just be weird and creepy. Remember those reoccurring dreams I used to have about the dark shadow coming for me only to be saved by a flower?"

They both laughed, but Killian only became further disturbed. He remembered Elizabeth having those dreams, and they hit far too close to reality for his liking.

But the recollection of Elizabeth's dream of being saved from evil by a heroic flora seemed to ease Gideon's worries, at least outwardly, "Yeah," he said quietly, "that's so true, I mean it's not like dreams could be prophetic..."

Killian's blood was boiling. Did that boy know about Emma? Was he beginning to remember? And if he could remember his previous life, what was to stop him from starting the same rampage yet again? Hook could not allow for that to happen again. He had to protect his family.

He stepped around the hedge and down the steps and hesitated at the sight before him. His fifteen year old daughter giving a kind embrace to a boy. So many emotions swirled in his mind, far more than a typical father finding his daughter in such a compromising position.

He cleared his throat and took some amusement as they jumped apart at being caught.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth's eyes lit up as they always did when she saw him, something Killian hoped would never die out because he knew he would never grow tired of seeing it, "I heard you're going to train Neal, could Gideon and I join in?"

Killian forced a smile for his daughter's benefit, "Sorry to disappoint, Little Swan, but Neal seems determined to even outshine your grandfather at the next round of tournaments and asked specifically for a personal lesson." He softened a bit when he saw the disappointment she was trying to hide, "How's about tomorrow you and I steal your grandmother away for a bit and work on our archery tomorrow? I already know you're a much better swordsman than I could teach." He ended with a wink.

Again his heart lifted at her smile, "Wonderful!" but then she turned to the boy, "Gid, you won't believe this technique that my grandma has…"

But as she started describing Snow's technique for quickly grabbing arrows from her quiver, Hook couldn't help but notice Gideon looking up at him only to see a disapproving look on the prince's face. Gideon had heard how Killian had worded the question, and no invitation had been extended."

"That sounds really fascinating," Gideon said quietly when she was done, "You'll have to tell me all about it when you finish."

"But…" Elizabeth looked back and forth between her father and Gideon, "I thought…"

"The invitation was for you alone," Gideon couldn't look either in the eye in embarrassment at the slight.

Instantly Hook recognized the flair of indignance in his daughter he'd seen a million times from her mother, "Why can't he join?"

He searched for his words carefully. Emma had made a promise to Belle at her grave, and made him a promise thereafter, that they would not punish the child for the sins of the adult. But the child had been the adult, and that had been his wife's only request that he'd found difficult to keep. And of course Gideon had grown into the same looks as the first time he'd seen the face from behind the black hood of Emma's nightmares. Every summer when they had invited the boy to visit the castle, he endured the internal struggle to keep his prejudices behind closed doors, usually to no one but his own mind.

Then again, he couldn't help himself, "Wouldn't Gideon prefer to learn to better control his magic than a bow?"

Once more the looks of surprise satisfied him, but Elizabeth was the one who first spoke, looking taken aback, "You were listening in on our conversations?"

"You were talking about it in the middle of the gardens, you could hardly be upset. I could hear as I was walking past, Elizabeth," he retorted. "He told you he has magic and that he's dreaming of killing someone, for all you know it could be a member of the family…"

He definitely did not imagine Gideon flinch at this, and he knew he was right.

Gideon still couldn't meet Killian's eye, "Sir, I would never…"

"You and I both know of your pedigree, Gideon, forgive me if I'm not more cautious around someone with that background around my family," Hook spat, "Particularly my only daughter whom you seem to have taken a bit more interest in than I am comfortable."

He regretted it the moment it left his lips. The tears sprouted in Gideon's eyes and he mumbled his leave to Elizabeth, gave a jerk of a bow to Killian and fled the clearing.

"Killian?"

Again Hook was shaken from his thought's by David's kind voice.

"Did you hear me?" the king asked quietly.

He shook his head, "What were you saying?"

"I said that Nemo expressed a desire to see you upon your return if you were up for it?"

Killian nodded, seeing his old friend would hopefully distract him from his worries, "Yeah, right. Sure, let's head over."

As they walked towards the Great Hall, his regrets followed. After that confrontation in the gardens, Gideon left the castle immediatley and began his "grand journey" to find himself. It took Elizabeth a week after the incident to look her father in the eye she was so furious. And it didn't help that Emma heard what happened from their tearful daughter. But under his apologies all Killian could think of was the flash of fear in Gideon's eyes when he mentioned he could have killed a family member of his. Hook knew that the boy knew more than he was letting on.

But now Gideon was in a place of power over Killian's beloved child. He seriously doubted the boy forgot about his unkind words, he could only hope he wouldn't hold it against Elizabeth when the time came to negotiate for her life.

The Dark Castle

Gideon walked quietly down to the spinning room from Elizabeth's prison. It was a huge space meant for dining and entertaining, as one with such a large castle would be expected to do. That is, unless that person was the Dark One.

As he figured, his father was busy at the wheel, with piles of golden straw laying carelessly at his feet that were large enough to feed entire villages for at least a year.

"What did you tell her?" the conniving voice of his father spoke up although the Dark One had not broken his concentration.

"Of what?" Gideon asked.

"Your plan," his father finally looked up, suspicion on his face, "Does she think you're here to negotiate her return to her family?"

"She believes her father and brother sent me here to get her back, that is the truth," Gideon lightly argued, "None of them suspect what else I could be here for."

"I doubt that," Rumple mused, "Surely the pirate wasn't thrilled."

Gideon ground his teeth, "Killian never trusted me, I doubt he does now. But it doesn't matter, because everyone else does. Elizabeth included." After the last interaction with Elizabeth, he could tell that wasn't one hundred percent true, but his father didn't need to know that.

The Crocodile giggled, "Do you think she'll comply?"

Gideon shrugged, "I'm not sure, but either way she won't have much choice, just like the rest of them."

Rumplestilskin laughed, "It's good to have you back, son"

Ooooooh what is Gideon up to? Leave reviews or PM if you want to know where this is going. Or follow the story :) Trust me this isn't ending any time soon. Also I may already have sequels in mind...