David led them through the tunnels quickly. Emma had no problem keeping up after the full night's rest she got. Killian was right next to her. There was a confidence in his steps that put Emma at ease. All five of them were determined to end this curse and reunite her parents.
Yet, doubts and fears started to filter into the back of her mind. The feeling of the Jabberwocky's magic haunted her. Killian was right—the sleep had helped greatly. It just still lingered in the back of her mind, slipping through the cracks. She glanced at Killian wondering if he too still felt it's eerie presence. He glanced over at her, a bit of worry in his gaze.
Emma's eyes darted from his, suddenly afraid he'd see right through her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him start to reach for her, but his hand dropped as soon as her father stopped, bringing their whole group to a halt.
"Through this hallway is the closest we can get to Snow's chambers."
"How did you figure that out?" Emma asked.
"This was the only hall I couldn't get to search yesterday. She has to be here; I can feel it."
Emma nodded.
"Now, everyone, act like you belong and no one will question you. This time in the morning, there is the least security on duty." David turned and opened the secret door. It led to a hall in the east wing of the castle that was used more often for visitors. The wing was also in need of renovations when Emma was there; she didn't want to know what it looked like now.
And—of course—with Regina's curse, it looked even worse than before. Everything was so empty and depressing. It felt devoid of any life. Emma wouldn't have been surprised if she saw a few ghosts floating throughout the halls for the hell of it.
"I think I might prefer the forest," Tink whispered to Emma as she looked around. Emma found it hard not to agree. It was depressing to look at what used to be her home.
"Yeah… I mean this part of the castle always used to creep me out," Emma said quietly.
"This is not the curse?" Liam asked, shocked.
"Oh, no. It is the curse. This is just a lot worse than it used to be."
"Well, I guess at least it's not crumbling around us?" Liam asked in jest, trying to make light of the moment and managed to get Emma to smile.
"You better not jinx us," Emma said sarcastically.
Once in the right hallway, David motioned for Killian, Liam, and Tink to keep guard at either end. Emma followed her father quietly to Snow's chambers, the mission one step closer to being completed.
David knocked on her door two quick raps before barging in. Emma's eyes almost bugged out of her head, she thought they were going for subtle!
Snow jumped up from her vanity. She was in her underdress and robe. Her hands quickly fisted in the material at the collar in an attempt to cover more of herself.
"Wh—what are you doing in here unannounced?" she stuttered looking between them, nervous and unconfident. It was evident in the way she held herself and the slight tremble in her hands. Though it could have been that two guards just burst into her room unannounced.
"We cam—"
"Who are you? I've never seen you two before!"
"We're here to—"
"Wait. I have seen you," Snow said pointing at Emma. Oh gods, This was not going according to plan at all.
"Please, Your Highness. I'm sorry for the intrusion, we mean you no harm." David had his hand raised and stepped between Emma and Snow. "It has come to our attention that the Evil Queen, Regina is at large again. She's undercover in the castle."
"What?" Snow's face paled.
"She has sway over a group of guards."
"How do you know this?"
"She threw me and my friend in the dungeons," Emma spoke up from behind David.
"What? How did you escape?"
"I got her out," David said, laying a hand on Emma's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, but who are are you two?" Snow asked, one eyebrow almost touching her hair line taking another step back from them.
"I'm David and this is our—my daughter Emma. We are friends. I can promise you that." He took a step towards Snow, his hands palms up in supplication.
Snow studied David 's face, her eye's quickly flicking back and forth between his. Emma saw the moment Snow believed him. Something changed on her face, her eyes almost lightened.
"Okay."
Emma sighed the weight off her shoulders. Emma felt tears prick at her eyes, but she willed them away and just took in the sight of her parents.
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The magic of the Jabberwocky was still there and lingering. Killian had to shake himself. He had enough anxiety just from their plans today; he didn't need the lingering magical effects making it worse. He felt like he was forcing himself to both be hyper aware and to calm down. He was by himself at this end of the hall, while Liam and Tink were not far off from Snow's chamber door.
Every sound he heard had him twisting his head around on high alert. The sound of Snow's door opening almost made him jump. That was quicker than he expected.
Killian turned and saw Emma peeking out of the room, beckoning Killian towards her with a smile on her face. Killian's heart picked up speed and he quickly met her. Tink and Liam were ushered inside as well.
"What's your plan?" Snow asked. When Killian first saw the Queen the other day he could tell she wasn't quite comfortable with the power she wielded. But something was different. She still looked nervous, but there was something different with the way she held herself. Killian wondered if it was because of the presence of her True Love, whether she knew it or not.
"Well, the last we left Regina and, Hyde?" David looked questioningly to Emma who gave him nod in return. "They were in bad shape. Regina still has magic so we need to draw her out and—"
"She still has magic and you want to draw her out?" Snow asked incredulously.
"If I'm remembering correctly, we should have a little bit of squid ink in my study. We can use that to freeze her and imprison her."
"What do you mean by 'we'?" Snow asked, growing more confused.
"I mean I had it, the curse stripped me from my station in this castle." David looked frustrated as he tried to figure out what to tell his wife. Were the situation not so dire, Killian would have found it humorous.
Snow looked taken aback by his explanation and a look of sadness crossed her face. Emma's eyes were darting back and forth between her parents.
"I'll go get the squid ink," Emma said, stepping forward and drawing her parents' attention.
David looked at her and gave Emma an nod. "Just take someone with you."
"I'll go," Killian said quicker than necessary. David looked him up and down.
"Okay, be safe and be quick. We'll hammer out the rest of the details back here."
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Emma and Killian swiftly walked through the halls to where Emma remembered her father's study to be. They were quiet and it was kind of awkward. It looked like Killian kept trying to say something. She wasn't sure what was holding him back, but it was making her worry. And she really didn't want to be distracted. Maybe Tink should have gone with her instead.
"Is the magic still haunting you?" Killian asked quietly.
Emma glanced at him. "A bit, yeah… You?"
"Aye. As soon as we stepped back in the castle it came back and worse."
"When a magical being dies, their magic should go with it. I don't understand why it's still lingering," she huffed as they turned the corner to the hallway that housed her father's study.
"Maybe because it wasn't just magic. The magic brought out our own fears and worst memories as if we were reliving them. What we went through still happened, regardless of the magic."
"That doesn't exactly make me feel better." Emma pushed open the door to the study and was assaulted with the memories of her happier life. When things were simple and the most pressing thing was finding her father because she scraped her knee or wanted to surprise her mother. Tears pricked at her eyes but she willed them away.
The room was full of dark wood shelves on one wall, windows on another, and tapestries depicting farm life on the remaining two. Her father never quite rid himself of his humble beginnings, but that only made him even better to her.
Killian stared at one of the tapestries dulled by a thick coat of dust.
"My father was a sheep farmer—shepherd, whatever." Emma stood next to Killian. He turned to her with a raised brow and his eyes alight.
"Really?" he asked in both shock and hope.
"It's a long story." Emma gave a short laugh before walking over to David's large desk. The top was littered with knick-knacks and a few notebooks. Maps were rolled up and standing upright in a bin next to the desk.
Killian looked at them reverently and pulled at it to reveal a corner of the ornate map. Emma started opening drawers, letting him have a moment with the maps. Some of the drawers were hard to open and were packed with useless scraps of paper. She thought her father was cleaner than that!
As Emma rummaged through the drawer she heard something small and metallic hit the floor. She quickly looked to see what had fallen and stilled. Killian leaned down and picked up the ring. Emma's breath caught in her throat.
"What's this, Love?"
"My grandmother's ring," Emma whispered. True Love followed that ring and now she could give it back to her parents. Killian was handing it to her with a sincere and what could only be described as loving look on his face. Suddenly, the voice of the Jabberwocky was haunting her as her fears about Killian came back in a rush. He wouldn't want her if he knew all the crap he would have to put up with. She didn't even want to deal with it, but she had to. Emma started to close in on herself.
She quickly took the ring with trembling fingers from Killian's hand. "Thanks." She put it on her right ring finger for safe keeping and continued to look through the desk.
Finally, in the bottom drawer there was a false back and once removed, the squid ink sat there in a small dusty bottle. "Mission accomplished." She stuffed it—carefully—into the pouch hanging from her belt. Emma smiled at Killian after patting her pouch.
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The happiness on her face upon getting the squid ink brightened Killian's day. But then she seemed to sober up too quickly.
"Let's get back to my parents and end this," she said her voice strong, but wavering slightly.
"That sounds lovely, but, Emma." Killian reached out and tentatively touched her arm.
She stilled and looked up at him. "What-what is it?" Emma panicked and Killian instantly felt bad, he didn't mean to frighten her.
"No, love. I just—" he cut himself off with a huff before continuing. "Emma, we both saw the darker parts of each other. I feel as if something shifted. I don't want that to have casted a pall on our relationship."
"Killian—"
"I know this isn't the best time, but," Killian sighed and his hand reached behind his ear to scratch at the spot he was so fond of before standing up straighter. His eyes bore into her's as he willed himself to be confidant. "Forgive my boldness, but you must know. If you feel anything for me, you do not need to worry about your station being a deterrent. Don't listen to the Jabberwocky's nonsense."
Emma stilled, eyes widening. The moments it took for her to respond stretched too long before her expression started to change. She was emboldened by him, it seemed. "I could say the same thing to you." It slipped past her lovely lips quietly. Her eyes widened fractionally and he could tell she had even taken herself off guard.
"Truly?"
The air around them seemed to grow heavy with the tension between them. Emma moved suddenly, grabbing the collar of his uniform and crashing her lips against his. Her hand threaded through his hair. His left arm came around her waist as he pulled her closer to him.
Killian couldn't get enough of her. His mind had trouble catching up with what was happening. This was the last thing he had expected to happen. He was kissing Emma. He breathed her in as he chased her lips. His hand found the base of her skull and his finer threaded through her hair.
They stopped with their foreheads resting against each other; their ragged breaths mingling together. Her fingertips brushed against his scruff leaving a tingling behind.
"That was—"
Emma stopped him, kissing him quickly and pulled away with a giggle and light dancing in her eyes. "Let's finish this and then do that again."
Killian nodded a little too much. "Aye. I like the sound of that."
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Liam stared at Tink again for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The four of them were waiting in Snow's chambers. It was awkward to say the least. The king and queen were bickering over where and how they should draw out Regina. Tink and Liam waited, seated on a settee near the window.
As he awkwardly watched the exchange, he was pleased to see Snow gain more confidence. The King was bringing it out in her. But whether it was simply because of his presence and them being True Love or if it was because of his stubbornness, Liam would never know. It was also amusing to see just how much the King knew about Snow, she keep getting unnerved by his knowledge of her and the castle.
"I certainly see where Emma gets it from," Tink said under her breath.
Liam gave her a look as he suppressed his smile. She was right about that. The stubbornness, her natural leadership, and her looks; seeing this exchange would have put anyone's doubt's they had about Emma's parentage to rest.
The door swung open, and for a moment Liam's heart dropped until he saw Emma and Killian walking in, smiling. Smiling a little too much. Liam raised a brow at his brother, whose face reddened at the curious look Liam gave him, answering the unspoken question.
Liam smiled, happy for his brother. It wouldn't be easy loving a princess, especially while part of the navy, but he had every ounce of faith in him.
"We have the ink!" Emma said holding out the small bottle to her father. Liam and Tink quickly joined them in the middle of the room.
"Excellent," David said.
"What's the plan?" Emma's eyes darted to all the faces surrounding her and Liam just quickly shook his head in warning. She gave him a confused look before turning back to her parents.
"Well, your m—the Queen wants to do something crazy to draw out Regina."
"And David wants me to just go into the throne room as I normally would with two of you while he goes and finds Regina. I don't want to just sit around any longer knowing she's here."
Liam decided to speak up then. Now that Emma and Killian were back, he felt more at ease. "What if we cause a commotion in the throne room. No matter what, Regina is going to come out once she finds out we are here and we do have the numbers on our side."
"But, David said she has some guards on her side," Snow said, challenging him. He wanted to crawl into a hole, he shouldn't have spoken up.
"Yeah, but she must have a few's hearts; there is no other way she'd have any control here. She hasn't been here long enough. And with her waning magic, she can't have too many hearts at her disposal." Emma said, informing her mother. Liam was grateful he waited until she was back to say anything. Emma gave him a nod before turning back to her parents. "We can still outnumber them."
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Walking to throne room, Emma stopped David with a hand on his shoulder, bringing him a little away from the group. "Dad."
He quickly stopped, turning to her. "Yeah?"
"I found this in your study." Emma took the ring off her finger and placed it David's hand. His eyes lit up.
"I noticed it was missing. I feared it was lost." David looked at it a second longer before placing it in in pouch on his belt. "Hopefully this will come in handy later."
Emma smiled and David leaned down and kissed her forehead.
They quickly caught up with everyone. Killian had a serene smile on his face that made Emma blush.
They kept walking and Emma noticed things seemed stranger today than they had when the three of them had first arrived. The castle was darker and empty. They hadn't seen anyone around all morning.
By the time they got to the great hall there were only half the number of torches lit.
"What's going on?" Snow asked, looking around, her eyes wide.
"I don't know, but we might not have to worry about drawing Regina out," Tink said nervously.
"No, I don't think you will," Regina's voice sounded from behind. Snow took a step back and reached for David. Hyde walked out from behind Regina. They were standing on the bottom landing of the staircase, cloaked in shadow, watching the six of them like hawks.
Regina stepped out from the shadow. She looked older. Grey streaks were in her hair, and fine wrinkles were starting to appear. She looked to be about the same age as her parents. Her magic was severely weakening. It disgusted Emma that the main use of her magic these past years had been to keep herself young.
"Regina," David spat. Snow stepped behind David to ready her arrow.
"My, my, still have those awful manners, I see," Regina drawled. "As they say, you can take the boy off the farm…"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. I'm a farm boy who rose up in the ranks only to fall again. But guess what, you're still a lonely old hag."
Regina's composure changed in an instant. "You vile—" she started, but Snow jumped out from behind David, her arrow sailed through the air headed straight for Regina.
Emma watched in amazement, but then, Hyde pushed Regina out of the way and took the arrow to his shoulder. Creepily, he simply stood up straight and wrenched the arrow from him. He didn't even flinch. There was a magic shimmer, but nothing happened. Emma found herself wishing he was a magic user too just so one of them would be indisposed.
Regina regained her footing. "You want to end this? Let's end this." Emma felt a shiver go down her spine. But she couldn't let Regina get to her. She had done enough to Emma and her family. It was time for her to pay.
"Guards!" Regina yelled.
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Four guards came out from the other end of the hall—the very same that Regina had at her beck and call the other day. David fought off one. Emma and Tink went for their own. Snow grabbed a dagger hidden in her skirts and took another down swiftly. Killian watched them fight, impressed before his attention was quickly drawn away from the fighting royals and to Liam.
Hyde was charging at him with a sword drawn.
Killian quickly moved to help his brother but as he drew his sword he was reminded of the last sword fight he had. Visions of the Dark One haunted him. The dark, maniacal laugh rang in Killian's ears. His wrist burned with the memory. His hand trembled and he swallowed down the fear, willing away the images that haunted him. He drew his sword and rushed to Liam's side.
Liam fought valiantly, but it was easy for Killian to see who was clearly the better swordsman. Liam was able to land a few hits, but Hyde fought back harder with each blow until he stabbed Liam deep in his side.
He crumbled to his knees gasping for breath. Killian's stomach plummeted. Liam's eyes connected with Killian's briefly before they rolled back and he fell onto his back. Killian heard Tink's voice cry out for Liam from some far away land. His pulse was pounding in his ears.
Killian yelled out for Liam, but then switched his focus to Hyde. Killian had tunnel vision, Hyde in the centre. He attacked Hyde in a furry. He caught the man off guard and Hyde was having trouble matching Killian's revenge-fueled blows.
Killian brought down his sword on Hyde with all of his strength, but Hyde blocked it just in time. Hyde came at him again and Killian snagged Hyde's sword with his hook and quickly plunged his blade through Hyde's middle. Killian's eyes were wide as Hyde fell to the ground, unmoving. He just killed someone. But he couldn't find it in himself to care. Not when Hyde hurt Liam and tried to kill Killian.
Killian ran to Liam and tried to stop the bleeding. His hand was trembling and Liam was having trouble breathing. His breath was coming out in wheezing gasps as his own hands tried to cover the wound.
"Liam, come on, stay with me," Killian's voice cracked, sounding foreign to his own ears.
"Bro—brother, I—"
Whatever Liam was about to say got cut off and Killian was flying through the air and pinned magically back to the column that stood right behind Liam. Killian looked up to see Regina standing in the middle of the hall, hands up. Emma was the only one not pinned to one of the columns. The four guards were on the floor unconscious.
Regina's murderous gaze was on Emma. Killian tried to move, straining himself as he did so, but felt as if he was suffocating, surrounded by the same stone that was at his back. Killian didn't know where to look. Liam was on the floor, bleeding out and Emma was being targeted by an evil witch with no chance of back up.
If the witch didn't kill him, he thought his anxiety might.
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"I've waited a long time for this," Regina hissed, staring Emma down. Emma didn't waver. She stood up tall and challenged her with her own icy glare.
"So have I," Emma gritted. She kept her gaze on Regina, not risking a chance to look at her friends and family.
Emma took a deep breath, channeled her magic, and threw out a blast straight towards Regina's head. Regina ducked out of the way. Her agility surprised Emma.
Regina shot a blast of fire towards Emma and grazed her arm. Emma hissed at the contact and shot another round at Regina. She deflected it, but Emma could tell it took a bit out of her.
Regina stood up straight. She was pissed, but so was Emma. At the same time, both of them threw their hands up and summoned their magic. It shot from their hands. The bright white of Emma's magic met Regina's red magic with an crack similar to thunder.
Emma willed her magic to keep coming strong, but Regina was not going to be easy to defeat. It looked like Regina's magic was gaining ground. Emma grit her teeth and sweat beaded on her brow.
Thinking of her family and everything Regina had taken from her—those years they all lost—Emma channeled her magic like never before. There was a roaring in her ears.
And then it was over. Regina was on the ground, wheezing.
Emma fell to her knees and caught herself with her hands. Instead of roaring, there was a ringing in her ears. She looked up to see her mother and father quickly restraining Regina. Her father used the last of the squid ink to insure her capture. Regina looked so much older. Her hair was almost completely grey and deep lines adorned her face.
"Liam!" Killian yelled.
Emma turned quickly to see Liam lying in a puddle of blood. She paled instantly and felt as if the world were tilting. She ran over to the brothers, fighting against her exhaustion with her heart beat loud in her ears mixing in with the ringing that got worse.
Emma couldn't look and Killian's face. His panic and sadness was too much for her to bear. Hearing him plead for Liam's life was more than enough to deal with. His voice kept breaking and it felt like Emma's heart was breaking along with it.
Emma knelt down next to Liam and healed him. Her magic was seriously drained from that fight, but it didn't matter. She couldn't let Liam die. Somewhere along the way, he became a friend, almost even like a brother. His face was pale and she didn't see his chest rising and falling, but she hoped that was because of the bulky uniform he had on. He couldn't be gone yet.
Tink was hovering over her, her hand to her mouth and tears glistening in her eyes. Emma's own eyes started to get watery, but she shut them and focused even harder. She felt the magic flow from within her in into Liam; lightheadedness assaulted her.
A few heart-pounding moments later, Liam gasped awake, his eyes wild. Killian breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a chuckle. Then they all started laughing. Emma almost lost her balance but David's hand on her arm kept her face from colliding with the floor.
"You did good. You need to rest," David said with a concerned smile from his spot kneeling next to her.
Emma shook her head. "I'll be fine a while longer." She turned back towards Liam who was being embraced from both sides by Killian and Tink.
"Oi! Let me breathe, would you?" Liam laughed, heartily.
Killian chuckled and pulled back, as did Tink, but her hands never left him. "I'm sorry brother, I thought—I'm just glad you are alive." Killian turned to Emma then as did Liam and Tink.
"Thank you, Emma," Liam said and embraced her in a tight bear hug. Emma hugged him back just as fiercely.
"Thanks for not dying," Emma said into his shoulder. Liam laughed again before they pulled away.
Emma and Liam both needed help rising. Her father and mother helped Emma up. She was not prepared for how shaky her legs felt.
"That was amazing," Snow said in awe and looked at Emma with wide sincere eyes.
"It was nothing," Emma deflected awkwardly.
Snow gave her a smile and squeezed her arm. It had been so long since she's seen her mother and to have her look at her in this way, it felt like she was finally home, this nightmare over. But the reality was that Snow still did not remember who she was.
David and Snow walked towards Regina. She was glaring at them through her tired, old eyes. Snow quickly ran to the door out of the main hall and called on some guards—not controlled by Regina— to take the washed up Evil Queen to the dungeons. And when they came in the hall in a huff, quickly apprehending her while apologising to Queen Snow, she couldn't even put up a fight. It was pathetic. It was hard for Emma to feel triumphant for her win seeing her in that state. Seeing her so weak and powerless… it made Emma feel uncomfortable. She did that to her. But if anyone deserved it, it was Regina.
Emma turned from her, almost stumbling, but Killian steadied her and placed his arm around her waist. "You alright, love?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." She leaned into him, watching her mother walk over to David after Regina was clear of the room.
"Thank you for believing us," David said with a lopsided smile.
"Thank you for saving me." Snow said looking at all of them, but her glanced lingered on Emma and then David.
"It was the honourable thing to do," David said sincerely.
Snow looked at him then, eyes fluttering, like she was remembering something.
"Um, I found this…" David reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out her grandmother's ring. "Does this look familiar?" David asked, looking at her hopefully.
Snow studied the ring, her brows drawn together. "It does, but I—I don't know how." She looked back up to David, confused but touched.
Emma started to get teary-eyed. She had missed them so much. Sometimes at night after she was kidnapped, she would remind herself of the stories her parents would tell her; how they fell in love. And now she got to witness it. She could see her mother falling by the subtle changes in her expression and a tear escaped Emma's eye. She looked down, trying to stifle the happy laugh that threatened to bubble up from within her.
"It's alright, Emma. It's not every day you get to see your parents fall in love," Killian said, pressing her into his side.
Emma looked up to Killian with a small smile and saw the sincere and loving look on his face. Her breath caught and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She had a hard time taking her eyes from his and turned back to watch her parents, hoping that this would be the moment.
"You seem so familiar." Snow raised her hand to gently press at his chin. The same spot where her father sported a scar from Snow's getaway the first time they met.
"The curse, Snow. Regina changed a lot of things." David's eyes bore into hers, willing her to make the connection. To feel something. Emma was almost buzzing with nervous energy, they were so close.
"You have a study in the castle and know more about me than anyone else."
David nodded with a sweet smile, patiently waiting for her to connect the dots.
"Are you my… no you can't be," she whispered the last part, dejected.
"What?" David implored.
"Husband?" Snow looked at him wide eyed and glanced over to Emma. Tears were shining in Snow's eyes.
David delicately took Snow's chin and turned her head towards him. Snow had to tear her eyes away from Emma.
"Yes. And that is your daughter, and we are your True Loves," he whispered before leaning in to kiss her. Snow met him halfway, as if she were in a trance. As soon as their lips met, a burst of rainbow light emanated from their lips.
Emma felt the rush of magic hit her square in the chest and she leaned further into Killian for support. Everything was brighter now, she even felt lighter. Her exhaustion from over using her magic was gone. Emma turned to Killian and he looked awestruck. Elated, Emma grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He was slow to respond, but when he did, he kissed her fiercely back. She broke the kiss quickly, his lips tried to chase hers in his daze, but before he could she ran over to her parents.
They were laughing as they turned to her and Snow ran over and crushed Emma in a tight hug. Emma couldn't tell if it was her tears or her mother's that were making her cheeks damp. Then she felt her father's arms come around both of them.
Snow pulled away and gently placed her hands on either side of Emma's head. Her eyes roamed Emma up and down. Snow's face was a mix of both happiness and sadness. "Emma! Look at you. You are so beautiful."
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Killian watched, dumbstruck after Emma kissed him and then bounced away with joy to her parents. Killian had seen his second True Love's Kiss and it was still awe-inspiring. But not so much as Emma was when she was happy.
And then Killian's heart almost stopped. Had Liam seen Emma and him kiss? Would he ever hear the end of it, the teasing looks and hushed comments? But then, Killian actually couldn't find it in him to care. Emma kissed him! For the second time that day, no less!
Yet, he still felt his face flush and took a deep breath before turning towards his brother. Liam wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was looking at Tink, who was wrapped up in his arms. Killian walked towards them with a sly smile on his face. The two of them broke apart awkwardly. Liam gave him a look that suggested he not say anything. Killian just smiled and turned his attention back to the happy reunion.
There was a whirlwind of activity for the rest of the day. Liam, Tink, and Killian were given their own rooms and new clothes, as well as given an incredibly short tour—more like an overview—of the castle. They were all seated for dinner just after dusk, in their new and comfortable clothes.
Killian had felt out of place but swallowed down his discomfort. He would just have to get used to it. Emma was here—a vision, she was with her pale pink dress with small blue accents—and there was no way he was leaving her side anytime soon.
Until it was time for them all to part after dinner (which was a lot to digest both physically and mentally).
Killian shut the door to his room in a fog. He had a nagging feeling in his gut. He wasn't afraid to be by himself in his own chambers for the first time in—well, ever. But it felt so lonely. For as long as he could remember, he lived in a shared space, and one that was always shared with at least Liam. The past few weeks of also being in the company of Emma was nice. He had even fallen asleep with her almost in his arms when they were stuck in the dungeons and he had thought about it since.
Killian looked around his chambers. At the time, he thought Eunice's inn was the nicest place he'd ever seen, and now, compared to the palace of Misthaven, it looked like a shack. There was tea on a table and pair of pyjamas on the bed for him. He put them on and marvelled at their softness. He took his brace off and then, there was a knock on his door. Great. Killian was tempted to put his brace back on, but hoped it was just Liam come to bother him.
It wasn't.
Emma was on the other side of the threshold and looking a little sheepish. It would have concerned him were is not for the fire in her eyes.
"Love, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"I forgot something." The corners of her lips angled up in a coy smile.
Killian grinned at her. "And, pray tell, what is it you forgot? Is there something I can do to aide in your efforts?"
"Let me in?"
Killian's face started to flush and he quickly took a step back. "Your Highness, this is hardly proper," he said as if on stage.
"I don't care."
Emma's lips were on his the instant the door shut. Killian pinned her against the door, and in the back of his mind realised that was not the smartest move he could have made. He continued to kiss her fiercely, breathe her in. His hand pressed her into him, the fabric of her dress that had driven him nearly mad all night was soft to the touch.
Emma's hands were wandering up, underneath his thin, white night shirt. He had to stop this before they went too far. And Emma must have had the same thought; she drew her hands back quickly and broke the kiss giggling.
"Bloody hell," he whispered, out of breath.
"Sorry," she said into his shirt as her head dropped down to his collar bone. "I've been thinking about doing that all night."
"No need to apologise, love. It's like you read my mind." Killian wrapped his arms around her.
Emma sighed into his neck. Her warm breath sent a shiver through him he had to repress. "Probably should go back to my room."
"How about a cup of tea first? It'd be a shame to not fully enjoy the attentiveness of the staff," Killian said with bravado, hoping to get her to stay a little longer.
Emma looked up at him, flushed. "When you put it that way."
"Come," Killian said, gently taking her hand and leading her to the small table and chairs by the window.
Emma sat and looked out at the water. "We have the same view, you know."
"Do we?"
"Yep," she said, popping the p. "Mine's two floors up from here."
"Isn't that an interesting tid-bit you've offered me."
Emma hummed a laugh. "Isn't it?"
Killian poured the tea and Emma put the sugar in as he sat down. They clinked their cups and drank.
"We make a rather smart pair, don't we?" Killian said looking back and forth between them. Emma was still in her dress from dinner and there he was in his sleep pants and an oversized linen shirt half open.
Emma rolled her eyes at him. "Besides the fact that if I had been seen in nothing but my pyjamas there would be way too much gossip—this thing is not easy to get out of." She gestured a hand in front of her dress. "And I had some important business to attend to." She gave him a look that had Killian itching to run over there and kiss her senseless, but he controlled himself.
"'Way too much gossip?' Does that imply that there is going to be some regardless?"
"There is always gossip." Emma rolled her eyes and brought the cup to her lips. "The maids know everything."
He would have to remember that and be careful. Killian leaned back in the chair and looked out to the water and then back to Emma. "It's been quite the day."
Emma snorted. "Yeah, breaking curses, sword fights, magic battles, your brother almost dying… again. And now you're moving into a castle and are already set to join the navy. How does it feel?" Emma asked. Her tone was light and playful, but Killian could tell she was still nervous about all that has been thrown at him in such a short amount of time. The conversations at dinner were overwhelming, to say the least. Talk of the navy, a giant ball to be planned, retelling their stories—it was a lot.
To say he felt fine would have been a lie. But he didn't want to scare her either. He could tell she too was wrestling with something. She was sitting too straight. There was more to the reason she was in his chambers besides one mind-blowing kiss.
He sighed before answering. "Mostly, like a dream come true, but… strange. It's so foreign to me to actually have things turn out alright…"
Emma nodded, her face growing serious.
"Are you alright, love?" Killian asked, studying her closely.
She looked at him a little afraid before she finally spoke. "I feel like I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and we are still gonna be in that forest."
Killian put his cup down and reached across the little table to hold her hand. She laced their fingers together and looked back up to him. There was fear in her gaze.
"But we won't. We will be here, and we will all be together." Killian brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her softly.
"Thank you," Emma breathed. She looked at him so sincerely, Killian's breath hitched.
"You can always count on me, Emma." His voice was just barely above a whisper. Emma leaned over from her seat, her eyes trained on his lips before jumping back up to make eye contact.
"Me too."
Their lips met in a soft kiss full of promise and unspoken declarations. Killian felt as if his heart was alight. Emma's hand went to the side of his head and into his hair. Her touch was gentle.
They pulled apart, but kept their foreheads leaning against each other.
"I should probably go."
"Tragically, that may be for the best." It was the last thing he wanted. What he wanted more than anything in that moment was to wrap her up in his arms in bed and never let go. However, it was not wise to get on the King's bad side, or have Emma to get in trouble and have gossip in the castle about them.
Killian walked Emma to the door and with a kiss he watched her walk towards the staircase.
His eyelids were drooping from exhaustion, but the taste of Emma on his lips left an excited hum in his bones. He walked the short distance to Liam's room and knocked before he tried the handle. It was locked. Killian's brows furrowed before he knocked again and called for Liam.
He heard loud footsteps approaching the door. Liam opened the door quickly and half hung out of the doorway, his arm securing the door close to him.
"What is it, Killian? Is something the matter?" Liam's eyes were darting about the hallway.
"No, no. Calm down, brother. I just wanted to talk," Killian laughed.
Liam looked at him up and down. Killian was still disheveled from Emma's wandering hands, his cheeks were warm, and he was sure his lips looked thoroughly kissed.
"Look at you, you sap," Liam said in jest, relaxing into the door frame.
Killian rolled his eyes. "May I come in?"
Liam froze and his eyes widened comically. "Uhh, well I'm completely knackered, maybe tomorrow…"
Killian watched him with a tilted head and raised brow. What in the blazes was he hiding. "Why can't I come?" he asked intending to drag it out of him.
Liam stuttered and would not meet Killian's eyes. And then he heard a feminine giggle from inside that sounded an awful lot like Tink.
Killian's eyes widened in shock and Liam's darkened to a shade of red Killian had never seen on his brother. Killian laughed and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Tell Tink I say goodnight, sap."
"Goodnight, Killian," he heard Tink say, muffled by blankets.
/-/
The next day, Emma woke up in her old bed. She couldn't believe it. She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It was strange being in her old room. She didn't look around much yesterday, couldn't really face it yet. But alone by herself at the crack of dawn… she didn't have much of a choice.
Everything looked exactly as she left it, minus the new clothes that had been hastily put away in her armoire during dinner by the maids.
There was a quiet knock at her door. Emma walked over and heard her parents whispering outside.
"Just peek inside, see if—"
Emma open the door cutting off her father's whispers. "I'm awake," Emma smiled. They were both in robes covering their pyjamas. Snow quickly embraced Emma.
"I'm sorry, I just had to make sure it wasn't all a dream."
"Funny, I had to do the same thing earlier."
Snow pulled back caressing her face. Her eyes were misty. Emma took a deep breath to keep herself from getting emotional. "Everything's still the same," Emma motioned around the room.
"Our chambers, too," David said rubbing Emma's back. The action made her breath hitch. She was home.
"During the curse, I was always drawn to this wing, but the halls were so… spooky."
"Spookier that the one you were living in?"
Snow laughed. "Yes, actually. The whole castle seemed haunted. And I guess it was."
David put his arm around Snow's back as well. "At least it's over now and she can't hurt us again."
"No, she can't. And we need to celebrate that."
Emma chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Planning the ball already? The sun's barely risen!"
"Can you blame me? I miss all of our friends and family, I want to celebrate! And besides, it's not going to be for at least two weeks."
"Two weeks? At least?" David chuckled and Emma stared at her mother, mouth agape.
"What? All we need to do is have food and music." Snow smiled excitedly.
Emma looked at her mother, eyes wide. "You would spend months planning these things."
"And I will do the same the next ball." Snow's smile dropped a bit and her face was sincere. "I just want things to get somewhat back to normal. We didn't have any balls during the curse. Life was miserable."
Emma sobered up with her mother's words and gave her a sad smile. She was right, they had to do this. Her kingdom was depressed for years and her mother was alone in this castle. Emma smiled a bit brighter before responding. "Let's do it."
And she couldn't deny how much she was looking forward to dancing with her father again and fulfilling that promise to dance with Killian.
And she did. It was a simple ball, but her favourite. She danced with her family and danced with Killian. He and Liam had both taken a crash course from David, but Emma taught him properly on the dance floor. He picked it up easily, and the feeling of being in his arms was unlike any other. They laughed at his early mistakes and had a great time. They also spied on Tink and Liam who would not leave each other's sides all night.
Over the next year, she caught up on her studies. Killian and Liam started their training and she came for some of it, practicing her swordplay and studying history. Tink was given the chance to study with the kingdom's best healer. Emma and Liam were both very happy to see Tink stay in Misthaven.
There was a ball the same night the next year. Killian looked even better in his new navy uniform than the stolen guard's. Emma slowly walked up to him. He was peeking through the curtain that separated them from the ballroom. Once he heard her footsteps, he straightened and turned towards Emma.
Killian's lips parted at the sight of Emma in her light silver-blue gown with the feather and lace accents. He shook himself out of his momentary stupor and approached her. There was confidence in his gait and his uniform fit him perfectly. He had his false hand on for the occasion, a small bit of scruff adorned his chin as usual, and his hair was neatly styled back, not too slick, but the perfect amount of volume.
"You look—" Emma started.
"I know. So do you, my love," Killian smiled.
Emma's smile threatened to split across her face. Her hand rose to stroke Killian's face and he leaned into in. His hand found her hip.
"Are you ready."
"I just need to do one thing."
Killian tilted his head to the side, brows furrowed in the way that made her heart swell.
Emma's hand slid from his face and both grabbed his jacket and she kissed him. His lips were as welcoming as ever. His hand cupped the side of her face, careful not to mess her hair.
They stopped with their foreheads touching. Killian chuckled, his breath tickling her face.
"I love you," Emma reminded him.
"I love you, too." He gave her a quick kiss. "Now, are you ready?"
"With you by my side? Always."
/-/
Killian took a deep breath at her words. It was if she plucked them straight from his mind. He straightened himself out as she walked past him towards the curtain. He patted the pocket that held the ring he planned on giving to her tonight and turned to meet her. He gave her one more sweet kiss before they entered the grand ballroom.
A/N: Ahhh It's over! I can't believe it! Thank you so much everyone who's read it, enjoyed, and reviewed! I hope you liked it and a big thank you to Spartanguard for Beta-ing she has been amazing!