Chapter 21- Lioness.
That would be the second time in which Belle walked out of Rumple's castle and the second time in which she hoped he would follow her. However, she didn't hear that voice that she loved call her name from behind her. She heard nothing. If it was one thing she prided herself on it was her irreplaceable belief that no one should suffer no matter what they had done. They were all victims of fate somehow or another and that had led them down paths that maybe they hadn't wanted to take. If the ogres hadn't declared war then her father wouldn't have needed to make that deal with Rumplestiltskin. Fate could be fickle. It could be your friend or your foe. It had taken a blackened route in both Rumple and Killian and neither of them knew how to shake it.
'I still don't know whether what you just did was incredibly brave or bordering on the idiotic.' Killian muttered as he stumbled along with Belle's strength holding him up. 'You leave the safety of the Crocodile and that band of unfortunate misfits to help send a pirate on a mission to find a healer that probably doesn't exist…and all without a boat.' He mused sarcastically.
'Wait, isn't your boat docked at the lake at the bottom of this hill?' she asked. That was what she had been hoping for. She knew how to steer a ship, she had learnt the ways of ships with both Killian and The Enchanted Rogues.
'Sorry to disappoint you love but do you honestly think that my crew were going to wait for me?' Killian asked rolling his eyes. If Smee had managed to steal anything from the Crocodile then the crew wouldn't hesitate leaving. He couldn't blame them. He thought he was going to die anyway. Every time he thought that the pain in his chest had gone it would return, reopen and start bleeding again. 'Couldn't you have brought something to patch it up at least?' he moaned.
'You are the most ungrateful, selfish, arrogant…' Belle started turning to frown at him.
'Yet here you are.' Killian chimed and went to flourish his hook when he then realised that he had left his hook back in the cell. 'Can we go back? I left my hook in that rat infested cell.'
'No, we are not going back. If he wants to find me then he will. I am not going to embarrass myself by going, 'Oh I'm not back just picking up the hook we left behind.' That would be highly inappropriate.' She said casting him a disapproving look.
'As much as it pains me to say this and believe me it makes my black pirate heart weep with anguish. The Crocodile…he loves you.' Killian mustered honestly.
'I know.' Belle said avoiding his gaze and concentrating on where they were stepping. She knew that his love was true but she'd gone and he hadn't come after her.
'And you love him.' He added although in his mind it was more of a question.
'Yes but not like this. He's shown me the man who he really is and that is who I fell in love with. So why has he gone backwards, back to the start?' Belle questioned herself, confusion flitting across her face. A memory opened up into her mind of the time where he really did live up to his beastly name. He had tortured a man before and had not cared as she listened on. But then he had shown that glimmer of hope that light and her previous assumptions had changed so why didn't it show through today? Did he really hate this man so much that he couldn't love her?
'Some people need to be reminded of who they are.' Killian offered and he paused to put his hand against a tree to rest. After hearing the Crocodile's questions it was obvious as to the reason of his apparent buck in good behaviour. He thought that they were in love. That Killian Jones had struck again with his pirate charm and whisked her off into the watery sunset. As Belle stepped away to rest to he was suddenly aware of their unrealised closeness and he closed his eyes to focus on breathing.
'Is that so?' Belle asked raising an eyebrow. 'Tell me then who are you apart from a hookless Captain Hook of course.' She added with a smirk. He opened one eye to look at her and grinned.
'An ungrateful, selfish, arrogant…' he said repeating her words. 'I am still waiting for the day of that revelation I'm afraid but I'll let you know as soon as I do.' He quipped. After resting for a few moments longer they both continued down to the lake despite what they knew what they would find. It came as a shock to both of them to see however, that the boat was in fact only just starting to sail out.
'You were wrong about your own crew Captain. Shame on you.' She laughed and was delighted to find a discarded rowing boat hidden among some reeds.
'No, I'm not wrong. My best men died in that fight. I saw who ran out of that room and I don't trust any of them not fully.' He explained and he bent down grunting with soreness to the water. He sipped some to ease his dry throat before running it over the matted clump in his hair and trickled it over his chest to try and clean it a little.
'Do you have some provisions on board to clean it up properly?' she asked frowning at his attempt.
'Yes.' Killian said reluctantly. 'Please don't tell me you are going to row us out to the boat?' he whined. He hadn't liked the boat since he had ended up stuck with it after the misfits had taken his precious Jolly Roger. He hated it and only longed to have his back. It had angered him more to hear the crew say they preferred it.
'I am going to row us out to the boat.' She said and pulled the rowing boat from the reeds. She tapped the side. 'Come on, in.' she urged and went over to guide him into it.
'I would rather not.' Killian said but had no choice when she sat him inside. He winced and had to lean backwards to lessen the strain and taking up the oars Belle started rowing toward the ship. Her training with Art and the practice and exercise that she had been doing since she was with the Rogues had given her more muscle in her shoulders so she was able to keep up a steady pace across the water. 'So what is the deal with you and those misfits then?' Killian asked to bide the time.
'We are not misfits we are rogues. The Enchanted Rogues and Jefferson is our leader.' She informed him. She hoped that Jefferson was either on his way after her or at least trying to talk some sense into Rumple.
'The one who I knocked out? Some leader.' Killian scoffed but remembered that it was the same man who had saved him from the Crocodile's tortures.
'He was also the one who knocked you out.' Belle smirked. 'And my best friend.' She added. It was funny she hadn't liked Jefferson when she had first met him. Much like most of the people she met they snuck up on her and after laughs and giggles and adventures became indispensable. If she wasn't loyal to her friends, to those she cared about then she wouldn't be Belle.
'Then I don't need to thank him for being heroic as he was the one who got me into that mess in the first place.' Killian huffed and glanced over his shoulder to see that they were closing the gap pretty quickly. 'Impressive.' He complimented her with a curt nod. She had kept a pace and she didn't even look that tired. They soon bumped gently against the boat and Belle banged on the wood.
'Give us a hand won't you gentlemen?' she called up to them. The crew on board some of which Belle recognised from her last voyage with the Captain stared at her and Killian with almost frightened looks. One man pushed to the front his head tattooed with some pattern or other Belle couldn't quite make it out. Him she didn't remember.
'Give us a reason why we should?' he asked his lips curling into a sneer of distaste.
'Because your Captain will wring your stupid thick neck if you don't.' Killian called up at him. This was the man who he was afraid of. He had a powerful demeanour and the crew had often done as he said to avoid confrontation. He regretted the decision of hiring extra brawn for this expedition.
'Captain? Captain Hook you mean? I don't see him anywhere. All I see is a dying poor excuse of a man with no hand letting a woman do his job.' He spat down at them. 'Not a bad looking one though am I right lads?' he called out across the deck eyeing Belle with a greedy glance.
'You can't talk to the Captain like that Bart! She's the Lioness as well you should leave her alone and let them on board.' Someone spoke up and Killian really wanted to see who that was. Once he was better he would reward whoever said that. Anger flashed across the man's face and he stared at the crew and then at Belle with an odd look. He then hurled a rope ladder down the side of the ship. Belle helped Killian get aboard first before herself and he collapsed on a barrel happy to think that he might get some relief soon.
The horrid man had gone off and was talking in fevered whispers to the man who Belle remembered was in charge of the mast sails. He looked quite scared actually as he talked and gave Belle an almost apologetic glimpse before the tattooed hit man came back.
'A little birdy tells me that you should be in a tower.' He said bending down to her height in a menacing whisper.
'I shouldn't be anywhere. What I am doing is helping your Captain. Now if you would please step aside sir I would like to try and bandage his wounds.' She said kindly although she didn't like what he was saying, not one bit.
'I wonder how much gold we could get if we took this Lioness back to her cage?' the man asked grabbing her wrist. Belle instantly pulled out one of the blades from her shoulder holster and pointed it at his neck.
'Don't touch me or you will regret it.' She warned him but she was already at a disadvantage. He saw that and tightening the hold on her wrist threw her to the floor. Killian reached over and drew a sword from another crew member's sheath and with a shout of anger and pain got up to defend her.
'Don't. You. Dare.' Killian said meeting his eyes with pure hatred. He knew that getting on board was a bad idea. He was no longer Captain of this ship. Belle recovered and now with both hands grabbed her other blade and flexed them in her hand.
'Tie the bitch up and put her in the hold. We're going to bring her back to the Queen.' Bart growled. The reluctant crew surrounded Belle and seeing no threat in Killian left him to Bart.
'Don't listen to him! It's him that you want to get not me!' Belle shouted as they neared her. Seeing no other alternative she swung her swords cutting into a man's arm before whipping to the left to cut the other. It was no good though. There were too many of them. One grabbed her around the waist and another ripped the swords from her hands. 'Let go of me now!' she cried out.
'I'm coming Belle!' Killian shouted and went to help her clutching his chest when Bart stepped in the way.
'Oh you're not coming on this trip Captain. Say goodbye to your precious Lioness as you probably won't see her again.' He said and raising his foot booted him in the chest. Killian let out a guttural roar of pain as he sprawled onto the deck. He couldn't fight him like this. He cursed himself and the Crocodile for leaving him so weak. The reality of the situation hit him hard.
'Killian no!' Belle screamed when she saw him hit the floor. They had her in their clutches and ropes were being roughly tied around her as they held her in place. 'Leave him alone please!' she called to him tears beginning to cloud her vision. Bart ignored her and placed his boot down and put pressure on Killian's wound making him choke and cry out. Then with a nod of his head Bart demanded that the plank be put out and he dragged Killian to it kicking him outwards. He didn't have the strength to barely talk no wonder stand and so he used his hookless stump to prop himself up. He looked with pleading desperation into Belle's eyes. 'No, no.' Belle whispered shaking her head. She knew that he would die if he fell from there. He couldn't swim in his condition.
'Belle I…' he managed but Bart stamped his foot onto the wooden board making it bounce and Killian Jones scrambled to stay on but fell, fell into the water. The cold hit him and then the darkness took hold.