Once Upon A Time
The kingsmen broke the door down twenty minutes later. Dagian raised her hands when they came in with their swords drawn, "Don't. Don't hurt me."
The men hesitated and looked around.
"Are you alone here, ma'am?"
Her hand went to her shortened hair at the word ma'am and she nodded, "Please get me out."
The one on the left gestured to her and she practically raced to them and led them outside. Due to her shaking…she had a hard time walking; it was a mixture of excitement and nerves. Killian had told her once that some female crew members pretended to be prisoners who had no choice but to join so that they could escape…and with her hair cut short and wearing pirate garb, she knew exactly how it looked.
If they didn't believe her, would she be executed with the rest?
The first man walked through the door and held out his hand. Dagian took it and stepped over the threshold. The sun was so bright that she blinked a few times for it to adjust.
"Due to lack of paperwork on this ship, any cargo that you have no paperwork for will be taken into the king's custody and-."
Dagian tensed when she heard the familiar voice. She looked around and stood on her tip toes until she spotted him, "FILIB!"
He stopped when he heard her voice and turned. Dagian felt her heart leap in her throat as she struggled to push the feelings down in her chest, she started towards him.
She was getting off this boat, she was going home, she was going home….back to Rumpel and Bae…..back to civilization. She wouldn't have to worry about other pirates or these pirates or a thousand ways she could die out here…she was going home.
Killian stepped between them at the last moment, stopped her with his arm and shoved her to the crew. Dagian felt her heart clench as she felt their arms pull her in their ranks. Within seconds, kingsmen were drawing their swords and starting towards them. Filib held his arm up and looked at the Captain, "Let her go."
Killian looked as if he were considering it and smirked and shook his head, "No, I've come to like her as a decoration for my room"
Filib paled and his concerned eyes flickered to Dagian, "Are you alright?"
She nodded, "I'm not hurt."
Filib looked at Killian furiously, "Release her or we have a problem."
"She's part of my crew and I need her since I've lost some men" Killian said flippantly even though Dagian had never joined, "And her being on this boat is getting us a nice sum of money and I don't want to lose that latter part."
"I will pay her ransom."
"Oo, Soldier's pay, I doubt would reach what I've been getting for her upkeep monthly," Killian bit his lip and let his eyes roam over her. Filib took a step but Killian immediately drew a dagger hidden in his belt, "Oh, I wouldn't do that."
Oh no….no, he wasn't going to do that. Dagian had seen him fight several times that that was just sparring. Killian wasn't one of the best of best swordsmen on the seas for no reason and Filib had honor and a code.
"If you truly want her back…I suppose you're just going to have to take her."
Filib didn't even stop to think about what he was going to do. Of course he wasn't, dueling was how they solved things on land too, "Give this man his sword back."
Filib met her eyes and she shook her head. No, they could leave if they wanted to. He could forgo his honor for once, if he lost then they might keep her and she'd never go home.
Killian accepted the sword and walked over to the crew, "I doubt he will, but the minute he cheats then all of you have my permission to slaughter these men."
"Just let me go," Dagian whispered.
"Oh, so I trust that you're not giving me your favor to win this fight?" he gave her that arrogant smile, "Will I at least get a kiss on the cheek?"
"We can avoid this," Dagian told him, "I can get him to let you go if you let me go."
"He's not your husband is he?"
Dagian averted her gaze and that got his curiosity going.
"Who is he if he's not your husband? Oh wait, I remember, he was your escort the day I grabbed you. And he came all the way out here to get you back…well darling if that isn't love then I don't know what is. And you want to go back to the husband that didn't come for you."
Dagian glared.
Filib was done stripping off most of his armor.
Killian looked at her, "You could always send him away."
Dagian scoffed, "Please."
"The Dark One wants you here," he reminded her, "What do you think is going to happen to your boyfriend if that's jeopardized."
"The Dark One also wanted me alive and that didn't keep him from swooping in to save the day when someone came into my room and I had to kill him to keep him from killing me," she snapped.
"That's not the same thing and you know it," he snapped, "Think about the safety of this crew. Now you might not trust many of them but they do keep this ship running and they have been far more respectful to you than any crew would. And you may not think much of me but I have never lied to you and I've…hardly taken advantage of you in any way."
That was hardly a comfort.
He moved closer and Filib moved forward, "Think of yourself and what he'll do to you. Think of your husband and son. They'll be safe and so will you as long as you stay on here until the Dark One's done with what he's doing-."
"My family's in danger either way if the Dark One gets to enact his plan," she whispered angrily. What he said made sense but she couldn't stay on this boat. Not when she had an opportunity to go home. The pirate made it sound like she owed him something because he was nicer to her than others were. It was like he was forgetting that his kidnapping of her was why she was in this mess in the first place.
Dagian looked at Filib and he nodded, "He's ready"
"I'm going to kill him then," Killian said and watched as she paled. He meant it, she knew it. He stepped closer and she paled when he placed his cheek against hers, his mouth close to her ear, "And if I kill him in a fight for you then that means you're mine sweetheart."
Dagian pulled away when he put his hand on her hip. Filib walked forward when he saw the contact but Dagian shook her head again. If he got angry, Killian would take advantage of that.
Instead she just looked at Killian and smirked to hide how terrified she was, "Try and see how far you get before I make you walk funny. I dare you."
"Looking forward to it love," he smirked and accepted the sword from the Kingsman.
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Present Day
Rumpelstiltskin explained to a patient Dagian what he and Regina were doing. Sometime during that conversation, Lily and awakened and Rumpelstiltskin held her against his chest and bounced her a bit.
"I don't trust Regina," he told her, "But she's right. I have weaknesses now. I have the baby, and Lily and you and so I'm pulled into this as much as they are. Well, we've always been in on this, haven't we?"
"That doesn't mean we get in on Regina's mommy issues," Dagian said, "Isn't there another way that we can get our savior back home without getting in on Regina's problems and playing Cora's game?"
She honestly didn't understand how dangerous Cora was, did she? He had to admit that was his fault. She was asleep for 400 years, they'd never had the pleasure of meeting and he'd been as vague as possible when he told her about Cora the night he'd told her everything. It wasn't to lie to her; it was because Cora wasn't something he ever wanted to revisit.
"We can't," he told her, "Sending Charming over to the other side was the only opportunity to get the savior back."
"And you don't think he'll wake up?"
"You've been to that netherworld; you know things aren't always as they appear. Kissing someone else is impossible," he whispered, "We don't know if he made the contact and we don't know if Emma and Snow White are alive."
"Alright and what if they fail?" she asked.
Oh, they were getting to the heart of the matter, were they? He shouldn't be so surprised, she was about to have the same fears he was experiencing.
"IF they fail and Cora opens the portal than we have to destroy it."
Dagian rubbed her temples, "Alright, is there any way we can know who'll come through?"
He shook his head.
"I could go into that burning room-."
Oh she didn't mean that. He could see it in her eyes. She was just trying to be the hero because they had no hope. The idea of going to that place terrified her and he wasn't going to put her through anymore because of what he did, "No you won't."
"It's my choice."
"And it's my magic you'd need to go there and I will NOT."
"What choice do we have?"
"Oh, we have choices."
"To destroy a portal?" she demanded, "And risk killing Emma and Snow?"
"We can't let Cora cross over."
"And why can't you just kill her as soon as she comes over?" Dagian demanded, "We don't have to risk the portal, we don't have to risk the one woman that can find our son-."
He took her hand and lowered his voice to a whisper, "Dagian, the fact that you have that much confidence in my magic and ability is heartwarming but the fact that this woman worries even me should tell you all you need to know. She'll kill you, do you understand that? She'll kill our baby but first she'll kill Jefferson and his daughter to hurt you first so that it hurts me. She doesn't care and she'll try to twist it around to doing it for Regina. I'm doing this for all of you. I'm doing this for our daughter."
"And our son is out there," she reminded him.
"I'm aware of that," he hissed, "Do you think that I would do this if I didn't think there was another way?"
"There has to be," she whispered, "Listen, you know that I'm not one to believe that good always wins.
Rumpelstiltskin wondered if the things he did destroyed that hope in her.
"But sometimes it does," she continued and reached for his hand, "Please, if we just talk-."
The time for talking was done, he needed to act. She talked about how they would find another way to defeat Cora, but he couldn't risk that. And he saw that she knew that and in a way accepted it. But she still held onto the desperate hope that Emma finding Bae would be the favor he cashed in.
Well Emma was more than likely about to be absolved of that debt.
He put his gurgling daughter back in the carriage. There would be another way to find Baelfire. Many ways and he would think of them later. There would just be far less ways to defeat Cora.
But if Dagian had hope that she could be reunited with their son then she was going to hold onto that hope with everything she could. And she would try to stop him from doing this.
As soon as she touched his hand tenderly, he looked in her eyes. She begged him without words, she was confidant in him but she didn't know what she was asking and there was no time to make her understand.
He made his decision. He might never see his daughter again if he did this. Belle might never forgive him and neither would his former wife but he would take that price. As long as they were alive, "Forgive me."
He put his hand on the side of her face. Dagian jerked back when she realized what he was doing, "Don't! No, Rumpelstiltskin please-."
He was stronger than she gave him credit for, with one hand gripping her wrist, he put his other hand on the side of her face again.
"You'll wake up," he promised her when the magic put her to sleep, "There's nothing to be afraid of."
He didn't tell her about Hook coming.
He moved her so that she was hidden behind the display case. She'd be awakened easily. If the baby gave a shout then she'd wake up. If someone shook her hard enough then she'd wake up as well.
Rumpelstiltskin rose from his position on the floor and lifted the carriage. He would persuade Regina to help him destroy the portal, and then he would drop the baby at the diner for Widow Lucas to watch over.
She would understand when she woke up.