Title: The Sixth Chapter

Series: Summer Challenge

Day: 21

Author: Roguie et al.

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Pairing: Killian/Emma

Rating: T

Word Count: 4k

Summary: Happiness only lasts for so long in a kingdom set to go to war. Innocence is shattered, happiness is lost, families are destroyed, and in the end the only path to safety is through a dark tunnel in the arms of the one you love. LD

Disclaimer: OuaT is definitely not mine. Although I'm not opposed to stealing the characters and making them just a little bit my own. ;)

A/N: Yep, I'm really, really late tonight. I did not expect this to come in over four thousand words; the story got a little bit away from me. Lots going on in this visit to my Lieutenant Duckling verse tonight. Didn't really understand how much my muse loves them until she got going and now it's past two am and I'm going to hate myself at six thirty when I have to get up for work! ;)

~~~?~~~

To a sailor, weeks spent ashore was perhaps the worst hell one could rain down upon them. Endless days without the rock of a ship beneath their feet, endless nights without the smell of salt in their hair, endless hours without a destination calling to them. It was torture in its most pure form for every member of the Jewel of the Realm except her Lieutenant.

Free of his duties whilst in port, Killian's feet rarely found the deck of the Jewel beneath them as the days past him by. The small camp he'd made himself the first night they'd come ashore had expanded. The royal guards knew he camped just beyond their walls, but word sent down from the Queen herself had him left to himself. He returned to the Jewel every sunrise to check in with his brother and ensure no orders were made for them to set sail, only to return an hour later to the still warm embers of his fire, waiting for the moment his princess was able to free herself of her own duties and take her place at his side. Over the course of days, items began appearing in his camp the hour every morning he was gone. The first morning a small iron pot appeared, set over the fire on a makeshift spit that allowed him to boil the water that now sat in generous lamb skin flasks stacked up next to the coarse blanket that made up his bed. A basket of fresh bread and vegetables allowed him to make a generous breakfast of soup that morning that kept him warm and well fed as he began what would soon become his daily routine. The second morning he found the water, bread and vegetables replenished, along with the added bonus of several cloths, a bar of soap and an extraordinarily soft towel that he immediately took to the small stream nearby and allowed himself the pleasure of a chilly bath. The third morning he found that his blanket had been stolen. He'd have been upset at the loss if in its place he hadn't found a bundle of much warmer covers laid out over a down filled casing large enough for him to sleep upon in a great deal of comfort. The fourth morning he found his new bed covered by a well crafted wooden awning that would keep him dry and covered from the rains the skies promised to release that night.

At first he thought the gifts were courtesy of his princess. She'd given him quite the verbal lashing when he'd told her of his camp outside her walls, and he assumed the improvements were her way of giving herself some measure of peace that his needs and comforts were being met. The surprise on her face the sixth day, when the rains prevented their usual excursion to their meadow on the bluffs and he'd invited her back to his now dry, warm and comfortable camp, told him his benefactor was in fact not Emma. She marvelled at the rich meats he was provided that morning to feast upon for his midday meal and his dinner, meats enough to share with her as they sat huddled together under the awning on top of his soft makeshift mattress. Together they decided it was the Queen who saw to the merciful replenishment of his supplies and his comfort, which left Emma giggling and blushing in his arms that afternoon as they lay back, watching the rain deepen the green of the forest around them, talking about nothing and everything all at once as the hours they had together sped past.

For several weeks their routine continued without interruption. On warm, sunny days they stretched out in their meadow, watching the ships in the port below, stealing soft, sweet kisses that Killian was determined not to let advance too far, regardless of the princess's objections when he was always the first to pull away. On chilly, rainy days, they curled up in the relative privacy of his camp, blankets piled around them, her soft, sweet little body pressed up against his as they kept each other warm. Those days were the hardest on him; his princess was determined to challenge his claim to be a gentleman on the days they lay beneath his blankets, the belief that they were hidden from the world enough to allow her to drop the pretence of being a lady and become the curious, adventurous girl to whom he was rapidly losing his heart. Those were the days he'd find her skirts had ridden too far up her leg when she shifted against him, when his hands would find achingly soft skin beneath his fingertips where he'd expected to find cloth. Those were the days she'd shift her head just enough to bare the long expanse of her throat to his lips as she lay in his arms, and she would shift her body just so to torment the length of him that threatened to split every seam on his pants as the warmth of her core spread through two layers of clothing and left him panting with need. At the meadow he could put distance between them when the tenuous hold on his restraint began to slip, but in the forest with the castle wall at their backs, the awning and blankets hiding them from prying eyes, and the rain pouring down around them keeping them tucked away from the elements, he had no protection from her breathy little moans, sweet little gasps, or the way her body writhed against him as she desperately fought for a sensation she barely understood. He fought to keep the lines between them, blurred though they were, always managing to cool both their bodies gently even as he was cursed at loudly by both his body and his heart.

It was a warm afternoon in their meadow at the bluffs when everything came to an end.

"Killian, did your brother mention anything about more ships coming into port today?" Emma sat at the edge of the bluffs, looking out over the water, while Killian lay on their blanket not far away, his eyes closed against the warmth of the sun.

"Not a word, love. As I recall there weren't any open berths in port anyhow, it would be a fool's errand to attempt docking where there is no berth."

"Then I suspect we're about to witness several fool's errands. There are more than a dozen ships pulling into the harbour." Her voice grew tense as she picked up Killian's looking glass and took a closer look at the inbound ships. "I don't recognize the flag they're sailing under."

The uncertainty in her tone brought Killian to his feet, moving to stand next to her on the overlook, squinting against the sun. "Bloody hell!" His entire body stiffened as he reached down and pulled the looking glass from her fingers, taking only a moment to check the flag before all the blood drained from his face. "You need to get back to the castle, love, now."

"Why? Who are they?"

Emma moved to begin packing up their afternoon picnic, but Killian pulled the blanket from her fingers and begin shoving her towards her horse. "They sail under the flag of King Alfred, Princess, enemy to my kingdom and therein your own as well. We need to see you safely to your castle walls, and I need to board the Jewel before hell breaks loose, and at the speed at which they're coming, I fear hell will be here before we can do either."

He whistled for their horse, lifting Emma off her feet and dumping her unceremoniously in the saddle as he climbed up immediately behind her, kicking the poor animal before he'd even found his seat, urging it into a hard gallop through the forest. They weren't half way to the castle when the first canon fired. The horse reared under them, but Killian's tight grip on the reins and even tighter grip on Emma kept them seated. The canon shots continued as they sped through the forest, the horse spooking at each explosion, the acrid smell of smoke beginning a slow, suffocating journey through the trees as the small town began to burn out of control. Killian could only spare the quickest of thoughts for his brother aboard the Jewel, likely taken by surprise as they could hear very little return fire against the invading masses. They reached the castle walls at the same time as the ships moved into a distance close enough that their long range canons began to fire. Dirt sprayed at them from all directions, newly fallen trees blocking their path as they struggled to make their way to the gates. Emma screamed in terror as a massive explosion rocked the wall in front of them, raining stone and mortar across their bodies, shards of it digging into Killian's back as he dropped the horse's reins and covered Emma with his own body. When the next explosion drove a chunk of a guard tower into the ground ten feet in front of them, Killian could no longer keep them on the terrified horse, choosing instead to slide off the animal as it reared, hitting the ground on his back, knocking the air completely out of his lungs but he'd successfully cushioned Emma's fall.

"We're not going to make it to the gates, lass," he grunted when his chest stopped protesting the air he desperately drew in. "Is there another way around the walls?"

"The tunnels, but they're old and unused... the explosions could have caved them in."

"We have no choice, love; I have to get you safely to your parents. You'll have your best chance with them."

"And you? What chance have you if you leave me behind these walls? Killian, the port has fallen; we've heard barely a moment of return fire. What odds are there that your ship still floats?"

Killian's hand tightened painfully around Emma's arm as he pulled her away from the gates, using the brush close to the walls for cover as they moved. "The Jewel is the fastest ship in the realm, and my brother the best captain in all the kingdoms. If there ever was a chance, the Jewel will have it."

"Killian..."

She heard his teeth snap together even as he shoved her roughly ahead of him, his voice ice cold as he spoke. "Find the tunnels, Princess. We must locate your family, so that I have a chance to go to mine."

Balls of flame flew through the air over them, disappearing behind the walls before Killian and Emma were blown backwards by the force of the explosions that came from within. The screams of the people who lived at the base of the castle rose as what was left of their homes began to burn out of control.

"Oh gods, my people!"

He couldn't stop her as she leapt to her feet, running without thought through the hole in the wall that appeared before them. He was moments behind her, calling her name over the screams of her people as they bled, burned and died around them in a scene more horrible than anything Killian had witnessed in his past. They ran past the archers that poured out of the castle and took their place along what remained of their walls. They ran past the soldiers that lined up behind the castle gate as if they knew it was only a matter of time before it would fall. They ran past the rubble that was once the east wall of the palace itself, the grey stone that had once protected Emma as she slept behind it now crushing the delicate gardens she'd helped her mother plant and tend.

For a single moment she stood helplessly amongst the ruin that was her home, turning in place, not knowing where to go. Tears poured down her face as the explosions continued around her, tearing her home away stone by stone, a sight that burned into her memory without mercy in the time it took Killian to turn her against his chest, smothering her screaming sobs against his hard muscle, sheltering her body with his own flesh as he dropped them to the ground and curled her beneath him.

"This is no ordinary attack. No weapon created could get this far inland. No weapon." He continued to mutter to himself as he ignored the searing pain that bloomed out between his shoulder blades, perhaps a bit of stone, perhaps a bit of glass, perhaps a bit of the dripping, flaming essence that fell from the canon balls that should never have flown so far. "Magic. It has to be magic."

With Killian sheltering her, some measure of sense returned to Emma, and she opened her eyes to meet the tortured gaze of his blues. "Regina?" The name of her mother's well known nemesis slipped past her lips, her voice trembling with bone deep terror.

Killian stared down at her helplessly, pain, confusion, duty, horror all conflicting in his eyes. "I can't say for sure, lass. I'd not heard of Alfred signing allegiance with anyone before I left my own kingdom, but then I've not known him to use magic to win his battles either. None of this makes any bloody sense!"

When the explosions paused around them, Killian pulled her to her feet and made a mad run for the castle, pushing past the king's soldiers as he dragged Emma into her home. "This is your home, Emma, you have to tell me where to go!"

"War room. They'll be in the war room."

He followed her down the winding corridors of the castle, down several deep stairwells until they were met with the sound of clanging armour. They rounded the final corner, coming face to face with a dozen men as they were leaving a large chamber protected by thick oak doors.

"Thank the gods," Killian muttered, pulling Emma through the soldiers and into the war room, coming immediately face to face with King David himself.

"Emma!" the queen cried upon the sight of her, rushing across the room to take her daughter in her arms.

Killian couldn't fault the princess when she immediately dissolved into tears, wrapped in the warm embrace of her mother. He did, however, startle embarrassingly hard when the King's hand came down on his shoulder.

"Thank you," David spoke quietly, his lips drawn tightly together, but relief and gratitude were plainly written in his expressive eyes.

Killian inclined his head in a bow, both of respect and acceptance. "Your majesties, if you'll forgive me, now that the princess is safe with you, I must return to my ship. If the Jewel still floats, my place is aboard her with my crew."

He didn't miss the look that passed between Emma's parents as yet another blast rocked the castle over their heads. Snow passed Emma into David's embrace before approaching Killian slowly. "Lieutenant Jones."

"Aye, Majesty." Killian inclined his head once again.

"We appreciate that you've brought our daughter to us thinking she'd be safe within the castle walls, but I think we both know that there is more at work here than a simple bombing by an enemy fleet."

Killian could do nothing but nod in agreement. "The canons are firing too far inland. There's magic at play here."

Snow nodded, her eyes sad. "Are you aware of the story of this kingdom, Lieutenant? The story David and I wrote for ourselves?"

"Aye, Highness. Together you ended the reign of the Evil Queen Regina and protected your kingdom from her murderous wrath."

"Perhaps ended is too strong a word; delayed is somewhat more accurate, I'm afraid."

"M'lady?"

Snow offered him a small smile, even as the castle rocked around them with impossible force. "We ended her reign, yes, but not Regina herself. We've long suspected that she's spent the last years building back her power quietly through allegiances and favours. David and I have made many enemies in our time, most in the early days of our reign; we can assume that those would be easy allies for Regina to make. If even a fraction of our mistakes are allied and about to return, Lieutenant, this castle will fall, of that we have no doubt."

Killian dropped to his knee before the queen, bowing his head low. "My services are yours, of course, highness. I have no intention of abandoning this kingdom nor my sworn allegiance to you, I mean only to return to my ship where I have my best chance at fighting off this threat to you."

"Of course, Lieutenant, I never thought for a moment otherwise." Snow smiled down at him reassuringly, worlds of knowledge and understanding flowing through her gentle gaze. "What I've meant to say is that our walls are compromised. Should the castle fall, the enemies we've made will descend upon us and my daughter will no longer be safe with us." She paused a moment to let the honesty and horror of her words sink in. "Before you arrived, when our daughter was with you rather than here with us, my husband asked why I had no fear of her safety. I'm afraid I owe my daughter an apology as I betrayed her confidence in that I told David of her friendship with you, sir." A knowing smile crept across her face as Killian's eyes darted nervously to the king. "I told him that she was safe in the protection of a good man, a man that I hoped would see to her safety before all else. Was I wrong in that hope, Lieutenant?"

Killian's eyes snapped back to hers, a cold blue showing a firm resolve. "Of course not, m'lady. I chose the princess's well being above my duty to my ship, my captain, my brother."

"Which is why you'll take her with you now."

"Mother?"

"M'lady?"

"Snow?"

Three voices rose in unison, three pairs of confused eyes turning to the queen as she met them all with her chin held high, her voice firm with command. "I do not want my daughter in the midst of a magic wielding battle. David, this castle will fall if Regina is on one of those ships. Emma, I love you dearly, but your best chance is away from here, away from us if the worst has come to pass. As I have always done and I will always do, I choose you above everything in this life. Lieutenant Jones, I've watched you with my daughter for weeks."

Emma had the good grace to blush deeply, her green eyes wide and horrified as her jaw dropped and her head began to shake, her lips moving soundlessly to words that refused to escape.

Killian bowed his head, his eyes on the stone floor beneath his knee as he waited silently for whatever the queen had to say.

"I've seen you care for her, Lieutenant, the way no other man would, I'm sure. She's made it hard for you," the queen's eyes flicked fondly to her daughter, who blushed even deeper and looked immediately away, "And yet you gentle her without complaint. You look at her as if she is your entire world, the way a simple shepherd once looked at me."

"Always will," the King spoke softly, inclining his head towards his wife.

"I don't want to send my daughter away, Lieutenant," the Queen murmured, her steady voice filled with the raw grief the thought drove into her heart, but still a sense of calm radiated from her. "But away from here she'll be safe in the days to come."

"Mama," Emma whispered, fresh tears filling her green eyes as she moved into her mother's warm arms. "I'll be safe with you."

"No, baby, you won't. Regina will stop at nothing to destroy my happiness as I once did hers, and you, you're my happiness, my little love. I won't allow her to destroy you. This is a chapter of our lives that your father and I have to close without you, but when it's all over, we'll find you again. We'll always find you, Emma."

"What if you don't?"

David stepped forward to wrap his arms around his wife and daughter, closing his eyes tightly. "It's what our family does, Emma, we always find each other." He paused a moment to collect himself before turning to face Killian who remained propped on one knee, his head bowed. "You'll take her through the tunnels and out the west end of the palace. There is a dried river bed that cuts through the forest to the horse pastures just outside of the port. The river bed is almost six feet deep and darkness is beginning to fall. If you stay low and stay quiet, you should be able to get to town undetected."

"Understood, m'lord."

"If your ship is gone..."

"She'll not leave without me, Highness. My brother is captain, he'll not leave me behind."

"And if she's sunk?"

"Sinking the Jewel would be a proper travesty no matter which side of the war you're on. Fastest ship in the Realm. Pride of the King's navy. No, they'll take her but not sink her, I'd stake my life on it."

"And my daughter's life? Will you stake that as well?"

Instantly defeated, Killian returned his gaze to the stone floor. "Not for a bloody second, m'lord."

Snow reached out a hand, dropping a small satchel into Killian's fingers. "It's a magic bean. If you've no way out of port, if there is absolutely no other way to take my daughter away from this, think of someplace far away, toss this to the ground and take her through the portal that opens."

"Mama, please!"

Snow shook her head, reaching out a hand to pull Killian to his feet. "Take care of my baby girl, Lieutenant Jones."

"I swear on my life and my reputation as a Lieutenant in the King's Navy that no harm will come to her."

Snow smiled. "And what about the man who holds her heart? What does he swear?"

"To cradle it as gently as she cradles my own, m'lady."

With a final bow, Killian turned away from the royal family and waited at the door to the secret passage that would lead them out of the trembling castle. He listened to the words of love that passed between the members of the small family, the promises to be reunited, the soft cries that escaped both women as they embraced a final time before time slipped through their fingers and the bombardment of the castle began anew.

"Emma, love, we have to go."

David walked Emma to Killian's side, catching the sailor's eye with a firm, pained gaze.

Save her. Protect her. Love her.

Killian could feel the embrace of Emma's family expanding to include him. For a moment he belonged to something a few months prior he could only have dreamed. Then the door shut behind them and he and Emma were left alone in the dark.

"You'll see them again, Princess," Killian whispered into the darkness, a promise he had no way to keep, and no intention of breaking.

The world rocked around them as the castle took a direct hit; dust filled the air, pebbles rained over them, and they were left no choice but to push forward, their only guide Killian's hand against the cold stone of the tunnel walls.

The sound of her soft cries in the darkness broke pieces off Killian's soul. He'd trade anything to turn back time and take this all away from her. Two days ago they'd been happy. Today, they were writing a chapter of their lives born from sadness and destruction. Killian almost didn't want to know what was waiting for them next, but the thought that nothing could be worse than tearing Emma from her family kept him pushing forward. The sooner they turned the page on this day, the better..

~~~TBC~~~

Remember, much like magic, all muses come with a price. My muse's price is that little box down below. Please don't make her chase you for payment, it's such a bloody awful waste of her time, wouldn't you agree?