Their second day of traveling began early once again, the group waking up to the fog of the morning. Emma stayed close to Killian's side, although he wasn't sure if it was more about seeking warmth or comfort. She still seemed more withdrawn than usual, barely engaging in conversation with him let alone anyone else. He slid across the seat in the carriage to give her space but she wordlessly cuddled up beside him, moving his arm around her and nestling herself against his chest.
They stayed in their embrace as they looked out the window at the trees and villages they passed. Killian smiled at the children that ran alongside the royal carriage in the villages, waving at them as they called out for Princess Emma.
He sometimes forgot she was a princess. He was almost always aware of the difference in their status, but he forgot about everything else that came with her title. Emma's story was famous, probably the tale that parents told their children at night, about how the princess was captured for 15 years by the Evil Queen but was miraculously reunited with her parents and has grown to become a beautiful woman.
Emma smiled and waved, laughing a little when a boy threw roses at the carriage.
'The last time people from this village saw me was when I was a child, and all these children weren't even alive back then. I suppose it's because my parents are kind rulers that they care so much.' Emma murmured, leaning closer towards the window.
Killian watched her wave at the children, admiring her smile as she looked out at all the little faces searching for a glimpse of her. They soon reached the edge of the village and the people disappeared, replaced by trees once again. Emma lingered at the window for a moment before sitting back beside him with a sigh.
'It's strange to be heading back to the place I desperately wanted to get away from for so many years.' She mused, her finger tracing over the edge of his hook gently.
'But this time you know that you will return.' Killian told her, but it was also to reassure himself. They hadn't discussed what would happen if their plan didn't work. Perhaps they should have a secondary plan or exit strategy or some agreement of what to do, but neither of them wanted to bring up the possibility of anything going wrong. She nodded, but it was apparent that his words did not comfort her.
'We're still 3 hours away from Regina's castle, but we have made good time, less than I thought.' The guard named Rufus told them when they had stopped for rest and water. It was the early hours of their third day of traveling, and Emma was completely done with the journey. The panic inside of her had only grown as they got closer to their destination, not to mention the lack of physical comfort she was experiencing.
She knew she was not the only one uncomfortable, with the guards facing the cold and the ache from riding the horses for such a long time, but her muscles were cramping up from being in the small space for so long.
Killian was also not helping the situation. Her mood had fluctuated frequently for most of the trip, and right now she was irritable and prickly. Although it wasn't his fault, he was the one that she took it out on. She had barely spoken to him in the past few hours and she turned away when he moved to kiss her. She saw the hurt in his eyes and she wish she could explain but she wasn't sure she could understand it herself. He remained supportive the whole time however and she was grateful.
'Regina will be hiding underground, if the Dark One hasn't gotten to her already that is.' Emma said quietly, and Killian frowned.
'What do you mean?' He asked, sounding slightly cautious and she flinched with guilt.
'She has an underground cellar near the entrance to the castle. Graham said that she wanted a hideout that was so obvious no one would look for it. She hid me in there a few times when our guards stormed the castle to rescue me. She made it look like she had abandoned the place and taken me elsewhere so that they wouldn't come after us.' Emma explained, realizing she had probably said more in the last minute than the last two days combined. Killian's jaw clenched as he nodded and turned back to the carriage, but she caught his arm to pull him back.
'Killian, if you happen to find her when we get there, please don't kill her.' She whispered, and she saw the shock in his face at her request.
'My parents deserve to decide her punishment.' Emma continued, and Killian's expression softened into understanding.
'And I don't want you to have more blood on your hands because of me.' She hadn't planned to say the final part out loud, but it came out anyway.
'Emma, I would do whatever it takes to protect you.' He replied, and she looked him straight in the eye.
'I know, that's what scares me.' She didn't wait to see his reaction, instead she just continued towards the carriage and climbed inside, looking away when he followed her in a few minutes later. Her fingers absentmindedly made their way to the piece of jewellery that hung around her neck, holding onto the sun shaped charm that had belonged to Killian's mother hundreds of years ago.
Emma was in a world of her own when the carriage stopped again, and she frowned when she saw the thick trees outside instead of the path to Regina's castle.
'I told them to stop before we reached the castle, so that our arrival is less conspicuous.' Killian explained, and she turned to look at him, noticing the dark bags under his eyes and his weary expression.
'Good idea.' She said, giving him the smallest of smiles. He scratched his ear and she couldn't shake the feeling that their relationship felt like the beginning again, when neither of them were exactly sure how to react to each other.
They all gathered in front of the carriages, stretching out their legs and yawning. Grace was the only one who looked well rested, but Emma suspected that was something to do with magic and not a reflection of how much rest she had actually gotten in the past three days.
The riders stayed with the horses while the guards accompanied Emma, Killian and Grace to the castle. They set off into the trees, hoping the woods would give them some cover in case the road was being monitored. Emma could see Killian out the corner of her eye, opening his mouth to say something before closing it. Part of her wished he would just come out with whatever it was he wanted to say, but another part of her was glad he didn't say anything.
'We will head to the underground hideout first, if there is any sign of Regina or the Dark One, we will probably find it there.' Rufus said quietly, and Emma nodded before clenching her jaw. This was truly the last place she wanted to be.
They reached the edge of the woods quickly and Emma moved to the front of the group to show them the hidden entrance. It was so well hidden that even she had trouble locating it at first, although she had been 10 when she first saw it. The guards opened the wooden hatch and entered first, giving them a nod to follow soon after. Grace went first, then Emma and Killian last. He closed the hatch behind him, leaving the small tunnel in darkness, until Grace created a ball of light in her hands.
The guards gasped, clearly unaware of the fact that Grace had magic. Grace rolled her eyes but Emma found it less comical, which Killian could clearly sense. He stood close behind her, almost wrapping himself around her as only a few inches separated them. Emma was grateful for the comfort his body heat provided, and the reassurance he gave her when his hand grazed hers.
They continued down the tunnel as quietly as possible, heading towards the faint glow ahead of them that seemed to be candle light. They were about ten paces away from rounding the corner of the tunnel when they heard voices. Rufus held out his hand to stop them, holding his finger up to his lips to keep them quiet.
'Tell me, did you even feel anything when you did it? Did you feel any remorse as you crushed his heart and ended his life?' A voice said harshly, and Emma's stomach dropped when she recognized it immediately. The Dark One really was here.
'Don't act all high and mighty Rumple, you've killed plenty of people without a second thought, your own wife for example.' The voice of Regina followed, although she sounded slightly strained. Emma's stomach flipped again at the sound of her kidnapper, but she felt Killian tense behind her at the mention of Rumple's wife, his lover.
'Ah yes, but the only person that wanted to punish me for that is dead as well. I on the other hand am very much alive, and have a strong desire to see you punished for what you did to my son.' The Dark One snarled, and Emma reflexively reached back to grab Killian's hand. He squeezed back and she swallowed, her throat feeling swollen and uncomfortable.
'The only reason I killed your son was because I wanted the magic of that little royal brat. Now you have it, his death was completely unnecessary. Your son died for nothing.' Regina snarled, and Emma frowned. Why was Regina provoking Rumplestiltskin, did she want to die? Her words were met with silence, and it seemed the Dark One was equally puzzled by her goading.
'Jackson and I will go in first to restrain Regina, then Grace you can follow in with your magic to control the Dark One. Emma, Killian, you two follow up and do what you need to do. We will try to do this as quickly as possible.' Rufus whispered, and they all nodded in agreement. Emma felt her stomach churn with sickness and dread. Her palms were sweating and her mouth was dry. There was no turning back now.
Rufus and Jackson slowly moved forward, their hands ready to draw their swords. Emma watched on nervously before feeling a tug on her arm. The coldness of the hook reached her skin through her cloak and she shivered.
'Emma, I-'
'I know.' She whispered, stopping him from saying anything else. This would not be their last time to exchange those words.
Suddenly there were noises ahead and the guards were around the corner and everything happened in a blur. She heard yelling and saw flashes of magic and Grace went around the corner. Instinct took over and she moved, following the commotion. She turned around the corner to see Regina strapped to a table, the guards standing over her already.
Grace had the Dark One immobilized, a frozen expression of shock on his face. Emma could barely take it all in but she knew she had to act fast. She placed her hand over his chest like Grace instructed and immediately felt the itch of magic travel through her arm. The itch turned to warmth as a white light emanated from Rumple's heart and up her arm before finally reaching her own heart.
The sensation was incredibly odd. It was different but not unlike the first time she had performed magic, although this time felt strangely more comfortable, as if the magic had a mind of its own and knew it was returning to its rightful owner. She felt her eyes close at the force, feeling it rush across her skin and into her chest. The sensation stopped abruptly, making her buckle at the knees and fall to the ground.
There was noise around her, voices and movement, but all of it faded away, the white light turning to darkness as she lost consciousness.
A/N: Sorry for the slightly annoying cliffhanger ending, I actually didn't intend to finish the chapter this way but then I wrote the beginning of the next bit and I changed it. Anyway, thanks to anyone reading this story! I'm hoping to update more regularly as I'm getting closer to the end of the story now :)