Chapter 17: Once Upon A Time
He really should have seen it coming. Why because he swore the woman was a bloody mind reader. That eerily accurate perception of hers definitely made it difficult to get the drop on her and when she spoke, he was the one to be startled.
"Hello, Killian." She said softly.
He sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her, momentarily forgetting that he was still wearing his hook. He thought for sure that she would be angry with him...just leaving her all alone in the middle of the woods while she slept...but instead she just leaned back into his chest, allowing him to fully embrace her.
"I'm…" he started only to stop.
What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to apologize? Was he supposed to tell her about what happened at the encampment not long ago? How was he supposed to tell her that he simply stood there and let Kora crush their friend's heart? Just how much did she know of him and his involvement with Kora?
"She has the ashes now which means that she needs the compass next. We'll head out to get it once Emma and the others come back." She commented blindsiding him.
"How?" He questioned.
How did she know? About the ashes? About the compass? Was she some kind of seeress? He didn't understand but apparently she was reading his mind again...because she answered all his questions.
"You're wondering how I know, right?" She asked and he nodded, "I'll tell you though you'll probably not believe me. Nobody has thus far."
"I'll believe anything you tell me, love. Why...because you've been nothing but honest with me. You're unable to lie convincingly enough so you just go with blunt honesty and hope for the best." He commented trying to forget what happened to the girl he had saved so long ago, only for her to be killed.
"I can lie...but only if my eyes are hidden or covered. I know how expressive my eyes are." She stated quietly, snuggling into him, "Would you really believe me, Killian?"
He looked down at her and he could see just how vulnerable she was. She wasn't even looking at him and he could tell that she was genuinely frightened. She didn't want to lose him or for him to treat her the same way the blonde and brunette did.
"Yes, love. You could tell me the sky was orange and the grass was red and I would believe you...because you see the world differently. Who am I to argue?" He answered using a lighter tone to put her at ease and to calm himself.
"Even if I said that i came from a world where all of this; you, Kora, Emma and all the others...were nothing more than characters in a story? That the events that have happened and are happening...is the plotline for an episodic series of stories called Once Upon A Time?" She questioned her eyes squeezed shut as she turned to hide her face against his chest.
That...actually made a lot of sense. It would explain how she knew things that only others had been privy to, how she knew him and the kind of person he was, and it explained why those two women said such terrible things about her.
"I can't imagine how heavy that burden is...to know a possible future...to try and help, only for you to be shunned and treated like the enemy...to carry that knowledge all on your own." He began using his uncovered hand to rub her arm in a soothing manner.
Her head popped up to look at him and she was crying, tears steadily flowing down her cheeks. Her eyes filled with shock, disbelief...and hope. He smiled softly at her, letting his eyes convey his sincerity.
"Please don't look at me like that." She pleaded.
"Why?" He asked wondering what was wrong.
"I have very differing opinions of certain individuals in direct relation to your life and I know things...very personal things about you." She explained her body starting to tremble and her tears falling harder.
He removed his hand from the mount so that he could use both hands to wipe away her tears. He wanted to reassure her that no matter what happens that he would always listen and that he would always believe because if he didn't...then who would?
"So tell me and I will listen." He stated firmly.
"You'll get mad at me." She replied looking more scared than before.
"You need to tell me, love. I don't want any secrets between us...except for the whole future plotline thing. By all means, keep me in the dark. Ignorance is bliss and all that." He countered eliciting a watery chuckle from his star.
His mind pulled up the image of the muddy little girl followed by the woman that she had become...the life fading from her eyes. He was a bloody hypocrit.
"I supposed I should start off with something easy...like the original name of the Jolly Roger was The Jewel of the Realm." She started and he nodded, "You had a brother named Liam and he was the captain of the ship before…"
She cut off, her body going rigid...staring at him like a bird caught in the gaze of a snake. Was she terrified of everything she knew or was she terrified of how he'll react? Probably both.
"Before he died of dreamshade poisoning. It's alright, love. I'm sturdier than you give me credit for. Just speak your mind. I will listen...because no else will. Plus...i want to know what you're thinking...for instance, can you read minds?" He replied earning a snort of amusement at his question.
"I would say it was obvious but the truth is… I've been through this so many times...especially in the last couple of days. It's not hard to guess." She said her expression shifting to intense loneliness.
He tilted her chin up, causing her to become confused and he kissed her. He kept it as gentle as he could, showing some great restraint on his part. One kiss and he was ready to ravish her again, wanting to make them both forget about everything else. When he backed away, she had a smile on her face...it was small but her eyes said it all...hope and a whole lot of it. She took the kiss as a sign to keep going.
"You and your brother were sent on a mission to retrieve a mystical plant that was supposed to have miraculous healing properties, but was actually one of the deadliest poisons in creation and can only be cured by drinking from a spring in Neverland.
However, if that person leaves Neverland then the curing effect of the water is neutralized and the dreamshade kills them within minutes. That's what happened to Liam...he believed so much that he tried it on himself...and that son of a bitch, Peter Pan, neglected to mention the cost of the water...bastard...in more than one way." She rattled off stunning him with how accurate she was.
He tried to not let it show, but he was feeling a bit sensitive at the moment, his heart already in chaos, so he decided to pursue the obvious segway...for his own sanity.
"More than one way?" He echoed hoping she didn't hear the slight shift in the pitch of his voice.
"This is where shit gets fucked up and badly too. I'm gonna try to get through it as quickly as possible and do not lose your temper!" She ordered giving him a stern look and he simply nodded, "keep all questions, comments, and outbursts for after, okay...otherwise This will take forever. Okay, here we go.
Peter Pan is the father of Rumplestiltskin. His mother is the Black Fairy and when he was born, she used the Shears of Destiny to cut away Rumple's destiny and that destiny was to be the Savior."
He opened his mouth to say something, his brain going berserk after a single paragraph but she placed her hand over his mouth.
"Seriously...let me finish because if I don't get this all out now...im not going to." She requested and after a moment he nodded though he really wanted to ask questions,
"Rumple's mother is the creator of the Dark Curse, the very same curse that created Storybrooke. She is the reason why there has been so much pain, so much suffering and all because she had cut away her son's purpose in life. Without his destiny to guide him, he was left at the mercy of fate...which was not kind."
The longer she talked, the more pieces that fell into place. Honestly, everything she was saying...it made it all so clear. He was shocked however with how passionately she defended Rumple, explaining just how devastating it was for him to lose his destiny, his mother, his godmother, his father, then his wife, then his son, then the woman that befriended him, Belle.
She explained Rumple's primary motivation for everything he did, both good and evil...and all for his son, Baelfire. Rumple loved his son so much that he broke his own leg, endured the hatred of his wife, the brutality of the village...it was why he didn't fight back when the captain had challenged him to a duel with Milah as the prize.
Rumple could not allow his son to lose both of his parents, and so he became the ultimate coward...and all for his son. He became the Dark One out of fear of losing his son. She explained what the Dark One truly was and the constant struggle Rumple endured every moment just to stay in control of his own body.
Killian Jones had opened the flood gates and his ginger goddess was making his head spin with all the knowledge contained within her mind, but he was about to discover that things were not as they should be. The question is why?