Chapter 22: Daring to Hope

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It's been exactly two weeks since the coronation. Time is running short for Emma and Killian and they both know it. Emma is given a royal agenda each day of tasks laid out for her by the council and once complete, she searches for loopholes in the law concerning her marriage. She finds a sense of joy and satisfaction in this work, as it feels more like her life before the Dark One did his best to destroy it, when her parents were still alive and training her to rule the kingdom one day.

But these days, Emma finds herself spending less time sneaking off to the library to look for answers and more time sneaking off to be with her favorite pirate-turned-Protector of the Realm.

At the moment, she has him pressed against a wall in a stairwell. She's supposed to be heading down to dinner with Arthur, who returned from Camelot only a few days ago. But at the moment, she's far too preoccupied with how good it feels when the stubble along his jaw brushes her skin, breathing in the scent of rum and salt and leather she can only describe as utterly Killian.

"Emma," Killian pleads. She hums in reply as she peppers kisses along his throat. "Don't you think this is tempting fate?"

"Not at all," She answers, grinning as she tugs his collar open a bit more to nip playfully at his firm shoulder. The sound he makes in reply is almost a growl. She giggles. He kisses her, sweeping her up in his arms and turning to press her against the wall. She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, drawing him closer as she deepens the kiss.

"This is hardly discreet, love," he reminds her, breaking the kiss for a moment to look in her bright green eyes. "Might I remind you that you are supposed to be engaged to the man waiting for you in the dining room just at the bottom of these stairs."

"Might I remind you that I'm supposed to be married already to the man right here between my legs," She grins, drawing him closer. He smiles widely and kisses her hungrily, sliding his hand and hook along her thighs, the skirts of her dress sliding too easily out of his way, making them both shudder.

"Emma," He breathes her name like a prayer, pressing his forehead to hers. It's hard to think straight when he's kissing her like this, smelling like that, speaking her name, telling her to be wise, when his touch makes her want to abandon all sense and reason.

"I love you," She says, grabbing the lapels of his vest and pulling him closer. He grins and kisses her. She grins because she knows he loves her too.

Too soon for her liking, he breaks the kiss, each of them panting for air. He rests his hand on her cheek. She opens her eyes and finds his crystal blues locked on hers, all sense of teasing and chiding is gone and she pays very close attention. She knows when he looks at her like that, she wants to hear what he's going to say next.

"Run away with me, Swan," He says, without a trace of sarcasm. She laughs, though she knows he isn't really kidding.

"And abandon my people? This kingdom, this crown we fought so hard to win?"

"Yes," He replies, unabashedly.

"Very well, Captain. Where shall we go? To the moon? The stars?" She teases, kissing his cheek, his jaw, his neck, sliding her hands down his chest. He lets out a puff of air and sets her down on the stairs again.

She still thinks he's joking. Reason tells him that's a good thing, he's crazy for asking, for even considering any plan ever proposed by the Evil Queen. His heart tells him there's a magic bean in his pocket and she needs to understand all her options.

"Emma, love, listen," He pleads, removing her hands from his torso. She can hear the desperation in his voice and it nearly breaks her.

Because she can't listen to this. Not really. She can't bear the thought of hurting him. And neither can she abandon her people. And he knows.

She lifts her eyes to meet his anyway and wills herself to try.

"What if we could?"

"You know we can't-" She begins, sighing.

"But what if we could?" He presses, cradling her face with his hand and the curved edge of his hook. She shudders, closing her eyes, the cold steel on her warm skin always feels so intimate. He wets his lips and tries again to force himself to speak the words he can't bring himself to say out loud. He starts with what he can say and hopes by the end, he'll be able to ask for what he really wants, even if he knows he shouldn't. "Emma, I love you. I want you to be my wife. Not his." She feels the tears building, choking her, threatening to fall.

"Killian..." it's all she can manage. She feels her voice cracking under the weight of this pain.

"I know you can't abandon your people," He finishes, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "Especially not to Regina." Emma nods, swallowing hard, trying to regain her composure. Killian sees a stray tear roll down her cheek and brushes it away with his thumb. "What if there was a way that we could leave and take the people with us? What if we could start over and build a new kingdom in a new land?" Emma laughed.

"Killian-"

"Or what if there was a way we could make Arthur go away forever? Not to kill him, but just make him leave?" She laughed again and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her forehead against his and kissing his lips. He was losing her again. He spoke faster, lifting her chin to meet his eyes. "And then he'd be gone and there would be no other eligible suitors and we could finally be together, Emma, listen!" His words lacked none of their urgency, but had lost their conviction.

"I wish all those things were true," Emma replied, taking his face in both her hands, kissing his cheeks, his forehead, his lips. "If there was some way I could rebuild my kingdom and save my people and run away with you on the Jolly Roger and take them with us to a new land and Arthur would be gone but not dead and the law would allow it and every beautiful dream we have could really come true, I would do it in a heartbeat." She placed a long, lingering kiss on his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing every inch of her body to his. "I love you, Killian Jones. And in every way that matters, I am yours and you are mine. I am not giving up on us. Not now, not ever."

"I love you, Swan," He said, kissing her once more, "I'm not giving up either."

"Good. We'll find a way." She promised, smiling at him as she hurried away to meet Arthur for dinner.

Killian watched her as she went, drawing the magic bean from his pocket and rolling it in his fingers.

"I think I already have," He confessed aloud to the empty stairwell, wishing he'd been brave or foolish enough to say it to Emma instead.

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Emma is late. Arthur has been waiting at a very grand and elaborately spread table in the great hall for the last thirty minutes.

In other circumstances, he might be offended. But thanks to the small, ornately framed enchanted mirror in his hand and the scene he'd just watched unfold before him between the Queen and the Lord Protector of the Realm, he was instead feeling equal parts pleased and intrigued by the reason for her tardiness.

He quickly tucked the thing away in his satchel as he heard the sound of the heavy door from the stairwell opening. He stood up to greet the queen with a warm and genuine smile on his lips.

"Forgive me, your grace. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting," Emma said as she quickly crossed the room to meet him, bobbing in a low curtsy. He bowed in reply and found it strangely amusing to know the reason she looked so flushed had nothing to do with him.

What a treasure this magic mirror is proving itself to be! He wondered if things might have been different with Guinevere and Lancelot if he'd had such an item in his possession back then.

"Not at all, my lady," He replied, "I entertained myself well enough."

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The knights of Camelot had made camp on the castle grounds facing the eastern forest. The people of the realm and any servants and soldiers Emma could spare had been working hard to restore the kingdom to its former glory, but the guest rooms had largely been left untouched in the days following the siege, as the Queen and her council found it best to focus the bulk of their resources on helping the farmers and villagers who'd suffered the most at the hands of the Dark One and his ruthless mercenaries.

Though Arthur himself had been offered one of the best suites in the palace and all manner of courtly niceties had been observed, he'd been most insistent that he wouldn't dream of spending the night in the castle when his knights were camping outside. Emma, afraid that perhaps she'd neglected her duties to ensure the comfort of all her guests, promised she'd have the servants work to prepare enough rooms for all his knights within a few days' time. But Arthur had taken her by the hand and reassured her that she'd done the right thing by focusing on her people first, especially the less fortunate, and that he and his knights were perfectly content to camp together on the castle grounds and explore the famously beautiful Enchanted Forest at their leisure.

In truth, the distance left Arthur free to plot his next move without fear of being overheard by palace guards or anyone more loyal to Emma than himself.

Safe inside his spacious tent in the center of the camp, Arthur took a break from his plotting to read correspondence from his most trusted knight Sir Leon, who'd been looking after Camelot in his absence. He was startled by the sound of a woman's voice coming from just inside the entryway.

"Your Majesty, forgive my intrusion. My name is Captain Mulan. I've long heard of the famous Knights of Camelot, I couldn't pass up the chance to see for myself. I'm a skilled soldier and I've come to offer my sword in your service."

Arthur rose from his makeshift desk and bowed in greeting to this fierce and beautiful stranger who'd somehow managed to sneak into his camp undetected.

"Your skills must be great indeed if you managed to bypass my knights," He conceded, gesturing for her to join him at a small table on the other side of the pavilion which was laid with a tray of snacks, some wine, and a pitcher of water. She bowed and thanked him.

"I confess I did find them a bit more at ease than I expected," She said a little sheepishly. He laughed and offered her a glass of wine. She politely declined, but accepted the water instead.

"Yes, well, peace time will tempt even the most vigilant knights into more restful pursuits."

"Not me, sir," She replied, very solemn. "In my opinion, it's a soldier's duty to be watchful at all times. Or so I was taught when I was a soldier in the Imperial Army,"

"Indeed?" Arthur replied, raising an eyebrow as he took a sip of wine from his own goblet, "There may be a place for such a knight at my table. If she were proven loyal, that is."

Mulan dropped to her knees before the king, removed her sword, and laid it at his feet.

"Your majesty, please. Give me a quest to prove my loyalty to you. There's no greater honor than a life spent in service of a truly noble ruler."

Arthur nodded solemnly to conceal the wicked grin that threatened to cross his lips. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me, do you know the man they call Lord Protector of the Realm?"

"Indeed I do, sire," She replied, a look of disgust flickering across her face.

"You don't approve of him?" She lowered her eyes at that.

"It's not my place."

"Please," Arthur said, sitting back and gesturing for her to join him at the table once more. "By all means, speak freely."

"He's a pirate, sir. No matter what titles they give him," Mulan responded, taking her seat again. "And he's far too close to the Queen."

"Oh?" Arthur inquired, feigning ignorance. Mulan hesitated. She remembered too well what had happened in DunBroch when she'd spoken out of turn to another ruler about Princess Emma and the fiendish Captain Hook. She took a bite of bread to buy herself some time to think before responding again. The King nodded, seeing he would get no more from her on the subject. In truth, he'd seen enough with his own eyes to tell him as much as he needed to know. "Well, I happen to agree with you, Captain. I've heard the same from others and I confess, I'm not pleased about his proximity to my bride-to-be."

Mulan watched the king with bated breath, saying no more for fear of her own foolish vendetta clouding her judgement and ruining another chance to serve in the army of a conquering ruler of great renown.

"Very well," said Arthur, rising from his seat. Mulan scrambled to her feet as well. "I may have a quest for you after all. A true test of skill and loyalty, to myself, the realm, and her majesty the Queen."

"I am ready," She replied, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She'd spent years searching for a chance to find a place like this, and now her time had finally come.

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A/N: I really hate to end it there, but I don't like my chapters going much over 2,000 words and the next piece I have mapped out needs space than I'm willing to give it here. I got a message from an anonymous user asking how many chapters were left, and I'd say about three chapters left if I stay true to my outline, which I generally do. What do you think, friends? What will Emma choose? What task might Arthur have in mind for Mulan to prove herself? And will she take the bait or be smart enough to learn from her mistakes?