A/N: So we're at chapter three already. I am currently at ch 9 all in all and have no real clue how many chapters it will end up with. I will hopefully know before I run out of chapters to post. My plan is to wrap up my HOOK fic and this one in the next month or so.
As always I'm grateful for the help my amazing beta reader is with this. Thanks, Ultraluckycatnd.
Enjoy.
Chapter 3Killian had enjoyed the food Emma had served him, the fruit here seemed far richer in flavor than where he came from. Neverland and Camelot had never been famed for their produce. The past 30 years of his life had been an endless hunt for answers to how he could activate the Olympian Crystal, which was now in the Dark One's possession. That alone could never be a good omen. He had never been able to activate the crystal so he could get rid of the darkness within him. When the Dark One finally caught up to him the day prior, he had fought along with his men, trying to defend their ship and avoid having the Dark One getting his hands on the crystal. When he realized they had been outnumbered, it had come to a parley of sorts between the two men. The Dark One demanded he give over the crystal, and Killian had clutched it in his hand, a fact he now regretted with all his heart as the Dark One had taken what he wanted, including Killian's hand. The memory alone had his wrist shot stabs of pain up his arm.
Killian was pulled out of his reveries when the door pushed open and the lady Ruby stepped inside, carrying a stack of sheets and what looked like clothes.
"Did you have a nice meal?" she asked and dropped the pile on the chair close to the bed.
"Aye." He shifted in his seat, then winched as a sharp flash of pain shot up through his arm.
"Arm still hurting?"
"Aye, but not as much as it would have been if you had not found me. I owe you and Princess Emma my life." He bowed his head and smoothed over the silken fabric of the sheet currently covering his lower body. It had been far too awkward when he'd needed help relieving himself earlier. And how had a princess even considered doing such a thing? He would have imagined a palace like this would have servants for such tasks. Thinking about Emma made him smile, the beauty of the princess was beyond any woman he'd ever encountered. Her blond hair was almost silver blond, her green eyes were deep as forest lakes, and her smile was bright and compassionate. He was sure that she was a well-loved and respected royal here in Misthaven.
"Well our princess is kind at heart, she won't let anyone suffer, no matter what race or species." Ruby nodded to the bed. "Do you think you could stand on your feet? I need to change the linen on the bed."
"I'll give it a go." He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pressing down with his good hand as he found his balance. Taking a deep breath he rose to his feet, still holding on to the bed and very mindful to not move his injured arm.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Aye." He took a small step to the side, still resting his hand on the high bed. He walked to the end of the bed and nodded. "I'm good, carry on." He took a few steps towards the large windows that had almost see-through curtains. He reached out and pulled them away and gazed out while using the window sill for support.
Killian leaned against the pillar between the two windows and tried to tug his breeches up, as they seemed to have slipped low on his hip. It was a fruitless attempt, so he only hoped the garment would stay up so the lady Ruby would not get an eyeful of his backside. Grinning to himself, he imagined if it was Emma who was in the room with him; would it shock the elven princess to see a naked man? He'd seen how her green eyes had raked over his naked torso while she'd helped wash off the grime and blood. She might be elven, but her eyes showed the same twinkle of interest as any other barmaid he'd crossed paths with in the past. But she was an elven princess, bloody hell, get your fucking mind out of the gutter, Captain! Killian grimaced at his thoughts; the princess and her friend had saved his sorry arse and it would not be wise to repay that mercy by engaging in any sort of relationship with anyone.
He tried to focus on the world beyond the windows; it was green and lush, the light a soft clear glow. It seemed to sparkle wherever he looked. Every building he could see was built with open areas, large windows, and all white stone, with greenery growing everywhere.
Suddenly the door opened and a small surprised gasp was heard. He could already pinpoint the sound was coming from Princess Emma.
"Hello princess," Ruby said with a small chuckle.
Killian turned around and rested his body against the window sill. He grabbed the hemline of his pants, making sure they would not drop to the floor. Emma was rooted to a spot near the door, a dark blond elven was standing behind her. It didn't take Killian long to realize that the man was the King of Misthaven. Gulping down, he bowed his head in respect. "Your Majesty."
"I see you're well taken care of," King David said with a friendly smile. If the partly undressed man rattled him, it wasn't showing on the King's face.
"Aye, the lady Ruby here is most welcoming." He nodded towards Emma, "And Princess Emma has tended to my wound and gave me food." He paused, he wasn't sure what protocol was used in regards to how much one spoke with the King.
"Emma," the King urged, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Oh yeah, sorry." Emma stepped fully into the room and moved over to assist Ruby with the final touches of getting the sheets fitted to the bed. Killian smiled when he noticed her shifting her gaze a few times towards him instead of her task at hand. When she caught him smiling at her, her face blushed a deep shade of red.
"Eh…" Her eyes shifted away from him and when they landed on the pile of clothes, "perhaps we should find you a shirt to wear before you speak with my father."
Killian nodded and cautiously walked towards her, his arm hurt at each step he took; it didn't take kindly to any movement right now.
Emma had picked out a white loose-fitted shirt. "This will be able to fit over your bandage." She unfurled it and held it out for him to slip into.
He slipped his injured arm in first. She helped him get the material over the bandages, then walked around him and helped him slip in his other hand. She stepped in front of him and tugged the shirt over his shoulders; too late she realized how her fingers brushed over his curly chest hair. She paused and looked up with wide eyes as if she was suddenly very aware of how close she was to him, not even when she'd washed him had she been this close.
"Can you… eh… manage the buttons yourself?" her words tumbled out.
"I might need a hand." He glanced over at her father and noticed how the tall royal elven king had his eyes narrowed at the scene currently taking place. A quick look at the lady Ruby showed an elven doing all she could to hold back a laugh.
"Okay." Emma took a deep breath and tugged the shirt closer together and did manage to button the shirt. Every time she reached for a new button, he held his breath as her fingertips brushed over his heated skin. He was suddenly feeling slightly feverish.
After several long moments, she was finally done and she quickly stepped back and mumbled, "Perhaps settle back into the bed, you need to rest." She crossed her arms gracefully over her chest. The long silvery-white dress she wore had a modest cut, but he could easily see the swell of her breasts above her arms. She glanced over at Ruby who had piled the dirty linen together in a basket. Ruby nodded her farewell and slipped out of the room, leaving Killian behind with the two royals of Misthaven.
Once settled in the bed again, he turned his gaze to the King and bowed his head. "You wished to speak with me, Your Majesty?"
"I did." The King moved closer to the bed, his eyes still shifting between his daughter and Killian. "I want to know all about the Dark One and what you know of him."
Killian nodded in understanding. "He killed my brother—"
Killian told the story of how the Dark One took the only family he'd ever known, and since then Killian and his crew had tried to escape the wrath of the Dark One.
"Why did he chase you in the first place?" the King wanted to know.
"We had something he was seeking…" Killian wanted to avoid telling the king why they had looked for the Olympian Crystal; given that he was part elven, son of a dark elven, it might not be in his favor to reveal this. "We've come across some old maps showing where to find the Olympian Crystal."
"That is a myth!" Emma gasped. She had been sorting out some ingredients for what he imagined was another tea for him.
"Well, it's surely not a myth when I've touched the very crystal myself," Killian said, "Believe me, Your Highness, the crystal is real, and sadly now the Dark One has it." He glanced down at his blunted wrist. "He took it along with my hand." His eyes sought out Emma, trying to gauge her reaction to this part of the story. She had all but forgotten the tea she was making, her eyes watching him with curiosity and possibly also compassion and grief on his behalf.
The King asked a few more questions about the crystal and when Killian told him that he had no idea what the Dark One would do with it, the King sighed. "No matter what, having such a powerful crystal in his possession will never lead to anything good."
"How can one defeat the Dark One?" Emma asked.
"There is said to be a dagger that can control the Dark One, but who knows how strong he will become now that he has the Olympian Crystal," Killian said with a sigh, his head spinning and his body getting weary again.
"Where could such a dagger be found?" the King asked. He began pacing back and forth, looking more worried about what had been told.
"It is fabled to be located in the land of Oz," Killian said, "It's not exactly a hospitable place to venture into. They are said to have flying monkeys guarding their realm." He shivered as he remembered the monkeys flying in just moments after his brother Liam had fallen to his death. From the conversation he'd picked up before sliding to safety, he gathered that whoever had come from Oz was in allegiance with the Dark One. He had tried to read as much as he could about Oz, and there had been mention of a wicked witch of the West. Only a brief mention of the Dark One's dagger had been marked down in one of the old journals he'd come across.
"I've heard of Oz, and I agree it's not a place I want to go," Emma said with her hands clasped in front of her, wringing them nervously.
"I want to avenge my brother's death." Killian grimaced, the darkness within him swirled around like a small wind turbine, creating even more chaos in his troubled soul.
"Revenge is not always the solution," King David mused, looking a little alarmed by Killian's sudden outburst.
"Apologies, Your Majesty, but I'm not going to rest until I have found that dagger, and if I somehow can control and possibly kill the monster, I'll gladly travel to the land of Oz to do so." Killian clenched his jaw, and he focused on his curled-up hand in his lap, the muscles and tendons in his hand and arm stood out.
"You can't do anything before your wound is healed properly," Emma said, not even flinching when his gaze shifted to her with a sharp twist of his head. Her green eyes looked at him with understanding, something that quite surprised Killian.
"I know, and I'm much obliged to your service here. I will make sure to be able to repay you one day." Killian nodded his head in respect to both Emma and the King.
"That will not be necessary," the King interjected. "You will be free to stay for as long as your wound will take to heal."
"And he will have to learn how to do everyday things," Emma mumbled, and when her father looked at her in surprise she added, "you know, getting dressed and such."
The King nodded in understanding. "How long will his wound take to heal?"
"A week at the most," Emma said with a sad tint to her voice, her eyes looking at Killian with something he couldn't quite place. Longing?
"We will gladly help you with anything you need for your journey onward," the King said with what looked like a genuine smile. "In the meantime, consider yourself a guest of ours."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Killian bowed his head in respect, while his mind reeled with what he should do now that his whole life had been destroyed. He had nothing left.
"Father," Emma said, "Killian will need some sort of prosthetics to aid him in his daily tasks. Perhaps August or his father, Marco, could fashion something for him before he…" she glanced towards Killian with a sad look in her eyes, "...before he leaves."
"I'll speak with them," King David said with a final nod. Then the King slipped out of the room, leaving Emma alone with him again.
Killian scratched behind his ear. This beautiful elven princess had saved his life, and now he would perhaps only have a week at the most together with her. He wanted to get to know her, something that quite surprised him.
Emma walked towards her bed chambers later that night. She'd spent most of her day together with Killian, only venturing out to find food for them or find Ruby and have her bring the last batch of the Phoenix Flower poultice, which she used when checking on his wound again. He seemed to be recovering well physically, the flesh was already responding well to the Phoenix Flower treatment. The stump would still have scars, but it would certainly not cause him any trouble in the future. Wherever the future might bring him, for some odd reason she couldn't bear to think about him leaving.
Emma shook her head as these thoughts began troubling her mind, then she spotted her mother walking down the hallway.
"Mother," Emma called out; she hadn't spoken with her mother all day.
"Emma, how is your patient?" Her mother's dark hair was long and curled down her back.
"He's doing fairly okay," Emma said with a smile. "The treatment seems to be helping him heal."
"That is good." Her mother pinched her brows deep in thought.
"What?"
"So how is he dealing with losing a hand?"
"I think he is more troubled than he lets on," Emma said. She'd seen him glare at his injured arm, his deep blue eyes flickering with resentment of his own body.
"It will take time for him to heal after such a trauma," Snow said, then gently touched her daughter's arm. "It was good you found him, or he would have lost his life."
"Yeah," Emma mused. "It's not often humans travel this far."
"That is true, but now we have a guest and he will need to be fully recovered before he should attempt to travel again."
"He would need more help getting used to living with only one hand… we… I mean Father has asked August and Marco to begin looking into what can be done for him, to aid him." Emma shrugged, trying to make this a matter of no great importance to her. But as usual, her ever-observant mother only smiled at her suggestion.
"I'm sure they would be able to help him," Snow winked, "and perhaps also you could help him."
"Oh." Emma blinked a few times and mumbled, "Yeah I've helped with his wound and it all seems to be going well."
"It wasn't his wound I was talking about."
"No?"
Her mother shook her head. "You said so yourself, he is struggling with how to deal with the loss of his hand." She tapped her temple. "Things like that mess with the mind, and I'm sure with your help he will also heal inside his mind."
"How?" Emma felt her cheeks warm up, hoping that the dimmed evening lights could hide her sudden flustered demeanor.
"Be his friend." Snow smiled.
"I'm not sure Father thinks the same," Emma mused. "He seemed to be very keen on getting him out of here as soon as Killian is fully healed."
"Let me deal with your father." Snow patted her daughter's arm. "You go take care of your patient tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay, Mother." Emma ducked her head while tugging her hair behind her ear. Her mind was reeling with what would happen in the next few days. She would have a lot to figure out regarding Killian, not only his wound but also his troubled mind. Not to mention what she felt whenever she spoke with him, it was a strange new feeling.
"Sleep well daughter," Snow said in final farewell before she ventured down the hall.
Emma stood for a few more moments while her mind whirled with thoughts about what she'd spoken with her mother about. All she understood was that not far from here lay a man who seemed to have been dropped into her life for no apparent reason, yet she still felt some sort of connection to him. The next few days would be filled with more medical care, and deep in her heart she also hoped that she could form some sort of friendship with the man. If Graham could be friends with a human then so could she, regardless of what her father would think of such a thing. With this in mind, she finally began walking toward her bedchambers.
