Chapter 2
The three of them were almost out of the palace when they heard the rumbling of guards behind them, yells of confusion echoing along the hallways. Emma could only make out a few words that the guards were saying, gathering that they were being chased on the orders of Snow White. Her father clearly heard the noise too, his brows furrowing and his hand resting anxiously on the hilt of his sword.
A few soldiers ran into the corridor in front of them, their gazes locking on Emma and her family, but despite their swords being raised, they hesitated. Emma knew them, could name every single one of them, and she knew it was likely her father had spoken to them before.
"Alistair?" David asked, the named guard's gaze darting towards her father. "You know your orders are ridiculous, don't you? That if things were normal, your Queen would never order you to stop us."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but they are our orders." Alistair said solemnly, his fingers flexing on his sword. "So run. Before someone who is more determined to follow the Queen's nonsensical demands finds you."
"She's not herself." David says sternly, prickling at how the soldier had spoken about his wife. "Make sure the soldiers know that. But be careful. I don't know what she's capable of right now, and I'd hate for any of you to lose your lives because of us."
Alistair nodded and then Emma looped her hand through her father's arm, trying to pull him away from the guards before any others arrived. "Give us five minutes." Emma commanded. "Then chase us. I don't want you to be in trouble for letting us go, so it needs to look like you tried and we simply managed to get away."
The man nodded in agreement, stepping aside so that Emma could lead her family through the halls. Henry took the lead, running faster than Emma and her father and taking the corners at such speed that he stumbled and fell. David bent to help him up, and Emma winced when she saw the rip at his knees and the blood swelling from the scrape in his knee.
If that was the worst injury they were going to get during their escape, then they would be very lucky.
Instead of using the main gate, they passed through the servant's quarters in order to exit from the smaller side door, one that was far less likely to be surrounded by guards, and then Emma led the other two along the small path that meandered from the palace to the outskirts of the town. They remained hidden by the shadows of the palace as they crept along the wall.
"Hey! Your Highness?" At the sound of her title, Emma drew the others to a halt and glanced round, a relieved smile spreading across her face when she saw an open door with a familiar face standing just inside. "I've heard the commotion. Get in here."
She didn't hesitate, chivvying her son through the door first and then following him into the woodshop. "Pinocchio, this is dangerous."
"Having you in my home is dangerous now?" Pinocchio asked, turning to pick up something from the nearby workbench. "What's going on?"
"I'd like to know that too." David agreed, Pinocchio spinning round when he heard the King's voice. The instant he saw the king standing in his home, closing the door behind him, he bowed.
"King James." he acknowledged, appearing to ignore David's wide-eyed, desperate expression and frantic pacing. "It's an honour to have you in my home."
"It's the Evil Queen." Emma explained. "Apparently she's tired of the endless battles at the border. I don't exactly know what she's planning, but she took mom's heart. She wants us dead, Dad, and she wants Mom to do it. Probably so there's no one left with any claim to the throne."
David grimaced, distraught, running a hand through his hair. "And what then? Make a play for the throne? Do you know if she'll keep Snow alive until we're dead, or if she'll kill her no matter what? Because if Snow is who she wants to kill us, we just have to stay away until we can save her. If not, then we need to move urgently and take her heart back."
"I don't know." Emma's voice was shaking, and she felt the weight of her father's hand settle on her shoulder. Whether it was for her comfort, or for his, she wasn't sure, but she leant into it. "She wants Mom to do more than kill us. From what I gathered from Graham, before he had to do her bidding, is that she doesn't just want the throne. She wants people to want her to rule them, and I think she plans to get that by making Mom do terrible things. Even if she'll stay alive until we've been taken care of, we don't want to wait too long, not if Mom's going to be forced to hurt others."
"We've been forced out of the palace, Emma. We have nothing we can use to fight back, other than my sword." For a brief moment, her father looked resigned, hand hovering on the hilt of his weapon, "Finding a way to get to the Queen, and my love's heart, is going to be far more difficult than I would have hoped. If we have any hope of succeeding, we can't just run off now and hope for the best. You were right when you stopped me in the palace. As much as I hate it, we need time to think and plan things through, figure out what we have that we can use against Regina. And we need to do it somewhere the guards can't find us and deliver us back to the palace. My old farmhouse, perhaps?"
Pinocchio remained silent, his expression aggravated as the two royals spoke. Despite letting them hide in his house, he didn't have much else to add to the conversation, and Emma didn't want him to know too much. Despite being a good friend, he was a terrible liar, and she didn't want him to know too much. "Not the farmhouse." Emma declined, mind racing as she tried to think of something, anything, they could do. "Somewhere else."
"I may have a suggestion." Pinocchio said carefully, Emma and her father's gazes darting over to stare at the carpenter. "My father owned a warehouse by the docks, one I haven't used since his passing, but I still own. You could hide out there."
Her father didn't look convinced, but Emma thought it sounded perfect. Although it hadn't crossed her mind before, hiding by the docks would be helpful should Killian ever return. She was certain Killian would offer help once he knew of their dilemma, and Emma would like to be able to watch out for the Jolly Roger, at least while they planned their rescue mission. "That sounds like a plan. I'd like to keep an eye on the ships anyway, at least for a few days."
"The ships?" David asked, sounding confused. "Why do you want to watch the ships?"
"I know a man who can help us. Who will help us." Emma explained. "If we look out for him, and hopefully he'll get here sometime soon, we'll know the moment his ship comes to dock."
"I don't want to put all our hopes on a man who may never even show up." David insisted, fixing Emma with a curious stare. "How do you know this man? You've never mentioned meeting a man before. You used to avoid all the men that visited the palace and now you know someone. Is he a sailor?"
It appeared that the insinuation that Emma knew a man well enough to ask for his help was enough to distract her father from anything, even something as dire as her mother's stolen heart. Her mouth quirked slightly, his questions amusing her and reminding her of the times she had teased Killian, fondly called him a sailor as they walked hand in hand. "I suppose you could call him a sailor."
"I don't know, Emma." Her father looked unsure, clearly not wanting to trust in a man he had never even heard of. "I don't want to wait for this man when we have no guarantee that he will even arrive."
"He will." Henry piped up, having spent the time wandering around the small hut and playing with the variety of carved toys Pinocchio had laid across the workbenches.
"Do you know this man, Henry?" David asked, his attention fully on the young boy. "You're certain he'll help us?"
"He'll come here. He'll come for Mom."
"Either way," Emma stated, not wanting her father to find out the extent of her relationship with Killian through Henry's excited chatter. "We need to spend some time waiting, because we need to figure out what to do. Whether or not Killian arrives, it doesn't matter."
Not for the plan, anyway.
David didn't seem impressed by the way she attempted to change the subject, but nodded in acquiescence. He turned a grateful smile towards the carpenter and held out a hand, Pinocchio taking it and shaking it with a smug grin. "Thank you, Pinocchio. When everything is sorted out, ask for anything and we will do everything in our power to to repay you for your help."
Before Pinocchio could hand them the key, an angry knock rattled the wooden door, palace guards angrily demanding to be let in. The four of them shared terrified looks and then Pinocchio hustled Emma and her father behind a nearby wooden screen, Henry remaining by the workbench. Her son reached for her but Emma shook her head. Being forgotten by the realm had made it so the guards wouldn't be concerned with him, and in case Emma and her father were caught, she didn't want Henry associated with them. He would be safer that way.
There was a thin gap in the screen, and through it Emma could make out the movements of the guards when Pinocchio let them into the house, Henry once again playing with the small wooden toys on the bench and refusing to pay any attention to the men.
"Have you seen King David and Princess Emma?" One guard asked, a man that Emma didn't recognise. "They're missing from the palace and we fear they will be in danger unless we find them."
Pinocchio shrugged apologetically, but Emma knew him well enough to see the stiffness with which he was holding himself as he carefully chose his words. "I'm sorry. I saw Her Highness before the last wedding, before she ran away."
The man gazed at him suspiciously, but luckily for them, Pinocchio's reputation as an honest man seemed to be widely-known, and the soldiers nodded and decided not to check the room. "And who is that?"
Pinocchio's posture relaxed, this question apparently something he felt he could answer. "A local boy. He's here to pick up something his mother bought for him." He replied, reaching over to a small pile of miniature toys and selecting an intricately carved ship, handing it over to Henry. "He just happened to be here at this inopportune time."
Henry's face lit up when he saw the ship, and Emma felt a fond smile cross her face at the childish glee he showed with a new toy in his hands. His honest happiness was the last thing the guards needed to see, and with an irritated mumble, they left the house
"Thank you." Emma breathed, leaving the hiding place once she was sure the guards had left. "I know lying's difficult for you, and you stopped them from finding us."
"I promised to be brave, selfless and true, Emma." Pinocchio stated, rummaging through a drawer before handing her a small, metal key. "I think protecting one of my oldest friends probably fits in with that, even if I wasn't completely honest with the guards."
Emma smiled, wrapping her arms around him in a brief hug and then pulling back, hand resting on his shoulder. "Thank you for a few months ago too. When you lent me your clothes and let me leave, even though I was obviously up to something."
"I don't know how quiet I would have been if I knew you were going to go missing for months and meet a mysterious sailor." Pinocchio told her, ushering her towards the door. "Now get going. The warehouse is one of the smaller ones just to the right of the dock."
"Pinocchio?" Emma said, the instant her father and son were through the door. "When we get back and when everything is okay, you'll be the first person I visit. Maybe you could make another ship for Henry, as I think he needs something to make up for everything he's been through? I promise you'll be paid very, very generously."
"I'll make it for free. And I'll have it ready for your return." Pinocchio promised, now pushing her out of the doorway. "It will be amazing. A corvette, maybe, or a frigate. Just get to the warehouse, Your Highness, and make sure you're safe."
The warehouse was small, with only two rooms. The ground floor was an open space, sawdust and dusty carvings hidden between wooden crates, and so Emma and her family had decided to hide in the small second-floor office. The room even had a latch on the door and a tiny barred window looking out over the docks.
The three of them had reached the docks a couple of hours after sunset, and had tried to make themselves comfortable in the small room. David sat by the wall, wrapped in his cloak, his eyes glassy and fixed on a spot on the wall.
Emma doubted her father would be getting any sleep, and she couldn't blame him. She didn't think she would be resting either, the events of that day stuck in her mind. She kept seeing the moment Regina had pulled Snow's heart from her chest and uttered commands that her mother had no choice but to follow, and the moment Graham had lunged at her with a mindless, empty look in his eyes.
Desperate to distract herself, she fussed over her son, trying to wrap her cloak around him as a blanket and failing when he clung to her, arms locking around her waist. She rested against the wall, Henry cuddling into her, using her as a cushion.
He closed his eyes, Emma running a hand through his hair as she attempted to soothe him to sleep, well aware of the way her father was occasionally glancing at the two of them.
"Mom?" Henry's voice was quiet, but in the silence of the room, Emma knew her father could hear every word Henry said. "Grandma will be alright, won't she? We'll save her. The way you saved me."
Her father exhaled shakily, Emma looking briefly at him before answering her son's question. "We're going to do our best, and we're not going to give up, because that's what this family does."
"Right." Henry muttered through a yawn. "Like when the Evil Queen cast the sleeping curse on Grandma. Grandpa saved her. And he'll save her again."
"Exactly." It was her father who had spoken, his tone hard and determined, but his expression had softened as he gazed at Emma and her son. "Don't worry, kid. Snow and I have been of one heart since she awoke from the sleeping kiss. And people who are of one heart will never let anything happen to the one they love. Not if they can stop it."
Her father's words comforted her son, a grin spreading across his face. "And Killian will help, won't he, Mum?" Henry mumbled. "I can't wait for him to get here."
Emma didn't respond, watching Henry slip into slumber. She didn't understand why, but Henry's confidence in Killian was stirring anxiety in her. As distraught as Emma would be if Killian never returned to her, everything would be far worse knowing that Henry too would be disappointed.
Perhaps he really wasn't returning. He may have promised he would come back to her, but Emma had been abandoned before, and just because someone said they loved you didn't mean they wouldn't leave you.
Except Killian knew all of that, and he had been abandoned too, and he wouldn't do it to her.
No matter what was keeping him from her, she couldn't wait for much longer. If Killian didn't arrive soon, she would need to find a way to reach her mother's heart.
"Come on, Killian." She whispered, eyes closed as she rested her head against the wall. "Come back to me."
"He'll come back." She opened her eyes and peered at her father when he spoke, noticing for the first time how his voice was quiet and hoarse, his face lined as though he had aged years in the past day. "Remember what your mother says. If you love someone and they love you, they will always find you. And this sailor, Killian, or whatever his name is, it sounds like he loves you. If that's true, then he will find you."
"You think so?"
"Things might seem hopeless right now, Emma, but it doesn't mean we should stop hoping." David said, a weak smile spreading across his face. "Although, you might want to worry about the conversation I need to have with you about the fact that you love someone and I had never heard his name until today."
Emma chuckled, sharing an amused smile with her father and glad he was still trying to maintain their spirits despite everything. "Well, you've never cared about suitors, not like Mom did. You always seemed happiest when I told you I wasn't interested in anyone. I didn't know how you'd react to knowing I'd actually found someone."
"I'm saving my judgement on him until I meet him." David muttered. "And if you're certain he'll help us, I can't see how I can dislike him. At least not much."
"I don't know." Emma couldn't even imagine how her father would react upon seeing Killian for the first time, with a hook for a hand and wearing a heavy leather coat. He didn't exactly look like the prince her parents had wanted her to be with, although she was certain he would more than look the part if he chose to. "He might not be what you're expecting."
"As long as he's not an ogre, darling, I can deal with it."
The red smoke cleared to reveal the familiar turrets of her home, a few guards with swords pointed towards her and her son. The instant all the smoke dissipated, shouts rose from the men, calls for her parents, and before Emma could react, or even think, her parents were running out the castle, arms open wide before they wrapped her in a hug, Emma sagging towards them when she felt her father's hand resting on the back of her head.
"Emma?" Her mother whispered, her voice thick with tears. "Is it really you? Where have you been? We've been so worried"
"We missed you." Her father added. "So much."
Emma couldn't speak, overwhelmed by the reunion, smiling when she felt Henry join the embrace, one hand clinging to Emma's, his other arm wrapping around his grandpa. But David pulled away, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion when he glanced down at the young boy.
And Emma realised that Henry was still forgotten. Still unknown.
She drew back, exhaling shakily and not knowing what to do. Emma glanced down at Henry, who was staring up at her and waiting for an explanation. And then she couldn't do it anymore, too many thoughts and worries running through her mind - her parents didn't remember Henry, Killian was by himself at the Dark One's palace, she was the only person who knew her son's life, Rumplestiltskin was still likely to kill Killian given the chance, and he had that chance now, except maybe Baelfire would stop him, Henry didn't understand what was happening and why his grandparents were looking at him with no love in their eyes, only confusion - and she didn't know what to feel.
Anger, perhaps, at what Rumplestiltskin had stolen from her son? Or at Killian for staying behind?
Except she was angrier at herself for that. She had known Killian was struggling with what he had done to Zelena, but she had been oblivious to the fact that he didn't think he was good enough for her. She had been so happy with Killian - ridiculously so given everything else - that she hadn't ever considered that things hadn't been as perfect for him.
She felt her father brush a tear away from her cheek, unaware that she had even been crying. "Who is this, then?"
Emma bit her lip at the King's question, looking down at her son and seeing the realisation in his eyes. "This is Henry." she answered, her voice shaking as she nudged Henry to stand before her, making sure her parents were looking at him. "He's the reason I left. He's my son."
"No." David stated, shaking his head at Emma's words. "You haven't been missing long enough to have a son, never mind one that's his age."
"I didn't," Emma stammered, grimacing. "I didn't leave to… to have him."
Snow was chuckling at her husband's protest, her hand darting out to hit his shoulder, warning him to stop talking.
And Emma doesn't know what to say, her parents waiting on another explanation, Henry's dismay evident as he clung to her.
She just thought that maybe this time, this was something she couldn't fix.
The three days that had passed since their flight from the palace had been the longest three days that Emma had ever experienced. She had needed to remain hidden in the warehouse, alongside her father, so Henry had taken it upon himself to buy food from the markets and keep an ear out for local news.
Emma hated him being out there, alone, but he was the only one safe from any soldiers looking for them.
She tried to watch him, peering through the window to see the docks, see her son weaving through the crowd, but he'd always become swallowed up among the milling people in the streets so she quickly lost sight of him. While watching him, she would view the ships coming and going, and although she didn't understand it, she felt more and more certain with each passing day that soon Killian and Emma would be back together, and the Jolly Roger would be mooring, and she would see its bright colours from her window.
Months ago, it would have been strange for her to be thinking such things. Baelfire had left her closed off to everyone, but with Killian, it had been surprisingly easy for her to open up to him, to let him in and let him know her. It had taken a while, too long, for her to realise what she was feeling, and without realising it, she had just fallen and made declarations to him that she never imagined she would make.
Emma still remembered taking his face in his hands and telling him she wanted everything, and she wanted it with him. And he had looked back at her with such hope in his eyes, as if that was everything he wanted and more, and it had been the first time she had allowed herself to believe that a happy ending with him was even a possibility.
She had known, then, that what she had with him was probably true love. With parents like hers, she knew true love existed,that it was the strongest magic in all realms, and she was certain she felt it with him.
And that was another thought she had never believed she would have. Perhaps her father's optimism was rubbing off on her.
David was certain that they would be able to make the way to the Queen's castle by sailing to the north and sneaking inside, but despite his knowledge of the realm, Emma doubted it would be easy to get inside.
One of wooden crates from the floor below had been moved into the office, and with Henry's help, David had tried to map out the realm. Henry had used varying fruits to represent different ports and palaces, a single apple marking their destination and Henry's new wooden ship their mode of transport.
Henry was well-aware that their mission was serious, but playing with his ship and his grandfather seemed to be cheering him up. Sometimes, when even David felt like he needed to take a break from the planning, the two of them would play war, the way they used to, Henry with his ship, and David with one of the fruits.
Emma loved that they were growing close again, certain that their mending relationship would help Henry feel better. David still called him Harry sometimes, but only as a joke, laughing when Henry shook his head and pouted but then letting him win their next game.
But, of course, she still wished things were simpler. Without stolen hearts.
Emma was drawn away from her thoughts, glancing away from the small window, when she heard her father speak, breaking the quiet that tended to saturate the room whenever Henry was out.
"Henry calls his ship the Jolly Roger." David stated absently, Emma frowning at him. "He said it was the name of your Killian's ship."
Emma nodded, unsure what her father was talking about. "It is. Not that Henry's ever seen it, but I've told him stories."
"It doesn't sound like the most reputable ship. You said he was a sailor, right, Emma?"
"Uh, I did. He was a lieutenant." Emma answered carefully. It wasn't a lie. But her father thinking Killian was still a lieutenant seemed preferable to him knowing the truth, at least until he had the opportunity to meet him and see what he was really like.
If David knew that Killian was a pirate, he would never give him a chance, not the way that he needed to.
"He's in the navy?"
She didn't want to outright lie, so she shrugged, deciding to distract her father with suggestions on what they could sell in order to gain enough gold to purchase passage on a ship. Emma refused to sell either her cloak or her ring, despite being certain that they would be the most valuable things she had on her person, as they had much greater sentimental value than any price that would be offered. Instead, she suggested her old necklace - the one Baelfire had stolen for her many years before - something she had long since been wearing out of habit.
She didn't need to be reminded to be cautious with her heart anymore.
With the necklace lying on the table, Emma expected them to sink into the silence she had grown used to, but instead her father seemed to have many questions, this time about the magic that Regina had used to gain control of Snow White.
Emma tried to answer as best she could, but everything she said seemed to give him more questions. She felt like she had talked for hours, the sparse light that filtered through the window reddening as the hours passed.
When the room was almost too dim to go without an oil lamp, and Henry still wasn't back, Emma began to worry, anxious that perhaps she had been too complacent about Henry's safety, and she started to get ready to sneak out into the shadows and search for him.
But then the door slammed open and Henry was there, squirming when she wrapped him in a hug. "You can't do this, Henry!" she scolded, holding him tighter as he tried to pull away. "Not now. People are after me and Grandpa, and if you're late, all I can think about is that they've found you."
"I know!" Henry insisted, and Emma noticed the excitement in his voice and she stepped back to look at him, observing the way his eyes were wide and he was grinning. "But there's a pirate ship in the dock! A real pirate ship!"
"A pirate ship?"
When her father repeated the phrase, it finally sunk in, and Emma knew, rushing to the small window and peering out. The sunset was too low to shine light on the ship, and she was only able to see the silhouette, which didn't tell her anything.
But she could see someone at the helm, wearing what looked like the heavy leather coat that couldn't be mistaken.
And it really was him. She was sure of it.
She didn't even think of staying hidden, murmuring briefly that Killian had arrived before darting out the warehouse, to him, hearing her father's confused shouts about the pirate ship and her son's elated yells but not bothering to listen.
He was back.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'd like to thank everyone who favourited this story or added it to story alert, and of course everyone who reviewed: RosexDoctorForever, buffybabe42, mdlinkous, Marcela, Mallory, mela16, that-first-glance-feeling, CSdisneylover, LadaHathaway, fox24, MissLovelyLupin and Guest. And a huge thank you to BlackDragon733 for betaing.
And just a quick warning I forgot to mention before. This story will have MINOR character deaths in upcoming chapters. I'm very sorry, but it was necessary. Don't worry though, the major characters will all be fine, if a little shaken.
Have a great Christmas!