"Queen of Hearts"
"Halt," the guard said, holding Hook back.
"Food for the prisoner," he murmured, holding the pail up.
"It's not eating time. Who are you?! Identify yourself, slave!" the guard ordered. Hook plunged his left appendage into his neck before he even had a chance to cry out. Another guard ran up, his sword at the ready. Hook caught it with his hook and sent it flying. In their close quarters, he was able to gut the guard, effectively eliminating the impediments to his goal.
"'Slave'... I prefer the term 'Captain'," he said, throwing the heavy cloak off his head. He took the guard's keys from his belt and opened the cell door. The noise brought the lone occupant to her feet, and he moved forward.
"Hi. You must be Belle," he said gently to the woman who had obviously been enduring a much harsher life than she deserved.
"The Queen sent you didn't she? She wants you to kill me," she replied bitterly.
"I'm not here to kill you, love. I'm here to rescue you," he responded softly. He needed to get this woman's trust. She made be the only one who could help him.
"Rescue me? Who are you?" she asked.
"A friend. We haven't much time. Your father's life is in danger. He's being attacked by the very same monster who stole you away from your family in the first place," he said, unlocking her chains.
"Rumplestiltskin?" she asked with a chuckle, disbelieving his story.
"The Dark One. He must be stopped. You've spent more time with him than anyone. There are rumors of a magical weapon that has the power to kill him," he said, trying to finally get to the endgame of his ultimate desire.
"No. No. No. Let... let me talk to him. He's not a monster," she replied.
"Belle, your father's life hangs in the balance. I need to know what that weapon is and where to find it," he said. She was thinking about the same Rumplestiltskin he was, right?
"I don't know what you're talking about and I have no idea how to... kill Rumplestiltskin." Her words were filled with disgust.
"You don't?" he asked.
"No! And... nor would I," she said, confirming Hook's suspicion that she was not going to be as helpful as he wanted.
"Hmm. Then I'm afraid I'm not here to rescue you." He knocked the girl unconscious and she slumped back to the bed. "So pretty... yet so useless."
He raised his hook, preparing to kill her. The last thing he needed was someone in this world who could identify him. Suddenly, the silver appendage was gone.
"No. Not useless. She's a valuable chess piece," the evil queen said from behind.
"Do I look like I'm playing a game of chess? My hook, if you please?" he asked, gesturing to the tool.
"No," she replied.
"The asking was me being a gentleman," he said more forcefully this time, walking towards her.
"Is that any way to address a queen? Even a pirate should have better manners than that. Yes. I know who you are... Captain. I know why you came here from Neverland, and I know all about the crocodile you wish to skin," the evil queen said proudly.
"Then you also know that I'll stop at nothing," he said. Of course, getting to Rumplestiltskin was only a step towards his ultimate goal.
"So dedicated and resourceful. No one has been able to fight their way past my defenses before. She can't help you kill Rumplestiltskin, Hook. But I can, if you do something for me. Care to join me for a drink?" she asked, pulling him closer with his own hook.
She led him through the castle to her private chambers. Hook looked at the sparse furnishing, recognizing that this woman was not one for sentimentality or emotions. He decided that his story should remain that of his revenge. Talking about True Love with a woman like this; she has probably never entertained the notion of it. "Things are about to change in this world. Radically. I have plans to enact a curse that will take everyone to a far off land," she explained, handing him a goblet.
"How will that help me?" he asked.
"This new realm? It's a land without magic, where the Dark One will be stripped of his powers. There you won't need any magical weapon to kill him. You can do it with a mere flick of your wrist."
The thought that was more appealing to him than finally getting his hands on Rumplestiltskin was the idea that this new world was more than just a land without magic. It was Emma's land, he was sure of it. Maybe he didn't even need to worry about his cover story. If he was perfectly honest with himself, if he got the chance, he would certainly take out his anger on the crocodile. But if his revenge stopped him from getting to Emma, he would chose her over the Dark One any day.
"Tell me what I have to do," he asked.
"There's one person I don't want following me to this new land. You're to see to it that doesn't happen," she said.
"An assassination. Who is it you want me to dispose of?" he asked casually.
"My mother," she said harshly. She took out the hook she had taken from the pirate and muttered a few words. "It's now… enchanted. It will enable you to rip out her heart. I believe you've seen it done before."
"Yes," he said mournfully. Milah would always be a fixture in his life. He could never truly forget her, but the love he had received from Emma had given him the strength to move on.
"The enchantment will only allow you to rip out one heart, so make sure you do it right," she warned.
"What could she have possibly done to warrant such brutality?" he asked.
"That's my business. Yours is to kill her, and bring her body back to me," she said, her tone stopping any more argument.
"Easy enough. When will I set forth on this murderous journey?"
"Immediately. But you won't be going alone." She pulled off a sheet from a figure on the couch, revealing a dead man. "You remember Claude?"
"Can't say that I do," he said, his fingers on his lips in a look he hoped was thoughtful. Honestly, he was losing patience with this evil queen, and he just wanted to be on his way.
"You killed him in the cell block," she explained, hurt by his lack of recognition.
"Ah, yes. I didn't recognize him without my hook in his neck. Forgive me, but isn't he a bit of dead weight?"
"I banished my mother to a far-off land some time ago. You're going to need a portal to get to her. The rules are simple. One goes in, one comes back. Or in this case, two in, two back. You'll arrive with Claude, and you'll return with my mother," she explained.
"Now tell me... which far-off land do I have the pleasure of visiting today?"
"Wonderland," she said, revealing a hat from her hat box.
"Happily named, I'm sure. How will I find her?" he asked.
"Oh, don't worry. She'll find you," she assured him. She spun the hat around and it remained spinning as it fell to the floor. Purple smoke emerged, creating a large dark hole in the ground.
"Have a safe journey," the evil queen said, pushing both Hook and Claude into the void.
Hook was falling, falling impossibly far. Just when he began to lose all hope that he would ever come out of this, he landed hard on the ground. He opened his eyes slowly, and beheld a path with impossibly bright colors. He had traveled through many realms, but never had he seen a sky so pure blue, and grass so stark green.
"Halt! You there!" a man said. He was dressed in a uniform, and Hook quickly surmised that he was a soldier of some sort.
"I guess this is my lucky day. Are you going to take me to your queen?" he asked, standing slowly.
"Men, seize him." Three other men appear from nowhere, and grabbed Hook and his dead companion. "Take them to the queen."
A short walk later, Hook found himself being led into an open courtyard. A woman sat on a throne, her face covered by an enormous mask.
"Kneel, before the Queen of Hearts," the knave beside the woman said forcefully.
"Appreciate the warm welcome," Hook said sarcastically.
"The Queen wants to know why you've come to Wonderland," the knave asked after listening to the Queen whisper.
"I'm in search of someone. In her native land, she goes by Cora," he said.
The woman stood, revealing penetrating dark eyes and a stern face. "In this land, she goes by Your Majesty. Leave us." The crowd left, whispering curiously at this strange encounter the queen was having with this man. When Hook and Cora were finally left alone, Cora spoke again. "Your name, pirate?"
"Hook," she said with a bow, his left arm clearly displayed.
"What a clever nickname."
"I come bearing gifts, if you allow me." He stepped forward, a strand of pearls hanging from his hook.
"This hat, your portal... If I understand correctly, the same number who travels through, must also return. You arrived with him," she gestured to Claude, who had been wheeled behind him, "but who shall you return with?"
"You." He tossed the pearls aside, plunging the hook into her chest. He ripped it out violently, but there was nothing there. "What?"
"I'm the Queen of Hearts. Do you really think I'd be so careless, as to keep my heart where everyone else does? This..." she stuck her hand into his chest, "is how it's done. Tell me, who did this? Who sent you here to kill me? Who?"
"Your daughter," he said harshly.
"Regina? She...wants me dead?" A look of betrayal crossed her face. It quickly disappeared behind her stern expression again. "You're now going to tell me everything, and do exactly what I want. Because when you hold a heart, you control it. You have the power."
"There was ink in the cell," Mulan said, showing the others the inkwell she had discovered. They all looked at it in despair, not knowing what to do next.
"Son of a bitch ... Aurora, what are you doing?!" Emma yelled as the gate came down and Cora and Hook came into view.
"Helping me," Cora said, using magic to pull the compass from Emma's limp hand.
"No!" Emma yelled again and began rattling the bars.
"Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumplestiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell. Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you," Cora said.
"Why would you do this?" Emma asked Aurora.
"How could you?" Mary Margaret added her own question to her daughter's.
"Don't blame her. She was only doing what she was told." Cora revealed Aurora's heart in her hand.
"You took her heart?" Emma asked, disgusted by the action. Now she knew where Regina had learned such a horrible act.
"Actually, I did. It was a gift," Hook said, wanting to be completely honest. He felt like he had burned the bridge completely. There was no way Emma would fall in love with him now. Cora squeezed the heart, and Aurora bent over in pain.
"Forgive us. We'd love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits," Cora said, walking away.
"Hook. Wait. Please don't do this. My son is in Storybrooke. He needs me," Emma pled with him as he began to walk away.
"Perhaps you should've considered that, before you abandoned me on that beanstalk," Hook said, the hurt clearly evident in his voice.
"You would've done the same," Emma said.
"Actually, no." He pulled out the magic bean, preparing to teach Emma a lesson. Maybe she would be able to finally understand what he was doing. "Do you know what this is, Emma?"
"The bean that the giant kept," Emma said, reaching out for it.
"Yes, indeed. A pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquest, but this...well, this is much more than a mere trinket. This is a symbol...something that was once magical, full of hope, possibility. Now look at it. Dried up, dead, useless. Much like you. The time for making deals is done, just as I'm done...with you." He was still unsure if Emma would truly understand, but he tried to communicate without words that this was all for Cora's benefit. Once he arrived at Cora's destination, he planned to push her through without the compass, then return once again for his True Love.
They walked away, Hook much more mournfully than Cora.
"Where are we going?" Hook asked.
"Lake Nostos. The legend says its waters hold the power to restore what was once lost. It'll return magic to what remains of this wardrobe. And then we'll be able to cross worlds," Cora said as they approached a dry lake bed.
"I may be a simple pirate but, I know one thing...lakes have water," Hook said. Cora pulled another trick out of her magical hat and created a water geyser.
"After everything we've been through, why do you still doubt me?" she asked him.
Because I still need to save Emma, he thought.
"I've told you all I know, now have some honor and kill me," Hook said, his heart burning him alive.
"Honor? For the pirate who snuck into my palace to assassinate me?" Cora asked with a chuckle.
"At your daughter's behest," he reminded her.
"She should've come. She should've killed me herself." Cora gave his heart another squeeze, but ultimately let him go. The pain still coursed through his body, and Hook fell to the floor. Cora sat back calmly in her chair, acting as though she wasn't about to kill him a minute ago.
"Mercy seems a bit out of character," he said, gasping for breath, not able to believe that she wasn't actually going to kill him. He wasn't going to complain however.
"Oh not mercy Hook, you're going to help me. Regina knows my methods better than anyone, if I was controlling you she'd know. This has to be your choice," Cora explained.
"Why should I?" Hook asked.
"Cause my dear, I'm the only one who can give you what you want," she said.
"Is that so?" he asked with a sardonic chuckle.
"This curse my daughter plans to enact, this new land she's taking everyone to, you won't remember who you are. So tell me Captain, how do you expect to kill someone when you can't even remember him. But if you do what I say, I'll make sure you not only kill him, but remember single moment," Cora explained.
It didn't take Hook long to realize if he didn't remember Rumplestiltskin, he wouldn't remember Emma either. He had sent a hundred years trying to find her. Being with her again, but not knowing her; it was a curse worse than death.
"Well, what shall you have me do?" he asked.
"Get me close to my daughter. And then I'll rip her heart out."
"Satisfied?" he asked as they stood over Cora's coffin.
"Did she put up a fight?" The evil queen asked, no trace of remorse in her voice.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," he replied truthfully.
"Thank you. Now leave us. I'd like a moment alone to say goodbye," Regina said.
He nodded and walked out of the room, closely the door behind him. He had seen enough of the layout of the palace to know how to sneak around to another entrance, ready to aid Cora in her revenge as she promised to aid him in his goal. From his hiding place, he heard the door close, signaling Regina had left the room. He stepped out, holding his hand out to help Cora out of the coffin.
"What happened? You didn't kill her," he said.
"There's been a change in plans."
"What would that be?" he asked.
"My daughter's curse is coming. We have to protect ourselves." The pirate and the queen snuck out of the palace. Cora led them to a small island some distance away from her daughter's kingdom as they watched ominous dark clouds begin to cover the sky behind them.
Once settled, Cora jabbed a staff into the ground, and they were surrounded by an iridescent bubble, effectively keeping the storm clouds at bay. They could see the purple masses go over the bubble, but they remained untouched.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to reconcile with her before her curse destroys the land?" he asked, still curious and worried about how this would affect his plans to get to Emma.
"Regina doesn't need me. Not now, not when she thinks she's about to win. But I still have a place in her heart. And the curse won't last forever. It will end. In 28 years, there'll be a savior, and she'll break it," Cora explained.
Hook panicked. "Twenty-eight years?" He didn't know how much time he had left to get to Emma, to be with her in the way she had told him they would be together, but 28 years, especially in a land where he could now age again, that could certainly affect things.
"You won't even notice. You'll be frozen, like all those in this corner of the land. But when the curse ends, our quest will resume, and when it does, Regina will truly have lost everything, and then she'll need me. That's when we'll go to this new land. You'll get your revenge. And me, I'll…help her pick up the pieces." Hook still wasn't sure about everything, but it seemed like Cora was a more sure way of getting to Emma than any other option he had.
As the gush of water began to calm, Cora pulled the ashes out of her cloak. "And now the ashes. Would you care to do the honors?" She held the vial out to Hook. He popped the top and sprinkled it into the water, throwing the entire vial in for good measure. A cavernous hole appeared, swirling purple in the middle of the newly created lake.
"Here we go. We'll be in Storybrooke soon enough. I really look forward to seeing my daughter." Hook smiled at her. Finally, all his scheming was about to come to an end. As soon as he got his hands on the compass, he would push her in, leaving him to find Emma himself, and take them both home.
"I told you I'd deliver you to Rumplestiltskin," Cora said, producing the compass. "Now don't let go, unless you want to end up someplace that isn't Storybrooke."
Hook placed his hand on the compass, preparing to yank it out of Cora's grasp. Before he got a grip on it, an arrow shot through their hands, pushing the compass out of the way.
"You're not going anywhere." Snow White yelled.
"This portal's taking us home!" Emma seconded.
"The compass – get it," Snow told Emma.
"Find it first. I'll take care of them." Hook was all too pleased to have the job of getting the compass. He was also relieved to see Emma out of that prison. It seemed as though his plan was going to work out even better than he thought.
Emma ran at him, sword raised. He raised his own in self-defense, but there was no intention in any part of him to harm Emma. She continued to attack, and he blocked, impressed by her skill. She was obviously untrained, but there was a certain amount of raw talent that he was excited to help her develop.
Her sword came up again, and he twirled his own around, knocking her blades from her hands. She lunged at him, and his first desire was to pull her into his arms and finally take a chance at kissing her once again. Unfortunately, pirate training and self-preservation kicked in, and he flipped her onto her back, rather than into his arms. She rolled away before he could get on her and explain what he truly wanted to do in double-crossing Cora. An arrow fired by Snow White also stopped him from attempting to rekindle the romance.
He grabbed onto Emma's leg, preventing her from reaching her sword. She turned back around, trying unsuccessfully to kick at him. His attention was distracted for a moment when he saw a small bag flying through the air, straight towards the portal. He leaned over, using Emma's weight as a counterbalance, and caught the loop of the bag containing Aurora's heart on his hook. Pulling the bag up, he let go of Emma so he could hold the bag properly, and finally make amends at what he had done.
"I may be a pirate, but I bristle at the thought of a woman losing her heart," he said, tossing the bag to Mulan. "Unless it's over me."
Emma approached him again, her sword low and defensive this time. "I had no idea you had such a soft side."
"I don't. Just like a fair fight," he replied. He made the first move this time, giving her slow, easily blocked swings with his sword, assessing her defensive skills. She was quick, and he thought again about how much he wanted to teach this woman who learned so quickly. Her swings changed to offensive after a moment, and Hook smiled internally at how much nicer this could be if she wasn't bent on killing him right now.
"Good form. But not good enough." He grabbed her leg as she lifted it to kick him, once again returning her to her back. She lifted her sword, but he quickly caught it between his hook and his own sword. There were not many times he was grateful for his hook, but this was one of them. Emma was completely at his mercy, and he smiled broadly. He threw in some lines that he was sure would get her hot and bothered, just to play with her some more as he slid slowly down her sword.
"Normally, I prefer to do other more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back. With my life on the line, you've left me no choice. A bit of advice? When I jab you with my sword you'll feel it. You might want to quit."
"Why would I do that when I'm winning?" she asked, showing him the compass. He was caught off-guard, and she elbowed him in the gut, giving her enough room to get her leg up, delivering another blow to his stomach. He was knocked off balance, but able to get his feet under him quickly. Emma jumped to her feet, sword in her left hand. Hook overpowered her easily, leaving him to look directly at her.
"Thanks," she said. The compass in her hand, she hit him in the jaw with extra power behind the punch. The love-tap was barely enough to cause a bruise, but Hook fell to the ground willingly. He had realized something. If he betrayed Cora, sent her through the portal without him or any guidance, he would be betraying someone that only wanted what he did, love. All her efforts and planning to return to her daughter would be in vain. It wouldn't hurt him at all to continue to work with her for a short time. Emma had the compass; she and her mother were set to go through the portal and be together. Plus, he had another way to get to Storybrooke. Today was not the day he and Emma would start their lives together. But one day soon.
After Emma and Snow had gone through the portal, he raised himself slowly to his feet, rubbing his jaw were Emma had hit him.
"We failed," Cora said emotionlessly.
"Really Cora, after all this time, why do you still doubt me?" Hook asked, turning her earlier words against her. He held up the bean, his last hope at getting to Emma.
"That bean's petrified. It's useless," Cora replied.
"But these waters have regenerative properties. Perhaps it's time to do some gardening." Cora smiled at him, and he knew that even she deserved this, a chance at reuniting with her daughter and being happy.
Sprinkling the bean with water, Hook once again held the rainbow colored bean, signifying hope once again. They set out for the Jolly Roger, wanting to use the magical vessel to transport more than just themselves. Cora mentioned a package that needed to come with them, and she used her transportation spell to make a covered box appear on the deck of the ship.
"Well, here it is," Hook said, throwing the bean into the water in front of his ship. He steered the ship into the whirlpool, bouncing roughly at the turbulent water. Minutes later, the ship resurfaced, and a new sight was before them.
"There it is," he said, collapsing his spyglass.
"Storybrooke," Cora finished for him. They had arrived.
AN: I hope you all enjoyed the sword fighting. I wish I could claim it, but it all definitely belongs to Eddy and Adam. But I kinda own Hook right now, right? Or at least his mind.