CHAPTER 7: Trident vs Squid
SETTING: The Deck of Storybrooke Sheriff Dept.'s Cutter
Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine
"Triton, now look what you've done!" Ursula cried. "My son -my own baby boy- wants to hurt me!"
"Crazy octopus!" Killian hissed. "I AM NOT YOUR SON! I'M A HUMAN! Can't you see I have legs? Just two of them!"
In the meantime, Charming and Robin concocted a plan to reach Killian. Robin tied one end of a rope to a grappling arrow and shot the arrow straight up into the air at the wall's base. They hoped to scale Triton's wall and then climb down the other side. No matter how high the archer shot, the arrow couldn't clear the obstacle. Did this mer wall reach all the way to the heavens?
"Ursula," boomed Triton, "Enough! You may have contacted your son's wife instead of him. But, as witnessed by all assembled here, you have now officially seen him AND spoke to him. That is a violation of my decree. Therefore he dies!"
The king raised the trident for a second time.
"Wait! I didn't mean-"
THHWANNNK!
A huge bubble suddenly popped up near Ursula and Triton. The bubble bobbed between them. It held cases of some bottled substance and a strange contraption.
"Why that little-" Ursula started. "How did she get her magic back?"
Ursula's hand flew to her bare throat."When did she get close enough to pinch my necklace?!"
The truth hit like a humpback whale. "Liam!...That traitor! He took it!"
Ursula turned from the bubble to Killian.
"Your brother is an ungrateful hagfish! All this work I did for HIM and he betrays me!"
"Bloody hell!" Killian spat. "You ARE insane! Liam is long dead!... Now for the last time, where's Emma?!"
THHWANNNK!
Another bubble popped out of the water. This bubble contained Emma herself with an ill merman leaning on her shoulder. The bubble floated over their heads before coming to a landing on the cutter. Emma waived her hand and the bubble dissolved. She now stood firmly on deck.
"EMMA!" Killian cried. "Luv, are you all right?"
"Killian!" Emma's smile burned bright. "Yes, I'm fine."
Emma deposited Liam on the closest deck chair. She wanted to fling her arms about Killian and never let go! But, she stopped short. Something was wrong here. Ursula, Ariel and a white bearded merman who could only be King Triton floated above the surface just off the port bow. David and Robin were trying to get a rope over some magic wall. Killian wore handcuffs and was being restrained by two mermen.
"Killian, what is going on here?"
"Oh, luv! I scarcely know where to begin...we came here to meet with Ariel's father...to see if he knew where the seawitch was holding you... no sooner did the niceties end when the sea king ordered my immediate execution... then Ursula showed up spouting this bizarre fantasy in which I'm her son and Liam is still alive. I tell you, Emma, I always knew the mers were dangerous but I didn't realize they were downright balmy!"
"Killian," Emma said softly, "It's true...Ursula's two half human sons are... you and Liam."
Killian froze. This could not be so! It was impossible! Then he looked deeply into her eyes and knew, crazy as it sounded, that he was part merman.
"B-b-but she said Liam was still alive and he couldn't be. He-"
Emma spoke gently. "Killian, as poisonous as dream shade is to humans, it is harmless to mers. Liam is half mer. It didn't kill him but it left him seriously disabled...this is Liam."
Killian shook his head.
"That's not-"
"Hello, brother." Liam's voice cracked with emotion. "I've missed you!"
Killian was fortunate that the guards were holding him up. This purplish creature was his late brother? He had Liam's voice. He had Liam's curly hair, all be it with a green tint. His build easily could be an emaciated version of Liam's body. His features were Liam's face even if the coloring was wrong. My God! He WAS Liam!
"Liam!" The guards held Killian preventing the embrace. Too weak to close the distance, Liam smiled instead of hugging his brother.
Triton watched the scene with mounting anger. He thought eliminating Killian Jones would deter any further insurrections by his sister. His ministers had assured him that Jones was the only remaining male heir of her line. Now he discovers not only that Jones' wife may be carrying a potential threat but that the eldest brother still lives!
"Ursula!" Triton roared. "You knew about this?!"
"She not only knew," said Emma, "but she has been caring for him down in her lair all of these years."
"This-this CANNOT stand! Would you destroy all of merdom to get your hands on my throne?!"
"Triton, look at the boy. He isn't strong enough to stand by himself let alone assume a kingship. He is no threat!"
"Perhaps, but I know you! Everything you say and do spins a web of treason! You would set up either of your sons, or even a grandson, as puppet king through which YOU would rule!"
Ursula could not deny the accusation. Her entire adult life had been dedicated to this purpose. The mer world had already suffered terribly from the clash between her unbridled ambition and Triton's stubborn orthodoxy.
"Being a king is not easy," Triton said. "To spare my kingdom further bloodshed, I can show no mercy...Killian, say your goodbyes quickly. Your wife will be taken into protective custody until the babe is born. I pray it's a girl...But make NO mistake, when I lift this trident again, you WILL die. Your brother will soon join you. "
A collective gasp rocked the waves. Thunder and lightening peppered the sky in terrifying bursts. Ursula's screams and Ariel's pleading echoed over the roar of the wind. A tempest the likes of which no one had ever seen was soon to be unleashed. The mer guards slackened their hold on Killian just long enough for him to reach Emma and kiss her open mouth. Then they jerked him back to face the mer king.
Triton raised his mighty trident for the third time and final time. His eyes sparked fire bolts. His long white hair whipped around him. His face froze into a grimace. The mer king's will would be done! As his mighty arm began to descend, a burst of white light assaulted him. His arm froze in mid air and the trident vanished!
The storm suddenly ceased. The sea calmed. The air held only silence. The invisible wall separating the Joneses from their friends dissolved. Triton's empty right hand dropped. Killian Jones still drew breath. What had just happened?
"I AM SO DONE WITH THIS, YOU TWO!" Emma's voice broke the silence.
A very hormonal Emma Swan Jones, bathed in white light and emanating righteousness, brandished the missing trident over her head. The mer folk were stunned! No one had EVER wrenched the trident from the hands of an anointed king! Oh, many had tried and died upon the spot! It was not possible! Yet they had just watched this human - a FEMALE human no less - take the trident without even touching the king!
"Well, you took your sweet time about it, SAVIOR!" snarled Regina.
The Storybrooke contingent was less impressed but extremely happy. They had seen this phenomenon occur in the past. Emma's raw emotion spawned a white magic so powerful that it clothed her in invincibility. Add the hormonal surge caused by the final stage of pregnancy and the two scions of Poseidon were about to get the whooping that they both deserved.
Ursula burst into laughter. "She stole your trident! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Triton's mouth moved but no sound came out. How could this have happened?! What WAS this woman?
"I can't believe it!" Ursula squealed with glee. "The mighty Triton! Ruler of the seven seas! Emperor to all the Oceans! Bested by a human female!"
"SHUT IT, URSULA!" Emma commanded. "I'm in NO MOOD!"
The mer king finally found his voice, all be it with a lot less pomposity.
"Uh, would you mind returning my trident?"
"Yes, I WOULD mind! This feud has rained misery for WAY TOO LONG! ... And you know what? It's not really about the right of succession, or equal rights for females or mer-human interrelations or any of the lofty ideals you've tried to pin on it! No, it's about a brother and sister unwilling to let go of their rivalry even though it's ripping the world apart!"
Triton puffed out his chest. "One does not speak to mer royalty in such a manner!"
"Then start acting like royals! Royal means you squelch your own ego for the common good! It mean self-sacrifice NOT self-pity!"
"Such rot!" rebuked Triton. "I'll not listen to-"
"HEY! Holding the big fork here!" Emma waived the trident above her head again. "That means YOU LISTEN! ... You don't care who sits on your throne after you are gone! If Killian and Liam and all of their male progeny die, who gets the throne?"
"Well, the new order of succession has yet to be determined."
"REALLY?!" Emma asked. "Don't you think you should hash that out before you kill the heirs? ... Had you welcomed your nephews and guided them in their position as mer princes, you would now have two loyal followers who would do honor to your line ... Instead you condemned two innocents to a hard life and when they managed to survive anyway, you tried to kill them!"
Triton protested, "It was for the good of the-"
"Bullshit! Neither Killian nor Liam nor this child-" Emma touched her belly, "want your algae infested throne! The sins of the mother are not the sins of the sons ... Now I suggest that you swim back to your palace, update the laws and start training one of your daughters to rule after you."
"I can't...I no longer hold the trident."
Emma sighed. "Okay. Here's the deal...You will promise to never again try to kill your sister or anyone in her family! I will return the trident only upon your solemn oath!"
"Emma! Don't be a fool!" Ursula cried. "Keep the trident and you can rule!"
"Ursula, shut up!" Emma barked. "I don't want to be mer king! I just want my family safe!"
Triton stroked his beard. There really was nothing to consider. Emma Jones had him to rights.
"Agreed." He raised his right hand. "I, Triton, ruler of the seven seas, emperor of all the oceans, high overlord of Atlantica, do hereby nullify the death warrants on Ursula and her sons. I promise to never again attempt to execute Ursula or any member of her family."
"Good!" Emma handed him the trident. "Now you will leave Killian, Liam, me and our baby alone to live our lives in Storybrooke. Remember I can take that fork from you anytime I want."
"Very well," said Triton. "But what of Ursula? Why do I have to promise and she gets away seagull free?"
Ursula smirked and winked at Emma. Emma palmed her face. This was like dealing with children! Only children eventually get it. She wasn't sure these two ever would.
"TRITON!" Emma pointed down. "GO!"
Motioning to his retinue, the sea king plunged into the ocean at break fin speed. With the drama of Triton and Ursula unraveling before them, no one had noticed the Jolly Roger surface and slip in next to the cutter. Leaning on the rail of the larger vessel, Blackbeard observed the scene with interest.
"Ursula, you aren't getting away that easy," Emma said. "A good mother doesn't sacrifice her children for a chance at power!"
"But I saved Liam and protected Killian-"
"So you could use them to claim your brother's throne," continued Emma. "Liam lived with excruciating pain in your gilded prison for over 200 years. I am sure there were times he wanted you to just leave him die!"
"Well, I needed him to-"
"No," Emma said. "he needed you to be a mother, not a kingmaker! ... And Killian, Killian has emotional scars that will never go away! He grew up with no mother and his father abandoned him! Is it any wonder he fell into piracy?!"
"Well, I needed to keep Killian hidden in reserve so that if Liam died-"
Emma's stare froze the seawitch.
"Then you kidnap me - risking a miscarriage - WHY? We would have gladly helped you save Liam!"
"Emma, dear, if I had ever dared to speak with Killian, his Uncle Triton would have had an excuse to execute the boy."
"Not if you had approached your brother humbly."
"Things had gone too far for that!"
"Things should have never gotten that far ... you both forgot the one thing that mattered. You and Triton are family! But, you two have twisted the brother/sister bond into something sinister! It's not too late to straighten it out! Just think of what you could do if you worked together!"
"Well, angelfish, we aren't the Charmings! Triton and I working together? That ship has sailed! But, I can still vanquish Triton and be grandmama to a king!"
"THAT is not going to happen!" Freed from his restraints, Killian now stood beside Emma with Liam's slumped form cradled in his arms.
"I am taking my wife and brother back to Storybrooke. I never wish to see you again...EVER."
"Killy," Ursula whispered. "Killy, please don't...I do love you boys...I guess this is the only way I know how to be a mother."
"Have I not made myself clear? Leave...Now...Ursula." Killian could not bring himself to call her "mother".
"Tisk-tisk, Hook!" Blackbeard's grin revealed several rotten teeth. "Do all men of honor talk to their mothers like that?"
"Bloody hell, Teach, take her away to wherever it is that you go... I've had a belly full of her!"
Blackbeard knew better than to press further. Besides, he still needed Ursula's help in securing the Whydah Galley's treasure. He signaled for the ladder to be dropped.
Author's Notes:
1. One more chapter to go!
2. Thanks for reading!
3. Please leave a review if you can.