Chapter 3: Delusions of Grandeur

Killian and Emma had been walking for almost three days when they saw the balloon. He noticed it first, nudging her in the shoulder and pointing up.

It was a garish red thing bobbing up and down amongst the trees that lined the path they traced. Curious, they ventured further into the brush.

"What do you think it is?" Emma asked.

Killian shrugged. "I've no clue. I've never seen anything like it. Besides," he said, shuffling closer to her and leaning down next to her ear, "I thought you knew everything."

She gave him a look and opened her mouth to reply when a shout interrupted them. They sped up towards the sound, emerging in a tiny clearing and looking around.

"Oi! Up here!"

They glanced up to see a man hanging from the trees. The balloon was still bobbing up and down, somehow stuck to the top of the tree while the man attached to it hung from the branches, his limbs dangling as he struggled to break free.

His eyes lit up as they approached him.

"Please, sir and missus, help a poor bloke out. I'm begging ye!"

Emma smirked and glanced at Killian before waving her hand. The man was enveloped in a puff of silver smoke and reappeared in front of them. He looked to be in complete shock for a moment before his expression took on a reverent quality and he grabbed Emma's hand, pumping it up and down.

"Ye must be a fairy! Please Missus Fairy, please make me one of your kind!"

Killian pulled Emma away from him, earning a look of surprise from the blonde. She didn't pull away though, letting him rest his arm around her waist.

"Who are you?" he asked the strange man. He noticed that he was probably what was considered a handsome fellow, with close cropped hair and brown eyes, well-muscled arms and a solid build.

The man bowed, making a show of it and glancing up at Emma to see if she approved. To Killian's delight, her expression remained unimpressed.

"Me name's Will Scarlet. I'm a travelin' map-maker and adventurer of sorts, but I've dreams of becomin' one of the fairy folk. I've never met one before now. If I may say missus, you're even more beautiful than I imagined."

Emma smiled and Killian's arm tightened around her waist. "Flattering as that is, I'm afraid you've got the wrong person. I'm not a fairy, just a human blessed with magic."

"Bugger me. Can ye bless me, then?" Before she could reply, he got on his knees and bowed his head, waiting.

"Uh…" She exchanged a look with Killian, who shrugged.

"How about I make you a knight of the realm? Killian, give me the sword, please."

"You can knight him?" he murmured as he unsheathed the sword, carefully placing it in her hands.

She shrugged. "Probably." She turned to address Will. "Do you promise to give your life to the protection of Misthaven and its royal family, to do good deeds for all you meet, and to uphold the sacred values of the Gods?"

"I do," he said so solemnly Killian had to bite back a laugh.

Emma tapped the sword on each of his shoulders. "Then I hereby dub thee Sir Will Scarlet, the Wondrous."

"Wondrous?" Killian muttered, earning an elbow to the gut.

Will rose, grinning. "I don't feel any different, but thank ye all the same missus."

"You're welcome," Emma said, handing the sword back to Killian. "Might we trouble you for your assistance, Will?"

"Anything for you, missus." Killian resisted the urge to wipe the dopey look off his face.

"You mentioned you're a mapmaker. Could we trouble you for a map? I believe ours might be a bit outdated."

"Of course." He pulled off his rucksack and started rummaging through it, opening and closing rolled up parchments until he came across the one he wanted. He handed it to Emma with a flourish.

"Thank you." She opened it. "This is very well done."

Will preened at her praise and Killian rolled his eyes. "This is me best work. As ye can see, I've illustrated everythin'."

Emma glanced up. "Is it charmed?"

Will scratched his head and grinned. "I thought ye might notice. I bought a charm off a travelin' merchant and added it to the map. You'll always know which way you're goin'."

"A built-in compass," Emma murmured, "clever."

If it were possible, Will seemed to puff up even more.

"Shouldn't we be on our way? It's getting close to nightfall. We need to find a place to set up camp."

Emma didn't glance up. "Cool your heels. We'll make it."

"If ye don't mind my asking," Will started, "whereabouts are ye headed?"

Killian gave him a look that said he did mind but Will ignored him.

Emma finally looked up from the map. "We're on our way to Misthaven, but we'll be making a few stops along the way."

Killian turned to her. "A few stops? You didn't mention that."

"Fairies have special fairy secrets, mate." Killian glared at him.

Emma waved them both off. "No, he's right. I should have said something before. We need to gather some items before we go to Misthaven."

Killian's brows rose. "Items?" He drew out the word slowly.

Rolling her eyes, Emma rolled up the map and stuffed it in his satchel. "Don't worry about it. Just trust me."

He did, strangely enough. He'd only known the woman a few days and yet he thought he would gladly leap into an inferno if she asked it of him.

"What we need is a faster way to travel."

"Why don't ye just poof yourselves where ye need to be like you did with me?" Will asked.

Killian wished he'd noticed but the man was right. Emma did have magic. Even if she couldn't conjure horses out of thin air, surely she could teleport them to their destination.

Emma sighed. "It's not that simple. I haven't been able to do magic since...well, since I've been busy with other things." She glanced at Killian meaningfully. "I can conjure inanimate objects out of thin air and I could teleport you to the ground but those are small things. I'm not strong enough right now to transport myself let alone someone else a far distance. And…" She trailed off.

"And?"

She bit her lip and glanced around, looking at Will a bit suspiciously. He held up his hands. "Ye can trust me, missus."

"Fine." She lowered her voice and gestured for them to come closer. They huddled together and Killian wished more than anything that Will wasn't there to ruin the moment while he was that close to Emma.

"I think that I need to be careful just how much magic I use. Small things are fine, in moderation. But magic is like a beacon. Other magical beings can sense it. The stronger they are, the easier it is."

Killian figured out what she was trying to say. "You think the Dark One can find us if you use magic."

She nodded, her eyes troubled. "We need to be careful. If he knows you have the sword, and that I'm with you, things could end very badly before they've even begun."

"But I thought I could defeat him with the sword?" Killian unconsciously rubbed his palm against the cool pommel, wondering what else he would have to do before he was worthy of conquering his enemy.

"You can, but we need the items I mentioned before. We have to imbue the sword with their power. You also need a shield and someone to train you, which I suppose will fall to me."

"You know how to wield a sword? But you have magic."

"Magic isn't always the answer. And it always comes with a price." She said the last words with a bitter tone and twist of her lips, like she'd tasted something disagreeable.

There was silence for several moments, as they all took in her words. Will was the one to break it.

"D'ya think ye can get me balloon out of the tree?"

Emma nodded and snapped her fingers. A moment later the balloon appeared on the forest floor, intact, bobbing slowly up and down.

"Many thanks, missus. I suppose I'll be seein' ye."

"I suppose so. Can we trust you to keep our presence secret, Will?"

He nodded solemnly and Killian somehow knew that he would.

"Where will you go?" he asked, watching the other man gather up his things.

Will shrugged. "I'm a wanderer. Always have been, always will be. It suits me. I'll go where the wind blows me balloon."

"We'll wish you well then," Emma said, "and safe travels. Thank you for your help."

"And you as well." He tied himself to the balloon and tapped it once. Killian, watched, a little amazed, as it slowly drifted up, taking Will with it.

He grinned down at them. "Perhaps we'll meet again, sir and missus. Be careful out there. It's a dangerous world."

They watched as he drifted further and further away, moving with the breeze.

Killian glanced at Emma and was momentarily arrested by the wistful expression on her face. He touched her shoulder and she turned, smiling at him.

"I envy him a bit."

"Aye."

She patted his hand on her shoulder before striding off. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she grinned. "Aren't you coming?"

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and following, feeling the anxiety that had plagued him since he'd left his treehouse slowly seeping away a little more with each passing dawn since he'd met Emma.