Sorry this has taken a while to update. This chapter was originally going to be quite different but it turned into this. It was also going to be longer but I like keeping the chapters about the same length so think of this as part 1 of this next bit.
Chapter 4: Stormbound
"Killian, hand me the map, would you?"
"If you're looking for the mountain, I think we've found it, love," Killian said, handing over the rolled up map they'd procured from Will.
They stood at the foot of Death Mountain, home of the dwarves. Well, they stood near the foot. The rough reddish brown rocks were clearly visible through the foliage of the vast forest. Killian estimated that it was about a mile or two away.
"Ah-ha!" Emma jabbed a finger at a tiny illustration of a village seated right beneath the picture of the mountain. "I thought there was a village nearby. We can stop there for the night and start the climb the morning after."
"Thank the gods. Not sure how much longer I could stand sleeping on the ground."
Her lips twitched. "I'm surprised you hate roughing it. Didn't you live in a tree house?"
Faking offense, he plastered a hand over his heart. "I'll have you know my tree house was very well insulated and comfy."
She rolled her eyes, shoving the map at him and walking away. He jogged to catch up with her. "What's the name of this village, love?"
"Kakariko."
Rolling it around on his tongue, he glanced ahead of them, noticing the tips of spires, or towers-perhaps lookout towers-that peaked over the edge of the line of trees blocking their view of the mountain.
The name sounded vaguely familiar, like something he'd heard once, maybe twice in his entire life, perhaps in a passing conversation between him and Tink or the Elder Tree.
"Have you ever been to Kakariko?" He thought Emma, knowledgeable as she seemed to be, might have an answer to his dilemma.
She shook her head, picking up her skirt to step over a small branch in the middle of the path. "I've only heard of it. It's the place where many people are buried."
"Even in Misthaven?"
"Well, not now. Not since…" She trailed off, glancing at him before shaking her head. "It's a sacred place. They say the gods touched it with special magic, and many people think that if they are buried there they will find peace in the afterlife."
Killian ground to a halt. "That's it."
"What?"
He grabbed her arm. "I was trying to remember where I'd heard of Kakariko. It's the place with the graveyard." he said excitedly.
"Yes," she said slowly, "what of it?"
"In the stories I heard, supposedly the dead come to life there."
Emma stared at him for a moment. Before he could say anything else her head fell back and a glorious sound spilled from her lips.
Killian pulled away and crossed his arms. "Well, Swan, how farfetched can it really be? If fairies are real, if gods do indeed exist, if you have magic and I'm some bloody chosen hero, why would the dead rising be so laughable?"
Emma finally stopped laughing, wiping at the tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes. "Because, Killian, magic can't bring back the dead. Nothing can except perhaps the gods and they wouldn't do that."
"Why the bloody hell not?"
"Think about it. People live and they die. No one in this world is immortal except the Dark One and he is an abomination. Mortality is necessary. Death is necessary in order to keep the balance. That's part of the reason why you, why we, have to defeat the Dark One."
He thought it over. It made sense. He didn't think he would want to live forever to see those he loved die and the seasons change again and again. It seemed like a lonely existence.
"How did the Dark One obtain such a power?"
Her face seemed to cloud over, green eyes darkening from jade to moss. "He took something that was not meant for him and then turned it into something dark and twisted."
And how does one combat such a power? That had been one of the most fundamental questions of his life. From the time when he was just a lad, the fairies-mainly Tink-had told him of the legend of the hero who would wield the sacred sword and defeat the greatest evil the land had ever seen. And he'd accepted it, to an extent, but as he grew older and gained a little perspective, he'd wondered about just what he would be facing, and if it was the greatest evil, how in the world could one man accomplish such a feat?
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The town was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Not that he'd seen much, but that fact didn't negate the impressiveness of the structures built around and into the mountain face. Flowers were set out in front of most buildings, cottages and businesses alike. And the people. He'd never seen so many people. They were everywhere, it seemed, but when he mentioned this to Emma she only laughed and told him the capitol was much busier.
But there was something strange about Kakariko, as it turned out. After speaking with a couple of the townspeople, inquiring about passage up the mountain, they received odd answers.
"No passages right now. The storm will knock you over."
Emma's brow furrowed. "What storm? It's a perfectly clear day."
The man, a large, mustachioed fellow, laughed. "You're new. You'll see. We've been having storms for the past few weeks, every day, at random times. Passage up the mountain is impossible right now without any guarantees about the weather."
"What's causing the storms?"
The man held up his hands, shaking his head. "No one knows. But if I had to take a guess it's got something to do with whatever is going on up on the mountain."
Looking more alarmed than he had ever seen her, Emma latched onto the man's arm. "What's happening on the mountain?"
Prying his arm away, the man straightened his collar. "The dwarves have stopped speaking with us. We used to trade with them, don't you know, but now they won't have anything to do with us. It's been a nightmare on our businesses not to mention the touristry."
"That is concerning." Emma looked thoughtful as the man walked off to speak with someone else.
"Do you know the dwarves, personally?" Killian asked.
She nodded. "I know a few of them. They come to Misthaven occasionally to show their wares to the royal family." She pointed to his blade. "The sword you're carrying was forged by dwarves."
He rubbed a hand over the pommel. "If we can make it up the mountain, do you think they would speak with us?"
She shrugged. "I can't say for sure, but I would hope so. But before we find out, we need to stop the storms."
"And how do you propose we do that? That man seemed to think the source was coming from the mountain."
Rubbing her neck, Emma began pacing. "I don't think it is. Dwarves don't have magic."
"Could it be a sorcerer?"
She stopped in front of him, frowning at the mountain that loomed tall before them. "It could be, but whoever it is, I don't think it's intentional."
"What makes you say that?"
"The man said it was random. And I just have a feeling, I suppose."
"A feeling?" He lifted a brow.
Crossing her arms, she stared him down. "Yes. A feeling. Do you trust me?"
He gazed at her for a long moment before giving a long, dramatic sigh. "Despite my misgivings about this entire situation," he said, waving a hand to encompass the village and the mountain, "I do trust you. You've yet to steer me wrong."
The grin that broke out over her face was enough to make him think he would always agree with everything she said if she looked at him like that. Green eyes crinkling at the corners, she reached up and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "Thank you, Killian."
He felt the skin of his cheek, feeling a foolish grin spread over his face. "You're welcome, Swan."
She laughed and grabbed his hand. "Now let's go find the source of the storms."
"As you wish."
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It took most of the day, and they were interrupted by a light sprinkle that quickly became a thunderstorm of epic proportions, forcing them to flee to the safety of an inn until it had passed over. The groans and sighs of the townspeople told them how commonplace such occurrences had become.
While they stood in the lobby of the inn with others avoiding the rain, Killian spotted the girl standing by the window, gazing wistfully out and clutching something around her neck. He nudged Emma and gestured to the girl. They exchanged a look and walked over to her, introducing themselves.
Her smile didn't quite reach her bright blue eyes. "I'm Anna."
"If you don't mind my forwardness, Anna, you seem upset, and perhaps not about the weather," Emma said, waving toward the window.
"Ah, you noticed that?" Anna laughed lightly, but Killian could tell her heart wasn't in it.
"What's wrong?"
Anna glanced between them for a moment, clutching her necklace which Killian could now see was in the shape of snowflake. "You seem like nice people. Okay." She took a deep breath. "Ithinkmysisteriscausingthestorms."
Killian turned to Emma. "Did you get any of that?"
"Not a word. What did you say, Anna?"
"Sorry, sometimes I get excited and talk to fast if especially if I'm nervous and you guys are kind of intimidating and it's been a long few weeks and-"
Emma held up a hand. "It's alright."
Anna exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment, before looking at them, her expression solemn. "I think my sister is causing these storms."
"Is you sister a sorceress?"
Anna started to shake her head, but then nodded. "Yes and no. I mean, she's not a bad sorceress or anything, but she does have powers and she can't always control them so…"
"Where is your sister?" Killian asked, glancing out the window. The clouds were beginning to dissipate. It really was an unusual storm, there and gone in what seemed almost an instant.
Clutching her necklace, Anna shook her head. "I don't know. She disappeared a few weeks ago, right around the time the storms started."
Emma put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Did something happen that made her disappear?"
"Well, she did read our mother's diary. I found it in her room the day she disappeared. I think something in it upset her, but I don't know what. The pages had been ripped out."
Looking thoughtful, Emma gestured to her necklace. "Did your sister give you that?"
"Yes, it was a birthday present."
Killian glanced at Emma. "What are you thinking, love?"
"I'm thinking I can use the necklace to find your sister, Anna."
Anna's entire face lit up. "Really? Thank you!" She threw herself at Emma, squeezing her. Emma looked startled for a moment before she gingerly patted the younger woman's shoulder.
"It's no trouble." She pulled away and gave Anna an encouraging smile. "Now, how about we go find your sister?"