AN; Sorry I missed last weeks post, school life is a little hectic right now. Thank to getting me to my first 100 followers! I love knowing that people enjoy this story as much as I like writing it. Anyway… next chapter!
SNOW POV
Her dreams that night were peaceful. She came in and out of her lovely sleep and curled herself closer into Charming's side and he wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer. She could hear the steady beat of his heart and it matched hers, her perfect lullaby that would always be there to lull her to sleep.
A haunting laughter woke her from her sleep.
She sat straight up in bed with a gasp and grabbed Charming's hand, "Charming…. Wake up."
He just groaned and rolled over. She rolled her eyes, "ugh men." And she got out of bed, walking over to the corner of their spacious bedroom where she kept her bow. Slinging the arrows over her shoulder and lighting a candle, she silently crept out the door and down the hall. She didn't know where the laugh had come from, or if there even was a laugh but as soon as she heard it she got goose bumps all over her body and chills down her spine. That laugh made her skin crawl.
As she toed along the hallway, listening for any disturbance or unusual sounds, she noticed how eerily quiet the castle was. It was black along the halls, all the candles extinguished in the middle of the night. The only light provided was a tiny glow around her provided by her candle. She was listening intently for any odd sounds as she creeped along the halls towards Emma's room.
It was a paternal instinct to go check on her daughter first. Her feet carried her swiftly but silently down the dark halls, passing door after door until she reached Emma's room. There was no light coming from under the door, letting her know that she was fast asleep. She listened for any noise coming from the other side, when she didn't she gently pushed the door open and walked into the room. She saw the window was open and her curtains were swaying gently, there was a candle by the bed that was burning so low it was almost out.
"Emma?" she whispered. She didn't hear her answer so she walked over to her bed and flipped the covers back, only to find her beloved daughters bed empty.
"Emma?! Emma, where are you?" she yelled frantically. She looked in her closet and under the bed, thinking maybe she was hiding. When she didn't find her, she ran to the window and started looking out when she saw something small laying on the ground below the window. She darted out of her room and down the halls, yelling for her daughter down every hallway opening every door, frantically searching for her daughter. When she couldn't find her she ran back down this hall and out to door as fast as she could. Heading towards where she saw it on the ground, her legs started shaking when she saw it was Emma's beloved doll laying facedown on the ground, her beautiful red dress smudged with dirt. Something was wrong.. she knew how much Emma loved this doll, and she would never let anything happen to it.
"EMMAAAA!" she yelled collapsing on the ground with the doll in her hands. She cried into her daughters most cherished possession until the guards heard her screaming.
"Your highness, what are you doing?" one of them asked
"What's wrong?" asked another.
She couldn't answer them. When they tried to get her up, she wouldn't move. After a few moments, they figured they couldn't get her up, so they went to wake Charming. He ran out to where she still sat in the dirt and took her by the shoulders.
"Snow, what is it? What's going on?" he asked when he noticed the doll in her hands.
"Emma is missing. She's gone Charming. I heard a laughter earlier that woke me, when I went into Emma's room to check on her she wasn't in her room anywhere. I saw her doll lying on the ground here below the window."
"She has to be somewhere in the palace." He said trying to calm her down.
"She's not in the palace, I've looked for her." She said sobbing into her husbands shoulder.
"Guards! Check the town, I want everywhere checked for Emma, she has to be somewhere. Check every house, every store, and every ship. I want her found. Make sure the townspeople know we are looking for her, they will open their houses willingly." He commanded, wrapping his arms around her, "Snow, let's get you inside, they will find her." He said helping her to her feet. He practically had to carry her back to their room and put her in bed.
"No, take me to her room." She told him.
He took her down another hallway and opened Emma's door. He hadn't been in here since he was awake, and there was something eerily quiet about her room. He helped her into a chair and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving to help with the search. She looked outside and saw guards mounting horses and torches lit, already going down the path to town. She sat on the edge of her bed, holding the doll and hoping that her daughter would be found.
KILLIAN POV
He was still buzzing from their night when he climbed into bed that night. He tossed and turned, but sleep eluded him that night. Thoughts of bright green eyes and flowing blonde hair plagued his thoughts. He balled up his pillow, and imagined that it was Emma's sleeping form that he was holding, and he was able to sleep.
Not an hour later, a knocking on the door woke up from his slumber. He cursed whoever was at the door at this hour and got up to open it before their persistent knocking could wake his father. He sat up onto the side of the bed and pulled his boots on with a yawn and walked blindly to open the door. To say that he was shocked to see the guards from the palace was putting it lightly. He knew the two at the door, they were personal guards of the king and queen.
"Evening lads, what can I do for you at this hour, the shop is closed already." He said crossing his arms and hearing his father's door close damn they woke him up.
"Sir, we are here on orders of the king and queen. We are searching for Princess Emma. We need to search the premises." One of them said walking past Killian and into the shop.
"Wait, what do you mean searching for her?" he asked stepping in front of the guard. "Isn't she at home?"
"She seems to be missing, she is not at the palace and no one has seen her since earlier this evening. Have you seen her?" he asked suspiciously.
"Aye, we were together a few hours ago." He said, "Has no one seen her since?"
"No, the queen awoke in the middle of the night, saying she heard a laughter echoing through the castle, she went to make sure her highness was ok, and she wasn't in her room when she entered. She searched the palace for her and she is not there."
"I wish we could be of more help, but the princess isn't here." Gepetto said.
"I have to go to the palace. I have to help them look." He told his father, "I'll be back soon." He walked past the guards and Gepetto and ran up to the castle. Emma was missing? No, she had to be somewhere. Maybe she walked back through the town after he took her to the gates. She's not missing, he tried to convince himself.
She's got to be somewhere he thought over, and over again as he headed in the direction of the palace. As he got closer, he started to pass more guards on their way into town to look for her. Lights from torches were spread out through the forest as they combed their way through looking for her.
When he got to the grounds he saw even more guards that were looking at maps and huddled around in groups. He walked towards the stairs when he noticed Charming pointing on a map, directing people where to look. He went towards him and caught the kings eye. "Nothing yet?" he asked when he got close enough for him to hear.
"No. Snow is worried sick. So am I. She said she heard a strange laughter right before she woke up and Emma was gone when she went to check on her. This isn't like Emma, she wouldn't sneak off or anything. Something is wrong." The king told him.
"Where is the queen?"
"She's in Emma's room."
"I'm going to go speak with her, then I will join the search." He said walking off, he turned and looked over his shoulder, "She's not with Graham, is she?"
"No, when he found out she was gone he was the first to start searching for her." The king said hanging his head.
Killian continued towards the palace, thinking of all the places Emma could be. If someone did take her, they couldn't have gotten far in just a few hours. They would find her, and whoever took her would pay. They had pissed off the wrong people, Emma was loved deeply by everyone.
He reached Emma's room and gently pushed the door open. He saw the queen sitting in a chair by the window, her back was to him so he coughed to announce his presence. When she turned around, her eyes were puffy and red rimmed.
"Oh, hello Killian." She said standing up. It was then that he noticed she was holding Emma's doll that he made her. She saw him looking at it and smiled at him, "She loves this more than any gift any one has given her. It's her most cherished possession. I found it outside, under her window. That's how I know something is wrong." She said, her eyes filling with tears.
"We will find her, your majesty. I swear it." he promised walking closer to her.
"Oh I hope so. I hope she's ok, wherever she is." She whispered walking over to the bed and stroking the pillow. Killian stepped up beside her, and looked at the bed where his precious Emma spent her nights. He wondered if she ever dreamed of him, he knew he dreamt of her. He watched the queen absentmindedly stroke the pillow, and thought he noticed something when she moved away from the bed. Taking the candle from the bedside chest, he held it up over his head so he could see it better. What he saw was a powder, it looked like it was blue, and it was splayed across her pillow.
Where had he seen it before? And then….
No… he thought. He blinked hard a few times, and looked again hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. They weren't.
"Get the king." He whispered to the queen, when she looked at him questioningly he added, "I think I might know where she is."
The day had been torturous, the heat and humidity especially high today making tempers even higher. They'd been walking for hours through the treacherous jungle when they came across it. A beautiful lagoon with crystal clear blue water and trees and plants blocking its view from the rest of the jungle. They stopped in their tracks just to marvel at it.
"Well lads, anyone for a swim?" the captain asked. With his permission, they all ran into the lagoon, the water cooling their bodies and quenching their thirst. The men swan through the lagoon, but kept a watchful eye out for lost boys, they hadn't been seen in a few days so anticipation was high. Killian was walking into the lagoon when he saw one of the men swim over to a beautiful bright blue flower on the water's edge. He stood on his toes and began reaching for it and picked it off the stem.
"Jenkins, don't smell it!" the captain warned, but it was too late. Jenkins inhaled the flowers scent and Killian watched as a powder as bright as the flower floated from the petals and were inhaled. Immediately, he fainted and the other crewmen raced over to get to him before he could drown. When they got to his limp body they pulled him to shore and waited.
He was breathing, but it was so slow that you started to worry he may have died.
He awoke what felt like an eternity later, but what was more like 4 hours, without a memory of what happened and why they were all looking at him like they had seen a ghost. After that, they deemed that plant was another off limits, the powder from its petals could knock a full grown man out for hours.
"It's called the Pudicus plant." He told the king, queen, Graham, and a few guards. "It's a flower that grows on the edges of water banks. The powder comes from the petals and puts anyone to sleep who inhales it."
"I've never heard of such a plant." Graham said.
"Aye, you wouldn't have ever heard of it," he took in a deep breath and looked at her father, "unless you've traveled to Neverland."
"So, what are you saying? That you think Emma is in Neverland?" the king asked.
"I do. I know that island well from when we traveled there. I haven't seen a powdery substance anywhere else except that plant. That plant I've only ever seen in Neverland."
"How could anyone even get into the palace, much less her room." Graham asked.
"There is a group of boys on that island, they are known as the Lost Boys. Their leader is Peter Pan, and he has a shadow that can open portals with as little as a wave of his hand. That shadow can fly. My guess is that Pan sent his shadow here after Emma."
"Why?" Graham asked.
"That I do not know." Killian answered honestly.
The king just looked at him. I was the queen that spoke up.
"Then I guess we are going to Neverland to get our daughter."
