So my finals are over for the semester and I have an entire month off school. This one took a while again but school life really keeps me occupied. Anyway, when we last left our little group they had just arrived in Neverland along with Liam and their father Davy Jones. Here's the next chapter!
PAN POV
He sat among his lost boys that night, the fire blazing and a boar roasting above as the boys danced around the flames yelling, shouting, and celebrating yet another day on the island. It was their home and they loved it. Peter had been sure to find the boys who felt as though they didn't belong to bring to Neverland. He knew that a sad and lonely heart was easily manipulated and he was tired of being lonely. Some of the boys, though, had taken a soft spot with him and he did consider them friends. The boys were all close and they had mourned the loss of Felix, for he was their brother and one of their strongest brothers and hunters. The feeling of loss had now been replaced by anger. Anger at the one Killian Jones for taking him. He still seethed at the boy's name and he couldn't wait to kill him. The thirst of revenge was a new feeling to him, but he would be sure to avenge Felix's' death.
"There's something you should know." One of the boys said coming up behind him. Turning he saw that it was Marcus. He had stepped up to take on more of a role after Felix was killed.
"What is it?" he asked annoyed.
"The scouts spotted a ship arriving just moments ago. It appears to be his."
"Well it took them long enough." He said rising from his seat.
"What should we do with the prisoner?" he said referring to a cage lofted above by the edge of camp.
"We'll let them plan. I doubt Jones will bring them here unprepared. Find out how many he has with them. Send the mermaids on a scouting run." He said with a sneer. "Let's welcome them to Neverland properly."
Snow POV
The feeling she had as she looked off towards the island was a mix of anger, concern, and worry along with a mix of fear for her daughter as well as her companions. Her motherly instincts were screaming at her to go after her daughter and forget the planning and strategy. However, she knew that running in there unprepared would do nothing but get them all killed. As soon as they landed, Killian had gathered them all to a map he had constructed of the island during his first journey here, he explained the different components of the Island.
"Dead Man's Peak, Mermaid Grotto, Echo Cave, Skull Rock, and Dark Hollow."
"Really? Why couldn't there be a place called Sunshine Valley or Rainbow Cove?" she exasperated. They all just looked at her and Killian cleared his throat and continued.
"Dead Man's peak is the highest mountain, there." He said pointing. "Mermaid Grotto is around the other side of the island and we must avoid it at all cost. It is the most dangerous part of the island to sailors, mermaids of the fairytales do not do justice to these monsters. They pull sailors overboard and rip their throats out. Skull Rock is there. Echo Cave and Dark Hollow are on different ends of the island."
"What do we find there?" Charming asked from beside her.
This time Davy Jones spoke up, "Dark Hollow is where the shadows reside. See, Peter Pan can send his shadow off to do his bidding while not being anywhere near it. This makes it, in a way, somewhat easier to capture the shadow. But Dark Hollow is one of the more deadly places on this island. Pan's shadow has victims, his shadow steals the shadow of another and this is where they reside in. His is the 'leader' as you would say. No light enters the hollow, if it does it is smothered by the shadows. Killian has told me of the plan, which I dare not say for fear that he may learn it. He has eyes and ears everywhere. It is important that no one speak of it."
"Yes, so after we get…" he let his sentence go unfinished as he looked towards the island and they all saw the color drain from his face. His father and brother followed his stare and they had the same reaction.
"No." Liam whispered.
"What is it? what's happening?" Graham asked concerned, running over to the edge. Before any of them could stop him he had reached the rail and was looking over and an eerie screech was heard.
A mermaid jumped out of the water and had Graham by the throat. Killian was the first to react and had his sword drawn, running towards them before she could drag him over. They saw Graham struggling to get out of her grip and attempt to reach for his sword, but she held him at an awkward angle and the only thing keeping her from falling back was her hold the rail was well as him. They watched as Killian sprinted and speared the mermaid before she could pull Graham overboard. Her screeching became silent and they heard her body fall to the ocean with a sickening splash.
Graham was bent over clutching his neck and attempting to regain his breath. Killian just stared over the edge of the ship and was backing away from the rail slowly.
"Thank you." Graham said to him.
"Meant to tell ya' mate, stay away from the rail."
"Yeah, I'll remember that next time." He said coughing.
"We need to move, Killian." Liam told him sheathing the sword he had also drawn, "there will be more of them and soon."
She watched as Killian ran to the helm and began to steer the Jewel, just as more screeching began. She took the bow off her shoulder and nocking an arrow. They heard thumping and screeching as they began crashing into the sides of the ship, the repulsive noise was persistent as Killian tried to outrun them. The Dark One was hurling fireballs at them as they sailed and she tried to think of an idea.
The Crow's Nest.
She looked up and knew that she could get a good line of site on the approaching mermaids while staying away from the rails. Slinging her bow back over her shoulder she ran to the mast and began to climb.
"Snow!" She heard Charming yell, but she had to keep going. They could hear them screeching louder as more of them kept coming and coming. The men had their swords drawn as they heard a scraping noise. "They're climbing up, be ready!" they heard Killian shout as he ran from the helm to join the rest of them on deck, giving up on outrunning them.
She climbed faster and no sooner than her feet hit the last rung did they begin to come over the edge. She nocked an arrow and let it fly into the first one she saw, and another, and another, each one falling back into the ocean with a splash. The guys were below standing close to the rail but never daring to lean over it. As the mermaids reached up to grab the railing to haul themselves over, they would slice at their arms or hands, whatever could they get to. Liam was preoccupied with one and another tried to grab for him, but before she could grab his arm an arrow landed through her chest. He saw it and smiled up at her in gratitude. Her angle from the crow's nest allowed her to get a shot on most of them before they could even get on the deck, it was odd, most of them once they got to the rail they would jump back off before she even fired a shot.
Then as suddenly as they appeared, the stopped. There was no more crashing against the side of the ship and no more of them climbing up the sides. She stayed in her position, feet spread apart and bowstring pulled taut, for what felt like hours, just waiting for another to try to climb aboard.
"Your highness, if I may say so myself, you are on hell of a shot!" she heard Jones yell up to her. This was enough to snap her out of her stupor and she blinked down at all of them who were looking up at her.
"Yeah I spent my fair share of time having to hunt for my own food and protect myself. A bow and arrow were the easiest to make so I had to make due." She said as she climbed down the ladder.
"You had to hunt for your own food? Oh, this will be an interesting story." Jones said slapping Liam and Killian on the shoulders. Killian just looked at him, she was sure he'd heard this story a million times.
"Yes, I was really young when my mother died. He remarried a young woman named Regina who actually saved my life once. As a reward to her, he offered her a life of wealth and luxury by becoming Queen. Well, I was young and didn't know any better when I told Regina's mother that she didn't want to marry my father because she had her true love, a stable boy named Daniel. Her mother was a cruel woman who then proceeded to crush Daniels heart right in front of her to ensure her marriage to my father. From that day on she swore to make my life miserable. So when my father died of a mysterious illness I knew it was Regina and I knew I would be next if I didn't leave the castle, so I ran and spent my time hiding from her and her soldiers in the woods. She began practicing dark magic with Rumpelstiltskin. And got the nickname The Evil Queen. Her powers were stripped from her years ago.
"Wow, talk about the evil step-mother." He said. "I am sorry that all that happened to you, but for what it's worth, everything seems to have worked out for the better." He said with a smile.
"Can we talk about why the mermaids were even here?" Charming asked.
"They were scouts." The dark one replied. When he was met with blank stares, he elaborated, "Other than attempt to get on deck, they caused no harm, no one has been killed and with as many as our queen here killed, had they been actually attacking us we would have been dead. They don't take too kindly to the death of another of their species, they had orders not to attack us. He sent them to get information, to see how many of us there are, the weapons we possess, and see if they could learn any of our plans. Mr. Jones was correct, we dare not speak of any plans we have or it could be learned by Pan."
"They attacked Graham." Snow pointed out.
"That they did. Having a sailor actually lean over the deck must have been too hard of a temptation for them to deny, even against Pan's orders." He pointed out.
"So now it is safe to assume that he knows Davy Jones is with us, what he may not know is why. If I didn't know that he was my father how could Pan?" Killian said.
"He may not know he is your father, so he will be curious as to why he is here."
"How do we get to the island?"
"I can transport us there. Like I said, its leaving. We can still leave as of now, once we step foot on the island, if we don't succeed with our plan, we will be there forever because the shadow won't let us leave." The dark one said.
Everyone looked at one another acknowledged the danger they were about to enter.
"Let's go get our daughter." Charming told her kissing her forehead.
"Warning." The dark one said, once again directing it at Killian.
She wasn't used to the suffocating feeling of being magically transported anywhere. It was similar to a gust of wind stealing her breath for an instant. The feeling didn't last long though, and before she knew it she was on a beach with sand beneath her boots. She could hear the waves breaking on the shore behind her and the sounds of animals she'd never heard before.
"Why do you continue to say 'warning'?" Jones asked as he stumbled and caught his breath.
"Young Mr. Jones asked for a warning next time, so I give him one." He said chuckling. Killian rolled his eyes and started walking.
Killian led the group forward off the beach and into the forest and they all followed behind him, the instant his boot touched the moss covered ground the noises of the forest all stopped. Around them was nothing, dead silent, no cries of animals, no wind blowing the leaves on the trees, she looked over her shoulder and gasped. Even the ocean was still as glass. It was if time stood still.
As they kept going, all of them were on edge. Killian led them, followed by herself and Charming, then Graham, Liam, Jones and Rumpelstiltskin. They trekked for a few hours when Killian held up his hand and they all stopped. He listened hard for a moment before he turned to face them.
"Hide." He whispered.
She looked around and found a large tree, running to it and turning her body to the side she was able to fit behind it and not be seen. No sooner than the last of their party had hidden themselves did she hear their footsteps. It sounded like a lot of them and they were approaching quickly. It didn't take long for them to come into view.
They walked single file, hoods up concealing most their faces, clothes worn and raggedy, dirt covering what she could see of their faces, and weapons drawn. She counted 13. Their weapons ranged from bows, to knives, and some even held clubs. They kept their heads up and eyes constantly moving, walking not two feet from Liam who was hidden. They were walking towards the shore they had just come from. Once the precession had passed and it was quiet once again, they moved from their hiding places and resumed their walk.
What seemed like hours later, they stopped.
"Here would be a good place to set up camp for the night." Killian told them.
"You want to stop? Emma is still out there." She argued.
"You know as well as I that exhausting ourselves will get us nowhere. Pan and the lost boys know this island like the back of their hand. We are at the disadvantage here, so we need to at least stay well rested."
"We don't even know where she is. We need to keep our heads." Jones said speaking up. "Killian is right. He and I have both spent time here, and I agree with him with setting up camp. We should sleep in shifts."
"I'll take first watch." Graham said gathering his bow.
They all settled into makeshift beds and she curled into Charming's side, taking some solace in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. She fell into an uneasy sleep as she realized how tired she really was. All too soon Graham was shaking her awake for her shift.
She left the warmth of her husband and her bed, fed their dwindling fire, and took a seat. Her thoughts consisted of Emma. Where is she? Is she still alive? Scared? Does she know her family is here?
A twig snapping signaled the approach of another.
Jumping to her feet and drawing an arrow, her eyes searched for movement. Her breathing was shallow and her ears listened so intently it hurt.
Behind you her instincts told her.
She whirled around and the point of her arrow found itself at his throat.
"Well, well, well, nice to meet you too." The boy said with a smirk.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked increasing the pressure of her arrow at his throat.
"Well isn't it obvious? I live here." He said.
"That answers one part. Now who are you?"
"I'm Peter Pan. So nice to finally meet you Snow White." He said with a mock kindness.
"Where's my daughter?"
"Now, if I just told you that wouldn't be any fun now would it. See, I control this island. Nothing happens here without my permission. So, unless you never want to see your precious Emma alive again, you'll play nice." He said nodding to the arrow still aimed at his throat.
"What do you want from us? My family has never done anything to you, we didn't even know about you or your island." She said reluctantly lowering her weapon.
"Ah, you didn't but one among you did. And he is the reason. He is the reason for your suffering. But, I'll tell you what. I'm feeling generous. I'll tell you where she is." He said spreading his arms out wide.
"You would? That simple? How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't, but you can't afford not to now can you?"
She didn't answer, didn't need to.
"She's in the Echo Cave." He said before disappearing into the woods.
She didn't move from her spot until she saw rays of sun rising, indicating it was morning. The rest of her party began to stir and she heard Charming yelling for her.
"Over here." She said quietly, still staring at the place Peter Pan had stood.
"Snow what are you doing, why didn't you wake me?" when she didn't answer, he grew concerned. "Snow are you ok?" he said turning her towards him.
"He was here." She said looking at him, Killian had walked over to where she had been rooted.
"Who was?" Charming asked.
"Peter Pan, He was here last night, I spoke to him."
"Snow are you mad! Why didn't you get one of us up he could have killed you." He yelled looking her over.
"I'm fine, Charming. Stop!" she said grabbing his hands. "We need to worry about her, not me. He told me where she is. She's alive."
"Where did he say she was?" Killian asked, the rest of their party joining them where she was standing.
"Echo Cave."
"Are you sure? That's what he told you?" Jones asked.
"Yes, that's what he just told me!"
"Pan likes to play tricks. Echo Cave was one of his favorites."
"What is that place?" Graham asked.
"It forces you to tell your darkest secret." The dark one said. He'd been quiet through most of their travels.
"It was a cause of a lot of chaos for myself and my crew. If it's not your darkest secret it won't work. It's one no one knows."
All the members of their party looked around nervously.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Killian asked. "I remember where it is." He said walking off at an angle from where they came last night.
"How far you think it is?" Graham asked.
"Few hours hike from here, we should be there before noon." Liam answered him.
As they walked off, none of them saw where Peter Pan hid and smiled to himself. Oh, how he loved his games.
KILLIAN POV
The bloody bastard would hide her in the Echo Cave. He was going to kill that little demon, if there was a way to kill him. The dark one planned on entrapping him, but he wasn't sure about that. He had taken Emma from him. He would pay. This place, Echo Cave, would do to them what it was famous for doing, tear them all apart and make them want to kill each other.
His deepest secret.
He wondered briefly what his fathers, and his brother's biggest secret was. He laughed to himself, what was the darkest secret of Davy Jones. All were quite once again as they followed him, probably trying to realize what their own secret actually was. It isn't necessarily an easy thing. What was Grahams? As much as he wanted to hate Graham, he couldn't. He had taken him under his wing when it came to the navy, and had taught him just about everything he knew when it came to sailing. He just happened to be vying for the same woman he was. He would always look up to him and would always respect him. But he was going to do everything in his power to get Emma.
"I spy with my little eyes…. Something…. Yellow. Killian?" Liam asked.
He just looked at him and didn't answer right away, "The fruit from that tree."
"Correct. Still as good as I remember, huh little brother?"
"Younger brother." He corrected.
"You buys used to play that game for hours. I remember once, Killian I believe you were guessing and you got mad because you thought something was more red than orange. You couldn't have been more than 6."
"I think I remember that." He said. "A woman walked by with a dress that color and we fought about it."
"Hey I remember that. It was definitely orange little brother." Liam said.
"I remember quite clearly and it was red."
"Not again." Their father said laughing. He just rolled his eyes and continued to lead them toward the cave, towards Emma.
It took a little longer than he thought it would. They found a pond that he remembered was safe to refill their water supply and they all did, finishing them once before they filled them again. In this heat and humidity it was easy to get dehydrated. When they got to the mouth of the cave he stopped. He turned and looked at his crew, "this is where it gets tricky. Pan has his games and he wants us to all hate each other. These secrets we tell, they are not dark secrets of our past. But darker secrets of the heart." And leaving it with that, he walked into the cave.
The mouth of the cave wasn't that long, a small tunnel that opened into a wide cavern. A ledge formed after the opening and dropped off farther than any of them can see. In the middle of the open cavern, on a rock pillar sat a cage. In that cage, he saw a tangle of blonde tresses. Her head was leaning against the cage.
"Emma!" he yelled. She stirred and looked at him, and gods how he just wanted to hold her.
"Killian?" he heard her reply, "Mom? Dad? Is that you?" she turned and looked at them and he could see the smile on her face from here.
"Emma!" they yelled together. Snow white took a step forward, looking over the ledge.
"Ok guys, let's see if this works." Snow said, taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she said "Emma, I love you more than I have ever loved anyone or anything. When I found out I was pregnant with you it was the happiest day of my life. But I was scared too, because I knew you would be in danger, because of who you are. You are the product of True Love, and that can be a very powerful thing." Killian could tell it was coming from the tears forming in her eyes. "I went to the blue fairy, and asked if there was a possibility of you having any abilities after you were born. When she said yes, that you would have the most powerful magic of all, I had her cast a spell on you to conceal your magic."
He was stunned. Emma was supposed to possess magic? And her mother hid it?
"Mom? Is that true?" Emma asked. To answer her question, a slab of rock appeared on their side of the ledge, closing the distance to where Emma was being held.
"Emma I'm so sorry, I just wanted to protect you sweetheart."
"You took away the magic I was supposed to have?"
"I just wanted to keep you safe." She said crying into Charmings shoulder. They listened to her cry for a moment before the King stepped forward.
"I guess it's my turn. Mine also happened around the time Emma was born. The Evil Queen was still in power, and I knew she would never leave my family alone. So, I went to the Dark One to see if there was a way I could protect my family. He told me of a way. But we all know magic comes with a price, Regina was stripped of her powers, but I could not father another child. I know how badly you have wanted one," he said looking at his wife who looked shocked, "and you thought it was you. But it's me. I was cursed to destroy the chances of Regina harming my family."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Snow asked him.
"Because I knew how badly you wanted another baby, and I couldn't destroy the hope you had for another one."
After his secret, another slab of rock appeared, bringing them one step closer to Emma. This time, Killian took the step forward. He looked at the king and queen, "You lot know how grateful I am for everything you have done for me since was rescued, meeting the man I have considered my father for years, and being a brother once again. Since I figured out Liam and my father were alive, I should have been happy. But what it really made me realize is that I was glad things happened as they did, because had they not I never would have met Emma, and I am deeply in love with her."
They heard the rumbling noises as another rock slab appeared, and there was now a path that led all the way to the middle where she was being held. It was Graham who ran across the clearing to where her cell sat.
EMMA POV
Graham was running towards her, over the newly constructed path that Kilian's and her parents secret had earned. She couldn't believe that she had magic, or was supposed to, and that her father accepted a curse to protect her and her family. When Graham reached her he grabbed her hands through the bars.
"Emma are you alright?" he asked as he collapsed to his knew by the cell.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Want to get me out of here?" she asked him with a laugh. He looked around and saw a rock and tried hitting the cell to knock some of the bars loose. "I think we both know that's not how this works. What's your secret?"
He met her eyes and she saw the sadness, "Emma, I love you. I will always have a special place for you in my heart, and I will always value our relationship. But my secret is, two days before you were kidnapped, I met someone. Her name is Ruby, and I think she is my True Love."
With his words, the bars around her melted away and she was free. She stood up and looked at Graham who was in the same position. She bent down and took his face in his hands and smiled at him, "Graham? Hey it's ok. I'm so happy for you."
"You're not upset?" he asked surprised.
"No. If you found your True Love you would have been miserable to be apart from her."
"But we were supposed to be married."
"I know. It's ok. Right before I was kidnapped, I realized I'd found mine as well. Took a lot longer than it should have to realize the feelings I had for him, but I know now that Killian is my True Love." She said with a smile offering him her hand to help him up.
"I'm happy for you Emma, truly." He said taking it and wrapping her in a hug.
It felt good to get it off her chest that she loved another, even though Graham would always be one of her best friends it was a relief that they were both going to be happy.
AN: Ok guys I know it took forever and I'm sorry again. One more semester of school left then I graduate. I have a few more weeks left of winter break so I will post a few more chapters over the break. Review and let me know how you like things.
The secrets of Snow and Charming are kind of a way to explain a) why she hasn't shown her magic yet, not sure if she will have it in this story and b) why she is an only child. Thanks you all my followers Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!
