Author's note: Sorry for the wait, this chapter was harder to write than I was expecting. Thank you to my reviewers. Right now, Emma thinks that she doesn't really like Regina, but later, she'll realize that she has Regina right in the palm of her hand.
3.03: When the Foeman Bares His Steel
Neverland - Present Day
Something heavy and wet brushed against Emma's face repeatedly until she grumbled and rolled over—right into Regina. This caused Emma's mind to go from being mostly asleep to completely awake in less than a second at the sudden pressure of the sleeping body against her own. Luckily, Regina stayed asleep throughout the ordeal, so Emma was able to quickly spring out of the bed and away from a potentially embarrassing situation. The shaggy dog that had been licking her grinned cartoonishly at its victim's reaction before quickly running out of the room. Breathing heavily, Emma then surveyed her surroundings: Regina was sleeping in the middle of the bed and was closer to Emma's side than her own. Therefore, it was no wonder that the two women had gotten so close that morning. Emma made a face in displeasure and told herself that she would breach the topic of bedsharing etiquette with Regina before the next night so there would be no more incidents. Then she realized that she was lying to herself. Who am I kidding? This is one awkward topic that I'm definitely going to stay away from with Regina.
Shaking the sleep from her eyes, Emma quickly got dressed and then exited the cabin to find Mary Margaret and David. They were eating a light breakfast with the crew on the deck of the ship.
"Mornin'!" David greeted her by waving a biscuit in her face.
"Emma," Mary Margaret said with worry-lines etched on her face, "I think we should separate from Prince Eric and this ship as soon as we get to the mainland. I mean, they have their own agenda and we have to find Henry as soon as possible."
"What is their agenda again?" David asked.
Mr. Gold suddenly appeared next to them. "They say that they're looking for a woman with dark hair and violet eyes. Carlotta told me that they followed her here from their world."
Emma thought for a moment, and then announced "I think Mary Margaret is right. Journeying with the Infinity probably will not help us find Henry. We should leave as soon as we find land."
The four allies started secretly packing some supplies for when they left. For some reason, Emma felt guilty about planning to leave the ship that had rescued her from the storm, and so she delayed telling the captain of the changed plans.
An hour passed and the sun rose higher in the sky. Finally, land was sighted. As the ship moved closer to it, Emma watched with bated breath while hoping that the land was not just another small island.
"Um, Prince Eric?" Mary Margaret asked the captain once they were close enough to see that it was a large land mass that they were approaching, "We were wondering if you were planning on stopping here."
"I was not planning on it. We have no need for more supplies, and stopping will just delay our voyage."
"Oh, well, this is kinda awkward, but my friends and I were planning on getting off on the land and journeying inland."
Eric shrugged. "That's fine with me. I'll even give you one of our lifeboats so you can make it to land."
Mary Margaret looked relieved. "Really? That's great!"
Eric whistled and two of his men came running. "Give Mary Margaret and her comrades one of the lifeboats," he ordered. "Make sure that there are plenty of supplies packed in the boat for them."
Emma smiled for the first time in a while. "Thank you so much. First you saved us from the storm, and now you give us a boat and supplies. You have aided us tremendously in our journey, and your kindness will not be forg—"
Mr. Gold elbowed Emma in the stomach lightly, then whispered, "Please spare us your feeble attempt at making an eloquent speech."
Emma ignored him and decided to help the sailors with the preparation of the lifeboat for its trip to the land. They packed bags full of dried food, water, blankets, tarps, and other necessities for survival. By the time they finished, the Infinity was only several hundred feet away from the shore—close enough for Emma and her allies to carefully disembark and sail to the land and far enough away for the Infinity to be safe from any shallow and treacherous beaches.
"And that's everything!" Emma cheerfully announced. "Mary Margaret, could you please tell Regina that we are leav—"
"What is going on here?!" Regina stormed into the center of activity, making Eric run for cover.
"Regina," Emma said nervously, "You were sleeping and we didn't want to wake you to say that we decided to leave the ship."
"You made this decision without me?! What if I don't want to leave this ship? What if I think it's a better idea to search for Henry on the sea?"
Emma gave her mother a desperate look that clearly said 'What do I do or say to appease this rampaging woman that I just happen to be married to?' Mary Margaret shrugged.
"Regina," David said cautiously, "We all know that you want to be reunited with your son, and we thought that you might want us to look for Henry further inland than on the ocean or shore."
To everyone's relief, Regina seemed to cool down at his words.
"Perhaps you're right," she said as if the idea that her past enemies could be right about something was an entirely new idea to her. "Maybe Henry is on land somewhere. As it appears that we're leaving right now (without anybody telling me), I'll just go get my belongings." And the once-mayor of Storybrooke strided away.
"What belongings?" Mary Margaret asked perplexedly. "It's not like she had time to pack before coming to Neverland."
"David, you are awesome!" Emma grabbed her father in a hug. "Seriously, how'd you talk her down like that? Any pointers?"
Mary Margaret hugged him too. "Yeah, for once you came through in a situation where we actually needed saving!"
The trio's little joy-fest was suddenly cut short by Hook, who ran toward them and shouted "Turn the ship around! We can't go over there!"
Emma's protest choked in her throat as she saw the black and jagged pirate ship appear from around a bend in the land and head straight at them.
In the past
A young Killian Jones smooshed his body closer to the tree in an attempt to conceal himself—not that he had to bother; the green foliage surrounding him already did the trick.
"Dada, look! It's one of the bunnies with a prickly tail!"
A young girl of about three toddled into view. She was followed by a man and two women. Hook smiled. This is just perfect. This will send the right message to those savages—that there's only room on this planet for one race to rule. He held his breath as the four slowly walked toward the dead rabbit, which was stuffed and propped up against a rock so as to appear alive. He watched as one of the women frowned, the rabbit probably appeared too still to her. It was almost as if they were walking into a—
SWISH. Killian cut the rope and a large net descended from a tree and landed on top of them. The adults immediately started struggling.
"Men!" Killian yelled, "Subdue them!"
Pirates that had before been silent and invisible leaped out of trees and ran over to the net. Pointing their swords at the squirming mass, they slowly began pulling the net away.
"If you try to escape, I promise that you will die," Killian intoned coldly.
Finally, the net was off them. One of the women picked up the toddler and held her closely. All three adults glared at Killian with hatred in their eyes.
"And now we march, men. Back to the fort."
"Do we really have to do this, Jones? There's a baby with them."
Killian glared at the pirate who had dared question his orders. "And yet again you question me, Kevin. If I didn't know better, I would think that you wanted to be in charge."
"Sir, it's just that there are better methods of imposing your will than always using such violent tactics."
Killian heard a few other pirates mumble their agreement. He snorted. "Listen to you cowards. If you had your way, we would soon be reduced to waiting on the savages hand and foot all day and night. By taking a few as slaves, I'm sending them a clear message." He glanced around at his men with a warning in his eyes. A few looked sullenly back, but most gazed steadfastly at the ground. Satisfied, Killian gave the order to march again, and the troop began the hike back to the fortress.
Neverland—Present Day
"Turn the ship around!" Hook shouted at no one in particular. But it was too late; the Infinity was unable to make such a sharp turn in time. Hook then tried a different tactic: "Fire the cannons! Now!"
"But sir, we don't have any cannons on this ship," a sailor said to Hook.
Hook looked to Eric for an explanation.
"We're lovers, not fighters," he said defensively in response to the questioning glance.
By that time, the sleek pirate ship had cut across the Infinity's intended path and was just about side by side with it. Emma could see people aboard the other ship, and it looked like they were aiming a device used for launching projectiles.
"Are these people dangerous?" Eric asked Hook.
"Dangerous?! They're pirates!"
"But I thought that you were a pirate," stated Mary Margaret in confusion as grappling hooks from the other ship connected with the deck.
"I was, but I was a rogue pirate. These pirates are..."
"The real deal?" David finished helpfully.
"Guys, I hate to interrupt you," Emma shouted, "But how are we going to get away?"
More grappling hooks sprung out and held the two ships together, causing Hook to dejectedly slump into the railing. "I think I'm just going to jump overboard now."
"You'll never make it to shore," David shouted, "At least by staying on the ship you'll have a chance of survival!"
The pirates started leaping over the railing of their ship and then swiftly scaled the ropes leading to the Infinity.
"We surrender! Just don't hurt us!" Eric yelled pathetically.
Emma rolled her eyes and grabbed David's sword from its scabbard. She brandished it at the first pirate that boarded the ship. "Stay back, I'm warning you! You have no idea what you're dealing with or what we are capable of!"
But the pirate only had eyes for Hook. "If it isn't my old matey Killian Jones. Last time I saw you, you were bailing water out of a rapidly sinking bathtub that you were riding across the ocean. Harr harr! What are you up to now, you old scallywag?"
Splotches of crimson stained Hook's face. "I was only in that bathtub because you threw me out of the fort in it. If the entire castle hadn't mutinied and ganged up on me I could have easily fought my way to safety."
The pirate laughed in amusement. "Save your tongue for the Pirate King."
All the blood in Hook's face suddenly drained away. "You mean you're taking us to see the Pirate King?"
"Well yeah, you seem to have brought us a new ship chock full of supplies and luscious-looking people." He grinned appreciatively at Regina, who had just appeared on the deck with a bag full of items looted from the ship. "Of course the Pirate King is going to be interested in this."
Emma felt strangely irritated. "We're not going without a fight!"
"Oooh! A feisty one. I'm starting to like our catch more and more."
Hook gestured at Emma to lower the sword. "There's too many of them to fight. We're going to have to go with them."
Emma frowned, but knew that he was right. It seemed like Hook had had some experience with these pirates in the past, so it was probably a good idea to trust him. The first pirate, who appeared to be in charge, signaled to his men to take control of the ship. They did so and started steering the Infinity closer to the land. As they moved around a large rock that was jutting out into the water, a fort suddenly came into view. At its center was what appeared to be a castle that was surrounded by smaller buildings and structures. A tall wooden wall encircled everything and prevented any casual barbarians from storming the castle.
"What is that?" Mr. Gold asked Hook.
Hook ignored the question.
"Why don't you tell your friend where we're taking them?" the lead pirate said.
"That is the Pirates' Fortress," Hook reluctantly replied.
"And he knows that 'cause he used to live there...before he got kicked out for poor behavior."
The nearby pirates all laughed heartily at that statement. Hook seemed not to react, although Emma noticed the skin around his mouth tightening.
The Infinity sailed into the harbor of the fortress before coming to a halt next to a large expanse of empty dock. Emma, her companions, and the members of Prince Eric's crew were each grabbed by a pirate and hustled down the gangplank onto the dock before being forced up a steep flight of stairs that led to the castle. Once inside, they were thrown into a spacious and empty room that was immediately off of the main hallway.
"All right, what's our plan?" David asked Hook once the pirates had left them.
Hook shrugged. "There's no way we can escape from here. The Pirates' Fortress is the most heavily-guarded building in all of Neverland. You would be shot down after you've taken three steps outside."
"Henry! Can you hear me Henry?!" Regina shouted.
Everybody looked at her as if she had suddenly lost her mind.
"It's possible that he's also locked up somewhere nearby," she explained. "It always seems to happen that way in books, where the person who mysteriously went missing in chapter three has all along been kept in the cell next to the one that the heroine suddenly finds herself thrown into."
In response to everyone's continued puzzled looks, Regina said "Well, I needed some way to entertain myself in Storybrooke after years of the same day repeating.
Mary Margaret opened her mouth indignantly. "You chose to have time repeat, so don't act like it was so boring and difficult for you."
Regina gave her a content half-smile that no doubt infuriated Mary Margaret even more. "Well, dear, spending years with everyone under a curse was much better than having to listen to Snow White whine and mope about True Love continuously.
Before a fight could break out, a pirate luckily chose that moment to enter the room. "The Pirate King has spoken: the leaders of your pathetic band, along with Jones, are to attend a meal with our King, where it will be decided whether each person will become slaves, fish food, or new recruits for our ranks."
"And how are you going to make us go with you?" Emma shouted insolently.
The pirate snapped his fingers and wooden paneling along the walls suddenly slid up, revealing narrow windows with an archer stationed at each one.
"Oh, that's how," Emma said, clearly taken aback. "Well, as for leaders, I am the leader in the search for Henry, so I should go. David and Mary Margaret were leaders of the Enchanted Forest, so they should go. And Mr. Gold is...um..." Emma hesitated, not wanting to reveal that he could do magic in front of the pirates. "...Well, he's also a leader. And I suppose Eric should go as well, as he's the leader of just about everybody else."
"What about me?" Regina snapped at the blonde. "I want to find Henry as much as you do, plus I was just as much of a leader in Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest as the two charming bozos here."
"Didn't I mention that the beautiful dark-haired woman was supposed to come along as well?" the pirate quickly said as he caught sight of Regina. "Aye, I think she'll be an excellent addition to our...er...discussion."
Regina looked hesitantly at the pirate, as if she had suddenly changed her mind and wanted to stay back with Eric's crew. But other pirates were already entering the room and blindfolding the chosen group. Once the blindfolds were secure, the seven allies were escorted from the room.
In the past
Killian Jones sat on his high wooden throne contently, basking in the intruding sunlight as a cat does. "Tell me again, Mack Throat Slasher, the news of the savages."
Mack bowed before the throne nervously. "Oh Great Pirate King, it is as I have said: half the tribe is moving north in search of more food because we have burned their crops. Others are determined to stay and make a stand. They are demanding that we give them their people back."
Killian flicked a finger lazily and a woman bound in shackles came forward out of the shadows and refilled Killian's glass with more wine. Mack noticed that her violet eyes were full of loathing, and he hoped that the Pirate King didn't notice. The woman was one of the four who had been captured weeks before. As the other three appeared to be a family, Killian usually left them alone in their quarters, but he loved making the other woman—the one with a youthful exotic beauty—wait on him by herself, often asking her to put pieces of food right in his mouth.
Hook chuckled. "In reality, they're convincing me to do the opposite. Perhaps they will feel the sting of defeat more keenly if I take more people to become my slaves."
"You will never defeat my people!" The woman stood firmly in front of Killian, her eyes flashing wildly.
Mack ran for cover. He had been working under Killian Jones for long enough to know when to quietly slip away.
Killian threw his glass at his slave. It broke on the hard floor and sent tiny little cut marks up her feet. "Silence! I will not be spoken to in this manner by a puny little savage woman. I will crush your people. Now pick up those pieces."
"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?"
A middle aged woman entered the room and helped the young woman pick up the glass pieces. Hook glared at her. Ruth was Kevin's mother, and together, they always seemed to be whispering behind Killian's back about how they doubted that he was fit to be Pirate King.
In the Pirate's Fortress, the men had always ruled and the women had always been submissive. Killian's parents had raised him to believe in the traditional views of gender roles, and so it was no wonder that he had always felt disdain and some fear toward Ruth. For as long as he could remember, she had been questioning the pirates' core beliefs; specifically, the way they treated the natives that they shared the land and sea with.
Ruth finished picking the glass shards up and then looked at Killian with a small amount of pity in her eyes. "Killian, you're only 16 years old. Many older men have crumbled under the demands that leadership brings, and as Pirate King, I know you're experiencing stress about how best to serve your people. But fighting and repressing the natives will only bring more war in the long run, not peace. Our only hope is to befriend them and work together."
Killian looked down at her scornfully. "You're speaking like a weak woman. I know what you're up to! You want your son Kevin to be Pirate King. Yes, I hear you whispering behind my back like a couple of moldy magpies. You want my kingdom."
Amazement flashed across Ruth's face. "I desire no such thing. I only want the best thing for the people—for all the people. Power for power's sake holds no temptation for me."
Killian snapped his fingers. "Guards, take her away."
Three pirate guards marched in and looked at Ruth hesitantly.
"There's no need for this, fellows," she said calmly, "I can walk myself out."
Once she was gone, Killian grabbed another glass and threw it at the young woman that he was forcing to be his slave. "Ah, that makes me feel better."
The guards looked at him as if he had lost my mind.
Storybrooke
Belle sat on the floor of Mr. Gold's study so she could reach the books on the bottom shelves of his many bookcases. She had a feeling that the book to translate the cloaking spell would be in the room somewhere.
"Belle, are you in there?" There was a light knock on the door before it was pushed open and Ashley flounced in. "Oh Belle, I have some great news!"
"Congratulations on being elected mayor, Ashley," Belle said while trying to sound sincere. Although she hadn't wanted to be mayor at first, the idea had started to sound appealing to her, and now the dream had been dashed to bits.
"What? Oh, you think I was elected mayor? Do you think I would sound so happy if that was true?"
"But when we were campaigning, it seemed like you really wanted it."
"Mother Superior wanted me to want it, for some unknown reason. But don't worry; we are both safe from that dreaded position."
Belle looked at Ashley in disbelief. "Don't tell me that Nicholas was actually elected."
"No, no, silly. Granny was elected mayor. Leroy told me that most everybody wrote her name in."
"Granny was elected mayor?" Belle paused for a moment to let the truth sink in. "Well, that's good news. Granny will make an excellent mayor."
"Yes!" Ashley said happily. "And what's even better is that Mother Superior will be off my back."
Belle didn't know the Mother Superior very well, so she couldn't say if her outlandish behavior during the campaigns was unusual for her. But she was still completely puzzled by the way Ruby had acted. Belle had told her several times that she had no interest in being mayor, yet Ruby had gone behind Belle's back in order to promote her and undermine Ashley. And after the voting was over with, Belle had hoped that Ruby would be back to normal and that the two could be best friends again. However, Ruby had disappeared.
"…I was thinking that we could run over to Granny's diner, congratulate her, and then celebrate our narrow escape!"
Belle shook her head to clear it and make her mind return to the present. "I would love to, Ashley, except I'm sort of tied up right now. I'm trying to research something that's top secret."
Ashley winked at Belle. "Tied up, oh I get it. Well, I'll just run off now and leave you to your devices." And she did so, leaving behind her a slightly confused Belle.
Neverland—Present Day
Emma was pushed up steps and down long and dank hallways until she felt a warmer breeze on her face. She heard a door being pushed open in front of her, and the hush of the hallway was replaced by the din of many people talking at once. Emma was marched into the room and forced to sit down on a chair. Reaching in front of her, she could feel the edge of a table, and a little further beyond that, silverware and a goblet.
"Hey! Watch where you're putting your hands!"
Regina's voice came close to her ear and Emma smiled in spite of herself. By the sound of things, Regina's pirate had been a little more touchy-feely than Emma's had been.
The clattering bedlam went on for a few more minutes as everybody got seated. Emma sat on the edge of her seat tensely, wondering if the blindfold was ever going to be taken off. Finally, a clear projecting voice split the racket.
"I want to welcome my guests to my castle, and I bid them to partake in this feast and be merry."
Emma frowned in confusion. The Pirate King's voice was higher-pitched than she had imagined.
"Well, it's a little difficult to be merry with these blindfolds over our eyes, Ruth!" Hook yelled insolently.
"Killian, is that you? I didn't realize you were still alive!"
Someone pulled the blindfold off of Emma, and she was able to look at her surroundings for the first time. She was in a large room with high ceilings that had depictions of men dressed in nothing but laurel leaves who were fighting battles and getting drunk. The walls were bricks inlaid with gold, and large candelabras were set every few feet. Four long and narrow tables had been arranged so as to form the outline of a square, where Emma and her friends were sitting at one end, the pirates made up the sides, and at the very opposite end was the Pirate King surrounded by more pirates. And the Pirate King was...a woman.
She appeared to be in her 60s, with scraggly gray hair and bright blue eyes. While the pirates sitting nearest to her wore elaborate and expensive-looking clothing, she was dressed in simple breeches and a shirt. But what caught Emma's attention most was what she wore around her neck: a pearl-like stone threaded on a leather cord rested just under her clavicle.
"Regina," Emma whispered to the woman sitting next to her, "Look at her necklace. Doesn't that look like the magical artifact that I used to travel to that other world to rescue Henry?"
"You mean the one you used to attempt to rescue and then fail to rescue Henry." It appeared that Regina was still bitter that Emma had been the one chosen to go and not her.
"Well Killian," the Pirate King was still verbally jousting with Hook, "If you hadn't been so careless, moronic, and so utterly stupid back then, you might still be Pirate King today."
Emma gaped at Hook. He had once been the Pirate King?
Hook looked annoyed that that tiny piece of information had slipped out, but before he could sling any choice words back, she continued speaking.
"And this brings me to why I have summoned you all to this chamber now. Believe it or not, it was not just so I could humiliate Killian in front of his friends."
The pirates, who had been stealthily whispering to their chums during Ruth's and Hook's verbal battle, stopped talking and looked attentively at their chief.
"I have a mission for the intruders here. I want you to journey into the forest and deliver a message to the people who live there."
"Why do you need us to go for you?" David asked.
"Because if any of my people take one step into their woods, they immediately get riddled with arrows.
David nodded. "Fair enough, I suppose."
Hook laughed. "Ruth, don't tell me you're still attempting to negotiate with those savages."
She glared at Hook. "When you left, there was finally peace between the two peoples, and I know there can be again!"
"What do we get if we perform this task for you?" Mary Margaret boldly asked.
"Besides your lives and your freedom? What else could you possibly want?"
"Your necklace!" Emma impertinently shouted at the Pirate King.
Ruth automatically reached up and touched her necklace in surprise, and the other pirates around Ruth also looked at her with some trepidation. But with the exception of the Pirate King, their reaction seemed to be based more on the way she had shouted at their leader than the request she had made.
"We'll talk about it later. And now...eat!"
A cheer went up among the pirates as they dug into their food. However, as she gazed down at her food (which appeared to be alive and wriggling), Emma was too deep in thought to start eating. She wondered how this older woman had a necklace that was nearly identical to the one that Tinker Bell had given her. Was Ruth aware of her necklace's powers? And if she was, could she help Emma rescue her son?
In the past
Killian paced madly along the great hall while calling for his guards. Finally, a group of them timidly walked in. "There you are, you brainless scum. I've been yelling for forever. My slave has escaped. Find her and bring her back, and while you're at it bring me my whip. I'm in need of something to cheer me up.
The guards looked back at him apprehensively. Finally, one got up the courage to speak. "Sir, there has been a slight change of arrangements."
Killian looked at him suspiciously. "Change of arrangements? What arrangements?"
The pirates lifted their swords and held them in front of them so they were pointed at Killian. He gazed at the weapons in bewilderment. "What's all this?"
"It's just a precaution, so you don't do anything rash while we're talking to you. There has been unrest in the fortress ever since you became Pirate King. Some people think...that you...that you're too young to lead so many people."
Killian glared at them while his hand inched toward his own sword. "I was chosen to be Pirate King because I was the most fearsome pirate in all the land, even though I was young. Why should age play a factor now?"
They gulped nervously. "It's just that some of the older pirates think we need a more mature person to lead us through these difficult times."
With a roar, Killian raised his sword, intending to surprise them. But somebody behind him smacked him in the side with a giant wooden staff before he could inflict any damage. Killian whirled around in a rage. It was Kevin. "You!" Killian screamed. "You planned this. You spread discontent among my most faithful followers because you wanted to be Pirate King!"
Kevin looked calmly back at him. "No, I did not plan this. You brought this down on yourself with your foolish ideas."
Killian pierced Kevin with such a gaze of hatred that he instinctually took a step backwards. "You may have won this round, but someday I will have my revenge. I will kill you some day."
"I doubt it," Kevin composedly stated. "And by the way, I'm not the new Pirate King."
Killian looked at Kevin with surprise. "You're not? Then who is?"
Ruth joined them in the hall. "My my, all this talk of revenge. I think just to be safe, you shall be exiled from the Pirates' Fortress and the surrounding land. The Pirate King has spoken."
Killian dropped his sword in surprise. "You? But a woman can't be Pirate King! It isn't right!" He looked at his guards desperately. "She won't be able to lead you as I have."
Ruth laughed. "Thank goodness for that. And once you leave, Killian, I want you to see more of the world. Perhaps you'll learn that a woman can be a leader as well as any man."
He raised his sword again, as if he intended to fight all of them, but more pirates suddenly marched into the great hall, all with their swords pointed at him.
"This is mutiny!" Killian screamed.
"Throw him out," Ruth demanded.
Two pirates came forward with a wooden bathtub, which they forced Killian to lie down in before heaving it out the window. He landed in the ocean with a giant splash.
"Good luck to you, Killian Jones," Ruth called out the window, "And may you hopefully come back a better and wiser man."
Neverland—Present Day
Before she knew it, the pirates had finished eating and everybody was getting up from the table. The pirate who had first captured them approached and said that he would show them to where they would spend the night. "Except for you two," he grunted while pointing to Emma and Hook. "The Pirate King will see you right now." He pulled the two aside, blindfolded them, and led them down another dark passageway.
"What have you gotten us into now, Emma Swan?" Hook's voice echoed in the darkness next to her.
"You must feel much honored to have a private audience with Her Majesty," the pirate leading them whispered. "It's not often that she grants them. 'Course, it's probably because she wants to personally disembowel you lot, what with blondie's display of shouting at the dinner table today and just the grind of having to look at Jones' ugly mug again." The sound of a door opening reverberated through the passage, and Emma felt herself being pushed into a room. "Now, just wait here, and she'll be with you soon." The sound of his fading footsteps resounded throughout the room, and as soon as Emma thought he was far enough away, she quickly pushed her blindfold off. Hook had already done the same, and together they glanced around the room.
"You know, this used to be my office." Hook said offhand. He acted like he didn't care, but there was a fire in his eyes that told Emma otherwise.
"You used to be the Pirate King? What happened? How did you become a rogue pirate?"
"It's a long story, and one that I don't care to tell right now."
"Oh." The two were silent for several seconds until another question came to Emma's mind. "What do you know about this mission that she wants us to go on?"
Hook smirked slightly. "The pirates share this land with the natives, who were here before us. They're a destructive lot and when I was Pirate King, I was able to see that they needed to be continuously fought back and put in their place. But when Ruth...when she became Pirate King, she introduced some foolish notions to the system, such as trying to befriend the natives. From the sidelines, I could see that it was doomed to end in catastrophe. And from what she said to us at dinner, I can see that I was right. She is sending you out because they won't recognize you and confuse you with her men. She probably wants us to give them some last-minute peace treaty."
The sound of approaching footsteps silenced the two, and then the Pirate King wearily walked into the room. She seemed different from the other time Emma had seen her—her face looked more lined, as if some occurrence between dinner and now had aged her considerably.
"You don't look good," Hook said in mock concern. "Perhaps you had better step down and let someone more capable take your place."
She ignored him and took a seat next to Emma. "I'm going to talk to him after I talk to you. I noticed that you recognized my moonstone."
"Moonstone?"
"Yes, a moonstone. What did you think it was? Anyway, do you know what it does?"
Hook gave Emma a look warning her not to say anything, but as Emma was currently at a dead-end with her search for Henry, she decided to trust the Pirate King. "I know what it does; it can transport the wearer to another world."
"Very good. Have you been there?"
"I have been there, once. But I lost my moonstone there, and also my memories."
Ruth nodded her head. "Yes. It's changed. It's been a very...odd place lately. And I'm not sure why." She unsheathed her sword and raised it up. "But I intend to find out why. And perhaps, you can help me. After you've delivered my message and gifts to the natives, of course. Then perhaps we could discuss my moonstone some more."
Emma fixed the Pirate King with her most serious look. "I believe my son is out there, in that other world, somewhere. If you could help me find him, I will do whatever you want me to do for you."
Ruth gave Emma a grave smile. "Thank you. And now I have something I want to show you—a map of the other world."
The older woman got out of her chair and went into a second room. Suddenly, something came in through the open window and came to a quivering halt in a wooden post just behind where Ruth had been sitting. Emma stared at it dumbfounded. It was an arrow fletched with bright orange and pink feathers. As she tried to collect her thoughts, the Pirate King walked back into the room, exclaiming "What in Neverland was that?" Hook took advantage of her surprise to spring up from his chair and ran over to Ruth while pulling something shiny from his belt, which he stuck into her.
Emma screamed as blood burst forth from her. "What are doing?!"
"Helping you get your son back! Quick! Take her necklace and run away from this place. I'll stay here and try to distract the guards."
Somebody was already frantically knocking on the door; probably a guard who had heard a loud thwunk along with shouting and thought he should investigate. Emma hesitated briefly before running over to Ruth's body and pulling the moonstone from her. "How do I escape from here?"
"There's a secret passageway behind that bookcase. It leads right into the great hall, where you should be able to find your friends. I wouldn't be too worried about being accused of murder if I were you—because of that arrow, the pirates will most likely think that some native killed her."
Emma looked at him with an appalled expression on her face. "You knew, didn't you? You knew that you could kill her and not be blamed!"
"You had better go now, before I stab you too."
Emma took one last frightened look at him before running to the bookcase. Right as she reached it, something suddenly appeared out of thin air between them—a human. Emma gasped in surprise. It was a boy about Henry's age, with dark brown hair, tan skin, and a moonstone around his neck.
"What did you do to my...to the Pirate King?!" he demanded to Emma.
"I'll explain later!" Emma said, making up her mind that he was coming with her. "Now, do you know how this secret passage works?"
Possibly it was the frantic look in her eyes, or it was the knocking on the door, but the boy pulled a book out without asking any more questions which triggered the bookcase to swing out and reveal a spiral set of stairs behind it. I guess whoever built this room was banking on the hope that his or her enemies never watched any Scooby Doo when they were younger, the very small section of Emma's brain that wasn't panicking thought.
They ran down the flight of stairs and then through a hallway until they got to the end. The boy pushed the wall out slightly and looked through. "I don't see anyone coming, so let's go." He ran toward the exit.
"Not yet!" Emma hissed, "I have to find my friends first!"
"There you are, Emma! Where's Hook?" Emma turned in relief and saw Mary Margaret strolling toward her.
"Mary Margaret, thank goodness! Where is everybody? We have to leave now!"
"They're saying that some natives snuck in and murdered the Pirate King. Is it true? And who is that boy?"
"I'll explain later, after there are some miles between us and this place. Where's David. Ah, there he is. And Regina. Come on."
The five started running toward a door. They passed a few guards on the way running in the opposite direction, but luckily no one seemed to notice them. Once outside, Regina slowed down to a quick walk. "Oh no you don't," Emma scolded, "We have to keep going." She grabbed Regina's hand and started pulling her.
"Miss Swan, I am fully capable of running for myself."
Emma ignored her and kept pulling her forward, leading the group away from the fortress and toward the unknown.