"So how do we get in?" Emma asked as they walked along the side of the giant's castle.
"I'm looking," Hook replied walking a bit ahead of her. He was focused on the structure, searching for a way in. "Ah!" he finally cried, triumphant. "There." He pointed near the end of the wall. Some bricks had fallen from their place, creating an opening large enough to enter through. Emma looked up at it. "I can't get up there. It's too high."
Hook smiled, "Well I'll lift you then."
Emma took a step back. "Yeah, I don't think so."
"Then how do you propose to get in?" He raised his eyebrow at her.
She looked at him skeptically. "Well…how do you propose to lift me?" Her eyes flicked to his hook.
He laughed, lifting his left arm. "Are you talking about this? I've had plenty of practice with it if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm not worried," she replied, "I just-"
"We're wasting time," he interrupted, "Now are you coming or would you like to wait out here while I get the compass?"
Emma hesitated, but then answered, "Fine." She walked back over to him and turned to face the wall. Hook stepped up behind her and put his right hand on her waist. Then she felt his hook touch her left side. "Ready?" he said in her ear. She stiffened some as his breath hit her neck. Slowly, she nodded. "Alright then," he smiled, "One…two…three!" Emma bent her legs and jumped a little as Hook hoisted her into the air. She grabbed onto the ledge and Hook then wrapped his arms around her legs, pushing her up.
"Almost there?" he grunted.
"Yeah…I…almost…got it!" Hook let go as Emma pulled herself up the rest of the way. She stood up on the ledge and turned back to look at him. "What about you?" He was taller than her, but not tall enough that he could easily reach the ledge.
"I'll be fine just go in and wait for me," he replied, then added, "and don't make any noise once you're in!"
She nodded and then turned toward the interior of the castle, jumping down. Her landing was a bit rough and she fell over as her feet met the ground.
"Ow!" she cried.
"Shh!" Emma looked up. Hook was already standing in the opening. He jumped down and landed softly, making almost no noise.
Emma stared at him, wide-eyed. "How did you-"
"Where I come from," he whispered, "We aren't afraid of heights." He helped her up. "Now," Hook continued, "We've got to be as quiet as possible. We can't let him know we're here."
Emma nodded. "Where are we going?" she whispered.
"We have to find his treasure room. But don't let the name fool you. Out of every room in this place it seems the least valuable."
"Then why is it called the treasure room?" Emma asked.
"Well," Hook smirked, "It depends on your definition of treasure. Come on." He started forward and Emma followed behind him.
The castle was magnificent. Tapestries decorated the walls, which were inlaid with gold and jewels. Of course, everything was massive. Every doorway and archway seemed at least fifty feet taller than the two of them. Emma felt as though she were the size of a doll in this place.
Hook continued forward, though he would suddenly stop every now and then, tensing up. Emma could tell he was listening for the giant, probably worried it might round the corner and catch them; but she never heard anything each time he stopped. When she tried to ask what was wrong he only hushed her. Finally she gave up and just let him lead.
It took about ten incredibly tense minutes for Hook to find the room he wanted. He held his hand out to stop her while he slowly pushed the door open. Then, he relaxed. "Let's go," he whispered, motioning for her to follow again. They slipped into the room and Hook pushed the massive door shut. Emma looked around.
The place was full of stuff, packed wall to wall with odds and ends, trinkets and treasures. Hook was right though; this room was sparsely decorated compared to the rest of the place. "Start looking," Hook ordered, moving forward and beginning to search through one of the heaps. Emma sighed and started for another but then stopped. "What is that?" she asked.
Hook looked back at her. She was pointing at table on top of which sat a large bird. "Is that a chicken?" Emma asked.
"A hen, technically," the pirate replied, turning back to his search, "And the giant's most prized possession. It lays golden eggs. Without that bird's eggs, he can't make his trades for all of this." He vaguely motioned around the room.
"Huh," Emma murmured moving towards the hen.
Hook glanced up. "Stop!" he snapped.
Emma froze, looking at him.
"Don't bother it," he commanded, "Do you know how loud that creature is? We'd never make it out."
"Sorry," Emma muttered. She turned back towards one of the junk piles and started searching through it.
They looked for what seemed like forever. Emma was beginning to question the existence of the compas as she tried to pull a broom out from under one of the mounds of collectibles.
"Excellent!" Hook suddenly cried.
"What?!" Emma whirled around, still holding the end of the broom. She had pulled it out from under the pile but suddenly everything began to fall, clanging and clashing to the ground in a great commotion. Emma stumbled backwards, eyes wide with horror at what she'd done.
"What the hell was that?" Hook hissed, "Do you know what you've just-"
The floor suddenly shook beneath them. One tremor, two tremors, three, four. Each growing closer together. The footsteps of the giant, gaining speed.
"WHO IS IN MY CASTLE?! INTRUDERS! THIEVES!" a terrible voice boomed through the halls.
"Run!" Hook cried, sprinting for the door. Emma dashed after him. They burst into the hall, sprinting back the way they came. Suddenly, the giant started to round the corner. Hook dove to the side, narrowly escaping its sight, but Emma was not so lucky.
"LADY THIEF!" the giant bellowed, lumbering towards her.
Emma froze for a moment, eyes wide with terror as the colossal man came for her. But she snapped out of it and ran in the opposite direction. She passed the treasure room, and turned down another hallway. She could feel the giant gaining behind her, rounding the corner himself. She saw a door that was slightly ajar and ran for it, hoping for another path out. It was only a storeroom, a dead end. Emma turned to run again, but it was too late. The giant burst through the door screaming at her. She frantically grasped for the sword at her waist but suddenly his monstrous hand closed around her, lifting her into the air. She screamed.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" the giant shouted in her face.
Emma struggled against him.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" he cried again.
Still Emma didn't answer. She looked around frantic to find a way to escape, racking her brain as to how she could save herself. Then suddenly, she saw movement in the doorway. Her eyes widened as Hook peeked around, cautiously watching.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" the giant cried, distracting her for a moment, "YOU HAVE COME TO STEAL HAVEN'T YOU?!"
Emma looked back in the doorway, just in time to see the pirate fleeing.
No, her stomach knotted, Not again.
"You bastard!" she suddenly screamed at the man who had deserted her. But the giant thought she had meant the insult for him. He shook her with fury
"LADY THIEF! YOU COME TO STEAL AND NOW INSULT ME! WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN!?"
"I didn't take anything!" Emma shouted at him, "You're letting the real thief get away!"
"LIAR!" the giant screamed, "YOU STEAL AND INSULT AND LIE! I WILL CRUSH YOU LADY THIEF!"
The giant's hand began to slowly squeeze in on her, crushing her. Emma cried out in pain, but the pressure on her lungs soon stifled it.
Suddenly an awful screeching and clucking echoed through the halls. "Hey!" a voice called from below.
The giant's hand relaxed. Emma gasped, able to breathe again. She looked down. Captain Hook stood in the doorway, holding the giant's hen by the neck.
"THIEF!" the giant shouted, "RELEASE MY HEN!"
"Let her go!" Hook demanded, and then raised his hook to the hen's throat, "Let her go or I slay the bird!"
"NO!" the giant cried, but he still didn't release Emma, "PUNY THIEF I WILL CRUSH YOU!"
The pirate pressed the sharp end of his hook to the hen, causing it to thrash and cluck in fright.
"NO!" the giant yelled again. He flung Emma to the ground and lunged for his bird. Hook tossed the hen into the hall and then dashed under the feet of the giant, straight to Emma's side.
"Are you alright? Can you walk?" he asked, kneeling beside her.
"THIEVES!" the giant bellowed. Now that he had secured his hen he turned back to punish the intruders.
"On second thought you'll need to run!" Hook cried, "Give me your sword!"
Emma started fumbling at the sword belt, but then Hook shoved her hands away grabbing the sword himself. He twirled around, brandishing the weapon at the giant.
"LITTLE MAN THIEF!" the giant laughed, "YOU CANNOT BEST ME! I SHALL CRUSH YOU AND THE LADY THIEF!"
"You can try, monster!" Hook spat at him. The giant lunged forward, grabbing for the pirate. But Hook ducked under him and suddenly slashed at the back of his legs, cutting the tendons. The giant fell forward, screaming in pain and crashing to the ground. Hook ran back to Emma helping her up. "Come on!"
She struggled to her feet. Hook wrapped his arm around her, half-dragging, half-carrying her. She did her best to move with him but the pain in her body was too great. With a pained, rage-filled shout the giant suddenly swatted at them. Hook, pulled Emma out of the way and they narrowly escaped his grasp. Hook rushed into the hall with her and they dashed as fast as they could away from the room where the giant lay screaming.
Instead of going back to the hole in the wall through which they entered, Hook went for the front doors. He leaned his body against the door, still holding Emma, and pushed. Slowly it opened and they raced out, back to the clouds, back to the beanstalk, away from the castle.