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Enchanted Forest – Past

A pair of bright blue eyes watched Isabel as she scurried to the docks once more. She was looking for that pirate she had been seen with. Every time the brightly painted ship stopped into port, she would run faster than any of the other women waiting for men on the ships. She would run as if he were her true love, but Terence knew that couldn't be it. That couldn't be it at all. Isabel was far too good for a pirate. There was nothing noble about a pirate, and Isabel deserved the love of a prince. Of course, Terence couldn't offer that. He wasn't a prince, but he could at least give her something that pirate couldn't. Stability. Sure he was just a delivery boy of sorts, but he at least could guarantee Isabel that he wasn't going to go off and get himself killed. The pirate couldn't do that. Every time he came in, he came home with a limp or some new bruise that Isabel cooed over. Terence couldn't stand the pirate, and anyone who paid attention could tell that.

It wasn't just that the pirate had Isabel where Terence never would. There was something about Isabel that just drew him to her. Terence had a little secret. Late at night when the rest of the village was asleep, he would disappear to a far off land where he stood only seven inches high. He was a fairy. Not just a fairy but a fairy prince, and as such, he often spent a lot of time going from human realm to human realm to seek those who didn't know if they were magical or not. Isabel was one of those people, but she was also very special. It was what drew him to her in the first place. She didn't just have magic. She was magic in a sense. Her mother, the one everyone in the village thought died, was also magic in the way Isabel was. As tiny as both women were, they both held more magic than any other magical being could even dream of possessing. And, it wasn't just that Terence was in love with Isabel. It was that he was to protect her and be her friend. Once Killian came into her life, that friendship seemingly over.

It tore Terence apart to think he had failed in his one task. All his life he heard about how he was to protect and eventually love the fairy that held all the magic of all the land. It didn't quite work out. Maybe it was that she was part human. Isabel was half human after all. That meant she also possessed the capacity of true love. As he watched her turn back with a disappointed look on her face, he realized something. If he had any hope of getting her to love him, then he would have to show just how mortal Killian actually was. He would have to fight him. Terence didn't plan on killing the boy. He simply wanted to show Isabel that people like Killian were going to die eventually. If he couldn't prove it to her, then he would just have to find another way or give up. There was no way he was going to give up.

Isabel winced as her footsteps echoed loudly throughout the empty square. The light form the moon gave it an eerie quality. Usually the square was full of people, but at night, it cleared out for the most part. It looked like a ghost town. The few people that did stick around were those with bad reputations. The only reason Isabel was out was because Killian would be waiting for her. He had sent word that the ship would be docking. He wasn't sure what time; just the date. All day Isabel ran to the docks to see if he had made it. Eventually, she just started running tot he river where she got a clear view of the horizon. At sunset, she thought she'd seen the Jolly Roger in the distance. It would be a few hours before they reached port. Her father half-heartedly forbade her from leaving the house after nightfall. They both knew she would just climb out the window or she would simply walk out in front of him. Either way, she was going to see her love. Nothing would stop her.

The townsfolk would talk in the morning. Those nosy enough to look out their windows would whisper behind hers and Killian's back. What a pity someone as promising as Isabel found herself infatuated with a pirate. She'd heard it over and over in the year since she and Killian fell in love. Where she lived, true love was extremely rare. People talked about it. Girls dreamed of it. Few achieved it. The girls in town were jealous of Isabel's luck so they gossiped about her any chance they got. Everyone else just thought it was a shame for William, but instead of him being embarrassed, he was happy for her. Having experienced one of the strongest and most fiercest forms of love, William wasn't going to deny his daughter a chance at it. And, it was apparent what Killian and Isabel had was indeed true love.

The hem of Isabel's blue dress snagged on one of the uneven cobblestones. A tiny rip echoed throughout the square, and Isabel cursed quietly as she looked down. In the hem of the dress was a tiny little tear. For a second, she thought it might be a sign to just turn around and go back home. The townspeople always talked about how bad things happened at night. She shook the thought from her dress. Nothing bad was going to happen to her. Even if she couldn't see Killian, she knew he was probably watching her. She felt safe with that knowledge.

Isabel continued on her way to the docks. They were to meet at the light pole that stood just at the end. Killian would be waiting for her. Her heart started to beat faster, fluttering at even the mere suggestion of him being there. After five months of not seeing her love, Isabel was becoming desperate to just be near him. They had figured out ways to communicate, but even a frequent carrier pigeon could not make up for his absence. Nothing could. Unless he was there, Isabel would continue to miss him. At first, she felt completely lost without him. Once they discovered the truth about their love for one another, it was as if she couldn't live without him. Of course, Isabel was not going to kid herself in thinking love would make Killian go legit. He did love being a pirate as well. The crew, especially Captain Finnegan, were his family. She wasn't about to ask him to give all that up just for her. Any other girl might have, but Isabel didn't want him to ever resent her for anything. That all came before and she was content being in second place if it meant Killian was happy.

She hurried as fast as she could. As she got closer, she could make out his shape leaning against the light pole. It was certainly him. The shadows hid part of his face, giving him a slightly sinister look, but Isabel knew there was nothing sinister about the boy waiting for her. Where everyone saw a vile pirate, Isabel saw a kindhearted person who would do anything for her. Killian was not cruel like some of the men on his ship. They would murder anyone who stood in the way of their treasure, and perhaps if the right treasure came along, Killian would too. Until then, Isabel couldn't see him as anything other than the person she had fallen in love with. Finally, she was standing just five feet away from his; his face no longer hidden. He pushed himself off the pole. Compared to her, Killian was so tall. His longer legs made the five feet between them seem more like three, and he was soon standing in front of her and holding her face in his hands. Smiling down at her, he leaned in to kiss her sweetly. He had no idea just how much she had missed him. Were they married, Isabel would be able to show him exactly how much she missed him. Kisses would have to suffice, though Isabel was sure she could kiss him for the rest of eternity and it wouldn't even touch how much she actually she missed him.