I would like to thank JohnnyStormsGirl, 'sSydney, CosplayerHikari, aliiceroseee, Millenia-the-wings-of-valmar, I'mOverTheMoon, SurferGirl711, Psycho17, Don Flack's Angell, TheGirlWhoBelieved3, LauraFoxx, hungergamespettalover, shelibot, SeekerOfTheDragons, missEmbear, and SPEEDIE22 for following, favoriting, and reviewing! I appreciate it tremendously. I am very excited about this chapter. I have no clue why, but I'm really excited so any/all feedback is welcome! Not that it wasn't before...well, you know what I mean...I hope. Enjoy!

Enchanted Forest - Past

Killian walked through the woods to get to the river. When he woke up that morning, he found a note on her door asking him to meet her there. It wasn't uncommon for them to go to the river, but she usually waited so they could just go together. Rumors of bandits roaming the forest made it impossible for anyone to go out alone. Isabel was told by both her father and Killian that she wasn't allowed to go unless one or the other was with her. Until that morning, Isabel had obeyed, though it wasn't unlike her to just ignore the rules. As he walked, he wondered exactly what could be so important that she had to leave before the sun even came up. He usually woke up just after the sun. He woke up before her, and when he was in the village, he would wake her up. Isabel was a nightmare to get out of bed on most mornings. It took several bribes just to get her to stop grunting in response to forming actual sentences. Getting her up before the sunrise was nearly impossible. Whatever got her to get out of bed must have been something big, and his mind played with every option it could come up with. Being a typical teenage boy, the possibilites included her greeting him naked while sitting on the rock that they shared their first kiss on. When he got to the river, he wasn't greeted by Isabel. Instead, one of the local boys he recognized as the lovesick puppy that followed Isabel around and refused to take the hint that she was taken. He annoyed Killian to no end.

"Good," Terence said. "You came armed."

Killian's eyebrow quirked up. "That I did. Where's Isabel? She was supposed to meet me."

"She safe at home. Sleeping if I had to guess," Terence smirked.

"Impossible," Killian argued. "She left a note on her door."

"And you were stupid enough not to open the door to check if she was still there," Terence taunted him.

"Are you implying you put it there?" Killian questioned.

"Indeed." Terence stook a step closer to Killian; hand planted firmly on the hilt of his sword.

"I hate to break it to you, but my heart belongs to Isabel. And you are not even remotely my type," Killian rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so arrogant, pirate. I love her. Not you," Terence grimaced.

A wave of anger coursed through Killian. The idiot in front of him had the gall to claim he loved someone who didn't belong to him. Isabel was Killian's, yet Terence had the nerve to try to claim her. He was very stupid. "You must really want to get hurt."

"What makes you say that?" Killian asked.

"You lure a pirate into a secluded area, try to claim his girl, and obviously want to fight," he gestured to Terence's swod. "That's neither smart nor brave, mate. Go home before you do something you might not have a chance to regret."

Killian started to leave, but Terence opened his mouth. "You're not good enough for her!"

Whipping around, Killian stepped dangerously close to Terence. His eyes darkened in anger, and he clenched his fists to keep from strangling the boy. "I am well aware of that."

"Then let her be with someone that is," Terence stood up straighter, looking Killian in the eyes.

What Killian saw in Terence was someone who loved Isabel deeply, but the universe didn't work the way Terence wanted it to. Things may come between them and his occupation may keep them apart for months on end, but Isabel was Killian's true love. Still, Killian really couldn't hold Terence's feelings against him. He knew exactly what it was like to love Isabel, and Killian had to respect Terence for standing up to him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back from the younger boy. "Like I said, go home. This isn't going to do you any good."

"And you are never going to do her any good," Terence countered. "You're a pirate, and that isn't going to end well for either of you. If you haven't already, you're going to end up killing someone. What do you think she's going to do when you tell her that? Are you going to keep it from her and let her find out when word gets here? And what if you die? What do you think that is going to do to her?"

"That is none of your business," Killian spat. It was the only retort he could come up with. Terence's questions haunted Killian all the time.

Isabel had an air of innocence about her. As rough as she seemed, she was still just so innocent about things. What if he did kill someone? He certainly couldn't keep it from her. They told each other everything. She already disliked most pirates, and he promised her that he wouldn't become the kind that she hated. He wanted to remain honorable for her. Well, he wanted to stay as honorable as a talented thief could. He wanted her to be proud to say she was with him, and Captain Finnegan was working really hard to make sure Isabel could be proud of Killian.

"You should give her up before you can't," Terence said.

"So you can have her? I don't thin so," Killian shook his head.

"Then I'll fight you for her," Terence told him.

Killian wanted to laugh. In build, they were equally matched it seemed. In experience, Killian knew he outweighed Terence. It would not be a fair fight, and in any proper duel, it ended in someone's death. Killian would hate for Terence to lose his life because he thought he had something to prove. No way was Terence going to win Isabel or take her from Killian. Pulling his sword from its sheath, he stood ready for a fight. Terence did the same thing, and the two boys stared one another down. Terence's eyes held no fear in them. Good, Killian thought. It meant that he was serious in his challenge. Even as a pirate, Killian believed in a code so to speak. He could not bring himself to fight someone who was only half in it. He also believed in fair fights, but Terence seemed to not really care. Terence was stupidly optimistic that he would be able to win. Killian also believed in putting people in their place, and Terence needed to be put in his place. Otherwise, he would always walk around with the idea that he deserved Isabel's love. He already had the misguided notion that he was going to best Killian.

Terence lunged at Killian. Blocking the parry, Killian countered by trying to know the sword from his opponent's hand. The fight didn't need to last any longer than needed. He wanted to prove a point to Terence, but he didn't want to spend all morning fighting with Terence. Terence's sword just about grazed Killian's cheek as Terence swung it rather wildly. It was apparent the younger boy had no idea what he was doing. Perhaps Terence was more dangerous than Killian though. Someone who didn't know how to use a sword was much more dangerous than someone who did. Someone who was trained or at least handy with a sword knew where to strike, how to find an opening. A person that could barely even hold a sword didn't care about finding an opening. They were worried about hits, and those hits could be more than a little dangerous. Blocking another blow, he was almost knocked off his feet. Terence didn't look like much, but Killian guessed his strength came from his determination. He really wanted Isabel. He just didn't realize that Killian needed Isabel. His need fueled him to continue fighting, to stay standing, to stick around when he was almost certain Terence was right about how everything was going to end.

"Give up, villain!" Terence yelled.

"She'll never love you," Killian countered, blocking yet another blow that was aimed at his neck.

"That doesn't matter!" Terence swung the sword again, and it made contact with Killian's arm; just barely grazing it. "She'll learn to!"

The older boy winced and over took Terence, knocking him to the ground. Killian held the sword just above Terence's heart. "Listen up, mate!" A menacing look covered his face. "Isabel is mine, and she'll always be mine."

"Then kill me," Terence told him, pressing his chest to the tip of the blade.

Killian shook his head and lowered his weapon. "No."

"Why not?" Terence's eyebrows furrowed.

"Because you should live with the fact she will never be yours. It's as you said, she'll think differently of me if I kill anyone, and I am certainly not going let you trick me into that. If you win, you supposedly get her. If you die, then you get her just the same." He slid his sword back into its sheath. "No. You get to live with the fact that you fought for her and still lost." Terence's protests fell on deaf ears as Killian started to walk away.

Once out of Terence's sight, he rushed back to Isabel's house. She was probably awake and wondering where he was. Killian ran the best he could to get back to Isabel. He didn't like to keep her waiting. She could get rather impatient at times, especially in the morning. Upon reaching the house, he saw her father leaving for the day. He rushed to the man, stopping William just before he closed the gate.

"That was quite a scuffle," William told him. Killian's eyes widened, but William raised his hand before the boy could speak. "You handled yourself nicely, but your form could use some work."

"Does she know?" Killian asked. It terrified him to think Isabel might know. While he liked the idea of her having proof that he would fight for her, he knew Isabel hated the idea of him having to for any reason.

William shook his head. "No. She's being quite stubborn this morning so I'm letting her sleep in. Get yourself cleaned up, and I'll pretend I know nothing."

"Thank you," Killian nodded.

He went into the house fully prepared to explain himself. Isabel was mischievous; more so than she initially led on. She was fiery for sure yet he never realized she was somewhat as devious as he was. It was likely she was only pretending to sleep. Perhaps she discovered he had gone missing, followed him to the river, and snuck back before William could notice. She was rather adept at leaving without someone noticing. Killian always joked that she was a better pirate than he was. She could use a sword, almost as well as her father. She knew how to handle herself, proven when they had met. Over the year, he realized he had definitely met his match.

Cleaning himself up, he bandaged the cut on his arm. He climbed the stairs to Isabel's room, listening carefully for any noise before opening the door.

His eyes traveled to the bed. Isabel had the covers pulled up to her chin, and she lay on her stomach. He knew without a doubt her feet were hanging off the end. She slept so deep in the bed that her feet normally dangled off the bed. She called herself a burrower, and he could see why. Tiptoeing to the bed, he lifted the covers and joined her. As if on instinct, Isabel tucked herself into his side. Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her. She looked like an angel curled up next to him. Part of him felt bad for guys like Terence. It was not lost on Killian that other boys were envious of him, and the part that felt sorry for Terence pitied every boy who wanted her. The other part of him delighted in the knowledge that she was his and his alone.

And that reminded him of something rather important. He'd have to distract her at some point during his stay. Killian needed to speak to her father about the necklace she had lost. It was a longshot, but he still wanted to get it back for her. Since she would never talk about it, he would have to talk to William about it. He hoped maybe there was a portrait of it. Killian knew not to hold out much hope, but he remained optimistic. How could he not? He fancied it a kind of talisman. When he saw it, he'd know that it belonged to his true love. He would be drawn to it. He hoped that was the case.

"You are thinking too loudly," Isabel mumbled.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I'll try to be quieter."

She smiled up at him. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he shook his head.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure," he smiled down at her. Reaching up, he ran his fingers through his hair, and her eyes closed. "I've heard you've been stubborn this morning."

"Just after sunrise is far too early to wake up," she grumbled. She laid her head on his chest. "Where were you? Father came to wake me up."

"I was being lazy too," he lied.

"Shall we get up then?" she asked.

"Not yet," he told her, holding her to him tighter.