AN: Based on the promo with dark!Emma and the Killian/Charming fight scene. I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading it.
The castle comes into sight over the top of the hill, and Killian allows himself a small smirk. He'd made it, the easiest part over with, and now came the real challenge.
He'd been told tales of the castle, witnessed the cruelty of the Evil King and Queen. And, like any sailor in their realm, Killian had heard the rumors whispered around the ports of the trapped Princess. No one had ever seen her up close, and even those that claimed to have caught her silhouette in the window admit it may have been a trick of the light.
Well, Princess or not, Killian cared little. What he wanted was justice against the King and Queen for their crimes, and any daughter they might have was an extraneous detail. Killian was interested only in the well-being of those who had been wronged by Their Majesties. He would find a way to grant better lives to his fellow villagers if it was the last thing he did.
Climbing down from his horse, Killian tied the reigns around a tree and rubbed a hand down the horse's snout, hushing it. He sized up the foreboding castle before approaching, hand tight on the sword at his waist. Killian eyed the tower walls, his gaze landing on a few cracks in the bricks; footholds. Wasting no time, Killian slipped his foot between the stones and began climbing. After a few feet, Killian considered the heavy satchel around his torso and shrugged it off, tossing it up towards a tree branch. The strap of his bag just missed the limb, causing Killian to huff out a sigh before trying again.
On the third toss, a shrill laugh pierced Killian's ears. He glanced up frantically, his gaze locking with a pair of severe, dark eyes. "What's wrong, Captain?" A harsh voice sneered, "Can't get it up?"
Too alarmed to pay the remark any attention, Killian squinted up at the tower. From the distance, he was able to make out the outline of a young woman, a mess of golden hair framing her pale face.
"So the rumors are true." Killian called up after a moment of calming his nerves, his voice even, teasing. "Well, Princess, your reputation precedes you."
The woman laughed, another sharp trill. "As does yours, Pirate." She narrowed her eyes at him, smiling sinisterly. "Now, would you care to explain your reason for trespassing?"
Killian smirked at that, fitting his foot between another set of bricks, continuing his ascent. The Princesses' eyes flashed, as if daring him to come closer. Well, far be it for the notorious Captain Jones to resist a challenge. He gazed back up at her with a serene smile. "Well, love, your parents have wronged more than just you, it would seem." He quirked a brow. "And I'm here to set things right."
She considered him, looking wickedly amused by his words. Killian continued moving upwards, pausing only when the Princess spoke again, her voice still a severe tune. "I'd be careful, Captain." she sing-songed, "Daddy and Mother don't take too kindly to strangers." There was a bitterness that seeped into her voice at the mention of the King and Queen, and Killian felt an unbidden sympathy for her. Mad as the woman seemed, being kept somewhere against one's will was a cruel fate.
"No need to worry for me, lass." Killian said jovially, casting his eyes up at her. "I'm quite adept at surviving."
For some reason, the words made her cackle. Killian ignored the shiver that went through him, almost making him lose his bearings. The Princess remained silent as he finished his climb, her eyes dancing with glee. As Killian reached the top, his breath coming fast, he was surprised when she stepped aside, allowing him to pull himself through the window.
Up close as he was, Killian saw that her eyes were, in fact, green. A deep, forest-y shade that was so dark they were nearly black, but green nonetheless. He blinked, and she smirked, entirely aware that she had him captivated.
The Princess paced the floor, glancing over her shoulder to croon, "Welcome aboard, Killian."
He stopped at the sound of his true name, caught off-guard. She turned back to face him, and he noticed the heavy chains bounding her wrists. Killian stared, but she paid the things no attention, instead focusing her startling eyes on him. "Yes," she said in response to his vexed look, not grinning so much as baring her teeth. "I've heard of you. The Lieutenant turned pirate, stealing from the rich to give to the poor." She looked up from under her lashes, batting her eyes, a smile curving her lips. "Tell me, Sailor. How's brother dearest?"
The words tore through Killian, leaving him feeling as if he'd been gutted. He stared hard at her, unable to explain why the knowledge felt like such a betrayal.
"Oh, yes." she giggled, swaying on the spot. She looked like a child granted a particularly nice surprise. "I know all about poor Liam Jones and his poor brother, having to watch the King crush his only family's heart."
Killian squashed down the pain of that particular memory, smothering the ache in his chest. He managed to smile; a sneering, grimacing thing. "And how might you have heard?" he challenged. "Forgive me, but your parents don't seem the sort to tell bedtime stories."
That elicited another laugh. Her eyes were alight with mirth as she stared Killian down. "For a perceptive man, you don't know much, do you, Captain?" She shook her arm, drawing Killian's attention to the clanking chains latched around her wrists. "Haven't you wondered what I did to get myself locked up in this infernal tower?" Her every word was dripping with amusement, making Killian's blood run cold. "Imagine the Evil Queen's dismay when she discovered her daughter was more powerful than she. To find that her daughter can see things- events that haven't yet happened?" She cast her eyes down at the shackles, a flicker of something new crossing her face. "A daughter who possessed magic, dangerous magic? Of course the Queen couldn't have such a hazard out in the world."
If Killian didn't know any better, he'd think he caught a hint of sadness in her tone. He was rendered speechless for a brief moment, watching the Princess stare at her confines, noticing the raw, bleeding wounds around her thin wrists. Again, he felt a wave of compassion for her, unprecedented and unyielding. "Somehow, milady, I don't perceive you as dangerous." Killian murmured, not looking away when she turned sharply, snapping her eyes to him. "A bit mad, perhaps." he paused, his voice softening. "But I imagine anyone in your set of circumstances would be."
She was silent for a long moment, her unfathomable eyes on him. Looking back at her, Killian felt that same rush of protectiveness he experienced when meeting the eyes of a poor villager, the lost gaze of a starving child. He wanted to keep her safe, dangerous though she may be.
Just as she appeared as if she might saw more, the Princesses' head snapped to the heavy door across the room, her eyes going unfocused. "Guards." she choked out, a rush coursing through her. She looked back at Killian, her voice urgent. "You must leave."
Tilting his head, Killian listened closely. "I don't hear anything, love."
She shook her head violently, lifting a hand to his chest, pushing gently. "Not yet. Soon." She urged him back towards the window, and Killian was taken aback by the tenderness of her touch. It didn't fit her harsh nature, the sharp, cruel amusement that had been in her voice. "I saw them. You'll be captured if you don't leave now."
Killian felt his back press against the wall, but he could only stare at this woman, awed. Her demeanor had shifted completely, a genuine person found beneath her cracked exterior. He couldn't form words as she continued to coax him out of the tower, pausing only when he had one leg out the window.
"I'll be back, lass." Killian vowed, yet he didn't have any clue as to why. His words caused something to break through the panic in her eyes, and she smiled -still with an edge, but the most genuine one he'd seen yet- looking every bit the Princess she was meant to be.
It was only after he'd mounted his horse that Killian realized he'd completely abandoned his mission. And yet, glancing back up at the tower, catching a flash of blonde hair in the window, Killian thought he might have found a far greater one.
/
He returns almost daily after that, unable to deny the pull of her, her absolutely intoxicating nature. She was worse than any bloody siren he'd encountered, her every word a dark, haunting song.
He rides his horse to the castle after nightfall- when it's the safest time to journey, without the watchful gaze of the Royal Guards- and is always gone before sunrise. Each time, she awaits him at the window, her razor-edged smile greeting him like the warmest of hellos. He learns about her without ever having to push very hard, finds that if he keeps quiet long enough, her confessions come out in tumbling, shaky whispers. She is more frightened than dangerous, Killian notes, at least with him. (Though by the way she speaks of her parents, he doesn't doubt she could release hell if she so desired).
He realizes that all the stories have it wrong. She is not the monster locked away for her own good, not the fire breathing dragon waiting in the dungeons. She is only as dark as her parents made her, only as evil as she is afraid. Killian finds that she is more light than most people he's encountered- she is merely trapped in the shadows, and he wants desperately to let the sun in.
/
She tells him one day that her name is Emma. She says it like a secret, like a careful thing, and he treats it as such. After that, he only says her name like it's something fragile, like it may snap and break under his tongue, like it's as wounded as she is, herself.
/
They begin to plot her escape one night, seated on the floor of the tower, their knees brushing against each other. She tells him that they'll never be safe, that they will always be on the run, and that he'll be executed if ever the guards find them. He tells her that she is worth the trouble, assures her that he'll get her to the safety of his ship, and not to worry, because he's a hell of a Captain.
/
They ride off three nights later, reaching the Jolly before the sun's even shone above the horizon. He takes her hand as she steps aboard, and never quite lets go.