Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT, Maleficent, nor their characters, excluding Andy. If I did own the characters, it would probably be a storyline nightmare. :)
A/N: No Pan in this chapter, but I promise he will be in the next one! Also, let me know how this story is going so far and whether or not I should continue it by leaving a review.
The breath escaped from Andy's lungs, leaving her vacant. She was utterly lost for words. The strings of Andy's heart pulled tightly at the sound of his words, lost in wonder and anxiety. This was it. This was her chance. It was now a reality. Freedom.
"There's no way you could keep a promise like that," Andy scoffed at Hook, shaking her head. Although she still maintained her hope, this was a pirate; they weren't the most righteous people on the planet.
"Love, why would I lie to you?" Hook asked, shrugging his shoulders.
Andy laughed bitterly under her breath. "Because you're a pirate."
"I'm a pirate with a code of honor; I thought this was established. Try again."
"Maybe because you're trying to hold a pretty, shiny incentive over my head in order to gain my trust."
"That may be so, but that doesn't mean that you won't be rewarded with this incentive. Just because it's offered so easily to you, doesn't mean that it's a trap. Maybe you should try lessening your hostility towards kind strangers," Hook advised, pointing his index finger at Andy.
"It's not my fault that people never fail to disappoint me," she muttered sadly.
"Maybe because your standards are so high," Hook returned.
"Sorry if I have trust issues," Andy defended. "It's not my fault if people deliberately choose to break their promises and abandon me." Hook was silent and looked at the girl sadly. "I'm sorry, but I can't trust you."
"So you're just going to go back to Pan?"
"Yes. If that's what it means to survive. Yes," she said getting up, avoiding his bright blue gaze.
"Does this mean we're enemies?" Hook asked in a low voice.
Swallowing then pursing her lips tightly, she looked him straight in the eyes, detached of any emotion and responded with, "I'm afraid so captain."
Hook met and held her tight stare, debating on his next move as she was obviously pondering hers. Taking a leap into the choppy waters, he briskly lunged his body at her small one, but she quickly predicted his move, stepping towards the side and causing him to lose his balance. Seizing the opportunity of his disorientation, she kicked him with full force on the plane of his back, earning a pained grunt from the captain. He fell to his knees and Andy, quick in the mind and quick on her feet, focused her energy on the appearance of a steel dagger in the palm of her hand. She used her other arm to force Hook into a choke hold position, kneeling on his back and placing the steel dagger against his exposed throat.
"Bloody. Hell. Love," Hook panted through gritted teeth, ego diminished to a tiny grain.
"Do not underestimate my abilities, pirate," she seethed, trying to catch her breath. She grabbed a handful of his black hair in one hand, the dagger in the other, which was still looming over the pirate's throat. Pulling his ear up to her lips, she whispered into his ear, "You tell your little group to watch their backs. You may think this was hostile, but just wait until I see your pretty little face again wandering mindlessly through my territory."
"Is that a promise?" he poked. What the hell? How does he still manage to act perverse with a knife at this throat? "I can see why Pan hired you. Good looks and ferocity."
"Don't you dare act like you know me; you do not know me," she said slowly, in a dangerously low voice. "You are really pushing it, pirate." She released her grip on his hair and kicked him to the ground, dusting herself off. "We're done here."
Dazed and confused, Hook looked up at the lost girl. "What? That's it? You're not gonna kill me?"
"As much I would enjoy doing so, I have larger priorities to attend to. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll get the chance to do the honors in the future; I'll make sure of it," she promised, walking away.
"Wait!" Hook called out, his voice sounding desperate.
Andy's ears perked up, and she turned around. "What do you want now? Did my words carry no impact?"
"Trust me love, they did. But hear me out," he pleaded. Andy contemplated the situation before giving a curt nod to urge the pirate to hurry up. He exhaled sharply before speaking. "Take a chance."
Waiting for any additions, Andy stayed silent before commenting, "That's it?" in an unimpressed tone. She shrugged and waited for his response.
"Take a chance on me, love," he repeated, Andy rolled her eyes at his abuse of the name "love." She slightly cringed.
"Why should I take a chance on you?" Andy inquired. Hook began to gently advance towards her position.
"Because you can act as nonchalant as you desire, but I know that below that cold exterior, behind those steel eyes of yours, there is a beating heart; you're human like the rest of us."
"That's a bold declaration, captain."
"Look me in the eyes and tell me that you would rather stay in Neverland for the rest of your life and miss out on your only ever opportunity at freedom," he requested, stepping closer to her face. She could faintly feel his warm breath on her lips. "Look at me love and tell me that you don't want your freedom." His face was inches away from hers, his bright blue eyes boring into her softening brown ones. "Your response?"
Andy bit her lip, pulling Hook's gaze down at her mouth. Andy's heart was beating out of her chest. What is the right choice here? Barely audible, in a breathless whisper, a shaky "Okay" escaped the gates of her lips.
Hook's face stretched into a grin. "That's more like it, Lost Girl."
Past
"We'll take your deal," Queen Leah declared to the jumpy, green imp.
"Excellent choice deary!" Rumplestiltskin cried out in joy.
"Now what is it we must do to ensure our daughters' safety from Maleficent's curse?" Queen Leah pressed.
"You," he sang, flicking his spidery fingers at Queen Leah and King Stefan, "must travel deep into the wood. There, you will find a fallen beast of vibrant, obscure fur." He jumped atop his dining table, continuing his dance. "This fallen beast is fatally injured. Either way, this beast will die because that's just the way life works!" he giggled. "His poor heart, impaled by a single arrow, still beats. You must extract this arrow from the beast's heart."
"Sounds simple enough," King Stefan commented.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong deary!" he said, clicking his tongue. "This beast is hostile, dangerous. He will kill you on sight. In order to spare your life, you must earn the beast's trust. He must die, placing his trust in your hands. He must die with you being his first and final friend. Bring me back the arrow, and we'll see what we can do about your sweet, little daughters. Have a nice day!"
In a cloud of smoke, Rumplestiltskin and his dining room disappeared, and the King and Queen found themselves in the middle of a forest.
"Leah," King Stefan began.
"I know what you're going to say Stefan," Queen Leah interjected, "and I'm not going to leave your side."
"You're carrying our daughters!" he protested.
"How can you believe that I would just walk away from you and let you walk towards your death?"
"I'm not walking towards my death, Leah; I am walking towards our solution, our best chance for our daughters," King Stefan explained, holding his wife's hand. "Have hope in me. Trust me."
Tears filled the brim of the Queen's eyes. She closed her eyes slowly and exhaled, allowing a single tear to race down her rosy cheeks. King Stefan wiped it away with his thumb and kissed his wife atop of her forehead. "I love you," she managed.
"I love you too," he whispered into her sweet, golden locks.
He removed himself from the loving embrace of his worried wife and began to walk through the brush, flashing a final smile before departing towards the beast which held the solution to his daughters' futures.
Daylight was failing, darkening the forest and King Stefan's surroundings. He had been trekking through the wooded maze for hours now, exhausted and anxious about the condition of his pregnant wife. How was she? Was she safe? Was she comfortable? The fear of the future obstacle no longer affected him; its magnitude had languished with every step he placed on the forest soil. The survival of his daughters and his unconditional love for them outshone any storm clouds of looming fear and danger.
In the distance, the King's eyes could make out a small, rocky hill. What stood out about this certain hill was the dark alcove in the rock wall. His premonition sent a chilling alert throughout his body, announcing danger, announcing the presence of the beast.
King Stefan neared the cave, putting an enormous amount of effort in silencing his steps upon the forest floor in order to not stir the beast, which had not yet manifested itself to the world; it remained furtive and still in its cave, as if waiting for its challenger to move the first chess piece.
He placed a foot forward, earning a low, rumbling growl from the darkness of the cave. The beast was there, waiting for him. Inhaling and exhaling deeply in order to even out his breathing, King Stefan dared to take another step forward. The growl grew louder and more apparent. Who dared to challenge the mighty beast?
King Stefan's heartbeat was beating out of his chest with every step he took and every increase in the growl's volume he caused. Irritated by this endless game, the beast decided to present itself to the King. A strikingly vibrant orange paw stepped into the dim daylight of the trees. Orange fur? The King had never seen an animal adorned with such a brilliant coat of fur! What was this creature?
Curiosity prompted the King to advance towards the cave despite his premonition. The growl grew louder, causing the birds nesting in the trees to flee out of fear of the unknown tremor. He observed the orange paw intently. It was about the size of the King's face. A single swipe could probably be the cause of his demise.
The King took his final step towards the cave and then stood his ground with pride. Whatever beast this was, it too had pride. Feeling its authority threatened, the beast rose from its shadowy safe haven. The King's heart raced as the beast stepped into the dim daylight. Its orange fur was painted across by jagged black lines and streaks of white fire. A tiger.
King Stefan had never encountered an actual tiger in The Moors or even during his visits to the Enchanted Forest. He also had never heard any traveller's tales of the orange-coated beast. His only knowledge of the creature was that it wasn't a native to his kingdom or the Enchanted Forest. It hailed from the dense jungles of the central kingdoms, mostly the wild, but King Stefan had also heard of its presence in Agrabah due to the trading relationships between the central kingdoms in the uninhabitable jungles and the southern kingdoms in the dry, desolate deserts.
The tiger narrowed its large, round green eyes at King Stefan menacingly, an equal opponent. Despite the beast's pride, King Stefan's curious eyes landed on the silver arrow sticking out of its chest, directly impaled into its heart. Wouldn't the creature have been dead by now? Or did it have too much pride that it refused to submit to defeat without a meaningful fight?
How would King Stefan approach this? If he reached out and simply pulled the silver arrow out of the tiger's heart, then it would surely tear off King Stefan's arm and enjoy a nice piece of flesh before its fall to its inevitable death. He needed to make a decision quickly because the tiger would most likely become bored of waiting for his opponent's move and take the initiative instead. An idea popped into the King's head, but there was no guarantee that it would work.
King Stefan reached for his sword, the tiger growling at him threateningly. He pulled the sword out of its sheath, causing the tiger to erupt into a tremendous roar, shaking the ground and trees of the entire forest. King Stefan was breathing heavily now. The tiger was ready to kill. Then, out of impulse and adrenaline, King Stefan tossed the sword as far as he could into the depths of the forest, hearing it land somewhere unknown with a thud. He had just taken a leap of faith and deliberately unarmed himself. King Stefan was defenseless. The tiger eyed him with curiosity, hunger and murder disappearing from its intense, fierce green eyes. King Stefan eyed the muscles of the tiger, noticing them relax. His plan had succeeded.
To test his success, he took another step forward. The tiger did not growl, swipe at him, or rip off his arm. King Stefan had earned the tiger's trust. He held his hand out towards the arrow, nearing the tiger and feeling its breath upon his face. The tiger was relaxed and calm. Again, acting on impulse, King Stefan moved his hand away from the arrow and placed it on the the orange fur of the tiger instead. The tiger did not react negatively. It observed King Stefan with softened green eyes as if telling him that it was ok to pull the arrow out of his heart. King Stefan nodded at the tiger and reached towards the arrow, wrapping his hands around it. The tiger shut its green eyes, and King Stefan pulled the arrow straight out of its heart. The tiger released a pained roar, but did not shift or sway its allegiance from King Stefan. It simply bowed its massive, striped head and gave a final glance at the King before closing the curtains to its eyes, ending the story of its life.
An emerald and violet aura of light suddenly radiated off of the tiger's still body as the sun began to set. King Stefan stared in wonder at the spectacle. As the aura intensified, the tiger's body began to disappear. The light radiating off its body travelled in a stream into the sky, spreading across the sky as darkness fell. Looking down from the illuminated night sky, King Stefan found a vibrant, orange flower in place of the tiger's body - a lily.
Present
"So do we have a deal?" Hook asked slowly, cautious of the Lost Girl's next move or reaction. Her expression showed that she was deep in thought about his proposal.
"So you want me to be your undercover agent in going against Pan?" Andy concluded after Hook finished his explanation. She sighed heavily, assessing the future chaos as a result of her decisions.
Hook nodded slowly, allowing her to fully absorb the information he had just told her. "Aye."
"So am I your puppet?"
"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds-"
"Extreme," Andy finished for him. Silence. "I'm just warning you that there's always the possibility that Pan finds out about this; Pan never fails, remember?"
Hook chewed his tongue, reflecting remorsefully about his past in Neverland. It was true. The demon never did fail.
"Take a chance, remember?" Hook reminded her.
Andy sighed and muttered, "Alright. I'll do it."
"Really?" he asked in disbelief.
"I already said it once, I'm not going to say it again," Andy snapped.
"Atta girl," Hook smiled broadly.
"So as your agent, how can I be of assistance?" Andy inquired.
"Well seeing as we're now partners in this stratagem, I need your help in locating Pan's compound to find Henry," Hook requested.
Andy shook her head. "I'm sorry Hook. I can't help you there."
"Why not?"
"It would be too noticeable, too obvious. Pan specifically wants the Savior to be the one to find the compound. I don't know why, but it's apart of his plan. If I directly tell you the location, Pan will notice that something is off. I'm sorry, but it's all in the Savior's hands."
"Alright. I supposed you're right," Hook agreed.
"Well, I have to head back now. Otherwise, Pan will suspect something, and Neverland will go nuclear," Andy joked. She began to walk down the dirt path through the trees, but Hook stopped her once more.
"Wait."
Andy turned around to face him. "What is it Hook?" Andy asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. She was exhausted for the day.
"How formal would this alliance be if I didn't bear the knowledge of my own associate's name?" he quipped.
"Andrea," she responded. "Andrea Lux."
Past
"Back so soon dearies?" Rumplestiltskin chirped, clapping his dark, scaly, green hands. King Stefan dropped the silver arrow onto the long, oak dining table, engendering an echo through the airy high ceilings of the dining room in Rumplestiltskin's Dark Castle.
"Your promise?" King Stefan inquired firmly.
"I only make deals, no promises," the dark imp sang.
"Our daughters' safety," the King insisted.
"You scratch my back, I scratch yours," he nodded, standing up. The two royals followed him closely, observing his every move likes hawks. Rumplestiltskin swiftly turned around, surprising them. "But remember!" He leaned in close and whispered in a low, grave voice. "All magic comes with a price."
"The state of our kingdom, we know," Queen Leah noted.
Rumplestiltskin narrowed his darkened eyes into tiny slits and held up a spidery finger. "Yes. It is your cost."
"But all curses can be broken," she added.
"Indeed! But your beloved kingdom will be turned into a wasteland; it will be desolate, it will be dead."
King Stefan and Queen Leah's throats closed tightly, bound by the ragged rope of remorse. "It is a cost we're willing to pay," King Stefan stated, nodding his head.
"Hmmmm."
"What is it?" King Stefan demanded.
Silence. "There's more than just that, isn't there?" Queen Leah asked in a grave whisper.
"Yes deary. You asked me for a deal to protect your daughters," Rumplestiltskin explained.
"Yes. And I carried out our end of the bargain. I befriended the beast, the tiger, before his death, and I delivered you the damn arrow! Now you need to ensure our daughters' survival!" King Stefan bellowed.
"Exactly deary!" the Dark One sang. "Your daughters' survival. Only your daughters' survival!"
Dead silence filled the dining room of the Dark Castle.
"We only asked for our daughters' survival," Queen Leah muttered, color drained from her bright face. "Stefan, we never asked for ours."
"NO!" King Stefan roared. "You damn demon!"
"It was your mistake, not mine!" the Dark One mocked, laughing wickedly.
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" the King cursed.
"Anger won't get you anywhere deary. We made a deal," Rumplestiltskin reminded. "And deals cannot be broken nor modified."
"Stefan, we have to," Queen Leah begged. "If we do not survive, at least our daughters will!"
"But who will raise them Leah? All in our kingdom will be dead with Maleficent's curse! We won't watch their first steps, their first words. We'll be absent from their lives!" King Stefan protested. "We can't let them grow up alone."
"They'll have each other," the Queen reasoned. "Stefan, we're giving them their best chance."
Tears streamed down King Stefan's face. He was a man of such high pride, never allowing anyone, not even his wife, to see him cry, to see him weak and broken. He couldn't bear the idea of never seeing his daughters grow up into beautiful young women. He would never be able to teach them to waltz or be there at their first balls, their weddings. He would never see his grandchildren. His happiness was torn away from him. He had no other choice. He swallowed his pride and let out a shaky, "Ok."
"Splendid," Rumplestiltskin grinned. "Now, the blood on this arrow contains the blood of the beast. This beast was no ordinary tiger." The Dark One held the silver arrow in his hands, walking out of the dining hall.
King Stefan and Queen Leah followed the Dark One into his study, which was identical to the ambiance of the dining hall - dark and sinister. "This special beast possessed the gift of magic, as I am sure you witnessed at his demise." King Stefan nodded, recalling the aurora lights and the lily. "This beast was invincible to any disease, attack, or poison except all invincible heroes pertain an Achilles Heel." He dipped the silver arrow into a black cauldron, twiddling his fingers theatrically. The cauldron disappeared in a poof of purple smoke and revealed a clear glass vial containing a bright, violet liquid. "His blood will give your unborn daughters the gift of invincibility - a heart immune to any danger or disease," he proclaimed, holding up the glass vial of violet liquid to the light streaming through the dark, stained glass window. "Your daughters will have the hearts of invincibility."
"She is beautiful," Queen Leah panted, her exhausted brown eyes falling upon her newborn daughter for the very first time, the eldest whose cries filled the bedroom. Her husband held her hand tightly, joyful tears spilling from his eyes. He kissed his wife's sweaty temple, admiring their beautiful girl, their little, gentle flower. "She has your hair," the Queen smiled, admiring the baby's dark, brunette head.
"But she has your eyes," the King returned, looking into the warm honey eyes of his daughter. "What is her name, my queen?" the King asked his wife, taking pride in their beautiful creation. She was so small, her tiny, feeble hand wrapped around her father's index finger. She was as fragile and delicate as a petal.
The Queen looked up at the King, love in her eyes, and answered with joy, "Lilliana." A glorious smile spread across both their tired faces. "Princess Lilliana."
"My sweet Lily," the proud king cried softly.
Queen Leah let out another gasp of pain and panted for breath. A nurse held a towel to her sweaty forward as she continued to push.
"You're almost there my love," King Stefan prompted. "Almost there!"
The Queen continued to scream in pain and gasped for breath. King Stefan held his Lily in one arm and held his pained wife in the other. Lily cried along with her mother.
The Queen gave one final screech of pain before a second cry filled the room, their youngest.
"She's beautiful. They both are," King Stefan smiled at the both of his daughters. "It looks like this one has your hair."
"Aurora. Princess Aurora," the Queen managed breathlessly.
"Princess Lilliana and Princess Aurora, they're all ours, my dear. I love you so much." He kissed his wife's trembling lips, overwhelmed with the magic of being a parent.
News of the queen's birth to Princess Lilliana and Princess Aurora spread throughout the land of the Moors. The Waller Bogs celebrated with a massive mud war, the Cheeps composed and orchestrated a nighttime symphony under the luminous canopy of the forest, and the Dew Fairies choreographed a dazzling aquatic ballet underneath the glow of the azure galaxy. The kingdom was engulfed in an ambiance of light and joy.
However, not all shared the joy of King Stephen and Queen Helen. At the border of the magical kingdom hid a banished and resentful witch in the forest of thorns – Maleficent. She watched broodingly with bitter eyes at the new heirs to the land, her land, the land which was stolen from her. It was the land which she would rightfully reclaim. In order to do so, she needed to destroy any drop of happiness existing within the kingdom. Desperate, the creatures of the Moors would slowly and weakly crawl to her feet, begging for the true Queen to come home.