13. SHOCKING NEWS.

They had no way to get rid of their captors, who had even removed Killian's hook for safety, so they had no choice but to be taken to the king's castle as if they were criminals. Well, one of them used to be one, and that was the reason they were there, crossing the main doors of that big castle where none of them had been before. After some minutes of walking through corridors, they arrived the throne room. There was a man who seemed to have sixty years or so, who couldn't be other than King William. He was silent, staring at them and, when the soldiers led them right in front of him, he spoke at last in a cold tone.

"So the rumours I heard in Storybrooke were true, you ran off together... how romantic for a scoundrel like you" he made a short pause and continued "Someone kindly told me that there was a certain pirate in my kingdom... and I couldn't let that happen. Pirates must be erradicated from this world" that last sentence made Aurora feel the fear running through her veins as she hadn't felt in a lot of time. The king fixed his eyes on her "She doesn't have to be here." he told one of his soldiers, who hadn't released them in any second.

"I'm not going anywhere" answered the princess.

"You show a big loyalty to this scum" he pronounced the last word with such disdain that wrinkles that wasn't there before appeared on his face. "More than to your own brother, I'd say."

"He's not scum" she answered, mustering all the bravery she was able to. "And I don't know what my brother has to do with this. He died long time ago."

"No, he didn't." the king answered. A tense silence followed those words. Aurora shook her head.

"Impossible" she mumbled, her eyes going wet. "I attended his funeral when I was a child."

"Everything was a fake." Although William didn't enjoy the situation, his cold voice didn't show any emotions "He's been in Storybrooke all along, looking for you since the curse was broken. He even contacted the man you were supposed to love when he appeared there without you. He'll be very relieved to know you've been found and that he can arrange everything to take you to your kingdom, away from him" he gave Killian a murderous look.

Aurora felt dizzy. That was unbelievable. Her twin brother, the boy she'd shared everything with during the first seven years of her life... he was alive. Years after seeing her parents swallow their tears time and time again since she received the news of his death... it turned out that everything had been a lie. Her head filled with questions that nobody could answer on that moment. She needed all the strength she had to keep standing. On her side, but unable to touch her, Killian was trying to release himself. He was feeling the necessity to hug her, to let her cry on his shoulder and try to comfort her as best as he could... but he couldn't do it and his anger raised as the seconds passed listening to the king and watching how Aurora's face got paler.

"Don't worry. You'll have the opportunity to speak to him. I promise to send him a message as soon as this meeting ends" he said. Aurora didn't want to listen to anything more, she just wanted (or needed) to go out of that room, to stop listening to that cold voice and have some time to calm down and assume everything, but William didn't want to leave the subject yet "You'll be able to explain him why he's had to govern your little kingdom when he hasn't been prepared for that while you, who have received that education and preparation, were missing, doing who knows what with a pirate."

"If I had known..." she managed to speak. For Killian, that had been enough cruelty.

"She's not guilty of anything!" he said "Leave her alone."

"Of course I will. I'm not her enemy. That's you" the king answered. Aurora's whole body was trembling.

"What the hell do you have against me?" Hook asked "You don't even know me."

"I know pirates, and you are one of them."

"Not anymore." he replied.

"Pirates can't change. They'll always be the same scum." he turned to Aurora again "Do you think this... being loves you? Because pirates can't love, specially princesses." she sook her head again. That stupid was so wrong... "If I'm sending you away from him is for your own good."

"You don't understand" she said. "If you let us explain, if you talked to Prince Eric he would..."

"He's currently on a long trip with his mermaid" the king interrupted her. "You shouldn't waste your scarce energies on him." he pointed at Hook with his chin.

"Leave her alone" repeated Killian. "Your war's against me. Tell me what you want from me."

"I want to stop you for harming someone else. I..." he was interrupted by Hook.

"I was pardoned by Snow White and King David, doesn't that make you think? Moreover, you don't have any evidence, you can't do nothing to me."

"I know what you were and what you still are, even if you try to deny it, and there are a lot of people who can tell the same, pirate, that's enough for me... And I'm convinced I'll find that evidence, no matter how far I have to go. And until that day comes, you, as a potential danger, will be in confinement. Let's see what we do with you in the end."

"No!" shouted Aurora, her face filled with fear and tears. He'd like to say something to comfort her, but anger and impotence were too strong to think about anything else.

"My kingdom, my rules" replied the king. Killian tried to defend himself.

"This is illogical. I was pardoned!"

"Things work quite different in my kingdom as far as people like you are concerned." he turned to the soldiers who were holding Aurora "Take her to the tower, make sure she has everything she needs."

The princess tried to resist (and Hook tried to release himself again) but she was so weak that she couldn't avoid being brought out of the room, leaving Killian there with an anxious expression.

"Don't worry about her... if you are able to do it" the king said "she'll be fine." he turned to the remaining soldiers "Bring him to the cell."

He was taken out of there and leaded to a new door, with two guards standing on its sides. After opening it, the soldiers made him go downstairs until they reached a subterranean room, with many empty cells in it, each other with only a small window with bars. The rest of the light came from some torches which were on the walls. The soldiers locked him in one of those cells and left him alone with the guards. He sat on the floor, looking at the ground, thinking about what he could do and wondering how Aurora was.

She'd been taken to a little apartment in one of the towers. She was locked, as they didn't want her to escape or go looking for the pirate. All alone, she felt as if the silence suffocated her and started to cry, but since she was so exhausted, she soon fell asleep.

.

Many days passed and Aurora had no idea of what was going on outside her little apartment. The rules hadn't changed: she wasn't allowed to go out of it and the door was locked everytime excepting when she was brought her food or whatever she needed. She spent her time looking through the window, just wondering how Killian was and feeling the impotence of being unable to do anything, the sadness of the whole situation and the fear of not knowing what would happen to him. If only they'd let them explain... how could that man be so narrow-minded? How couldn't he let them be free?

Another issue to deal with was her brother. Why had her parents faked his death? Where had he been during all those years? How was he? Luckily, the answer would be easy to obtain since, after many days of waiting (more than the expected, since he wasn't in his castle because of a trip), they'd received the reply to the king's message: he was coming to pick her up. Maybe he was more sympathetic than the rest, maybe he'd understand...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. They were surely the two maids who served her during her confinement there.

"I want to see him" she demanded for the hundredth time when they'd entered the room with her breakfast.

"It's not possible, your highness" the first maid answered for the hundredth time too.

"I want to know how he is" this was always her second request.

"We don't know, your highness" it was always the answer.

"You can't keep him locked. It's unfair, he hasn't done anything."

"With my respects, that's not up to me, your highness" she, as usual, started to get angry and, as usual, she didn't want to eat anything.

"Please, your highness, eat something" the kindest of the maids said "You haven't eaten anything since you came."

"Since I'm trapped here" she corrected her "I don't want to eat, I can't" she added in a cold tone and changed the subject "When is my brother coming?"

"We don't know, your highness." - 'If these two call me your highness once again I will throw them out of the window' she thought. – "But you have to eat or you will..."

"I don't want to eat anything!" she yelled at them "I don't mind if I get sick! I don't want to see you! I don't want to see anyone but Killian or my brother! Are your brains big enough to understand it?! Go out of here... now!" maybe because of her anger, she suddenly felt dizzy and would have fainted if the two maids hadn't been quick and helped her lie on the bed, giving her a glass of water. She was pale and felt as if anything around her was spinning.

"I knew she wasn't very well" said one of them.

"Bring a doctor" ordered a male voice. A young blue-eyed man was standing in the doorstep. Aurora had never seen him but didn't have any problems to recognize him: it was like seeing herself in a blond and masculine version. It was impossible to have doubts, he was her brother.

"Jour!" she tried to get up and hug him, but she felt dizzy again and had to keep lying. He sat by her side, taking one of her hands and cupping her cheek with the other, using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"I can't believe I've finally found you" he said kissing her forehead, his eyes wet too.

"I thought you were dead."

"It's a long story. Everything was that witch's fault... Maleficent. But I'll tell you later. Now your health is all that matters."

"I'm fine, I just haven't eaten in a long time" suddenly, something in her mind was triggered: that wasn't all the truth, that wasn't the reason why she was like that on those moments: she'd been feeling bad for about two months, since they were still on the ship. Then, she realized something: two months... she'd been so busy that she hadn't paid attention to her 'women's issues'... a new possibility appeared on her mind, what if?... no, it couldn't be, she'd just been exhausted and she'd be totally recovered if all that situation hadn't made it get worse... but that excuse didn't totally fit... she didn't know why, she just felt it.

"I just want to make sure, you've been living in a ship after all, you've been in a lot of places, you could have caught something." Jour kept talking, without noticing her sister's inner monologue and the pale and scared face she started to show.

That couldn't be possible, she felt terrified just for thinking about it... but it would explain everything: the new travels to the Netherworld (as her defences were too busy adjusting to her new condition that they'd neglected that aspect), the hunger, the mood swings, the tiredness, the weakness...

Her heart was racing into her chest and a million thoughts crossed her mind.

"Aurora, are you fine?" her brother asked her worried.

"Jour, you have to tell him..." was the only thing she managed to speak.

"What? That you are in love with that pirate?" he pronounced that last word with disdain "Don't worry, you'll be fine when we arrive home."

What had he just said? Did he believe the same as that stupid William? Of course she wouldn't be fine. She needed Killian by her side... and safe. Was it so difficult to understand?

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"It doesn't make sense, you just can't do it, you are not that kind of person."

"A lot of things have happened, if you let me explain, if you talk to him..."

She couldn't finish her sentence because the maids were there again guiding the doctor inside the apartment. Jour greeted him, left the room and waited patiently by the apartment's door. He didn't know how much time had passed when the doctor opened it again.

"Why are you so serious? Is she fine?" Jour inquired.

"As long as she eats properly, takes complete rest and doesn't get stressed" was the doctor's answer. And then he explained Jour the situation in more detail.

.

Killian's day was the same as the previous ones: he'd been woken up early, he'd been brought his miserable breakfast, he'd asked about Aurora (and he hadn't been answered) and about his situation, with the same results. He felt so depressed: after everything he'd done to run away from his past life, to start over with Aurora, it wasn't enough. He'd walk in circles into the cell or spend entire hours sitting and trying to find a solution for that. Scaping was not an option: he had tried many times but it had been impossible: there were three or four guards every time the cell's gate was opened so he finally had had to give up. If he could get in touch with someone (Eric, for example), if he was given the opportunity to show the person he'd become... He missed Aurora so much... he'd like to talk to her brother, to tell him all the truth, his story and the fact that he loved his sister, that he wanted to protect her, to share his life with her and all that stuff.

His opportunity came that exact morning, but it wasn't how he would have liked it to be. Jour, who Killian recognized immediately, appeared completely enraged and, staring directly at his eyes, he shouted at him:

"What have you done to her, you bastard?!" the cell's bars stopped him from hiting Killian.

"Hey, hey, calm down."

"Calm down? Why would I do it after what you've done to my sister?!"

"I haven't done anything to her!"

"You haven't?! Seducing her and making her one of your..." Jour tried to find a suitable word-"crew wasn't enough, was it? She's a princess and now she's pregnant with a pirate's child!"

"What?!" Hook shouted too, completely wide-eyed. He didn't know what to say or what to think. His mind seemed to have disappeared. His heart started to double its usual speed and he couldn't even breath properly. He just could feel the urgent necessity to go out of there, to be with her and take her away from all that shit. She had to be so alone, so scared... He needed to sit down and so he did, covering his face with his right hand and trying to think clearly, but it was impossible, he was totally shocked.

"Don't you see how you've ruined her life?" Jour asked.

"You have to let me see her" Killian asked, while standing up.

"Why would I do that?"

"We love each other! Why can't you understand it?" he held the cell's bars.

"Love? A princess can't love a pirate!"

"Maybe I'm not that kind of pirate anymore. I changed long ago... for her among other reasons. Now I'm just an adventurer... I just want to make her happy, to protect her."

"If I were you I would set her free, let her return to our kingdom and be happy again." said Jour and, turning his back to him, he started to walk towards the exit.

"She's free to do whatever she wants... and she has chosen me." said Killian. Jour stopped for a moment, but continued walking immediately. Hook was left alone again. He punched one of the walls with all his strength and started to walk in circles one more time.