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Disclaimer: I do not own anything...or any part of Once Upon A Time.
"Princess!" Grumpy hollers as he spots Emma half way up the inn. Emma's toes are barely on the aged wooden edge of the wall, and her fingers are holding onto a window ledge. "Princess! What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Uh…" Emma glances down over her shoulder, "…I needed some fresh air…" her fingers holding tightly to the ancient wood.
"Then open a window, not climb out of one!" Grumpy glares up at her, "What are you really doing?" Grumpy snaps as he points his finger up at her, "Get down. Or Snow will have your head."
Emma protests in irritation, her arms now throbbing from dangling onto the ledge for too long. "You two," Grumpy points at two young guards, "Go open that window!" Grumpy snaps. Emma sighs and kicks the window in frustration. Within minutes, the guards had infiltrated the unsuspecting person in the room.
"Come in, Princess." One guard states as he holds out his hand for Emma to take. She takes his hand and climbs in. Emma looks at the man who is staying in the room, who is shaking in fear, with his towel draped around his waist still soaked in water. Emma falters, "Sorry…" she mumbles as the man jumps in surprise, nearly dropping the towel. "Oh!" Emma screeches as she rushes out of the room, the guards following behind her, her face red from seeing the naked man.
When she gets to her room, Grumpy is already waiting for her, "What is wrong with you?" He yells, "Running off like that. Snow would have been worried sick!"
Emma sits down staring blankly at the angry dwarf who is belittling her. "You could have been abducted! Or worst! Killed!"
"Grumpy!" Emma snaps, "I am not a child anymore!" She tips the chair onto the back to legs, "I'm not brainless!"
"Then stop acting like it." Grumpy snaps brutally, "Stay in your room for the rest of the night. I thought I didn't need to have a patrol around the inn, but I guess I was mistaken." With that, Grumpy storms out of the room and slams the door shut. Emma can overhear him barking orders to the men.
Emma bows her head as sorrow fills her. She can understand why Grumpy is upset because she had been disrespectful and, quite frankly, she had been deceitful. Something she could not understand is that even though she is a princess, no one trusted her to do anything properly. Sure, she had slipped off into the night, but she had been coming back. Emma is aware of her royal responsibilities, but no one has faith in her to execute them correctly. Even her parents, loving as they are, thought they had to step in to help her find her true love.
Out of frustration, Emma bangs her head against the wall before making her way to the small bed in the room. Too angry and displeased to change into her pajamas, Emma covers her self with the bed sheets and tries to sleep.
Emma awakes when the entire inn is wavering and rattling. Screams rush into Emma's ears as she hastens up from her bed and begins looking around for the source. Emma stares at the red-orange glows are glowing in from her cracked window and moves towards it and open it. Fire.
Flames have swallow up half of the seacoast village and people are rushing trying to escape the fire and the pirate, who are massacring the community.
"Princess!" Emma's head turns to see Grumpy barreling in to her room, "You need to flee, now!" He hands her an embezzled cutlass, "Take this."
Emma stares down at the old dwarf, "Grumpy, what is going on?" Her voice cracks.
"It's an attack. Now, GO." The dwarf thrusts her onto the ledge of the window as two pirates sauntered in, grinning with satisfaction of the kills they had just done. "Look here, a dwarf and the Princess!" One sneers as he pulls his sword up to Grumpy.
"You leave the Princess alone." Grumpy states as he pulls his axe up and gets ready to fight.
"The blasted dwarf thinks he can fight!" The other jokes and pushes his comrade in jest. Both pirates look at each other for a second before double-teaming the protective dwarf. Grumpy did not stand a chance against two thieves. Emma watches in horror as the pirate who spoken first, pierces Grumpy in the abdomen with his blade. "GRUMPY!" She cries as he looks towards her and mouths, "run" before crumpling onto the wooden floor.
Emma stares on in hysteria as the pirates grin up at her. "Sorry, did we kill your friend?" the less experienced one jokes. Emma stares down at Grumpy's body, "I'm sorry…" she says softly, tears running down her face. Emma gave the murderers one last look before leaping out the window.
Emma lands on her knees as she bites off a cry of pain. She can hear the cursing of the two pirates who are upset that she had jumped out of the window. Emma pushes herself onto her feet and starts running in the direction of the forest.
As she turns a corner of one of the buildings, Emma runs into the Captain of the Royal ship. "Captain!" Emma cries, her tears tell falling over the death of her friend, "You are alive!"
The Captain looks relieve to see her, "You are alive Princess, good!" He grabs her arm, "We need to get you out of here" He whispers as he leads her off and into an empty house.
"I can go out into the forest, I know how to live off the land." Emma stutters out as she watches the Captain look out the windows. "That won't be required, Emma." The Captain turns to her, his voice had changed.
"What do you mean?" Emma inquiries as fear runs through her blood.
"Because you are coming with me, love."
'That voice.' Emma thinks as she recognizes who it belongs to.
Emma turns to look at the pirate captain, but a burlap bag is flung over her head, "Now be a good lass and go to sleep" Captain Hook says as he presses something against her nose and mouth. Emma struggles to stay awake, but the sedative takes control and causes her to fall unconscious.
Emma awakens into a dusky, clammy, foul cell. She instantly recognizes the feeling of swaying from that of a boat. She is on a ship.
The sedative still having control of her, Emma tries to remember what happened and how she got here. Slowly the recollection of the two pirates killing Grumpy fill her mind and soon after how the royal Captain had led her into a trap.
Adrenaline gushes through her veins and Emma sits up and tries to get ahold of her surroundings. She is not in chains. That is a good sign. Her dagger is gone, however.
Suddenly, a loud bang comes from farther up and out of sight from her cell. "Come on, ye wanted to spy wit' ye eye th' princess that he caught, don't ye?" A baritone whispers.
"Yeah, I do!" A mouse like voice says in defense.
"Then hurry up." The baritone slurs, "I don't want to have th' cap'n findin' out."
Emma feigns sleep as the voices approach her cell. "Can I go touch her?" The mousy voice asks. The baritone does not respond at first but agrees. "Be quick 'bout it." He says as he opens the squeaky door.
Emma hears the timid voice scramble in, breathing heavily.
'Wait…just wait… for the right time to hit him.' Emma thinks to herself.
She feels the mousy man touch her face; he gets closer, his breath brushing against her face in soft, smelly, puffs. Emma opens her eyes and head-butts the man.
The man falls over unconscious. The baritone man is a large man, who can't move as fast as she can.
With no hesitation Emma storms up onto the man, grabs his arm and twist it around. He yelps in pain as she manages to push him into the wall, "Move." She grumbles as she tries to pull him over into the cell with the mousy man. Emma digs her nails into the man's head. "Ow, ye bitch." He snarls. "Move, and I'll dig out your eyes will my nails." Emma whispers, "Be a good pirate and get into the cell."
"Ye won't really tear out me eyes, would ye? Ye be a princess" The oversized baby whines. "Do you want to find out?" Emma whispers as she pulls his hair again.
He whines as he lets her pull him to the cell.
'Strange.' Emma thinks, 'I thought pirates are suppose to be fearless.'
She slams the cell door shut, which automatically bolted. She gave the burly pirate one more look before making her way to the top of the deck.
Emma's heart pounded in her chest as she softly treaded up the stairs, trying not to alert any surrounding pirates. As she reaches the top deck, Emma gets low to the stairs and glances out. When she sees how many pirates are on deck, she feels stupid for even attempting an escape. She had to be miles away from the coast and surrounded by pirates. Her father had always called her rash, just like her mother.
Maybe she could jump off over the edge of the ship. She will more than likely drown, but would death be better than being trapped on a pirate ship?
She sighed as Henry's face flashed through her eyes. No, it's not. Nothing is worst then being separated from him.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" A dark voice spoke up from behind her, "a prisoner trying to escape?"
Emma shrieks as the man grips her golden curls as he laughs with an evil chortle, "Do you know what happens to those who try to escape?" The man hauls Emma's head back to look into eyes. It's the man who was supposed to be the Captain of the royal ship. "They get disciplined."
He hanks her hair, causing her to scream out once more, and starts dragging her up the stairs. "Look who I got!" he hollers as some of the men look at her and laugh. "I got a princess trying to escape. And what do we do to those who don't obey the rules?" He cackles madly.
"Punishment." A few shout from their post.
The man gazes down with murder in his eyes, "Yes. We punish them, men! Tie 'er up!"
Two of them men grab her as Emma begins to yell at the top of her lungs. They tie her hands to a wooden post as the man who had posed as an ally snaps the whip the air with a lock crack that sending terror through her body.
"How many slashes, men?" He calls out rhetorically. He walks around the frightening princess, laughing as she flitches. "I think twenty lashes should be enough."
Not bothering to remove her top, the man cracks the whip and smiles gleefully as it snaps against the pretty blonde's back, ripping the shirt and causing immediate swelling and tearing of her supple pale skin. "Count, whore." He demands, "Or you will get double the lashes."
"O-one." Emma bites out as tears run from her eyes. The man lets loose another crack of the whip creating a bloody 'x' on her back. "T-t-two." Emma shouts in pain.
"And what do you think you are doing?" a passive, sassy yet notably furious voice causes everyone to stop in fear.
Emma never thought that a pirate's voice could be so heavenly.
"The prisoner escaped Cap'n. I was obligated to punish her" The man answers.
"Obligated, aye?" Hook stares at the man, "Leroy, are you the captain of this ship?"
"Nay, Cap'n." Leroy answers him.
"Then why are you beating my prisoner, without my permission?" Hook glares with heated peevishness down at the man while attentively fiddling with the tip of his hook.
"I didn't think…"
"You didn't think is right, lad." Hook glares down at the man, "Get off my ship."
"But Cap'n!" Leroy yells, "She escaped!"
"You are a bloody imp if you don't think I hear what is talked about on my ship." Hook glares at him, "Get off my ship." Hook turns around to stare out to open sea.
"We are in the middle of the ocean!"
Swoosh.
Leroy's body fell heavily on to the wooden floor, dead, with a small dagger sticking out of his chest. "The rest of you men, go get the blocks from the cell and throw them overboard as well." Hook demands as he stares at the dead body of Leroy. Five men walked down to retrieve the double-crossers with others move to toss the corpse of Leroy overboard.
"Smee, cut the lass down." Hook demands.
Smee says nothing but obeys his captain and cuts the girl loose. "Princess, you will follow me." Hook says and begins to walk away, towards his cabin on the upper level of the deck.
"Come on, lass, you don't want to keep him waiting." Smee looks down kindly at the girl, "Let's go." He helps her up. "Off you go, lass."
Emma stares at him for a long time before hurrying after the Pirate Captain shuddering in pain the whole way there.
When Emma pushes the doors to the cabin with her tears now dried. Emma sees him standing by a glass cupboard pouring dark rum into two glass goblets. Emma stares at the glasses filled with a strong golden-brown color with the divine pungent smell fills her nose.
"How is your back, love?" Hook asks as he turns around and walks towards her with one of the dark rum crystal glass in his hand and hands it to her. Emma stares at the glass before walking around him, "I'm not a lady, and I don't need a glass." She says with sass as she grabs the bottle of rum and takes a mouthful of it. Emma, at this point, does not feel like she is anything really. Just a regular person who just had a whip to her back.
Hook stares down at the glass meant for the girl before shrugging and drinking it in one gulp. Hook turns to look at the beauty of a blonde and stares quietly as she holds the rum in one hand while seizing in pain. "That, love" Hook says, "is going to get infected if it doesn't get cleaned."
Emma shrugs as she gulps down more rum, "Sounds like my problem, pirate."
Hook smirks, "Ah, well, love" He walks up behind her, "I need you alive." He whispers, his hot breath stimulating her ear.
"What do you want with me?" Emma slams down the bottle and cracking it.
Emma can feel his leer grow, "I'm taking you to the Evil Queen so she can take revenge on dear Snow White and her Prince Charming."
Trying to hide her shock, "Why? What do you get out of it?"
Hook laughs cockily, "She will tell me where Rumpelstiltskin is and how to get past any protection he has."
Emma turns abruptly to face him cowering in pain. She knew this will be the only possible chance of getting back to Henry. Emma knows she has to make a deal with this pirate, "W-what" she hisses, "if I can tell you, as well as take you to him?"
Hook cocks his head to the side, curious about the offer, "You," He smirks with desire in his eyes as he strokes her locks, "Know where the Dark One is?"
"Yes." Emma says pointedly attempting to overlook the discomfort in her back as well as the close contact that Hook seems to enjoy. A chill rushes over her body.
"But do you know how to kill him?"
Emma pauses, "No…"
Hook looks at her with a charming curiosity, "What is in it for you, love?" he says looking deep into her eyes with his voice low and husky
"Three things: you don't lock me in that cell again. I get to stay in a room. You take me back to my family."
Hook stares at her, contemplating on the agreement, "Aye, love, you got yourself a deal."
Hook holds out his sole hand to seal the deal and as Emma's hand rest in his, sealing the deal, she collapses and faints from loss of blood.
I hope you shipmates enjoy this chapter...let me know your thoughts!
*Yes, I did take the "I'm not a lady, I don't need a cup" thing from Mila Kunis