Breaking The Bonds Of Blood Magic

(Almost 8 months later)

Zeus galloped through the forest with all the determination of a war horse charging into battle; running at full momentum along the path he'd become so accustomed to these past months. Not far behind, Graham's horse, Macintosh, followed suit, his rider cracking the reins and kicking his heels with a loud "Yah!"

The two steeds zipped through the trees as Killian and Graham bobbed up and down ducking out of the way of low branches. Killian was a man on a mission; once a month since discovering her there he'd made the journey across two kingdoms to the isolated cave hidden away in the middle of a dense unnamed forest where his wife was held. This time, however, his heart felt heavier with each mile they drew closer to her, it was 4 days before their son celebrated his first birthday, an occasion he knew Emma was distraught she'd miss.

Knowing how hard this would be for her only added to Killian's sense of urgency in getting to his Queen. Hearing the sound of running water he knew they were only about an hour away and approaching a river; a good spot to let the horses rest for a moment and have a drink, it was also a favourite stop off for him since dotted along the river bank grew Middlemist flowers, picking a bunch to take to Emma each visit had become somewhat of a tradition, a reminder of the vows they made each other surrounded by the same flowers the day before their wedding. Reaching down he gathered a large bundle of them in his hand, grabbing a piece of string from his saddle bag to tie them up and fasten them to the back of the saddle where the least amount of damage could befall them before they reached Queen Emma's hands. Graham smiled knowingly watching the care taken by his King when it came to anything for the Queen, from the same wild flowers he stopped to pick on each journey to the letters he carefully penned and sealed that Graham often delivered in person while Killian was fulfilling his Kingly duties back with the people of Aaralyn. The huntsman admired his King's care and consideration with all things concerning his wife, a concept he now understood too well as a special bond had begun to form between him and Ruby during his visits with and on behalf of the King.

Killian lifted his head to Graham and nodded, signalling that they should carry on with their journey. The King was usually quiet while travelling to and from Emma; Graham was used to it by now. The anxiousness to see his wife on the ride there and then the despair at having to leave her behind for another month each time they rode home didn't make him much of a travelling companion but Graham didn't mind, he couldn't imagine the pain of seeing your love behind bars uncertain of when or if they could ever be in your arms again. At least he got to spend time with Ruby, he picked a single Middlemist flower and tucked it in the buttonhole on his leather riding coat before jumping on Macintosh and following Killian.

They weren't far from their destination when Graham abruptly pulled in his reins whispering "whoa" and bringing his horse to a halt; Killian followed suit. The two men stood their ground in complete silence scanning their surroundings and straining their ears for any movement or sign that they were not alone. As far as Killian was concerned the forest around them was silent but he learned long ago to trust Graham's instincts when it came to the mysterious inner workings of the forest and its inhabitants.

Graham on the other hand could hear a symphony ringing in his ears; the gentle breeze drifting through the leaves, the flutter of dragonfly wings dancing around the ferns below their horses legs, the whispers of forest nymphs giggling with each other as if they were in on a secret joke and he was the punchline. He could hear tiny feet scurrying away, a vole perhaps or a mouse, what were they running from? He lifted his eyes directly in front of him just in time to see the faintest glimmer in the bushes ahead, cloaked in the shadows of the dense undergrowth. He slowly reached behind him and lifted his bow, then reaching for an arrow he positioned it and cradling the end between his two fingers he slowly and steadily pulled back ready to fire. Killian saw him and did the same, waiting for Grahams signal.

The huntsman's eyes locked on those shining back at him and suddenly he dropped his bow.

"Don't shoot!" he warned Killian. "It's Ruby"

A grey wolf slowing slinked out of the shadows standing proud before them, she tilted her head then grunted at them and turned to run back through the forest.

"She wants us to follow her, it's safe to go." He told his King.

They led their horses, who were still reluctant to chase after a wolf even after all the times they'd done this, through the last leg of their journey. It wasn't long before they came to the make shift camp Ruby had called home these past 8 months. A pot boiled on one open fire while two rabbits cooked on a spit over another. They slid down from their horses and tied them to a tree giving them a small treat each and then Killian removed their saddles while Graham walked over to where Ruby's red cloak was hanging and draped it over the wolf revealing Ruby in her human form.

She looked up at him slyly "You're getting harder to surprise"

"I'm learning you tricks"

"Not all my tricks, huntsman" She walked over to Killian, looking behind her to give Graham a wink. Her demeanour changed when she reached the King; bowing respectfully, she gave him her report.

"Still no sign of the Dark One; I've watched these woods, become accustomed to the creatures that live here and there don't appear to be any who are spies of his. No humans venture here except for you, and Emma has confirmed that he hasn't appeared in her cell. It would seem that he has really left her here to rot knowing that there is no way for us to open her cell and free her without his blood."

Killian nodded. "Thank you Ruby, I'm indebted to you for staying here with her…"

"And how are we with that … you know, the plan to defeat the Dark One and make him release her?" Ruby asked anxiously.

"I've told you before, I know how to free Emma; I just need time."

"Forgive me, your Majesty, but how much more time are you planning on taking?" Her boldness didn't surprise Killian, Ruby had always been feisty and impatient, but he knew that her concern lay with the Queen not herself.

He offered her a sympathetic smile, "As little as possible, but there are more lives at stake here, Emma understands that, she knows the situation we find ourselves in, you're just going to have to trust Emma and I to know when the time is right; there has been a shift of power in the realms these past few months and I hope things will sway in our favour."

The Queen's maid sighed, it wasn't the answer she was hoping for, the King still kept his cards close to his chest but his words carried hope and that was what she would hold onto for now.

"How is she?" His voice was thick with concern.

Ruby sighed "She is strong, determined, she doesn't want me to see that being locked up in there is getting to her but I know it is, she calls out for you in her sleep. I bring her food three times a day but she barely eats and is still getting thinner and her skin, untouched by the sun, is getting paler. I'm not trying to cause you to worry; I just wanted you to be prepared for what you are going to see."

"Thank you Ruby, I appreciate your honesty. I'll not keep her waiting any longer."

"In that case let me wrap up your dinner." She turned to the fires and filled a basket with rabbit stew, fresh bread and wine Killian and Graham just brought with them, some fruit, and a bottle of water. Handing the basket over to Killian he nodded his thanks, picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, and started the quarter mile walk to Emma's cave where he'd spend the night.

It was up there with one of her all-time favourite sounds, right next to Henry's happy gurgling, the waves crashing on the shore, and Killian calling her 'luv'; the sound of his steady strong footsteps echoing through the cave filled her heart and lifted her spirits. She jumped up from where she had been curled up reading by candlelight and rushed to the bars. Her face shone with joy when his full figure emerged from the shadows, the dim light revealing his look of relief mixed with longing. His eyes sparkled excitedly as he leaned in, whispering her name into their kiss, then pulling back and resting his forehead against hers. "I missed you" It wasn't much of a confession, he told her every time he visited but it was as true today as it was any of the previous times. His heart, body, and soul missed his Emma. The iron bars now separating them was better than miles but still offered little comfort. He stepped back so he could look at her properly, Ruby was right, she'd lost weight, her cheek bones were even more defined than usual and her collar bone protruded from her deathly white skin, rising and falling with each breath. The dark circles around her eyes were testimony to her lack of sleep, he wondered if the same nightmares that tormented him at night haunted her too?

"I missed you too." Her eyes glistened but no tears fell, he knew she was being strong for him; he reached out to touch her cheek. "How's Henry?" She asked, quickly changing the subject to her other love.

"I will fill you in on everything over dinner." He grinned, laying out the food and drinks Ruby had prepared for them, he watched her engulf her food, his presence obviously lifting her mood enough for her to regain her appetite. Once he was happy she'd eaten a fair portion he started telling her of Henry's adventures, his first steps just the other day, his first word, 'bye', Emma beamed with pride hearing about him saying 'mama' and 'dada' as well.

"But how does he know who I am?" She asked quietly, her face dropping.

"Because…I made him one of these…" Killian pulled some pieces of parchment from his bag, the first one he handed Emma was a picture he'd drawn with charcoals of her standing on a cliff looking at sea, her hair blowing in the wind, in the distance on the water was the Jolly Roger framed by the setting sun.

"It's beautiful!" Emma gasped; no one had ever done anything like this for her before.

"Keep it! Henry has his own one in his room; he looks at it when I tell him bedtime stories about Captain Swan the fearless pirate who sails the seven seas and her swashbuckling adventures." He raised his hand theatrically in the air.

Emma giggled. "And what do you know about my days as a pirate?"

"Well…" He scratched behind his ear "I use a little artistic licence with my tales but you and the Jolly Roger are always the protagonists, you're his hero, Swan!"

She smiled, glancing down at the drawing again, "Thank you…he really looks at this picture and says 'mama'?"

"Aye, I'm still trying to teach him 'Jolly Roger' but you know, that's a mouthful for a lad who only knows three words!"

Her heart was full, her son knew who she was, even if he was too young to understand the stories, he recognised her face.

Killian handed her another sketch, this one was of him and her holding Henry as a baby that day they presented him for the first time to the kingdom. "I copied this one from the painting the royal artist made that day. I thought you'd like a reminder of simpler times…"

"I suppose they were simpler times…though they didn't feel so simple back then, I do remember feeling very happy that day. When Henry was born it was the first time I felt part of a family, you started staying with us. I've never slept as peacefully as I did knowing you were beside me and Henry was in his cot at the foot of our bed."

Killian dropped his head "Even though I didn't have my heart, being there with you and Henry just felt right, like it was where I was supposed to be, I can't explain it."

He handed her the last drawing, it was of a portrait of Henry, his chubby face filled the piece of parchment, her husband really was an exceptional artist; he'd even managed to capture the mischievous twinkle in her son's eye. She gently traced the outline of his face with her fingers. "He's grown up so fast. I remember you telling me you could draw, I didn't realise you were this talented!"

"It's not really a useful skill for a King…" He shrugged off her complement, secretly thrilled that she liked her present so much.

"Well speaking of useless skills for Royalty, I have something for you to take back to Henry for his birthday..." she walked to the back of her cell and picked up a small wooden box and carried it over to Killian. "I had to measure the gap between the bars to make sure I didn't make the box too big to slip through to you, I would have liked to have made him a bigger one but…" Her voice trailed off as she watched Killian inspecting the box.

"You made this?" He sounded impressed.

Emma rolled her eyes "Yes…but that's just the box, the gift is inside!"

The was an audible gasp when he opened this lid; inside was a beautifully carved wooden ship, he lifted it out running his fingers against the smooth wood, it was complete with sails, rigging, and a mermaid perched on the bow of the ship. "Luv, this is bloody brilliant! Henry is going to adore it!"

"You think so?" She asked nervously.

He carefully placed the ship back in its box and reached through the bars for her hand, bringing it to his lips. "Your son will love this Emma, I know it!"

It wasn't much compared to feeling his little arms wrapped about her neck, his chubby face nuzzling into her. Emma would give anything to see her son again…well almost anything. Killian watched frown lines form on her forehead and already knew what was troubling her.

"Ruby tells me there has been no sign of the Dark One since he left you here 8 months ago, she has no reason to believe he's even left spies here…maybe I could bring Henry…"

"No!" she interrupted him. "It's too dangerous, what's to say the day you bring him here isn't the day that the Dark One decides to check up on his prisoner, what if he has ways to keep a watchful eye on me that we don't know of…magical ways. I can't risk Henry's safety"

Killian sighed, the last thing he wanted was to put Henry in danger but he worried for the boy, to be separated from his mother for so long and at such a young age, it was exactly the kind of childhood they had wanted to protect him from.

"Perhaps there is another way? If I brought something of his, a piece of clothing or his blanket…if I wrapped it around my hand maybe that could let me open the door?"

"It won't work" Emma shook her head then sunk to the floor in frustration. "It is blood magic; it has to be opened by a blood relative's touch. A piece of them has to touch the door."

He kneeled down beside her, his voice soft and full of hope. "I'll find a way, Emma. But Henry is your son; if you do not want me to bring him here I'll honour your wishes."

He settled down next to her on a bed of pillows and blankets, she'd set a similar one up next to him, just the bars between them, he leaned back, one hand resting behind his head, the other one holding hers, fingers intertwined.

"Is that you here for the night then?"

"Aye, now I'm here, I've no interest leaving you until I have to…plus I thought I'd give Ruby and Graham their privacy."

"Ruby and Graham? They're…"

"Yeah" He laughed softly, "the wolf and the huntsman…who'd have seen that coming?"

"Says the Prince who married a pirate" She scoffed,

He scooted onto his side so he was facing her, "Aye, you have a point there! Now settle down, luv, and let me tell you about what's been happening outside this cave."

Emma snuggled up beside him ready to hear his report.

"Princess Anna of Arendelle, my sister in law, heard of the destruction of our kingdom and has sent 12 ships full of tradesmen and soldiers to help us rebuild Aaralyn and protect us while we build up our own armies, it has been a huge help, especially now we no longer have Camelot behind us."

"That's great news Killian; and what about Camelot, what do you plan to do to Arthur for his betrayal?" She asked, pouring them another glass of wine.

"Arthur's betrayal cuts deeply, we were friends for many years, I don't know what leverage the Dark One had over him but it must have been bad, I know him well enough to know that he would do anything for Camelot, even if it meant turning his back on a friend. I have no interest in vengeance, he joined the wrong side in this war and that will catch up with him eventually. I have bigger prey to hunt. There are rumours of discord between the Evil Queen and the Dark One, the Evil Queen's armies have been on the move and whispers of war float through the air. Right now Aaralyn is off the chess board, we are not seen as a threat, and this works in our favour. If the rumours are true and the two most powerful dark rulers in this realm are about to fight then they will not have time to think about us, we can work undetected, getting stronger every day while they weaken each other. As soon as I get confirmation that the Dark One is engaged in war I suggest we act, get you out of here and make our way to Misthaven. If we can break their curse we will have their armies, along with Arendelle, and we can strike the Dark One when while he is weak!"

Emma took a moment to digest everything she'd been told. "It's a solid plan Killian." She nodded. "Try to contact my crew, if they knew it was for me the Jolly Roger would join your navy. For this plan to work we need to call on all our friends and utilise every resource we have, those who can fight, fight, those who heal need to be with the soldiers, our scholars need to be researching how we can destroy the Dark One."

"There must be a way, even demons can be killed! I'll speak to Merlin; see if there is anything else he knows or if he knows of anyone who can help us…"

She shifted in her seat, hesitant to tell Killian her suspicions, doubting them herself. "I think it's me…I think I can kill him, or at least hurt him…"

He looked up at his wife. "What makes you think that?"

"I reached out to him, when he first locked me in here, and he jumped back, like my touch would hurt him. I saw fear pass over his eyes, he's afraid of me, Killian."

"Now that is interesting! It sheds some light on why he has been so hell bent to find you and imprison you." He finally felt a surge of hope, Merlin always preached of fate and destiny, two concepts Killian had spent most of his life running from but recent events had changed his perspective. After all these years grieving the death of the swan Princess he'd never stopped to ask himself why the Dark One wanted the child. Could Emma truly be a threat to him? Was she more than just the key to breaking Misthaven's curse; was she the one fate had chosen to defeat the Dark One once and for all?

The days passed slowly, winter melting into spring; spring growing into summer; slowly brick by brick Aaralyn was starting to resemble its former glory, the port town was restored, housing many navy and trade ships in its harbour. The market had sprung back to life, villagers selling their wares, children running down the cobble streets kicking a leather ball back and forth, and street performers filling the air with music and lifting the spirits of the people hurrying back and forth going about their daily business.

Killian had brought Henry into town; he had to meet with the ambassador of Arendelle and their admiral of the fleet and wanted to take Henry down to the beach after. The crown prince tightly gripped the wooden ship his Mother had gifted him for his birthday, making it fly through the air, with the ocean as his background. It warmed Killian's heart to see him play so happily with Emma's creation. Once they reached the golden sand Henry let go of his father's hand and ran for the rock pools, his favourite spot to explore for hidden treasures. Henry carefully crept up the rocks, sticking both arms out to balance himself, he was incredible nimble for an 18 month old!

In that moment it felt as though the world went into slow motion; Killian had just shouted to Henry asking him to wait until he got there to help him, the words fell flat, the king's heart stopped when he saw the boy tumbling down onto the rocks; his legs felt like lead as he ran as fast as he could to his son's aid, Henry's screams ringing in his ears. He scooped the boy up in his strong arms, holding him tightly to his chest then dropped to the ground to have a look at his son and assess the injuries.

Henry sobbed something incoherent while Killian scanned the boy's body making sure there were no serious injuries, he was covered in small scratches and would no doubt be bruised tomorrow but the only substantial injury was a deep gash in the toddler's right hand. Killian grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around his son's hand to stop the bleeding then pulled Henry back into his arms.

"Shhh, my boy, its ok, daddy's got you now, you're so brave!" he murmured over and over again as the small lad, still in shock was shaking and trying to say something.

"mama 'ip…mama 'ip" he cried

"What's that son?"

"mama 'ip"

Henry pointed towards the rock pools; Killian got up and walked over to where his son was pointing, there in one of the pools the little wooden ship was floating. He picked it up and after a quick inspection saw it was unharmed. He handed it back to Henry.

"There, son, see its ok, not even a scratch! It's because the Jolly Roger is made from enchanted wood!" He whispered into the boy's ear as he swung him up and then set him on his shoulders and walked back to the town.

He took Henry to the closest healer, and held his hand while the old man carefully unwrapped the scarf, now soaked in blood, and cleaned the wound. Henry let out a small whimper, too shy to cry in front of the stranger; Killian squeezed his good hand a little tighter and kissed his head.

"You're being so brave Henry, I'm proud of you!"

The healer smiled kindly at Henry and brought down some salve. "Your highness, this is going to sting a little bit but it will make you feel better in the end".

The little boy's eyes widened in fear, and then shut tightly as the man slowly spread the salve on the wound then wrapped it up again in a fresh bandage.

"There you go, all better." The healer beamed, and then turning to the king, "He will need his bandage changed daily and I have some salve here for you to take and apply twice a day to ward off infection and help the wound heal faster."

Killian thanked the man, paid him, and turned to leave with the supplies when the man called out after him, "Your majesty, do you want me to dispose of the scarf?"

"If you don't mind" He replied, then stopped in his tracts, an idea flashing in his mind, "unless…actually I will take it, thank you".

He rushed back to the home he had been living in while the castle was being rebuilt, being greeting by Granny as he arrived. "Your highness, dinner is ready" then looking at Henry's bandaged hand, "Goodness, Prince Henry, what adventures have you been on today?"

"A tumble in the rock pools." Killian explained then setting Henry down to run off and play he leaned in and said quietly "I need to leave Henry with you, something has come up and I have to leave for a few days."

"Of course, is everything ok?"

"Hopefully it's better than ok, pray to every god you know of for a successful trip!"

He didn't take the time to stop by Ruby's camp, he knew she'd know he was there; she'd hear him and follow behind. When the cave came in sight he brought Zeus to a halt and jumped down, running to Emma's cell.

She looked up from her woodwork and jumped up in surprise, "Killian?" He wasn't due to visit for another 2 weeks.

"Emma" He said breathlessly "I have an idea"

He reached into his bag and pulled out the blood soaked scarf.

"What is that?" Emma cried. "Is…is that Henry's?"

"Henry is fine, he fell onto a rock and cut his hand, this bound the wound but he's seen the healer and he is going to be just fine, he was brave like his mother!"

"But…what are you…" she stopped realising her husband's plan. It was a part of Henry; his blood…was it enough to break the blood magic enchantment?

She watched nervously as Killian wrapped it around his hand then reached forward and grasped the handle, turning it to see if the door would open.