Hey, guys. Wow, this chapter was a monster. Sorry about the wait... I had a hard time with this one. This flashback chapter, "Romantic" handles some pretty major development in the relationship between Willow and Aiden over a relatively short period of time. So... I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. By this point, they've already been seeing one another for a while and so they are fairly close... but a few things are still holding them back. And you'll see what they are as the chapter develops.

Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and favorites and follows! I greatly appreciate the support and love for this story that I've gotten so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.

Chapter 7: Romantic

He knew she was dangerous. He knew she could end his life in an instant if that suited her. But yet, he returned there to hear her heavenly voice. Perhaps she'd bewitched him and he was simply caught in an elaborate trap that he couldn't escape. It didn't matter, though. Aiden would rather have spent every day in the Willow Maid's spring grove than stay at home. At home, where he'd have to be reminded of his dead mother, and the father who didn't give a damn.

Aiden trotted into his village on his horse in the afternoon, nodding respectfully to his acquaintances as he passed. The village always felt smaller while he was riding, although as it stood, the village didn't extend more than a mile in either direction. It was surrounded by farmland on the south side and by woodlands on the others. Crops, however, were no longer as successful as they were years ago.

The house Aiden lived in had three rooms and only one fireplace that barely kept the structure warm during the winter. It wasn't much, but Aiden didn't mind. The only thing he minded was his father's attitude, and the choice he made to spend his money on alcohol when, between the two of them, they barely made enough to keep them and their horses clothed and fed.

When Aiden stepped inside the tiny house, he saw his father sitting on a chair by the fireplace, although there was no fire burning in it. He'd gotten used to his father staring at the empty fireplace over the years—some days for hours at a time. But he never asked him what he was thinking.

Slowly pulling off the thin gloves he'd used to protect his fingers from the crisp afternoon air, he murmured, "I was able to hunt down a stag in the forest. I'll skin him later, and we can store what we don't eat tonight."

The pause was so long that Aiden didn't think his father had any mind to answer him, so he walked past him toward the other room. But then the father spoke. "Only a stag? You've been off your game, haven't you, son?"

Aiden stopped in his tracks and shrugged. "Some days are better than others. I brought home a meal. Isn't that enough?"

His father looked up at him and cracked a wrinkled, barren smile and then laughed, as if there were some kind of hidden joke Aiden didn't catch. "My God, you take everything so seriously. Learn to relax, a little, kid."

Aiden laughed in return, but his attempt at a smile looked more like a grimace. "I turned 30 last week. I don't suppose that qualifies as 'kid' anymore."

"Oh, you're always a kid to your father," he replied, leaning back in his chair. Then, starting slightly, he looked back up at his son. "30? Last week?"

Aiden sighed. "Yes."

"What? You should have said something. I'd have scraped up a gift for you."

Predictably, Aiden felt guilty for thinking to himself that even if his father had remembered his Birthday, he wouldn't have bothered to do anything but sit in that chair or complain about his part-time employment. But Aiden spent little time thinking about trivial things like birthdays. There was a time when he beat himself up daily for not being able to just get married and leave this place. Now, he was mature enough to understand that he simply had nowhere to go.

And despite everything, he really did love his father.

"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "After I wash up a bit out back I'm going to Nathaniel's to help with the herding. But I will be back before sundown. You should do a bit of reading while I'm gone—it'll be good for you."

His father scoffed. "Reading. I still say you should try to sell them. Then again, those dusty old books probably wouldn't be worth very much."

"Knowledge is power, Dad. I'd think you should know that. You used—to read to me all the time."

"That was before we had nothing," the old man dismissed. "And knowledge doesn't do any good when you have nowhere to put it—nothing to do with it. If one of your books can tell me how to get rich, you let me know."

He said no more after that, and Aiden knew better than to test his father's patience. So he left him sitting alone in that chair, and started tearing up just a little as he headed out back to the water pump.

Aiden came back. And he came back again, and again, and again, several times a week over the course of two months. And each time, he brought a single yellow lily for the Willow Maid, which she planted underneath her tree. By now she had so many that she was beginning to run out of room, and so she continued to expand out into the grove, covering the ground with a new splash of color that reflected off the sun shining through the trees.

For once, the Willow Maid could say honestly that it was a welcome change in her frozen world.

"You know, I think your little animal friends are starting to like me," Aiden said as he sat in the grass, holding out his hand, palm upright in the face of a grey rabbit who crept toward him, nose twitching with curiosity. Meanwhile, he had a fawn circling him from behind, as a couple butterflies fluttered near his head.

The Willow Maid sat under the tree hugging her knees, Buzz resting his little feet on her shoulder. "Building trust with animals is always a long process. Especially so, I would imagine, with hunters."

"Hunters have had a poor reputation for centuries," Aiden murmured, smiling a little as the rabbit finally allowed him to scratch his ears. "But the majority of us have a high respect for nature. I think most animals have a sense for the good verses the wicked."

"Well, it does seem you're doing something right," the Willow Maid said.

He looked up at her with a twinkle in his eye. "What is it? Jealous that I'm taking their attention?"

Her eyes widened. "Jealous? Ha. I have nothing to be jealous of. I know they all love me. Who else would feed them and grant them eternal life?"

This time he laughed, startling the rabbit and the fawn. The young deer, who was more skittish, ran back into the brush, but the rabbit quickly recovered and nestled down at his side. "So—I have a question about that, actually. If you wouldn't mind."

"What is it?"

"Well—you say you can grant these animals eternal life. How is that, exactly? Do they simply have to live out their days here, or do they have to drink the sap from the tree, or what?"

The Willow Maid sat up straighter, tensing slightly at the question. "Why would that be important to you?"

"No particular reason," he said quickly, seeming to sense her discomfort. "I was only curious. You see, magic is a rare thing to come by nowadays, so I can't say I know very much about it. And I just thought—living forever must be—nice."

She frowned. But after a few seconds, she relaxed and reached across her body to gently stroke Buzz's neck with her index finger. She supposed there wasn't much harm in telling him. Even if he had ill intentions, he would never succeed in fulfilling him. And by this point, she guessed, if he did have a plan to take her magic, he would have tried it long ago.

"But then," he continued softly, "I think it would also be a bit lonely."

"No living being is meant to live eternally," the Willow Maid told him. "It would upset the balance of things. One drink of my sap can't give you immortality. It can only make you immune to the elements temporarily. It would take a drop of it every day for it to prolong your life."

"And for you?" he asked.

"I will never age. I'm bound to the magic. That's the deal that comes with being a siren."

"So that's why you can't leave?"

With a dry smile, she said, "To put it most majestically, I am but a ray of light—a strain of song in this forest. A plucked flower will always wither and die."

Aiden's eyes darkened for the moment, almost as if he were saddened by her words. But then his lips turned up again. "Well, in that case it would be quite a shame to pluck a flower as beautiful as you."

Her eyes narrowed. Creative. She'd never heard that one before. But she still wasn't about to let herself be impressed. "Aren't you a charmer?"

"The women back home all tell me the same thing," he said.

"Can't imagine why."

He shrugged with mock bashfulness. "I get my talents from my father." After this, he fell silent. And the Willow Maid didn't have anything else interesting to say, so she stayed quiet as well. She didn't mind it, though. His company alone was more than enough. Silence never felt awkward when he was with her because the two of them were often content to simply sit and think, or listen to the birds.

But after a moment passed, he glanced at her, opening his lips slightly as if he wanted to ask something. She perked her head up. "What?"

"I was just wondering," he said, keeping his voice quiet. He always did, as if he were worried he might offend her. She supposed she didn't blame him. "You've been here—all alone—with just the animals, your entire life?"

She shook her head and laughed. "No, of course not. What, do you think I was born and grew up under this tree?"

He shrugged again, but his eyes were wide with curiosity. So she continued, trying to hold back her laughter despite being aware that he genuinely couldn't have known. "I was once a regular human being like you," she said. "I had a family—dreams. But I lost it all because I was too arrogant and naïve to understand the price of magic. And I wasn't the only one."

"That must have been—awful…" he murmured, looking down at his lap.

The Willow Maid stood up, placing her hand against the trunk of her tree, listening to it breathe under her touch. "At first it was, I suppose. But I learned to accept it. It's just the way things are."

"You seem like quite the realist," he said.

She smiled. "Actually, I still consider myself a bit of a romantic. I've always held onto the belief that everyone is born with the potential to find their happy ending. Even—even villains like me."

"That is a romantic notion," Aiden replied. "I'm sure you will find one—someday."

"What's it like?" she asked. "In the outside world? I have always wondered what's changed over the years."

Aiden scratched his chin and then shifted so he was lying on his side, holding his head up with his fist. "Well… For one thing, I can tell you that most of your dances are out of date." Then, more seriously he murmured, "Times have not been kind. I have done my fair share of traveling, and there are many beautiful places left in the world. But I wouldn't say George is the most generous of rulers. My village is poor and farming is unreliable. That's why I started hunting. So that I could help make sure we have enough food to live throughout the year." He paused. "Sorry, I suppose you didn't want to hear about my personal troubles!"

The Willow Maid shook her head. "Oh, no, it's all right. I—I wish it didn't have to be such a struggle." She didn't know what else to say. She'd never known a time when she had to worry about going hungry.

"Anyway," Aiden said, clearing his throat and startling the rabbit when he stood up. He approached her and they met half way, at about two arm lengths away from one another. "I should go," he told her, now seeming a little uneasy. "I didn't realize it was already getting so late." The Willow Maid glanced up and realized that shadow was beginning to fall upon the grove. She hated to see him go, but she knew it wouldn't be safe for him to travel home in the dark. "But I'll be back, of course. As always. You know how much I love to hear you sing. And I must admit it's good to have someone to talk to." He reached out and took her hand, raising it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Such a gesture was something she had familiarity with, but never before without some sort of obligation.

"Goodbye, Aiden," she said softly, lifting her dress with one hand and curtseying gracefully. And he departed once again, leaving the Willow Maid with the strangest fluttering in her chest.

"Where the hell have you been?" Aiden's father demanded the instant he walked in the door. He wasn't used to his father taking such active notice of him, so he found himself a little caught off-guard by the abrupt "greeting."

"I was out hunting," Aiden said casually. "And enjoying the sun. It was a beautiful day."

Taking a swig out of his liquor bottle and leaning against the fireplace, his father said, "You haven't been home a lot lately. Sometimes you stay out all night, now. I want to make sure everything's all right."

For a moment, Aiden thought about the Willow Maid's dark flowing hair and her enchanting voice. Just letting his mind wander to it threatened to lull him into a trance, and he had to fight to stay focused. "Um, no," he said quickly, pulling his quiver up on his back. "I mean, everything is fine." With a laugh, he added, "I've just needed a little time to myself, to collect my thoughts is all."

His father huffed. "What would a man need to do a thing like that for?"

"Don't you do the same thing every day sitting in that chair?"

The old man shrugged. "At least I can do it in the comfort of my own home. Anyway, I know what this is. You're sick of me. I get it. I either complain too much or drink too much—well, I'll try to do better, all right? Don't you worry. One day you and me will be out of this rut and doing real business out in this world. Just keep doing what you're doing and wait and see."

The problem was that his father had made a similar speech before. More than once, in fact. Perhaps it wasn't that his father didn't give a damn; it was simply that he didn't give enough of a damn to change and fix this broken family. He talked about it—sometimes he even took initiative. But he always went back to his bottle. Back to skipping work and pretending to be sick. And as long as it continued, he knew they would never get out of this village.

At the end of the day, he headed down the road to Nathaniel's ranch as usual to help herd the cows and the sheep for extra silver. As it so happened, Nathaniel was his best friend—but he could also be a scheming, manipulative bastard when it suited him.

"Ah, Aiden, here at last," Nathaniel said, tightening the gate to his back field as Aiden rode up on his horse. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show up."

Aiden dismounted with a grunt and said, "Sorry. I got a bit distracted."

Nathaniel's eyes flickered in his direction and his lips turned up slightly. "Distracted, eh? Again? You know, the people in the village have been a bit worried about you. I especially, with you going off to visit that Willow Maid several days a week."

Aiden's heart skipped a beat and he felt a little sick to his stomach. "The—Willow Maid?"

"Well, you don't have to play dumb. I can tell when a man's been bewitched. I saw you—in the forest. You've been bringing her flowers."

"You didn't tell anyone!" Aiden snapped, stepping forward and placing his hand on the gate to stop Nathaniel.

With a raised eyebrow, the young bearded man replied, "No, not yet. But you should. In fact, what you should be doing is staying away from her. She kills people, Aiden. You're lucky you've survived as long as you have."

"She isn't as dangerous as she seems," Aiden protested. "Perhaps so many people wouldn't be dead if they hadn't tried to steal what belongs to her."

He laughed, clearly not convinced. "Well, she's got you wrapped around her lovely little finger, hasn't she? You enjoy her company so much? We have more important things to worry about, my friend. Like making a living."

"She's just an acquaintance, Nathaniel. A way to pass the time. And she would never harm me." Although, even Aiden himself wasn't one hundred percent sure of that. But now that Nathaniel knew where he was sneaking off to during the week, he was more fearful for the Willow Maid's safety than his own. Thankfully, Nathaniel assured him that no one else knew.

"How do you figure she'd treat you differently than any other man who walked into her territory?" Nathaniel asked. "Unless…" His eyes lit up slightly. "She's developed genuine feelings for you."

"I don't claim to know what her feelings are," Aiden told him firmly. "It's none of your concern, in any case. Leave it be."

"All right, all right," Nathaniel said between his teeth, letting out a defeated sigh. Finally, Aiden thought he may have convinced him to drop the subject, but all of the sudden a light seemed to go off in his friend's mind. "Wait, wait… this could be it, Aiden. This could be our big chance."

"What chance?" Aiden asked hesitantly.

"Our chance to save this village," Nathaniel murmured, lowering his voice and leaning closer to Aiden. "Listen… if the siren cares for you, it could work to our advantage. We could—well, we could become Kings, as we were always meant to be. In a manner of speaking."

"I don't follow."

"Then stop asking questions and listen up," Nathaniel hissed. "Aiden—you've managed to do something no other man in this kingdom has ever been able to do. Charmed a siren. That's no ordinary feat. She has magic, which is something no one here can get their hands on without a ship load of gold. Imagine—if we were able to get our hands on some of that magic, do you have any idea how much the king would pay for it?"

Aiden's greatest horrors had been realized in a single sentence, and he was shaking his head before Nathaniel was even finished. "Nathaniel, no," he said, unwavering in his resolve. "It's too dangerous. She trusts me—I can't betray that."

"Oh, but what's trust if you can't use it?" Nathaniel asked. "Aiden, open your eyes. We are a half step away from solving all our problems. If you could even convince her to give you a sample—a pinch—of magic, we would be able to get out of here. Think about it. What's more important to you? That siren, or your own family?"

"It isn't about order of importance," Aiden said. "If I asked her for magic, she would never give it. And going behind her back—it would be wrong, Nathaniel. It's as simple as that. I'm sorry."

Nathaniel scoffed and pushed his way through the gate and pulling himself up onto his horse. "What's wrong is letting our village rot. We're barely getting by as it is. How long before all the grass dies and the livestock starve? In a few years this land will be useless—and we'll be forced to migrate into the city where we'll beg for scraps like dogs until we can convinced the merchants and the millers to hire us for a third of what we're worth. But you keep on dreaming away in the forest with your hunting toys and your murderous weekend lover. I'm sure it will all work out somehow."

Despite saying it with a straight face and a cool tone, Aiden spent enough time with Nathaniel to know when he was using sarcasm. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he wondered if perhaps he was simply acting selfish, after all.

Aiden returned to the grove a few days later, after making sure that he wasn't followed. But near the entrance to the grove, she started when he thought he heard a few voices nearby. When he glanced around, he caught a sight of two unfamiliar young individuals running off, as if worried about being caught in the act.

Fear brushed him. What were teenagers doing in this part of the forest? From a village to the west, no doubt, but since stumbling upon this place he noticed that people rarely strayed off the path here.

He patted his horse and left her near the entrance, and then made his way through the trees, where the intoxicating smell of spring flowers hit him. But along the way, he heard the Willow Maid's voice—singing a tune he'd never heard before. It was soft and melodic as her voice floated on the notes like a leaf on the water. He started to feel drowsy as he moved closer to the sound of her voice, and he barely made it to the center without his knees buckling. Just before he brushed back the bushes and branches to reveal the place where her tree stood, the singing stopped.

He was nearly out of breath when he finally reached her. What he saw caught him unprepared.

"Aiden?" the Willow Maid asked, appearing surprised to see him. But he was too busy looking at the teenage boy collapsed on the ground, fully unconscious, while the Willow Maid knelt by him with her hand over his chest. "It looks like you may have come at a bad time," she said.

"What did you do?" he asked, feeling more like himself now as he approached and crouched by the boy. More like himself, except that he was suddenly horrifying by what he'd witnessed.

She shrugged. "He's asleep. The Song of Dreams is quite handy at times…"

He touched the boy's throat, grateful that he was still breathing normally, and then stood up, eyes wide on the Willow Maid. "Wait—you weren't going to—"

"Kill him?" she asked. "Well, as a matter of fact, I was. He mentioned something about—coming here to take some magic on a dare from his friends. Horrible decision, really."

"You can't kill him!"

She seemed startled by his reaction and stepped back a few inches. Her eyebrows creased slightly. "Aiden—listen—"

"Is this what you always do when I'm not here?" he demanded. "Do you have no sense of mercy for these people—for God's sake, an innocent teenager who didn't understand the consequences of his actions?"

"Consequences are consequences, no matter if you are a child or on your death bed of old age," she said, gesturing to the boy. "Yes, I kill them. I kill them all if they try to take what is mine, because I cannot afford to let a threat walk away. As long as they know I won't show mercy, they'll never touch me."

"You showed me mercy."

"You're different than them."

"Am I?" he asked, meeting her eyes as they widened in confusion. But he couldn't bear to hold her gaze and instead turned back to the boy. "What if I one day came here asking you for your magic? Are you saying you wouldn't do the same to me?" She didn't answer, so he simply ended off with, "No, I'm sorry… I can't stand by while you hurt innocent people."

"Then why do you keep coming here?" she shot back, her voice dripping frustration. "You've known what I am from the beginning. So why—"

"Because you're beautiful and fascinating and I knew there was good in you!" he snapped. Then, with a sigh, he said, "Please… you told me that you believed in the possibility of a happy ending for everyone. Don't rob this boy of his."

Something about what he said caught her off-guard and he saw an array of emotions swimming in her eyes. Anger, sadness, maybe guilt? He couldn't tell. But after a moment of what seemed to be extreme internal conflict based on the way she kept glancing at the boy, she eventually turned away. "All right. I won't." For the first few seconds, he found it difficult to believe that he managed to get through to her. The look on her face… it was one of defeat. Had he truly just successfully stopped the Willow Maid from claiming a victim?

Letting out another sigh, but this one of relief, Aiden smiled a little. "Thank you." Then he reached down, looping the unconscious boy's arm over his shoulders. And without another word exchanged between them, he left to go find the other two children and return their extremely fortunate friend.

The Willow Maid couldn't help but be embarrassed by her encounter with Aiden today. Not because he'd caught her about to rip the heart out of that boy, but because she hadn't expected him to react so strongly. And the truth was, she should have seen it coming from miles away. He was sweet and gentle and innocent, and she wasn't.

Perhaps the both of them had miscalculated.

She didn't expect him to come back, but about two hours later, he reappeared while she sat alone under her tree, feeling much like a sulking child.

"You know…" she murmured, not looking at him. "Long ago, a woman came here looking for my magic, and because I couldn't bring myself to kill her, she returned days later with a troop of cohorts to take what they wanted by force. It was that day that I realized I couldn't allow anyone to walk away. If I did, they'd try to find my weaknesses and exploit them for their own benefit."

There was a pause. She didn't move, even as Aiden approached and sat down next to her. "It was a good thing you did. Letting him go. He was only a child."

"We are all only children at one point or another," she said. "Aiden, looking to magic to solve all your problems can never make you happy. It may seem that way at first, but magic always has a price. Whatever you gain through magic will be lost in the form of something else." She leaned back against the trunk of the willow. "The only one I could trust with power like this is the one who could pass my test. And there's never been a person capable of that." No one had ever been able to face their own desires and resist under her spell. They paid for that with their lives.

Aiden shook his head slowly. "I just can't watch people get hurt. And I won't apologize for it."

"I don't expect you to," the Willow Maid said. "I won't be heartbroken if you don't come back."

"Why did you stop?" he asked, causing her to glance at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Why didn't you kill that boy? You could have—I wouldn't have been able to stop you. So why didn't you do it?"

She ran her fingers through the grass underneath her in an attempt not to concentrate too hard on their conversation. "I suppose—because I realized I didn't want you to see me that way. And that you were right. I'm a hypocrite for seeking a happy ending when I rob other people of theirs."

A long silence fell between them. After a time, the Willow Maid started to think perhaps she made a mistake and that she simply shouldn't have said anything. But finally, as if having come to his own internal conclusion, "I will come back," Aiden said, causing her to turn her head in mild surprise. "On one condition."

"And what's that?" She already had a good idea.

"Please stop hurting people," he said, confirming her guess. "I do truly—want to be here with you. There's something about you—I don't know. But I want to be a part of this. I want to talk to you and hear you sing and watch you dance. I just—I can't anymore—not if people are still being killed."

She held her mouth shut for several seconds as she contemplated her most pressing question. Was Aiden's visitation important enough for her to risk it all, just so she could be with him? It seemed like a ridiculous notion, cutting out a part of her own life so he could fit into it. But the truth was that his visits had become as natural as breathing to her over the last couple months. And suddenly, she couldn't imagine the thought of getting up in the morning and never seeing his face again.

So she said the only thing she could say: "All right. I promise."

Aiden smiled. "You are kind. I always knew it. It's hard to be alone—I'm sure you understand that better than most."

She returned his smile a little and turned her face away again. "I'm not kind. Not truly. If it weren't you asking, I wouldn't do this. But it seems like there's something about you, as well, Aiden. You—you asked me if I would kill you earlier today. If you came looking for magic. And the answer to that is—no, I do not think I could if I wanted to." She shook her head, irritated. "Ugh, that sounds so ridiculous. I would never try to hurt you. I hope you can believe that. But rest assured that no one will ever have this willow's sap. Not even you."

He had no verbal answer, instead nodded after another thirty second long pause. And then again he shifted the topic. "Look… instead of a flower, I brought you something different today." She watched curiously as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a hard-cover book. "This is a copy of The Faerie Queene… I've had it since I was a boy."

With a grin as she nearly forgot all her troubles, she reached out to touch the cover. "I used to read this all the time when I was younger. I had a copy of my own—my sisters always used to hide it to frustrate me…"

"Well, here," he said, pushing it toward her. "I had a feeling it was the kind of story a 'romantic' like you would enjoy."

"You're letting me borrow it?" she asked, taking it in her hands.

"I'm letting you keep it," she told her, causing her to pull the book to her chest in surprise. "My father is always harassing me to rid myself of some of my books so… it's no problem."

She could hardly believe it. No one had given her a gift in nearly two centuries. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," he said. "I have read it plenty of times."

She flipped through the pages with excitement, also realizing at that moment just how long it had been since she last set eyes on words on a page. And the scent of the paper made her sigh. "Thank you. Ha! This is fantastic."

"It's my pleasure," he said, placing a hand on her arm, causing her to feel tingles. It wasn't quite like anything else she'd experienced, and it startled her. "It's already late. I should go."

But before he moved to get up, the Willow Maid pulled a daring move and leaned in to kiss his cheek as an extra thank you. "You are wonderful."

He smiled, and then laughed a little awkwardly. "Well… I just thought you could use a smile, is all. I'm glad it made you happy." Then, standing up, he said, "Do try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone. I'll see you soon."

And so, long after he left, the Willow Maid was still sitting beneath the tree reading her new book. It had long since grown dark, but the fireflies offered enough light for her to see the page. Every once in a while she grew distracted, however, thinking about Aiden and the events of that day. As she went back and forth between fantasy and self-loathing, wondering if she could ever be good enough for someone like him.

And it was thoughts of those nature that led her to the inescapable truth—the truth that would forever haunt her—The Willow Maid was falling in love with the forest hunter.

Some time later, Aiden trotted through the forest in the dark, keeping his lantern lit and listening for the sounds of any dangerous creatures lurking in the shadows. He didn't fear the dark—but he knew better than to be careless beneath it.

And yet his mind wandered to the Willow Maid, the woman he was finding himself oddly attached to in spite of knowing what she was capable of. Even more now, having nearly witnessed it first-hand. He wanted to say he was afraid of her, but he really wasn't. He was convinced now that she genuinely cared for him and wanted to please him. And yet, a part of him was disappointed to hear that her magic was still off-limits, even to him. He wished he could feel comfortable simply asking her to help him and his family and friends, but he feared that he might seem like the bad guy if he did that. Still, he did convince her to renounce murder as a way of handling intruders. Perhaps people were capable of change after all.

"Lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?"

Aiden's horse startled and he nearly dropped his lantern when he heard an unfamiliar voice address him in the dark. Steadying his horse and reaching for the bow at his back, he glanced around, searching for movement. "Who's there?" he demanded. "Show yourself."

Into the light of his lantern appeared a man—no—he walked like a man, but he looked more like some sort of demon with stringy black hair and skin that glittered almost green under the dim glow. He had a wide, focused gaze and a devilish smile that continued to put Aiden and his horse on edge. "Who are you?" he asked the creature, his voice trembling slightly. He couldn't remember the last time he genuinely felt afraid, but there was something about his other-worldly appearance that put him on edge.

The creature in response let out a high-pitched laugh and pointed at him. "Who I am matters not. This is about what you want. And I—" He placed his palm over his chest almost dramatically. "Am here to help you get it."

Aiden hopped down off his horse and faced the demon. His dark eyes flickered with the reflection of his light, and the creature was several inches shorter than him, with a slender build. But the unease still didn't go away. "What do you know about what I want?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Well, I know most things," the creature said in a nasally yet casual voice. "I know what you want—and the beauty of it is—there also happens to something I want. Fate is a curious thing, wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course it is," Aiden said. "But I still don't follow your point."

"That's because I haven't gotten to it, yet!" the creature snapped, causing Aiden to flinch back. Then, more calmly, he showed his teeth and said, "Have some patience, Dearie. All in due time." Aiden didn't move, but kept his guard up at the creature circled him slowly, like a shark preparing to devour its prey. "I have a feeling this is a deal you'll want to make."

"And why is that?" Aiden asked.

"Ray of light in the Willow tree, all your daydreams she can see. Life springs up beneath her toes, yet life she takes from all of those who seek to harvest her sacred power, bound to eternity's final hour." He sang the lyrics to the old children's tune in a soft tone, sending shivers down Aiden's spine. He thought about the siren in her grove just a few miles away from where he stood. What could this demon want with the Willow Maid?

But the demon needed no more explanation than that to get his undivided attention. And Aiden turned his eyes in the direction of that beast's overly alert and all-too-intense gaze, curious enough that it was too late to turn back. "I'm listening."

Yeah, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that I don't have to explain who showed up at the end, lol. Yikes. This isn't looking good. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As you can see, Willow is quickly falling for Aiden, but Aiden isn't really sure how he feels. He's drawn to her and likes her company, but not only is she a cold-blooded killer every other day of the week, he also has people constantly whispering in his ear that he needs to do what's best for the people at home. So... there's a bit of conflict there. Next chapter we'll be getting back to present day Willow along with Killian and Emma as they climb up the beanstalk, so stay tuned! Oh and also, please let me know what you think of the chapter. I had a hard time writing it and I didn't want to agonize over it anymore, but I'm worried it may not be my best work :/ So feel free to leave your thoughts!