Chapter 28
Waters off the Enchanted Forest, present day
Emma dropped her hands and took a deep breath. As the adrenaline of the battle wore off, the exhaustion rushed in. When they got back to Storybrooke, she wanted to sleep for a week.
Slowly, Emma raised her head and surveyed the great hall. Soulless mermaids and mermen merely stood there, treading water, blank stares firmly in place. It appeared when Ursula was defeated they just…stopped. Dropped their weapons and stopped.
Emma watched as Enchanted Forest couples slowly found each other. Belle ran to Rumple, crying and wrapping him in her arms. Robin picked up Regina and twirled her in the air. Philip cupped Aurora's face and tenderly kissed her. Her dad rushed to the secluded corner where her mom, in her very pregnant state, sat out the battle.
Where was Killian? Emma scanned the hall again, frantically. Finally she spotted him, right in the thick of what had five minutes ago been the fiercest of the fighting. As she watched, he slowly sank to his knees.
Emma was running before she even knew she'd moved. He wasn't getting up. Why wasn't he getting up? Surely he wasn't injured. She'd already lost the baby; she couldn't lose him too!
"Killian!" she shouted, sliding to a stop at his side and sinking to her knees before him.
He raised his head and smiled, and Emma was relieved to see his eyes clear and free from pain. He raised his hand and cupped her cheek.
"Emma," he breathed tiredly.
She turned her head and kissed his palm. "Are you alright? You're not hurt are you? Oh, Killian! You're bleeding!"
She saw the crimson patch staining his right thigh. He looked down, quizzically, and then probed the wound with his hook. "It's just a scratch, love. Fear not, it would take a lot more than an army of undead merpeople to fell the fearsome Captain Hook."
Not convinced, Emma ripped at the leather covering his thigh and surveyed the damage for herself. She blew out a sigh of relief when she saw he was right. The cut was not deep and had already stopped bleeding. It would be tender for a few days, but he shouldn't suffer any lasting damage.
"Shame though," Killian said, looking down. "My favorite pants. Bloody waste of them."
Emma laughed. "We'll get you new pants, you idiot."
And then she crushed him to her in a hug that likely was tight enough to bruise his ribs. He returned the embrace, holding her close, burying his face in her hair. She felt his relief in the way he clung to her.
"And you, love?" he muttered against her neck. "You are well?"
She pulled back to look in his eyes. "Yeah," she said with a tender smile. "I'm fine; not a scratch."
He leaned forward and gently kissed her, his lips warm and comforting as they moved against hers. Suddenly it came home to her once again that it was over; the newest villain was defeated. They could go home and really start their life together.
"I did it, Killian," she said in wonder after they'd finally pulled apart. "Just like you said, my magic came back."
He caressed her cheek, and the look he gave her was nothing short of adoration. "I never doubted you for a moment, Swan. No bloody villain stands a chance against the mighty Emma Jones. You're a hero lass."
She leaned into his touch and smiled. She surveyed the many unconscious merpeople that surrounded her husband. "You didn't do so bad yourself, pirate."
He grinned sheepishly and scratched behind his ear. "I didn't do so much."
She raised his face, forcing him to look in her eyes. "You were my rock, my support, my confidence when I no longer had any left. Without you, without your love I couldn't have succeeded. And you know what Rumple said; our magic alone wouldn't work. We needed the abiding love of all of our true loves in order to defeat that sea bitch."
"Aye," Killian said gently. "And my true love is something you may always count on. It will never fail. It will always be at your disposal."
"I think you were right way back when we climbed that beanstalk," Emma said.
"How so?"
"We make quite the team."
"That we do, lass. That we do."
….
It was strange, Killian thought, how the battle just stopped. As soon as Ursula was encapsulated, her enslaved merpeople immediately dropped their weapons, stopped their aggression and just…floated there. It was a bit disconcerting. What would become of them now that their slave master was defeated?
Killian held Emma to him, grateful beyond words that she was safe, that nothing had happened to her.
"Lass," he said, "when I looked toward the witch and saw her pointing her trident at you…there are no words to describe my fear."
Emma turned in his embrace. "If it hadn't been for Blackbeard…"
"We've much to thank him for."
Killian scanned the hall, looking for the pirate. Whatever had happened between them in the past, whatever grievances he might have against the man, Killian owed him a debt of gratitude now, and he intended to pay it.
"What became of him, love?" Killian asked, not seeing Blackbeard among the merpeople, pirates and Enchanted Forest residents who were milling around, laughing and exclaiming in their relief.
Emma turned and looked. "I don't really know," she said. "I…I think he was hit."
Together, Emma and Killian made their way toward the dais on which the encapsulated Ursula was currently placed. Five feet from Ursula's throne, Killian saw Blackbeard's prone body. He rushed as quickly as his injured thigh would permit to the fallen man. Falling to a knee, he placed two fingers along the man's neck and waited.
"His heart still beats, lass," Killian said with relief. "I know not what Ursula did to him, but he yet lives."
"Separated from his soul, his body cannot die," the Crocodile said, coming over to join them, his arm wrapped around his wife.
"Not even with a hit from the trident?" Emma asked.
"Not in his present state," Rumple said grimly. "Once his soul is returned to his body, who's to know the result?"
Emma crouched next to Killian and rested a hand on the pirate's chest. "I owe him my life. Even after…what he did before, I can't help but hope he pulls through."
"So Rumple," Charming said, "what exactly will happen to everyone whose souls Ursula took?"
Killian looked around and found that they were flanked by his in laws, and indeed all those from the Enchanted Forest castle.
"Ideally, dearie, they'll get their souls back and go back to doing whatever it is they were doing before."
"Ideally?" Regina asked. "Why ideally?"
"Well," Rumple said, "Ursula's defeated and yet the zombie merpeople remain. It's a mystery to me why that should be the case."
"Maybe they need someone to free them," Ariel said from just outside their circle. Snow stepped back and let the mermaid and her true love in. Killian noticed she held her father's trident firmly in her hand as though afraid someone else would try to take it from her.
"What do you propose, Dearie?" the Crocodile asked.
Ariel gestured with the trident. "My father's trident is the most powerful magical item in all the realms. Maybe we could use it to return the souls to their owners."
"Certainly worth a shot," Regina said. "Hand it over, Mermaid."
Ariel held the trident closer to her chest and shot Regina an accusatory look.
"Oh for heaven's sake," Regina said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't have any intention of stealing the damn thing! But you have to admit, it would be unwise for a non-magical person to try to wield a powerful magical object. You'd be more likely to turn all of us to unicorns than to free those souls."
Ariel shot Regina a stubborn look, and Erik put a supportive arm around her shoulders. "Forgive me, Your Majesty," Ariel said. "But the last time I had any dealings with you, I ended up mute and separated from my true love. You'll have to forgive my skepticism."
Regina looked away. "Yeah, I guess I can't blame you. I'm the Evil Queen after all."
Robin gently tipped her face up to his. "You were the Evil Queen, my love," he said firmly. "That's who you were, not who you are. I'd wager there's not a man, woman or merperson here who doesn't regret something they've done in their past."
"I don't," supplied a grizzled pirate in the back of the crowd where he was systematically rifling through the pockets of the unconscious wounded who littered the great hall, relieving them of any valuables they might possess. His equally grizzled companion took advantage of the pirate's inattention and swiped a bag full of gold from his pocket. Killian rolled his eyes, feeling a surge of pity for Blackbeard. It would take a better man than he to captain those buffoons without resorting to murder.
"Regardless," Robin said, turning back to Regina. "You've more than redeemed yourself in my eyes at least. I've no doubt you are entirely trustworthy."
Regina smiled softly, and Killian marveled at the delight brightening her face. Had he ever seen the woman look so young, carefree and happy?
"Maybe," Ariel said carefully, "but this is my father's trident. I just can't risk it."
"Emma," Killian said, breaking the awkward silence that descended. "My Emma has the power to do what you wish. She's more than capable of using the trident to free the trapped souls, and you need fear nothing where she is concerned. She's the savior and the bravest, noblest, strongest bloody woman I've ever known."
The Crocodile rolled his eyes and made an exaggerated gagging noise. "Best go with Mrs. Jones, Ariel," he said dryly. "Between the outlaw and the pirate, it's getting thick in here. We're all in danger of dying from the sickening sweetness."
Emma grinned up at Killian, and he returned the gesture. The Crocodile would always be the Crocodile.
Ariel looked at Emma speculatively for another moment and then nodded. Extending her hand, she passed over the trident.
"Wait!" a pirate near the edge of the Enchanted Forest circle called. "What does this mean for us? The merpeople get their souls back, they can just go on their merry way. We get ours back at the bottom of the sea, we drown."
"He does have a point," Emma said.
"There's an easy solution, dearie," The Crocodile said with heavy sarcasm. "If you don't want to drown at the bottom of the sea, make your way to the surface. There's nothing keeping you captive anymore."
"Hey, that's a pretty good plan, Dark One!" a smooth-faced young pirate said.
The Crocodile rolled his eyes.
"Alright everyone," Emma said, Storybrooke sheriff taking over. "Grab your fallen comrades and head for the shore. I'll wait ten minutes and then I'll let this baby rip."
Snow stepped forward and bent down next to Blackbeard. "Don't worry, Emma," she said. "Your father and I will personally see that Blackbeard's cared for."
"It's the least we can do after he saved your life," Charming continued.
Killian nodded his thanks and then watched as his father-in-law heaved the pirate over his shoulder, and his mother-in-law swam at his side. Once they'd disappeared from view, Killian turned back toward Emma. He gave her an encouraging smile and then gestured toward the trident.
"Well," Emma said, "here goes nothing."
The lass closed her eyes, clearly deep in concentration. A beam of white light flowed from the three prongs of the trident and settled over Ursula's garden. After a moment, the magical light fell to cover the entire expanse of it. Suddenly, the souls began to uproot themselves and fly through the air. One by one the still, glassy eyed merpeople began to gasp, shake their heads, and look around themselves in confusion.
"It worked!" Emma said, turning toward Killian. "Looks like everything's going to be back to normal around here pretty soon."
"Aye, love," Killian said with a broad grin. "What say we travel to the surface to ascertain how the pirates fared?"
"Sounds good to me."
….
Enchanted Forest, present day
Five days later, Emma sat in the room her parents called the "parlor" along with Killian, the Charmings, Sir Galahad and Sir Gawain. It was a mini family reunion of sorts. Even now, more than two years after Henry first brought her to Storybrooke, it still seemed almost surreal to Emma that she had a family with whom to have a family reunion.
Sipping at her hot chocolate—that was suffering from a sad lack of cinnamon, the spice being a bit difficult to come by in this realm—Emma shook her head in amused embarrassment. Killian's father and her own foster father had spent half the evening regaling them with humiliating stories of their offspring's youthful exploits.
"Did I ever tell you the story of the time Emma kissed the frog?" Galahad asked with a laugh.
"Pretty sure I've kissed quite a few of those throughout the years," Emma muttered, settling more firmly into Killian's embrace and resigning herself to another round of funny stories told at her expense.
Killian leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Perhaps, love, a certain pirate may find time to erase all those other memories with kisses so potent they will make you forget your own name."
She grinned up at him. "You've got a pretty high opinion of your…talents, don't you Romeo?"
He winked at her…slowly…and her traitorous heart skipped a beat. "I keep my opinions firmly tethered upon fact, darling."
She rolled her eyes and playfully punched him. Looking up, she caught her mother's amused look.
The stories and beverages and laughter continued to flow. This was…nice. How long had Emma longed for an evening like this? Nothing remarkable, just a pleasant easy few hours to be with family. How many times had she sat in the group home crying, desperate for someone…anyone…to love her? Now she had a family, a true love, a son, the promise of more children to come, and an entire town that she was convinced would go to the mat for her.
And for a moment, for a blessed moment that would probably be all too short, there was no danger hanging over their heads, no catastrophe looming large, no villain trying to take over the world, no curses threatening to take them away from everyone they loved. For now, there was just…peace.
It was their last night in the Enchanted Forest. After two and a half months and enough action, adventure, pain and heartbreak to last her a decade, they were finally going home. Emma was surprised to find the thought bittersweet. True, she missed Henry, missed Storybrooke, missed all the modern conveniences she had in the Land Without Magic, but Fairytale Land had its perks too. The Enchanted Forest not threatened by a big bad villain was really a beautiful and…well…enchanting…place.
Emma smiled to herself remembering that it no longer had to be either Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. Now, thanks to King Triton, they had access to both.
Five days ago when the smoke of the battle had cleared, so to speak, everyone had taken a few minutes to assess the situation. They'd all fared remarkably well. Despite the ferocity of the battle, the only fatalities had been two non-enslaved mermen who had the misfortune of being directly hit by a ray from the trident. There were several bumps, bruises, broken bones, concussions and lacerations, of course, but that was only to be expected.
King Triton was so grateful to the Enchanted Forest contingent that he'd insisted they attend his daughter and Prince Erik's wedding at the end of the week. They were to be his guests of honor at the reception, and, all possible honors among merkind were to be bestowed on them.
"That's really not necessary, your highness," Emma had insisted. "It was the least we could do. An Ursula with complete power…well, we didn't want that any more than you did."
"It matters not, my lady," Triton had said, bowing so low that his long, white beard touched the ground. "The fact remains, were it not for all of you, we never would have succeeded in ridding our land of the scourge that has been plaguing us for decades. My unsuspecting merpeople would still be falling prey to her enslavement, and the magic trident would be in the hands of an absolute monster. Please, you are in my debt. Allow my kingdom to show its gratitude."
And really, how could they resist after a speech like that?
"I can't speak for anyone else," Emma had said, "but my husband and I would be honored to attend Ariel's wedding."
The rest of the gang similarly accepted…which was a good thing, because Ariel flat out insisted they all be a formal part of her wedding. Emma was to be the matron of honor while Snow, Regina, Belle and Aurora were to be bridesmaids. Erik had his own contingent of groomsmen, but Ariel made sure that Killian, Charming, Robin, Rumple and Phillip had positions of highest honor. Little Roland was, of course, to serve as the ring bearer.
Triton, not feeling an invitation to his daughter's wedding festivities thanks enough, had offered them a far greater expression of his gratitude.
"My trident is always at your disposal," he'd said. "If ever you wish to travel between the realms, I shall be pleased to open a portal for you…you or any you hold dear. My daughter travels to your realm with a great deal of frequency. Should one of your own at this Storybrooke wish to return to Fairytale land, I shall be pleased to accompany my daughter to your realm and open a portal for you. And know that you will always be welcome within the bounds of my kingdom."
It had been quite the gift. All manner of possibilities opened before Emma and Killian's eyes. Visions of vacations with their fathers, a second honeymoon in Camelot, an escape for the less fortunate should the next villain—and let's be real, of course one day there would be another villain—should happen to target Storybrooke, danced before their eyes and fueled their thoughts and dreams as they fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
Yes, everything had turned out better than Emma could have expected. The only fly in the ointment was Blackbeard. When they'd all returned to the shore, they'd found to their relief that the return of Blackbeard's soul hadn't resulted in his death, but it was clear that Ursula's trident strike had done a massive amount of damage. For a couple of days, he'd tottered precariously on the ledge between death and life. At long last, Friar Tuck had joyfully announced that he was confident that the pirate would make a full recovery. Even so, the man had yet to wake.
Emma's mind was severely conflicted when it came to Blackbeard. On the one hand, he had saved her life, made a heroic sacrifice to ensure they had the chance they needed to defeat Ursula. On the other hand the pain and anger of what he'd done to Killian, to their baby, to her, simply would not pass. Maybe if she could just get some…closure…with the whole situation she could move on, but with Blackbeard still dead to the world, it looked unlikely that she would get her chance before they left just after the wedding tomorrow evening.
Well, she supposed, she couldn't expect to get everything. Maybe one day she and Killian would be able to come to some sort of…understanding…with Blackbeard. Maybe one day they'd be able to hash out all the pain and anger and indebtedness and build…some kind of civil relationship out of the ashes.
The thing was, Emma had seen a different side of Blackbeard when he pushed her aside and took onto himself the attack meant for her. Suddenly she saw that Blackbeard was more than the nasty, vengeful pirate who had caused her baby's death. Suddenly, she realized that just maybe, there was a man of honor hidden deep down below the angry man who would do anything to get his vengeance. Suddenly she realized that Blackbeard was far more like her husband than she ever would have dreamed.
"If the two of you have finished regaling the lot of us at my wife and my expense," Killian said with a grin, "it's been a long day and tomorrow promises to be longer. It's time we sought our bed."
"Perfect," Charming said with a chuckle. "You guys leave, Snow and I can really get the goods on you two."
Emma groaned. Maybe it was a bad idea to introduce her parents to the knights.
Notes:
-A rather sedate chapter after all the action of the last one. So basically, all our main characters survived the conflict, the mermaids and pirates got their souls back, Blackbeard is still unconscious after his attack with the trident, the gang's heading to Ariel and Erik's wedding and then returning to the Enchanted Forest the next day, and Triton has provided them with a way of creating portals whenever they want.
-Up next: Three main scenes: 1. Blackbeard wakes and he, Emma and Killian are able to get the reconciliation and closure they're looking for. 2. An Outlaw Queen scene. Sorry I can't be more specific than that without giving it away. 3. The gang returns to Storybrooke and there's a huge town-wide celebration at Granny's.