The cold wind nipped bitterly at her cheeks and the tip of her nose but Belle did not mind in the least. She breathed the salty sea air in deeply, slowly opened her eyes and looked out onto the sea. It was a vast expanse of blue upon blue which the sky had tinted with a light pink as the sun gently dipped lower beyond the horizon, marking the lateness of the afternoon. Her breath hitched in her throat as another small wave moved along the hull of the Pirate ship and vibrated upwards along the mast, causing the platform of the crow's nest to wave almost dangerously in reaction. Belle steadied her footing and turned to glance at Killian who had been leaning against the railing behind her. She noticed a look of amusement in his eyes and a whisper of a smile upon his lips.
"I know why they call it a crows-nest now; I feel like I'm flying." Belle laughed as she let her eyes close again and outstretched her arms, letting the wind lift up the fabric of her cloak.
"Aye, but just remember to not lean too far forward. I doubt flying is actually within your vast repertoire of talents."
Blinking her eyes open and looking downwards at the long fall below, Belle took a step backwards and away from the railing, bumping against Killian's side in the process.
The very first thing Belle had wanted to do upon stepping onto Killian Jones' ship (Captain Hook, she had to remember) was venture to the tallest point and look across the water. To imagine herself as a bird flying across the water to unknown places and discovering treasures, as she had so often did while she was still at her Father's house. Killian had of course warned her that it was quite high up and could be a very dangerous place to be with the waves crashing and causing the mast to sway precariously (an effect that was immediately amplified the minute she reached the nest itself), and so insisted on joining her - though Belle had discovered that indeed may have been too many for the small space, for both she and the Captain were nearly shoulder to shoulder up there.
"It's interesting that this was the first thing you wanted to do; Most want to see the wheel or even the many treasures we keep below deck."
"Pirate treasures?" Belle asked while giving Killian a sidelong look.
Sensing her intrigue Killian grinned and leaned closer to Belle so that their faces were only an inch apart,
"Below deck there is a trove of the most beautiful and dangerous treasures known to man my fair Lady."
"And you keep them all aboard your ship? Aren't you worried others will hear and try and take them?" Belle teased with a sly grin.
"What? Stealing from Pirates?" he scoffed in mock affront, "It takes a brave soul to dare to steal from the Jolly Roger. Most of the treasure we… procure," he emphasized with a flirtatious wink, "is immediately sold for supplies or whatever my crew desires while on shore leave. However the most precious, exotic, or magical I like to keep on board; keep it safe as it were."
"You remind me of a friend of mine." She replied with a fond smile as she thought about the room upon room of treasure of both the magical and ordinary stored within Rumple's castle.
Killian regarded her curiously for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.
"It's all part of the Pirate life. We travel the world, meet interesting people and interesting women," He glanced at Belle appreciatively for a moment, "And we collect other men's treasures."
Something about the way his smile didn't quite meet his eyes when he turned back to regarding the horizon had Belle pausing in curiosity for a moment.
"Did you choose to be a Pirate, Captain?"
Killian blinked in surprise and stared at Belle for a moment before he let out a chuckle and turned so that his shoulder was leaning casually against the mast and his front was facing Belle.
"Why do you ask?"
"Curiosity."
Killian tilted his head and drew the nail of his thumb along his bottom lip as he contemplated her question. With a twist of his mouth Killian finally straightened up and gave Belle a quick smile,
"I suppose in a way the Pirate life chose me. Though I did start out as an honorable sailor in the King's Navy, which explains my impeccable manners."
He grinned knowingly with a playful wag of his brows, reminding Belle of the romantic heroes in the stories she and her sister's had read together.
The Gallant Rogue was always Josette's favorite. Belle thought with a grin which faded at the remembrance of her lost family.
"I had a brother once, Liam. A very fine and better man than myself. The King dispatched us on an errand – A noble errand Liam insisted – to find this mythical item which was intended to bring great power to the Kingdom."
"And did you find it?"
Killian raised a single dark eyebrow and shook his head slightly.
"A fool's errand for the King's righteous Navy it seemed. On our quest we hit a great storm and our ship split into two…"
He paused for a moment, his throat bobbing as he swallowed heavily. Belle's hand automatically shot out and landed upon his wrist and Killian's eyes flicked up to Belle's face when she gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
"I'm not sure what exactly happened to Liam. I am ashamed to say I was knocked unconscious during the chaos and awoke upon the deck of a foreign ship - The Jolly Roger. Rescued by Pirates, what were the odds?" Killian chuckled softly. "The Captain, your infamous Blackbeard, imprisoned me within the very bowels of this ship for a time until he decided what to do with me. At last, he offered me a job, and bitter as I was at losing my brother to the frivolous pursuit of magic fora King I had never been worthy enough to have even met, I of course acquiesced. Turns out I was very good at being a Pirate. Of course you must know a bit about our adventures afterwards from that book of yours." Killian nodded to where Belle's basket was safely sitting upon the deck of the ship below.
"Did you ever find out what happened to your brother?" she asked quietly and shivering as another gust of cold wind blew by.
"Never" was his swift reply before flashing a quick smile at Belle, "It was a long time ago, nearly 300 years…"
"Sometimes a loss like that is hard to forget." Belle interrupted with another sympathetic squeeze of Killian's hand before slowly pulling her hand away from his own. She knew exactly how he felt with the loss of her Mother as well as her recent loss of the life she knew.
"I really didn't mean to pry."
Belle began self-consciously while looking down at her feet, the sudden silence making her feel a bit uncomfortable. Rumple was always admonishing her for prying into his business and asking too many questions, though he was always good at indulging her curiosity eventually. She even suspected he enjoyed bragging about his trips and his treasures, and his cunning when it came to making royals jump through hoops of his design. Rumple was a great story teller, and she loved listening to him.
"Oh not at all my Lady, I haven't had a good heart to heart like this since…"
His eyes clouded over for a moment, as if recalling a distant memory and Belle raised her eyebrows in anticipation. Just as quickly as it arrived, the cloudiness dissolved from his face and he gave Belle a tentative smile.
"Well, since a long time ago. Shall we continue on our tour?"
He asked with a sudden brightness which surprised Belle, but she nodded all the same and let Killian help her down onto the roped ladder.
Once back on the hard wood planks of the deck, both Killian and Belle headed along the nearly empty ship toward a set of doors at the rear. Before they could make it, a short, round man skidded up the gangplank and ran up to the two of them, his face slightly red from his exertion and matching the loose red cap upon his head.
"Captain…"
The man stuttered out as he looked at Belle and nodded his head sheepishly at her in greeting before turning back to the slightly bemused Killian.
" , meet Verna. Verna, this is my first mate, ." Killian introduced with a quick gesture of his hand.
His blue eyes twinkled a bit in amusement at the blushing Smee as Belle shook his hand politely with a smile before Killian continued with a pat on the smaller mans shoulder,
" here is one of the best procurer's in the land. If you need something, he can find it; anywhere from precious and rare jewels to magic beans."
"Magic Beans?"
Belle inquired curiously and turning to look at . "As in Giants?" Belle vaguely remembered reading about giant lore in a book in her library at the Castle and how they used to harvest magic beans - though both the giants and the beans went nearly extinct a few centuries previous.
"As in magic portals, love. Though it was the giants that created these beans, so you're not entirely off on your information." Killian supplied, "These portals can take you anywhere you want to go, with many realms besides our own to choose one. Neverland, as I previously had mentioned, is one realm. Then there is Wonderland and Agrabah… I even heard rumor of a land without magic, if you can believe it."
"A land without magic? Sounds like back where I'm from…" Belle joked fondly. "Have you ever met a giant?"
Killian thought for a moment while Smee shrugged his shoulders quietly.
"I did get into a fight with this rather large bloke once, could've sworn he was a giant or at least a half breed. Nearly eight feet tall, the frightening bastard. Do you remember that, Smee?"
"I remember him nearly crushing your skull between his two hands, Captain."
Killian made a thoughtful sound and nodded his head.
"I probably shouldn't have insulted his mother like that…" Killian mused with a wicked grin while Smee and Belle chuckled.
"Anyway, Captain. There is a matter I wanted to discuss… about that erm… thing you were looking for." Smee murmured nervously to Killian while stealing a few glances Belle's way.
Getting the hint and deciding it was probably rude of her to eavesdrop, Belle slowly made her way around the decks and tried hard not let her curiosity consumer her, as Smee fervently whispered something to Killian.
Belle looked out over the side of the ship and toward the small harbor town and wondered what Rumplestiltskin was up to at that moment. She thought about the bookstore they had passed on the way to the crossroads and she grinned as a plan formed in her mind; a way to convince Rumple to maybe get a room at the tavern and stay in town a little longer so she could have time to spend inside the store. Maybe even purchase a few new books. Not that she didn't have a whole Library back home full of unknown adventures.
"Pardon my absence, just a bit of business I needed to deal with."
Killian's voice interrupted her daydream and Belle turned and smiled at the Captain, noticing that Mr. Smee was no longer in sight and it was only herself, Killian and a few deckhands on board – all of which seem to have not paid much attention to their new guest and instead were busy cleaning and organizing the ship.
"Do you plan on setting sail sometime soon?" she asked nodding toward the few crew members raising up newly strung and washed sails and swabbing the decks.
"Tomorrow morning is the plan, so long as the rest of my crew on shore leave aren't too under the weather by morning." Killian rolled his eyes playfully and gestured toward one of the two doors which appeared to lead below deck. "My secret pirate treasure awaits your inspection." Killian pulled open the door and nodded to Belle to lead the way.
A narrow set of oak steps lead down to a medium sized room which was surprisingly brighter and more spacious than she had anticipated, with the walls painted a light shade of cream with gold detailing. Several windows adorned the perimeter, separated by gold painted figurines with their arms crossed over their chests. These windows looked out onto the bay, letting in the delicious pink glow from the lowering sun. Belle noted the cot like bed shoved in the far corner of the room and a polished table which could seat at least six people comfortably, the surface covered mainly in letters, random objects, books and a plate of breads and fruits. With the exception of the golden figurines and faces of what Belle assumed were God's of the Sea's protruding from the beams holding up the ceiling (all with long gold painted beards and stern faces) the room was surprisingly simple in its decoration, the exact opposite of what she had expected of the 'Great Cabin' inside a Pirate ship. She had expected perhaps dark painted walls, golden candelabras with dripping ancient candles, a skull or two and perhaps a whole arson of weaponry and jewels haphazardly thrown about. But Killian Jones continued to surprise her with his congenial nature and clean, bright ship.
"Does it live up to your expectations, My Lady?" Killian said from somewhere behind Belle and she spun around.
"Not exactly. And I'm glad." She smirked gesturing around the expanse of the cabin, "It's a lot cleaner than I imagined, though I don't see much treasure here."
Killian laughed loudly, his face lighting up handsomely in the lowering light and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully,
"Yes well, I like to keep a tight ship. You should have seen the place before I became Captain – gaudy, dark, and full of useless crap just lying about with no real rhyme or reason. Frankly it was a health hazard. As for the treasure…"
Killian inclined his head to the right where a hallway lead deeper into the cabin behind the small staircase they had descended upon as well as a fully stocked bookshelf, and then raised his eyebrows teasingly. Belle let her excitement wash over her, and she led the way down the hallway into a room which was much darker than the Captains Quarters. Killian brushed past Belle and began to light the few sconces and lanterns along the sides of the darkened cabin. The yellow light slowly illuminating tables and shelves which were filled with all sorts of glistening treasure along with several chests which Belle guessed were probably filled with gold, making her gasp in delight. Unlike his living quarters, this room was stuffed full with items all messily arranged in piles upon the tables and shelves. It closely resembled one of Rumple's rooms of treasure in his castle, though on a much smaller scale.
Killian had made his way past a table which sat at the very center of the room - holding all sorts of maps, a compass and a letter opener next to a stack of letters - to a navy and gold painted cabinet secured to the far wall of the cabin. Unlatching the two doors, Killian revealed a cabinet filled with various bottles of wines and liquors in sparkling crystal and gilded decanters of varying ages and designs.
"Care for a drink?" he offered with a look over his shoulder and a sweeping of his hand toward the cabinet.
Belle shook her head absently as she leaned down to inspect an opened chest filled with jewel encrusted books and manuscripts with gilded lettering. Whipping her cloak out of the way and over her shoulder, she let her free hand sweep over the delicate bindings and vellum pages.
"These are beautiful…"
She murmured with reverence and gently lifting up a pocket sized book with the most beautiful and exotic cover she had ever seen. A single golden clasp in the shape of a snakes head held the book closed, its eyes holding two tiny emeralds which glittered in the lantern light. The script on the cover was like nothing she had ever seen and she studied it in fascination while flipping through the soft pages.
"That is a book of spells from Agrabah." Killian's voice travelled over to Belle from where he was standing, "Worth a fortune I was told, but I chose not to part with it. Not sure what sort of spells it contains and so I really would rather not let it into the wrong hands…"
The offer to have Rumplestiltskin take a look at the book and see what sorts of spells it contained barely escaped through her lips in excitement, but she quickly swallowed the idea down, unsure as to how Killian would react to that sort of proposition. Besides, Rumple was not the type to offer up information to a complete stranger, not without exacting a price. Belle mentally rolled her eyes at the thought and returned the book to its place. All magic comes with a price, he said over and over again. It was his failsafe whenever she asked the hard questions.
She was about to take a closer look at the maps on the table, curious to know which places Killian had been to in his travels (and perhaps hoping to be able to get a few stories out of him as well) when the glint of gold caught her eye and she froze where she was, staring at the small golden chest placed upon a single pedestal below an extravagantly gilded mirror.
This chest felt so familiar to her, like she had seen it somewhere before but she just couldn't place it.
It was not a large item but quite small with tarnished gold and silver plating woven upon a bed of painted ivory, with two golden clasps dotted with sapphires and rubies, holding the lid closed securely.
Images of magical creatures, dragons and what appeared to be fairies decorated the lid and the sides of the box as well. It was the images themselves that triggered something in Belle's memory and she slowly neared the pedestal and holding her breath in anticipation. As she got closer she could feel a slight change in the atmosphere, a familiar humming growing stronger and stronger as she neared. Whatever this chest was, it had a very strong magic.
She didn't dare touch the chest, but instead let her hands hover over top – whispering along the patterning and the images and suddenly she knew why it felt so familiar…
"This is the Aercus Aeterni!" Belle quietly exclaimed and her breath caught in her throat. The ark from her book, the one Blackbeard was retrieving from the sea witch's cave! It was real, all of it.
She wasn't quite sure why she was so surprised, as she was told that the ship she was on was the same from her stories, but she just assumed most of what she had read was myth and had no strong basis in reality, despite what Killian had been telling her.
"Ah, that. Yes, quite the beauty isn't it? Nearly died trying to find that blasted thing, Blackbeard was obsessed, and he never really said why…" Killian chuckled from his corner as he poured himself another glass of rum before reaching up to the top shelf of the cabinet and bringing down an octagon box of gold and ebony.
Belle turned back to the arc and bent down to get a closer look. The book Rumplestiltskin had given her did not go into great detail as to what the box really was, however she had been able to find a reference to the Aercus Aterni in one of Ruplestiltskin's magic books which she had coincidentally brought with her on the journey.
"This ark is a very powerful magical item. It dates back to the creation of magic itself, and was once used as a tool to cast some of the worst curses imaginable!" Belle stopped her tale and looked over to Killian, a sudden worry entering into her head. "I know for a fact that many wizards and magic users would kill to get their hands on something this powerful," especially Rumplestiltskin, She thought to herself as she glanced briefly at the box. He had an obsessive need to collect every magical item in existence and she was sure he would be just as apt to want this, arguably the most powerful item in the world.
"Do you realize how dangerous it is to keep it on board your ship?"
Killian looked impressed as he downed his rum, his mouth turning up into a small smile.
"No need to worry. There is an ancient protection spell placed upon the ark; hides it from any and all magic users so that they can't ever find it. A sort of safety measure the Blue Fairy put in place when some wizard tried to use it to enact some sort of world destroying curse once upon a time. Or at least that's what Blackbeard had told me, though I didn't believe him at the time, still don't really. It's just a pretty box."
He replied nonchalantly. Belle was about to argue - as she could feel the power radiating from it - but he continued with a knowing smile.
"So far no wizard or goblins or whatever has bothered us, so if it is magic, then I suppose the spell worked. You know you're pretty knowledgeable, a rarity. Maybe I should be offering you a job My Lady. Smee may be a great procurer but he has no mind for research. I could use someone on board who actually knows the worth of the items we collect."
Belle couldn't help the flush creeping up her chest and onto her cheeks at Killian's remarks, momentarily forgetting her worry. It wasn't every day she was complemented on her knowledge, and she had to admit the idea would have been tempting, if she didn't already have other commitments.
You mean your imprisonment by the Dark One. Her mind supplied, to which Belle suppressed readily and instead grinned back at Killian.
"Me become a Pirate? What would my name be?" she asked, slightly surprised at her blatant flirting.
She was never one to flirt, and Killian was not exactly her type. But yet she couldn't help it, he was such a flirt himself, and of course she supposed she did the same with Rumplestiltskin time and again.
That thought made her pause, forgetting to listen to what Killian was saying. Did she flirt with Rumplestiltskin? She thought about the times when she sat close to him purposefully while he spun, when she pulled her arm through his elbow while they walked together down the castle steps or through the town that morning, and how she always came up with excuses to give him hugs. Just the week previous she surprised him with a quick hug while they were in the Library, all because he gave her a new book and she had wanted to give him a hug.
And the flower he gave her just the other night? In her slightly drunken stupor she even kissed his cheek! Belle's flush threatened to deepen and she prayed Killian didn't notice in the low light of the cabin.
"What about Dirty Bess Rackham." Killian teased with another charming grin.
Belle paused in her thoughts and stared at Killian before bursting out into laughter.
"Dirty Bess?" she chuckled with mock offence, her hands coming to plant on her hips. Though, she couldn't help the small smile on her face.
Killian laughed again and rubbed his chin in thought.
"Okay, okay. Red Anne Flint then.Flint is hard and sharp, like the pirate I know that lives inside you." He winked.
Belle nodded her head slowly, enjoying this little game of theirs and pushing aside her confused feelings for Rumplestiltskin.
"How did you get your name? Captain Hook?"
Killian let out a knowing Ah and continued to smirk.
"That's sort of a funny story actually. When I was conscripted onto this ship, I was a bit of a defiant little bugger. Always getting into small scraps with the other men." Killian leaned casually against the cupboard.
"I even got into a scrape with the Captain, to which I remember losing quite pathetically. Captain said I had a mean left hook and then promoted me to first mate. The name sort of stuck after that."
"You got into a fist fight with your Captain and he then named you his first mate?"
"Any man who stood up to Captain Blackbeard and lived deserved a little respect, he had said."
Killian shrugged and turned back toward the cupboard. Belle turned back to the aercus and then looked up into the small gilded mirror resting on the wall above. She was embarrassed to find that her hair was wildly out of place and windblown. Quickly she smoothed out her curls and straightened her dress, loving the opportunity to finally be able to see her reflection more carefully. Wiping a small spot of dirt from the corner of her nose, she turned away from the mirror and began scanning the table of maps and playing with a silver compass resting above a map of the northern mountains.
"You know I'm not surprised you know so much about magical things."
Belle sifted through the maps and came across a map of her home kingdom while listening to Killian behind her.
"Oh?"
She replied, grinning when she found the spot where her family's old estate was.
"Well, seeing as how you live at the Dark Castle with the Dark One and everything. Doesn't surprise me one bit."
Belle froze in place, her hand still hovering over her village.
"Yes, I suppose that's true." Belle agreed almost breathlessly, slowly licking her lips.
She could feel her heart pounding a little faster as she gradually turned her head to look over her shoulder at Killian who was busy replacing the cap back on his crystal decanter.
"Though, I'm surprised you even brought that up…" she continued slowly, willing her voice not to waver as her hand wove deftly around a gold letter opener sitting on the table, "For I don't believe I ever mentioned where I lived. Or to whom I was associated…"
She saw Killian's back stiffen slightly, the hand replacing his used cup pausing midair. Belle's lips parted as she tried to slow her breath and ease the nervous throbbing pulsating through her body.
She didn't say anything about where she lived, she didn't even give her real name. Belle's mind raced through the whole day, trying to remember if she ever mentioned Rumplestiltskin or the Dark Castle. No. Something was not right and Belle grasped the letter opener tightly while awaiting Killian's response.
Belle startled when Killian let out a breathless laugh, his hand returning to its movements and placing the cup securely back into its place, a leather buckle tightening around the thickness of the glass to keep it from falling while the ship was in movement.
"No, I don't suppose you did…"
Killian slowly turned around to face Belle, his friendly blue eyes suddenly not as welcoming as before and a nervous chill raced through her.
"Whoops."