Sea waves crashed up along the shore, rolling over the sand before dragging itself back into the sea. The beach was golden with not a pebble in sight, the grains of sand smooth as silk. An almost non-existent breeze went through the clear skies you could breathe it in and smell the sea-fresh air lingering along the island. Long pale legs stretched out against the sand, a half-full bottle of rum sitting in between them as it waited to be guzzled down even further.
The woman lounging on the beach opened her bright eyes, staring up at the bright sun that ever so slowly tanned her skin. The top half of her body was wrapped in a pirate's baggy shirt, hanging off her with very few buttons done up exposing her shoulder and scar along her chest. A pair of simple black underwear covered her bottom half. She brought the bottle up to her lips again and knocked the rum back with a squint, still getting used to the alcoholic beverage that burned her throat.
"You'll end up going through our entire supply, woman." A familiar voice chuckled from behind her as it approached, Nadri smiling as she drank. The pirate came and sat down next to her, allowing her eyes to analyse his shirtless body and torn jeans. His body was toned, few battle scars here and there but it only contributed to telling more stories in bed. Nadri handed him the rum bottle as he made himself comfortable sitting down next to her.
"I can see why you like it, Ruveyzun."
"You didn't want to stay in bed any longer?" He asked with his charismatic smile, watching his woman get comfortable with her back down on the beach and embracing the sun on her body. Her black curls were sprinkled with sand but it didn't bother Nadri much, she enjoyed the feeling of freedom.
She had spent days on the beach, breathing in the fresh air, hearing the waves crash against the rocks and the birds chirp and chitter as they flew around the island. The Jolly Roger had been docked further up the beach, Nadri had begged Killian to show her what a beach was like.
"Can't we live here?" Nadri asked him with a bright, pearly white smile. Her hand was hanging over her face to protect her eyes from the scorching sun. "For a little while? No one would miss us." Killian smiled sweetly at her, taking another gulp from the bottle and laid it on the sand. "I'd like to live here, Ruveyzun."
"We've got some unfinished business first, haven't we?" Killian asked her as he looked over to see her skin glistening under the sun. "We need to get back."
"I want to enjoy this a bit longer." Nadri gave him the cutest puppy dog eyes that he had ever seen. He leaned over, his knees sinking in the sand ever so slightly as he blocked out her sunlight when he leant down and lightly pecked her chest. "Is this is what it's going to be like? Forever?" Killian brought his head up, kissing along her scar and up her neck, making Nadri giggle at his beard brushing into her neck. "Sailing to beaches, new worlds…drinking?" Killian chuckled into her neck, pulling away to meet with her eyes.
"Forever, love." Killian put his hand around the back of her neck and watched as she smiled even further, dimples appearing in her cheeks. "It's time to wake up now." He pulled her into a deep, heated kiss.
That's when she woke up, Killian's lips on hers and her eyes met with Killian's tearful ones, crying over her in the middle of the stone floor. She felt different in a completely human form, there was no source of magic within her at all yet she felt so empowered. This was what she was now, she was mortal. Her slavery, being bound to serve for her life was now into nothing. Her contract was no longer valid to any man, she was free.
By the Gods, she was free.
Killian interlocked his arm with hers, keeping her steady as they kept walking on. Her legs were still trembling from the sheer force of the magic being pulled through her, feeling like someone had turned her inside out. Her true love led the way through the door to the Ambrosia tree, only to be met with fields of crumbled, dead plants. The tree in the middle of the room had been hacked at and the trunk of the fallen tree was shrivelled into dust.
The freedom feeling didn't last for very long.
"By the Gods..." Nadri trailed off vacantly as she approached the Ambrosia tree, taking fragile steps. "It's dilon." She gasped when she touched the trunk of the tree, the bark crumbling to nothing between her fingers. The journey down had been wasted, her bright eyes searched around to see that every single piece of the plant had been obliterated.
"This was Hades." Killian deducted as he solemnly looked over the plants, crouching down to touch the clippings that again turned into dust upon his touch. "I knew we couldn't trust him." Frequent rumblings echoed throughout the cave, indicating that the portal was opening to go back to the Land of the Living. Nadri hoped that the others had taken their chances and left, there was no way now. There was no way out.
"What made you think I started?" Nadri quipped as she exhaled deeply. Killian straightened himself up and approached the shorter woman, watching as she tensed up. "I thought…oh Gods, I thought this was it. I'm so…so hinzaal!" She fumed, kicking at the ground out of frustration. "There was no way this was going to be true. Regina is so hell bent on Zelena changing Hades, she's convincing your friends for him. He's using all of us. He wants to get back to the top."
"I know love, I'm sure they'd have gone already. They have a chance." Killian agreed with Nadri, watching as the youthful woman searched inside of herself to control the overwhelming anger that came over her.
"He will destroy them if he goes to Storybrooke. Your realm will be gone. You do not know what he did when he came back from Earth, he destroyed everything in his wake." Nadri explained to Killian, her voice was full of upset as she paced around the room. "Now we're stuck here." Killian walked up to Nadri, taking one of her hands to stop her pacing around so much before she made him dizzy. Her feelings were all over the place, even more so now that she was completely human. "I've been here a very, very long time Killy. I had hope for the first time since I was transformed." The cave continued to rumble, dust and dirt falling from the ceiling periodically.
"Love, I'm sorry." It was heart breaking, Killian had been promising her the world. She might be free right now but she was in an everlasting, confined eternity in the Underworld. Hades might have been gone but that didn't mean that someone else would take over and had the potential to be more evil than him.
Was that even possible?
Nadri and Killian left the library that the elevator had resided in. The skies had cleared up, the dense orange that fogged over Storybrooke was now clearer and brighter since Hades had left. They made their way to the Blind Witch's diner and a solemn presence sat over them. The heroes had gone, Hades had disappeared into the new world while they were down in the Land of the Dead for unknown amount of time. Nadri was able to freely walk through the diner, earning looks here and there from those that she had previously brought down into the domain to receive a punishment at the end of Hades. Killian helped her into a booth, sitting opposite her and reached out for her hand to clasp it delicately.
"I know it is stupid of me to ask, love, but are you alright?"
"I am disappointed, truthfully." Nadri admitted with a reluctant tone, not wanting Killian to believe in any way that it was his fault that they were in the position they were in. "I am used to being betrayed, I fear I trusted too much this time."
"I know, darling. We could try and fix things down here that Hades has ruined. We can bring some good." Killian replied quietly. "It's not too late for us, Nadri. We can do it together." The Blind Witch sauntered over to Killian and Nadri, her glazed over white eyes stared elsewhere as she placed two mugs in front of them. Killian frowned, picking it up by the handle and inhaling it and was hit with the strong scent of coffee and rum.
"You seem like you've had a bad day, puddin'." Her creepy voice chimed in Killian's direction, smiling. Killian silently thanked her and took a mouthful of the hot drink, savouring the induvial flavours of the spiced rum. She then turned her head towards Nadri's direction, flicking her crinkled blonde hair over her shoulder as she gave the youthful-looking woman a white mug full of milky white chocolate. "You too sweetie." With that said, the Blind Witch left them be and Nadri stared into the mug as if the liquid was going to swallow her whole.
"I don't know what this is." Nadri exhaled nervously, bringing the mug up to her nose and she could smell the white chocolate.
"It's like a hot chocolate but…white." Killian cut in as he placed his mug on the table. "Have you never tried it?"
"I haven't tried a lot of things." Nadri gave a small smile, knowing full well that now she wasn't going to be able to experience anything that she and Killian had planned. She remembered her dream of being on the beach, bathing in the hot sun with a bottle of rum by her side despite never actually tasting it. She tried to shake the thought away, it made her more upset just thinking about it.
She knew the feeling would go, just not yet.
Nadri reached forward and took Killian's mug before even attempting to taste her own beverage and gently sipped at the warm liquid. Killian sat there with a starstruck expression at the audacity of this woman taking his rum from him. Soon as the liquid hit her tongue, she gagged. The overpowering smell of coffee flooded her nostrils and she repulsed, handing the mug back to him.
"Eeugh! That's disgusting, Killy." Nadri commented and Killian took the words as an insult. "How do raaviirs drink this stuff?"
"Well in my defence Nadri I don't usually mix coffee with it." Killian snorted as she took her own drink and took a gulp to wash the horrific taste of burnt coffee beans out of her mouth. The white chocolate masked it well, a tasteful difference and she hummed as she placed the mug back down. "That good is it?"
"Better than that." Killian laughed.
They continue to chat, talking seemed to help make the situation less depressing. They discussed Killian's adventures and what the possibility of his unfinished business could have been. Killian presumed it was finding true love with Nadri but he hadn't been able to leave the realm any more than she could. Maybe it was spending more time with her, he wasn't entirely sure anymore.
A few hours passed in the diner and Nadri was starting to feel more comfortable being around the undead residents again. She was once a loyal pet to Hades and now she was just like them, lost, scared and striving for something more in this realm. They discussed what had happened to Killian and why his sacrifice was so great and Nadri was in awe of him, knowing that his sacrifice made his friends safe.
She can see why he was so valued among them.
"I don't want coffee. I want to know what this place is!" A man's loud and agitated voice responded to the Blind Witch in the corner of the couple's eyes. They looked up and over the counter at a man in a full suit of armour who had not long arrived into the Underworld so it seemed. Killian knitted his eyebrows together and analysed the man, knowing exactly who he was. "You!" The man had turned around in their direction, his eyes wild with fury. He approached them and Killian shot up from his seat to come in between King Arthur and Nadri. "You got lucky last time we met. Now you tell me where I am or I run you through."
"Who are you?" Nadri exclaimed, also standing as Arthur loomed over Killian and sneered in Nadri's direction. He had stubble along his cheeks and chin, dark brown hair that was combed neatly back and piercing pale green eyes that were focused on Nadri. His plate armour tried to make him look like a knight of shining armour but alas, he had been put in his place when he come back to the Underworld.
"King Arthur. You'll address me as your Majesty, woman." Arthur hissed at the smaller woman and Killian already knew what he said was a mistake.
"I'll address you as dust if you continue to speak to a Dovah in such a tone." Nadri reprimanded coolly and Killian shot her a look from the corner of his eye. Her cheeks tinted over with red and she cleared her throat. She had to remind herself that she was no longer this powerful, mystical being. She was a human soul now. "In case you didn't realise, Arthur, you are in the Land of the Dead." Nadri told him, still feeling Arthur's hostile energy.
"But I had so much left to do…" Arthur trailed off and Nadri for a moment felt sorry for the King who had realised where he was. She recognised his name from Killian's story when he told her about Emma taking the power of the Dark One and his fall into the darkness. Arthur was a man that was meant to be on their side but had ulterior motives.
A man like Nathaniel.
"What's going on in Storybrooke? We know something is happening." Killian pushed Arthur for more information but he was still processing his death, grabbing his hair as he muttered away to himself. "Denial, grief, anger. Can we just get to acceptance? Who killed you?" Killian rushed him, earning an elbow in the arm from Nadri as she looked up at him with a face. The man might have been…difficult but he did just die.
"He said his name was Hades." The name itself brought chills back into Nadri's body. She let out a heavy breath, grabbing onto Killian's jacket as she leaned over feeling the need to be sick. He looked back up to Arthur, gritting his teeth together and his jaw tense.
"Did you see Emma and the others? Have they any idea how to stop him?"
"Hades protected his secrets well, Ruveyzen. I would know, Cerberus and I were the ones closest to him." Nadri breathed out feeling the initial shock beginning to wear away from her body. It was like hearing Hades name again even though he was gone from this realm still knocked her sideways.
"But now, now he's not here, so we can look, right? Your Majesty, how would you like to go on another quest?" Killian's request made Arthur bellow with laughter.
"With you? Not a chance." Arthur waved him off and Killian grabbed onto his armour, pulling him closer suddenly.
"Have you got any idea why you're down here, mate... and not up in some blissful afterlife or fiery hell?" Killian asked rhetorical, already knowing the answer to the question. "It's because you are a terrible king with loads of unfinished business. When you leave here, you're either going to the better place or a far, far worse place." Killian reiterated and Arthur's eyes darted towards Nadri, both holding serious expressions.
"I think I prefer the first option." Arthur finally spoke under his breath.
"Oh, and you're gonna need a seriously good deed, you know, to make up for the bad ones."
"If I say "yes", what exactly are we questing for?"
"An answer to defeating Hades and you can call it my holy grail. Love, where do you think we need to look?" Killian turned back to the woman next to him, Nadri thankful for involving her on the mission to help bring Hades down. It was what she wanted more than anything, to stop Hades taking lives, making hers a misery for multiple centuries – she was ready to fight back.
"Somewhere we both know really well." Killian knew where Nadri was talking about. The place where they had met, where they had first kissed and where they'd had fallen in love. There was no other place that it could be, Nadri was sure that if Hades was to hide anything it would be back in Hades' throne room.