Good Form - Chapter 2
—
They could hear the wind whistling around them as they climbed the beanstalk.
"First beanstalk?" Killian asked the blonde, who was panting. "Well, you never forget your first."
From up ahead, they could hear Majo yelling, "I think I forgot our first!"
Emma raised her eyebrows at Killian who just shook his head in amusement at the chuckling warlock.
Majo was faster than their Captain, who had a hook as his right hand and was waiting up for their third.
—
Majo arrived on top first, stepping onto the grey stone slabs that surrounded the beanstalk. As she arrived, she glamoured her eyes again, seeing as she didn't trust Snow White's daughter yet.
As Killian arrived with said blonde they were both panting while Majo was playing around with the necklace she was wearing.
"What happened here?" the blond asked, seeing all the rubble and the skeletons lying around.
"It's where the final battle was," Killian explained. "Give her your hand," he added and motioned to Majo, who was inspecting a skeleton.
"What?" the blonde asked.
"Your hand–it's cut. Let them help you."
"No, no. It's fine"
"No, it's not." the Captain insisted.
Majo stepped forward and took the blonde's hand. Before the latter could say anything, the warlock hovered her hand over hers. White light emitted from Majo's hand and collected itself on the blonde's wound, sealing it shut.
"Thank you."
Majo waved her hand that had stopped glowing. "Don't bother. Giants smell blood and it was a Captain's order, kinda," she went to go to the entrance of the giant building but then turned around again. "On second thought, you could tell me your name."
"Emma. Emma Swan."
—
"Okay, here's the plan," Killian said quietly as they were standing in front of the dark building. "We wait for the giant to fall asleep. When he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. It's where the treasures are, where the compass lies."
"And then?" Emma asked.
"And then we run like hell, as always." Majo finished with a glance towards Killian, a smirk on her lips.
"I don't have time to wait for a giant to fall asleep."
"We don't actually wait," Majo said as if stating the obvious. "I make him go to sleep, then we sneak past him."
"Of course, that way it isn't as fun," Killian commented.
"But safer and faster," Emma argued.
"Point taken. You're a tough lass. You'd make a hell of a pirate." He made a hand gesture for Majo, who had wandered off again, to join them, which made Emma see the tattoo he had on his inner right arm. It was a red heart with a dagger through it and Milah written across it.
"Who's Milah, on the tattoo?"
Killian looked down. "Someone from long ago."
"Where is she?"
"She's gone," the pirate said, stepping around her.
"Gold," Emma said, making Killian stop while Majo watched on from where they stood. "Rumplestiltskin. He took more than your hand from you, didn't he?"
Killian turned around again, to look at her.
"That's why you want to kill him," she concluded.
Deciding that it was enough, Majo interrupted "For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?"
Emma first looked a bit shocked, that Majo had heard her earlier conversation with Killian but then answered: "Maybe I was once."
—
"You ready?" Killian asked Majo, after picking up a large bone.
"Always," Majo smirked.
Killian ran back a bit and knocked onto a giant shield. The rhythmic crashes wavered through the whole place.
As he stopped, a growling was heard and thunderous footsteps approached. As the giant stood in front of them in all his well, giant glory, Majo could faintly hear Emma whisper "Oh, damn it."
"Hey!" Killian called out. "Oi! You big git!"
He kept the giant distracted while Majo tried to calculate how strong the spell would have to be, seeing as he was a bit taller than she had thought. "Yeah, you. You wanna kill a human? Huh? You wanna kill a human? I'm the worst human around. Come on!"
Shrugging, Majo shot a big blue ball of magic at the giant. It hit him right in the face as he turned around to catch the one-armed Captain.
With a grunt and a thud, the giant fell on his stomach, making the earth shake.
As Majo heard Emma yell "Hook?" they looked around, only to not find their Captain. "Hook!" Emma yelled again.
Killian appeared from the side of the giant. "He's out cold."
Emma sighed. "Let's go steal a compass."
—
"They hoarded all of their greatest stolen treasures in here–piles of jewels, and every room filled with coins," Killian told Emma, slightly getting distracted by a pile of golden coins.
"Let's get to it. The compass."
Killian, who had been smelling the gold, now looked at the blonde. "What's your rush?"
"How long do you think the sleeping curse will last, this was the first time she did it on a giant right?"
"I have no clue."
"That's my rush."
"Too right, lass," Killian said, pocketing the golden coin. "Come. Everything we need is right in front of us," he said, motioning forward with his good hand while walking past Emma.
"Where is Majo?" the blonde asked, having just noticed that they were one warlock short.
"Ah, you never really know with them but I guess she's getting souvenirs."
—
"They kill all the giant housekeepers too? How we're gonna find a compass in this mess?" Emma complained.
"By looking. Of course, if a certain warlock would grace us with her presence it would all be easier," Killian said, getting louder at the end.
A clank was heard, a muffled curse and then a "Coming!".
In a puff of blue smoke, Majo appeared. She now had a satchel with her that was, no doubt, filled with treasures.
Emma glared at the bag for a moment but decided not to say anything. They were pirates after all.
"I wonder how much treasure we can carry down the beanstalk," Majo wondered and Killian nodded.
When he saw Emma give them a look, he quickly added, "In addition to the compass of course."
At that moment, Emma's eye's landed on a skeleton. "What the hell?"
"That...would be Jack," Killian said, looking at the sword in the skeleton's hand.
"As in Jack the..."
"Giant Killer."
"With that toothpick?" the blonde asked, nodding towards the sword.
"Well, it packs quite a wallop. You'd be surprised."
The Captain took a few steps backwards.
"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Emma suddenly yelled, throwing herself at Killian.
"It's about bloody time," the Captain smirked, holding her close.
Emma grunted, getting loose of the man's grip. "It's a tripwire. Quite a security system," she said pointing at a cage hanging above them.
"Well, that's a plausible excuse for grabbing me, but next time, don't stand on ceremony."
"Let's find the compass. And go home."
Killian could have sworn he heard a silent whisper of "Rejected" coming from his long-term friend but the warlock only gave him an innocent grin. Or at least they tried to.
—
"Can't you, like, conjure it to us?" Emma asked the warlock.
"I would if I could but I have no idea what it looks like."
Emma groaned and they continued their search.
After a while, as Killian and Emma were fussing about something, they heard loud footsteps shaking the hall.
Rocks loosened themselves from the ceiling as the hall continued to shake and buried Killian under them.
"Hook?" Emma asked at the same time as Majo yelled "Killian!"
The giant yelled and grabbed Snow's daughter.
Emma was screaming in the hands of the giant and Majo didn't know if she should run for Killian or help Emma.
Deciding that Killian was more important, they ran to the pile of rocks.
"I'm not what you think" they could faintly hear Emma say. The giant replied something but she didn't listen as she began to lift the rocks with her magic.
Emma must have done something because the hall began to shake again.
Majo put aside the rocks that they had already lifted and ran towards where Emma was. She had the giant trapped under the cage that was previously hanging from the ceiling.
"I'm not the bad guy," he told her.
"Maybe you are telling the truth," Emma said. "Doesn't really matter. I have to go. Are there any more of you?"
"No. I'm alone." the giant said.
Majo felt sorry for him, although she stayed here out of free will, in the Enchanted Forest she was the only one of her kind.
"What's this?" she asked, pointing to a medallion "Is this a bean? Can this make a portal?"
"Not anymore. It was destroyed, like the rest of them. I wear it as a reminder–a reminder that you're all killers."
"I know that humans can be ruthless," Majo said, stepping closer.
"You say that as if you weren't one of them."
Majo lifted the magic off her, to show her cat-like eyes. "Do I look human to you? I know that there are horrible humans out there, humans who deserve what they get but not all of them do. Some are just like you and me. Alone." She made Emma's sword disappear along with the cage.
The giant stood up and then grabbed a boulder, throwing it away from a hole in the wall that was big enough to use as a door for humans (or human-sized warlocks). "Go."
"Why?" Emma asked.
"Because you could've killed me and you didn't. You got one favour. Now go before I change my mind."
Majo quickly walked to Killian and pushed the remaining rocks off of his unconscious form.
"Let's go, Captain." They made their way through the door, trusting that Killian was right behind her. As she was through, Emma came running towards them. "Where's-"
The ground started shaking.
"Mulan," Emma said with wide eyes. "I gave her 10 hours before she was supposed to cut the beanstalk down. We have to stop her or we're never making it down."
"Aye, let me get Killian"
"You can be down quicker than me, go stop her and I'll get Hook."
Majo hesitated for a moment but remembered that they needed their trust and they had to believe she trusted them. "Okay."
The magic of the beanstalk prevented teleportation and so they had to climb their way down again.
As she was almost on the ground, they could see Snow and Mulan fighting. Jumping down the rest, she yelled. "Stop!"
Both women turned to her. "Emma?" Snow asked.
"She's coming."
"You okay?" Snow asked, running to her.
The warlock nodded.
"I did what Emma ordered, nothing more than that," Mulan defended herself.
Majo nodded again, "I know, that's why Emma sent me down first, to stop you and tell you we were fine."
"Did you get it?"
"Aye," the warlock nodded, "Emma has it."
At that moment, said person came tumbling down the rest of the beanstalk.
"Where's Killian?" Majo asked.
"He's..."
Majo's stare became cold. "What did you do?"
"He's detained. Look, I don't trust him, I-"
Before the blonde could finish, there was a blue ball of fire flying towards her which she could only dodge in the last second.
Out of impulse, Emma threw the poppy seeds she had gotten from Mulan in the warlock's face, knocking them out.