This story will have Anastasia and Will Scarlet in it from the OUAT spin-off show (one season), "Once Upon A Time in Wonderland."
Emma wasn't the only one who wished Merida hadn't alluded to anything about who Emma was. Killian didn't know the true reason for her distraction, so he assumed it all centered on the drunken admission. Had he known the Oracle had promised betrayal and vague other hints to her, including not seeing what was in front of her face, he would have acted differently. But as it was, he thought he had to distance himself from anything regarding who she was.
After walking for almost four hours and having fallen into silence again, he reached over and grabbed the pack off her back. "We should stop for lunch. It's noon already."
She looked over at him and nodded, "Okay."
He sighed and found a downed log nearby, laid out their packs, and retrieved their food. Once he did, he handed her an apple first. "Eat," was all he found himself able to say.
Emma took a few bites, and once she swallowed, she said, "How far is the forest?"
"Well, the simple answer is that we are about five hours away."
"What's the hard answer?" She asked, not understanding why he phrased it like that.
"For the answer to the length we are away from your destination… The forest's edge is five hours in that direction," he said, pointing in the way they had been heading. "But surely you're not looking for just the tree line."
She frowned down at her apple and shook her head. "I haven't told you."
"Correct," he said noncommittally. He didn't want to sound like he was fussing.
Emma turned her head and looked in the direction they needed to go. "I'm looking for answers," she said mysteriously. "But… more than that, I'm looking for a beanstalk."
He blinked at her, puzzled. "In whose garden? I don't understand."
"Ever seen a giant?" She asked him, completely confusing him.
"That isn't something I've seen in my life. To be fair, I haven't gone looking for one. They like the taste of human flesh too much."
Emma turned and looked back down at her apple. "Sorry. I should have asked."
"I don't have a damn clue what you're talking about, Emma, but I know this is your adventure, and I'd follow you anywhere. What do…?" He trailed off and grew pale. He realized what they were heading towards. He then fought to keep a light tone when he said, "When you pick an adventure, you go big. So, we climb a massive beanstalk and face a giant —interesting. Any reason why, in particular?"
She looked up at him abruptly. "You're not mad!?"
Killian softly smiled and said, "I'm not mad, Emma." He was trying to play everything really cool. He wanted to be someone Emma felt she could rely on.
"Remember I said that I wanted to find some magic beans?"
He thought back to their conversation at the first port before she had left the ship and almost left his life. "Aye."
"I found out that the giant has some." She remembered the Oracle had told her that they were there "for what they are worth." She didn't know what that had meant —she still didn't. It made her wonder if it was a hint that she was going down the wrong path. If the Oracle had even been telling the truth, she thought. She was doubting a lot of what the woman had said lately.
"Ah," he said, still trying to affect a light, unbothered tone. "So we're going to rob a giant. Fun."
"You're mad," she said, looking at him deeply concerned.
He laughed at that. "I'm a pirate, love. Stealing from a giant sounds like a brilliant idea. I plan on making sure everyone knows about this quest once we're done. It will add to my notoriety."
"It's dangerous," was all she said in return.
"It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't." He was all bluster. Killian was scared, but he wouldn't tell her. One, he wanted to impress her with how brave he was. Two, he didn't want her to feel bad and worry about backing down.
Fifteen minutes later, they were walking towards the Enchanted Forest again.
Snow kicked out in anger and banged her toe on one of the metal bars in front of her. "Ouch!" She shouted, still full of frustration.
"What did you expect?" David said, chuckling despite their situation.
She glared at him. "I knew that would happen. I'm just so mad!"
Red leaned back against the wall, unable to get comfortable. "First full moon, I'm definitely going to eat him."
Everyone grew quiet then, thinking of the betrayal they had experienced. The whole group that had set out was now locked in the dungeon. They had believed that King Maurice was an ally of theirs, only to discover that he was terrified of the Dark One due to a complicated history with the villain, one that they didn't understand. So, instead of helping, he had captured them and planned to turn them over to appease the man.
Snow looked around at her friend and comrades. She felt desperate to be able to figure out a way to escape. She was coming up blank.
"You're sure you're not mad?" Emma asked again, beanstalk within view mid-afternoon the following day.
Killian rubbed his brow and sighed, "For the thirty-first time today, I'm not mad." He halted and looked at her once she stopped too and turned to face him. "Again, I'm going to remind you that I hadn't asked either. There was a reason for that. I will follow you on any quest you want to go on. Even now, knowing that you have zero fear of giants, I trust your judgment. Mind you, I know this is all, so you can go after the Evil Queen. It's not like I wasn't aware of your fearlessness."
"Or foolishness," she said, frowning. "Am I being stupid doing this all?"
He walked towards her and cupped her cheek. "You know that thing that Merida said that I don't remember?"
"Yeah," Emma said, amused at the way he was bringing it up.
"This is all to stop the Evil Queen from trying to kill your parents. Isn't it?"
Emma let out a long, slow, sad sigh. "I don't know what you're talking about. Why would…?" she choked on the rest of her lie. Unable to look him in the eye, she said, "No one that I love is safe as long as she's alive."
"Then let's go searching for magic beans. I heard from someone that there are some at the top of the beanstalk. We should climb it and steal them from the giant there." He smiled at his joke about hearing it from her.
She cracked a smile. She knew he was trying to show her that he would have chosen that quest, too. "You're batshit crazy," she said in response.
"Yes, but I'm dashing to so I can get away with it," he quipped.
Will Scarlet scowled at Anastasia, "Love, I don't think that's a good idea."
She huffed and dramatically rolled her eyes at him. "He's your friend."
"Who I betrayed." He hated reminding her of his ugly past. It reminded him that he wasn't worthy of her and that she should leave him.
She pulled a fake watch from her pocket and pretended to study it. "Oh, look at that," she said mockingly. "It's pity party o'clock —again!"
"Anastasia, think for a moment. Why-"
She cut him off and said, "He forgave you, dunce. Just because you like to torture yourself over your past mistakes doesn't mean anyone else still cares."
"And if he tells me to go to hell?"
"From the rumors we heard, he then stays stuck in a dungeon." Anastasia grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him to follow her. "And if you're still so upset about the past, rescuing him should help you feel better."
"It's the whole bloody lot of them, love. It's a risk, and you're pregnant."
She shook her head, dismissing his words, "Then be the hero you've become and keep me safe. Now, let's go break into a palace."
Killian and Emma stood staring up the long distance, trying to see the top of the beanstalk. Killian motioned for Emma to go first. "I'm going to love this," he quipped.
"Why?" she asked, puzzled, as she walked over and placed a hand on the stalk.
He smirked. "I get to look at your sexy butt the whole climb up."
She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Flirt."
"Guilty," he quipped.
She turned back to the beanstalk before a frown overtook her face. She hoped he wasn't guilty of anything, but the Oracle had promised betrayal at the top. Her stomach clenched as she began to climb.
