kyla

chapter 23 in life i write sometimes, sometimes I don’t (not taking requests atm)

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MASTERLIST: Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader

ACT 1

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter five

chapter six

chapter seven

chapter eight

chapter nine

chapter ten

chapter eleven

chapter twelve

chapter thirteen

chapter fourteen

chapter fifteen

chapter sixteen

chapter seventeen

chapter eighteen

chapter nineteen

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Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (29)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

 Emma decided it'd be a good idea to go back to Archie's office and check for anything we missed. So far we've turned up empty. There isn't even blood or signs of a struggle. The Charmings came along, as I expected them to. I don't complain though, four sets of eyes are better than two."Regina's file. It's Empty." David says, holding up a manila folder that has Regina's name neatly written on it. His expression is sever as he looks to his wife who practically crumbles at the discovery.

"So she did it. She killed the kindest soul in this town. A man who only cared about helping." She walks over to David who immediately goes to comfort her.

"Don't jump the gun. This has 'set up' written all over it." I say with a shake of my head, getting down on my hands and knees to look under the furniture.

"I promise we'll find whoever really did this." Emma chimes in and I don't need to look to know her parents are giving her a chastising look.

"Isn't it time you guys admit we already have? Regina had a fight with Archie, Ruby saw her outside last night, and now her file is empty. That's a lot of evidence." David implores softly and I roll my eyes.

"Circumstantial evidence." I correct, standing back up once I don't find anything.

"Alice is right, this all screams that Regina is being set up." Emma says and I nod in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Snow asks. I sit down next to Emma once I realize we've searched every inch of this office.

"Well, I don't know how it is in fairy tale land, but in the real world, it's usually hard to find evidence." Emma explains and Snow looks at her thoughtfully.

"It's even harder if the alleged murderer has magic." I add on and thankfully they actually seem like they're listening for once.

"Exactly! This has been way too easy." Emma says and Snow comes over to sit beside her.

"So you think someone is framing her?" She asks, clearly having a hard time believing it.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time this happened in this town." Emma says with a pointed look to Snow.

"Who would want to frame her?" She asks and I laugh.

"Um...only most people in town." I say and Snow nods her head, conceding.

"Yeah, but there's only one name on that list that would resort to killing to get what they want." Emma says and I nod my head, glad we're still on the same page.

"Gold."

We walk into Gold's shop to see Belle and Gold together, clearly planning on going on a picnic. I feel my face lighten up a little when I see Belle. I haven't seen her since our reunion in Gold's shop after the curse broke. I have really got to ask her about her relationship choices soon. Belle and Gold turn to look at the group of us.

"Ah! Nothing warms the heart more than a family reunited. You have your mother's chin miss swan." Gold says casually, still packing the basket. Belle's face lights up once she sees me and I give her a little wave.

"Alice! Thank god you got back alright. I was worried." Belle runs over to me and throws her arms around me, which I return with a small smile.

"We know that you killed him." Emma's words shock Belle out of the hug as she walks back to Gold's side hesitantly.

"And your father's tact." He says with a condescending smile.

"Someone's dead?" Belle looks horrified and I give her a sympathetic smile. I may not be a fan of Gold but that doesn't mean I can't feel sorry for accusing her... boyfriend of murder.

"Archie." I inform her and she looks stricken.

"Why on earth would you think I had anything to do with that?" Gold asks and I roll my eyes.

"Besides being evil? All the evidence points to Regina." I tell him and Belle lets out an incredulous laugh. I look over to see her looking at me with confusion.

"Alice, after everything she's put us through, you don't think she's capable of doing something so vile?" She asks rhetorically and I smile a sad smile in return.

"I know she is. Which is why it should speak volumes that I'm not jumping at the first opportunity to put her behind bars." I tell her and while she still doesn't look convinced, it's clear she at least believes that I don't believe Regina's guilty.

"And it wouldn't be the first time you used someone to try to hurt her." Snow adds on, unamused by Gold's glibness.

"Nice to see your memory's still intact, dearie, but this time I'm afraid I'm gonna have to disappoint you. It wasn't me." He says and I shake my head.

"And we're supposed to just take your word for it?" I ask sarcastically.

"No, but I can prove it. Ask the witness." He smiles condescendingly but his words cause all of us confusion. From what Emma told me, the only people known to be in Archie's office that night were Archie, Regina, and his dog.

"No one was there." I say with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, that's not strictly true, now, is it?" His smile only grows as realization comes over me. There's no way he's serious.

"You want us to interrogate a dog?"

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Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (28)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

I approach Jefferson's massive home with wonder painted across my face. It's not like his cozy little tree house back in Wonderland. Instead, he has a ginormous mansion that nestles perfectly into the woods. As beautiful as his home is, I can't exactly imagine him living here and being happy. I know all to well what it's like to live in a home so large you feel an emptiness inside you so deep you can feel it growing inside you. An infinite void.

That's why me and Andy spent most of our time on the sea in The Wonderland. I've only talked to Andy once since getting back. He hugged me so tightly that I couldn't breath and I had dinner with him and his new wife. God, that will still take some time getting used too.

Jefferson invited me to come have breakfast with him, telling me he has a big surprise for me. I don't know whether to feel dread or excitement. It's always a mixed bag when it comes to him.

I approach the white double doors and don't have time to knock when the door swings open. I furrow my brows when I see that no one is in front of me. I'm about to call out to him when I look down and see a little girl looking up at me with a big grin.

"Uh..." I trail off, aware of how dumb I sound right now. She's probably about eleven years old with golden blonde hair.

"I'm Grace! Father's told me so much about you!" She exclaims and I feel my heart nearly explode out of my chest. I slowly crouch so that we can be eye to tearful eye. Well, at least I have tears in my eyes.

"Grace." I say simply and she simply nods her head, as though she's proud of the fact.

"Alice. Meet my daughter Grace." Jefferson's voice comes from over Grace's shoulder. I look up to see Jefferson smiling at me knowingly. I get up and throw my arms around his shoulders. I bury my face in his chest, not even feeling guilty that I'm getting it wet.

"You found her." My voice is muffled but apparently he can still hear me.

"Why are you crying?" He whispers in my ear, concerned. I pull back to look him in the eyes.

"I promised to help you find her. Instead, I got myself sucked into another portal." I whisper back with eyes full of sorrow and guilt. He smiles at me knowingly then.

"Alice, you did help me find her. You helped break the curse and you won against Cora." He grasps my shoulders for extra emphasis and I look down at my shoes.

"I know, I just-"

"Just nothing. Now come have breakfast." He doesn't let me finish, putting his arm around me and leading me to the kitchen. I notice now that Grace must have left us to give us some privacy. The kitchen is just as large as I had expected and smells like the bakeries back in the enchanted forest.

"I made waffles!" Grace exclaims while serving up the delicious looking food on the already made table.

"And I made tea!" Jefferson adds on, taking his place at the table. I sit across from him, staring down at my plate at the oddly shaped food.

"What's a waffle?" I ask.

"You don't know what a waffle is? It's the best food ever." Grace sits down to my left and sounds down right scandalized by my ignorance.

"She refuses to eat anything else for her breakfast." Jefferson chimes in, jokingly acting annoyed and I laugh a little.

"Well, if it's the best food ever, then I would too." I say, giving her a playful nudge which she grins at.

"Oh, now you're turning on me too." Jefferson mumbles under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Are going to live here with us now?" Grace's question surprises me and also warms my heart at the same time, looking up at me with a hopeful expression.

"I have my own place but as long it's okay with your father, I can stay the night sometimes." She looks sad for a moment but perks up at the mention of a sleep over.

"Really?"

"Now look what you've done." Jefferson says with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"We can watch movies and I just got this new karaoke machine that we can use!" She says, gesturing wildly with her arms. I can't help but grin back, despite not knowing what karaoke is. I had only learned recently what a movie is after spending an embarrassingly long amount of time trying to turn on my television at him. I inevitably had to call Regina to ask her how it works, which she found amusing.

"And I-"

"Father... it's a girls slumber party." Grace chastises her father, as if she's talking to a child. I let out a little laugh behind my hand before leaning over to Grace's ear.

"Are you sure about that Grace? We can always give your dad a nice makeover." I whisper, loud enough to were I know Jefferson can hear me. He sends me a look as Grace's face lights up in delight at the thought.

"Yes!"

"Welcome home, Alice." Jefferson smiles at me softly and I relax my shoulders.

I've decided that waffles are also my favorite food and that I will be eating them every day. Jefferson rolled his eyes when I told him this but lightened up when it made Grace laugh. Once our plates were finished we all sat around the table talking, waiting for the school bus to arrive for Grace. My phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket, making me jump a little. I also had to ask Regina how to use a phone. I look at the screen and see Emma's name in bold white font. Jefferson raises an eyebrow when I stand up suddenly.

"It's Emma, I'll just be a second." I say, holding up my phone. He nods and I go to the next room and hit the green button to answer.

"You need to get down to the station immediately." She says before I can even say a word. My brows furrow.

"I... am I in trouble sheriff?" I say through a somewhat nervous laugh.

"No... it's Archie. He's dead." Her words stop me cold in my tracks.

"What? We just saw him the other night. What happened?" I whisper, not wanting Grace to be worried.

"He's been murdered so you need to get down here immediately." She says impatiently.

"Why?" My voice perplexed. Does she think that I did something to Archie?

"I've been meaning to ask you, and I guess now is as good of a time as any, will you be my deputy?" Her words are rushed and I can't really blame her considering the circumstances. My breath hitches as I consider what she's asking me.

"Like...a job?"

"Yes." I can't help but smile, which is probably inappropriate considering why she's calling me in the first place but I can't help it.

"I'm in. I'll be there as soon as I can." I say and quickly hang up. I walk into the kitchen once more and Jefferson furrows his brows at the smile on my face. "Hey, I really have to go to the station. There's been an emergency. Can I get a ride?"

"The station?" He asks, just as perplexed as I was a minute ago.

"I'm the new deputy of Storybrooke as of one minute ago." I say with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably. He smiles a proud smile.

"I'll get you a ride." He says, already standing. A honking noise comes from outside and I can see the yellow bus parked out front. "Grace, that's the bus. I'll pick you up from school." He tells her and she nods her head, grabbing her back pack.

"Don't forget about our sleepover!" She calls out over her shoulders and I laugh a little.

"I won't! Have a good day!" I say before walking outside myself once the bus pulls off.

"What happened?" He asks as I follow him to the driveway.

"Archie's dead." I say and he stops dead in his tracks and looks over his shoulder with a raised brow.

"The therapist?" He clarifies and I nod my head with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, murdered according to Emma." I say. I'm about to ask him which car we're taking when he holds something out to me. It takes me a moment to process that he's holding a key. I can't help but feel a sense of deja vu. "What?"

"It's yours." He tells me with an amused smile. My eyes widen comically.

"What? Jefferson, you need your car." I say, still not taking the key that he's still holding. He gives me a look before grabbing my hand and placing the key in it.

"This one's my spare. I told you I have a surprise for you." He says with a big smile and look over at the sleek white car.

"I thought the surprise was Grace." I mutter, still a little in disbelief. I may not know much about this world but I do know that these machines are very expensive.

"Well then, here's your second surprise." He says, throwing his arms out before walking over to the passenger side.

"I don't know how to drive!" I exclaim incredulously with a laugh which he returns.

"Get in, I'll teach you." He says before closing the door. I walk over to the drivers side, running my hand along his-my new car before getting in.

"You're crazy."

"But you wouldn't have me any other way."

When I arrive at the station, Emma quickly fills me in on what's happening. According to Ruby, Regina was the last to see Archie after an argument they had on the docks. Which is why she's in custody right now, ready to be questioned.

I haven't known Ruby for long but she doesn't strike me as the type to blatantly lie like this. At least not when it comes to something as important as a murder. I've known Regina for longer and most of that time I've only known her for her cruelty so all things considered, it should be easy for me to believe she would kill Archie. But yet...

"Regina wouldn't do this." I say to Emma and her parents. Snow and David were already here when I got here and seemed surprised when Emma handed me the Deputy's badge. I think David was expecting to help her with the sheriff stuff. Spend more time with his daughter, which is why I didn't complain when they decided to stay.

"She wouldn't?" Snow asks, looking at me incredulously.

"Why would she risk losing Henry over a small tiff?" I ask rhetorically. I can believe Regina would betray me, sure. We have only been friends for less than a week after all. But Henry? That is a much larger pill to swallow.

"Let's go find out." Emma finally chimes in and motions for me to go first into the interrogation room. I pause with my hand on the handle when I notice David stepping as though to come with.

"Wait, why are you coming?" I ask, trying not to sound rude.

"I'm her dad." He says and I shake my head incredulously.

"What?" I get that he wants to spend more time with her but it's a little inappropriate to bring your dad into an interrogation.

"Enough. It's fine, Alice. He can come." Emma says and I simply nod my head before entering the room. Regina looks up and when she sees me she looks shocked. Emma and David follow behind me, closing the door.

"Why are you here?" She asks me.

"I'm the new deputy." I say with an apologetic shrug. Her eyebrows raise but she doesn't look upset by it.

"Congratulations." She turns her attention to Emma. "Why am I here?"

"You know why you're here. Because of Archie." Emma says, examining her expression.

"Oh, it's now against the law to get into an argument with someone?" Regina asks rhetorically, sounding genuinely confused.

"It is if you go to their office later that night and kill them." David chimes in from behind me, leaning back against the wall. Regina looks stricken with shock, her face turning peaky as she looks to me. I feel a pang of guilt in my chest when she realizes that everyone thinks she did it. I try to convey with my eyes that I believe her but she's too worked up to notice or doesn't care.

"Archie's dead?" She somberly.

"Stop it, Regina. Ruby saw you going into his office last night." David snaps and I shoot him a warning look which he ignores.

"Then she's lying. I was home all evening." She shoots back, going into defense mode. When nobody says anything she snaps. "After everything I've done to change, to win Henry back, why would I toss it all away now?" I shoot Emma a pointed look at that which she returns with a subtle nod of her head. I let out a little sigh of relieve, realizing that Emma also realizes that something's not adding up. "And if I did, and I was going to kill Archie, you would never know it. The fact that he's dead and you caught me shows sloppiness."

"She's right, it doesn't add up." I say and Regina looks at me with wide eyes, as though she expected me to turn on her. Well, jokes on her.

"Come on, Emma. Who do you think is lying? Ruby or her? She's incapable of change, no matter how many times we've given her the chance. Why should this time be different?" David asks, outrage clear in his voice. I finally turn to face him.

"I think you're bias is getting in the way of thinking about this objectively." I say lowly and he shoots me an irritated look.

"Come on, we can talk out here." Emma cuts in before he can reply and I nod my head. We make our way out of the interrogation room to see Snow staring through the window at Regina tearfully.

"So what now?" Snow asks once the door is close, not bothering to turn to talk to us.

"Lock her up." David says immediately.

"We can't lock her up because she didn't do it." Emma says and I nod my head in agreement.

"That's what I've been saying." I mutter and Snow finally turns to look at us incredulously.

"You really believe her?" She furrows her brows, the tears now gone from her eyes.

"I watched her when we told her Archie was dead. She didn't know." Emma explains.

"Besides, it's not about believing, it's about none of this making sense. Why would someone with magic walk through a front door to murder someone in plain view? Why do we even know he's dead to begin with? Why would she leave the body to be found?" I add on and Snow and David look at each other, unconvinced.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Snow asks.

"Let her go." I say immediately. Whether or not Regina really is guilty, we have no evidence to even charge her.

"Alice-"

"We let her go." Emma interrupts her dad and I give her a thankful nod of my head before speaking up once more.

"And then we find the truth."

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Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (27)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

I almost expected the apartment Regina gave me to be as sterile as the cell she had put me in. I was surprised to find the place to feel like... home. As soon as I walked in, the place was fully furnished, even with clothes in the closet. The first thing I had done was tear off the worn out clothes that had encased my frail body for too long. I'll admit that I cried in the shower (which I was aloud to use for more than five minutes) for a good thirty minutes before getting dressed in my own clothes. It made me wonder if she had planned to give me the apartment as an apology before I forgave her.

This place can't undo the damage that's already been done to my mind and body. The bones sticking through my skin makes that quite apparent. But like I told her, it's a good start. A damn good one.

Emma had invited me to the welcome back party tonight when we went to Granny's. I had considered not going, wishing to spend more time getting adjusted, but I ultimately decided it would be best for me to socialize more.

The only problem is that I kind of, sort of, invited Regina. Despite her trying to kill us yesterday. But it felt like the right thing to do. Especially since she's the only reason that we're here to begin with.

I look over at the clock and see I have about thirty minutes to get ready before heading to Granny's. Most of that time is spent rooting through my closet. The clothing here is strange compared to what I'm used to in the Enchanted forest but I like them better. Comfortable. The only comfortable clothes I wore in the Enchanted forest were my pajamas.

I eventually decide on a long black skirt made of cotton that reaches below my knees and a thick green sweater that is too large on me. Which I appreciate, as it makes me look less sickly. I quickly put my hair up before leaving my apartment with a small bounce in my steps.

I approach Granny's to see Regina sitting in her car. I can't see her face because she's looking down but I can sense something's off with her. I glance through the windows to see the others already making a toast. I sigh heavily. They couldn't even wait for me. I approach her window and know lightly. She looks up and sees me standing there with an awkward smile. She rolls down her window.

"Hey, you alright?" I ask, leaning down slightly. I can see she has some sort of dish of food in her lap that smells like heaven. I'm almost tempted to reach down and take it from her.

"Oh, yes, you're a bit late." She says with a tight smile before opening her door and stepping out.

"Yeah, I got a little lost. I'm still getting used to the town." I explain with a little laugh. "You ready?" She doesn't answer but simply nods her head. I can see that she's nervous and I can't really blame her. We open the door and everyone stops dead in their tracks as they notice who's with me. The smiles that had been on their faces drop. I start to feel a little nervous myself, wondering if they'll kick me out for inviting her.

"Sorry we're late." I say with a small smile. Leroy grabs a knife off the counter before anyone can even say anything else.

"What is she doing here?" He seethes, holding the knife out as though we showed up in full armor and armed. I had thought of bringing my sword, out of habit, but Emma reassured me that wouldn't be necessary but now I'm really starting to question that.

"I invited her." I say, looking at Leroy with pleading eyes to treat her normally. Leroy puts down the knife but Snow quickly grabs me by my wrist and pulls me aside. Emma and David join her, looking at me as though I've lost it. I'm so tired of people looking at me like that.

"Why would you invite her?" Snow whispers frantically, jaw clenched.

"Because we wouldn't be here celebrating if it wasn't for her." I answer immediately.

"Didn't you think to tell us?" Emma's voice is softer and less accusatory.

"How would I? I don't have a phone nor do I even know where you live." I say with a roll of my eyes.

"Alice, she imprisoned you for-" Snow starts but I don't let her finish.

"You don't get to tell me when or if I should be upset about that. Ever." I snap quietly and she looks as though I've struck her. She looks down at her shoes guiltily and I sigh in resignation. "Look, if you truly want someone to change, you have to stop treating them like a villain and give people credit when they do the right thing. She saved us and she deserves our thanks for that as much as anyone else." I implore passionately but Snow and David don't look too convinced.

"Alice is right." Emma's words shock me and I turn to see her giving her parents a resigned look of her own. They both look even more shocked than me.

"Emma!"

"What?" They exclaim at the same time.

"She's trying to change for Henry. He believes in her. And right now, that's enough for me." Without further argument, she walks away and I join her.

I've spent hours getting to know these people. Emma, Snow, and I regaled the room with how we managed to defeat Cora. I learned that Ruby is Granny's granddaughter and that she's an honest to god wolf. I spent the whole conversation with her daydreaming about running through the woods as a wolf. Archie is the towns therapist and was an honest to god cricket! I liked him the best. He even offered for me to come talk to him if I ever needed to get anything off my chest.

I chatted with Regina a bit about her lasagna but she seemed too withdrawn to have a proper conversation with. I look over and see she's grabbing her coat and already halfway out the door. I shoot up from my seat and grab my own stuff before running after her.

"Regina!" I call out just in time before she gets in her car. She looks surprised and turns to face me. "I just wanted to say... I feel it too."

"Feel what?" Her face twists to one of confusion.

"Like I don't belong here." I say simply with a sad smile. It feels good to say it out loud. As amazing as everyone's been to me tonight, there's always this nagging feeling I can't shake that I just don't belong. At least not in the way everyone else is.

"Why wouldn't you? Everyone here has welcomed you with open arms." She tells me, a little irritated.

"My name isn't even on the welcome back banner." I point out with a shrug. Which is true. I guess it's pretty hard to feel like you belong when you don't even get your name on a banner for your own welcome back party.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asks.

"Because I felt it too, in Gold's shop. I felt like the only person who didn't belong but then I looked over and I could see that you felt it too. I don't know...it made me feel it less." I explain, somewhat poorly.

"I tortured you." She deadpans and I can't help but laugh at that under my breath.

"Yes." Is all I say but she stares back at me expectantly. I sigh. "I'm a strange person Regina. I always have been. I'm too forgiving of people because I know what it's like to regret the things you've done. To try to do better but to not be given a chance. I want to give you that chance." I say sincerely and she looks away, as though she's fighting back tears. I look down, trying to give her her privacy.

"I don't know what to say-" She says quietly and without thinking, my hand shoots out. She looks down at my hand as though it's on fire or something else bizarre. "What's this?"

"An offering of friendship." I say and she hesitantly reaches out and takes my hand with a hopeful smile. "Friends?"

"Friends." She says, sounding more self assured than she had the whole night.

"Regina!" Emma runs through the door and looks between us in confusion.

"Have a good night Regina. Thanks for the invite Emma but I'm gonna head out." I say with a small wave.

"Oh, okay, thanks for coming Alice." Emma says with a genuine smile, which I return before turning to walk back home.

"Alice!" I turn to see Regina giving me a sincere smile. "Thank you."

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Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (26)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

After Emma and Henry's tearful reunion, we ran straight to Gold's shop. We followed behind a frantic Snow, antsy to wake up her husband. When we got there there's already a group formed around David. I recognize some of them from the day the curse is broken. Leroy and the other dwarves that I never learned the names of along with Ruby.

Snow sits by David's side and leans down while everyone holds their breath in anticipation. Her lips press into his and a bright light fills the room almost instantly. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when David's eyes open, filled with love at the sight of his wife. I feel a pang in my chest that I've grown used to over the years. Loneliness. It's especially alive in this room, filled with old friends and family. Myself being the only odd one out. Well, not exactly.

I look over to see Regina standing to the side and I can't help but sympathize with her. She's an outcast due to her own actions but the look in her eye is all too familiar. I had lumped Cora and Regina together without a second thought when I had discovered she's Cora's daughter. But I've never seen Cora show any emotion before. Just cruelty.

"How about dinner at Granny's? On me." Ruby's words break me out of my thoughts as she looks around the room.

"As long as it's not Chimera, I'm in." Emma jokes and I clench my jaw. I shift uncomfortably, unsure if the invite even extends to me. Me and Emma have become pretty close over the past couple of days along with Snow but everyone else doesn't know me.

"Alice, are you coming?" Emma's voice calls out and I look up in surprise, immediately feeling stupid for feeling the way I did.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll be there in a bit." I stutter out and she gives me a nod before putting her arm around Henry's shoulder and walking out. The rest follow after her joyfully catching up. I turn around once I can no longer hear the chatter to face Regina who looks as though she's barely holding it together.

"Let me guess, this is the part where you get your revenge." She spits out tearfully and I sigh heavily. I don't say anything for a good minute, considering.

"No. This is the part where I offer you forgiveness." I say softly. Her gaze shoots up so fast it was almost comical. She looks almost horrified, causing me to laugh a little.

"Why?" She asks suspiciously.

"I know your mother. She's hated me since I was a little girl. Before I could even manage to pick up a sword, let alone use one." I begin to explain. I trail off for a moment, lost in memories of Wonderland.

"Where are you going with this?" She asks lowly.

"Your mother would have closed that portal and never looked back." I say simply and she looks at me, starting to understand. "You're trying. I'm not going to treat someone who's trying like a villain. Especially when I now know you learned it all from her." I explain. I mean every word too, which is probably more shocking to me than it is to her.

"I..." She trails off, looking as though I had just stuck her. Still though, beneath it all, I can see she's truly affected by my words.

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that I'm wiping the slate clean." I tell her with a nod. She takes a moment to compose herself, wiping her eyes discreetly.

"Thank you, Alice." She mutters under her breath but I hear her none the less.

"You wanna come to Granny's?" I ask awkwardly, extending another olive branch. She looks even more shocked but she hides it well with a faux smile.

"No, thank you. I don't think I'm welcome." She says, looking down at the ground with a rueful smile.

"I understand." Is all I say with an apologetic smile before turning to catch up with the others.

"Alice!" I stop dead in my tracks and turn around with furrowed brows. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out... a set of keys? She holds them out to me, urging me to grab them. I reach out hesitantly before doing so.

"What's this?" I ask dumbly.

"A key. To an apartment here in Storybrooke." Comes her simple reply. My eyes widen and I look up to see she has an apologetic look on her face.

"You're giving me an apartment?" I ask, dumbfounded.

"Consider it an apology." She says as an explanation and I feel tears start to form in my own eyes. Maybe she really has changed after all.

"I've never had a place of my own... I've always shared it with either my mother or husband...." I say to myself before grinning at her. "Thank you Regina. This is a good start."

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (25)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

The sound of metal hitting metal was wearing thin ten minutes ago. Emma brings the sword back to hit the bars once more and I consider standing in the way. Just to make the noise stop.

"We aren't going to break it down, Emma. It was enchanted to hold Rumpelstiltskin. We don't have a chance." Thankfully Snow's words make her stop. A defeated look comes across Emma's face as she slides down the wall next to me. We all sit in silence for a minute, coming to terms with the situation. Well, at least the others are. I've been staring at the same spot for ten minutes, unmoving, and unable to speak.

"This is my fault." Aurora breaks the silence, voice wrought with guilt.

"No, it's mine. Cora stole your heart because I failed to protect you." Mulan chimes in just as defeated as the rest.

"That's very sweet, but I believe it's my fault. I'm the savior and I'm not doing much saving, am I?" Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the devastation on Emma's face. I can't say I blame her. She'll die in this cell, unable to see her son ever again.

"I know how you feel." I say, soft enough that I'm not even sure she can hear me. "Being told who you are and what you're supposed to do, only to fail at every turn." I add. I think back to the prophecy Jefferson had told me about. How so many people in Wonderland had risked their lives and sacrificed themselves so I could defeat Cora. But I keep failing. I wish Jefferson were here now.

"I guess we have something in common then." She responds back under her breath. I shake my head and stand up abruptly.

"Something's not right though." I voice my thoughts out loud, pacing back and forth.

"Obviously. We're trapped in a cell." She says in a monotone voice. I let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, I mean with Rumpelstiltskin. He may be a lot of things, a liar included, but he's never wrong." I say, talking to myself out loud. He led us here. Did Cora really outsmart The Dark One?

"You think he's working with Cora? To trap us here?" Mulan asks and I shake my head immediately.

"No. I doubt even The Dark One wants anything to do with her." I answer. I keep trying to wrap my head around it but I can't. He led us here to find squid ink. He had to have known that there wouldn't be any left. So why?

"It's possible he thought there was ink in here and was mistaken." Snow offers and I shrug off that response as well.

"Does that sound like him?" I ask with an incredulous expression.

"No. It doesn't." Her brows furrow, her face becoming just as confused as my own. I keep pacing for a while before I remember something. My heart lurches hopefully.

"Oh my god." I say, a slow grin coming over my face.

"What?" Emma looks at me as though I've lost my mind.

"When I was in Wonderland, as a little girl, Cora had cast a spell on me. One to make me grow after I had drank a potion that made me shrink!" I exclaim but she just shakes her head, not following my line of thought.

"Okay..." She trails off. The others look to her for answers but she just shrugs her shoulder.

"Where are you going with this?" Snow asks.

"Let me see that scroll." I reach my hand towards Emma impatiently. She furrows her brows but reaches into her jacket regardless.

"This one? I've already looked at every inch. There's only my name, let alone a spell." I take the scroll from her, unwinding it to look at the neat hand writing once again with a grin.

"You're a genius, Alice!" Snow stands and looks just as elated. Emma looks to her, confused. "When I was a little girl I used to sneak into Cora's chamber and watch her practice magic. She had a spell book and, Emma, the spells were in the book." She explains but Emma doesn't seem to understand still.

"Yeah, isn't that what a spell book is? A book that has spells in it?" She asks, gesturing sarcastically with one hand.

"Just watch." I say and face the cell. I hold the paper out in front of me with shaky hands, trembling with hope and excitement. I blow softly on the scroll, just as I had seen Cora do to me. Then it happens, the ink from the page lifts and turns into a small black cloud of smoke.

"Squid ink! Gold wrote the scroll in squid ink!" Emma practically shouts, springing up from where she's seated. I blow the small cloud towards the bars and they dissipate before our eyes.

"Let's go home." I say softly, matching Emma's grin with one of my own. She gives me a thankful smile. We go to leave but Aurora stops us.

"Wait! I can't go, you have to tie me up." She lingers in the cell, unwilling to put us at risk again.

"No, I'm not leaving without you." Mulan protests, stepping towards her to get her to follow us.

"I can't be trusted. Not as long as Cora has my heart." Aurora pleads.

"She's right. Besides, she'll be safer here, away from Cora." I tell Mulan. She looks over at me in consideration for a moment before nodding her head.

"Then I will get it back for you." Mulan says and I feel my heart warm at her words. It's clear that Mulan's feelings for Aurora run far deeper than just friendship. It must be nice to have someone who cares about you so deeply.

"Mulan..."

"I will." She reassures with an air of finality.

"Mulan. We gotta go." Emma says.

"Do it." Aurora demands and Mulan finally relents. She ties her to the bars gently, Aurora's hands behind her back.

"Good luck." Aurora tells us before we take off running.

We arrive at the portal just in time to see Cora and Hook holding onto the compass, ready to take the plunge into StoryBrooke. Snow knocks an arrow and sends it flying, thrusting the compass out of their grasps. They look up, shock apparent on both of their faces. I smirk slightly at the small victory.

"You're not going anywhere!" Snow shouts.

"This portal's taking us home." Emma's voice is hardened. Her tone reminiscent of when we fought the dragon together. God, that feels like years ago now.

"I'll grab the compass! You distract Cora!" I shout, running to where the compass had landed. Hook prepares his rapier when he sees me heading for him.

"What about Hook?" Emma shouts in concern from behind me.

"I can handle him!" I shout, not bothering to turn to look at her as I face off with Hook who smirks at me. I draw my sword and get into a fighting position.

"Can you, Love?" He goads but I don't let him get to me. Not now. Not when I'm so close.

"You're about to find out." I take the first swing, which he blocks with ease. The second swing I take leaves his torso open so I kick him away from me. He grunts but the kick doesn't deter him one bit. He brings his sword down, putting me on defense now. He twists his blade, ripping the Vorpal sword out of my hand.

I know it would be stupid to go to grab it so I lunge at him instead. I kick him once again but he must have anticipated it and grabs my foot and pulls. I fall back into the sand hard, hitting my head. I feel my vision go black for a moment but I go to grab my sword but he still has a hold on my foot, dragging me out of arms reach.

Then all the fighting stops as we all watch in horror as Aurora's heart goes flying in the air, heading directly for the portal. Hook lets go of me, leaning over the portal and catching the heart with his hook. I get up while he's distracted, picking my sword up. He throws the heart to Mulan who looks at him in confusion.

"I may be a pirate but I bristle at the thought of a woman losing her heart." He shrugs arrogantly before looking back to me with a smirk. "Unless it's over me." I ignore him and turn my back to him.

"Go!" I shout to Mulan.

"No, you need the compass!" She protests but I shake my head with a reassuring smile.

"And Aurora needs her heart." I say and she looks at me with a genuine grin before taking off. I turn back to face Hook, who apparently didn't have it in him to literally stab me in the back.

"Well, it looks like you found your conscience again." I say sarcastically and he shrugs.

"I didn't. I just like a fair fight." And without any further words he brings his sword down against mine once again. He's moving much faster this time and I do my best to keep up. He swings, spinning in a circle in an impressive move that I barely manage to block. I push back against him but he just gets closer.

"You've gotten better since we last met. But you still can't best me." He says and I feel his foot maneuver behind mine, lifting it so he can grab it with his Hook. I fall back to the ground with a frustrated groan. I hold my sword out but he manages to trap my sword between his blade and his Hook. He looks at me with an unreadable expression. He kneels down, sliding both his blades against mine until his face is all too close to my own.

I can feel it, digging into my back and I fight the urge to grin. I put on the best defeated face I can manage, reaching underneath me with my free hand.

"I don't want to have to kill you, Alice. But with my life on the line you've left me no choice. You might as well quit now, and I'll spare you the pain of my blade." He tells me cockily. I grin when I feel my hand wrap around the cool metal of the compass. He raises a brow at my smiling face, confused by my change in attitude.

"Why quit? When I've already won?" I gloat, showing the compass. He looks at it in shock so I take the opportunity to kick him much harder than I had before. He stumbles back with a yell and I jump to my feet. I strike before he can gather his baring. He continues to block my attacks but I keep them coming with a renewed vigor. Eventually, I let him think he's gained the upper hand. Using his blade to stop me from swinging. "You chose the wrong side, love." I spit out and bring my non sword hand and crack it against his cheek as hard as I can. The effect is immediate. His body goes limp as he falls to the ground.

I grin in triumph before turning around to see Emma and Snow still struggling with Cora. I bring my sword up and fearlessly approach Cora. She turns, catching sight of me and grins, making my skin crawl.

"Oh, dear Alice. You really think you can defeat me? After all this time?" She taunts. Emma and Snow attempt to run towards her from behind but she throws them back with a wave of her hand.

"Enough." I say coldly before swinging at her but just as I anticipated, she disappears into a ring of smoke. I immediately, without looking behind me, swing my sword back and I grin when I feel it impact. I turn to find Cora clutching her arm where I had sliced her.

"You insolent little girl!" She shouts through gritted teeth.

"Woman." I correct before swinging once more. This time when she disappears, she reappears a little farther away, holding Hook's limp body up as a shield. My heart picks up speed, hesitating to attack now.

"What are doing?" I ask venomously. She simply grins and instead of answering me, she rips out his heart. He drops to the ground and I feel all the air leave my lungs.

"Drop the Vorpal sword or else my dear friend here will die." She threatens, holding out the heart for me to see and squeezing it lightly. I clench my jaw at the sight. Hook doesn't even twitch whenever she squeezes.

"You think I care whether he lives or dies? He made his bed. Twice." I say, knowing in my heart I don't mean it, even though I should.

"Very well." She says simply and begins to squeeze with no sign of stopping this time. I grip my sword tighter, knowing that without my sword she'll win. Then I look over at Hook's defenseless form and curse myself for what I'm about to do. I release my grip on the Vorpal sword as though it had burned me.

"Stop! Stop! Okay, I'm dropping it! Just... stop." I shout, pathetically pleading for the life of a man who would more than likely kill me if the price was high enough. She grins releasing her grip on his heart and I take a deep breath as though it was my heart she had been holding.

"How predictable." She waves her hand and my sword goes flying somewhere behind her. She doesn't get the chance to attack me though because an arrow flies directly into her shoulder. She drops his heart and I lunge forward, grabbing it before it lands on the ground. Cora's attention is now centered on Emma and Snow. I look over at them with wide eyes.

"Go!" Emma shouts, gesturing to Hook. I run to his side, falling to my knees as I cradle the heart gently. I look down, unsure how I'm supposed to do this. I press his heart over where his heart should go and press it down. It goes back in without issue because he gasps, eyes opening to see me looking down at him. His jaw clenches in anger and I remember that I had just knocked him out.

"You-"

"Sorry." I interrupt before he can attack and bring my fist back swiftly and it connects with his face. He falls back once more, unconscious.

"Goodbye, Snow!" Cora's words cause me to look up in time to see Cora about to rip out Snow's heart. Just as her fist connects, Emma gets in the way. Me and Snow watch in horror as her hand goes through her chest.

"Emma!" Snow goes to run towards Emma but Cora throws her back.

"No!" I shout, realizing that we've lost.

"Oh, you foolish girl. Don't you know? Love is weakness." Cora tells Emma and when she goes to pull her heart out it doesn't budge. I sit up, feeling less anxious now and more confused when Cora tries again but fails. Emma smiles a knowing smile.

"No! It's strength." She says and then a bright light explodes from her, pushing Cora back. I look over to where she landed and grin when I see she's been knocked out cold. I let out a victorious shout and run to where she had thrown my sword. I pick it up reverently before turning back to see Emma's shocked face. "What was that?" She asks me but I just grin along with Snow.

"That is a great subject for discussion, when we get home." Snow says and I hold up the compass and walk to the edge of the portal, shaking with anticipation. Snow and Emma grab my outstretched hand tightly.

"Let's do this!" Emma says with an excited grin.

"You guys ready?" I ask and when they nod we all jump on the count of three. As we go through the portal I let a single tear trail down my cheek. A tear of happiness that we won. Even though I'm sure that won't be the last I've seen of Cora, since the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled, I let myself revel in today's victory.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (24)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

The more we look around the rocky cavern that was once Rumpelstiltskin's cell, the more I'm beginning to think the ink doesn't even exist. How is squid ink supposed to help us defeat her to begin with? I shake my head, sticking my hand in another crevice. This had better work.

"The squid ink, it's not here." I say, irritated. I look over to Snow and Emma who approach with confused looks on their faces.

"Gold said we would find it." Snow's voice is filled with worry as she swings her head from left to right.

"He hasn't exactly proved to be the most forthcoming person." I say with a heavy sigh. I swear, if Gold has led us on another wild goose chase, I'm going to personally ring his neck.

"Well, was there anyone else in here with him? Could they have taken the ink?" Mulan asks, holding the torch up to the stone walls to see better.

"No. He was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden. He was too dangerous to allow any human contact." Snow shakes her head vehemently.

"How'd he keep from going crazy." Emma mutters to herself.

"I did." I answer without thinking. Emma shoots me a sympathetic look. "Sort of." I correct, looking down at the twenty eight scars carved into my forearm. "Well..."

"He didn't." Aurora chimes in, ignoring my musings. I look over at her and see she's holding a scroll of some sort. The paper looks warn but is surprisingly well preserved for something that old.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Is it a message?" Emma walks over to Aurora and holds out her hand.

"Yes. And I think it's for you." Aurora hands the scroll to Emma.

"Why would you think...that?" Emma says as she slowly unfurls the scroll. I can hear the fear in her voice and it doesn't take even a second to figure out why. On the scroll is Emma's name. Written repeatedly.

"Oh." I say. Emma walks over to a rock and sits, staring down at the scroll in disbelief while the rest of us continue to look for the ink. Why would Gold use up so much ink to write one name? I mean, I know Emma is the savior, destined to break the curse but what good does that do? I guess it's no use trying to decipher the motivations of a mad man.

"What does this even mean?" Emma asks, perplexed.

"He was obsessed with you, Emma. You were the key to breaking the curse." Snow reaches up to check a crevice that's too hard to see from the ground.

"We've looked everywhere. There's no ink in this cell." I say once she comes up empty handed.

"No, there has to be. He told David." Snow's voice becomes more panicked and I can't really blame her. Her husband is stuck in an eternal sleep until she kisses him.

"Need I remind you that 'he'  is Gold? In the little time I've known him, he's done nothing but lie." I point out, throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Besides, you were in a netherworld. Maybe something got lost in translation." Emma says, still unable to tear her eyes away from the paper. If she glares at the parchment any harder she might burn a hole through it.

"No. She heard right." Mulan's words fill me with hope as we all run over to her.

"You have it?" I ask breathlessly. In her hand is a stained jar. A notably empty jar.

"In a manner of speaking. There was ink in this cell." She tilts the jar up to the light, trying to see if there are any traces of the ink left. I let out a humorless laugh.

"Wow, who would have thought? The Dark One? Leading us astray?" My voice is laced with sarcasm. Emma shoots me an annoyed look and I simply shrug in response. Before anyone can even stop her, Aurora picks up a rock and throws it at the mechanism that keeps the door open. She hits it on the first try, much to my horror.

"Aurora! What are you doing?" Emma goes to run towards the closing gate.

"No!" I scream, my heart beating out of my chest when the heavy metal touches the ground. I can feel a familiar panic crawling up my throat. Some days in the asylum I would become all too aware that I couldn't escape. Not just my cell, but my own body. My own brain. My clothes. These fucking clothes. On those days, the nurses would give me a friendly shot to help me sleep.

I grasp the cool metal of the bars, pressing my forehead against them. There is no medicine in this world to help me calm down.

"Helping me." I don't even have to open my eyes to know that Cora is standing in front of me. This can't be happening. Not again. After all these years, I still am unable to beat her. All that talk about prophecy had been wrong.

"No! No..." I whisper and tug on the bars as hard as I can, finally opening my eyes to see the all too please smile on her face. I clench my jaw.

"Don't waste your energy, dear. Rumpelstiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell." She chastises and I can't help but let the look of defeat overtake my features.

"No." I whisper.

"Thank you, Aurora. We couldn't have done it without you." Cora's words make all our heads snap to Aurora. My blood turns to ice as I stare her down. She looks just as shocked as the rest of us.

"Why would you do this?" Emma snaps at her. All Aurora can do is shake her head and open and close her mouth a couple of times.

"Don't blame her. She was only doing what she was told." Cora reaches into her robes and pulls out a red heart and all the pieces click into place.

"You took her heart." I hear Emma say from behind me, sounding truly horrified. I wish I could feel surprised by this new revelation but there's a reason she's known as The Queen of Hearts.

"Actually, I did. It was a gift." Hooks voice says and it's only then that I notice him. Leaning against the wall casually. I had been too preoccupied with Cora to even notice him. The realization of what's happening comes over me, slower than I'd like to admit. He played me for a fool. I'd actually believed him and trusted him.

"Figures." I say, my heart turning cold. "Figures you're just as weak willed as you were before." I say and a look crosses over his face that I can't quite decipher before it's replaced with a cruel smirk.

"I'm not the one who's trapped in a cage, Love." He says and I just shake my head ruefully. His jaw clenches whenever my gaze doesn't falter and looks away.

"Forgive us. We'd love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits." The both of them go to leave and I feel the panic begin to rear its ugly head once again.

"No! Hook, please wait." I call out and thankfully he stops dead in his tracks. I wait for him to turn his head to look at me. "Don't do this. I tried to help you. You know I did so please. I'm not asking, I'm begging." I plead and I curse myself for sounding so pathetic. I can see it now, the guilt hiding beneath the surface but he turns without another word. I smack my hands on the bars. "Bastard!" I turn my attention to his ally. "Cora!" I don't know what comes over me in this moment but I feel it. The fear in me is replaced by years anger over losing to this witch. Over losing to him.

"Yes, dear?" She asks condescendingly.

"I will not die in a cell. I spent twenty eight years locked up and I was able to get free. Your death is my destiny so you can best believe that I will get out of here. And when I do? I will show you the same amount of mercy you've shown me. None." I finish and she clenches her jaw. I don't give her time to respond as I turn my attention to Hook. "As for you. I don't have to kill you. She'll dispose of you and never think of you again. And when that happens, I won't lift a finger to help you." I say and to my surprise, he doesn't even look angry. He just turns away, waiting for his master, I'm assuming.

"Well, it looks like little Alice finally found her teeth." Cora says with a little laugh, approaching the bars and placing her hand on them to lean close to me. "It's a shame you'll never get to use them." I feel it in me stronger now, a flare of anger so strong I feel as though I can't contain it any-.

Me and Cora both rip our hands from the bars as they scorch our hands. I look down at my palms to see the red and angry burns. Had she done that?...or me?  I look up just in time to see the brief glimmer of fear in her eyes before she turns and leaves for good this time.

"Let's go."

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (23)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

Thankfully we manage to find some poppy seeds before sundown. Well, Mulan found them and we followed. She uses her blade to carefully crush the seeds into a fine powder.

"The powder's nearly ready." Mulan doesn't look up from her task but spares a glance at us over her shoulder. I nod my head.

"How long will the effects last?" Snow asks, settling down against a tree. Emma sits down next to her and grabs her hand.

"It's difficult to say. Maybe an hour. Or much less." Mulan guesses. I give Snow a nod of confirmation.

"That sounds about right. The giant wasn't out for long." I say and she looks a little relieved.

"Well, I shouldn't need much time. So long as Henry is in there when I am." She gives Emma a small smile at the mention of Henry. I sigh heavily.

"I hope you don't mind but I'm also gonna get some rest while I can. You guys will keep watch?" I ask, feeling the strings of exhaustion threatening to pull me under. Emma gives me a small smile.

"Of course." She reassures before turning her attention to her mother. "I'll be right here. Say hi to my son for me." Mulan stands up, clenching the powder in her hand before bending down. She uncurls her fist and delicately blows the powder in Snow's face. The effects are almost immediate. Her head falls to the side and her eyes flutter until they're closed for good. I give a nod to Emma and settle back, allowing myself to truly rest for the first time since coming here.

I awake with a start, having been elbowed by Snow in her haste to get up.

"What the hell?" I sit up quickly, watching as Snow runs over to the rock Mulan had been using to make the powder.

"What happened? What are you doing?" Emma asks, an incredulous look crossing her face. Me and Emma both stand as Snow frantically looks at the rock.

"I'm looking for more powder." She sounds like she's on the verge of crying but I can't help but let out a frustrated sigh.

"Going back to sleep isn't a good idea Snow, what happened?" I ask, leaning down in hopes of getting her attention to no avail.

"No, I have to go back in. He's all alone." She says and Emma's confused face becomes just as frantic in an instance. My own brows furrow.

"Henry? Is he okay?" Emma kneels next to Snow.

"I'm sure he is, he can just...wake up." I say, putting my hand on Emma's shoulder.

"No, it's David. He went under a sleeping spell so he could see me. He thought that my kiss would wake him, but it didn't and now he's trapped." Snow shakes her head, tears threatening to fall any minute now. Thankfully, her behavior is starting to make sense now.

"Okay, slow down. David is trapped in there?" Emma sounds more shocked now than anything.

"I have to get back. There's only one way to help him." Snow ignores Emma's question, continuing her frenzied search of the rock. I look around and I feel my heart drop to my stomach whenever I see a certain warrior missing.

"Yes, yes. True loves kiss. Emma, where's Mulan?" I snap and she shoots me a confused look at my tone shift.

"We have to get back, if we don't-" Snow starts up again, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"We will." Emma wraps an arm around Snow and I squeeze her shoulder hard.

"Emma!" I snap and her head shoots up to look at my irritated face. She glares at me and goes to say something but I interrupt before she can get a breath in. "The compass! Where is it?" Her brows furrow as she stands, putting her hand in her pocket. The look of realization on her face would have been funny if it didn't make my breathing stop.

"No..." She whispers and I clench my jaw. I bend down, helping Snow off the ground before grabbing both her arms firmly.

"Shit. Snow, what did David tell you? How do we stop Cora?" I demand as softly as possible, given her state of mind.

"He said the key to stopping her is in his jail cell." She says with a nod, almost as though she's comforting herself. I let go and run.

"We need to catch up with Mulan, come on!"

It doesn't take long to catch up with Snow's tracking skills. I'm the first to spot Mulan's flashy armor not that far ahead of us.

"There!" I whisper-shout and Snow draws her bow and fires off an arrow right next to Mulan's head. She stops dead in her tracks. I draw my sword and Snow approaches with her own weapon drawn.

"That was a warning shot. Try to run and I promise the next one won't be." Snow's voice is cold as ice. Mulan slowly turns around with a frustrated look. Join the party. I think bitterly.

"How did you find me?" She asks.

"I know a thing or two about tracking." Snow doesn't back down but I lower my sword once I see Mulan put her hands in the air in surrender.

"And it's not like you were covering your tracks. Have somewhere to be?" I ask sarcastically.

"All we want is the compass." Emma reasons and Mulan looks down for a moment.

"Very well." She says and goes for her sword. Before either Emma or I can even take a step, Snow has her pinned to the ground. She has an arrow in hand, holding it flush against her throat.

"Give. Me. The. Compass." She demands through gritted teeth. I raise a surprised brow at her sudden aggression.

"And seal Aurora's fate?" Mulan doesn't flinch away from the arrow. In fact, she looks even more defiant. I have a feeling that won't bode well for us.

"We learned how to overpower Cora. Once we get what we need, we will defeat her and Aurora will be free!" Snow snaps, also not willing to bend on the matter."Another journey. Just as I predicted there would be! Our best chance to save Aurora is to make that trade now." Mulan seethes and I take a step forward.

"Mulan-" I start.

"Not gonna happen. Without that compass, we can't go home." Snow presses the arrow harder against Mulan who tilts her head up.

"Then I hope you're prepared to use that arrow." She says decisively. I can see it on Snow's face, that she's fully prepared to kill her.

"Snow. Don't." I demand but she doesn't listen. To mine and Emma's horror, Alice brings the arrow up, getting ready to strike.

"Stop!" A familiar voice calls out from in front of us. I look up to see Aurora standing there, as healthy as she was when she left.

"Uh." I say dumbly.

"Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but how the hell did you get here?" Emma's face is just a confused as my own. We all stare up at her, frozen in disbelief.

"Let Mulan go." She walks down the hill, approaching Snow and Mulan. Snow is too shocked by Aurora's sudden appearance to process anything she's saying. "I said, let her go." Snow finally does, standing up slowly.

"Were you followed?" Mulan asks with a relieved smile.

"There's no way you escaped Cora. How are you here?" I interrupt, grasping my sword a little tighter. This could quickly turn into another Lancelot situation.

"It was Hook. He let me go." Her answer shocks me and I almost drop my blade. I knew he'd be able to get off the beanstalk just fine but evading Cora? I couldn't believe it.

"Why?" Emma asks. Aurora looks at me with a soft smile.

"Because of you." She says and I feel like the breath has been sucked out of my lungs.

"Me?" I ask with furrowed brows. I look around at the others who look just as confused as I do.

"He said he wanted to prove to you that he's done working for Cora for good. That you can trust him. He said without him, you'll have to go up against her all by yourself." She pauses and looks down with a knowing smile. "He only wants to help, I...I think he may care for you." My traitorous heart skips a beat at that. I shake my head and smile a little, turning my attention to Emma.

"I told you." I say and she looks down at the ground sheepishly.

"You where right. I'm sorry." She admits with an apologetic smile.

"Did you find a way to stop Cora?" Aurora looks at us hopefully and I nod my head.

"Yes." She looks relieved, her shoulders sagging. I can't really say I blame her.

"Where are we going?" She asks.

"The Dark One's cell." I answer with a shrug of my shoulders and she nods her head.

"Lead the way."

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (22)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

I make my way down the beanstalk, seething silently. I'm close enough to the ground now that I can see Emma has already reached the bottom. I steel myself before jumping the short distance to the ground.

"Alice!" Snow exclaims, helping me off the ground. I stand up and give her a thankful nod.

"You fell awfully behind, what happened?" Aurora asks, looking at me with a concerned gaze. Before I can answer, Emma approaches me.

"Look, Alice-" She looks down guiltily.

"Don't." I snap, not even sparing her a glance.

"Did... something happen?" Snow asks cautiously. Emma ignores her and continues talking to me.

"I don't understand why you're so upset. The giant will set him free after ten hours. It's not like he's going to die." Emma says, trying her best to justify her actions, which only serves to piss me off even further.

"And then what?" I ask, sounding a lot calmer than I feel.

"What?" Emma's face morphs into one of confusion.

"He betrayed Cora to help us." I say simply, letting her put the pieces together herself. She understands what I'm saying immediately, realization coming over her face.

"I-you don't think-"

"His death is on your head." I snap before beginning to walk away, not caring if the others follow at this point. I have put my life on the line so many times since Jefferson set me free. I was excited to start over my life and she can't even listen to me for this one thing?

"That's not- I didn't think-" I turn to face her, only inches apart.

"Which is why I'm the leader." I snap coldly. She clenches her jaw, looking guilty but I'm already done with this conversation. I just want to go... make a home for myself. "Now let's go get the dust from Cora."

Eventually, we stop to rest, mainly for Aurora who's not the most athletic of people. Emma, Snow and Mulan went off to talk about how to find Cora. I know I should be there helping as the leader but I just need a bit of time for myself. Aurora begins to thrash around and scares me when she sits up suddenly.

"Snow!" Her voice catches the attention of the others who run over. Snow kneels next to me to attend to Aurora.

"Hey, I'm here. It's okay, it's just another nightmare." Snow puts her hand on Aurora's head soothingly.

"No, this time was different. There was a little boy. He put out the fire, he talked to me." Aurora explains, shaking her head frantically. I furrow my brows, wondering why a dream about a little boy would be frightening.

"A little boy?" Emma pipes up, frowning in concern.

"What'd he say?" I ask.

"He said... he said his name was Henry." Our faces quickly morph into ones of fear at her words. Emma quickly reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small photograph of, who I recognize as her son, and holds it up to Aurora.

"The boy you saw in your dream, is that him?" She asks and Aurora nods her head.

"Yes, this is him." My head starts to spin with a million thoughts at one time.

"How is that possible? You've never even met... him...." My words trail off as all of this starts to feel like deja vu. "It's not a dream!" I suddenly exclaim. Emma looks at me in confusion.

"What? What do you mean?" He prompts expectantly.

"After I went to Wonderland as a child and Cora erased my memories, I dreamed about it every day for years. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized they weren't dreams, my mind, my body, was somehow connected with Wonderland through my dreams despite me not being there. For some reason, you must be connected to this place you keep dreaming about." I finish, looking at Aurora with a smile which she doesn't return. She instead looks even more terrified.

"Alice is right, it wasn't a dream." Snow says, to everyone's surprise. I turn to look at her.

"What?" She looks hesitant before speakings.

"That room. I've been there." She finally admits, looking over at Aurora guiltily.

"When I told you about it, you didn't say anything." Aurora looks hurt and betrayed by Snow's words.

"You were terrified. I didn't want to make things worse by telling you I thought it might be real." Snow explains with an apologetic wince.

"A room in a dream is real?" Mulan finally chimes in, looking over at Aurora with concern.

"The sleeping curse. It has to be. I went through it, Aurora went through it..." Snow surmises.

"Henry's been through it because I wouldn't believe him." Emma looks at the ground sorrowfully. Despite our earlier argument, I can't help but feel sorry for her. I place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Nobody in their right mind would have, it's not your fault." I reassure. She looks surprised by my sudden kindness after giving her the cold shoulder for the last hour.

"What else did you lie about?" Aurora accuses which makes Snow open and close her mouth a couple of times like a fish out of water.

"I was... I wasn't lying. I was protecting you." Snow says and I roll my eyes.

"What did he say? In the dream?" I ask, trying to get everybody back on track.

"He just said his name and then I woke up and it was over." Aurora says with a wince, clearly wishing she knew more.

"This is perfect!" I say with a grin.

"Perfect? My son is in a room of fire!" Emma looks at me like I've gone mad, but I've gotten used to that look by now so I don't even flinch.

"We have a way home now." I shoot back. She throws her arms up, exasperated.

"We have a compass! And the wardrobe ashes are still with Cora." She points out.

"Any attempt to steal from her would be suicide." Mulan adds on in her usual, pessimistic voice.

"No..... because we have a new ally." I say with a confident nod.

"Who?" Snow looks at me, gaze hopeful.

"Rumpelstiltskin." I say with a raise of my brow. Emma's face now matches my own, a knowing smile stretching across it.

"Henry. We can talk to him. Now we can communicate." She breathes out and Aurora looks even more frightened.

"Wait, what?"

After a couple more hours of walking, I sit by Aurora's sleeping form once more. She's only been out for a couple of minutes when I hear branches moving. Usually, that wouldn't concern me but the noises are coming from all around us. The hairs on my arms stand on end.

"Did you hear that?" I whisper to Mulan who simply nods and draws her sword. I quickly follow suit when I hear another branch snapping. Then, just behind Mulan, I see a man lung out at her.

"Watch out!" I yell and thrust my sword over her shoulder, giving her time to move out of the way. I look behind me to see Emma and Snow fighting off more of them. Mulan bends down and begins to awake Aurora. I stand by them, making sure none of the people attack them while they're distracted. The man I had stabbed continues to come after me and I stumble back, heart racing. The realization comes over me that these are the villagers. The ones who Cora had killed. I spin, bringing my sword around. "Off with your head!" I shout and the man's head falls from his shoulders. He stumbles a couple more steps before his body drops to the ground. Dead... again.

"Emma, watch out!" Snow calls out from behind me. I turn and see Emma getting tackled by one of the dead guys.

"The compass!" Emma cries out, getting to her feet. I'm about to go over to help when Snow shoots the one who'd grabbed the compass. Emma grabs it once the thing drops it. "Any idea how to kill these things?" She asks, standing back to back with me. Another one lunges at me with an axe and my sword goes through its eyes. It drops.

"The heads! It has to be the heads!" I shout.

"Mulan!" Snow calls and I turn my head, thinking she's been hurt, only to see that her and Aurora are gone.

"Where is she?" Emma shouts in concern, kicking another dead/not dead guy away from her.

"We can't take much more, we gotta run!" I say and take off once I see a gap. I can hear the others following. We don't stop for a long while, until there are no extra footsteps to be heard.

"I think we're safe now!" I come to a stop, hands on my knees, taking big gulps of air. I can hear the others heavy breathing but our rest doesn't last long when we hear more footsteps. I draw my sword only to see Mulan emerge from the trees, looking very scared.

"You left us to die!" Emma accuses but Mulan doesn't acknowledge her. I put down my sword and take a step towards Mulan.

"What happened? What's wrong?" I ask softly.

"They took her. Aurora is gone." Is all she says for us to understand. I'm about to comfort her when a bird swoops in and begins cawing in Snow's ear.

"Wait!" She hold up her arm, a shocked look across her face. After a minute, the bird flies off.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asks what we're all already thinking.

"Cora." Snow breathes out.

"Actually, that was a crow." I point out blandly. She shoots me an annoyed look.

"I mean the bird sent a message from Cora. We have until sundown to bring her the compass. If we don't, she'll kill Aurora." Emma takes the compass out of her pocket and Mulan's hand shoots out.

"Give it to me." She demands.

"Not so fast, we need to think about this." I say, taking a step towards her.

"There's nothing to consider. A compass is not worth Aurora's life." She snaps at me.

"I never said it was. We need a plan so that we can keep the compass and get back Aurora safely. You don't know Cora like I do. There's a high probability that she gets the compass and kills us all anyways." I explain as softly as possible but it doesn't seem to do any good.

"My vow to Phillip was to protect Aurora. That promise is all that is left of him, so it shall be done." She says and then goes to grab the compass out of Emma's hand.

"Hey!" Emma tugs her hand back but Mulan's grip is firm. "I climbed a beanstalk for this, you go get your own!" I step forward and grasp Mulan's forearm as tight as possible and pull.

"Get off her!" I shout, getting ready to snap her arm when Snow pulls her back.

"Mulan! Please, give us a few hours. If we haven't defeated Cora by then, you can have the compass." Snow begs and Mulan looks exasperated.

"You can't hope to defeat her. We no longer have access to the Dark One's assistance." She points out and to be honest, she has a good point. My sword may be able to deflect her magic but Cora knows I have the sword now. She probably already has plans on how to defeat me.

"Yes, we do." Snow says and I turn to look at her in surprise.

"How? Aurora's-"

"Not the only one who's been under a sleeping curse." I finish, realization dawning on me. Snow nods with a reassuring smile.

"I can go back to that netherworld." Mulan still looks unconvinced.

"The door to that place is closed. You said it yourself." She snaps but Snow doesn't back down.

"There may be a way. A way for me to go back into a deep slumber. One that can let me access it again." Emma sends her a look of disbelief and shakes her head.

"Another sleeping curse?" She asks.

"No, I've been under already so I don't need one. I need to go into a sleep where my natural defenses slip away, where my mind stops protecting me." Snow reassures Emma.

"If only we had the sedatives they did at the hospital." I mutter to myself.

"How?" Emma asks and Snow looks to Mulan.

"Your sleeping powder. If I inhale it, I will fall into a deep enough sleep that I should be able to do this." Mulan shakes her head and purses her lips.

"Alice used the last of it on the giant." She points out.

"Then make some more." I demand, not willing to give up the compass. Mulan thinks for a long moment before sighing.

"The poppy plant is extremely rare in this kingdom, but I know of a place that may grow some more. It's a bit of a journey from here." She says hesitantly. I smile a grateful smile at her.

"Thank you, Mulan."

Aurora's point of veiw

"Wake up. Wake up." A male voice calls out to me and my eyes crack open slightly, vision still blurry. I open my eyes all the way once I see who it is who's standing over me. "On your feet. Hurry!" I stand up with the help of Hook. My heart rate picks up at I begin to panic.

"No! No, are you here to kill me?" I cries out, attempting to get away from him but to no avail. He looks at me with an unimpressed look.

"If I were here for that, then waking you first might not be the best course of action." He says, clearly annoyed. I give him an indignant look.

"So, what? Did Cora send you-"

"Cora has no idea I'm here." He interrupts, cutting the ropes that tie my hands together. I look up at him, still not understanding what's happening.

"I don't understand." I say. He sighs and looks at me with a sarcastic smile.

"Look, I know you're sleepy, but isn't it obvious? I'm setting you free." He tells me and I feel my heart lurch hopefully.

"What is this, some sort of pirate's ruse?" I ask suspiciously. His face turns severe and I feel a chill run down my spine.

"Cora's denied me passage to Storybrooke. And my vengeance. And now I'm gonna deny her wishes. Starting with the compass. In pirate terms, you might say I'm firing my shot across the enemy's bow." He explains and even more surprisingly, I believe him.

"You'd risked your life to break in here, all so you could thwart Cora?" I ask, still being cautious. He leans in close before answering.

"I don't like being double crossed. Now go." He demands and I go to leave.

"Thank you." I whisper but before I can get far he grabs my arm, turning me to face him.

"You can thank me by doing me one favor." He tells me and I instinctively rip my arm away fro him.

"What?" He pauses for a moment before his expression softens a little.

"Give Alice a message. Tell her that the deal still stands. If she provides me passage back to her realm, I swear, I will help her find that dust that opens the portal." He says reverently. I can't help but smile a little. It's clear that he cares deeply for her and even though it stings a little, having just lost Phillip, it fills my chest with light.

"She'll be so relieved." I say with a little chuckle. My words look as though I just stuck him. He swallows hard.

"She will?" He asks quietly. I laugh at that.

"Yes, she was quite worried over you. Gave Emma a piece of her mind." I say, chuckling at the memories, now that I know she'll be relieved. He looks down, an almost guilty look crossing his face before he looks back up at me.

"Go, before Cora comes back." He says before I have time to even wonder about his mood shift.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (21)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

Eventually, we reach a long hallway piled with gold. I spot Emma and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wait up!" I call out. Her head swivels over her shoulder in surprise. I grin at her, which she returns. Me and Killian lightly jog over to her.

"You did it?" She asks, somewhat in disbelief. I nod at her in affirmation.

"But I suggest we hurry. I don't know how long that powder's going to last." I tell her, walking ahead. My head swings around, taking in all the treasure surrounding us, dazzled by the sight. I walk over to a golden vase, filled with gold.

"This is a lot of treasure." Emma comments.

"They hoarded all of their greatest stolen treasures in here. Piles of jewels and every room filled with coins." Killian explains. Emma walks ahead a bit while I pick up a gold coin.

"Let's get to it. The compass." She tells me impatiently.

"How much gold do you think we could carry down?" I ask absentmindedly. Killian grins, walking over to me.

"Really?" Emma asks with an eye roll.

"Now you're thinking like a real pirate, love." He teases. I roll my eyes lightheartedly.

"Weren't you the one who suggested we hurry?" Emma asks, becoming exasperated. I drop the gold.

"Right. Sorry." I say somewhat sheepishly.

"Come. What we need is not too far in front of us." Killian says, gesturing forward. We continue to walk for a couple of minutes before coming upon a room that somehow has more gold than the hallways.

"They kill all the giant housekeepers too?" Emma asks sarcastically.

"It's like a needle in a haystack. How are we going to find a compass in all this?" I ask no one in particular.

"By looking. Start searching." Killian replies and I nod my head. We walk forward before coming upon another skeleton, this one human.

"What the hell?" Emma exclaims.

"That would be Jack." Killian offers in response.

"As in Jack-"

"The giant slayer." I finish for her, noticing the sword in the skeleton's hand. The name 'Jack' engraved upon the silver.

"With that toothpick?" Emma asks, disbelief lacing her voice.

"It's probably dipped in poison." I theorize. Killian nods his head in confirmation.

"Right, you are love. It packs quite a wallop, you'd be-" When he steps back I notice the trip wire and instinctively grab his belt. I pull, hard. Hard enough that he crashes into me. He grabs me around the waist so that I don't fall over from his body impacting mine. I huff out a breath of relief. Looking up I see Killian looking at me with a suggestive look. I blush, quickly extracting myself from his arms.

"Tripwire... there's a tripwire." I mutter, lamely gesturing to it. He gives me a soft smile before taking my hand in his and bending down dramatically.

"Thank you, my lady. Now it seems I owe you." He tells me, looking up at me with a dazzling smile. I scoff and rip my hand out of his.

"You're just now realizing that?" I ask, voice filled with sass.

"No. But I thought I'd acknowledge it." He replies with a smug smile. I shake my head, hating that I can't fight off my grin.

"Let's get the compass and go." I say, stepping over the tripwire.

"Agreed." Comes Emma's bored voice before her and Killian follow me over the tripwire. We continue on before finally reaching the room that contains the compass, according to Killian.

"So it's just in here somewhere." I say with a heavy sigh.

"Allegedly." He replies.

"Then we'd better start searching." Emma says before going off to search a pile to our left. I go right to cover as much ground as possible. Killian follows, apparently not having got the memo.

"So, I see you and the Vorpal sword have reunited." He comments. I look down at the sword, running a hand over it reverently.

"Obviously." I say under my breath. "It'll come in handy against the fight against Cora." He grins with a nod before holding out his hand.

"That it will. You mind if I take a look at it?" He asks with a raised brow and I instinctively take a step back, putting my hand on the hilt. It's the first thing he's said to me that's made me question his motives. It would make sense, to have Killian gain my trust so he can get the sword from me, allowing Cora to defeat me.

"Like hell, I'll let you touch it." I say coldly. He steps forward, snatching my arm that's on my sword. He doesn't make a move to grab it though.

"Try something new, darling. It's called trust." He says, gaze intense with emotion.

"You want me to trust you? After what you did to me?" I snap instinctively. When I see his jaw clench I feel a pang of guilt in my chest. I sigh, closing my eyes before lowering my voice. "I'm sorry, that was unfair-" I don't get to finish my apology before a familiar rumbling shakes the ground. Both mine and Killian's heads swing in the direction of the giants footsteps.

"Someone's up." He comments casually but his voice quickly becomes frantic the closer the giant is. "Quickly, get under something." I run towards a gate but it's too late. The giant smashes through the room, causing it to quake. I look up to see the ceiling crumbling and I don't have time to move before the pieces begin to rain down on me.

"Alice!" I hear Killian's panicked voice and he runs forward, grabbing me by my waist. He realizes that it's too late to pull me out of the way so instead he pulls me to the ground, shielding me with his body. I'm too shocked to even protest, to ask him why the hell he would do that. Before I can get my barrings, a small piece of rubble strikes me on the head and my vision goes black.

I let out a groan at the aching feeling in my head. I open my eyes but all I can see is darkness and a figure laying next to me.

"Killian?" I whisper. I can't see him but I feel him shift next to me. He let's out a sigh of relief.

"Good, you're awake." He whispers back, close enough that I can feel his breath on my face.

"How long was I out?" I ask, brows furrowed, reaching up to feel my head.

"About a half hour." He answers. I make contact with my wound and hiss out. Blood. "You alright?" He asks, reaching forward and I wonder if he can see me. Before I can answer I hear footsteps approaching the rubble. We tense up but quickly realize it must be Emma, due to the lack of quakes.

"Alice!" Emma calls out to me, kneeling on the ground. Her face comes into view and I grin.

"Emma!" I call out. She grins and holds up a golden compass. I let out a victorious laugh. "Holy shit! Nice work." Emma reaches her hand out and I take it, letting her pull me out. Once I'm out of the rubble I bend down and offer Killian a hand with a grin. He takes it and allows me to pull me out. I sit back on my heels and he on one knee. I go to pull my hand away but he doesn't let go. I look up at his face to see him staring at the blood trailing down my head.

"You saved me." I say, sounding more breathless than I would have liked. He didn't have to. He could have ran for cover and left me there to be crushed but he didn't. He smiles a genuine smile down at me.

"I told you, I owe you." He jokes softly. I squeeze his hand in my own.

"Thank-" Before I can finish, Emma wraps a chain around his wrist and locks it in place. My head snaps over to hers as my stomach drops. We all stand at the same time.

"What are you doing?" Killian asks, panic creeping into my voice. Emma looks nervous and sheepish as she takes a step back.

"Emma?" I ask, finally letting go of Killian's hand. She shakes her head, refusing to make eye contact.

"What are you doing?" Killian asks, voice much more frantic now. Emma doesn't look at him though but she finally locks eyes with me.

"I can't trust him. Not when my son's waiting for me." She tells me but Killian jumps in before I can respond.

"Emma. Have I told you a lie? I brought you here, I risked my own safety to help you." He pleads. I take a step towards Emma.

"Emma, we have the compass. If you don't trust him then trust me. I will make sure we get back. He saved my life, I can't just leave him here." I beg. I feel slightly surprised by my reaction. Not because I think leaving him is wrong. But surprised that I do trust him. Emma's expression hardens as she looks at me with determination.

"I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about him. I'm sorry." She says before turning to leave.

"You're sorry? You're sorry! I got you here! I got you the compass!" Killian is yelling now and I can't say I blame him. I go to take a step forward, to leave and go home but I just... can't. I know in my heart that this is wrong. That if I leave him here, even if he does escape, Cora will kill him.

"I got the compass." Emma corrects, turning back to face us.

"We can't just leave him here to die. It's wrong Emma." I plead but she doesn't budge for a moment.

"He's not gonna die. We just need a head start." She says and goes to leave again. Panic begins to grip me as I realize I won't get through to her. I turn back to Killian who's now looking at me, begging me not to leave him.

"I'll go talk to the giant." I reassure him.

"You can't, Alice, He'll kill you." Emma tells me and I open my mouth to protest but I know she's right. "Now come on." Emma leaves and this time she doesn't turn back.

"Alice, you can't leave me here." Killian's voice pleads from behind me. I turn back to face him and unsheathe my sword. I hold it over my head and bring it down on the chain. Not even a scratch.

"Fuck! These chains were built by giants! They won't break." I shout in frustration and he looks at me, brows furrowed. I swallow before looking down somberly. I sheathe my sword before looking back up at him. "I'm sorry." I whisper before turning to leave.

"Alice!" Killian's panicked voice calls out to me and I squeeze my eyes shut as I'm filled with guilt. I look over my shoulder.

"There's nothing I can do." I say before continuing on.

"Oh, I see! This is how you get your revenge!" He shouts, voice changing from panicked to vitriolic. His words stop me in my tracks and before he can get another word out, my sword is at his throat.

"If I wanted revenge against you I would've killed you when I had you tied to that damn tree." My voice cuts through him. He looks down, jaw clenching. I put down my sword, voice softening once more. "There's nothing. I. Can. Do." I turn to leave and this time, as he calls out to me, I don't look back.

"Wait! Alice!"

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (20)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

Panting, we finally reach the top. Once my feet are on solid ground I take in my surroundings. We're in a large courtyard scattered with the bones of many giants.

"What happened here?" Emma asks, looking around the ruins in shock.

"It's where the final battle was." Hook informs her. I walk past Hook, looking around with furrowed brows.

"Looks like they were trying to escape." I comment under my breath.

"Give me your hand." Hook says. I look over my shoulder at him, confused.

"Hm?" I look down at my hand, realizing it was wounded from where he had caught me with his Hook.

"Your hand was cut by my hook. Let me help." He insists, walking over to me with an outstretched hand.

"It's fine, it's just a scratch." I say with a nonchalant shrug, confused on why he's making such a big deal of this. I go to turn around but he gently grabs my arm.

"No, it's not." He tells me with an expression that leaves no room for argument.

"Alice, he's right. You'll need your hand for the climb back down." Emma chimes in. Traitor.

"Very well." I accept with a sigh. Hook takes out a piece of cloth to bind my hand.

"Besides, giants can smell blood." He tells me with a smile. Before he binds my hand he takes out a bottle of what I'm assuming is alcohol. He takes the cork off with his teeth and pours some onto my hand. I hiss under my breath and instinctively pull my hand away but his grip is firm.

"I don't understand." I say as he begins to wrap the binding around my hand.

"Well, their noses are much larger-"

"I mean I don't understand why you're being so..." I interrupt with an unimpressed look which he returns with a dashing smile.

"Charming?" He offers.

"Nice." I deadpan. He laughs lightly at that. Even if he's not working for Cora anymore and he really does intend to help us.... he's a pirate. Being a sailor, I've many pirates in my travels, none acted in the way Hook is.

"You want me to be mean to you, Kingsley?" He asks rhetorically.

"No, it just doesn't make sense." I mutter under my breath,

"Or perhaps it makes perfect sense," He pauses, leaning down and tightening the binding with his teeth. I suck in a deep breath. "And you just don't know me as well as you think you do." Instead of answering, I mutter a quick thank you before stepping back.

"So what's the plan?" Emma asks, raising a brow at me as though to ask if I'm alright. I give her a quick nod, which she accepts.

"We wait for the giant to fall asleep. When he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. That's where the treasures lies. Where the compass lies." Hook answers. I sigh heavily, feeling unsettled by the thought of waiting for a giant to fall asleep and hoping he doesn't wake.

"And then?" Emma asks.

"We run like hell." I surmise.

"I don't have time to wait for a giant to fall asleep. My son's waiting for me in Storybrooke." Emma exasperates. I purse my lips, contemplating.

"That powder Mulan gave us, we can use it to knock him out." I offer with a shake of my head.

"That's a lot riskier." Hook points out. I turn to look at him finally.

"Not if we succeed. If something goes wrong and he wakes up, we're screwed. Better to take him out of the equation as soon as possible." I explain. He smiles before reaching into his satchel and taking out the poppy powder and handing it to me.

"Point taken." He says, simply. I raise a brow at his radical acceptance of my half baked plan but reach for the powder none the less. I look down and am distracted by the tattoo on his forearm.

"Who's Milah?" I ask quietly, grabbing the powder. He looks down for a minute and I instantly feel bad for asking.

"Someone from long ago." He tells me simply. Without waiting for my reply he walks away.

"Is she...?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yes." His answer is somber. I furrow my brows, realization dawning on me.

"Rumpelstiltskin." I say and I hear his footsteps stop. I turn to face him. "That's the real reason you want to kill him." He stares at me for a long moment before answering.

"For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive, aren't you?" He says. His words sound like an insult but his tone has no venom in it.

"You learn a thing or two watching everyone around you find love." Is all I say before making my way to catch up with Emma, who I'm just now noticing, already is feet ahead of us.

I firmly grasp the head of the statue that I'm standing on. I have the power bag wrapped around my wrist. I look down, Emma standing next to the door. I told Emma that she should sneak past the giant whenever he gets in here. That way, if our plan fails, she can grab the compass while the giants distracted. And probably feasting on our bones.

"You ready?" Hook asks, calling up to me. He has one of the large bones in hand, reading to get the attention of the giant.

"Do it." I say with a reassuring nod. Hook walks over to what must have been a shield for one of the giants and strikes it. The noise rings in my ears, the rhythmic crashing feels like a bad omen. And then I hear it, the giant yelling in anger as he approaches. His footsteps shake the whole ground.

"Fuck." I mutter, looking my grip but I adjust my feet to give myself better balance. Then the giant blunders in and I look down to see Emma run through the door he just came out of. It's a good thing I had her go ahead, seeing as the giant is far too tall for me to reach, let alone knock out.

"Oi!" Hook's voice calls. My eyes widen when the giant turns his attention to him. Hook drops the bone and begins to walk in my direction. "Hey you big git!" He taunts, causing the giant to growl and clench his jaw. My heart races anxiously but as the giant turns I realize what he's doing. I ready myself, taking the powder off my wrist and opening the bag. "Yeah, you! You want to kill a human? Well, I'm the worst human around, so come on!" Eventually, the giant leans down to swipe at Hook and that's when I take the opportunity to throw the powder directly in his face. The giant pauses in his tracks, stumbling slightly and then falling, causing the ground to shake. I laugh victoriously, looking down but I feel my heart drop when I don't see Hook anywhere.

"Killian?" I instinctively yell, my voice slightly panicky."Killian! Answer me!" I demand. Then I see him stand up and I let out a breath of relief. He's grinning.

"Did you just call me by my name?" He asks with an elated look and I'm too relieved to even feel annoyed by his teasing. "You know, when we're working on the same side we make quite the pair." I laugh lightly with a roll of my eyes.

"You gonna help me down from here?" I ask with a raised brow. He walks over to the statue and I climb down, reaching a point where I won't be able to move without falling.

"I'll catch you!" Hook calls up and I don't let myself overthink, otherwise I'll stay here all day. I let go and thankfully, I was low enough that he's able to catch me with ease. I look up to see him giving me a flirty smile and I practically leap out of his arms.

"Let's go catch up with Emma." I say, already walking away without looking back.

"What are you planning on doing once you get back to Storybrooke?" He asks once he catches up to me. I look over at him with a raised brow and a shrug.

"I'm not sure. I only spent less than a day there as a free woman." I say honestly. "I don't even have a home." His brows furrow at that.

"Then why go back at all?" He inquires with a raised brow of his own.

"Because I plan to build a life there." I explain and he simply nods his head in understanding. "What about you?"

"I already told you, I plan to enact my revenge." He replies and I roll my eyes.

"But beyond that, what comes after revenge?" I ask knowingly. He clenches his jaw, avoiding my gaze.

"I... haven't really thought about it." He answers avoidently.

"Because you believe that revenge is the end for you." I theorize. His head snaps to look at me.

"What makes you think that?" He asks.

"Because you're smart enough to know revenge won't bring you happiness. Even if you don't die, you won't be able to come back from it." I tell him, gaze intense. I don't even know why I'm telling him this. His life is his business.

"I'm well aware of the consequences." He says, unamused, but I don't back down.

"You're aware that it won't bring you happiness but you do feel like it will give you closure for someone you love." I say and step in front of him so he's forced to look at me. "But you'll never get that. If you go about life searching for closure you'll find that in the end, you've wasted it." My voice softens in the end.

"You know nothing of love, of what I've lost, so don't lecture me on things you have no knowledge of." He snaps, voice cold. I shake my head with a humorless smile.

"I may not know what love feels like, but I do know what loss is." I turn and walk away. "Better than most." I say to myself, missing the guilty look he sends my way.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (19)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

Leaning my head against the beanstalk, I stop for a moment. Hook is about a foot higher than me and Emma, somewhere below. I don't risk looking down to find out. My ears started ringing minutes ago and I'm not sure if I'm going to be sick or pass out.

"You alright?" I hear Emma's voice call from below. I don't answer, trying to focus on my breathing.

"I'm fine!" Hook calls out with a little chuckle.

"I wasn't talking to you." Emma snaps back. I swallow hard, the ringing in my ear beginning to subside.

"Love?" I can hear Hook's voice clearer now. I look up to see him looking at me, concerned. I take a deep breath before continuing the climb.

"I'm fine, Emma." I call out. "Just keep moving." I whisper to myself for what must be the thousandth time.

"First beanstalk, Kingsley?" Hook asks. He's clearly trying, to distract me, thinking I'm afraid. Despite his assumption being wrong, a distraction is still helpful. When I would climb mountains with Andy, he would ask me random questions, mostly about history and other such trivia whenever we'd climb an especially hard part of the mountain.

"I've climbed mountains, this is nothing." I brush off his concern and without thinking, I automatically say, "And it's Digby." The response was almost robotic, having gotten used to having to correct people. Now though, it seems unnecessary.

"Digby? I distinctly remember your last name being Kingsley." He remarks inquisitively. I open and close my mouth a couple of times before answering.

"It...was." His eyes widen slightly and his jaw clenches before he looks away.

"You-you're married." He states.

"You are?" Emma calls out in shock from below me. I laugh a little, rolling my eyes lightheartedly.

"Not as of a couple of days ago, so I guess I am Alice Kingsley once again." I say, almost as though I'm coming to the realization myself. I'm still getting used to that, being me again. Being free again.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Comes Hook's voice, sounding genuine.

"He's not dead. He simply found someone else." I say with an incredulous laugh, looking up in time to see him smile a little.

"Then he's a fool." He mutters. My cheeks turn red, wondering if I had misheard him.

"What'd you say?" I exclaim.

"Are you in love?" He asks avoidantly. I let out an annoyed sigh.

"No. I never was. At least not in a romantic sense." I reply. He shoots me a perplexed look.

"You married a man you didn't love?" He asks incredulously. I roll my eyes once again.

"I said I love him, just not romantically." I correct but he doesn't seem to be willing to move on.

"People don't typically marry someone they love platonically." He tells me as if I don't already know that. I don't answer him and after a minute of silence, I assume that he's going to drop it. I assumed wrong. "You don't believe in love." He adds on. I sigh heavily.

"I believe it exists. People find their person all the time." I say.

"Then why not marry someone you-" He goes to ask but I interrupt him, exasperated.

"Because some people don't get that." I snap before lowering my voice. "My husband, well, ex husband, was the only man willing to marry me. I had to get married or else I would bring shame to my mother." I explain.

"So it was an arranged marriage." Emma chimes in, realization overcoming her. I can hear the pity in her voice and it makes my jaw clench.

"Indeed. I thought it'd be better to marry a man I know is good, someone who I can spend my life with than be miserable with some stranger." I explain truthfully. A couple of minutes go by of us climbing in silence.

"So what have you been up to, besides getting married that is?" Hook asks.

"I'm a sailor, or at least I was, before the curse." I answer with a raised brow, wondering where his curiosity is coming from. A part of me wonders if he's gathering information for Cora but I disregard that. Even if he was, what is Cora going to do with information about a loveless marriage and my career?

"A sailor? Looks like you have some pirate in you after all." He jokes, looking down at me with a smirk. I look down, laughing with a shake of my head."Was that a laugh Kingsley?" He asks, sounding far too pleased with himself. I try my best to wipe the grin off my face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say.

"We'd have to get you new clothes though, can't go around wearing that on the seas." He jokes. I let out a breath of air, a feeling of claustrophobia coming over me at the reminder of my clothes. I know that it's just cloth, but every second I've spent in these clothes has been hell. The clothes feel almost as suffocating as the cell did sometimes. "Sorry love, didn't mean to offend you." Hook's confused voice breaks me out of my thoughts. My head snaps up to look at him.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, brows furrowed.

"You seemed upset that I insulted your wardrobe choice." He says with a raised brow.

"I'm not offended." I say with an eye roll.

"Well, clearly somethings upset you." He pushes. I give him an unimpressed look.

"I'm not upset." I say firmly. Thankfully he continues to climb without further comment.

"So?" He breaks the silence after a couple of minutes. I raise a brow at him with a shake of my head.

"So...?" I question.

"What about what I said upset you?" He asks.

"Oh my god." I groan out. "I'm not upset over anything you said. It's been a rough twenty eight years is all." I explain shortly.

"In Storybrooke?" He asks for clarification.

"Well, yeah, we were all cursed." I say with a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant.

"And what was your curse?" He asks softly, making me snap my head up to look at him.

"I was locked in an asylum, memories intact. Unlike the rest of Storybrooke." I answer vaguely. I can't see his face so I have no idea what he's feeling.

"And I'm guessing that is what you were forced to wear." He surmises. My silence is answer enough. "Did they feed you?"

"Obviously not." Emma chimes in and I can't help but laugh a little.

"Hook." I call up. He looks down at me, surprised.

"Yes?" He asks.

"Why are you still working with Cora?" I can't help but ask.

"She doesn't give a person much of a choice, you know that." He answers, obviously hiding something.

"Yes, but how'd you start working for her to begin with?" I pry further. He sighs.

"Her daughter, Regina, gave me a job. She wanted me to kill Cora for her." He starts. I let out a sympathetic laugh. He stops climbing so we're side by side.

"Sounds like her." I sympathize.

"You know her well then?" He asks with a raised brow. I laugh a humorless laugh.

"She was the one who locked me up." I tell him. His face turns more serious.

"Are you planning to get revenge?" He asks.

"You're avoiding the question." I point out with a small smile, avoiding his myself. He sighs in acceptance, knowing I'm not going to let this go.

"I came to Wonderland to finish the job but, as you well know, Cora is a formidable foe." He replies, implying he tried to kill her.

"She didn't kill you? Why?" I ask, shocked.

"She told me that she knew of the curse that was coming, that she had a way to shield herself from it. She made me a deal far better than that of her daughter." He finally explains. My brows furrow, looking over at him.

"What could she have possibly offered that you would make a deal with her?" I ask, perplexed.

"Well, for starters, my life." He says with a sarcastic smile. I roll my eyes with no real venom.

"I gathered that." I deadpan.

"And she offered me my revenge against the man who took my hand. Rumpelstiltskin." I tilt my head, slightly confused.

"You mentioned that, but why work with Cora to get to Storybrooke when you could've just came over with the rest of us?" I ask.

"Because I wouldn't remember him." I tilt my head up, realization dawning over me. When I tilt my head though, my vision spins. My grip loosens on the vine I'm holding and I feel my heart drop to my feet. Before I can slip though, Hook reaches down and thankfully I'm able to grasp onto his hook in time.

"Alice!" Emma shouts. My heart is pounding in my ears as I look up I see Hook struggling to hold onto me and the vine at the same time. I grab a vine with my other hand, lodging my foot firmly on the beanstalk before letting go.

"Thanks." I breathe out with an adrenaline fueled smile which he doesn't return.

"You need to rest." He tells me.

"I'll rest once Cora's dead."

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (18)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

We'd been walking for what feels like hours when Hook, who's been leading us, calls out over his shoulder.

"Up ahead. We'll find the compass just over the ridge." I give him a nod to continue walking which he returns. Emma and Snow catch up to me.

"Do you get the feeling he's leading us exactly where Cora wants us? That this whole thing's a trap?" Snow whispers conspiratorially. I purse my lips, having been wondering the same thing the whole time. If she'd asked me yesterday, I would've jumped on that bandwagon without hesitation but... it doesn't make much sense.

"It's defiantly a trap." Emma concurs without hesitation.

"I'm not so sure." I murmer over my shoulder. Emma looks at me in disbelief.

"What? Don't tell me you trust him?" She asks, brows furrowed. Before I can answer she fires off another question. "How do you even know him?"

"He was in Wonderland. Cora forced him to blackmail me into leaving Wonderland." I explain shortly, not having time to get into the nitty gritty of the details.

"So why should we trust him?" Emma asks rhetorically with a suggestive raise of her brow.

"We shouldn't. But... I have a feeling that he's not loyal to Cora." I explain. Despite my own gripes with Hook (selfish, killer, pirate, thief) he doesn't strike me as someone who'd willingly align himself with Cora unless backed into a corner. Or maybe I'm just trying to see the good in him when there may be none. "But keep your guard up regardless." Hook comes to a stop at the tree line. I walk up to stand beside him and let out a heavy sigh at the sight in front of me. A giant beanstalk that reaches up to the clouds.

"Let me guess. The compass is up there?" I ask with a knowing look at Hook.

"Oh yeah." He answers, sending a sly smirk in my direction.

"So we climb?" I ask through an accepting sigh.

"It's not the climb you need to worry about. It's the giant at the top." He informs. I look at the others who look at the beanstalk with differing levels of concern. I take one last deep breath.

"Let's go then."

It only takes us another five minutes to reach the base of the beanstalk. Somehow, it looks even more daunting up close. I shield my eyes with my hand from the sun as I look up.

"It's a little freakier than I remember from the story." Emma comments.

"Reminds me of death." Mulan mutters to herself. My brows furrow.

"Encouraging." Snow snarks.

"A beanstalk reminds you of death?" I can't help but ask. Hook looks to all of us with a sarcastic smile.

"Well, your compass awaits. Shall we?" He asks with a wave of his arm.

"Wait. If these beans create...portals, why not just pick one and go home? Why the compass?" Emma asks.

"I imagine if there were beans, Cora would have used one already." I surmise with a shrug. Hook looks at me and smirks.

"Right you are love, there are no more. Whatever story you think you know is most certainly wrong." He tells Emma.

"There was a guy named Jack and a cow and something about evil giants with treasure and a golden goose." She explains poorly. What does a golden goose have to do with giants? Is the goose a gold color or is it literally gold? "Or harp." She mutters under her breath.

"Sounds like a lovely tale. But the truth's a little more gruesome. The giants grew the beans, but rather than use them for good, they used them to plunder all the lands. Jack and his men fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil giants. The beans were destroyed by the giants as they died. If they couldn't have the magic, then nobody could. Certainly very bad form." Hook says. As he explains, the more this story sounds familiar to me. My father used to tell it to me when I was a little girl. I remember calling the giants 'villains' and my father correcting me. Told me that the victors get to tell the story, not necessarily the heros.

"Why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?" Emma asks.

"Because one giant survived. One that even Jack couldn't slay." I repeat my father's words. Hook nods at me in confirmation.

"And we'll have to get past him to..." He starts.

"The magic compass." I finish.

"Indeed. The treasure remains, and amongst it is the compass. Now it will guide us to your land. Cora has the means to open a portal with the wardrobe ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it, we steal the ashes from her, then we're on our way." I almost laugh. He makes it sound so easy. As if we can simply pickpocket the ashes off Cora.

"How do we know you're not just using us to get the compass for Cora?" Mulan asks suspiciously. He looks at her for a moment before turning his gaze to me.

"I already told you why." Comes his answer. His gaze is so intense, hard to look away from. There's something unspoken in his gaze that I can't read. I turn away from him to face the beanstalk.

"Then we better start climbing." I say, starting to head for the beanstalk when Hook's voice stops me.

"Right, so, I failed to mention that the giant enchanted the beanstalk to repel intruders." I stop and clench my jaw. I turn to look at him over my shoulder with an unimpressed look.

"So are we meant to fly up?" I ask sarcastically. He gives me an amused smile.

"No love. I've got a counter spell from Cora." He says, pointing to the cuff on his wrists before holding his bound hands out. "If you'd be so kind." I walk up to him with a sigh, taking the dagger out of my boot. I grab the ropes and cut them with little trouble. I make the mistake of looking up and seeing the soft expression on his face that I'm pretty sure I wasn't meant to see. "Thank you." He says, sounding genuine. What the hell is going on? It's hard to believe he's being genuine after what he's done to me and who he's working with. Could he actually be genuine? I turn away with a swift nod of my head. "I've got one more of these. Alice and one other can come along." My head snaps in his direction, breaking me out of my wandering thoughts.

"I thought you said you only had one other?" I ask. He points down to my sword.

"Yes but that sword you're holding wards off all magic so you don't need a fancy cuff." He explains. I sigh and then look to the others.

"You guys need to decide who then." I tell them with a sigh before turning my attention to the sky.

"Go on, fight it out. Don't be afraid to, you know, really get into it." Hook says sarcastically before turning his attention to me. "Afraid of heights?"

"No. I was imagining what it'd be like to fly." I say before looking over at him. My words are only half a lie. I'm not afraid of heights and I was thinking about what it'd be like to fly. My concern is over whether or not my body can handle the climb. Despite feeling a lot better than before, I'm still malnourished enough that passing out is a possibility. He looks like he wants to push further but simply nods his head, accepting.

"Ladies, in this world we are slaves to time, and ours is running out. In other words, tick tok." Hook says to the others. I look over to see Emma approaching, which doesn't surprise me. I give her a small smile that she returns as Hook places the cuff on her arm.

"I'm glad you're coming along." She tells me.

"Why's that?" I ask with a little laugh.

"Well if I trust anyone to kill a giant, it's the dragon slayer." She says with a raised brow and a smile.

"Actually, it's called a Jabberwocky." Hook corrects lightheartedly.

"That's not- not this time." I stumble over my words but he understands what I'm saying if his raised brows are anything to go by. I smile smugly before starting the climb up the beanstalk.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (17)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm not a very good liar." Aurora complains as we near the village.

"It's not really a lie, Aurora. Lancelot did die an honorable death and Cora did escape. All true." Snow reassures but Aurora looks unconvinced.

"As long as you be vague you'll be fine. There's no reason to cause unnecessary panic amongst-" I add on before Mulan interrupts, coming to an abrupt stop at the tree line.

"Wait." She holds up a hand and I come to stand beside her. The village is dead quiet and there's not a person in sight. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"The tower. We always have sentries guarding the entrance." Mulan whispers looking to the side at me, the concern evident in her gaze. I draw my sword and walk ahead.

"Be prepared for a fight and keep close." I order softly and we all run toward the village, weapons drawn. The sight in front of me is horrific, causing me to halt dead in my tracks. Bodies upon bodies strewn everywhere. There's not a survivor in sight. Bile threatens to come up at the sight.

"Oh my god." I hear Snow whisper in horror.

"This can't be. Our land, we were protected here, hidden. How did the Ogres find us?" Mulan asks, approaching the bodies to inspect further. I stand beside her and the blood in my veins freezes as realization comes over me.

"They didn't. This was Cora." I whisper, clenching my jaw.

"What?" She asks, her head whipping in my direction.

"Look here, their hearts have been ripped out. This is her magic, twisted and evil." I explain, pointing to the area where the man's heart should be.

"We have to stop her." Snow exclaims. Mulan looks defeated and I feel a stab of sympathy in my chest. I understand that look all too well.

"We're too late. She killed them. She killed them all." She says, almost to herself, unable to look away from the slaughter. I stand in front of her, grabbing her by her shoulders, forcing her to look at me.

"I know Mulan. But the best way to avenge them is to make sure they didn't die for nothing. That she won't go on to hurt more people." I implore passionately. She shakes her head but before she can speak, Emma calls out from behind me.

"Hey! Hey, Look!" She shouts, pointing to a pile of bodies. Aurora runs over and kneels.

"There's someone under there! He's alive." She says while attempting to move one of the bodies. With the help of Emma she succeeds. Mulan walks over when she sees what I see, a survivor. I'm about to join them but then I catch a glimpse of his face and freeze. My heart beats so face I almost can't breathe. Without thinking, I bring my hood up over my head, shrouding my face in darkness. His face is one that I could never forget. Hook. I clench my fists hard enough to draw blood on my palms.

"Please help me." He cries out and I fight the urge to scoff. He's really going to play the part of the victim...

"It's okay. You're safe now. We won't hurt you." Snow says with a kind, reassuring smile.

"Thank you. Thank you." His voice soft as he puts on the impressive act. I walk away, needing to clear my head.

After a couple of minutes of getting Hook sat down, Mulan and Emma walk over to join me."Have you seen him before?" I ask quietly. Emma grabs a cup, presumably for Hook.

"Yes, I've seen him around. He's a blacksmith, came to our camp a couple of months ago. Said he lost his hand in an Ogre attack." Mulan explains, watching him carefully as we walk. Eventually, she looks back over to me. "You think he's lying." It's not a question, but a realization.

"I know he is." I reply, gesturing with my hand for them to continue over to him without me. I might as well see what he has to say for himself. See if I can gauge what his game is from his lies. Emma places the cup in front of him and Mulan pours what little water we have left inside. He looks up at them with a thankful smile.

"I can't thank you enough for your kindness. Fortune, it seems, has seen fit to show me favor." He says with a little laugh of relief. Emma glances at me and I give her a small nod.

"An island full of corpses, you're the only one to escape. How exactly did that happen?" She asks, keeping the suspicion out of her tone for now.

"She attacked at night. Slaughtered everyone in one fell swoop. When she started ripping out people's hearts, I hid under the bodies of those who had already been killed. Pretended to be dead myself. Mercifully, the ruse worked." He tells the tale, making sure to take emotional pauses at the parts that are 'too hard' to talk about. Cora must be trying to get us to trust him. But why? Is it for information or to kill us?

"So much for fortune favoring the brave." Emma mutters sarcastically.

"It was all I could do to survive." He says with furrowed brows and what I'm sure is supposed to look like a remorseful expression. Emma leans closer to him and I can see a waver of fear in his eyes, hoping he'll be believed.

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me." She says quietly.

"I'm telling you the truth." He pleads.

"We should leave here in case Cora decides to come back." Snow interrupts the mini interrogation. Emma stands back up and looks over at me, I give her a small shake of my head and she nods. "We should start looking for another portal back. I only got about five minutes with my husband, let alone my grandson."

"You have a grandson?" He asks with an amused grin. Emma walks behind Hook casually.

"Long story." She immediately brushes him off.

"I know this land well. I can guide you-" He starts but before he can finish, Emma grabs his hair and yanking back. I draw my sword and point in flush with his neck, dropping the hood of my cloak with my other hand. His eyes widen comically but when he sees me, really sees me, he looks like he's seen a ghost.

"You're not guiding us anywhere until you tell them who you really are." I say calmly. He swallows hard, panic overtaking his gaze.

"What are you doing?" He cries out, looking around at the others in the group.

"Alice!" Snow chastises, thinking I've attacked a man for nothing. I don't falter.

"Tell. Them." I say lowly, pressing the tip of my blade further against the delicate skin of his neck.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Please, don't let her hurt me." He begs. The others in the group look to me.

"Tie him up."

We walk Hook to a clearing a tie him to a large oak tree. "I already told you, I'm just a blacksmith!" I roll my eyes, having already heard this a million times on the five minute trek here. I'm equally impressed with his resilience as I am infuriated. How can he think he can convince my own allies that I'm delusional?

"Who do you think they're going to believe, Me? Or you?" I ask with a humorless laugh. I bring my fingers to my mouth and let out a shrill whistle. "Maybe the Ogres will buy your story. While they rip you limb from limb." I don't spare him another glance as I turn my back and walk away. "Come on."

"You can't just leave me here like this." He begs. I hate that I feel somewhat bad but part of being a leader is making the hard decisions no one else will. Besides, I will not have him sabotage me again.

"What if he's telling the truth?" Aurora asks.

"He's not, I know him." I finally reveal. Their heads snap in my direction. But I just give them a look that says 'I'll explain later' which they seemingly accept. The Hooks voice calls out, stopping all of us dead in our tracks.

"You win this one, Alice!" I can hear the amusement in his voice and I smirk, turning to face him. "It seems you've bested me this time. I can count the amount of people who've done that on one hand."

"Hilarious." I say with a roll of my eyes, approaching him without breaking eye contact. I can't help but feel a little smug.

"Who is he?" Emma asks. Hook cuts in before I can answer.

"Killian Jones. But most people have taken to calling me by my more colorful moniker." He then looks to me with a knowing smile.

"Hook." I finish for him. Killian. I don't know why I never thought to find out what Hook's real name is. Regardless, It doesn't matter, I plan on sticking to Hook anyways.

"Good to see you remember me." He says with a sarcastic smile. I ignore his glibness.

"Where is your hook?" I ask, already exasperated from his earlier antics and our past.

"It's in my satchel." He with an amused smile which I don't return.

"Wait, like Captain Hook?" Emma asks in disbelief.

"Ah, so you've heard of me." He says, turning his attention to Emma.

"How exactly do you know him?" She asks me. I open my mouth to answer but then off in the distance the Ogres roar. I can hear trees snapping.

"There's no time to explain." I say dismissively. I take a step closer to Hook. "You better hurry up, they're getting closer. So unless you wanna be dinner, you better tell them the truth or I will once we get to safety." I warn quietly. He drops his head to his chest with a resigned laugh before meeting my intense gaze.

"Cora wanted me to gain your trust so I could learn everything there is to know about your Storybrooke. She didn't want any surprises when she finally got over there." He explains. I look over my shoulder at the others who look just as unnerved by the news as I feel. What I don't see is Hook not taking his eyes off of me the entire time.

"She can't get there, we destroyed the wardrobe." I inform him. He simply smiles.

"Ah, but the enchantment remains. Cora gathered the ashes, she's gonna use them to open a portal." He informs and I smile a little smile, looking back to Emma.

"That's our way back." I say with a reassuring nod. The Ogres let out another roar, closer than before.

"Now if you'll kindly cut me loose..." He says, looking off into the distance where the Ogres are approaching quickly.

"Why should I? After what you did to me?" I whisper so quietly that I'm not even sure the others can hear me. To my surprise, for just a moment, he looks truly remorseful.

"He should pay for all the lives he took." Mulan chimes in from behind me.

"That was Cora, not me." He corrects vehemently and even more surprising, I believe him.

"Let's go." Emma says, walking away but I don't move an inch. Hook looks at me with pleading eyes.

"Why?" I ask once again.

"I didn't have a choice, you have to believe me. Cora would have killed me if she believed I wasn't loyal to her." His words make me angry for a moment, wanting to deny what he's saying. To call him a coward. But I know he's not exaggerating. Especially after I've already seen more of her cruelty today. I may never be able to trust him but forgiveness may be something he's worthy of.

"You said you can help us. How?" I ask, less hostile than before.

"The ashes will open a portal. But to find your land, she needs more. There's an enchanted compass. Cora seeks it. I'll help you obtain it before she does." He tells me with an encouraging nod."Sounds too good to be true." Snow's voice comments from behind me. I can't help but agree with her but it's the only option we have.

"There's only one way to find out." Hook says and then another roar from behind us. He clenches his hand. Emma pulls out a dagger and presses it to his neck and my eyes widen slightly.

"Tell me one thing, and I better believe whatever comes out of your mouth. Why would you betray Cora?" She says, her intense gaze burning a hole through his head. Instead of talking to her, he looks at me.

"I've seen what you're capable of. It's clear Cora sees you as a threat for a reason." He says with an amused smile, obviously referring to the Jabberwocky before his face softens just a little. "Besides, consider it my apology." My expression softens but I harden my face just as quickly. I can't let him get in my head. For all I know this could be a part of Cora's plan.

"Why do you want to go to Storybrooke anyways?" I ask, my brows furrow. His gaze becomes vengeful at my question.

"To exact revenge on the man who took my hand, Rumpelstiltskin." He seethes out. His words don't surprise me. I've only known Gold for less than a day and I can definitely see him cutting someones hand off. I step closer to him, our faces inches apart.

"If you betray me again, I will kill you and never think of you again."

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (16)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

My eyes open blearily in confusion as I scan my surroundings. When I see whereI am, all the events from before come back to me. The Ogre. The fainting... how embarrassing.

"She's awake." I hear Mulan say from right next to me. I go to sit up but my head starts to spin.

"Shit." I say, putting my head in my hands.

"Don't-" Mulan tries to help me lay back down but I don't budge.

"I'm fine, we need to keep going." I say, blinking hard to clear the stars in my vision. Emma and Snow approach. Emma kneels beside me.

"Alice, you just fainted." She chastises.

"I just need food and water and I'll be fine." I reassure with the biggest smile I can manage.

"That's an understatement, you're skin and bones." Mulan says as she stands, digging through her satchel and pulling out some food. She hands me a wrapped piece of meat and her water skein.

"Thanks." I say with a thankful smile. She simply nods her head before going off somewhere with Aurora. I begin to shovel the meat into my mouth greedily. I even take the time to suck the bone clean of any excess fat.

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?" Snow asks in a motherly tone. I open my mouth to answer but she interrupts me. "Besides today." She corrects. I let out a heavy sigh, continuing to eat.

"It doesn't matter." I mumble. Once I'm finished with the food I take large gulps of water. A couple drops spill out, running down the length of my neck but I don't stop.

"You saved me." Emma whispers. I stop drinking with a gasp.

"Actually, that was your mother." I correct her with a humorous smile, already feeling more like myself.

"You would have if you weren't weakened." She reminds me.

"I wasn't going to just let you die." I answer lamely.

"Not just this time though, you slayed a dragon to help me save my son. Thank you." Her words are genuine, a way of letting me know she trusts me.

"Anytime." I say before standing up and putting a hand on her shoulder. "We should get going." I hand the water skein back to Mulan once she and Aurora reappear. My words cause all their heads to swing in my direction. I give them an unamused look. "Really, guys, I feel a lot better. If I didn't, I would tell you." That seems to be sufficient enough, though Emma still looks skeptical. "So what is the plan?"

"When me and David sent Emma to Storybrooke, we sent her through an enchanted wardrobe. Hopefully with the wardrobe we can create some sort of portal." Snow answers. I raise a brow with a disbelieving laugh.

"Well, it's certainly better than a rabbit hole."

I've been standing outside of the door to what was supposed to be Emma's nursery, waiting for them to finish their heart to heart. Aurora and Mulan went to watch the gate. "Alice!" Emma's voice calls. I open the door and walk inside to an uncomfortable atmosphere but I ignore it. Their drama is none of my business.

"So, how do we get this thing to work?" I ask, gesturing to the wardrobe. Emma opens the doors.

"Where's the on switch?" She asks. I laugh.

"You think this thing works like an oven?" I ask sarcastically.

"It's more complicated than that." Snow points out, a lot nicer than I had been. "We'll have to get it back to the island. Hopefully someone there has access to enough magic to make it work again." My head snaps in her direction as I scoff.

"And you didn't think to bring this person with us instead of having us carry a tree back to the island?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips with an unamused look.

"Alice is right, how are we going to carry this thing?" Emma asks. Snow opens her mouth but is interrupted by another voice from behind.

"With the help of an old friend." The voice belongs to Lancelot. I immediately draw my sword and step forward, pointing it at him. Lancelot looks at my sword strangely.

"Stay back." I order but Snow steps in between the two of us. She turns to face me.

"Let me handle this Alice." She pleads and I hesitantly sheath my sword. Snow turns back to Lancelot. "Lancelot! What are you doing here?" She asks with a pleased grin. How can she be so trusting of a man who had seemingly been trailing us the entire journey without getting caught?

"We heard about the Ogre attack and I had to make sure you were all right." He explains.

"Where are Mulan and Aurora?" Snow asks.

"I sent them to find food. Tonight we'll make camp, and in the morning, we'll head back." His words leave no room for argument. He turns his attention to the wardrobe, changing the subject. "So, this is it? The portal you were after?"

"The same one Emma went through. It's how she escaped the curse." Snow answers with a sad smile.

"Remarkable." Lancelot traces his fingers over the wood reverently. He seems a little too interested in the wardrobe if you ask me. I keep my hand on the hilt of my sword.

"Geppetto carved it from an enchanted tree, but there's no magic left." Snow responds with a frustrated sigh.

"A portal this powerful, there must be another way to recharge it."

"Why are you so interested in the wardrobe?" Snow asks and I wonder whether or not she's been pretending to trust him the whole time.

"Well, I just want you to get home to your husband. And son, Henry." At the mention of Henry, me and Snow share a knowing look. "They must miss you." At the same time, me and Snow draw our swords, pointing them at him. I hear Emma gasp from behind me.

"Stay away from him Emma. He's not who he says he is." I tell her, not taking my eyes off him.

"What are you talking about? Who the hell is he?" She asks, perplexed.

"There's only one person you told Henry's name." Snow says, no further explanation needed.

"Cora." Emma's realization causes the man in front of us to transform in a puff of smoke into the Queen of Hearts herself.

"Clever girl." Cora compliments.

"I'm guessing now's a bad time to say 'I told you so'." I say with a roll of my eyes.

"Where's Lancelot?" Snow demands.

"He's dead. I killed him a long time ago." Comes Cora's nonchalant reply.

"And you've been posing as him ever since." I surmise with a shake of my head.

"Well, they'd never listen to me." She points out with a cruel laugh. "And besides, every kingdom needs a hero, isn't that right Alice?" She condescends.

"Agreed." I spit out and without hesitation, swing my sword towards her. She seen it coming though and disappears to the other side of the room. Snow runs at her with her sword but Cora pins her to the wall with a wave of her hand. I go to run towards her again, knowing her magic has no effect on me but with another wave of her hand, I'm surrounded by a ring of fire. Emma is thrown across the room when she goes to help Snow.

"Thank you, Snow. I've been looking for a way over for so long." Emma get's back up, determined to help her mom but Cora wraps her legs in a carpet on the floor, tripping her. I try to approach the fire but the flames are too hot. "I never thought the person to help me find it would be you." She then looks over her shoulder at me. "And my greatest adversary." Anger flares inside of me, hotter than the flames that surround me.

"You won't win again, I promise you." I say coldly.

"Oh, but I will." She disregards and turns her attention back to Snow. I take off my sweater, leaving me in only a black tank top and sweats. I lean down and pick up a metal pole from the rubble and wrap my sweater around it, creating a torch.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Snow asks through a gasping breath. I light the piece of clothing on fire and wave it in the air to get Emma's attention. She looks over at me and I motion my head in the direction of the wardrobe. She understands immediately and takes a bullet out of her pocket and opens it. She pours the gunpowder on the wardrobe.

"I want to see my daughter. It's been too long. And, you know, I would love to meet my grandson, Henry." Cora says with a malicious smile.

"No, you won't." Emma says and with that, I throw the homemade torch into the wardrobe, catching it on fire immediately.

"No!" Cora screams, her concentration on my fire cage broken as she grabs the fire out of the wardrobe with her magic and hurls it at Emma. Right before it can hit her, I deflect it with my sword. She grits her teeth and It's the first time I've ever seen her so angry. She glares at me. Mulan and Aurora run in but I don't take my gaze off Cora.

"We're not done." She warns.

"Not even close." I promise her. Another puff of smoke appears in her place and when it clears, she's gone.

"You okay?" Emma asks Snow.

"You saved me." She says with a soft smile. Emma awkwardly nods her head in acknowledgment before turning to face me.

"Where is she?" She asks.

"Gone." I say with a displeased sigh.

"So is our ride home." Emma says, looking down at the wardrobe in disappointment.

"Lancelot was one of the most noble knights I ever knew." Snow says mournfuly.

"How could I be so blind? How could I not see that it was Cora?" Mulan asks, clearly frustrated.

"I was wondering the same thing, to be honest." I snark under my breath. No one heard me or chooses to ignore me.

"Well, to be fair, the whole shape shifting thing threw me too." Emma says lightheartedly.

"What are we going to tell the people on the island?" Mulan asks, turning to face Aurora.

"The truth. That Lancelot died a noble death in battle with Cora." I supply, more sympathetic this time. She gives me a thankful smile before her usual determined expression returns.

"Cora's still out there. We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom." She implores.

"Who's going to lead us? You?" Aurora asks rhetorically. Mulan shakes her head.

"No. Her." Her gaze snaps to mine and my eyes widen considerably.

"Me?" I exclaim before lowering my voice. "There's a Queen standing right there." I'm quick to point out.

"You knew from the beginning of Cora's deceit. You were the first to act when the Ogre attacked. You have the most history with her. And you said yourself that you were prophesied to overthrow her. You lead." I look around, seeing that everyone is looking at me expectantly and I'm surprised by the trust they're putting in me. I feel a renewed sense of purpose come over me.

"I'm honored. I will do what I can to defeat her but we must still find a way back to Storybrooke." I tell Mulan. Her face lights up.

"We'll help you. We'll find a way, won't we?" She says enthusiastically, turning to Aurora with a questioning look.

"Yes." She says, nodding her head with a reassuring smile at Snow's surprise. "Perhaps it'll help me channel my anger."

"Let's head back to the village, someone might know something." I say, walking out the door without needing to look behind me to know that the rest will follow.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (15)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

We come across a clearing in the woods and I take some deep breaths. Turns out spending almost three decades in a cell with such little food will make you a bit out of shape. I already feel tired and achy.

"This will do. We'll make camp here. We just need to find water and collect firewood." Mulan says and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"If we're hiding from Ogres, shouldn't we maybe, I don't know, not start a fire?" Emma asks sarcastically.

"Ogres are blind. They hunt by sound alone." Snow explains.

"Like bats! Well, bats aren't blind but-" I begin to ramble.

"Right, 'cause that's something everyone would know about Ogres." Emma cuts me off snidely. Me and Mulan share a look, stepping back to give Snow and Emma some space.

"Look, I know you're out of your element-" Snow starts.

"I'm fine." Emma cuts in defensively.

"I know." Snow takes a deep breath before continuing. "But maybe you should just stay here while we get wood and water? Guard the campsite?"

"You mean the big empty clearing?" Emma asks with a look of disbelief.

"It's the safest place. We'll be right back." She replies and walks off without giving Emma time to argue. Mulan walks in the opposite direction and I follow Snow.

"She'll come around." I say, bending down to pick up some smaller sticks for kindling.

"I don't know." Comes her reply in a defeated tone, someone from behind me.

"She just needs time to adjust. Especially since she's stuck here, away from Henry." I explain, shooting her a sympathetic smile over my shoulder which she returns halfheartedly.

"I know, it's just hard..." She trails off for a minute before changing the subject. "So what exactly happened between you and Cora? I know you said something about a prophesy." She pries softly. I clench my jaw at the mention of Cora. I've been on edge since discovering she's here. I've never talked about what happened to me in Wonderland, wanting to forget about it and move on. Convinced that I would never get a chance to have closure but now...

"When I was a little girl I fell into a portal on accident that led me to Wonderland. When Cora realized that I was the person prophesized to overthrow her, she erased my memories and threw me back into a portal. Years later, I fell into another, back into Wonderland. That time, she tried and failed to kill me. Eventually... she used Jefferson to blackmail me into going through the portal. I could either let him die and overthrow her or..." I trail off with a rueful smile.

"And you chose to save him." Snow finishes with a soft smile. Before I can respond there's a dagger at her throat and I see that other woman that was with Mulan when we first arrived.

"Don't move." She orders. I draw my sword. "Phillip's gone because of you." She cries out.

"Drop the dagger." I say calmly, knowing this girl doesn't have the nerve to actually do anything. Snow grabs the woman by her head and throws her over her shoulder. I let out a little laugh of surprise. Snow pins the woman down who struggles underneath her.

"You listen to me, Princess. You think I don't know what it's like to be separated from the people that I love?" The woman tries to squirm away again but Snow pins her harder. "What happened to Phillip was not our fault so I suggest you find another way to channel your anger." In a split second Mulan comes from behind me and rips Snow off.

"Don't talk to her like that." She spits out. I look at Mulan like she's crazy. I think Snow was being pretty nice, all things considered.

"She tried to kill me." Snow grits out.

"I will deal with her." Mulan snaps back before kneeling by the woman.

"What are you? Her mother?" I bite out. Mulan gives me a viscous look but our attention is quickly drawn towards the loud boom. I look over to see Emma holding her gun in the air. "Oh fuck."

"Emma! What are you doing?" Snow whispers, panic lacing her voice. My heart drops as I look around, trying to sense where the Ogres might be.

"Protecting you. Drop the weapon." Emma says and points the gun at Mulan.

"Idiot." I spit out, sheathing my sword.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Snow asks but then off in the distance, we hear a roar.

"Ogres?" Emma asks, a look of horror crossing her face.

"Run!" I order and take off in the opposite direction. I don't look back to make sure they're following but I can hear their footsteps and heavy breathing coming from behind me. I can hear the Ogres getting too close for comfort. "Split up!"

Me, Emma, and Snow go in our own directions down a hill towards the clearing. My heart pounds from over exertion. I feel light headed. Just keep moving forward. That's what Andy had told me when we were climbing a mountain. That feels like a life time ago now.

I hear Emma yelp from behind me and I spare her a glance and see she's tripped and fallen. I stop in my tracks when I realize she won't be able to get up in time because the Ogre is closing in on her. She goes to pick up her gun but the Ogre quickly swats it out of her hand.

I draw my sword, bringing it over my head and throwing it with all my might, directly into its right eye. The Ogre screams and stumbles back but doesn't fall. Then someone whistles from behind the Ogre, catching its attention to reveal Snow.

"Back away from my daughter!" She orders protectively before drawing her bow and shooting the left eye. That finally does the trick as the Ogre falls to a heap on the ground.

Emma gets up and I go to help her but I stumble, my head spinning. "Alice?" I hear Snow's voice as though I'm underwater. It's the last thing I hear before my vision goes black.

[mizusswordtip]

Down The Rabbit Hole ⚝ Killian Jones x Reader (14)

find the story on wattpad

summary: Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.

masterlist

After climbing out of the pit we're led by some guards who keep their watchful gazes on us the entire time.

"Why couldn't you have just listened to us?" Snow asks with an undercurrent of hurt in her voice as opposed by my annoyance. I can imagine that having your own daughter not being willing to trust you would be hurtful. I can't exactly blame Emma, after all, they're both about the same age and she probably feels like a fish out of water in the enchanted forest.

"Why couldn't you have trusted me? I was just trying to find a way to get us home." Emma asks back, exasperated.

"Trying to find a way to get us killed." I correct, unable to hold my tongue. She shoots me an annoyed look.

"I could've handled her." Emma says confidently. I scoff.

"Cora? Don't be so sure." Snow says, disbelieving.

"Cora was able to rule over an entire land because of how powerful she is and you think going to her for help is a good idea?" I ask rhetorically. She looks slightly embarrassed but tries to hide it.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" She asks defensively."You not, that's the whole point. You know nothing of this world and yet refuse to listen." I say firmly.

"We've lived here, Emma. I know this world and its dangers." Snow says pleadingly, trying to get through to her.

"Wait here." One of the guards says before walking off. We stop and Emma turns to look at her mom with a look of contempt.

"Is that why you came through the portal? Because you thought I was helpless here?" She asks.

"No." Snow whispers with a shake of her head. "I came through to be with you." her voice sounds heartbroken. Her face switches suddenly, her face becoming joyful at something behind us.

"Lancelot?" Snow asks, a smile forming on her face. I turn around to find a handsome night, dressed in all black armor.

"Snow?"He asks in disbelief before the both of them run to each other and tightly embrace. "If I had known that you were the prisoners Mulan had brought back, I never would have locked you away. Please, forgive me." He explains with a sympathetic look.

"Of course." Snow immediately says. Shoulders sagging slightly, I feel a bit relieved. I may not know this man but I trust Snow enough to trust her judgment.

"Lancelot? Really?" Emma asks in annoyance.

"He's an old friend. We can trust him." Snow reassures with a nod of her head.

After a little while of catching up we're sat at a table and one of Lancelot's men brings over large plates of food. All my better judgment leaves my body at the sight of freshly cooked meat. I haven't ate since leaving the hospital. Having been fed nothing but a strange, mushy, creamy substance for twenty eight years, I'm practically drooling.

"What the hell is that?" Emma asks, picking at the meat hesitantly with her fork. Without asking I cut off a large chunk and plop it onto my plate. Emma and Snow give me weird looks but I ignore them.

"That is chimera. An acquired taste, but all our hunting party could bring back. One part lion, one part serpent, one part goat." Lancelot explains with a small laugh. I shove a large piece into my mouth and my eyes roll to the back of my head with a grin.

"Like a turducken?" Emma asks.

"It's delicious!" I exclaim. Lancelot raises an eyebrow at that.

"I don't understand, we were told this land didn't even exist anymore. How did you all escape the curse?" Snow asks, not bothering with the food.

"It is a mystery. The curse struck, and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this land. But some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind. We don't know how and we don't know why." His answers gives me pause, I drop my fork, studying his expression.

"What do you mean you don't know? The answers pretty obvious." I say, brows furrowed. Every one looks at me expectantly and this time it's my turn to roll my eyes. "Who's the only person in this land powerful enough to counteract the strongest curse ever made?" I ask, a suggestive brow raised.

"It's possible but I doubt she'd ever admit to doing so. Finding this safe haven wasn't easy. It took some spilt blood. But worry not, you're safe here." Lancelot reassures with a smile. There's something off about him but I can't quite put my finger on it. His answers just seem too... perfect. Rehearsed.

"We can't stay. My husband's back there. Emma's son, my grandson. We have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal?" Snow pleads.

"No, leaving is unwise. The enchanted forest is not as you remember it. The ogres have returned." Lancelot warns. I shove another piece of meat into my mouth."Ogres? Like, as in 'Fee-fi-fo-fum'?" Emma asks, clearly finding the idea funny.

"Those would be giants." Snow corrects and Emma shoots her an annoyed look.

"Ogres are far worse. That's why we live here on this island, where it's safe." Lancelot explains to Emma before turning his attention back to Snow. "Please, Snow, stay here. There are no more portals left."

"I might know of one." Snow says, a look of realization coming over her face. I feel my heart skip a beat hopefully.

"Really?" I ask.

"You do? Where?" Lancelot cuts in hastily. Snow opens her mouth but I grab her hand before any words can come out.

"Don't. Cora's near." I remind her lowly.

"She's right, I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans. She's powerful." Snow tells Lancelot.

"Not anymore. The curse stripped her of her powers." He tries to reassure with a soft smile but I'm not buying it.

"That doesn't make sense." I speak up. He gives me a questioning look. "If the curse avoided these lands then how did it affect her?" I ask. He looks down for a moment before sighing heavily.

"I wish I knew. Perhaps that was the price she had to pay to protect herself from the curse." He says, lifting his head.

"That's a price she'd never be willing to pay." I say knowingly. He doesn't seem fazed by my clear suspicion but that doesn't mean anything.

"Perhaps she didn't know what the price was before paying it. Either way, given her reputation, we've kept her locked up as a precaution." He says, gesturing toward the pit.

"Nevertheless, I'm not taking chances. Trust me, I may have a way. Let us go." Snow pleads. He looks conflicted for a moment before making up his mind.

"I'll allow it. But on one condition, take my bravest warrior with you. Allow Mulan to defend you." He says, gesturing toward the dark haired woman who had dragged us here to begin with.

"We can defend ourselves." Emma says.

"Deal." Snow intervenes, causing even more annoyance from Emma.

"Extra swords never hurt." I tell her with a little nod but it doesn't seem to help ease her irritation. "Well they do but it doesn't hurt us." I joke under my breath.

"Thank you, Lancelot. For always looking out for me." Snow says before standing up. I grab a piece of meat and shove it in my pocket.

Mulan opens a chest filled with a variety of weapons.

"Choose wisely. We must be vigilant if we hope to survive the journey." She says firmly with a determined expression. Snow bends down and picks out a bow and quiver. I kneel down and rifle through the chest.

"Where's my gun? I want it back." Emma asks Mulan while shoving a dagger in her boot. Mulan pulls out the gun, examining it with a confused expression.

"Is it magic?" She asks. Emma holds out her hand expectantly and Mulan hands her the gun.

"Depends on who's pulling the trigger." She replies. I see a little glimmer in the chest and I feel my heart race. My mouth goes dry as I pull out the Vorpal sword. I hold it with both hands out in front of me.

"How did this get here?" I whisper to myself but I must have caught the attention of Mulan.

"Why?" She asks.

"It's... mine." I whisper back, looking up at her. Her confused expression matches my own.

"It was with Cora when she was captured." She explains with a small shrug.

"Curious. Very curious." I murmer, grabbing the sword by the hilt before standing and sheathing it. I feel a sensation I haven't felt since Wonderland, a sense of belonging.

"You know her then?" Mulan asks with a raise of her chin.

"A prophecy long ago said we were to be enemies. This sword was made for me to defeat her. It protects the user from any and all magic. At least that I know of." I explain to her with a rueful smile at the memory of Hook blackmailing me into the portal.

"If that is so, how did you manage to become cursed?" Mulan asks suspiciously.

"It was stolen from me." I reply bitterly. "But that's not the question you should be asking." Mulan raises a brow. "You should be asking yourself how the curse took Cora's powers away if she had this on her." She clenches her jaw, clearly unnerved by my words but I continue anyways. "So the question isn't how you captured her, but why she let you."

"Get to the point." Mulan snaps.

"Lancelot, he has to be helpi-"

"No."

"He wouldn't." Both Snow and Mulan speak at the same time. I shake my head with a humorless smile.

"If you say so." At my word, Mulan seems all too happy to change the subject. She straightens up.

"Follow my lead. Step where I step. Do exactly as I say, and we might survive." Mulan orders. I can tell she's not trying to be hostile, I think that's just her natural state of being.

"Thanks for the pep talk, but I think we're okay. We have a dragon slayer in our group." Emma says, gesturing to me. Mulan doesn't even spare me a glance as she steps closer to Emma, her face somehow more severe than before.

"Have you ever seen an Ogre?" She asks.

"Pretty sure I've dated a few." Emma Jokes.

"Legend has it that when they kill you, the last thing you see is yourself dying in the reflection in their eyes." Mulan says, clearly trying to scare her. I roll my eyes with a sigh.

"Riveting. Let's go now." I say, gesturing in the direction we're going. Before Emma can pass by me I step in front of her. "She's right, but it is possible to kill them. The key is to aim for the eye." I say with a nod of encouregment. She swallows hard.

"Have you ever killed an Ogre?" She asks a little breathlessly.

"Oh! I thought we were still talking about dating." I joke. Her nervous exterior cracks and she laughs a little. "No, I've never killed an Ogre."