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Where he walked was unfamiliar.
What he wore wasn't his usual leathers.
In place of a hook at the end of his left arm was flesh and bone.
Every detail became clear and apparent as he walked up the road in front of him. The trees were in high bloom, green life bursting on either side of him. The sun was high and beating down on him, leaving him grateful that wherever he'd come he was not wearing the heavy leather jacket that would threaten to boil him in such heat. The air was clean and dry, the freshness of late spring a pleasure to breathe in as he walked.
He had no idea of his destination, his only path was the road that stretched out endlessly, so he followed it without question until he came to a long driveway that disappeared in the shade of the trees. The sound of quiet weeping floated to him on the breeze; it was a heart broken, wretched sound that tore at his heart, pulling his feet towards it before he knew he was moving.
When the trees cleared enough to show the large house at the end, a small shadow came into view as well; she was sitting at the very edge of the forest, her tiny knees pulled up to her chin, green eyes flowing over with tears far too pained for someone of her tender years. Everything inside him shattered as he watched her, her little frame shuddering with the force of every sob that forced its way past her lips. He pushed a gentle smile to his face even as his clear blue eyes reflected his agony at watching such a tiny thing suffer with so much pain.
“Come now, little love, the world hasn't ended yet; there can be no cause for such tears,” he spoke gently, dropping to his knees beside her, taking her tiny fingers into his own.
“I want my mama,” she whimpered softly, rocking herself as she wept.
“Is she not in the house then, lass? Wondering where you are, I would imagine.”
She shook her head softly, her green eyes lifting to meet his, her broken gaze enough to stall the breath in his chest. “Mama's not coming back for me. Mrs. Henderson says. She says I need a new Mama but I only want mine. Why's my Mama not coming back for me?”
He sighed softly, reaching out with his free hand to stroke the young one's long, blonde hair. “I'm afraid sometimes the world is just like that, love. I lost my mum when I was very young as well.”
She looked up at him slowly, her little lip trembling. “Really? Mrs. Henderson says not to cry so much cause she wasn't my real mama anyway.”
He smiled down at her, holding her hand tightly. “Did she feel like your real mama?” When she nodded, he smiled again. “Then you go on and cry as much as you need, lass. Just remember, when you've cried all your tears out, you need to be strong again. You can't let them break you, little one. Believe me, I know.”
The door to the house opened and a middle aged lady stepped out onto the porch. He was grateful to be hidden amongst the trees as she scanned the yard, shaking her head. “Emma!”
Her little head picked up off her knees and she looked over to the house. “I'm here!”
“Well come inside, then. It's time for lunch and the others are already sat at the table. I swear, girl, you'll be the last for everything your entire life if you don't start paying attention to details.”
The little one sighed softly, climbing to her feet. “Yes, Mrs. Henderson.”
When the door closed he leaned back out of the shadows, capturing her hand once again. “Emma?”
When she turned to smile at him, he recognized her instantly; how he hadn't seen it before he didn't know, but those eyes, that smile, her hair, it was all unmistakeably her. “I have to go now.”
“I know, lass, but I want you to remember something.” He checked quickly to make sure she was listening. “Remember that no matter how alone you feel, it won't be forever. I promise that one day you will find someone that loves you with every single beat of his heart. It will seem like a long time away now, and I'm truly sorry for that, but it really isn't so very far off. Just a few years now.”
Her little lip trembled as she cocked her head at him, her green eyes once again filled with tears. “Why do I have to wait?”
He smiled sadly, shaking his head. “He's sleeping right now, love, but one day he'll wake up and you will be the first thing he finds.”
“Like a prince in a fairy tale?”
The glow came back to her eyes and he relaxed slightly, nodding softly. “I suppose you could call it a fairy tale of sorts.”
“Do I have to kiss him?” Her face screwed up tightly, and he laughed.
“No, lass, you don't have to kiss him until you want to.”
She giggled lightly, her tears forgotten. “Are you gonna come see me again?”
He shrugged softly, his blue eyes turning sad as he looked down at her. “I don't even know how I've come to see you this time, to be honest, love.”
“Oh.”
The corner of his lip curved up and he stroked her soft hair one last time. “How about this? Whenever you feel sad or lonely, look up at the sky. If it's nighttime, you'll see all the stars in the world and I promise you that I'll always be looking at the same star you are and thinking of you.”
“How do you know?”
He chuckled softly. “I'm a pirate, lass; my eyes are always on the stars, and now that I know you, I'll never forget you.”
He watched as she giggled and then turned her head towards the house when she heard the porch door swing open a second time. Mrs. Henderson didn't have time to yell for her before the little blonde was running up the driveway and into the house with a bounce in her step she'd not had since her parents had returned her. Her caretaker spared her not a word as she shut the door firmly, disappearing back into the house, leaving him to rise to his feet and retrace his steps back down the long path.
He closed his eyes against the sunlight as he returned to the road, opening them only when he felt the world shift around him. The early morning sun shone through the window on his side of their bed, startling him awake. He'd slept long past the dawn with which he was used to rising. The soft whisper of a breeze passed his ear and he turned his head slightly, trembles travelling down his skin as her breath warmed the side of his face. Long tresses of blonde hair curled around his fingers as he stroked the back of her head, her green eyes fluttering slowly open, her body moving tighter against his as she stretched and shifted, coming to rest with her head on his chest, fingers resting against the stump where moments ago there had been a hand.
“Killian? 'S early,” she mumbled, pressing a soft, sleepy kiss to his skin.
“Aye, love. Sleep some more if you like. I'll be here when you wake.”
He had no illusions that his dream had been anything more than that; wishful thinking brought on by falling asleep speaking of their childhoods, he supposed. He would give his remaining hand to have been there for her, to have helped her see the good that was waiting for her, to have eased away some of the pain that still festered within her battered heart. He'd been sleeping blissfully under Cora's protection while she struggled to grow up alone, believing that no one in the world would ever love her. Thank the gods she'd been one of the strong ones; she'd bent but not broken, opening her heart to let him in even if he'd had to work harder than hell to earn his place at her side.
Even if it had only been a dream, he'd keep his promise to the little blonde girl with big green eyes full of sadness and desperate hope. He'd look at every star and think of her for the rest of his life to ensure that if they were ever apart, she could always look up to meet him and never be alone again.
Maybe after thirty years of abandonment it was too late for the comfort he wished he could have given her, but he would never stop trying. It had to count for something in the grand construction of the universe that saw fit to drive them together when by all rights they never should have even met. Pirates don't get the princesses; villains don't get their happy endings; but by the gods, he was going to hang on to both his princess and his happy ending until the fates pried them from his cold dead hand. It was his own silent promise to the blonde angel asleep in his arms that nothing less could ever tear him away.
~~~Fin~~~
Much like magic, all muses have a price. My muse's price is that little box down below. Please don't make her chase you for payment, it's such a bloody awful waste of her time.