28Furies' Anger
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
This story is set just after everyone gets back from Neverland. So Henry and Pan are in their own bodies and there was no new spell.
In case anyone will be confused, Aoife is pronounced as "ee-fa."
Please enjoy.
Captain Killian Jones was a pirate and was happy with the three essential aspects of the job: treasure, rum and women.
He was exceptional at getting all three and never left a port or a seaside town without at least having had two of them. He found the women to be the easiest to leave behind and Killian had become used to never seeing any of them again. Which was the perfect reason why he was hiding behind a barrel on a busy dock.
He looked over the edge of the barrel, scanning the crowd for the person he had seen only a moment before.
"Captain?"
He turned to look up at his first mate, Carter, a huge man with a deep suntan and a fondness for tattoos. "What exactly are you doing?"
Killian rolled his eyes and replied, "What does it look like Carter? Clearly I am hiding, from a former...lady friend."
Carter quickly caught on and he took over as watch for his captain. The dock was crowded with people from all over the surrounding islands and seas. Killian had been there a few months before but after drinking two entire bottles of rum by himself, he barely remembered anything. Well, except for the deranged barmaid who nearly screamed the town down after he tried to escape from her room. She apparently thought he was staying longer than he did.
"Captain, does this woman have pale brown hair, green eyes and is carrying a large bundle of sheets?"
Killian nodded quickly, scanning the dock for some means of escape.
"Good, because she's already spotted you."
He barely had time to consider running before the woman herself was glaring down at him from over the barrel. Killian managed to put on his best charming smile and stood up as casually as he could. Now if only he could remember her name.
Before he could say anything however, the woman shoved her bundle into his arms and shouted, "You did this! Now it's your problem!"
With that she turned on her heel and stormed away down the dock.
Killian let out a sigh, grinning at Carter. "That was easier than I thought it would be."
Then the package moved.
Killian quickly shoved it into Carter's arms and took a step back. "What is it?" he asked, "Is it some kind of creature? Is she trying to kill me?"
Carter calmly pulled aside the sheets until his hand stilled. Killian watched as his eyebrows went upwards before he turned to his captain. "It's a baby."
"I want it off my ship!"
Killian's orders were not received exactly how he wanted. Carter and the ship's doctor, a man called Beckett, just stood in front of the door to his captain's quarters, glancing at each other. Killian took in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. After Carter's exclamation less than an hour ago, he had just hurried back onto the ship. Carter had followed with the baby and brought it immediately to Beckett to check that it was in good health. Killian put his kindness down to the fact that Carter was a father himself; he had three children in a town somewhere that he sent money back too. The baby had taken over the captain's quarters but Killian had refused to look at it.
"Did I not make myself clear?" he said in a deadly calm voice.
Realising that their captain was nearing the end of his patience, the two men quickly tried to explain. "I understand Captain, of course! It's just that we thought you might want to keep your child with you now that the mother has left."
"It might not even be my child!" Killian quickly exclaimed.
Beckett raise an eyebrow at this but replied instead with, "Even if that is true sir, we can't leave her here. There is an orphanage in the next port; we can stop off there and give her to them."
Killian nodded, liking that plan. He stilled however and stared at the two men.
"Her?"
Beckett smiled softly, not usually an expression for a pirate. "Yes sir; her. It's a girl."
Killian seemed frozen, staring at the closed door.
Beckett cleared his throat quietly and said, "I am going to Cook; he might have something for the little one to drink."
Killian was still blinking at the door and didn't even notice the doctor leave. Carter hesitated before putting a hand on his captain's shoulder. Killian jumped slightly and looked at him. Carter patted his shoulder and asked, "Shall I tell the crew to make ready for the next port? It will take less than an hour to get there."
Killian nodded and watched his first mate walk down the corridor and to the stairs. Carter paused on the first step before grinning at his captain.
"She is yours Killian; she looks too much like you not to be."
With that Carter left the startled captain standing in the corridor. Killian turned back to the wooden door again.
"This is ridiculous," he mumbled to himself, "You are a pirate! It's just a baby."
With that he put his hand on the door and pushed it open. Laying on the bed, surrounded by the blankets she arrived in, was the baby girl. Killian was troubled to realise that she was crying softly, her little hands reaching out into the air. He stepped closer to her, hesitant as if she would suddenly turn into a monster. He had wanted children years ago, before he had become a pirate and the world was a lot safer. But that was long ago and he was sure that he had forgotten all about it.
But when he finally saw his daughter's face, with her wisps of black hair and wide blue eyes, he remembered quite clearly. She was barely the length of his forearm and could only be a few weeks old. Her eyes-an exact copy of his own-were shining with tears and Killian quickly reached out to her.
"Hey," he said softly, "Hey, little one it's alright."
Without really thinking, he picked her up and cradled her to his chest. To his delight, the baby stopped crying and stared up at him. Killian laughed quietly, completely amazed by the little thing in his arms. She was his daughter; his beautiful little daughter.
There was a soft knock at the door and Killian turned to see Beckett opening the door. He was holding a small flask and handed it over to Killian.
"She should be able for this milk; poor thing seems starving."
A flash of anger went through him; that woman had left his daughter hungry and without any proper clothes. Beckett tickled the baby's cheek and earned a giggle. "She's a darling little thing-looks just like you too."
Beckett nodded his goodbye and slipped out of the cabin.
It was just under an hour later when Carter knocked on his door. When the first mate looked into the room, he saw Killian sitting on one of his chairs, the baby girl still in his arms.
Captain?" he asked, as quietly as his deep voice could.
Killian looked away from the baby and raised an eyebrow. "We're just about to pass the port for the orphanage-should I tell them to stop?"
Killian paused, looking down at his sleeping daughter again. He had spent an hour with her and knew that to leave her like he had been left, would ruin him forever.
"No," he said, "No, sail on."
Carter contained his smile, nodding once. Before he exited, he chanced one question. "Have you thought of a name?"
Killian looked confused for a moment –obviously he hadn't.
"Um..." he stared down at the baby; his mind running thought all the names he knew. Finally, he replied. "Aoife. I'll call her Aoife."
Carter looked surprised but then said, "After the Irish warrior woman. I think it will be quite fitting for any daughter of yours."
Killian chuckled and Carter shut the door behind him. The noise disturbed Aoife and her face screwed up in annoyance.
"Ssh, ssh, it's alright," Killian mumbled to her, "Papa's here. It's alright."
Killian Jones always knew that one day a girl was going to be the end of him and his sanity. He just never thought it would be his daughter.
The Jolly Rodger was docked in a remote kingdom that barely anyone knew the name of. The city was large but only accessible by sea because of the large mountains that backed onto the city walls. The only good thing about the place was that a rare herb grew nearby and Killian needed to trade some of it. The problem was that they had sailed into the city during what looked to be one of its busiest days. There were crowds everywhere and a cold snap from the towering mountains sent shivers down Killian's spine.
"There are too many people; it might be best to make this business meeting later in the evening," Killian mumbled to Carter.
They stood on deck, winter coats wrapped around them as they stared out into the crowd.
"The man we're meeting has to leave the city by sundown; he's not exactly welcome here," Carter replied, "It's today in half an hour or not at all."
Killian mulled this thought for a moment before agreeing with his first mate. Then sometime brushed past him quickly, nearly stumbling over his boots. As if by instinct-or practise- Killian's hand shot out and grabbed his daughter by the back of her shirt to stop her running off.
"Where do you think you are going?"
Blue eyes looked up at him, with dark hair spilling framing a round face. "But Papa, you promised I could go with you this time!"
Killian sighed, his hand moving from her shirt to her shoulder. At seven years old, his daughter had a sharp memory; even if she did barely reach his waist.
"Only if you put on your coat," he ordered, causing a wide grin to appear on her face.
It was moments later that Killian, Carter and a small group of men slipped through the crowd towards the town square; all the while trying to keep an eye on a wandering child. "Aoife Jones, if you don't stay with me, there will be no sword fighting lessons this week," Killian warned her.
Aoife, however, was far too fascinated with everything going on around her to notice. Sighing, Killian scooped her up and sat her on his shoulders. At least this way, he would know where she was. They continued walking, the crowd getting denser the closer they got to the town square.
"Papa, what is that?" Aoife asked and Killian knew that sound of fear in her voice. He followed her gaze quickly and caught sight of the hangman's platform sitting in the middle of the square.
"That's why everyone's here," he hissed at Carter. He pulled Aoife off his shoulders and tucked her into his chest. He had been to plenty of executions to know it was no place for children and certainly not his daughter. He turned to go back but the crowd wouldn't let him; all he could do was stand where he was until the spectacle was over.
He only paid some attention to what was going on because Aoife-his adventurous girl- kept trying to see what everyone was staring at. He was busy with keeping her looking the other way and distracting her with stories. He was vaguely aware that the prisoner had been brought up onto the platform, as had the sheriff of the city. The prisoner was yelling someone about injustice, a cover-up and revenge but Killian gave him no notice.
He only took his attention away from Aoife when a portal opened above the platform.
That's when the crowd started screaming and stampeding; pushing each other out of the way.
Killian had seen many portals in his time but never like this one. The common one was green, Wonderland had a unique blue, but this one was the colour of blood. It seemed drip red and the cold breeze that had threatened them before was now a chilling vortex of wind. The prisoner had been sucked straight through the portal, along with flags, carts and anything that wasn't nailed to the ground. People were being thrown through the air and those who couldn't outrun it, latched onto anything stable.
Killian held Aoife closer to him and spun around, shoving his way through the crowd. "Come on boys!" he yelled back at the crew, who were struggling to get through the wind. He knew that if he got around the corner of the town square, they stood a chance but it was too far away.
He tightened his hold on Aoife but the wind suddenly picked up once again. Before he could blink, his daughter was snatched out of his arms.
"Aoife!" he shouted, desperately trying to grab onto her again. But the wind had a better hold of her and she disappeared through the portal screaming, "Papa!"
As soon as she had gone, the wind stopped and the portal closed. Killian was left standing on the cobbles, panting and in shock. Carter hurried towards him, leaving the shelter he had taken in a shallow well. "Captain-."
He barely reached him before Killian shot forward, scrambling at the broken remains of the platform. The wind had destroyed that as well but in his blind grief, Killian searched around for an answer.
"Aoife!" he yelled, his eyes scrambling to find any sign of the portal. "Aoife!"
But there was no answer. A groan from the right, made Killian's head snap around and he saw the sheriff getting up from the ground. Before he had even taken a breath, Killian had him by the throat, squeezing.
"What was that?!" he demanded, "Where did it take my daughter?!"
The sheriff shook his head but Killian kept choking him. "That prisoner started that portal, I know he did. Where does it go?!"
Just as the sheriff was about to pass out; Carter hit Killian across the back of the head.
When he came to Killian was aware of three things. One, he had a splitting headache. Two, the rocking of the boat meant they were far out in the sea. Three, his little girl was gone.
He let out a long breath, trying to suck in as much salty air as he could.
"I am so sorry Captain."
He spun around to see that he was lying on his bed and Carter was sitting on the bench. Killian sat up swinging his legs over the side of the bed, slightly dizzy.
"Aoife," he mumbled, "I have to go find her..."
Carter was quick to make sure he did not get up. "Please, Captain, stay sitting. Beckett said that your head will be better within the next few hours."
Killian glared at him. "I don't have hours; I need to find my daughter."
"You can't find her. Not where she has gone."
The feeling of dread that had been eating at his gut since Aoife disappeared hit him full force and he suddenly felt sick. "You know what that portal was? You know where she is?"
Carter handed him a flask of water but Killian just sat on his bed, staring at him.
Carter sat back down on the bench and nodded. "A portal like that appeared in my village when I was a child. It is not like the beans or the magic of the fairies; not even like the Mad Hatter's hat. It is like the portals are alive; they appear whenever someone is so filled with vengeful anger. That prisoner felt that he had been wronged and the portal sensed it; so it came and brought him to its world. The wind must have taken Aoife too by mistake."
Killian just kept staring; his will slowly being eaten away with every word.
"The portal brings people to one place and one place only: The Land between Worlds. It is a realm filled with those who are lost and angry; the creatures that live there are older than most legends. It is not ruled over by kings or queens; it belongs to the Furies." Killian leaned forward, his head hanging between his legs. He had heard nightmares about the Furies; creatures of immense power that fed off feelings of vengeance and rage. And they had his little girl.
"Before you ask Captain, there is no way to get her back," Carter said in a broken voice, "The portal is one way system and no other magical object or person can take you there. People only know about the Land between Worlds because once the Furies used to come through the portals themselves. I am sorry Captain but there is no way Aoife could have survived a world like that. She's gone. I knew that you would not leave the city without her so I knocked you out and brought you back on board."
Killian could barely hear him; his head was rushing, noise blasting though his ears and the only thing he was aware of was the echo of his daughter's voice calling for him.
"Get out," he whispered but Carter did not move. "I said get out!" he roared, finally looking up with red rimmed eyes and a distraught face. It was then that Carter nodded and quietly left the cabin.
Killian sat still for so long, the sun began to set. He just kept panting and crying for his lost child; all the while wondering, was this what those magic beings meant by having your heart ripped out?
Hook jolted awake when his elbow slipped off the arm rest, his head nearly hitting the wood. He blinked quickly and yawned as he got his bearings.
It was early morning; the sun had probably just risen over the ocean. He knew this because his beach house had a wonderful view out over the Storybrooke coast and he was currently sitting on his porch. Hook had sat outside for a while the night before on one of his porch chairs and since the weather was mild, he only needed a blanket to wrap around his shoulders. He must have fallen asleep; wouldn't be the first time.
He had gotten so used to living on a boat that to finally have a house on land was strange. After coming back from Neverland, the ship was damaged and he had no choice but live on land while it was repaired. While that was happening he had gotten attached to the beach house he had rented and decided to stay; even if he sometimes had trouble sleeping.
But the drama had settled down over the past few weeks once they got Henry and Pan back in the right bodies and finally sent that crazy flying kid back to where he came from. Storybrooke was actually having a peaceful time. And Hook was learning how comfortable modern day clothes were.
He was contemplating about heading inside for breakfast when Emma's car pulled up beside the house. The blonde herself got out holding a paper bag from Granny's and two coffee cups to go.
"Morning!" she called to him, "I take it that you fell asleep outside again?"
Hook shrugged, gladly taking the coffee and warm bagel she handed him from the bag. "And I take it that things are still unsettled in the Charming-Mills-Stiltskin home if you are here so early?"
Emma made a face and she threw herself down onto the adjacent porch chair. She had been stopping by the house more and more often over the past few weeks but Hook had said nothing about their time in Neverland. He was content to wait for Emma to make the first move and before she could do that, there were many family issues that needed to be sorted out first.
Emma sipped her coffee before speaking. "I just think that we've all been so caught up with finding each other or saving the day that actually living with each other is becoming the real quest. Regina and I can't agree about Henry and then Neal gets involved-as he should don't get me wrong. But then Gold apparently has an opinion and then my parents have to say their two cents. It all ends up in an argument with Henry in the middle."
Hook nodded slowly, chewing on his breakfast. Finally he said, "Don't take this the wrong way-and by that I mean, don't punch me again-but it might be a good idea to sort out some...underlying problems that have nothing to do with Henry first?"
Emma looked genuinely confused and Hook sat up in his chair, juggle in the coffee cup and bagel in two hands. There was another perk of the modern world: prosthetic hand.
"What I am trying to say Swan, is that your family all seem to have common issues. Mainly, the one that parents leave their children."
Emma bristled at this and Hook quickly continued. "I know that there are many explanations and stories and you all have your different reasons-which are justifiable. But Emma, can't any of you see that you are all going around in circles if you don't talk about it? My father abandoned me too but I can't let it run my life forever."
Emma chewed on a bite of her bagel, glaring at him. "I hate it when you make sense."
Hook grinned, settling back to watch the rest of the sunrise with her.
Henry Mills was a really good reading buddy. He was encouraging, calm and kind to all of the young students. It wasn't unusual for him to be given some of the more difficult students to read with.
Snow knew all of this about her grandson; what she didn't was why he sitting outside the classroom looking like he was going to break the bench with his tight grip on the edge.
"Henry?" she asked, sitting down beside him. He looked at her but then stared back down at the floor.
"Sweetheart, what are doing out here? Are you sick?"
Henry shook his head, his knuckles white. "I had Tim Lewis for a reading buddy today. He's eight."
Snow nodded; she knew Tim was a lovely boy. "Ok...?"
Henry finally met her gaze, his hair falling into his eyes. "He'd been seven for nearly thirty years; he had his birthday last week. I was his best friend when I was seven."
Snow's shoulders fell and she pulled him into hug. She knew what this was about. In all they had been through, her family sometimes forgot that Henry was only one in an entire town to grow up. The poor kid had to live his life confused about why children like Tim stayed in the same grade while he moved up. And when asked about it, Regina put him in therapy. It was all too easy to blame the Mayor, however. Snow knew they all had parts to play in Henry feeling down.
She pulled back from him but kept her arm around his shoulders. "Listen, I know that things have been chaotic lately and we've all been..."
"At each other throats?" Henry suggested.
Snow sighed and gave him an encouraging smile. "Yes. But we have all agreed to have dinner together tonight, haven't we? I promise that it will be fun."
Henry smiled at her but said nothing. He had the Heart of the Truest Believer and even he knew dinner was a bad idea.
Hook stood at the end of his dock, the phone at his ear. He had spent the day at the ship, checking on the latest improvements. The sun was low in the sky now and Emma was on the other end of the phone, complaining about the dinner she was having at her parent's new house.
"Regina is giving everyone snarky comments and Gold looks like he wants to smack someone with his cane. Belle is trying but Henry seems down."
"And you're hiding in the bathroom."
She was silent for a second and then said, "No, I'm not."
Hook chuckled down the phone, putting his other hand in his pocket. "Come one love, just give the dinner a chance. Maybe-."
"Hold on," Emma interrupted and Hook could hear a door opening. "Oh for-there is literally a yelling competition going on in the kitchen right now! I can't believe this. Hey!"
Hook rolled his eyes and waited as he could hear the argument over the phone. "That is one crazy family," he muttered to himself.
"Henry? Henry what's wrong?" Hook stilled when he heard the worry in Emma's voice.
"Henry, what's going on?! What is that?!"
"Emma!"
"Henry?!"
Hook was halfway up the dock already as he heard this. Clearly something was really wrong and Emma was practically shouting over the phone.
Before he reached his house however, there was booming in the sky. Hook looked up and the phone fell from his grasp. There, hovering above a street in Storybrooke, was a red portal. He had only seen it once before, hundreds of years ago but it still made him sick.
"Aoife," he muttered but when the wind started to pick up, he snapped out of his daze.
He only had seconds to get to the house but he knew he was already too late.
Henry didn't exactly know what happened; he wasn't even sure of what had been happening over the past few weeks. Everyone was back home; everyone was safe. So why were they still fighting? And they seemed to all be fighting over him.
His moms couldn't make up their minds on anything and his Dad got caught in the cross fire sometimes. His grandparents were always trying to help but they sometimes made things worse.
And worst of all, Henry knew that it wasn't always about him. They had problems with each other but they didn't talk about them so they just stayed angry at each other. He hated being used as an excuse for them getting to yell at each other. Worse still, he was having trouble settling back into a "normal" existence like school and homework. It was all just getting on his nerves.
And when everyone started shouting at each other before dinner even started, Henry was pretty sure his nerves had reached their limit. His family, minus Emma, literally started yelling at each other over his head. He clapped his hands over his ears and tried to drown them all out.
It was only when he heard Emma ask, "Henry? Henry, what's wrong?" did he actually look up. But by then it was too late.
He was angry, angrier than he had ever been and all he wanted to do was leave; get away. Somehow; somewhere. There was suddenly a deafening crash from behind him and when he turned around, the back wall of the kitchen was gone.
A sudden wind picked up and the howling started so Henry could barely hear the shouts of fear and warning from his family. He was lifted off his feet and spun around and around. Everything turned red and then, just black.
It's never a good day when a boy falls from the sky and his crash landing gets in your way. She was just walking along, minding her own business and staying undetected when a portal opened up above the road.
She rolled her eyes and continued on but then the portal spat out a brown haired boy, leaving him face down in dirt, right at her feet.
She stared at him for moment, carefully taking in his modern clothes and lack of weaponry, before smartly stepping right over his legs and strolling away.
It was only when she heard the screeching of the Furies did she actually stop.
"No, no, no," she thought quickly. She was not ready for a fight today. She hadn't eaten since that morning and her wrist still stung from the last interaction with the creatures. The most she could hope for her survival instinct kicking in.
For a moment, she hoped that they hadn't seen her but when one swiped at her with a sword, she realised it was probably time to act. She spun around to face the four Furies hovering above the inconvenient boy, pulling out the two swords that had been hanging from her belt while dropping her bag. The nastiest thing about the Furies was that they could look like humans or have wings, or claws, or scales if they felt like it. They were also pretty handy with deadly weapons.
She deflected one's sword before spinning around to elbow her in the face, sending her to the ground. She quickly beheaded one that wasn't looking and then the third one decided to get her tail involved. The Fury wrapped her tail around the girl's arm, making her drop one of her sword. Without pausing she dropped the other one to grab the dagger from her boot and send it straight through the Fury's chest.
The girl grabbed her swords again and ran back towards the boy who had the last Fury standing over him, ready to rip his skin off. The girl met the Fury head on, using one sword to swipe away a talon attack and slashing the other one through the monster's chest. Like all Furies when fatally wounded, she turned to dust.
Silence fell once again and the girl stayed still for a moment, before putting her weapons away and picking up her bag. She rubbed her fingers across the wrist that tail had squeezed but it seemed fine.
She looked at the kid again, before prodding him in the shoulder. "Alright, come one, wake up. We don't have all day."
These were the first words that he heard as he came to and the girl grinned weakly at him. "Rise and shine, kid. The early bird doesn't get eaten by the Furies."
She helped him up and removed a twig from his hair before he finally got his bearings.
"W-where am I?" he asked hoarsely.
The girl clicked her tongue before saying, "The Land between Worlds. Yes, you did get here by portal. No, it will not send you home. Yes, you are stuck here and yes, the Furies do rip people's faces off so avoid them. Is that everything?"
Henry blinked this girl, looking her up and down. She was a few inches taller than him, with black hair and sharp blue eyes. Her clothes were made to last; the tough brown jacket, the dark trousers, green top and sturdy boots. She also had at least two swords, daggers in her boots and up her sleeves while a bag was slung over one shoulder.
"Furies?" he managed to mumble and the girl pointed to the right. He looked over and startled violently when he saw the half bird creature lying on the ground.
"I'd get out of here quickly; it'll come to in a minute."
Henry wrenched his eyes away from it and stared at her, his brain finally catching up with the rest of her previous statement.
"I've never heard of the Land between Worlds," Henry protested but the girl just grinned.
"But clearly it has heard of you."
Henry frowned at her as she turned her back and walked away from him. He took a few deep breaths and looked around. It looked like he was in forest, on a dirt road but everything seemed so much darker, closed in and murky.
Without really thinking, he hurried after the girl. He was a few steps behind her when she turned around and frowned at him. Still she kept walking. So he walked after her. She looked around once more before folding her arms and glaring at him.
"Can I help you kid?"
Henry didn't like being called kid by someone he just met, especially since she only looked a couple of years older than him; she was seventeen at the most. His family was the only people he didn't mind using the term.
"This will not be a thing," she said, motioning between them. "We are not teaming up and I am not looking for a sidekick so just turn around and go the other way."
Henry started to stutter, still mixed up from his trip through the portal. "But I have nowhere to go!"
The girl gestured towards the trees. "We are in a bloody forest, in a land that shouldn't exist. No one has anywhere to go! You just find yourself a nice bush to lie under and work your way from there."
Henry gave her a pained look and the girl rolled her eyes. She gave a glance to the setting sun before looking back at Henry.
"Fine!" she growled out with reluctance. "I'll give you a place to sleep tonight but I want you gone by the morning."
Henry let out a sigh of relief before running to catch up with her. They walked in silence for a few moments before he said, "My name's Henry."
The girl sighed. "Really? We're doing names now?"
Henry gave her a pointed look and she raised an eyebrow at him. A moment later, she sighed again.
"I'm Aoife."
