There Once was a Princess... (Hook x Reader)

Chapter 9

The group reaches the top of a hill, Mulan points ahead,

"Once we've crossed this reach we'll be near the woods of the dead.

~The woods of the dead? Sounds cheerful...~

"The last poppies in this realm have taken seed there."

You notice that your mother has been unusually quiet, almost nervous... and Emma notices too.

"You ok?" you ask

"Yeah, I'm fine" she quickly answers

"Yeah wait. No, no, no. you look nervous. This Netherworld—how bad is it? What's it like?" Emma questions

"It's like you're lost, drifting in the dark. No one to talk to, nothing to do except think of all the people you love and that you'll never see them again."

"Henry was lost in that dark too. Because of me..." Emma realizes

~Oh Lord, here comes the self-blame game~

"What are you talking about?"

"He tried so hard to convince me I was the Savior..."

"Emma, stop it. Nobody would have believed Henry's stories" Mary Margaret defends Emma from herself

"His mother should have."

You are getting frustrated with all the blaming going on,

"Ok, Ems listen, you wanna play the blame game? If mom hadn't told Cora about Regina's true love, Cora never would have killed him. Regina wouldn't have vowed revenge. The curse never would have happened, and Henry wouldn't even be ALIVE. If I hadn't let us be separated, you would've grown up knowing you were the savior. We can spend all day trying to figure out why each of us should feel guilty, but it won't help us get back home."

"You really think we're gonna make it back?" Emma asks

"If there's one thing your father taught me, it's not to give up. Now, it's time for me to go back to sleep." Mary Margaret turns to find a place for her to settle in. Mulan brings the flower over, and it's gorgeous.

"It's beautiful" Mary Margaret gushes

"I'll use my dagger to crush the seeds. We're doing this the old-fashioned way." Mulan explains

~And what exactly would you classify as a "New-fashioned" way? Just curious~

After a while of her grinding the seeds, she tells you the powder is almost done.

"How long will the effects last?" Mary Margaret asks

"It's difficult to say. Maybe an hour. Or much less..." Mulan responds

"Well, I shouldn't need much time as long as Henry's in there when I am."

You are holding one of her hands, Emma comes over and sits on the opposite side of her, taking her other hand,

"We'll be right here. Say hi to my son for me."

Mulan blows the dust into Mary Margaret's face, and she immediately falls asleep. The journey has been rough on all of you, some decent sleep was long overdue, but you would have to wait until you got home. If you slept here, it was in thirty-minute increments and it was never soundly. You were always paranoid that something would come out and hurt you or your family or you would feel your skin crawl and think it was a bug. This was the first peaceful moment that had occurred, so you tilted your head back and reveled in it, you close your eyes for a split-second, and not long after, you and Emma also fall asleep. You both were completely worn out. You are brought out of your slumber by Mary Margaret frantically looking around