Falling Stars (CaptainSwan)

Chapter Twenty Two The Afterlife

                         Emma Swan

I was killed by my own father. I died in the arms of my true love. I didn't get to say goodbye to my son. And now I don't know where I am. I hear the sounds of waves in the distance. There's an owl that hoots eerily from time to time. Finally the darkness fades and I can make out some things. I'm laying on a beach in a cave with dripping water. There's a dark Forest in the distance, even though I'm in a cave.

I look towards the water and see a boat coming towards me. I stand up and run on shaky legs towards it. I look down and my heart stops, my feet suddenly frozen in place. I'm wearing the same dress I'd been wearing in that dream I had with Killian. There are burn holes and it's two times shorter than it should be because the fabric is burnt off. I look down at my hands and noticed they're burnt and scarred. I take a shaky breath and continue towards the boat that's almost reached shore.

When I reach the boat, a hooded figure steps out, holding a scythe. I can't help but think of the grim reaper. "What's your name?" He says in a deep voice.

"E-Emma Swan," I answer, my voice hoarse. I wrap my arms around myself, feeling small in this huge cavern.

"Come with me," he says, getting back into the boat. I obey and climb in with him. I have a feeling nothing good will come from staying on this beach. Surely wherever he's taking me can't be that bad.

"Who are you?" I ask, looking at the murky water below us. I swear I see gold coins at the bottom, but I can't be sure. I don't even know where I am. I don't know if I'm alive or dead. Probably the latter. I can only hope for the former.

"My name is Thanatos," he says in a bored voice as if he's answered this question a million times before. "I'm taking you to the Underworld where the judges will judge whether or not they'll place you in the Fields of Punishment, the Fields of Asphodel or the Elysian Fields."

I try to think about everything I know about the Underworld, but I'd never given it much thought considering I was sure it wasn't real. "Wait..." I say, remembering something. "Don't you get to choose whether or not you're judged or if you just go to Asphodel?"

Thanatos gives a dry chuckle. "That's a myth. Everyone gets judged," he says. He doesn't say anymore as the boat reaches its final destination on the other side. I step out and go to the black gate where a three headed dog sleeps. Cerberus if I remember correctly.

"Um..." I say, unsure if this dog will actually guide me to where I need to go. "Where is it that I need to be?" The dog just glares at me with its beady black eyes. "Okay then..." I walk past him and through the open gate where a small table is with three people sitting at it. If you can even call them people...They look like Furies. I remember studying about them.

"Name?" One of them says in a crackling voice as they look down at a piece of paper.

"Emma Swan," I tell it.

Each creature's head pops up at that name, eyes wide. They share a glance with each other before looking back down at their papers.

"Ah...where shall we send her?" The one in the middle  says, contemplating.

"She's done many good things," the one on the right says.

"But she's also had her fair share of darkness," the one on the left says.

"She should be sent to the Elysian Fields for everything she's done as The Savior," the one on the right decides, scribbling something down.

"No, the Fields of Punishment," says the one on the left.

The one on the right immediately argues. "What's she done to get in there? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You have no right in sending her there. She is going to Elysium! That's my final decision!"