A Lieutenant Duckling Story

Walls of Steel

Inside I built a wall so high around my heart, I thought I'd never fall.

One touch, you brought it down

Bricks of my defenses scattered on the ground

And I swore to me that I wasn't going to love again

The last time was the last time I'd let someone in

-You Had Me From Hello, Kenny Chesney

"Why does the princess want to go to Seabrooke?" Lieutenant Killian Jones asked his captain – and much older brother, Liam.

"Perhaps she wants to visit King Eric and Queen Ariel," Liam answered.

"It just seems rather abrupt, brother," Killian said.

"Maybe so, but the king requested passage on behalf of the princess, and we will oblige." Killian nodded as Liam made his way back on deck from the captain's quarters.

As Killian fumbled with the buttons on his uniform, he thought about how perhaps he should be more trusting – after all King Charming and Queen Snow were good and gracious rulers. But Killian knew there was more to it than simply that – although he wouldn't admit it to anyone. When you spend your life being constantly let down, trust doesn't come easy.

Killian never even had the chance to know his mother, Elizabeth – she died shortly after he was born. This left Killian, and his 10-year-old brother Liam, to the sole custody of their father, Brennan. Brennan tried to be the best he could for his boys, but the grief of losing his wife was too much to bear. He began gambling more and more, which eventually led to a warrant for his arrest. In order to evade it, he abandoned his sons – now 14 and 4 – on a ship in which he had promised his sons a trip across the realms. He traded them into servitude to obtain a small boat to avoid being caught. It was this that prompted Liam to make the toughest decision of his life – a decision much too difficult for a boy of 14. Liam wasn't sure a ship was a good place for a child who was only four; he also wasn't sure how well he could take care of his little brother. So, in the middle of night, Liam snuck his sleeping brother off of the ship and left him at the first house he found – hoping and praying that it would be Killian's best chance at a decent life. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It soon became evident that family did not want kids, so Killian ran and didn't stop for the next eight years – all the while struggling with a sense of abandonment. He eventually landed a job at a blacksmith's shop at 13, but it was still hard for Killian. He did what he had to in order to survive, which resulted in Killian staying in trouble – trying to avoid the law himself.

When he was 18, he crossed paths with Milah – a brown, curly haired, blue-eyed pirate. She was captain of the Jolly Roger – a female captain was odd to be sure, but no one dared to mess with her. Killian became instantly enamored with her strength, her sense of humor, her adventurous spirit, her talent as an artist, and her beauty. They fell in love, and Killian quit his job as a blacksmith – where he taught himself to swordfight – to join Milah's crew. They sailed the open seas together – pillaging, plundering, and taking what they pleased. They were happy, but Killian would soon once again feel the sting of abandonment.

Killian and Milah eventually got caught and went to jail. However, Milah's skills as a pirate paid off, and she was able to escape – but she left the man she claimed to love behind. The bottom line was that someone had to take the fall for the crime, and it wasn't going to be her. When Killian heard the news, the betrayal he felt cut deep. It was at that moment that a wall went up around Killian's heart. He would never open his heart to love again or let anyone else in. Look where trust had gotten him – he was abandoned by every person who claimed to love him: his father, his brother, and now the love of his life. And being in jail taught him a thing or two – he wanted to be on the right side of the law.