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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍

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Two years passed since Everly went from an orphan to a pirate and became the official navigator of the Jolly Roger. Every member of the crew treated her as an equal, somewhat. They taught the young girl a lot about the sea and what it meant to be a pirate. Every day was a whole new adventure. The one thing she loved more than her newfound freedom was spending time with Killian, the two of them growing closer than either of them had ever imagined.

It all started one night when the navigator and the captain were working and looking over the new maps Everly drew in the latter's quarters. Their work discussions quickly turned into casual conversations before they started sharing their life stories without even realizing it. While the young girl's tale was very short and vague, Killian's past was the most interesting story the blonde had ever heard and she held on to every word of it. He began by telling her about how, like Everly, was abandoned as a child along with his older brother Liam before they became members of a king's navy, which resulted in their king's betrayal and Liam's death a few months ago.

What made both of their lives even better on the Jolly Roger was the newest addition to their crew. A woman by the name of Milah. She and Killian met a few weeks ago and she has traveled with the crew of the Jolly Roger ever since. The woman treated Everly as her own child and became the first maternal figure the young girl ever had. Similar to how she got closer to Killian, Everly and Milah bonded over their life stories, which resulted in the younger pirate learning the raven-haired woman was married to Rumplestiltskin, the famous coward of the Ogre War. Through her stories, Everly also discovered that Milah had a son around her age named Baelfire, who she regrets leaving but would never bring into a life like this.

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"So why did you choose to come with us?" Everly asked Milah as the two of them lay on the deck and look up at the stars while the rest of the crew went to the pub to enjoy themselves.

"I wanted adventure and freedom, and, most importantly, I wanted to start over," Milah replied with her eyes staying glued to the night sky above her as a small smile formed on her face.

"I'm glad you chose to come. I don't know if I would be able to put up with all these guys without you."

"Yes, you would have. You are brave, smart, and loyal. You don't need me, I need you."

Just as the two finished sharing a smile, a loud crash came from somewhere on the other side of the Jolly Roger. The sound caused the two women to unsheathe the swords on then belts before making their way toward the source of the sound. The darkness that surrounded them made it difficult for them to even see a few feet in front of them before Everly let out a long sigh as she closed her eyes to listen to the sounds of the sea.

After waiting for a long moment, her ears picked up the sound of footsteps creaking against the floorboards and interrupting the calming waves, causing the young pirate to turn her attention towards the source of the sound. Everly's eyes scanned the general area in front of her before they landed on a shadowy figure sneaking towards the ramp of the Jolly Roger.

Her instincts took over her body and, with one fluid motion, she swung her sword in the direction of the footsteps, slicing the pouch in the intruder's hands. As soon as there was a tear in the small bag, a small and shiny came rolling out before coming to a stop at Everly's toes. Just as she took the shiny object into her hand, the trespasser lunged at her in an attempt to regain what he stole, only for the younger girl to toss the object over to Milah, who quickly puts it into her pocket. Once the item is safely tucked away, the two female pirates subdued the man before taking him into the cells below.

"Stay here and keep an eye on him. I'm going to find Killian," Milah said as soon as they made it back onto the deck, causing Everly to stop in her tracks while the woman continued towards the ramp that led to the docks.

"What if he gets loose?" the blonde girl asked while her hand found the handle of her sword before tightening its grip on the object.

"You're strong. I know you can stop him."

Before the younger pirate can protest, Milah sent the girl one last smile before leaving to find Killian and the rest of the crew. Silence filled the air that surrounded the ship once again as Everly sat down on the small set of stairs that lead to the wheel. Once she was settled, Everly unsheathed her sword and pointed the tip of it at the only exit that their prisoner could take. Her blue eyes stayed glued to the large wooden door while she mentally prepared herself for a fight that never came.

When the pirate crew returned to the Jolly Roger a few hours later, they found Everly leaning against one of the railings with her eyes closed and her breathing slow. Killian and Milah exchanged an amused look before the former made his way over to the young pirate. Once he reached the smaller form, he gently shook Everly awake before forcing her to her feet and leading her toward her quarters to try and get a decent night's sleep.

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Everly's eyes shot open after a scream from Killian filled her ears. Without thinking twice, she grabbed her sword off the table next to her before attempting to exit the room, only to find the door stuck and herself trapped within the four walls. An irritated sigh escaped her lips before she looked out the small peephole to find a bunch of barrels stacked in front of the door.

With all the strength she could muster, the young pirate pushed against the door for what felt like forever until it opened just enough for her to squeeze through. Once she was in the small hallway that led to the crew's rooms, she turned towards the only exit and climbed up the steps before making her way onto the deck of the Jolly Roger, only for her to regret even leaving her room.

The scene playing out in front of Everly was one she wouldn't forget any time soon as pure terror filled every inch of her body. At the bottom of the stairs that lead to the ship's wheel, Killian is sitting on the wood beneath him with Milah, who was trying and failing to hide the pain she was feeling, in his arms. Across from them and standing in the middle of the Jolly Roger's top deck was a man with shiny skin and a glowing red object in his hand.

As Everly tried to make sense of the world around her, she simply stood in her place, ignoring the shouts from the pirate captain as her body froze like a statue.

"What have you done?" Everly managed to whisper, causing the stranger's golden eyes to leave Killian and Milah before they land on her.

The scaly-skinned man just stared at the young girl for a moment, studying Everly in a way that sent chills up and down her spine. Her grip on her sword tightened under his gaze before an almost inhuman cackle erupted from the stranger. "It's quite simple, dearie. Your friends stole something of mine and I'm taking it back. They're simply getting what they deserve."

"Everly," Milah whispers just loud enough for the young girl to hear, drawing her attention back to the woman with pain written all over her face, "always remember that you need to believe in yourself before others can believe in you."

Before Everly could respond, a crunching sound filled the air before all life faded from Milah's eyes. Tears roll down the young girl's cheeks as she watched Killian try to shake the woman awake while the snake's laughter continued to fill the air surrounding us.

Before a clear thought could make its way through the girl's brain, her grip around the handle of her sword tightened before she raised it over her head and hurled it straight at the chuckling man, hitting him square in the chest. His laughter quickly died out as he turned his attention away from the two older pirates to face the younger one standing across the deck from him.

"You think a sword can hurt me?" he smirked after plucking the sword from his chest like it was a simple splinter.

"It was worth a shot."

All emotion that was once flowing through Everly's veins faded at the sight of the man disappearing into a cloud of maroon smoke before suddenly appearing right in front of her. Before she had a chance to react, he grabbed her by the neck and forced her against a nearby pillar, earning another shout from Killian while the young pirate stared into his golden orbs with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Killing the Dark One is going to take a lot more than that, dearie," he paused as he studied every inch of the girl's face once again before a wave of realization hits him. A sinister grin takes shape on his face while he slightly tightens his grip on the girl before leaning forward and whispering, "I'd kill you, but you play an important role in my future. Can't mess that up, can we?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he releases his grip on the girl's throat before his attention turned back to the grieving pirate captain. The two of them just watch each other for a long moment before Killian got to his feet with a look of determination on his face that was mixing with the pain that was flowing through him.

"You may be more powerful now, demon, but you're no less a coward," he hissed with shakiness in his voice as he held back all the tears that were threatening to escape him.

"I'll have what I came for now," the Dark One stated before he held his hand out towards the pirate, only for Killian to tighten his grip on whatever was in his hand while glaring at the snake-skinned man with hatred in his eyes.

"You'll have to kill me first!"

"Ah-ah! I'm afraid that's not in the cards for you, sonny boy."

Everly's feet felt as though they were glued to the wood she was standing on as she watched the Dark One unsheathe his sword before chopping off the pirate's clenched fist, causing Killian's agonizing screams to fill the air as he crumpled to the ground. Everly's mouth opened but no words came out before Killian's eyes meet hers. My eyes stayed plastered to his for a long moment before both of their attention is drawn back to the Dark One as he squatted down to pick up Killian's hand from the deck with a smile on his face.

"I want you alive," the snake whispered to the pirate captain while the smirk he wore did nothing but grow larger than humanly possible, "because I want you to suffer like I did."

Before another word can be spoken among those on the top deck of the Jolly Roger, the Dark One vanishes in a cloud of maroon smoke before all traces of him fade. Everly continued to stand against the pillar the scaly-skinned man pinned her two in her shocked daze, completely unaware of Killian getting to his feet and making his way over to her until he was standing inches away. When she looked up to meet his eyes, she found their usually bright blue color slightly darker as he stared back at her with nothing but anger plastered onto his face while he tightly holds his bleeding arm against his chest.

"Go back to your quarters and you better not come back out until I tell you to."

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An unknown amount of time passed of Everly laying on her bed in her small living space with nothing but silence to keep her company. Her eyes stayed glued to the white ceiling above her as she continued to think back to what happened earlier that day. Just as she began to drift off in an attempt to recharge the energy she lost, her eyes snapped back open when she felt the Jolly Roger beginning to rock in a very unnatural way.

Against all of the feelings swirling around inside her, Everly let out a shaky sigh before getting to her feet and running out into the hallway and onto the deck. As soon as she was greeted by the fresh sea air, her eyes landed on Killian just as he turned his full attention towards her before sending a somewhat smile her way.

"What did you do?!" Everly shouted over the wind as she rushed over to the pirate captain before coming to a stop at his side and looking down into the water to see a bright green whirlpool in the middle of the harbor, "where are we going?!"

"Neverland!"

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