Swan Song ❂ Killian Jones [1]

46

As Odette pushed the door of the library open, taking her first steps inside, she came to one simple conclusion. Gold hadn't cried wolf. Looking around, she took in the sight of overturned shelves laying across the floor which was littered by books and objects. And in the centre of it all, focused on one book in specific, she spotted the friend she was there to see.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Belle questioned as she looked up from her book and took in the sight of Odette taking in the chaos surrounding her. The two had seen each other but a few hours ago, and Odette was still wearing the clothes she'd worn to the funeral.

"Gold called me." Odette revealed, making a small look of surprise appear on Belle's face. Knowing the dislike for each other that the two held on to, and how unwilling Rumple was to be left owing something to someone, Belle was surprised he'd actually called Odette of all people to come and watch over her while he was gone.

"What'd he tell you?" The brunette questioned curiously, doubting that despite the already shocking information, the man had given Odette any information about what really happened or why the attack happened in the first place.

"Just that you'd been attacked and to come and watch over you." Odette revealed. "The fact that he's not doing that himself makes me think he's taking justice into his own hands, isn't he?" The blonde sigh, shuffling through her pockets and about to grab her phone. She hated having to do it, but if Gold was on another vengeful rampage, she needed the full force of the sheriff's office to be able to try and stop him.

"Wait." Knowing what she intended to do, Belle called out, making Odette send her a questioning look. She was really becoming curious about what exactly was going on here. "The man who attacked me stole something from Rumple, and all he wants is to get it back. But I think we can do that ourselves. Because I know where to look for it."

"Where exactly do we find this mysterious object? And what exactly is the mysterious object?" Odette questioned. She was ending up in a situation where helping Belle at Gold's request would end up helping Gold himself. She hated that. But she also couldn't just let Belle go off on her own to face a man that obviously had a violent streak if the state of the library was anything to judge by.

She watched as Belle showed her something in her hand, a piece of rope tied into a knot of some kind. And then the brunette turned a book so Odette could read it herself, a book showing that the knot was a nautical one, used on ships which sailed across oceans and seas. Quickly, questions of what exactly was stolen disappeared from Odette's mind as she started making her own connections. "Belle, who exactly attacked you?"

"Hook." Belle revealed. "I know you're not too eager on helping Rumple, but I-"

"Let's go." Odette interrupted her without hesitation, Belle's eyes widening in surprise at her eagerness. For a moment, she watched her push away from the table and ready to head for the door, Belle was about to follow, but then Odette paused again, her eyes focused on one of the overturned tables which used to hold many items which looked like they belonged in Rumple's shop rather than the library.

"What is it?" Belle questioned, wondering what the blonde had seen as she started to walk over to it.

"Hah!" Odette's voice sounded happier than Belle was used to as she pulled a sword from the pile. "Oh, I have missed you my sweet. I missed you so much." The blonde let her fingers run over the blade, ignoring the questioning look she was receiving from Belle until she was forced to ask the questions on her mind out loud.

"I take it that's yours?"

"Indeed, it is." Odette announced, turning to her friend with a proud smile on her face. "And I think it's luck that we found it right when going to face a dangerous pirate." She added on, something Belle couldn't argue with. Especially if Odette knew how to use that thing.

Odette and Belle were starting to suspect they may have been wrong about Hook's ship being here as they scoured the Storybrooke docks. But Odette remembered the ship she'd once seen so long ago. Someone would have noticed it by now. So, as they walked along the last of it, she started to think it wouldn't be there. They'd have seen it by now. It was too large to miss.

"I would have sworn we'd find it here." Belle gave out a small sigh, looking out to the water which grew murky as it reflected the darkening clouds in the sky above them. Not wanting to get caught up in the rain, Odette looked up, about to suggest they head back and try again later.

But then her eyes caught sight of all of the birds and seagulls flying through the air. Most specifically, one in particular as it perched in the middle of the air, sitting on nothing but air. "Belle, look." She spoke, a small smile appearing on her face as she pointed up at it so Belle would know where to turn her head.

"Magic." Belle breathed out in understanding. It wasn't that the ship wasn't there. It was just that it was hidden.

And if it was done by magic, Odette's mind jumped somewhere else too. "Cora." She announced, the two sharing a wary look between themselves, unsure of what they might find once they board it.

But it didn't stop them anyways. Belle reached into the sandbox set up along the dock, taking a fistful of it before throwing it into the empty space in front of them. Only the sand didn't fall into the water, but instead scattered in the air, slowly showing a set of invisible steps leading up.

"Found you." Belle whispered out, sharing a proud look with Odette as the two stepped towards the edge of the dock, Belle's feet waving through the air until it settled on something firm that creaked beneath her weight.

She was about to step forward and start to climb, but Odette's hand landed on her shoulder and brought her to a stop. "Let me go first." The blonde instructed, readjusting her hold on her sword as they switched places. Just because they couldn't see the ship didn't mean whoever might be aboard couldn't see them. She wouldn't let Belle be the first to walk into a possible trap.

Carefully climbing, Odette's eyes were constantly shifting between the air beneath her feet and the one in front of her up until the moment the sight changed. One step she was walking on what looked to be air, the next a vast and large ship suddenly appeared in front of her.

She'd seen the Jolly Roger before, but it was merely from a distance, and looking at it now, not only did it look larger, but also much more beautiful than she remembered it. Stepping down onto the wooden floorboards lining the deck of the ship, head turning to take it all in as she waited for Belle. Luckily for them, there seemed to be no one there.

But not knowing how long that may last, Odette pushed thoughts of admiring the ship from her mind as she looked back to her friend again. "And now we're brought back to my previous question? What exactly are we looking for here?"