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Astrid was ahead of the other four women as they trekked through the forest back to camp. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm not a very good liar." Aurora began anxiously.

Astrid sighed, tapping her left fingers on the hilt of the sword strapped to her left hip. "I'm going to go fill the canteens back up. We're going to need water after all, right?"

Mulan nodded in agreement and handed the teenager their canteens. "Be careful, Kid, okay?" The warrior told her as Astrid smirked a little and nodded once.

Astrid headed towards the river down the hill while the others continued their way towards their camp. The teenager approached the river and knelt beside it, moving each canteen under the water and filling them up one by one.

Astrid stood back up and carried the now filled canteens back to the camp; She stopped in her tracks as she noticed the lack of sentries at the watch towers and then took off running.

Astrid gasped when she noticed every person from the camp dead, their hearts ripped out of their chests. Her mind then wandered to her mother, sister, Mulan, and Aurora and immediately scanned the bodies for them to not find them.

Cora. Astrid realized as she thought who could've done this to her people. She stepped over the bodies and noticed the four women looking at some dead bodies also and breathed in slight relief.

Astrid stepped over to them as she heard Mulan comment, "It's too late. She killed them. She killed them all."

"But we have to stop her before she hurts anyone else." Snow replied.

"And we will." Astrid spoke up, announcing herself to them and stopped beside her mother. "This was a warning."

"A warning for what?" Aurora inquired as they looked over at the teenager who now had her arms folded across her chest and explained to the princess, "That she doesn't want us dead yet. It's to show us that she has the power and is capable of doing this."

"Hey, hey! Look!" Emma spoke up, diverting everyone's attention to the woman who was pointing at a pile of bodies and notice a hand sticking up and waving around slightly.

"There's someone under there!" Aurora commented as Astrid and Mulan moved towards the person and pulled the bodies off of the person who was hiding underneath them. "He's alive!"

"Please help me, please!" A male voice said from underneath the pile. The voice sounded very familiar to the teenager who continued to help Mulan pull the stuff off of him while the other three women circled around them.

Astrid narrowed her eyes at the man and stepped back while Snow took her place beside the man and reassured him, "It's okay. You're safe now. We won't hurt you."

Astrid gripped both of the hilts of her swords on both sides of her hips and scowled down at the man who met her blue eyes and widened his own slightly. "Thank you." Killian said while watching the girl carefully.

Astrid definitely knew of the man and she knows that he knew who she was. But Astrid wasn't going to tell them his identity- She wanted him to tell the others and give himself up.

"Hey, stop!" A middle-aged man exclaimed, earning the attention from the townsfolk around him who stopped and looked over at the man. "Thief! That girl stole my food from my booth and my gold!"

The few people around him dramatically gasped and started to look around, their eyes filling with fear when they saw a hooded girl quickly running away from them. A few rather buff men immediately took action and started chasing after the thief.

The fifteen year old girl noticed and turned a corner of the street and was then pulled into an alleyway as whoever covered her mouth with their hand, their other hand being a hook.

The buff men passed the alleyway that the two was hiding in as the man released Astrid who looked at him and immediately knew that he was a pirate. "Thanks." She started, her hood off after running away.

"Don't mention it. It wasn't that big of a deal." The pirate shrugged while leaning against the wall behind him.

"Who are you?" Astrid questioned, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched the man in front of her carefully.

"Captain Hook at your service, Kid." Hook introduced himself with a small smirk. "And you are?"

"Astrid, the last of the Hofferson Clan of the Silent Thunder Tribe." The fifteen year old replied, a sad gleam crossing into her blue eyes at the thought of her family. "So, I'm just Astrid now..."

Hook couldn't explain why but he had the urge to protect this kid, to look out for her. "Well, just Astrid, you don't have to worry anymore. I'll look out for you because you've got me now."

"You don't even know me. Why would you help me?" She questioned.

"Because I know what it's like to lose your family." Hook answered, "Come on, Kid. Let me show you the Jolly Roger, my ship."

Astrid narrowed her eyes in slight amusement and looked at him. "And how do I know if you can be trusted?"

"Guess you'll just have to trust yourself enough to trust me, just a little." Hook remarked with a shrug and began heading towards the docks to his vessel. The fifteen year old took a deep breath and followed after the pirate.

Astrid stood behind the other four women and watched her twin sister set a cup of water in front of the pirate who was pretending to be just a blacksmith. "Here you go." Emma said.

"I can't thank you enough for your kindness. Fortune, it seems, has seen fit to show me favor..." Hook started, continuing to play his innocent man facade.

"Island full of corpses and you're the only one to escape. How exactly did that happen?" Emma questioned the man suspiciously.

"She attacked at night, slaughtered everyone in one scoop." Hook began while sneaking a glance over at the teenager still behind the women, "When she started ripping people's hearts out, I hid under the bodies of those who had already been killed... I pretended to be dead myself. Mercifully, the ruse worked-"

"-So much for fortune favoring the brave." Astrid spoke up, stepping in between the pirate and Emma as Hook looked over at the teenager again and added, "It was all I could do to survive."

Emma commented, "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me." Hook looked over at her and answered, "I'm telling you the truth." Emma glanced from him to her sister beside her and back at the man.

"We should leave here in case Cora decides to come back." Astrid stated as Snow also added, "We should start searching for a new portal back to Storybrooke. I only got about five minutes with my husband, not to mention my grandson."

"You have a grandson?" Hook inquired as Snow shrugged and replied towards him, "Long story."

Hook spoke up again, "Well, I know this land well, I can guide you-"

Emma had moved behind the man and swiftly pulled out her blade and yanked his head back, moving her dagger at his neck, and cut him off, "You're not going to guide us anywhere until you tell us who you really are."

"Well, this just got interesting." Astrid remarked, a smirk on her face but dropped it as she glanced down at the initials on the hilts of her swords- AJ.

Astrid swung her sword towards the pirate who moved out of the way of her blade effortlessly. She and Hook clanked their swords together, forming an 'X', as Astrid ducked and moved her sword down and thrusted it towards his gut.

Hook moved her blade away and moved his own against her neck while Astrid held a knife near the side of his head. "Better?" She commented after both of them lowered their weapons.

It had been six months since the two of them met and even trusts each other; Hook sees her as a daughter while Astrid sees him as a father also.

"You make a good warrior, Kid." Hook replied with an assured nod. He turned his back and opened a crate. "Here. I forged these just for you."

The pirate faced Astrid and showed her two silver twin swords in each of his hands. At the end of both hilts, there was a set of initials- AJ. "AJ?" The teenager inquired in confusion.

"For Astrid Jones. You are like a daughter to me, so to show you how... genuine I mean, you're a part of my family, the Jones..." Hook explained, handing the twin swords over to her.

Astrid held the handles in each of her hands and swung them around carefully and slowly. "And one more gift." Hook began while removing a large silver ring with a dark orange gem in the center of the band around one of his fingers. "This ring here is a symbol, a symbol of faith. A promise that I'll never leave you."

Hook held the ring out to the girl who strapped the swords to her belt on both sides of her hips and then reluctantly took the silver ring.

"I gained it in a voyage." He continued, "It had been one of my first treasures I had collected."

"Thank you. I'll treasure them forever." Astrid spoke up, earning a smile from the man in front of her.

Mulan had just finished tying Hook to the tree since he still wouldn't come out and tell them the truth of who he really is. Astrid was enjoying the whole thing with Hook being restrained to a tree.

Emma and Astrid stood beside one another, shared a look, and watched Mulan finish tying him up as Killian spoke up, "I already told you-- I am just a blacksmith."

"Sure you are." Emma nodded. "Astrid, do it." The said teenager grinned deviously as she put her thumb and index finger in her mouth, letting out a loud whistle; The growls of ogres sounded nearby in the woods as Emma turned to the pirate, "If you won't talk to us, maybe you'll talk to the ogres when they rip you from limb to limb."

Astrid noticed the disapproving look that Snow was giving both of them from behind them, a look only a mother gave when she disapproves of something her children does.

"Alright, lets just go." The teenager commented as Emma and the other three ladies began to walk away.

"What!? You can't just leave me here like this!" Hook exclaimed after them. Astrid gritted her teeth, now really wanting to punch the man so hard. He deserves to be abandoned like she was.

"What if he's telling the truth?" Aurora questioned in uncertainty. Emma confidently answered the princess, "He's not."

Astrid counted down in her head, knowing how the pirate is, and then spoke the countdown aloud, "Two, one-"

"Good for you! You bested me. I can count the amount of people who've done that to me on one hand." Killian spoke up. Emma looked at the man and repeated her question, "Who are you?"

"Killian Jones. But most people have taken to call me by my more colorful moniker- Hook." The man answered, finally revealing himself as he now watched Astrid with slightly narrowed eyes, waiting for her to respond to him being here.

Emma glanced over at her sister also, wondering why he kept glancing over at her, as Snow murmured, "Hook." The man nodded in confirmation and added, "Check my satchel." Snow did just that and pulled out a silver hook.

Astrid flexed her jaw and marched over to the pirate and punched him hard in his mouth and nose with her right fist; Hook's head snapped back and to the side as he groaned in pain.

He attempted to reach up and touch his now split lip and bleeding nose, forgetting that he was still tied up. The pirate laughed and remarked towards the teenager in front of him, "You still pack quite a punch, Kid."

"That was for Neverland." Astrid commented and then punched him again, "That's for leaving me." She punched him again in the face once more, "And that is just for being an ass."

Emma looked slightly impressed just as Snow pulled Astrid back to calm her down.

Before anyone could say anything else, they all heard an ogre roar again. They all looked around a bit nervous, except for Astrid who withdrew her swords and held them in both of her hands, simultaneously twirling both of them once.

"You better hurry up, they're getting closer. So unless you want to be dinner, you better start talking." Emma commented over to Hook who chuckled while looking down and back at them and began, "Cora wanted me to gain your trust so I could learn everything there is to know about your Storybrooke. She didn't want any surprises once she finally got over there."

"She can't get there, we destroyed the wardrobe." Snow replied as Hook also pointed out, "Ah, but the enchantment remains. Cora gathered the ashes, and she's going to use them to open up a portal-" He was cut off by another ogre's roar and then commented, "Now, if you will so kindly cut me loose."

"No. We should leave him to die to pay for all of the lives he took." Mulan spoke up.

Astrid closed her eyes and looked down and glanced back at Hook who was watching her. "That was Cora not me." Hook replied in his defense.

Emma and the other three women began to walk away while Astrid turned her back on the man reluctantly but didn't take a step forward. "Kid, come on. Are you really that angry at me? Do you really want me to die by those ogres?"

Astrid turned back around and looked at him with a scoff. "Even though you left me to die on that island? You left me. Remember?"

"But-" Hook started as the teenager stepped closer to him and cut him off, "You should've stayed like you promised. I will never forgive you for what you did to me."

Hook sighed, saying, "I know. But have you really changed that much? Enough to let me die? Do you really want to become like Cora or me? Just let me go, AJ."

Astrid continued to glare at him and also sighed, admitting, "You're right. I don't want you to die and I don't want to be like you or her." The other three women then saw her cut the ropes off of him with one of her swords in one swift movement, freeing him.

"You need me alive." Hook replied after them as Emma asked the question, "Why?"

Hook sighed and answered, "Because we both want the same thing-- to get back to your land." He glanced over at Astrid who also sighed and added, "So he can get his revenge on Rumplestiltskin."

"I arranged for transport with Cora, but seeing how resourceful you are, I'll offer you the same deal. I'll help you if you promise to take me along." Hook added with a nod in confirmation to what the teenager said.

"How are you going to get us home?" Snow questioned him, glancing over at her daughter, Astrid, who still gripped her twin swords in her hands and stood by his side.

Hook answered her question, "The ashes will open a portal, and to find your land, she needs more. There's an enchanted compass. Cora seeks it. I'll help you obtain it before she does."

"So Cora doesn't make it to Storybrooke and we'll be one step closer to being home." Emma spoke up, exchanging a look with her mother who added in suspicion, "Sounds too good to be true."

"Why don't we just ask the one person here who knows this man the most and the longest?" Mulan also spoke up in question while looking over at Astrid, "Do you trust him?"

Astrid snorted and shook her head while glancing over at Hook who also glanced over at her with slightly raised eyebrows. "I-- No."

Hook looked down at the ground with a hint of a guilty expression but quickly concealed it and glanced back up at them. He looked back at the teenager beside him. "I am sorry-"

"Don't." Astrid cut him off with a glare, "I only let you go because I want you to walk away. So... do what you're best at and leave." She moved away from him and resheathed her swords by her sides.

"Astrid-" Hook tried again, starting to step over to her just as Emma and Snow moved to stand in front of her protectively, now in between the two. "Astrid, you know how important it is to me-"

The teenager flexed her jaw and quickly reached behind her and grabbed her battle axe and started to lunge at him as her mother held her back.

"Let me go-" Astrid started angrily as Snow shook her head and cut her off, "Never."

The teenager sighed and dropped her axe by her side and moved out from behind them and marched dangerously close to the pirate. "I'll allow you one chance to prove yourself. Don't blow it. You help us get the compass and you help us get them to their Storybrooke. Understand?"

"Clear as bells, lass." Hook nodded.

"Come on, we must go now before the ogres attack." Mulan stated as they began to walk away.

***

"Up ahead, we'll find the compass just over the ridge." Hook began as he walked ahead of the group in the woods, his hands tied as a means of assurance to the group.

Mulan had a sword pointed at his back with Aurora a few steps behind her and Astrid walking by herself with Emma and Snow walking behind her.

"Do you get the feeling he's leading us right where Cora wants him to? That this whole thing is a trap?" Snow questioned Emma as she watched the teenager in front of them in slight sadness.

Emma who stepped over a fallen tree and answered, "It's definitely a trap. As long as we know they're trying to play us-" Snow nodded and also added, "Stay one step ahead of them." Emma nodded also, "Exactly... What's wrong? You're looking at Astrid with a slight sad look."

"Nothing. It's just she obviously hates Hook, but she put aside her anger and-- and thought of us, a way for us to get back home... " Snow began, "I don't want to leave her here when we go back. And she obviously doesn't want to leave..."

Emma nodded, "I know. But maybe she does want to leave and go with us, and just doesn't know if she should because she's afraid that we might not want her to? It's possible, right?"

"I guess." Snow murmured.

Astrid sighed quietly, having heard the two women's conversation about her from behind, and walked faster and stepped beside Killian and now walked beside him.

He looked at her in slight concern. "You alright, AJ?" He asked quietly where only she could hear.

Astrid gave a bitter smile and looked at him. "Now you care?" She answered him with another question just as quiet.

"I always cared, believe me, Kid." Hook murmured.

They stopped at the top of a hill as Astrid paused and glanced over at the pirate beside her again and said, "Let me guess... The compass is at the top of the beanstalk?"

"Oh yeah." Hook nodded as Astrid also nodded, "Awesome."

The six of them looked up at the giant beanstalk that went past the clouds in the sky as Emma inquired, "So how do we get to it?"

Hook glanced over at Emma and answered her, "It's not the climb you need to worry about, it's the giant at the top." The group began to descend down the hill then.

Well, this ought to be fun.

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