Chapter 33

Pinocchio nodded, pleased to have won himself passage. "You didn't come to our island seeking this revelation, though. Something else brought you here."

"Yes," Emma confirmed. Before she could say anything else, she felt the toe of Killian's boot press slowly and firmly into her ankle. Gathering his unspoken meaning, she continued with caution. Instead of freely volunteering the information they had already gathered, she first probed to discover which bits were necessary to share. "What do you already know about my bounty and the Evil Queen's reasons for levying it?"

The man's eyes made an assertive attempt to drill into her, to unearth the secrets behind the facade of the vague words she put forth. Her armor held strong, however. No matter the intensity of concentration he placed on the minute details of her face, he could suss out no more than she was willing to give. Seeing the mild frustration creeping in at his edges, Emma showed him a smirk. At that, his nostrils flared, but he conceded. "We know that you stole from her. We know that she's very eager to find out how and to get everything back."

Truthfully, Emma expected him to go on and list more points of fact, whether they were right or wrong. He didn't. They knew barely anything. "And that's it? That's all that you've learned?"

"Definitively, yes." His jaw clenched. "We have theories and speculations about the rest, of course, about the exact nature of what you stole, whether you being the savior factored into the bounty's size, or if she was aware that you're Snow's daughter. We've had no intel that she was ever looking for you for that reason, meaning she likely either assumes you to be dead, or in a realm you could never return from. Personally, I don't think her current rage toward you has anything to do with who you are."

"She doesn't know," Baelfire declared with a staunch certainty. "Regina obsesses about things like that. If she knew that somewhere out there, there was a savior destined to thwart one of her plans – even potentially – she'd be single-mindedly hunting them down. That kind of thing might even distract her from her grudge against Snow White. Besides, if my dad knew who you were when you met him, he'd be holding you as a gibbeted chess piece. There's no way that she knows if he doesn't."

"It's been a few years since then," Emma considered. "We have no way of knowing what he might have learned in that time. Whether he wants to cage me or kill me, I'd rather avoid him. You're right though. The Evil Queen is known for being less subtle than that. If she wants something, she screams about it until she gets it." She rolled her eyes.

Tink snorted with a laughter that Emma hadn't intended to elicit. "That is so true. She can throw a fit like a toddler."

"She hasn't exactly been broadcasting her reasons for the bounty on Swan here though, has she?" Killian's brow furrowed.

"Of course not," Baelfire explained as though it were obvious. "That would mean announcing that she got robbed. It would make her look vulnerable."

"How did you manage it?" Pinocchio asked. It was disconcerting how infrequently the man blinked. "I know that you don't share any blood relation with her, so how did you manage to break the seals on her vaults?"

Caught, Emma swallowed hard, willing some excuse to find its way to the tip of her tongue. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough, and the extended pause drew his suspicions like a beacon. He reclined in his chair with a knowing arrogance, his lips pressing into a thin smile. "That wasn't you," he deduced. "Was it?"

Emma felt her face flush. Usually she was better than this at bluffing, and she was unsure whether she was losing her touch, or whether Pinocchio was especially perceptive. Either way, she'd made the admission she hadn't intended to, and there was no point in trying to backtrack. "No. She thinks I'm guilty of more thefts than I actually am, and the blood magic vaults weren't me. But there's a pretty big chance that I'll need to get into one of her vaults for what I'm after, unless she's abandoned them completely."

"There's a nice bit of irony for you. What is it you're after?"

"We think she's hiding something that the Dark One took, on his behalf," Baelfire offered while Emma was still choosing her words. "We're just trying to get it back where it belongs."

Pinocchio's brows raised. "A pirate crew is simply trying to restore some stolen property to its rightful owner? That's your story?"

"Damn right it is," Emma scoffed. "Because I'm the rightful owner. I'm going to get back what's mine, Evil Queen and Dark One be damned." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Killian's smile. Maybe she was a true pirate at heart after all, as he so often told her.

Her outburst seemed to better convince Pinocchio, anyway. "As far as we know, her most carefully protected vault is the one closest to her castle. Beyond that, we have the impression that she deems her western vaults the most secure, the ones toward Sherwood Forest. Our forces are primarily to the south of her, and despite their alliance, she doesn't have an abundance of trust for King George up north of her. That's one of the reasons we're hoping to recruit the Merry Men to our cause – to have troops on the western border of her realm."

Emma slouched into her seat. She was grateful for the answers that she'd gotten, but they weren't the ones that they'd sailed all this way for. "Back to the mainland it is then, I guess," she grumbled.

"Hey, it's not like we're leaving empty-handed." Baelfire nudged her with his elbow. "Now we've got a better idea of where we need to go, and you got some good bonus info too. Besides," he added, dropping his spoon noisily into his bowl. "The trip would have been worth it for the food alone. This is some good stuff." He lifted his hand into the air again, this time as a gesture to the chef that he'd like more. In response, he got a frown for such a rude summoning, but she caved at his impish smile when he pleadingly pressed his hands together. "Your Granny's a real good cook," he told Pinocchio as the woman approached.

"Oh, she's not my grandmother," he clarified, realizing the misconception.

"Ha!" the woman exclaimed, reaching the table. "Think his father's older than I am. Granny's just what they call me. I do have one grandchild, but she's not here. She doesn't make it out to the island much, and I can't blame her. The girl's a valuable member of Snow's inner circle, and it's important for her to be where she's needed."

"You're going to love Red." Tink beamed. "She's incredible. You'll have to tell her that I said hi. It's been way too long since we've seen her."

"You could come if you wanted," Baelfire offered, ignoring the resulting expression on Hook's face.

"I can't." She shook her head slowly. "As much as I would love to. I have my role to play here, so this is where I need to stay."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What is your role here, anyway? What do you do?"

She lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug. "As I'm told."

"Well that certainly doesn't sound like you," Killian sneered.

"No, it doesn't," Baelfire agreed. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened-"

"She's trying to get her wings back," Pinocchio divulged, turning smug when she swiveled toward him with both surprise and annoyance. "You gave them my name," he pointed out.

"You could get your wings back?" Baelfire's face lit up. "Tink, that's great!"

"Maybe," she cautioned. "The Blue Fairy is giving me this one last chance to prove to her that I have what it takes. If I can do that, then I'll get my wings back. So far it's mostly meant sitting on my hands out here, which isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. I'd rather be getting my hands dirty instead."

"Well, maybe we can put in a good word for you on the mainland when we get there," Emma offered, then she glanced up at Granny. "Unless you really do need her here."

Granny shook her head. "Don't need anybody but my crossbow to help me protect the more vulnerable folk here, but we've got plenty of decent guards, and Mulan to keep them all in line. You go ahead and put in all the good words you've got. Far as I'm concerned, this girl's already earned her keep and they should be treating her like it."

"Don't worry, Tink," Baelfire promised. "We'll be back for you."