Swan Song ❂ Killian Jones [1]

117

- Storybrooke, present

"This world is... Certainly different." Robin spoke as he and Odette walked side by side, eyes focused on their surroundings as they searched for any sign of where the monster may have taken Little John.

"It does take some getting used to. But don't worry, you'll find your way with time." She said in a reassuring tone. "Whatever questions you have, just as me. I do have thirty years of experience." She pointed out, trying to put a light spin on it but when she said it, it didn't sound too light, honestly.

"It's good to know we have friends who understand it, certainly." Robin still put a smile on his face as he spared a moment to look her way. "It's good to have you back with us, Odette."

"It's good to be back." She sent him a smile on her own before thoughts of the other men who'd gone back to their camp entered her mind. "The other man, the one who was taken on the first night, you never said who it was?" She couldn't help but ask. At the very least they'd be able to know who they were looking for along with Little John and the missing dwarves.

"He was a newer member. He and a few of his companions joined us only after the first curse broke." Robin revealed, quickly reassuring her that it wasn't one of the members she already knew. Although, she didn't feel much better at the thought; someone was still missing either way. "His name was Athos." And that certainly made her worry increase more than anything else.

"And the men you said were out there looking for him, Aramis and Porthos, I assume?" She asked, although it sounded more like a statement. Even going off of Iris' memories of Dumas' books it would be a sensible guess, and even more so when she actually knew the men and the tight-knit bond which they shared.

"And d'Artagnan." Robin added, the name bringing a small smile to Odette's face, happy to know her childhood friend was here too. "We knew they were Musketeers, made us more than accepting of them joining us," Robin said with a smile, Odette choosing no to point out that d'Artagnan had never officially been proclaimed a Musketeer before their fall. "But couldn't be sure if you knew them."

"They were among my father's most trusted men. Which, of course, resulted in them spending much of their time as my personal guard." Odette explained simply.

"Guys!" David's call brought Odette and Robin's conversation to a sudden stop, eyes turning to the men who seemed to be holding something in his hand as they approached him, Killian coming over too from the opposite side.

Once they were close enough, all three of them took a closer look at the bloodied leaf before their eyes began searching the area again, hoping to find more clues. "He was dragged." Robin announced, pointing to the tracks made in the snow not too far from where they stood. He was the first to rush towards them, soon after spotting something else that made him call out. "He's there!"

The announcement had the rest of the group running after the leader of the Merry Men, all of them able to spot Little John lying in the snow soon after. "Is he alive?" Killian questioned as they reached Robin who was now leaning over his unconscious friend.

"Barely." Robin said in a heavy tone as he gave Little John's shoulders a gentle shake in an attempt to wake him. "John, I'm here. We've got you." But no matter what they did, no matter the calls, Little John remained unconscious and unmoving.

"I've never seen bite like that before." Killian pointed out, eyes focused on the large wound on the man's shoulder from which blood still continued to pour and stain the white snow beneath him.

"Me neither." David said begrudgingly, not liking the idea that they had no clue what manner of creature they might be dealing with.

"Okay, help me get him up. We gonna get him some help." Robin announced, and the rest of them were quick to start getting to work on lifting Little John so they could take him to David's truck.

"Don't worry, medicine here is quite advanced compared to what we knew back in the Enchanted Forest." Odette said to Robin, hoping to reassure him. They had to hope for the best. And certainly the doctors at the hospital would be able to save him.

- Storybrooke, present

As soon as they walked through the doors of the emergency room, their surroundings had become a frenzied flurry of nurses and doctors, all quick to tend to Little John and his injuries while those who'd brought him in followed after them as they wheeled him off once he was placed on a cot.

In the flurry of voices discussing John's state and injuries, using a lot of medical terminology Odette didn't understand, she nearly missed Whale's question which actually was directed at the rest of them. "What did this to him?"

It was Robin who answered it. "We don't know." He said simply, forcing Whale to return to his job rather blindly, and it only became worse as, all of a sudden, Little John's eyes snapped open, body beginning to shake in a violent manner.

It forced multiple people to reach for him, trying to hold his hands and arms down while a nurse reached for a sedative. But once Whale took it from her and attempted to inject it into Little John's arm, his hand was suddenly swiped away. For a moment, Odette looked around in a confused manner, trying to see whatever it was.

But once she did, perhaps it was better to remain in the dark. Because as the tail, seeming to belong to no other than Little John himself, swiped around, pushing people back from his sides, she was forced to jump away as it nearly threw her into a row of shelves. Robin tried to call his name, but nothing seemed to get through to the man.

Turning away from the lashing tail, Odette was forced to shield her face as it threw off a few nurses. By the time she looked back as the scene seemed to somewhat calm, she was found with an entirely different sight. The cot which had so far been occupied by Little John now had what looked to be a monkey standing on top of it. A monkey with large black wings and sharp teeth which it barred at them in an angry manner.

"Okay, I didn't see that coming." David muttered out with wide eyes as they found themselves at a stand-off with the monkey. Its eyes scanned the group, and each of their faces, until it fell on one in particular.

The next thing they knew, the monkey was flying towards them, with one person in its focus. Odette threw her hands up as she found herself pressed into a wall, the monkey's clawed feet now reaching to grab her. However, instead of feeling it take hold, Odette felt a sudden wind pick up out of nowhere. For a moment she thought it was caused by the flap of its wings.

Only then did she hear the sound of smashing glass forcing her to look back to the space in front of her in time to see the monkey that was once Little John pushed back by a nearly invisible force, a white hue coloured through the space between them. And it was strong enough to throw it out of the window, a blow from which he luckily didn't return as they watched him fly off into the night.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Odette questioned in surprise, trying to figure out who it was that used magic to save her from the monkey's attack. Only, as she looked around at the people surrounding her, she noticed all of their wide-eyed looks were focused entirely on her.

"You, love. It came from you."