The Magic Within ↠ Once Upon A Time

[Chapter 25] Confrontation

~Melody/Killian Flashback~

After their venture in another land, the Jolly Roger and the crew on board land back in the Enchanted Forest. But, instead of docking at the harbor, like usual, the ship docks by the sea closer to the wild forest, a part of which no civilians resided in. After lowering the anchor, ensuring that the vessel wouldn't float away, the crew of the Jolly Roger headed towards land in order to lay a campground by shore. As much as they were used to sailing a ship, nothing beat the steadiness of land. So, through a unanimous vote, the crew went towards the shore.

Even after a few days on the shore, the crew was still residing, though the stop was only suppose to be for one night. No one truly understood why Killian, or what most go by Captain Hook, didn't decide to already set voyage. Through some guesses, some believed he was trying to find another way to defeat Rumpelstiltskin; Killian needed to find more resources.

While the Captain was out, yet again, Melody stayed behind to make sure the crew wasn't causing trouble. Killian had that much trust in her that she could be in charge while he was away; plus, if anyone was disobeying orders, well, Killian and the rest of the crew knew about the young girl's powers. After a close encounter, forcing Melody to reveal her powers, Killian knew that there were more magical creatures that meets the eye. (But, how he found out; that'll be another story for another time. Patience is key in this tale.)

After roaming around in the forest, Melody came back to the campground with a large, not to mention heavy-looking, pile of logs in her arms. Her navy blue skirt was dragging along the dirt floor, almost threatening to be tugged at which may cause an embarrassing fall. The night had already settled and the cold breeze was drifting in. There was no way anyone was freezing on her watch. Unfortunately, none of these men were covered in fur, though some were close to cutting it, like the gorillas were, so that meant they had to take extra precautions in the cold weather like Melody did. After reaching the group of men, Melody drops the pile of wood at the center of the circle.

"Now, how do you expect us to light a fire?" a crew member complains. "The shore came in higher than usual, and now, the ground it too wet for a fire to start."

With that, Melody cracks her knuckles. "Don't worry, boys. I got this." Then she snaps her fingers, and by magic, a large fire burned on top of the wood.

Most of the men gasp and/or roar in astonishment, causing Melody to smirk. Then, the girl walks away from the group, leaving them to savor the blissful heat.

"My, Melody, you sure do know how to impress the men," Mr. Smee comments just as he catches up with the girl.

"Oh, it's easy to impress people when you have magic, Mr. Smee. Just about anything will surprise them."

"Well, if it wasn't for you, half of the crew would've been frozen by now."

"Don't I know it."

Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, Melody spots a dark figure approaching the campground. Upon closer examination, she knew it had to be Killian himself.

"Looks like the Captain is back."

"Seems so. I'm going to check if he has any new information on our next journey."

Mr. Smee nods before returning to the crew.

As they part ways, Melody rushes over to Killian, who was finally back after being gone practically the whole day. No one could possibly explain the Captain's many disappearances, but Melody had to get to the bottom of it. If he was running off to God-knows-where, at least he should've had some back-up in case trouble decided to show themselves. Though he was a capable man, there was no way he could fend for himself, even with all the mysteries that are in the Enchanted Forest.