The Black Cygnet: A Captain Swan Fanfiction

16. The Fire Burns Brightest

"We got the flame!"
Everyone's heads turned to Emma and Killian, the former who was carrying the jar triumphantly above her head, in her right hand.

"Great," Elizabeth said with hungry eyes. "Bring it here so I can see."

Emma obliged, her left hand entwined in her husband's. She loved calling him that. Her husband who she loved dearly.

They had arrived back at the abandoned apartment building in day, making quick work of the less steep side of the mountain. It's likely the lovers would have made it back sooner, had they not stopped to rest in a field of middlemist flowers.

Elizabeth greedily grabbed the flame, before setting it down on the table. "This is perfect. Finally I'll be able to see what the land above is like."

Emma smiled. "I'm happy for you, Elizabeth." She looked up at Hook. "And I'm happy that we'll finally get to head home to our future, to our new family."

Regina spoke," Was it difficult getting the flame, Emma?"

"Oh! I didn't tell you? Hades caught us and threw us in his prison at the top of the mountain, and guess who was in there? Killian's brother Liam. We helped him escape. Anyways, we got out of there, and Hades was asleep on his throne." As she was telling the story, Emma walked around to the head of the table. "Clearly, we were able to get the flame."

"If you saved Liam, where is he?" David inquired.

"Hang on," Emma said, before quickly muttering something about impatience under her breath. "He said he had something to take care of and had to head off on  his own after we saved him." Emma glanced toward her left hand. "But not before he, um, married us."

There were some very audible gasps heard from around the room, the loudest from David. "Oh," Elizabeth said in surprise. "Well, congratulations!"

"Congrats, Emma," Regina said.

"Thank you," said Emma, looking down.

Beaming, Snow came up to her daughter and gave her a big hug. "I'm so happy for you two! Was it special?" Emma nodded with a smile.

"It was the happiest moment of my life so far," said Killian, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"I bet it was beautiful! Though I must say, I wish I was there to see it."

"Maybe we could have a vow renewal."

Elizabeth butted in, holding up the flame. "I'm sure you can all discuss this when you get home."

"And how exactly will we do that?" Regina queried.

"I know how to make a portal with it," said the raven haired girl. "There's just one thing."

"What's that?" Snow asked.

Elizabeth's face darkened. "It has to be done at the entrance to Hell."

Emma's jaw dropped. Hadn't they been trying to avoid falling into a worse place this whole time?

Killian pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We can finally go home, luv." He smiled against her golden tresses. "We can raise our family together."

Emma gulped. If she wanted to get home, she'd have to risk falling into an actual hell-hole. "We'll be fine, right?" she said, eyeing her 13-year-old son.

"Just so long as no one falls in."

She rolled her eyes. "Great. Makes me feel a lot better."

"I can take us all there," Regina said.

"With magic?" Elizabeth asked, eyebrows raised. "We're going to the entrance to hell. You wouldn't want accidentally magic yourself over the drop, would you?"

Regina nodded, annoyed about Elizabeth's sarcasm. "Point taken," she said, hands on hips.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a difficult walk to the entrance to a better place or a worse one. It was frequented by Underbrooke's population, as they liked to test it and see if it would lead them to a better place. Today though, it was empty.

Emma, Regina, Snow, David, Robin, Henry, Killian, Milah, and Elizabeth walked out onto the rock.
Killian kept an arm out in front of Henry in an attempt to keep him from going to far near the edge.

Emma peered over the edge at the lava. "Tell me again why it has to be here?"

Elizabeth was already busy preparing the portal. "There's a lot less protective barriers here. Hades never likes it when people leave the Underworld, but if they have to, he'd rather it be to a worse one."

"Ahhh," Emma said, not quite understanding.

Elizabeth unscrewed the lid of the jar, and dropped the magical flame on the stone at her feet. With a burst of blue light, she started to make the flame grow, until it was bigger than a full grown person. She flicked her wrist and a hole grew in the middle, showing Granny's Diner on the other side. "It's ready!" she singsonged, smiling brightly. "Just one more little thing."
Elizabeth's smile turned dark, and she spun around and ran towards Milah.

"Elizabeth?" Milah said, terrified.

"The portal's ready!" said Killian

"What are you doing?!" Emma shouted.

It couldn't have mattered less that Emma said anything, because, without warning, Elizabeth pushed Milah off the edge.