CHAPTER ELEVEN
Home Sweet Home

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

     IT WAS FINALLY TIME TO GET THE HELL OUT OF NEVERLAND. Emma fired the cannon on Killian's ship while Neal let Pan's shadow out of the coconut and Regina used her magic to bind it to one of the sails. Zelda watched as the ship lifted out of the water and flew above the clouds. Mary Margaret gave some food to the Lost Boys while Regina was down in the cabin with Henry. Now that he was alive and safe, they could leave Neverland and go home. The only problem was that Zelda didn't have a home. She knew that Mary Margaret offered her one but she still didn't know where she would go or what she would do. Everybody had a home and a family to return to but Zelda had nothing. Neal was with his father, David and Emma were talking and so were Wendy and Tinker Bell.

     She took out the little piece of rope that was used to tie off the braid in her hair and pulled out all the pieces. Her hair reached her mid-thighs and it was still just as tangled as it was before Mary Margaret braided it just to keep it out of her face.

     "Zelda, come on up here," Killian said while standing at the steering wheel of the ship.

     Zelda bit the inside of her cheek as she stood beside him while he steered the ship.

     "Is there something you need?" she asked with her arms crossed.

     "I just wanted to ask what happened with you when you fought Felix. Nobody else saw it but your eyes changed colour," he said and Zelda scoffed.

     "I think too much seawater got into your brain," she said.

     "You almost killed that boy."

     "I know."

     Zelda looked at the clouds to avoid looking at Killian. She may have wanted to make him bleed but that didn't mean she wanted to kill him. He was still a kid at the end of the day but at the same time, he was very loyal to Pan and he was beyond saving. If it wasn't for Killian, she would've done something that she would have regretted for the rest of her life.

     "Are you alright, love?" Killian asked.

     "I just wanted to say thank you for everything. You offered me the chance to go with you once we left the island. You tried to help me and understand me even though I didn't trust you. I still don't trust anyone but I appreciate your efforts. Even when I almost hurt Mary Margaret, you stopped Emma and David from retaliating when you could've let them kill me. So, thank you," Zelda said as she looked at him.

     "You spent so long being a prisoner. I thought offering you freedom would be a nice change," Killian said.

     "Pan offered me freedom. That's how I fell for his tricks."

     "Well unlike Pan, I kept my word. When we get back to Storybrooke, you will truly be free."

     Truly free.

     The thought alone of finally being free made her stomach flip. As much as she wanted it to be true, she couldn't help but think that there would be a catch and if she didn't ask now, she would soon find out in an unpleasant way.

     "What's the catch?" she asked while looking at the clouds.

     "What?" Killian questioned while squinting at the shorter girl. "What catch?"

     "Everything has a catch. If I will be free in Storybrooke like you say, then I need to know what the catch is so I don't find myself trapped again," Zelda said while shrugging her shoulders.

     "Believe me, there is no catch. The Charmings will find you a home so you don't end up on the streets," Killian said.

     "Believe it or not, there was a time I would rather be on the streets than in my own home."

     "From what you told me about your mother, I can't say I blame you."

     Zelda hummed as a portal opened in the sky and the ship sailed right towards it. Emma told everyone to hold onto something and they all did as instructed while Killian sailed the ship through the portal. She felt the ship shake and the skies were suddenly bright blue and she had to cover her eyes. Once they adjusted, she saw a little town through the clouds and the ship moved towards it very quickly. When they landed, there was an enormous and loud splash but it got quiet as they reached the harbour.

     There were many people gathered around and Zelda assumed they were all friends of the people who travelled to Neverland to save Henry. Wendy was finally reunited with her brothers and everyone was reunited with their loved ones. Even Regina who was supposed to be the "Evil Queen" was met with praises and cheers. The Lost Boys were welcomed as well and that was more than what Zelda could say. Everyone was finally home, except for her.

     She sighed as she got off the ship and started walking aimlessly but someone stopped her. She turned around and Henry was standing there with his hand holding onto her arm.

     "Where are you going?" he asked and Zelda smiled awkwardly.

     "Home," she laughed lightly with a small shrug.

     "Where's home?" Henry asked as he let go of Zelda's arm.

     "Somewhere. Anywhere but here," she said as she turned around and kept walking.

     "So, you're just gonna walk around carrying a spear out in the open?"

     "Listen, kid. This spear was all I had to protect myself when I was on the run from Pan and if I leave it, I'll have nothing."

     "Stay. My family can protect you here," Henry said and Zelda stopped walking.

     She turned around and stood right in front of him.

     "I don't think you get it, Henry. I don't need your family to protect me. I can protect myself. I did it just fine on my own when I escaped from Pan's camp right before I met your family and this will be no different. Tell Mary Margaret that I appreciate her offer, but I can't," Zelda said before she left the harbour and kept walking.

     She had no idea where she was going or how to leave the town but when she felt her stomach churn, she knew she needed to eat something. It's been a while since she ate anything besides the berries from Neverland and she would give anything for a meal. If she could survive in a jungle with Lost Boys and shadows chasing her, she could survive in a little town.

━━━━

     "WHERE'S ZELDA?" MARY MARGARET ASKED AS SHE LOOKED AROUND FOR THE PETITE GIRL.

     "She said she was leaving," Henry said.

     "She can't leave, she doesn't have anywhere to go," David said.

     "That's not the only problem. She was born in nineteenth century England and spent almost her entire life on an island. She has no idea what the modern world is like," Mary Margaret said.

     "We have to find her before something happens to her," Killian said and they all spread out to look for Zelda.

     Given her small frame, it wasn't going to be easy to find her but they were looking for a girl with long messy hair, dirty gender neutral clothing and a spear so she shouldn't be too hard to find. As they were looking for her, Zelda was walking along Main Street and was amazed by how different everything was. The buildings were nothing like the small ones in her village and the houses she passed looked so much more cozy than the little shack she lived in. The more time she spent marvelling at the town's beauty, the hungrier she got.

     "It's okay. You can find food," she said to herself as she walked into the open road.

     All of the walking and the lack of food and water was starting to make her dizzy and lightheaded. She didn't even realize that a car was coming straight for her until she heard a loud honk. Before she could even register what was happening, someone pulled her out of the road and they both landed on the ground.

     "Is she okay?" Emma asked as she and her parents rushed over to the scene.

     Killian sat up while holding Zelda by her shoulders but all she could do was mumble incoherently. She felt her stomach churn again and she curled up in a ball.

     "I think she just needs something to eat," Killian said as he stood up and carried her in his arms.

     "I can walk on my own," she protested as she tried to get back on the ground but Killian wasn't letting her.

     "We're taking you somewhere to get food," he said and Zelda sighed in relief.

     The four of them walked into Granny's ─ four because Killian was carrying Zelda ─ and found an empty booth where Zelda could sit. Mary Margaret told her to wait patiently while she went to talk to Granny, the woman who owned the place. Zelda rested her head on the table and she was practically dying for something to eat.

     "I was stupid to think I could do this on my own. I don't even know what the hell they have in the year two thousand and thirteen," Zelda said and Killian chuckled.

     "I can't say I know much either, but what I do know is that whatever vessel that was that came after you, you do not wanna get hit by one of those," he said and Zelda sat up.

     "I thought I could survive on my own in a tiny little town," she sighed.

     "Well love, this is Storybrooke, not Neverland. You may have survived in a jungle with a pointed rock tied onto a stick to protect you but that doesn't work here," Killian said.

     The smell of food grabbed her undivided attention and when an old woman placed a plate with a burger and fries in front of her, she looked at it, not knowing what it was.

     "This is what they call food in the twenty-first century?" she asked as she picked up a fry.

     "You might wanna eat it before it gets cold," Killian said and Zelda nodded.

     She took one bite and she liked the crunchy and saltiness of it. After a while, she was finished with the fries and moved on to the burger. The food wasn't like anything she had before but damn it tasted great. By the time Zelda finished her burger, Granny gave her a glass of water and she made sure to thank her for the food.

     "She definitely likes the cheeseburger," David said as he stood by the bar with Mary Margaret. "Now that she ate, she just needs a place to stay for the night."

     "We can ask Granny to rent her a room," David suggested.

     "I'm just not sure if it's a good idea to leave her by herself. You heard what she said in the Echo Cave and now that she's finally free from Neverland, we don't know what's going on in her mind. She was on her own in the twenty-first century for ten minutes and she almost got hit by a car," Mary Margaret said and David sighed.

     "I can stay with her, make sure nothing happens to her," Killian said.

     The three of them looked at Zelda who was enjoying another cheeseburger with fries and this time, she had a glass of ginger ale to go with it. After a while, she had enough food and it was starting to get dark outside. Mary Margaret sat in front of her and smiled at her and Zelda tried to smile back.

     "It's getting late so you might want to get some sleep," she said but before Zelda could say anything, Mary Margaret continued. "I spoke to Granny and she agreed to rent you a room here with no charge."

     "Oh. Thanks," Zelda said.

     "Hook agreed to stay with you so you don't have to be alone tonight," Mary Margaret said and Zelda nodded slightly.

     She wasn't certain if that was such a good idea but she truly didn't want to be alone so she was grateful that someone was going to be there. On the other hand, her mother's words were seared into her mind, despite all the time that passed.

     "I think I'm just gonna go to bed," Zelda said as she stood up.

     "Here's your room key. Hook has a copy so he'll be up later," Mary Margaret said as she gave Zelda a key with a number on it.

     "Thank you, Mary Margaret. For everything," she said and the paler woman smiled.

     Zelda went upstairs to find the room she was going to be staying in and once she did, she unlocked it and stepped inside. There was a bed, a couch and a bathroom. It wasn't much but it was just fine. She took her shoes off and left them by the door. She dropped her spear when Killian pulled her out of the way of that car so she didn't even have that anymore. She sighed as she crawled on top of the bed and lay down on her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she really slept. As she was falling asleep, Killian walked into the room but she was already out like a light. Once he took his shoes and jacket off, he turned off all the lights and took the couch. Pretty soon, he was asleep as well.