Inspired by a gifset rosenlight posted on Tumblr. Some inspiration is also taken from the corresponding scene in Disney's Hercules (the title is from Phil's quote in that scene: "Sounds like your basic DID. Damsel in distress!"). Killian is a dork, and Liam is alive! Good fun all around.

It would be entirely improper to say that Killian was excited to come across a vicious beast preying upon a helpless young woman. That would be morally reprehensible in a whole slew of ways, so obviously it was untrue. The swiftness with which he wheeled his horse around at the sound of a feminine scream in the distance was naturally just a result of his concern for her wellbeing, and any grin on his face was simply a reaction to the adrenaline. He could hear Liam swearing and riding after him, but didn't pause.

"Don't worry, miss!" he yelled loudly as he galloped across the field and dismounted smoothly, unsheathing his sword with an incredibly satisfying schwing sound (which he absolutely hadn't spent ages practicing). "I'll save you!"

"Wait, Killian, we should assess the situation first-" Liam snapped, leaping down beside him… only to fall silent in surprise as he stared up at the sight before them.

At the base of a giant beanstalk, stretching high up into the sky, a giant roared angrily as he swiped at the ground, where a woman in a red leather jacket was desperately trying to avoid his huge meaty hands. When she glanced back over her shoulder at the sound of Killian's voice, the giant managed to grab her, and lift her high up to his angry face, tens of feet off the ground.

Killian swallowed nervously, but rushed forward anyway, sword at the ready. He'd thought all the giants were gone… but at least in the stories he'd heard, they could be reasoned with. Sometimes. Perhaps this could all be resolved without bloodshed.

"Stop!" he yelled – and then attempted not to regret it when the giant slowly leaned down over him, face set in a huge glare.

"Back off, human," he snapped. "This has nothing to do with you!"

Killian's gaze strayed to the side, where the woman was struggling vainly to get out of the giant's grasp. Her long blonde hair tumbled about her shoulders as she grunted and kicked, shoving hard at the giant's fingers. They didn't budge an inch. Killian's eyes lingered for a moment on the flushed skin revealed by the scoop of her shirt, before he coughed and focused back on the giant.

"I'll… I'll have to ask you to release that young –"

"Oh, get lost, sailor," she snapped, now attempting to elbow her way free.

"–L-lady." Killian stuttered to a halt, the tip of his sword dropping as he turned to blink confusedly at her. "But… aren't you a damsel in distress?"

(He'd always wanted to save a damsel in distress. When he'd been appointed Lieutenant on his brother's ship several months ago, Killian had thought he might finally be getting the opportunity to be a hero, but so far all the adventure he'd faced had been in the form of mild storms. There hadn't been a single skirmish or even a pirate sighting. When Liam had told him they'd been entrusted with a special mission from the king himself, he'd let his hopes grow high again – but all it turned out to be was renting some horses and personally delivering a letter to the neighboring royalty. An honor perhaps, but not exactly an adventure.)

(This woman should be his adventure.)

But his adventure just scoffed again, still testing the giant's iron grip. "I'm a damsel," she grunted, "I'm in distress. I can handle this." Pausing in her efforts to lean over towards Killian, she smirked mockingly. "Have a nice day."

Killian stared at her.

Behind him and slightly to the left, he heard Liam pause in his attempt to quietly circle around behind the giant – no doubt also staring at her.

Even the giant stared at her.

"I…" Killian cleared his throat awkwardly, then firmed his resolve. "Miss, I think you might be too close to this situatio-"

That was as far as he got, raising his sword to shoulder-height, before he suddenly couldn't breathe and everything went dark. Though he regained his vision very shortly, it took several moments of struggling before he could finally gasp some air back into his lungs. Even then, the first breath he took was full of dust; somehow he was lying flat on his face in the dirt a fair distance away from the ongoing struggle, and Killian realized the giant must have hit him. Coughing violently, he shoved himself back to his feet, casting around for his sword – but the blade was nowhere to be found, and the woman had begun pleading with the giant.

"Please, I'm not what you think, listen to me," she was shouting, voice choking up in pain as the giant clearly began to squeeze. Weaponless he might be, but Killian couldn't wait – he rushed forward, snatching up a rock as he dashed in close.

"OI," he shouted at the top of his lungs, and flung the rock at the giant. It bounced ineffectively off his leg, but at least seemed to catch his attention. Killian took a deep breath, and drew on his experience as a younger sibling as he continued to infuriate the monster long enough for Liam to (hopefully) attack it from behind: "You big git! Yeah, you! D'you want to kill a human? Eh? Want to kill a human? Well, here I am!"

His attempts weren't terribly effective, however – the giant just glared at him and stomped one gigantic foot forward before focusing his glare back on the woman in his fist. The impact was strong enough to shake the earth beneath Killian's feet, and he stumbled to the ground, cursing as his bruised ribs ached with the impact. He could only stare, helpless, as the giant continued to crush the woman right in front of him.

"No-" Killian shouted, struggling upright once more… only to be cut off by the giant's loud cry of pain. At first he assumed Liam had managed to stab him in the ankle or something (where was his brother?), but a moment later the giant brought his hand up to his face, scowling at a finger – his empty hand, which meant –

"Miss!" Killian yelled, running forward. She could have been killed from a fall of that height!

Luckily, the damsel seemed to have had a safe landing; even as Killian reached her, she rolled off the top of the giant's shoe with a grunt. He reached out a hand to help her up – she took it, but rolled her eyes as she did so, and let go the instant she was back on her feet.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" she hissed, pushing at his side. "I told you to go!"

Killian gaped at her, more than a little offended. "I can't just leave you to be eaten!"

"Ugh," she said emphatically, and Killian was just about to comment on how she really ought to show at least a little gratitude for his efforts (no matter how unnecessary they seemed so far), when her eyes went wide and suddenly she was leaping to pull him forward into a tight embrace.

"I – I – um," he stuttered, as her arms locked around his back and her chest pressed up against his own, knowing that his face was probably turning bright red. Luckily, before he had a chance to say anything more (his thoughts had been running along the line that he hadn't mean this sort of gratitude; not that it was unwelcome, of course, gods, it was really quite welcome), the giant's foot came crashing down where he had been standing only moments before – she'd saved his life.

Still locked in an awkward embrace, Killian and the woman stumbled together as the earth shook beneath them. She was scowling heavily at the huge leg behind them, and it was only due to their continued proximity that he was able to hear the slew of ridiculously filthy words spilling from her delicate lips in a string of frustrated mutters.

When she finally let go of him, he continued to stumble awkwardly for a moment, ears burning as brightly as his cheeks, heart racing, disarmed by far more than the giant.

"Hey! Anton! Come and get me!" the girl shouted, face set in a firm scowl, and when the giant bent down to try and grab her a second time, she grabbed a small sack that was hanging from her belt and flung it directly into his face. It burst open against his enormous nose in a cloud of sparkling golden dust, and he grunted; a moment later, he began to sway, and then Killian was snatching the girl's hand and pulling her after him as he dashed out of the way of the giant's collapsing form.

The ground shuddered, dust was kicked up – but when it all settled, the giant was out for the count, snoring like a thunderstorm, and the girl's hand was warm in Killian's own.

He swallowed hard, throat clicking, and let go first.

She blinked, as if only just remembering his presence, then turned to face him with a wide smirk. "See? All under control."

"I – but you nearly died," Killian couldn't help but protest, gesturing at the giant's prone form. "You were nearly crushed to death, how can you –"

Her eyes narrowed. "Hey, let's not forget who saved whose life here, pal."

But Killian was suddenly furious. Because… she was beautiful and strong and brave, cursed filthier than several sailors he knew, had saved his life and his skin was still tingling everywhere they'd touched. And she was a complete bloody idiot, she could have died – just the thought had him yelling: "What the bloody hell were you thinking? Did you even think at all? What was going through your head that you thought it was a good idea to fight a damned giant, all by yourself –"

"I had it handled," she insisted through gritted teeth.

"Handled! If not for my brother and I distracting him, he might've killed you and no one would have ever –" Killian froze. "Oh gods, Liam."

To her credit, the girl caught on immediately. "Anton smacked him away right after you," she said, eyes going wide, "I didn't think –"

She turned and took off running, leading the way carefully around the giant's prone body, towards the beanstalk behind him. Liam was crumpled at the base, out cold, but his pulse was strong and he appeared otherwise unharmed. He must've smacked right into the beanstalk; there was a sizable bump on his head when Killian ran his fingers through his brother's hair to check, but at least it wasn't bleeding. The girl sacrificed her jacket to make a pillow for him as Killian knelt at his side – normally he'd have protested, offered his own jacket, but his brother was hurt and all other concerns were forgotten.

Still, after several minutes of fussing, to no effect, Killian had to admit there was nothing else he could do, and he slowly glanced up at his companion. She was watching him with a small smile on her face, her eyes soft; his cheeks grew hot.

"Um. Thank you. For the –" Killian gestured awkwardly at the jacket, noticing simultaneously the pale skin that had been revealed when she took it off, and blushing further, "assistance."

She glanced down at Liam and sighed, a little ruefully. "No, I – thank you. I mean, I didn't need the help, but you were very… very brave, sailor."

Looking up on the last word, she met Killian's eyes and, for the first time in their brief acquaintance, grinned widely.

It was not hyperbole to say that his breath caught.

"I – well, I was just doing my d– um – Killian Jones." Killian could feel himself flushing further, as she lifted a curious eyebrow, and rushed to clarify. "My name. I, well I am a sailor, but my name is…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Killian Jones," she interrupted, with a small laugh.

"No, the – the pleasure is all mine…" Killian paused, trying to get ahold of himself. This was not the first time he'd talked to a pretty girl. It was the first time he'd talked to a pretty girl who could defeat a giant, but… well, no, there wasn't really anything else to say to that. Though, it did remind him, "How long do we have until the giant wakes?"

She shrugged. "That was poppy powder, it's pretty strong. I'd say we have at least ten more minutes."

"Ten minutes –" Killian jerked upright, casting a wary glance at the huge, prone figure of the giant. "We need to get out of here! Come, help me lift him."

She cast a longing glance at the beanstalk behind him, but obeyed after a moment, though with clear reluctance. Together, Killian and the girl were able to lift Liam up on his back, and they retreated out of the field and a good distance into the woods, for safe measure. The horses were nowhere to be seen, which was no surprise; Killian would have worried for his mission but he knew Liam carried their message safely inside his jacket at all times. It wasn't long before they heard the giant waking – his yells of anger startled birds out of nearby trees, and the girl winced.

"Well, that was a bust," she muttered.

Killian turned to her, crossing his arms. "Care to tell me why you thought provoking a giant was a good idea?"

She shrugged. "I heard that he used to be a good guy. I thought maybe I could reason with him, make a friend."

"You're mad," Killian marveled quietly, running a hand through his hair. He'd lost his tie somewhere in the fight, and it hung loose against his shoulders. "Gods, lass."

She glared back. "Oh, shut up."

"But how could you ever think –"

"I don't get out a lot, okay?" she snapped. "I just… wanted an adventure. Fine, lesson learned, I'll go home."

Killian swallowed, feeling a rush of sympathy. He knew that feeling well. "I don't know," he said quietly, stepping closer. "I'd say defeating a giant entirely on your own – and rescuing the very men who came to rescue you – could be considered quite the adventure."

She blinked several times, looking a little stunned – and then a slow smile lit up her face. "Yeah," she said, in a low, thick voice. "I guess you're right."

All air seemed to vanish.

Killian swallowed hard, heart pounding, and tried to remember that he was a gentleman. This woman was a lady, and should be treated as such. Just because she was fantastic, just because she was standing so near he could almost feel her touch (gods, he'd been the one to close that distance), just because she was utterly gorgeous and smiling at him, just because he felt a connection to her like never before, was no reason to forget –

Her gaze flicked down to his lips, and back. Her own lips parted, just the tiniest bit.

Bloody hell, he didn't care anymore. Killian leaned in, slowly, carefully, breath hitching when his damsel – gods, he didn't even know her name, what was he doing – made no attempt to move away. In fact, he could've sworn she leaned in too, at the last moment, and her lips were warm, and soft, just barely touching his own but he could've died happy, gods –

"Little brother?"

Killian and the damsel jerked away from each other as Liam sat up, rubbing at his head. Where Killian would have been panicking about his last memory of the giant, his older brother merely squinted around himself, taking in the change of scenery and lack of foes, then nodded to himself calmly.

"Our horses?" he asked, grunting slightly as he attempted to sit up straighter.

"Gone," Killian confirmed, rushing to his side. "Stop, you're injured, you should rest. Liam, please."

Stubborn as ever, Liam pulled himself up until he was resting mostly upright against a tree before he would listen. As annoying as that quality normally was though, Killian took comfort from it now – if he was well enough to be stubborn then he probably wasn't hurting too badly.

"It'll be twice as long a journey to the palace, walking," Liam sighed. Then he turned to look at the damsel, and his voice became curiously hard. "At least we'll have a guide familiar with the destination. Won't we, your highness?"

Killian blinked, confused – then spun to face his damsel as he realized what Liam must mean – no, it must be a mistake, she couldn't be –

She scowled, rolled her eyes, and gave a sarcastic curtsy (he'd never known a sarcastic curtsy was possible before, but there was no other way to describe it). When she spoke, her tone was resigned, but she was very carefully avoiding Killian's eyes. "How did you know?"

"We've met once, at a ball several years ago," Liam said. "Your down-to-earth nature was rather more charming there, Princess Emma."

She opened her mouth as if to retort, but then shut it with a huff, crossing her arms.

"Emma," Killian breathed softly, before he could help himself; it suited her perfectly. She flinched and met his eyes automatically – both of them flushed. "Princess! I mean. Princess Emma. It is an – an honor to meet you."

He bowed, awkwardly, and kept his head bent longer than necessary, staring at his boots and trying not to panic. He'd just kissed a princess. A princess.

"No, no, uh, the honor's all mine… Killian," she said, the words equally stilted – until the last, at which point her lips flicked up in a smile, perhaps realizing, as he was, how this was a reversal of their first introductions. Killian couldn't contain his matching grin, and for a much-too-long moment he and Emma simply stood and smiled at each other.

"And I," Liam interrupted, more loudly than necessarily, eyeing them suspiciously as they jumped apart again, "am Captain Liam Jones. I'm glad we all get along, as we'll be spending the next several days together, delivering our message to Queen Snow and escorting the princess –" he looked at Killian, who straightened under the pointed stare, "home. Don't worry princess, we'll be perfect gentlemen, of course."

Killian attempted to smile innocently. "I, ah. Yes, of course. Captain."

Behind him, he heard his damsel snort.