chapter 7

Emma had seen how he glared at her hand but she ignored it, nodding hearing he would as she pulled her hand back before going inside. She knew how this tavern was, that more fights happened in here than in the previous town they had been in. She wasn't going to just stand close to him but would keep a slight distance, just enough to be able to make sure nothing happened. She looked at him with a nod but was also unaware he had taken that photo from the cabin.

Emma put one hand against the handle of her sword, just ready for anything if a fight ended up happening. She stood by the bar leaning against the counter slightly but made sure she could keep the prince in sight. Despite what he thought and what she said. She didn't want him hurt.

One drunken pirate turned to look at the prince and raised an eyebrow slightly before he looked at the picture. "Who wants to know?" He asked although his words were a little slurred. "What's in it for us?" He asked.

Emma sighed a little bit and stepped forward. "Just tell him what he wishes to know, whatever information you tell, I'll buy the whole tavern a round of rum." She told him knowing most of these pirates wouldn't miss out on a drink.

The drunk pirate narrowed his eyes slightly, seeming to recognize the blonde. "Thought I told you to stay out of here." He slurred before he looked at the prince and shrugged. "Never seen him." He said.

×××

Killian held the photo up to him and he shook his head, he was never going to get anywhere like this, he bet half of these pirates didn't even remember their names. "You barely even looked." He said and tried again but it was clear that he wanted something in return. "I don't have any...." He trailed off knowing that he'd given his money to that guard so that he could escape the castle. He turned to Emma hearing what she said and sighed, if they had to buy a round for everyone each time they wanted some information then by the time he got around to speaking to everyone he might as well be talking to himself.

He nodded slightly at what he said and he sighed a little bit. "well...thanks." he mumbled and looked around trying to find a pirate with fewer drunks around it. He shuffled this tailcoat slightly unknowingly to him the crest of his family now easy to see against the white material. He raised an eyebrow and he turned to look over at his shoulder slightly. "I don't need your help, I doubt them being even more drunk would help either of us. Not going to ask around about your parents?" He asked with a slightly non-interested tone as he made his way over to the blonde just wanting to study the room for a moment.

He looked at her for a moment and wondered why they didn't want her in that tavern anymore. "What did you do that was so bad that don't want you in here?" He asked curiously wondering if she'd started a fight or shown some other pirates up, though he decided the latter although the darkening bruise to her jaw was the first thing he'd picked up against her fair skin, the next thing had been her eyes and then her blonde hair. He cleared his throat and looked away from her realizing that he'd been staring again. "We're probably wasting our time in here." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he leaned back against the bar, elbows propped up on the ledge behind him.

×××

Emma looked at the prince and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Would you rather have admitted you don't have any money? Because he wouldn't have handled that very well." She told him, "And sometimes they are a whole lot smarter when they are drunk." She said as she looked around the room when she heard what he asked. "I'm sure that they wouldn't tell me anything. There's another tavern just down the road we can stop at, they will be a little more sober.. hopefully.. there." She told him.

She went quiet for a few seconds before she shrugged. "Most pirates don't like when a woman beats them in a fight. Whether they are a pirate themselves or not." She told. "Or maybe it's because they know what I've done and don't want me in here or what my parents have done." She said, not giving him just an exact answer.

Emma studied him a moment before she looked away. "Then let's get going unless you'd like to stay for breakfast." She told him but her head turned towards the pirates when she heard them shouting. "Royal!" But Emma realized they had seen the crest on his shirt. "We have to go." She told the prince, knowing how some of these pirates disliked the ones with Royal blood.

×××

Killian sighed and ran a hand over his face and he shook his head, no, that wasn't something he wanted to admit, especially since she knew that he was a Prince. "Perhaps they are smarter, but they're still drunk." He said with a shrug and knew that Swan had already told him that this tavern was s little rougher than the previous one, and there'd already been a fight in that one. He gave a nod at her suggestion and knew that he probably wouldn't have any luck in this one but he didn't want to waste a day in a place that had no answers. Either they had seen Liam or they hadn't.

Killian suppressed a chuckle at the thought of Emma winning a fight, against these burly pirates, though he wondered if she'd won the last fight against the pirates too, seems she got herself involved in unnecessary trouble sometimes, though he didn't know her well enough to make that judgment. "Well...maybe you should get into fewer fights then." He said with a shrug and looked around slightly.

Killian was about to make a statement about staying for breakfast before he heard the word Royal shouted. His entire body froze and he turned around to see a few pirates staring at him. "I...I stole this shirt." He said quickly but heard Emma and he nodded, he definitely didn't want to be caught up in the middle of all that. He pulled his shirt back under the tailcoat hiding the crest from view and swiftly left the tavern with Emma, a hand on the hilt of his sword.

×××

Emma shrugged a bit. "I'm sure we can get better answers at the next tavern." She told him knowing there was at least one tavern where there were other people than pirates and hopefully, none of them were as drunk as they were in this tavern. She raised an eyebrow slightly hearing what he said. "That's exactly what my father used to tell me when I was a little girl." She said after a moment, knowing that even as a girl she would end up picking fights however she could with boys her age. "And honestly, if a pirate is too drunk they aren't much of a threat but in a lot smarter than most of them. They always underestimate a woman." She said.

She studied the pirate a moment hearing what he said of a royal and nodded as she followed him out of the tavern but sighed a little. "I don't think they'll come chasing after us. The most they'll do is try and pick a fight they won't win." She told him, looking inside quickly to make sure none were running out after them. "Come on, let's get moving before they do try end come out." She told him and started to walk down the street.

Though she didn't say it out loud, maybe she was slightly nervous about finding anything out about her parents. Ending up alone was one of the hardest things that's ever happened to her and she was scared that maybe her parents truly had abandoned her like she thought they did or that maybe after all these years they were dead.

×××

Killian nodded a little bit as he listened to her, he didn't know what to do, he hated being recognized and it made his blood boil at the thought of anything happening which meant that he couldn't find his brother. He clenched his jaw and sighed but left the tavern quickly waiting for Emma to make sure that they weren't being followed or anything. He nodded a little but he didn't want to say anything else right now. He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword but then he froze hearing a familiar voice.

"You two! Stop right there!"

A couple of guards had stopped by the town, obviously they were from the Royal Castle. They'd gotten a tip that a certain prince was hanging around these towns so they'd sent a few teams of guards out to look for him, Killian's father also being part of that hunt and wanting his son back. "Turn around, nice and slow." The guard said and the metal unsheathing of a blade could be heard, the rustling of the armor getting louder as he got closer and held his sword out to them, but he'd recognized those tailcoats anywhere.

The king walked past the guards and he knew he was getting a few distasteful looks from the villagers but he didn't care. He had Killian's horse behind him being held by another few guards. "Is that how you're going to treat me now son? With your back to me?" He growled a little bit. "Prince Jones I suggest you turn around." He said slowly before he whispered something to the guard and narrowed his eyes a little bit. "You..." He said looking at the blonde. "Identify yourself." He said with a low growl, he wasn't happy that Killian had run away, not like his first son had done, only this was a pressing matter as Killian was the firstborn and the only available heir for the kingdom right now so they'd needed to find him. Luckily as well as the few tips he'd gotten, the guard who had helped him escape was also there. "Come on my son, is that any way to treat your king?" He asked with a raised brow.

×××

Emma looked over at him but didn't mind if he didn't want to say anything. She began to walk, wanting to get to the other tavern as quickly as they could but she was tense, alert, and ready for a fight if it came down to one. She paused when she heard a voice and turned to face it when her eyes went to the prince.

"Do you know that voice?" The blonde asked him after a moment seeing how the prince had seemed to freeze but wasn't sure if they should run or if they should fight. But then she understood when she looked over. They were royal guards. And the king was there. She glanced up at the prince before her eyes turned back to the guards and king.

There for a moment, she wasn't sure how they knew where they had been but realized a pirate had to have told them, which she wasn't happy about. She looked at the guards and put a hand on the handle of her sword, ready to draw it if she had to but she wasn't about to bow or anything to the king, even if others saw it disrespectful before she tilted her head a bit. "Emma Swan." She said but she couldn't help herself and before she could bite down on her tongue, the words came out. "You must be an awful father if both of your sons want to run away from you." She told him.

Emma wasn't afraid to say her name despite her reputation, that she'd killed before, and that her parents despite their kindness could also be cruel and wouldn't hold mercy, which some of them had gone into Emma. She knew she could be cruel at times especially when it came to killing, but that's also how she's survived

×××

Killian nodded slowly and he didn't answer for fear that the king or guards might hear him, perhaps he could still get in his good graces. He turned around to meet his father's cold gaze and he clenched his jaw slightly. His eyes snapped to Emma seeing her confidence and honestly, it knocked him down a little bit more. He reached out and he grabbed her arm hearing her mention about him and Liam running away. "Don't." He warned, a newfound softness to his tone as he spoke. He shook his head slightly almost pleading her to not say anything else.

He bit his lip a little and he shook his head. "You're not my king, and one day I'll be my own king." He said with a slight growl, he was getting tired of his father's bullshit. "I'm not going back with you, I'm finding Liam if it's the last thing I do." He said and his hand went to the ring under his shirt, his eyes falling serious as they glared at the king. "And nothing you can do will make me change my mind." He said and squared his shoulders slightly, he tightened his hand around the hilt of his sword and he was prepared to fight his own father and risk treason if it meant finding his brother and the king's favorite son.

He frowned a little bit watching as a guard shuffled forward and whispered something into the king's ear. What unsettled him the most was the slow smirk that spread across the king's face and how his face was solely fixed now on Emma. He turned to look at Emma slightly confused though he wondered what the hell the guard had said.

The king took a step forward and he raised an eyebrow. "I'd lose the attitude, pirate." He spat on the ground and he shook his head. "You pirates are filthy scoundrels who mean nothing to us." He growled and was pleased to see his son shuffling uncomfortably after he said that and Killian finding sudden interest in the ground and his leather boots. He turned his head slightly hearing what the guard whispered to him and he smirked, eyes dead set on the blonde pirate. He whispered something back to the guard. "Emma." He said and took a small step forward. "Daughter of Snow and Charming, yes?" He asked with a slightly raised eyebrow though he already knew the answer to it. He turned seeing the guard returning and he took the whip from him. "Do you know who you're surrounding yourself with Emma?" He asked with a smug look as he turned to face his son. "The Prince who arrests innocents because he wants to. The one who raids villages and burns them down for the thrill of it." He told her. "We have your parents locked up in a castle that's sworn its allegiance to us, Midas' Castle, and he knows that they were there." He said.

Killian's eyes narrowed the moment he saw the whip, he hadn't seen it for a long time and he wondered if it was out for a specific reason. "Father..." He warned with a slight growl. "That's not true." He said and he turned to Emma shaking his head, he hadn't even known the names of her parents much less known that they were kept in a Castle just down the road from his own. "That's not true." He said to his father slightly angered though knew that by now some people had heard of the commotion and had started to come out of the tavern and their homes. His eyes widened seeing his father walking closer and raising the whip about to strike Emma with it. "Stop!" He yelled and rushed forward.

×××

The blonde felt her arm grabbed and glanced over but she didn't regret her words, and she couldn't help it. If she could she would be willing to get under anyone's skin. She just couldn't help it at times. But she ignored the prince's warning, her eyes focusing on the king again but didn't say anything else as she heard the prince speaking.

Hearing what the king said, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Like you royals are any better." She snapped, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she was gripping it. "We pirates may not be rich or even have the best life at times, but Royals aren't always as good as they think they are." She told him before she glanced up at Killian hearing what his father said but she knew he was telling the truth. "Don't you know it's not nice to lie?" She told the king, she knew she didn't know the prince too well and that they hadn't exactly gotten into the best of place with one another, but she did know that he didn't seem like the person to do what the king had said they did. "Don't talk about them," Emma growled when she heard him mention her parent's name. She didn't like when others talked of them so she wasn't going to let anyone else talk of them. She opened her mouth to speak but heard what he said about where her parents had been locked up but didn't know if that was true or not.

Emma looked up at the prince but knew he hadn't even known anything about her parents. She looked at the king but saw the whip although she was braced for the hit but what she didn't expect to see was the prince rushing forward and all she could do was watch him.

×××

Killian frowned a little bit and he looked at Emma, more than anything he found himself wanting her to believe him. Before he knew it he bit his lip and clenched his jaw, though, with her words his eyes widened, he could see his father getting pissed off though she didn't seem to care, and it impressed him.

Before he knew what he was doing, he saw his father's whip coming towards the pirate. He grabbed her arm pushing her back a little and he stepped out in front of her holding his hand out. He bit his lip and suppressed a hiss in pain as he felt the whip coil around his hand, the sound of the air cracking around him. He fell to one knee and he finally turned his eyes to his hand to see that the whip had cut open the skin, wrapped around his palm and the back of his hand. He winced a little and he felt the blood dripping down his hand and arm. He turned to glare at his father and bit his lip slightly and made sure he kept on his feet, he wanted to make sure he didn't fall though he knew the Whip was currently deep into his hand. He pulled his hand back making it cut a little deeper and he tugged the whip from his father's hand and it landed by his foot. Blood now dropped down his fingers onto the floor by his feet and he groaned slightly. "I am not. Coming back with you." He growled though a small part of him felt pride that he'd stood up to the king.