Chapter 13

Emma studied her father for a minute, almost watching him cautiously as she put her hands in her lap but she just listened while he spoke. But then she shook her head. "There's nothing you need to apologize for." She told him and offered a tiny smile. "You did?" She asked hearing they had tried getting out and anything else. She paused a moment but then nodded. "You can have another hug." He agreed after a moment but hugged him slowly, not used to hugging someone like this.

For a brief moment, Emma was confused until she realized as she leaned back with a nod. "His father found him.. he was going to hit me with a whip and it nearly did but he stepped in front of me and grabbed the whip before it could. It wrapped around his hand but he didn't have to do that but he did.. though he was then thrown into a cell by his father." Emma explained. She tilted her head a little in thought hearing him ask. "I'm not.. always completely alone. Sometimes I give passage to others and they are on the ship till they get to their destination but I've managed. I've taught myself how to fight, how to take care of myself." She told him. "I've taken care of myself all these years.. and anyone messed with me most of them never live to see the next sunset. You don't have to do anything, they know not to mess with me and if they do it ends in a fight, and if we're alive we go our separate ways." She shrugged as she leaned back against her pillow. "I've made my reputation I'm not afraid of it." She said.

Snow White studied the prince for a moment but was slightly surprised to hear that he would make an oath but she looked at the sword before she slowly took the sword with a nod but she was curious about why he seemed to want to prove himself. "For now we have an allegiance. I will also make sure my husband doesn't make you walk the plank." She told him and looked at the sword but then she held it out to him. "I will not kill you. But if you do hurt my daughter or betray us in any way. You will not have to be afraid of my husband, I'd be the one you want to worry about." Snow White warned.

"But let me ask you something.." she said. "Why is it so important for you to have our trust or to not want to betray us? Or more importantly, why do you want to prove yourself to my daughter?" Snow asked him.

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David chuckled some and nodded. "Well...we didn't just willingly sit there and accept their... hospitality." He said slightly teasing her. He smiled hearing that he was allowed another hug and the feeling was strange to him too. He bit his lip softly and wrapped his arms around her giving her a little squeeze. "You should have seen your mother when we were first taken, she was more fierce than me." He chuckled and rubbed her back. He pulled back with a small nod as he started to hear her talk about the prince, he tried not to be judgemental but all he could think of was his royal blood, and although they may have chosen the lives of being pirates, and we're good at it, others weren't so lucky. "Alright. Well...either way, I'm glad that you weren't hurt." He said deciding not to ask too much about the prince. He did however think of asking her about how he got out of the cells of his castle if he'd been locked in there but feared he'd lose his temper again if he learned the answer so he held his tongue.

He nodded but clenched his fist slightly hearing how she'd been alone and had to teach herself everything, and at a time it seemed she struggled to get by, he should have been with her for all those moments, she shouldn't have been forced to grow up like this. "I'm proud of you." He said after a moment though was choosing his words carefully. "I'm glad nobody knows to cross you then." He said with a slight smile. "We'll have to put your fighting skills to the test tomorrow." He chuckled though he couldn't wait to be at the next town over and just sleep, he knew they could get off and probably get a room in a tavern for free with their reputation but he had missed sailing on the ship. "I should be getting back to your mother. Let her get some rest and I'll get us to the town." He said and stood up and slightly opened the cabin door before pausing and looking back around to Emma. "Did....the night we were taken, did you think we left you?" He asked slowly, tone softer than it had been in years.

Killian opened her eyes hearing her speak and a small breath of relief left him, he had somehow managed to make an allegiance with the very people he was made to hate. He nodded and he slowly stood back up. "Thank you." He said and he reached out and slowly took the sword and put it back into his sheathe which was a bit awkward using his left hand but he managed. He shook his head hearing what would happen if he hurt their daughter or betrayed them. "I won't. I know my words mean nothing to you, but trust me, if my father finds me, I'll definitely be killed." He said slowly attempting to joke before clearing his throat to save himself from any secondhand embarrassment. He bit his lip about to turn away when he heard what she asked him and he frowned for a moment and just studied her. "I don't know." He said softly with a shrug. "I'd like to not be killed in my sleep, so this allows a contract at least to not do that in a way." He said. "maybe...I've underestimated pirates in a way." He said with a shrug. "I don't know why, or even if I do want to prove myself to your daughter, but if I do, maybe it's because she's proven herself to be ten times the person I will ever be, and I'm a prince." He said with a shrug hoping that he wouldn't say something wrong.

He turned around and looked up at the sky feeling like he'd be able to sleep a little easier but knew that if it came down to his kingdom's trust or the pirates, he'd now have to side with them or they would kill him the second he betrayed them. He paused for a moment and he turned around to look at Snow. "I used to want to be a pirate, you know. Until my father made me hate them and punished me for speaking of such things." He said and gave a small smile to her at the memory of him and Liam playing pretend pirates in his chambers. "Goodnight Snow." He said and bowed a little bit with a nod and he made his way back to the front of the jolly Rodger and laid down on his side and closed his eyes.

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Emma knew she should probably get used to hugs now but after being alone so long, it's not like she had anyone to hug, but knew with time she could probably get used to it. She offered a tiny smile. "Oh, I'm sure she was just a fierce." She said since she could remember how fierce her mother had always been. She knew her parents probably didn't trust the Prince and she understood why but hoped they would trust her enough to know she wouldn't let the Prince do anything. Emma studied him slightly wondering if there was something else he wanted to ask but she didn't question it.

"I got myself handled," Emma said with a small shrug as she thought of mentioning most of it could be that every time they saw the ship or heard her last name they tended to get slightly scared but she didn't go to say that out loud. But when she heard him mention that night, Emma went quiet for a moment before she spoke. "That night... I woke up from it storming... I couldn't go back to sleep and I thought I could hear you and Mama shouting... I went up to the door that leads up to the deck and I opened it.. just enough to be able to see you and mama.. but I couldn't see much else but the wind blew the door closed but when I opened it again you guys were gone." She said, her tone slightly off like she was lost in her thoughts. "After that, I thought I was abandoned... A crew found me but I refused to leave the ship so they joined... there was this one woman...who took me in sort of like a mother.. she lives in the town we're headed to...but she had been on the ship and stayed with me a little while until I was old enough to handle myself." She explained, she didn't know why she told him all that about the woman since she tried to protect her and didn't often tell anyone about her but had found herself not able to stop the words. "And I also thought you were dead.. that I wouldn't ever have found you." She said softly.

Snow gave a nod as a welcome and gave a tiny chuckle but knew if they had this alliance and sort of contract, her husband wouldn't do anything if she told him or if she asked. Snow listened hearing him talking and studied the pirate almost a little cautiously still. "As long as you do not hurt my daughter then you won't be killed. But do anything to break her heart, I will cut you down with your own sword." And when she meant something like that, she almost always meant it.

Snow gave a nod hearing his father would kill him but didn't ask anymore on that as she listened but looked at him curiously. "You had wished to be a pirate? Most royals would not want that." She said and nodded domes. "Goodnight." She said as she watched him for a moment before shaking her head a little bit since she didn't want herself to go soft on the heart for a prince like that. She didn't trust him.

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David pulled away from the hug with a smile as he listened to Emma starting to talk about what had happened that night from her viewpoint. He waited until she was done. "I'm sorry." He said softly once she was finished talking and he reached out and squeezed her hand and gave it a little kiss. "We are both sorry...that we couldn't fight harder, that we couldn't stay." He said. "I'm glad...whoever this woman is, that she took care of you." He said but he was a little anxious to learn that this stranger had been looking after her and become almost like a mother to her, perhaps he was just worried that it was because she was in the town they were heading to and that Emma might be closer to her than himself and his wife, not that he could ever blame her for that with what happened.

David gave his daughter's hand a little squeeze and kissed her cheek. "But you did find us." He said softly and kissed her cheek again. "and I'm glad you did." He said and he slowly stood up from the bed which was when he noticed the picture on the table next to the bed. "You should try and get some rest, we'll probably be there in a few hours or so, and we can probably sleep on the ship for a bit once there." He said and bent down kissing his daughter's forehead. "Goodnight." He said softly and he left her cabin and went back upstairs to his wife. He saw her shaking her head and went over to her and placed her hands on her hips. "I was thinking that we could get some rest for a few hours? The ship will keep going towards the town, or we can set anchor for the night." He suggested but right now he just wanted to be in a proper bed with his wife.

Killian nodded a little bit. "I won't." He said softly. He wasn't going to hurt Emma, and if he ever did then it wasn't going to be intentional. "I know. But...I was born into the life of a prince, I didn't ask for it. But we don't choose where we end up." He shrugged and excused himself with a nod and went back towards the front of the ship, leaning his back against the side of it as he laid down, he took off his Prince's coat the best he could with his hand and he draped it over himself, his face facing the decks and wheel of the ship as he didn't fancy headbutting the ship in the night. With that and after the past couple of days he'd had, he fell asleep rather quickly, thankfully he noticed, to not be anywhere near David once he came back onto the deck.