A knock sounded on Killian's cabin door, and he hummed a response, otherwise preoccupied with finishing a letter to his friend, Prince Eric.

"Your highness?" Killian snapped his head up to glance at the first mate of the ship. "We are about an hour away from Misthaven. The Captain said you wished to be informed."

"Ah, yes, thank you, Lieutenant."

The man nodded once and backed out of the doorway, closing the door behind him. Killian finished off the letter, signing his name at the bottom before rolling up the parchment and tying a string around it. He stood up, lifting his arms above his head and stretching.

It had been a long two-day voyage from Duststorm to Misthaven, but the King and Queen were insistent that Killian meet with them in their kingdom. Being the only royal family member still alive and with his coronation in a month's time, Killian had little choice but to place his most trusted advisors in charge of the kingdom while he made the voyage to Misthaven.

Placing the letter to Eric in his inner coat pocket, Killian began to clean up his cabin, stuffing his clothing and books inside his trunk and placing it on the end of the bed. By the time he was finished, The Mermaid's Chanty was just about to dock into Misthaven's port, and Killian was taking up his station along the railing to watch.

Killian had always loved being on the sea, and the sea voyages were one of his favorite parts of his childhood. Him and his brother, Liam, often pretended to be part of the Navy, their games usually ending in a heated argument over who would make the better captain. Going on long sea voyages was certainly something Killian would miss once he became King.

The ship was finally docked, and Killian boarded one of the carriages the King and Queen had arranged for him. With a promise that the crew of the ship would make their way up to the castle after tending to the boat and grabbing a quick meal in town, Killian got into the carriage and enjoyed the scenic voyage up to the castle.

He was immediately brought into the throne room, where the infamous King David and Queen Snow were sitting in their respective tones, quietly conversing with one another. They immediately stopped though when Killian entered the room, walking up to them and bowing deeply.

"Prince Killian, welcome," Queen Snow said with a radiant smile. Killian had heard that she was the fairest in the land, but he never truly believed it until now. "I trust your journey was smooth."

"Aye, we all made it safe and sound. Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty."

The King and Queen engaged Killian in small talk before Killian sighed, finally asking the royal couple why he had been summoned to their kingdom.

"Well, we have something we'd like to tell you, Killian," King David started, looking forlorn while Queen Snow managed to look mildly uncomfortable. "There's something that no one in the kingdom knows. No one but us and the Blue Fairy."

Killian waited patiently, his hands locked behind his back in anticipation. "We have a daughter."

Of all the things Killian had expected to hear the King and Queen tell him, it certainly wasn't that. "What?" he said, ever so eloquently.

King David sighed and ran a hand down his face, leaving Queen Snow to carry on the story. "What he means to say is that we once had a daughter. When I learned I was pregnant, we made an alliance with Duststorm. A marriage alliance. With the heir to the throne."

"Which was Liam," Killian pieced together, and Queen Snow nodded at him sympathetically.

"I am sorry for your loss, Prince Killian. All of them."

Killian nodded, pursing his lips in a thin line. "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. But Mother and Father never stood a chance against the plague. And the rumors were wrong about that plant in Neverland. Liam was always too stubborn to believe in pessimism though."

King David and Queen Snow were silent, and Killian knew that they were worried that they had upset him.

"But back to your daughter."

"Right," Queen Snow said, clearing her throat. "We made a marriage alliance with Duststorm because before our daughter was born, the Blue Fairy told us that when she turned twenty-eight, she had a destiny to save our kingdoms from a Dark Curse. Today would mark three days until her twenty-eighth birthday."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I thought you said that you used to have a daughter. Was I wrong to presume that she was dead?"

"No, you were not wrong to believe so. You are, however, wrong," Queen Snow said.

Upon seeing Killian's confused expression, King David continued their explanation. "She had just been born, and the kingdom peaceful for a month. And then it happened. She was crying one night, and we were trying to get to her, but her door was locked or barricaded or something. When we were finally able to break in, she was gone. Taken."

"Someone kidnapped the princess?"

"Not just anyone. The Dark One," King David all but growled. "We captured him years later with the help of Princess Ella and Prince Thomas. Once we had him in our dungeon, he confessed to kidnapping her all that time ago, but he wouldn't tell us where he left her or what he did with her."

"Wait, if she was born, how come I don't remember her? I'm sure the birth of a princess would be widespread news, especially if my brother was to be wed to her."

"We had Blue cast a memory spell. Only us, Blue, and apparently the Dark One remember that she was born."

Killian felt his arms slacken, his hands unclasping and falling limp at his sides. He turned his face to the side, not daring to look at the King and Queen in his state of shock. He was a soon-to-be king who just learned he was engaged to a lost princess. It was turning out to be quite a year for him so far.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"We need you to find her," Queen Snow said, and Killian's eyes widened as he opened his mouth to respond.

"We know it's a lot to ask of you, Killian. But you are our last hope. David and I must stay and rule, and Blue is otherwise occupied with a crisis among the fairies."

Killian clenched his jaw, placing a hand over his forehead and rubbing gently.

"Here. This is hers. We gave it to her as soon as she was born," Queen Snow said, offering him a locket in the shape of a swan. "It was the only thing in her basket when we got into the room."

Killian was silent for a few minutes, rubbing his thumb lightly over the swan locket. "How am I supposed to find a princess that's been lost for nearly twenty-eight years? She could be anywhere. She could be… dead," he finally said, hesitating on the last thought.

But the King and Queen were not worried or offended at Killian's speculations. "She's not dead. I don't know how she knows, but Blue constantly keeps us updated on her basic status. If she were dead, Blue would know."

"I think we should continue this conversation at dinner. You must be tired from your voyage, Killian. Get some rest, and we'll continue talking in two hours' time," King David said, reaching out his hand for Queen Snow to grab.

"Wait. Before we part ways, can I know one thing?" At King David's nod, Killian continued. "What is her name?"

The King and Queen met gazes, exchanging a small nod before turning back to Killian, Queen Snow opening her mouth and uttering a single word.

"Emma."

The clouds were dark and angry as they swirled around the highest tower of the castle. The entire island was silent, radiating an evil energy all around, the heart of the tension located at the one and only building on the island- the castle.

Inside, a woman paced in front of a mirror, her heels clicking on the floor with every definitive step. In her hands was a small book, and her carefully painted fingernails thumbed through the pages, finally stopping halfway through the book and caressing the page.

An evil smile ghosted over the woman's red lips, and she chuckled darkly. Her curse was almost ready, and this time, she was going to make sure that True Love didn't get in the way.

Instead of retiring to his room like he led the King and Queen to believe he would do, Killian escaped to the castle gardens, willing himself to get lost in the tall bushes.

He hadn't been with a woman since Milah. Once upon a time, Killian had fallen in love, even though both his brother and father warned him against besotting himself with her. But, at eighteen, Killian was an adult, and he let himself trust Milah, only for her to con him into giving her jewels and then running off in the middle of the night with her husband, leaving him with a broken heart.

And now he was expected to complete a marriage alliance that was twenty-eight years in the making. A marriage alliance with someone who has been lost her entire life without a trace to her name. He reached instinctively into his breeches pocket and brushed his thumb along the swan pendant that had once belonged to the princess, to Emma.

The entire situation was giving him a headache, and he stopped walking, leaning his back up against a bush and closing his eyes. If Liam was here with him, he'd know what to do. Liam was always the more mature one of the Jones Brothers; Liam was the one who was meant to be King, not Killian.

His thought process was interrupted by the shouts of several people, and Killian blinked one eye open, surveying the grounds. A couple of guards skidded around the corner, and upon spotting Killian, raced toward him.

"Your Highness, you need to come with us at once."

"Is something wrong?" Killian said, but neither answered him, their sole responses being to grab his arms and steer him toward the palace. "Oi, I can walk for myself, thank you."

The guards said nothing, but they released Killian, remaining tense as the three of them walked back to the castle.

As soon as they entered the front hall, Killian knew something was wrong. The entire atmosphere of the castle was tense, and guards rushed around corners and through doors. The servants mingled among the guards, racing up and down stairs and calling to one another through the doors.

Killian watched them all, only walking again when the guards coaxed him into the corridor leading to the throne room.

"As I presumed earlier, something is wrong. Would anyone care to tell me what?"

One of his guards nodded at another guard who was stationed in front of the throne room, and suddenly the doors were opened. If Killian thought the front hall was crowded, it was nothing compared to the room before him.

Nearly one-hundred guards must have been in the room, some standing next to doors while others were stationed next to windows. The rest were lined up against all of the walls in the room; all of them were alert and tense, as if they were waiting for something to pop out at them. There were several servants in there as well, including some of the maids and kitchen staff. Killian eyed the thrones, his mouth poised to ask the King and Queen what was going on. But they were not at their thrones. In their place was a single red apple, resting dead center in King David's throne.

"King David and Queen Snow have been kidnapped."