Hello everyone! This is a rewrite of a story I have already written called Whats Underneath which was my very first CS fanfic. I have decided to retell it all together with some new points to cover and some more details. I hope you all enjoy :)
Princess Emma, from the Enchanted Forrest, had been on the run from the Evil Queen for about 5 years now. She'd grown accustom to getting herself into as well as out of sticky situations.
With the Evil Queen hell bent on destroying her family, Emma took it upon herself to leave her land, disguise herself and stay on the run until the Queen had been brought down and it was safe for her to return to the Enchanted Forrest once again.
She'd been hiding the last few weeks in a seaside town, sleeping in barns and doing odd jobs for spare change. This evening brought cool winds off the water; Emma decided to stay in a dimly lite section of the local pub, out of the cold air, filling up on ale and bits of bread until she heard it. The undeniable sound of hoof beats followed up with carriage wheels. Just a few coins tossed onto the table were the only evidence Emma had been there at all.
Her cloak brushed out of the back door as she bustled down a dock with a seemingly harmless ship docked off at the left hand side. She stepped onto the gangplank making a creaking noise under her weight. Emma ducked low but carefully eyed the ships deck, spotting a plump little man in a red cap fast asleep against a few crates but he was the only soul in sight. She let herself aboard and moved with haste to the door she found just past the sleeping man. Emma picked the second door on the right, closed it behind her with out a sound and sank to the floor below, finally releasing a breath she'd been unaware she was holding.
"And just who might you be?" The question made Emma resume holding her breath.
She was not alone in the room she'd chosen, there was a man in there with her, the Captain she'd assumed as she glanced around at all the decorations dotting the room. He stood from his desk slowly and then moved around to its front, advancing in her direction. The thought of running out of the room crossed Emma's mind but so did the thought of running right into the clutches of the Evil Queen. No, she couldn't do that.
"A simple name and explanation as to why you are aboard my ship if you'd be so kind, lass." He was close to her now, if he'd known who she was he wouldn't have asked for her name.
Lie.
"Eliza. My name is Eliza. Some men tried to attack me in the market and I ran here to hide. A thousand apologizes, the ship appeared to be vacant." Emma started her false tale.
The leather-clad man studied her, as if deciding if he wanted to believe her or not. Emma took this chance to study him back. Light eyes but full of darkness, messy dark hair, stubble lightly coating his jawline and he was missing a hand. Her eyes flew to the desk he'd been sitting at and there it was; a silver hook off to the side among the clutter. Emma knew exactly who this man was and perhaps the Queen would have been the better option.