He knew as soon as she was dragged onto the ship he was done for.
He and Liam had been scrubbing the deck, because that was all Silver let them do anymore, when they heard the commotion. Killian looked over to see Jameson and Spring dragging a young girl up the gangplank, Silver close behind. The two crewmen each had a hand on the girl's forearm and he could tell her wrists were tied in front of her. He was surprised to note that it took both of the well-built men to hold her, although she was clearly putting up quite the fight. Her feet attempted to find purchase in the wood before she finally gave that up and began to kick at the two men holding her. She was whirling around like a hurricane, blonde tendrils falling from her ponytail, as she did anything she could to get out of the men's hands. He could tell she was screaming, but the gag in her mouth kept it muffled.
The men finally managed to get her on deck and Silver ordered to push off. The girl began to scream louder before Jameson slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of her head, silencing her for the time being.
"Not so hard! Regina wants her in prime condition when she receives her," Silver yelled. Jameson gave a shrug in acquiescence before he unceremoniously dumped her body right in front of a still-kneeling Killian.
He watched as she looked around frantically before they finally locked gazes. Her eyes were the most startling shade of green he had ever encountered. The blow had clearly stunned her, but she seemed to be aware of what was happening. There was the obvious fear, but something else sat beneath the surface. She was pissed.
He didn't have time to process anything else because Silver abruptly grabbed her ponytail and ripped her upwards so she was standing next to him.
"Gentleman," the captain called. "We have been commissioned to bring this fine young lady to Queen Regina. The Queen wants her in excellent condition, so none of you grimy lot are to go near her. It's a 10 day trek to Regina's, so prepare yourself, boys. Now if anyone-"
It all happened very quickly from there. One moment, Captain Silver had a firm grip on the girl, the next she had managed to reach and pull his cutlass from its scabbard. She whipped around and nicked Silver in the cheek before she backed away and held the point to his throat. She was quite the sight to behold; bound and gagged but threatening the captain nonetheless. Her stance was perfect, which caused Killian to wonder what kind of training she would be receiving and where on earth she was getting it from.
"Bet he didn't see that coming," Liam whispered from beside Killian and he looked over to see a look of pure smugness on his brother's face. It was no secret the Jones boys didn't like the Captain, and Liam was happy to see anyone roughing him up.
Silver pressed a finger to the cut on his cheek and then pulled it back to examine the blood. He chuckled briefly before giving her a murderous glare. "You really think you can take on an entire ship? Or were you planning on jumping ship? Because a storm is rolling in and I doubt you're that strong of a swimmer," Silver bit.
The girl looked out at the water as if she was considering it, but seemed to realize just how far out they had sailed and decided against it. She then carefully took stock of the crew, most of whom had drawn their weapons. Her eyes lingered on Killian for a brief moment and he stupidly sat up straighter like a schoolboy trying to impress his crush. The girl turned back to Silver and, with as much defiance as she could muster given her state, dropped the cutlass.
Silver's hand shot out without warning and wrapped around her delicate neck. Her feet lifted off the floor as he choked the life out of her. She attempted to kick him, but he held her out enough that she kept missing. Killian watched in horror as her face went from white to red to blue. Just as her eyes began to close from oxygen deprivation, she looked over at him again.
He wasn't sure what it was, but something in her gaze caused him to see red. He sprang like a bullet from a gun, launching himself at Silver and landing a hard punch that caused him to drop the girl. Killian managed to get another punch in before he felt hands begin to pull him back. Someone kneed him in the stomach and he fell to the floor. Silver walked over to him and kicked him in the face, causing his body to slump.
He could hear Liam shouting. He could hear the other men goading the captain on. Killian managed to briefly meet the girl's horror-filled eyes as she struggled to catch her breath.
She's okay.
The next blow made the world fade to black.