"Be home for dinner!" Snow shouted after Emma, who smiled and nodded at her mother.
As she made her way down the path to the forest, she enjoyed the breeze and the sounds of nature. But most of all, she enjoyed her independence and privacy.
Until she was eighteen, Snow wouldn't let her go anywhere without a guard to make sure she was safe. Emma had begged and begged to go out into the forest alone since she could remember, insisting she could handle herself. After her father had taught her how to duel and shoot an arrow, Snow relented.
Emma wore a simple white dress, extending out from her hips, gently grazing the dirt beneath her. She wrapped a red shawl around her head, pulling it to cover the sides of her face. She had heard stories about the Evil Queen and knew that she couldn't be recognized and was to talk to no one. She took a deep breath as she entered the trees.
She was here. She was in the forest, with no one else around her. She let out a giggle and quickly stifled herself with her hand, looking around to see if anyone had heard, but no one had, no one was there to hear it. She smiled and made her way through the forest, making sure she walked in a straight line.
It wasn't until Emma reached sand that she realized she had gone too far. She had no idea where she was. The forest was now behind her and she was now standing on a beach. She looked to her left and saw a large ship. It was a beautiful ship and it sparked her curiosity, so she had to get closer.
There was a rope extending down and she had no choice but to climb it, she had to inspect, for the sake of the kingdom. She made her way up the rope and straddled the edge of the ship before hopping aboard. She immediately felt hands grip her waist and she was pull close against someone as a blade made its way to her neck.
"Hey! Hey! Let go of me!" Emma shouted, struggling under the man's hold, "I said let go!"
"You heard the lady," A voice called from the lower deck. Emma's eyes followed the voice to the steps, where a man appeared from the darkness. He had brown hair and eyes blue as the sea he sailed on. He wore all black and as he approached her, she realized he was missing a hand. There was a hook in its place, its end as sharp as a knife.
The pirate holding Emma let go, and she stomped on his foot before closing the distance between herself and the man in black.
"Who are you? What are you doing in the kingdom?" Emma demanded.
"Take that off," Hook requested, signaling to the shawl around Emma's head. "Reveal yourself, peasant girl."
Emma removed the shawl, and her curly blonde hair bounced as it draped across her back and shoulders.
"Such a pretty face." Hook said, smiling, "You shouldn't hide it from anyone."
"You never answered me, who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked again. Her voice steady, even though her knees were shaking.
"My name is Killian Jones, but most call me Hook." He said with a coy smile, holding his hook up for her to see. "And what I am doing here is none of your business, love, so if you could please go back to wherever you came from, that'd be wonderful." He answered, before turning to his men, "Well! Make for cast off!" Hook turned from Emma and walked away.
"Wait! Not so fast!" Emma scurried after him, grabbing his arm as he turned to face her. "I demand you tell me your reason for being here!"
"What does it matter to you, love, we're leaving anyway?" Hook smiled, reaching to play with Emma's hair before she slapped his hand away.
"It matters because I don't want you and your lot creating havoc in my kingdom!" Emma answered, raising her voice for emphasis.
"Oh, it's your kingdom, ay? Hear that boys? The King is on our ship!" Hook bent his head back as a chuckle ripped through his chest. He simmered down long enough to ask a question, "What is your name, love?"
"Emma." She responded, crossing her arms.
"Right, well, Emma, I'm casting off whether you're on this ship or not, so I'd be getting off if I were you. At least if you get off here you won't be greeted by the jaws of hungry sharks." Hook took a step closer, closing the distance between the two. Emma could smell the rum on his breath. "It'd be such a waste for this beautiful body to sink to a watery grave." Hook extended his fingertips to graze along Emma's bodice.
Emma didn't respond at first, she was mesmerized by his eyes and voice and excited by the lack of distance between them. His fingers trailed upward and his thumb grazed over her breast when she gained control.
She pushed him back, "I will not be treated like this! I am a princess!" The sailors erupted in laughter, all but Hook. Hook stared at her intently, studying every freckle on her face. He approached her once again, his head bent as he watched her reaction to his. He took a sword from his belt and Emma's heart began to pound. She was frozen in place, too scared to move, too scared to run.
Emma covered her eyes, but nothing came. She felt Hook's body against hers and then it was gone. She lowered her arms to see Hook walking away from her once again. "Hoist the colors!" Hook ordered. The men behind Emma darted to different places on the boat.
Emma turned to her left to see what he had done. The rope was gone. She leaned over the walls of the ship and looked down to see the rope in a small loop on the sand. He had slashed the rope. She was now a prisoner.
She looked around her at the smiling pirates and tried to keep her head above water, keep sane. She ran after Hook and walked along side him, "Where are you taking me? The whole kingdom will be searching for you. They're going to find us before the sun is up! You should just return to shore and release me!"
"Well, there'd be no point in doing that, love." Hook turned on his heels to face her, "You see, where we're going, we can't be found." Emma's eyes widened at his eloquent words.
"Wh-what do you mean, can't be found?" Emma stammered, her voice quiet and timid.
"Don't worry," Hook chuckled, placing a hand consolingly on Emma's shoulder," You're going to love it there."
"Where?" Emma whispered.
"Neverland." He replied with a sparkle in his eye.