The princess never did quite live up to the charming ideal that was set for her. Certainly she attended her lessons and tried to be the good girl her parents wanted her to be, but it was very difficult. Especially when her mother was so perfect and so loved. She got on much better with her father. He had been raised as a farm boy, and he understood how daunting the pressures of ruling could be in a way the queen never could.

He understood when the princess needed to escape from parties, from the crush of people all trying to speak with her, and as she got older, to curry favor with her.

That was why the princess was strolling along the shoreline of the summer castle with the sounds of a party growing fainter the farther she went.

She wore white, of course. She always wore white. It was a tradition of her mother's, and by the time she thought to protest it, it was already a tradition of hers as well. Apparently it symbolized purity of heart, something her mother was famed for across the land. The princess didn't know if her own heart was as wonderfully pure as her mother's-her mother was so good, and the princess didn't know if she would ever live up to that standard. So good, so kind, so gentle, so forgiving...

The princess was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to see the young man until she was flailing ungracefully in an attempt to keep her balance after slamming into him.

He appeared to have had the wind knocked out of him, but tried to assist her nonetheless, and between them they managed to keep her from sullying her white dress on the sand and surf.

"Are you quite all right, miss?" he asked courteously.

She nodded. "I'm terribly sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going and-are you all right?"

He chuckled a little, bringing a small small to her lips in answer. "I'm just fine, thank you."

"Do you need directions?" the princess asked politely. "The castle is just up that way," she added, pointing, then dropped her arm in embarrassment. "Of course you can see that, sir."

"Thank you very much," the man said gracefully, and the princess took a moment to evaluate the man she had knocked into. He had very dark hair, and very blue eyes. He was not clean-shaven, as her father was, but the dusky growth along his jaw was not unattractive.

"-so if you could direct me?"

The princess snapped back to attention, blushing when she realized she had been staring at him without hearing a word he had said.

"I'm so sorry; can you repeat that? I was... distracted," she confessed, feeling herself turning redder by the second. She'd never been so discomposed by a man before.

"I'm looking for the King; I've a business proposition for him," the man repeated kindly, seeming amused but not offended by her lapse. "If you could direct me to the castle I would be most obliged."

"Of course; I should be going back myself," she answered, looking wistfully out at the wide-open sea. "It's just this way."

She turned accordingly, and the man followed, offering her his arm. She politely took it, and they started to walk back up the beach.

"It seems strange for a young woman such as yourself to leave a party right in the middle," the man commented.

The princess blushed and looked down. "I don't like crowds very much," she confessed quietly. Her shyness was not as crippling as it once had been, but the princess was still not entirely easy in crowds.

He smiled gently at her. "I was never much for crowds either. I prefer a more solitary life."

She felt a small smile creeping up across her lips. She'd never run into a person who understood the discomfort she felt in large groups. Her mother thrived on the energy, and her father did as well. She supposed that was a good quality for a ruler, which did not exactly fare well for her. She'd noticed a subtle sort of change in the young men her parents were encouraging her to spend more time with: they were outgoing, and the princess knew that was because her parents thought she needed someone to draw her out.

They had made it to the steps, at this point, and the noise of the party had started getting louder.

"Are you all right?" the man asked, noticing her posture stiffen.

"I-It's nothing," she said. "I just don't like crowds," she added weakly, the age-old excuse that was slowly losing its efficacy. More and more people were beginning to think she thought herself above everyone else, and did not see her discomfort for what it was.

"At least it's not my birthday," she added, her voice a bit stronger. "You can't leave your own birthday party. It's very rude."

They had stopped at the foot of the stairs while she was speaking, and the man laughed. "I suppose that would be quite rude. And do you know from experience, my lady?"

She felt a funny jump in her stomach, realizing she had gone from "miss" to "my lady" in only a few minutes, but responded steadily. "That would be telling, sir."

He laughed again, and the princess found she quite liked the sound. So she smiled a bit wider this time, and he felt a funny jump in his stomach in response.

They began making their way up the stairs, and he watched as she grew tenser and tenser. "Be of good heart, my lady," he said quietly, as they reached the top. "They can do naught to harm you."

I will keep you safe hung unspoken between them, and she blushed.

"Thank you," she replied with a very small smile, then took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and together they mounted the last few steps to the wide balcony where the majority of the party was held.

The man seemed content to let her lead them through the crowd, and impressed at her ability to pass unnoticed around the edges of the room until she had reached the king and queen.

He bowed, and she could see he was rather nonplussed when she made no obeisance to them. With a start, she realized he had no idea she was a princess, and she was quite sad to realize she might lose his friendship. She'd never had a friend who didn't know she was a princess, and she didn't realize how nice it was until it was in danger of being taken away from her.

She shut her eyes briefly, and then opened her mouth to say...something.

Her father beat her to it, smiling his warm, kind smile and pulling her close to his side. "Have you found a friend, Little Duck?"

The princess's eyes widened as she realized what her father was implying, and she nearly tripped over her own words as she tried to explain. "I was walking on the beach and I wasn't looking where I was going and I walked into him but he said he had something to talk with you about and I said I'd take you here and-"

The king laughed, holding up a hand to stop the flow of words. "It's all right, Little Duck. How about you introduce us?"

She opened her mouth to do just that when she realized she didn't know his name.

Luckily, the man stepped in. "I'm afraid your daughter and I forgot to introduce ourselves in the confusion of falling over each other. I am Captain Killian Jones, of the Jolly Roger, and I have come to offer you the services of my ship." He sketched another bow.

"For whom did you work before?"

"I am from another realm, and my king sent my ship to a third realm, one unlike any I have ever seen before. I was lieutenant then, and my brother was captain. We were sent to find a plant, called dreamshade. We were told it could heal any ill, but found out instead it was poison. My brother died from it, and we as a ship decided a king who would sink to such low levels was not to be obeyed. We have since been sailing around, trying to find a king we could serve with honor."

The king smiled. "I hope I can be such a man. For now, though, you are more than welcome to dock your ship in our harbor here and we will see to it that you and your men are added to our Navy-unless you'd prefer a trial run?"

"It is a strange king who does not immediately assume he is worthy. Your humility serves you well, Your Majesty. I and the Jolly Roger will happily join your Navy."

"Thank you, Captain," the king replied. "But I think we've forgotten something."

When everyone looked at him in confusion, he smiled. "Names. I am David, this is my wife, Snow White, and our daughter, Emma."

"It is an honor to meet you all," he said with his third bow of the night, though the king and queen noticed his eyes were fixed on Emma.

The next day, Emma was walking through the castle when she ran into something solid. This time, she did wind up sprawling on the floor. Looking up in confusion, she saw a hand reaching down to help her up, and a pair of very blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

"C-Captain Jones! I'm so sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going!"

He smiled. "It's quite all right, Your Highness. I'm none worse for the wear."

"Good. That's...that's good." She stood awkwardly for a moment before almost visibly pulling herself back together. "May I direct you somewhere?" she asked politely.

"I have just finished meeting with your father and am on my way down to the docks. If you could assist me out of the castle I would be most grateful." It was true that he could rather easily get out of the castle on his own, but it was also true that the princess was quite possibly the loveliest and most intriguing girl he'd ever met.

"Of course, Captain," she answered with a smile, and took his arm as soon as it was offered.

"I must admit to being curious, Princess-why did you not tell me who you were last night?"

She flushed. "It's not very becoming to leave a party when you're the princess. I'm supposed to like them, you see, and... it was nice to have someone who didn't judge me. I've never had a friend who didn't know I was the princess, and it was very refreshing."

He didn't respond for a moment, and she suddenly was afraid she'd offended him. "I mean... I didn't mean to imply that we were friends, if you don't want to be. That's quite understandable. I didn't mean to presume anything. I just... um..." She tried to extricate her arm, but found the Captain was holding it tightly.

He smiled gently at her. "I am not offended, Your Highness. I am only surprised-I have never made a friend so easily and I found it..." his eye quirked with mischief "...very refreshing."

She blushed again. "Thank you, Captain Jones."

He had the strongest urge to ask her to use his given name, but squashed it ruthlessly. She was the princess of the realm, his future queen. Undue familiarity was unwise.

"So... we are friends, then, Captain Jones?" she asked shyly.

"Of course we are, Your Highness."

The smile that lit her face was the prettiest and most genuine thing he'd seen in a long time.

Despite their promise of friendship, the princess and the sea captain did not see each other often over the next few years. She was kept busy with the kingdom, and he with the Navy. But neither could ever quite remove the other from their mind.

"So, Little Duck," King David said one day when the family was gathered together in a small sitting room. "Have any of the young men parading past in the last few years caught your eye?"

Emma blushed in response, a pair of bright blue eyes flashing across her mind for a brief moment. "Not really, Father. They're all very... young."

Her mother laughed. "Of course they are, darling. They're young men."

"No, I mean... They're not very mature. They like dancing and parties better than learning how to run a kingdom. They're not very responsible, and I don't think I like the chances of our people if they were left to the care of any of those young men."

"When did you find that out?" Snow asked in some surprise.

"It's obvious, isn't it? Whenever they talk to me they only talk about the sport in the woods and their newest horse. They don't understand that the woods are kept stocked and the money for the horses acquired through the work of the our people. I do not see any real compassion or bravery in them. They simply want to show off to the princess of the realm. It seems as though they are very selfish and spoiled children."

David and Snow were taken aback at their daughter's words. "Is that why you never stay at the parties?" David asked slowly.

"Part of the reason," she answered with a shrug. "The conversation is lacking, unless it is with the two of you. The other part is that I am still not entirely easy with crowds."

Snow looked over at her husband, then said, "So there aren't any young men that you like?"

She blushed even harder. "I... there is one, I suppose, but I do not see him often and only for short periods when I do. It is possible he is not even all that I think he is, and I am only imagining it."

"What do you think he's like?" Snow White asked eagerly.

"He is very kind to me," Emma replied with a soft smile playing around the corners of her mouth. "He is very understanding, and he has never made me feel stupid for disliking crowds and being uncomfortable around other people. He is interested in what I have to say, and he... he is my friend."

Snow and David looked at each other in surprise. They had not seen their daughter in the company of a young man at all, and definitely not long enough to be his friend.

"Little Duck?" David asked when Emma was not more forthcoming. "What's his name?"

She blushed even harder. "Please don't ask me to tell you. It is probably a silly fantasy anyway."

And they respected her wishes, because for all their curiosity, they knew pushing her was not the way to get more information out of her.

Emma found herself sprawling on the floor of the library, this time, and when she looked up she saw a pair of very familiar blue eyes. "K-Captain Jones!" she exclaimed, very nearly using his given name. "Are you all right?"

He smiled in the kindly way he always had, and she felt an answering smile rise to her lips in response.

"I am quite all right, Your Highness. And yourself?" he asked as he helped her to her feet.

"None worse for the wear, sir." She bit her lip. "I did not know you were due in port, Captain."

"We arrived much earlier than anticipated; our mission did not take long," he replied. "I just finished my report to your father. I mentioned that I enjoyed reading but do not get much time for it on a ship, and he suggested I come here. It has been a long time since I have seen such fine specimens of the written word."

The princess smiled. "I am glad you like it."

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"Oh! Er..." She rather sheepishly showed him the piled that had accumulated on the table.

"History of the Navy, A Captain's Guide to Running a Ship, Constellations and Their Uses in Navigation... Princess, are you planning a career in the Navy? I would be quite happy to offer you a place on my ship, if you were," he teased. "I'm sure you would be very competent."

She blushed even harder. "I... Is it not good for a... I was curious," she finally managed. "And I did not have my friend to explain it to me."

He grinned at her. "Well, Your Highness, I'm in port for several months now as winter closes in, and I'd be more than happy to teach you anything you want to know."

That smile, as he'd taken to calling it, spread across her face in delight. "How does a sextant work? How does the boat stay afloat? How do you know how much weight it can handle? What are sea battles like? When do-"

He raised a hand, stemming the flow of her questions. "One at a time, please, Your Highness. Now, a sextant..."

Several hours later, when Snow came to fetch her daughter for dinner, she found a two heads bent over an open book. With a slow smile, she left them to it, instead going to find her husband to let him know who exactly their daughter's friend was.

"Captain Jones?" David said in confusion. "That's who Emma likes?"

"Admiral Jones, soon enough," Snow reminded him. "They're very sweet together."

"How do you know that? When have they ever spoken? What does-"

Snow placed her hand over his mouth. "He must have found her in the library, and it looked like he was teaching her about sailing."

"Why would she need to know about sailing?"

Snow laughed outright. "It's not about sailing, it's about Emma being comfortable enough to talk to a man for however many hours it's been. It's about Emma respecting a man enough to listen to him. It's about a man being knowledgeable about something other than hunting or horses."

David opened his mouth and shut it several times. "But she can't like him!" he finally spluttered.

"And why not?"

"Because... because... because she's my daughter! She can't just decide to like some man more than me!"

Snow rolled her eyes. "David, darling, you're being an idiot."

He started to object, but then seemed to realize the truth of his wife's words. "I... Yes, that was a little irrational. But she's only nineteen!"

"I was nineteen when I married you," Snow reminded him.

"Well, yes, but Emma's circumstances are completely different!"

"David, even supposing they do get married they'll still live in the castle," Snow pointed out patiently. "Maybe the summer castle if they really wanted. She wouldn't be walking out of your life forever."

"But... but..."

"We don't even know if he likes her," Snow added, almost as an afterthought.

"Well of course he does. She's bright, funny, very charming, and completely gorgeous. Of course he likes her," David said, as if that much should be obvious.

"Let's see how this plays out over the winter," Snow suggested, and David grudgingly agreed.

Over the winter, Captain Jones found himself inexplicably drawn to the castle, the library, and the young princess. It seemed he couldn't stay away, but there was nothing to do while the water had turned to ice.

It was once such bright winter's morning when he found himself again in the library, perusing the shelves as he had been given liberty to do, and he heard his name being called out from among the bookcases.

With extreme caution, he began heading over to the source of the voice. It was Emma-the princess! his inner voice reminded him sharply-and he had a very unfortunate habit of knocking her to the ground every time he saw her.

"Your Highness, I'm over here," he said, and continued to make his careful way over to her.

"Oh, there you are, she said, rounding a corner. He stopped short, and they both managed to remain upright. "Father is looking for you," she said. "He asked me to come find you and take you to him."

"Of course, my lady," he said with a bow. He offered her his arm, and she took it with a smile. "He's very excited about this, Father is. I don't know what; he wouldn't tell me. Apparently I'm rubbish at keeping secrets."

"And are you, Your Highness?"

Her lips quirked up despite her best efforts to keep a straight face. "That would be telling, Captain," she answered gravely.

He laughed. "I would never ask you to betray your secrets, my lady."

She grinned. "You wouldn't have to-I can't keep them to save my life."

He soon found out the secret-the king was making him Admiral of the Navy. It was a very high honor, but somehow he was more pleased with the smile on Emma's (the princess's!) face.

There was a ball in his honor the next month, and he was not exactly looking forward to it. Emma (the princess!) found him the day of, in the library.

"You're not very excited either, are you?" she asked him, commiserating with him before he even got the chance to answer.

"Not exactly," he confessed. "I'm rather uneasy in crowds."

"I understand. But you're the guest of honor, so you get to sit up with me and my parents. We can be miserable together, at least."

I don't think I could be miserable with you around, he thought, but said only, "I'll be glad to have a friend by my side."

She smiled at him. "Me too. It'll be the first for me."

"And me as well," he replied, and then she was called away to get ready.

Admiral Killian Jones had never been more uncomfortable in his entire life. He had shaken hands with and bowed to what felt like everyone in the realm, and he'd just about had enough of people. Every so often, he would see Emma (the princess!) shoot him a sympathetic glance, and that made it nearly bearable, but overall he was rather miserable.

Finally, the flow of dignitaries and nobility ceased, and he felt more than saw Emma (the princess!) come to stand by his side. "Are you wanting an escape, Admiral?" she asked out of the corner of mouth.

"I thought it was rude to leave one's own party?" he answered, but his voice lacked conviction.

"No, they're about to start dancing, and if you leave before you're forced into one it's not very rude," she answered with the certainty of experience.

"Lead the way, then, my lady," he answered, offering his arm.

Again, he was impressed at her ability to slide around the crowd without being noticed. He wondered what she would be able to do with a very small, very speedy ship armed with excellent artillery.

Almost before he realized, they were well away from the ballroom and into a part of the castle he was not familiar with.

"E-Your Highness, where are we?" he asked curiously.

"The family wing," she replied sheepishly as she moved to sit down on a rather comfortable-looking couch. "It's the safest place; no one but my parents and the servants would come here without permission; it would be outrageously rude."

"That was well-thought-out of you, Your Highness."

She looked at him carefully. "You can call me Emma, if you would like, Admiral. I think it is not too great a liberty for friends to call each other by their given names."

He knew from the phrasing that she was scared of rejection. She only used such formal language when she was unsure of the situation, but he could never reject her.

"You have been Emma in my mind for many months now," he said quietly. "And I would be honored if you would call me Killian in return."

He had the pleasure of seeing her face light up with a smile so wide he could not help but smile in return.

"Killian," she said softly.

"Emma," he replied, just as quietly, joining her on the couch.

She smiled again, as if hearing her name from his lips was the greatest gift she had ever received, and he smiled back, understanding the feeling exactly.

They eventually went back to the party, and both were immediately swept up into dances, and spent the rest of the evening apart. It was not until dawn was breaking that the ball finally ended and they again had some peace.

"Thank you, Your Majesties, for this honor," he said to his king and queen.

Snow White smiled at him. "Nonsense. You earned it on your own merit. It is we who thank you for such a job well done."

He bowed to her and the king, and they left the room for the family quarters. He turned to follow behind them, when he ran into something solid.

"Emma!" he exclaimed, almost without needing to see, for it was the princess on the ground.

"Oh, Killian, I'm so sorry; I'm just so tired and I think I was walking with my eyes closed..." she trailed off. "Are you all right?" she added, seeming to wake with a start.

"That I am, Emma, but I think we need to find you a place to lie down," he said, amused, as she appeared to fall asleep from where she was on the floor.

With a small, amused sigh, he picked her up and headed to the library.

When he woke, it was to the feeling of eyes on him. He rolled his neck several times, trying to ease the stiffness from sleeping in a chair, and then looked up to see the king and queen standing in front of them.

"Your Majesties!" he exclaimed in a whisper, jumping up to bow.

"Do sit down, Admiral," Snow whispered kindly. "Thank you for taking care of Emma last night. We had assumed she'd gone to bed beforehand; she usually does. Late nights have never been her friend."

He blinked several times, trying to clear the cobwebs from his brain. "I... er... Emma-that is, the princess-she fell asleep standing up, so I brought her here. I had planned to stay awake until I could let you know where she was, but it would seem I fell asleep too."

David reached out and clapped the younger man on the back. "Don't worry about it. We know Emma is safe with you."

"I... thank you," he said, surprised.

"You've earned our trust," Snow said warmly. "You are an honorable man, Admiral."

"You are very kind," he said honestly, and they were silent for a time, before David spoke up, though still in a whisper. "I have a question," he said. "Admiral, how long have you been in love with my daughter."

Snow hit him over the head. "That is not being subtle, David!" she scolded quietly.

"Since the first moment I met her," Killian answered, seeming to have missed Snow's reprimand completely. He was gazing at Emma with a soft smile on his face. "She was walking along the beach at your summer castle, and she looked more at peace than anyone I have ever seen. The life of a sailor is not a peace one, your majesties, and you can imagine how it felt to see a vision in white gliding along the shore after you having been betrayed so badly before. She was everything I needed, and somehow she needed me too. She is... my friend, and if she is never anything more than that, I would still count myself a lucky man."

"I don't know if my daughter is in love with you, Admiral," David said very quietly. "But I do know that if she does, I would be very honored to have a son like you."

"We both would be," Snow said with a slightly teary smile. "If you would like to ask her a question once she wakes up, we would not object at all."

Killian looked up in disbelief. "Are you saying..."

"That we think you want to marry our Emma? That we think you worthy of her? That we think you would make a fine king when the time came, and are an excellent man to rule by her side? Yes, to all three. We would be proud to welcome you into our family, Admiral," David said quietly, but with great feeling.

"I... Thank you. I have not had a family since my brother died, and I would be honored to be a part of yours."

They both smiled gently at him, and Snow rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment as they left the room.

"Oh, Emma," he sighed softly.

"K-Killian?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her face. "Where am I?"

"You're in the library, Emma," he replied with a smile. "I brought you here after you fell asleep on the ballroom floor."

She flushed a dark red he hadn't seen in a long time. "Thank you. I'm sorry to have been such a bother; you could have woken me up."

She was sitting up properly now, and he joined her on the couch. "You were no bother, Emma."

She looked down, suddenly shy. What was wrong with her? Killian had never made her feel so bashful before.

"Emma," he said softly, and he put his hand under her chin and gently lifted her face to his. "Emma, I love you."

She blinked at him, her mouth gaping a little. "Really?" she squeaked.

He chuckled a little. "Really. I've loved you since the moment I met you three years ago. I know you were young, but you had a sort of ageless wisdom and grace. As I grew to now you more I fell in love with your wit and your intelligence and your constant questions. I fell in love with the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh and the way you never look where you're going. You have captured my heart, my lady, and I would be honored if you would consider becoming my wife."

He pulled from his pocket a ring he had been carrying around all winter-his mother's ring, one of the few things he and his brother had been able to hang on to.

"Oh, Killian," Emma breathed. But she wasn't looking at the ring. She was looking at him, with a smile so wide he wasn't sure how it was staying contained to her face. "I've been in love with you since that night on the beach when you became my friend regardless of who I was. I knew then that your heart was true and noble, and I've since fallen in love with your brilliant mind. I love your patience and your kindness, and I love how safe I feel with you. I would be honored to be your wife."

He grinned at her, and slid the ring on her slender finger. It was a plain gold band with a simple blue stone. "It was my mother's," he said.

"I shall try to be worthy of it," she said sincerely, but he shook his head.

"You already are," he said, and kissed her before she had time to argue.