So not too bad feedback for the first chapter. I hope this is something new that people are reading and that it is a good idea.

So here is another chapter for this story. I hope that you guys are enjoying it.

Please read and review if you like it! I would appreciate any sort of feedback and even ideas if you have any!

AN: What do you guys think of the title? I had a hard time picking it


I haven't seen Emma in weeks but I knew that she was busy. Thanks to the blood oath between us, I could sense her and it gave me reassurance to know that she was safe but busy. I was tempted to go to her but I would wait until she called my name, not wanting to intrude on her personal time.

Word around the realms was that Queen Snow and Kind David were planning on throwing a ball in honor of Princess Emma. They were inviting princes from other kingdoms in hope their daughter would find a suitor she liked for a possible marriage partner as well as other royalty in case there was an announcement.

Part of me burned with rage at the thought of those other men around her but I wasn't invited to the ball and as nice as it would be to see Emma in a ballgown, I wasn't going to just show up there unannounced.

It was late afternoon and I had just finish up making new memory charms when her sweet voice echoed in my head.

"Killian Jones."

I appeared in front of her, noticing we were standing in the same garden we first met in. She was in a royal blue dress with no sleeves or fabric covering her shoulders. My eyes darted over her bare skin quickly before I looked up to meet her eyes.

"Emma," I greeted, bowing low and when I straightened myself out folded my hands behind my back.

"Killian," she replied, giving a little courtesy and a smile on her face, stepping closer to me.

"You look beautiful. Blue suits you," I told her, feeling my cheeks heat up.

I could see she was blushing as well but she smiled gently and stopped a few inches from me.

"Thank you. I was . . . wondering if I could ask you something."

I raised my eyebrow curious and tipped my head to the side.

"Of course, you can."

Her blush deepened and I watched her start to fidget her hands nervously, like whatever she was going to ask me made her nervous to ask.

I reached forward and grabbed her hands in mine; stilling her movement and making her look up at me quickly with a sharp intake of breath. I kept her eyes locked with mine, not letting her look away from me, as I slid my hand between hers and intertwined our fingers together.

She swallowed deeply before she blinked, looking down at our hands before looking back at me. I smiled encouragingly and nodded, wanting her to ask her question.

"I'm sure you know, but my parents are holding a ball this upcoming eve."

"For you, if I understand it correctly," I interjected with a broad smile.

She rolled her eyes, giving me a smirk before she bit her bottom lip.

"I guess it is for me," she stressed with a shake of her head, "but I-I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

My eyes widened slowly at I stared at her with shock. She wanted me to come? She wanted the Dark One to come to her castle and the ball that was dedicated to her, the crown Princess.

I swallowed the heavy emotion down, blinking rapidly before looking down at our hands this time.

"Are you sure you want me to come, Princess?"

She nodded her head and looked at me expectantly.

I cleared my throat nervously and let go of her hand before I was the one fidgeting with the tip of my hook. I could see her watching me from the top of my eyes but she didn't say anything, just watched me with those wide green eyes.

"Are you sure . . . that's wise, Your Highness? I mean . . . I am the Dark One and I'm not sure all your guests will appreciate me being there. I may be a better Dark One than Rumpelstiltskin ever was but that doesn't mean I'm not feared or rejected by some still."

I kept my eyes downward, knowing that if I looked up she would be able to see the hurt on my face.

"Do you truly think I care what people think about you?" she asked, a mix of ferocity and curiosity burning in her voice.

I shrugged, still refusing to look up at her.

She let out a loud sigh of annoyance before I could see her hand reach forward and grab my own, stilling my fidgeting and intertwining our fingers again. I finally looked up at her and was surprised to see a fire burning her eyes.

"I don't care what people say about you, Killian. Your actions define who you are and these people who claim they are still scared of you have no reason to be. Since becoming the Dark One, you have done nothing but good deeds. You deserve to be rewarded and accepted, not feared and rejected."

I blinked quickly at her declaration but she continued speaking.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to but . . ." her face got even redder and I wondered if she was feeling alright or if her reaction was more on an emotional level, "I would really like it if you came to the ball."

I licked my lips quickly before I lifted our intertwined to my mouth to brush my lips over the back of her hand.

"I would be honored to come to the ball, Princess Emma."

She smiled softly at me and I slowly lowered our hands till they were resting between us.

"The ball will begin at twilight. You are welcome to show up before or after that time. Just as long as you come," she told me, a little demandingly.

But I just smiled and bowed my head.

"As you wish."

She smiled broadly and gave me a small courtesy.

"Thank you, milord."

I rolled my eyes at the title and she walked me over to a bench.

"Should you not get back to the preparations?" I asked her in a slightly panicked tone as we sat down next to each other.

She shook her head and replied, "My dress has already been finished. That was all that really required my presence. My mother will take care of the rest like she usually does."

"Not fond of the balls, Highness?"

She shook her head wildly in a no motion, giving me a distasteful look.

"Not really. I like seeing all my friends but I'm not crazy about the dressing up part."

I let out a loud laugh and heard her giggle follow it.

"When I was a Naval officer, I wasn't very fond of balls either," I told her.

Emma looked at me with her head tipped, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"You were in the Navy?" she asked.

I nodded and explained, "My brother, Liam, was the Captain of the Jewel of the Realm and I was its Lieutenant. I had been by my brother's side all our lives and I idolized him. He was a remarkable man who was a courageous leader and a brave solider."

She smiled gently and reached out to rest her hand on my brace. I clenched my jaw, quickly looking down at her hand before looking back up again.

"He sounds like he was an incredible man." She told me in a sympathetic voice.

I smiled sadly at her, reaching up to scratch the back of my neck.

"He truly was."

"Can I ask . . . what happened?" she whispered.

I swallowed harshly, the lumping catching in my throat before I cleared it loudly and looked away at the grass.

"My brother he ummm . . ." I swallowed again a little easier this time. I looked back at her and I could already see the tears gathering in her eyes. "We were on a mission for our King at the time and he sent us to Neverland for a plant called Dreamshade."

Emma sucked in her breath and I looked up at her, an interested look on my face.

"I've heard of such a plant, and such a place."

"I don't recommend traveling there, Highness. It's not a pleasant place. Anyway, the King told us this plant would help with wars and healing people. So, we sailed there with a sail made of Pegasus feathers and were greeted by Peter Pan when we came ashore."

When she gave me an almost excited face, I shook my head to calm her down.

"Don't get excited," I muttered with a small smile on my face, "he was hellion and a pain in the arse."

I looked at her frantic at the curse that slipped through my lips.

"Apologies, Highness. I did not intend for that to slip out."

She giggled and waved it off.

"No need to apologize, Captain. Everyone curses, even I do sometimes."

I raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

"The Princess says curse words? Wouldn't that be shocking for the King and Queen to discover," I snorted.

She raised her eyebrow at me, her back straightening out while a slow smirk spread across her face and she gave me a challenging look.

"Are you going to tell on me?"

"I'm not that foolish, Princess. Now, where was I?"

"You had just met Peter Pan," she said helpfully.

"Ah yes. He had warned us that the Dreamshade doesn't do what we were originally told when we arrived but Liam didn't think our King would lie to us and pushed onward. We finally found the plant on the top of a mountain where we were told it would be. We matched the picture to the plant and Liam was preparing to gather some. I tried stopping him, the words Pan told us still running through my mind, but he told me there was nothing to worry about and even went so far to cut himself on the arm to prove it wasn't dangerous."

I swallowed the lump of emotion that gathered down and looked down, feeling the tears start to gather in my eyes. I could feel her thumb rubbing back and forth on my brace and I looked down at her hand.

"You don't have to talk about it if it's too hard, Killian," she told him softly, leaning toward me and angling her head down to meet my eyes.

I met her eyes hesitantly and blinked slowly before lifting my head and slowly shaking my head.

"No, it's alright . . . it's just been so long since I talked about Liam."

She nodded in understanding and watched me closely, her eyes full of sorrow.

"After he cut his arm, he was acting fine. We gathered more of the Dreamshade but then he collapsed and wouldn't move. That's when Pan reappeared and told me what I needed to do to save my brother but warned my there would be a price and we shouldn't leave the island if we weren't willing to pay it."

"Give him the water that powers Neverland, right? I think that's what I heard about the Dreamshade plant."

I nodded.

"Very good. Yes, so I gave my brother the water and he was healed. Liam and I left the island, planning on confronting the King and the lies he told us. But as we arrived back in our own realm, Liam slowly fell to the ground and began choking. I-I tried to help him but . . . it was too late . . ."

I could feel a warm tear start to slide down my cheek but a flash of movement caught my eye and I went completely still. Emma's right hand had lifted from my brace and cupped my cheek with her hand, brushing the tear away with her thumb. I looked at her swiftly and stared deeply into her eyes, trying to read what they were saying.

She didn't say a word as she brushed my tear away, letting her thumb continue to rub my cheek softly and the tips of her fingers digging into the outline of my jaw. I could see her own tears falling and it broke my heart because this amazing woman was crying for me.

Biting my lower lip, I reached out with my hand and brushed my fingers over the tears on her face before cupping her face and mirroring her action. I could feel a weird thrumming through my hand and arm and wondered what that could mean.

"Shhh," I coped to her a soft voice, "don't cry for me, love. It was long ago."

"Yes but . . . that's s-so horrible for someone to go through. I'm so sorry Killian."

I smiled sadly at her and leaned my face into her hand.

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

I couldn't stop staring at her, couldn't stop thinking how wonderful this woman was and how hard I knew I was falling for her. I poked my tongue out and wet my lips quickly. I was interested to watch Emma's eyes dart down to watch the movements with desire.

"I-Is that when you became a pirate?" she asked in a cute voice.

I gave her an old pirate smirk that made her blush and replied, "Aye, Princess. Became the most well-known pirate in all the Enchanted Forest."

She giggled and we moved our hands away from each other's faces. Both our hands settled in our respectful laps and I could suddenly sense another realm summoning me. I turned my head out of habit and saw Emma tip her head to the side.

"Killian?"

"Apologies, Your Highness. But the Prince and Princess of Agrabah are summoning me. I must go."

She smiled understandingly and nodded.

"Of course. I understand. I will see you at the ball, Lieutenant."

I laughed loudly and winking briefly before I snapped and disappeared, sending myself to Agrabah.

Turns out Agrabah is having a magic problem; someone using a dark kind of magic to poison the crops and livestock.

As I spoke with Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, I could tell that whoever was casting these spells was a novice, someone who wasn't completely sure how to use magic but was able to understand just enough.

"Please, Dark One, help us," Princess Jasmine asked me in a desperate voice.

"Of course, Your Highness," I told her in a low bow.

I disappeared and started tracking the magic user. He or she wasn't very good at cleaning up their messes so I was able to trace them back to a small part of the village, what looked like the poorest part of the city.

A large man stood in the room, next to a cauldron as he read from a book then dropped something in before repeating.

"It's looks like you've been busy," I greeted, surprising the man and making him spin around to look at me.

"The Dark One," he said is a fearful and kind of excited voice.

He dropped to his knees and bowed before me. I clicked my tongue response.

"You understand it is against the law to use magic without the Prince or Princess's permission correct? And I don't believe it's meant to kill the townspeople or the livestock."

He looked up at me and glared hard.

"They do nothing for the Kingdom. Us villagers in the poorest parts of town never receive any help."

"So, you took it upon yourself to teach them a lesson?" I asked, my eyebrow raising.

"Yes! Yes, exactly! See, I knew you would understand me Dark One. Will you help me?"

"No, I will not. You are breaking the laws of Agrabah, hurting its people and the Kingdom."

With a flick of my wrist, he was bound in chains and his magic mess cleaned up and sitting at my castle for investigation.

"No! You can't do this!" he yelled at me.

I sent us back to the palace and met Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine in the throne room.

"Here is the man who was casting the spells in the Kingdom, Your Highnesses. All of his magical items have been confiscated so he can no longer do any magic," I explained with a low bow.

"Thank you Dark One. Please take this precious azure stone as gratitude," Prince Aladdin said as he approached me and held out a large jewel.

I bowed again in thanks before poofing myself to my castle, into my work shop to investigate the magic that man had.

It seemed like simple stuff except a couple of hidden pages in the back that looked like they were from someone's personal spell book and the pages the man was reading from. I realized I should have asked the man where he got this before I left but I was distracted in Agrabah. I was only thinking of the blonde princess that plagued my mind night and day.

I could feel the flutter of something in my stomach before I shook it off. It wasn't that I didn't want to feel something for the Princess, but that was exactly it.

She's a Princess. I'm the Dark One.

I didn't deserve her. She deserved someone who was born royalty and a better man than me, not a one-handed ex-pirate who just happens to be one of the most powerful sorcerer in the realms.

But I thought about the way she had been acting towards me recently; the giggling and blushing and the small touches. Could that mean she was attracted to me too? Was I not the only one who was falling for the other? I didn't dare ask her, especially if she didn't feel the same as me because then I would look like a fool.

Sighing, I left my work shop and walked to the balcony I had overlooking the ocean.

I watched with a contented smile as the waves crashed along the beach, the birds soaring above and the dark shapes of ships in the distance.

It was the night of the ball and I was nervous. I haven't been dancing or even gone to a ball in centuries that I was starting to doubt it was a good idea to go.

But then I thought about Emma and how she really wanted me to be there. It's only because of her that I was going.

I decided to dress myself in a black button-down shirt and black leather pants, with a white undershirt and brown jacket. I disguised my hook as a fake hand and encased both hands in black gloves.

I decided to ride my steed to the ball, hoping it would make me look more like a man to Emma, instead of what everyone else will see, the Dark One.

A young stable boy grabbed the reigns of my horse as I arrived and I quickly dismounted, waving my hand and giving him a small bag of gold.

"Take care of him for me, will you?" I asked the boy.

He looked up at me with a wide smile and nodded his head enthusiastically before a look of determination crossed his face.

I put my hand on top of his head and rubbed it in a childish manner before I walked inside, everyone bowing or whispering as I approached the large doors where the announcer stood. The ball was already in full swing, obviously the work of Queen Snow, princes and princesses already mingling in the large ballroom.

I approached the announcer and watched his eyes get wide with shock before he cleared his throat loudly and turned toward the crowd. He pounded his staff on the ground twice.

"Announcing his lordship, the Dark One!" he said loudly.

The room went quiet, everyone halting their conversations and turned to suddenly stare at me with wide eyes, each of them filled with different emotions ranging from fear, anger, disgust, and curiosity.

I clenched my jaw but didn't say anything as I start walking toward the crowd so I could find who I really came for, Emma.

But it appeared that she was already on her way to find me.

Out of the throng of people emerged Emma and I was immediately stunned by how she amazing she looked.

She was wearing a blood red dress that had a little bit of a poof at the bottom of it, with long sleeves that made a triangle over the top of her hand and stopped at the curve of her shoulder, leaving the rest exposed. There was a low v cut in the top that had my eyes darting to the exposed swells of her breast. Her hair was up in a perfect bun that showed off her long, beautiful neck.

I swallowed nervously and looked up to meet her eyes again as she stalked closer to me. She looked upset but her eyes weren't on me, they were directed at the announcer behind me who took notice of the Princess's upset face and started to shake.

When she finally stopped in front of me and dragged her eyes back to mine, I gave a low bow and tried to regain composure at how stunning she looked before I straightened myself out.

"Your Highness, you look . . ." I trailed off not exactly sure which words I could use that would be appropriate to say.

She smiled while a soft blush matching the color of her dress filled her face and she gave me a curtsey.

"Thank you, Captain Jones. You look very dashing as well. Thank you for coming," she replied, reaching her right hand out toward me.

My hand flashed forward quickly and took her hand in mine and pulling it to my mouth, placing a firm kiss on the back of it while keeping my eyes locked on hers. I ran my thumb over her knuckles before I released her hand and she lowered it to her side.

"Quite the ball going on," I commented with a smile.

She giggled and nodded, turning to look at everyone gathered in the room. Most of the people were back to talking with their colleagues but some were still staring at us, some with more interest than others.

"Come, I'm sure my parents will want to greet you," she said, stepping up to me.

I nodded, holding my elbow out for her and she didn't hesitate to wrap her arm around mine and walking close to me. I couldn't help but smile down at her, loving the smile that beamed across her own face before we started walking through the crowd to the front of the ballroom where two large thrones and a smaller throne were located and where her parents sat.

The King and Queen were leaning close together, apparently having a conversation about something they didn't want overhead. When Emma and I approached, they stopped talking and turned toward us, seeming a little surprised to see me standing with their daughter.

"Your Majesties," I greeted, bowing low before straightening out and looking at them both.

"Hello Captain," Queen Snow greeted with a bow of her head and King David gave the same treatment, "thank you for joining us at the ball. This is a pleasant surprise."

I looked at Emma from the corner of my eye and could see her smiling sheepishly at her parents before looking back at Queen Snow.

"It's an honor to be here, Your Majesties."

She smiled at me before turning her attention to her daughter and it looked like they were having a mental conversation for a moment. I looked down at Emma and saw she was already looking up at me.

Clearing my throat, I turned toward the King and Queen and bowing my head.

"With your permission, I would like to dance with your daughter," I asked them, keeping my head low until I received an answer.

"Of course, Captain," King David responded.

I raised my head and turned to face Emma, holding out my right-hand palm facing up as invitation to dance. She laid her hand palm facing up on my mine and I led her to the dancefloor, noticing some of the people moving out of our way.

As we stepped onto the dancefloor, I sent her out and away from me in a half circle before tugging her back and right into my arms, reaching out to place my wooden hand on her waist and feeling her right-hand settle on my shoulder. I pulled her as close as I felt would be comfortable and tightened my hand around her own.

"Are you sure you remember how to dance, Lieutenant?" she teased me.

Smirking, I replied, "Well, everybody knows that there's only one rule."

She looked at me expectantly, her eye brow rising with interest.

"Pick a partner who knows what he's doing."

I suddenly dipped her low to the ground, catching her off guard and eliciting a loud laugh from her mouth before righting her.

"Are you saying you're a partner who knows what he's doing?" she asked me.

I grinned cheekily at her, nodding my head. She rolled her eyes but I could tell she didn't mean it. As the music started up playing a slow song we began dancing, keeping up with the timing of the song.

"You do look dashing in this outfit," she told me and I blushed.

"Thank you. It was something I had lying around."

I swallowed and looked her up and down again, unable to restrain myself from looking at how beautiful she looked right now.

"You look stunning, Emma," I told her softly, causing her to blush.

"Thank you," she told me, "I hoped the red would look as good as it does. I'm glad I choose it."

"It's a good color for you, Princess."

She laughed and shook her head, tightening her hand on my shoulder. I pulled her a tad closer and a pensive look came over her face.

"Where is your hook this evening?" she asked, her voice curious and kind of disappointed.

"I thought it would be a good idea to wear a fake tonight so I wouldn't frighten anyone," my eyes glanced around the room and I could see some of the people still had fear in their expression, "though it doesn't seem to have worked."

Emma turned and saw the group I was looking at, sending them a firm glare before looking back up at me.

"You shouldn't pay attention to them," she told me strongly.

I shrugged and spun her out before pulling her back toward me.

"I'm used to this Princess. I just hope they won't sends those looks your way as well. I would hate for the Crown Princess of Mysthaven to be repulsed by her people because she was dancing with the Dark One."

Emma grew somber, looking down at our feet and I tipped my head at her.

"Your Highness?" I questioned.

"You're not a bad man, Killian. There is no reason to fear you. You aren't an evil Dark One and you aren't the pirate they used to fear either," she told me in a low and firm voice.

I sighed and released her hand briefly to tip her head back up to me before grabbing her hand again, a little tighter this time.

"Emma," I started in a soft voice, "I don't care what they think of me. The people who don't fear me know they can count on me for help."

Her eyes widened just a little and I realized how much intensely that came out. Neither of us spoke, just continued to dance around the dancefloor and ignoring the people around us. I bit my lip nervously but she just finally smiled softly.

"Thank you," was all she said.

I gave her a small smile and spun her out again before pulling her back just as the music ended. Everyone applauded around us, so we gave a short bow before walking off to the side.

"You are a very good dancer, Captain," she told me in a happy voice, hooking her arm around my elbow again.

"Thank you, Princess. You're a very good dancer too."

A waiter passed by and we both reached out to grab a glass.

"To dances," she said, holding her glass out to mine.

I reached my glass out and tapped it against hers and nodded in agreement.

"To dances."

We both took a sip when a brown-haired girl suddenly appeared next to us.

"Emma!" she said loudly.

"Anna!?" Emma greeted a little surprised but happy.

The two of them hugged, talking rapidly so I took a step backward to give them some space.

A large man and someone I recognized as Queen Elsa started approaching us from behind the brown-haired girl.

"Your Majesty," I greeted, bowing toward Queen Elsa.

"Hello, Captain," she greeted in her quiet voice, "it's a pleasant surprise to see you here," she shot a quick 'we need to talk' look at Emma before darting her eyes back to mine, "how have you been?"

Queen Elsa was one of the Royal family to genuinely like me and ask me about controlling magic. I had helped her with her struggle to use her magic and taught her tricks to keep her power in check.

"I've been well. Spending time-"I cut myself off and shot Emma a look, who was now watching me with interest, something in her eyes I recognized before she blinked and it disappeared.

She licked her lips – my eyes darting down to watch the movement – before she turned to Queen Elsa, meeting her friend's gaze head on.

"Spending time with me," she spoke in an unfaltering voice never breaking her eye contact with Queen Elsa.

I watched one of her eyebrows raise slowly before a wide smile spread over her face and she looked back at me with a sly smile.

"I hope she hasn't been getting you into trouble. Emma was always the troublemaker growing up," Queen Elsa told me before snickering, shooting Emma a teasing smile before stepping up to hug her.

I let out a loud laugh, immediately looking at Emma and already found her staring at me over Queen Else's shoulder and I was filled with a rush of different emotions. I curled my tongue back into my mouth over my bottom lip and was pleased to see her watch the movement.

Our spell was broken when Emma pulled away from Queen Elsa and turned around to face three newcomers.

Emma took a few steps back toward me and wrapped her hand around the top of my brace. Her thumb started to rub against the brace and I immediately started to relax.

"Anna, Kristof," Emma said, gesturing to me, "this is Captain Jones." She looked up at me, smiling softly and gesturing again but to them this time, "Captain Jones this is Princess Anna, Queen Elsa's younger sister, and her husband, Prince Kristof."

I bowed to the them quickly.

"Forgive me, I did not know you were royalty. Greetings, Your Highnesses."

They both bowed their heads and it was Princess Anna who responded.

"It's quite alright, Captain. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

She bounced forward, dragging her husband with her, and held out her hand to me.

I reached out with my right hand and lifted her hand quickly – kissing it briskly – before dropping her hand and grabbing Prince Kristof's hand in a firm and brief handshake.

I let me arm dangle to my side just as Emma tugged on my left arm gently. I turned toward her immediately, my head jolting back suddenly when I noticed her face closer to mine.

"Princess?"

"Come take a walk with me. . . Captain?" she asked, biting her lip when she was done.

I swallowed and nodded my head slowly.

She smiled, still biting that lip, and turned to Queen Elsa.

"You're staying for a couple of days, right?"

The Queen nodded and ushered the other two away, shooting Emma and I both one more look before turning away.

Emma slid her hand up to my elbow and I bent my arm. We started walking toward the side door to the gardens.

I could see the King and Queen watching us leave with a mix of emotions covering their faces.

But Emma paid them no mind as I opened the door, allowing her through first before walking through myself and shutting the door behind me. She already had her hand sliding up my fake hand, brace, and forearm until she slid it up and around my elbow. We began walking through the garden maze, enjoying the different types of flowers gathered.

We could see the full moon slowly rising in the sky, currently hanging halfway in the sky and lit up the garden and the woman walking next to me perfectly. The light of the moon accented her features and made her look softer and more enchanting.

"Quite the ball this is," I commented after we were silent for a moment, hoping the silence wasn't awkward for her.

"My mother decided to start the ball earlier than expected, most of the guests that were invited had already arrived except whom I invited," she said, a frown coming over her face.

"That explains the amount of people when I arrived."

"I apologize for my mother. She can be exuberant."

"No need to apologize," I responded softly.

She flashed me a quick smile and we continued walking in silence. It was quiet through the gardens with the occasional chirp of crickets, though you could still hear the party through the glass doors and windows.

"I don't remember my mother," I confessed quietly.

Emma looked up at me sharply but I didn't look at her.

"She died when I was still young. Liam could remember her more and he would tell me things about her while we were growing up. After she died, our father looked out for us," I snorted thinking of the man I called father, "if that's what you want to call it."

Her arm tightened around my own and she led us down a path that was lined with walls of flowers.

"Why do you say that?" she asked hesitantly.

I licked my lips and looked down at her. She had a curious look on her face but there was also an understanding look if I didn't want to talk about this.

"Our father took us aboard a cargo ship and we were sailing for a new land for a fresh start. During the journey, he got word that there were soldiers in the next port ready to arrest him. So, he bought a dingy from the Captain and left."

"He left you and your brother on the ship?" she asked in an incredulous voice.

Swallowing the pain his actions still caused me I nodded my head slowly and looked down at her.

"How do you think he paid for the dingy?"

Her eyes widened at me and I saw her eyes fill with sadness.

"Oh Killian," she said in a somber tone.

I looked away trying to hide the century old pain and shrugged, hoping it came off as nonchalant, "it was a long time ago. Liam and I worked on the cargo ship to raise money to join the navy."

Clearing her throat delicately, she looked up at me again.

"Obviously you guys were able to raise the money to join the Navy," she hinted, wanting to hear the rest of the story apparently.

I chuckled and nodded my head, "Yes, we did. However, we earned our commission by bringing the King we would later serve together the 'eye of the storm' instead of paying for our commission."

Her eyebrows raised and her mouth dropped open.

"You're the one who found the 'eye of the storm'?!" she asked, her voice raising an octave in shock.

I laughed at her expression, "Yes. Our current Captain, Captain Silver, was leading us right into the storm but Liam and I staged a coup and took over the ship. Liam was going to lead us out of the storm but it was too late. We were the only survivors. The King's men found us washed up on a beach and that's when Liam pulled the 'eye of the storm' out of his pocket and asked if it would serve as commission payment for both of us."

"That's amazing. I had heard about the 'eye of the storm' and how Captain's from different realms were searching diligently for it but no one had survived the storm to actually retrieve the stone."

"It was a well-known tale on the sea."

We were silent once again but I found with Emma it was a comfortable silence, knowing that she was right beside me was good enough for now.

"Do you ever miss being on the sea all the time?" she asked after a moment.

"There are times I do miss the sea. Granted I don't need to use a ship for transportation anymore but I still have my ship."

"The Jolly Roger?" she asked and I noticed there was a tone of excitement in her voice.

"Yes. It sits in front of my home in the ocean. After I became the Dark One, I decided that wherever I settled down had to have a view and access to the ocean. My current castle has both."

"I have always enjoyed sailing. The ocean seems to calm me."

I smiled down at her, glad to hear that we have something else in common.

"It calms me too. It always has, since I was a small lad."

Grinning widely up at me suddenly, Emma began to pull us in a different direction. I didn't fight her, just followed beside her until she led us to a large balcony that hung over the side of the castle and overlooked the ocean.

"I like to come out here when I'm bored or want to be alone. I come out here and just . . . stare at the water. It calms me down if I'm upset or if something is troubling me."

Smiling, we both stepped up to the edge and looked over, watching the waves crash against the rocks. At the same time, we both took a deep breath, inhaling the cool sea air before letting it out slowly.

"When Henry . . ." she started to say before cutting herself off sharply.

I looked down and could see the tears gathering in her eyes. My eyes widened in alarm, reaching out with my right hand to brush it along her cheek and wipe away the one rouge tear that fell.

"Emma?" I asked alarmed, angling my head down to meet her face.

Swallowing she met my eyes briefly before looking back out over the ocean.

"After I gave birth to Henry and Neal was killed in battle, there was a point where I was having a hard time raising Henry. He would wake up in the middle of the night, crying and there wasn't anything I could do to calm him down. I tried singing him songs, rocking him, lying him in bed next to me, so many things but it still wasn't working.

"So, one night, I decided to bring him out here to see if the sea would calm him down like it calms me down."

"And it worked?" I asked quietly.

She nodded and lifted her free hand to wipe another tear that fell down her face before giving a small sniffle.

"Like a charm. As soon as he could see the stars above and heard the waves crashing against the side of the castle he stopped crying and fell asleep soon after that. I stayed out here a little longer, crying if I'm being honest, before I took him back inside and went to sleep myself."

When an image of a young crying Emma standing in this very spot with a small crying Henry came to my mind, an overwhelming sense to protect this woman with my life rushed over me. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reached out and brushed my fingers along her cheek.

"You're so brave Emma," I told her quietly, drawing her eyes up to my own.

She smiled, almost shyly before shaking her head a little.

"You are," I insisted, "a Princess raising a little Prince by herself, doing what she can? Those are some of the bravest people, the mothers who are raising a child or children alone."

She blushed but a genuine smile came over her face and her eyes twinkled with the light of the moon reflecting in them.

"That's very kind for you to say," she told me.

I blushed from the look she was giving me and gave a small half shrug before looking back out over the water.

"I'm just telling the truth, milady."

She giggled next to me, obviously picking up on my embarrassment and leaned her head on my shoulder. I looked at her from the corner of my eye and could barely see that her eyes were directed on the ocean as well but the smile she gave me remained on her face.

I looked up and saw the moon was hanging in the middle of the sky now and realized just how long we have been out here by ourselves.

"We should think about heading back before your parents send guards to search for you," I sighed, saddened by the thought that our time together was over.

Emma lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up at me with a pout on her face. It seemed she was just as saddened by the same thought as I was. But after she looked up and saw the moon's position she reluctantly nodded her head and we both turned around at the same time to keep our arms locked together.

We began walking back through the garden, going a different route this time to see the other varieties of flowers the garden possessed. I wasn't ready to leave her side yet but I knew that when we arrived back at the ball, she would be pulled away from me and I would leave to avoid seeing other princes' dance with her. We were half way back when she finally spoke.

"Thank you for coming tonight," she told me quietly, "I know you didn't want to but it means a lot to me that you came." I could hear the gratitude in her voice for me showing up tonight but I could also hear remorse in her tone which told me that she felt bad asking me to come.

I was suddenly filled with determination to make her finally understand that I would do anything for her, no matter what. I walked us around the corner, before stopping in a small clearing surrounded by pink roses and turning her so we were facing each other.

"Emma," I started my voice thick with emotion and grabbing her left hand tightly in my own, "of course I was going to come tonight, love. You personally asked me to come and it was a great honor to be invited to a ball by someone as beautiful as you are. And I was only reluctant to come tonight because I . . . because . . ." I let out a huff of air, trying to find the right words to say, "Emma, I care very deeply for you. I don't know if you understand just how much you mean to me and how I want to make sure nothing jeopardizes your turn to rule or your Kingdom. These people need a Queen like you to lead them someday."

I swallowed the lump of emotion that got stuck in my throat and waited for her answer, knowing what I just confessed.

She blinked up at me with a blank expression before her right hand lifted and cupped my cheek, pressing her fingers into my skin. I leaned my face into her hand and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of her soft hand pressed up against my face.

"Where have you been?" she asked me in a tone that was filled with wonder.

My eyes opened quickly and I opened my mouth to reply with a cocky answer – my old pirate attitude slipping through the cracks – but stopped when I noticed the expression on her face. Her lips were parted slightly and while her eyes had a twinkle in them like the stars above us, the look in her eyes told me what I've been wondering since meeting Princess Emma.

She was falling in love with me just as I was falling in love with her.

I wet my lips quickly before I bit my bottom lip nervously. Keeping our hands intertwined and letting my thumb rub the back of her hand softly, I angled my head down and began to lean toward her slowly. My eyes darted down to her lips before backing up to her eyes, making my intention known.

She didn't say anything, just let her tongue wet her lips before tipping her head back and looking up at me with anticipation. Her eyes darted down to look at my lips before meeting my eyes again, letting me know she understood and was ok with my intention.

I swallowed nervously and leaned further forward, stopping a little before our lips met, staring deeply into her eyes to make sure she wanted this.

She tipped her head back further and her chin jutted forward, closing her eyes slowly while she waited for me to make my move.

Taking a deep breath, I lowered my face just a little and finally pressed our lips together for the first time.