Here is Killian's chapter! Please review!

KILLIAN JONES

Well, at least this stupid ship doesn't have rats. That's what I chose to think about, seriously? Not thirty minutes behind these bars and I'm losing my mind. Locked in the brig of a ruthless pirate ship, head throbbing, not knowing when I'll see my brother again, and that's what occupies my mind.

My brother. Liam. He must be so worried about me. I worry about him. What did the storm do to him? Is he hurt? Is he even alive? That thought scares me. After my mother dying shortly after birthing me, and my father abandoning me at the age of seven, Liam is the only family I've got. To lose him, and to something as permanent as death…

I focus on something else, mentally reassuring myself that I will find him. The cell I'm in is made of metal bars and a wooden back wall. The floor is hard wood planks and there's something that could generously be called a bed in one corner. I don't know where they expect me to relieve myself. Despite it being dimly lit and slightly dreary, it's actually pretty clean. No cobwebs, minimal dirt and dust, and no pests as far as I've seen. No easy way to escape, at least not one that jumps out at me.

Could I escape? Let's see, I'm on an unknown ship, alone apart from the fact that there's at least thirty fierce and armed pirates aboard. I've no idea where any life rafts or rowboats are, or where I could get provisions to survive in said rowboat at sea until further help came. Even if I could make it into the water, they might be able to just fish me out again. Then I'd surely be in for more trouble than before.

So… no options but to wait for what comes next. Feeling quite helpless, I close my eyes and rest my forehead against one of the bars.

The sound of wooden footsteps causes me to lift my head. It's the female Captain. She holds a lantern in one hand, her other hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Her blonde curls bounce a little as she walks down the steps. There's an air of confidence and self-pride about her, mixed with a sarcastic and ruthless glint in her eyes. To be honest, she does slightly intimidate me, and yet I have to keep from staring at her.

"How are you liking the new room?"

I snort. "Ha-ha. It's quite homey, thank you." I pour as much sarcasm into my words as possible.

She stops in front of me. I can smell the salty ocean air on her. Setting the lantern between us, she sits on the floor with crossed legs, looking completely at ease. Now that I can see her more closely, I notice her eyes are bluish-green, like the ocean. Her expression is strong and intimidating, but still feminine. It wouldn't exactly be crazy to call her attractive.

"So," I start, "what brings you down here, I doubt you want to make friendly conversation." I put on a charming smile.

"Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to do." She flicks a piece of hair over her shoulder. "Since it looks like you're going to be staying on my ship for a couple weeks, I thought we could get to know each other."

I blink. "A couple weeks? What are you talking about?"

She waves a hand casually, in a dismissive manner. "Oh, just something I thought up. You're going to be of help to me in the near future. Until then… the topic of getting to know each other." Her ocean-like eyes look me over. "Well, it's obvious that you're a follower of the King of Misthaven. Probably some kind of man of honor, huh?"

I don't know why, but I'm offended by the way she says this. "Yes. And I presume you're a pirate, probably some kind of thief and criminal."

The woman nods. "Now that we've got the obvious out of the way, what's your name?"

"Why the devil would you need to know my name?"

"I don't, unless you don't want me to keep calling you dumbass."

I don't want her to keep calling me that. "Killian. Jones." I spit.

She reaches through the bars and pats my arm. I almost flinch. "Good boy. That wasn't hard, now."

I roll my eyes. Be a gentlemen, don't let her get under your skin. "Now that I've given you my name, may I have the pleasure of knowing yours?" I ask.

Her gaze hardens. Somehow, I get the sense that this isn't from anger or trying to act scary. It's defensive, almost. Guarded. Her voice is flat. "You can call me Captain Swan or 'please-have-mercy-on-my-ass-that-you-generously-saved."

I look down. "Right. Thanks for saving me earlier." I nod toward the now empty mug in the corner of my cell. "And for the water."

Her eyes soften a little again. "Yeah, whatever. I can't have you dying on my ship. You're of use to me, and it'd be bad form."

Bad form. That hits me. Liam was always going on about having "good form". This meant no drinking aboard without supervision, no woman on the ship after sundown, no stealing or crimes of any sort. I wonder what the pirate's definition of good form is.

"What is this 'code' you mentioned?" I prompt. "It must have something to do with 'bad form' and 'good form'."

The Captain raises a brow. I can tell the question surprises her. "You're awfully interested in my code, it seems."

I smile, trying less this time to irritate her. "Well, a man of the King has his own code, but I'm assuming that yours differs significantly. For one, no drinking of alcohol is permitted on my ship, but it seems that all you people do is down the stuff."

This earns a breath of laughter from her. "Correct. We pirates are quite fond of rum and the like." She pauses. "Each ship and its band of pirates has a slightly different code, but many general rules remain the same. To say some, without giving away too much, it's a big no-no for any member aboard ship steal, lie to, or betray in any way or kill another member aboard. Crews have to stick together, a ship without a good crew is already sunk." I take mental note of that sentence. She continues. "Each man shall have his fair share of wages earned, and no abandoning your ship, crew, or Captain, you are to give even your life for them." She thinks for a moment. "Oh, and no females on board a sailing ship, especially at night."

"But… you are a woman," I point out.

Her eyes take on the guarded expression again. "I'm the rare exception. In my past… well, I've certainly had my fair share of injustice, to put it mildly. I fought very hard to get to where I am, and some of it I owe to pure luck. Now, I'm a fearsome piratess and a Captain of a top-notch ship. My crew has grown to obey, fear, and respect me." Her chin tips up a little, the corners of her mouth turning upward. "I'm proud of it."

I'm not exactly sure how to respond to this. After hearing the story, I get a bit of a new respect for her, even if she did put me behind bars on a strange ship.

"So," I say, "you mentioned that I could be of use to you. What exactly did you mean by that? If my life is at risk, I'd prefer to know."

She grabs the lantern and stands up. It's clear our conversation is over, for now. "Don't worry about it." I watch her figure disappear up the stairs again and hear the door close. This woman is a bloody mystery.

There you have it. Some Emma and Killian "bonding time" haha. Please leave a review! Thanks! –Rin