Short chapter here. I needed a connecter to get to the big picture part of my story. Enjoy :)
"Da! I made a friend! May I go play ashore till we're ready to leave?" Tristan asked his father. He had a young girl with him, perhaps seven or eight with a mane of unruly curly red hair.
"I suppose that'd be alright. Be back by dark though. I don't want to come find ya." Remus told the children and they went running off.
They'd only been in port for a few hours now, the Captain and a few other men went for a drink, and some other mates stayed aboard the ship and caught up on some sleep they'd been missing. Emma found herself wanting to walk on solid land again but wasn't fancying a drink. She took off for the heart of the town to do a little bit of sight seeing, some shopping perhaps. It was only when the sun had fully set and purples and reds painted the sky that Emma decided she should head back to the ship. As she walked along the dock, Tristan and his little friend blew by him and back onto the ship. Emma smiled to herself, she missed those times when she was young and could run free with her friends.
"Night, Tristan!" The little girl called and waved as she was running back towards Emma now.
"Hey, there kid, where ya going?" Emma asked her.
"Home, ma'am."
"Alone? At night? That doesn't seem very safe." Emma started to walk with her.
"I've got my bow, I'll be just fine." She smiled widely.
"Seven years old and good with a bow? Is that so?"
"I am the best! Watch!" The little girl whipped out her bow and lined an arrow.
"Whoa now! This is a pretty busy area—" The girl shot it off. Snagged a pastry treat off the very top of one of the stands in the town center. She ran to it and plucked it off the wooden beam, "Want some? It's very good." She asked taking a bite.
Emma just laughed and kept walking with the child, "And, I'm actually eight and a half, short for me age."
They walked for a while, up winding paths that changed from dirt to stone and finally the walked through an archway, "Where exactly do you live?"
"The castle. I'm sort of a princess. I don't really like it. My mum does. And there she is. Great."
"Merida! Where have you been, sweet heart? Your father and I were very worried." A very pregnant woman hugged the small girl.
"I am fine, mum. I made a friend! This is his friend, she walked me back."
"Thank you, dear. My little Merida tends to do things her own way." She extended a hand to Emma, which she took and shook.
"It's no problem, you majesty." Emma bowed and then the women looked at her, right in the eyes.
"Emma?" The Queen asked hushly.
"No, no, ma'am, my name is Emily."
"Oh, no, lass. It's been many years but I know your face, Princess Emma." She touched a hand to her cheek.
"A princess? Like me! But, you're not wearing funny cloths or nothing!" Merida piped up.
"Merida, go inside, love. Wash up for bed."
"But, mum!" She whined.
"Merida." Her mother warned and Merida stomped off. The Queen walked off into the shadows with Emma by her side.
"You should know some men were here, a few months ago looking for you, dark soldiers, not from these parts but I'd seen them before when I'd visited the Enchanted Forrest. I knew they were not from your father's army and found it odd they'd be looking for you. I asked my husband to send some men to check on your family, when they returned, dear; no one was in your castle. No one was even in the town around it."
Emma froze, "My parents, Snow, David?" She asked.
"Not there, lass. We do not know if they escaped or what their fate was but they are not there. Why did you run?"
"The Evil Queen, she captured me when she couldn't kill my mother, I escaped and I've been running since. I met some, sailors, "Emma picked the word carefully, "They've been keeping me safe and on the water with them."
"Then I'd go back to them, lass. Stay safe. Know you always have a place here if you need to escape from anything."
"Thank you for your help, ma'am. I'll find my parents and send word eventually, thank you!"
Emma took off in a full-blown sprint towards the Jolly Rodger, running so fast she didn't even look at where she was going and ran smack into a tipsy Captain Hook.
"Love! I was just coming to look for you!" He said as he helped her to her feet.
Panic was etched over her face and he could read every line, "What's wrong, Emma, what's wrong?" He asked her, sobering up quickly.
"Someone knew me."
"Then, we shall set immediately."
"It isn't that. The Queen recognized me, she knew my parents! Said the dark knights were here months ago and she sent some of her solders to check on my family but no one was there, Captain Jones, my family is gone! The towns people were gone!" Emma tried to fight it but she felt tears daring to spill over.
Hook knew what needed to be done, "Emma, I want you to go to my quarters and wait for me. Everything will be alright."
Emma didn't argue, just did what she was told.
The Captain wasn't too sure why this women had such a hold on him, why he cared for her in the way that he did in such a short amount of time but he was going to help her in any and every way that he could. Someone actually needed him and that was something he hadn't felt in a very long time; he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he missed that feeling and he was going to let it take him over to do what he needed to help Emma.
Yay! I've been waiting to get to this part of my story! :)
Please review and let me know what you think of where it's going!
I also wrote another story called Fitting In. It's just a one shot for now but if you'd like to give it a read I'd love that.
Thanks for reading!
NL
