Authors Note: Since it currently is 4 days and counting until I am on break for Christmas, it's really stressful and I haven't had much time to write. I currently have two stories on hiatus, and I have to finish writing the two I am working on right now. I have 10 more chapters written. With the chapters I have planned out, I will have 24 chapters in total for this story. So the progress for this story at the current moment is:
17/24 chapters. I have just five measly chapters left to write! I should be completey finished writing this story by the New Year. I will go to every four days publishing after I finish writing. Until then it's the once a week schedule (though this week because I uploaded on Sunday it will be twice awake.) I will possibly have the completed story up around Feb 5th 2014? Don't quote me on that. I'm hoping to write the five chapters by the end of the week. However that's pushing it~!
Read on friends!
It had been weeks since Emma had first stepped aboard the Jolly Roger. She was use to the sway of the ship beneath her feet, she was learning chantey's, learning how to navigate about the ship in efficient ways. She had even helped one of the crew's retie some knots on the mast. Which if she had looked down to see Hook, she would've seen the disproving glare he sent the man who invited her up so high. It was exhilarating and she was thoroughly enjoying herself. It was just as Hook had described it to her. Vast and free. She could see blue wherever she looked, and there was always a story to be told or song to be sung.
She found herself spending a lot of time at the helm, however. Listening to Hook tell of his adventures at sea. Battling mermaids, transcending realms. She loved the tales he told her of when he would escape various dangerous situations. Those were the kinds of stories she loved to hear about from her parents, but those same stories were forbidden to be shared with the princess. It just wasn't something you told a future queen. She was supposed to cringe at the thought of battle and faint at the sight of blood.
A pirate had actually brought that up, much to Emma's amusement. He accused her of not actually being a woman, but a man with feminine features. Hook had jumped to her defense, saying that Emma was very much a woman, before winking at her. She didn't understand the looks the crew gave each other, almost of understanding, nor did she want to know. Whenever someone cut themselves, she would look at that pirate who accused her and asked him if he was going to faint.
It always brought a chuckle up from the crew, and when the pirate decided, he had enough of her teasing. She began to regret her teasing slightly. He approached her as she helped some of the crew transfer some supplies onto the ship at a port. Hook and most of the crew were at a tavern, or wherever their fancies brought them.
She ducked below deck with a crate and situated it where she had been directed before. It was heavy, and honestly as a princess, she was not use to it. As a woman running for her life in the unknowing protection of pirates, she was use to it. Her parents had taught her to adapt as she went, mostly that was for figuring out how to best impress visiting dignitaries or how to assess situations happening in the kingdom and deal with them smoothly.
"I ain't a sodding woman," a deep voice snarled, and the man she had teased – Was it Vincent? Victor? No...Vance – was blocking her exit, "and I don't like being compared to one neither."
Emma felt her heart hammer in her chest and knew she had to choose her words carefully, but she couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "I understand, comparing you to women is an insult to all women everywhere. I'll think of a better insult next time."
"How did you get in the captain's good graces with a mouth like yers?" he demanded, still a snarl in his voice. Emma went to retort, but a look passed over Vance's face. "Wait a minute; I think I know exactly how."
"Oh, well then please enlighten me, because I've been wondering that myself," Emma said dryly, glancing behind the man. Where was the rest of the crew? Weren't they still loading the ship? Someone should've stumbled upon them already. No, she couldn't rely on them; she had to figure out of this on her own. She couldn't rely on others for the rest of her life, well...as royalty, she could, but that was beside the point.
"Life at sea can get pretty lonely," he smirked at her, "I'm sure that the Captain appreciates a female on board, specially one with a pretty mouth likes yers."
Emma clued onto what he was insinuating quickly and a look of disgust washed over her face. "I have not been with Hook."
"Then how does he know if yer a lady?" he demanded.
Emma rolled her eyes. "Because, he's not an idiot like you are."
Vance ignored her words and stared at her with a hard expression. He stepped forwards, "I should see why yer so worth keeping around. Make sure the Captain's getting the best."
Three things happened then. He lunged forwards. Emma ducked. The sound of shoes on the deck above made them both freeze. Emma looked at the man before opening her mouth to call out. He lunged again, clamping his hand over her mouth hard enough to make her body to jolt backwards and head to smack against the crates. She let out a squeeze of pain before Vance's hand secured itself over her mouth. They were still as Emma tried to get loose, but Vance was bigger and she didn't exactly know who was on deck. It could be a pirate who was friendly with her and respected the Captain too much to let something that would clearly be against his morals go. On the other hand, it could be a pirate who was the opposite and would help Vance whom had his disgusting hand over her mouth.
Long agonizing minutes went past before the footsteps headed towards the gangplank again. Vance turned his angry glare onto her. "Yer more trouble than a whore should be."
She wanted to reply back with a witty comeback, maybe screaming for help would be a better choice, but either way she couldn't. His hand was still over her mouth, nearly covering her nose. She was thankful that she could still breathe. Her heart was hammering in her chest but she didn't truly assess the danger she was in until the man undid the ties to his pants and then reached forwards and grasped at her belt. Anger flared through her and she threw her knee upwards. Catching the man between the legs. Hard.
He doubled over, hand slipping from her mouth.
Emma didn't even think. She gave him a hard shove, not even regretting it when he fell into the crates and knocked them down. The supplies were ruined now, but she knew it could be stolen from someone.
Then she turned on her heel and dashed onto deck, it was empty. Where the fuck was the crew? She didn't know the port well enough to know where to run to be safe, so instead she darted towards the gangplank. Making sure that she made enough noise that Vance would head that way and off the ship. She then climbed up one of the shrouds until she was as high as she could be.
It was one thing to face her opponent when she had a sword and could defend herself. It was another to be nearly defenceless against a man twice her size who was in a rage.
It was then Emma heard someone walking up the gangplank and turned to see Hook and Smee, the latter of the two was stumbling slightly as he walked, but otherwise unimpaired. She watched as Vance burst from the hold, blood dripping down his forehead from what she assumed was the broken crates. Hook looked surprised and moved towards Vance, hand moving to his cutlass.
"What's wrong, mate?"
"What's wrong?" Vance snapped, "What's bloody wrong is your whore."
"My what?" Hook stopped his advance, confusion lacing his tone. "I don't have a whore. I've never paid a woman for sex, nor do I intend to."
"The Swan girl! That little bitch pushed me into the supplies, broken nearly four hundred coins worth of items."
"Why would she do that?" Hook asked calmly, hand tightening around his cutlass, "Where is she?"
"The bloody bitch took off, all I told her was that I was close to figuring out who she is and she shoved me."
There was a long stretch of silence, Smee looking between the two of them. Assessing the situation in his drunken state. Hook reached forwards and grasped Vance's shoulder, walking him towards the gangplank. "Then we should go find her."
"And cut her bloody throat," Vance's tone was an order, which Hook read well. However instead he just grinned at Vance and gave him a hard shove down the gangplank. The man tumbled onto the dock and looked up at Hook with thinly veiled anger.
"No, so she can cut yours."
"What!" Vance roared, "You're choosing a whore over a pirate who's been aboard your ship for many years?"
Hook drew his sword, a deadly look on his face, "Men, or women, who join my crew are promised safety from the other crew members."
"Then shouldn't you be pointing your sword in her face?"
"You say you were talking to her, I say you were planning on taking advantage of her. You're pants are undone," Hook waved his sword down and then glared. "You are not to come back onto this ship until you either tell me the truth about what happened, or Swan comes back and tells me her version. If you did more to her than I suspect, I'll feed you to the sharks instead."
"Captain-"
"Shut your bloody mouth. I expect a level of honor to be upheld on my ship, and rape is something I will never condone."
Emma saw other crewmembers watching from further down the dock. When Vance stormed down the dock, they parted and not one gave him a pitying glance. They instead continued to the Jolly Roger and waited until Hook stepped aside and let them climb aboard. Once they were all on board, Hook sheathed his sword and turned towards them. "Twenty gold pieces to the man who kills him," he spoke clearly, "and let this be a lesson to you all. Touch Swan, or any female, in a way that she does not wish to be touched, and there will be twenty gold pieces to the man who brings me your head. Understand, mates?"
A round of aye's floated up to her ears and she breathed out a sigh of relief, but still clung to the shroud as if her life depended on it. Her heart was still beating in her chest wildly. Hook studied the faces of his men before looking towards the dock and then turned sharply towards his men. "Where are the men who were suppose to be loading the ship with supplies?"
No one said anything, just shuffled their feet and glanced around. Hook surveyed the crowd and Emma could tell that he didn't see any of the men. He cursed. "From now on, if I give an order, do not stop until you have carried it to completion!" he growled, angrier at the fact that the ship didn't have everything aboard than at his crew. "Finish loading the ship and preparing it for the journey in the morning! If Swan comes aboard, send her to my chambers, I'd like to speak to her."
More aye's before Hook turned, his coat billowing around him and he stormed into his cabin. The door slammed shut and the crew jumped to do his bidding. Well, at least the ones who were sober enough to carry it out. Emma continued to clutch the ropes of the shroud until most of the crew had retired below. Only a few were still on deck, drinking or just lounging about.
Peg was sitting on the railing beside the gangplank looking at the dock intently. She climbed down quietly and landed on the deck with a slight thud. Peg looked back sharply and their eyes met. He jumped up and hugged her tightly, surprising her. "You didn't leave!" he cried out happily, startling the other crewmembers into looking over. "You outsmarted Vance! Are you hurt?" he backed up and studied her for a moment, "Why didn't you come down earlier?"
Emma was about to speak but Peg shook his head, "Captain's wanting you in his quarters."
"I heard," she murmured before ruffling his hair, "Thanks for caring, kid."
He scowled lightly at her, "I'm not a kid."
"How old are you, anyways?" she asked, a question she hadn't been able to poise before. He looked younger than anyone else on the crew that much was sure.
"Eleven."
Her heart dropped and she stared at him in shock. This kid was eleven? With the amount of dirt on his face and his outfit and knowledge, he seemed to be just below adulthood. He gave her a light push towards the stern of the ship and then headed towards the crew's quarters. Emma wanted to reach out to the boy but instead turned on her heel and all but stormed towards the captain's quarters. The moment with Vance completely off her mind as Peg's age weighed at her heart. She knocked on the door and waited until Hook barked at whoever it was to either sod off or come in.
Emma opened the door and entered. Hook was sitting at his desk; legs propped up, shirt unbuttoned and flask in his mouth as he downed his rum. Normally that sight would've given her some pause, but right now, she stormed straight up to his table. "Eleven?" she snapped.
Hook gave her a confused look, "What are you talking about, love?"
"He's eleven!" she nearly shouted, but checked her volume and leaned forwards instead. "Why would you bring an eleven year old boy aboard a pirate ship?"
"He's useful, and his parents abandoned him. I wasn't going to let the boy die," he explained before swinging his legs off his desk and standing up. "Why the bloody hell are you questioning me about that? You're virtue was almost taken!"
"I can handle myself, but an eleven year old boy-"
"Swan," he snapped, "The boy's been on this ship for a year and hasn't had anything happen to him. You however have been on board for less than a few months and something horrible happens, and you want to talk about him?"
"I was raised to care about others, Hook. Too see their happiness is accomplished before my own."
Hook slammed his flask down a bit harder than necessary and rubbed his face. "If you want the boy's safety, then you're in charge of making sure he's not hurt," he ordered, giving her a look. "There. That's done. Why don't we focus on something more pressing, shall we?"
Emma glared at him, but knew that it would just be a back and forth until one of them broke, and she knew that neither of them would break. She had to relent...for now. However, it wasn't over and she would be speaking to him again about it in the near future, she could bet on that. "Fine."
Hook's face softened and he walked around the table, "What happened?"
She told him exactly what happened, holding no detail back. Hook's face hardened until he had to look away. "Who would've come back to the ship?"
"I don't know, but I also suspect Vance had something to do with the other crew member's sudden disappearance. We'll depart first thing in the morning. You'll spend the night here, and I'll sleep in the crew's quarters," he ordered, moving to grab some things, Emma grabbed his arm.
"What are you talking about?"
"If Vance does return, I'm sure it'll be to slit your throat. He'll expect you to be with the others."
"Ah, but if he sees you there, he'll figure out where I am."
Hook hesitated, studying her. "Then what do you propose, because I am not risking your life or any other crew member's life because of that bastard."
Emma was silent for a moment. Blowing through a couple different plans in her head before she met his eyes again. "You said this ship will go where you want, regardless of how many crew members?" he slowly nodded, "Well, we sail out of port so Vance cannot get on the ship for the night. Gather some supplies before we leave tomorrow and then sail off for the last time. If Vance does try anything tomorrow morning, I'm sure one of your crew will be up to slicing his throat and winning those twenty gold pieces."
Hook grinned at her, "You're bloody amazing, Swan."
