[A/N]: Look at this! I got the chapter done! *throws confetti everywhere* This one took a while. And what I mean by took a while, is that I procrastinated a lot. Sorry, hehe. But, hey, it's here! There are most likely dozens of grammar/spelling issues in here, but it's late, so I'll edit it tomorrow. The princess and lieutenant just might be becoming... dare I say it... friends? Maybeee (it's about time though). I hope you guys enjoy this one.

As always, thank you so so much for all your support guys! I mean it, the only thing that reminded me to write this chapter was the notifications I would get when a person reviewed or followed/faved this story. Please enjoy!


Chapter Seven

Haunt


\ˈhänt\ - verb: to stay around or persist.


Emma woke with a start, gasping for breath as her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Still in a daze, her wide eyes scanned the small cabin frantically, but when she saw no sign of danger she sunk back into the cot. The sheets, damp from her sweat, were clutched in her fists. Flashes of red and maniacal laughter filled her ears every time she closed her eyes. She was so sick of it.

It had been three nights since she had gotten more than two hours worth of sleep and she was tired of it, both mentally and physically. While she was awake, her eyelids always drooped, her appetite was gone, and she felt as weak as a newborn child. Both her mother and father seemed to have already noticed her sleep deprivation, but after many years of parenting Emma, they had learned that the best way to get to her was to let her go to them. However, this time, the blonde was adamant in her decision not to go to her parents about her nightmares. She didn't want to bring up any of those memories; she had already seen plenty in her sleep.

So, when Emma rose from below the deck, no one was surprised to see the dark circles under her eyes. Except for the lieutenant, of course. She knew that he had taken notice of her by the way his gaze seemed to scan the ship until he did a double-take at the sight of her. She could barely contain her annoyed sigh as the younger Jones came up to her, looking at her appearance from head to toe. Killian Jones, whom had never been known for his tact, then stated bluntly, "You look terrible, princess."

She made sure to send him a withering glare as her head snapped towards him. "Why, thank you, lieutenant. I can always count on you to be so very charming," she said stiffly and sarcastically. The blue-eyed man's lips parted, as if to shoot back a retort, but they sealed themselves back together quickly. Instead of the snarky reply she was expecting, the sailor simply turned away slightly, as if the sea had suddenly attracted his attention.

All of their conversations were always very similar. It wasn't that there was anything stunting their constant verbal abuse towards each other, no, Emma had plenty to say, and she was positive that the lieutenant was the same. However, whenever he spoke to her, he seemed very cautious of his wording, as if she were a weak structure that could only handle so much weight. She hadn't a clue why he had suddenly become so conscious about his words towards her, but if she were completely honest, she wasn't fond of this new development.

Emma could care less if he cursed her to the moon (not that he ever would). She wished for anything that would get rid of this strange tension between them. When the lieutenant spoke again, she was slightly surprised, "I've also come to inform you that the captain requested a meeting in his cabin. The king and queen should already be there."

She nodded and let him bring her to the small captain's quarters. The room was bright now, rather than the last time she had been inside the room where the only source of light had been a single candle's flame. Now, she could see the small details that she hadn't taken notice to before. A small bed sat in the corner of the cabin with blankets folded and pillows puffed up. To the very right side of the room there was a large chest, which Emma assumed held Liam's possessions, and right next to it there was a line of small shelves filled with books traveling from the chest to the bed. Right above the shelves were two angled windows that allowed sunlight to pour into the room.

The sun shone brightly on some areas of the polished wooden table that lied in the center of the space. The rest of the table was covered with maps and charts of all sorts, and surrounding the mass of maps was her parents. Both the king and the queen were staring at a piece of cartography, only glancing up when they saw the princess and lieutenant enter the cabin. The captain was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning," her mother spoke lightly, giving the pair a smile as they came closer to the table.

Killian replied first, slightly dipping his head as if to bow, "Good morning, your highness. I've retrieved the princess, as you requested."

"Thank you, Killian," her father returned kindly. "Please, do not speak to us with titles in here." The lieutenant simply answered with nod. "It seems like your brother is running a bit late," the king mused.

The man beside her made a frustrated noise. "I swear, he is late to everything, even the things that he organizes," the lieutenant muttered.

"I doubt that he's late to everything," Emma said.

"Remind me to tell you of the time when he went to another village to acquire goods, saying it would only be a day trip. Eventually he returned, making up excuses that the forest had been overrun by trolls and other ridiculous things," Killian replied duly.

"How long did the trip end up taking?"

"A week."

Soon, the captain entered the cabin with a sheepish looking man, Joel, behind him. "Sorry, I'm late your majesties! Our dear sub-lieutenant forgot about our little meeting today."

"No worries, the lieutenant was just telling us tales of your tardiness," Emma then teased. "So, you got held up by trolls in the forest for a week?"

"Oi! I really did get stuck in the forest," the captain defended himself childishly. Killian rolled his eyes at his brother.

"For a week?"

"There were a lot of trolls."

The king and queen watched the small group bicker with small smiles on their faces. Emma's father coughed, breaking the conversation. He still wore an amused expression as he said, "Not that this isn't entertaining, because believe me, I would hire the lot of you to be jesters in a heartbeat, but what is it that you needed to discuss, Liam?"

The blue-eyed man stood straighter, composing himself again before nodding, "Right. Well, I just wanted to notify you of our position at the moment." The captain moved and shifted some of the parchments around until he pulled out one of the larger maps. Everyone crowded around the table as he flattened it out and Emma was grateful, for now she had something to help prop up her weary body. The older of the Jones pointed at two areas, "We are currently here and the end of the Black Sea is here. We're nearly there. What do you say, sub-lieutenant?"

"It will be another two days or so, depending on the speed at which we travel," Joel reported. It was amazing how he could sound so confident, yet shy at the same time. Emma gave him a reassuring smile just for that.

"That's wonderful news," her mother said brightly. "How long until we reach the kingdom, then?"

Killian chimed in, "About another week and a half, possibly less."

"Fantastic." And Emma couldn't help but agree with her mother. She loved traveling outside of the kingdom, but she missed her home and the people that lived in it. Warmth flooded through her just at the thought of it. "Thank you for informing us, captain," Snow White beamed.

Liam grinned, "It was my pleasure. Now," he clapped his hands together, "shall we eat?"

The friendly chatter was back again as the crew munched on their meals, laughing and conversing with their shipmates. Truthfully, as pleasant as it was to see everyone so active and lively, it made her head pound. The lack of sleep was getting to her head, causing everything to seem like one big buzz in her ears. All she wanted to do was crawl into her cot and sleep, but that wouldn't do her any good with her reoccurring nightmares.

So, the princess got her slightly stale bread and meat with a tired sigh. Emma decided that she would eat and then turn in for the day, for her feet were killing her. Searching the deck for a seat, she found the lieutenant sitting on a large crate up against the captain's quarters. His mind seemed to be elsewhere as he slowly chewed his food. The only thing that brought him out of his trance was when she plopped down on the space beside him. He gave her a look before turning back and staring at the other sailors.

Emma took a bite of her bread and meat, not saying a word to the man next to her. The two of them ate in silence until Killian heaved a heavy sigh. "What is it?" He asked.

She blinked and looked towards him. "What is what?"

"You've got something going on in that head of yours," he said simply. "There's a feeling that tells me that 'something' isn't allowing you to sleep."

"What does it matter to you?" Emma huffed. She didn't want to be questioned and certainly not by Killian Jones.

He sent her a look and joked slightly, "What would I do if the princess collapsed at my feet? The king and queen would be very upset." His tone then became more serious, "My first question would be, 'why don't you get some sleep and stop worrying everyone?', but I feel like you're the kind that would have already done that. The only explanation is that you can't sleep. So, I ask again: What is it?"

The blonde sat there, stunned by the lieutenant's miniature deduction. She would have thought that he was the last person that would confront her about her sleeping problem. However, Emma could see through his little uncaring-façade that there was some genuine concern laced in his words. It might have just been there because she was the princess, but it seemed like something more.

"It's a memory… a terrifying one," was all she answered.

What happened next shocked her. The lieutenant chuckled, "That's what's got you up? A nightmare?" Emma felt her face burn slightly as her cheeks lit up. She knew she shouldn't have told him anything. He would just jest at her and laugh. Noticing her anger and humiliation, he put a halt to his laughter, "I'm sorry, princess, I shouldn't have snickered. I just never thought you would be defeated so easily."

She blinked at him incredulously.

He continued, "Princess Emma," he said her name again in what felt like years, "the strong, mighty sword master is taken down by a dream?" The lieutenant cleared his throat. "Though, I suppose I have things I would rather not relive as well. So, I suppose it's quite impressive that you've managed this long."

Emma could hardly believe it. Killian Jones, the strict, pompous ass was giving her a compliment? He had said that he didn't completely despise her, but praise was well beyond what she thought was his capacity. "Was meant to be a flattering remark?"

"It doesn't have to be," he said instantly.

With a slight chuckle, the princess allowed herself to rest her head on the wall behind her. Her eyes drifted shut and she was relieved when there were no bright flashes or screams. Letting herself relax, she breathed out contently, enjoying the cooling sensation from her tired, dry eyes.

As if suddenly uncomfortable with the situation, the lieutenant spoke from beside her, "People will start to talk if we keep on getting along like this. Just having you this close to me is horrible for my reputation," he joked.

"Let them think what they want," using the last of her strength, she lifted one eyelid and shot him a glare, but there was a teasing tone in her words. "I still loathe you."

Killian let out a bark of laughter, "I wouldn't expect anything different, princess."

Emma let her eyes close again, feeling herself drifting off to sleep. She didn't even notice that the lieutenant had not shot back a hate comment as she expected. After that, no one ever told her that her head ended up resting on Killian Jones' shoulder for the rest of the day.

And that Killian didn't move an inch until night fell and the king took his slumbering daughter from his side.