Chapter 8

Killian stayed in the hospital for the next four days, allowing the Victor and the other doctors to make sure that there wouldn't be any infections. Emma didn't leave his side for a second; she was always there when he woke up and slept in a chair next to him overnight. She was there when Killian woke up in the middle of the night from nightmares, sweat dripping down his face and soaking his shirt. Emma would sit next to him, hold his hand, tell him that everything was okay, and tenderly run her fingers through his hair until he fell back asleep.

On the third day, Emma woke up to find Eric sitting across from her.

"Hi Emma."

"Hey," she replied, stretching her arms up, then wrapped them around her curled up legs.

"How's he holding up?"

"No infections, which is good. He's not over the fact that he lost his left hand though. And I wouldn't blame him." She shifted her gaze over to Killian, who was still sound asleep. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you... I've been so worried and I haven't left and-"

"No need to explain, lass," Eric cut her off. "I understand that you want to stay with him as much as you can."

Emma gave the man a small smile. "How did you find out?"

"Widow Lucas, or Granny, told me."

She nodded.

"What's the matter, darling?"

Emma looked up at the old man. "What?"

"Something's bothering you, I can tell."

Like father, like son. "This is all my fault. If I had just gone with Sir Cassidy, Killian would be safe here with you and wouldn't have had his hand chopped off..." she trailed off, trying to hold back the tears that were stinging her eyes. "It's all my fault," she whispered.

"No, it's not your fault. Tell me, how did he lose his hand?"

"Sir Cassidy sliced it off while they were dueling."

"And for what reason were they dueling?"

"Me."

"Exactly. You see, my dear, Killian loves you. With all his heart. If you just left him here, he would not be able to handle it. He would've chased after you and fought this Cassidy man for you later. He will always fight for you. No matter what, no matter when, and no matter who he's against." Eric walked over to where Emma was sitting and took her hands in his. "He loves you, Emma. There isn't a thing he wouldn't do to make sure you're safe and happy."

Eric looked down at Killian and gave his son's hand a small squeeze. He turned back to Emma and planted a light kiss on the top of her head. "When he wakes up, tell him I was here."

Emma nodded and watched Eric leave the hospital room.


The early morning of the fourth day, Killian was released from the hospital. He and Emma walked along the empty streets in silence, both waiting for one to begin talking.

"I'm sorry, Emma."

"For what?"

"This." He gestured to his bandaged stump. "Now I can't wear a wedding band. What are to do when at our wedding? I have no bloody finger to wear a ring, no bloody hand for you to hold, no-"

"Killian," Emma interrupted, stopping in front of him and cupping his cheeks with her hands, "it's fine."

"No, love, it's no-"

"Yes, it is. When we get married, everyone will know. It will be official. Emma Swan is married to Killian Jones. We don't need a ring to prove to people that we love each other. I will always love you. And that's what matters most to me."

Killian smiled at her. "Gods I love you." He brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss.

Emma smiled against his lips and ran her fingers through his thick black hair. She pulled back, grinning at him, and gave him one last quick kiss. "What are we going to do now?"

"We run like hell. We get the hell out of here before Cassidy finds you."

"What about your father?"

"I'll tell him we'll come back. But right now, you need to be safe."

"Where will we go?"

Killian looked out toward the docks, then back to Emma. "Where ever the wind takes us."

Emma and Killian quickly made their way to the docks, but stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they saw who was waiting for them.

"Glad to see you two out and about," sneered Neal. "Better already, blacksmith?"

Killian glared at Neal and wrapped his arm tightly around Emma's waist. "What do you want?"

"What I came for, of course." He smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Get them."

Suddenly, two burly men grabbed both Emma and Killian, separating the couple.

Killian tried his best to squirm out of the man's arms and continuously shouted, "Let her go!" Within a minute in his arms, the man knocked Killian out, making him go limp like a rag doll.

"Killian!" Emma screamed and fought even harder to escape the other man's arms. She glared at Neal as he walked up to her with a devilish smirk on his face. "I'm serious about what I said before. If he dies, so do I. If you harm him in any way-"

Neal groaned in disgust. "Save it, princess."

The next thing she knew, Emma felt something clock her in the back of her head. Everything went black.


Emma slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light hitting her face. She felt the room gently rock back and forth; she looked around not knowing where she was. She sat up, wincing and clutching the back of her head, which was slightly throbbing. Emma slowly slipped out of the bed she was lying in and wandered around the small room, gazing at the silver and gold adornments and the crystal chandelier that hung from the center of the ceiling. Still unsure of where she was, she sat back down on the bed. She looked out a window for a second, then turned away. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned back around to stare out the small circular window. All she saw were clear skies and miles of deep blue seas ahead. She took a deep breath in: the faint scent of sea salt. Emma ran out of the room and down many dark, narrow corridors until she found a staircase leading up to a small opening. She made her way to the top, stepping out onto the deck. She frantically looked around, clenching her teeth as soon as she saw Neal standing by the edge.

"You're awake! Come come! It's quite a beautiful view from here."

Emma stormed over to Neal and before he could say another word, her hand flew across his cheek. "Where the hell am I?"

Neal tenderly touched his cheek, which had turned crimson, and laughed. "Surely I don't need to educate you on the seas, do I, Miss Swan?"

Emma raised her hand again, finding great pleasure when Neal flinched, and growled, "Where are we going?"

"Back to your kingdom, just like I told you."

"Where's Killian?" When she didn't get a response, she slapped Neal again and screamed, "Where is he? What did you do to him?"

Before she could bring her hand across his face again, Neal grabbed Emma's wrist and shoved her against a wall, giving her no escape. "Let's just say your blacksmith won't be seeing the light of day for awhile. And mark my words; the moment we disembark back at your kingdom, he's going straight to the gallows. And if you try to stop me, well," Neal smirked as he let go of her wrist, "let's just assume that you won't like the outcome." Neal turned around and called out, "Jack? Escort Miss Swan back to her room. I think she needs some rest after her little outing."

"I can find my way back to my room by myself," Emma snarled. As she passed by Neal, she unsheathed his sword and held it to his face. "As the only woman on this ship, I'm taking this with me. Better pray to the gods I don't use it." She stormed off and disappeared down below deck.


The day seemed to drag along very slowly. Emma refused to leave her room, knowing that if she saw Neal she would slap him again. She fiddled with his sword, admiring the detailed work of the golden grip and swinging it as practice. Emma looked at herself in the mirror that hung on one of the walls and sighed. Knowing that if indeed she had to use the sword, she sure as hell wouldn't be able to fight in a dress. She quickly changed into a sailor's uniform she found in one of the various trunks in the room and posed in front of the mirror once more. Emma smirked; her mother would have a heart attack if she saw how she looked now. She flopped on the bed and stared out the window, waiting for the sun to go down.

Once the moon was out and the stars were sparkling in the dark skies, Emma tiptoed out of her room and quietly made her way up to the deck. She checked to make sure no one was with her and walked to the edge of the ship. She looked out at the vast seas and sighed. Killian should be here, standing next to me. Emma desperately wanted to search for Killian, but she feared what Neal or one of his men would do to him if they found her looking.

"What are you doing up here?"

Emma jumped and spun around, facing one of the large men. "I... I just needed some fresh air."

"A girl like you out here all by yourself? That can be very dangerous, little princess."

The man took a step towards her and Emma quickly backed up. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

The man kept creeping towards her, and she kept backing up until she it a wall. "Don't worry. I just want to have some fun. It won't hurt."

The man ran his hand down Emma's arm, making her flinch and pull out Neal's sword. "Don't touch me."

She heard a chuckle in the darkness. "A little princess with a little sword. Let see what sweet girl like you can do." He lit one of the dirty glass lanterns that hung above her head, bringing a dim light onto the deck. The man pulled out his sword and got into position. "Show me what you can do, little princess."

At that, Emma swung at him, smirking at his surprised expression. The fighting came easily to her; after no more than two minutes, she disarmed the man and stabbed him in the gut, eliciting a scream in pain from him. Emma pulled out the sword and pushed the man overboard, spinning around to find another coming running up on deck. The two fought, with Emma working harder that she expected. She tried to run out of his way, which only resulted in the man's sword scratching her arm. Before he could turn around to face her, Emma stabbed the man in the back, pulled out her sword, and kicked him off the edge of the ship, watching him yell on his way down.

Emma turned around as soon as she heard more footsteps, smiling at the fact that the last man didn't have his sword with him. "Walk over here. Now," she demanded, pointing her sword at the man's face.

He did as she said, and she tied the man's hands together behind his back, gagged him, and tied him to the mainmast.

She stood back, admiring her work. "Now don't say a word. Or else I'll stick the pointy end of this into you." Emma poked the man with the tip of her sword, making him hyperventilate. "Good. I think we're on the same terms now."

She wrapped up her wound to stop the bleeding, found more rope and cloth for her next victim, crouched next to the opening down to below deck, and waited.

A/N: Hi there! I don't know if any of you has seen the latest teaser for Once Upon A Time but HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL I AM SO EXCITED WHY CAN'T MARCH 9th COME SOONER! *hyperventilating and flails off into the sunrise* I miss it so much... Sunday nights feel so empty without it. (I'm so dramatic ahahaha) Anyways, thank you so much again for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! I really liked writing this chapter... it's fun writing badass Emma. Don't worry, more badass Emma to come! I hope you guys like this chapter!