Part 10

Emma stares wide eyed at the wolf in front of her, too shocked to move a muscle. The animal barks once, as if in greeting, then moves closer to her, pushing at her hand with its muzzle. Habit takes over and Emma caresses the wolf's head absentmindedly. He seems to notice though, because he whines a complaint at her, nudging her. It's only when she feels the wolf wrap himself around her legs, does Emma come out of her trance.

"By the Gods, I saw you Killian", she tells the wolf as she crouches low. He can't answer her with words, but, like every so often, he puts his head on her shoulder. Emma's arms wrap around him and she buries her head deep in his fur, breathing him in. It's something she's grown to appreciate in the last few months, the scent of him always calming her nerves. She closes her eyes and strokes his back, waiting for her heart to calm down. He's usually not so amenable - the wolf's not accustomed to being hugged for so long, after all - but this time he doesn't protest. It's as if he feels she needs embrace.

Emma is unsure how many minutes pass before her heart feels calm again and she lets go of him. The wolf is watching her closely when she lets go, and this time, the intense blue stare makes shivers run down her spine. She now knows for a fact they're his eyes she sees every time she watches the wolf and that thought makes her heart leap in her chest again.

He's beautiful, more beautiful she ever would have thought. But it's his eyes that have her mesmerized. They were opened wide in shock, and despite the lack of time, she did catch a glimpse of more in his gaze: there was also kindness, care, and so much pain. He was a man accustomed to loss and that was present in his gaze, fleeting as the encounter was.

She realizes then that something like this should not have happened. The curse should not have allowed them to see each other, not matter how short the meeting. So why did it happen? How? These are questions she does not have an answer to, questions she doesn't even know where to start answering. But maybe Killian will know! With this thought formed, Emma rushes to the desk to write a message for him. She sees his note and while she's curious to see what he's sharing with her, her excitement is too great to put a lid on. Only after she pens her own message to Killian, does she pick up his note again.

"My dearest princess,

You certainly are a brave one, aren't you? I confess I didn't believe you would accept this arrangement, but I suppose I should not find it so unbelievable since few things have gone to plan since I've met you.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable about this, you need only say the word and things will go back to the way they were until now. It is a bit odd, is it not, to take such a step without having seen each other yet?

Today is the autumn equinox, one of the two moments a year when the day and night have equal length. It means nothing to our current predicament, but it is something I believe you will enjoy knowing.

Do you know you've been with us for almost 3 months now? Would you consider having dinner with me in celebration of our anniversary?

Yours,

Killian

P.S. Please say yes!

Just like that, Emma is stunned into speechlessness again. If she's surprising him, he certainly manages to keep up with her on that front. An equinox! And an anniversary dinner! How does he think they could manage it? But after today, maybe there's a way. She never would have thought she'd see him while still cursed, but maybe it was the equinox that helped them beat those particular odds. So why not dinner, she thinks.

Killian wakes up to a familiar lull. It takes him a few seconds to recognize it as his own bed, in his own quarters, and even longer to realize why that might be odd. As he opens his eyes, his gaze falls upon a hawk - his princess, his True Love. She shrieks and opens her wings wide, the gesture one Killian is familiar with by now. It's the sort of greeting she bestows on him and he can't help the smile forming on his lips. She's magnificent.

That's when the memory hits him. He's seen her last night! For barely a moment, but he caught a glimpse of her and it was enough for the image of her to imprint itself on his retinas and senses. The Princess Emma from Henry's drawing had been beautiful, but the woman in front of him had been nothing short of magnificent. Chuckling to himself, Killian thinks the adjective is an apt description for her in either form, human or beast.

And her eyes, that's what he mostly remembers. Green as the lushest forest or the colour of the seas after a storm, it was the look in them that spoke to him. He'd started to care for her in the weeks since she'd come aboard, but one look in her eyes and he's hooked for good. If he'd been lured in by her personality, bravery, determination, and stubbornness, he's definitely aware now he's fallen in love with her.

Remembering all of a sudden the question he'd asked the day before, he turns towards his desk, eager to discover what her response is. His heart starts beating wildly in his chest; it's ridiculous, he knows, but he can't help wanting for this to happen. So what if they can't meet face to face yet (for more that a glimpse, apparently), he can still woo her. And on that thought, how did they see each other?

The question remains unanswered, though. Emma's answer is yes and it blots out any other train of thought. She wants to have dinner with him, to celebrate their anniversary, and he wants to make it memorable for her. He won't be able to be there with her, but he will plan this dinner to the best of his abilities. Thoughts on how they met are pushed aside for now; he has a meal to prepare for.

It takes him the rest of the day to get everything done. He's careful to choose the dishes he knows or suspects she likes; he even helps the cook prepare some of them in his quest for perfection. He asks Henry to create some paper flowers for his princess, and then he hovers over the boy's shoulder to make sure they're the right hue and shape.

An hour before sunset, he goes to the bow of the ship to make the last preparations for the picnic. He's so caught up with the finishing touches, he barely realizes it when the sun sinks below the horizon. Sighing, he moves the pot of flowers a little bit more to the left, then goes downstairs. The time is up; he just hopes Princess Emma will like it.

The moment she comes to, Emma notices there's something different about the room, although the wolf is in his usual place, head resting calmly over his forward paws. It takes her a few minutes to pinpoint exactly what it is. He's a neat freak on the best of days, but he's obviously made an extra effort today. The change is subtle, but it's there: the room is spotless clean, more so than usual, a single white envelope sitting in the middle of the immaculate desk. She recognizes immediately Killian's flourished handwriting and she can't help but smile. If these subtle changes are any indication, then Killian has put an extra effort into making this dinner a pleasant affair for her.

The thought warms her heart. They cannot be face to face on this occasion, but she's sure he's prepared something special for her. The realization makes her feel giddy like a little girl, again. How many times in the last few weeks has he made her feel this way? She'd lost her heart to him long before she'd seen him in the flesh yesterday. Emma's grin broadens. She's found her True Love and fallen in love with him. The thought alone makes her feel hopeful beyond belief; the night she'd discovered about the curse she had felt as if the world had come crashing down on her, but now she's ready to take on the entire universe.

So, because he's apparently made an extra effort, Emma dons her best dress and takes extra care to arrange her hair in an elaborate braid, one that circles her head as a crown. Finished, she twirls a bit around the room and looks at herself in the small mirror hung up on one of the beams by the door. She may have worn more elaborate gowns and may have had more intricate hairstyles, but she can't remember a time when she's felt more desirable. She hasn't even seen what he's prepared for dinner yet, but somehow she knows he won't disappoint on that front either.

Pleased with her looks, Emma steps closer to the desk and picks up the letter.

"My dearest Emma,

After I lost Liam, I never thought I would have someone else to care for in my life again. But then I found you. I don't care how we've come to find each other, only that we did. And to be perfectly honest, I'm grateful for the circumstance that has brought you to my life, be it as it is.

I would love nothing more than to join you at the moment you're reading this, but alas, we'll have to wait a bit more. I do hope, once the curse is broken, that you will agree to accompany me on another dinner. Until then, a small feast awaits you, my lady, at the bow of the ship. Henry will tend to your needs tonight, but the others will leave you be, should you so wish it.

Killian"

Eager, and with a huge smile plastered on her face, Emma extends her hand towards the quiet wolf still in the corner. He hadn't moved an inch since her transformation, silently watching her find her bearings and get ready. "Come on, now, let us go above stairs", she beckons. He's up on all fours and by her side in a couple of seconds. Emma opens the door of their quarters a bit forcefully, very much determined to make it up on deck as soon as possible, and stumbles her way through the narrow passage.

True to Killian's word, Emma finds a skeleton crew of the night shift on deck. Jamison is there, manning the helm, and so is Henry. The lad smiles brightly as he notices her and scrambles across the deck to join her. He makes an exaggerated bow, more like the type of bow he thinks she expects, than the real thing, but it doesn't bother her. It's a sweet gesture, and it warms her heart to know that they're all trying to make this night memorable for her.

"Good evening, Sir Henry", she greets the boy as she hooks her hand through his arm. Henry blushes profusely and stammers a response in kind, which makes her grin wider. "What is Killian up to," she asks the question still smiling. The boy seems to catch up on her light mood, because he's smiling too.

"If you will allow me to escort you, you will find out soon, Your Highness."

It's a bit too saucy a reply for Henry, so Emma raises one of her eyebrows in turn. It's such a Killian Jones thing to say, it's endearing really to see it on his young charge; but she cannot let Henry get away with it so easily, hence the raised brow.

Henry gets a bit flustered, but recovers himself quickly and motions Emma towards the bow. She stops mid-step a few feet before she reaches it, stunned. While she knew he would prepare something grand, the end result is so romantic and sweet, she never would have imagined something quite like this from Killian Jones. Not in the middle of the high seas, at any rate.

There's a woollen blanket draped across the floor, a few covered pots in a corner and a bottle of wine beside it. But what draws her attention next is a bottle turned into a vase - there are paper flowers in it, a dozen by the looks of it. Confused, she looks at Henry. The lad blushes again and scratches at something behind his right ear.

She picks one up and looks at the craftsmanship - it's beautiful, almost real. Were it not for its texture, she would have thought it a true rose. After all, from afar, it had looked like a small bouquet of roses.

"The Captain asked me to make these for you, Your Highness", Henry supplies in explanation. "He wanted you to have some flowers, but since we're in the middle of the sea, this was the only solution he came up with."

Not wanting Henry to see how touched she is by this seemingly inconsequential gesture, Emma cradles the flower to her chest, head lowered. Her pirate is definitely a romantic, much as he would probably deny it even under threat of torture.

"The Captain has also prepared something special for you. He and the cook have spent most of the afternoon working on this", adds the lad with a satisfied smile on his lips.

Bowing, with one hand extended towards her, Henry continues: "If you would, milady." Emma places her hand in the lad's and he helps her sit on the blanket. He bows again before retreating a bit to the side. "Enjoy the meal, Your Highness. If you need anything, I'll be here."

Alone, Emma stares again at all the things laid out on the blanket beside her: the pots of food, the bottle of wine on the side, the roses carefully crafted by Henry. And, at the side, another scroll - a message from Killian, no doubt. She takes a moment to calm her racing heart - no one, ever, had gone to so much effort for her. The feast isn't luxurious by any stretch of the word, but the care that went into preparing everything, makes it all invaluable. She may have received countless presents more expensive than this, but this dinner will forever be one of her most cherished memories.

She stretches her hand to grab the foolscap and it's only then she realizes that her hands are trembling. She takes a few deep breathes and tries again. The message is indeed from Killian, and this one is much longer that the letters he usually leaves for her. It's soon clear why: most of this letter contains details about the constellations she's going to see in front of her as the hours will pass. His letter is full of tales of woe and love stories and it once again surprises her just how much the lonesome pirate knows. And she can't help but wonder how good at storytelling he actually is.

She's going to spend the evening as he's wished it: eating the meals they've prepared for her, drinking some wine and enjoying the clear sky with all those constellations making an appearance tonight. There's only one thing that puts a pall on the evening: his parting words - "Wishing I were there with you". It's a statement that has a claim more and more profound on her heart, one that makes her soul hurt more and more each day.

Two months later, Killian feels frustration and hopelessness engulf him. He's not made any progress in weeks, and while he's narrowed down the location of the next possible eclipse, he's nowhere near knowing where exactly it will be. And the fact that time is running out for them weighs heavily on his mind. On Emma's too, he knows, but she's too gracious to say anything about it. He can feel it though, and it's enough to choke him on the best of days. But today, he's downright depressed.

There's less than half an hour to dusk so he doesn't bother going back on deck. He'll just wait there for the transformation to occur. Maybe this is what his life is destined to be like for the rest of his days: half man, half wolf, in love with a woman he can never touch in human form, but condemned to long for her forever.

"Bloody hell", he yells in frustration, throwing the book he'd been reading at the door. Sighing, Killian passes a tired hand through his hair and picks up his pen.

Emma,

He stares at her name for several minutes. Where should he start in telling her it's hopeless. That the eclipse could happen a day's length away, but he has no idea in which direction? That he feels they're so close, yet so far away from a solution?

I haven't made any breakthrough today, either. I do not know where to go from here. Forgive me.

He feels tears welling in his eyes and he swats angrily at his eyes. He leaves the letter unsigned; he should say more, but the feels there's nothing more to add.

Emma becomes aware of her surroundings shortly after the sun has set. She's a tad confused at first, as usual, but her bewilderment disappears as soon as she sees the wolf. He's sitting down in front of their shared desk, head on his front paws. It's his usual position, but something feels off. He barely lifts his head in acknowledgement and she knows something's happened. While different beings, Emma knows by now that the wolf usually acts in tune with his human counterpart.

Besides, she'd known Killian was getting despondent. The few lines she finds from him heighten her worries. Because they are a sign of more than that. He seems to have lost his hope and Emma knows that is dangerous. She knows how debilitating not believing can be, so she wants to do for him what he did for her when he kidnapped her: give him some hope.

She crouches low besides him and threads her head through the wolf's mane, in a soothing gesture. He barely reacts.

The question is how to cheer him up. What could she possibly say to him that wouldn't sound pathetic? What could she help him with? While she'd learnt everything he'd told her, and read every book on navigation and astronomy in his possession, she's aware her input is mildly helpful at best. And right now, nothing short of concrete steps forward will help him. So what could she do?

She peruses his notes again, then the letters where he'd taught her something about the movement of stars. She's barely aware when Henry brings her some food, but she's happy for the interruption. She's starving. She tries to feed the wolf as well, but he's still not paying attention to her and that just makes her more determined to find a way to get his hopes up. They're close, she knows it.

It's some time later, after she's gone through his notes for a second time, that she notices his maps. She may not know much about navigation, but she can read maps. Picking up the first of the bunch strewn across a corner of the desk, obviously the one Killian is currently focused on, Emma peers at it to study the several lines drawn across the upper half. They mean nothing though; they're just curved lines from one side of the map to the other.

Emma sighs wistfully. She really wishes she were able to know what he was doing there… Were those the boundaries for the solar eclipse? She does remember Killian telling her solar eclipses are to be found within certain areas. Emma can't ask him right away to clarify, but she does intend to do so in her next letter.

Then something draws her attention to the upper right corner of the map and Emma gasps. It's Arendelle, her friend Elsa's kingdom! It's been so long since she's been there, since she's talked to Elsa and Anna. Those first few months after losing her parents, she'd been with Elsa in Arendelle, helping her cope with taking leadership of her realm. Those moments spent together had only reinforced their friendship.

She misses Elsa and her clear head and Emma feels a stab of guilt. Elsa is her best friend, yet, since the curse, she's never told her what she was going through. She'd written to her, of course, albeit sporadically, but she'd never confided in her friend. And she'd refused any invitation to visit Arendelle. Yet now, as she thinks about everything, Emma feels an idea taking shape.

Killian's been upset because he couldn't get any more useful information from his books. But Elsa has books. Plenty of books, to be honest! Emma has no idea where the Jolly Roger is at the moment, but maybe they can go to Arendelle next. Elsa would help them. She may be distrustful of a pirate ship in her port, but Emma knows Elsa trusts her, and she trusts Elsa to help them. The queen of Arendelle will keep them safe. Determined, and feeling much better, Emma starts writing her message to Killian.

My dear Captain,

Remember it is always darkest before dawn! Have hope!

I went through all our notes, but I cannot give you any insight at the moment. I did notice the map, though. Those lines, what are they? Do we have to be within their perimeter in order to see the eclipse?

I don't know where we are currently, but I'd like to make a suggestion. Elsa, the Queen of Arendelle, is my dearest friend. She will aid us, if we were to ask for her help. And she would allow us to make use of her vast library if we so desired.

I would like to ask for her help, Killian. I know you don't trust royals, but I am asking you to trust me, again. Elsa will not betray us. And if you do agree to go to Arendelle, we must arrive at night. I must talk to her first.

Yours,

Emma

P.S. I miss the sun so much. Sometimes, I don't even believe I recall what its warmth feels like. Shall we go on picnics when the curse is broken?

The next night, things feel a bit different. The wolf seems to be a bit more animated than before and that gives Emma confidence that Killian's found some hope in her letter. And when she reads his message, she knows she had the right idea.

Emma,

It will be as you wish, my lady. We are close to the Arendelle border, and I've set the Jolly on a course towards the capital. If the weather holds, we should be there in two days time.

Yours,

Killian

P.S. It would be my pleasure, Your Highness. Shall we go on picnics at night, too? I would love to show you the stars myself. It's been so long since I've seen them last...

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, the longest so far. The "date" scene sprang out of nowhere and it proved to be the most difficult to plan and write. I wanted to do it justice, while also making sure it was fit for the story. And then, by the time I finally sorted things out and my professional life seemed to calm down a bit, things in my country went to hell and I've been out doing my civic duty in every spare moment. If you've followed the news, maybe you've heard something about the protests in Romania against corruption. Anyway, I needed to think about something else tonight, so I decided to finish the chapter and post it. It's barely been edited, so I really hope I haven't made many mistakes and that it was worth the wait :)