Killian could barely believe the amount of boxes and bags that littered the Captain's cabin with clothing for him. He'd managed with hand-me-downs and basic clothes stolen from merchant vessels since he was a child, but now he had an entire wardrobe of leathers and shirts. He knew that she had a plan for him and when he was to wear certain clothing, but she kept it to herself so he didn't ask. He was just pleased with his sturdier footwear and more durable trousers and shirts.
"That's much better." she said as she tied the cord at the back of the laced waistcoat, pulling it in to make it more fitted.
Killian looked over himself in the mirror, amazed by what a change of material could do to his appearance. He didn't look like a slave anymore; he looked like a pirate, a man who'd joined the crew of his own free will.
"I can't thank you enough, Captain." he said, swallowing down the emotion that was building inside of him.
"Don't thank me, just focus on wearing them with pride." she replied with a slight smile, "Think about the man you want to be."
Killian thought that he caught her giving him appreciative looks as he admired his new clothing in the mirror, but he dismissed it as just being his imagination.
Some of the men on the crew seemed to study his new attire when he arrived in the galley for dinner that evening wearing new leather trousers, a leather waistcoat and a black shirt, but none of them mentioned it.
"Don't hold it like that or you'll hurt yourself." Emma warned as Hook held the sword up behind him with the handle beside his head. She gently took hold of his arm and the handle of the sword, guiding them into the proper position. She'd announced to the crew that she'd be training him to use a sword, with the excuse of him being more useful to them during battles with other ships. He'd visibly paled at the thought of fighting to kill, even if he knew that she had no plans to make him run anyone through anytime soon.
"That does feel a little more natural, Captain." Killian admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Widen your stance a little, you need to be balanced and not lose your footing if the ship rocks or someone pushes you." she instructed, putting her foot between his and pushing them apart, "There. Even if you move around during a sword fight, you should always try to keep a strong stance."
She walked a few feet away from him and drew her sword, getting into position opposite him. She raised her sword and swung it, a clang of metal ringing out as their swords met and his went flying off across the deck.
"You need to hold on tight to the sword. There's no point letting it go the minute your opponent strikes it." she said, resting her blade against his throat, "One mistake like that and you won't live to make another."
Killian nodded, swallowing nervously as he looked down at the polished metal at his throat, "I understand, Captain."
"Go and get it and let's try again." Emma said, lowering her sword and stepping away to give him some space to ready himself to try again.
The next time, he lasted a little longer before he found himself in a potentially fatal position with her sword across his neck.
"In this scenario, you've got one advantage that none of us have." Emma said, holding her sword steady, "If your sword arm is stuck in one position, then you can use your hook for more leverage to push my blade away."
"My hook?" Killian replied in surprise, looking down at the shiny metal attachment at the end of his left arm, "Do you really think it could be useful?"
"I think it'll be your trademark move." she chuckled, stepping back so he could bring up his hook, "You need to catch the blade in the hook, then you'll be able to hold my sword away from your neck with both of your arms. That gives you much better leverage to push me away or knock my legs from under me."
He nodded, placing his hook over the blade and testing the move, "Like that?"
"That's it." she replied, forced back a few steps by the two points of contact on her blade, "Any good sword fight is about balance and weight. If you can stay balanced and put some weight behind your movements then you'll be able to keep yourself alive."
"That's quite the skill you've got there, Emma." a voice said from behind her and Emma turned quickly, holding her sword raised. She'd been practicing with her sword in the darkness on the deck, with only one lantern to light the planks beneath her feet.
"Captain Ignis." she greeted, looking over the man but not lowering her sword, "How do you know my name?"
"I know everything that goes on aboard my ship, including that you're a woman. You're not just any woman though, are you? You're Princess Emma." he continued, slowly approaching her in the darkness.
"I'm not who you think I am." she replied, preparing to kill the Captain if necessary to keep her secret.
"Yes, you are." he chuckled, "But don't worry, I'm on the run from a great evil as well so your secret is safe with me."
"An evil as great as the Evil Queen?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"My father is the Dark One." he replied simply.
Emma's eyes widened in surprise, "That is a great evil." she agreed quietly, lowering her sword.
"He was once a man, but now the darkness has corrupted him so much that I barely recognized him when I left." he explained, "As evil a pirate as I may be, I am full of mercy compared to my father."
"I don't think you to be evil, Captain." she replied.
"Please, call me Baelfire." he said, taking her hand and pressing his lips to it.
As soon as he began to spar with the other men on the deck at sunset, Emma knew she'd made the right decision about training Killian. He was a natural with a sword, moving with grace, speed and strength. He made rookie errors but he'd only been learning how to wield a sword for a couple of weeks, so it was impressive when he managed to beat a few of the men. He saw opportunities where others didn't and he now had enough confidence in his skill to take advantage of that. She never took part in sparring with the crew, choosing instead to spar with Anderson at dawn, but she always watched their bouts from the helm.
"Out of the way men, it's my turn." Anderson declared, getting up from the barrel he'd been sat on and drawing his sword. He'd been moderating the sparring to ensure that it remained lighthearted so no one got hurt. He agreed with the Captain's plan to train Hook and he was looking forward to using his old navy skills against the still-learning pirate.
Killian stepped out of the ring and stood at the rail, drinking a few sips of water from his tankard to give himself a momentary break before sparring with the first mate. He knew that this was some kind of defining moment. He didn't need to win the bout, he knew he probably wasn't skilled enough to, but he did need to hold his own for as long as possible. When he was ready, he returned to the ring and got into position.
"Ready?" Anderson asked and lunged forward as soon as Hook nodded.
Killian fought back as best he could, meeting Anderson's blade and ducking out of the way each time that the blade came too close to his body. In a purely instinctual move, he spun to distract his opponent and forced their blades together again, flicking his wrist quickly and sending the sword flying from Anderson's hand.
There was silence on the deck as everyone looked between Anderson's lost sword and the cowardly deckhand who'd somehow managed to beat the navy-trained first mate.
"Do you yield?" Killian asked, the blade of his sword resting gently against Anderson's throat. After weeks of lessons with Emma, he knew better than to walk away before receiving confirmation from his opponent that the spar was over.
"Yes. I yield." Anderson replied with a chuckle and a nod. He stepped back and clapped his hands as Killian lowered his blade, the rest of the crew joining in with the applause.
"Excellent work, lad. You'll be giving the Captain a run for her money soon." Anderson complimented, slapping him on the back before he went to retrieve his sword.
Killian blushed and nodded to all of the clapping men, smiling nervously at their response. He knew that they'd been warming to him as a member of the crew, but he didn't realise that they'd be pleased for him when he achieved something of note. He looked over to the helm and couldn't keep the grin from his face when Captain Swan gave him a nod of acknowledgement.