Dashing Pirate Rescue
The Pirate and the Princess
Emma averted her gaze, tearing her head away from his view at the sound of his crass conclusion. "You know you don't have to say it like that." She murmured softly, an uneasiness in her voice.
"My apologies." He said with mirth, his eyes drifting toward her, taking in her guarded and protective stance as she hugged herself, her face covered in her messy curls. "My sharp tongue in your presence is the least of my trouble so forgive me my lady if I don't give a damn." He growled in annoyance, shifting his stance.
"You don't have to be mean..." She whispered against his unsettling tone as she poked her head out from under the long blonde hair curtaining her graceful features as she rubbed her arm.
"Bloody hell." He rolled his eyes, chastising himself with his head hung in the air. He pursed his lips in impatience as he steadily plucked the brass buttons of his vest, separating them from their holes until the material gave way and hung loosely from his shoulders.
"Wha-" She tensed with uncertainty as she realized what he was doing. "What are you doing?" Emma began to back away slowly, keeping herself at a distance from him. She walked until the back of her legs hit the bed behind her. She stopped with a slight jolt, unsteady on her feet, her eyes flashing with fear.
"What does it look like I am doing?" He snapped coldly. "I thought you of all people wouldn't want to stand on ceremony given how long you've been cooped up in this tower..." He shed his waistcoat from his shoulders, folding it delicately and setting it down upon a nearby chair.
"You thought wrong." She glared at him with discontent. "Pirate..." She muttered under her breath.
"Ah. The pirate thing." He recognized the reason for her hesitancy. "You were expecting someone different I presume? Well I hate to disappoint you love, but this pirate is going to be the one to take your virginity." He gestured to himself with an arrogant flourish of his hand, a deviant glint in his eye as he took a few steps toward her. "You really do not have much of a choice. I've come to collect you so I can get my reward and I'm afraid that I am not leaving here without you."
"Stop!" She shrieked, her hands curled into angry fists at her sides causing him to stop mid-stride. "What is it now?" He aggressed with frustration.
"Your name." She said softly. "If you must bed me, may I at least know your name?" She demanded, her voice cracking.
"Captain Jones." He introduced himself, taking an exaggerated bow. "At your service."
"Your full name captain." She required, the word 'captain' coming out as a hiss.
The captain popped his head up, his lips curling into a mischievous grin. "Killian Jones."
"Killian..." She tested his name on her lips. "I am Princess Emma Nolan of Ithria, but I suppose you already knew that."
He sauntered over to her and lowered his head, meeting her tentative stare as he took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. "It is a pleasure." He whispered against her heated skin. "Princess Emma." He smiled devilishly, allowing himself to linger for a moment too long.
She pried her hand from his as if she had been burned and took it in her other hand protectively, scowling at him for his presumptuous behavior.
"You know not being able to touch you might pose a bit of a problem." He noticed her reaction to his touch as he glared at her.
She shot him an unamused look and tucked both of her hands into the left side of her body defensively. She watched as his fingers curled around the hem of his black linen shirt, crossing his arms as he thrusted it up his body and lifted it over his head. "What. Are. You. Doing?"
Despite her hesitancy she found herself staring at him, her eyes roaming the contours of his well- muscled chest from years of seafaring. His shoulders were strong, his sculpted chest covered in a generous dusting of fine black hair rippling as he threw his shirt on the ground. Her eyes drifted lower, following the trail of hair until it disappeared down the defined shape of his hips and into his leather trousers.
He smirked with amusement at the effect seeing his half naked body seemed to have on her. "See something you like?" He leaned in on his heels, his hand gripping his sword belt.
"What a foul assumption to make! Honestly! Do you have even a shred of dignity?" She raised her hand as she spoke.
"No. Not at all." He shook his head defiantly.
"For the love of God, put your clothes back on!" She all but shouted, her tone betraying her lack of confidence in her current predicament. "Can't we at least talk first?"
"I suppose you have been locked in here for quite some time but I would appreciate it if you stopped yelling at me after I risked life and limb to set you free. You are the most ungrateful-"
"You will do well to stop there." She bellowed in challenge. "I have never in my entire life-"
"Your entire life consisting of being trapped in a tower? I'm absolutely stunned..." He feigned his surprise. "I just come waltzing in and uprooting your pathetic excuse for a life at my own peril and all you've done since is be an immature ungrateful royal pain in my arse!" He spat.
"My father told me stories of pirates. They are heartless and selfish. Only thinking of themselves. So forgive me if my anger at being forced to be another notch on your revolting bedpost is preventing me from kissing your feet for your dashing rescue." She panted, insulting him in one long breath as she placed a calming hand to her stomach.
"Let's get one thing straight princess." He hissed, closing the distance between them, a dark scowl gracing his lips as she cowered in fear. He felt her tense against him, her eyes bulging as he seized her wrists, fighting against his hold for her release. "I am not a good man. When I jab you with my sword you'll feel it."
She tugged her hands from his grip with an angry huff before lifting her hand to his cheek, planting a firm slap across his face.
He laughed at her tenacity, rubbing the reddening flesh as her handprint blossomed over his cheek. "You know I would have you flat on your back for that." He flashed a toothy smile. "But I consider myself a gentleman and will give you an opportunity to express your regret."
"Never." She said resolutely. "You may get to have my body but you don't get to claim any other part of me." She insisted.
"That so?" He challenged.
"If you could stop being so infuriating for one moment and allow me to get to know the man who was supposed to-" She stopped herself mid-sentence before she said too much, unwilling to give him the satisfaction.
"Supposed to what?" He lifted a curious brow in her direction. "It isn't important." She said dismissively.
"Right..." He nodded skeptically, but decided at that moment to drop the subject entirely to focus on the present. He released a long sigh, whirling around, giving her a generous view of his muscular back littered with scars as he moved to place himself in a chair. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, looking up at her speculatively, his pedant dangling from his neck. "What do you want to know?"
"You mean we can talk?" She lowered her defenses at his question.
"Don't look so surprised. I consider myself to be an honest man, a man with a code. I also loathe the thought of a woman losing herself to me against her will. So yes, if it would make you more comfortable, let's talk." He confessed.
It was the first honest thing she had heard leave his mouth and it was far from perfect but at least it was progress. Emma fluffed the skirts of her purple tattered gown and moved to settle herself in a seated position on the bed.
"So?" He waited with impatience, crooking his fingers as he scratched the back of his neck. "Let's have it, shall we?"
"It has been a long time since I've talked to someone. I fear I don't even know where to start." She thought aloud.
"If you have changed your mind we can always begin with-" He moved to stand up. "Don't you dare." Her eyes widened in betrayal. "You promised!"
"Alright." He held up his hands in surrender before sitting back down. "What would you like to know?" He urged her.
"Have you always been a pirate?" She wondered curiously, tilting her head toward her shoulder.
"Did I come out of the womb a pirate? No." He answered with a hint of hesitation or untruth in his gravelly voice. "I had a far different life before descending into a life of piracy." He looked up to gauge her reaction.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, rubbing the exposed skin of her shoulders lightly in apprehension. "What changed?"
"My brother." He told her honestly as he drummed his fingers against the arm rests of the seat, his back bent into the seat as he lounged comfortably.
"What happened to him?" She peeked up at him from the shield of her curls.
"He died." His expression dropped at the admission, his features softening significantly at the thought of his brother.
"I'm sorry." She offered.
"I don't like to dwell on it much. It is in the past." He dismissed quickly, wanting desperately to shift their conversation toward her. "What about you? I take it that you haven't always been a princess locked in a tower? How did you get here? I saw the castle..."
She released a long exasperated sigh at the mention of her fate and shook her head to starve off the images that assaulted her mind as tears pricked her eyes. "I still get nightmares. There is really nothing here for me to do other than reflect on the past. I keep replaying that day over and over again wondering if there was something that could have prevented this." She frowned, her forehead creasing at the recollection.
"What happened, love?" He asked again, dropping his voice into a low whisper to ease her suffering.
"It was almost seven years ago. We were invaded by an evil sorceress. Her magic was far too powerful to withstand and we were helpless against it. The kingdom was sacked and the palace destroyed by her dark magic." She recanted her tale. "She had it out for us. She swore to exact her vengeance against my parents and our kingdom." She continued, her eyes closing at the memory as Killian listened intently.
"My parents managed to flee but I was captured by the sorceress and placed in this tower guarded by a dragon until someone managed to set me free. You — you are the first person I have seen in seven years."
He lowered his gaze, his black coal-rimmed eyes drooping slightly as he listened to her fate. "You've been trapped here for seven years?" He asked her for confirmation, refusing to meet her eyes.
"I've grown up in this tower. It is the only home I have ever known since then." She told him, looking around the room with its peeling wallpaper, the vanity with its half shattered mirror, the armour with its broken door and missing handles, and the tattered curtains hanging loosely from the foggy glass bay windows.
Killian followed her eyes as they drifted to the items littered about the room and the faded wooden furnishings with claw marks embedded into the once pristine mahogany. He noted the way the bed creaked underneath her weight and how one side of it was lower than the others, even the upholstery on the wobbly chair he sat in was split open revealing its bowels. Everything in the room seemed dark and damp, void of any life or character befitting its long-term occupant.
The only traces of the princess in the room were a few tokens from her childhood — a patchwork teddy bear with a fraying seam and a missing eye, a couple of tattered fragile porcelain baby dolls covered smeared with dirt, and an extravagant dollhouse that had seen better days.
He turned his attention back to her, her face hidden underneath her untamed curls that fell over a faded lilac colored ball gown, its fabric torn in odd angles with loose threads dangling from her bell sleeves. His gaze lingered at her bosom, her cleavage peeping graciously from her corset, the bindings barely unable to contain her breasts. He looked her over curiously once more, stopping to take in the length of her dress hanging at her knees bearing her lower legs and ankles. She was barefoot, her feet filthy with the thick layer of ash and dirt that covered the floor.
"How-" He started, pausing for a moment to collect himself before finishing his thought. "How old are you?"
He watched as she craned her head toward the wall, looking at it with a sad worn expression on her face as she silently counted. Upon the wall were tally marks, one for each year that has passed her by. It was then that he realized she was adding.
"Nineteen..." She supplied softly.
Killian sank back into his chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips at the new information as he tried to process its significance. She had only been twelve when she was imprisoned here — not even a teenager. She had developed into a woman completely alone and was probably ill prepared for the weight that it carried.
"I suppose you-" He waved his hand around, searching for the words that evaded him in that particular moment. "Perhaps your mother or your nurse-"
Her emerald eyes widened in recognition, her cheeks flaming hotly with embarrassment. She curled her fists into the fabric of her dress, gripping it tightly as she clenched her jaw and nodded.
"Did they mention what to expect when you're with a man?" He searched her face from a few feet away from her, perched in the chair.
Emma swallowed and licked her chapped lips in an attempt to spare her enough time to calm her racing heart in order to answer his question. "I understand enough to know that it hurts..."
He nodded, sensing her trepidation for the unknown but placed a thin smile on his lips at her reply. "It doesn't have to hurt, you know?"
"It doesn't?" She poked her head out from her hair.
"No. It doesn't." He stated, his demeanor both serious and suggestive at the same time that only he could pull off. "That's if you are prepared..." He said, his tone dropping off slightly as his intent lingered thickly in the air.
"Prepared?" She tested the word on her lips, its meaning foreign on her tongue.
He met her curious stare, their eyes locking onto each other as he helped himself from his chair, the wood scraping against the floor as he removed himself from it. He could feel her trembling body from where he stood, could hear her unsteady shallow breaths that hitched as he moved toward her with an arrogant yet unthreatening ease.
She placed her hands out beside her on the bed, sliding herself against it as he approached her with a daringly handsome look in his deep blue eyes, regarding her carefully underneath his dark lashes. Her eyes never left his as he placed himself beside her on the bed, covering her with his shadow for a brief moment. She closed her eyes for a second or two, taking in the proximity of his body, and the masculine heat wafting off his bare chest.
The feeling of his nearness invading hers caused an unfamiliar but not unpleasant feeling to stir in her belly. His lower thigh brushed her leg innocently and she bit her lip to stifle a moan at the human contact she had long since been deprived of.
He reached a tentative hand toward her and on instinct jolted away from his touch. He gave her a faint understanding smile, his eyes pleading with her to trust him. He felt her stiffen as his fingers stroked her matted curls, brushing the wild strands from her face so he could get a better look at her. He pushed hair back from her head gently, exposing her smooth creamy skin, untouched by the sun.
He sat unmoving, his gaze fixed upon her beauty — the slight rosy hue in her cheeks, the subtle curve of her pink lips, and the dazzling emerald green of her eyes. He had expected her to be just as unkempt as the rest of her but what he had found surprised him. There wasn't a single imperfection on her face or smudge of dirt. Her cheeks appeared full and healthy despite her surroundings that made him wonder how she had managed her survival all this time.
He placed his hands on her cheeks gently, holding her face in his grasp as he looked her over in disbelief. "How?"
"The magic holding me here. I want and need for nothing under the spell that keeps me here. I never grow hungry or weak despite the lack of food. I never grow weary from sleep... Everything a human needs to survive is no longer needed. The only thing that ever changed was my body and my age." She told him.
"You mean to tell me you have neither slept nor eaten since you've been here?"
She swallowed before answering him. "No, I haven't eaten since. And even though I don't need to sleep, I am still able to… just not for long." She shook her head, reaching out a timid hand to clasp one of his wrists.
She noted the way the hair on his arm tickled her palm and took in his masculine scent. He smelled of the ocean — at least the way she had vaguely remembered it from having only seen it with her eyes once or twice — it had decidedly been far too long. There was also a strong presence of leather and something spicy and dangerous she couldn't quite pinpoint. She let a long sigh escape her lips as she pressed herself into his touch, tears gathering in her eyes.
Just to be near another human being after several years of being alone and her only company had been her thoughts, of which she had many as the days passed. She wanted to bathe herself in his humanity in the hopes that some of it would rub off on her.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked her, his voice low and gravely.
"No. It has just been so long since I've been near someone. It is overwhelming." She blinked, tears streaming hotly down her face.
"I know this wasn't how you imagined losing your maidenhead, but at the very least I can make it pleasurable for the both of us." He told her, brushing the pad of his thumb to collect some of the moisture on her face. "With your permission?" He waited patiently for her answer, his warm yet lustful expression lingering.
She gave him an unhurried nod, her eyes shining with fear, curiosity, and promise.
Killian threaded his hand in her hair, burying his fingers in her long golden locks as he closed the distance between them, his lips lightly brushing hers as he coaxed her to open her mouth. Her mouth felt hesitant and unsure against his own as he messaged her lips softly, the pliant flesh molding to his in an explorative manner.
She whimpered into his mouth as his tongue swept over the seam of her lips, begging for access as she struggled to keep up with his movements against her.
He could feel her tremble against him, her lips straining against him as he kissed her deeply, tearing her innocence from her mouth and claiming it for his own. She was a virgin in every form of the word — she had never been touched intimately, had never known another man's kiss, and had probably never explored herself with her fingers.
The thought caused a low primal rumble to form in his chest and he tightened his hand in her hair, the urgency to possess and claim her far too tempting to resist as he pressed his lips demandingly against hers.
She broke away from him panting and used the sleeve of her dress to wipe the moisture gathered on her lips.
His hungry expression dropped, his hand still hung high in the air to cradle her face after she had pulled away. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "I didn't mean to get carried away."
She inched away from him in skepticism.
"Please." He tried. "I promised to make this a good experience for you and I plan to deliver on that promise." He reassured her brokenly. "Princess-" He began but quickly amended himself. "Emma... I don't want to keep you here any longer than what is absolutely necessary. I agreed to deliver you home safely and I can only do that if you trust me. You have to trust me."
"I don't trust you." She admitted. "You're a pirate. Pirates can't be trusted." She said shrilly. "You honestly think my parents will accept that I was sullied by a pirate? I will be ruined..." She sniffled.
"I'm afraid you really don't have much of a choice in the matter, and I am certain with a lot of alcohol they would come to understand considering the peculiar circumstances." He supplied in a meaningful yet amused tone.
"I always imagined that I would be in love and married when this happened." She thought naively, pushing her hands into her dress defeatedly.
"Not everyone gets that choice. Love is a rare thing indeed." He told her earnestly. "And as far as marriage goes- Well, let's just say I prefer to be alone."
"It wasn't a proposal." She balked.
"Didn't think it was." He sneered.
"And alone? You can't possibly want to be alone. No one wants to be alone." She turned to face him. "Haven't you ever been in love?"
"No." He paused before finishing. "I have never been in love. A pirate's first love is to his ship and his loyalty to his crew. And I'm afraid that right now they are missing their captain so I would like to get on with this." He diverted the conversation to the task at hand.
"Your ship?"
"Yes, she is docked but a few days' ride from here and with all due respect the longer we waste here the longer I keep them from their prize." He affirmed.
"Prize? You mean-" She went pale at the thought of her being shared amongst his crew members.
"A pirate I may be but I do not intend to share the spoils of my prize. They shall get their fair share of the reward purse, but only I shall get you." He amended.
"I am not so easily 'gotten' Captain." She stated certainly, testing his crumbling resolve.
"We will just have to see about that won't we?" He smirked promisingly, licking his lower lip seductively. "You forget that your escape hinges on my bedding you and I loathe to keep a woman like yourself waiting." He aggressed, his voice dripping with carnal sin at the thought of taking her as his cock throbbed with ache. "So? Shall we get to it or would you prefer waiting another seven years? Because I promise you I will bend you over this bed before I allow that to happen." He
vowed with dark intent. "You wouldn't dare-"
"Oh but I would." He promised. "I have no qualms about relieving you of your chastity bent over the bed with a filthy pirate buried between your thighs."
She swallowed hard at his words, her body trembling with fear and uncertainty. "So, what's it going to be love?"
AN- This chapter has been amended for clarity and plot continuity. Emma can sleep, she just can't sleep for long periods of time. Like, she could go weeks without sleeping.