Of Pirates and Princesses
Chaptre 12: Desire
"Emma, you've lead us through terrible perils in our youth. We've all survived thanks to you. But our luck inevitably runs out and then we're left with shit. Don't be too hard on yourself. We all know the dangers of pirating. Leroy knew it too, and he'd be pissed at you for moping this much about his death. He'd tell you to get pissed face drunk and go and fuck up some other shit in his name. So, what do you say? Next island we land on we completely obliterate them?" Ruby said with a wolfish grin.
Emma nodded her head slowly, feeling a bit better- resolving herself to feel better. "Yea," she considered. "After all, we're bloody pirates, aren't we?"
...
No one knew exactly how long they'd been in the Bermuda triangle for. They'd lost track of counting the days long by now and couldn't be bothered to try and figure it out anymore. They just kept on going, day after day, after day, hoping that eventually the tides would take them in the right direction out of this miserable place.
They never caught sight of another ship no matter how long they sailed and a sense of loneliness encapsulated them; they would only be too happy to be gone from this place.
The Bermuda triangle held too many bad memories for them ever since Leroy's death and though Emma had been able to pick up her mood, it was clear in the moments when she thought no one was looking, that her lips drooped and she seemed to sag with an inner weariness. But in front of them all, she remained tough, leading them to continue surviving out on the blue seas that held so much danger.
Regina felt bad she couldn't have cheered Emma up properly; she hated seeing the captain hurt. But she was just glad Emma was alright now and smiling somewhat like her old self.
With nothing else to do on the ship, Emma continued with her sword lessons with Regina. The brunette had picked it up easily and was now becoming on par with a swordsman. She was nowhere close to Emma's level, but that took many years of practice and harrowing situations to reach that level.
Learning how to use a gun was next, and Regina had nearly hurled herself back from the recoil. They had all laughed at her blunder and while her cheeks flamed, she didn't mind because Emma had laughed for the first time in a long time and it was a glorious sound.
It made Regina's stomach twist pleasurably. Which was something else she had begun to notice was happening more and more frequently. The more time she spent with the captain, the more she craved being next to her. It was a maddening feeling, one Regina had never felt before and it confused, elated, and disgruntled her.
Regina had some concerns about this she wanted advice on, and she for once couldn't go to Captain Swan. Because those concerns were more or less about her. So she made way over to Ruby who was swabbing the deck, singing a merry tune to herself as she swayed her hips back and forth.
"Ruby, can I speak with you for a second?" Regina inquired hesitantly.
"Of course you can," Ruby said, stilling and putting her elbow on the handle of the mop, blinking her eyes eagerly at Regina.
"Somewhere...more private," she said, tipping her head at where Neal and August were playing cards on top of a barrel not too far away.
"Of course," Ruby agreed. She dropped the mop and followed Regina to the stern of the ship where it was darker and quieter. "So, what seems to be the issue?" Ruby asked kindly as she noticed Regina fidgeting.
"Uh, I think something might be wrong with me," the princess admitted softly.
"As in?" Ruby arched a brow, intrigued to see where this was going.
"I...I...well, just every time the captain touches me I feel wrong. If she pats me on the shoulder or gives me praise for a job well done, I feel so hot...and feverish. Almost delirious at some points. And I thought maybe it has something to do with the odd dance on those islands that we were forced to do."
Ruby bit the inside of her cheek so hard it bleed as she tried her best to stifle her laughter. Oh the poor innocent princess. She had no idea what she was admitting to and it was all the more delicious.
"Is that so?" Ruby asked in as even a voice as she could once she felt the urge to laugh dissipate. "And how long has this been going on for?"
"For a little while now. Ever since the islands," Regina admitted looking so worried. "Can I die from this?"
Ruby let out a sound that a dying bird as she tried so hard not to laugh. Her face twisted up to contain her amusement. Regina began to fret. "So it is dire!"
"No it is not princess," Ruby shook her head and placed her hands on her hips while Regina rubbed hers in worry. "Tell me, how exactly do you feel when you grow hot. Do you feel a twist in your stomach? Do you feel weak in the knees? Do you feel yourself throbbing down between the legs?"
Regina nodded her head to all of those. "I've tried to think of an illness that would cause all that but I cannot think of one."
"Have you heard of the illness called 'love sickness'?"
Regina's eyes bulged out at this. She may be naive, but she knew something on that topic. "You think I'm in love? With the captain and it's making me feel this way?" she shrilled and then lowered her voice, worried someone would overhear. "But I am to marry a man. I must like them."
"You do like them or have you been told to do so?" Ruby arched a brow as Regina frowned at this conundrum.
"I...think I like them?" Her answer was lackluster and only proved Ruby's assumptions. "But I only admire the captain! That is it!"
"Admiration can turn to love, princess."
Regina felt dizzy with this revelation. She had to sit down. Ruby watched as the princess swayed and then sat on an upturned crate, putting her chin in her propped up hands.
"Have you ever felt this way before?" Ruby asked softly, crouching down in front of the princess. Regina thought back...and yes, she had. For her hand maiden. Not as intensely as this of course, but the twisting feelings and the throbbing were all there.
"Oh dear, I think I may sink myself," Regina fretted, beyond mortified. She liked women. Her whole life, she thought she liked men, but not once had she felt the same way about men as she did merely thinking of women and their soft bodies and lustrous hair.
"There is no need for such a dramatic course," Ruby soothed, taking the princess's hands in her own. "We all have our tastes. It is quite all right."
"You can only say that because you don't like women!"
"No, I like both women and men. I find them both alluring and there is nothing wrong with that."
But Regina was beginning to freak out. "But I have to marry a king when I go back. How will I lay with him if I don't desire him? If I love another?" She was beginning to feel very overwhelmed.
"Regina, do not worry about this now. It will do you no good. Take things one step at a time. And everything will be easier and clearer."
Regina nodded her head, lips tight, body tensed. She couldn't look Ruby in the eyes. She felt so out of sorts over this whole situation. She'd rather be ill than faced with this truth. "And if you have any other concerns, do not hesitate to come to me. I will help you through it."
Ruby's offer of help did put Regina at ease a bit but still that night when she went to bed, Emma sleeping soundly in the bed already, Regina could not sleep at all, tracing the captain's handsome features with her eyes. She loved Emma. She had never thought the day would come that she would fall in love. And it hadn't been with a prince like she'd expected and hoped for, but a woman. A pirate.
And maybe it was even better this way?
Now that Regina was aware of her feelings, they seemed to impress upon her even more strongly. Butterflies flew in her stomach each time Emma spoke to her or even so much as looked at her. And when she smiled at her, Regina could feel her insides melting, turning her into a right mess. Her emotions must be clearly conscripted on her face, because each time she felt this way and if Ruby was around, the taller brunette would elbow her in the ribs.
"Don't stare like a vapid twit," she admonished in a low breath and so Regina would rearrange her face to look more sober.
But the hardest part to deal with this was the fantasizes. Oh, how she dreamed of Emma rescuing her from various situations. Now, Regina had some of her own skill and she did not like to be a damsel in distress but for Emma she wouldn't mind. Images of her being tied to a pole and evil men standing between her and Emma filled her mind. Emma would defeat them all and then cut Regina loose, sweeping her into her arms and carrying her off to the ship. Or the ones where Regina was locked up in a castle and Emma would climb up the vines to reach her, kissing her soundly as she got to the top.
Regina would spend hours staring past the ship railing at the horizon never quite seeing it as she day dreamed. And it did not help to quell the fierce throbbing between her thighs. It grew to be so frustrating that she had to ask Ruby on how to get rid of it.
"Well, the sure fire way of getting rid of it is to have a man take care of it with his tool down there," Ruby said as cleanly as she could. She did not want to scare the princess away. "But a woman can also do the same to another woman, using her fingers and tongue."
"So...so I have to sleep with someone?" Regina squeaked out, not at all ready for such a concept. Ruby shook her hand no. "No, you don't have to do that. There are ways of taking care of it yourself."
Regina leaned in unconsciously as her legs fidgeted. "How?" She could not fathom being able to do such a thing. Her mother had said only Regina's husband could give her pleasure and it was forbidden to seek it without his consent or help. That a woman's desire was to be only at her husband's behest. "Isn't it against social conduct?"
Ruby laughed at this. "Maybe for your world but you'll find it's not such a thing for us poorer folk. We talk pleasure whenever we can get it because often our lives are so short and joyless. And it's quite simple how to do. You just put your hand between your thighs and rub. If need be, put a finger or two in."
Regina felt hot all over talking about such a lewd thing. She shook her head. "I don't think I can do that. It feels wrong."
"Suit yourself princess. But there is not much else you can do to help with being horny. Other than take a cold shower, which I fear is in short supply on board the ship." And Ruby had left it at that, leaving a squirming princess who heaved out an annoyed sigh. Regina had thought passion only came after marriage. Not before it. Now what was she to do?
She was determined to simply see her way through this, by biding her time. Maybe it would go away on it's own. She began to avoid the captain whenever she could, dodge her touches as discreetly as she could. Naturally, Emma noticed quite early on and asked about this.
"Am I...did I do something wrong to bother you?" Emma asked, that familiar furrow upon her brows. One that Regina wanted to reach over and smooth.
Regina felt a lump stand in her throat. There was no way she could tell Emma the truth so she shook her head and said simply, "I'm having a bit of moodiness. I believe it's that time of the month again."
"Oh," Emma said, confusion fading from her face. "Well, do you need anything for the pain?"
"No, I'm fine."
And thus, Regina was stuck having to hide her increasing affections and have to be close next to Emma else she could raise suspicion again. For a little while the princess's ardor waned. There were patches of rough sea and she was too busy running around and helping with the ships rigging for her to be busy with scandalous thoughts. They were short on hands to guide this ship and with it's smaller size on such hungry waves, they had to work harder to make it swim and not sink.
And then one day they docked nearby an island with white sand so pure it almost hurt to look at. The crew weren't going on land but they had anchored the ship nearby. They all wanted to catch some respite and so stayed in the shore line, swimming in the warm waters.
Regina had refused the offer, preferring to stay on the ship. She didn't know how to swim so it was a bit pointless for her. Ruby had offered to teach Regina how to swim but the princess had declined, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of everyone with how badly she floundered in water.
Additionally if Emma was to be naked like everyone else, than Regina didn't think it would be a good idea to go if only to spare her own heart from beating wildly.
The crew splashed happily in the water, laughing and yelling and Regina sat and read her book in the dying light of the sun. She felt tempted to look each time a squeal came up. She sort of wished she could join, but she knew it was smarter for her to be up here.
And then she gave into the temptation at least once. Neal and August had Ruby and Sabine up on their shoulders and they would crash into each other, the two girls fighting to see who could push the other off and into the water. Emma was drifting nearby.
Her back was turned to Regina and she was half out of the sea green water but it was enough. With the sun almost setting, the water around Emma seemed to sparkle, the water droplets racing down her skin reflected. The strong musculature of her back was on full display and Regina could even make out a sliver her breasts from this angle.
Regina's mouth went very dry and the sudden feeling in her stomach was so heavy it was almost sickening. And them Emma turned her head, raking back her wet hair with one hand, other hand raised in greeting at Regina. Regina's eyes got wide at getting caught and she bolted like a frightened foal.
The princess missed the concerned pirate's look. Was everything okay?
Regina rushed to the captain's quarters under the deck, her knees wobbling like she was drunk. When she got there she threw herself onto the bed covers. She was boiling under her skin.
Oh god, this felt worse than any other instances before. She felt like she would go insane if she didn't do something about it. She turned onto her back, shaking hands undoing the top three buttons on her shirt so that she could get some air. It did little to help.
What had Ruby said? That touching oneself would help?
Regina hadn't wanted to do that. Only her husband was to take care of her needs. But if this was what they felt like, than how was she to wait on him? Her legs spread apart of their own accord and slowly, almost fearfully, she let one hand trail a course down her chest to her stomach to at last where it hovered over the apex of her thighs.
She hesitated. Should she...?
But then another image of Emma, naked in the water flooded her mind and she throbbed so hard that she let out a frustrated cry. She pressed her hand down flat over her clothed mound and immediately felt her body light up with gratification. But it only lasted for a second, because she was throbbing hungrily as before. She began to rub back and forth, her breaths hitching. But this wasn't enough either.
She needed more.
She slipped her hand beneath the waistband of her pants now, gasping in shock when she felt how wet she was under her underwear. But with her fingers resting against her nether lips, she could feel shock racing through her, adding her arousal. She had never ventured a hand down there before. It was...it was so lewd.
She wondered, had Emma ever done this to another woman? She could imagine Emma naked, muscles flexing and breasts bouncing with each step as she came closer and closer to Regina. Regina hadn't seen the bottom half of Emma so her mind blanked a little on that part, but it definitely had enough detail about the rest of Emma to make Regina's neck strain as she imagined it was Emma's hand between her legs.
"May I, princess?" she would ask so nobly and Regina would let her place her hand there, with those long calloused fingers.
Regina groaned, lost in her fantasies and the new emotions leaking out of her.
This position worked better. More contact allowed her to feel better. She rubbed her hand up and down, fingers gliding through her wet folds easily. Shamefully easily.
Regina felt so wrong for doing this. Doing this to thoughts of her captain. But she couldn't help it. Her feet kicked at the covers, wrinkling them. Her breath exploded through her nose as she kept her mouth tightly shut, fearing the sounds coming from it. Muffled moans came out as whimpers and she screwed her eyes tightly shut as something coiled inside her, threatening to pour free.
She rubbed harder and harder, her hips bucking up uncontrollably as she barely recognized herself in this moment. Her free hand grabbed the pillow behind her, holding onto it as if it was the only thing preventing her from leaving this world. The coil tightened and tightened.
Her racing fingers bumped a hard nub. The coil got painfully hot and tight.
And then it snapped.
Her breath was knocked out from her lungs, her eyes snapped wide open, and she rolled onto her right side, gasping in shock as sticky hot wetness covered her hand. She could feel everything down there lock up as her hips bucked a few times futilely.
She sucked in greedy mouthfuls of air, drawing her hand out of her pants. She couldn't look at it. How ashamed she was of doing this.
But how nice it had all felt. She could feel a drowsiness fill her, weighting down her bones.
Emma kept looking back at the spot where Regina had been sitting by the railing. Noticeably it was still empty. Was everything okay? Worried for the princess, she threaded water and got out, climbing up the ship's side. She grabbed a towel and quickly dried herself off, before slipping into her tight pants and a loose white shirt for now. Her wet hair was wrapped up in a high bun to keep it from dripping down her shirt front.
The steps creaked as she hurried down. She heard some sounds that set her into high motion. Was the princess hurt? There was a moan, followed by a loud gasp as if she had gotten punched.
"Princess, are you alright?" Emma said as she came into the bed chambers. Regina immediately bolted up right. Her cheeks were red, hair mussed up and fear was in her eyes. Had she gotten caught? She wondered fearfully and blurted out a lie. "I was having a...an...a nightmare," she said at last.
"Oh," Emma said, a small frown coming to life between her brows. "Are you alright now? There was a lot of moaning. I had feared terrible things."
Regina bowed her head, mortified. Dear god. The captain had heard her debauched behavior! "I'm...I'm fine," she said in a low voice, wanting to throw herself overboard.
"That's good..." Emma trailed off sensing like the princess wasn't being truthful to her but not understanding why. When she had heard the princess's moans she immediately thought the woman to be in danger and she was about to rush in when they stopped. Her hand had also stilled on her hilt and so had her legs. Had Emma imagined those sounds then? And she had taken some time to come in and she could see that Regina was now fine, albeit a bit out of sorts.
"I'll be upstairs then, if you need me," Emma said, shuffling her feet and leaving.
Regina let out a long sigh and dropped back heavily. She could not believe she had just touched herself to imagined ideas of what the captain would do to her. But she had, and while she felt guilty and disgusting for doing so, she couldn't deny it had felt amazing and she felt so much better right now. Better than she had felt in days.
And dare she say...she wouldn't mind doing it again.
