Chapter 3 – Revived

A knock sounded at the door, and a soft voice called out. "Emma, honey, it's me." The princess turned over in her bed and ran a finger under each of her eyes, feeling the place where her tears had dried. Taking a deep breath, Emma sat up and straightened her nightgown. She couldn't help but look for a red stain, but of course found none. "Come in, mother." She called out to her visitor. The door opened, and Snow White stepped into the room with a soft smile.

Emma's parents had been nothing but supportive since Killian's departure, making the trip from their castle to Emma's just to be there for her at least one day every week. It warmed Emma's heart, how much her parents cared about her and what great lengths they would go through just to make her happy. She loved them, and made sure to tell them so every time they came by to visit her. Now that she realized she might never have the chance to tell those three words to her prince again, she wanted to be sure that her parents knew just how much they meant to her.

Opening her arms, Emma welcomed her mother's embrace. "I missed you, mother." She mumbled as Snow White rubbed her upper back softly. "We missed you too, Emma." A new and deeper voice sounded from the door. Emma looked up to see her father walking towards her with a smile and joining in the hug. "How is my little ray of sunshine today?"

At Emma's hesitation, Charming shot his wife a look and pulled away to look at his daughter. He always asked her the same question, and Emma would always answer with something along the lines of "The usual," or "I'm fine." That's how the king knew that something was up. "Do you want to talk about it? It'll help." Snow said softly, rubbing the back of Emma's hand with her thumb. Just like Killian did. The blonde swallowed and leaned back into her pillows, grabbing Killian's and holding it tight against her chest. "I… It's Killian." She said quietly, looking down at her hands as she played with the corners of the pillow case.

Charming looked at his wife with wide eyes, bracing himself for the worst. Every day, the king and queen received a list of the names of their fallen soldiers. They then took it upon themselves to go see every family themselves to break the terrible news. Snow had insisted that she wanted to be there for the loved ones of every fallen soldier. It was after all, their responsibility, she argued. However, Emma had insisted that anything concerning Killian came to her first. This left them both unable to do anything until Emma confided in them. Neither of them liked it, but they chose to honor their daughter's decision.

Snow closed her eyes tight for a moment and opened them again, covering Emma's hands with her own. The princess looked up and met her mother's eyes, looking confused at her expression. She then looked at her father, who was sporting the same look in his eyes. Her eyes widened in realization, and she shook her head frantically. "No, no, it's not… I… he's not…Killian isn't…" She stuttered, sighing at how hard it was for her to say that one dreaded word.

Her parents seemed to get the message, and her father let out a breath in relief. "Oh thank God." Emma gave him a small smile, incredibly grateful for how well Killian and her parents got along. It hadn't taken long for Snow to fall victim to his charms. She had just been happy for her daughter's newfound friend from the start. The king however, took more convincing. After months of Killian always on his best behavior around him and of Emma's barely embellished tales of Killian's good deeds, Charming had finally changed his behavior towards the young man. Now, the two were thick as thieves. It made Emma's heart swell when she saw them joking around while sharing a bottle of rum. She could never have wished for so much, but now that she had it she realized how much it all meant to her.

"What happened honey?" Snow asked softly, resting her hand on Emma's knee, still covered by the bed sheets. Her daughter swallowed and looked from her mother to her father, then down at the pillow. She recounted her nightmare, still so vivid in her mind. Tears had to be blinked back when Emma described the way his blood ran in between her fingers. She, of course, left out some details, summing up the heated events into a simple kiss.

"He… he told me-" Emma hiccuped. "He loved me." She said in a broken whisper. "And then he…" She trailed off, closing her eyes as the image of his body, still in her arms, flashed before her eyes once again.

"Killian, no." Emma whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she played with his hair. "Killian." She said with more determination, yet she sounded so desperate. "Killian, don't leave me..." She shook her head and cradled his head, swallowing as the first tears streaked down her cheeks. "Killian!" Her whispers turned into screams and wails, and Emma couldn't see. She couldn't see her Killian through the tears, blurring her vision. The young woman awoke with a jerk, eyes wide and breathing heavily as she looked around her room, her pillow soaked with tears. A knock sounded at the door, making Emma jump. "Just a moment." She called out, her voice cracking through the sobs racking her body. "Are you alright your highness? We heard screams." A servant asked from the other side of the door. Emma bit her lip to stop her sobbing. "I'm fine." She dismissed the maid and waited a minute before letting the tears stream freely down her face once more.

Her parents reacted at the same time, pulling her into a tight hug from either side. "We've got you now, Emma." Snow said softly, rubbing her daughter's back. "We…" She looked at her husband, who pulled away to look at Emma, smiling softly as he held her hand. "We have news from the front." He said, watching Emma's face intently. The princess searched his face, not wanting to get her hopes up too fast. She looked at her father, keen on hearing his news.

"King Arthur's army is retreating. If our sources are correct, their food supply has been cut off. By whom, we know not." He continued, watching Emma's eyes light up. "This is good news father, right?" She asked, allowing herself to hope. To hope that this dreadful war might come to an end soon. At her father's curt nod, she breathed out. "Killian."

Come on, you didn't really think I would kill off my favorite pirate! I hope you enjoyed the chapter !