AN: Sorry for the wait you guys! Working and my birthday was yesterday, plus getting back into Supernatural. But here's the next chapter:D

Chapter 7

Killian POV

Walking away from her was the hardest thing he'd done in his 17 years. His goodbye this morning with Geppetto had been hard, and even harder was the goodbye with Pinocchio. Emma though had always had a special place in his heart, and he already looked forward to his return. He boarded the ship and went to see the captain, as his letter instructed him to do. He was directed to the captain's quarters by a man in a red hat. Knocking on the door, he was instructed to come inside.

The captain was a tall man with a slight scruff on his face, dark features and dark eyes and hair. He was standing at a table in the center of the room, looking over a map. As he stood, he naturally swayed with the rocking of the ship, he'd obviously spent most of his life at sea.

"Ah, Mr. Jones. It is nice to meet you. I am Captain Connors. You will be sailing under my command. Grab a bunk, lessons begin at dawn." And with that he turned away to continue studying his map.

"Thank you, captain." He said as he backed out of the room. He walked to the bow of the ship and looked at the palace. Not a day will go by that I won't think of you. "Day one." He thought to himself as he walked back along the ship.

Emma POV

He's gone. She didn't leave the spot where she stood until his ship left. When she turned around to start the lonely walk home, all she could think of was him. His kiss as he left her, his promise he would think of her every day, and the way he cupped her face. In her head, she kept telling herself that if she kept herself busy with her studies and the lessons with her father, that 6 months would fly by. When he came back, what would happen between them? She knew that she felt something for him, but did he feel something for her? His reaction after she kissed him the first time, she thought that maybe he only felt a friendship towards her. However, the way he talked to her and kissed her when he left made her think that he did.

When she got home, the first thing she did was run to her room and clutch her doll, named Killy. It was her favorite present, even more than the horse from her mother and small sword from her father. It was the most precious gift she'd received. She fell asleep holding her, and thinking of Killian.

A soft knock at the door woke her, and she opened her eyes to see her parents standing there.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" her mom asked, walking over and sitting down beside her.

"I'm ok. It's going to be a long 6 months. It hasn't even been a full day and I already miss him." She said. She wanted to cry, but she hated crying. It made her feel weak, but she was all cried out. All Emma could do was cling to her pillow and Killy.

"It will get easier, dear. You just have to get into a new routine. After sword lessons, why don't we all go horseback riding together? The weather is getting nicer, and we could always spend more time together just the three of us." Her dad offered.

"That sounds nice, dad." Sitting up, Snow and Charming game over and hugger her tightly, "I love you guys. Thank you for making me feel better."

"We love you, Emma."

XXXX

The next day, after her sword fighting lesson, instead of running to Geppetto's, she ran to the stables to saddle her new horse. Her mother and father followed close behind her to saddle theirs. The family rode out a few moments later and they rode through the woods until it was dark out and their horses couldn't see a thing, and neither could they. They laughed and raced and her parents even brought lunch, so they found a meadow and had a picnic and just enjoyed their time together.

When they arrived back at the stables that night they took care of their horses and she went to her room. Deciding to write to Killian, Emma sat down at her desk and told him all about her day, just as she would had he been here.

SNOW POV

"We should have told her today." She said looking out their window.

"I know, but today wouldn't have been a good time, she was upset over Killian." Charming responded coming and wrapping his arms around her.

"She's taking him leaving a lot harder than I would have thought."

"I know, me too. Which is why we shouldn't say anything to her just yet. Maybe on the ball next year for her birthday."

"You want to wait a whole year? That's a year that she could be getting to know him," she leaned into his arms, "She's not going to like this. I think she loves him."

"He's not appropriate for a princess to marry." He said stiffly.

"Charming, look at us. I was a bandit and you were a shepherd, how can we pass judgement on who our daughter can love? Emma is the daughter of True Love, how can we honestly keep her from her chance at her own?"

"I would never change how our lives worked out, Snow. You know that, but she has had a lot of suitors that we've combed through carefully. I think he is our best chance. She already knows him, which means she wouldn't be meeting a complete stranger, and he cares for her greatly. He's always helped us watch over her. I really believe she could come to care for him."

"He's a good match, but I think her heart is with Killian."

"She's only 15, we will introduce them and see how things play out until the ball to celebrate her 16th birthday. Then, we will tell her that he is who we have arranged for her to marry. Now Snow, just because our marriage wasn't arranged, doesn't mean she won't love him as much as I love you. "

"It doesn't feel right, Charming. How can he be right for her when he isn't that much higher than Killian? Even I've grown to like the boy, he is very respectable."

"Always have hope. I have faith that things will work out, however they are supposed to. Tomorrow, she will go riding with him after our lesson, and from there we will see how things go." He said ignoring her question.

EMMA POV

Her father was rather quiet during their lesson the next day, and she was actually able to beat him once.

"Dad, are you ok?"

"I'm great sweetie, why do you ask?"

"Because, you never let me win. And now I've won twice."

"You can see right through me. Let's call it an early session today. Head down to the stables, there's someone there who would like to say hello." He said sheathing his sword. Turning and running down to the stables, she didn't want to get her hopes up, but the first person she thought of was Killian. She knew it wouldn't be, but she thought of him none the less.

When she got into the stables she was surprised to see Graham saddling one of the horses.

"Ah, hello princess. How are you on this beautiful day?" he asked her.

"I'm good, Graham. How are you?" she asked. She began saddling her horse as he talked to her. They rode out and talked about a little bit of everything, from her lessons, to her hobbies, and her birthday and friends. She asked how Killian was doing, but he hadn't seen him since he left.

XXXX

The routine she had with Graham continued on, and every day after their ride, she would go and write to Killian. He always wrote her back, telling of life in the academy and about ship life and all the things he was learning. She joked that by the time her retuned, she would know as much as he did. Everyday there were letters sent and received. As soon as she read one from him, she wrote one back.

One day, there wasn't a letter. She tried not to get worried when she woke up and there was no dove at the window carrying a letter. She tried to go on about her business as if she had read his comforting words. When she went on her ride with Graham she was more silent than normal and he offered to let her end the ride early if she wasn't feeling well. She took that chance and went back up to her room to wait for word from Killian. It was dark by the time the letter got to her window, and she struggled to read it by candlelight.

He was happy, an officer had been visiting the ship, and was impressed with Killian's navigation and map reading abilities. He wanted him on his ship as soon as he graduated. They had a mission to another realm planned, supposedly there was something special about this ship, the Jewel of the Realm that allowed it to travel between different worlds. He would be joining right after graduation, which was custom to have out on the sea. She wouldn't even see him after graduation. These past 5 months had crawled by and every day she knew that she was one day closer to seeing him, now she wouldn't see him for another 6 months.

AN: So what do you think about Snow and Charming trying to force her to marry Graham? I liked Graham in the show so I had to give him a shot. Next Chapter will be another jump, and I'll try to post it soon! Thank you for the reviews and the follows and the favorites!