A/N: Mountain is a real dice game and The Hunt is basically a different name for Go Fish
This morning, Killian awoke with ease and quickly made his way to the galley to get some breakfast before reporting upstairs for his duties. But while he was chatting with Ariel, the boat began jostling about causing them both to run upstairs to investigate. The sight that greeted the princeling was one of a crew in a tizzy and extremely dark clouds on the horizon. Ariel swore under her breath and immediately returned to the kitchen to begin securing any loose items she may have had, while Killian made his way to the helm dodging any wayward crew members.
"Ruby, what's happening?" Killian asked the brunette who was at the wheel.
"We're baking some pies. Use your brain Jones. What does it look like? There's a mighty nasty sea squall coming." Ruby snapped at him.
"I presumed as much when I saw the dark clouds. How can I help?"
"Jones!" Another familiar feminine voice called over. The voice of a very stressed blonde pirate captain.
"Aye Captain?" he responded, turning towards her as she ascended to the helm.
"I need you below deck during the storm. You'd be in the way if you remained up top and someone needs to watch Henry and Roland. This is what we say a win-win"
"Yes Captain"
"I trust you with their lives, Killian. Do. Not. Let them out of my cabin."
"Of course Captain Swan. You can trust them to be safe in my charge."
Killian then followed Emma downstairs and into her quarters where Henry and Roland were eating their breakfast, reminding Killian of his own scant one earlier.
"Hey boys, Killian is gonna sit with you guys while the storm passes over. Don't leave this cabin and you'll be perfectly safe. Is that understood?" Emma asked, looking almost sternly between the two adolescents who suddenly seemed to be avoiding her eye contact. Killian couldn't help but wonder if something had happened during the last storm. "Killian is going to keep you guys safe, I promise. So please do anything he says."
"Yes Auntie Emma" "Yes mom" the two responded before returning their full attention to their food.
Emma then turned back to Killian with worried look in her eyes. "Please watch over them" was all she said and then she was gone.
Killian quickly sat down by the two boys and picked up a book lying on the table to flip through as he waited for them to finish. About ten minutes later, both Roland and Henry's plates were clear and they were looking at their caretaker expectantly. Killian knew the storm was fast approaching so he quickly thought up of some things to do to distract them for the time being.
"So what would you boys like to do? I can tell stories or we can see if maybe Captain Swan has a deck of cards or pair of dice hiding away here. Then I could show you some of my favorite games growing up when I was a boy." Killian said smiling, before taking a quick glance around the room.
Henry immediately stood and deftly made his way to a cabinet and pulled out a deck as well as some dice before placing them all on the table. "Can we play first and then maybe some stories?" Henry asked, looking up with big eyes that had a hint of begging within them that Roland noticed and soon copied.
Killian chuckled," but of course m'boys. Now which would you prefer? Dice or cards?"
"Dice!" "Can we do the dice?" Roland and Henry asked.
Killian smiled, "Henry lad, does your mother have a few spare pieces of paper as well as some coal pencils or something to mark it."
"Let me look, I think so" Henry said before going over to his mother's desk and raiding it, coming up with three pieces of parchment and pencils. "Here you go"
Killian nodded in thanks before taking the three pieces of paper and drawing a hill shaped figure and then marking ascending and then descending numbers beneath the lines he drew that range from 1 to 6. He then picked up one of the papers to show the two boys. "Alright boys, my parents called this game Mountain Climb. It's actually quite easy but Liam and I adored it as children. The object is mark off all of these numbers but there's a catch. You must do it in order. We always played it with the youngest going first. So Roland you will take either one dice or two and toss them gently on the table. If one of the faces shows a one, you get to mark it off, if you get a 1 and a 2 showing face up, you get to mark off both of them. Does that sound fun?"
Roland and Henry quickly nodded and took their own papers and marking utensils before Killian handed over the dice for Roland to begin the game. The smaller of the two boys practically bounced out of his chair as he made to grab them from Killian's hand and then toss them on the table. The three boys watched as the dice soon showed a 3 and a 1 face up. Roland grinned and marked off the one on his sheet before looking up to Killian to ensure he did it correctly. Killian smiled and nodded. Henry then grabbed the dice as well; rolling them in his hands for a few moments and then tossing them on the table to reveal a 1 and 2. Henry smiled as well and marked off his own numbers before Killian grabbed the dice and tossed them himself to then gets a 2 and a 5, sighing dramatically on not being able to mark off any numbers on his mountain.
The game continued on for a while with Henry being able to complete his page first causing a little friendly competition between Roland and Killian. While the two continued to roll and attempt to both descend the last bits of their mountains, Henry stood and looked over at the window his mother had in her cabin, noticing just how dark it had gotten in what seemed like such a short period of time. There seemed to be large waves and fast winds blowing about the ship, Henry observed. He was just thankful that the game was still completely distracting Roland from the bad weather outside, who was still learning to be strong during the nastier sea squalls. Loud cheers from the youngest male drew Henry's attention back over to the table where Roland was celebrating having finished his mountain leaving Killian the only one with just a few marks left.
"Killy will you tell us stories now? Maybe while we play cards. My papa taught me and Henwy a game called The Hunt. Where all of us have a group of cards and we try to make pairs of our different cards by asking the others for a number. My papa says that if the person do not have the card they say Go Hunting. Henry and I play it lots of times, would you like to?" Roland piped up as he picked up the deck of cards and turned toward Killian.
Killian just smiled and took the deck from the smaller lad, "But of course Roland, that sounds like quite a fun game to play. Thank you for explaining it so well. Henry would you like to join us?"
Henry just nodded and made his way over to the table when all of the sudden a large boom sounded from all around, practically shaking the ship. Roland whimpered and ran to Killian, practically knocking over his chair as he jumped off it in favor of the others. Killian picked him up and placed him on his lap, "Tell you what, how about you and me work together to try and beat Henry, just like yesterday? And I'll tell you all about some of my adventures when I was just a lad not too much older than yourself. Oh my brother and I got into all sorts of trouble."
Roland only nodded against Killian's chest before sitting up a bit straighter and wiggling around to get comfortable. Killian then picked up the deck of cards, shuffled them a few times before turning to Roland. "So how many cards does each person get?"
"Um I think seven."
"Alright, thank you lad"
Killian then dealt out seven cards to Henry and to himself before picking up his pile and arranging it just so that both he and Roland could see them.
"Alright, so I think I got the gist of this game, Henry m'boy do you have any 4's?"
Henry looked down at his own pile and shook his head, "Nope, go hunting" he responded, looking to Roland "Is that way we say?" Roland only nodded aggressively, smiling as Killian reached to the pile to take another card.
"Killian do you have any 7's?" And the game was off, Henry and Killian asking each other for a certain numbers, coming up with squat and having to pick up another card. Roland would sometimes point to a specific number for Killian to ask or just ask Henry himself. After each team had about 3 pairs, Roland looked up to Killian with big eyes. "Killy tell us about your brother?"
"Alright m'boy. How about you ask for the numbers while I draw and tell?" Roland nodded.
"My family consists of me, my parents and my younger brother Liam. I was born about 3 years before him, but I still remember the day he was born. My father pacing worriedly around his study while I played in the corner and my mother gave birth as the midwives had barred him from the room as apparently that was tradition. He didn't really like that, even though they had done it to him the first time around with my birth. But I can remember having lunch with my father when a maid came down and announced that my mother had given birth to another beautiful strapping young boy. My father was so overcome with joy that he wept and rushed to her side, leaving the maid to follow with me.
"When the maid and I entered my mother's chambers I remember seeing both she and my father bent over a small bundle that wouldn't stop crying, it was awfully annoying and quite loud. My mother called me over and introduced me to my baby brother, Liam. She told me that as the elder brother it would be my duty to protect him and keep him safe when they couldn't. I remember looking down in my mother's arms and seeing a pink screaming blob but feeling an overwhelming sense of love and protection.
"Over the years we caused all sorts of trouble, whether it was from sword fighting without permission or getting into the kitchens and stealing from Granny, one of our chefs, or sneaking into the stables and riding for hours upon end, oh Liam and me, we did it all. But no matter what, our parents never truly punished us. They always said, our actions would be our consequences and we were to learn from our mistakes. So if we got caught by Granny and yelled at by her, that was the punishment. If we got hurt and had to see Doc, our physician, from fighting, that was our punishment. If we missed dinner from being out riding all afternoon, that was our punishment."
Killian took a few deep breaths at that point and just sat and watched as Roland and Henry continued to play the card game. It looked to be that Roland had a majority of the pairs where as Henry had only gained one or two since Killian had begun storytelling. He stretched and noticed Emma at the door, just leaning up against it with a soft smile on her face. She started slightly when she realized that killian had noticed her and soon Henry and Roland did as well.
"Mom, is the storm over? Can we go back on deck now?" Henry asked as he approached his still smiling mother, while Roland began climbing down from Killian's lap.
"Yeah, it's over. Go join Robin and Ruby for a late lunch and they can look over you guys. I want to share a word with Killian." Emma said, patting both of them on the head as they ran out of her cabin. Emma then turned toward Killian who was gathering all the cards together into a neat pile. "Thank you again for looking over them. They seemed alright. Did they cause any trouble for you?"
"No lass. Roland got a little frightened during one of the thunder claps in between our games but after teaming up with me to play cards against Henry, he calmed right back down. I told them stories about my family and my brother Liam." He said chuckling as he watched Emma sit down in the chair Henry had vacated earlier.
"Yeah, I actually overheard the tail end of that story. So the King and Queen didn't ever punish the two princes? That I find hard to believe."
"Oh no they punished us plenty, but the main parts of that story were true. If we raided the kitchen, we did get yelled at by our beloved chef, Granny. Now that woman is scary and getting yelled at by her is punishment enough, trust me. I'm a grown man and I'm still wary of getting on her bad side. But if we were to speak out of turn at court or did something truly wrong, then yes my parents did punish us. But more often than not, punishment was more lessons about the kingdom or sitting on at court when we could have been off playing."
Emma laughed at the way Killian spun his tales, painting such clear images in her head of a small and younger version running around and having to sit properly in front of nobles and royals. She made a decision then and there, "How would you like to join me for dinner tonight here in my cabin? I could use some company tonight and I'd love to hear even more about adventures of the princelings."
Killian stammered a response, "Oh well I'd be honored, Captain."
"Emma, you can call me Emma. It's just us in here. I'll have Ariel send two meals to my cabin in a couple hours. I have wheel duty soon until dinner, so you're relieved of duties. Until then, your highness."
"Until then, Captain… Emma" Killian said, smiling before getting up and returning to his own room for a bit, sighing in disbelief at what just happened. Captain Emma Swan was suddenly open and smiling around him, inviting him to a private dinner around him. He had no idea what happened and he feared it turning completely around again. But he was excited for this dinner; maybe it would give him a chance to see a bit more of the damaged woman behind her walls.
Killian spent the majority of his free time up on deck, looking out at the water near the front of the ship. After the storm had cleared, the sky and sea around them became quite beautiful. He looked out as the deep blue of the sky went on forever to meet the even deeper and almost black blue of the ocean. It gave him a sense of calm that he hadn't experienced in a long time, a sense of openness and choice, no barriers just freedom. IT seemed so much different than court back at home, where being Crown prince he didn't have many choices at all in almost all factors of his life. Killian surmised that really the only factor he had a choice in would be who he would marry and that was only because his parents had vowed that their sons would marry for love no alliance.
As he watched the sun set, Killian suddenly became aware of another presence behind him and coming closer. He assumed that it was Captain Emma, having been relieved of her duties at the helm. Turning, he saw that he was right and she was approaching.
"You've been staring out there for a while. Something troubling you, Killian?" Emma asked as she approached.
"No, I'm quite alright, Swan. I am finding the open sea is quite calming. I enjoy looking out at the water." He said, scratching behind his right ear.
"So, hungry?"
"Of course, captain. Lead the way." Killian said bowing and extending his arm for Emma to proceed. He followed her down to her cabin where he saw two goblets of ale and two plates of tonight's meal already placed on the table.
"Thank you for joining me. Please, sit."
"Thank you for inviting me, Emma. It's my honor. Tell me though, why did you invite me to join you?"
"Honestly, I don't rightly know. I look at you and I see you interacting so seamlessly with Henry and Roland. They adore you and you've only been on the ship for 3 days. It's been a long time since an outsider or anyone really has given those boys all that attention. So needless to say, you intrigue me" she said as she took a drink, her eyes sparkling over her goblet.
Killian blushed slightly as he took his own sip before turning his attention to his food. They continued to make small talk about different things, how Emma got the Window, her friendship with Robin, his tutelage on the seas and lands of different kingdoms, his desire to sail and explore, to just be free for a few months. It wasn't until they were both just sipping some of Emma's rum she had pulled from her own personal storage, that Killian brought his own self inquiries up.
"I can't help but wondering a few things, about Henry, and about you, love." He ventured, slowly.
"And what may I ask are these things you wonder?" Emma asked, sitting up more straight in her chair.
"I don't mean to pry, but I've not heard anything about Henry's father or Roland's mother, unless of course you and, er, Robin are involved." He spoke, slightly embarrassed about his questions.
He watched as Emma's teetering walls begin slamming up. "Henry's father is long gone. Robin lost his wife, Marian, shortly after she gave birth to Roland as she fell sick and left Robin to care for his child. We have never been involved. I resided in Sherwood Forest with Robin and Marian for some time before turning to the sea. After I obtained my ship, I returned to Sherwood and invited Robin and his young son, Roland, to join my crew as I was bringing my own son aboard. Please don't ask about Henry's father though. He is in the past and in the past is where he shall stay."
"Of course, Captain. Forgive me for intruding." Killian said, looking down.
"It's of no matter, Killian. But it is late and I have early helm duty tomorrow, so I'll have to bid you good night. Thank you again for looking over the boys and for your company this evening. I find your stories of the palace most entertaining." Emma said, dismissing the prince shortly.
Killian stood but paused, picking up one of Emma's hands and placing a soft kiss on the top of it, against her fingers, "Good night, Emma. It has been truly an enchanting evening." He stated before departing the room with not a word or glance more, retiring for the evening with a small smile seeing that she wasn't completely cold to him after his prying.