a/n: Fun tidbit — for an embarrassingly long time this chapter was called "Climax Cont'd" and you can tell we're down to the serious business because as of the last one we've gone from three scenes a chapter down to two. Also... I'm really sorry.

Going from the quiet safety of Killian's arms to the commotion onboard the Jewel of the Realm was a shock to Emma's system. She wished she could stay nestled in his warmth until the aching cold went away but as the boat was brought on deck instinct — the ingrained need to show strength before others — had her pulling away and struggling to get her legs working underneath her. Killian helped steady her immediately, one arm wrapping around her back, tucking her into his side as she found her balance and stepped back onto the ship.

She'd barely glanced at the hole in the hull as they were lifted up but now that they were back onboard she couldn't help but look to the ship's bow and the cracked and broken deck where she'd been standing not long ago. Killian followed her gaze, stiffening beside her before turning them away towards the stern. Almost immediately, Emma's eyes landed on the familiar and worried faces of Tristan and Lancelot.

"Take her down to my quarters and get her blankets and some dry clothes," Killian said as the two knights approached.

Panic flared in her chest at his words and she gripped onto his arm in an attempt to keep him close to her. Killian pried her hand away gently, moving to stand in front of her, so close that their foreheads touched.

"I'm loathe to leave you, Swan," he said, his hands settling at her waist. "But the ship was damaged. As captain, I need to ensure you're not in any more danger." He nudged her nose with his and her eyes fluttered shut as she breathed him in.

"Let me keep you safe, love. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Okay," she whispered, taking a fortifying breath as he stepped away from her.

Lancelot offered his arm and she let him help her down to Killian's cabin, sitting in a chair and wrapping herself in a blanket while he and Tristan searched for something she could change into. The blanket was no replacement for Killian, but it did feel good to be out of the wind. She curled and flexed her fingers as she waited, hoping that they'd loosened up enough to allow her to undress on her own.

Tristan presented her with one of Killian's spare uniforms and she looked up at him as he awkwardly clasped his hands in front of him and shuffled his feet.

"Do you, ah, need assistance, my lady?"

Emma tried to smirk at his discomfort, but was fairly certain it came off as more of a grimace. "I think I'll be able to manage," she said.

Behind him, Lancelot gave a slight bow but his hand was already reaching for the door. "We'll be just outside if you need us." The dark-skinned knight hesitated a moment then sighed. "I'm glad you're alright, Princess."

Emma smiled at him as she fingered a corner of the neatly folded pile of clothes. "Thank you. Me too."

They left her in peace and she set to work, setting the blanket aside and removing the jacket that Killian had given her. Her hands fumbled with the laces and buttons but it was immensely satisfying to peel off the cold and wet garments until she was down to just her smallclothes. She dressed quickly, though Killian's uniform hung too large on her frame and the white material did little to conserve her modesty. Thankfully, the pants came with a belt and she covered herself once more with the dark navy jacket, buttoning it all the way up. Emma wasn't sure what sort of picture she made — a princess in a man's military uniform — though it had to be better than the drowned rat aesthetic she'd been sporting before.

She needed to get back on deck and find out what Killian's plan was for getting them back to port safely. She needed to be a princess again and push aside the weak and vulnerable state his entire crew had seen her in. A princess is made by her bearing, not her clothes, she remembered her mother telling her. Of all people, her mother — a former bandit — would know. Emma took a deep breath to steel herself, drawing herself up tall, when something caught her eye out the window.

Frowning, she moved closer and her stomach plummeted when she saw a series of ropes extending all the way down to the surface. The ship had been positioned directly above the Nautica and when she craned her head Emma could see the shapes of four men rappelling down to the massive flagship.

No, she thought, fear and fury immediately filling her. She had not survived an attempt by Hans to kill her only to lose Killian at his hand. They were already two-thirds of the way down, and at the pace they were moving Emma knew she wouldn't be able to stop them before they reached the Nautica.

Climbing up to the Jewel's deck, Emma stormed over to where the lines dropped over the side of the bulwark, knowing that Lancelot and Tristan would follow as soon as they heard the hatch open.

Killian's lieutenant turned when he heard her coming and opened his mouth to greet her but Emma cut him off.

"Send me down with them," she ordered.

The man gaped at her. He stood over a head taller than her and she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring up at him and daring him to refuse her.

Finally he seemed to gather his wits, clearing his throat and bowing respectfully. "Your Highness, the captain left explicit instructions that you were to remain aboard the Jewel."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Lieutenant, you seem like a smart man so I'm going to speak plainly. You know that there is something between the captain and me. I suspect that Hans knows as well and that he was behind what happened. If Killian goes down there and does something stupid it could not only get him killed it could trigger a war. I don't care what orders you were given. I am the crown princess of this kingdom and as of right now I am commandeering this ship. Now get me to the Nautica."

The officer shook his head. "It's not safe for you to abseil," he protested. "Our crew is specifically trained for these types of operations and —"

"Then get me a harness or lower me back down in the boat. I don't care how you do it just do it!"

They stared at each other for the span of several heartbeats that pounded loud in Emma's ears. Every moment wasted was another with Killian's life in danger. She was acutely aware of the fact that the lieutenant didn't technically have to listen to her and that she'd have no other recourse if he chose to deny her. He was also right — Emma may be strong, but she was still recovering from her dip in the seaway and there was no way she was fit to even attempt to climb down on her own. None of those thoughts could show on her face, however, and she made sure to keep her mouth in a firm line as she held the lieutenant's gaze. No matter how much she wanted to crumple at the thought of losing Killian, she had to hold onto her fury and use it to fuel her. She could crumple later. After she got them both out alive.

"Prepare a side boat for the princess!" he shouted finally and Emma almost sagged with relief.

She turned to follow him and crashed straight into Lancelot's chest.

"I hope you're not planning on going alone," he said, steadying her.

She rolled her eyes and brushed past him. "Of course not."

There were over a hundred men serving onboard the Nautica and any one of them might choose to obey the prince who tried to kill her over the command of either captain. She'd be a fool not to bring her own men with her.

The same boat that she'd been hoisted up in was readied for them and Emma let Tristan go first, accepting his hand as she stepped into the tiny vessel, Lancelot following behind. Killian's lieutenant was still frowning but she nodded to him as they were winched down, wanting him to know that she appreciated him going against orders for her.

"Stay low and hold on," she said to her knights, settling into the rocking of the boat as it was steadily lowered from the air.

"Consider your words carefully, Captain, lest you find yourself stripped of your rank and imprisoned for treason."

Killian narrowed his eyes at Hans, left hand flexing over the pommel of his sword. The situation on the Nautica was a right bloody mess. When he and his men had boarded, they'd landed in the middle of an argument between his brother and the prince. It seemed that Hans had produced a scapegoat for the cannon incident and was determined to stop his brother from conducting an actual investigation. It had nearly started a brawl when Killian had shown up and accused the prince of firing on the Jewel himself but he knew from the look on Hans' face that he'd struck true. He just had to get him mad enough to admit it.

"Brother," Liam said, standing close to him. "What proof do you have of this?"

"What proof do I need? He's the only one with any motive. Either he fired it himself, or he gave the order to."

"This is ridiculous! Why would I try to have Princess Emma killed when all I desire is her love and affection?"

They were such blatant lies falling from his mouth, Killian was shocked at how blind he'd been to them before. "Because she told you no!" he snapped.

"Because she needs to learn her place!" the prince bellowed.

The admission startled their audience and a pregnant silence fell over the deck. Hans cracked his jaw. "A royal heir shall wed only a member of the nobility deemed acceptable by the reigning monarch," he argued, reciting from the Southern Isle's constitution. "She has no business taking up with a man with no title to his name."

He knew.

It wasn't a bruised ego that had spurred the prince to seek vengeance, it was jealousy. Killian's heart took up a rapid tattoo and he moved to step forward when his brother gripped his arm.

"Killian, he is still our prince."

"He tried to kill her, he just admitted it!" he fumed, jerking from his brother's hold.

"I've admitted nothing. You, on the other hand, have sabotaged your lord's attempt at a marriage alliance."

He had to clench his jaw to keep from spitting. "Any man who would do what you've done is no lord of mine."

His brother sucked in a breath at that but Killian was beyond caring about any smirch on his honour. Let Hans expel him from the navy and accuse him of treason, he'd gladly go to prison along with him if it kept Emma safe.

"You're a fool if you think she would ever actually choose you," Hans taunted. "She's using you. And when she gets bored she will toss you aside as she would anything else. A woman is nothing if not fickle."

"You don't know her."

"So certain of her affections," he mocked. "Well, perhaps she'll be able to prove them when she marries me in exchange for sparing your life."

He shook his head. "You'll never get to her," he vowed.

"Then it's a good thing she's coming to me."

The prince lifted his chin and Killian knew without looking what was behind him. He'd expected nothing less, to be honest, but had hoped that her knights would have been able to delay her. Hoped that he'd have been able to sway his brother's crew and have Hans arrested before she even got close enough to lay eyes on. As he turned to watch the boat descend the last few feet to the deck of the Nautica, he knew that he could no longer wait for Hans to fully incriminate himself. He had to force the prince's hand, lest he put Emma in even more danger than she'd been in before.

There was an aborted shout from his brother and Killian was shoved aside. He turned in time to see Hans fire his pistol at the spot he'd been mere seconds before. The spot where Liam stood after pushing him out of the way, blood staining his crisp uniform beneath the dark navy jacket.

A strangled cry ripped from his throat and he rushed to catch his brother as he slumped, pressing a hand over the chest wound and lowering them both down to the deck carefully.

No!

"Liam! Liam, brother, no. Stay with me."

Heart pounding in his ears, his brother's head resting on his thigh, Killian tore at the uniform with his spare hand, trying to get to the wound while simultaneously keeping pressure on it. His hands shook and he couldn't see for all the blood but if he could get access to it then maybe...

The moment Liam went still in his arms Killian could have sworn that the entire world stopped in its place. He curled over him protectively, hoping that he was wrong, praying to feel Liam's breath on his cheek. But there was nothing save his own shaky breathing and the trembling in his limbs. And then he looked up and saw Hans' face scowling down at them.

Killian didn't make the decision to lay Liam down on the deck, didn't even know that he had drawn his blade until he was bringing it down against Hans' own sword, the prince backing up hastily.

"You murdered him," he growled, stalking him as he tried to slip away. "You murdered him!"

The crew gave them a wide berth and not even the prince's guards stepped in against him. Again and again Killian struck hard, unrelenting as Hans backpedaled and struggled to defend. His entire awareness was narrowed to each clang and grunt, every blow fueled by the need to make him pay.

Hans stumbled and Killian seized the opportunity, knocking him off his feet and kicking his sword away. The prince lay flat on his back with the point of Killian's blade pressed to his throat and all that mattered was seeing the blood stain his crisp uniform the way it had Liam's.

"Killian!"

She appeared in his field of vision like an angel, clothed in one of his spare uniforms, wisps of golden hair flying across her face. He had the fleeting thought that she should be here for Liam, not him, before his head cleared and the blood rushing in his ears quieted.

"Killian, stop."

"He murdered my brother," he argued, and he must have been screaming at some point because his throat was raw and his voice sounded hoarse in his ears. "He tried to kill you!"

Emma moved closer to him, her hand reaching for the shoulder of his sword arm. "And he will have to answer for those actions, but not like this. If you kill him it will start a war no matter what we do. No one else should have to die for the crimes he's committed."

"He's already going to die for this. My father will have his h—" Hans' voice cut-off as Killian pushed the point of the sword further under his chin, nicking him in the process.

Emma frowned at the trickle of blood on his blade and stepped back. "You have to make a choice, Killian: justice or vengeance. But it's up to you."

His eyes flicked desperately back and forth between his princess and the treacherous prince laid out as his feet. Rage still simmered within him and he wanted so badly to slit the man's throat and call his brother avenged. Liam was all the family he had, and the urge to make Hans pay the ultimate price was strong. But Emma's love was the only thing left to him now, and he could not let her down.

His eyes locked with hers even as he addressed his words to Hans. "The princess will hear your surrender now."

When it didn't come quick enough for his liking Killian snapped his gaze back down to his former prince who looked about to protest. "I said now!"

The tip of his blade pressed against his throat again and Hans made a strangled sound. "Your Highness, I surrender myself into your custody."

Emma gave her would-be suitor a hard stare. "Get him in chains and signal the Jewel of the Realm."

Her arms wrapped around him as Liam's crew set about following her orders. Killian held her to him with his left arm around her shoulders, sword still held in his right, staring ahead blankly as his brother's body was covered with a shroud and the ship both Jones had called home began its descent from the skies.