Try Something New, It's Called Trust

"Miss Nolan?"

She looked up to see a Knight unlocking her cell door and walking over to remove her shackles.

"My name is Percival; I'm here to escort you to your room where Dr Whale will look at your injuries."

"Miss Nolan? Oh right, Prince Killian said I would be given a new name!" Emma thought to herself.

She rubbed the red marks left on her wrists from her restraints.

"I beg your forgiveness for all this, when I found you unconscious with some of the royal jewels on your person I thought you were the thief! The Prince has just informed me that you are actually his guest and you were helping him catch the real thief before you tripped and bumped your head! I can't apologise enough about the misunderstanding, you have to admit the likeness to Captain Swan's wanted poster is uncanny, though you never can trust the accuracy of those drawings…" his voice wandered off as he got lost in his thoughts.

Emma smiled at the Prince's attempt at a cover story; "I wonder if he is always this terrible at lying?" She didn't want the knight thinking too much about it so decided to take control of the situation. She rested her hand on his arm, causing him to snap out of his thoughts and look at her.

"It's ok; you were just trying to do your job, as was I." She smiled at him warmly, relaxing when she saw him smile back, she was good at reading people, years of cons had given her experience in quickly locating a person's weakness and exploiting it, and Percival's weakness was that he wanted to be a hero, he wanted to feel needed, he was sweet and a gentleman, god, she could eat him for breakfast, this would be easy. She could convince almost anyone of anything. She took her hand away and blushed while she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear flirtatiously.

"Now, if you could be so kind to help me, I would love to get to my room so I can rest, I've had quite the adventure!"

"Of course, milady!"

He helped her stand up and she leaned on his arm for support as they slowly made their way through the castle to her room. Percival had offered to carry her but she insisted on walking with his help. She asked himquestions about his life, which he answered quite happily, if she had any hope of surviving this, or even of potentially escaping she needed people to like her, to trust her!

Eventually they stopped in front of a large mahogany door, there were swans carved on it, in fact she'd noticed swan tapestries decorating the halls throughout the castle too. She hobbled into her bedroom and looked around; large floor to ceiling windows filled the room with light, double doors led out onto a balcony, on the other side of the room was a large four poster bed, on the top of each wooden post sat a wooden carved swan, each in the same attacking pose, reared up with its wings spread wide. Her fingers trailed along the luxurious material of the curtains hanging on her bed. She turned to Percival.

"What's the significance of all the swans in this place?"

"Oh, it's the legend of the Swan Princess; this kingdom is built on it."

"Swan Princess" she muttered, more to herself than to him, "I'm not familiar with that one…"

"I'm a bit rusty on it myself!" he admitted. "I moved here from Camelot a few years back, I'm sure there are books on it in the library if it interests you milady".

She nodded and hummed, deep in thought.

"I'll leave you to rest; Dr Whale will be here shortly, I'm sorry again for the misunderstanding"

"That's quite alright; it was very kind of you to escort me to my room."

He gave a small bow and left.

She crawled up onto her bed. She wanted to explore the castle and the gardens more, but right now she needed to rest, she was going to have to allow her ankle to heal before she could successfully escape. "Do I want to escape?" she asked herself, she had nowhere to go, no ship, no crew, no money, no Baelfire. She flopped back, her head hitting the pillow. "So how are you going to get yourself out of this mess, Swan?" she couldn't think right now, her body ached and lying on the comfortable bed had made her realise just how exhausted she was. She felt sleep swiftly overcome her and gave in willingly.

Killian stood hunched over, leaning against the fireplace mantle, brooding, with a glass of rum in hand. He would tell the council tomorrow that he had chosen a bride, he'd decided to keep her true identity a secret from them, they would just try and talk him out of it but his mind was made up. He may not love Emma but he was intrigued by her, not only was she beautiful but she had spirit, she was feisty and he knew she'd keep him on his toes. Deep down, he didn't want a quiet submissive wife, he wanted a distraction, and he wanted a challenge, someone who had a wild streak like him…perhaps he was just a glutton for punishment, but ultimately he wanted a friend, a partner, someone he wouldn't mind having around all the time. Emma was all those things, he could tell from the limited interaction they'd had, something about her appealed to his tormented reckless nature, when he told her about her accomplice leaving her and taking her ship he saw it in her eyes, the pain and abandonment that had haunted him since his Father took his life leaving him and Liam as children with a broken kingdom and the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. Liam was just a teenager at the time and it took him years to gain back the trust of their people.

And then there was Milah; his Milah, brutally taken from him, her heart literally ripped out and crushed right in front of him, that moment the light left her eyes and her body went limp in his arms replayed in his mind most nights as he tossed and turned. Removing his heart dulled the pain but the memory seared in his mind haunted him nightly. Killian's jaw clenched when he thought of how all the people he'd ever loved had either left him or been taken from him.

His dark thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, a head poked into the room.

"Ah, Dr Whale, how is the patient?"

"Just a minor sprain and concussion, she will make a full recovery. I've instructed her to stay off her feet for a week."

Killian smirked; he could imagine Emma would be less than impressed with those instructions! He opened his mouth to reply but before he could speak Robin entered the room.

"You wanted to see me, your highness?"

Killian turned to Dr Whale, "Thank you for the update let me know if anything changes."

The doctor nodded and left the two friends together, Kilian walked to the door where his squire was waiting outside.

"Tell the kitchen to have my dinner sent up with Miss Nolan's to her room; I'll dine there with her tonight."

"Yes your majesty" the squire replied and hurried off.

"Miss Nolan?" Robin asked his friend with a teasing smirk. "Do we have company at the castle?"

"Yes, my fiancé is staying with us."

Robin stared blankly at his friend, "Come again?"

Killian sighed, "I said my fiancé is staying at the castle."

"You're fiancé?"

"Yes"

"You didn't have a fiancé this morning when we had the council meeting."

"That's correct"

"And you do now?"

"Yes Robin, I have a bloody fiancé now, you heard them! I need to marry to become King which apparently is my god forsaken destiny. So I found a Queen."

Robin's eyes narrowed, "where?"

"Excuse me?"

"Where, pray tell, did you find a Queen in less than 24 hours?"

"In the castle cells"

Robin burst out laughing, "You can't be serious! Wait…you're not kidding are you?"

Killian raised his eyebrow and smiled, "I'm deadly serious."

"I know you've been under a lot of stress lately but Killian…if you're going to have a mental breakdown can't you just trash the throne room or go on a drunken bender, or streak through the castle gardens? Is marrying a criminal really the answer?"

Killian rolled his eyes, "What makes you think this is a mental breakdown? You haven't even seen her yet! She's quite charming."

"What was she arrested for?"

"Piracy…and stealing the crown jewels, including the middlemist crown…"

"A pirate?! Are you insane? And she stole the middlemist crown?" He ran his hand through his hair then dropped his arms in exasperation "So she stole the crown and in return you are allowing her to wear it as your Queen, have I got that right?"

The prince raised his hand lazily, "actually her accomplice got away with the crown, we'll need to hunt him down and get it back before our wedding!"

Robin shook his head, "bloody unbelievable! And who is going to do that?"

"Well I was hoping to leave that job in your capable hands…"

Robin had long since given up on trying to understand the prince, on trying to find any thread of reason behind the decisions he made and actions he took. But Killian was his friend and he'd lost so much already, Robin wasn't about to give up on him. He sighed and nodded his head.

"What is her name?"

"Captain Emma Swan, but that stays between you and I, I'm introducing her to the council as Miss Emma Nolan from the Enchanted Forest."

"Killian…Emma Swan?" he gave his friend a concerned look, "are you sure you're not projecting here?"

The prince glared at him, "She's dead, Robin, I let her go a long time ago!"

Robin wished he could believe him but he knew the prince's past tortured him and this girl would be a constant reminder… "Any information that can help me track down her accomplice?"

"Yes they escaped on her ship, the Jolly Roger, I don't know his name…I assume it is a 'him' judging by the hurt I saw in her eyes when she realised she'd been abandoned and left to take the fall for the crime."

"She loves him?"

"I imagine she did."

Robin eyed his friend curiously, "and it doesn't bother you that she had affections for another?"

"No…like I explained, I am not capable of loving her so it makes no difference to me that she doesn't love me, in fact I'd prefer she didn't, then I won't feel bad about not returning her feelings."

"Do you have any idea how messed up this whole situation is?"

Killian looked away, "It's the best I can do with the cards I've been dealt."

"And Emma?"

"I'm saving her life, I'm giving her protection, providing for her, it may not be the life she hoped for but she is alive and well looked after, that's what I was looking for, Robin, someone who could benefit from this deal as much as I do."

"And if I find the accomplice, what should I do with him?"

"Bring him to me."

"Ok, your secret is safe with me; I'll head out at once!" Robin bowed and left the castle in pursuit of the thief.

Emma finally managed, with the help of her lady's maid Ruby, to hobble out to her balcony. It was worth the pain and effort, the view was stunning! She needed something to distract her; she'd dreamt of Baelfire while she slept earlier and woken with a throbbing pain in her heart, she'd been foolish enough to let her walls down and let him in and now he tormented her, haunted her dreams, she couldn't let herself make that mistake again, she had to get out of here!

"Ruby?"

"Yes, milady?"

"Could the Prince and I dine out here? It's such a beautiful evening, it seems a shame to miss it!"

"Of course, I'll move the table and food out, the Prince should be here any moment."

As Ruby set to work relocating dinner Emma returned her gaze to the view, leaning against the wooden railings. Directly below her was the swan lake she had seen earlier that morning, as she lifted her head she could see the field of middlemist flowers, looking radiant as the orange evening sun highlighted them. If she continued her gaze up higher still she could see the cliff she had been standing on with Bae. Just a few hours earlier she had been taking in this exact scene, albeit from a different angle, and wondering what a life here would be like, now she was living it! Emma slowly shook her head at the craziness of it all. Her thoughts drifted to Baelfire, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised that he left her to take the fall; Bae was as slippery as they came, he always had a contingency plan or two up his sleeve, but she just never thought she would be it! She had assumed herself irreplaceable to him, after all she provided him safe transport on her ship, use of her crew and she helped him complete most of his thefts and cons, causing a distraction and even engaging in the fighting, Emma was no beginner when it came to sword fighting! She had given Bae everything; her ship, her crew, her skillset, her body, and even her heart…that was the worst part of his betrayal, "I guess there really is no honour among thieves!" Emma's eyes narrowed, above all things Emma was a survivor, she wasn't going give Baelfire the satisfaction of breaking her heart, and she refused to shed a tear for him! She knew how to wear emotional armour, she'd done it as a child, abandoned by her parents and living with that horrible witch; yes if she could survive that she could survive Bae abandoning her, and she could certainly survive starting out on her own again with no money or prospects once she managed to leave this place. Once her ankle healed she'd start scouting the castle looking for the best way to escape, before things got out of control and she married a…

"Miss Nolan"

She jumped and spun around, forgetting her ankle, at least until pain shot through her leg, making her lose her balance. Killian rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Emma! Are you alright?" he asked, concern filling his eyes.

Emma looked up at him, awkwardly trying to peel herself out of his arms which just held her tighter.

"Allow me" he said gently while he scooped her up and carefully set her in her seat at the table Ruby had set.

"Thank you" Emma muttered, embarrassed by the assistance. She tried to smooth out her hair and regain her composure; this wasn't the start to dinner she had planned! She needed to begin manipulating the prince so she could build up enough trust for him to allow her free reign of the castle and gardens unwatched and unguarded, "Pull yourself together Emma, it's just another con; you can do this!"

"So you like the view?" He asked sitting across from her, his smirk suggested he was talking about more than just the scenery. He was sizing her up, and she had to play this just right.

"You have a lovely kingdom." She said feigning indifference.

"We have a lovely kingdom...it will be yours too in 3 weeks." He corrected her.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose, though you have made it clear that it won't really be mine…"

Killian leaned forward, looking straight into her eyes, "I believe what I said was that you wouldn't have any say in ruling it, I'd still like you to think of it as your home."

Emma swallowed, she could lose herself in those eyes, never in all her travels had she seen eyes that deep blue, like the waves of ocean she loved so much; the ocean that she had always considered home. She could confess her darkest sins to those eyes, she had to be careful! She needed him to open up to her, to trust her; not the other way around!

"Speaking of which…" he pulled a scroll from his jacket pocket. "This is the wedding agreement, it states that you will be Queen consort, you'll have complete protection, free reign to come and go as you please around the castle and gardens, I would prefer you take a guard, I'll appoint for you, if you are leaving the castle grounds, just for your own safety of course…"

Emma's jaw dropped, she didn't have to do anything and he already offered her the freedom she wanted.

"You're just going to let a wanted criminal have free reign of your castle?" she asked.

He smiled, "You are no longer a wanted criminal, you're my fiancé, call me naïve but I trust you to keep your end of our bargain and recognise that it is mutually beneficial to both of us."

She sat there silently trying to figure him out, at first she had thought of him with complete indifference, just an obstacle in her way to returning to her old life, or whatever she could salvage of it anyway. Now she was intrigued, she had always been good at figuring people out within moments but Prince Killian was a mystery to her, and there was something about him that made her want to unlock those mysteries, some invisible force drew her to him.

"Well what do you think?" he asked, signalling to the view from the balcony, "do you think you could be happy here?"

Emma took a deep breath then exhaled, "it's certainly a different pace than what I'm used to…but it's satisfactory I suppose…" she smiled back at him.

He reached across the table and took her hand in his, brushing his thumb across her knuckles, she immediately tensed up, holding her breath.

"You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied" the look in his eyes was nothing short of sinful.

Emma snatched her hand back quickly, "and you think you're the man to do it?" she challenged.

Her response caught him slightly off guard. He tried to explain, "I just mean I see a lot of myself in you; I've never been satisfied either."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Is that so? Why are you here? You don't need to woo me; I already told you I'd marry you!"

He could see Emma's walls shooting up, that wasn't the result he was hoping for. He took his hand back and spoke to her in a quiet, calm voice.

"I'm here to get to know you, Emma. I'm not trying to seduce you; I just thought it would be easier being married if we were…friends…"

"I don't have much experience making friends…" Emma admitted.

He looked at her sympathetically. "Usually two people ask each other questions about themselves and the more they learn about the other person the closer they become."

Emma rolled her eyes at the explanation. "I understand the concept, genius; I just haven't made many friends… I guess…" she sighed, "…I guess experience has taught me not to trust people…" the words came out before she could stop them, she silently cursed herself for being so open. "You can't trust him Emma; he is using you to get his throne, just like everyone else uses you! Don't be naïve enough to think he'll care. The only way you can win this is to use him too." She had to turn this around, tell him just enough that he feels comfortable enough to open up to her and reveal his weakness.

Killian smiled, "It's hard to let people in, isn't it? Especially when you've lost loved ones…"

"Who did you lose?" she asked carefully.

"My parents, my brother and sister-in-law, my lover…and…a friend a long time ago." He answered matter-of-factly.

"I don't have any family either…I mean I had my crew…but they didn't even try to come and find me, they just accepted Baelfire as their new Captain and sailed off."

"Baelfire?"

Emma froze, she was angry at Bae for betraying her but she wasn't a snitch, she wasn't about to betray him the way he did her, she lived by a code; it was all she had left now. She had to change the subject.

"Why did you tell me that you aren't capable of love?"

His eyes widened, not expecting her to be that forward. "Ok Jones, if you want her to trust you, you're going to have to trust her." He scratched nervously behind his ear.

"I asked a powerful sorcerer to remove my heart and keep it safe for me."

Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Did it hurt?"

"Not as much as having it still beating in my chest did! I lost someone…someone very dear to me, they died in my arms. I couldn't handle the pain, the loss. I wanted my revenge and to do that I needed to remove any distraction, I needed to take away anything that could prevent me from doing whatever was necessary to face that demon."

"Did you get your revenge?"

He looked away, "No" His jaw tensed; this wasn't really a side of him he wanted to show her before she married him but she asked and he had agreed to be open and honest with her. Perhaps it was for the best that she knew the villain as well as the hero, for they were both part of him.

"I spent two years hunting him down but then my brother died, he had no heir, and I had to return to rule the kingdom. So you see, Swan, we are both trapped here against our will."

What Emma did next surprised her as much as it did him, she reached across the table, took his hand back and lifted it to her lips giving it the gentlest of kisses.

"I'm sorry. It would appear we have more in common then I first thought. I would be honoured to be your friend. Perhaps once you are King and things settle down here I could help you find the man who killed your love. I'm very good at finding people."

She wasn't entirely sure why she offered that since she fully intended to escape from here as soon as possible, but the offer came from a genuine place, she had misjudged the prince and he had shown her nothing but kindness and trust. Perhaps if she helped him get his revenge and find peace he would let her leave. Perhaps they could be friends…

Killian was taken aback by her words and her touch. "Perhaps…" he replied.