Chapter 3: Buried Treasure

This had not been Killian's plan, at all. Sneaking into the manor and navigating its halls undetected had been easy, as he suspected, but when it came to actually finding his booty, well, it was what had gotten him into this mess.

He had been meandering along, looking into every room he came across with no avail. Just as he began looking through rooms on the second floor, he heard quick footsteps approaching from the other direction and ducked into one of the many shadowy alcoves that recessed into the walls to wait until it was safe to continue his search.

The girl had stopped at a door just a few feet away from where he was hiding, and at first he thought she was going to enter the room, but then she turned around…and looked straight at him. Killian couldn't believe it; how could she have seen him? The hall was dark; it was impossible. But then, judging by the range of emotions that played on her face, he suddenly thought otherwise. He acted quickly as she began to leave, to get help.

"Damn it all," Killian swore under his breath as he tightened his grip on the struggling girl. He pulled her along with him as he backed over to the room she had just been about to enter; he was about to release his hold on her waist to open the door when a sharp, centralized pain erupted in his foot. She had stomped on his foot!

He bit back a swear and opened the door, throwing the girl into the room before he followed, limping slightly. Killian kicked the door shut behind him and leaned against it. He lifted his foot up and grabbed it with his hand, wincing at the pain; nothing broken, which was good, but he was beyond angry.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he growled as he stood straight again, glaring at the girl. She had moved quickly across the room, positioning herself near the fireplace with as much distance between the two of them as possible.

"I'm not used to being manhandled in my own home, especially by a trespasser," she spat out, crossing her arms over her chest. "I acted accordingly. Now who are you?"

"Who are you?" Killian asked in return.

"I…" the girl hesitated and looked away for a split second. "I asked you first." A smirk spread on Killian's lips, the pain in his foot vanishing as quickly as the girl's confidence had.

"Yes, but why should I tell you?" Killian asked, looking over at her with a single raised eyebrow.

"I could scream," she told him. "And guards would be here within the minute."

"I could kill you," he replied, noticing the way her eyes darted to the hand that rested on his sword. "And you wouldn't get the chance to scream."

"But you haven't killed me yet."

Killian stared at her, amused at her act of confidence. For a young woman, she was certainly very doll-like. She had soft facial feature—large eyes, long eyelashes, small nose, pillowy lips—and her gauzy dress didn't help any as it was made up of layers of tulle and silk, ribbons and lace. Her brown hair contrasted greatly with her fair skin, especially in the dim lighting. She was much prettier than any doll—or tavern wench for that matter—he had ever seen in during his travels, and had he not already been searching for a treasure, Killian thought she would've been a fine prize worth taking from the kingdom of Doria.

"No, I haven't" he agreed, and then a thought popped into his head. A brilliant thought. He hadn't been able to find the room where the book was located; this girl could help him. "But I could and I will…unless you help me."

Anna stared at him with fear…and fascination. He was young, probably no older than Devlin, but his presence commanded attention and respect, similar to that of her father. He was fully clad in black leather, the silver of his coat buttons, belt buckle and sword the only exceptions. Anna couldn't tell in the light, but it appeared that his hair was black, even. Aside from times of mourning, she had never met a person who wore the color; it suited him well, adding to his already intimidating atmosphere. Despite his slightly disheveled appearance, Anna thought he was quite handsome.

Anna mentally scolded herself as the last thought crossed her mind; this man was an intruder in her home who had just threatened to kill her. Unless she helped him.

"Help you?" Anna frowned. "With what?"

"To find something," the man answered, taking a step towards her. "Something of great value."

"You're a thief," she replied. "That's why you're here; to steal something."

"I prefer pirate."

"Pirate?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of pirates before," he laughed.

"I have," Anna defended. She noticed the way he was quickly advancing on her and took a step backwards.

"And what have you heard?" he asked in an amused tone, sidestepping the chairs by the fireplace without taking his gaze off of her.

"They're seafarers," Anna muttered. "Thieves. Murderers."

"Hmm," he smirked. "I would've used…different words. But just like the stories of those fighting on opposite sides of a war, your opinions and mine differ as well."

"We're not fighting on opposite sides of a war," Anna replied, hoping that she didn't sound afraid. "You are here searching for something to take, to steal, and I must help you find it."

"So you're willing to help me then?" the pirate whispered to her, now close enough to do so.

"You haven't exactly given me a choice, have you?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Anna asked as she led Killian down a dusty stairway. He had to admit that he had been impressed with the her use of deserted hallways as she led him to the gallery—she had been slightly confused when he asked her to bring him to the "treasure room"—which was located in a cellar deep below the manor. They had been silent most of the way and only came across one other person roaming the halls, which had been when Killian had learned Anna's name as she casually greeted them.

"You've just asked one," Killian replied cheekily. Anna glared at him and he smirked. "Go ahead."

"You're a pirate, which means you live on a ship."

"I'm the captain of my own ship. The Jolly Roger," he corrected her with pride.

"My apologies," Anna muttered. "But…have you traveled many places?"

"Aye."

"Other kingdoms far away?"

"Aye."

"What were they like?" she asked curiously.

"Much like this one. A kingdom is a kingdom; a village is a village. Although, they're much more…dishonest," Killian laughed. "Every person my crew and I have come across since we docked yesterday has been nothing but warm greetings and welcoming smiles. I never thought it possible."

"Yesterday?" Anna's eyes went wide.

"Yes. We had originally set a course for the island of Patrelle." He noticed the confused look on her face and figured that she didn't know much about the lands beyond the shores of Doria. That must be the reason for her questions. "The weather caused us delay, and I decided to stop here for supplies and a short rest."

"I was in the market yesterday," Anna told him. "I saw your ship as it was approaching the island."

"Then our meeting must've been fated," Killian said seductively, stepping closer to her. Although she didn't answer, he could make out the slight blush that crossed her cheeks and smirked. Anna turned a corner and led him down another flight of stairs that led to a set of tall, double doors.

"Is this it?" Killian asked.

"Yes," Anna nodded and stepped past him to grab a torch from its holder on the wall.

"Allow me," he offered once he saw her struggle to reach it. He wondered how she could be so delicate despite having put up a good fight to get away from him when he had captured her in the hall outside of her bedroom.

"I have to warn you, it'll seem quite disorganized in here for someone who doesn't know the way it's, well, organized." Anna told him as she pulled on the latch to one of the doors. "What is it that you're looking for, anyways?"

"A book," Killian replied simply as he followed her into the darkness. The light from the torch didn't help much with visibility, and he was about to comment on that fact when Anna took the torch from him.

"A book?" He nodded. "Strange. Did you ever think it possible that this…book would be in the library?" She tipped the torch into a large cauldron-like container that was filled with black powder, which combusted instantly, and the room became illuminated by the soft firelight.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, Killian was amazed at what he saw. Walls covered in paintings, tables covered with stacks of coins, shelves holding artisan vases and statuettes; he knew Doria was a prosperous kingdom—gold here was about as run-of-the-mill as grass—but the collection that was spread before him was astounding.

"It isn't that kind of book," Killian muttered in a daze. He took a few steps over to a chest that was perched on a velvet-covered stool; he had been disappointed to find that all it held were old, yellowing scrolls. No matter, he thought. The room is filled with treasure.

"Not to interrupt your…salivating," Anna's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to around and met her expectant gaze. "But it is a tad cold down here, so if you could tell me what this book looks like, we could leave."

"Hmm. Perhaps if you were dressed a little heavier," Killian began, brushing his fingers over her bare forearm. "You wouldn't be so cold. I'm not complaining, though."

"The book," Anna snapped, jumping away from him. "If you please."

"It's quite large, I suppose, with gilded pages. Has a gold-plated cover set with…" He frowned, trying to recall the note.

"Pearls," both he and Anna said at the same time, although when he had said it with revelation, she had said it with horror.

Whatever curiosity and intrigue Anna held towards the pirate before that moment had vanished instantly.

"Yes, that's it," he nodded. "You know of it?"

Oh, Anna knew it well. She recalled being a child of only four or five years old, sitting with her grandfather at the long table in the dining hall, leisurely turning the pages of the book as he told her grand tales of Corwyn Bowen, a close friend of the King and an adventurer, who was the progenitor of their family and had become the first lord of the region hundreds of years prior in return for his service to the kingdom in a time of great confusion.

When her grandfather had passed away, Anna would sneak down to the gallery and look at the miniaturized portraits of her ancestors that had been bound into the pages, her grandfather's words echoing in her mind.

"Being a part of the Bowen house means being a part of a legacy. Scholars, artists, peacekeepers, protectors, leaders. You mustn't forget that Anna."

But she had. It had gotten lost among etiquette lessons and dress fittings and lectures from her mother. Standing in the gallery now, with a pirate who wanted to take the book, to take her family's history, profound thoughts and doubts about her own life plagued her mind.

"Why do you want the book?" she asked after a few moments.

"I heard about it somewhere; the details are unimportant," he shrugged. "But from what I heard, it is quite valuable. The cover for one thing, the masterpieces of artists long dead that rest within its pages another."

"I wouldn't have taken you for an art aficionado," Anna laughed.

"I'm not," the pirate replied. "But I know of many who will pay grandly for such an item. Now if you could show me where it is—"

"No!" Anna jumped as he started towards her. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You can't take it."

"I can't take it?" he asked in an amused tone.

"I won't let you."

"You won't let me?"

"No." The pirate frowned, but then just laughed.

"I'll just find it myself then. You can go, if you'd like Anna; I can find my way out of here." She was about to give up, watching as he backed away from the chest he had been looking through and began his search, but an idea popped into her head.

"Look around you," she began. "If you only want the book so you can sell it, why not just take something else? A satchel full of gold coins?"

"Because I can get more for the book than just a single satchel filled with coins," he replied.

"Is that all you care about?" Anna sneered.

"Remember when I told you that our views differed?" the pirate asked while searching a tall shelving unit. "You might think me a thief, but I think myself a treasure-hunter. An adventure seeker. You lessened my adventure by just leading me to my treasure; the only thing I can do to restore the trill is to take what I came for."

"Then you don't have to take it."

"But I want to."

"But you don't have to."

"What kind of story can I tell my crew then? Hmm?" the pirate asked, turning around to face her. "I just waltzed into the Lord's manor, asked his daughter to lead me to their store of treasure, and then took a single bag of gold?"

"That's what this is about then?" Anna asked. "Whether it'll make a good story? You can just…lie."

"It's about the gold. As I told you, I will get more if I take the book." He was about to continue his search, but Anna hastened over to him and stopped him.

"Please, don't," she begged.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"Because it has more value to me, to my family, than it could have to anyone else."

"So what do suggest? I sell you something that's already yours?"

"No." Anna paused and then smiled as she came to a revelation. "Yes! Stay right here." She backed away from him and when she was sure he wouldn't move, she ran across the room to a small chest that sat in the corner. She lifted the latch and dug through trinkets and old dresses and a small stuffed lamb she had named Lamby oh-so creatively once upon a time, and finally reached a velvet box with her family crest embroidered on the top of it.

When she returned to the pirate, he had an expression on his face that was somewhere between amused and bored. She handed the box out to him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Take it," Anna told him. He gently took the box and when lifted the lid, he looked at her with curiosity.

"I don't wear jewelry much," she muttered as he picked a thin gold chain with a sparrow charm from the box. "You can have everything in that box as…I suppose a payment for the book. And if you ever find yourself in want of more gold, come back and take as much as will please you. I will not stop you."

"How do you know I won't take all of it?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, how much gold can a ship hold before sinking?" Anna asked with a smirk of her own. They stared at each other for what felt like hours before the pirate laughed.

"I don't know whether to think you smart or foolish."

"I guess I'm a bit of both," she laughed as well. "Do you accept?" She held out a hand, but rather than shake it, the pirate took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"I accept," he replied, brushing a gentle kiss over her knuckles.

Killian and Anna stood in the dark courtyard of the manor, the torches just inside the doors casting a small amount of light on them.

"So you have what you came for. Well, almost…" Anna laughed.

"Aye," Killian nodded.

"Where do you plan to go now?" she asked. "Off to kingdoms far away?"

"I've not decided yet," he shrugged. "Perhaps I could find a beanstalk to climb; the giants are said to have extraordinary amounts of treasure in their possession."

"Giants?" Anna frowned.

"You've never heard of giants?" Killian asked, earning a frantic shake of Anna's head. "They're terrible creatures standing at a height ten times your size and would kill you as soon as they'd look at you. They grow magic beanstalks that reach all the way up into the clouds."

"Oh my." He laughed as he watched her pale. "Why would you put yourself in such danger?"

"Oh, my lady Anna, I thought you had pirates figured out. We love a good story."

"I thought it was riches that you seek."

"Aye." Killian agreed.

"Well if that's so, you could just stay here," Anna offered. "The people prosper; they want for nothing."

"Why stay, though, if it adventure that I seek?" he asked in return. "You've no idea of the places I've been."

"My great-great-grandfather traveled outside of Doria with the king of his time," she said quietly. "He wrote of their journey and of the terrible things he had seen. War, greed, disease, hatred, monsters. If that is the life you wish to lead, I do not see how it can be a happy one."

Killian frowned and stepped close to her, lifting a hand hesitantly to cup her cheek, surprised when she didn't flinch or back away. How simple she is. Killian thought. Her naivety, her innocence, just adds to her beauty.

"Happiness," he whispered. "Isn't always found in the safest places."

"Perhaps," she replied simply.

"Are you happy here Anna?" he asked. The girl frowned and opened her mouth, and he continued at her hesitation. "Come away with me. Come on an adventure with me Anna and you can find happiness." They were both silent, staring at each other, his blue gaze clashing with her hazel. Like land and sea.

Maybe I could take another prize from Doria after all, Killian thought fleetingly. The things he could show her, teach her; just from the way she had handled him tonight, he thought she would make an excellent pirate.

"I…" Anna covered his hand with one of hers. "I can't."

"You can't or you don't want to?" he asked, turning his hand over to catch hers.

"I'm…I'm happy here."

"Perhaps." He let go of her hand. "Goodnight Anna."

"Goodnight pirate."

"Killian," he corrected her.

"Goodnight Killian."

With one last glance and he turned on his heel and disappeared into the veil of night.

The next morning, Anna was awakened by her mother knocking obnoxiously at her bedroom door. She yawned and as she rubbed her eyes, the last remnants of her dreams floated through her mind. Images of handsome pirate captains strangely beautiful ships on a perfect blue sea and beanstalks that reached the heavens.

"It's late Anna," Isabel called through the door. "Almost noon. Are you awake?"

"Yes mother," Anna snapped. "For the love of…sometimes I just wish I could…" She stopped herself short and threw the heavy duvet off of her.

"What was that?" Isabel asked sharply. Anna jumped out of bed and sprinted to the door, opening it to come face to face with her mother.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling sweetly. "I'm sorry. You know how I am sometimes. Devlin always complains about my crankiness when I oversleep. Can I go to the market today?" By the time she was done racing through her words, she was out of breath.

"W—" Isabel stuttered and thought through her daughter's words once again, trying to process them at a human pace. "Yes, of course you can."

"Thank you mother," Anna smiled and kissed her cheek. "I love you." She slammed her bedroom door shut and raced around her room to get dressed as quickly as she could.

How stupid I was, Anna thought. A chance at adventure, away from her mother's controlling personality and the whirlwind headache that would overcome her now that she was 18; a chance at true happiness. And she had said no! She was happy in Doria, yes, but it had always felt like something was, dare she say, missing.

Anna could almost feel her ancestor's smiling down upon her as she threw on her cloak, deciding that she would find Killian and tell him that yes, she would go on an adventure with him. He had been right; life was all about a good story. The book had been filled with stories; stories of explorers, of scholars, of artists, of peacekeepers, of protectors, of leaders. And what would she be? She would get married to the future Lord of River's Bluff or Ardin and her name would be lost in history.

Anna laughed at the idea. Why would she chose that when she could chose this?

Just minutes later, she ran down the halls, yelling goodbyes to her father and brother as she passed them. She ran out of the manor and down the road, already out of breath by the time she reached the market street. She ignored the greetings of familiar faces as she hastened her way through the shoppers and merchants, her thoughts singularly focused on the strange ship she had seen with Audra and what she could possibly say when she found it.

But she didn't find it.

By the time she reached the docks, she noticed it was void of any magnificent pirate ships. She noticed the perfect, cloudless blue sky and wonderful shining sun. The light breeze caused her cloak to rustle slightly.

The perfect wind for smooth sailing, she thought sadly.

Author's Note: Here we are again, at the end of another chapter. It was kind of a long one, but I didn't want to split it up because that would make two short chapters, and what's the fun in that? Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed and review after the last chapter. A few review replies before I continue:

BluePixieOfTheGalaxy: No, it's not horrible. When I got to writing that sentence I laughed a little diabolically; Hook's a pirate and they tend to do that sort of thing. And although they were kinda together for a bit, I didn't want it to be one of those "he steals her away" things right off the bat. Anyways, I'm glad you liked Chapter 2; thanks for the review. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

PrincessOfSilence: That would've been weird. Ha. I didn't even think of that; maybe I'll keep that in mind for another chapter later on. Well I'm glad you're enjoying it so far; I hope you liked this one too. Thanks for the review.

piper: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too. Even if I do decide to follow the show, with what I have in my mind, it won't happen for a while. Thanks for the review!

ConGrazia: I worked out what happened last time and changed your username a tiny bit so it would appear. I feel like a schmuck not answering your questions, but they're all answered in the chapter. So…yeah. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too. Thanks for the review!

Back to normals-ville. Howdy again. So…Killian and Anna have parted ways for now. I hope that I caught Killian's personality correctly. In the show he seems very volatile with his emotions; one minute he's kind, the next he's teasing and the next he's fuming.

So, that's it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter; a new one should be posted in a few days, but I'd still like some feedback. How am I doing? Is Anna a good character so far? Is my depiction of Killian believable, or should there be more…I don't know, evil pirate stuff? Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!