"I swear Emma I think you grow more radiant in these northern climes. The frost in the air has set a sparkle in your eyes and a bloom on your cheeks," Graham acclaimed.
Emma smiled, flushed and said, "Thank you, Graham. You sure know how to turn a girl's head."
Killian took a very long pull from his flask of rum. They had been on the road all morning long and they had stopped for lunch. If Graham kept this up, the rum would run out before the end of the trip. Killian had to agree with Graham. It seemed Emma was more beautiful each time he looked at her.
Emma was warmed by the adulation that Graham showered on her. He was handsome, straight-bodied, tall and a great cook. Any woman would be delighted by the attention he gave her.
"Do you agree Killian? Does Emma's beauty seem to grow each day?" Graham asked.
"He is too busy with his thoughts of Milah to even notice me," Emma teased.
"I have to agree with Graham's assessment," Killian answered. "The cold weather does bring a blush to your cheeks. You are looking more and more exquisite."
Emma felt an unexpected flush of pleasure when Killian complimented her but she refused to allow her head to be turned by him. Who knows what the scoundrel could be planning, she thought.
Emma excused herself to answer nature's call. When she got back to the place they temporarily camped, Graham, Smee & Fitch also went to take care of their bladders, while Killian stayed behind. She was reluctant to be alone with Killian. His presence made her nervous so she slowed down her steps.
"I hope you aren't leading him on," Killian called out.
She approached him cautiously. "Leading him on?"
"Graham."
"What makes you think I don't have a genuine interest in him?" Emma asked.
"You don't have a look of an infatuated woman," Killian observed.
"And you know what that looks like?" Emma retorted.
"I'd say I'm an expert," Killian said with a smirk. "I've inspired many infatuations."
"Are you sure they weren't about to sneeze? Because an infatuated woman and a woman who was about to sneeze have the same look."
"The point is Graham is a friend and I wouldn't want to see him hurt," Killian said "If your feelings are true then you'll make him a happy man but if they're not, let him down now before he falls even more."
Footsteps were heard and they fell silent. After a few minutes Graham made his way back to them. He must have sensed tension when he approached so he asked, "Am I disturbing anything?"
Emma smiled and shook her head no.
They packed up and were ready to continue. Smee and Fitch managed the horses that pulled the wagon while Emma, Killian and Graham rode alongside it.
As she rode, Emma pondered what Killian said. Her eyes flashed to Killian. His concern for his friend seemed genuine. She tried to keep her relationships with all of them as impersonal as possible by not revealing things about herself. She reminded herself to be on guard.
When it was time to stop and rest for the night, they would take turns staying awake to guard the horses and wagon. There was enough room in the wagon for at least three people to sleep comfortably on bags of supplies and furs. Bags of grain for a pillow were used for pillows. Sleeping on the snow would be too cold. Emma thought long and hard about what Killian said and she examined her feelings for Graham. He seemed really nice but she could not think of getting courted until her family was back together. She would have to find a way to tell him.
The next morning Emma asked for Graham's assistance. They went into the woods so that Emma could talk to him.
"Graham, I think you're a really great guy but my life is up in the air right now and until I get things back on track I can't really concentrate on romance."
Graham sighed and asked, "Are my attentions too much?"
"No, of course not. I think you've been a perfect gentleman and I've enjoyed myself with you."
"Well, I know you've had a bad turn since Smee and Fitch have wrongly kidnapped you. As long as I've given you some small piece of joy in your life that's really all that matters," Graham offered.
"You have Graham, thank you."
"How about a hug as friends?"
"Of course."
Graham held his arms out and Emma stepped close. They wrapped their arms around each other and squeezed.
Killian stumbled upon them and was able to observe them from a distance. He couldn't hear their conversation but he witnessed the hug. He assumed from the physical affection he witnessed that Emma and Graham have taken their relationship to the next level. He should be happy for his friend though he couldn't fathom the reason why he felt so disappointed.
Graham felt it was a bit of a backward step but he wasn't disheartened. He would continue to pursue Emma but decided not to be so obvious about it. At least he was able to finagle a hug out of it.
The rest of the day was uneventful. When nightfall came, Emma was asked to tell her ghost stories around the campfire again. As she told her tale of the ghost of the white lady, she looked to Smee and Fitch to see if she got the reaction she was aiming for. True to form, Smee and Fitch's eyes were wide with fear. She happily predicted they would not get very much sleep tonight, waking up at every noise, thinking some evil specter was coming for them.
Killian and Graham noticed the horses were restless which meant someone was near. They reached for their swords ready to swing in case they got attacked. He remembered that people around these parts would participate in thieving as a sport. No one would get killed or maimed. Thieving would give them an opportunity to practice their fighting and sword skills while getting away with a little profit or bags of grain. It was why Killian bought more supplies than usual, in case they get stolen.
When Emma noticed Killian and Graham's state of alert, she stopped her story. She looked around to see into the darkness. Suddenly, she heard a war cry. She quickly went to the wagon and grabbed a frying pan ready to wield it against her attackers. They all unsheathed their swords and defended the wagon. When Smee spotted one of the thieves trying to steal a horse, he used the flat of his sword to hit the thief over the head. There must have been six of them. It was chaos as swords clanged and men yelled.
One of the thieves tried to get into the wagon and Emma hit him of the head and kicked him to the ground. They all successfully routed the thieves.
"Nobody steals from a pirate!" Killian yelled after they fled. "Anyone hurt?"
Killian looked over Emma to see if she had any injuries and was satisfied she was fine.
Everyone took stock of their wounds. Fitch's cheek got bruised and Graham had a cut on his arm. Emma put some snow on Fitch's cheek and Graham's arm only needed bandaging.
"Smee! Give us an accounting," Killian asked.
"One bag of the grain for the horses, Captain," Smee announced after he took inventory.
"That's not so bad. We'll need to be more careful the next night," Killian said. "Most likely they'll come back and they'll bring more friends."
"We should be at the inn by tomorrow night," Graham said.
"Smee and Fitch will have to sleep in the stables to guard the supplies," Killian ordered.
There was one small inn halfway in between the two cities so that people had a place to stop and rest which was where they were headed to the next morning. The rest of the day had been uneventful. Killian noticed Graham's flirting with Emma had lessened and there was more casual conversation. Maybe he had run out of flattering things to say, he thought.
They arrived at the inn right before sundown. Smee and Fitch went to eat their dinner and get some rest while Graham, Killian, and Emma helped settle the horses in the stable.
The inn owners were a friendly husband and wife team. The wife would cook and clean and the husband would maintain the stable and carry a big stick to enforce behavior should one of his patrons get out of line.
Graham went to get water for the horse which was a bit of a chore since there was a layer of ice that needed to be chipped away before he could get to the water underneath. While he was busy doing that Emma tried getting the saddle off her horse. It was a bit heavy but she was determined to do it herself. Killian stopped to observe her exertions until he decided to give her a hand.
Emma felt him come up behind her to help lift the saddle up and over the horse. His proximity heightened her awareness and threatened to overwhelm her senses. They both lifted the saddle to place it on the side of the stall.
"I can take it from here," Emma said with a huff. His arms were still on either side of her.
His lips got close to her ear, "You could thank me."
"Thank you," she said tightly. She shivered from the timbre of his voice, she was made aware of the chest pressed against her back and his loins lightly caressing her buttocks and she felt her heart rapidly beating against her chest.
"Is there something else you needed, Captain?" Emma asked in a shaky voice that belied her nervousness. He didn't seem ready to move at any time.
"Just observing what my presence is doing to you," Killian said with a smirk. He noticed the pulse in her neck quicken, the blush blooming in her cheeks and wondered if she was affected by his closeness.
She gave him a slight elbow to the ribs and ducked under his arms to place some distance between them and faced him.
"In your dreams, pirate," Emma said. "Already looking for a replacement for Milah, Captain?"
He looked at her up and down and said, "Not bloody likely."
He turned on a heel and walked away heading in the direction of the woods.
"Where did Killian walk off to?" Graham asked returning a few moments later.
"He probably wants to write his name in the snow," Emma remarked as she brushed and wiped down the horse.
"I noticed he has been cranky with me recently," Graham observed. His friend usually wasn't short with him but the past few days he has been snapping at him more than usual.
"I haven't noticed a difference," Emma said. "Since I met him, he has been as temperamental as a woman having her monthly time."
Graham shrugged and continued to take care of the horses.
Killian walked through the woods thinking about his actions. He should have backed off after he helped Emma with the saddle but he damned well didn't want to. He liked how well she would fit into his body should they have gotten closer. Did he imagine it or was her pulse racing when he was near? Was the blush in her cheeks growing when he lightly moved against her? The pirate in him wanted to explore her reaction and plunder the possibilities but the gentleman in him thought about how Graham would feel. Remembering when he spied upon their hug, Killian let out a sigh and continued walking.
Emma tried not to disturb Smee and Fitch's sleep while she walked into the inn. Their bodies were sprawled on the benches in the common room making loud snoring sounds. She took a seat and ordered some food and drink for Graham and Killian.
As soon as the food and drink was served, Graham walked in to join her. Emma was glad for the distraction. She kept thinking way too much of Killian. Every place where her body touched his, even lightly, she burned. She needed to get a grip on herself. Soon she would be in Arendelle and finding a way to rescue her parents and she would no longer see the pirate Captain.
Killian joined them and they passed the meal in casual conversation. Smee and Fitch woke up refreshed and ready to guard the supplies in the stables. They stayed for a while to listen to some songs the innkeeper sang accompanied with his lute, then left.
It was a nice evening listening to the innkeeper sing songs about adventures, romance and famous battles. Graham asked Emma for a dance and she was only too happy to click up her heels to a jaunty tune. Killian admired her form and laughter as she picked up her skirts dancing the jig. Her exuberance and cheer was breath-taking and infectious.
They left early the next morning bidding the lovely innkeeper couple farewell. As they trod along, Smee started singing a song that the innkeeper sung the night before but not quite in tune. Suddenly, they heard a war cry and the brigands that tried to steal from them before were giving it another go.
The cry startled Emma's horse that it got spooked. Emma shrieked when her horse took off. Killian galloped after her while the men fought off the brigands. Emma's horse zig zagged through the trees while Emma held on for dear life. Killian managed to route the horse to a path that went straight. It was Killian's chance to veer her horse to the side with his horse to make it stop. Once the horse slowed down, Killian grabbed Emma around the waist and sat her in front of him on his horse just in case the other horse continued to bolt.
Killian was about to ask Emma if she was alright when a loud groan and gust of wind made his own horse rear it front quarters. Killian fell off the horse and Emma on top of him.
When Emma sat up and rolled off him, he yelled, "Careful! You almost unmanned me."
Emma's face turned beet red, "Sorry!"
They looked up to see what frightened Killian's horse and what they saw terrified them. It was a thirty foot tall ogre that was headed toward them. They both got up to run away. Emma looked back to see Killian knocked over when the ogre swiped at him. The ogre, not reacting very fast, was looking back and forth to Emma and Killian wondering which one he should eat first. The one still running or the one he knocked to the ground. He chose the one he knocked on the ground. When Emma saw the ogre grab Killian, she knew he would probably get his head chomped off. She was gazing in horror and knew she needed to do something before the gruesome sight she was imagining turned real in front of her eyes.
All of a sudden, she felt a tingling sensation in her hands from the fierce need to protect Killian. She aimed her hands at the ogre and a shot of white light shot from her hands, hit the ogre and the ogre stunned loosened his hold on Killian. Killian dropped to the ground, rolled and started to run.
When Emma saw the ogre start towards her, she held her palms out and shot another burst of white light from her hands towards the towering ogre. The ogre then decided to turn around to search for a better meal, at least one that wouldn't fight back.
Killian ran back to her and said, "You saved my life."
Emma answered, "Well, you saved my life when my horse was spooked. I just returned the favor."
"So you have magic," Killian observed while still out of breath.
"I had no idea I had magic," Emma said completely amazed. "I mean there were rumors that I might have magic because my parents were true love couple but this is the first time I've seen it."
Emma realized she was rambling and decided to stop. She was revealing too much in the excitement of the moment.
"Well, I'm glad your magic decided to show up now," Killian said relieved. "I would have been an ogre's snack and it would be a shame to waste all this." Killian said with a grin.
Emma rolled her eyes. The man was a peacock and shamelessly so.