A/N: Thanks for all the support and encouragement, and please enjoy this next chapter!
Killian Jones, known more commonly as Captain Hook, captain of the Jolly Roger, stood on the docks, his long black coat flapping in the breeze blowing off the ocean. His crew was arrayed behind him, staring off in the same direction as their fearless captain.
"What do we do now?" a voice piped up behind him.
Hook didn't turn around. "We drink, mates," he replied, making his voice much more jovial than he felt.
"But Captain," protested Smee's voice, "What about the ship?"
"I'll take care of the ship." Hook's voice was menacing as he stared at the unfamiliar crew now occupying his ship.
Normally, Hook was a great gambler - he even had a reputation for being the luckiest pirate to sail the seas. Unfortunately, his reputation made him reckless at times, and last night had been one of those times.
...
"What'll you bet, Hook?" the unwashed pirate across from him had demanded, his breath reeking of ale.
"For your ship and treasure?" Hook had contemplated as best as he could, considering the amount of ale he had consumed. "Well, mate, I'm going all in." It had seemed like a good idea, then, with the drink fogging his brain and his current lucky streak. "I'll bet the Jolly Roger."
The pirate's bushy eyebrows raised in surprise. "Deal," he had spat out quickly, before Hook could change his mind. He had then rolled a decent roll, but nothing too intimidating.
Taking a deep breath, Hook had rolled the dice. Every eye in the unsavoury bar had been on him.
Snake eyes.
The pirate across from him had jumped to his feet, screaming his victory, while Hook had just stared blankly at the dice.
Snake eyes.
"Alright, Hook," the new captain of the Jolly Roger had jeered, "My crew and I will be at the docks first thing in the morning to claim our prize."
Hook hadn't replied; he had still been staring at the dice, still not understanding how he could have lost.
How he could have lost the Jolly Roger.
…
The sun dipped below the horizon at last - the moment that Emma had been waiting for.
She had been sitting impatiently at her window for the last hour, impatient to get going on her quest.
I have a quest, she thought to herself in amazement as she settled her deep blue cloak around her shoulders and grabbed her bag. Not only was she going to have her chance to leave the palace grounds for the first time, but she was being sent on a magical quest as well. This was the type of adventure that would be told to children as bedtime stories - the time that Princess Emma showed great courage, just like her parents.
Slipping the invisibility bracelet onto her wrist, Emma carefully left her room and descended silently down the long staircase to the main level of the palace. That was the easy part.
The hard part was getting out of the actual palace without alerting any of the guards stationed at every entrance.
The stones beneath her feet made a slight scuffling sound under her shoes, but it was very faint and Emma was sure that no one would notice unless they were listening for it. Her breathing, though, seemed much too loud and she was terrified that it would be heard.
Calm down, breathe, she told herself silently, stopping for a second to take a couple deep breaths. It didn't calm her much.
She had already decided that she was going to have to exit through a window, as they was no way that she could get the doors opening without attracting attention. Unfortunately, going out a window meant that she would land in the bushes, and that would be difficult to do unobtrusively.
The window nearest to her wouldn't budge, no matter how much she pushed on it. She finally gave up, figuring that if she ever succeeded, it would be because she broke the stupid thing.
The next window moved when she pushed, but made a grinding sound that made her heart stop in her chest. Pausing, she glanced around wildly, but saw no one. With the coast clear, she pushed it the rest of the open and climbed onto the sill, careful not to get her cloak stuck in anything.
She jumped feeling the wind buffet her body and had to fight the urge to scream.
The bushes caught her before she hit the ground, but they were both a blessing and a curse. The needles cut into her skin, leaving stinging red welts and tore her clothes as she fought to free herself from them.
Finally, once she was back on her feet and free of the needles, she grinned. I did it, she thought exultantly, I'm free.
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