Captain Killian Jones, generally known by his more colorful moniker Captain Hook, referred once more to the navigational chart held against the ship's wheel and made a slight course-correction. If the information his crew had ferreted-out at their last port of call was at all accurate, The Jolly Roger would be intercepting The Blushing Rose any moment now. The Blushing Rose, a royal vessel of Misthaven, was rumored to be transporting its princess to the kingdom of Arborea for the annual royal ball. This year's celebration was particularly momentous, because the crown prince of the kingdom, His Royal Highness Prince Walsh, was to choose a bride from among the attendees. Killian knew that the king of Arborea was desperate to form an alliance with the kingdom of Misthaven in order to strengthen their defense against the ever-present threat of the Ogres. He sneered and hooked his belt loop with his eponymous appendage. The Blushing Rose was not going to be taking anybody to Arborea, if he had anything to say about it.
A shout came from the Crow's nest. "Ship ahoy!"
Hook held up a telescope to his eye and trained it to the pointed direction. He could indistinctly discern the bright colors of the Misthaven royal flag fluttering in the breeze.
"Raise the Black Flag and prepare to board, ya scurvey lads!"
A loud series of hoots and cheers redounded to the captain's order. The wind assisting them, the Jolly drew alongside the royal vessel. The captain, followed by several of his crew, boarded the quarry.
The takeover was brief and relatively bloodless. The royal vessel surrendered quickly once they realized they were outnumbered and outmatched. Hook's crew set to work temporarily securing The Jolly Roger and The Blushing Rose together.
While his crew herded the ship's other occupants, Hook set off to find the princess. He approached the Captain's Cabin and found it locked. He knocked. After a minute's silence, a soft voice from within responded, "Who is it?"
"The pirate captain who has commandeered this vessel. Now, be a good lass, and open the door!"
"Under the circumstances, you must pardon me for not acceding to your request."
Hook gave a short laugh. "That was not a request, milady."
Silence met him.
"Alright, you've had your warning."
A few soft blows with his hook, and the lock gave way. Killian swung open the trapdoor carefully, and after a careful glance to make sure there was no one lurking by the steps, descended into the cabin, cutlass pointing forward.
The cabin was bathed in shadows, despite the open trap-door. The portholes were screened with heavy drapes, and not a single lamp or candle was lit. A cloaked figure was standing in the semi-darkness across the room.
"Your Highness." Hook gave a short bow.
The woman took in a sharp breath. "You know who I am?"
"I know that you are the princess of Misthaven. Do you know who I am?"
"Captain Hook."
"Ah, so you've heard of me?"
"The hook is not exactly hard to miss." She glanced briefly at the hook attached to his left arm.
"And here I thought it was because I am the most notorious swashbuckler to sail the ten seas."
"What do you want, pirate?" she spat out.
"Why, kidnap you, hold you captive, and ransom you for a fabulous amount of gold and jewels. You know—typical pirate things," he tossed out as he took a step forward.
He could see her tense up. "How … cliché of you," she said.
"Believe me, I'm doing you a favor." Hook was assessing the situation as he kept talking. It was too dark to make out if the princess had any weapons on her. He could tell that she was likely not carrying a sword or a cutlass, but her hands were held beneath her cloak, and she could be hiding a dagger within its folds. Even a shard of broken pottery could double as an object of defense in desperate times, he thought grimly. Warily, he moved another step closer.
"That's a novel excuse for pirating if I've ever heard one," she remarked dryly.
Hook laughed. "I take you've heard several then? Have you come across any pirate as charming as meself?"
She ignored this flirty tangent. "Pray tell me, what is this favor you think you are doing me?"
"I'm saving you from a potentially disastrous marriage."
"You are what?!"
"I may explain soon enough, love. We shall be spending the next few days in each other's company, after all," he said with a smirk.
"Your concern is quite unnecessary, I can assure you."
"Why is that?"
Hook moved two steps forward. He caught the princess making a strange gesture beneath her cloak, as though she was pulling at something. The next moment, he found himself unexpectedly stumbling forward. He involuntarily reached out his hook to clutch at her for balance. A soft but sure hand abruptly pulled him forward; a knee connected with his groin. Hook doubled over in pain as something was clapped on his wrist.
When the stars cleared, he found himself manacled to an iron loop affixed to the cabin wall and relieved of his sword and hook. The princess was pushing aside the heavy drapes covering the portholes. Light flooded the cabin.
His captive-turned captor unfastened her cloak, set it aside, and turned to face him. Hook drew in a sharp breath. In front of him stood one of the most attractive women he had ever seen. Her lithe body was attired in a cream-colored shirt, blue vest and breeches, and calf-length boots. Sunlight glinted off the golden tresses on her head, giving them the appearance of burnished gold. But it wasn't her looks that caught his attention as much as the look in her eyes—a glow of sweet triumph and sparkling mirth that made her in that moment stunningly beautiful.
A moment later the expression in her eyes changed into a fleeting look of startled amazement, but she quickly composed herself and said, "To answer your question, Captain. I don't need you to be concerned about me because I am not a princess on her way to the Royal Ball of Arborea. I am the wench who is about to haul your pirate behind off to face your reckoning."
"And the princess?"
"As far as I know, the princess of Misthaven is not sailing to Arborea at present," she said shortly.
Hook gave a soft sigh. "You bested me. I can count on one hand the people who have done so."
"Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"You don't find it funny, at any rate."
"Smart of you."
"You overpowered me. Well done, lass! Now, be sensible, and let me go. I have a whole crew of pirates on the deck above. Threatening my life won't be enough to melt their hearts and let you go free. Us pirates aren't a loyal lot."
"I'm well aware of the pirate code to know not to barter for my safety with your life. But don't worry, I have a plan."
"You seem quite confident of yourself."
"Listen," she said, and pointed up.
There were sounds of skirmishes going on above deck. Two sharp whistles sounded, followed by some shuffling, and then—relative silence.
Someone peeked down the open cabin door and a woman's voice said, "Everything's under control, Captain Swan."
"Well done, Mulan! I'll be above deck shortly."
Captain Swan turned back to him and smiled.
He gave her a penetrating look.
"You're of the Royal Navy of Misthaven?"
"I've nothing to do with the Navy."
"You're a buccaneer?"
There were buccaneers enough sailing the ten seas of the Enchanted Forest—people who did not wish to take on the mantle of piracy, but sailed in a state of semi-independence, working on commission for royal personages and wealthy tradespeople. Some of them were either brave enough to attempt to capture pirates for reward money, though none had dared take on the captain of the Jolly Roger until now. He had never heard of any buccaneer by the name Captain Swan. The vessel-craft and the ship's interior screamed of Misthaven make, and as he seldom sailed near the waters of Misthaven or beyond, it was possible that he'd missed hearing about a newer player in the waters.
"Of a sort," she replied to his question. "I was commissioned to capture the "infamous" Captain Hook. I've been tracking you for a while now."
"I'm very much flattered."
"You should be anything but," she said sharply.
"So, it was you who spread the information about the princess of Misthaven being ship-bound to Arborea?"
"Considering your well-known animosity to the royal family of Arborea, I knew it would be an opportunity you'd find hard to resist. I had an ambush prepared for your, er … arrival on my ship."
"Well done," he sneered. "I gather you'll be turning me over at Arborea in return for some grand prize money?"
He could not help a note of bitterness from seeping through. He was no coward, but he did not relish the thought that he was going to hang like a dog in Arborea after all.
"I am not taking you to Arborea," she said with a laugh.
"You're taking me to Misthaven?" he asked, surprised. The kingdom of Misthaven did not have much of sea coast, and hence, not much of a royal fleet or trade ships. He did not remember plundering that many (or any) of the Misthaven ships (including the current one) to warrant being "wanted" in that kingdom more than any other.
"I'm not taking you to Misthaven either. You have nothing to fear as long as you cooperate. You see—you're wanted very much alive."
Hook raised his brows.
"What about my ship and my crew?"
"Your crew is being safely locked away in the brig of the Jolly Roger as we speak, and my second-in-command will be taking over the ship."
"Why don't you imprison me in the Jolly as well, and sail it to your destination? After all, it's not every day one gets a chance to captain such a fine vessel."
"What do you take me for, Captain? I'm sure you know the inns and outs of your ship. I'm not giving you the chance to escape."
He remained silent. He was filled with anger at the thought of another person taking the helm of the Jolly.
"Don't worry. Mulan is an able sailor. Besides, the fate of your ship should be the least of your worries right now."
"I must say, I'm very curious about this mysterious personage who commissioned you to find me."
"I may explain soon enough. We shall be spending the next few days in each other's company, after all." Smiling, she parroted his words back at him. Infuriating wench.
"You have me at a disadvantage, milady … "
"That's Captain to you, pirate," she interrupted cheekily.
"You seem to know a lot about me. As I'm to be your passenger for the near future, the exchange of information needs to be a little fairer, don't you think?"
He pointedly left out her title. She merely rolled her eyes at his intentional gaffe. "What do you want to know?"
"Just who are you, Swan?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she responded with a twinkle.
"Perhaps I would."
The Swan stared at him. He could tell she was thrown by the marked absence of levity in his voice. Her expression shuttered down, and she turned abruptly and left the cabin, shutting and bolting the door behind her.
Killian's heart gave a disappointed twinge as he watched her leave. In that moment, he realized with dismay that physical incarceration in Captain Swan's ship, and the identity of the unknown agent who had commissioned his capture, may be the least of his problems in the immediate future.
A/N: I have a plan for a full-length short fic, but I don't know when I'll have time to write more. Please consider leaving a review if you read it.