A/N: Part 6 is finally done! I'm sorry it took so long – certain passages have not been very helpful and they've posed quite a challenge. I also discovered a very good SF (science fiction :p) series – The Expanse by James S.A. Corey. If space novels about alien technology and human expansion in space are your thing, give it a try. It's really, really good!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Part 6

As soon as the men awaken, the news of the princess' stroll across the deck and subsequent discussion with master Jamison sweeps among them. They talk about it amongst themselves and although they're still not sure what it might actually mean, they know she's going to help lift their captain's curse and that's enough for them. Once upon a time they would have rebelled and taken the ship for themselves, and they had almost done it when the existence of the curse was revealed, but not anymore. The two years since the curse was enacted have turned the crew into a tight-knit, albeit mottled, family.

At that time, it had taken the intervention of master Jamison for them to admit that no matter how ruthless Captain Jones might have been, he had always treated them fairly, too, had protected them in many a tavern fight and he had allowed them to keep their shares of any bounty. Something that didn't always happen on pirate ships and Jamison had been there to remind them of this.

The fact that most of them had been with Killian when the captain's brother, Liam, had been in charge also helped. In their own way, they had cared for the young man since then, the last few years only intensifying their sense of loyalty. So the possibility of a cure sends them in a frenzy.

By the time Killian makes it on deck, his men are engaged in their regular activities: they're swabbing the deck, sewing the sails, coiling ropes. Most of them are silent, with the odd sea shanty the only noise in the vastness of the ocean, but good humour is pervading the atmosphere.

He stares at the sight in front of him, mouth agape as he makes his way to the helm, nodding in acknowledgement to the men that salute him. Jamison is grinning like a fool by the time he gets there. Standing in front of his mate, Killian clears his throat in an attempt to cover his surprise. This is not something that usually happens on his ship, not without a hefty bounty in the Jolly Roger's keel.

"Captain, I've talked to the Princess", Jamison interjects before the other man can ask what's happening. It's not something Killian would have expected to hear just yet, but it's a welcoming turn of events nonetheless.

The hawk shrieks from above, as if she were listening in on their conversation and she were in agreement with Jamison. Killian looks up at the sound and, after a few moments, spots her flying high in the sky. He whistles in a high pitched sound, the same one he had used the day before. The bird shrills in response and, after two more passes around the main mast, flies down to the captain's outstretched hand.

"You did that, aye?" his voice is soft as he looks at the bird, eyes glowing with an emotion he cannot name. The hawk says nothing, just tilts her head as if she were studying him. After a few seconds, she seems to decide the question merits an answer because she squeals once, as if confirming the earlier assessment. He bursts into a carefree laughter at that - each little progress he manages to make with her, is one more pebble on the road to their salvation. He tries not to think about the fact that she's in animal form and any progress done now has, more than likely, no meaning whatsoever.

In a good mood, he relieves Jamison for the day, eager to feel the Jolly Roger soar the waves. His ship feels restless under his feet and he's more than eager to let her go free. She's made for the open water and for speed, his ship.

The hawk picks up on his mood and starts to fly in excitement around the ship, coming to rest on his shoulder when she gets tired. It feels strange the first time she does it, the talons sharp even through the thick layer of leather of his coat. But she seems to be content just sitting there, so he lets her despite the slight apprehension. He doesn't believe hawks attack humans, but she is a bird of prey and her bite will probably incapacitate him for a while, if she were inclined to bite. The more she does it as the morning passes, the calmer he gets about it.

It's long past lunch when he finally makes his way to his quarters - her quarters actually - thinking that he might need to clean up a bit. He might have left the windows opened yesterday, but he's not sure if the hawk had found it easy to get out in the morning or if she'd been in a panic again.

Things look better than he'd hoped and it takes him only a few minutes to get the room to its usual spotless condition. The letter he finds on his desk comes as a surprise though and he feels his heart suddenly beating very fast. He scoffs at himself - by his reaction, you'd say he's a blushing youth, opening a letter from his first crush. He admires the penmanship a few more seconds, then, taking a deep breath, opens it to see what princess Emma has to say.

Captain Jones,

It is I who must apologize profusely to you. We are in this conundrum because of me. It is against me that this curse was enacted and you are the unfortunate bystander. So you see, you have nothing to apologize for. Except for kidnapping me. Why didn't you come to court to talk to my parents about this? They are open-minded and fair and they would not have turned you away had you told them what you shared with me. On the contrary, they would have been most happy for any news you would have brought us. It matters not, now.

Allow me explain the circumstances of the curse. The Dark One cast this upon me (and, by extension, on you) because I refused the advances of his son. I didn't know he would react like this, but even if I had, I do not think I could have made a different decision - I am not sorry for that, but I am sorry you have been involved in all this. By my actions, I have ruined your life as well. As you already know, the curse transforms me into a hawk during the day and you into a wolf at night. The only way to break it is to share True Love's Kiss. This is the greatest magic of all and it can break any curse - my parents are testament to that. But how we'll do it, I have no idea. It seems impossible to even meet you, much less fall in love with you.

I have something else to share. The Blue Fairy, a friend of my parents' and the one to shed some light on what happened to me, said that to break the curse we have to share True Love's Kiss on the one day without night and night without day. I do not know what it means or even if it's meant to have a meaning. Do you, Captain Jones, have any idea what the Blue Fairy is talking about?

You have asked for my help when you knew little of the circumstances of the curse. Now you know what really happened and it's my turn to ask for your help in defeating this curse. I don't know how to break it, but I hope that together we can find a way.

Sincerely, Emma

P.S. Thank you for the clothes and for the food. It was very thoughtful of you.

Killian is silent for a long moment after he finishes the letter. His thoughts and emotions are in turmoil and there's no particular detail he can focus on. All he knows is that this is not at what he had expected to read when he had opened the princess' letter.

So he was cursed to lead a double life because she hadn't been bothered to marry the Dark One's son? The thought is fleeting, but it makes him furious with himself and very much ashamed. Why should she have to marry someone she doesn't like, princess or not? And why should she be punished for speaking her mind? The anger rises in him again, but this time it's not directed towards himself or her, but towards the demon and his son. What kind of a coward does that for being rejected by a woman? And what kind of a coward accepts it? Like father, like son apparently.

The more he tries to think about everything Emma's disclosed, the more he feels panic gripping him. If she's right, and they must share True Love's Kiss to break the curse, then they're doomed. How are they supposed to fall in love? And even if they manage to fall in love, how will they ever kiss? The Blue Fairy's riddle seems just the thing a magical being would say, something to give you hope, but not an actual solution.

He finds it hard to center his feelings and his thoughts and he knows he can't think strategically without calming his mind first. So he folds the letter and puts it in the inner pocket of his coat, deciding to go up on deck and do what he always does when his thoughts are in turmoil: man the helm.

He relieves the sailor on duty and grabs hold of the spokes. The sea is rather calm at the moment and it won't pose much of a challenge, but he can feel the calming effect the sea has on him with every rise and fall of the planks beneath his feet. He focuses on that and tries to match his breathing pattern to that of the ship's up and down movement. It takes him a while, but at long last he manages to do it; it's only then, when he feels one with his ship, that his thoughts finally calm down.

He closes his eyes and lets the wind caress his face, inhaling the smell of the sea. Ever since he'd been a boy, he'd loved being on the open sea and enjoyed the feeling of freedom sitting behind the helm gave him. Slowly, he lets his thoughts drift back to the Princess' letter and the riddle they both have to solve. A day without night and a night without day… Over and over, he repeats the words like a mantra, feeling that the answer is out there, just out of reach.

And then, all of a sudden it hits him. It's so obvious he wants to kick himself for not realizing it sooner. "Mr. Samuels, take the helm!" The man scrambles up on the platform as fast as he can, noticing the urgency in Killian's voice. "Aye, Captain!"

"It's a bloody solar eclipse", Killian almost yells at the man, Samuels growing more confused with each passing second.

"I'm sorry, Captain, what are you talking about?" Samuels asks, clearly unbalanced by his captain's behaviour.

"I just have to figure out when the next solar eclipse is going to happen, mate!" Killian pats the man on the back as he explains, but he doesn't spare any more time on expanding the idea. Happy and with renewed purpose, Killian heads to his quarters, leaving behind a bewildered crewmate.

He doesn't make it back on deck for the rest of the day, too engrossed in old books and navigation charts to pay any attention to Jamison or Henry, when the two come to check up on him.

That night, Emma finds herself eager to see if the captain has left her any messages. After her admission, she's a bit apprehensive about her situation on the ship as she's not sure what Captain Jones would do next and what to expect from him from now on. The fact that she seems to enjoy the same liberties as before is a good sign. What surprises her is to discover that she yearns to know what he thinks about everything she's told him.

She doesn't have to wonder long because there's another letter on the table, waiting for her. There are also several books strewn across the desk, clearly having been the object of perusal a few minutes before. By now, she's sure the Captain would not have left them like that without motive or if he had not been in a hurry. Furthermore, her name is scribbled hastily,clearly the work of someone in haste. Unbeknownst to her, heart beating wildly in her chest, Emma has the exact same reaction her true love has had a few hours before.

My lady,

I beg your forgiveness, but a man of my reputation does not go into any courtroom and expect a civil welcome. Though I have no doubt your parents are quite mannered, I could not risk it. I am sure you understand, as this is not a matter I am ready to trifle with.

I must confess milady, that the content of your letter was quite unexpected. I had prepared myself to all manner of reproaches, but not this. I am baffled. But know this: regardless of how the curse happened, we're in this together. And my promise to you still stands. I will find a way to lift this curse from both of us!

That being said, I believe I have good news. What the Blue Fairy refers to is most likely a solar eclipse. They're very rare; I myself have never seen one, but I once met a man who had. Apparently, during a solar eclipse, the moon covers the sun for several minutes, plunging the land into darkness and bringing night in the middle of the day. I believe this might be what we're searching for, aye?

Emma is shocked. A solar eclipse? She had seen a lunar eclipse once and she'd thought it was an interesting phenomenon, the moon turning red for several hours. She had found it exciting, although most of the people in her kingdom had attributed bad occurrences to this event months after it had happened. Thinking about it now, she acknowledges the fact that it would make sense for there to be a solar eclipse, too, although she's never heard of such a thing. Captain Jones apparently has. And the description surely matches the one the Blue Fairy had given her.

Clutching the letter to her chest, Emma finally lets a little bit of hope fill her heart. She feels relieved to see that her decision to tell the captain everything had been the right one. They may be yet far from an actual solution, but in the past few days, she's made more headway than in the past two years. There's one more paragraph to the captain's letter, so she carries on.

I've been trying to find everything I could about solar eclipses, but alas, the sun has decided to set much too soon for my liking. I leave these books for your perusal, if you are so inclined. I feel confident that together we'll make good progress and we'll find an answer to the dilemma your fairy has set out for us. Ask Henry for a glass of wine, love, we should celebrate!

Yours,

Killian Jones

Emma is a bit surprised at the term of endearment and the clearly affectionate tone of voice towards the end, when only a day before he had been so formal in his letter, but she doesn't really mind. Not when he's given her such reasons to keep hoping. Besides, she feels a certain kind of kinship to him, one born out of the desperate situation they're in. Closing the letter, and with a smile on her lips, Emma sets out to do as he had urged her - ask for food and a glass of wine - eager to get the mundane tasks over with so she can start looking for clues in the books he's left for her. She's not going to let him do all the work; she may not know much about navigation, star charts and celestial bodies, but she can point out for his inspection passages that might be helpful.