The impact of the ship against the water is less terrifying than the takeoff, but still catches Emma by surprise. The first thing she notices is not the clear blue water or the cloudless bright sky off the port bow, the things she would normally notice first; instead, what draws her attention is the sky full of smoke on the other side of the ship. Emma seems to be the first one to see it, but it doesn't take long to catch the attention of the rest of the crew.
"Hook, what are we going to do?" August voices everyone's concerns, and asks the exact question Killian just asked himself.
After a moment, he hears his brother's voice in his head, and jumps up a few steps to be above the rest of the crew. "A great captain once told me that a good man never backs away from a challenge. So, lads, as captain of this vessel, I say we head towards the challenge, and not away from it!" He goes the rest of the way up to the helm, and steers the ship towards the smoke. It takes them a while to reach it, having to sail almost all the way up a harbor, but when they begin to hear the bang of cannons, Killian second-guesses his choice for one of the first times in his life.
He is surprised to see that the closest harbor is not full of warships; he has never been in a battle that was not on the water, and he feels his heart pounding in his chest like the cannons in the background. In fact, the closer they get to the harbor, the further away the sounds of battle are. When they finally dock at the harbor, the townsfolk seem neither concerned with the battle or with them, but something still seems off to Killian.
"The Princess, my friend, and I will go to town and see if we can figure out just what is going on and decide with a course of action. You don't all have to stay on the Roger at all times, but I think it would be best if you only left in small shifts, which you can work out among yourself. And Mister Smee?"
"Aye, c-c-captain?"
"You're in charge, of course." He flashes his first mate a wicked, knowing smile, one the small man does not return, then turns on his heel, the long tails of his leather coat billowing behind him.
August and Emma follow suit, together just a few paces behind him. They are both silently wondering how they are going to find anything in the mysterious village, momentarily forgetting that they are in the presence of the Fearless Captain Hook, who walks right up to one of the boys working the docks and asks, "'Scuse me, lad, can I ask ye a question?"
"Aye, sir, and I'll answer as best I can," he responds without looking up from the crates he is organizing.
"What might the name of this town be?"
This gets the attention of the boy, who now looks up at the man who approached him. For just a moment, he takes Killian in - his red paisley vest, tight black pants, and long leather coat - plus the two people standing behind him; in the same second, the three of them take him in: a young, dark-skinned boy in loose-fitting clothes, covered in all different kinds of dirt.
"Why, this is Baltimore, Maryland, the most beautiful port town on the entire coast, United or Confederate states."
"Yes, of course," Killian responds, nodding, as if that makes any sense to him. "And where would the best place in this town be to get a good, hot meal and a bed for the night?"
"That would be the world-famous Green Dragon Tavern."
"Would there be any chance you could show us the way to this, uh, Green Dragon Tavern?"
"Yes, sirs - and ma'am -" he adds, bowing to Emma slightly. "Of course. In fact, it would be my pleasure."
His bow makes the nervousness melt off Emma, something that reminds her of home, and gives her the courage to speak up. "And what might your name be, young man?"
He turns to her, his eyes wide - the same blazing blue as killian's., she can't help but notice - a look she has seen many times in the little boys of Mirkwood, especially those of the lower peasant families, the look of someone not used to being treated well by many, though after a moment, he is able to answer her: "Floyd, ma'am."
"Well, Floyd," she responds, flashing him her friendliest Royal smile, one even her mother would be proud of. "Thank you for agreeing to help us. We're obviously not from around here."
He turns back to Kilian, his next question not for Emma in his mind. "Have you come because of the war?"
"Yes, yes, of course, the war." Killian is trying his best to find as much information as he can without revealing their big secret: if he had learned one thing from the stories about this land, it is that the people in it don't take well to learning about "new realms." "We heard that there was a war, but we have not heard much about what the war is about, how it came to be."
Floyd turns around, eyes wide, reflecting the little light in the dark streets. "So you know nothing about the secession? The slavery?"
The silence from the three of them answers Floyd's question well enough, and for the rest of the short walk to the Green Dragon Tavern, he tells them the background of what the country had begun to call the American Civil War: the state of Texas choosing to leave the country, and other states following suit and creating their own country, the Confederacy; the slavery that had become such a regular thing in the southern states that caused the war, with them refusing the acknowledge the fact that the slaves who work for them are, in fact, people.
By the time they make it to the tavern, Killian's blood is boiling with the injustice and prejudice that seems to be rampant, reminding him of the way he and his brother were treated as young boys. He sees himself in Floyd, in the blazing, hurting blue of his eyes and the smile that he hides behind. When they get to their destination, Killian stays with Floyd, buying him a drink and a bowl of hot stew. August, however, takes Emma by the arm, pulling her to a quiet, empty corner of the room.
"Emma, I - we need to talk." They sit down on opposite sides of a table, both silent for few awkward minutes, until they both speak simultaneously.
"August, I never meant to hurt you."
"Emma, I love you."
The both take a deep breath, then August looks up at Emma, gesturing for her to continue. "I decided that, for the good of the kingdom and my position as princess, I could be happy with you at my side, but I knew I would never fall in love with you. That was exactly my argument for my father, who insisted I needed to marry for the kingdom, not for myself; but when I told him that I had decided who I was going to marry, he refused to hear the rest of the story, and insisted that the best thing to do is make sure you're as far away from me as possible. I just - I never agreed to any of his ideas, but I couldn't stop him."
"But you - you never loved me? How did you know that you would never be able to find something with me?"
Emma doesn't have an answer for him, but it seems to come at the perfect moment; across the room, in a group gathered around Killian, a rally has started.
"So why aren't you fighting in this war?" Killian asks, taking a sip of the ale.
"My mother won't let me fight. A few weeks ago, my brother was killed in battle, and she insisted that I come home, so she didn't lose both of her sons to a battle that was against them in the first place."
Killian nods, understanding exactly what the young boy is saying: he, too, lost his brother in a set of circumstances that he had no reason to be a part of. "Aye, lad, I too lost a brother to a war. Tell me, Floyd: what can I do to help you?"
Floyd finishes the bite of stew he was taking, looking up at the Captain, an idea brewing in his head. "Actually, Captain, I know exactly what you can do. Have you ever heard of the Underground Railroad?"
"I have not, but if you seem to think it's the best way I can help you, just tell me what I need to do."
"We need your ship, sir."
Killian can't help but smile at him. "Well, that's exactly how I prefer to help people."
Floyd stands up excitedly, getting the attention of a few of the men around them - and then he yells, getting the attention of everyone else. "We have a conductor!"
The whole tavern cheers, talking excitedly; and it is now that Killian looks across the room to Emma and August, sitting alone at a table, and his heart sinks.