Lieutenant Duckling! I've never done one of these before, so here goes! Also, can you call it a one-shot if it has two parts? Not sure, but that's what I did anyway :)
22. Rescue (Part 1 - Emma)
Her hands were tied behind her back. Her mother's hands were tied behind her back. Her father's hands were tied behind his back.
All in all, the day's events had yet to please Prince Emma.
Relations between their kingdom in the Enchanted Forest and the kingdom of Catania across the sea had always been tense as far as her father could remember. No one had any illusions that it had much to do with his father's greed, but they also knew that King Edward's own lust for power was partially at fault. It resulted in a year-long war between the two kingdoms twenty years ago, just before Emma was born. A successful mediation ended the war, although tensions remained high ever since due to the long, bitter history.
Three months ago, King Edward passed, forcing his son, King Alaric, to take the throne at the age of nineteen. David and Snow had looked, as they always did, for the best in the new king, and sent their condolences and congratulations. What they were most surprised to receive in return was not only a grateful reply, but a gracious invitation to be guests at the Catanian palace and work towards healing old wounds.
With such an offer, hope in their hearts, and peace on their minds, Snow and David could not say no, nor could they refuse the ship that King Alaric had sent for them. Refusing the ship would be an offense.
Of course, sending a fake Catanian ship captained by pirates was also an offense. For a moment, Emma wished her family had been less diplomatic. What a tragedy it would be if the royal family was lost at sea en route to strengthen relations with Catania.
"No hard feelings, of course," the captain of the vessel, who had introduced himself as none other than Blackbeard, said with a shrug. His hand remained tight around Emma's arm. "King Alaric pays well. Very well. You three are worth quite a pretty penny. And require the most detailed assassination instructions too," he added, appearing to think about it now. After a moment. though, he shrugged again, as if this was only just slightly out of his day-to-day routine. "Can't do anything in the harbor yet. Take them to the hold," he ordered, passing Emma off to what she assumed was his second mate, an aging man with tattoos and scars marking every inch of visible skin.
His hold on her arm was just as tight as he shoved her below deck and into a cell, closing the metal door in her face. Across the hold, her parents were also roughly forced into two cells. "We'll come back for you, don't you worry," the second mate sneered, a disgusting smile spreading across his face.
Though Emma's heart pounded in her chest, she kept herself steady and held his gaze, trying to come off as unintimidated. The pirate turned away and returned to the deck, leaving her unsure of whether or not she succeeded. But she didn't care much about that now; she had other things to focus on.
"Well, this was fun," Snow said.
David scoffed. "We should have seen this coming."
"Charming." Snow's voice took on a gentle tone. "We knew it was a possibility, but we couldn't refuse without an international incident."
"What a pity that would have been." He shook his head to himself, disappointment and worry clouding his brow.
His wife's voice lost the gentleness in her next few sentences. "Oh, no, you are not sulking. We are in this mess together, we've been in worse before, and we will get out of it."
He sighed. "I know, you're right. What are you thinking? We're stuck in these cells until we're far enough out on the ocean for them to dump us over the side and make a story of it, so we have some time." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And I swear, I can hear rats scurrying around down here."
"Uh..." Snow sounded genuinely confused, causing David to open his eyes and subsequently let his mouth fall into an 'o' shape.
"Yeah, sorry," Emma said, "not rats, just me." She had her eyes closed as she continued twisting her wrists and attempting to wear away the rope. Her hands glowed white, but the light was unsteady. "You know, your magical daughter. You two seem to have forgotten that."
Her parents' mouths remained parted. "But Emma, you've barely started your lessons with Blue."
"But you've always told me that I've had this in me my whole life, I can do a few things." The light from her hands was now only flickering occasionally, and Emma's eyebrows were drawn together in concentration. "Or I can try at least," she grumbled. Another few moments passed, and she let out a frustrated sigh. She only succeeded in rubbing her wrists red and raw.
"Take a break for a moment," David said gently, watching his daughter and feeling his heart swell with pride. "What have you and Blue been working on?"
"Focusing," Emma replied, closing her eyes and breathing slowly, blocking out everything else. Yes, she had known about her powers since they had revealed themselves after she had turned sixteen, but other teenagers she knew did not have magic; it made her different, strange, and on occasion, dangerous. It made her scared or herself, which made her powers volatile. It was only very recently that she had begun to embrace her magic.
But today she had to. She could. In her mind's eye, she pictured her hands glowing white, and the light remaining steady and warm. Her palms began to tingle, and though there was some moisture on her brow, she allowed herself a small smile. She imagined the light wearing away at the ropes, one fiber at a time. It was slow work, but she recalled her lessons with Blue and reminded herself to be patient. She wasn't sure how long it was before she first felt the ropes give a little, but it wasn't too long after that she gave a tug and the ropes broke.
Her eyes popped open and she brought her newly freed hands in front of her face. "I got it!" she announced, as if her parents hadn't been paying attention. "How long was that?"
"A few minutes? Maybe three?" Snow guessed.
Emma allowed herself a moment to be mildly impressed. "All right, let's get you guys out now." She shook and rotated her wrists, allowing the blood to return to her hands, and went to the lock on the cell door. Within the minute, there was a click and the door swung open.
Her father spoke rather nonchalantly. "Just out of curiosity, is there any particular reason why magical lock-picking seems to come very easily to you?"
"Nope," was the quick answer he got. Emma knew he was wondering how many locks on doors and drawers in the castle had become meaningless barriers, but the look in his eyes told her that he truly couldn't bring himself to be even the slightest bit disappointed as Emma moved to unlock his and Snow's cells.
But she never got the chance. The door to the hold flew open, and all three of them tensed and turned towards the newcomer. On high alert and facing a potential threat, Emma's hands suddenly began to glow, brighter and more steadily than ever.
But the light quickly dissipated. In front of them was no pirate; the man that had hurried into the hold was not much older than she was, and wore the uniform of the Royal Navy.
"Your Highness!" he said as soon as he saw Emma, causing his bright blue eyes to cloud with confusion. He looked at the keys he held in his hand. "You're...already free."
"Sorry to deprive you of a dashing rescue." She wasn't sure what possessed her to say it, but the words were out before she had even thought about them. She smiled at him, and a few moments later watched his own mouth quirk upwards in a crooked grin.
"I'll take a dashing rescue," a voice said, and the two were reminded that the King and Queen were still bound and locked in the cells. This jolted them both into action, but even the tasks could not keep either from sparing an occasional glance at the other. She had no doubt that her parents noticed, but truth be told, she found herself not really caring all that much as she felt the unexpected warmth when his gaze met hers.
Part 2 will be up shortly! Thanks for reading