Part II, as promised! Enjoy!

23. Rescue (Part II - Killian)

Killian blinked and squinted, furrowing his brow in concentration. The midday sun was bright, more than bright enough for him to question whether or not he was looking at what he thought he was looking at.

But not bright enough to dissuade him completely. He pulled his telescope from his belt and held it to his eye.

The sails on the ship appeared to be Catanian, and at the mast flew the kingdom's pale yellow flag with the red and orange lion insignia. But there, the ship's Catanian likeness ended.

With the telescope, he could finally see what he thought had been there: Oak. Catanian ships were made of pine, the most abundant tree found in the Catanian climate, where oak could barely survive. Yet this wood was most definitely oak, not pine. He lowered his telescope, feeling his heart rate quicken, because something was definitely wrong.

He needed a closer look.

"Killian!" a familiar voice called as Killian headed for the gang plank. He turned to see Liam approaching. "Going for a walk?" As soon as Liam saw his brother's face, is smile fell, and he didn't wait for an answer to his first question before immediately asking, "Something wrong?"

Killian pointed to the ship in the harbor. Liam followed his brother's finger, squinting in the sun light as Killian had earlier. "Catanian ship? What about it?"

"I'm not sure it's Catanian," Killian replied, handing his telescope over for Liam to use. "Look at the wood."

Consternation settled on Liam's brow. "It's oak," he stated, confused. "And does something about that ship just seem...familiar? I can't place it but I just feel like -"

"Like you've seen it before?" Killian supplied. Liam nodded. "Me too. That's where I'm headed." Liam nodded again and accompanied his brother off their ship and around the docks. The walked briskly, but even up close had a difficult time placing the ship from their memories. Killian could feel it right on the edge of his awareness, something from long ago, something more than just a ship they had passed on the sea or had been docked beside in a harbor.

"The figurehead," he muttered, an idea suddenly coming to him. Was he being too suspicious in noticing the ship had weighed anchor at the dock furthest from the harbor? Or that it had been maneuvered so the aft rather than the stern was all anyone could see?

Perhaps.

He took off at a run to the very edge of the dock, stretching himself as far as he could to see the front of the ship. He only caught a side view, but what he saw was not a mane. The wooden carving of a lion, to match the kingdom's insignia, was the figurehead of all Catanian vessels. This ship boasted a different figurehead, one that he had heard about countless times, and could now remember having seen once before, ten years ago, the day after his tenth birthday. His heart dropped into his stomach and he forced his stubborn legs to move as he sprinted back to his brother.

"It's a griffin!" he exclaimed, grabbing his Liam's arm and forcing him into a run.

Despite the running, all the color drained from Liam's face. "Blackbeard?" The dazed note to his voice told Killian that he was remembering that night all too well. The night a wooden griffin had seemed like a monster in the light of the lightning flashes. Liam would have been sixteen during that attack, but it still left scars. "We need to find out why that ship is here," he said, a plan of action making him focus better. They angled their run towards towards the harbormaster, practically skidding to a halt when they reached him.

The harbormaster raised an eyebrow at their entrance but continued with his usual duty. "Good morning, Captain Jones, how-"

"What is that ship's business in the harbor?" Liam asked, hurried and breathless, pointing at it.

The harbormaster hesitated for a moment of confusion, but quickly opened his ledger and scanned it for the Catanian vessel. "It is here to take King David, Queen Snow, and Princess Emma of the Enchanted Forest to Catania on a diplomatic visit. Why do..." He trailed off as he watched the two men's faces go ash white.

"What would Blackbeard want with the royal family?" Killian muttered into his brother's ear.

"Diplomatic visit?" Liam repeated.

The harbormaster nodded. "Ties between the Enchanted Forest and Catania are not what one would call friendly. Apparently, since he ascended the throne, King Alaric has made attempts to build more peaceful relations. He sent a ship for them."

"He was hired," Killian concluded

"That is not a ship from Catania," Liam explained, his voice and features hardening. "That's Blackbeard." The harbormaster's jaw went slack. "I need you to focus," Liam continued, "and call the Royal Guard immediately." Though his mouth was still slightly open, the harbormaster did his bidding with haste.

"We have no time to waste waiting for the Royal Guard," Killian said.

"No," Liam replied, a slow grin stretching across his face for the first time since Killian had pointed out the ship. "We don't. But we do have swords. And a crew."

Killian was pleased to find that charging onto a docked vessel was certainly easier than trying to board one moving on the sea. Despite being on ships his whole life, his initial footing was somewhat surer than it would have been had he swung overboard on ropes. The element of surprise was also a certain help; surprise attacks are difficult out on the open water, but very few crews are prepared for a fight in a harbor.

They were pirates, fast and ruthless, but the unexpected visit from a naval crew had the upper hand. By the time of the royal guards arrival - which, Killian had to admit, was rather quick - Blackbeard's crew had been dispatched.

Killian surveyed the scene: Blackbeard's crew, disarmed and hands bound, surrounded by royal guards; Blackbeard himself, practically seething and securely shackled, standing in front of Liam and the captain of the Royal Guard; his own fellow crew members, a few with injuries being tended to but all present and accounted for.

He realized quickly who was missing, and scanned the deck for the hold, hurling himself for the door, throwing it open as he grabbed the key ring off the hook beside it.

"Your highness!" he said automatically as soon as he set eyes on the princess. But aside from seeing the royal family members, the image before him did not match the one he expected to find. "You're...already free," he noted.

The princess - Emma, he recalled - grinned. "Sorry to deprive you of a dashing rescue." He found himself blinking at her as he processed the words, which were somehow familiar in a way he couldn't describe. Without even realizing it was happening, he felt the corner of his mouth pull up in a smile of his own.

"I'll take a dashing rescue," King David said, reminding them that he and his wife were still there. Killian jumped back into action, quickly unlocking the two cells, and helped untie the King and Queen's hands. "What's going on above deck?"

"My captain and the rest of the crew have Blackbeard's crew in custody," the young man explained. "We also called the Royal Guard, who arrived not long ago." He lead the way up the steps and onto the deck, where they saw it was just as he said it was. As soon as they emerged, another man hurried towards them and was in mid-bow when King David stopped him.

"Please, I think we should be bowing to you," he said. "To whom do we owe our lives?"

"Captain Liam Jones," Liam introduced himself, bowing anyway. "But if I may, it was my lieutenant here that is truly responsible for your rescue." His eyes moved to his brother, and Killian saw in them pride. "Lieutenant Killian Jones." Feeling all eyes of the Royal Family on him, especially Princess Emma's, Killian felt warmth on his face.

"I insist that you and your crew come to the palace," Queen Snow said, addressing both brothers. "We shall hold a feast in your honor."

King David nodded in agreement. "I think that serving you dinner is the least we can do after you saved our lives."

"It would be our pleasure," Killian replied, unsure exactly how one could refuse such an offer.

His brother's pride, and the King and Queen's gratitude; the feeling of Princess Emma's hazel eyes meeting his, and the knowledge that he would get to see her again.

All in all, the day's events ended up rather pleasing to Killian.

I'm thinking about another continuation of this, about what would happen at the banquet in their honor...thoughts on if that's a good idea? Thanks for reading!