Red met Emma in the small alcove outside the suite of rooms reserved for the princess, her hands forged together in a knot and worry etched on her borrowed face. "I never knew how exhausting it was to pretend to be someone else," the usually dark haired woman said. "And you dashing off with my cloak did little to settle my nerves. I doubt your parents would have taken it well if their daughter transformed into a wolf in front of them."

There was something odd about seeing yourself stare back at you, but Emma tried to ignore that as she muttered the incantation she had read about. The wave of Emma's hand seemed an inadequate response to the dire straits that the woman found herself in, but it did return her to the dark haired state that came natural. Another wave of her hand and Emma was wearing the dress that those in the palace had seen her in all day. "Thank you for this," Emma said with a soft smile. "I have one more request of you."

Skepticism etched the older woman's face as she watched the ease at which a woman who had been so reluctant earlier now used magic with such ease. "I don't exactly enjoy misleading my dearest friend, especially when it comes to her daughter. But I suppose I could hear you out."

Grateful, Emma slid her arm through Red's to pull her a bit closer and whispered conspiratorially. "Killian's here."

"Are you mad? You've brought a pirate captain to your parents' home? Is he mad?" Red's thin frame seemed almost terrifying as she leaned toward the young princess. Her eyes grew almost an amber yellow with anger.

The pleading in Emma's eyes was evident as she whispered with more urgency. "He's here at my request. He knows where the Dark One's lair is located. We can…"

"You want me to sing the pirate's praises to your parents, reassure them that he is not as diabolical or devious as their imaginations might conjure him to be, and claim that you are simply in awe of his abilities and knowledge rather than something else? That's your favor, right?" The skepticism drained into a bemused expression. "And do I even care to know how you learned of this?"

Breaking off contact with her godmother, Emma frowned. "I asked him to deliver Elsa to the port. He did so without so much as a question. And then I learned that he has been seeking out the Dark One himself." She was rambling, something that Red was clearly going to call her out on so Emma continued in an effort to avoid the lull that would make that possible.

The sigh that left Red's mouth was overly dramatic and loud. "Go and prepare your father, I'll deal with your mother. They might as well be alerted toward your affections."

"Red, I don't…"

"I have eyes, Emma. And he was around long enough for me to see every woman at the tavern at least turn her head in his direction. You might have royal blood in you, but I sincerely doubt that you are immune from being attracted to him. That's what the stammering and shifting is all about. Best let it out now than let it simmer."

***AAA***

Emma was not sure her mother would have been any easier to talk to about the fact that Killian was waiting downstairs. She had no intention of telling either parent that she was attracted to the man, but she did need them to understand that she felt him a necessary addition to their cause. That would be enough for the time being, especially given her father's recent discussions that she was going to have to give some thought to appropriate companionship in the coming years. That was how he had worded it, making her wonder if he thought love was out of the realm of possibility for her. It sounded so cold and clinical rather than the mutual affections her parents shared with true love.

"Papa?" she asked from the partially closed doorway. When she was little he had said he wished her to learn not only the proper etiquette for her life as a princess, but the finer points of leadership and military strategy as well. Quite a few nights were spent sitting upon his lap as he poured over maps and charts. His voice had been sweetly charming to her as he pointed out a few things and played games of pretend with her on their surface.

"Emma," he called out, a grateful mask falling over his weary features. "I didn't know where you had gotten off to this evening. I had hoped to see you at the evening meal, but this is a wonderful surprise."

"I wanted to see you before the evening meal, to speak to you." She watched him straighten up from his seat, his hand holding at his waist where his sword usually sat. When she was a child she had commented to her mother that she didn't understand his small fidget that way, but her mother had said that it was an old habit for him now. He was constantly on patrol and guarding his family that he felt bare without it.

"Of course, my daughter, I welcome the opportunity." His sandy hair was always cropped so short that she had never seen it fall across his forehead as Killian's did. She realized that her father was quite a bit more utilitarian than the pirate, his clothes and grooming lending themselves to that rather than anything showy. That was not to say that he was not a handsome man, just less obvious in the projection of it.

"I must start with an apology," she said when her father indicated they should sit in the two straight back chairs near the curved wall of windows. "I disobeyed mother and went to fetch Elsa. I've been gone all day."

Her father did not look terribly surprised, but seemed to run through a few things. "So you in the library today? That was…"

"Red," she supplied, looking relieved that he was not lecturing her yet. "I performed a glamor spell to change our appearances so that I could go."

Oddly enough there was a bit of pride in her father's chuckle. "I don't know if I should scold you for disobedience or compliment you for controlling your magic so well. That's quite impressive. You and Red fooled all but Henry." He advised her of the child's cries that she was not Emma, explaining that after Red's hasty exit and quite a bit of soothing from Regina that the boy had been fine. "He's a remarkable boy, who you have seemed to quite enamor with your charms, Emma."

"I didn't mean for him to be hurt," she confessed. "He's a wonderful child."

"And perhaps smarter than the lot of us. Now, I am not pleased that I did not see through your disguise and ruse, but I'm happy that your magic is coming easier to you. Putting that aside though, why did you feel the necessity to fetch Elsa yourself? I've never known you to be so protective of her. So that leads me to suspect some other motive. I should hear it from you before guessing?" Sitting back in the chair, he appeared eager to hear this from her. She had never been very good at hiding from him, but she had tried on more than one occasion. He always let her confess, but never let her forget that he was never quite as out of the loop as she might have thought or hoped.

"I had asked a man I met while at Granny and Red's to escort her here," Emma said, hoping that she could at least hold back the multitude of emotions that boiled inside her before her father analyzed them. "He's actually, to my surprise, quite familiar with the Dark One and his lair. I have asked for his assistance."

That news did seem to surprise the King, who sat open mouthed for a moment and considered his daughter's statement carefully. "This man," he said, his words serving like a man grappling with his footing. "He wouldn't be the same your brother has spoken of quite admirably since your return. I am afraid I have neglected my duty as a father if he is. I should have better vetted this man who has found residence in the hearts of my son and daughter both without my knowing any key details of him."

Her cheeks felt warm as her father digested this bit of information. "His name is Killian Jones," she said as stoically as she could under the circumstances. He's a former naval lieutenant and now is the captain of his own ship." Her left hand felt warm where she had curled it around his, the memory of the touch feeling almost as strong as the actual sensation. Fearing that she would flush pink with the memory, she quickly dismissed it and prayed that her mind would settle on anything else.

"And by captain of his own ship, I'm assuming that you mean…"

"He's a pirate, father, but before you jump to conclusions, I should be allowed to explain." Drawing in a breath, she gave a brief and somewhat scant version of their first meeting and the kindness he had shown her. "He wasn't aware of my title or anything like that, Papa. He's been very much a gentleman and very helpful to both Red and Granny."

Her father was usually a quite reasonable man, not known for outbursts or rushes to judgment. However, she was sometimes surprised. His face pinched with disgust. "I didn't raise my daughter to converse with pirates. And to bring that man around your brother? What if he had kidnapped you? Or Leo? What if he ransomed you? You risked the treasury of this kingdom for what purpose?"

"He's not like that," Emma declared, not surprised that her father was having a hard time believing a pirate could be anything but dangerous and deadly. "He's quite nice actually." The words were weak and she felt her mouth practically spit them out rather than offer them in real explanation. Her father was already out of his seat and marching toward the door. She wanted to call after him, beg him to stop, but the words were slow in coming. Instead she followed him, grabbing a strong arm and swinging him toward her. "Father, please listen."

"Emma, you're not a child. You have to know that we must protect ourselves not just out of common sense but to avoid what could start a war against us from other nations. You were with the Lucas women to be of assistance to an ailing woman and her granddaughter. You were there to become better acquainted with the ways of the villagers and understand their plights. I agreed to avoid the spectacle of your being there by not leaving behind a guard. I thought you cautious enough not to gallivant with pirates." He shook his head, his skin reddening as he spoke and the color blatantly obvious against the cream colored tunic he wore. He always seemed to wear muted colors unless it was the most important of state events.

"Father, I did not befriend Killian out of defiance toward you, mother, or the kingdom. He has been simply someone I spoke with and visited with during my stay at Granny's. I asked him to write to me and we have written. It is nothing shameful or dire, simply…letters." She hated to shade the correspondence that way, as the written communication had been more than that. She just did not want to try to explain that to her father.

"He knows of the Dark One?" David asked, his brow furrowing deeply. "Is that why he is here? He knows somehow that you possess magic and of our plans to draw the Dark One out into the light by having your abilities on display? How do we know he is not an agent of this Dark One? He could be planning something even more horrible."

***AAA***

Red could tell that her friend was feeling a mixture of emotions as she held her thin hand up to ward off too much information. "We'll be taking dinner in the family dining room," she told the young servant who was standing nervously in the doorway. "Just a few moments of privacy, please Sadie."

The girl who might have been younger than Emma curtseyed and backed out of the room as Snow's eyes flashed back to her friend with a pleading.

"He's truly not that bad, Snow," Red said, her hand flying up to the silver chain that held a small pendant. "He may be a pirate, but I sense something much more gentlemanly underneath. And to be honest I think your daughter brings that out in him."

The Queen's short laugh didn't match the dismayed expression on her face, but it was perhaps the release she needed. "This is all just too much," she said somewhat breathlessly. "You know I always hated women who did that. Women who fluttered about and practically swooned upon hearing news. And yet I'm feeling vaguely like I can understand them better today."

Red pushed a chair in her friend's direction, offering a bit of a smile that was hesitant. Her eyes searched for any sign that her friend might be blaming her for this, questioning the logic of allowing Emma to consort with any man, let alone a pirate. She found nothing more than sincere worry over the facts and thoughts tumbling through her head. The Queen sat primly on the edge of the chair and then fell back against it in an exaggerated movement.

"I'm going to try to forget that my daughter, my darling little girl, has somehow found it inside her to trust a man who terrorizes the crews of ships on the high seas. I'm going to try to forget that you are describing her as being smitten with such a man. I'm trying to ignore the fact that she has not been open about this to me and that you are telling me, not her. And I'm going to look at this logically."

"You always were logical, but you have a soft spot for love too," Red jokingly teased. "But I agree. Let's look at the logical side of things. This man has apparently been searching for the Dark One for many years. According to Emma, he can help us find him. And while I know you don't have it in you to trust a pirate, I would think that you could trust your daughter. Her instincts are very good."

"What do you know of this man, Red? Is he someone to be trusted?"

Red's breath caught for a moment, her hand fiddling with the necklace she always wore. "I can't tell you how to feel about him, as I know that you will make that decision on your own. But if you are asking if I trust him, I have found that I do. Despite his best efforts to present himself as a ruthless man, he's layered beyond that. And if the stories I have heard are true, he's strong and a good ally to have in any fight."

***AAA***

Granny was a bit shocked to see the pirate in the sitting room as she puttered about trying to find everyone for dinner. Not giving him the satisfaction of her surprise, she trudged in and picked up a stray pillow to replace it upon the settee. "This place certain sees its fair share of strange visitors," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Lady Lucas," he said with a grand twist of the words on his tongue, "I wondered if I would get to see you here. When Emma said that the palace was practically bursting with friends and family of the royals, she was not speaking in jest."

The woman's tired face strained to not match the man's dazzling smile. "You seem quite at ease for a man who could be thrown into the dungeons at any moment. I knew you were cocky, but marching through the front door of a palace is a bold move, Captain."

He chuckled nervously, his heavy lashes shadowing his cheeks. Anxiety was clearly dulling his wit as he shifted in his stance. "Emma insisted," he offered by way of explanation. "She's seeing her parents now."

The older woman was clearly suspicious and wiped her hands along the half apron she still wore over the chestnut colored work dress she wore. "Emma insisted," she repeated. "I never thought I'd see you go against common sense and logic for a woman."

He felt a ripple of mirth at the image her words created in his head. "I know of few men who can refuse a beautiful woman, fewer still if she is the heir to the crown. I'd be a fool to make an enemy of her."

Granny conceded the point and told him that at the least he should sit to wait. He looked to anxious pacing the five of so steps between the cushioned seat and the fireplace. "Don't show all your cards at once," she offered by way of advice. "And duck to your left when the King greets you. He tends to curve the opposite way in times of attack."

"Thank you," he said, shaking the dark head quickly. He knew well that this could be a trap for him. While Emma would not hurt him, he could not squelch that fear that she was not estimating her parents correctly.

The woman made her excuse of dressing for dinner, telling him that she hoped to see him there. "I wouldn't worry too much. The King and Queen are preparing for battle against a foe. You are the least of their concerns."

***AAA***

The clouds in the sky were a wide array of colors as they hung over the setting sun and created a fiery glow that seemed to rival that of the smaller and contained one of the room's fireplace. Emma commented that she was sorry they could not visualize the sea from their current location, but said that one of the windows of the upper floor of the castle boasted the hint of such a view.

"Only on clear days though," she said, lifting at the hair that framed her face with long fingers. She had unwound it from the thick braid, leaving it to dry in waves around her. "It's nothing like the views you're used to seeing though." Wistful and a bit nostalgic, she repeated for him the lines of one of his letters where he described the sunset.

They faced the window, knowing that her parents should arrive momentarily on their way into dinner to greet this visitor to their home. She had hastily dressed in an appropriate gown for the evening in her rush to be at his side during the introductions, feeling that she should not abandon him when he was there at her request. The taupe color was a great complement to her golden hair and green eyes.

"You don't have to meet them," Emma blurted out, her face thoughtful and concerned. "I could just say that you are helping me and that there is nothing for them…"

He smiled at her nervousness, the fact that she was standing so straight next to him and her weight swaying from side to side. "I am not completely at ease with the idea, love, but I will do it. Besides, I have had very few encounters with royals with the exception of you and your friend." He hoped his words sounded playful and put her at ease, but they must not have since she jerked her head to meet his gaze.

"I thought in the navy… Well, wouldn't you have come in contact with many royals?"

"I was an officer," he clarified, "but not the captain. That was my brother, Liam. He was the liaison between the ship's crew and the dignitaries in each kingdom. I simply offered support from afar. The closest I suppose was a rather dowdy woman who was of some title or another. She christened the ship and practically bolted off of toward home after a horrible case of seasickness. I believe you may be the first royal to ever actually tour the Jolly Roger, Queen Elsa being the other. You are certainly the most beautiful to ever walk about her."

Exhaling through her nose, she folded her arms over her chest. "You tell me that we are not of the same sort and should not be too close, but you say things like that at the same time. It's quite mystifying, Killian. You should be clearer in your intentions."

"Emma, my shortcomings as a man and lack of suitability as anything do not stop my eyes from seeing your beauty or my ears from hearing that wonderful way that you mind thinks. You make my position difficult, darling, in that I cannot stop myself from being taken with you despite our most notable differences." He boldly reached out his right hand to brush back a waving tendril of her hair that framed her face. "If I were of higher standing or you of lower, I don't doubt that I would have already thrown myself at your father's feet to beg for a chance to get to know you as I should wish I could."

Her top teeth bit into her bottom lip as she tilted her head back to look up at him. "You make me wish I did not have a title," she admitted, her eyelashes fluttering down as she attempted to block out the tender look back. "Perhaps, things might be different after."

"After what?" he asked, breathing in the scent of her that seemed to wrap around him and make his retreat all that more difficult. His torso was turned toward her and she seemed but an inch away. However, his faculties did tell him that kissing her senseless while they waited for her parents was not a smart way to behave.

"After we," she said, emphasizing their togetherness, "defeat the Dark One. If we were to show my parents that we were capable of such a feat, they would surely…"

She did not have time to explain as two of the trumpeters made Elsa's arrival known, blaring out the familiar notes that made Emma and Killian each jump. She appeared apologetic as she smoothed out her dress under her hands and smiled. "No need to be nervous," she said as though he had confessed to feeling such a way. "You know many of us. And it appears Elsa's arrival has helped you avoid a bit of the dramatics of a private audience with my parents until after the meal is complete. Doesn't that make you feel more assured?"

"She has made it before dark, which I know was of a concern to you." He didn't acknowledge her statements about her parents, seeing no benefits to delaying their judgment of him

"No thanks to this weather," Emma commented, laughing a bit that she was reduced to talking about weather with this man.

***AAA***

Emma watched through the corner of her eye as Killian pushed the food about his plate with the intent of creating the illusion of eating it. Having not pegged him as a particularly picky eater, she wondered if it might be his nerves that were getting the best of him until she realized that he was attempting to keep with the decorum of the moment. The quail would require simple but precise knife and fork work to make it digestible. With only one hand, he was not able to do so without a full spectacle that would undoubtedly create tension at the table.

While Elsa continued to speak to her parents about a new trade agreement, Emma took a quick glance around the room to ensure that no others were watching. Finding a moment of privacy, she drew in a breath and narrowed her eyes at his plate. With a quick twitch of her wrist, the food was in perfect bites for his fork and the pirate looked at her with an astonished question on face. She could not answer him, knowing that he would not want the attention and that it would not be as appreciated by the others. So instead she lifted her shoulders slightly and speared another bit of the foot herself.

She was still chewing when her father's voice sounded with more edge to it than when he was discussing business with the royal head of another kingdom. "Our daughter tells us you may have some insight into the Dark One's whereabouts."

She lifted her eyes from the golden rimmed plate to watch Killian. A piece of the bird was elegantly on his fork and halfway to his mouth before he could speak. He lowered it to his plate and abandoned it there to run his fingertips across the napkin.

"Aye, your majesty," he said, the title a bit chipped on his tongue. "I have been tracking and battling with this man for a long time. I was unaware of your interest in the Crocodile until your daughter informed me."

Snow tilted her head to the side with a softer expression than the more disparaging one of her husband. Still she was not giving off a warmness to the man. "You call him the Crocodile."

The pirate shifted a bit in his seat, the leather of his pants creating a protesting sound to his movement. "I would assume that you have at least met him. His skin and general countenance has always reminded me of such an animal. Coupled with the fact that he is the one who removed my hand from my arm, I view him more as a predatory beast than a true man."

Emma's mouth fell open to say something in Killian's stead, but her mother's slight shake of her head told her that was not necessary. "That appears to be an apt description of him and an astute observation, Captain," Snow acknowledged. "My dealings with him have been limited, but I do know Regina has had more than a few."

While not as dramatically as it probably felt to the former queen, all the eyes at the table shifted to Regina for confirmation of this. She gave her best nonplussed tip of her head as Robin folded his napkin beside his plate as if to say he would remove them both from this situation if the tides turned rough for his wife.

"Rumpelstiltskin's appearance is not of consequence here," she asserted. "The man not only has the magic he acquired as the Dark One, but he's a master from studying it. Years, centuries really, of studying spells and potions have made him not only dangerous but probably invincible."

Elsa bristled at this assessment, dropping her fork to the spot beside her plate. "If you truly believe that he cannot be beaten, then why are you here? Why are we all being summoned to take this man on if it is for naught? Is this some form of revenge for you?" Elsa was not old enough to be subject to Regina's terrifying reign, but her mother had told her of it in the years preceding. It had been a cautionary tale of how absolute power can taint people.

"You have no children," Regina said, a small crack in her stoic veneer showing when she said it. "You don't know what it is like to have one of them threatened."

The blonde queen's chest puffed out as though she might challenge back, but again Snow interrupted. "I do know it is like to have a child threatened. And the Queen makes a good point. If you think this is a fool's mission, why are you asking that we risk Emma's safety and all of ours when there is no good to come from it? Are you thinking that if we lose that you can somehow rise to power again?"

David echoed his wife's fears, pointing out that they were placing much on the line at the word of a woman who had wished them harm. In the fray of words, Emma was uncharacteristically quiet, not comfortable with the idea they are talking about her being fodder for the Dark One. She knew that her parents did not view her that way, but the conversation was becoming harder to sustain. Elsa sat next to her with a pout on her pristine features, her nearly violet eyes dark as she questioned again the validity of Regina's claims. However, it was Killian who Emma noticed, his own voice silent and his expression consoling and somewhat studious.

"I think should have a say in this," Emma declared, interrupting Red's diatribe that she was not about to trust a woman whose moniker had been that of the evil queen. "I have said I am willing to challenge the Dark One, to take on his machinations for the benefit and the safety of Henry and this kingdom."

"Emma," her father said warningly. "We are not planning anything that will put you up against this monster."

"Still, I think I should have a voice in this fight. I know that you don't trust Regina. That much is clear. You've kept her at arm's length since arrived. Perhaps that is a product of your fear and experience with her, but we must put such things aside if we are to successfully fight the Dark One. We have assembled this team of people. We have Elsa, Red, Granny, me, and Killian. It's not as though we are a practiced unit. Why are we ignoring Regina's strengths? She was quite good at magic from what you have said, Mother. Taught by the Dark One herself. She is surely more useful than as just an advisor."

Regina's reaction wasn't exactly a compliment to the younger princess. She scoffed and watched with narrowed eyes as the King and Queen seemed to communicate with each other without words. They seemed to share that connection that nobody else could understand or fathom. Finally, Snow spoke. "Perhaps we should consider a more robust strategy when it comes to dealing with the Dark One. It's late now and I think it best we reconvene in the morning?"