Emma woke the following day with a massive hangover. She rolled over and groaned to the sound of Killian chuckling. Her pain hadn't amused him, but the fact that he was the one, for once, who hadn't drunk too much had.
She groaned again and then flicked her wrist as she sighed in relief. "Better."
"What's better?" Killian asked, confused.
"My hangover is gone."
Killian pulled her to him and held her as he said, "Handy."
"It is. And remember, you were horrified that my godmother taught me how to drink…." She knit her brow in frustration. "I forgot her lesson on not drinking too much." Suddenly, she was worried about what she and Merida had said the night before. She didn't remember much, but she vaguely remembered her friend apologizing.
"I'm guessing your godmother knew that you had magic and could heal yourself from any consequences the next day."
Emma ignored his question, knowing it was a deflection. "What did Merida say that she apologized for? I can't remember."
"Does it matter? I told you that I would forget it." Not that she remembered that either, apparently, he realized.
She nodded, worried, "To me, it does. And you meant you wouldn't ever ask me about whatever it was. You won't forget it."
Killian felt the need to be honest with her. Usually, he would just lie if it was convenient or easy or if he felt like it. He couldn't make himself lie to her. "She said that your parents are enemies of the Evil Queen and that the woman doesn't know you exist. The part that mattered the most to me was the information that if she found out about you, she would want you dead."
Emma rolled so that she could sit up and stared out the cabin window. "Oh."
"Oh? Emma, please say more than that. I can keep my mouth shut and stay out of your family's business."
"Can your men?"
He reached up to put his hand on her shoulder, but before he did, he withdrew it. "No." When she looked at him in horror, he added, "Would you rather I lied to you?"
"I'm not sure," she was still able to tease. She then frowned and dejectedly said, "No. But what do I do?"
"I'm going to say something I can't remember saying in my life. Trust me, I will protect you." When her face soured, he knew exactly what she was thinking, and he said, "And I'm not lying. I never said that to Milah before. All I promised her was that I would take her away from her boring life."
Emma nodded, deciding to believe him. When she thought about it, Milah didn't sound like a woman who would even care about trust. She had broken other's trust in so many ways she didn't seem to value it. "I believe you, and I trust you. I just can't fathom what you can do about it all."
"Alcohol and a quest," he replied, believing he actually had a good plan.
"I don't understand.
Killian cupped her cheek and kissed her nose. "I will pay my men more of their earnings and let them loose in town, one that is known for its large part it plays in the rum trade. While they are here getting very drunk and spending money on wh… women." He was glad he caught himself from saying whores to her. "We will go off on a quest together."
"What quest?"
"Your quest. This is the nearest port town to the Enchanted Forest. It's time we set out and let the memory of last night fade in the crew's minds."
Emma looked at him in excitement. "We're there!? We're at the Enchanted Forest?"
"No. We still have a fair bit of walking to do, but we're on our way."
Waiving a dismissive hand at Killian, she said, "Not what I meant. I've traveled to a place I couldn't comprehend the location of before. This is thrilling!"
"We set out tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?"
Killian chuckled, "It was what I told the crew last night when you were drunk, and I assumed you'd be hungover today."
"But I'm fine. We could go," she said excitedly.
"Aye, we could. Do you want to explain to them why you aren't hungover?" Killian smirked, knowing what her response would be and what his plan for the day was.
"Dang it! But I'm going to be so bored stuck in here today."
Killian let his smirk show, and then he eyed her lustfully. "I have a way to keep you entertained all day, Emma." He then grabbed her breast and licked his bottom lip. "I don't suppose you can soundproof the cabin?"
She waved her hand and said, "Anything else you need, Captain?"
"Us, naked," he growled.
After another wave of her hand, they were both naked. He held up his left hand with his hook now attached. "You have plans for this?"
She moaned as she brought the curve of his cold metal hook to her pussy. "You know I do."
Later that evening, Killian held Emma close while she slept peacefully. As he did, he wondered how he was going to keep his promise when he had failed to protect a woman before. He looked down at her, and he realized that he had no choice. He would keep her safe no matter what he had to do. Therefore, he was determined not to die for her since his death would mean he wouldn't be able to keep protecting her.
