Chapter 2

"Halt!"

The voice coming from behind the Prince made him freeze dead in his tracks, clearly, although thinking he knew he had the guards' timetable commended to memory, it would appear that he was wrong. He squared his shoulders slightly and slowly his right hand crept across the front of his body to rest on the hilt of his sword, fingers curling around the leather-wrapped handle and gripping onto it tightly.

"Turn around slowly and show me your face, trespasser." The guard said, the clinking of metal armor sounded along the corridor and his voice carried on much further. The Prince kept his calm and he slowly took his hand off the sword before turning around, his eyes met the guards and he slowly pulled down the facemask obscuring half of his face from view. He clenched his jaw, face muscles rippling against his skin, or perhaps that was the torch next to him flickering it's ember hues across his paled complexion. "Prince Jones, forgive me...I did not recognize you." The guard said and hesitated for a moment. "Though, I will have to report this to his Majesty." He said, the guards were slowly beginning to fear the cold serious gleam in Killian's eyes, almost as much as they did his father's, but those who had known him the longest knew that beneath all that there was a man who could laugh, who had told the best jokes the kingdom could ever hear and the wildest stories ever told within the castle walls, they knew the dignity and sense of pride that he had shoved deep down into a box, the very same day his mother died, and buried behind a wall so high that it was thought no one could tear it down, and no one dared to try, not those who liked their job at their castle and not those who had favor with the king, though that was running on short supply too these days.

"You haven't seen anything." He replied confidently and he took a small step forward, he had been saving money as best he could the past few weeks, having to hide it from his father, saying he'd have access to the Royal treasury when he was king and had no use of money of his own, as Princes did not need to go to town, to spend money on ale or anything, not until he ascended the throne at least. He let out a small sigh and unclipped the small brown leather satchel from his belt and shoved it into the guard's hands, the money inside clinking together. "You mistook it for a man, it was merely the flames dancing along the wall and giving a fake illusion." He said and returned his hand to the hilt of the blade, though luckily for him, it was one of the guards he had once called a friend, a guard who had already decided that it be in the best interest to be in favor with the next King.

Killian internally let out a sigh of relief as the guard took the purse from him and headed back the way he came, doing his nightly rounds of the castle grounds once again, the guard having clearly preferred the purchase of coin than the tip of the Prince's blade. Within a few minutes, and being much more careful this time around he had managed to finally sneak out of the castle and into the large courtyard. He went over to the stallion he'd raised since he was a boy, a present from his mother and his favorite companion, the only companion he needed nowadays, excluding Liam of course. He untied the reigns from the wooden post at the outside wooden stable and quickly jumped onto the horse, feet in the stirrups and he took one last glance back to the castle, slowly pulling the black silk cloth back over his nose.

He was a little bit excited, but that made him feel sick, and he remembered he was here for a mission, not leisure. It's not like he was leaving anything behind, certainly not his brother, or any existing friends he'd pushed away, he'd be leaving his old dusty room behind which he barely slept in anymore, and he'd no longer have to suffer from the neglect his father willingly gave him. With that he kicked the horse's sides gently and began to walk through the open gates, sometimes they were left open late at night for travelers and merchants to seek shelter or to set up their business in the courtyard for the following morning, he just hoped none of the guards would recognize him or the horse he was riding as the Prince's.

He tugged on the reigns, slowly leading the horse over the rough cobblestone, and took a sharp left turn, this way he'd followed a road that led to an archway that lead straight out of the castle keep, two guards were guarding the entrance and sometimes merchants in favour with the kingdom could use the entrance given a secret password, so he hoped that the guards were half as dim as his father had become and wouldn't follow him, not that they'd ever be able to catch up with him on foot. The road straight ahead, the one he didn't take, would have lead straight to the town, the large winding stress of houses and taverns and inns, several locations in the large kingdom he had never visited much.

With that the Prince kicked his horse's sides sharply as he saw the archway up ahead, he flew past the two guards standing watch and he didn't stop there, he kept on riding, and the ground beneath the horse's feet transformed to that of a rough dirt road that allowed the horses hooves to grip better on the road and only sped them up more, Killian only hoping that within the next few hours, he would reach a town and he could rest, replenish his supplies and care for the white and brown horse he rode.

×××

It wasn't uncommon for Emma to spend most of the day in the tavern when she was back from a trip, the main reason being that she wanted to keep an eye on the drunken pirates, a couple of them already having tried to start a fight with another and the last thing they needed was someone hurt. However, Emma did always enjoy a little fun and action when it came to it.

By the time it was beginning to get dark, Emma had only drank a couple of mugs of rum, never drinking too much alcohol as she liked to be able to be clear-headed and to be able to act quickly. She slid a hand slightly into the front of her white t-shirt, pulling out a pendant of a ship, her thumb brushing over it slightly. The pendant was of sentimental value. The pirate didn't often have things that were sentimental to her, she preferred to just travel lightly and not get close to anyone or anything. There were only two things that meant the most to her: that being her silver pendant around her neck and her ship. Along with her sword.

The silver pendant she always wore had been gifted to her as a child by her father, something she never took off, always keeping it tucked away, knowing how pirates could be when it came to wanting a price. Thought, Emma was slowly starting to let herself be pulled back into one of her memories, something she had been thinking more of the last few weeks. Of the night she had felt alone when she felt like her parents had abandoned her. Of course, that's how she felt.

It was a stormy night aboard the Jolly Roger, the waves hitting against the side of the ship making it rock while the young blonde girl slept peacefully, like the ship was slowly rocking her to sleep and the young girl had always seemed to sleep better when it stormed, she didn't know why but that's how she always thought, and she always got her best sleep when she could head the rain hitting against the wooden ship.

Suddenly, there was a sound like footsteps walking just above her on the deck, it sounded like running. The blonde slowly opened her eyes and curled into herself slightly but she didn't see her mother or father with her. She slowly pushed her covers back and crept out of bed and up the few steps to the cabin door as she opened it just a crack, peeking out into the deck where she saw lightning flash and heard voices.

Suddenly, Emma was pulled from her thoughts so abruptly that she forgot where she was and blinked trying to gain her bearings again as she looked around remembering that she was in the tavern, at her table. But that was when she heard a commotion and looked over to see a few pirates fighting, realizing that was what had pulled her from her thoughts. She tucked the pendant back into her shirt, hiding it as she stood, grabbing her sword that was leaned against the wall and strapping the sheath back around her waist in case needed. She walked over, shoving her way between them. "Knock it off." She snapped, her elbows digging into a couple of the pirate's ribs, which to her was satisfying to hear the groans of pain. Her eyes glared at them, "you three need to leave." She told them, one hand at her hip, right by the hilt of her sword if she had to pull it out for use.

"Who's going to make us?" One of the pirates asked, his words slightly slurred from drinking so much, blood dripping down his nose slightly but he didn't seem to be making any move to wipe it away. Emma spun to face him, eyes narrowed but when she spoke, her words came out deathly calm. "Oh I will. Now either sit down or get out." Emma warned. She knew most would hesitate to throw a pirate out but Emma, she wouldn't hesitate. She'd do it herself if they didn't go willingly. What she did not expect was a punch to her jaw, her head snapping to the side, a bruise already forming. A small growl left Emma as she pulled her sword out, the tip of the blade pressing into the pirate's neck slightly. "I was in a good mood, but now I'm angry and no one wants me angry," Emma said, her voice low and threatening. The tavern had gone quiet, everyone's eyes focused on the scene to see what would happen next.

The pirate glanced down at the tip of the blade until he heard a voice whispered in his ear, someone telling him who the blonde was. "I... I didn't realize it was you." The pirate slurred, hands up in surrender as he stepped back. Emma could be ruthless when her anger was directed towards someone, she didn't hesitate to kill, and that has earned her a reputation around, just like her parents, which was something she didn't often talk about. Sure, Emma had a crew but she preferred to sail on her own and planned to sail off soon. Sure, there were other pirates around that should be feared, Emma was one of them with her reputation although she often didn't think much of it and just kept to herself.

"Then get out," Emma said, lowering her sword and putting it back in the sheath. She glanced around realizing how quiet it was. "Carry on, nothing to see." The blonde said, shrugging as she stepped over a broken mug and headed back over to the table she had just been at and slid into her seat, elbows resting on the table but was glad that the tavern seemed to be picking up the chatter again and even more glad to see the pirates who had previously been fighting had all left so that the tavern could get back to its late night business knowing this tavern normally stayed up late into the night.

×××

Killian had been riding for hours, he was out of breath, his hands slightly reddened and sore from the right grip he'd held onto the reigns, but then he saw it, the slight lights in the distance, he narrowed his eyes slightly, it was dark and he was less worried about being recognised now so with one hand he had pulled down his facemask. "Come on." He whispered to his horse, one hand stroking along the mane. "Just a little further." He said softly and continued to gallop towards it, the tails of his coat flapping around him, caught in the wind rushing against him as he rode.

Soon enough he found himself in the town, it was near the water which he didn't mind, though it looked as if the earth went on forever with how the water and the sky almost blended together. He gave a small nod to a few people but kept quiet, he was nervous, hopefully nobody recognised him, he didn't exactly get out of the castle much anyway, sometimes his father prevented it, having only a lock on the outside of his bedroom door, Killian was a disappointment to his father, so of course he would be to the people of his kingdom.

He swung his leg over his horse, taking his foot out of the stirrups and prayed a silent thanks to the sky that his legs were no getting rubbed on the saddle. He groaned softly and tugged at his leather pants, perhaps it wasn't the best thing to wear for riding, or to have run away but he hadn't wanted to wait a moment longer, he just hoped that nobody had reported him missing yet. He tied the reigns to a wooden post outside of the building, it seemed to be a tavern of some sorts and he brushed his fingers through his hair a few times so it wasn't as messy, it was fluffy again, the dark brown coming back to it as it was no longer slicked back, though his hair might have been revived, and the colour in his cheeks, his eyes remained the same, as fierce as a storm yet also as if the underworld had frozen over itself. He straightened out his clothes and he bit his lip slightly before examining the tavern he stood in front of.

The Seafarer's Blade.

He cocked an eyebrow almost in amusement and he stroked his horses mane a few times to settle the beast and almost smiled, it felt as if sometimes his companion was the only thing that could bring him joy. With that he walked into the tavern slowly, his shirt still open to hide the family crest on it, chest hair exposed and slightly messy from the wind. He gulped, of course this place belonged mostly to pirates, he wasn't sure if there were any other normal people in here, some were easily recognisable as pirates and some were a little harder to figure out, his eyes skipped right over the blonde in the corner, he had no idea of the earlier unsettlement in the tavern, but one thing that he knew for sure was that he was the only royal here.

He got a few looks and he didn't care, he walked over to the bar area almost as if he owned the place and he sat down on one of the stools. "Can I get the finest food and ale you have." He said in a low deep voice, slightly tired from all the riding and right now he just wanted to feel rejuvenated. He reached down to his belt and he froze slightly, he'd given away all his money to that guard so that he could sneak out of the castle. "Never mind." He huffed slightly since he wouldn't be able to pay for it, he'd have to find some water somewhere else for his horse, he could pick off some apple trees and try his luck later on in the next town over.

×××

Since that incident, Emma had stuck to her corner, she didn't like loosing her temper that way. She tended to not hold back when she was angry, often ending up covered in blood and with people dead, so she tried to avoid that if she could, one hand reaching up to touch at the silver pendant she could feel pressed against the skin, just below her neck, tucked away in her shirt.

She didn't know why she had a temper but the few people who had known her parents always said she got it from her father. She couldn't remember. She hasn't seen them since she was just a young child, the last time she saw them was during a storm when she had peeked out of the cabin to see her parents being taken by what had looked like guards, or someone. She shook her head to clear her mind but she knew she normally just stuck to two things of rum, she felt she needed another. She slid out of her seat, sword still attached at her waist from earlier, as she walked to the counter. "Another rum or whatever else you have." She said although she saw someone she didn't recognize.

Emma had been coming to this tavern for years, on and off, whenever she wasn't out sailing that it. And she knew all the regulars and most of the ones who came or preferred to try and steer clear of this place. But this was one man she didn't recognize. She turned her head slightly to look at him, eyes studying him, that she didn't even realize she had been staring at him. But she was just curious.

There was a dark purple bruise on the side of her jaw, which ached, though she didn't think anything was swelled from how it felt and didn't focus too much on it, though she knew the dark bruise probably was a bad sight compared to the complexion of her skin. She opened and closed her mouth just a little, trying to flex her jaw to ease any of the ache she had.