Treasure

Chapter 75

A month later...

The morning sun was beating down on the Jolly Roger as the crew was hard at work. Their attitude towards Emma had completely changed and they all treated her well once more. Life at sea had been peaceful and there were little to no delays. This brought the widest smile to Killian's face as he was preparing Emma's morning tea down in the galley. The princess had finally forgiven herself and started participating more on the ship. She was already helping Sebastian, the ship's cook, but she wanted to do more. The captain was more than glad to grant her wish and started letting her take over the helm at times.

On their journey to Arendelle, he was beginning to teach her to sail, but once they docked in the kingdom, she hadn't sailed since. Luckily with nothing but time on their hands, he was now able to continue those lessons, and this time she paid attention. And even though he allowed her to help on his ship, he would never let her do any actual labor. She was his princess after all. The compromise was letting her sail... an important task, but with minimal labor.

The two spent many days together at the helm and Killian got quite confident in her and even stepped away at times. Emma, on the other hand, got nervous when he did. But he assured her that she could do anything she set her mind to...

Above deck, the princess inhaled the smell of the fresh morning sea as she steered the massive ship. She knew Killian loved being out at sea, as did she, but this made her feel a new level of freedom. Being able to be in control of where they went, how fast they were going, even when to drop anchor... there was no feeling like it. Killian always told Emma there was no better feeling than standing at the helm of the Jolly Roger and he was absolutely right. Being a passenger was one experience, but being captain was a hell of a better experience.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment as the slight morning wind blew her hair back and the sun warmed her face. The sound of the waves crashing against the ship calmed her in unexplainable ways as did the smell of the salt in the air with the typical hint of rum. Nothing else seemed to matter, nor did anything weigh on her mind. A feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. She didn't even mind that she had to wake up early and even understood why Killian was always eager to start the day bright and early... "A warm cup of tea for my favorite princess!" Killian announced, interrupting her train of thought.

Emma opened her eyes to find her favorite captain heading in her direction holding two cups. He had the widest grin on his face and the sunlight hit him perfectly, revealing his shining blue eyes. She smiled at the sight of him, "Favorite?" She teased, "You mean I'm not the only princess in your life?"

The captain returned the smile, handing her the cup, "What kind of pirate would I be if I only had one princess in my life?" He mocked as he placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

The princess chuckled as he played along, "A very terrible one indeed." She took a sip of her tea, "So I believe we're still on course, although it's hard to tell since everything looks the same." She laughed, referring to the endless blue scenery.

"Ah." He chuckled, taking a step closer to her and looking over her shoulder, "You just need to turn the old girl two notches port." He said, pointing down at the marking he put for her to remember which direction to turn the wheel, "Other than that, I'd say you're doing well." He whispered in her ear.

She blushed as his stubble scratched her ear, "I still don't understand how you can tell. It's nothing but constant waves. There's not even a star insight to guide us the right way."

Killian placed an arm over her shoulder, "Well I don't understand how you can walk into the forest and not get lost. Nothing but bloody trees and dirt everywhere." He derided.