Treasure

Chapter 77

Later that day...

Killian managed to stumble his way back to the Jolly Roger where he hoped to find Emma. To his dismay, she was nowhere to be seen. He did, however, believe she came back to the ship and spent the night. Their bed was not made and her nightstand was in its usual morning mess. A clear sign Emma had been there. No one else would dare step foot in such a privatized area, he also knew his princess never made the bed nor was one to tidy up. A bad habit formed from having an endless amount of servants doing everything for her since the moment she was born...

The captain's head began to throb as he restored their room to an acceptable manner, then he took a seat on the freshly made bed as he rubbed his head. He hadn't had a hangover this bad since the day he met Emma. In fact, he never drank this much after meeting her.

The only place he could think of that she would retreat to would be the forest. The one place she always felt comfortable. He was quick to drag himself out of bed and make his way to the never-ending green scenery followed by mud. Killian's face showed nothing but disgust as wet leaves stuck to his boots and jacket as he dragged himself through all the fallen branches and wet dirt. He didn't despise the forest, but you certainly would find him taking a stroll through it unless it was for Emma. His heart belonged to the sea as much as hers belonged to the forest.

They were so similar yet so different. He always thought that's why they made a great team. They viewed situations differently and often disagreed on how to handle them, but they learned to work together to come up with the best solution. Inevitably, it caused them many arguments between the two, but it was nothing they couldn't overcome.

As the burning daylight caused the captain's headache to grow worse, the sound of a branch breaking caused him to turn around. He smiled as he saw a figure with messy blond hair in a bright red jacket. He walked over to hear Emma criticizing herself as she continued to miss the target as she practiced with her bow and arrow.

    Killian chuckled as he walked up behind her and adjusted her bow as he looked over her shoulder. She always aimed too low, he thought to himself. "Liam once told me, if you remember what you're fighting for you'll never miss the target." He whispered in Emma's ear as he released the arrow.

    The princess watched as the arrow hit the target dead center. It was slightly infuriating how she had practiced all night and this morning as she couldn't hit the target once without his help. "What are you doing here?"

    He took note of her cold tone. Maybe he deserved it maybe he didn't. All he knew was he had a long night and wanted to leave this damn island. "It's time to leave, Swan."

    As she turned around, her eyes watered and her nose burned. He reeked of rum... More so than usual. She was used to the faint smell of rum on him. After all, he was a pirate, but this was an unusual amount. She hadn't smelled him like this since the day they met, even then the smell was much more bearable. Emma soaked in his tired look of messy hair and droopy eyes. He hadn't slept a wink, nor change out of his clothes from yesterday. "I take it you had a nice time last night." The princess commented as she grabbed another arrow.

     Killian was quick to take note of her look of disgust. He knew Emma wasn't one to think he'd do anything in the wrong, such as be with another woman, but it was clear his drinking didn't sit right with her. And as far as a good time, it wasn't even close.  "Quite the opposite, actually." He responded, looking down. "That barman was my father."

    The princess froze as she lowered her weapon, "Oh." She knew that man seemed too similar to Killian. They both had the same quirks. Both men raised their eyebrows when they spoke, scratched their chin when they thought, and flashed that memorizing smile. "You spoke with him after I left?" She asked, walking back over to him, no longer upset.