Treasure

Chapter 79

A few days later...

Emma pressed her slim stomach against the hard railing of the Jolly Roger as she leaned over the side of the massive ship, her hands gripping the wood as tight as possible. She squinted her eyes as the salty water brushed her face with the wind blowing her loose golden hair back, the morning fog not helping at all. The typical sound of Killian and the crew shouting in the background as they continued to sail through the rough ocean waters...

They would reach Misthaven any second now, and excitement was an understatement. She was more than glad to return home. Return to her own room, her own bed, her own friends, her favorite meals... She loved life at sea, and Killian tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but nothing compared to the room she grew up in and being home in the kingdom she loved more than any other place in the world.

This was it. Their journey coming to an end. Killian would never admit it, but even he was a bit excited to be making a permanent stop for a while. As much as he loved traveling and being captain, it would be nice not having to keep track of everyone and constantly being the person to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Now, of course, there was much he wasn't looking forward to once they did dock, but it was bound to happen sooner or later, and he really wanted to put all this in the past. Whether Emma would hate him or not was still unknown, but she deserved to know the truth from the two people who started it all.

Killian watched as his princess stood on her tippy toes, leaning over the short barrier that protected her from the unforgiving sea. He laughed, knowing she was trying to catch a glimpse of her parent's castle out in the distance. "Swan, get down before you fall over again." He smiled as he placed a hand on her waist to help her down.

Emma's gaze never left the blue scenery as she planted her feet back on the solid deck, "I was pushed that one time." She laughed at the memory, "Besides, shouldn't we have seen my castle by now?"

"You're not to worry, love." The captain reassured, "I have two men up in the crows' nest, and they are to alert us both when they see your kingdom."

She shifted her attention to her pirate, who was looking exceptionally handsome today. His stubble was back to its normal length, and his hair was still slightly messy but still neat enough for her approval. His prominent scar showing as the morning sun made his face glow, and a smile being his best feature. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed the back of his hair with her fingers, "You think of everything, don't you?" She smiled.

He blushed. All this time together, and she could still make his heart race with a simple compliment and her memorizing smile, "Aye, but only for you." He leaned in for a soft kiss that she gladly returned.

"Captain!" A man from the crows' nest called out cautiously.

To everyone's surprise, Killian wasn't upset that someone interrupted his kiss with Emma. "What is it?" He looked up calmly, still holding the princess in his arms.

"You better come up here, sir." The crewmate said quietly.

Both Emma and Killian exchanged a look of confusion, "Stay here, love." He instructed calmly. Whatever it was, it was evident the crew didn't want her to know.

As he climbed up to the nest, he was greeted by his two crew members showing a face of shock and oddly a loss of words. They handed him a spyglass and he took it and looked out into the distance.

The captain spotted land, which he assumed to be Misthaven. He tried to find her castle, the most distinctive characteristic of her home but was soon greeted by a pile of fallen stones where her home should be. Nothing more than a huge pile of ash and copper stone. He swore he could see Snow and David's throne in all the rubble.