Treasure

Chapter 87

The next morning...

Killian stood at the far end of the small merchant ship, excluding himself from everyone else as he often did. They all remained civil with one another and found themselves laughing more, but every once in a while, a small wave of sadness found the captain. This was one of those moments.

He was currently staring at the broken compass Emma had given him to keep safe after his near-death experience in King George's kingdom. The more he thought about it, it wasn't too long ago, yet he missed her as if they'd been apart for years.

All the pirate could think about was how he hoped Emma was safe. He hoped Henry was taking care of her as he often did and hoped Merlin was doing as promised to keep her safe. He changed his gaze to the calm waves, rubbing his thumb over the broken glass of the compass. Killian wasn't one to put blind faith into other people, especially if it involved his princess, but now he had no choice.

    "It's the worst pain in the world, isn't it?" Snow said aloud as she made her way over to the captain, "Waiting when you know there's nothing else you can do."

    Killian shoved the compass back in his pocket and released a breath of frustration as he prepared for another lecture, "Aye."

    The queen watched as the pirate avoided eye contact. He was never one to initiate conversation. "I noticed you have Ruth's compass." She smiled, now staring out to sea as well, "I remember when she gave it to my daughter."

    "Emma gave it to me to keep safe." He clenched his jaw, "I can return it if you'd like. I know it's quite valuable."

    "Oh, no, no." The queen shook her head, "She gave it to you for a reason."

    Killian released a shaky breath as another wave of emotions came over him, "Every time I look at that cursed object, all I can think of is the mistakes I made and the things I hid." He mumbled, "I made her feel as if she was paranoid just like everyone else in her life. I made her think she worried too much when she had a right to worry."

    Snow placed a comforting hand on his back, "I know how you feel." She paused, "I'd wake up every day and lie to her, then I'd go to sleep as if it was okay."

    "With all due respect, my situation is slightly different." He objected, "You're her mother. I'm... someone she trusted above anyone else."

    "Indeed." She agreed with a nod as she rubbed her swollen stomach, "But all our motives were the same, to keep her safe."

    "I remember the first time I saw her." The captain revealed, "She stood on a ship much like this one, in a lovely blue dress with her wind blowing in the hair. Even from a distance, you could tell she had been crying, but she wouldn't dare admit it." He smiled at the thought, "After she boarded my ship and I got a better look at her, her eyes reflected just how much she was broken." He continued as the queen listened tentatively, "It almost felt as if we were two broken souls who needed each other."

    "Emma was never broken." The queen objected, "David and I tried to give her everything. From an entire kingdom adoring her to a small family meal of people adoring her. She had no reason to feel... broken, as you would say."

That comment snapped something inside of him. He knew his princess had the life many dreamed of, but the captain knew how restricting the lifestyle was. Emma was someone who wanted the freedom to go where she pleased, not to be refined to a castle with constant supervision. She wanted to walk into any port without having to watch her back or constantly clutching a dagger to keep safe. She didn't even want to look after an entire kingdom at times. She just wanted to live in the moment and go where the wind took her.

    "Respectfully, she was- is..." Killian's voice shook, trying to find the correct words, "I don't know... All I do know is that her soul reflected mine." He looked at the queen calmly, "You never saw the look in her eyes, not the way I saw them. And I know you provided the best life you could for your daughter, she's very appreciative of it, but it still broke her."

    Before Snow could respond, David came running over, "Snow! A letter from Merlin!"

    "What does it say?" The captain chimed in.

    David handed to letter to his wife, "Emma will be making port at an island soon." He explained, out of breath, "Merlin enchanted the letter so Regina can find the island, but he mentioned it would be quicker if you could figure out where she might dock."

    "Yes, this kind of magic is tricky and not always reliable." Snow added, "It'll only take us on the exact path she took, but if we could find a different route-"

    "We'll get to port faster if I find a quicker route." Killian finished, heading towards the table on deck, where the map sat, "There are only a few islands around these waters."

    "I'll go get Robin and Regina and let them know the plan." The queen's voice trailed off as she hobbled below deck.

    David looked at the captain and rubbed his stubbled chin, examining the maps. "You know her better than anyone. Where do you suppose she'd make port?"

    "I don't know." Killian responded, slightly upset he couldn't figure it out, "Emma hated docking the ship. It was her least favorite thing about sailing." He rambled, "It doesn't make sense. They have enough supplies. The weather has been kind." His voice sped up.

    "Easy..." The king tried to calm him, "My daughter isn't one to make unnecessary trips." He thought out loud, "One thing we instilled into her from a young age was never to go where you don't need to be. If she's making port, it would need to be for supplies at least."

    The captain grabbed a nearby quill, "That would eliminate these." He stated, crossing off some islands from the map. "I warned her to avoid larger ports as well, for her safety. If she heeded my warning, that limits it down to one." He crossed off another island.    

    "That's our island then!" The king pated him on the back, "How long until we arrive?"

    The pirate smiled, "By nightfall."

A mixture of excitement and nervousness washed over him. He'd finally get to see his princess, but at the same time, he was dreading the moment. Would she be as happy to see him as he was to see her? They had much to talk about, and there would be no easy way to start any of the conversations, no matter their relationship status.

    The captain glanced at the map once more and paused. He had been there before. Emma had been there before... "Killian?" The king called out, "Is something the matter?"

    "I've been to this island before, with Emma." the raggedy hair pirate revealed in shock, "Story Island. Neal insisted we stopped when we escorted him home."

    "The land with strange objects." David's eyes widen, "Neal would talk about it nonstop. If Emma's making port there, she's familiar with the island then?"

    "Aye, partially." Killian nodded, "We spend quite some time there going in and out of many shops. She knows where the supplies are. With help from the sorcerer and Henry, they could be out of the island perimeters within hours."

    "We must hurry!" Charming grabbed the map, "This may be our only chance to catch up to them."

The captain nodded and dropped another sail. With the assistance of Regina's magic, the ship began to fly through the rough waters. There was no time to worry about what they all wanted to say to Emma to convince her of changing her mind or resorting any of their broken relationships. The only thing on everyone's mind was getting to her before it was too late.