Treasure

Chapter 46

A few days later... 

Emma was sitting at the newly placed table on deck, reading the spellbook her aunt had given her. She took a small break and took in her surroundings. The wind was blowing her long golden hair back as she inhaled the smell of the salty ocean. How she loved that smell, the smell of freedom. Surprisingly, she hadn't missed home yet. She did however worry for Henry every now and then, but knew he was being well taken care of.

The princess turned her head around to find her captain at the wheel. His face appeared emotionless, focusing on his task. If he wasn't resting he was always there, sailing them to their destination. The two hadn't talked as much as Emma was hoping they would. He told her he wanted to stay on schedule as much as possible, which was now much harder to do. Killian would sail as long as he could before his eyes became drowsy and then would drop anchor and try to sleep. He feared that if he left the ship moving while he slept, they would come off course. Without a crew, he had much more work to do. Then when he was lying in bed he would be scared to fall asleep. Afraid that someone would board his ship and hurt Emma while she was above deck... the secret he was keeping from her also weighed heavily on his mind.

Emma didn't think much into the situation. All she knew was that Killian is a very punctual person. A habit he developed from his time in the royal navy. He hated being off schedule and hated it even more if someone made him off schedule. The princess hadn't suspected more than that and never read into anything. Her parents' secret seemed to be safe.

After glancing at her pirate who had yet to notice her, she focused her attention on Neal, who seemed to be focusing a little too hard on a map he had at hand. "What are you looking for?" She asked.

Neal pulled the map closer to his face hoping it would make the map appear larger. "There is a very small island... Called Story Island... not too far from where we are... It has the most unique items you will ever see...My father collects many things from there."

"Are you sure you're not just looking at some ink residue?" The princess questioned as she raised her eyebrows.

"There it is!" He exclaimed as he showed Emma. "Story Island is a hidden wonder, we have to stop there." Neal insisted.

Emma knew Killian wouldn't be too fond of this unplanned trip, and neither was she... "As nice as that sounds, I don't think..."

"Killian! Come over here!" Neal shouting, ignoring the princess's objection.

The captain rolled his eyes. What the hell does he want... Killian was exhausted mentally and physically. Even though he was use too little sleep, this was far too little. He would try to sail through the night, with the wind in their favor, and sleep during the day when the waters seemed calm. If anything he slept an hour at most the last couple of days. He did his best to keep them on track and so far he was successful. He missed his crew... at least with a crew he could get some shut-eye and not worry over Emma as much. To his surprise, the guilt slightly lessened. He of course still felt bad about keeping something from his princess, but did his best to not think about the betrayal he was causing. He took the king's advice and believed that keeping their secret was indeed best for Emma. If he told her, she would surely blame herself and do as Rumplestiltskin asked. With no cure for the spell she would be put under he wasn't going to risk Emma's life. She meant everything to him and more.

Killian composed his frustration as he looked at Emma. Her slight smile was quite calming. He loved seeing her on his ship, wind in her hair and her slightly sunburnt face. Just like old times.

"You summoned me?" Killian questioned as he rested his hands on Emma's shoulders.

Neal showed him the map, "We have to make a stop here. They have the most interesting-"