Treasure

Chapter 67

After spending what seemed like the entire day in the library the princess retired to her room and was greeted by an empty, unmade bed. She sighed, sad to see Killian still hadn't returned. First thing this morning he had gone into town to check on his crew and announce the ball to them. Anna had invited them and Killian wanted to make sure that if any of them did attend they were properly dressed for the occasion. Afterward, he went off with Kristoff on a journey they've been waiting to go on for ages now.

Emma laid down on the bed, feeling oddly exhausted. It was early evening and she hadn't done much besides looking at dresses with Anna and some reading. Nobody seemed to return to the castle for dinner, and the princess had lost her appetite. She pulled Killian's pillow close to her body and inhaled the smell of the sea mixed with a faint smell of rum. The smell of her favorite captain... A day without him was a day not worth having she thought to herself. Emma let her heavy eyelids closed and slowly she drifted off to a peaceful nap...

An hour later Killian had returned to the castle with Kristoff and was informed of everyone's whereabouts. It seemed no one but Emma was here all day. The captain felt slightly bad leaving her alone in the large palace... After saying his farewells to Kristoff he made his way to their room with a few early summer flowers he picked on his journey.

Once arriving at their shared room, he opened the door to find Emma fast asleep. Quietly, he closed the door and made his way over to his favorite princess and covered her with their thin white sheet, not wanting to wake her. He then decided to place her new flowers in the vase on her vanity. He did his best to remove the ones that looked like they were dying as he gently replaced them with new ones. The captain decided he might as well get ready for bed. He took off his heavy coat and threw it onto a nearby chair, following his famous red vest. Afterward, he decided it was time to retire the sword for the evening and removed it from its holster. To his dismay, he ended up hitting the vase full of flowers with his elbow, sending them spiraling to the ground.

The princess shot up in bed, alarmed by the sound, "My apologies, darling." Killian said as he picked up the broken pieces, "Go back to sleep, I'll clean this mess up."

Emma rubbed her tired eyes, "Don't think much of it." She responded, emotionless, as she cleaned up the mess with a wave of her hand.

Killian took note of her straight face and lifeless eyes. This was not the same Emma he left this morning. "Are you alright?" He asked sitting at the end of their bed.

She didn't look him in the eyes, "Yeah, just tired."

The captain crawled up in bed next to her and placed a kiss on her cheek, "Well, lucky for you we're already in bed." He said, trying to make her smile. Sadly, his jokes weren't helping, "Swan, I know when something is bothering you."

Emma signed in defeat. He knew her too well, "What was it like having a brother?" She asked, partially changing the subject.

The question made him nervous. Had she found out about her mother's pregnancy? No, she couldn't have... Elsa knew better than to say anything and if Emma had known she wouldn't be so calm right now, she would be trying to go home... He cleared his throat, "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know what it's like to have a sibling." She clarified as she turned her body to face him, "Sometimes I wish I had one."

Killian brushed a strand of hair away from his princess's face. Her eyes were full of anticipation, waiting for his response. He missed his brother dearly and rarely ever talk about him... Emma was the only one he ever talked about Liam with. He stared into her forest green eyes one last time and took in a deep breath, "Well he was a pain in the ass." He said, causing Emma to laugh. His favorite sound... "But I looked up to him all my life, I wanted to be just like him." He explained, "I always thought he could do no wrong, but he often did as boys tend to do... I loved him anyway."

Emma placed a hand on his stubbled cheek. She knew his brother was a sensitive topic, "You must miss him... He raised you after all."

As usual, she was right. His father had abandoned them and their mother passed before he got the chance to know her. "Aye..." He responded quietly, "He would've loved you." The captain whispered with a smile.

The princess blushed at his remark, "Please... I'm sure he imagined you with someone with a simple life, perhaps even someone you could send the rest of their days out at sea with you."

The captain cleared his throat. She was referring to the typical princess responsibilities while all he could think of was her life on the line with Rumplestilskins threat... "I can tell you he would never believe I fell in love with royalty." He laughed, trying to ease his mind, "But I know he would adore you, he might even try to take you from me." He said with a wink.

Emma giggled, "I guess that makes sense, you did say he looked up to kings and queens... I don't fall too far behind that status."

Killian's face went straight. He wasn't referring to her status. They both could care less about it. "I meant he would love that you can best a man in any fight." He clarified, "And I know he would love that you don't let anyone push you around." He continued, " He would especially love how knowledgeable you are about everything." The captain added, "He always thought a woman should be more than just a pretty, submissive, face."

Women typically did as a man asked, and frankly, a woman with a mind of her own was undesirable compared to someone who obeyed. Emma knew she was lucky to have been born royal. She could backtalk to any man and order them around no problem, but a commoner would've been a different story. "He must have loved a challenge." She teased.

The captain laughed, "Indeed." He agreed, "Liam always thought the best people in life were the ones that challenge you, and you love, are indeed a challenge." Killian teased as he rubbed his nose against hers.

"He sounds amazing." The princess responded leaning closer into his chest as sleep fogged her brain once more, "I wish I could've met him."

The captain rubbed his princess back as she began to doze off, "Aye, me too."

Killian wasn't sure where the curiosity of what having a sibling was like came from. Maybe it was because she had been spending a lot of time with Anna and Elsa. Maybe it was because she was coming closer to the truth... Regardless, talking about his brother brought him joy and it seemed to help Emma feel better. Content with their conversation he followed her off into a deep slumber. Both their days were very unproductive and he had a lot to sort out regarding how to keep her in Arendelle longer, or even what to do when they did leave... but all he could do right now was rest and hope for a solution to come to him.