Treasure

Chapter 40

    "Robin could care less about that, he's a thief after all." She responded, unsure of how else to comfort him.

    "Thief?" Killian questioned, trying to change his mood.

    Emma laughed at the memory, "He used to work down at the tavern many years ago. Of course, travelers would become drunk and forget many things and our kingdom was in a bit of trouble at the time financial wise. Robin would take the finest objects people left and give them to some of the struggling villagers to sell."

    Killian's eyes wandered around, lost in thought, "That hardly sounds like a thief to me, more like survival."

    Emma smiled, to anyone else it would sure seem like theft. But Killian knew what it was like to struggle, to not know what to expect for the future, just as Robin did. "Well he calls himself a thief, but I guess it's all about perspective."

The night continued on, everyone was dancing and having a wonderful time. Soon it was time for the cake to be served. Emma wanted to make sure all the children who attend got a piece before their parents took them home, she was always so thoughtful.

"It is now time to wish the Princess of Misthaven a happy birthday!" Queen Snow announced, gesturing for her daughter to join her and her father.

The Princess made her way over to her parents and they gave a speech about how proud they were of her and how they knew she would soon make a wonderful Queen. Everyone cheered and sang happy birthday to the beloved Princess. Emma blew out her many candles and got the first piece of cake. Soon the children lined up to get their piece, the ballroom filled with people holding plates of cake.

Neal shoved a piece of cake in his mouth, "So Emma, when do you leave for Arendelle?"

"Baelfire! A prince does not speak with a full mouth." Queen Snow stated walking past with King David.

Emma laughed, her mother always treated Neal like her own child, "I believe in a couple of days. We're waiting for the docks to clear out, last year it was a bit chaotic when we decided to leave the morning after the ball." She answered, finishing up her slice of cake.

Killian slowly ate his cake, not liking the sweet flavor that much, "Why do you ask?" He questioned, suspiciously.

Emma was shocked by his rude tone, "Killian..." She said staring at him.

Neal shook his head, "No no no, it's fine, I just needed to ask you a favor." Killian's suspicions were correct...

"Oh, it must be important if you're asking now." Emma said, referring to the fact that they were in the middle of a celebration, a very improper place to have any kind of serious conversation.

Neal put his head down in guilt, "My father isn't sending a ship out to bring me back home, nor does he want to help me return... I know you already have your courses set and I would never ask you this if I didn't need your help, but do you think you could let me go with you guys when you leave?"

"Couldn't you just buy a ship and sail home yourself?" Killian asked in an upset tone.

"Killian..." Emma said in a defeated tone, "We were never taught how to sail."

Guilt continued to consume Neal, "I know it's out of the way but-"

"Yes, it is out of the way, the bloody opposite direction!" Killian said getting mad.

Killian's voice caught David's attention. He saw the three of them talking, Killian clearly getting more and more upset. Not wanting to cause a scene at his daughter's ball, David went over to the three and asked Killian to help him get more plates from the galley. This gave Killian a chance to cool off and for David to figure out what was happening. Emma was more than grateful for her father's intervention...

    Emma let out a breath of frustration, "I'm sorry about that, but he's been planning our course for weeks. He just wants everything to go as planned."

    "You know I would never ask you for a favor like this if I didn't really need your help..." Neal responded.

    "I know, and of course I'll help you. But Killian will have to rechart our course, so I will talk to him later." She responded before walking away.

Emma went off into a corner and she had to admit she was slightly upset. She was upset over Killian's outburst, almost causing a scene. She was upset with Neal for asking her the question in front of Killian, knowing how short Killian's temper could be... She was upset with herself for ruining the plans Killian had made for them. He had planned their course for weeks, making port at certain islands, but still arriving at Arendelle on time. Now all that would change because Neal's kingdom was the opposite direction of Arendelle and would take a week's journey to get there. Emma thought about just arriving late in Arendelle, but soon vetoed the plan knowing it would cause Elsa to worry, not to mention it would be rude...

    "There you are..." Killian said, approaching her, "My apologies for my outburst and causing a scene... It won't happen again." He said seriously.

    The Princess gave a small smile, "It's ok, I'm upset too."

    The Captain looked at her confused, "Why?"

    "Because I know how hard you worked to plan our course and I just ruined it." She said, upset.

    Killian pulled her in for a hug, "You could never ruin anything love... I'll make the trip work. You're not to worry."

Emma smiled. That was her pirate. No matter how much anger he felt he was always able to push it away when it came to Emma. Nothing mattered more to him than the Princess.

AHHHH I feel like this chapter is all over the place, so I apologize :(

I've rewritten it a couple of times and nothing has felt right, but life goes on... So I'm sorry if this chapter was slow or confusing or just kind of pointless!

I kind of wanted their trip to Arendelle to have more than just them on a ship for an extended period of time (Don't worry, they will have their moments ;)) but I also wanted it to have another character for them to interact with since there will be no crew and adding someone else just felt right.

As always, leave comments, questions, suggestions, anything! :)