As Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Sven escorted Emma and Killian to the castle they were greeted by many of Arendelle's kind people who offered welcoming words and even a few gifts for the Princess of Misthaven. Killian found himself in the back of the group, not enjoying the attention as much as everyone else. He knew these people could care less about his status as well as his crew's status. Once their queen allowed him and his men to stay, that was enough for them.
Every once and in a while he would glance up to find Emma looking at him, probably wondering why he had become so quiet... In all honesty, he was never one for being doted over and treated like royalty. No matter how many times a servant called him 'sir' or he was treated in any form of hierarchy, it still felt odd. Courting a princess felt odd the more he thought of Emma's status. Nonetheless, it wasn't a bad life compared to his past...
Deciding to ignore his self-loathing thoughts, he took a good look around the kingdom. It was far nicer than any kingdom he had been to, maybe even nicer than Misthaven... The walkways were made of grey stone and black iron bars with chains to protect people from the waters. Everyone in the kingdom had a smile on their face and the children laughed with happiness. In fact, many of the kingdom's people had a good size belly, indicating food was never a problem. The markets had food on display which he found very rare. Elsa must have great trust in her people not to steal. As they walked through more of the marketplace he noticed everyone had fine clothing on. From leather to cotton, no holes in their clothing, and certainly no clothing that looked like it had been worn more than once. He wasn't sure how wealthy Arendelle was, but it was clear this kingdom was not suffering in any way and that the young queen certainly did care about her people and they cared about her in return.
"What do you think, Killian?" Emma asked, interrupting his thoughts.
The captain cleared his throat, "My apologies, love, I didn't hear what you said."
His love let out a memorizing laugh as they entered the palace courtyard, "Anna said that their people have prepared a large feast for our arrival-"
"I was thinking we could set up some tables throughout the kingdom and everyone could bring out a meal and we could all eat together, like how we usually do for special occasions." Anna added.
"Maybe we should let them settle in first." Elsa suggested as they entered the castle.
Killian took in the sight of the large castle, it was very spacious and welcoming. He hated to admit it, but it was much nicer than Emma's castle. In fact, everything about this kingdom seemed completely out of the norms he was used to. He took another quick glance at his princess and found her in awe too.
"Your castle is even more amazing than my father said." Emma said looking around.
"Well, your castle is practically surrounded by dirt and trees- not that there's anything wrong with dirt or trees." Anna began to ramble, "Our kingdom has always had great wealth- not that your kingdom isn't wealthy, we just haven't gone into debt as much as other kingdoms. I think it's because we've always had few allies-"
"Anna, why don't you come with Sven and me to the stables?" Kristoff asked after seeing Killian give a sour face.
"What for- oh are you trying to get me to clean out Sven's stall again?" She asked weary, "I told you we have servants for that." She said as she, Kristoff, and Sven left the room.
"Excuse my sister, she means no disrespect." Elsa apologized. "Misthaven is such a beautiful place..." She commented to Emma, "I remember when I used to visit you and I would spend hours in the forest hiding from... what's his name... August?"
The Princess of Misthaven covered her mouth as she laughed, "Oh yes, August... He always had to put up with so much."
"Your kingdom is very beautiful." Killian comment, still looking around, "I hate to admit it, but I've never seen a lovelier kingdom... No offense, love." He said, whispering the last part to Emma.
The pale queen smiled, "Thank you, captain, what a very kind thing to say, I'm sure you've seen many fine kingdoms in your time."
"Aye." He smiled.
"I've always admired my parent's tales once they return home from your kingdom." Emma said and they continued to walk the halls, "Mother always said Arendelle was ahead of time and she's absolutely right, I mean look at this place."
Elsa nodded her head in agreeance, "Our father's side of the family always made sure the kingdom had the finest materials possible, I think they even made some materials of their own before trading."
"That's right." Emma commented, "I remember learning that in my studies."
"Well, this is your room." The queen said, stopping in front of a large two-door room. "Anna's room is four rooms down the hall and mine is at the very end. I hope she won't disturb you too much."
"It's quite alright." Princess Emma responded, "She means no harm."
"She won't be the one waking us, correct?" Killian asked, half-serious, "I'm quite terrible if someone disturbs my slumber."
"I thought a true captain never sleeps." Elsa teased.
"Aye, but we're terrible creatures if you wake us when we do." He smirked.
"Speaking from experience, it is a very unpleasant situation." Emma whispered to her white-haired friend.
"Alright, I'll let you two settle and send someone to check on you before supper." Elsa responded, "Don't worry if you're not up for the town's dinner, they won't mind... that castle is open and you can go anywhere you please. Oh, and the library is on the other side of the castle." She said before she left the pirate and princess alone in their room.
Once alone Emma took a good look at the room. It was about three times larger than her room back home. The doors were made out of smooth wood and one wall was dedicated as a giant window giving them a good look at the kingdom. The large bed in the corner looked so small given the room size. There were two wardrobes given, one for her and one for her captain. It was more than generous. She admired the flooring, it was a warm velvet material, far nicer than Misthaven's stone flooring in their castle. The walls were also made of softwood and contained various colors. She admired the Kingdom of Arendelle. The people were always kind and accepting, they had the finest items available, no one was ever hungry, all the children were happy, money was rarely an issue... This is what she hoped to accomplish when she became queen.
"Princess Anna... she's quite unmannerly for a royal." Killian interrupted her thoughts as he plopped down onto their new bed.
Emma walked over and joined him on the bed, "Believe me everyone knows." She laughed, "No one tried to correct her though, a lot of her childhood was spent alone. Her parents felt bad that she had no one to talk to..."
"Alone?" Killian questioned, "She has a sister. Besides, you grew up an only child and still have more manners than that lass."
"It's a very long story..." Emma responded, laying her down on the bed, "Anna and Elsa weren't together much as children and sadly her parents were always with Elsa trying to help her with her magic... staff was limited, she couldn't wander out of the castle boundaries..." She continued on sadly, "Even if I am an only child, I was never alone. Not the way Anna was."
The captain didn't respond right away. It was true he knew little of Arendelle. He never bothered to come here in his pirating days, too risky, too many guards ready to shoot cannons at his ship... However the more he thought about what Emma said, he realized the two sisters lost their parents at a young age, "If you don't mind me asking, how did the former king and queen pass?"
The princess turned her body to face him, "They went on a journey somewhere for... two weeks I believe. They never came back."
"Where were they going?" Killian asked without hesitation.
"Unfortunately they never told Anna and Elsa where they were heading, but my parents believe they went to find answers about Elsa's magic."
Killian laid his head down on the bed, "Magic may be rare, but it certainly isn't that much of a mystery." He questioned.
Emma propped herself up on her elbow, "You haven't seen Elsa's magic..." She said in realization, "Her magic is very special and unique, she has ice powers."
"And you don't?" He asked in disbelief.
"No." She laughed, "Magic is rare, but hers is almost unheard of."
"That must have been scary." Killian admitted, looking up to the ceiling.
"You have no idea..." Emma agreed, "She's the only one with magic in Arendelle. Everyone was so scared, they didn't find out until she became queen."
"Poor lass... at least she had her sister and that reindeer man." He responded. Emma let out a chuckle. "What?" Killian asked with a smile.
"The more I think about the more I realize most people born into royalty don't marry someone from royalty." She answered with a smile, "I mean think about, My mother married a shepherd, Anna is engaged to a man whose best friend is a reindeer and I have the most feared pirate in all the lands." She said, hugging Killian.
The captain wrapped his arms around the princess, "Aye, what an odd bunch we are."