One month later...
The gang was currently in the grand hall, attending another one of Emma's magic lessons. The lesson was close to an end as the Kingdom of Arendelle was in store for a fun-filled day. The kingdom was in its summer months and it was exceptionally hot. They requested a day filled with snow and cold weather to beat the heat. The queen was more than happy to grant their wishes, however, she needed to attend her friend's lesson first...
Emma had gotten quite good with magic, in fact, Elsa thought there wasn't much more to teach and a lot of the learning was now on Emma's shoulders. The Princess of Misthaven was currently trying to put out the fire from the fireplace. She could easily create a fireball and then create a fire, but she often had trouble undoing her own magic.
"Come on, Emma! You can do it." Anna cheered on.
"Shhhh, Anna." Her sister whispered calmly, "She's trying to focus." Elsa clarified, referring to Emma.
The Princess of Mishaven bit her lower lip, "I'm not sure what to do in order for the fire to extinguish..."
Killian pulled her in for a hug, "It's alright, Swan."
Elsa knew what she meant, creating magic was one emotion, but undoing the magic was another... "What did you think of when you created the fire?"
Emma shrugged her shoulder while still in her pirates embrace, "Sometimes things that make me upset."
"Then think of something that calms you down." The queen suggested.
"Think of Killian, he always calms you down." Kristoff chimed in.
"Go give it a try, love." Killian encourages, releasing her from his arms.
Emma nodded and made her way back over to the burning fireplace. She closed her eyes and thought of her favorite pirate and how he always brought a smile to her face whenever she was sad. She thought of how his hug felt like home and his smile was the world's best cure... With those thoughts in her head, she raised her hand above the fire and closed her fingers.
Everyone in the room applauded and patted her on her back indicating she successfully undid her magic. She opened her eyes and gave a wide smile.
Anna squealed, "I knew you could do it!" She beamed, pulling her close friend in for a hug.
"Great job, Em." Kristoff remarked, being the second to offer a warm hug.
"A very good job indeed." Elsa said with a head nod before heading to the exit, "I have to go prepare for the snow day, but I'll see you all soon."
"Oh, we'll come help!" Anna said, pulling Kristoff along with her.
Emma let out a laugh before turning to her favorite person, "You're amazing, Emma." Killian said and he placed his hand on her waist and leaned down for a soft kiss.
The princess naturally returned the kiss with a blush, "I had no idea everyone was such a fan of my magic." She observed, placing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well, I'm a fan of every part of you." He remarked, causing her cheek to burn red, "Like these lips, for example, I could kiss them all day." He teased, pressing his forehead against hers.
Emma smiled as she hungrily kissed him, which the pirate gladly escalated. The princess placed her hand on his neck, causing chills to go up Killian's spine. He pulled her closer in return...
"Oh god!" A voice interrupted.
The princess was the first to pull away, finding Anna had entered the room and was now covering her face with one of her hands. "Is everything alright?" Emma asked out of breath.
"Uh yeah." Anna answered, trying to make her way over to a nearby table while still covering her eyes.
Killian gave the Princess of Arendelle a questionable look, "You can look, your highness." He announced, "We were only kissing."
The princess still had her eyes covered, "I know." Anna responded, grabbing her coat from the table, "I apologize for the intrusion." She said, running into a chair.
Emma laughed, "This is your palace, you're not intruding."
Somehow Anna managed to make her way back to the door, "I'm just gonna close this." She said, finally revealing her face, "Have fun!" She said, slamming the door before quickly opening it again, "But not too much fun!"
Killian resumed rubbing Emma's back, "That has to be the oddest princess I've ever met... And I've met you."
"Hey!" The golden hair princess objected, giving him a playful smack on the chest.
He took the opportunity to continue to tease, "What princess goes and courts a pirate, the most feared pirate to be exact."
She smiled, "And the most feared pirate loves to be kissed and cuddled." She teased, "Oh and he loves, and I mean loves expensive soap."
She got him there. God he loved this woman, she always had a comeback for all his quick remarks and she often bested him. Once again he got lost in her beauty as he often did. Something about her forest green eyes always calmed him in a way he couldn't explain and the softness of her hair always took him by surprise. The captain couldn't help but place a hand on her rosy cheeks to find her skin warm and her lips their famous red color that always teased him.
"You're starring again." Emma said, bringing him back to reality.
He didn't flinch, nor look away. She would forever be his favorite sight. All his life he thought the only thing he'd never get tired of looking at would be the sea, but she quickly took that position. He would rather look at her doing absolutely anything than look at the sea, "Can you blame me? You're stunning."
The princess looked down, not believing his words, "Please..."
He watched her walk towards the door and couldn't comprehend how she didn't know how amazing she was, "You are. You're beautiful."
Emma turned to him and smiled as he slowly made his way to the door. The truth is she had been called that many times in her life, but never once did she feel beautiful until it came out of his mouth. And not a day went by where he didn't tell her. "Come on." She said, changing the topic, "Let's go change for the snow day."
"I still can't believe the queen is going to make it snow, it's the middle of summer." He responded, exiting the room with his princess by his side.
"The people requested it and she delivered." She chuckled, "Do you know how to ice skate?"
Killian raised an eyebrow at her, "Swan, I'm a pirate." He remarked, "I sail the seas, not skate on them."
The princess quickly changed into a long, white, fluffy dress. It was soft to the touch with a few diamonds all around and would most definitely keep her warm. Killian didn't bother to change his typical pirate apparel. He claimed the weather never bothered him that much and Emma knew that sentence to be true. The sun could be blazing down and he wouldn't remove his heavy coat. He could be in the middle of a snowstorm with his entire chest revealed and not once would he shiver. The more she thought about it, the only time he would ever change would be to give her a piece of his clothing or right before bed. She didn't bother to fight him on the subject, knowing it would get her nowhere.
Once the happy couple made their way to the palace courtyard they were greeted with snow falling and many of the kingdom's people laughing and ice skating. Only the courtyard was covered in snow, leaving the rest of the kingdom warm, which meant the venue was packed.
"Do you care to go ice skating with me?" Emma asked Killian with her flirtatious smile.
The captain had to admit he wasn't one for skating, in fact, he had never been skating. Simply never had time for it, nor was interested in it, "Perhaps another time, love."
Her smile slowly faded, "Oh okay, what do you want to do then?"
Only one thought came to his dirty mind, "I'd rather be up in our room doing more enjoyable activities." He responded, without hesitation.
"Killian, there are children present!" She scolded with a laugh as a few little boys skated by, "Besides, don't you get tired of that?" She teased.
"Never." He said, staring at her, "Nobody could ever get tired of you." He declared, "Besides, not many people get to experience you the way I do." He toyed with an eyebrow raised.
Emma's face went red, and not from the cold, "Please?" She begged, trying to redirect the conversation, "It hardly ever snows in Misthaven like this and I just want to experience it with you." She tugged at his hands.
She gave him that face. The face he could never resist. The one where he could never say no to, no matter how hard he tried. "Alright." He caved, "If that's what your heart desires."
The princess beamed with happiness as she pulled him onto the ice. Emma was no natural and neither was Killian. The two could be found trying to stand up and hold each other while laughing. Every once and a while Anna came over to check on the two when she found them both on the ground. Elsa minded her own as she had an entire kingdom she was currently watching over. She did however see the two enjoying themselves very much and even made them a snow cone with her magic, which neither of them had ever had before.
Emma and Killian always thought Arendelle was ahead of its time and the longer they stayed, the more they found that sentence to be true. Not that they minded, they found themselves liking the icy treats and even discussed bringing them to Misthaven. The princess knew young Henry would enjoy these tasty treats as well as the rest of her kingdom...
As the sun began to set, more and more people left the castle, only leaving the gang to clean up the mess.
Killian became sore from all his falling, but could easily push past his own irritation after seeing how happy Emma had become. Kristoff and Anna headed back into the castle for a warm drink before dinner.
"Emma, give me a hand?" Elsa called out from the center of the courtyard.
"With what?" The Princess of Misthaven asked as she walked over to her friend.
"I want you to try and clear the snow." The queen explained, "It's a little more than you're used to, but I think you're ready."
Killian followed his princess, never leaving her side, "I know I'm not an expert, but she can't undo another person's magic, can she?"
Emma looked at Killian and nodded her head, "It's true, my aunt told me that before I left." She explained, "Besides, we don't even have the same kind of magic. You have ice magic, I just have... well, magic."
Elsa smiled, "Don't underestimate yourself." She said to the princess, "Your magic is quite powerful and stronger than even mine." She explained, "I think you can undo my magic."
Emma gave her friend a weary look. Everyone told her she was powerful all the time but was she really? She looked to Killian for reassurance and he gave her an encouraging nod. That was all she needed. She closed her eyes and imagined the snow melting. She imagined a warm summer day as it should be. A warm fire burning in the palace. She imagined her father bringing her a warm cup of tea as she sat by the burning embers reading her favorite book in their library. She thought of all the warm thoughts she could and then opened her eyes.
She had found only the snow had stopped falling and frowned her lips, thinking she failed, "I can't do it."
The captain went to console her but was quickly stopped by the queen, "Yes, you can." Elsa said sternly, "You made it stop snowing, that's more than enough proof you can."
Frustration grew on the princess's face, "I'm not as powerful as everyone thinks. I can't live up to that expectation."
Everything in Killian screamed to go hug her, but he knew she could do it. He now understood why everyone often got upset with him for comforting Emma every time she said she couldn't do something. She could do anything she put her mind to, "Rubbish." He said, catching her attention, "You can do this, you just have to stop thinking you can't."
Emma looked at him in shock. He only ever pushed her when he knew she was holding back, but this time she was certain she wasn't, "I can't." She responded, looking at her pirate fiercely.
He didn't feel sorry for her, nor did he care that he was making her more upset, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and try." He said taking a step towards the princess.
Elsa decided it was now time to interject, "Magic is a weight on the soul no one should have to bear." She said, stepping between the two, "We must all have patience." She advised, looking at Killian, causing the captain to clench his jaw and take a step back. It just infuriated him that Emma never believed in herself as much as he believed in her. Elsa looked at Emma, "Take a deep breath and try again."
After giving her pirate an unapologetic look she closed her eyes once more. This time the princess let the anger she felt fuel her magic. She thought of how irritating Killian could be at times and yet she found herself knowing his words to be true. She hated when he was right and used that burning rage to boil through her body as the snow began to vanish from the ground.
Emma opened her eyes, to find the snow was gone. Not even a drop of water remained, "I told you you could do it." Killian said with a straight face before making his way back to the palace.
Elsa patted her friend's back as the captain walked away, "You're powerful, Emma." She began, "Everyone knows that, including him." She said, referring to Killian, "You have so much potential and you're wasting it, that's why he's upset."
The queen left the Princess of Misthaven in the empty courtyard, alone, with that thought. The young princess had to admit, she didn't like all the power she had at times. People expected so much from her, even Killian. She was constantly pushed and felt her friends ganging up on her. Everything had to be a lesson. Even the room she stayed in had become disheveled from all the practice she had done. It was all becoming too much.
A simple snow day filled with laughter and joy quickly turned into a lesson filled with anger and harsh words.
For the first time since her arrival, she wanted to go home. She wanted to go back to her sheltered life where someone attended to her every need and her school days had ended. She wanted to spend time with Henry and hear tales of his imagination running wild. She wanted to dance with her father in their ballroom like they did when she was small. She even missed her mother's constant nagging, but loving words. She wanted a quiet evening out on the Jolly Roger with Killian filled with laughter and flirting. Not him constantly pushing her to do something she didn't want to do, nor ever need to do. It hardly snowed in Misthaven, and when it did, everyone was glad. There would be no need to make snow vanish back home. Nor would she need to ever undo someone else's magic. Only a few people in her kingdom possessed power and she knew none of them ever used it improperly.
Lucky for her, her training was coming to an end and she could go home and return to her normal life.