A few days later...
Emma pressed her slim stomach against the hard railing of the Jolly Roger as she leaned over the side of the massive ship, her hands gripping the wood as tight as possible. She squinted her eyes as the salty water brushed her face with the wind blowing her loose golden hair back, the morning fog not helping at all. The typical sound of Killian and the crew shouting in the background as they continued to sail through the rough ocean waters...
They would reach Misthaven any second now, and excitement was an understatement. She was more than glad to return home. Return to her own room, her own bed, her own friends, her favorite meals... She loved life at sea, and Killian tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but nothing compared to the room she grew up in and being home in the kingdom she loved more than any other place in the world.
This was it. Their journey coming to an end. Killian would never admit it, but even he was a bit excited to be making a permanent stop for a while. As much as he loved traveling and being captain, it would be nice not having to keep track of everyone and constantly being the person to make sure everything ran smoothly.
Now, of course, there was much he wasn't looking forward to once they did dock, but it was bound to happen sooner or later, and he really wanted to put all this in the past. Whether Emma would hate him or not was still unknown, but she deserved to know the truth from the two people who started it all.
Killian watched as his princess stood on her tippy toes, leaning over the short barrier that protected her from the unforgiving sea. He laughed, knowing she was trying to catch a glimpse of her parent's castle out in the distance. "Swan, get down before you fall over again." He smiled as he placed a hand on her waist to help her down.
Emma's gaze never left the blue scenery as she planted her feet back on the solid deck, "I was pushed that one time." She laughed at the memory, "Besides, shouldn't we have seen my castle by now?"
"You're not to worry, love." The captain reassured, "I have two men up in the crows' nest, and they are to alert us both when they see your kingdom."
She shifted her attention to her pirate, who was looking exceptionally handsome today. His stubble was back to its normal length, and his hair was still slightly messy but still neat enough for her approval. His prominent scar showing as the morning sun made his face glow, and a smile being his best feature. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed the back of his hair with her fingers, "You think of everything, don't you?" She smiled.
He blushed. All this time together, and she could still make his heart race with a simple compliment and her memorizing smile, "Aye, but only for you." He leaned in for a soft kiss that she gladly returned.
"Captain!" A man from the crows' nest called out cautiously.
To everyone's surprise, Killian wasn't upset that someone interrupted his kiss with Emma. "What is it?" He looked up calmly, still holding the princess in his arms.
"You better come up here, sir." The crewmate said quietly.
Both Emma and Killian exchanged a look of confusion, "Stay here, love." He instructed calmly. Whatever it was, it was evident the crew didn't want her to know.
As he climbed up to the nest, he was greeted by his two crew members showing a face of shock and oddly a loss of words. They handed him a spyglass and he took it and looked out into the distance.
The captain spotted land, which he assumed to be Misthaven. He tried to find her castle, the most distinctive characteristic of her home but was soon greeted by a pile of fallen stones where her home should be. Nothing more than a huge pile of ash and copper stone. He swore he could see Snow and David's throne in all the rubble.
He put down his telescope in shock at what he saw. Was her family okay? Did they make it out? Who would do such a thing? What would he tell Emma? All he knew was that he had to tell her.
He looked out his spyglass one more time to make sure it wasn't just some awful joke. The far side of her castle was completely gone to the ground. That was the place where business was held, and it was completely destroyed. However, the other side of the castle, where all their rooms resided, seemed completely untouched. Almost as if it was meant to be that way. As a captain, he knew what warning shots looked like, and this surely did look like it. He couldn't think of why someone would want to hurt them... Nor how anyone could, considering how guarded their kingdom was.
"Killian?" Emma's sweet voice rang in the air, "Do you see Misthaven yet? What's the delay?" She asked sweetly.
He swallowed his emotions. A lifetime at sea and seeing many fallen kingdoms didn't compare to this. In a way, Misthaven was his home too. Snow treated him like a son in that castle, and David gave him his trust in one of the many fallen rooms. He and Emma shared many wonderful memories, from sneaking around to many small arguments... He couldn't imagine how he was gonna tell his princess, nor how she would take it having lived there her entire life, but he had to.
"Emma, come up here." He called out as he tried to hide his emotions and dismissed his crew.
"What is it?" She smiled.
Killian didn't say anything but handed her the telescope. She gave him a confused look but did as he wanted. As he watched her look out of it, he saw her face drop. He hated taking away her beautiful smile, but she needed to see it for herself. "I just thought that you should see it before we dock."
The princess handed the spyglass back and remained silent for a moment. A storm of emotions ran through her entire body. She felt her magic boil but didn't dare express how upset she truly was. "They're alive, I can feel it." She declared, avoiding eye contact with him.
Was it hope or denial? He didn't know and he wouldn't crush her hope just yet. They might have made it out alive. "Perhaps they retreated to the summer palace." He proposed.
She looked up to him, trying to hide the fear in her eyes. He was never one to be optimistic nor give hope. "I'd like to head to my castle when we dock. The summer palace can wait." She ordered as she headed back down the rope ladder.
The captain quickly followed with a look of concern all over her face, "Swan are you mad?" He spoke without thinking as they reached the deck. He paused as she turned and shot him a look of anger, "Darling, if they are there, are you sure you want to see them in such a state?"
Emma knew he was referring to them finding her parents dead. If they were dead she wanted to know, but she also knew her parents well. They weren't ones to be defeated so easily. They had no enemies, they had a loyal kingdom, and she had a job. "It's my duty to know and take care of my kingdom, regardless if I want to see them or not."
She walked away and he let her. If there was one thing he couldn't argue about, it was wanting to know the truth of what happened to your loved ones. Watching Liam die in his arms was painful, but he was sure it would've been more painful not knowing the truth nor being there for his brother in his final moments...
As they docked, the crew quietly dispersed as Emma waited for Killian to finish securing the ship. She found it exceptionally odd that no one from her kingdom came to greet her. The Jolly Roger was a massive ship. A ship that was too well known in her kingdom. As she looked out, she didn't see a single person, other than the crew. It was now late morning and the entire kingdom was usually awake and already hard at work doing whatever needed to be done.
An unsettling feeling entered her body. Was it her magic or just an awful gut feeling? "Killian, I don't mean to rush, but we must leave soon." She called out, "Something doesn't feel right."
The captain wiped his sweaty forehead as he finished his last task and walked over to her, "What is it, love?" He asked out of breath, "Does your magic sense something?"
"I have no clue." The princess admitted as she exited the ship, no longer having the patience to wait, "There's not even a guard by the dock. There has to be something wrong."
Even Killian found that odd. Not a single soul was in sight and the forest was dead silent. It was almost as if the kingdom had been abandoned. He quickly caught up to her and placed a protecting arm around her waist, "Stay close." He requested.
As the two walked to her disheveled castle, the uneasy feeling only grew. The crew reported the tavern was empty and many of the nearby market places were left a mess. Almost as if everyone left in a rush. It was very unlike people in Misthaven to leave anything in a state of disarray. Emma took note of how the trees had many fallen branches that look like they broke off. Fallen leaves and twigs everywhere. A storm perhaps? Even then, the kingdom was cleaned up right after the unruly event. Still not a single person nor animal crossed their path.
After what felt like an eternity walking through the dirt paths, they finally reached the castle. The damage up close looked far worse than the view from the Jolly Roger. Broken stones and other fallen debris covered much of the furniture. Emma saw many of her favorite books ripped and covered in mud stains. Killian took note of the smell of burning wood and paper in the air, as it almost suffocated their breathing.
That odd feeling Emma got when she was around dark magic returned, and it was more prominent than ever. Almost as if she was having a massive cramp, causing her to topple over in pain. She held her stomach as the feeling grew, catching Killian's attention. "Swan, are you alright?" He rushed over to her.
"I'm fine." She put out a hand to stop him from comforting her. This was a matter of business, not a pity party for her. "There's dark magic here. Extremely dark magic."
As the captain glanced around one last time, he saw a nearby horse, "That's not the only thing here." He pointed out, "Someone else must be here."
Emma glanced at what he was pointing at and saw her father's horse, fully saddled up. "That's Storm!" She said with wide eyes, running over to the animal, "Why on earth would he be just standing there?"
Killian quickly caught up, equally as confused, "Perhaps your father is in the castle."
"Or what's left of it..." She mumbled, "Come on, let's take a look." She said walking into the remaining side of her home.
The pirate was hesitant. They weren't sure what caused this mass destruction, nor sure of anything else. His mind raced as they walked through the crumbling walls of her castle. Was this why he hadn't heard back from Snow and David? Clearly, they had much more going on than they led him to believe. He had a gut feeling Rumplestilskin might be behind all this once Emma said she sensed dark magic. No one but Regina and Emma possessed magic in Misthaven, and Regina wouldn't do this. Everyone else knew of Rumple's deal and what happens when you try to break it... he wouldn't say anything to Emma yet. He wanted her parents to reveal everything if they were still alive.
The princess stopped walking and it caused Killian to heed. He didn't pay much attention to where she was leading them, but once he looked up, he saw an all too familiar wooden door. "Are you sure you want to go in there?" He asked.
"It's the room I grew up in." She paused, "I want to see what's left of it."
Before she could enter her bedroom, he grabbed her arm. What was with her lack of emotion? Was it how she decided to cope with all this? She wasn't acting like her usual self, but given the circumstances, he decided to give her a break, "Would you like me to go first?"
"No." She responded without hesitation.
She opened the door and was greeted by all of her books on the cold stone floor. Many were ripped and some were nothing but ash. Her furniture was tossed, mirrors broken, and her bedsheets were completely ripped to shreds. She walked over to her vanity to find the tiara her father had made her completely shattered and bent. It was the only tiara she ever liked. Her old stuffed animals from when she was little were nothing but stuffing spread all over. It almost looked as if this place had been abandoned for centuries.
For the first time, she felt tears well up in her eyes. Who would do such a thing to her home? This was where she took her first steps, where she learned to talk, where she read all the palace books, where she watched out the balcony to find her once happy kingdom. It was all gone and that awful feeling in the pit of her stomach screamed it was dark magic, but whos?
She took a seat on the remains of her bed and wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to hold back the tears. She looked around and still couldn't believe her eyes. Killian cautiously sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her, surprised when she leaned into his embrace. "Why don't we head to the summer palace, love?" He whispered in her ears, "We'll get some answers there."
Before Emma could respond, some barged in the room, drawing out their sword, "Who goes there!" The tall young man shouted.
As Killian was prepared to draw his own sword, he stopped. "Henry?" He squinted his eyes at the slender dark-haired boy.
"Captain Jones?" He responded, putting his sword down, "Princess Emma!" He beamed like a child.
"Henry!" She smiled and ran to hug him, "My, how you've grown!"
He blushed with embarrassment. It was true. This small, frail boy she left behind was gone. He was a man now. His voice was deeper, his hair was styled back, and he was carrying a damn sword. He was surely not the same child she left behind. "How- what are you doing here?" He asked.
"We came as soon as we got your letter." Emma urgently responded, "My parents. Where are they? Are they okay?"
"Yes yes." Henry responded quickly, "Everyone's okay. Queen Snow and King David rushed everyone out of the castle one night and then not too much later, King Rumple was here just firing magic at us." He explained, "Everyone in the kingdom was ordered to stay indoors, and no one has left their homes since."
"Did anyone get hurt?" Killian asked.
Henry looked down, saddened by the memory. "Many guards didn't make it out when they tried to help us." He explained, "Everyone else made it to the summer palace, where we live now."
Emma's face showed nothing but despair, "Does Neal know anything of this?"
Henry paused for a long moment and gave Killian a desperate look. Was he now protecting her too? Did he know of Rumplestiltskin's deal? "Neal has tried to help us. He and August left for the Kingdom of Ambrosia a few days ago to try and reconcile with him once more before the baby comes."
"Oh, gods! The baby!" Emma remembered, "Please tell me my mother and the baby are alright."
"Yes. As you know the baby isn't here yet so it's in the safest place they'll ever be." Henry reassured, "But I've said too much, we must go to the summer palace. They don't know you're here."
She didn't budge, "What do you mean you've said too much?"
"It's just a saying, darling." Killian stepped in, "Let's just go and see your parents and get everything sorted out."
She accepted defeat and started walking with her two men, "So my parents let you travel all this way from the summer palace by yourself?" She asked Henry.
He let out a long sigh, "They didn't want to, but I insisted." He shrugged, "If I'm to be a knight one day they can't follow me everywhere I go. Besides they needed someone to fetch all the horses and as many books as possible." He looked to the ground, "There isn't much of either though."
Killian felt it was time to change the topic to something more uplifting, "How is the knight training going, my boy?" He smiled as they continued to walk.
"It was great!" Henry beamed, "All my lessons have been put on a hold for a while." He revealed, "Even my school lessons with Queen Snow."
"Why's that?" The princess asked.
"With the baby on the way and King Rumple's destruction they haven't had much time for anything else." He answered, "But it's all right, I've gotten more time to spend with Violet."
The captain nudged him, "That pretty young lass from the ball?" He teased, "The ladies love a man with a sword." He winked.
"Killian!" Emma slapped his arm, "He's just a boy, he doesn't need to worry about impressing her."
"I'm fourteen." Henry said with a displeased look.
Emma raised her eyebrows at him, "Exactly, you're still just a boy." She wrapped an arm over his shoulder, "Weren't you twelve when we left."
"I was." He brushed her arm off, "You were gone longer than you think and you never wrote back."
His dismissal took her by surprise. He really did change. Not once had he ever brushed her off or been so short with his responses. "By the time I got your letter we were in a rush to get home, it must have slipped my mind. I apologize, Henry."
The young man stopped in his tracks and turned around, "What about all the other letters I sent? Did those slip your mind too?" He raised his voice.
Now she felt flustered and hurt by his tone, "What other letters? I- I don't know what you're talking about."
Killian watched as tears entered his princess's eyes. She didn't know what the boy was talking about because he and Elsa hid all the letters from her so she wouldn't figure anything out. Now it came back to bite him in the ass, "Come on lad, it's been a rough year for us too." He said to Henry in Emma's defense, "Letters get lost at sea all the time, you know she would've written back if she got them." He fabricated.
"Okay." Henry rolled his eyes as they made their way out of the castle, "Wait here and I'll get your horse."
As he walked away, Emma wiped a fallen tear, "Well he's definitely a teenager."
The captain hugged her from behind, "You mustn't worry about him or his harsh words." He whispered, "He's just upset at the moment, it'll pass."
She nodded and leaned into his comforting embarrassment. Much did change while they were gone. In a way, she understood Henry's anger. She was only supposed to be gone for a few months, not over a year. His birthday was shortly after they left and she had promised to be there for the next, but she didn't. It would be a long ride to the summer palace on the other side of the kingdom. Hopefully, she could reconnect with Henry and get some more answers about her fallen kingdom and finally see her parents.