A few days later...
Emma sat at Killian's cozy desk in the captain's quarters as she rubbed her throbbing head, staring at a map she's seen a thousand times. It just didn't make sense. They've been sailing for four days on the fastest ship in all the realms, with the assistance of magic, and yet by her calculations, they've only gotten through two days of the journey. She knew she was no fine sailor, but she certainly knew how to read a map and move a ship in the right direction.
Maybe she should have paid attention more when Killian told the difference between port and starboard, but when he whispered in her ear, she lost it. The way he would gently grab her waist sent her overboard. If he were here right now, there was no doubt the captain would be scolding her for not listening but then quickly assist her in return.
There was a soft knock on the door, "Enter." Emma called out, never letting her gaze leave the map.
"Emma, I'm hungry." Henry pouted as he entered the room and plopped down near the reading nook.
The princess shifted her attention to the growing boy, "We ate supper an hour ago." She laughed, "Why don't you go down to the galley and eat some of the bread I made?"
"I went down there, and Merlin was eating the last piece!" He expressed, clearly frustrated, "You said captain Jones always keeps the galley full of food, but there's nothing!"
"Henry." Emma chuckled as she got up, "All you and Merlin do is eat. Food will eventually run out." She fixated her gaze on the map once more, "Besides, we should be way ahead of schedule, but we're not."
"I wish Captain Jones was here." Henry stated slightly above a whisper, "Everything seems to keep going wrong. There's little food, the beds are awful, and your sailing is far too slow." He stated, rubbing his grumbling stomach.
Emma sighed. She wished Killian was here too. Life on the Jolly Roger just wasn't the same without him. There were too many tasks to keep up with that she never realized. They needed food, but she had no clue where to make port to get any. She couldn't manage the sails by herself, even with magic. She had to help Henry with school and other small tasks and prepare all their meals. Merlin wasn't as much help as she had hoped. All he did was wave his hand to perform magic and sit back as she did all the work. Occasionally he'd lecture her about magic or how she should mind her parents.
At night, when she finally had enough of the day and retired to the captain's quarters only to be reminded of her pirate more. She'd sit at his desk and examine his maps with his handwriting, in his chair. The princess never realized how uncomfortable the wooden chair was because she'd only ever sat on Killian's lap at the desk, begging him to come to bed.
How he managed it all was a mystery to her.
The worst part was when she finally went to bed she was reminded of Killian's absence. There was no one to cuddle up to, no one's heartbeat to soothe her, and no one to remind her that life worked out regardless of the circumstances. Killian Jones always said he was never one to provide hope, but he provided it to her simply by being there every night.
"Emma." Henry shook her arm, "I'm still hungry."
"Right." She snapped back to reality, "Perhaps some tea and biscuits?"
He scrunched his face, "That's all Queen Snow and I ate when she gave me my lessons." He opposed, "I thought this trip would be fun, but I'd rather be back home in the castle listening to King David complain about how his nightwear is too itchy."
The princess felt slight frustration rise in her. There was only so much food she could provide on top of managing a massive ship, and she still had to figure out why they hadn't reached Ambrosia. The last thing she needed was to be reminded of the poor job she was doing. "Henry, please. You are old enough to find food in the galley and make it yourself." Her body began to shake with rage, "Why don't you go ask Merlin?"
He shrugged his shoulders as if he could care less. The true sign he was becoming a teenager, "He told me to ask you."
Emma felt her magic begin to boil in her stomach. Couldn't he see she was trying her best? No wonder Killian had such a short temper on this ship. She let out a shaky breath and grabbed Henry's hand, quickly dragging him out of the cabin, "I cannot deal with this anymore!" She said out loud.
"Are we going to the galley?" Henry asked as he tried to keep up.
"No." She stopped in front of a small wooden door and banged on it repeatedly.
"Why are we at Merlin's cabin?" Henry pushed.
Not bothering to respond, the door flew open to reveal a sleepy sorcerer, "May I help you?" Merlin's voice full of sleep and irritation, "I was having the most wonderful dream."
"I don't give a damn!" The princess cursed, shocking the two men, "I am one person. You two are making this mission way harder than it needs to be." She vented, "All you do is sit around and lecture me all day!" She pointed to Merlin, "And all you do is act as if you've never had to do anything before in your life!" She shouted at Henry, "What happened to the sweet boy who used to greet me outside the tavern? What happened to the great and mighty sorcerer who could do anything?"
As the ship fell silent, Emma quickly regretted her words. Hurt swarmed Henry's eyes, and Merlin remained as stoned-face as usual, which only brought more irritation to Emma. Nothing seemed to phase that man. Her head began to ache, and all she wanted to do was lie in bed and close her eyes, hoping to wake up to a new reality.
Merlin cleared his throat, "I'll take care of the boy. You head to bed." He gave a weak smile, pulling Henry close.
The princess nodded her head and turned around, not in the mood to argue, leaving the two gentlemen alone.
Once Emma was out of range, Henry gave a wicked smile, "Operation annoy Emma was a success." He looked up at Merlin.
The sorcerer laughed, "Come my boy, into my cabin before she hears."
He was quick to oblige, "Thank you again for letting me be part of the plan!" Henry jumped on the bed, "King David and Queen Snow never told me anything. I'm just glad I get to help now! After all, Regina says I'm really good at pushing buttons."
"Indeed." Merlin praised, "Did you swipe the paper and quill from her quarters?"
Henry nodded and handed them over, "Are you sure this will work? I think she's starting to catch on... I also hate that I have to lie to her."
"Now now, Henry, don't start having doubts. We knew Emma might snap at us, but you must remember the harder we make her life here, the more she'll require assistance." Merlin warned as he began to write on the parchment, "I've stalled long enough. Snow and David should reach us by morning. Once they are all aboard the Jolly Roger, we'll head to Ambrosia together. Emma will thank us all one day."
Before Henry could respond, Emma knocked on the door once more. Merlin gave his apprentice a questionable look as he went to answer the door, "Everything alright princess?"
She didn't bother to enter the room as Merlin took his place next to Henry once more, "Um, I wanted to apologize for my rudeness." Emma responded from the doorway, looking at the ground, "Also, I found an island to dock at tomorrow morning where we can stock up on some food and other supplies." She looked towards Henry, "I'm not sure how safe this island is, but it'll have everything we need. I think we could all benefit from it."
Concern grew within Henry. This would ruin all his and Merlin's plan, "Emma, we can't!" He shouted without thinking.
Her eyebrows frowned with confusion, "Why not?"
The young boy looked to Merlin for help, "He was just telling me how worried he was about not making it to Ambrosia in a timely manner." The sorcerer chimed in, saving Henry.
Emma played with a strand of hair, "Me too, but I've been to this island before. There should be little delay if we all work together." She mumbled, "Well, I'm going to head to bed for real this time." She turned around, "Henry, don't stay up too late. We'll be docking after sunrise." Her voice drifted off.
Merlin and Henry sat in silence for a few minutes, but for different reasons. Henry was clearly panicked as his eyes darted from his friend to the door, waiting for answers to the seemingly new problem. He wanted to help and was willing to do anything to save the Princess of Misthaven, but she was not making it an easy task. Maybe it was all the responsibilities she now had or her never-ending thoughts of Killian and her parents that made her on hinge all the time. She became less approachable as the hours passed, but the young lad did his best to brighten her mood while trying to remain in her good graces as he deceived her.
Merlin, on the other hand, was oddly calm as usual. Even Henry found it annoying at times about how nothing ever phased that man. Emma had snapped at him on several occasions, and for good reasons. He never helped do anything. If there were dishes to be washed, he'd purposefully walk away. If sailed needed to be raised, he'd deliberately let Emma do most of the work while he snapped his fingers last minute to complete the task. Henry knew this was all intentional and for a good reason, but even he got pissed watching it unfold. He hated to admit it, but irritating Emma was fun to an extent, but not when he could see how much she was trying not to cry as she continuously felt like a failure.
Henry, stop worrying." Merlin shook his thoughts, pulling the parchment from his pocket, "I'm sure the captain will know which island Emma will stop at."
How can you be certain?" The boy pushed.
"I can enchant this letter to find us." The wizard explained as he began to write, "It will work, have hope."
Soon, the two gentlemen snuck back up on the deck of the Jolly Roger with slight evening wind blowing through the air. Merlin released the letter into the air, letting magic guide it to its destination. Soon everyone would be reunited, for better or worse.