The next night...
It was the night of the ball. Princess Emma sat at her vanity as a hairstylist bushed out her long blond hair, preparing to put it in a bun. She studied her dress in the mirror in front of her. A red ball gown with long sleeves. It had a lower neckline than most of her other ball gowns, revealing slight cleavage, but not too much. Emma was surprised her father approved of such a dress, usually he was a fan of the dresses that had high necklines.
"Oh, Emma you look beautiful!" Emma's mother said from the doorway, startling both her and the stylist.
"Thank you, mother." She responded with a blush.
"I brought your crown for you to wear." Snow responded holding up a diamond crown.
"Mom I don't-" Emma began to say.
"Oh it will look marvelous, my queen!" The hairstylist interrupted.
"You know I don't like jewelry..." Emma said under her breath.
"Oh nonsense Emma, you're always wearing the necklace your father and I gave you... not to mention that ring the captain gave you..." The Queen responded, mumbling the last part.
Emma didn't respond. It was pointless to argue with her mother, especially for an event like this. She sat there in silence as her mother and the stylist talked about Emma's hair and how it seemed lighter and more brittle from her time being on the ship in the sunlight all day. Then on to her skin and how it was tanner than usual, causing small freckles to become visible and how it was harder to find a dress that would compliment her new skin tone.
"Ah, there's my girl." Prince Charming said, making Emma smile.
"Hello, father..." Emma responded, slightly blushing.
"Isn't she a beauty David?" Snow asked with a smile approaching him.
"Well she did inherit my good looks." He responded humorously.
"Daddy, is everything set for later?" Emma asked.
"Of course. Your mother made sure everything arrived on time. Everything will be perfect." He responded, wrapping an arm around Snow.
"I know I haven't said it, but thank you for everything." Emma said, rising from her seat and hugging her parents.
"Of course, we love you." Snow said in the middle of the hug.
The three of them made their way to the ballroom. Many of the guests had already arrived, waiting for the ball to start. Killian and his crew were amongst the crowd of people, some recognized them as pirates while most ignored them. The crew was once again in their best outfits and Killian was in the specially designed outfit the Queen had made for him.
Killian had been to his fair share of balls from his time in the royal navy but this one was like none he's ever seen. It seemed like the ballroom could hold an infinite number of people, servers were everywhere attending to every guest with trays full of food and drinks. Live music echoed through the entire room. A few people stared at him and many avoided him. His fearsome pirate reputation still scared many of the guests regardless of the fact that he was in a relationship with the kingdom's beloved princess.
"Prepare for the arrival of the King and Queen." A servant at the top of the long staircase announced over the crowd.
Many people started shoving their way to the front as if they have never seen the King and Queen before. Killian didn't bother to move, all he cared about was seeing Emma, looking as gorgeous as ever.
"Come with me, sir." A servant said to him, gesturing for him to follow.
"To where..." The pirate questioned, unsure of the man.
"To the front of course, the princess is expecting you to collect her for the first dance." The man responded, now slightly pulling Killian's arm to hurry him up.
Killian did as directed, getting a few weary looks as he was moved front and center. He had to admit it felt good standing in the front instead of hiding in the back.
"I present to you Queen Snow and King David of Misthaven." The servant said as the doors swung open, revealing the King and Queen.
The crowd applauded as they walked down the staircase. Snow and David smiled as they made their way over to Killian greeting him with a hug and handshake.
"I present to you Princess Emma of Misthaven." The servant said as the doors swung open once again, revealing the princess.
Killian watched as Emma made her way down the stairs, soaking in her beauty. Her ballgown hugged her figure perfectly, showing her curves, the low cut neckline teased him and her face radiated with beauty. He had to admit he never liked the color red until he saw it on her, perhaps it would be his new favorite color... It seemed as if she was walking in slow motion as she continued to make her way over to him, not that he minded, it gave him more time to stare.
"Swan, you look-" Killian said as he began to bow.
"I know..." She responded with a blush.
"That's quite the crow you got their love." He said, staring at her tiara.
"Planning on stealing it, captain?" Emma teased.
"Why steal a crown when I could just steal you instead..." The pirate said with a wink.
The two of them began to dance, getting lost in each other's gaze and sharing a few laughs. Emma was surprised about how well Killian could dance, forgetting of his time in the royal navy. The King and Queen stood off to the side to watch their guest, but mostly their only daughter. Emma glowed with happiness, the widest smile plastered on her face. They really had never seen her happier and she was always a happy girl. Snow had warmed up to Killian pretty quickly, trusting her daughter's judgment. But David had remained skeptical of the pirate, trying to find faults. He found the task to be difficult. Killian wanted nothing more than to be with Emma, and he made Emma happy. David hated to admit it, but he was warming up to the pirate...
"May I cut in..." A man said tapping Killian's shoulder as he danced with Emma.
"Neal..." Emma said, letting out a heavy breath.
"Mhm, of course..." Killian said reluctantly as he cleared his throat, walking off to the side to watch.
"So you really are with that pirate." Neal said in a rude remark as he began to dance with Emma.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous." The princess responded with a smirk.
"I'm just teasing Em, you know I only want you to be happy." He responded in an almost serious tone.
"Look... I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. We were just so young-" Emma rambled.
"Hey don't sweat it, you know I have your back regardless." Neal responded, being sincere.
Emma slightly blushed, making Killian a tad jealous off in the corner. He did his best to compose himself, knowing there was no real reason to be jealous.
"So does he know about the surprise?" Neal asked, referring to Killian.
"Who told you?" Emma asked, ignoring the question.
"Your mother." He responded in a chuckle.
"Of course... couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it." She responded, still chuckling.
"Emma, it's time." Her father interrupted, holding out his arm for her to grab.
Emma took her father's arm as he walked her over to Killian who was more than thrilled that she had returned to him. To his dismay, Neal followed... The princess took her place by Killian wrapping her hands around his arm, making him smile.
"The ball over already?" Killian asked the princess, unsure of why the music was dying out.
"No." Emma chuckled at his mindless remark.
Before Killian could ask another question several of the castle's cooks came out carrying a multilayer black cake topped with candles all around. A birthday cake for Killian Jones.
"How did you know it was my birthday?" Killian asked in a whisper.
"I have my sources..." Emma responded with a smile.
"The crew?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"Maybe... Happy birthday my love." She responded, looking up with love in her eyes.
I know, kind of a slow chapter! Something unexpected will happen next chapter though, so stay tuned... ;)
As always leave comments, suggestions, opinions, anything! :)