The next morning...
Emma woke to the sun shining on her face. She must have turned in her sleep because Killian was hugging her tightly from behind, pressed against her back. It was odd that he was still asleep while the sun was fully in the sky. He must have been more tired than she originally thought. The princess decided to let him sleep in, knowing he needed the rest. She occupied herself by looking out the window while laying in bed with her pirate. She knew he would be upset when he woke, they were supposed to set sail hours ago. Neal, who wasn't that punctual, would most likely be grateful for the delay.
Killian began to move in his sleep and Emma turned her body to face him. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. His hair had fallen in front of his face, hiding his tired eyes from the light. The princess couldn't help but place her hand on his face and gently stroke his stubbled cheek. She then moved the hair out of his face, letting the sun reveal how truly handsome he was. She rubbed her thumb over the scar on his cheek then placed a soft kiss on his lips, waking him.
"Good morning love..." He slurred with his husky accent, barely opening his eyes.
It was indeed an odd sight to see him so tired, but she loved the sound of his voice in the morning. His voice never went above a whisper and his accent became deeper. "Good morning handsome." She smiled.
Killian shut his eyes once more, his body refusing to wake up. He pulled his princess closer to him, she didn't object. She closed her eyes and listened to his steady heartbeat. Whenever he was sleepy he loved to receive affection and being affectionate in return. His fearsome pirate reputation seemed non-existent in moments like these.
Killian blinked his eyes open, finally noticed the brightness entering their room, "Bloody hell..." He muttered, beginning to sit up, "Swan, wake up."
She instantly missed her sleepy pirate, "What's the hurry?" Emma asked sitting up, "Can't we just lay here a little longer?" She begged.
The captain hated denying his love of her simple wishes, but they had a schedule to keep. "Another time darling, but we must be going now." He swiftly got up and placed a kiss on her head before getting dressed.
Emma accepted her defeat and followed along with getting dressed for the day...
The two lovers headed down to the tavern where they planned to meet up with Neal and the chefs her parents insisted on her bringing. Once they arrived they were surprised to find Neal fully awake and with a hint of irritation on his face.
"Where have you been?" The prince asked fiercely.
"Good morning to you too..." Killian said with an eye roll. He despised disrespectful people.
It was too early for an argument, "We overslept." Emma answered calmly.
Neal observed her strange outfit, a blue jacket with a white blouse and simple pants. Not the typical princess outfit... "What the hell are you wearing?"
Killian, who was wearing his typical pirate attire, looked around the tavern. "Where are the other two?" he asked, ignoring the rude comment towards Emma.
"I haven't seen them." Neal responded.
The captain quickly turned his head to face Neal, "Are you good for anything?" He asked rhetorically in an angry tone. His short temper getting the better of him.
"Hey, calm down." Emma said, placing a hand on his arm.
They all knew Killian hated being late, but he hated it even more if someone else made him late. He overslept and he blamed himself for that, even if Emma should've woken him. He figured she let him sleep in just as he lets her sleep in when they have the time. He wasn't mad at her, he could never be. But everyone else was a different story, he could easily snap at them. Even if the situation wasn't their fault.
The three of them sat at a table and waited patiently as possible for a few minutes. Killian, who was growing more and more impatient as time passed, was heavily tapping his foot.
"We need to leave port now." The captain said out loud.
"We can't just leave them here." Emma responded.
Neal got up from his seat, "Why don't we go look for them?"
"By the time we find them, the whole bloody day is gone." Killian ill-temperedly responded, "They knew the rules, we need to leave now." He pushed, "My crew would never do this. And if they did, I would most certainly leave them behind without a second thought."
Emma couldn't leave them behind, it just wouldn't feel right. They were not pirates. They were royal chefs, who never left the kitchen. What if they were in some sort of trouble that was keeping them from meeting up with them. What if they also overslept? She always tried to think of the best in people... "I think Neal is right. We should go look for them."
Killian looked at her surprised "But-"
"We'll look only for an hour." She said, cutting off his objection.
Emma and Neal quickly left the tavern to begin their search, leaving Killian at the table alone. The captain rubbed his forehead in defeat. He was stuck with two royals who always had to do what was right. Even though he knew they meant well, it infuriated him that they could be out in the ocean right now instead of looking for two people who did nothing but complain about his lifestyle and drained his food supply...
Killian decided to catch t up with Emma and Neal who were going in and out of stores asking nearby people if they had seen the two chefs. Many people said no, causing the princess to grow concerned. Where could they possibly be? They were on a small island, they couldn't be that far. No one seemed to take note of her or Neal's royal status, so the two cooks most likely were not being held as some kind of hostage.
The search lasted over an hour and even though Killian wanted to set sail, he bit his tongue. Neal did the same, despite how he figured the chefs didn't want to be found. The two men watched as Emma grew frustrated, refusing to accept defeat this time.
Emma quickly walked down a dirt path, not entirely knowing where she was headed. "Swan, why don't we head to the Jolly Roger?" Killian suggested.
"No!" She responded fiercely, "They must be here somewhere!"
"Emma, we've searched the island two times over." Neal said cautiously.
She turned to face them, her face showed a mixture of tiredness and agitation, "Something must have happened to them!" That was a lie she told herself. She wanted to believe that they were still on the island even though it was evident that they weren't.
"Take it from a pirate love... when you don't want to be found you cover all your tacks, which they did." Killian responded sternly, trying to get through to her.
"I agree with the captain. If they wanted to be found, we would've found them by now." Neal added, trying not to provoke her any further.
The princess slouched on a nearby rocky wall. She felt her rage bubbling up inside her, trying her best not to show her frustration. How could her own servants do this to her? She thought she treated them well, gave them enough freedom, not to mention how well they were being paid by her father...
Out of nowhere, a small blackbird flew around Emma, dropping a rolled-up piece of paper in front of her.
"A messenger bird..." Neal whispered to himself.
Emma read the letter quietly to herself. The captain and the prince waited with anticipation to hear what the letter said. But it became clear that it was not good news... Smoke began to come out of Emma's hands as she continued to read, causing the paper to slightly burn. The princess had yet to notice.
"Emma..." Neal said quietly.
She looked up, clearly not in the mood, "What?"
"The paper, love." Killian said, pointing to her hands.
Emma finally saw the smoke coming from her hands. Her magic was starting to become harder to control, especially when she became upset. Quickly she composed herself, causing the smoke to pass, leaving her hands with a warm feeling.
Neal felt like it wasn't a good time to question her magic or rather lack of control over her magic, so he changed the topic, "What did the letter say?"
"It was from them, my chefs..." Emma began to explain, "They... they left the island last night on another ship. Saying they wanted to cook royal meals, not fish and vegetables." She laughed sadly...
"I'm sure if they return to Misthaven your parents will dismiss them from the castle." Neal said, trying to comfort Emma.
Killian put out his hand to help Emma up, "It's alright love. We will manage without them."
She refused his helping hand, "Can I be alone for a moment?" She asked looking away from them.
Killian nor Neal wanted to leave her alone. They were there to protect her and they couldn't do that if they got up and left her. But this island seemed safe. It had no monarchy nor showed any signs of threats since their arrival. "Of course love." Killian responded. The captain decided she did need a moment alone and waited not too far away. Neal followed him over to a nearby shop and the two waited outside. It was a good distance to where the princess could be to herself but the gentleman could quickly come to her rescue if needed.
Emma, who was still crouched down to the ground, looked at her hand. It felt warm from the smoke. She told herself she needed to control her emotions, to not feel the rage she felt inside from the deception of her trusted cooks. To her luck, Neal and Killian never showed any signs of being afraid of her magic, but that didn't mean she didn't fear herself. What if she had hurt them? With no doubt they would forgive her, but would she be able to forgive herself? What if rumors spread that she had hurt her former lover or even her current lover... would her people fear her? Hate her? Try to remove her status? Hurt her family? No, she couldn't let that happen. She had to get a grip and control herself. She had no idea how to do that, but knew that the sooner they got to Arendelle the better.
The princess got up, dusted off her pants and began to walk to the docks where the Jolly Roger would be. She didn't acknowledge Neal or Killian as she passed them, but they followed knowing it was now time to leave. It would only take two short days until they reached Neal's kingdom. The kingdom of Ambrosia.