Ship's Core (CaptainSwan fanfic)

Twenty Four

If I start attaching memes that I've already put in other chapters, please tell me because I'm running out😋.

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Tears fled from my cheeks in the form of sobs. My father was dead.

Here I was, surrounded by the crew, and yet I had never felt so alone. After I looked up from the letter, I had found that Pan disappeared, so I went back to my group.

"My father's dead." I announced through sobs. "Regina . . . killed him."

I sobbed as loudly and as painfully as I possibly could, but no amount of tears could possibly comprehend the pain I felt. Eventually, my legs became weak, and I collapsed onto the ground, sobbing into my palms.

Guilt passed through my veins and settled in my chest. He spent his last minutes writing a letter to me to say that he was miserable without me. I left him, and because of that, he died. Not only that, he died alone.

No one seemed to know what to do to comfort me, they all just stood awkwardly shuffling their feet. But William walked over to me and wrapped his little arms around me in a hug. I hugged him back and continued sobbing. Oliver and Marcus soon joined him, until I was involved in a warm, loving, group embrace.

The boys left me after about a half hour, as I had insisted they did so in order to eat. I must've cried for at least an hour after that before I told myself I had to woman up and be a pirate.

I joined everyone, cheeks flushed and eyes bloodshot, for a bite to eat. However, I found that I was unable to consume much more than a bit of fruit, as I felt a heavy, sick feeling weighing down my stomach. Everyone was quiet, and I sensed that my presence made things awkward.

Someone kindly offered to set up a shelter for me as I ate, and I agreed to let them help. When I left the dining . . . um . . . ground, I lay in my shelter and re-read my father's part of the letter over and over and over again, the same sentences repeating themselves as I read.

"It's been hard being alone, I miss your presence here. However, it's worth it as long as you're happy."

"Hopefully, the next time we meet, I will be a changed man. I should hope that by then I will have gained sense and bravery to go on as King."

"But for now, I am just me. I am not the best me I can be, I will admit, but I'm trying. Truly."

"I love you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon."

Dad, I thought sadly. You are the best you you could ever be. I'm sorry.

I didn't realise that I had been crying until I noticed my sack, which I used as a pillow, getting slightly wet. I wiped away my tears and forced myself to tear my eyes away from that damn letter.

"Emma?" I heard a little voice behind me and turned to face Marcus.

"Hey." I sniffed with the best smile I muster.

He lay down next to me and I cuddled him.

"Emma, I don't want to ever go home." He said.

"Why's that, Little Pirate?" I asked, giving him a well earned nick-name.

"My daddy isn't nice to me." He explained. "He doesn't have enough money to send me to school and that's why I don't have friends like the other children do." His quiet voice trembled a little as he spoke. "Sometimes I get sad about it. Daddy just says to get over it and clean his shirt."