Ship's Core (CaptainSwan fanfic)

Thirty One

Emma's POV

"There's something have to show you." Killian said before escorting my confused self out of my cabin.

He lead me down the hallway to the trapdoor that brought us to the cellar. He jumped down first and landed on the ground with a thud. I jumped down after him, but didn't realise that he was holding out his arms out to catch me. I landed in his arms and he held me bridal style. His deep blue eyes found my green ones and never lost them. It seemed as though there was some sort of pull between us, connecting us. I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes away from his. Suddenly, he moved his head so we no longer could make eye contact. I almost protested that he looked at me again, but I was more sensible than that. He put me down and brought me over to the large pile of planks of wood.

I remembered all that time ago, when I came down here in desperate need of water, and I noticed the brightly glowing light from beneath the pile. It was still there.

I looked over to Killian questioningly. He sighed and began to move the planks out of the way. I quickly assisted him, seeing as he only had one hand.

The bright light only got brighter as we dug into the pile, until it was almost blinding. When all of the planks were removed, the source of the light was clear. It was a small, red object.

"What is it?" I asked, crouching down to see it. I reached for it and wrapped my fingers around it slowly and cautiously. It felt firm but soft. I tried to lift it up but found that I couldn't move it, not even slightly.

"That . . . is a half of my heart." Killian said. I looked at him, confused. "It's my curse. My heart is tied to the very core of this ship; I can't leave, or I'll die."
His expression was stern and his jaw was clenched as though he were angry.

"But . . . when I pilled out your heart . . . it looked perfectly whole." I protested.

"Cloaking potion." He explained. "I ordered one of my men to fetch it from a witch who isn't very famous, so it was easy to bribe her."

I stood up to face him.
"Thank you for telling me." I said genuinely with a sad smile. "Do you think you could . . . tell me something else?"

I had wanted to know this since day one, but it wasn't a question that I had prioritised with everything that was going on.

"What?" He asked softly.

"Why me?" I asked simply. "The day I came aboard this ship . . . you said that you wanted me here because you heard I was a good fighter. You said you had heard tales about me . . . why were you listening for tales about me, and you didn't really need another swordsman aboard this ship . . . What was your real reason?"

He looked down and was silent for a while.

"You . . . it's not important." He said in an attempt to shrug it off.

"I should think it is. It is about me, after all." I teased, causing him to grin slightly. "You can tell me anything." I assured him gently.

Guilt masked his face as he looked down at me from his tall height. A part of me didn't want him to reveal his secret, as his expression told me enough to know that whatever it is, it's bad.

"I need you to stay here, Swan. I need you to stay here because you are my cure." He almost whispered.

"What?" I asked softly, confused.

He sighed.
"The witch that gave my men the cloaking potion also gave them a message. It was prophesied that The Saviour would be able to break me curse." He admitted quickly, as if he just wanted to get it over with. "I need you here because I need you to break my curse. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is."

My heart sank. I felt used. I felt like nothing more than a second hand book.

There was a long silence. We were standing so close that I noticed Killian's breaths were uneven.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." He whispered over and over again.

"I- . . . is that why you kissed me? Why you told me you liked me? Was any of that real?" I asked quietly, barely able to keep my voice steady.

"Emma, all of that was completely real." He sighed. "I do have feelings for you, that wasn't lie. I promise."

I wanted to believe him. More than anything, I wanted to believe him. But a part of me always fought back.

I felt my expression fall and my face go grave. Killian stepped a little closer until we were barely a centimetre apart. He placed his lips on the top of my head.

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I am so, so sorry." He kept repeating himself as he repeated kissing my head.

I just shook my head and walked away slowly, still facing him. His face was masked with guilt and sorrow. All I could do was shake my head before turning my back to him and climbing up the ladder.

I walked back into my cabin and sat on my bed. I couldn't take the damn pain any more. I knew what I had to do. I was going home.

*

So once again, I was here, packed up, ready to go home. Ready to leave. Ready to actually start my life. Ready to be free from the pain.

Just like before, everyone was lined up, waiting to say goodbyes. Our goodbyes were longer and more meaningful than last time. This time, I cried a million tears. This time, it hurt.

Finally, I reached Killian. He tried to resist his tears but his eyes were already bloodshot.

"I am sorry, Swan." He said, almost in a whisper. In response, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. The kiss was long and meaningful. 

When I pulled away, our eyes locked. "I know." I whispered with a small smile.

I was about to walk away when he held me back, pulling me into a tight hug which I gladly returned. The hug lasted for what felt like forever. When we pulled away, he looked at me again, something needing to be said, but he was too scared to say.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning my forehead against his. "You can tell me anything."

He sighed before looking into my eyes with genuine emotion.

"I love you, Swan."

The words hit me like an arrow that I wasn't expecting. I had no idea he felt that way. I didn't know what to say in reply. So I just kissed him and pulled away with a slight guilty grimace on my face for not replying.

It was then that I walked away. I stood before the whole crew, my bags in my hands.

"Thank you so much for being the best crew a girl could ask for." I said to all of them through heavy tears. "I will miss every single one of you."

I inhaled deeply before uttering the following word one last tine;

"Goodbye."

Then I allowed a cloud of white smoke to surround me, and when in cleared away, I was standing outside my palace doors.

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GUYS THIS WAS THE LAST CHAPTER OF THIS BOOK!!

Okay, well it's not the very last chapter, because there WILL BE AN EPILOGUE. All of your unanswered questions will be answered in the epilogue; I think it's gonna be pretty long.

Thank you for bringing me to the last chapter of this book with all of your love, support and positive feedback! Really, there are no words to explain how grateful I am.

Love and last goodbyes,
-C