Troubled Water

10. invitation

in·vi·ta·tion : a written or spoken request for someone to go somewhere or to do something

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If you would ask Emma, Killian had to leave again a little too soon, but she understood that it was his job and she loved it. And, she was not alone, she still had Red, her mother and David still teaching her how to sword fight. From time to time, her mother would mention moving but Emma did not and would not change her mind, she was staying here.

Then again, Killian came back from another of his voyages. Emma went to his home the night he came back. She was about to go and knock but she saw Liam and another woman, kissing not so far from her. She waited a little and soon they left, so Emma knocked.

Killian opened the door and Emma was a little surprised. She had always seen the man in uniform, but this time he was just wearing what everyone else would wear.

"Emma! Hi! I didn't know you'd come." he said.

"Well I just passed by, but if you're busy-"

"No-no that's alright. Come in." he grinned. Emma got in their little home and he closed the door behind her.

"So, who was that girl your brother was kissing?" Emma asked.

"Kissing, uh? He's been chasing after that lass for so long! Her name's Irene. I guess that ball invitation helped him to get the kiss." Killian said as he sat at the table and Emma sat in front of him.

"Well, they both seemed pretty happy. What ball invitation?" she asked, by pure curiosity.

"A royal ball, at the king's castle." he said as he looked away for a moment. "All of our crew has been invited."

"That's nice. Have you been to a royal ball before?" she asked. She always had dreamed of one and wondered what she would look like, dressed as a princess and dancing around with a handsome prince. However she knew it was impossible for someone like her, but she could still dream right?

"Two or three, yes. It's uh... not as amazing as you might think." he said.

"Well, it's a royal ball!" Emma replied. "It's every little girl's dream."

The smile on her face and the sparks on his eyes only made him happier and a little less anxious about what he was going to ask her.

"Well, what if I told you that dream could turn into a reality?" he said with a little smirk.

"Wait, w-what?" she scoffed. She thought for or a moment it was probably another dream.

"Would you go to the ball with me?" he finally asked her.

"Y-you're asking me?" she said. It's like she did not believe it.

"Well there isn't anyone else in the house." he teased. "Of course, you!"

"I-I, well yes of course!" she said as a huge smile appeared on her face, but it faded away in a matter of seconds. "But, someone like me can't go to a royal ball! I don't have anything to wear, I don't know how to act in those kind of events, I barely know how to dan-" she said and he stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, it will be fine. I will have a dress ready for you and for the rest, I'm sure you'll be perfect." he told her.

"Thank you so much!" she said and got up to hug him. He was not expecting it, but he was not complaining. Maybe it was not a kiss, just like his brother and Irene, but that hug meant so much to him and well, the both of us.

*  *  *

"A ball, mom! A royal ball!" Emma told her mom. "Can you believe it?"

Emma brushed her hair in the small and dirty mirror as she looked at her mother's reaction through the glass.

"That's... amazing sweetie! You are really lucky to have him. You two are very close now..."

"We're friends." Emma said as she started to braid a strand of her hair.

"You know I met David when I was your age." she added.

"We're friends." Emma repeated.

"He's a friend that you see very often, that gave you a ring and invited you to a royal ball." Mary Margaret replied as she sat on one of the kitchen chairs. "That's quite a friend."

"You sound like Ruby!" Emma told her. "Killian doesn't have feelings for me."

"Well he never said so." her mother said and she sighed. "Then, what about you?" she asked and Emma was going to say something but she stopped herself before a word came out of her mouth. She finished the braid in silence and avoided her mother's look. "My little baby is in looove." she Mary Margaret teased.

"I have to go, I really need to practice that sword fighting. Shouldn't you go at the market?" Emma asked her mother.

"Great way to change the subject. I am going. You'll be home for dinner?"

"I will, mom."

"Okay. Have a good day, sweetie. I love you." Mary Margaret said as she grabbed her basket, ready to leave the house.

"Love you too." Emma said just before her mother closed the door.

Emma put her hood on her shoulders and grabbed the sword in its scabbard and left the home not so long after her mother. She walked deep into the forest to find a calm spot where she tried to practice her moves all by herself.

After a while, she was simply tired and bored of practicing alone. Just when she was going to sit down, she heard a branch crack. She looked around and swore she saw someone moving. It could not be an animal. She put her hand around the sword's handle and waited. Maybe she imagined it or maybe it was just a rabbit. Another branch cracked behind her and she turne around to face a girl. She got the sword out it's scabbard and pointed it towards her. She was not from the village, maybe from the city, but she did not seem like it.

"Who are you?" Emma asked. The woman had dark hair and eyes, beautiful however. She was wearing leather, from her vest and her pants. She also wore high boots. As she paid more attention to her, she recognized her.

"You're that thief the king is looking for!" Emma said and put her sword back where it belonged, which seemed to confuse her a little. "Regina, right?"

"Yes" she replied.

"Well you won't find anything to steal here. We've got nothing." Emma said.

"I'm not here to steal. I was... running away from guards." she said. "And I have to go." she added as she turned om her heels.

"Wait." Emma said and she looked at her. "They probably won't look for you in a poor villager's house."

Hii!
So I wanted to have more of OUAT's characters in this story and decided to have Regina has a thief like in the Season 4 finale :) What do you think?
Thank you so much for 1K of reads! <3
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