On Stranger Tides

Chapter 6

A young naive 16-year-old girl with hair as light as day, lips as red as blood, and eyes more beautiful than all the realms came across a stranger. He was young quite handsome, tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes, and at the time he seemed like a great young man. The two met at a ball which was being held for the girl, for she was a princess. They were both mesmerized by each other. They talked and acted as if they had met before. The young man's charm and knowledge was something that the Princess hadn't seen in the everyday princes and other boys her age. All night they danced and talked, but before the young girl knew it, it was time for the mysterious man to go. He promised he would see her again, and she was sure of it. She asked one thing before he left, his name. His answer was simple, Baelfire.

~

The weeks had passed rather quickly onboard the Jolly Roger, Emma was getting quite acquainted with the rest of the crew and had befriended most of them. But during these many weeks, Captain Hook knew there was some story behind this captivating beauty. He knew there was something about her that she had not even told those close to her, and he was the one who was going to find out. He had observed from afar all this time and knew how she acted around men like the way she always laughed at the useless things they had to say but always keeping a wide eye on what they were doing. It was clear that she had this wall around her, one that couldn't be overcome by many. Hook could tell when one of the crew had reached too far as they were oftentimes met by stubborn remarks or snarky comments.

"Well I'd love to stay and chat Smee, but I can't stand you and that old red hat anymore," He overheard her just say, as Emma smirked and walked off from a very confused Smee who had just asked a question about her childhood. Hook laughed, he now knew that her childhood was a touchy subject. He was getting closer and closer to figuring her out she was pretty sure. He wanted to talk with her like they had most nights openly, but still with much lying. Maybe if he revealed some truth she would also.

As she got up from where she sat next to Smee in the creaky old dining chairs in the dining quarters, she gave Hook an eye roll. Before she could make her way up the ladder to the deck he grabbed her arm very lightly and brought her down to whisper, "Meet me above at midnight." He then let her go, she went off without even saying a thing. Emma was truly a curiosity to him, he felt like there was a connection between them, but then again, maybe it was the rum talking.

~

"Meet me above at midnight." -Baelfire. 

Emma had received that message by messenger bird and that was all the note said. She was confused at what he meant by "above" so she took a daring guess and went to the tallest tower in the castle. It was abandoned so certainly nobody would catch them there. The stairs were old cobblestone and seemed to be endless, Emma couldn't wait any longer to see the man who had charmed her that night at the ball. To her luck, he was there, waiting for her.

"Princess," he said with his dazzling smile, "I've missed your presence."

"As have I." She replied. The two were almost instantly 'in love'. They snuck out and went on many adventures during the night into the woods and town. Emma was having the most fun she had ever had. She had never really experienced the world beyond the palace walls and through Baelfire she had learned that there was so much more than the world had to offer. Emma felt as if she were finally finding herself, something she had always longed for.

~

Emma tried so hard to ignore Hook's word choice, but she didn't want to anger the captain, and once again she needed these men to trust her. Emma didn't know what she would do if she were left alone, she needed alliances and she felt like she belonged here too. She did her duties on deck, helping men scrub the boards clean and moved around supplies that they had just gathered from a stop they had made yesterday. When she went down for dinner in the dining quarters, she wasn't ready to be in the presence of all those men again. It was a constant struggle to act like them, she had fun most of the time, but what she really wanted was some alone time and a nice warm bath. By midnight their continuous laughs began to drive her insane so she followed Hook above deck. Emma had been drinking some of the things the crew members had given her, she wasn't entirely drunk, just a little tipsy. As soon as Hook saw her almost tripping over her feet, he thought he should have waited until morning when she was sober.