The Traitor's Wish

21. The Lieutenant's Past

The Traitor's Wish
Chapter 21
The Lieutenant's Past

All day they had trampled on, some on horses and some on foot. They'd crossed miles of forest in a mere few hours, but had come to no other village. It was down heartening. Pirates were either at sea, or in the bar. Some of them had never ridden a horse in there life time. Emma was clearly the most skilled rider, but she'd been trained in the palace since her child hood, rising with her father on any day possible.

Homesickness had began to settle in during the silent trek, with nothing but the clopping of horses hooves, reminding her of the joyous times she raced her father through the Enchanted Forest. She wondered if they were still searching for her. Her family always found each other, and it was this thought that put fear in Emma's heart. She wanted her parents to remain safe at home in the palace. If they were to come her, they would also be put in danger of the Serpent of Sohl.

But another thought had crossed her mind multiple times. Her father hated Killian, thinking him to be the man that stole her away from home, when truly he had saved her life. She remember the sound o the whip cracking down on her on Denson's ship, the pain rippling across er back and burning through her shoulders. Killian truly had found her just in time.

Her parents were constantly telling stories of finding each other, and meeting by chance that fateful day when Snow robbed David's carriage. Emma knew her parents did not trust Killian, but what he had done only paralleled the acts of her own mother.

She was just glad he had chose her kingdom to rob from, or else they would've never met. She would have never gazed into those deep blue eyes...

Emma turned to look down at Killian from her horse, a small smile lighting up face. He found her kingdom, she found him at the pub weeks after he had ran away, and then he found her when she had been stranded in the sea, aboard a terrible mans ship. They find each other, just like her parents love story, but Emma could not help but think it was better, because it was her own love story.

Killian walked beside her, keeping a blank face to show no signs of weakness. Emma could read right through it. He was exhausted. She quickly stopped her horse in front of him, mounting off the left side. "Your turn." She said, determined to give him a much needed break.

"Love, I am not-"

"Get on the horse Killian." She stared at him stubbornly.

He sighed, but stepped forward and mounted the horse. Emma turned to begin walking, but Killian stopped in front of her, holding out his hand. "M'lady," he said kindly, "Get on the horse." He mocked her stubborn tone of voice with a hint of laughter in his eyes, but she took his hand and swung up behind him sitting side saddle.

Emma laced her arms under his, holding him close to her and resting her head on the back of his shoulder. They had fallen to the back of the large group, so Killian pressed his heel into the steed's side "Yah!" He shouted as they raced forward with a burst of speed, maneuvering through the crew members.

As they travelled, Killian whispered bits of information about each man to Emma. She wanted to know what he thought about each of them, who they truly were.

She knew the members of the table, but only their names. Killian told her a brief story of how each came to the crew, beginning with the kind, old, cook, Judson. He'd been there since Killian and his brother served in the Navy, and had stayed loyal through everything that had happened in Killian's time.