the dark mission

departure

"Watch it, mate." The young commander and one of Killians former pirates looked at each other dangerously. From the first moment the men met, there was this tension, this hatred and rivalry. The pirates clearly hated it to be put together with formal navy officers.
Although most of the pirates itself had been in the navy before; but this was centuries ago. Now they were pirates, through and through.

"What you wanna do, pirate?" Killians crew member growled dangerously and whipped out a knife. The other man laughed and shook his head. "Like I said, just a filthy pirate." That was too much for the man. He swooped down the naval officer and pointed his knife at his throat. "Say it again and I'll kill you." The officer gasped, his eyes blew wide. All activities on board had stopped, everyone was watching, but nobody moved.

"What on earth is going on?", Killians voice was reverently. "I don't tolerate such a behaviour on board of my ship. Get off each other." He stepped closer and pulled the men up. He looked at them and then at all the others around. "Bloody hell, you are one crew now. We are sailing as one crew under one flag for one kingdom under one command. Mine ." His voice was full of authority.

He was tired of the situation. They didn't even left the harbor yet. "I cannot allow any revolts. We will sail together for one year. Each of you is an important crew member. I don't allow talking about filthy pirates or about arrogant navy officers – we are all even. Who has a problem with sailing under a formal pirate or with pirates or naval officers is allowed to leave. Now! Whoever stays has to obey."

He looked around. No one moved. He knew that there was a tension between each groups, but he could not accept that. "Listen! This journey won't be an easy task. Maybe some of you won't return. But you are all sailors, the best, I've been told. And I accept nothing less. Give your best, do the tasks you were hired for and nothing more." The men looked at each other.

Emma shivered. She always knew that Killian was a great captain but seeing him talking to his men with this authority was something else. She didn't want to be seen as she did not want to interrupt him. She decided to stay hidden until he was finished. From where she was standing, she was able to observe the deck. It was easy to say who was naval and who was pirate. All pirates weren't used to wear uniforms. Their sleeves were rolled up, their jackets not closed or just partially. Non of them wore hats but each of them a scarf. Their skin was dark, tanned by the sun and the hours at sea. The naval men however wore their uniforms commendable.

Killian was also wearing a naval uniform although also pirate style. Emma tilted her head and smiled. She really missed the leather on him, but she was sure he had brought his vests and his cloak with him. Suddenly the ship rocked and Emma yelped. Killian turned as several others. Emma blushed.

She cleared her throat and stepped on board. Suddenly a young officer ran to her and offered her his hand for support. She ignored it and walked by, towards Killian. She earned some approving chuckles of the pirates. The officer looked at her irritated. "Men, I hope you know, who this lovely lady is", Killian smiled and took her hand. "This is Crown Princess Emma of Misthaven. She will be with us on our mission."

Emma blushed again. She still wasn't accustomed to be introduced, especially not from Killian. She smiled at him. "It's important to treat her like a lady. She is our most valuable treasure on board." He smiled at her, she could see right into his heart and was about to melt into his bright blue eyes. "And hands off, she is my lady. Is that clear?!" He demonstrative put an arm around her waist and placed a kiss on her temple. "Back to your duties. We want to put out on sea first thing in the morning."

"Hello, love", he turned and faced her. His voice was low now. Emma smiled and kissed him. "I love you." Killian was surprised by her reaction but he didn't complain. "Shall I show you around?" "Killian, I've been on the Jolly several times." "Sure, but never with 25 men on board. You need to know where you are allowed to go and where it's better to keep out. I don't want you to get lost on board." Emma trembled. She never thought about being the only woman on board.