Chapter Text
Holding Killian’s hand, Emma was following her parents across the castle. Henry was with them as well, cheerfully walking by the pirate’s side. After they had decided there would be, in the evening, a royal ball to celebrate the return of the lost princess, Snow-White and Prince Charming had resisted the temptation to ask their daughter any other questions about her past, by fear of making her feel even more overwhelmed than she already seemed to be. They had offered them to visit the castle instead, mentioning there were some rooms which could be theirs if they wanted a place to stay other than on their ship. Walking along corridors, Killian kept casting glances at Emma; she was usually looking around while listening to her parents’ explanations about the different places, but when she seemed to be lost in her thoughts, Killian tried to get her attention back and, still holding her hand, he playfully swung their arms. It had the expected effect: she smiled and swung their arms some more, before shifting closer to him.
“Henry? This can be your room, if you want.” Charming opened a door and let the four of them enter.
“Awesome!” After having looked around, the boy excitedly went to examine the books on the shelf.
“Do you enjoy reading?” Snow asked.
“Yes! And this room is perfect!”
“Larger than your cabin,” Killian chuckled.
“Didn’t your room look as good as this one, with Regina?” Emma asked.
“Yes, but this one is even better because, now, I also have you and Killian.” Henry then went to the window. “So cool! We can even see the ship from here!”
“The ship?” Charming asked, coming to him.
“The Jolly Roger! Right here, look.” Henry pointed the ship, before remembering. “Oh, but you can’t see it. Mum protected it.”
Both Snow-White and Charming turned to Emma, who had stayed with Killian in the entrance of the room.
“Uh, that’s something I haven’t mentioned.” The thought they might associate magic with darkness crossed her mind and she wondered how they would react. “I have magic.”
“You have magic?” Her mother repeated.
Emma was judging their reactions; both of them looked surprised, but there seemed to be no sign of rejection on their features. They were obviously just curious for more details, but Emma had no idea where to start to explain it.
Killian seemed to catch her hesitation and whispered, “Simply show them.”
Emma nodded. Willing to make sure they would not associate her magic with darkness, she thought of something she had never tried. Moving her hand, a silver light came out of it and turned into a doe which galloped around the room before vanishing.
“Wow.” Still looking at the spot where the silver doe had vanished, Charming looked mesmerized.
“Mum! You’ve never showed me that!”
“Emma, this is beautiful,” Snow came to her, obviously in wonder.
Emma glanced at Killian who, unwilling to overwhelm her, simply nodded approvingly with a proud smile on his lips, once again loving her magic.
“Where does this magic come from?” Charming asked, still awestruck.
“I’m not sure. Rumplestitskin told me I have magic because I’m the product of true love.”
“That’s how you know Rumplestitskin?” Snow didn’t resist and asked one of the many questions she had. “Did he help you with your magic?”
“Yes and no, it’s a long story.” Thinking of how the Dark One had ended up betraying them, Emma flattened her lips. “Can we not talk about him for now?”
“Sorry. We don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to,” her mother reassured her.
“How about we show you the room we have for you?” Charming changed the subject.
“Aye, that sounds good to me,” answered Killian while Emma nodded. “Lad, are you coming, or are you exploring your new quarters?”
Looking up from one of the books, he gave his grandparents a bright smile. “Can I stay?”
“Of course, you can,” Charming approved.
The four of them went to the upper floor and didn’t walk long before they stopped in front of the door.
“When we were in our castle before Regina took you away from us, we had prepared a room for you,” explained Snow, her hand on the door handle. “When we arrived here, in this new castle, we were hoping you’d find us, and we decided this room would be yours. But if there’s anything you don’t like, or anything you’d like to change, we can.”
“Don’t worry,” Emma reassured with a smile. “It’ll be fine, open the door.”
Snow complied and let her daughter and Killian enter a light purple and white room, even larger than Henry’s.
“As I said, you didn’t need to worry,” said Emma, turning to her mother.
“Do you like it?”
“I can assure you this is the best room I’ve ever had. It’s perfect.”
“There should be everything you need. In the wardrobe, there are clothes, which will hopefully fit. The door there leads to your bathroom. There’s also a balcony with view on the ocean; maybe that’ll help you not to feel too disoriented,” Snow mentioned with a smile. “If there’s anything missing, you can just tell us.”
“Don’t worry,” Emma repeated. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“Well, we can give you some time to take your mark,” offered Charming. “In the meantime, we will spread the news that our lost princess has returned, and announce the ball for tonight.”
“Emma?” Snow hesitantly asked, not having taken her eyes off of her daughter all this time. “Now is too early but in a few hours… can I help you get ready for the ball?”
“Oh.” Not having expected the question, Emma glanced at Killian before nodding. “Sure.”
“Good! Then, I’ll come back at about five. And if you need anything…”
“We come and find you,” Emma finished her mother’s sentence.
Snow-White smiled and nodded, before leaving the room with Charming.
“Leaving their daughter alone with a man, in a bedroom. That’s cool parents you have there,” Killian joked when the door closed, before becoming serious again. “How are you feeling, love?”
“A bit overwhelmed. And they probably felt it; reason why they thought I’d enjoy some time away from them.” Emma looked down, feeling guilty. “I’ve tried to smile and look as cheerful as Henry, but I simply couldn’t. Not with this story they told. Killian, I feel like I’ve ruined their life.”
“Love…” Tenderly, he wrapped her in his arms. “You did nothing like that.”
“I know it is not really my fault, because I haven’t decided anything, but knowing they’ve spent years desperately waiting for me to come back makes me feel so bad.”
“Emma, love, this won’t lead you anywhere to blame yourself. None of this is your fault, and it is now in the past. Focus on the present, you are now reunited with them. It’ll be all right.”
“I know I’ve just met them, and maybe I’m supposed to be willing to stick to them and never let them get out of my field of vision… but I’m not.” She broke his embrace to look him in the eye, biting her lip. “Is that bad that I find all of this overwhelming, and that what I want the most, right now, is a moment with just us, you and me?”
“This doesn’t sound bad at all, Emma. I know you enough to know that, whenever you feel overwhelmed, you need some time on your own, and I’ve expected it to happen. But today, it seems like instead of choosing to be alone, you’re allowing me to stay. That’s much better than what I had expected.”
Killian reached for her cheek and she tilted her head on the side to lean on his fingers.
“I would get lost in my thoughts if I stayed alone; something you won’t let happen if you stay here with me. And I don’t mean I don’t love the fact that I’ve found my parents. I do want to see them again and to learn to know them. But for now, all I want is to be with you and only you.”
“Well…” Gazing at her, he trailed off. His fingers slipped under her chin and his thumb grazed over her lips. “I see no reason why we couldn’t get such a moment.”
Emma tiptoed to kiss his cheek, flashed him a smile, and headed to the balcony, leaving him behind. She stepped outside and barely had time to wait before Killian joined her and intertwined his fingers with hers. Wrapping herself in his arms, she leant back against him.
“Where did you think you were going?” Killian asked, with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Exactly where I am. I wanted to see the view from the balcony. And I knew you would follow me.”
Tilting her head, she nuzzled into his neck for a moment, before looking ahead of them; the balcony was offering the same view as the window in Henry’s room. Her eyes locked on the Jolly Roger, Emma thought of the past evening, and of everything her two men had done to ensure she would enjoy her birthday.
“You’ve done so much for me, yesterday. You and Henry. Even more than usual,” Emma said, still looking at their ship. “But it feels like those lights in the sky shortened our evening.”
Hearing her mention the past evening, Killian feared she would ask him what he was about to say when the lights in the sky distracted them. He could feel the small box which was still in his pocket. They were only the two of them, and the view was splendid; he could bring the box out of his pocket and propose to her right away. Or he could wait for the ball in the evening. Considering these possibilities made his heart beat faster, but he then remembered what he had told Henry: to be patient. The woman he loved had just found her parents and was currently feeling overwhelmed; for her, he needed to stick to his decision to wait for a few days at least.
Curious about why he was remaining silent, Emma looked up at him. “What are you thinking of?”
Pulled out of his thoughts, he flashed her a smile. “Of you.”
Turning in his arms, she was about to kiss him when she realized that, on this balcony, anyone could see them. Taking his hand, she pulled him inside and gently pushed him back against the chest of drawers before capturing his lips and melting in his embrace.
Leaning her forehead against his, she looked down, and an object on the chest of drawers caught her eye.
“We don’t have any of those on our ship,” she said, holding the mirror at their level.
The hand mirror being rather small, Killian pressed his cheek against hers so that they could see the reflection of the both of them. Emma saw a crooked smile tug at his lips.
“I don’t know who these two people are, but they make a very beautiful couple,” Killian joked while admiring their own reflection. “The man is a lucky one; the woman by his side looks stunning.”
“Killian,” Emma giggled.
She bit her lip when she witnessed the tenderness with which his reflection kissed the cheek of hers, and felt the touch of his lips on her skin.
“The woman is even luckier,” she said, feeling like melting in his embrace. “The man loves her in a way which she has never thought was possible.”
“That’s up for debate.”
“No, that’s not. Let me stick to the idea I’m the lucky one.”
“You’re free to think whatever you want,” he chuckled. “Even if it’s not true.”
“I can’t hear what you’re saying,” she stubbornly said, repressing a smile and looking around the room. “I can’t believe this room is ours. The whole apartment I had in Boston could almost fit in there.”
“Much more spacious than our quarters, I must admit.”
“Look at this bed. It must be at least three times as large as our bed in the quarters.” She looked up at him to catch his eye. “Tell me we’ll still sleep as close to each other as usual, even if we have more space.”
“I don’t intend to let you drift to the other side of that bed which is way too large for the both of us,” he replied with a smile. “No matter where we are, feeling you against me is my only request.”
“Good.”
She smiled and pecked his lips before distractedly looking around again, as there were many parts of the room she had yet to explore. The door leading to the bathroom caught her attention and she went to open it, once again leaving Killian behind.
“Oh, wow.”
Like the bedroom, the bathroom was rather spacious and the bathtub, larger than any bathtub she had ever seen, gave Emma an idea. She turned to Killian.
“How much would you like to take a bath?” She lightly tilted her head on the side, before adding, “With me?”
Casting a glance at the bathroom, the tip of his tongue appeared in the corner of his lips and he smiled. “How could I refuse such an offer?”
Flashing him a bright smile, she went to run a bath while Killian went to lock the door leading into the corridor.
“The water’s cold again,” Emma pointed out.
Still in the bathtub, their bodies were connected in the most intimate way. She was sitting on his lap, with her legs wrapped around his waist. Their arms were tightly wrapped around each other and, with their faces in each other’s neck, they were breathing each other in. The water had had time to go cold four times already, but Emma had found a way to fix it: for the fourth time, she loosened her embrace, plunged her hands into the water and used her magic to warm it up.
“Perhaps it’s time for us to get out of this bathtub,” Killian suggested.
“Let’s just wait for the water to go cold once again.”
Wrapping her arms around him, she nuzzled into his neck and pressed a soft kiss there. His fingers softly closed around her wrist and he took her hand out of the water.
“Look at this.” With a smirk, he indicated her wrinkled fingers.
“I look like an old prune,” Emma observed when examining them. She looked him in the eye before asking, “Will that stop you from loving me?”
He chuckled when he heard her question. “Nope. Nothing will.”
“Then, we can stay in here a bit longer.”
Taking her hand back, she let her fingers go through his messy damp strands of hair while his hand went down to her hip. After having played with his hair and made it even messier, her hand then slipped down the side of his face and she leant her forehead against his. An idea made her smile and, without any warning, she unleashed her magic and let her hands flare, and trailed her fingertips along his arm. His hold on her hip instantly tightened. With tense arms, his hand then slipped in her back and he tightened his embrace, making her bite her lip to muffle the sound that threatened to come out as he brought her even closer to him.
“Emma…”
“Yes?” she asked with a smile, her fingers stopping right above his elbow.
“This thing you’re doing with your magic…”
“This?” Again, she trailed her fingertips along his arm and was unable to repress a smile as his eyes closed and his lips parted.
“Aye, this,” he answered, his forehead still against hers, their eyes closed. “You know how much I enjoy feeling your magic, but you shouldn’t be doing this.”
Stopping her fingers again and holding the upper part of his arm, she looked up. “Why?”
“You’ll be exhausted if you use your magic like this.”
Judging his reason as invalid, she let her hands flare again and followed the lines of his torso with her fingertips. “Since yesterday, this thing with my parents and everything... That’s too much emotion. If I hadn’t been in control, my hands wouldn’t have stopped flaring since yesterday night. But somehow it feels like all the energy I would have used has been stored, and needs to be released.”
“You’re saying letting you give me all kinds of feels actually helps you?”
“Exactly!” She smiled brightly and kissed him, making him moan as she pressed flat hands in his neck. She let her hands slip down his body before trailing up again, hardly catching her own breath as he had his own way to let her feel his delight.
It was only when the water went cold again that they got out of the bath. Killian wrapped her in a towel and she let him use it to rub her, taking advantage of it to lean against him. It was when he left her in the middle of the bathroom to go and grab another towel that she followed him and stopped him before he had time to get one for himself.
“Come with me, captain,” she said while wrapping both of them in her towel. “This one is large enough for the two of us.”
He smirked as he found himself against her, “Why would we use two towels when we can be reunited in one?”
She giggled, keeping the towel wrapped around them as tightly as she could. “It’s warmer when you’re here. Even if that may not be the most convenient way to go back to the room. All our clothes are there.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s a problem,” he said with a smile. “It simply requires some synchronization. Much like dancing. Speaking of, do you have any idea how much I love the idea that tonight I will get the chance to dance with you again?”
“How much?” she asked, fighting to avoid getting completely lost into his eyes.
“A lot. And this time, we won’t even have to worry about anything, we’re not on some mission. We’re just here to enjoy the night. Do you remember how to dance?”
“Not at all. You should teach me all again.”
Killian smirked. “You’re a very bad liar.”
But since dancing was what he wanted to do, he was glad she had pretended she needed him to show her again. Both his arms being under the towel, he slipped one of them in her back, and got the other one out of the towel to take her hand.
“Are you really planning on waltzing to the bedroom?” Emma asked, amused.
“Aye!”
Waltzing to the bedroom was what they did, but it wasn’t as easy as they had expected. Emma mixed the steps up and made the both of them trip, but they managed to hold themselves up and ended up laughing, holding onto each other.
“Remember, all you need to do is to let me guide you,” Killian reminded.
“I’m trying. Seems like I wasn’t lying, after all. I do need some more training,” she playfully teased him, while they were still standing in the bathroom. “Okay, we need to be in sync. When you start again, which foot do I need to move?”
“The left one. Ready?”
She nodded and they started waltzing again. But the towel was wrapped around them so tightly that moving synchronously was more difficult than they had planned: they lost balance, but once again, Killian reacted fast enough and they held themselves up. Both amused by this challenge, they started dancing again, until being close enough to the bed to let themselves fall onto it. Emma found herself lying on top of him.
“We should get around like this more often; both trapped in a tightly wrapped towel.”
“Aye, that was a fun experience.”
Examining his features, she didn’t resist long before kissing him. She then freed herself from the towel and sat up on his thighs. Her gaze traveled over his body while her fingertips followed his lines, and Killian lightly shivered; again, she had unleashed some of her magic and was letting her hands flare.
“I still have some magic to use. And we still have some time.” She stopped moving her fingers to give him time to regain his composure, and looked up to catch his eye. “Since I can’t seem to get enough of you… Will you love me again?”
“Come here,” he said with a tender smile.
His hand trailing up her back, he pulled her down to him, before rolling her under him. His hand reached for her shoulder and trailed down her arm. He then took her hand to softly pin it on the mattress.
“If there is one thing that I don’t want to ever stop, it’s loving you.”
Lying by her side, his eyes locked on hers, he was trailing his fingers over her body.
“Perhaps it is now time to hide this flawless body of yours under some clothes,” Killian suggested.
“I wonder what kind of clothes there are in the wardrobe. Do you think there’s something else than dresses?”
“The best way to know is to go and see by yourself.”
Shifting closer to him, she softly kissed his lips.
“Stay here.” She stood up and went to the wardrobe. Quickly, she looked through the different clothes. “Only dresses! And… there’s nothing for you.”
Killian chuckled. “Your parents probably didn’t expect their daughter to come along with a devilishly handsome pirate captain.”
“That must be it. So many dresses, how am I even supposed to choose?” Emma asked while examining the content of the wardrobe. “Give me a color.”
She turned to him and her mind went blank because of the view: lying on his side, leaning on his elbow, he simply looked flawless. Not even hearing his answer, her eyes traveled from his head to his feet. A smirk made its way to his features as he noticed she seemed lost.
“What is it?” he asked, trying to hide his amusement.
“It’s just… you.” She lightly shook her head, trying to focus. Willing to hear more about it, he said nothing and raised an inquiring eyebrow. She caught his eye and, still lost, felt like telling him everything, as if there was no filter between her thoughts and her words anymore. “You’re just unbelievably handsome. I don’t know why I’m still surprised. Maybe it’s because our quarters aren’t so spacious, so I’m not used to see you undressed from this distance, and this overall view is just… I just wonder what I’ve done to deserve… this,” she said, gesturing at his body.
Unable to repress his laugh any longer, he chuckled. “Wouldn’t you be the one who can’t handle it?”
“Maybe,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks warm up as she wondered why she had said all of this. Remembering what she had been doing, she turned to the wardrobe again, and it reminded her of the question she had asked him. “What color?”
“Red.” He chuckled. “It’s nice to see I have such an effect on you. I’ve already answered you, you know?”
He laughed as he heard her mumble something unintelligible. From where he was, he was only able to identify the words ‘pirate’ and ‘unfair’. He craned his neck to try and have a better view, as the door of the wardrobe was hiding her, but he still couldn’t see much.
When she came into view again, she was wearing a red dress; it was the simplest one she had found, but it was enough to catch all of Killian’s attention.
“You look amazing.”
The words were simple but they were enough to make a soft blush cover her cheeks. She glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror standing in the corner of the room.
“There’s another dress which I’d like to try.”
“I have all the time in the world,” Killian said, still lying on the bed, not taking his eyes off of her.
This time not bothering to hide behind the door of the wardrobe, she took the red dress off in front of him and grabbed the light blue one she had spotted among the others. She tried it on and walked to the bed.
“Can you help me?” she asked, standing with her back to him, holding her hair over one shoulder, her dress needing to be zipped up.
“Of course I can.”
She then felt his lips on her shoulder.
“Killian, what are you doing?” she asked, amused. “I was asking for your help with the dress.”
“I know,” he chuckled. “I’m just kissing your shoulder before it’s covered with a piece of fabric.”
Feeling his fingers at the level of her lower back, she then felt him gently zip up her dress. She turned to him and he looked her up and down.
“You look amazing.”
“That’s exactly what you said for the first one.”
“It’s not my fault,” he looked up with a crooked smile. “You’re so beautiful that you look amazing in anything.”
“Killian…”
“The red one,” he said.
“Hmm?” Distracted, she looked up.
“About the dress. Focus, love,” he chuckled. “I’m saying that if I need to choose one, I’ll choose the red one.”
“Alright, I’ll change. In the meantime…” Looking him up and down, she then looked around and spotted what she was looking for. Picking up some of his clothes on the floor, she handed them to him. “Dress up. This way, I won’t be so tempted to... Anyway, my… parents may come back soon.”
They were both on the balcony when Snow and Charming came back.
“Emma?” asked her mother. “It’s time. Are you still willing to come with me?”
The daughter nodded and, after a last caress, let go of Killian’s hand and followed her mother out of the room, leaving him alone with Charming.
“I owe you an apology, for what I’ve said earlier,” said David. “When I’ve obviously judged you for being a pirate. That was inappropriate.”
“Worry not,” Killian reassured. “Being a pirate is generally not something to be mentioned in front of royals.”
“But it is clear that you became a pirate only to escape Regina. You protected my daughter, and you’re giving her the love she deserves,” acknowledged Charming. “This is why I truly want to apologize for what I’ve said earlier.”
“Apologies accepted, mate. If I may call you that.”
“I guess you can,” the man said with a laugh. He patted the pirate’s shoulder and considered his clothes. “As I said, I don’t have anything against the fact you call yourself a pirate, but would you like some outfit more appropriate for a royal ball? I have one in mind which could suit you.”
“Aye, why not? If Emma adopts the royal customs, I see no reason why I shouldn’t do the same.”
Emma followed Snow to another room. While going there, they stopped by Henry’s room, and found him reading a book.
“Henry seems to be an adorable boy,” Snow said in the corridor.
“He is. He’s always so cheerful… It wasn’t easy at first, but now, it’s always a pleasure to spend some time together.” Being alone with her mother was making her feel nervous, and she tried to avoid an awkward silence. “So… what does getting ready for a ball imply, exactly? Last time I went to a royal ball, I didn’t need to do anything. Magic did it all.”
“Oh, do you want to use your magic?”
“No, I’ll do it your way. I guess this dress I’m wearing won’t do, for a ball?”
“This dress fits you very well and you look beautiful,” Snow said, admiring her daughter as she walked past her and entered the room. “But indeed, it won’t do for a royal ball. I think I know which one you should try.”
Emma waited while Snow went to pick a dress for her in the large wardrobe. When she saw the off-white dress, she gaped.
“Are you sure about the color?” she asked.
“Mine will be the same color,” Snow reassured. “Try it.”
Carefully taking the dress, Emma went behind the folding screen. Struggling with the lace in her back, she hesitated before calling, “I think I need some help. Can you come?”
“Of course.” A smile brightened her features when she saw her daughter. “It fits you perfectly.”
While Snow took care of the lace, Emma was silently examining the long sleeves of her dress.
“Take a look at you,” her mother said, leading her in front of a full-length mirror. “You look beautiful.”
“Are you sure this is not too much?” Emma asked, staring at her reflection.
“This is a royal ball,” Snow reminded her.
“But it looks like a wedding dress.”
“Are you and Killian married?” She casually asked while placing a stool in front of a mirror.
Emma opened wide eyes and sat down. “No.”
“Well…” she said, placing her hands on her shoulders, lowering her head to her level and looking at their reflections in the mirror. “Maybe one day you will have the chance to see that wedding gowns are much more sophisticated than this one.”
“Maybe,” Emma repeated, her thoughts starting to drift.
“I see the way you two look at one another. It’s true love.”
“He makes me happy. Happier than I’ve ever been,” Emma admitted, a blush coating her cheeks since she was not used to openly talk about her feelings with anyone but Killian.
“True love is the most precious thing in the world, and I can’t express how happy I am that you found it.”
Looking at their reflections, Emma took her mother’s hand and tilted her head on the side to press her cheek against the back of her fingers.
“If you knew how many times I’ve dreamed of going to a ball with you,” Snow went on. “I remember my first ball. I was eight years old, and my mother said I was finally old enough to go. It was magical... All of the lights, the music. And I remember thinking, ‘I can't wait to someday share all of this with a daughter of my own.’ I’ve waited much longer than I expected, but the wait was worth it; you’re so beautiful. And I’m finally getting the chance to share this with you.”
“I’m glad I get to share it with you too.”
Both gazing at each other’s reflection, Snow became teary-eyed and Emma flattened her lips to fight back against the tears, as she couldn’t help herself from thinking; what if she had grown up in this realm? What if, at eight years old, she had been to her first royal ball with loving parents, instead of being rejected by another foster family?
Snow shook her head and straightened up. “Your hair needs to be done. Can I?”
Emma nodded and let go of her hand, watching her mother in the mirror. Snow played with her hair, trying to imagine what the different hairstyles she had in mind could look like.
“You also need to get ready,” Emma pointed out.
“I will. Once you’re ready. Isn’t it what a mother is supposed to do? To put her child first?”
“Maybe.”
At last, Snow decided to leave her daughter’s hair loose.
“Your hair looks beautiful like this. There’s no need to do anything complicated. If we just add a crown or a diadem,” suggested Snow. But she saw Emma’s expression and added, “Or maybe that’s a bit too much for you for now?”
“Is it necessary?”
“You’re a princess,” Snow reminded her.
“I know but… it doesn’t seem natural to me.”
“Natural… I think I know exactly what we need.” Snow went to take something in one of the drawers, and placed on Emma’s head a thin crown of flowers. “What do you think?”
“I like it,” Emma replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
It was then Snow’s turn to get ready. As she had told Emma, she was also wearing an off-white dress, though the touches of gold made it look less like a wedding dress than Emma’s.
“What time does the ball start?” Emma asked while Snow was finishing to arrange her hair.
“It has started already.”
“What? Are we late?”
“No,” Snow reassured. “That’s how it’s supposed to happen. Killian and your father have surely welcomed most of the guests by now.”
“Already? And what about Henry?”
“Don’t worry, Emma. He’s with them as well. And we’re going to join them now.”
Leaving the room, Emma followed her mother along corridors. Snow nodded at the guard standing ahead of them, and the guard left.
“Where did he go?”
“To the ballroom, to announce we’re coming.”
“I guess being the lost princess who has just returned makes it impossible for me to enter this ballroom discreetly?”
“Everyone will be delighted to meet you. Announcements are a tradition. But if it makes you feel too much uncomfortable, we can skip that part.”
“Are we going in there together?”
“Yes.”
“Then, I’ll be fine,” Emma reassured with a smile. “It’s about time I know what it feels like to be a princess, right?”
“It’s never too late. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
They could hear the brouhaha of the crowd gathered in the ballroom as they came closer.
“Just wait here.” Snow pulled both of them to a stop. “They should announce us soon.”
She barely had time to finish her sentence when they heard a man’s voice call, “Now please welcome, Queen Snow-White and Princess Emma!”
Silent fell over the whole place and Emma suddenly felt nervous.
“Take a deep breath, it’ll all be fine.”
Holding hands, the two women stepped forward and came into view, and the crowd became noisy again as they acclaimed the princess and her mother. On Emma’s left side was a balustrade, ending a few meters ahead of her to give way to stairs. The stairs were leading down to the ballroom, where everyone was gathered, looking up at them. Once at the top of the stairs, the thought she may stumble, and make a fool of herself by falling down, crossed her mind and Emma suddenly felt scared. But then, she saw him; Killian was there, waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She saw him exchange a glance with Charming, who was standing beside him, before he locked his eyes on her. She saw him, and all of her worries seemed to instantly vanish. Not taking her eyes off of him and becoming unaware of everything else, she walked down the stairs and soon found herself right in front of him.
“Princess Emma,” he said with a bow, “You look…”
“I know,” she interrupted him with a bright smile. Gazing at his face all this time, it was only then that she noticed he had traded his red velvet vest for a red leather one, and had a different coat, with a collar inlaid with beads and bordered with red velvet. “And look at you, this outfit!”
“The royal version of my pirate’s outfit. Luckily for me, leather has its place in your father’s wardrobe.” Killian looked her up and down. “This dress…”
“Is not red,” Emma finished his sentence, thinking of how he had picked the red color a couple hours earlier.
“I can assure you also look stunning in a white dress.”
Bashfully biting her lip, she looked down and took his hand. Only then able to think, she looked up again. “Where’s Henry?”
“Somewhere around here.” Killian craned his neck to look around and chuckled. “I knew it. Look, he’s right there, over the buffet.”
Emma caught a glimpse of her son. Also wearing a new outfit, he seemed to be examining the different desserts. The music started and Killian bowed again.
“Princess Emma, can I have this dance?”
“As if you needed to ask,” she giggled. Once again, she became unaware of anything but him when she locked her eyes on him.
“You’re not going to enjoy this dance,” Killian warned with a smirk while leading her to the dancefloor, where couples were aligned, with all the women forming a line facing the line formed by the men.
“How could I not enjoy a dance with you?”
“I call this one the no-touch dance,” Killian explained, knowing what was to come. “Imagine our hands are like repulsive magnets; they can’t touch.”
“What?”
“You’ll see,” said Killian, stepping back to line up with the other men.
“How can I know what I’m supposed to do, if I don’t have you to guide me?”
“You’ll know, because you’re a natural,” Killian winked.
“Don’t worry, Emma,” Snow reassured, in the meanwhile making her notice she was standing right beside her, while Charming was standing right beside Killian.
Emma glanced around. She and Killian had been one of the first couples to take their place in the line in the center of the room. Three lines were now formed. It then happened: the dance started and Emma hastened to imitate everyone else as they all took a step forward; she stepped forward as well, getting closer to Killian, and bowed before stepping backward. She glanced sideways at her mother, raised her right hand at shoulder’s level and stepped forward again. Her hand found itself a couple centimeters away from Killian’s, their palms facing each other, and they turned around.
“See?” Killian asked. “You know what to do.”
Focusing, she replied only with a smile, and imitated her mother as she lowered her hand after just one turn and stepped back. She then raised her left hand and came closer to Killian, turning around with her hand a couple centimeters away from his hook.
Killian indicated the hook. “My apologies for the inconvenience. Would be better with an actual hand.”
“My problem isn’t your hook,” Emma said with an amused smile.
After just one turn, she stepped back again, and became more confident when seeing she just needed to repeat the moves; raising her right hand, she stepped forward.
“What is it?” Killian asked.
“My problem is… How am I supposed to resist the temptation to touch you when you’re right in front of me like this?”
Killian chuckled as they stepped back.
“Even your hook, I’m not supposed to touch?” Emma asked during the next turn.
“No cheating, love.”
The next turn involved both hands, and Emma was careful to keep the required distance between hers and Killian’s.
“Now, you can stop resisting,” Killian said with a smirk.
At first not knowing what he meant, Emma then saw the couples around her starting what looked like a waltz. Before she had time to react, Killian placed her left hand on his shoulder, her right hand on his hook, and pulled her closer to him by slipping his hand in her back.
“Much better,” Emma said when they started waltzing.
Getting lost in his eyes, she let him guide her, even if she needed his indications less and less, which he noticed.
“Love, can you feel it? I’m not doing anything. You know where to go.”
“I do: I’m going where you go,” she said, indeed feeling that her feet seemed to move naturally. “I’m still not supposed to kiss you, am I?”
“Resist me,” Killian said with a teasing smirk. “We may not be able to kiss, but we can try and be closer.”
His hand slipped further in her back and he pulled her against him.
“Do you think anyone would even notice if we kissed?”
Killian chuckled. “Do you honestly think no one is looking at us right now?”
“Are they looking at us?” Emma asked, the thought of the guests being examining her every move worrying her.
“They are, and you don’t need to worry about it, because they’re probably thinking of how wonderful you look. I was there to welcome the guests, they were all impatient to see you. They all love you already. It’s like you’ve finally truly found a home.”
“I had already found a home when I met you. And now, I’ve found this place, and it is all thanks to you and Henry.” She drowned into his eyes while they kept waltzing. “I love you.”
Her hand slipped over his shoulder and to the nape of his neck. Coming to a halt in the middle of the dancefloor, she tiptoed and kissed him rather passionately, despite the fact they were surrounded by guests.
“I love you and, if this place is my new home, I actually think the guests should know that their princess is head over heels in love with her man and cannot resist him.”
Killian flashed her a crooked smile and started waltzing again. “Princess Emma, I hope you know the feeling is shared; this pirate is absolutely unable to resist the woman he loves.”
“Hearing this is always a pleasure.”
Keeping her eyes locked on his, she was unaware of everything else; she didn’t notice how many couples had stepped aside to admire them, or how her mother was once again teary-eyed while she was discussing with Charming the way she and Killian seemed to be happily lost in a world that belonged only to the both of them.
“I know the Jolly Roger has been your home for years, but would you mind if we stayed here, on land, for a while?”
“Of course not. We can stay here as long as you wish. Whether we’re on land or on the ocean, my home is where you are.”
A bright smile illuminated her features. “Good!”