Of Pirates and Princesses

Chaptre 14: Witchy Business

She shook her head, embarrassed and frustrated with herself for thinking so indecently on a fellow person. She buried her head in the crook of her arms as she sat on her bottom, knees up, and tried to do her darnedest to ignore Emma and thoughts of her for as long as she could.

...

It was day five and they were growing accustomed to being stuck on a stranded island. At least, Regina was learning new skills, such as how to whittle wood and hunt for fish with a spear. There was still no sight of the rest of the crew but they didn't give up hope. They would find them, she was sure.

The only thing Regina was worried about was Emma. She couldn't stop thinking about her. Couldn't stop looking at her. She found herself wanting to kiss her badly and such lewd thoughts made her feel aroused. But there was no time or place on the island to handle that lady problem, so Regina stewed in her very unhappy body.

It was only a matter of time before she exploded from desire. Though, if Regina wasn't mistaken, Emma was looking at her in a different manner too. Could it be...she felt something for the princess as well?

Thoughts like this plagued Regina and gave her no rest.

"Your mind is somewhere else," Emma scolded as she knocked Regina down onto her bottom. They were practicing their sword skills for there was lack of anything else to do here for now.

Regina grunted and took the hand Emma offered to pull her up. She got pulled up so close to Emma she could see the gold specks in her eyes. She flushed and stepped back immediately. She could not tell the true reason for her distracted thoughts and so she used something else. "I worry for everyone. It's been a while since we've last seen them..."

Emma's mouth wavered, dropping downwards before she straightened it into a flat line. "They are fine. They have to be fine. If we survived, then so can they."

They did not mention Leroy who had not been so lucky the last time they landed on an island. To do so would be to dampen the mood even further. So instead, Regina readies her sword and they continue to fight. Emma parries and ducks Regina's blows as they twirl on the beach, kicking up sand as they battle. Regina has stripped a bit from her constraining outfit, as the heat on this island persists long even into the night. Her skin has darkened and she looks more like one of Emma's crew than the princess she was. Her long hair was done up in a bun on the top of her head while Emma's was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She too was down to her under garments and her muscles flexed and shone with a sweaty gleam.

This time, it was Emma who was distracted. It seemed Regina's earlier words had inspired in her a sadness. This way, Regina was able to press forwards and gain the upper hand on the captain. Emma noticed what was happening only until it was too late. Her sword went flying through the air with a clang and she backed up, tripping over a root that she had not seen behind her. She fell with a giant cry of surprise and Regina jumped down, straddling her waist and pointing her blade at Emma's neck, one hand flat on the heaving chest of the woman as she tried to regain her air.

"Well done," she praised the princess, their eyes locking together. Both of them were out of breath and Regina lowered her sword, putting it aside. She could feel something inside her, goading her forwards. The heat was affecting her, turning her control into mush, as did the feel of Emma's body under her. Her hand was still on Emma's chest, right on her breast where her heart was beating frantically and she slowly slide it up, watching in mild surprise as her body went on auto command. Emma was looking up at her, green eyes sparkling so bright and inviting.

It would be improper for a princess to initiate the kiss, but Regina was no longer within her castle walls, no longer controlled by her mother. Out here, she was free. Free to be whoever she wanted. And she always wanted to be a hero. Always wanted to make her own choices.

"It seems you have bested me, princess," Emma huffed, moving her arms to encircle Regina and roll her off softly. But she didn't get a chance to do that. There was something in Regina's stare that hadn't been there before. Determination, and something hungrier, making her brown eyes dark.

"Don't call me princess anymore," she stated firmly, catching Emma off guard.

"Why not?"

"I just want to be Regina," Regina stated softly now and then leaned in and kissed Emma.

The kiss was gentle. Regina's lips were soft and pliant against Emma's more chapped ones. Emma didn't move at first, not expecting this in the least. But then her body responded, all her desires coming forth. The arms around Regina tightened, pulling her in more, hugging her soft frame against Emma's more lean and harder one. Regina's hands, trapped under between their chests, dug into the fabric of Emma's shirt for balance. Because even though they were flat on the ground, Regina felt her head was spinning.

She pulled away first, needed air. She had never kissed anyone before and it was as magical as it had been written in her stories. Her insides were singing and she was filled with exuberance.

"Wow," she breathed out, wonder in her eyes. Emma couldn't help but smile up dopey at Regina. The princess really was such a joy. So pure.

"Would you like another one?" Emma asked, voice rumbling low in her chest. The sound made the hairs on the back of Regina's neck stand up in a good way.

"Yes, please," Regina nodded her head quickly and Emma leaned in and captured her lips in another kiss.

And under the halcyon glow of the moon, they lay on pure white sand as the waves lapped by them, kissing the night away.

Regina woke up to find herself having fallen asleep in Emma's warm embrace. The blonde's hair was strewn about and her mouth was slightly gaping open as she slumbered. Regina couldn't help but smile down at her. At the warm kisses they had shared. The passion that sizzled between them.

It had all been so amazing. Getting up, careful so as not to wake Emma, Regina went to the side and stretched out her body. It was taunt from the sword fighting and a bit sore but nothing that wouldn't go away on it's own. The sun was rising and soon would be shining down brightly on them. They would have yet another day ahead of them. Another day of wondering if the crew was okay, another day of trying to survive, another day of trying to get off this island.

Regina stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the horizon which was turning golden and it wasn't long before Emma was up, taking a spot next to her.

"Princess, I mean, Regina," Emma hastily corrected. "We need to speak on what happened last night."

Regina swallowed nervously. The uncertain face Emma was making, the way she shifted on her feet, did not bond well for this conversation. "I um...I greatly enjoyed what we did, but I do not think it would be wise to continue." Emma had loved being able to kiss Regina. She had felt immensely enamored with the princess ever since she first saw her. But, Emma was a pirate. A pirate who had kidnapped Regina and taken her hostage on this hostile journey and it wasn't right for the princess to kiss her like she loved her.

Emma had to get the princess off this island and deliver her to her mother, queen Cora. And then Emma would have to think of another way to get revenge on the queen. Because she no longer felt this was a good plan. Regina didn't deserve to be punished for her mother's schemes. She was innocent.

This was a split second decision but one that should have been made long ago. Yet Emma had been hurting after Lily's death and her mind hadn't been in the right place. Now it was. Now she could see her plan had not been the greatest.

"Why not?" Regina was proud that her voice did not waver. But she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She had had her first kiss with her first love, and now she was being rejected?

"Uh...I'm...I think you can do so much better than me," Emma settled on, because she could not tell the princess she was a pirate. It would break the princess's heart.

"But I don't want anyone else but you," Regina stomped her foot into the sand. "I don't know why you're saying this but stop it. Why can't we- we don't...you don't even have to court me if it bothers you so much. I'd just like to be able to kiss you," the princess confessed.

"Regina..." Emma murmured, low and in sadness. She didn't want to break the princess's heart. But she also wanted to be with her. In the end, her own selfishness won out. "If you insist, than you shall have me, Regina," Emma said, kneeling down in front of the princess and kissing the back of her knuckles.

The smile Regina gave her, made Emma's insides melt at the same time they froze over in dread. Once Regina found out the truth than she would be devastated. Emma had to find a way to keep Regina from ever knowing.

"I'd never imagined I would have this," Regina says as the two of them are sitting on the beach, watching the sunset, two fish cooking on the fire behind them.

"Have what?" Emma asks, the two of them maintaining a safe distance between each other. This way it would keep Emma from being too tempted to kiss Regina, a temptation that had only gotten worse ever since they had actually kissed and Emma now knew how amazing the princess's lips felt on her own.

"Have an adventure. Have friends. Have new skills to learn. I thought I would spend the rest of my life stuck behind mortar walls, sitting still and smiling falsely," Regina confessed. Now that she had tasted freedom...now that she had seen the world..."I don't know if I ever want to go back."

Emma arched a brow, not sure if she should be worried about this answer, especially since she planned on returning the princess to those same walls. "Do you not want to be princess any longer?" Emma asked cautiously, grabbing a handful of sand and letting it slip through her fingers. This conversation was potentially going into dangerous land.

Regina didn't answer for a long time, only the crackle of the fire behind her and the crashing of the waves in front of them, heard. "I...am not sure," she said at last. "Because if I go back, I know what awaits me. A marriage to some old man and a house full of kids. I won't ever see the light of the outside world. I won't ever feel the salty breeze, or the waves under my feet." The ocean was scary but it was also a medium, a way to see new marvels both good and bad. "What about you?"

"Me?" Emma isn't expecting to have this conversation turned to her.

Regina nods her head. "Yes, you. What did you dream of when you were younger?"

Emma chuckles, delaying her response with a joke. "I didn't know I was old already."

Regina's cheeks gain a bit of color at her blunder. "That is- I did not mean to call you old! You're not. You're young and in shape and very, very attractive."

Emma chuckles again. "My, you compliment me so. And here I thought I was the one who schmoozed women with my tongue."

Regina flushes again, this time thinking about Emma's tongue. It certainly is very skilled, especially when it tangles with Regina's own. Before Regina can act on her desire to perhaps goad Emma into kissing her, Emma continues, looking forlornly at the horizon that has now darkened considerably.

"I...I didn't really have dreams when I was younger. I found there to be no reason for me to have hope when my life was so bleak and cruel. I was an orphan, abandoned on the streets. I somehow miraculously survived to be old enough to get a job and I chose one on the docks and from there, I paved my path to where I am now, making friends and enemies as I went."

"That sounds...horrid," Regina commented on at last, not sure what else to say.

"But it's how life is for almost all of us. Except for nobility and royalty," Emma put in, trying to not sound bitter. "You should be happy you were sheltered. That you always had food to eat, clothes on your back and a warm place to call home. I never really had that."

"Well, I would give it all away if I could," Regina resolutely stated, making Emma blink her eyes in shock and whip her head around to look at Regina.

"I had all those things, and yet I wasn't happy. What is the point of a life that isn't happy? I would give my food to those in need, I would give away my clothes. I don't mind living life like a commoner. At least I can chose to do what I want when I want."

Emma shook her head. "Regina, you don't understand the gravity of how hard the life of a commoner is. You may have tasted the real world but you don't know how truly terrible it can be. You are too naive. It would eat you alive if I were not here to protect you."

"I've seen the horrible things. I've seen murder, pillaging, fighting, betrayal and kidnapping. Seen the monsters and the men who ruin this planet. I've lived through most of them too," she stated boldly. "And I made it. I made it through. So what's to say I could not survive the rest of my life out here."

Emma didn't know what to say, truly taken aback by this candor. "You would truly give up your life of comfort, for one of suffering."

"But is it truly suffering, if I feel alive for the first time?" Regina poised and looked deeply into Emma's blue eyes. They gazed at each other and Emma could see the way Regina's eyes looked alive. The way she gazed at Emma with such adoration. Emma felt an overwhelming surge to protect Regina, to protect this wonderful woman who only saw the good, even in the bad. It resolved Emma even more to bring Regina back to her home and let the princess decide then what she would do with her life. Because Emma could no longer keep up this false charade she had invented.

"And...I met you," Regina continued, now in a whisper. "I never thought I would fall in love, especially not with a woman. But...I have. And why go back when I know to do so will result in me not having you?"

Emma felt her heart crumble a bit. No, no! Regina shouldn't be in love with her! Emma was a pirate. A bad person who put Regina in this horrid situation! And yet, Emma wanted nothing more than to keep Regina all to herself. Whisk her away to a home just for the two of them, and have them spend the rest of their lives there.

"I...care deeply for you too," Emma confessed. "And I want you too, Regina." Emma was going to add on, but you need to be safely handed back to your mother. However, before she could, Regina was leaning in and kissing her again. Emma's words were lost in Regina's mouth as they got lost in the sensation.

The fish burned up while they kissed, but they did not care.

"We can't stay here forever," Emma announced once a full two weeks on this island had passed. They hadn't ventured far from the shore in case one of the crew came by. But nobody had, meaning they needed to move on. There were hundreds of islands in the Bermuda triangle. Maybe the crew would be there?

"Where are we going to go?" Regina asked, packing up her sword.

"Inwards on this island," Emma pointed at the dense foliage. "Maybe we can find someone there. Or something that can help us get off this island. But we must be careful; all the places we've been to in the Bermuda Triangle have proven to not be safe for us."

Regina nodded her head in understanding, remembering all too well Emma's run in with the berries. They packed what meager supplies they had and ventured in, ready to explore deeper than they've ever been before.

"What about building a boat?" Regina asked. "That way we can get off this island?"

"That will take time and the proper supplies. Which we are in short supply of I fear," Emma answered. "Let us hope there are kind people here who can help us. If not...we wait until a ship comes by."

"And when would that be?" Regina asked but it was futile. They both knew that it could happen never. A bleak and dark possibility. Only the unfortunate wondered into the Bermuda triangle.

They carried on, making sparse conversation as they chopped down any hanging vines or bushes that got in their way. It was hard to tell how many hours they spent for the tall trees blocked out most of the light. Eventually, they had to build a camp for the night.

They found a safe spot up in the branches of the tree and then slept there for the night.

In the morning they crawled down and had a quick breakfast before moving onward. This pattern lasted for three days until they got to a huge cave. They wondered, did anyone live in these caves? Maybe some people? It was also possible that dangerous animals could be there. But the two of them were steadily running out of options on what to do.

They fashioned themselves torches, and swords out, slowly went into the caves, Emma leading the way so that if anything the princess could have time to run out.

The inside of the cave was flat, and sandy underfoot. With the dim light of the torch they could make out piles of armor or gold lying around.

"What is all this?" Regina asked in a soft whisper as the light reflected off of the metal. There was more junk to be found too but the torches light was too dim to see farther.

"I don't know," Emma whispered back as they went deeper into the cavernous cave. It began to slope downwards and Emma saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Did that belong to someone? They kept going onward, walking into a huge cavern that was outfitted for a human. Plush red carpet covered the floor, tapestry's draped the walls, there were tables, and chairs and book cases and lit torches everywhere. It looked very comfy. But to whom did this belong to?

"Hello?" Emma called out. "We come in peace!"

Suddenly the place rumbled and both Emma and Regina stumbled as small pieces of rocks showered over them in a dust.

"Who dares to disturb my slumber!" roared out a fearsome voice. A huge shadow crawled over the walls. It looked like a woman, than a bat, and then into some indescribable monster.

"Shit," Emma cursed, wondering what trouble they had gotten into this time.