James' Pov

"Lie her down on the table," the doctor instructs, quickly clearing the small wooden table.

He brushes herbs and pastes into his arms tossing them carelessly on the cupboard shelf behind him.

I hold the limp blonde under her knees and shoulders. Her face has faded to a pale gray and lips blue. I walked down to force her to eat her lunch and found her missing. Hurriedly running around the deck, I quickly found her unconscious on the wooden planks of the dock.

Who knows how long she had been there, but I didn't question for a second what the next course of action was, no matter what Hook thought. He'd have my head for this, but the princess needed a real doctor. Well the closest thing we could get to a doctor. A village apothecary that had a fine reputation. And I am sure Hook would be grateful to have an alive ransom instead of a dead one.

"What happened to her?" the doctor asks, gesturing for me to lie her down.

"Bow and arrow wound on her abdomen. I think it has become infected," I state.

I set the princess down on the table, trying my best to keep her nightgown down around her thighs, not wanting for her to look indecent, but the doctor quickly disregards that. He lifts her thin nightgown to just below her breasts, finding the injury quickly. The stitches are buckling above the yellowing, swollen skin, threatening to split.

The doctor hums at the infected cut, his eyebrows creasing together in concern. He then moves to her forehead, beads of sweat race down her temple and she shivers even though no draft bleeds through the rooms patched walls. The apothecary places his hand backward against her forehead.

"She's running a fever. We will need to keep her temperature down," he brushes back the matted hair covering her face and gasps, "It's the princess."

I panic. Some part of me hoped he wouldn't recognize her. The entire kingdom by now knew that the princess had been kidnapped, one of the reasons the Captain profusely refused to let Emma in sight while we made port, but this was a matter of most importance. So I took that risk.

"Aye. That it is and as you can see she is in critical condition," I look the man in the eye.

"We should report this to the king and queen. They should know that we have found their daughter," the doctor continues, a worried expression lays on his face clearly not examining the full situation.

"I don't think that will be necessary," I say sternly, covering my panic.

"I shall go retrieve a messenger right away to report to the king and..." the wrinkly old man paces to the door.

"My captain would not be so kind as to let you get away with something of the sort," I block the door, interrupting his muttering, "Now you will heal the princess."

"Yes. It seems that I have no other option," he scurries back to the unconscious girl, realizing that we are the kidnappers.

He rummages around his cupboards to find a rag, dampening it in cool water and lying it on the princesses forehead. The doctor removes the stitches from her flesh and picks up a small blade from a drawer. Sanitizing the metal before, he scrapes the sharp edge along the bubbling skin. Underneath the puss filled infection the wound is a sharp bloodred line down her stomach, redness circling the edges. He reapplies the stitches swiftly in a more efficient manner than before as I guard the door. He stays very silent as he does so, wrapping cloth around her thin torso.

The door swings open from behind me, hitting me in my back, and sending me tumbling forward. I regain my balance turning around.

"Now what person rudely disrupted my day at port and why was the matter so urgent?" the captain slurs as he walks into the small hut, a bottom of rum rocking in his hand.

Smee walks in behind him. I sent him to go retrieve the captain. Hook sways from toe to toe.

"Captain the princess, she," I start to reply, but he interrupts me.

"Yes the princess. I heard she was missing, poor lass," Hook comes over slapping me hard in the back, a drunken reminder to keep my trap closed about our prisoner in the presence of company, "I bet there is a handsome reward out for her..."

"Hook," I stop him, "She needed medical attention. She's dying."

I drag him over to the unconscious princess, "You are just too drunk to see it. She escaped and I found her unconscious on the deck."

"Well she's the one who refused to eat or to switch out bandages. She deserves what she gets. I was only treating her the way other prisoners are treated," Hook laughs heartily, even though it is no where close to funny and swigs back a gulp of rum.

"You're drunk," I obviously state.

"Aye. That I am," Hook smugly grins.

"Well I will require payment for caring for the princess," the apothecary butts into our conversation.

"Aye. James will pay you from his wages. I told you we would not take her to a doctor. She was perfectly suitable on the ship, before she decided to be stubborn," Hook glares me down.

"And I cost more for keeping silent on the whereabouts of the princess," the old man continues.

"He'll pay you double," Hook growls, not moving his gaze off of mine.

"You're the reason she had an arrow stuck in her in the first place. It's technically your fault. You threw her in that cell. You are the reason she refused to live because she needed leverage against you. Maybe stop blaming those around you and see that you are just a terrible captain," I continue furry running through me as well.

"Ah! So why haven't you called the crew to mutiny yet?" Hook chuckles, trying to remain balanced on his feet, his head clearly cloudy from the alcohol, "Oh wait that's right. You don't have it in you. I just know what it takes to be the ruthless pirate captain I am."

"I still need my money either way," the doctor says, watching the scene unfold before him.

"How about I just spare your life for your payment?" Hook turns angrily to the man.

The man steps back, nodding.

"Now I will be taking the girl," Hook walks over to Emma.

"She can't be moved. The wound is still fresh. Ointments need to be applied and..." the doctor interjects.

"I'm taking her now. And if you talk, I won't hesitate to come back and slit your throat then. Understood?" Hook pulls out his sword, placing it against the man's collarbone.

The apothecary nods.

Hook pulls the nightgown back over Emma's body, hoisting her into his arms and he walks out of the small hut.

"Here," the apothecary stops me, as I go to follow Hook, "Medicine for the princess."

"Thank you," I grab the pouch of herbs from the doctor.

Killian's Pov

I gently lay the princess back on my bed once we arrive back on the ship.

"Hoist the anchor," I hear a man yell from outside the room.

I walk over to the door, closing it, leaving me and the princess in silence.

I huff at James' disobedience, but hopefully this will keep the princess alive which is what I need to retrieve my revenge.

I pull a green salve out of the sack the doctor gave us, lifting up the thin nightgown the princess wears. Undoing the bandages I apply a thick layer of the salve onto the freshly cleaned wound, and then fixing the bandages back around her stomach. I shift the pillows on the bed, so the princess neck fits more comfortably against the pillows. Some part of me relaxes as she lays there, but I stiffen my shoulders and shake the feeling off.

I know this took forever to update, but between finishing my other cs book and writing the book I want to publish, as well as all my other responsibilities I never had time to fit it is, but here you go. I didn't know where I exactly wanted to go with this next chapter, but this is how it turned out, so there you go. Hope you guys like it. 

Thanks!

-pinacolada