"Save it from whom?" The question as a response is all too clear an answer to his question; of course she feels compelled to prove herself. Snow and the prince had fought hard to win this kingdom and protect it, battled dragons and evil queens and gone through hell for it. How could Emma hold the same respect of her people if she'd never been anything but a cushioned princess?

The blade lowers and she searches his eyes, but her gaze never softens from the sharp determination that she fixed him with to start. "You're a pirate, not some savior of the people. What gain do you see in heroics?"