"I don't care if you don't like her. You will do what's best for this Kingdom and get married within the next month." The king was definitely not yelling, but the tone and forcefulness in his voice seemed to boom through the chambers and echo all the way down the hall into the courtyard, causing the servants to wince in fear and birds to fly for cover.

Zoro flinched at his father's words, still unable to make eye contact with the man. The King's eyes were like those of a hawk and his son hated the way he looked at him. It was almost as if he forged his disappointment into a blade that pierced his insides.

Though others would have cowered and given into the king's demands by now, Zoro gave a loud and aggravated sigh in response.

"But... She's so annoying" the green haired teenager groaned rather childishly, causing his father's eyebrows to furrow. The maroon clad King Mihawk was never one to lose his temper, but his son almost pushed him over the edge at times. He was a very calm and wise ruler. Some would argue that he was the wisest man that had ever ruled the kingdom of Shikkearu, which left big shoes for Zoro to fill.

"Will you have anyone else? I don't see you in any hurry to find someone to marry, so if I have to pick your bride it will be her. She's of royal blood." Mihawk's words were cold and blunt. The girl he had chosen for his son wasn't all that bad. Her voice was just a pitch higher than most girls and she was very loud and demanding, but certainly she would make a good queen.

"There isn't any other way?" the prince continued to gripe.

His father let out a deep breath to help calm his nerves before speaking again. The boy always had a hard time socializing, so he shouldn't have expected him to find someone on his own. Still, this was his only son and he did want him to be happy... and he did have one month before his 18th birthday. "I'll give you one more chance... and if you mess this up, you're marrying Moriah's heir."

"Whatever..." the green haired prince mumbled as he crossed his arms and moved to exit the chamber. The King let him go, no longer having the patience or tolerance to deal with him. He wasn't even thankful for the extension on his date to marry, not that Mihawk expected him to be...

Zoro hadn't been happy for quite some time, though he never complained as he was pretty adjusted to the feeling now. Yet still, the prince remembered the warm feeling vividly, almost like it was yesterday... especially when he found himself in this room.

The Prince glanced around the large chamber that was the castles Library. There were hundreds of books on any topic from any point in time. He didn't very much care for reading, but it seemed like everyone he had cared for at some point in his life did, so books tended to comfort him.

When his mother was alive she would read to him. He remembered her reading fairy tales, history books, poetry, and great works of fiction. Most of their free time together was spent here in the library while his father attended to the business of the kingdom. His father smiled more when she was around. He could barely remember what his father looked like without a scowl across his features.

He probably never smiled again after she was gone...

When she left was when life got harder. He was all of four years old and still hadn't grasped the idea of death. His father was mourning the death his bride and didn't have the time to explain it to him, so he tried to find it out for himself. The books would tell him. He just had to find the right one.

His caretakers never thought to look for him in the library, so when he was there, it was a moment of solitude that he appreciated. It helped him grieve and it helped him heal.

But he soon discovered he wasn't the only one who sought refuge in the library.

Months after his mother's death, he spotted a figure on the bottom floor collecting a stack of books. After making his way downstairs, he called out to her, making his existence known. The child froze in place and turned to look at him with a sheepish grin. She had hair the color of oranges and a smile brighter than the sun. Looking back on it now, it was so weird for the girl to have made such an impact on him at such a young age. No other girl ever achieved grabbing his attention for more than a minute, even as he grew older. He still remembered her, though her name escaped him. When he thought about it, she never told him...

'I'm just uhh... borrowing this..'

The girl lifted one of the three navigation books she left on the table for him to see. He was young, but he wasn't stupid. He knew a thief when he saw one. So what if she was pretty. A thief was a thief and she was taking from His Mother's library.

When he asked her if she was stealing, the girl must have mistaken his question for a threat as visible panic set on her face. He chased her when she took off, not because he wanted to get her in trouble, but because he wanted to let her know it was ok. It was rather difficult to explain as they ran.

'You don't have to steal! You can just have it!'

He remembered the surprised look on her face as she looked up at him. He went on to explain that he was the only one who ever came into the library and he hated that so many books went to waste. There was knowledge sitting all around them and no one would take it or treasure it the way his mother did.

They met at the library every day for two weeks after that, exchanging information they knew about the world and interesting and entertaining stories they had either heard or experienced.

Then one day... she stopped showing up.

He waited during their usual meet up time for two weeks. By week three, he showed up an hour earlier and stayed an hour later, in case she was unable to make it at the former time. After a month, he was there from the moment the sun rose to the moment the moon took its place. After four months he allowed himself to give up.

And he never saw her again..

Zoro felt his chest sink in when one of the servants gave him a copy of the invitation that had been sent throughout the kingdom that morning. The parchment made a declaration that the King was throwing a grand party for all to attend in honor of his son's birthday at the end of the month. He came to the conclusion that his father was throwing 'a ball' in hopes that at least one woman would catch his sons eye.

How boring...

Zoro's eyebrows furrowed. This definitely convinced him that his father hated him and intentionally found ways to ruin his life. He absolutely hated dancing and he loathed socializing with people who felt they were better than the rest of the world. They all only looked up to him because of his birth right, no one ever saw the real him. And now he was expected to find a wife at this event? Girls would be throwing themselves at him left and right for the chance to be a princess. He re-read the invitation and realized it said 'for all' to attend, that included more than the usual pig heads he had to deal with.

The Prince felt something stir inside him, but when he realized what it was he crushed it. He didn't allow himself to have hope anymore. The feeling had no place to stay in his body.

Zoro tossed the note over his shoulder and headed for the library.

At least it was buying him more time...