So when I posed the last chapter I was on mobile and couldn't make good author's notes. :) I want to thank all of you for your enthusiasm for this fic! The messages, and comments and reviews I got here, on AO3 and tumblr just... blew me away. I am so happy you all seem to be liking this idea so much. I hope this part lives up to your expectations! (It's shorter than I originally planned, but I think it works as it is. And chapter 3 will be all that much longer).
Also thank you so much to my beta, Irritablevowel! :)
"Mercenaries," Mars said, lowering the telescope. "One ship, decently armed. Not sure how many men."
"There are here for Hotaru," Michiru said, her voice tight with worry. She lowered the small handmirror she'd been holding. A small, young girl stood next to her, with dark hair and serious eyes and her arms wrapped around Michiru's waist. Endymion guessed that must be Hotaru. "Her father hired them to come take her back."
Endymion wondered how Michiru would be so sure, and his confusion must have shown on his face because Mars turned to him.
"Michiru is never wrong," she explained.
"She's not going back to that monster," Michiru said, her voice steel. Beside her, Haruka stood at the ready.
Serenity looked at Michiru, eyes shining with conviction. "She won't." Then, "Can we outrun them?" Serenity directed her question to Mars.
The other woman her head. "They are a smaller ship, and faster," Mars said. "And they will not lightly give up their bounty."
"Then," Serenity nodded, determined, "we fight."
Michiru left to take Hotaru down to the cabins below. Somehow Endymion knew the sailor would defend Hotaru with her very life, if it came down to it.
"Venus!" Serenity turned toward the woman with the red ribbon in her hair, the one Endymion had previously mistaken for the captain. "My first mate," she explained to Endymion. Then, "I leave you with him," she told Venus, who gave a confident nod.
Venus turned toward Endymion with a calculating look. "You any good with a sword?" She said, tossing him one of the two strapped to her waist. He caught it by the hilt in one smooth movement, and spun it deftly, tossing it from hand to hand and running through some quick manuvers.
He winked, "A bit."
"Okay, cocky," Venus said, trying not to look too impressed. "Just do your stuff."
A watery explosion shook the ship to the cries of the crew. "A cannon," Jupiter cried, running to the rail. "Warning shot."
"They can't sink us with Hotaru on board," Mercury said. "But if they get her, they'll blow this whole ship to smithereens."
Serenity tied a fabric scabbard around her waist, and lifted up a strange metal weapon Endymion had never seen before. She looked at the invaders with a lifted chin and sharp eyes, all determination and resolve - even though he noticed her hand shaking at her side before she clenched her fist. "They won't do either," she said.
At Serenity's order, The Silver Millennium fired cannons at the other ship, which rocked the vessel but didn't sink it. A small boat was being rowed toward them, too close to be within range.
The men climbed aboard the ship quickly, swords swinging and knives bared. And everyone sprung into action.
Endymion was busy fighting off the mercenaries, who were skilled with a sword as well as backhanded (not many people used trickery when sparring with a prince, but Endymion was trained in many military manuvers, which included possible subterfuge), but he still beat them back - even so far as to send one stumbling overboard, cursing.
Unable to keep from glancing in Serenity's direction when he could, he noticed her throwing the strange weapon like a discus, knocking swords out of hands and hats off of heads... And even causing some painful looking wounds.
The battle was over fairly quickly, with most of the crew of the attacking vessel swimming desperately back to their ship, wounded and embarrassed.
Only the leader remained, and a few of his men - but all of them were disarmed and held at sword-point against the railing of the ship. The leader of the hired killers was a scary looking, bulky man with scars and tattoos that seemed made to intimidate. He snarled. "Old man dint tell us the bunch of wenches would be like 'es," he snarled. "Ain't worth the gold." He glared at Serenity and spit on the deck of the ship. At the disrespect, she raised her sword.
"Give us your hats," Venus said, stepping forward.
"W-what?" The leader cursed, "I'd-"
"Give them, and we'll let you go," Serenity added. Behind them, the crew murmured their agreement, settling into battle stance.
With a curse, the leader tossed his hat on the deck, and his men (the ones left on board anyway) did the same. "You're just lucky you ain't worth my time."
As they sailed away, Serenity jumped onto the railing, holding a rope for balance and calling out over the sea. "Tell them!" She shouted, "Tell all villains that come to steal back what doesn't belong to them, for all who mistreat or hurt innocents: in the name of The Silver Milliennium, we will punish you!" She was took a few heaving breaths - her chin lifted with pride and her cheeks flushed with righteousness. The sea wind lifted and tangled her hair behind her.
"You okay there, Princey? Your jaw's a little slack," Venus said, walking up to him and sheathing her sword.
"She's... amazing...," he said, not taking his eyes of Serenity.
Venus bit back a laugh, looking at him with a knowing expression. "C'mon," she said, "Merc's gonna wanna to check you over." Sure enough, the ship medic was heading toward them purposely, bandages at the ready.
"I can't believe you did that hat thing again," Mercury said to Venus, who winked in response.
"Yup!" she lifted it with a flourish, before sitting it back on her head. "Got one you for too!" She presented a wide-brimmed, feathered hat to Mercury, who waved it off. "Fine," the first mate huffed. She bowed and offered the hat up to Serenity, who was just jogging over to them after checking on Hotaru.
"Our spoils, Captain," she said, ceremoniously. With similar pomp, Serenity took the hat and placed it on her head, where it lay crookedly across one of the buns in her hair.
"Accepted," the captain said, with a pleased smile.
"You steal only what you need, huh?" Endymion said, sending a teasing smirk in Serenity's direction. The captain looked at him very seriously.
"Who's to say I didn't need a hat?" she said, primly.
That night in the galley the rum flowed - along with cheering and bawdy songs and plenty of laughter. Endymion sat with Naru, happy for the familiar face.
"I admit I may have wrong about your captian," he said, bowing his head slightly. "Forgive me."
Naru slid a cup of rum across the table. "Drink your apology," she laughed.
A hush fell over the room as Serenity and her officers entered. The captain was dressed in a silk rose-colored gown, adorned with lace and silk flowers. Although she was freshly washed and hair brushed and shining, the ill-gotten hat remained on her golden head.
"Sailors," she said, voice echoing in the room, "today our safe life here on board was threatened once again, but once again we rose triumphant!" The cheers were deafening. She raised her hat and bowed deeply. "Tonight we celebrate this boat, the sea and each other!"
"I'll drink to that!" Venus cried, and everyone lifted their cups again.
Next to Haruka, Hotaru clapped her hands as the other girl squeezed her shoulder. Michiru stood, settling a violin under her chin and lifting the bow.
The tune she played was smooth but lively, and a few members of the crew stood to dance. Haruka gave a deep, sweeping bow to Serenity, and then lead her in the quick waltz along the warn wooden floor, the silly hat falling off mid-twirl.
Haruka would've been trained in dancing during her time in court (although Endymion noticed she was effortlessly assuming the man's steps), but he wondered where Serenity had picked up this particular talent. Although her movements weren't naturally graceful, she danced as if she had been doing so her whole life, moving with the ship as naturally as she breathed. She laughed, cheeks flushed with energy and alcohol, full skirt swirling around her ankles. He'd only ever seen her in the loose pants of her captain's clothes, but she was as dazzling in the dress as she was throwing her weapon in battle, as she was when she was caring for her crew. So many different sides to this one woman, each one more enigmatic and fascinating than the last.
"You're staring," Naru teased, and Endymion quickly downed his rum to hide his flusterment. Just as quickly, it was refilled and back in his hand.
It wasn't long before Venus was gesturing to him to come forward, calling out, "C'mon, Prince. You must know all the newest dances at court."
Dizzily, he walked to the front of the room, trying not to jostle the dancers on the way. Laughing, Serenity caught his hands - for the second time he marveled at the warmth of her hands. "Show me what would impress in the halls of the Elysian court," she said, smirking a bit. Serenity's charm and personality was so multifaceted and all-encompassing, he'd forgotten how dimiutive she was physically. Up close, she barely reached his chin, and had to lift her pretty face up to meet his eyes.
"I will duly try, Captain," he said, "but the movement of the ship is distracting." 'As is the low cut of that dress,' he added silently. "And I've had a lot of rum..."
She didn't take his excuses, and he ended up settling his hand on her waist, on the soft, warn silk of the dress. Up close he noticed the hems were a bit loose, the lace torn in places, the silk flowers threading a bit at the edges. The dress was a luxurious item to be sure, beautiful and well-made, but it wasn't brand new. Bartered, Endymion wondered, or stolen?
He twined his other hand through hers, and started to lead her in a moderately paced dance, murmuring the steps as she did her best to keep up. Despite Endymion being a better dancer, Serenity was clearly at an advantage, being used to dancing on a ship rocking in the middle of the ocean.
"Not bad, Endy," Serenity said, and he grinned at her.
"A lie worthy of a pirate," he said, with a self-depreciating smile.
She twirled away and back to him with a flourish, and he caught her without a stumble. Serenity smiled up at him and he swore his heart forgot to beat for a few seconds.
Between the effects of the alcohol and the gentle sway of the ship, Endymion found it a bit difficult sometimes to stay a respectful distance apart from her. When he'd step forward a bit to catch himself, he'd end up closer to her, arms bent as the two swayed a bit nearer to each other. The curve of her neck and warmth of her breath made him reclutant to pull back again, and she didn't seem to mind. Unconsciously, he tightened his hand a bit on her waist, enjoying the feel of her beneath his palm. Humming a bit, he spread his fingers to catch more of her, pulling her closer still.
Fascinated by how the tendrils of hair by her ear trembled each time he breathed, it took him a moment to realize the music had stopped. His hand was still on her waist, the swell of her breasts brushing against his chest, her blue eyes sparkling up at him and a delicate blush on her cheeks.
"Thank you for the dance," she whispered, a small smile on her lips. She twirled from his grasp, and he reached after her, stumbling forward despite himself. He was caught and supported under both arms by Jupiter and Haruka.
"Maybe you should sit down for a bit," the brunette laughed, and he tried to protest, eyes seeking Serenity through the blur of revellers and the haze of drunkeness.
There was some more singing, some more drinking, and the next morning he awoke on a bench in the galley, the crew in various stages of grogginess and the Captain and her officers long gone.
Endymion acclimated quickly to life on board The Silver Millennium. It was hard work, every crew member expected to help keep the ship running - himself included. The crew dined together and bathed together (using seawater run through a filter of Mercury's design), and slept in bunks beneath the deck. Serenity and her officers stayed in different quarters, off of the room with the silver Endymion had been brought to from the sickbay when he first came aboard.
For the time being, he slept in the sickbay - since he was its only occupant. And he bathed alone while Jupiter and Mars stood guard outside the washroom door.
"Some of these women haven't seen a man a while," Mars said, and it was obvious by the tone she didn't see what the appeal was. "It could be awkward if one were to sneak in to catch a glimpse of you, considering you are bartered cargo and property of the captain."
He raised a brow, "And a prince," he added. "Of an entire country. So... That would also be a reason to guard me at my most vulnerable, I'd think."
She blinked at him, expression unchanging. "If you say so," she said, closing the door and turning her back.
"If he's property of the captain, does that mean she could join him, if she wanted?" He heard Jupiter ask through the wood of the door, and fought a blush as hard as he could, although there was no one in the washroom to see him.
Despite his time spent helping where he could (or where he was told to) he'd been able to spend a lot of time with Serenity, although in his opinion there was never enough time with the enchanting captain of the ship.
Recently, she'd run through the route planning with him, talking about her 'navigators' (strangely, the only other presences in the room were the two cats - white and black - but Endymion knew she couldn't have meant them. At least, he didn't think so). She explained they may need to detour if they were called by someone needing help, but quickly added, "Those only take a few hours. Time seems to move differently when we are chasing a silver prayer."
"Why silver?" He'd enquired and her eyes took on such a deep sadness he instantly regretted asking.
"We need silver to break the curse," she said, mournfully, looking at the velvet bag full of tarnished promises. "But I don't know why it's never enough..."
At that moment he knew his heart was hers, because of how it broke so completely at the look in her eyes.
One day, the sun had started its descent toward the watery horizon when Serenity walked up to him, two training swords in her hands. She tossed one to him and he caught it deftly, automatically standing in battle pose.
"You did some pretty tricks during the battle to protect Hotaru," Serenity said. "Show me some."
"Happy to. But I know you can handle yourself, Captain," Endymion replied.
She laughed and shook her head. "Perhaps. But honestly I'm not as good with a sword as I should be... Venus is always on me to practice more with her or Haruka." And yet somehow, even with those two on board and wiling to help her, she was asking him for advice. He tried not to read too much into it. Perhaps the other women were busy, or perhaps Serenity was just keeping Endymion from being too idle on his break from chores.
Endymion ran through a quick succession of movements, which she parroted with her usual strange sort of grace. They sparred a bit, with him going slower than usual and explaining a bit about his moves.
"The pitch of the boat throws me off," he admitted after a while. "It never bothers you." He'd noticed the same while dancing with her - although he had to put the thought of that evening out of his mind before his distraction lead to her winning.
She shrugged, lifting the sword to block his shot. "It's all I know."
He berated himself for his callous statement and, using his distraction against him, she turned and the swords clanged together in a block move. With one fluid movement, Endymion twisted his arm and forced her grip from weapon, which clattered uselessly to the deck.
He had her back pressed to the railing of the ship, the salty splash of the waves misting onto her bangs. He was once again surprised by her smallness, if he didn't know better he could think her helpless and vulnerable, with the widening of her eyes and the way her lips fell open just slightly.
"Now you're disarmed," he said, his sword still crossed near her chest, he rested his other hand on the railing just to the side of her.
They were mere inches apart, if he lowered his head and bent his shoulders he could close the space between their lips in seconds. Errant wisps of her hair caressed his cheeks, blown toward him by the ocean breeze. For a moment they stared at each other, breathless.
Then, "A priate is never disarmed," Serenity said. With a swift movement, she slammed her empty fist to his chest. "So this is when I use the dagger strapped to my waist to pierce through your heart."
Unwittingly, he put his hand over hers, fingers caressing her knuckles until her hand relaxed to rest flat against his chest. She looked up at him, eyes searching his, a blush staining her cheeks an enchanting rose color.
"I think you already have," he murmured, lowering his head to brush his forehead against hers.
"Endy..." Her other hand crept up to his neck, fingers curling in his hair. It was as if time stood still, and something deep and inexpressible urged them closer, despite this being wrong...
She sighed softly as he brushed his upper lip against hers. She moved her lips slightly toward his but froze just short of kissing him outright. His heart pounded against her palm.
"We..." she started to say, all the words tumbling in her mind - they shouldn't, they can't, this can only end badly. His hand fell to her waist, his thumb sliding over her belly, brushing against the cotton of her shirt.
"I know...," he breathed. There are more important things than this. A war to stop, a treaty to deliver, lives aboard this ship to protect. And yet neither of them pulled away.
Suddenly, Serenity braced herself against the railing and lifted her mouth to his, pressing her lips to his in a swift, firm, achingly warm kiss. Then - just as quickly - she pulled back, and stepped away, looking at him with sad, conflicted eyes. "You will get safe passage to the Crescent Realm," she said, desperately trying - and failing - to keep her features resolute and serious. "That is all I can give."
And then she turned and hurried away.
