Act Four: The Beginning of Khaos
Haruka paused, and looked back up at Michiru, not realizing that she had been staring at the table, her long fingers still splayed out in front of her. "Let me give you some background story."
Michiru was about to argue wanting to know immediately what was wrong with her captain, but she clamped her mouth shut. It seemed to be a part of the ritual now. The pirate captain of the Iphis would come into the pub, sometime late at night—though sometimes she would surprise the bar maiden and come in the early evening. They would both sit down at the same booth near the back so that Haruka could tell her story uninterrupted—but she would begin by giving her facts, and other background stories that she thought would be useful for Michiru to know. Then she would begin the story that would bring them far into the night.
To say the least, Michiru didn't mind at all.
"Now Ouranös—"
Michiru sat back. "Wait a minute, the man that is constantly annoying you?" She shook her head. "Why do you keep him around if he causes you so much turmoil?"
"He doesn't!" Haruka said defensively. She rolled her eyes, momentarily forgetting her mood. "I mean, he does sometimes, but I think all for the good of the ship. Proteus likes to joke around and refer to us as the mother and father of the ship—despite the fact that we don't have that kind of relationship..." She added the last part hastily, when she saw an eyebrow raise on Michiru's face.
"Anyway," Haruka said, sitting back as she settled into the tale. "Ouranös, as you may not know, is our navigator. When I first met him, I actually didn't know that he had such a valuable skill, all I knew was that there was an imposter lurking around somewhere in the Lieres."
Michiru nodded her head in recognition—she had heard of it before. It was a town somewhere along the coast of one of the bigger continents. Normal civilians avoided it, a home that had been more for the corrupt. Strangely enough, within the passed year and a half, according to passing sailors, it had been undergoing some major improvements. So Haruka must have known Ouranös for at least that long, she told herself, even as the blonde sea captain continued speaking.
"It was another one of my favorite places to go, probably because of the lack of rules, but the first time I was there was for a completely different reason other than gambling and starting duels... During that time, I had been looking for rumors over where the star seed could have been hidden, following whatever droplet of information I could get a hold of... They had led me to Lieres."
Lieres seemed to be having one of its rare quiet days as the Iphis came to one of the long piers that stretched out to the shallow parts of the ocean. It was sunny, though cool, as autumn set in throughout town, clouds thick and white as they floated by. Haruka shielded her eyes as she looked around her, a grin sneaking to her mouth as she heard a random bar fight off into the distance.
The palace, an old fortress that had been updated, stood off about a mile down the coast. Most of the foundation was built up of old stones, and even some of the houses and businesses shown the remainder of that long ago history. Everything on top was built of wood and brick, painted bright appealing colors, run efficiently on electricity. To Haruka's surprise, outbreaks of fires had gone down a great deal since the switch. It was ahead in its time, most of the major cities still ran on lanterns with the aid of oil.
It's port was bustling with ships of all classes, and the blonde captain even spotted a ship from the Aquarios navy moving at a slow and dignified pace. It was large, silver-and-blue, sticking out against the rest of the ships, even though it was rather medium in size. There were a few other sloops zipping about just like their own, along with galley ships; and even some that Haruka couldn't identify.
When they finally got out on the streets, Haruka was able to get a closer look of the town. Her crew scattered, looking first for food, and then someone to pawn off all of their share of the treasure. Colorful banners floated in the air, kept in place with flag poles or windowsills. The homes and some of the store fronts were built of warm light red-orange brick, terracotta scaling the roofs. Porches covered the fronts of them, people hanging out from them as they held drinks, their breath coming out of their mouths as steam.
Lieres seemed to be a happy sort of town, and the blonde sea captain wished that she had visited it sooner. All around seemed to be some sort of giant party, going on all around her. Mulled wine was being sold at every street corner, along with hot cider, and strangely enough, iced cream. People clustered around in huge groups around people like jugglers and story tellers, to a fire swallower. Lute music played in the air above the sound of chattering people. The sound of bones breaking as someone's face hit the pavement...
The blonde snapped out of her peaceful reverie at the sound. Of course she would be well acquainted with such an off sound—with as many battles as she had been in. It was hard to tell exactly where the sound had been coming from, there were so many groups around the streets. Of course, it was easy, once she decided to look at the ground, finding some distance away a splattering of blood, and that strange buzzing that people made when surrounding a fight.
Haruka shifted her body around people, squeezing through the particular group. It was easy because everyone was so distracted by the drama going on in front of them. Two men in uniform rose up drunkenly, facing each other with a sort of hate and anger that could only be reached when one's eye had been blacked out. One of the men had their eyes swollen, the other's nose shattered. People cheered when they clashed once more, and one of them fell back—possibly the same one that she heard a few seconds before.
This was enough: one of them wouldn't be getting up soon, if someone didn't do anything. Haruka fortunately thought that she was the one, since no one else seemed to be making the effort.
"Hey!" she shouted, through the buzzing crowd, finally making it to the front.
The people around her quieted, stunned at the sound of her commanding voice. The two men paused, eying her, stunned. One of the men had his fist raised, the fallen man's collar clutched with the other. He dropped him immediately, and the beaten man grunted as his body hit the cobble stones. He rolled to his stomach, coughing up blood that had gathered in his cheek. The winning man stood up and saluted to her, which she almost took as sarcasm if it weren't for the serious look in his eyes.
"Sir!"
The blonde sea captain decided to go along with it, and put on her most serious and commanding face she could muster. "What is this meaning of this?"
The winner looked from her, to the man on the floor, and then back to her, too dumbfounded to say anything at first. "Uh, uhn." He shook his head. "I'm sorry sir."
Haruka mock sighed. Mock flames rose up in her eyes, and her teeth were bared in a mock growl. "Take him to the nearest infirmary and report to your post—immediately!"
The man nodded his head in a slight bow, before going and yanking the other guy with such force that it dislocated his shoulder. Haruka changed her mind, and didn't say anything about the non-gentleness, and watched the two walk off passed the dispersing crowd. She hoped that they were headed to the infirmary, but doubted it.
Shaking her head, she headed towards the closest food stand with the most appealing smells wafting from it. Confetti flurried towards the ground, her thick blonde hair catching some of the colorful bits of paper. When the blonde sea captain took a large bite out of a sandwich, loaded with roasted meat, she heard another startling sound: a fist possibly connecting to a jaw bone. The sound of a dead weight hitting the ground—again.
Haruka continued chewing, making her way over to a second crowd, following the feeling of deja vu. There were fights going on everywhere! She unwrapped the sandwich a little bit farther, the wax paper crinkling between her fingers. This time the sea captain decided to stay out, watching it from the periphery She found Proteus, drawn by the same commotion, hands inside of his pockets.
"Second one I've seen today," Haruka muttered to her old friend.
"Third for me, young captain," replied the old sea man, patting his large stomach. "I get the feeling that it's just part of the town."
"Huh."
Haruka turned to look at Proteus, baffled as to why all the fights were happening. It almost reminded her of her home Elysia. The old man merely chuckled, moving down the cobblestone street, hands folded behind his back. After shaking her head, Haruka tore her eyes away from the fist fight before taking his side. They passed similar crowds, though when they peaked in, the centers contained something different each time: A juggler, a fire breather, a story teller... The sea side town appeared to have a strange face.
"So what's the plan, my captain?" smiled the old man through his thick beard.
"Well, the regent appears to have some valuables that are worth checking into and taking," grinned Haruka in spite of herself. "We just have to figure out how to get to them.
They passed by a small shop, the front glass covered with parchment, saying things like 'the Pure Heart Band' at this bar, an article on something-Galactica, , to wanted ads—Danburite for twenty five thousand quid. Not a bad price, thought Haruka, though the image looked a bit vague. Ahead, the palace rose in the horizon, minarets and domes beautifully scattered around. And somewhere in there, was her treasure.
"Are you always drawn to impossible tasks?"
Haruka snapped her attention back. She shrugged, looking up at him through half shut eyes. "Impossible tasks are what I do best."
Everyone regrouped at the Iphis an hour later, the sea captain eager to get things moving along. There was an electricity moving about the deck, her crew milling around excitedly. As soon as they saw their captain walking down the pier, they flocked around the center of the deck, waiting for orders. Proteus blended in with the crowd, Haruka's first and second in command standing at her side when she joined the crew.
Pontos was the first that had been around the palace, unfolding rolls of parchment from his jacket onto one of the emptied barrels that had been brought out. On the long, yellowed sheets, were details and notes of the palace and detailed ink sketches. After settling it down, the skinny man folded his hands behind his back, and sank slowly into the crowd.
The blonde sea captain knelt down in front of it, low enough so that everyone around her could see it as well. The treasury was located somewhere near the middle of the overgrown building, below the main level. Of course, the floor of the main level was three feet thick, and made of stone, though it could be easily reached by a staircase on each of the far walls to the left and right. If there were no guards posted.
Haruka bit lightly at her index finger, which curled around her bottom lip. At least three of the crew knew exactly what that look read. The gears inside of the blonde sea captain's head cranked, and when they caught a hold of an idea, they whizzed faster. It was a challenge. Something that some of the crew knew what she lived for, and she would become known and infamous.
The first part of the plan was easily worked out after a few moments of discussing all of the details and all the cricks in the road that could pop up. Haruka would be the one to scout out the inside of the palace, following the sketches on the parchment. Though how was what made the blonde sea captain's skin crawl: Randy suggested that she come dressed as a high ranking lady.
At his observation from other towns, it was a lady that would be able to come in and out of something as extravagant as a palace that easily. Particularly high-ranking ladies wore masks on the upper part of their face, hiding the forehead, eyes, as well as the bridge of the nose. The disguise was perfect, and the only woman in the crew just happened to be their captain. Even at her insistence that it was now fashionable for pirates to take the guise of the opposite sex, she was led below decks by her elbows.
Unfortunately for Haruka, the crew was easily able to procure the needed wear for her from one of the trunks stashed in the back of the crew's quarters. Most of these sturdy wooden trunks just contained junk that the crew collected over the years, something that they would find useful perhaps at some other time. As soon as all of this mess was over, Haruka would make sure that every single scrap would be thrown over board.
Randy and Proteus stood watch as she dressed below the decks, grumbling while she fussed with the garters. One of her legs was propped up on the walls in an unladylike like fashion as she tried her best to get everything into place. She looked up dolefully at the small, circular window, which was too small for her to escape. Despite her complaining, she knew that she was the perfect man for the job. Yes, being a woman did fit the job description perfectly, but she did have the training and manors that would be needed for such a place. She had just hoped that the training would have stayed locked up for good.
When she adjusted the corset as best she could, she waved over to Proteus, the only man she could trust in such an instance. He tightened it, until her waist line was at the fashionable radius, her societal cage invisible and under clothing when it was all said and done. To hide her short, cascading blonde hair, she placed a hooded cloak around her shoulders, perfect for the autumn temperature... Along with the most ridiculous three foot silver haired wig that she could find.
Finally, she was released from the ship, where she blended in with all of the town's people. The treatment was almost immediate, people standing straighter as she passed them, and some of the men nodded their heads in a slight bow, before returning to their raucous jokes and tales. That was a world that she couldn't be a part of had she continued her old life.
As she moved closer to the palace, she saw the subtle changes of the atmosphere around her. The houses and other buildings, though similar in style, were better taken care of because of the extra cash flow, even down to the coblestones. Clothing became more and more extravagant and more fitted. A few in this area of town did stare at her, wondering why this strange lady was moving about unescorted. Here Haruka truly felt alone, even though the seaside town seemed to be in a constant celebration.
The palace lay just ahead. Even though it was massive in size, it was a squat building, only raising about a single story of the tallest building. It was the type of ruling building that didn't want itself to be intimidating, which appeared to be a good sign to the sea captain.
Confetti rained in the air, and littered the ground, in the colors of red, yellow, purple, and blue. Even this close to the palace, she could still hear the sounds of fist fights sounding in the empty, cold air, above the accordion music, and the sound of fire being hurtled into the air by fire-breathers. Haruka also saw officials swaggering around in their cliques as they talked business, and guards wandering around in small packs, their laughter barking out like dogs. Still the food was quick, grilled, or fried. Her mouth watered, though she knew it wasn't the time to snack. She felt reassured, though, seeing ladies of the rank she was dressed eating the same food that the working class ate—the societal rules seemed to be a bit more slack than her home town. She wouldn't mind retiring here.
She finally came to the palace, and entered without a single call from any of the elegantly dressed guards who stood posted by the grand entrance. The captain couldn't help but to notice that they seemed a bit hung over.
The Regent of the town of Lieres happened to be a young lady. The old regent died from poisoning, and she inherited the rank, taking great care to enjoy her time with her new calling before finally handing it over to its original ruling family. Unlike all of the other women of higher status, she went mask-less, and required anyone else working for her to go the same way as well. After all she was the regent, and could do whatever her heart desired. Lieres was not the type to follow strictly to protocol anyway, and if one really cared to follow it, then so be it.
Just don't drag the Regent Minako down with you.
Even though it was one of her last official days as this said rank, she was excited and cheery—it was another reason to throw a party. She was sure that her new Queen would be absolutely thrilled at the condition of the town and her upkeep. The economy was actually booming, and people from all around (and even much farther than that) came to visit the place where pretty much anything goes. Well short of the three major sins: Murder, Thievery, and Rape.
The long-haired blonde lounged on the golden throne lazily, being fed plump, red strawberries by the fingers of well endowed men and women that she had personally chosen for her own pleasure and enjoyment. Few were given the job of fanning her with large peacock feathers, while others lounged beautifully next to her. Did she ever mention that she enjoyed her position of being Regent?
The garments she wore that day were threaded with pure gold, webbing together fabric that was as soft and sleek as silk. It looked like mist, wrapping around the town's temporary ruler, and at the top of its empire waist grew petals, barely hiding her round, full breasts. A crown of a similar petaled style decorated her blonde head.
Adonis knelt above her, as she stroked his jaw line before he kissed her. Minako ignored the even sound of footsteps moving closer to her throne room, focusing more on the man's warm, soft, strong hands moving to cup the breast furtherest from him, the golden petals barely hiding what his hand was artfully fondling. She grinned under the kiss, pulling him into the chair with her when she noticed the steps stopped.
"Excuse me! What the hell are you doing on my throne?" demanded a voice just in front of Minako.
The blonde regent breathed in sharply from under the kiss, and cupped Adonis' chin, giving him the command to pull away for the moment. Obediently he did as he was ordered, but there was a gentle smile on his face. Minako never once admitted to herself that there was something stronger than lust that pulled her to him, but she kept him close all the same.
The Regent rolled her eyes, pulling her blue eyes away from the man, to look at the person who had spoken so rudely to her. Before her eyes, was a woman just about her age, with a temper similar to that of a poisonous viper. She had long, raven black hair, and dark eyes. And she was dressed as if she held the rank of a priestess... Minako dismissed it, deciding that she loved her all the more.
She jumped off of the throne in one bound, spreading her hands out wide to the future ruler. "Rei! How nice it is to see you!"
Before Rei could do anything, she found that the blonde had her enveloped in a furious hug. The dark haired woman tried her best to suppress a sneer, looking down the woman's neck, wondering if that woman's bear chest was actually touching her. She shoved the blonde head off of her, and righted herself before speaking.
"This is not appropriate," she began. "You will—"
"Of course it is!" insisted Minako, the grin never leaving her face. "It is because I say so, as well as because you say so!"
The future ruler closed her eyes and began to message her temples. She took a couple of deep, steadying breaths, before trying again. "You will call me 'your majesty' from this moment further, Regent." She opened her dark eyes, seeing a pout on the young blonde's face. "Minako," she said in a more gentle tone. "Please, it is protocol. This is how things must be."
Minako was still pouting, but she shrugged and turned away, making the future Queen relax. The long haired blonde turned to face her harem, ordering them to leave, before turning her attention to one of the court officials. Rei inwardly grimaced when she remembered the coronation part that was to be held tomorrow night. The raven haired woman would have rather gone to bed early that night to make up for the sleep she lost during the long voyage home. But she knew that her full sleep nights were numbered and that she better get used to them while she could.
"When you take over for me," Minako began sweetly, joining the soon-to-be-Queen at her side, "Can I still keep all of those beautiful people all around me?"
Rei bit her tongue, feeling her temper and impatience rise up in her mind. The woman decided not to answer that particular question, and merely looked down at the blonde who leaned her weight on the throne rests, and smiled.
Her intentions for the future of Lieres were completely opposite of those of Minako's. The town had become a place of chaos, in her opinion, since the time her father ruled. The King of Lieres had died young of some cancer of the liver, and none of the doctors were able to do anything about it, leaving Minako's father as regent so the then-young Rei could train and take over the town when she was of age. Unfortunately, the raven haired Queen got sidetracked with some of the problems of some distant land—though eventually, she intended Lieres to become allied with it, and help destroy the enemy. She had no intention of leaving Lieres in the sinful mess that it was currently in. Rei wasn't going to tell her friend just yet.
The two girls, though of two different minds, came from the same world. Minako grew up at her side as one of the court, her father a lord, until the death of Rei's father. Rei kept the pain of her father dying inside, grieving from inside her heart. They wrote to each other through a courier from across the globe, and it helped to ease the pain for Rei. Though she had no idea where her thinking came from—Harems? Alcohol? Fights all over the streets? What was she thinking?
Already Rei was coming up with a two year plan to clean up the streets. Already some of the officials were bringing in documents, recording things from the economy, to the crime rate, to how many passed by the sea-side town. One of the older, tarnished thrones were brought in, just for Minako, who, by this time, refused to sit in anything less. She sat by her, and helped her to wade through all of the information—and as the raven haired woman scanned over everything, she found that Minako wasn't that bad of a ruler. Crime was low. And the economy was booming. Maybe the blonde had the right idea.
Rei shook her head. No way.
Haruka moved around the palace like she owned the place. Finally all the training that she had when she was a young girl snapped back into place, and became useful for one of the only times in her life. The court passed her without a second glance. Women fanned their corseted breasts, men moved around in heavy silks. She frowned. Not one second glance.
The blonde sea captain shook her head, moving on to the things at hand. She looked around, counting how many guards there were around her. As she passed through the large, high ceilinged foyer, she found guards posted at the arched doorways, noting that the main room broke off into three different wings. It would make finding the treasure rooms all the more complicated. But that was why she was out, at the moment, looking for it before the party would start.
Grabbing the evening news from a servant carrying them on a silvered tray, which was printed on thick, cheap parchment, she chose the center passage way on a whim, following behind a woman with quite a large and appealing bustle. Lace fell like a waterfall from behind her, trailing along the thick red carpet below her slippered feet. Haruka hid her head behind the paper, as she casually strolled around, listening out for any conversations that might give a hint to where she wanted to go. Along either side of the high ceilinged hall, were small tables spaced apart every so often, carrying clocks or expensive China, while in between were potted tropical plants. The floor, under the carpet, was of white and cream colored marble.
Her long fingers itched to take something off of the tables, but she restrained herself and continued trailing innocently behind the lady in the lace bustle. The hall ended in more rooms, all either quarters for the people staying at the palace, or rooms dedicated to lounging around. Guards were sparsely posted, and she even chatted with a few, including the woman that Haruka had her eye on. The blonde woman sighed and turned on her heal, just as she flipped the parchment over.
She came back out to the foyer, and decided to head right. If she had remembered the sketches correctly, the right hall (now to her left) happened to be the main throne room, while also leading to other rooms for large social or political parties. The palace was such an oddly shaped building, she slowly began to realize, having a sort of maze-like quality even with its small size. She noticed some navy men swaggering about from that end, guards and other high classed people mingling in the room that came just in front of the throne room. It appeared to be busy, and she hoped that everyone would be too busy about the Queen's arrival to even notice her snooping.
The hall appeared to be cleared of anyone, slowly winding downwards. Instead of being lit naturally by sunlight through the arched windows, it was lit by glowing lanterns from above. The carpet was blue, though the floor was of the same colored marble as she cautiously stepped past. Haruka realized that her heart was hammering, and beat against her chest all the harder because of the corset around her. For a few moments, she leaned back against an empty space of wall, taking a couple of deep breaths. In a normal situation, she would have been fine—Proteus did a good job with the corset.
Towards the end of the hall there were guards dressed in deep violet standing watch, or at least just watching for anyone that looked suspicious. The blonde sea captain steadied herself, and dropped the paper onto one of the tables, before pulling a fan from between her breasts. There was one good thing about having a chest—you had a good place to hide things. She unfolded the fan, and made sure that her tall, silvered wig was upright. Haruka began fanning herself while she looked over at the guards. The way they were standing, and how serious they all looked.
Bingo, she thought. For a moment she considered going into the treasury all on her own, and taking as much as she could carry, but dismissed it. More than likely, during the coronation, all the guards would be posted around the throne and ball rooms, with only one by the treasury After all, not many people knew where the Ruler's jewels were, save for maybe one or two of the court—and Pontos' strong observation skills.
"Hello, miss?" called one of the guards. The one on the left was looking at her, but made no hint of moving towards her. "Are you all right?"
Haruka slowly raised her head, in a way that would make his knees knock together. "Oh?" she questioned, as if she was snapping out of a deep and romantic reverie. Her lips opened into a perfect "o", and her eyes widened innocently. "Me? Why yes, I found that I just happened to wonder down here, and decided to take a moment to catch my breath. It is awfully warm in this place."
She slowly, delicately began to step towards the two guards, and true to her training, the youngest one seemed to be turning to mere pudding. The older one on the right gave her a hard look, his eyes cold gray, but he stayed quiet. Slowly, one of his hands moved to his belt where a metal pistol was sheathed and most likely loaded. His grip tightened on his spear. This man was taking no chances, but unfortunately for him, there would be no fight.
The blonde sea captain giggled, hiding her lips behind the fan as she batted her eyes at the youngest guard.
The guard on the left cleared his throat. "Ye-yes it is, my lady," he said with some difficulty. He stared dumbly when she held her hand out into the air, momentarily forgetting what to do. The young man's hand was clammy with nervousness as he gently took it, though his lips were warm when he kissed the back of her hand.
The older man abruptly cleared his throat, snapping him out of his stupor. He banged the bottom of his spear against the marble flooring. The other man, straightened himself suddenly, and adjusted his jackets.
"Milady," he said slowly at first, "You should not be here, and you must run along to where the rest of the court is." The rest came out in a rush, and he pointed towards where she had come. "If you go ahead across, you will find the main dining room where you can join your companions."
Haruka giggled again, and turned on her heal with a ruffling sound of petticoats, lace, and silk, and head towards where he had pointed. Even though she felt like a complete fool, she knew that she had reduced the man to a puddle of sweat. Her half of the mission was successful and complete, and as she slowly began to exit out of the palace, a plan began to form in her mind, sending all the gears running lightening fast.
Music echoed all around the large, domed room. Light hung from chandeliers made of diamonds, pearls and gold, the columns of marble, gold and amber, as people waltzed on the cool floors of the ballroom. Dresses made of lace and silk fluttered against shoes decorated with ribbon as they moved in the spinning, intricate web of the dance steps that they followed. Gentlemen bowed in front of ladies, while the ladies in turn delicately held out porcelain fingers for them to take.
Skirted around the entrances were the same guards dressed in violet. Along side them were the light blue uniforms of the navy from the ship that had entered into the port a day or so before. Most just looked bored, waiting for their shift to be over so that they could be in a surrounding that they were more accustomed to. Some of the navy-men took advantage of the ball, flirting with a few of the blushing ladies, eventually catching into the clockwork of the dance.
Closer to the golden and jewel incrusted throne danced the majority of the court, and in the middle of it all stood stubbornly the new Queen of Lieres, and a certain blonde hanging on her arm as she begged her to start partying.
"Come on!" whispered the ex-Regent from her arm. "I met you halfway for this bash, and you don't even want to dance? I hired the people who played the most appropriate instruments!" Minako threw up her hands. "I even specified a dress code for this down to the colors, the materials, and the inches of where the top of the dress should start below the collar bones for the women!"
"I didn't want a party," grumbled Rei.
Minako seemed to forget the argument, standing on her tiptoes, looking for something—or someone. Distractedly, she fanned herself as she glanced around the warm-feeling ballroom. "Where is Adonis?" she muttered more to herself than anyone else around her.
Rei tapped her foot impatiently, not liking the fact that the argument was forgotten so quickly. She was still there, still uncomfortable, and wanted to leave as soon as she could to start what she was trained for. The raven haired woman was so deep in thought, that she found that she was staring at a peculiar group of ragtag men that had just entered into the ballroom. She stopped fanning herself, and didn't even catch what the blonde regent was saying to her.
Tapping the regent's shoulder, she tilted her fan in the general direction of the strange group. They were off all different shapes and sizes, wearing clothing of the most garish sort—except for about two of them, who were rather lavishly dressed. In particular the tall, lithe blond man standing in the middle, who looked vaguely familiar. She could hear Minako counting under her breath, and she stopped when she reached eleven—there were eleven of these men? They moved awkwardly either because their gentleman's clothing were too small, or too big.
"Who are those people?" she asked under her breath.
Minako shrugged her pale shoulders. "Beats me," she replied back. Then she grinned. "But they seem like my type of men."
The raven haired Queen gave her a withering look. The two high ranking women decided to watch the small group, instead of calling the guards. After all they stuck out so badly that they would be easy to keep up with if they decided to cause any trouble. The majority headed to where the food and drinks were served and immediately headed for the more alcoholic beverages and heavier meats. Rei found that she quickly lost track of the blonde gentleman, but was more distracted by the person standing next to her. Minako had gone back to wondering about what had happened to one of the men of her harem.
"Will you be quiet about that man?" snapped Rei. "What is so special about this slave of yours anyway?"
Minako bit the bottom of her lip, still looking out into the crowd. She yanked her eyes away to look into the violet eyes of the Queen, shrugging innocently. "He's just some man that I ran into in town one day. I was drawn to him, and he was drawn to me. I've known him for over a year now—it's so romantic!" Her eyes became distant and her feet looked as if they would float right off into the air. Rei's temper just rose as the blonde spoke about all of the lunacy.
"And you would consider marrying him?"
Minako appeared to not be listening, and finally her impatience took control. Her slippered feet floated down the stairs to the main part of the ballroom. —But not before gently grabbing Rei's elbow, and kissing her quickly, but softly. It was hard for the blonde to miss the color rising on Rei's face.
"You have nothing to be jealous of your majesty," whispered the fickle blonde, before turning on her heal, the sound of silks fluttering in the new Queen's ears.
Rei didn't know how to feel about that, her anger long forgotten.
Haruka was almost overwhelmed by all of the people around her, as they waltzed around and almost as if through her. She left her crew stunned behind her, and she began to wonder if the plan was actually going to work. The blonde sea captain soon forgot her worries as soon as a dark haired woman winked her way from over her lace and embroidered fan. Randy let her go while he rolled his eyes and leaned against one of the pillars. Few of the other men had ditched as well—either for the good ale, or the women. Haruka was already working fast, pulling a particular lady in behind the curtains which held the private balconies.
The old man tried to reason with himself that they had the time, though the sooner that they got the plan moving, the more quickly they could make a clean getaway. He looked over and noticed that Pontos was pocketing some of the silverware, and he suddenly felt like sinking. Randy leaned his weight against the column, and waited for the signal from either his captain or Proteus, who was also flirting with women—who were about half his age.
The music lulled him a bit, and he soon felt a light stupor that he normally would have gotten from the best of wines, and soon was relaxed. Randy made his way towards the seating area, along the other side of the ballroom, taking over a wonderfully overstuffed velvet couch. The dance slowly changed to something much slower, floating from piece to piece, and the people on the floor adapted accordingly. As the older man slowly began to drift off, the bright colors of the gowns ladies and the jackets of gentlemen suddenly began to meld together into something that reminded him of bright bouquets of flowers. He vaguely noted that Haruka was already with someone different.
"Would you like a glass of their finest?" asked Proteus.
Randy nearly jumped out of his skin, not realizing that he had indeed fallen asleep. Proteus slowly eased his weight into the empty space next to the second in command carrying two sparkling glasses of some amber colored liquid. Randy's mouth watered, and he reached for the glass.
"Done for the night already?" he asked before taking a sip.
The old gentleman chuckled, and shifted his weigh as he reached into his jacket pocket. Randy swallowed hard and began sputtering on the ale when he saw what Proteus had brought out. When his mind cleared of the shock, he realized it was rather artfully made. A pair of ladies panties. He realized, when the blood cleared from his ears, that gentleman was roaring with laughter, so much so that his own ale was being splattered onto the marble floor. Randy rolled his eyes, and crossed himself before taking another sip.
"I think for tonight that Captain Tenoh might actually beat me," Proteus said, as he mopped up his face with a handkerchief.
"How long have we been here?" Randy fumbled around in his own jacket for a pocket watch. He looked at the time and found that they had been there for about an hour and a half already. The old man jumped back.
Proteus read his reaction. He sat back, downing the rest of the amber liquid out of the delicate glass. "Oh, don't worry," he rumbled, already half asleep himself. "We rarely go to things like this, and I think it would be a healthy vacation away from the seas for the crew that we brought with us. Anyway, this party goes on all night long, and we have anytime during that period to move into action. Once we get all the treasure we can carry, we can party again—and this time how we are used to doing it." The old gentleman winked at Randy.
Randy, now wide awake, looked around over the edge of the couch for the scattered crew, finding the majority of the awkwardly dressed men standing together, smoking cigars as they cracked jokes. Haruka had been missing for the majority of the time, and he suddenly spotted her—wearing blue. Randy's eyes screwed up and he sat up straighter so that he could get a closer look at her. The girl knew how to get them. The old man elbowed the gentleman next to him, waking him up with a start.
"Look at our dear captain!"
They watched the blonde sea captain moving through the crowd, surrounded by some of the most distinguished women. Though when Proteus took a closer look, he noticed that she somehow looked ill at ease with so many woman around her. He looked around at all of the ladies faces, finding that they weren't at all angry—but in love or in lust, depending on how each lady defined which. They continued watching the captain as she tried to out walk them as she looked around for someone. Her face was flushed with embarrassment as some of the naval crew cheered at her as she passed the doorway. She then stopped, and appeared to be saying something to the ladies, but they didn't seem to be listening at all.
"Say," the old gentleman said slowly, "Do you think that really is our captain?"
Randy shifted around, moving up on stiff knees until he was standing, trying to get a closer look at their captain. Haruka didn't appear to be in any sort of trouble, other than the fact that she had a mob of women trailing behind her. Neither of the old men could make out what she was saying from that far across the room as they strained to catch some clues as to what was going around around the navy-men and the ladies around the blonde. The music continued playing, and the only thing that they could catch above it, was the soft sounds of people chattering around them.
"Who else could it be? It looks like our captain."
"But that creature isn't acting like her," pointed out Proteus.
They both caught Pontos drunkenly staggering over to their captain, who was still trying to talk to the woman stalking her. The navy-men roared with laughter so loud that the two old men could catch some of the sounds over the music, and still Pontos was making his way towards the group. The crew member stood awkwardly in front of the blonde character, holding up a finger as he spoke theatrically. The blonde stood there, dumbfounded as she watched him speak—and that was when she exploded. The music switched to something flowery and energetic as she screamed hoarsely at everyone around her—and that was when the old gentleman finally stood up.
"I don't think that's our captain," Proteus said slowly.
Randy was about to ask what they were going to do, when someone came up behind them. Shocked, he turned around, facing a disheveled Haruka, a grin plastered onto her face. The two men spun around to face their real captain, jaws dropped.
"What's wrong with you guys—your faces look like you've seen a ghost!" she laughed.
In her hands, she carried her pair of leather shoes, as she slid around in her stockings, while in the other hand she carried what appeared to be garters. Proteus grabbed her by the shoulders and pointed her body in the direction of her twin, while Randy directed her face. Fortunately her twin was still off in a confused tirade, so she was able to see everything, while poor Pontos faced the navy-men
"Well, that's something you don't see everyday," Haruka said under her breath, as she watched the other blond, stunned. "Man looks exactly like me."
"So what do we do, my captain?" asked Proteus good humoredly, while Randy felt panicky at the new turn of events.
"I think we should go ahead and get everything moving," said Haruka slowly, who was still staring at the male look-a-like standing across the ball room. She seemed to be unable to stop looking at him, as she stuffed the assorted lacy pieces of clothing into a pocket on the inside of her jacket. "So that was where my girls went when I told them I would see them later," she muttered to no one in particular. The blonde sea captain frowned, but shook her head, as she sent her old gentleman out to gather up the crew. She fleetingly wondered if she should actually get Pontos as well—the look on his face was priceless, and part of her didn't want it to end.
Within minutes, the word was sent to all crew through whispers and pieces of parchment. The majority of the crew stayed in place, their costumes serving as a distraction, while the main three left the ball room and moved to cross the foyer. It was very fortunate that her crew members, for once, didn't fit very well with high class society. Haruka, Randy, and Proteus found the foyer mostly empty, and those that were left standing in the open area were far too distracted to notice three courtiers scurrying towards the hall opposite. Most, if not all, of the guards were posted around the ball room, and Haruka prayed to the gods that the treasury would be left vulnerable
So far, as they walked passed the lanterns and the small tables clad with bright green plants, the hall was silent. Cautiously, they moved around the corners, and the blonde peaked around it to see if it was still all clear. Her jaw dropped, dark blue eyes widening. The two men at her side, looked over, wondering why she was so shocked. Were there guards?
A silvery haired man stood by the locked door, surrounded by elaborately dressed women. All ladies of the court, it appeared. The young man had his ear to the door as he tried his hand at hacking into the high-tech lock, small tools on the floor next to him.
Before her crew could stop her, she stepped out into the open. "HEY!" she shouted. She stormed to the small, shocked group at the door. Embarrassed, the two old men behind her followed at her heels. Their hands were at their hips where their pistols were hidden. "That's mine, if you don't mind!"
The silvery haired man stood up, his lilac eyes observing her. He laughed, his pearly white teeth showing. "I think not." His hip stuck out to the side, as the women around him unsheathed their swords. The swords began to spark, making Randy ill at east, though the man next to him remained poised as ever. "I've been here longer than a mere night—I've been here for over a year, so I think that I call dibs on the treasure. Fair enough?"
"Hardly,"smirked the blonde sea captain. Immediately her own sword was unsheathed, and her pistol in her remaining free hand. The two men at her side began to close in towards the other thieving group.
"Oiy!"
"Gods dammit!" muttered Haruka under her breath.
Clumsily the trio turned around to face their new enemy. The silvery haired man went back to the door, hurriedly moving to unlock it, while the women around him covered his back. Down the other end of the hall was Haruka's look-a-like, his pistol loaded and cocked. Swiftly, he was moving down the hall, but as he got closer, he slowed to a stop.
"Whoa," his voice uttered. He eyed Haruka up and down, and his pistol nearly dropped out of his long fingered hands. The navy-man swallowed, and closed his mouth, his grip returning on the pistol. He raised it, planting his feet. "I want all of you to back away from the treasury. You are all under arrest."
Everyone stood still, staring dumbly at the single man, including the small group behind Haruka. The blonde sea captain was waiting for someone to sneeze—that would be all that it would take for a fight to break out. Everyone was tense, wondering who to fight who, though Haruka's money and gold was on the single man in front of them. Her signal came sooner than expected, though rather than a sneeze, it happened in laughter.
The young male at the door finally broke the lock, and finally stood to his full height. He brushed some of his hair behind his ears, the rest of it cascading around his handsome face as he roared with laughter. "Perfect. I want the Queen's star seed, and I get interrupted twice over by neanderthals. Perfect." In one swift movement, he brought out his own weapon.
Blam.
The navy-man fell backwards from the force of the bullet flying through his shoulder. He yelled in pain and shock. And that was when complete pandemonium broke loose in the narrow hall.
The sounds of metal hitting metal rang in the air. Everyone clashed, piling into each other as they tried to fight for control to the treasury room. Gun fire rang freely in the air, though they never hit their target because of how crammed it was in the small space. Windows shattered, vases broke into millions of pieces on the floor, the tables toppled. The carpet that had been running down the middle was shoved aside. There were screams and grunts as people tried to fight for access and control.
Haruka decked the silver haired man along his jaw line more out of anger than in defense, and he reeled to the floor. The young man fell to the floor and was pummeled by other bodies. Randy yanked his arm outwards, sending one of the raven haired women flying with a scream, while Proteus tried to deal with the wounded navy-man—he was far more willy than he looked. The woman that had been thrown quickly gained her balance and had unsheathed a small dagger from her boot, her silken dress torn. Haruka was thrown backwards, a woman gripping each arm as they tried to disarm her for good.
All nine of the people jam packed into the hall never realized the reinforcements coming from the opposite end of the hall. Navy-men and guards flooded into the scene, yanking everyone apart swords at the throat, or pistols at the temple. The women were finally yanked off of Haruka, and she swallowed as she tried to gain control of her temper. She was forced to her knees, like all the rest of them, just as the Queen made her way down the hall, the ex-Regent at her side. Behind them stood the richly dressed people that had been at the ball only moments before the chaos had broken out.
"Adonis?" screeched the blonde regent. She rushed forward, her heels clicking frantically against the cream-colored marble.
The man she had called Adonis was the silvery haired opponent that Haruka had decked. His jaw was already colored purple-and-red as his cheek swelled about three times its size. Haruka watched as his face filled with emotion—he truly looked as if he was ashamed at what he had done. Minako tenderly stroked his uninjured cheek as he tried to explain himself, and everyone watched, tense and frozen in that moment. Silence pressed against the air.
Then he grunted, surprised. He fell back from the force of the slap she had given him right across the face.
"You used me!"
Adonis swallowed, and crawled back to his knees. "Please. It was for your own good," he said, his voice soft as silk. "Rei is not the proper ruler of this land. Khaos is!" He shouted the last part, and the people standing behind the Queen took a step back, some gasping in shock: they had heard of the new power spreading through out the lands. It was the first time that Haruka had ever heard of this ruler, and she continued to watch the soap opera unfold in confusion.
"I wanted you as this town's head. I wanted you as its beautiful figurehead," he whispered.
Minako took several steps backwards, shaking her head as tears welled up in her blue eyes. Haruka knew that she didn't know what to think. He must have been her love before the Queen had arrived, and now to have this happen... It had to be excruciating. To choose between a ruler or a lover. He was now a traitor, and in most places, that equaled immediate death.
Adonis' head fell to the ground, hiding his face, as the guards shackled his arms. The other guards began moving in a similar fashion to their own prisoners, and Haruka struggled to come up with something to say. She glanced up at the Queen of Lieres and found that her expression was unreadable, eyes cold as she observed what was happening. The blonde sea captain looked over at Minako's love.
The young man was convulsing, shaking as if he were sobbing silently, but the short haired blonde watched, something in the pit of her stomach dropping. His head snapped up, and his guard stepped back in alarm. Adonis was screaming in pain as if from some invisible injury, his voice drowning out any noise in the hall, and everyone behind the Queen went silent, all eyes on the man. His spine was straight, wracked with pain, and Haruka moved to try and help him, but she was pinned both by chains and by her own guard who held fast.
"NOOOO!" he screamed. "PLEASE WAIT! NOOO!"
Minako moved towards him once more, but a blinding light turned everything around them white, coming from the throat of Adonis. His eyes were now alight as if filled out with bright diamonds. Minako was crawling towards him, her arms held out to embrace him—but he was no longer there. His body was absorbed by the light, and it flowed out of the window like smoke.
And then the light was gone.
The blonde regent was left on the floor sobbing. The raven haired Queen suddenly snapped into action, shouting out orders to everyone around her. The court and the rest of the ball filtered out of the hall, though none of them seemed to be able to pull their eyes away from where Adonis had once been. None of them seemed to notice that the rest of Adonis' band had disappeared with the light as well, save for the guards that had been holding them, the two rulers, as well as Haruka and her crew. The party was over.
Haruka suddenly felt her wrists slacken behind her back, the metal weight gone. She looked around her and found that the remaining three had been released as well. Slowly they all stood, though her twin had some trouble getting back up, blood seeping out of his injured shoulder.
"You will be released," Rei said, her voice cold and devoid of any emotion. "The town of Lieres thanks you for your protecting its most precious possessions. You," she continued, looking directly at the injured navy-man, "Are fired. You should have known to go by protocol, and call for the back up required to prevent such an incident from happening. You are a fool."
The guards dispersed with a wave of the Queen's hand. Haruka rubbed her wrists, agitated, as if the shackles had burned her skin. Rei waved them forward, and the sea captain obeyed, Randy and Proteus at her heels. Minako had finally gotten up, and trailed behind the group.
"I know what you were up to," Rei whispered to Haruka. "You are not to set foot in this town ever again, or there will be an immediate hanging. Understood?"
Haruka felt the color rise in her cheeks, and she swallowed hard, finding that her throat was dry. "Yes... Your majesty" She had almost said 'sir' or 'captain', but fortunately she had caught herself soon enough to not irritate the situation. The blonde sea captain was not the type to give respect easily, but somehow, she felt as such towards this Queen Rei. Part of her hoped that she would meet this strong and temperamental ruler again later in life (with her head still intact of course).
"Your majesty," piped up her blond twin. His voice was low, quiet, and made Haruka jump because she had forgotten that he was even there. "What of me? Where am I to go?"
The Queen stopped to turn and look at him. "For now you are to see the palace doctors to get your wound patched up. And ex-Lieutenant, after that, I wouldn't give a rat's ass. For all I care, you may follow this pirate crew."
The navy-man winced at his new rank title. His face was drained of any color either from the shock of the wound and losing so much blood, or being fired from the navy and losing his rank. Every once in a while, while the raven haired woman spoke to him, he glanced at Haruka, his look a cross between that of a murderous man of vengeance, and that of curiosity and shock.
Haruka politely raised her hand to speak, but the blond man looked over, glowering at her. "You shut up. I do not want to hear you speak—you have ruined me."
"Ouranös stop your whining," said the Queen as she continued to move down the hall. Her voice almost sounded light hearted. "For all you know, this might be something that is constructive for your life. Take it as a learning experience."
Now Haruka had a name for her twin.
Haruka returned to the palace one last time the following day. The Queen had curtly allowed her to do so. She came to the sick bay with two guards on either side of her, which she thought was overkill. She decided that it would be prudent to humor the royalty. The sun was bright and the winds were strong, the perfect day for setting sail. The blonde sea captain hoped that the visit would be short and sweet.
The room was wide and open, beds set on either side of the unpainted, unpolished stone walls. The curtains were opened, the cool wind floating throughout the room. So far the room was empty, save for a single man sitting sulkily in one of the small, comfortable beds. Held in the man's long fingers was a piece of parchment, probably the news. Aids fluttered about the room, making sure the emptied beds were straightened, the plants were watered, and the bowls filled with clean water. Haruka, for a moment, was tempted to strike up a conversation with one of them.
Her guards stopped at the doorway, and she was allowed to move into the room quietly. Her steps were silent and measured, like always, and she came to a stop in front of Ouranös' bed. Haruka settled on the bed opposite, and watched him as he read for a while, still amazed that he looked so much like her, even down to the set jaw line. Well, save for a few major factors such as the fact that he could go waltzing around without a shirt, as he was doing at that moment. One of his shoulders was bandaged with fresh white cloth, and the blonde sea captain snickered.
"I apologize," Haruka began, wiping the smile from her face—the blond man jumped in shock, eyes raising to meet hers, "For causing such trouble." She knew that she didn't need to apologize, from her view, it was his own fault for going into combat without any men at his side. The blonde sea captain held out a hand. "And I would like to invite you aboard my ship as a symbol of my apologies."
The blond man's mouth was slightly ajar, and when he realized that it was open, he closed it. He took in a couple of deep breaths. "I would like to decline—"
"Just let us transport you to where ever you would like, and after that, you will be on your marry way? Truce?" Haruka raised an eyebrow. "And your Queen did point out that this might be an experience for you."
Her hand was still in the air, and Ouranös looked from her hand to her face. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as he tried to come up with something to say. The blond man brought up his own hand, but hesitated. "Just take me to Elysia. No farther, and I'll find work from there."
The ex-leutinent cringed inwardly at the prospect of starting life over. Lieres and her ships were the only homes he had known, and his family came from a long line of navy-men He shoved the dark thoughts to the back of his mind, still unwilling to see his suddenly changed life as real instead of a hallucination. He stared at the woman, and suddenly he felt compelled to trust her—even if she looked eerily like himself.
They shook hands.
"Oooof!" he breathed in sharply.
The blonde sea captain yanked him up by the hand that they used to shake with, a large, child-like grin on her face.
"Let us go!" Haruka said, waving him forward, despite the fact that he was stiff on his two legs. "Our ship awaits us, and the seas call to us." She paused for a moment to look back over at Ouranös. "You wouldn't happen to have any women's undergarments would you?"
Ouranös paled. "How do you mean?" he asked slowly.
Haruka shook her head. "No reason at all. There is a game that a few close friends of mine like to play while playing a game of cards." As they began to walk down the wide stairs, she began explaining the most ludicrous rules to the most ludicrous game. The blond man only caught something like, "Oh you know three garters equals one pair of panties, simple as that. Whoever has the most..." before he couldn't stand it any longer. He should have known better than to shake hands with a pirate, no matter how dignified, charming, and charismatic this woman was. What was he getting himself into?
The blonde sea captain paused at the bottom of the stairs, and looked at him with her face turned to the side. "Oh, Ouranös? You don't happen to know how to navigate, do you? We are in great need of having someone who knows how to go by the stars—we'd be willing to give equal pay..."
Rei slowly brushed the long blonde hair of Minako. The newly crowned Queen sat at her throne of gold, Minako sitting silently on the floor, her eyes half closed. The raven haired woman was worried for her friend, the normally energetic and fickle regent silent and brooding. How close had she been to this Adonis?
"You know, I thought I knew how to read people," began the blonde. "I thought, actually, that there wasn't much to people, that all they needed in life were things to make them happy. Betrayal happened by unhappy people. No evil. Now that whole ideal doesn't seem to make much sense, now does it?"
It was the first time that she had spoken for days. Rei straightened up, but continued to comb her hair. Minako continued, playing with a piece of lace at the edge of her dress. She waved away one of the servants when he stepped up to offer them some fruit.
"It didn't even matter that I was wrong about him. It was the fact that he could have hurt you. And whatever had taken, or killed him even, could have killed or taken you." The ex-regent looked up at the Queen.
Rei kept her face blank, her throat empty of any words for her to respond slowly stood, her face pale, and beneath he eyes were gray from sleeplessness. She hovered over the Queen and the raven haired woman gently grabbed her wrists.
"Minako, you are tired," she said, her voice quiet. "And what matters is that he didn't get to anything in the treasury. And whoever was behind it will not get to it either."
Minako stood above her, watching her. "I think that this will not be the only time that we hear of this Khaos, my Queen."
Thank you so much for your reviews Petiyaka and Lilgirl! :3