Days passed after the tournament and the peace returned to the castle of Moby Dick. By now, everyone that didn't live at the castle had left, except Ace, though he kind of lived there now too.
Marco had resumed teaching Ace how to swordfight and, in addition, how to joust. Which was why Ace found himself on a horse in full, ill fitting armour across from a crudely built fake knight with a bucket for a helmet and a broom for a lance. It would do for their purpose, though.
Ace didn't mind that much that Marco insisted on sitting behind Ace to show him how to hold his lance, despite the fact that they had an audience. The knights and ladies present encouraged Ace as he spurred on the horse, and Marco held on to his arm to aim. Ace managed to hit his opponent's shield, and everyone cheered.
With a grin, Ace guided his horse back to the place where he started to try again, when Thatch suddenly approached.
"Ace, you have a visitor," he called.
Ace took off the helmet, glad to have that weight off his shoulders – literally. "I do? Who?" Maybe one of his brothers was here, he hoped. He missed them.
"Shanks."
"Shanks?" Ace echoed, confused. He couldn't say that he and Shanks were buddies or anything, as Ace had hardly been nice to him. Besides, Shanks had been here at the tournament, which wasn't too long ago. Why would he be back? And, more importantly, why was he here for Ace?
"Did he say why?" he asked.
Thatch shrugged. "Not to me. Just that he's here for you."
Ace looked over his shoulder at Marco, who shrugged as well. He got off the horse, holding out his hand to help Ace to dismount as well. Still confused, but curious as well, Ace walked to the castle, followed by Marco.
They found Shanks in the throne room with Edward, both holding a glass of wine.
"There he is!" Shanks exclaimed when he saw Ace. "Hold on one sec." He emptied his goblet, holding it out to the servant who stood ready with a carafe to refill it, and drank it once again. Then he sighed and turned to Ace and Marco. "Just the man I was looking for."
"Why?" Ace asked. "You were here not too long ago."
Shanks shrugged. "The queen wants to see you again."
"And she sends you, one of her best knights, to fetch him?" Marco asked sceptically.
Shanks grabbed at his heart. "You flatter me. And yes. Her Majesty didn't think Ace would come along with just anyone. But seeing we're like two peas in a pot..."
Ace frowned. "We are?"
"Sure we are! So are you coming?"
"Why does she wants to see me?" Ace asked.
Shanks shrugged again. "I'm just the messenger boy. And also a delivery boy. So let's go!"
Ace looked at Marco and then at Edward. He wasn't sure what to do. Shanks obviously wanted him to come to Raftel to see the queen, for whichever reason. Marco had pointed out the kingdom on a map once, and it was hardly close by.
"You really have no idea why she wants to see me?" Ace asked hesitantly.
"Maybe she's looking for a young lover," Shanks said with a wink.
Ace made a face, not because Rouge was bad looking or unkind, but to him, she seemed more like a mother than anything else. "Tell her I politely decline then." He turned around, taking Marco by the hand.
"Wait, wait, I was only kidding," Shanks called after him, and Ace turned around. "Or I don't know if I'm kidding, because I don't know what she wants from you. All I know is that she very much enjoyed talking to you. So perhaps she wants to award you your weight in gold or something."
"I have no interest in gold."
"Oh, really?" Marco mixed in the conversation. "Do you remember how we met?"
"How did you meet?" Shanks asked, a little too interested and his eyebrows seemingly having a life of their own.
Ace ignored him. "That was different! You were a stupid knight. Still are."
"Do I need to remind you of what you were doing before we came here?" Marco asked, amused.
"Shut up," Ace muttered, turning back to Shanks, who was looking at him expectantly. "Fine, I'll come. But Marco has to come too."
"I was only sent to fetch you," Shanks protested.
"So I'm once again not welcome at the queen's? Should I start to feel insulted?" Marco asked. It was hard to tell if he was joking or seriously insulted.
"Do you have time to come anyway?" Shanks asked challengingly.
Marco opened his mouth to reply, but then shut it again. "No."
"Look," Shanks continued, "worst case scenario, I waste a few days of Ace's time. We won't do anything to harm him, since he's under ol' Edward here's protection. So you have nothing to worry about."
Ace looked at Marco again, then at Edward and finally, at Shanks. "Fine. I'll come with you."
"Splendid!" Shanks exclaimed. "We'll leave at dawn tomorrow." He made for the door, but then stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You know, let's make it noon. I'm intending to get wasted tonight."
Travelling with Ace was slightly awkward, because while Ace didn't dislike him, he also didn't seem to be a huge fan of Shanks. It was a little sad, though. If Ace really was the lost prince, Shanks would like to have a good bond with him. If Ace had grown up at the castle of Raftel, Shanks would have been one of his role models, like Rouge had said.
Ace also wasn't much of a talker, but that was okay, because Shanks only needed someone to talk to. When Ace opened his mouth, though, his remarks were slightly below the belt.
"Have you heard anything from Benn?" he asked Shanks when they were sitting around a campfire the first evening of their journey.
"Nope," Shanks said, trying to sound lightly.
"Have you tried to contact him?"
"Nope," Shanks said again.
"But you rode all the way here to get me? Aren't his lands not that far from Moby Dick?" Ace pressed.
"Look, not everyone finds a knight in shining armour to sweep you off your feet, okay?" Shanks said and sighed. "Sometimes you are that knight and need to do your job. Benn is a castle lord, he needs to take care of his people. And I need to take care of the queen."
Ace didn't ask further, but it was clear he disapproved of the situation.
Ace had to admit he was relieved to see Raftel Castle looming up in the distance. He wasn't sure if he would survive another day with Shanks. At least Shanks seemed to have fun.
At the castle, two stable boys took their horses, and Shanks led him inside. At the doors of the throne room, he was immediately let through by the guards, but when Ace wanted to follow him, Shanks stopped him.
"Just wait here one second, okay?" he said. Before Ace could reply, Shanks slipped through the doors, closing them behind him. The guards crossed their halberds, in case Ace would think about following him.
Unsure what to do, Ace let air escape from his mouth, placing his hand behind his head. "'Sup?" he asked the guards, who looked at each other.
Suddenly, the doors opened again, and Shanks' head appeared. "You can come in now."
Slightly confused by it all, Ace walked into the throne room, looking around. The room in general looked much like the one at Edward's palace. It was made from dark grey stones, covering the floor and walls, while the ceiling was made of wood. To improve the acoustics in the room and to brighten the place, several tapestries hung from the walls. Daylight fell in through the large windows on either side of the room.
Rouge was sitting on the throne in the back of the room, clad in a beautiful white dress and a golden crown adorning her head.
However, while Ace noted all that, his attention was quickly drawn to a certain person in the room. The old man was dressed more fancily than Ace was used to, but it was definitely the same person. When he saw Ace, his eyes widened in shock.
"Gramps?" Ace asked, even more confused than before.
The shock wore off his Gramps' face and his shoulders slumped as if he was resigning with his fate, though what fate, Ace didn't understand. The grooves in his face seemed to deepen and he suddenly looked years older.
"I've heard enough," Rouge's ice cold voice suddenly resounded through the room. "Seize him."
For a moment, Ace thought she was talking about him and he cursed Shanks for luring him here. However, as he made ready to defend himself, he saw that the guards weren't approaching him, but Gramps.
"No!" he shouted, running towards them. He tried to pry Gramps loose, punching around him. He must have hit something, because one of the guards grabbed at his nose, letting go of Gramps.
Suddenly, Ace was tackled to the floor, pinned down to the cold, grey stones. Ace trashed around, cursing the person on top of him loudly as the guards led a cuffed Gramps away.
"Let go of me!" Ace shouted. "Let go of Gramps!"
The doors of the throne room slammed shut and finally, the weight moved off Ace. Jumping to his feet, Ace saw it had been Shanks who had pinned him down. Of course it was.
"Bring back Gramps!" he roared, jumping Shanks to hit him in the face. Shanks managed to prevent Ace from hurting him, but Ace wasn't about to make it easy for him.
"Ace." While she hadn't raised her voice, the queen's voice echoed through the room. This time, it was soft and gentle.
Somehow, the anger drained from Ace's body and he suddenly felt extremely tired. Turning towards Rouge, he asked hoarsely, "Why?"
She rose from her seat and walked down the elevation on which the throne stood. In front of Ace, she stopped. "Do you know who that man is?"
"He's my Gramps," Ace whispered. He didn't want to cry, even though he felt like it. Despite the fact that Gramps hit him over the head more times than he could count, he was still the man who found him, saved him. And Ace was pretty sure Gramps loved him.
She nodded absent-mindedly. "His name is Garp, duke of Foosha."
Why did that name sound familiar? Ace frowned as he searched his mind, until the answer suddenly came to him. "Wait, so he's Luffy's grandpa?" He wanted to hit himself over the head now. He had been friends with Luffy for half their lives and they had never made the connection between their grandfathers, who apparently were one and the same.
Still, while that was an odd coincidence, it didn't explain why Gramps had looked so defeated when he saw Ace, or why he was led away by guards. Ace felt the anger bubble up again. "Why did you take him prisoner?" he asked, his voice sounding strained.
Rouge closed her eyes for a second, turning around and walking back to her throne. When she was seated, she sighed, gesturing Ace to sit as well. Ace didn't feel like indulging her, though, and remained standing, his arms crossed before his chest.
She nodded, as if she understood, and started talking. "Twenty years ago," she started, "I had a son." She had her eyes closed, as if that helped visualising the image. "Two month after he was born, he was taken from me. I never knew what happened to him, but I could never believe he was dead."
She opened her eyes again and looked at Ace. "When I met you, I recognised a lot of my late husband in you, as Shanks no doubt remarked." She smiled faintly. "And of myself, if I'm honest."
Confused, Ace shook his head. "What are you even saying? My parents abandoned me! Gramps found me in the forest and took care of me!"
"You weren't abandoned. You were taken from a loving home, by the man you call your Gramps," Rouge said, a cold undertone in her voice again, but then her eyes softened. "You're my son, Ace. You're the lost prince of Raftel."
Wildly, Ace shook his head. "I'm not! I'm no prince! I'm a... I'm a... I'm a thief. That's it!"
"Then tell me this, Ace," Rouge said, "if what I'm saying isn't true, why didn't Garp put up a fight?"
Ace opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't have an answer. Gramps always put up a fight, no matter what. So why didn't he do that now?
His legs threatened to give in and the room seemed to be spinning around him. "It's not true," he whispered. "It's not..." He took a few shaky breaths, trying to steady himself, before looking up at the queen. "I want to see him."
A man with long grey hair and a goatee stepped forward, seemingly want to say something, but Rouge held up her hand. "Of course," she said. "Shanks, bring him to his grandfather." She immediately turned away, as if it hurt her to say it.
For now, though, Ace didn't care. He just followed Shanks out of the throne room, grateful when Shanks didn't start a conversation with him.
Shanks led him through several hallways, and then through a door with creaking hinges, down a staircase. The lower they went, the damper it became. It smelled like mould and Ace was pretty sure he saw a rat jumping away.
A guard holding a torch jumped to attention when he saw Shanks. "M'lord."
"We're here to see the prisoner that was just brought," Shanks said.
The man nodded and handed Shanks the keys that had been dangling from his belt.
Shanks opened the door behind the man, his footsteps echoing around in the hallway. Finally, he stopped in front of a cell. Ace looked past him and saw Gramps sitting in the middle of the small room, his legs crossed and his arms in front of his chest. His back was straight and his eyes closed, looking more like himself again, ever proud, which relieved Ace.
When he heard them coming, Garp opened his eyes. "Red," he said with a huff.
Shanks remained quiet, though Ace saw in his eyes that he wanted to say a lot. Instead, he turned to Ace. "I'll be outside if you need me."
Ace nodded, though he didn't see why he would need Shanks. As far as he was concerned, most of this situation was Shanks' fault anyway. He was just relieved that Shanks left.
Still, now that he was alone with Gramps, he wasn't sure what to say, so he was kind of happy that Garp was the one to break the silence.
"So, the queen must have told you what happened by now."
"Is it true?" Ace asked, sounding colder than he intended, wondering briefly if he did get that from Rouge.
Garp closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Aye."
Ace let himself slide down the damp wall, uncaring what it did to his clothes. "I don't understand. Why would you take a baby?"
Garp remained silent for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully. "Roger," he finally started, "was a rebel. He did not acknowledge the emperor, but his position couldn't just be taken away from him, risking war. When Roger died, twenty years ago, he left an heir with Rouge. The emperor predicted trouble from Rouge, as she is just as much of a rebel as Roger was. Perhaps even more. She would be regent until you were old enough to become king yourself.
"To weaken her position, the young prince had to go. Rouge isn't the type to remarry, so unlikely to have another child." Garp sighed again. "I was assigned for the job. The intention was to kill you, but I couldn't kill a baby. Though, if I'd known what I brat you'd become..." He scoffed, but didn't finish his sentence, because it wasn't true anyway, Ace knew that.
"So I took you," Garp continued. "I couldn't take you home, because that would raise questions, both with Rouge and the emperor. Which is why I left you with Dadan. You were supposed to be safe there, and not supposed to meet anyone linking you back to Rouge."
"I met Marco," Ace admitted. "I went to Edward's castle, where I met Rouge."
Garp hummed and didn't reply.
Ace remained silent as well for a while, staring into nothing. Then he asked, without looking at his gramps, "So what happens now?"
Garp let out a humourless laugh. "Now? What do you think, boy? I've taken her child from her for twenty years. If she hangs me like a common criminal, it would be mild of her."
Ace's eyes widened. "She'll... She'll kill you?"
Garp shrugged.
"She can't! I... She can't!" Ace jumped to his feet and moved towards the door. There, he turned back to Garp. "I won't let her!"
Shanks wasn't sure how long the conversation was going to take, but he hadn't expected Ace to rush past him so soon. Going in pursuit, Shanks followed Ace through the halls of the castle, wondering where Ace was going. However, Ace was fast, and at times, Shanks almost lost him.
When they arrived at the throne room, Ace didn't slow down and ran towards the guards, who let him through immediately, probably per the queen's order. Shanks followed him inside.
Rpuge rose from her throne when she saw Ace, her face brightening and holding open her arms invitingly. She moved forward to touch Ace, but he took a step back. Her face fell a little. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
Ace fell onto his knees, his face buried in the carpet. "Please don't kill him," he pleaded.
Rouge was taken aback a little by his behaviour, as was Shanks, and they exchanged a look.
"I know what he did was bad, but he is still my Gramps," Ace continued, still keeping his head down. "He spared my life, so please spare his. I beg you."
Her face softened and she reached down, touching his arm gently so that he looked up. "I hadn't expected a different request from you. So I will spare his life, but only for your sake."
He nodded, his face wet with tears. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his tunic. "Thank you."
Her lips curled in a careful smile. "Please, come dine with me tonight. I'd like to get to know you better."
But Ace shook his head. "I need to go," he muttered. With that, he turned around and fled the throne room.
The look of distress and hurt on Rouge's face wasn't one Shanks would forget anytime soon. Anger bubbling up inside him, he once again pursued Ace.
He found Ace in the stable, where Ace ordered one of the stable boys to saddle his horse immediately.
"Where are you going?" Shanks called to him. "You're Raftel's prince, remember?"
"I never asked for that!" Ace bit, pulling the saddle from the stable boy's hand when he moved too slowly. "I never asked for any of this! Moby Dick is my home, if anything... I'm leaving!"
He jumped onto the horse and rode out of the stable. Shanks had barely enough time to jump aside.
"Ace!" Shanks called after him, every intention to follow him and drag his ass back to the throne room, when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He could feel Rayleigh's calming presence, and Shanks closed his eyes.
"He'll come back if he's ready," Rayleigh said.
"What if he's never ready?"
"The information has come as a shock to him, you must understand. Whether he'll ever want to be Raftel's prince, I don't know," Rayleigh said thoughtfully. "But he won't leave Garp to rot in prison. I'm sure of that."
Ace rode on and on, not even noticing his own tiredness. His horse, however, did get weary at some point and by then Ace realised he was hungry as well. He also realised that he had left so fast that he didn't have any food with him. Fortunately, he was quite adapted to that.
As he let his horse graze and drink, Ace managed to catch a few fishes in a nearby stream. It had been a long time since he had taken care of his own food. Sure, he had hunted along with the knights of Moby Dick a few times, but it was different. They had used hounds, and the cooks had been the ones to clean the game. There was less of a challenge – catch something or starve – less getting your hands dirty. Ace realised he missed that.
Who had he be kidding? He may not be a prince, but he also wasn't a knight. As he told Rouge, he was a thief. A lowlife robber. That was it.
That didn't mean that he didn't love Marco, though, because he did. And Marco loved him too, he was sure of that. But did he want to stay with Marco forever? Want to live the life of a knight? Become a knight one day even, perhaps?
Or did he want to be a prince? Live an even more luxurious life by staying with Rouge?
Or did he want to go back to his old life? Fighting each day to survive, but with complete freedom?
There was only one person who he could talk about this, who didn't have anything to win or lose by Ace's decision.
Once Ace had eaten and rested a little, he rode on, uncaring that it was night time. He rose as long as he could, as long as his horse could, before he rested again, yet the journey took too long for his taste.
Finally, the monastery appeared at the horizon, and Ace spurred his exhausted horse on once more. As soon as Sabo saw him, he beckoned a novice to take care of the horse. He must have noticed the distressed look on Ace's face, or just knew him too well, because he took Ace inside without saying or asking a thing.
Inside the small cell in which Sabo slept, he gestured for Ace to sit on the bed and sat next to him. "Tell me what's going on."
Ace started talking, beginning with the tournament where he met Rouge, before moving on to Shanks coming to fetch him and finally begging for Garp's life.
"So you're Gramps is the same person as Luffy's grandfather?" Sabo asked with a frown when Ace was done.
Ace, who was lying with his head on Sabo's lap by now, shot him a deadpanned look. "Not really the point of the story."
"I know, it's just a coincidence, isn't it?"
"Sabo!" Ace sat up. "I'm a prince! What am I supposed to do with that?"
Sabo shrugged. "Join a monastery?"
"Sabo!"
"Look," Sabo said, standing up. "You're exhausted. Your dark circles have dark circles. Sleep here tonight, and we'll see where you're at in the morning."
Ace nodded, as his body only now seemed to realise how tired he was. Slowly, he laid back down. "Can I sleep here?"
"Sure. I'll sleep somewhere else, though, so I won't wake you for prayers."
Despite everything, Ace had to grin. "With Koala?"
"Such sinful thoughts!" Sabo exclaimed mock-indignantly.
"I didn't say anything, Brother Pervert."
Sabo opened his mouth to reply, but then closed his mouth again and sighed. "I guess it's a good thing it's Vespers soon."
When Ace woke up the next morning, Sabo was lying next to him, staring at the ceiling. "Morning," he said when he saw Ace was awake.
"Morning," Ace mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"The abbot wants to see you asap."
"He does? Why?"
"He'll tell you."
Ace groaned. "It was someone saying that exact same thing about Rouge what got me into this mess."
Sabo chuckled. "Well, he's not your dad, if that's what you're afraid of. He could have been, but he isn't."
"Could have been?"
Sabo waved his hand. "Long story. Anyway, he wants to see you as soon as you've eaten."
Ace didn't need to be told twice, as his stomach started to rumble violently. After living on berries and an odd fish here and there, he was craving something with more substance. Meat preferably. Then he remembered where he was, and he sighed. No meat in monasteries. Still, bread and cheese sounded good right about now.
After he had stuffed himself, Ace made his way to the abbot's chamber. Even though he was expected, he hesitated before he knocked. A gruff voice told him to enter.
Ace hadn't seen the abbot from up close that often, only at meals a few times. The red tattoo covering the left half of his face kept intriguing him. Why was it there? Sabo didn't know, in any case, Ace had checked, and he didn't dare to ask the abbot himself.
"Ace, welcome." The abbot was sitting at his desk, scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. When he was done, he gestured for Ace to sit across from him.
There was a moment of silence, and Ace moved nervously on his chair.
Finally, the abbot folded his hands in front of him and said, "Sabo told me what happened to you."
"He did?"
"Yes, but only because the story is relevant to me. Tell me, Ace, what is going to happen to Garp?" He leaned in, looking expectantly.
Ace shrugged. "I don't know. She... The queen won't kill him, she promised. But I don't know what will happen."
The abbot hummed, leaning back in his chair.
"But why, if I may ask, is this relevant to you?" Ace asked.
The abbot placed both his index fingers against his lips, pursing them in thought. "Because he is my father."
"Your fa-" Ace stopped mid-word when he realised the impact of these words. "Wait! Then are you Luffy's father?" Sabo had always referred to him as just 'the abbot', never mentioned a name. Or if he did, Ace had never made the connection to Luffy's father, who had left Foosha because he didn't want to be a duke.
"I wasn't always a monk." The abbot, or Dragon of Foosha, rose from his seat and walked over to the only window in the room, his hands resting on his back.
"Does Luffy know you're here? Did you..." Ace swallowed. "Did you know about me?"
"No, and yes and no," Dragon said. "I know Garp was coming here to see you, I just didn't know who you were. This monastery was founded much later. I assumed you were a stray he picked up somewhere. In spite of his usual behaviour, he is quite a softy at heart, as you no doubt know." The abbot walked to a carafe that was standing on a table in the corner, pouring them both some wine. "As for Luffy, he doesn't need me," he continued as he handed Ace a goblet. "But he does need his grandfather. Therefore, I need you to go back to Raftel and make sure Garp doesn't rot in prison. I wouldn't ask this if I didn't know you were already considering it."
Ace took a sip, but the sudden wave of guilt made the wine taste bitter. Of course he had to go back for Gramps. He had been selfish by running away, leaving Garp to, as Dragon put it, rot in a cell. He needed to go back.
Slowly, he nodded.
"Good," Dragon said. "Sources tell me that Luffy isn't far from here. Take Sabo and go fetch him, then go to Raftel. You are the only person the queen will listen to. She's a hard headed one. We were once betrothed, you know."
So that's what Sabo had meant.
"But she decided she'd rather marry Roger. Which suited me just fine, as you can see." Dragon gestured around. "But I digress. The point is that someone has to talk to Rouge about Garp. Of course, the emperor will try to do the same, as Garp is his man, but that only increases the chance of her wanting to chop off his head after all. So you should do it. If not for mine or his sake, then for your own and Luffy's."
Ace nodded and finished the wine, which somehow tasted a lot better now that he had made his resolve. He would make sure Garp did not stay in the dungeon of Rouge's – his mother's – castle forever. For now, he had a goal, and he didn't have to think about what or who he was.
Outside, Sabo was waiting for him with two horses. Ace greeted his own, petting its nose. "Did you know the abbot is Luffy's dad?"
"I did."
"Did you tell Luffy?'
"I did."
"What did he say?"
Sabo sighed as he seemed to recall the conversation. "He thought his dad was an actual dragon."
Ace burst into laughter, because that was indeed how he imagined that conversation would go.
"But he never knew his dad, so he didn't seem to care much. He just wants to have adventures," Sabo continued, an endeared look on his face.
"Why didn't you tell me?
"That the abbot is Luffy's dad? Dunno, never came up. It doesn't really matter, does it?"
"I thought it didn't matter," Ace said with a sigh as he mounted his horse. "Who your parents are, I mean. Now it turns out that it does."
"At least you always have us," Sabo said, elbowing Ace in the side.
Ace smiled. "That I do."
They rode in silence for a while, when Sabo said, "Ace, I think you should go see Marco first. I know you're dying to tell him," he continued before Ace could interrupt. "I also know you're confused about who you are and stuff. But Marco loves you, and you love him, so that's what's important here. You're trying to figure out whether you're a thief, or a knight, or a prince. But what if you don't have to choose?"
"So I can be a thieving knight-prince, uniting Raftel and Moby Dick with a royal wedding?" Ace said sarcastically, when he pulled a thoughtful face. "Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"You see?" Sabo asked smugly. "I'm super smart." Before Ace could contradict him, he continued, "So go fetch your man and meet me and Lu at Raftel Castle."
Marco looked up from his game of chess with Pops when Ace suddenly stormed in. "Ace," he exclaimed, surprised. "I hadn't expected you back so soon."
Ace didn't reply immediately, and something about the look on his face alarmed Marco.
"What happened? What did Rouge want?"
"I'll tell you," Ace said, "but first kiss me."
Seeing no reason to object, Marco did as he was asked, trying to ignore an amused looking Pops. When he let go of Ace, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Ace's head made a movement between a nod and a shake, leaving Marco none the wiser. However, when he told his story, things started to make sense.
"So I have to go back to plead with the queen, before the emperor sends someone," Ace concluded his story. "Will you come with me?" he asked Marco.
Marco looked at Pops, who nodded his head solemnly.
"In cases like this, some diplomacy might come in handy," he said. "Especially since Ace is a hothead just like his parents."
Ace stared at him for a moment, when he said slowly, "You knew, didn't you?"
"I had a hunch," Pops admitted. "Especially when Rouge started show such interest in you. But I wasn't sure."
"And you don't mind?" Ace asked, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Since I technically belong to your rival."
"Son, we didn't care about your ancestry before, so why should we start now?" Edward plucked at his moustache. "Nothing has changed, has it, Marco?"
Marco smiled and shook his head, taking Ace's hand. Ace looked relieved.
"Now, it sounds like there is some rush behind this, so you better get going," Pops said. "Go to the kitchen and tell them to pack you some food, and leave as soon as you can. Tell Rouge that if she needs anything, I'm willing to assist her in any way possible."
Somehow, his words sounded more grave than Marco had expected, but he nodded anyway. Taking Ace by the hand, he abandoned his chess game and left the king's chambers.
As they walked down the hall, Marco said, "You know this really doesn't change anything, right?"
Ace nodded, but somehow, that wasn't enough. Marco stopped in his tracks, forcing Ace to do the same. "I love you."
Ace's face brightened so much that Marco melted a bit inside. "I know," he said, biting his lip. "I love you too."
Shanks had expected a delegate from the emperor at some point, but he had hoped that the word would take a little longer to go out than a few days. But of course, locking up a duke isn't something that you can keep under wraps for long.
And if someone had to arrive, Shanks would have preferred anyone over Red Dog Sakazuki. Preferably Kuzan, or he could have even lived with Borsalino. But there was something about Sakazuki that he didn't trust, even if he had never been anything but courteous.
But of course it had to be Lord Sakazuki to arrive, currently bowing down to the queen. Being the example of diplomacy he was, Shanks remained in his place, acknowledging the lord with a nod of his head. It may also have helped that Rayleigh had placed a warning hand on his shoulder.
"My Queen, I'm glad to see you're doing well," Sakazuki said as he rose.
"I doubt you've come all the way here to see how I'm doing," Rouge replied coolly.
"Straight to business, as always, I see. You were never one for idle chitchat. Though, I think you know perfectly well why I'm here."
"Enlighten me."
"Very well." Sakazuki cleared his throat. "Word has reached His Imperial Majesty that you have imprisoned one of his men, Garp, Duke of Foosha."
The doors of the throne room suddenly opened and a very red faced and panting messenger came in. "Beg your pardon, Your Majesty! I have an urgent message."
The queen beckoned him to come forward, and he whispered something in her ear, bowing as he moved away. The bright look on her face told Shanks all he needed to know. There was only one person who would make her look like that.
"Send him in," she commanded.
The messenger left, bowing, and the next time the door opened, four figures strode in. Shanks had expected Ace, of course, and perhaps Marco, but he was surprised to see Brother Sabo as well, and Luffy.
When he noticed Shanks, Luffy beamed at him, waving. Shanks felt a grin creeping up his face and resisted the urge to wave back, giving him a nod instead. It was amazing how Luffy could drain the tension out a room without even trying.
Luffy seemed to realise that the situation was serious after glancing at the other three and tried to pull a serious face, failing miserably.
"I'm glad you came back," Rouge said to Ace, smiling fondly. "My lord Sakazuki, this is Ace, and you know of course Sir Marco and Sir Luffy. And Brother..."
"It's Sabo, my lady."
She smiled again. "Of course. Ace told me a lot about you."
Sabo bowed.
"Your Majesty, is it too much to ask to have a private audience with you?" Sakazuki asked, sounding irritated. "Especially since these people have nothing to do with the matter at hand."
"On the contrary, my lord," Rouge replied. "Ace is the very reason I imprisoned Garp. You see, Garp has admitted to taking my child when he was a baby. Ace is that very same child."
Some kind of emotion flashed across Sakazuki's face, akin to anger, but it was gone as fast as it came. "Is that so?" he asked coolly.
"I wouldn't imprison a duke for some trifle reason, sir," Rouge said in the same tone. "You may think of me as but a foolish woman, but I am still a queen."
"Those are your words, my lady," Sakazuki said with a bow. "But you say he has admitted to this. Has he had a fair trial?"
"Not yet."
"Since you accuse him of such a heinous act, shouldn't this trial be overseen by someone impartial?"
"Someone like the emperor, you mean?" Rouge scoffed. "The very same person who probably ordered for my child to be taken?"
"That is once again a grave accusation, my Queen. Do you have anything to back that up?"
"Garp is many things, but he is no fool," Rouge said. "He wouldn't have acted on his own. However, fool or no, he cares about Ace."
"You keep calling him Ace," Sakazuki said, a sly grin on his face. "Wasn't your son named Roger?"
The queen gave him a cool look. "Don't be daft, my lord. Would you let a stolen child keep their own name? Of course not, you change it to ward off suspicion. But there is no doubt in my mind that Ace is my son."
"Unfortunately, you'll have to come with more proof than your gut feeling to convince others of your case."
"In that case..." Rouge turned to the guards. "Bring the prisoner here."
They saluted and left the room. When the doors opened a few minutes later, Garp was led inside. His fancy clothes were dirty and his hands and feet were chained. He looked tired, yet he walked forward with his head held high.
"Gramps," Ace whispered, and Shanks saw Marco take his hand inconspicuously.
Garp paused for a moment, his eyes resting on Ace and Luffy. Then he took a deep breath and faced the queen.
"You know why you are locked up in the dungeon," Rouge said to him. "Would you like to enlighten Lord Sakazuki?"
"I would prefer not to, my lady."
"You have a chance to correct me if I'm wrong," Rouge continued. "Is Ace the baby you took from Raftel Castle twenty years ago?"
"That is assuming he took a baby in the first place," Sakazuki protested. "As far as I understood, you found a bloodied blanket. That seems to me like proof that the child was killed."
Shanks felt anger rising. He had relived that night too many times in his dreams. The anger, the agony, the hopelessness... Sakazuki had no right to put the queen through that again!
Rouge lifted up her hand, and he stopped. "Or it's a clever trick to put us off the scent," she said coolly. "No remains were ever found, and the blood might as well have belonged to an animal. And why take my child only to kill it later?"
"Perhaps the culprit didn't have time for that."
She scoffed. "No time to kill a baby? There is little quicker done."
"Enough!" Ace suddenly called out, a commanding air radiating off him. He took a step forward. "Look, my lady, I don't care whose child I am. I know who I am, and who I love. All I ask is to be merciful to Gramps. Because that's who he is to me."
The queen looked quite taken aback, as did Sakazuki. However, on Garp's face a fond smile could be detected.
Sakazuki recovered quickly though, his face turning into a grimace as he clenched his jaw. He had probably realised too how much Ace resembled Roger.
Rouge rose from her seat, her eyes soft, and she reached out her hands. Hesitantly, Ace stepped forward, allowing her to touch his face.
"You look so much like you father," Rouge whispered, so soft that Shanks, who was standing next to the throne, could barely hear it. "He would have been so proud."
Ace opened his mouth to reply, when Shanks suddenly noticed a glistering from the corner of his eye. Too late he realised what it was as the dagger flew through the air, hitting Ace in the back. He fell forward, collapsing, and Rouge could barely catch him, shock written on her face.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen, struck by horror. Shanks' eye darted to Sakazuki, who seemed pleased with himself, even if he signed his own death warrant.
Then, everything suddenly started to move really fast. Sakazuki's men, who had been waiting in the back of the room, sprung into action to defend their lord. Sabo, the monk, somehow obtained a spear, his face a angry grimace as he started to attack the soldiers, Luffy following his example with an angry yell. Rouge's own guards also went into the offence, protecting their lady.
The queen sunk to the ground, taking Ace's body with her in her trembling arms, her face wet with tears as she called his name over and over.
Shanks watched the scene in front of him with wide eyes, his breathing heavy with anger. Rouge had just found her son again, and anyone trying to taking him from her again would pay.
He soon enough found his goal amidst the fighting mass.
Calmly, Shanks walked forward, parrying a few strikes aimed at him, but hardly paying attention to them. One of Sakazuki's soldiers jumped in his way, and Shanks killed him without mercy. He barely noticed a dark haired figure walking into the throne room, moving straight up to Rouge and Ace.
Sakazuki noticed Shanks soon enough and he struck his sword at him. Shanks parried it with ease. Not for a moment Shanks took his eyes off Sakazuki, as if they were the only ones in the room. The chaos in the room turned into white noise as their swords smashed together, hit after hit, sparks flying everywhere.
Bodies were starting to cover the floor, and Shanks stepped over them on instinct. Nothing would stop him from avenging Ace.
Sakazuki's sword swung through the air again, wounding Shanks in the arm, as he had no armour on to protect himself. However, Shanks had anger on his side. When Sakazuki struck again, Shanks dove underneath his sword, thrusting his own weapon forward.
Sakazuki stilled, a look of surprise on his face as the cold blade passed through him. Life rushed from his body and his legs caved, so Shanks was the only thing holding him up. Shanks pulled his sword back, pulling it from Sakazuki's body, who slumped on the ground.
The whole room stilled, everyone, friend and foe, staring at the lifeless body, but no one moved.
Despite killing Sakazuki, the anger wouldn't leave Shanks' body. He was breathing heavily, his ears tingling as all sounds seemed to blur together.
Then, the bloodied sword was taken from his hand, and Shanks closed his eyes as he felt Rayleigh's presence behind him. The anger drained from him, and suddenly, he just felt mentally exhausted.
"Take him," Shanks heard Rayleigh say, "and leave."
Footsteps rushed forward, and when Shanks opened his eyes, Sakazuki's men were collecting the bodies of their own, including the one of Sakazuki himself. Rouge's guards did the same among their own men.
Turning around, Shanks saw Rouge cradle Ace in her arm, still weeping. Sabo, Luffy, and Marco were standing next to her, looking distressed. A dark haired man was crouched next to Ace's body.
"He'll make it, right, Traffy?" Luffy asked, blubbering. "He won't die, right, Traffy? Traffy?"
The dark haired man – Traffy? – ignored him and continued with his work.
Yasopp rushed into the room, followed by two servants carrying a stretcher. He hastily joined Traffy, who was no doubt a doctor too, and they ordered the servants to put Ace's body onto the stretcher, before rushing back out of the room.
Rouge covered her face with her hand, crying desperately. Rayleigh kneeled next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Looking up, his eyes met Shanks', and his look seemed to want to tell Shanks something, though Shanks wasn't sure what it was.
Moving automatically, he helped to carry the bodies away of wounded soldiers, and later those of the dead. Once that was done and servants were busy cleaning the bloodstains away, Shanks retreated to his room.
He had been offered help for his arm, but he had declined. Once he was alone, he took off his shirt and examined the wound. It wasn't too bad, he decided, and after washing it, he managed to put a bandage on it, pulling it tight with the help of his teeth. Yasopp would later kill him for it, but he was too busy with Ace and the soldiers to worry about such a small inconvenience.
A loud pounding noise woke him, and Shanks opened his eyes. He didn't remember falling asleep, only sitting down on the bed, but he must have. He was still shirtless, the bandage around his arm soaked with blood.
The knocking stopped, and instead, the door opened, revealing Makino. "Where were you?" she asked, sounding annoyed.
"I fell asleep," he admitted.
Her lips pulled taut in a thin line. "The queen wishes to see you."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Shanks nodded, rubbing his face. "Any news about Ace?" he asked.
She shook her head, biting her lip as to stop herself from crying. "The doctors say it can go either way."
"That dark haired man, who is he?"
"His name is Trafalgar Law, a friend of Luffy, apparently, and the one of the best surgeons in the known world. If he can't safe him..."
Shanks rose, taking her in his arms. He had known Makino since they were little, when Roger had taken him in. She had taught him a lot about how to behave to courtiers, and how to be one. Aside from the queen, she was the most important woman in Shanks' life.
She still blamed herself for losing the prince all these years ago, he knew that, even if it was untrue. To have found him and lose him again, it would break her, like it would the queen.
She trembled in his arms, taking shaky breaths to calm herself down. Her hand caressed his upper arm, until she felt the bandages. Stepping back, she frowned. "Have you tried to bandage yourself again? Yasopp will be angry."
"Yasopp had better things to do."
"You're still bleeding!"
"It's just a flesh wound," he said absent-mindedly.
"Still, you can't go to the queen like that." Sniffling, Makino started to undo the bandages with a grim look on her face. Shanks let her, not only because she wouldn't take no for an answer anyway, but also because she could use the distraction.
Shanks would like some distraction right now as well. It wasn't hard to imagine why Rouge wanted to see him. Whether Ace lived or died, it was war.
If he died, and Shanks prayed the good Lord that he wouldn't, Rouge would want to avenge his death. It wasn't enough that Sakazuki was dead. He had only acted on the emperor's orders. It had been clear that he had known about the scheme to kill the prince twenty years ago, and he had thought that Garp had succeeded in that act. Garp had fooled both friend and foe by raising Ace far away.
So Sakazuki had had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, knowing that if Garp hadn't been able to kill Ace before, he definitely wouldn't have the heart now. In the end, the whole ordeal had been the emperor's plan to safeguard his empire. And even if it wasn't, if Garp and Sakazuki had acted on their own, Rouge would want to see blood.
On the other hand, if Ace lived, the emperor would be the one to initiate the war. He would want revenge for the killing of his man, and Rouge would never hand over Shanks without a fight.
A war had been brewing for years, and the recent events had only escalated its coming.
When Makino was done bandaging him, he said, "Could you tell the queen I'll be there as soon as I can? There is something I need to do first."
"Don't let her wait too long," Makino replied, a worried frown on her face. "This is a hard time for her."
"I know. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Makino nodded and walked to the door. There, she turned around, tears in her eyes. "What if he dies, Shanks? What will happen then?"
"The queen will attack the emperor, trying to avenge her son or die trying. And if she survives..." He hesitated before continuing. "She'll be a broken woman."
Makino covered her face with her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He can't die, Shanks. He can't."
He walked up to her, caressing her arms. "Remember who his parents are. He's strong."
She nodded, pulling herself together by taking deep breaths. Then she turned around and left without word.
With a sigh, Shanks sat down at his desk, grabbing a piece of parchment and dipping a goose feather into the ink. War was inevitable, and there was someone who had to know about it as soon as possible.
Benn's men were still in the emperor's army, unbeknownst to them what had happened to their home, or they would have deserted already. However, if war indeed came, and the emperor found out about Benn having sworn loyalty Rouge, he would not take kindly to Benn's men, so Shanks had to warn him.
After having scribbled a hasty letter, the ink couldn't dry fast enough, and putting on a tunic, Shanks made his way through the halls to the garrison to see the captain of the guard.
"I need you to pick a handful of your best men," Shanks said to him. "I need an elite team. Can you do that?"
"Of course, sir, but why?"
"I need them to deliver this letter to Lord Benn, and do exactly as he says."
The captain knew better than to question him when he was serious, fortunately, so he just nodded and took the letter.
"Tell them to leave as soon as they can and to make haste!" Shanks called after him. Then, he hastened himself back to the castle, moving through the halls to the queen's quarters. Knocking on the door, he waited until he was called in.
Rouge was standing with her back to him, looking out the window. The white dress she had been wearing before had been replaced with a deep pink one, no doubt because the first had been covered in blood. Ace's blood.
Rayleigh was standing leaning against the wall, a grim look on his face.
"You took your time," Rouge said after a moment of silence.
"I apologise, my lady. I had to tell Sir Benn what you're about to tell me."
She turned around. Nothing about her face showed that she had been crying before. It was a mask, or perhaps grimace was a better word. "That it's war?"
"Indeed. His men are with the emperor, and I wanted to give him a chance to fetch them before word reached Sengoku about Sakazuki being dead and Benn being your man now," he explained. "If, or rather when, war breaks out, they'll be hostages in the best case scenario. In the worst case, sitting ducks."
"You think that he'll be able to save them by himself?" Rayleigh asked.
"I've send a few of our soldiers along to aid him."
"So it's double or nothing." It was an observation rather than a judgement. Rayleigh plucked at his goatee like he always did when he was lost in thoughts.
"Benn will bring the men back," Shanks said confidently.
"Your faith in him is admirable," Rouge said. There was a hint of a smile on her face, though it still looked sad. "You've never given me a reason to doubt your gut feeling, so I won't start now. And I do hope that when Sir Benn comes back, he'll be willing to fight for me."
"Of course he will, my Queen. Like we all will."
She smiled, closing her eyes. "I knew this day would come. Just not that it would come like this." She turned back to the window. "The not knowing what happened to my son was the worst part. And now I'm in the same situation again. Will he live or will he die? Do you know what the last thing he said was? 'Thank you for loving me.' Of course, I don't know if that was aimed at me, or his friends, but..." She choked back a sob.
"Of course it was meant for you as well," Shanks said.
She smiled sadly again. "Thank you. You're always so kind. Not a day passes by that I'm not glad my husband took you in."
Slightly embarrassed, Shanks bowed his head in thanks.
Suddenly, the doors burst open and Makino came rushing in, her cheeks flustered. "My Queen! I'm sorry to barge in like this..." She took a few breaths to get her breathing under control, panting heavily. Then she hastily made a curtsey.
"No matter, Makino. What is it? Is there word about Ace?" Rouge asked eagerly, yet sounding frightened.
Makino looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. "Yes, my lady. Your son is awake."
End
N/A While the story is over for now, there is a very good chance that there will be a sequel in the future.