"Así que, ¿entiendes lo que queremos decir a señor?" (1)

I kept my arms crossed above my chest. Standing behind a nodding Antonio, I did my best to keep quiet and neutral faced while carefully listening. My Spanish, no matter how long I am exposed to it, never improves. Due to this, I am somewhat always in the dark whenever the conversation is put into the native language of Spain.

"Eso está muy bien. Yo le acompañará," the personification of España replied. (2)

I glanced to the aging mayor who grimly smiled. "Gracias, señor."

Antonio nodded and walked away to the door. I followed behind him making sure my back was to the mayor before uncrossing my arms. We stepped in sync with each other as we travelled down the beautiful hallway lined with open windows. I allowed my eyes to wander, taking in the view of the courtyard and the lovely fountain in the middle of it.

It's a nice house for such a small town. Or city. Port? Whatever you'd call it, Santiago isn't that big.

"Listen, we're not going back to the ship."

My eyebrows rose surprised. "We're not?"

"No. We will be traveling with a man named Cortés. He is actually leaving fairly soon. So when we go through the town, I will purchase some cloth for you to wrap your chest with. After you do so, you will go on to his ship and wait for me there. I will need to inform my first mate of our new orders."

An opening. I'll leave back into the town and hide when he goes to see first mate.

"Actually…," he began softly, "That probably isn't the best idea at the moment."

Eh?

"I don't want to leave you by yourself. You might get into some sort of trouble."

My face flushed and I stopped walking. "Are you saying I can't take care of myself? I'm not a danger prone child, you shithead!"

His brows furrowed and he shook his head. "That wasn't what I meant. I feel that a woman your age would be easily targeted-"

"Excuse you! I am dressed as a man. No one can tell that I am a woman!"

I glared at him, but quickly realized that I had raised my voice quite loudly. Looking around, I didn't see anyone in the empty hall that we were in, but that could change if someone heard me.

"Chiara." Antonio's rough voice had me looking back to him with a fierce intensity. His demeanor was passive, though his brilliant green eyes appeared dangerously mischievous.

"What?" I grit out. Fed up with his crazy bipolar personality, I didn't care what kind of agitation I sparked in him. We would be parting soon anyway.

Might as well get in a few verbal blows to make him even more upset when he discovers my missing.

Oblivious to my silent thoughts, Antonio stepped closer to me and pushed me to the wall in between two windows.

"You obviously don't understand. It takes more than clothing to make up a man." He peered down at me with a smirk. "Dear Chiara, you walk like a woman. Shaking your hips," he placed his large hands on both sides of my waist, "giving people a show with your legs."

I frowned and narrowed my eyes. He parted my knees and rested his leg between my thighs. His hot hands. His pants rubbing against mine. Well, I was the one who wanted womanly pleasures this morning. Hell if I'll let him though.

"You're far from manly, mysterious Chiara. A man," he said as his fingers skimmed up my sides nearing my barely clothed chest, "could not reduce me to this." When the tip of his left index finger grazed the underside of my breast, I shoved him away and raised my fist to punch him in the face. He caught it easily and pulled me to him.

"Oye," he said in Spanish. "Don't be rough. I was going to stop."

"No you weren't."

He grinned big and let out a chuckle. "She calls me the liar!"

Releasing my hand, his better personality came through and he tousled my hair. I bent out from his hand and looked for the first mate's hat that had fallen off my head without my noticing.

"Let's go. Cortés will be departing soon."

Putting the hat back on, I went after him in a pout.

"Ah, hey. Your first mate saw me. What're you going to do?"

Antonio looking up to the ceiling in thought and replied with, "Convince him that he was mistaken."

"Uh huh… What about this Cortés? Who exactly is he?"

He glanced at me with a little smile and asked me, "You are quite talkative for one moping over a joke."

"Answer the damn question," I ordered, not letting his childish instigation get to me.

"Hm, Hernán Cortés is a troubled man. All I can comprehend from what has transpired of late, is that he does not take kindly from authority. Authority he see unfit to charge others." Antonio blinked a couple times and then laughed. "At least that is my own opinion of the man. I have never had the opportunity to be in an audience of mister Cortés!"

I rolled my eyes as he continued to smile and laugh at nothing.


"Here is your cloth," Antonio said, handing me a thin sash colored in vibrant green and purple stripes.

"What the fucking hell is this piece of shit?"

The left side of his mouth quirked up and he replied with, "Something to match your colorful language."

"Haha, his humor knows no bounds."

"As does her secrets."

We both stared the other down until he broke eye contact and began walking to an alley. I slowly followed and wondered when I'd get the chance to run for it. When we found ourselves alone, he turned and nodded to me.

"What?" I asked after a pause.

"Put it on. You need it before going on Cortés ship."

I tsked and loosened the ties. Antonio turned around and kept watch to see if anyone passing by did not wander their eyes to me. Wrapping the ugly striped sash three times around, I tied it off neatly and tucked in the small knot. I straightened and retightened the borrowed shirt, then cleared my throat for Antonio to turn around. He gave me a quick glance and a smile.

"We'll be on our way then, yes?"

"I'm going to Cortés' ship."

"Yes."

"So why are we going together?"

Antonio raised a brow and said, "The only way to get to his vessel is by the boat. You remember? How we were taken to shore?"

Damn it. That's right. We have to go to the shore together. I'm stuck. If I run here he'll catch me. Does this mean I'll have to wait for another opportunity? Dio, nothing goes my way anymore…

Antonio led the way to the shore with me trailing close behind. I didn't bother studying my surroundings since I would probably not be coming back here again. When the cobble dirt streets turned into shifting sand and rocks, I looked away from Antonio's back to see past him. Two boats waited for us; our's and one of Cortés. I sped up and passed the immortal Spaniard to get this over with and get in the boat. Four steps past him is when I felt a large hand grab my own.

"What?" I asked him.

He didn't say anything at first, but furrowed his brows and squeezed my tiny fingers in his grasp.

"Please, don't get into trouble."

I rolled my eyes and snatched my hand back. "The only trouble I ever have with anyone is you."

The uneasy smile that appeared made me frown and I didn't take to ear the next comment he made. Antonio then announced to Cortés men that I would be traveling with them to their ship and they would need to come get him after he spoke to his crew. With all understandings made, I got into the boat as it was shoved off and rowed by the four men.

Rolling waves lapped and pushed against the front of the boat. Each stroke they made with their oars were in sync with the others. I watched it all from my seat at the back facing the men. The grunts and grinds of wood, sounds of birds and water, as well as the slow wind, put me in a false state of security. Everything was so tranquil. Even if I wasn't getting home soon, I would eventually.

Things couldn't get any worse than they are now.

We were eventually rowed up against the side of a large galleon with waving Spanish flags fluttering atop the masts. Ropes were dropped down to tie the craft to it temporarily. When a woven ladder was also flung over the side, I silently debated if I should just fling myself into the ocean. Even that was safer than the thin fibers braided together to look like a ladder. I stepped up though, and climbed carefully to the thick rail where a tall man helped me up.

"Bienvenido a bordo, muchacho." (3)

I let out the breath I was holding when I heard muchacho. I nodded and stepped around him confidently.

Hell yes. I'm in the clear. Not sure if I should be offended that he called me 'boy' straight away, but I'll take that as a 'HA IN YOUR DAMN FACE SPAIN'.

Assuming that the tall man next to me was the first mate, I stayed near him until he smiled at me and clapped me hard on the back.

"Un muchacho tan joven!" (4)

Side stepping out of his reach, I looked at the giant wide eyed as he talked to me quickly with a big grin on his face.

"Unsted debe ser especial a nuestra España si usted se encuentra aquí. Mi nombre es Amos! Soy el primer camarada a Cortés! Ven, te enseñaré a él." (5)

"…" I heard that his name is Amos. What was all the rest? Is he the-?

Amos cheerfully walked away and I quickly caught myself out of my thoughts to jog after him. This ship seemed a lot bigger than Antonio's. I ended up trailing behind who I believed to be the first mate with a fair amount of distance between us.

Damn he walks fast!

I caught up when he stopped and knocked twice on the captain's door. He paused and opened it, ushering me in with a tilt of his chin. Pursing my lips, I went in the room and heard the door close and felt Amos behind me.

"¿Capitán? Este es uno de los hombres de nuestro país." (6)

I stared at the man before me. He looked young, maybe not even past thirty. His eyes searched mine with such an intensity that I almost couldn't look away. Blinking and glancing at the floor for only a moment, I returned my gaze to find that he had also turned away. Cortés cleared his throat and stood straighter. I did too and felt my stomach twist anxiously.

Please say whatever it is you want slowly and not complicated. Please please please please please~ I'm begging you…

He let out a breath and gave me a small nod. "Bienvenido a bordo."

My lips quivered a little as I stammered out, "Gracias, señor."

I watched as the neutral expression turned vile and a condescending smirk begin to form. I swallowed hard. The glint in his eyes promised nothing good, and I began to wonder what kind of man Cortés really was.

"Espero que estés listo para hacer historia, mi muchacho." (7)


Author's Note

Alright, Alright, Alright~ Little Chiara here has now met Cortes! I wanted to let him get a bigger part in this chapter, but I though this way was better. Okay, Antonio and Chiara saw the mayor and he told them about Cortes and the one other guy he was arguing with and how now that Cortes is going against orders and is heading off to the wide new world of pre-Mexico.

Chiara still isn't too keen on Antonio since she still believes that he is a mean guy pretending to be nice. Well, Spain's personality is kind of messed up right now due to all the corruption in the monarchy and military (besides the church, they're really the only ones with common knowledge about Antonio). When things settle down a little bit more in the late sixteen hundreds and early seventeens, he'll go back to regular ole' happy Spain that we all know and love. So the part where Antonio "jokes around with Chiara by kind of getting up all on her, that's just part of the messed up personality.

There's also a few bits in here where you see that Chiara is annoyed with Antonio because he doesn't take things seriously like Isabell. That will change though, and she will come to realize something very important later.

Cortes is, well... kind of messed up too. His is more borderline psycho though, unlike Antonio. You'll see soon how bad these two get.

Well, that's that. If you need translations, they're right here. Other than that, I'll be seeing y'all soon for chapter 7!

(1) So do you understand what we mean sir?
(2) That is fine. I will accompany him.
(3) Welcome aboard, lad.
(4) Such a young boy!
(5) You must be special to our Spain if you're with him. My name is Amos! I am the first mate to Cortes! Come, let me show you to him.
(6) Captain? This is one of the men of our country.
(7) I hope you are ready to make history, my boy.


I did a picture of Antonio, Chiara, and Popocatepetl (Aztec) and posted it to Deviant Art. If you'd like to see it, the link is in my bio.