NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I want to apologize for missing a week of updates. i'm not sure how closely my readers are following, so perhaps the apology is unnecessary. I still have plenty of buffer, but gave myself some time to reflect before putting up this chapter, as I felt I might need to change some details in 12 and 13.
I will no longer be updating twice a week. Just once a week, probably on Wednesdays from the looks of things. Thank you for reading! Your comments are always appreciated. Even if it's just a "great job," it encourages me to keep writing. It took a lot of courage (and a friend holding my hand) to even put this story online to begin with. Thanks for your support!
Chapter 12 – Down and Out
Princess Helena awoke with a start, again gasping out Troy's name. She was surprised to find herself in her own bed in the pre-dawn light. She didn't remember being moved there. In fact, she didn't remember much of anything except falling into darkness the night before, and a good deal of excruciating pain.
The pain still lingered in her bones and joints, reminding her why she'd been calling out to Troy in the first place. When she'd been grabbed by the demon, he was the only one who had managed to keep up with it. She was worried it would end badly for him, and was trying to tell him to back off.
Things must have gone all right, because here she was, in her bedroom. She was in too much pain to be dreaming.
"Princess…"
She tried to sit up, but couldn't seem to move. Curse the gods if she was paralyzed! – she recognized the voice though.
"Lieutenant General, is that you?"
"Yes," came the gentle response. "So you're actually awake. You've been calling out to me in your sleep for a while now."
"I was worried about you," she replied. "It looks like things came out all right in the end. What happened? How did I get here?"
She listened as Troy explained the events of the night. How he'd gone after her and finally gotten Nemo to show himself. How he and Nemo had battled, and how he had won but ultimately blacked out.
"It took me a while to find you after that," Troy said. He was sitting on the side of her bed, and briefly touched her hand, then withdrew it, looking embarrassed. "You were treated by the pirate's doctor…"
"Yes, Tony Tony Chopper," she replied, scrunching her memory and getting vague glimpses of her painful treatment. Zoro had told her Chopper's name during their adventure in the caves. "I seem to recall now. Was I in the main hall for a while?"
"I believe so," Troy replied, touching his bandaged head gingerly. "I was told General Hector had you moved once it was ascertained that your room hasn't suffered structural damage. – having you with all the other injured was causing too much of a commotion. That…swordsman has been making sure you are not disturbed."
"By 'that swordsman' I presume you mean Roronoa Zoro?" Helena said the name with little enthusiasm. Troy seemed to brighten at this.
"He seems to think it's his job to be your guard dog," he smiled at this wryly. "I believe the tanuki doctor told him all you need is rest, so he wanted to be sure you get it."
"How thoughtful," she said diplomatically. Truth be told she had mixed feelings about Zoro now. Somehow she had always known that it would never work. Even if he had accepted her proposal, he would have eventually left to pursue his dream. No, even if he had not, she would have made him leave. She cared for him enough that she couldn't possibly expect him to stay. He couldn't accomplish what he had set out to do chained down with responsibility here…
But that didn't make the sting of rejection any less. Beyond that, her soldiers had witnessed her shame. Now they knew that she had been defeated – that there was someone out there stronger than she.
Then again, they already knew that now. Nemo had decimated them. Though they had defeated the demon, a kingdom as prosperous as theirs would always have powerful enemies.
And now…and now she had to rule it alone.
"Princess…" Troy started, his voice touched with concern. "Are you all right?"
She laughed, and responded wryly: "I was tortured to death by darkness, lost in combat to a pirate, my kingdom was besieged, my father murdered, my hand rejected, and quite frankly, I'm hungry. But other than that, I'm doing pretty good."
Troy stood. "I will see about getting food sent to your room…If that green-headed freak will let anyone through."
"How did you get in if he's not letting anyone pass?"
Troy chuckled, then opened his arms toward her with a grin. "I'm Dodgy Troy, aren't I?"
She looked at him suspiciously. "Seriously though…"
"I did it in the fashion of any good Romeo," Troy informed her, smirking. "The balcony."
Helena glanced at the balcony and looked back at him dubiously. Her room was four stories up, with no climbing vine of any kind, and she saw no indication of a rope or ladder. And for all his talk, he made to exit through her bedroom door. Before she informed him that she thought he was full of it, she realized he had just referred to himself as Romeo.
"Troy…" she murmured.
"Yes, Princess?"
"I know you and I have been friends for a long time." She struggled to sit upright in bed so she could look at him. Her back hurt like Hades. Perhaps that was a good sign. At least she wasn't numb. "We've known one another since we were kids. But I can't make an exception for you."
"Princess, I…"
"I am not a mere woman," she told him. "I bear a crown. I bear responsibilities. This isn't about my personal feelings, or yours. This is about what is best for the Kingdom."
"I know, but…"
"If that is understood, you may go."
Troy clenched his fists, which shook. He turned to leave, but then changed his mind. Turning sharply back to her, he suddenly exhibited more emotion than he usually revealed, the smile leaving his eyes.
"Princess, I just routed a creature even you couldn't defeat. Surely that must mean something!" he cried. "What more must I do to prove myself your equal! Or at the least to prove myself useful to your kingdom?! Have I not risen to second in command faster and younger than any man on record? Have I not defeated difficult foes in your name? "
"Lieutenant General…!"
"Troy!" he spat. "I was once Troy to you, Helena. I would be again, if you'd stop acting so high and mighty about this."
Helena watched the anger and hurt in his face. Something about it all made her feel hollow, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Perhaps she was physically and emotionally too exhausted for this right now.
"Lieutenant General," she said more calmly. He stiffened angrily, but let her go on. "I have sworn an oath before the gods as well as men that I would give my kingdom to the man who could best me with a sword. Would you have me break my oath? Does a promise like that mean so little to you?"
"Helena…" he started beseechingly.
"Do not make me a liar. You condemn Roronoa for shaming me before my men, but you would do the same…far worse! You would shame me before the gods!" she informed him coldly. "If you want my hand so badly, then work for it."
"Work? WORK? I have worked!" he replied. "I have slaved away for you and your kingdom. What more would you have me do to prove that I love you, Helena?!"
She stared at him. He had every day implied those words, but this was the first time he had said them. Again, she just felt hollow. Perhaps the woman inside her had simply died when she first understood the weight of her crown. There was once a time when she would have flushed to her core to hear him say what he was saying now. Instead, her response came out expressing precisely what she felt:
"Troy, you have given me much," she told him quietly. "You have given me everything but what I have asked. My hand cannot be bartered for a different price."
Troy turned as if to go. "If that's the way you want it," he said, taking no further steps toward the door. Suddenly he turned, his swords in hand, and brandished one at her, inches from her nose."
"Fight me Helena. I challenge you here and now."
Helena stared at him. He couldn't be serious.
"Here is the answer to everything!" he told her. "If you feel the same for me too, say you will. Say you'll accept my challenge."
"There is no honor in my fighting you like this. Everyone would know it," she said. "I can hardly lift my arms."
"That's the point." Something about his tone turned menacing, but not in an utterly evil way, she reasoned. He just seemed desperate. It hurt her to see him like this. "And what people don't know can't hurt them," he went on, "For all your subjects have to know, we fought fair and square."
Helena closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't feel threatened by the close proximity of her friend's sword, just saddened by the turn of events. "You're also forgetting one thing, Lieutenant General…"
"What's that?"
"A witness," Zoro's voice said from the doorway. "And like Hell am I going to act as one."
A moment later, the gladius pointing at Helena's face flew through the air as it clashed with a katana. Troy lifted his other sword to defend himself, but Zoro was quicker and had surprise on his side. He disarmed Troy completely before the Lieutenant General had time to even think the word 'dodgy.'
"How'd you get in here?" Zoro growled, "I don't think I fell asleep."
Helena suppressed the sudden urge to laugh. Some watch dog, Zoro was. She should have expected as much. "Zoro!" she cried in a would-be reproachful tone. She wanted to be angry with him, but she was still amused that he'd been snoozing on the job. "I have plenty of countrymen to take care of me, thank you."
"Sorry, Helena," he replied, shooting her a smirk, "But you have too many fans among your countrymen who wanted to take advantage of your condition. This isn't the first man to think he could challenge you while you're down for the count."
"Mind your own business, Pirate," Troy spat.
"I am," Zoro replied menacingly. "My nakama are my business. While you may be able to dishonorably challenge Helena this way, she can't fight you unless you can reach her."
"Nakama…?" Helena murmured. She both loved and hated the sound of that. It brought the rejection of last night to the forefront of her mind, but she didn't have long to dwell on it.
"You forget who you're up against, Roronoa," Troy said.
Helena blinked, and suddenly Troy was up off of the ground and behind Zoro, planting a kick in the pirate's back that forced him into a crouch. Troy retrieved one of his swords and again brandished it at Helena before Zoro had time to turn.
In the course of events, she had shakily reached over to her nightstand. She blocked Troy's sword with the one weapon she was strong enough to lift; her dagger.
Troy let out a grunt of frustration, but then made to slash at her again and again. Each time she blocked him with the dagger, until at last she reached up her free arm and caught his sword at the hilt. Her dagger point rested half an inch from Troy's throat.
"I am the victor," Helena informed him. He stumbled back in shock, then dropped his sword and buried his face in his hand.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why do I keep thinking that I can possibly win?"
When he revealed his face, he had returned to his usual calm self. He bowed to Helena. "It would seem that even at your weakest you are still stronger than me, Princess. Forgive me for being over-zealous in my feelings. The heart is not an easy thing to tame."
When he had exited, Zoro sheathed his swords and shook his head. "That's why he'll never be able to beat you," he observed. "A swordsman must first master himself before he can master the blade. Coward."
"It is not your place to insult him, Zoro," Helena retorted, surprised by her own sudden anger on Troy's behalf. "You know nothing of the history between him and me."
"I don't need a history to know a gutless attack when I see one," he replied calmly. "He swung at you knowing you're in no shape to fight back."
"Troy and I have known each other since we were children," Helena informed him. "And he has pursued me for many years. I believe he's getting desperate. He cares for both me and for Ilium."
"He's got a funny way of showing it."
"Don't forget, you once attacked me when I was apparently helpless," Helena pointed out sharply. "You did it for my good, and I acknowledge that. He believes he is doing the same…ah!"
Zoro reached out to Helena in concern when she suddenly winced. Her muscles seemed to seize up with pain, and she dropped the dagger as her arm shook with exertion. He helped her lay back in the pillows and returned the dagger to her bedside.
Helena swore under her breath. "I can't afford to be like this now," she muttered through gritted teeth.
"You shouldn't have exerted yourself so soon," Zoro chided. "I'll get Chopper. He wanted to see you when you woke up."
"No, I'm sure there are others who need his help far more than I do right now," Helena replied, teeth still gritted through the pain. Her back was on fire. "I am immortal now; it's my people that I'm worried about."
Zoro nodded. "You are very much like your cousin," he observed.
"We have a lot in common I suppose," she replied with a pained smile. "We're both princesses, both headstrong, and both the Nakama of pirates."
Zoro smiled at Helena's comment. The smile faded as he realized he owed her an apology, and he wasn't sure how to go about it.
"Helena, listen, about what happened…" he trailed off, trying to choose the correct words.
"Yes, I am sorry about your crew," the Princess went on with a wince. Zoro couldn't tell if it was in physical pain, or from embarrassment. "I am sure they went through a lot before we arrived. I will make sure your ship is recovered and repaired, and that you are all compensated. Unfortunately things may be delayed with all that is going on…"
"No, that's not what I meant," Zoro said shortly.
Helena stopped speaking and looked at him attentively. He resisted the urge to look away.
"I never really had the chance to tell you that I wasn't prepared to accept your offer," he went on uncomfortably. "When the moment arrived, I had to decide between telling the truth or letting your men believe a lie. – I believe the lie would have been more shameful for both of us in the end."
"Roronoa Zoro," Helena replied heavily. "I am Princess Helena du Cygnus, soon to be Queen Helena du Cygnus. I am quite prepared to accept my own culpability in this, whatever my men may say of the matter. I do wish things could have happened less publically, but I do not blame you for my own folly. I assumed far too much, and was as capable of asking confirmation as you were of providing it."
Zoro blinked at her. Why had he expected her to make a fuss? Well, she had just lost her father, her mobility, and her fiancé all in the course of an evening. Not to mention just had an old friend and admirer attack her while she could hardly lift an arm to defend herself. Zoro had thought bringing anything up would be like poking an open wound, sure to make something gush out.
In the caves she had seemed fragile – on the verge of mental breakdown. Here she seemed strong. Too strong. So strong it was dishonest. But if that was the front she needed to put on to cope with her current situation, he wasn't about to call her out on it. It benefitted him anyway – crying women made him uncomfortable.
"Please promise me one thing," she went on. "I am sure you and your companions are eager to get on your way. But before you go, please…show my people that you are not their enemy."
His eyes flickered to the open collar of her shirt. Vest and cravat had been removed in the course of her treatment, leaving her in her sleeveless, button up underblouse. He could clearly see the scar Mihawk had given her, and he remembered what she had said about keeping her defeats a secret.
"Your people must know by now that there are some things you can't do for them, Helena," Zoro said. "Some enemies are too great, even for you."
"Please, Zoro…" she pled. "Don't be one of them."
Zoro sighed, but then nodded his agreement. All in all, it seemed like things would resolve themselves far better than he had thought.
If Zoro could hear the thoughts running through her head, he might have felt a good deal less content with the situation. Even as she spoke to him, Helena was cursing him roundly behind her patient façade.
Gee, Ohimesama, she thought in a stupider version of his voice, I never had the chance to say anything. We were only in those caves together for almost twenty-four waking hours. – By the way, Ohimesamea, I'm not your fiancé. By the way, Ohimesama I never really accepted your proposal. By the way, Ohimesama, before we start sharing deep, intimate information about ourselves, maybe you should know that we're NOT getting married!"
She would rather not part with the man on bad terms – after all, he now knew more about her than she was willing to share with most people – so she was excessively proud of herself for keeping her angry thoughts internal. Still, she was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check and hoped he would leave the room soon. She needed a few moments to herself.
What she got was not a moment to herself but another layer to her current predicament when the rumbling din of battle reached her from outside. Zoro, who was obviously more mobile, strode over to the glass door leading to her balcony. Throwing it open, he leaned over the white marble railing to survey the scene below. A moment later he placed a hand on his sword and a leg on the railing, like he meant to leap off of it.
"What's going on?" Helena demanded in frustration. Her curiosity drove her to try and push herself out of bed, but the pathos of her current situation hit home when she couldn't even roll over.
"Your people are fighting my crew!" he said. He tensed to spring into action again.
"Zoro, WAIT!" she demanded.
"What?" he snapped.
"I can probably stop it without bloodshed," she informed him. He stared at her. It appeared that she would have to spell it out for him. "Help me over there?" she asked bitingly.
He grunted impatiently, but let go of the hilt of his katana and returned to the room. Without much ceremony, he slid his arms under her and lifted her from the bed. When they reached the doorway, she smacked him, though not very hard in her current condition. Any energy she'd had she'd used up defending against Troy.
"Put me down, you idiot! I will not be seen being carried by a pirate, thank you very much!"
"Make up your mind!" he retorted in exasperation.
He put her on her feet in her doorway, just out of view of her subjects. The moment her bare feet touched the ground she realized it had been a bad idea. Both chills and fire ran up and down her spine, then her legs and lower back went numb so that she stumbled. Fortunately she managed to stumble up to the railing of the balcony, where she could at least use her still mobile arms to prop herself up.
When she caught sight of the goings-on below, she momentarily forgot the alarming state of her body. There were her men, and the pirates, and various citizens and castle workers, all duking it out without weapons in a slippery, sloshy battlefield of bright orange cheese.
The rank smell of it hit her nose in the already warm morning air. She gagged, but then a chuckle escaped her that turned into a full bodied laugh. The sound rang across the courtyard. It drew the attention of a few of the brawlers, which in turn drew the attention of more of them, until at last all were looking up at the Princess on the balcony.
Only two people seemed too engrossed in the fight to notice the sudden quietude around them. Straw Hat Luffy and General Hector continued their devil fruit brawl, which forced a wide berth in the crowd around them.
"That's for trying to execute us!" Luffy shouted, sucker punching Hector in the stomach.
The wooden man reformed himself around Luffy's fist, solidifying into one large trunk, then using arms that had become large branches, he smacked them down on Luffy's Rubber head:
"For lighting me on fire," Hector responded.
Luffy's head boinged back into place. "For sinking our ship! TWICE!" He wound up his arm and did a single fisted gatling. This forced Hector's trunk to break apart, freeing Luffy's trapped arm
"For murdering our Princess!"
"For tricking us into taking you onboard!"
"For being insufferably optimistic and gullible!"
"For lying and sneaking!"
The barrage of attacks and shouted justifications continued until at last Luffy and Hector hit each other at the same time, knocking one another flat. They slid back in the orange slime for several yards, as soldiers and laymen leapt out of the way to avoid being bowled over.
A moment later both sat up, blinking in the now harsh morning light. They eyed each other, covered in cheese, heard the princess's peals of laughter, then started laughing themselves.
Helena thought all in all the fight had been therapeutic for the two leaders. Now that they'd had their brawl they approached each other and shook hands, grinning.
"I see you are all eager to begin the funeral games early!" Helena called from her window. Her subjects cheered enthusiastically. "We've never had a Cheese War before. Which side would you say won?"
"We did of course!" Gloriadne cried. "More of us are left standing!"
Gloriadne pointed at several people, and Helena was surprised to discover that she included the Straw Hats with her "team." The Pirates had not been fighting alone.
"Don't be ridiculOUS GloriadNE!" Chef Feta cried in his outraaaaageous French accent. "You are all cov-erred in more cheese zan we ARE!"
"I believe it ended in a tie, Princess," a woman with dark skin and blue eyes put in. Helena recognized her as one of the pirates with devil fruit powers; Nico Robin if she wasn't mistaken. She was the only person in the group not covered in cheese. She handed a now clean straw hat back to Luffy, who took it gratefully. "Our leader and the leader of the other team both just shook hands."
"Indeed, I have to agree," Helena replied in amusement. "Unfortunately I can't grant a prize for tied games."
"What?" Hector's son, Astayanax called. "But we all won!"
"You all lost too!" Helena replied. "And as you know, the loser cleans up."
Everyone groaned, and then laughed.
"We have much work to do before any of the games can begin," Helena called down to them in a more sober voice. "Please organize yourselves under the direction of General Hector. I promise the funeral games honoring King Cygnus and all those who died under the recent scourge will be games like none in our recorded history!"
More cheering ensued, and Helena smiled at them. There was one more thing she needed to do before she could get away from this blasted balcony. Her body shook with the simple exertion of standing upright, but she couldn't let her subjects see.
"Straw Hat Luffy," she called down to the pirate captain. "Could you come here please?"
Luffy looked at her a moment, then he stretched, throwing off most of the slippery orange gunk that coated him as he flew through the air. He landed on the balcony to stand before the Princess, looking puzzled.
"On behalf of my people, I formally apologize for what was done to you and your crew," she said loud enough for all to hear. "Please stay as our honored guests for the coming ceremonies."
Using her arms and the balcony railing, she fell to one knee before him. Everyone gasped. Royalty in Ilium rarely bowed to anyone, something Helena knew well. It was a risk, showing reverence to a pirate. Her people might see her as weak or yielding, and it was one of the first actions she had performed as the sole ruler of the Kingdom.
But it was also the right thing to do. Her people needed to know that the Straw Hats were not their enemies. Beyond that, her word had been broken toward Zoro's friends, and the way Helena saw it, she was worth nothing if not her word.
In the silent moment to follow, Helena realized she had made a very, very big mistake. Not in the respect she chose to show, but in the physical action she had just taken. Her body had stopped screaming at her in protest, and simply decided to shut down. Everything went weak, from her arms downward, and her head became very, very heavy. She couldn't afford to collapse in front of her people like this, not here, not now, but a black cloud covered her vision despite her efforts to blink it away.
When Luffy spoke, his voice seemed far away:
"Your General has treated my crew with dignity," he said only loud enough for her to hear. "He allowed us to choose our sentence, and to die as proud pirates rather than murderers. So long as he can repair our ship, I see no reason not to be friends."
"We will…gladly repair your ship…or provide…a replacement if you'd rather," she hoped what she said was making sense. The words were becoming jumbled in her mind. "And compensation besides."
"Compensation?" the young captain asked.
"Supplies. Food. Funding. Whatever you need. My word was broken," she replied through gritted teeth. "Am about to…begin reign. Must show… word is bond. Besides…Zoro is …Nakama."
Luffy grinned from ear to ear at her response – particularly at the word 'food.' He also seemed to realize by now how hard she struggled to keep upright or even speak. She blessed him in the name of every god she knew when he reached down, took her by the forearm as though shaking it, and proclaimed in a loud voice, "We're glad to stay!"
He was a lot stronger than he looked. Using his grip on her arm, he pulled her to her feet and put an arm around her as though they were chums. In reality he was just keeping her upright as he called down at his crew. "You guys ok with that? They're gonna repair our ship."
His crew responded in the affirmative. More cheering ensued as Luffy waved to the crowd; her people and the pirates were apparently friends, now that they'd had it out in the cheese battle.
Helena barely managed a smile. Her face, indeed her whole body had gone numb, but somehow she kept her head upright as Luffy turned her around and marched her back into her room. She wanted to shout some excuse out to the crowd for him to do so – something about discussing plans, as it would be quite indecent for her to be alone with a pirate in her room (and Zoro had kept out of sight per her request), but she blacked out before the words could even form on her lips.
Zoro helped Luffy lower Helena back into her bed once they had crossed the threshold of her room. He didn't say anything to the captain – in his mind, Luffy had done the only obvious thing to do, which was help Helena save face in front of her people.
"She's crazy," Luffy observed, hat over his face. "She didn't need to do that."
"I think in her mind she did," Zoro replied, gazing down at her. She looked alarmingly pale. Immortal or not, he'd have Chopper or another one of the palace doctors look at her soon. "It looks like we'll be able to relax here a few days, anyway. Sounds like these 'funeral games' will include plenty of food and booze. Any complaints?"
"Nope!" Luffy replied with a grin. "Well, except one."
"What's that?" Zoro asked, prepared for a laugh. He was pretty sure the captain would say something ridiculous as always.
"You're not allowed to change your mind."
"About what?"
"About her proposal."
Zoro couldn't chuckle at this, though it did confuse him. "What are you talking about? I didn't accept it, right?"
"You didn't turn it down, either," Luffy pointed out sulkily. "You neither accepted nor declined."
"What?" Zoro stared at him. "Wait, but I…"
Now that Luffy mentioned it, it was true that Zoro had never flatly refused. He just said he hadn't accepted, which wasn't the same as declining. He'd have to clarify this with the Princess at some point, he realized. The very thought of bringing up the topic of marriage again sent a chill down his spine.
Then again, as things stood they were in no agreement to get married, so nothing really had to change. If the topic never came up, he didn't have address it. Satisfied now that he didn't have to go through any more embarrassment on the matter, he turned back to his captain:
"Trust me, Luffy," he said flatly. "I have no interest in getting married, especially not now, and especially not to a princess. "
"Good!" Luffy said with a grin. "I wouldn't give you permission anyways."
"I don't need your permission to get married, idiot!"
"Yes you do! I'm your captain!"
The resulting scuffle came to an end a few moments later when Chopper came through the door. He'd rinsed himself clean of the cheese, so he smelled a little bit like wet reindeer, but it was better than the fetid orange goo from earlier. Robin followed him through the door, pushing a stretcher.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" he cried. "DON'T GO FIGHTING AROUND MY PATIENT!" He grew to his adult size and pulled the Luffy and Zoro apart. If they had really wanted to continue fighting they would have, but were willing to comply when he pointed out, "She's a paraplegic. If you go overturning her bed, you'll make matters worse!"
"Paraplegic…?" Zoro asked. "Chopper, you don't mean..." He turned to glare at Robin, but Chopper was quick to jump to her rescue.
"This probably has nothing to do with Robin's assistance earlier," the doctor said, shrinking down to his usual size. "I want to take an x-ray to be sure. But all her moving about probably exacerbated her back injury."
Zoro felt like he'd been sucker punched to the gut. This was really bad. If Helena was paralyzed, there was no way she'd be able to help her kingdom, and no way to keep the suitors off.
"We need to transport her to the infirmary, stat," Chopper went on.
"No!" Zoro said suddenly before he realized what he was saying. When the others stared at him, he explained more sedately: "We can't let her be seen like this. She just convinced everyone that she's back on her feet again, which will deter most of the suitors from challenging her while she's down for the count. If they find out about this…"
"Zoro, it's only a matter of time before everybody knows," Chopper said quietly. "It's more important that she's treated."
"No," Luffy cut in. In the silence to follow, he didn't offer an explanation, but it was clear he was on Zoro's side. After all, the pirate captain had just helped Helena maintain the act.
"Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed in exasperation, after waiting for him to go on.
Robin had that archaic smile on her face. "The captain's orders are the captain's orders are they not?" she put in. Chopper looked betrayed:
"But what about the doctor's orders?" he muttered almost tearfully.
"Perhaps there is a way to get her to the infirmary unseen," she offered. She pointed toward the wall opposite Helena's bed, which held a shelf full of books about history and politics. "There's a hidden passage behind that."
Luffy grew excited at hearing this. "Really? That's so cool!" He started checking books, pulling them willy-nilly from the shelves. "One of these is the lever, right?"
Highly affronted, Robin caught the books as they fell, using her powers to make the job easier with her multiple arms. Before the captain could get too far, she used her powers to restrain him, and placed the books on the floor in a neat little pile.
"There's an easier way," she pointed out. A moment later, multiple arms appeared on the shelves. As one, they tipped each of the books, activating the secret switch and then putting the books back into place.
The bookshelf swung open silently, while Luffy looked on with utter delight. Zoro was also impressed, though not by the secret passageway itself:
"How did you know this was here?" he asked.
"I got a good feel for the layout of the castle while searching it with my powers," Robin replied. "I'm not fully sure where this comes out, but if we can get her away from her room no one should be suspicious that the woman in the stretcher is the princess."
"But people will be suspicious that they saw you approach her room with a stretcher in the first place," Zoro pointed out.
"I don't think so," Robin replied, "All the young suitors outside her door are unconscious. I wonder how that could have happened, Swordsman."
"We have enough patients without you adding more," Chopper grumbled.
"I used the opposite side of my blades," Zoro said defensively, "If any of them got hurt it was their own fault."
"I'll worry about them later," Chopper said, rolling the gurney up to Helena's bedside, "We've got a bigger case on hand."
When Helena next awoke, it was to white curtains and the bleep of her own heartbeat on a screen. Numbing medication dulled her senses, but after a while she felt her face contort in rage as anger filled her. What was she doing here of all places? This would ruin everything she had just tried to accomplish on the balcony.
She wanted to reach out and pull the drip from her arm, but she couldn't move. Zoro's face came into view. Before she could open her mouth to speak he held a finger to his lips. She couldn't comprehend why he would tell her to be quiet, and wanted to inform him of such, but couldn't maintain a train of thought long enough to form a sentence.
"No one knows you're here, Princess," a familiar voice said beside her. It was General Hector. "You just came out of surgery. Please try to keep your voice down or you'll be recognized."
"She probably doesn't understand anything you're saying, General," Dr. Chopper said.
"I understand everything he just said," Helena responded in a harsh whisper. "What am I doing here?" she addressed the last biting remark to Zoro, who looked uncomfortable. He let Chopper respond for him.
"There's no easy way to tell you this, Princess," he said, taking her hand. "You are paralyzed from the waist down. There is no chance of full recovery."
She blinked at him.
"I don't think she understood you, Doctor," Hector said gently.
"No, I understood," Helena replied. "Who knows about this?"
"Myself and the Straw Hats," Hector replied somberly.
"Good," Helena replied, "Please keep it that way."
"Princess, you can't keep this a secret for long," Hector informed her quietly. "Soon everyone will know.
"No! The funeral games, who…?"
"Nysa has taken charge," Hector replied. "We told them you were busy overseeing castle repairs."
"I must preside over the games. It's tradition…"
"Princess, stop. Take time to at least recover some of your strength, or you'll be useless to the kingdom," Hector soothed.
"I already am," Helena spat. She swore vehemently under her breath in several languages, before a plan started to formulate in her mind. Before she could vocalize it, someone spoke from outside the curtains:
"General Hector, this is Dr. Faustus." Helena recognized the voice of Paion Faustus' son. "I have grave news about your wife."
The color drained from Hector's face. He stood and quickly left the curtained off area. Helena couldn't hear what was said, but Chopper shook his head sadly.
"What's wrong with Andromache?" Helena asked him desperately, almost forgetting to keep her voice down.
"She's lost far too much blood. I don't think she's strong enough to fight the infection. We tried our best, but she has until tomorrow morning at most…"
Helena swore again under her breath.
"Most of the patients in here are facing fatal injuries," Chopper went on in a hushed tone. He looked upset. It seemed he was taking the current mortality rate rather personally.
"Chopper…" Zoro chided quietly.
Helena felt more anger swell within her at her current plight and the plight of her people. Then she started to again lose her grip on consciousness. She couldn't tell if she spoke loudly or softly, but she quickly gave her orders to Zoro and Chopper before her vision clouded over:
"Get me back to my room. I need an audience with all of you. Wake me when we're there…"
