Ch. 28 – Pomegranate Wine

Helena had always thought that Zoro would enjoy the City of Dionysus festival, given the opportunity. She couldn't help pointing this out as she walked through the decorated streets with her arm through his. "It's a festival that celebrates the God of Metamorphisis," she explained to him. "Anyone can be anything they want to be…"

"Or don't want to be," he retorted.

"But you do make a lovely fox, Dear," Helena assured him with a giggle as he shook his head, scowling. "—Anyway, it is a festival of transformation. We celebrate it through playacting, and liquor."

"I can definitely get behind that last part."

They were both handed a number of free samples and shots as they meandered beneath canopies of stringed lights and grapevines. It never really struck her as strange that hers were always given to her in a special cup, kept separate from the rest. She was the queen after all.

Zoro didn't seem to have any trouble holding his liquor, but when they had both had enough, they started to make their way back homeward.

"Waaaah!" a sudden cry drew their attention to Perona, who stumbled through the streets on her pigeon toes, holding lacy handkerchief to her eyes. "That was so dramatic, and romantic, and sad!"

"What's the matter with her?" Helena asked.

"I have no idea," Zoro replied with a shrug.

"Zoro!" she cried, flouncing toward them in a new black dress and a red top hat, probably both festival finds. Though it was night time, she also had a brand new parasol slung over her shoulder. "I just saw a play about you! You fought so hard for her and then she died and you couldn't save her! It was all for nothing! Waaaaah!"

"There's a play about us?" Zoro asked, intrigued.

"Of course there is," Helena replied, before turning to the sobbing Perona. "You do realize I'm still alive though, right? I was able to come back because…"

"Shhh!" Perona commanded sharply, shoving a finger over Helena's lips. "Don't ruin a perfect tragedy!"

"The play ends with you dying?" Zoro asked Helena as the Queen swatted Perona's hand away. "Seems like a real bummer."

"It ended with BOTH of you dying," Perona sobbed. "You went to the underworld with her as her entourage, but then your crew brought you back to life and she was left all alone in death. You gave such a beautiful soliloquy!"

"It won a lot of awards at its first City of Dionysus festival after you left," Helena said with a shrug. "I guess people like a good Catharsis now and then. Though it is curious…"

"What is?" Perona asked. "Of course it won awards. It was dreadful!" she sighed wistfully.

"Well, these plays usually come in sets of three. I don't know how they intend to make a sequel after they left me dead." Helena smiled wryly at Zoro, "I'm sure they've got plenty of material for another one now, what with your recent homecoming."

"That means I'll be in it!" Perona put in in sudden excitement. She narrowed her gaze at Helena goadingly. "They'll probably make me Zoro's interim lover to balance out you and Calypso."

"WHAT?" Zoro cried, flushing.

Helena chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like something the playwrights would throw in."

Perona cocked her head. "Wait, that was supposed to make you mad," she said. "Zoro showed up to this island with me. I was with him the past two years. Aren't you worried he and I were lovers?"

Helena let out a gut laugh. This Perona person was apparently a fan of drama, and not afraid to stir it up herself. "No," she said flatly. "You aren't even remotely his type, Miss Perona. I think you'd sooner kill one another."

Zoro nodded curtly. "It was a close call a few times, actually," he affirmed.

"Don't act all tough!" Perona snapped. "You owe me your life, you jerk. Just remember that!" She scrunched her face at him derisively, but then fell in step beside them, twirling her parasol.

"So, what's this play about us called, anyway?" Zoro asked, smirking.

"It's got a lame title," Perona said grumpily.

"Really?" Helena asked. "I rather liked it."

"It's called The Straw Hats and the Iliad," Perona said, making a face.

"Yeah, that is pretty lame," Zoro agreed.


Zoro and Helena thought they'd round off their evening by making an appearance at the party held in the palace itself. Clean up crews had worked miracles with the wrecked throne room, though they hadn't had time to repair any but the most pressing of the damage. Hector's trees still provided wall supports, and the enormous hole Zoro had cut through the ceiling let in starlight, giving the whole setting a sylvan, almost otherworldly feel.

Despite a recent tragedy, Helena's favorite musicians from Homer's put on a beautiful performance. Zoro made sure to dance with his wife, lest she forget that he knew how. Anyway, the musicians happened to play their wedding song, so he couldn't exactly say no.

The one dance reminded them both how exhausted they were. They soon made their way to the upper balcony surrounding the throne room, which gave them an excellent view of the energetic dancing below. Luckily, the balcony itself was practically deserted, which meant they had a few moments to themselves.

"This is nice," Helena said, leaning against his shoulder. "You know, we didn't get a chance to really date before we got married."

Zoro chuckled. "Whose fault was that?"

"Hey, don't blame me! You gave out mixed signals," Helena scoffed, but the sharpness of her retort was swallowed up by a broad yawn.

"You ready to turn in for the night?" Zoro asked.

"It's still a little early, don't you think?" Helena replied, but she yawned again despite attempts to stifle it.

"I told you you should have taken a nap with Kuina and me," Zoro scolded. "Come on, you look exhausted."

Helena nodded. "Fine. But we should try some of the pomegranate wine before we go," she said. "They pulled out a new, clean vintage for tonight: poison free, I mean."

"I'll get it. You wait here," Zoro said, partly so she wouldn't grab any of the real stuff by mistake. It would be just his luck that she'd end up drunk before they could finish out their evening.

But when Zoro returned (a few wrong turns later), he found his place taken. And by Calypso Short-Stuff Blue, no less. The scoundrel at least kept a respectful foot or so of distance between himself and Queen, but he leaned on the balcony railing beside her, deep in conversation.

Neither seemed to have noticed Zoro yet. He ducked behind a nearby buttress, clutching the wine glasses in his hands with a white knuckled grip. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around from his hiding place in time to see Calypso offer the Queen a glass of wine. She took it but didn't drink.

"I meant to apologize," Calypso said. "I did more harm than good in the battle out there, mon."

"Not at all," Helena replied. "If you mean what happened to Mycanae, you'll be pleased to hear that while there was a good deal of property damage, there was only one civilian death. The majority of the casualties happened among my soldiers while they were stuck as cattle, actually. So in that regard, we owe you a great debt. You turned the tide of the battle when you took down Circe."

A satisfied smile crept over Calypso's face at this. Something about it made Zoro's skin crawl. The expression soon changed to something more empathetic. "Only one civilian casualty?" Calypso asked. "That's pretty miraculous, mon. And yet you still seem sad…?"

"It was a personal friend of mine. Enough that I helped light his funeral pyre on the beachthis morning," Helena murmured. "His name was Homer. I don't know if you've heard of him, he ran a wonderful pub restaurant outside the wall. It's gone now. It was completely destroyed in the battle…"

Calypso nodded. "Yes, I've been there a fair few times, mon," he said, then went on to confess, "I actually sought the place out when I heard you had particular friends there."

He looked at her meaningfully with those stupid, soulful blue eyes of his. Zoro thought now would be the perfect time to interrupt the conversation, but something vindictive inside him made him wait. He wanted to see how Helena would handle this.

"'Elena," Calypso said, reaching out to touch her arm. She intentionally angled her posture away, pulling herself free. –an obvious and polite rejection. "Please, hear me out, mon," he insisted, lowering his voice enough that Zoro had to strain his ears to hear him over the music and dancers below. "'Elena, you do realize he's going to leave you again, don't you? It will be years before you see him."

"Indeed," she said with diplomatic grace, swilling the wine. "I am prepared to wait."

"He shouldn't be asking you to wait," Calypso insisted, brow furrowed. "If he were a real man, he'd…"

"He is not asking me to wait, sir. He's has never asked that," Helena replied calmly. "I am choosing to do so. I could just as soon leave my kingdom for him as ask him to leave his dream for me."

"But…"

"Don't worry about me," she replied, as if her well-being were truly Calypso's only concern. "I am happy to wait, for you see, Roronoa Zoro is a man worth waiting for."

Calypso sighed. "I know better than to try and dissuade you when you've made up your mind like that, Your Majesty," he said, lifting his glass. "A toast, then, to your vagabond of a husband. May he deserve you someday."

Helena smiled wryly and tapped her glass to his. "May I deserve him, better put," she said, and drank.

And drank!

Zoro realized the moment it touched her lips that Calypso had not been as careful as he had been about bringing Helena fake wine. One small sip and the glass tumbled from her grasp to shatter at her feet. Her eyes glazed, and she stumbled so that Calypso had to catch her.

Zoro stepped out of hiding only to stop short in shock as the other man spoke to the queen in low, rapid tones:

"Your inhibitions keep you from saying what you truly feel, mon," he murmured to her. "Tell me, 'Elena. Do you really want to face the coming years alone?"

He'd gotten her drunk on purpose! Zoro dropped the wine he'd been carrying, and his hands flew to the hilt of his katana, but Calypso went on before he could draw:

"You deserve someone to come home to," he insisted brazenly. "You don't have to torment yourself like this, mon."

Helena giggled, and Zoro steeled himself for what would come out of her mouth. He determined not to hold it against her:

"Blue," she told him, blinking at his face. "You're real handsome. You know that? You make me just wanna…just wanna…"

Calypso grinned. "Just say it, mon!"

"Just wanna…smack you in your pretty face," she spluttered, and then she did, hard. Calypso dropped her in shock. She fell back against the balcony, holding herself upright with noodley arms. She pushed herself to her feet so she could shake her finger at his nose:

"Listen good, 'cause I don't wanna hafta say this to you anymore," she slurred, glaring at him cross-eyed. "Zoro's the one I want to come home to someday. An'…if I want him then, I gotta wait for him now, don't I?"

"But…"

"Yes, he does have a cute butt," Helena went on. "But that's not the only reason I love him. …helps though."

Calypso stared at her, mouth agape. When he finally composed himself, he shook his head with would-be sorrow. "He could disappear again, mon. It won't be long after that that you'll realize your faith has been misplaced."

"Nah, I learned my lesson," Helena insisted. "Now, you should prolly take the next boat offa the island. I don't wanna banish you after you helped us out so much, so don't make me, 'kay?"

"'Elena…!" Calypso started, taking a step toward her with his arms out as though he would grab her. He stopped suddenly when Zoro's katana rested lightly on his shoulder from behind.

"You do realize when a woman says No, she means No, right?" Zoro growled.

"Zoro!" Helena cried, her face brightening with delight as she stumbled toward him. "We were just talking about you!"

She misjudged the distance and stumbled into his chest. He raised an eyebrow at her as she blinked with a dreamy smile on her face. "I've had some, hic, wine. Can we got to bed now?" she asked.

Zoro frowned at her. The woman could barely walk or even talk straight. Calypso had effectively ruined whatever time they had left tonight.

Without moving his katana, Zoro grabbed his wife in one arm and threw her over his shoulder. "You're going to bed," he told her. "After that, I've got someone's butt to kick for ruining the rest of our evening."

"Roronoa," Calypso murmured with a cheeky grin on his face despite the sword still resting on his shoulder. "You do realize I knew you were there the whole time, right?"

"Whether you realized it or not, you've gotta be pretty sick to try and seduce her again under my own roof. Especially while I'm still at home."

"I did it for your sake," he replied calmly. "Now you know she's yours, don't you? Even drunk, she is still loyal to you."

"I'm not drunk!" Helena put in. "There's definitely no blood in my alcohol system."

Zoro and Calypso ignored her.

"You should thank me," Calypso insisted.

"I should run you through," Zoro snarled. "But out of thanks for what you did to help Helena and her people, I'll stick with what she asked and invite you to leave before it comes to that." He pulled his sword away sharply, nicking the collar of Calypso's shirt in warning.

"You don't want that, mon," Calypso asserted. "Elena still needs me here while you're away, and you know it. She and her people aren't strong enough on their own. Besides, she needs a teacher…"

Zoro paused to glare at him over his free shoulder.

"You saw it too, didn't you, mon?" Calypso insisted, turning to face him. "She has a natural gift with haki. She could become powerful beyond belief if only she honed it, but she barely knows what it is. I could teach her."

Zoro stared at him hard, seriously contemplating what he said. She did need a teacher, but Calypso of all people? "That's for her to decide," he said at length.

He turned to go, swinging Helena about. She apparently had a sudden epiphany when she caught sight of Calypso again.

"I figgered out what you are!" she cried, pointing a finger at him with sudden ferocity. "You're a spy!"

Calypso and Zoro both stared at her for a moment. Then Calypso burst into loud laugher.

"Ah ha ha ha! A spy!" he guffawed. "I liked your bounty hunter theory better, mon. That means I've been here lying in wait to bring in your husband's big, empty head."

"Humm…then what are you?" Helena demanded. "A superhero?"

Zoro still had his katana in hand, and used the flat of it to swat Helena on the behind. "That's enough out of you."


Zoro carefully lifted the covers and lay Helena, fully dressed but free of her swords, in her bed. He'd already hung her swords in their usual spot from one of her bedposts.

Light from the hallway spilled over her as she settled into the pillows with her eyes half closed. When he turned to leave, she grasped him loosely by the hem of his sleeve.

"Zoro…" she whined. "Come to bed."

He shook his head at her. "I don't care if you're my wife," he told her flatly. "I'm not going to bed you drunk."

"But…" she blinked blearily at him. "You're leaving soon…"

"You're also exhausted," he reminded her. He'd been ready to murder Calypso, but maybe this was the only way she'd ever get a proper rest. "You do realize sleep is as important to your training as working out, right?"

Helena didn't answer him. Her grip had come loose from his sleeve and her eyes had fallen shut. She let out a soft snore.

"Maybe one day you'll learn the virtue of naps," he chuckled. Removing her crown, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

He turned and placed the laurel circlet on her nightstand, searching for the nightlight she kept there. It was gone. Well aware of his wife's fear of the dark, he looked around the room for it, but couldn't find it at first glance. Strange.

As Queen, Helena had a spacious bedroom with a good deal of sumptuous but practical furniture. Among other things, she had her vanity where she got ready for the day, her bookshelf, the table she and Kuina took lunch at together, a toy chest, a rocking chair…

–and tucked in one corner she had a writing desk with an electric lamp on it. That would have to do. Hopefully it wasn't too bright.

Zoro flipped the switch, blinking through the soft but sudden influx of light. When his vision cleared, his eye caught on an open letter box with several envelopes sticking out of it. The first one was addressed to him!

He reached for it, but then paused with his hand in the air. If she had wanted him to see it she would have given it to him, right? But then, it did have his name on it.

He glanced back at Helena. She was still sound asleep. Curiosity mounting, he retrieved the letter. It wasn't sealed, so he slid it easily from the envelope and flipped it open.

"Beloved," it read. "I am well aware of our agreement, but I believe you have a right to know. You are going to be a father."

Zoro's eye widened, taking in the date at the top of the letter. She had written it a month or so after he'd left.

The letter went on with some of what she had already told him; how Andromache, Hector, and Cygnus had figured out her pregnancy over lunch one afternoon. – how they had decided to keep the pregnancy under wraps for as long as they could manage. It detailed how they had sworn the palace doctor to secrecy. –how Andromache insisted on changing her training regimen. –how her father had kept asking her if she really felt fit to rule.

She didn't say anything about the kingdom specifically; just poured out her feelings of excitement and her fears. She signed it as his loving wife, just like the vivre card.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and again glanced back at his Helena. What a difference it might have made if she had sent it to him!

When he turned back to the writing table, he noticed another envelope with his name on it now at the front of the letter box. He grabbed it, curiosity overcoming his earlier reticence, only to find another addressed to him beneath it, and another. The entire letter box, in fact, only contained letters for him!

"Dearest Zoro, the second letter read, "I decided not to send the last letter, as it seemed to be a breach of the provisos I put into place. I don't want to distract you or make you feel like you need to come home. Everything is fine here. Anyway, it could endanger our child should the letter be intercepted. I wish I could talk to you about names at least. If he's a boy, I was thinking maybe Aeneas or Telemachus. Both are good, strong Iliad names. I can't decide what I should name her if she's a girl…"

"You picked good names without my help," Zoro murmured, smiling softly.

A creak out in the hallway made him pause. It was a servant walking by. Zoro stood and closed the door to ward off further interruptions, then quickly settled in to read more.

"…I can't decide what I should name her if she's a girl. Pray the gods our child isn't a girl! I don't want her to go through what I did. Whatever happens though, I promise to keep our child safe."

Zoro frowned pensively, realizing that these letters might not be a comfortable read. Here was the first inkling of the devastation Helena would face when she couldn't save both their children.

"…I've thrown away my nightlight," she went on, "I don't want our child to grow up encumbered by my fears. I've been training to overcome my fear of the dark, and I think I've realized that it's more a fear of what I can't defend against. That technique you taught me for cutting steel seems to be helping, actually.…"

Her hope and self-confidence made him smile. Would that it would last!

Though he knew he was about to delve into the depths of her tragedy, he couldn't bring himself to stop reading. And just as he expected, he found more than he bargained for.