Rin
As busy as I was, this story has never left my mind and has always hovered among the backburners of my mind. So when i finally had the chance to sit down and eek out a few sentences, i did just that...for the next four weeks. I wrote the last few sentences on a scratch paper when inspiration hit me during one of my evening classes. I wanted to hit my usual number cap per chapter but i couldn't go on; this seem like the perfect place to stop for this chapter so i decided to end it there.
Here, we begin the Monarch's backstory. Don't worry we'll jump right back to the present in no time but I couldn't give you guys such a shallow background of a villain i put so much effort into creating. So please enjoy this backstory!
When I write, i tend to stray away from the main story and write snippets of scenes that could possibly meld with future parts of the story. Imagine my surprise when i found a scene i wrote connected exactly where we were at! Haha i love it when that happens, it puts a smile on my face.
jolphuong: (14) I'm actually trilingual :) I'm sure you're doing just fine with your life. (35) I know that feeling! When you get so immersed into something that you end up crashing into things - in my case, a pole or two- and barely make it class on time. ^^ (34) The Monarch is impossible to console with, she's got her own closet of skeletons. I doubt even Nami's thunderbolt can save her now. Faith will be on her way in no time!
Mistress of Dragons: Thank you! I hope we all went a bit gooey there! I really wanted to pop in something for ZoNa since i've been working too long into the plot but i'm glad you enjoyed it! So many questions that i unfortunately can answer just yet ;) but hopefully this chapter might give you some context of her nature.
I do not own One Piece that belongs to Oda, the initial concept belongs to Hanzatsu-Hime.
They called her Monarch when her origins did not even closely derive from noble birth. They worshipped and obeyed her not for her physical prowess or her stature when she was dredged from the bottom of the pit to begin with. However, what she didn't have she replaced with the mental expertise of a strategist that allowed her to possess the entire island of Nishima.
With her deception, they hailed her as royalty. With her iron fist, they praised her of the last decade of peace, protection, and order she brought when she herself balanced on the very edge of insanity.
She was a 'god' of the island.
Who wouldn't enjoy that kind of privilege?
They were a village of simple-minded people who went about their lives in a manner that bespoke of many generations of peace, prosperity and an overwhelming joy that disgusted her to no end.
It was the first thing she got rid of when she took the throne, a cathedra that once belonged to her father; happiness had no place in the royal scheme of things she had in mind for this island.
She'd been raised in the very depths of poverty. The clothes on her back and the plain, obsidian choker she wore round her throat were the only things she possessed.
That had been stripped from her too, taken and sold for a few measly beli to satisfy her rumbling belly.
As a child, she was an anomaly, a beautiful oddity with hair in different shades of cornsilk and skin a soft flaxen pastel dotted by a light spatter of freckles. Just below her pert nose was a plush mouth of cherubic rose fitted to a willowy body and equally slender arms and delicate fingers. Those fingers now dug viciously into the wooden pole in an effort to keep her tears from spilling out of those large eyes that shone like new leaf in the summer when an enormous torso slid down to a knee.
A finger tilted her lowered head up and as her emerald orbs widened in recognition, she began to tremble violently. She did not shake because of the fact that she was up on the chopping block, but the guillotine that had been chosen for her impending doom.
She had every reason to be fearful.
Dom Ivankov was the leader of one of the most notorious Bratva organizations in the Old World. It was impossible not to understand the petrifying amount of fear his name held in the hearts of criminals. The minute few who failed to meet the bargain they struck with the man marked the end of their existence.
He held all the cards in his hand, the skies were his throne and the earth his footstool. The world had a choice; bend their back to his will or he would break it. And while Dom wasn't known to make allies more than he was for creating enemies, the few he chose to side with were equally if not more, powerful than he.
All of a sudden, this six feet seven, broad shouldered, smoldering Russian dressed in expensive Armenian leather now wanted something no other human in the universe would ever be able to guess.
A daughter.
Not a son my readers, a daughter.
You see, no woman could sink her claws into the man. The grapevines had been fluttering about the man who was now approaching his forties without a woman at his side. Even with the number of women that graced his bed, none had been able to keep his attention for long. However, the need for an heir to his throne, a child who would one day inherit this vast expanse of his domain and continue her father's legacy. It was a daunting thought for the person who would one day step into his shoes.
For a woman to accomplish such a task? It was simply unheard of.
No one saw this coming, not even the associates he called "brother" had an inkling of his proposal.
The child's brows drew together in a mighty squint and she shut her eyes and tightened her grip on the banister. The orphanage's caretaker, Katarina had been more than reluctant to sell her because of her rather "unique" features that "earned her keep." As Ivankov's hand stroked her hair, she struggled not to cringe,
"This one is a pleasure to look at. I can only imagine how stunning she would become as a woman." She ducked her head as the warden eagerly nodded and batted her false lashes and fingered the chain of pearls she always wore around her neck,
"Two years ago, one of the workers found her stranded in the middle of the East Blue when they were shipping cargo. Imagine my surprise when they came back with a child tied up and caged." The woman cast a contemptuous glance at her, "the little savage nearly bit my hand off when I tried to get near her." Dom raised a brow, the slightest hint of interest in that movement,
"Is that so?" Tumultuous power dripped from those three words and Katarina, shot him one of her sickening coy smiles and moved closer,
"The poor thing was in need of a strong role model not to mention a motherly figure to guide her and show her how a proper lady looks and acts." Katarina pursed scarlet lips and reached out boldly to place the tips of her fingers onto the Bratva's arm, "but I suppose if you purchase her, you might require someone to assist her to continue to teach her. You see, she hasn't fully adapted to our customs yet." The orphan squirmed uncomfortably beneath his penetrating gaze, instantly aware the second the Russian's aura fractionally darkened at the caretaker's touch. There was no mistaking the hum of a beast underneath the façade of politeness he threw up. Even the fancy suit could not distract her from the ominous waves that screamed danger!
Katarina must have been the only one stupid enough not to pick it up because the warden only pressed closer and pushed her already scandalous cleavage even higher. "If you like, I could-" a large, trimmed hand closed over her bare shoulder, preventing her from taking another step further.
"You're about to bite off more than you can chew Miss Katarina." The smooth and cultured tenor of Dom's underboss, Vincent went a long way to soothing the orphan's rattled nerves as Katarina shot him a sulky pout,
"I'm only making a suggestion to Mr. Ivankov." Vincent let out a specious chuckle and casually reached over to create a rift between his boss and the caretaker with his arm,
"Then I suggest you make your offer where you are not counting your body as some sort of bonus." Katarina's bee-stung pout vanished, a scowl replacing her cosmetic coated face,
"How dare you!" she hissed and the girl cringed, ready for the warden to deliver a stinging remark at the man,
"Enough." The air around the entire premise stiffened and wrapped its occupants into a stifling fist. Choking power swamped the entire room. Everyone save for the underboss crumbled to their knees as a menacing entity flashed over Dom's eyes before it settled and the large man reached a looming hand out to grasp the orphan's face. Summer green orbs glared valiantly back at him behind a glaze of unshed tears as she tried her best to keep her head high. Her tongue swiped at the dagger tips of her canines as she stared at Dom Ivankov, watching as he observed her reaction underneath a set of teal orbs that reminded her of the broken stained glass she had once seen. Again, that low-pitched contralto that resonated within her body vibrated,
"What do you wish for?" She inspected his face, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Silence awaited her answer. She swallowed, her throat clenched and whispered,
"The moon and the stars," the faintest spark of amusement tweaked Dom's lip and he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone where she knew a bruise was on its way,
"Why desire what belongs to the night?" Her small body tensed and she forced herself not to shy away,
"Because," her voice dropped and Dom bent even lower to hear,
"Why child" he murmured and she licked her lips nervously,
"Because the moon fell off the night sky to look for his stars," the Bratva gazed at her, waiting,
"And where did the stars go?" she pressed the tips of her fingers to her chest and tapped,
"Here." Emboldened, she extended her hand to the man who the world shaking at his feet and touched his chest, "and here." Something akin to childlike wonder shone in the Bratva only to disappear just as quickly.
His gaze dragged down to the thick chain wrapped around her ankle and then to the even thicker beam that supported the roof and zeroed onto it,
"Why chain the child?" she did not miss the way his brows narrowed dangerously down in a swift motion and the slight tick of a tendon on his neck expressing his obvious displeasure. Katarina placed a hand on her hip and gestured at the shackle,
"Like I said, she hasn't fully accumulated herself into society." Her overly plump mouth twisted into a sneer, "all wild animals must be kept in restraints till they're completely domesticated no?" no one but the warden missed the way Dom's jaw visibly tightened as he reached out and wrapped the spare metal around his wrist. With a yank, the cuffs broke from the girl's legs and steel wrapped arms swept her off her feet and settled her onto a massive shoulder,
"Vincent. Pay her the amount she requests and leave." Dom's heavy boots stomped for the door as the underboss slid in front of Katarina's grasping hands, a roll of bound bills between his fingers,
"How much Miss Katarina?" the caretaker's mouth twisted and she cast a longing gaze at Dom's retreating back. The man froze.
"Six million beli." Vincent blinked at the unreasonable amount and angled his head to quickly look at his leader. There was a pregnant pause before Dom finally turned around,
"Four million." The soft demand had no effect on the woman's money-hungry mind because she crossed her arms, diffidence forgotten,
"The brat is my cash cow. She's the one who draws the most attention, the compensation for her loss must be enough to support the poor children who rely on her." Dom's back visibly stiffened and Vincent winced,
"Four million." There were very, very few instances when Dom had to repeat himself. A smart individual would usually understand that he'd pushed his luck and would be more than willing to agree.
However, we can all assume that Katarina wasn't the brightest lightbulb.
"I won't go lower than Five-forty." She inspected her nails, "I need the money." As if the room wasn't already freezing enough, the sudden blast of ice that spattered and ate up the walls enveloped the premise added to it. The warden let out a warbled screech when she lost her footing and ended up on her bottom. Frigid hoarfrost encased Dom's voice as he turned his head to pin her down with his eyes gleaming brilliantly white, the black pupils dialated to nothing,
"Do not play games with me female." The dark entity had risen to the forefront and it hissed out a chillingly haunting laugh, "not when you've already lost." Body shaking, Katarina wordlessly nodded as the soft cry of a child broke the ice and the entitiy immediately withdrew taking the frost with it.
"Four million beli." the ring of finality in his tone along with the darkening edge of warning had the warden eagerly nodding her head in agreement before she meekly accepted the two thick wad of bills from Vincent.
"Miss Katarina?" the woman froze, her fingers already counting out the notes and she looked up, the concealer she had patted over her face already slipping off with sweat as the caretaker stared at the Bratva leader.
"Y-yes?" there was no mistaking the chilling hiss as the entity once more, rose past the expensive leather,
"The money goes directly to the children. I did not pay for whatever you decide to slap on your face or inject into your body. Vincent will be monitoring your transactions." Katarina's entire face reddened and she opened her mouth and sputtered when the entity let out a menacing growl that sent the hairs on everyone's neck saved for the underboss standing on end.
"Am I clear?" The color leeched off the woman's face as fast as it had appeared and Katarina blanched and bobbed her head and mumbled something intelligible.
Dom gave her a curt nod and without another word, glided out the door, Vincent at his heels, the door slamming shut behind him. The child shifted uncomfortably on his shoulder and Dom slid her into his arms before he made his way into the car and deposited her on his lap. As Brent the chauffeur revved the ignition, Vincent dusted his hands and cast the orphan a cursory loook,
"She looks soft for someone who grew up in the slums." Dom rubbed his thumb against the girl's cheek and she turned to stone in his arms,
"Mmhmm her skin feels like petals," the child squirmed away from his touch only to let out a squeak when he roughly grabbed her chin and brought her up close to his face, "if I wanted you away from me, your ass would be on the floor." He pinched her cheek and shot her a look, "Brat'sya, settle down." She bared a set of sharp canines and glare resolutely at him. He laughed and wound two fingers through her long hair and non-too gently jerked her head up, "got some spunk in you eh?" he tapped her front teeth and angled her shoulders to face the front seat as the car began to move.
She didn't look at him again as the vehicle peeled away from the ophanage, her eyes fixated straight ahead and occasionally drifted to the window beside her. It was when they were an hour away from her home when she made an effort to push off his lap again. The Bratva growled and brought a hand hard onto her backside,
"Budet po-prezhnemu. Be still." She yelped and nearly leaped off his lap when thick bands kept her from pitching face first into the leather cushion. Her nature yowled in anger and urged her to lash out. The warning tap on her stinging flesh, "do not make me reiterate little lion, I promise you, you will not enjoy it." Her upper lip lifted in a silent snarl but her stinging flesh warned her to keep her mouth shut.
As the land rolled in an endless loop before her, the steady rocking weighed her heavy lids till she could no longer keep them from closing over her eyes. Fingers brushed the wild strands of hair away from her forehead as Dom stroked the skin above her brows,
"Sleep lioness," he murmured. She shook her head and forced her drooping eyes open. The man chuckled, "you don't trust easily don't you?" Baleful emerald orbs stared wordlessly at him and he drew a hand over her eyes encasing her in darkness,
"Sleep." It was a command. Her body obeyed with a soundless sigh and urged her to allow him to cradle her head on his shoulder. Before she could succumbed to the order, she felt Dom's head bend forward and his breath ghosted over her ear,
"You are right to be cautious little lion, however, you are mistaken when you said that I had stars. There are no stars hiding within me." Exhaustion swamped her ad that dangerous rumble sounded again as warmth carasses her cheek,
"Nothing dwells in there but a soulless beast and a heartless entity." Cool lips briefly skimmed over her temple, "so please forgive me, sweet lion, for I will be taking those stars from you too."
Thank you for reading!