Hancock frowned from atop the wall. She looked at him disapprovingly before she sighed, "Luffy ... I hope you know what you're doing."
The small encampments that had been around the castle had all joined together in an army before the gates. The only ones that had withdrawn were the Ryuuguu army. Several mercenaries coming through seemed to have been hired on as well.
The armies were constructing strange looking ... Luffy wasn't sure what they were. Jimbei supplied the answer by his side.
"Battering rams, and ballistas, my liege ... These may end our gates and men atop the walls. They might not want to wait for the chance that you impregnate the women you took."
Luffy made a face, "Nobody's gonna do that!"
"They don't know that. And they wouldn't believe it either." Jimbei looked down at him, "You may keep sending ultimatums to them, but they may not take your word on that. You should send a message. You have two princesses of Riku. If you should hang the body of the younger one from the walls-"
"No!" Luffy gaped at him. "We're not killing any of them!"
"How else do we show your power to them?" Hancock snapped.
"We don't have to kill the princesses to do that!"
"What about the Vinsmokes?" Jimbei said, narrowing his eyes.
He scowled, turning away, "Nami ... said no."
Jimbei growled, but he waved his hand over the sight of the army before them, "And what about them?"
Twitching, Luffy frowned out over the people, squinting as if he might try to see someone he knew, but then he dropped his head, "People die ..."
"My lord ...?" Nami's voice reached his ears as she climbed the stairs to the top of the wall. She looked out over the army herself before sighing. "They'll attack soon ..."
Jimbei bowed as she approached, "It's not safe up here, your highness."
"Nami!" Luffy grinned, looking around Jimbei to see her better. "What's up?"
As Jimbei frowned at him, Nami said, "I was just wondering how it was going out there ... And it seems it's not good." Looking up at her knight, Nami asked, "We should try to send for reinforcements from Germa. Ryuuguu should be alerted to our predicament as well."
"I'm working on a plan for such an espionage mission, but we're surrounded. The only chance we may have is through the river in the night."
Nami held a finger up at Luffy when he began to get excited, "No!"
Pouting, Luffy hunched his shoulders, "But ... mission ...!"
She smiled suddenly, warmly, going around Jimbei to cup Luffy's cheeks, "Your majesty, if something were to happen to you out there, I would be without you and your heir."
Luffy flushed, staring down at her as he pouted. Nami's warm smile here reminded him suddenly of another woman. His brow furrowed, trying to remember for a moment - all he could recall was that her smile made him nervous like this one did. He relaxed a bit though as he gazed into her eyes, and he clutched one of her hands.
"All right ... We'll have to work on that heir first, huh?"
Her face burned, and she glanced away. With a grin, he leaned down to kiss her cheek, and she said, "We - well, of course!"
Nami's smile changed just slightly as she looked back at him, and he blinked, the memory returning. The previous grin had been Nami's smile before hitting him, but this was not the same woman. Not exactly. He stared through her, and he clutched her shoulders.
"Your highness ...?"
"Duck!"
Luffy jerked, pulling Nami down to the floor as he covered her. He heard a hail of arrows from above, and instinctively, he covered the four of them with stone before any could strike. Nami breathed heavily in his ear as he waited for the sound of the shower to stop.
When it ended, he broke away the stone, and it crumbled into dust around them. Nami coughed, trying to brush it away from herself. As they stood, crouching now behind the crenellations, Jimbei grimaced.
"A small scouting party. They must've seen you, sire."
Luffy gritted his teeth, looking down through the machicolations before raising a hand. They could have hurt her! He shot a fireball down that expanded as it exploded over the soldiers.
Jimbei called out, "My king! We should capture one at least!" He looked down, and winced, "Perhaps, next time ..."
Blinking, Luffy stared down at the burn marks, noting that most had run rather than be stuck underneath death. He averted his eyes then, blinking faster, and swallowing nothing. There was a body down ...
Something cool touched his cheek, and he looked up into brown eyes.
Nami said, "My lord ...?" She seemed to see something in his eyes, so she said, "You protected me. Thank you. The city will be grateful too."
Luffy nodded slowly after a moment, gazing at her before he felt a weight slowly slide off of him. He took a deep breath, but he didn't look down again. He said, "I'll always protect you."
After a moment, she looked out at the army before she said, "Not always. I can protect you too, right?"
He stared at her in confusion before his eyes widened. It had abruptly grown dark, and he looked up to see a thundercloud growing quickly in the sky above. He gaped, hearing the rumble. Shouts from the camps made him look out again, and Luffy watched as the soldiers moved about in a hurry. A spark of light lit the sky for a moment, and he swallowed as soldiers screamed in response only for the sound to be overrun by the thunder that followed.
She gazed up into his face, and he swallowed hard. Nami looked into his eyes as the lightning struck one of the battering rams. Some of those screams cut short. Another blast tore apart the other ram and one of the ballistas nearby.
She squeezed his hands, and said, "And I won't let you hurt."
Luffy bowed his head slightly before he pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he whispered, "Thank you ..."
For some inexplicable reason, he felt less unclean.
"My liege, we will send out for reinforcements from Ryuuguu and Germa right away," Jimbei said when they finally parted. "Our allies need to know what's happening here. With a proper army at their backs, the army around us would be crushed against our walls."
Nodding slowly, Luffy raised Nami's hand to kiss her palm. He glanced out at the army before he sighed, and began heading down the stairs to the city below, "Let's go."
xXx
Vivi stared across the hall at the Dark Elf King. She frowned deeply, lifting her chin up to stand taller.
He strode around in only a pair of loose embroidered trousers, and leather braided sandals. Something about the ease in which he moved spelled danger and relaxation all at once. It was strangely unnerving. He looked at her sometimes, and she carefully looked elsewhere until he stopped. His black eyes gave her shivers. She was decidedly not looking at his chest.
Queen Nami wore a fine Germa-style gown with embroidered forest green paned sleeves with a pale green sleeve beneath. Vivi raised a brow as Nami boldly placed a bare hand on his bicep. The woman barely blushed. She had eyes only for the Dark Elf. Had he used his unholy magic on her?
Vivi was in a bind. He was one possible way out of here - not that she wanted to bed with a Dark Elf, but it would likely protect her from the other slathering monsters if it was the king. However, that risked him using his unholy magic to force her to love him. She would have to be a very good actress to fool him into believing that he didn't need to use it. And that was counting on him not just using it on her right away.
She was under no delusion that he would follow through with his words. He had told her, Rebecca, and Viola that no harm would come to them.
Nami, however, was clearly under his thrall.
Her heart hurt - she had liked the girl before. Something had changed her though. She had loved her husband so! Had the Dark Elf met her sometime before her sudden turn on her own love?
Vivi didn't know if she could jump to such conclusions, but nothing else made sense. Her father had told her about some strange things Nami had said in defense of Dark Elves during the first meeting. Something was wrong.
And then there had been that night sky.
What awful thing had they done that night? She had been peeking out her window when she had seen the two on his balcony. The sky had changed colors around them first before spreading out.
Afterward, she had watched and could barely hear the young queen's screams. What awful things had he done to her?
Vivi fanned herself when she saw the king lean down to Nami's face. They seemed to be whispering to each other, smiling fondly.
What chicanery! Who did he think he was fooling?
"Princess Vivi," she jumped, twirling around to find herself looking up at the gorgeous Dark Elf woman. Her black, straight hair framed a moon-round fine face. "How are you faring?"
Vivi lifted her chin again, forcing down her blush from her surprise and simultaneous jealousy from the woman's features. She said, "I would be better at home."
Hancock just raised a brow, "Obviously. If you are done being banal, I'm here for a proposition for you."
Banal? Vivi's face couldn't stop the red flush, anger now tinging it. She took a deep breath, "What is it?"
If she wanted to be blunt, Vivi would grant her that.
"Since the king has ... done what he said he would, I must do this, you understand. I've tried gaining his favor these last few years, but perhaps a younger woman would work better where I have failed."
Vivi pursed her lips, frowning up at her in concern. Was she suggesting what Vivi thought she might be saying? "And what would a younger ... more innocent woman do better than an older and more seasoned woman?" She smirked slightly, proud of that one.
"Not much. Maybe he just likes younger girls," Hancock said, completely unaffected. Vivi scowled at her, "I need him to spread his seed more."
Vivi fanned herself, staring, "You - you want me to be his ... concubine?" That was a better word for it. It was not a position she had ever imagined for herself as a princess, however. She did mull over it though.
A concubine might be able to influence him.
Hancock sniffed, "Another brood-mare more like."
Vivi gritted her teeth, trying not to let it show through. The cheek!
"Your magic is fairly powerful, so I hope that you will produce powerful children for him. I can try to arrange a meeting soon."
Narrowing her eyes, Vivi tried to think quickly. Would this really be the right way to go about this? She wanted to keep herself pure for her future husband, but if she could use this position to stop the war ...
She glanced at him, and she stiffened in alarm. He was approaching!
Vivi frowned briefly at Hancock before turning a cool look at him. If he was simply going to use his unholy magic on her, she would not let him without at least showing her true displeasure.
"Hey, Vivi!" He smiled, waving.
She curtsied the slightest amount she had ever done in her life. Nami, on his arm, seemed to notice it, but the king seemed oblivious. Vivi said, "Good day."
Nami's eyes flattened, "Princess Vivi, are you being treated well?"
Her lips pursed just slightly, but she said, "So far, Queen Nami."
Hancock looked away, and the king seemed to see this, frowning, "Hancock, what were-?"
"I must see what Jimbei is up to. Forgive me, Luffy," she said, turning to head for the Wood Elf knight.
The Dark Elf stared after her with an annoyed expression before he looked at Nami, "I'll be back, Nami. Don't wait up for me." He trotted after the taller woman, "Hey, Hancock!"
Nami smiled wryly after him before looking at Vivi, and saying, "You will not show disrespect to him again."
A statement. Not a question. Not even a demand.
Vivi sniffed, "How presumptuous for an upstart. You were such a nice girl. What happened to you? First Germa, now this?"
"A nice girl," Nami mused. She seemed to look past her.
Stiffening in indignation, Vivi said, "Do you hope to conquer the world then? With that monster filling you full of awful Dark Elves every month?"
Nami looked at her, "Did you not hear? The curse should be done with now." She appeared a little sour for a moment, "We only need to wait on the next birth in the city now to make sure ..."
Vivi's eyes widened, staring at her. She jumped again when a slip of a woman ducked in on the conversation. The pink-haired half-Wood Elf princess, Rebecca, eased in, "They're cured? There's no more curse?"
Smiling, Nami nodded, "We hope. After we're certain ..." the woman had the grace to blush at least, "we plan on having our first child."
Rebecca stared up at her boldly before she smiled, "If they're all cured, why are we fighting?"
"The Dark Elves must be punished and destroyed," Vivi said. "You're far too optimistic."
Nami went over her, however, "King Luffy wants his people in the other countries freed, Princess Rebecca. That's why you're our hostages now."
Vivi turned to Rebecca shaking a finger under her nose, "I know you were raised by your commoner father, but you must learn what's proper. We're in danger here, Princess Rebecca."
Rebecca only seemed to become more stubborn looking, but she at least said nothing.
"Oh, Rebecca!" The king leaned in between Vivi and the younger woman, grinning. Vivi stiffened, leaning back in shock. "How's Soldier?"
"Huh ...?"
"Your dad! Did he not lose his leg here?" He tilted his head, and Vivi scowled at him.
"He obviously has not!" Vivi put in, scowling darkly. She glanced at Rebecca, but she seemed shocked, covering her mouth as she stared at the Dark Elf.
Luffy frowned at her, "What's wrong?"
"I've been kidnapped by Dark Elves, what do you think is wrong?" Vivi frowned up at him, eyes raging. Go ahead and use your unholy magic on me, cur!
"Oh, right," he pouted at her. Something almost looked like a wounded puppy in his eyes.
Nami glanced at the two of them, but then went to the king's side, "Was it ...?"
"Yeah," his expression changed to one of exasperation. He pointed at Vivi and Rebecca, "Ignore Hancock. She's just ... she doesn't realize we don't need to do that anymore."
Vivi sniffed, fanning herself, "Oh, and just what would that be?"
"Breed hundreds of babies," he grimaced.
As Rebecca colored prettily, Nami mused, "Well, in a way, you do. There's going to be a huge gap in generations soon ... and we don't know how long it will take for Dark Elves to age into adults now ..." She sighed, "That was one thing I could not uncover. That Light Elf scholar was not quite interested in the Dark Elves ..."
The Dark Elf pursed his lips in thought, but he said, "I guess so ..."
Nami looked up at him worriedly. Her hand touched his chest! Vivi fanned herself faster.
She was not staring at his dark violet nipples.
Nami said, "We also don't really know how long Dark Elves live in general ..." She touched his cheek next, "You better live a long time, your majesty. Light Elves have very long lives ..."
He snickered, "I'll just be happy if you're with me for the rest of my life."
Pouting up at him, she said, pinching his cheeks, "That better not be for another thousand years."
Vivi felt like vomiting into her own mouth.
But she was in a prime position, she realized. The king did not seem to care about what he said in front of her. He must have thought her incapable of fighting. Vivi almost preened. She would either slide into his graces or find another way to bring him down. If she did become his concubine, then perhaps, it would work as a wedge between him and Nami.
She could win her friend back.
xXx
Below in the dungeon, a dripping sound echoed through the cells.
Viola clutched the letter to her chest, shaking as she peered through each cell that she came across. She glanced nervously back the way she had come before pressing forward. Viola didn't know what to think anymore. First, she was whisked away by this fool of a king, and now she was sneaking through dungeon corridors.
It did not take long to find him.
She sucked in a harsh breath, stunned by the sight.
How had he known?
The letter in her hand read:
Princess Viola,
Flee while you still can.
If you are captured, do not fear for I give you words of hope.
I will send rescue to you and the others he may kidnap if things do not go his way. I fear he may say he will not harm you, and he might not. But it is a ploy to endear himself and his cause to you.
I know you to be a kind woman, but do not pity the Dark Elf King.
He will bring pain and suffering upon you and yours should you give him aid.
Please, know it to be true.
I'm sure he'll spout fine sounding words, but just look in the dungeons to know his true worth.
Teach of House Marshall, King of Jaya, First of His Name
"Oh, my prince ... I'll free you. I promise."
xXx