Jasmine

The stillness of the harbor was taken over by the sound of applause and the tolling of the bells from the abbeys and dinghies happily chimed along with them. Flocks of people crowded along the docks to get a glimpse of their hero, who was just named by the King of Games as the newest member of the Noble Knights of the Termnnian Table. They could barely see him, for he appeared as a speck on top of the giant marine monster which served as the hero's mode of transportation. As the White Aura Whale got closer and the boy standing on top of him could be seen pumping his fist into the air and cheering, the crowd's applause got louder and louder.

Finally, the White Aura Whale reduced its speed and swam to an empty pier to stop. The young man held up a lance with a golden blade shaped like a shark's mouth. He was tan-skinned and well-built, naked from the waist up, much to the delight of the girls who pushed and shoved to get a better look at him. His heavy bluish-black denim trousers, bloused into bulky belted boots, were crusted with bits of salt from dried up ocean water and there were holes over the knees.

His jet-black hair was cut into a fade and a hard part on the left side, while the right was side-swept, forming charming bangs over his oceanic-blue eyes. A necklace of Deep-Sea Shark and Great White Terror teeth flashed in a gold chain around his neck, trophies of his supremacies against the fierce creatures of the deep.

"Who is he, father?" Jasmine asked, standing alongside him on a royal blue carpet outlined in gold and ornamented with House Vekelion's emblem of a great white shark splashing out of a field of cerulean and biting down on a gold shield with a red crown on the center.

"He is Prince Venaquas of Atlantea. His brother is the great warrior, Neptabyss. And his father is the great ocean dragon, Posiedra. Do me a huge favor and be on your best behavior, my sweet. He's a future Noble Knight."

"Him?"

"Oh yes. Chosen by Yugi Muto himself to aid Yuri when he returns and claims the crown. Ah, see that tooth being used as the centerpiece for his necklace? It's his prized possession."

"Why is that his greatest treasure?" Jasmine asked, pointing at the tooth, which was colored purple."

"It belonged to the legendary sea serpent Kairyu-Shin," he answered.

Jasmine stopped clapping and looked at her father as though he told a great fib. "Get real, dad. You're seriously going to tell me this guy fought Kairyu-Shin and lived?"

"Yes. That tooth is his proof. He almost defeated the beast, and he would have won had it not been for a deadly storm that crippled their ability to battle."

Prince Venaquas then held up a giant burlap sack over his head and roared triumphantly. His admirers below jumped and clapped their hands.

"Citizens of Port Peace!" he shouted. "The scoundrels of the pirate gang from Altra Cove have been defeated. No more will they trouble your waters. Your fisherman can sail in peace. Your traders can barter without worry. Your daughters can sleep safely in the night; for never will they have to live with the fear of being taken away by these vermin. I am Prince Venaquas! Son of Poseidra! And Noble Knight of the Termnnian Round Table! No pirate will live so long as I roam these waters!"

He tore open the sack and tossed gold coins at the people below. When the sack emptied, he opened another. And when that one was done, he ripped open another, and another, and another, and was careful, making sure no gold piece fell into the water. Soon, everyone below had enough gold in their pockets to feed their families for the next two months. When he was done with his charitable deed, Venaquas jumped from his mount's head onto the dock below. He landed with a thud; his belts and chains jingling from the impact. He lifted one last sack over his shoulder, then turned to pet White Aura Whale.

He spoke in Atlantean, thanking his beloved mount for the adventure they shared earlier, and then sent him away. White Aura Whale let off its eerie cry, swam backward, and sank underneath the surface, leaving behind a spout of water from his blowhole.

"Lord Balthazar," the Atlantean prince said. "Here. This is the head of Captain Deep-Maw."

"Oh, Aafi, almighty," Jasmine said, backing away from the sack.

Her father laughed. "Not to worry, dear. I won't open that here. Captain Deltos!"

"Sir!" said his captain of the guard.

"Take this back to the dungeon. And see to it that you collect the boy's reward from the treasury."

"Yes, sir. And thank you, your highness." Captain Deltos took the bag and walked off.

"The lizardmen no doubt," said Lord Balthazar.

Venaquas nodded. "Yes. Their numbers around here have increased since their main island was destroyed in the eruption years ago." He looked at Jasmine and smiled. "Well...this must be the girl who defeated the Sapphire King's son, no? She's very beautiful, sir, my compliments."

"Why thank you, dear boy. Yes, she is my beloved Jasmine. The crown jewel of the Emerald Isles," Balthazar boasted as if he was offering her to him, making Jasmine feel quite unpleasant. Balthazar then lightly tapped Jasmine on the foot with his cane, signaling her to take a step forward and allow the boy to perform protocol on her.

"I am very happy to meet you, Prince Venaquas," Jasmine said. She lightly bowed, then held out her hand so the prince could take it and kiss it.

And he happily did. He kissed her hand twice, then twice more, and still held it close to his lips as he looked up at her. "Call me Ven," he said, followed by a wink. "And I...am very lucky to meet you, my lady. Your reputation precedes you, Jasmine. I've heard many great stories about you."

"Over exaggerated, I'm sure," Jasmine said with a wan smile. She was relieved when he finally liberated her hand from his fingers, which felt like sandpaper. "I haven't done much around here except increase the wages of our citizens and beat the prince of the Tropical Kingdoms in a Duel. I don't know. Apparently, that is a very big deal."

"Oh, but beating royalty in Duel Monsters is a very big deal. They are trained by the best and given the best cards to prepare themselves if they are ever challenged under the Dueling Pact. They are taught to be unbeatable, but yet you won your big Duel. Don't look at it as a small concern. It matters not how big or small the deed is, my lady. The fact is your actions have made you the delight of these isles. You are loved. Everyone here expects great things from you. And you know something? Despite having met you just now, I, too, feel it in my heart that you are destined for great things."

"If only you knew whose blood flowed through my veins," Jasmine said.

"But I do know. You are the offspring of the Crimson Captain. Believe me, I know a thing or two about pirate blood. I can almost smell it" — he sniffed the air like a dog on the hunt — "even underneath all that perfume and rose-scented silk, I can detect your pirate blood. But you have been taught to walk a different path, away from the life of death and destruction like your father. Do not let his foul deeds determine who you are."

"Of course!" Lord Balthazar agreed. "I've been telling her that for years. Now, why don't we get the two of you better acquainted at the castle? We've prepared a great feast for you, my prince."

"Thank you. I wish to take a bath as well, so if I could trouble you for some clothes."

"Nonsense, your wish is my command. This way, my boy."

Prince Venaquas was never one for lavish parties or for dressing up in fancy clothes. But tonight, he had to make an exception. He nodded his head to so many people, his neck started to hurt. He held his glass of wine in his hand for so long, his fingers ached. And his dress robes felt like they were weighing him down terribly. But he would not wear one of those ridiculous powdered wigs, that's for sure. He couldn't understand how these people enjoyed oppressing themselves with such a garment.

Ven tried wearing it earlier, and his scalp started itching up a storm, so he threw it off at once. And all this Imperial music from the band in the corner of the ballroom! It was so dull, so boring. He felt like he was going to fall asleep any second now. Augh! He couldn't take it anymore. But...he had to suffer through it. Not to gain the favor of his host, mind you, but because his father, the great sea serpent, Poseidra, commanded it. Now that Yugi Muto has agreed to let the Kingdom of Atlantea into the Termnnian Alliance, Ven, and all the Atlanteans, had to develop relations with the people of the surface world. It was their chance to redeem themselves after they tried conquering the Empire of Uzumé ages ago and as the newest member of the Noble Knights, Ven was ordered to act and dress his best.

Well, not only did he want to look good for the people and obey his short-tempered father, but he thought Jasmine was quite the beauty and had an interest in speaking with her on a more professional level. But where was she? He had been walking around this boring, candle-lit ballroom for hours and hadn't seen a trace of her. Every time a girl spoke, his ears forced him to stop. He would turn expecting to see the baron's daughter but was only met with some blushing ladies, hoping that their décottalge would be enough to entice the underwater prince to come over for a conversation.

Ven just greeted them back with a quick smirk before walking toward the balcony. Thankfully the waves below were powerful enough to drown out the boring ballroom music and the mind-numbing chatter of business and matters of so-on-and-so-forth. Ven gulped down the last of his wine and tossed the glass into a nearby garden. He placed his hands on the railing and leaned forward to stare at the dark ocean below, lit up with hues of silver, green, and red from the light of the three moons above. Once his gaze was set upon the inky-black sea, he heard his White Aura Whale calling out from underneath the surf.

Ven smiled, wishing he could be down there with him. Hunting for troublesome sea serpents at night with his White Aura Whale was one of his favorite pastimes. Hmmm, he thought, while rubbing his chin. He did hear from Lord Balthazar that there was a troublesome group of Yormungarde swimming about in the nearby cove and attacking swimmers.

Why not sneak out for a moment and go on a hunt? Everybody was focused on the party, his lance was sharp, the cove was just a short sail from the main island, and White Aura Whale was nearby and bored. Just as he was about to turn and get his things ready, the guests stopped and looked to the doorway of gold and painted glass, slowly creaking open. The crowd parted to let the little lady of the castle through: Jasmine had finally arrived.

"My lady," said a woman. "Lady Jasmine," "Evening, little Jasmine," "M'lady," "Good evening m'lady," all the guests said as Jasmine urbanely walked past the guests toward her father, who was speaking to the Admiral of the Imperial Navy and his son, who was just named Commodore. It was for that very reason that the party was set up tonight. Commodore Sidney Gaudernet was the lad's name. He was a brash young fellow, wearing a bicorn over a powdered wig like his father, and a black and gold naval uniform with long coattails and gold buttons.

Right from the get-go, Ven could tell he did not like the boy, and it wasn't because of the smug look on his face either. There was blood on the boy's hands, that's for sure. And it was most likely the sole reason why he was so celebrated. Ven's blood seemed to boil when he witnessed the young Commodore kissing Jasmine on both her cheeks. And he did it so...forcefully and without remorse; like he owned her or something.

"My son has killed hundreds of pirates since he began his career here," Admiral Quennell said, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "He already has the likes of Captain Charles Lawson on the run. With my son's skills in the arts of naval warfare and military tactics, he is sure to be a thorn in the side of every pirate from here to the Terminus Isles. Add the fact that he controls the fastest and most powerful battleship in the Imperial Navy, and I can guarantee your pirate problems will come to a swift end."

"Ah, so the lad commands the Paladin, eh?" said Balthazar. "What say you, Jasmine? Is the Commodore not an impressive youth?"

"You command the Paladin?" Jasmine asked. "It wouldn't by any chance be that giant ship with the large sails and the dragon made of steel and gold as a mast?"

"It most certainly is," Sidney boasted. "Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of Light, presented it to me after I led the raid that destroyed the Corsairs of Kaigoveth — you've probably heard of them?"

"I have," said Jasmine. "They were the last of the Crimson Captain's crew. I've read all about it in the papers."

"Yes. It's a very fine ship. I've sunk over fifty pirate vessels with her. She has over a hundred cannons, has quarterpounders on the front, and iron grappling spears that launch out of the bow so we can grab hold of those dogs as they flee. Once they're in our range, the quarterpounders rip the ship apart and send them all to a watery grave. Perhaps I can give you a tour of it some time."

"I'd like that. Thank you. See you in the morning, Commodore."