"Really? Does she think what we do here is a joke?"
"Exactly. This isn't some nine-to-five job you just pick up because you feel like it."
"She's probably in it for the money. I mean, good for her if she spends it on her family and friends, I guess. Elders come first."
Gwen mindlessly scrolled through her tablet, hardly able to take in the media with the gossiping queens and princesses above her.
She knew it was in Vanessa's nature to include herself in those conversations.
Gwen lingered on a video of children running across a playground. How she wished she could just step out of that wheelchair and stroll around the boat, but even if she hadn't worn out her prosthetics that day, Vanessa would never let her out of her sight.
Gwen let her tablet's screen fade to black, then set it down on her petite lap.
She looked down, watching the shifting chains of servants below loading luggage onto the boat. From her perspective, they were as small as rabbits, and only traces of their chatter floated up to her hearing range.
Out of all of the grunts moving around the boat, a unique set of shimmers grasped Gwen's attention.
She turned to see two tall women, one clad in pearls while the other only wore one on her turban. She recognized the single brilliant pearl as the one passed down at the coronation.
Gwen's movement alerted Vanessa, who snorted, "Fashionably late."
Gwen nudged Vanessa.
"Be nice, 'nessa," she hushed, her soft voice holding almost no authority, "Give her a chance, okay?"
Vanessa huffed, "Don't be so trusting, your highness. She's a stranger to the royal bloodlines."
"Y'know, you don't have to call me…" Gwen's voice trailed off, already being ignored as Theresa and Brynn stepped onto the boat.
Theresa was even more radiant in person than she was on television. The way her chin angled upwards with dignity and the curl of her smile was made for a woman of her position.
"Good morning, ladies," she lilted as she approached the other royals, who responded in kind with familiarity and acceptance.
Brynn also gave a friendly, "Hi everyone, good morning!" that was swallowed up by the others' eager conversations.
Only Gwen responded.
"Hi, you must be Brynn; congratulations on becoming a royal."
Brynn grinned sheepishly.
"Thank you, Princess…"
"Oh, we don't have to use titles with each other," said Gwen, "You can just call me Gwen."
"Oh, right. Forgot about that," Brynn nervously chuckled, "Nice to meet you, Gwen."
Gwen nudged Vanessa, whose smile faded once she caught a glimpse of Brynn.
The word "no" and its other variations were already present on her lips, but were stopped by Gwen's question.
"Vanessa, could Olivia and I show Brynn around the boat?"
Vanessa held back a sigh.
"You don't have to ask, your highness," Gwen knew she wanted to say, "You don't need permission from your squire."
"Of course, your highness," she said, instead, and started pushing her wheelchair.
"Oh no, you don't have to push me around," insisted Gwen, already placing her hands on the rim, "I'll be just fine. You can stay and catch up with Queen Theresa."
Vanessa retracted her hands, her lips just an angle away from an unamused frown.
"Of course, your highness."
Without hesitation, Gwen zipped around to Brynn's side.
"Olivia isn't really a fan of sunlight, so she went inside a while ago. Knowing her, she's probably reading a new book by the pool."
"There's a pool? On the boat?" excitedly asked Brynn.
"Yup, just one of the "Princess Perks", as I like to call it," beamed Gwen, "C'mon, I'll show you."
While Gwen didn't need permission from her squire to leave, the same couldn't be said for Brynn.
Vanessa purposefully cleared her throat and asked, "Princess Hollister, don't you think you should ask your queen first?"
The question was well-intended and should have come from someone who was just looking out for their higher-ups, but the lack of care in Vanessa's tone proved otherwise.
The tension soured Gwen's mood a bit, but she was eased to hear Brynn respond with a reasonable, "Oh, you're right. Thanks for reminding me," before approaching Theresa.
It was just as uncomfortable watching Brynn attempt to pull her queen's attention from the others as it was watching them trample over her greeting.
Gwen averted her gaze, choosing to pretend to adjust her opal tiara pin until Brynn returned.
The approaching sound of footsteps and soft rolling of wheels tugged Olivia away from her story.
She popped the pink bubble of gum blossoming from her lips as she closed her book.
"Just the gal I was thinkin' about," said Olivia as Brynn and Gwen came into view, "And you must be the new princess. Brynn, right?"
"Yeah, and you're Olivia?"
"The one and only," said Olivia, adjusting her sun hat, "Nice to meet ya. The old boomers out there didn't give you trouble, did they?"
"No, no," denied Brynn, "We didn't even really talk much."
"Sorry if they come off snobby," apologized Gwen, "They're just really close with each other's families and have a lot of history."
"Well, that makes sense," said Brynn, "And if these trips are so few and far in between, this is probably the first time they've gotten to meet up in ages. Sure, phone calls are nice, but nothing beats meeting in person. Hey..."
Brynn paused as another train of thought came together.
"How often do the royals take these trading trips? I mean, the one we're on right now will last a month, so is there no one left to take care of the divisions?"
"I'm...actually not sure," replied Gwen, "I get left out of a lot of bigger projects like this, so…"
Gwen bit her lip, almost too hard. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to make her wince. She had to be careful.
"Huh, I don't know about that, either," said Olivia, "In all six of my years as a princess, I've never taken one of these trips."
"Six years?" echoed Brynn in shock, "Did anyone in your family go?"
"Not sure. I'd have to ask," said Olivia, "But it's not like we need to make many trades anyway. We've got pretty much everything anyone could ever want on this island. Why bother with any other country?"
It was a rhetorical question that only needed a nod, at most, but the phrase, "Just to see what's out there…" fluttered past Brynn's lips without thought.
Gwen looked up towards her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Brynn stammered, not expecting either woman to be interested in her comment.
"I-I mean, well, exactly that: To see what's out there," she said, "The people, their cultures, the landscapes. Don't you ever wonder what life is like outside of Bermuda?"
"Well...now that you mention it…" Gwen trailed off.
"I like the way ya think, Brynn," admired Olivia with a nod, "Just gave me a new reason to be excited about this trip."
"It will take roughly a month to get to the first stop, which is Cancun, Mexico. There, we'll make the exchanges we agreed on here, which should only take about two days. While the servants are loading and unloading the boat, we'll stay at a hotel until it's time to board the plane to our next stop..."
The servants had taken Brynn and Theresa's plates and glasses over an hour ago. The marble table was now covered in several forms, notes, and a map, the latter taking up most of the space.
Brynn did her best to follow Theresa's fingers and pen strokes as she hopped from sheet to sheet and illustrated their plans.
"Will we ever have to learn any new languages for our trading trips?" asked Brynn.
"No," answered Theresa, "We won't be outside of the boat or hotels long enough to need to speak with any of the locals."
"But what about the other countries' leaders and officials? Isn't that who we contact when we make these trades?" asked Brynn, "And what about public relations?"
"Shh, don't worry about that, sweetheart," Theresa assured with a passive wave, "We'll get to all of that later."
During the voyage across the seas, the triad Gwen had formed solidified. Even though she still had to spend an ample amount of time under Vanessa's care to appease her caution, it was well worth it knowing that Olivia and Brynn would be patiently waiting for her.
The swimming pool where they all met for the first time became their permanent meeting spot, primarily because Brynn loved to swim, and Olivia was free from the harsh sunlight.
Hardly any of the other royals would stop by once it became apparent that Brynn spent most of the day there. For that, Gwen was grateful. While the queens and older princesses weren't exactly uptight, Gwen definitely felt more freedom with Olivia and Brynn.
That was why she did what she did the night they landed in Mexico and booked a hotel.
Gwen lowered herself onto one of the chairs, her cane wobbling slightly as she tried to maintain balance.
She eagerly looked between the wine bottle by her hip and the glass doors adjacent to her.
It was nearing three in the morning, late enough to ensure that everyone else would be asleep.
Gwen had sent the text messages to Olivia and Brynn just before she put her prosthetics back on and snuck out of the room. She anticipated that with her pace, she could either get to the pool at the same time as the other two if not just before.
The latter scenario turned out to be true.
Gwen could see Olivia's lips curve into a circle as she ogled the wine bottle through the glass door.
"Ooh, Midnight Chocolate Delight," admired Olivia as she opened the door, "You sure know how to pick 'em, Gwen."
"Sounds delicious," said Brynn, "What's the occasion?"
"Well, we're only going to be here for one day, and tomorrow, we'll be cooped up on a plane," explained Gwen, "So why not make the most of our stay here?"
Vanessa's body lay heavy in the hotel bed, trapped in its position.
The television was left on as a form of white noise, but all she could see from it was a blurry light with shapes dancing across the screen.
The world was drowned in silence, save for her heartbeat and breathing.
Vanessa wasn't new to sleep paralysis episodes, but that didn't make them any less unnerving.
She shifted her gaze over to Gwen's bed for assurance, and her heartbeat jumped in pace at the sight of the empty bed.
"Is she in the bathroom? Why didn't she wake me up to help her?"
Vanessa's mental voice echoed between her ears, increasing in volume with every repetition. She could only manage a groan in discomfort as the words grew deafening within the confines of her skull.
Though, she immediately regretted making that simple noise when the door opened and easily distracted her from her oncoming headache.
An overwhelming sense of dread told her that whoever-whatever-had opened the door didn't carry good intentions.
Even with the light of the hallway and the television, the figure was impossible to make out. It wasn't that it was too dark to be illuminated. She couldn't even say if it was dark in the first place, or had any nameable color. No, not even white or pitch black indicating the absence of color was accurate.
Vanessa just couldn't comprehend what she was looking at.
Beads of sweat formed on her face as she watched the figure enter the room with the door closing behind it. Whether the figure closed the door, itself, was none of her concern. What petrified her was how she was now trapped within an enclosed space with the being. A sickening feeling of fear dropped into the pit of her stomach.
It approached her, not walking, not crawling, gliding or any motion she could describe. It just moved.
It stood above her now, its aura turning the space around her into a vacuum.
Vanessa's hands trembled violently, making a manic patting noise on her pillow. Her chest heaved both in fear and a desperate attempt to take in air.
Her vision sunk into darkness for an indeterminable amount of time. For all she knew, she could have been drifting in that blank void for hours, days, weeks, even. When she sprung up from the hotel bed coughing and gasping for air, her answer was given to her by the still starry night sky visible through the window beside her. Unfortunately, she was too shaken up to appreciate its beauty.
Vanessa's hand fumbled to turn on the lamp, but she felt no safety in its illumination.
Her sweat-soaked sheets clung to her legs and were almost impossible to shed from her shuddering figure.
"Gwen…" she rasped, barely able to string together any other words.
Vanessa pushed herself onto her feet, her legs suddenly feeling too exposed and cold.
"Gwen...where are you…?"
Gwen squealed in delight as Brynn spun around in place, letting the water glide over her body as Olivia cheered them on.
Gwen had always wanted to experience the cool sensation of swimming, but the most she was ever allowed was a shallow bath.
She didn't even have a swimsuit, just a set of underwear for a makeshift bikini. At first, she was embarrassed by the idea of asking either of her friends to hold her in the water. Even throughout those weeks spent on the boat, she couldn't muster the courage. But this was different now. This was her last chance before they would board the plane. Everyone else was fast asleep, and the wine sowed seeds of bravery in her veins.
To her glee, Olivia and Brynn seemed just as excited about the idea as she was.
All of the fun, vertigo, and light intoxication put Gwen's mind in heaven.
This was bliss.
"Jesus Christ, get her out of there!"
The women didn't even hear the creak of the glass door opening over their laughter, but Vanessa's cry yanked them into a sober quiet.
As she rushed towards them, Brynn scrambled to lift Gwen onto the pool's edge.
"Oh crap, oh god, okay, uhm, lemme just step over here and…" Brynn stuttered.
Gwen lifted herself up the rest of the way once her hands planted on the edge, but Vanessa still scooped her up and placed her in a lounge chair.
"Where are your legs?"
"They're right there. Listen, Vanessa-"
Vanessa's head darted around, not even noticing Gwen's simple direction in her panic. When she spotted the discarded prosthetics over to the side, she gasped at the empty wine bottle beside them.
"What the-You got her drunk? What the hell is wrong with you?"
She turned to glare at Brynn and Olivia with her venomous accusation. Brynn recoiled into the water as if it were a safety blanket while Olivia put her hands up, "No, no, that's not what happened," she said in a mediatory tone that even a counselor would admire.
"I'm not talking to you, Olivia."
Brynn froze in place when the spotlight was placed on her.
"But I am pretty surprised that you'd let a stranger do this-"
"She's not a stranger!"
Gwen's exclamation left everyone breathless. Already, color was forming on the skin of her thighs where she pounded her fists against them like gavels.
She then sighed softly, unfurling her fists and clasping them over her lap.
"Vanessa, you addressed Olivia without her title," she said, calmly, but in a cold manner.
Heat of embarrassment colored Vanessa's face as she gave a slight bow to Olivia.
"Apologies, your highness."
To which, Olivia gave the formal and rehearsed, "You are forgiven."
There was a beat of silence peppered with the prickle of tension and the heaviness of somberness.
"I arranged this meeting, Vanessa. Sorry, but I used the wine we agreed on having tomorrow," announced Gwen without any real apology in her tone, "Come, let's go back to our room so that I can show you the text message I sent."
She then turned to Brynn and Olivia with a forced smile.
"I had fun tonight, but we should really head to bed," she said, "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Chlorine filled Vanessa's sinuses. Water droplets tickled her skin as they dripped from Gwen's body onto hers. It was hard carrying her and the legs, but she didn't want to ask Olivia or Brynn for help.
"So these are the people you're willing to protect me from?"
Gwen's voice murmured against her neck.
Vanessa didn't reply.
And they kept that silence between them.
I have a few announcements!
First, I joined Newgrounds (under PrinceJacque). It just feels appropriate to say since people who are fans of MadCom are most likely fans of Newgrounds, too. I'll also be posting art there, including my Newgrounds fan characters.
Secondly, I've drawn concept art for the story both on Newgrounds and DeviantArt (under Prominaj), which would be helpful for chapters like these (Gwen has fantasy prosthetics modeled after dolls/mannequins. It'd be hard to visualize without a picture). Keep in mind that I've made some slight changes to the characters' designs since I first started this story, but nothing that disrupts the plot.