Hey guys! I'm here with a new chapter for you guys to read and enjoy. I hope you will like it. Also, the next chapter will be about Ruby's birthday, so expect a lot of fluff and maybe a sex scene. That's all, have a great read everyone, bye.

A Shattered Life

Chapter 32: Burdens of Life

It was a beautiful and peaceful night. Geo was aboard the airship known as the Galeon, he was in his bedroom trying to get some well deserved rest after a long and stressing day, but the name that Hydrox called him was still echoing inside his mind. The boy turned to one side and then the other, he changed position so many times in an effort to fall asleep but it didn't seemed to be working. He pulled the covers off him and got up from bed, he turned the lights on by pressing a button on the wall that was near him and then he went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

He removed his clothes and stepped into the shower, toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. He turned the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of warm water drops that soaked his dark hair and trickled down his back. Geo closed his purple eyes and tried to relax but it was of no use, the word that came from the masked warrior's mouth was still bothering him, he didn't want to think about that any more. Geo figured if maybe he was busy doing something this feeling would finally go away.

When he finished taking the shower, he got out of the bathtub and wrapped a brown towel around his waist. The young Prince left the bathroom and made his way towards the closet to grab his clothes. After dressing his outfit, Geo walked to the door and opened it. "A walk through the ship might help clear my mind." Said the boy as he exited the room. "At this late hour, I doubt there will be many people walking around the airship but if I happen to bump into the General along the way, I will ask her about how my people are doing and if they need anything." He whispered.

Lord Geo closed the door that led to his bedroom and locked it with a key. Then, he walked through the hallway without any destination in mind, just a simple stroll through the ship. "Some of these walls are really in a bad shape, I hope the engineers can repair them back to full strength." Said Geo. Although it had been quite awhile since their escape from the terrible battle that happened in Gwain, some systems and other parts of the mighty Galeon were still being repaired to this moment. The heavy fight that broke out inside the ship was so fierce that not even the walls managed to survive without a scratch.

"Solomon will pay for what he did, when this airship is fully online we will go back to Gwain and reclaim it from that mad bastard." Geo was determined to retake his home from the twisted man that betrayed him and his family. "Speaking of home, I wonder how the people that staid there are doing, specially the Faunus. That idiot always thought that the Faunus were beneath him just because they looked different from us." Said the true heir to the throne as he walked past a few guards that were on patrol.

When the young Prince turned around the corner, he saw medical officer Sunny having a discussion with a man he hadn't seen before. "Hey, Sunny!" He greeted her with a kind smile, then he looked at the stranger standing in front of him. "Please forgive me but I don't remember seeing you around here before. May I know your name?" Asked Geo.

"Of course, my Lord." He bowed his head. "My name is Ragnar Brewer, but you can just call me Ragnar." The man introduced himself. His hair was dyed green and his eyes were dark-brown. He wore an old Gwain military jacket, ski goggles and tattered black-cargo pants. Ragnar also wore pitch black combat boots, a black bandanna wrapped around his forehead and a leather holster bearing a sawn off shotgun. The holster hung off his hip loosely, bearing red shotgun shells on the belt loop and a side pack on the left hip opposite of the shotgun. "I'm your new Captain my Lord and let me say that I'm honored to be chosen for this position, I promise that I won't fail you or Lady Ruby, you have my word."

"I didn't know we had a new Captain in our midst, I think Avala forgot to tell me, but anyway, I'm glad to have you onboard Captain Ragnar." Geo shook his hand. "Well, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, I will be on my way now." Said the boy. "Good night you two." He walked away from them.

"Wait up! I'll go with you, there's one thing we need to talk about." Sunny joined him on his stroll. "I have done some research about that Hydrox guy you and Ruby fought during the initiation. There isn't much about him on a personal level but it seems he is some sort of a scientist from what Ruby told me, he wanted to use her body and of the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company to continue his crazy experiments." She said. "Also, I read a few reports about him and let me say that they aren't pretty. The people that dared to stand in his way are killed and the survivors are taken and experimented on. Overall, he's a dangerous man, you and Ruby are lucky to have escaped from him."

Great...just great. Thought Geo, sort of annoyed by just hearing the masked man's name. This was the reason he decided to go on walk around the airship, he wanted to see if he could forget about him and more importantly the name he called him by at the end of the battle, even if only for a couple of moments but it clearly seemed impossible. "Hydrox is nothing but a lunatic and a murderer." He said with a serious expression. "He wants to kill Ruby and me because we are together, but if he thinks I will let him get near her again he is dead wrong. The next time we meet I will kill him."

Sunny was quite surprised by Geo's words, the only time she saw him acting like this was right after his mother and brother died at the hands of a Faunus by the name of Tyrian. "You seem very angry my Lord, you should get some rest, it might help to calm you down." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know you are under a lot of stress because of the recent events, but you don't have to carry all that weight by yourself. Me, Avala and Ruby are here if you need to talk."

"...Yeah, I know." Replied Geo, then he sighed. "It's just, I have a lot on in my mind at this moment and I have no idea where turn or what to do." It was clear that Prince Geo was feeling overwhelmed. "Solomon, the bastard that started a rebellion against my father and caused so many innocents to die, is still in control of my home. Hydrox is another problem to add at the list. Not to mention, I have a bunch of duties and work to do every single day that leave me exhausted at the end." The boy was frustrated.

"Geo..." Sunny only now realized the immense weight her friend had on his shoulders, she sometimes forgot that Geo was still sixteen years old, a young boy that was forced to spend most of his childhood learning how to fight and how to act like a proper son of a Lord. He never received any type of training about ruling a town and other similar duties, unlike his older brother, Cerviel. "I am sorry."

"What? You are sorry for what, Sunny? I don't understand." Asked Geo a little confused.

"You are still a child my Lord, I sometimes forget that." Sunny replied with a sad expression. "While other kids enjoyed their free time with family and friends, you spent a good portion of your childhood locked in the castle being taken care of by strangers, studying stuff that more likely mean nothing in the world we live in and other stupid things just to make the families that supported your father happy." She placed her hand on Geo's cheek. "None of this was supposed to happen, your family being murdered and the lost of our home, but even after all the crap you, me and the others went through, you always gave us the strength we needed to keep going, to fight, you have done so much for everyone but now it's time for us to do something for you in return."

"...I do my best, but that's really kind of you to say." Said Geo. "But what did you mean by that last part?"

Sunny smiled. "For the next couple of weeks leave things to me and General Avala, we will take care of whatever the people need. Meanwhile, you take that time to rest and maybe explore the city with your girlfriend if you want...Oh!" At that moment she realized that Ruby's birthday was tomorrow. "My gosh! Her birthday is tomorrow and I still haven't bought a gift for her." Sunny panicked. "I need to think of something quick! I don't want her to be mad at me."

Geo chuckled. "How could you forget Sunny? We had this talk two days ago."

"I know, I was just so busy dealing with my patients last night that I completely forgot about her birthday, but everything is not lost yet." She said. "Ruby is crazy about weapons so if I can get my hands on a few upgrades for Crescent Rose, she will be extremely happy."

"It seems you have things figured out, now if you don't mind, I'll be on my way, there's a certain girl that I wish to spend the rest of the night with." A smile spread across his lips as he left medical officer Sunny talking to herself. "As for my gift, well, she once said that her mother had a small music box that she played every time she left for a mission, it was the only thing that could make her fall asleep. Unfortunately, she lost it a long time ago." He whispered. "Luckily, I managed to find a box that's the same model that she had, I bet she will love it."

After a short walk through the hallway, he found himself standing in front of Ruby's bedroom door. He placed his hand on the door's handle and pulled it down, slowly opening the door. The room was dark but the large window on the ceiling was enough to illuminate the entire room because of the moonlight that passed through it. Geo quietly approached the bed, and there she was, the red beauty sleeping like an angel fallen from heaven. The boy removed his jacket and then his boots and pants.

He got into the bed, then he cleared a few strings of hair that were in front of her closed eyes. "Sweet dreams my love." Geo kissed her forehead.

"...Hum...G-Geo." Ruby opened her eyes just a little.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to wake you."

Ruby smiled. "It's alright, I'm glad you are here." She got closer to her boyfriend and rested her head on top of his chest. "You...You should stay in this room with me every night." She whispered softly.

"I would like that my love." He wrapped his arm around her delicate body.