Pairing: Zoro x Sanji
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
"Robin! Here you are!" the youngest member of the crew came running towards Robin, who was sipping on her tea after dinner in the galley.
Robin shifted her attention from the book, and looked over to Chopper in surprise, "Chopper, you are looking for me?"
It was not often that Chopper will come up to her. He had her attention.
"Say Robin, do you know what a fairy tale is?" it is endearing as how Chopper placed his head on the table, eyes practically shining with stars. The sight is just too cute.
Robin chuckled. "Yes, I know of some fairy tales. Do you want to hear about it?"
"Yes, yes!"
Taking a sip on her tea, Robin started on a story. It is a story on the Royale and Seven Dwarves.
Once upon a time, there was a mighty Kingdom ruled by a ruthless King named Judge. The kingdom had fearsome securities that was rumored to be backed by science and technology, but it did a good job in keeping the peace and joy of the kingdom. Everyone was living a happy life.
The royale lived in the castle, rumors had it that they were the strongest fighter of all in the Kingdom, each one can compete with a fleet of army. They were highly respected for it.
However, there is one Prince that had always acted the opposite. He had gold for hair, and the sea for eyes. The Kingdom loved him for his gentle and kindness. But the royale family sees him as someone who brings disgrace to the family.
Just because the Prince likes to cook, he spent most of his free time in the kitchen trying out new recipe. The Royale refused to regard him as one of them.
The Prince couldn't care less for his other siblings, he goes along each day as usual.
This one day, the Prince was whipping up the fresh cream he got from the barn that morning, he planned to bake a cake to brighten up the kids' day in the nearby school. He heard that they had it hard from the long hours of studying.
The Prince was just about to finish on the cake's decoration, when he overheard the servants' conversation. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but what they were talking sparked anger within the Prince.
The two servants kept low and whispered, but that didn't escape the Prince's sharp ears. They were discussing on the rumors lately, that the nearby Kingdom's princess had ran away, and the Kingdom were on their pursue of the princess.
They also shared on the different information that they've heard from different sources. Like the hardship of escaping from the Kingdom. The torture that they gave her. And how they planned to kill her as the disgrace of the royale with poison.
The Prince's temper twitched with anger. How could they treat a lady like this, let alone use poison on her. Unforgivable!
The Prince felt the obligation to protect the princess, decided to leave the Kingdom in search of her and to protect her from the attacks and poisons. He left a note and set out onto his journey.
The King had a rage when he heard about the Prince's absolute stupidity. He ordered his army to capture the Prince. He even had a witch to search for the Prince with her mirror ability.
Unaware of the King's order, the Prince continued going forward, wandering deeper into the forest. He remembered hearing the servants talking about how the princess found and hide from the pursue in a small hut in the forest.
With sheer luck, the Prince came across a clearing in the forest after aimlessly walking for few days. There in front of him stood a cozy little house, surrounded by heaps of unknown flowers. The house was convenient situated nearby the river, and he can hear the calming sound of water flowing.
From the look of it, someone did a good job in maintaining it.
The Prince brushed off the leaves and mud that stuck on his shirt, trying to look as presentable as possible. He made his moves towards the house.
The Prince was surprised to find no one inside the house, despite the smoke coming out from the pipe. It seems that the owner left a stew to boil before heading out.
The Prince peered over the pot, frowning slightly at the poorly spiced stew. His cook instinct kicked in, and the Prince soon find himself working at the countertop.
"-Heave Ho, Heave Ho, Heave Ho!"
The sound startled the Prince, he didn't have time to react before the door barged open.
"FOOD -!" The door burst open, revealing a small figure with raven hair, his hands high up in the air with a big grin plastered on his face. He practically jumped towards the direction of the pot.
But before he can move any further, another small figure appears behind the first, giving him a hard fist down his head. Effectively stopping him from galloping the whole pot of food.
One by one, the others appeared in the house, making their way onto the table, taking seats and looking eagerly at the unknown person in the house, waiting for foods to be served. It was a long day of work, they were all starving.
The Prince was stunned to see all of them. Not to mention that they don't seem to mind the Prince's presence, all asking him for food instead of questioning who he is, but it is how small they were, all of them only reaching the knee of a full-grown adult.
"W-What is all of these.." The Prince watched everything fold out in shock, he failed to grasp the current situation.
"Food, food, FOOD!" the dwarves banging their hands on the table, clinking utensils onto plates, and practically wailing towards the prince.
The Prince hit his face in his palm, sighing deeply. Admitting defeat, he rolled up his sleeves to do his job.
It feels nice to be able to cook for others, especially when the Prince sees the genuine smile on their face after they eat his food. It gave him a sense of satisfaction. Being a royale, the people respected him and tried every mean to keep him away from the kitchen. The Prince never sees the expression of those who ate his cooking.
Once they are done with dinner, the Prince took a seat at the end of the table, raising his curiosity at them.
"So, what are you guys? Your sizes are definitely not normal for an adult, but neither are you guys some kid, judging from the amount of food eaten." The Prince eyed the big pot at the corner of his eyes.
"Shi Shi Shi, we are dwarves!"
Taken aback by the answer, the prince repeats confusedly, "…Dwarves?"
One of them happily took over the topic and answered the Prince. She has long raven hair and piercing blue eyes. She introduced them, they were in total seven dwarves, and they lived here together since years ago. They have field and crops behind the house, along with the river and the forest for other supplies if needed. It was a peaceful life that they lead.
"They call me the demon's child, you can call me Demon. The one there is Strawhat." Demon gestured towards the raven hair boy who barged through the door earlier, and now is licking the pot clean.
"The burglar cat, we call her Mikan." the orange-haired girl who is peeling an orange now.
"That one over there is a Long Nose…"
"…and our cute little Doctor…" Demon chuckled at the sight of the furry dwarf with odd antlers on his head.
Which soon turned into a slight annoyance at the blue robot besides, "…Pervert…"
Demon just made a comment on him and jump to the next one. Her glance set on her last friend, "…And that is Bone for you, he may look like that, but he is a gentleman."
The Prince just stared unamused at the skeleton dwarf, he didn't know there was a species like that. Anyway, the Prince had more pressing matter at hand.
The Prince introduced himself as a wondering cook and stated his intention. He asked the dwarves if they came across any princess from the neighbor Kingdom, he can't let her fall in the hands of evil.
"Princess?" Mikan ears perked up at the mention of princess, her eyes strangely sparkled in the shape of gold. Soon she dismissed the thought as she don't recall anyone coming this deep into the forest, the Prince being the first one in such a long time.
Strawhat stopped licking at the pot, rubbing his belly at the satisfaction. He heard of the human's word and happily pounced at the Prince.
The Prince almost threw him away at the sudden impact, but he managed to suppress it in time and hold him by the collar. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! Jumping on people like that!"
The dwarf in hand grinned widely, "You are looking for princess? I know it, I've played with it before!"
The Prince's eyes brighten up at it, but soon it was replaced with a confused look. "What do you mean it? And played with it?"
"You didn't know? Princess is the pet of the Queen, I played with it some time ago. Shi Shi Shi!"
"W-W-What?" Pet?
From what Strawhat had described, the pet snake whose name is Princess snug out of its cage and went wild in the town. No one could stop the pet who had just tasted freedom, hence the Queen ordered a fleet of army to chase after her precious snake. They even got the pet favorite's poison to lure it out.
That was how the rumors and story spread.
The Prince immediately fell into a gloomy bloop. His passionate intent to rescue the gorgeous princess in his dream, helping to fend off the scary army, to share a happy life ever after. All that lovely imagination came crashing down in an instant.
The Prince had a hard time swallowing the fact. However, he soon got his attention shifted to the bag that the dwarves brought back a little while ago. The Prince was distracted by their dinner just now, but now the bag got his eyes.
He rummaged through the bag, delighted to find different fresh vegetables and fishes inside. The Prince looked up at the others in question, which they replied it was the portion for tomorrow. The dwarves would gather fresh ingredients daily for the next day.
The dwarves' laughter and attics made the Prince relaxed, he soon find himself fitting in and enjoying the mood.
It didn't take long for the Prince to decided staying with the dwarves. The others welcomed him too, for being able to cook such amazing food.
And so, the Prince settled down in the house, away from his Kingdom.
The dwarves were happy to have the Prince around them, but being a normal human, he would need much more space than the small-sized dwarves. The Blue Robot and Long Nose assured the Prince to not worry on the matter, and they surprised him with an extension of the house a few days after.
Time passed and the days were laid back and simple, they would fend for the crops, dive in the river, managing the house and free to do anything that they wished. For the Prince, he would often be found in the kitchen, stirring up any interesting dishes that he finds. This freedom is something he never had during the time back at the castle.
This one day however, is bound to be a little different.
Strawhat was fooling around with Doctor and Bone, when they hear something ruffles in the bush nearby. They stayed tensed for a moment, staring intensely on the said bush.
A few moments later, a man with sword appeared in sight. He raised an eyebrow at the three chibi in front of him that rolled together in a ball, one of it look suspiciously like a skeleton.
The three let out a scream and ran back to the house. The uproar startled every one else, soon all of them emerged from the house and see what the commotion is. The Prince also stepped out, hands still on a basket, looking towards the direction of the three running dwarves.
"What on earth are they up to…" The Prince narrowed his eyes, and he sees someone else coming from the back.
A running moss-head? "Marimo…?"
The green-haired intruder got tick off with the name, and he very soon find himself in a fight with the Prince. The other dwarves watch in awe on how the prince can kick so well, while balancing the food basket in his hands. The other swordman also did a good job in guarding his stance.
Moments passed and the two made no move to stop, hence Mikan flashed her punch to stop the fight. It's an interesting fact to know how much power is compressed in the little body of hers.
The intruder introduced himself as Hunter, he made a living by hunting down ferocious beast that can't be handled by the Kingdom, something like a freelance soldier. "I was heading for the Booze Festival, I heard there will be free flow of booze for everyone."
The Prince raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Booze Festival in Alabasta? That is the northern side of the country, it is in total opposite direction from here. Are you stupid to lose your way all the way here?"
The Hunter's face heat up slightly at the comment, he immediately shot insults back to the Prince to cover for the embarrassment.
Soon they were in another fight.
The fight didn't last longer than the first one, as the Hunter winced in pain when the Prince landed a good kick on his side.
"What's wrong muscle-for-brain, admitting defeat?" The Prince smirked at the Hunter who is clutching at his side, his stance falters slightly.
"Like hell Ero-cook, I'm not done with slicing you." The Hunter grin darkly, making an attempt to charge forward, but a sudden cough of blood held him back. He dropped down to one knee, his sword beside to support him from collapsing.
That caught the Prince's attention. He just realized that the man he was fighting is bearing a heavy wound, now the blood is gushing out underneath his fingers. He frowned at the sight, what was he thinking when he picks a fight with the injured man?
The scent of blood made the doctor rushing over, fretting over the wound. The Hunter tried to brush off the furry dwarf, mentioning he just need a rest and all will be well.
"Stupid swordman, wound doesn't heal that way. Shut up and let the doctor do his things." The Prince said and left to enter the house. He needs to start on dinner, more so when there is one more mouth to feed.
Over dinner, the other dwarves pester the Hunter for stories and his adventures. Feeling better, the Hunter went on and tell his story, about himself, how he became a wandering hunter, and all the interesting things he had came across all these years.
The Hunter also shared how he defeated an army single-handed on his way here, grinning proudly at himself for the win.
That was how he had the big wound at his side.
At the same time at the Kingdom, the King crushed his glass upon hearing that the army he had sent out had been wiped out by some unknown men. They have no news on the lost Prince.
Fuming with anger, the King ordered the witch to hunt down the prince at all cost, even if it meant to kill him.
The witch breaks out in a wicked laugh, she likes it when it comes to taking one's life.
"Mirror oh mirror, show me the lost prince."
The still mirror in front of the witch swirled upon the words, slowly, it starts to portrait a cloudy image of the Prince. As usual, the Prince is in the kitchen, busy with the dishes.
"Found you, prince-sama."
The Hunter stayed with them for the next few days, he is a wanderer after all, so it doesn't matter where he is. Besides, he needs the wound to heal before going off, and the food here is too good to let go, not that he would admit it out loud to the arrogant cook.
The witch looked at the apple in her hand and laughed wickedly. Today will be the last day for the Prince, she will poison him with this delicious looking apple, then she can take the Prince's body to the King and claim her worth.
Proud with her plan, the witch carefully looks for an opportunity behind the mirror. She had been observing the lost Prince for a few days, and she knows that he would have his meal separate from others. She just needed to swap it when no one is looking.
When everyone was done with their meal, the Prince stayed back to clean up the kitchen. The witch eyed the very moment and quietly sneak out a head to the Prince's meal.
Everything went on smoothly.
The witch watched as the Prince was done with the work.
A splitting grin formed on the witch's face when she sees the Prince ate the poisonous apple without a second thought.
The Prince was just thinking on how sweet the apple was, when he felt a sharp pain radiating from inside. In seconds, his vision blurred and he collapsed to the ground.
It's now! The witch was just about to emerge from the mirror, when her plan is interrupted by another shadow that came into picture.
The Hunter popped out from nowhere, and made his way to the fallen Prince within seconds. His sound tainted with worry, "Ooi, what's wrong? Why did you fall suddenly?"
The witch burst in frustration, why of all people in the house, it has to be the damn swordsman?! She had no chance against him if she were to fight.
Hence, the witch can only watch in despair when the Hunter carried the unconscious Prince to look for the little doctor. His footsteps were messy amidst the chaos.
"Damnit, that swordman! I will kill him if I have the chance!" the witch gritted through her teeth. She heaved a heavy sigh. Well, at least she can report to the King that the prince will die under her poison.
With a swoosh, the witch disappeared behind the mirror.
On the other hand, the house fell into chaos when all dwarves saw the unconscious Prince. They immediately swarmed over and started shooting questions at the Hunter. The Hunter was overwhelmed, but he still remembered the pressing matter in hand, literally in hand.
"This is not the time for this! Hurry up and treat him!"
The Hunter gestured for the Doctor to examine him, he tried to stay calm, but worry is evident in his eyes. The Doctor hurriedly fetches his medical supplies and fret over the blonde cook, checking his pupil and pulse, mixing a quick potion according to his diagnosis.
After what seems like forever, the little doctor had his hands hanging limply besides, eyes tearing up.
"I'm sorry I can't do anything, the poison spread too fast. I can only stop further damage, but I couldn't cure the damage done…" The little doctor failed to suppress the tears, he started wailing and apologizing.
Gloom fell over them, the usual joyful and playful atmosphere no where to be found. They had the unconscious prince placed on the bed, with them rotating to guard over him.
The days went on with the dwarves constantly looking for remedies, the Doctor flipping through every book he had, Demon and Mikan trying their own ways to gather any information on the poison, the others helping anywhere they could.
Today is the Hunter's turn to guard beside the unconscious Prince. These days, the dwarves would bring some herbs and flowers and placed it beside the Prince, over time the flowers piled up, making it look like he is sleeping in a flower bed.
The Hunter eyed the man on the bed. The blonde looks like he is just sleeping, with a peaceful expression on. He thoughts soon trailed away, thinking on how fair is his skin, and the golden locks that just sits in the right place. He has a lean figure, but the Hunter knew how much strength it hides underneath the clothes.
The Prince was always launching attacks and throwing insults at the Hunter, never being so quiet as such.
Like a force pulling on him, before the Hunter realizes, he already leans dangerously close to the unconscious Prince. The Hunter stopped and stared for a moment at the soft features before him, and pushed forward to place a light kiss.
A light stirs from the body underneath made the Hunter pulled back, but still looming over the man.
The Prince slowly awakes, eyes fluttering open. The Hunter found himself intrigued by the blue in his eyes, instead of the usual annoyance, now it is covered in heavy mist, like a lazy cat awoken from his deep sleep.
The way those eyes looked at the Hunter made him break loose.
The Hunter pressed forward again, capturing the Prince lips in his. He took the opportunity that the other man has yet to fully awake, to sneak in his tongue and deepen the kiss. The Hunter devoured the soft lips as he wished.
When the Prince finally came back to his sense, he immediately flung a kick to the Hunter above him, anger burning through his voice, "WHAT THE HELL do you think you are doing?!"
The Hunter grinned at the fuming figure on the bed. He decided he liked the blush that decorated the Prince's pale skin.
And so, the Prince and the Hunter lived happily ever after.
Chopper yawns, but refused to submit to the tiredness, "Haaaa…. So this is a fairy tale? It's a nice story, I wished I heard about it when I was little…"
Robin chuckled at the reindeer's dropping head, she made a note next time to tell the story when the little one is in bed.
Slowly, Robin took the half-asleep Chopper and headed over to the men cabin. Chopper was too tired to protest and leaned against her warm touches and soft sounds of lullaby.
The night is peaceful.
-END-