LADY ARTEMYRA

The sky swelled with rich shades of gold with thin traces of red and blue blending together. It was as if the day and night had combined itself into a single fleeting moment of absolute beauty. Not even the mysterious allure of dusk could surpass the excellence that was dawn, and the best place to witness such charm was on the tall cliffs that met the sea. It was where you would usually find Lady Artemyra early in the morning, gazing upon the vast blue and resembling a noble guardian of her home.

Her sea-green eyes reflected a beautiful soul and she had a fair complexion that made her features look very elegant. Her hair was blonde, and within the mornings first light would look like it was made of a thousand shades of gold that was all tied together with a black ribbon. People considered her to be attractive but that word didn't even come close to defining her. Her brilliance was true and her grace was unclouded.

Her armor was simple and practical. She had on a breastplate that had the knights crest on the front of it, silver gauntlets that went up to her elbows, tassets that fell down the sides of her dress, greaves running up her legs, and sabaton footwear that were designed into medium length heels. Her dress, though lovely, was specially designed to be durable and easy to move around in. It was stark white with a black accent and a skirt in the shape of a lily.

She was a charming thing but what really caught everyone's attention was her sword and sheath. They were attached to her back and leaning towards her right shoulder for easy access. The handle of the sword was royal blue with the handguard being of a golden hue. Her sheath though is what was utterly enchanting to look at, decorated with jewels of every color and shade. It's what usually grabbed everyone's attention whenever she walked the streets.

Her fingers, covered in silver, reached around to her right shoulder and grasped her sword tightly. In a quick motion, the knightess yanked it from that same beautiful sheath and cast it out in front of her. She flipped the blade around to the flat side and lifted it up to her face. Her eyes reflected into the metal, staring with a saddened expression that would change to yearning whenever she would look out to the sea.

She had always wondered if it was selfish of her to have these longings, to seek a world beyond the borders of her home. The people within the city had never seen the outside world either and Artemyra was no exception. No one had complained about it before so why is she the only one having these feelings? Was it wrong for her to wish for something outside her small world? Then again...the outside was the last thing she needed to worry about. She had her own problems to deal with.

A sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes, swiftly and skillfully putting the blade back into its home. "Why must you always come and join me here, Father?" she spoke up and looked over her shoulder, seeing an elderly man's tall frame standing behind her.

Her father had always been frighteningly tall and intimidating, and he easily loomed over his daughter's 5'0 self. Despite his age though, he still had sharp and well-developed muscles that hadn't change at all when he was young. She won't be surprised too if he still had his strength from his prime. He was just that strict with himself. Looking at him though, he did have some resemblance with his daughter. He had the same beautiful shade of blonde hair that had started to gray, and sea-green eyes that could even make the ocean jealous.

Her father wasn't just a simple knight though. He was the one who ruled over the city and its knights that lived there. The master of the island, Lord Armstrong.

He had his arms crossed over his large chest and stood absolutely still like an unmovable statue. "Why is that whenever I need to find you...you're always here," he asked with a voice withered with age and pride. He stared down at his daughter who was surrounded in early morning ember lights. "This was your mother's favorite spot, you know?" he said and sat down on the grass beside her.

Artemyra closed her eyes and shook her head. "I do. Which makes it my favorite spot as well. It's a way I can be close to her."

"Her armor and sword had already been passed down to you. Is that not enough?" His eyes were crinkled with old pain.

That made her heart sting a bit and she looked away, back to the sea with that same longing expression. "If she's not by my side in the flesh then it will never be enough," a bitterness carried within her voice.

"Oh, Myra..." His hands may be rough from decades upon decades of fighting but they still were able to gently stroke his daughter's back, just as kind as the day she was born...the same day he lost his wife. "You miss her, I understand. It's been 19 years since her death and I still remember that day as if it was yesterday." He felt his hand touch by her sheath and abruptly stop. His fingers strained and twitched for a moment before suddenly meeting the warm gaze of his daughter's eyes. He finally released his hand from the sheath.

"At least you got a chance to know her." Her words were full of sorrowful yearning that hasn't dwindled since she was brought into this world. It only made her voice grow melancholy from the lack of her mother's presence. "You won't even tell me how she died. Why is that?"

Armstrong flinched and looked away from Artemyra. "It's because you don't need to know," he spoke grimly, his eyes clouded with undefined grief. He still spoke about her though with great pride. "You must only remember her as to how she lived. She was a champion and a source of strength. She had a beautiful soul too. One very much like yours. " He lifted his head to the sun and felt its warmth, though none will come close to the warmth he felt from his wife. "She was the strongest knight to come out of the four islands in years, and she was the first to ever win two consecutive wars in a row and keep the peace. She was a woman who deserved respect from both her enemies and her allies."

"I know that..." Artemyra had heard the legends throughout the years, over and over again for a while now. That was all her father ever talked about. He hardly ever spoke anything else about her. Artemyra didn't even know what her mother's hobbies or habits were. She knew nothing. "I wish to know everything about her. Even her death," she continued to plea.

She was fidgeting with anticipation that she knew she wasn't ever going to be satisfied. She knew her father more than anyone else on this island. She knew of the love and devotion that he had for his wife, but sadly, those feelings had turned into grief and longing. He wished to be reunited with his love, though he never said it to anyone, much less to himself. His daughter was a sharp child though, and she could easily see through his strong outer appearance as if he was made of glass.

Armstrong clenched his hands tightly and stood his ground. "You don't need to. All you need to know is her legacy and what she left behind."

That was it, Artemyra thought. She knew that her father was never going to talk about her mother's death. In the end, she wasn't even sure why she kept asking in the first place. Armstrong had always withheld that information. Not even a single person on the island knew of the mysterious circumstances that surrounded Artemyra's mother.

Artemyra tightened her jaw and dropped her head into her lap. "What she left behind...was me," she said, voice quivering with sorrow once more.

The knightess stood up very slowly and took the small trail down the cliff towards the sandy beach, leaving her father alone and not speaking another word more to him.

Armstrong watched as Artemyra's frame got farther and farther away. He then sighed to himself, quite loudly though. He pulled his arms behind him and leaned far back. "Hira...having a daughter is not easy. Especially one who is just as stubborn as you, my love."

It already had been so long since Lady Hira passed away, but Armstrong knew with all his heart that she truly wasn't gone. She was still here, upon this island and within everyone's hearts. She had never left and was continuing to watch over her people, her husband, and of course, her dearest daughter. Her body may have perished but the pride she had inside her heart still remained, now living inside Artemyra as the young woman continues to strive in her duties as a knight.

Luffy stared curiously down at the calm ocean water that had a magnificent shimmering blue hue that he had never seen before. It was so remarkably crisp and beautiful that he could even see the bottom of the ocean and all the fish swimming below him and the small boat. It was very strange to see the water this clean and he was almost tempted to jump into the grand blue to get a better look around. He wasn't stupid enough to do that though since it was a well-known fact for him that he would sink like a hammer.

He then noticed something odd reflecting in the water, something large. Luffy looked up and saw, In the distance, was an island of grand magnitude. It was surrounded by gigantically tall cliffs on each side and a dock out in front of them with anchored fishing boats. There was a golden beach and a city in the center of the island. It was massive and appeared as if it was on an incline too, the majority of the buildings getting bigger and grander the higher they got. Something strange caught Luffy's eyes though when he noticed an odd silver glimmer coming from the buildings.

He sucked in a deep breath as a massive grin stretched ear to ear on his face. "Wow! Coby, check out that island! It's huge!" He jumped up to the bow of the small boat to get as close as he could without falling in. His heart was jumping out of control with how excited he was. He had never seen this grand of a city before.

Coby appeared to be the only one who looked uneasy, nervous actually. "I'm not sure about this place, Luffy-san," he said while adjusting his glasses.

"Why not?" Luffy looked back to him and blinked. His eyes were still sparkling with excitement so the tension in Coby's voice went right over his head. "They gotta have food, right? Lots and lots of delicious meat!" His mouth was watering to the point of it pouring out the sides of his lips. It seemed that the only thing on his mind at the moment was food. Coby could even swear that his eyes had taken the shape of juicy meat.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it. I just don't know if it's safe or not. You see...if my calculations are correct...then that's the island of Armwell, home to the East Blue knights," he said grimly.

"What do you mean by that?" Luffy was still pretty confused since this was the first time he heard about these people.

"The East Blue knights are a group of people that you could call a creed. They dress in impenetrable armor and have swordsmen skills that could rival even the Marines." He held three fingers up to explain things a little further. "It's not just Armwell either. There are three other islands like this one. One in North Blue, South Blue, and West Blue. They all don't seem to be on good terms though, for some reason, but each island is full of these terrifyingly strong guys. They're completely disconnected from the World Government too and only follow their own rules and traditions. Even the Marines avoid angering them." He looked at Luffy with pleating eyes but was disheartened to see that he still didn't get it, cocking his head to the side with confusion.

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed to himself and it seemed like he was putting a great deal of thought into his next decision. "Hmm..."

Coby continued to push for the idea to leave. He just didn't feel comfortable being in Armwell's territory, knowing the rumors that surround them. "I think we should try and find a different island."

"But I'm hungry now," he complained and sunk down into himself. "If the Marines can't touch them, then we should be alright too."

"Luffy-san, I just think we should be safe instead of sorry."

"We are safe." Luffy lifted his hand to his straw hat and gazed up at the bleeding rays of the morning sun, a smile on his face that was brimming with bottomless confidence. He stood up from the ground and looked at Coby with that same grin that appeared as if it had never wavered before. "I'm pretty strong too, you know? We'll be fine," he said and snickered to himself.

He wasn't sure if Luffy was just too lacking in the brain department to noticed the danger, or if he was really that confident in himself. Either way, it caused Coby to become stunned and fumble on his words. "Ye...yes, but-"

"Oh! I can see someone on the beach right now!" Luffy's eyes brightened when he called out, noticing someone walking alongside the golden shores. They were close enough to the island now to make out extra details. "Hey! Over here! Hey!" He used his hand as a visor and leaned far over the boat.

"Luffy-san, wait!" Coby went pale in an instant and reached out to stop him, trying to cover his mouth.

Luffy pushed him away and proceeded to raise his voice and shout his lungs out, calling with this high pitch shriek that came all the way from his toes. "Oi! Over here!" He waved his arms in the air like a madman who was hallucinating.

Artemyra stopped mid-stride when she heard the sound of a distant voice being carried by the wind. She looked off to the endless ocean and saw what looked to be a small boat closing in on their territory. Instinctively, she began to reach around back to her sword and grip the hilt tightly. She was going to pull it out when she saw that there wasn't a jolly roger at all on the boat, and in all reality, it looked like a normal sailing boat. There were just two people inside too. They couldn't have been a threat, especially coming to Armwell of all places with such little manpower.

The knightess backtracked and began to head for the docks as the two unknown sailors pulled closer into the island. She could see now they were two guys, very young. One looked quite cheerful and loud and wore a plain straw hat on his head. The other was smaller though and seemed to be very meek and hesitant.

Coby couldn't believe the person standing in front of him. It was an actual knight of Armwell. He could see the crest on the front of her breastplate, engraved to look like a sword with thorns wrapped around the handle and blade.

He thought he was going to faint with how much his eyes were spinning. Breathing was difficult and he actually thought his heart was going to stop with fright. "Luffy-san, don't! You might anger them." he pulled on the back of his stupid friend's shirt.

Artemyra just stood there, her sea-green gaze widening with confusion from the words that were brought to her attention. "Anger who? Us?" she said in such a soft-spoken voice that it literally took Coby by surprise. Her voice had this sternness to it but the way she said those words just sounded so gentle and reassuring. "Don't be so afraid of such awful rumors. My people simply just like peace and privacy." She reached her hand out and offered it to them as the boat stopped at the docks. Her eyes crinkled up as her lips melted into a smile. "Welcome to Armwell."

Coby blinked a couple of times and just stared at the woman. She had a gentle face that added to her smile and made it appear as if she was glowing against the early morning light. It was fresh and honest too, almost as crisp as her calm voice was, and somehow, just by saying those simple words eased his heart in an instant. These knights were supposed to be known for their frightening amount of strength, yet this woman was one of them? A knight of Armwell? It wasn't at all what he was expecting. She looked like a normal girl.

Luffy stepped onto the docks of the island and looked down at the knightess, offering his hand out and smiling. "Monkey D. Luffy," he introduced loudly.

She took his hand and shook it. "Artemyra."

Luffy blinked and stared at her, cocking his head to the side. "Arte-whata?"

This made her flinch but she repeated her name once more. "Artemyra." In some way, she could understand if someone outside the creed would have a hard time pronouncing her name, but It never came up before so it actually surprised her quite a bit.

"Ar...arr?"

"Ar...te...my...ra," she spoke slower.

"Ar...Ar..." It looked like Luffy's brain was going to start smoking with how hard he was trying. "Arty?"

"Close enough."