Author's Note: Just a reminder, pilot!Trowa is known as Nanashi in this story, so when you see the name "Trowa," it's referring to the original Trowa Barton, Dekim's son and Mariemaia's uncle. Also, when you see dialogue in brackets ["like this"], it means it's sign language rather than spoken words.
Of course his father would claim to be too busy to say farewell to the parting prince, Trowa thought to himself. He and Mariemaia stood on the docks with Prince Heero and his entourage, his niece dressed for the voyage.
"You must accept my gratitude for conveying Princess Mariemaia to Sanq for the coronation."
"It's my pleasure," Heero replied, and though his expression did not belie the statement, Trowa suspected it was anything but. Interactions between Heero and Mariemaia had been strained at best during his visit, though both had been carefully, almost painfully polite to each other the entire time.
Trowa surveyed the others arrayed on the dock as porters worked to load luggage onto the ship. There was Nanashi, a puzzle to be sure. Trowa hadn't quite been able to figure out the man's role, as he clearly wasn't nobility, yet Heero treated him as if he were an equal. Then there was that nagging feeling Trowa got every time he looked at him that he'd seen him somewhere before, when he knew for a fact that couldn't be true.
Shaking himself mentally, he looked briefly at the others accompanying Heero. There were the two guards who'd survived the shipwreck, a woman whose name Trowa couldn't remember for the life of him, and finally, Duo. The mystery man who couldn't speak, save that silly handwaving he'd started to do with Heero and the others. Why on earth Heero had taken him in was beyond him, though he had to admit the man was easy on the eyes. Maybe that was all it was.
Trowa turned to his niece. "Have a safe journey, Mariemaia." She nodded and thanked him. As quickly as he could, he made his excuses and left. With Prince Heero gone, he could finally have some fun again.
"What is it, Captain Une?" Treize asked her as she entered his private garden. That he tended the miniature coral reef himself was a surprise to some, but not to her. He was a man who not only appreciated beauty but also appreciated action, whether the decisive action inherent to ruling, or the more quiet version of keeping his own garden.
"I wanted to discuss your intentions toward Prince Chang."
He didn't respond at first, just continued his work for a time. She knew him well enough to know that this was more for show than anything else. Posturing was like second nature to the man, even with those closest to him. She had expected nothing less and waited patiently.
Finally, he turned to her. "I assume you have an opinion about what those intentions should be, do you not?"
"I do, Your Excellency."
"Very well. Enlighten me."
As close as they were, she still often forgot the full impact of having his undivided attention. It was unnerving in its intensity. She shrugged that off and continued on. "Thus far, you have kept him in the dark aside from the existence of Duo's mission. You have provided no updates whatsoever, even though there have been frequent ones from Quatre, and most especially the actual message Duo recently sent. The outcome of this mission will affect all mer kingdoms. Do you have so little care for your relationship to the Shenlong Empire?"
"You think I keep him in the dark because I care little for diplomacy on this matter?"
"What else am I to think?"
"I suppose my motivations might not be self evident. Prince Chang is young yet. Part of his mission here is to learn more about our governance, our traditions that are so different from his own. After all, we do not pass on leadership based on bloodline like is the case in the Shenlong Empire. I suspect he not only finds this intriguing, but is considering adopting the policy once he is crowned Emperor."
"How is that related to this mission?"
"Duo has been named the heir, yet his actions have gotten us into this trouble in the first place. This does not put us or our system in the best light."
Une considered this. "I still believe it would be better to share what we know with Chang. It's not as if hereditary heirs do not make mistakes. If he questions our laws based on this, we can simply explain that Duo stands to lose his place if his actions prove to our detriment. Is that not putting us in the best of lights? Having the option to change the heir to someone who is more suitable is an advantage over a hereditary system of leadership."
"You make a valid point. Very well, we shall share our knowledge. Perhaps he will even have a useful suggestion or two about how to approach this problem. Certainly he will know how best to communicate with Emperor Long on the matter."
"Shall I summon him?"
"Please do. And Captain?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Thank you for your input. As always, I value your thoughts. They are ever well measured and worth considering."
Une smiled, pleased. "You're welcome, Your Excellency. I'll return soon."
Mariemaia was very glad to discover that she had grown out of the sea sickness she suffered when she was younger. Then, being so close to the ocean but not allowed in it… it had been more than her body could take. This time, its nearness was enough. While the weather had been fair thus far, the sea had not been calm for much of the time. At least the crew had stopped insisting she stay in her cabin. There were safety ropes to hold onto throughout the ship and she was every bit as capable of doing so as the men, as she'd told them with less and less patience over the first few days of the voyage.
She suspected her insistence had less to do with the captain's changed mind than a word from Prince Heero, which grated. On the one hand, she appreciated that Heero thought her capable, but on the other hand, she fumed at the thought that it took the word of a man to get her way.
She tried not to dwell too much on that, however. The pitching of the ship was unsettling at times, but the sun on the waves and the puffy white clouds sprinkled across the sky were a beauty to behold. There were seabirds at times, and jumping fish, and once she even saw a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waves.
The scenery was not all that captured her attention. Mariemaia was beginning to pick up on some of the hand signals that flew between Duo, Prince Heero, and the Prince's two companions, since Heero at least spoke aloud while signing. But she was much more interested in the body language that was not so direct. It was the dynamic between the Prince and the braided man that truly fascinated her.
They each seemed to speak volumes with their eyes when watching the other, letting their emotions show when they thought no one was watching. And what emotions! Duo gazed at Heero with longing, and interestingly, sometimes looked away with what she swore was a guilty expression. Heero looked at times as if he were trying to sort out a puzzle, but at other times his look of longing was as profound as Duo's.
She was almost entirely certain that the two were completely smitten with each other. What she wasn't sure of was whether she could do anything to encourage them to move beyond longing glances. If Heero was in love with this man, perhaps he could be convinced to pursue him instead of her hand in marriage. Of course, it would be tantamount to political suicide for Heero to do so, but a girl could hope.
Even more interesting than the hand signals were the sparring matches. From what she could tell, Heero and his companions were teaching Duo how to fight. At the least, each of them seemed more skilled than he, and while she did not stand close enough to hear the words or make out the gestures in detail, it seemed that the others were giving him instructions. The man was quite capable with his fists, but his footwork left something to be desired.
Still, over the course of the two week journey, he certainly appeared to improve. He was a quick study, it would seem. Why the Prince had decided this was necessary, she could only guess at. Why the Prince still entertained the stranger was even more of a mystery.
Mariemaia had been contemplating that mystery while standing at the rail, gazing out over the sea, when she noticed Duo standing next to her. She'd been so engrossed in the view that she hadn't seen him approach. She turned to him, seeing that Nanashi had accompanied him. They were both leaning on the rail as she was, gazing out to sea.
"Hello," she ventured. She had had very little interaction with the two, having not known exactly how to treat companions of a Prince who had no actual rank. Grandfather had been vocal enough, in private, about how absurd such an arrangement was, counter to the order of things, and while she wasn't personally offended by it the way he was, she did find it confusing.
["Hello,"] Duo replied, one of the gestures she'd become familiar with. Nanashi said nothing until Duo executed a series of more complicated gestures.
"He's saying, 'The ocean is beautiful, isn't it?'" he translated.
She blinked. Nanashi had come to play translator so Duo could engage in small talk? "It is," she answered after an awkward silence. What was going on?
Duo gestured again, and again, Nanashi translated. ["You seem particularly drawn to it."]
Her heart began to thump in her chest. But no. Being drawn to the sea couldn't be enough to betray her secret.
"I've always found it particularly soothing, on calm days like this. On rougher days, the sheer strength of it is awe inspiring." She looked at Duo sidelong. "Do you not find it so?"
The man smiled and nodded. ["I do. I appreciate finding another admirer."]
What was going on? She'd barely exchanged two words with the man, and now this. She had no idea what had prompted it or what the point was, but manners had been too well drilled into her to ask directly.
"Is your home near the sea?" she ventured. From what she'd heard, even Heero had not managed to learn anything about this man's past, but it couldn't hurt to ask.
He hesitated. ["I have always lived near the sea,"] he said at last, and she couldn't but help notice the look of surprise on Nanashi's face as he translated. Evidently this was new information for him. She noted as well the careful wording he used. He'd "always lived," not "my home is" or a simple "yes." She was certain this was deliberate, though she couldn't quite parse what it could mean.
He didn't initiate any more conversation, and nor did she or Nanashi. After a time, he gestured ["Until dinner,"], and then, with a nod from Nanashi, they both left.
She was still baffled by the encounter when dinnertime came around. Each night, the Captain hosted a fancy dinner for her, Prince Heero, and his companions, complete with a man to serve them and gilt cutlery. She could tell the Captain was a little taken aback that it was more than just him and the two royals, but Heero had insisted the others join them and the Captain wasn't about to gainsay him. The food, of course, was anything but fancy, but she imagined it was nicer than what the crew was getting.
Heero, diplomatic man that he was, made a point to include her in conversation, though if she were being honest, she preferred being a fly on the wall. Though she was starting to pick up the sign language the others were using, Nanashi or Catherine usually ended up translating Duo's gestures for her, and it made for clumsy conversation. Most of the time, his awareness, as during the day, seemed to revolve around Heero, much as the Prince's focused mostly on him. But this night, Duo was scrutinizing her very closely.
Had something about their interaction earlier prompted this? She caught his eye and smiled, lifting her brow in challenge. He had the grace to look abashed and quickly turned away. Still, she caught him eyeing her sidelong multiple times during the rest of the meal, and couldn't help but wonder what it was all about. Had she done something differently to provoke his approach that afternoon, and this subsequent attention? Had she somehow betrayed herself? Was he also…? He never approached her again, and the enigma continued to puzzle her for the remainder of the journey.
