BlackLynx17: I love how Mest is going to be apart of the final series of Fairy Tail! I've been squealing and fangirling these past three episodes with him being a major role! I love him and Wendy so much! I hope they make an epilogue where they end up together, and poor Wendy. Everyone saying she's grown while she's like, no, not at all.
Title: Love At First Sight
Secret Title: Pirate Love
Summary: Wendy is a princess forced to be married at the age of 18. It wouldn't be a problem for her if she had fallen in love with her fiance, but alas fate is not too kind. Determined to runaway to chose her own love, she runs into a nice man who rescues her from her guards. Thinking this man is her one true love, she decides to escape with him. She had no idea that her true love was a no good pirate.
Chapter Three
One Of Us
Erza looks up from her compass as her captain finally rears his ugly head from his quarters. He climbs up the stairs slowly, making his way over to her rather pathetically. He looks completely exhausted, so she decides to give him a little break and kicks her chair over to him.
"Thanks," he mumbles, falling back into it.
She tosses him a bottle of rum as well, looking like he could really use it. Mest barely catches it in time, nodding towards her before taking a swing.
"You have a lot of explaining to do Mest," she warns.
"Where do I even start?" Mest groans rubbing his eyes.
"You can start on why that woman introduced herself as Wendy Marvell, because I'm pretty sure the kingdom we just left had a princess named Marvell as well."
Mest takes another sip of rum.
"Really?! Is that it then?! You kidnapped the princess for ransom?! Great job Captain, I knew I could trust in you. You wouldn't have ditched us like that if you didn't find a bigger score! A princess has to be worth way more than what we made from our looting." Gajeel laughs.
"You have to be kidding me! We don't kidnap people Gajeel! We don't hurt others who are innocent! We're better pirates than that! Tell me it isn't true Mest!" Levy calls out.
"Stop your eavesdropping and gather round everybody, but give our poor captain some space. You're all forgetting one very important detail. When that princess introduced herself to us, she claimed to be Mest's wife. So tell us Captain, exactly what has happened since this morning when we parted ways and entered that kingdom."
It would have been easier to explain it to Erza first. Tell her the whole truth, keeping nothing back, and then have her help explain it to the others. He told himself to stop lying to his crew though... these people are his friends. If he can't be completely honest with them, then who can he be honest with? Mest shakes his head when Wendy's face appears in his mind.
"That princess prefers to be called Wendy," he decides to start.
His crew are all ears.
"She was running away from her guards because she was being forced to marry this complete dick," Mest spits out and takes another swing of rum. Erza reaches out and snatches it away from him, glaring when he tries to get it back, "and I thought she was just some common thief, so I went to rescue her. One thing led to another, we got married, now she's apart of our crew. Now give me back the bottle Erza."
"That's not good enough Captain." Erza argues with him.
"You're horrible, you are all horrible. I've had a really, really rough day, and I just want to relax and sleep, I deserve that, but I can't! I can't, so now I just want to get drunk, but I can't do that either! What do you all want from me?!"
"ANSWERS!" Is his reply.
Mest groans and covers his face with his hands, "I wanted to save her, and she fell in love with me at first sight or some shit. I'm just doing this to protect her."
"So you aren't really married?"
"We are," Mest glares out at his sea of friends, wondering which one of them said that.
"So then it isn't a real marriage? Since you're only doing it to... protect her?"
"I swear to God if a single one of you lays a finger on her Davy Jones' locker is going to be looking pretty cozier than this place." Mest growls out.
Erza sighs and shakes her head, "is the girl staying with us Mest?"
"Yes." He pouts.
"And for how long?"
"An indefinite amount of time."
"And she is to be treated as your wife?"
Mest gulps, but gives a sharp nod of his head.
"Okay then." Erza sighs out.
"Okay?!"
"Just like that?! We deserve more than that!"
"You all deserve to walk the plank!" Mest declares.
"Hey, listen up you lot. Mest is our captain and we have never not trusted him before. Whom he decides to marry is his choice and his alone. We have no right to interfere in that; how would you like it if the captain annulled all your relationships?!" Erza screams.
Soft murmurs are heard between everyone.
"So what she's a princess? She's clearly chosen Mest, and Mest has brought her along, so he clearly knows what he's doing. He would never put us in danger. We can't help who we fall in love with. Mest, you're my captain and I've never doubted you before... so tell us now. Is she... is Wendy?" The words die out on her lips.
Mest takes a small breath. He's a horrible captain. He wanted her so badly that he just took her and didn't think of the consequences. He didn't think about his crew at all, his best friends, none of them. He doesn't deserve their loyalty after that.
"She's one of us now." He mumbles.
"Aye," Erza says.
"Aye," the rest of the crew, reluctantly, agree.
Because if they had a death wish, they surely would have disagreed. Erza's smile is tight as she places a hand on Mest's shoulder and squeezes him.
"Congratulations on your wedding, sir. Why don't you go join your wife? I can handle things from here."
Mest nods his head and stands up, "I know many of you still have questions. Just give me time and all will become clear. If any of you don't like this, I'll understand if you wish to seek freedom elsewhere."
No one says anything and Mest figures it's his time to go. He walks past his friends and heads towards the captain's quarters. He just wants to knock out and rest, but he completely forgets about the little princess that has not only stolen away his affection, but his bed as well. He should sleep on the floor, reduce temptation, but he's so drunk and exhausted as soon as his head hits the pillow he knows he's going to sleep, so he does just that and passes out on top of the blankets.
He's waiting for her to wake up and scream. For her eyes to widen as she realizes she's not home anymore. For her to freak out, realize her mistake, and demand to be taken back home. He's waiting for any number of things to go wrong as he watches her sleep. That is the only reason he's watching her sleep. Not because she looks so peaceful and god damn beautiful. Not because she's an angel gracing him with her presence, somehow captured in his room. Not because she makes his bed look like the more comfiest thing in the entire world... no, of course not. He's just waiting for her to explode.
What he gets is a soft sneeze. It isn't cold in the room, at least not to him, but he's used to the seas. She isn't. She's used to castles and fires by her bedside, tea or whatever warm drink royalty have in the cold. He reaches out to pull the blankets higher over her chest, ignoring how she makes his shirt look- she's just beautiful no matter what! His mind can't get over the fact that someone like her exists in the world. He's running out of ways to describe her beauty, words just do it no justice.
Her chocolate brown eyes slowly reveal themselves as they flutter open. This is it, this is the moment. Wendy wakes up and sees Mest, her beloved... her maybe beloved, lying beside her, staring at her so intensely, tucking her in with care. Did he stay awake all night to make sure she was alright? Mest is confused as a blush appears on Wendy's face, and instead of screaming like he assumed, she's smiling and laughing.
"I don't think I've ever had such a pleasant awakening before."
She's going to kill him. He should abandon ship and all hope he has right now. Nope, this is his end game. The end of his world. Wendy yawns and leans up from her sleeping position, rubbing her eyes as she looks around the room.
"Is there a refresher here?" She asks.
"Um yes, the girl's is, well it's by the girl's room and... I'll have to show you. I kind of wish I didn't throw away your dress now because my clothes obviously don't fit you. There's nothing for you to wear as you face my crew." Mest kicks himself.
Wendy smiles gently, "I thought you said they were your friends?"
"Friends, crew, we didn't really talk everything out yesterday, so just be prepared for today to be a little rocky."
"Mest, I used to be the princess of Fiore. Every day I would wake up at what felt like the crack of dawn and go through lessons after lessons teaching me how to be the perfect princess. This is the first time since I've been able to read that I've slept in for as long as I wanted. I'll take a little rocky any day over my princess ones."
"Well then... I guess today is going to be a good one."
He doesn't know what he can say to that, so he gives up. He's discovering that giving up when it comes to her is a lot easier than arguing. She calls this sleeping in, but he knows none of his crew are awake right now, except for maybe the chefs and bookworms. They aren't going to be discovered if they wander the halls at this time. Wendy kicks the covers away and Mest rolls off the bed, proud of himself for remaining calm. He heads for the door and is startled when Wendy isn't following after him, but appears to be... fixing his bed.
"What are you doing?" Mest asks.
"I don't want to keep it messy; I don't know how you like it." Wendy answers honestly.
"Wendy, we're pirates. You don't have to fix my bed, it never has to be fixed."
"But at home-"
"Ever. Do you even enjoy doing it?"
Wendy bites her lip as she drops the pillow back in place, "not really."
"Then stop."
Wendy blinks at him slowly before looking back at his- their bed. She's already fixed her side... she tears the top sheet off and leaves it crumbled up in one corner. A small smile appears on her face and she walks over towards Mest proudly.
"That a girl," he praises rubbing her head as he holds the door open.
"For a pirate, you have very nice manners." Wendy praises, thanking him.
"I wasn't always a pirate. My mother was able to teach me a thing or two before I made a living for myself." Mest informs as he leads the way down the hall.
Just as he suspected, not a soul awake. Wendy keeps to his side closely, eyes wide and on guard as she takes everything in.
"Why'd you do it then? Become a pirate?"
"Loved the freedom, here you are princess. I'll be waiting for you whenever you come out. Although it doesn't look it, this ship is actually quite large and I don't think you'll be able to find your way around without me. We'll do a tour today and I can show you some of the ropes of being a pirate." Mest tries to joke at the end.
Wendy smiles and nods her head before disappearing behind the door. Yeah right, a princess as a pirate, a pirate princess, what is wrong with him? He didn't get enough sleep, that is the only option why his mind is so jumbled.
"Mest? What are you doing here?"
Mest flinches and looks over, "Mirajane, you scared me. I'm just... well Wendy's..." a blush appears on his face and Mirajane nods her head knowingly.
"Enough said, I understand. Well, if you'll excuse me." Mirajane says making her way towards the door.
"Ah- wait! Wendy doesn't have any clothes of her own. Do you think some of the girls could let her borrow some? Just until we reach the next town and then I'll buy her some, as well as all the girls who helped anything they want. I just... don't want her walking around only wearing my clothes," Mest groans.
Mirajane laughing at him doesn't make him feel any better.
"You must have been really impatient if you didn't let her pack before sweeping her away."
Mest glares, "it wasn't like that."
"I know, I'm only teasing. I'm sure the girls would love to give her some clothes... well, I know I would love to dig through their dressers and find some. She looked to be Lisanna's shape, but I actually don't remember how big she was. You didn't really introduce her long enough for her to have a lasting impression, or introduce her at all now that I'm thinking about it."
"You know I already feel bad about that."
Mirajane giggles behind her hand, "I'm only making sure you understand what you've put us through with this surprise. How old is Wendy?"
Mest mouth opens to answer... but no numbers come out.
He actually doesn't know how old the girl who is supposed to be his wife is... he actually doesn't know a lot about his pretend wife. Only her name, that she's a princess, and that she believes in love... well it makes sense! He's only known her for a day! Thinking that doesn't make Mest feel any less of an asshole. Mirajane sees him struggling and sighs, shaking her head to herself.
"I only ask because I want to know if she's going to be hitting another growth spurt soon. It would be wise to pick out clothes for her that fit her needs best, especially when shopping for her. You can't want your wife to be borrowing ours every time she grows out of it."
Mest groans, "I hate it when you make me feel like a child."
"Really? I think it's adorable," Mirajane giggles.
The door to the refresher opens and Wendy walks out feeling happy and refreshed. She squeaks when she sees Mest not standing alone like she thought he would be and blushes from embarrassment. Mest bites his bottom lip to prevent smiling from her cuteness, which Mirajane doesn't miss as she peeks at him before looking over at her.
"Hello there Wendy, my name is Mirajane, but people around here like to call me Mira. It's nice to meet you." Mirajane introduces herself.
Wendy stares with wide eyes at Mirajane. She's never seen someone this beautiful before. Her skin looks so smooth, her hair so bright and pure, that smile making her feel completely at ease around her. A blush appears on Wendy's cheeks as she realizes she just embarrassed herself in front of someone so beautiful. She never would have thought that a pirate could look like this; she never would have mistaken Mirajane for one, but rather a princess.
"Good morning," Wendy whispers, lowering her head.
"Wow, a princess bowing down to me? Can't say I've had that experience before," Mirajane teases.
Wendy flusters more from embarrassment, if that's even possible. Her face looks as bright red as a strawberry. Mest decides to save her and steps in.
"She isn't a princess, she's a pirate now. Treat her like the rest of us."
"So protective, does she have you wrapped around her finger already Captain?" Mirajane smiles knowingly at him.
"Didn't you have to use the refresher Mirajane?" Mest reminds her.
"Right, of course. Excuse me Wendy, would you mind if I asked how old you are? Such a young and petite little thing, I'm not sure if we have anyone your size on our deck, but I will certainly try."
"Oh, um, I'm 17... ma'am," Wendy adds at the end.
Mest has to cough to cover his laugh while Mirajane's face freezes for a second.
"Oh darling, I'm not an old bat. I'm not even that much older than you, so please call me Mira, or even big sis. But don't ever call me ma'am again." Mirajane threatens with kindness.
Wendy flinches and takes step towards Mest's side, "I'm sorry."
"No harm done. 17, huh? I would have figured you for so much younger. You look like a baby."
17. She's 17? No, impossible. He thought she was like 12! Ha, no seriously, she didn't look older than 15, didn't look taller than 15, but 17? It makes Mest feel just a tiny bit better that he wasn't as despicable as he thought he was. 17. He can work with 17, 18 would be the day though he would ever try to remotely touch her more than a soft caress. She'll have to be in her 20's if she wanted anything more than a quick peck- why was he thinking about kissing her? Kissing her wasn't apart of the deal. It will be if they fall in love, but until then no kissing. No touching. Just friends. Just friends.
"I've been that my family on my mother's side has very good genes. If I was any younger I wouldn't have been betrothed until I was close to marriageable age."
"That's right, Mest did mention something about a fiancee you didn't wish to marry."
"That's right. I did not love him, so I didn't want to marry him." Wendy nods her head.
"You must have loved our Mest then to marry him after only knowing him for a day?" Mirajane asks.
Wendy's face turns completely red and that's enough of an answer for her. She giggles as she pats Wendy's shoulder, giving her a small kiss on the forehead.
"No need to explain, I'm glad to have you as a friend now. I'll be sure to knock Mest when I drop by with some clothes later on. It was lovely meeting you Wendy, can't wait to see you during breakfast." Mirajane says before disappearing into the refresher.
Wendy stares as her fleeting figure before looking up at Mest, "I was both scared and amazed by her."
"Most people are, come on. You have an hour or so more before everyone starts to wake up. You can go back to sleeping in if you want." Mest offers leading the way back to his quarters.
"And what will you be doing?" Wendy asks, her eyes open wide.
"Be with you of course. I don't plan on leaving your side until I'm sure you're comfortable enough around my crew. I would never just throw you to the sharks," Mest tsks shaking his head, "not my style."
Wendy smiles softly and follows after Mest, content with his answer. She's reminded of how beautiful Mirajane is as she thinks back to her and peeks at her... captain? Beneath her eyelashes.
"Mira was very pretty."
Mest hums in agreement.
"Have you ever?..." the sentence dies on her lips.
He freezes as he reaches for the door to their- no, his room. She won't be staying here with him again; he's not so stupid to tempt fate twice.
"If you don't want to answer... well no, I want you to be honest with me. I can't honestly say I won't be hurt, but I do want to know-"
"No. Never with her." Mest interrupts, opening up his door.
"Oh," Wendy sighs out in relief before skipping after him, "what about the other people in your crew-"
"Never with my friends. It's bad for friendships, especially since I'm the captain. No, I prefer wrenches from taverns and-" his words die on his lips.
Wendy's trying not to look hurt, trying and being very unsuccessful. Of course there have been others; she would have been foolish to hope for otherwise. He was a captain of a pirate ship, he was older than her... she thinks, he probably had many grand adventures and swoon many beautiful women just like he's swoon her... it still hurts though. Her mother and father were both their firsts, she expected that as well. Still, she preferred Mest who has had... many previous lovers than a man who has had none, but did not hold her heart.
"They were just- it was nothing Wendy, they meant nothing. I didn't love them."
"You don't really love me either," Wendy mumbles, rubbing her shoulder.
It was a low blow, but she's hurt. She's stubborn and childish and she's mad that someone else has been with her husband (not husband) before her. Mest sighs and rubs the back of his neck.
"Well I never offered to marry any of them, nor save them, or even brought them to my ship and let them sleep in my bed, so it's pretty obvious you mean the most to me!"
There, he's confessed. If she's still sulking there's nothing else he can do, but she isn't. She's smiling lightly, his words uplifting her spirit and raising her confidence. He's right, she's the one here with him now, not them...
"And just to be clear, because I feel like we should talk a lot more often than normal couples because we seem to misunderstand a lot about each other, you won't be seeing anyone else while you're with me... right?"
Why would he dare touch another woman when he has the perfect one right in front of him? Nope, he didn't mean to think that, he didn't. No woman would be enough for him after knowing her- still bad, still implies too much. Mest just shakes his head at that one, afraid of the words that will come spilling out of his mouth.
Wendy lets out a sigh of relief and nods her head, "good. One last question, well, about this topic. How many has there been before me?"
Mest freezes. Well... his first girl had to be when he still lived at his hometown at 15. They had been an innocent couple, only a few stolen kisses here and there before the sea called him. After that though... Wendy didn't like the grimace on his face.
"I don't remember." Mest decides to go with.
Wendy frowns, "can you give me a guess?"
"Ah-" Mest licks his lips and scratches his neck.
Wendy gasps softly as she tilts her head, "I thought women were supposed to save themselves until marriage. Are there really some out there that have sinned?"
There's no way he's going to be the one to tell her that there are a lot of women who sin, on a daily bases, and that it's actually a job that some of those lots of women enjoy. Not today, not after knowing her for only two days, damn her kingdom and her parents for keeping her so pure... although he really loves that about her- fuck.
"Too many to count, no more questions Wendy."
"But-"
"You said that was the last one on that topic, so let's drop it and discuss something else." Mest interrupts her again.
Wendy pouts and walks over to the bed, sitting down on the crumpled up blankets and staring at the small window on one of the walls. Mest groans and runs a hand down his face, moving to join her.
"Why can't it be enough that you have me now Wendy? That nothing I did in my past matters and that you're all I care about or will ever care about as we get our feelings straightened out?" He asks.
"It is enough Mest, I'm just being childish. I can't help but feel jealous of ALL the women you've had in your life before knowing me." Wendy says simply.
Mest frowns and rolls his eyes, "it wasn't ALOT of women."
"But still too many for you to count." She huffs.
Ah- she's got him there.
"There's nothing to be jealous of, none of them compare to you so can we please just drop it?"
"Yes, how can I compare to any of them? I'm not experienced in the slightest. I don't know what to do to make you smile, or laugh, or feel nice, or even how to kiss and please you. I don't know anything, so how could I even compare?" She mumbles darkly to herself.
No, that isn't what he said. That isn't what he meant. Mest reaches over and tilts her chin up, so she's facing him, looking at him, so she knows he means what he's saying from the bottom of his heart.
"Isn't that what we're doing now? Learning about each other? Discovering what we like and dislike? What makes you smile and what makes me laugh? What..." Mest has a hard time getting this one out, "pleases the other person? You can't compare yourselves to them Wendy because you're nothing like them. You're someone special, you're someone I cherish. We already share so much more than I ever had with any other woman I've been with, and you're only going to know more and more about me that no one will ever be able to compare you to anyone else."
"But I... I've never been kissed before. How will you enjoy it if I don't know how?" Wendy mumbles weakly, gnawing on her bottom lip.
"Listen Wendy, and listen closely, we are not going to worry about that for a very, very, very, very... very very very, very long time. Extremely long. Not until we're both madly in love and sure of our feelings for each other will I ever touch, no, kiss you. Ever. There's no need to worry about that. Let's just take things at a super slow pace and try to be friends first- er, well, try to fall in love with each other first. Alright princess?"
He's not going to corrupt her in any way, shape, or form. He's going to protect her. Protect her from people who'll harm her, protect her from people who'll want her, protect her from his own self. Wendy doesn't get the message as clearly as he wants her too, but she does understand. He's respecting her, he's protecting her pureness and not taking advantage of her. She picked a good husband-ah, captain.
"Yes Captain," Wendy smirks.
Mest smirks back and pats her head, "that a girl."
Wendy brings a pillow to her lap and hugs it to her chest, patting the spot next to her. Mest grimaces a little, not knowing if that would be a good thing or not, but she begins her pouting and he finds his butt falling down onto the bed.
"Weren't you going to sleep in more?" Mest asks, voice a bit strained.
"Well, I rather know more about you Doranbolt Mest Gryder... the third."
Mest groans.
"May I ask how old my captain is?" Wendy tilts her head to the side.
"23." He answers.
She doesn't flinch at their age difference or show a reaction in the slightest. She doesn't care, Mest thinks to himself.
"And your birthday?" She asks next.
"It already passed last month, April 16."
Now she has a small pout on her lips, "oh, well I'll be sure to remember that next time so we can celebrate it."
Who says she's even going to stay here for the entire year? She might leave, she might crack, she might discover that he is no prince charming, but a pirate that can offer her nothing of the world she's used to. Wendy is staring up at him, watching him. Does she want something? She's waiting... is he supposed to ask the questions now?
"Ah- so you're 17?"
Wendy smiles and nods her head over and over again.
"When is your birthday?"
"September 21! I'll be 18- ah..." a grimace hits Wendy's face making Mest narrow his eyebrows slightly.
"What?"
"It's nothing, just that... as soon as I would have turned 18 my wedding day would have been the very next one. It just makes me think how close I could have been married off without a second thought." Wendy mumbles, staring down at her fingertips.
Well she shouldn't think about those things because she's here with him now and he's not going to let her go in a month or two months, maybe not even a year, so when September rolls around the only celebration the pirates on this ship will be having is her birthday.
"I remember when I turned 18 at sea... my crew, or well my previous crew mates and captain, thought it would be hilarious to throw me into the sea while I was still resting and let me drown for my present."
Wendy's face turns to one of horror as she gasps, "what?!"
"Oh no, no, no!" Mest quickly recovers, shaking his hands back and forth, "it was a joke! It was all playful banter, they fished me back up real quick," (small lie, he was left swimming after their ship for what felt like an hour), "and then we celebrated."
The expression on Wendy's face doesn't look any better, "I don't think I would want to be thrown overboard, I don't even know how to swim."
Mest stares at her blankly, "well of course I would never let anyone do that to you and are you serious? You're the princess of a kingdom surrounded by water, yet you can't swim?"
Wendy shrugs, "was never allowed to go out to sea and learn after drowning once."
Well there's another thing on his list to do with her. It isn't safe for a sailor- pirate, to be out at sea when she could die at any moment she's thrown overboard. Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. Mest clears his voice and nods his head at Wendy before getting up. He cracks the door open and sees Mirajane on the other side with a smile on her face.
"Here you go Captain, should be enough for a few days. Erza said something about making port at Dawn Island by night or the next day morning. She should be good until then."
"Thanks Mira," Mest sighs taking the sack of clothes she's offering him.
"No problem Mest, now if you'll excuse me. Breakfast isn't going to cook itself and we have a lot of hungry pirates on our hands. Do you know what position you'll be putting Wendy in to work?"
Mest blinks, "uh?"
"Just a thought, I could always use an extra hand when feeding these bottomless pits. See you soon Captain," Mirajane giggles before walking down the hall.
Mest didn't even think about that. He closes the door and looks back over to Wendy, seeing her slap her hands down on his pillow. She's a princess, what is she good at? She can't even swim, so something above deck is out of the question... practically everything is out of the question because she's a princess, not some pirate!
"Are those for me?" Wendy asks looking up.
"Ah- yeah, Mira just dropped them off. See if you can find something to wear, I'll just..." he looks back at his door, "I'll just..." she may have gotten some good sleep, but he certainly didn't. Plus wouldn't it look strange for the captain to be standing outside his own quarters?
"Just sleep. I'll just sleep. Um... yeah," Mest grunts heading back towards bed.
He lays down in it and pulls the covers all the way over his head, blocking everything from view. Wendy pays him no mind and goes to the sack he dropped on the floor, pulling out clothes with fabric she's never felt before. Some of them are soft, a lot of them feel itchy, and some seem to be made up of leather or something else shiny. How is one supposed to wear these things? She looks behind her, Mest's name on her lips, but he seems to have already knocked out. Alright, she can do this. She can't rely on him for everything after all. She wants to be useful too. Wendy undoes the button to Mest's shirt he let her borrow and lets it fall of the ground before kicking it away and finding something new to wear.
And just because he can't see, doesn't mean he can't hear. Pretending to be asleep with enough women as they try and sneak out, dressing quickly, he more than knows what Wendy's trying to put on now and covers his ears with his pillows.
She needs to get her own room as soon as humanly possible.
