Chapter 18
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Robin paced in front of her wardrobe, her body newly washed and her hair shining with a cleanliness that made it almost look like the dark, soft, feathery down of a raven. All over the gigantic bed behind her were dresses -mostly evening gowns - strewn over the covers after having been rejected. The queen pursed her lips a little in thought, continuing to stare into the depths of the large wardrobe. She turned slowly as she heard the grandfather clock in the hallway strike seven o'clock.
Calmly reaching into the wardrobe, she plucked a hanger off the rail and admired the ankle-length, deep violet evening gown, with a heart-shaped chest at the front and a low cut back that would fit mid-way between her lower back and the bottom of her shoulder blades. Sighing in quiet happiness, she was confident that she had finally chosen the right dress.
Slipping on some lacy black underwear to preserve her modesty, she began to take the dress from its hanger.
The door suddenly opened with a smart click, the heavy footsteps immediately making Robin pause and turn around, knowing her younger brother's footsteps by now and thus seeing no need to panic and cover herself.
Upon seeing her brother who had stopped dead, she raised an eyebrow at him, watching as his face started to turn the colour of beetroot which spread to his hairline.
"And so one learns the importance of knocking, do they not, brother?" She stated dryly.
Looking away from her underwear-clad body, he coughed awkwardly and turned his back respectfully, stuttering out a reply. "I-I-I...I beg your pardon your highness. I came to remind you of dinner, which is being served."
A silence followed in which neither made a move until Robin sighed pointedly. "Did I not tell you earlier that I was going out for dinner? Get out."
"Mother insisted you stay," Smoker stated tightly.
"I am the queen and I shall do as I please. Out, Smoker." Robin stated firmly, making a shooing motion with the hand that sprouted from the floor in front of him.
Nodding curtly, Smoker made a hurried exit. Laughing behind her hand, Robin finished dressing and carefully fitted a pair of smart, yet stylish, black high heels on her feet. Waving away the agents and any others who offered to accompany her into London, she stole away into the stables and made the groom leave, allowing her to fit the bridle and saddle to Arwyn herself. Stroking the horse's neck, she finally permitted a stable hand to help lift her into the saddle.
As she rode down the Mall and headed into London, she was well aware of Agent Coby coming up behind her on her right, smiling. She silently pushed Arwyn into a canter which Coby matched until he was alongside her.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," he greeted her formally over the roar of the wind.
She nodded in response. "Coby. How are you?"
"I'm very well, Your Majesty, thank you. You should see the other guy." He grinned at her, making her laugh as she slowed Arwyn down to a walk as they approached the restaurant.
"I have a feeling that the other guy is slightly nervous?" She joked lightly, halting outside and dismounting with Coby's help. They left the horses to be taken by a member of the restaurant staff who came hurriedly. Bowing low in Robin's direction, he murmured a polite greeting as he took the reins.
"Just a little bit nervous, Your Highness." Coby chuckled lightly, opening the door for her.
"I can't do this." Zoro stated for the umpteenth time that evening, fiddling with his tie nervously and loosening his collar slightly. "Mihawk's gonna flay me alive when he finds out. And what if she doesn't turn up? She's a queen for God's sake, I'm hardly in her league-"
A short cuff to the back of his moss-coloured head shut him up with a grumble, the voice of Silver's Rayleigh quiet with a gentle rebuke but also with a hint of amusement. "Shut up, lad, you've nothing to worry about. That young lady knows what she's doing. She asked you to dinner many-a-time, back when she was only a princess, and now she has the freedom to do as she pleases." He snorted. "And as for your father, I dare say your mother's keeping him... entertained."
Zoro turned to look at him, slightly scandalised. "Are you insinuating that-"
"No, no!" Rayleigh roared with laughter, patting Zoro's shoulder. "Not at all. Your mother set up a high-alert false case for him to follow, in which it's the two best agents on the case. Of course, that means it's just the two of them." He lowered his voice to a mutter. "Having said that, when Mihawk finds out he'll probably get very angry with you and then with her, she'll charm him into thinking it was her fault entirely and then goad him into a play for dominance. So then it'll quite possibly become what you thought I was insinuating."
Zoro stared at Rayleigh, open-mouthed with shock and horror. "I...I really didn't want to talk about-"
The young man was cut off by a roar from the entrance of the giant dining room.
"ALL STAND FOR HER MAJESTY QUEEN ROBIN OF GREAT BRITAIN." Coby shouted, his voice strong and commanding.
"Your Highness," everyone in the room intoned, having stood and either bowed or curtseyed in respect.
The words of respect died on Zoro lips as he turned to look at her, the breath having been ripped away from him. As she walked over to him calmly, her dress flowed about her, giving her the look of a goddess who seemed to be preying upon a mere mortal.
Rayleigh smiled at the look on the youth's face and held back a laugh as he clapped Zoro on the back. "And that, I believe, is my cue to leave. I wish you all the luck in the world, boy." He said proudly, dipping his head in polite acknowledgement to Robin as she greeted him and brushed past him on her way to the table for two that Zoro had selected.
Clearing his throat, Zoro bowed his head in a short nod to her as he stood behind her chair and pulled it back for her.
With a laugh she sat, watching as he walked and sat opposite her, his eyes roaming her face and taking in her beauty with bated breath.
"Has Rayleigh been giving you lessons in how to be a gentleman?" She teased with a small smile.
His cheeks coloured with embarrassment and he glanced away momentarily. "Shut up," he muttered, forgetting himself and looking at her guiltily as he recognised his mistake, realising that all the people around him who had heard were staring at him in disbelief. "I beg your pardon," he apologised, giving the onlookers a filthy, dangerous look that made them hurry to concentrate on their dinners.
Instead, Robin was smiling, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "It's fine, I'd rather you were yourself around me."
Zoro raised an eyebrow and flashed her a suave grin. "Oh really? I'm not so sure you'd like the real me...Covered with sweat, cursing like a sailor and eating like a brute. Not to mention that my devilish looks have me beating women off with a stick. Sure you could handle a guy like that?"
Robin laughed quietly into her hand and waved the waiter over, smiling at Zoro and giving him a look that betrayed how curious she was about him. "You intrigue me, Zoro... I've seen your other life and I must admit... You fascinate me."
At that moment, the waiter drew up to their table. Taking out a sophisticated pen and notepad, he bowed to Robin and spoke with a heavy French accent, twitching his moustache occasionally as he spoke. "Your 'ighness, bienvenue ce soir to Quaglino's, the finest restaurant in London city. Would you like to place your ordeur?"
Trying to remain polite by not laughing at the accent, Robin ordered a fillet of expensive fish and then nodded to Zoro to allow him his turn.
However, the waiter raised his eyebrow at the green haired youth. "And you... Monsieur?" He asked, disdain obvious in his voice.
"Steak. Somewhere between rare and medium. I want a little blood please…" Zoro stated coldly, a dangerous smile making the waiter wilt slightly as Zoro's Haki leaked out the tiniest bit in a little show of power. "Oh, and a bottle of your finest red wine, if you please." He added, knowing with an inside snigger that he was not really helping as he aided the poor frenchman's imagination with images of blood, death and power.
The waiter stuttered and nodded helplessly, suddenly weak at the knees in fright. "A-A-Anything else M-Monsieur?"
Zoro fixed him with a cool stare. "Non." He stated mockingly, his French accent so terrible that Robin gently bit her lip to prevent a smile.
"V-Very good, Monsieur," the waiter nodded with a shiver. Bowing quickly to Robin with a quiet "Your 'ighness", he beat a hasty retreat back into the kitchens.
Upon finding her staring at him in amusement, Zoro raised an eyebrow at her with a cheeky smirk. "What?" He asked, knowing full well.
"Nothing at all really... I was just marvelling at your power," Robin replied, smiling as he winked at her, his smirk turning into a grin. "Of course, you could say that in the department of power, we are fairly matched."
"Oh?" Zoro asked, his curiosity aroused. "I wouldn't mind taking you on one day if you feel you could best me in a fight."
"Oh, but I could." Robin stated smugly, leaning one elbow on the table and letting her hand hang inwards delicately, resting her chin on the back of her hand. "Like so."
Unbeknownst to Zoro, a hand materialised out of the back of his chair, slender fingers taking him playfully by the ear and tugging sharply to make him yelp in surprise. Stroking the ear to soothe it, Robin ran the index finger along his three gold earrings and listened to the chiming sound they made. Dispersing the hand in a cascade of petals, Robin sat back in her seat.
"Ah, of course. Your devil fruit power." Zoro said, his face blank. He smiled all of a sudden, the grin lighting up his face as he sensed the challenge she would pose. "I look forward to this... I would like to see how well you'd do against the skill of my blades. I've the feeling you've got some skill of your own hidden deep within you….Your Highness."
"Your Highness?" She questioned, her face a showing that she was a little hurt. "My knight... surely you remember I told you to call me Robin."
Zoro winked, leaning back in his chair as three waiters approached their table. "Just testing, Robin." He chuckled, watching expectantly as their meals were placed down in front of them by the first two waiters. The wine was opened by a third waiter who poured the liquid into their glasses, the glass sparkling in a myriad of colours before being overpowered by the rich claret wine.
Lifting his glass in a toast, Zoro smiled at her. "To our health?" He asked.
Shaking her head, she raised her glass to meet his. "No. To us," she corrected him, the sound of the glasses gently colliding and chiming like a tiny bell. The ripples of the chiming grew more sonorous until Zoro felt as though they were to become one with the beating of his heart, the sound of it growing more and more powerful within his head as he ate and drank his fill alongside her.
Robin.
The one person he'd once never known. He'd thought he'd never get to know her and yet here they were, dining together and talking as if they had known each other since their childhood.
As they rode back to the palace after their entertaining evening, Robin ordered all of the waiters and royal staff away from her, away from them, and permitted none but the two of them access to her floor of the royal palace.
The sound of his blood pounded in his ears as he repaid the favour of how she had stolen her breath as he stole hers with a kiss. With many kisses. Trailing her hands down his sides and up along his back as she backed him onto the pillows, she confessed her love for him as she had on many occasions.
And out loud for the first time, Zoro finally confessed his love for her, taking her in his embrace and holding her tightly as though he would never let her go.
"Are you sure you will do this for me?" Robin queried, looking into the crying face of her younger sister in concern and wondering if she was doing the right thing.
It had been a week since Robin had enjoyed her evening with Zoro. She had taken the week to mull everything over in her mind, sorting through everything before having come to the only possible conclusion. She was sure of what she wanted and needed to do, but the final question had to be asked.
Furious nodding and a deep, calming breath from Kaya ensured that it was indeed the right thing, allowing Robin to relax her muscles a little. "Robin, you've never been happy with it. Your devil fruit makes it so much harder too, and the responsibility - not to say that you aren't handling it well, because you handle everything perfectly. But I can understand your heart, dear sister."
Robin smiled gratefully at her pale skinned sister and leaned forwards, enveloping her in a hug. In response, Kaya squeezed her gently and used one hand to wipe her eyes. "You should have asked me before now, you knew I would. For you. You're my sister, how could I not?"
"Are you positive that you're ok with it though Kaya?" Robin asked again, taking her sisters shoulders and looking at her square in the face.
"Of course I will Robin, I was trained for it too if you remember. We all were." Kaya replied more firmly. "Just tell me when we are to arrange it."
"We shall set it a month from now. It will give time for formal preparations and...and for personal preparations." Robin said at length, turning her head to look out of the window into the morning sun.
Kai
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