This story has now officially reached 100 pages…It's the most I have written for one story EVER! In any case, I worked quite hard on this, considering how bad my week has been.

Now let's go. Oh, I don't own Pokémon and all that shit. Yeah.

Chapter 18 Queen of my home

'The summer is quite nice,' May thought to herself. It probably helped that it was the first summer since that horrible war had started that families could enjoy working with full manpower, and be together again.

The winter had been rough. With the army back so unexpected, there were suddenly more mouths than the harvest had counted on. It had been hard but they toughed it out; May was proud of her people.

She, meanwhile, was starting to take on some of her father's duties. Smart as Max might be and more, he did not have enough life-experience to deal with a court full of already bored nobles.

King Norman had fallen pretty ill in the winter and while it wasn't directly dangerous or anything lasting, the doctor had pointed out Norman's age and had pressed that the king had to take it easier if he didn't want his frail health become fatal. So Norman, although reluctantly, had delegated some of his tasks to his oldest.

Now May had to be honest: she couldn't have gone through all the scathing remarks if Arden hadn't been there to pull her through. When hearing a mention of that she was just a pretentious scatter-brained girl who should learn her place, and it became a little too much for her to deal with; Arden was there to keep her together, even challenging the insulter if the comment had been particularly rude.

"You really should stop letting them get to you so much," he told her as he sat down next to her on her favourite place on the hill. There had been another man who had tried to make use of her father's weak health and to grow seeds of doubt in the court.

May, upon hearing this, had called the man on it in public. He was from an old family, who she had to admit still held a lot of influence in the court. To put a long story short: he had called her a brat who had nothing to do in official business; she was a puppet figure. Nothing but a front.

May had retaliated by reinstating a difference province under his supervision, one far from the castle and a dreadfully boring one. Consisting of only a few farmers on rather poor ground he would have no resources to actually act against her.

Even so, she had been struck. If it had been the only occasion, then fine. But it wasn't: how long did she have to prove herself she could do it on her own?

"Don't they have a point though?" May asked her guardian quietly, "I don't have the feeling I am doing it right at all."

Arden leaned back on his arms, "Do you think Drew is a good general?" he asked airily,

May eyed him curiously, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Arden chuckled gently at her; so defiant even when beaten down. Drew was, although somewhat of a sensitive topic, always enough to bring her out of any slump. He wondered if his friend, his superior, knew how much power he held of this one young woman.

May glared at him lightly, "Yes, Drew is a good and compassionate general," she answered trying not to get that knowing chuckle get to her. It did every time. They never spoke in past tense about Drew.

Arden hummed, "Yeah, I think so too. But would you believe me, when I tell you that every night in his tent, he doubted he was enough to lead his men: he was too young, to inexperienced, too self-centred. I've seen them all pass his revenue," he told May.

The princess had heard this argument many a time and yet each time, she argued again. "But Drew is perfect for the job!"

At this Arden scoffed, "Perfect? Lemme call myself his friend but he is a little conceited brat; he's got as many faults as anyone else. He's just better at hiding them." Realizing she had him side-tracked, Arden sighed. No matter what anyone said, May was getting better at this whole politics thing. She diverted his attention while he was trying to make a point for Pete's sake. "Anyway, what I wanted to say," he stressed with a small glare, "Both you and Drew worry whether you're doing the best there is for your subordinates: you care. That makes you such good rulers. Or in Drew's case: general. Besides," he smirked, "Drew chose you didn't he? If you can't trust yours, are you doubting his choice?" he asked.

May shuffled a bit uncomfortable, "He could've expected for me to sit around and wait," she said hesitatingly.

Arden huffed, annoyed, "Requesting permission to clob your Highness around the head." May still looked puzzled and Arden continued, "Do you really think Drew would be that kind of a guy? With all due respect, he did stop your wedding with your freedom in mind. If anything when he spoke of you, and trust me when I say he did that more than enough, it was with a fond exasperation." He laughed mirthfully, "I think your antics…" he shot May a sharp look when she wanted to protest, "…amused him more than anything."

At this May conceded, but still muttered, "Good to know I amused him," she said gruffly.

Laughing good-naturedly while he stroke a hand through his dirt-blonde hair. "With your antics, you can hardly expect him not to. I think it it's a turn-on for him too, really," he amused himself at May's furious blush, "The person that you are, that is who he chose to spend his life with." He stood up, "Now come on, your father asked me to look for you; I can only stretch it that long," he said as he put out a hand for May to haul herself up which she took gratefully.

"Do you think he wants to speak about the same thing as always?" May grimaced.

The guardian smiled apolitically, "I'm afraid he does," he said.

May sighed but did not reply and together the princess and her bodyguard made way to the castle. "Arden?" May started suddenly, and Arden nodded to show he was listening, "Do you think Drew will come home ever again?" she asked.

Arden mulled over the question for a bit and they passed the castle entrance; the guards nodding stiffly. "I think," he finally responded, "To keep Drew locked for so long, they must have chained him in damn good chains."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

'These are not very good chains,' Drew thought to himself as he stared at the metal that bound them to the ship and each other. The galley was in an alike state but that was one step too daring to escape that. Actually, the boat was in no good state at all, and it creaked and moaned in the storms that lately were ever more present.

Drew thought that if they were where he thought they sailed, remembering from charts he once studied, then these must be the autumn storms and he did not have high hopes for the galley. The fact they already made a lot of water, their feet wet all the time, meant that they were sitting in a floating tub just waiting to fall apart.

No way that it would survive the winter seas. So he was staring at the shackles around his ankles. Drew had no intention of getting dragged to the ocean's floor with this blasted piece of wood. His scrutinizing did not escape Reod's attention and in the rare chances they had a break together, he asked after it.

"This galley will not last the winter-storms," Drew explained. "And the rowers will just be abandoned to their fate when that happens. I have no desire to drown because I am chained to this," he said softly. It was better not to be overheard; even if the guards didn't speak their language, they had ways to make you talk anyway.

Reod looked uncomfortable as much as you could in this rotten place, "You have a plan. It is no good to take over," he said.

Drew shook his head, no he wasn't planning a coup. It was too dangerous as many of the slaves were more sick than healthy: they'd lose. "It's the water," he said an mentioned to their feet. "Water and air makes metal rust: it weakens it," he said.

Reod looked thoughtfully for a moment and then shook his head. "Metal is thick. We do not have tools, he said.

That, Drew supposed, was true. "The autumn-storms have just started. If we start now, scratching at the rust on the metal every chance we have, we could make it. No matter how you look at, I am afraid we do not have much choice."

Reod still looked unconvinced but Drew knew it was the only chance they would get. The galley would not last long and when it did break down, they had to be free. It would already be a hassle close to an impossible job to swim from the wreck, especially when the other slaves would be fighting for their lives too.

For a moment, Drew felt regretful that he'd have to let so many people die, but there was nothing he could do. Most of these people would not be up to the daring task to get back to land, sick as they were. And even if they were, their minds were already beaten down.

It almost was more merciful to let them die than to save them. It was sad but that was how it was.

And that was what they did.

Every time they had a break, they pretended to be as miserable and sick as the rest of the slaves were so that they had an excuse to lean over and use their nails to scratch away at the rusty shackles around their feet and to try to weaken them.

Drew had no sense of time left but after a while, he found that he and Reod were making progress. The shackles had been there years before they had even known of this hellhole, and therefore were almost rusted through. Blood gushed from underneath their nails but Drew knew that the metal already was infinitely thinner than when they started.

In the time-period they worked on their shackles, the boat was starting to creak and moan more and more. "We must hurry," Reod whispered one day when a particularly ling creak was accompanied with an extra wave of water.

Drew agreed with this wordlessly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Norman sat in a chair in front of the fire.

Not for the first time, May noticed how much he had aged. Truly, war and worried did no good to anybody's health.

"Sit down, May," he said calmly. "He looked at Arden who kept standing over at the door. "You can sit, too, Arden," he said not unkindly. If Norman was honest, he felt reassured with the man always keeping guard over May. Of course there was the ever-present worry of a father for his daughter being alone with a man, but Arden had proven himself trustworthy over and over and had shown steadfast loyalty towards Drew.

If he would sit down, perhaps this conversation could be a little less…hostile. But as Norman had been afraid of, Arden shook his head, "No, thank you, your majesty. I am fine here," he said.

Norman sighed, this was not going to be easy. He turned to his daughter. "May, I want to speak about your engagement to D…general Hayden," he kept safe in the formal titles, but May looked at him sharply.

"What is it?" she asked slowly. Norman winced, perhaps politics were not the best place for his daughter; she read intrigues in everything. And he was regretful to think that she had a good reason for it this time.

"When the first snow falls, he'll be gone for four years May…and you are already twenty-two summers now," his voice died away.

May narrowed her eyes, "So what? Father what are you trying to say?" she asked suspiciously.

From the corner of his eyes, Norman saw Arden curl his front lip; the man was quicker than his daughter and clearly he was not liking what his ruler was implying. But Norman had to try. "May, the people are getting restless. You are my oldest and still not married. They are worried for your honour. We could annul Drew's proposal and search…"

May had caught on and was not happy. Her blue eyes had turned a deep grey as a fire sparked in them. "Annulment? My betrothal to Drew? Search somebody else? Are you kidding me?" she spoke evenly.

Norman could see this was going the wrong way. "May, it's not meant like that; they don't want you to be alone the rest of your life…"

"…What they way," May breathed heavily, "..Is someone of their own within the royal family, even if they have to go through me. You know they never cared for Drew, and I am surprised that you would act like this. What a way to repay him after all he has done for you."

At her voice, Norman winced she was learning how to use her words, and they cut like a knife. For a bit he wondered where this persona was coming from because his strength never had been words and his late wife hadn't been so harsh. Probably her grandmother. But then he pulled himself back to the conversation at hand. "Haven't you gotten tired of waiting though? He had been gone for four years, who know how…"

"And I will wait for him another four years if I have to. You know this father, he told you this when you gave him my hand. He was fully aware he would not be back with me within a year, as was I when I said I would marry him, no matter how long it took." Then a smile appeared on her face and for a moment Norman thought she had given in. "But you are right, father. I have grown tired of waiting for him."

Well, the king would have been relieved hadn't she been stressing the waiting part. May's eyes turned thunderous. "I have gotten tired of sitting around while nobody does anything to bring him back!" she spat.

Norman sputtered indignantly, "Now, May, you know we can't…politics and state-balance…" he tried, but May no longer would listen.

"If they don't do it our way, we do it theirs! Drew's a slave right? We'll BUY him back if we have to!" she shouted.

Norman sat up straight, he would not adapt such barbarian ways just to get his daughter's betrothed back, "May, we don't…"

"I DON'T CARE!" May roared, standing up, impressively for a woman of such small stature like hers. "I tried being patient, you did nothing. Now you would give me away again and you still did nothing to find Drew. If you don't, then I will!" and with that, she made her way out of the room like a storm.

Norman was left with Arden who looked strangely placid. The king himself was rather shocked and then rested his head in his hand, "That couldn't have gone worse," he murmured. He then looked up at the silent guardian near the door: "Would she really go off to find him?" he found himself asking the guard desperately.

"If you think she wouldn't, your majesty, you don't know your daughter as well as you think," Arden said calmly.

This did nothing to calm Norman down; he did know his hot-headed daughter and he knew exactly what she was going to do. He sighed deeply, a note of despair already making way to his voice. His daughter, going off on such a dangerous journey. Perhaps he should've acted earlier. "Arden, would you go with her?" he asked.

Arden moved for the first time he entered the room and it was to open the door May had slammed close behind her. A hard look appeared in his eyes. "If I didn't have a duty to protect May, I would have gone to find him a long time ago," he shook his head and looked at the weathered looking man that was the king od his country.

"You might be my ruler, your majesty," he spoke slowly. "But my queen is May," And with that he left the room. He didn't need to say where his loyalties laid.

MMMMMM

Arden searched all the places May could possibly be, but besides that she had a headstart she was also more known with the castle than he, even after all this time. He searched the obvious places like the great hall, the courtyard and even the female quarters. Nobody commented on him going there since he had been given permission to, but he still only came there when there was no other option; today was such a day.

He also looked at the less known places May liked to go, like the hill with the view on the sparring field, the armoury and the kitchens.

But even when he searched for her feverishly, Arden only found her at the end of the afternoon in the stables saddling up her horse, a fiery red horse named Blaziken. She had forgone her dresses and wore clothes clearly suited for long travel, leather pants and a tunic with a leather body over it.

Arden even spotted a long cloak against rain in her gear.

"So you've been preparing for some time now?" he asked.

May looked at him and smiled: "Even I am not foolish enough to go on a whim looking for Drew. Who knows how long it will take. I've been packing for weeks now. I ordered the servants who helped me to stay silent," she told him and then went to inspect the leather straps of Blaziken's saddle.

"Is it smart to leave without telling anyone?" Arden asked. He knew how determined May could be but that did not rest his conscience a lot. He still had responsibility towards Drew and he wasn't going to betray his faith.

"I just told my father," she looked over her shoulder teasingly at him, "I have no doubt he told you to go after me. And Misty knows that when I don't show up, I left." Her attention went back to inspect her saddlebags. She had packed light enough to travel swiftly.

Arden sighed, "I guess we'll have to work on swordplay during the journey then." At her curious face, he shrugged, "The lands are still not safe, especially for a travelling woman, moreover a disguised princess." He stared at her hard, "You better have accounted for the fact I am coming with you," he said sternly.

May grinned and leaned back to a pile with stuff that was clearly meant for a second person. She grabbed one of the saddlebags and threw it at him. To his relief Arden found enough weaponry like a sword and bow and arrows, next to the one he always carried on him to go on a long journey with.

"Saddle up, soldier," May grinned at him, "We're going to get the general back."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

He had been right. The galley really wasn't suited for the heavy weather of the storms and water was coming in from all sides. He and Reod had already scratched through the metal and they shouldn't have taken much longer.

Drew was just thinking of how to bed the metal so that he could release his foot when sounds of panic reached them from the front. He and Reod looked at each other and Drew noticed the set determination in his friend's face.

They would get out of this.

The people around them, meanwhile, had noticed something was wrong too and stopped rowing; the fact there was no punishment alarmed Drew. Usually when anybody even made a sign of stopping had the cattails flogged over his back.

Water was now flooding over their feet, more than usual: it was now streaming.

"We are making water too fast," Reod said worriedly. "The ship will break." But Drew was already trying to bend his shackle from his foot. It only needed to be enough to pull his foot out.

A loud cracking noise, followed by a heavier stream of salt water told Drew they didn't have much time; the ship was now quickly breaking down. The fact that it was so low in the water packed with slaves who were seated deep in it was only speeding up the progress.

Around them more people started yanking desperately on their chains. But Drew knew it would be futile; he and Reod had been working on them way before. His tired arms struggled with the shackle but Drew had the feeling it was getting looser around his ankle.

From the corner of his eye he saw that Reod too was trying to bed the metal feverishly.

A loud crack momentarily halted his work and he saw that next to them the stormish sea, for Drew now could actually it, had ripped a plank from the bow and water streamed in like a waterfall. The galley was now tilting dangerously to one side, and Drew suspected that the oars already had broken off.

It truly was a dangerous rickety boat.

Back to the task at hand, Dew worked the metal again, the water already up to his waist. There was not much time left and accompanied with the cries of the other slaves the galley moaned again. Just in front of them, boards were getting ripped off.

"I can pull out," Reod murmured. Drew nodded and tried again to pull his own foot out.

"Wait until we are covered in the water, otherwise the people will pull you down with them," he answered. It was perhaps cruel but it was the only way they were going to survive. Drew desperately yanked as the water was getting higher. It was already up to his chest.

Suddenly he felt the ship give a huge lurch as if it as being launched in the air. Then it came down and the galley cracked.

Drew pulled at the metal at the same time he pulled his foot and a searing pain erupted from his foot. But he had pulled it free.

The galley had broken in two, just before them and his part was slowly tilting backwards, screams slowly getting muffled in the water.

Just before the water covered his head, he nodded to Reod and took a huge gulp of air. With the weightlessness that only existed in water he pushed himself off the pole he had been seated on for so long. They were perhaps lucky that the boat broke so close before them as Drew felt desperate hands grasp for their legs; for salvation. But the only thought Drew had left in his head was to force his legs to keep kicking.

He might have kicked someone in the jaw but he kept swimming; he prayed that Reod too had gotten out.

Then, suddenly, the wreck fell away from around him and he forced himself to swim up. Even if they ended up in open water in the storm, he was free, and Drew forced his legs to keep kicking.

Only to get up; to keep kicking.

Fucking DONE! My old broken hand hurts from typing, but I wanted it done damnit. I delayed this chapter long enough!

I want to stress; there are no romantically feeling between May and Arden.

Please leave a review. I love reviews really…because I get to reply