Sakura
It was such a wonderful feeling to hold his hand. Although it was only for a few minutes, warmness was spreading through my body. I could feel how much he cared about me since we had met. At first I was a little suspicious of the blonde Captain but now I knew that his intentions were truthful. Due to the patch, I could remark every emotion and change of his pulse. This process not only helped me to observe his vital functions but showed me his true nature. After having met so many pirates, I had become wary in presence of the sea pioneers. My distrust towards them increased after I had been caught and tortured. But he … Arthur Kirkland had been nothing but kind to me. His joy was growing every time he saw me while his fear took over his nerves whenever I was not near him or he was not informed about my whereabouts. To my astonishment, my heart and body began to react in the exact same ways. The blonde man was on my mind; all day, every day.
"Are you all right?"
My eyes wandered to him after hearing his soft voice. The green of his eyes intrigued me so much that I got lost in them. "Yes," I replied in a whisper before focussing on our intervened hands again... Such a warm and lovely feeling.
"We arrived."
The guards led into the room where the prince, Elizabeta, Antonio, Toris and Natalya waited. It seems that they were discussing the strategy of military attacks on ground and ocean.
"Oh, you finally came," the prince spoke with in a surprised tone, before his eyes fell on my and Arthur's hands. His mouth created a small smirk before he waited for us to sit down on the table where maps were rolled out. Several crosses and circles were drawn on the big papers.
"We have almost finished plans. I already explained the others how we will operate," Gilbert informed us before addressing Arthur, "You, Eliz and Antonio will mobilise your crews and the marine in the port. But you must always be aware of the dragon which I and Sakura will probably summon during the fight."
He nodded, although he did not seem amused by the part of working with Antonio together to secure the port.
"And how will we notice the dragon, when it will show up?" Elizabeta asked and I was immediately reminded of my idea of communicating during the battle.
"The patches I create function as communication tools," I mentioned, "You only need to think of the persons you want to speak to and concentrate on the patch."
"That's great," Toris replied with a gentle smile while the Prince only told him that he was already aware of it. "She can heal us during the fights if we are injured," Gilbert added and signalled me to put the patches on each one of them. While doing so, he continued his explanation.
It took me some minutes to fulfil my task. The one who was left was Antonio, who awaited my magical performance with a smirk. His eyes glanced at Arthur and the joying glint in his orbs was obviously a sign of mocking.
"Saku– I mean Miss Sakura," he whispered in a husky tone, "To what extent are we connected?"
I retreated a little from him. His mouth was far too close to my ear and I felt uncomfortable. "We are able to communicate through telepathy. I observe your pulse, breathing and other vital functions and have control over the healing process of your body if you are injured in the war," I answered fast. My body was reacting angrily after he had uttered the words. "And don't step too close to me."
My voice sounded a little harsh and I looked at the cause for my growing chagrin. Strangely enough, it were not my feelings but Arthur's. By now he had placed himself behind me.
"Stop your bloody attempt of flirting with her," he hissed and his pulse was racing.
The dark-haired ex-pirate only smiled towards his rival. "Interesting," he mentioned, "so that's the way it works. You can also feel other people's emotions."
I nodded slowly, comprehending that his insolent approach had been an experiment. "Do only his emotions influence yours so strongly? Then it can be very difficult to handle during the fights."
"W-Well, that's why a mermaid does not use her magic on humans. After so many wars with humanity, we had come to the decision distrust them," I replied steadily, refusing to admit his first assumption – which in my case, was true. "You are the only exceptions because I consider you and the soldiers of the prince my allies."
Seconds after my answer, the patch was placed on his arm. "Still, this kind of magic is something I have never seen before."
"Have you ever seen a mermaid's power before?"
He nodded, "from afar."
As the item was gracing his arm, he directed his sight on Arthur. He tried to communicate with him which was noticeable on the blonde man's face. I did not know what he said because he only focussed on Arthur, whose red face was still showing his embarrassment.
"I only teased him that we are bounded from now on," Antonio whispered to me, "I really like to tease him."
Indeed, the two seemed to have a rivalry since they had become pirates. Now after they were addressed as admirals, their 'relationship' had not changed.
A quick knock on the room's door sounded and a servant entered immediately. "Your Highness, Lady Emma Van Haegen wished to have an audience with you."
The prince had a confused look on his face before questioning the servant, why she wanted to talk to him.
"She has a question, concerning one member of Admiral Héderváry's crew."
The baffled expression on his pale face increased, not comprehending why she would approach one of Elizabeta's crew members. I on the other hand had the suspicion that she wanted to meet the brother, she had never seen before. A member of her family.
"Fine, call her in," Gilbert spoke, curious about her request.
The blonde woman entered and stopped in front of him with a curtesy. "Your Highness," she acknowledged before her eyes wandered around the room. Although Elizabeta, Natalya and Feliks had abducted her, her face did not show any sign of revenge or hate. The only faces, she had not seen before, were those of the new male admiral. I felt Antonio's body freezing next to me. He corrected his posture – stretching himself to be taller and putting his hands behind his back. Gilbert noticed the odd circumstance and decided to introduce the former pirate captains to her; and she did not have any objections. "Lady Emma Van Haegen, the new members of the Borussian Army: Admiral Antonio Fernández Carriedo and Admiral Arthur Kirkland."
She looked at little startled after hearing the names – the two were infamous and known for their former occupation – but regained her composure seconds later. She was informed – just like the rest of the Kingdom – about the new recruits, allies and the upcoming war. But standing in front of the mentioned men must be a different feeling.
"Delighted to make your acquaintance," she commented. While Arthur repeated her words in a less exciting voice, Antonio almost lightened the room with his charming smile. "Indeed, very much obliged, my Lady," he charmingly affirmed, kissing the knuckles of her hand. Hearing such formal words from his mouth was almost shocking but it was clear that he had changed his behaviour in the presence of her. A light blush and smile graced the Lady's face before she turned towards the prince.
My eyes caught Arthur's smirk. He was staring at the dark-haired admiral and I could almost read his mind: He had a new topic and reason to tease Antonio back.
Suddenly, the same servant from before burst through the door; his face was red, his breaths short. "Your Highness, our scouts have spotted Edelstein's army near the borders. They are advancing," he shouted, "And his allies have been seen near the port in the ocean."
I stayed calm, but the tenseness in the room could not be ignored. Especially Arthur's feelings were infecting mine. He was angry, nervous and excited to fight the pirates. One in particularly: Captain Roberts.
"Thank you for the information. We need to get in position," the prince commanded. "Each of you will inform the soldiers who are under your orders. Include them in the plans, work with them, care for them and fight with them."
"Understood!" We answered before leaving the room. The blonde Lady stayed in the castle and fulfilled her promise by staying with Noah and Raivis. We split up; Toris and Natalya took another road – to their respective army – while the rest of us headed towards the harbour. Gilbert and I would remain close to the ocean at the port. He trusted Toris enough to defeat the enemy army on the ground. As fast as possible, we arrived at the port. The members of the marine and some of the pirate crews were preparing the ships for war. Although I was supposed to stay with the prince, I wanted to give him time as he walked in front of me with Elizabeta; I knew that both were harbouring feelings for each other and did not want to interfere during their last moment before entering the battle. I remained close by but held a certain distance as they stopped.
A familiar presence was behind me. I felt his nervousness but waited until he addressed me.
"Sakura," he whispered softly, causing my body to turn around on its own. He had so much control over me and was clearly unaware of it. The proximity of his face was shortening my breath. The hat of his new uniform was shaking in his hands, due to his edginess. Only for seconds did his eyes caught mine before his sight fixed on his feet. He opened his mouth but words seemed to fail him before his face grew serious. "Please be careful. I don't want you to put your life in danger," he admitted, "I have seen your abilities but I am worried that you overuse your powers."
The concern in his eyes was visible and I replied him truthfully. "I will if you promise me that you will do the same. Please don't endanger yourself," I whispered the last part, remarking how his mood changed. A small sigh escaped his lips before his former serious look was replaced with a loving one. It was the same facial expression he wore hours ago as he had left his chamber and found me in front of his doors. My heartrate was increasing by seeing him looking at me with those intense emerald irises.
Arthur stepped forward an embraced me lovingly, holding my form tightly in his arms. "I promise," he murmured and I reciprocated his movements. "Don't forget, we are connected," I reminded him before he asked a question which had plagued his mind for hours. "I-Is is true?" He inquired. "What Antonio said? That my emotions influence you strongly."
It was just as strange for me as it was for him, to experience something like that. I had used my magic on some people, innocent who had been hurt; but never before had their emotions influenced mine. Arthur had been aware of my stuttering and refusal to directly answer Antonio's question.
"Y-Yes," I admitted quietly, "T-the person you hold close to your heart –"
His hold on my form tightened. "Indeed," he breathed before letting go of me – his arms still on my shoulders. His eyes slowly roamed the environment.
"I-I feel the same," he said lowly, before cupping my cheeks and closing the distance between us.
Our lips touched lightly. Even if the contact lasted for few seconds; it was enough to make my heart go faster. My racing pulse was supporting the colour on my cheeks. He was the first human to have hold me in such a lovingly manner and I felt light-hearted only thinking about it. To be treated as an equal and loved as a living being was a new and wonderful experience. And I had the opportunity to witness it with someone I had met coincidentally. What would have become of me if I had not met him?
I hid my head in his chest while he embraced me again. If he would be hurt in these battles, Captain Roberts would face much more than an angry mermaid. After he had hurt Arthur in the battle of the ancient Island, I had wished for vengeance – just like Gilbert. This last fight would be Roberts doom.
[A/N: Muahahah :D sorry, Iggy really needed to kiss her – besotted pirate :D – and there is not better opportunity than the moment before they would enter the war. And yes, there is a small implication of SpaBel :D; can you imagine? Former Pirate Captain – now Admiral – Spain and Lady Belgium :D so adorable :3. I partly wrote this chapter in a 3-hour long train ride and I felt awkward (although no one is watching or interested in what I was doing, I still feel paranoid oO).
I started this story with 2 main pairings and I will end it with 3 main pairings and several minor couples xD But it's spring after all, so spread the love ~ . For a year now, I have worked on this story xD I started publishing it in July and at the moment it has over 118 DINA4 pages and almost 60'000 words. I never thought this story would be so big xD It was supposed to be a gift for a friend (as a Birthday present) and it somehow got more pages than originally planned :'D; Either way, I am almost done writing the summaries of the next chapters and I decided to complete the story after the next 10 chapters (the numbers could still change but I don't think so). ]