15 months after the end of the campaign
Chapter 5: I'll raise you my wedding ring
(Part 2)
William needed a suit; it was what he had initially gone out for, and it was time to get it before he had to return to Pearl's house. He moved around to the higher end of the town. He walked past a dress boutique, and a few doors down was a large building with large windows displaying suits. The place looked bustling, so he walked in and scanned the room. Men were scrambling around looking for ties and cufflinks, asking if the shoes matched and wondering and trying to haggle with prices. Across the room, he could see nothing but clear skin and clean shaves; the room smelt of cologne and shoe polish. William walked to the counter in the front of the shop as the girl at the desk frantically wrote up receipts. He stood there patiently until he noticed her.
"Yes, sir?" She said, finally, as she handed the pay slips to a few men who were still trying to haggle down the prices.
"Miss, if you honor me, I would love a suit fitting on this lovely day. The girl almost scoffed until she saw he was serious.
"Sir, I'm afraid we're all booked."
"That stand looks empty," he said as he pointed to any platform with mirrors surrounding it.
"It's reserved, sir. The client should be here in a few minutes."
"If he were not to be able to make it?"
"There would still be a waitlist, sir."
"How many names?"
The girl reached under the desk and pulled out a piece of paper. She scanned it and said, "15 names."
"Smashing, I'll return shortly to see if any spots open up." As he walked out, whistling, the girl rolled her eyes and reached for the paper, only to see it was gone.
The first name on the list was easy. As William stepped out, he saw a young man rushing to the store. He was a middle-aged guy with brown hair and green eyes. William stepped out in front of him and smiled at him.
"Charlie, my good chap! How have you been?"
"Oh, hello. I don't know how I know you, but I'm afraid I am swamped at the–"
"Charlie, my good chap, don't speak that way," William said as he threw his arm over his shoulder. He started leading him into an alley forcefully.
"Um, where are you-"
"Charlie, my good chap, I'm afraid your fitting time has been canceled."
"Impossible! I reserved months in advance! I guessed the right day of the wedding and everything! It's been my dream to see King Jasper married, and I will not be strung along!"
"Charlie, my good chap, that's a little fucking insane."
"Wait, who the fuck are-"
William swung with all his might, though in a very non-lethal way, and hit him in the stomach. The punch was in an upward motion and took him off of his feet. He hit the wall behind him and slid to the floor, knocked out and hardly breathing. One down.
It took William about an hour to systematically track down every name on that list, call them good chaps, hear them boast about how excited they were about the wedding, and knock them out cold. He returned to the shop to the same girl at the counter who grimaced when she saw him come in.
"Sir, I told you that the spot was booked."
"Oh, but dear miss, I don't see anyone there."
The girl looked around nervously.
"A few people on the waitlist haven't reached back yet."
William pulled out the list and dramatically unfolded it. He brought out a fake little pair of eyeglasses over the glasses he was already wearing.
"Well, good sir Danny has taken a rather nasty tumble down some stairs, a horse kicked sir Todd, sir Stuart got into a particularly heated battle with his lover and caught her left hand, sir Timothy accidentally swallowed a spoon, sir John had a fainting spell and hit his head after learning he wouldn't be best man, sir Vorten ran into a door, sir Korey pulled his groin breakdancing and dear good old friend sir Charlie…Well, he's always had a weak constitution."
The girl lay frozen in shock and fear. William laid down the list with every name crossed out and smiled. With trembling hands, the girl motioned for him to proceed to the fitting area. He moved with a bit of pep in his step. As he reached it, though, he heard the door open loudly and dramatically. Everyone swung around and looked at the entrance. There, in the entranceway, stood a man. He had long, flowing brown hair in a messy ponytail. He was tall and slightly muscular and wore a black suit; It was very wrinkled. His face looked grumpy, unshaven, and stressed beyond comparison. It was the revered Vice-Admiral Trevor. The girl rushed out from the side of the counter to greet him, but he just waved her off with a grunt and walked into the shop, throwing his marine coat at her to hang up somewhere.
"Arnold! What the fuck do you mean there is a problem with my tuxedo!?"
The old man with a nervous disposition and a cowlick practically yelped when he heard his name.
"I don't know what happened, Vice-Admiral. It was perfectly fine at lunchtime, but I turned to look at it, and it was like, well…" The man snapped his fingers. A few guys brought a large bag with a tuxedo littered with large holes all over the pants and jacket. Trevor saw red. They could practically hear the steam coming out of his ears.
"Who did this!? Who is fucking with me!? I am having a stressful fucking day. I'm getting married, I should be happy! So where is the motherfucker who did this to my tuxedo!?"
He looked around the room, huffing in anger. He heard whispers and turned around to see two patrons who had somehow turned him out while trying to figure out how to tie a bow tie. Trevor grabbed a chair and flung it just over their heads.
"Don't fucking ignore me!" The two men yelped as they realized what was going on. "Out with it, who in this worthless little store decided they wanted to fuck around and test me?!"
William had never seen Trevor this mad before, other than every time he had seen him. Trevor walked up and down the shop, staring at people intensely.
"Was it you?" He'd ask one person before suddenly switching to another, "You know the destruction of a property is a crime. I'm a marine. I will personally sign the order for your execution."
No one said anything, some cried and pissed their pants, but none said anything. He reached William and got in his face.
"What about you?"
"Good sir, I'm afraid I don't know what you would be referring to."
"I bet it was him! He did something to everyone on the waiting list to get that spot!" the girl from behind the desk screamed. Fuck. William probably deserved that one.
"Is that right? Well, I don't give a fuck about a waiting list, but you certainly look suspicious."
Trevor grabbed William by the collar and lifted him against the mirror behind him. The glass broke as the veins in his forehead bulged.
"Nice, seeing you too, big brother," William said, dropping the accent. Trevor paused and looked confused. Taking advantage of this, William sent a powerful kick to Trevor's chest so that he flew back onto the couch. With that momentum, William flipped onto the top of the mirror and threw off his disguise. "And I didn't mess with your tux. Think, will you? Why would I do that?"
Trevor found his bearings very quickly and resumed his characteristic rage.
"To make my life miserable, William! Isn't that why you do anything?!"
"Touchy, and after, I came here to congratulate you on your wedding day."
"That's a lie! Why are you here?!"
"Calm down, Trev. There's literally no other reason I'd be here."
"Did Pearl or Gravy do this!?" Trevor asked, "Stupid! I knew I shouldn't have given in like that. Invite one pirate, and you invite them all."
"Relax, Vice-Admiral. Is it that hard to believe I just wanted to drop by?"
"Yes. You don't care about anything or anyone."
"I care about tons of things, just not you."
"Then why are you here!?"
William hadn't thought this line of reasoning through very well. He took an unnaturally long time to say something.
"I want to get closer to you?"
"What!? Are you finally joining the Marines?"
"No, I just thought we're technically family, so we should at least try to get along like brothers." The words hurt as they left his mouth. It took all of his power not to make a face as he spoke. Trevor paused and looked at him. His face was cold, but his eyes were wavering. A hint of hope was projected clearly from them. He blinked furiously and steadied himself again.
"Are you finally willing to denounce the murderer Jason Locksworth?" he asked, his voice accusatory but hopeful. William should have lied. Trevor looked so exhausted and stressed that he would have even believed a simple yes.
"No, the man is dead, Trevor. Move on."
"William! How could you be my brother and not denounce the man who killed my–our parents!?"
"So What? I never met them. You told me their names once, and I forgot them instantly. I don't understand why you expect me to be angry over something like that."
"So what?! He stole you away! He separated us and threw our lives completely off course! Maybe he didn't personally hurt you, but he ruined our lives!"
"I'm not going to pretend I had a hellish childhood, but I know it was worse than yours, and if I can get on normally, you should too." He said, "Also, what course? I was a literal baby, for what it's worth, I'm pretty happy I wasn't raised as a noble."
"You were groomed to become a criminal–"
"You were groomed to become a soldier! You will judge me for my choices after all we've seen!? Marrow was your man, Arzen was your man, Jefferson was your–"
"Shut the fuck up! I won't hear this from a worthless pirate like you!"
Trevor lunged forward, jumping off the small table at William. He had no sword, so he just swung to hit him. William effortlessly used Shuffle and moved out of the way. Arzen shattered the mirror and whipped around to face William, now sitting on the couch. He looked around frantically before ripping a clothing rack off the wall and charging at him. Suddenly, he felt an invisible wall against his face. All the momentum suddenly stopped, and he knocked him on his back and rubbed his temple. He stood up and felt forward until he reached what felt like an invisible wall. He looked at William, who was grinning; he had his feet up and table and his arms outstretched, resting on the back of the couch. His hands, though, both had his pointer and index finger crossed.
"Devil's luck, I got the barrier fruit, and you don't have your sword," William said cheekily.
"Let me out!"
"I will, but first, calm down."
"William, I swear to fucking god I will kill you if you don't let me out!"
"Man, just take a breather and put down the weapon."
"You worthless little man, I cannot believe we share even an ounce of blood." He barked, "Even on the happiest day of my life, you come and insist on making me stressed."
"Listen, Trevor. I'm not going to step foot in your stupid ass wedding. I got the hint. We'll talk when I turn in bounties, and it will not be a second longer than necessary."
"You asshole, why won't you just act right? Why can't you just live for justice like me!? That's why you'll never have anything, William."
"Shut up, Trevor. I have people who care about me."
"Your crew left you. I bet even those who stayed will leave, too. You're such a fucking joke, William. Can't take anything seriously. I'm sure they'll get sick of you and leave, and it'll be what you deserve for protecting that subhuman piece of fucking garbage!"
"Goodbye, Trevor. I hope you can make that clumsy king happy, or maybe he can make your miserable ass bearable to be around."
William walked out, and once he was out the door, he undid the barrier. Trevor rushed out, but William had disappeared into the crowd by then.
The three girls made their way to the palace after a successful outing. Pearl had followed Hemlock's advice and picked up a long dress with a slit at the leg and a long neckline. It was purple and simplistic. Hemlock had picked something as well. Her dress was very light green. It was a midi dress with a square neck and ribbons on the shoulder strap. The original size was too small around her bust, but she got an employee to adjust it quickly after a few threats. After she had returned, Doxie was the main reason they had spent so long getting out. She insisted they wouldn't even be allowed to attend the wedding anyway and that the dresses were stupid. It took Pearl and Hemlock 20 minutes to get her to try on a skirt. She just kept insisting it was a waste of time, but she eventually relented and bought what seemed almost like a sundress that went to her ankles. It was a light gray and had a ribbon on the back. Doxie chose it because she could wear trousers underneath with knives stitched into the side without it being too noticeable. They strolled into the castle, Pearl nodding at all the guards, who each saluted when she passed. Doxie kicked every guard's metal platings as she walked.
They reached a large door that was shut. They had been made up with golden edges and pink flower designs along the edges. Pearl put her hand on the door handle and paused. She looked at the others and smiled.
"Guys, it's the day of the wedding. You know, things are a little stressful. Behave. Please."
Hemlock and Doxie looked at each other and shrugged. Pearl opened the doors, and a wave of noise hit them. Dozens of people everywhere were running around, pushing tables, polishing glassware, sorting utensils, and arguing over seat placements. Men were scaling the pillars and tying up ribbons and awnings. They stood there in awe of the organized chaos. Suddenly, all of them were shoved to the side as a young boy was carrying a massive pile of plates. He was running and struggling with the weight. His foot got caught in a lump in the carpet. He tripped and went flying forward. The plates flew forward in a gorgeous arc. Pearl looked shocked, Hemlock looked indifferent, and Doxie was giddy about the carnage. Though the sound of crashing plates never game. Instead, they were suspended in an orb of water, not a single one reaching the floor.
"Not a drop of water on the carpet!" came a voice. They all looked to see who it was. An exhausted-looking man came running up. He was young, in his early twenties, and had pink hair. Usually, it would be puffy and full of life, though it looked disheveled. The man himself looked exhausted. He was sweating and looked out of breadth. Jasper looked well. Pearl moved quickly, pulled the plates out of the water bubble, and placed them on the table, one without a tablecloth. Once they were all out, Cyril reabsorbed all the water into his arm.
"Brother-in-law!" Jasper said as he gave Cyril a big hug. "I know I could count on you!"
"Yeah, of course, Jasper. Happy to help."
"Pearl!" He said as he realized who was in the doorway. "And Doxie, my, you've gotten so big! And, um, who are you?"
"Hello, darling, my name is Hemlock." She said, smiling and choosing not to elaborate. Jasper just nodded and didn't dwell any longer.
"Pearl, thank you so much for lending me your man. Why is planning a wedding so much work?"
"Well, if you hadn't planned it for two weeks after he proposed-"
"We had to! We can't get audited. The heavenly tribute is already higher than normal because of what happened with Dad. Trevor being here will help calm them down." He paused and tried to smooth out the creases of his clothes. He was wearing red royal garb with gold trimmings and black boots. He had a black leather belt and a small dagger hanging in a pink and gold sheath. It looked like an expensive heirloom. "Also, I love Trevor and want to hurry up and spend the rest of my life with him, of course."
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he realized how tacked-on the last statement felt. He walked over to the throne and flopped down with an exasperated sigh. His limbs went limp with exhaustion as he sat down.
"There's so much to do," he grumbled. Get the cake, find out where to sit marines, where to sit nobles, music, food, clothing, decoration…"
"Listen, brother, I'm sure that in a few days, when you're on your honeymoon and living the good life, you'll laugh about all of this," Pearl said. Jasper didn't respond. Suddenly, they heard the trotting of little feet as they turned to look at a little girl running towards them. She had shaggy, short, sandy blond hair and a beaten-up purple ranger hat on. She wore a pretty blue dress with a purple ribbon on her waist with a big bow on the back. She had bright yellow Mary Jane shoes.
"Dad! Dad! Check this out!"
The girl abruptly stopped, did a few twirls, and, as she spun, threw a handful of balls into the air. Within a second, loud pops echoed across the room, and everyone jumped, startled. From the explosion, purple and yellow flowers flew everywhere. The girl stopped twirling and proudly put her hands on her hips.
"Impressive, huh? I made them myself."
Jasper smiled while Pearl clapped loudly and gave a few whistles.
"Those were great, Molly!" Jasper said, not standing up, "but I think Trevor's marine buddies would assume we were being attacked if you did that."
The girl's face sank, and her hands dropped from her hips, dejected.
"Don't worry, Molly. I promise that when I get married, you'll be the flower girl again, and you can throw the biggest flower bombs you can make!" Pearl said as she lifted her hat up to ruffle her hair. Molly beamed at this.
"Molly, I want you to meet your future cousin, Doxie," Pearl said as she motioned at Doxie, who had long stopped paying attention. When she noticed everyone was looking at her, she crossed her arms and looked at the kid.
"I'm not your cousin." That was all Doxie said. Hemlock smacked her in the head.
"What she means is not yet. She's William's daughter, and until your daddies get married, she won't be your cousin." Hemlock chimed in, giving a perfect smile. Molly was about to respond when they heard loud stomping. They turned and saw Trevor. He looked furious. His left hand was clenched into a fist while his right was holding onto a bag, and his eyes were burning hot. Hemlock, being intelligent, stealthed up to hide behind the pillar. The little she knew about Trevor from when he had hired the candles and from what William had said, it was best for her not to be in his line of sight. Luckily, he was too mad to notice that she had even been there.
"Pearl!" he barked, charging over at her, stopping right before her. "Did you invite William?" Even in his rage, Trevor noticed Molly there, which served to quench his anger. He didn't like to yell around children.
"What," Pearl said, "No. Why? Is he here?"
Trevor held up the bag and opened it to reveal a tuxedo full of holes.
"What do you think?"
Pearl gave an awkward smile.
"Trevor, honey, calm down. It's our wedding day. We should be getting ready."
"I know, but my tux is ruined," he said, "And William and I fought, and I told him if I saw him here, I'd kill him."
Pearl's mouth hung open. She covered it, though, before Trevor could see it. Trevor plopped down on the armrest of the throne and sighed.
"This was a bad idea. We could have set the date a month away. Things weren't that bad, I think."
"We can't change it now. The pieces are in motion." Jasper said, putting his hand in Trevor's. "I don't regret it; I'll be your husband by the night's end. That's worth all of this trouble and then some."
Trevor smiled. He leaned back, and Jasper arched forward, and they kissed.
"Ahem," Pearl said, clearing her throat. Trevor immediately stood up and fidgeted with his cufflinks.
"Pearl, I'm not stupid. When you see William, tell him I may have overreacted, but that if I see him at my wedding, I will cut his head off." Trevor said.
The walk back home was quiet. Doxie and Hemlock were both pretty amused with how things had turned out. Pearl had tried to argue with Trevor but to no avail. She looked at Jasper for support, but he pretended not to listen. Jasper masterminded the wedding. The only thing Trevor had any meaningful impact on was the guest list. She cussed at him and stormed out, taking Cyril with her. Even as she walked, head hanging and annoyed, Cyril tried to whisper something to raise her spirits occasionally.
When they reached the house, William was lounging in a fancy black suit that looked old and beat up, reading the newspaper on the couch. He heard them come in and, without putting down the paper, said:
"Trevor found me."
Pearl snarled and lit the newspaper on fire.
"You could have at least tried to stay hidden!"
"Hey, I didn't do shit. I know you're thinking it, and I didn't ruin his suit. He would have never found me if someone hadn't sabotaged his tux."
Pearl sighed and buried her head in her hands.
"Fuck that store. The cheap little place had plenty of suits." William said.
"I knew this would have happened!" Doxie said loudly and proudly, "Forget the stupid wedding and spend the night on the town."
Both William and Hemlock looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" she responded, "if William can't go, neither can Hemlock, and it's not like you can leave without me."
Hemlock gave William an awkward smile. William just nodded slowly and stood up.
Pero pero pero
Pearl moved to the kitchen and picked up the Den Den Mushi. As she lifted the transponder, the snail sprouted pink hair and teary eyes.
"Pearl! The dagger! The dagger! I can't find it." Jasper yelled.
"Calm down, Jasper," Pearl said softly,
"It's terrible. I had it on my belt all day." He was hyperventilating loudly.
"Trevor! I know you're there, tell me what's going on. Suddenly, the snail's hair grew longer and darker, its face warped into a scowl.
"Jasper says a dagger he had on today is important for the wedding. Without it, the nobles would be very upset."
"You're a Marine. Can't you just arrest them or something, the greater good and all that."
"Jasper already said no," Trevor grumbled. Pearl sighed.
"Tell him that it'll turn up. Just make finding it a top priority."
"We have everyone not doing essential work looking for it…"
"Trevor, is there something you want to say?"
"No, I'm just wondering if William's foster kid is playing it straight?"
"She didn't steal the dagger, Trevor. She knows it would have made me upset, and she wouldn't do that."
"...Whatever you say, I won't drop my suspicions. Tell her I'm watching her."
Pearl hung up. She raised her hands, clasped them together above her head, and stretched with a quiet grunt. She then turned around and walked directly at Doxie, arms crossed.
"Did you steal my brother's dagger?"
"No"
"I won't be mad. Did you steal it?"
"There's smoke coming out of your mouth." She said nervously.
"Doxie, I swear on everything I love that if you stole that dagger so that you could have your big fucking knife–"
"I didn't do it! I have a lot of big fucking knives."
Black smoke erupted from her mouth as she unleashed a wall of flames into the air with a roar. Cyril quickly put it out as Pearl's eyes became more reptilian.
"Swear to me that you didn't."
"I swear."
"William! If she's lying, I'm going to rip your heart out!"
"Huh? What did I do?"
"Take responsibility!" She said, puffs of fire flying from her mouth as she spoke. William put his hands up in surrender and quickly nodded. Cyril immediately rushed in and put his hands on her shoulders. He rubbed them and started whispering in her ear. Pearl's eyes reverted to normal, and her breath stopped spewing smoke. She was still breathing heavily and murmuring.
"I'll eat you, " she mumbled a few times as Cyril lowered the temperature of his water arm to cool her down. It took a minute, but she got a hold of herself. She blushed and looked towards the floor.
"Sorry guys, whenever I get angry, the cravings for flesh kick in, and I can repress them, but I can't stop myself from reverting to what I used to be."
"It's fine, Pearl," William said, sweat dripping down his face slightly.
"You've gotten a lot better, Pearl." Cyril said, "One step at a time. When I'm stressed, my lisp gets stronger, too. We all have things we work on."
Pearl nodded, leaned in, and kissed Cyril on the cheek before leaving to start preparing for the wedding. It was awkward for a second.
"I never knew you had it in you, waterboy!" Doxie said, snickering, "You really calmed her down."
"Pearl is working hard for Levi, me, and herself. I'll do what I can." Cyril said, blushing slightly, "Honestly, though, you swear you didn't steal it? I can put it back without Pearl knowing if you did."
"For the fiftieth fucking time, I did not steal that pissman's fucking knife."
Cyril nodded and excused himself to get ready. Doxie turned to look at William and Hemlock.
"Why don't you two kids go and make a night of this shitty day? The nice places should be pretty empty due to the wedding."
William opened his mouth to say something, but Hemlock grabbed her new dress and went off to get changed, silencing whatever he was going to say.
They headed out before Cyril and Pearl had finished getting ready. Both of them were going to be late at this rate. The ceremony was set to start in three hours. William figured that Pearl would sprout her wings and fly there. She would probably carry Doxie on her back, and Cyril would squeeze in a canteen to make it easier to transport. The sun was setting in Tarako, and the rich hills and small forests were glowing with the warmth of the sunset. William was in the suit he had gotten from the second-hand clothes store. The jacket was black and had seen better years. Stitching was undone, and even after ironing them several times, some of the wrinkles were permanently infused into the fabric.
The vest underneath had the top button missing, and the white shirt had dark stains that crept out from the neckline when he moved his arms too much. The tie was perfect though, a lovely shade of sky blue. The pants were covered in small tears that were stitched clothes. He wore brown leather shoes; they had scratches but were shiny. Hemlock walked next to him, hugging his arm as she walked. She was wearing the dress she was going to wear for the wedding. The tailor-made adjustments were made under somewhat stressful circumstances, so some stitches were visible around the bust and waist. She had a pair of green pumps on, and though she had considered it, she left her belt with her knives in Pearl's house. Instead, she had a tiny little green purse. It was big enough to hold a knife, Berri, lipstick, a compact mirror, and a hairbrush. Hemlock had done her hair, and after an hour of brushing, it was bouncy, loose, and free of knots. William had left his hat and hair tied in the usual ponytail.
"What are you feeling for lunch?" William asked.
"I don't know, maybe something light. I could go for a salad." She responded. William nodded. The air was heavy. They both wanted to bring up the elephant in the room, but neither wanted to say it first. From the corner of their eye, both saw the other tree to start that conversation, but they never said anything. After twenty minutes of walking, William stopped and sighed.
"Hemlock, I'm sick of walking, wanna try something?"
"What?"
"Just say I can do it."
"Darling, what is it?"
"Nothing, I just don't want to make you walk to town in those heels, is all."
"...fine."
William nodded and looked around for a second. Hemlock tried to see what he was looking at. Suddenly, he used Shuffled and zipped right behind her. In one swift motion, he swept her leg out from under her with one arm and caught her with his other. Hemlock, stunned, opened her mouth, but before she could get any words out, he used Double-lift and started rushing towards the sky at high speeds. Hemlock yelped slightly and wrapped her arms around Williams's neck.
"William!" She screamed.
"So heavy." He said through gritted teeth.
"If you can't lift me, don't carry me!"
"I got it, I got it." He said with a quick smile as he increased his speed. William was able to get them to the edge of town, but it cost him every ounce of strength he had in his body. They had been walking through the sky for five minutes, and Hemlock's hair reverted to its tangled self due to the wind. When he landed, he almost crashed and dropped them into the dirt. Hemlock cursed as she was set down, carefully fished out the brush in her bag, and uselessly brushed her hair. William smiled sheepishly.
"For what it's worth, I think your hair looks very pretty."
"You tool." She huffed but still took his arm as before and returned the brush to her bag. It wasn't a very long walk to arrive at some of the fancier establishments in the town. Many were closed due to the wedding, but a few still had people scattered around sitting at the tables. They approached a place that looked like it specialized in seafood. By now, the sun had almost entirely set. The lamps were on, but it was rather dim. The pair approached the entrance, and a young man in a suit smiled at them.
"Do you have reservations?" He asked politely.
"No, but if we could get a table for two, it would be greatly appreciated," William said, slipping some bills into the man's front pocket. He smiled and was about to motion for them to come in when he abruptly stopped and stared at William. For twenty full seconds, the three were in a soup of awkwardness as this man looked over William with a deep intensity. Hemlock looked at William and shrugged.
"Vice-Admiral Trevor!?" the man finally said, "What are you doing here on the night of your wedding!?"
"What?" William asked, completely taken aback, "I'm not Trevor. I'm his brother. William."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Devil's luck, William! Six billion Berri, man! Yonkou slayer and god killer!"
"Never heard of it–"
"I helped kill your past king and ended the slave trade!"
"Honestly, sir. You won't escape this conversation by making up stories. You must go back!"
"But-"
"Please, Vice-admiral. Now is not the time for cold feet! Go to King Jasper! To love! Being king and navy man may be scary, but you must endure. Not only for yourself but for the kingdom! I know that you will help lead this kingdom in the right direction. Please! Reconsider! Go to the altar, go and find true happiness…"
William droned him out and looked at Hemlock, his eyes pleading for her to help. She was snickering while covering her mouth with her purse. The man noticed and pointed a finger at her aggressively.
"You wish to elope with this woman?! Vice-Admiral! I beg you, just think clearly!"
"Yes, I led poor Trevor away," Hemlock said to William.
"To be tempted by such a cheap painted-"
Before he could finish that sentence, William sent him flying through the front window with a powerful kick to the stomach. A few staff members rushed to his side.
"Terry! Oh god, not Terry! Anyone but Terry. Vice-Admiral, how could you be so cruel!? To Terry!? Terry!"
William didn't bother engaging anymore and instead grabbed Hemlock's hand and moved to another restaurant.
"Sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that." He said quietly, face flushed. Hemlock freed her hand from his grasp and hugged his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Don't be. That was pretty cool, Mr. Six Billion Berri man."
William groaned.
"I'm serious, thanks. I mean, I was going to do it."
"I'm happy you didn't; it would have ruined your shoes."
"Thank you. People don't really stand up for me like that."
"Well, I'm not 'people'. I'm your boyfriend."
Hemlock blushed and hugged his arm tighter. William smirked and hastily moved to find a nice restaurant where they wouldn't confuse him for Trevor. Alas, it was not meant to be. William was confused for Trevor seven more times. Four men and three women. Each time, they got very emotional and then insulted Hemlock. Hemlock attacked the three women. It's not that William wasn't willing to; it's that for all the rumors of Trevor being a runaway groom, they at least owed him freedom from people saying he attacks random women.
The couple left the high-end part of town dejected. William was grumbling about his stupid brother. It was very possible this resemblance could prove useful in the future, but he was too annoyed to see the bright side of this moment. They were about to head down to a cheaper area when they smelt something. It was a strong smell, and as they got closer, it was married to the sound of sizzling and people chattering. They arrived at a stand in an alley. There were a few tables. Two of them were occupied, but one was free. Hemlock glanced at Hemlock and could tell she was craving the food. He walked towards the man and ordered two of the most expensive things on the menu. They were called Pai plates. Hemlock tried to ask for something light half-heartedly, but after William ordered the two plates, she shut up and smiled as she heard loud sizzling behind her. It took 15 minutes for the food to come out on large metal plates. The meal consisted of many different items. The edge had a helping of beans, and right to the side was a generous helping of white rice with a fried egg sitting on top of it. A mound of ground meat was north of the rice, and below it were two grilled sausages that smelled heavenly. A baked banana was placed on the rice's side and next to a large piece of fried pork belly. Lastly, there was a slice of the largest avocado they had ever seen. It was quite a bit of food. Hemlock wasted no time, though, and started digging in. William smiled as he saw her face light up. She took the first bite of meat, rice, and avocado. He stabbed the sausage with his fork and took a bite; it was smokey and creamy. Both of them picked their plates clean, except for the beans on Hemlock's plate, which she covertly transferred to William's plate when he wasn't looking.
They strolled around the town, entering the occasional shop and making some trouble before rushing out. Over the course of the night, they started walking towards the castle. They weren't allowed to attend, but it should begin soon. As they got closer, they saw a few people in carriages rushing not to miss the ceremony. By now, Hemlock had discarded her shoes and walked barefoot through the grass leading up to the castle. A knight approached them.
"Halt!" He said. William sighed and tilted his head back in exasperation.
"I'm sorry, sir William, but Vice-Admiral Chapston gave us clear orders not to let you pass."
"Did he?" William asked. He freed his arm from Hemlock's grasp and walked up to the knight, "It's a good thing that he isn't here then."
"Please, sir." This knight was young, maybe in his mid-twenties.
"Let us through, sir knight. I'll call Duros, and he'll kick your ass if you give us any trouble."
"Master Duros is here!?"
"Yeah, go look for him. Tell anyone who stops you that Trevor sent you."
"I cannot possibly do that. Master Duros would surely not remember someone like me."
"Nonsense, I was there when he gave his final address to the knights loyal to Jasper," William said, throwing his arm over the knight's shoulder, "You…um, you good knight are just the type of person he's looking for."
The knight sputtered a little and nodded quickly. He took his helmet off and rushed to the castle. He motioned to the guards not to trouble them and darted forward, calling Duros' name. Hemlock walked up to him as they passed the guard.
"Darling, you're deplorable, that poor man," Hemlock said, hiding her smile.
"Trevor is going to be in a good mood for a while. I'm sure he'll get over it."
As they got closer, Hemlock jumped onto William's back and he Double-lifted up a tree. They jumped from tree to tree as they circled the front of the castle to the back end, where a large outdoor ceremony was gearing up to begin. They leaped into a giant tree so that they were between branches and heavily obscured by branches. They could hear what was going on but couldn't see very well. A few holes in the leaves were their only peeks. The two of them sat down on one of the larger tree branches. As they heard the wedding bells toll, they became oddly aware of each other.
"Look at us in the trees. Isn't that a little nostalgic?" Hemlock said.
"Hmm? Oh, you mean because of L'Arbor?"
"Yeah."
"I guess so, man. Those times seemed so long ago."
"It wasn't even that long ago, and yet I feel like a completely different person than I was before."
"You're welcome."
"It wasn't all you. It was a lot of me taking some agency once and for all. Escaping that hell and making it better." Hemlock said, kicking her feet, "Meeting you guys was nice too."
"To not dying. Am I right?" He said, lifting up his hand as if he had a pint in it. Hemlock rolled her eyes and mimicked what he did. It was silent again.
"Hey, you know what Doxie was doing today, right?" Hemlock asked. William pulled the note from his pocket and handed it to her. Hemlock shook her head.
"This girl." She said,
"So you didn't remember either?" William asked hesitantly. Hemlock looked up and cleared her throat.
"It's not that I forgot; it's just that I wouldn't call today for our anniversary. We weren't…Dating? I don't know how to say it. We weren't what we are now."
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"I guess since I can't remember when exactly we became what we are now, having it be today from now on isn't the worst thing."
"We'd share it with dear old Trevor."
"The benefits never cease." She added sarcastically.
"Still, it's nice that she cares about us so much," William said.
"Yeah, she's a good kid." Hemlock said, "You're doing a really good job."
"You've been a great help. I was really happy when you two started getting along."
A silence lingered as they looked at the ceremony.
"William." She said, "I love you."
William looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He then smiled.
"I love you too, Hemlock."
"I got you something," Hemlock said shyly. "It was rather last minute, so it's not the most thought-out thing in the world."
"Yeah, I got you something too," William responded.
"You go first, then."
William nodded, reached into his inner coat pocket, and pulled out the vial of perfume. He handed it to her. Hemlock opened the vial and took a quick sniff. She looked puzzled, read the vial, and looked at him again.
"No, the perfume there doesn't belong to that vial, don't ask."
"I won't. This is amazing, William. It has such an intoxicating smell. I love it." She said, smiling. She quickly dipped some on her fingers and ran it across her neck and collarbone. She took the little vial, put it in her purse, and then pulled out William's gift. She handed it to him. William grabbed it and looked down at a gorgeous dagger. It had a pink and gold handle with a floral design and jewel-encrusted hilt. He pulled it from the sheath and saw a message on the blade. "Happy anniversary, darling," was written in charcoal.
"Don't look at me, " she said, shielding her scarlet-red face with her hands. I didn't get a chance to get it done professionally, but that's what it'll look like when it's finished. "William chuckled and put the dagger back into the sheath. He tucked the dagger into his belt and smiled at Hemlock.
"Thank you, Hemlock." He said. He moved next to her and kissed her on the cheek. Just then, the band started playing music. Both listened, hands intertwined.
"Hey, I know we've both said that marriage isn't possible for people like us…Have you ever had second thoughts about that?" Hemlock asked suddenly.
"No," William said, failing to read the room.
"Oh." That was all she responded with. Silence. William's eyes darted open.
"If I had to, I would be up for it, though."
"Had to?"
"Well, actually, what I meant to say is that–"
"It's fine." She said and looked forward.
"Um, no, wait, I don't want you to think that I don't–"
Suddenly, they heard the music stop and a loud commotion. William turned his head and tried to see what was going on. Hemlock didn't react.
"That's probably because of me." She said, voice cold. "I stole that dagger from Jasper, the one Pearl was mad about."
"Nah, it's probably due to something else."
"You think so."
William didn't respond and just let go of Hemlock's hand. He reached into his pocket and grabbed something in a closed fist. He held his hand towards her and opened it. In his palm were two solid gold wedding bands. One was by itself; the other was in a long piece of threaded string.
"Yeah, they probably noticed these were missing," William said calmly. Hemlock was shocked. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open.
"I don't know if I'm a marriage kind of guy, Hemlock. But I am committed to you. I don't take many things seriously, but this is one thing I'm not half-assing."
He quickly tied the string behind her neck so that the ring would rest right above her breasts. He put the other ring on his pointer finger on his right hand. Hemlock, still in shock, only said.
"That's a nice gambler's ring you got there."
William blinked twice and smiled. He stood up and held out his hand.
"Come one, let's go before anyone spots us."
Hemlock stood up and gently took his hand. The commotion got louder as Trevor started barking orders for people to find what had been taken. He sounded so stressed. Both of them looked at each other silently.
"We're such terrible people," Hemlock said finally. It was so matter of fact that William almost started laughing.
"I still love you," William said, smirking. Hemlock also smirked.
"Come on, darling. Let's go get that bratty daughter of yours."
"Ours." He corrected.
"Oh right, I forgot."
"She should be meeting us at the boat. I told her that the wedding might end early."
"Do you think Pearl caught on?"
"Even more reason for us to hurry then."
They both leapt from branch to branch as the castle shrank into the night and the sounds of the ceremony withered away.