A/N: Would appreciate feedback. Are the slice of life moment with the Straw Hats boring? Are we good with toggling back and forth between Cygnus and Zoro? Thoughts on Theodora?

Ch. 46 - Sleeping Beauty

A fast ship could get from Ilium to Alabasta or vice versa in about three days. But with the help of General Hector they could do it in half that time. Gloriadne with an Omega'd Pebble Pebble power, and Robertus with an Alpha'd version of Hector's power cut that time down by half again as, between the three of them, they made a swift team of tireless wooden rowers.

Theodora had seen such powers in action upon her rescue, but she was still surprised to see the Sibyl rescuing party back in Yuba only a few days after they had left.

She had spotted the party from her front window late one evening, and went out with many other curious denizens of Yuba to hear the news. Most people didn't realize how crucial this party's mission had been and thought their return might hail the return of more slaves or refugees, but by the looks on Cassowary and the others' faces, it quickly became apparent something had gone wrong.

Theodora scanned the crowd of returning heroes and noticed something that made her stomach drop. "Where is His Majesty?" she murmured to Cassowary.

The Captain looked up at her, saw her panic, and quickly spoke to assuage her concern. "Yes, he's fine," she replied, forcing a smile. Her lack of intentionally sharp teeth further betrayed her own despondence. "He…needed some time to himself."

She glanced toward the town's main oasis, and Theodora hobbled in that direction, pulling her hood and coat about her against the nighttime desert air.

Normally the shady oasis, which functioned as a city park, bustled with people. This late into the evening the main crowds had dispersed. Alone, Cygnus sat on the fountain's edge with his face buried in his hands beneath the moonlight.

"Your Majesty," she said softly, and Cygnus looked up at her with a tear-stained face. To see evidence of deep sorrow on a man of power took her aback.

Fear shot through her at an unpleasant thought, and she quickly dipped into a révérence, not looking up to see his expression darken further when she did so.

"Forgive me, sire," she pleaded softly, "I truly believed what I had overheard was sound. If in any way I lead you and your friends astray…"

"Ms. Theodora," Cygnus gasped, using his sleeves to do away with the tears on his face. "No, your intelligence was perfectly sound. We simply did not get there in time. Now for the love of Zeus, get off the ground."

She rose, doing nothing to hide her concern. "If I did anything to cause you distress…"

"Aside from bowing to me again like you did toward that odious excuse for a human being?" he snapped. "No, this is nothing to do with you, Madam. I just made a…distressing discovery."

"Was the Sibyl captured, sire?"

"No…at least, we don't think so," he reassured her with a sigh. "If she were, Rothbart would have used the God Powers by now. She must have escaped. However, the person you described her as staying with.…My friend…"

"The one with the deep voice?" Theodora prodded.

She had reported what the Oracle had said about this man. Short in stature, perhaps even a dwarf. Slicked back hair. Wily. Dramatic. Deep-voiced. Living in some sort of countryside. Cygnus had seemed to think it was a former court advisor, particularly when told he wore extra tall platform shoes to hide his lack of altitude.

"Yes," Cygnus replied, "His name was Quintilian du Aeschelus. We had been close friends since our boyhood. He was a good man…the best of men."

"Was, sire?"

"Cipher Pol got to him before we did," Cygnus shuddered. "We found his cottage, and I…I found his remains. He didn't deserve any of this. The man suffered so much in his final years, losing his son, and…last he and I spoke we were on bad terms. I never got the chance to make amends."

Theodora felt her heart breaking for the anguish in Cygnus' face. A man so kind, and yet even he had disagreements with his friends. She had placed him on a pedestal after their last encounter, but he was endearingly human.

"I was able to give him the proper funeral rites, so his soul can now be at peace at least," Cygnus murmured. "I hope one day he and I can meet in the underworld so I can at least properly apologize. Let this be a lesson to you, Ms. Theodora, to live your life without leaving important things unsaid or undone. To live without regrets…"

She didn't know what to say to this. Her life was nothing but one big regret, caused by forces outside herself. He seemed to feel the need to place a lesson on his pain, though, as though saying as much to her made it more appropriate for her to be witness to his tears.

"I don't even know how they found him," Cygnus sighed. "He told so few where he'd gone. I knew his location, but…I have a tendency to get myself lost. General Hector had to possess the forest to get us to the right place in the end. No sign of the Sibyl, though we think she was staying with him at some point…"

"And now. Now we are back to square one. Our enemies may even have the advantage. We have no idea what they know or if their Oracle may have had another vision."

He swallowed hard, then steeled his expression, schooling it, not into a smile, but into something more neutral and controlled. His tone became almost convincingly lighter as he looked up to meet her worried gaze:

"My apologies, Ms. Theodora, that you caught me in such a state," he said. "I am merely recovering from the shock of losing my friend. – The rest is all just an unfortunate setback, but I am certain we will find a solution. There is no need to worry."

He couldn't fool her. She'd had to wear a mask like that for the other girls time and time again. Taking a breath, she dared herself to take a seat beside him on the fountain's edge.

"It must be difficult," she said softly, "Seeing your country so changed for the first time, since Master Rothbart took over."

Cygnus quirked a sad smile. "I would be lying if I told you it wasn't a shock. I hardly recognized my own home," he admitted in an admirably steady voice. He still had the diplomatic mask on.

Theodora nodded. She understood more than he realized: "You almost think it's a dream. Or that the place you're seeing isn't actually your home, it's just some other island. Some other city. Some other kingdom. And yours is safe and sound somewhere."

Cygnus furrowed his brow. "Yes," he agreed, voice a little harsh with suppressed emotion. "Ms. Theodora, where exactly did you say you were from…?"

"I'm sure it helped to think you could make everything right," she went on, blatantly ignoring his question. "You had such hope you could set things right with this woman's powers, but now she is out of reach."

Cygnus stared at her a moment, expression pensive. He seemed to be puzzling her motive behind prodding into this all further. She decided to change the subject:

"Tell me more about your friend," she said.

He blinked at her. "Quintilian?" he asked.

"Yes. You said he was your friend since childhood?"

As she hoped, he dropped the guarded mask for a more genuine, if sad smile. His friend was something he could freely discuss.

"Even when we were boys, he had such a brilliant mind for philosophy," he started, "We would make it our mission to stump the royal tutors with a well-placed question or argument, and often succeeded…"

Theodora knew she couldn't take the burden of the king's lost kingdom from him. But she also knew what it felt like to lose people she loved. She listened to his pleasant, kind voice as he spoke of his friend and bygone days, glad she could provide this small catharsis at least.

But was there something more she could do?

"And thus His Majesty fell in love…"

Robin read from a book to an entranced audience of children in the Ryubokuu Library. Her story times had become famous over the month they had been there. For starters, she often employed multiple hand puppets at once as she read. She even had Brook there, providing sound effects, ambience, and the occasional song with the help of the library's piano and other instruments.

Usopp also lent a hand pre-show customizing the puppets as needed. With Franky's help, he had improved on the library's pre-existing puppet theatre. The inventive duo had even started helping during Robin's productions with special effects. Franky had wanted to add pyrotechnics for the dragon in this particular tale, but Lizzy, who was Head Librarian, shut him down. After all, the library, like the hospital wing, had been built inside one of the enormous, and obviously flammable, wooden branches of the island's tree.

Zoro would never have guessed that Robin had as much vocal and improvisational range as he'd seen her demonstrate here. Even Kuina, who had to be the youngest kid there, couldn't look away. Maybe he'd been wrong to forbid Robin from reading Kuina bedtime stories after all. – of course, it helped that Lizzy had insisted on approving every puppet show before it was performed. Heaven only knew what kind of morbid tale Robin would pick if left to her own devices.

At Robin's invitation, Zoro had started bringing Kuina to these bi-weekly events. He'd been growing desperate to keep the restless toddler entertained. – Soon others of the Straw Hats had joined them, until it became the norm for the whole crew to attend. Luffy usually sat cross-legged on the front row, a child or two clutching him at the scary parts.

"So entranced was he with the sleeping Princess' beauty, he knew he must save her at all costs from her sleeping curse."

"Wake her up already!" Luffy shouted at the prince puppet hesitating beside Sleeping Beauty's bier. He had a tendency to act the peanut gallery at these events.

"But what can break such a curse?" Robin asked her rapt audience.

"A bucket of water?" Luffy attempted.

"Brook's dumb handkerchief song?" Zoro grumbled at the same time.

But they were both drowned out by a chorus of children (and Sanji) shouting: "True love's kiss!"

"He hoped his love would be enough, and so he kissed her…"

Robin made the Prince Puppet kiss the Princess Puppet, who awoke to a flourish and fanfare on Brook's part. The children cheered and clapped.

Brook sang a final ditty about the magic of true love's kiss. Usopp and Franky retracted a curtain painted with thorns from the puppet theater, exposing a beautifully painted castle backdrop (courtesy of Usopp) and all the sleeping puppets in the Kingdom, who had now awoken, pranced around with joy in time to Brook's music.

"And they all lived happily ever after," Robin finished triumphantly, closing the book while she made her puppets bow. "The End."

When the final applause died down, Robin felt the need to add an addendum.

"You know, kids, in the original tale, it wasn't the prince's kiss that saved her. It was her own child…"

Lizzy, who had been carefully monitoring the production, tensed.

Robin plowed on: "See, she gave birth to twins in her sleep because the prince had…"

"Thank you, Mz. Robin, for your wonderful ztorytime!" Lizzy cried, interrupting her gracelessly. "We look forward to hearing from you again next week, bzzz bzzz."

The Straw Hats soon gathered around Robin, Franky, Usopp, and Brook, commending them for another job well done. One member of the crew seemed more pensive than jubilant though.

"Didn't you enjoy the show, Kuina?" Nami asked the toddler, whose brow had furrowed in concentration.

"Papa kiss Mama?" she asked. "Mama wake up?"

"Uh oh, now you've done it," Zoro muttered to Robin under his breath.

But the lotus woman didn't seem to be listening. She had her arms crossed over her body, and was obviously concentrating on using her powers at a distance. When her attention returned, she smiled at Kuina:

"You know, it couldn't hurt for him to try," she said, picking up as though she hadn't ducked out of the conversation.

"You don't think it's a bad idea to get her hopes up?" Zoro uttered through clenched teeth.

Robin shot him an archaic smile. "Are you saying you're not her true love?" she asked.

"Papa IS Mama's twue wuv," Kuina insisted.

That seemed to clinch it. Zoro wasn't getting out of this one.

Despite his misgivings at setting his daughter up for disappointment, Zoro and the rest of the crew soon found themselves in the hospital branch, and ultimately, at the door of Helena's sickroom. Zoro caught a glimpse of her through the door. To all appearances, Helena was unchanged. Chopper greeted them in the doorway, looking oddly chipper.

"Sooo, how was the puppet show?" he asked, wiggling around a bit like he did when he was happy someone had praised him but didn't want them to see.

"Papa bweak Mama's curse," Kuina insisted.

"Oh? How will he do that?" Chopper asked, still dancing around with delight.

"Twue wuv's kiss!"

"Listen kid, things don't always work out like in fairy tales," Zoro started. "Your Mom's 'curse' could be different."

"Pwease, Papa?"

Chopper moved out of the doorway to let them pass and as many of the Straw Hats as could squeeze into the room soon followed.

Feeling self conscious with the whole crew looking on, Zoro bent over Helena's bedside. She seemed as unresponsive as ever.

"Well, go on, Prince Marimo," Sanji goaded. "Kiss your princess."

Zoro shot him a glare.

"No turning back now," Nami put in with a shrug, though she looked about as worried as Zoro felt at how this would affect Kuina when it didn't work.

Kuina's big brown eyes shone with anticipation.

Zoro turned back to Helena, brushed the hair from her face and leaned in. He had an unpleasant feeling in his stomach – a memory of kissing her over the Altar of Dido. He tried to repress the memory, and the foreboding that this too would end in disappointment.

But, just as his lips approached hers, he felt the slightest movement. He had to open his eye to be sure.

Yep. Helena was smiling.

It was the barest hint of an upturn on the corners of her lips. Zoro fought down the urge to laugh, suddenly feeling ten times lighter.

"You were already awake," he muttered to her. "You and Robin set this up, didn't you?"

"Don't ruin it for Kuina," Helena whispered back.

Zoro straightened up. "No, her curse is too powerful," he announced to the room. Robin frowned noticeably, but otherwise didn't belay her confusion. Kuina looked for a moment like she might cry.

Zoro reached for her.

"Kid, it's up to you now," he told her. "Remember. Robin said in the real story, it was Sleeping Beauty's kid who broke the curse."

Kuina sniffled, then nodded bravely. She allowed Zoro to hoist her up onto the bed next to her mom.

"Pwease wake up, Mama," Kuina told Helena,"I miss you."

And she planted a kiss on her mother's face.

Helena's eyes fluttered open to meet her daughter's. "You saved me, Kuina-Bee!" She managed to rasp, voice harsh with disuse.

The infirmary room burst into cheers. Except for Franky. He had started crying his eyes out.

"It's so beautiful," he wailed. "Nothing can stop true love!"

"You have to stop her!"

Cygnus could not believe what he was seeing, but his pleas to Cassowary fell on deaf ears:

Theodora had donned her black satin ballet shoes again. She had put on her black prima tutu and feather crown, and what he had been assured was a dismantled slave collar about her neck. With head held high and stage makeup on her determined face, she followed a group of revolutionaries to the edge of town, ready to depart for Ilium.

"She can't go back to that man!" Cygnus seethed.

"The plan she's proposed is a solid one," Cassowary countered. "With her back in Rothbart's court we can find out what they know about the Sybil. It puts us back on the playing field."

"He'll kill her!" Cygnus snapped. "She already escaped him once!"

"She seems to think that she can convince him she was rescued against her will," Cassowary attempted to reassure him. "We will allow her to feed him some information about us as well. Let her play the double agent."

"She doesn't need to do this…"

"She isn't just doing this for you," Cassowary reminded him. "She said there are other dancers, recently captured to replace the ones Helena freed. She is worried they may not survive without someone there as a mentor. She felt guilty enough leaving with the other two."

"She also said Rothbart was planning on 'retiring' her," Cygnus countered. "She is unlikely to survive long enough to help those poor girls. Or us. Or anyone! Surely you are aware of that."

With an arm about the shoulders, Cassowary had stopped Cygnus' initial attempt at hobbling after the party. He pushed her aside, calling out:

"Wait! For the love of gods, please wait."

Theodora and a few others in the party turned to him as he stumbled his way toward her, struggling to make use of his cane in his haste. She had no longer been limping, he noticed. Cassowary had mentioned something about cortisol shots.

Theodora smiled at him gently.

"Please," he pleaded. "Don't go. I order you to stay."

"You can't order her to do anything," Cassowary reminded him. She had easily followed his frantic scramble. "You're no longer a king. Anyway, she was never one of your citizens to begin with."

"I gladly would be," Theodora put in, her voice even and musical and calming despite the situation. "When we restore your kingdom to what it should be, Sire, there is no one else I'd rather serve."

Rage surged through Cygnus as she spoke of serving him. He hadn't meant to act like Rothbart in giving orders. "You're finally free to serve no one!" he cried. "You can't throw your life away like this, not when you've only just gained it back. This isn't your battle and you're not a warrior…!"

With both grace and force, she brought one arm over her head and displayed her palm at him; an obvious ballet mime for "stop."

"Did you not say, Sire, that I am no less a warrior than your daughter?" she insisted. Not just her palm, but her whole stance had become balletic, adding an unexpected power to her words as she spoke. "I am Theodora Justinia Byzantium, former Crown Princess of the waste kingdom of Augusta, and freed Empress of Rothbart's Swans. I will decide which battles are my own. I decide whom I serve! This is how I choose to live without regret."

Cygnus' jaw tensed, caught in the rare feeling of being at a loss for words.

Theodora could see she had confounded him. She bowed her head to him, something that felt far more respectful, and less servile, than a révérence.

She turned to go without another word. Cygnus stared after her, hard.

Cassowary stepped up beside him. "Not a warrior," she snorted quietly. "Rich, coming from you…"

Cygnus ignored the jab. "I wasn't aware there were any survivors from Augusta," he murmured as Theodora drew further away from him.

Cassowary's tone softened. "You aren't responsible for what happened there," she tried to reassure him. "She doesn't blame you."

"Does she know who I am?"

Cassowary snorted and rolled her eyes. Of course Theodora knew.

She knew that Cygnus was partially responsible for the destruction of her kingdom. This whole time she knew, and never said anything! And now she went to her death to try to help him…?

The Revolutionary Captain had transformed into her raptor form by now. She took off after the party, approaching a doorway that had been painted onto a shadowy ally at the edge of town.

It was nothing fancy. Just black paint on the adobe wall. Robertus touched it and the nearby shadows, however, accessing the Ink Ink Fruit from his past repertoire. It blackened further, rippling into a dark portal.

It was a handy and quick way to bypass desert travel. He wasn't powerful enough to make them island jump by any means, but this did speed up the journey considerably.

It was risky though. He couldn't use the power as effectively as he might have if he'd freshly acquired it from Troy. It also drained him quickly. He had to move fast to get the party of revolutionaries under the desert and to their ships before his energy waned, or they'd all be stranded underground somewhere.

Knowing time was of the essence, Cygnus still couldn't seem to help but call out:

"Theodora…!"

She turned to him, letting others pass into the portal ahead of her.

He knew he needed to speak quickly, but his throat had stuck.

"I'm…I'm sorry," he managed at last.

Her mouth quirked into a hint of a smile. An acknowledgement.

Then she turned and disappeared into the darkness.