Revolutionary Sabo

It was disorienting in the worst ways. Your head swam, your stomach churned, the armor meant to protect you felt like a suffocating weight, and you were fairly certain that—at least for a split second—you blacked out.

You were not alone, however. 

The red-haired bandit leader was with you. He was massive when there was space between you, but now he felt almost too large to be human. His body was engulfing yours, protective in a way that seemed out of place for a man who didn’t know anything about you.

Even with as impossibly large as he was, you managed to move enough to get your bearings in time to slow your descent. The roar of the wind in your ears made it useless to try and yell, but you and the bandit had the same basic idea. 

A strong barrier could crash into a smaller barrier, absorbing impact and slowing your velocity. It was a spell everyone knew, the only skill you had with it was that it had become something of a signature spell for you. 

You kept a primary barrier up around the two of you, and you both broke your descent with at least 100 smaller shields over the coarse of maybe three seconds. It was a desperate attempt to ease the landing, but it worked. The last jerky stop was terra firma itself, and while the impact knocked the wind out of you both, it didn’t break any of your bones.

“Fuck,” the bandit coughs, rolling away from you and groaning as he forced himself upright. “You alive, Shield?” 

“Yes,” you answer, wincing against the pain in your limbs from the tension of the experience alone. Sitting up, you lean back and end up sprawling out on the ground despite your intentions. “Thank you.”

“Eh?” He seems surprised and clicks his tongue. “I was surprised you got yer barrier up that fast.”

“I as well.” You admit, the nervous laugh trailing after your words. “We sailed some distance.”

“West, at least.” He stands up, stretching in a way that makes several joints pop and crack in ways that concern you for a second. Once it’s obvious he’s completely unbothered by it all you let it go, pushing yourself up to your feet. 

You both notice the high rock wall to your immediate east at the same time.

“We’re not fucking going back the way we came,” He grumbles. “Unless you’re a shield with wings.”

Flying magic was specialist level. Usually reserved for people who either specialized in shape shifting into some mythical beast, or those who had simply dedicated all to levitation or some other advanced magic pushed beyond it’s usual means. Not something you knew how to do, and not something you were aware anyone else but Marco could do.

“My first flight was just a moment ago,” you admit and hear him laugh. “I might be able to create stairs.”

“Might isn’t a good enough word right now,” he replies, and you rankle, but he’s not wrong. If you mess up trying to do something you haven’t done before, you and he could end up with broken bones after all. “We could go ‘round.”

“It would be best to stay put, wouldn’t it?” 

“I knew you were green, Shield, tell me this isn’t your first—.” 

He stops talking when he looks at you. The deadpan, perhaps frustrated look on your face was enough to stop him entirely. There’s a long stint of silence between you before he finally sighs.

“Night in the wilds isn’t easy.” He motions for you to follow and starts walking. “If we had a cave in sight or something, sure, we could sit and relax. Let the rescue party come out first light and come collect us.

“But we need to get back to camp. The Mad Duck’s camp—.”

“Who?” You’re pretty sure he means Sabo, but you want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Aw, don’t get your panties in a bunch over a nickname.” He grumbles. “Fuckin’ capital nobles call him worse shit’n that.”

“I don’t suffer listening to them either.” You snap back.

“Oh? Feisty little Shield. You and that carrot top gunner girl in the same fan club or something?” 

“Sour that the Duke has a fan club and you don’t?” 

He stops walking and turns to look at you. You grin up at him and after a second he grins back. He resumes the march after a moment longer, crimson fur coat pretty much all you can see of him.

“The Mad Duck’s camp is closer than any other camp.” He resumes his earlier statement. 

“Assuming this ridge doesn’t go on for a mile.” You point out.

“Yeah, that would suck.”

“Don’t you live in the wilds? I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“Takes some work, but it’s better an’ bending a knee to those empire bastards.”

You can’t really argue. The way of the world was what it was, and was probably going to be what it was going to be. You didn’t have any plans to change the world, though you were pretty sure Sabo did.

“Don’t look at me like that, the horde came, and the woods said you were here.”

His words when he and his men first arrived echo in your mind.

“Can’t you talk to the woods or something? Ask it where we are?”

“Hah?” The look on his face and the tone of his voice almost make you laugh.

“You told the Duke the woods told you he was at the camp.” You assert. “So like… bark at a tree or something, find out where we are.”

“Bark at a tree?” He snorts. “You think you’re funny.”

“I think you’re good at barking, at least.” You retort. 

“Look here, princess—.”

“Shield.” You correct and his expression strains to the point you think maybe you’re pushing a little too much.

Considering how he addressed Sabo, he’s lucky your sword is staying in its sheath.

“I saved yer ass, little girl.” He growls.

“I am capable of saving my own ass, thank you kindly.” You bark back.

“Your first shield broke!” He snaps. “It was my magic,”—the ground around you shudders. Earth and mud rise up and tower over you both. The rocky mud has a strange look to it, and you realize after a second that it’s more like iron ore than just mud and rocks,—“that saved us.”

“My shield didn’t break.” You’re matching the angry look on his face right now. “I would’ve felt it if the magic had shattered.”

“Weren’t nothing around us in the air.” He shrugs, letting the mud and rock sink back into the ground.

“… Because my concentration broke by then.” You admit through clenched teeth. Your magic took the hit, you know it did, but the experience of the impact had rattled you more than anything else.

You expect some sort of retort, but the walk is quiet for a good while. The sun wasn’t high in the sky when you had been sent sailing, and there wasn’t much left of it even after a few minutes of walking. It wasn’t easy walking either. There was no path, no game trail to follow. 

It was just due east.

If you were too far north you might walk by the camp without even knowing it. Too far south and you might see the lookout tower that was at the border of the Goan kingdom, but then you’d be camping at the tower, because the camp would be too far away.

And all of that was assuming you were even close enough to the camp itself to make it back. It only felt like you had blacked out very briefly, but it was impossible to say if that was the truth of it. He might have blacked out as well, and you’re positive that he’d never admit to such a thing even if he had. 

It takes almost an hour to come to a point in the ridge where you can stop going north west and actually start heading east properly. It’s going to take an hour just to get back to where you were, and there might be daylight left by then, but it won’t be much.

Despite it all, it doesn’t take long to realize that your traveling companion isn’t the worst person in the world. He might be brash and arrogant and manner-less, but he knows his way in the wilds exceptionally well. You had no firsthand experience yourself, but you did have the knowledge your father had taught you, so you weren’t entirely clueless. 

If anything you were simply grateful that you didn’t seem to be slowing him down. He wasn’t stampeding through the woods, he seemed to be more concerned about moving quietly than moving quickly, despite the concern about reaching camp in time. You were using cantrips to keep your armor quiet, and trying to match the ghost of a path he was creating all on his own, which made the entire trek all that much more difficult.

Walking for a long time was difficult on its own. Hiking through a forest was even more difficult, and creating a trail from nothing was harder still.

The bandit—.

“What’s your name?” You ask, more in need of something to fill the shuffling quiet of the two of you walking through the woods.

“Random ass fucking question,” he grumbles quietly.

“Hell of a name.” You snort softly.

He stops for a moment, the massive wall of a coat breathing in, and then out. You press your lips together, suppressing any quip that may escape you. At this point you feel like the scales are even between you, regardless of who saved whom and whether or not he addressed the Duke correctly.

“Eustass Kid.” He replies before continuing on. “Yours?”

“Shield is sufficient.” You reply. You weren’t going to give him your real name anyway, and there’s no way he was going to bother remembering your noble name. 

“How ya holding up?”

“Eh?” 

“I don’t imagine a greenie like you has much stamina.” He clarifies. “If you pass out on me trying to keep up it’ll be a pain in my ass to carry you.”

“I’m good for a bit yet.” You assure him. “This is my first expedition, but I’ve been training with a sword for years. My… uncle wouldn’t let me become a border knight, but that didn’t stop me from practicing.”

“Thought you were a shield.”

“I am.” You state. “I didn’t realize shields didn’t wield swords.”

“Most of ‘em carry maces and stuff.” He says it so neutrally you know he’s not picking on you or anything of the sort. “Adds to the defensive pressure of the role, yeah?”

“I suppose so.” You don’t care to get into a conversation about your father, Lulusia’s border fighting style, or anything else. Your ability to shift between sword and shield wasn’t exactly the biggest secret you were carrying with you, but the less you said, the less someone else could know.

Being unknown outside of being the Duke’s fiance was your greatest defense.

The silence returns between you, and you continue your trek through the wilds. You had traveled through woods and forests before, both as a child, and even after you had gotten older, the woods near the palace being a place you frequented when you needed to get away from your cousins and Uncle. 

Even so, this place was rough.

“A moment.” You say, half an hour after Kid had asked how you were doing. Making use of a fallen tree, you sit as he comes to a stop. He doesn’t say anything, just looks around before sitting down, his back to a tree.

“We’re nearly back ta’ where we landed.” He says, glancing up at the sky through the trees. “Might just have enough daylight after all.”

You nod, swirling your finger tip around in the air until the simple cantrip pulls enough moisture together that you can drop the marble of water into your mouth. You used to stick your finger in snow banks in the north, mimicking the border knights, to pull the water into a small sphere like this. 

“Is… did you just use a fucking laundry cannie to get a drink?” Kid questions. The look on his face almost makes you laugh, but you nod. 

“It’s more commonly used to dry clothes, yes.” 

It only takes him a split second to gather his wits enough, and you watch him weave the simple cantrip and pull the humidity into a decent sized gulp of water. The broad smile on his face feels like a victory, but you aren’t sure what to do with it.

“You ever get tired of dealing with nobles and shit, Shield, and you got a place on my crew.” He declares after making three more globs of water.

“A tempting offer,” you say, and on some level you mean it. Living in the wilds would probably be pretty close to being a border knight, and there’s a few things you wouldn’t have to worry about keeping secret either. “As the Duke’s fiance, however, I’m afraid I’d have to decline.”

“I had a feeling you were important ta’ him,” Kid admits, standing up and stretching. “It’s half’ah why I stepped in.”

“The other half?” You prompt, standing up and stretching yourself.

“Being out in the wilds solo is a death sentence.” He explains. “Two’s one too few, but it’s way better’n one.”

You don’t want to tell him that you’re probably the one person outside of Lulusia who would be able to survive, but honestly you’re glad not to be out here alone. It’s difficult to say if you would’ve been able to create enough flimsy barriers to break your descent alone at the very least. 

Your focus had been on your swordsmanship and the melding, but now that you were allowed and able to practice magic safely, you should probably consider learning more advanced spells. Specialization wasn’t bad, but utility was valuable as well, and since you were already versatile with your fighting style it seemed like a good idea to be just as malleable in your magical capacity.

You weren’t looking to be a hero, or the greatest border knight ever. You just wanted to be able to help protect people. That had originally been the people at the northern borders of Lulusia, and then whoever you could while being a border knight even if it was for a different country.

Now, you kind of wanted to protect the people of the Duke’s land, or at least protect the Duke and his knights, knowing that doing so would protect others.

Maybe that was the way to think about it. Protecting a smaller number of people who could, in turn, protect a far larger number of people, was far more manageable a goal than the broader statement of protecting the people.

You and Kid make it to a clearing and he points to the east.

“Looks like the top of the fence wall, yeah?” 

You aren’t looking where he’s pointing, but rather at the other side of the clearing. 

It takes you six seconds to cast the cantrip that doffs your armor, draw your sword, and run toward the beast at the clearing’s opposite edge. You can hear Kid reacting to your motions, but his relief at seeing the camp has him too relaxed to stop you.

You don’t know how to fight the way others fought beasts. Part of why you sat back in the camp and focused solely on providing support to the other knights was because you hadn’t spent years learning how to take a beast down with two to three other people at your side. You were a competent fighter and you were certain you could work with Kid, but you didn’t know what that cost would be.

None of those reasons were what moved you to action so quickly. They were things you knew, but they weren’t things you cared about. Many things had come to light for you ever since you’d arrived in Goa. Things that had been certain were thrown into uncertainty all over again, and things you’d never considered possible were a weight around your neck.

“My shield is touching the stone.”

“Yup!” Luffy laughs. “That’s amazing!” 

Why you? It wasn’t something your father could do. This wasn’t something you could explain away through the unique sword style of the Lulusian border knights. Your father had warned you against using magic because proof of it would linger, and you couldn’t outshine your cousins.

But what if that wasn’t his actual concern?

“My lady, I have no gentle way to ask this, but were you adopted?”

“You do not have a valorous mark.”

Who were you, if you were not your father’s daughter? Who were you that he would spend weeks, months even, standing against waves of questions and accusations, validating your legitimacy as his child. Who were you that he would teach you how to use one of the most closely guarded sword styles on all the continent? 

Who were you to give away the mittens provided you so often that the knights started knitting them in their spare time? Who were you?

You knew the sword style of your father, but you had never been able to test it against an actual beast. A terrifying, large, angry creature with no one else around who could help. No one else around who you would allow to help.

The barrier that raises up around you and the beast is barely big enough. You’re too focused on what’s in front of you to notice how the blood drains from Kid’s face as he realizes what you’re doing. This isn’t a risk that Sabo would allow you to take, so there may not be another chance like this, and you needed to know something about yourself.

To have just one fact validated, if nothing else.

It might be a prayer that passes your lips, or a declaration you mean to prove, or a sentiment you refuse to let go of.

Maybe it’s just the one thing about yourself you need to be sure of before moving forward.

As the new fortification took shape, there was another sound mixed in with the beasts.

It was the sound of humans, unmistakably. The sound beasts made had no communication to it, but this noise was different. There was a tempo and beat to it that was call and response. It was too far away to make out anything distinct, but there was an odd relief that washed over the camp.

It wasn’t just beasts.

“Flares up!” Sabo commands. His voice booms, enhanced by magic, and purposefully filling the air. “Watch the forest’s edge! Bandit or Knight, do no harm! Lead them in and brace for the beasts at their heels!” 

Bandits and Kingdom folk might not get along well, but all were human. Humans could reason, barter, trade, and come to agreement diplomatically. When beasts were in the mix the first rule was easy: survival was priority, after that things could be handled as needed. Preferably with each going on their own way, taking their own fair share of the spoils.

What bounded from the tree line were people that seemed almost more beast than human for a moment. Large, wild men, in furs, leathers, and spikes. They were nearly as loud as the beasts themselves, hooting and calling out to one another in something resembling a language made from animal calls.

Once they saw the barricades and the knights, they adjust course enough to slip between the posts and step into the camp. 

Sabo wasn’t a small man, though he wasn’t the largest you’d seen. Sir Crocodile, the merchant, had been uncomfortably tall and quite broad shouldered, and several other guests during the engagement party had been head and shoulders above Sabo in height.

These men were all tall and broad shouldered. One was a mass of muscle and leathers, scarred with gnarled pieces of metal gathered around him, shaped into a crude—but huge—arm. From how the others moved around him you assumed he was in charge of this group of massive misfits. 

A man in a striped mask stood beside him, only slightly shorter in stature, but no less an imposing collection of scars and muscles. He had bright blonde hair that cascaded down his back like a cloak. The others were no less startling in their appearances, but they all appeared to be battle-hardened and ready.

“I see ya got my gift!” The big man with the red hair says to Sabo. “Good job putting it to use, Duck.”

“What in the hells did you drag to my camp!?” Sabo demands, ignoring the title the large man had used. “I thought we had an agreement the last time.” 

“Don’t look at me like that, the horde came, and the woods said you were here.” He asserts. You can feel a pulse of magic, and the ground shifts. Sabo steadies himself as the camp rumbles for a brief moment before rocks and mud roll up against the barricade, reinforcing it.

“We’ll have tea and what-the-fuck-ever after the fight.” The big red-haired man declares. “There’s a lot, I hope yer knights are well-rested.”

Sabo turned toward you. “There will be many more than before,” he says carefully. “Defending the swords will be difficult to track, it is better to imprison stragglers before they can catch anyone off guard.” 

“I’ll do my best, your grace.” You reply neatly, noticing the big burly red-head giving you a glance.

“Koala, your primary concern is unchanged, but I will need your support at the line as well.” He adds, and Koala sighs heavily beside you.

“I suppose you’ll want tea after,” she teases, already climbing up to a better vantage point.

“Finally found yerself a shield?” The big man says, something in his tone making you feel like he was more of an old friend than anything else. Even if neither would be inclined to say as much.

“And you?” Sabo retorts.

“Bah, said before, we don’t need anything like that.”

There was a strange calm after those words. A muffled peace that sat over the camp even with the sounds of the beast roiling toward the walls that had been erected. Everyone knew there wasn’t time enough to do anything else. Swords were drawn, and deep, steadying breaths were pulled into taut lungs.

When the first beast broke the tree line a shot rent the air, louder than you’d ever heard from it before, shattering the strange half-silence that had hung in the air. Koala reloaded as the beast staggered and fell.

Reloading took time, however, even as fast as Koala was, and there were five beasts past the trees when the second shot fired. The other four reached the choke point, but it didn’t slow so few of them down.

Knights and bandits alike let the beasts come deeper into the camp before they took them on. Two felled by knights, two felled by bandits. A third gun shot signaled the next wave, and there were enough you couldn’t easily count them. More than five, no more than twelve - less after Koala’s shot - three make it through the choke point easily enough but the two behind them try to enter at the same time.

A squabble breaks between them before a third beast shoves them through, opening the space again and letting the rest come in. It almost seems absurd, but then you remembered your conversation with Luffy while the two of you had been trapped.

“What’s it like fighting the beasts?” You question him.

“Scary,” Luffy replies easily. He has a smile on his face, but you don’t think he’s teasing you. “The first time it can be really scary. They’re bigger than you expect, and really angry. There’s nothing else there, and that’s kinda the scary part.”

“Nothing else there?”

Luffy’s smile falters. “No fear or joy.” He gives you an apologetic look. “It’s scary.”

Just angry. Even at each other.

“Will they fight one another?” Your question isn’t really for anyone specifically, but neither Sabo, nor the large brute beside him, had stepped into the fight yet. 

Both look at you.

“Sometimes.” The red-head says. “If they’re really angry.”

Shifting your focus back to the makeshift gate, you erect a small barrier in front of one of the beasts. Just large enough for it to smack into it face first. Dropping the barrier immediately, you place one down by its feet, unsurprised when the beast behind it shoves it.

It wasn’t enough of a fight to stem the rush coming in behind it, but the tide itself trampled the tripped beast into the mud. 

Shortly after that, Sabo and the other man joined the fight. 

When the beasts started to claw up the ramparts, you extended the tops of the barriers with your own until the thoughtless creatures gave up trying. It was energy efficient to smack as many dull beasts in the face with your small shield spell, prompting scuffles between the beasts with minimal cost. 

Imprisoning beasts with your magic was the most taxing option, but you quickly realized that sealing away beasts strategically allowed you to create additional choke points within the camp. And after a few cocooned beasts, you changed the shape of the spell, wrapping it around them from shoulder to hip.

They were full of nothing but anger, and anger never once had a clear thought. None of the beasts thought to drop to their knees to escape. Instead they kicked and bellowed, and caused chaos for any other beast that came near. 

Chaos for the beasts was relief for the knights and fighters.

While the bandits fought more like beasts themselves, they were no less effective than the knights. The shouts and undulating vocalizations signaled where they were on the field to one another and the knights. If there were actual instructions in the sounds, you had no idea what any of them meant, but it seemed to be enough for the knights to work around them.

“Clear the front!” Sabo’s enhanced voice thundered over the chaos, fire rising up from his hand like a beacon. The bandits scatter, the knights were already clear of his line, and even you could tell where the spell was headed.

You released your barriers in the path of the fire that roared from Sabo’s hand. Most of his own body had become fire, blazing from his back like the curl of a great wing. Even standing far from him, you could feel the heat from the fire. 

It moved more like water than flames, rushing forward and striking out beyond the line of the camp. The damage was effective, but even as a dozen beasts fell from the single strike twice as many pressed against the camp.

Magic was not unlimited. There were those who could give the appearance that it was, combining manna efficiency and control to minimize costs and maximize the effects. It took years of practice, and was one of the reasons that anyone who reached a specialization often only ever had one. Even most advanced magic users rarely utilized every spell known. Most mastered a handful that they found the most useful and rarely strayed from that.

It was one of the reasons that you were so good at the Shield spell. It was a spell your cousins knew for certain, and so you always hoped if you were caught practicing magic that you could throw off suspicions that way, and even if you were caught it was the most basic of advanced magics. It wouldn’t be that much of an accomplishment to be able to cast it.

The second roar of fire slowed the beasts still flooding into the camp, but there wasn’t a third volley. There was a rush of support picked up in the wake of it, Koala’s gun firing off clearly in the brief silence that followed Sabo’s magic. 

The bandits, maybe a little more flexible than the knights since they lived with the beasts daily, had adjusted to the change in your spell’s shape. Decapitated beasts fell to the ground when you released the magic, and other beasts were hunched over, limping from wounds on their legs.

It wasn’t the harsh stench of blood, or even the prolonged use of your magic that was beginning to wear on you. 

It was the stress of being on guard without a moment’s respite.

Unlike a sparring match, you weren’t just focused on the target in front of you, and this wasn’t a scuffle that took only several long minutes. This was a battle that was dragging on. The sheer number of beasts, as mitigated as they were, meant that everyone had to be aware of their surroundings. The only good news was that the beasts often moved straight toward the nearest target.

They didn’t prowl around the edges of the camp and attempt to ambush or pincer their target. The shortest distance between two points was a straight line, and that’s the route every single beast took. If you’d had time to dig pit traps you likely would’ve been able to handle almost half of them that way.

Nothing but rage. Not even strategy.

Even as you remained seated near the center of the camp, you could feel the battle wearing on you. Unlike the knights and bandits you didn’t have years of sparring or fighting under your belt. You had what training you had been able to manage on your own, but you hadn’t ever been able to really work on your stamina. 

Running laps around the palace grounds would’ve been absurd from your Uncle’s perspective.

So while you weren’t as fragile as most noble ladies, you were not yet truly a knight. The length of the fight alone was enough to begin wearing on you, but you were not going to let exhaustion turn you into a burden for Koala or Sabo. Especially since your position was less taxing physically than all the others who were covered in mud and blood, to the point that it was a little difficult to sort the bandits from the knights.

The fight lasts for at least two hours, the sun shifting noticeably during the long raid. Exertion and exhaustion both have you sweaty and sore. Your accomplishment, as far as you were concerned, was that neither Sabo nor Koala had needed to come to your assistance during the fight. You were even able to bring her more ammunition, and when one of the bandits handed you a potion you were surprised to hear Koala tell you to drink it.

The liquid had eased some of your exhaustion and even restored your manna by pulling it in faster than you could yourself.

Two hours trapped with Prince Luffy had been stressful, but it had been far easier to maintain a single stationary barrier while also stationary yourself, than what you’d accomplished during this battle. There were still some beasts to handle, and the most difficult issue now was navigating the piles of beast corpses while safely fighting.

Less and less were your barriers needed, and more and more you were grateful for it. You didn’t have much left to give, even with the elixirs’ effects. The people doing the most work at this point were Sabo and the Bandit Leader. The knights and bandits were still on their feet, but all of them were fairly spent. Koala was still assisting, and a couple of the other bandits seemed to have a little more left than the rest.

But no one had much to spare.

You thought about the border knights in Lulusia when you surveyed the scene before you. How they’d come back covered in grim and reeking to the heavens, but they always had smiles. They always had kind words for you, and sometimes gifts, and sometimes stories, and you could hear them talk about their amazing feats, the reality of what they faced sitting before you.

None of the knights fell, and blessed few had some concerning, but manageable injuries. The bandits fared just as well, bruises and cuts and probably hairline fractures they’d refuse to admit having. Least of all while they were within ear shot of the kingdom knights.

Just as you began to relax, it happened within a few precious seconds. 

“MY LADY!” Koala’s voice cut through the air, but even before she had cried out you had already been turning around.

The thing that towered over you was the largest beast you had seen thus far, or maybe it was just the first beast to come close to you. The sound of voices were too far away for you to register them. This beast was armed, something you’d not seen with any of the others, the crude club was likely just a tree that it was capable of holding. Shaped by thoughtless use over some span of time that wasn’t quite long enough to break it entirely.

It wasn’t just rage. The look in its eyes, the brief fraction of a second that you had to look into them, was something other than just simple rage.

There was a horrid screeching sound drowning out the beast’s own roar, a shadow and weight falling over you even as your shield spell formed out of instinct, rather than conscious command on your part. You wondered why your shield was so thick that it was blocking even the sunlight from reaching you, but you had no time left to consider it when the beast’s swing connected.

Border reports are stable, so the word comes from the King first, and not the scouts. It’s far more interesting to you to prepare for a border expedition when you’re going to be a part of it. The expedition’s paperwork creates an excess of work to be done on top of everything else, but those in charge of such things are all quite skilled, and delegation of work is handled smoothly. 

You meet Margrave Lindbergh and Baron Jiron again. They’d both been at the engagement party, but being that they were practically vassals of Sabo’s more than anything else, they hadn’t taken up much of your time during the party. You’d be seeing more and more of them as you spent more time at the estate. Lindbergh you recognized by face as he had been at the estate, and available, during the incident with Prince Luffy. You hadn’t spoken to him, but Sabo had mentioned how valuable he’d been in ensuring everything was kept underwraps.

Both were polite, but they were more business than pleasure, given the circumstances. They were going to be handling things at the estate on the Duke’s behalf, and spent two days helping with preparations and reviewing paperwork with you so that there wouldn’t be any questions or concerns while you and the Duke were at the border. Normally, they wouldn’t need to step in, but with the looming wedding there was too much to do, and it wasn’t fair to let it pile up around Hack when help was available.

Hack and Koala would be able to keep pace with most of it, but Koala was adamant about coming along. Even Hack had supported her, saying that while you were skilled it was your first expedition. It would be better if Sabo could focus on the expedition like usual, and Koala could focus on your safety, while also supporting you as you learned the ropes of an aide de camp. 

You didn’t argue for her to come along, but didn’t argue against it either. Certain you’d be able to protect yourself, but grateful for the support you left the decision up to Sabo. The Duke, by grace or simply fear of his own life, didn’t reject Koala’s request.

It made travel to the border easier for you with Koala there. It had been some years since you truly needed to camp, and there was no carriage like there had been when you traveled from Lulusia to Goa. The carts that came with you were filled with provisions, and would be used to haul spoils back once you were done with the expedition. 

You were on horseback. Armor and weapon on because there was no place to truly stow them during the trip to the border, and armor in a trunk did you little good if you found yourself in need of it. You had your magic, certainly, but magic—same as anything—could be shattered, and having an extra layer of protection was never a bad idea.

Frankly, you were more comfortable in armor than fancy clothes. The sword at your hip felt more proper than the heels you’d been wearing the last few weeks.

It’s two days to travel, carts and all, to the border proper. When the King demands an expedition and the scouts don’t have any trouble areas to report, the standard practice is to go to the nearest base camp and work from there. There was no reason to make the trip unnecessarily longer. 

“When we come back for the coordinated expedition,” Sabo explains, rolling out a map on the table and getting ready to give you a run down of the area. “We’ll be entering the wilds here, right next to the border of the Dawn Kingdom.

“Right now, we’re here.” He explains, moving his finger westward. “Directly north of Aquilegia. The border line curves south here because we haven’t been trying to expand lately. The point of this base is to allow for an expeditious return to the estate if needed. My father’s not concerned with border expansion, so neither me nor my men have been pressed to push for it.”

“A small blessing.” You muse. 

“A small concern as well.” Sabo admits. “The lines of Goa do not contain my father’s greed easily. That he doesn’t call for a push to any of the borders leaves me with a little unease, but I can only hope he means to pass the crown to Sterry during a time of peace.”

“A war with Dawn would be folly, and I can’t imagine Ilisia would be an easy fight either.” You admit. “Neither would resolve within a year or two, and it would be more likely that Goa would lose ground.”

“With the Empire’s protections in place, Goa would lose much, certainly. You didn’t include Lulusia in that.” 

“Lulusia is an easy target.” You say with a shrug. “Wholly isolated from the empire, there are two kingdoms between it and the empire for any tribute sent via the southern roads, and three kingdoms between it and the empire for anything sent east around the mountains. My uncle paid almost as much as the tribute itself was worth to ensure it’s safety whenever he sent it out, but there’s far too many uncontrollable points.

“Lulusia is painfully aware of this weakness, and there’s little they can do about it. The only saving grace is that the region is treacherous for an army to traverse. The mountains, hills and valleys making a march physically taxing. The capital would have plenty of notice of an impending siege, but she doesn’t make her own food.”

You look over at Sabo and shrug. “A wise general and a few thousand soldiers would be enough to break her.”

“Assuming the tribute hasn’t been received.” Sabo adds, and you nod.

“Indeed. Otherwise the capital would be able to hold out easily for the Empire to intervene. And intervene the Empire must, since the entire agreement of tribute itself hinges on that.”

“That creates an issue itself… but…” Sabo pauses, finger tapping his cheek as he thinks. After a moment he waves his hand, dismissing the thought. “Geopolitics are for another day, right now we need to focus on this expedition. I apologize that it might be a bit boring.”

“I didn’t think you were going to send me off on my own with a contingent, your grace.” You tease. “I’ll be your shield then, for this expedition?” 

He smiles. “I appreciate your willingness to acquiesce, lady Lulusia.”

“Ready as I am to be a proper border knight, I’m in no rush to learn lessons harshly.”

“I will admit I was a little worried my lady would run off when we arrived.” Koala says, entering the tent with a cart of tea and food as several other knights file in along with her. “Hearing your adventure stories, and seeing how well you got on with Prince Luffy, I had a concern.”

The food was more function than anything else, though you weren’t surprised. You hadn’t expected finger sandwiches and pastries from Koala to go along with tea. While she was probably talented enough to make it work, it would’ve been too much. You hadn’t even expected tea, but boiling water while on expedition makes it safer to drink, so if you already have that part done, why not.

During the meeting Sabo covered the defenses of the base. People were assigned sections, and groups of knights. Command would go from The Duke, to Koala, to the Knight Commanders. It shouldn’t need to go beyond that, the request came from the Palace, and scouting reports were coming back normal. If there was an emergency, you had command over the knights, in absence of all others. 

“It is your first expedition, Lady Lulusia,” Sabo explains. “But you are a skilled knight, and my fiance. Your capacity for strategy might not yet be tempered with experience, but part of the reason you’re here is to help remedy that.”

You nod. “Of course. I hope there’s no need for me to take command directly, but I’m looking forward to the experience of a successful expedition.”

After the meeting it had been almost as boring as you had expected. Expeditions weren’t often non-stop fighting with beasts, you’d learned as much from the knights and your father. The issue for most people was the tension in the quiet moments between fights. The looming threat, not knowing when it was going to start. 

Tension was more exhausting than actual combat if you weren’t careful. 

“I’m both surprised, and not, to see you meditating, my lady.” Koala says, coming to sit with you.

“I don’t have much to do, since it’s my first time, but I don’t want to exhaust myself being nervous.” You admit, opening your eyes and smiling at her. “I might not have much experience, but I received a solid education on the matter, I hope.

“Are you coming by to give me something to do, or simply checking on me?”

Koala smiles. “Just checking on you. There’ll be more work as the week progresses, but we’re well set right now. There’s not many knights, so unlike the scouts, they don’t rotate in and out. Everyone here is a seasoned border knight. It makes the entire process a lot more efficient, but it would be nice to have double the knights we have, and at least one more Grandmaster Swordsman.”

“Soon maybe.” You hum quietly, and Koala smiles.

“A Grandmaster who isn’t also going to be the Duchess.” She clarifies. “Not that I think you incapable, my lady.”

“I know Koala. I get what you mean.” 

The long moments were long. Lunch came and went. You could feel the collective tension in the air, and someone began to hum a song, and someone else pulled another knight to their feet and danced around lazily to the sound. It was enough to ease the tension and ripple levity through the camp as people traded in and out to keep posts and bellies full.

You were starting to think the first raid was going to be during, or after, dinner, as the sun began it’s descent in the sky. For better or worse, there wasn’t much longer to wait.

The scout’s report had been your first notice of incoming magical beasts. 

Your second notice came from the sounds from the forest. There was no stealth in the beasts’ steps, and no sense or need of surprise as they roared and screeched inside the trees. If there was any intelligence in the decision, it might have been a means of intimidation.

The long minutes between the first distinct sounds, and the moment when the creatures finally broke the tree line were some of the longest in your life. 

“Easy,” Sabo’s voice is soft, but it cuts through the sounds of the beasts. “They’ll go for the first thing they see when they finally reach the clearing.” He explains. He’s keeping his words steady and you can feel the tension you hadn’t noticed building up start to melt.

“They’re… a bit grotesque the first time you see them. If you can put a barrier up in front of them, they’re likely to crash into it and be dazed.” He gets your attention before smiling. “But there’s not that many, so don’t panic if you find yourself unable.”

“I will do my best,” You reply. Your throat’s dry, and you can feel sweat on your hands inside your gauntlets. The armor you’re wearing is neither heavy, nor stifling, but it suddenly feels too heavy to be safe. As though your need to run is more important than the protection the armor provides.

Training to fight magic beasts, and wanting to fight magic beasts, and fighting magic beasts, were all three very different and distinct things. Adrenaline, fear, and anticipation were vying for control of your senses, but it was Sabo’s voice that rose above them all and held you steady. Even the more experienced knights with you seemed to relax as the Duke’s orders rose in the cool air.

No matter how loud the beasts were in the forest, his voice was steady and clear.

When the beasts finally broke the tree line, you understood more about what your father had faced, and what every border knight faces. The beasts themselves were easily half-a-man again tall as most knights. They towered over humans, easily nine feet tall or more. Some of the knights that had fought with your father had spoke of the occasional beast being even larger, but for now such a thing would have to remain in your imagination.

Scales, fur, horns, there was little consistency amongst them, save their size, but they covered the run of natural creatures. Boars, birds, snakes, even creatures that seemed more fish than not. It was hard to believe such things were born naturally, and far more likely that they were abominations of otherwise peaceful animals. It lent some credence to the Empire’s statement that they were a result of the dragon’s rage.

Despite a humanoid appearance of two legs and two arms, there was seemingly nothing driving them aside from sheer rage. There was no coordination between the dozen or so creatures that had broken into the camp. There seemed to be little capacity in their minds for anything short of the target directly in front of them.

Sabo’s words come back to you, even though he’s said nothing in the last few seconds. Focusing your magic through your weapon, currently in the shape of a shield, you drew your barrier across the field, just in front of the oncoming beasts.

As the Duke had said, they ran full forced into it. You could feel the weight of their impact in the strain of your own magic, but once the creatures stumbled back, Sabo called for the knights to rush forward. Your barrier was gone before they reached it, and the knights split into groups of five or more. A hundred knights for maybe fifteen beasts.

There were more knights than what was minimally needed, and so you imagined that was why the fight was going well. You stayed back, shielding Sabo and the other Swords, leaving them to fight the beasts as they always had. It was efficient, and you were gaining experience of battle even in the back lines like this.

Far closer to the beasts than you had ever been before. 

The appearance wasn’t too difficult to adjust to, and their movements were powerful, and fast, but simple. There weren’t any tactics behind the beast’s movements, but their size, speed and strength were enough to make them dangerous despite it. 

You were well-practiced in your father’s sword style, and you didn’t doubt that if it came down to it, you would emerge victorious in a fight with a beast. Though, now, as you watched seasoned knights spend careful minutes wearing down a single beast before dispatching it, you were less inclined to want to test that certainty. 

Even Sabo had two knights assisting him. Whether he truly needed it was difficult to say, and what took most other groups a couple minutes to complete took the Duke little more than a few decisive strikes.

Border Knights and Grandmasters were two different classes of warrior, so it wasn’t too surprising. It was likely that Sabo was trying to take it easy, reserving his strength for anything unexpected. With you here it was also likely he was acting as a secondary guard for you as much as anything else.

If for no other reason than it was simply your first expedition.

What was far worse, was the smell. You knew that the border knights came back smelling unique, but you hadn’t put two and two together when you were a child. You had simply assumed they hadn’t had the time, or magic to spare, to keep themselves clean, and that their odor was just from fighting. A stench that had built up over days of camping and fighting. Nothing a nice hot bath couldn’t fix.

While you might not have been entirely wrong, magic beasts smelled awful. Moss and mud was the scent that clung to them and kept them relatively hidden within the forest, but once they were cut open the blood inside was foul. Nearly clear, it clung to armor and foliage, covering everything in a strange rainbow shimmer with an almost dizzying smell.

Sabo laughs when your barrier magic pops up between you and him, halting him from getting closer to you once the last of the beasts are down.

“My apologies. I had forgotten to forewarn you.” He says with a laugh, using his own magic to pull the substance off his armor and into a waiting pot. “It’s less offensive once it’s refined.”

Crinkling your nose, you drop the barrier. “Refined?”

“Mm, it’s lamp oil.” He explains and your jaw drops. Sabo’s laugh is boyish and your surprise at the revelation turns into an appreciation of the sound. “It’s difficult to remove without soap, and a film can build up over a long expedition. For better or worse, it’s a smell you’ll get used to.”

You let out a slightly dramatic sigh at the idea of getting used to such a thing, but there’s a strange comfort as the smell wafts around you. If nothing else, it does remind you of better days. Especially the part of you that wants to cover your nose and order the knights to go bathe.

“Are you alright?” Sabo questions and you nod.

“Is that how things will go while we’re here?” 

“For the most part. The number of beasts can vary, and they’re not wont to keep to any sort of schedule. Rest should be gotten while it can be, the first couple of days will be hectic at camp, though after that will need to push into the forest ourselves to make any lasting impact.”

“In to the forest?”

Sabo nods, a hand on your shoulder. “It won’t be nearly as bad as it sounds, I promise.”

“If you say so, your grace.” You hum, the title teasing more than anything else. “I…” 

Something in the air seems to shift, a feeling you sense more through your magic than anything else. Your unease gets Sabo’s attention and his sword is in his hand quickly.

“Defensive ranks!” His voice moves over the camp. The knights that had been processing the beasts abandon their tasks immediately, moving into formation quickly. “Raise the scouts, the defensive line needs to surround the camp until we know what direction it’s coming from.”

Sabo turns to you. “Can you put a barrier up over the entire camp?” 

“It won’t be terribly strong, but I should be able to.”

“It doesn’t have to reach the ground, but until we know the direction, the extra cover would be useful.”

Moving to the center of the camp, you sit down on a log. It was difficult to say how long you were going to have to keep the barrier active, and it was easier to stay focused on such a large barrier if you weren’t also trying to stay standing. Even if you weren’t wearing pounds of armor, staying still was just easier while seated.

At least this time you aren’t injured, or worried about how long your air is going to last. You can sense Koala settling in near you, a long rifle in her hands, long bow and arrows prepped and set nearby. Which means you don’t have to worry about anything except the barrier. That made it easier.

Shortly after you send the dome over the camp you hear Sabo’s voice.

“Focus! Orient yourselves to Lady Lulusia and call marks by the clock!” He calls out. “You’re facing noon,” he explains to you. “If someone calls an hour, that means an attack is coming from that section of the camp relative to you. If it’s easier, think of it in wedges of three.”

“So if someone calls out 2’oclock, I would reinforce one to three on the clock?” You question, pointing with your right arm to the same rough area, and he nods.

“Precisely. It’s still a large area.”

“Yes, but it’s significantly smaller than the entire camp, it will be easier to have a strong barrier that way,” you assure him. “What is it that we felt?”

Sabo’s brows furrow. “I’m not sure. Either a mass of beasts, or someone else is out here fighting… or…” His jaw tightens. “Something new.”

None of those options sounded good to you. The mass of beasts might be the worst, but another group of people was concerning as well. You’d heard of bandits surviving in the wilds, but they stayed so far from the borders that they rarely ran afoul of border knights. There had been an assumption that the beasts gathered at the borders because the knights and populace to the south of them pulled them that way.

The bandits survived because they were smaller bands, and as such drew less attention, being able to fend off the errant beast here and there while surviving in the wilds.

You were, however, too far east for there to be Lulusian border knights nearby, and if you were close enough for a Dawn Kingdom expedition, Luffy or Ace would’ve informed Sabo before now. Even so, there were still scouts along the border, so whatever this was, it was likely coming down from the north.

Bandits would be the best result. Caught in a fight with beasts, and pushed back toward the border, or heading this way specifically to force the Duke’s assistance with something they weren’t able to contain themselves. A mass of beasts strong enough to send that kind of shiver through the air would be far too many for your current number of knights.

Not that allowing such a disaster beyond the border was an option either.

New, somehow, felt like it was the worst of all the options, and maybe new was a poor choice of word on the Duke’s part. Old, more like. 

Like demons, or dragons.

Luck hadn’t seemed like a thing you had much of, at least not for a while there. Once you were left in your Uncle’s care, and once your father died, you felt as though your luck was tied up in the fact that you were housed and clothed and it ended there. Once you’d been sent as tribute in place of your cousin, you were certain your luck had been all but spent.

Now, it was difficult to say, just how lucky you were, or were not.

“Noon!” The call comes almost dead center in front of you, and you look up to see a full tree sailing toward the camp.

Magic moved at the speed of thought. As long as you could comprehend a threat, you could react to it. As long as you kept your cool, and concentrated, there wasn’t much in the physical world that was going to be faster than your magic.

You pull the barrier to the fore. Being able to see the tree easily, you don’t need to cast a wide net. The disc of your magic collides with the tree, sending it harmlessly off into the woods and away from the camp.

“Impressive,” Sabo says, watching the array spread back out over the camp. “Conserve your energy, A’tana. This may be a long siege, and if you can at least slow any more incoming trees, the knights will handle them.”

“As you command.” You say it a little flatly, concentration taking the intonation out of your voice. No matter what breaks from those trees, having something to focus on made it easier to keep yourself calm.

For a few minutes, trees sailed into the camp. There was no other word for it than they were being thrown with purpose. Your shield slows the impact, and the knights easily handle the debris when it lands in the camp. After nearly a dozen trees you can all hear it.

It’s barely an hour after breakfast, and you’ve got at least another day of this. Sabo and Koala returned home late afternoon, with just enough time to get the goods unloaded and organized, the knights fed, and those that needed rest sent off to bed. Every word that had been spoken had been updates on everyone’s health and the new inventory. 

You and the Duke barely said a word to one another outside of a brief greeting. 

Everything that had been hauled down from the border needed to be cataloged, packed, processed and shipped. It was the pay off for dealing with the beasts at the border. Hides, bones, claws, meat, organs and more were collected from slain beasts, and used for everything from armor to food to lantern fuel. If left unchecked the beasts would overrun the border and flood into the kingdoms, so there was no avoiding battles at the border.

It was likely human ingenuity, or sheer spite, that had found uses for the beasts themselves. The meat had to be processed the most to be safely edible, but it kept stable for years without rotting, making it a staple in war and emergency rations.

The paperwork you did now was cataloging the inventory, and making sure that things funneled through the village efficiently. Eventually, much of what was found would go to the capital, filling the King’s coffers and being redistributed throughout the borders and beyond. Ilisa, Germa, Alabasta, the Queendom Kingdom and Wano had either no shared borders with the wilds, or so little that they had no exports.

Of the northern kingdoms, Lulusia had the least number of beasts to be concerned about, and the least number of border knights. Below what they even needed, which had been why your father had developed a different kind of sword style to combat them one on one, even though everyone else dealt with beasts with at least three knights to every beast. 

Goa was well-balanced, thanks to Duke Sabo, whose skills allowed him to take the place of several dozen knights on his own. The Dawn Kingdom had the largest border with the wilds, second only to the Nusjiro Empire’s lands in the south. They also had the most knights of the northern kingdoms, and after meeting Prince Luffy and Crown Prince Ace, you were certain they had few concerns about their border’s safety.

“Proper responsibility for the people requires proper paperwork.” The way Sabo says the words gives you pause. You can see the smile slip along his lips even though he doesn’t look up. “A mentor of mine would say it quite often.”

Finishing what he was writing, he sets the pen down and looks up at you with a soft smile. “I will say it’s far easier to handle when there’s no other lingering paperwork to be done. You and Hack did an exceptional job while Koala and I were away.” 

“All the better for her to eventually usurp your position, your Grace.” Koala says, coming in with a clipboard. “Sixteen are going to Westshire, and twenty more to Paddleton. That leaves 41 for the capital, including the devil wood.”

“Devil wood?” You question and Sabo nods. 

“Perhaps due to the mountains in Lulusia you never came upon the phenomenon, but when some beasts perish they can change the structure of the nearby trees, producing a unique wood.” He explains. “It’s an impressive conduit for magic, not quite on the same level as gems, but remarkably close.”

“True, Lulusia would have little use for something like that.” You agree. The major export of the country had been the precious stones and metals that came from the mountains. If such gems didn’t have magical uses the country might not have ever properly become a kingdom, since it had very little fertile land and had to import a lot of grains. “Does all the devil wood go to the capital?”

“Yes, there’s an alchemist there that can process it correctly. It’s overseen by the Empire, so it’s something that can only be done at the capital.” Sabo explains, not hiding the disdain in his voice. 

“It’s not part of the Clauses.” Your statement is nearly a question, but like most nobles, you know all Clauses well. “Unless it’s a bending of the Trade Clause.” 

“They assert it falls under the Divine Clause, and I imagine no one really raises a fuss because the devil wood processing details are the only thing they’ve wrapped under that.” He explains. “Being found with unprocessed devil wood without good reason can create a very sticky situation.”

“Seems a bit much for something less efficient than gems,” you mutter, returning to your paperwork. 

The rest of the day was more of the same. Paperwork to inventory the materials brought back from the expedition, validating the inventory for the supplies they’d taken with them, marking down use and leftovers and redistributing those things so that perishable items didn’t go to waste accidentally. Deciding what to do with everything was the easy part, keeping track of it all was the bulk of the paperwork. 

Ensuring accuracy was paramount, so everything was double checked and triple checked if there were a fresh pair of eyes to go over it. Misrouted food, or miscounted stores could result in waste, and too much waste could make the difference between a long winter and a tragedy. 

Daily paperwork took maybe an hour or less, depending on the season, but expeditions, and events like a debut ball, generated far more paperwork on top of what was already there. Compounding everything else was the ongoing renovation of the space you and Prince Luffy demolished. The debris removal had been put on hold for the expedition and needed to resume, but the bulk of the estate’s forces needed to rest and recover from the expedition.

On the evening of the third day the Duke had returned, the two of you were enjoying tea together after dinner. It had been the first time since the engagement party that you’d had a chance to simply sit and enjoy the moment. There was no lingering paperwork to deal with, and still a couple hours until the evening itself would begin to properly wrap up.

It was the first time you really had time to talk since the engagement party. You caught Sabo up on the details of what happened with Prince Sterry. He was silent for a long moment, mulling over things before speaking on them.

“I said before, but many years ago, Sterry and I had come to an agreement that we would play at being at odds, and when the chance arose, take over the kingdom, effectively.” He’s not looking at you, his eyes gone back to younger days. “As peacefully and easily as possible.” Sighing, he sets the tea cup down on the table. “As we became older and things became more complicated, it became more difficult to assure one another that the bickering was false.

“Once my parents banished me here, it was almost impossible.”

Looking over at you, he gives you a sheepish smile, waving his hand and the topic aside. “On to a topic I think you’ll be happy to hear, my Lady.”

“Oh?” You set your cup down, folding your hands in your lap and giving him your complete attention. His sheepish smile turns into a mischievous grin.

“For the last year I’ve been coordinating with other kingdoms to organize a massive expedition into the Wilds. Five kingdoms, technically, since it includes Goan’s only Duke.” 

You tilt your head. The prospect of a massive expedition was good news, but the way he’d phrased it gave you pause.

“No approval from the King?”

Sabo shakes his head. “We do a yearly expedition with the Dawn Kingdom, but it’s almost all ceremony and celebration, and hardly any actual work. It’s the only time I see the King and Queen if I’m not summoned for irritating some favored noble.” His tone and expression leave you with the impression he would be fine not seeing them for longer stretches. “The goal of this massive expedition is to see if we can push into the Wilds far enough to find a source or reason for the beasts.

“Then we’ll-.”

“A source?” You interrupt, hands on the table, leaning over. “But - wait, no…” You lean back, collecting yourself after the initial outburst. Sabo gives you a moment to think about it before you finally look back at him. “The official statement is that the beasts are born from the Dragon’s betrayal, and that the cost for continued use of magic is facing these beasts.”

“An unfortunate necessity toward the quality of life we have.” The Duke adds, agreeing with you. “And an unavoidable reminder of how loathsome the dragons who did not ascend are.”

You can see in his eyes, how much he thinks it’s bullshit. 

“… That’s why you’ve gathered so many kingdoms. They could hold a single country to account for heresy, but over half the continent would be another matter.”

“This assumes we even find anything.” Sabo offers.

“You expect to, don’t you?”

He nods. “I want you to come on the expedition with me, but I want you to be fully aware of the weight behind it. That’s why I waited to have this conversation. Well, that and I needed to be able to trust you.”

“You’re fairly quick to trust, your Grace.” You say softly. Your feelings are conflicted. You don’t think his assumptions are wrong, you’ve always been bothered by the Clauses themselves and the supposed history of the world. But you’d never looked into it yourself, having neither the resources to do so, or the position to risk it.

“Luffy and Ace trust you.” He says, causing you to look up. “I didn’t need their assurances, for what it’s worth, but I’ve come to trust Luffy’s assessment of people implicitly.”

You hope the heat rising up into your face wasn’t too obvious. It had been rare to receive praise before coming to the Duke’s estate, but even so you weren’t used to such a blatant declaration of trust.

“… My father spoke highly of the terrestrial dragons.” You admit after a moment’s thought. It seemed only fair, if he was going to trust you with what was effectively treason. “He used to call me Little Scale as a term of endearment.” The memory sits bitter and sweet against your heart, your gaze shifting down before you were able to look back at Sabo. 

His eyes are wide, his cheeks pink, and when you smile he clears his throat quietly, trying to compose himself.

“You didn’t have to,” his words are soft, but the smile on his lips is warm.

“You certainly know enough of my troublesome secrets as it is,” you reply with a light tone. “So I suppose I didn’t have to, but it seems silly to step forward half way at this point.”

His gloved hand is over his mouth for a brief moment, and when he lowers it the flush of blood in his cheeks is fading and the last few pieces of a smile are giving way to a more neutral expression. 

“It’s planned to happen just after the wedding, which affords us enough time to get the experience of a normal expedition under your belt before it happens.” He explains. “Though, I apologize, even if it is something you enjoy, it does make for a poor honeymoon.”

“I… it would be sufficient.” You say, looking away. You wanted to make a remark, but everything that came to mind was also sending your thoughts down much more detailed, and distracting concepts. Trying to say anything out loud was risky.

“Perhaps, but I do hope you’ll allow me the honor of taking you on a proper honeymoon when things allow.” 

The phrase “Proper Honeymoon” was like a delicate hand, tracing the letters at the back of your neck, and it was very difficult to focus. 

“Certainly.” You answer softly.

He doesn’t say anything, but you can hear him get up, coming over from his side of the tea table to yours, sitting down on the other end of the small sofa. There were barely appropriate levels of room for two, but he’s not yet truly crowding you.

“You know, with everything that’s happened, you haven’t yet answered an important question, Lady Lulusia.”

Shifting just slightly away, you turn toward him in the same movement. “Which question, your Grace?” 

“My Lady has met far more of the nobility than when we first met. I have to admit I’m curious how I rank in the face of such fine personages.” He muses.

The night of the engagement party comes back to your mind, more prominent than when you’d first teased him. 

“You look,” Sabo’s words halted, and you could see pink dust his cheeks. “Beautiful, my Lady.”

Smiling, you accepted the arm he offered. “And you are ever the most handsome noble I’ve met, your grace.”

Sabo smiled. “You’ve still not yet met many nobles.” He teased.

“Then, will you ask me after tonight?” 

“If you so wish it of me, certainly.”

“The young Prince Luffy is, admittedly, cuter,” you begin watching a smile slip along Sabo’s face. “But you are still the most handsome noble I’ve met, your grace.” 

Sabo shifts toward you, moving slowly enough that if you wanted more space you could move away before he closed the distance. When you shift a little closer, he reaches out, putting your hand in his, and placing his other hand over it before looking at you.

“Would it be too much of me to ask you to call me by my name?” 

You can feel the heat rush to your face, your eyes widening in surprise. You’d practically expected he was going to lean in for a kiss, but somehow this felt more intimate, and more embarrassing.

“I…”

“I will call you whatever you please, Lady Lulusia, and I won’t be upset if you deny me right now.” He says softly. The words are warm and sweet and it reminds you of how he sounded the night of the engagement party. 

“But I-!” You cut off his words, boldly leaning forward and kissing him. It’s brief, your hands and his are still in your lap, but it was effective. His cheeks are red when you lean back.

“Sabo,” you say after a moment, his name felt soft and gentle on your tongue. You’re sure your face is lighting up the room. You aren’t sure why it was easier to steal a kiss from his lips, than it was to say his name. “A’tana is the name my father gave me.”

“Do you like it?” 

You nod. “It is a good name.”

“Then I will call you A’tana,” he says, leaning forward and kissing your forehead. “And if you never decide to tell me the name your mother gave you, I will still cherish every moment.”

Smiling, you look up, the space between you already beginning to shrink again. “You are far more considerate than I’d been led to believe, Grand Duke Sabo.”

“Only for you, it seems, Lady A’tana,” he replies quietly, his gaze dropping to your lips. You let your eyes close, ready to enjoy the sweet warmth you’ve missed for the last two weeks.

A soft knock at the door pulls your attention away from the kiss, but Sabo’s hand slips tenderly against your neck, pulling you close easily and stealing a sweet kiss from your lips. The quiet sound you make is neatly devoured by the young Duke, who steadies you before turning toward the door.

“Come in,” he says, staying seated next to you on the small sofa. He’s blocking you from the door, so you have a moment to compose yourself when the doors open.

“Fresh tea and some light snacks.” Koala says, coming in with a small cart. Her eyes take in everything, but she doesn’t say anything. “You’ve both been working hard and I thought a little extra indulgence wouldn’t go amiss.”

She sets the tray on the table, gathering up the cold half-empty cups you’d nearly forgotten about at this point, and pouring new ones.

“Tomorrow resumes sparring and business as usual, yes?” She prompts and Sabo nods.

“Indeed. It was the other matter of business I needed to talk to you about, my Lady.” Sabo says, placing a cup of tea in front of you before taking his own. “We can start implementing your melded magic into sparring, but for safety’s sake…” His words taper off, and you pick up on his prompt quickly.

“Your Grace had mentioned some time ago that it would be most useful for you to have a Shield, since you have a surplus of Swords at your border. How fortuitous then, that such is the result of my melded magic.” You offer up, knowing that the specifics of your abilities aren’t something you should talk about lightly, even in the safety of the Duke’s estate.

The fact that your magic was unaffected by seastone was something that wouldn’t pass your lips even in code, but you didn’t need your unique awakening to become common knowledge either. Better to get official experience under your belt before anyone finds out how malleable your magic was.

“Indeed,” he agrees, raising his tea cup in a small salute before taking a drink. “Tomorrow then, we’ll begin sparring with magic, and get as much practice in for you as we can before my father declares the next expedition.”

“Or until we realize we need to go on one.” Koala clarifies. “Sometimes the beasts can decide a timing for us, not just the needs of the Capital.”

“That sounds ominous.” You can’t help imagining beasts breaking the tree line and rampaging the smaller villages before reaching the Duke’s estate.

“It’s not as terrible as it sounds,” Sabo clarifies. “I don’t stay at the border all the time, but there are several small contingents who are rotated monthly, and they send scouting reports. If I hadn’t been made Grand Duke, I would be at the border continuously, and likely some other noble would be over-seeing this town.”

“Someone the King finds just as agreeable.” Koala adds with a grin.

The short version of it was that the King of Goa was requesting Lulusia’s princess to marry Sterry. With your official engagement to Sabo, the original reason for you coming to Goa was left unfulfilled. Since you hadn’t had a falling out with the Duke, all the pressure that could have been put on Lulusia for your inadequacy was lost. 

Given what you endured from the King you were becoming more certain that he was hungry for war, and more than the actual war, what he wanted was Lulusia’s mines. If tribute was being paid appropriately, and given your Uncle’s small army, paying it was priority, then it wouldn’t be possible for the Goan King to simply decide to lay siege to Lulusia. The Empire would step in and protect one of its kingdoms.

He would either need to be fast, or petition for rights ahead of time. If you had caused an uproar in Goa, either during your public appearance when he “sentenced” you to engagement with the Duke, or at some point afterward by making waves with the Duke, he could’ve used that. Respect and honor between members of the nobility carried almost more weight than life and death, at least within the eyes of the Empire, who kept out of almost everything so long as they received their tributes.

But those thoughts and concerns would have to wait until Sabo returned from the border.

The first day after Sterry’s departure the only letters you received were from Sabo and the knights with him. But after that you had a new issue that you weren’t entirely sure what to do with.

Hack sets the platter down on the desk, it is—again—piled high with gold encrusted envelopes and long, ostentatiously flowing scripts. Glancing at the pile you turn back to the work you were already doing and once you get to a point where you can pause you look back up.

“Seriously?” Hack smiles at your tone. Sighing, you pick one up and brandish it at him in exasperation. “It’s a letter! Not an invitation to someone’s coronation. The calligraphy is unnecessary. Who has the time to gild a simple correspond—.” 

You pause, looking over the letter you’d just opened. “Oh.”

“Hm?” Hack prompts in subtle amusement.

“It’s a marriage proposal.” You say, shock turning to disgust as you crumple the paper up. “What’s wrong with these people? I’ve been getting gilded invitations for tea, in the capital, which I cannot - and will not - travel to while the Duke is at the border, and now a marriage proposal days after my engagement.

“My Royally Decreed engagement, no less.”

You take the offered cup of tea from Hack who had brought in a fresh pot along with the mail.

“I thought you had practice dealing with nobility,” his tone is teasing and you roll your eyes.

“My cousin wasn’t a social butterfly. She didn’t receive more than a couple letters a week, and most of those were people who simply wanted to maintain a relationship with the king.” You explain, giving him a look before you turned your attention back to the letters. “She was so happy to have a connection outside the palace she took her time with each one. I felt bad for her sometimes, but right now I almost wish she was here.

“We’d both be happy.” You sigh. “I’d be able to focus on work, and she’d be able to treat each letter like a gift.” 

“I can sort through them for you, if you’d like.” Hack offers. “The letters themselves were most likely delegated if they’re all tea invitations.”

“Do we have someone who can write back very polite versions of ‘sorry, not interested’?” You question and he smiles.

“Miss Moda has excellent handwriting, I can work with her and send out replies.” He admits, sitting down and beginning to work through the letters. You both work quietly for a few long minutes before something starts to nag at your thoughts.

“Hack?” You prompt and he hums. “Why am I getting so many of these invitations? I’m barely a Lulusian royal by technicality, and I have no power or wealth there or here. Least ways not in any capacity that would be exploitable.” 

“Are you aware of the Duke’s reputation?” He questions.

“Mostly, I believe. The cold duke of the north, the scarred beast,” you shrug. “The common people seem to hold him in higher esteem than the nobility do, and I assume that’s by design.”

“Ah.” Hack hands over the letter he was working on. “Read this one.” 

Taking the letter you read over the flowing prose with some disdain until something sticks out to you. You’ve seen a similar phrase show up in other letters you’d managed to stomach reading the last couple of days.

“… Has his Grace never smiled before?”

“Not in front of the nobility.” Hack replies, already returning to the pile of letters. “Not until the engagement party.”

“Oh.” You’re flattered. There’s an odd guilty feeling you can’t place, and Hack doesn’t leave you to dwell on it.

“The young Duke has held quite the disdain of Goan nobility ever since he was young. I imagine that disdain would easily have carried over to other nobles in other countries, except...”

“Prince Luffy and Crown Prince Ace.” You state and Hack nods.

“That friendship expanded to include the now king of Germa, the Queen of Alabasta, and several other connections besides. I do not wish to diminish his own talents, but much of it was Prince Luffy’s capacity to form bonds that spilled over into the Duke’s sphere.”

“He does seem to tenaciously make friends.” You agree.

“Mm,” Hack nods. “I imagine most of these invitations are because people are curious.” He says, bringing the conversation back to the starting point. “Getting in good with the future Grand Duchess will benefit people regardless of how they will, or will not, get along with the Grand Duke.

“And if the young Grand Duke’s icy demeanor is thawing in the face of his fiance, well, then all the better.”

“… I am suddenly motivated to become someone people fear more than the Duke.” You mutter it mostly to yourself, but Hack laughs.

“That would be quite entertaining, my lady.” He nods. “I’m certain his Grace would be more than happy to let you do as you pleased.” 

“For now I’m not the Grand Duchess, so it would be best to simply decline the invitations.” You state, turning back to your work.

“Politely?” Hack prompts.

You pause, considering. “Is it possible to make it obvious the responses were delegated?”

“We can write something very text-book polite.”

“Do that. I don’t necessarily want to burn any bridges, but I want people to almost feel required to approach me face to face before they can assume any generosity between us.” You declare.

“You met most of them during the engagement.” He points out.

“I met mountains of people that night, if they wanted to stand out, they should’ve tried harder.” You shrug. Several people had managed to distinguish themselves during the event, and while some, such as Ace, Luffy and Marco, had admittedly had a leg up, arriving earlier than needed, several more had done well enough.

“The lady is already learning well.” Hack says, his tone only slightly teasing. “As the Grand Duchess it is wise to remember that you are, from Goa’s perspective, above the royalty of other nations. Save for the King and Queen of Goa, the only people you would need to defer to are the envoys and royalty of the Empire.”

He sets another letter aside, already having made three neat piles. “Who you decide to have tea with could change the face of Goan politics. Neutrality is something you can exercise from time to time, and it is most certainly a wise decision currently, but you will have to make more lasting decisions in the days ahead.

“Even before the wedding.” He adds, nearly reading your mind on the matter.

You breathe in deep, letting the heavy sigh out slowly. “I just wanted to be a border knight.” You hadn’t really meant to let the words escape you, but Hack was comfortable. The entire estate was filled with kind and comfortable people. Even the Grand Duke himself was comfortable.

It was a different sensation, but it wasn’t too different from the time you’d spent with your father. Around all the knights at Lulusia’s northern border. It was comfortable like that, even if there was more to worry about in terms of etiquette.

“I grew up on the border, did you know?” You question Hack and he nods.

“The exploits of your father are well-known far beyond Lulusia’s borders. Though news of your existence didn’t spread until you’d already gone to the castle.” Hack clarifies.

You can hardly help the smile on your face. There was something that warmed your heart to know how renowned your father was. He was a good man, and had deserved far more acclaim than you felt he received.

“I’ve wanted to be a border knight since I was very small.” You say with a smile at Hack. “It was part of why I was taught my father’s swordsmanship. It is part of why the Duke has allowed me to continue that training.

“When I first arrived here, I had almost hoped that his grace would kick me out. If I failed to get engaged with him, the King of Goa had promised… well, threatened, to see me stripped of my nobility and cast out of Goa.” You pause, watching Hack’s eyes go just a little wide.

“A minor misunderstanding between the Duke and I resulted in where we are right now, and while I can not say I have any complaints, the life of a border knight feels far less complicated.” You admit with a conflicted sigh.

“Complicated as the life of a Grand Duchess may well be, comparatively,” Hack says, nearly done with his letter sorting. “You will ever have our support.”

Glancing down at the sorting Hack had done, you smile. “Indeed.” 

When his task was complete, Hack tied the largest stack with string, set the smallest stack directly on your desk, and picked up the middle stack. Getting up, he chucked the whole stack into the fire. You couldn’t stop the small gasp of surprise, and Hack turned to you with a kind, but restrained, expression on his face.

“Marriage proposals, my Lady.” He explains, picking up the neatly tied stack. “It is a shame we didn’t receive them.”

“… A shame indeed.” You agree with a laugh. Tapping the small stack, hardly three envelopes, you tilt your head. “These?”

“Business proposals.” He replies. “It would not be rude of you to spend a day or two reviewing them before responding with questions if you’re interested, or dismissal if you are not.”

Your brows furrow. It wasn’t uncommon for noble ladies to get into business, usually as investors, or sometimes as the face of a business. Often after they had debuted, and before they were savvy enough to avoid making poor investment choices.

A noble house, and especially one like the Grand Duke’s, could afford several dozen poor investment choices before it would even begin to feel the strain of it. Since you weren’t a Goan citizen, nor were you a member of the empire, it was more likely that the ventures were suspect.

“I will deliver these to Miss Moda and have her begin working on replies.” He says. “If you have concerns, or perhaps simply want a second opinion, I am happy to assist you.” 

“Tomorrow, perhaps. After you’ve set Moda to the task, would you check in with the kitchen? I don’t have much left to do, and I would like to eat before I review these.” You crinkle your nose. “I’d hate for their contents to turn me off my appetite.”

“Certainly, Lady Lulusia.” 

After Hack leaves, you’re sitting in the office alone. Like the rest of the estate it’s well maintained, warm, inviting, and functional. The day is dwindling, but there was still plenty of light coming into the room. The hearth kept it comfortable, especially with the window at your back. Simple magic would illuminate the desk if you needed it, once the sun did set, but for now…

Setting your pen down, you lean back. There’s just a few more pieces of paperwork to review. There was always plenty to do; salaries, provisions, investments, survival services the Duke’s coffers covered for the commoners in town. Everything was monitored as well as it could be. Farm output, food needs, cleanliness and health, education, apprenticeships. Many things were handled by the townsfolk, but the reports, surveys and final amounts were funneled to the Duke.

Once you learned all the details better, you’d be able to delegate most of it, but first you wanted to make sure you understood as much as possible. Your education at the border, and the continued knowledge you gained under your Uncle’s care was enough that neither Hack, nor the Duke, had needed to teach you how to read the information that came in.

Or even how to organize it. The difficult part was understanding the information the way that they did, how it connected from one thing to the next. The relationships made sense once you found them, but it was difficult to know what you didn’t know, and the only way to learn was through experience.

As such you’d started learning by checking everyone else’s work even after it had been checked, then you became the one who did the checks. Now, with Koala and Sabo at the border, you were the one doing the work. Hack had been helping you, it wasn’t really a single-person job, especially not with the reconstruction of the training grounds.

That was a project that should be completed by the time your wedding happens. You just needed to do what you could to make sure it was going well on its own before wedding planning began in earnest. If for no other reason than you didn’t want anyone to have to juggle those two things at the same time if it could be helped.

“How’d I get here?” You murmur to no one. 

A child at the border, with dreams of joining the knights that raised her, to a princess in a castle that felt only as welcoming as it needed to be, to a lady in waiting for a cousin who maybe didn’t like you as much as you hoped she did. 

And now, here. 

The soon to be Grand Duchess of a kingdom you previously had no ties to. Not only excelling at your responsibilities to people you didn’t even yet know - there hadn’t been time to tour the town properly, and Sabo had requested you wait for his return - but also engaged to a noble who has so far defied all you thought you knew of nobles. 

Encouraging your swordsmanship alone was worth the world to you, but you hadn’t expected support beyond that. You certainly hadn’t thought that he had any intention of allowing you near the border, so when he suggested it, the rush of emotions had been overwhelming for you.

Shifting one of the papers aside, you look over the letter you’d most recently gotten from the Duke.

[— the snow is almost completely gone. It’s softened the ground, making things a little tricky, but nothing we aren’t used to dealing with. 

The next expedition we make should be in a couple months. I’ll make arrangements with trusted nobles to mind the estate with Koala and Hack’s assistance, and have you come with me, if you so wish. The spring and summer months are oft easier, since the flush of food and water makes the beasts less restless.

Not that I believe you require such considerations, Lady Lulusia, but it puts my mind at ease.]

You wanted to tuck every letter he sent into a drawer and keep them. You might, there was no one to stop you and you hadn’t discarded any of them yet, though if Koala ever found your collection you wouldn’t live it down.

But the words had become precious to you. His words. The kindness they carried. The way he saw you as your own being, and not someone whose worth was dependent on their blood, or the power of their family.  It reminded you starkly, and perhaps a little painfully, of the border knights.

Finishing up the last few pieces of paperwork, you wonder idly if your first expedition will have you longing for the quiet and warmth of this office. You doubt it, since you’d spent ample time at the boarder as a child.

But a child’s resilience against cold is a different beast than an adult’s. Sparring and training was far different from actual combat.

There was no other way to know, however, than to try. There was no better circumstance for you to try, than with the Duke’s support. Well, no better circumstance that was available to you right now. The best circumstance would’ve been at your father’s side.

The weight of your father’s loss sits heavy on your heart. His words and lessons had stayed with you over the years, but the exact sound of his voice, the precise shape of his smile fades at the edge. You hold the core to your heart, and you hope that will never be lost to you, but it’s difficult to bring the shape of his letters to mind.

What you would give to still have those at least.

Prince Luffy and Crown Prince Ace would likely leave tomorrow. The two only stayed behind because Sabo had been sent off so quickly after the party itself, and Sterry had also lingered, though he’d currently made no effort to see you directly, you had some idea as to why he was staying.

When Sterry had spoken with Sabo during the engagement party, as the Grand Duke had expected, the message was clear: The Duke was to head to the border again. Immediately.

Time was still needed for proper preparations, but the estate had been a whirlwind for three days immediately following the party.

Ace and Luffy dined with you and the Duke for dinner, the only meal had in the dining room with how busy you both were, and as such Sterry did not. Being veteran border knights themselves, Ace and Luffy insisted on helping with preparations. Not to speed them up, but to act as checks and assurances that what was being prepped wasn’t missing anything.

The second set of eyes put your worries to rest.

Originally Hack was going to accompany Sabo to the border, but when Sterry stayed it was decided to have Koala accompany him instead. You weren’t planning on asking to be included so soon after your meld, but it was aggravating to have to distance yourself from the knights and the preparations with Sterry lingering.

It might be fairly common knowledge within the estate that you’re well practiced with a sword, and it was mostly secret that you were working on melding - while some of the knights might have assumed, correctly, that the explosion was due to your success, most people wouldn’t have realized it. Most of the rest of the estate assumed it was Prince Luffy’s fault, given his history, though no one believed it had been a malicious event.

Things just kind of exploded when Luffy was around, after all.

Despite the immediate rush of preparations the day after the ball, Sabo made time to visit you in your room. One of the few places Sterry couldn’t easily wander into, so the two of you could talk. Especially with Koala outside your door, ready to knock and interrupt your conversation if Goa’s crown prince approached the room.

“Sterry will likely stay until the expedition leaves.” He had said with a heavy sigh. “My apologies, for both my brother and my parents.”

“We expected as much,” you reassure him. “Apologies are not needed, your Grace.” 

“I won’t lie, my Lady, but I do not trust him. I don’t believe you’ll be in danger, but I’d be cautious around him.” Sabo’s gaze was faraway for a moment while he collected his thoughts. “At one point he and I had grand plans for this country. Doing all the good we couldn’t imagine our parents doing. Working together despite the fact that were often pitted against one another.

“When I was sent away to this province, it was far more difficult to stay in contact. Over the years I’ve become less and less certain that the sentiments we shared as children are still intact, and sadly the brief conversation we were able to have last night wasn’t enough.”

“… May I ask what was said?”

Sabo smiles. “Certainly. He was apologetic about the entire ordeal. That there wasn’t much he could do to mitigate things, and it wasn’t how he wanted to attend the party. He promised to stay out of your way, but he’s certainly going to be expected to report to the King when he goes back.”

“I see. So no training while he’s here.” You sighed the words, but you gave Sabo an understanding smile. 

“Sadly. I’m glad Marco was able to make it ahead of schedule, and that so many… varied personages arrived. I wasn’t expecting near the turn out that there was, but the variety of guests were a good cover for Lu and Ace.”

“It’s difficult to say that the Duke was conspiring with princes of a neighboring kingdom, when several other kingdoms had prominent people in attendance.”

“Mm, notorious prominent people at that,” he agreed. “And more Goan nobles than I had expected.” Clearing his throat he took both of your hands into his. “Lu and Ace will stay for as long as they can, and Hack will keep me posted about Sterry. I promise I will return as soon as I can.”

“As much as I will miss you, I would prefer you return unharmed, rather than swiftly.” You managed to say, despite the heat rising up into your face.

“As you command, my Lady.”

Midday the fourth day, preparations were complete and the expedition headed to the border to do as the King had commanded. It would be interesting to see what the rumors did with such an event in the capital. 

Would people question the King’s decision to send the Duke away immediately after his engagement ceremony? Would it mean that the Duke and future Duchess didn’t care for one another? Or that the Duke’s loyalty to the crown was still - or ever - above his concern for his household?

Whatever people decided on wouldn’t matter much in the grand scheme of it all. The event itself might not even matter, when the guests of the party start talking about seeing the Grand Duke of all people smiling. The scarred beast of the north had been far more welcoming than ever before that night.

Three days after the expedition’s departure, and a week after the engagement ceremony, and you had more important concerns on your plate than whatever rumors were forming in the capital. You had three princes in the estate, no Duke, and half your staff was dedicated to being available for Sterry, who still hadn’t come to see you directly.

It wasn’t your place to impose on the Crown Prince of Goa as a lady who held no official title as yet. You weren’t even technically proper nobility, since your Father was deceased, and your Uncle didn’t mark you as one of his own before sending you to Goa. You had some authority, as long as you stayed within the Duke’s estate and town.

But if Sterry ordered you to do something, you would be hard pressed to deny him. Especially if your presence was requested at the Capital. You could delay things, but not for long enough for Sabo to return.

“I wish we could stay longer.” Ace laments, the three of you standing in the entrance to the main hall.

“I appreciate that you lingered at all,” you assure him, offering a small smile. You were sad to see them leave, but you understood it was past time. “Will you head to the border before leaving?”

“That’s the plan.” Ace admits, ruffling Luffy’s hair. “We were going to go with him when he left, but…”

“It’ll be alright.” Luffy insists, wriggling out of Ace’s hold and straightening up. “You’re strong, so it’ll be okay.” 

“Oi!” Ace smacks him on the back of the head. “She can’t solve this problem by punching it.”

“I know that!” Luffy barks, giving Ace a glare before turning away with a pout. “She’s smarter’n him anyway, so it’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, yeah, fair.” Ace sighs. “You’ll be alright?”

“I will.” Holding out an envelope to Ace you give them a better smile than before. “Can you deliver this for me?”

“Eh? Sure,” Ace says, taking the letter and tucking it into his jacket pocket. “I’ll make sure he gets your love letter.” 

“Let’s call it that then.” You manage to retort evenly, watching as Ace and Luffy’s ears turn pink. “Thank you, both of you. Not just for delaying your departure, but for all your help.” 

“Ah, it was an honor.” Ace replies, giving you a small bow before pushing Luffy’s head down into a deeper one. “Thank the nice Duchess for putting up with you.”

“I’m not-.”

“Thank you!” Luffy interrupts loudly before straightening up. Ace gives you a wink as the two get into the waiting carriage. 

They won’t be staying at the border for long, since that’s where they’d meant to delay in the first place, but it puts your mind at ease to have someone checking on the Duke directly. Not that you doubted the reports that had already started to come in, but it was easy for him to say that things were going well despite the rushed preparations, it was something else entirely for that to be the case.

It might be rude of you to say so, but you were certain Sabo would downplay any issues to keep you from worrying.

Sterry didn’t enter the hall after the princes departed. He didn’t join for meal, request to join for tea or conversation, or even request your time after they departed. The behavior was confusing to you, but according to the staff, whose loyalty was soundly in the Duke’s favor, and not the Crown Prince’s, he did little more than walk the gardens and read in the west wing’s library.

He made no complaint about his food, his room, or his servants, and he wasn’t making any late-night excursions anywhere.

Speculating wouldn’t do you any good, so instead you turned your attention to the only other oddity you had that you hadn’t yet dealt with: The letter from Sir Crocodile.

You had honestly forgotten about the letter for a couple days. Between Sabo’s proposal, and the expedition, it had left your mind entirely. It wasn’t until a day ago when you noticed it on your desk that you remembered your exchange with him, and the fact that you had asked Koala to put it away for you.

A golden wax seal with a hook in the interior emblem. The embellishment behind it was a little difficult to make out, but it reminded you more of pirates than merchants. Granted, the man himself reminded you more of a criminal than a businessman, so it wasn’t much of a stretch.

Unfolding the paper, a thin plate of gold slips free of the pages and clinks softly onto your desk. It’s barely thicker than the paper itself, with sigils etched into it. You watch it for a moment, relieved to note that it wasn’t triggering a spell immediately upon being revealed.

[Lady Lulusia,

I have written this in advance of meeting you, but your reputation has preceded you for some time. Perhaps, more pointedly, your father’s reputation has helped to push yours into the spotlight. It has been some years since his passing, still allow me to offer my condolences.

While I’m certain you’re not completely ignorant of the intricacies of Goa’s court, I would hate to see such a bright light snuffed out by some lucky fool. As such I have enclosed something to help you, if the Duke’s talents are spread too thin to assist you.

Do tell him that I saved your life, should the time come.

Sincerely,]

The space where one would put a signature, simply had the thick swirl of a golden hook instead. Most undoubtedly his signature, and at the same time, most assuredly not a signature.

“Saved my life, hm?” You muse, setting the letter aside and looking at the slice of gold sitting on your desk. The sigils were complex, but the concept of the spell etched into the precious metal was starting to make more sense to you. 

Scrolls and magic items weren’t common. Certainly nowhere near as common as cantrips or even advanced magic users. A commoner might not be surprised to see magic happen, since the simple aspects of it were so prevalent, but they would be surprised to have a lamp light on its own, or a powerful spell manifest from a piece of parchment.

Sigils themselves weren’t really a language, or an alphabet. It would be more correct to think of them like blueprints, or an ingredients list. You couldn’t read an orange, but you could still use it to make orange juice. 

You couldn’t read a magic circle the way you would a book, but you can still learn how to tell an orange from an apple. A destructive spell from a cleaning spell.

Damage to the small plate would activate the spell etched into it. It was a protective spell of some sort, but you weren’t sure exactly what it did. If he was so certain it would be able to save your life, then it was probably something more intricate than a simple shielding spell. 

Unfortunately, much like with certain fruit, it would be hard to say exactly what it did without biting into it. So it was difficult to determine if this gift was poisoned or not.

Something in the back of your mind seemed fairly certain that it was a legitimate gift, and not a trap. Sir Crocodile had a reputation to maintain, and if he was going to do anything untoward to someone, he would be sure to do it in a way that didn’t lead back to him. Which means he wouldn’t etch his intentions into gold - a hallmark of his in several ways - and gift it to you so directly.

If he meant you harm, you would likely not see it coming. Like a lamb at the side of a lake, slaking your thirst unaware of the danger just beneath the surface. 

If he wanted to attack you, you would need to be faster.

It did prove that the lengths you and Sabo had gone through to hide your progress were working. The Duke’s staff were loyal, and not apt to talk about the estate in the first place. The knights were sworn to secrecy regarding even your basic sword training, and most everything you’d done up until the recent explosion was fully out of everyone’s sight.

Still, it wouldn’t be bad to keep the gift. Especially with Sabo at the border, and Sterry still in the estate.

“Humph.” The stifled laugh bubbles up into your throat with a soft snort. For some reason you feel like Crocodile would be insulted to learn you used his precious gift against someone like Sterry.

You expected the Crown Prince to join you for breakfast the next morning. Everyone else who could stand against him was gone, and it was just you, Hack, and the staff. Since you were expecting him, his presence didn’t surprise you, but the topic of conversation did.

“I would…” Sterry begins, pausing and setting his cutlery down. “I would like to apologize, but I must admit that it would be meaningless to do so when it is just the two of us.”

“No apology is without merit, your highness.” You reply, pausing your own meal until he was ready to resume. 

“Then, I would like to apologize for the treatment you endured when you first entered Goa.” He says, looking at you directly for just a second before returning to his meal. “I won’t excuse my behavior, even if context might spare me some ill considerations, but I’m glad you ended up here.”

“… I as well.” You admit after a moment’s thought. “Thank you.” 

“Certainly,” he says quietly. “I will begin preparations to leave and head back to the capital tomorrow. I didn’t say anything to my br- the Duke, because I didn’t want him to worry, but my parents believe I’m lingering here after the party to assert my rights.”

“Your rights?” 

Sterry, in an action you did not expect from him, rolls his eyes, letting loose a long-suffering sigh. “They believe I am making demands on everyone’s time and resources, as is my right. It would be best if he files a formal complaint when he returns from the border.”

“I… see.” You really did understand what he was saying, but now you were wondering why he didn’t just act the part. Rumors would spread despite your efforts, and his parents would know he did as they expected. 

“If I may, your highness?”

“Speak freely, Lady Lulusia.”

“Why wait until everyone left to say so?” You question bluntly, and Sterry smiles.

“I didn’t want Sabo distracted while he was at the border. If I was being ordered to be cruel, then he might worry that I would actually be so while he was gone. The best way, after all, to deceive those you wish to deceive, is to be as they expect you to be.” He admits casually. “But also because Luffy and Ace scare me and I didn’t want to see them.”

“Scare-.” You cut yourself off, doing your best not to insult him. “I see. They are rather energetic.”

“Ha!” Sterry laughs, shaking his head. “That is certainly a word for it. The elder tends to offer to give me sword lessons, and the younger tends to offer to spar.”

Sterry’s looking at you, and you look up to meet his gaze. He looks down at himself when he has your attention and then looks back to you.

“Lady Lulusia, do I appear to know anything about swordsmanship?” 

Controlling your expression has almost never been more difficult, but you manage only the briefest of smiles before bowing your head slightly.

“No, your highness.” 

“Hm.” He muses, and you glance over at him. “I’m honestly surprised you didn’t laugh, but you’re not wrong. I’ve no talent for it. I don’t particularly care, honestly, there are guards upon guards available to me as the crown prince. Even if I had talent I wouldn’t ever go to the border, it is better it’s not wasted, I suppose.”

You weren’t really sure what to say to that. Sterry didn’t sound sad, so much as he sounded like he had accepted being on the outside of something he had, at least once before, wanted to be a part of.

Nothing else was really between you, and the next morning he left, just as he said he would.

Watching the carriage disappear beyond the gates, you regard Hack, who has been overseeing the Prince’s departure.

“I would like a few staff members to go over the places the crown prince was during his stay, and make certain nothing was left behind.” You say plainly.

Hack raises a brow. “Certainly.” 

“I want to believe him,” you say, even if Hack’s question wasn’t spoken aloud. “If it was simply my safety at stake, I would risk it.” 

“I understand what you mean, Lady Lulusia, but please do cherish yourself.” He asserts, patting your shoulder softly before walking back into the estate.

Hack’s sentiment was appreciated, but you hadn’t meant it disparagingly. You had just meant that you could handle a certain level of danger far more easily than the estate’s staff. Admittedly, you were sure that if you said that, Hack would point out that the Duke would not want you to face any level of danger if it could be avoided.

With all the guests gone from the grounds, there wasn’t much left for you to do but get back on top of the estate’s paperwork, so that you could write a letter to the Duke. Hack, or Karasu would report on Sterry’s departure, and your order, but that was no reason not to include it in your letter. Along with the details of the gift Sir Crocodile provided during the engagement party.

Most other guests had given their gifts more directly, and maybe it was safe to say that Sterry’s gift had been merely lingering, instead of doing as his parents wished. Even after a thorough check of the grounds, especially those areas the Crown Prince had lingered, there hadn’t been any sign of intrigue left behind. It should be evidence that you could take him at his word, but.

“I’m unsure if my hesitancy is due to the treatment I received while I was a guest, or if there is something else I’m subconsciously bothered by, but I cannot bring myself to trust him.” You murmur the words softly as you write them down. You’ve talked to him plenty about his family, and the insulting treatment you’d been given was no secret.

You sigh, setting the pen down as you try to collect your thoughts. It was difficult to know what to say when you couldn’t see him. You’d become so used to his movements, the expressions on his face when he was agreeing, or about to disagree. You’d learned all the little hums that snuck past his lips and let you in on the surface of his thoughts.

It would be at least a week before he would be coming back, especially since his last expedition was cut short due to your original arrival. Your guests were gone, both the welcome ones and the unwelcome one, and while you would never disparage Hack, he wasn’t exactly the kind of company you desired right now.

With the training areas still under construction, there wasn’t much to do but paperwork, reading, and pining after the one person who would ease all the weight that was settling on your shoulders. Not that you wanted to burden him with your loneliness. It wasn’t his fault that he had to leave the day after proposing, the day after kissing you.

Your fingers brush over your lips in memory of it, the warmth of his bare hands against your cheeks bringing the sweet rush of the evening back into the forefront of your thoughts. Even as you sigh, you can already tell it’s going to be difficult to focus on work when the Duke returns to the estate.

Not that you should be the only one to suffer in that way.