It All Started with an Earring Pt. 2

Chapter Two

Though there may be obstacles, love will always and forever prevail.

The woman was very beautiful. She got a golden curly hair, which was soft to the touch and it smelled like a rose. She got natural rosy cheeks and ruby red lips. She's almost as beautiful as the goddesses themselves. However…

"It's been a while, Shie! How are you? Are you fine? Is everything alright?" She batted her long and black eyelashes at him, trying to seduce him. However, Shie showed no sign of being tempted.

"May you consider not being loud, Lady Monique? Let's talk outside. You're disturbing my lady." He gestured towards the lady on the bed. She looked where Shie was gazing.

"Oh. I didn't know." She looked at Keira with an icy stare and smiled seductively at Shie's direction. "Come on, Shie! Get your business done with her and let's talk outside! Or maybe, you're planning to-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence when Keira butted in.

"Shie, go now. I can handle myself. I'll just sleep for now." Then, she turned her back on Shie and buried herself in the comforters with Shie's scent.

"Are you sure, my lady?" Shie touched her head and leaned towards her.

"Yes."

He heard a reply from Keira. "Sleep well." He kissed her forehead. This greatly surprised Monique. "Let's go." Shie led the way out of the cabin.

Once outside, Monique grabbed Shie's collar.

"Are you by any chance in love with her?" She was glaring at him as if she could melt his body with her eyes. On the other hand, he's just looking at her ever so coolly which only unnerved her so much.

"What will you do if I say yes, my lady?" He replied coldly.

"Argh!" She let him go. Shie flattened the crumpled part of his dress. "You pick such a lame girl! Why don't you hit on me? I am pretty. I am rich. And your life will be better in my arms!" She sat on the couch.

"…" He remained silent.

Monique just glared at him.

"Anyway, what brings you here?" Shie broke the awkward silence.

"Oh yes. My father allowed me to marry now. And he said I'm free to choose anyone I wish to marry. So I got here to tell you that. However, I have a feeling that it won't be that easy to persuade you. So, I might as well stay here for the time being." She grinned evilly at Shie. Shie just smiled at her in return.

While the two sat quietly in the living room of the ship, Monique tried striking a conversation.

"So what's your favorite dish?" She looked dreamily at him.

"I eat anything that is edible." He replied while reading a book, not bothering to look at her.

"What do you usually read?" She asked while eyeing the book he was holding.

"Random books I pick up in my bookshelf." He replied, still not looking at her.

A moment of silence passed again.

"Argh! I can't take it anymore! That's it! What did that ugly hag possesses which I do not?" She boomed at him.

Shie closed his book and finally looked at her. "A lot of things, my lady, a lot of things." He replied.

"What the fuck? Care to enumerate them all?" She glared at him.

"Innocence, natural beauty, light aura, pure heart-" He was cut off so rudely.

"I DO POSSES NATURAL BEAUTY!" She boomed at him once more.

"No you don't. You always wear make-up, which could cover up your natural beauty." He opened once more his book.

"AND WHAT DOES INNOCENCE HAVE TO DO WITH THAT? IT'S TOTALLY UNRELATED!" She was almost at the verge of crying.

"I meant there was the "innocence of seduction". She was innocent that she was actually seducing men. Unlike others who were so obvious in seducing men." Shie replied at her coldly. Before she could reply another sentence, they heard a loud commotion outside. Then, a wounded soldier banged inside the cabin.

"Captain! Urgh! Captain…there are enemies outside…" Then, the soldier passed out.

"Stay here." He ordered at Monique.

Monique was suddenly terrified so she can only nod in agreement. Shie went out to battle. Not so long, Keira walked up to the living room. There she saw Monique looking stiff.

"Where's Shie?" She asked sleepily.

"I don't know." She glared at her. Although, she was in fear, she managed to lie to her. Then, Keira suddenly twitched.

"Shie…" At the mutter of his name, she immediately ran to the fireplace and grabbed a display sword.

"H-hey, you hag! Where are you going?" Keira paused in front of the doorstep.

"I'm going to drown myself." She smirked at her direction before going out.

"HEY! H-how dare you?" Once again, she was left there.

After thirty minutes, Shie and Keira were still not back yet. 'What could've happened to Shie?' She wondered worriedly while she opened the door to the deck. The place was awfully quiet. 'Where are they?' Suddenly, an arm held her. Her heart suddenly thumped.

"WAAA! Help me!" She burst into tears.

"Ha! Ha! Now, Shie and your lover come out now or your friend will die! Bwahahaha!" The man was laughing maniacally while he held poor Monique.

"Help me!" Monique wailed in agony.

"Hyaaa!" Keira, who attacked him from behind, knocked off the man. The man accidentally let go of Monique. Keira lost her balance because of the impact so she fell on the deck. Monique ran away from the scene. The man got up quicker than Keira so he managed to grab Keira and made her a hostage.

"Your little friend escaped my grip and now I have you lover. If you don't give what I wanted, then she'll die in three seconds.

"Ugh." Keira wailed in agony. However, Shie showed himself.

"Oh man. Of all the people, you should not have taken her as a hostage."

"What do you-ugh!" He was knocked off from his position and fell down with a broken nose and a bleeding forehead.

"I think I might need a long and cold shower after this. Tsk. Those oily hands marring my skin with bruises." She rubbed the bruised arms delicately and smirked at the fallen pirate. "Serves you right."

But the pirate managed to stand up and took Keir's foot. Because no one anticipated this, the pirate was able to drag her with him and jump in the ocean. Shie recovered quickly and followed the pirate. But a foot came out of nowhere and he tripped on it.

"Just leave her alone!" Shie stood up with the scariest glare and threw the glare at Monique. "One thing she possesses that you do not: She's ready to die for anybody, even her mortal enemy." With that, he jumped off from the ship.

'Urgh. Why do I felt like I banged my head on a wall?' She slowly opened her eyes and stare briefly at the person in front of her.

"Shie…?" She suddenly sat up and felt a pang of pain in her head. "Oww…" She fell back to the bed.

"Don't sit up now. You're still weak. You've been asleep for two days already. I was so worried that you might not wake up." Shie showed great concern for Keira.

"And what if I didn't?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

Shie just fell silent.

"By the way, where is Monique?" She inquired while looking around.

"She went back to her home." Shie's bangs covered his face. An awkward silence fell around the two. Shie's the first one to break it though.

"You must go back to the palace. The king and queen must've been worried about you." It took a few moments before Keira could reply.

"No." Shie looked at Keira with astonishment seen in his eyes.

"But…" Before he could finish his sentence, Keira added.

"I wasn't important there. My brother was the next heir of the kingdom. They barely notice me there. Ibara and the others were the ones who entertain me most of the time. I love them all. But somehow, I just can't go back…"

Shie just looked at her worriedly.

"Oh yeah. I asked you a question if you're in love with me. Is that a yes or no?" Shie inquired, his heart was beating wildly.

"Ah…Why do you suddenly asked?" She tried escaping Shie's arms. For some reasons, she didn't feel him crawl closer to her.

"No, no, Keira. You must answer it." He smirked at her.

She just looked away and struggled free but Shie took it as a yes.

"That's good to hear." He hugged her. "You know, Ibara and the others weren't the only ones watching over you. I noticed you too." Shie added. "We were born in different worlds so I didn't hold out any hope that we'll be together."

Keira finally stopped struggling.

"And didn't I tell you to stay away from bad guys?"

Keira nodded.

"But not all bad guys are bad guys in all aspects."

Shie chuckled.

"You're a foolish princess for choosing me."

Keira replied back to him. "Whatever. I really wanted to go out of that palace anyway so I don't mind staying here."

The two promised their eternal love for each other with all of their hearts under the soft illumination of the moonlight from the cold moon.

End of Story

It All Started with an Earring Pt. 1

It All Started With an Earring

Chapter One

And think not you can direct the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

"The pirates have arrived here! Strike my soldiers!" General Ibara shouted as he and his soldiers attack the pirates.

"Princess Keira! General Ibara, the princess is missing!" Vladimir, one of the princess's bodyguards, came to deliver the ill news.

"How could you let something like that to happen? Argh!" He mused to himself.

"Whatever the case, I'll find her. For now, join my soldiers, Vladimir!"

Vladimir instantly obeyed then Ibara left.

Somewhere in a dark corner of a market, there stood a lady. 'That's so unfortunate of me to encounter the pirates here. But at least I enjoyed myself earlier.' Keira, the ever-so optimistic princess, thought in slight annoyance. Just then, a shadow towered over her.

"Are you lost, fair lady?"

Keira turned her head and saw a man with blonde hair and ruby red eyes. Then she smiled politely at the off-duty naval officer. "Good sir, I'm not lost. It's just I'm caught up in the middle of a battle and I can't go home. But, I don't want to go home yet anyway." The young soldier smiled back.

"I see. Well, pardon me for doing this if you really desire not to go back yet." He leaned more closely and kissed her forehead for a second.

'Where could the princess be?' Ibara thought anxiously as he ran. 'The princess is good in hiding and excellent in disguising! How am I able to find her at this situation?' Ibara suddenly stopped when he came across a corner. 'Gah! That soldier is making out in the middle of the battle.' Ibara thought in disgust as he ran off, not wanting to see what happens next.

"There, I think you're safe now." The soldier backed away to give her space.

"Uh...Thanks. But, who are you?"

The soldier chuckled. "You may call me Alex."

Keira smiled. "Thank you very much again for helping me out, Mr. Alex."

Alex waved his hand. "No worries. And stay away from bad guys, okay?"

The princess nodded obediently. "Thank you. And see you!" Keira waved at the walking figure of the soldier. Minutes later, the battle ended. Keira decided to hide in one of the barrels of potatoes. In no time, she fell asleep. As she woke up, she heard some mumbles and voices of men. 'It smells like...the ocean...' She thought as she slightly opened her right eye.

"This girl sure is a beauty." One voice spoke out loud.

"Yeah, she's one of a kind." Another one spoke.

"Shut up. We still don't know anything about her." The third guy spoke. After the heated conversation of those three, Keira woke up. The third guy with the name of Meynard saw this and turned to his two other companions.

"Hey bastards, you woke the girl up."

Keira rubbed her eyes. "Uh...good sirs, where are we? Can you drop me off at the next harbor?" She rubbed her eyes again.

"Unfortunately, this ship doesn't stop at any places. Welcome aboard, Princess Keira. I'm Captain Shierean." Keira's eyes went wide as saucers. 'Was he really Alex who saved me? But...Shierean is a notorious pirate!' She thought in fear.

"Seriously captain, is this really a princess?" The pirate named Starlk asked in disbelief.

"This is a lie!" Keira shouted at Alex."What about the navy uniform a while ago?" Just then, she realized she was tied up.

"On land, I have to wear my disguise." Shie smirked at her.

"Hey, my son was killed because of your father!" The guy called Mayuri pulled at her hair.

"And because of you royals, I lost my best friend!" Starlk pushed her until she collided with the wall. Mayuri still held her hair when Shie spoke.

"Release her." Mayuri looked at him.

"Don't make me repeat myself, idiot. We don't need you in this ship that badly." With those words, Mayuri backed away from her. Then he approached her.

"From this day, she's my woman. Everyone who wants her must go through me."

Keira laid on the bed, her hands still tied up. She heard the door open but she didn't move an inch. "I'm going to cut the rope. And don't you even dare fight with me!" When the rope was cut, Keira rubbed her sore wrist.

"Just like a princess, very gentle in manners." She felt his breath so near her ear. When she was about to move forward to stay away from him, he attached an earring to her right ear.

"This shall prove you're mine and no one would dare touch you or anything." He patted her head. "There is a couch nearby. You could use it." Without a word, Keira dashed to the couch. The couch was soft and she fell asleep already. The next morning, Keira was in a really bad mood.

"So, is the captain very gentle?" Mayuri teased her. 'What the hell? Ah, so this earring is to prove I have done perverted things with him! Well I didn't!' She thought furiously.

"Take back what you've said" She ordered them.

"What?" The two of them chorused. Amused, Starlk and Mayuri teased her again and again and again.

Thunk! "Alright you guys need to peel these potatoes in an hour before dinner time." The three of them cried waterfall tears.

"That's not very nice chef." They chorused.

"Shut up and go to work!" Then he turned to Keira.

"You, go and help clean the deck." Keira left without a word. At around six o'clock, Keira goes inside Shie's cabin.

"Uh...Captain, may I have some clothes. It got wet..." Shie approached her and dried her hair.

"What were you doing?" Shie asked, still drying her hair.

"Uh...I was moping and unfortunately, a flying bucket of water splashed to me..." Shie handed her the clothes.

"Why were you mopping?" Keira pretended not to hear it and she dashed inside the bathroom.

Six months had passed by and she enjoyed herself very much at the ship. Everyone is nice with her now. Then, everything changed one foggy morning. She was confused with the actions of Starlk, Mayuri and Meynard. When she got out of the cabin, she saw Shie standing at the deck.

"Oh, so they took their time dressing you up." Keira nodded, still sleepy.

"They dressed me up with the dress I wore when I first came here." Shie chuckled.

"Yes. It seems your country is planning on a surprise attack." With those words, she felt herself awaken.

"You're kidding... I don't want to leave you here!" She muttered. However, she stopped as she saw him wearing the uniform again.

"No I'm not. I have to wear this to confuse the enemy. And no, you are not meant to be here. You are a princess and I am a pirate. We are from different worlds. So, when the battle started, I wanted you to change ships." At that single moment, she looked with regret at the back of the captain.

'Maybe I'm a nuisance here after all. Besides, I never did anything right.' She ran to the main deck and saw that the battle had started. Raucous cries filled the air around the ship. Not so long, Shie did kill an enemy soldier. Scarlet liquid oozed out of the poor soldier's mouth as he fell on the deck. Then, another soldier charged towards Shie. The scene there was traumatic for a child. Blood could be seen everywhere. However, Keira summoned up all her courage and ran towards Shie.

"Shie, go this way!" She held his opponent but he was far stronger so she was pushed right on the wall. She realized that the earring fell into the water. 'The earring...I must get it.' She jumped into the ocean without a second thought. 'Ah, I finally got it.' However, she was not able to move her legs because of her clothes. 'Mmpf…Must….go…to…sur…face…be… fore…air…runs…out-ah…' She ran out of air and finally let herself sink into the depths of the ocean, holding the earring tightly in her left blacking out, she heard a splash.

When she woke up, she felt the warm covers of the bed.

"What were you thinking, diving in the ocean?"

Keira gripped the sheets.

"You could've died back there. And it was all for that stupid earring!"

In no time, she was crying silently. Then, she threw the earring at him.

"There, take it back! I don't even want it!" She sobbed louder. "I could have just left it there! Let it sank into the depths of the ocean. But still, what did I do? I didn't even know what the blazing inferno urged me to dive back there, retrieve that cursed thing and put myself in grave danger! You have no idea-" She hiccupped loudly and she rubbed her eyes.

"You aren't by any chance in love with me, are you?"

Before she could reply, she heard the door slam open, revealing a woman.

"Hello, Shie~"

End of Chapter