Stone Rose

by Megan Derr

  Though he understood completely why Queen Umiko had made him take the brunt of the punishment, Midori thought it a bit harsh to have turned him from sailor to diplomat. No longer a sailor, no idea how to be a diplomat. He felt adrift and on the verge of drowning. Sighing again, Midori picked up his glass of fine Verde brandy and drained it. The burn that resulted was pleasant, but not nearly enough.

  He picked up his book again, but gave up after he'd managed to read the same page five times. His visit to Piedre would be his first voyage in his new, official capacity. Despite his noble upbringing, the fact he was the family head, Midori knew no one at court. He knew the harbor, the merchants, the sailors, and the sea. But court? That was unknown and frequently hostile territory. The only person he even sort of knew was Prince Culebra, and 'knew' was being generous to the point of ludicrous.

  Past the occasional pleasantries and meaningless conversations exchanged over royal dinners on the rare occasions Midori's visits home coincided with Culebra's visits, all he knew of Culebra was the grief-stricken man he had escorted first to Pozhar and then to Piedre. They'd parted ways almost immediately after landing, and Culebra had been drowned in grief and terror the entire voyage.

  The urge to get up and walk about the deck was strong, but Midori ignored it. His first voyage since being discharged was proving to be even more difficult than anticipated—for him and for the sailors who were not used to his being aboard ship as a civilian. Better for all of them, especially the ship's captain, if he was not underfoot to distract and confuse.

  He was also more than happy to avoid his storming companions. Dragons eat them all, he hated politicians. He would rather swim with real sharks. Midori stifled another sigh, tired of hearing himself doing so.

  He stood up and fetched the brandy in his trunk to refill his glass. He took a sip and made himself resume his book. In a futile effort to make of himself a decent diplomat, he had been reading all manner of books on the matter, as well as volumes on Piedre itself. He knew the country well enough to do his former job, but not his current.

  If he completely mucked up his new position, he did not know what he would do with himself. Likely go for a final swim in the sea and let the dragons have him.

  He heard the call right as someone knocked on his door. Calling for the sailor to enter, he stood up and began to pack away the few belongings lying about his cabin. "We're coming into port now, my lord. If you wanted to come topside."

  "Of course," Midori said, and the sailor departed. He smoothed out his ornate robes decorated with swirls of deep and light green and accompanied by a black sash embroidered with green and gold fish.

  His companions had been vastly amused by him, dressed like a lord when he had always worn his military garb, but one cool look had sent them scurrying off to gossip where he did not have to hear it. He knew he looked ridiculous, but there was nothing for it.

  Leaving his cabin, he joined the crew and his companions on the top deck and watched as they pulled into Piedre. It was so drastically different from Kundou—from all the others, really. Pozhar was beautiful, solid. It was well-built to contain its fiery god. Verde had a clean-cut, arranged feel to it, as if the entire country was a carefully-maintained garden. Kundou, of course, was the kingdom of the sea and always seemed a moment from succumbing to its embrace.

  Piedre was more like a solemn temple, where no one dared to speak above a whisper. It was also a violent place, as Midori knew first hand. He could not see much clearly, yet, but he could see at least a dozen soldiers assembled around a lavish black and silver open carriage.

  The four men who had accompanied him tried a few times to attempt conversation, but Midori brushed them aside. Just as he was beginning to lose all patience, the captain gave them permission to disembark. Midori thanked him and strode off, walking as slowly as he could manage down the gangway.

  He faltered to a stop when he set eyes on a man who was shockingly white in a country of dusky skin and dark features. When he had traveled before with Prince Culebra, his mind had been entirely on Culebra's grief and doing whatever he could to help him through it.

  Between that and the chaos wrought by Prince Nankyokukai, he had somehow missed completely that Prince Culebra was breathtaking. The man who stood before him was of average height, but seemed taller. His eyes were wrapped in black bandages. The dark material cut a livid line across his pale face, while loose, feathery strands of short, white hair fell across it.

  He had a pretty mouth, the kind that inspired very crude thoughts. He was dressed completely in black with buttons and lace of gleaming silver. The buckles of his shoes were silver as well and his black stockings were decorated with silver swirls.

  Midori walked toward him, taking care to ensure his steps were loud enough to be heard. An arm's length away he stopped and swept a bow. "Greetings, your highness. It is an honor to be once again in your fine company."

  "My lord," Culebra greeted and extended his hands, palm up. Midori placed his own in them, smiling at the way Culebra ran his thumbs over them, gripped them. He wondered, as he had two years ago, what Culebra felt, if it was so different from what he felt. "The honor is mine. I will never forget your kindness to me. I am very happy to welcome you to Piedre and hope fervently that you will enjoy your time with us."

  Squeezing his hands, Midori gave in to an impulse and bent to brush a soft, casual kiss along Culebra's cheek. To the dragons with protocol when so much of it required being able to see. "I cannot imagine finding anything but enjoyment, highness."

  "Good," Culebra said and smiled at him. Midori reluctantly released his hands and stepped back before he let sudden, unexpected lust get the better of him. He stepped out of the way while everyone else went through the protocols and tiresome pleasantries, ignoring the warning looks his companions cast him.

  An hour later, they were finally on their way to the palace. Midori sat beside Culebra in the open carriage with guards on either side of them and the rest of the entourage in the seats across. More guards surrounded them on horseback.

  "So how have you been, my lord?" Culebra asked, and Midori saw his hand move, saw Culebra almost immediately stop it and start to withdraw.

  He remembered how desperately Culebra had needed touch back when they had sailed together. Reaching out, Midori took Culebra's hand and curled their fingers together. "Busy, mostly. It is strange no longer being a sailor. I hope you will forgive me any unintended slights; I make a poor civilian."

  Culebra laughed. "Well, as I made a very poor travel companion once, my lord, I think I can forgive in my turn. Please do not worry upon it. Have you ever explored much of Piedre, or were you always bound closely to your ship?"

  "Tied to my ship, highness. I am looking forward to learning more of Piedre during my visit."

  "I'll see to it that you have the best guides," Culebra said. "Though I believe your friends have all been here many a time, yes? Your usual rooms have been prepared, warm and ready for you. I hope—" He broke off when Midori's companions all gave a startled cry.

  Midori shot them a quelling look even as he saw the source of their panic: a brilliant blue and yellow snake coiled at Culebra's feet.

  "Whatever is the matter?" Culebra asked, suddenly sounding tense, hand tightening in Midori's.

  "Nothing, highness. There is a saphir snake at your feet."

  Culebra immediately relaxed. "Oh, her. She won't hurt anyone." He bent down and extended his arm, and Midori watched avidly as the snake uncoiled and then slithered up Culebra's arm to wrap twice around his neck. "Incredible," he breathed. "Those snakes are the deadliest in Kundou. How in the world did one come to be here?"

  "No doubt she came on a ship at some point, but she has been one of mine for a very long time. I usually bring one or two with me when I leave the palace as Ruisenor is a bit too much to take with me. She won't hurt you, my lord, if you'd care to pet her?"

  Across the carriage, the rest of the Kundou party recoiled to the point they look
ed as though they wanted to leap right out of the carriage. Midori was not thrilled with the idea of petting a venomous snake himself, but for some reason he was more troubled by the idea of disappointing Culebra.

  He used his free hand to obediently reach up and lightly touch the snake, wary at first and then with growing confidence when it only remained still on Culebra's shoulder. The smile Culebra gave him made Midori want to find a million more snakes. He slowly withdrew his hand, unable to resist accidentally brushing Culebra's cheek as he did so.

  "I was told you kept an entire room full of snakes," Midori said. "I admit I could never tell if my friends were amusing themselves at the expense of the new man or of it was true."

  Culebra laughed softly, but to Midori it sounded a bit forced. "The tale is quite true. If you ever want to visit, my lord, I am happy to show it to you. But I am told it is quite disconcerting to look upon."

  Midori covered both of Culebra's hands with his own. "I think, highness, that if I was afraid to look at a room full of snakes after all that I have seen you face and endure, I would be very much a coward. I would be honored to see your snakes."

  The smile Culebra gave him then was breathtaking, and for the first time in two years Midori felt something other than miserable. He felt ... anticipation, excitement. "Then I will hold you to it, my lord," Culebra said softly and squeezed his hand before finally turning to draw the others into conversation.

  Two hours later, after arriving at the palace and going through a great many more pleasantries, Midori was at last shown to the suite of rooms that had been assigned to him. He stood at the enormous set of windows in his sitting room, sipping a glass of sweetened and spiced wine that was drastically different from the much dryer wines of his homeland.

  By the time he had finished one glass and started a second, the servants had finished arranging his bath and unpacking his belongings. Left at last alone, Midori went into his bedchamber and stripped, setting the clothes into a pile for someone to take away and clean. His jewelry he set neatly on the bureau before going over to settle in the deep, wide copper tub that had been set before a blazing fire.

  For several minutes, he just lolled there enjoying the luxury of a bath. Someone had scented the water with lemon oil, a curious choice but pleasant. Sighing in satisfaction, thrilled beyond measure to have a chance to be properly clean, Midori sat up and began to wash, scrubbing more citrus-scented soap into his thick, dark-green hair and scouring his skin with a rough cloth. When he finally stood up and rinsed off, then finished up by shaving, he felt like himself again.

  Climbing out, he went to his dressing room, pleased to see that the servants had already prepared his evening clothes. They were crisp, pressed, and faintly scented of that lemon again with a hint of ginger.

  He was not looking forward to a long, tedious formal dinner, but he was there to do a job. On the bright side, he would get to see Culebra again and perhaps ... well, best not to get ahead of himself. He was fairly certain Culebra was returning his interest, but they'd had little opportunity to test the waters during carriage ride.

  Thinking idly of when he would have a chance to test the waters, Midori pulled on a pale gray under robe and tied it close with plain strips of silk. Settling the folds of it, he pulled on a heavier silk robe dyed so dark a green it almost looked black. His sash was the exact opposite, a green so pale it was just shy of white threaded through with delicate swirls of gold, silver, and bronze.

  The robes of his companions would be far more elaborate, to the point they would require servants to help them dress. Midori could not surrender being self-sufficient, and he knew he couldn't carry off such elaborate dress anyway.

  Opening the heavy jewelry case on a nearby shelf, he pulled out black pearls for his ears and a matching ring. From another case, he selected a long string of black pearls to wrap around his sash as a final touch. Much of his suddenly-acquired jewelry had been gifts—weak apologies from people who knew it was wrong to discharge him, but why it had been done anyway.

  Making a face, Midori pulled on ankle-length boots of gleaming black leather and finally left his dressing chamber. He finished his second glass of wine before finally leaving his rooms altogether. Thankfully, he remembered the way back to the main halls of the palace, and from there it was easy to follow the noise and the crowds to the great ballroom.

  He slipped inside and went through all the usual greetings and platitudes, happy when at last the receiving line seemed to disperse and he was left alone with Culebra. "Hello again, highness," he said and took Culebra's hand. "I cannot imagine such crowds as this are very comfortable for you. Dragons know they are not very comfortable for me."

  "They are not my favorite," Culebra conceded with a smile that showed strain. "But please do not feel as though you are obliged to be at my side. Go and enjoy yourself, my lord."

  Midori stopped a passing servant and took a glass of wine from his tray. He pressed it into Culebra's free hand before taking another for himself. "Highness, I am far more content here with you than trying to pretend I know what to do at a ball. Unless you prefer I take myself off—"

  "No," Culebra cut in, an edge of desperation slipping into his voice. His hand tightened on Midori's. "Not at all, my lord," he continued more calmly. "You were very kind to me after rescuing me ..." He swallowed, took a sip of wine, and then resumed. "I was happy to hear your name on the list of delegates. I would like a chance to show you that I can be more than a sobbing, hysterical mess. You—" he cut the words off and drank more wine and did not complete the sentence.

  But Midori thought he knew what had gone unsaid: he wasn't afraid of Culebra. What baffled him was that so many were. He could already see it around them, in the way that despite the overcrowding in the ballroom there was plenty of space around the two of them. The way no one else approached them to make conversation when usually royals could never get a moment alone at such functions. "I could never be afraid of you, highness."

  "I suppose it would be hard to be afraid of someone who spent several months at sea sobbing like a child," Culebra said, mouth twisting.

  "It's hard to be afraid of someone who is kind at heart and has never shown an inclination to use his powers, even in circumstances where everyone else would," Midori corrected. "You and I both know there are things far more dangerous than you in the world, highness."

  Culebra gave him a shy smile. "You remind me—well, it's been a long time since anyone like you has crossed my path. I am glad you are here, my lord."

  "Midori, please," Midori said softly. "I do not like being called 'my lord'."

  "Captain suited you better. I am sorry if helping me cost you that address."

  "You had nothing to do with it, highness."

  Culebra smiled. "If I am to use your name, then I insist you use mine."

  "Of course, Culebra," Midori said. He finished his wine and set both their empty glasses aside on a small table for a servant to collect. "What do you say to some fresh air?"

  "Sounds like a fine idea," Culebra replied. "You'll have to guide me; I'm afraid I've lost my bearings in the crowd."

  Midori took the hand he still held to pull Culebra's arm through his own, murmuring, "My pleasure," as he led the way through the throng to the balconies on the opposite side of the ballroom.

  The night was crisp, the sky clear and bright. Though he could not see the ocean from the palace, there was still a faint hint of it in the air, making him briefly homesick. But it was hard to stay that way with Culebra beside him, so pale and beautiful he seemed more like a dream than a reality. Though he was too warm, too solid, to be an illusion, and Midori wondered what level of boldness Culebra would tolerate.

  This was so very different than his useless pining for Nankyokukai, who had never given him more than the same passing glance he gave everyone—until that sailor. Letting go of Nankyokukai had, in the end, been remarkably easy. It had surprised him how easily, when once he had given serious consideration to speaking
with the king about a marriage contract.

  He wondered what he was setting himself up for, getting so quickly entangled in Culebra, but he had never been very good at walking away from trouble of any sort, which probably explained why he was so often in it.

  "Are the stairs to my right or left?" Culebra asked.

  "Uh—" It took him a moment to process the question, he was so lost in thoughts of Culebra. "Your right."

  Culebra smiled and said, "Follow me." He didn't give Midori a chance to reply, just slid free of Midori's arm and walked off toward the stairs. Midori stared, then hastened after him, smiling that Culebra moved more smoothly through the dark than he.

  When Culebra abruptly stopped, Midori didn't notice until too late and crashed into him, arms wrapping instinctively in search of balance. "You certainly know your way around. In your position, I think I would keep to my rooms."

  "I doubt that," Culebra said with a husky laugh. "You seem too adventurous and bold to stay put for very long." He turned around in Midori's arms, braced his hands on Midori's chest, and tilted his head up. "Show me how bold you can be."

  Midori went hot at the words, the husky tone, and the unexpectedly brazen behavior. He had expected Culebra to be quiet, demure, even as he knew the man on his ship was drastically different from how Culebra must have been under more ordinary circumstances.

  He was more than happy to meet the challenge, dipping his own head to take Culebra's mouth in a sure kiss, not wasting time with slow, gentle explorations. Culebra clearly approved, to judge by the enthusiasm of his reply as tongue tangled eagerly with Midori's, teeth nipping sharply at his lip before he dove into another kiss. He tasted of wine and something faintly smoky, fingers hot where they were splayed against Midori's chest. Midori cupped the sides of his head, marveling at the softness of his hair, the heat of his mouth.

  He broke away panting, wishing he could see Culebra's face and those pink lips swollen and wet from their kisses. "Bold enough, highness?" he asked teasingly.