Curse of the Zodiac Serpent
The Curse

Hours passed smoothly with Ayako helping Kenji man the ship. The occasional dagger-filled glare coasted her way whenever she acted on her own accord, but he never corrected her, or her actions.

“So... Why me?” She asked, the silence eating away at her.

The sun was heading toward the sealine. The night was fast approaching, and already the ache of her muscles was telling her it was time to rest.

That glare again, she sighed. He didn’t talk much, mostly aggressively insisting that she should remain below deck.

“It’s getting late, get below deck!” He grunted.

There he goes again! Not even a thank you for helping all day long. She let out a long exhausted sigh. Not from the work, but from having to deal with him all day long.

“At least tell me where we’re going!?” She insisted.

“It doesn’t concern you.”

“It clearly does, given that I’m here and you kidnapped me.”

“I did not!” That hit a nerve. “You were handed over as a trade, voluntarily.”

“More like a ransom.”

He let out a hissed sigh of frustration, it seemed he enjoyed her company as much as she did his.

“Get-”

“Below deck, yes yes, I’m going.” Rolling her eyes she headed for the small stairs. “Gods forbid you converse with me like a human being, the horror!”

The first thing she did was check on her little snake friend, but he appeared to be gone. She hoped the little thing was okay, better yet that he didn’t turn up in her bed in the middle of the night looking for warmth.

Returning to her small room, she didn’t bother barricading the door this time, and collapsed down onto the hay bed. There was only one man onboard, and if he tried anything she’d be able to take him, she didn’t feel threatened in any way.

It wasn’t long before she drifted off, her eyes betraying her as her exhaustion took hold lulling her into a state of rest.

Ayako woke suddenly to the sound of shouting. She bolted upright as hurrying feet pounded the wooden deck above. Her blood ran cold as her mind began to race, were they being boarded? Was this an attack?

She spared little time in making her way to the stairs that let up to the higher deck. On the first step, she waited and listened. Orders were being shouted around the deck. cautiously she peeked up onto the deck to have a look. Some of the men she recognized from the first night she had been taken, the others she couldn’t be sure, she hadn’t been paying enough attention to each and every crew member.

She yelped as hands encased her shoulder and hoisted her up onto the deck.

“Ai! boy’s look what I found! She was peeking!”

She hadn’t even sensed the man, there was no way her training would be this lax. It had happened with the Captain earlier too, she hadn’t sensed or heard him approach. Shaking herself free of the grimy hands she found herself surrounded by filthy men.

“What have you done with the captain!?” She demanded.

The men formed a circle around her, closing in with grins filled with missing teeth and blackened gums flashing her way. She recoiled, stepping backwards only to end up in the hands of a man standing behind her.

“Careful Miss, wouldn’t want you wandering off too far, You’re important you see.” When the man spoke he sprayed saliva at her through the missing gaps in his teeth.

She cringed twisting out of his hold, with a swift motion and mostly on reflex she planted her fist square into his face. She felt the pop of his nose as it broke under the force of her punch. He stumbled back surprised, covering his face as blood began to pour down coating the men’s clothes and dripping the ground.

“Fisty one!” Another man looked to be gearing up for a fight, flexing his knuckles and stepping toward her with a wicked smile.

“WAIT! Wait wait wait.” A pirate barged into the frey waving his hands around and standing between her and the one that was ready to throw down. “Elous she’s just frightened, getting all up in her face, what do you expect? Don’t start a brawl over this!”

“Why stand up for the royal asshat!?” Elous spat back.

“She saved me! She could have left me to die but she didn’t.”

The pirate that was coming to her aid was slightly different from the others, he looked... dare she say, cleaner. He had red hair and pale skin, but the one thing that stood out to her, was his leg. It was injured and badly! It looked to be bleeding and bearly usable. He was covered in sweat and carried a pained expression, it must have been hard to try to stand on such an injury.

Elous huffed. “You know her fate, what does it matter if we have a little fun with her Highness before she’s handed over?”

“She needs to be in pristine condition, you know that. For all our sakes back off, let me handle her.” The young pirate shot back.

“I’m reporting this.” Elous hissed but retreated.

The crowd thinned out as everyone returned to their duties. However, she was still completely and utterly confused. “What in the world is doing on?”

The boy before her let out a light laugh as he turned his head to smile at her. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

“DIMITRI!” Suddenly, Captain Kenji approached the pair. “What is this about you doing against Elous, he’s second in command while I sleep at night, you know this.”

“Captain!” The red-headed boy seemed panicked. “Yes sir, I know.”

“Care to explain.” Kenji didn’t even spare her a glance as he drilled the young subordinate.

“I couldn’t let them hurt her, not after she helped me...” He began.

“Explain!” Kenji shot her a look, turning his attention to her.

“I didn’t do anything. I’m lost here!? Where did all these men come from? I didn’t save anyone!” But I did punch someone though, she thought to herself.

“But you did, albeit I’m rather injured due to the barrel, but without you moving it and setting me free I would have died,” Dimitri explained more to her than the captain.

“But that was a... snake.” She narrowed her eyes on the boy, was he insane?

“The captain hasn’t filled you in?” Dimitri asked confused looking between the Princess and the Captain.

“I didn’t see the need.” Kenji huffed displeased.

“Captian!” Dimitri looked shocked.

“Then you do it!” He spun on his heels and left the two standing in the middle of the deck just staring after him.

“Is he always like that?” She asked.

Dimitri nodded. “Ever since we were cursed, yes.”

“Cursed?”

“By the serpent god. Only to be able to return to our human forms under the rays of the moon.”

She blinked up at him unbelieving.

“You saw me and how I was crushed today.” He added as he proceeded to pull his pant leg up with enormous effect. The area wasn’t just injured it was crushed almost flat, it looked so unnatural and yet the horrible discoloured wound remained.

“That was... you?” She was replaceing this all a little hard to believe.

“That’s why we need you Princess, your only hope of ever returning to a sense of a normal life.”

“What, Me? Why, how?”

“The Serpent god has requested that a member of the Tokugawa bloodline be taken to him in his land, the land of beasts.”

Her eyes opened wide as dread set in, this wasn’t good news. “What does he want with me?”

Dimitri appeared saddened, “Honestly I don’t know, but I don’t think you’ll ever be returning to your family.”

She couldn’t hold back the terror showing on her face. If he was telling the truth... then what was to happen to her? Would they replace out she was not of the Tokugawa bloodline?