Chapter Text
You slowly opened your eyes when the curtains were pulled away from the large windows in your room, shuffling in the sheets and mentally cursing your maid for waking you up. But the poor girl was just following your father's orders, so could you really blame her?
"Good morning (y/n)-sama!", she said cheerfully and gently placed a metal tray on the bed next to you. "You will meet Daku-sama today, so I was instructed to bring you a strengthening breakfast."
As usual, the breakfast looked mouth-watering. Fresh fruit, local eggs and freshly baked bread piled up on a very shiny porcelain plate.
"Thank you, Hina", you said, cutting the bread with knife and fork, although you just wanted to use your hands like normal people. But Hina, the good soul, would probably snitch on you to your parents, expressing concern about your manners and such. Especially with your upcoming and inevitable wedding in mind... which you didn't want to think about right now. There would be enough opportunities throughout the day.
While eating your breakfast as ladylike as possible, you thought about your brother. You wished he could join you when you meet your future husband, but he was far away, working his ass off. Him and you had always shared a special bond. He was almost your only playmate in your childhood, despite being five years older, and now he was your connection to the big and exciting world outside of your small island.
Defining you was easy: Not a princess, but at least the daughter of a grossly wealthy businessman of noble descent, home schooled, never out of sight and promised to another grossly wealthy son of noble descent. Basically, your whole life was planned out for you before you could even speak your first words. It all took place on the small island you were born, and it would end on another small island. The only thing outstanding about you was your knowledge about medicine, mostly self-taught because your parents were very reluctant about you concentrating on something other than whatever concerned you as a noble lady. You begged them for six months, promising that it wouldn't get in the way of your important studies and that you just needed a hobby, and when you proved them right, they agreed. Which totally did not mean that they liked it, but they didn't want to deprive you of your passion.
There was another passion though, but it was your little secret. When your brother left your little island for the first time when he was fourteen to join the marines, you wondered what else the world had to offer. Was there something your teachers and parents didn't tell you? You couldn't really fathom why your brother would leave this beautiful, tranquil place to sail the rough seas, where big monsters with scary teeth waited for travellers, or pirates lurked behind every corner. The only thing you knew about the marines is that they kept the seas safe and that they were really admirable people, who only had good intentions. So you deemed your big brother a perfect fit for them.
When he came back home for the first time, he brought you a gift: A small book about a brave marine, who saved people and fought bad guys, a hero to everyone. You browsed through the pages every night, and at some point, you took a pen and crossed out the hero's name and put your brothers' above. Tenmon, your big brother, was your hero from the start anyways.
Every time he came back, he brought new gifts and helped you hide them from your parents. He didn't just give you fictional books, but also encyclopaedias and information about geography, marines and the government, newspapers from different islands and pictures of his comrades, big cities, impressive ships and weird animals. It was like heaven. Suddenly you could know for sure that all these things existed, and you longed for new experiences more and more.
You also asked Tenmon to teach you how to fight. He was really unsure at first.
"(Y/n)... What would mother and father say? You are a lady after all..."
You protested heavily and promised that they would never notice. You also convinced him that it could only help you... probably, in case of a pirate attack. Of course he had told you about the enemy. It was scary. Just the whole concept of "pirates" was scary. Blood lusting murderers who would do anything for a treasure or to protect their honour. Leaving their friends and comrades behind to save their own skin. Raping and torturing however they pleased. Killing civilians, killing in general. Even the slightest possibility of encountering a pirate scared you to the core and it seemed like a good idea to be prepared. You never wanted to be touched by these gross lowlifes.
So your brother did indeed teach you. You tried basic rules of combat but you couldn't really practice since a bruise would have been noticed immediately. Instead, the two of you focused on daggers, knives and even swords. Over the years you really improved your swordsmanship, but knives would always be your weapon of choice. Have you ever had the chance to actually use one other than spreading butter on your bread? No. Which was a good thing, probably.
When he was gone, your parents ensured that you grew up into a fine lady. Stuck up people taught you dining etiquette, how to walk properly, how to speak to people, and all that. At least you got the chance to study medicine in your free time. But you knew that you would need to be a good wife eventually, and that was your main focus. You never questioned your parents, or the plans they had for you. The most important thing to you was to know that they loved you and you loved them. You didn't know anything else and it was just how it always was. Your parents themselves had an arranged marriage and they truly loved each other. Your aunt had an arranged marriage and her husband was wonderful. Surely you would have good luck with your husband. After all, Tenmon's stories were just that. Stories. Nothing you would ever experience. So instead, you accepted your fate and focused on what was expected from you.
"(Y/n)-sama?" Hina's voice startled you and you came back from your daydreaming.
"Please excuse me, I will go and prepare your dress in the dressing room. Would you mind being there in fifteen minutes?" You nodded and she left, closing the door behind her. You wanted to tell Hina to loosen up, to talk to you in a more relaxed way, but why bother?
With a long exaggerated sigh you fell back into the mattress. Today was the day you would meet your fiancé Deku-sama for the first time. On the pictures your parents gave you he looked like a nice man, but very average and insignificant. His face wasn't recognisable at all. Swept back, blond hair, empty grey eyes and a thin, expressionless mouth. At least he was roughly your age, not some old geezer. Your mother was so thrilled about him, she thought he was a very handsome and well-mannered young man, strong and charming and she said she couldn't wait to meet her grandchildren. Nobody had ever asked you if you even wanted children, but why would they, when it was your purpose to continue your husband's lineage.
Kinda fucked up if you think about it, you thought while your feet carried you to your bathroom to get ready. He would arrive in three hours, with his parents and probably his whole entourage. Until then, Hina had enough time to dress you up like a pretty little doll.
The banquet that your family's staff had prepared was very elaborate, with a whole roasted pig in the middle of the table. Deku-sama was the exact opposite of the food: bland. His whole aura was boring, there was no spark or spice between you two. He seemed dull and way too proper. He didn't make you laugh once, he cracked some lame jokes and you giggled behind your hand out of pure politeness. Sometimes you thought that he looked slightly annoyed, but it was gone so quickly that you classed it as imagination.
He kept boasting about how he helped his father with the business and how good he was at horse-riding. You didn't really care, it also didn't help that he showered you in compliments about your appearance. Sure, it was nice to hear, but every time you tried to talk about your determination, your successful studies or how interesting you thought medicine was, he interrupted you. You just got the feeling that he simply didn't care, and it was so hard to hold back. You tried to zone out (Tenmon told you about a marine method once that helped withstand torture by putting your mind in a special mental place) and it worked. If Tenmon was there, you would have sneaked out together instead to laugh about his shallowness.
However, your parents loved him. They didn't even notice how quiet you were the whole time and probably mistook it as being shy around such an amazing man.
"So, (y/n) my dear, would you mind showing Deku-sama our garden?", your mother smiled, and you nodded. Maybe he just wanted to impress your parents and wasn't actually that bad. The chance to talk to him alone seemed worth taking, considering you'd have to spend the rest of your life with him.
Stupid (y/n). He did not stop talking about himself and you were too worn out to interfere, at this point you didn't care anymore. Just put me in shackles already but please shut up. In your head you told him to tie his tongue into a knot.
Finally, once you were out of reach for both your parents to possibly hear you, he turned to you and stopped talking. His eyes had changed to the annoyed gaze that you thought you had imagined earlier.
"So, (y/n)-chan, I presume you are untouched?"
You stared at him, slowly blinking. Where the fuck did that come from? Just a second ago he was talking about his beloved horse Peter. When you didn't reply, he furrowed his brows.
"Quit staring, it's rude and doesn't suit you. Just answer my question", he spat at you.
You started stammering, not really knowing what to say. Of course you were, you hadn't even spoken to a boy before and that weird purity concept was hammered in your head as soon as you could walk. But did he need to ask that so bluntly?
"What on e-... I mean, yes, I am untouched."
This was just so uncomfortable, you couldn't even think of a witty comeback. He showed a pleased smile and you looked back into the distance., cheeks flushed with embarrassment because you had never talked about such private things with a man.
"Let me make a few things clear, (y/n)-chan", he said rather coldly, and a gust of wind swirled the hem of your dress around your ankles. He sat down on a bench and patted the spot next to him. It was silent for a few seconds, you could only hear the wind and your rapid heartbeat. You just wanted to leave without listening to the most likely stupid stuff that he would say, but your feet betrayed you.
"There are certain rules that you must obey. One, if I speak to you, you drop everything immediately to give me your undivided attention. Two, you answer when I tell you to, and you will never raise your voice against me. Three, no stupid talk about medicine or politics. Girls can't be doctors and they are too emotional for politics. I decide about my family and my money. Four, we will have four children and one of them must be a boy. Five, we will have intercourse at least once every evening. You must please me whenever I desire. Your duty as a wife comes before anything else."
There it was. The deceiving little bastard went all the way to impress your parents to ensure that they deemed their daughter in good hands, and once it was clear that you would be his, he showed his true colours in private. You were glad that you were alone with him now, at least you knew now what your life held for you. Even if you tried, your parents wouldn't back down, and they wouldn't believe you. During the banquet it became evident that Deku-sama had wrapped them around his little finger.
So the man you were supposed to marry, who you would have to spend the rest of your life with, said shit like this. The urge to choke the living hell out of him was hard to hold back. You couldn't do anything. There was nowhere to run on this island, you couldn't sail a ship and you didn't know anyone who could help you. You could send a letter to your brother but what was he going to do? Ask his admiral to make a detour to pick you up? That surely wouldn't work and your parents would still retrieve you. They couldn't lose their face in front of your father's business partner. Your only option was to at least try to speak up. Just show him a little piece of your mind.
You stood up and relaxed your fists that you had clenched accidentally during his speech.
"Deku-sama... With all due respect, have you lost your mind?"
He gasped dramatically and stared at you with angry eyes. "(Y/n)-chan! You- You cannot speak to me like this!"
You interrupted him with a sigh.
"For the sake of my parents I will be a pawn in your little plan, but I will cut my own throat if you forbid me to speak of my own accord. And please you? Don't expect if you can't give back. So either you call off the wedding tonight or you accept the fact that you can't control me entirely. This is an arranged marriage, not a slave contract. Decide if you want a wife or a puppet. Goodnight."
He looked at you dumbfounded, and you turned on your heels, leaving him on the bench as raindrops began to fall from the sky. When you came back in you faked a bad stomach ache and excused yourself into your room, politely saying goodbye to Deku-sama's parents.
While you stared at your ceiling calming yourself down by listening to the rain, you prayed to the gods that he didn't want a foul-mouthed wife with a little bit of independence left, but your parents later informed you full of joy that Deku-sama couldn't await the ceremony. An arranged marriage never really sat right with you, but this was the fucking cherry on top. You decided to make a calendar to see how long he managed you without resorting to different measures.
A few days later you received a letter from your brother in which he congratulated you on your official engagement. You knew that he wanted to say so much more, but your parents wouldn't have appreciated that. And so, another week passed, and the day of your wedding was right around the corner. Your brother couldn't make it before then and would meet you on Deku-sama's estate, which made you sad. You wished you could have had some alone time with him to tell him about your worries. He was the only one who would understand. Not even Hina believed you, "such a fine man wouldn't say such horrible things", she had said before comforting you, telling you that it was normal to be nervous.
Your things were already packed two days before you would board the ship to your new life. Everything would end on this day. Joking around with Tenmon, him teaching you tricks with the dagger, your medicine studies, and relaxed dinners with your parents. You wondered if Deku-sama would allow you to visit your parents and your old home.
Just in case, you decided to take one last walk on the island to the nearby forest and the coast. From the path to the forest, you couldn't see the ship with a blood stained, black jolly roger that steered towards the beach at full speed.