Bab 10

As Enterprise continues running towards the beach with me on her back, I can't help but laugh. Everyone looks at us as we rush past, eyes filled with wonder or amusement. The wind rushing through my hair, I throw my hands up, taking in the sunlight in the process.

Enterprise: We're here!

Opening my eyes reveals that we are indeed at the beach. The evening sun shines brightly as we come to a halt on the sand. Enterprise slowly lets go of my legs, allowing me to stand on my own. 

Me: It's beautiful.

When she doesn't immediately respond, I turn away from the horizon to look at her and find her staring at me. 

Me: What?

Enterprise: It is. 

Me: How'd you know? You haven't looked at it yet.

She simply laughs and starts walking towards the water. After some time, I follow her but stop short as an eagle approaches. 

I watch in amazement as it lands perfectly on her outstretched arm. As I continue to observe from a short distance, she's seemingly lost in thought as she pets it. From how it responds, it's most certainly her pet. Smiling, I decide to leave the two alone and continue walking along the beach, feet kicking up water now and again. 

Sometime later, I hear her calling out my name but before I can reply, the eagle finds me and seemingly calls out that I am over here. By the time she's by my side once more, I'm barely keeping myself upright as I laugh at the scene. She smiles and joins me, sitting in the sand. 

Enterprise: You can't run away from us, you know. 

Me: I wasn't trying to.

The minute she fixes her legs, I turn and plop my head into her lap. The look of surprise on her face doesn't last long but for the brief moment it's there, I'm filled with laughter once more. Once she recovers, however, she smiles and leans down, whispering in my ear.

Enterprise: You know, for a sick person you are quite mischievous.

Before she can pull away, someone calls out our name causing her to nearly jump to her feet. I on the other hand, simply lean further into her lap so that I can see who's calling without getting up. Even though the person appears upside down, I quickly make out that it's Belfast.

Belfast: Excuse my interruption but Miss Zhejiang, you're being invited to join a small gathering within the Royal Navy quarters. 

Small gathering, huh. I don't think those words ever mean what they seem to mean. Still, it'd be rude to not accept their hospitality. Without getting up, I take a deep breath before responding.

Me: What kind of gathering is it?

Belfast: A small party.

Me: You're coming?

It takes a while for Enterprise to notice that I'm talking to her but when she does, fear rips through her eyes before being replaced with the blankest look I've ever seen.

 Enterprise: I-

Me: Oh you're coming, whether you like it or not. Even if I have to carry you there. 

She protests but before long, we're both at the so-called party which, as expected, turned out to be a rather large gathering. As we enter the garden where it's being held, a few persons recognize us and come over to say hi. Some even go as far as to thank me for saving everyone even though I'm still not completely sure how I helped besides get myself hurt. 

????: You must be Zhejiang.

I turn to find what looks like a little girl, at first, walking towards me. I don't recognize her at all but judging from her outfit, she's definitely from Royal Navy and the crown on her head suggests she's royalty. Queen Elizabeth, maybe? 

Me: I'm sorry but I don't think we've met.

Enterprise: This is Queen Elizabeth of Royal Navy.

Me: Ah, the host then. Thanks for the invite and hospitality you've shown me so far. 

Elizabeth: Of course. We Royal Navy girls know how to treat our guests after all. 

Not sure how to respond to that, I merely smile and take a glass from a passing waiter. Before toasting to our success. She seems pleased by this and only spends a few more seconds talking to us before moving on. 

Enterprise: You handled that pretty well.

Me: She seems like she's a lot to deal with on a regular basis. 

Before Enterprise can respond, I notice Dalian walking on the other side of the garden. I'm not sure if she's noticed me or not but I excuse myself for a brief moment to follow her. It takes a surprising amount of effort to catch up to her but when I do, her eyes widen in surprise before turning to fear. Still, I don't allow her to descend into a state of panic and run off again, instead, pulling her into the most loving hug I can produce. She tenses at first but soon relaxes, crying into my shoulder. 

Me: Now, now. It's ok. I'm not upset with you or anything. I'm sorry if I scared you or made it seem like I was mad.

She doesn't respond, instead, burying her face deeper into my shoulder as she continues to cry. We stay like that for some time before she finally calms down. By the time she does, however, the top half of my dress is soaked and she's returned to begging for forgiveness once more but I simply laugh it off and point out that she's soaked as well. Stooping ever so slightly, I wipe the remaining tears from her eyes and press a kiss to her forehead before telling her everything going to be fine. This seemingly erases the remaining doubts and before long we're back to how we were before. 

Sometime later, Enterprise comes looking for me and finds us sitting together on a ledge overlooking the base. She's about to withdraw when I notice her and call her over. 

Me: Dalian, this is Enterprise and she's a friend.

Dalian sheepishly turns to face her, perhaps remembering how she had treated her when they first met. 

Dalian: Sorry for-

Enterprise: It's fine, really. It's all in the past, besides, you didn't damage me in any way. 

Dalian protests for a bit but soon gives in and accepts Enterprise's forgiveness. The three of us continue sitting on the ledge for some time, talking about all sorts of things before Dalian finally falls asleep, her head resting in my lap. 

Enterprise: I can tell you're both very close.

Me: Well, we've been through a lot together. She's like a little sister to me now. 

Enterprise smiles as she stands to help me lift her up. Together, we say goodnight to the other girls at the party before heading to the dorms. Once there, we find out from some of the other Dragon Empery girls that we've received a part of the dorm for ourselves. They show us to Dalian's room where I find out that I'm also assigned to the same. Ning Hai opens the door for us and together, we place her on one of the two beds in the room. The minute she hits the sheets, she curls up and I smile, covering her up before stepping out of the room. 

Ning Hai's already gone by the time Enterprise and I step back out into the moonlight. 

Me: Thanks for helping me bring her back.

Enterprise: My pleasure.

Me: Mmm, but we didn't get to dance.

Enterprise: Dance? 

Me: Who goes to a party without letting loose a little?

Enterprise: I can't dance.

Smiling, I take her hand and pull her along until we arrive outside the dorms before turning and heading down a pathway until we arrive at a private location. Looking around, it's perfect. The moonlight lights up what must be a miniature garden, complete with night-blooming flowers and a paved pathway that barely overlooks the harbour. From here, no one can see us. It truly is perfect. 

As she continues to stare, wondering what I'm up to, I point out that she should be asking for my hand. She jokes about us marrying before catching me off guard by pulling me close. For someone who doesn't know how to dance, she easily switches us from one type of dance to the next and before long we're both laughing our troubles away. Right here, right now, nothing exists but us and it is indeed, perfect. 

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