Hello again.

This is yet another story to add to my list of monstrosities, but I do not foresee it being as emotionally jarring as the others.

Once again, this is an AU, so no immortal nations here. Just their silly human counterparts. Keep in mind that this takes place on a planet in the midst of its Medieval era, so you could probably think of Skyrim, Dragon Age, A Knight's Tale or even Lord of the Rings as references for the setting. There isn't any magic here, so keep that in mind too.

The main pairing here will be Spain and Romano, although I haven't decided how much romance will be integrated into the story. It won't be instant romance, mainly because of what I have planned, but it will be there. So, as of right now, I plan for it to be Adventure and Drama.

Also, I will be working on this only when I have writer's block for Infection, so there is the chance that this will be updated at random intervals rather than a weekly basis.

Enjoy~

Nothing lies beyond the perpetual wall of clouds overhead. For as long as Lovino could remember, it was spoken as the truth. No one questioned it. They merely believed that crap like the mindless servants they were.

It wasn't like anyone ever saw anything beyond those puffy, rain spouting things anyway, and Lovino sure as hell didn't really give a damn about if anything was beyond them. Not once in his twenty-three years of living in this hell hole of a town did anything peek out from the dull grey looming high above the tree-tops, and with how much it rained, he was surprised that the entire town hadn't flooded over at some point. Day in and day out, that god awful water poured from the sky, usually pelting the man as he stumbled through mud-caked pathways between shoddy buildings. It was life, not one that he greatly approved of, but hey, he was better off than those miserable paupers scrounging around Roscgard's fortifications.

Even today, at the fifth hour since daybreak, the rain continued to soak Lovino down to his bones, but this unwanted bombardment of wetness was a daily requirement for the young man. A new shipment of leather and iron was arriving from a distant kingdom, and it was his duty to see the delivery from the gate to his home, but the only thing that really bothered him wasn't the fact that his newly crafted clothes were becoming laden with water, no. He was used to that crap. The damn shipment was late; very late, and it was drawing his patience.

Leaning against the stone entrance of the castle town, Lovino stared out into the grey abyss to the west, his olive eyes straining against the chilly bite of the wind and flecks of water that managed to slip past his eyelashes. There wasn't so much as a dark speck out of place from what he could see, just a blotchy outline of the distant mountains, the forest that surrounded them, and few towers here and there. Occasionally, flickers of lightning illuminated the earth beyond those said landmarks. An armour-clad guard next to the strapping young man yawned, rubbing at the scruffy beard growing in scraggily patches along his jaw. "Nothin's coming, lad. There hasn't been a lit tower in three days."

"No fucking shit. It's not like I've been standing here since the last damn shipment." Perhaps his grumble was a bit uncalled for, but the old guy still chortled, using his pike as support as he turned a faded blue eye towards Lovino. "Oh, shut up, you old geezer."

Another chuckle contrasted with the pattering of rain, before the guard sighed and returned his wavering gaze to the neighbouring fields. "With how much you stand out here, I don't see why you don't just join the guard yourself. You'd make a damn good inspector with how picky you are."

Lovino shot the man a glare. Why the fuck would he want to stand around all day, pushing people around in the name of the cunt-faced bastard overruling this mud hole? God, he already had enough shit to do, and he sure as hell wasn't going to add that crap to his list. "Keep dreaming, old man." Ugh, where the fuck is that damn horse and cart? Surely, it would've cleared the border by now, and should be somewhere in the Alystian fields. It wasn't like there were hounds or wyverns out this time of the year, so the only thing the deliverers would have to worry about would be a worsening storm. Or bandits, Lovino almost forgot about them. He sighed, adjusting the soaked tunic he adorned and the knife on his hip. If he had to go out and find those idiots, there would be hell to pay. His grandfather needed that shipment for the newest order from the king, and if it wasn't fulfilled in a timely manner, they wouldn't be compensated for the time and materials spent on that dumbass... meaning they wouldn't have enough for buying raw iron, hides, or food.

But wasting his time here did nothing.

"Fuck this shit." Lovino pushed away from the wall, throwing a sneer over this shoulder "Send a guard if those idiots ever get here."

The gatekeeper toothily grinned, saluting the young man. "Yes, sir."

Lovino huffed, but none the less, waved goodbye to his long time friend, glad that at least someone in this fucking town actually listened to him. The sky sure as hell didn't, laughing mercilessly as it continued to pelt him with cool summer rain, thoroughly matting his hair flat against his skull. Mud flicked up from the bottom of his boots, caking them in the awful concoction that surely contained manure and probably someone's piss. Lovely. Just fucking lovely. Grandpa knew how much he hated walking through the Earth District, but he always sent Lovino there rather than sending Feliciano or going himself, although, he really couldn't complain too much about his elder's decision. He had a chance to be by himself for once, and when it was raining, it was peaceful, for a lack of a better word. Everyone was either under shoddy, leather tents or inside cheap homes, trying their best to keep dry in such weather. No one bothered him while they were locked away in their homes. No one teased him for being so old and not married. He was truly at peace in this crappy, yet blissful isolation.

Thunder clapped overhead, showing her power as lightening fingered out against the bland clouds, illuminating Lovino's path much better than those torches ever could in such harsh weather. Doing the best he could with his hand, Lovino tried to block out any of the rain from getting into his eyes, flinching every time a droplet splashed against his eyelashes, though, water still trickled down from his soaked locks, breaking through his shoddy barrier. A groan rumbled in his throat, paltry compared to the bellowing of the skies and the crackles of her breath.

Just a little more... Oh, if only that was true. With this downpour, a simple hill up to a higher district, both in elevation and reputation, was like walking the entire castle town with bricks tied to his feet. Nothing but mud coated the unfinished roads, something that he was going to fix if he had to trudge across them every day. Only the Royal and the Cloud Districts had something remotely comparable to stone pathways, merely because people got tired of having dirt caking their toes for days on end. He took a sharp turn to the left, past the home of a good friend and the small garden she was trying to grow, making a detour for the nearest set of stairs. Sure, it was longer to go this way, possibly forcing a cold upon him in a day or so, but it would lessen the mess he would have to clean off of his boots and the hem of his slacks.

Only a few minutes passed before he finally reached the steps up to his home district, relief escaping his body as a drawn out sigh. Much better, oh god, this was so much better than that muddy hellhole. He actually had something he could walk under and only water would splash up after every step, not only that, but he could see his grandfather's forge beyond the curtain of rain. A black speck was standing at the door to his home, probably his idiot brother waiting for him with a thick cloth in hand.

Lovino broke out into a run once the person waved, their slightly less than masculine voice muddled out by the cascading water and thunder, although he clearly recognized it to be Feliciano. Great care was taken to not fall on the slippery stone, and he nearly made it to his home without slipping, that is, before a sudden, excruciatingly loud boom from the heavens startled him, causing him to lose his footing.

What the fuck was that? It wasn't thunder!

Shouting, Feli rushed out to his older brother, who swatted him away as he picked himself up. "Are you okay, Lovi?"

He scowled at the younger male, not at all happy that the younger's hair was already soaked. "Yeah, yeah. Go back inside, idiot, or you'll get sick." An arm latched around his, pulling him to the steps of the veranda, where he was forced to sit down. Not a moment later, Feli had that cloth roughly tousling Lovino's hair, all while blubbering out the nonsense that the elder brother often tuned out. Blah blah, this and blah blah that, then something about the cute blond girl a few houses away, and then back to something about how pretty it was that morning. He was lucky that Lovino loved him so damn much, otherwise that perpetual optimism and running mouth would've gotten him slapped.

Well, not really, and if anyone else decided to do so, then there would be hell to pay.

"So the shipment still isn't here?" The towel trailed down to his shoulders, where Feliciano began to dry off his brother's tunic, apparently not realizing that it would be easier if Lovino simply changed out of his drenched clothing.

"No. Damn fuckers are still missing."

Feliciano sighed in disappointment, resting the cloth on Lovino's shoulders before easing down beside him, his toes digging into the stone below. "Maybe we can get by without them. Grandpa will figure something out, right?"

God, I hope so. Lovino fondly ruffled Feli's hair, smiling as his little bro giggled under his breath and rested his head upon the older man's shoulder. It was going to be tough to get through this mishap, but hell, they've done it before. They might have to tear the rivets off of their wagons down in the stables, along with melting down some of their tools, but as long as they made something, they probably would be given more time. While the king was a cunt-face, he had a liking for the Vargas family's products, and would be more lenient with them than anyone else.

They watched the rain pour from the skies in silence, just like when they were children, with Feli pointing out every abnormal splash of water and clinging to Lovino's arm when lightening fingered through the clouds, giggles pouring out from his lips. "Oh, Lovi~ Aren't storms so pretty?" Maybe, but they were too wet for his taste.

"Meh. They're okay." He preferred the rare dry days over this. As they sat there, Feliciano blathering out more ignored words, his mind began to wander back to that particular roar from before. It just seemed... different, at least compared to what they normally heard during storms, but he couldn't but a finger on what could've produced such a noise. A snap-dragon could've made that deafening, almost metallic boom, yet, it wouldn't have been that loud unless it was only a few feet away... and three times larger than the average adult... which completely threw him back to square one.

Feliciano tugged on Lovino's arm once he realized he was ignoring his rambles, his voice turning high and whiney. "Lovi! Did you hear what I said?"

Olive eyes rolled up to the clouds. "No, Feli. I couldn't stand the happiness you fucking radiate, so I tuned you out."

The younger of the two pouted, and allowed a tiny hmph to filter through his nose, although that face of disapproval soon gave way to a silly smile as he pulled Lovino into a tight hug, effortlessly squeezing the air out of his lungs. "I said that I want to help you when the shipment finally gets here. You and grandpa always do all of the work, and I want to help!"

Well then. He truly didn't expect that, but he wouldn't allow it. "Nah. I can handle it on my own, besides," he paused, ruffling his brother's dark locks, "you do help. You clean like a motherfucking god, and keep everything organized for us. You don't need to do anything else to help."

"If you say so..." His voice lacked the glee it normally spouted, though it didn't surprise the man. Many, many times, his younger brother asked to help Lovino retrieve their goods, but it was simply too dangerous. Sure, he knew how to defend himself against a common thug, but Lovino was certain that he would have no idea how to handle a hound, or an imp. Sneaky bastards, they were, and they could easily thwart anyone who never faced their kind in battle.

Eyes flicked down to the sulking male. "Hey." He fondly punched his brother in the arm. "Don't worry too much about it, okay? If you were gone, who would flirt with all of our neighbours? Although..." His lips formed a sly grin under mischievous olives as his voice dropped to a teasing hum. "That would give me more time with those pretty ladies."

Releasing his brother, Feliciano giggled under his breath and rose to his feet. With his hands on his hips, he leaned over Lovino, grinning like the child he was at heart. "You'd have to get them to like you first, Lovi. They all think that I'm the cute one~"

Lovino scoffed and pushed himself up to be eye level with the younger Kitalan. "Just keep believing those lies, Feliciano. We'll see who likes who when this damn storm ends." Feli accepted his challenge with a brisk snort before taking the towel off of Lovino's shoulders, as the elder gently pried the front door open. "Come on. We need to get you some dry clothes." And me some too. It felt like a rash, or at least something akin to it, had formed along the line where his boot ended on his shin, and his drenched attire was beginning to make his skin chilled. His brother followed him into the home without a word and closed the door behind him, sighing in bliss once warmth embraced him with her arms.

In one of the larger chairs in the centre of the room sat their grandfather, his eyes drooping with exhaustion, anxiety along with whatever else was sprinting across his mind, and his jaw freshly shaven for once. Yawning, the eldest living member of the Vargas family ran a work-worn hand through hastily chopped locks, the dark curls upon his scalp already drenched with a concoction of sweat and soot. "I'm assuming they're not here yet."

"Nope. Bastards got lost or something. The guard towers past Alystian haven't been lit either."

Romulus groaned upon hearing his eldest grandson's words, and leaned back in the raggedy armchair, steely eyes staring up the patchwork ceiling. "We'll have to go find them. There is the chance that they're still out in the fields, or maybe in the forest. You can go later today, right Lovino?"

"Grandpa," Feliciano piped up before Lovino could give his thoughts about the situation, crossing the room and sitting in one of the smaller chairs beside the elder man, his eyes lighting up with a hopeful gleam. "Can I go help him?" Romulus' eyes locked on the younger of the two brothers, and then he sighed.

He curled a brawny arm around his cherished grandson. "Not this time, Fel."

"But why?"

"Because we don't know if they've been attacked or if they are just stupid dipshits." Didn't he realize that? Did he not remember what happened last time they blindly walked into an attack? Lovino knew that Feli could be absentminded at times, but holy hell! He should've realized that there were only two damn reasons people didn't show up on time. Ugh, he felt like slapping his little brother across the back of his head for thinking so idiotically. "Look, Feliciano." Lovino continued after seeing such disappointment glimmer behind his brother's chocolate eyes. "When we know that nothing bad happened, then you can go with me. Otherwise, you need to stay here. Got it?" Perhaps his tone was a bit harsh for what he was trying to convey to his precious little brother, but he wanted that idiot little brother of his to be safe, not on the side of the road with a dagger lodged between his ribs.

Feli merely nodded, his eyes brightening a tad. "Okay..." He suddenly turned around, frowning at the man who was in the process of tugging off his water saturated tunic and exposing the slightly damp, cotton shirt below. "But you better promise that you will!" Scowling at him with the dripping cloth tangled in his arms that circled his head, Lovino scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I promise, you demanding little jerk."

The somewhat aggressive frown, if he could even call it that, disappeared from Feliciano's lips, replaced by such an earnest smile that it honestly made Lovino regret what he pledged to his precious brother. That idiot... That soft-hearted fool wouldn't be able to take another life, even if it meant surviving until the next day. But right now, he had other things bothering him; like this stupid shirt that wouldn't fucking cooperate with him. Fucking hell, he wanted to just tear the damn thing off of his body and throw it into the forge outside, but it was new, and he'd be dammed if he'd let new clothes get ruined so easily.

Feli leaped up from his chair, pausing only to kiss his grandfather on the cheek, before practically skipping to the tiny staircase leading to the two bedrooms. "I'll get you some dry clothes, Lovi." And then he quickly scurried into the second floor, his jovial hums drowned out by the rain pattering on the roof.

Romulus glanced over at his shoulder, chuckling at the sight of his grandson having a bit of trouble removing his top before he stood up, limping over to the struggling man. With a single tug, he freed Lovino from his cloth bondage, widely grinning at his dishevelled hair and red blotched cheeks. "You'll have to teach him how to fight, Lov. I would, but," the old man woefully hummed as he stared down into his palms, flexing them with slight difficulty. "I'm not as young as I used to be; this body has grown old and slow, and wouldn't be a true representation of the beasts that prowl the land. You know how dangerous they are, and you know what I'm saying is true." Lovino frowned, nodding at the old man's words. "Next time, when the weather is fair, take him right outside of town and teach him. Promise me that."

God, what was up with all of these promises, yet, he still agreed to what his elder asked. The world was becoming increasingly treacherous, and those monsters were more daring than ever before, meaning his brother had to learn to fight them. Perhaps they waited too long to teach him such key knowledge, but they both figured that Feliciano would never try to leave the town on his own, since they constantly insisted for him to bring a guard with him if he ever had to venture outside the walls.

Taking the tunic much too small for his burly shoulders, Romulus hobbled to the other side of the room and hung the dripping cloth on a line stretching from wall to wall. "I'll move it outside when it stops raining." Lovino grumbled out in thanks before tugging off his undershirt, boots, socks, and his slacks. Hanging them on the same string as his shirt, he groaned, already feeling his feet complain about the weather as he trudged over to his grandfather, who was lounging in his favourite chair once more. "That bad, huh?"

He scowled, flopping down in front of the fireplace holding dying embers from that morning, and he later grumbled, swatting away the foot that teasingly poked him in the side. Such a throaty chuckle roared from Romulus' lungs, and he fought back the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. Not long after, Feli came back into the room holding a dry set of clothes for himself and his brother. Ah, so much better. He was thrilled that the younger Kitalan had enough sense to grab the most comfortable clothes he had for such an evening, he easily decided once he slipped the old slacks. Feliciano changed beside him and hung his saturated clothes beside Lovino's. Peering over his bare shoulder, he noticed that his brother seemed to be a bit more cheerful than before, merrily humming to his own inner tempo with a please grin plastered on his face.

Lovino sighed. Hopefully, Feli realized that nothing was peaceful outside Roscgard's fortifications, and the long road to fighting proficiency was not an easy one; he'd have to work on his reading and writing as well, due to the amount of knowledge that brute force couldn't teach him.

At least he was happy, for now anyway, and Lovino couldn't ask for more.

After he became tired of sitting on the floor, Lovino pushed himself up to a stand and immediately searched for the broom. Once he found it, he tended to the dust and soot covered floor while Feliciano stepped outside on the veranda to organize the various metals, and neither of them allowed their grandfather to do anything. They left the front door open, grateful for the cool air flowing in, mingling and kicking out the stuffiness that lingered in the home that was mostly produced by the forge. Sweeping the dirt outside that said door, Lovino paused momentarily and leaned against the frame. Rain continued to pour down from the heavens, much to his displeasure.

This rain... would it ever stop? He hated it so much. Constantly, he wished for a home where those clouds overhead wouldn't laugh at him with its horrible booming cackles, and flick that stupid water on him anytime he stepped outside. Hell, as much as he didn't care for it, he somewhat wished that there would be a day where those clouds weren't in the sky, but what would be there in their place? Lovino glanced up at the looming blotches of dark grey. He couldn't fathom anything existing beyond them... nothing at all. Only emptiness entered his mind when he tried to imagine what could lie behind the well of clouds, so, with a gruff sigh, he continued with his work, glancing over at his brother every once in a while to make sure that he wasn't having too much trouble lifting the ingots or tools.

Lovino certainly had to admire that drive his idiot brother had to help his family, despite everything that he already did. One day, he'd hopefully realize that.

Soft sweeps of the broom pushed dirt and ash off of the veranda, exposing the tawny wood below that begged for a good scrubbing, and another application of wax along the surface. A few minutes later, Lovino pulled the wooden bucket that collected rain water up onto the porch as his brother fetched the two mops, and they washed off the thin layer of grime that the brooms couldn't remove. There was another cackle from the sky, and Feli paused in his work, his head snapping towards the heavens. "Did you hear that?"

Lovino stopped as well, a firm scowl set upon his lips. So he wasn't the only one who heard it. "Yeah."

"That didn't sound like it was supposed to, did it?" Of course it didn't, and it was louder than before, but as long as nothing happened, there wasn't any point of worrying about it. The rain didn't seem to be affected by it, still pouring down by the bucket.

"It's probably nothing." Lovino resumed mopping the floor, ignoring the babbles his brother made about that noise, yet, as the sky boomed again, a chill ran down his spine. There was another noise that accompanied it this time, something like a whining beep and a faint choppy voice, almost as if it was far, far away, rang in his ears.

M...ay..yd..y...is...s the C..pt...n o...he Ar...ad...a... I ha..e...n stru... by d...br... surro...ding ...y... pla...et. My en...n... and communi...at...on o...put sy...ms...ve...e...dam...ged and I am re...que...ing pe...miss...n to l...d. Pl...se... My thr...s...s wo...ast m...h lo..er.

W-What on earth was that? That voice, so shaken and panic laced, it made anxiety rush through his blood and his fingers tremble in concern. Apparently Feli heard it too, his mop clattering to the floor as he rushed to the railing of the porch, searching the skies for anything out of normal. Water dripped down from the roof and onto his face, his eyes fluttering from the sudden splashes. "Something's up there, Lo-"

"No." He cut him off, pulling him away from the edge of the veranda, hoping, praying that no one heard his brother's rambles. "Don't let anyone hear you say that. There is nothing up there; nothing but those shitty clouds." He didn't need anyone thinking that Feliciano was insane by believing such foolish things.

There isn't anything beyond the clouds. There never was and there never will be...

He repeated those words over and over but his heart continued to race in panic, even as he tugged his brother back inside and locked the door.