"Alfred, you better get down before I go and get Mom!"

The adventurous blue-eyed blonde grinned down at his twin from his spot upon the high branch on which he now stood. "Relax, Mattie. It's perfectly safe. You saw Gil do it yesterday, didn't you?"

The timid twin from below frowned deeply, wringing his hands together. "It wasn't this windy, Al. If you fall in the river-"

"Matt! I'm not gonna fall!" Alfred laughed as he lifted his feet off one branch so he was swinging on the one above, letting out a loud holler of joy.

Matthew looked away from his twin and towards the darkening sky. The wind was picking up, and he felt a few drops of rain splatter on his face. He turned once more to his brother. "Please, Al...Let's just go home. It's gonna storm soon."

Alfred rolled his eyes as he replaced his feet on the lower branch whilst casually swinging back and forth with one hand on the higher branch. "You're such a chicken, Mattie. You go on home if you're not havin' fun."

The worried seven year old folded his arms as he stared at his brother. "Fine, I will go home. But only to get Mom!" Matthew turned away from the tree that leaned across the river in the woods behind their house and started back to their home.

Alfred snorted, shaking his head. "Chicken!" he called after his twin before he turned his face towards the sky as a flash of lightning lit up the dark clouds, and a large clasp of thunder soon followed, causing the young boy to cling to the branch as he covered his ears.

"...Maybe he's right. It is getting really bad..." The dauntless boy slowly grabbed onto the branch higher than him, willing it to keep his balance as the wind continued to pick up, causing the branch he stood on to sway violently.

Now feeling a bit nervous as his slow progress towards the trunk of the tree was paused when he had to cover his ears again as another crack of thunder attacked his eardrums, he gripped the trunk desperately, frozen in place as the branch lurched from side to side.

He had taken only one more step, so close to reaching his destination, when a crack that didn't belong to the storm caught his attention. He hardly at any time to realize that it was the branch he'd been gripping that had suddenly loosed from the tree!

Alfred let out a cry of fear as he stumbled back, the wind knocking him over. He tried desperately to grab a hold of another branch, but he'd already rolled off of the tree, and he screamed as he plummeted through the violently careening limbs and down into the turbulent waters below.

And Alfred couldn't swim.


He felt warm arms around him as he was pulled out of the tempestuous waters. Water poured from his soaked hair and he coughed and spluttered, rubbing his burning eyes as he was laid on the muddy grass. The rain was coming in such a downpour, that with his face turned up, he couldn't see a thing.

He let out another wrack of coughs, choking on the water gathering in his lungs. His vision was blackening slowly until the same arms that had pulled him out of the river tilted his head to the side and pushed on his chest, allowing the boy to cough the water out of his lungs.

A few moments later, and the arms had picked him up off the ground. Alfred didn't care who this person was. The only thing he cared about was that he was out of the raging river and safe.

The person carried the boy for a few minutes until all of a sudden Alfred realized they were no longer outside in the pouring rain. He squinted around and saw...he was in his room.

Alfred was set down on the floor, a pool of water quickly gathering below him as he gazed up at the person who had saved his life.

The man had knelt down before the young boy, and had messy blonde hair that looked like it could never be tamed, and emerald green eyes. He was studying Alfred worriedly, and the boy couldn't help but notice the ginormous eyebrows the man had.

But what was most surprising was not the man's facial features. It was the fact that he wore a toga that reached just above his knees. And not only that, but a glowing gold halo floated above the man's head, and in his hand was a star-tipped wand. Last but not least, on his back was a pair of pure white feathery wings.

Alfred stared at the man in wonder. "...Who are you...?"

The man smiled lightly at the boy. "My name is Arthur...You must be Alfred." the man paused, frowning. "That was a very dangerous thing to do, Alfred; staying up on that branch when a storm like this was coming."

The blonde boy flinched as a roll of thunder shook the windows when Arthur said this. He then gaped at the man. "H-how did you know my name?! And-And what are you?"

Arthur chuckled as he pointed his wand at the boy, and a warm gust of wind gathered around the boy. In an instant, it was impossible to tell Alfred had ever been out in the storm. "I'm your guardian angel, Alfred. But that's our little secret, hmm?"

"An angel? I have my own angel?" Alfred grinned down at himself, surprised to find himself dry now. "Cool..." Then, a thoughtful look crossed the boys face. "How come I've never seen you before, though...?"

Arthur smiled lightly at the boy. "It is only my job to come down when you're in trouble...Like you just were. But enough about that. It's late, and you should get to sleep. Your mother will be happy to return and find you safe and in bed."

The angel gently touched the boy's forehead with his middle and index finger for a brief moment before pulling them back, and Alfred let out a yawn.

"But...I'm not even tired. And..." He let out another yawn. "I don't want you...to go..."

Arthur scooped the boy up and effortlessly carried him to the race car shaped bed, gingerly laying him down on the sheets and covering him up. "Hush, Alfred. I must go now. But know, I will always be watching over you. Now go to sleep."

Alfred let out another yawn, confused by how quickly he had turned tired. But his muddled mind wouldn't allow him to dwell on the situation any further as he smiled, his eyes sliding closed. "Okay...Thank you for saving me...Arthur..."

And just like that, the boy had dozed off, quickly succumbing to the gentle folds of slumber.

Arthur smiled down at the boy. But when he heard the front door open, he knew it was time to go. In the blink of an eye, he was at the window, and was flying up into the sky back to his home, where he would continue to watch his charge from above.