Sioux Talk by Ashford2ashford
Disclaimers: By now, it's second nature to know I don't own any of this! But Sioux is mine! Oh yes. I claim the snake at least!
Rating: PG-13…because it's not developed enough to be classed as anything else!
Pairing (s): None implied surprisingly!
Timeline: Three years after the disaster. If anything, in between the end of the Resident Evil games and before Resident Evil 4, but when do I ever follow a timeline?
Summary: Alfred Ashford wants nothing more than to settle down three years after his incident at Rockfort, but there is someone out there who wants otherwise. Someone Alfred never even thought about but knew of…someone who knows him more than he ever let on…
AN: Well…what can I say? My first fic with Wesker in it (not mentioning character diaries!) I hope I've captured his personality for all you Wesker fans…
Important Notes about the Fic: Again, no particular timeline. Just to stress this. And my information about the Umbrella connections between Wesker, Birkin, and Alfred have come from playing the games…not reading anything else…so…meh…enjoy…
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Alfred stands on his balcony, leaning over the rail with his arms folded, his beautiful blonde hair ruffling in the wind. It is early morning, and he is still in his dressing gown - a blue cotton one Alexia bought for him one Christmas - the rising Sun just over the horizon of the ocean around Rockfort. He can see it now, and when he looks over the entire island from atop his balcony on the outside of the castle, he feels at peace.
It's always quiet at this time, and with the grass rustling, the wind blowing gently, and the sea birds calling in the brisk morning air, Alfred feels calm and gentle. Around his neck lies the sleeping form of Sioux - curled around the young male's shoulders, coils gripping gently around his arms and shoulders, and head resting lazily on it's Master's chest.
Gently, Alfred runs his fingers across the slumbering snake's coils, feeling the warm slick scales beneath his fingertips, relaxed and enjoying the feel of the early morning.
This has now become somewhat of a ritual for him, this early morning vision never tiring. He breathes his breath on the cool morning air, seeing the warmth in the cold around him, and then leans fully on the balcony, his hands now resting upon the white painted iron bar around it. Yawning, he once again pets the snake around his neck, this time causing the snakes tiny green eyes to open lazily, looking around for a moment and then yawning and sliding gently around on the male's shoulders, sliding inside the dressing gown for warmth - Alfred smiling as the snake settles down across his chest once more.
Today, he has decided, is going to be a good day.
As the Sun reaches out over the water with waves of gold, Alfred turns and retreats into the safety of what used to be his father's room, yawning and stretching his long arms out either side of him, his bare feet padding across the soft green carpeting, and feeling the shape beneath his robe's shoulders stir as he does so. Gently, hardly making a sound, he crosses the room and makes it to the door. It's quiet in the castle, yet the Sun streams in through new stained glass windows, making colourful patterns dance on the red carpet rolling from the doorway to the stairs. Smiling when he sees this, Alfred takes a left from the door and goes up a long winding balcony, up stairs, until he reaches the door that leads to the twin bedrooms.
Within minutes, he is stood in his own blue themed room, disrobing gently, allowing the dressing gown to fall messily onto the back of a chair near his desk. The snake around his neck and shoulders blinks and then tastes the warm air inside the heated room, slowly sliding across the naked shoulders until it is wrapped firmly around Alfred's left arm, reaching down from it as if it were a tree branch. Alfred smiles and then raises his arm, bringing the snake's small head to the same height as he. The snake's tongue tickles his nose for a brief second and then its eyes gaze into Alfred's, in some way listening to Alfred's soft cooing voice, as he strokes the top of its head lovingly.
"You are beautiful aren't you? Yes…you are…you…are…"
If the snake understands the Ashford, then it gives no sign of doing do, sliding down the arm, around his neck, and down the right shoulder to his right arm. Giggling, Alfred allows it onto his bed, his naked form leaving it there whilst he begins to dress in his normal attire of royal reds and gold. As soon as he is sure he's dressed properly, he takes a blue comb and some gel and runs both through his bed messed blonde hair, sliding the hairs back into his normal slicked back style. The snake watches him, as though fascinated by the very idea that humans cover themselves in this manner, as though protecting what is natural.
When he is finished, Alfred turns and retrieves his snake from its position on the bed, wrapping it round his neck in mockery of a woman wearing furs around her neck. The snake settles into position around him, its warmth spreading into Alfred's neck, and then curls its coils around the upper portion of his left arm.
"Come on, Sioux." Alfred murmurs gently, unsure of whether the snake understands him. It was a pun in itself that Alfred had given his snake the name. He had read that in tribal language 'Snake' was 'Sioux' and 'Sioux' was 'Snake'. In a normal person's ears, they would think that its name was rich, exotic, and favourable for a snake. In Alfred's perspective, he had unoriginally called his snake 'Snake'.
Of course, it did not appear that Sioux minded its name (I use the term 'it' loosely, as Alfred really was unsure of whether his pet was a boy or a girl). Then again, it appeared that Sioux didn't mind anything as long as it didn't mean effort.
The pair, the man and the snake, passed the rooms of the castle, passed the bridge and stairs leading down the hill, and even passed the palace's rooms, until both were standing (rather, one was hanging) in the courtyard of the front of the Palace – the newly fixed up gates in front of them leading to a fountain and then past that, the fields and trees. They were, Alfred had decided, going to go to the fountain today – not that Sioux would complain – and relax.
It had been approximately three years since Alfred had met his gristly end at the wrong end of a pair of sub machine guns, and Rockfort was back to what seemed to be its former glory. Surviving against all odds, the young male had found his way back here and had decided to start a new.
Using all funds in his private account at Umbrella – not knowing that two days after he had done this, Umbrella went broke once and for all – he had built up a new account and had begun to change the entire island back to what he wanted it to be. He had kept some aspects of the prison and the military training base, but had concentrated even more on the grassy areas and woodland areas that had been obscured by the prison-like walls of the base.
Rockfort had become a paradise of wild flowers, grassy fields, glorious fountains, clean and prosperous gardens, and with sufficient soil for growing crops and the like. Just to enjoy the luxuries he, as an Ashford, craved, he had also planted fruit trees of all origins, making sure to take care of food and water before the arts (for once thinking with his head and not his noble pride).
Not long after he had declared the island finished, he had taken a trip to Southeast Asia and had discovered a small egg buried in the sands underneath the vegetation near a river, and had decided, with some instinct, to keep it and hatch it.
Thus the bond between snake and man had been forged.
The egg had been a remainder from a Burmese Python clutch – a late bloomer. Now Alfred had a two foot long Burmese Python to keep him company. He had bought books from the mainland on the handling and caring of snakes and had even winced a little in fear when he had learned that it would grow to be at most twenty feet long.
It was merely a youngling now, only a month or so old, but it would grow every single day and soon Alfred would have to build an enclosure sturdier than the one he had now for it.
Matters for another day in Alfred's eyes.
He lazed over the fountain and let the snake ease its coils into the warm water, the small creature swimming and darting about quicker than it would when on foot (so to speak). The snake flickered its tongue out this way and that, and simply didn't acknowledge anything for the moment.
Alfred Ashford lay back and stared at the sky, occasionally feeling the warm scales brush past his fingertips as one hand trailed lazily in the cooling water. He had plenty of time to lie back and truly think nowadays. Without Alexia, without Umbrella, without anyone; Alfred had time to create – he had taken an interest in the arts (music, art, swordplay, etc) and had read copious amounts of books since then.
Of course, what did remain was the loneliness. Even with the snake, Alfred was truly lonely, and this is what made his life incomplete. He often cast his mind back to think of the people he had met.
James Cooper – Agent Hunk – had been his first friend, so to speak. The strong willed Umbrella Agent had once upon a time taken residence on Rockfort as an officer in the Rockfort Military training facility. Hunk was six years Alfred's superior, and Alfred recalled that, as a small fifteen year old boy, he had admired the officer as being the only one on the island (apart from his dear sister) who was worth respecting.
Upon joining the military only one year later, Alfred had earned himself a place among the veterans as the 'Baby'. The youngest in the military and the youngest in his dormitory. He had fallen in with Hunk's people, a nice bunch were it not for their filthy habits and their crude language. Hunk had made sure that Alfred was respected among them too, not because of his status in the Ashford family, but rather his fighting prowess and sniping skills.
Hunk was the only person who made Alfred glad to work under. He didn't mind having any superior as long as it was James Cooper.
He found himself missing the other man's company now. Even when Alfred had gone insane, Hunk still stood by his side (when he wasn't off on Umbrella's business) and had regularly visited the island to meet up with his old friend. Alfred realised that when Hunk was with him, Alexia's voice no longer spoke to him, and he no longer suffered delusions or hallucinations.
This, of course, didn't help his loneliness…
He was startled when Sioux suddenly slithered up his arm and onto his chest, so startled that he sat up…and gazed straight ahead at the figure dressed in black who was walking calmly and with purpose down the path towards him.
The figure could only be described as being dressed in black. Black boots, military in nature, black gloves, and a black jumpsuit. He even wore black reflective sunglasses that hid his eyes from view. The only colour apparent on him (and this startled Alfred a little) was the incredible pale tone to his exposed skin, and the styled bright blonde hair!
He walked with an air of confidence, of hidden strength, a man without fear…
Alfred shivered like a man with fear.
Much fear…
"Hello?" He called cautiously, suddenly regretting it the moment the words left his lips, noticing the grin slowly creeping its way across the blonde man's face. Lack of better judgement made him continue, "I do say…who you are? Tell me, what business do you have on this island?"
If the man heard him, he made no effort to show so, rather suddenly talking back in a rich, well spoken tone, one that was smooth to the ears, yet luxuriously deep and confident.
"I was told this island was deserted." He murmured, his voice cutting across the garden path, loud and unforgiving, "It seems that someone is still living here. Who would have thought it to be the presumed dead man? Alfred bloody Ashford. The insignificant worm from Umbrella. The one who thinks he owns the world…"
Alfred felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he bared his teeth in a snarl, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his hand brushing Sioux's scales gently, yet nervously, "Who…are you?"
It wasn't even a movement…
Not even a blink of an eye…
What happened next happened like this…
One minute Alfred was staring at the other male, and then he wasn't. He blinked once and that was it. When he opened his eyes, the blonde man was stood next to him, and Alfred was suddenly thrown into the fountain, the snake hissing and instinctively moving away through the water – turning and looking at its owner in shock.
Alfred lay there spluttering for a moment before he realised that the man in black was stood over him, one foot raised onto the fountain's edge, one arm resting on his raised knee, taking off his sunglasses and pocketing them. He opened eyes, eyes like a cat's, unnatural, cold, dead eyes, reminding the startled Ashford of the experiments that seemed like a memory in his harsh history, and started coolly at the young blonde male.
"You know me…" He purred, leaning down; their noses almost touching, "…you know me very well, Lord Ashford."
Alfred looked up with wide, frightened azure eyes, suddenly looking like a small child, "I don't…"
The other male winced at Alfred's eyes, as if face to face an Ashford was different than imagined, and then smiled coolly, staring with interest at the dripping wet Ashford.
"Yes, Sir Alfred…you do. You knew me, and you knew my partner. You knew William Birkin. You knew what happened to him and you knew who his partner in crime was…"
Alfred then looked up, realisation dawning on him, and he was twice as afraid as he had been before.
"Albert?"
The other man laughed and then nodded, fluidly reaching down and pulling the thirty something year old male out of the fountain and throwing him onto the hard pathway.
"Yes, Alfred. Albert. How delightful it is to see you again."
"You…you're dead."
"As are you."
There was silence. Neither man spoke then, as if something had been said that muted even Alfred. Wesker stood, foot still on the fountain, and Alfred lay on the ground, trembling and wet.
"Senseless re-introductions aside," Wesker started, "I have a mission here, and it's just by luck that I managed to complete it so soon."
"What are you talking about?"
"I was sent to investigate Rockfort. There were reports of activity in the context of an Ashford jet flying over the skies of South East Asia (The trip I took! Alfred thought the one where I found Sioux's egg!) And that there was a steadfast increase in activity on and around the island. My people learned that there was a male fitting your description living here.
"Who would have thought it to be actually you? The Alfred Ashford. The same Alfred Ashford who sat alone at Umbrella Europe whilst the researchers gossiped and talked over experiments. The same Alfred Ashford who drew in that little sketchpad of his without a care in the world! And the same Alfred Ashford who whimpered like a frightened boy when anyone made any physical contact with him, such as when William Birkin requests for his sister's company, and he flinches like a cowering dog.
"Such a prize you were. So unpopular, yet so much talked about because of the fact that you were on of two twins who were so alike, yet so far apart in personality. What an unparalleled delight it is to finally have you on the ground in front of me, still whimpering, yet…so interesting!"
"What do you want with me? You've found out who's living here! Now leave me be!" Alfred felt as though he was talking irrationally, but was far to terrified after Wesker's speech to even consider the effect his words might have on someone who had studied him so much without his knowledge.
Wesker listened…and then laughed again, suddenly pressing his foot down on Alfred's chest with increasing pressure.
"I can't do that, Alfred. You see…you've just volunteered to be part of 'our' experiments for a change." With another motion, he plucked Sioux out of the fountain and laughed gently, "And…well…let's just say…revenge is sweeter for me than it will be for you…"
Then there was pain in his head, and Alfred Ashford's world went black.
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Ashford2ashford: There we have it! The end of what I consider to be my best story yet! I hope you guys feel the same! See y'all soon! And I hope this pleases the Wesker fans!
