Hi, Amanda here. So today's my birthday and as a present, Tasha, bless her loving soul, has written me THIS PIECE OF AWESOME! I felt it needed to be shared with everyone. I, for one, was proud of her, and hope you guys like it as much as I did.
With that I bid you goodbye!

The giant clock struck ten, signally another days work had come to end. Arthur Kirkland sighed and looked at the smaller clock in front of him, deciding he could get a little more work done before he quit for day. He began tinkering with it again. The stubborn thing wasn't keeping time; it was either an hour late or an hour early and he hadn't pin pointed the problem yet. It was frustrating, really. If he didn't know any better he'd swear the clock was mocking him.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"We're closed." He barked, already knowing the only person who would be coming by at this hour. The person, however, opened the door anyway.

"Bonjour!" The man said smiling. Arthur frowned and went back to the clock.

"Go away Francis, I'm busy." Francis just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just came to tell you I finished your jacket. It's supposed to start getting colder out and God knows you'll freeze otherwise." Francis said. Arthur snorted, not taking his eyes off the clock.

"How much?"

"Free of charge, since you fixed my old grandfather clock." Francis looked out the window of the small shop. "It looks like it's about to storm. We should be getting home."

"I live upstairs." Arthur reminded him. "I can't afford a shop and a house. As it is I can barely afford a shop." A spring went flying to the opposite end of the room, causing the blond to curse under his breath before looking up at Francis. "I heard there was another attack yesterday."

"Oui. In Riven. Those pirates are getting a little to close for my liking." Arthur folded his arms to his chest and chuckled at the comment.

"We live in Aero. No right minded pirate is going to pillage here." Francis gave Arthur a skeptical look.

"They said the same thing about Chandelier and we know what happened there." Francis reminded the Englishmen. "Whoever's in charge of that ship isn't right minded." Arthur rolled his shoulders and stretched.

"Still, they seem to be going north of here. With any luck they'll pass right by us." Arthur stood up. "You should get home before it starts raining." Francis nodded.

"Oui. I'll bring your coat by tomorrow morning. Be sure to lock up tight." At that Francis left. Arthur walked over and locked the front door. He glanced out and saw the Frenchman walk over to his carriage. Once it was out of sight, Arthur turned the lights off in the shop and walked upstairs.

His small upstairs 'apartment' wasn't much. The only bathroom was downstairs, the kitchen and living area were small, and his bedroom barely had enough room for his half bed, much less his dresser and small side table. He quickly changed and climbed into bed just as the thundered boomed outside. Storms were common in Aero, a side effective for being so close to the mountains. One good side was that the properties there were cheap, and its tourist usually stayed over at least one night because of the air ships that passed by daily. The other good side was that because it was such a cheap town, most pirates tended to stay away from it, because there was almost nothing there for them.

Arthur stared out the window as the clouds came rolling in. There was something… odd, about one particular cloud. It wasn't moving with the rest of the clouds. It seemed to be going out on its own. Arthur sat up in his bed and pressed his face close to window. Why was that cloud moving so strangely?

His question was answered when a canon sounded off from the cloud. Arthur pressed himself back into his bed and gulped. Pirates… He jumped out of bed and threw his clothing back on before darting outside. Sure enough, the cloud dissipated to show a massive airship with black sails. Arthur ran back into his shop and shoved his desk against the front doors. He ran into the small office, grabbing the phone as he ran.

"Francis!" He shouted into the phone.

"Arthur! Are you alright?!" Came Francis from the other end of the line. Arthur let out a sigh of relief. At least he had made it home…

"They're here." He said.

"I know. I saw the airship. It's almost right by your shop."

"Anything by yours?"

"Not that I can see." There was brief pause. "Arthur… you aren't thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"

"I'm coming over." Arthur confirmed.

"No. Stay there. If you go out the doors you'll be slaughtered."

"I've got my father's gun. Besides, my place wouldn't stand up to them."

"Arthur-" Before Francis could protest, Arthur hung up and darted up the stairs.

"Father's gun… father's gun…" Arthur mumbled to himself, searching the apartment. "Bloody hell where is the damn thing?!" Arthur shouted, looking under his bed. Before he could move from underneath, however, there a click from behind him.

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements if I were you." Someone said. "If you're looking for that hand canon, I've got it. Now stand up and show me your hands." Arthur cursed under his breath and turned.

The man standing before him couldn't have been more then twenty. He had sandy blond hair and bright blue eyes. On his head were a pair of goggles and black glasses framed his face. He wore a light brown jacket with black gloves and held a golden pistol pointed at Arthur. In the other hand was Arthur's gun.

The man looked at Arthur before stepping aside.

"Downstairs." He ordered. Arthur walked pass him and down the stairs as he was told. The man led him the wall safe. "Put in the combination."

"I don't have anything of value in there." Arthur snorted. The man smirked.

"I'll be the judge of that." He said. "Combination. Now." Arthur sighed and but opened the safe anyway. He stepped to the side and the man glanced through the safe, keeping his pistol pointed at Arthur. He looked over the contents and seemed rather irritated by it, which caused Arthur to put his hands on his hips.

"I told you there was nothing valuable in there. I'm just a clockmaker." The man looked over the contents again and smiled before turning to Arthur.

"You're senator Kirkland's son." He said. Arthur felt a lump in throat.

"What if I am?" The man started laughing.

"You are exactly what we were looking for."

The man led Arthur outside to the airship, where he was shoved on board. The man whistled, and soon other pirates were running towards the ship.

"Gilbert, lift-off in two minutes." He said, tossing the hand cannon to another pirate and grabbing Arthur's arm. 'Gilbert' nodded and began firing up the engines. The man dragged Arthur down into the ship, stopping at a small room. He tossed Arthur inside and closed the door.

"If I were you I'd hold onto something. Gil gets excited during lift-offs." The man said before turning and leaving. Arthur huffed and looked around the room. There was a small bed, a desk, and a small window. Great, just bloody great.

"All hands are on deck captain!" Someone above shouted. Within seconds there was an ear-shattering screech and the airship took off at full blast. The sudden increase in speed caused Arthur to get thrown backwards and slam into the opposite wall. He looked out the window and could barely make out the outlines of the houses and streets. He wasn't sure which house was his or which was Francis's. He just hoped he'd be able to see one of them again.

About an hour had passed and Arthur was bored out of his mind. He had tried lying down on the bed to sleep but to avail. The airship was now moving at a slow and steady pace, which he assumed meant they weren't being chased. The door was locked and he had nowhere to go. He was staring out the window at the clouds below when the door opened. In came his captor with a tray of food.

"Figured you'd be hungry." The man said, rolling the cart next to Arthur. "Enjoy." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Arthur shouted. The man turned around. "…Why was I the only one taken?"

"Because you're Senator Kirkland's son."

"That's a rather vague answer." The man laughed.

"That's the only answer you're getting." He said. Arthur huffed and looked at food. "…What's your name? Or do you just want me to refer to as 'Mr. Kirkland.'" Arthur took a bite of soup.

"My name is Arthur." The man grinned as wide as he could.

"Nice to meet you Arthur. My name is Captain Alfred F. Jones." Arthur almost choked on his soup.

"C…captain?! You're so young…" Alfred shrugged and propped himself against the door frame.

"The ship was my father's before he died. I decided to honor his memory and keep it. I learned how to pilot it when I was thirteen and I've been on it ever since. Picked up my crew along the way." Alfred said nonchalantly. Arthur's jaw just dropped.

"I…How old are you…?" Alfred laughed at the question.

"Twenty. I'll be Twenty one in the summer." He let out a louder laugh at Arthur's shocked expression. "What about you? You don't look that old either."

"I'm twenty two." Alfred smiled and turned to the door.

"Well, Artie, I'll come back later to take the tray away." Alfred called as he walked out and locked the door. Arthur finished the rest of soup in shock. That young man, a captain? It seemed so unreal. Arthur ate the rest of the meal and laid down on the bed. He hadn't gotten the answer to his most important question yet:

Why did they take him, and where the hell were they going?