So, the first chapter of my new fanfic, finally up! I had a poll about pairings and such in this and I had two characters ending up on shared first place so it looks like some drama is about to happen, oh no! I do not love drama at all, promise..

Just as a heads up though, this is not a sweet nor cosy story. I needed some more action and feelings in my stories so there might be sacrifices, meaning main characters and/or other people. There will be death, hurt, betrayal, love and tears. I can already say I will most likely not be able to keep all the characters fully IC because they have their own background now that has shaped them all. Though they will still have their looks and traits of course!

In this story they aren't countries, they are real people, just so you know. I just want to get it all out there so no one starts reading this, thinking it will be a nice, lovely story about personified countries and gets horribly disappointed, hehe..

Also, English is not my native language so I apologize in advance for grammatical errors and spelling errors. If you notice any, feel free to send a PM and tell me where you found it and I will happily change it right away because no one wants spelling errors in their posted fanfics, at least I don't.

With that said, thanks for reading this far and I sure hope you will enjoy this rather long fanfic that might take quite some time to finish. I got big plans!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. There, I said it.

Chapter 1 - Our dreams will never die

"You know you can't hide in here forever, right?" The light voice was just loud enough to reach the other's ears and an immense blue colour met its equal in the other boy's eyes. Both were staring at each other during silence, Alfred hiding beneath the small bed and Matthew lying on top of it with his head over the edge, his hair brushing softly against the dark wooden floor. A small finger soon poked Matt's forehead and the blonde looked at the other with a wondering glance, tipping his head a bit to the side as Alfred started to pull himself out from beneath their shared bed before getting up on his naked feet.

"I wasn't hiding!" he returned with a sour huff, his arms crossing over the tiny chest as he looked to the side, Matthew now facing the other's back. "I was just exploring, that's all." Quickly he turned on his heels, pointing a thumb against himself and giving the smaller boy a wide grin. "I'm a hero after all, nothing will make me hide!"

"Alfred!" A woman's voice was heard from downstairs and if you asked Matthew it took less than a second before the other boy was hiding beneath the bed once again. "I told you to come down and take care of the mess you caused in the kitchen! I know you are up there, young man!"

Matthew couldn't help that a quiet giggle escaped his lips as he sat up properly on the bed. He heard the inpatient stomping from one of their caregivers' foot, the woman waiting for Alfred to come down but of course the boy had no plans on following her order.

"You will make her angry again," Matt said quietly, crawling over the sheet that once had been white but now had a slightly brown colour from dirt that didn't want to wash out no matter how hard the two boys scrubbed. His pale hand reached out for the soft fur ball that was stationed on top of his pillow, the other pillow belonging to Alfred since they shared bed, like they always had done and always would do.

Kumajirou lifted his small head when feeling the touch, the cub showing his razor-sharp teeth in a yawn before curling again, feeling too comfortable on top of the saggy pillow to pay his owner any attention.

"I don't care," the muffled answer came from beneath him and Matthew looked down on the sheets with a little smile. He knew Alfred was right below him, stationed under the protecting bed that always worked as a fort for him whenever he got their caregivers after him. Mostly it was for messing up their little house or beating up one of the other kids that usually bullied Matthew but also because Alfred was a natural gamine. Setting up prank after prank, especially when someone important felt like visiting. Sometimes running away to go on adventures and always pulling the other blonde with him when doing so. Matthew never minded though, he loved spending time with his more energetic effigy and even if he usually would be too shy and scared for those kinds of games he couldn't go against Alfred's will.

Soon it seemed like the woman downstairs gave up and she walked outside to tend to the other children in the orphanage since they were out playing in the small garden they had on the backside of the old, brown house. To only keep her stern eyes on two out of 46 wasn't such a good idea after all.

"She's gone now," Matt said, letting out another quiet giggle before he put his head on the small part of the pillow Kumajirou wasn't occupying and he nuzzled his face into the white fur, receiving a lick on his brow as an answer.

"Ha, she always gives up," the confident male proclaimed from beneath the bed, his voice still muffled but no problem to hear, unlike Matthew who had to fight to make his small voice heard. "Hey, Mattie." Alfred crawled out from beneath the bed, peeking up over the edge at the other lying there and he grinned widely against him, actually waiting for an answer for once instead of just continuing to talk.

"Hm, yes, what is it Al?" The blonde turned to the other, his face half hidden in the pillow so only a pair of big, blue eyes could be seen.

"We'll get out of here, you know." The grin grew wider as Alfred crawled up on the bed, throwing himself over the other that let out a quiet yelp from the sudden weight on his back. When he glanced to the side he noticed how Alfred was stroking a hand over a carving they had made in the wall, picturing a blossoming rose. "I will make sure that we get out of here and when we do, we'll join the Marine together." He raised his fist in a determined gesture, turning back to the rose after that. "Just like mother wanted us to." Matthew put a pale hand on top of the clenched fist, giving the other a soft smile together with a nod.

"Yes, I know you will. You are my hero after all." He giggled, giving his brother a soft kiss on the cheek before turning to the rose on the wall himself. Memories of the old woman that had taken care of the orphanage when they first had gotten there flooded his mind for a short second and the soft smile on his lips grew even wider. She hadn't been their actual mother but she had acted just like one so now they couldn't call her anything else.

The old orphanage they now called home had probably been standing in the outskirts of the port since the city was built. The slowly rotting walls not being tended to anymore and the second floor being small and slightly dusty with beds standing on rows along the dark walls. The only thing that let in any light was two big but dirty windows, one being right above the boy's bed and the other one being above the unsteady ladder leading down to the first floor. It was about 30 beds in there, pressed together so it only was space enough for the children to stand between the furniture. Those beds were shared between 46 orphans that lived in the building, meaning some of them had to sleep together. Alfred hadn't hesitated as he threw out the suggestion of him and Matthew sharing bed, well, together with Kumajirou as well.

Even though the bed was almost too small to room two boys and a polar bear cub it had turned out to be for the better in the end since the thin blanket didn't do much to warm anything during the colder nights and there had the closeness showed to be an advantage. Some children even sought their neighbour during those times, even though they had a bed of their own.

"I heard there is a big cargo ship here, came in yesterday," Matthew soon whispered, having by now placed himself on his stomach once more since Alfred was half on top of him. "They've had trouble with their sails and so they won't be leaving until tomorrow. They will be gone over the weekend and I hear they are going to the capital..."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" The slightly bigger boy looked at his brother with a wide smile, quickly sitting up so he could look out through the dirty glass. The view wasn't great but they could see glimpses of the sea that tried to hide behind the taller buildings in the city.

"We could sneak on board, watch the starry sky from the sea and return in the morning. They will of course notice we are gone; like every other time we sneak out of here... Though does it really matter in the end? We get caught, we clean, we do the same mistake again."

"That's my boy," Alfred said with a loud laugh before putting his hand on Matthew's head and ruffling the longer, silky blonde hair. "Let's do it, tomorrow night. Feeling the salty breeze against our skin once more and watching the glimmering night sky that's filled with stars you can't see on land." Matt was a bit busy trying to fix his messed-up hair so he didn't hear all parts of his brother's quite poetic speech but he smiled a little for himself as he knew more than well the love Alfred had for the grand ocean. It was one of the many things they shared.

"I wish time could pass by quicker. We're not allowed to join the Marine yet, not until we turn 15 and being here for three more years." Matthew seemed to shiver slightly as he buried his face into the soft fur of Kumajirou. "I know the women are trying their best but being in the orphanage, day in and day out is not a way to live." He turned around on his back instead since Alfred by now had moved away from him and he turned towards the rose carving once more. "When we join them...we should try to help all the orphanages. We will earn money then and we can give some away. Perhaps even...give children hope about their future. To serve as an example that there is a life afterwards. "

"Of course we'll help others, Mattie. First of all, though, pirates. Those are the ones that need to be put in place and taken to the gallows!"

"Do you even know what it means to be taken to the gallows?" Both blondes looked at each other for a little while before Al shrugged and smiled against the other.

"Whatever it means it's the right thing to do, obviously. Villains needs to be punished since they hurt innocent people so whatever the Marines do to those bastards they had it coming." He gave the other a determined nod before turning towards the window once more, soon getting company from Matthew that decided to sit next to him.

"I guess you're right," he murmured as he watched the ocean glisten in the dying light from the sun. It would soon disappear completely beyond the horizon and let the moon be the ruler of the sky until dawn.

By now all the children had been taken inside, not allowed to be out after dark. Besides, it was time for supper and everyone had to give a helping hand then. A couple of girls were dusting off the two tables that were standing in the surprisingly roomy dining room where they ate their meals and spent their time during the evenings. Either they used the worn-out deck of cards they had or they played games like hide and seek, charades or making up small theatres.

Alfred was always the one in the centre of the attention though, no matter what they did. Either he played the handsome Marine captain that saved the day or he was the one finding everyone in hide and seek since he by now knew every good spot to hide. Well, almost everyone. Matthew was never found since he had two special places he hadn't told his brother about. Alfred always whined, trying to get his brother to spill his secrets but he always failed and it usually ended with a pillow fight where he easily won over the slightly smaller Matt.

For once Alfred wasn't the one making all the noise though. He was quiet, probably plotting the next day and thinking about how to sneak onto the ship. Of course this made their caregiver for the evening a bit suspicious and she so kept a watching eye over the young blonde as he slowly stirred the stew that was on the stove.

The kitchen was just big enough for ten people to be in there at the same time. There was the old stove that had to be fed wood all the time to keep the warmth in the house and to make the stew boil. On both sides of the black, wood eating monster there were kitchen counters made from oak with heavy tops made of granite that were used to prepare food on. Stone was preferred over wood since it was easier to keep clean and you could cut as much things as you wanted on it and you wouldn't damage the surface. One of the stone tops had a square carved out of it and it was used as a form of sink, the water coming from the well 200 metres away from the house. A bucket was standing on the floor, for now filled with water that they had gotten earlier that day and on the other side of the room another bucket was standing, containing the water they were having to drink to the supper. Other than that there was only people in the kitchen. Alfred standing by the stove while making sure the stew didn't get burnt, the caregiver still looking at the boy as if he was planning on doing something illegal any minute and a couple of other children that were filling up glasses with water so they could put them onto the tables in the dining room.

The stew was soon done. It was not expensive, which wasn't really a surprise, but it still smelt really nice which made the hungry children impatient. No matter how much their tummy grumbled though they had to take their plates and nicely stand in line so one of the women that cared for them could give them one scoop each. That would be good for a start and if there was enough left when everyone had gotten their share they would try to split the remaining stew so everyone got a second portion.

The stew had a homemade fish broth as base. The carcasses of fish and bones of cows were cheap so the women usually got some and then cooked broth on it so they could have some sort of taste in their meals. This night the stew had a taste of salmon which was quite uncommon and some children didn't seem to really enjoy it as they tasted. That was to be expected though. The ages of orphans varied from 2 to 15 and some had just gotten into their 'I do not like this'-phase while some never left it.

However, it didn't matter if they liked it or not. This was the only thing that was going to be served that evening except for a piece of bread each so if they didn't want to go to bed hungry they better eat.

"The stew has carrots and potatoes in it today. We were finally able to get some crops to grow properly in the garden." One of the younger caregivers smiled widely against the children that seemed to brighten up a bit. Usually the stews consisted of broth, beans, apples from the tree outside, mushrooms from the forest and more beans. Beans were, just as the left-over body parts of animals, cheap so they usually had a large part in every meal that was cooked in the orphanage's kitchen.

It happened that some people donated food, like actual meat or fresh fruit and the likes. It didn't happen often but every now and then some friendly soul decided that the orphans shouldn't end up with scurvy. Last time was about a month ago when they had gotten a whole bag of fresh lemons, imported from some far away paradise island. They always got to hear stories about these distant places. Sandy beaches, the sky is always clear and women dancing around in little to no clothing. The caregivers didn't like the last part of the description but for the sailors that was the most important part, obviously.

The clear sky was the thing interesting Matthew the most. Always being able to see the sun in the day and having a starry sky during the night. Alfred on the other hand read between the lines. A paradise was bound to attract pirates which meant, Marines would be needed. Free vacation and putting those dogs where they belonged, he would love to go there.

"I told you the garden had to be moved," one of the older orphans said. She pulled the fingers through her short, red hair before smiling at the woman that just looked tired. Elsa was the one that always knew best and it could be tiresome more often than not even if it also was very helpful. "So thanks to me we get a filling stew on the table. Unless Al managed to destroy it with his lack of stirring."

"I did stir! It did not get burnt or anything so shut up!" The two glared at each other from different sides of the table, the others not minding as they just ate their stew.

"Alfred, watch your language! And Elsa, we are grateful for your knowledge but try to be a bit humbler about it, will you? It's not an attractive trait in a young woman to brag." The red-haired girl turned her stare towards the woman who ran the whole orphanage, wanting to say something but she decided against it as she turned to the food instead.

"Fine," she said with a quiet huff, slowly eating her stew with a grace that was unheard of among orphans. She claimed she was from a royal family and that it was in her blood to be a lady but everyone knew she was just another baby, left there by one of the prostitutes that couldn't afford to raise a child.

Silence followed for the rest of the dinner. Elsa and Alfred shared angry glares as usual while Matthew tried to sneak away some stew into a bowl that was standing beneath the table. He would bring it up to Kumajirou later so the little polar bear could get some food as well.

The young blonde really wished he could give his friend something more appropriate. He had stolen once. A fresh fish from the market when it was as busiest. No one knew about it, not even his brother and Matt planned on letting it stay that way. Alfred was an idiot sometime and he always got himself into trouble but he was always honest and played by the rules. He never cheated, not even in card games and he would never do something criminal. Matthew knew the other would be disappointed in him if he told him so he let it stay a secret between Kumajirou and himself.

"Elsa, help me clean off the tables. You know how everything is supposed to be done after all so I'm sure you can show me a trick or two." One of the caregivers gave the red head a small smile before she turned her grey eyes towards the rest of the children. "The rest of you, wash up before bed and don't forget to say your evening prayers. I do not want to hear any sounds from upstairs after the church clock has sung."

Everyone nodded as they bowed their head a bit, quickly thanking both the lord and the caregivers for the food before getting up from the table and moving towards the stairs. Matthew was trying his best to hide the plate of food and those that had seen Kumajirou and knew about him tried to help him hide from the peering eyes of the older women that always seemed to mistrust the younglings. Usually it was not a problem for Matt to sneak past them though. If he had a secret power, it would most likely be invisibility. It felt like he was invisible from time to time but it was mostly because everyone was always busy looking at something else. He never took any space nor was he loud. There was not often a reason to see him so no one really did. It had advantages for sure but sometimes it was a slightly depressing thought.

Once upstairs Matthew thanked his friends with a quick nod and a smile, soon moving over to the bed where the white fur ball still was occupying both pillows.

"Look Kujatiro, I brought food." The bear opened one charcoal eye and sniffed in the air a bit before slowly getting up from his comfortable position. Food or sleep, it was always such a dilemma for the little thing.

At least this time the food was more tempting and so Kumajirou ate from the bowl while Matthew went to wash up a bit. Clean his face with the small rag that was only his. Every child had their own rag that was for washing their hands and face. They dipped it in a bowl filled with water that got refilled once a day. If it was too cold to bathe in the river close by they had to use the rag to clean their whole body and the hair just had to go unwashed. It was too cold inside to walk around with wet hair and it would end with at least half the orphans getting sick which most likely would end in death.

It was summer now though and so everyone had bathed in the river yesterday meaning they were mostly clean. After washing face and hands with the rag and tried to brush their teeth the best they could with their fingers the children were happy and soon everyone changed into their nightgown. It was just a white sark that went down to half their thighs, at least on the slightly taller children. For some of the smallest ones the gown was reaching the floor.

"We'll go tomorrow, right?" Alfred soon whispered to his brother, smiling slightly as he threw himself onto the stiff bed. Kumajirou, who had finished eating by now, hadn't finished everything in the bowl so Matthew had to catch it to prevent the stew from going all over their sheets. That would be hard to explain to the ladies downstairs.

"Yes… If we can get away from the caregivers' watching eyes." He gave Alfred a small smile before he sat down on the bed, hiding the bowl beneath it. The food wouldn't go bad during the night so he could take care of it tomorrow. "We have to be a bit careful though. They will be keeping an eye on you."

"Tch… They always do. I always manage." Al smiled and put the arms beneath his head, looking up into the ceiling before closing his eyes. "They got others to tend to, I won't be their only priority so don't worry."

Matthew just looked at the other for a little while before nodding, soon lying down himself. Kumajirou was stationed between them, on top of just one of the pillows this time since Alfred had managed to snatch the other one. Matt didn't mind sharing pillow with his furry friend so he just put his head right beside the little bear, enjoying the closeness and warmth.

"Did you pray?" Matthew asked as he remembered he had forgotten about it. He usually did it, just because it felt like the right thing to do but he couldn't say that he believed in this so-called God.

"Of course. It's thanks to him we're both here!" A couple of hushes came from the other children and Alfred glared at them before hushing them even louder, only to be annoying. He then turned to Matthew again and smiled. "He will guide us through these last years before the Marine training and once we're there he'll make us survive and fight in his name. For honour and for justice. I'm sure mother is up there with him, supporting us just as much."

The smile on the other's face. Alfred deeply believed in what he had just said and Matthew couldn't do anything but smile and nod, knowing how much it meant to his brother. Everyone needed something to believe in, something to keep their fire burning.

Matt himself didn't really have any goals set for himself. He wanted to stay by his brother's side and he wanted to be able to serve fresh fish and perhaps even some seal to his friend but other than that, he didn't really care what happened with his life. If they would be together he knew he would be able to handle any kind of situation that was thrown at him, one way or the other.

"I believe you," Matthew soon whispered after a bit of silence but by now the other had already fallen asleep. The young blonde smiled slightly and reached over to give his brother a kiss on the forehead before putting his head back on the pillow once more and he closed his eyes. "Good night."

oOoOo

"We'll leave her a note or something so stop worrying so much. I know one week is a lot of time but we've been away for almost as long before."

"Al, three days are not close to a week. I thought this would be just over the weekend. I must have misheard the sailors since they were quite drunk when I asked." Matt sighed quietly as he looked at the little pouch that was stuffed with the few things that they owned. "As long as we can get food somehow, both for us and Kujimaro."

"Yes, yes. I'll make sure we're all well fed, trust me." Alfred gave the other a wide smile before he threw the pouch over his right shoulder. "We need to stay strong for the Marine training. You are already a bit too small, not big and strong like me!" Alfred flashed an even wider smile towards his brother while flexing his toned arms.

The other was working out more but that was mostly because he had to run and hide all the time from people he had managed to anger. That often involved a lot of climbing, crawling, jumping and well, running.

Matthew was trying to keep up with Alfred but he often ended up meditating or practising his swordplay. His lither and more nimble body was an advantage when fighting his brother because he was more agile with both attacking and blocking so it wasn't often Al managed to get a hit. The problem came when the other's sword hit its target and Matt didn't have the strength to block properly and was pushed onto the ground.

"Yet I'm winning more often than not when we fence." He gave his brother a small smile before he buttoned his slightly torn shirt properly and he was then ready to get going.

"That's only because you're so damn quick! When actually fighting without swords I always win!" Alfred was not going to let his proud get punctured so he needed a come-back. Typically his come-backs consisted of words with no brain function behind them since he always needed them so quickly and they were not always legit.

"Perhaps you do win against me when wrestling but how often does a soldier get into a fight without a weapon? He would get killed right away. Don't you remember what that Captain said to us before? A sword is the lengthening of your arm and you are expected to be able to handle it just as well, not to mention, always have it with you. Losing your sword is like being without an arm in a fight, the opponent has a clear advantage."

The small glare he got from Alfred just made him smile as he picked up the white fur ball in his arms and then slowly walked towards the stairs leading down. Everyone should be out in the garden this time on a sunny day and so their escape should go unnoticed.

As expected, they could hear laughter from outside. Every now and then an adult voice could be heard, telling the kids to stop something or to not get all muddy but if Matthew knew the other kids right, they wouldn't care.

"Okay, coast is clear," Alfred whispered back to his brother, sneaking behind the table in the dining room, making sure they wouldn't be seen from the kitchen in case someone happened to be in there to get water or steal snacks. Matt was close after, as usual feeling his heart beat a bit quicker when he was breaking the rules like this. He should have gotten used to it by now but he really wasn't. It would be worth it though, he was sure of that.

They both stopped in the middle of a step when they heard the front door open and Matt took a deep breath, not wanting to make any noise by breathing. Kumajirou looked up at his owner with wondering eyes but kept both still and quiet, guessing something was wrong. Alfred on the other hand glared towards the door, knowing that the person coming through it wouldn't see them from behind the table. Unless it was one of the caregivers that had noticed they weren't outside and came to look for them. Those women could find a needle in a haystack with just a simple glare.

"We're leaving soon so this will have to be quick," they could hear a husky voice utter from the door, followed by a quick giggle.

"No worries, my lovely sailor. In and out quickly, isn't that your speciality?" It was one of the caregivers, one of the younger ones. The two brothers understood rather quickly what is was all about and Matthew quickly covered his ears with a blush on his cheeks. Alfred on the other hand tried to sneak a peek between the chairs, curious as ever. Especially on this he knew nothing about other than what he had gotten to know from some of the older children.

"Ha, ha, aren't you a funny one," the sailor muttered before he seemed to drag the woman with him out of the hall and into another room where the children weren't allowed to go. They guessed it was where the caregivers slept.

"So that's why they are forcing us to play outside? Unfair!" Alfred huffed and got up on two feet, almost seeming like he would go to the door and knock on it. Or worse, just open it.

"Al!" Matthew hissed between his teeth, having heard his brother and noticed the couple was gone. "Get down!" He took Alfred's arm and pulled him in behind the table again. "Are you crazy? That was one of the sailors from the ship we're going with… He said the ship is going soon, not to mention if you waltz in there we will not be able to leave. Unless in a bloody bag." He was sure just that particular caregiver was fully capable of murdering disobedient children, especially if they interrupted her private time.

"Fine," Alfred hissed back, muttering quietly for himself as he this time marched towards the front door instead of sneaking. He opened it and then walked outside, Matthew following him and closing the door behind them. He let out a relieved sigh before hugging his furry friend that was still in his arms. It always gave him comfort to do so. "Still, not okay. Why can they have fun inside on a sunny day and we can't? Outside isn't always better, unless it's on the sea."

"Drop it, you love being outside. You just want something to complain about." Matthew grabbed his brother's hand and dragged him along, down the little gravel road that lead to the city. "We didn't leave a note now… But I'm sure they will understand where we are since all our things are gone." He didn't get a reply from Alfred but neither did he expect one. The other blonde was busy planning how much fun he would have away from the orphanage, just to punish the caregivers. That would show them, for sure.

The 15-minute walk down to the harbour took longer than ever before, both boys being filled with anticipation by now. Sure, Matt had been nervous at first but those feelings had gone away when looking out towards the horizon. He had always wanted to see the capital for the sailors spoke highly of it. All from the magnificent cathedrals to the world-known markets where people from every country came to sell their merchandise. The biggest thing of all though was the royal palace and right beside that, the Marine's headquarters. Where the admiral himself was stationed, ruling with an iron fist over his men. He was even more reputable than the king for it was he who made sure the water close to the capital stayed clear of pirates. Only fools would sail into his territory without the right papers. Those who were foolish enough were used as an example, paraded down the main street before hung, their bodies hanging there until the stench started to disturb the town's people. Since few ventured near the gallows unless there was a hanging it could take weeks or even months until the bodies were taken down and burnt outside the city.

"Just think about it… Soon we'll be able to eat candy from all parts of the world! The other kids will be so jealous." Alfred smiled widely, by now being the one doing the dragging as he moved towards the magnificent ship that was stationed in the nicer part of the harbour. The wooden surface was worn by years of travel all over the world but it was still sturdy enough to hold its crew for many years to come. The sails were painted midnight blue and they sailed under the colours of the royal family. The flag was wine red with the golden crest that was decorating everything the king owned. Even his queen had clothes with the crest on it, or so it was said. Rumours weren't always true after all.

"Yes, that would for sure make the others jealous," Matt said with a small smile, sitting down on a casket with Kumajirou in his lap. "I'm more interested in seeing the headquarters. It's said to be shining, bright white in both the sun- and moonlight. Blue details decorating the building and all their flags flying high, showing their crest. It is the pride of the city, even beside the royal palace. It must be magnificent."

"Who cares about the looks of it? I will be ruling over it soon enough. Of course you'll be my next in line if something should happen to me!" Alfred smiled widely before he started to stomp towards the ship, not caring at all about being discrete. Matt just looked after him before sighing quietly, scratching the back of his head.

"Hopeless, isn't he?" He looked down at the little animal he had in his arms, smiling slightly before getting up and going after his brother. "Are you talking about the headquarters or the palace? You make it sound like you want to overthrow the king." He grabbed the other's arm to make him slow down, looking around to make sure it was empty in the docks for now.

"What? Nah, who wants to be king? Sitting on a big throne, getting a big ass from it. I'm going to be that well-trained admiral all the ladies are talking about and all the men respect." He did slow down, understanding as well they had to be careful when sneaking aboard. If they were discovered before the ship left land they would get thrown off for sure. It was less of a chance the crew would let them drown. Though it was always a possibility.

The brothers hid behind some wooden boxes, waiting for a free passage onto the ship and soon enough it came. They quickly sneaked aboard, hiding behind another box before they could sneak into one of the smaller rooms that worked as storage space.

It didn't take long until they could hear voices outside, one of them calling out orders and the others heeding them. When the commotion outside had calmed down they could only guess they were now on their way. Away from the orphanage and towards the capital.

"Have anyone seen Johnson!?" a voice yelled, just outside their door. Someone answered but he was too far away to be heard. "What the hell are you talking about?" Another reply and the boys could hear an irritated sigh. "Late because of a damn woman. Well, he has only himself to blame, we can pick him up next time we come back." Laughter could be heard outside and the brothers couldn't help but join in. It had to be the man at the orphanage.

"Seems like he wasn't in and out so quick after all," Alfred said, grinning widely while Matthew blushed a bit by the thought.

"Quiet, I do not need that image in my head," he muttered before he sat down against the wall, closing his eyes. "I can't understand it, we actually got here. Now we just need to keep hidden."

"And steal some food," Alfred interjected, smiling against his brother. "No worries, I can do it. Normally I'm not okay with stealing but in this case, we kind of must. Somehow we'll pay them back though!" Matthew just nodded a bit, seemingly falling asleep where he was sitting since he had barely been sleeping that night out of excitement. Alfred decided it was probably best to get some rest as well since they would only be able to be active during the night when as many as possible were asleep.

oOoOo

"What the…? Well, that certainly explains our so-called rat problem." The man standing in the door was looking down at the two boys, Matthew pressed into one of the corners and Alfred in front of him with a hard-headed look on his face.

"We had to get some food. We have only been taking a little and we were going to repay you," Matthew said, trying to be quicker than his brother just in case Al would say something lippy. It wasn't unheard of after all. He crawled out from behind his brother, hugging Kumajirou in his arms as he looked up at the man. "We…just wanted to see the capital, that's all. But we couldn't take any food with us from the orphanage, that wouldn't have been fair towards the other children."

"But you think it's fair to take it from us, you little bastard?" It was another man, standing right behind the first one and this one didn't look as calm.

"Shut up, Roy," the first man said, pushing him away with one hand. "They are children." He turned back to the two brothers, massaging one temple slightly as he tried to think about what to tell the captain. He certainly wouldn't be happy about the news. Rats they could at least throw overboard. While some in the crew would happily send the boys over the railing most would protest, luckily, and so they had two more mouths to feed. The man glanced down a bit and noticed the polar bear, taking one step backwards as he put a hand on the rapier on his hip. Three mouths.

"Why do you have a bear with you?" He sounded suspicious but still surprisingly calm unlike most that saw Kumajirou. The hand stayed on the handle to his weapon.

"He's my friend," Matthew said, almost feeling a bit insulted by that question. "He's not a bear, he's a person as well." He hugged his furry friend, ignoring the sceptical look he got from the man. Kumajirou was not particularly aggressive but for the moment he was baring his teeth slightly, prepared to attack if necessary.

"Don't threaten my brother," Al said with a stern voice, not appreciating that hand on the rapier. Not to mention, he felt he'd been quiet for way too long, he was supposed to do the talking, not Mattie. Quickly his blue glance moved over the little room before grabbing a broom, pointing it towards the man. "We can stay without food until we're at the capital, we won't steal anymore and we will pay you back for the things we've taken. Also, we've been called worse things than bastards."

"There is two more days until we will get there. Without any food you will be too weak to enjoy the capital after all. Also, I can imagine why you have been called worse things. Sneaking on board a ship like this, your caregivers must worry."

"They are used to it," both brothers replied, Matthew smiling a little as Alfred just shrugged. The man sighed a bit, really not knowing how he would explain this to the captain but he decided on doing it himself. The other man would for sure suggest throwing them over the railing and when newly awake, the captain might agree.

"Don't touch the boys. If they are gone when I get back, you'll follow them into the sea." He glared at the man behind him, getting a glare as a reply before he walked away, leaving the boys with the other sailor. Alfred was fully prepared to hit the man with the broom if he took one step closer.

After some time the man came back, feeling relieved that captain wasn't with him. The captain had wanted to go back to sleep since it was still in the middle of the night and the sailor had let him. Roy was watching over the boys, glaring at them without even blinking. Or so it felt.

"Finally! I thought you were going to leave us with this guy all night. He doesn't seem to have any eyelids." Alfred ignored the low growl coming from Roy. With one movement of the other man's hand, Roy left, muttering something about keelhauling.

"Seeing that we don't have any stops until the capital we can't really get rid of you until then and most of the crew would probably agree that drowning kids isn't a very noble idea. You will have to get home from the capital by yourself though. We are not going back the same way we came."

The two brothers looked at the man with surprised faces, Alfred about to protest but Matthew quickly grabbed his arm with his free hand, looking up at his brother from beneath the golden locks.

"We appreciate it," he said as he turned to the man, knowing they would be able to solve it somehow. "My name is Matthew and this is my brother Alfred. To whom do we owe our thanks?" It was a much nicer way of asking for the man's name.

"Smith," the man just replied, the smile on his lips showing he knew it was one of the biggest clichés in the book. "That will do for now." It was now the boys noticed he had a bag in his hand and he soon threw it to the two free riders. "Some food for the rest of the trip. Some ale as well if you drink that. Just stay away from the rum." With that he turned his back to the two boys, walking away to keep on doing his job.

"Smith? Seriously?" Alfred glared after the man before he huffed, soon grinning towards his brother. "See, I told you I would keep us well-fed!" Matthew just glanced over at his brother with a small sigh before he got up on his feet.

"Yes, good job, my knight in shining armour," he said, a bit sarcastic but still with a little smile as he slowly walked out of the door. He needed some fresh air after having been locked in that little room for two days. No one could be seen now, not even this so-called Smith and it was quite a relief as Matt walked over to the railing and looked out over the dark water. His gaze soon turned up towards the sky instead and he turned his back to the water, sitting down on the deck. It didn't take long until Alfred joined him, wrapping a blanket around them both. It had been in the bag Smith had given them. The air was calm, the few seagulls still up being surprisingly quiet as they flew towards the closest patch of land.

Water was giving way for the big keel as they made their way towards the capital. The two brothers were now sitting in the front, curled up next to each other to make sure they didn't get cold despite the fresh summer air. Both were staring up at the sky, admiring the thousands of stars above their heads, glimmering softly next to the moon that soon would be full.

"That star is called the horse," Alfred soon uttered, pointing towards the sky. "Because it's so big! Oh, you see those stars over there? No, more to the right." He moved Matt's hand so it pointed in the right direction. "That's the angry shrew."

Matthew laughed quietly as his older brother continued his small stories. He knew they weren't true, that Alfred just made them up but he hardly cared. It was relaxing just listening to the confident voice of his brother and he really enjoyed it.

"And you see that big one over there? That's Matthew. Because it's shining brighter than all the others and no matter the weather it can always be spotted just behind the clouds." The younger blonde felt his cheeks heat up a bit as he looked towards the bright star to the north. He turned to his brother after that, sometimes wondering how he could be so narcissistic and caring at the same time.

"Then that thing is Alfred," he declared and pointed towards the sky which earned a laugh from the other.

"That's the moon, doofus."

"I don't care," Matthew replied with a determined face, looking up at the big white circle against the black, night sky. "That's Al. For me it will be." He smiled widely against Alfred who seemed to be at loss of words for once. He soon smiled as well though, ruffling his brother's hair playfully which made Matt whine for a start before they both were laughing, leaning against each other with a happy sigh.

"Perhaps we should get some sleep? We will probably have to help the crew tomorrow after all, seeing that the captain wasn't happy about having us here."

"Yeah, we were lucky. Someone else might have thrown us overboard." Alfred smiled slightly and gave his younger brother a soft kiss on the forehead. "Not that I would have let them, of course. I'm more than capable of protecting us, I'm your hero after all, right Mattie?"

"Of course," Matthew exclaimed softly, embracing his brother before turning to the white ball of fur in his lap. Kumajirou seemed very comfortable and so the golden-haired boy didn't plan to disturb him. "It's quite warm outside, how about we sleep here?"

"Sounds like a plan," Alfred said with a smile before he pulled the blanket around them a bit tighter, closing his eyes with a content sigh. "We'll soon be there, Mattie. The Marine base. Finally we will be able to do something with our lives." The only answer he got was a quiet murmuring and when Al opened one eye to look down at his brother he noticed that he was already asleep. The boy snickered quietly before letting a hand run through the soft curls of the other, knowing his brother really enjoyed that but soon enough Alfred was asleep as well.

oOoOo

The next morning they had been woken up by footsteps on the deck, a lot of the sailors staring at the two boys that suddenly was on board. The brothers quickly got up on their feet, Matthew hugging Kumajirou tightly to his chest to keep him protected from the grown men. Some stared even more, some with fright and some with fascination but none of them got close.

"You two, if you're going to stay on the ship you better not get in the way." It was Smith who seemed to be on his way to bed since he had been up all night. The two blondes nodded, Alfred even making a salute towards the man before he grinned widely.

"We don't have to help, perfect! That means…" He ran away over the deck, avoiding the men that had started to clean the ship and checking their cargo. Soon he came back, two broom sticks in his hand and he threw one of them to Matthew. "No one is cleaning up here, we can practice!"

Matthew fumbled a bit with the stick, managing to catch it with one hand while he had Kumajirou in his left arm. He did look down at the sailors that seemed to have stopped caring about them before he looked up with a smile.

"Okay!" He put the little fur ball down before he went through the bag of food. He found some salted fish, putting some in front of the animal to make sure he got some breakfast before he got up on his feet. "Show me what you got."

"My pleasure." Alfred made the first attack, getting blocked fairly easily by Matthew who took a step to the side, trying to find an opening in his brother's defence already. The two boys were surprisingly talented for orphans, the two of them almost dancing over the worn deck as they attacked and fended. One of them had an advantage though, Matt being slimmer and quicker which gave him more opportunities to hit his brother than Al could give back. One more hit and the older blonde ended up on his ass, Matthew laughing quietly as he reached out a hand to help him up.

"Come on, brother. You're too slow." The only reply from the other was small huff before he grabbed onto Matthew's hand and got up on his feet.

"You're cheating somehow! Both Kumajirou and I know it." He pointed towards the small bear that now was rolled up on a pile of rope, a pile someone probably needed but the sight of a polar bear on top of it made said person determine it wasn't worth it.

"Don't involve Kumichichi, he knows I would never cheat! Right?" He walked over to the bear and lifted the furry creature into his arms. When Kumajirou was gone from the rope one of the sailors were quick with snatching it and running back to a safe distance on the other side of the ship.

"Who?" the bear replied after a sleepy yawn, looking up at the smiling face of his owner. Matt opened his mouth, about to reply to continue their usual little game but the words were never able to leave his mouth before an explosion could be heard. Splinters of wood soon flew around the blonde, Matthew pulling Kumajirou close as he turned to look over the railing, trying to see where the sound had come from.

Another explosion, another cannon ball hitting their ship as the captain ran around shouting orders to the crew. They were being attacked and the black and white flag was visible even from this distance. Pirates.

More explosions, two this time and it was painfully clear now. The pirates didn't mean to rob them, they tried to sink them. Matt turned around now, trying to look for his brother but Alfred was nowhere to be seen. Half of the crew seemed to have disappeared and the same went for the ship. The mast was coming down, the deck was burning and the dead bodies were already scattered over what was left of the ship. Matthew had only one way to go now and it was better than staying there and wait for a certain death.

He turned around, the bear pressed tightly against his chest before he stepped onto the railing and plunged into the water. Without waiting he started to swim, not caring about orienting himself. Away from the ship and upwards, that was all he cared about and just as it felt as his lungs would explode he broke the surface, taking a deep breath of the salty air. He could feel the smell of smoke and gunpowder. Desperately he tried to get onto his back to let Kumajirou over the surface as well.

"Alfred!" He coughed from the dark smoke, soon looking around in a try to see someone that was still alive but he couldn't see any movements other than the ship that was slowly sinking. He noticed debris in the water nearby and with the last of his energy he kicked his way over there, staying on his back for the bear's sake.

He managed to put Kumajirou onto one of the planks and keep himself above the surface even though his kicks were losing power. The smoke was thick and it got harder and harder to breathe. Everything started to go blank, his body losing energy for every movement he made but a pair of jaws around the collar of his shirt made him stay onto the plank, saving the boy's life. He reached out a hand, wanting to pet his friend as a thank you but the hand fell into the water again as everything went dark around him. The last thing ringing in his ear was another cannon ball hitting what was left of the ship and Alfred's voice yelling his name in the distance.

I hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!