Note: Translations are at the bottom of the chapter
"Somewhere In France With You"
Normandy, France
"I'm going to die… I'm going to die… I'm going to die…" Arthur breathed quietly, his entire body shaking.
"Calm down, Art." Alistair whispered.
Arthur forced his body to stop shaking. "I'm going to die…"
"Arthur," Francis said soothingly, "try not to think like that."
The young British soldier turned his head so he could see Francis clearly. "This is a suicide mission." He concluded.
Francis gave him a warm smile. "We'll be fine, Arthur. We've both survived through a lot, so we can survive this."
"This isn't just a few snipers in abandoned streets in France!" Arthur argued, "This is invading German territory!"
"We have them outnumbered," Lukas began, "our little fake military build up worked."
Arthur jerked his head to the left to look at his Norwegian friend. "That doesn't mean this isn't suicide!"
Lukas looked Arthur in the eye, his face expressionless. "We're not going to die."
"How can you be so sure?" Arthur whispered.
A small smile twitched at Lukas' lips. "Because, after we win back France and win the war, you and I are going to sit down, and share a pot of tea."
Arthur stared at Lukas with a wide-eyed expression.
"I promise I'll survive, if you promise you'll survive." Lukas said.
Arthur blinked. "I promise, Lukas." But Arthur's body began to shake in fear again.
"I'll survive too, Art. You and I will see mum and dad again, right?" Alistair asked, placing his hand on the top of Arthur's helmet.
Arthur nodded.
"Arthur, we'll be fine," Alistair began, "we Kirklands are way too stubborn to die."
"You're right, Allie." Arthur replied.
"Arthur." Francis said in a strange tone.
The young Englishman turned his head to the sound of his name. "Yes?"
Francis leaned in closer and changed his voice to a whisper. "Je t'aime."
Arthur smiled at the Frenchman. "I love you too." He whispered back.
A long silence built on the boat carrying British, American and Canadian soldiers. The sound of gunfire and explosions in the distance grew louder as the ship drew closer to the beach.
"I wish Dracul was here now." Lukas said, shattering the silence.
Arthur looked to the twenty four year old Norwegian in confusion.
Lukas tried to keep his face expressionless, but Arthur could see the pain and fear in his eyes. "He always said that he wanted to be there when we retook France."
Arthur sighed sadly. "I will survive… For him."
"Not for me?" Alistair asked teasingly.
Arthur looked over his shoulder at his brother with a smile, then turned back around.
"Alright men!" Alistair yelled, taking Arthur and every other soldier off guard, "Let's get moving! France isn't going to retake itself!"
Arthur glanced to Lukas, then to Francis, who smiled at him, before jumping off the edge of the boat and into the water below. Arthur's stomach twisted. He can't swim, but he had to keep moving. He peered over the edge of the ship to see Francis standing in waist high water that was… blood red. Arthur jumped, landing in the water that was warm from all of the blood that's been poured into it.
He glanced over his shoulder at Lukas, who had just landed in the water. The Norwegian nodded at him, and Arthur turned back around and followed Francis to the shore. He sprinted as fast as he could through waist-high water, then through hip-high water, knee-high water, ankle-high water, and finally sand.
Arthur watched Francis begin to run to the right, towards cover. The blonde Briton started running in the same direction when he felt piercing pain in his abdomen. Arthur slowed his running as his legs got weak and he let out a cry of pain. He saw Lukas go sprinting by, looking back at him in horror. Francis shared the same look. Arthur fell to his knees as he gripped his abdomen with his left hand, his right hand still holding onto his rifle. He felt the warmth of his blood on his hand.
Someone grabbed ahold of Arthur and drug him to cover to the left of Francis and Lukas. Now lying in the sand, Arthur looked up at Alistair who had brought him to shelter.
"Dammit!" Alistair yelled, glaring in the direction of the German soldiers.
"I'm sorry, Allie-"
Alistair didn't allow Arthur to finish his apology. "Don't apologise, it those fucking krauts fault!"
Arthur grunted in pain, pressing his hands onto the wound, trying to keep his blood in his body.
"Move your hands, let me see." Alistair ordered, forcing his voice to sound calm.
Arthur did what he was told, and lifted his hands that were already covered in his blood.
"Bollocks!" Alistair concluded, "Did it go through your back?"
Arthur shrugged. "I don't know."
"I'm going to sit you up a little, okay?" Alistair explained.
Arthur nodded, holding his breath and preparing himself for pain.
The red headed officer tucked his hands against Arthur's back and lifted him slightly. Arthur winced in pain. Alistair set him back on the ground with a sigh. "The bullet's still in you."
"Great." Arthur choked out sarcastically, holding back another scream of pain. He turned his head to the left where Francis and Lukas were bent behind cover. The blonde Frenchman was peeking around the corner, before he went sprinting over to Arthur, through crossfire, as Lukas yelled something at him.
"What the hell, Bonnefoy?" Alistair yelled.
"I had to see him!" Francis argued.
Alistair threw his right hand into the air with a shrug. "The French are crazy!" He yelled.
"Francis, I'm fine." Arthur reassured.
"You're fine?" Francis asked, "You have a bullet in you, Arthur!"
"I'm fine." Arthur stated stubbornly. He scowled when he noticed a dent in the top of Francis' helmet.
"What?" Francis asked.
"This." Lukas said, almost appearing out of nowhere and tapping the dent on the frog's helmet.
"Norwegians are crazy!" Alistair added.
Francis chuckled nervously.
"You're one to talk, Lukas?" Arthur asked angrily, "Your neck is bleeding."
Lukas raised his hand to the side of his neck, then rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just a cut on the back of my neck, Arthur, I'm fine."
Arthur coughed. "You need to keep moving. All three of you."
"What?"
"Quoi?"
"Hva?"
"Like you said, Allie," Arthur paused to catch his breath, "France isn't going to retake itself."
Alistair stared at him.
"I'll be fine." Arthur reassured.
"Du lovet at vi ville ha te etter krigen." Lukas replied, pointing.
"We will." Arthur replied with a weak smile.
"You promise you'll still be here?" Francis asked fearfully.
Arthur looked to his love. "Only if you promise to come back."
Alistair didn't say anything. He just stared down at Arthur with a hurt and guilty expression.
Arthur's small smile turned larger. "I'll be okay, Allie… I promise."
"You live through this, got it?" Alistair ordered.
"I will." Arthur replied, "Besides, we Kirklands are way too stubborn to die."
Alistair chuckled. "Come on, you two. Let's keep moving."
"Keep pressure on that wound." Lukas ordered.
"Don't worry, Lukas, I will." Arthur reassured before the three ran off, leaving Arthur alone. He waited until they were out of earshot before allowing himself to react to the pain he was in. He's never felt this kind of pain before. A cut from a bullet grazing him, or the pain of shrapnel getting lodged into his body was nothing compared to this agony. Arthur cried out in pain. He began to feel lightheaded, and Arthur knew what that meant. Unconsciousness followed by… Death… He had to stay awake. But how?
"Your surroundings, Arthur. Look at your surroundings."
He followed his own order and glanced around. He looked toward the beach where he saw blood red waves moving back and forth. Men getting shot and falling into the sea before they ever touched land. Some were only half way out of their boat when they were shot dead. Others jumped out of their boats too early, and fell into deep water, resulting in drowning due to their heavy packs. Arthur looked away from the sea and to his right. An explosion went off in his view and some men went flying, some lost limbs, and others were incinerated on contact of the flame.
"Okay, maybe not your surroundings." Arthur concluded. "What else? Oh, recite something, you read all the time… Poetry, you know poetry."
But Arthur could think of nothing.
"Songs, you know some songs… It's not like anyone would hear you sing anyway. You can barely hear yourself." Arthur trailed off, thinking of one that he didn't know that well, "What's that one Francis is always bloody singing?" He asked himself. The first thing that came to mind was the French national anthem, which Francis did sing all the time.
A smile crossed Arthur's face when he remembered the song. A short little song that that Francis loved to sing to keep his sanity on the battlefield. Maybe this song could save his life.
"I meet a someone each day, Who's never sad, who's always gay…" Arthur cut himself off by falling into a coughing fit. He let out a quivering breath, trying to breathe through the pain.
"I know she's acting a part, You can see what... goes on in her... heart,..." Arthur paused, wincing in pain.
"There are two eyes, such blue…" Arthur forgot the rest of the line. He thought hard, and eventually remembered.
"There are two eyes, such blue eyes, a-smiling at me… Yet, they're... lonely... as only... a woman's can be…"
Arthur was thrown into another coughing fit, but the pain in his abdomen was better than earlier. His ears were ringing, and his sight was going dark, and Arthur knew what that meant.
"For I see all h-er th-ought-s are some-where... S-ome-where in France with... y-you…"
Arthur knew he was fading out, but he had to keep trying. He had to live. He promised he would. "While she-she's talking, she-'s ta-talking of no one... but…"
Translations:
Je t'aime (French)- I love you
Quoi (French)- What
Hva (Norwegian)- What
Du lovet at vi ville ha te etter krigen (Norwegian)- You promised that we'd have tea after the war.
Credit of the song "Somewhere In France With You" that Arthur sang goes to Al Bowlly (1939) according to my research. Nevertheless, I do not own this song.
Dracul is my headcannon name for Romania. The name Dracul is Romanian for "Devil" or "Dragon".
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