Be Careful What You Wished For
by hikikomori-kuma
Chapter 3: Ascend to City
Scott finished writing his letter. Putting back his quill, he stood up leaving his study. Spotting his siblings, he spoke. "Finn, Fiona, you better get prepare." His sister, Fiona, frowned.
"Why?" She asked while dusting off her dress.
"We'll head back two days from now. You too, Finn. No more questions." He told his brother whose about to open his mouth to talk.
"I'm not saying anything yet, brother." He complained half-heartedly. Scott head back inside his study but he surely saw his siblings smile at each other. He had the letter delivered home the same day.
Scott and his sibling had been at the Capital for almost a month now and he decided to come back home now to gather supplies and to see Peter. He thought it'll be a good change of their daily routine at the Capital. He made a mental note to bring Peter something when they got home. He smiled to himself at the thought.
After giving the cook the bucket of milk, Peter got inside the house and prepared. He changed into nicer clothes and went to the study. There he will meet his teacher, Mr. Gilbert Beilschmidt.
Mr. Beilschmidt or just Gilbert as he insists to Peter is an extra-ordinary teacher. He teaches music as well as Spadian and other kingdom's history but every time he speaks of history, he would tell Peter like he is the one whom made the history happen. He and his awesomeness as he always say. Peter does not know where he got the word but surely Gilbert is the only one using it.
The lesson went well in exception of random re-enactment that Peter enjoys so much and how he tells history, acting like he was in the voyage himself. He even got to the point of climbing at the grand piano he still has to teach Peter with. Peter doesn't even bother telling him to get down. He just loves to have fun.
By afternoon, Gilbert dismissed him saying that he has to feed his awesome Gilbird to which Peter assumed his pet bird. Gilbert jumped through the window instead of using the door. Peter could never do something like that. He reminded himself that he would not survive such stunts.
He was about to come back to his chambers when one of the maids excuse herself and brought Peter a letter. He thanked her and proceeded inside. He inspected the letter, seeing that it has a wax and sealed with a familiar symbol. A symbol his family represents and passed down through generations.
He opened one of his drawers, reaching for his letter opener. He carefully opened the letter. When he finished cutting the edge of the envelope, he put back the letter opener and decided to seat at the edge of his bed.
He opened the letter, letting his eyes scan through the cursive yet sloppy hand writing of his brother.
Dear Peter,
I hope you are doing well as the time this letter reached you. It's been a while, isn't it? A month, I think. To get everything clear, your sibling and I will be heading home two days from now. I hope that everything is doing well back there.
There are things that I wanted to discuss but it would be better to have such discussions through personal conversations.
See you after two days, brother. I hope you are doing well.
S. A. Kirkland
He grinned at the letter he just read. He quickly stood up. Today will be the day that his brother will be arriving for the capital and he need to make everything nice and clean. Moving out of his room, he told every maid to clean and prepare for Scott's arrival.
He changed to his working clothes and headed to the kitchen. "Going to have lunch with Alfred again, I see." The cook said to him, smiling.
"Yes." He picked up a big piece of bread. The cook looked at him, "Will that be enough for the two of you?" He smiled as an answer.
He was about to go out of the back door when he remembered something. "Oh. And Scott, Fiona and Finn will be arriving tonight."
The cook looked surprised within a fraction of second before he asked, "What would you like for dinner?"
"Make the best dish you can." He laughed, waving his hand and started to walk outside. The cook just nod and started to command his assistants to prepare for dinner.
He also informed Alfred about Scott's arrival. He seems the type of person who doesn't mind it at all. After the lunch by the apple tree, they head back and went to further prepare.
When the sheets are changed to new ones, floor polished even more, the food is starting to be cooked, Peter head to his room. Changing to his clothes to ready himself for the arrival. He looked at the mirror, fixing himself for any other flaws his clothing might have. He's dusting his trousers when he suddenly stopped and stared at himself.
He sighed, realizing how frail he looked like and looking closely at the mirror. He reached for his thick eyebrows. He touched it. Now that he had seen it better, he could notice his resemblance to his siblings. It's like a family heirloom but this one runs on their blood and equally divided.
He reached for his tresses. Sandy blonde hair. Unlike his brothers and sister who possess a good color of the fallen autumn leaves. His hair is blonde. Reminding him of someone from the past, just having messier tresses. Peter could not remember the face of that person and whenever he tried to remember he will be met by blurry faces.
He reached for his pocket and met by a cold piece of metal. He fished it out of his pocket, looking at the time. It's nearly dusk. He thought. When he was younger, you might he remembered Scott giving him this pocket watch. Saying that he should take good care of it because it was an heirloom that meant to be on Peter's possession only and Peter always takes care of it up until now.
His train of thoughts are interrupted by the sound of horses whining and the stopping wheels of carriage, surely loaded with different sorts of things. Soon, he could hear muffled noises. He put his pocket watch back to his pocket, looked at himself in the mirror before heading out of his room and going to meet his brother downstairs.
Peter joined his sibling at dinner, being led by Scott. His brother Finn and sister Fiona is also at the dining table. Enjoying the full course prepared by the cook, one of Peter's friends. He looked at his plate. A meat dish with fancy herbs the cook would like to put for his dishes. All Peter knows is that the cook make delicious food.
Scott looked from his plate to Peter's. "Why are you still not eating, Peter?" He asked, catching the attention of their two siblings.
"Scott, you have forgotten to give Pete his present, haven't you?" Finn looked at Scott's direction while having his fork halfway through his mouth.
Fiona nudged at his side, muttering something about not speaking when his mouth is full. Finn just made face that just made Fiona disgust and laughed at the same time.
Scott rolled his eyes at the two before looking back at Peter. "If that's the case, I'll give you your present first thing after dinner, umm?" He smiled a little before proceeding back to his meal. "For now, eat your meal first. You're a growing man, you need those." He muttered before opening his mouth to bite at the meat.
Peter absent-mindedly nodded before eating his meat. He ate in small portions, saving some space for more food later with Alfred. He could hear Finn and Fiona laugh at each other and Scott's quiet clanking of the fork and knife against his plate.
After dinner, Peter went to change to much comfortable clothes before heading to the kitchen. He asked for two bowls of soup which the cook gladly gave him. Heading to the barn, he saw Alfred looking at the skies. Seeing the opportunity of the dark surrounding, he made rustling noise that surely made Alfred screamed his lunges out. He never gets tired of seeing the man scare his pants of.
They shared the bowl of soup inside the barn. After the little supper Alfred and him had, he excused himself saying that he will bring back the wooden bowls. Alfred seems alright with it and just made himself comfortable above the hay.
Peter knocked at the door of Scott's study. "Come in." His brother said and he opened the door quietly. He is seated to his favorite settee near a fireplace and making himself comfortable with the companionship of a light drink and a few opened letters.
"Did you like my present, brother?" He said, his glasses glint under the light of the fire. His head moving from scanning the letter but he did not look at Peter's direction.
"Yes, very much, brother. Thank you for the present." He said, standing near his brother.
"I see but it isn't the cause of your visit, I presume." He arched his eyebrow when he encountered words that the letter contained. He is rather intrigued by the letter.
"Yes." He said, still standing. When Scott looked at his way, the chain of his glasses made a very small noise but it glinted beautifully under the light.
"Why not have a seat, Peter. Goodness, you don't want to stand there all night, do you?" He said to his brother, pointing at the nearby settee.
Peter went to seat quietly. Making himself comfortable and looking at his brother with hopeful eyes.
Scott looked at him, above from his letter, waiting for Peter to speak. Peter cleared his throat to start speaking.
"Brother, it's about heading to Capital." His brother gave a look of amusement, his mouth shaping a small bewildered smile, his eyes glinting with wonder.
"What about it? Decided to come with us?" He put down his letter to his lap, also getting his glasses removed. He placed the glasses to a nearby table.
"No." Peter said. His brother's eyebrows furrowed at confusion.
"Then why bother?" He put his chin under his hands, resting his elbow at the settee's soft and fabricated arm.
"Capital is a good place but not for me. I wanted it for Alfred." He said. Peter expected his brother a change in expression but it never occurred.
"Good. Then I'll have Alfred with us the next time your siblings and I leave." He nodded his head. Peter looked at him, mouth slightly agape. Peter looked lazily at him. "What?" Scott asked.
"Are you not going to ask me why I requested such thing?" Peter asked, still slightly stunned to his brother's odd decision making.
"Why you said? To be honest with you, boy, he'll be a good helping hand to us." He said carelessly. "Surely, he's strong and-" he stopped, waving the previous letter he had read before Peter talked to him. "The royal castle is in need of helping hands with the royal gardens." Peter just listened to him.
"Besides, Fiona nor Finn wanted to be left in the castle to take care of those vast gardens. The other gardeners from the castle do not know how to tend and take care of the flowers there." Scott just kept on ranting about how other people could not maintain the royal gardens.
Scott momentarily stopped to look at Peter. "Worry not, Peter. I will send a letter to Tino and Berwald. You remember them, do you?" Peter nodded at it. He has a feeling that this conversation will result good as he wished it would be.
"They will help you once Alfred joins us." He smiled at Peter. "Surely, Alfred would not mind." Peter nodded at it. A few moments later, he stood up.
"Thank you very much, brother!" He exclaimed. Happiness can be traced in his wide smile and glinting eyes and he left Scott's room and headed to his room.
When Peter reached his room, he jumped above his bed, landing on his back. He spread his arms and legs, he sighed with contentment. He wanted to help Fred to go to Capital. Surely he would snap at him, telling him to stop dreaming high because it is nearly impossible but he wanted for Fred to be happy. He just hope that everything will be fine once Fred steps inside the Capital- no, the Kingdom, because he knew Fred could be stubborn and make everything complicated.
After a few smiles and sighs, he sat at his bed and crawled hear the window, seeing a shadow going inside the barn. He really hoped everything went well.
Alfred was met by a red-haired man with a pair of intimidating eyebrows. Yes, Alfred thought that those eyebrows are enough intimidate whoever sees them but he would not be intimidated by his eyebrows.
He dusted his trousers and watched the red-haired man walk by a nearby stable where a white mare is resting. "How are you, Meryla?" He patted the mare's neck before continuing on stroking its neck. The mare answering back with a satisfied whine.
"What can I do for you, sire?" Alfred felt unusual calling someone as sire, he's hoping that this person would not demand for him to call him his master because Alfred is not a person fond of such kind things. He stood, waiting for the other man to – at least – gesture at him.
The man looked at him, staring with those much different to Peter's. His eyebrows, effectively adding the effect for his eyes, in which in funny thought Alfred had noticed that as thick as the blond teen. Holding his snicker, he looked at the man's direction, to that different shade of eyes. "Oh, you're too formal, young lad." The tension Alfred thought that was forming easily disappeared. It took Alfred a minute or two to notice that the man soften his features, most people might not see it but Alfred surely caught it.
The green eyed man looked at him, crossing his arms above his chest before leaning in a wooden post. Relaxing himself before speaking again.
"I'll get straight to the point, lad." Alfred looked at him, feeling the knot in his stomach. Will he be fired? Did he do something wrong? Did the cook told this about the food? He could feel sweat beading on his forehead.
"Are you listening to me?" He snapped back to reality. "Did you hear me?" The red-haired man scowled at him, starting to look annoyed to Alfred's inattentiveness.
Alfred looked startled for a second before speaking. "I-I'm sorry." The other man did not say anything but just repeated what he just said.
"I said, you're going to Capital with me the next month."
He had never seen someone change his expression from being frightened to being bloody happy that you look like a fool, other that Alfred.
A/N: Hikikomori-kuma still ALIVE. I wanted to apologize, that a chapter took so long to be uploaded. School started long time ago and its making me stressed and everything. Uggh! Just, so much happened. I know, the chapter is crapped but if you want to correct anything, just please say so. Thank you very much. Hope you enjoy the chapter. :)
P.S. Next chapter have no definite date of publication.