Okay. Here's the deal. The ending of the last chapter sucked to high heaven. First of all, I was high as a kite when I wrote it. Kids, don't do drugs. THey suck. I have a legitimate mental illness excuse, but look where it's gotten me. It makes your writing suck so bad it's not even funny. I will probably go back and rewrite it when all's said and done. But from now on, I'm only writing while sober.
Second of all, I know it's been a long time since I posted the last chapter of this story. I thought having a job and getting out of the house once in awhile would increase productivity and for awhile it did, but then the monotony kicked in and suddenly it just made it harder to give a shit. And keep in mind that I already have a hard time giving a shit unless I'm high as fuck. It's a vicious cycle of either bad or scarce writing. But I found a lost stash of my pills and I'm hoping to get this shit done before they run out and I'm reduced to a sobbing mess. So let's get this ball rolling, shall we? Fuck yeah!
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Alfred wasn't let down again until Ivan deemed it necessary to break for lunch later in the day. The larger man was still seething as he tossed Alfred to the ground like a rag doll. Alfred scowled and opened his mouth to tell the jerk off for treating him like a sack of potatoes, but thought better of it when Ivan glared at him. Alfred didn't always know where the line was and he often crossed it without noticing (it was the main reason people got annoyed with him, the second highest reason was his obnoxious laugh) but he knew he was close to the line with this one. He would keep his mouth shut for now and maybe Ivan wouldn't leave him flat on his ass, alone in the woods. If there was one thing he didn't want, it was to be alone. And not just because the view of Ivan's ass over his shoulder was great.
"I am going to gather firewood along the treeline. You are to sit here and not move under any circumstances unless your life or well being are threatened. Do I make myself clear, Alfred?" Ivan asked, obviously still on his last nerve. Jesus, man, chill the fuck out. Will ya? But, of course, Alfred wasn't going to tell him that. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, giving Ivan the green light to go...do whatever the fuck he said he was going to do. Alfred hadn't really been listening. He'd gotten the part about "threatening his well being" but that had been about it.
"Alfred, did you even hear me?" Ivan growled, swatting the offending hand away from him. The boy may be attractive, but it was obvious he was a brat. And not that bright, to add the icing onto this cake of shit. He would have to do something about that. Perhaps a sort of Dreamscape Boot camp. But he doubted that any training would shape the boy up more than a few more life-threatening mishaps. But he also doubted that they would survive more disasters like the last few they'd had.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't move or you'll freak out again. I got it." He drawled, obviously not that interested. He was already looking towards the water like a child looks at a particularly desired toy. With everything that had happened today, the boy still wanted to endanger himself by going into the water? Was he insane, or just stupid? In a world where anything could be waiting behind every corner, he wanted to dive into murky water that could hold any number of nasty things waiting to rip his limbs off or drown him. He couldn't even begin to name all of the things that lurked in the depths of the river from all sorts of cultures around the world and from all time periods. Anything that had ever haunted man's nightmares was here. And Alfred seemed to want to be attacked by them all.
"Forget it. If you get killed, it isn't my fault. Stupid child." He muttered the last part under his breath, stalking off to the treeline to gather wood. He weaved in and out of the trees, picking up aas many dry twigs and branches as he could to get a good fire going. They wouldn't need a particularly big one, but it would need to burn hot enough to cook their food. The entire time he kept his eyes on Alfred, making sure to never lose sight of him. You could even say his world revolved around the teenager now. How ironic, yes?
He had just looked back to check on his charge when his foot caught on something in the grass. He stumbled a bit, catching himself at the last moment before he tripped. After righting himself, he looked down to see what could possibly be sitting there. It was probably a rock, but it would still be beneficial to himself and other travellers to have it out of the way. Nothing good could come of tripping in the middle of these woods. A broken ankle at best and a few seconds shaved off of your escape time at the worst. He bent down to pick the item up and examine it more closely.
He dusted it off, letting the dirt cascade off of it and out of it. It was a small golden chalice, not too fancy for a cup made of such precious metal. There were no jewels or intricate engravings. No embossments or designs. What, then, was the purpose of the cup? He turned it upright, tilting his head as he noted that the cup had a lid, kept on by a hinge and sealed well. Why would this mysterious cup need a lid? And what was inside it that would need a sealed, hinged lid? It was all very curious. He looked back to Alfred, meaning to call him over and show him the anomaly. But there was just one problem.
Alfred was gone.
His breath caught in his throat as he realized the place he had left his companion was completely empty. His eyes darted around frantically, trying to catch any glimps of him. But the only signs that he'd ever been there in the first place was a small indent in the grass where he'd been sitting and ripples in the river. The idiot boy had obviously disobeyed him and gone swimming. Suddenly, it was obvious what the cup in his hand was and he raced towards the river, hoping it wasn't too late. If Alfred was already dead, this wouldn't work. He wound back his arm and flung the cup into the river, bellowing out his command.
"The cup for his life, Vodianoi! Return him to me now that you have your accursed harvest!" He growled, wading into the water himself. If the creature didn't return the boy, he would dive after him himself. He didn't know why, didn't even stop to think about it, but he couldn't let that boy die. He had to save him, no matter what the cost. And if that wretched demon had him, he would just have to kill it to get Alfred back. Not that anyone would particularly object to that.
But before he could diver under to get his travelling partner, he saw a flash of blonde hair in the water as the boy floated to the surface. He grabbed for him, getting his head out of the water as fast as possible. Vodianoi had given his body back, but that didn't gaurantee his life. He was still very much suceptible to drowing. He hauled him to the shore, cradling him in his arms as he checked his pulse and breathing. He was worringly pale and the breaths that he was struggling to take sounded watery, but he was alive. Ivan felt a sense of relief like none he'd ever felt before wash over him as he held the boy to his chest. If he had been a more sensitive or emotional man, he might have succumb to tears of joy. But he would leave it to Alfred to be the expressive one. He was much better at it.
Alfred stirred. Weakly at first, but stronger after he had coughed up a bit of the water that had made it's way down his throat. He groaned weakly and opened his eyes. They seemed so much more blue than Ivan remebered them from the last time he'd seen them. Maybe because he'd been so angry, maybe because he was just glad to see them again without the white film of death covering them. But for whatever reason, they were so much more captivating than he could ever have imagined just this morning. The life in them was perhaps the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen. But then again, he was half mad with relief. Later he would probably be chastizing the idiot boy for disobeying him.
"Hey." Alfred said, voice raspy from the water he'd breathed in.
"Hey yourself." Ivan answered back. He wasn't sure what had prompted that particular response. Maybe he'd seen it in a movie. But he was immediately glad he'd said it, because Alfred gave a hoarse laugh. He was obviously still weak from the ordeal and Ivan was still to glad that he wasn't dead to yell at him. He also didn't think Alfred would last long out here in wet clothes with no comfortable place to sleep or blankets to keep him warm. But they'd lost their last bargaining chip. If he had another cup or if he hadn't had to use the one he had found to bargain for Alfred's life, they could have used it to make Vodianoi take them to the closest town where they could find lodging, warm food, and dry clothes. What was he going to do now?
But just as he was about to get up and make a fire in an attempt to keep Alfred warm and maybe dry him out a bit, he heard a watery screech from the river. The cup he had just thrown into the river went whizzing past his head as the water demon rose up out of the water. The rage etched upon his face was enough to tell Ivan that maybe there was still a chance. If his assumptions were right, he'd unintentionally tricked the demon and he was now obligated to help them.
"Eeemptyyyy!" The creature hissed, hands balled into fists and an air of anger surrounding him. The demon, in the form of an old man, was pissed. And Ivan knew his only chance was to conceal the fact that it was unintentional.
"Yes, the cup was empty." He said with a smirk that he did not really feel. "You are now required to grant me one request. You knew well the rules under which you are governed."
"What isss your requesst, miserable, tricky mortaal?" The creature hissed, obviously annoyed by having been tricked by a human.
"Transport for my companion and myself to the nearest town with an inn and a doctor." He said, trying to seem bolder than he felt. He could show no signs of weakness, or the ruse wouldn't work. He quelled the fear that he felt and held Alfred closer.
The demon growled and disappeared back into the water. For what seemed like whole minutes, Ivan thought he hadn't fallen for it and he and Alfred would be stuck there with no idea how to get to a safe place for the weakened teenager to rest and recouperate. But just as he was about to give up hope, the waters of the river swelled into a tidal wave that formed itself into the shape of a chariot drawn by horses. The entire thing was made of water, but Ivan knew it would bear their weight. Vodianoi was honor bound to take them safely where they requested to go. He hooked his arms under Alfred's legs and shoulders and lifted him up, wading into the water and climbing into the chariot.
As soon as they were in, almost before he could settle them both comfortably, the chariot took off at a breakneck pace. The trees passed by in a blur of green as they sped along. Ivan could only pray that they could stay in for the duration of the trip. Alfred shut his eyes tight, his stomach doing flips as the water horses pulled them along. He was already weak from his near death experience and the pace was far from helping his stomach. Ivan shushed him, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He was still feeling protective of the younger man, something inside of him calling him, urging him to make the boy better. Or at least more confortable.
"Ivan?" Alfred said, looking up at him with tired eyes.
"Yes, Alfred?" He responded, smoothing back wet blonde locks.
"Thanks for saving me." He said softly, eyes closing as he began to fall asleep to the slight rocking of the water chariot. Ivan started to reply, but by that time the boy was already asleep and he knew his response would fall on deaf ears. So he just patted the sleeping teenager on the head and let him rest. He obviously needed it.
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I know it was a short chapter, but it made up for it by being exciting, right? ;A; There was just no other place to end it! Because the next chapter has to go all together and it's going to be considerably longer. And it might even have sexytimes in it ;D
Also, another reason the chapter took so long. I lost my flash drive with the original beginning of the chapter and my plot. I've rewritten the plot much the same way that it was before with a few changes and trust me, this version of the chapter is way better than what I had in the first draft. So be glad I lost it B|
Another thing. I know Russia's not exactly in character after he fishes Alfred out, with all the lovey dovey thoughts about how pretty his eyes are, but there's an honest to god reason. When people are in a near death situation or someone around them is, just surviving or seeing them survive can strike a chord within the person and create a kind of sexual arousal. That's why soldiers just out of a battle are more likely to rape a woman or go to a hooker. They're so relieved that their alive that they'll kind of just fall into the arms of the next fairly attractive person they see just to affirm that they're not really dead. So while it doesn't mean that Ivan's falling in love with Alfred, it might open the floodgates. Though I do regret now not including the inner Monolouge Ivan had at the beginning of the first draft about how attractive Alfred is. But it just wouldn't fit into the flow of the story here. Just imagine that Ivan thinks Alfred's really sexy and keep in mind that he hasn't gotten any nookie for like 4 years.
Next chapter should be up much quicker. Yay for meds!