AN: Ok, so I know this is late, but FF was being stupid when I went to post on the 31st. Anyway, not happy with this chapter, but it had to be written to get to the steamy next chapter. So enjoy and as always I just own the story!
When Arthur emerged from his quarters his anger had reached volcanic levels and sat on the precipice of eruption. He could feel little uncontrolled sparks of his magic leaping off of his skin as he stormed across the deck of the ship. He took note that his crew made it a point to stay out of his way and coward in fear if they drew too close to their captain. They had quite often seen what happened to those that got too close to him when he was in a rage and were wise to avoid him.
That fact made a small pleased smile cross his face as he reached the open hatch that led down to the lower decks. Before he stepped down into the hold he called his magic to his hand knowing that he would have no lighting once he was below. Hand held aloft he stalked quickly down the stairways to the lowest level; His boots crashing thunderously against the wooden steps the entire way.
As he reached the lowest deck he reached into his coat pulling his enchanted key from its pocket and strode purposefully up to the cell door. He made quick work of the door lock and threw the door open so violently the screech of metal against metal was near deafening.
As he stepped into the cell his eyes, having adjusted to the dim light, quickly did a sweep of the confined space looking for the cause of his anger and tried to ignore the foul odor the seemed to permeate the room. When those irate orbs landed upon the curled up form lying in the center of the floor facing him his heart stuttered to a stop. All the rage and frustration he had been feeling a moment ago faded completely as he took in the wretched state Alfred was in. It was obvious that Mint had tried to clean the dragon up a bit, but had little success. The filthy clothing he wore looked even looser than it had when he had first set eyes on the other man and bits of bile clung to the sleeves. The sickly, pale pallor of Alfred's skin and the inhuman stillness of his body gave him the appearance of a corpse.
Spurred forward by the fear that Alfred was indeed dead, Arthur hastily dashed to the dragon's side where he instantly dropped to his knees and gathered him into his arms. He shifted so that Alfred's head was tilted back and brought his face down so that their lips were a mere inch apart. A heavy sigh of relief escaped with the breathe he had not realized he had been holding when he felt the smallest puff of air caress his skin. The pounding of his heart eased minutely as he leaned back to better assess the man in his arms.
He noted that the skin of Alfred's face appeared taut making his cheeks slightly hollow. His closed eyes appeared sunken in and black circles completely surrounded them. With his still glowing hand, Arthur tenderly brushed a few strands of stringy, dull blonde hair from his face and a sharp pang went through his heart at the pathetic sight he beheld. Had he known Alfred was this bad off he would have done something to alleviate or at least ease his suffering. He knew any number of herbs that could have helped him and had them all in his quarters.
Guilt ate at his heart and he leaned back down to place a gentle, apologetic kiss to Alfred's brow.
"I'm so sorry, love," he whispered against Alfred's skin as his hold tightened on the dragon while his chest ached.
"Master, is Alfred all right?"
The sudden question made Arthur jump in alarm and curl defensively around Alfred. His head snapped up and turned to face the cell door with a threatening glower. Mint shrank back in the doorway nervously worrying his lower lip as his concerned green eyes fixed on Alfred's limp form.
Arthur stared blankly at Mint for a moment before giving his head a firm shake bringing himself back to right.
"I don't know, Mint," he answered gruffly.
The abrupt appearance of his familiar sobered Arthur and the realization of what he had been doing hit him like a cannonball. That infernal spell had yet again warped his emotions and made him behave like a simpering fool. He was not one to tolerate being manipulated very well. His face shifted into an indignant glare and a growl reverberated in his throat.
The thought of just letting the dragon die crossed his mind and he was sorely tempted to do so to just be rid of the accursed spell. That thought though led to a much more troubling question. If he let Alfred die what would happen to him? They shared a magical bond and that bond may very well have tied their fates together in a way that if one expired the other would in turn. Not knowing the nature of this magic made it utterly impossible for him to even begin to know what ramifications were in store for him.
He turned a frustrated and questioning gaze upon Alfred. He felt the immediate shift of his feelings as he looked at the dragon and he quickly attempted to beat back the change. He had come here to gain answers and he meant to have them. He would be unable to gain this knowledge, however, if the one person who held it were to perish. He decided in that moment that the best course of action for now was to see that Alfred did not leave the mortal plain.
He swiftly shifted himself so that one arm was braced behind Alfred's shoulders and the other hooked beneath his knees so that he held the man bridal style. With a strained grunt he lifted the other man and settled him comfortably in his arms before rising to his feet.
"Come, Mint. There is work to be done," he stated simply as he turned and walked toward the door.
"Where are we going, Master?" Mint asked as he moved out of his way and fell in step behind him as he passed.
"To my rooms in the cavern. Since the sea does not agree with our dragon here it would be best to get him on land," he replied as they stepped toward the stairs and began ascending them.
"Very good, Master. I'll run ahead and prepare a bed for him," Mint said sounding a bit more upbeat before disappearing in a puff of smoke and shooting off in his winged rabbit form.
He watched with a small, fond smile as the little, green figure whizzed off to his task and he continued his trek up to the main deck. As he emerged from the hold he willed his magic in his hand to dissipate and paused for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the slightly brighter lighting of the cave. Once his vision was clear he began to stride across the deck toward the gangplank. Inquisitive stares followed him as tread up to the wooden ramp and began to descend it. He glared threateningly at any man who dared to send a curious glance his way which sent them all scurrying back to their work lest they invoke his wrath. When his feet met the stone floor of the cavern he stumbled slightly, his body having become use to the swaying of the sea, and he inadvertently jostled Alfred.
A pained whimper emitted from the dragon causing Arthur to come to an immediate halt. He looked down in concern at Alfred and his eyes widened in astonishment when he found half lidded glowing, reptilian eyes looking back up at him. Those luminous orbs stared up at him in anguish for a moment before giving a pathetic, pleading whine and he turned his face to nuzzle against Arthur's chest seeking comfort.
Arthur could not pull his eyes away from Alfred as a number of conflicting emotions waged an internal war of his heart versus his head. His heart thrilled at the affectionate actions of the dragon and wanted to reciprocate with the comfort the dragon sought. His head was in turn sending up warning bells to beat back the softer feelings and confused by the rather abrupt change in his captives attitude toward him. His head warned him that he could not afford to show weakness in front of his men. If they thought for one moment that he was going soft he would have a mutiny on his hands.
While the war was far from won his head managed to take the battle and with great effort he pulled his focus away from Alfred. Setting his features into an angry glower he began once again to walk determinedly toward the rear of the cavern where his quarters were housed. He would be able to think straighter once he had left Alfred in Mint's care and put a small amount of distance between them.
With long, quick strides Arthur maneuvered through the throng of crewman tending to the various activities of docking and unloading the ship as he ate up the distance to his housing. He soon found himself standing before a dark, oaken door set into the stony wall of the cave. With his hands full he had no choice but to kick at the door several times in hopes that Mint would come to assist him.
Minutes later the door creaked open and Mint, once again in human form, appeared in the doorway smiling.
"Welcome home, Master. Please follow me," he chirped happily as he turned and began walking away.
Arthur fell in step behind Mint and followed him into his quarters being sure to kick the door shut behind him. His eyes stung as they were assaulted by the bright light that streamed in from the numerous open windows that were set into each wall of the room. He took a deep breath of the fresh air that filled the space and sighed contentedly. While he loved the sea nothing felt better than being home.
Turning to the right they made their way into large hallway and walked its length passing two closed doors on either side until they came to a door that stood at the end. Mint opened the pale wooden door and they entered the spacious room. A gentle breeze blew in from the open window cooling the space and carrying birdsong in its wake.
"I've turned down the bed and set a glass of water on the nightstand," Mint gestured widely with his arm toward the cedar framed bed and small matching cabinet beside it. "Just lay him down and I'll be right back with some of the broth I left simmering,"
With that said Mint gave a quick smile to his master before turning and hurried from the room. Arthur watched him disappear once again before turning back to the bed and walked the short distance to it's edge. Bending forward he settled Alfred onto the plush mattress and pillows taking care to gently pull his arms from beneath the other man. Once he was free he straightened and turned to leave needing some distance from his captive to think. He was, however, pulled up short when he felt a tug on his coat.
Turning back around he found that Alfred had latched onto him and those reptilian eyes from before stared up at him pleadingly. Ignoring the tug on his heart at those sad eyes he quirked his massive brow in equal parts irritation and curiosity.
"Do you need something?" he queried as he reached down to extract his coat from the other man's hold.
In response the dragon tightened his grip and gave a needy whimper.
"That did not answer my question," Arthur stated as he became frustrated with the other man and was surprised by the amount of strength he had in his weakened state. "What do you need?"
An odd chirping noise emitted from Alfred's lips and he tugged insistently on the cloth he held so tightly too.
Arthur stared at the other man completely baffled for a moment before a sudden thought struck him as he received yet another non-verbal response. Could it be that the human part of Alfred was unconscious and this was the dragon part? Abandoning his endeavor to free himself he instead reached down and stroked Alfred's hair.
"You can't speak, can you?" he asked.
His suspicions were confirmed when another chirp, this one carrying a downward inflection, was the dragon's answer as he tried to nuzzle Arthur's hand.
He filed this bit of information away to ponder over later once he had managed to get away from Alfred. For now he must determine what it was that the other man needed.
"Are you thirsty?" Another negative warble.
"Hungry?" Again the dragon indicated a negative.
"Damn it. What is it that you need?" Arthur growled in aggravation as his patience was growing exceedingly thin.
Once more Alfred emitted the odd chirp he had before, but when he tugged on Arthur's coat this time he pulled it toward him tapping the bedding at his side.
"Ah," he said as understanding dawned on him like sunrise. "You want me to lie with you,"
The dragon trilled merrily and shifted a little further onto the bed making room for Arthur. He glowered dubiously at the space next to the other blonde as he carried on an internal debate. He really needed to put space between himself and Alfred so that he could sort out a few things. Yet, he was terribly tired and in that moment it would be so much simpler to give into the spell that pulled them together. Here in his home he did not have to worry about keeping face with his men. Here he could relax and, damn it, he deserved to relax.
Tossing aside all his worries and responsibilities Arthur turned taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He quickly tugged off both of his boots before shifting to lie on his side and settled on the mattress. He would have preferred to remove his coat as well, but that would have been difficult with Alfred still holding it in a death grip.
As he got comfortable Alfred scooted up to him and snuggled against his chest.
"My you have become quite affectionate," he teased with a chuckle as the dragon settled in with a quiet trill. A warmth he had not felt since childhood washed over him as he wrapped an arm around the other man and placed a kiss atop his head. As he drifted in the limbo between wakefulness and sleep he could not deny that there was a sense of rightness in having this man in his arms. In the moments before slumber took him he thought that maybe he could get use to this feeling of blissful completeness.
AN: Okey doke, next chapter gets sexy!