CHAPTER III: The Garden of Thorns
-Rhea Warner-

I was still marveling at the room I was staying in. Arthur had helped me get settled in and showed me everything I needed to know. He also gave me a quick tour of the house, leaving out certain chunks because that would have been all too tedious.

My room was on the second floor just off the main entrance and had high ceilings. There were paintings on them that made it look like it should be in the palace at Versailles. Four huge bedposts framed the bed, and I had a beautiful view of the gardens below. It felt positively regal. There was a lovely but simple desk, and a large closet. There were a few gold accents that decorated the walls. Candelabras were attached to the wall and another crystal chandelier was situated above. I had to sit down on the cushioned bench that was right under the window sill to take in what was happening to me. Somehow all of this opulence made me more sanguine in the operations to come. A sort of self confidence was growing in me, reinforcing my decision to leave.

My thoughts then raced back to my family. I hoped against all hope that they would continue to remain safe. Even though I'd been apart from them for a long time, they were family, and I didn't want to lose any of them the way I lost my father.

I decided to change into something a bit more presentable. After all, walking around wearing sweats in a place like this made me feel terribly out of place. I opted for a simple blue day dress that went down to just above my knees and put a sweater over top. I then put on my favorite pair of fuzzy socks to wear around the somewhat cool house. I had to start getting comfortable, it may be a while.

I went to the bathroom to get freshened up after the long plane ride. All of the counter tops were made with marble, there was a huge bath tub, and there were even heated floors! Heated floors. Excitement welled in me again. Luxuries anywhere near the ones this house had were so rare in this world. For the most part, the people of German high command were the only ones rich enough for this.

Arthur had told me to get settled in, and then meet him downstairs so we could discuss things. I exited the room and navigated the house like it was a maze until I found the room with Arthur in it. He was sitting on a chair, quietly sipping a cup of tea while going over paperwork.

"It must get lonely here."

Arthur looked up at me. "You get used to it," he said as he put the papers down and got up from his chair. "Would you like some tea? I have a feeling that you have a few questions for me, as I have a few questions for you."

I nodded. More than a few, but I didn't know how many he would (or could) answer.

"Are you hungry?" He added quickly.

"Oh no, I'm fine."

Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Did Alfred tell you-"

"No" I cut him off. "I'm just jet lagged." I didn't want to offend Arthur within my first day of knowing him. That wouldn't bode well for future "business partners"- if you could call it that.

Arthur didn't completely buy my excuse, but he decided to let it slide. He motioned towards the furniture. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like cream or sugar?"

"Just a little bit of cream," I answered as I sat down on a sofa opposite where he had been sitting. Something about him was just off. Granted, things could be awkward when having a visitor you've never met before. But still... his sentences felt a little forced? Maybe that was it. I don't know. I couldn't think too much about it before he put a teacup down on the glass coffee table. "So it's safe to talk in here?"

"Yes, in this house you are welcome to speak freely. Everywhere else, you must be very careful."

I looked around at the room we were in, trying to find any hidden cameras or objects that would contradict what Arthur said. Books lined one of the walls and there was a large crackling fire in the fireplace. I found nothing out of the ordinary, so I decided to start the conversation off lightly. "So you must have inherited this place," I observed. The old world charm was evident and the place had clearly been built for a long time. He would have never been able to get half the resources that were in the house now-a-days.

"Yes, you can say that."

"No servants or anything?" I joked a bit cynically.

"They come once a week to tidy the place up, and more frequently if I am having some guests." Arthur put down his tea and looked me right in the eyes. "Do you mind if I'm a bit candid?"

Anxiousness came over me. "Of course not," I reassured, mostly trying to reassure myself.

"Why exactly are you here? What made you decide to risk your life for this?"

My answer came surprisingly easy. "My life is already at risk, and a big target was on my back. If I stayed in America I would be put in a very dangerous position. I witnessed my best friend die in a public execution as if it were some sort of show, and my father was taken away from me." I paused and breathed in and out in order to maintain my composure and keep my emotions in check. I absently moved my fingers around the rim of the teacup. "If my grandfather could put his life on the line fighting for the Allies, then I can too. We all die anyway. Some sooner, some later, but we all die."

"Yes..." Arthur drawled out.

"So you work for the government then, just like Alfred?"

Arthur brushed a hand through his hair. "I do. Things are a bit tedious though. I don't have as much power as I used to."

"Oh" I conceded, realizing that I wasn't going to get much more than that. "So what's the plan? How will we make this whole 'let's take over the government' thing a reality?"

"There are still many things we have to work through. For right now we are going to have to lay low and formulate some type of plan." Arthur sat back and became transfixed by the fire.

There was a lull in the conversation.

I decided to break the silence. "Do you think we will ever win?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. After a few moments he responded. "Yes, I believe we will. It might take a long time, but if there is anything I've learned in regards to history, it is that empires rise and fall. This will be no exception. Even so, I don't think the world will ever be as it once was." His expression was melancholy and his bright green eyes dulled for a second.

I decided to veer away from this topic of conversation because I knew that it was just going to depress me. "So does it get lonely here all by yourself?"

Arthur looked at me with a sort of coldness to his face. "What makes you think that I'm always by myself?"

I looked at him, as if the answer was obvious. "Um, maybe because you're the only one here? Wait, you're the only one here, right? Alfred didn't tell me that there would be anyone else."

He chuckled, his harsh demeanor easing ever so slightly. "Yes, I'm the only one here. Before the-" He cut himself off sharply. "I used to have lots of people stay at the house," Arthur continued. I saw him glance at my teacup.

"Hmm" I wasn't going to press the conversation further. Whatever secrets Alfred and Arthur had would have to be pondered over another day. My tea had cooled down a bit so I decided to take a sip. Arthur took a glimpse at me and then quickly turned his attention back to the fire. I put the cup down, suddenly feeling a bit awkward because I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to bring up the hardships of life in England because Arthur obviously had some deep-seeded feelings on the subject, and I didn't want to bring up unsavory memories. I also didn't want to keep pressing with useless small talk because it was just an attempt to mask said awkwardness. A thought popped into my-my head. . . Wait, what was I thinking about? I squeezed my eyes shut and when I opened them, the world around me was hazy. Comprehension came over me like a breeze on a beach. "Did- Did you. . ." My head started getting heavy as I tried to keep my eyes open. I was too out of it to be shocked. ". . .drug me?" I couldn't hold out any longer as I folded in on myself, falling sideways, my head laying on the couch. I opened my eyes one last time to see Arthur rushing over to me. Alarm was not evident on his face. Darkness then overcame my vision as whatever he put in my drink affected my system.


When I came to, I was in my bedroom. The curtains were open to let in the last light of day. I checked the clock, and it read 15:45. What happened? I didn't remember going to sleep, so how did I get here? A slight bought of anxiousness creeped in my stomach. I had never been so unaware of going to sleep. Think, Rhea. What happened? I was talking with Arthur, and then... the tea! Oh it was the tea! My anxiousness then turned to fear. Why was I drugged? Was this really a setup the whole time? I shoved the blankets off of me and ran to my suitcase across the room to get my gun. I did not sign up for this.

"Where are you going so fast?" a voice came from the corner of the room.

I instinctively jumped at the sound and realized that Arthur was sitting on one of the chairs in the oversized room. He curled his lips up in amusement. That angered me. My fear was gone and I quickly stalked over to him. Common sense was out the window.

"You," I said with a tone that was fierce with rage. As soon as I was near him I instinctively (and stupidly) raised my hand to hit him. With the fastest motion I had ever seen, he easily grabbed my wrist to stop the swing. My face was full of shock.

His same arrogant smile was still irritatingly on his face. As rationality came back into my mind, I realized that I wasn't going to win this fight.

"You drugged me!" I yelled and my voice cracked. "You're trying to kill me!"

Arthur just crossed his arms and with smugness he simply said, "Trust me, if I wanted you dead, you would be dead."

Dread flowed through my veins as my worst fears had just been confirmed. My breath hitched in my throat. "So you are with them," I squeaked out.

He shook his head. "Nonsense. Killing the Führer is still number one on my list of things to do."

"So why in the hell did you drug me?"

"Dear god, I didn't drug you." Arthur was still sitting on the chair with the same air of nonchalance.

"Excuse me but did you miss the part where I just blacked out on your couch?" I balked, incredulous. This guy was seriously going to tell me that I didn't black out? Did he think I was an idiot?

Arthur just sighed. "There is a rare ingredient in the tea from China. About point five percent of the population have a reaction to it."

I opened my mouth, dumbfounded. "So you mean to tell me that you give weird tea to all your guests just to see if they react to it? By passing out?! Sorry if I'm not buying it! Even if that's true, then what the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Calm down, love. I don't give it to everyone. I just thought it would be interesting to try it on you. Please tell me what would be the point of me drugging you for an hour and then you waking up, unharmed."

I stepped back, my argument was losing steam. "Oh come on! You're psychotic for testing something like that for your own amusement." I was uncomfortable as fear still lingered in my system. My eyes darted to the door.

Arthur saw the movement in my eyes and stood up from the seat, his face becoming serious. "I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to do."

I narrowed my eyes at his change in demeanor. "Really? Are you really sorry?" I asked, not believing that he actually was.

Arthur's eyes flickered with an unknown emotion. "Yes. I promise you, there was no ill intent."

What could I do? There really was no way out of the situation. I was in the hands of Arthur. What was I going to do? Run away? In a foreign country, with no legal papers that said I was allowed to be here? I probably wouldn't even be able to find the front door. I bit the inside of my lip. I thought to the gun in my suitcase. If one more thing happened to me he was going to pay the price.

The jet lag was starting to kick in. I pointed towards the door. "Leave," I demanded, my voice lethal.


A couple of days later, not much had changed. I went downstairs, ate my meals, and made small talk with Arthur. The good thing was nothing questionable happened. He still couldn't disclose much. I didn't want to complain at this point anyway because I was getting free room and board.

One night when I wasn't particularly tired, I decided to go exploring. The house intrigued me, and I couldn't trust Arthur yet. It was like a maze of different corridors and rooms, all decorated with beautiful rugs and paintings.

It was late at night at about 12:30 am and I was sure that Arthur was in bed. He was always up earlier than me so he was probably one of those people who went to sleep at ten. I took a candle from my room and put my slippers on and a robe over my pajamas. I opened my bedroom door into the hallway. The corridor was dark, but there were small candles on the wall that kept it from being completely pitch black. As soon as I stepped outside, my foot caught on the rug and I almost fell. I internally screamed at myself for being so clumsy.

My bedroom was in the east wing, so I decided to go exploring in the west wing. I reached the main grand staircase and continued on to the other part of the house. I then turned right down a corridor at the end of the wing. I was in a part of the house that Arthur had not shown me. At the end of the corridor was a door. The door looked a lot different from the other doors in the house. It had two iron bars shaped like an X that crossed in front of it. I approached the door and reached down to open it.

Locked.

"Of course," I muttered to myself. Then I immediately wondered if what I was doing was wrong. I felt as though I was snooping around. But what was there to hide? I was only looking at rooms. Plus, Arthur drugged me, giving me a pass to be suspicious and make sure there wasn't some weird torture room somewhere.

I turned around back up the corridor and retraced my steps. At the entrance, I decided to go downstairs to check out the ground floor. A couple hallways later, I came across a door that was slightly propped open. I slowly went inside, curiosity overcoming me. I gasped at the immensity of the room. It was a library. Shelves upon shelves of books were stacked all along the walls. A large window was on the opposite wall. I stopped at a section of books and started reading the spines. I gasped. Some of them were so old. I pulled a book out that was by someone called Cædmon. I was shocked to find that it was in some sort of Old Norse or Old English that I couldn't understand. The pages were yellow and fragile with age. I held it as delicately as I could for fear of ruining the thing.

So many books to be read for pleasure were banned. Owning books that in anyway the Nazi party felt put them in danger was illegal. I figured that at least half of the library was against the law.

I moved along, trying to find a book that was interesting and one that I understood. Books such as World War I: The Home Front was certainly illegal. No one could read anything like that from an Englishman's perspective. I gravitated to it, intrigue making my heart race. It was a real account, not some government-contrived propaganda. I would take that one back to my room.

As I scanned more shelves I came across an even older book and reached up to get it. It was titled, The Pirate Henry Every: The True Account of His Expeditions and Treasures. The year of publication was 1695. It seemed like the book could have actually been that old. I set that one out. I could read it in my spare time as well.

As my eyes surfed through that section, one book stood out in particular. Arthur Kirkland and His Conquests at Sea was embossed on the front in some sort of gold type. The coincidence was a little uncanny. A pirate had the same name as Arthur. I opened the book and it didn't have any publication information, but again it looked quite old. My eyes fell upon a neat script that was written in faded black ink at the bottom of the inside cover. It read:

My gift to you, Arthur.
May you remember these days long after I am dead and gone.

A signature was written after the note, but I couldn't make out the name. The whole letter was quite peculiar. When this was written, Arthur would definitely not have been born-

"Having fun?"

I jumped and gasped as I slammed the book shut in my hands, my heart racing. Arthur was in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

After the fright subsided, worry, fear, and embarrassment came over me. "I thought that I was being quiet."

Arthur laughed. "For you Americans quiet means shouting at a slightly lower level of volume than usual."

I gave him a look but couldn't really defend myself. It seemed as though Arthur wasn't sleeping. He still had the same button-up with rolled sleeves that he wore earlier and he looked as though he had been working late into the night.

He entered the library and asked, "What in the world are you looking at?" He took the book from my hands and he raised an eyebrow.

I took a step back, wary of him. He could sense my worry and sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I ignored him, my voice a little shaky. "I thought that it was interesting that there was a pirate with your same exact name. There was also a message written in it that is 'to Arthur'. It's a strange coincidence don't you think?"

Arthur put the book back on the shelf. "Yes, it always intrigued me that he had the same name as me."

"The letter was also pretty strange. It made reference to remembering the events long after the death of someone. Almost as though the person was going to live a lot longer than the writer of the note."

"I always thought that quite peculiar." Arthur said, turning to me. That was all he seemed to know about it. I was half expecting an elaborate story of how the book came to Arthur's possession, but I got no such thing.

I turned back to explore all of the different books. "This library is amazing," I said, awestruck. My fear was going away as the threat of immediate danger subsided, but there was still a hint of worry in the back of my mind. "There's everything from the British Empire to old superstitious writings from the Dark Ages. These all must be illegal."

Arthur merely looked at me in response, his face was void of emotion but his emerald eyes gave off a slight flicker of joy because of my curiosity.

Pages upon pages of history that no one was supposed to know. So much was right in this room. "I want to read the story about Arthur Kirkland, the pirate," I stated as a matter of fact.

Arthur looked down at his shoes and gave an (almost) humble blush. That was a refreshing change of character. "There's other more interesting stories though. The one that I would read if I were you is this one about the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. He had a massive warship and taught Black Beard." Arthur pulled the book out and gave it to me.

Again it was fairly old, with a dark red cover and silver type. I nodded, happy with the recommendation. "Thank you. This whole room is amazing. I never thought I would see so many books everywhere."

Arthur simply smiled in acknowledgement.

A yawn came as sleep was overtaking me and I decided to go back to my room. "Well I'm getting tired so I think I'm going to head to bed. Thanks again for letting me borrow the book."

"Have a good night."

I ignored him, feeling only the slightest bit guilty as I walked out of the room, leaving Arthur alone with the collection of thousands of books.


The next morning we sat together at breakfast. The scones that were served weren't bad at all. I made a mental note to tell Alfred the next time I saw him, which reminded me of something. I set down the tea that I was sipping. (It took me nearly two days after the incident to drink anything, and I was forced into it after I started feeling light headed and dehydrated. Arthur had payed me no mind in regards to my "drinking strike" and passively mocked me, to my chagrin.) I was starting to get more acclimated to him, yet the worry in the back of my mind was still there.

"Will I see Alfred again? Is there a reason he isn't with us?" I questioned. Arthur looked up at me with an unreadable expression. I honestly didn't know what to think of him.

"Most likely. And yes, Alfred was much more. . ." he paused, contemplating which word to choose, ". . .vocal than the Nazis would have liked. There are many more restrictions placed upon him than there are upon me."

I nodded, wondering what Alfred would have said to anger the Nazis. "If you don't mind me asking, why did they never kill him? When I interned with Kauffmann he seemed as though he was going to wring Alfred's neck. Not a lot of people can do that to Kauffmann without severe punishment."

"They want him alive," Arthur reasoned. "He is a valuable resource to your country and he has a lot of knowledge in regards to-" another pause, "-international relations."

"Ah," I maintained.

Arthur held a newspaper and was skimming through it with hard eyes. He had told me that they never accurately portrayed life in Britain as it was. It was just propaganda. It was the same in America. Life was clearly different than what was written on the pages of that paper. Thoroughly disgusted, Arthur folded it up and slapped it on the table.

"Why do you read it?" I asked.

"What?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why do you read the paper if it upsets you?"

Arthur put his fingers to his temples and started massaging his head. Something had come over him that made him very disturbed. "Honestly, I don't know. Perhaps it's just because the newspaper resembles some strand of normalcy. You know, before the war everyone read the papers. Then the war happened and the stories got more frightening and more frightening but they were some form of comfort because at least there were still people who were writing all those stories and you knew that the war was still far away from you because those people were still writing. But then the world turned into fire and the writing stopped. And then it started again but it was full of German and Nazism and 'Heil Hitler'." Arthur looked me in the eyes and tilted his head. "Even though the stories are awful fabrications, just the simple pages that still continue to come every morning even through this Reich are an appearance of the way it was back then. Before everything I loved was burned and destroyed." He let out a breath and anguish was clearly visible. The silence was painful. I didn't know what to say to that, but I wasn't going to let this one slide like I had the other times.

"You speak as though you were there when the War happened."

Instead of looking at me, Arthur focused on looking at the table. "I've heard stories," was all he said.

I finally understood that not talking about anything deep was going to get us nowhere. We were in this nightmare, and our way out was not going to be easy. I was foolish to have ever though that. Arthur and I had to talk about everything that was going on. In order to fix the bad we had to talk about it. The vagueness and incomplete thoughts were getting me nowhere in understanding the situation I was in. It was time to take action and stop slumping around sleeping the days away and doing nothing. I was here for a reason.

I pushed my chair out from under the table and looked out the window. "It doesn't look like it's going to rain any time soon. I think it would be nice to take a walk in the gardens and talk. I haven't seen them yet and it would be a good time to get some fresh air. I'll go get jacket." Without waiting for a response, I went to my room immediately so he couldn't argue with me.

When I came back down, I was happy to see that Arthur was ready for our walk. He was sporting a black peacoat and a small smile, despite the particularly saddening conversation just a few minutes ago. He started walking to one of the doors that lead to the garden. "I suppose that there was no use arguing with you about that."

"You're right" I said, pleased with my assertiveness.

He lead me out to the gardens. Of course they were amazing. I was expecting some pretty nice gardens if the house was any indication, but again my preconceived notions were blown out of the water. Mazes upon mazes of flowers and fountains stretched on and on. Trees and greenery were everywhere. I felt as though I was in The Secret Garden, which was a book that my father had given to me when I was young.

I decided to start the conversation off, tired of being kept in the dark about what was happening. "So where exactly are we in regards to our whole 'topple the most powerful empire in the world' scheme?"

Arthur just looked at me with a cold expression and sighed, not falling for my sad attempt at comedy. It was typical. "Well, it seems as though you would be useful to us after all. For whatever reason Alfred had an eye on you to become part of this and he wanted me to make sure that you would be the right person for the job. You are. So, the next thing that I must do is make contact with a friend of mine in Norway. He can give us a lot of help when it comes to our situation. It's just that he's part of a 'cult,' so to speak, and his 'friends' are all psychotic and insufferable, especially when together."

"Well that doesn't bode well," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Yes well I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice," Arthur said as he kicked a rock on the ground.

A chilly wind picked up and I crossed my arms to maintain some heat. My head was swimming. It was one of those moments where I couldn't believe that I was where I was. I wondered if my family was doing okay. It really hit me just how alone I was. Sure, I was with Arthur and he seemed nice enough (minus the whole drug scenario), but I still didn't know him that well at all. In fact, I knew next to nothing about his past. I just knew that he worked for the government. I could feel tears prickling the back of my eyes, but I didn't know why I felt them. I was feeling overwhelmed by my situation. I willed them back and internally scolded myself. I wasn't even in danger! In fact, I was living pretty high on the hog. More comfortable than I was back at my dorm in DC.

"I want to help the people," I blurted out. "I can't just stay here while we are waiting for things to happen and do nothing. I came to London to make a difference, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

Arthur stopped walking and looked at me quizzically. I could never read what was truly going on in his head. He had a fairly emotionless exterior, the only times I could see any sense of feeling were with those weird flickers in his eyes.

He gave a snort of disbelief. "And how do you plan on helping the people?"

I ran a hand through my long hair. "Well, you must have such a large amount of money, we could definitely make a difference here. Just give donations or something. Money talks." Instantly after I said that, I felt a little bad for talking so bluntly about his money. It was his after all. I had no right to just decide what to do with it, but I still couldn't stand being useless in this whole project either. "-I mean, if you're up for it. It's totally up to you."

Arthur let out a short laugh with no mirth. "But there is nothing to buy. Food shortages are abundant. The problems with London are enormous. We could never even make a dent in fixing things. Besides, we can't overstep our bounds too much because the government will sniff us out. I can't be charged with anything. I am already under too big of a microscope."

My mind raced with ways to help. "I know we can't fix everything. But we can help individuals at a time. Even if we only help one person it's still changing a life." An idea came over me. "I'm a business major. I can make a plan. Simple. Small amounts of money that can give a few people incentive and hope. Anything. Please." I was begging at this point.

"I'll tell you what. If you can give me a decent business plan making the most of five thousand pounds, I will let you implement it." He then looked me straight in the eye, a grave look being put on his face to let me know that he was not messing around. "I want my- these- people to be rescued more than anyone on this Earth, I swear that to you. It's just that I must play my cards right." Arthur then gave a barely perceptible shudder. "I have lost too much to lose the Nazi's trust."

I didn't want to think about what Arthur meant when he said that he had lost too much.

"Thank you! I promise that I can help."

"I hope you're right."


That evening after dinner, I worked for hours to form a model that made the most out of the money Arthur allotted to me. It was kind of hard though since I wasn't exactly starting a business. I was just trying to figure out the most efficient way to help the biggest quantity of people. Water wasn't the issue. It was food. There weres food shortages everywhere in Britain. So, the key was to hit the source. Encourage people who had farms. Give them small loans so they can start selling food to people. But then that leads to the inherent poverty of the people. Employment was key. Small businesses, people that sold things with relatively cheap costs for resources were important. They could hire one or two skilled workers. I just needed to find people with enough money and give them incentive to start hiring.

My head was spinning as I was trying to figure out every which way that I could make the best out of the situation. Dealing with economics on such a small scale was a fairly difficult task. Knowing that I wasn't going to make that much of a difference was even worse. If there isn't a constant movement of money, even if hundreds of thousands of dollars are given to many people, it would eventually run out. I was trying to play government even though I was in no way the government.

Frustration started eating away at me. Why did everything have to be this difficult? As I pondered new ways to stimulate something, anything, hoping that a miracle would inexplicably appear, my mind drifted back to Arthur.

He was nice enough, but he had a cold demeanor that I knew was hiding something. He obviously had some pretty deep emotions balled up in there. It was only a matter of time before the bomb explodes. It was also odd how he made weird references to times in history, especially during the war. He must have been pretty invested in pre-war history.

I groaned as bags grew under my eyes. Fatigue was growing on me and I decided that I had enough of a plan to somehow get it through to Arthur. I could make it sound good for him. I had to.

-England-

"Yes, I'm sure!" He could be so grating sometimes. He acted as though I couldn't handle myself.

"So what was weird about it?" Norway asked over the phone.

"Well," I began, "she definitely tested out. Magic is involved with her. The trick is figuring out how, why, and for what purpose. It seems as though she knows nothing about magic, so it must not be affecting her. I can't see how that will be much use to us. What good are traces of magic when the user can't even sense anything supernatural?"

The other end of the line was quiet. Of course, generally Norway wasn't the one to speak unless it was necessary. I continued, "One thing happened that was very odd, however. The elixir worked perfectly and she reacted to it, but when she woke up, she remembered everything that had happened. She remembered that it was the tea that made her pass out. I've never heard of that happening before."

"Hmm," Norway drawled out. "That is strange. I will need to see her in person to test her."

I sighed, exasperated. "And how exactly do you propose we do that? We can't exactly walk out of here without Ludwig and the entire Reich breathing down our backs. Alfred sending one plane isn't too bad, but they will start to suspect something if we are constantly flying in and out." I subconsciously threaded my fingers through my hair, wishing that a simple solution would appear out of thin air.

"We could smuggle her. We can't take planes; at this point it's too risky. They will also know if you are gone. She can take one of the ferries. Less suspicion would be drawn."

"There won't be any way that I could get the proper stamps that she would need though."

"Arthur, that's the point of smuggling."

I looked out the window. It had started to rain again. I put my fingers on the bridge of my nose, willing the headache to go away. "I'lll think about it, Norway."

"Does she know anything about- us?"

"Of course not!" I proclaimed, as if it were obvious. "It's never a good idea to tell humans about us unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir. I was simply curious, that's all," Norway defended.

"Alright well I will get back to you as soon as I can with a course of action. I am going to head to bed. Goodnight, Norway. Stay safe."

"You as well" was all I heard and then the line went dead.

-Rhea Warner-

The next morning when I woke up, I was uncharacteristically nervous about talking to Arthur about my plans. It was just Arthur, but there was this sensation in my head that desperately wanted to impress him. So far I had felt pretty useless, just sleeping and eating. I wanted to prove that I could do this. I wasn't just some liability or someone who couldn't take care of themselves. I didn't go to a great school, and I didn't suffer through that internship for nothing. I was worth something in this mess.

As I walked into the breakfast room, a plate of food was left out for me. Arthur was still waiting for me though. He looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "You slept in. Did you stay up late?"

I probably looked like a mess. My eyes were baggy and dark, and I barely got any sleep. "Yes, I did. But I think I have a couple ideas to be a little more helpful in this whole process." Energy came to me as I began to present my ideas. I was passionate about it, and for all the work I did, I was proud of what I came up with.

I explained how we could invest twenty percent of the money to a local farm that could hire workers. They could produce food for more people that way. Then using the majority of the money we could donate it to select people and families that still have chances of working. That way they could have more financial stability and get a job. The other ten percent can be used to set up some sort of food bank. But, to keep things running, we could "hire" people to start small clean up projects within the city and pay them with food. Once the system becomes a bit more stable, money can be added. We would also take donations from the people who still have money left. I'm sure they would give a lot to see prosperity in their city.

I had more to say, but Arthur interjected. "That sounds perfect. You may have twenty thousand pounds."

My mouth dropped open. Was he serious? I didn't even finish what I was going to say, and he ended up giving me more money. I soon realized that Arthur was probably going to say yes to me even if I had a worse plan. If the car ride to the house was any indication, he was deeply hurt by the status of London.

"Oh my god, thank you, thank you!" I ran up and practically hugged him. Arthur visibly cringed at the contact and cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the proximity.

I just pulled away with a smile still on my face.

After Arthur composed himself, he flashed a close lipped smile and said, "No, Rhea. Thank you. London needs people like you." The look on his face was one I couldn't explain. There was some strength there, as though my ideas had given him something to fight for.


Arthur and I were in the limo heading into London. An air of dread was palpable in the car. It was as if we were going straight into the lion's mouth. The ride was marred with silence as I took in the wreck of the city. As we neared our destination, my confidence spiked. I was here to help these people.

"Thank you for coming with me," I told Arthur.

Arthur simply looked at me. "I'm here in case anything goes wrong. With poverty comes anger," he explained bleakly.

As we got out of the car, everything was gray. The buildings, the air, the people: all gray. My black riding boots crunched on the broken glass that was once from a window decades ago. People looked at us with a hardness in their eyes, many with disdain. The walk was like a death march, my lungs constricting at the horrid mess.

The gray was interrupted by the sounds of boots marching down the street. Arthur and I turned around to see a sea of brown uniforms; they were not as neat as the sharp lines of the SS. No, these were the SA. The Storm Troopers. They were good to deal with "easy" problems. If the SA were like thugs then the SS were like trained assassins.

The handfuls of people in the street quickly moved to the sidewalks and then stood frozen in time, blank expressions on everyone's faces. Then it came. I began to hear the cheers as more people followed the brown uniforms. The horde was coming towards us. Suddenly those blank expressions turned monstrous; savage and barbaric. The SA could come after you for blinking the wrong way. I saw it before: they beelined towards a man and attacked him and his pregnant wife because they didn't look "Aryan" enough. They weren't even Jewish or dark-skinned. The child died in the womb and she was unable to have any children thereafter. Luckily, they weren't shot dead, or worse. Fear ruled stronger than anything. A horrified form of amazement gripped me as I saw the change in personality of all the onlookers. Their ragged forms stood a little taller, and as the parade came close they threw their fists in the air and screamed and howled like they did in Ancient Rome when watching the gladiators.

A chill ran down my spine as I saw what was happening. A young woman and man were being unceremoniously dragged down the street. I could only tell that the one was a woman because of the skirt she was wearing. Her face was black and blue, cuts and bruises all over, same with the man. Saliva was dripping from her mouth as she hung limply, still holding on to whatever life she had left. Her brown hair was pulled out in chunks with large pieces missing and her skirt and shirt were torn. She was probably raped. Both of their legs were dragging across the concrete, broken glass slicing their skin. The man had no shirt on, and was in similar shape to the woman.

The people on the street raised their poor, miserable heads and shouted, whatever they had to do to survive. Even through the commotion I could hear my heart beating and Arthur's heavy breathing beside me. As soon as the entourage began to pass us, automatically we stood tall, arm up in salute. Every single one on the street. I didn't dare do anything different. Arthur did the same. My face was unmoving, my eyes looking straight ahead, unable to look at the victims any longer.

They passed and I released my rigid stance.

"I wonder what that's about," Arthur questioned aloud with an odd waver to his voice. Sadness, anger, hopelessness all coursed through us. I don't think he really wanted to know the answer.

An old woman overheard us. "Haven't you heard?" She wore a scarf over her head and had arthritis so bad that she could barely move. "It's been in the papers for a few days now."

I snuck a glance at Arthur, knowing how he reads the paper every morning.

"The poor girl didn't respond to the officer's flirting. He said she would regret it. I don't think he was wrong." She shook her head, a sparkle in her eye. I couldn't tell if it was tears waiting to fall or something else entirely. "That man was her boyfriend, tried to defend her, he did. Bad idea."

I nodded in response, not trusting in my ability to speak safely. "Heil Himmler," was all she said with a salute and walked away.

Suddenly the fading sound of the boots and the raucousness halted. The raving bystanders gave a wide berth and stood on the sidewalks as the bodies they were dragging were dropped to the ground. They had no energy to even hold themselves up.

"Get up!" one of them screamed. I twitched at the sound that cracked through the silence. Arthur was watching on, his thick eyebrows knit together, watching the evil unfold.

Neither of them moved, so another one of the SA grabbed the woman by the hair and pulled her up on her knees. Her head lurched back dangerously, as if she had no energy to support it. In a quick but awkward motion- not even close to the skill you would find of the SS- a pistol was pulled and aiming at her head, point blank. I didn't know if the woman could see it with her face swelled that bad. My body tightened as I jerked to face Arthur, unable to watch. Arthur's eyes remained set on the scene that was unfolding.

The gunshot went off and I jumped, squeezing my eyes shut. Arthur stood stock still, with only a slight twitch in his hand. An inhuman scream came from the man as he watched his lover die. Not soon after did a second shot go off.

By the time I turned around again, the bodies were still there even though the Storm Troopers had continued down the street. Blood pooled and slid down the road, oozing with an unmistakable shine.

"Let's go," Arthur broke the silence monotonously as he put his arm around my shoulder. There was no emotion in the gesture as we paced hurriedly down the street.


"So this is it," Arthur deadpanned as we approached a ruined building. There was still some shelter from the elements, but it looked completely dysfunctional. "I know it's not much, but we have to make do." I nodded and set about planning where things were going to go in my head. It was simple. We would only need a kitchen and a counter, keep things easy.

"We can hire a couple people to help clear out the space and install a makeshift counter. It doesn't have to be fancy," I noted, half out loud. I breathed out. "This could work!" I was mostly trying to convince myself.

After we were done surveying the spot, we headed back outside. People glared at us. A man on the side of the street aggressively kicked a rock towards me. Arthur immediately put himself between me and him, putting his hand on the back of my neck to usher me on. I felt no fear, I only felt profound sorrow for that man, and all the other people on these streets. He was no threat to me.

A few steps later, a thought came over me. I swiftly turned and headed for the man. Arthur tried to grab me, but I continued on, out of his reach.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed under his breath.

"He won't hurt me," I replied with conviction. I didn't know that for sure but I felt it. As much as I loved acting on facts, being rational, I went against it at this moment. It was probably stupid, but I did it anyway.

I approached the man and his face hardened. He was in his mid thirties, but he had worn features from living outdoors for a period of time. His face was gaunt and the bones in his hands were protruding from malnourishment. I crouched down to his level and looked at him with confidence. "How would you like a job?" It must have been strange for a twenty one year old woman speaking about employing an older man, but now was not the time for pride. It was the time for result.

"Stop fucking with me," he retorted with ice in his eyes. "You won't do jack shit for me." He then spat on the ground next to me.

By this time Arthur had come next to me and stood in a defensive, almost militaristic position. He glowered at the man, daring him to make a move.

I kept my equanimity, unflinching from his vicious demeanor. "I will pay you five pounds an hour to help clear out that building right over there." I pointed towards the place we came from. "I promise you."

The man sneered at me. "Why would you do that for me? This is a joke."

"I can very much assure you that this is not a joke. I would do it for you because this city needs someone and something to get back on its feet. I am willing to give you a chance. If you and two others can clear out the rubble from that building by Monday, I will pay you one hundred sixty pounds. I swear it. I will check back every day, and if I don't come, you can leave."

The man seemed to think about it, suspicion still in his eyes. "Fine. I'll do it."

I gave him a small smile. "It's not desperation. It's work," I insisted. I then extended my hand. Out of my peripheral I saw Arthur shift ever so slightly. The man hesitantly shook my hand and I felt the weakness of his body.

As I got up to leave he let out a quiet "thank you." I turned towards him and nodded in response. I knew I made the right decision.

Arthur and I made our way back to the car after easily hiring two more people to work by clearing out the building. As we got settled in the back, I couldn't help myself when I spoke.

"You know, I can handle myself out there in the world," I said with a slightly patronizing grin.

Arthur's eyes turned cold and he scowled at me. "I'm learning more and more about you every day. A recently discovered characteristic is that you can act impulsively and stupidly as though you are untouchable here. Just like Alfred." His words were sharp, but I didn't let them phase me. I was truly grateful for his protection, although I wasn't sure how much it would help against a horde of angry Londoners.

I just chuckled. "Nevertheless I was happy you were there. You're like my insurance policy."

Arthur rolled his eyes, the bite in his tone gone. "Glad to know I'm like a piece of paper to you."


A week and a half had gone by since I had left DC. Alfred said that as soon as Arthur told me what was going to happen, I could decide to leave. Honestly, I wasn't ready to leave quite yet. Starting my project in the city had consumed a lot of my time, and I couldn't leave these people now. I could hold out for a bit longer.

By now the building had been cleared out and food was being made there for meals twice a day. So far we only had enough food for about one hundred people or so, but donations had started to come. Most of them were anonymous, not wanting to get involved with whatever political fallout being part of a soup kitchen might entail. Nevertheless, it was more than I had expected to receive within the first month.

We started paying small farmers to provide food for us. I wanted to start running an employment office too, so people could register and look for work. The response I had gotten from all of this was massive, and only in a few days! Lines had started to form, and sadly we were sold out of food before we could feed everyone. Nonetheless, the project was helping people, and that was all I really wanted. Arthur seemed to be the slightest bit happier with me around, especially now that I was helping the people from his home. He was also probably very lonely in this house without anyone to confide in, and clearly he had some deep emotional issues that I couldn't even come close to comprehending. Still, something very small had changed in him. In the mornings he was a bit happier; solemn, but he smiled more. There was a nagging feeling in my chest that I had to stay for his own mental health.

It was a Friday morning at about eleven and I had just calculated the business expenditures for the project. Everything was running smoothly so far, which made me a little more giddy than usual.

As I was debating how I would go about expanding, there was a strong knock on the door that I could hear from my silent room. I barely had time to think about who it could be before Arthur rushed to my doorway and told me to hide. He was in my room fairly fast and shoved my suitcase and some of my belongings under the bed. Uneasiness came over me as he rushed over to a couple panels in the wall, pushed them in and slid them over.

"Quickly!" he breathed, motioning for me to go into the small space that was behind the wall.

"Wh-" I couldn't even finish my thought before Arthur's hand swiftly came over to shut my mouth. He put his finger to his mouth, signaling to be quiet.

Worry came over my face, but I trusted him. He closed the panels, encasing me in darkness. I could just barely see through the crack between them.

I could then hear Arthur rush out and the faint sound of his shoes on the wooden floors. He then opened the door, which I strained to hear. The sounds were faint, but my room was relatively close to the front door.

The voice of a man came through as he said "Heil Himmler!" in a strong and authoritative voice. He was clearly German. Arthur gave a noticeably less enthusiastic "Heil Himmler" in return. Who was this man? My anxiety went through the roof. Arthur didn't want whoever it was to know that I was here.

"What are you doing here?" came Arthur's voice. He spoke with a flat tone.

The unidentified man cleared his throat. "So England, I'll get straight to the point. I hear that you have a little lady-friend who is helping out the locals." His voice was harsh and it came down like a hammer. It was almost void of emotion and I couldn't sense any anger or disappointment. My body instantly tensed. He was talking about me. I instinctually held my breath to try to catch every word that was being spoken.

"I didn't realize that it was illegal to do a little charity work for the starving people of my city, Ludwig," Arthur spat. He was clearly aggravated. But why was he called England? That was some strange nickname.

The air around me started to get warm as the cramped space that I was in became stuffy. Questions soared around in my mind. Really, who was I dealing with here?

A short laugh was let out. "No, there is nothing particularly wrong with that," Ludwig said in an almost mocking tone. "...it's just that we have to be careful about things. A red flag is drawn when you're involved."

Arthur let out a sigh. "I'm just trying to help my people," he said exasperatedly.

Footsteps then sounded as I realized that they were walking into another area of the house to talk. The last words that I got were, "And I just want to know who she is, that's all. Beings like us don't speak to humans all too often."

The steps and voices became more muffled and I couldn't make out what was being said anymore. I just had to wait.

Minutes started to pass and my discomfort was growing. I was standing in the same position and there was no room to sit. I got a cramp in my leg that was particularly unpleasant. How much longer was that guy going to be here for? On top of all that my curiosity was peaked. What did that man want with me? He was clearly German, but why did he not want Arthur involved with the food bank? Nothing made sense so I decided not to dwell on and make assumptions about things that I knew nothing about.

About fifteen minutes later, Arthur had finally walked in and opened the panels to lead me out. Ludwig had left.

"We need to talk," was all he said as he lead me downstairs and into the opulent living room. I was extremely inquisitive about the whole ordeal. Maybe at least some of my questions would be answered.

Arthur sat me down in the luxurious chair and his face was expressionless. "That was a-" he paused, "...person that I have known for a long time. He's skeptical about you and me. It's more that he is concerned as to why I am involved with you. I had an extremely powerful position in the British government and I still carry some weight, so my association with you is something that troubles him. If you were partners with really anyone else he wouldn't of thought twice."

I nodded. "Well what are we going to do then?" I wondered. There was no way that I was just going to fold over like that.

"Rhea, you need to understand. Both of us are in an extremely precarious situation. This cannot be taken lightly. He has more power over me than I would ever have liked. Thank God he didn't realize you were here with me. I want to make a difference, but we have to find a balance so The Reich isn't breathing down our necks, and right now, they are concerned." He shifted in his seat, looking the slightest bit uncomfortable. "You must remember why we are here. You have a bigger purpose. It is not about feeding one hundred people, it's about saving hundreds of millions. I can't risk anything." His voice had the precision of a blade. He was confident in his words just like a military commander had to be confident with his risky strategic decisions.

My heart sunk. I didn't want to end operations, not right after they had started! There must be another way. "So are we shutting down? Giving people hope and then ripping it from their grasp?" My voice rose with frustration. I wasn't mad at Arthur, I understood that we were playing with fire. I shuddered as I thought back to Cassia, the anguish coming back to me as the image of her death flashed through my mind. I didn't want a repeat.

A sideways smile crept on Arthur's lips. "I'm not that stupid. I knew that they would grow wary, but I couldn't resist not helping my people."

My eyes narrowed. "You sound as if you were the ruler of The United Kingdom," I addressed skeptically. This time I wasn't going to ignore his interesting choice of words.

Arthur's mouth opened as if to speak, and then closed again. Finally, he said, "I have strong connections to these people. Like I said, I was high up in the British government. I still am." His eyes fixed on me with a sort of strength that I had never seen. I didn't want to press the matter anymore. It was stupid of me to bring it up anyway. He was obviously someone of importance.

"As I was saying," Arthur continued, exaggerating my interruption, "I knew that Ludwig would come and test the waters. We will not stop our operations in London. I just hope you're good at acting." He smirked but I could see that hint of discomfort back in his eyes.

I tilted my head, realizing that I was going to have to put my undercover skills to the test again. "...Why do you say that?" I spoke with hesitation.

Arthur sighed and divulged, "I-I told him that we were romantically involved." He spoke the words fast as if they were fire to his lips. He was worried about my reaction, but he seemed uneasy about the prospect as well.

My brow furrowed and shock came over me as I never expected that to come out of his mouth. "And how exactly would that get the Nazi's off our backs?" I asked slowly. Arthur's motives became unclear to me again. This made absolutely no sense, and it was weirding me out.

Arthur was quick to a defensive tone, probably expecting my reaction. "Look, Rhea, I just need you to trust me. For people like me, it's an excuse. It is a reason to be close to you. I don't usually get a lot of traffic around here, so a good explanation is that I like you. He will still have his doubts, but I think we can sell it."

"Sell it where, and how exactly?" I questioned. For whatever reason, I was okay with what Arthur was asking me to do. As I remembered Cassia, I reminded myself again just how terrible these people were. If that meant playing dirty, I was in. I didn't have that much to lose anyway.

Arthur sighed, and his expression turned to one of displeasure. "There is this Gala that he invited me to, I can't say no. It would be tremendously unwise for me to not go, as it would make my motives look even more suspicious. Many of the most powerful people in The Reich will be there. I must go because of my position." Arthur's expression turned to one of disdain. "Honestly it's just a way for them to rub salt in the wound, but we have to pretend that everything is just fine."

My interest was peaked and I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, we?"

"In order to keep our cover, you must be with me. Ludwig explicitly told me that he wanted you to go. He is testing our cover. You must understand, I can't refuse him." His words carried a sort of weight to them.

Understanding the lack of freedom under Nazi control, I nodded in understanding. "Well then I guess it's off to a Nazi Gala we go!" I exclaimed in mock excitement. At least I was used to dealing with high-ranking officials. This was going to be interesting.


Author's Note:

Hello everyone! This is again another Rhea-centered chapter, but we also get a lot of insight into Arthur, who's changed a lot because of what has happened to him. Lots of disturbing stuff is happening in London as well. Things such as the SA scene really did happen in Nazi Germany. Quite a scary place for everyone really. You don't see a lot of it from Arthur's home outside of the city though.

We're also learning about how trapped Rhea is in this situation. She can't leave because she doesn't have much money and she's technically there illegally. There's also trust issues, but again, for the aforementioned reasons, she kind of just has to go with the flow and yet maintain control of her situation. The dynamic between Arthur and her is pretty interesting, but of course so far we're only seeing things from Rhea's point of view. Next chapter we're going to meet a couple more characters that are quite fun to write...

The next chapter should be up very soon! Please follow, fave, or review if you feel so inclined! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to message me! Thanks.