Enjoy the final chapter~!

Translations (Tsalagi (Cherokee) Language)

Gvgeyuhi: I love you.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

French Translations

Au secours! J'ai besoin d'aide maintenant: Help! I need help now.

Où est Amelige: Where is Amelige?

Vous devez venir avec moi maintenant! Il est en difficulté: You must come with me now! He is in trouble.

C'est Arthur! Il a besoin de votre aide: It's Arthur! He needs your help.

Que se passe-t-il? Vous avez parlé d'Arthur:What is going on? You mentioned Arthur.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Italian Translation

Fratello: Brother

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

German Translation

Willkommen zurück, bruder: Welcome back, brother.

Chapter 7

Arthur ran as fast as he could back to the camp.

Amelige, I'm such an idiot. I was running away from you…but not anymore. Screw the King and this damn mission. I want to be with you, and that's that.

When Arthur arrived at camp, he noticed that all fifty member crew was waiting at the entrance. They all were frowning.

"Sorry about that, crew. I had to take care of a few things." Arthur told them. "The frog will be back a bit later, so for now, how about we start packing-"

"A traitor has no right to give orders." Edward spat.

Gilbert smirked at Arthur's expression.

"What? What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"You know exactly what he's talking about." Gilbert said, stepping forward. "You've been sneaking away from us this entire time. At first, we couldn't figure out why. But now… we know! You have been rendezvousing with a barbaric Indian!"

Arthur's eyes widened in shock. How did he find out…?

"Not only did I see that ruffian leave your tent today, but I found other things of his." Gilbert continued.

Gilbert held up Amelige's hand woven basket. It contained the corn and Amelige's feathers.

"We did not bring maize with us on this voyage. This stuff can only be found in America. But we're in a forest. Maize does not grow in this kind of environment." Gilbert narrowed his eyes at Arthur. "Also, there are no eagles in Virginia's forests, so how could you attain them? I doubt you went to the mountain tops to get them. Only natives retrieve them and use them for decoration."

"Not to mention that our hunting mission was stifled." Thomas added. "Francis is supposed to be an expert navigator in these parts. Why would he lead us in the wrong direction if he wasn't ordered to?"

"Ordered by you, Arthur Kirkland." Gilbert proclaimed. "And I have a feeling that your undomesticated friend knows where the animals we are supposed to hunt are. If you tell me where the savage is, I won't put you on trial for treason."

Arthur looked up at Gilbert, a dangerous glint in his eye. "I would rather be hanged then tell you where Amelige is."

"Have it your way, fool! Men, bound him and gag him!" Gilbert barked.

"Yes, sir!"

Three men grabbed Arthur while four others went to get rope and a gag.

"Let go of me! I am your captain!" Arthur cried, struggling to get free.

"I am hereby stripping your rank as captain on accounts of treason." Gilbert told Arthur, smiling evilly. "And my crew elected the awesome me as the new captain. They don't take orders from you any longer."

Gilbert noticed the hickeys on Arthur's neck. "Oh…this is interesting. You have red marks on your neck… given from another person. I never knew that the great Arthur Kirkland would have a thing for barbarian dick."

"Shut the fuck up!" Arthur shouted, spitting in Gilbert's face. "Don't you ever degrade my love for him!"

Gilbert wiped the saliva from his face, growling at the Englishman. "Since you like men so much, how about you have a go with all of these men here."

Gilbert gestured towards the rest of the crew. The four men then came back with rope and a cloth to use as a gag.

"After his hands and feet are tied and he is gagged, have your way with him." Gilbert said.

This will definitely lure out that weird looking native. After we take the furs back to England, I know the King will reward me for discovering Arthur's treason. I will have more than enough money to get West and bring him here with me. Keseseseseseeee!

Francis sighed, backing away from the lake's edge and stood up.

"What is taking Arthur so long? He said he would be right back. I'd love to sit here forever, but I want to meet Amelige."

Francis headed back towards the camp at a quick pace. Now that I think about it…I hope Arthur hasn't gotten in trouble.

With that thought, Francis sped up. As he neared the camp, he heard yells and the sound of Gilbert's laughter.

What the hell is going on…? Francis wondered, hiding behind a tree near the entrance.

He gasped when he saw Arthur tied by his hands and feet and had a cloth gagging him. He was wriggling around and screaming. Gilbert and forty five of the crew were walking back to their tents. The other five surrounded Arthur.

"Should we take off his gag for a second?" One asked evilly. "He must be an expert at giving head."

"Gilbert said to do whatever we pleased. So you go on. I'm focusing on a different area." Another smirked, tugging at Arthur's pants.

No! This can't be happening! I can't stop the entire crew on my own. I have to find Amelige!

Francis took off running, getting nervous and scared with every second that passed.

Arthur mentioned a bush full of thorns… if I get past there, I will certainly find Amelige!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Amelige was fuming, pacing back and forth in his teepee.

Why did Arthur push me away? Amelige wondered angrily. I love him… and he loves me. Why is this "king" of his more important than me? The king isn't his lover, I am!

Amelige sighed and sat down. "Arthur… why?"

"Au secours! J'ai besoin d'aide maintenant!" A voice cried.

"What the hell…?" Amelige rushed out of his tent to see a blond man covered in scratches from the thorn bush. He was trembling and had fear in his eyes.

"Où est Amelige?" Francis shouted.

Before other natives attacked the Frenchman, Amelige ran over to him.

"You said my name. Who are you and what's going on?" Amelige asked.

"Vous devez venir avec moi maintenant! Il est en difficulté!" Francis said quickly, his fear making him forget English.

"What are you saying?" Amelige asked, frowning.

"C'est Arthur! Il a besoin de votre aide!" Francis cried.

Amelige heard Arthur's name. Giving up, Amelige pressed his lips against Francis', learning French instantly.

"Que se passe-t-il? Vous avez parlé d'Arthur." Amelige responded in French.

"You… you just kissed me." Francis said, shocked.

"Oh, now you speak English. Tell me what's going on now!" Amelige said, frustrated.

"It's Arthur! He's in great danger! His crew turned on him, with Gilbert Beilschmidt leading them! All because he spent time with you! I…I can't take them all alone. If you gather up some of your Indian friends, we can go stop this!" Francis told him urgently.

Amelige's eyes narrowed. "Gilbert, you say? Arthur has mentioned him to me."

Amelige went back to his teepee and came out with his bow and arrow. "Let's go, Frenchman."

"My name is Francis. And what do you mean, "let's go"? We need an army!" Francis told him.

"All you need is me." Amelige said ferociously. "I have more power than two armies combined. Now I said let's go."

Amelige darted out of his village with Francis following close behind.

Arthur… I don't care if you don't want to be with me. I love you, and I vowed to protect you… so that's what I'm going to do.

Arthur was doing a pretty good job of holding off the five crewmen. When one tried to reach for his gag, Arthur would roll away, and when another tried to remove his pants, Arthur would raise his upper body up, making it extremely difficult.

"This damn idiot is starting to piss me off." One of the crewmembers growled. "All of you hold him down!"

Arthur was pinned to the ground, unable to move at all.

Damn it! Arthur shouted in his head. If they defile me, I'll just die.

"Now be a good boy and please us." A crewman smirked, removing his gag and tying it around Arthur's eyes so he couldn't see. The crewman started unbuttoning his own pants.

At that moment, an arrow shot out of nowhere pierced the ground, barely missing one of the crewmen.

"What…?!" They turned around to see Amelige glaring at them.

"If you want to live, then I suggest you step away from my mate." Amelige growled, pulling out another arrow.

"Amelige…!" Arthur cried.

"T-That must be the brute Gilbert was talking about." A crewman said.

"Yeah, but the idiot is all alone." Another laughed. "All we have to do is shoot him."

"This is the last time I'm going to say this. Get away from Arthur!" Amelige growled, pulling back the string on the arrow.

"Watch what you're saying to us, you feral animal!" A crewmember cried, taking out his pistol.

Amelige released the arrow, a green light surrounding it.

"What the hell?!" The crewmembers jumped out of the way to avoid the enchanted arrow.

The arrow started to come back like a boomerang, causing the crewmembers to evade it again.

"You little…!"

The pistol was fired.

"No!" Arthur cried, wishing he could see what was going on.

A green shield surrounded Amelige, deflecting the bullet aimed at him.

"W-W-What?! How did he do that?!" The crewman shouted, scared.

Francis gazed at Amelige in all. He wasn't kidding when he said he could do this.

"What is going on here?"

Amelige looked past the five crewmen and saw the silver haired Prussian man approaching him with the rest of the crew. They were all armed with guns.

"You must be Gilbert." Amelige said, narrowing his eyes.

"And you must be the savage Amelige. Nice to meet your acquaintance." Gilbert spat sarcastically.

Gilbert walked over to Arthur and grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him up. He then took out his pistol and aimed it at Arthur's head.

"You may look like us Amelige, but you're still a native, and associating with natives is considered treason. So if you want Arthur to live, you better cooperate with us. If you refuse or try to attack, I will kill him." Gilbert threatened.

Amelige exhaled through his nose heavily. "You're a coward! You don't have the bravery to face me."

I'll do whatever I have to in order for me to be with West. Gilbert thought to himself.

Francis stepped out of his hiding spot and snuck to the other side of the camp.

I have to apprehend Gilbert so Amelige can do something! Francis thought, determined.

"You're stalling for time, Amelige. Make your decision now." Gilbert barked.

"What are your conditions." Amelige asked, giving in.

"Amelige! No!" Arthur shouted.

"You have to let us hunt as much as we please so we can skin the animal's fur to send to England. I know you and Arthur have attempted to stop us from doing so. If you surrender, I will let Arthur live." Gilbert replied.

"Don't be an idiot, Amelige! Don't agree to surrender! Gilbert can kill you!" Arthur cried out.

"Shut up you insolent-ack!" Gilbert's grip on Arthur weakened.

Francis had come up behind Gilbert and started strangling him with rope.

"Amelige, now!" Francis shouted.

The fifty crewmen loaded their guns and aimed at Amelige. Shielding himself in his green force field, Amelige ran through all of the bullets and grabbed Arthur, enclosing him in the shield as well.

Gilbert managed to knock Francis off of him. "You damn frog!" Gilbert shouted, aiming his pistol at him.

"No!" Arthur shouted, tearing off the cloth from around his eyes.

Gilbert pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing Francis' leg.

"Gah!" Francis screamed in pain.

Amelige put Arthur down outside the camp. "Stay here." He instructed him.

Amelige ran back inside to get Francis, but the crewmen refused to cease fire.

"Kill him!" Gilbert shouted.

Arthur disobeyed Amelige's order and ran behind the camp to Francis.

"Hang in there, you damn frog!" Arthur told him, using the cloth to wrap Francis' wound.

"Heh, do you think a bullet in the leg could kill me? Ouch! Don't press down on the wound!" Francis shouted.

Amelige stood still, continuing to deflect the bullets. A bright light emerged from his hands and shot out at the crewmen. All of the weapons dissipated in the light.

"What in the world?!" Gilbert shouted.

Gilbert's crew retreated all at once, fearing for their lives.

"Get back here, you idiots!" The Prussian shouted.

Before Gilbert could comprehend what was going on, Amelige grabbed him.

"You allowed those men to almost tarnish my lover." Amelige said maliciously.

Gilbert trembled, his red eyes wide in fear.

"You are a dangerous pollutant to this earth." Amelige continued in rage. "So I shall exterminate you here!"

"Amelige, stop!"

Arthur ran over to Amelige. "Don't kill him! What good would that do?"

"Plenty." Amelige growled. "A louse like this does not deserve to live!"

"I did it for my brother!" Gilbert suddenly cried, breaking down into tears.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"I did this for my little brother Ludwig!" Gilbert confessed. "I left him seven years ago to find work in England. We did not have enough money to live on, and jobs in Germany were scarce. Even after so many years, simply being part of a crew was not earning me enough money to go back to Germany, retrieve Ludwig, and be able to provide for the both of us.

"What Arthur did is treason, so with me as captain, I will get enough money for turning Arthur in and leading the crew back to England with lots of furs! From there… I could live peacefully in Europe, or sail back to America so he and I won't have to worry about anything!"

Gilbert glared at Amelige and Arthur through his tears. "I will do anything for Ludwig! I love my little brother, and I refuse to let anyone stand in the way of us!"

"And I refuse to let you hurt Arthur." Amelige snapped. "He's returning to England as captain, and you will do as he says!"

"Actually…" Arthur spoke up. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?!" Gilbert cried angrily.

"When you, Francis, and the crew get back to England, tell the King I betrayed him by befriending a Native American. Then, tell him that I died by a bullet after I tried to kill you… and be sure to tell him that you lead the crew and the ship back safely… as captain."

"What…? Why are you…?" Gilbert was speechless.

"I have decided. I am going to stay here with Amelige." Arthur said firmly. "I see how strong your love for your brother is… just as my love for Amelige is strong. So… go get your fortunes and be with Ludwig again. Amelige, release him."

Amelige dropped Gilbert, shocked at Arthur's revelation.

"Help me carry Francis back to his tent. We have tools to remove the bullet and medicine to heal the wound." Arthur said, walking over to Francis.

"Yes…sir." Gilbert replied.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The next day, the ship was packed and ready to sail back to England. Francis was recovering quite well… especially since he repeatedly hit Gilbert over the head with a twig.

"Ow! Francis, cut it out! I said I was sorry for shooting you!" Gilbert cried.

"Sorry will not repair my leg!" Francis retorted.

After escaping Francis, Gilbert walked over to Arthur, who was standing with Amelige.

"Thank you… for sparing my life." Gilbert murmured to Amelige. "I… am indebted to you and Arthur."

"If I was still cold-hearted like before, I don't what I would have done." Arthur sighed.

"What are you talking about? You are still cold-hearted." A voice sneered.

"Francis! Quit eavesdropping! Take your crippled self somewhere else!" Arthur shouted at the Frenchman.

Pouting, Francis limped away.

"Be sure to tell the King that there were no animals found here that could be hunted." Arthur instructed Gilbert. "That way, we can be at peace from more hunters."

"Of course." Gilbert replied.

Minutes later, all of Arthur's former crew were aboard the ship and were ready to set sail.

"Au revoir, Arthur and Amelige!" Francis called from the deck.

"Take care of yourself, frog!" Arthur called back.

Amelige and Arthur waved at the ship until it was completely out of sight.

"Well… it's just you and me now." Arthur said.

Amelige smiled. "I like it that way." He said softly.

Arthur looked up at Amelige. "...gvgeyuhi." Arthur whispered before looking away, blushing.

Amelige smiled brightly. "I love you, too.'

Amelige leaned down and kissed his partner, knowing that the two of them will stay together forever.

One month later

Gilbert looked down at the address written on a piece of paper, and at the old, dusty house in front of him.

Well… this is it. Gilbert thought. After seven years, I'm back in Berlin, Germany at the house West and I spent our childhood in…

Gilbert walked to the front door and opened it.

"West…?" He called out. "West?"

The house looked completely abandoned. The house was filled with dust and cobwebs. Insects were roaming around.

"West… isn't here?!" Gilbert slumped on the floor in despair. "Why would he be here? I've left alone for seven years. I am an awful brother…"

Gilbert stood back up and walked around the tiny house, the nostalgia clouding his mind. A thick stack of papers lying on a table caught his eye. He walked over to the stack and picked up one sheet.

"These are… letters from West?!" Gilbert cried, shocked.

Sure enough, each side of the paper was dated and started with "Dear Gilbert". The letter at the top of stack was from two years ago.

Did West write to me every day for five years? Gilbert wondered, reading the letter.

November 17, 1618

Dear Gilbert,

Today, I am leaving this house after five years. I miss you terribly, and I'm sorry for leaving without your knowledge. I know that you're going to come to this house, because I know you will keep your promise. This stack of papers is letters I've written to you in your absence. I wrote to you every day, knowing that when you come back, you'll be happy to know that I didn't forget you.

I'm sure you are wondering why I left this place. Well, two months ago, I met two Italian boys named Feliciano and Lovino Vargas. Their adopted father, Antonio Fernandez, had them come with him to Germany to visit a friend. I met Feliciano while I was working. Feliciano and Lovino are kind of like you and me, Gil. Lovino, the oldest, was born in the southern part of Italy and Feliciano was born in the northern part.

Feliciano begged Antonio to take me with them. At first I rejected the idea, since I wanted to wait for you. But… Feliciano kissed me the same day… and all of a sudden, I felt like I needed to be beside him. I guess one could say that I've fallen in love with Feliciano. Lovino is not too fond of me, so he was against me coming with them. Eventually he relented, and tomorrow, I will be in Rome, Italy with them. Please come see me. You are welcome to stay with us, brother. The address is written on the other side of this paper.

I will be awaiting your return.

West

Gilbert picked up the rest of Ludwig's letters and carefully slid them into his bag.

"West…I'll be with you soon." Gilbert smiled. "Just wait a little longer…

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Knock, knock, knock.

"Someone get the damn door!" Lovino Vargas shouted from his room.

"Quiet, fratello! You might scare away whoever is there." Feliciano Vargas told him.

"I'll get it." Nineteen year old Ludwig sighed, coming out from his room.

"I'll go with you~!" Feliciano said chirpily, grabbing Ludwig's hand.

The gesture caused Ludwig to blush. Feliciano simply giggled.

Ludwig opened the door, expecting Antonio to be there. Instead… there was a silver haired man with red eyes staring back at him. At first, Ludwig didn't recognize the man, but as his red eyes started filling up with tears, Ludwig knew exactly who he was.

"Ludwig… is this your fratello?" Feliciano asked, looking at the Prussian man.

Ludwig's own eyes brimmed with tears. "Willkommen zurück, bruder..." He greeted.

And this concludes Into the Woods! Thank you all for reading, whether from last year or this year!

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