Vee~ I wonder who'll show up in this chapter?
Disclaimer: The plot is mine but the characters are not.
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Arthur had fought in many wars, both in the magical realm and out, and considered himself an experienced soldier. Each time he went to battle his heart and mind were filled with confidence and the burning desire to win. Now, however, his confidence was slowly draining away each passing second.
This was the smallest troop he had ever commanded so far, and this was no small journey. The trek across the Kingdom of Fairchester had already taken a good two hours and they were only a quarter into their journey. The path ahead was dangerous; you never knew what would jump out at you and attack. Although Arthur was confident in the skills of his soldiers, the number was still small and of course, there was that one hindrance…
"Mon dieu, my feet are killing me!"
That idiotic Frenchman.
"Arthur, could we stop for a minute?" Francis asked, struggling to keep up with the rest of the group.
"No, if we stop we'll waste time." Arthur replied.
"But we've been walking for hours! And Ludwig's been talking my ear off about rules this and rules that." complained Francis. "I'm about to collapse."
Arthur said, "You didn't have to be here, you know. If you had gone home like I wanted you to you could be off doing God knows what with some poor soul."
Out of breath, Francis replied, "But this is more exciting! A new adventure, a magical land, and good-looking soldiers." He winked at a centaur who sneered back at him. "There's just too much walking."
"You're the only one complaining. The rest of us are doing just fine."
"That's easy for you to say, you've got the Japanicorn!" Francis nodded to Kiku, Arthur's trusty steed.
"I'm sorry, but what did you just call me?" Kiku asked, confused.
"Japanicorn. You know, a Japanese unicorn." Francis looked at Arthur pleadingly. "Can't I ride him for a bit, please? You're a fairy, so can't you fly or something?"
"You're just not used to it." Arthur snapped back. "If you would follow the training exercises properly –"
"Excuse me, your majesty?" Elizaveta interrupted. Arthur and Francis stopped bickering and looked at the fawn. "We're about to enter the forest, so you better be prepared for anything."
Francis turned away from her and looked ahead. Sure enough, the path ahead of them led straight into a dense forest.
"The Europia Forest," Ludwig said, coming up next to him. "Home to many creatures, both kind and dangerous. Many men have been attacked by goblins and bandits in there. It's easy to get lost in the trees and undergrowth." He turned to Francis. "Perfect conditions for fast-paced training."
Francis sighed. This was why he hardly went after Ludwig, the centaur and the nation. They were serious and scary, and this one seemed to enjoy torturing him.
"Stay on guard then, chaps!" Arthur called out, guiding Kiku into the forest. "Who knows who we'll meet?"
The Europia Forest was large and dense, with tall trees that blocked out most of the sun. On either side of the narrow path Arthur and his troop walked on were thick bushes and strange plant life. Despite the eerie silence around them, they had to admit that the forest was beautiful.
Francis wasn't able to enjoy the beauty, however, as Ludwig handed out training exercises left and right. "Keep your knees up! Training is critical if you want to become a good soldier!"
"Arthur," Francis huffed, "do I really need to do this? I'm not always going to be your soldier."
"But it's important that you do this. This isn't home, you know. The dangers are different here. Besides, that's what you get for barging into my home uninvited." He added in an undertone.
Francis was about to reply when they heard a rustling sound ahead. "Where's that sound coming from?"
Ludwig stopped and shut his eyes. The rustling came again. His eyes snapped open. "It's coming from further down the path."
"Weapons at the ready, men." Elizaveta said, hands on the hilt of her sword. She led the way forward, cautiously placing one foot in front of the other.
As they got closer and closer they discovered the rustling noises were coming from a nearby struggle. Someone was in trouble.
"Help!" came a faint cry. Elizaveta signaled for them to pick up the pace. The voices became clearer.
"Don't hurt us! Let us go!"
"Help! Someone help!"
The cries sounded urgent. The troop closed in.
"Let go of me, you bastard! I said let go, dammit!"
"Uwaa! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You're from the east side of the forest, aren't you? I have relatives there!"
Elizaveta looked at Arthur. He nodded to her and she took her bow and arrow, aimed, and fired. There was a yelp as the arrow whizzed past someone and they heard two loud thumps as the victims fell to the ground.
"Drop your weapon, scoundrel!" Arthur said as he burst through into the clearing on Kiku's back. Francis and the others followed suit. They had their weapons out and were pointing them straight at a man with a white mask standing in front of them. At his feet were two small men, about three feet tall. No, they looked like children. Familiar looking children.
"Yay~! See, Lovi, help came!" One said in a happy voice, smiling.
"Well it's about time, dammit." Said the grumpier one.
Francis blinked. Lovi? As in Lovino? He stepped forward and spoke to them. "What are your names?"
"I'm Feliciano and this is my big brother, Lovino!" the happier one said. "We're dwarves from the west side of the forest."
"Feliciano and Lovino…" He couldn't believe it. The dwarves in front of him looked exactly like the Italy brothers back home did – about a hundred years ago. They were just as small and cute and Francis found that he had to stop himself from running over and hugging little Lovino.
"And what were you two doing here by yourselves?" Arthur asked. The brothers looked at their feet, embarrassed.
"Lovi was going to go visit home." Feliciano replied. "I told him that it was dangerous but he didn't care, so I followed him. And that bandit snuck up behind us and picked us up!"
"But you said you were from the west."
"Oh, we're really from the south. But we work for the elves in the west."
"Ah, the elves." Arthur nodded. "Of course, I was wondering why there wasn't one with you two."
Elizaveta, who had been keeping a close eye on the bandit, glanced at the dwarves. When she saw who it was she let out a little gasp of surprise. "Feli!"
"Elizaveta!" Feliciano squealed and ran to hug the fawn.
"You two know each other?" Arthur asked, shocked.
With Feliciano still in her arms she nodded. "Before we worked in the palace, Roderich had Feliciano and me working for him. Lovino would visit with his boss, too."
"Really? Well what do you know…" Arthur smiled at the pair.
"How does that surprise you?" Francis asked. The other centaurs were also looking at the reunion with smiles on their faces. Wait, he thought, then the bandit…
"Hey! He's trying to get away!" Francis pointed at the masked bandit, who had been slowly edging away. When all heads turned to him he broke out in a run. Ludwig and Arthur sped off after him but to no avail. The bandit had gotten away.
"Drat! We lost him!" Arthur said, slowing Kiku to a stop. "The scoundrel!"
Suddenly, Kiku bowed his head so low that Arthur nearly fell off. "I'm sorry." Kiku said in a sad voice. "It is my fault he got away. I should have run faster. Please, allow Ludwig to run his spear through me as punishment."
"Er, that's not necessary, Kiku." Arthur said, patting the unicorn's head. "You did a fine job. He was just too fast for us."
He looked back at the dwarves. "Well, you two had better get going. Be careful not to get captured again, alright?"
"Thank you for saving us! Oh, I know!" Feliciano clapped his hands together. "Come to our house for dinner tonight!"
"What?!" Lovino said
Feliciano tugged on his arm. "Aw, c'mon Lovi! It's the least we could do! And our boss won't mind!"
"Humph, fine." He said, pulling his arm out of Feliciano's grip. "But if they get one speck of dirt on my clean floors, they're out of there. I'm not cleaning that mess up."
"Yay~!" Feliciano beamed. He held Elizaveta's hand and led the way, with Lovino on his other side. "You'll love the food! We only eat gourmet. There'll be gelato and tomatoes and pizza and pasta!" He turned to Ludwig and smiled at him. "You like pasta, don't you?"
"Me? Er, yes, I like it." Ludwig said, looking down at the little dwarf. "But I also like potatoes and wurst with beer on the side."
"Really?" Feliciano looked at him with wide eyes. "I've never had them before."
Lovino scowled at him. "Potato bastard."
Francis smiled. Oh yes, they were exactly alike.
[End Chapter 9]
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Trhanslations:
Mon dieu - [French] My god
Although I didn't put much detail into it, can anyone guess who the bandit was? The hint is in his description and Feliciano saying he's from the east side of Europia.
Tell me what you think by dropping a review! Many thanks~
