Warning: There is blood and death in this chapter. Not very graphic, since I've wanted to maintain the lower rating, but still I think some of you may like a little notice.
When Arthur returned to the library he found that nobody was there anymore. He searched his house and found them in the next room, Gilbert messing with his music records again and the rest of the group sitting on the couch. Matthew, visible again but still slightly panicked, was chewing silently on a cookie, while Alfred was telling Elizabeth some story, gesticulating excitedly as she nodded with a gentle smile.
Arthur approached the couch, trying to not attract any attention, when Alfred turned his head in his direction and smiled broadly.
"Artie! Look, Mattie is back whole again," he said, pointing to his brother. Matthew averted his eyes, looking like he had no contact with real world. Alfred seemed to not notice that and continued excitedly. "I was telling Lizzy about our football team. Turns out she doesn't know anything about football at all! You want me to tell you about it too?" he asked.
"Her name is Elizabeth, not Lizzy, like some kind of animal," Arthur snapped, ignoring the question.
"I don't mind," said Elizabeth, smiling. "It's nice and short. It's not much different from Eliza either, isn't it?" she said, looking thoughtful after that.
Arthur had just snorted and crossed his arms.
"So when we go back and what are we doing next?" Alfred asked.
Arthur looked dumbfounded at him. "What do you mean? You're not going anywhere." He snapped. "You've had your fun, now it's time for you to go home."
"No way Grumpy Cat," said Gilbert without taking his eyes off a record he was actually holding. "We want to see more. Do we look scared by that little adventure? Even Birdie agrees with us."
Matthew looked at them, pulling himself out of his own mind, and answered with quiet but sure voice, "I do."
"See?" Alfred said and the difference of voice volume levels between him and Matthew was so clear, that Arthur had to fight with urge to cover his ears. "Everybody wants to join you guys. Besides, you've just said that you don't know why we are here, so maybe it's worth keeping a hero like me around you, huh?" He pointed to himself with his thumbs and shown nearly all his teeth with his Hollywood-like smile.
With desperation Arthur turned to Elizabeth, looking for some assistance in the argument. When he saw her smiling at him he knew he had lost. "You heard them. I don't mind," she said, smirking a little.
Arthur sighed deeply. "Ok, you can go. But this is not going to be a sightseeing trip like last one. We actually have to help somebody."
"Yeah, because you nearly get killed while sightseeing in New York or other cities," Gilbert snorted.
"You know what you're signing yourself up for," Arthur retorted. "I need to know that you understand that this is not going to be about you having fun in a different time."
"Ok, so what's the plan? Who are we trying to help?" Alfred asked, trembling with anticipation like a little kid.
Arthur sat down in comfortable chair before he explained. "We're looking for another magic user. This one is inexperienced and causing a lot of damage to clean up after. From what we have observed our guess is that he had not understood what he did at first, but he's fast learner."
"What is he doing that you guys can't catch him?" Alfred asked.
"He's also a time traveller," Arthur answered. "He was causing trouble in his time, setting random things on fire without control, when we cornered him. When I sensed his abilities I offered him help, but I suppose we scared him off because the second he realised we were not ordinary humans he disappeared. How did he learn to skip in time in such short time, I have no idea. It took me years to get it right."
"Maybe you just suck at it," Gilbert mocked.
Arthur threw angered glare at him and continued. "After that he's constantly moving, from one time to another, though I don't know if he's escaping from us or something else."
"Do you know who he is?" asked Matthew.
"We've met him a few times," said Eliza. "He comes from your time, a little younger thank you."
"So what are you doing right now?" Alfred asked. "You're running after him; trying to set a trap for him, convince him to join you, or what?"
"Of course we try to help him, not harm him," Arthur said, outraged. "We actually know where he is in time, for he is staying in the same time-frame for last two weeks of yours - our time."
"Is time flow different for us here and for us if we were there?" Matthew seemed disturbed by this idea.
Alfred looked at his brother and thought about his question. It occurred to him that the whole time they were staying with Arthur and Eliza he hadn't thought about home, his parents and school. Now, when he realised that, he thought that they might have spent all this time scarred out of their minds for their sons, because almost two days passed since they walked into this manor.
"It's hard to say, as I've always travelled back to exact times, not counting the flow of the time." Arthur pondered about the answer. "And when you try to change history, it always brings you back to the same second you set out. I suppose the feeling of the time as we know it, with 24 hours for a day is the same."
Alfred relaxed, knowing for sure that it was still the same day.
"If you really want to travel with us I suggest you all go to you homes and get a good night of sleep." Arthur looked at tired and still shaken Matthew with an almost fatherly care. "You all must be tired from the excitements and we have a long journey ahead."
When Alfred stepped out of the manor with Matthew by his side it was already dark. It was considerably colder than during daylight, so they bundled themselves up in their blouses and hurried to their home. He was not sure if he would manage to sleep, counting hours to the next day.
Gilbert walked through hall, not being noticed by anyone. He had a plan to find nice corner to sleep through night, as this manor looked fair nicer that his own house, and he was certain that Arthur, who had locked himself up in library the minute Alfred and Matthew left the house, wouldn't notice an additional guest. He saw a light coming out of open door down the hallway and when he walked inside he saw it was another room filled with treasures, weapons and memorabilia from other centuries. In one corner stood Elizabeth, eyeing curved blade swords with ivory handles, displayed on the wall in front of her.
"Nice ones, aren't they?" asked Gilbert, walking towards her.
"Yes, they're quite beautiful," she said turning her head to look at him. "Fine weaponry for fine men."
"Or angry woman," he smiled.
"Don't be ridiculous," she laughed bitterly. "Ladies don't fight, especially not with any weapons."
Gilbert reached for two swords, handing one of them to Elizabeth. "Spar with me," he said.
"Are you mad?" she asked, trying to look outraged but there was a look of excitement in her eyes.
"I have a feeling you're not a proper lady," he said with a smirk and before she could response to that he swung his sword at her.
Reacting instinctively she reflected his hit. What was not instinctual was that she stepped forward and counterattacked him.
Gilbert threw his head back at laughed out loud. "See, I knew you were a bloodthirsty creature," he mocked her.
She growled at him but her only response was another blow. They continued fighting for a few minutes. Her every blow was parried and she grew more and more frustrated, resulting in her attacks speeding up. Eventually Gilbert was forced to go into more offensive mode, but even when there were times he was on verge of losing, he was still smiling at her, which seemed to infuriate her more.
They'd danced like that for another couple of minutes when Elizabeth dived in front of him and kicking his legs she tripped him. Gilbert who was not expecting non-sword move landed with loud thud on the ground with look of utter surprise. She leaned over him pointing her sword at his chest.
"Game is over, boy," she said with a smirk.
He looked at her and cocked his head. "I knew it was not who you really are, Eliza," he said kindly.
She looked at him for a moment, shocked, before she threw her sword on the ground and turned on her heels and left the room. Gilbert, still lying on the floor looked at the open door with a sad smile.
The next day, when all absent had arrived, they had gathered inside the library. Arthur looked at all of them with thoughtful look and asked once more, "Are you perfectly sure you want to help us?"
Alfred laughed loudly. "Of course we are. Get on with it."
Arthur glanced at Elizabeth, who to his dismay was not wearing a long skirt but pants. "Want to say something?" she asked, looking defiantly at him in return.
He didn't answered but merely cocked his eyebrow and turned back to Alfred. "Then we shall go," he said and all tuned silent when he began to cast his spell.
One moment they were in quiet shelter of Arthur's manor, another they were surrounded by cacophony of noises. When everything stopped spinning Alfred looked around, only to see that he was standing on wooded deck on some kind of ship. Around them was pure chaos. Dozens of men were fighting with swords, blood spilling on the deck with every slash. He heard wheezing sound and turned around to its source. He didn't get to see what that was, because at the same moment Arthur pulled him down by his shirt's collar, bellowing to everybody else, "GET DOWN!"
He felt the blast on his neck and cold sweat trickled on his back. He turned to look at Arthur and felt more scared. He hoped to ask man for an explanation and seek comfort in what seemed like a dire situation, but he felt black tentacles of fear reaching further and holding tighter as he saw only confusion and shock on Arthur's face.
"Arthur, what's going on?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as the overwhelming clatter of swords was allowing.
"I don't know Alfred. I've tried to-…" at last second Alfred noticed a man with raised sword creeping back at Arthur.
Without a second thought he lurched forward and grabbed man's legs, tripping him in the process. When they both were on the floor, Alfred tried to punch man's face, but he was faster. With large smirk on his face he caught Alfred's wrist and twisted it painfully. Roaring with laughter he forced Alfred further into the floor and reached for his discarded sword. He grabbed the hilt and pushed the blade in the direction of Alfred's ribs.
And just like Alfred reacted instinctively, Arthur reacted similarly. When he saw the scene before him he blasted the man away with small fire ball. Unfortunately it was not enough, as he tried to stand up even with the front of his clothes burning with open fire.
Arthur kneeled next to Alfred in order to check his wrist. With his back to the man he thought to be knocked out he could not see him lurching forward with his sword pointed again at Arthur.
"Behind you," Alfred screamed and Arthur surrounded them by blue barrier, which stopped the man from reaching them. He hit it several times, each time the blade was bounced and with every hit Arthur's shoulders shook violently.
"Do something!" Alfred screamed. "Throw that fire thing from earlier!"
"I can't," Arthur gasped between blows. "It's not so simple." The man was not stopping in his attempts to reach them.
It was a second between one hit and another that the man turned his head to look sideways. With noise surrounding them they could not hear what he had said and what happened next, only to see him collapsing to deck. Alfred looked at him and saw blood pouring from a hole which was the size of one bullet inside his head.
From the shadow stepped out a silhouette that was previously concealed.
"Arthur!" exclaimed with thick French accent the man who was wearing long captain's coat in bright blue colour, "I should've expected this the minute thiz extraordinary people appeared. I'm so glad to see mon petit lapin again!" He shook his head with excitement, waving his long blond hair around.
Alfred looked at Arthur who was grimacing but still dissolved the bubble that had surrounded them. "Frog face," he hissed as the man came closer.
"Zere iz no need to be so rude." He looked at Alfred with curiosity. "And who is this fine gem?" He leaned closer with a kind smile, but there was calculating gleam in his eyes, which sent shivers down Alfred's spine. "François Bonnefoi, at your service," he almost purred.
"Fran- what?" Alfred asked, dumfounded and feeling quite surrounded with the man so close to him.
"That's enough Francis," Arthur snapped, pulling the man away from Alfred.
Francis laughed loudly, which even in their war-like surroundings sounded like he was the Sun himself.
"Oh, I see," he winked at Arthur. "You always got a taste for younger garçons. At least this one is older that the last one," he smirked.
Arthur was almost as red as the blood smeared deck they were standing on when he screamed at Francis, "That was my brother, you bastard!"
"Brotherly love iz still love," Francis said still smirking while Arthur was ranting at him, screaming profanities at top of his lungs.
Alfred saw a movement from a corner of his eye, at turned around to see Gilbert, Eliza and Mattie coming towards them.
"Everything is over," Gilbert said, smearing blood mixed with sweat on his forehead. "Those who weren't killed are below the deck, kept as prisoner. You weren't saying this would be so much fun," he said to Arthur.
"You must be Francis," Eliza eyed Frenchman carefully.
"I see my reputation precedes me. Mademoiselle." He bowed before her and his sight felt on Matthew. "Mon Chéri!" he exclaimed and in one jump he was beside Matthew, holding his hands. "You should be put in ze frame," he whispered.
"Hey! Get away from my brother, you perv!" Alfred shouted.
"Now you know what I meant," Arthur sighed. He came towards Francis and tugged his shoulder. "We must talk. Now."
A/N:
Aaaaand here he comes! I adore Francis and his twisted way of turning almost everything into sexual meaning. I wasn't sure about writing his accent. Was it right thing to do?
Guess what famous trio is coming in next chapter? Or at least two of them, not too sure about third party. I'm sure you won't guess right xD!
Raise hands, you who got the reference to King Louis XIV :)
Also, enormous (and when I say enormous I mean like the Mount Everest) thanks and hugs for Biff3r, who checked previous and next chapters for any atrocious mistakes I'd made. Hopefully, they are now more readable for you. I encourage to check her stories!
