Chapter 10
Alfred's brow furrowed slightly as he watched the two ships draw closer to each other, his ears still ringing from the cannon fire that had echoed towards him across the sea barely an hour before. Now there was a third ship in the picture, its ivory sails tainted with the barest hint of delicate blue. Alfred felt his heart sink in his chest, his knuckles turning white around the handles of the oars that continued to push him away from the sea, away from the chaotic fights and searing regret that still burned within him.
The air around him was silent as the new ship drew up to the other side of the ship with brilliant scarlet sails, effectively trapping it. Alfred kept his eyes locked on the three ships, his shoulders rising and falling with each heavy breath that ripped through his lungs as he forced himself not to look for emerald sails on the horizon, forced himself not to wonder if the French bastard had already reached Arthur, if Arthur had managed to fight Bonnefoy off like Kiku had claimed, if Matthew was still alive now that Alfred had fled...
Another gun shot cracked the stillness of the air, the first in a while. Except... This one was quieter than the other shots that had shrieked across the ocean before. This shot... It belonged to a pistol.
Moments passed, and there was silence. Alfred fancied for a moment that he heard screams and cries coming towards him across the ocean, but he was too far away to tell. The dinghy continued to take him farther and farther away from the three ships, his blue eyes watching warily behind his glasses as Francis's ship pulled away from the ship with the scarlet sails, a third ship with sunflower-yellow sails following close behind. Alfred turned away before the cannons started again, his jaw clenching when he heard the doomed ship crack and scream as it was sent spiraling down into the depths that had carried it earlier in the day. He shook his head and cast his eyes around the ocean surrounding him, trying to find something that would draw his attention away from the-
Was that a raft?
Alfred frowned and leaned forward, his arms slowing to a stop as he ceased pulling the oars of the dinghy. A small wooden raft bobbed along on the waves of the ocean barely twenty feet away from him, its rough brown surface broken only by two crumpled forms that looked distinctly human.
The blond gritted his teeth and began to maneuver the dinghy towards the raft, his eyes widening when one of the raft's inhabitants raised his chocolate brown head and stared at him through weary and disdainful violet eyes that weren't quite hidden by delicate glasses.
"Oh my God," Alfred gasped as he drew up beside them.
The brown-haired man sniffed in contempt, the strange curl on the his head standing defiantly straight despite the salt water that tried desperately to drag it down.
"There's no need for such language," the man scolded, his Austrian accent thickening with the tiniest hint of nervousness when Alfred continued to stare at him. "W-Would you be so kind as to stop staring at me? I've got someone who needs medical attention."
Alfred blinked and stared beyond the brunette to the other form that occupied the raft, his heart immediately sinking when he caught sight of familiar dark auburn hair and a single curl that was now drooping across the side of the young man's face.
"Shit, Lovino," he groaned.
The dark-haired man shot Alfred a reproachful look but made no comment as they carefully lifted the unconscious Italian into the dinghy. Alfred's breath caught in his throat when he saw the unmistakeable hole in the Italian's loose white shirt, his blue eyes automatically sweeping across the small, trembling body for any sign of blood. Nothing.
"...He did get shot, right?" Alfred muttered, his hand shooting out automatically to help the dark-haired man into the dinghy.
The man nodded, his purple eyes softening infinitesimally as he glanced down at the teen that was now huddled in the bow of the small boat.
"Yes," he sighed. "His medal stopped the bullet from entering his body, although the impact seems to have knocked him out."
"Medal...?" Alfred turned back to Lovino, his fingers gently pushing the folds of the Italian's shirt off of the smooth skin of his chest. He paused when he caught sight of the thick golden medal that rested against the teen's heaving chest, the carvings on its surface barely visible beneath the flattened disk of lead that had slammed its way into the surface.
"How the hell is that possible?" Alfred asked, his voice awed.
The other man shrugged and glared sullenly at the oars that Alfred had abandoned moments ago. "It looks like a religious medal... I guess he found the right god to worship."
Alfred frowned and pulled away from Lovino, his gaze now shifting warily towards the dark-haired man.
"... I didn't think that I'd see you again," he admitted quietly.
The Austrian glared at him. "I suppose not. Your captain was so kind to throw me overboard after he shot me... His aim is awful, by the way. I was only hit in the arm."
Alfred blinked in surprise and followed the man's gaze to his bandage right arm, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Why hadn't Arthur-?
"I still have no idea how Gilbert found me," the Austrian admitted reluctantly. "Leave it to that bastard to be fishing in the middle of the ocean less than a mile away from a naval battle. He took me back onto another pirate ship and kept me hidden below... At least until he decided to throw me overboard again with a raft and told me to stay nearby so that I could rescue..." The man paused and glanced over at Lovino, his purple eyes slightly awed despite himself. "I still have no idea how he knew that this kid would need my help."
Alfred shook his head. "Honestly, from what I saw of Gilbert, I didn't even know that he could plan something like that."
The man smirked. "Neither did I." After a moment, he added "I suppose you want to know my name."
Alfred shrugged and offered him a small smile. "Yeah, a little. I'm Alfred, by the way. Alfred F. Jones." He held out one of his hands with a slightly-forced grin, his lips quirking upwards into the tiniest of smirks when the man gingerly accepted it.
"...Edelstein. Lord Roderich Edelstein."
Alfred raised his eyebrows and hurriedly moved to take his position at the oars once again, his mouth remaining closed until he had moved the dinghy away from the floating raft.
"Lord, huh?" he mused, his blue eyes flickering over his shoulder every-so-often as he searched for a sign of the port that Kiku had told him about. "What were ya doing out here, then?"
Roderich bristled at Alfred's awful grammar and sighed, his delicate fingers laced tightly in his lap as he took a seat near the sleeping Lovino.
"...I was- am an important adviser to Prince Vash and his sister, Queen Lili," he admitted quietly. "The Prince and I are... close. However, we do have a tendency to... clash, I suppose, since he is so stubborn. Elizabeta-" Roderich's lips twisted into a half-amused, half-exasperated grin at the mention of the Hungarian girl that Alfred had last seen on Arthur's ship. "She was alarmed by Vash's harsh policies towards pirates, especially since she believed that Gilbert was still held prisoner on one of the ships. She begged me to bring her case before Vash as a token of our... long friendship. Unfortunately, I suppose that Vash took my support of her case the wrong way. He got angry, I lost my temper, there was an argument... Long story short, I left less than a week later on the first naval ship that I could find, Elizabeta at my side. I suppose that the navy has reported my death by now," Roderich mused, his purple eyes sad. "After all, they have no reason to suppose otherwise."
"So... you and the prince, huh?" Alfred chuckled, his eyes darkening with something that he wouldn't admit was jealousy.
Roderich stiffened and glared at him. "...I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't," Alfred laughed.
"...Fucking bastard."
The two men turned immediately at the sound of Lovino's quiet voice, twin sighs of relief breaking through their lips when the teen stirred and slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, his amber eyes tightening with pain at the movement. The Italian froze when he caught sight of Roderich and Alfred, his brow furrowing in confused anger.
"W-what the hell?" he snarled. "Where the fucking hell am I? I- W-Where's Antonio? C-Chigi, if I'm dead, you damn bastards are so-"
"Whoa, chill it, man," Alfred laughed. "I don't think you're dead or anything. Gilbert got Roddy here to save you, so now your stuck with us! Who's Antonio, by the way?"
Lovino stared open-mouthed at Alfred, his cheeks flaring a bright red as he processed what was happening.
"I-I- he's nobody, you nosy bastard! And why the hell aren't you dead? That French son of a bitch said that he kills failures, and you failed and- Where the hell are we going anyways? I need to go back for my fratello!"
"I don't think that that would be the best idea," Roderich said flatly. "And by the way, Antonio is the first name of Captain Carriedo, the one who was in charge of that ship that Captain Bonnefoy sunk. The captain should still be alive, I believe... After all, Bonnefoy kept your captain around, Mr. Jones."
Alfred paused for a moment, his fingers tightening around the oars once more.
"...So they got Arthur," he sighed.
Lovino paused in his stream of curses and shot Alfred a knowing look. "...You couldn't kill him too, right bastard?"
Alfred laughed shakily and shook his head. "Nope. I probably failed the moment I caught sight of those adorable eyebrows."
Lovino snorted and glanced away, his chin quivering slightly. "...Yeah."
Roderich remained silent.
Alfred sighed and continued to row, a low groan breaking through his lips when he failed once again to catch sight of any land.
"Oh for God's sake," he groaned. "Where the hell is that port that Kiku told me about?"
Roderich frowned and moved forward to sit closer to Alfred, his sharp purple eyes sweeping across the ocean with an experienced gaze. After a moment, he pointed silently to a point directly in front of them.
"There," he said simply. "There's a small bump on the horizon. That usually means land."
Alfred breathed a sigh of relief and began to row with renewed vigor, a small chuckle breaking through his lips when Roderich silently took one of the oars from him.
"So, what, the rich noble isn't above doing hard labor?" he teased.
Roderich rolled his eyes. "Your language is vulgar. Now be quiet."
Gilbert kept his hands curled tightly around the arms of two of Antonio's crew members, trying to ignore the screams curses that had been directed his way ever since Lovino had been thrown carelessly over the side of the ship. He held back a flinch as one of the girls in his grip scratched her sharp nails against his skin and drew blood.
"Bastardo!" she shrieked.
"Yeah, I get it, I'm a fucking bastard," Gilbert sighed. "Now please shut up."
It really didn't surprise him when they didn't listen.
Ludwig was waiting by the door to the brig to take the two prisoners from his brother, his light blue eyes not quite able to meet Gilbert's as he carefully shoved the two girls into the crowded cell, his expression tightening when Feliciano's cries slipped through the open door.
"I think that's the last of them, bruder," Gilbert sighed. "Well, except for the captains. Francis and Sadik are taking care of them."
Ludwig shrugged and moved to go into the brig, only to be held back by Gilbert's restraining hand.
"Stop avoiding me, Ludwig," Gilbert growled. "You know I had to do it."
"...No you didn't," Ludwig murmured.
"Yes, I did. ….Tell Feli that I'm sorry."
"Do you really think that that will help anything?" Ludwig snapped. "He won't forgive either of us for this, Gilbert."
The Prussian shrugged, his thoughts flickering to Roderich again with a sort of desperate hope. Gott, Roddy, please tell me you rescued that kid...
Elizabeta glanced up from the crying Italian that had recently made her a pillow, her green eyes focusing intently on the door as two more prisoners were shoved into the crowded cell. A huff of disappointment broke through her lips when she failed once again to catch sight of a certain albino, her fingers fluttering nervously as she brushed a few more tears away from Feliciano's streaming eyes, her heart sinking when the teen gasped out another curse that seemed so out of place in his angelic face... A curse that was quickly followed by a name that she knew very well.
Gilbert... You idiot, what have you done now?
Arthur had been in worse prisons.
The pirate captain leaned gingerly against the damp wooden wall, his eyes tightening as the moisture soaked easily through the thin fabric of his shirt. Damn that frog for taking away his coat...
Carriedo shifted in the far corner of the room, his first voluntary movement since they had both been thrown into the cell. Arthur forced himself not to stare at the Spaniard's dull emerald eyes, silently wondering what Bonnefoy had done to him...
"Stop staring at me, Kirkland."
Arthur stiffened and turned away, his cheeks burning slightly. Damn, he hadn't realized that he was still looking at the Spaniard...
"Sorry," Arthur sighed.
"...Didn't expect to see you captured before me, amigo," Antonio mused, his voice hoarse.
"...Didn't expect to see you captured at all, Carriedo," Arthur shot back. "Not after the last time we ran into each other."
Antonio chuckled humorlessly. "Si, I suppose I should have learned my lesson."
"What happened?" Arthur asked casually. "You're usually more than a match for the frog."
Antonio's eyes darkened, telling Arthur that he'd chosen the wrong topic of conversation.
"...I was distracted," the Spaniard whispered, his expression twisted with a sorrow that Arthur never wanted to experience. "And it cost me... Dios mio... I cost me so much..."
"Antonio?"
"Lovi... Dios... L-Lovi..."
"Who is-?" Arthur began, trying desperately to break the Spaniard out of whatever hell he had fallen into.
"H-He... Oh God, he was so scared when he told me what he had done... T-thought that I would kill him because he was working for F-Francis..." Antonio gasped with what was almost laughter and turned away. "Turns out I did get him killed..."
"Wait... Francis planted someone for you, too? And you fell for them?"
"There was nothing to fall for!" Antonio snarled. "Lovi never wanted to kill me, he never hurt me!"
"Yes, that's what they've all been telling me about Alfred," Arthur snapped. "That doesn't exactly change the fact that he lied to me and left without telling me the truth."
Antonio paused and glanced at Arthur, the desperate grief fading slightly from his eyes as he thought over the British man's words.
"... If he had told you, what would you have done?" he asked.
Arthur shrugged and turned away. "I don't know, to be honest..."
"Would you have killed him?"
Arthur started to shake his head, then stopped, remembering what he had told his crew the first time they set sail together, only days after Francis's betrayal.
"I will not be cruel. If you respect me, I will respect you. But if you betray me... I will show no mercy. You will be dead."
"Amigo," Antonio sighed, his lips quirking upwards in understanding. "Perhaps it was better that Alfred left when he did, even if he lied to you. Otherwise..." The Spaniard swallowed hard, his scarred hands clenched into tight fists in his lap. "How would you have felt, if you watched him get shot and thrown away from you?"
Arthur shook his head, remembering the panic that had taken hold of him when Alfred had nearly been killed by that damned sailor from the navy, remembering the hours he spent with bated breath by the younger man's bedside, silently begging whatever power existed in the universe that Alfred would just wake up, just give him one more smile...
"I would want to die," he admitted hoarsely.
"...I already do," Antonio murmured.
Heh, this was fun to write! Well... Yeah, I don't really have anything to add here for once... Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Your reviews make me smile evilly and freak people out! ...er, I mean... yeah...
Well, please keep reviewing and tell me how I'm doing! (no, that did not rhyme... oh God, it did...)
Also, please keep praying for my speech coach's wife. Thank you!