Hey everyone ! I'm back with a new chapter for you. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out. I have been very busy as of late. Anyways, in this chapter the drifter's indentity is revealed, although I'm sure you've all figured out who it is already.
Enjoy :)
Chapter 9
Loud crying could be heard all over the ship. Sailors groaned and rolled over in their bunks at the distressed sound. Matthew, Gilbert and Ludwig observed the drifter on the medical bed cry like a three year old in awe.
"E 'davvero, fa veramente male!" the drifter whined.
"Do you speak english ?" Matthew asked softly.
The drifter looked at him with big brown eyes and nodded.
"Si, a little."
He started to cry again.
"Matthew, you must be exhausted, vhy don't I talk to him." Ludwig suggested.
"Oh. I would like that. Thank you." Matthew said and he stood up, Gilbert following his lead.
"Make sure you ask him about any physical conditions that may be of concern, and what happened to him of course." Matthew said before he disappeared along with Gilbert.
Ludwig had listened to the drifter cry for a solid hour before any real words came out of his mouth.
"Umm, where am I ?" the drifter asked as the tears finally started to subside.
"You are on a pirate ship." Ludwig answered honestly, which he found out a split second later, was a huge mistake.
The drifter started to cry again, blabbing things like being fed to the sharks and having to scrub the deck.
Ludwig had to yell very, very loud to get the drifter to stop crying.
"WE AREN'T GOING TO HURT YOU !" he yelled over the crying.
The drifter stopped immediately and smiled.
"Really ?!"
Ludwig decided that this man was very odd.
"We von't hurt you." Ludwig repeated himself.
"Okay, so tell me, what is your nome ?" the drifter asked.
"Ludwig, and you ?"
"Feliciano." the man said.
"Okay Feliciano, can you tell me vat happened to you ?" Ludwig said.
Feliciano started to cry again, big fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Was what had happened to him that awful ?
Feliciano stopped crying after a while, wiping tears from his eyes. He turned to look at Ludwig. His big brown eyes were filled with emotion.
"I forgot." he said.
"You vat ?!" Ludwig was awestruck, his jaw dropping more than should have been possible for a human being to do.
"I don't remember what happened to me." Feliciano said.
"Th-then vhy vere you crying ?" Ludwig asked.
"You're kind of scary." Feliciano said simply.
Ludwig glared at him, starting to find Feliciano quite irritating, but for some reason he still felt the need to prove Feliciano wrong.
"I am not that scary." he attempted a smiled, but it didn't quite turn out right.
Feliciano laughed, a light tinkling sound that made Ludwig's heart want to leap out of his chest all of a sudden.
"Let me change your bandages." Ludwig said and he started to gently unwrap a bandage on Feliciano's arm.
Once all the bandages were undone and Feliciano no longer had a towel over his head Ludwig finally got a good look at the man.
He was a slim man with tanned skin (except where there were burns), deep brown eyes and red brown hair with an odd strand that stuck out at the left. He was very beautiful despite his wounds and Ludwig couldn't stop looking at him.
"What ?" Feliciano asked. "Is there something on my face ?"
Ludwig realized he had been staring and, blushing, furiously shook his head.
"Nein ! Not at all !" Ludwig said.
Feliciano laughed, the sound warming Ludwig's body.
"You're funny. Very awkward and too serious but funny." Feliciano poked his arm.
Ludwig raised an eyebrow.
"Really ? I'm funny ?"
Over the years Ludwig had heard many thing said about him; serious, awkward and uptight to name a few, but funny was brand new. No one had ever told him that.
"Yeah, funny." Feliciano said smiling.
"Hrm, well, thank you." Ludwig said.
After the silence that followed Ludwig started putting fresh bandages on Feliciano whom, being a very squeamish, whined through the entire process.
Once Ludwig had finished bandaging Feliciano's wounds, he spoon fed him a hearty soup that had been prepared by Francis a short while before. Feliciano talked and talked and talked all the while in between mouthfuls, although not about anything significant. Ludwig just nodded his head, and soon after Feliciano had finished his meal he fell asleep and so did Ludwig.
Feliciano woke up feeling sore all over. He sat up, his joints creaking, only vaguely aware of where he was, or maybe till he caught sight of a muscular blonde asleep in a chair at his bedside.
It was the funny, serious man from the night before, the one who had fed him and changed his bandages. Feliciano had been pretty out of it the night before and now that he was feeling rejuvenated he got a good look at Ludwig.
The first thing he noticed was how immaculate the man looked, especially considering that he was a pirate. Blonde hair fell in bangs across a handsome face. He had a muscular body but something about the man still seemed somewhat fragile. Feliciano kept looking, taking his sweet time to observe the man that had taken such good care of him when suddenly Ludwig's eyes snapped open.
Feliciano felt electricity run up his body as he looked into Ludwig's brilliantly icy blue eyes. It was the most intense sensation he had ever felt and, when Ludwig blinked it was lost.
"Good morgen. How are you ?" Ludwig said, standing up.
"Better. I still feel very sore, and my burns are awful, and I feel like my head is going to fall off of my neck but other than that I'm fine." Feliciano smiled.
Ludwig gave a long sigh.
"You complain a lot." he said.
Feliciano nodded and then his stomach growled.
Ludwig laughed.
"Hungry ?"
"Si, and can I have something with garlic in it please."
Ludwig left and came back with food which Feliciano happily ate. Once he was finished Ludwig left and came back with someone Feliciano only faintly remembered.
"Feliciano, this is Matthew Williams, the ship doctor. He treated your wounds last night." Ludwig informed him.
"Hello." Matthew smiled.
Feliciano looked at the man who had treated him and he concluded that he was a good person. How could he not be ? His demeanor was too soft and he seemed too gentle and friendly to be anything other than a good person.
The next person that came into the room however Feliciano was not too sure about.
"Hey, how's everything going ?" a silver haired man said.
"Well, it looks like Feliciano is going to make full recovery." Matthew said smiling as he laid down the last of his equipment.
"Really ? So, what happened to you ?" the silver haired man said, sitting down on the examining table.
"Gilbert, don't be insensitive !" Matthew scolded.
"I agree. Feliciano can tell us when he's ready." Ludwig said.
"Thank you." Feliciano said gratefully.
"It's no problem whatsoever. Gilbert here just likes sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." Matthew said.
"I thought you liked that about me." Gilbert said grumpily.
Matthew just smiled like a man who had a secret and continued going about his work.
"Oh, there is one thing though, that I have to ask of you." Matthew said as he started to treat Feliciano's wounds. "You're going to have to talk to the Captain some time soon."
Feliciano, having the overactive imagination he did, immediately thought of an old burly looking man with a glass eye and a missing leg as Captain.
Tears started to well in his eyes.
"No, questo è spaventoso. No, no, no! Io non voglio incontrare il Capitano!" he said and then the tears spilled over.
"AAHH ! Don't cry !" Ludwig cried distraught.
Before Feliciano had the chance to calm down, the Captain came into the medical bay.
"Why's he crying like that ?" Arthur asked as he approached.
"A-Actually, it's because he's afraid to meet you." Matthew said, biting his lower lip.
Arthur just rolled his eyes and approached the bed where Ludwig was struggling to keep Feliciano lying down.
"So, you're Feliciano." Arthur said.
Feliciano stopped struggling.
He nodded his head like a shy little boy would.
"My name is Arthur Kirkland. I am the captain."
"Eh ?"
Feliciano tilted his head to the side, as if he hadn't understood the information he'd been given.
"I am the captain." Arthur said again, this time putting on a serious and scary face.
Feliciano started to cry just as Francis walked in with his meal.
"Captain, what did you do to him ?" Francis said as he laid down a bowl stew out for Feliciano. He stood in front of Arthur, arms crossed over his chest, giving him a half serious look.
"I-I didn't do anything to the poor bloke, he-he just, out of the blue, started to w-well, cry." Arthur said. It seemed he was having a hard time justifying himself to the good looking cook.
Francis flicked the tip of Arthur's nose.
"Now, Arthure, don't scare the poor man." Francis said smirking as Arthur blushed.
"Y-y-y-you apologize !" Arthur spluttered.
Francis smiled and leaned forward, softly planting a kiss on Arthur's hand.
"Je m'excuse." he said.
Arthur blushed again and Feliciano doubted he would ever be intimidated by the Captain ever again.
"You know, I didn't appreciate what you did in there." Arthur grumbled as he left the medical bay with Francis.
"I'm sorry. The poor lad just seemed so scared I thought I'd lighten the mood." Francis explained.
"Yes, well, find a different way to lighten the mood next time okay." Arthur huffed.
"Can I lighten the mood now ?"
"No."
"But, look at you, you're all grumpy."
Arthur scowled.
Francis ignored him and started to sing softly.
A la claire fontaine
M'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l' eau si belle
Que je m'y suis baigné
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai.
Arthur's breath caught in his throat when he heard the soft notes come from Francis. His voice sounded like liquid gold.
Francis faced the ocean.
Sur la feuille d'un chêne
Je me suis fait sécher
Sur la plus haute branche
Un rossignol chantait
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais, jamais je ne t'oublierai.
Francis stopped singing, still standing facing the vast ocean. Then he turned around, a soft smile on his face, eyes filled with melancholy.
"Francis I..." Arthur didn't know what to say.
"My mother used to sing me that song."
"Oh. Umm, what happened to her ?"
Francis bit his lip, obviously uncomfortable with the question.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. That was insensitive of me." Arthur said quickly.
"No, no. It's okay" Francis said.
He pulled the handkerchief initialed AB out of his pocket.
"This belonged to her, my mother, Annelyse Bonnefoy." Francis said fondly. "She died when I was six years old." he brought the handkerchief up to his cheek. "It all happened very fast. My mother was a widow. My father died from a disease before I was born. To support us she opened up a little tavern and we had some very violent customers. So, one night a group of pirates came in. They wanted to raid us and because I was a foolish little boy I tried to stop them. My mother protected me, was wounded and died by the time the sun rose that morning."
Arthur felt his heart break a little from hearing this.
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be."
"But- I-I-I'm a pirate. Don't you hate them for what they did ?"
"I did. For many years. Because of them I struggled to stay alive, almost died on several occasions and had no family. But I do not hate them. What a person is doesn't matter, it's their actions that do. You for example have proven that you are a good man with a good heart." Francis smiled.
"Thank you." Arthur said, and then without really thinking about it he planted a light little kiss of Francis's cheek.
Francis's eyes widened in shock, and to Arthur's surprise he blushed.
"I-I-I though it would lighten the mood." Arthur mumbled.
Francis laughed, the beautiful sound sending shivers up and down Arthur's spine.
"Thank you. Now, want to help me peel some potatoes in the kitchen for tonights dinner ?"
"Sure."
And with that they went off to the kitchen.
Matthew curled up next to Gilbert, exhausted from his day. He had been so busy lately that he barely had a minute to himself. Gilbert had also been having horrible nightmares recently and Matthew was very worried. He decided to sleep on it one last time. Tomorrow he would ask Gilbert about the nightmares.
Matthew gave a last look at Gilbert's distraught sleeping face, kissing softly before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
The song that Francis sings is an old French Folk song called A la Claire Fontaine.
E 'davvero, fa veramente male! - It really, really hurts !
nome - name
Nein - No
morgen - morning
No, questo è spaventoso. No, no, no! Io non voglio incontrare il Capitano! - No, that's scary. No, no,no ! I don't want to meet the Captain.