Antonio's POV
"Are you sure this is going to work?" I ask, turning to Vladimir. I look over to where Lovi is tied onto the top of one of the horses we purchased (yes we actually purchased them; we decided having the authorities chasing us for horse theft wouldn't make or quest any easier). He is already falling to the side, and we haven't even started moving yet. "He doesn't look very steady."
"Of course he doesn't. I'm not done yet. Step back will you?" I do as he says, and so does Ludwig who is standing to my right. Vladimir mutters some strange words, and there is suddenly a blindingly bright light. When I can see again, I notice that Lovi is sitting upright in a perfect riding position, although clearly still unconscious.
"See. All good now, although the bright light was kind of superfluous; I wonder why that happened." Vladimir starts muttering to himself in some magical terminology I don't get, and so I take that as my cue to start getting on my own horse. Apparently I made the right choice, because Vladimir gets up on his horse (while still mumbling) and Ludwig quickly follows.
Unfortunately, there were only four horses available for sale around here (one of them wasn't actually for sale having already been promised to another person, but we managed to persuade the owner to sell by offering an obscene amount of gold), so the only people who could go on this quest were me, Ludwig, Vladimir, and Lovi/Feli. Vladimir said that it was actually a good thing that we had less people, something about being able to move faster, but I would feel a lot more confident if I had more of my crew backing me up.
I start to direct my horse out of the stable we're in, but Vladimir stops me. "Not yet, I still have some more spells I need to cast so we can make it on time." He starts muttering multiple spells in his incomprehensible language (I can only tell that there are more than one because after every one a bright light flashes again), and after a few minutes he seems content with his work. "Good, that should do it, although I still have no clue what's with that light." He speaks to himself. "Well, we can head out now." He then says to Ludwig and me.
I move my horse forward, and look behind me to see if Vladimir has Lovi's horse attached to his or something. He doesn't, but somehow the horse is moving in the same direction as we are anyway. It must be part of the spell or something.
"So… not to be a downer or anything, but how exactly are we supposed to reach Arthur in less than a week?" After finding out the bad news, Vladimir didn't even seem to worry at all. He just nodded, and then told Ludwig and me to try to find at least four horses so that we could move out quickly. His optimism was comforting, but now that we're on the move I think that I have time to ask about the details of "our" plan. I manage to keep my attitude calm though, figuring that that's the best way to deal with the situation.
"You don't think I cast all those spells for nothing did you? Along with the spell to make the kid's horse stay with us, I also cast some that would help us move faster." Vladimir answers as if it should be the most obvious thing out there.
"What kind of spells?" Ludwig asks just as we get our horses onto the main street and they start galloping without any cue from us.
"One to make them be able to practically run all the way there without needing rest or nourishment, the spell gives them all the energy they need. One to keep them on track so we don't have to worry about leading them and another that will let us keep riding even in our sleep. And one to keep us from getting hurt too badly from riding, so that we can still walk after nearly a week of staying on these horses."
All of those seem like pretty good ideas but it seems pretty complicated. "Wouldn't it just be easier to teleport us there or something?" I ask Vladimir.
"You don't know much about magic do you kid? Trust me; this is a lot easier, and safer. Unless you want to end up with your body scattered across the country." I flinch and stop talking deciding that I had better leave the magic details up to the expert. I look over to Lovi, to assure myself he hasn't gotten any worse. He looks to be in the exact same condition as earlier today, except for the fact that he's now sitting up.
I feel another wave of worry wash over me; so many of them have been hitting me today that I feel like I'm drowning in an ocean, but I manage to stay afloat. We have a way to find Arthur, and a way to get to him in time. Being in a state of panic for the whole week would do nothing to help Lovi, so I'll have to stay positive.
We'll be there in no time, and then we could save Lovi!
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"How long have we been riding Ludwig?"
"About ten minutes."
"Oh" … this is going to be a long few days isn't it? I've got to come up with something to do to pass the time. Umm… Oh I know! I have the perfect way to do that... "One-hundred juicy tomatoes on the vine, one-hundred juicy tomatoes; you take one down pass it around, ninety-nine juicy tomatoes on the vine!" I hear a sigh coming from the direction of Ludwig and Vladimir, they're probably upset that they didn't think of this first~. "Come on, it's more fun if we all sing it together. Okay… ready? Ninety-nine juicy tomatoes on the vine…
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"You take one down pass it around, now there's no more tomatoes left on the vine~! Wow that was fun" Although Ludwig and Vladimir didn't seem like they were singing very loudly, maybe they have sore throats. "What should we do now…? Oh I know! Ready for it? …One-hundred delicious churros on the plate, one-hundred delicious churros; you pick one up, gobble it down, ninety-nine delicious churros on the plate."
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"Um… what now… Ooh I know! I have some good jokes. Ready for this?
"Okay… okay ready? Why did the tomato blush?" Neither of the two answer, that's good that means they haven't heard this one before. "Because he saw the salad dressing!" I burst out laughing but quickly realize that I'm the only one who is (although Ludwig's horse did whinny if that counts). "Get it, salad dressing! Like it's getting dressed, but it's also the name of a food! Get it?" Ludwig and Vladimir still aren't laughing, maybe the jokes too complicated for them, I'll have to come up with a simpler one. "Kay what about this one? What did the sergeant tomato say to the slacker soldier tomato? …. You better catch up! … Get it… ketchup!"
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"… you're getting mayonnaise on me!" I start laughing at this one even more than any of the last few… mayonnaise.
I look over to where Ludwig is riding to see if he's laughing, but he must have a headache in addition to a sore throat since he's holding his head in his hands. Vladimir too… poor guys. I hope they feel better soon.
Ludwig's POV-However many days later
"Are you sure this is the best thing to do?"
"I'm sure, trust me. I already explained to you why."
"Alright then, I guess we're off." I respond to Vladimir before getting back up on my horse and moving out.
We finally managed to make it to the small village near where Arthur was, although it was a long boring trip (I only survived it because Vladimir used his magic to keep us entertained and to make Antonio stop talking). However, even worse that the boredom was the fear.
Everyday Feli (and Lovino)'s breath had gotten shallower, and his skin colder. I was sure something would go wrong before we found Arthur, but they managed to hold on.
It was now not even a full day to when Vladimir said that the exact hour that the curse would take full effect. It was only a few kilometers to where Arthur was marked on the map, but there was one problem we hadn't foreseen.
It turns out that Vladimir wasn't planning on coming with us to confront Arthur; instead he is going to stay with the twins right outside town while we deal with the crazy wizard. This makes things a lot more nerve racking than I had originally thought they would be, but we have no other choice. After we manage to convince Arthur to help Feli, we are supposed to bring him back to Vladimir and the twins to break the curse.
The one problem, neither Antonio nor I know how to deal with magic. In my opinion this seems like a pretty big obstacle, but both Antonio and Vladimir seem confident we'll be able to manage it, so maybe they know something I don't. That or they're just overly optimistic.
After only a few more minutes of riding, a large beaten down mansion comes into view. "Is this the house?" Antonio asks loudly. I shush him before checking the map (which had conveniently zoomed in the closer we got to Arthur) and nodding.
We quickly get off out horses and tie them (and the extra one that we had brought just in case) to the railing around the porch. I am prepared to kick open the door, but when I test the knob, there is no resistance. I silently walk in (with Antonio following only slightly less quietly) and look back down at the map. I wonder quickly if Arthur knows we're here, but decide that there's no reason worrying. If he does, he does. If he doesn't he doesn't.
After a few minutes of silently creeping through the house and following the map, I begin to hear a deep chanting that sounds extremely foreboding. As I creep further, I start to see light flicker across the walls of the hallway as we walk down it, and in a few seconds I pinpoint the door both the light and the sound are coming from. I check the map, and it confirms that Arthur is indeed behind the door.
I motion towards the door and Antonio nods, having assumed what I knew. We both pull out our swords and creep forward, Antonio in the lead this time. He quietly tests the door, and when it proves to be unlocked, he quickly opens it and rushes inside, with me at his heels.
When I enter, the first thing that I notice is that this room has the same setup as the one from Lovino and Feli's story, with candles and blood forming a large series of circles in the middle of the room. And in the center of the main circle, stands a man in a long black cloak, with the hood down showing his messy blond locks of hair.
As appearances go, his would normally be described as harmless, but the aura of power radiating off of him is anything but. Something about the room, or maybe the man, leaves both Antonio and I unable to move, freezing us in place. The man slowly turns around, and when he is looking fully at us, he speaks.
"Antonio, Ludwig, you're here. What took you so long?"
AN: Hey guys, sorry this chapter sucks… I have no excuse (and I know Toni is acting really stupid… I don't even know). Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review. Next chapter things should pick up, with Arthur being introduced in more than just one line. Also, the jokes aren't mine, I just Googled Tomato jokes. So anyways, please review and whatnot!