Shoutout to the Rio Olympics! Also, I'm not going to be here for the entirety of the next week, soooooo, yeah. Also I realized that we're roughly 300 years away from Chibitalia! I can't wait!
Reviews: AnonChan1: I loved your review and it made my day! And I think if I had to place a relation, maybe cousin? And Lithuania doesn't get to see her much, not if he's under someone else's house. And Lady Luck doesn't steal children, she adopts them. And yeah, seriously, fuck Ricimer. And yeah, because Conall knows about it, so she knows it would make sense. I lost it at your dirt comment. And what's the idea? He does come back, as the christmas filler showed!
Common Brittonic
Old English
Frankish/Gaulish/ Vulgar Latin (French)
Note: Edited (12/3/16)
Elizabeth blinked as she yawned and was surprised to see Albion sitting next to her side. "Albion? W-What's going on?"
He slowly opened a single eye, "About time. Are you alright?"
"I... I don't know," She whispered, looking down at herself. Her clothes had tiny red dots covering the men's clothes she wore and her cloak sat on the foot of the bed. "How long have I been out?"
Albion crossed his arms, "You've been out for three days. Germania sent you here to try and give you a break."
"Right... Right..." Elizabeth closed her eyes and let her delayed tears fall.
The blond recoiled, "What in the world are you crying for?"
She shook her head and looked around. "Albion, where are my weapons?" Albion raised his eyebrows in concern.
"Elizabeth, you're not thi-" The woman instantly knew what he was thinking and if she could have died, she would have done the idea so long ago. Sadly but fortunately, she had gotten attached.
"Hell no. One was a gift from Rome and I just need to hold something that..." The auburnette let her words drop and he nodded in understanding.
"So that's why... They're on the floor to your right. We're going to need to update your speech, the locals switched to a different tongue since you've been here." Elizabeth hummed and reached for her sheathed pugio. Albion stretched out his tiny arm and grabbed her wrist. "Are you going to be ok?"
Elizabeth swallowed and shook her head, "I'm always going to move on. Do you still have my..."
Albion sighed, "It's hidden beneath the rug in the corner. I can't believe you left it though."
"I couldn't believe my luck not long after, but that's a tale for another day." He nodded and left the room, leaving her answer to simply that. "Thank god you can read the mood."
And thus, Albion began teaching her Old English. The small shit was terrible at teaching her, but it wasn't too far from Late Modern English, but still... Then Æelle came onto their 'pleasant' little island.
The child suddenly paused one day in the middle of their weekly magic lesson, and Albion pitched over. "Albion?" It wasn't uncommon for him to crumble every once in a while, but that was only after he drew himself out too much.
Albion growled as he grabbed his foot and wrenched off his sandal, "Damn..." Elizabeth tilted her head as she caught a glimpse of his appendage. A small gash appeared on the sole and slowly stretching towards his toes, as if by an invisible knife.
"Hold on," She said and ripped off a sleeve and tore that strip in two. "Tie this around your ankle- tightly. This is going to hurt, Al." The blonde reluctantly took the cloth and wrapped it as a tourniquet as Elizabeth pressed the fabric to the skin of his right foot. "Grab onto my arm if it hurts." Albion hummed, but grabbed her cloak.
"Hurt? This is just a small pin-prick compared to everything else."
Elizabeth snorted, "Sure, tough guy. I'm going to have to probably sew it shut later, is that ok?" Albion grunted and pulled himself up.
"I'll be fine, shut up."
She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Alright. Want to bunk down for a nap?" The toddler hummed and tried to stand, using her cloak as a crutch. "Al-" He stumbled and the auburnette caught him. "Albion, hold on. Lean on me, alright?"
"Fine. But no laughing." Elizabeth shook her head.
"Only if you won't laugh at me if I ever need a shoulder, alright?" Albion hummed and she helped him over so he laid on the bed. " There ya go." She plopped herself next to the bed and leaned against the wall.
Silence reigned in the room before Albion shakily breathed in. "You have done this before?" Elizabeth hummed and looked at him. His emerald eyes stared at her. "Have you dealt with a foot cut before?"
"A few times. Did you know I used to be a captain of a few merchant ships decades ago?"
His eyes blinked, "What? But you're a woman! A woman can't do that!"
Elizabeth laughed, "You are going to eat those words in a thousand years, but really," she paused and gazed at him evenly. "What says I can't do that or anything else women are supposed to do? Choose your answer carefully, because I'm a few years older than you are."
"Really? When were you born?" He scoffed, leaning back.
"1996. But I got sent back to 79 when I was 20," The auburnette answered easily.
Albion nearly fell off the bed, "What?! No bloody way!"
The next two years passed easily into 480 AD and it was time for Elizabeth to do her final banshee run. Arthur wasn't happy about it, but similar to Romano, he reluctantly let her leave with a small wave and a promise of return. He also made sure she had her book of spells and told her to tell anyone who asked that "it's a bible or something. I dunno!" Elizabeth laughed at the irony of it.
She silently boarded the ship and crept below deck. The auburnette had already paid her way and took out her tome. Alma passed her time skimming the sloppy ruins and slowly memorized it word for word.
They arrived just east of Tara a day later and Alma all but bolted from the ship. The sun was beginning to set and she shook her head with a smile on her face. Strolling into the stables, the stable master nodded to her. "What'cha need?"
"Just a ride. Got anything?"
The large man hummed, "There's a cart leaving tomorrow, would that work?" Alma sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do!"
"Alright. I can work with that, thanks..." The man nodded and returned to... whatever he was doing and she turned out back into the setting sunlight. "Alright, I can work with that..."
A small tug on her cloak caught her attention, "Alma?" Amber eyes met forest green and her smile matched Iverni's.
"Iverni? What are you doing out here?" The boy grinned and let go of her cloak.
"I 'eard ye needed a ride. Where a' ye headed?"
Alma smiled and ruffled the kid's hair, "I'm hoping te head te Tara. Could you help me?"
"Aye, bu' I wan' ye to tell me why te las' times you we'e 'e'e, you were screamin' li'e an idiot!" She chomped on her lower lip and Iverni frowned, "Ye scared the livin' shi' outta Conall!"
"Yeah... But he knew and that's what mattered. I'm going one final time, and that's it. Last time, I swear."
Iverni stared her down and sighed, "Fine, but no mo'e on my lan'."
Alma nodded, "Agreed, now can we get to the Hill? We might have all the time in the world, but the Ui Neills' aren't getting any younger."
"Fine. Follow me." She nodded and followed the kid to a single horse.
They arrived just short of the stronghold walls when a distant wail made the horse jolt and the two immortals to shared a look. "Tha' was't some magi' by you by any chance?"
Alma shook her head and tried to calm the hairs on the back of her neck, "No. I believe that was an actual banshee..."
"L-Le's 'urry inside," The nation stuttered and the auburnette kicked the horse into high-gear.
"Y-Yeah."
Other than a brief morning period when Conall Cremthainne died, Alma lived a relatively happy and quiet year with the remainder of Níall's sons and family. Iverni had no problem attitude-wise teaching her how to play a few songs on varying instruments, but her fingers couldn't move right on the harp or flute, and she nearly put a hole in small drum.
Somehow, Frank had received word of where she had been staying and sent a messenger. Alma raised an eyebrow as she read it over. "What does i' say?"
She looked up at Iverni, "The Frankish Empire wants me at the coronation of Clovis I. Would tha' be ok?" Iverni looked down and began to think about it. "Iverni. Please."
"Fine! I wan' te be able te summon ye like tha' someday from him though." Alma smiled and nodded.
"Anytime, Iverni. Just call, and I'll come running." A crooked smile peeked out and the auburnette ruffled his hair. "See you someday?"
The boy shook her hands away and grinned, "Yea', now leave!"
Annabelle sighed as she walked into the town of Tournai again and Frank stood nearby, waiting for her. "Annabelle! I almost did not expect you to come!"
She turned and smiled at the happy blonde, "I almost wasn't able to, but thank Iverni, he let me." The auburnette looked down at him and gently hit his arm, "Frank, you're going to be taller than me someday, stop growing!"
The blonde's lips quirked as he put a hand on his puffed-out chest, "Belle, you wound me! And who?" Frank asked, looking at her with a curious expression. "I sent word to Hibernia."
"Ah. Are we going to get going?" Frank nodded as he remembered why she came, and grabbed her hand to bring her along. "Alright! Has anything changed?"
He shook his head slightly, "You're still sharing a room with me, but you have your own bed. It's just..."
Annabella cocked her head as Frank continued to lead her along, "Just what?"
"I-It's noth-"
"Frank, seriously, talk to me. I will wrestle it out of you," The auburnette threatened.
He snorted as he looked down, "Well, it's just weird sharing a room with you..."
"Frank, don't worry about it. I trust you not to do anything weird, and we have known each other too long to pull that excuse," Annabella said, smiling. He hummed, but didn't open his mouth. "Frank, come on, spill."
"Fine. It's odd sharing a room with a girl with the spirit of a man," He said quickly.
Annabella blinked at his bluntness, "Frank. Did you just call me a man?"
The blonde froze and paled. He turned around and tried to remedy the situation, "N-No, I did not mean th-"
"Frankish, it's fine!" She laughed and leaned down to hug him. The teenager blinked in confusion and she laughed again, "I've been called worse, and I've spent more time on the road with men than I have indoors with women. You do trust me enough to speak your mind, right?"
"Of course! I just fear a few consequences though."
The auburnette shook her head, "Don't worry about that with me. Unless you've done something truly stupid, I probably won't get mad."
Frank smiled and nodded, "Yes, now let's go?"
She grinned and motioned to the open area in front of them, "After you."
Alright, I'm clipping this short because I'm going to release a small 'tidbit' as I call them, small ideas I've written down that may or may not end up in the story somewhere, and while most have a definitive place, this one has a general place, but...
