Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 11

"So, we need to figure out where to go," Arthur said as he stared at the map. "It would be nice if this could give us an estimation of where we could find the other jewels."

As though the map heard him, the map shifted in order to show the entire country. A green light appeared in the south, and a blue light appeared in the west.

"Huh," Vlad said. "Well, that's convenient. So, which one first?"

"We need to take all three jewels to Mount Alasbu," Arthur said. "That's north. It would be easier if we go south first, then west, otherwise we'd have to travel longer."

"And the faster we get this done, the faster we'll get Nemthys and his followers off our backs," Lukas said. "I agree with that plan."

Vlad pursed his lips. Arthur noticed this and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Arthur said. "We're not going to abandon you when we're finished."

"Do you promise?" Vlad asked. His voice sounded so small.

"Of course we won't abandon you," Lukas said. "Do you really think we're so heartless?"

"No," Vlad said, a small smile lighting his face. "You're not heartless at all. You both shine bright! I'm glad I met you. And… I'm glad you saved me."

Arthur couldn't help but smile as well. It had only been a few days, but already, the difference between what Vlad had been like and what he was like currently was phenomenal. When Arthur thought of how scared Vlad looked the first time he saw him… Seeing his smile was the greatest treasure in the world.

"And we're glad to have met you too," Lukas said. "So then, we're leaving tonight, yes?"

"At sunset," Arthur confirmed. "I don't think I can handle travelling through the desert's heat again."

"Agreed. So, are we going to try to sleep again?"

"First, I think we need to try to restock our supplies as best as we can. There are some fruits here, and there's water. I could use an enlargement spell on our water flasks, and I also know a spell that would keep the fruit from spoiling."

"Okay!" Vlad chirped. "So, what can I do?"

Arthur and Lukas stared silently at Vlad for a moment. Vlad's smile fell and he shrank back.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"First, how do you feel after yesterday?" Lukas asked.

"Um, I feel fine. A little tired, but I've been worse."

"You're going to tell us if you feel worse, right?" Arthur asked.

Vlad hesitated, before he nodded. Arthur sighed.

"Alright," he said. "As soon as I cast the enlargement spell, you can fill the water flasks. Does that sound good?"

Vlad nodded and smiled. Arthur couldn't help but think that he looked adorable, before he shook the thought from his head. Yes, Vlad tended to be adorable, but Arthur really needed to control his thoughts. He'd felt the urge to cuddle Vlad, and that wouldn't be appropriate. First of all, they hadn't known each other for very long. Second, Vlad had experienced a lot of abuse in his life. He didn't want to scare the younger man.

Scaring Vlad was the last thing that Arthur wanted.

…

Ludwig stared impassively at the burning town. He heard the screams of the people, but none of them were allowed to escape. Ludwig would cut them down as soon as they broke free of the fire. Tino, Antonio, Miguel and Raj were at other points of the town, doing the same thing.

This was Ludwig's punishment for failing his master. He'd created a life for himself where he could go to when his master didn't need him. He'd used magic to deceive the people for generations, so they never realised that he was immortal. And he was content to remain here, occasionally going into the mine in search of the gem tied to his brother.

The Desert Heart. Once, his brother was the heir of that gem. Now, it was nothing but a lowly slave. The insult was unbearable.

He also didn't like the fact that they knew that he betrayed his brother. He would admit it, but he didn't like the fact that these ignorant children brought it up. And naturally, his master was suspicious of him.

As long as those three were roaming free, Nemthys would be very tense and impatient with all of his followers. He couldn't afford for them to continue on their path, growing stronger and harder to manage. Once Nemthys had them, then they could reclaim the land for Nemthys.

"Are you having fun?"

Ludwig turned around to see one of his comrades. He frowned when he saw him. Centuries ago, the man was dignified. But now, he looked mad and dangerous.

His exterior finally resembled his interior.

"What brings you here?" Ludwig asked.

"I want to know what those boys are like," his companion said. "They were able to best you, after all."

Ludwig frowned and looked away.

"I don't know how much I can tell you," he said. "The only thing I can really say is that they seem to have a strong sense of camaraderie."

"Stronger than your brother and his partners?"

Ludwig gritted his teeth.

"Possibly," he admitted. "They are protective of each other. But if you want to learn more, Tino got to know one of them for a few years."

"Ah, yes," his companion said. "Thank you."

Ludwig watched him go. He narrowed his eyes. Could Nemthys be desperate enough to send him to retrieve them already?

If that was the case, then Ludwig almost felt sorry for them. Almost. Ludwig's chest still hurt from the pitchfork.

…

Vlad yawned.

"We slept for most of the day," Vlad said. "Why am I still tired?"

"It's just because the normal pattern was broken," Arthur said. "But asides from being tired, are you alright?"

Vlad nodded. He held back a smile. It was nice to have people worried about him. Vlad had forgotten what it felt like. He hoped that he never would forget something like this again.

Arthur shuddered, and Vlad and Lukas turned to him.

"Are you okay?" Lukas asked.

"My brothers sent a telepathic message," Arthur said. "They managed to reach the library, and are looking for information on Nemthys."

"That's good," Vlad said. "So, do you think we can join them? We agreed that we need to find more information on all of this."

"We can. But we wouldn't be able to stay for too long."

"Agreed," Lukas said. "We don't want to attract attention, and the longer we stay in one place, the bigger the risk that Nemthys's followers can find us."

"And you don't want your friends and family to get hurt because of us," Vlad said. "I think I understand. I-I mean… We used to look out for each other the best we could, back at my master's house. But there were other times when we couldn't do anything. We couldn't… protect each other if it meant that we would get hurt."

As he said it, he remembered a time when he was about ten years old. A boy that was a few years younger than him always clung to him, and Vlad showed him how to do his tasks. But then, the boy made a mistake, and he had to be punished. He was used as an example, and the other slaves were forced to watch. Throughout it all, he called for Vlad to help him. Vlad could do nothing but watch, and his master kept looking over to see if he would disobey in order to help. When it was finished, his master actually went towards him and praised him for his obedience. Vlad had tried to help the boy recover, but during the night, he'd succumbed to his wounds.

Vlad didn't realise that he was trembling until Arthur placed his hand on Vlad's, and he didn't realise that he was crying until Lukas wiped away the tears. The two had come up on either side without him noticing.

"Whatever you've endured, it's over now," Lukas said. "Please, remember that. And if you'd like to get something off your chest, then you can also tell us."

"No matter what happened in your past, we won't hate you," Arthur said. "So please, share your burden with us."

If not for the fact that they were riding on the horses, Vlad would have hugged the both of them. So instead, he just cried harder, and allowed the two of them to rub soothing circles on his hands. He still couldn't believe that he had met these two. They were the best thing that ever happened in his life. And he feared that he would one day wake up and realise that they were nothing more than a dream.

He feared that, more than he feared Nemthys.

…

When the sun was still climbing the horizon, they managed to find another oasis. According to the map, they would be out of the desert before the next sunrise, and they decided to spend the day in the oasis.

Vlad had immediately made himself comfortable on the grass, and while Lukas was leading the horses to the water and Arthur was unpacking their satchels, Vlad was already asleep. Arthur smiled when he looked at Vlad.

"It's nice to see him so carefree," Arthur said.

Lukas nodded as he stared at Vlad as well. Arthur glanced over towards Lukas and cleared his throat. Lukas's eyes immediately snapped towards Arthur.

"Is everything alright with you?" Arthur asked.

"Of course," Lukas said. "Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"It's just… You have that gem on you. I'm worried that it might be causing you to have side-effects, like with Vlad."

Lukas removed the gem. In the pale light, Arthur could see a slight glow from the red gem. Something about it seemed sinister, and he held back his shudder.

"I'll admit, there's an uncomfortable feeling around this," Lukas said. "But otherwise, I'm alright. But… I think we'll see how I am with the blue gem. The Ocean Soul, right?"

"Yes," Arthur agreed. "I think that's what it's called. But if it feels like a burden, you can give it to me then." He glanced towards Vlad. "I don't think Vlad should hold this."

"Agreed." Lukas yawned, and Arthur chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing," Arthur insisted. "It's just… You're very doll-like. You don't have a wide range of expressions. So, seeing you doing something like that… It's adorable, to be honest."

He couldn't be sure, but Arthur thought he saw Lukas's face darken. If Lukas was blushing, then that would certainly make him even more adorable.

"Let's just get ready to sleep," Lukas grumbled. "We've still got a long journey ahead of us, and we'll need to make sure we're out of this desert before the next sunrise."

Arthur couldn't help but smile. Lukas was adorable just now. Lukas's face darkened, and Arthur wondered if he realised that Arthur was smiling because of Lukas's reaction.

"Goodnight," Lukas grumbled, before he turned around and went to lie down close to Vlad.

"Goodnight," Arthur whispered, before he looked towards the eastern horizon, where the dawn was reminding him that the phrasing was perhaps not the best.

…

Lukas thought that it would be difficult to sleep during the day, especially with so much sunlight shining on them, but he was surprised to note that it wasn't entirely the case. He had fallen asleep quite easily.

Which was why it was so jarring when he was forcibly pulled into consciousness. It took him a while to recognise what had woken him, but when he did, it wasn't something he could ignore.

Danger. He sensed danger.

He could hear movement around him, but a soft breath nearby told him that Vlad wasn't the guilty party, and he could hear more than one, so Arthur was out. He cracked an eye open, and he could see a group of men near their horses.

Horse thieves!

Lukas didn't know what to do. They were still in territory where it would be too dangerous to expose themselves as sorcerers. But without those horses, they wouldn't be able to last long. Not to mention the fact that their supplies were still with the horses. They simply couldn't afford to lose any of that.

Lukas shook Vlad awake. Those red eyes opened with alarm, and Lukas quickly indicated for him to be quiet. Vlad looked over towards the horses and his eyes widened when he saw the situation they were in. Lukas then woke Arthur, who was on his other side.

The men were fortunately still distracted, and with that advantage, the three of them slowly pushed themselves to their feet. Lukas swallowed, before he cast a spell that would freeze the thieves' legs to the ground. The thieves cried out in alarm and looked back.

"You won't be taking our horses," Arthur said. "Or anything else, for that matter."

"You're sorcerers?!" one of the thieves exclaimed.

"Quick, we need to…" Lukas hissed, but he couldn't finish his statement. A light shone from the thief who had spoken, and when the light faded, all of the thieves had their legs thawed. Lukas took a step back as the thief who had spoken stepped forward.

"Had I known that you were sorcerers, we would have left you and your horses alone," the thief said, before he bowed. "It is dangerous for our kind here. I can see you're travellers. Why are you here?"

"W-wait," Vlad said. "Are you saying that you are sorcerers too?"

"I am. My companions are… sympathetic, to say the least. My name is Gupta Hassan, and these are Heracles and Kostas. Might I ask who you are?"

"Before we get to that," Arthur said, "I need to know if you have any ties to Nemthys."

Gupta froze. He regarded Arthur with what looked like fear in his eyes.

"You… How do you know that name?" Gupta asked.

"It came up, in bad situations," Lukas said, wincing. "But you seem to recognise the name. So, what can you tell us about him?"

Gupta fidgeted. He looked over towards his companions, though they only looked confused. Eventually, Gupta sighed, before he fixed his gaze on them.

"First of all, know that his name is a taboo subject among many," Gupta said. "There are those who still fear him, even though it's been centuries since he was last seen."

Lukas didn't know whether or not it was a good idea to tell Gupta that Nemthys had awoken again. He reached out to Arthur and Vlad, hoping to convey to them to remain silent about it.

"Unfortunately, Nemthys has returned," Arthur said.

Lukas flinched. He wanted to prevent that.

"What?" Gupta asked, his eyes widening. "How would you know that?"

"We… His followers have shown interest in us," Arthur said. "We've escaped from them twice."

"His followers? They were supposed to be gone. It's been hundreds of years."

"The one we escaped from just now implied that he'd been around for centuries. Perhaps there were other ways in which they cheated death."

Gupta looked between them, his eyes flashing his worry. Lukas narrowed his eyes.

"We've encountered them," he said. "So, how do you know about Nemthys?"

"I… My family is descended from sorcerers that worked to prevent Nemthys's influence spreading further," Gupta said. "We kept the stories and traditions alive in the event that he should awaken again. But now… I'm the last of my clan."

Lukas felt Vlad grip his hand. Someone cleared his throat, and Lukas jumped. He'd forgotten about Gupta's companions.

"What are we going to do now?" Heracles asked.

"We'll be leaving," Gupta said.

"W-wait!" Vlad exclaimed. "What else can you tell us about Nemthys?"

"…If he's returned, then he would most likely seek more followers," Gupta said. He looked pale. "You said that you escaped twice. Other than followers, Nemthys also seeks sorcerers. He wants power from them. If he has you in his sights… He won't stop until he has you."

"What does he do to sorcerers he took for their power?" Lukas asked.

Gupta shook his head, and he didn't have to say more. Gupta looked over towards his companions before turning his attention back to Lukas and the others.

"Be careful of who you trust," Gupta said. "I know that you withheld some things from me. Good. Even people you've known for years… Be careful. Do you three trust each other?"

"Yes," Lukas and Arthur said simultaneously.

"We have complete trust in each other," Lukas explained.

"…Alright," Gupta said. "As long as you have at least one person that you can trust. Try to avoid settlements as much as possible. The larger a settlement is, the more you need to avoid it. And cities are completely out of the question. If there was something that caused Nemthys to turn his attention to you, then he won't stop until he has you in his grip. You need to stay safe for as long as possible."

"So, you're saying that we have no chance of escaping?" Arthur asked.

"You won't know peace. You'll need to move around a lot. And I suggest you leave the desert as soon as possible."

"We're hoping to be out of here before the next sunrise," Lukas said.

"Then you shouldn't dawdle. This place is not safe for those like us."

"Um, may I ask you something?" Vlad asked. "Why… Why were you near our horses?"

Gupta smiled wryly.

"As I said, it's not safe for those like us," he said. "Kostas and Heracles at least sympathise. But you'll find that a lot of us have resorted to thievery."

"You should come to Asucla Forest," Arthur said. "They're very accepting of sorcerers. Many of the people even come to my brothers and I for tonics and charms."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, I suggest you leave, before less merciful bandits find you. The desert is crawling with them. And mercenaries."

Lukas felt that they hadn't asked everything they wanted, but he didn't want Gupta to be suspicious. It could end up costing them in the long run.