Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 13

Arthur awoke with a start. There was some sort of disturbance, and his instincts told him to find the source of the disturbance and to deal with it. He squinted, trying to see in the dark. His eyes scanned over Vlad, who was still blissfully unaware, before they landed on Lukas, who looked as though he was struggling against something. Arthur crawled over towards him and started to shake his shoulder.

Lukas awoke with a harsh gasp, and he clutched Arthur's hand. The green-eyed man frowned as he saw his friend's distress.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked.

Lukas tried to catch his breath as he pulled Arthur closer. Arthur instead opted to help Lukas into a sitting position, and the other man started to tremble.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked again.

"A-a dream," Lukas gasped. "It's so cold."

It took Arthur a few seconds to understand that Lukas was presently feeling cold. He sat down next to Lukas and wrapped his arm around Lukas's shoulder. Lukas leaned closer as he trembled.

"You said something about a dream," Arthur asked. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I-I don't r-remember m-much of it," Lukas stuttered. "J-just this… f-feeling of being s-surrounded by d-death. A-and I think… N-Nemthys had a h-hand in it."

"What do you mean?"

"I… I don't know. A-all I know is, I-I'm scared."

Arthur bit his lip, before he looked around. He wondered if Nemthys was spying on them at that very moment. Did he have that power? His eyes landed on Vlad again, and he closed his eyes.

"We need to get moving at first light," Arthur announced. "The longer we stay in one place, the greater the chances of Nemthys finding us."

Lukas nodded, before he leaned into Arthur's chest. Arthur felt his face heat up at the closer contact, and he wondered if Lukas could feel it. Lukas's scent tickled his nose, a nice combination of salt and rain.

"I won't let anything happen to you or Vlad," Arthur whispered. "As long as the three of us stand together, we should be able to handle anything they throw at us."

"But will it be enough?" Lukas asked. "We're going up against a god. I mean, the other gods couldn't stop him. Would we be able to stop him? And if we can't… What's going to happen to us if Nemthys gets the jewels? Would he kill us? Torture us? Force us to become his followers? We're three sorcerers… Gupta implied that it would make us useful to Nemthys. I don't want…"

Arthur didn't know why he did it. He was acting on pure instinct, but it felt right at the time. Arthur placed a kiss on Lukas's head, shocking the other blond into silence. Arthur's face heated up when he realised what he'd done, but he cleared his throat and tried to take advantage of the situation.

"Worrying about it isn't going to help," Arthur said. "We'll face all of this as it comes. As long as we're together, I doubt there's anything that can stop us."

Lukas sighed and rested his head against Arthur's chest. Automatically, Arthur started to stroke Lukas's hair.

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you," Lukas whispered.

"I'm not optimistic at all," Arthur said. "I just don't think that pessimism is going to help us. I know of a few types of magic that take advantage of negative emotions. That sounds like the type of thing that Nemthys would do. I don't want to give him more ammunition."

"I guess that's one reason to be optimistic." Lukas pulled away and turned to look at Vlad. "I wish I could be like him."

"Yes." Arthur smiled. "Despite his circumstances, he's still so innocent and pure. I don't know if you noticed, but he has a smile on his face most of the time." Arthur yawned. "Well, we should probably see if we can get to sleep again. Do you think you'll be alright?"

"…I think so. And Arthur… What was with that kiss?"

Arthur's face heated up.

"I-I have no idea what came over me," Arthur spluttered. "Please, forget about it."

Lukas smiled. He looked up to the sky.

"You know, I think I do feel better," he said. "Let's just hope that things don't go south again. Do you think we're going to run into any more of Nemthys's followers?"

"I think that as long as Nemthys is around, we're going to deal with his followers," Arthur replied. "They're not going to leave us alone. We just need to be prepared."

"We can't trust anyone." Lukas pursed his lips. He was probably thinking about Tino. "Let's just hope they didn't get to our brothers or my friends."

Arthur shuddered. He agreed with Lukas. He didn't think that he could handle it if Nemthys went after his brothers, whether it was to hurt them or to turn them to his side. It would be Arthur's fault.

"We'll need to make sure we finish this as soon as possible," Arthur said. "Before something happens that we can't take back."

…

"We're close to the city," Arthur said. "And the library with it."

"You'll have to teach us that magic," Lukas said. "It would be nice to be able to find each other, the way you seem to be able to find your brothers."

"Yeah!" Vlad exclaimed. "Then we'll never be separated from each other."

Lukas allowed a small smile to cross his face. Vlad's energy was reassuring, and it was better than his fear. Lukas was almost sure that he could sense when Vlad was dwelling on his past, and Lukas didn't like it. It was as though he could sense Vlad's pain, and he wanted to avoid feeling that. As long as Vlad was happy, Lukas felt as though they would be alright.

And as for Arthur… Arthur was easy to get flustered, but when his emotions were under control, he was the one to analyse things calmly. Lukas remembered the conversation they'd had two nights ago. It was nice to have Arthur there, reassuring him and helping him to quell his fear. Lukas was grateful for Arthur as well.

It was strange, being in a city again. He remembered Gupta's warning, and he knew that the other two were also thinking about it. He hoped that they wouldn't have to worry about Nemthys's followers out there, but he suspected that the closer they were to the next jewel, the more likely it would be to have an encounter with them. Lukas wasn't looking forward to it.

Once again, they managed to find an inn. They gave the stableboy instructions to take care of their horses, booked a room for all three of them to share, and settled down to eat. Lukas was pleased to have a proper meal again, instead of rations. But he reminded himself that they would have to get new rations anyway. Hopefully, they would have better food.

As he watched the others, he noticed something about Vlad. His cheeks were a bit plumper, and there was a healthier pallor to his skin. Granted, they were still a bit ruddy after their time in the desert, but Vlad looked healthier in general. Lukas smiled when he realised that Vlad was doing better, even if most of his food had been rations.

When they were done with their lunch, they asked for directions to the great library and set out. They weren't in too much of a hurry, enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. Lukas reassured himself that they would be safe in the crowds. Nemthys's followers had isolated them the last few times, and they would avoid that this time.

"Oh wow!" Vlad exclaimed. "What's that?"

Lukas turned his attention to what Vlad was pointing at. They were going through the market, and Lukas noticed some sort of box. Vlad was admiring the box.

"You have an excellent eye, sir," the vendor said. "This is a music box, made in Lubato before the invasion ten years ago. A rare find."

Vlad's face fell, and he stared at the music box. He reached out to it, before stopping himself.

"Did I say something?" the vendor asked, looking between the three of them.

"Our friend is originally from Lubato," Arthur explained. "How much for the music box?"

The vendor looked towards Vlad before declaring the price to be five copper pieces. Lukas frowned as Arthur bought the music box. Many merchants came to his hometown, and he knew that something like a music box was expensive. Berwald had even made a few himself, and in order to break even, he had to ask at least ten silver pieces.

"Are you sure about this?" Vlad asked.

"Yes," Arthur said. "This is a gift."

Vlad smiled softly. Lukas looked towards the vendor again. There was a sad expression as the man looked towards Vlad, and Lukas understood.

"You're from Lubato too, aren't you?" Lukas asked.

The man looked startled, before he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I was away at the time of the attack. When news reached me, I went back immediately. They were… thorough." He looked at Vlad. "You must have been only a child. I assume that life hadn't been easy for you."

Vlad flinched before he shook his head.

The vendor smiled, before he wound the music box. He opened it, allowing the melody to play. Lukas stared at the figure in the middle of the music box. It was a carving of a wolf, which he knew vaguely to be a symbol of what had once been Lubato. When he looked at Vlad, he was staring at the music box with tears in his eyes.

"This lullaby…" he whispered. "My mother used to sing it to me."

"It's a traditional lullaby," the vendor said. "In these small ways, we can keep our land alive."

"Is there truly nothing left?" Lukas asked.

"They made sure to burn the buildings to the ground. Unless you were away during that time, then I fear the only survivors were captured or executed. This young man is the first person from my homeland that I saw in three years. The last person I met was also a merchant, and he was also not present for the attack."

Lukas turned back to Vlad and saw his lip quivering. Lukas wrapped Vlad in a hug, and the younger boy sobbed against Lukas's shoulder.

"He was enslaved," Arthur explained to the vendor. "We liberated him."

"Then you have my gratitude," the vendor said. "I fear that many of our children suffered such a fate."

Lukas stroked Vlad's hair as he held the other. He supposed that Vlad had been holding on to some hope that there might have been something left of his former life, but speaking to this vendor dissuaded him from that illusion.

"Are you okay?" Lukas whispered so only Vlad could hear.

Vlad shook his head. Lukas looked over towards Arthur. Arthur turned to the merchant and inclined his head.

"Thank you for the music box," Arthur said. "I'm afraid we must be going now."

"Take care of him," the vendor said. "I fear he may have many ghosts that haunt him."

"Thank you again. I hope everything goes well for you."

Lukas started to guide Vlad away, while adjusting their positions so that his arm was around Vlad's back and they were facing the same direction. Arthur moved in beside them. Lukas led Vlad towards a bench with eager birds searching for crumbs.

"I'm sorry," Lukas muttered. He didn't know what he was sorry for, but it felt as though it was the right thing to say. "Are you alright?"

"I… I don't know," Vlad said. "I'm sorry… You must think I'm so pathetic."

"No," Arthur said. "Never. It just came as a shock to you. It's perfectly understandable."

"I just… hearing it…"

"You don't have to explain anything, or make excuses," Lukas said. "We understand. For now… Just let it all out."

Vlad accepted the invitation, and he sobbed on Lukas's shoulder. Lukas watched as Arthur moved in on the other side of Vlad. Lukas rubbed Vlad's shoulder as Arthur rubbed his back. He could feel the eyes of curious onlookers, but Lukas didn't acknowledge them. He could sense no threat from them, and so he focused on the person that needed his full attention.

Lukas's shoulder was soaked by the time Vlad had calmed down. Vlad moved away as he wiped his eyes. He sniffed one last time before focusing on Lukas.

"Sorry," Vlad muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Lukas said. "As long as you feel better."

Vlad gave a small smile, before he turned to face Arthur.

"Thank you," Vlad said. "The both of you… You're the best things that happened to me."

Lukas smiled. While journeying to Aewern Desert, he had been worried about whether or not the three of them would get along. He was pleased to know that one concern hadn't come to pass. In fact, he was pleased to know that they were averting it completely.

Lukas's gaze flickered to Arthur, who looked a bit red. Lukas knew that it wasn't sunburn, and he smiled at that. Arthur cleared his throat before standing.

"Come along, then," he said. "Let's find that library."

They didn't allow themselves to get distracted again, and after a while, they stood in front of a grand-looking building. They asked one of the librarians if he'd seen a group of men with large eyebrows, like Arthur (much to his annoyance).

"Why, yes," the librarian said. "They arrived a few days ago, along with three other young men. They've spread themselves out, but they're thankfully very respectful and polite."

"Does that include the tall one with the spiky hair?" Lukas asked, arching an eyebrow.

"…Well, that one seems to not be used to sitting still, but he at least tries to be quiet."

Lukas sighed, though he was glad that Mathias was at least attempting to behave himself. They asked for the location of the nearest one. Lukas saw the smile on Arthur's face when he saw Dylan.

"Arthur," Dylan said, as he smiled. "I'm glad to see that you managed to survive the desert. Did you get the jewel?"

"Yes," Arthur said. "Though, not without trouble."

Dylan frowned.

"Tell me everything," Dylan ordered.

"Later, perhaps," Arthur said. "I'd rather not repeat anything, and there might be eavesdroppers."

Dylan stared at his brother for a few seconds, clearly not comfortable with leaving matters there, before he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Very well," Dylan said. "You'll probably want to know what we found, right? I hate to disappoint you, but information on Nemthys is scarce."

"I was afraid of that," Arthur said.

"Well, I said that it was scarce, but not that it wasn't there. What I could find…" Dylan removed a leaf of parchment, and Lukas saw that these appeared to be Dylan's notes. "About seven hundred years ago, the kingdom of Cruapa was under Nemthys's control. But then Nemthys's followers took the crown prince. It doesn't say why they wanted the prince, but this prince was very beloved."

"I take it they didn't like it," Lukas said.

"They rebelled. And the kingdom of Cruapa was completely destroyed. It's part of what is now the Aewern Desert, but it wasn't a desert before that."

"So, Nemthys destroyed absolutely everything," Arthur said. "But still, why would he want the prince? A sacrifice or something?"

"It doesn't say here," Dylan sighed. "But I think it's safe to say that Nemthys and his followers can do a lot of damage."

"…I think I might know why they took the prince," Vlad said.

"You do?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah… Remember Gilbert? He told me that he was like me. He was somehow… connected to the jewels. What if this prince was also connected? I mean… What if it happens every few hundred years or so?"

"But why?" Lukas asked. "Does Nemthys take regular naps or something?"

"…You might be on to something," Dylan said. "Last night, Emil mentioned he found something. I can't remember what he said, but it mentioned some sort of cycle."

"Any idea where he is?"

Dylan pointed towards his right, and they followed his indication. Lukas could see Emil's silver hair near the window, but before they could get closer…

"Lukas!"

Lukas jumped before he felt arms encircle him. He glared up at Mathias.

"Get off of me," Lukas growled, before he elbowed Mathias in the side.

Mathias rubbed his side as he pouted.

"You're so mean," Mathias whined.

"Well, you shouldn't hug me like that," Lukas snapped.

"Lukas was attacked a few days ago," Vlad said. "He's still a little on edge."

Mathias's pout was wiped away as his eyes widened. Lukas sighed, before averting his eyes. Vlad was right. For a moment, Lukas had imagined that night with Ludwig. He didn't think that it had bothered him, but perhaps he was wrong.

"What happened?" Mathias asked.

"…One of Nemthys's followers," Lukas said. "He grabbed me from behind."

"Did he hurt you?"

Lukas shook his head.

"It was just… tense," Lukas said. "And… I… I was scared. He was…" Lukas shuddered.

Mathias hugged Lukas again, and this time, Lukas didn't push him away. This time, the hug felt comfortable, but it wasn't like the hugs he shared with Vlad or Arthur. In fact, Lukas found himself wanting to hug one of the other two instead.

"Sorry if I scared you," Mathias said.

"I'm sorry for… reacting like that," Lukas said. "But please… while we have people hunting us, don't suddenly hug me from behind or the side."

"Okay. Sorry about that. So, what now?"

"Dylan said that Emil found something."

Mathias pulled away, and they went over towards Emil. Lukas's brother looked up when they approached, and Emil smiled.

"Good to see you made it," Emil said. "I hope things went well."