Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 3
"There it is," Alistair said, as the brothers stared at the sprawling city below them. It had been a long two weeks and rough riding, but they finally made it. "Be careful. Sorcery is outlawed here, and we can get killed if they find out what we are."
Arthur was only barely listening, looking at the city. Somewhere down there, someone needed his help. But now that they were there, he realised that he had no idea how to find him, or how to free him. Arthur knew that he was a slave, and he knew that he worked for someone very important.
The dreams had haunted him the entire journey. He'd seen more details of the other person, and had even seen the third member of their trio a few times. What bothered him was that he knew neither of their names. But he knew that they needed to find the red-eyed one as soon as possible.
"We should prioritise checking into an inn," Dylan said. "Everyone knows the cover story, right?"
"We're scholars and we want to visit the Aewern Capital's great library," Patrick said. "Which isn't a bad idea. We might find something about Nemthys and the jewels."
"If they hadn't burned everything yet," Alistair remarked. He looked over towards his youngest brother. "You okay?"
"He's down there," Arthur said. "And he needs my help."
"Our help. You're not going to do any of this alone."
"Any idea how we're going to find him?" Patrick asked.
Arthur didn't answer. Instead, he urged his horse on. He heard his brothers swearing behind him before they followed after him. He didn't know how he would find him, but he knew that he would.
…
"So, what exactly are we doing here again?" Mathias asked.
"I have business to take care of," Lukas said, eyes scanning the crowd. "You go do whatever you'd like. Just stay out of trouble."
"Let's go to the market," Tino suggested.
Lukas shrugged. He supposed that it would be something that would keep them busy.
"We need to check into an inn first," Berwald said. "And we need to get the horses to a stable."
Lukas glanced towards his horse. He felt sorry for him. He'd been pushing him hard. And he pushed all of them hard. He knew that he needed to give them an explanation soon, but he couldn't do so now.
He knew that it was illegal to be a sorcerer here, and that if anyone found out that he was a sorcerer, then he could lose his life. And while the others weren't sorcerers, they could get into trouble just for associating with one. So, he couldn't explain anything now. Perhaps someday.
They managed to find an inn, and they got their horses into the stable. The moment Lukas entered the inn, he froze. He could see another group speaking with the innkeeper, and one of them turned towards him.
He stared into green eyes. He could sense the power within the eyes, but there was more. He recognised the owner, and he realised he'd seen him in his dreams. It was one of the other two that would be on this mission with him. And Dosalri was right that he would be able to recognise him as soon as he saw him.
The spell was broken when he felt a hand clamp on his shoulder. He glared at the owner of the hand, and Tino raised both hands defensively.
"Sorry," Tino apologised. "It's just… you seemed to be lost in thought or something. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," Lukas said, before he glanced towards the green-eyed blond. The other inclined his head, and Lukas subtly nodded. "Sorry, I need to go."
Lukas followed the green-eyed blond towards the back of the inn. He looked around to see if everything appeared clear before turning towards Lukas.
"You're the one from Paqlea Sea, right?" he asked.
"And you're from Asucla Forest," Lukas said. "I'm Lukas."
"Arthur. Have… Have you also had the dreams?"
Lukas felt a thrill, and nodded his head. Arthur sighed, looking to the side.
"He needs our help," Arthur said. "He's in danger."
Lukas knew who Arthur was referring to. And he had to agree.
"Any idea how to find him?" Lukas asked.
Arthur shook his head.
"We could try a locator spell," Arthur whispered. "Once we're in a room on our own. My brothers are here too, and they're aware of everything. If you think the spell would need more help…"
"No," Lukas said. "Dosalri told me that we shouldn't involve anyone else."
"Auryana told my brothers that they could help until the three of us are united. And since we need their help to be united, it might be necessary to involve them."
Lukas pursed his lips, before he nodded. Perhaps they needed help to find the third member of their trio. And Lukas had to admit that he agreed with Arthur. He had the feeling that the third member of their group was in danger, but he was still alive.
"Do you have a room?" Lukas asked.
"We already booked one," Arthur said. "I'll ask one or two of my brothers to help. We also thought to go to the great library to see if we could find anything about the jewels."
"That's a good idea."
Lukas followed Arthur as the green-eyed blond went towards others with the same green eyes, who were watching them. Lukas suddenly felt self-conscious, and he looked towards his own companions. Only Emil was watching him.
"Looks like you found one of them," one of Arthur's brothers said.
"Lukas, these are my brothers: Alistair, Patrick and Dylan," Arthur introduced. "We were thinking of going to the room and… thinking about where to go next. We were hoping for your help."
"Alright," Alistair said. "Come on."
Lukas followed the brothers. He sensed something behind him, and he turned to see his own brother following, looking concerned. He turned to Arthur.
"I need to talk to my brother," Lukas said. "I'll catch up."
"Alright," Arthur said. "We're in room 12."
Lukas saw the numbers on the doors and nodded his head. He turned towards Emil and dragged his brother to the side.
"Lukas, what's going on?" Emil demanded.
"I can't go into detail," Lukas whispered. "Just know that it's something very important."
"I thought so. Why else would you come here? I know that it's not exactly a safe place for you. And… who are those men?"
"We have an important job to do. I'll explain later, if I can. Just keep Mathias out of our way."
"Fine. Just be careful, alright?"
Lukas nodded, before going towards room 12. Before he could knock, the door opened. Arthur ushered him inside.
"So, how are we going to go about it?" Dylan asked.
Lukas jumped when he felt something vibrating against his chest, and he pulled out the chain. Before he'd left, Dosalri had given him this compass. The brothers moved closer.
"What's that?" Patrick asked.
"My god gave it to me," Lukas explained. "He said that it would help me find my way."
He opened the compass and immediately noticed that it wasn't pointing north. It first moved towards Arthur, but then it shifted directions, showing a direction behind Lukas. He turned the compass, and it remained fixed in place.
"Lady Auryana gave me a piece of parchment," Arthur said, before he removed the aforementioned parchment.
They watched as the parchment slowly gained detail. Arthur placed it on the floor, unfolding it to its full size. They watched as a map appeared on the parchment.
"I wonder if that compass is pointing you in the direction of that other one," Dylan said. "That would definitely be a huge help."
Lukas looked over towards Arthur, who had the same intent look in his eyes that Lukas suspected was in his own. The two of them nodded.
"…I get the feeling that this is something you two need to do on your own," Alistair said, looking between the two. "Artie, we'll be at the library, so if you need us, you should send us a message."
"Thank you," Arthur said.
Lukas was surprised when he felt Arthur's hand on the small of his back, gently guiding him out of the room. He was surprised by how warm and comforting it felt.
…
It was rare for Vlad to be able to leave the manor. But even though this was a rare treat, he had no reason to enjoy it.
Raj had barely allowed Vlad to leave his sight during these two weeks. And now wasn't an exception. While Raj was enjoying the city, Vlad had to walk with him, and if Vlad slowed down just a little bit, then Raj would grab Vlad's arm and pull him along. It was something that Raj constantly did, and Vlad already had many bruises.
They were currently in the market, and Raj was admiring some trinkets. Vlad only knew that they were expensive. Vlad's eyes wandered, and he froze. He saw two people that he'd seen in his dreams.
They were looking down at something in one of their hands. But then, as one, they looked up. They looked directly at him, and Vlad could feel a connection between them. He wanted to go to them. It was as though he knew that he would be safe with them.
He was rudely brought back to reality when he felt Raj's hand close around his arm again, harder than most of the other times. Vlad turned towards Raj, who had a cold smile on his face.
"Do you see something interesting?" Raj asked.
Vlad shook his head. Even though he didn't know those men, he didn't want them to get hurt. And he had a feeling that they would get hurt if Raj got a hold of them.
Raj looked in their direction, and Vlad couldn't help but glance towards them. They were staring, but before Vlad could think more about it, he wrenched his gaze away. Raj turned back towards him and his smile seemed to widen.
"Why don't we find a quieter street?" Raj suggested.
Vlad had no choice but to allow Raj to pull him away. He turned back to look at those other two one more time and saw that they had started to follow. He shook his head. He didn't want them to be anywhere near Raj.
He wanted to kick himself. It was presumptuous to assume that they were interested in him in any way. And they were most likely just going in the same direction. Just because he'd seen them in his dreams didn't mean that they were connected.
"Raj!"
Vlad whipped his head around when he heard his master's voice. Raj's grip tightened on Vlad's arm as he forced a smile on his face.
"Sadiq," Raj said. "I thought you had business to tend to?"
"I finished earlier than expected," Sadiq said. "They told me that you went out to the market, so I thought I'd join you." He looked towards Vlad. "Any problems?"
"None at all. I was actually meaning to speak with you about taking him with me."
"Really?" Sadiq chuckled. "I knew you'd like him, but I didn't think you'd like to take him with you. You know, now that I think about it, that's the kid I brought back from Lubato. Since you're the one that gave me the advice to attack there, I guess it's only fair for you to take him. I wouldn't even have him if not for you."
Vlad whipped his head around to look at Raj. He was still smiling, but there was a dark edge to the smile now, and his eyes didn't leave Sadiq.
"You don't say," Raj said. "How fortuitous, then."
Vlad turned to gaze back towards the other two. They were pushing through the crowd, and it would seem as though they were indeed following them. Vlad wanted to be with them. He didn't feel safe here, with the two men that were responsible for his current life.
"So then, shall I join you?" Sadiq asked.
Before Raj could answer, an explosion rocked the ground. Vlad stumbled, but Raj's grip on his arm prevented him from falling to the ground. Still, Vlad felt as though he'd lost all feeling in his arm. It took him a moment to realise that people around him were screaming.
"Sorcerers!" someone screamed.
Sadiq gritted his teeth, his hand falling on his sword's hilt.
"Filthy heathens," Sadiq spat. "Raj, get to the manor immediately. Get this one to show you the way."
Sadiq rushed past them. Raj's grip tightened even more, if that was possible, and he started to drag Vlad away again. It took him a moment to realise that they were going in the opposite direction of the manor.
"W-where are you taking me?" Vlad asked.
He wasn't a fool. He didn't believe that Raj chose this direction by accident.
"Quiet," Raj hissed.
They took a few side streets, and Vlad looked behind him a few times. Those other two were still following. He wished to know who they were and why they were following him. He also wanted to get away from Raj.
…
Arthur and Lukas had followed Lukas's compass to the market. They noticed that it started to become less steady, and when they looked up, they realised why. Their target was close, and he was looking towards them.
When their eyes met, Arthur felt the same connection that he'd felt with Lukas. Unfortunately, the connection was broken when someone grabbed the other's arm. Arthur felt angry when he saw the obvious pain in the ruby eyes, but the fear in the eyes deserved more ire. Arthur wanted nothing more than to wrench him away and hide him behind his back.
The aggressor was saying something, and his victim shook his head. Both of them looked back in Arthur and Lukas's direction, and Arthur could feel the same anger coming from Lukas. The aggressor said something again, before he dragged his victim away.
"Come on," Arthur said.
They couldn't lose him. It was fortunate that they'd managed to find him on the streets. Now they only had to get him away from this other man. Was it his master? If so, then Arthur felt extreme hatred for the man.
The two stopped so that the aggressor could speak with another man. The victim kept glancing back to Arthur and Lukas, and Arthur had the feeling that he was silently asking for their help. Arthur muttered a spell that would allow him to hear what those men were saying. He grabbed Lukas's hand so that he could gain the effect of the spell too.
"I knew you'd like him," the person the aggressor spoke to said, "but I didn't think you'd like to take him with you. You know, now that I think about it, that's the kid I brought back from Lubato. Since you're the one that gave me the advice to attack there, I guess it's only fair for you to take him. I wouldn't even have him if not for you."
Arthur became cold. So then, the aggressor was not the master. The other man was. But they were speaking about him as though he was an object to be passed around. He could sense the same horror and anger from Lukas.
"We need to save him," Arthur whispered.
"Agreed," Lukas said. "But how can we get close enough?"
The other two men kept talking, and the victim turned back to look at Arthur and Lukas again. It pained Arthur to see the fear and desperation in his eyes.
Suddenly, there was an explosion. Arthur's grip on Lukas's hand tightened as he tried to maintain balance. Before he could understand what happened, screams could be heard, and people started pushing.
"Sorcerers!" someone screamed.
Arthur's head whipped around, and he could see flashes of light that seemed to correspond to a type of magic. He briefly wondered whether his brothers were responsible for it before realising that they wouldn't do something so stupid.
"Filthy heathens," the master spat. "Raj, get to the manor immediately. Get this one to show you the way."
Lukas tugged on Arthur's hand, pulling him to the side of the street. When Arthur looked towards Lukas, he saw the worry in the other's eyes.
"This is bad," Lukas whispered. "That man is a soldier. It's his job to kill sorcerers." He looked over towards the direction of the explosion. "I don't know what happened, but we need to get out of here."
Arthur turned back towards their quarry. The aggressor – Raj – was already pulling his victim along again. Arthur's eyes widened, and he tugged Lukas along as they tried to follow through the panicking crowd. He could feel Lukas hesitate before falling into step with him. They couldn't lose them. It was fortunate that they had found them in the street. If they went back to that manor, then there was no telling when – or if – they would have another chance.
They followed the two along twisting streets, and Arthur noticed that the streets became less crowded. He kept his eyes on the victim, who kept looking back towards them. Arthur could see tears in his eyes, and Arthur didn't know if it was from pain or fear. Either possibility filled him with rage.
Eventually, they saw Raj pull him inside a building. The place looked as though it had seen better days. The two of them approached the door, but then Lukas tugged on Arthur's hand.
"We need a plan," Lukas whispered.
"I don't know about you," Arthur whispered, "but if he dragged him all the way here, then I don't think it was with the best of intentions. We need to go in before he does something horrible to him."
And Arthur opened the door and went in, Lukas following. They only managed a few steps before they stopped.
"Hello, Arthur and Lukas," Raj said. "So nice of you to join us. I know Vlad here's been eager to meet you. And so have I."
