Alfred looked at the desert from the stage coach, his eyes darting at the patches of snow that covered the sandy ground. Across from him is Arthur, who is reading a book.
"I still think its weird how it still snows in the desert." He complained.
Arthur gave him a 'Mm-hmm' before flipping a page.
"Like- Why? Aren't deserts supposed to be hot all the time, besides nighttime? Like, I don't get it, and why when its windy during winter, its so cold, like needles!"
Arthur hummed again, flipping a page again.
"It also remind me on how much I hate scones.." Alfred rolled his eyes.
"And you're whining reminds me of mosquitos that fly around my ear, I can't kill them no matter how hard I try.." He responded in monotone.
Alfred groaned, "Why are you even dragging me along with you anyways to some Indian Reservation anyways?"
"For the hundredth time, Alfred, someday you might have to go out to one, when you take hold of the ranch or join the army." Arthur simply stated, "Besides, you need to get out, I know having friends and good connections is good for the future, but you've been hanging around those Vargas brothers too much."
"I rarely see them these days! And if you're so worried about the ranch then give it to Mattie?!"
"Matthew is working on becoming a lawyer and is doing his best to understand French, then there's you.." Arthur's tone turns to worry, "Alfred, are are you planning on in life? The fact that you're smart I know, but you refuse to do anything with that knowledge, why not just get married to a nice lass and take the ranch? You could always work the ranks in the army you know?"
"Arthur, thanks for worrying, but I don't really care, those jobs sound so.. so boring! Being a cowboy sounds a whole lot more exciting!"
"No." He says sternly, "Being a cowboy is the lowest job you could get, it won't pay off. My brother will not be some hooligan and that's final."
Alfred rolled his eyes again and looked out at the desert, remembering the time he spent with Feliciano before leaving.
The stage stopped moving before being informed that they've arrived at Apache Reservation.
"Remember what I told you Alfred, and don't talk to any of the people here okay? Many of them were murders and savages, you're better than them, and remember in how lucky you have it. Be grateful now." Arthur lectured Alfred before leaving the coach.
"Be grateful because of how good you have it, compared to these apes" Alfred mocked Arthur in his head before also leaving and seeing the sad sight before him.
He looked around, in front was a fence that went in a circle and in the center was a group of tents, people trying to huddle for warmth in blankets. Soliders from the army stood by, opening the gates for Arthur and crew. The stage coach left, but another was scheduled to come by again.
Alfred was a little shocked on how the layout was, the land the reservation was on was barren, no trees or rocks. He stood by Arthur as he did rations and a line of people gathered. Alfred saw how poor quality food was given to them, which gave him mixed feelings.
When the line was gone, Alfred was going to pull Arthur aside, before a little girl who couldn't be more than 10 approached, looking starved.
Arthur looked at her, and just shooed her away, which made the child look as if she wanted to cry.
That's when he pulled him aside, "Dude, what sort of business are you pulling here? Even I know that stuff isn't meant to be eaten!"
"Alfred, it was a poor batch this year, and we must also remember that other mouths must be fed, like Matthew." Arthur reminded him.
"Yeah well, there has to be another way, they used to hunt right? I don't think anything can be grown here, so let them hunt!" Alfred suggested.
"We can't let these people do what we want, Alfred. That's how my older brother died, this is something you must get used too." Arthur scorned him, before going back to other business with the soliders, leaving Alfred.
Looking at the wagons of food that was brought with for other locations, he took some corn and went into the camp site to search for that kid.
After looking around, he spots her, getting some water from a pump, but struggling. This is were hero Alfred shows up, gently pushing her aside and using his might to pump some water into a bucket until it was full.
"Is this good enough?" He asks her.
She nods, having the look of shock, curiosity, and perhaps mistrust.
"I can help you carry this, in return, can you hold this?" He hold out the corn he had under his arm, "It's yours of course!"
She looks at it, nods, and takes the corn, before showing were her tent was.
When they arrived, she opened the tent, were Alfred saw a sick boy who couldn't be older that 7. The girl sets the corn down and drags the water over, taking a cup, putting water in it, and resoaking the cloth in his head, while speaking to him in a language Alfred couldn't understand.
"What's.. What's wrong with him?" Alfred asked.
The girl stayed silent before answering, "He's sick, maybe from the water, maybe from the food, maybe from illness."
"Can I ask his name?"
She stopped for a second before answering, "Nastas.." She says quickly.
He watched her as she tends to her brother, "What about your name?"
"Nascha.." She spoke in a quiet voice.
Alfred looked out the tent, trying to see if Arthur was still doing his business, but couldn't see, so he came back inside.
"Please don't open that to often.. If you plan in leaving then go.. You're letting warm air out.." Nascha asked him.
"Crap, my bad! I was wondering on when I had to leave," He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I'm Alfred by the way."
"Alfred.. Such a weird name.." She spoke in a low voice.
"Hey, I couldn't really control on what I was named ya know?" He pouted.
"You bilagáana always makes a big deal, how old are you?" She is now done tending to her brother.
"I'm 16!" Alfred says proudly.
"You are 16, but you act like you're 10 years younger.." She sits towards Alfred in a more comfortable position.
"Hey.. I helped you.." He pouted more.
"It was a kinda joke, heard it from the soliders here.." Nascha informed him in a monotone voice.
"And the 'kinda' part??"
"Bilagáana Alfred still made a big deal.."
"Can't help but feel that you're insulting me.. Where are your parents anyway?" Alfred tried to change the subject.
"Gone. Papa might be alive but I'm not sure.." She looks down sadly.
"So-" She cuts him off.
"You should probably go."
"Why?" Alfred was confused.
"Some of the soliders are nice, but they don't talk, I heard because they might be made to 'go away' by the men in the fancy uniforms that come by here and there.." Nascha begins to draw on the ground.
Alfred can only give her a look of pity before reaching in his jacket near his neck and pulling out his black scarf and handing it to her, "Here, I thought I was gonna be really cold, but its not bothering me, and don't worry, I washed it myself."
Nascha took it and looked at it, before wrapping her brother in it.
"Well, I best be heading out!" Alfred said, before making his way to the opening.
"Why are you nice?" Nascha asked him before he made his way out.
He turned his head and said, "I remember my mama would always say 'Treat others with respect!' and besides.." He smile, "You looked like you needed some help, you are a kid after all!"
That's when he left, leaving Nascha and Nastas alone.
"..."
Alfred made his way through the tents again, finding the wagons and Arthur still talking to the soliders. He pulled out his canteen, drinking some water, bored out of his mind.
When Arthur was done, he finally took notice of Alfred's existence, "There you are, listen, we're almost done here, I'm really happy you were able to stay out of trouble!" He smiled at his little brother.
It took some time before another stage coach arrived to pick up Alfred and Arthur, and on the way home, as Arthur was dosing off, Alfred was thinking about the siblings he met. He looked at Arthur and back out at the desert.
"I wonder, if Arthur ever had the chance to help me if I was sick.." He wondered..
"Probably not..."
"I gotta say Billy.. You're quite the gambler.." A patron at a saloon said, as he watched the kid play poker.
"Lady Luck must have a thing for him." Says Mandy, the waitress at said saloon.
"He always has a good had I tell you.." Another speaks while shaking his head.
"You win again Billy.." The people at the table say, as everyone folds their cards in shame.
Billy, with a shoot eating grin takes everyone's chips, money, and what else they were betting, "As it should be.. Mandy, another sarsaparilla please! I feel like celebrating!"
Mandy shakes her head, "At least he has manners.." She says in defeat as she brings the younger 'King of Gamblers' his requested drink of sarsaparilla.
[A/N] I've decided to just let some things go, as much as I want to keep things historically accurate, its tedious going back and forth, so some historical people, events, and detail might be historically inaccurate here, I'll fix it in the future if I get around to do it.
And as much as I love Britian, there was the Empire, so its fitting.