Arthur was starting to get worried. It was taking a while for Francis to arrive and Alfred wouldn't let him touch his wing. Alfred's face has gone pale and sweaty. Finally, he saw a dot slowly growing larger, revealing Francis and his peacock wings carrying Matthew. Arthur felt himself relax with relief. Matthew was alright. Francis had found him.
As soon as Francis touched the ground, Matthew rushed over to Alfred with wide eyes. "Alfred?! Alfred?!" he shouted, stopping by his brother and dropping to his knees. "Oh no...his wing," he whispered, his body trembling softly. Arthur gently shook Alfred's shoulder. "Alfred, poppet, your brother is here," he said.
Alfred opened his eyes and gave his brother a weak smile. "You're alright. Can you rub my wing?" he asked sleepily. Matthew blinked back tears before giving his twin a smile and a nod. France and Arthur shot each other questioning looks as Matthew carefully moved next to the wing and place his hand just next to the bullet wound.
Arthur's eyes widen when he saw the wound slowly stop bleeding as Matthew gently rubbed circles into the wing, murmering things to his brother. He glanced at Francis who looked just as surprised. Matthew didn't seem aware of what he was doing. "C-Can you fix his wing? H-He's not going to lose his ability to fly is he?" he asked.
The wound started to shrink, and just before Arthur could answer Matthew swayed. Francis quickly pulled him away from Alfred. "Mathieu, you're using too much of your own strength to help Alfred. Relax and focus on getting better," he said. "W-What do you mean?" asked Matthew.
"You were healing him, love. Just look at the wound, it's smaller now," said Arthur gently. Matthew's eyes widened and he squirmed. "I-I can keep doing it. Let me help him!" he said. Francis quickly stopped him.
"Non mon infantil. Your strength is ebbing and we can't have you pass out on top of his wing. Arthur et moi can heal him, but we have to get his permission to do so. The healing creates a bond, see?" said Francis. Matthew swallowed. "C-Can you undo the bond if he decides he doesn't want it?" he asked.
"It would be….very difficult, but Francis and I raised you two. I can promise you that we will bring no harm to you and your brother. If you two decide you want to leave, we will respect your decision. If you want to sever it, I can do my best to see if my magic will allow it," said Arthur with difficulty.
Matthew nodded, pulling himself out of Francis's arms, and crawling over to Alfred. He shook his brother's shoulder, causing Alfred's eyes to flicker open. "Mattie?" he asked grogily. "Alfred, you need to let Francis and Arthur touch your wings. They can help you," said Matthew gently.
Alfred frowned, slightly dazed. "B-But I don't like people touching my wings. What if they're mean like the villagers?" he asked. Matthew smiled softly. "They're not going to do that Alfie. I promise. They'll make you feel better," he said. "But Lukas…" he trailed off.
"Please Alfred, for me? I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, remember?" said Matthew. Alfred hesitated and nodded. "Okay," he said in a meek voice. Matthew nodded with relief, watching as his brother fell back asleep.
"I'll tend to Alfred. Matthew, I'll check on your arm when I'm done," said Arthur, quickly moving over to Alfred's injured wing. Francis shook his head. "Mon ami, you're going to overwork yourself if you tend to both of their injuries," he warned. "I-I'm fine Arthur," stuttered Matthew.
Francis smiled at him and led him to a rock to sit against before Matthew could start to sway once more. "If you like Mathieu, I could heal your arm for you. It'll make you feel better," he said. Matthew hesitated, leaning against the rock while feeling light-headed. "I-I don't know...No offense but I'm still not sure about this bond thing…" he said.
Francis's wings slumped. Matthew looked at the avain's wings curiously. The undersides were dark brown closer to his body but the further half of the frenchman's wings were light blonde. The outside of the wings were speckled white and black with blue and green feathers mixed in.
Francis noticed the boy had gotten distracted. He followed Matthew's gaze to his wings and stretched his wings out bit more so the Canadian could see them better. Matthew blushed when he realized he had been caught staring. "S-Sorry...Your wings are really pretty. I wouldn't have thought that avian feathers could come in green and blue," he said.
Francis smiled. "They don't very often. Arthur says it suits my need to 'flaunt and make a fool of myself.' You could touch them if you like," he said gently. Matthew's eyes widen. "R-Really? Are you sure?" he asked. Francis nodded. "Mathieu, I am your big brother. I raised you from when you were si petit. I trust you," he said.
Hesitating, Matthew raised his good arm and stroaked the feathers, sightly surprised to find them so soft. "Ils sont si doux," muttered Matthew. Francis raised an eyebrow. "Tu parle français?" he asked. Matthew nodded, hesitating again. "I-I remembered a french accent from before they found us in the village. I learnt it from a traveling merchant," he said.
Francis gave him a bright smile. "C'est super. I taught you French as a child. I'm glad to see you decided to keep speaking the language," he said. Matthew smiled back before hesitating and stretching out his injured arm. "I-If you still are willing to heal it, I-I don't mind," said Matthew.
Francis blinked before smiling and slightly tearing up. "Oui. I don't mind at all mon chere," he said, taking the arm. Francis removed the splint and gently put his hand around where the break occured, keeping the arm steady with his other hand. He closed his eyes and started concentrated.
Matthew watched the stubbled man curiously, wondering if it would still work even if he had lost his wings. So far, he wasn't feeling any different. After a few seconds, Matthew felt a surge of electricity go through him and gasped.
Francis gasped as well, his eyes opening, revealing that his eyes were glowling slightly. Matthew could suddenly feel Francis's joy at having him and Alfred back along with worry for them. "Is this the bond Tino and Lukas were talking about?" wondered Matthew.
Francis gave him a small smile and a nod before closing his eyes and concentrating on the arm. Matthew could feel the throbbing of his arm slowly dull. After about two minutes, Francis pulled away, looking tired. "You should still use the splint but it should hurt much less now," he said, his hands already moving to tie the splint back together.
"Thank you," said Matthew somewhat shyly. Francis gave him a hug, wrapping both his arms and wings around Matthew. "I missed you so much Mathieu. Arthur and I have been searching for you two for years," he said, squeezing him. Matthew smiled and hugged him back.
Arthur's fingers worked quickly, moving the broken pieces as gently and softly as possible in order to set the wing properly. Alfred clenched his teeth but didn't complain. "Perhaps he's become less of a chatter-box as he got older. Or perhaps this hurts too much for him to put forward the effort to talk my ear off," thought Arthur.
As he set the the wings, he noticed scars from old cuts scattered across the underside of Alfred's wings. Alfred shrank a little when Arthur's fingers brushed against one. Arthur dropped his hand and brought it back to one of the mutiple breaks along Alfred's wing. "There might be some tingling. That's normal," said Arthur closing his eyes.
Alfred watched as Arthur placed a hand on the break, causing him to wince. Almost immeditely, Alfred felt a jolt of electricity go through him, making both his hair and feathers stand on end. He gasped and Arthur opened his green eyes, which were glowing, to give him a reassuring smile before closing them to concentrate.
Alfred relaxed when the electricity suddenly turned into a cooling, soothing feeling. "That's right poppet, just relax," coaxed Arthur mentally. Alfred didn't register the thoughts. He was too focused on the relief the healing was bringing him to realize Arthur hadn't moved his lips. He was only slightly aware of Arthur's anger at the hunter and concern for Alfred.
When Arthur finished doing what he could do for the day, Alfred had fallen into a peaceful sleep. Arthur's mind was groggy and clouded. Francis, feeling something was off through their bond, looked up to see Arthur sway. Francis jumped up and ran over to Arthur just as he attempted to stand up. He got there just in time to catch Arthur as he stumbled.
"Angleterre, you pushed yourself too far. Just how much did you do?" Francis asked a dazed Arthur. Arthur limply fluttered his wings. "H-He had a concussion. I took care of that, the gun shot, and healed the breaks enough that they wouldn't hurt so much," he mumbled.
Francis frowned and helped Arthur over to a sleeping pallet with Matthew's help. "Is he going to be okay?" asked a concerned Matthew. Francis nodded. "He just needs to rest and regain his energy before he tries to do anything else," he said.
"I'm fine," muttered Arthur. "Non. You are not. Now sleep before I have to heal you too," said Francis. Arthur muttered something under his breath about frogs but closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he was sleeping soundly. Francis smiled and turned to Matthew. "For now, we'll have to put a splint on your brother's wing until he can safely move it again," he said.
Francis fluttered around the little cliff he and Arthur called home, searching for different materials they could use for a wing splint. After a few minutes, he came back and had Matthew help lift up the wing gently so Francis could wrap up the wing. When they were done, Francis turned to Matthew.
"Do you and your brother ever go hunting?" he asked. "Tino mentioned something about hunting earlier too. No...we've never gone hunting. I'm not a fan of guns and Alfred's always been too busy trying to figure out new things to do with his wings," said Matthew.
"How did your brother learn to fly?" asked Francis curiously. "Jumping off of things. Watching birds. He's hurt himself so many times the village healer has a cot reserved for him. He can handle himself in the air...he's just not good with landings or anything that takes really polished skill to do. But then again, he focuses more on doing tricks than anything," said Matthew.
Francis smiled. "I suppose Arthur will insist on fixing that immediately. As for the hunting, when your brother feels better Arthur and I can take you two hunting. How does that sound?" he asked. Matthew smiled. "That sounds like fun. I'm sure Alfred would love that. I would love to hear more about when we were little. We both would," said Matthew.
Francis nodded. "Oui. I think Arthur would like to make sure your brother is up for that conversation first though. We should get some sleep, no? I know you must be tried from everything that happened today. I'm sorry, but we don't have any extra blankets though," he said. Matthew nodded.
"I-It's fine. Alfred doesn't mind if I crawl under his wing. He gets nightmares easily and it helps him sleep," said Matthew. Francis gave him a smile. "Bonne nuit," he said before laying down next to Arthur. Matthew nodded and gave him a smile before walking over to Alfred and curling up next to him.
Alfred woke up to Mattie mumbling, "Quit hogging the wing Alfred," in his sleep the next morning. Alfred blinked and looked around as best as he could without waking up Mattie. He didn't remember how they got there. The last thing he remembered was a british voice telling him to relax.
Alfred started to pull the wing not covering Mattie in before he winced, finding that it was bandaged and in a splint. Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot rang out in his mind. Right. He got shot of the sky. ...Wait. There was a hunter. Alfred heart started pounding rapidly. What if they were still in danger?
Matthew frowned in his sleep, tugging at the wing half-awake. "Go back to sleep. It's just a nightmare," he muttered, falling back to sleep. Alfred made a face at his sleeping twin and jumped when he heard someone behind him chuckle. Alfred sat up and turned around to find an avian with long blond hair, stubble, and beautiful wings sitting next to a fire.
"Bon matin, Alfred. Are you hungry? I'm making crepes for breakfast," said the man with a french accent. Alfred's stomach growled before he could even open his mouth, making the other man chuckle again. "I'll take that as a yes. My name is Francis. Do you remember me?" he asked, flipping something in the cooking pan he was holding over the flame.
Alfred hesitated, thinking. "Lukas mentioned a Francis. He and Emil said you were a matchmaker," he said. Francis smiled brightly. "I don't know if I'm a matchmaker, but Lili and Emil were too shy to admit they liked each other. I only pushed them along. Do you and Mattie have anyone special in your lives?" he asked, his eyes looking slightly mischevious.
"Uh...no. The villagers kinda gave us a wide berth," said Alfred, rubbing his injured wing. Francis gave him a worried look. "Is your wing hurting you? I can heal it a bit more if you'd like," he offered. Alfred gave him a smile. "I'm fine dude. Where's the dude that healed it before? I should really thank him," he said.
Francis handed him a crepe. "Arthur is sleeping. Healing burns up a lot of energy and he pushed himself further than he should have. He'll be alright, but he'll more than likely sleep until lunch or later," he said. Alfred shifted, feeling guilty. Francis shook his head. "Don't feel bad. He wanted to do it. We're both so happy to have found you," said Francis.
Alfred nodded and took a bite of his crepe, freezing when he tasted it. Francis gave him a curious look. "Do you not like crepes? I can make something else mon petite," said Francis. Alfred shook his head. "Mattie and I remember eating something just like this as kids. We couldn't ever figure out what it is," he said.
Francis grinned, glad to be remembered by his cooking. "Oui. I used to cook for you two all the time, if only to save you from Arthur's cooking," he said. "Is his cooking that bad?" he asked. Francis nodded and pointed at a pile of what Alfred thought were rocks. "See those? They're scones that insists on making," said Francis.
Alfred snorted. "That's sad." Mattie stirred, waking up due to his brother's laughing. He sat up and gently pushed Alfred's wing off of him before rubbing his eyes. "What's so funny?" he asked. "Apparently Arthur's cooking can be easily mixed up with rocks," said Alfred. "I'm sure he's not that bad," said Matthew.
Francis's face grew serious. "Oui, it is. His cooking is horrendous. Avoid it if you can," he said, starting to pour batter into the pan for another crepe. Matthew turned to his brother. "Is your wing feeling any better?" he asked. Alfred nodded. Matthew promptly punched him in the shoulder. Francis looked up when he heard Al's cry of protest.
"What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed. We could have waited in the tree until he gave up and left! You never think!" said Matthew, causing Francis to raise an eyebrow in surprise at seeing the quiet boy get all worked up.
Alfred rubbed his shoulder. "Easy dude! I'm already aching as it is. If we waited in the tree, he could have outlasted us. He had food and water. We didn't. The minute either of us try to sneak away, he'd shoot us. Plus, he would have known you were an avian too if you were just up in the tree with me. Besides, what would have kept him from climbing up?" said Al.
Matthew scowled. "We could have stayed in the tree until we thought of a safer plan," he said, crossing his arms. "He might have left and gone after Tino's flock. I had to warn them and I didn't want you to get hurt. The guy wasn't playing around. I'm sure he would have found a way to come after us both," said Alfred, crossing his arms too.
Francis nodded. "Hunters spend their life hunting us. A mere tree wouldn't have kept him from getting you two. You're brother was smart and thinking quickly, trying to keep the hunter distracted until you got help," he said.
Matthew's face turned guilty. "I'm sorry Alfred. You were thinking about me and all I'm doing is being ungrateful. I guess I'm just angry because I couldn't do anything to help you," he said. Alfred grinned. "Dude, you would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. Don't worry about it," he said.
Matthew gave him a hug. "You got really hurt trying to protect me. Of course I'm going to worry about it. Thank you," he said. Alfred grinned wider, hugging his brother back. "Dude, you're as sappy as maple syrup you know that?" he joked. Matthew smirked. "You couldn't restrain yourself, could you?" he said. "Nope."
Mattie snorted and pulled back, flicking his brother's shoulder. "Hey, take it easy on the guy who got shot," teased Alfred, making Matthew roll his eyes. Francis smiled. It was good to see the two of them tease and mess around with each other. He was glad that they stayed close to each other even after being separated from their older siblings.
Matthew took the other plate from Francis, thanking him. Alfred fidgeted, a little antsy. "So what happened to the hunter that was after me? D-Do we have to worry about him coming back?" he asked. Mattie froze and glanced at Francis, not sure how Alfred would react. Francis took a breathe and turned to Alfred. "He's dead mon ami. Arthur had to kill him to keep you two safe," he said.
Alfred blinked. "O-Oh...I guess we don't have to worry about him coming after us. Thank you for going after Mattie and bringing us here," he said. Franis smiled. "No need to thank us. I couldn't leave Mathieu in a tree," said Francis. Alfred glanced at Matthew's arm. "How did you hurt your arm?" he asked.
Matthew scowled. "I fell out of the tree," he murmered. Alfred instantly started laughing just as Mattie expected he would. "Dude, I thought you would have been smart enough to grab a branch or something," he said. "I was too stunned when I head the gun go off! I thought you were dead!" blurted Mattie.
Alfred's face fell. "Y-You did?" he asked. Mattie hesitated. "I-I could feel it when you fell...Your wing must still be killing you. When you broke it, I was so surprised I fell," he muttered. Alfred gave him a hug. "I-I woke up when I felt you wrist broke. I'm so sorry I made you feel that Mattie," he said.
"It's not your fault Alfred. Does your wing still hurt?" asked Mattie. Alfred shook his head, sitting back. In truth, his wing still felt sore. Matthew frowned. "Liar," he said. Francis leaned forward. "I should probably check to make sure it's healing properly, if you are alright with me doing so, cocotte," he offered.
Alfred hesitated before turning so Francis could look at his wing. Francis carefully peeled back a bandage from the gunshot wound. "It looks about halfway healed. It doesn't look like the bullet hit anything important," said Francis, unwrapping the bandages and the splint around Als' wing.
Alfred winced a little when Francis undid the splint. Mattie frowned, as did Francis when he looked at the breaks. "Arthur really did over do it yesterday...He has one of the breaks half-way healed. That on top of the concussions, the cuts, and the gunshot wound, it's no wonder he's still snoring over there," he said. A snort from Arthur was all his retort.
"I could heal it a bit more. It would be less sore if I did," said Francis. Alfred glanced at Mattie who gave him an encouraging smile. Alfred nodded. "Go for it...but don't push yourself," he said. Francis smiled. "Don't worry about me. Please lay down, ma chérie," said Francis. Alfred nodded and laid on his stomach with Francis gently keeping his wing steady.
Francis gently set his hands on his wing and started to concentrate, closing his eyes. Mattie looked on curiously before frowning. The area where Alfred's wing met his back was bruised, a dark splotchy blue. Neither Francis or Arthur had tried to heal it yet, they were focusing on stuff that either took a few seconds to fix or the broken bones.
Alfred let out a breath when the bond was made, his eyes flicking open revealing glowing cerulean eyes. He immediately tried his best to put a wall between him and Francis when he realized what Matthew was staring at. Francis frowned but didn't ask anything, instead turning his focus onto the injury.
Alfred was about to open his mouth when suddenly there was sweet relief brought to his throbbing wing. Matthew smiled softly as his brother slowly relax, practically melting under Francis's gentle rubbing of his wing. Francis smiled as well, glad to bring the boy some sort of relief from what he, now, knew to be a constant ache.
"Do you want me to help the bruise along?" asked Francis, causing Alfred to tense a little. "No, uh, I'm okay with a few achy muscles. It's my wing that bugs me the most," he said, not lying. Franicis opened his mouth but was interrupted by chirping.
Mr. Puffin. Francis sighed. "I should have figured they would send messengers," he said, pulling his hands away from Alfred's wing, only swaying slightly. Mattie sent him a worried look before rebandaging Alfred's wing and helping his brother up.
"I'm fine mon lapin. Let me see what these two have to say," said Francis, reaching a hand Mr. Puffin who landed at his feet. "How come you can hear them talk and we can't?" asked Alfred drowsily. "Are you alright?" asked Matthew. Francis smiled. "It's a side effect from the healing. It makes both of us a bit tired, me more so than him though." he said.
"And the birds only make themselves easy to understand to those who they care to do so," said Francis. Mr. Puffin nodded, tilting his head. "But don't worry about me kid. What happened to your wing? Is that why Emil hasn't heard anything from you guys?" he asked. Both Mattie and Alfred froze, looking at the bird with their mouths hanging open.
"Oui Monsieur Puffin. There was a hunter about ten minutes away from the nordics' nest. Arthur killed him but you should tell them to keep an eye out," said Francis. Mr. Puffin nodded before flapping his wings and circling Alfred. "You musta fallen hard kid. What about your brother? He just got out of it with only a broken arm?" he asked. Mattie nodded silently.
"Tell Tino and Lukas that Arthur and I owe them big time. We would have never reunited with them if they didnt' tell us they found them. Tell them that the boys are safe and with us. We will ask, however, that they don't come over today. We're all a bit tired," said Francis. Mr. Puffin nodded. "Of course frenchie. I'll tell them you boys said hi," he said before flying off.
Alfred slipped his shirt on, it having been pulled off by Arthur in order to get to check on the possibly dislocated wing the day before. Francis sighed, turning and frowning at a spot of blood that had stained Alfred's shirts. "You two could do with some clean clothes and a bath. There's a creek a few feet away. I have some clothes you two can borrow," said Francis, getting up and running over to a nearby cave.
Mattie turned to Alfred. "You don't want to tell them about your wings?" he asked. Alfred shifted uncomfortably,crossing his arms. "You and the village healer are the only ones who know. Not even Angie knows. Besides, they're already worried about me as it is. About both of us," he said.
Mattie nodded. "How long do you want to stay? It's been a few days since we've been in the village. We don't want to worry anyone," he said. "That and we don't even have any money or our own supplies. I don't want to have to keep mooching off of everyone we meet," said Alfred.
"You two are not mooching. Arthur and I are simply ecstatic to have you with us. You are welcomed to whatever is ours," said a voice from behind them, causing the twins to jump in surprise. "Are you sure?" asked Matthew shyly. "We're kinda used to pulling our own weight," said Alfred.
"Alfred, you just worry about your wing, oui? Now mon lapins, I hope these fit you. Did you two need to send back a message to your village? I have a bird who could deliver a message for you," said Francis, already leading the boys over to the creek.
Matthew nodded. "T-That would be great. Thank you," he said. Francis gave them a warm smile. "Of course. Let me know if you two need anything. And Alfred? Be careful not to get your injured wing wet. You don't want to risk an infection," he said. Alfred nodded and Francis left.
Arthur groaned as he sat up. "Angeleterre! You're awake!" said Francis happily, making the brit a cup of tea. Arthur put a hand to his head and looked around. "Don't tell me I imagined everything that happened," he said, slightly panicked that the boys were gone. Francis gave a light laugh.
"Non mon ami. The boys are cleaning themselves off in the creek. I gave them some of my clothes since theirs were dirty," he said. Arthur's shoulders sagged with relief. "Is Alfred doing any better?" he asked. Francis nodded. "I finished healing the one break you started fixing yesterday. The other two are still bothering him," he said.
"And Matthew?" asked Arthur, taking the cup of tea from him. "His arm is half-way healed. They're both fine Arthur. Don't worry. You should have seen them this morning. They're very overprotective of each other. Mathieu punched Alfred for trying to distract the hunter," he said.
Arthur scowled. "He should have waited in the tree until we could have helped him. It almost cost him his life," said Arthur. Francis frowned. "In the five minutes they would have spent waiting for us, the boys may have been killed," he said. Arthur made a face but sighed.
"What are they like?" asked Arthur with a tinge of curiosity. Francis smiled. "Mathieu is still sweet and timid. Alfred is a bit more lively I believe, though I think he's still feeling too sore to come up with any of his brilliant schemes," he chuckled. Arthur smiled sadly.
"When do you think we should ask them to stay?" asked Francis. "I suppose we shoud get to know them first and see how much they remember before we scare them off. Perhaps we should ask them to stay a few days before we ask them if they'd like to become a flock again," said Arthur.
Francis nodded. "They plan on sending a message to their village to keep them from worrying….They were talking about possibly leaving soon. Alfred is afraid we might think of them as mooches," he said hesitantly. Arthur frowned. "I'm sure they won't. They must be at least a little curious as to what happened. We'll do our best to convince them to stay," said Arthur.
"Oui, but you have to keep yourself from being too pushy Arthur," warned Francis. Arthur scowled. "What do you mean by that frog?!" shot back Arthur. "You get too clingy and desperate. If you're not that you're too prickly and stiff. You should be careful of scaring them away," said Francis, waving a hand.
"Me? You're the one who's probably already plotting a way to get them mates! Either that or make them your newest fashion guinea pigs!" said Arthur. "You say that like it's a bad thing!" said Francis, feigning shock. "Of course it's a bad thing! You're going to poison their innocence!" said Arthur.