Alistair frowned, finding the flask he kept in his jacket. "Start from the beginning lad. This could help us figure out how to get your brother his wings back," he said. Alfred relaxed a little at that and took a deep breath. "Fine. I'm sorry," he said. Reiley gave him a smile. "It's okay Alfie. Just start from the beginning alright?"
Alfred nodded and let out a sigh. "I remember being extremely angry. I don't know what. I was mad about something and was running through the forest when Matthew found me. He tried to convince me to calm down...but I was crying too hard to listen to him. He started pulling me by the arm, telling me that we should get back.
"We got lost after a few minutes...I don't remember how long. I only remember thinking that I heard someone following us. Mattie said it was because I was just scared by a horror story Arthur told me." That earned Arthur a slap upside the head from Alistair and a look of disappointment from Francis.
"I heard something crack behind us and grabbed his hand, starting to run. A net fell from above and caused us to fall into a heap. We started panicking, kicking and clawing trying to get out. T-Then this man jumped out of the tree," said Alfred, stuttering. Mattie shrank, huddling close to his brother.
"And then what?" asked Alistair, ignoring the glare that Arthur shot him. "T-They grabbed Mattie first. I bit one of them so they decided to start with him because they hoped seeing him lose his wings would scare me into cooperating with them. They wanted us alive for some reason," said Alfred.
Arthur frowned but Alistair shook his head before waving his hand at Alfred. "Keep going Alfred. Don't mind us," he said. Alfred hesitated before continuing. "He got Mattie. While the girl held me down, t-they started cut Mattie's wings off. T-The man started getting angry because he started screaming and he was afraid someone was going to find us," he said.
Francis started swearing in rapid fire french under his breath. Arthur balled up his fists as Alfred's wings sagged. Matthew swallowed, some of the images of what Alfred saw flashing through the bond suddenly. Rhys and Alistair's eyes widen as they saw what Alfred was unconciously showing them all. Rhys furrowed his brows as Reiley frowned.
"Do you want to stop?" asked Reiley, not sure why all the other five avians beside Alfred had suddenly gone tense. Alfred shook his head, knowing that if he was given the chance to stop talking even for a minute he'd never get the story out. "Are you sure?" asked Alistair, keeping an eye on Arthur for any signs of him blowing up.
Alfred nodded, unclenching his fist and instead gripping the log he was sitting on. "M-Mattie passed out after a few minutes. He was bleeding a lot. I remember I stopped fighting when he passed out because I thought he had died. T-They cut his wings up and had just finished when the hunter heard something come close."
Arthur clenched a fist. Francis had teared up, clenching his jaw. "That's when he handed us to her, the other hunter. She grabbed him and the wings before running off. It wasn't until then that I found out Mattie was still alive. She said she would kill him if I struggled. S-She made a cut into my wing and started trying to tear it off when she lost the knife," said Alfred.
Arthur blanched. Reiley's face had turned green and Francis was frozen in shock. "Did I hear that right? She...tried to rip your wings off with her bare hands when she lost the knife?" asked Alistair. Alfred nodded. "She lost the knife when she tried to clip my wings. I had started struggling when she made the first cut," said Alfred quietly.
Arthur couldn't hold it back anylonger. He jumped up and shook Alfred. "You kept this from us. All of this from us? Are you some kind of idiot?" he shouted. Alistair started to stand up, but Arthur had already enveloped Alfred in a hug. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I should have been ther. I should have shown up earlier. Please forgive me," he said.
Alfred blinked before hugging Arthur back, crying. Arthur hugged him, rubbing the spot between his wings gently. He could feel the lumpy scar tissue underneath. Arthur swallowed, continuing to hug Alfred until Alfred pulled back. Matthew was still being smothered by Francis who was muttering to him. Francis met Arthur's eyes. They had to make this right.
Alistair sighed and glanced at Rhys. "What do you think?" he asked. "It could be that she wanted to keep Matthew alive to ensure Alfred didn't get in her way as Alfred said," he said, frowning. "You have another idea though," said Reiley. Rhys sighed. "It's only a theory...but it was a man and a woman who did it. Both boys were young…" he said, trailing off.
Alistair's eyebrows shot up. "You think they were trying to kidnap the boys, not just steal their wings and ditch them?" he said. Rhys nodded. Reiley frowned. "Arthur is not going to like that idea. But this is a good thing...they would have kept the wings if they were sentimental," said Reiley. Alistair nodded. "Hopefully they did. That would make things easier if we can find the proper spell," he said.
Alistiar, Reiley, and Rhys sighed and watched the boys as they were smothered by the Frenchman and their little brother. After a few minutes, Francis insisted that they take a break. With that, he ran into the caves and came back with various desserts. Alistiar was relieved that Francis was the one who insisted on cooking. None of the Kirklands were particularily good at it.
It took about twenty minutes for everyone to be a little bit calmer, or at least be able to fully swallow the lump of grief that stuck in each of their throats. Rhys was the one who broke the uncomfortable silence first. "Can we have a look at your backs? If you two don't mind that is," he asked.
Arthur bristled and Francis frowned. "It took us twenty minutes to calm down and you aim to wild us up again?" asked Arthur. "Oi, relax. It might help us understand how they did it. It could help us figure out this whole bloody thing out," said Alistair. "I-I don't mind. I know you guys won't be mean about it," said Matthew.
"Are you sure mon chou?" asked Francis. Matthew nodded, pulling his shirt off. He pulled it off and turned around, revealing an inch wide jagged scar that ran along his shoulder blades. Francis swallowed while Arthur reverted back to his sailor vocabulary. Alistair frowned as he ran a hand over one of the scars.
"Whoever did it did it carefully. It wasn't rushed. They were sure to make it a clean cut. They had practice, but I've never seen someone do it with so much care. They were trying to keep him from bleeding out," said Alistair. Arthur sniffed. "Doesn't mean we should give them a bloody medal. They hurt him!" said Arthur.
Francis frowned as he ran a hand over the scars. "Does your back still hurt?" he asked. Matthew shook his head. "Not much. Sometimes my back feels funny but that's about it," he said. Arthur swallowed pushing some of Mattie's hair back behind his ear. "I'm sorry about this love. This wasn't right," he said.
"What about you Alfred? Can you show us your back again?" asked Reiley. Alfred hesitated before sighing and pulling his shirt off. Alistair frowned as he looked at the scars before looking at the scars at the tips of Alfred's wings.
"This one was a rush job. I can see how you can have trouble flying sometimes. She didn't quite clip the wings right and probably damaged a muscle or two when she started tearing at the wing. It looks like she tried to be carefull at first but got desperate towards the end," he said.
"That's why he has trouble flying?" asked Matthew, feeling sorry that he teased Alfred so much about it. "Could be that or not having proper training. Though, considering everything he flies extremely well," said Rhys. "Aye. He seems to be a natural," said Reiley. That got Alfred to smile a little.
Alistair sighed. "I'm going to fly back to the nest and grab a few things. You have some books with you right?" he asked. Arthur nodded. "Of course. Would it be easier for us to come with you?" he asked. Alistiar shook his head. "I'll have a quick go at it. It would take too long to haul everyone with us. Besides, a bigger group attracts too much attention," he said.
Arthur sighed and nodded. With that, Alistair put Rhys in charge and flew off. Arthur sighed and realized that it was starting to get dark. "I suppose we should all get some rest. Hopefully he'll be back by the morning. Rhys, Reiley, you two can fight over who gets the guest room," he said.
The two instantly started fighting. Arthur rolled his eyes and went inside. The boys, looking exhausted, trailed in after them. Francis gave them both a hug before insisting that the go to bed. Once they were gone, he turned to Arthur. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Arthur sighed. "Awful. I didn't realize how bad it was. I-I thought they were fortunate enough not to remember," he said.
Francis nodded mournfully. "Oui. The poor things have been through quite the horrific thing. It explains why they have been so distant. It also explains why they don't remember us as well. Their brains are trying to protect them from reliving all of that," he said. Arthur scowled. "From what it sounds like, we forced them to do that anyways," he said.
Francis nodded, leaning against a wall. "Mathieu may have lost his wings but it is Alfred who bears the emotional scars….Mathieu was lucky to have passed out. But poor Alfred…" Arthur shook his head, balling his fists. "I should have been there," he said. "We both should have been," said sighed. "We need to get our rest. We're going to need it if Alistair wants us to help him research tomorrow," he said. Francis nodded.
Alfred tossed and turned in his sleep. He hated thinking about what had happened that night. He doesn't even talk about it with Matthew. Now all he could see was flashes of blood and feathers. His brother's screaming filled the nightmares he kept having everytime he fell asleep. Alfred bit his lip, sitting up. He tried to focus on anything but the dream. He found that it helped keep Mattie from waking up and asking him what was wrong. He'd wondered how Mattie always seem to know but now it was obvious.
Arthur jerked awake when he felt a sense of terror wash over him. He saw up and froze, concentrating on his bonds. Everyone was asleep...except Alfred. Alfred was concentrating on hiding something. Arthur swore and got up, flying up to Alfred's door. He let himself in, finding Alfred trembling under the blankets. "Alfred?"
Alfred flinched and looked up. "Arthur?" he asked. Arthur sat at the edge of the bed. "What's wrong love? Bad dream?" he asked. Alfred shook his head. "N-No… I just couldn't sleep," he lied. Arthur frowned. "I know you're lying Alfred. The bond, remember?" he said. Alfred gripped the blankets.
"It's just a nightmare. I'm fine. I'm sorry I woke you up," said Alfred. Arthur shook his head and hugged Alfred, startling him. "Were you having dreams about that night?" he asked. Alfred sighed and nodded. "It's nothing. It happens when I think about it….Just don't tell Mattie. It makes him feel bad," he said.
Arthur sighed and pulled back from him. "I'm so sorry Alfred. I didn't realize how bad all of this was. Francis and I thought you didn't remember any of it," he said. Alfred scowled. "I wish I didn't," he said. Arthur put an arm around his shoulder. "Was it that horrific?" he asked. Alfred nodded, tearing up a little. "T-There was blood everywhere. M-Mattiew wouldn't stop screaming so they stuffed a rag in his mouth. I-I thought he was dead for a few minutes," he said.
Arthur hugged him, wrapping his wings around him protectively. "I'm so sorry you had to see that Alfred. If I could do anything to have prevented it, I would. I'm so sorry poppet," he said. Alfred sniffed, reluctantly hugging his brother. Arthur smiled and rubbed his back carefully, mindful of the scar tissue around the edges of his wings.
After a few minutes, Alfred yawned and squirmed away. Arthur frowned when a wing nearly hit him in the eye as Alfred suddenly stretched. He was about to tell Alfred off when he spotted one of the pale white scars on the tip of his wing. Alfred froze when he saw that Arthur was staring at someting and followed his gaze. Realizing what he was looking at, Alfred quiclky tucked his wings back and scowled at him. "There's nothing to look at," he said.
Arthur sighed and unfolded his left wing, revealing the deep scar on his wing. "Alfred you don't need to feel embarrased. It's just a scar. I got one of those the night you and Matthew were captured. That hunter nearly cut my wing in two," he said. Alfred winced, running a hand along it. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he said.
Arthur shook his head. "Don't be. That hunter knew what he was doing. He was trying to keep me from being able to fly after you. I wished I fast enough to avoid it," he said. Alfred started to look guilty so Arthur hugged him. "Get some sleep. Or do you need to have some tea before you try?" he asked. Alfred hesitated.
Arthur smiled a little. "Still afraid of the dark?" he asked. Alfred made a face. "No…" Arthur gave him a look. Alfred huffed. "How'd you know?" he asked. Arthur smiled softly, resisting the urge to smirk.
"You were terrified of the dark when you were younger. You were always afraid that there was some kind of monster out to get you. Most of the nights I'd find you curled up with Matthew, or if he was too tired to have you keep him up at night, I'd wake up to find you curled up under one of my wings," he said.
Alfred's face went red with embarrasment. "I-I'm not that afraid of the dark. Or monsters. It's the ghosts I'm afraid of," he said. Arthur chuckled. "Get under the covers. I'll stay until you fall asleep, alright?" he asked. Alfred nodded, looking slightly relieved, before burrowing back under the covers.
Arthur pat his hair. "Would it help if I told you a story?" asked Arthur. Alfred nodded hesitantly. Arthur smiled and started telling him an old story about a famous king from his old home. Alfred drifted off within minutes. Arthur smiled, pulling the covers over Alfred's wings and getting up, going downstairs.
He bumped into Francis at the opening to go downstairs. Francis rubbed an eye. "Alfred had a nightmare too?" Arthur nodded. "I should say Matthew had one as well?" he asked. Francis sighed and nodded. "He was having dreams of falling out of the sky. He's asleep now though," he said.
Arthur nodded. "Alfred was having flashback nightmares of when they were cutting off Matthew's wings. Francis's face fell. "Poor thing. How bad was he?" he asked. Arthur rubbed his face roughly. "He wasn't hysterical….My guess is that he's been having these nightmares for a while. He knew enough to try to calm himself down so that he wouldn't wake his brother up," said Arthur.
Francis sighed. "I'm sure that once we figure out whether or not we can help Matthew, that may help him get past all of this. Hopefully being back here is helping him do that. I fell bad for him. He just finished being healed from a tramatic wing injury and now we're forcing to relive the worst day of his life," said Francis.
Arthur sighed. "Are we doing this wrong? Is there a right way to do this?" he asked. Francis sighed, opening his mouth when a pillow hit Arthur in the back of the head. "Oi! Some people are trying to sleep. Mind keeping it down a bit could you?" said a very grumpy Irishman, his copper hair sticking up every which way.
"That's not the polite way of asking!" hissed Arthur back at his brother. "I don't care. You two are worse than a couple of girls gossiping in a bathroom," grumbled Reiley. "We were discussing a very serious mater. And by the way, you aren't getting your pillow back. Have fun sleeping on the couch without it!" said Arthur, picking up the pillow.
Reiley smirked. "Something tells me you already have a good idea of what that's like," he said. Arthur growled and threw the pillow at his brother, knocking him over. Reiley stood up and held his pillow up triumphantly. "Knew that'd get under your wings," he said. "You miserable git!" said Arthur, balling up his fists. He would have jumped down to start a fight with his brother if Francis hadn't quickly blocked the way.
"Hush you two. The boys are sleeping and so is Rhys," said Francis. "Like anyone can sleep with the ruckus you two are making," grumbled someone from the room below them in a Welsh accent. "Bloody hell, is everyone awake then?" asked Arthur. "They boys are still asleep. Let's keep it that way," snapped Francis.
They all fell silent, though Reiley and Arthur were having a glaring contest. Francis sighed. "Come on. Everyone should get their rest. You two can resume fighting in the morning. I need my beauty sleep," he said. Reiley and Arthur shot one more nasty look at each other before Arthur flew down to his room and went to bed.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! (Special Shout out to Anti-pineapples and Sapphire Roz) Reading your comments help me stop dragging my feet and try to entertain you guys a bit more. Also, shout out to everyone who's said they've enjoyed my transition titles and chapter titles. I was wondering when someone would pick up on that. Until next week! Next chapter will be a bit longer.