Reiley grinned and let go of him just as Ivan and Allistair came out of the house, carrying a stack of journals. "Alright. Everyone except Arthur is going to grab a journal and search for information," said Allistiar, handing Reiley and Francis a book. "Where did the Spainiard go along with the body?" asked Ivan. "Antonio is giving Alecai a burial at sea," muttered Arthur, pushing his hands against the ground so he was sitting up against the tree better.
"I can take a book as well. No need for me to sit like a bump on a log while you chaps do all the work," said Arthur. Allistair glared at him. "You're going to sit there and you're going to rest. We'll let you know if we find anything we think can be worth while," he growled. Arthur scowled at him but didn't argue, knowing that almost everyone there can feel how exhausted and drained he was.
Allistair nodded and distributed the journals, everyone immediately started reading. Antonio flew back and landed next to them. "Alecai is now sleeping with the fishies. I also found some nice turtle amigos while I was at the lake," he said, explaining the three turtles in his hair. Francis stared at him for a second before handing him a book. "If we can get the potion to work on him, we won't have to carry him anywhere," he said.
Antonio nodded eagerly. "Bueno, él tiene muy pesado. (Good, he's very heavy)." Francis smirked. "D'accord. (Agreed)," he said. Ivan didn't even ask what they said. He was skimming his book with as much speed and precession that he could muster. Allistair grumbled as he looked down on a page a few minutes later. "I believe I may have figured it out…Art, look this over will ye?" he asked, tossing the book to his youngest brother.
"What do you mean?" asked Ivan eagerly, not even waiting for Arthur to start reading. "Well, it says he's been messing with your spit to try to use them to recreate your wings. He's also been taking your sister's feathers to compensate for certain elements found in your wings but not in your spit. I've never really understood human magic. Anyway, he did this so he could reproduce or bring back your wings.
"Using some magic and what sounds like dead birds as well, he created a potion that could bring back your wings, but after years of trying various spells and various combinations of green, white, and black magic. Once he figured out how to do it, he had to find away to stabalized the potion. From his notes, he didn't know how to do so until very recently using magic from Alfred to do so. Ain't that right Artie?" said Allistair.
Arthur made a face. "Don't call me that. And yes, that's right. It looks like he made enough for three people because he wasn't sure how long the spell will hold out. But his notes make it clear that he wasn't planning on sharing with anyone...You got very lucky Ivan," he said. Ivan held out a hand. "I would like to see that please," he said. Arthur handed him the journal, the Russian scowling as he read. He started swearing visciously in Russian.
Ivan looked up, a hard look to his eyes. "So is it safe for me to use the potion or not?" he asked. Arthur nodded. "I don't see why not. Alecia has already payed the price for the wings, his own ability to do magic. Because they were your wings and you already have suffered for decades without them and to get them back, any price you would need to pay would have already been paid.
Ivan glanced at the pot, still holding enough for one person in it. "Do I drink it or just pour it on myself?" he asked. "It's more potent if you drink it but he was in rush so he dumped part of it on himself. Drink the rest of it and be prepared to take off your coat or something if your shirt doesn't have slits in it," said Arthur tiredly. Ivan nodded and drank out of the bowl. He pulled off his coat and fell to his hands and knees.
Allistair and Francis started to get up before he put up a hand. "Nyet….I'm fine," forced out Ivan through clenched teeth. They watched as the skin on his back started to bubble up painfully. Ivan let out a stiffled scream when giant wings ripped out of his back. The other avians winced at the display. Feathers quickly sprouted over the wings. Five minutes later, Ivan sat up and spread his wings. He glanced at the dark feathers and ran over to Arthur, squeezing him. "Thank you for helping me. We should become the friends now!" he said.
Arthur patted his back awkwardly. "Erm, right. Do you think you could handle flying? Alecai didn't know the basics of doing such but you've been out of the air for a while. There is also the consideration that these wings are fairly new and may need some time to strengthen," he said. Ivan flapped his wings a couple of time before grinning. "I can do the flying no problem. I wish to see my sisters as soon as possible," he said.
Allistair raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright with flying so soon? You look a wee bit pale," he said. "I'll rest once I see the boys. Let's go pick up the others at the village and make the trip to the nest," he said. Francis frowned. "That's a two hour trip. We really don't mind waiting," he said. Arthur opened his mouth to argue but Reiley quickly intervened. "You see, I figured you would refuse to back down if you ran out of juice. That's why I made an energy potion," he said.
Both of his brothers stared at him. "Reiley, that was actually thoughtful…" trailed Arthur. "Aye. I'm surprised you thought that far away," said Allistair in the same slow tone. "Oi, don't sound so surprised. I knew my little brother and I know my magic. Besides, this way Arthur has to say that I'm the favorite older brother," said Reiley. Allistair growled and took the potion from Reiley, handing it to Arthur. "It's not fair to have favorites. And if he did have one, it'd better be me since I took care of him since he was a wee one," he said.
Arthur rolled his eyes and quickly chugged the potion. "If I had favorites it'd be Rhys. He's much less annoying than you gits," he lied, teasing them. Allistiar rolled his eyes and ruffled both of his younger brothers' hair, both making a face as he did so. "I start to regret throwing you off that cliff when you first starting to fly less and less with every word you two say," he said warmly. Reily snickered and Arthur just snorted.
Arthur wiggled his way out from his brother's hand and stretched his wings. "Let's go. I want to see the village the boys were raised in," he said. The others nodded and took to the air, Ivan making a rocky take off but managing it nonetheless. Arthur's wings felt heavy at first but after a few minutes the potion kicked in, giving him a much needed burst of energy. After an hour they spotted the village. "That's the village? Where are all the humans?" asked Antonio.
"They were evacuated underground. Look, they're dropping the dome to let us in," said Arthur. Ivan nodded. "My sisters told them too. Natalia and Irunya have already spotted us," he said, flying ahead before suddenly diving into a landing. Once he saw his sisters, finally safe, sound, and far from danger, he gave them both a bone crushing hug that neither girl seemed to mind. "I told you I would find a way to get us all three out of this mess," mused Natalia with a slight smile.
Ivan nodded, giving her another hug before looking around. "Where is the man that freed you two?" he asked. "He went back to his nest. He said his brother was getting sicker and he wanted to be there for him. We would have gone with him but we didn't want to wait to see you. The Nordics here wanted to talk to Arthur before they flew off to the nest as well," said Irunya happily, her bubbly personality returning after years of captivity.
Arthur blinks. "Alfred left? Already? Didn't we tell him to stay here?" he asked. "He seems to do that quite often mon cher," mused Francis with a slight smile. Figures Alfred would run off the minute he was told to stay put. Arthur sighed. "Well...we got rid of the shadow creatures and killed Alecai...he should be fine. He wasn't injured was he?" he asked. "He's perfectly fine. Just extremely stubborn," said Natalia. Arthur nodded and turned to Lucas.
"So what is it that you wanted to tell me? Is it serious?" he asked. Lucas shook his head. "It's nothing bad...well, depending on how you look at it. You have another little brother," he said plainly. Arthur, Reiley, and Allistair blinked. "Wot?" they all asked at the same time. Peter ran in front of Lucas and put his hand out. "I'm Peter Kirkland and I'm a bird person too! So you three are my brothers? I thought there were two more of you I haven't met. Oh well!" he said happily. All three brothers just stared at him. "Great...More competition," mumbled Reiley. Arthur promptly elbowed him.
"But...There isn't any land near the isles to cause the need for a personification. At least I assume you're from the isles...we have the same accent," mused Arthur confusedly. Peter scowled at his older brother. "I'm from Sealand! It's a small country off the coast of England!" he said. All three brothers frowned. "Wait...is he talking about-?" asked Reiley, glancing at Arthur. "Are you talking about that small fort I made about tweleve years ago?" he asked.
Peter puffed his chest out, wings proudly stretched. "Yes, that's my country! It's Sealand and it's going to be one of the best ones in the world! I see you've already heard of it!" he said excitedly. "It's not even a real country!" snapped Arthur, running a hand over his face. The energy potion was starting to wear off. Peter's face fell and Allistair quickly jumped in. "What happened to ye wing Peter? It look like it got bit by something," he said, gesturing to it but careful not to touch his wings.
Peter glared at Arthur but turned to Allistair, moving his wing so he could look at it better. "I stopped one of those horse monsters from attacking Mr. Oxenstierna but it bit me instead. But I managed to kill a bunch of them with a pot!" he said proudly. Allistair raised an eyebrow. "You must have good aim. Obviously you got some Kirkland in ye," he said appreciatively. Reiley jumped forward and immediately hugged the kid. "The wee one even gots the eyebrows! Wait till I tell Rhys!" he said.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Rhys is going to be absolutely thrilled to hear we have another lad in the family," he said. "Aye that he will," muttered Allistair, ruffling Peter's hair once he wiggled out of Reiley's embraced. Peter looked at Berwald, unsure. The Swede nodded. "Yep. Those are your brothers. If you wish, they could be your new flock," he said. "Flock?" asked Peter.
"The group of people you live with and have take care of you until you're old enough to decide whether you want to stay in their flock or join a new one. Most fledgling that are found such as yourself are either taken in by the flock that found them or by the flock that is related to them," said Lukas. Allistair nodded. "It's your choice but you don't have to choose right now. Wait until you've already met the other members of both flock to make the decision," he suggested. Peter slowly nodded.
Arthur sighed and looked around. "It doesn't look like many people are out of the mines yet. Where is the one chap that Alfred said was helping us? The shaman?" he asked. "He passed out and is being tended to by the midwife in the mines," said Irunya. Lukas nodded. "He drained himself by holding up the barrier during the fight and trying to fend some of the creatures off at the same time. He won't be awake for another hour or two," he said.
Arthur sighed. "I was hoping I could thank him...I suppose I'll just make a trip back here another time when everything's settled to do it personally. In the mean time, fetch a village boy to tell him we send our thanks. We better leave now if we want to catch up with Alfred and knock some sense into him," he said. Allistair rolled his eyes but shouted to a twelve year old boy that had snuck over to where the dome used to be. He gave him some gum in payment for running the message. "I would like to do the talking to my sisters first," he said.
"Alright. Let's get going. Rhys should be getting near the newst by now if the wings aren't weighing him down so bad," said Arthur. Reiley nodded and glanced at Peter. "Do you know how to fly or will you need someone to help or carry you?" he asked. Peter hesitantly touched the tip of his own wing. "I'll carry him. He got hurt helping me. We need to go by our nest first We'll see you there," said Berwald. Wordlessly, Berwald picked up the child and spread his wings. "Let's go." Ivan shrugged.
An Apple a Day Can't Keep Alfred Away (Though Mattie DID Try)
Alfred flew as fast as his wings could carry him. He could feel his sense of his twin start to wither as his brother got weaker. When he got closer to the caves, no one was outside or by the barrier. There was no sign of life, which only added to Alfred's panic. Alfred landed on the ledge outside the opening of the cave and ran into the cave. "MATTIE YOU AREN'T ALLOW TO DIE UNLESS IT'S BECAUSE WE DECIDED TO GO OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY!" he shouted.
Mattie covered his ears and winced when his brother's voice once again aggravated his ears. "I don't remember agreeing to that!" he said. "You did! It was around the time we borrowed Miss Anne's goat to clean the yard," said Alfred in a sing-song voice. Mattie looked up at his brother. "That was when we were tweleve!" he said. Alfred grinnd and ruffled his brother's hair, inwardly wincing at how sick his brother looked. Mattie had dark rings around his eyes, was extremely pale, sweaty, and his voice was just a wheeze at this point.
Alfred's eyes softened. "Dude, you just hang in there for a few more minutes. I'm sure the others are already on their way. They said Gilbert, Mathias, and Tino were here keeping an eye on the place," he said. Mattie nodded. "Tino and Sylvia have been watching me...mostly Sylvia to be honest," said Mattie with some difficulty. Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Huh, don't remember meeting her," he said.
"She's our older sister...Francis mentioned her. She's Gilbert's mate..," said Matthew slowly, leaning back into the pillows around him on the couch. Alfred blinked before sitting on the floor next to his brother. "Alfie...if she comes in here don't mention her wings. Gilbert will kill you," said Mattie, giving his brother a look. Alfred blinked. "What's wrong with her wings and what makes you think I would eber say anything mean about them? That kinda hurts Mattie," Alfred said, causing his brother to roll his eyes.
"I know you well enough Alfred. You might be nice to me about my wings but you tend to be a bit blunt or clueless when it comes to handling other people's feelings," Matthew said. Alfred huffed but nodded. "I'll try to keep my trap shut, only because you're too sick to elbow me if I go too far. Where is she anyways?" he asked. Sylvia cleared her throat from her place in the doorway and looked at her brother. "I'm Sylvia and you must be Alfred, the boy who doesn't know how to stay in one place," she said, eyebrow raised.
Alfred chuckled. "At least I'm not Mattie. Mattie is the boy who doesn't know how to stay in one piece," he said, earning a weak swat to the head from his twin. Sylvia smirked and placed a bowl of soup on the coffee table. "I can't say I can really argue againts that. It's nice to meet you Alfred. Do you want something to eat?" she asked. "Who's the soup for?" asked Alfred. "Your brother. I was about to feed him some," she said despite Mattie weakly waving his hands 'no'. Alfred grinned. "I'll feed him!"
Sylvia smirked and handed him the bowl, turning her head when Gilbert came stumbling in. She turned toward her mate, Alfred getting a good glance at the section of feathers missing from her right wing. His mouth opened, earning a gentle kick to his arm by his brother. Alfred quickly turned his head and shoved a spoon of soup into his brother's mouth, earning a glare.
"Gil, you should sit down. I know that thing hurt you a lot more than you let on. Lay down on the other couch and get some rest," she said. Gilbert made a face. "I'm too awesome to let a little shadow get me down. I don't need any rest!" he said. Sylvia gave him a look. "Gilbert, I can feel how drained you are. Please, just lay down for an hour or two," she said. "Oh, hey Alfred! I thought you were supposed to stay put for once kid," said Gilbert, attempting to change the subject.
Sylvia crossed her arms. "Gilbert, please. On the couch," she said. He grumbled and laid down. "Why don't you yell at your brother for risking his skin and disobeying orders?" he mumbled. She rolled her eyes. "Because he had his heart in the right place. That and I'm sure Arthur and Francis are going to skin him alive when they get home," she said. Alfred swallowed, his twin smirking at him. Alfred glared at his brother and stuffed another spoon of soup into his mouth.
Matthew sputtered and pulled his brother's hand away from his mouth. "Can anyone but Alfred feed me? He won't stop shoving things into my mouth," he said. Gilbert opened his mouth with a smart remark before Sylvia shot him a look. "If it's that big of a deal, I'll stop," said Alfred. Sylvia nodded and started to walk to the kitchen to get Gilbert some food when Gilbert pulled her onto the couch next to him with a smirk.
Sylvia let out a squeak and nuzzled him. "So I'm guessing you're not hungry then?" she asked. Alfred ignored the two love birds, holding up a full spoon of soup up to his brother's face. "Open wide Mattie. The birdie wants back into his nest," said Alfred with a smirk. Matthew gave him an exasperated look. "Alfred, I'm not a baby," he said. "Well you didn't like my other way of feeding you," said Alfred with a grin before sticking the spoon in his twin's open mouth.
Matthew glared at his brother. "I can just feed myself then," said Mattie, reaching for the spoon with a shakey hand. A flash of concern passed through Alfred's face before being easily covered up with a grin. "No deal dude. It's not often that I get to baby my baby brother," teased Alfred before nicely feeding his brother another spoonful of soup. Matthew blinked in surprise but accepted the spoon.
Alfred managed to get Matthew to eat the entire bowl of soup. Mathias walked into the living room. "Hey guys, oh hey Alfred! When did you get here? Too bad you didn't come earlier! We kicked some major butt earlier!" said Mathias. Gilbert chuckled and propped himself up with an elbow. "Mathias, did you have a message or something you were going to give us?" he asked, a wing drapped over Sylvia.
"Huh? Oh right! Yeah, there's an avian headed for the nest. Couldn't see who it was from here but he has like four wings! He should be here in like a few minutes!" said Mathias casually. Sylvia blinked, sitting up. "Four wings? Are you sure?" she asked. Mathias shrugged. "You should come and see this," he said. Sylvia and Gilbert exchaged a look and got up before running to the ledge.
Alfred sat next to his brother on the floor. "Aren't you going to go and see what's going on out there?" asked Matthew. Alfred shook his head. "Nah dude, I just got to see you. Besides, if something goes down I don't want to leave you on your own bro," he said. Matthew poked his brother. "Are you sure you're not the one who is sick or am I just hallucinating?" he asked. Alfred snorted. "It's only cuz heroes look after the sick bro," he said. Matthew rolled his eyes.
Still a few more chapters to go. Will there be more twists and turns? Or just more fluff? Or, my personal favorite, both?! Read and ReviewS appreciated!