This totally would have been up earlier but I've been distracted with Pottermore. =/
Moving on, here's the next chapter. I wonder how many people saw what happens in this coming...
Arthur woke slowly. When he became aware of the light filtering through his curtains, he groaned softly and rolled over, getting himself more comfortable. Sunday was his lazy day, after all. There was never any need to be anywhere or do anything. He supposed that would stop when he became busy as a publishing assistant.
With a heavy sigh a few minutes later, he slipped from under the covers and, yawning, he headed to the bathroom. There he went through his morning routine of relieving himself, brushing his teeth and trying to make sense of his hair. The latter never happened, however, so he gave up and, stretching, he made his way back to his room so he could change out of his pyjamas.
In his room, however, he stopped and gaped at something which had certainly not been there the night before. It looked like a pile of clothes at the end of his bed. Although... Was that the light reflecting from some sort of metal? Hesitantly, he took a few steps forward and squinted at it. Wait... was that a chestplate?
Cautiously, Arthur moved forward till he was standing beside the pile. Slowly, he lifted his foot and poked the pile with his toe.
Suddenly, it shifted and groaned. With a harsh gasp, Arthur backed up as far as he could go, crashing into the bedroom door and closing it with a sharp click. The pile seemed to stiffen and Arthur froze as well. Slowly, whatever it was shifted again until Arthur was sure he could see a face peering at him. He tried to back away further, but, since he had a solid barrier to contend with, he didn't get very far.
They stayed like that for several minutes, before, suddenly, the thing leaped into the air, a cry emitting from it. Arthur closed his eyes and turned his head away, terrified by what it could be. "What have you done, foul warlock?!" exclaimed the thing and Arthur turned back and opened his eyes to stare at it.
The pile of clothes had, in fact, been a person, wearing armour. A sword in its scabbard was tied to his belt and a cloak was attached to the metal plate used to protect his torso. There was no helmet to protect him, however, and his face was clear to see. Blonde hair, a stubborn strand sticking up. A mouth with plump lips pulled down into a frown. And those blue eyes, like looking into a never-ending sea reflecting the sky.
Alfred from Corrinia was in his bedroom, exactly how he had imagined him.
Except for the frowning.
"Answer me!" he demanded and, with one firm pull, he unsheathed his sword, the metal scraping. In a single stroke, he had the weapon pointed at Arthur who stared at the man in his room, not quite able to believe what he was seeing.
"I..." Arthur managed.
"You?" snapped Alfred, moving forward, his eyebrows furrowing further in his anger. "What did you do?!"
"I..." Arthur glanced at his bed. "I must just be dreaming..."
He felt the point of the sword press against his neck. A small prick of pain signalled to him that, no, he was definitely awake. "What nonsense do you spout?" Alfred asked in a low growl.
"Ah, no!" exclaimed Arthur, holding his hands up. "I didn't do anything! I have as much of an idea as to how you got here as you do!"
"Then who are you? Where am I?" Alfred hesitated. "And what are you wearing?"
Arthur folded his arms. "You're in my room. These are my pyjamas!" He gestured at the matching green set, affronted that he seemed to be amused at his attire. "And..." Briefly, Arthur wondered if he should introduce himself. After all, he may look like Alfred – he had a sword, as well, which, Arthur could see, was dubbed Libby as it was in the books – but that did not mean he was Alfred. His brain had finally caught up with the situation and helpfully told him that there was a high chance that this person was merely an intruder. A good actor with a fine costume, but an intruder nonetheless. Finally, he came to a decision. "I'm Arthur Kirkland. Who are you?"
"I am Alfred, son of Faustius. I come from Corrinia. Perchance, am I still in Corrinia."
Shaking his head, Arthur explained, "You happen to be in Knight's Hill in London-"
"Oh, are you a knight, too?" asked Alfred, excitedly, lowering his sword.
Relaxing a bit, Arthur shook his head. "No-"
"Ah, then, may I speak to a fellow knight, then?"
"You don't understan-" began Arthur.
"Yes, I do. You are the knight's squire. Please, I must speak with him if I am to return to whence I came."
"Look, you idiot!" exclaimed Arthur. "There are no knights here! It's just a name."
"Oh, terribly sorry, sir," said Alfred, cheerfully. "I did not offend thee, did I?"
"What? Oh, no. But, Alfred..." Arthur gazed at him again. Was this the real Alfred? Was it a fan? He bit his lip for a moment and decided to push forward. "You're not in Corrinia any more. It doesn't exist, for one-"
"Huh?" said Alfred, frowning again. "Of course it exists – that's where I come from."
"If this is a joke, it's really gone too far."
"Joke? Why would I jest about something like this?" asked Alfred, looking a little hurt.
So, he's either a good actor or undoubtedly insane. Or a fictional character has come to life in my bedroom. Arthur wasn't sure which one he was hoping for. He sighed, shook his head and headed to the bookcase where he pulled out the first book. "Look," he said, pointing to the cover. On it was a drawing, a likeness to Alfred, though the real thing was much better. If that was what it was.
Sheathing his sword, Alfred took the proffered book and flicked it open, scanning the pages. "Woah, amazing!" cried Alfred once he had turned several pages. "You are a bard? And you can write?"
"No- Well, I mean- Of course, I can write!"
"You must have had an excellent education. Why are you wasting it on writing down my adventures?"
"I- That's not- I didn't write it! Look at the front. See that name there?" He pointed. "He's the author. And he made it up."
"Made it up? Are you sure he is not a seer?"
Arthur decided to change tactics. "Why are you in my flat?"
"Your what?"
"My flat. My abode. My home."
"Oh, well, I dunno," said Alfred, looking a little sheepish. "I mean, Francis and I had just gone to sleep after saving Sakura once again. Well, I did – not so sure about Francis. He may have gone off to find women. Or..." Alfred's gaze suddenly turned wary. "Or, er, went to find something to eat."
"How did you save her this time?" asked Arthur, wondering when in Alfred's timeline he had been ripped from.
"The dreaded warlock let forth another beast," cried Alfred, clearly eager to tell the story. "This time it was a gigantic wolf! But, no matter how many times we struck it, the thing would not fall. Eventually, we learned of the legend of massive wolves which were once men and that the legends dictated that silver hurt it. So we made a solid, silver arrow. I managed to pierce its heart and it died, its body reverting to that of a mere man. We managed to save Sakura and take the man back to his grieving family." Alfred's excited expression morphed into one of distaste. "That damned warlock is going too far."
This was not an answer Arthur had been expecting. A werewolf? There had never been werewolves in Corrinia. Was this a fan's story or was this all real and it hadn't been written yet? "And then you woke up here?"
"Oh, no! I got up to get some food-"
"With Francis?" asked Arthur, smirking, knowing full well Francis had had no intention of eating.
"Er, no..." said Alfred, slowly. "Anyway, I was just sneaking into the kitchen when I tripped over something, I fell, and I think I hit my head."
"Hm," said Arthur.
"So maybe this is just a dream!" cried Alfred. "I just need to wake up."
"No, this is real. Very, very real," sighed Arthur, running a hand through his hair. "You're most certainly here."
"That's what dream you would say, though," protested Alfred.
"Well, why don't you try stabbing yourself," grumbled Arthur, placing his fingers against the cut on his neck. It was probably going to stain his pyjamas. What a bother!
"Ah, that's a good idea, actually," said Alfred and unsheathed his sword.
"No, wait-!" cried Arthur but he was too late. Instead, he watched in horror as Alfred drew the sword against his palm. He heard the knight take a sharp breath as a line of red formed. All doubts of who he was vanished – no-one would be that dedicated to the role that they would cut themselves. Hurriedly, he rushed forward. "Oh, you idiot! Why would you hurt yourself like that?"
"Well, I am certainly not dreaming," commented Alfred with a strained smile. He allowed Arthur to inspect his hand.
"Dammit. I need to go get the first aid kit. Wait here and don't touch anything," commanded Arthur. Alfred stared down at him as Arthur waited for him to protest or say something. Instead, he just gazed at him, their eyes locked. Then Arthur managed to rouse himself and hurried away. "I mean it!" he added as he left the room.
He hurried into the bathroom and pulled the box of bandages and plasters from the cabinet above the sink. Before he returned, however, he quickly checked the other rooms, wondering where Kiku was. A note on the kitchen table informed him that his flatmate had left to go to an exhibition with his friends. Slightly hurt that he had been left out, Arthur hurried back to his charge.
Upon re-entering the room, he found Alfred sitting awkwardly on his bed, staring in surprise at it. When Arthur came in, he looked up, eyes wide, and said, "Your bed is so soft."
Arthur snorted and sat down beside him, setting the box to the side and searching it for the necessary supplies. "I bet those beds you sleep on in Sakura's palace are much more comfortable."
"Oh, they are," agreed Alfred, causing Arthur to pause and glance up. The knight was smiling and it was rather dazzling. "I just think these are softer than any bed I have slept on in inns and the like."
"Ah," said Arthur, as if he understood. He doubted it was any more comfortable than them. "Give me your hand." Alfred obeyed immediately. "Honestly, you only needed to pinch yourself, you know." Carefully, Arthur dipped a cotton bud into some alcohol. "This is going to sting," he warned Alfred, glancing up at him.
"Really?" asked the knight, tilting his head and smiling at Arthur.
Blushing a little, Arthur went back to his task, cleaning out the wound as best he could. Alfred hissed in pain, his hand twitching slightly, but Arthur gripped it tighter to keep it still. After he had finished, he discarded the used cotton bud and pulled out a bandage which he carefully wrapped around the hand. Once he had tied it off, he tidied up and left to put the box back where it was supposed to be.
When he returned, he found Alfred perusing his bookcase. "See anything you like?" he asked, automatically.
"These are all... fiction?" asked Alfred, frowning at the nine books of the series he came from.
"Yes," said Arthur, walking over to him and looking at them, too.
"So I should not be in this world?"
"No, probably not," sighed Arthur, longingly.
"Then, could you, perhaps, help me get home?" asked Alfred, turning to Arthur. He turned on his puppy dog stare which worked on most people in the books. Arthur had told himself he would never fall for it. But now, being subjected to it, he felt his resistance crumble. At that moment, he knew he would agree to do anything. (Though he had fully intended to help Alfred as much as possible, anyway, so perhaps it wouldn't work when he was adamant about not doing something.)
"Of course," Arthur responded, nodding quickly. "But..." He hesitated and stared at the books. "How on Earth will we do that?"
Suddenly, Alfred laughed. Arthur blinked up at him in surprise. "'How on Earth', huh? That sounds rather strange."
For a brief moment, Arthur couldn't work out what he meant. Then he remembered that they said 'What in Corrinia' in the books. "Oh, yes. That's where you are. London, the capital of England, part of Europe, on Earth."
"A capital city!" cried Alfred. "There must be all sorts of sights and sounds here!"
"I suppose..." said Arthur, slowly, wondering where this was going.
"Would you be willing to show me around? I would love to see where you live!" Alfred grinned at him.
Arthur considered this. Should he really be taking a real fictional character around London? But where was the harm? And he couldn't think of anything else to do. After all, how would he get Alfred back into the book? Maybe it would be like other stories and, after achieving a particular goal, he'd be allowed back.
"Well, okay, but I need to get dressed first."
"Ah," said Alfred, eyeing Arthur. "All right."
A pause. "You need to leave the room," insisted Arthur. "Go to the living room- the room with all the seats," he added when he noticed Alfred's puzzled expression. "I'll be right along."
Once Arthur had slipped on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, he returned to the living room, only to realise that he couldn't walk around with Alfred. He was wearing armour, after all. And he also seemed to be captivated by the TV which he must have managed to turn on. A cartoon was showing and his eyes were wide with wonder. He looked like a child.
"Alfred," he said, attracting the knight's attention. His face was alight with joy and he beamed at Arthur, causing the Londoner's heart to flutter. "Er, could you maybe remove your armour?"
At this, Alfred frowned. "But I need to wear it – to protect me."
"I know that but you're not going to be in any fights here. At least, I hope not. Anyway, no-one else wears armour. It would be dishonourable to hold the advantage in a fight, would it not?" Arthur hoped the last statement would be enough to convince him to take it off.
"If you say it is so, it is so," declared Alfred and stood to untie all his protection.
"Would you, er, like some help?" asked Arthur, a little hesitant.
"Ah, if you would be so kind," replied Alfred, struggling with his chestplate.
The Englishman moved forward. The armour was soon removed, mainly because of Arthur's quick and deft fingers. When they were finished, Arthur realised how close they were and was about to step backwards but Alfred gripped his arm, stopping him. He gazed up into those intense eyes and felt his breath leave him.
"Thank you," said Alfred, very sincerely. "You are a good friend and I am honoured to have met you."
"Ah, well, yes, thank you. Um, you're welcome," said Arthur, feeling his cheeks heating up. Quickly, he turned his head. "But you said you want to go out..." he murmured.
"Yes!" cried the character. "Shall we go?!" He grinned at Arthur.
His host took in his dark red shirt and brown trousers. Now that he thought about it, his clothes looked rather odd, like something from a movie or from long ago. Would it be safe to go out like that? Arthur shrugged to himself. "Yes, let's," he said, moving towards the front door.
Arthur decided to take Alfred to the Crystal Palace, since it was fairly close by. Besides, there was a Tube station there and he could take him to Westminster and Buckingham Palace if he wanted to go. And the London Eye, Arthur thought. He considered London Dungeon and London Tower, briefly, but decided against it – he remembered Alfred's fear of ghosts from the fourth book and taking him to those spooky places would no doubt scare the living daylights out of him.
The man seemed fascinated by the glass palace. He dragged Arthur through the park and around the interior, chattering excitedly about this and that. Occasionally, he would ask about something or other and Arthur would willingly provide the answers. Sometimes, he was forced to prattle on at length about different things, such as the wars and guns and other things Alfred had never heard of, explaining how they worked. When this happened, he wondered if Alfred was bored because the poor knight would gaze blankly at him until Arthur called his name. Then he would shake himself and grin sheepishly before darting off to look at something else.
Finally, Arthur managed to drag him away, taking him to the Crystal Palace Tube station. Alfred seemed fascinated by the various forms of transport London offered and, several times, Arthur had to pull him back from the road. The Tube befuddled him but, once Arthur had shown him how everything worked (and made sure he didn't talk to any unsavoury characters), he seemed ecstatic to be allowed on the train.
They took the Overground line to Canada Water where they had to disembark and change to the Jubilee line to get to Westminster. When they reached their destination, Arthur explained about Westminster Abbey being an iconic sight in London. Alfred was very interested and continued to quiz Arthur as he led him along to Buckingham Palace.
In front of the Palace, Arthur explained about the monarchy and the government. He stopped, midway through an explanation of the Union of Parliament when he noticed that Alfred was no longer paying attention and was, instead, staring at the guards. Arthur had a foreboding that the ensuing conversation would not go well but decided to attempt to get Alfred's attention again.
"Are you interested in the guards?" he asked.
Alfred looked at him and nodded. "Why in Corrinia- Sorry. Why on Earth are they wearing those funny hats?"
"That's their official uniform," explained Arthur. "It's tradition for them to wear it."
"But what if they get attacked?"
Arthur snorted in derision. "They're not going to be attacked," he said, dismissively.
"Why would they not be?" asked Alfred in confusion. "This palace is in the middle of a city. Anyone could have ill intent. They should be wearing helmets. And I doubt those funny weapons would be any good. They should have swords."
"What, and get gunned down?" said Arthur with a roll of his eyes and a laugh. "Alfred, it's very different here. Guns are the better weapons. It only stands to reason-"
"Well, they should have swords as well," huffed Alfred. "It would be traditional, yes?"
With a sigh, Arthur shook his head. "Yes, yes. I think they actually wear them on their belts, out of sight. But they won't use them. And they're not going to change for you-"
"We will just see about that!" exclaimed Alfred and hurried across the road.
"Ah, wait!" cried Arthur, grabbing him just before he stepped off the pavement. "You need to pay more attention!" he added as a taxi zoomed by. "Besides, you should leave them alone. There are more things to see, you know."
But Alfred seemed to be determined and, after checking that there was nothing about to hit him, he bounded across the road, leaving Arthur behind. The Brit sighed and fretted as he waited for cars to pass so he could hurry across, too.
When he finally arrived, he found Alfred waving his hand in front of the guard's face. "Just like any other tourist," Arthur sighed as he stepped up to him. "Alfred, stop it. Come along now. Leave the poor-"
"How can they not react at all? I could be about to attack-"
"Alfred!" exclaimed Arthur. "They're trained to do that. Now come on before you get us both in trouble!"
The knight turned astonished eyes to his. Wonder shone on his face and he looked utterly bewildered at Arthur's outburst. He reminded Arthur somewhat of his younger brother. Peter was often excited by something and would stare at him, surprised, whenever Arthur yelled at him. "But-" Alfred began.
"No 'buts'," said Arthur. He sighed. "Come on. There's something I should show you. Do you remember that giant wheel I told you about at Westminster?"
Alfred was pressed against the window, a grin on his face. The children in the capsule were confused at his behaviour and their parents were keeping them well away. This was good, though, as Arthur didn't want them overhearing Alfred's exclamations of surprise, wonder and glee. He, for one, couldn't decide whether this side of Alfred was adorable or exasperating.
"Arthur, Arthur, look!" exclaimed Alfred, suddenly, jolting Arthur out of his thoughts. The knight grabbed Arthur's arm and dragged him to the other side of the capsule. "Look! I can see that abbey from here!"
"Ah, yes," said Arthur, with a small smile. "You can see a lot of things from here, you know."
"What's that?" asked the other, pointing downwards. Arthur peered where he pointed. "Those banners. What are they for?"
"Oh, they're to advertise for the film museum. It's just along the way," explained Arthur.
"Film?"
"Uh..." Arthur wasn't sure he wanted to get into the complexities of film-making. He knew some of the processes from watching the extras you could get on DVDs but explaining it to someone who barely understood electricity was going to be a pain. "It's... a form of entertainment," he decided on saying, rather hesitantly.
"Amazing! Can we go see?"
"Eh?" said Arthur. He hadn't expected Alfred to be interested with that vague explanation. "Well, I suppose."
Alfred cheered and threw an arm around Arthur's shoulders. "You're the best, my dear man!"
Blinking, Arthur tried not to make eye contact with an older couple who were nearby. He blushed horribly, however, when he saw the man's raised eyebrows and the woman's knowing smile. Wondering how much longer it would be before they got off the Eye, Arthur turned away from them.
After the film museum, wherein Alfred was captivated by the contents, Arthur took Alfred to an Italian restaurant. The character was amazed at the food and gobbled it up quickly. Arthur flinched when he tried to speak through mouthfuls.
Surprisingly, the conversation went well. Arthur discussed his education and his dreams as well as his recent job acquisition. Alfred retold the stories Arthur already knew but with a little more detail and his own unique style of story-telling. (At least, it was unique to Alfred as he would say things like "you know!" and "of course, you already know what they are!" despite him describing trivial things that hadn't been detailed in the books.)
When they emerged from the restaurant the sun had set and Alfred was busy marvelling at the street lights. Arthur chuckled at his enthusiasm and had to catch up with him when he ran off. However, his good mood disappeared when he caught up to him upon the fifth time this happened and found him staring into an alleyway.
"What are you doing?" hissed Arthur.
"There is a damsel in distress!" Alfred breathed, pointing. Sure enough, a young woman, presumably naïve enough to take a shortcut through said alley, was being accosted by a couple of men. She did, indeed, appear distressed, her head bowed as she tried to skirt round the obstruction. The two men, however, merely stepped in front of her and spoke quietly to her, safe in the knowledge that no-one else in their right mind would ever walk into an alleyway.
"Oh, Christ," muttered Arthur. "I'll call the police."
"Police?"
"Er, like... the guards," explained Arthur, distractedly, as he pulled out his phone.
"Yes. You do that and stay out of the way," said Alfred. And then, to Arthur's dismay, he darted into the alley.
"Wai-!" Arthur began but slapped a hand over his mouth. He didn't want to alert the men to Alfred's presence.
"Excuse me, gentlemen!" cried Alfred. The two thugs looked round, their eyes narrowing.
"What do you want?" snapped one of them.
"Well, I cannot help but notice how this young lady is a little upset at your presence. If you would kindly let her go, there will be no need for violence."
The men looked at each other and, while they were distracted, the girl rushed off. Arthur stayed at the mouth of the alley and bit his lip, hoping Alfred would come back now that she was gone.
No such luck.
"What'd you just say to us?" snarled the second man, straightening his cap.
"It is not very nice to accost a young lady. You should court her instead," replied Alfred, oblivious to the danger.
At that point, the first man stalked up to Alfred. The knight watched him warily, trying to keep them both in sight. However, the man who had moved spoke, attracting Alfred's undivided attention. "Are you tryin' somethin', mate?"
"Trying to do what?" asked the confused Alfred.
Meanwhile, Arthur watched in horror as the other man, now behind Alfred, pulled out a pocket knife and flicked it open. His eyes widening, Arthur cried out. "Alfred!"
Sensing the danger, Alfred managed to turn – only to get a knife in the gut. He gasped and grunted, doubling over on himself. The two men, now noticing they had an audience, with more people hesitating as they surveyed the distressed Arthur, turned and fled along the alley, following the steps the girl had already taken. With the threat gone, Arthur hurried in and caught Alfred as he collapsed in on himself.
"Oh, my God! Alfred!" gasped Arthur as he fell to his knees beside him – he wasn't strong enough to hold them both up. "Alfred!"
So... Seems as good a place as any to stop.
The title is from part of the opening lines of The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time. I thought this would be apt because the lines basically describe how someone finds a dead dog lying there. And Arthur finds Alfred lying at the bottom of his bed.
I didn't go into details for their day because I feel it'd take too long. Especially with all the explanations Arthur would have to do. Sorry if you wanted more. But, hey. You got a stabbing instead. :)
Alfred's speech: his speech is olde worlde because of the way the fantasy author wrote it. But the author is American and Alfred kinda is, too. So I kind of tried to combine it. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW DIFFICULT THAT IS! But that's why you'll find him saying things like "I dunno" and then "You are amazing, my dear man!" I just hafta try not to use the word "awesome". YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW DIFFICULT THAT IS!
I think that's all I need to discuss. Any questions, let me know. :)