Hi folks. I'm sorry about how long this is taking. I originally simply lost my inspiration for this, but it has returned, and we are nearing the end. I will see this written through!

Chapter 25

Alfred didn't want to sound crazy, but he was sure that every single branch and leaf was set out to trip him up and make sure he fell flat on his face. Maybe it was the shoes he was wearing or the way he was walking, but nearly every step he took was on uneven ground, branches kept whipping him in the face, and he always seemed to stumble even across the smallest of stones.

Or maybe it was because he was being extra cautious due to the fact he was carrying the potion. But it did seem a lot more likely that every little thing in the forest was out to get him. He was taking every single bit of extra care to make sure that he didn't drop the potion wrapped in his hands, even if that extra caution meant not even taking his hand away from it to move a branch away. Everyone else shook their head at him and let him find his own way, but really if they had been the ones holding the potion they made they would have done the same exact thing.

Together they moved through the woods, in a line, with Alfred leading and Ivan bringing up the rear. It wasn't a big deal, in fact if Kiku decided that he wanted to lead the way he could have, but it was a habit they developed over the months of traveling at night. Normally though, they weren't in such of a rush as they were now.

Ivan kept glancing behind him, as if sensing a presence that he could never quite clearly see. He was a bit jumpier than normal, but kept the same smile on his face and the same pace as he walked. If one hadn't seen him constantly turning and looking behind him, they never would have known something was wrong. Finally the boys made their way to the open field where their carousel rested. The moon was high in the sky, casting a bright glow over the ground. The centaurs talked in hushed whispers, leaning in as close as they could to one another with the restraints that they had. Still with Gilbert being on one side of the carousel and Arthur being on the other, there wasn't much they could do in ways of being quiet.

"They're late…" said Arthur, not noticing the ways they tromped through the clearing to reach them. For a self-proclaimed leader, he wasn't observant.

"We're right here," Alfred laughed. Arthur glanced over his shoulder, but otherwise said nothing over his mistake.

"Did you bring it?" Antonio asked, energy practically thrumming off of him. Alfred nodded in response, barely even glancing at the other centaur even as his friends spread around the carousel to go to their usual spots. Feliciano didn't even hesitate before he went and threw himself onto Ludwig, clasping onto the centaurs shoulders.

"Let's get this over with," Arthur sighed, glancing at the potion still held by Alfred. With the small amount of light, the once bright purple liquid now looked almost black.

For a moment, Alfred looked at Arthur and Arthur stared back, and he felt the seeds of doubt plant themselves in his heart. In the seconds where there stare met he wondered what would happen if this didn't work out the way they wanted to, of what could go wrong. What if he died, what if Arthur just wasn't the same? What would they do with centaurs that could finally leave? They still wouldn't be able to leave this park, someone would see them and call the police or something. Alfred looked at Arthur, and realized that Arthur had already thought all of this, and was at a loss just like Alfred.

"Is it worth the risk?" Alfred voiced aloud, ignoring the way his friends questioned him about the question they didn't even know the context for, and just stared ahead at Arthur.

Arthur didn't seem to know the answer either. But looking at the centaur in front of him, his friend, the being he cried over when he couldn't remember his name, he knew his answer. Everything would be work the risk, if it meant that somehow someway that Arthur would be with him. Whether he was a centaur or a person or a figment of his imagination, then Alfred thought it was worth the risk. Arthur didn't say anything, but he reassurance that Alfred tried to put into his gaze seemed to work.

"Well, I wouldn't really think so," came a voice behind him. Alfred jumped, turning around to stare at the slight female form in front of him.

"Beth?" he sputtered out, almost taking a step back. She smiled at him, her hair highlighted by the moon light, casting an unearthly glow about her. She looked anything but beautiful though, if anything Alfred thought she looked dangerous.

"I don't think the risk is the reward that you are seeking so badly," she repeated her opinion. Alfred glanced at his friends, but they seemed just as lost as he was.

"What are you doing out so late?"

"Just checking on some friends of mine," she answered as she walked around the carousel.

Alfred noticed her bare feet as she walked up and lightly jumped onto the wooden floor of the carousel. She didn't glance at him though, her attention now thoroughly diverted. She wasn't looking at the centaurs either though, as they watched her move hardly making a sound. She was looking at the piles of wood, the other creatures of the carousel that were the monsters, the gryphons, the harpies, the sirens. She would stroke her hands over them sigh with something akin to regret lacing the edges, before moving on and looking at the next. Some were simply poles that obviously once held other creatures, but they had long since fallen apart. Bethany still stopped and looked at them.

"Friends?" Alfred asked, dragging out the word so that she would know he wanted an explanation.

"Just like your friends," she said with a wave of her hand, motioning at Yao, who happened to be closest. Yao sent her a reproachful look, looking away after a moment when he realized that Bethany wasn't really paying attention to him. He instead kept Ivan back from snapping at the girl.

She finally came to a stop in an empty space in front of Gilbert, ignoring the way both Matthew and Gilbert glared at him. Bethany didn't stop at this spot to mourn, for there was nothing there to mourn over. Where some placed there was a pole or even a couple of lost pieces, there was nothing left there. Rather, she seemed there to smile, for she finally lifted her eyes and met Gilbert's even relishing more when he clenched his fists.

"She deserved it," Bethany gloated, hands coming together in front of her.

"She deserved more than this," Gilbert growled out.

"It was so easy too," she continued, taking a step back, not out of fear though, "just a little push."

Bethany reached out and pushed the air, still staring ahead at Gilbert. She was almost laughing now, Gilbert seemed close to bursting. He was leaning forward, pushing Matthew out of the way as the old wood easily creaked and bent under the pressure he was applying. Bethany was outright laughing now.

"I knew it wasn't an accident!" He screamed, "You bitch I will end you!"

The wood was letting out its own groan, the cracking of it breaking the quiet air of the night with a sharp pierce. Matthew was at Gilbert's side, touching his arm only to be shoved off a moment later, and then his hand was back in place once again, he was telling him it was okay, but nothing was working as the centaur gave one final push and the wood broke apart with a snap.

For the first time, Gilbert's hooves touched the ground.

He crumpled immediately, Matthew falling to his knees a moment later to wrap his arms around Gilbert. Gilbert was taking deep breathes, his arms shuddering and his whole body shaking. He buried his face against Matthew, listening to the rushed sound of his heartbeat.

Bethany was laughing manically, waiting. Everyone watched in horror, expecting the worse. Yet nothing happened. Gilbert got his breathing under control, looking from Matthew to Bethany with something akin to triumph gleaming in his eyes. Bethany stopped for a moment, before sneering at the boys in front of her.

"Interesting…" she muttered. But then the grin was back, full force as she leaned down to be eye level with Gilbert.

"This just means that she was alive and well when they took her and burned her."

Gilbert let out a guttural scream of rage, filled with anger and regret and sadness and loss, as he reached up to attack. With one swift movement of his arm Bethany was on the ground, her face was already bright red from the hit. At the same time he had pushed Matthew behind him. Gilbert's legs were still wobbly, but he stood proud.

"That was for Elizabeta," he spat.

Silence reigned down for only a few seconds before she was laughing again. She laid on her back and stared up at Gilbert, with blood coming from a cut on her cheek and leaking out of the corner of her mouth. Her chest was heaving from the force of her laughter, looking almost painful from the gasps of air she was taking in.

"Oh these poor humans, how do they live?" she touched the blood on her face, looking down at the blood staining her fingers, "Falling apart so easily."

Immediately Alfred kneeled by her side, checking the cut for anything dangerous, but she slapped him away impatiently, ignoring the way he protested lightly.

"Oh hush, the girl might like you but that doesn't mean that I do," she spat.

The friends looked around each other. Together, they all seemed to have the same collective thought 'the girl'? The unanswered question caught their ears, except for Bethany, who lifted herself off the ground with little grace, brushing the dirt from her clothes. She glared at Alfred before beginning her walk all over again.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked with a bored tone, a bit of malice touching the edges. Bethany looked at him from under her lashes, walking towards him the moment his voice cut through the air.

"You were always my favorite you know," she voiced as she neared him, letting her hand reach forward and touch his chest the moment she was near.

"The color red suits you so well," she ran her hand down and let it skim over where his hips would be if he was human, "why couldn't you have been one of the followers?" she sighed, walking around him, letting her hand trail after her, still resting on him.

"Followers?" Arthur asked, his voice almost coming out as a croak. Bethany grinned wickedly.

"Oh yes, one of the true followers. But it's too late now, you chose them," she let out a small growl, looking at the boys, "and now this must all end."

"End?" someone asked, Alfred thought it sounded like Feliciano.

"Oh yes end. This has gone on too long. You don't know the magic that rests here, and it's time that it was brought forth. I've had enough of you centaurs!" she growled.

Pushing away, Bethany let herself fall off the carousel, landing harsh on her knees to absorb the impact. She seemed to cave in on herself, head going down to her knees, arms pressed tightly against her chest. All at once she gave a guttural scream, something pure and animalistic unlike anything the boys could have created. When her scream was done, she rose again, blood dripping from her nose, joining the drying blood from her cheek and lip.

"Now, you will all know the power, and you will all pay!"