Hola people! Sorry about the cliffhanger Yamiyo and I left (not really… ;D) but here is Chapter 4 for you all. We hope you enjoy.

Yamiyo. Darknight is Alfred and all the other dragon characters

And I am Arthur, Vash, and the Knightly characters.

Niether of us owns Hetalia.


"I'm hungry! Hey, Franny! When are we gonna eat?"

"Shut up, Mathias. We haven't even been out long."

"But Lukas! I should be eating my second breakfast right now!"

"You eat two breakfasts?! But you ate enough to feed a troll this morning!"

"Well I wouldn't expect a little guy like you to understand why I need to eat so much, Tino. But maybe Mr. Grumpy-Face over there can explain it to you. He eats just as much I do, and I swear I saw his jaw unhinge like a snakes when he … "

SMACK

"OW! I know you did that on purpose Berwald! Hey Franny! Are you just gonna let him get away with hitting me like that?"

"Would you all just shut up?!" Francis yelled out in frustration.

He had been walking around the woods all morning with these four irritating knights trying to find that blasted dragon. He would have gone off on his own but he would need help bringing the dragon back if he ended up finding it.

"Geez you don't have to yell." Mathias pouted.

"He wouldn't need to yell if you weren't such a loud obnoxious idiot." Lukas replied in a bored voice.

"I don't have a loud voice!" Mathais exclaimed. "And when do we get a break?! I'm exhausted. We haven't stopped all morning."

"I'm also getting a bit tired." Tino admitted.

Berwald patted Tino's head and nodded in agreement.

Francis rubbed is forehead to try and rid himself of an oncoming headache. "Look." He said glaring the four men down. "How about you all rest here for moment while I go ahead." And then I can have some peace and quiet he thought to himself.

"Finally!" Mathais dropped all of his supplies and plopped on the ground.

"Do you think it's wise for you to go off by yourself?" Lukas questioned. "After all there may be more than one dragon in the area."

"I'll be fine." Francis said exasperatedly. He was already continuing to walk on. "I'll just scout around the area."

The other knights (besides Mathias) shared a brief look of concern but decided to let Francis go.

Francis didn't feel tired at all from all the walking he had been doing. He was fueled by bitterness and anger. It wasn't so much that he was angry at Arthur's betrayal… he was more upset about the way Arthur talked about the damned creature. He never showed so much passion for anything else in his life. Not even his duties which, until recently, Arthur held to a high standard. Arthur sounded like he… was in love with the creature.

Ugh! Why would Arthur choose such a disgusting creature over him?! What was so special about that beast anyways? It was just an overgrown lizard.

"I'll make sure that dragon suffers before it dies." He muttered to himself.


Alfred opened his eyes slowly with a groan wondering where he was and why he was still alive. Damn that Romulus could really pack a punch. That still hurt like hell. He tried to move his arm to check for injuries and realized that he was still paralyzed.

Well...that's not good.

He looked around, still at least able to move his eyes. The forest was familiar so he had a vague idea of where he was. Unfortunately, it wasn't too far from human-occupied territory. He huffed and tried to move again. Nothing.

He heard a soft clinking noise and felt metal around a scale by his throat. He recognized the feeling and realized it was the pendant Arthur had given him. Had his brother snuck it back on him?

He sighed and closed his eyes, resigned to whatever fate had in store for him.

Francis paused when he heard a noise. It didn't sound like a growl, but something close to it… A groan? A sigh?

He quietly made his way towards the source of the noise. He didn't have to walk far to find what it was.

Lying in the woods was a dragon. But not just any dragon. Francis pulled the scales out of his pouch and, sure enough, they were the same color as the dragon's before him.

Francis clutched the scales in one hand and pulled out his sword in the other. He took a deep breath and lunged out in front of the dragon ready to fight.

Alfred's eyes snapped open hoping to get a glimpse of the one he really wanted to see at the moment. Not finding it to be Arthur, his heart dropped. This man had to be a knight as well though, seeing as he had the armor and the sword of one.

Oh, I'm sure this is just making his day. He just found a dragon offered up on a silver platter. I would've liked to have seen Artie one more time at least. He turned his gaze away from Francis, wanting to laugh at the fact that the knight seemed to think he could fight. But he couldn't so much as wiggle a single claw. He was stuck, laying on the ground. A sitting goose.

Francis braced himself for the dragon's first attack, but none came. "Aren't you going to fight me?!" He demanded. It still didn't move.

Francis carefully walked up to the creature and kicked it before jumping back and readying his sword again for an attack… still nothing.

Well the dragon was looking at him so he knew it wasn't dead. Was it possible that it was unable to move?

"Well you certainly are a worthless creature." Francis sneered. "Of course I already knew this, but I still expected to see a little something more with the way Arthur talks about you."

Yea, well, if I could move, you'd be on the other side of the forest right now, wishing you had no bones. He wanted to taunt. Yes, he was rather worthless at the moment, wasn't he? What dragon could be called a dragon when they couldn't even move? When they couldn't protect themselves or the ones they loved.

Wait.

He'd just said Arthur's name. He knew Arthur?!

He struggled to try and sit up, try and speak to ask how he knew Arthur and where he was. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Did the plan go well on his side?

But then again, considering his current situation, it couldn't have gone well at all.

Francis noticed that the dragon shifted ever so slightly at the mention at Arthur's name. He narrowed his eyes.

"Humph. You look more pathetic than I thought you would. And to think Arthur would throw away his title and his freedom away for something as vile as you."

Alfred's eyes widened with shock. He did what?! He'd given up being a knight for him? For the sake of their forbidden relationship? They hadn't hurt him had they? Or...they hadn't killed him?

He felt himself go cold at the thought of Arthur being dead. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't. Alfred would rather that anything happen to himself than Arthur. He struggled against the spell the elder had placed on him but wasn't successful. He panted softly, wondering what this knight would do to him now.

Francis smirked hearing the dragon struggle. "You have gotten my dear friend in a lot of trouble. He has committed high treason by associating with you. Which is punishable by death." He continued. "I don't want to see my friend die… but then again it would be worse to see him in the arms of some monster." Francis bitterly kicked the side of the creatures head. "He shouldn't be fawning over a disgusting beast like you."

Alfred didn't so much as wince since the kick didn't hurt him with his solid scales protecting him. He did growl lowly in his throat though, not caring about what was said about him, but warning the knight to stop talking so lowly about his Arthur. But now he knew why this knight was so enraged. He'd stolen his love, a dragon had stolen Francis' rose, and he knew it.

He wasn't going to speak to Francis, figuring it would only enrage him more so, but decided against it anyways. "It's hurts, doesn't it, Mr. Knight? But maybe if you and the others hadn't bullied him so much he wouldn't have strayed off. He told me about you, how you and the other knights like to make fun of him and his habits. What makes you think he could ever love someone like that? Someone who ridicules him and belittles him. I've never hurt Artie like that. I love everything that he does and how he acts and how he speaks. Never once have I made fun of him. He has my respect as a knight, and my respect as a human being. He is more of a golden-hearted knight than any of you will ever be!"

Francis was hoping to make the dragon upset but now found himself enraged. He knew what the dragon said was true and it left him feeling sour. "Just because I show my affections differently doesn't mean you care for him more than I do. I grew up with him and we acted like siblings. I know how strong he is which is why I poke and prod at him. I admire seeing him act out on that strong nature. It's just the way we grew up together." Francis replied coldly to the dragon. "But I wouldn't really expect you to understand. You can't even see that Arthur isn't a true knight anymore. His traitorous actions de-ranked him. So don't compare him to us Knights who still hold our title."

"I see him as a knight because he is one." Alfred responded, sounding certain. "Having the title of knight doesn't make you one. You and the others have proven that much. Arthur is a knight because he is courageous and treats people fairly, even when they aren't the same species. He is a knight because he is willing to stand up for what he thinks is right, even when others don't."

He paused to glare at Francis before continuing. "You don't continuously test someone's nerves by taunting them all the time. You treat them kindly, which is what we have done for each other. Can you honestly tell me that you've treated him more kindly than I have? I saved his life when he fell from his horse instead of killing him like some human thieves would. I could have burned him alive with my flames, but I didn't. When he was recovered, I didn't kill him or eat him.

You drive him away with your incessant taunting and then you act as if I am the monster. Am I really the monster here? Or are you? The one who has hurt him."

Francis couldn't take anymore of this. The dragon's words stung and caused his heart to clench. "I don't even know why I am wasting my time talking to you. Your words don't matter. Especially since you will be dead soon."

Off in the distance, Francis could hear his name being called. Well it was about time those useless Knights came to assist him.

Francis called back to them letting them know where he was before turning back to the dragon. He had a sly smile on his face.

"My comrades and I will bring you back into Hetalia and you will be executed there."

Alfred snorted a dry laugh, smoke drifting from his nostrils. "Even if I am dead, gone from the scene, don't think it'll mean that he'll love you any for it." He commented, lips stretching into his own sly grin.

"He'll forget you in time." Francis said although he felt like he was saying it more for himself than for the dragon. "And I doubt he will be very upset with me. After all, I won't be the one slaying you."

Alfred snorted again, not showing the hurt that comment made. Arthur wouldn't forget him would he? He'd given him that necklace after all. He still had it. He sighed and stared at the bush in front of his face, waiting for Francis to come back with the other knights.

Hopefully, Arthur wouldn't be too sad when he was gone.


Arthur woke up hearing a loud banging noise. He kept his eyes closed and tried his best to ignore it. He was still tired and his body felt too heavy.

They must have given me a Sleeping Draught Arthur thought. He was lying uncomfortably on a cold stone floor. Arthur rolled onto his back to lay in a somewhat more comfortable position but hissed when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and his cheek felt swollen.

'Oh that's right. I had gotten into a fight with that bloody frog.' Arthur remembered.

Last night had gone so horribly wrong and he never got to bring up his proposal about negotiating with the dragons to the King. Arthur's thoughts wandered off to Alfred. He wondered if Alfred had better luck than himself. He truly hoped so. It made Arthur feel sick to think about what might have happened to Alfred if things didn't go to well on his side.

The banging continued and a harsh voice demanded, "Wake up now or I'll come in there and drag you out."

Arthur finally opened his eyes to find himself in a dirty dungeon. Well, that would explain the cool damp floor.

The cell door was open and standing there was the head of the King's Royal Guard, Vash.

"It's about time you woke up. The King has summoned you for your trial." Vash said once he saw he had Arthur's attention.

"Trial?" Arthur questioned as he rose shakily to his feet. He was still coming off the effects of the Sleeping Draught and his head was feeling slightly fuzzy.

"Yes trial." Vash said showing clear annoyance. "I'm supposed to escort you and they want you there immediately."

Arthur began following Vash out of the dungeons still feeling a bit confused. "Why am I being put on trial? I haven't done anything wrong."

"I don't know what fantasy world you're living in, Kirkland, but here in the real world it is considered high treason for a Knight to teach a dragon magic." Vash answered.

They walked on in silence while Arthur thought about the predicament he was in. By the looks of it, Francis must have told the King about his potion lessons with Alfred and now he was being charged for committing a crime against his people. Damn it! If only Arthur had spoken to the King first! Then he wouldn't be in trouble and the King would be considering negotiating with the dragons… Maybe he could still talk to the King at his trial. The King had to hear Arthur out anyways since he would be standing on trial. Maybe he still had a chance.

They had made it to the court house but Vash continued to lead Arthur pass the building. "I thought you said I was going on trial. Where are we going?"

"You are going on trial." Vash said in a stern voice. "But no one has ever committed such a heinous crime before. So your trial will be held differently."

"Differently? How so?" Arthur questioned furrowing his eyebrows. He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

"I'm not supposed to say just yet." Vash answered.

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. "Well then where is my trial being held? Can you tell me that much?"

Vash cast Arthur a sideways glance as if pondering over whether he should tell him or not. Finally he answered. "In the Battle Arena."


Alfred was wishing that he could move, that he could find Arthur. The knights that came back with Francis had all been fearful of him until the knight had explained he couldn't move. They'd then all bound him in unbreakable magical chains, preventing any other movement they apparently thought possible. He couldn't protest at all, it was a pointless waste of energy.

But when they dragged him into a coliseum, he began to wonder what could possibly be planned for him. Were they planning to have someone else off him? If so, who?

He looked around with his limited eye movement and noticed that people were already sitting in the ringed seats, staring down at him with the same disgust he'd seen in the eyes of his kin at the meeting of the elders.

What was in store for him now?


Arthur was pulled into the armor room and immediately people began to suit him up in flimsy armor that would give him almost no protection. (Although they cast him dirty looks as they did so.) The Knights usually performed tasks and held fights against one another to entertain the people.

"I don't understand what's going on!" Arthur growled at Vash in frustration. "What does any of this have to do with my trial?! Are you just expecting me to believe that the King wants me to participate in silly little games for such a serious trial!"

"The King isn't here." Vash said simply.

"…What?" Arthur stared at the guard incredulously. "How is this trial supposed to work without an evaluator?"

"The King is far to busy to deal with traitors like you." Once Arthur was suited, Vash dismissed the other people from the room. He then turned his attention back to Arthur. "You will be expected to fight to gain your title back. A fight to the death to be precise."

"This isn't a trial!" Arthur's voice cracked in fear. Everyone knew how terrible he was at combat. "You've basically already condemned me to death!" He would never get to see Alfred again. He didn't even know if his heroic dragon was safe or not.

"Don't worry. I doubt your opponent will be able to fight, so you are already at an advantage." Vash walked Arthur to the wooden doors that led out to the arena.

Arthur stared at the doors in horror. He could already hear people waiting for him outside. He was terribly confused and he didn't know what was waiting for him on the other side of those doors.

Arthur heard the tinkling of chains followed by a click. He then felt a heavy weight around his ankle. Arthur looked down to find that Vash had placed a long chain on him.

"This is to ensure you don't try to escape." Vash said looking up at Arthur. He stood up straight and continued to glare at Arthur. "Here are the rules. You are expected to fight. You must kill your opponent or be killed. If you refuse to do so then you will be immediately put to death. I have the King's Royal Guards waiting ready and armed. At my signal they will open fire against you. If you try to break your chains and escape, you will be put to death. And finally if you try to aid your opponent in any way then you will be put to death."

Arthur felt nauseous and his head was spinning. This was sounding more and more like a nightmare that he just hoped he would wake up from at any moment.

He still felt horribly lost and confused but Arthur did his best to not let his fear and confusion show as Vash opened the doors to the sunlit arena.

It didn't take long for Alfred to realize that he could finally move. He was still chained to the ground by metal links that prohibited him from moving too far, but he could at least stand and look around.

From what he could tell, this was an organized event. The people were screaming at him, yelling cursed and insults, telling him to die. Who was here to kill him though? It wasn't Francis from what he could tell.

He turned his head at the sound of the clinking gate and his eyes opened wide with shock.

Arthur shielded his eyes from the bright sun upon being pushed into the arena. Once his eyes refocused he was able to get a better look around.

He had been in this arena many times but today was different. The people booing was certainly new. And there chained on the other side of the arena was…

"Alfred!" Arthur started to run towards his dragon but was prevented from doing so when some one tugged on the chain around his ankle. Causing Arthur to fall hard on the ground.

Alfred began to panic. They were having Arthur kill him? It suddenly made sense to him considering the situation. But he couldn't fight Arthur! There was no way in hell! And he didn't think Arthur would slay him either.

This whole thing just made him sick to his stomach. Watching Arthur fall had him trying to rush forward, but the harsh reminder of the chains held him back.

"Arthur!" he called desperately.

Arthur raised his head to look at Alfred. Seeing the young dragon calling out his name while fighting against the chains restraining him pierced Arthur's heart. And Alfred's chains (unlike Arthur's) were luminescent. Which meant they must have hexed the dragon's chains so that he could not use his strength to break free.

How had Alfred gotten here? And who's sick idea was it to try and have Arthur slay him?!

As if on cue, the crowd hushed and focused their attention on the figure standing where the King normally would when opening a ceremony.

"My dear citizens." Francis addressed the crowd. "You have all heard of Arthur's betrayal and how he has been helping this dragon learn potion making. I know it must have angered many of you, as it did me, but hasn't Arthur always been loyal to this kingdom before this beast appeared?" Francis pointed an accusing finger at the chained dragon. "Arthur has always been good to you people and it would be a shame for him to be punished for this dragon's sake." The crowd seemed to agree with Francis and cheered him on. This prompted the Knight to continue,"So it has been decided that we will offer our old friend a chance to save his life and reinstate his title as a Knight. All he must do is slay this dragon that has caused all of this trouble. But if he fails to do so then he will be punished along with this dragon he dared to associate with."

Alfred growled low in his throat. Should he just burn the knight to keep him silent? No...he had Arthur to worry about, and worry about him he did. He struggled again against the chains, fighting to get to Arthur, which the audience apparently took as a gesture of him wanting to fight the knight even though he didn't want to. "Arthur...! I can't... The chains won't let me move!"

Arthur felt himself starting to panic. So either way Alfred would die?! This wasn't fair. He didn't deserve to die like this. He was just a young dragon.

There was no way Arthur would be able to kill Alfred. He loved him dearly and he couldn't kill someone so pure and good… but it didn't seem right that both of them had to die.

"Alfred…" Arthur called. He carefully approached the struggling dragon. "I'm so sorry you had to be involved in this."

Alfred's struggling stopped and he shook his massive head sadly. "It's not your fault Artie. So don't blame yourself. It's not like I blame you for any of this. If anything, I should be the one apologizing since I pressured you into teaching me."

He sighed and dropped his head down to Arthur's level, nudging him in the chest softly."I don't mind if you do what they want you to. You should get your title and life back. I'd rather that than you being condemned for having met me. I can at least say I pissed off that blondie a few good times."

"It's not your fault Alfred. I'm happy to have met you." Arthur said with a sad smile. He knew this would be the last conversation he ever had with his beloved selfless dragon.

"Thank you for being my hero. Being with you made me happier than I had ever been in my entire life." Arthur pulled out his sword with shaking hands. "I love you so much Alfred. But really it isn't fair for both of us to die."

"You don't have to die Artie. If you kill me then they'll leave you alone won't they?" Alfred asked, sounding hopeful.

Apparently that secret chatting between the two was getting the crowd riled up since their shouting grew more loud and enraged. Rocks were starting to be thrown, making the dragon wonder where they'd gotten them from.

"Just kill the damn thing!"

"It's a monster! End it now!"

"What kind of knight can't kill a dragon?"

The shouts kept on coming and so did the rocks. Alfred started to worry. They wouldn't hurt him but what about Arthur? He had been given meager protection. He stretched a wing out to protect the green-eyed knight from the pelting and turned back to face him again. "Arthur, I know it's hard but you gotta make a choice."

Arthur didn't notice the hateful crowd. All of his concentration was on Alfred. It absolutely devastated Arthur to see Alfred look hopeful at the knight telling him to kill him.

Arthur's grip on the sword tightened. He knew he was taking too long, but he was trying to prolong his time with Alfred. From the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Vash give a signal for the guards to stand at the ready. This was Arthur's sign to hurry up and do what he needed to be done. Arthur clutched the sword and started chanting an incantation. The sword began to glow in his hands.

"Alfred…" Arthur spoke quietly and determinedly to the dragon. "You'd be willing to do anything I asked you to do, right?"

Alfred nodded, not understanding what the knight was asking this for. "Of course Artie. That's why I'm giving my life to you. Why are you asking that Artie?" He finally took notice of the glowing sword and his eyes widened. "Arthur what are you doing?"

That was all Arthur needed to hear. "Alfred. I want you to fly out of this here as fast as possible." Arthur raised the sword above his head and tightly shut his eyes before using all of his strength to bring the sword back down to break Alfred's chains. At the same time he heard Vash yell at the guards to open fire.

Alfred's eyes widened with surprise and he stared at Arthur, unmoving, as the chains shattered. He couldn't process anything, there was too much noise around him. Were those arrows flying past him. One hit his chest and bounced off but he was concerned about Arthur who could get hit.

"I-I'm not leaving without you! You'll get killed!"

Arthur saw Vash angrily grab one of the Guard's weapon and called the Knights to take action. He then aimed the bow and arrow towards him and Alfred.

"Alfred you said you'd do any thing! Now get out of here before the knights come down!" Arthur yelled back. It wasn't like Arthur could go anywhere. He was still chained to the arena. "You need to leave n…" Arthur's eyes widened. Vash had fired and the arrow pierced into his side. The force of it caused Arthur to fall to the ground.

Time seemed to almost stop when Arthur was hit and he could only watch as he fell to the ground breathlessly. "ARTHUR!" He shrieked in horror.

That was when he felt the anger boil deep inside of him. The pure rage and hate that he hasn't felt at all for so long. Everything just didn't matter anymore except for the victim on the ground. With a loud roar, Alfred released a torrent of flames at the people around him, causing them to scream and run. He smashed the chains binding the fallen knight to the ground and placed him on his back as carefully as he could before shooting off into the sky as fast as he could.

He had to help Arthur. He couldn't die. "Artie, talk to me okay? I don't care what it is you say but just keep talking." Don't go!

Arthur was in complete shock. Lying on the ground he had known what had hit him but the pain hadn't processed into his brain yet. The world around him sounded muffled. He could barely make out that people were screaming in terror.

Arthur didn't even realize that he was flying away with Alfred until the dragon's panicked voice reached his ears. The voice pulled him out of his daze and suddenly he could feel the pain. The pain from his side took over him causing him to yelp.

"Aaaagh!" Arthur tightly shut his eyes trying to block out the pain overpowering him. He tried concentrating; tried focusing his attention on Alfred. "A-Alfred… d-did you get hurt?" Arthur asked in a shaky voice.

Alfred winced at the yelp, hating the fact that Arthur was suffering. "I'm not hurt but that isn't important! You are! Just keep talking so I can hear you..."

He started to panic internally. What to do? What to do? He didn't kno-

The healing potion! How could he have forgotten? That would be able to heal Arthur!

"Artie, I'm gonna be flying fast here so try and hang on okay? We're going to my cave."

He then flapped his wings and shot through the air, trying to get to his home as fast as he could.

Arthur clung into Alfred. He could feel Alfred's powerful wings beating on either side of him and the wind whipped around them. Tears began filling his eyes. The pain on his side felt like it was burning through his body. Blood was quickly soaking his shirt.

Although the pain was unbearable he felt happy that it wasn't Alfred in this position. Even though he was dying, he was glad Alfred was spared.

The burning sensation reached his lungs making it hard to breathe.

"I-I'm… glad y-your alright." Arthur spoke through trembling lips. He didn't know why Alfred was bringing him to his cave, but at least he would be with Alfred in the final moments of his life.

Alfred landed in the cave with a loud thud, the landing being rather clumsier than usual. He moved to the back of the cave and carefully grabbed Arthur with his mouth and set him in the ground as gently as he could. He shifted to his human form and checked the wound, paling at the massive red patch in the cloth of his shirt as it continued to spread.

"No...No no no!" He hissed, immediately running to his little nook where he'd stored the potion, snatching it before taking it to Arthur. He popped the cork lid off and pressed the top of the bottle to Arthur's lips. "You need to drink this Arthur!"

The blood loss was getting to Arthur. His eyelids started to droop and his vision blurred. The pain had turned into a tingling numbness. Speech was now impossible for the young man.

Arthur could barely make out Alfred's human form hovering above him. The dragon was talking to him but he couldn't hear a single word. Arthur felt cool glass touch his lips, but sleep was calling out to his drained body. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer…

Alfred paled and almost dropped the bottle out of fear. "Arthur? C-come on Artie...d-don't mess around like that. This isn't funny."

When he didn't get any response he poured some of the drink in his mouth and then kissed Arthur, letting the potion spill into the fallen knights mouth and down his throat.

He pulled away and waited, looking crestfallen. Would it work? He had made it right after all, hadn't he? It was a healing potion. It should work.

.

.

.

The soothing liquid ran down Arthur's throat and sent relief throughout his entire body. He coughed against Alfred's lips and breathing became easier.

It felt dreamlike when Arthur opened his eyes and saw Alfred's beautiful sky blue ones just inches from his own. He lifted his hand to rest on Alfred's cheek.

"What are you looking so distressed about?" Arthur asked in a weak voice. It upset him to see such a worried expression on the dragons face.

Alfred smiled sadly and didn't reply. He just grabbed Arthur's hand and then leaned down an pressed his face against Arthur's chest, a strangled sob escaping him.

"You scared me dammit! Don't you ever do that to me again you idiot! You practically died because of me!"

Arthur held the crying dragon in his arms. He soothingly ran his fingers though Alfred's hair and tried comforting him.

"Shh… Alfred. Don't cry. I'm fine now. See?" It hurt Arthur's heart to see Alfred like this but at the same time he wasn't sorry for his actions. He would much rather himself be hurt than his kind hearted dragon. "Are you alright? None of the Knights hurt you did they?"

"That doesn't matter!" Alfred snapped, not moving from where he was, which caused the sound of his voice to be muffled. "You almost DIED just now!" He looked up, face already red and puffy from crying. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?! You scared the shit out of me and you just go and ask what happened to me?!" His expression saddened more so and he burrowed his face back against Arthur's moving chest. "Arthur...if you had died I don't know what I might have done. I might've gone insane and killed everyone that was there."

Arthur's eyes grew wide at Alfred's reaction. It slightly scared him to think that he could drive Alfred to this point of sorrow and rage. "Alfred I'm sorry I upset you… but I couldn't let you die." Arthur pulled Alfred closer to him. "I couldn't live in a world without you. Of course I'm going to put you above myself. I know that thought upsets you but I would have died anyways because I wouldn't have been able to kill you." Arthur paused cringing at the thought. "Without you… there would've been no reason for me to live."

"And you think it'll be any better for me to have you gone?!" Alfred demanded, pulling away once again, looking quite distraught. "If that's how you feel, then think how I feel too! I feel the same why Arthur! Why do you think I said that?" He gripped Arthur's arms tightly with his hands, nails slightly digging into his skin, frowning deeply. "You're not the only one who feels that way."

Arthur winced when his arms were grabbed too tightly. He looked down to avoid Alfred's gaze. "I'm sorry Alfred… but what would you have done in that situation?" He grew bolder and looked up at Alfred. "I did what I thought was best… and I'm sure that if you were in my place you would have done the same thing."

Alfred grimaced and let go of Arthur's arms, knowing that what he'd said was true and that he couldn't deny it. He looked away and stood up, arms crossing, fingers digging into the skin. "That doesn't make it any better now. Even if I would have done something, it didn't happen and it doesn't make me feel any better about you almost dying."

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh and stood up as well. He stumbled a little getting to his feet because the healing potion was still working on his internal wounds.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't die. Shouldn't you be happy that I'm still alive?!"

Alfred scowled, looking perplexed. "Of course I'm happy that you didn't die! Who do you think saved you?" He sank to the ground, one hand covering his face, with a groan. "And to think that you would have died if you hadn't taught me that potion..."

Arthur walked over to Alfred and knelt down beside him. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around Alfred. "Thank you… for saving me again. You did a wonderful job on the potion."

Alfred whimpered softly, sounding much like a child and hugged Arthur back, wrapping his arms around Arthur's torso, squeezing it gently as to not aggravate the still-healing wounds. "You're not allowed to do anything like that again..."

Arthur brought Alfred's head to rest on his shoulder. "I-I'll try my best not to." Arthur answered.

Alfred mumbled a reply, though it was inaudible. He then nuzzled against the crook of Arthur's neck affectionately, his hold on Arthur becoming more possessive. "You need to rest though. You're still healing and will probably be sore for awhile," he spoke softly, tiredly. "I'll tell you what happened with the Elders while you rest."

Sleep sounded good to Arthur. He felt exhausted after what had transpired that day. He kissed the top of Alfred's head and laid his head in top of the dragons. "I love you." Arthur said softly.

Alfred smiled and chuckled softly. "I love you too, Artie. But you should go lay down so you don't pass out." He moved away and stood up before scooping Arthur into his arms, careful to mind the wound. He walked over to a nest of furs that lay on the ground. "It's not one of your human beds but it should do."

He lay Arthur on the furs carefully and then snuggled up next to him, his arms wrapped around his waist. "But...as to what you asked earlier, I got captured because of what happened at the meeting." He paused, making sure that Aryhur was listening. "I was found out by my brother and he dragged me there to report me as a traitor to my kin. I was sentenced to death but they were going to leave it up to the humans because I "love" them so much. I was cursed to be unable to move and was knocked out. When I woke up, I was found by Francis and he had the other knights take me back with them. You know the rest. But he really does love you, you know. He really hates me for stealing you from him."

Arthur stiffened at the mention of Francis. Some friend he had turned out to be. Francis had attacked him, captured Alfred and force them into an arena to die. The thought of Francis liking Arthur made his stomach sick.

Arthur shook his head. It wasn't worth his time to think about Francis. He scooted closer to Alfred. Thankful to feel that the dragon was still alive and next to him.

"I can't believe your brother would do that to you." It made Arthur upset. Alfred had been brave enough to want to talk to his leaders about making peace but Alfred's brother had intervened and things went worse then they should have. "Did the Elders even listen to you?"

"He didn't really want to do it." Alfred replied softly, recalling his brother's hurt expression. "But he knew he had to because of the rules of our kin." He sighed and shook his head. "They didn't listen to me at all. They didn't even give me much of a chance to explain. It didn't matter how much I tried. I was immediately put on trial and sentenced to death for it. Well, obviously it wasn't successful but...They still tried. If they see me again, they might try to kill me themselves since the human execution didn't go the way they wanted it to."

Arthur was still upset about Alfred being turned in by his own brother, but he decided it was best to not harp on about it. At least Alfred was still safe. It would have been worse if the Elders had decided to off Alfred themselves. Arthur shuddered at the thought.

"Neither of our meetings turned out the way they were supposed to." Arthur said with a frustrated sigh. "I never even got a chance to speak with the King."

Alfred frowned and sighed again. "It doesn't seem like much is going right, right now. But I don't want things to stay the way they are...I don't think they'll listen to someone they exiled though... What do you think we should do?"

Arthur stayed quiet for a few moments. "Well… you said they wouldn't listen to you because they consider you a hatchling." Arthur spoke carefully. "So maybe they would be willing to speak to someone who is of a high rank amongst their people… maybe I could try talking to them."

Alfred sat up and looked at Arthur with a horrified expression. "Wh-whoa. Hold on there, Arthur. What makes you think they're going to listen to you if they didn't listen to me?" he asked, sounding incredulous. "One, you're human. Two, you're a knight. Or you were one...But I highly doubt they'll just stop and decide to listen to you, let alone let you get within 4 yards of the meeting place."

"It might sound crazy to you but really think about it." Arthur insisted. "You're too young and that's why they wouldn't even entertain the thought of befriending humans. They thought it was a childish idea. Up until recently, I have been one of the highest ranking Knights and my family lineage gained me a lot of respect amongst my people. The only reason why all that fell apart is because that bloody frog interfered and prevented me from trying to explain the situation to the king." Arthur grabbed Alfred's hand and have it a light squeeze. "It may sound a bit far fetched but we have to keep pursuing this. Otherwise there will always be people who will want to keep us apart."

"You make me sound younger than you," Alfred mumbled dejectedly while pouting. "I happen to be 5 times your age you know. You'd probably be regarded as something lower than a hatchling." He sighed and squeezed Arthur's hand back. "But I do agree with you that we should continue with this. I can protect you from the others...But I think we should wait until you have fully recovered..."

"You may be older but when it comes to maturity I'm ages ahead of you." Arthur chuckled at Alfred's pout and gave his cheek a light pinch.

Arthur tried to stifle a yawn. He still felt drowsy from all the blood he had lost. "Perhaps we can talk about this 'Elders' business after I have a short nap? I'm feeling a bit tired and should be fully recovered by then."

Alfred nodded in agreement, though he felt that Arthur needed more than just a "nap". Even though he'd taken the healing potion, it didn't change that he'd had a hole in his body not that long ago and had been dying in his arms. "Yea...We'll talk about it more later."

"That sounds good." Arthur said in a sleepy voice. He mumbled an "I love you" and snuggled against the warm furs and Alfred. Falling asleep next to Alfred had a calming affect on Arthur. He wasn't thinking about his near death experience or his upcoming meeting with the Elders. All he was thinking of was how happy it made him to have Alfred in his life.


And there's chapter 4! I hope you're all enjoying this story. I'm not sure about Yamiyo, but I actually had fun writing this chapter.

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