Chapter 6: Lifeline

Silence enveloped the two Brits after Alfred ran off. Arthur stared at his former friend, deciding on the best and easiest way to kill him. Or, at least hurt him enough to where he could not follow. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to still his movements until the right moment.

"So what now?" Arthur asked, trying to stall.

"Now you come with me," stated William in a matter of factly tone. "Let's not make this more difficult than it has to be."

"No, let's." Arthur was about to jump forward when a voice stopped him.

"Arthur!"

The named Brit turned at the sound of his name and saw Alfred running towards. Wait! Alfred had just spoken! Arthur was about to run to the boy when a shot was heard right behind him. He cringed, waiting for his end, but it never came. Instead, the bullet hit Alfred's chest and the boy crumpled to the ground.

"Alfred!" The Briton yelled in shock, his voice cracking. Turning around, Arthur made his fury known to William. Fury that the man had never seen before in all their years being friends. It scared him. "Y-You killed him!"

William dropped the gun, shocked that he had shot a child. "I didn't mean to."

Tears began to poor out of the blonde's eyes. "He was like a son to me! A son that I would never be able to have back in England. Now you took him away from me!" The furious Brit tackled William to the ground, his fingers curling around the man's neck and squeezing. He began to cough and sputter in an attempt to draw breath, but only caused Arthur to squeeze harder. "You bloody arse! I'll kill you!"

The Brit began to tremble and his hands loosened their grip on the other's neck as he broke down and cried. William took his chance and shoved the blonde off him. He stood and ran off, away from the murderous man that he once called friend. Arthur sat there on the ground sobbing into his hands trying to pull himself together. A small shaky breath brought him back to reality.

"Alfred?" The Brit cupped the back of the small boy's head and listened for the quiet sound again. "Come on, breathe for me."

Another breath passed the boy's lips and Arthur nearly dropped the boy in surprise.

"Alfred! You're alive!" Immediately Arthur's hands pressed over the wound and tried to stop the bleeding. "Wake up, please. Show me your eyes."

The boy responded by showing a sliver of his blue eyes. A cough erupted from him, shaking his small body. After it stopped his eyes flew open and short, shallow breaths passed through his lips. Tears began to fall from his eyes as the pain became too much for him.

"Shh, I need you to calm down. I'm trying to help you." Arthur tried to remain calm, but the trembling in his voice gave him away. Alfred, however, did his best to comply and deepened his breathing in and attempt to calm himself. Arthur slid his hand under the boy's back and carefully sat him up so he could see if the bullet passed through or if it was still lodged within. Another hole presented itself and the Brit let out the breath he was holding and sighed in relief. He also noticed that the blood flow had slowed down considerably and only needed to be wrapped. He was ever so grateful that the bullet had not hit his lung. If it had, then the boy would probably not survive.

He scooped up the boy and brought him back to the tent to bandage the injury. Immediately after the danger had passed, the Briton began to pack everything they would need. William was alive and most likely bringing reinforcements. He didn't want to be here when he came back. Once everything was ready, he slung the pack over his back and lifted Alfred in his arms. He ran as fast as he could without bouncing the small boy too much.

"Alfred can you hear me?" Arthur asked concernedly.

"Mmm.." Came the small response.

Arthur's heart nearly stopped when he heard the boy make noise again. They sounded as though he were voluntarily making the noises. He didn't want to push the boy too much, but he wanted to see if the boy had completely pushed past his mutism. "Alfred, I need you to say something."

"Than' y'," Alfred slurred. His voice hadn't been used for a good two or more years, but Arthur understood him well enough.

Tears welled up in the Brit's eyes. "You're welcome. Rest now. I'm looking for a place for us to stay."

"M'kay. Ah luv y', Arthur." Alfred's eyes slipped closed as he attempted to sleep.

"I love you too." Arthur place a quick, gentle kiss on the boy's head and continued running. He was surprised that when he said the name Arthur, he had no trouble, but with other words, he slurred. It gave him a sense of pride to know this. After a solid ten minutes of running, the Brit slowed to a walk, breathing heavily at the exersion. He continued to walk for what seemed like hours, but he had to make sure that he was far enough away from their previous camp. Finally he stopped at a small clearing and laid Alfred in the grass while he set up.

A groan interupted him and he looked over where Alfred was laying. The boy tried to sit up but gasped as pain shot through his chest. Strong hands pushed him back into a laying position.

"Alfred, you're injured. You could reopen you wounds."

" 'm s'rry," Alfred said slowly, still getting used to talking.

"You've nothing to be sorry about. Now rest." Arthur went back to putting up the small tent and turned back to Alfred. He picked him up and laid him inside, cuddling up next to him to make sure he stayed warm. He certainly didn't want the small boy to catch a cold while recovering from being shot. That could turn bad. The two slept peacefully until the sun began to rise. Arthur sat up and looked down at Alfred who was still asleep, but in obvious pain.

The Brit crawled out of the tent and went to look for that plant that Alfred had shown him. The leaves of the plant could numb pain as the boy had proven. After a few minutes of searching, he found it in the shade of a tree. Quickly, he stripped as many leaves as he could from the bush and ran back to Alfred. He shredded and squashed the leaved until it was a pulpy liquid. After that was finished, he moved to Alfred and undid the bandages wrapped around him, recieving cries of pain and whimpers.

Once everything was ready, the Briton lifted the boy and applied the leaf juice to his injuries, and laid him back down. When he was done, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the wounds didn't reopen. By now, Alfred was awake and staring at him, eye a little wet from crying about the pain.

" 'm h'ngry." Alfred said, trying to be careful about the way he pronounced his words.

Arthur smiled. "I'll go cook the rest of the meat."

Alfred nodded and closed his eyes, deciding to rest until the food was ready. Thirty minutes later, Arthur woke him and helped him to a sitting position so he could eat. A few times while swallowing, the boy gave a pained expression when the act made his chest hurt. His hand reached for the wound and pressed on it lightly.

"H'rts," Alfred said, eyes cast downwards.

"I know." Arthur pulled him into a hug, being careful of where he touched. "You just need to rest and it will heal fine."

Alfred hummed in response and smiled, leaning against the older man in an attempt to sleep some more. Arthur smiled and began to sing softly until he heard soft snoring come from the boy. His smile widened at this, and he laid the boy down, leaving him to rest while he went out and tended to other things. It was only a few hours before noon, and he still had some things to do.

After crawling from the tent, he inhaled deeply. He decided that he would spend the rest of his life with Alfred. The boy needed him, not the British army.

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So yeah the next chapter is up!... I really have no clue how to continue this story, so if you could give me some idea's, I would be forever grateful and I would give you credit. Anyway, don't forget to review~!