As scared as he was, Arthur was surprised to realize that his most dominant emotion was not fear – it was rage. He had never felt such hate towards a person before – who did he think he was, hurting someone like that? Who'd given him the permission to go around insulting people, injuring them? Arthur was boiling with a mixture of horror and fury, channelling the strong emotions into his arms and hands, adding to what little strength he had.

He could see Stan struggle above him just as much as he did, but unfortunately didn't find any comfort in it – he could only force a limited amount of air through his nose and the lack of oxygen was starting to make his head spin. The thought of trying to bite into the palm constricting him was tempting, but he quickly chose against it as any movement from his head would be too risky, not that just lying there and doing nothing wasn't.

Arthur's breath hitched as Stan gave an extra forceful thrust with his hand, the smoke now not more than a couple of centimetres away and still moving. Arthur's arms were shaking with effort, but he was determined not to give up – how could he?

It was then that it came, that innocently beautiful, now angelic voice.

"Artie? Artie! ARTHUR!"

Stan's head snapped up in surprise and confusion, and his face just had time to turn into an expression of rage before Alfred tackled into his side, efficiently pushing him off the princess.

Arthur immediately sat up, hands shaking from exhaustion and eyes frantically flicking over to his friend who was – making a good attempt at – wrestling with the older boy on the ground. The princess' vision was still blurry from tears, but he couldn't bring himself to force his hands up to his eyes, instead just sat there in shock, trying to focus on the bundle of dark colours whirling around in front of him.

He could hear them both grunt and colourful curses flew by his ears occasionally, all coming from a hoarse voice, Arthur faintly noted. For some reason all emotion felt drained from his body and all he could do was sit there and stare unfocused, not once did the thought of rushing to his friend's aid or even run away occur to him.

"C'mon, Arthur!"

Without his eyes registering it, he was forcefully yanked up on his feet by his wrist and Alfred set them off in a run. Now when running with full force, the differences between the two boys' speed became embarrassingly evident. Arthur struggled to keep an even pace with Alfred, but mostly just stumbled when the other kept pulling his arm – with body following – forward.

None of them looked back to check if the older boy was pursuing them, instead just ran around the corner of the building before Alfred leapt towards the open area where they'd previously started the game, the plain of grass now seemingly empty.

"Michael, get a teacher! Now!" Alfred shouted as the brunet boy came into view from behind a piece of shrubbery.

Mikael looked bewildered and shocked at the scene that came sprinting towards him, halting in his hunt for a new hiding place to stare at them with an almost comical expression.

"W-what happened? Al, Artie, are you alright?"

"Just get a teacher!"

The brunet nodded quickly before setting off back to the school in haste.

When confirming that the other was obeying, Alfred finally stopped and looked back.

Nobody was there, Stan hadn't followed them. He sighed with relief before eyeing his friend, worried.

The wheat-haired boy was panting rather heavily himself but it was nothing compared to Arthur, he had bent over and was considering just collapsing onto the ground. The cold, damp grass suddenly felt temptingly welcoming, Arthur couldn't help but think as he leaned over a little further.

Alfred robbed him of the option, however, as he was grabbed by the shoulders and forced to meet the other's concerned, azure gaze.

"Arthur, Arthur, oh God, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know he'd be- I-I swear I didn't," Alfred looked lost as he let out a miserable groan, "r-really. Please, Arthur, forgive me! I-I really wouldn't have... I shouldn't have left you! Oh, I'm so sorry, Arthur!"

Tears had started creeping down Alfred's cheeks and his face was faintly flushed – anyone passing would probably have mistaken him for the victim instead of the now relatively composed boy he was clinging to. He kept Arthur's gaze for a moment longer before vaguely turning down his head as if in shame.

"I-it's alright, Alfred. It wasn't your fault!" Arthur tried, desperately wanting the other boy to stop crying and smile like he used to. It was genuinely painful watching him in that state, especially as he was used to Alfred being almost constantly happy.

Arthur's own emotions felt locked away, as if they were thrown inside a box that Arthur no longer had access to, leaving his expression rather indifferent as the other boy kept clinging to him. He felt emotionally exhausted and Alfred's small panicked rant was not helping.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! It is not okay! Did he hurt you anywhere? What'd he do to you, Arthur?"

The tears had stopped now, the sad eyes replaced by a determined and somewhat protective look. Arthur couldn't help but gulp, squirming slightly as the grip on his shoulders tightened.

"A-ah, he-"

Arthur was cut off by the footsteps of four feet nearing them, a female voice quickly following.

"Alfred, Artie, what happened?" Mrs Jacobson called out, rushing to their side and kneeling down so that she could look them in the eyes.

"It was Stan again!" Alfred quickly blurted. "Please, I know we have no proof, but he really did it this time! I swear!"

Mrs. Jacobson looked exasperated as she eyed the two boys with apologetic eyes. Mikael stood behind her and looked equally sad, fidgeting nervously and making eye contact with Alfred, both sharing previous encounters with said bully.

With the mood being tense and with the anxious gazes shared among the three others, it didn't take long before things clicked in Arthur's head.

"A-actually," he said and lifted his chin, loosening his collar to reveal the abused neck. Besides the red and slightly black mark, his whole throat was tinted in a blue-lilac hue, some marks still slightly visible from the calloused fingers that had strangled him. I didn't hurt like it had before, but an itchy feeling was starting to emit from the burn and his neck ached vaguely when he turned his head, not to mention the pounding that had begun in his head – how come he hadn't noticed it before, he wondered.

"O-oh God," Mrs Jacobson stammered and leaned in closer to inspect the damage, a hand covering her mouth and eyes going impossibly wide. "Did Stan do this to you, Artie?"

"Y-yes," Arthur answered, about to nod but catching himself as his neck gave a painful throb.

"We must get you to a doctor right away. Do you have any family nearby that we can contact?" she asked, and Arthur shook his head. The closest thing he had to family at the moment was Yao, and he didn't even dare to think of what the Jack would do when he saw the bruise and found out about his trip, because he surely would, Arthur thought with horror, careful with not letting the feelings reach his face though. Mrs. Jacobson furrowed her brows a bit, but if anything only looked sympathetic. "I have class starting now, but I'll make sure to tell the other teachers about Stan, so don't worry about him. Alfred, I'll give you the rest of the day off, can you get Artie to Dr. Evans?"

Alfred nodded curtly before taking Arthur's hand and starting to lead him away towards the school gates, avoiding the royal's gaze.

"Where are we going?" Arthur asked as Alfred turned right outside the school grounds, heading towards the stone bridge.

"Dr. Evans' house is on just the other side of the canal," Alfred explained in a surprisingly monotone voice, picking up the pace suddenly, making Arthur trail behind and unable to look at his friend's face.

Just before they walked onto the bridge, however, Alfred took a right turn again, dragging Arthur with him down a set of steps that led down into the canal. Arthur was surprised at first to say the least, thinking that Alfred was heading for the water, but was relieved to find that they walked down onto a narrow pavement, made by the same grey stone as the bridge and canal edges. The water of the duct was barely a decimetre from the pavement's edge and probably flooded it in rainy periods, Arthur guessed. What really caught his attention though, were all the water lilies grazing the water's surface. The flowers were of amazing colours, blue, pink, bright gold, violet and pure white, all melding together in a forest of shades. Arthur was too entranced by this sight – wondering why he hadn't looked down in the canal before – to notice that Alfred was leading them under the bridge, pulling away the draping of greenery that hung from the flower boxes so that they could enter the shadowed room – the bridge was rather low so both boys were also forced to hunch down, this was what snapped Arthur's attention back again.

"Erm, Alfred? What are we doing here?"

Instead of a verbal answer, Alfred turned around and hugged the other closely, clutching at his back almost desperately.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur asked hesitantly, confused and slightly flustered about the situation.

Alfred pulled back, revealing the pained expression he was sporting. Arthur only met him with a bewildered and questioning gaze, feeling concerned about his odd behaviour. "You have no idea how sorry I am, Arthur, really... I-it's all my fault for bringing you to school in the first place, I shouldn't have pushed you to do it." A short moment of silence passed and Arthur felt his eyes starting to water, not only from the aching pain and stinging that was growing more and more apparent as the seconds passed but also because of the confusion and pained expression Alfred was making – he really didn't have anything to feel guilty for, Arthur thought. He wanted to tell Alfred that, too, but the words caught in his throat along with a painful lump. Was it really that hard to understand?

"D-does it hurt?" the wheat-blond finally asked as a tear finally crept down Arthur's cheek.

"A-a bit... b-but it's-" Arthur's eyes widened as Alfred leaned in closer again, placing one hand on the back of his head and one on his shoulder, kissing the burn mark tenderly.

Arthur froze on the spot, stiffening and not quite progressing what the other was doing. If he was confused before he was completely lost now.

"D-does it hurt anywhere else? Other than your throat that is." Alfred's voice came as he nuzzled the other's neck carefully.

"W-w-what? T-the back of my head, a bit... b-but-" A few gentle strokes were added to said place before Alfred pushed him down further by the shoulder and tilted his head forward, giving another soft kiss to the princess' scalp. Arthur flinched slightly as the movement of his head caused his throat to ache again, earning an apology from the other and two small pecks placed on the purple-ish skin.

"W-what are you doing, Alfred?" Arthur finally asked and the other pulled away with a sad smile, cheeks lightly flushed.

"Mom always does this when I'm hurt somewhere – makes it feel better," Alfred explained, stroking the other's blond strands again. "Did it work?"

Arthur blinked a few times, still confused. He'd been a little too shocked to feel soothed by the other's actions, but he supposed it had felt nice.

"Y-yes," he said, and Alfred finally smiled vibrantly again, leaning forward for another hug, this time having it returned.

"I swear I'm never gonna do anything that might hurt you again, and I won't force you into anything! I promise! Pinkie swear?"

Arthur only smiled and extended his finger, hoping that he'd never have to see the other pained again.

"See! Nothing to worry 'bout! I'd only notice if I squinted," Alfred assured him as he pulled up Arthur's collar a little further, not enough to make it uncomfortable for the boy, but still enough to cover most of the abused throat.

"Ah, good. Thank you," Arthur answered and smiled in gratitude.

Dr. Evans had looked shocked when the two boys came in, but told Arthur that it didn't seem to be any too serious damage, only that it might hurt for some time more and that he'd recover just fine. His throat was still in one piece and new skin would replace the burnt one – he did clean the burn from the blackened edges and gave Arthur a herb that he said would numb the pain though. He'd also offered to contact Arthur's parents, but the royal had politely declined, thus making Alfred worried again.

He'd been questioned a bit about his family after they'd left Dr. Evans and Arthur had tried to avoid saying as much as possible, answering most of the questions with 'probably', 'kind of', 'perhaps' and other futile replies. Alfred hadn't stopped eyeing him anxiously though, but didn't have any time to voice his thoughts before Arthur remark on stares he got from passing people who gawked at his neck.

"No prob', so do ya wanna go to the docks now or shall we do somethin' else first?"

"Either is fine. You decide," Arthur said and Alfred nodded, pointing down the canal.

"To the harbour it is, then!" he smiled and motioned Arthur with him. They walked in silence and Arthur took the opportunity to enjoy the animated city, fresh air and all together just lovely day. The incident with Stan felt so far away it was almost like if it never happened. It felt more like a bad dream, a terrible nightmare, than something that happened just an hour ago, and even though it might be from the trauma that the event brought, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore – or didn't want to care, more precisely – he'd rather just forget it ever happened.

Despite the bitter taste, the herb actually appeared to be working and Arthur contently tilted his head to his shoulders, satisfied by the soft cracking noises that followed. "Doesn't it hurt?" he heard Alfred asking, and chuckled at the other's questioning look.

"Just a tiny bit. I think the herb really worked," he smiled back and was awarded with a radiant grin.

"That's great!" Alfred said and grabbed around his arm, placing a discrete peck on the side of Arthur's throat before pulling away and settling on holding his hand. Arthur blushed a little but didn't think much of it; he was mostly embarrassed of the public signs of affection, which he was definitely not used to – whether what Alfred did was normal or not, he had no clue. His aunt had kissed his forehead and held his hand, but he'd never gotten more than tiny scratches, so he didn't know what you did when someone was really hurt other than treat the wound.

"Do you do this with everyone?" Arthur found himself asking after they'd walked a bit.

"What do ya mean?" Alfred smiled back at him. There wasn't any trace left by the tears now and he looked as happy as ever, much to Arthur's relief.

"Do you always kiss people when they're hurt?"

"A-ah, well," he said with a sheepish smile, his cheeks flushing beautifully red. Arthur tilted his head to the side questioningly, and Alfred quickly averted his gaze, using his other hand to scratch at his neck nervously. "S-see? There're the docks, right there!"

The royal turned his eyes away from his friend to inspect the road ahead of them and there was indeed the harbour. "C-c'mon," Alfred said and pulled him into a jog.

He could stay there forever, Arthur thought contently. Sitting there on a crate, leaning forward with his face resting in his palms, feeling the warm sun heating his back while watching the beautiful colours of the ocean, sky, buildings, ships, and the boy before him.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt more at peace.

"It's nice here, isn't it?" Alfred said from where he was lying on a bundle of net, practising knots with a sturdy rope that had lain abandoned on the docks.

Arthur hummed in reply, eyeing the other's hand movements lazily. He almost felt like sleeping and could feel his eyes starting to close.

Alfred had introduced him to some of the men working there, but most were busy and just had time for a brief greeting before they needed to rush on. The two boys had only walked around a small part of the docks, for the entire harbour stretched an entire kilometre along the city's edge, and they had settled on a sitting by a large stock of crates and fishing gear, Alfred knew the person who owned the equipment and boat that lied nearby, and had been told that it was okay for them to stay there. It was almost like the eye of the storm with all the people swarming around them and their small spot being completely calm and haven-like.

A soft tune filled the air, which Arthur knew was his friend humming, and he opened one eye briefly to confirm his belief.

"What tune?"

Alfred looked up at him and continued humming for a bit, swaying his head. "That song I'm working on in music class. I'm tryin' to figure out how to continue it."

The boy picked up the humming, then, drawing out the same tunes a couple of times before falling silent, a frown on his face. The silence just lingered for a couple of seconds however, before Arthur picked up the end of the melody, adding a couple of new notes where the other left off.

Alfred looked up at him in surprise before smiling, and he too gradually started humming the new addition to the melody. It was a rather melancholic sound, but still very soothing – nothing too fast or rushed. It was almost like the ocean, the notes rolling on in gentle wave motions, calming both of them.

"Artie, let's go home to me so I can fetch my guitar!"

"Pardon?" Arthur was woken from the blissful dream-state and looked down at the other boy who was now beaming at him.

"Ah, sorry, can you please help me finish the song?" Alfred asked a bit apologetically.

"O-oh, I suppose. I don't think I'd be of much help though."

"What? You're of great help already! Please, Artie, come with me home?"

Arthur almost answered the affirmative without thinking. As tempting as the offer sounded, they were bound to run into Eleanor again, which sounded a bit too risky. Sure, they might meet on their way back home, but entering their house was pushing the luck. Then of course, he wasn't sure if she'd even recognise him. Why couldn't he just decide? The thoughts were swarming in Arthur's head and he almost forgot to respond.

"I-I appreciate your offer, but my head aches a bit, so I'd rather just relax here for a while longer – if it's okay, that is!"

Alfred looked genuinely sad at first, but smiled quickly. "It's totally okay, Artie! I can run back and get it myself and bring it here... Maybe you could sleep or take a walk meanwhile? Hopefully the sea'll make your head better!"

Arthur nodded appreciatively and received a kiss on the forehead before Alfred left with a wave. The princess found himself fingering at the tingling spot on his temple after the other had disappeared from sight. It felt a bit weird, but Alfred was only trying to be nice, he assumed.

For a while Arthur just sat there, eyes closed while listening to the chaotic yet relaxing sound of the harbour. Once he got bored he decided to get up and wander, Alfred would take some time, after all. The royal made sure to not get in the men's and few women's way as they ran around with crates, fishing gear, cargo, and almost anything that could go on the ships. There were mostly smaller boats used for things like fishing, transportation or just simple enjoyment, but the few grander ships that had arrived at the port were what truly peeked Arthur's interest. Even without the massive, white sails hoisted, the ships looked majestic. All of them appeared quite worn, which spoke of the many voyages they'd made. Alfred had been excited while chattering away about the ships, pointing out the differences between the models, usage and owners. He seemed to know everyone at the harbour, and was rather well-known himself as many had shot him greetings or acknowledging gazes when they'd strolled around before.

Imagining Alfred aboard one of those ships was easy, the bright boy would without doubt blend in with the excited crew, putting all his spirit to work and eagerly help out with the tasks. However, imagining Alfred as the captain of one of those huge ships was a completely different matter. Imagining Alfred grown up was hard enough, and seeing that man in a naval uniform, barking out orders to an obedient crew – the image didn't fit together in Arthur's head. Would Alfred still have that friendly and warm personality, would he still smile that radiant smile? Would his face stay childishly innocent, slightly round around the edges, and glow in the sun? Would he still care for Arthur?

The last was most unlikely, Arthur thought bitterly. Even if they against all odds were able to stay friends, his sixteenth birthday would ruin it all. Alfred would see him on the throne and he would leave him. What reasons did he have to stay? If he wanted fame and wealth, yes, then he would probably do just that, but something told Arthur that Alfred wasn't that kind of person – he couldn't imagine the boy being sly and greedy; it just didn't fit with his character. And if he would turn out to be, Arthur wouldn't want anything to do with him. It was better with no friendship at all than a false one.

Feeling that his previously content mood now was ruined by bitter thoughts, Arthur slowly turned around and dragged his feet back through the crowd. He was surprised to see that Alfred had already returned and was sitting down on a crate, picking the strings of a worn guitar.

"How're you feelin'?" he asked as he caught sight of the other boy.

Arthur blinked a bit at first before remembering what Alfred meant. "Better, thank you."

Alfred smiled as he sat down on a crate next to him. "Do you remember what you were humming before?" he asked.

Arthur nodded and continued the melody from earlier, watching Alfred with astonishment as he started fiddling with the strings of the instrument, producing sounds not unlike the ones he was humming. They sat there for a while, neither of them sure just how long, but they'd since long stopped working on Alfred's song and were now singing and playing random tunes. Arthur was praised for his song by both Alfred and passersby, making him embarrassed again. Several people who had free time had also stopped by and joined them – all of them already knowing Alfred and greeting Arthur with a charismatic and cheerful accent. One of them even had an own guitar with him, playing along with Alfred and adding a few animated riffs and comps to apply character to the songs. By the time the sun had started to set a whole crowd was gathered by the crates, a third and fourth musician playing exotic drums and harmonica joining the two guitars. Singing could be heard from a hundred metre radius, and curious people both from within the city and nearby houses came by to watch and listen in on the song.

"What time is it?" Arthur suddenly asked as the last line of lyrics was sung out and people cheered and whooped while waiting for the next melody to play.

"Huh?" Alfred turned to look at him unintelligently between rounds of laughter.

"What time is it, Alfred?" Arthur asked again, this time a little more insistently.

The wheat-blond nudged the other guitar player who sat next to him carefully on the shoulder before echoing Arthur's question. The man shifted a little and brought up a pocket watch. "It'll be seven o'clock in ten."

Arthur's eyes widened and he tugged at Alfred's sleeve harshly, panic-struck. He was first met by an oblivious look before Alfred seemed to understand and looked equally alarmed. "Sorry, Dave, we gotta go!"

The man nodded and put away his pocket watch, watching with amused eyes as the two boys fumbled to get through the jolly crowd. With the guitar in his arms, Alfred ran at the same pace as Arthur, both struggling to get up the uphill cobblestone street.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was this late!" Alfred panted as they crossed the stone bridge.

"I-it's not... your fault," Arthur managed to breathe in response, not sure if it was audible enough for the other to hear. He had slowed his pace considerably and was mostly dragging his feet in a jog. The small headache was starting to return and he could feel subtle throbs from his complaining neck again.

"C'mon, Artie! It's not that far left!" exclaimed Alfred encouragingly, grabbing Arthur's hand for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, dragging him along while making sure to not scrape the guitar into the ground.

As they finally reached the church, Alfred quickly leaned the instrument against the low stone wall just inside the gates before quickly leading the way to a hidden path into the woods in which they'd come from earlier.

The sun was already dangerously low on the sky, bathing everything in fire, and it was hard to see the path ahead of them as they proceeded through the labyrinth of vegetation. Alfred seemed to know the way fairly well though, and swiftly avoided collision with any trees and branches that blocked their path, dragging Arthur closely behind him so that the other wouldn't face another fate.

As they reached the wall, Alfred quickly helped Arthur climb up. The royal turned back and forced a smile in between his rapid panting, saying a hurried 'good bye'.

Alfred was probably equally as flushed as Arthur, but the warm colours of the sunset made it hard to tell, his panting had calmed a bit though. "Good bye, Artie," he said and stood on his toes to place a quick kiss to the other's forehead. "Hope you'll feel better tomorrow," he mumbled a bit sadly after pulling away.

Arthur nodded and with a 'thank you' jumped down on the other side of the wall, beginning a very forced jog.

Most of the servants probably dined at the time, he figured, so it should be considerably easy to slip back up to his room. He looked around quickly before running through the Queen's Garden and slipped into the castle through a door as quietly as he could muster.

Had someone come to check on him when he didn't turn up for dinner? He sure hoped not. That thought almost made him halt and turn back in fear of the consequences when the Jack found out, but then he was reminded of the bruise around his neck and figured that that confrontation would be inevitable anyway.

As he scaled the steps of the Grand Staircase he couldn't help but notice that his cloak was gone. When had he lost it? He couldn't remember and didn't care at the moment. He hadn't bumped into anyone yet and silently prayed that it would remain that way. The Queen's Quarters were now in sight, but his hopeful mood instantly fell as he saw that the door was ajar.

The young royal gulped and walked towards his chambers a little more hesitantly, listening for the slightest of sounds that would emit. He peeked carefully into the first room, making sure to not touch the door, and was both surprised and relieved to find that no one was there. Perhaps he'd just forgotten to close the door when he left?

He now dared walk inside, but still did so cautiously. There were two doors, one to his left and one to his right, both of them also ajar – it didn't bother him as much though, since they usually stood open.

He took the left one first and stepped into his private library. After inspecting it quickly and confirming that no one was or had been there, he turned back to head for his bedchamber, stopping right in his tracks, however, as he found a person staring at him from the doorframe.

Arthur stood frozen to the ground and stared back with wide eyes, currently feeling more shocked than scared. "H-hello," he finally mustered, and the person in front of him just kept staring back, expression remaining indifferent.

A/N

So much for a fast update, huh? ._. Sorry about that, I fell ill again and school decided to be really mean, so I didn't have much time for writing at all. Most of this is done on my iPod, and there might be mistakes (I'll check tomorrow, and maybe change a little of the phrasing as well – need to sleep). Sorry for not replying some of your messages yet, I'll hopefully get to it tomorrow, but I'm not ignoring you or anything! Simply had another couple of rough weeks again ._.

Anyway, I said in some chapters back that I'd try to keep the word count around 3k, well, let's forget I ever said that, okay? I really can't squeeze much into just 3k, so the length will probably vary a little from each chapter :P

Finally, thank you soooo much for all the reviews I got on the last chapter! They were so fun to read and really encouraged me to write (even through illness)! w And thank you guys for all the alerts and faves, as well!

Last AN was far too long to be legal so I'll stop talking here and hope to somewhat compensate for it xD

Reviews are much appreciated!