Arthur gave Francis a small nod, listening to him somewhat intently while taking another bite of his cake. "I see…" he mumbled. He could only barely remember the sounds of battle training in his own home. The only time that they had ever had soldiers training even close to their own castle was in the short time between the time they returned there and the siege. Training was always a sort of afterthought, but as a child he had always thought that it was just because they wanted to have the soldiers wherever it was that they were being trained before they fought. It had never occurred to him that there simply hadn't been time to train and then travel if they hoped to make a battle before everyone was killed. "Well… if things are really so awful around here during the wartimes, then I hope that we never have another war." He mumbled, frowning a bit. "I'd hate to see you so tired, and I think that we've all had enough war for half a dozen lifetimes." He chuckled, looking up at Francis. His smile faltered as he noticed a speck of chocolate on the other's lip, and he hesitated a thoughtful moment before leaning in to peck it off. His cheeks turned a bit pink from the kiss and he turned away bashfully. "S-so... for now, let's hope that it stays quiet like this for as long as possible, forever maybe. I'm sure that if we tried, we could unify every kingdom, and then there wouldn't have to be any wars, right?"

"Oui, the castle probably will be quiet until we get into another war." Francis sighed heavily. He hated hearing the soldiers. All the marching, the yelling, the songs of bloodshed. They would be trained for days, even months on end and it was hard to wake up every morning from it. Trust me. Those sounds could drive the sanest man insane. I understand they were trying to prove they were the best, but I hate it. I'm never going to train to be a knight again…" He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Arthur's peck on the lips, silencing him. "…o-oui…" he breathed. He was yet to get accustomed to the feeling of the other's lips being pressed to his own intentionally, as it seemed to be the other way around more often than not. "W-we, erm… we should try to fix all that has been caused and rebuild your kingdom again. People are out there dying and I can't take it any longer. We are going to make things better for the world and we will do it together." He gave Arthur a bright grin, hoping to mask his being flustered. "And then… perhaps we can do some of the things we love. If we're lucky, by then horses will no longer be protected like gold in the bank… I promise you Arthur, when that day comes, I'll but you the prettiest little mare that I can find." He gave a nod of assurance. He noticed suddenly that he had stopped thinking of him as "Alice", or "her", or "she".

Arthur nodded again, giving Francis a small smile. "I suppose… although we both know that they probably won't accept your help. They still think of this place as the enemy, and quite a few others agree with them, especially the Kingdom of Blue. I wouldn't be surprised if they were planning an attack right this minute, such a thing would be like Christmas for them…" he chuckled. As much as he admired Francis's optimism, he thought it a bit silly at times. He scowled and popped another bite of cake into his mouth. "Oh, let's put this talk of war behind us. It's an awful thing and I just can't stand to think of it now… let's talk of something else." He glanced at a clock, determined to keep the subject off of war and old times for at least five minutes. He thought a moment of a different topic and then smiled. "Francis, you talked about a room before, which was down the hall... one we could use for the baby... can you show it to me?" he asked, finishing his cake. He wanted to see this room for himself if their child was going to live there. He had been piecing together ideas of what a child's room could be like based off of what had been arranged for Peter, although by the time he finally got to use his room he was too old for the toys or the crib or the simple books that had been there waiting for him. He hadn't seemed to mind though. He stood up, leaving his plate and his dessert fork on the bed, and walked to the door without bothering himself with slippers.

Francis sighed, glad to have the horrible experience of war out of his mind for a while. "I would be honored to show you the room." He stood up and gingerly took Arthur's hand, leading him from the room and down the hall a ways. He chuckled a bit at Arthur's bare feet and pushed the door open, revealing the large, white room. "This actually has an interesting story. The noblemen used to use this room for their meetings until papa and mammon found out about the illegal things they were trading. They've moved their meetings nearer the dungeons now, where they aren't disturbed and nobody has to see them..." he chuckled a bit and released Arthur's hand, slowly approaching the window. "It's got a nice view of the gardens, and a small orchard past that… although it could use some curtains since it faces the morning sun." he muttered, frowning a bit. He realized that it would be difficult to decorate the room unless they knew the child's gender, although such technology was far ahead of their time. "Parents…" he murmured, turning to face Arthur. The near-sunset skies outside cast a long shadow on the floor in front of him, and a darker one to his face. "That's what we are together now…" he blinked and approached Arthur again, taking his hands lightly.

Arthur nodded slowly, examining the room for himself. He was not so easily overtaken by the simple beauty of the room, noticing the small imperfections; the cracks in the pain in some places, the peeling in others, the dirt and dust caked onto the solitary long window. The room was certainly large enough for a nursery though, possibly even for two children. He frowned, looking up at Francis. "Tell me, exactly what types of things took place in this room…?" he asked, walking along a wall. If there had been some sort of drug deal then he simply wouldn't allow their child to be anywhere near the room for fear that they had left something behind. He pressed his hand into places in the wall where the paint was faded or chipped, looking for anywhere that could be a hollow spot or secret compartment. He would take no risks with this child.

Francis skimmed the opposite wall with his own hand, hoping to reassure Arthur. "Non, nothing they did in here is as serious as the things they do now." He thought to himself for a while. "All they really did was trade women and play poker while getting their hands on any sort of tobacco. This room used to be black and the door had quite a few locks on it for keeping out unwelcome guests…" he sighed, a few bits of old, faded-grey paint showing in his palm. He glanced around the room, starting to notice a few things that had been left. Small clusters of ash stuck between the wooden floorboards, and a large crack in the ceiling that was shaped a bit like a rabbit if you squinted at it enough. "There's quite a bit of work to be done here if we do use this room-" he started, but stopped as his hand suddenly plunged into the wall. "Wh-what the…?" he murmured, feeling around in the hollow cavity before his hand found something soft. He wrapped his fingers around the item and pulled it out slowly, brushing some of the pain off of it. It was a small lady's handbag. He opened it and sat on the floor, displaying its contents in front of him. The bag contained a few dried rose petals, a golden locket, a few coins, some charcoal pencil stubs, and dozens of old drawings. "Mon dieu… Arthur, look at these." He held up one of the charcoal drawings, a picture of a young woman with a sweet smile drawn on her expression. "This woman, she was one of the ones that was killed by them…" he murmured worriedly. "Th-this room… I can't even think of it now…"

Arthur stared, shocked for a moment before taking the picture lightly from his hands with a sympathetic frown. "Oh, the poor thing…" he murmured. "Th-those men… they really were monsters, weren't they?" He knelt next to Francis and looked at the other pictures. Most of them were the same size, as if all of the papers had been torn from the same notebook, but they all depicted different scenes. Most of them were other young women or some flowers with an occasional smudge of color presumably created by smudging flowers on the paper. The most prominent color, however, was red, and he was almost sure that it wasn't any kind of flower. "I'm sorry Francis, but I have to ask... w-were you ever in association with these men? I-I mean, not that I think you would, but... well, for an illegal organization, y-you would think that m-most of this would be secret, and y-you do seem to know quite a bit about them..." he pointed out. The whole situation reeked of suspicion to him, although that could have just been the smell of alcohol in the paint. "I wouldn't think any less of you for it, just please, please tell me the truth…"

Francis stared back at Arthur in shock, almost not believing his words. "Q-Quois? Did you say that right?" His heart beat faster and he felt ready to suffocate. Many years ago when he was about Peter's age, he had been taken by the men. At first he thought they wanted him to do something, but then it was awful. The worst pain he had ever felt. They stripped him of all clothes and put burning steel to his skin, cut until he lost enough blood and tortured him until he was too weak to fight back. Then the rest of the night they used him as a sex object, sometimes they would go two at a time on him and then he collapsed and didn't move, and Francis was left in the tower until he was eight, suffering from a coma. But once he woke up, he was back in his room. Nobody told him the magic men were there watching over him like angels and doing anything to get him back awake. When he did wake up, he didn't notice the time gone by or anything, not even that he was older and had missed his birthday by some weeks. The castle was quiet and couldn't have war when the only heir wouldn't wake up. It was this very room that it had happened. "Arthur...I...I don't want to talk about it." He said, tears in his eyes and his face pained with the memories. He silently stood next to Arthur. "They...They did h-horrible things... when I was Peter's age…" He said silently, looking at the pictures of the girls. His voice was no longer happy and slightly romantic, as it was now more rough and saddened. "I thought I would die." He sighed. "Now you can realize why I felt so horrible last night. I thought I was going to kill you." It explained everything now. It explained why Francis killed so many people, why he kept switching moods constantly, why he sobbed even when Arthur was a room away, and why he didn't like to talk about his past unless it was good memories. All because of that event at such a young age. "...This was the room it happened in." He glanced at one of the corners. "That's where they did it."

Arthur gasped, dropping the picture in utter shock. It explained everything. "I… I-I'm so sorry, I had no idea…" he moved to his side, wrapping an arm around him and glancing at the corner as if it was still deadly. "I'm sorry for asking, it must have been just awful…" he brushed some of the long, golden hair away from his eyes. "W-we shouldn't use this room, its evil might get to our child..." Arthur decided then that for the rest of his life as a princess, he would make it his duty to rid the castle of these horrid men. "I-it will be okay, you'll see... It won't happen ever again, a-and I'll make sure it doesn't. I promise." he frowned. Vague memories resurfaced in his mind but he pushed them back, not thinking that now was the time for both of them to be weakened in this way. "Francis… F-Francis, don't you start crying. If you start, th-then I'll start, a-and then…" he stopped. He looked around the room again hatefully, as if it were the room itself that had caused him such pain. The clean white paint felt like some kind of mask, a shelter put over an evil shadow to keep it from being seen. "L-let's go somewhere else... th-there has to be another room in the castle th-that would make a nice nursery, r-right?"

Francis was quiet for a while, content to simply sit there and hold onto Arthur for comfort. He gave the other a fake, nervous smile. He felt like he would cry. A few tears ran defiantly down his face, but he tried to blink back as many as he could. He could be strong. It had been twelve years since it had happened, he would be fine now. "Yes...Let's leave this horrid place for all that's worth." He just had fears, seeing their child grow up in a room where horrible things happened for nights on end. Even worse, fearing the noblemen would come back one day and...He didn't even want to know. He quickly took Arthur's hand and made them so that they were walking again, closing the door with a shiver. He walked them down the hallway. "Well, let's look and see what's available." He smiled softly, although the tears on his face still made it clear that he was upset. He decided that he would allow Arthur to choose the room this time, mostly so that he could allow himself to forget the events that had taken place in the room. "I realized...You actually do act a little bit motherly at times... You may have had a sort of romantic relationship with someone else, non?" he asked shakily, giving Arthur's hand a little squeeze.

Arthur blinked, a bit taken off guard by the question. "W-well, I… i-it was quite a while ago, h-he's likely forgotten by now…" he mumbled, smiling a bit although sadly. "H-he… he was just my really close friend, from my childhood… I-I'd prefer not to talk about it…" he laughed weakly, his face pinkening a bit as he weakly returned Francis's gesture. Other than the times spent with Peter, one of Arthur's few good memories from his short time in his home was meeting up with his childhood friend again for the first time in so many, many years. It was such a relief that they had recognized each other too, because each was only moments away from killing the other. For weeks after that they had snuck out to see each other every night, rekindling their friendship and catching up on the happenings of the years gone by, although it was the other who did most of the talking. One night in particular, when they had met closer to the other's kingdom of Blue, they'd had a sort of date on a hillside with a view of the night's half-moon. It had been each of their first kisses… and the last night that he had seen his dear friend. The night after had been the night of the siege on the castle. Allistor had teased him when he came home with his face a brighter red than the color of their enemies. He had joked about Arthur finding himself a lovely princess, but Arthur had found it insulting for him to be called 'princess'. This friend was no lady. He blinked, snapping himself suddenly from his thoughts and looking at Francis. "H-he… he was the prince of the Blue Kingdom…" he admitted slowly.

Francis chuckled, leading him from the room. "Ah, a first romance I see? Too bad I missed out on that opportunity…" He nudged Arthur's arm and continued to walk. "Mine… ah, she was a beautiful young woman named Jeanne. Sadly, I remember next to nothing of her. Her existence itself is considered no more than a myth by some people now…" he sighed. "But, yours was with another prince, and mine wasn't even believed by people. "I never expected myself to love men though. Papa hated it when I said I wanted to kiss other boys as a teen and he said I sounded like a girl. I didn't really care." He sighed. He just loved Arthur's story, as it was just so romantic; two boys that had lost each other for years, only to meet later and fall in love in time to lose each other again. "We're collecting so many secrets together that it's going to be hard to keep track of them." He chuckled. "I think… we need to let go of our pasts, start new lives. I don't want out little child to grow up on lies… it will be hard enough when it learns that we're both men…" He sighed heavily. "I honestly don't know who I am anymore. There are so many things I want to change and- Goodness me, I'm rambling. I seem to do that a lot, cher. Let's just continue walking." He laughed a bit.

He chuckled. "It will be alright, I don't mind… I think it's nice that we can talk like this, don't you? I mean, I was terrified of you at first and all... mostly because I had been a prisoner of here for so long and all, but now I think I may actually like it here." He sighed, his thoughts still on the prince of Blue. Their first meeting after Arthur's return home had been terrifying. He'd mistaken the other for some kind of Red spy that had come to take him back, having only a worn-out old bow of Allistor's to protect himself at the time. The other had a sword, one that had been held to Arthur's neck just as he had time to draw an arrow to his neck. The steel of the blade had poked into his skin for only a few moments before their eyes met, their weapons dropping beside them unused. There had been nearly a full minute in which the two had just stared at each other in shock, neither sure it they were dreaming, until the other had pulled him into a tight hug. Arthur had been startled until he recognized the features; the honey-blonde hair, the babyish face, the cerulean blue eyes. He found himself crying tears of joy, resting his head to the Blue Prince's shoulder. He had never, ever wanted to leave those arms, wishing that he could have just stayed there forever and cried his frustrations out to him. He glanced at Francis. Although he and the Blue prince were different in every way, they shared the same deep, loving blue eyes. He almost saw the blue princes face in Francis's for a moment, blinking to make the vision disappear. Could he really still allow himself to love the other prince now? "I…I'm sure that Jeanne was a wonderful young lady."

Francis nodded. "Yes, I suppose so… and I am glad that we're finally able to get along well enough." He chuckled. He still remembered the day, just two days ago now, when he had found dozens of dresses in his wardrobe along with his own clothes. He had questioned everyone in the castle, every person he came across, and not a single one had known until he finally came to his father. He had looked so triumphant telling Francis that he was to marry a woman, and since 'she' was their prisoner he wouldn't have to pay a dowry. He had been delighted, although Francis had dreaded it since he was first told. He had expected his bride to be some nagging, spoiled, obnoxious little brat who would do nothing but annoy him and bear equally annoying children, but it had been nearly the opposite of that. He felt almost as if he and Arthur belonged together, as if their meeting and marriage had been no accident. He glanced at Arthur, hoping to see some amount of love in his eyes but finding that any that was there was drowned out with overwhelming curiosity. His eyes darted away. Were blue eyes strange or something? "So… what about you? What were you imagining this to be when you first found out of our marriage?" he asked. He couldn't imagine that he had taken it well. He seemed to remember some rumor of a fight breaking out in the dungeons between a couple of guards and a woman, but he had only chuckled and assumed it to be nothing important as the counter-rumor later reached him that they had beaten her off. He assumed that it was part of the reason that Arthur had been wearing so much makeup with his wedding clothes.

Arthur looked at him again, laughing a little. "I… I was terrified…" he admitted. "They never actually said a word to me, and if they did then I didn't understand them… it scared me at first, so many people all trying to do things to me, changing my clothes and things, I thought that they were preparing me for some sort of dismemberment until I saw the dress… I thought th-that they were insane, trying to put me in that thing… and they weren't exactly gentle while doing it… after that, I was just so afraid. I thought that you'd be some monster, and I knew that I was probably going to be killed… I-I didn't think that I would even be alive now actually… Once they found out of my gender, I figured that it would just be a matter of digging me a shallow grave and tossing me in…" He shuddered, moving closer to Francis nervously. Admittedly, there had been a time that he was hoping such a mistake would happen, but it was for the Blue Prince whom he hoped it would be for. It had been a short-lived fantasy. Between the two princes now, he had no idea whether he would still pick the Blue over the Red. "But I was expecting th-them to execute me at some point. S-some of them knew... th-the prison guards probably know, unless they were all drunk when they-" he stopped, not wanting to think of that now. The first few times it had happened he had tried to imagine the Blue prince, although sadly that had only made it worse.

Francis sighed lightly, pecking a soft kiss to Arthur's head. "Yes, I was afraid too…" he chuckled, placing an arm around him comfortingly. "But cher, I don't care what you are, man or woman, I still love you more than anything. The marriage was forced and we could barely look at each-other, but I still feel something in my heart for you." He smiled a bit. He had no such fantasy like Arthur's. With the exception of Jeanne, he'd never had a lover that he could think of in his endless times of loneliness. The only ones who filled the void in his heart were his two friends, Gilbert and Antonio, but not even they could help him all the time. He became a bit frustrated as they continued down the halls. All of the empty rooms had been converted to closets, and were much to small to accommodate even a newborn for very long. "There has to be someplace…" he muttered, his hand lowering into Arthur's.

Arthur frowned a bit, nodding in agreement. "Yes, there must be some empty room in this place…" he mumbled, giving a tired sigh. He refused to let their child stay in the room of the noblemen. If they would do things to a child, they would do them to their child. He glanced down at his belly, again swearing that he saw a nonexistent change in it. "I wonder what the gender will be…" he mumbled, a small smile spreading over his lips. He wasn't sure which one he preferred yet, although he would be happy with either. He would love it with all of his heart. He sighed, blissfully forgetting their dilemma for a few moments. He could only imagine what the Blue prince would say if he saw him like this... he would probably be furious, thinking of course that Arthur had been forced into it and he might try to kill Francis. He unconsciously squeezed Francis's hand, not wanting to lose him as they slowly rounded a corner together. Francis must have had dozens of suitors over the years, all wishing to get their hands on the Red Kingdom's money- a fortune seconded only by that of the kingdom of Gold's. Many would probably want Arthur's head for taking the opportunity from them, and Arthur realized exactly how much more dangerous his life would become with his marriage. He sighed softly, his foot snapping on a stone in the floor and causing him to trip, bringing Francis down on top of him.

Francis was a bit startled when he was pulled down, having been about to reply to Arthur's comment on the child's gender. "Arthur, cher…" he said quietly, thinking that he had done it on purpose. "Now really isn't the time-" he stopped, looking into Arthur's eyes. The green seemed to be trying to intimidate him, something which was well accomplished. He would prefer that of all things that their child would not inherit those. Or the eyebrows, which were simply ridiculous. But for now, he had to keep his thoughts elsewhere. For starters, he had to get off of Arthur. They looked a bit strange laying in the middle of the hallway like that. He figured that, if Arthur had pulled him down, that he may as well give him what he no doubt wanted. He pressed their lips together, not waiting for Arthur's permission to explore every bit of his sweet mouth before unceremoniously breaking the kiss and pulling him back up, leading him on into the hallway. "Please try to keep yourself from doing that again. We must have looked silly on the floor like that." He chuckled.

Arthur's face turned a dark red, and he stumbled a moment. He was still trying to figure out what on earth had just happened to him. "Y-yes, alright…" he mumbled. He hadn't intended for that to happen, he had simply slowed a bit and the dress had swept up under him. It wasn't as if he actually wanted to kiss Francis or anything.

Francis, after finally helping Arthur back up, had managed to locate another empty room. It was much cleaner than the other room had been, more well-kept, although all that was in it was an old nightstand. Francis walked in and inspected the room, opening up the nightstand. A small, crumpled piece of paper sat patiently inside, waiting to be opened;

"Dearest Elizaveta,

It's Roderich. I am planning to move out of this burning hell of a castle to live with you. They forced me to become a nobleman and all I wanted to do was play the piano and violin at the parties. I am moving out tomorrow and all of my belongings are being sent your way through the carriage. Then I'll come next with that nightstand you used to love so much and that we would eat cake on. Finally, I will be on my own and run for miles to see you, or steal one of the horses. Then I can play the piano for you. How is Feliciano doing? Is she still a maid? I hope this gets sent to you, and if it doesn't, I'll be in the dungeons, waiting until you can save me.

Love, Roderich."

Francis stared at the note strangely for a few moments. "This… this was written by the man who taught me to play piano…" he mumbled. "He did steal a horse, but… I can't imagine why he would leave this here."

Arthur decided that he much preferred this room to the previous one, and could tell that it had a much more pleasant history. "I think that I like this room better… and such a nice little nightstand." He chuckled, walking to it as Francis removed the letter. As he listened to him read it, he looked around. The room, while quite plain, was just the right size for a nursery. Outside the window the tower could be seen, as well as the front gate and a good deal of the unusual plants that grew between the two. He swore that he saw some of those flowers running around. He glanced back at Francis, a bit confused by the look in his eyes. It reminded him of the eyes of the Blue prince whenever he tried to tell him of being locked up. It looked like pity. He went to his side and looked at the letter over his shoulder, although he could only read what appeared to be names. Curse his inability to read this language. It was bad enough that he couldn't read most of the books in the library. "Well… I hope that they're very happy with each other." He murmured, smiling a bit.

Francis gave him a weak smile, looking over him fondly. "Yes, this room should do much better…" he mumbled, looking around. It was much smaller than the other room had been, and it help no bad memories save for the ones of being woken up by the plinking of piano keys early in the morning or the man asking for cake at various inconvenient times, even right before a meal which he would then refuse to eat. The man had, however, told him all of the dark stories of the noblemen when he had wanted to hear them. This room certainly held more pleasurable memories that unpleasant ones, and although a bit further from their own room it was much preferable to the room of the accursed noblemen. "This room has such a nice view of the tower… I think that our child will love it." He smiled a bit.

Arthur smiled a bit, giving him a small nod. "Yes, I agree… but I almost with that it wouldn't take quite so long. All of this talk of children makes me wish that we had one now…" he sighed. If their child wouldn't hurry up, then he at least wished that he could see Peter again. This, however, would be so dangerous at this point. "Um, Francis... you don't think that anyone has noticed the absence of my family from the dungeon, do you? I mean, th-they did sort of leave secretly and all, so if anyone notices th-that they're gone..." Arthur's smile quickly faded. He knew that if his family had made it to their destination- which he was sure they had, as the late August evening posed no real threat with the distraction of the wedding aiding in their escape- that Peter would tell the Blue prince. He would be absolutely furious if he found out what had become of him. He had only seen the other truly angry once, and he had decided that he never, ever wanted to see him like that again. He still wasn't sure whether he found the face he'd made cute or terrifying. He had sworn that he would bring an end to the kingdom of Red, and while Arthur had only chuckled and told him that it was a fool's errand at the time, he wouldn't be there after this event to talk him out of it. He glanced at Francis expectantly, hoping that he would say something to calm his nerves.

"Non...You left such a long time ago and everyone thinks you died and the bodies were hauled out. Not many people care for prisoners." Francis gave a sigh. "The guards did report unusual things though, but nobody really cared since the eyes were on the war." He was silent for a while, letting the shadows slowly fall over his face as the sun started to set. "I'm so sorry you had to be hauled down here and left to die, away from the prince you loved and all that." He sighed. "But yesterday I gave you a chance to run free and you didn't take it. You would have been safe and in a better place, you know, instead of married to a man and being with his child. We all have our depressing pasts, Arthur, and you're going to need to try to forget. The future is ahead of us, and the past will only ruin it. We'll start a new rebellion and make the red kingdom the good team and rebuild the green kingdom. I'll do everything it takes!" Francis pumped a fist in the air, his voice strong and endearing. He glanced triumphantly out the window, noticing the dusky twilight forming on the horizon. "Although… we should probably plan on resting for now…" he mumbled, chuckling a bit. "It's been a long day, and we both need our rest." He took Arthur's hand and led him from the room, peeking back in as they left as a father would after tucking his child in to make sure that they were still asleep. He took them back to their room quickly enough, closing the door and giving a small sigh once they were alone inside. I don't know what to do anymore Arthur...But just to say...We may have some bad news."

Arthur frowned a bit, not liking where this was going. He had thought it bad enough that the other prince might have thought him dead, thinking of the devastation that it would bring him, as he seemed to remember him telling him during their first meeting that he had "waited a near eternity for him to come back," and that he "was his entire world", or some other such romantic nonsense. There was a hope deep inside of him- while it conflicted with his undeniable attraction to Francis- that wanted the Blue prince to find him, to save him from this place. "What do you mean Francis?" he asked softly, going to their wardrobe to find himself a nightgown. He glanced down and remembered that he had intended to wash his feet at some point, taking the bathrobe from earlier instead. After finding them, he undid the buttons down the back of his dress and slipped the other clothing off with it, his face turning a bit pink. He could practically feel Francis's eyes all over him, taking in his slender body. He pulled the bathrobe on quickly and sat a moment, hoping to hear some explanation to Francis's previous statement.

Francis hesitated a moment, his eyes darting away from Arthur as he started to undress. "Someone wants me… or possibly us dead." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I… I just wasn't sure how to tell you… apparently just after we left, a young man in the attendant stood up with a knife in his hands and tried to run after us. The guards caught him in time though, and they identified him as a prince, a young man named Alfred. They've sent him home now, with your family, to his kingdom…" he laid down on their bed as Arthur stood up, his hand finding the place that had been stitched up that morning. He wondered if Arthur really loved him or not. If he had just been acting all of this out, trying to make him happy just to protect his own life. He couldn't really blame him if that was the case, although he would still continue to love him all the same. The other seemed to leave the room in such a hurry after receiving this news, as if he wanted to be away from him as soon as possible. He rolled onto his stomach, thinking longingly of Arthur. He wished that the other would accept his love, as he tried so very hard to act as genuine as he felt.

Arthur nearly burst into tears at Alfred's name, leaving the room to keep these sudden tears from overtaking him in front of Francis. He didn't want him to watch if he cried over something as silly as a lost love. He slammed the bathroom door behind him, starting the bathwater to mask the sound of his sobbing. He had been too busy at the wedding to even look for him, not even considering that he may have been there to save him from the fate that, at the time, seemed worse than death to him if not surely leading to it. He could have walked right past him without even noticing it. If Alfred had been at the wedding… "Oh… o-oh, god, h-he saw us kiss…" Arthur murmured, his eyes wide and fearful. It was a wonder that that alone hadn't set him off. He climbed into the bathtub once it was about halfway full, although he wasn't ready to stop crying yet so he allowed the water run longer. He hid his eyes in his fists. "Alfred, I'm sorry… I-I'm so, so sorry…" he cried to the empty room. He looked down at himself. He loved Francis, he really did, but he almost wished now that he'd never met him just so that he wouldn't have to choose between the two of them. He was happy, and yet he still wished that he were in Alfred's home, as Alfred's wife, with Alfred's child… he rubbed his eyes, the tears running almost immediately into the bathwater that had now reached his lips. He turned the water off, sitting up on his knees to keep himself from inhaling any water. He tried to wash himself off to get his mind onto something else, but the more he allowed his thoughts to slip to it the more upset he felt. Alfred would have gotten them both killed if he had been able to kill Francis the previous evening. He could be so careless with details. Alfred never really understood the idea of one person not making a difference on their own, which was probably why he had always insisted that Arthur could have escaped if he had tried hard enough. Arthur knew that he could have, but he had wanted to stay with his family- another thing that Alfred had never understood- so he had never tried. He let out a heavy sigh, the tears finally starting to slow. Alfred was an idiot, although an entirely different breed of idiot than Francis. He climbed to the edge of the tub and dried his feet with a fluffy towel, satisfied with the clean feeling he had on the outside. Why did he have to keep falling in love with idiots? He smiled a little sadly, drying himself off and pulling on his nightgown and the bathrobe over it. All of the nightclothes that had been given to him, while nice, were all a bit… revealing, and he didn't feel comfortable letting Francis see him in some of those things let alone anyone that happened to be walking in the hall.

Francis sighed, listening to the faraway sounds of running water. He felt somehow, as if it were some prediction that had come to him in his drowsiness-clouded mind, that he and Arthur would have a fight that would split them apart. There was no way that a marriage like theirs would succeed. He buried his face in a pillow. "I'm sorry…" he muttered, his voice muffled slightly. He raised his head a bit to look out of the window. Small, multicolored orbs drifted dreamily around the magician's tower, giving it a magical look in the light of the dusk. The capitol city bellow was starting to go back to sleep, the children being called inside by impatient mothers who had their supper waiting for them. Francis, to say the least, wasn't hungry for supper, and his mood had made him lose his appetite. His thoughts drifted for a while as he tried to get to sleep, eventually landing on Arthur's family. He remembered promising Arthur that he would get to see them for Christmas. If he really was with child, then the five months between then and now would surely give him time to show it. His family would be appalled, and the thought of little Peter- sweet, innocent little Peter- having to think of the things that he had done to Arthur nearly broke his heart. He groaned and rolled over, facing the window and turning his back to the door. He let himself drift slowly into the arms of sleep, giving a small sigh.

Arthur re-entered the room a few minutes later, flopping down next to him. "The bathroom is available, if you wanted to clean yourself up before bed…" he mumbled, his words slurred slightly. He hadn't realized exactly how exhausted he was until his head hit the pillow, not wanting to leave it any time soon. He had spent nearly all of his day either walking, running, or crying. He wrapped a lazy arm around Francis, nuzzling his back like a great, sweet-smelling pillow. He couldn't think of Alfred now. He just couldn't stand to. He'd think of him later, when he could stand him better. However, he found himself thinking that Francis and Alfred weren't really so different after all; despite the fact that they were both infatuated with him, neither of them really understood him for all that they tried. Alfred, however, as much better at putting Arthur in a good mood. He smiled a bit as a good memory of Alfred found him; Alfred had made some crude joke about something that Arthur had been serious about and Arthur had gotten offended and upset, but when Arthur had tried to storm off angrily Alfred had pulled him into a bear hug. Arthur had struggled and a sort of game ensued, in which Arthur would try to push Alfred off of him while Alfred did all that he could to keep him from doing so. Alfred always won. The game had gone on for a while until they found themselves laughing, breathless, and in the awkward position of having their faces no more than an inch apart with Arthur's arms pinned to his sides and his knee grinding against Alfred's crotch. Needless to say the game had stopped there, although Arthur found himself no longer upset with him. Arthur's cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, a small smile tugging at his lips as he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Francis slept peacefully for a while, somehow managing to roll over without disturbing Arthur and snuggling up to him. He mumbled in his sleep at time- little words like "me" or "that"- sounding like an infant who was just learning to talk. His dreams were so strange though; They had rebuilt the green kingdom except Arthur wasn't happy, which was unusual. When he questioned him, Arthur said it was a waste because the green kingdom was weak and couldn't hold any longer. And then he cried and ran off, telling Francis he ruined everything. But then when Francis went inside the large castle to see if something was different, it was empty. Not a single piece of furniture or even a rug. It was like Arthur lost everything. And then Francis felt himself black out in his dream while he progressed towards a new one. This one was so odd he couldn't even explain it. Peter had become the king of the Green Kingdom and he was an adult. He became a strong knight with a white horse and was every village's hero, except he was...blind. Some sort of eye injury had happened of some sort and he wore a blindfold, and when his family went to congratulate him and spend time with him he was confused and cried when he couldn't see them. Francis at this point was trembling violently in his sleep. Usually his dreams were simple...But this...this was odd. Usually they never had so much emotion or included people he hardly knew. He didn't understand it either. Why was the castle empty? Why was Peter blind? Why did everyone have to cry? He shivered a bit in his sleep, feeling as if all warmth and love had left him.

Arthur, unlike Francis, hadn't slept soundly. He found himself waking up to the sight of the sun beginning to rise, unless of course it was setting backwards. He sighed, groggily sitting up and himself take his time to adjust his eyes to the light. He played with Francis's hair for a while before he remembered the book that he had stowed in the library earlier, smiling a little. He silently left the room, sneaking his way downstairs nearly undetected save for the few servants who gave him directions. It seemed to him that the castle, or at least certain parts of it, was always bustling with activity. The library, for example, currently held a few of the servants who, while apparently on duty, had no intention of working at the current time. Three of them sat in a corner, looking at some old book and giggling until they saw him come in. They all but flew out of their skins, begging him not to tell anyone that they were there. Arthur just laughed a bit and left them alone, much to their surprise and confusion, but by no means disappointment. He found his book and started back for his room, stopping to ask the servants if it was okay to take books from the library. They all nodded yes, but he couldn't help but somehow feel that they were just saying it because they feared that he would be angry if they told him otherwise. He sighed and left them to their book, eager to get back to his bedroom and dive into the magical world that the book had shown him. When he reached the room, however, he was a bit startled to find Francis shivering under all of the covers. He rushed to his side to see what was wrong with him and was equally surprised to find that he was still asleep. "Oh, he's having a bad dream." He chuckled, smiling sympathetically. He picked up his book again and sat next to him, propping the book up on his legs so that his arms were free and wrapping one arm around Francis's head, his hands toying lightly with his hair. He hummed softly, hoping to bring the other some comfort. "There now, you'll be okay…" he whispered. He heard Francis murmur something in his sleep and he smiled a bit, leaning over and pecking a gentle kiss to his hairline. "You'll be just fine…"

…

Okay, another small update. First off, not 100% sure if I'll be able to post a chapter next week, because I've got a school project that I really, really have to work on (two actually). Also, I know that the chapters are getting boring and that we're falling into that inevitable lull in the action that all of my stories seem to have where there's lots of talking but not much else, and unfortunately the next chapter is more of the same probably, but the next chapter is at least going to start gearing the story up for all of the good stuff. Like a chocolate-filled donut, except you have to bite through the outside stuff to get to the chocolate first and the outside stuff is about half made of cement and oh MY GOSH I'M RAMBLING-