Of New Beginnings

Chapter II

…

Notes: Sorry for the wait.

…

Some days, Arthur was unsure whether or not he was still in Parance or still wondering near the border into Deustria. If it weren't for the heavy Paranch accents around him, he was certain he would forget as he did with how long he had been on his own and how many times he had been turned down for work. It was certainly peculiar; none of the many shops he had visited had opened up for over a day to give him a chance. During the first week, he would try negotiating after being turned down once, but he eventually began to move on after being rejected. He also stopped being picky, due to his limited amount of money, about which shops he visited.

After well over a month, Arthur stopped caring altogether about how long he had been out there alone or anything other than finding some sort of way of supporting himself. His money supply was running out fast and before long, he would have nothing to live off of. He began rationing what he had and sleeping on benches or in a church during the nights. He wasted no time during the day to move around and ask around for work. Arthur began to tire of the routine, feeling hopeless.

Arthur's dreams, since the beginning, were of his old life. During the day, he felt out of touch with his memories of his past adventures and acquaintances, but his dreams brought him back to times of looting the rich with Gilbert or the late nights of drinking heavily with Francis and Antonio. He would wake up and for a minute, be miserable and confused on why he was far away from them. As the memories rushed back to him, he felt like he deserved the heartaches.

The sun was setting one evening when Arthur sat down next to a cook's shop in an almost empty area of a busy town to rest some before he searched for a place to sleep for the night. After settling down, he reached in his pocket to quickly count what money he had left. The tips of his fingers touched paper instead, and he pulled out the origami bird Elizabeta had given him before he left. The paper, a little dingy, was bright and still looked new in contrast to Arthur's dirty hands. As he held it, he wondered how Francis and everyone else were doing. He imagined Francis was taking them out at sea and to new places. He smiled some, comforted by the thoughts.

He carefully stuck the bird back into his pocket and closed it, not acknowledging the man stepping over his legs and pacing up to the cook's shop next to him. He pulled his legs to him and stared out in front of him.

I shouldn't bother myself by counting what I have left again, he thought to himself. I have some leftover bread; I can eat half tonight and the rest tomorrow before I go out again. I could always stay in the inn on the next street over that doesn't charge anything, but that's a long walk away…

Arthur reached for his bag and dug around past Francis' blanket to find his food. His focus was lost when he heard something next to him softly hit the ground. He turned his head to see a small bag that had, thankfully, not busted open or the tie unraveled upon impact.

The one who was carrying it didn't seem to notice and had started to walk away. Arthur quickly grabbed his things and the small bag, and stood up. "Sir!"

The man didn't hear Arthur. The bag in his hand shook some and Arthur had realized what was in the bag. Though small, it was filled and heavy with coins.

Arthur gasped; with that money, he would be able to sustain himself for much longer than he could ever guess. There was no way a man would be carrying around that much money without having more, Arthur thought to himself. He's probably better off without this.

But I've also had to carry around all my money. How do I know he's not living off of just this? I could be endangering him.

"Sir!" He yelled louder, taking several steps forward and following the man. "You dropped something!"

"What?" The other had finally heard him and turned around. Arthur was now able to see him clearly; he was Shingan, with long, dark brown hair pulled back into ponytail. His clothes were nice and, as well as the rest of him, completely free of dirt. He had a heavy amount of things he was carrying with him; two large bags and a few smaller ones in his hands.

He approached Arthur, looking surprised. "I could have sworn I put that back in my bag." He told him, observing Arthur as he took back his bag of money. "Thank you so much,"

Arthur only nodded in response; the other's eyes searched him. "You don't look like you're from around here. Are you a traveler?" Arthur nodded again. "Where are you from?"

"Great Engerian," Arthur spoke up, clearing his throat. "I've lived south for a while."

"Is that so?" He smiled, interested. "What brings you up here?"

"I had lost my shop and I've been looking for work since." Arthur lied through his teeth in no fear the man would question it.

"How unfortunate. Do you mind helping my carry these things back home? I will pay, of course."

"Yes, yes. Of course."

Arthur helped the man by carrying a couple of his bags as he followed behind him on his way home. As the two passed the commoner grounds, he had expected him to stop but he kept walking. He didn't realize just how upper class he was until they were at the gate of a large estate.

"I don't think we introduced ourselves." He spoke, taking out a key to unlock the gate. "I'm Yao Wang."

"Arthur Jones."

"Well, Mr. Jones. I'll be happy to have you over for dinner tonight. I would like to hear more about you."

…

After entering, it occurred to Arthur that he had not been inside a home since leaving Elizabeta's. Though Yao's house was much bigger, the house gave off the same warm feeling. Arthur felt out of place walking into it.

"I assume you want a bath?" Yao asked, setting the bag he had brought back to the side. "I can get you some fresh clothes." The hospitality confused Arthur some, but he couldn't say no. He followed Yao to the bath, which was placed outside the back door.

"An outside bath?" He asked.

"Yes, there was a public one back in Shingan that my brother and I would commonly visit." He responded. "It's closed off, so do not worry about anyone seeing you."

"Thanks." Arthur responded. "I have seen several during my time in Shingan, I just never seen them built for a private home."

"I gotten it built for my brother for his 22nd birthday. The boy doesn't spend as much time in here as I thought he would, but I really enjoy it myself." Yao laughed. "You can go ahead and get comfortable. I need to go check on him and get you some clothes."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you, Yao."

Once Yao was gone, Arthur began removing his clothes. The last bath he had was about two weeks ago, but his clothes had gone without being washed since they were in Elizabeta's hands. He folded the dirty clothes gently and set them aside.

As much as he wanted to stay in the water for a while, Arthur kept his bathtime short. He cleaned all the dirt off of him and washed his hair. When he got out, dried himself off, and put on the clothes Yao brought out, he felt new again.

Once he was inside, he made his way back to the kitchen where Yao would more than likely be. He glanced into the many rooms on the way, observing them. Most looked like simple guests rooms. Yao was rich but, compared to the other wealthy households Arthur had been in, his house was more of a home. He didn't seem to spend money on too many luxuries; he had no servants, cooks, or maids, and even provided Arthur with those services himself. Arthur grew a sense of respect towards the man.

"Oh, Arthur. I'll have your clothes cleaned after I cook. You may sit down at the table in the next room if you must. Dinner is almost ready."

"Thank you," Arthur sat down at the table. Minutes later, Yao had brought out dishes.

"Usually Kiku sets the table, but I guess he's focusing on his studies. As much as I love that he's dedicated to learning, it's hard to get him to do other things." Yao laughed, setting a plate in front of Arthur. "Come with me to fetch him, Mr. Jones?" Arthur nodded and followed Yao out of the kitchen.

"You and him would get along very well, I think. Both quiet, but once Kiku gets past his shyness, I don't believe you would be about to get him to stop talking." Yao stopped at the door, knocking. "Kiku?" He waited, but there was not a sign from behind the door.

Quietly and slowly, Yao opened the door. "Kiku?" In the dark room lit by a few candles, a younger man sat at a desk with his head in his arms, sleeping silently. "Oh, he passed out again." Yao's voice was much quieter. He approached his brother and touched his shoulders. "He works too hard for his own good."

"He should limit himself." Arthur whispered. "It's not healthy to work until you pass out."

"I know," Yao sighed, moving his hands to pick him up. "He skips meals, refuses to go outside, and he doesn't socialize unless I have someone over, and that's only when he feels like eating dinner at the table."

"Hmm." Arthur answered, not knowing how to respond. Yao picked Kiku up and pulled him to his bed. The young man groaned uncomfortably in his sleep, repositioning himself weakly and grabbing onto the pillow.

Yao grabbed a blanket from the floor and threw it over his brother. "I'll have to wake him up later. If he skips one more meal, he'll probably get sick." He grumbled, leaving the room. "Damn it, Kiku."

Before Arthur left the room, he glanced back at Kiku curiously. He was at least 22, from what Yao had told him. He couldn't pull too many conclusions from what he had heard from Yao alone, but he found it odd with the riches Yao had, that his brother still worked hard. That was the way it was for cousins of royal families, at least in Norvia from what he's heard.

He walked over to the candle-lit desk and examined the papers and books that littered Kiku's workspace. Books on Shingan history, research papers about anatomy, and mathematic formulas were among the many that had caught Arthur's quick look before he considerately blew out the candles. Yao would begin to wonder why he had stayed, and that was a question Arthur couldn't quite answer. He did feel the need to blow out the candles.

Behind him, Kiku groaned again, faintly. Arthur turned around, catching Kiku's open, tired eyes.

"How long was I passed out?" He spoke. His voice was much softer and quieter than his brother's, though Arthur couldn't tell if it was because he had just been woken up.

"I don't know," Arthur answered. "Your brother has dinner ready."

"I'm not hungry." Kiku replied, pulling the blanket up to cover his shoulders.

"Alright," Arthur nodded, turning away and heading to the door. "But I think you should try eating soon. You should not skip meals."

"Okay." Kiku responded after a pause. Arthur left the room, closing the door behind him. Yao was waiting for him outside.

"I'm sorry, I thought I should have blown out the candles." He told the man.

Yao nodded, smiling. "I felt weird leaving a stranger with my brother. But that's okay, let's eat."

…

Arthur would have dug right into anything edible that Yao would have placed in front of him due to how little he had been eating for the past month. The food that Yao had prepared was remarkable and nothing he had ever tasted before. It was a blend of traditional specialties native to Parance and a touch of Shingan tastes. It was almost comparable to the food Francis and Antonio had made for him before, and as if the meal was a mix of his old and new life.

"Is it good?" Yao asked, noticing Arthur's shocked facial expressions.

Arthur nodded quickly. "It's amazing. Did you come up with this?"

Yao laughed. "You could say this was a product of playing around with other cooks back when I was much younger. It's so much fun playing with food."

Arthur smiled. "You're a very good cook."

"Thank you. In fact, I've only been able to hire a cook for just a short period of time until Kiku wishes for me to go back to cooking again."

"Is that so? I find it odd that a man like you doesn't have hired help for such a large home."

"I used to, you know. Kiku has been the one who has been cleaning recently. He's home most of the time, and I pay him for it. It's a better system, we think."

"I believe you're right. He has studying and schooling, too, no?"

"Studying yes, schooling, not really. He went through schooling before and finished. He wants to be a scholar and what he was offered before didn't meet his expectations. He likes to do his own thing anyway."

"Interesting." Arthur commented.

"You think so?"

"Yeah," Arthur took another bite. "I had a love for knowledge when I was younger, I still do. It's nice to see others appreciate learning as much as I do."

"That's good." Yao took a deep breath. "I think you and Kiku have a lot in common, but you are different in a lot of ways, too. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having you around, and I'm sure you'll enjoy spending time with him, too."

Arthur was taken aback. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Kiku loves learning, and that's a great thing. But he also needs companionship and time away from his books. I saw how you handled taking care of him before leaving his room, too. I could also use another helping hand around the house."

Arthur threw his hands over his mouth to prevent the food from falling out. After swallowing, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin. "Master Wang, are you offering me a job?"

"Are you willing to take care of my younger brother and household?"

Arthur stood up from his chair, walking around to Yao's seat, and getting down onto his knees. Taking Yao's hand in his, he nodded. "I am. Thank you so much for–"

"You're accepting, I'm delighted, but I haven't told you the rest. You will be taking the spare room across from Kiku's room, if you wish to stay here. You're starting pay is 40 coins a week."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you." He closed his hand around Yao's. "I'm very grateful to work for you, Mr. Wang.

…

Notes: Key for your convience:

Norvia – Norway/Iceland

Great Engerian – England/America/Canada

Parance – France

Deustria – Germany/Austria/Prussia/Hungary

Shingan – Japan/China/Thailand

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