They rode on, tearing through every little village and town, not stopping at the markets that were scattered around like bombs for wanted criminals.
"We can't stop, Spain. They'll be looking for us, and though I doubt any of these places have a bounty on our heads yet, it won't be long and those stupid guards will be on our tail once they figure out our path." Arthur muttered in annoyance, the Spanish accent rambling in his ear like a tiring bee.
He waved his hand to shoo the man away, urging the horse on farther.
"Arthur, we haven't eaten in weeks. At the most some bread every few days, we're starving!"
"Yeah, well, I was shot and fell in the ocean, you think I feel good either!" The Brit snapped back roughly.
The Spanish man grumbled, crossing his arms he looked behind him at the others. Canada was still limp and dead regarding against the wall of the cart but the two Italians held onto one another in an interwoven embrace that seemed inseparable.
Antonio's back was barely brushing against Arthur's not and he looked down at his sun kissed hands in his lap. "You deserved it."
He heard the Brit chuckle.
"And you haven't deserved what's happened to you?" He smirked, eyes stained the road in front of them mysteriously.
This was met with a laugh. It hurt his lungs to do so, but the Spanish man didn't care. "Maybe your right…"
"Here," England said some time later and tugged at the ropes carefully, the horse slowing to a stop. "Take this money, go buy food for all of us. But make it quick. Normally I would just say steal it but we can't afford to make a fuss right now." He muttered, turning around to face the surprised other. "I'll stay here with the boys and the horse, so don't just stand there or I'll kick you out and leave without you!"
The blonde sighed, slumping groggily. It had been almost twenty minutes since that annoying Spanish pirate left and still he hadn't come back.
His pale arms crossed against his chest and his olive eyes glared sadly at the bandages on his torso. He hoped Alfred would truly be alright.
"England! England!" Italy yelled, causing the surprised Brit to turn around. "Britain! Look, Antonio is coming!"
"Finally, that stupid Spanish f-" He gasped. Spain was barreling down the dirt road towards them, large bags under each arm. His run was wobbled and almost drunken from his previous wounds but that was not the worry that made Arthur clench his teeth. "Hold on you three!" He cried, grabbing the ropes to the horses as the Spaniard made his way closer.
Behind the tan man many uniformed men yelled after him. Faces red and sweaty from running and anger, they bumped into each other to be the first to catch up to the wanted pirate.
"What are you doing, we can't leave him!" Romano howled.
England growled. "Shut up, we aren't! Just wait!"
"Romano!" The Spanish accent called. His long legs burst with the most energy they could before making it to the wooden cart and trusting the full bags messily into it.
"Get in!" The Englishman bellowed, whipping the rope in his hands. Antonio's thin fingers held tightly onto the planks, huffing as the cart moved with a sharp jolt. "Hold on!"
He thrust the rope again, harder as the screaming men behind them waved their swords in the air.
"You damn idiot!" Arthur screeched at the panting man as the angry yells faded out of range. "What did I say about causing a scene? What did you do!"
"I got the stuff, that's what I did!" Antonio fired back. "But one of those local officers recognized me from a wanted poster and I hardly had enough time to give them the slip."
The blond sighed in irritation. "Did you even try to hide your face? What kind of pirate just walks around willy nilly?"
"Hey, I got everything so can it, big brows. Besides, you aren't in a position to be asking questions anyway."
"What do you mean?" He snarled sourly.
Antonio crossed his arms, his Italian underling beside him as they sat against the side of the cart. "You still haven't told us where we're going or how you are even still alive."
"I told you I'd tell you later."
"Well, its later, Arthur. Out with it already!"
"Fine! Fine!" He sighed but the horses rode on. Once again he watched the road with such care Antonio would've guessed it held the face of his dead mother. "We're going to…Russia."
"What!" Spain gasped barging to the front of the cart where Arthur was and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you crazy, Kirkland! Are you on a death sentence?"
The Brit smacked the tan hands away roughly as he rode. "Get off me you perverted Spaniard! We are going to Russia, he can help us better than anyone!"
Antonio glared at the back of the other's shaggy head evilly. "He'll enslave us! Torture us! Murder us! What are you thinking!"
"I'm thinking I know what I'm doing! Russia and I have been on…good terms lately. The same cannot be said for him and Turkey, right?"
"So? That doesn't mean he'll help us."
"Alright, here. Russia and I have been allies for a while now. I admit it. Not too close of ones, but close enough that I know he'd help me in a war, a debt problem, and this. So," Arthur explained. "I get his help, there is no way Turkey could beat Russia."
Antonio slumped down back against the wall, but his glare still stayed glued to his drenched face. "I still don't like this. But, that wasn't my only question."
"Ah, yes, of course it wasn't you nosy bastard. Fine, here's what happened." The blonde sighed again, longer and more exaggerated.
"Alfred shot me. That much was obvious to all of us. I never truly believed he would, I love…" Another sigh. "I love him. I really do. I know he feels the same about me too but I guess I didn't realize how far I was pushing him and his love. He wasn't born to be a pirate but I brought him aboard anyway, he was meant to be a hero. I was angry, so angry, I hate you so much Antonio" Arthur chuckled a bit, though the noise was weak and worthless. "And that hate towards you came boiling up to the surface too fast that night we met in the bar and it just kept coming from then on until I guess I caused you to feel that same extent of disgust towards me. In my race to…well…make you miserable, I didn't see I was making Alfred feel that way too. So, I locked him up. That's when he left with North Italy to Greece."
The man shook his head and Antonio swore he saw sadness in his green eyes as he stared shocked at him, astonished he was really telling them such things about himself.
"Anyway, my rage took me over and I went to every limit to make everyone feel my wrath, not just you anymore. Even Alfred, God, even Alfred. But, like I said, he is a hero, so he did what he had to do. When I fell into the ocean the pain was the worst I'd felt in my entire life. Not just the wound, not just the gallons of blood pouring out of me so quickly and the salty water infecting my blood stream and filling my lungs with its icy clasp. I come to grip with what I'd done, how I'd made Alfred feel and I knew I would never see him again. That the last thing I would ever do to him was almost kill his baby brother in front of him. That hurt more than anything. But, I couldn't see, everything was black and I couldn't move. It's a strange feeling, feeling yourself die. To feel the life suck out of your body until all that's left is every lifelong regret and sorrow."
"But you didn't die! You lived, how?" The Spaniard urged, and he knew the other three were listening in carefully.
"Ah," The Englishman chuckled. "You would think my guardian angel saved me, wouldn't you, Spain? That it was a miracle of God, something of that extent. Well, if so, my guardian angel is a cat loving Greek."
"Greece? Greece saved you?"
"He did. Turns out none of us noticed that after he had freed the others from their ropes, he disappeared. I think myself a fool for not noticing. But, he was under the dock in the boat Alfred and Feliciano had taken from my ship. He was planning an attack, but when he saw me fall in, he jumped in and got me into the boat. The same with Alfred and when you all left he took us ashore and cleaned us up. At that point, we devised a plan and came to your aid."
The air was silent but for the bouncing cart wheels on the dirt and horse hooves clamping down on the ground as they ran.
"I see, Arthur. Don't worry, we'll get Russia and we'll beat them together."