Disclaimer: I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia.

Survival of the Toughest

Chapter 2

Captain Kirkland held his liquor and swallowed to ease his burning throat. The cocky man's friend ran out to get the sheriff. His mind made the connection. "Wench," he addressed the woman, "you seem to look somewhat competent." He sheathed his sword and stepped over the newly dead body as he walked over to her. "We're looking for someone," he began.

The woman's palms stayed firmly on her hips, "You're under arrest, Stranger." Her pout seemed to have a serious edge to it and her adventurous eyes hardened ever so slightly.

Captain Kirkland held back an amused laugh. He spoke in his British accent, "What?"

Her voice rose a few decibels, demanding submission from all that doubted her, "I'm the self-proclaimed sheriff 'round these parts and you're under arrest for killin' this fella." She gestured towards the dead man behind the captain.

The small, amused laugh that Captain Kirkland was trying to hold back escaped from between his dry lips. He rested his right hand on his white ruffled chest, "I'm not going to prison. I'm going to find someone."

He noticed her clear, blue eyes' stare slowly travel up to his precious hat. The lower lid of her right eye carefully lifted as her crisp eye brows knitted together. Her mouth opened slightly and her head tipped to the side as the right side of her nose twitched up. She licked her lips to remove the dry dust and to digest the colorful mass that clung to the top of Captain Kirkland's head, "You know, you're gonna get a black eye, wearin' them goose feathers 'round town."

Quite obviously, her attention span left much to be desired. The captain lost his cool composure and his emerald eyes grew cold as usual, "They are not goose feathers, you bloody wanker." He was only trying to have a civilized conversation with an obviously well-endowed woman. "Now," he continued, "be a good girl and tell me where—"

The woman cut him off and stared into his eyes. Her eyes had dropped all formalities and were now wide with wonder. Her right thumb planted itself on her heart, "Good?" She let her hand open and pat her collar bone, "Why, I'm the best! Best shooter, best rider, best sheriff!" Captain Kirkland could have sworn he saw someone with that same composure a short while back. "C'mon," she interrupted his thoughts, "I've got a cell with your name on it."

She took the rope from her side and began to walk over to Captain Kirkland. He drew his sword and held it a few inches from the woman's nose. "If you're not going to help me find who I'm looking for, I'll permanently silence you now," he said with complete ease. The customers in the saloons' eyes watched the man and woman. Their eyes widened when they saw a grin slowly spread across the woman's face. They all knew what it meant and as fast as they could, each one of them sped out of the saloon without looking back. The captain thought this to be of little annoyance, because at the moment, his unfaltering gaze was locked with the woman's amused eyes. He swung his sword to his left, preparing to slice the woman's hidden neck open and as he did this, the woman squatted and leapt up. Quickly, the captain swung his sword to his right, to slice the woman's leg, but he narrowly missed. He watched with wide, green eyes as the woman landed with a thud on the table a few feet behind her.

Her gloved hands fit snugly on her hips and her grin stayed on her face. She lifted one of the pistols from her belt and shot Captain Kirkland's sword from his hand. She brought the tip of her pistol to her mouth and blew the rising smoke away, "Sir, you will never silence the great Ally L. Jones."

A wave of shock passed through Captain Kirkland's body as he remembered Ally's voice from his visit with Alfred. His eyes focused on the 'Sheriff' pin that gleamed from its spot on Ally's chest. It made perfect sense that a sister of Alfred's was a law official. He should have recognized it as soon as he saw her, but that did not matter. Either way, he was going to bring her back to New York with him. "Very well," he spoke, "I will not try to silence you." The captain wanted to bring Ally back east the easiest way he knew how, "All I want is my ship and hand fixed. I've asked Alfred if he would help me, but he's refused. Would you come with me back east and persuade him?"

With a confident and short laugh, Ally tucked her pistol back into its spot on her right hip, "There ain't nothin' ya'll can do to make me make Alfie do somethin' he don't want to do." Her eye lids dropped slightly to cover the top of her pupils to give her a more relaxed look. It was obvious that she had handled plenty of troublemakers before and she saw Captain Kirkland as the everyday, flamboyantly dressed criminal.

Captain Kirkland noticed her relaxed composure and her lack of seriousness insulted him. His scowl deepened, "Such a pity. I was hoping to avoid some dirty work and save some time." He looked back at his trio that he had chosen to accompany him. The captain barked, "Fetch her!"

In a hurry, the men climbed over tables and dodged wooden chairs to get closer to Ally. The shortest of the trio had come in contact with the table Ally was standing on sooner than the other two and he thrusted his arms out to seize the female sheriff. Ally turned ninety degrees to her left so that the man was reaching for her right leg and bent over to her right, the palms of her beige gloves pressed onto the man's head. She bent her elbows so her head nearly touched the man's head and thrusted her body up, causing it to fly through the air again and land within a foot of the brawny crew mate. Captain Kirkland watched, his eyes widening with each trick Ally performed. The sheriff bent her upper body backwards and swung her boots up and with a great force the boots collided with the brawny man's chin. A snap resounded throughout the saloon; the sign that the brawny man's bottom and top teeth smashed together. The kick altered the man's balance, causing him to fall backwards onto the last of the three men. Ally watched the man topple backwards as she ended her handstand in front of Captain Kirkland.

He turned her head to face the captain with a confident grin plastered across her face. The captain's wide eyes searched through the sheriff's prideful eyes for some sign of weakness. He nearly gulped when he found none.

"Now," Ally turned her body completely to face Captain Kirkland, "am I going to have to drag you to the jail kicking and screaming?" As she spoke, the shortest man that was forced into the table earlier in the fight regained his composure. He turned to Ally's back and snuck up behind her. As soon as Ally's booming laugh arose again, he shoved Ally to Captain Kirkland. The captain's arms sprang up from their sides and his hands clutched Ally's wrists tightly. He called for his shortest crew member to hold her legs in place. The shortest man obediently kneeled and wrapped his arms around Ally's soft legs.

Ally struggled against Captain Kirkland's strength and her legs tried to resist being held firm. Wasting no time, the captain lifted the rope from Ally's belt and wrapped the rope around her wrists. To make sure that there was no slack, he yanked harshly, earning a wince and a small growl from Ally. As he finished with the first section of rope, he tied it together and Ally hissed, "You're a stinkin' pole cat and you can't make me do nothing."

"We'll see about that," The captain squatted and tied Ally's ankles together with a foot of rope between them to allow for walking. The other two crew mates stood, awaiting orders. The captain stood when he finished the tying. "Alright, lads, go prepare your horses," he ordered as he brushed his black gloved hands against each other. The three crew mates hurried out of the saloon and to the post to which they tied their stolen horses. The captain smirked at his handiwork and held onto Ally's tied wrists with his left hand. He walked out of the saloon, yanking Ally along and stopped at his horse. He gazed at her out of the corner of his eyes and asked, "Are you going to behave like a sensible hostage or do I have to carry you over the saddle and risk losing you your spectacles?" In response, Ally spat at Captain Kirkland's boots. Her head darted up to glare furiously at him. He narrowed his eyes disapprovingly, "I see." He climbed onto the horse's saddle and reached his arms around Ally's chest and under her arms. The captain yanked her up and laid her over his lap so that her stomach was prodded against the horn of the saddle. He used a third section of rope to tie above and below Ally's hips to the saddle's horn to make sure she stayed on the horse. After he finished, Captain Kirkland looked back to his crew and announced their departure, "It's time to go back to New York, men." The trio felt anxious to get back to their sea and they were thankful that they were leaving the west. The captain kicked his boots into the horse's sides, ordering it to run on the road they arrived on. The horse whinnied loudly and charged across the ground with the other three close behind.

After a minute had passed, Ally yelled up at Captain Kirkland, "Alright! Alright! Let me up!" She squirmed, "I'll sit like a lady should!"

Captain Kirkland glanced down at her pained expression, taking notice that her spectacles had fallen off. Oh, well, Ally could get a new pair in New York if she wanted to. "I don't know," the captain began, "I think I prefer you in this position." He smirked as he glanced at Ally's struggling body.

The horse leaped over a stone, jolting the horse and everything it carried. Ally shrieked, "Cap'n, let me up!" Captain Kirkland rolled his eyes and halted the horse. He untied the knot he had made in the rope and pulled Ally up into his lap. Ally sat against the horn of the saddle and Arthur pulled her arms over his shoulders and under his arms. He tied Ally's waist and his own together to secure her on the horse and then dug his heels into the horse's sides, causing the horse to run again. Captain Kirkland glanced down at Ally's chest. It was amazing that her shirt was still tied in its tight knot. He then realized that it must have hurt Ally terribly to go over those jumps. He almost felt guilty; almost.

The next seventeen days passed by quickly. The weather was growing warmer and summer arrived in Ohio. They were making good time, considering the fact that Ally had argued with Arthur every step of the way. In the beginning when they were in Kansas and Missouri, it was simply unbearable. Whatever Ally could find fault in, she would argue about it. Captain Kirkland had threatened her multiple times, but he never let her go. To be sure she would stay his prisoner; he slept beside her every night, wrapping her in his crimson coat to render her immobile. As they passed through Illinois and Indiana, Ally had argued less and the crimson coat had grown looser when Ally was wrapped in it. Finally, in Ohio, tension seemed to disappear at some points.

Captain Kirkland had been letting more and more of his inner gentleman and feelings out. Ally's presence and questionable behavioral patterns had left Arthur nicely bewildered. Ally was a pleasant mystery to Arthur. The way she could sleep in any position and on anything was amazing and just the slightest whisper of danger could wake her. When she did wake, Arthur would see her plentiful, golden lashes pull back and reveal her wondrous, cerulean eyes. They always looked a bit dazed, like luminescent pools of underground water that were undisturbed for long periods of time. Mere seconds after her waking up, those undisturbed pools would grow wide and flashes of sunlight would swim around within them. Arthur had concluded that the very essence of life was personified in this woman; all of the pleasure and all of the joy and freedom was locked away inside her.

Ally L. Jones had been taken from her home in the west and dragged across the country by a small band of pirates. Of course she was agitated and very unhappy that she was being held against her will. She would always work hard on driving the pirate captain over the deep end, but she was always unsuccessful. She often wondered how the captain could always hold his nerve. It was a part of Captain Kirkland that always tugged and yanked at Ally's nerves. She was always so free with her feelings and her exasperation, but she always saw the captain's feelings trapped behind lock and key. Not always, actually. There were only a few times that Ally could catch Arthur showing feeling. When he woke her in the morning, she could see the curious child in Arthur Kirkland's eyes. His emerald green eyes were filled with wonder and excitement, but only for a few seconds. Once he realized that his guard was down, he put it back up rather quickly. The other time that Ally could catch Arthur in feeling was when he took out an old, crimson ribbon and held it to his heart. Then and only then could Ally see fear and sadness nestled deep within those large, lonesome eyes. To be quite honest, every time Ally thought of that look in Captain Kirkland's eyes, it yanked her heart strings and twisted them.

Finally, the group was at the edge of Ohio and they stopped at the Ohio River. Captain Kirkland had ordered a break. He knew that they would be back in New York harbor within eight days, so he decided to give the horses a rest for a little while as well as his crew and Ally.

When they dismounted, Arthur untied Ally's wrists and ankles. For some reason he trusted her to stay close. "You can run around," Captain Kirkland explained, "but you have to come back here within five minutes of you leaving and you have to stay within earshot."

Ally agreed and then proceeded to run off. When Arthur could not see her anymore, he sat by the river as his crew members stretched and relaxed under the trees that allowed an abundance of shade. Arthur felt the right breast of his coat—the pocket where he kept the old, red ribbon that once belonged to Alfred. He pulled the ribbon out of the coat pocket and gazed at it. He looked at the scenery across the river, imagining him and young Alfred playing. Ally's booming laughter interrupted his thoughts. He looked behind himself to see Ally jabbering at his crew mates about a few strawberries she had found. A smile grew on Arthur's face as he looked back to where he imagined young Alfred was. He felt the ribbon and realized that he was never going to have those days back. With one glance at Ally, he knew that he had to look to the future instead of the past. He gazed at the crimson ribbon and brought it to his lips. It would hurt to let go, but in order to move on, it had to be done. He took in a deep breath and let the ribbon drop in the river. He watched it weave through the current and rocks until he could see it no longer.

Arthur exhaled his deep breath and then looked at his left hand. The black glove's tattered hole in the center of the palm reminded him of his run-in with Francis and Antonio. As of right now, he felt a little peeved, but the breeze and the sound of the river washed away the anger.

"I should probably change the bandages," he muttered quietly to himself. He winced as he pulled his glove off his hand and unwrapped the bandages carefully. Arthur examined his hand. It was caked in dried blood and the hole was smaller, but still there. At least he could not see completely through his palm. He heard a gasp come from behind him and he looked up to see Ally's shocked face.

Ally clutched the sides of her hat as she very nearly shrieked, "Your hand!" Instantly, she fell to her knees beside Arthur. She yanked and pulled on Arthur's crimson coat and succeeded in removing it from him. She turned it inside out and soaked it in the Ohio River.

Captain Kirkland watched with wide eyes, "What in God's name are you doing?"

Ally held onto Arthur's hand with one hand and clutched on to the red coat with the other. She scrubbed the dried blood off Arthur's hand as Arthur cussed and tried to pull away. "Hold still," Ally demanded as her hold grew stronger on him. Captain Kirkland winced and choked down moans of pain. Finally, he tried to stand, determined to get away from the agonizingly painful scrubbing. "I said 'hold still,'" Ally yanked on Arthur's arm, throwing him off balance. Arthur fell back into the river. His weight pulled at Ally, begging her to join in the water. The only parts of Ally that sunk underneath the water were her hands and forearms. "Hold on, Cap'n," Ally yelled to a submerged Arthur, "I'll have you out in a jiffy!" She held tighter onto Arthur's wrist and pulled him up and out of the river. She let go of him when she was sure that he was a few feet away from the water.

Arthur coughed up a few droplets of water. "Great," he growled, "now, I'm soaked."

"But at least you're alive," Ally stood, "You need to get out of those wet clothes. Go behind that tree over there and strip."

Infuriated that he was being ordered around, Captain Kirkland stood and loomed over Ally. All he could say to her was, "Hold your tongue." After they had shared a few seconds of unbroken eye contact, Arthur walked over to the tree and stripped behind it. Ally had ordered the largest of the three crew members to take off his shirt and give it to Captain Kirkland to wear while his clothes were drying. As soon as Arthur had put on the large, dry shirt, Ally hung up Arthur's clothes to dry. She kneeled beside him and took a small bag that was no bigger than the palm of her hand off her belt. She opened it and pulled out a roll of bandages. "Let me see your hand," She stated. Arthur showed Ally his hand and had expected her to cringe at the sight of it, but her face remained calm and focused. She wrapped his palm thoroughly, being sure to cover up every bit of the hole. When she was done, she put the glove over the hand again. "There," she whispered, "it's alright now." Arthur stared at his hand, thankful that it would heal better now. Ally smiled, "Don't you worry none; it'll be back to normal in no time."

Captain Kirkland did not meet Ally's gaze. "Thank you," he whispered just loud enough for Ally to hear, "thank you for saving my life and for rewrapping my hand."

Ally's smile temporarily disappeared, but as soon as it had disappeared, it reappeared. She whispered back, "Anytime, Kirky."

Arthur laughed breathlessly and shortly at the nickname. "Don't call me that," he glanced at her eyes. He tried to read her face and the most he was able to understand was that she would continue to call him 'Kirky' if he did not give her a better nickname. "If you must refer to me as something other than Captain, refer to me as Arthur."

"Alright, Arthur," Ally giggled softly. Rather suddenly, she stood and began to tell Arthur all about her ordeal while she was apart from the group. Arthur watched her fast movements and listened to her amplified voice. He was not intrigued by Ally's strawberry story, but more by the way she told her story. The faintest bit of color kissed Arthur's cheeks while he listened.

After the break was over, everyone mounted their horses. Arthur made sure to tie a rope around Ally's waist and tie the same rope to his own waist to help Ally stay on the horse. With little hesitation, he dug his heels into his horse's sides and off they galloped over the bridge and into Pennsylvania. Over the course of the next six days, Captain Kirkland had become more irritable little by little. When the group was within two days of arriving in New York's harbor, it seemed that Arthur had reached the end of his patience. He had demanded that they stop for a break. He cut his and Ally's rope and jumped down from his place on his horse. Arthur stormed past some foliage, desperately searching for privacy. He stopped at a small brook, glaring into the water and clenching his hands. A few days back, a dull throb emitted from Arthur's left hand. This, of course, did not bother him. He knew that he had made a tiring journey and he was not going to let it disrupt his concentration. A day after the throb began; a sharp pain seemed to rip through the palm and wrist of Arthur's left hand. There was a hotness that never left Arthur's body and it appeared shortly after the throb started. Both it and the pain had become more unbearable as the days passed.

Captain Kirkland cursed under his breath as he clutched his left wrist. Ally had followed Arthur to the brook and was generally worried for his impulse to stop the journey's progress. Arthur heard Ally's wary voice, "Arthur? Are ya alright? You've been pretty angry for a few days now—way more than usual."

"Hush up," Captain Kirkland said curtly, "I don't want to hear your obnoxious drabble." His grip on his left wrist tightened.

A spark of fury ran through Ally's body, nestling itself deep in her eyes, "My voice ain't obnoxious dribble, ya Brit! I'm worried about you! There's no need to get rude!"

Captain Kirkland turned to Ally and glared at her furiously. He hissed, "I told you to shut up, you incompetent cow wrangler!"

Ally gasped and stared at Arthur with pained eyes. Quickly, she tucked away her sadness and let loose her rage, "You're a stinkin' pole cat and an idiot! I don't know why I didn't run away when I had the chance! Who would ever want to be with a grouchy blowhard like you?" She bit her bottom lip in frustration and faced away from him, "You're nothin' but an old chiseler!"

As Captain Kirkland heard the western insults Ally threw at him, the pain in his hand stripped his nerves raw, making the least bit of arrogance intolerable. All Arthur knew was that he wanted Ally to shut up and to stop insulting him. Suddenly, Arthur thrusted his right arm out and gripped a section of Ally's hair. He yanked her back beside his chest and glared furiously into her surprised and pained eyes. He gripped her right hip with his left hand, trapping her against his chest and forced his lips against hers. Arthur could hear Ally's hesitant protests and he could see the waving of her arms, ordering him to stop. There was no way he would stop. He has wanted this kiss for longer than he'd like to remember. Finally, he found it in Ally L. Jones.

Ally opened her mouth and bit down on Arthur's bottom lip. Arthur let out a sharp moan of pain and pulled back from her. Ally pressed her hands against Arthur's chest and pushed him far enough away so he would let go of her. When he reluctantly did, she smacked her right hand across his face. Arthur stared wide eyed to his right, where the smack had made him look.

"I am a lady," Ally shouted and stomped, "and you've gotta treat me like a gentleman would treat a lady! You have no manners!" She stormed back to the horses, leaving Arthur with his throbbing hand and cheek.

Arthur held his left cheek with his right hand and then glared at his left hand. He cursed under his breath as he walked back to the horses, attempting to ignore his left hand. Without a word, he climbed back onto his horse with a little difficulty and pulled Ally up on his lap.

Ally watched only Captain Kirkland's hands as he tied their hips together. She heard him cuss under his breath as he had difficulty tying the knots. After tying the knots, Captain Kirkland kicked the heels of his boots into the horse's sides, causing it to take off again. The crew followed behind him. Ally remembered that all of the other times Arthur had tied the knots, he had been fast and skilled at doing so. She wondered why he suddenly had difficulty. She looked up at his face and saw that it was flushed. She rested her head against his chest to hear his heart. It was speeding and Arthur had been breathing harder. She looked closer and noticed how labored he looked. Ally hesitantly turned her gaze to see what was ahead and worried silently for him.

After a day, the harbor was in sight. "There it is, Lads," Captain Kirkland shouted behind him.

As the crew of three cheered, Ally watched as two ships pulled into the harbor. She saw the crews on the two new ships climb over onto Captain Kirkland's ship and take it over. Ally looked at Arthur, "Cap'n–"

"Hush," Captain Kirkland commanded. Arthur was concentrating on speeding up the horse to reach the harbor faster.

"But, Cap'n, the—" Ally was interrupted again.

Arthur glared into her eyes, "I said 'hush'!" Ally stayed quiet and looked back at the harbor. They were riding up the final street that let out onto the docks. Captain Kirkland's eyes widened as saw the entire dock taken up by the French and Spanish crews. Arthur yanked back on the reins of his horse and the crew of three behind him did the same.

Capitaine Francis Bonnefoy sauntered up to Captain Kirkland's horse with Capitán Antonio Carriedo smiling by his side. Captain Kirkland quickly untied the rope that bound Ally's waist to his and dismounted the horse. Captain Kirkland hissed, "What are you wankers doing here?" The French and Spanish crews surrounded the horses, waiting for an order.

"Bonjour," Capitaine Bonnefoy grinned.

"Hola," Capitán Carriedo gave a friendly wave, "someone told us you'd be here, Kirkland."

Captain Kirkland narrowed his eyes, a little confused. It was then that Alfred F. Jones walked out of the crew's crowd and he stood in front of Captain Kirkland. "I figured you'd pull something like this, Arthur," Alfred growled. Captain Kirkland mentally cursed as a smile appeared on Ally's face. "You obviously can't be trusted to walk out of here alive," Alfred kept his same poisonous tone.

Ally's eyes widened a bit as her smile fell from her face. She knew where this was headed. Quickly, Ally jumped down from the horse, "Wait, Alfie! There's something I have to talk to you about in your office!" She pushed past Captain Kirkland and took a hold of Alfred's right hand. "It's very important; it can't wait," Ally spoke in a rushed voice.

Alfred watched his sister and looked back at Captain Kirkland. He paused and then spoke in a small voice, "You two didn't…did you?"

Ally shook her head vigorously, "No, no, Alfie, we didn't. There's something different I have to talk to you about, so come on!" She tugged on Alfred's hand.

Alfred turned to Capitaine Bonnefoy and Capitán Carriedo. "Take Kirkland to a jail cell. I'll have a talk with him later," Alfred ordered and then allowed his sister to pull him to his office.

Captain Kirkland watched as Capitaine Bonnefoy and Capitán Carriedo walked towards him. He glared at their amused faces and thought of how sickening it was to be trapped by them. He waited until they had walked past him to turn and follow them. His furious gaze seemed to bore through the French man's and the Spaniard's skulls. Captain Kirkland's right hand wandered towards his left upper arm. As he stared straight ahead, his fingertips of his right hand dug into his left upper arm. He was led into a small jailhouse and Capitán Carriedo happily opened a jail cell for him. Captain Kirkland held back a snarl as he stiffly and reluctantly walked into the jail cell. Capitaine Bonnefoy locked the cell door and smiled, pleased by the appearance of Arthur Kirkland behind bars.

A deep growl slowly emanated from Captain Kirkland's throat, "Is something funny, you manky prat?"

Capitán Carriedo's smile faded. Yes, Captain Kirkland always had a good amount of venom to spit at him and Capitaine Bonnefoy, but there was a flicker of pure rage in the prisoner's eyes. "Capitán Bonnefoy, maybe we should leave him alone," Capitán Carriedo stood at Capitaine Bonnefoy's left.

"Mon ami," Capitaine Bonnefoy rested his left hand on Capitán Carriedo's right shoulder, "there are iron bars between him and us. He cannot do us any harm whether he likes it or not. Besides," He let his hands fall to his hips, "his behavior is no different from usual. He is always a spiteful, ungentlemanly, little man."

Captain Kirkland turned quickly towards Capitaine Bonnefoy and stood right against the bars. His furious, emerald eyes meant grim death to whoever decided to insult him. His voice enunciated each syllable in his command, "Belt up, you bloody arsehole!" He grinded his teeth as he lowered his tone, "I will gut you if you open your skanky mouth one more time." After making sure that Capitaine Bonnefoy knew he was serious, Captain Kirkland turned away from the two other men in the room and sat on the dirty floor. He stared at the floor as his fingertips on his right hand continued to dig into his upper left arm.

Alfred opened the door to the jailhouse and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him as he began to speak, "Fine, Arthur, I'll fix your stupid hand," He walked over to the bars and squatted directly behind Captain Kirkland, "but I'm only giving you enough supplies so that you can just barely make it to Europe." He waited for his prisoner to answer. When he didn't, Alfred became annoyed, "Arthur, I said I'll fix your stupid hand and ship! Speak!"

Arthur merely turned his head and glared at Alfred. It was then that Alfred's nose caught a hold of a foul scent. Alfred scrunched his nose up in disapproval, "What's that disgusting odor…?" He sniffed away from Captain Kirkland, but the trail of smell led back to him. "It's coming from you, Iggy," Alfred's eyes that had been cold to Arthur seemed to have a hint of worry in them.

"Belt up, you stupid git," Captain Kirkland hissed, "I've been parading around the west for 50 days!"

"No," Alfred sniffed closer to Arthur and then spoke, "it smells worse than that." Alfred visually inspected Arthur as best as he could, ignoring the bars between them. He noticed that Arthur's right hand was gripping onto his left upper arm. "Give me your hand," Alfred demanded as he yanked Arthur's left wrist between the bars.

A short-lived yell of pain shot out of Captain Kirkland's mouth as Alfred tugged the black glove off of Arthur's bandaged hand. Alfred's eyes widened as he saw the bandages were soaked. Quickly, Alfred pulled off the bandages and nearly gagged. Arthur's left hand resembled that of a burn victim's corpse. The hand was completely black and the hole through the palm had not healed. There was bodily fluid seeping out of the hole and shriveled twigs had taken place of what was once healthy and muscular.

Capitaine Bonnefoy and Capitán Carriedo looked over Alfred's shoulder. Each man gasped and covered their mouths. Alfred had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the gruesome sight of the flesh eating disease that ravaged Arthur's hand. He looked at Arthur's wrist, noticing that the black proof of the disease did not only manifest the hand. He pulled Arthur's crimson jacket off of Arthur's left arm to see how fast the disease had spread. Alfred pulled up Arthur's sleeve and a terrified thought sunk into his head.

Immediately, Alfred unlocked the jail cell and pulled Arthur out. He threw Arthur over his shoulder and hurried out of the jailhouse. Captain Kirkland yelled, "Put me down, Alfred! I can run on my own!"

Alfred ignored Arthur's angered protests and focused on putting him in the hospital as soon as possible. He ran inside the hospital and sat Arthur down on one of the beds. "Stay here," Alfred demanded and then he ran out of the room to find the doctor. Arthur muttered various obscenities to himself as he gripped his upper left arm in pain. The pain was all that was shooting through Arthur's mind. The excruciating pain ripped at his nerves as he lay down to try and calm it. The smell of decay and the burning heat of his fever made Arthur want to wish it was all over.

Alfred ran back into the room with a handful of doctors behind him. "Here he his, Doctor," He looked back at one of the doctors, "look at his arm." The doctor spoke aloud the symptoms of the disease as he saw them and then told Alfred what they planned to do to stop it.

Arthur ignored every word they said. His heart pounded in his ears and all he could do was breathe and whine in pain.

"Arthur," Alfred leaned over his former caretaker, "Arthur, listen to me. The disease you have is gangrene and the doctors are going to stop it. They're going to give you some chloroform and they're going to operate. Do you understand, Arthur?"

Arthur Kirkland's glazed eyes met with Alfred's gaze. A nurse pressed a cloth that was moistened with chloroform over Arthur's nose and mouth. As he breathed in the chloroform, Arthur saw the spirited, dependent, worried, little boy he had always cared for in Alfred's eyes. Arthur's eyelids fell closed and he tried to picture an easier world.

Arthur's mind wandered about, dreaming of happiness. He dreamed he was back in the 1600's when he first met Alfred. He recalled how happy and how energetic Alfred used to be towards him. He dreamed that Alfred had grown up right in front of eyes and Alfred had turned away from him. When Arthur rested his hand on Alfred's shoulder, Alfred shrunk a few inches and his hair grew out. The new person had turned to face Arthur. Alfred had turned into Ally. Her smile was full of compassion and her eyes were relieved to see Arthur. She closed the distance between her and Arthur and wrapped her arms around his neck. Arthur held her and kissed her. So this was bliss. This is what Arthur had wanted.

Before the kiss was over, Arthur had opened his eyes. He looked to his left to see the harbor out the window. He looked to his right to see Ally sitting beside him, watching the ships in the harbor. By the look on her face, she did not see that Arthur was awake yet. Arthur groaned a bit to imply that he was awake, "Ally."

Ally immediately looked to her left and leaned towards Arthur, "Arthur!" She had a look of huge relief on her face and it made Arthur smile softly.

Then the chloroform completely lost its influence. An incredible, throbbing pain dug through Arthur's left shoulder. Arthur bit his lip and winced violently. His breath came out weakly as he attempted to move his left hand to his forehead. He paused and his eyes widened.

"…Arthur…" Ally spoke quietly, "I'm so sorry." Arthur looked to his left and saw the bed sheets bare. He sat up and stared, horrified at his left shoulder. Ally rested a hand on Arthur's right shoulder, "You should stay lying down, Arthur; that area hasn't healed yet."

"My…" Arthur barely uttered, "My arm… It's gone!"

"Lie back down, Arthur," Ally spoke her normal tone to convey that Arthur really should not move after an amputation. "The doctor told Alfred that the gangrene had already spread through your elbow. The only way to save your life was to…cut off your arm."

Arthur repeated the name of the disease under his ragged breath. He thought back to the moment Capitaine Bonnefoy's bullet shot through his hand. His soft and uneven breath grew stronger as a new feeling took over him. It was ultimately Francis's fault that he had lost his arm, Arthur thought.

Ally saw Arthur's composure change. Her sympathy turned wary as she noted that Arthur started glaring. She whispered, "…Arthur?" Immediately, Arthur's right hand grabbed a gun from Ally's belt. He climbed out of bed and stormed out of the hospital. Ally stood and followed close behind him, "Arthur, what are you doing? Come back!" Arthur did not speak to Ally. He was focused solely on finding Capitaine Bonnefoy. He stopped at the docks and saw his target turn and look at him from five feet away.

Capitaine Bonnefoy stared at Arthur and noticed the fact that his left arm was gone. He winced, "Capitaine Kirkland, your arm…" He let his words trail off.

Arthur lifted the gun and aimed it between Capitaine Bonnefoy's eyes. He yelled, "I know my arm is gone!" Pure fury swarmed throughout Arthur's body as he cocked the gun. He growled, "My arm is gone, and it's all your fault! I'm taking revenge with interest!"

Capitaine Bonnefoy's eyes widened as he held up his hands in protest. He spoke in a careful tone, trying to calm Arthur, "Capitaine Kirkland, calm down. You are just overreacting."

Arthur repeated, "Overreacting?" He shouted, his hand was shaky and gripping the gun with all its might, "My bloody arm is completely gone, you putrid, idiotic son of a—"

"Arthur," Ally interrupted Arthur and ran past him to stand between him and Capitaine Bonnefoy, "please stop!" Her sympathetic eyes tried to console Arthur. Her voice lowered, "Please, Arthur, don't shoot him. It won't get you your arm back." Arthur still held the gun firmly in his hand and his eyes were still clouded by anger. She walked past the gun and closed the distance between herself and Arthur. "Arthur," she spoke softly and wrapped her arms around his torso, "I know that you're devastated for losing your arm, but the important thing is that…," Ally kissed Arthur's cheek, "I love you and nothing can ever change that."

Arthur's glare melted into a blank stare. He turned his head to look at Ally. He saw the worry in her eyes and her trembling lips. He could tell she was afraid to share her feelings, but she had done so to make him happy. Arthur dropped the gun and then held her as best as he could. He pressed his lips onto Ally's, finally seizing what he truly wanted all along.