Look! Another one! This one is a bit longer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :) Please review.

Warning, there is some mention of violence.

Arthur winced as light flooded the dark dungeon once again. He was barely aware of the sound of the morsel of bread that was thrown into his prison. But, like a well-trained animal, as soon as the door closed, he crawled toward where it always was and wolfed it down. It had been five years since Amelia had been thrown overboard, and he was almost beyond conscious thought.

When he did think, it was about Amelia and Alfred, the two people who he cared most about in the world. He also occasionally remembered his four older brothers and his one younger brother. All he ever felt was regret and loneliness.

The only time he got out of the brig was when Captain Maleki desired entertainment, and then Arthur would be dragged out, delirious and blinded by the outside light. Then he would be whipped and beaten within inches of his life, and then thrown back into the bridge. The visits had become increasingly infrequent and soon enough they had stopped as Arthur became more and more unresponsive. It was actually a wonder he was still alive.

It was one of those times when he was actually capable of conscious thought. He was thinking about Amelia and wondering if they would ever met again. Then he had a thought. A crazy, brilliant, mad thought. In that one moment of clarity he decided that he would rather die than be stuck in the hellhole any longer so he made up his mind on his course of action. He held onto the thoughts, even as he drifted back into delirium.

The light flooded in once again and it stirred Arthur from his stupor. He wobbled to his feet and lunged toward the entrance, ignoring the burning of his eyes. He was not aware of the pain as the pirate tried to beat him into submission, but he could feel the man's neck muscles under his hands. Weak as he was, it was not as hard as he had expected to cut off the man's air. He suddenly became aware that the man was no longer moving and released him.

Arthur stumbled out of the belly of the ship onto the deck. He was blind and was not aware of anything but his goal. He stumbled toward the railing, finished with the business of living. He felt no pain as the pirates beat him down. He did not fight back, just lay there as they beat him, slowly becoming aware of someone standing next to him. He looked up and saw Amelia, smiling. "Arthur, it is alright. You are going to be okay. Just close your eyes and go to sleep. When you wake, we will see each other again." Arthur closed his eyes, smiling, and let unconsciousness steal him away.

The pirates soon became aware of his lack of responsiveness. They stopped beating him and tried checking for life. He responded to nothing and they threw him overboard, not wanting a dead body on their ship. Thus, Arthur was freed from the grasp of Captain Maleki.

I stared across the waves, once again looking for Arthur. Just then, Alfred ran up to me, holding a large seashell. "Mommy! Look what I found! Tolin says that these shells are lucky."

I smiled down at him. He had opted out of playing with the children, claiming that I needed protecting. I had smiled and assented.

"Maybe it'll bring Daddy and Uncle Alfred home."

My breath caught in my throat. "Alfred, I need to tell you a story."

"Mommy?"

I sighed and sat down on the sand. I patted the sand next to me and he sat down, looking at me with wide eyes. "Alfred, you know how Arthur Kirkland and Alfred Jones were the greatest heroes on the sea?"

"Yes."

"Well, there was a very bad man named Captain Maleki."

Alfred frowned.

"He was Arthur's and Alfred's archenemy. Do you know what that means, Alfred?"

"Yes! It means that he was always going around trying to defeat Arthur and Alfred! But Arthur and Alfred are heroes! No one can beat them! Not even their arch-en-ne-my."

I smiled, tears beginning to cloud my vision. "Well, Alfred, real life does not always have a happy ending."

Alfred looked at me, blue eyes sad. "What happened, Mommy?"

I swallowed the sob that threatened to burst out of me. "One day Captain Maleki captured Alfred and Arthur. He had taken a princess hostage, and threatened to kill her if they did not give themselves up."

"That's cheating!"

I had to laugh at his innocence. "Yes, it was. But, they had no choice. He captured Alfred and Arthur, then threw the princess overboard."

"What!? He lied!"

"Evil men always lie, Alfred. Heroes never lie."

"Okay."

"He had captured Alfred and Arthur and decided to prevent them from ever being heroes ever again."

Alfred's eyes were wide in fear, but I continued the story. "He killed Alfred. Thrust a sword through his heart."

Alfred gasped. "But-" he looked close to tears.

I looked away, throat closing as I tried to continue the story. "He put Arthur in the brig, a deep dark hole in the ship and left him there to die."

Alfred frowned. "So, Alfred is not coming back, is he Mommy?"

I shook my head. "No, sweetie, Alfred is never coming back."

"But Daddy's still alive! He's a hero! He'll find a way back!"

I shook my head. "Alfred, that is nearly impossible. Arthur is probably dead as well."

"Not true! He's a hero! He'll never break his promise!"

I sighed, tears beginning to fall. Alfred stood up and hugged me tightly. "Don't cry, Mommy. Alfred is a hero, and he's watching you. And Arthur will come back. Heroes always keep their promises."

I smiled through my tears, then looked up at the waves and saw a flash of yellow. My heart stopped. I stood up abruptly, breaking out of Alfred's hug. "Mommy?"

"Alfred, go get Oma."

"Mommy? What's going on?"

"Maybe that shell really was lucky, Alfred. Go get Oma."

Alfred turned and sprinted toward the village, I, without a second thought, plowed into the waves and began swimming towards the flash I had seen. In hindsight, it was a really crazy idea, but I was so desperate to find Arthur that I could not have cared less about logic. I was soon soaked, and my dress, though light, soon began to weigh me down. I struggled against the waves and probably swallowed more than my fair share of water.

I finally reached the place I had seen the yellow but found nothing. Without thinking, I dived below the surface, searching desperately for any sign of it. Then I saw a dark shape slowly sinking down, dragged down by the undercurrents. I dived down after it, fighting the water as I struggled to get closer. I reached out my hands and finally brushed fabric. I grabbed a hold of it and began dragging the figure up back to the surface. When I had managed the feat I had to fight against the waves to keep my head above the water as well as his.

I took a moment to glance at the person I had rescued and saw golden hair framing an all-too-familiar face, with huge eyebrows. My heart stopped. It was Arthur. It really was.

I forced myself to focus and looked up to find the shore. We had been pushed even farther out to sea and the current was still pulling us out. I took a deep breath, tightened my hold on Arthur and began swimming back to shore. I kept swimming, even as I tired, determined to save us both. It was only when I heard Alfred say, "Mommy! Get in the boat!" that I stopped swimming and saw Alfred with Lykos and Oma. I hesitated, then glanced at Arthur's still face and handed him into the boat, then was pulled inside myself by Lykos. The moment I was in, I pulled Arthur into my lap and began stroking his hair.

He was pale, paler than I had ever seen him, and was thin as a skeleton. His skin was covered in bruises and discolored scars, as well as fresh, angry wounds. The clothes he had on were almost not there, just filthy, thin strips of rags held together by weak seams. They would be burned.

We reached the shore and I pulled Arthur out of the boat, lay him on the sand, and began pumping his heart, determined to clear his lungs. He was not breathing but I refused to let myself believe that he was dead. Not now. Not now that he had come back. I would not let him. I began to cry and scream at him as I pounded on his chest. After an eternity, he gave a weak cough. I turned him on his side and he vomited a lot of sea water, and coughed again. He rolled over back onto his back.

He saw me and smiled weakly. "Amelia," he said weakly. He raised a hand to my face, but it was weak and shaky. I grabbed it and pressed it to my face. "Arthur, I'm here," I said, tears falling freely.

"I love you," he said softly, then his eyes closed again.

My heart stopped. "No! Arthur! No!" I screamed at him, sobbing, but then Oma was at my side saying something. Alfred hugged me and pulled me gently away. "Oma says he's still breathing. He's still alive, Mommy. It's okay. It's okay, Mommy. Daddy'll be okay."

I threw my arms around him and sobbed while he patted my back. Oma finally touched my shoulder and I wiped my eyes and stood shakily. I looked around and saw Lykos holding Arthur. My heart froze again, and Alfred squeezed my hand. "It's alright, Mommy. It's gonna be okay."

I smiled down at him and followed Oma as she led Lykos back to her house with Arthur.

He was back. At last he was back. And, he was back for real. Maybe Alfred's shell really was lucky, and maybe the promise of a Hero was impossible to break. Maybe.

YAY! He's back! But he's super weak, and nearly dead. But, it's alright, and isn't Alfie just the cutest?