Also Titled: This Chapter's Kinda Sorta Filler
Alfred grumbled to himself while he waded through the tall grass. Okay, so he'd lost the baby, but it wasn't his fault! That stupid Brownie had caught him when his fly- er, his guard was down. And then that peck had accused him of risking her life! "'You never drive that fast with an infant'," he mimicked sourly. He ripped off the top half of the stupid dress, leaving his torso bare.
"Alfred, wait!" a familiar voice called.
"Go home, Arthur! It's a dangerous world!" he said, not bothering to look back. The last thing he needed was that stuffy, annoying peck following him around.
He heard the grass rustle behind him. "That's why we need your help!" came Arthur's reply.
Alfred scoffed and turned around at this. The Nelwyn was having some difficulty with the tall grass, but he was determined. "Waddaya need my help for? You're a 'sorcerer'!" He started to walk away again.
"You're a great warrior, a swordsman! ...And you're ten times bigger than me, you tosser!"
With a growl Alfred turned around and faced Arthur, flinging the scraps of cloth he was holding to the ground. "I've got enough on my plate without you making things more difficult!"
The sound of dogs barking nearby made them both fling themselves to the ground. They waited quietly, hoping the grass would conceal them.
Those pesky Brownies that hung around Arthur popped up out of the grass. "Big dogs!" the darker haired one warned.
Arthur looked at Alfred pleadingly. "I'm sorry I was so cross. We wouldn't have gotten away without you." The baby cooed in agreement. Alfred looked away uncomfortably, he hadn't been expecting an apology, nor a compliment. He didn't get much of either. He let the baby grab one of his fingers with her surprisingly strong hands and she smiled.
The sounds of pursuit faded away and he got to his feet awkwardly. "Yeah, well, don't expect it to happen again." He turned so he wouldn't see the disappointed look on Arthur's face.
"Fine! Ve go zhat way, to zhe lake!" The dark haired brownie shouted, pointing in the direction they had come from.
The albino one shook his head and pointed south. "Zhat vay."
The darker one paused in consternation. "...You are drunk! And vhen you are drunk you forget-"
"You are in charge, ja, ja. Zhen vhich vay do ve go?"
The "leader" pondered for a moment before pointing south. "Zhat vay!"
A look of exasperation washed over Alfred's face and he groaned. "Aw man! That's the way I'm going!" Arthur looked at him hopefully and he repressed another groan. "Fiiiine! You can follow me as far as the lake, but that's it!"
A grateful smile spread over Arthur's face and he stood up. "Thank you!"
Gratitude was another thing he wasn't used to. He shrugged and turned his attention to the two brownies. "Hey, small dudes, I'm hungry. Find me some eggs or somethin'."
The dark haired one slammed the butt of his spear into the ground and protested vehemently. "We are not afraid of you!"
"NOW!"
The duo ran off into the grass with a shriek.
Ivan watched his general walk up to his throne nervously. "Have you found the child?" he asked, getting right to the point. He could find no rest while that baby was alive, in sleep or wakefulness. Until that child was obliviated she would prey on his mind.
The general knelt before him and removed his helmet. Ivan could see only his dark hair. "The search goes on, my king," the man rumbled.
White hot anger flared inside Ivan and he berated him. "I have all these powers, I have the greatest army in the world, yet you cannot find one tiny child?!"
His general tried to reassure him that it wouldn't be long before the girl was found. Ivan lashed out and struck his cheek angrily. "Find the child! Time is running out!"
The general nodded, but said nothing.
Alfred leaned against a tree while Arthur pulled a few more branches on their small fire. Night had fallen and they were all tired from the day's events. The Brownies were already asleep on a small pile of ferns and Lilli looked close to dozing off. Arthur tenderly wrapped the blanket more tightly around her and kissed her on the forehead.
"She's kinda cute," Alfred admitted. Arthur looked at him in surprise and he added quickly, "Ya know, when she's not crying."
Arthur looked at him seriously. "She's really a princess."
Alfred returned the look, but there was sarcasm in his voice. "Really? And you're a sorcerer. And I'm actually a king." He rolled his eyes and lay down. "Go to sleep, Arthur."
"Good night, Alfred," Arthur sighed. Just earlier the man had told him he'd once met a being from another planet, and now he couldn't believe that Lilli was royalty. Arthur would think he was a hypocrite, but that would imply he had an ounce of intelligence.
The forest was silent around them except for the sounds of night insects and the crackle of flames. Gilbert muttered something in his sleep about giant rats and smacked Roderich in the face unconsciously. Roderich jerked into wakefulness but simply rolled Gilbert away from himself and dozed off again. Arthur cast a glance at Alfred, who was now snoring, before pulling out Elizaveta's wand. He decided to try out a simple spell he knew and waved it around.
"Tuatha...lawkathok...tuatha!"
The wand glowed a pearly blue and Arthur yelled as a bang and a flash of smoke sent him flying into the air. He landed awkwardly on a high branch of the tree and clung to it fearfully.
Alfred sat up, startled, and whispered, "Arthur? Where'd ya go?" He looked around the campfire then up at the tree. He seemed vaguely surprised but not too perturbed by the fact that the Nelwyn was inexplicably twelve feet off the ground. "There you are," he managed to get out between a yawn. With a shrug he lowered himself back down and fell asleep almost instantly.
"Wait, Alfred! Don't go to… bollocks."
It was a long night for Arthur.
By noon the next day they'd traveled over the "hills" Gilbert had mentioned (with a pause in their journey to let Arthur nap. For some reason he was very tired.) and they stopped to eat by a large waterfall. Arthur left Lilli in Alfred's arms while he filled their waterskins. The water was icy cold and the rocks cut into his boots, but he was enchanted by the view. His home was in the lowlands so the sharp beauty of the mountains was unknown to him.
When he walked back over to them he saw that Alfred was feeding Lilli something. Hackles instantly raised, he asked, "What are you doing?"
Alfred looked up and grinned. "I found some blackroot, she loves it!"
"Blackroot?!" Arthur yelled, running up to them. He was appalled to see his precious charge swallow some of the vile stuff. "I am the father of two children, and you never give a child blackroot, let alone a baby!"
The warrior scoffed and stuck a piece between his lips. "Well, my mom raised us on blackroot. It's good for ya. Puts hair on your chest, doesn't it Lils?" he asked the baby. 'Lils' was an affectionate nickname he'd come up with for her.
"Her name is Lilli Zwingli, the future empress of Tir Asleen, and the last she'll want is a hairy chest!" Arthur snatched the pieces of blackroot out of Alfred's mouth and hands and threw them into the river.
He stomped off, his mood worsening when he heard Lilli whimper because he'd taken away her "treat".
"Did you see what he did? He stole our blackroot!" he heard Alfred say. He turned back in time to see Alfred kiss Lilli's cheek and grin. "I'll get ya some more, don't worry about it."
Finally, FINALLY after another day of traveling they reached a valley in the midst of the mountains that was dominated by a huge lake. Arthur shivered as he surveyed the scene. There was an abandoned village nearby but it was partially hidden by a veil of mist. Farther out near the center of the water was a small island and it too was swathed in mist. Gilbert saw it and crowed, "Zhere it is! Zhe island!" The brownies cheered and ran down to village.
Arthur looked up at Alfred and let loose a small smile. "We made it." Alfred nodded but looked preoccupied.
"Ve'll get a boat in zhat village!" Roderich called from far ahead.
"A big boat!" Gilbert added with a cackle.
It only took the group ten minutes to reach the village. Arthur headed for the broken down docks while Alfred rooted around some abandoned equipment. He grabbed a worn knife but quickly tossed it aside. He picked up another, this one looking a bit like a cleaver, and nodded. He wrapped leather around the handle and looked around some more. "Well, it looks like I got ya here," he finally said.
The brownies looked at him scornfully. "Vhat did you do?" Roderich demanded.
"All you did vas hang around und eat our eggs!" Gilbert added (un)helpfully.
Arthur, oblivious to the impending confrontation, called out, "I found a boat! We're good to go!" It was a good boat, sturdy and roomy yet small enough for him to row.
The warrior grinned. "Great, take these lizards out and drown them." He gestured to his small critics.
Roderich and Gilbert, of course, became immediately indignant. "Lizards? Who are you calling lizards?!"
"Your mozher vas a lizard!"
Alfred ignored their growls and threats as he walked by. He stopped and knelt by a crumbling house where Arthur had set the papoose down. He smiled sadly as Lilli once again grabbed his finger with her small ones. "Bye, Lils," he whispered. The babe immediately whimpered and pouted. Alfred sighed and looked back at Arthur, who was readying the boat. "If you really are a princess… take care of him." He'd actually come to care about these misfits, not something he usually encouraged in himself. With one last kiss on her forehead he straightened and started to walk away.
"Alfred!"
Alfred whipped around to stare at the Nelwyn. "What?" he asked a bit defensively. He hoped the little guy wouldn't beg him to stay again, he needed to-
"Thanks." Arthur smiled at him, sincere and grateful.
Unsure of how to respond, Alfred waved and continued walking. He looked back only once, shaking his head in amazement at Arthur's courage… or possibly his stupidity. As he neared the brownies he kicked some sand at them, making them fall over and spit out the grit.
"Keep walking, "hero"!" he heard the white one shout. "Don't even turn around!"
What a strange, strange bunch. Still, he wished them luck.
I love these two brownies. I just... I just do. XD
And oh noes! Our hero has left!