Also Titled: The Dust of Broken Hearts Strikes Again
Arthur was practically dead on his feet and coming close to collapsing. As soon as they'd left the valley the soldiers had met up with a larger group. There Arthur and Alfred's ropes were exchanged for iron chains attached to the back of a wagon and Lukas was placed in a wicker cage that hung off one of the wagon walls. Under Natalia's orders they had rode as fast as the wagons and pack horses could go, forcing the captives to practically run or else be dragged. It seemed they were heading up high into the mountains. Arthur had overheard several men talking about a camp up in the snow, along with hushed whispers about "the general". They'd been going like this for most of the day now, and to make matters worse Lilli had spent much of that time crying in the arms of one of the soldiers.
"I'm worried about Lilli, she doesn't sound good," he told Alfred over the noise of the cart's wheels. Alfred nodded in agreement but said nothing.
Lukas gnashed his teeth impatiently. "Practice the chant I taught you!"
Arthur furrowed his brows in concentration, "Tanna… looatha… I can't remember the middle bit."
"Locktwaar!" Lukas half yelled, gripping the cage bars as the wagon went over a large bump. "The word that pleads for change." He glared at Alfred when he snorted in derision.
"Locktwaar," Arthur repeated. "Tann- Oi!" He yelped when Alfred pulled him to the left and took his place at the right side of the road. "What the-?! Is this side of the road bumpier or something, you gi-" his words died when he heard the sound of a horse catching up to them. Natalia rode up from farther down the line and reined in just enough so that she rode alongside them. Alfred must have seen her coming before and deliberately put himself between the vicious woman and the small Nelwyn.
Arthur shuddered a bit as Natalia inspected them coolly, but decided to try and speak up for Lilli's welfare. "Lilli is cold and hungry. She knows me. Please let me help her."
"I don't need help from a peck!" Natalia snapped. Her eyes were drawn to Alfred, who was looking at her. Actually, it looked like he was ogling her… "What are you staring at?" she demanded.
Alfred grinned. "Your leg." Arthur and Natalia both eyed him in shock. "I'd like to break it," he added casually.
"You might find that difficult, slave, while I'm up here and you're down there," came the icy reply. With another look of contempt she urged her horse into a trot and left them behind.
"I hate that woman," Alfred growled, watching her take a place at the head of the column.
If Arthur thought the first day of forced marching had been difficult, the second was infinitely worse. The fitful sleep he'd gotten during the night did nothing to help him as they traveled higher and higher. Snow soon covered their trail, adding the discomforts of cold and wet to his growing misery.
Finally, finally, the snowbound enemy camp came into sight. Arthur had trouble seeing it, as the sunlight was reflected and intensified by the now waist high snow. He could make out that the mountaintop was rounder than the others and allowed for a gentle slope. Tents made from thick animal hides were littered in ragged rows, campfire smoke floating off in a dozen places. Arthur was concentrating so hard on making out their soon to be prison that he didn't notice the large drift until it was too late. He tripped and fell facedown into the snow, panicking, fearing that he would be dragged the rest of the way without being able to gain his feet. Strong hands pulled him off the snow and high into the air. Before he knew what had happened Alfred had placed him on his shoulders.
From his new vantage point a mysterious sight greeted his eyes. "Who is that?"
"Huh?" Alfred looked up. Almost immediately he knew what Arthur meant, a column of six horses was riding out of camp towards their group. At the head of the column, riding a gigantic white horse, was a fearsome looking man. He was tall and broad, his chainmail was emblazoned with Ivan's insignia and covering his entire face was a skull-shaped mask. "I… dunno," Alfred finally admitted, his shrug almost making Arthur fall off.
Natalia grabbed Lilli from the soldier in charge of holding her, cradled her in her arms, and urged her horse into a gallop. She and the warrior met halfway. "I found it, General," Arthur heard her say over Lilli's wails. The general reached out and tugged at the blankets a bit so he could get a better look. "That should make my brother happy," Natalia added, sounding pleased herself.
"What are they going to do to her?" Arthur asked tremulously. Alfred said nothing, but patted his arm consolingly and watched with disgust as the two figures gallop upwards to the camp.
Alfred waited patiently for the sentry and his monstrosity of a dog to pass them by before once again attacking the lock on their prison. He and Arthur had been stuffed into a small iron cage while Lukas' cage hung from a pole three feet away. Some idiot had left a metal spike and a long branch in Alfred's reach and he'd grabbed both eagerly. He might be able to let Lukas free with the stick, but first he wanted to try and break the tough padlock holding the cage door closed.
"Hither walha...bairn deru bordak…bellanockt."
Alfred rolled his eyes as the Nelwyn kept chanting the spell under his breath. According to the talking squirrel, this incantation combined with a spark and the power of the faerie branch was supposed to transform the furry nuisance into a human. Arthur had snagged a broken chip of pottery and was rubbing the edge of the wand against it to make several sparks. The warrior gagged as the smoke from it hit him.
"That's magic? Smells terrible," he snorted. Unexpectedly, the spike snapped in half and his arm banged into one of the bars. He hissed in pain and looked at the padlock. It remained unmoved.
Arthur winced sympathetically and explained. "It's the life spark. It forms after-"
"Well, it stinks!" Alfred whisper yelled, his temper getting the best of him (again). "This whole thing stinks!"
Lukas poked his head out of his tiny cage. "Ignore him. He's a fool."
"If only I had a sword!" Alfred half yelled.
"If only you'd quit going on about it!" Arthur's meager temper was running thin as well.
Lukas chattered to get his attention. "You must turn me into my human self, then we can escape."
Doubt passed over Arthur's features. "But… I'm not ready yet," he mumbled. His failed attempts to use the wand flashed through his mind. He might accidentally make the squirrel explode for heaven's sake!
"You'd better be," was Lukas' reply. He nodded towards Alfred. "Get me down."
Alfred sighed and grabbed the long branch. Maneuvering it gently, he hooked it under the cage and pushed upward. With a quick tug it fell from it's perch and onto the ground, the cage door conveniently bursting open on impact. Alfred was less lucky, the sudden lack of pressure on the branch made him lose balance and jerk forward, his forehead hitting the cage. He barely remembered to keep his yell as quiet as possible as he leaned back and clutched his head. He half glared, half pouted at Arthur. "Why don't you help me get outta here instead of chattering with that muskrat?"
Lukas growled angrily as he squirmed through the bars and joined the two men in the cage. "Idiot. When I'm a Daikini again I will crush this army, and take the little princess to Tir Asleen where she will be safe."
Alfred mimicked his words mockingly and turned his back on them to inspect the padlock again.
Lukas ignored him and, quick as lightning, bit Arthur's finger hard enough to draw blood.
Arthur pulled his hand away and inspected it. Now it was his turn to pout. "Ow! What was that for?!" he demanded.
"You need three drops of your blood to put in the potion," Lukas explained patiently.
"You could have bloody warned me," the Nelwyn mumbled as he spread his blood over the wand.
Alfred scoffed while trying to reach for a rock.
Lukas sat down on his haunches and looked into Arthur's eyes seriously. "For beginners there's some pain, but don't let anything break your concentration while performing the spell."
"R-right…" Arthur slowly stood and gripped the wand with both hands. Alfred stopped his efforts and watched as the Nelwyn straightened and closed his eyes in concentration.
"Hither greenan bairn claideb lunanockt…"
"Hallo, everybody! Ve have arrived!"
The Daikini, Nelwyn, and squirrel all flinched as Roderich and Gilbert popped out of the snow right next to the cage.
"You are saved!" Gilbert added.
"Shh!" Alfred and Arthur hissed.
Lukas lashed his tail angrily. "Don't interrupt," he chastened.
The brownies ducked down into the tunnel they had spent so long digging.
"Hither greenan bairn claideb lunanockt…" Arthur began again. He repeated the chant over and over, feeling the power of the wand gather slowly as he did.
Alfred asked the squirrel snidely, "Whatcha gonna look like if this works?"
Lukas shot him a death glare and stayed silent for a few seconds. However, he soon answered rather proudly, "I am a child, or I was when Ivan transformed me. I discovered my great power when I was three."
A child wizard…That…was really cool! "Concentrate, Arthur!" Alfred encouraged. Arthur opened his eyes long enough to glare before going back to the chant.
"Hither greenan bairn claideb lunanockt…" The wand now glowed a pearly blue, and it was getting uncomfortably hot to the touch. Arthur barely had time to wonder if it was working or not before the power suddenly surged through him, blinding his senses. The pain that came from it broke his focus and it was all he could do to keep chanting. It felt like everything under his skin was boiling!
"Arthur! You're losing me!" he vaguely heard Lukas yell.
"Hither greenan bairn claideb lunanockt!" The smell of burning feathers hit his nose, further adding to his disorientation. "Hither greenan bairn claideb-" He couldn't continue. The wand dropped from his hands and fell to the snow, hissing. There were burns on his palms and fingers where he'd held the wand.
"You alright?" Alfred asked worriedly. The Nelwyn could only pant in exhaustion. "Well… nice try?" the warrior added lamely
An angry caw drew their attention to Lukas… or, what had once been Lukas. A disgusting ball of fur and feathers lay on the ground, emitting a dreadful stench. A black beak poked through the ball as if it were an egg and a head followed. Soon the body broke free and a crow fluttered out of the grisly mess.
"A farmer!" the crow squawked indignantly. "Why did Elizaveta send me a farmer?" The voice was scratchy but it was definitely Lukas' voice. Arthur sighed in relief. At least he hadn't made the boy explode.
Roderich and Gilbert both shook their head from the safety of their tunnel. "Zhe Nelwyn really butchered zhat one," Gilbert whispered.
Arthur blushed and ducked his head. "I'm sorry, Lukas." The crow ruffled his feathers and said nothing.
Deciding to be proactive, Roderich hopped out again and padded over to the padlock, his tiny weight letting him walk over the snow without sinking. "You vant out?"
Gilbert joined him and inspected the lock. "Easy! Ve can pick a lock!"
Roderich flipped his spear and stuck the blade into the keyhole. Gilbert watched him critically and grabbed for the spear. "You're doing it wrong, zhis vay!"
Slapping his hand away, Roderich snapped sulkily, "I know vhat I'm doing. It's my spear, leave it alone!"
Alfred sighed and leaned forward. "Let me do it! Out of the way, rodents." The brownies staggered back as the warrior brushed them aside with his hand and tried to pick the lock himself.
Though many don't know it, brownie warriors are very protective of their weapons. Since they are so small, their weapons are the best chance they have of survival. A brownie using another's weapon was very, very rude. To have some great, idiotic giant use it was unacceptable.
"Let it go," Roderich said, his voice soft and dangerous.
Alfred ignored him.
Roderich stalked towards him, a murderous intent in his eyes. Grabbing the only weapon he had (the pouch of fairy love dust to be precise) he swung it in the air, his voice raising as he repeated, "Leave that alone you stupid, fat Daikini!" He brought the bag down as hard as he could on Alfred's nose.
"Ow!" Alfred released the spear and sat up, holding his nose. It wasn't that hard of a blow, but it stung a little and some weird sparkly dust went into his eyes and up his nose. No one but the brownies noticed, what with Arthur trying to bribe Lukas' forgiveness with a crust of bread. The brownies giggled between themselves but didn't take it too seriously. After all, there were no women in this camp.
Hearing their laughter, Alfred was tempted for a split second to grab them and squeeze them to death. He was about to threaten them with such a fate when… suddenly his mood changed. He felt… great.
Working together, Roderich and Gilbert unlocked the padlock and pried it open. "You are free!" the albino shouted gleefully.
Arthur finally took notice and gripped Alfred's shoulder. "C'mon, let's get Lilli out of here."
Alfred grinned with pure pleasure. "Yeah, it'll be fun!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Right, let's go." He looked at the sky, which was now turning a pale grey with the approaching dawn. They needed to hurry.
The group of unlikely heroes set out across the camp as quietly as they could. Their objective was the large pavilion in the center of it all, the place Lilli was most likely to be. As they went, Arthur noticed that Alfred was lagging behind and seemed distracted. Alfred, for his part, was enjoying the fresh mountain breeze and the beautiful sight of all the sparkling snow…
"Alfred, are you alright?"
Alfred snapped out of his daze momentarily. "Wha-huh? Yeah." He sat down in the snow. "I feel… good."
Gilbert eyed Roderich accusingly. "Zhe dust of broken hearts."
Roderich winced.
With no small amount of luck, they made it to the pavilion without anyone noticing them. Alfred once again sat down and grinned for no reason while Arthur peeked through a gap in the tent wall. The brownies tried to get a look as well.
"Let me see!"
"Let me see. You alvays see."
"I am in charge!"
Arthur ignored them as best he could as he looked in. The pavilion was dark inside, and there were two piles of furs. The bigger pile was on the far side and Arthur couldn't see who slept in it, probably Natalia or that scary general. On the smaller pile, nearer them, was-
He shoved Alfred again to get his attention. "There's Lilli, right there on those furs."
Alfred looked as well and saw the babe right where Arthur pointed. Both could hear her sad cries.
"It's a good thing for you zhe dust of broken hearts doesn't work on babies or make people fall in love vith babies," Gilbert commented dryly.
Roderich sniffed. "Of course, infants are completely innocent in such matters."
Again ignoring them, Arthur started to go inside, only to be pushed back by Alfred.
Almost back to his old self, the Daikini stated, "Only one of us should go in there. I've got… experience sneaking around. I know what I'm doing." Arthur reluctantly nodded. The last time he'd trusted this man solely with Lilli's welfare he'd lost her in less than an hour.
Squirming through the gap, Alfred crept over to Lilli as silently as a shadow, barely rustling the straw that had been laid on the floor. As soon as she saw him, Lilli quieted and grinned. Alfred grinned back and spared a quick glance towards the bigger pile of furs. From this vantage, he could now see it was Natalia who slept there. He turned to grab Lilli and leave… then turned back towards Natalia. The magic he'd inhaled did it's work and all he could do was stare at the girl.
She did indeed look beautiful. Her pale hair was loose around her face and the white nightgown she wore gave her an angelic look as the lantern light hit her just so. Alfred stood and slowly walked towards her.
The brownies looked and each other. "Uh oh…"
Meanwhile, Arthur had no idea what the sodding idiot was doing! "Wait! No! No!" he whispered. "Alfred, Lilli's right-!"
The Daikini paid him no heed as he slowly leaned over the sleeping figure. His face only a foot from hers, Alfred leaned in to kiss those soft looking lips. He pulled back shyly, the spell making him less confident than he usually was when wooing women.
"I love you," he told Natalia softly.
"Alfred! What are you doing?!" Arthur asked, louder this time.
"Take zhe baby and go!" Gilbert yelled.
The mention of Lilli's plight seemed to remind Alfred of his mission and he reluctantly leaned away. He got halfway to the babe before the spell affected him stronger than before and he turned back to gaze at Natalia, putting both hands over his heart. "Oh, Natalia..." he sighed.
Arthur facepalmed while the brownies groaned. They'd seen other men under the influence and knew the next few minutes would be unbearably sappy.
Becoming bolder, Alfred reached out a hand to cup Natalia's face. "Wake from this hateful sleep, it deprives me of your beauty…"
That was it. Arthur was done. The Nelwyn quickly crept into the tent and scurried over to the baby.
"The beauty of your eyes…" Alfred sighed as he leaned over again.
Without warning Natalia awoke. Too fast for the eye to catch, she had a knife pressed to his stomach. "One move, jackass, and you really will be a woman," she snarled, pushing him back.
"You are my sun! My moon! My starlit sky," Alfred continued, undaunted. He approached her again fearlessly. "Without you I dwell in darkness."
Natalia looked unimpressed but on the inside she was a mess. No man had ever looked at her like how this prisoner was looking at her. It was… it was incredible! It was almost as if he truly adored her. That was ridiculous of course, he was obviously trying to unsettle her… and dammit, it was working. Her cheeks were flushed and her heart was thumping like mad. She tried to conquer that feeling by pressing her knife against his throat. He shouldn't even be here in the first place! How had he escaped?
"I love you!" he repeated.
Dammit, dammit, dammit! Natalia's arms shook. Neither Daikini noticed as Arthur grabbed Lilli and snuck out of the tent.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Alfred held up his arms, besotted. "Your power has enchanted me and I stand helpless against it." He gently pushed aside the knife. "Tonight, let me worship you in my arms!"
Natalia backed away quickly. "Get away from me!"
"I love you!"
She pressed the blade to the side of his neck again. "Stop saying that!"
Alfred grabbed her free arm fearlessly and used it to pull her closer. "How can I stop the beating of my heart? It pounds like never before!"
"Out of fear." she spat, pushing him once more.
"Out of love," he responded, pulling them even closer. Their noses touched and Natalia panicked.
"I can stop it! I'll kill you!" For once, she felt this was a threat she could not fulfill.
Alfred smiled euphorically. "Death next to love is a trivial thing." He glanced down and smiled even more. Without either of them noticing, Natalia had laid her hand over Alfred's heart. "Your touch is worth one hundred thousand deaths."
Ever so slowly, Natalia let the knife lower. Tentatively, she leaned towards him and for a moment she thought they would kiss-
"What goes on here?" a deep voice bellowed.
The almost lovers whipped their heads around as the General barged in, dragging Arthur behind him. He shoved the Nelwyn inside, forcing Arthur to fall awkwardly to avoid crushing Lilli in his arms.
Natalia backed away from Alfred's arms, looking from Arthur to the empty pile of furs to Alfred again. Tears of rage and embarrassment stung her eyes as she glared at the enemy.
"Deceiver!" she yelled, raising the dagger above her head to plunge it into his lying, cold heart.
Luckily, Alfred was a good enough warrior to rely on instinct, not conscious thought. He let himself fall backwards, kicking the knife out of her hand as he did so. Alfred rolled to one side and grabbed Natalia's sword from where it rested by her bed.
"Stop him!" the general yelled. Before either could do anything Alfred cut through the pole in the middle of the tent, causing the roof to collapse. Just before it did so, he grabbed Natalia again and kissed her passionately before letting her go to make his escape. Everyone inside scrambled to get out of the now stifling cloth. Arthur, being closest to the edge, got out first. Alfred was next, simply cutting an opening for himself.
Some early bird soldiers saw and rushed towards him, drawing their swords. Alfred grinned, this time in a barbaric fashion, and swung his sword as hard as he could, cutting the closest man's legs just below the knees and making him drop like a stone. The second man got stabbed in the stomach while the third got his throat slit.
Arthur's jaw dropped as he observed all of this. "You are great!" he exclaimed.
Alfred chuckled and decided to show off some more by flipping the sword into the air and catching it…. and then he slipped on some ice and fell on his back. That wasn't totally bad, however, as it drew his eyes to a possible escape route. "Get on that shield!" he yelled, pointing to a circular metal shield.
Arthur immediately caught on, the other slope of the mountain wasn't easy like the one they'd climbed up, it was steep and smooth. They could glide away using this shield as a sled, he thought as he climbed onto it. Of course… this was assuming Alfred would stop fighting those men and just get over there!
Killing the last man in the vicinity with a quick jab to the heart, Alfred ran over to Arthur and Lilli. He saw the pavilion move and Natalia climb out. The spell infected him one last time and he paused, indecision written all over his face. "Natalia!" he called to her. She stared dumbly at him, unsure what to think.
"After them!" the general yelled, finally getting free.
Alfred, seeing the peril, decided to leave her behind and get Lilli to safety, though it made his heart ache. He jumped on behind Arthur and pushed the shield enough to make it go down the hill. They both yelled as it rapidly picked up speed and shot away from the camp.
Natalia watched them go and decided on one thing. They would meet again and she would get some answers out of that man. What had the peck called him? Alfred?
Meanwhile, the brownies had once again been left behind.
"Vhere did everybody go?" Roderich asked as the soldiers chased down the mountain after the sled.
"Maybe it vas somezhing ve said," Gilbert guessed.
Alfred... *shakes head* This was sooooo awkward to write. I hope y'all appreciate it.