Alright, time to get the plot moving! Get ready for some super-fluffy family!USUK-ness X3
Chapter 4
Amelia sighed as she hung the laundry out to dry, her gaze occasionally looking towards the road. It had been three days since her father left, so he should be back by now. Maybe he had gotten lost or something; Amelia just hoped he wasn't hurt. Well, at least she could enjoy the peaceful day, with nothing to bother her-
"Hey Amelia!"
Amelia cursed her bad luck as she turned to the familiar voice with a strained smile, "Hello Gilbert, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Nothing much, just here to see you," he said with his cocky smirk; he was up to something, her girl instincts could feel it. Gilbert walked up to her, "You know there's not a girl in town who wouldn't want to be in your shoes," he said, "Because this is the day your dreams come true!"
Amelia froze, a bad feeling beginning to stir inside her, "What do you know about my dreams Gilbert?" she asked slowly and unsurely. Gilbert laughed, "Plenty! You've been wondering if you'll ever be a wife!" he said. "What?!" she cried.
"As you know a girl's job is to…extend the family tree," Gilbert went on, ignoring her outburst, "Let's face it, you're the only one for me, so you can 'extend' with me!" he said. Amelia's eyes widened; was he…oh God no, was he proposing to her?!
Gilbert swung his arm around her, "So Amelia; is the answer 'yes' or 'oh, yes'?" he asked. Amelia smiled nervously, struggling what to say, "I-I'm sorry Gilbert, but…I just don't deserve you!" she said. Gilbert removed his arm and scoffed, "True, who does?" Amelia took advantage of his obliviousness right then, "But thanks for asking!" she said quickly and ran inside the house at the speed of light.
It took Gilbert a minute to realize that he had just been turned down. Gilbird flew down from a nearby tree and chirped as if to say, 'How'd it go?' Gilbert frowned for a moment, before smirking again, "Make no mistake Gilbird; Amelia will be my awesome wife…eventually," he said before walking off.
After a few moments, Amelia peeked out of the doorway, "Is he gone?" she whispered to no one in particular. Seeing that the coast was clear she walked back outside, "I can't believe it; he actually asked me to marry him!" she said in disbelief as she walked back towards the laundry, "Me; the wife of that annoying, brainless…weirdo!" she ranted.
She then picked up a sheet and wrapped it around her head like a scarf that married women wear, "Can't you just see it? Ms. Amelia Beilschmidt, the little wife of the 'awesome' Gilbert Beilschmidt!" she mocked before frowning, "No freaking way; I don't want to get married (especially to that guy), I want something more than this life! I want adventure in far off places; to be a hero like in all my books! More than anything!" she said excitedly before sitting down on the ground and playing with a dandelion, "It would also be nice to have someone understand how it feels to be me…" she said sadly.
She stared at the sky as the sun was just beginning to set when she heard a familiar whinny coming from down the path. To her delight, a familiar white mare was running up the path carrying the same cart with her father's invention inside, "Minty!" Amelia exclaimed and went up to the horse that was finally beginning to calm down. Minty had been wandering around that god-forsaken forest for three days looking for the path home and had finally made it. She had also managed to evade the wolves somehow.
Amelia went up to the horse, but realized the absence of Arthur, "Minty, where's Dad?" she asked. Minty gave her a confused look, then her eyes widened in realization; she had been so focused on getting home that she hadn't realized that Arthur wasn't there! Amelia noticed the fear in her eyes, "Minty what happened to him?" she asked intently, "Oh no, we have to find him; Minty you have to take me to him!" she said frantically as she unhooked the cart from the horse.
After giving the tired horse some food and water, Amelia threw on her bright blue hooded cloak, mounted Minty and took off towards the forest. Luckily, Minty remembered what path they had taken before she had been frightened; she was a very smart horse. "Dad? Daddy?" Amelia called over and over as they walked, but there was no sign of the Brit anywhere. "He's got to be here somewhere," Amelia said to herself.
Amelia and Minty continued through the woods until Amelia noticed a tall shadow in the distance, "What could that be?" she wondered out loud, "Let's go check it out Minty," and she urged the horse to a trot towards the shadow. The two eventually arrived and the huge castle stood before them. Night had now fallen and the castle looked more ominous than ever, "W-What is this place?" Amelia said shakily; she had never been a fan of haunted houses and such.
Minty apparently was thinking the same thing as she attempted to hastily turn around, "Whoa Minty! Steady girl! Steady!" Amelia called and dismounted to give her a reassuring pat on the nose, "Easy, it's okay," she soothed. Amelia cautiously went up to the gate and spotted a familiar green scarf lying on the ground causing her to let out a small gasp.
She quickly opened the gate and picked it up; it was the scarf she gave Arthur, "Dad…" she whispered; he had to be somewhere in that castle. Trying to hold her fear back, Amelia pulled her hood up and walked up the large wooden doors. They slowly creaked open and the frightened girl entered the castle, "Hello?" she called as the door shut behind her, "Is anyone h-here?"
The empty foyer felt like it was going to swallow her up, with the red tongue-like carpet leading to the large marble staircase. "Hello? Daddy? Are you here?" she called as she ascended the staircase.
"Mamma, Poppa, I saw a girl!" Peter said excitedly as he hopped towards the tired milk and sugar cups, "There's a girl in the castle right now!"
Tino sighed; all these years in this castle was starting to make them all delusional, "Peter, there's no girl in the castle; you were just seeing things," he said. Peter pouted, "But I saw her Mamma, I swear!" he protested. "That's enough, go wash up Peter," Berwald said.
The teacup hung his head and slowly hopped towards the sink that was full of warm soapy water when Feliciano burst into the kitchen, "Ve~! Ve~! You'll never guess what I saw! I saw a girl! There's a real girl in the castle!" he squealed excitedly, his wolf tail wagging like an excited little puppy.
Peter snapped out of his depression and jumped up and down happily, "See? See? I told you!"
Francis paced around on a small table in one of the castle's many rooms, "That poor man; he's been locked in that disgusting place for three days now," he said sadly.
"And whose fault is that?" Roderich asked sarcastically, "If you hadn't invited him inside in the first place he would have left!"
Francis rolled his eyes, "I was trying to be hospitable; it's been years since someone has come here," he said and the arguing commenced.
This castle was freaking huge! Amelia was beginning to wonder if she would ever find her dad. "Dad?" she began to call a little louder as she entered a long hallway lined with many rooms, "Daddy where are you? Is anyone here?"
"You wine-drinking, womanizing, cheese-smelling-"
"Dad?"
Roderich stopped mid-rant and he and Francis whirled around to see a feminine figure pass the doorway. "Did you see that?" Francis asked. He and Roderich leapt off the table and peeked into the hallway to see Amelia walking further down the hallway, "It's a girl!" Francis exclaimed quietly, relieved that they weren't just seeing things.
"I know it's a girl!" Roderich retorted rolling his eyes. Francis smiled happily, "But don't you see, she could be the one we've been waiting for! She will break the spell!" he said dragging Roderich after her. Amelia continued down the hallway hoping to have given some kind of sign by now; there were hundreds of rooms in this hallway, where could she even start?
Francis and Roderich quietly snuck along the wall and opened the door that lead to the dungeon and Francis quickly hopped up the stairs while Roderich hid behind the door. Amelia whirled around seeing the open door, "Daddy?" she asked and walked inside. She spotted a moving light traveling up the staircase, "Hello? Is someone there?" she asked, but the light continued to move, "Wait! I'm looking for my Dad; could you…" she trailed off as the stairwell was empty, the light coming from a candelabra that was sitting in a small alcove in the wall.
"That's weird, I could've sworn I heard someone," she said frowning. Amelia continued up the stairs until she reached the top where many cells lined the wall. "Is anyone here?" Amelia called.
"Amelia? Is that you?" A familiar British voice called.
"Daddy!" Amelia gasped as she spotted her father curled up in one of the cells. Amelia grabbed a torch on the wall and put it in a holder next to the door so she could see better in the dark dungeon. Arthur's green eyes filled with relief and shock as he felt his daughter's warm hands grasp his own through the bars, "H-How did you find me?" he asked. After three days in this hell hole he had started to lose hope; he had never been so happy to see anyone in his life.
Amelia flinched as she held her father's freezing hands; his face was pale and he shook from the bitter cold that his thin cloak could barely protect him from, "You're hands are like ice; I've got to get you out of here," Amelia said. Arthur then let out some rough coughs and Amelia knew he was sick. Amelia scanned the area for some way to open the door, "Who did this to you?" she asked firmly; she wanted to give the bastard who did this to her father a piece of her mind.
At her words, Arthur's relief turned to fear, "Amelia, you have to leave this place!" he said urgently. "What are you talking about?" Amelia asked. "There's no time to explain; you have to leave now!" Arthur responded, nearly panicking, but Amelia shook her head, "No, I'm not leaving you!" she said firmly.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" A booming voice yelled as something large grabbed Amelia's shoulder and whirled her around roughly causing her hood to fall down and the torch to fall from its holder and into a puddle, "Amelia!" Arthur cried in alarm as darkness once again swallowed the dungeon except for a patch of moonlight shining through a hole in the roof.
"Who's there?! Wh-Who are you?!" Amelia cried, her heart pounding against her ribcage as she spotted a large shadow move about the darkness, "The master of this castle," the shadow answered as he hovered above her. Amelia swallowed her fear, "I-I've come for my Dad; please let him go, he's sick!" she stated, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
The shadow only growled, "Then the bastard shouldn't have trespassed here!" he said loudly causing Amelia to back against the door. "B-But he could die! Please let him go, I-I'll do anything!" she protested.
The shadow turned away, "He's my prisoner now; there's nothing you can do," he said in a low voice as he began to walk away. Amelia's eyes widened as she racked her brain for something she could do, "There must be something I can…" she trailed off when an idea sprang into her mind, "Wait!"
The shadow stopped and Amelia hesitated. She always said she wanted to be a hero; if she wanted to protect people, she would start by protecting her father, "Take me instead," she stated allowing her face to be shown in the moonlight. "What?" Arthur asked, hoping he had heard wrong. "Che!" the shadow scoffed before pausing to comprehend what she had said, "You would…take his place?" he asked almost in disbelief.
"Amelia, w-what are you doing?" Arthur asked weakly, grasping the cell bars. "I'm being a hero Dad," Amelia whispered with a sad smile before turning back to the shadow, "If I stay with you, will you let him go?" she asked. "Si," the shadow nodded, "But… you must promise to stay here forever," Amelia hesitated before finally saying, "Come into the light,"
The shadow hesitated for a moment before stepping into the patch of moonlight. Amelia's eyes widened as an enormous and hideous beast towered above her, with dark brown fur, sharp fangs, claws, and horns and a small curl on the side of his head. Amelia gasped at the sight and turned away from the frightening creature.
Arthur grasped her shoulders through the bars, "Amelia you can't do this! I won't let you!" he said loudly. Amelia looked sadly at her father and then back at the beast before standing up. She stepped into the moonlight and forced herself to look directly at the creature; despite the cost, Amelia had to do what had to be done. She took a deep shaky breath, "I…I promise," she said.
"Done," The beast said and went past her towards the cell door. Amelia fell to her knees at what she had done; she was snapped out of her stupor when Arthur knelt next to her and took her hands, "Amelia, I've lived my life, you can't-" Arthur was cut off as the beast grabbed the back of his cloak and dragged him towards the door, "No!" Amelia cried as their hands were ripped apart.
"Amelia!"
"Dad!"
The beast dragged Arthur outside as the Brit struggled desperately, "Please don't do this! She's all I have left! My daughter-" "She's not your concern anymore bastard!" the beast snapped before throwing him into a carriage and slamming the door shut, "Take him to the village!" he ordered before retreating back into the castle.
Arthur stood and struggled to keep balance as the carriage came to life and began to walk away on its own, "No! NO!" He ran up to the door where a small window showed the castle getting farther away, "Let me out! Let me out this instant!" Arthur yelled as he pounded on the door.
As the castle got smaller, Arthur became more and more desperate, "Please, let me out! Please! I'm begging you! Let me out! Amelia! AMELIA!" he screamed. Finally, his pounding ceased and he sank to the floor of the carriage, it was hopeless. First he had lost Emily, and now Amelia was in the hands of that…that monster…and it was all his fault.
Tears pricked his eyes as he placed a hand over his mouth to repress his sobs while the carriage took him farther and farther away from his beloved daughter; his darling, sweet, brave daughter…who he would never see again.
Amelia watched from the small window as the carriage holding her father got smaller and smaller in the distance. When it finally disappeared, Amelia finally broke down into small sobs. The beast climbed back up the stairs towards the dungeon and Francis who was still in the stairwell spoke up, "Um…Master?" he asked quietly. "What?!" the beast snapped.
Francis flinched and struggled to be brave, "Well…since the mademoiselle is going to be with us for a while now…maybe it would be better to…offer her a more comfortable room," he suggested, but was met with a loud growl as the beast walked off, "Or maybe not," the frightened candelabra resolved quickly.
Amelia wiped away her tears as the beast stood in the doorway, "You didn't even let me say good-bye!" Amelia said angrily, her eyes still moist, "I'll never see him again, and I couldn't even say good-bye…" she said sadly. The beast was quiet for a moment, a look of...guilt (?) crossing his face, "I'll show you to your room," he muttered.
Amelia looked up in confusion, "My room? But…aren't I…your prisoner?" she asked. The beast frowned impatiently, "You want to stay in the god damned tower?" he asked harshly. "No," Amelia squeaked. "Then follow me," the beast said and walked out of the room with Amelia following behind.
The beast held Francis to light the way as he and Amelia walked through the winding halls of the castle. Amelia tried to ignore the horrifying images of the statues and carvings on the wall and focused on staying behind the beast. It was then that the girl felt truly alone and homesick; a silent tear fell down her cheek, how was she going to survive here?
Francis and the beast noticed her sadness, "Say something to her," Francis whispered. The beast peeked at her over his shoulder hesitant at what to say, "I uh…I hope you like here," he said as calmly as he could. He looked at Francis who motioned for him to continue, "You live here now so go wherever you want; except the West Wing," he said.
"What's in the Wes-" "It's forbidden!" the beast snapped cutting her off, obviously not wanting to talk about it. He continued walking with a snarl and Amelia followed until they arrived at a bedroom.
The beast opened the door and she slowly walked in, "My servants will be here to attend you if you need anything," the beast said. Francis, who was still in his paw, nudged him slightly, "Dinner, invite her to dinner tomorrow," he whispered.
The beast, not used to asking for things felt his anger return, "You…will join me for dinner tomorrow night; and that's not a fucking request!" he yelled before slamming the door. Amelia, who was frozen in her spot until the door slammed, finally letting her emotions of sadness and pure fear consume her. She threw herself onto the large bed, sobs racking her body as she eventually cried herself to sleep.
Me: ;_; Poor Amie...now forced to stay in a castle with a constantly cursing beast...but who cares? She's the HERO! She'll be just fine!
Amelia: Hell yeah I'm the hero!
Me: *high fives* Yep, and you're going to be doing epic totally un-damsel-in-distress things in later chapters! (besides the romance of course) Because America will ALWAYS be the seme in my eyes, male or female! And I don't mean for smut, I mean personality and strength wise (meaning she's not some clutzy Mary-Sue!)
Amelia: FUCK YEAH!
Me: Remember to review mah peeps! Peace out!