The carriage stopped in front of a grande mansion, looming over them darkly. They had been travelling many days to reach Austria and, to Arthur, reaching their destination was more of a relief than a sorrow. Feliciano had hardly said a word since the disappearance of his brother, and not even the hint of a smile brightened the young man's face. It didn't escape his notice the muffled sobs every night and tired, red eyes. Lovino's dear brother had lost his joyful happiness and aged immensely in the month since Lovino left. Arthur felt it was his duty to somehow lift Feliciano's burden of grief, but his own heartache nearly crushed him and loneliness plagued his every waking hour and sleeping ones.
"Wait here," he mumbled, and stepped down from the carriage. Feliciano didn't give any sign of hearing, and Arthur just continued to the door. Wearily, he banged the knocker against the wood.
A butler opened the door and stared at him. "May I help you?"
"I request an audience with the Master of the house."
"Is Count Edelstein expecting you?"
"No, but I traveled here with someone he will very much be interesting in. Now, please, go get him." Despite his exhaustion, Arthur let his voice slip into the cold commanding tones he used before his exile, when talking to servants was common and it was expected of him to be condescending.
The butler frowned slightly, but he knew an aristocrat when he saw one. "May I ask who I shall tell the Master is calling?"
"Arthur Kirkland...and Feliciano Vargas," he answered slowly. Arthur wasn't sure Count Edelstein would come if it was just him, but he was certain Feliciano's name would capture his attention.
"Please, come inside and wait." The butler led him inside to a small drawing room and disappeared out again.
A few moments later, the door slammed open and a dark, elegant man stood in the doorway. Cold anger lit in the man's eyes and the temperature of the room slowly dropped. "Who are you to summon me under such a name? How dare you disgrace the dead!"
"He's not dead. I have a letter for you proving he's not," Arthur said and took the letter from his coat.
Roderich snatched it up and quickly read it. His dark blue eyes shone with momentary grief, but the sadness was just as quickly smothered by anger. "Do you think this is amusing? Lovino is dead, along with his brother. What was your plan for this letter? Were you looking for a hole back into proper society for you to crawl through?"
"This is no farce, I came only in the stead of another. I ask nothing, I want nothing, but to carry out his wishes."
The accusation in Roderich's eyes faltered and the Count glanced at the letter again. "If this is true, then why didn't you bring Feliciano?"
"I wouldn't blindly hand Lovino's beloved brother to a stranger." Arthur frowned, and rubbed a hand over his face. "But I don't think it would be best for me to care for him. Is your wife here?"
"Yes. How, if he is alive, did Lovino know I am married?" Roderich eyed him with suspicion.
"Lovino knows you better than you think."
There was a soft knock on the door, and they looked up sharply. Feliciano stared them dully, the weight of his grief dragging at his body. "Hello." Feliciano didn't smile.
"I told you to wait in the carriage." Arthur sighed tiredly and frowned.
"My god..." Roderich slowly approached Feliciano. "What happened? Where's your brother?"
Feliciano shook his head. "I don't know."
Roderich frowned slightly. "Excuse me. I'll get my wife." The Count left them, and Feliciano seated himself in a chair.
"How do you feel?" Arthur asked softly.
"Roderich hasn't changed at all. Lovino was right about him marrying. I just hope it was Elizabeta." Feliciano let out a humorless laugh, ignoring his question completely.
"I'm sure it will be." He put a hand on Feliciano's shoulder. Throughout the entire trip to Austria, he'd tried to bring back Feliciano's previous happiness, but nothing had cheered the little Italian. Arthur finally accepted that Feliciano wouldn't be able to find joy in his company.
"Feliciano!" A woman ran into the room and enveloped Feliciano in a hug. A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she smiled at him.
"Hello." Feliciano spared a sad smile for his old nurse.
"Come, I will show you your room," Elizabeta said, and smoothed a hand through Feliciano's hair.
"Room? I'm staying here?" Feliciano glanced up and at Arthur in confusion.
"It's what Lovino wanted," Roderich replied, and handed him Lovino's letter.
He took the letter and read it out loud:
"Dear Roddy,
I really wish I could see you and explain this myself, but that's sadly not possible. I have a favor to ask of you, although I'm counting on your wife to insist upon it. I need you to care for Feliciano until I return. Arthur is a good man, but I believe Feliciano would be happier in your care. I'm afraid my leaving will hit both Arthur and Feliciano hard, but it's Feliciano I worry about most. He will need someone to help him through this. Give him all the love you can, I know that it won't be hard.
Until we meet again, my old friend,
Lovino."
Feliciano looked at him, his hurt and loneliness bare for everyone to see. "But..."
"I believe it is best," Arthur said to Feliciano's unspoken question. "I'm not the nurturing type, and I haven't managed to make you smile once. The Count and Countess will be able to better care for you than I."
"Come on, dear." Elizabeta coaxed Feliciano to his feet and smiled gently. "You don't know how wonderful it is that you're alive. I knew you weren't dead. We never found any bodies..." The Countess's voice trailed off as she led him down the hall and deeper into the house.
"Feliciano has really changed. He use to smile more," Roderich said, breaking the empty silence left by Feliciano and Elizabeta.
"He hasn't smiled since his brother left. I've tried to help him cope with the disappearance of his brother, but I'm not much better off myself."
"What happened? Where did Lovino go?"
Arthur shook his head. "I don't know. I left for a day, and when I came back, Lovino was gone. Feliciano hasn't been the same since."
"I see." Roderich let out a sigh. "But he is alive, yes?"
"When I last saw him, yes. May I ask you a question? Do you know if there's any reason why Lovino would leave so abruptly?"
"No, I am sorry. What I remember of him might not be who he is now."
"What do you remember of him?"
"Ah...He had a horrible temper and issues with pleasing his grandfather, but Lovino had the greatest sense of musicality I've ever encountered. His brother could play if I told him exactly what to do, but Lovino had a gift. He could create, using methods that took me years to master. His grandfather sought to crush that gift, but I did my best to help it excel."
"Why would he crush it?" He frowned slightly. Whenever Feliciano talk of his grandfather, he always went on about how wonderful and kind he was, but trying to crush Lovino's talents didn't seem like the actions of a kind man.
"It interfered with his plans to make Lovino cruel and heartless." Roderich sighed softly, staring sadly into space. "Lovino, despite his grandfather's intentions, was never meant to kill. Master Augustus tried to grind death into him, but Lovino was meant to create life and joy. His childhood left him twisted and inside out as he progressed into adolescence, unable to move forward or backwards. He should have been making people feel with his music, but he was completely confused by what his head knew and what his heart wanted. He was taught to destroy, but meant to create. It's unfortunate combination."
"What exactly do you mean by destroy? Feliciano always said his grandfather was a kind man."
"You don't know? Master Augustus ran a network of assassins for the Church to kill any who opposed them. Lovino is the heir to that vast network. Most of his childhood was spent grooming to take control after his grandfather's death, but no one could take into account that Master Augustus would die so soon, and Lovino set fire to the manor and run away with his brother." Roderich smoothed a hand down the buttons of his coat, his expression far away and troubled. "Whatever Feliciano told you was true for him, but Master Augustus treated Lovino very differently than he treated Feliciano. He told all the servants to act coldly to Lovino and the Master never treated Lovino with the same affection he had for Feliciano. If one looked, it wasn't hard to understand that Master Augustus isolated that child for the purpose of protecting the younger brother from the Church and the network."
"I see...Thank you for telling me all this." He stood and bowed slightly to the Count. "I must be going. It is a long trip back to Italy."
"Won't you stay for lunch? I want to thank you for bringing Feliciano to us," offered Roderich.
"No, but thank you. I must get back. There is no one watching my home." He bitterly wondered if there was even a home left now that Feliciano was going to stay with the Edelsteins and Lovino was off in some unknown place.
Roderich frowned. "Then would you like me to call my wife so you can say your farewell to Feliciano?"
"That isn't necessary. I don't want to intrude on Countess Edelstein's time with him." Arthur bowed again.
"If you think that is best...May your trip back to Italy be safe." Roderich walked him to the door out of politeness more than anything. Arthur knew the Count wasn't comfortable with men like him, although he'd met plenty. "Wait, Mister Kirkland."
"Yes?" He paused at the step to his carriage.
The Count stood in the doorway, his face tense as if he was about to say something he'd regret. "If you ever need anything within reason, don't hesitate to call on me. I can't bring you back into proper society, but, perhaps, I can give your home in Italy more comfort."
He nearly laughed at Roderich's carefully chosen words. "That is very kind of you. I'll keep that in mind." Arthur climbed in his carriage and the driver snapped the reigns.
Arthur looked back on the house and sighed. He knew all that was waiting for him was an empty home, and Arthur wasn't sure he was ready to go back to that. It was uncomfortable with just Feliciano and his depression, but empty would be unbearable. Nearly a year of living alone, and it had only taken two brothers and a few months to shatter his illusion of peace. Solitude had once promised so much, but now it held nothing for him but sorrow. Bittersweet sorrow.
Two more chapters, maybe. I bet y'all are wondering how it will end. Well, it's not going to be happy, or perhaps it will be. Who knows?
-Windy