The guards watched as the rolling head left a thin trail of blood in the dirt. The body it belonged to collapsed with a thump.
Two guards looked up at the blond hovering over Antonio's shaking body. He held in his hand a bloodied sword which he gripped with such intensity that they were sure his veins were going to burst.
"Which of the guards isn't with us?"
"Those two."
The two guards looked at each other, then back at the other guards. Each one took off their helmets. Ludwig was already starting towards the two guards, prepared to kill each of them just as he had killed the executor, but Roma sensed their fear and grabbed Ludwigs shoulder, motioning to the chain tied around Antonio's neck. "Just tie them and gag them. Don't kill them."
Ludwig looked at Roma like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, but he did as the older man said and forced the two guards to drop their weapons before tying them up and gagging them.
Nobody noticed how utterly surprised Antonio was. His eyebrows furrowed and his jaw was slack. "My God, what is happening?"
"There is no time for questions."
"You're dressed as a guard. You're all dressed as guards. Who are they?"
"Friends of mine, Antonio. We've got to leave now."
"Am I dead?"
"Roma," Ludwig said, "We have got to disguise him. One of you! Undress and give over the clothes! Now!"
Roma untied one of the smaller men and let him undress until he was about half naked. Ludwig helped Antonio into the clothes and tied the guard up again. "Do not make sounds. If you speak, you die," the German said. He held his sword up again for emphasis. The men nodded frantically.
Roma chuckled. "You're pretty good, Ludwig."
"Danke, Mr. Vargas. Antonio, move. We are leaving."
Antonio's legs shook as he tried to take a step forward. He couldn't walk up the stairs. The guards had to nearly carry him down the stairs. And now there was confusion and madness and he couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the floor. His eyes rolled back in his head and the last thing he remembered seeing was Ludwig's face twisted into a grimace.
.
"Antonio? Antonio? Wake up." Antonio woke with a start as cool water was trickled over his face. His heart was pounding in his chest.
A scream rose from his throat and he grasped the seats of the wagon. "Madr- ugh!" His head slammed into the top of the carriage when they hit a large bump. Hands grasped onto his shoulders and spoke soothing words. "Antonio, it's alright. It's Roma. Eat this." Roma placed some sort of dried meat and bread in his hand. He ate it all in nearly one bite. Roma handed him a bottle of wine. He drank about a fourth of the bottle before realizing it could make him sick to drink more. He wiped away the wine leaking out of the sides of his lips and gave a weak smile.
"Am I dead, Roma?"
"No, Antonio. No. You're alive. You're safe."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Antonio's face burned red and tears rolled off of his jaw. He heard a throat clear and turned to see Ludwig looking out the window. Antonio smiled at the German. "Thank you, Ludwig. God bless you both. I am forever in your debt."
"This was not my idea, Antonio, though I wish I would have been smart enough to think of it. It was Lovino's."
Antonio's eyes brightened at the name. "Where is he?"
Roma smiled warmly. "Lovi! Me scambiare posti!"
"Salire!"
Roma climbed up into the front. Ludwig watched and said, "I should go up, too." Antonio smiled at Ludwigs awkwardness as he squeezed into the front. Antonio watches as Lovino crawled into the back of the carriage. He hadn't yet looked up.
His eyes widened when he did. His face went white and a lump formed in his throat. "Oh my God. Antonio?"
Antonio looked away. "I'm so sorry. This wasn't what you were expecting."
Lovino was crying now. He wrapped his arms around Antonio and buried his face into the crook of his neck. "A-Antonio, I missed you. I love you. I told you I'd save you, y-you bastard!" Lovino grinned through his sobs. "Fuck, I'm not supposed to be crying. Shit. Ugh." Lovino wiped his tears with his palm. "I love you so, so much. God."
"I love you, querido. Thank you for saving me. You're the bravest man I've ever met. I don't deserve you. My God, I don't deserve you at all."
"Don't you fucking say that." Lovino pressed a loving kiss to his lips. "But you are going to have to shave."
Antonio laughed. "Yes, of course. Lovino? Where exactly are we going?"
Lovino raised his eyebrows. "You already know."
"No, Lovi, I don't. Where will we hide?"
Lovino smiled and rubbed his hands together. "Italy. Feliciano is waiting for us at the dock with a boat. We put our money together and bought one. Pretty fucking great, right?"
Antonio stammered. "Uh . . . I-I . . . what?"
Lovino smiled and kissed Antonio's cheek. "You heard me, bastard."
The rest of the ride was peaceful. Lovino curled up beside Antonio and whispered sweet little things to him to make him feel better. Normally he wouldn't be so nice, but Antonio really just needed a gentle touch for a while.
The carriage finally came to a stop. The smell of the sea was glorious and wonderfully fragrant. The salty air was crisp and fresh. Antonio couldn't help but to smile when he stepped out of the cart and into the sunlight for the first time in almost two months. The sea looked cold, yet peaceful. Though Barcelona was on the sea, Antonio rarely got to see it. Not many respectable people hung around the docks. He knew the prostitutes swarmed the docks, though it was too cold for them today.
"Antonio, come on. Can you step down?"
Yes, but it was very, VERY difficult. He didn't say that though. He was a man through and through, and no self-respecting man would let their partners see their weaknesses if they could help it. So he stepped out of the carriage like each step didn't nearly cause him to collapse. Lovino probably saw through it, though. He wasn't an idiot. Roma and Ludwig grabbed a few bags from the carriage and made their way to the boat. It was a boat on the very end of the pier. It wasn't very big or nice, but it would serve its purpose well.
They were getting the hell out of Spain.
Roma tossed almost everything onto the boat. One particularly heavy bag remained. "Feliciano! Feli! Help me!" Roma sat down on a crate and waited for Feliciano.
He didn't come.
"Feli, if you're napping at a time like this I'll bust your ass!"
No response.
Roma stood up and climbed onto the boat. Ludwig, Lovino, and Antonio had made their way to the boat now. They looked at Roma searching the boat, a panicked expression on his face. "Where is Feliciano?! Oh, God. We shouldn't have let him do this alone. God. What if he . . . " Roma looked overboard into the black waters and shivered. "No. And he can swim, too. He could have swam back to the pier. Where is he, dammit!?"
Ludwig looked around. "Maybe he got on the wrong boat?"
Roma shook his head. "No. He knew the boat. I wrote him a note and had him recite the name fifty times. There is no way in hell he forget the name. And I told him exactly where it was. And you drew a picture of it, Ludwig. He knew. Where the hell is my grandson?!"
Ludwig gulped and hopped onto the boat to help search. Lovino helped Antonio onto the boat, much to Antonio's chagrin. They searched high and low, but he was gone. One tear slid down Roma's cheek. "FELI?!"
Silence.
"FELICIANO?!"
. . . . "mff! Grm . . . rmuh!"
Ludwig turned around. "Did you hear that?"
"It's coming from that barrel down there!" Lovino yelled.
Ludwig began to step back onto the pier, but a bitter voice yelled out to him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice said. There was a flash of black as a man jumped down and stood over the barrel. "Get back in that fucking boat, you traitor."
The man dropped his hood and smiled faintly at them. Red eyes bore into them.
"Augustine?" Antonio whispered.
To Be Continued . . .