Hetalia – The Cold of War
Chapter 19 and Merry Christmas Everyone! You actually did it, 10 reviews on one chapter. It's a christmas miracle :D As my present to all of you, I give you the next chapter in this tale;
Enjoy!
The Nordic Kingdom, The Royal Palace, The battle ridden Entrance courtyard
Alfred Jones couldn't fathom what had just happened. One moment he had been rushing towards Arthur pinned down, his face screwed up in pain. And then, without warning, Alfred was wholly blinded as a column of holy light that erupted down from the heavens. The dazzling light engulfed Arthur, crashed down and rumbled violent tremors throughout the stupefied yard. A shockwave boomed and flung everyone away from the column. Alfred cried as he was knocked down by the blast of air and skidded away. There was now a clear radius around the light with it's human audience staring with frantically beating hearts. Tiny minds that couldn't comprehend the event that defied their misguided concept of logic. The bacon spun and whipped the harsh air into a snowy blizzard, the spiralling flakes replaced the pure white light as it dissolved into oblivion. There was complete silence, even the faint background noise of the warring men had fallen. Alfred lowered his raised hand he had thrown up to shield his eyes from the flurried snow and felt his body lock up in terror when the snow died enough to see clearly.
Arthur was lying exactly where Long John had held him. Exactly the same place in the exact same position, exactly was the same; save for the enormous gleaming pair of white wings that had sprouted from his bloody bare back. The feathery wings stood skyward as bright as the light they had appeared in, too brazen to even peek at. Beneath them there was a stirring movement and Arthur propped up his arm to raise himself up. He lifted his head and when he opened his eyes, instead of the familiar spring green irises, a solid, unwavering blue-White light had consumed his eyes. The air hummed like a powerful generator, the very space itself electrified with energy. When Alfred would think back on the event, he would never forget those chilling eyes. Those foreign, alien eyes that held no trace of humanity. So cold, so uncaring, they did not understand nor care for mercy and kindness. He would never truly shake away the haunting image of the being that wore Arthur's face; the clawing despair of seeing the one he loved lost beyond his help.
The air continued to vibrate as Arthur, unsteady as a newborn, raised himself awkwardly to his feet. His mighty wings shook and folded tightly at his back as the new weak muscles that controlled them shook with effort. The angelic being blinked and scanned it's surrounding with minimal interest, a vacant expression on it's unchanging face. It's bored graze settled on one of the Deadmen that had drawn a wicked knife, the flash of the unsheathed blade winked as its wielder idiotically dashed forward… What happened next was too fast for eyes to follow.
Crunch!
The phrase 'Blink and you miss it' had never been truer. Alfred's dull human eyes tried follow the blurred action and when they came to rest, Arthur was already beside the attacking hooded Deadman; pulling his buried arm out of the gored chest with a still beating heart clenched inside his bloodied fist. He ripped it out with a snap and raised the ugly pulsating organ to see his face, as though to inspect it more closely. Horror frosted the yard, petrified of this cruel thing that looked like Arthur Kirkland. The silence did not linger long. Exploiting the opportunity, Long John barrelled forward towards Arthur, the villain's hand curled into a tight fist. Even as his attacker approached, Arthur stood still with his head cocked slightly to the side; looking almost curious to see what would happen next. Alfred raised himself into a crouching position and flung out a hand in warning "Arthur look out!".
Arthur turned his ominous glowing eyes to Alfred just as Long John swung and his fist connected. The hammer fist smashed into Arthur and launched him into one of the bordering stone walkway columns. The column groaned with a cloud of dust and the roof way it held crumbled and collapsed down onto the Angel. "Arthur!" Alfred blurted as his friend was buried, Long John bellowing over Alfred's distress, his small greedy eyes pinpointed to where Arthur had fallen.
"Bah! You see, he ain't nothing! All bark an' no bite" The Deadman scoffed to Natasha and Vlad as he shook his only hand out, the hand's large knuckles painted red where the skin had been gnashed off. Alone with no allies left, Alfred felt an indivisible noose nauseatingly settle around his neck. He was the only one left against the Imperials; Kiku had gone to get help, and Arthur, hell Alfred didn't even know what to believe about him anymore. What he had seen made no sense, even by sorcery's bizarre standards. His world had been rattled, it's core of stability founded on the basis of reality shaken. He was in shock, Alfred knew he was and still his body seized up; the muscles paralysed and quivered as adrenaline continued flood through them. His survival instinct to flee clashed with the burning need to help Arthur, the stalemate served only to infuriate Alfred as he internally struggled with himself. Back in reality, Alfred cringed as he felt the stares of the enemy sinisterly slide onto him. The noose tightened and become suffocatingly tight. He was beaten and bruised, his whole face ached. He couldn't do this on his own. Alfred bit his lip in frustrated grief, hating himself for not being stronger. He didn't have the strength to fight his way out, he was going to die. Despaired with his impending demise, Alfred closed his eyes and sent his grasping prayers of aid to the heavens.
And aid came in the blazing form of Allistor Kirkland. The Scot tore towards the gathered, dual tomahawks gleamed as their wielder pulled a arm back and lobbed it forward. The whistling axe whipped past Alfred's ear and embedded itself the skull of the remaining hooded Deadman with a sickening crunch of bone. Allistor didn't even spare the corpse a glance as it fell; his hawk focus fixed on the hulk. Long John spun to meet the threat but was too slow as Allistor skidded down onto the ice and carved a deep slash into his leg with a brutal hagged hack. The thigh slit open to the bone like a teeth less mouth and violently vomited blood. The Deadman fell to his good knee and howled his torment to the clouded darkening sky. Continuing the assault, Allistor slid away and as he spotted Vlad, grinned like the Cheshire Cat. He launched himself to his feet and hit the ground running as his target panicked to scramble out the way.
"Allistor! Please no! No, you don't understand!" Vlad wailed as Allistor shot at him like a blood hound out for the hunt. Allistor swiftly closed the distance between them and raised his weapon, no questions, no stalling; he was taking his revenge for Seamus and Dylan now. But Lady luck was smiling on Vlad as Allistor swung early and overshot. Allistor grunted as he followed up on the missed blow, using the momentum swing his other arm down and around to pound his elbow against exposed Vlad's nose. The sharpest bone crunched against its target with a satisfying crack, followed by a screeching scream. Blinded and clutching his broken dripping nose, Vlad wildly shot out a telepathic push with a swipe of his hand and managed clipped Allistor on the shoulder, spiralling him back towards Alfred. The eldest Kirkland tumbled and managed to regain his balance with a crude handspring as he came towards the ground, impressively agile as he sprang up ready for more.
"Where is Artie?," Allistor panted over his shoulder to the dazed Alfred, a line forming between his thick brows when he didn't answer immediately. "Oi! Where is Arthur?,". Alfred gulped and shakily pointed over to where Arthur had fallen, the feathery wings could just be glimpsed beneath the grey stone debris. Allistor visibly paled and squared his jaw at the sight, the panic and fear for his brother twisted his stomach into knots "Take Arthur an' get ta cover. Leave tha rest ta me". Alfred nodded and climbed to his feet, his face and crooked nose aching as he rose and waited for his opening. Allistor, now entrusted with the task of stalling both sorcerers, gritted his teeth and fixed his predator's eye onto his prey. Missing an arm and leaning heavily in his left leg, Long John eyed Allistor with his scarred lips pulled back over his cracked lips to bear his teeth like an animal.
Allistor flourished his axe expertly before he pointed it at Long John in a display of challenge "So ya be tha slimy bastard that's been tossin' ma wee brother about, eh?" Long John's beady eyes grew wide for a split second before they narrowed.
"Brother? Ho, there are two of you now?," The Deadman puzzled before he looked back to Natasha, who had been taking refuge between a piece of cover "What does this change?"
"Nothing!," She called back, her eyes darting between to where Arthur was and Allistor "We extract Arthur Kirkland and retreat back to the Capital. That is our unchangeable objective. Kill the two and be done so we may leave" Long John scoffed and sulked back to the impatiently waiting Allistor. The space between them seemingly filled and pregnant as snow rushed and whipped around them.
"Hear that? Sounds like we won't have very long to play to together friend" He smiled as he began to limp to the side, Allistor moved so he mirrored his movements and they circled one another. Two enter the ring, one leaves.
"T'was never an issue, friend. With you, I won't need long," Allistor came back, a cunning smile playing on his confident face. Long Joh hissed at the insult but made no move to attack, unnerving Allistor as he tried to keep both sorcerers in his line of sight. He was stalling, he'd wait until Sunny boy had got Arthur out the way before unleashing a blizzard onto them; swipe them out in one fell swoop.
"Enlighten me Kirkland. Do you to have wings like Angel boy over there? Are you a heavenly servant of the gods? How blessed he is" Long John jabbed, gleeful at Allistor's immediate furious expression.
"You. Know. nothing" Allistor hissed through clenched teeth, his hands trembling and shoulders shaking. Disappointed in himself for being so easily baited. The scales that had been Allistor's favour, had now tipped into Long John's court.
"I wonder what His Majesty will do to him when he gets his hands on him. Torture for rebel information? Experimentation? Or perhaps…," and Long John purred the last part "He fancies the idea of having the Angel all to himself, for personal desires". Allistor snapped and roared as he sprang at the Deadman, his Greek fire eyes flashing for blood. Long John smirked and side stepped as Allistor lashed out with the tomahawk in one hand and activated hidden blade in the other. The two spun and weaved away and toward each other, the focus so completely on their own lethal dance that no one noticed Alfred silently slip by.
Alfred skimmed along the edge of the yard until he came to the collapsed roof way on top of Arthur, hesitant to look into those awful eyes again. The rubble was broke into large pieces and Alfred could spot a glimmer of gold between two of the largest sections. Although his gut screamed at him to turn and run, Alfred cautiously crouched down and moved his cut, scratched hands to begin clearing the rubble off Arthur.
"Arthur? Arthur, Arthur can you hear me?," Alfred frantically repeated, drawing nearer and nearer to the thing that was not Arthur. Just being near the winged being made all his hairs stand on end but Alfred continued to move pieces, sighing with relief when he finally uncovered Arthur's whole body; noting how odd it was that only bruises that blossomed on the slightly glowing skin. Alfred leaned down with his head near Arthur's to reassure him he was near.
"It's okay buddy, I'm gonna get you outta here. Just let me lift yo-!" But Alfred never finished what he was saying as a steel hand clamped down over his neck and dug its fingers into his fragile vocal cords.
OOOooh no. So excited to have for the Battle Royale next, it's going to be rough, it's going to be dirty, it's going to be...'fun' ;)
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you are liking this story and wish for it to long continue, then please take the time to tell me your thoughts, opinions and questions in a review. I always look forward to your feedback, they motivate me so much to keep posting up this content for you. Once again thank you for reading and merry Christmas! As always,
Until next time folks!