(A/N: I FINALLY had the inspiration to write again)
The night was surprisingly darker than it usually was, the glow of the moon couldn't penetrate it and reveal the horrors lurking within the maze of shadows. The resistance's camp site was shrouded in black, the campfire had long since faded away. Michelle let out a shuddering breath, uneasy with the atmosphere of the night that usually held an uncharted wonderland. The moon was full as well, so why did it seem so dim? The fairy fluttered up quietly from her place in Alfred's hair, she floated near his face and gently brushed away some of the stray hair that covered his features "I hope you stay as you are" She whispered and kissed his cheek lovingly, she had grown fond of Alfred in a way that she'd want to keep him from harm, someone like him doesn't deserve to be in a situation like this.
In the middle of her thoughts she didn't even notice when someone came up behind her "I don't believe in faeries" the voice whispered, Michelle gasped and crumpled to the ground, her tiny hand reaching out to the swordsman's face "Al..fre…" She wheezed before melting away, leaving a flower in her place. Arthur stood silent, he uprooted the small flower and held it up as if to inspect it "Goodbye Michelle" The flower withered into dust and fell away into the breeze, Arthur clenched his fist and looked down at Alfred who seemed to be having night terrors "I'm sorry"
Morning came and the sun began to rise in the distance, the chilly air of the night had yet to lift and the crickets were only just beginning to stop, the forest was slowly coming to life again once the first bird chirped for the sunrise. Arthur shifted from his position, he groaned and lifted himself up despite the aching feeling in his back "That's what I get for sleeping on the ground…." He stretched his limbs out and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. The mage yawned and leaned on the tree behind him, once his eyes were fully focused he stared at his still slumbering companions. He looked away from them and stared down at his unbounded hands, despite this he was still a prisoner and he knew it, but this also meant that they trusted him even just a little bit "Or at least Alfred does" He mumbled, remembering the death threats thrown his way. The swordsman did confuse him, even when his friends all despised and kept a weary watch over him, Alfred decided to stick by him and even go so far as to attempt to at least be acquaintances.
Arthur wouldn't admit it out loud but Alfred was a rare soul, he was one of those who held the sight of innocence, things like that were hard to come by these days. Though his black and white perception of everything usually kicks that side of him into the deepest depths of hell, Arthur couldn't help but hope that Alfred would stay as he is. He could understand Michelle's- that rotten little faerie- attraction to him, after all the fey are always drawn to the most curious of things, if he felt that Alfred's untainted soul were to be guarded what more with Michelle? Arthur was pretty honest with himself when in the middle of his musings, yes he would usually deny a lot of things when with others but when alone with only his thoughts he accepted facts easily.
It did hurt when Alfred started to bluntly bash the kingdom, but he understood where the swordsman was coming from, though the other could have done without the harsh commentary, Arthur couldn't stand for his comrades to be spoken as such either, they were all hardworking men and women who risk and sacrifice just as much as anyone could, he adored them for everything they've done. These times were hard and the kingdom is falling, unknown to the people the royal family had fallen ill, now the responsibility of running the kingdom was placed upon the advisor and captain of the guards, Ivan Braginsky. Arthur was deeply concerned about the captain, Ivan was a gentle man at heart despite his demeanor, he was a man who survived wars and saw what no man should, after so many tragic losses that it was near impossible for anyone to reach for the captain beyond the steadfast walls he built around himself. Ivan still cared but had a hard time expressing himself.
Arthur remembered once upon a time when Ivan was merely just the captain of the guards, the three of them- Ivan, Vlad and himself- would find time to stop and have a chat when duties were done and posts left for another, grab a drink or two then laugh the night away "RISE AND SHINE!" The mage was violently pulled out of his musings by a loud albino who had flipped him over to the ground. Arthur glared at Gilbert and stood up to meet him at eye level "What was that?!" Gilbert smiled at him and turned around "Wake up call newbie, I do it to everyone. Besides I called you like three times already and all I got was dead fish eye" Arthur huffed and watched the albino walk off to wake up the others, the mage picked up his discarded blanket and was about to jinx the warrior when Vlad's voice rang out in his head.
'Arthur no, we want them in top condition' The mage winced at the sudden intrusion 'Good morning Vlad' He half expected a greeting back but of course the other mage wouldn't be doing so seeing as they were in the middle of planning a trap 'Oh yeah thanks for the map Arthur, this plan won't be as effective if we did it blind. Now listen carefully, I brought a few soldiers with me but they're new recruits, Ludwig's not happy about finding out that you were captured and that I didn't tell him' Arthur listened, though not intently, he never was for one about these kinds of things. The mage looked up for a brief second and spotted Alfred riding Schmidt but something had gone wrong so the swordsman was currently dangling from the horse's belly, he let out a small chuckle '.re….you got that Arthur?' The mage blinked and looked away from the panicking swordsman 'Er, sorry what was that? and I thought you said you'd get here by afternoon?'
'Arthur….' Vlad groaned. The mage had the decency to look ashamed but it was for nothing since Vlad had no way of seeing his expression 'Sorry chap, I got a bit distracted' Arthur could almost feel the other mage glaring at the sky, he was a bit surprised at himself as well seeing as though he never had trouble listening to Vlad before 'I said I need you to relieve them of any weapons, the recruits can take them on but their strength might not be enough. Just cast a little spell here and there that's all, as long as they'll be unarmed, look I know you don't like it when we fight unfairly but these are the rebels that took down a lot of troops on their own, its better to be safe than sorry Arthur, we don't have a choice. And that shadow horse will be trouble as well, take care of it, we're counting on you. About the afternoon thing? yeah I lied' Arthur nodded and cut off the connection, ignoring Vlad's last comment just because he thought it was childish. This was going to be easy, he walked up to the group calmly.
Alfred saw him and waved him over, smiling, the mage awkwardly waved back "Mornin' Artie!" The blond greeted happily. Yao gave him a once over while Matthew curtly nodded at him in response, Gilbert on the other hand was too busy making Schmidt do 'morning exercises' to care about greetings "Don't call me that, good morning" Yao sighed and looked through his bag until he found the phoenix feather infused rope "Don't lose this again" Arthur stiffened, great, looks like he'll still be having some difficulty. Just as he begrudgingly lifted his hands up to be tied, Alfred pushed Yao's hands back down gently "Hey no need for those, Artie's a guest now, ain't ya Artie- I mean- Arthur?" He winked at him and gave the mage a hearty slap on the back. Arthur- despite almost tripping- looked at Alfred in disbelief "You mean I…I don't have to be bound?"
"Course man! You're not running right now and Gil said you were the first one awake, you coulda ran then too, you didn't and you're not! I trust you Art" Arthur sucked in a breath. Alfred and his stupid rare soul "I..thank you Alfred..that means a lot" The swordsman grinned and squeezed his shoulder "No problem! And Mattie don't look at me like that, we gotta give 'im a chance y'know?" Matthew had watched the whole thing with conviction, he glared at Arthur and frowned at Alfred "Alright, but just this once. You have to watch him Al, don't ever let him out of your sight" Alfred saluted energetically as Matthew packed the last of their things and carried his bag. Yao reluctantly set the rope aside for now "Everyone, we're close to Avia now, all we have to do is cross this forest and we're home free so stay together, you'll never know what…" Matthew glanced at Arthur who pursed his lips "..Or who might jump at us today, move out" Gilbert rode next to Matthew on Schmidt, he held out a hand to pull the summoner up to ride with him which Matthew gratefully took. The two rode ahead before the others followed.
"Hey Yao, you gonna lag behind or somethin'?" The doctor smiled at Alfred and waved him off "You two go ahead, I'll be keeping watch behind us anyway" Arthur inwardly grimaced, the translation of that meant 'Don't trust Arthur' even if Yao didn't make it clear the atmosphere was crystal between them. Alfred being the dense idiot he was didn't sense anything and just shrugged "C'mon Artie" He tugged at the mage's clothes and led him into the forest.
A few minutes of walking left the group in complete silence, Matthew glanced behind him ever so often and gave Arthur the evil eye which the mage promptly ignored along with the searing hole being burned into the back of his head courtesy of Yao "Your brother doesn't seem to like me much" Arthur commented once Matthew looked ahead again, he said it so quietly that only Alfred could hear which was impressive given that the group was close to being cramped into one space like a can of sardines "Mattie? Nah he's just a bit shy, he always was, shy in his own way I mean. The shy Mattie back then isn't like the shy Mattie right now" Arthur raised an eyebrow and peered at Matthew up ahead "He was shy?"
"Oh totes man, Mattie used to be terrifyingly quiet, he never spoke that much so his voice got really reeeaally soft and he'd stutter sometimes. Because of this no one really paid attention to him, except me of course, I always have time for my little bro" Arthur almost gagged, Matthew was the little brother? Alfred caught his reaction and smirked "Yeah yeah I get it, didn't expect Mattie to be younger right? No prob, I get that all the time, maybe cause I just look a lot younger than Mattie, he really should stop being so stressed out sometimes, it's giving him white hairs" Arthur chuckled and shook his head "No, I think it's because you're much too childish and Matthew's more mature" Alfred gave him a mock glare "Hey that's rude" The mage shrugged and returned the mock glare "It's the truth, you're quite the man child"
"Eyebrows"
"Sodding git"
"Old grouch"
"Spoiled brat"
"Cut it out you two" Matthew called from up front without looking back. Alfred and Arthur glanced at him then back at each other and smiled "Wow you have teeth" Alfred joked as Arthur lightly bumped his shoulder "Belt up you sod" The swordsman chuckled and looked up at the trees, the sunlight penetrated the forest easily through the leaves, the dots of light littered the area like glitter, he sighed contently "You know Art, you're not such a bad guy…for a royal mage" Arthur scoffed but still kept his smile "And you're not such a bumbling idiot for a rebel"
"And…?" Arthur furrowed his eyebrows in confusion "And what?" Alfred pouted and crossed his arms, giving off the impression of a disappointed parent "Apologize" From the blank look on the mage's face Alfred continued "For breaking my other sword duh" Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose "Really? That was a few days ago already" The swordsman heard none of it, next to his dad's sword that one was his favorite "That sword cost me a lot Artie, and I was gonna make it an heirloom cause let's face it, my dad's sword might not be able to hold out that long anymore, so apologize" Arthur sighed and shook his head at Alfred's odd request, he decided to humor him "Fine, alright, I'm so sorry about breaking a sword that couldn't hold it's own against a kitten" Alfred shoved him lightly in response "Oh yeah I was gonna ask but have you seen Michelle? When I woke up I couldn't find her" Arthur stiffened but his façade stayed in place "No actually, but she always had the knack of going off on her own and coming back later right? I'm sure she'll turn up soon" Alfred shrugged but agreed with Arthur's statement and he let the subject slide. The two had a positive atmosphere between them for the rest of the walk.
'Arthur' The mage almost jumped at Vlad's voice, sometimes he'd rather the other mage warn him first before entering his mind 'You're close to our location, have you taken their weapons off?' Arthur bit his lower lip 'Er…' Vlad rubbed his temples and watched the group slowly make their way towards them 'Arthur you gotta do it now, we'll miss our chance. The kingdom isn't safe with these hooligans walking around' Arthur could sense that Vlad was close, he gripped on the hem of his shirt and looked around 'I don't know Vlad…you haven't seen what these people can do, even if I disarm them they could probably still be able to attack…they're…they're loonatics Vlad! Unpredictable in everyway! What if the recruits suffer at their hands? I don't want us to be held responsible for that'Arthur found his heart grow unsteady with each step forward, his eyes would dart at either Alfred or Matthew as if trying to call them out and look around them more carefully 'What are you going on about Arthur?! We have no time for this now! Disarm them immediately If they succeed in their mission we'll be putting thousands of lives at stake and have sacrificed just as much for nothing! All that we've done, everyone who left for our ideals! It's now or never!' The mage swallowed hard, he found himself in the middle of two sides, he stared at Alfred intently 'Come on you git look at me, something's going wrong! realize what I'm about to do!'
The thought was surprising in his mind, his loyalty was to the kingdom after all, what were these rebels to all the comrades he had back home? His hands shifted uncomfortably and a light breeze blew through the group. Alfred brushed his hair back and blinked "Haha, I needed that, it was getting hot right Artie?" When no reply came the swordsman looked beside him then all around "Artie?!" Just when he was about to panic the mage replied "I'm right here Alfred" The swordsman sighed and turned to the sound of Arthur's voice "Thank god Artie, don't scare me like...Arthur?" Matthew and Gilbert stopped and whirled around immediately, Yao stopped abruptly to face the mage and Alfred just stared disbelievingly at his own blade pointed at him "Arthur..what are…" He moved to come closer. Arthur frowned and threateningly slashed at the air close to the swordsman's face, Yao made a quick grab for his dagger but found the hilt empty "What?!" Gilbert and Matthew had done the same thing and also ended up with the same result.
Matthew scowled at Arthur who stepped aside to show them their broken weapons behind him "You son of a bitch" He growled, his voice laced with malice "I knew we shouldn't have ever trusted you" The group sent Arthur their most disgusted expressions, all of them feeling nothing but betrayal and hate towards the mage. All of them except Alfred "Artie hey if there's something wrong we'll talk okay?" Alfred put his hands up slightly as if it were a shield against his sword in the mage's hands, he addressed the others as if talking to a child in the middle of a tantrum. Arthur jabbed at him and Alfred jumped back "I'm warning you Jones, don't come any closer" He was thankful that his voice didn't waver but he was so sure his eyes gave out too much. Alfred's eyes grew wide in disbelief, he shook his head "Arthur, I thought we-" The swordsman couldn't finish when Schmidt neighed and charged at the mage, stunning both him and Gilbert "SCHMIDT NO!" Gilbert shouted, trying to catch the horse and pull it back.
Arthur saw it coming, he lifted his hand and started making symbols with it, in a really fast manner. Schmidt suddenly bucked and backed away from the mage but it was too late, light engulfed the shadow horse's body and the last thing it ever did was produce a terrified neigh before imploding. Gilbert stared disbelievingly at the empty space where his horse used to be, he shook his head "No…no no no not Schmidt.." He scowled at Arthur "YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" He ran for the mage with his fist raised. Arthur stood emotionless and looked up at Gilbert just as soldiers emerged from behind trees and tackled the albino to the ground "GILB-" Matthew was about to run to the warrior's side when two soldiers held him down and restrained his arms and legs. The summoner thrashed and tried to shake them off but they proved to be stronger than him "LET GO OF ME! LET GO!" He shouted, still struggling.
Yao couldn't believe what was happening, they were so close yet so unprepared, he knew something was wrong since that night when he saw Arthur up and about, he should have trusted his instincts and insisted that the ropes stay. Just as he was about to try and get the soldiers off Matthew he spotted another one aiming something at Alfred who still stood shell-shocked in front of a despondent Arthur "ALFRED WATCH OUT!" He pushed the swordsman out of the way and got hit with the dart instead, he took out the dart and recognized the drug that seeped out from it, his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious. Alfred lifted his head up from the ground to look at Arthur who stared back at him, the swordsman felt hands bind his limbs and push him down, but that didn't hold any significance to him at that moment. Between the shouts of his friends and that of the soldiers, all he could see was Arthur "I trusted you" He mouthed, unable to find his voice.
Arthur looked away for a brief moment before walking up to him "I know you did" He said before lifting the sword up and hitting Alfred hard on the head with it's hilt. Vlad came up behind him and smiled happily "This is great Arthur! When we get home you're sure to be greeted as a hero!" The soldiers gave one unified shout in agreement, they lifted their swords and saluted. Arthur smiled back at Vlad and it dropped as soon as the other mage wasn't looking.
He didn't feel like a hero.