Whatever was preventing Alfred from moving released him now. He rushed forward as Arthur fell, catching him before he hit the ground. The smell of blood invaded his nose, making his head swim.
“A – Arthur?” Alfred had enough sense not to jolt him. They sank to the ground together, Alfred holding on to Arthur’s body even as he felt the warmness of blood seeping into his own shirt as well.
He would have cried, except that he was in too much shock to do so. His trembling hands held Arthur close, burying his face in Arthur’s hair despite the overwhelming stench of blood.
Arthur’s eyes cracked open. He face was already losing its colour but he managed to gather enough strength to focus on the queen’s distant figure.
“Why?” his voice cracked under the strain of speaking. “I...served you. I went to war for you. I...bled for you...so...so...” His voice gave out half-way. Arthur reached out trembling, blood-stained hands as if to grasp her but Alfred blocked them with his own, fingers curling together.
The queen still remained on the floor, trembling at the sight of blood. She had not fully realised the implications of her goal. She had hoped that she would not be there to see Arthur’s undoing or, if she was, that somehow his blood would look different; not red, not like a human’s blood.
“Did you think that this was easy for me?” she almost shrieked but deciding that he voice would attract unwanted attention, quivered instead. “What else could I do? They took away all the monarchy’s power, all its real power! I didn’t want to sit and watch anymore so I – so I wanted to change everything, start anew!”
Alfred could stand this no longer. Although he had not heard half of what had been exchanged he could not care less. What mattered was Arthur.
“We’re leaving!” he announced. Scooping him up, he was hit by an unwelcome sense of de-ja-vu. This had been just like the day he had found Arthur kidnapped by the pirates. Fear wormed its way into his gut. Just how would this affect Arthur’s mind now?
“No! You won’t go anywhere!” the queen’s voice echoed, picking up Arthur’s fallen knife.
The look Alfred gave her was so ferocious she gasped and dropped the knife in shock, backing away. He wished someone else could see her now; a dishevelled, feeble woman.
“Do you really want to risk hurting me? I think you know what implications that will have on your foreign relations,” he said icily and offered her a smile that could compete with even Ivan’s.
“You should think about the implications of your actions as well! You are interfering in something that is none of your business!” The queen cried, managing to somewhat pull back her composure
Alfred gave her a cold glare. “My boss would not object to this. I am simply aiding an ally.”
He was not sure if the queen really cared about foreign powers at this point or is she was just too stunned to react but, for all the trouble it often caused him, when no one stopped him despite the incriminating picture he painted, he was never so thankful that he was a superpower.
Re: If you find me...[21/28]
“A – Arthur?” Alfred had enough sense not to jolt him. They sank to the ground together, Alfred holding on to Arthur’s body even as he felt the warmness of blood seeping into his own shirt as well.
He would have cried, except that he was in too much shock to do so. His trembling hands held Arthur close, burying his face in Arthur’s hair despite the overwhelming stench of blood.
Arthur’s eyes cracked open. He face was already losing its colour but he managed to gather enough strength to focus on the queen’s distant figure.
“Why?” his voice cracked under the strain of speaking. “I...served you. I went to war for you. I...bled for you...so...so...” His voice gave out half-way. Arthur reached out trembling, blood-stained hands as if to grasp her but Alfred blocked them with his own, fingers curling together.
The queen still remained on the floor, trembling at the sight of blood. She had not fully realised the implications of her goal. She had hoped that she would not be there to see Arthur’s undoing or, if she was, that somehow his blood would look different; not red, not like a human’s blood.
“Did you think that this was easy for me?” she almost shrieked but deciding that he voice would attract unwanted attention, quivered instead. “What else could I do? They took away all the monarchy’s power, all its real power! I didn’t want to sit and watch anymore so I – so I wanted to change everything, start anew!”
Alfred could stand this no longer. Although he had not heard half of what had been exchanged he could not care less. What mattered was Arthur.
“We’re leaving!” he announced. Scooping him up, he was hit by an unwelcome sense of de-ja-vu. This had been just like the day he had found Arthur kidnapped by the pirates. Fear wormed its way into his gut. Just how would this affect Arthur’s mind now?
“No! You won’t go anywhere!” the queen’s voice echoed, picking up Arthur’s fallen knife.
The look Alfred gave her was so ferocious she gasped and dropped the knife in shock, backing away. He wished someone else could see her now; a dishevelled, feeble woman.
“Do you really want to risk hurting me? I think you know what implications that will have on your foreign relations,” he said icily and offered her a smile that could compete with even Ivan’s.
“You should think about the implications of your actions as well! You are interfering in something that is none of your business!” The queen cried, managing to somewhat pull back her composure
Alfred gave her a cold glare. “My boss would not object to this. I am simply aiding an ally.”
He was not sure if the queen really cared about foreign powers at this point or is she was just too stunned to react but, for all the trouble it often caused him, when no one stopped him despite the incriminating picture he painted, he was never so thankful that he was a superpower.
XX