Alfred’s body was a wreck, his veins greenish in color standing out over his too pale skin. His substantial muscles were gone, all gone. Matthew touched his two fingers to just beneath Alfred’s jaw, prodding to find some resemblance to a pulse, but he found nothing, absolutely nothing. Matthew pressed an ear to his brother’s chest in a desperate effort to hear breathing, a heart beating, something! And then –
“Ginny, he’s alive! He’s alive, but barely!” Matthew cried out, barely daring to hope. Christ, thank god he’d got here when he did! “C’mon, you big lug.” Matthew grunted, and pulled Alfred’s surprisingly thin frame in a fireman’s carry. “Let’s get you somewhere better. Out of this sand.”
Matthew and occasionally Ginny carried Alfred out of the desert, but they couldn’t do anything about the creeping green filling his veins. After eight hours, they finally reached the edge of the marshlands. Alfred wasn’t much better, chest rising and falling sporadically, face alternately peaceful and pained in his unconscious state.
“Well, Freddie, this sure is a beauty.” Matthew said, touching the green lines on Alfred’s face gently. His forehead was burning up with fever. Ginny passed him a damp rag, and Matthew gently touched it to his forehead. His heart skipped a beat when Alfred’s eyelids suddenly slid open, and his irises were sickly green with poison.
“Arthur?” Alfred croaked out, and Matthew’s stomach dropped. “Is that you?”
“No, Freddie, it’s me, Matt.” Matthew said gently, taking one of Alfred’s hands in his own, and giving it a squeeze. “You need to get better, so we can go find Arthur.”
“Crowe, but that doesn’t matter, I found you!” Alfred’s unseeing eyes lit up.
Matthew squeezed tighter. “No, no Alfred, it’s me, your brother. Not Arthur.” Alfred was delirious, not, not an especially good sign…
“Arthur, come back with me, it’s not fun here. Bess and Amy are gone…” Alfred whined. There was so much sadness there, so much despair.
“Bess and Amy?” Ginny murmured to Matthew, and he had to cast his mind back, trying to find any sort of connection with Alfred and those names.
“I… I think they’re his guns, from World War Two or something, but I thought he lost those ages ago.” He said slowly, and Ginny reached forward to cradle his head in her lap. “No, wait, don’t, his blood is poisoned.” She paused, and withdrew her hand. “C’mon, Freddie. Sleep now, get better, I’ll be here when you wake up.” Matthew smoothed his hair gently.
“Arthur the Queen she’s taken you taken gone killed gone cursed, you have a curse I have to get you I have to break it, get it back, without you I can’t, I can’t –” Alfred was making absolutely no sense at all, now, and Matthew’s gasped as Alfred’s heart rate began to climb.
“Freddie hold on, just wait, don’t, don’t, just hold on, Alfred…” Matthew hauled Alfred bodily into his arms, trying to soothe him as he twitched violently.
“No no no you don’t understand I can’t you Arthur…” Alfred’s eyes shut tightly, and he was shivering violently. “Curse friend worst in forever Fuamnach I –“
Ginny gasped from behind him. “What? What is it?” Matthew half shouted, still trying to soothe his brother. “He’s just speaking gibberish now!”
“No, he’s, the Old Queen…” Ginny murmured. “How does he know anything about that…?” She gazed at Alfred in confusion.
“Alfred.” Alfred said, and gasped, gulping air. “America.”
“I know Freddie, just…” Matthew was at a complete loss at what to do. Perhaps Alfred was just going to have to regenerate then, if it was this bad. At least he’d wake up in no pain.
All at once, Alfred shuddered, and then went still. Matthew breathed out. So that was that then. They’d just wait a few minutes, and then he’d be fine, back to normal… Nothing. Nothing happened, no rosy cheeks, no blue eyes fluttering open, no smart aleck mouth. Matthew gaped as absolutely nothing happened.
Crowe END/p
“Ginny, he’s alive! He’s alive, but barely!” Matthew cried out, barely daring to hope. Christ, thank god he’d got here when he did! “C’mon, you big lug.” Matthew grunted, and pulled Alfred’s surprisingly thin frame in a fireman’s carry. “Let’s get you somewhere better. Out of this sand.”
Matthew and occasionally Ginny carried Alfred out of the desert, but they couldn’t do anything about the creeping green filling his veins. After eight hours, they finally reached the edge of the marshlands. Alfred wasn’t much better, chest rising and falling sporadically, face alternately peaceful and pained in his unconscious state.
“Well, Freddie, this sure is a beauty.” Matthew said, touching the green lines on Alfred’s face gently. His forehead was burning up with fever. Ginny passed him a damp rag, and Matthew gently touched it to his forehead. His heart skipped a beat when Alfred’s eyelids suddenly slid open, and his irises were sickly green with poison.
“Arthur?” Alfred croaked out, and Matthew’s stomach dropped. “Is that you?”
“No, Freddie, it’s me, Matt.” Matthew said gently, taking one of Alfred’s hands in his own, and giving it a squeeze. “You need to get better, so we can go find Arthur.”
“Crowe, but that doesn’t matter, I found you!” Alfred’s unseeing eyes lit up.
Matthew squeezed tighter. “No, no Alfred, it’s me, your brother. Not Arthur.” Alfred was delirious, not, not an especially good sign…
“Arthur, come back with me, it’s not fun here. Bess and Amy are gone…” Alfred whined. There was so much sadness there, so much despair.
“Bess and Amy?” Ginny murmured to Matthew, and he had to cast his mind back, trying to find any sort of connection with Alfred and those names.
“I… I think they’re his guns, from World War Two or something, but I thought he lost those ages ago.” He said slowly, and Ginny reached forward to cradle his head in her lap. “No, wait, don’t, his blood is poisoned.” She paused, and withdrew her hand. “C’mon, Freddie. Sleep now, get better, I’ll be here when you wake up.” Matthew smoothed his hair gently.
“Arthur the Queen she’s taken you taken gone killed gone cursed, you have a curse I have to get you I have to break it, get it back, without you I can’t, I can’t –” Alfred was making absolutely no sense at all, now, and Matthew’s gasped as Alfred’s heart rate began to climb.
“Freddie hold on, just wait, don’t, don’t, just hold on, Alfred…” Matthew hauled Alfred bodily into his arms, trying to soothe him as he twitched violently.
“No no no you don’t understand I can’t you Arthur…” Alfred’s eyes shut tightly, and he was shivering violently. “Curse friend worst in forever Fuamnach I –“
Ginny gasped from behind him. “What? What is it?” Matthew half shouted, still trying to soothe his brother. “He’s just speaking gibberish now!”
“No, he’s, the Old Queen…” Ginny murmured. “How does he know anything about that…?” She gazed at Alfred in confusion.
“Alfred.” Alfred said, and gasped, gulping air. “America.”
“I know Freddie, just…” Matthew was at a complete loss at what to do. Perhaps Alfred was just going to have to regenerate then, if it was this bad. At least he’d wake up in no pain.
All at once, Alfred shuddered, and then went still. Matthew breathed out. So that was that then. They’d just wait a few minutes, and then he’d be fine, back to normal… Nothing. Nothing happened, no rosy cheeks, no blue eyes fluttering open, no smart aleck mouth. Matthew gaped as absolutely nothing happened.