Author's note: AHHH VERY LONG OVERDUE UPDATE. I am so sorry. Life got in the way and I was hesitant to release this next chapter because it didn't feel complete yet but I figured I had to update. I made everyone wait so long ;_; can you ever forgive me? I have no abandoned this fic. In fact, I'm working on a prologue for it as well because my mind is swimming in this universe of characters. Specifically Francis and Arthur and how they came to be. So watch out for that whenever I manage to finish it and this fic right here. But enough of that, here's the next installment!
Also, the new characters mentioned in this chapter
Aleksander = Norway
Bela = Belgium
Lili = Lietchtenstein
Chapter 3
When Arthur woke up, he immediately knew he wasn't in his cabin anymore. He sat up and saw that his left leg was bandaged up. Before he could even try to remember how he had escaped death last night, Antonio was kneeling beside him.
"How are you feeling?" A warm hand touched his forehead.
Arthur gaped at him. "W-Where am I…?"
"Arthur, my Clan and I saved you last night."
"B-But…how?"
Antonio smiled down at him. "I knew something was wrong. The night was nearly over though when I heard your screams and I told Caesar you were in trouble and he agreed to tell everyone to go help."
"You saved my life."
"Let's call it payback for you saving mine."
Arthur's cheeks turned red. "I-I don't know what to say…"
"A thanks would be nice." A large man came striding forward, coming to sit down beside Arthur. "We just screwed up so much shit last night, I can't even begin to explain it."
"I'm sorry, Caesar," Arthur mumbled. "I didn't want to get you involved."
"Hey, it's not your fault." The larger man shrugged. "Any chance we get at attacking blood-suckers I'm all for it. It's this guy's fault." He punched Antonio in the arm lightly.
Antonio looked ashamed. "I brought this on," he mumbled. "I hope you can forgive me, Arthur."
"You better hope he does," Caesar snarled. "I'm still debating if I should forgive you or not."
"What now?" Arthur asked suddenly. "The vampires will take this as an act of war against us all."
"Hey, I know you've been neutral the last couple hundred years, but we've been at war. This is nothing new to us."
"Yes, but now they're going to be angrier than ever because I broke my promise of not choosing a side," he said.
"We chose you, not the other way around. Those blood-sucking pansies would have killed you sooner if they could." Caesar looked at Antonio. "Go help Feli and Lovi with breakfast." Antonio nodded without question and stood up to leave. Caesar glanced back at Arthur and sighed. "I'm gonna have to call a Clan meeting, aren't I?"
"It would be wise," Arthur nodded. "And I will send word to my witch brethren. They should aid us."
"They like werewolves?"
"Not particularly, but they like me."
The brunette shrugged. "Works for me either way."
Arthur found himself adapting to life among the werewolves not as horrible as he had imagined. For such ferocious beasts, they were perhaps the nicest people Arthur had ever known. Granted, it could just be because he was on good terms with their leader and they were not allowed to eat him.
He spent his days trying to contact the witches he knew were his allies. Aleksander was his closest ally but he lived up north in the frozen tundra, and it was very difficult to send messages there. His other ally, Bela, was last seen on the continent somewhere in Belgium but he hadn't heard a reply from her yet.
"Arthur?" He was shaken from his thoughts as he turned to see Antonio looking nervously at him. "How are you feeling?"
Arthur shrugged his shoulders. Although his physical injuries were healed now, mentally, he wasn't doing so well. "The same as ever, I suppose," he replied.
"Any word from your witch friends?"
"No," he shook his head. "I'm wondering if the vampires got to them first…"
"Don't think like that." Antonio came to sit down beside him at the edge of the stream. "They're probably on their way now."
He smiled slightly. "I wish I had your optimism."
There was a long pause before Antonio finally cleared the air. "Arthur, I have a question but you don't have to answer it if you don't want to."
Arthur's eyebrows rose curiously. "What is it?"
"That vampire Francis…what happened between you two?" He tensed up immediately and Antonio noticed. "S-Sorry, was that a bad thing to ask?"
"I told you before that I've known him a long time," he started softly, "and I meant it. Nearly a century I've known Francis. I…I knew him when he was human."
Antonio's eyes widened. "He was human once?"
"Yes," he said with a small nod. "He—He was my friend. And more."
"You were lovers?"
"We were." Arthur took a deep breath and brought his knees up to his chin. "I loved him, very much. More than I ever told him I think. We had our differences of course and he knew about my witch abilities but he accepted it all. He said i-it was a part of me and he loved everything about me…" Antonio saw his eyes watering. "But then the village where we lived was attacked one night by a vampire. Everyone was killed. I would have died that night as well if Francis hadn't protected me…"
"W-What happened?"
Arthur bit his lip to stop it from trembling. "The vampire found me hiding and was ready to go in for the kill, but Francis stepped in front of me to shield me a-and he was bitten. I think at that point I was blinded by fear and rage, because I did something and it killed the vampire. My memory of that night is hazy. I remember crying over Francis' body, planning to give him a proper burial at least, but then he woke up and I could sense something different in him immediately. He wasn't my Francis anymore." He sniffed back a few tears. Antonio tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. "H-He doesn't remember anything about his life as a human. Or me. He wouldn't have tried to kill me if he did. My Francis w-wouldn't have done something so horrible…" The tears were falling down Arthur's cheeks now before he could stop them and Antonio carefully wrapped his arms around the blonde.
"He won't hurt you again, Arthur," he said. "I promise."
He faked a laugh. "Thanks." What could you possibly do, Antonio?
Days later, other werewolf Clans began gathering in the woods. Arthur kept getting strange looks from them and had three new wolves come up to him when Antonio wasn't around.
"So you're the witch, huh?" All three were quite tall and muscular but the one who talked to him had sun-kissed skin with golden hair and bright blue eyes. He looked to be the other two's leader.
"Yes, that's me," Arthur mumbled.
The blonde cocked his head to the side and smiled, bearing sharpened canines. "You gonna help us fight the blood-suckers?"
"I intend to."
"Heard they almost killed ya," the brunette behind him grunted out.
Arthur stiffened. "Yes. They tried."
Before they could ask anymore questions, Caesar came to his rescue. "Alfred, leave him alone," he growled. "He's been through enough."
Alfred, the blonde, rolled his eyes and turned. "C'mon, guys." His pack followed him away towards the meat pit where everyone was having lunch.
"Sorry about him," Caesar said with a heavy sigh. "He's the youngest Clan leader and still doesn't really know his place."
"It's fine," Arthur replied with a shrug. "I take it everyone got your summons then?"
Caesar nodded. "Yep. I'm almost in shock that they all agreed to help."
"Hn…"
"Still no word from your friends?"
"Not yet," Arthur sighed.
"Well, uh, don't give up hope. I'm sure they'll come."
Arthur smiled slightly. "You sound like Antonio."
"Well, I am his leader."
Before the Brit could reply back, they heard a loud commotion and turned to see what it was. Someone was coming right at their camp. The werewolves were snarling and spitting at whoever it was that dared come into their territory. Arthur squinted to try and see for himself who it was and then his face broke out into a smile. He started running down the hill to meet the new arrival, causing every werewolf in the vicinity to stare at him oddly.
"Aleksander!" he called. The figure was riding on an enormous Earth spirit. Once inside the forest, the man dismounted and the spirit disappeared. Arthur stopped in front of him. "I didn't think you had got my message."
"I almost didn't," the man called Aleksander said softly. "When I saw how urgent it was, I came immediately."
"Thank you," Arthur said as he bowed his head. "I owe you."
"Arthur? Is this…?" Caesar stepped forward curiously.
"This is my friend from the north," Arthur explained. "He will be helping us."
Aleksander regarded the werewolves coolly before bowing to them. "I am honored to meet you." He turned back to Arthur. "There is much to discuss. May we talk in private?"
"Of course." Arthur led him to a secluded area. Once alone, Aleksander seemed to relax better. "What news about the others?" Arthur asked softly.
"Ivan is against us."
Arthur groaned. "I guess I shouldn't have expected him to side with us."
"He sent a message back but I doubt you want me to read it to you."
"I'll pass. What about Lili?"
"She is in hiding."
"Dammit," Arthur hissed. "And Bela?"
"She's on her way as we speak."
Arthur perked up immediately. "She is? That's wonderful. She never replied back so I wasn't sure."
"Yes, it's good news." Aleksander cocked his head to the side. "How are you, Arthur?"
"I'm fine," he said briskly.
"Even after you were almost killed?"
There was a pregnant pause. "I…I made mistakes. I was foolish. But it's in the past now."
Aleksander narrowed his eyes. "You are one of my closest friends and allies, Arthur. Do not insult me by thinking I do not care."
"I know you care," he mumbled. "But I don't want to talk about it."
The other man grabbed Arthur by his arms and pulled him into a hug. Arthur inhaled sharply at the sudden move. Aleksander pulled back and rested his forehead against Arthur's. "Foolish," he whispered, his cool breath on Arthur's face. They were mere inches apart and for a moment, Arthur thought they might kiss. They had done so before, years ago, so it wasn't anything unusual to them, but Arthur felt it wasn't the right time for such intimacy.
"Alek," he whispered, feeling his friend's hands rubbing circles on his back. "We can't do this."
Aleksander pulled back to look at him. "I apologize. I have missed you very much."
"And I you. But now isn't the time."
He nodded and removed his hands, though it was very clear he had wanted to kiss Arthur at that moment. They heard a cough from the side and Arthur turned, seeing Antonio standing there, eyes averted.
"I just…came to see if you were done talking," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact with both Arthur and Aleksander.
"Antonio—"
"Looks like you aren't so I'll just…go." He looked very sad and as he turned to walk away, Arthur debated calling him back but found himself too scared to do it.
"He likes you," Aleksander said after Antonio left.
"You think?" Arthur snarled back.
"Have you two…?"
"No," he sighed. "We kissed once but…it was an accident."
Aleksander cocked his head. "So you do not like him in return?"
"I do but—bloody hell, Alek, why are we discussing my love life when we're planning to go to war with the vampires soon?"
He shrugged. "It's interesting."
Arthur grumbled to himself before replying. "Let's get back out there. I need to sort things out with Antonio."
"Very well."
Arthur found Antonio by the meat pit, slowly eating what looked like a pork leg. The blonde swallowed slightly, looking around to see several other werewolves watching him closely. "Antonio," he said and immediately the other man glanced up at him.
"Finished talking with your friend?" he asked coolly.
"There's no reason to be angry at me."
Antonio threw what was left of his meal into the fire pit and then stood abruptly. He turned around to face Arthur, glaring at him. "I'm not angry at you," he snarled.
Arthur glared right back as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a horrible liar, Antonio." He shrugged nonchalantly and brushed past him to walk over to his clan. "Ugh," Arthur groaned, taking a seat around the meat pit and putting his head in his hands.
"Love trouble?" one of the wolves chuckled.
"Don't even start," Arthur sighed.
There was another commotion at the edge of the forest but Arthur was too busy trying to figure out what to say to Antonio to clear things up. He felt arms encircle around his neck as well as a puff of warm breath on his cheek, which startled him and nearly made him fall over.
When he saw who the culprit was, he smiled and blushed slightly. "Bela, thank you for coming."
"I had to!" the female witch exclaimed. "Hearing my poor Arthur needed my help, of course I'd come!"
"I'm not yours, Bela," he mumbled.
She grinned and ruffled his hair. "That's right. Last time I saw you, you and Alek were getting pretty close."
"I—" He looked around and spotted Antonio staring at him from a distance, anger still present in his eyes. He sighed heavily and sat back down, to which Bela joined right in and started chatting with the werewolves.
Later that night, Arthur lay awake in his tent, thinking about everything that had happened and what was to come. There was no way the vampires wouldn't know about their plans yet. Ivan was sure to have told them all he knew, as he was a vampire sympathizer.
Bela and Aleksander were asleep beside him since he had the only tent and it would have been rude to make his friends sleep outside. He turned over to face Aleksander, only to nearly scream as he saw the northern man lying there wide awake.
"A-Alek," he whispered. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Something's troubling you," he said gently, letting a hand caress Arthur's face.
"I-It's nothing." Arthur tried to turn on his side again, but Alek moved closer and wrapped his arms around him. They were mere inches apart and Arthur remembered a similar position they had found themselves in years ago.
"It's about that werewolf, isn't it?"
Arthur tensed immediately. "He's mad at me," he sighed after a minute.
"Ah." Aleksander didn't let him go. Their faces were so close that Arthur couldn't stop staring into his friend's deep blue eyes. "Hopefully he will realize he is making a mistake," he said.
"Hn…"
Alek leaned closer and brushed their lips together. Arthur's eyes widened but he didn't pull away. The touch was familiar and not at all unwelcome as it made him relax. Arthur's own arms came around to hold Alek back as the northern man's lips pressed more fervently against his own. Alek's touches always had some sort of healing ability. Arthur hadn't believed it when they first met but now he almost craved it. It wasn't a physical healing ability, but an emotional one.
Arthur moaned softly as Alek's fingers and lips touched him. He tried to keep as quiet as he could so not to wake up Bela. The more Alek kissed him, the more Arthur began feeling his doubts and worries wash away. "Arthur," Alek breathed out, pressing their foreheads together. "Relax…"
And he did just that, closing his eyes and feeling himself drift off to sleep almost instantly.
When Arthur awoke the next morning, he found himself alone. Aleksander and Bela had already left the tent but Arthur suspected he knew where to find them. As he sat up and stretched, reaching for his cloak and shoes, a shadow loomed over him from the open flap of the tent.
"You're up late," Caesar grunted out, folding his arms across his chest.
"I slept well," Arthur replied with a shrug. "Are Aleksander and Bela at the pit?"
"No, they left at dawn this morning." Immediately, Arthur turned around fully with wide eyes. "When I asked why, all they said was that it wasn't my business."
Arthur swore. "Those two…bloody hell. Which direction did they go?"
Caesar blinked but pointed to the west. "Be careful," he mumbled.
"I'll be fine."
"Do you want to take Antonio with you?"
The blonde stiffened and shook his head. "No. I can handle this on my own."
"Like you handled the vampires?"
Arthur glared at him. "I can handle my own kind, Caesar." Without another word, Arthur pushed past the large werewolf and headed west. He didn't have to travel far to find Alek and Bela near the edge of the forest. "You two have a lot of nerve to up and leave this morning!" he snarled as soon as he was within range.
Both Aleksander and Bela turned towards him in surprise. They looked to be tending to a bird of some sort. "Arthur, we didn't want to wake you," Bela said softly. "And we didn't want to alert the wolves."
"Why? What's going on?"
Alek sighed heavily and held an injured falcon out to Arthur. "It's Lili's."
Arthur's heart sank almost immediately. Lili had been his apprentice a decade ago. Once done with her training, she had moved back to the continent where she and her older brother had once lived to watch over the villagers. "I-Is she all right?"
"According to the letter she attached to its leg," Bela said. "But she's still in hiding. She said the vampires are moving in over there. There's no one around that can back her up…"
"S-She'll be fine." Arthur stared at the letter in his hands, wishing he could go to Lili and bring her to safety. "I trained her, after all."
Aleksander and Bela exchanged looks. "This bird is too injured to fly a message back to her," Alek said softly. "Do you want me to send a troll…?"
"No," Arthur said coolly. "I'll call for a phoenix."
"Are you sure that's wise? Wouldn't it just attract more attention?"
"I know what I'm doing, Alek."
Alek frowned at him. "Right now, you are not thinking clearly. I understand that you care for Lili, but sending a phoenix to her will not help. It will only bring the monsters closer to her."
"I don't need your advice!" he snapped. "I…I know it's foolish. But I don't have another plan."
"I can send a troll, Arthur. It's not easily detected and will be able to provide some protection to her should she need it." He put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "She'll be fine."
Arthur took a shaky breath. He didn't have many people he cared about in the world anymore, but Lili was high on his list. She was like a little sister to him, one he had raised and trained and protected. He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her.
"All right," he whispered. "Send the troll. I…I need to get back."
Bela grabbed his wrist. "Hey. Things'll be okay."
Arthur paused and nodded slightly before turning back to the camp. He saw Antonio waiting along the path but bypassed him completely. The brunette growled and ran to catch up with him.
"Where were you?" he snarled.
"None of your concern," Arthur spat back.
That was the wrong thing to say because Antonio suddenly grabbed Arthur by the shoulders and shoved him against a tree. Arthur cried out in pain. He struggled against the iron grip Antonio had on him but no such luck.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!" he cried. "Put me down!"
"No," Antonio hissed out. "You've been avoiding me."
"I've been avoiding you? Bloody hypocrite."
"What is going on between you and that other witch?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Why do you care?"
Antonio's grip faltered on him for a moment. "I-I don't," he said quickly.
"There's nothing going on," Arthur sighed. "Alek and I are old friends and we may have been intimate in the past but that's over now."
There was a tense moment of just the two of them glaring at each other. Finally, Antonio let him go and backed off. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Arthur stared at him curiously for a few minutes. "I know how you feel, Antonio," he said suddenly. The brunette looked back at him with wide eyes. "I just…can't be involved with that sort of thing right now."
"But—"
Arthur shook his head and started walking away. "I'm not worth it."
Author's note: B'aww yes you're worth it, Arthur! I hope you guys liked this chapter. And here's a little list on who is what in this fic for those that wanted it. I'm still debating which ones will actually show up. So these aren't written in stone or anything. Question marks mean if I even want to write the characters in or not.
Vampires:
Germania
France
Prussia
Austria?
Canada
Turkey
China
Monaco
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Netherlands?
Werewolves:
Clan 1
Rome
Spain
Germany
North Italy
South Italy
Hungary?
Clan 2
America
Australia
Cuba
Mexico?
Clan 3
Greece
Sweden
Denmark
Witches:
England
Norway
Belgium
Liechtenstein
Russia
Iceland?
Vietnam?
Japan?