Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

A Storm of Sunflowers	By : FlayraDowitcher Category: +G to L > Hetalia: Axis Powers Views: 4890 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters. This story is strictly for fun and for the enjoyment of fans.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
***Thanks for all the great reviews! I eat them up! Xoxoxo

***Another lengthy chapter but it will be a fun filled one! Sorry for the late update, everyone. I came down with a nasty cold and was stuck on the couch most of the time. Still fighting it off but at least I am well enough to write! So enjoy the chapter! :D

***Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.

Chapter 23

“And…why is that?”

“Sir…I believe that he does not approve of your lordship marrying another wife without divorcing the first one.”

“Ah, but I have the king’s blessing and permission to marry whom I want. I believe it is my choice and my business what I do, no one else’s.”

“I believe it is more of the fact that your new wife is of lower birth with nothing to his name.” Ivan chuckled.

“He’s a farm boy, simple as that.” The chancellor bowed his head then.

“My Lord Braginski…that is not the word going around the court right now.” Ivan raised an eyebrow. “It is being whispered that he has come from a brothel.” The man cringed when Ivan gave him an eerie grin.

“Is that so? I think I know where my wife comes from more than anyone else here.”

“And I agree, sir. But you know the court as well as I.”

“Indeed, I do. Tell me, where can I find Ambassador Jacobs? I wish to speak with him.”

Alfred blinked his eyes open as he felt some bright light flood his sleeping face. He cracked one lid open to see Matthew sliding the large golden curtains to the side to let in the sun. As beautiful as the morning was, Alfred had to cover his face as the wickedness of a dreaded hangover headache erupted behind his eyes. He moaned pitifully and slid his head under the pillows, trying to seek some kind of relief.

The fresh smell of meats filled his nostrils from under the pillows and despite his headache he lifted his head from the safety of softness. Squinting through the bright room he saw Tino at the small dining table, removing the plates of food from a silver tray. Feliks was admiring himself in the body mirror, dressed in his normal groom attire yet wearing one of Alfred’s cloaks.

“You must hurry up and eat, Alfred!” Matthew smiled at him as he walked over to his bed. “You have to get dressed for the joust! We don’t want to be late!”

“Huh? Joust?” Alfred rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the ache. “Oh right…joust. Today.”

“Yes! Your husband will be jousting today! Isn’t it exciting!”

“Yeah…loads of excitement.” Alfred got out of the bed and nearly stumbled to the floor but he balanced himself with the end table. “Don’t worry, I’m okay.” He assured his brother. “Drank a little too much.”

“Like, sober up with some coffee.” Feliks offered, finally breaking himself away from the mirror and going over to the table where Tino was.

“Coffee?”

“Yup! It’s like, extremely expensive and hard to obtain so you best drink it or you will offend the king. It might make you hyper though. And we already ate our breakfast. Here, eat up!”

“Here’s your robe, Alfie!” Matthew smiled and helped Alfred put his robe on before he sat down at the table.

“Guys, seriously. You may be my ‘grooms’ but you don’t need to go all out here and be total servants.”

“But you used to make me do things all the time.” Matthew pointed out and Alfred chuckled at that.

“Well, that’s because I’m your big brother and I’m allowed to make demands on you.” Matthew pouted and put his fists on his hips.

“Says who?”

“Says the basic ground rules of siblings. It’s an age old rule that still stands today.”

“You just made that up.”

Alfred ignored his brother and looked over his large plate of food, licking his lips. His head was still throbbing but his stomach was still in peasant mode and it over through any another bothers. There were freshly cooked eggs, bacon, sausage links, two biscuits, a small bowl of blueberries, oatmeal, and a cup of yogurt. A warm glass of milk and an extra cup of freshly squeezed mango nectar were seated on either side of the plate along with a mug of coffee. Alfred’s eyes just sparkled as he gawked over the food for a few more seconds before picking up his fork and knife. He first went to the sausage link, stabbing it with his fork to bring it to his mouth when he froze. He pulled the link away from his mouth and looked at it, wondering if it was poisoned.

“It’s safe.” Tino said with a smile. “Francis brought it up himself and tasted it.”

That was all Alfred needed to hear before he began digging in to his food. Matthew went with Feliks to help pick out an outfit for Alfred to wear to the joust. It was a toss up between the solid white tunic with a gold brocade front and a quilted sunshine yellow with bell sleeves. Alfred was too busy eating to care about what he should wear. He would rather just stay in this lovely room and stare at the sea.

“Hey Feliks, what is a joust?” Matthew asked him “Alfred and I have only heard little about it and I remember Tino’s father selling a lot of horses for it.”

“Yef, I dwn’t knwf evfer!” Alfred said with his mouth full and started to choke a bit before Tino quickly gave him the cup of mango nectar.

“Oh, well, it’s like, two guys get on a horse and they were armor and stuff and carry long lances. They run up to each other on the horses and try to knock the other off. But the best part is, you may have one of those men offer their lance to you and you can like, tie your favor onto it and he’ll ride in your name and honor!” Feliks said dreamily.

“Favors? I don’t get it.” Tino said, unable to help himself from taking a blueberry to eat.

“Oh, like, small little ribbons that represent you and/or your house. In my case it would be just me. Here, you can borrow one of mine!” He lifted his sleeve to show a rainbow of colored favor ribbons tied to his arm. There had to be at least ten favor ribbons there.

“Were you planning to go with all of these?” Matthew looked at the amount with a bit of amazement.

“Yup! I can like, promise you I will have all these gone by the time the joust is done!” Alfred swallowed the food in his mouth immediately after hearing Feliks words.

“Better not let Toris know you’re doing that, giving favors to other men.”

“Oh please! It’s like, harmless fun!” Alfred remembered Toris’ annoyed and disapproving face last night at dinner as he watched Feliks with the musicians.

“It’s not harmless fun to him, Feliks.” Feliks just waved him off as he made the final decision for Alfred’s attire. The sunshine yellow it was. There came a knock at the door and Matthew went over to answer it.

“Yes? Who is it?”

“Matthew, it’s Yao.” Matthew opened the door and Yao came in, wearing an orange silk robe with white vines and leaves printed all around. Feliciano stepped in behind him but Kiku was nowhere to be seen.

“Why aren’t you ready yet?” Yao said in annoyance. “We’re supposed to be leaving for the jousting arena shortly!”

“I…slept in?” Alfred said, remembering his headache now that all the food was gone. Yao looked at him suspiciously.

“Are you hung over?”

“No…” Yao threw his head back and sighed.

“Hurry up and get him dressed! And sober yourself up and fast! You don’t want to embarrass yourself, me, and Ivan!”

Alfred mumbled but listened to the ‘head wife’ as he let Matthew and Tino dress him. The sunshine yellow fit just right and he adorned himself with golden necklaces and rings. He made sure he had the white choker on like Ivan wanted him to. Yao was dressed in less jewelry, always choosing to be more modest and natural. He feared that Alfred was starting to think a bit too highly of himself. After all, he was only the ‘second’ wife. Yao knew Alfred would figure it all out for himself eventually.

“Wait! I need one of those favors!” Alfred said quickly and Feliks lifted his sleeve. Yao rolled his eyes when he saw all the favors. Alfred picked a blue one with white eyelet on the edges. “Do you need one, Yao?” Alfred asked him.

“No, I have my own.” Yao lifted his sleeve to show the red and gold one tie around his wrist. He then clapped his hands loudly. “Lets get a move on! We want to be punctual!” Kiku appeared at the door then and bowed to Yao.

“Lord Ivan seems to have disappeared for a moment. No one has seen him.”

“Shit…we can’t leave without Ivan! I hate being late!”

“Calm down, Yao. We’re sitting with the king anyway.” Alfred pointed out but Yao just rubbed his temples.

“Ugh. You have so much to learn! We want to be there FIRST so we can stand and greet the king as he arrives! It’s expected of us and it shows we have the highest respect for the king! We’ll go and wait in the carriages for him to show up! Now he’s in trouble!”

Ivan hurried around the halls of the large castle, asking everyone if they had seen Ambassador Jacobs. He knew it was nearing time for them to leave for the joust but he just had to get his hands on the despicable man. One servant he asked said that they had seen him exiting the library only a short time ago so Ivan made his way there. As he was heading for the library he recognized Jacobs walking towards him with his face buried in a book. Ivan smirked darkly and sped up his steps, reaching a hand out to grasp Jacob’s neck as he past, dragging the man with him. The man gasped and sputtered in alarm as he was then slammed up against the stone wall.

“Well, well, Ambassador Jacobs what a pleasure it is to see you. You’ve grown more grayer and plump since we’ve last talked.”

“L-Lord Ivan! W-What is the meaning of this?! Unhand me at once!” Ivan smiled sweetly at him as he still hand his large hand around the man’s neck, immobilizing him.

“I just wanted to let you know that I received your invitation for dinner tonight and I must say I was highly offended by it. You will only dine with me as long as my second wife isn’t there? Did you honestly think I would just say ‘happy day’ to that and let it go?” He tightened his hold on the man’s neck, who let out a choked cough.

“I-I find it appalling that you have married two wives! It is unacceptable! The gods of old say nothing about multiple marriages!” Ivan smirked and lifted the man a few inches off the floor.

“I have no need for gods or their rules. The only rules in my life are my own and what I choose to do with them is no business of yours!” Jacobs grabbed at Ivan’s wrist and tried to pry the man’s large hand off of him. “I married my Alfred because I wanted to and my Yao accepts the union. I hardly see reason for concern or distain, good sir.”

“It-It’s not only that! You’ve chosen him from a brothel! That’s even more despicable!” Ivan growled and slammed him into the wall again making Jacobs hiss out in pain.

“Who spreads such vicious lies about my Alfred? I know where he came from and he came from a dirt poor farm! I myself would never waste my time with whores and if you haven’t offended me before, sir, you sure as hell have now.”

“Pl-Please! I am a man of honor and modesty you cannot blame me for my views!” Ivan lifted him higher.

“ ‘Man of honor’, you say? Nonsense! Why, if I do recall, a little birdie told me something about you embezzling from the royal treasury.” Jacobs’ eyes widened.

“I-It’s a lie! I would never betray the king in that way!” Ivan began to dig his nails into the man’s neck.

“Really? So if I pay a visit to your FOURTH wife, she will tell me that you are an honest man?”

“D-DON’T GO NEAR HER!”

“And why not? She seems like a sweet girl. However, I just can’t seem to fathom why a spunky little nineteen year old would have any interest in an old fat man, if not for his ‘sudden’ growth in wealth?” Ivan wasn’t the only one with resources of his own. It was important in the royal court to know as much about your enemies as you could.

“W-what do you want me to do?” Jacobs’ will broke as he was found out.

“I want an apology for your mistreatment of me and of my wives.”

“D-Done! I support your second marriage fully heartedly! I apologize for ever offending you, Lord Ivan!” Ivan smirked and lowered him back to the floor but did not remove his hand from the man’s neck.

“One more thing. I will NOT dine with you tonight or any other night. As for my aid in your flimsy boarder control, figure it out for yourself. You will have no aid of mine.” He finally let go of Jacobs’ neck. “Do have a pleasant day, Ambassador Jacobs.” Ivan smiled brightly at him and slapped him on the back before fixing his chain of office and walking away from the coughing man.

Ivan hummed happily and put a little skip in his step as he headed for the carriage house. He would not let Jacobs off the hook by any means. Ivan just made truth of the embezzling rumor and he would be sure to whisper it to the king later on in the day. Now he had to focus on impressing Alfred with his perfect jousting skills. If his little rose found him attractive in his courtly attire then he should love his jousting armor. Which also reminded him about Yao and how he could be a little turned on by Ivan wearing armor. If he weren’t such a prude during the last joust they attended Ivan would have taken him right in his changing tent. Maybe this time since Yao had Alfred to compete with he would allow himself to act on his lustful feelings. If he did then Ivan would jump at a single beckoning from him.

Once he made it to the carriage house he saw Yao standing outside their carriage, tapping his foot with his arms crossed. Alfred was already inside, appearing to be talking to Yao from above. Since it was summer here they were using open top carriages. Before Yao could say anything to him Ivan easily scooped him up with one arm and stepped up into the carriage, plopping him down on the seat. There was enough room on the seats for three people to sit on each. Ivan sat in between his two wives while Toris, Feliks, and Kiku sat on the opposite side. Feliciano sat at the top with the carriage man, having called it first. Matthew chose to ride with Gilbert and Tino rode Berwald. Arthur and Francis shared a horse but they had to stay further behind in the party than the others since they had no official status.

“How are you feeling this morning, love?” Francis asked him as they followed behind the moving group.

“Better than ever, actually. I think it’s this ocean air. It’s refreshing.”

“I would have to agree with you there. Ivan even told me that we can all go for a bonfire and picnic on the beach during our stay here!” Arthur looked back at Francis in slight surprise.

“All of us?”

“Of course. I have to go because I’m the chef and if I go then YOU have to go. Ivan has no choice.” Francis chuckled and rests his chin on top of Arthur’s floppy hat.

“I suppose that counts for something. Now for this joust…I guess we’re just watching from the sidelines?”

“Yes, and when it is Ivan’s turn make sure you are cheering your little heart out for him.” Arthur rolled his eyes at that but he would cheer his ‘lord’ on for his own sake. He has tasted only half of Ivan’s wrath and he did not want taste any more of it if it could be helped. “Say Arthur…you know I told you about how I defended your honor with Gilbert, right?”

“Yeah?” Arthur tensed a bit.

“Well…I was wondering why you haven’t accepted THAT as grounds for saying ‘yes’ to my marriage proposal. Must I joust for your heart as well?”

Arthur tensed even more at the word ‘marriage’ and he swallowed hard. He had been to sick and to preoccupied by the recent events to even consider (or remember) Francis’ marriage proposal. The fact that Francis took out a sword to defend him struck him as odd more than ‘romantic’. Francis was probably looking at it that way but playing ‘knight’ wasn’t something he particularly cared about himself. It was flattering but he didn’t want to just say ‘yes’ to the marriage proposal because of it. To be honest he really did not feel comfortable yet agreeing to marry Francis, but how could he tell him in a way that wouldn’t hurt too much?

“Francis…I’m just not comfortable yet with the idea of ‘marriage’. I appreciate what you did but…I’m not ready to say ‘yes’ yet…I’m sorry.” He heard Francis sigh behind him.

“It’s alright…I understand. However, I won’t be giving up on romancing you so be warned.” He gave a little chuckle as he still had one more trick up his sleeve to hear Arthur mouth the word ‘yes’.

The ride to the large fairgrounds was short and like everything else he came across Alfred had to look on in awe. He could smell all the food venders cooking meats and serving desserts. There were jugglers, performance artists, magicians, musicians, and even game venders. There were no peasants in sight, only nobility and royalty. He was still having a hard time believing that all of this was for his and Ivan’s marriage. Feliks had mentioned to him that the nobles are always looking for an excuse to enjoy festivities, whether they approved of the reasons or not. Alfred was pointing out every game he was going to play and every food he was going to eat.

“Don’t forget that you will be sitting with the king for the joust, Little Rose.” Ivan smiled at him.

“Not the whole time I hope!” Alfred whined. “That wouldn’t be fair!”

“No, not for the whole time because the king will want to have some fun as well. The joust won’t start for a while still and once the king is here and we greet him, then you can run off and have fun. With your grooms and Berwald, of course. I figure him since he and your Tino seem to be very tight.” He pointed over his shoulder at the two riding behind them on a horse.

“Maybe Yao and I can stay together with our grooms! What do you think, Yao?” Alfred asked him and Yao just shook his head.

“I have a few business arrangements of my own to take care of while I’m here so I will be busy.”

“Oh…well, okay. Don’t say I didn’t offer.”

Once they exited the carriages Alfred was ready to take off to have fun and explore but Ivan gripped his cloak, preventing him from running off. Ivan told him that they all had to wait to greet the king before they could go their separate ways. Other nobles greeted them as they passed on by, all flashing phony smiles at each other. Alfred was starting to get very bored when he heard the sounds of trumpets and someone shouting, “Make way for the king!” The king waved at his people as his carriage came along the fairgrounds. Everyone bowed or curtsied in respect as he rode on by. His carriage stopped in front of Ivan and his party and they all bowed to him as he stepped down.

“Good morning, Lord Ivan! It’s a beautiful day for a joust, is it not?”

“Indeed it is, sir. My wife and I are grateful for you kind generosity in hosting this joyous day.”

“The honor is all mine, good friend! Lady Alfred, how do you like the festivities so far?” He turned to him and Alfred smiled.

“I like them a lot! I can’t wait to try out some of the games and all the food!” The king laughed at pat Alfred on the shoulder.

“A man after my own heart! Please, eat and enjoy until your heart’s content! And Lady Yao, if you don’t mind, I have a few things I would like to discuss with you and your husband.”

“Of course. I have been meaning to discuss a few other things today as well.” Yao replied and looked at Ivan who nodded. Ivan smiled at Alfred and nudged him gently.

“You may run along now and have fun. Yao and I have some business to take care of. Take at least one groom with you and one of our guards. Either Gilbert or Berwald.”

Alfred nodded and looked around for Matthew and Gilbert but he didn’t see them. They must have already gone off so that left Tino and Berwald to go with him. Feliks went off on his own, leaving a confused and slightly angry Toris looking for him. Feliciano tugged on Yao’s sleeve to get the man’s attention.

“Lady Yao…do I have to stay with you or can I go with Ludwig?”

“You may go. Kiku will stay with me and-“ Feliciano was already gone and jumping onto a surprised Ludwig’s back. “Okay.” He turned to Kiku. “Do you want to go off too?” Kiku shook his head.

“No, I will stay with you.” Yao thanked him and watched as Ivan kissed Alfred’s forehead and gave him a small pouch of money.

“Don’t spend it all on food now. When you hear the announcement for the joust meet me right back here at the carriages, okay?”

“Yeah! No sweat! Thanks again for everything, your highness!” Alfred bowed and signaled for Berwald and Tino to follow him. He couldn’t wait to experience everything he could on these fairgrounds.

Ludwig sighed heavily as Feliciano kept pulling him from vender to vender, pointing out things he wanted to buy. Ludwig had to repeatedly tell him that he did not have enough money to buy things here since it was geared towards nobles who have excess money. Feliciano pulled him over to some gaming venders and they stopped at an archery stand where they saw Gilbert and Matthew. Gilbert had a bow in his hand and cocked an arrow before letting it sore through the air and hit a target a few inches from the center.

“Sheep shit.” Gilbert hissed under his breath.

“You never were good at archery.” Ludwig said as they both came up to them. Matthew smiled and waved.

“Hi Ludwig, Feli! Gilbert’s going to win me that pretty flower crown over there!”

“Not shooting like that he won’t.” Ludwig said and Gilbert sneered at him.

“Oh yeah! I can outshoot you, little brother!” Feliciano hugged Ludwig’s arm and looked up at him.

“Ve~ I would like that flower crown too! Please Wiggy?” Ludwig nodded and took out a gold coin to pay the vender.

“I will participate in this game but not for the crown; but for the sake of beating my big brother.” Gilbert scoffed and readied his arrow. The vender handed the right size bow to Ludwig who cocked his own arrow. “The one closest to the center wins.”

“You’re on!” They both aimed their arrows at two separate targets and let their arrows fly. Ludwig’s hit the center target and Gilbert’s was just shy the center. “Gods be damned!” He cursed loudly and watched as the vender handed the crown to Feliciano. “I’m sorry Mattie.” Gilbert muttered to his lover as he handed the bow back to the vender. Matthew rubbed his arm.

“It’s okay, Gilbie. There are many other games here we can play!” Matthew smiled at him and Ludwig placed his hand on Gilbert’s shoulder.

“No pouting, brother. Your vision and depth perception has always been a bit off. That is why you picked up a sword, remember?” Gilbert grumbled and shrugged his hand off.

“It was a lucky shot! Come on, Matthew lets go look at the beaded jewelry. I know you had your eye on a few things.” Matthew smiled happily and took his hand.

“Bye Ludwig! Bye Feli! Enjoy the rest of your day!” Feliciano waved happily back but Ludwig just stood there with a frown as his brother flipped him off instead.

On another end of the fairgrounds, Toris was scouting around for any signs of Feliks. The man was hard to miss in those colors he was wearing. Toris took a free sample of freshly cooked pork as he scanned the area before him hoping to catch sight of his lover. He heard a very familiar voice with the word ‘like’ in the sentence and he knew that could only be Feliks. He turned to the sound of the voice and sure enough there was his lover, talking and flirting with a knight. Feliks lifted his sleeve and Toris saw four favors tied on his arm. The man untied a green one and handed it to the knight who thanked him and tucked it into his chest plate. Toris frowned and decided to head over to them.

“Excuse me, but I need to speak with you alone.” Toris said as he took Feliks arm and pulled him away from the knight who watched him leave in confusion.

“Hey! Let me go!” Feliks protested as Toris drug him behind one of the tents. Toris lifted up Feliks sleeve to look at all the favors.

“What do you call this?”

“Pfft. I call it ‘having fun’.”

“I call it ‘unacceptable’.” Toris frowned. “I don’t appreciate your flirtatious nature, Feliks. I never noticed it before because we were always stuck with the same people in the manor. But now I want it to stop.” Feliks crossed his arms and looked at him with annoyance.

“Why? I like, can’t help it that I’ve always attracted men and unlike you I like to have fun! Just because I flirt with men doesn’t make me a tramp!”

“Well, what am I suppose to think? You share my bed and then you go around handing out your favors to men.”

“Between you and Gilbert you both seem to think I’m a slut! Well, I’m not! And last time I checked, Toris, you like, don’t have ANY claim to me! Sometimes it feels like you’re using ME.”

“Now you know that isn’t true. I didn’t think I had to lay claim to you. And even if I did I don’t think that would stop your flirting.” Feliks crossed his arms.

“Like, how would you even know? You haven’t claimed me as yours.” Toris rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples.

“How would you like me to do that, I wonder? Just say ‘you are mine and I don’t want you straying’? You would anyway because that’s just the type of person you are.” Feliks turned away from him.

“I’m not going to change who I am. I don’t just spread my legs for anyone and you have to believe that about me!”

“But that’s not what men think, Feliks! You can’t ASSUME that they know you’re just a tease. Something may end up happening to you and I don’t want to see that.”

Toris knew he was hurting Feliks feelings but he had to stand firm on this. He cared about the blonde man but he could be so headstrong at times. Toris knew that Feliks could change if he really wanted to so he decided to take a gamble. It may turn around to bite him in the ass later but it was worth a try. Feliks carefree and flirty nature could get him in to trouble and he was certain of that.

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!”

“Normally I would believe that but the type of men you flirt with may be more than you can handle. I’m not laying any claim to you with the way you are now. I’m a well-known judge, advisor, and chancellor. Having someone like you beside me who toys with men isn’t good for my image.” Feliks looked over his shoulder sharply at him. “I need to keep respect of the others of my status and if you’re handing out favors and winking at them, what does that say about me? I can’t offer you a marriage proposal being the way you are.” He knew everything he was saying was stinging Feliks to the core but it had to be said. Someone needed to point these things out to him and it had best be him.

“Oh, fuck you!” Feliks sneered at him, whirling around to attempt a punch but Toris backed away in time. “Like, who the hell do you think you are?! You should be thanking me for giving someone like YOU a chance at all! Swords and arrows are sexier than scrolls and quills anyway!”

Toris watched as Feliks stormed off, knowing he had struck a nerve. Maybe now with his words said Feliks would think them over and change his ways. He had hoped with this gamble he wouldn’t loose Feliks but it was the only thing he could think of that would have the greatest effect. Just talking to him wouldn’t be enough to change his attitude so he had to go the cruel route. He just hoped everything would work out in his favor and in turn it would be in Feliks best interest.

Alfred had stopped and every food stand, eating and sampling anything the vender offered to him. It didn’t bother Berwald or Tino at all since they were just as eager to eat as Alfred was. As they walked around the grounds, Alfred was shoving a piece of strawberry pie in his mouth when he recognized a group of nobles from court. He swallowed the food in his mouth and greeted them as they passed but they never stopped to acknowledge him. One of the noblewomen put her fan up to cover her face as she passed him. Alfred watched their retreating figures with a frown, wondering what he had done to make them all angry at him.

“That was rude.” Berwald said flatly.

“I wonder what their problem is?” Tino looked at Alfred who was just as confused as he was.

“I don’t know…I was nothing but nice to them at court last night.”

“Oh my, look who it is! The new Lady Braginski.” Came a shrill voice and Alfred turned his head to see another group of nobles he recognized.

“Good morning, everyone.” He bowed politely and they did the same to him.

“Lovely day for a joust, yes?” Said a nobleman and Alfred smiled with a nod.

“Yes! This will be my first joust I’m attending and I can’t wait to see my husband in it!”

“Really? I would think you were very familiar with ‘jousting’.” Said the noblewoman, snickering behind her fan to another woman. Alfred pretended to look amused but he wasn’t quite sure what they were getting at.

“W-why would I be familiar with it? I assure you I’ve never seen it before.”

“You mean you’ve never been on the ‘ramming’ end of a lance?” Said a nobleman with a snicker of his own. Obviously this was some kind of inside joke among them and Alfred didn’t know what it was. All he knew was that it was making him a little uncomfortable. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I…I really don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t.” Said the noblewoman with the fan, patting him on the head. “If you need anything don’t hesitate to ask! We want to help you fit right in!”

“Yes, would you care to join us for some tea?” Asked the other noblewoman and before Alfred could answer Berwald stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“My lady must decline your offer. We have an audience with the king shortly. Excuse us.” Berwald ushered Alfred away from them and Tino followed quickly behind. The nobles looked surprise at first but then they started laughing amongst themselves. Alfred looked up at Berwald once they were far enough away from them.

“What was that all about? I’m supposed to make friends with them, Berwald!”

“I don’t like how they were speaking about you. They were relating jousting terms to sex so they could subtly call you a whore.”

“What?! That can’t be, Berwald! Why would they even do that?” Berwald was skeptical about telling Alfred how he had heard the nobles and the soldiers referring to him as Ivan’s ‘whore wife’.

“It makes sense though, Alfred.” Tino pointed out. “That’s why you weren’t understanding it. Now that Berwald said that I can see it too.”

“Then I have to go back to them and tell them they can’t call me things like that! It’s not true! I’m not a whore!”

“Sh. Don’t be so loud.” Berwald hushed him.

“I need to find Ivan and tell him! He won’t let them call me that! Why would they even call me that?! They don’t know me!”

“Alfred, calm down.” Tino tried to soothe him. “Just remember that they people who care the most about you don’t think of you that way.” Alfred smiled softly at Tino’s words but he was still bothered by the false accusations.

“Thanks Tino…but I still have to talk to Ivan about this. Where would they even get that idea anyway?”

“Maybe someone told them lies about you?” Tino offered. “Could it have been Yao?”

“No, Yao would never do something so rotten as that.” Alfred said and gripped at his hair. “Ugh! This is so annoying! I’m not what they say I am! That must be why those other nobles snubbed me before! They must all think I’m a whore!”

“Alfred, there is no sense in worrying about it now.” Berwald said. “You will talk to Ivan when you get a chance and then we will go from there. This festival and joust is for you and it wouldn’t be fair to the king if you were preoccupied and sad. If anything, show those other nobles that you are better than they are.” Alfred thought about Berwald’s words and nodded.

“You’re right! I’m not going to let this ruin my day! Once I tell my Ivan what they say he will rip them all new ones! I’ll have the last laugh anyway!”

“That’s the Alfred we know!” Tino said happily and clapped his hands together. That’s when they heard the sound of trumpets again and the announcement of the start of the joust.”

“That’s my cue!” Alfred said proudly and they started to make their way back to the carriages to meet up with Ivan.

Ivan and Yao were already waiting there for Alfred and the others. Feliciano had met up with Matthew after their lovers had left for the joust and joined the others at the carriages. Feliks came up to them as well and stood beside Alfred but said nothing. Toris also joined them but Feliks refused to look his direction. Francis and Arthur were the last to show up to the group and once they were all accounted for they made their way to the jousting arena.

Ivan, Alfred, and Yao, along with their grooms and Toris joined the king and a few others on the dais. They had perfect front row seats for the joust. Yao and Alfred sat on either side of the king and Ivan chose to sit beside Yao this time. The main reason being that the changing tents were on his side and when it was close to his turn he would have to leave to change.

“What do you think of the arena, Lady Alfred?” The king leaned over his chair to ask him.

“It’s really big! I can’t wait to see how this joust works!”

“Yes, and just wait until you see your husband joust. Never once has he been knocked from his horse.” Ivan puffed his chest out with pride and Yao rolled his eyes, giving his husband and amused smirk.

“Your majesty, if you give my husband any bigger of a head he already has he won’t be able to hold it up!” Yao teased and the king laughed at his words. Ivan lightly flicked Yao’s arm in response to his remark.

“I only speak the truth, Lady Yao.” The trumpeters sounded off again and that was the king’s cue to stand up, listening to all the claps and cheers from his people.

“Presenting your lord and highness, the king!” Shouted an announcer and more cheers and claps filled the air until the king began to quiet them down. Once it was silent, the king spoke.

“Welcome all to the royal joust! This joust is being held in honor of our own Lord Braginski who has brought us many victories in the past and will continue to do so! We honor his new marriage with this festival and joust!” The people cheered and clapped again. On the sidelines stood Arthur with Francis who was not clapping.

“What’s wrong love?” Francis asked him, ceasing in his own clapping. “You should be showing your support.”

“It’s so hard to do though. I’m just thinking about what a huge waste of time and money this is! A feast is one thing but a whole festival and joust for just ONE marriage? It’s ridiculous. People are STARVING in the cities and the king just throws his money around for trivial things like this when he SHOULD be donating it to help the public!”

“Welcome to the world of the royals.” Francis said and Arthur just shook his head.

“It’s disgusting. And have you noticed that you are only person here with pants that red?” Arthur pointed out as he watched the knight on his side mounted his horse. Francis just laughed and kissed his temple, holding him close.

“Presenting Lord Kenway and Lord Ammon!” Shouted the announcer and Arthur forced himself to clap.

Alfred watched as the two knights mounted their horses on opposite sides. The squires brought over their lances that they rested against the reigns by their foot. Their small shields were printed differently and Alfred figured it must be the color of their houses. Both knights put their helms down over their eyes as the man in the center held up the red and black checked flag. Once the flag went down the knights kicked their horses into a run, lowering their lances as they closed in on each other. Alfred leaned forward in his seat, transfixed on the action before him. He closed his eyes when the lances clashed loudly against the shields, splintering the wood. When he looked again both men were still on their horses.

“The first joust is always hard to take.” The king whispered to him. “Now they will have to joust again since neither one fell from the horse.”

“Does it keep going until someone falls?” Alfred asked.

“They get two goes and if that fails then they meet in the center and clash swords. Whoever brings the other to their knee wins.”

Alfred nodded and watched as the two rode to each other again. This time one of them was knocked from the horse and the crowd cheered and clapped. Another pair of knights were readying themselves to do the same. They watched two more jousts before Ivan suddenly stood up from his chair.

“I’m going to go get ready.” He told his wives. “I will be coming up next.” He smiled.

“Good luck!” Alfred said to him and Yao said the same.

They watched the next joust with less interest than before until they heard Ivan’s name being announced. Ivan walked into the jousting arena, dressed in some simple, lightweight armor. He carried his helmet under his right arm as he headed to the horse. Everyone was clapping for him and Alfred was the loudest of them all. Alfred did notice though, when he looked around, that many of the nobles were whispering to one another as they watched Ivan.

Ivan looked over at the dais and bowed to them before leaping up onto his horse. He slipped his helmet on but kept his helm up as he was handed his lance. He walked his horse over to the dais and stood before them. Ivan bowed his head to them before he lowered his lance towards Yao first.

“My lady.” Yao smiled at him and stood up from his chair, untying the favor from his wrist and tying it to the tip of the lance. Ivan bowed his head to Yao before carefully bringing the lance over to Alfred next. The crowd was silent, probably whispering at the sight of a double favor on a lance. Alfred had his tied to his belt but he quickly untied it. His hands shook as he tied the favor directly behind Yao’s. “My lady.” Ivan said to him and bowed his head as he backed his horse away from the dais and took his spot on the left end of the jousting beams.

The other knight looked frightened and nervous to be jousting against Ivan and he quickly lowered his helm as his lance was brought to him. Ivan lowered his own helm and waited for the signal. Alfred watched excitedly as the flag went down and Ivan kicked his horse into a run, along with the other knight. Yao had to cross his legs as he felt himself growing slightly hot the sight of Ivan in his jousting gear. It was something he wished he did not enjoy because the joust was silly but he couldn’t resist it when Ivan was involved.

As they ran closer to one another and lowered their lances, Alfred held his breath and waited for them to collide. Ivan’s lance struck the shield and splintered wildly, knocking the knight clear off his horse. Everyone cheered at Ivan’s victory as he brought his horse to a halt and handed his shattered lance to the squire. He lifted his helm and looked at his wives on the dais who were clapping for him. Alfred was practically jumping up and down until Kiku must have whispered to him to sit back down.

The knight was helped up from the sand and back onto his horse, taking his place on the other side of the beam this time. Ivan took his next lance and set it on the reign as he walked the horse to his side. The flag went down again and they took off in a run. Everyone watched closely again as Ivan’s lance shattered against the shield and knocked the knight off again. This time, however, he used so much force with his lance that the knight flipped once in the air before falling to the sand with a loud ‘clunk’. The crowd cheered again as Ivan was declared the winner of the joust.

“See? I told you no one could match a lance to your husband.”

The king said to Alfred who nodded excitedly as he watched Ivan dismount his horse and go back into the tent. Yao stood up and left the dais to follow him into the tent and Alfred wanted to go as well but the king insisted he stay and talk to him.

Yao lifted the tent flap and slipped inside the small area where Ivan was just taking off his helmet. His hair was slightly damp from sweat and he ran a hand through it, making it stick up slightly. Yao chuckled behind his hand but it was loud enough for Ivan to hear. He turned around and smiled when he saw Yao by the tent flap.

“Did I impress you?” Ivan asked him with a cheerful smile. “I though you didn’t like jousting.”

“I didn’t at first but now I think it’s growing on me. Ever since I accepted your second marriage to Alfred I’ve become much more lax in my ways.” Yao told him as he walked over to him and took the helmet from his hands.

“Have others been giving you a hard time about my marriage to Alfred?”

“Not really, I don’t have any complaints.” He said as he placed the helmet down next to the trunk before going back over to Ivan to start unbuckling the leather straps on the arm covers. “Most of those fickle toadstools never cared enough for me anyway to make too big a deal about it.”

“You know, it’s very rare that you ever tend to me like this. Are you competing with Alfred?” He gave a little chuckle and Yao just shook his head, unbuckling the last strap on that side and removing the armor.

“No, I have no reason to be in competition with him. I’m actually very impressed that you’ve been treating us equally.” Yao said as he started on the other side. ‘Yet you respect me more.’ Yao said to himself as he smiled up at Ivan.

“It’s true. I do my best to give you both the same of everything. You don’t need to feel obligated to make love with me while Alfred is around.” Yao sighed at that as he finished the last buckle and removed the last of the arm armor. He then began to unbuckle the sides of the chest plate.

“I enjoy us sharing a bed and fooling around but I don’t like it to go further than that.”

“You’re such a prude…but you’re my prude. I bet no other husband would be as lenient as I am with your attitude towards sex. It’s my right by royal law to take you whenever I feel like it and you have little say in the matter. But you know I would never do that, which is what separates me from all the others.”

“Oh, I know, believe me. I’m thankful for that all the time.” He went to the other side of buckles. “And I also just like turning the court upside down with our new arrangement.” He snickered to himself. “The looks on their faces are priceless sometimes!”

“You’re just a little rebel rouser, aren’t you?” Ivan smirked and removed the chest plate once the buckles were undone. He placed the armor in the trunk and easily removed the leg covers to pack it all away. “So what’s the real reason you followed me in here?” Ivan looked over his shoulder at him as he stood up.

“Must I always have a reason to follow my husband?” Ivan smirked and went over to him.

“With you, there is always a reason. You’re not spontaneous enough.” He wrapped his arms around him and lifted him up easily. “I saw the way you were looking at me when I lowered my lance to you. There’s more to pleasure than just penetration, my love.” He purred and Yao yanked both his ears.

“You know I don’t like ‘doing’ that.” Ivan smiled up at him.

“Ah, then I guess that bulge I feel against my chest is just the coin purse I gave you?” He laughed at Yao’s embarrassed little blush. “Can’t you give your poor, deprived husband a little bit of pleasure? Hmm? After how good I am to you?”

“Deprived? You? You’re not deprived of anything!” Ivan grinned at that and lowered Yao to the ground. “Well?” He nuzzled his ear and purred.

“N-No…not here in public. Anyone could just walk right in.” Ivan gave a moan and shagged his shoulders heavily. He knew how private Yao was.

“Fine, but you owe me one. It’s best we start heading back to the castle early for this day is not done yet.”

“What? There’s more than just the joust?” Ivan pats his pert rump and Yao gave a little yelp.

“Yes! I plan on taking everyone to the beach tonight! Alfred has been begging me to see it and I know you love it as well.” Yao smiled brightly.

“Really? You will take us tonight?”

“Of course. We’ll take our leave early, head back to the castle, gather all things we need, and then we’ll head out. We’ll bring only our group with us. The more we are away from those bastards are court, the better.” Ivan also wanted to get away from the court tonight since he did threaten Jacobs.

“I couldn’t agree more! You finish getting ready and I’ll go round everyone up!” Ivan practically whimpered as Yao left the tent, leaving him unsatisfied.

After they said their farewell to the king for the day Ivan’s party left the fairgrounds early to head back to the castle. Everyone was excited about the trip to the beach; especially Alfred who was still too excited from the day to call it quits yet. He wanted to experience as much as he could of this life.

Once they got back to the castle they changed into their traveling clothes since they would be the most appropriate for the beach. Arthur helped Francis pack the picnic baskets consisting of wine, bread, cheese, cakes, and grapes. A bottle of vodka was added in the basket for Ivan. Francis planned on using this evening at the beach to help charm Arthur into saying ‘yes’ to marry him. A city boy could easily be charmed by the vast open sky and water that is the ocean.

After they were finished the two carried the picnic baskets outside to the carriages. Ivan had some of the servants gather large blankets for them to all sit on and they were already tied to the back of one of the carriages. There was still enough light in the day and if they got there in time they could watch the sunset.

It wasn’t long before the others came out to the carriage houses and piled into the carriages. Instead of carriage men Ivan ordered Ludwig and Gilbert to drive the horses. Matthew and Feliciano sat up with their lovers on the drivers seat as they began their short ride to the beach.

The sun was just beginning to lower in the sky when the trees along the road began to part and the shore came in to view. Everyone who had not seen it looked in awe at the sight that greeted them. The water stretched out for as far as they could see and the seagulls could be seen flying overhead. The beach was empty and left open just for them. Ludwig carefully parked his carriage but Gilbert brought his to a screeching halt.

“WOOO HOOO! THE SEEEEEA!”

He shouted and jumped off from the driver’s seat, running along the sand and stripping himself as he went. Ludwig just sighed heavily and covered his face but was shocked when he felt the seat jerk as Feliciano jumped off to join Gilbert, stripping as well.

“Oh wow, Ivan…” Alfred said breathlessly. “I-It’s even more beautiful up close!”

“Yes, it is. And just wait until you see it in the sunset and in the moonlight. It’s even more beautiful.”

He got out of the carriage and helped the others out. Francis, Arthur, Tino, and Kiku worked together to help set out all the blankets and take out the food. Ludwig was stuck gathering sticks and left over wood from previous bonfires. Gilbert was supposed to be helping him but he was lost in the water with Feliciano. Berwald and Tino went their own way, walking down to the surf curiously, hand in hand.

Ivan took Alfred and Yao down to the shore after having them remove their shoes and roll up their pants. Alfred had never felt sand between his toes before and it was a strange sensation that he liked. He felt someone take his hand and it was Matthew who came to join them. Matthew ran away a few steps as the water hit the shore, covering their feet.

“Wahh! It’s cold!” Alfred said with a laugh as he felt his feet sink into the wet sand as the water receded. “AREN’T YOU TWO COLD OUT THERE?!” Alfred shouted to Gilbert and Feliciano who were jumping waves.

“IT FEELS GREAT! YOU JUST HAVE TO JUMP RIGHT IN!” Gilbert shouted as he got flipped over by a wave, feet going up in the air. Matthew had to laugh at that but made sure to ask if he was all right when he surfaced. Another wave hit the shore and this one was a bit higher than the last few, soaking the top fold of Yao’s pants.

“Eep!” Yao jumped back a bit and Ivan laughed at him.

“Sorry love! Alfred and I forgot how short you were!”

“No fair!” Yao laughed and was nearly knocked over by a naked Feliks running past him and jumping into the water. Alfred grinned and started to take off his shirt.

“I want to go swimming too! You coming Mattie? Yao? Ivan?”

“Um…I think I’ll just watch from the blankets.” Matthew said as he quickly tip toed away from another round of water. “I’m not entirely fond of being wet.”

“I never get wet. I settle for only my feet.” Yao said but Ivan nodded, beginning to remove his clothes as well.

“I will join you, Alfred.” Ivan handed his clothes to Yao and Alfred handed his to Matthew, along with his glasses. “Hold on to my hand though as we go in. The waves can easily sweep you away.”

Alfred nodded and held on tight to Ivan’s hand as they walked further into the ocean water. Alfred was moving closer the further they got into the water to join the others. He shrieked when he felt the sand give out beneath him but Ivan buoyed him easily. Alfred began treading water like Arthur had taught him but was unprepared for the wave that was coming. Ivan immediately grabbed him and jumped him over the wave. The sensation of going up and down in the water made Alfred’s stomach tingle and he laughed.

“That was fun!”

“Here comes another one!” Feliciano pointed to warn them.

“Let me do this one by myself, okay?” Alfred said to Ivan and when the wave came he jumped it but didn’t quite clear it all the way and got a face full of seawater. He sputtered and held his nose, the salt stinging the inner walls. Ivan chuckled and brought him into a hug. “THAT HURT!”

“It will clear up shortly.” Ivan said and moved them a bit closer to the shore so the waves would be less high. Feliciano was still bobbing up and down happily making little noises when Feliks backstroked past him.

“Ve~ Hello there, Feliks!”

“Like, who’s ready to play “Dunk the Asshole”?” Feliks grinned evilly and jumped on Gilbert’s head to shove him underwater. Gilbert sputtered and flapped his arms wildly until Feliks let him go.

“YOU LITTLE FU-“ Gilbert’s curse was cut short as Feliks let up at just the right moment to get knocked over by a wave. Feliks had successfully ducked under it and let it flow above his head before coming up and swinging his hair.

“HAHAHA!” Feliks laughed foolhardily at him. “TAKE THAT!”

“YOU LITTLE RUNT! I OUTTA-“ Another wave came and before Gilbert could dunk Feliks the man chose to body ride the wave in to the shore. “FUCK YOU!” Gilbert shouted after him.

On shore, Ludwig had gotten a large fire going and Francis was busy cooking up all their meats and veggies. He would hold two thin iron poles as the meats and veggies were slid all along them so they could cook evenly. Kiku set up all the plates and set out the other foods they had brought around the center blanket. Toris had brought some paperwork with him that need looking over. He always wanted to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t have to speak to Feliks much.

Arthur was gazing out at the others in the water, just watching them with a simple smile. He particularly like when Matthew would dodge the water hitting the surf. Matthew was more interested in picking up various seashells he was finding. Yao was already pouring himself a glass of wine as he settled on the blankets.

“So what do you think of the beach, Arthur?” Yao asked him. “This is your first time seeing it, right?”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it and read about it but I’ve never seen it. It’s nothing like I pictured in my mind, though.”

“The real image always wins.” Francis said as he turned the iron rods over the fire.

“What about you, Kiku? Ludwig?” Yao asked them.

“This is my first time seeing it in person but I’ve seen it in books before.” Kiku said.

“Gilbert and I would come to the shore every summer with our uncle as kids.” He answered as he took off his shirt and settled onto his back on the far side of the blankets, throwing an arm over his eyes. “Better call all of them in. The sun is setting soon and they need to dry off.”

“And dinner is nearly ready.” Francis said.

“I’ll go get them.” Arthur said and he walked down to the surf, standing next to Matthew who had an armful of seashells. “Start heading back, dinner is almost ready.”

“Okay Arthur! Just wait until you see all the different shells I’ve collected!” Arthur smiled at him and watched Matthew make his way to the blankets before calling out to the others. “DINNER IS READY!” He called, cupping his hands around his mouth. “HURRY ON OUT!”

“WE’RE COMING!”

Feliciano shouted and Arthur made his way back to the blankets, taking a seat beside Toris. Kiku was the only one who made sure his eyes were averted from the group of naked men walking up from the water. He wondered right then why no one decided to bring towels. Berwald and Tino sat beside him as they waited for the others to join them.

“Alright! Lets eat!”

Gilbert said loudly as he plopped himself down on the blankets but was politely scolded by Kiku who feared for the food getting covered in sand. Matthew cuddled next to Gilbert and Feliks sat beside them rather than beside Toris. Only Francis seemed to notice something was up between the two but he figured he would ask about it later. Ivan sat beside Yao and Alfred was on his other side. Ludwig quickly sat up as he could tell that Feliciano was planning to sit on him without warning. Instead, Feliciano plopped himself in Ludwig’s lap, making the man moan softly in defeat.

“Alright, get it while it’s hot! We have beef and veggies on one side and pork and veggies on the other! Take your pick!”

Toris offered to hold the pork rod while Francis went around with the beef one, letting whomever wanted it to use their forks to pull it off. Then he went around with pork for the others to do the same. Tino offered to pour everyone some wine but only Ivan was allowed to drink the vodka.

As they dined on the blankets they got to watch the sun setting over the horizon. Everyone slowly started to snuggle closer to their significant other at the beautiful sight. Alfred never knew the sun could look so striking over the water and he found it hard to tear his eyes away from the scene. He leaned back Ivan’s side as Yao mimicked Feliciano and crawled into Ivan’s lap. Ivan held them both around the waist, ignored his own awkward position.

The group was silent as well as they took in the scenery, the only sounds being sips from cups or the chewing of food. Ludwig couldn’t really enjoy the scene as he had Feliciano in feline mode that was nuzzling his head up and down his neck. He just kept his arms tight around the smaller man and sighed. Tino rest his head against Berwald’s shoulder and smiled softly, taking his hand. Even though Berwald showed no real expression at all, the tight squeeze of his hand was more than enough words for him. Arthur and Francis had their hands linked together, resting their heads against one another.

Kiku was fine by himself but Toris was a bit uneasy at all the lovey dovey stuff around him. He was tempted to just walk around the blankets and sit himself beside Feliks who looked just as lonely. To his surprise and dismay, Gilbert spoke softly to Feliks who nodded his head in response. The only words Toris could make out were ‘fight’ and ‘okay’.

Before he could say or do anything again, Gilbert reached his free arm out and pulled Feliks to his other side, probably so he didn’t have to watch the pretty scene alone. Feliks mumbled something but made no attempt to move away from him. Toris wanted to march right over and yank the blonde man away from Gilbert but he didn’t want to ruin the moment for everyone so he just picked at his meat and squished grapes between his fingers.

Once the sun had completely set the moon started rising did they all break from their little love knots to begin politely talking to one another. Most of it was about the joust and how well Ivan did. Alfred was already a bit tipsy and he was complimenting Ivan left and right on everything dealing with his joust. Francis wanted to take this opportunity to be alone with Arthur so he leaned over to whisper to him.

“Lets take a walk, love.” Arthur looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Why?” He whispered back.

“Can’t I ask to be alone with my lover on a night like this. It’s been a very long day and a nice walk along a moonlit beach would be a great end to the day, hm?” Arthur sighed softly and nodded, standing up with him. “We’re just going for a short walk, guys. We won’t be long.” Francis told the others.

“Just come back with your pants on!” Gilbert joked and Arthur flashed him a glare before Francis took his hand, leading him away from the others.

They walked along the surf, far away from the bonfire where the only light they had now were the stars and the moon. The gentle sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore relaxed Arthur so much that he moved in closer to Francis, their fingers still entwined. Francis could sense the change in Arthur’s mood and he knew he was right in bringing his lover out here. The sounds of the ocean would relax anybody. Francis also wanted to get him calm and in this type of atmosphere before he could speak to him about Alfred.

“Arthur…I know you slept with Alfred.” Arthur gasped softly and pulled away from him.

“I-It’s not true! I never slept with him!” Francis just smiled at him and shook his head.

“Arthur, I’ve been around the block with many lovers and I’ve been in your situation many, many times. I know the look and I can sense the body language. I just want to let you know that it’s okay, love. I forgive you for what you did.”

“Y-you do? Francis…that’s a lot to forgive in just a few short sentences! I mean…I betrayed our relationship! I went behind your back and slept with another.” Francis took both of his hands in his own.

“I know how much you care about Alfred and seeing him getting wed to Ivan upset you. You’ve told me many stories about how you cared for Alfred and hell, I would feel the same way in your position. I wanted to let you know that I do forgive you for what you did and I want us to move forward. I feel like that is what is holding you back from agreeing to marry me.”

“Uh…Francis…y-you really surprised me here…I don’t know what to say.”

“Come, lets walk a bit more. See those rocky hills ahead? I bet we can find a nice little tide pool to relax and talk in, how about that? And that way, you have some time to think.”

Arthur just nodded dumbly and let Francis take his hand as they walked to the rocks. Arthur looked up at the huge pile of rocks and wondered how much further he’d be able to see if he was up there. That really was where he wanted to be so he could get away from this awkward situation with Francis. Francis had forgiven him for sleeping with Alfred and he wanted to go on like nothing happened. So why did he try to defend his honor with Gilbert? Was he just doing that for himself or did he really believe Arthur was innocent at that time?

Francis told him to wait once they reached the rocks as he started looking for a tide pool. Arthur watched him up ahead, closing his eyes as he felt the gentle night air blow through his hair. Why couldn’t he say ‘yes’ to Francis’ proposal? His time with Alfred was done and his charge no longer looked at him with the same eyes as he did before. Alfred was falling for Ivan and it was no use in pining over him when he should be happy for him. Even though he had his problems with Ivan he would do his best to overlook them as much as he could for Alfred’s sake.

He looked up at the starry sky above him with the large moon peering down and he smiled. Francis went out of his way to make this little moonlit walk of theirs perfect. The man took him to dinner and tried romancing him every day from morning to night. Arthur knew he was being stubborn and selfish by not giving Francis more of a change. It was all because he did not want to let go of Alfred but the man was no longer ‘his’. Alfred was an adult and he could make adult decisions, even if they were hair brain choices.

But he could no longer deny his feelings for Francis. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he was coming to love the man because he was so perverted and weird at times. He would be a fool to give up Francis and chase after a dream that could never come true. He couldn’t find true love with Alfred but with Francis he knew he stood a very good chance. Even if he was rushing his feelings because he didn’t want to be lonely he knew what was true. He would come to love Francis more and more as the days wore on. Before he could chicken out, before he could run, before he could lie to his stubborn self again, he shouted out loudly and forcefully:

“YEEESSSS!” Francis was climbing on some of the rocks but he shrieked and fell back onto the sand at Arthur’s high-pitched cry. The sound of his voice had startled him and he turned around in the sand on all fours to give Arthur an amused, quizzical look. Arthur looked just as dumbstruck as he did.

“Did you just orgasm without me?” Francis asked with a chuckle.

“N-NO! You pervert! I-I was just saying…saying ‘yes’.” Arthur flushed angrily and held his arms tightly against his sides. He felt stupid for shouting out the word like he did. “I…I mean yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” Francis slowly stood up from the sand, staring at Arthur wide eyed.

“Arthur? D-Did I just hear you say what I think you said?” Francis grinned and Arthur sneered at him.

“Yes, damn it! I mean no! I mean yes! ARGH! Yes I’ll marry you!” Francis ran to him and wrapped his arms around his waist, swinging him in the air. “PUT ME DOWN!”

“My darling mare said ‘yes’! I knew this night would help!” He settled Arthur back onto the sand but still held him tightly against his body. “The moon brings out all the desires and wants in a person!”

“You can’t possibly believe the MOON did this, can you?”

“It helped, didn’t it? It helped you finally make a decision.”

“But-“ Francis shut him up with a passionate kiss, pushing his tongue past his lips to dive into his mouth.

Arthur gasped and moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Francis’ neck. Arthur broke the kiss as he felt Francis tugging his shirt front open and pushing it down his left shoulder. Francis’ lips met with the soft skin he found there and before Arthur could protest, something caught his eye out in the water. Squinting, he looked over Francis’ shoulder in hopes to get a better view.

“Francis? Are ships suppose to be coming to shore at this time of night?”

“Mmm…sure…merchant ships.” Francis muttered against Arthur’s salty skin.

“Do merchant ships come in rows and groups of ten…or twenty?”

Francis’ eyes widened and he pulled his lips from Arthur’s neck to turn and look out into the ocean. Coming out of the dark horizon was a large fleet of unrecognizable ships. The sails were not of any allies Francis knew and his heart leapt in his throat.

“We need to get back…to the others! We need to get off this shore and fast!”

End Chapter 23 TBC
- 22
- 23
- 24
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Storm of Sunflowers