🌹Emerald Rose🌹

Chapter Six

 

He was alone in the town this time.

When he had woken up, which happened to be very late in the morning, so much so that he had missed breakfast, he could not find Kiku or anyone else he knew of, leaving him to explore the town on his own. It was unmistakably hot in the village, and the sun burned down on the back of this neck, probably leaving a sunburn that would irritate him later.

 

He should've figured he'd sleep in so late, after all, he was kept up so late last night. That had been entirely his own doing. He had tried to sleep, eventually. He just couldn't. When he did, he kept waking up from the dreams that then haunted his subconscious.

 

Once he had finally gotten over his shock enough to do something, the first thing he did was run off to go hide in his room. He didn't want to socialize anymore. He didn't care if Richard came looking for him. As far as he was concerned, he didn't have to answer to him anymore. He wouldn't be able to focus otherwise.

He hid in there for the rest of the day. By the time someone finally came in on him, he had pretended to already be in deep slumber. He didn't want questions. He didn't want to talk. He barely wanted to think. He wanted to just hide and try to figure out what the fuck had just happened to him.

He had never imagined such a thing would happen to him. Who knew the very person he fantasized about, the one that made his stomach jump in arousal and need, would be the one to move in on him. He felt his mind racing back to it, dancing in confusion, excitement, pleasure, cold fear. Such beautiful emotions that exploded in his mind and went straight to his stomach.

Why? Why did Arthur kiss him? It was outrageous! Completely out of nowhere! What did he do to make that happen!? He couldn't lie to himself, he barely did anything before. Alfred had still remembered how Arthur told him he wouldn't mind him being his next victim in bed all those weeks ago.

But was it really only lust?

 

It had to be right? It couldn't really have been anything else right? That would be truly absurd. He would be a true idiot to think about such things.

He was trying to find a distraction now. He looked around in feigned curiosity at all of the streets signs, all of the advertising restaurants and shops, all kinds of things Alfred could suddenly find himself caring less and less about. He had actually had some money with him, which he had switched out for French currency. The bank had helpful texts underneath translating the French captions to other languages for foreign visitors.

Including English, thank God.

His childish thoughts made him tempted to at least buy something, anything. Even if it turned out to be some useless junk. But he couldn't think of anything. It occurred to him he could buy himself the sword he had been missing ever since he joined the Emerald Rose. When he had woken up, he couldn't find Allistor, so he no idea what his sudden promotion was.

Speak of the devil, he spotted a blacksmith's shop only a couple buildings down. He stopped to peer inside the thick glass at the displays of weaponry and material. The less expensive and fantastic ones were given less attention, being stored and sold on shelves deeper in the shop.