“Arthur, do you remember the day we met?”
“As if it were only yesterday,” he says quietly.
“A young woman stole my gold, and I brought her onto my ship. She didn’t even know her own name, and she challenged me to a duel,” Arthur recalls wistfully.
“I’m glad I stole from you that day,” I say as a small grin forms on my lips.
“I’m glad you did, too,” he says with a light laugh.
I continue my – no, our, story.
“And so the girl-thief with no memories sailed the seven seas with the pirate captain. They saw many things and many places; they laughed and cried and fought; they fell in love. She regained all of her memories, all except one…until now.”
“What?” Arthur squeezes my hand.
“I finally, finally remembered it. I remembered my name,” I happily confirm.
I tell him my name and what it means. Arthur repeats it slowly. Then he repeats it again with my family name. I love hearing him say it. The way it lightly rolls off his tongue sparks something within me.
“It’s a beautiful name. It suits you perfectly.”
I nod slightly then squeeze his hand lightly.
“Arthur, I don’t have much time left. So, could you please do something for me?”
My closed eyes can’t see his expression, but I hear him inhale sharply then exhale shakily.
“O-of course. What do you want me to do?”
“Call my name. Call my given name, and then I’ll open my eyes. And when I do, could you please smile for me?”
Something small and wet falls onto my cheek. I know that it can’t be the rain.
“Who do you think you are talking to? I can easily fulfill those requests,” Arthur says in a choked voice.
“Thank you, Arthur.”
My voice comes out much quieter than it did before. I feel Arthur move around a bit, and then he takes a deep breath.
He calls my name clearly, softly, lovingly. With every ounce of willpower I can muster, I open my eyes. And all of a sudden, we’re not on a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean.
For one shining moment, we’re back in Cecil’s ballroom. Fancily dressed men and women dance around us in a slow waltz. I can hear the music and light chatter. We’re together and happy and he’s giving me that smile. It lights up his bright green eyes, lights up everything around him. And I want to cry; I want to burst into tears and sob my heart out because this is the last time in my life that I will ever see his smile, and it just tears me to pieces.
But I don’t want to leave him with my tears. Instead of crying, I smile back as best as I can.
“I hope you never lose that smile,” I barely whisper.
My eyes close. A content sigh escapes my lips.
“I love you.”
YOU ARE READING
With the Seas ~ A Hetalia Fan Fiction
FanfictionShe is a thief who desperately searches for what she's lost. He is a privateer who represents the country of England. In a twist of fate, they begin their voyage together across the seven seas. What awaits them? Adventure, treasure, tragedy, and so...
