Strife

Chapter Eleven

"What exactly did this man tell you to make you so uncomfortable mon ami?" Francis asked as they ordered more wine.

"Do you think she loved you after she abandoned her?"
"I didn't abandon her! You took her away. We were happy," he explained to the older man.
"I had to make her forget you Antonio. You're a nobody. She was my daughter," he explained, "I realized I couldn't do that after, a bit," he paused.
"After what? Did she try to run away?"
"No, are you this stupid Antonio?! Maybe that's why Lovino is a bumbling idiot!" He yelled, and it was a good thing that Lovino was playing outside.
"Me? Why would he," he couldn't finish that sentence.
"You abandoned your lover Antonio, and you left your son with a man who wasn't his father," the older man tsked.
"I didn't know!" he stood up suddenly, "so Lovino is-"
"He's just like you, and just like me."
"Why do you treat him so badly?" he felt like crying, "he's your flesh and blood damn it!"
"He will be treated better Antonio," he smirked a bit, "sit down."
"Why would you?" he was panicking.
"He is the only thing I have left of my beautiful Isabelle and Sofia. You will not take him away Spaniard. You will leave at once," his decision was final.
"I- he's my son," he stared at the older of the two in disbelief, "you expect me to leave?! Now? Why would you tell me if," he took a seat again.
"To make sure you knew that you never would've known unless I had told you. The whole bond garbage about father and son! Ha. You didn't even know he was alive, conceived! I would not let any man get away with doing that to Sofia," he was a madman, "you filthy peasant. She was nobility, she was royalty! Feliciano was royalty. Your bloodline has corrupted mine and now you have to go."
"I'm not a nobody signore Vargas," he mumbled timidly, but then stared up intensely at the ancient figure, "I would've dropped everything for her. It's not Lovino's fault that she died."
"Don't try me boy, your people have suffered at my hand and I don't hesitate. I don't miss either."
"Then I'll be going," he sighed and put on a fake smile- this would buy him some time to take his little Roma away from this horrible place.

Antonio tried to process everything, and sure enough it was possible that Sofia was pregnant when she was taken away. He felt so stupid! He could've helped Sofia raise her kid, knowing that everything would be okay because he was the same way... He could've been Lovino's explorer father who came back with gifts for him. He could've taught Lovino some Spanish... The list went on.

That moment Antonio knew two things for sure.
1. Lovino was now the most important person and thing for the rest of his life.
2. He could never know.

He also hoped he could escape without signore Vargas finding out.

He went to his room to pack up, to be convincing and to be ready.

It wasn't long after Antonio had packed everything up that Lovino came into his room. He felt overwhelmed with emotions.

"Roma!" he smiled as he walked up to the boy, "what's wrong?" the boy was crying and Antonio hugged him.
"He," Lovino cried, "he," he hiccoughed, "he got mad at me, and Feli can't talk him out of it anymore Tonio!" was he really this scared of his grandfather?
"What did he do?"
"I have to do chores!" he laughed a bit, which made Lovino hit his face, "HEY! Feliciano never had to do any chores! He only did them sometimes because he wanted to," he mumbled.
"Ay Lovino," he realized there was nothing too terrible Romulus would do to his son- but with that thought his blood began to boil again.
"I don't want to stay here Tonio," Lovino blurted, "it's your fault."
The Spanishman chuckled and let go of the boy, he looked to see if he looked anything like himself; but the boy looked exactly like his mother, he was an exact copy except for the nose. He smiled solemnly at the thought but shook it off, there was no time to reminisce.

They fled that night and escaped from Romulus and his wrath.

"He'll follow us Tonio," Lovino sighed as they rode off in the tomato chart pulled by Antonio's horse, Tomate.
"He won't. Since I'm your- eh, partner now, you can call me something else yes? Señor Fernàndez is fine," he felt strange with his son using his name.
"Why? Tonio suits you," the younger explained, but when he noticed the frown on Antonio's face, he sighed and decided not to make an enemy out of his new traveling partner.
"How about just señor? Jeez, next thing you know you'll have me calling you 'boss'," he laughed.
"Some places we travel you might have to call me that," Antonio shrugged, thinking about the journey ahead. He thought of the wonderful things they would do in the near future.

Antonio carried on with his story until it seemed like he was finished. Only Francis knew it couldn't have been done because he hadn't seen little Lovi in years. Plus Antonio didn't say that Lovino lived in his house or anything.
"Wait, where is the little tomate now?" he asked, which caused the other man to laugh bitterly.
"Some Englishmen you know, with their fancy pirate swords and boastful canons," he went on, and it seemed like he really had a grudge against the British and their pirates.
"What er," he didn't know if it was right to finish that question, but whether he did do or not, Antonio wanted to tell him.
"They took him and I didn't see him for a while amigo," he looked down, making sure to hide his sad eyes from the Frenchman. They had too much of what was on his mind for him to show Francis. Plus the Frenchman might think of him as weak.
"Hm..? He can't die though oui? He is like his father."
"That is the problem amigo. He is exactly like his father. Y his father has a secret," he sighed.
"What's that?" Francis asked, genuinely wanting to know.
"I was born like this and so I can die. Even like this," he explained, which made no sense to Francis who knew they couldn't die. Not physically at least.
"No; amigo you don't understand. I do not think you were born the same way as I was. My father was an immortal man and so I was born the same way. He died and I can die the same way. Don't ask me how but," he paused, trying to look sincere when he spoke about death, even if it was a foreign subject to him and most of his close friends, "I saw it happened to Roma. My own son. He just bled out. I didn't know why, he had been stabbed before but when this man stabbed him that time was different. He must've been. He must've been like us. Because if I remember correctly, only Romulus could kill my father, and he did. Francis I want you to be careful. I don't know if you can die too, and I can't afford to lose another friend. You and Gilbert are my oldest friends and I'm excited to go traveling with you both," he explained finally.
"That was a very lengthy and," Francis felt strange processing this. That meant that Arthur dying wasn't just- but no one killed him right? Maybe since Arthur -an immortal- killed himself, it counted? He figured that was the only plausible option. "I see," he said after finally wrapping his head around all of that, and it dawned on him that Antonio mentioned Gilbert. "So you're telling me that Gilbert did not die while you two were in Germany? Wow," he chuckled, "he must have quite the fighting spirit."
"Oh yes, the Beilschmidts don't like to go down. Ever. But if the do they go down fighting," he smiled sadly, remembering how Ludwig had to meet his end and how devastated his best friend was when he found out.
"So when we we go?"
"I'm all packed up and so is Gil. We leave when you're ready amigo."

Did any of that even make sense lol??? well i guess- er idk yes goodbye fellas.