A/N: This is it guys! The last chapter of my baby. I hope you enjoy the end!
Chapter 8
Alfred had never been in as much as a bar fight before and now here he stood, amidst carnage as the crew of the ‘Bloody Isabella’ began to try and board the ‘Valiant Lucy’ and vice versa. Arthur turned from the scene and grabbed Alfred’s arm.
“Get on that ship. Go below decks and take anything of use. Stay there until I come and get you. Go!” With an agonised expression, Arthur placed a grappling hook in Alfred’s hand. Gulping, the American threw it, watching as the jagged hook caught and splintered the wood of the ‘Bloody Isabella.’ He leapt off the side of the ship, scuttling up the rope like a squirrel. The crew of the ‘Bloody Isabella’ were all fighting with Alistair, Will, Gilbert and Ludwig who had managed to get across and no one noticed the little American as he clambered on to the deck. Quickly, Alfred ran for the hatch leading to the lower decks, ducking as bullets went flying. He scarpered down into the darkness, until he saw one of the lamps lit. Hurrying towards it, he caught sight of a small boy, younger than him, cowering behind a set of ropes. The boy had caramel coloured tousled hair, wide eyes that seemed almost lilac and made him look like a bush baby and soft cheeks. One of his eyes was blackened and his jaw was badly bruised. The American paused and tried to smile kindly. Slowly, Alfred held a hand out to the mousy haired creature that only trembled harder.
“Hey, hey… I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay, I’d never hurt you.” His softly spoken words of peace seemed to soothe the boy and he snuck out a little. “What’s your name?”
“Ra-Raivis…” came the stammered reply.
“Hey, Raivis… Now, you don’t look very happy here. Would you like to help me get some cargo and then get out of here?” The boy nodded and skittered out.
“B-But, but we ha-have to s-s-save my brothers,” whispered Raivis.
“Okay, we can do that. Do you know where they are?”
“I-In the cannon deck. W-with, with, him.” The boy almost spat out the last word and Alfred frowned.
“Him?”
“Iv-Ivan. He beats us and m-makes us work and, and I don’t want to be here, I want to go home, I want to go home!” Blinking, Alfred gently rubbed the poor boy’s shoulder. He seemed to have been through a lot, no wonder he wanted to go home.
“Okay, okay, I’ll make sure you get home, don’t worry. Now, how about, you show me to the cannon deck and we’ll save your brothers, okay?” With a sniffle, the boy nodded, gesturing him to follow him. As Alfred followed Raivis through the belly of the ship, he could hear the continued sounds of cannon fire and steel on steel from the battle above. He sincerely hoped his crew was alright and that everyone was still alive. He wasn’t sure he could imagine a time when there wasn’t his little ragtag family to make him smile and keep him strong. And then he looked at this mousy haired boy who he had found hiding in the bowels of their rival ship. Where could he fit in? Honestly, Alfred could see him becoming close friends with his little brother. Matthew always had a soft spot for lost causes, whereas Alfred didn’t. And so, the American asked himself, why was he doing this? Because this boy needed his help? Because he had changed in his time on the Valiant Lucy? But then, he realised, he was finally becoming what he had always wanted to be to someone: a hero. Alfred grinned. He liked the sound of being someone’s hero, especially someone who needed his help as much as this boy clearly did. And so, as they entered the cannon deck silently, Alfred was confident. And then he saw Ivan. A great hulking beast of a man, towering over Alfred and Raivis, Ivan was smiling coldly at two boys with a sabre in one hand. He wore sleeveless top, revealing a long scar across his arm and several tattoos, but his face would have seemed babyish and innocent, were it not drawn into a cruel smirk of almost sadism. One of the boys had short cropped blonde hair, fearful wide blue eyes, covered by a pair of cracked spectacles, and an angular face, long and sharp with a small scar over his lip; the other had shoulder length brown hair, dragged back into a messy ponytail, green eyes narrowed in pain as he winced, lugging a heavy cannon ball to the cannon that the other boy was filling with dangerous gunpowder. Raivis and Alfred ducked behind the nearest cannon and Alfred gripped his dagger before whispering.
“Raivis, do you think you can cause a distraction?” But before the boy could answer, the green-eyed man dropped the cannon ball and the wood around his feet splintered and cracked, but held… only just. Immediately, Ivan started yelling in Russian and pulled the boy to him. Alfred watched with horrified eyes as he dragged the tip of his curved sabre down the brunette’s chest, cutting through the shirt he was wearing and creating a long line of blood. The brunette screamed. But this was what Alfred had needed. As fast as he could, the American threw himself at Ivan, tackling him to the ground with sheer power. His head spun, his heart raced with adrenaline as he held his knife to the throat of the Russian. But, Ivan caught on and grabbed the dagger, trying to force it away from him. In retaliation, Alfred kneed him in the groin, causing him to howl in pain and then the American brought his dagger down, right into the Russian’s jugular. With a scream, Ivan writhed slightly, blood gushing from the wound but the light was already fading from his violet eyes. Soon, he fell still, dead. Slowly, Alfred got to his feet, covered in blood, shaking. There was a very long pause in which the three boys who were now clinging to each other and Alfred stared at each other. Then the brunette stood and held his shaking hand out.
“Toris. Th-thank you.” Alfred slowly shook his hand, blinking.
“Alfred. Y-you’re… you’re welcome. We… We gotta get out of here.” Quickly, the four leapt up the stairs to the deck and into the chaos above. There was cannon fire and the sound of swords clashing but Alfred could only dart away from the action. The blonde boy gently tapped Alfred on the shoulder and murmured.
“Behind the store barrels. Quickly.” Alfred nodded and darted behind the barrels, followed by the three boys. The American looked questioningly at him and he whispered softly,
“Eduard. I’m Eduard.” The American nodded and smiled faintly, peering over the barrels. He saw Roderich fighting with the short helmsman who wielded a samurai sword easily. Alfred’s gut lurched as the dark haired Japanese man nicked Roderich’s arm, causing the old pirate to grit his teeth and hiss in pain. Alfred’s eyes swung from Roderich, to Arthur who was locked in violent combat with a dark haired pirate, wearing the Captain’s hat. That must be Antonio, thought the American as Arthur lunged forward towards the pirate. But before Alfred could leap up to protect his dearest lover and Captain, an angry little Italian appeared by his side.
“Bastards! What are you doing abandoning your crew?!” This must be Feliciano’s older brother, Lovino, he thought, as Toris, Eduard, Raivis cowered at his angry voice. As Toris began to mumble an apology, Alfred stood and snarled,
“Leave them! They never asked for this! They just want to go home!”
“And what do you know of it, jerk bastard? Get back to your own ship before I rip your st-” But the Italian never finished his sentence. There was the bang of a pistol and Lovino toppled over the side of the ship. Alfred spun round, looking for the culprit and saw Feliciano stood on the Valiant Lucy, clutching a pistol with shaking hands. Before he could anything, there was an agonised howl of,
“LOVINO!”
Antonio shoved Arthur to the floor and produced a sharp hilted dagger. Without hesitation, he threw the dagger and Alfred watched him horror as the dagger sunk into Feliciano’s chest.
“NO!”
“FELICI, NEIN!”
Ludwig’s voice. Arthur’s voice. Roderich’s voice. It felt like Alfred was watching a shipwreck in process as Ludwig shot Antonio in the head before fleeing to Feliciano’s side, with Roderich. At the loss of their Captain, the rest of the crew of the Bloody Isabella began to abandon the ship as Alfred ran over the lowered gang plank, with the three boys he saved in tow, to comfort his crew. Ludwig crouched by Feliciano’s side and gripped the Italian’s hand as the boy drew his final shuddering breaths.
“I-I’m, I’m scared, Luddy…”
“Shh, now, Felici, shh. Everyzhing is going to be okay. I’m here. I’m here.”
“St-stay, Luddy. Please…”
“I’ll never leave you. It’s going to be okay…”
“Lud-Ludwig…” Feliciano’s amber eyes fixed on Ludwig’s face and he smiled as the light drained from them. The stoic German navigator collapsed into tears, holding the boy’s limp body to his chest. Beside him, Roderich wept into Gilbert’s neck, shuddering. Slowly, the pirates all removed their hats and bowed their heads.
The funeral was a traditional one. Ludwig placed Feliciano’s limp body on to the wooden raft, made lovingly by Will and Alistair. There were no words spoken as the raft was released into the sea, gliding through the calm waves. The last journey of Feliciano Vargas. The crew watched until the raft floated from sight, into the blood red sunset. Slowly, Arthur stood before the crew.
“We will not forget him. He, he will live on in the memories of those who loved him forever. But, Feliciano would want us to move on. And so we will honour that promise.” He turned his eyes to the three brothers who stood, slightly away from the crew.
“Let’s get you three home.”
And so, the Valiant Lucy was once again alive with action, as the ship was turned towards the open ocean and the promise of adventure, with the comfort of home. And if you listen carefully, there was the soft whisper on the wind,
“Ah, yo, ho, ho… It’s a pirate’s life for me!”