A Tale as Old as Time

XIII

The run back to the village couldn't have gone any faster. Francis was hardly out of breath once he arrived, and then he rushed to the city centre where he'd seen Matthew and Gilbert with the other townsfolk. He coughed and started laughing when he saw Matthew, and he pushed through the crowd so he could get to him and hug him.

“Matthew!” Francis exclaimed upon reaching his little brother, taking him in a tight hug.

“Francis! Francis! You have to tell them where you've been! They don't believe me and they keep threatening to lock me up!” Matthew was near tears and he buried his face in the Frenchman's neck, clinging to him desperately.

Suddenly, Gilbert's voice roared over the din of the muttering townsfolk. He was still being restrained; he would have rushed to Matthew's side otherwise. “Tell them, Francis! Tell them all about the snake that your brother has been raving about for months!” The Prussian screeched, so worked up Francis couldn't tell whose side he was on.

As he pulled Matthew to his feet, Francis took out Arthur's mirror from his pocket and looked it over. If he saved Matthew, there was a chance he'd condemn Arthur and Alfred. But they could take care of themselves, couldn't they? The castle was relatively well hidden.

As he tightened his grip on the mirror, he took a deep breath and whispered, “Show me Arthur.”

No sooner had he spoken the words than he was met with the sight of the master, who was curled up outside on the balcony. He looked miserable and he was pale, his tail coiling around himself.

“This is him,” Francis said softly, showing him to Gilbert and then to the others of the village. Finding the strength he needed to save those he cared about, he cleared his throat and spoke louder so that everyone could hear. “I don't doubt that Matthew only told you all the truth. I was with a serpent who lives in a castle, but he's set me free, so let my brother go!”

“It's witchcraft! Witchcraft, I say!” One of the villagers exclaimed, seizing the mirror and showing it to anyone who hadn't seen. Francis and Matthew were forced into a shop and the door was locked, their only way out being a small window through which they could look. “Lock them up! The albino one too.”

Gilbert's eyes went wide and he immediately stopped fighting. He glanced to Francis and Matthew before looking at the mirror. “Uh, hello?! Can any of you actually fight? Like, for real? I think you kinda need the albino one.”

The villagers talked among themselves, then Ludwig stepped forward, a stern expression on his face. “Only if your brother comes. Otherwise, we can't trust you,” a member of the crowd decided.

“Fine, bring him! Are we getting this snake or what? Ludwig, hilft sie! Ich muss mit dir später sprechen!” Gilbert started laughing, and as the crowd dispersed and headed for the trees with Ludwig at the front, he rushed to the shop that Francis and Matthew were being kept in.

As the Prussian extended a pale hand through the window, he grabbed onto Matthew and pressed himself as close to the door as he could so that he wouldn't be overheard. “Don't worry. I'll get you outta here, Vögelchen. I love you.”

The cries of the villagers grew more distant and Gilbert started to pull away, but Francis grabbed his wrist. “Don't hurt him. Yes, he hurt Matthew, but he's changed. Get them out of there,” he told him before releasing him.

“We'll see,” Gilbert said with that cocky grin of his, then he ran off to join the rest of the villagers.

It didn't take long for the din to fade away, and Francis and Matthew were left in dark silence. Desperate to escape, Francis searched around for anything he could use as a weapon. When that proved futile, he threw himself against the door.