Damsel In Distress: Running Away
Title: Running Away (Damsel in Distress 2)
Genre: Drama/Angst
Pairing(s): USUK
Word Count: 1, 870
Rating/Warnings: Imprisonment and abuse (nothing explicit, just implied)
Summary: Alfred has dreamed of being a true hero and saving a damesl in distress from death or worse. When he gets a chance to leave his village on a rescue mission, he jumps eagerly at the chance. The damsel in distress may give him a few unexpected surprises. For the prompt 'first aid' in the usxuk summer camp.
They had been travelling through the Forest of Nightmares, which had not lived up to it's name, for two days and Arthur was already angry at Alfred. His 'hero' in a sense kept prodding and poking, asking questions that Arthur really did not want to answer. Sometimes they were about his family, sometimes they were about how he got imprisoned and occasionally they were about the other 'heroes' that had come before him. Arthur really did not want to think about any of those things and whenever Alfred asked, Arthur snapped at him to shut him up. The sheer volume of questions had meant that Arthur had informed Alfred that he was not to talk anymore. Used to obedience, Arthur was unprepared for Alfred trying to get Arthur to forgive him, seemingly by being as annoying as possible.
"Arthuuuur. Come on, you don't want to be mad at me!" Alfred's voice was plaintive but Arthur stayed silent. He had discovered quickly that the thing that Alfred hated the most was the silent treatment. "Look, I'm sorry that I'm asking so many questions but I want to know about you. I've told you lots about myself, it's only fair." That was true, Alfred had babbled on about Toris and Kiku and all the other people in his village.
"You volunteered that information, I never wanted it." Arthur's mouth spoke of its own accord but at least the words were true. Maybe that would keep Alfred quiet.
"I thought it was only fair, I could tell you something about myself and then you can tell me something about yourself," Alfred said in an exasperated tone as he hopped over a dead tree lying across the path. He reached a hand back to help Arthur over it but Arthur glared at him. He was perfectly capable of stepping over it himself.
"I like tea. I drank it all within the first year of being in that room but then I ran out and I haven't had any for a while. Food was delivered but no more tea," Arthur decided to admit a tiny fact about himself. Maybe that would make Alfred happy. However when Arthur glanced at Alfred, the younger man was staring at the ground in pensive thought. It always happened whenever Arthur brought up his time in the room or when anything happened that reminded Alfred of it. He had got into the mood when Arthur had shied away from the sunlight and Arthur knew that the unhealthy pallor of his skin made Alfred think of it. Arthur wondered why Alfred kept asking if the thought of it kept putting him in a bad mood.
"We should stop here for the night, the sun's about to go down," Alfred said, breaking the silence as he halted the both of them in a small clearing. Both of them set to creating a camp for them both to sleep. Since Alfred had made the fire last night, Arthur decided to be generous and light the fire for this night. It was much easier for him after all.
"Incendius Coepi," Arthur said clearly into the forest air and the fire sparked underneath his fingers in the fire pit. It burned brightly but Arthur could feel the heat wash over him and felt a sense of satisfaction. It had been a while since he had conjured a fire (trapping himself in a burning room never seemed too clever to him) so it was good to know that he had not forgotten how. Looking at the darkening clouds above, Arthur resolved himself to cast a spell to shelter Alfred and him when the storm broke. He turned to Alfred to let him know and his eyes widened in shock.
Alfred was staring at him like he had never seen him before and his back was pressed against one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. Alfred's eyes were so wide behind his glasses that Arthur could see a ring of white all the way around. He looked terrified and this did not sit well with Arthur.
"Alfred, what is it? What's wrong?" Arthur asked, standing up quickly. Alfred flinched at the movement and forced himself further back into the tree as if he wanted to sink into it. A conclusion wormed its way into Arthur's mind. He had heard of those prejudiced against magic but would never have pegged Alfred as one of them. But this was worse than prejudice, Alfred seemed scared of it for a very concrete reason, as if he expected it to hurt him. "Is it the magic?" At the last word, Alfred bolted into the woods. "ALFRED!" Arthur yelled after him, taking a few steps as if to run after him. Common sense took over and Arthur quickly doused the fire and grabbed both of their bags, before following Alfred into the woods.
Arthur ran after Alfred but was forced to slow and his breath came in hard, fast pants. With so little exercise over the past few years, Arthur was desperately unfit and it was clear that Alfred was a good runner. As Arthur was walking along, following Alfred's trail as best he could, the storm broke overhead and Arthur quickly covered himself with his cloak. Knowing that when Alfred had ran off he had been wearing a thin T-shirt and trousers, Arthur quickened his pace.
What felt like hours later even though the storm meant that all methods of telling time by the sky were useless, Arthur saw his first glimpse of Alfred. There was a deep valley carved into the landscape and several rocks jutted out of the smooth sides of the valley, obviously where a rock fall or two had changed the land. Alfred was sitting right at the edge of one of the rocks. Arthur felt his exhaustion disappear as bursts of relief and adrenaline powered him up the rocks.
"Alfred!" He shouted up to the other man but Alfred paid no attention. It was becoming clearer as Arthur neared him that Alfred was soaked to the bone and as white as a sheet. "Alfred, please look at me!" Arthur begged, something he could never recall doing in his life. Perched on the edge of the rock, Alfred looked like one little shake of the rock and he would go tumbling off. Arthur scrambled up beside the rock that Alfred was sitting on. "Alfred!" Alfred turned slowly to face Arthur and the look on his face was completely blank. "Alfred, please come with me. We have to get you warmed up!" Arthur said as loudly and as calmly as possible even as a blast of cold wind made him shiver. Alfred remained unmoving which scared Arthur more than he had ever been in his life. However, as Arthur reached for him, Alfred flinched away from his hands. Knowing what he was scared of caused Arthur to flinch himself but he forced a smile.
"Don't worry Alfred," Arthur yelled and for once, Alfred seemed to be listening, "I won't use magic. No magic." Ever again. Arthur kept the last two words unspoken, but knew they needed to be done. Alfred had been so hurt by magic that it scared him more than anything else could. Alfred had rescued him, not just from the room, but from his family and the loneliness which had almost become too much for Arthur to bear. Alfred had saved Arthur's life and for him, Arthur could give up magic.
Alfred nodded finally, in agreement with Arthur's words and Arthur felt a strange sense of peace come over him. He had never cared for someone so much that he could give up a part of himself. It was good to know that he was capable of that. Alfred started to move towards Arthur and Arthur gently helped him down off the rock. Alfred's hands were ice cold and slimy with water and Arthur felt another shaft of worry pierce him as they moved towards a nearby cave.
Inside the cave it was sheltered from the wind and the rain even though a cold draft came from the entrance now and again. The sound was also slightly muted, enough for Arthur to talk to Alfred without having to shout.
"Can you change into another set of clothes on your own?" Arthur asked and after a slow moment, Alfred nodded. Arthur handed Alfred his clothes before turning around and stretching out his cloak on the floor of the cave. The cloak had warming and waterproof qualities which should keep Alfred warm and dry. As he heard Alfred start to dress clumsily behind him, Arthur started to prepare a fire pit and used some long-forgotten matches to light it. It was much slower to burn and become warm that it did earlier but Arthur could almost feel Alfred relax behind him. He set some water to boil for tea and turned to face Alfred again. The other man was drying his hair with a rough hand towel that he had obviously found in his bag and Arthur felt comforted in the fact that Alfred's movements were quicker and surer than earlier, even if they weren't quite up to normal. Alfred had hypothermia but it was still a very mild case and so it was easy and quick to reverse.
"You need to lie down on the cloak and then wrap up in this blanket. I'm making some tea for you," Arthur said to Alfred. He shook out a blanket from Alfred's pack and avoided looking Alfred in the eye. No need to remind him of why he ran off in the first place.
"Thank you Arthur," Alfred finally spoke and Arthur smiled as he knew that Alfred could not see his face. He could hear Alfred snuggling up in the blanket and Arthur looked back at the other man when he was sure that his face was blank.
"At least you're doing what I tell you to do. Sitting in the rain like that... " Arthur shook his head in despair and he saw Alfred grin weakly.
"Well it's not like I planned to get sick, I am the hero and you still need rescuing," Alfred said, choking out a laugh, as he accepted the tea off Arthur. Arthur poured himself a cup as well.
"Don't need any more rescuing. Besides I just rescued you, now we're even!" Arthur retorted and Alfred laughed again. Arthur felt his face warm which he was sure had nothing to do with the fire. "Just don't get into any more stupid situations," Arthur grumbled before curling on the cave floor next to Alfred. It was slightly damp but Alfred was using his cloak.
"Arthur, about what happened... " Alfred started to speak but knowing what he was going to say, Arthur cut him off. Some things were better left unsaid.
"Doesn't matter. It's fixed. Can you tell me more about your village?" Arthur's voice was casual but made it very clear that he did not want any more conversation about what happened that day. He heard Alfred sigh but complied willingly enough with Arthur's request. Arthur fell asleep to his excited voice as peace came over his body.
It was not meant to turn out that depressing. The first aid administered here is when someone is at risk of contracting hypothermia and you have to treat them outside. It's getting them out of the wind and the rain, off the ground and filled with hot drinks and energy food, as well as sending for help but Arthur couldn't really do that here. Symptoms of hypothermia are very pale, cool skin, disorientation, apathy, confusion, shivering (and then stopping shivering) and lethargy.
Genre: Drama/Angst
Pairing(s): USUK
Word Count: 1, 870
Rating/Warnings: Imprisonment and abuse (nothing explicit, just implied)
Summary: Alfred has dreamed of being a true hero and saving a damesl in distress from death or worse. When he gets a chance to leave his village on a rescue mission, he jumps eagerly at the chance. The damsel in distress may give him a few unexpected surprises. For the prompt 'first aid' in the usxuk summer camp.
They had been travelling through the Forest of Nightmares, which had not lived up to it's name, for two days and Arthur was already angry at Alfred. His 'hero' in a sense kept prodding and poking, asking questions that Arthur really did not want to answer. Sometimes they were about his family, sometimes they were about how he got imprisoned and occasionally they were about the other 'heroes' that had come before him. Arthur really did not want to think about any of those things and whenever Alfred asked, Arthur snapped at him to shut him up. The sheer volume of questions had meant that Arthur had informed Alfred that he was not to talk anymore. Used to obedience, Arthur was unprepared for Alfred trying to get Arthur to forgive him, seemingly by being as annoying as possible.
"Arthuuuur. Come on, you don't want to be mad at me!" Alfred's voice was plaintive but Arthur stayed silent. He had discovered quickly that the thing that Alfred hated the most was the silent treatment. "Look, I'm sorry that I'm asking so many questions but I want to know about you. I've told you lots about myself, it's only fair." That was true, Alfred had babbled on about Toris and Kiku and all the other people in his village.
"You volunteered that information, I never wanted it." Arthur's mouth spoke of its own accord but at least the words were true. Maybe that would keep Alfred quiet.
"I thought it was only fair, I could tell you something about myself and then you can tell me something about yourself," Alfred said in an exasperated tone as he hopped over a dead tree lying across the path. He reached a hand back to help Arthur over it but Arthur glared at him. He was perfectly capable of stepping over it himself.
"I like tea. I drank it all within the first year of being in that room but then I ran out and I haven't had any for a while. Food was delivered but no more tea," Arthur decided to admit a tiny fact about himself. Maybe that would make Alfred happy. However when Arthur glanced at Alfred, the younger man was staring at the ground in pensive thought. It always happened whenever Arthur brought up his time in the room or when anything happened that reminded Alfred of it. He had got into the mood when Arthur had shied away from the sunlight and Arthur knew that the unhealthy pallor of his skin made Alfred think of it. Arthur wondered why Alfred kept asking if the thought of it kept putting him in a bad mood.
"We should stop here for the night, the sun's about to go down," Alfred said, breaking the silence as he halted the both of them in a small clearing. Both of them set to creating a camp for them both to sleep. Since Alfred had made the fire last night, Arthur decided to be generous and light the fire for this night. It was much easier for him after all.
"Incendius Coepi," Arthur said clearly into the forest air and the fire sparked underneath his fingers in the fire pit. It burned brightly but Arthur could feel the heat wash over him and felt a sense of satisfaction. It had been a while since he had conjured a fire (trapping himself in a burning room never seemed too clever to him) so it was good to know that he had not forgotten how. Looking at the darkening clouds above, Arthur resolved himself to cast a spell to shelter Alfred and him when the storm broke. He turned to Alfred to let him know and his eyes widened in shock.
Alfred was staring at him like he had never seen him before and his back was pressed against one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. Alfred's eyes were so wide behind his glasses that Arthur could see a ring of white all the way around. He looked terrified and this did not sit well with Arthur.
"Alfred, what is it? What's wrong?" Arthur asked, standing up quickly. Alfred flinched at the movement and forced himself further back into the tree as if he wanted to sink into it. A conclusion wormed its way into Arthur's mind. He had heard of those prejudiced against magic but would never have pegged Alfred as one of them. But this was worse than prejudice, Alfred seemed scared of it for a very concrete reason, as if he expected it to hurt him. "Is it the magic?" At the last word, Alfred bolted into the woods. "ALFRED!" Arthur yelled after him, taking a few steps as if to run after him. Common sense took over and Arthur quickly doused the fire and grabbed both of their bags, before following Alfred into the woods.
Arthur ran after Alfred but was forced to slow and his breath came in hard, fast pants. With so little exercise over the past few years, Arthur was desperately unfit and it was clear that Alfred was a good runner. As Arthur was walking along, following Alfred's trail as best he could, the storm broke overhead and Arthur quickly covered himself with his cloak. Knowing that when Alfred had ran off he had been wearing a thin T-shirt and trousers, Arthur quickened his pace.
What felt like hours later even though the storm meant that all methods of telling time by the sky were useless, Arthur saw his first glimpse of Alfred. There was a deep valley carved into the landscape and several rocks jutted out of the smooth sides of the valley, obviously where a rock fall or two had changed the land. Alfred was sitting right at the edge of one of the rocks. Arthur felt his exhaustion disappear as bursts of relief and adrenaline powered him up the rocks.
"Alfred!" He shouted up to the other man but Alfred paid no attention. It was becoming clearer as Arthur neared him that Alfred was soaked to the bone and as white as a sheet. "Alfred, please look at me!" Arthur begged, something he could never recall doing in his life. Perched on the edge of the rock, Alfred looked like one little shake of the rock and he would go tumbling off. Arthur scrambled up beside the rock that Alfred was sitting on. "Alfred!" Alfred turned slowly to face Arthur and the look on his face was completely blank. "Alfred, please come with me. We have to get you warmed up!" Arthur said as loudly and as calmly as possible even as a blast of cold wind made him shiver. Alfred remained unmoving which scared Arthur more than he had ever been in his life. However, as Arthur reached for him, Alfred flinched away from his hands. Knowing what he was scared of caused Arthur to flinch himself but he forced a smile.
"Don't worry Alfred," Arthur yelled and for once, Alfred seemed to be listening, "I won't use magic. No magic." Ever again. Arthur kept the last two words unspoken, but knew they needed to be done. Alfred had been so hurt by magic that it scared him more than anything else could. Alfred had rescued him, not just from the room, but from his family and the loneliness which had almost become too much for Arthur to bear. Alfred had saved Arthur's life and for him, Arthur could give up magic.
Alfred nodded finally, in agreement with Arthur's words and Arthur felt a strange sense of peace come over him. He had never cared for someone so much that he could give up a part of himself. It was good to know that he was capable of that. Alfred started to move towards Arthur and Arthur gently helped him down off the rock. Alfred's hands were ice cold and slimy with water and Arthur felt another shaft of worry pierce him as they moved towards a nearby cave.
Inside the cave it was sheltered from the wind and the rain even though a cold draft came from the entrance now and again. The sound was also slightly muted, enough for Arthur to talk to Alfred without having to shout.
"Can you change into another set of clothes on your own?" Arthur asked and after a slow moment, Alfred nodded. Arthur handed Alfred his clothes before turning around and stretching out his cloak on the floor of the cave. The cloak had warming and waterproof qualities which should keep Alfred warm and dry. As he heard Alfred start to dress clumsily behind him, Arthur started to prepare a fire pit and used some long-forgotten matches to light it. It was much slower to burn and become warm that it did earlier but Arthur could almost feel Alfred relax behind him. He set some water to boil for tea and turned to face Alfred again. The other man was drying his hair with a rough hand towel that he had obviously found in his bag and Arthur felt comforted in the fact that Alfred's movements were quicker and surer than earlier, even if they weren't quite up to normal. Alfred had hypothermia but it was still a very mild case and so it was easy and quick to reverse.
"You need to lie down on the cloak and then wrap up in this blanket. I'm making some tea for you," Arthur said to Alfred. He shook out a blanket from Alfred's pack and avoided looking Alfred in the eye. No need to remind him of why he ran off in the first place.
"Thank you Arthur," Alfred finally spoke and Arthur smiled as he knew that Alfred could not see his face. He could hear Alfred snuggling up in the blanket and Arthur looked back at the other man when he was sure that his face was blank.
"At least you're doing what I tell you to do. Sitting in the rain like that... " Arthur shook his head in despair and he saw Alfred grin weakly.
"Well it's not like I planned to get sick, I am the hero and you still need rescuing," Alfred said, choking out a laugh, as he accepted the tea off Arthur. Arthur poured himself a cup as well.
"Don't need any more rescuing. Besides I just rescued you, now we're even!" Arthur retorted and Alfred laughed again. Arthur felt his face warm which he was sure had nothing to do with the fire. "Just don't get into any more stupid situations," Arthur grumbled before curling on the cave floor next to Alfred. It was slightly damp but Alfred was using his cloak.
"Arthur, about what happened... " Alfred started to speak but knowing what he was going to say, Arthur cut him off. Some things were better left unsaid.
"Doesn't matter. It's fixed. Can you tell me more about your village?" Arthur's voice was casual but made it very clear that he did not want any more conversation about what happened that day. He heard Alfred sigh but complied willingly enough with Arthur's request. Arthur fell asleep to his excited voice as peace came over his body.
It was not meant to turn out that depressing. The first aid administered here is when someone is at risk of contracting hypothermia and you have to treat them outside. It's getting them out of the wind and the rain, off the ground and filled with hot drinks and energy food, as well as sending for help but Arthur couldn't really do that here. Symptoms of hypothermia are very pale, cool skin, disorientation, apathy, confusion, shivering (and then stopping shivering) and lethargy.