From a streetkid to a Peaky Blinder (Peaky Blinders)

Wonder

(Fievel's P.O.V.)
I turned myself around and leaned on the bar, while Ray and Archie kept their eyes on the door. My two right-hand men watched the three brothers walk in. From the mirror hanging on the wall behind the working bartenders, I saw my father look our way. Before turning to go sit at an empty table with my uncles. Well, it was not empty, they just made the previous people move. "Irish whiskey, Bottle!" Dad yelled to one of the waiters. "What'd you want us to do, Boss?" Raymond asked leaning his arm on the bar while turning his eyes from my family to look at me. "Just wait" I told him and the two nodded.

(Tommy's P.O.V.)
As soon as we walked in, I spotted the one who we came for. The leader of the masked. He stood by the bar with his back towards us while two other stood beside him, his right hand men no doubt. I knew it was him because I could see in the mirror hanging by the bar that he was wearing a mask. His eyes locked with mine. The way his eyes held their gaze was similiar to the one that I always held and honestly I don't often see that. I turned to follow my brothers to the table they had taken by making the other guest move. I sat down and called to a waiter for a bottle of Irish Wiskey. I turned back to look at the leader, but I saw someone else who I knew. "Is that Ray?" Arthur asked as he motioned to the person standing next to the leader of the masked. Raymond is Fievel's best mate. He has known Filly almost as long as I have, maybe even longer. I could see Ray ask something to the leader before nodding in a responce. "It sure looks like him" John commented agreeing with Arthur and me. "Gentlemen, I think there has been made a mistake. I'm afraid you have got to leave" a young-guy said coming up to us, "we just bought a fucking bottle" John told him, "you have no business coming down here without prior agreement with the Boss" he told us, "right, well you can tell him that we won't cause no trouble" I said raising the glass to my lips. "You're breaking the rules" the young adult replied, "rules are made to be broken, my friend" I told him. Then someone threw a bottle into our direction and it broke on impact once con ecting to the table "Peaky scum!". All three of us brothers immediatly engaged into the fight. Punching, kicking, slicing our razorblades, everything you could think of we did. I held one of the young guys by his collar and was about to cut him when a gun got fired off. It was the second guy who stood beside the leader. He had now moved to a different part of the room. "Get out" he said stern, "you're going to use that?" I questioned walking towards him. His eyes furrowed and he clocked the gun, loading it before pointing it to me. Then a sharp and very loud whistle came through the room and the guys eyes moved to look behind me. Instantly I knew it was the leader who had whistled. I turned around and saw the leader from the front. But yet you didn't see his face because of the mask, perfectly
unidentifiable. A smart move on his part. His eyes told his man to stand down and that is exactly what he did. Then he met my eyes again. "We came here, not to make enemies.

I said and looked towards the leader before continuing my way into his direction, "but you're really pushing the line, my friend" I said and stopped in front of him. He was around the same height as me, and had the same built like Fievel. Raymond stepped forward, blocking me from going to his boss. "Mr Shelby, we can have a talk if you want. But if not, I advice you to leave after you've enjoyed your drink, which of course will be on the house" Raymond told me. I turned to the masked leader and nodded "lead the way". We followed them into a private room and he invited us to sit, Raymond and the guy who pointed the gun at me stood behind him. I had originally thought he would've said something, but he stayed completely silent. Yet kept a very strong and confindent demeanor in his bodylanguage. A waiter came in and poured us all a drink. During this meeting, the leader never touched the drink, much to my dissapointment. The mistery of who he truely is was still just that, a mistery. "Does Fievel know?" I askes turning to the blond, "know about what?" He asked me with folded hands infront of him, "that you chose the wrong side, Ray" I told him. His eyes quickly shot towards the leader before coming back to mine "personally I think I made the right choice". "You could've been at Fievel's side, with the blinders" Arthur told him with a chuckle, "but you stand next to him". "I stand on the right side, Mr Shelby" Raymond growled stepping forward to Arthur. The leader cleared his throat gaining the attention of Ray who turned to face him. The boss shook his head slightly, telling him to stand down. Raymond listened and took a step away from Arthur. "Good boy, listen to your master" Arthur laughed. Raymond lost it and turned around to punch my brother. But the masked leader was fast, as fast as Fievel could be, and had grabbed Ray's shoulder and pushed him back against a wall. I could hear him tell Raymond to stand down in Romani. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Maybe it was due to not being able to see his face or the fact that he had said it so soft, but I just had no idea to who it belonged. Then my eyes caught something familiar when the leader coat moved aside showing a gun in its holster. It was a Webley Mk VI with two letter encarved in it.

F.S

I only know one person with those initials. I looked back up at the leader as he continued to put Raymond in his place and wondered. Could this be my son, Fievel Shelby?

Published: 31st December 2022