USUK :: War's Promise

Chapter 6: Past

Arthur woke to an empty bed.

He was surprised at first, then settled down thinking that he had left to do his kingly duties.

The angel slipped out of the bed, then jumped as the door opened. Arthur looked over to see Mathias standing in the doorway.

The Dane raised his chin. "The King wishes to see you."

~

Arthur looked around the throne room in awe. "It's so large," he muttered, hugging himself.

Mathias chuckled. "It is."

"But..." Arthur looked towards the throne and around it. "Where is he?"

"Well..." Mathias grinned as the floor around the throne opened up. Arthur yelped and leapt back, but Mathias grabbed him. "He's on earth." Once he had a vice grip on Arthur, he spread his wings and dove down.

~

"Why the bloody hell am I here if I cannot go home!?" Arthur attempted smacking the taller man, but Mathias continuously blocked him.

Mathias then stopped once he spotted someone not too far off standing under the shade of a lone tree. "Go talk to that man." Mathias pointed. "He'll explain." Then he vanished.

The angel groaned and whined and kicked at the grass. Slowly, he calmed himself down and made his way over to the man. "H-hello? I'm supposed to talk to you? Where in the bloody world am I supposed to find the bloody King of Hell?"

The man smiled softly, not removing his gaze from the old tree. "I used to play around in the branches of this tree with my brother when I was young." The man sighed nostalgically, brushing his fingertips over the dark bark of the tree. "This tree holds some of my favorite memories. I visit it whenever I can. I dread the day humans come to tear it down or when it falls on it's own." He closed his eyes and breathed in.

Arthur felt himself be calmed by the man's soft voice. He was taller than the angel, and had wheaten blonde hair. His eyes were the color of the sky and his skin was a rich golden brown. Then Arthur tilted his head. "'Humans'? You aren't human?"

The man laughed, then turned his gentle gaze from the tree to Arthur. "This, Arthur... Is what I looked like when I was alive. I would have looked like this going to heaven, but..." Alfred returned to the tree. "I was dragged down because hell is selfish."

The angel blinked, then gasped. "You're Alfred!?" Alfred nodded. "How... How did you..?"

Alfred sighed. "I can blend in with humans when I come to earth. I can return to how I formerly looked. Just not for longer than twenty four hours."

Arthur looked down. "I... Want to hear what happened... I want to know what happened in your life on earth."

The demon hummed and turned to leaned against the tree. "Alright... Sit, if you'd like." Arthur nodded, and sat beside the tree. Alfred looked up at the sky and began.

"My mother died shortly after my brother, Matthew was born. My mother was a good and kind woman, but she was sickly. My father was never with another woman after she died, and committed his life to taking care of us. Matthew and I were so close. We did everything together, but he was like mom. He got sick so easily. Because of this, his throat became damaged and he couldn't speak very loudly. But I was always there for him.

"As we got older, Matt and I made friends around the town, mostly me, though. No one really like hanging out with him because he was so quiet. Eventually, they started picking on him, and he'd come to me for help. Then they picked on him more for that. They told him that he was weak for always calling to me for help whenever he was in trouble. So he stopped coming to me. He slowly stopped talking to me. When we were sixteen, I hardly ever saw him. I hardly know him anymore. We turned eighteen and moved out of our Father's house. I became engaged with Alice, and he got mixed in with the wrong people. Just a week or two before my wedding, Matthew came to me for help. I was confused and didn't know what to do because he hadn't come to me in a long time. But I went to him to meet with some people.

"Apparently, he was caught deep in debt. He hid somewhere nearby while I waited for the people to arrive. They mixed us up because of how alike we looked, and..." Alfred sighed, touching the scar on his chest under the fabric of his shirt. "They shot me. As soon as they saw me, they shot me. When they came closer, as I was dying, they realized they shot me instead of Matthew. I then realized that Matthew used me as a cover up so he could run away. Before I was shot, when I had my back turned, Matthew ran. He ran far away. He didn't care that I was killed. So when I became a demon, I visited to watch him, because I still loved him. He's my brother.

"He was a mess. He was on the run and owed so many people so much money. He slept around, he drank, he killed, and his guilt about my death finally settled in his conscience... He shot himself. He killed himself. I could do nothing but watch as his soul was dragged to hell and thrown in the pits to burn until his punishment is paid for and he becomes a demon as well. He didn't have a chance to go to heaven. When we were younger, dad and I joked about how Matthew would be the only one in our family to reach heaven with how kind and caring he had been."

Arthur felt tears build in his eyes and his chest tighten. "Oh my gosh..." He sobbed softly, then covered his mouth with his hands. "That's horrible..."

Alfred slowly sat down. "It may be... But that's what happened."

The angel bawled and turned over to embrace Alfred. "I'm horrible! I'm so horrible! I'm a disgrace! I lied! I've been lying!"

"I know." Alfred gently wrapped his arms around Arthur and rocked him. "And I forgive you. You only wish to return home as soon as possible. I understand." Arthur sobbed uncontrollably, clutching Alfred's shirt. Alfred hummed softly, rubbing circles into Arthur's back. "If I could send you home sooner, I would... But you must recover first."

Slowly, Arthur finally started calming down, resting against Alfred's chest. "Don't..." Alfred blinked, then tilted his head. "Don't have sex with the incubus." Arthur looked up at Alfred with wide, tearful eyes. "Do it with me."