England X Dead! Reader - Resurrection

2. Book

There isn't much insanity in this chapter, just some backstory, but still I hope it's interesting all the same. I don't have much to say here, so I hope you enjoy!

---

Arthur knew better than anyone that he needed a spell book, and it just so happened he had one. He'd kept a secret from his friends, afraid they'd tease him, and it was kept in a safe place in the forest near his house. Only he knew its whereabouts.

Well that wasn't exactly true..

Arthur set of out of his house, after days of not leaving before the funeral, he had to force himself to look normal again so he could do this. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking far less gentlemanly than he normally would, and walked around to the back of his house, following a path that lead into the greenery of the forest.

It was a sunny day and the sun was shining down onto the trees, the leaves creating intricate patterns on the floor. Arthur tried to look forwards, keeping himself concentrated on his goal. He came here for the book and that was all he needed.

He trudged down the main path before coming to another small parting in the bushed off of the path that most people just pass by and ignore. Arthur parted to bushes further, slipping through the gap and brushing off any, leaves that would've got on him. He walked down a thinner path through the bushes and eventually came to a tree trunk stub. It was old and had many layers to it, showing its old age. Arthur walked behind it, crouching down and quickly picking at the dirt with his fingers. He didn't care if mud got behind his fingernails or made his hands dirty, he just wanted to uncover the book.

It didn't take a long time of digging before he finally hit something hard, and he quickly pulled it out, brushing off the bits of dirt. He opened it, silently sighing in relief to see the old, yellow pages were undamaged. He placed the dirt back, patting it down and making sure it was noticeable enough so he'd know we're to bury it again.

Arthur felt a pang of sadness hit him when he looked at the book. He hadn't dug it up for years, having no need of it until now, but the last time he did, was when he met (F/N). The memories quickly came back to him.

~~~

"Hey!" Arthur flinched at the voice, turning around quickly while also hiding the dusty, brown book behind his back. His eyes met the bright and curious (E/C) eyes of a young girl. She was a bit muddy and had a leaf tangled in her hair, but nonetheless looked quite pretty. She walked up to Arthur, who quickly stood up, still hiding the book behind his back. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen!

"W-What do you want?" He stuttered out in a quiet voice, hoping she'd go away. Some other kids had bullied him last time he'd brought this book of spells into school, so he'd buried it here instead, but even so they found him.

"Whatcha got there?" She asked, leaning around Arthur to try peak at what was in his hands, but Arthur shuffled away, blocking her view.

"N-Nothing!" He tried to yell to maybe frighten her off, because he knew she wasn't stupid enough to believe he was hiding 'nothing' from her, but all that came out was a pathetic whimper. The girl frowned.

"Come on, I just want to see! I won't steal it!" She waved her hands defensively at him, still with a curious look on her face. She slowly began to lean around to peak at the book again, and managed to catch a glance at the words before Arthur tried to hide it from her again. She gasped with excitement. "Magic! It's a magic book isn't it!" She asked in a flurry. Arthur was confused. Why hasn't she taken it like the other kids and laughed? They thought magic was stupid, yet this little girl seemed excited beyond belief.

"Do you like magic?" Arthur cautiously asked, bringing the book back around to his front and hugging it to his chest with one hand, nervously fidgeting with his jumped sleeve with the other. The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! My Auntie told me loads of stories about magic!" She leant in close to Arthur and whispered, "Do you know there are fairies in these woods, I haven't seen any but I bet they're here!" She smiled with glee and Arthur couldn't help but smile with her.

"Do you want to see this book?" He asked her, his voice perking up. She knew about the fae! She knew about magic! Most importantly, she hadn't called Arthur names for having the book he did. The girl nodded again and sat down excitedly on the grassy floor along with Arthur as he opened the book.

"I'm (F/N) by the way." She introduced herself happily, extending a hand towards Arthur.

"Arthur, nice to meet you." Arthur shyly shook her hand, giving her back a small smile. And as simple as that, they became friends, staying like that for the rest of the time (F/N) had left.

~~~

Although it was years ago when Arthur was a weak, little kid, he remembered it like it was yesterday. He didn't feel sadness, or reminiscent of the past, instead he felt his resolve strengthen. He was determined to bring back the (F/N) he'd knew for so many years without a doubt.

---

Arthur is filled with determination
Now I've made the joke before you guys can, but that probably won't stop you! ^^
I want it to get darker soon, because I think it'd be really interesting to see how broken Arthur can get—though that sounds really sadistic of me, I swear I'm not a sadist lol.

Thank you for reading!