Ocean's Song (Pirate!England x Reader)

Ch 19: The Calm Before The Storm

The next thing you know you're being gently shaken awake by someone. "Poppet, we need to get moving soon." You open your eyes and see everyone packing up their stuff and that you're in Arthur's lap. You burn a bright red and scramble to get up offering a hand to Arthur. You couldn't read the expression that flickered across his face because it was gone as soon as it came. Arthur took your extended hand and stood. He surveyed the expectant group and nodded. "I know we traveled a lot but from my map I can say that it'll be another day or two of travel." The group kinda groaned at that but got into their line after a quick meal.
As we trudged on you took the medication that Yao had given you assisted by some of your magic. You noticed that Arthur kept glancing back at you every so often but he said nothing.
A few hours later the group came to a clearing. The first clearing since the group entered the frozen forest over 20 hours ago. "Captain, look." Someone in the group said, when he looked they were looking the edge of the clearing. Everyone's gaze followed Alfred's landing on a frozen solid human. Upon closer inspection there were more of them, of many ages, sizes, and races. All of them frozen solid in contact with a carved tree with a look of horror and betrayal on their petrified faces. A somber feeling upon the group, "Why do they look like that?" Peter said in a small shaky voice. "I don't know..." Arthur said uncertainty lacing his voice, "But I think we should get out of this clearing as soon as possible. Remember do not touch the trees." Everyone mumbles an agreement and the line moves through the clearing briskly. Unaware that the statues eyes followed them.
You watched Arthur's back as you walked, your thoughts drifted to holding him in your arms. A few seconds later you felt thorns tearing their way up and out of your body as you collapsed to the forest floor. As pain surged through your body, you couldn't see, but you felt hands on your shoulders. The ringing in your ears was deafening but you could still hear your heart pounding and somebody consoling you. Your entire body convulsed as you choked on your own blood. Peter buried his face in Francis's coat as Francis embraced him. Watching sadly, unable to help the girl squirming in pain on the ground. Arthur was almost in tears himself not knowing how to help you. So he opted to just hold you again as the flowers slipped past your lips in a grusomely beautiful display. Your choked sobs echoed throughout the woods mixing with the whispers. After a few minutes of spitting flowers you stop and regain your senses. You groan in pain and  after insisting that you'd be okay the group reluctantly kept moving forward.
After that clearing the whispers and the screams got more frequent till after a few more hours of the tormenting noises we passed through an oddly straight line of trees and the sounds stopped again. Since you were the one to keep track you deducted that the party has been in the forest for nearly two and a half days you decided to talk to Arthur. Quickening your pace you walked beside him. "Hello poppet, how are you feeling right now?" He asked without looking up from the map. "I am... Okay, how are you? Are we close?" He looked up to your face, "I'm... More than fine, as for how close we are we should be really close." No sooner as he said that we nearly ran into a gray stone wall. "Oh, as I was saying we are here." The wall was not that tall, it was about two feet taller than you. "Hey Arthur, wanna give me a boost?" He looked at you worriedly, "Are you sure there is no telling what's on the other side of that wall." "I know, thats why I want you to lift me up so I can look over." His shoulders drop and he kneels with his hands cupped. You take a few steps back then run at him, foot landing in his hands as he lifts up and you fly and perch on top of the wall.
What you see is certainly what you least expected, there is a small lagoon with glowing green water. The undisturbed pearl white sand looks soft to the touch, you look back and meet Arthur's eye grinning eagerly down at him. His face splits into a grin as you reach your hand down and help him lift the next person over the wall. After getting everyone over you reach down for Arthur's hand. As you heft him up to the top you both tumble backwards into the soft sand below letting out guffaws of startled laughter. Coming to a rolling stop next to eachother as the crew around you laughed to. Glad to be out of that dreadful forest, it was still cold but it wasn't bleak anymore. The water's light offered a sort of comforting feeling. As everyone broke to make camp you were at the water's edge. At the bottom of the pool, you didnt know how deep it was, you could see the source of the light. There was a well of magical energy at the bottom. You didn't sense any magic in the water itself. So you decided to treat yourself by stripping off your heavy clothes down to your last layer before jumping into the water. It turns out that it was sea water because your tail promptly made an appearance. You giggled swimming around the somewhat large pool of water.  Floating lazily on your back you suddenly went under and came back up with a cackling Peter. You picked him up and threw him in the water playfully while he squealed with delight. You dove below the surface and slapped the water with your tail.
Before long everyone else was stripping down to their underwear and jumping into the water. Happy to have a recreational distraction. You swam around and splashed people as you passed them. The tension the party was carrying was fading away as time went on. About an hour later four people were left in the water while rest were setting up dinner. Francis sat on the side of the pool with Arthur watching you and Peter play. Arthur was admiring your tail, watching the powerful muscles push you through the water. He coughed awkwardly into his fist when he realized he'd been staring, then it turned into a full on coughing fit. He swallowed and when he pulled him hand away from his face oblivious of the white petal stuck to his cheek. Francis just stared at him in dismay, "Arthur, you have somthing on your face." Jumping when Francis spoke, he  before hastily wiped off his face Arthur regarded Francis cooly. "How long have you known Arthur?" Arthur didn't say anything but it was answer enough for Francis, "You have to tell 'er..." "I dont have to do a damn bloody thing!" Arthur snapped before glancing to you to see if you took notice of his outburst. Francis tsked before calling Peter to come get dried off. Leaving you and Arthur alone. You swam up to Arthur's side and beached yourself next to him to wait for your legs to come back.
You both sat in silence for a few beats before Arthur spoke, "What do you think of me?" he asked looking at his hands. The question caught you off guard, what did you think of him. Well he was your stars and your moon, he was your prince in a red coat, he was your everything, he was the one you wanted to spend your life with. But you couldn't say that to him. So you settled on, "You are an amazing leader and a great man, brother, and friend. Anyone would be lucky to spend their life with you." You added on almost silently "I would be lucky." "What was that love?" Your face was set on fire as you stumbled over yours words, "I uh, said that they would be very lucky. " he studied your face for a second, before he smiled softly, "Thank you." You were about to ask him the same when your legs decided to make a reappearance. You hissed whined softly as your scales changed to your skin tone and blended together. A line appearing down the middle of while they were changing colours sinking down and forming the part in your legs. While the process was being completed and your shorts made a reappearance, you felt a hand grip yours and you squeezed it appreciating the comfort. You leaned back lifting your legs testing the sore freshly formed muscles. Hissing when you flexed them, it was one of the things that sucked about losing your tail. "May I?" You looked to Arthur as he gestured to the new legs. You nodded, uncertain about what he was going to do.
Gently he picked up your left leg and starting at the ankle, he slowly massaged the muscles. He was really good at it too, you relaxed into his hold with a small moan. His face gained a pink hue to it at the sound, but his hands didn't stutter in their ministrations. You watched as his skilled hands made their way up to mid thigh before placing your leg down and starting on your right leg. Another moan left your mouth and he relieved the soreness of the transformation. After he made his way up that leg he gently placed that one down before standing, pulling you up with him. He smiled down at you, "Lets go join the others." He took your hand and you walked with him. Lovino pulled out an acordian and started to play a jaunty tune and you started to sing along. As everyone drank and danced around the fire. Celebrating the fact that they got here. For some reason in this place the daylight cycle returned and soon night fell. As everyone was retiring you went to lay farther away from the group.

You had just finished setting up a tent where you were going to sleep, you wished you could set up a tent near Arthur. That massage earlier meant something right? Your mind started to drift back to the memory, your mind began to expand on it imagining those hands traveling all the way up your legs and onto your body, when your thought were interrupted by that awful urge coming upon you and you ran for the wall on the far side of camp bracing yourself as the pain flooded up from your chest as you spit blood and torn flower pieces from your airways. You let go of the wall and clutched your throat as your vision tunnels. You feel the blossoms tearing their way up your throat choking your airways. As you leant over clawing at your throat and white hot pain fills your body, you feel something large enter your mouth, many objects are pouring from your lips. As tears and blood flow down your face and stain the sand. Laying there are a small scattered bouquet of fully formed blood and bile stained roses and lilies. The pain is blinding as your body heaves and more flowers force their way out of your mouth. There are so many flowers and stems ripping themselves out if your body, you can barely breath around them and the blood. There is a ringing in your ears as your heart beat becomes the only other sensation then searing pain. You faintly register hands on your shoulders and back. You can't hear anything over the pounding of your heart and the ringing in your ears. You can't see through your tears. Somebody is shaking you, you can feel the vibrations in their hands as they speak to you but you can't hear them. The pain is to intense to withstand it anymore and you black out.