To Meet Once More: [Arnold/Helga]
Title: To Meet Once More
Author: heron_advocate
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Arnold/Helga
Character(s): Arnold, Helga
Summary: An unlikely and unexpected meeting between a pirate and an officer.
Word Count: 1152
A/N: Pirate!AU. I originally wrote this for the AU Arnold/Helga fanmix over at hillwood_guild.
The guards were tense. It was understandable, he thought. This rogue had a reputation; not only for murder and mayhem - something rather commonplace in this region of the world - but for escape.
Arnold slowed as he neared the captive's cell. The guard in front of him fiddled with the keys nervously, dropping them twice before successfully opening the lock.
"Are you certain you'll be alright, sir?" he asked, casting a worried glance towards the figure in the corner. Arnold waved his hand dismissively, gesturing to the guard to leave them alone. The guard didn't look convinced, but retreated nonetheless, closing off the cell and locking it behind him.
"If you need anything, sir--"
"I'll be sure to call," Arnold interrupted. The guard simply nodded; Arnold waited until the sound of his footfalls could no longer be heard before turning toward the back of the cell, where a lone being was perched on a worn-looking bench, head bowed. Arnold wondered if he was sleeping.
He cleared his throat loudly. The man - or boy, really...he looked like a stiff wind might bowl him over - looked up, but said nothing.
"You're to be hanged at noon tomorrow, do you know that?"
The pirate tilted his head, but did not respond.
"Of all the pirates I've arrested, you are by far the least resistant. I marvel that you managed to operate for so long."
The pirate grinned rakishly. "Perhaps this is all part o' my plan," replied a scratchy voice that suggested someone trying to sound much older than he was.
"To wait until the very last moment to make a daring escape?" he asked the pirate, who still had not even bothered to look up. "You do have quite a reputation."
The boy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The too-large hat and unkempt blonde hair obscured most of his face, but Arnold could clearly make out that the boy was still smirking. It disturbed him that the youth wasn't more worried about his current situation.
"I've broke out o' many a cell stronger than this."
"Not under my guard."
"And wot's so special about you, then?"
Arnold noted that the boy's voice had now lost its scratchy quality. He wondered what had caused him to drop his guard.
"I have yet to lose a prisoner."
"You'll lose one tomorrow, if everything goes your way," the boy pointed out, laughing a little. He slapped his leg as he did so, and Arnold couldn't help but think that the gesture - combined with the boy's slouching posture - distinctly reminded him of something. But he couldn't remember what.
"There's still time. To repent."
The boy tilted his chin upward, and Arnold thought for a moment that he was going to make eye contact. Arnold was disappointed when he didn't. He found that curious.
"No need to be so serious," the boy responded. "Wot do you care what 'appens to me?"
"I care," Arnold answered, and it was true. Many called him naïve, but he had never believed that evil deeds made an evil man.
"About someone you've never met?" the lad asked, tone suggesting that he already knew the answer.
"Of course."
The boy grinned even wider, if it was possible. "I never did understand that," he said, pushing his hat back to reveal his eyes - his blue eyes. Familiar blue eyes.
"Helga?" Arnold sputtered in disbelief.
"I always thought you were strange," she continued, ignoring his outburst.
"You're John the Englishman?"
"The very same," she said, removing her hat altogether and placing it on the bench next to her. "Surprised?"
Arnold removed his own cap, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair as he regarded the woman in front of him, whom he hadn't seen - hadn't thought he'd seen, anyway - in well over a decade.
"It explains quite a bit, as a matter of fact. How you could be so successful and not look a day over the age of sixteen, for instance."
She smiled at that. "It does make some fellows quite angry to be bested by a teenager," she responded. "I'm sure it would make them even angrier to know I was a woman."
"You sound proud of what you've done," Arnold said, frowning in disapproval. Helga looked away from him.
"How else did you think I would turn out, considering..."
"I thought you were better."
Helga gritted her teeth. "Well, I'm not," she snapped, crossing her arms. "You really are naïve."
"And you are going to die tomorrow."
"Just another day," she said flatly. Arnold sighed as he moved closer, settling down next to her.
"If you cared more about your own life..."
Helga looked at him, brushing her uneven bangs out of her face. "It doesn't matter."
"It does!" Arnold shouted back. Next to him, Helga jumped, apparently astonished at the force of his response.
"I apologize for my outburst," he said. She shrugged. "You should have let me help you..."
"Would you help me now, Arnold?" she asked, and he shivered a little at the sound of his name on her lips. "Would you rescue me from certain death?" she continued, leaning into him. He struggled to control his ragged breath as he responded.
"My duty--"
"That's what I thought," she interrupted, scooting away from him suddenly.
"I can't erase the things you've done, Helga."
"I knew you'd never sully your good name. Not for me, not for anyone."
"You're not being fair."
She snorted in disgust. "'Fair'? There's no such thing as 'fair.'"
"Helga, listen to me. If they discover that you are a female--"
"You wouldn't dare," she said ominously, her eyes boring into his. "I would never forgive you."
"It's better than death!" he insisted, hands moving to grip her shoulders.
"Not for me, it isn't!"
"Listen to reason, Helga!"
"I'm being reasonable! I'm a bad person. If I ought to be killed as a man, then I ought to be killed as a woman."
"You're not a bad person," he said quietly, his thumb moving to stroke her neck of its own accord. She stiffened.
"Now you're not being fair," she breathed, drawing a deep breath and pursing her lips. Arnold's hand moved to cup her face. He wondered what made him so bold. "You shouldn't act as though you--"
Arnold chose this moment to pull her towards him and smash his lips against hers, effectively silencing her. Helga's lips parted with no prodding at all, as if she'd been expecting it - as if she'd been craving it.
"You're wrong," he said huskily when they broke apart, his thumb stroking her cheek. "I would do it, to save you."
Helga closed her eyes as if she couldn't bear to look at him a second longer. "I wouldn't want you to," she responded, a single tear spilling down her cheek.
Author: heron_advocate
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Arnold/Helga
Character(s): Arnold, Helga
Summary: An unlikely and unexpected meeting between a pirate and an officer.
Word Count: 1152
A/N: Pirate!AU. I originally wrote this for the AU Arnold/Helga fanmix over at hillwood_guild.
The guards were tense. It was understandable, he thought. This rogue had a reputation; not only for murder and mayhem - something rather commonplace in this region of the world - but for escape.
Arnold slowed as he neared the captive's cell. The guard in front of him fiddled with the keys nervously, dropping them twice before successfully opening the lock.
"Are you certain you'll be alright, sir?" he asked, casting a worried glance towards the figure in the corner. Arnold waved his hand dismissively, gesturing to the guard to leave them alone. The guard didn't look convinced, but retreated nonetheless, closing off the cell and locking it behind him.
"If you need anything, sir--"
"I'll be sure to call," Arnold interrupted. The guard simply nodded; Arnold waited until the sound of his footfalls could no longer be heard before turning toward the back of the cell, where a lone being was perched on a worn-looking bench, head bowed. Arnold wondered if he was sleeping.
He cleared his throat loudly. The man - or boy, really...he looked like a stiff wind might bowl him over - looked up, but said nothing.
"You're to be hanged at noon tomorrow, do you know that?"
The pirate tilted his head, but did not respond.
"Of all the pirates I've arrested, you are by far the least resistant. I marvel that you managed to operate for so long."
The pirate grinned rakishly. "Perhaps this is all part o' my plan," replied a scratchy voice that suggested someone trying to sound much older than he was.
"To wait until the very last moment to make a daring escape?" he asked the pirate, who still had not even bothered to look up. "You do have quite a reputation."
The boy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The too-large hat and unkempt blonde hair obscured most of his face, but Arnold could clearly make out that the boy was still smirking. It disturbed him that the youth wasn't more worried about his current situation.
"I've broke out o' many a cell stronger than this."
"Not under my guard."
"And wot's so special about you, then?"
Arnold noted that the boy's voice had now lost its scratchy quality. He wondered what had caused him to drop his guard.
"I have yet to lose a prisoner."
"You'll lose one tomorrow, if everything goes your way," the boy pointed out, laughing a little. He slapped his leg as he did so, and Arnold couldn't help but think that the gesture - combined with the boy's slouching posture - distinctly reminded him of something. But he couldn't remember what.
"There's still time. To repent."
The boy tilted his chin upward, and Arnold thought for a moment that he was going to make eye contact. Arnold was disappointed when he didn't. He found that curious.
"No need to be so serious," the boy responded. "Wot do you care what 'appens to me?"
"I care," Arnold answered, and it was true. Many called him naïve, but he had never believed that evil deeds made an evil man.
"About someone you've never met?" the lad asked, tone suggesting that he already knew the answer.
"Of course."
The boy grinned even wider, if it was possible. "I never did understand that," he said, pushing his hat back to reveal his eyes - his blue eyes. Familiar blue eyes.
"Helga?" Arnold sputtered in disbelief.
"I always thought you were strange," she continued, ignoring his outburst.
"You're John the Englishman?"
"The very same," she said, removing her hat altogether and placing it on the bench next to her. "Surprised?"
Arnold removed his own cap, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair as he regarded the woman in front of him, whom he hadn't seen - hadn't thought he'd seen, anyway - in well over a decade.
"It explains quite a bit, as a matter of fact. How you could be so successful and not look a day over the age of sixteen, for instance."
She smiled at that. "It does make some fellows quite angry to be bested by a teenager," she responded. "I'm sure it would make them even angrier to know I was a woman."
"You sound proud of what you've done," Arnold said, frowning in disapproval. Helga looked away from him.
"How else did you think I would turn out, considering..."
"I thought you were better."
Helga gritted her teeth. "Well, I'm not," she snapped, crossing her arms. "You really are naïve."
"And you are going to die tomorrow."
"Just another day," she said flatly. Arnold sighed as he moved closer, settling down next to her.
"If you cared more about your own life..."
Helga looked at him, brushing her uneven bangs out of her face. "It doesn't matter."
"It does!" Arnold shouted back. Next to him, Helga jumped, apparently astonished at the force of his response.
"I apologize for my outburst," he said. She shrugged. "You should have let me help you..."
"Would you help me now, Arnold?" she asked, and he shivered a little at the sound of his name on her lips. "Would you rescue me from certain death?" she continued, leaning into him. He struggled to control his ragged breath as he responded.
"My duty--"
"That's what I thought," she interrupted, scooting away from him suddenly.
"I can't erase the things you've done, Helga."
"I knew you'd never sully your good name. Not for me, not for anyone."
"You're not being fair."
She snorted in disgust. "'Fair'? There's no such thing as 'fair.'"
"Helga, listen to me. If they discover that you are a female--"
"You wouldn't dare," she said ominously, her eyes boring into his. "I would never forgive you."
"It's better than death!" he insisted, hands moving to grip her shoulders.
"Not for me, it isn't!"
"Listen to reason, Helga!"
"I'm being reasonable! I'm a bad person. If I ought to be killed as a man, then I ought to be killed as a woman."
"You're not a bad person," he said quietly, his thumb moving to stroke her neck of its own accord. She stiffened.
"Now you're not being fair," she breathed, drawing a deep breath and pursing her lips. Arnold's hand moved to cup her face. He wondered what made him so bold. "You shouldn't act as though you--"
Arnold chose this moment to pull her towards him and smash his lips against hers, effectively silencing her. Helga's lips parted with no prodding at all, as if she'd been expecting it - as if she'd been craving it.
"You're wrong," he said huskily when they broke apart, his thumb stroking her cheek. "I would do it, to save you."
Helga closed her eyes as if she couldn't bear to look at him a second longer. "I wouldn't want you to," she responded, a single tear spilling down her cheek.