The Greatest Treasure Epilogue

The sky seemed like it was on fire. Purples, pinks and oranges danced across the sky, the brilliant sun
bringing it all together. As you remembered, the sky looked just like it had that day.

"I can't believe it's been a year already…" Arthur said quietly, his gaze fixed to the ground in
front of him.

"Me neither…it feels like it was just yesterday…" You spoke, your eyes focused on the ground as
well. The two of you were looking at a gravestone, fairly new, your heart skipped a beat at what it said.
'Alfred F. Jones, loving friend and "brother"'. You had requested to put it there, because you thought
Alfred would have really appreciated it.

"Arthur…I still miss him…" You chocked out quietly, tears forming in your eyes.

"I do too, _______." Arthur put his arm around your shoulder and brought you closer so you
were leaning on him, you could hear his voice shaking.

"It's amazing how we can be so moved even after a year…" You whispered, the hot liquid in your
eyes finally spilling over.

"Well, his death wasn't exactly peaceful, and just to imagine that you were the first to find him
there. I don't think even I could have handled it." He comforted your softly.

"Ah, what are we doing? Alfred would hate seeing us like this…" You wiped your tears away.

"I can just imagine how he'd try and cheer us up right now." Arthur chuckled. You couldn't help
but smile as well as you began to picture in your mind some of the many ways that Alfred would try to
make you smile. You laughed along with Arthur, it certainly lightened the mood, and then he picked you
up and spun you around for no reason. Ever since he resigned from being a pirate, he was much more
open to you and he was able to have a lot more fun than he was used to. His eyes had become softer,
even though they still burned with passionate fire, they lost the look of vengeance that they usually
wore in the past. The change couldn't have made you happier. Arthur set you down and pulled you close
in a tight hug before taking his arms from around you. His hands fell, only to take your left one and
brought it to his lips. He kissed your knuckles and then the golden ring on the appropriate finger. Arthur
had proposed to you about a month ago, and it had probably been the happiest day of your life. In less
than a year, you were to be Mrs. Kirkland.

"Do you think Alfred would approve of this?" You asked, but once it left your lips, you knew it
was a bit of a stupid question.

"Of course! He probably wouldn't leave us alone about it." Arthur smiled, looking into your eyes
and you laughed at more images of Alfred teasing the two of you about your engagement. You tore your
eyes away from Arthur's and looked at Alfred's grave, then out to the ever-lowering sun. It was quiet for
a while, with only the wind blowing through the trees and lifting your hair. Arthur followed your gaze
out to the horizon.

"He loved you, you know." He broke the silence.

"Of course he did, I know." You replied, why would Arthur say something so obvious like that?

"Well, he did love you like a sister. But he also loved you in a way you didn't think of." He
replied, the wind blowing through his soft blond hair, making it messier than it already was.

"What do you mean, Arthur?" You already knew where he was going, but you asked anyways to
be sure.

"He fancied you, _______. He loved you a lot like I do now. He just didn't tell you because he
was afraid he'd ruin yours and his relationship." He said, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and
resting his chin on top of your head. You had to pull out of his embrace and let his words sink in. Alfred
had loved you as much as Arthur, and he had left you totally clueless about it. You didn't know whether
to be angry or sad at this point, as your hands balled into fists and fresh tears formed at the corners of
your eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" You almost shouted at Arthur, your voice shaking.

"I'm sorry, I knew I probably should have told you sooner but I wasn't sure how you'd react to it
so I just left it alone." He flinched.

"I probably wouldn't have reacted like this a year ago!" Your voice was growing higher in both
volume and pitch.

"_______, calm down. There's nothing you can do about it now." Arthur placed his hands on
your shoulders and turned you to face him.

"You're right. I'm sorry, that was immature of me." You sighed, wiping your eyes and running a
hand through your hair.

"It's fine, I understand how you feel. Don't worry yourself over it." He pulled you in for another
hug. You loved how warm his body felt against yours. You broke apart and you looked down at Alfred's
grave.

"Now that I think about it, his grave looks pretty plain. I wish we brought flowers or something
to pretty it up." Arthur sighed, heaving his shoulders up and down. He was right, it did look very bland,
and especially for someone who was so cheery and energetic. Suddenly, an idea popped into your head.

"Hold on, I think we can do something about this…" You said as you extended your hand out in
front of you. You called Earth to you and instantly felt its bright cheery presence. You flipped your hand
so that your palm faced the sky and slowly brought your arm up, moving your fingers around. You
smiled as five red roses* sprouted from Alfred's grave and bloomed into near perfect flowers.

"Even after a year you never cease to amaze me." Arthur stared down at the roses in awe.

"I still amaze myself." You giggled at his face. You looked at your rose in approval and then
turned your eyes to the sky. You mouth almost dropped at what you saw. Circling around the cemetery
was a great bald eagle, Alfred's favourite animal. It gracefully flapped its wings and soared on the wind,
letting out a loud cry. It looked so majestic. You guessed that Arthur had seen it too because you heard a
small gasp escape his mouth.

"Well, looks like Alfred likes the flowers." He chuckled to himself. You were confused for a
second but then realized what he was talking about. Alfred had probably sent that eagle to the cemetery
as a message of approval. You smiled warmly at the thought.

"I love you too, Brother…" You whispered softly.

"Hmm? Did you say something, _______?" Arthur asked, turning his head to you.

"No, you must be going mad you silly pirate." You winked at him and, feeling playful, smacked
his arse, just like the good days. You ran off before he could register what happened, but when he did,
he chased after you, laughing. You booked it into a nearby field and looked back at him to see that he
was gaining on you. You squealed as you felt his arms enclose around your waist and brought you to the
ground, rolling around and giggling. He ended up on top of you, pinning you to the ground.

"What a bad girl you are, do I have to punish you?" He said, his famous old smirk resurfacing to
his face for the first time in months.

"I would think so, Captain." You said, acting innocent, also saying a word that hadn't been used
for a long time.

"Well, I suggest you prepare yourself." He whispered as he brought his lips to yours in a rough
but passionate kiss. The familiar feeling of your heart fluttering like a sparrow and your stomach flipped
flopped all over the place. It felt so right. The two of you broke apart for air and gazed into each other's
eyes.

"I love you, _______." Arthur whispered.

"I love you too, Arthur."

And with another kiss, you looked forward to the bright future you were going to have with your
pirate.

~THE END~