The boy shifted slightly in his slumber, Ian watching the boy's every move. Ian remembered the treatment that Rome had given him. He could already tell that this would be difficult for the nation. His thoughts were interrupted when the boy whimpered, his blue eyes looking frantically around as he tried to get away from the Scott. Ian grabbed the boy and placed him in his lap, similar to how Mata had held Maska long ago. Maska didn't try to get away from him as he had with Arthur. Arthur noticed this and glared at Ian. Ian sighed before turning the native so that Arthur couldn't look at the boy, hidden in the blanket still around him. He looked at the unnaturally old eyes, even for a nation, that told of countless years of peace and war.

"Ian, give the savage to me." Arthur yelled at his brother. Ian recognized the gleam in the pure emerald eyes and didn't even hesitate to hand the personification over to the empire, the blanket falling off the boy. The moment Arthur had a hold of the savage, the boy started to wiggle and muffled screams and tried to escape from the white skinned one that had hurt him.

"No, puppet. Cease your struggling!" Arthur hissed into the boy's ear and earned himself a bloody nose from the force of the child's head colliding with his nose. "Stop!" Arthur demanded as he tightened his grip on the savage boy, most likely hurting the boy. The boy recognized the word and became still, eyes filled with fear and expecting to be hit again.

'The poor lad thinks I will hit him again,' Arthur mused before grabbing the savage's face and looking into the eyes of a thing more ancient than anything he had ever seen. There was fear, knowledge, peace, war, and curiosity. The main thing that Arthur saw, though, was hate and distrust. Arthur sighed. He tried to tell the boy that he would not hit or hurt the boy again. The boy looked at him blankly. The sun was setting and the boy started to shake from the chill of the night, his sky blue eyes focused on the woods. The boy was terrified of something in the woods, the personifications noticed and urged the men to finish packing the last of the supplies. The temperature dropped all of a sudden, frost and ice starting to appear. 

"Everyone back to the ship now!" No one argued with Arthur's command as they all got in boats and started to row away from whatever was coming towards them. Arthur had picked the boy up and ran for the closest boat, the boy constantly trying to look at the woods now covered in mist, frost, and black icicles. The boy was trying to say something, gesturing towards the woods, but the gag prevented it from being heard. He became frantic in his head jerking towards the ship and the muffled sounds were almost pleading in their slight tone. Loud thumps and terrible grunts were heard approaching them. 

"Hurry!" Ian yelled at Arthur, the last one to reach a boat. All the others were farther in the water. Arthur threw the boy to Ian as William pulled the empire into the boat, the mortals starting to row frantically. They were only a short distance away from the shore when a hideous black monster emerged. It was horrid, the body of a demon and it towered over even the largest of men. 

Arthur ripped the gag of the boy and pointed to the beast. The boy shook his head fearfully, trying to hide behind Arthur, trying to show them that the monster was never to be mentioned. Its name was only safe to whisper on the hottest day in summer, even then it was not safe. Arthur grabbed the boy and forced him to look at it. The boy whispered something so softly, earning a hard shake. He said the name of the beast after a moment. Wendigo was the name and the beast's head turned towards the boy as the word had been said. It howled and seemed to scream from the loss of its meal. Maska shook in total fear, the beast had been the last curse Gaha had ever placed upon him and his people. The Wendigo, a Native American horror myth, tried to reach the boy but was kept from doing so because it refused to cross the water. The boy was completely on the opposite side of the boat, almost falling out and wishing that he would. Arthur noticed and roughly and with too much force, grabbed the boy's bound arms and tossed him to the bottom of the rowboat at the empire's feet. Maska landed in a kneeling position, facing the empire and just wanting to go back to his plains.

'Why me?! Why is it always me that is taken and used?! Why didn't they let the wendigo just eat me?!' Maska was frustrated, even praying to the spirits to let him die. He felt his face being grabbed and his mouth forced open. Another gag had been placed on him, tighter than the other had been. 

"Behave and you will be allowed food." Arthur was met with another blank look. The boy noticed the ship they were heading for and tried to get a better look, twisting his head. The hand on his face forced him to look at the White Skinned one in front of him. Arthur shook his head while saying no. The boy's eyebrows furrowed, his exhaustion seen by all. He would not sleep while this white skinned one was near. Arthur's hand remained on the boy's cheek as he started to softly chant under his breath. The boy had been fighting off his magic but he was the stronger and the boy glowed softly for a moment. After the spell had been completed, he watched as the boy's eyes slowly closed in sleep, his head falling onto Arthur's lap. Ian glared at Arthur.

"Did you really just cast that spell?" Ian looked mad, his magic felt even madder.

"Yes." Arthur sounded just as smug as he looked. "Would you like to heave a fighting and struggling little boy who also happens to be a nation onto MY ship! I sure as bloody hell don't!" Arthur huffed after that and the rest of the journey was silent. Arthur ended up hauling the sleeping personification up the ship's ladder, heading towards his cabin. Ian was hot on his heels. 

"I am going to secure the savage to the bed. Find some cloth and water to clean him. Heaven knows when he last cleaned himself." Arthur had finished securing the boy to the bed when he felt the pull of a magical sleep. He couldn't fight it as Ian had grabbed him from behind and forced his face down onto the bed, close to the bedpost that the child was tied to. "I...Ian.." Arthur succumbed to sleep before he could even threaten Ian.

"You just rest now laddie. I'll watch over the both of you." Ian promised, pulling a chair over to watch the two sleeping personifications. He had fallen asleep shortly before sunrise, Maska waking up at the moment he had fallen asleep. Maska saw wood all around him, he was sat up against something that felt like a post, and he was hungry. He started to wiggle and squirm, not caring as the rope bit into his skin and caused him to bleed. He became more frantic and used more power, his movements waking up Arthur. The boy had fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. Arthur sat up and started to wipe the tears away. The boy moved his head away from Arthur as much as was possible. 

"Stop." Arthur whispered it to not wake Ian up. The boy didn't hear him and continued to struggle and try to get away from him. The ropes binding the boy started to faintly glow blue, the boy's magic trying to help. Arthur slapped the boy harder than he had on the beach, the boy's head hitting the wood with a slam. Ian woke with a start before sighing again. Ian smiled evilly for he had just come up with a plan that would piss Arthur off and would be amusing as hell. He walked to the door before saying something and leaving with a smirk. This is what he said.

"How about you teach him English, dimwit. Bet you can't do that."