Arthur stared out of his estate's window. He watched the dark clouds weep. They felt just like he did on the inside. It had been years since the war between Arthur and Alfred began. It did nothing, but tear them further and further apart. He shut his emerald eyes tightly to hide the sadness in them.
A knock on his door broke him out of his depressing state. "Come in.", he ordered, not even turning away from the window. "Sir…The Americans are assembling nearby. What do we do, sir?", the worried British soldier asked him. He felt his heart drop. He turned around to face the man. "We attack.", Arthur told him, his voice was emotionless.
"I'll tell the others, sir.", he saluted and left the room. Arthur turned back to look out of the window once more. "It didn't have to be like this, Alfred…", he whispered to no one as he exited the room. He made his way outside and mounted his horse. He rode to his camp to prepare his troops for battle.
Meanwhile, Alfred was assembling his men to attack the British camp head on. "Alright men! Today we become victorious and we win our freedom!", he raised his musket into the air. The American troops cheered. Alfred grinned widely at his army. He knew today was the day they would be free.
"Let's move out!", the American general shouted. "Yes, sir.", the soldiers saluted and they followed their general as he began to march in the direction of the Brit's camp. 'I'm sorry it had to be this way, Arthur, but I want my freedom. You can no longer rule me anymore.', Alfred told himself as he marched with confidence.
Arthur assembled his troops quickly. "Today is the day that we will show the Americans their place! We will be victorious!", the Brit general shouted. The Brits cheered. They would show the Americans who the greatest empire in the world was. "Alright men…Let's move out!", he ordered. "Yes, sir!", they shouted in unison and saluted as they obeyed their general's orders.
It didn't take long for the two armies to meet. Each side stood there quiet, waiting for the order to attack. The silence grew thicker and thicker. To a point to where it was almost suffocating. Arthur and Alfred stood sternly and proud in front of their troops. They waited eagerly for one of the two sides to act first.
Arthur raised his musket up high. "Attack!", his voice ripped through the thick barrier of silence and then all hell had broken loose. Gunfire and cannon fire rang out all around the two armies. Bodies littered the ground around them. They fought like mindless animals.
The clouds in the sky grew dark and rain began to fall heavily on the soldiers. Arthur and Alfred became cold and distant from all the fighting. Today was the end. One of them was going to come out on top no matter what it took. The battlefield became a field of death. Blood missed with the rain and the mud. One by one…soldiers fell.
The battle seemed to rage on for hours. Arthur found himself outnumbered…the Americans had won. The Brit looked around at his fallen comrades. His heart was filled with rage, sorrow, and bitterness. The mixture of emotions overwhelmed him. Arthur fell to his knees.
Alfred knew he was victorious. He had gained his freedom. Through the rain, he spotted Arthur. The American sauntered over to him and pointed his musket at him. He could hear the older man sniffling. "Why?", Arthur's voice came out as a choked sob. That was the one question that he desperately needed the answer to.
Alfred's eyes saddened and he lowered his musket. He had never seen a great empire reduced to such a state. "You know why…", he uttered softly. Arthur punched the wet ground angrily, tears streamed down his dirtied up face. "Damn it! It's not fair! I knew you could never see anything through to the end!", he spat at his former colony.
"I wanted my freedom, Arthur and now I have it. I'm sorry, but it had to be done.", Alfred's heart sank when he saw Arthur reduced to a sobbing mess before him, but he had to do this for himself. He wanted to begin his own life, but he still wanted Arthur to be part of it.
Arthur continued to sob. His heart was shattered and he felt betrayed. The one person he loved most…had left like everyone else. And now he was truly alone. Alfred kneeled down in front of the dejected Brit and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry.", he apologized to him one last time before he got to his feet.
Alfred gave Arthur one last longing glance before he turned and walked away, his blue coat swayed in the gentle breeze. Arthur watched him disappear into the horizon, leaving him completely alone. The rain mixed with his tears. "If you only knew how much I loved you…then maybe you wouldn't have walked away…", he whispered to no one as he finally succumbed to darkness.