AN: A oneshot about England and Canada after America gained his independence.

Loyalties and Favorites

Canada sat watching the shell that had been his and America's mentor and the person who had raised them with as much love as he could. The British man before him had never known the true interactions between family, his elder siblings wanting nothing to do with him. England had that and the fact that he was always a pawn, like most every nation, to his ruler of the time be them King, Queen or PM.

England's heart in relations to his colonies was nearly always in the right place, but his rulers hearts were not. They had taken from them and forced England to let them, give them rules that benefited his people, often downtrodden the colonies people.

America had decided to declare a war for his independence and England had lost, he had tried to fight, but it was killing England to fight his former charge, then even after all that America refused to have even a friendly relationship.

So Canada was there.

He sat watching as England stared at the photo of himself, America and Canada sat on the fireplace. Canada had watched as England slowly, from every picture he was in with America, tore himself out. Canada realised that as England lost his colonies he was doing the same with the photos of them, blaming his own actions for them leaving and not his rulers over the years.

He wanted to remove himself from his own past, get rid of the fact he had ever been close to them. To try and mend the damage done, or at least to ignore the damage when he could.

To close his heart and never open it again.

As he reached out to do the same Matthew stopped him, softly shaking his head. Matthew removed the photo from it's frame and instead of ripping out Arthur, he removed Alfred from it instead.

Arthur looked shocked. "What? Why?" Arthur's voice was hoarse from lack of uses over the last few years as he barely spoke.

Matthew smiled and said in his soft and quiet voice, so gentle. "It's not your fault, it's Alfred's he wanted to leave and break up our family, you tried your best, if he can not see it is your rulers that were the bad guys then he is the fool." Matthew put the photo that now only held him and Arthur back in the frame. In it Arthur is sat, Matthew in his lap, Matthew was smiling along with Arthur, the torn area that now took away the space to the side of Arthur.

With no sign of regret Matthew through the photo of Alfred in the fire that crackled and burned the photo paper beyond recognition. Matthew simply smiled, a slight bit evilly.

Matthew had tried to get Alfred to come and visit Arthur, to try and get him to say he was sorry, that they could still be family, but America had refused saying that Arthur deserved some pain, pain he had 'caused' to others.

Matthew's letter to Alfred had been begging and polite.

Dear Alfred,

I am scared. Please just come and see Arthur, for he is so unwell, the war killed him, the losses after that have killed him even more, I hardly recognise him. He is but a shell. Please I am not asking you to come back as a colony but at least let his mind rest, let him know you can still part of his family, with me and the others.

He is too fragile to lose us as family, he can just about live with you and others as colonies, but to lose you as a son, it is killing him!

From Matthew

And he got back in return a hurried note, not even in the form of a letter, hardly any care put into it.

Let him worry, he has caused enough pain on others. Let him burn and be free as well, now he is more vulnerable you wont have to fight as much.

Matthew had never hated anyone like he had hated his brother in that moment, Alfred had tried to get him to earn his own independence. Matthew had adamantly denied his brothers request, he was going to be loyal to Arthur, he was not going to ruin Arthur's family anymore than it already was.

"I am going to be loyal to you and not tear our family apart anymore, Alfred wants me to get my own independence, but I'm not going to listen to him. I have a plan, i'm going to burn down his White House and teach him not to mess with my family." Matthew said, his voice calm, but he had thinly veiled anger and hate lacing his voice. "I'll make you proud Papa!"

Arthur had looked at him with surprise, but a small smile was pulled across his face. A flicker of the old England in the form of a flicker of fight. "Let me fight with you." He had asked reaching out to pull Matthew into a hug.

Matthew smiled as he was hugged by Arthur.

As a child Matthew had always been envious of his brother, he was always mistaken for Alfred and he was also often overlooked. Matthew was quiet and smaller so he was the less likely to be noticed. England had, along with France been one of the only ones to pay him attention.

Alfred always seemed to be the favorite. To Arthur anyway. Something Matthew had always begrudges his brother for, and as for everyone else they payed more attention to Alfred as he was loud and demanding.

'Well,' Matthew thought smugly, 'I'm Arthur's favorite now.'