A/N: My first request ever is done! This was completed in about four days but because I had no Internet, I had to wait 'til now to upload it. If you like this and want me to do a story for you, don't be afraid to ask. This is meant to be a prequel to mightnightsetall's fic The Summer That Everyone Treasured and Never Forgot. Check it out later. While you're at it, check out the pole on my profile too please!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Atis and Lant. They're on loan from midnightstella. I do own the adult version of Atlantis, however, and the plot to this oneshot is mine.
I was great once. I remember that much. My people claim that I had, at one time, conquered what is now called Western Europe and Africa. I remember none of it. I have heard the others say that memory is one of the first things we lose when we die. I don't feel like I'm dying. I feel like this place, this world, is not my home anymore. I feel like I belong somewhere else now. I have heard the others say that I should have died thousands of years ago. The main reason why I am still alive is quite simple. My people don't feel like letting me go. I think I want to die. The idea of floating in a black nothingness becomes quite appealing after several millennium of existing. The wars, the politics, the endless noise in my head; just gone. Too bad that's not what death is. Humans are afraid of death. They fear it because they mistakenly think that there is nothing after life. Nations fear death because we know that there is something else.
The personification of the kingdom of Atlantis sat on the white marble steps that led up to the temple. Half a league across the ocean, the capital city gleamed. Along the beach, stallions, mares, and their riders raced with the surf. The pure white of the buildings gleamed teasingly from the dark emerald green of the foliage. People milled about the streets and the music being played in the main square carried over the waves across to the solitary island. Atlantis, however, didn't see the beauty of her capital city. Atlantis was weary and that didn't bode well for her people.
A majestic boat glided across the waves to the small island. A fanfare of trumpets announced the arrival of the royal family. The purple clad six-year-old princess skipped up the steps of the temple and curtsied to Atlantis before she continued on inside. Atlantis rested her head against the cool stone and sighed before getting to her feet. She followed the royals inside. The temple was small and consisted of only one room. In the center of that space, four small bridges, each representing one of the four major directions, met above a crystalline pool.
The high priest, dressed in flowing white and gold robes, herded the reluctant nation up the northern bridge and handed her a wooden bowl.
"The stars foretell grave misfortunes are to befall us." The high priest intoned ominously. Several servants drew curtains across the open air windows to darken the room and put everyone on edge. Atlantis was not impressed. Her boss, however, was much more trusting than she.
"What sort of grave misfortune?" He asked.
"It is the Greeks." The priest whispered. "The stars say they will be our undoing." Atlantis snorted.
"It sounds like the stars have quite a lot to say." She grumbled. The priest glared at her. Normally Atlantis and her religious folk got on well enough but Atlantis stopped being civil when they attempted to push her into war with any of her fellow nations.
"Indeed." The priest sniffed, turning from Atlantis.
"What must we do to save ourselves?" The king asked. The priest smiled slightly, pleased that Atlantis's boss was ignoring her grumbling.
"Well," the priest said slowly, "there is only one option that guarantees the safety of the Atlantean people… We must eliminate the Greeks." Atlantis glowered at the so called holy man.
"Highness, this is not a wise idea." Atlantis warned. "Greece is our ally. If we went to war against her, the chance of us coming out the victor is very slim." The priest gave a sly smile.
"If you don't believe what the stars say, highness, perhaps the pool will show you the truth." Atlantis glared at the bowl she had been handed. Now she knew its true purpose.
"Pour in the serum." The king commanded. Grudgingly, Atlantis tipped the purple contents of the bowl into the pure blue water below her. Instantly the serum and water mixed together to create what appeared to be the starless night sky. Suddenly, bright orange spots appeared through the blackness and shapes began to resolve themselves. It soon became clear that the scene was of the capital city burning. The observer appeared to be in a boat and as he continued to move away from the island, a great series of earthquakes struck it until the land sank below the waves. Silence filled the temple long after the pool below the bridges had returned to its original color.
"Make the preparations immediately." The king finally ordered. Atlantis closed her eyes.
I will never understand why humans feel the need to make everyone around them believe that they know the answers to everything, though nations are truly no different. Iberia, however, was the exception. He never pretended to know everything. Either he was right, or he was wrong. He accepted either option. That was something I had always liked about him though some of his other qualities weren't as appealing. Like how he seemed to use his libido more than his brain.
"Now she is a looker." Iberia whistled as a dark haired Atlantean girl strode hurriedly passed him. Atlantis rolled her eyes.
"Will you for once concentrate on what I'm trying to tell you?" Atlantis demanded. Iberia lazily smiled at his fellow nation.
"Listen, Atlantis, you're a nation of beauty, right? I'm simply taking in all there is to see."
"Be serious for just a moment would you? I'm supposed to go to war with Greece. Is there any way I can get out of it?" Iberia shook his head.
"Nope. Man, you are so screwed. You're strong and all but Greece is a different kind of strong." Atlantis sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I'm so tired of war. Why can't we all just live in peace?" Iberia placed his arm around Atlantis's shoulders.
"Because," he said softly, "peace is boring."
"At least there you and my high priest are in agreement." Atlantis mumbled.
Humans are lucky. They have never had to face their former friends and allies on a battlefield. They have never had to kill their lover or someone they deeply cared for in a fight to the death. They have never had to look into the eyes of two small nations and explain to them that they might not come home.
One set of red eyes and one set of green stared up at Atlantis.
"-And so, if I don't come back, everything will be yours." She summarized. The younger child's red eyes filled with tears.
"B-But we aren't strong enough to be on our own yet." Atlantis smiled down at her children.
"I know Lant, I felt that same way once. But you're never alone. Just as you guide your people, your people also guide you. And the other nations don't always have to be your enemies. Sometimes they can be your best friends." The idea of having friends that weren't each other or their mother was a completely foreign concept to the twin nations. Atlantis smoothed out the wrinkles of her blue war tunic and stood.
"Alight girls, I'm off." Atis, the elder girl with the green eyes, gripped Atlantis's hand tightly with her own smaller one.
"Promise you'll come back." The child demanded. Atlantis smiled and knelt so that their eyes were level, ocean blue gazing into emerald green.
"Of course I'll come back." Atlantis promised. "I couldn't leave two awesome kids like you forever." After extracting several more promises relating to safety and returning, Atlantis was finally allowed to leave the presence of the young nations. Atlantis smiled slightly at their concern. It was nice to know that someone besides her boss still cared about her.
"This nation of ours will be in good hands I think." Atlantis muttered as she followed the path that led down to the ocean sands and the warships.
War destroys a country. Sometimes it isn't immediately clear but it is still there nonetheless. Perhaps it is in the prices of food. Maybe it can be discerned in the eyes of the people, of the children. And sometimes, it can even be seen upon the very personifications themselves.
Atlantis winced as the medic tied a strip of gauze just a little too tightly around the biggest wound on her arm. One of her generals entered Atlantis's tent and saluted her.
"News from the battle field," he said.
"Give your report." Atlantis ordered.
"The Greek dogs fight harder than we expected them to. We've lost the first army."
"How many wounded?" Atlantis asked. A wave of emotion crossed the general's face before he could force it into his usual neutral mask.
"None ma'am."
"Your son was in the first army wasn't he?" The general's lower lip quivered uncontrollably.
"Y-Yes he was." The general choked out. Atlantis stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. She doubted that it was very comforting but it was all that was socially acceptable when rank and their current positions were taken into account.
"When we win this war, you may greave. Until then, I expect you to give this war your all. Dismissed, General." Atlantis commanded. The general gave a halfhearted salute and left the tent as quickly as possible. Atlantis sighed and flopped down on her bedroll.
"Do you think I'm doing this right, Mateo?" Atlantis asked the medic who was packing his supplies back into his leather bag. Mateo paused and fixed his gentle green eyes on Atlantis.
"In all of recorded history, no one has ever done war right. By its very definition, war is a messy and disordered thing. My personal belief is that you are doing the best you can with what you have." Mateo assured her. Atlantis nodded her head slowly.
"Let me ask you this, do you have a family back home?" Mateo smiled.
"I do. I have a lovely wife and two beautiful children. You?"
"Two baby girls back home." Mateo chuckled, picking up his bag.
"What do you find so amusing?" Atlantis asked.
"Nothing. You've just proven me correct you see. I know that you are doing the best you can because you have a personal stake in this war. After all, the sooner we win, or lose this, the sooner we can all go home and see our families again."
"I wish there was no such thing as war. I could be holding my girls right now if it weren't for the king." Atlantis growled. "You are dismissed, Mateo… and thank you for your insight." Mateo smiled, bowed, and exited the tent.
My people believe in many things, chief among them the afterlife. Like many other nations, it is our belief that should a soldier or some other brave soul die in battle, a special paradise is created solely for them. It is an easy thing to believe in except for those who are actually doing the fighting, doing the dying.
The personification of Atlantis waded through the corpses that had been forced into calf high piles earlier during the battle. The strongest men were hauling the bodies back to the main camp where they would be identified and, hopefully, sent home for burial. Atlantis gazed around her at the carnage. In the distance, toward the Greek lines, ravens pecked at bodies. The Greeks were also out in force to retrieve their dead.
The tune originated from the far back of the Greek lines and swelled louder and louder until nearly every hardened soldier on both sides was singing the same song.
"Can you feel the river run, waves are dancing to the sun. Take the tide and face the sea and find a way to follow me." The song rang across the battlefield and in the brief space of time it took to finish it, the two military powers were one.
When Mateo dressed my wounds that night, my mind was elsewhere. I had a bad feeling about the next day. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to keep my word to my daughters.
"Surrender now!" Greece snarled as she and Atlantis traded blows with their swords.
"You know I can't." Atlantis snapped, spinning around and trying to attack Greece's unprotected back. Greece barked out a laugh and danced away from Atlantis's sword.
"Don't lie, Atlantis, it doesn't suit you. You're just too stubborn to withdraw." Atlantis huffed out a breath. Over the months and years of fighting Greece, Atlantis had grown weaker. Atlantis glowered at her former ally.
"That's funny. Now that you mention it, I don't see you withdrawing either." Greece bared her teeth in an aggressive smile.
"I want to see my sons just as much as you want to see your daughters but I refuse to return home with my tail between my legs." Atlantis momentarily took her eyes off her opponent when her daughters were mentioned and that was when Greece chose to strike. With one swift thrust upward of her sword, Greece felled Atlantis. Exhausted blue eyes stared up at the overcast sky.
"Atis? Lant? I'm not sure I'm going to make it back home, I might have to break my promise." At Atlantis's words, the heavens opened and rain pelted down upon the fallen nation. "I love you both." Atlantis whispered before her world darkened.
Atis and Lant clutched at Atlantis's ragged, bloody blue tunic. Atlantis was lying on a bed of cushions in her capital's throne room.
"Mami," the girls whimpered, "open your eyes." With much effort, Atlantis opened one blue eye to take in her daughters.
"Atis. Lant. My babies. I returned just like I promised." Atlantis murmured sleepily. Tears were pricking at the young nations eyes.
"No Mami," Atis maintained, "this isn't what you promised us. You said you would come home safely." Atlantis raised one arm and shakily wiped away a tear that had escaped one of Atis's green eyes.
"Shush. Don't cry little one. Mami is just tired. I'll be fine after a little rest." A snort alerted all three nations to Iberia's presence.
"Even when you're dying you're a crappy liar." Iberia growled, stalking over to the mortally wounded kingdom.
"Iberia," Atlantis quietly admonished, "now look what you've done. You're scaring Atis and Lant." The exhausted nation brought her children in for an embrace in an attempt to calm them.
"Girls, I need you to be strong and listen to me for a minute, okay?" Atis and Lant nodded their heads bravely. "I'm going to be away for a bit. While I'm gone, the two of you need to be Atlantis. Can you do that for Mami?"
"Don't worry, Mami. Atis and I will make sure that Atlantis is nice and strong while you're gone." Lant declared. Atlantis smiled and nodded her head.
"Thank you, Lant. Atis, promise me." Atis wouldn't look at her mother. Finally, her sad and angry green eyes looked up.
"Promise." Atis said, begrudgingly.
"Iberia, take them some place safe. Please. For old time sake?" Iberia bowed his head so that his brown hair covered his eyes, making them unreadable.
"It will be done." He vowed. Atlantis sighed and closed her eyes. Atlantis murmured something too low for anyone to hear and slipped away.
It was evening when Iberia forced Atis and Lant to leave their mother's side. He carried the struggling nations away from their dead mother and into the heart of their main city. The people were lamenting the loss of their personification. Iberia carried the girls all the way to the beach where they boarded a boat that was bound for some place that the girls had never heard of before.
Iberia, Atis, and Lant were not more than a league away from shore when it happened. It was Lant and Atis's gasps of horror that first alerted Iberia to the calamity. He turned and his dark eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw. The capital city of Atlantis was completely ablaze. Rumbling, like the vicious roar of a lion, was heard and then the land appeared to be vibrating. A great series of earthquakes struck the landmass before it finally sank below the waves. In the space of one horrible night and one day, the nation of Atlantis had disappeared.
When morning dawned, the destruction was stomach churning. Lifeless bodies floated in the sea, pieces of houses methodically worked their way out to open ocean, and ravens and vultures circled the waters in search of their next meal. A few Atlanteans, like Iberia, Atis, and Lant, had managed to find some boats and escaped into the ocean. Atis and Lant looked down through the crystal blue water where their land had sunk. Every now and again something would work its way up to the surface. While the girls were watching, a purple dress floated to the surface of the water. It was a small dress. The type of dress a child would wear. Perhaps even the princess of Atlantis. Fresh tears stabbed at Atis and Lant's eyes.
"We'll see you again, Mami," Atis said, speaking directly to the ocean, "because we made a promise to you. Atlantis will rise again and we'll be stronger than ever." A breeze danced over the waves and ran its cool fingers through the girls' hair. For a moment, they could almost swear they could feel their mother hugging them and with the voice of the winds she renewed her promise to them.
'We'll see each other again,' the breeze whispered. 'Until then, I'll be in your hearts, guiding you. Just call out to me and I'll be there.' The kingdom of Atlantis had fallen. Their people were dead. Their mother was gone. It would be easy for Atis and Lant to give up. They wanted to give up but they had made a promise. And an Atlantean always kept their word.
~Fin~
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