London Bridge is Falling Down
Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia nor the song
Arthur whistled as he made his way to his first day of work. He sludged through the stagnant muddy streets of home until he arrived at the cobblestone road into the better part of the city. The lamppost lighter was climbing up his ladder as Arthur passed. Bundled in his older brother's coat, Arthur didn't wave in favor of keeping his hands warm.
The great London Bridge loomed in the distance as the sun continued to sink. The bridge was being rebuilt again. The previous bridge had been made of stone long ago, but it'd finally crumbled. The smell of metal reached Arthur's nose as well as the stink of the river. The gold and silver detailing on the bridge gleamed in the lit lampposts' light.
That was the reason Arthur was here. He was to watch over the bridge and make sure thieves didn't come in the night. He was to be stationed near the supplies, the easiest to walk off with. He didn't understand why they trusted a poor boy like him to watch over things but he was just grateful for a chance to work. He couldn't wait to bring home his pay and surprise his brothers. Oh how they needed money.
He was drawn from his thoughts by a man standing with a lantern smoking a pipe near where he was supposed to stand. The unfinished part of the bridge gaped like a wound in the darkness. Upon closer inspection he was relieved to see it was the man who'd offered him the job and not a thief he had to chase off.
"Oh good you're just in time. I was about to get worried. So, I need you to stand here and yell if someone tries to take anything. I'll be at the other end."
That sounded easy enough. The man offered him a lantern and a pipe. More boy than man, Arthur wanted to prove his salt and accepted the pipe, albeit reluctantly. The man gave him some fresh leaves for his pipe and light, before walking away.
The first few puffs caused Arthur to make racking coughs, but he want to seem manly so he kept at it. He soon found the smoke calming. It had an almost sweet flavor and he felt himself relaxing. This would be easy.
The hours drug by and Arthur's supply of leaves dwindled. He felt himself drifting off as he leaned against the bridge. There hadn't been a peep all night. There shouldn't be a problem if he rested his eyes for a few minutes. No one would know. And with that, he slept.
Arthur awake to the sound of hammers and voices. Where was he? Oh no the bridge! Had the workers come back? Where was he? It was pitch black. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He reached out and was met with a hard metallic surface. He tried to move but there wasn't even the room to sit up. He was trapped.
Full panic set in. Arthur screamed for help as loud as e could. Surely the workers would hear him and save him. Why was he trapped here? How had he gotten here? But no one helped him. And within the day, he died.
The sun was high in the sky when Allister arrived at the bridge. He said nothing as he was handed a bag of coin in exchange for his youngest brother's soul.
AN: There's a lot of debate about the meaning of the classic nursery rhyme but this is perhaps the most morbid. It's said that to protect a large structure from bad luck and to keep it crumbling, people used to bury children alive in the base of the structures. The song alludes to this when it mentions the man with the pipe.