First of all, Crossfire, MiaCarpenter, littlemissxflydog and Shadow fairy princess, thank you all for the follows, favourites and review!
Second, a bit not-so-great news... after months of smooth writing, I've begun to enter a period of writer's block. I will try to fight it though, but I don't have inspiration for the emotional angsty things like Trouble right now... So I'm going to write a piece of my new favourite ship (which I just found a few days ago and am already in love with): PruIta. They're amazing together~~
So hopefully I'll be back to this soon. I've begun writing the third chapter already, but it started to feel like a film script. Too much dialogue, too little descriptive sentences... So that's going to be rewritten soon.
So yeah... sorry for that. But it won't be too long, I promise.
Now that we've got that aside, here's chapter 2 of Trouble!
Wales and his brothers had returned to London a few days later, and he and Scotland would each go home soon as well. Ireland had just brought Northern Ireland as well, so the house was crowded enough. England had taken his oldest brother to his study to tell him about what had been discussed at the Munich Conference, and Scotland had gone out for a moment, wanting a bit of peace and quiet for a moment. North, usually the sole factor ruining said peace and quiet, had climbed onto Wales' lap and was asking him questions, also quite like usual. The conclusion the brothers had come up with during the conference wasn't 'like usual' at all, however, and all the while he was talking to little North, it lay in the back of Wales' mind, ready to come forward again and plague him like a cat stalking its prey in the shadows.
"Did you meet many nations there?" Northern Ireland asked, and Wales nodded, telling him about seeing France, who was their overseas neighbour (he was still trying to teach him where all nations were, as the child knew only the locations of the British Isles), Germany and Prussia, who shared their former Empire and were almost their neighbours, as only Belgium and the Netherlands lay between them. "And they are siblings, right?" North piped up, staring up at Wales with wide eyes. "Germany and Prussia are brothers, and Belgium and Netherlands are brother and sister!" Wales nodded and patted him on the head, praising him a bit for that. He was learning, though maybe not as fast as Wales had hoped. But then again, even after nearly two thousand years on this planet, not even he knew every nation on Earth by heart, and there were plenty he'd never met before. "And how did it go? How was it to be there? Was the building nice? Does it look like here, or do the buildings look very different there?"
Wales laughed a bit at the many questions he suddenly got, and silenced the boy before he lost track of them. "It went rather well," he told him then, and North was immediately silent again and listened intently. He was an inquisitive little nation, and his curiosity would prove to be very useful one day. He was intelligent enough as well, so he would do fine as a nation once he was old enough, that was almost certain. "There were a few fights, but between enemy nations -or former enemies, I hope- that isn't such a strange thing. Allistair has told you about the Great War, right?" Northern Ireland nodded and recited the basics he knew about it. A great war on the European mainland a few years before he'd been born, from 1914 to 1919. It had been them, France and Russia against Germany -including Prussia there- and Austria-Hungary. Others joined in later. Wales praised him again. There was nothing wrong with his knowledge of recent history at least, though anything further back than the industrial revolution was still a bit hard for him. But he was young, so he had plenty of time to learn it all.
"And about the building, well," Wales went on, laughing again. "They didn't know about my legs yet, so there were stairs." North frowned. Who would be so stupid as to place stairs in a building when Wales would have to go there, too? They- oh. But Wales had said they hadn't known yet. Then it was okay, he thought. "Your legs don't work at all, do they?" he then asked, a bit quietly as he looked down. He'd been sitting on his big brother's lap for a little while now, but most likely, he remembered suddenly... "You don't even feel me sitting here, do you?" Wales shook his head and answered that, no, he didn't. But he'd learned to live with it just fine, so he didn't mind much. "There are some things I miss," he told his little brother. "And some things I regret not being able to do -like taking you hiking into the hills at my place when you're a bit older- but it is what it is. So don't you worry about me for a second, okay?"
North nodded, but he kept pouting a just the slightest bit. He never thought about it much, as he hadn't known Wales any other way than in a wheelchair, but whenever he did think about it, he recalled all the stories his brother told him about the time before the accident happened. And then he sometimes got a bit sad, just a bit, because he'd never seen his big brother walk or even stand like almost all other people. But then Wales would tell him it would probably be weird to see him walking around again, and he would have a very hard time even doing so anyway, as his muscles had gotten weak over the years. If ever he could walk again, it would take a lot of work. And, he once added in a whisper to the young nation, this way, North would grow taller than him real quick. That was a thought the child rather liked, and he smiled once more. He then hugged his brother, smiling wide as he knew that this was something he did feel.
"I don't trust it," England sighed to Ireland, closing his eyes. "I don't trust it at all. We've come to an agreement with them, but I doubt it will last." Ireland nodded, taking in what his brother was telling him. Indeed, the future for Europe didn't seem bright at the moment. England went on, "I understand them, I really do. I mean, since the Great Depression, the economy has simple been... well, you know. I do not think of Germany and Prussia as the wrongdoers here, it's their leader. He's the real problem. But what can we do? So short after the previous one, we really can't afford a new war." No, they couldn't, that was something Ireland knew very well. But this entire century, there hadn't been true peace in Europe at all. "No one wants a new war, Arthur," Ireland tried to reassure his little brother. "I'm sure everyone'll be careful enough to prevent it from happening again." But England shook his head, his expression grim as he muttered, "A war is coming, Cearul. I don't know when, but it will come. Soon."
Ireland grabbed England's hand for a moment, silently looking him in the eyes, and after a moment of silence like that, the younger nation sighed and nodded. "Okay," he mumbled, understanding what his brother was trying to tell him without words. "Okay, I'll try to relax. But please understand the situation. It's getting dangerous." Ireland agreed, as it was true after all, but insisted his little brother had to take his mind off it for a while. Too much stress wasn't healthy for anyone. "And on that note," he said with a smirk. "It's probably good fer ye that Coineach's here fer a while. He's in the curious mood again, so prepare fer questions from sunrise to sunset." Something then flashed in his eyes, and he added, "Oh! An' I've been considering sending the lad to a school. Y'know, 't might be good fer him to grow up amongst his people. An' it will definitely help him develop his language skill and general knowledge. He barely speaks a word Gaelic..."
England only stared at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "You, Cearul," he said eventually. "Need to seriously reconsider your priorities." Ireland blinked at him in confusement, shrugged and stated, "I dun'see why. I'm worried 'bout a new war, of course, but even if it does happen, I'm not participating. Coineach has my priority here, as he should." It was silent for a moment, but then, England suddenly started laughing. Ireland only stared at him as though he'd gone crazy, wondering whether his little brother was alright or not. When he controlled himself again after a moment, England looked at his brother with shining emerald eyes. "You're amazing, Cearul," he told him with hints of laughter still in his voice. "I'm not sure which kind of amazing, but amazing nonetheless. Now let's go. Unless you want to have to spend the night here again, it's probably best if you left soon." Ireland had spend the night here together with North that day, waiting for their brothers to come home. He wasn't exactly planning to stay another one, indeed. The two nations both went to the livingroom again, where Ireland was almost immediately jumped by Northern Ireland.
"Do you have to go again, Cearul?" the child asked him, pouting, as he was lifted off the ground. He then wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and his legs around his midriff to get a better grip as to not fall, even though Ireland was holding him. The Irishman sighed and nodded, and North tried to glare at him. He couldn't quite look angry, but 'displeased' worked just fine, too. "I don't want you to go! Please, can't you stay one more night?" Something in Ireland's expression changed the moment the child said this, and though it was hardly visible, England still noticed it. He cursed inwardly, averting his gaze for a moment. He could understand how hard it was, but his brother should really try to change a few things. He'd requested Northern Ireland would be raised as their little brother, it had been his own choice not to claim the child as his own. If he wanted to be a brother, he should start making an effort of not thinking like a father anymore. But whenever Northern Ireland acted like this, it was almost as if even England could hear the tiny voice that was undoubtedly in the back of his brother's mind, practically screaming 'my son, my son, my son. Hands off, Brits, he's mine.' England had his doubts about North being his nephew, but Ireland definitely did not. Not anymore.
"Coineach, there isn't enough space in this house for the five of us," Ireland eventually told him, a bit disappointed himself. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. But we'll talk again soon, okay, lad?" North nodded, though he didn't seem happy about it. Ireland smiled at him for a moment, saying softly, "Ye know I love ye, right?" The child nodded again, giving his brother another hug and then a kiss on the cheek, which Ireland returned before placing him on the ground again. "An' be nice for yer big brothers, alright? An' ye remember what we discussed this morning?"
"No waking my brothers tomorrow morning. They need their rest after traveling to Germany and back again," North recited quickly, earning a pat on the head from Ireland. "Very well, lad. Now, I'll be off. Take care, all o'ye, okay?" Wales and England said goodbye to him, too, and he then left, running into Scotland, who was just returning to England's house after his stroll, and said goodbye to him as well. Actually he could stay in London, he had no problem at all with sleeping on a couch, but he had to go home. There was some business he had to attend to the next day, as he'd received a letter while North had been staying with him. He hadn't told the child about it, nor any of his brothers, as it wasn't important to them. But to him... it was the funeral of one of the best friends he'd had over the past years. A mere human, some nations would think, but other than some, Ireland made a habit of having contact and friendships with his people. Most of the time, they were all he had since his independence.
"What I think was the worst part," England said later that evening in a conversation with his two older brothers. They were again talking about the threat of a war. "Is that Germany didn't seem to care one bit! I say both his leader and Prussia have been getting to him, he wasn't always like this." Scotland stared at him, not all pleased with this reasoning of his little brother, and demanded, "His leader, yes, but Prussia?" He immediately defended his friend, like he usually did when someone accused the Prussian of being evil. During the Great War, he'd seen proof that he wasn't. "There's nothing wrong with Gilbert, I've told ye before. He's... well, a bit misguided sometimes, but not a bad person." England shook his head and quietly agreed, though actually, he'd personally seen proof that Prussia was cruel... and could even be considered evil. He'd been raised like that, being born for war, created by an army, but it wasn't an excuse. Silently, he glanced sidewards at his older brother. Austria had once been in the same position Wales was in now, after the War of Austrian Succession. It had been because of Prussia, and it had not been an accident. He'd seen it with his own two eyes. But if Scotland chose not to believe it, chose to see the good in the Prussian which was probably not even there, England couldn't change his mind.
Suddenly, Northern Ireland climbed onto Scotland's lap and stared up at him with big, curious eyes, and he asked softly, "Can I meet Prussia one day?" Almost simultaneously, Scotland and England answered the question, but both had their own different opinions on it. "What d'ye mean, 'no'?" Scotland demanded with a slight glare at his younger brother. "I keep tellin' ye, laddie, there's nothing wrong with Gilbert! We've been friends for years, an' if yer just worried he might do something to Coineach, let me just tell ye now: he just so happens to love children, 'specially after raising Germany by himself. He'd never so much as touch the lad." England was about to protest, but Scotland interrupted him by going on, "So if Coineach wants t'meet him, I'll take him to Germany to meet him an' Prussia! Or I'll invite them here, either one o'the two." Again, England was about to protest, this time interrupted by Wales, who, with a glare at both his brothers, said, "Would you two stop it? First of all, maybe you'd appreciate a third party in this to clear things up? It's fine for Coineach to meet other nations, but not with the current situation in Europe. No, Allistair, you're not going to Germany with him and the Germans aren't coming here until everything going on is solved. And no, Arthur, you can't seclude him forever! Just think about what that would do to his development as a nation. Second..." He sighed and calmed himself again, gesturing to Northern Ireland, who sat with his eyes closed his his hands covering his ears, trying to block out the angry voices of his brothers. The moment they both noticed this, guilt flashed in England and Scotland's eyes, and they were silent again.
"Hey, laddie," Scotland said softly to the young Irish nation after a little while, looking at him with a apologetic shimmer in his eyes. "I'm sorry for that, I just... I can get a bit cranky when people say things like these 'bout Prussia. We've been friends for twenty-four years already, and I haven't seen anythin' 'evil' about him." He then sighed and added more softly. "But I guess I get pissed off more quickly now 'cause... Well, I'm worried. Worried that he really is the bad guy in this situation. I really hope not, but ye just never know. I'm angry because o'that, not ye an' also not Artie. Okay?" Slowly, Northern Ireland nodded and mumbled a soft 'okay'. In truth, he hadn't been startled at all, or thought that it had been his fault, but he'd found out quite some time ago already that little lies like these could make his brothers stop fighting. Lying was wrong, so he was constantly told, but tiny little lies like these did more right than wrong in his experience. So far, it had always worked. Suddenly the clock sounded, and North counted the times he heard it. Six, seven... eight. Darn, he knew what would come next. Scotland got up, still holding his little brother firmly so he couldn't get away, telling him, "Well, would ye look at that? It's time for ye to go to bed now, wee brother." The Scot then said a quick 'see you in a minute' to his younger brothers, taking Northern Ireland with him to the boy's room. North huffed, staring at his two other brothers over Scotland's shoulder, muttering softly, 'Goodnight..." Both Wales and England laughed, wishing him goodnight as well. Once upstairs, he was allowed to walk again, as he usually didn't try to escape anymore at this point. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, then to his bedroom, undressed quickly and got into bed, Scotland sitting beside him for a moment.
"One day, Coineach," the Scot told him with a warm smile. "One day, ye'll meet every country in Europe, countries in Asia, the North-Americans, Australia and New Zealand, African Countries, South-Americans... Ye'll meet nearly every nation on this planet. Okay?" Northern Ireland nodded. He liked that idea, but it also overwhelmed him. How many countries where there? He remembered the names of some Asian countries, like Russia, who was also European for a part (he never quite understood how someone could be Asian and European, but he decided it didn't matter), and Japan, who was England's friend. Then there were China, England's former enemy in the 'Opium Wars', and Hong Kong, who was a bit like a distant cousin to him, according to his brothers. He was a colony of the British Empire, which meant he was under their rule, and so he was sort of related to North, but not by blood. He found it all a bit confusing, if he had to be honest. Australia and New Zealand were his cousins, also by blood, though he'd never met them because they lived so far away. And the 'North-Americans' Scotland had mentioned were the United States of America (but everyone called him just 'America', so North had no idea why he had to learn his full name) and his twin brother Canada. He had talked to both of them over the phone once, but had never seen them in person yet.
And he would meet them all one day. He really, really liked that thought a lot. But then he yawned, and told himself to stop thinking or he wouldn't sleep at all. So, after softly telling his big brother goodnight, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, still not quite aware of what his brothers had been talking about all day. A new war? In Europe? Ridiculous... wars were history and history was not now. There wouldn't be a new war, never.
Ah, childhood innocence... blissfully unaware of everything.
As I said before, I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I'll make sure it won't be something like a month or anything like that! (personally I hate long waits like that... so I'm not doing that to my readers!)
Thanks for reading, and please leave a review on your way out!
