Tales of the Wild West
Chapter Two:
Bad Influence...?
...…...
Fast-forward to the year 1755: the beginning of the Seven Years War (also known as the French and Indian War). The Seven Years' War was a global military conflict between 1754 and 1763, involving all of the great powers of the time and affecting North and Central America, Europe, the West African coast, India and the Philippines.
Most of the fighting between France and England in continental North America ended in 1760, however the war in North America officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763, and war in the European theater of the Seven Years' War was settled by the Treaty of Hubertusburg on February 15, 1763. England offered France a choice of either its North American possessions east of the Mississippi or the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, which had been occupied by the British. France chose to cede Canada. The economic value of the Caribbean islands to France was greater than that of Canada because of their rich sugar crops, and they were easier to defend. England, however, was happy to take Canada, as defense was not an issue, and he already had many sources of sugar. Spain, which traded Florida to Britain to regain Cuba, also gained Louisiana, including New Orleans, from France in compensation for its losses.
While all of this happening, throughout the entire course of the war, America had been meeting up with Pacifica on a regular bases, and she, along with various Indian tribes, taught him to be a survivalist; to be able to live in the wilderness for long periods of time. However, as the years went by, Pacifica grew to be more daring, wild, and seductive, and often convinced America to leave his house and go on dangerous adventures with her in the Appalachian mountains and the regions just west of them. Even though England had written several letters to America to tell him to stay in and near his house during the war, to keep him as safe as possible, America gave into her pleadings and almost always left with her for several weeks at a time, and all the while, the ever present danger of the Seven Years War loomed near the American colonies.
"Oh, come on, America," pleaded Pacifica, standing just below the window to America's bedroom, "England won't know. How could he? He's never around, anyway! You've said so yourself!"
America frowned slightly at the thought of not seeing England for several years, but his frown quickly turned into a slight smirk.
"Oh, yes, that is true, I suppose, but what if he makes a surprise visit while I'm gone?" asked America uneasily. He didn't want to disappoint England, even if he never has visited in several years. The years immediately following his last visit dragged on and were very lonely for America, who didn't have any other countries to keep him company. The only other one was Canada, but he lived so far north and was under France's rule, so he never saw him. The lonesome years finally reached an end on that day when he ventured out into the wild west for the first time, and met Pacifica. Even though she was rowdy and a trouble maker, she was still a loyal friend, and America's loneliness always seemed to disappear when they were together.
He looked up to England more than anyone, but he couldn't just sit around and wait for his promised return while doing nothing with no one. Pacifica was the only other friend he had, and she was loyal and fun to be around. So the least he could do was be a loyal friend to her, especially when she and her lands in the west brought out the adventurous, wild side of himself; a side of himself that he had grown to love and wanted to experience more and more of.
"Oh, alright, then," grinned Pacifica, "I'll just have to go have fun all by myself, then."
She turned and began walking away, but America quickly yelled out a 'Wait!' and rushed down the stairs and out the front door of his house. As he ran down the steps of the front porch, he saw Pacifica standing there with his horse by her side, waiting for him. Before America could ask her where she got his horse, she smiled brightly at him, and her smile always had a way of making him stop asking questions, even before he started to.
"Lets go, partner," she quipped with a slight twang that America had never heard anyone speak with before, and he hopped on the horse without qualms, lifted her up to sit behind him as she often did, and the horse galloped off down a winding old dirt trail leading into wilderness and adventure.
"America," said Pacifica as they began this latest journey, "You shouldn't worry about England too much." America kept his eyes on the trail in front of them, which was soon to end.
"What do you mean?" he asked without really thinking about it.
"Well, it's just that he's never around... and, well, as you know, I've met France and Spain, and..."
"And?"
"It's just, if England is anything like them, he doesn't care too much about you or the colonies. He only cares about what you can do for him, and if you start getting too strong, he'll try to hold you back."
America stopped his horse, and looked back at her, eying her up and down.
"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know England like I do," he said bluntly and turned his face back to face the trail. Pacifica eyed him back curiously, noting that he hadn't commanded the horse to gallop forward again yet.
"... I guess you're right. Just forget about it..." she finally said weakly.
"Done and done," answered America, and he commanded the horse to gallop forward again.
And so America continued to grow up, becoming stronger and more capable on his own, until finally England returned. He stood just outside of America's house, and observed how it was still well-kept and how several additions have been added to it. England smiled and made his way up the front porch, which seemed to have been recently painted with a fresh coat of white paint. As he approached the door, he held his fist up to knock, but stopped and smiled, deciding to just let himself in and surprise America, like he always did before.
"He seems to have done well for himself," said England to himself, "but he couldn't have changed to much. It will be good to see him again, though, after fighting such a tiring war."
England opened the door and stepped in, and hung his coat on the wall next to door, the same place he had hung it many times before. He slowly made his way to the living room, and, seeing that no one was there, decided to loudly announce his return.
"I've come to see you again, America! Just like I promised!" belted England loudly, hoping that America had listened to him to stay near his house all this time. The second after he had spoken, he could here the thundering of footsteps on a nearby stairwell, and before he knew it, America was standing right in front of him. And he was taller than him.
"Howdy, England!" greeted America enthusiastically. Finally, after all this time, England had returned! England, seeing that America was now actually taller than him, blinked and staggered for a moment, trying to regain his composure.
"Huh? Wait... you..." began England, fumbling with his words as America waited ecstatic for him to say something.
"...You grow so fast!" England blurted, finally getting over his initial shock. America just smiled broadly and patted him on the shoulder.
"Yea! Well, it's great to see you again, England! I did as much as I could while you were gone, and the colonies are better than ever!" exclaimed America excitedly, "Here, have a seat!"
America led England to a chair near the dining room table and poured some tea for him, setting on the table beside him.
"This is tea that you imported to me some time ago," America explained, "I hope you like it, after such a long journey from your island! Did I mention it's good to see you again?"
England gaped his mouth for a moment, still observing America and comparing him to the small child he last saw over ten years ago. It was hard to believe that America had changed and grown so much in such a relatively short amount of time. He sipped his tea and found that it hadn't aged well, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he got up and held his right hand out to America. America raised an eyebrow, but extended his right hand and shook England's, wondering why England was being so quiet and acting so strangely. He was worried that he was disappointed. Finally, England began to say something.
"You've done well, America. You've made this old man proud."
"Awesome," was the only word America could say. He pulled England in close and hugged him as hard as he could, and cracking noises emanated from England's body.
"America..." began England, trying to regain enough breath after each word to say the next, "That's... enough! Enough... hugging!"
America let go of him, and as England's feet touched the ground, both of them heard the sound of someone sighing nearby. England turned around swiftly, fearing that France had followed him to pester and make sexual advances on him. What he saw was a young lady, about America's age, dressed in a white dress shirt with a brown, sleeveless vest over it. England blinked at her, having know idea who she was.
"A... girl?" thought England to himself, "And she's in America's house? Just who..." England's thoughts trailed off and he positioned himself so that all three of them could see and speak to each other. As he did so, he looked her over suspiciously, and noticed that she was wearing brown trousers. Trousers. On a woman. He was shocked.
"Who the hell is this?" asked England, pointing at the young woman. America, becoming a little worried, hesitantly began explaining.
"This... is Pacifica. She's my friend."
The girl stepped forward and eyed England up and down, which only made him more paranoid.
"Are you England?" asked Pacifica curiously. England stared at her.
"... Yes? I mean, yes. I am. I suppose America has told you about me?" England eyed America up and down. "Because he hasn't told me about you." Pacifica frowned.
"Oh? Well, maybe if you were ever around, he-"
"Uh! That's okay, Pacifica!" America interjected, "I'm just glad he's back! We should all celebrate!"
Pacifica didn't say any more, but England could tell that something more was going on. He was worried that America would get lonely and try to reach out to another country. But was she another country? And what had America been saying about him that would make her start talking like that?
England sighed, deciding that he should probably speak to America in private, especially considering the news he had brought. And of-course, he would have to have America explain to him who the girl was.
"Hey, America, I need to discuss something important with you. I figure that since you've grown up so much, the least I should do is tell you straight-forwardly what will be happening soon."
America looked almost shocked, but then smiled widely and nodded his head. England had just said he was grown up! Grown up enough to for the two of them to speak to each other like adults! So, like a child, he jumped up in the air, let out a 'Yahoo!' and led England to the front door.
"Pacifica," he yelled out, "I'll be right back! Please don't get to upset with me please, I just cleaned my house up!" England raised an eyebrow at that last comment before being shoved out through the doorway. As America closed the door, Pacifica looked on sadly.
"I'm not upset with you..." she said quietly, "I'm just worried about you."
Outside of the house, America led England down the path that led to his house.
"Hey, America," England asked as casually as he could, "What did you mean by that?" America looked at him funny.
"By what?"
"When you said you didn't want her to get upset with you, because you just cleaned up your house?" England paused for a second. "And why would she be upset?"
"Oh!" exclaimed America, "Well, you see, when she gets mad or upset, winds carrying dust and dirt surround her, and the wind can get pretty strong. It once broke through the windows of my house and messed everything up inside, and I don't want it to happen again."
England was surprised to learn this, but decided that it confirmed that she must be one of them: a country, or at least, that she had the potential to be a country. America continued to answer his second question.
"As to why she would be upset..." America began, trying to think of a good way to explain it, or at least a good lie, "Well, I've told her about you and how awesome you are, but I think she just doesn't trust you because of how long you left me alone. And the fact that I was still just a kid when you left."
A look of guilt mixed with surprise spread across England's face, and he fumbled with his words.
"... Oh. Well, I... I'm sorry," sputtered England uncomfortably, and he clenched his fists in stress.
"It's alright, England," said America, "I understand that you're a busy country. All great countries are."
England and America looked at each other for a moment, but England, being the way he is, decided to drop the whole topic before it became too emotional. He pulled out a small, folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to America.
"What's this?" he asked curiously as he unfolded it.
"It's a short rundown of everything that will be changing on this continent as a result of the war which just ended," England explained, "You'll want to take a look at it all, as most of it effects your economy and the like. Not necessarily for the worse, but you should look it over anyway."
America read through the brief little revelations as quick as he could, hoping he could make an intelligent comment on one of them and make himself sound cool, as he so often remembered England doing the same. But most of the things it said only referred to a small tax hike and a few other minor things. After he finished, he looked to England, who he imagined was waiting for some sort of specific response, like he was testing him.
"Oh, well, none of this such a big deal to me, I guess," was the only thing he could think to say. He imagined that he sounded pretty unimpressive, and England raised an eyebrow at him.
"You should read the other side," said England dully, crossing his arms as he did so. America blinked and turned the paper over, seeing a couple of other things. His eyes widened when he read them, and looked to England.
"This says... Canada is now under your rule?" he asked, not sure how he felt about it. England nodded his head once.
"Yes, that's right. Your relations with him should begin warming soon, so be sure to make a good impression the next time you see him," explained England sternly, so sternly in fact that America couldn't tell if he was even happy about it or not.
"Oh, well, I don't really remember much about him... but you're probably right..." said America as casually as he could, still trying to impress England. Then he read the last part of the paper.
"A... Royal Proclamation?" he asked as he read through it. England sighed slightly, not sure how America would react to the rest. He watched with some anticipation as America finished reading, readying himself for any reaction. America stared at the ground when he finished, clenching the paper tightly in his hand. The reaction England wasn't hoping for.
"It says... that I'm not to extend explore or extend my borders west of the Appalachians," said America solemnly, "Why, England? You said that we would tame the west together... but now..."
"I'm sorry America, but it's for the best," England tried to explain, "This isn't about you. It's about the Indians. Already, I'm dealing with an Indian uprising around the Great Lakes and Canada. They don't like the British, they like the French, but France ceded all of his claims on this continent to me and Spain. If you started poking your nose around those lands, it would just make things worse for both of us. Especially you!"
America's countenance was fallen, as he realized the desire of his people, and his heart, was about to be crushed. He felt that Pacifica was right when she said that England would try to hold him back, and tie him down. He began reading the paper again, to see everything that it said, all of the little bullet points and everything. England tried reading his face, seeing that he was obviously disappointed, but was unable to tell how he would react next. He decided to explain further.
"The proclamation creates a boundary line between my colonies on the Atlantic coast and the Indian lands west of the Appalachian Mountains," England began, "The boundary is not intended to be a permanent boundary between you and the Indians, but rather a temporary boundary that can be extended further west in an orderly, lawful manner."
At this, America through the crumpled paper on the ground, it rolled near to England's feet.
"This proclamation gives you a monopoly on west!" shouted America, angry. England looked straight into his eyes, not saying anything.
"You're forbidding my colonists from moving and settling beyond the boundary!" America continued, "Only your officials can purchase land now! What the hell is this?"
"Stop right there," England interjected, "Your colonists are my colonists. Don't forget that. With that in mind, it only makes sense that only I should be able to purchase land. If I allowed you keep doing it, it would cause to much trouble."
"You mean it would cause too much trouble for you," America countered, "because you can see that I'm growing stronger. You're afraid that you won't be able to manipulate me any longer."
At that, England snapped.
"It isn't like that! You may have grown a lot on the outside, but inside you must still be a child! Only a child would-"
"She was right all along!" interjected America, cutting England off before he could finish. England narrowed his eyes.
"You mean that girl, Pacifica?" England asked suspiciously. America nodded at him, which convinced England that he was right about something more going on between them.
"Pacifica... what does she have to do with anything?" asked England angrily, "Just who the hell is she? What kind of things has she been telling you?"
"She's just worried about me," answered America, who was only made angrier by England's outburst, "She knows that this is the first time you've seen me in over ten years, that the last time I saw you was when I was just a child! She knows that you left me alone for so long!"
England's anger suddenly subsided for a moment, feeling guilty about leaving him alone. It wasn't something that he wanted to do, but, it seemed that America thought that it was. And Pacifica probably thought the same thing, as far as England could figure. As he thought about this, America looked on at him, not saying any more, waiting for him to reply. To prove him and Pacifica wrong. He hoped that he and her were wrong. But England didn't say anything, much to America's disappointment.
"... So, it's all true, then, is it?" muttered America after a few more moments of silence, "This is just... a soft form of tyranny, England. I you really so afraid of losing control?"
England was shocked that he would say something like that, and his anger quickly boiled back up again, and they both began throwing insults at each other. This was not the reunion that they wanted, but the wills of their people, and their leadership, prevented them from a harmonious relationship from there on out.
"... Dammit, I'm leaving. There's no use arguing with a brat like you. You should know that things aren't so simple!" yelled England.
"I'm sure they aren't! But either way, it's clear that you don't give a damn about me or my freedom!" America yelled back.
"Argh! You can think what you want, but it won't change a thing!" exclaimed England, "Nothing you do will change anything! You're just some backwater group of colonies that I send my trash too! And that's all you ever were to me!"
They both suddenly became completely quiet. England didn't mean to say that, and he wished he could take the words back. But his pride wouldn't let him. He couldn't risk looking weak in front of his own colony. No, he had to be strong, and enforce British law, regardless of what he or anyone else thought about it. So, without saying anything more, he turned and headed back to America's house to retrieve his coat, and decided that he would just head back to his docked ship and head back for Great Britain. America remained silent as well, watching him head towards his house, but not asking why he was going there. Instead, he turned the opposite direction and started down the path to be by himself.
The sunlight beamed softly through the kitchen windows of America's house, falling softly on Pacifica's skin as she waited for the two men to return. As she lifted up a cup of tea to her lips, the front door flung open wildly and hit the wall with a loud thud, startling her and causing her to spill a little of the tea on her dress shirt. She got up from her chair at the kitchen table and made her way over to the door, finding England wrestling angrily with his coat, trying to put it on, but his anger was apparently screwing with his body's motor-functions. She stopped and stared at him until he finally managed to get the coat on, at which point he took notice of her.
"Oh, you're still here..." England said quietly, and Pacifica could barely hear him.
"Yea, I am... Where's Alfred?" she asked suspiciously, noticing how angry he was just a few seconds ago. England looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"... So you know his human name..." he observed a loud. Pacifica blinked at him, but before she could say anything, England continued speaking.
"Alfred... America is off dealing with his own business" he explained, half-lying, "Which you don't have any part of." Pacifica narrowed her eyes.
"Just what do you mean by that?" she asked, anger seething just below her skin.
"I don't want you to see America anymore. You're not right for him, to put it simply."
"What did you say?" Pacifica snapped, "You think you can decide that for yourself? That you can just run his life like he was your property? You have no idea what me and him have been through together! I've been his friend when you off fighting your wars, leaving him alone with no one!"
England just sneered.
"I can understand how he feels about this, but you have been filling his head with ideas about me that are just not true. Your ignorance concerning me and why I do what I do has been warping America's views of me, even though I think of him, and have tried to treat him as, my brother."
"What the hell? You can't lie to me like that and say that's how you think of him!" Pacifica cried, but England just turned to the open door and took a step outside. Without turning his head, he spoke one last time to her.
"I'm telling you that you don't understand me, or America. Stay out of his life."
With that, he made his way down the steps of the porch, and left for the nearby dock, where his transport ship was located. Pacifica watched him leave, too angry to say anything else. This was the first time she had ever met England, but, in her mind, he was exactly how she always pictured him as. To her, he was just as power-hungry and imperialistic as France or Spain, and just as heartless. But she couldn't know that England was hurting deeply, and his heart, which he definitely had, was aching harshly at the fact that what America had said about him being afraid of losing control was partly right.
And suddenly, he couldn't stand that part of himself.
Author's Notes:
Alright, so I made a small mistake in the last chapter. The Seven Years War actually started in 1754, not 1755. So basically everything that happened in the first chapter happened in 1754, not 1755 like it says. So, sorry for the historical error, I promise to research more carefully in the future. :-|
Anyways, most of the chapters will deal with the actual wild west, so don't worry about that. I just need to get through the American Revolution first and then the rest of the story will be westward-bound. The reason for this is I just want to establish America, England, and Pacifica's relationship with each other before they get into their adventures in the west (although England probably won't be making any more appearances after the next couple of chapters).
The Royal Proclamation that America and England started fighting over was the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which was issued by King George III following the Seven Years War. The gist of what it was about, at least concerning the American colonies, was more-or-less explained in the course of the chapter.
I should probably say now that I do like England, Spain, and France, and it's just Pacifica that thinks those bad things about them (which at this point in history, was probably partly right).
Also, I changed Pacifica's human name to Jessie Rae Cassidy, just because. It sounds wild west-ish, right?