Chapter 3

There was disturbing silence. Some nations were watching the floor with confuse, others were glaring with shock at the fairy and America, who was tightly holding the Last Will. And suddenly Alfred smiled and giggled nervously, putting the paper on the table.

"Well, it must be some bad joke of his." He said, still giggling. "He couldn't do it."

Vivien's jaw dropped, when she heard nervous laughs all over the table. She felt the wave of weakness, like she was going to faint right here, right now.

"Yeah, he would never acknowledge me." Sealand said and got serious. "That jerk."

"And suddenly he's apologizing?" Ireland asked cynically. "Come on, he's too proud to apologize me for sudden bump in the train."

"Oh, petit Arthur could never kill himself." France added, trembling lightly from laugh. "England and suicide?! Please, it sounds ridiculous."

They were still laughing. Vivien imagined Arthur – this poor, broken, completely depressed man, who was now sleeping, but when he'll wake up, he will have still this horrible suicidal thoughts. Her heart shook, when she thought about her dear friend. It ached even more, when she remembered all things, he had said about other countries – that they hated him and made fun of him. They had drove him to this state! Because of them he was contemplating suicide!

"He was right." She whispered, but the fact that she actually said something, made the nations, gathered in the Meeting Room, stop laugh and start to stare at her. She tighten her fists and looked at a bit surprised America with the most cold and bitter expression her little, beautiful face could manage. And when blue eyes of American blinked two times, she said: "You hate him."

"Wait, no." Alfred started to explain. "Nobody in this room hate England. We just know, he's only dramatizing."

"Oh, yeah, you twat?!" She yelled, flying up to be on the same eye level as he. "When you've been in his place last time to saying such thing?! And maybe he wasn't in last couple of world meetings, because he's dramatizing?!"

"Calm down, Vivien…" Ireland began to appease her, but she quickly flew to him and barked:

"I'm not going to calm down, when he's going to kill himself!" Then she turned back and landed again on the table. "Because of who he want to die?! Because of bunch of egoists, who laugh at his Last Will! You were bulling him, making fun of him and hurting him, since he was just little child! And now, when you all drove him to such despair, you're laughing?!"

Once again there was silence. Everybody was staring at Vivien, who bit his lips.

"OK, you gits!" She said, flying up and stopped meter above the table. "I see, I have no other choice! I have to show you everything!"

She rose her right arm and pointed it on America, who was now on her right side. Then she started to spinning round and round, faster and faster. Suddenly everything around the nations began to change – Conference Room disappeared in the white cover that was absorbing first table, then floor and walls. All nations stood up from their chairs, when they've saw it and soon they were standing in the middle of completely white space.

"Where are we?" Japan asked, looking around.

"Nowhere… yet." Vivien said and rested on the America's shoulder. "But soon you all will see something that will, for sure, open your eyes."

She snapped her fingers and they found themselves in the not so dense forest. In front of them was sitting on his knees little boy. He had dark robe on his shoulders and white shirt. His messy blond hair, big, light green eyes and bushy brows had told them everything about identity of mysterious child.

"Arthur." Ireland whispered. "Baby Arthur."

Next to boy was standing little pony-unicorn, but only few of observers could see it (China, Korea, Scotland, Ireland, Wales – the nations where the faith in spirit was quite strong). The boy put on the ground little bowl of boiled and chopped vegetables. When unicorn bowed his head to eat the vegetables, little Arthur started to pet it gently. He seemed to be happy.

"Well, for now everything with him is OK, Vivien." Wales said. Fairy turned her gaze to him.

"Now nothing is wrong, but…" She cut the sentence and all nations could hear the teasing calling from the woods:

"Hey, Arthur!"

Boy's expression suddenly changed from cheerful to scared. He quickly stood up, took the bowl and said to unicorn:

"We have to hide. If they get us, we will be doomed."

He hid the bowl in the nearest bush and started to look for good cover for himself, but he was too late. Scotland caught him by the collar and put him up. Ireland and Wales stood beside the Scott and watched with sadistic smirks how their little brother was desperately struggling in the air. It was weird view, because England was small and his three brothers looked like overgrown tens.

"Look, isn't it our whimpy little brother?" Ireland said.

"Leave me alone!"Arthur cried.

"What were you doing here, Arthur?!" Scotland asked, shaking his little brother violently.

"Nothing." England answered, rolling his eyes at the ground.

"Oh look, guys." Wales bowed and took out from the bushes the bowl with vegetables. Then he stood up and showed it to his brothers. "Little Arthur was once again feeding this stupid unicorn."

"He's not stupid!" Englishman protested. "He's my friend!"

"Sure," Scotland said with teasing tone. "like friendless England could have friends."

And then he loosed his caught and let his little brother land harshly on the ground. Scotland from nowadays covered his face in shame.

"Stupid, sissy unicorn is perfect friend for our useless brother." Wales added and kicked the boy in his stomach. Arthur curled with pain, meanwhile his brothers started to hitting and kicking him. Nations were helplessly watching how Scotland, Wales and Ireland were victimizing their baby brother, when their today's analogues tried not to look. Vivien was staring at them for a moment and then she turned her gaze to bullied boy.

"You were doing this to him for years. He was your baby brother. How could you treat him like that?"

"It was just teasing." Wales tried to justify himself and his brothers. "Brothers are always fighting."

"You call this fight?!" Germany barked. "It's beating up of little child! And what your mother had said about it?!"

"She wasn't protesting." Scotland calmly explained and all eyes turned to him. He looked at them, but then returned to England, and said: "Our dear mother, Britannia, wanted us to become strong. She let us hit Arthur, so he could grow up into tough man. So we were doing it."

"But it looks like you were liking it, bullies." France commented.

Young Wales, Ireland and Scotland finally stopped and started to leaving England. Boy was covered with dirt and bruises. He tried to put himself up, but he hadn't much strength. Vivien snapped again and all nations were now in the Arthur's house from XVIII century. Dirty and bruised England in red uniform was sitting on the sway chair, cradling himself slowly and observing with sad gaze the floor. Fire was dancing in the fireplace.

"Was it after…?" America asked the fairy on his shoulder. Vivien nodded.

"Yes, it's the night after Revolution. I don't know, how long he was sitting like this, but when I've came to him…"

Younger Vivien appeared from nowhere and sat on Arthur's shoulder.

"What happened?" She asked. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes on her.

"Alfred claimed independence." His voice was quiet and shaking. It seemed he was near to cry. "And…" He looked at the ceiling like he wanted to surpass the tears. "we've met on the battlefield." Young Vivien's eyes widened. England returned to observing the floor and swaying. "When he said, he's no longer my little brother, I've took the musket and…"He bit his lip and was silent for few seconds. And then he continued with even more shaking voice: "And I've attacked him. I've attacked my little Alfred." Tears shined in his eyes, when he said: "Vivien, I've only scratched him with bayonet. Thank God, I wasn't able to shot him. I couldn't shot him."

"Why?" Fairy on his shoulder asked, resting her hand on his cheek.

"I couldn't shot to my baby brother, Vivien. I couldn't, just like that, forget about all good times, I've spent with him, and shot to him like to enemy."

He stopped the swaying, bowed his neck and covered face in hands. His silent whimpers echoed softly through the room. America was watching it with bitterness and heavy heart. He remembered the image of broken England, who was kneeling and crying in front of him. And when he was observing the same England weeping in the sway chair, he felt the wave of guilt.

"He's gone." Arthur cried with despair. "My little Alfred abandoned me after all this years. I should have known he, sooner or later, will be hating me."

America's eyes widened and he moved a bit.

"No, Arthur. "He whispered. "I've never said, I hate you."

"Maybe you hadn't said it," Nowadays Vivien responded. "but he was thinking otherwise. He loved you like his own brother, Alfred. You were the first person, he truly loved. When everybody in the international arena were laughing at him and calling him 'friendless England', he was coming to you and you were making him smile. You were giving him happiness. So when you claimed independence, he thought that you hate him, because you abandoned him."

"I didn't wanted to hurt him. I just wanted independence."

"After few years he reconciled with the thought, you're not his colony anymore. But still, when you're celebrating your birthday, he can't be joyful along with you. It's too painful to him, thinking about this day."

America looked last time at crying England and Vivien snapped, transporting all nations into Conference Room. They've saw Allied Forces on the chairs, drawing out from their briefcases their lunches. It didn't took them long to find at the table England with three scones and cup of tea. France from that time came closer to him, holding in his hands croissant. Arthur looked at him coldly, but he didn't said anything.

"So, friendless England." Francis started, resting his hand on Englishman's shoulder. "How's your day?"

"Get out, damn frog. I'm eating." Arthur growled.

"Oh, come on, England. I've came to you, because you're looking so lonely… Well, it's obvious you don't have any friends. After all you're friendless England."

France from that time hadn't seen, how England's hand with cup of tea began to shake, but France from nowadays realized it quickly.

"Everybody knows, you're wry cynic, who's cuisine is poisonous, so they're avoiding you as much as they can." Francis continued with mocking smile. Arthur put the cup with noise and turned his angry gaze to Frenchman.

"So why I am here, frog?" He asked angrily. "If everybody's avoiding me, why I'm in this alliance?"

"Well, it's quite simple. We need your military, so we had made alliance with you. Simple law of war."

"War… I see." Arthur whispered, but then he sent Francis hateful glare and barked: "Get out, frog! I want to eat."

"OK, OK." Francis stood up and left Englishman alone.

Arthur took one of the scones, but he didn't bit it. He crushed it in his hands. All nations, who were taken away from conference, rolled their eyes on nowadays France.

"What?" The Frenchman asked. "It was just teasing."

"People sometimes forget," Vivien started. "that words can hurt. You always were the one, who were making fun of Arthur. And it wasn't teasing. It was cruel jeers. You were the first person, who called him friendless. You don't even realize, how many times this word were used, when people were addressing to him. He was looking for friend among you all, but in the end, he didn't found anyone like that. Long time ago he heard the prophecy that he will be always alone. That every alliance he'll make, will break apart. That every nation he will love, will abandon him. That he will be hated by everyone. So, as you can see, he quite easily believed, he's hated." She snapped and they found themselves back in the Conference Room. She flew up from America's shoulder and stopped in front of nations. "And now he's going to kill himself, because of it. Are you going to let him die and prove, he's friendless, or maybe you will do something about it?"

Suddenly Vivien felt something and her eyes widened. This feeling meant only one thing and it was bad thing.

"He'd woke up." She whispered and rolled her eyes on the nations before her. "He's going to jump from the cliff. Will you help me to stop him?"

Nations were silent for a moment. They looked at each other with confusion. But when fairy started to losing her hope, they all gazed at her. Their eyes were full of determination and readiness to help. America took one step forward and said to Vivien:

"Let's go."

You wanted it, so you have it! Thanks for reviews and I will be waiting for more of them.

Now - no offence to Scotts, Irishes and Welshes (I have soft spot for Scottish culture), but I've read in Hetalia Wiki that there's mention at least two times, England was bullied by his elder brothers. So I wrote this scene.