Shriek
Crash
The blond child's eyes seemed to flash, his face darkened. He had another rock in his hand with every intent to throw it as well.
Defying his weakened body, Iceland was out for in blood, or attention, or something. He was angry, and he wanted it known.
"Look at me!" the boy screamed, then repeated himself in the language of the language was directed at. "Look at me! Stop what you're doing!"
"Huh?" The tall teen spun around, catching a glimpse of the stone the child was poised to throw at him. Breaking into an appearingly amused smile, he spoke calmly, which only angered Egill even more. "Hey, Ice, let's not throw things. Okay?"
"No!"
Just as he aimed, Mathias reached and grabbed his wrists, causing the child to begin to wail out, kicking his feet and swinging his entire body against the Dane. "Hey, chill out, kiddo. I won't hurt you."
It was almost like his ears had shut off in rage, and his sole purpose was the crying, pummeling and violence. "No! No! I hate you! Get out of my life! No! Die or something! I hate you!"
Recognizing his little brother's voice, SIgurd came running to meet the scene.
"Nor!" Mathias called out, his calmness, smile and grip on the child's arms weakening. "Come help me! It's your territory anyway!"
As he reached for the boy, Norway's eyes shot at Denmark in prejudiced ire. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing! He attacked me first."
As Sigurd tried to pull Egill away, the child turned on him as well, pushing him off his balance before returning to attack Mathias. "Go away, Norway!"
Norway was momentarily stunned to have lost, at least for the moment, the title of 'brother' he had held as long as he'd known the child, to the point that he couldn't interfere anymore. For several more minutes, Egill railed against Mathias in an outburst that they couldn't quite place the cause of. Eventually, in his rage, he toppled the tall young man, and with a final kick, stormed out.
"You can't control me or my people!" were his last words as he ran away.
He was followed a few steps behind by Sigurd, all the way until he came to his room. As Sigurd opened the door again, he saw his brother quietly fuming under a blanket, and cautiously tip-toed over to sit beside him.
"Are you okay, Egill?" No answer. "What happened?" … "What did Mats do to you?"
Egill shifted away from his brother, training his eyes on the floor. As he started to talk, he spoke monotonely, with a little whine to his voice. "Denmark is bad news, Bróðir. Something bad is going to happen, he's going to tell me I can't do this or I can't do that. One day, he will take even more control and he will ruin our lives."
Sigurd reached to pat the boy's shoulders. "Don't worry so much. I do hold a certain amount of power here myself and I won't let anything within my control hurt you. He does have good intentions."
Initially, Egill flinched away from the touch, but after a few moments, accepted it and leaned against the other. "He's going to hurt me, he's going to hurt you too. Finland and Sweden too. And inevitably, he'll hurt himself. He may not mean it, but he doesn't have the capacity to fill the role he wants to have."
Unsure of how to take the cynical words, Sigurd tried to lighten his dark mood. "What? Can you see the future?"
Egill frowned. "You won't listen to me, Bródir, because you're too blinded by pride to see what will happen. It's very clear to me, it has been all of my life. I'm not as innocent as you wish to believe. There are reasons for anarchy, and you'll never see them." He stayed quiet for a time, fiddling with a hem of his skirt, lost in his own thoughts. Abruptly, he turned to face Sigurd, reaching out his arms to be held like he used to. As he was accepted into his brother's arms, he leant his head on his shoulder. "I love you most, Bróðir."
During these times, the richness of Icelandic seas were attracting to even more of the nearby nations. English and German traders and fisherman travelled north, some bringing the fortunes of trade with the powerful Hanseatic League, others causing disturbances in an already suffering land by taking from the waters of their own accord. Any benefit that the Icelanders felt from these connection, only benefited Denmark more, creating a rivalry within the union. Having been at odds with the Hansa, exerting their control over Icelandic trade with the English was profitable for Denmark, but at the Icelanders' expense, as they began to lose the autonomy they had held within Norway's control.
Handing over rule to a king, and a foreign king at that, had been hard enough for the young nation, and to watch as the successive kings continually ignored his and his people's existence until they were profitable was infuriating. They were treated as possessions, inanimate and distanced. Egill was nothing more than 'Norway's territory', but under Danish rule, a harsh combination of ignoring and passing off Iceland as none of their concern, yet taking from them what was useful without considering the consequences to their subjects. Egill grew bitter and began to lash out, not because he wanted the attention from Mathias – the attention he got from Sigurd was already bordering on overbearing, by his personal standards — but rather as an indignant protest.
In his brief yet frequent trips home, he would watch the English with great attention. Years before, he had admired their nation greatly, but time had passed and he hadn't seen the other. Quietly, he wished he could, but he was isolated, both geographically and by his rulers. He wished the people would leave him now though, they were taking what kept him alive.
At times, he began to wonder why he still lived. He knew he couldn't end his own life, but there was nothing left for him. From wealth and security to sickness and pain he had gone. He kept himself hoping, wishing, he fed his mind and soul by rebellion, anyway to prove to himself that he didn't have to be what they made him, do what they told him. No one would tell Iceland how to be Iceland.
A/N: Neeehhh…short chapter. I'm sorry. It's just so hard to live up to you guys' standards with the little I have to work with. Thanks for supporting the story though! =u=
~Butter~
