England
"...and after Rhys had summoned Dewi, Emil and him released Lukas and I from mind-control with the poker. Personally, I think they all acted admirably. Without Vlad, Emil, and Rhys, it's likely that Lukas and I would still be on that mountain."
I took a sip from one of my china teacups and waited for the other countries' response. My head was panging and some of my hair was still singed but that's what I got for having agreed to host a meeting after being possessed. If I'd known what would happen a week in advance then I definitely would have given the responsibility to France or Ireland.
Germany coughed into his fist and looked up with a serious expression. "You were drunk, weren't you?"
I scoffed. "I was not! Not everything I say is a euphemism for drinking!"
"Admittedly it is usually, but I can vouch that it isn't this time," Wales added. "I mean, it wasn't midday when we left and it was non-stop since there. Neither of us had any time to start drinking."
"I wouldn't put it past you to have some on your person, Angleterre," France muttered to the agreement of nearly everyone.
"And I you." I glowered at as many people as I could catch, my arms crossed indignantly, but then Wales patted my shoulder.
"It's a reasonable assumption, Arthur. Even you have to admit that." I did, but that didn't mean I had to like that everyone assumed that of me.
Wales continued. "Anyway, so with that out of the way, can we start the meeting now?"
There was an unspoken groan among all the countries. I think we all would have preferred to keep putting off the actual meeting since it would ultimately end in a pointless argument. But I could understand his intent of saving me from the list of events that proved me to be an alcoholic in their eyes.
England
Wales slumped into one of the comfy high-backed chair almost as soon as everything was over. The day was long and we were both exhausted on almost every level. I staggered over to the fire in an attempt to rekindle it. It wasn't the safest idea but I having a wood-burning fire always made the living room feel more comfortable.
I shoved a log into the hearth and piled on rolled-up newspaper and kindling over it. It was at that moment I became aware of two things: that we didn't have the poker any more, and that Wales' car was still parked in some field near a motorway. Iceland, Romania, and Norway were gone, they'd left along with the others, so the two items would be lost for a while.
Anyway, I did the best I could with what I had and went to sit down opposite Wales. He wasn't a notorious napper like his friend, New Zealand, was but the Welshman was curled up and snoring mutely. He wasn't going to wake up any time soon.
A smile came to my face, making me feel oddly like an older brother instead of the truth. North was my only little brother in that sense but everything between Wales and me was so contradictory and confusing.
But I want to let you know: I had to find out about this from a library book.
The smile faded a bit. This was the life I'd been forced to live for a very long time. A life of regret and previous actions being hurled back at me with the intent to hurt. For centuries, power had been my only drive. I, like so many others, had created an empire, expect mine had expanded to point of no other before. I hadn't been kind and despite my present efforts I knew I wasn't going to banish that perception any time soon, even at home.
I flopped down in the chair opposite my brother and awaited sleep, only to find it had gone on a run. My eyes didn't close and my exhaustion had abandoned me without warning. I gazed around until I ended up staring at the bookshelves. They were full of Anglo-Welsh literature even if there was a clear majority.
I furrowed my eyebrows and stood. "Rhys?" I inquired softly. He didn't make indication that he could hear me so he wouldn't be waking up any time soon. I glanced out of the window and saw the setting sun, given away by the deep red sky but still high enough in the sky to avoid the mountain silhouettes.
I had enough time.
Wales
My eyes fluttered open to the sound of movement which had only just then registered in my sleepy mind. The light initially fooled me into thinking it was morning but it was only the fire. The sky outside was dark and jewelled, indicative of night.
My left foot brushed the carpet but my right knee was pressed up against my stomach and the armrest. Pins and needles attacked one of the arms and the other was warm thanks to the lit fireplace.
I shook the bleariness from my vision and pushed myself upright. Everything was blurred but clearing so I managed to catch England in the act.
"Arthur..?" I half-mumbled, half-yawned.
He halted and turned his head to meet my line of sight. He smiled awkwardly. "Sleep well?" the blonde wondered.
I nodded slowly and stretched like a cat. "Well enough. You?"
England slotted something back into the bookshelf. "I never went to sleep. It's too early, isn't it? I've been sorting out a few things: shopping, fetching some things, etcetera."
"'Fetching some things'? Wait, how long was I sleeping?"
"A few hours. You don't need to worry, it's not tomorrow or anything. I was fetching your car." England fished around in his trouser pocket and tossed the keys over to me with a high jangling.
They fell into my lap but I craned my head to glimpse at the bookshelf England had moved to hide from view. "What are you doing? I thought they were already in order."
He hummed distractedly. "Uh huh. Er, I mean they were. I'm organising the new ones."
"New ones? Where on Earth did you go in the journey to get my car?"
"There's no need to sound so suspicious. I'm allowed to buy books, Rhys. I happened to notice the shelves were a little bare so I took the initiative to purchase some more. You know how much I hate wastes of space."
And at that, England tried his hardest to jam a book into a lines of others while hiding the struggle.
I straightened up in the chair and raised a thick eyebrow at him. "Arthur, the truth. Now."
"Fine. I...I bought that book you told me about. I phoned Vlad and he told me which one it was so I decided to make the trip while you were asleep." He pulled it back out and presented it to me. I reached out and grabbed the cover. It was the one I'd found in the library. The one with the stories of the Lady of the Lake, John Gethin and the Candle, and Black Robin. It was full of familiar stories but also of stories I had forgotten.
When I looked up, I saw that my brother appeared guilty. I felt a pang of guilt as well. He probably remembered my words from earlier. I'd been angry, even though I shouldn't have been. It was in the past and no matter what he did, England was powerless to change that.
England smiled at me. "It saved our lives today. I thought we'd do the proper thing and honour it."
I chuckled. "Thanks, Arthur."
He strolled across the room and took the chair opposite me. He leant back and felt around in the air next to him, reaching for the glass he'd put aside for the meet-up this morning.
"The kitchen's not too far. I can go get some beer if you want," I offered but the Englishman put up his hands, waving the suggestion off.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter anyway, I just thought...It doesn't matter. Back on topic, I was wondering whether we could continue our meeting; it was interrupted after all. I know Vladimir and Lukas are gone but wouldn't it be interesting to explore some of these?"
He tapped the blue book cover. "After today especially, I think we ought to reread them, together."
I stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, but my blank expression quickly sparked cheerfully. "I should mind control you every day. It makes you a nicer person."
"Don't ruin this, Rhys!"
"Hello, pot." I flipped open the book and scanned the pages. "Do you want to start with the red dragon?"
He shrugged. "Might as well. If anything here's relevant I guess it's that."
The book was written in Welsh so I had to translate it for my brother. Along the way I tried to teach him a few of the random phrases I encountered, hoping to increase his vocabulary beyond insults from the old days.
We passed the Tylwyth Teg and more creatures. England didn't have a much of a problem with his tales since he'd gained their trust after a time. As we read, I recognised the fact I would be doing quite a bit of work in the future but I felt better knowing that I would be able to know what I was dealing with.
Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed 'A Dangerous Thing to Forget'!
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