Chapter 13

1914

"This is an outrage!" The voice of a younger Russia boomed throughout the room as he rapped his hand against the table. Seated with him in a conference room were his two allies France and England.

Arthur sighed and took a long sip from his cup of coffee. He needed the caffeine today, what with dealing with an angry Russia.

France sympathetically patted Russia on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, mon ami. I know how frustrating this must be for you…"

But he ignored his friend and turned to Arthur.

"First the lie about the straits and now this? What am I supposed to do about Serbia?"

Arthur frowned. "What do you mean? What can you do about Serbia? His people helped influence the assassination of Austria's archduke! He should have expected something like this to happen!"

Russia scoffed. "He wasn't expecting Austria to send out an ultimatum! Now he's asking me what he should do about it."

Arthur shrugged. "I don't know, but Austria is ready to fight Serbia isn't he?"

Russia nodded. "He's definitely hinting as much. Those requests made that perfectly clear…"

"But you can't really throw yourself into a war right now, can you?" France asked quietly. Even though none of them were on friendly terms with Austria and his partner Hungary, starting an all-out war against their Empire didn't seem to be worth it… at least just yet. And as for Russia, even though Austria was his rival, deep down he knew that he didn't have the strength and resources to go to war against him. Uprisings, revolutions and strikes among his people and subjecting countries left him tired, disheartened and weak.

He sighed. "You know Serbia can't agree to Austria's terms," he said, rubbing his face with his hands. "Not after what happened to Bosnia. Those two, well, they're practically brothers."

Arthur sniffed. "Didn't know you cared so much about the Balkans, Russia," he said dryly. Russia glared at him and muttered something in his own language.

"All right, all right. Gentlemen, let's remember that we are gentlemen," France said. He stood, placed one hand on Russia's shoulder while placing the other on Arthur's. "And gentlemen treat each other with respect." He pointedly stared at Arthur.

"Austria has sent your friend Serbia an ultimatum," he continued. "And we all know that if Serbia doesn't agree with all the requests, Austria will declare war upon him…"

Russia snorted. "It's just an excuse. That man has wanted to go to war against Serbia and me for some time now. If Serbia says one tiny thing against that treaty, Austria will waste no time in making his move."

"What do Germany and Prussia have to say about this?" Arthur spoke up. He had no real argument against the two Germans, but he knew that they fully supported Austria and Hungary.

France sighed. "They're most likely ready for a fight. If Austria declares war, we can be sure that they will immediately go against us…"

And me, personally, for certain… he thought.

Arthur set down his cup and ran his hand through his hair. He was sick of all of this. Sick of the Balkans, of Austria and Hungary, of Russia… and he was beginning to wish that he hadn't joined any alliance or entente when offered all those years ago. Most importantly, he really didn't want to go to war.

"So what's to be done?" he asked quietly.

France and Russia were silent.

"I suppose it's up to Serbia and Austria," France said.

Arthur said nothing but looked at Russia. The country was staring down at the table, as if deep in thought. He couldn't begin to guess what was going on in the fellow's head.

Russia was divided. On one hand, he knew that if it came to war, he had to support his main Balkan ally. Austria's sly trick over the Mediterranean straits in Bosporus and the Dardanelles had left him feeling humiliated and fooled, especially since Bosnia was still annexed and Austria got everything. Russia had been left with nothing and he made sure he wouldn't be fooled again. But on the other hand, events in the previous years had indeed left him weaker and less sure of not only himself but of his Tsar.

Nikolay is a good man, but he is weak! He can't, or won't see what is happening to me… to all of us…

Finally, he spoke. "We wait."

France nodded and Arthur said nothing in disagreement. Even so, there was a sense of foreboding in all of their minds. They knew that these series of events that had started in the Balkan states would culminate into something bigger, and it was not going to be something good.

1909

Michelle sat with her legs pulled up to her chest and once again, watched the waves roll up to the shore. Arthur had finally come home today. What she had hoped would be several years of peace and happiness between the two of them had instead been nothing but him running from country to country, doing his best to keep everything in the Empire in check.

Michelle sighed. She felt restless again. It had been a long while since this feeling had come over her, but there it was. She was beginning to tire of just staying in the same place, of being unable to go about her own business and see other countries herself. Arthur was going places, seeing new things and new people. He had even sent her things from his travels, like new inventions from America and France. His letters spoke of the progression of so many modern things like the automobile, electricity, the telephone and something called a radio. She was grateful for his constant correspondence, but she was beginning to wish she was there with him, instead of reading about it.

She didn't tell him about any of these thoughts, however. She didn't think it was worth the telling. After all, she was still only a colony under Arthur's care and she didn't know what he, as the representative of the British Empire, would think.

"Aha! Found you!"

She quickly turned around to see the man himself striding towards her. At the sight of him, a smile played at her mouth and she shoved down those troublesome thoughts for another time.

"Here I am!" she cheerfully responded. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Indeed I did! I feel quite refreshed!" He sat down on the blanket beside her and lay back, resting his head on his crossed arms behind him.

"So…" she said quietly. "How is the outside world?"

Not that I ever get to see it…

She heard him grunt. "Not good, darling. Everything seems to be buggered. Or, at least about to be."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she heard him sigh. "Over in Europe there's this big Empire, see…"

She tipped her head. "Kind of like you?"

"Right. Kind of like me, except there are two people that make up the empire, not just one, unlike me. Well, they've been having this spat with a smaller country named Serbia that refuses to be a part of the Empire. Things between them have been getting… worse."

"Worse?"

"Yes. Serbia feels that the Empire is threatening their existence, and the Empire fears that the small country threatens their power. I swear it's turning into a big mess."

"Hmm…" She rested her chin on her hand as Arthur reached up to run his fingers through her hair.

"So the country named Serbia doesn't want to be part of the big empire?" she asked.

Arthur nodded. "Exactly."

"I see. So that's all that their fight is over?"

"Well, there is also the fact that the empire took over another smaller country that Serbia almost considers as a brother…"

Michelle nodded again. "Hmm…"

"Like I said, it's all one big mess."

She had to inwardly admit, she could understand Serbia's predicament. If given the chance to be her own country over being ruled by someone else, wouldn't she take it? She definitely would. She stole a glance at Arthur, who was simply gazing out to the ocean. She wondered what would he do if she declared herself independent? It wasn't like she would be telling him to stay out of her life, right? She would merely be asking for him to let her make her own political and social decisions.

"What do you think about all of that?" She suddenly asked.

"What do I think?" She stole a glance at him and saw that he was frowning in thought. There was a pause as he pondered the question.

"Well, I don't really have an opinion on the matter. It's none of my concern, after all."

"Oh." She merely said.

"Of course, if it comes to having to go to war or anything, I admit I would just tell Serbia to stop fretting about the country Bosnia and try to get along with Austria and Hungary. War is not something I'd want to charge headfirst into."

Michelle frowned and buried her toes in the sand. "Do you really think it would come to war?"

He sighed. "Yes. Those two are so annoyed with each other that one slight move could send one of them declaring war upon the other. And if that happened…"

Michelle turned to him. "What?"

He shook his head. "Well, if Serbia was at war that means his ally Russia would go to war to help him. If Russia went to war, he would expect his allies to help him as well. And that means that France and possibly I would have to take up arms."

There was a pause. Michelle had to let that entire notion sink in before she could say anything else.

"So… if you went to war, would that mean…?"

He stole a sidelong glance at her. "Yes, I would ask my colonies to help me."

Arthur saw her eyes widen and he quickly sat up. "But don't fret!" He exclaimed. "It hasn't come to that yet, and besides, I wouldn't ask you to go to war!"

She was quiet and they just looked at each other.

"I…I wouldn't want that for you, dearest," he said quietly. His hand touched her face tenderly and she closed her eyes. She felt relieved. War was never something she expected to take part in.

Arthur held her to him. No, he thought. I can't be expected to ask her to fight if war ever comes up. I wouldn't allow it! It's not like we'd need her people's help anyway… There's so few of them as is…

"So you see, my dear," he said quietly. "The outside world is not worth a thought. You're better off just staying here, safe. And you needn't worry about any thoughts of war. There won't be one."

She clung to him. She was furiously trying to believe his words.

"…And if there is," he continued. "Then I will do my damnedest to see that none of this, you, your people, my people, and everyone else are lost."

He looked out to the ocean as the two of them continued to quietly hold one another. His face was set in a determined frown. He was a fool, he inwardly thought, to promise such things. He was beginning to sound like his old self, a man who assured a little boy that everything he did for him was out of love and charity, and not because he wanted more land, more power.

Who are you to promise such a person as this beautiful woman a thing like that? You make it sound like you're a father to everyone, when in truth, you just own them all. You own her. You're scared that she and everyone else will leave you if you lose a war.

Arthur shut his eyes. He held Michelle closer. No, he said to himself. He didn't own her. Not her. She knew that he didn't see things like that, right? She could tell him what was on her mind. Even if he couldn't make decisions for his bosses, he would understand any qualms she might have. She knew this, right? He had said those things previously about staying safe on the island just to assure her that she was safe with him. If she really wanted to be more than a little island colony, she would tell him, wouldn't she? Yes, of course she would. And she hadn't, therefore, she must be content.

He felt her pull away from him a little and smiled at her. She smiled back.

Yes. Everything was all right, as it always had been. And it would always be.

1914

The news of the Austrian Archduke's assassination was broadcasted on radios all over the globe, and this also included the small backwater colony of Seychelles. There, in her little sitting room where she and Arthur had experienced several happy moments, Michelle heard about the major cause that would start a World War.

Arthur was away, again. It was something that she had grown accustomed to, even if she didn't like it. He had been gone conducting foreign affairs for the past several months and she didn't know when he would come back. She sighed. She missed his presence in the house: his voice, the annoying way he would leave dirty cups and cigarette stubs everywhere, the sound of him dramatically reading some poetry or play, and the warmth he gave when he held her in bed.

Before he had left, she had told him about how she wanted to see more of the world, and he had held her hands and said in a soft voice,

"Of course you do! It can only be expected from someone as lively as you, darling. How about this: the next time I come back here, I will take you on a holiday to India's home. You would love his land, Michelle. It's warm, exotic, and beautiful. Would you like that?"

The sound of the radio brought her back to reality and she furrowed her brow in worry. After remembering what she and Arthur had talked about concerning the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the little country of Serbia, she had a feeling that the trip to India would not be happening any time soon.

"Something's happening, Michelle," Henri said, standing up from his seat near the radio. "Something big is happening, and we have no idea what."

She heard the bitterness in his voice. Frowning, she looked at him.

"What are you saying, Henri?"

He shook his head. "Nothing… I just wish – So much is happening in the world and here we are, just sitting here waiting to see what's going to happen… I just feel like we're useless…" He shrugged, but Michelle understood. He was feeling the restlessness she had been feeling for the past few years. But while she tried to ignore the feeling, or give Arthur subtle hints about it, she could tell that Henri was handling it differently, with resentment. It worried her.

What also worried her was what Arthur would have to do about all of this.

… … …

"He what?!" Arthur roared. His chair flew back, the items on his desk were tossed in all directions and he angrily glared at the man who had come to tell him the news. Germany had invaded Belgium.

"Yes, Sir. That is what our emissaries to Belgium told us."

This was unacceptable! Arthur pressed his forefinger and thumb against his eyes.

"So… you mean to tell me that despite all of our agreements back in 1839, as well as a signed Treaty that assured Belgium's neutrality,the German army decided to storm through Belgium despite their promise not to?"

The man said nothing, but his face was enough of an answer.

"They're doing whatever possible to get to France, sir," he finally said.

Arthur didn't know what to do. He had hoped that this war would just blow over, that it would be over by Christmas, but with the threat of Germany barreling through Belgium, he knew that France's unprotected borders were the next to be threatened.

Arthur felt his hands begin to shake. If France fell, his people, his Empire, and all he knew and loved would be on the line. And that included the island of Seychelles.

In that moment, Arthur knew what his bosses would do. He knew he was going to war.

… … …

The moment she saw him coming down the lane, Michelle felt an immense swell of joy come over her. She bounded down the stairs and dashed past the sitting room where her brother was relaxing. He had come to live with her now that Arthur couldn't be around all that often.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Henri exclaimed amusedly.

"Arthur! Arthur's here!" she shouted.

She didn't see the frown on her brother's face at the sound of the English nation's name.

Michelle was out of the house and in Arthur's arms in a matter of minutes. He held her so tight and didn't speak that she became worried.

"What's happened?" She quickly asked. Backing away, she got a good look at him and noticed something different about him. He was no longer dressed in his usual daily attire of a suit jacket and trousers. He now wore a military uniform: neat, unwrinkled, buttoned up and decked out in medals.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and took hold of his hands. "You're in uniform… Does this mean…"

He nodded. "I have to leave tomorrow but I thought I would stop by here real quick before I shipped out. My bosses weren't too pleased with me, but I didn't care. I had to see you."

She nodded and tightly held his hands.

"Come inside," she said quietly.

Henri was no longer in the sitting room when they entered the house, Michelle noticed. She didn't say anything about it however as they sat down by the radio. It had been switched off and neither of them made a move to turn it on. They just sat there, side by side, unsure what to say to each other.

"Is Henri around?" Arthur asked hesitatingly. He figured that was as good a subject to start with as any.

She shook her head. "He was, but I don't know where he went to…"

"He's still angry with me, isn't he?"

Michelle sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes. But he'll get over it. I'm sure he will."

He hoped so. He and Michelle's brother had a falling out when he had denied Henri's request to join the war. Henri had sent several requests via formal letters, but every time he had received no letter of approval. As a result, he had become very dissatisfied with Arthur. He had no desire to see the man.

"I told him if we do decide to ask for assistance, he would be informed straight away. But hopefully this war will not last for too long. It's been going on long enough already…"

"He'll come to understand. Just give him time," she said quietly. "He just wants to do something to help the cause."

"Hmm."

Arthur didn't say what he was really thinking. The fellow should have been content to stay at home, not having to worry about seeing his people die or getting hurt himself. Henri didn't even have any fighting expertise. Truthfully, Arthur didn't think the islander would be able to help much.

Daylight was waning and it was almost time for supper. Michelle stared out the window and watched some birds flying in the sky going to some unknown destination. She envied the birds. They didn't have to worry about things like war and if their loved ones would get badly injured.

"Are you hungry?" she asked quietly.

"I could eat something, yes," Arthur answered. She nodded, slid off of the couch, and prepared to get a meal going for them. They didn't see Henri the entire time.

The meal was pretty good. Arthur noticed that her cooking had improved.

"Has India been giving you more cooking instructions?" He asked as he swallowed another forkful of chicken and rice.

"Yes," she chuckled. "You can't begin to imagine how many slaps on my hands I've gotten for my cooking mistakes."

He sniffed an amused laugh as he ate a couple more bites. Michelle began digging into her own plateful of food, glancing at him every so often.

"Does it taste all right?" she asked warily.

Their eyes met and he smiled. "It tastes fine, dearest."

"Good."

It grew quiet again and Michelle pushed some rice around the plate.

"Do you have to go to war?" she said in a soft whisper. She could almost feel him looking at her after she spoke.

"Yes, Michelle."

She bit on the inside of her cheek. "Why?"

He sighed and set his fork down. "Because a friend is in trouble. Not only that, but France needs my help. If he doesn't receive back up soon, there will be worse trouble for the rest of us in the future."

She looked up to meet his gaze.

"I understand."

He nodded. "Good."

"Though that doesn't mean I have to like it," she muttered.

"Nothing will happen to me, Michelle," he said. "I'm not about to let Austria and Germany win this."

She frowned and jabbed a piece of chicken. "You'd better not."

He laughed.

After the supper was over and everything was cleaned up, they decided to spend the last couple of hours before going to bed quietly in the sitting room. The radio remained turned off.

"The boy stirred, and smiled in his sleep, as though these marks of pity and compassion had awakened some pleasant dream of a love and affection he had never known. Thus, a strain of gentle music, or the rippling of water in a silent place, or the odour of a flower, or the mention of a familiar word, will sometimes call up sudden dim remembrances of scenes that never were, in this life; which-

"Michelle? Are you listening?"

She looked at Arthur wide-eyed. "Yes?"

He rolled his eyes and set his copy of Oliver Twist aside. "You're the one who wanted me to read this."

"I was listening!" she objected.

"So you can listen and look at… what is that?"

Michelle was holding what looked to be a sort of pair of binoculars that were set on a handle. She held what looked to be small photo slides in her hand.

"It's a stereopticon…" She gave him a look. "Remember? You sent one to me so I could look at pictures of different places."

"Oh right!" He exclaimed. He took hold of the slides that lay beside her and examined it.

"Look!" she said excitedly, holding the stereopticon out to him. "Where is this again?"

Upon taking the mini projector and looking into it, he saw a long walkway by a bed of water, where people were walking and looking at some buildings from across the water.

"This is in America," he said. "It's the Chicago World Fair from 1893."

"America…" she murmured. "Wait! Didn't you know him when he was a child?"

Arthur nodded. "I raised him in a similar situation between you and France."

"Right. You never talked about him much, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, well," he shrugged. "He rebelled, we fought, and now we're mutual acquaintances. There's nothing much to talk about…"

He heard her murmur something along the line of hmmm, and he saw her looking back into the stereopticon.

"Is he nice?" she asked.

Arthur shrugged again. "He's loud, but yes, he's a good fellow."

"I'd like to visit his home someday, I think…" Michelle said thoughtfully.

"Should I be jealous?" he teasingly remarked.

Putting aside the little projector, she just smirked at him. "It all depends on how easily jealous you can get."

He scoffed and stood off of the sofa. "Well, whatever darling. I think I shall head for bed." He stretched.

Upon hearing that, she quickly rose up herself and wrapped her arms around his midsection. He chuckled at her actions.

"What's all this?" he asked amusedly.

"Don't leave me," she said childishly. "I've only got a few more hours with you as it is…"

That made him sadly smile. "Then come along, Michelle."

He spoke to her quietly, as if speaking to a child and took her by the hand. As they headed upstairs, she heard the sound of a door closing and figured that Henri had come back for the evening.

Arthur carefully removed the coat of his uniform and hung it on the doorknob. He did his utmost to keep it from wrinkling too much, as he would have to put it back on in the morning. Michelle had put on her nightgown and sat by the mirror brushing out her hair, watching him with sad eyes. Once he was dressed for bed, he walked over to her and bent down to kiss the top of her head. He heard her sniffling and gently prodded her to stand up.

"It will be all right, darling." He murmured in her ear as he held her, stroking her hair. "Everything will be all right. We have to be strong."

Michelle clung to the back of his nightshirt and swallowed hard. She didn't want to cry. Arthur was right, she had to be strong right now. It was just like all those other times he had been away; she tried to reason with herself. This would be no different. He would win and he would come back.

After a minute or two, she brought her hands forward to frame his face and she pulled him into a gentle kiss. He sighed when their lips parted and pulled her in for a deeper embrace. Warmth flooded her body when he slipped his hand underneath her nightgown and she combed her hands through his hair.

He felt goose bumps along his arms at the sensation of her touch. It had been so long since they had been together like this, and he was about to leave again, not to see her until only God knew. A sense of urgency overwhelmed him and he caressed the bare skin of her torso, slipping her nightgown down further. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and he couldn't help but utter a small moan when she pressed her mouth against his neck.

"Michelle…" he murmured.

She pulled back a little to face him and smiled sadly.

"I want you to remember me," she whispered, "when you're off fighting for your people in different countries."

He swallowed visibly. His chest heaved as he took a deep breath.

"Just… do what you have to," she continued. "But please come back. Even if you are broken and defeated, come back."

He could do nothing but nod before he pulled her back into his arms.

… … …

Dawn came too early for both of them but she was there to see him off. He would be sailing to one of the smaller of the Seychelles islands furthest away, where he had a plane stationed.

Arthur stared at the boat for a minute before turning to Michelle.

"Well… this is it."

She took a deep breath. "Yes it is."

There was a pause. Michelle then cleared her throat and nodded. "Well, off you go then."

"Right." Arthur looked away as he put on his cap. He didn't want to leave this place – or the little woman before him who was bravely smiling at him yet clenching her fists with suppressed emotion.

"Take care of yourself, Arthur."

He turned back to her. "You do the same. I promise I'll be back."

She swallowed before uttering, "I'll hold you to that."

The look they then shared was one of intense longing and regret.

Don't go, Michelle thought. When will I see you again? How long will this war last? Who knows what will happen while you're gone? How will we bear it?

His jaw tightened as they continued to stand there, silently staring. This lasted for a little while longer before he swiftly grabbed her and pressed his mouth against hers. She almost didn't have a chance to respond.

He roughly pulled away after the kiss lasted for a minute or two and said gruffly,

"I love you, Michelle."

"And I love you." Her voice shook.

He took a deep breath, gazed at her for a few more seconds and walked onto the ship. A cool wind blew and tossed her hair about her as she watched the ship sail away. Only after she was back at her home, sitting alone in her room, did she allow herself to cry.

A.N.: HI GUYS! :D

Ahhhh, and here we begin delving into the more complicated years: the decades that involved depressions, unrest and two World Wars.

This chapter is named 1914, so you can guess what this chapter will entail. oohhhh boy.

So! Let's talk a little about the biggie: The War to End All Wars; World War I. This may get long, fyi...

Basically (and this will be like the poor man's explanation because it's so bloody confusing. If I get some of the info wrong, feel free to inform me!) there was a lot of bad talk between Austria and the little country of Serbia in the years before 1914. Serbia, who had previously won its independence from the Ottoman Empire was on fire with independence and freedom. I read that they were hoping to start their own kingdom with the help of another little Balkan country called Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Unfortunately, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was going to annex Bosnia after making a deal with Serbia's ally Russia (though there was a bit of a ... misunderstanding to say the least.) In actuality, Austria seemed to have made empty promises to Russia in saying that Russia would be allowed to trade along the straits of Bosporus and the Dardanelles if Russia allowed Austria to annex Bosnia. The promise was empty, however, as I have said, because even though Austria proclaimed to talk the matter of the straits over with Britain (the major naval power), no discussion had been made and Britain told Russia there was no possibility of Russia being able to use the straits.

So... Austria got Bosnia, and Russia got nothing. Needless to say, Russia felt fooled and betrayed. Poor Russia, especially considering the fact that Russia had been through upheavals, revolutions, as well as battles on the inside with other countries like Lithuania, Poland, Lativa...

Serbia, in the meantime, was angry with Austria and the feeling was mutual with Austria. Austria felt that Serbia was threatening their power as an empire and Serbia was afraid that Austria was going to force Serbia to become part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. That was the last thing Serbia wanted.

Feelings of resentment and independence rose up in many Serbians and little groups were formed that wanted to start revolutions. This is what lead to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Serbians influenced many in Bosnia, especially younger men who wanted freedom. A small group of college-aged men went about to assassinate the Archduke, and eventually they succeeded.

The funny thing was, if there hadn't been such tense and angry feelings between Austria and Serbia already, the assassination probably wouldn't have been that big of a deal. But because Austria wanted Serbia done with, the empire found this the perfect time to declare war upon the smaller country. Serbia, in actuality, didn't want a war. An ultimatum was sent that included a list from Austria of several rules Serbia would have to abide by to prevent war. If one meager issue was up for debate, Austria would cut all ties and war would begin.

The issues were ridiculous. Austria wanted to be involved in not only governmental affairs, but in daily affairs as well, such as bringing in Austrian police officers, etc. Serbia didn't really oppose this. They just wanted to discuss things, but Austria was determined to start a war.

Sooooo ties were cut, men began preparations, and other Empires who were allies to either side knew they had to step up. Germany and Prussia (who seemed to be itching for a fight) rushed to Austria's aid, which threatened France. So, Russia stepped up to Serbia's aid, and France (being Russia's main ally) did the same. Britain seems to have hung back a little. It seemed they wanted to remain neutral at first, and Germany didn't really want to fight England, having no real problem with them.

BUT. When Germany broke the Treaty of 1839 - that said that Belgium would remain neutral and that its borders would not be breached - and stormed through Belgium, England felt threatened. France held unguarded borders near Belgium, and that was Germany's target. Despite Belgium's attempts to hold the Germans back, the Germans would not be stopped. Britain used that opportunity to portray Belgium as a martyred country, where the women were raped on the street and the men were shot in cold blood. This was then dubbed "The Rape of Belgium." (Though these accusations were partly true, it seems that Britain's officials kind of exaggerated them to make Germany look worse in the eyes of the British people so that they would support the war cause.)

England then stepped into the war. After all, if France fell, who's to say that England wouldn't be next?

Annnnd that's pretty much it... There were a lot of other countries involved, of course. Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand and many other British colonies were thrust into the war. I'm sure many South American, Middle-Eastern and African colonies were involved as well, but since that's not exactly the main focus in this story, I'm not going to delve into it that much. Look it up for yourself. :)

America also became a part of the war, but that wasn't until later. The reason why we actually joined in the fighting kind of amuses me, actually. (Not because people died, but because of how we reacted).

Now, the question is, did Seychelles do any fighting? Well, you'll just have to see, won't you? ;)

Oh! and there is also this really informative Hetalia comic about the beginnings of WWI. It's called 1914. Check it out! You can find it on DeviantART by the artist named *Noive.

Sooooooo... I think that's it... Um... gosh this got long. Sorry about that.