"The enemy is almost here," Madison announced, when they next met.
America appeared shocked at first, though Madison couldn't imagine why. Surely he must have seen this coming? The troops had been steadily approaching for weeks now, despite attempts to hold them back.
"We're sending out a defensive force to confront them," Madison continued. "We leave shortly. Are you going to come?"
"Definitely," America answered without a second thought. Preparations were made, and before he knew it, they were at Bladensburg, waiting for the fight to begin. He and Madison were a little ways back, at the president's urging, away from the congregated troops, and from where the start of the battle would take place. The rest of Washington's officials stood with them, watching from afar.
When the enemy finally arrived, America couldn't believe his eyes. At the head of their ranks was none other than Canada, his baby brother, a weapon in his hands, and fury in his eyes. America thought he would be reluctant to fight, that he would have to be forced to fight. It seemed that was not the case.
What in the world was happening? A few shots were fired, but not enough for a full-fledged battle. His troops were retreating, running…
"What the hell?" America found the words out of his mouth before he could correct the language in the presence of his president. But he supposed it didn't matter much, given the circumstances.
"Where's a messenger?" Madison was looking around with sudden alarm. "I need to warn Dolley…"
"I…no…" America ran after the troops, ran after his brother as they charged through the city, the American army dispersed. He needed to stop this. It was unbelievable, so like a nightmare and yet so terribly real. Canada couldn't actually be doing this. He was his brother.
But there the younger blond was, firing at any enemy in his way. America kept chasing after him, yet he seemed to remain as far away as ever, perhaps even increasingly so. His heart was thudding loudly, too rapidly. It was making him light-headed, unable to think straight or keep up a steady pace.
He was thoroughly out of breath by the time he reached the Mansion. The enemy was swarming the place, no doubt looking for valuables before…before what? The apprehension was overwhelming, but his head felt as if a tornado had been unleashed inside it. What was going on?
The surrounding buildings were aflame, the smoke wafting up in great columns, the fire spreading rapidly in the miserable summer heat. How had he not noticed this before? His vision was blurring, a biting pain puncturing his chest, right through his heart it seemed.
A passing thought of Madison's wife flitted through his mind. He hoped she was out of here, hoped for Madison's sake. Why hadn't any of the men followed him? What had they been thinking, running from an army half their size?
Pulse pounding in his temples, he stumbled forward, glancing into the face of every blond he came across. Often he was shoved away roughly—he must have looked a sight—but his mind was on one track. Not Canada, not England. Not until he got closer, near the end.
He would recognize his brother anywhere, vision going or not. Blond hair just a shade darker than his own, longer and slightly curled, that stray spiral sprouting out near his crown, eyes a slightly different hue. From a distance they would look quite similar.
His little brother, however, did not look himself. His usually neat hair was matted with sweat, eyes red from all the smoke, and a thoroughly heated expression upon his countenance. He had abandoned the civilian clothes of their youth—how long had it been since he last seen him, last thought of him even, before all this?—replaced with a red military uniform.
Red just like England's.
Why wasn't England here, forcing Canada to go through all this? If that were the case, America would understand. But this…Canada wouldn't…
The enemy's leader smiled wickedly, before dropping the torch. It was so dry, so hopelessly hot. The wood caught fire immediately. America felt his heart flare anew with fresh pain, as the flames rose. Burning with a searing acuteness that caused him to cry out momentarily.
Canada whipped around, as if recognizing the noise. He had been grinning, content with the chaos surrounding him, the damage he had caused to his brother's capital. But almost instantly his eyes narrowed, before opening wide with a new expression. Surprise, fear…guilt?
And America passed out.
Historical Notes: Before 1814, the British were primarily concerned with Napoleon in Europe. But with Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia, and the conclusion of his conquest, Britain was once again free to send its troops elsewhere—over seas to Canada. They made plans and organized.
While the main force was assembling, 4,000 veterans under General Robert Ross sailed from Bermuda for the Chesapeake Bay region, eventually landing in Maryland. They planned to strike at Washington, which they hoped would break American morale. A group of gunboats that had been "protecting" the capital withdrew upstream. When followed, their commander gave orders to have them blown up to prevent them from falling into the hands of the British.
The British troops marched forward towards Washington, D. C. At Bladensburg, a few miles from the city, they met a force twice their size under General William H. Winder, a Baltimore lawyer who had already been captured and released by the British. While Madison and other officials watched, Winder's army fled after firing only a few shots (If anyone knows more of a reason behind this, I would love to know).
The British swarmed the capital, putting fire to most of the public buildings. Admiral Cockburn, before personally setting fire to the White House—called "The Executive Mansion" at the time, later called the White House, as it was painted white to cover the burns—took one of the president's hats, and a cushion from Dolley Madison's chair as souvenirs. Finding the table set, the army actually sat down to eat, Cockburn derisively toasting to "Jemmy's health, and other pleasantries too vulgar to repeat" according to one observer.
Their success peaked at this point, more or less, but we'll be getting to that, and hopefully heading towards the conclusion next chapter. Which I hope to have up tomorrow…or…later today. I hope this is living up to everyone's expectations (as I hope the Civil War will… ^^').