Magitalia

Siren Song I- Spirit of the Sea

The inside of the house Sealand had brought them to was kind of simultaneously the coolest and most depressing thing Alfred had ever seen. This was because it literally looked like the inside of a furniture store. There were countless wooden tables and chairs and such arranged nicely all over the place, but nothing looked even remotely used. It was nice, but completely lifeless.

Also, the place was huge, like even bigger than his own house, and yet it seemed no one but that guy Sealand had called his "Papa" lived there. Hardly any lights were on in the place, and just a quick glance down the hall told him that almost all the doors in the entire house were closed. Heck, if the single couch that looked used having sheets and a pillow on it was any indication, the guy probably slept in the living room.

This wasn't stopping Erika from looking at the place like it was some sort of fancy hotel, with starry eyes and a gaping mouth. Then again, she did the same for a crap motel. And his car. And a half eaten bag of Corn Nuts. Fangirling over non-exciting things was probably a fugitive orphan thingy.

"Is it really alright if we stay here?", she asked the guy for what seemed like the thousandth time.

His response was a difficult to hear mutter, but it was something like "There's not much of a choice here," and that seemed to be enough to shut her up for the next thirty seconds.

On what looked like basically a never used wooden bench, they'd laid Ludwig out and made an attempt to assess his wounds. Which, to be honest, were actually really cool looking. He was covered in fractal burns and long thin cuts, and while yes, it looked really painful, he was almost disappointed when he realized both seemed to be fading. Okay, someone like boring Ludi would probably not like all those, but if Alfred had been the one beat up like that, he would have been hoping for at least a few cool scars out of the deal.

So at least two people here were alright, but Alfred didn't feel like he belonged in that number. His head still felt like it was swimming around, like he was probably running a fever or something and maybe should lie down, but he had no desire to rest. All that had happened was still too fresh in his scrambled mind. Arthur… he'd tricked them, but there had to be something more to it, right? His big brother wasn't like that, he couldn't be. There was something he was missing, he was sure of it, but he couldn't even begin to think straight about what it could be.

And the other two that had been left behind, Feliciano and Kiku, they definitely weren't alright. Sealand wouldn't take them back, but Alfred a terrible feeling that it was more likely they'd see their friends again as enemies than it was they would be able to escape fine on their own. Actually, with all that in mind, he could take Ludwig off the "people who are okay" list; he'd probably completely freak out the second he came to and realized his friends were gone.

Sealand was definitely also in the number of people in their group that were not okay. He hadn't said another word since entering the house, and he wouldn't do much but look at the floor and try to look like he wasn't crying. It was hard to watch, to the point where Alfred forced himself to his feet and walked over to the kid, stumbling a bit on the way over.

"Look, are you okay?", he asked, even if he knew the answer.

Hesitating, Sealand gave a nod. "It's just so weird to be back here," he muttered. "And it's so weird to be back in my body. Plus, everything that happened at the base and I'm sorry about Italy and Japan and I hadn't seen Mama and Nor in years and-"

"You saw Tino and Lukas?", his "Papa" interrupted. The man cast a glance towards Ludwig as he said this. "I should have guessed it. That boy was attacked by him, wasn't he?"

"I guess? I mean, I wasn't there," Sealand admitted. "Looks like Mama's powers, though, and he was right there when we found him."

With a solemn nod, the man cast another glance around the house. "Did you, uh, ever hear from that friend of yours? Er, Wy, was it?"

Sealand looked surprised by this question, but shook his head. "No, never. She's probably dead, though. I mean, they found her brother, and he got recruited, so even if she ever found him it can't have ended well."

"But your brother, I'm guessing it didn't end well with him either?"

Something about those words stung before the uneasy look Sealand gave him indicated that this "brother" was Arthur. "Um, he kind of turned against us," Alfred explained. "Actually, whole thing was sort of a trap him and Francis set up."

Shock passed over Sealand's face, and it occurred to Alfred that he hadn't even brought that up yet. "I should have guessed. Mama kept coming to fight him, and I always ran off, so he probably got orders then."

"Um, excuse me," Erika interrupted politely. "But, if you don't mind me asking, who are you talking about. Your "Mama" is Finland, right?"

Both Sealand and his "Papa" nodded. "Yes. That's m' wife," the older man explained.

"Your… wife?"

Raising a hand, the man indicated a wedding band on his ring finger. "My wife."

"So Sealand is your son?"

The man gave a shrug. "Could say that. We took him in, and he lived with us and the rest of the family for a while."

"It's a long story, actually," Sealand added.

A story? Well, Alfred was curious about his sort-of little brother. "We've got time," he countered.

"Yes, we'd love to know more about all this," Erika further pressed.

Gulping, Sealand gave an agreeing nod. "Well, I guess I could tell you. It all started- well, I guess it all started when Ladonia got killed."

"Who?"

"Friend of mine," clarified Sealand. "He was another micronation. But… no, it really started back when you all started dying the first time, then."

Sealand was born from the spirits of a nation that, as far as most other nations were concerned, was not a real country. So as the spirit of Sealand, he made it his life's goal to get other spirits of nations, specifically England, to recognize him so it might lead to him helping his homeland.

England, of course, refused to acknowledge that he was as proper a spirit as himself and others. And yeah, this was true, but the anomaly of his existence gave him some pretty cool powers. He could teleport like others, and he had his own weapon in the form of a super cool cannon, but because he represented a place that was literally made of metal, it made him nigh-indestructible. Plus, he could shapeshift a little into a little green flying rabbit fairy, and that was cool, he supposed.

In his attempts to find someone to recognize him, he made plenty of friends. Latvia and the other Baltics were quite fond of him, and he liked their company in return. Sure, it didn't help him get recognized, but it was nice to have friends. England too came to accept him as a thing that existed, even if not a proper country. He was like an annoying, grumpy big brother, and Sealand was fine with that.

There wasn't terribly much to do other than try and fail to get recognized for what felt like ages, but Sealand grew content with his existence. He was proud of what he was. He was proud to be born from everyone's hopes and dreams, and even if there wasn't much to fight for, per say, he was happy to fight to protect them. His kind were incredible and powerful, and they were all creatures of immense power. Any time he was lucky enough to see them fight, he'd be in complete awe at how powerful they were.

One time, he managed to sneak into a meeting of the G8, and it was the coolest thing he had ever seen. All those powerful people, and they pretty much just fought to blow off steam in an incredible display. It was confusing, 'cause even if they called it a G8 meeting, there were nine people there, but it was still really, really cool.

But, not too long after that, something strange happened. England, whenever he'd be willing to talk to him, would tell him really odd stories.

"It's so strange! No one's heard from Russia in months. I would be worried, but I'm more just hoping he comes back so America will stop going off about how he's started trying to take over space or something."

A few months later, it became an actual question. "You know Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, right? Well, they've seemed to have pretty much vanished as well. Have you seen them?"

Then, it was a slightly rattled letter sent a while later. "Norway told me Iceland saw something dangerous happening in the future. And no, it wasn't America and Russia blowing us all up. He was vague about it, but I'm guessing it's something about why so many of us have been vanishing lately. Be careful and don't get involved. You aren't as strong as us, you shouldn't concern yourself with our issues." That sounded like an underhanded form of "be careful", he thought.

And not too long after that, England talked with a pale, shocked expression of horror. Sealand was scared enough by this alone, but then he realized his cold, harsh brother's voice was shaking as he told him the news. "They- they're saying the Nordics died. No, not died, they were killed by- by something. There was nothing but blood all over the place they were meeting, and one of their bosses found Norway's hairpin among it. He never takes that thing off. I- I don't want believe it, Norway's a dear friend, but, I just don't understand how something like this could happen. We aren't supposed to be able to die unless something somehow damages our bodies beyond repair, but what could have done that?"

It was a while before he heard anything else, but then England actually came to visit him at his home in a panicked rush one night, and he knew something was terribly wrong. "Something is definitely coming after us," he'd said. "Something that can kill us. China and a lot of his family have already been killed. Hong Kong too. The rest of us are going into hiding, so please, for the love of God, be careful, Sealand!"

He didn't hear too much from him after that. Actually, he didn't hear too much from anyone. But it was fine. He could still protect his home, and he was made of metal, so he would be safe. He still broke down in tears when he received letters confirming that the Baltics had all died, then more when hearing that Australia and New Zealand had been killed, and even more when hearing Scotland and Wales and the Irelands had fallen, but he was fine. He was a country, he was the hope of his people, he was strong.

And then he saw England again. England, who was crying and hugged him for the first time he could even remember. England, who was too heartbroken to say a word. Sealand was sure this could only mean that America had been killed, and that seemed impossible. America was so strong, and so brave, and how did that even make any sense?

That was the last time he saw England, and the next thing he heard of him was a letter delivered by a small white bird. It was from France, and it was very brief, but it told him just enough to let Sealand know that the entire world was falling apart: England had died.

He was positive after that he would be next, so he refused to stop hiding. But, so long later that he'd lost count of the time that had gone by, a tiny yellow bird came bearing yet another letter, this one from Canada.

"Sealand," it read. "If you are reading this, it means that France and I are dead. That means you are the final remaining member of this family. Everyone else has fallen. Only the Axis and Liechtenstein are still alive, and I doubt they'll hold out for much longer. I barely know what is attacking us, but I do know that it's something far more powerful than us. But, I know they kill by destroying our bodies, and your body is unable to be destroyed. So, protect this world in our place, because what you are allows you to do so.

"But, there are still a few Micronations left, and other Nations and Micronations will be born, so they might be attacked. Protect them too. We are sorry for asking such a thing of you, but you are all that's left, and we believe in you. I know England would say the same, and perhaps one day we'll meet again."

That note placed a deep pit in the bottom of his stomach. He really was all that was left, wasn't he? But, it also filled him with excitement. He had inherited this world to protect, and because he was Sealand, he was the only one who could do it.

The note ended with another thing that was less mad, but still something he took to heart. "Also, the bird I sent this with was the beloved pet of Prussia. His brother Germany entrusted me with it, so I ask you to protect her with your life, because she is all that remains of someone precious. So long as you keep it close, your power will keep her alive."

And so, Sealand took on this job as defender of the world. And, just as had been said, new Micronations did spring up. He protected them too, and did stop multiple attempts on their lives by what he could only describe as robotic drones equipped with a weapon that could shred a body to pieces. Literally, those things would reduce any normal human to nothing but shreds of guts in seconds, and even with his metal body, they still hurt a lot.

And he took out these things successfully until one day, he failed. Even though he'd tried his hardest to protect him, an entire swarm of them had descended upon his friend Ladonia and wounded him enough to bring him to the point of death.

Ladonia managed to hang on just long enough, though, to give Sealand a final request by pressing an old metal cross-shaped hairpin into his hand.

"Please," he'd weakly begged. "This was Norway's, I heard. It was the only proof I had that I wasn't the only Nordic, but it's not mine. Find his reincarnation and give it to him for me. Promise?"

He promised. He promised with all his heart, but he had no idea what he'd meant by "reincarnation", so he decided to go ask Seborga about it. Seborga, as a child of Rome, knew about all sorts of old legends, and if there was something saying that fallen nations got reincarnated, he would know.

"But, that doesn't make any sense!", Erika objected. "How did Ladonia manage to not get ripped to pieces if there was an entire swarm after him?"

"Yeah, and you just sort of skimmed over that whole 'protector of the world' thing!", Alfred added. "That sounds awesome! Tell us about that!"

Sealand sighed. "Look, it's a story, and it happened a long time ago. It's not gonna be perfect. And the protecting the world thing wasn't that important to the part of the story I'm telling. You just want to know about Mama and Sweden, right?"

"Sweden?"

"That would be me," the man grumbled.

Wait, that guy was Sweden? "So you're the land of IKEA and Pewdiepie and red-flavored fish candy?", Alfred pressed. "Dude! That's awesome! I love Swedish Fish!"

"Is that really what you think of me?", Sweden pretty much sighed.

AN- And so we start the Ballad of Sealand, with some added framing courtesy of America. See, it's interesting, and that's why I'm telling it. Just keep in mind that Sealand is telling the story, and he's not really the most humble or trustworthy narrator, so some things are a bit exaggerated. Also, hi, Ladonia! Bye, Ladonia! And this is the only mention of England's other siblings you're getting. And if you didn't catch it, the G8 was also including either China or Romano, not entirely sure which, so take your pick. So stay tuned next time for some Micronation fun time! So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik

PS, I'm planning to start writing extra chapters in case I get sick or busy again and have to post something to explain an unexpected delay in the schedule. The one I'm working on now is going to be about Germany and Canada (not Ludwig and Matthew), and explain how Canada had Gilbird here.