Thanks to FerayEs for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 121
Wales watched Sealand and Kugelmugel. These kids… Did they have any idea what they'd just done? Already, he could feel the effects of the vow release him. The truce…
"Alright, what the hell are you two talking about?" Northern Ireland asked. "Start from the beginning. Take a deep breath."
The two followed Northern Ireland's instructions, before Sealand burst into a new wave of tears, followed by Kugelmugel.
"We… we went to see Ladonia but…" Sealand stammered. "H-he was dead. And his head was missing!"
"What?" North questioned, looking a little sick.
"W-we then went to Seborga and… H-he told us that there was a war going on," Kugelmugel continued. "There's this evil organisation and… They killed England and Austria."
"What? You're not making any sense."
They were. Sealand and Kugelmugel knew about Requiem, and they'd just blurted everything out in front of Scotland and Northern Ireland, the two people who were not supposed to learn about all of this.
"And what is this organisation's name?" Ireland asked, his eyes blank.
"A-Alvora," Sealand stuttered.
…What?
That word hit Wales like a punch in the gut. Seborga… that micronation was Italy and Romano's brother. Which meant he was heavily involved with Requiem.
He turned towards Ireland, and although Ireland appeared surprised by the word as well, Wales could see that he was thinking of ways to use this to his advantage. And Wales was in a predicament. If he said anything to defend his organisation, he would have to explain his knowledge and his involvement, and with the revelation that they 'were behind' the death of England, he doubted that anything he said would be believed by his brothers, and Ireland could twist this to his advantage even more than it already was. However, he could not remain silent as his brothers were fed the wrong information, and if they ended up going to Requiem in the hopes of aid…
"That's not right," Scotland said. "The evil one is Requiem, not Alvora."
Wales's head whipped around towards Scotland, and he could see Ireland following his motion. This appeared to be the first sign that Ireland wasn't in control as much as he hoped to be. Northern Ireland turned to Scotland, who looked resigned.
"W-what?" Northern Ireland asked. "You… you know something about this?"
"Aye," Scotland sighed. "I managed to get Australia to tell me everything that's been going on. He told me that there are two groups involved. One of them is Alvora, but the worst they've done is convince the Africans to become part of their empire, and it doesn't look as though the Africans are complaining. Requiem, on the other hand, has tortured and killed several nations, as well as regions. In fact, it would appear as though our counties were used as guinea pigs before being offed. Isn't that right, Ireland?"
All eyes turned to Ireland, except for Wales. He had stepped back, and was leaning against the counter for support. His legs were shaking, and his mind was reeling from the twists this conversation was taking. Thankfully, though, no one seemed to notice, except perhaps for Ireland, but he had his own problems to deal with.
"What?" Ireland questioned. "What makes you think that I…?"
"Save it," Scotland snapped. "I know that you're with Requiem, and that Will is with Alvora." Wales could feel eyes on him, but he didn't care. "I also know that the two of you had a little truce, which meant that we'd be safe as long as North and I had no idea what was going on. Well, that definitely explains why the two of you have been avoiding each other lately. So, I guess the truce is over now, huh? Since North and I know."
Wales said nothing, his eyes fixed on Ireland. The ginger-haired nation had his lips pressed together, and Wales could see that he was thinking.
"There are two things I'd like to know," Scotland said. "First, what the hell did you do to my shires?"
"Bute, Sutherland, Lanarkshire, Caithness, Fife and Orkney are alive," Wales said. "I found them and took them somewhere safe. But, the others…"
Scotland turned to him, and judging by the pained look on his face, he understood what Wales was trying to say. His gaze hardened and he turned back to Ireland.
"Now, second thing I want to know, and don't you dare lie to me," Scotland said. "Did you kill Arthur?"
Ireland was silent for a long time. Wales watched him with bated breath, knowing that this was a pivotal moment. What Ireland had waited to do to their brothers. But would he still do it? Was Requiem more important to him than family?
And then Ireland laughed. A cold, mirthless sound that told Wales everything he needed to know. Northern Ireland tensed, pushing the two micronations behind him. The children looked horrified, as though they realised that they were the ones responsible for this.
"Why don't we go back to Tír na nÓg?" Ireland asked.
Scotland grabbed Ireland by the front of his shirt.
"Do you think this is funny?" he snarled.
It had sounded random, and it didn't make sense. But then Wales realised something. He turned to look at Northern Ireland, who had a blank look on his face.
"You turned our brother into a sleeper?!" Wales demanded, pushing himself forward.
Scotland swivelled around, which was a big mistake. Ireland muttered something, and Scotland not only released him, but was sent flying towards the wall. Wales wanted to help him, but green flames wrapped around him and pinned him to the wall as well. They didn't burn, but he couldn't move.
"Restrain them," Ireland said as he walked towards Scotland.
Wales saw Northern Ireland grab hold of the two children, who looked terrified at what was happening. Ireland came to a stop in front of Scotland, who glared at him.
"You're a right foul git, you know that, right?" Scotland asked.
"Unfortunately, I don't really care what you think about me," Ireland said. "Not anymore. And do you want to know what the funny part is? None of this would have happened if you and Arthur had just listened to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"When Requiem approached me, I told them to give me some time to think about it. And then I told you and England what they told me. And what did you do? You laughed in my face. You called me a drunken fool that couldn't tell the difference between fantasy and reality. You also called me a coward for making up stories to end a bloody war. And even long afterwards, you still called me all of that. You and England are the ones that convinced me to join Requiem."
Wales flinched. He remembered that England and Scotland had been unnecessarily harsh with Ireland for a long while, but he hadn't quite imagined how much damage it could have caused. He tensed when Ireland turned his attention towards him.
"Because of you two, I was too scared to approach Will about this," he said, his voice growing subdued. "A pity. Knowing what I know now, I realised that there was a chance that he would have believed me. I have no way of knowing if he was already a member of Alvora by that time, but if he was, then he would have believed me. He would have helped me. Because I used to be scared of Requiem. But then they supported me in ways that my own brothers never did."
He turned back to Scotland, a venomous look on his face.
"You weren't as big of a git as England was, so I won't kill you," Ireland said. "But that's about the only mercy that you'll get from me. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be nothing but a feeble and broken child."
Ireland's magic must have held Scotland pinned too, otherwise he would have delivered quite the brutal punch by now. Instead, Scotland displayed his defiance in the best possible way.
Ireland only seemed mildly annoyed when he wiped Scotland's saliva from his face, before he walked towards where Northern Ireland was holding back the whimpering micronations. He grinned and crouched down to their level.
"I suppose I should thank you for the favour you did for me," Ireland said. "So I'm going to give you a choice. You can either remain as micronations and join up with Australia and those other two friends of yours, or…" Ireland smirked wider. "You can join Requiem and become proper nations."
The two children stilled, and Wales could feel his panic rising.
"Listen, I know how eager you are to become official nations," Wales said. "But you do not want to do it during a war."
"But…" Sealand tried.
"Are you prepared to command the army to fight? Are you prepared to command them to defend? Can you use your finances to ensure their safety and welfare? Are you prepared for the inevitable food shortage? Are you prepared to suffer hunger along with them? Are you prepared for the pain you'll feel if anyone attacked your land? Are you truly prepared for the burden of being a nation in times of war?"
Wales could see that the two of them were starting to understand the weight of their situation, and they looked fearfully up at Ireland. Ireland cocked his head to the side, a small smile on his face.
"Well?" Ireland asked. "Do you want to be nations, or are you going to go with Australia?"
The two shared a look. Sealand was the first to turn to Ireland and swallowed nervously.
"W-we'll go to Australia," Sealand stammered.
Ireland nodded, and he turned to Northern Ireland.
"You can let them go now," Ireland said.
North did as told, and the two micronations jumped back. Ireland fixed his gaze on Sealand.
"I'm being nice now," he said. "Next time I see you here, you might not be so lucky. You saw what happened to your friend."
The two micronations shuddered, and Wales gritted his teeth. He tried to cast a spell with the intent of protecting them, but his magic would not come. He also couldn't move to protect them. That turned out to not be necessary, as they disappeared shortly afterwards. Ireland then turned towards Wales, and his features actually softened.
"I don't know if I said it before, but I was disappointed to learn that you were Alvora," Ireland admitted. "Out of everyone, you were probably the only one in the UK that I respected. You actually listened to me, and when England decided to abuse the power he thought he had over me, you were the one that tried to comfort me. Even when you were suffering from the same experiences."
"Unfortunately, I can no longer say that the respect is mutual," Wales said. "Not after I found those counties."
Ireland sighed and nodded.
"I know that," he said. "And it really saddens me. But now we have a little dilemma. I can't let you go. You're with the enemy, and I'm not about to give the enemy an advantage or my allies a disadvantage. And I have absolutely no intention of killing you. I also don't want to send you to the Washroom."
"So in other words, you never considered what you would do when they eventually found out the truth," Wales said. "You should have known that this would be inevitable."
"Oh, I have a few ideas. A few places that have magical safeguards. You already know that I can keep you prisoner without your magic."
Wales glared at him.
"So, that's it then?" Wales asked. "You're just going to keep me as a prisoner for some time? Or did you have an eternity in mind?"
"You know, I could always ask Italy and Romano about what I should do with you," Ireland stated. "I'm sure they'd have a few suggestions. So, are you going to agree to be my prisoner?"
Wales gritted his teeth. Just because the nation in front of him was his brother didn't mean that he would submit to him. If he agreed to be his prisoner, he would be cut off from the rest of the others, even more than he'd already been. He wouldn't even be able to see North Korea for some time.
"You don't exactly have the leverage for that," Wales said. "Why would I just agree to something like that?"
"So, you don't consider Alistair to be adequate leverage?" Ireland asked.
"You already said that you won't kill him. And you're planning to torture him as well. No matter how much I bargain, you're not going to change your mind there. I have absolutely no reason to agree to be your prisoner."
"…You might have a good point." Ireland frowned. "It's true, no amount of negotiating would change my mind regarding his fate. But what about North Korea? I could assure his safety by locking him up with you. That way, neither of you would have to worry about what would happen once South gets a hold of him. I'm pretty sure he already told you all there is to know about their shared history."
Wales tensed at Ireland's words. Yes, that was something that they had both worried about when it became clear that South Korea was a member of Requiem. He realised his mistake too late, and Ireland smirked when he realised that he had an advantage over Wales.
However…
Wales jumped in surprise when something slammed into Ireland. He blinked in surprise when he noticed a creature trying to punch Ireland's face, while Ireland was trying to swat it away. It took Wales a while to realise what this creature was.
"A bauchan?" he questioned.
There was another thud, and he turned to see Northern Ireland lying on the floor, with Scotland circling his shoulders. Did Scotland…
"Hey, Ginger!" Scotland said as he glared down at Ireland. "Why don't you undo the spell you put on Cymru? Oh, and next time you act as though I'm not a threat, you're going to have a hard time touching anything for a month."
Ireland glared up at Scotland, before he used a spell to blast the bauchan away. He tried to push himself to his feet, but Scotland was having none of it. A ring of glowing energy circled Ireland's neck, and he clawed at his throat, gasping for breath.
"If you think I'm going to give you an opening, you're out of your mind," Scotland growled. "Now, let Will go, or I'm going to wait until you pass out and the spell wears off."
If looks could kill, then Scotland would be pushing daisies now. Ireland muttered something, and the flames around Wales disappeared. The ring around Ireland's neck followed suit, and the other took a grateful gulp of air. He only had a brief moment of relief before Scotland lifted him up by the shirt.
"Now that I don't have to protect Finn anymore, I can do this," Scotland said as the arm not currently holding Ireland up went backwards.
Wales tried not to feel satisfied when Scotland's fist connected with Ireland's face. He tried not to feel satisfied by the crack the hand made. He tried not to feel satisfied when he heard Ireland's cry of pain. And he tried not to feel satisfied when Scotland dropped an unconscious Ireland on the floor.
He tried not to feel satisfied, but considering all that had happened and all he'd learned, Wales found it impossible.
"So, let's have a little chat," Scotland said, crossing his arms and glaring at Wales. "You called Finn something. What was it, and what can we do about it?"
"A sleeper," Wales said. "Some of the people that Requiem brainwashed have these trigger phrases that make them enter trance-like states, and they become obedient to Requiem. I think he'll be okay once he wakes up, but if not, Vlad – Romania – is already working on it."
"So, we should just get him away from Patty here?" Scotland was silent for a moment. "Then in that case, I want you to take me to my shires. You said you took them somewhere safe. I'll be the judge of that. And then you're going to tell me everything."
Wales sighed and nodded his head. He had a feeling that Scotland wasn't happy about the deception and the secrecy, but at least Scotland understood that Wales wasn't the enemy.
"Thanks, by the way," Wales said. "For correcting them about Alvora and Requiem."
Scotland was in the process of picking Northern Ireland up. He sighed and turned to Wales.
"I saw those gears turning in his head," Scotland said. "I knew that he was going to take advantage of the situation. And after everything that Australia told me about him… I wasn't going to take that chance. He tortured and killed England. Apparently tortured and killed the counties and shires. Brainwashed North… I wasn't going to let that git gain any sort of advantage. But don't think that you're off the hook yet. We're going to have a long chat."
Wales closed his eyes and nodded his head. It should be expected. Scotland had never liked it if people lied to him, and he didn't like it if there were secrets being kept from him. Wales would have to do a lot of explaining.
"We should also probably let Australia know that you're alright," Wales said. "Sealand and Kugelmugel would have told him everything by now, and if he's not doing something impulsive, that boy will be feeling guilty, since he's the one that told you and everything."
"Right. Should probably let him know. And on that note, what's this about North Korea?"
"Oh, we're together."
"…And how the hell did that happen? Wait, are you saying that I need to have a chat with North Korea?"
"Oh, wait until you hear about what our little Annie's been up to. But I'll tell you that one when you're not carrying our little brother, and when you're sitting down."
"…There's a shitstorm coming, isn't there?"
Didn't think the UK scene would take up an entire chapter, but it did. Well, that part is resolved. Mostly. We'll see Australia in the next chapter, and his freaking out over giving Scotland information that he shouldn't have.
