Thanks to AllTheThingsSheRead and FerayEs for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.
Chapter 122
In general, things were pretty peaceful for Wy. She could get up at whatever time she wanted, go to sleep whenever she wanted, explore as much of the base as she wanted (although she needed a chaperone if she wanted to go outside; they've been pretty paranoid since Kiribati disappeared). To her, the war was nothing more than something that Australia discussed with the other nations.
And right now, it was all crashing down.
"Wy!"
She'd only had enough time to turn around before she was tackled to the ground. She looked up at her assailants and frowned.
"Sealand, Kugel!" she snapped. "What are you two doing here?"
"We… we know about the war!" Sealand exclaimed. "A-and Requiem, and Alvora, and… W-we told the others, and… Ireland was… and Scotland…"
Wy felt her anger disappearing. She'd heard the nations complain about what was going on, especially Australia. She also heard them say that they were pretty lucky. And she knew about the truce between Ireland and Wales. As long as Scotland and Northern Ireland didn't know about it, they would remain safe. And so would her friends. Australia had made sure that Wy and Hutt River especially would know the stakes. One misspoken word, and these two might not have made it out.
"What's going on here?"
Wy looked up at her fellow micronation. Australia had called the others to join them too. Snake Hill just happened to be one of the more infuriating ones, and it wasn't just because he seemed to idolise Hutt River. Wy had to clamp down on her annoyance. Her friends needed help first.
"Help me get them to Australia, would you?" Wy demanded. "He'll want to talk to them."
"And why should I?" Snake Hill asked, leaning against the wall with arms crossed and an insolent smile on his face.
"W-we saw Ladonia," Kugelmugel said. "They killed him too. They're killing micronations."
Snake Hill's smile fell, and Wy turned her attention to them with a look of horror on her face.
"They killed him?" she whispered.
"A-and they took his head," Sealand hiccupped. "They left the rest of him there."
Wy felt sick when she heard that, and even Snake Hill seemed a little green.
"W-we need to see Australia," Wy announced. "He'll… He'll know what to do."
…
Eritrea was pacing in the main area. Even though the others had told him to get some rest multiple times, he just couldn't. Not when he knew that Libya needed help, and that it was impossible for him to help the other.
That was probably the worst torture: Knowing that his lover was in trouble, but there was no way for him to help him. Eritrea had no idea what was going on, and apparently the ones that took Libya were the ghosts of the brothers he killed. That meant that there was bound to be suffering. And if Eritrea could, he would have returned it a hundredfold.
He looked up when there was a flash, and he saw two familiar gods. Anubis and Bastet. The figure in Bastet's arms, however, was what stole his attention.
"Hamza!" Eritrea exclaimed, running up to Bastet.
Libya was clearly unconscious, but he could still sense life from him, which was good. It would seem as though half of his skin was bruised, a quarter was bleeding, and the rest was pale. Eritrea swallowed thickly. He'd never seen Libya look so pale before.
"What happened to him?" Eritrea asked, his hands hovering over his lover, unsure if the goddess would allow him to take Libya.
"They made sure to torture him in ways that would draw as little blood as possible," Bastet said. Eritrea couldn't believe it from looking at Libya's body. "It seemed as though they weren't trying to kill him, not that he could while in that place. They weren't there when we found him, though."
"But it's clear that they weren't finished with him yet," Anubis said.
Eritrea gritted his teeth. He wanted to take revenge on the people that hurt his lover, but he had no idea how to punish them. How could he attack someone who was already dead? And it didn't help that they were still pretty ignorant of the nature and desires of these ghosts, if that was even what they could be called. If they were something more than ghosts, then Eritrea had no idea how to approach them, even if he did know much about this matter.
Bastet handed Libya over to him, and Eritrea carefully held him. He would need to take Libya somewhere he could rest in peace, and then he would have to have a word with Egypt. They needed to do something about these ghosts.
"Thank you," Eritrea said. "I'm in your debt."
"I've always been fond of him," Bastet admitted. "But I would rather not want to do that again."
"We will discuss all with Gupta," Anubis said. "I suggest you take him to rest."
Eritrea nodded his head. He was going to do that either way. And he hoped that, whatever they discussed, Egypt would involve him. What they did to Libya was unforgivable. He wanted revenge.
…
Spain was pacing anxiously, which was getting on Panama's nerves. He was supposed to be helping out with dinner, and Spain had, for some reason, latched onto him. Probably because Panama was one of his former colonies, and because Panama had no problem with Spain. Normally.
"Could you at least sit down?" Panama snapped.
"Give him a break," Honduras said quietly. "France was supposed to come hours ago."
"Two words: time difference. When we say 'after lunch' and when they say it, it means two different things."
Honduras opened his mouth to retort, but before he was finished inhaling, a commotion from the edge of the camp caught their attention. Spain stopped, looking towards the direction where this was coming from. Guatemala ran over, an excited look on her face.
"Spain, come quickly!" Guatemala urged.
Spain didn't pause to ask her what was going on. He was off like a bullet. Panama cursed before following after him, Honduras at his heels. Later, Panama would deny that he had followed because he was curious. He would claim that he had only followed to make sure Spain didn't do something stupid.
He stopped when Spain stopped, and looked ahead. Standing a way off was France, supported by Norway, of all people. France gave a shaky smile.
"Salut, Antonio," he greeted. "Désolé… I think I caused you trouble."
Spain shook his head – whether in denial of France's words or to break the obvious trance, Panama wasn't sure – and closed the distance between him and France. Norway moved away as Spain wrapped his arms around France, and Panama wasn't sure whether Spain was crying or just trembling. France closed his eyes, and Panama could see the tears starting to stream down his face.
"I should be apologising to you," Spain said. Yep, he was crying. "If not for me, then they wouldn't have taken you. You wouldn't have…"
Panama felt awkward. He knew that this was a touching reunion between lovers, and for that reason he felt that he was intruding. The other nations that had gathered also seemed to be feeling uncomfortable, and so they focused on Norway.
"So, how'd you get involved in all of this?" Turkey asked.
"Sweden and I were kept prisoner by Denmark, and Iceland too, in a way," Norway said, wincing. "Alvora saved us yesterday. Sweden decided to help out Alvora, and I wanted to help too, but Portugal said you have a lack of magical nations."
"And if you're willing to help, I'd be really grateful," Laos said.
"Hold on," Vietnam asked. "Did you ask to join Alvora, or did they ask you?"
"We asked them," Norway replied. "We've been kept prisoner, after we were forced to watch our royal families be executed. And then we had the joy of being brought Finland's head, and after Alvora demanded it back for a proper burial, Denmark returned with the heads of our micronations."
"They did what?!" Cyprus demanded.
Panama noticed as Cyprus pulled his little brother close. While the micronations were annoyances at worst, there was a rule not to harm them. Even the nations that didn't tolerate the presence of a micronation in their lands, or who annexed the land of a micronation, made it a point not to harm them. There would be no gain, and was rather pathetic. But hearing that Requiem was willing to do so, and that they had apparently brought the heads of these micronations…
This was cruel. They wanted to hurt them in one of the worst ways possible. Because Panama knew that the nations with micronations considered them to be family. Family that wouldn't one day fight a war with them.
Norway also appeared to be angry at the memory, and it took a moment for him to calm down. He let out a heavy breath before turning to them again.
"Then there's also what they did to Iceland," Norway said. "He's what they call a sleeper, and he's been in that state since we were captured. He's out of it now, but he keeps complaining of being dizzy and having headaches, and we sometimes have to repeat ourselves because he either couldn't focus or because his memory is affected. And that's just what we've been able to see since yesterday. We have no idea if it would get better or worse."
"And I guess that's your reason for wanting to join them," Russia said. "The enemy of your enemy, da?"
Norway nodded.
"Where's Iceland now?" Estonia asked.
"He's still with Sweden and the Alvora nations," Norway replied. "They already have some experience dealing with Andorra."
There was a small sound from somewhere behind France and Spain, and Panama turned his attention towards it. It was only then that he realised that there was a third party to the group. Paraguay was staring at France and Spain with an absolutely wretched expression on his face. It was strange that Paraguay was so quiet. Panama took pity on him, going around France and Spain in order to talk to Paraguay.
"Hey," Panama greeted. "Are you okay?"
It disturbed Panama to see Paraguay jump at the greeting, and avoid his gaze at the question. When he wasn't particularly hungry, Paraguay was a cheerful person. Panama smiled as he seemed to catch on. Or he thought he did.
"We were just starting on dinner, so there's no need to worry," Panama said. "Let's just hope there's enough, now that you and your stomach are here."
Paraguay would normally grumble or glare, not whimper and shrink back. Panama frowned, his worry growing.
"Where were you this whole time?" Honduras asked. "Spain said something about Requiem getting you."
Panama's eyes widened at the reminder, and Paraguay flinched. The other was hugging himself, and under normal circumstances, it would have looked as though he was clutching his stomach. The only thing that really broke the illusion was the way Paraguay rubbed his arms.
"What did they do to you?" Panama whispered.
Another flinch from Paraguay. His eyes darted around, and Panama didn't know whether he was looking for help or an escape, or if he was thinking about the pros and cons of telling them.
"They forced him to commit cannibalism."
Panama's head whipped around to look at France, who had pulled away from Spain. The latter's eyes had widened, and he looked between France and Paraguay. France himself looked at Paraguay in sorrow.
Panama looked back towards Paraguay, who was curling in on himself even more than usual, and he backed up until he pressed against a nearby tree. Tears were now streaming down his face and he was shaking worse than a chihuahua in the snow. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the memories were haunting Paraguay.
"They… they made me…" Paraguay muttered. "Uruguay and Bolivia… They c-cooked them in f-front of me, and… it was the only food they gave me. I-I didn't want to, but they were… And then th-they…"
His hand flew to his mouth, and Panama wasn't sure if it was the guilt and horror, or if Paraguay was feeling sick that prompted such a response. Panama felt the urge to go and hug Paraguay, but he didn't know if the other would appreciate it. He couldn't even figure out why Requiem would do something like this, other than to be cruel.
The more he heard about Requiem, the more he started to believe that they were monsters. When Spain originally told them about that group, Panama thought he might have been exaggerating or repeating propaganda. But hearing what their victims had to say about the matter made him doubt that. He'd heard that there were nations with cannibalistic tendencies, but he hadn't really thought any of that was serious. But seeing Panama now… It was definitely something to take to heart.
He might not have trusted Alvora, not after seeing the damage they did with the invasions, but it was clear that they were the lesser of two evils.
Spain approached Paraguay, and Panama and Honduras allowed him to go past them. Panama watched, wondering what their former coloniser would do. After all, Paraguay had basically admitted to eating two others. He was fed, but he didn't outright say that he was force-fed. Did they deliberately starve him until he had no choice but to eat that meat? Or was he really that weak-willed? Either way, he felt horrible about it.
Spain wrapped Paraguay in a hug, and the South American clung to him. At that moment, he was a child that needed comfort, and Spain was the parent or older sibling that was ready with that comfort.
"I think it might be wise to not expose him to any meat for a while," France said. "Especially red meat."
"So, he'll have the vegetarian option," Panama said. "Can't say I blame him."
He couldn't even begin to imagine what Paraguay must have felt. To not only see his friends get murdered, but to also have them cut up, cooked and served? It was torture, there was no denying it. And Panama hoped that no one he was close to would end up like that.
…
Australia was staring at the two micronations in absolute shock, with a fair amount of guilt thrown into the mix.
After giving them some flat coke with sugar mixed in, the micronations had been calm enough to explain the situation. How they had gone to visit Ladonia, only to find his corpse. How they had gone to Seborga, who told them about the war, and also told them that Alvora was the dangerous one. Australia had to explain to them that Italy and Romano were the leaders of the organisation, and so there was a chance that Seborga was deliberately leading them astray. They told Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland, and then Scotland revealed that he already knew, because Australia had told him. Northern Ireland went into some trance, where he kept a grip on the micronations while Ireland used magic against Scotland and Wales, and Ireland told Scotland that he wouldn't kill him, but that he would hurt him.
They also told Australia of the choice that Ireland had given them: They could either become full nations and join Requiem, or they could remain as micronations and go to Australia.
"I'm surprised you chose the second one," Australia said. "I know how much you want to be nations."
"Wales said that we would be nations during war, and it sounded like a lot of things we weren't ready for," Kugelmugel explained.
"Yeah. Trust me, war is anything but fun."
They continued to explain that they had to leave, and that Ireland said that they would get hurt if they ever went back again. And now Australia was feeling absolutely terrified.
How would things have gone if Australia didn't tell Scotland about the two groups? Would Ireland have made a move? Would Wales have defended himself? Would Scotland and Northern Ireland turn on Wales, because he was Alvora and they believed that Alvora was responsible for England's death?
Too many possibilities, but the reality was clear: they were now at the mercy of Requiem.
Australia wanted to call to ask if everything was alright, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be possible. He didn't think that Ireland would allow Scotland anywhere near his phone. With Wales, there was a chance that he could escape, but there was also the possibility that he would be imprisoned, or worse. After all, Wales was a clear enemy.
Australia had personally spoken to Scotland after that meeting. Scotland had told him the state England was in when he found him. And the thought of Scotland and Northern Ireland being at the mercy of someone that could do that…
Did Australia make it worse by telling Scotland the truth? Was it a mistake to tell Scotland to keep quiet about it, instead of telling him to take Northern Ireland and the micronations and get out of there? This was probably what made the entire situation worse for Australia: not knowing.
…
Hutt River returned to his room. He had been curious by the commotion, and had listened to Sealand and Kugelmugel from outside Australia's room. He'd listened only as far as the part about Seborga leading them astray before he couldn't listen anymore.
He'd been worried about Seborga, and thought that he was a victim in all of this. The possibility that Seborga was a willing participant never even crossed his mind. But now he couldn't help but wonder if their entire friendship had been a lie.
Hutt River sighed as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. He just wanted to be alone.
"Something on your mind?"
Hutt River tensed as he slowly turned around. Standing in front of the door was none other than Seborga.
The founders of Snake Hill were inspired by Hutt River, and so Snake Hill looks up to Hutt River.
