Chapter 7: Shifting Alliances
A/N: Guess what guys? Here comes the only chapter with italicized thoughts! This is currently the second longest at over 3k. Enjoy the length, cause I don't think the next one will be this generous. Also to my beta: Yeah so the scene in here I had to change because it was too OOC and overly dramatic. Sorries. Keep in mind just how much catastrophe can happen in only a few days worth of people slaughtering each other. I may not be accurate in my depiction but I think I'm pretty dang close to realistic.
China remembered when playing cards were invented. They were so expensive back then; only the wealthy could afford to play. Now a pack was a dollar at a gas station. Oh, how times have changed. It seemed times in this game-verse he was currently trapped in did not change very much at all. From what Matthew had described over the six days on board, it wasn't exactly Eighteenth Century living like they'd assumed.
By all appearances it seemed they were stuck during the days of the British Empire but a closer examination revealed subtle differences. Mainly the military and wars fought over the centuries. Twentieth Century warfare had not appeared yet but tactics and strategy mirrored that of current military maneuvers, most thought impossible to imagine during this time period. It was certainly a strange place.
The water had progressively gotten colder as the days went by, signaling they were nearing European waters and would hopefully make landfall within the next thirty-six hours. China couldn't say he was exactly glad to be back on a sailing ship. That era was filled with the rapidly encroaching west on his people and culture. Not exactly the best of times for Asia back then1.
China wondered how things at home were going without them. It was a G8 summit after all and all the important representatives would not be- could not be found. Maybe World War III erupted and everyone was dead. He merely shrugged off the thought and continued to stare out over the familiar waters.
"Did you know Yao is the oldest royal in the entire Cards landmass?" Matthew's silent approach made him jump but the young blonde didn't notice. "The Jack of Spades is the only one to survive four wars. He's around oh, something like six hundred. If Spades has any hope of winning the war while we're away it's through him." China couldn't help cracking a smile at that.
"I'm far older than him then." He took the ace's silence as a wish for elaboration. "I'm somewhere around four thousand years old." The smile returned as did a chuckle at Matthew's bug-eyed expression. Even on the precipice of war one had to enjoy the little things.
"Four- four thousand?! What- how- huh?" Even in utter shock he maintained that soft tone of his. Must be a gift.
"My nation has lasted that long without changing like the westerners. Unlike Greece, Egypt, and Italy my nation has no separation between ancient and modern, at least not as severe2. They all disappeared along with their empires, leaving children or grandchildren as heirs to the throne, so to speak."
"I've been thinking about that." A new voice said behind them, effectively cutting off whatever Matthew was going to say next. America continued after a moment of silence. "The entire royal lineup for all the suit kingdoms is filled with doubles of us right? No matter if they're human or not they all managed to be alive during this time."
"What are you blathering on about now, America?" The party was officially complete as England and Canada climbed up on deck to join them. America turned is back to the ocean and spoke again.
"Well, it's safe to assume that whoever leads this Chess Empire will be doubles as well." He got slow nods in return as they tried following his train of thought. "The ancients are probably here too right? Maybe in their own empire or something."
"Britannia…" England mumbled, caterpillar eyebrows disappearing under messy blonde bangs.
"The oldest land in existence would be the Kingdom of Backgammon. They're usually neutral in conflicts so their leaders could be hundreds of years old." Matthew supplied, not following the new train of thought.
"How- where is Backgammon located again?" The gears inside the Brit's head were spinning wildly, already forming a haphazard plan. Matthew ran back down below deck, saying he'd brought a map.
"Being in this land reminded me of my colonial days and… my mom…" America trailed off, a distant look in his and Canada's eyes as the fate of Native America invaded his mind. He had single-handedly killed his own mother and his conscience never let him forget it3. There were no amends to make from three hundred years of slow extermination. No possible way he could ever atone to those sins to her because in his world, she was dead. But here…
He was the United States of America and if there was a will there was always a way.
Matthew returned with the map and England all but ripped it from his grasp. "Iraq. The Middle East. It's not too far out of the way and we'll still have plenty of-"
"Wait." Matthew's voice was a mix of confusion, suspicion, and disbelief. "You're not seriously thinking of detouring to Backgammon with millions of lives at stake are you?! We don't have time to go anywhere but Chess and needed to be back yesterday." America, Canada, and England all looked down sheepishly at the deck, realizing the death toll their selfish needs would cause.
It's not fair! America thought. I'm always stuck doing the bidding of someone above me. Whether it be my boss, my people, or even them, can't I be selfish just once? Me, not America the Nation, Alfred F. Jones. The human. Apparently he wasn't the best at hiding that sentiment because both England and Canada saw right through the façade.
All three wanted to see Nations long past. How many more times would they get that opportunity? Here they were sailing right past it. The silence that followed was enough to ruin the mood on the entire deck. Two crew members previously loosening the sails stopped and stared at them even though they didn't know what was going on.
"We... we can't deviate from our mission." England said finally, looking as though the words came unbidden as a deep betrayal to the one who spoke them. "Our task is to find the Timepiece and return it to Spades to end this bloody war before anyone else has to die." His expression darkened and he refused to meet anyone's eyes. "There's no room to be selfish." His voice cracked as he spoke, struggling with the hard truth of it all. What he wouldn't give to see his mother again. She just up and disappeared one day, leaving him to live with the most dysfunctional family in Europe, alone. Even if she wasn't the real Britannia, something would be better than a cold case.
America looked utterly heartbroken before something in his posture changed and he once again became the Nation, putting all human desires in the dark corners of his mind.
"Then let's finish this damn war already." He declared bitterly, turning back to face the ocean where somewhere in the distance lie the coast of Chess.
I will see you again, mother. Just you wait.
Seven Days. A single week and already the navies of Clubs and Spades were hanging on by a thread. Clubs fought a war on two fronts with Hearts attacking viciously from the south, still making no moves against Spades itself4. Diamonds remained locked up tight, not even flinching when a red-decorated fleet passed within two hundred yards of its shoreline.
Or at least that's what every non-Diamond assumed. In reality they were slowly counting down the hours until the opportune time to swoop in and take their adversaries by storm. France had quickly nestled in to the wonderful game of espionage and was in the process of gathering statistical information on just how prepared Diamonds was for taking on three kingdoms at once.
The frustrating part of it all was that he had to play chicken with the guards and his doppelgänger. Get close, back away, get close, back away. Life would be so much simpler if he could just replace Francis completely, but trying to sneak out information while playing king 24/7 would raise too many suspicions and possibly jeopardize the entire mission.
France sauntered his way down one of many cobblestone roads bordered by orange banners and diamonds emblazoned on every surface like a "made in China" sticker. He wore a deep orange, almost brown cloak over a light yellow casual suit used to "blend in". In reality he was searching for new fashion trends while on his way to pass on much needed information to Spades through the Special Forces still hiding out amongst the citizens.
Leaving the coded envelope in the designated pickup area, France headed back to the small cottage he'd been living in for the past week. A little makeup and change in hairstyle made him less recognizable. Or at least enough to pass off as a foreigner trying to escape the war.
"France, you're back!" A young voice yelled with glee as the blonde entered the cottage of the family he currently stayed with. They were a nice couple of five-class with a six year old daughter who'd instantly taken a liking to him. The wife had found him "struggling" to find his way around town and had taken pity on the "lost traveler" and allowed him temporary refuge in their home until he got on his feet. The best people always had the rottenest luck. Harboring a treasonous inter-dimensional immortal personification of France was not high on the "most legal" list of activities to partake in.
He smiled warmly at her, "Hello, little one. How was your day?"
She grinned wildly, one of her front teeth missing from that smile. "Mommy took me to the harbor and we saw a bunch of ships go by all with red flags and stuff." Ah, red ships have come5.
There was something off about the deployment of that navy. They only seemed to be targeting ships flying Club colors, leaving blue ships suspiciously alone. He would have to talk with one of the former Axis to find out whatever Hearts was planning.
Never let it be said that Japan didn't find Italy annoying. He simply refused to show that emotion to anyone. Normally this was a simple task. That was when there was only one Italy Veneziano and one Italy Romano, not two.
Having four personifications running around was slowly driving Japan insane. What made it worse was that two of them were royals. How Italy of all people got put in charge of his kingdom's military, Japan had no idea. If this was some "mysterious force" calling the shots then they must have been drunk when they chose Italy as Jack of Hearts.
Take this for example, straight from the horse's mouth: Hearts wasn't attacking any Spades regiments because, "Ivan is scary and I'd rather fight with Spades against him then see him in charge." And that was actually a good point; it was just the manner in which Feliciano planned to go about achieving it.
He didn't plan on telling Alfred at all because, "He is scary too!" And decided to just let them figure it out on their own. If only Kiku and Feliciano had switched ranks…
With that in mind Japan was making his way west toward the border with Diamonds to get in touch with France about Feli's… brash plan.
"Bonjour Japan! How's the war going on your end?" France appeared out of the foliage dressed in that creamsicle orange of Diamonds. Japan inwardly groaned at the mention of the current bane of his existence.
"I am fine, France-san. I came to deliver information on Hearts' military."
"…and? Mon dieu, Japan, you look ready to kill someone." Of all people, why did he have to be with France right now? Despite his often aloof appearance he could read someone like a book, even silent Japan.
"It is nothing. Feliciano plans to somehow ally with Spades against Clubs because, as one would say, Alfred is the lesser of two evils in reference to the four kings. Ludwig thinks, and my counterpart agrees, that though Spades does not deserve the power of the Timepiece, Clubs deserves it even less. They know they won't defeat either of them without an ally but Feliciano refuses to tell Spades of their plan."
France arched his eyebrows and sighed. "Of course not. Well it sounds like either you need to convince him otherwise or have Italy do it for him. I'm surprised Ludwig hasn't done it himself."
"Ludwig believes an effort to create an alliance has already been sent and is just waiting for a response. He is getting agitated waiting for word that won't come. Romano thinks he should take over completely for Lovino and explain the situation without interference- anything to end this faster so he can go home."
France crossed his arms and nodded, thinking over the plan and any possible repercussions. "I think he should. They need to tell Alfred soon or there won't be a Spades to ally with. While you have your diplomacy issues I have mine. Francis wishes to let them all kill each other and take the spoils."
A flash of confusion disappeared behind his calm façade, "Is it really a bad thing if there is one less kingdom fighting the others?"
"Diamonds is the wealthiest of the four suits, they have that name for a reason you know. They are making the others think they're weak to slip in quietly right at the end. If Diamonds enters this war when they plan to it will drag on for far longer than it needs to. I can only do so much without Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and Spain here to help me." Japan had forgotten that France was completely alone in this. Both Spades and Hearts had all four doubles present.
"Russia is alone as well. If you cannot convince them not to enter the war then at least keep them from aligning with Ivan. Russia is on our side for now but we know how easily his goals can shift6."
The possibility of Russia and America going at each other once again made them both shudder involuntarily. Even if nukes weren't in play they were still volatile adversaries. No, this fragile alliance had to stay alive7.
"It took a four-way war in another dimension to make us finally work together to create world peace. Isn't that just sad?" France chuckled darkly at his own words. "The bitter irony of it all. Germany and England, America and Russia, all working together for the first time in history and we aren't even in our own world."
"It is nice though. Maybe we can recreate it back home someday." Japan said and France nodded in agreement before turning back to the way he came.
"Au revoir, Japon. Maybe that dream will someday be a reality."
The Nations, as the human versions, were surprisingly easy to capture. They just didn't have the war-weary experience their immortal counterparts had. And that was how they'd managed to swap Lovino with Romano in less than twenty minutes.
"Lovino, I have something for you." Italy said, coming up behind his brother's doppelgänger. The brunette turned to face him and was met with a cloth covered in sweet-smelling chloroform. The shock on his face quickly melted away as he passed out and collapsed against the Nation. Ah, the glory of homemade anesthetics.
"You're not fratello." Italy said in his flippant voice as he dragged the ace away. They always underestimated him… their mistake. In the hallway he met Germany and Romano who wore an identical outfit to his double and was whisper-yelling at the German.
"I know how to act as myself, potato bastard!"
"Ve~ you two should stop fighting now. Lovino doesn't fight with Ludwig." Yes, the impossible became possible. Without the centuries of hatred between them, Lovino and Ludwig were more than amicable with each other. It was definitely a strange sight when the four Nations had initially arrived.
"Shut up, Veneziano, and tell me what he was doing." Romano growled. Italy didn't bat an eye.
"He was on his way to deliver this to Ludwig. I don't know what it is." Italy handed him a sealed envelope and he quickly walked away to complete the task, leaving his brother and Germany to deal with his unconscious double.
"Hey Luddy, do you think he can use magic?" Italy knelt down and played with Lovino's limp hand. "Cause I know Alfred can and America can't."
Germany was silent, mulling over their slight oversight. "Well if he can then we'll have to hope Romano never gets put into a position where he has to. Now come, the ship will be leaving soon." He hefted up the unconscious Italian and began carrying him to the stables.
After Japan's talk with France they had decided to dispatch Lovino and send him to Spades under the guard of their royals while Romano took over for him and slowly convinced the royals of Hearts to align with Spades legitimately.
It was a short walk to the stables and luckily no guards were around. Seeing their king and jack kidnapping their ace was sure to raise some questions. After they had saddled up it was a ten minute ride to the harbor. The plan was going perfectly.
The harbor glistened peacefully in the moonlight. One of the last ports where you couldn't see flaming ships or hear canon fire echoing in the distance. A lone ferry floated silently moored to the docks, if one looked close enough they could see the cerulean-trimmed navy uniforms of the sailors residing inside.
Upon hearing the two sets of hooves against the wooden docks one of the sailors came out to greet them, momentarily forgetting they were Nations and not royals. Nevertheless he bowed quickly and handed Germany a letter sealed with royal blue wax.
"This is from King Alfred and Jack Yao with regards to the alliance between the two kingdoms." They traded the letter for Lovino and dragged the poor ace below deck for the short trip to foreign territory, where he would remain for the foreseeable future.
The ship quickly departed and the two Nations returned to the small house that may or may not have been occupied before their arrival. Hey, all's fair in love and war.
Especially in the Kingdom of Hearts.
Footnotes:
1: So Asia had been like, "I am a loner" up until oh, 1860-ish. Or at least that's when the Americans started sailing over. Hetalia's episode "Black Ships have Come" highlights that. Britain, Hong Kong, and the Opium Wars were also around that general time period.
2: I really have no idea why there isn't an Ancient China like the western nations. That's just a guess.
3: It's (Not technically) my head canon that Native America existed as a personification. Manifest Destiny kept screwing over the tribes since before we were a nation. Though reservations still exist here and there "Native America" just doesn't exist anymore, we bulldozed over her without thinking twice committing genocide and wreaking havoc across the land. No one says it but here we are calling the kettle black. But where there is a will there is a way with the Americans, and how many conflicts have we lost to date?
4: I would say this is a World War II reference but it's really nothing specific. The Nazi Regime did create a war on two fronts, but that also happened to Germany in WWI (and in '44 when Hitler started loosing really, really bad. The Soviet Union pwned from the east (causing tons of Germans to come running to the west to get captured by Americans instead of Russians) and America, England, France (and Canada) pwned from the West.
5: Direct reference to "Black Ships Have Come".
6: The Russian military is notorious for having secret alliances, gray-zone backup plans, and disregard for any allies if the war wasn't going in their favor. For instance earlier I explained how they abandoned the Allies in WWI to go fix their government. The Crimean War (the 18..50? version) was somehow justified by Russia needing to "protect poor Slavs in the area" which meant a full scale invasion just for a Mediterranean port. I think. Like I said this is all from memory.
7: Once again self-explanatory that it's the Cold War but I just love the idea of Russia and America teaming up for anything in modern times. Epic plot twist that a lot of fics sadly don't have. Not RussAme, but the world's superpowers aligning together to defeat a common enemy. I wish there were more out there with it. (I sense the birth of a plot bunny...)
Did you know there are a ton of Brits that still hate the Germans? Did anyone catch my PJO reference? Does anyone else think we should petition Crayola and demand that "Prussian Blue" be reinstated as an official crayon color instead of it's replacement "Midnight Blue"?
Danke for reading! See ya Wednesday!