An Empire…

Part 6- The First meeting of the Romance siblings!

"I hate you, my people hate you and we'll always hate you!" Albion screams as he clutches to the side of the boat and looks away from Rome. The man who had pried Albion off of his Queen earlier, the man who then sent his people to hunt Albion's down, the man whose forces were taking over the last of his land and then turning towards his brothers.

"But Britannia-"

"No." He cuts the man's lame excuses off. "I don't want to hear you." And he turns his green eyes onto the man, and he glares; although they both know Rome's older, stronger, they also know who just lost their Queen, a Queen they're close too; so Rome sighs and leaves the boy to his musings.

And for that Albion is thankful.

Short-Little-Introduction-Sequence-Is-Short!

Albion enjoyed the sailing, crossing the ocean, cutting through the sea- he didn't think it WAS possible to fight against the ocean, but they HAVE! And he doesn't want to get off the boat, but he's pretty sure Rome's not going to let him stay on there.

So he heaves his self off the boat, and looks back over to it as he follows Rome ashore. The Nation is speaking to some people, probably more of his own… and the thought that there are more of them angers him, scares him… are his brother going to be alright?

"Hallo!" He jumps back, yelping: almost falling into the water.

There's a blue eyed boy in front of him, the eyes Albion notes are like the ocean behind him, and he can't help but feel slightly envious that the boy has such a wonderful eyes colour (but it's not green, and his family are special and have green eyes!) and the boy has wonderful blonde hair, it shined in the sunlight, and slowly surrounded his heart shaped face in waves- and Albion can't help but think of the ocean again… he likes the ocean… will he like this boy?

No.

He decides when he hears the boys mocking and irritating laughter surround him. The boy's laughing at him.

"What's funny?" Albion questions… the boy's taller than him, and he has to look up at him. He decides he's slowly hating having to look up at people- why were they always taller than him?

"But you of course!" The boy giggles, looping his arm through Albion's and dragging the boy towards Rome and the woman he's chatting too.

"You're so adorable!"

He hates the boy. He really does, that's the only reason he's blushing. It's not even a blush! It's anger.

He hates the boy who he later finds out is named Gallia…

Of-Course-You-Do-Albion-Of-Course-You-Do

The city of Rome is a city Albion would rather not be in. It was large and great, and he agreed with Gallia on that fact, but it didn't mean he HAD to enjoy the fact he was there.

Not long after arriving Gallia had attacked his… brother, he believed he called the boy, with hugs. He was a short boy, shorter than Albion and had hair and eyes to match Rome's but… they were softer and they looked so curious and oblivious that Albion decided he didn't mind the boy. He had a brother who seemed to be a few years older, with darker, reddish locks and he had a foul mouth; kept hitting Gallia away.

Albion just wanted to avoid them, they were foreign. They were strange. After all Gallia was kissing his brothers cheeks and sometimes pecking them on lips, and Albion couldn't imagine doing that to his brothers… it just seemed… weird!

So, when he was sure they weren't paying attention he slipped away. Slipped away unnoticed, as though he was never there. And he wandered.

The building was large, tall, grand, great and spacious. He wondered around, people glanced at him every now and again, but he ignored them and in return they went back to whatever they were doing.

The place makes Albion feel even smaller than he knows he is, and even with the few people scattered around it's rather… empty… it feels hollow. He carries on walking forward; he doesn't want to be found by Gallia or Rome… Speaking of Rome, the Nation seems to have disappeared since they've entered the building.

"Lusitania!" He hears a young voice squeal and feet are pounding loudly against the floor and they're getting closer.

"You're never going to catch up to me with your pathetic speed, brother!" There's laughter so musical that it reminds Albion of his brother Éire and before he realises what's going on, he's fallen to the ground with someone with green eyes above him.

He's shocked, as he stares into those green eyes… Green! His brothers!

Then he gets a look of the person above him. His green eyes are… wrong. Well… not wrong, but they aren't his brothers… they're an olive green. And his skin is dark, or well darker than Albion and his brothers, and there's a mole under his left eye; he has brown wavy curls that are pulled back into a small ponytail.

"Oi Lusitania, what's going on?" And he sees another boy peer over his brother's shoulder. He looks younger, and his eyes are a brighter green, but they look almost identical, though the younger one doesn't have the mole and his hair's straighter.

"Obviously I tripped into someone Hispania," he gets up, and once again his voice reminds Albion of his brother Éire. "You ok?" He questioning and offers a hand for Albion.

And he's not sure whether he should accept the hand or not, should he trust the teen in front of him. Albion never got the chance to choose though, for the younger boy stole something from Lusitania and started running away.

"Oi! Hispania!" And he's chasing the younger boy back around the corner, though not before looking back over at the shocked looking Albion who's getting back onto his feet. "Sorry for running into you!"

And he's gone.

Albion looks around. The place is empty and the sounds of the two boys are leaving, and the place feels hollow, and he's crying.

He wants his brothers… He really wants them, and it's like Alba said… Having green eyes isn't enough anymore… There are other Nations with their trademark.

And it only adds to the empty feeling that's surrounding him.

Silly-Albion-It's-Not-Like-You-And-Your-Brothers-Were-Going-To-Be-The-Only-People-With-Green-Eyes!

He realises with a jolt that he doesn't feel well. He feels faint and weak, and… lost. He's getting dizzy and it feels as though his eyes are being squeezed tightly, while the world is getting further and further away from him. And his vision is twisting. He feels sick… really sick.

And even though he's not on his land, he stills feels the roads they're building, marking the areas they've taken over, the areas where his people have given up, the areas where it's hopeless to even pray they'll be safe, because they've given in. And they're building, buildings and it just doesn't feel right and he feels sick.

"Britannia!" It's Rome's voice and he freezes, glaring over his shoulder at the man, there's a woman beside him, she's as tall as Rome with long brown hair that's played with in beautiful ways, she's darker skinned than Albion as well, her eyes are dark, she looks fierce… but nice enough…

"This is Greece," he explains. "She's going to be looking after you for awhile, while I'm busy." The man pauses for a bit and turns back to Greece. "You may want to clean him up and sort his hair out."

His hair… and he remembers he has Boudicca's plaits and flowers still in his hair… Boudicca…

And Rome walks off after a few more words with Greece and then she's crouching down and smiling, Albion glares back.

"Don't touch my hair."

And that's the last time he's going to speak in Rome's tongue to the woman, he decides.

She-Isn't-The-Bad-Guy-Albion!

He's felt worse since Greece took him back to her own land. She's pretty in her own way, he guesses, but she's a demon in disguising Albion tells his self.

But, she lets him wonder and she hasn't touched his hair. He's sure the flowers are dying but they came from his land… they're apart of him! And they were from her… they're important to him…

It was on a day when he was wondering around (he didn't dare go too far he had no reason to want to get lost in some strange, foreign and hot land) that he found the strange man. The man was in tattered robes, his hair greying, he was old, but his eyes were strong and wise… so Albion had to wonder why the man was nailed to two pieces of wood that were shaped as an X.

"What are you doing?" He questioned the man, speaking that foul Roman language, but he wanted to find out and this was the only way he could.

"I could ask you the same thing boy," the man sounded like he'd laugh if he had the energy.

"But I asked first," Albion was curious, but he'd understand if the man didn't want to say, he never particularly liked telling Rome things. "Are you going to answer?"

And the man was silent, and Albion stayed there until he had to leave, he didn't know what the woman Greece would do if he didn't come back… but he was sure he didn't want to suffer her or Rome's wrath.

He returned the next day and the day after that and the man, Andrew he found out, told marvellous stories about a man named Jesus. One day and the man told him Jesus could walk on water.

"How did he do that?" Albion was excited… could he get back to his own land?

The man had laughed.

"I'm not too sure myself boy, but he was the Lords son!" And conversation continued on as always, and Albion had lost that slight hope… he wasn't getting back unless Rome said he could…

He also lost the marvellous stories. The man had died the next day and Greece explained what was going on… he couldn't help but hate Rome all the more…

Can-Any-One-Tell-Who-That-Guy-Was-Before-I-Say-Who-It-Is-At-The-End?

"Why haven't you escaped yet…?" Greece questioned, and Albion was perplexed- how could she speak his language?

"Why do you want me too?" Albion questioned back, and the woman looked like she would cry at any second and she brought a hand to her head as she crouched down to Albion's level. She stared into his eyes, before she broke down crying and brought a shocked Albion into her arms.

"I knew your Mother Albion!" She sobbed loudly; Albion felt his eyes grow wide but at the fact that she knew his real name or the fact she knew his Mother… he wasn't quite sure…

That-Was-A-Short-Bit!

"What do you want Cymru!" He decided he didn't like his brother who lives the most north.

"Came to give you a warning Alba," he looks over the boy, he's much taller than the last time they saw each other. He looks as old as their other brother did the last time they met (though he's sure Éire has grown as well).

"Oh? You know that sounds like a threat?" Alba's grinning, his teeth had food stuck between them, and Cymru makes a mental note not to let Albion close to Alba when he's got his little brother back- he doesn't want him to be raised under the barbarian.

"No, just some friendly advice," Cymru sighs. "Don't let Rome find out your name's Alba."

"Oh and why shouldn't I?" He questioned, looking slightly amused.

"Just let him go by whatever name he calls you, if you tell him your name he can take control of you," Cymru sighs, this was much easier when dealing with Albion. "Ah, you have to call Albion Britannia for the time being!"

"Look, it's been fun Cymru, but really my land's being invaded and I don't have time to deal with you or your talk of names and such," Alba tells him and starts walking back off to his people. "As I'm sure you don't have time spreading messages around, you have your own land to protect don't you?"

"Since when… has this been your land?" Cymru questions and Alba makes a snorting noise.

"Since, my Ma decided to divide it between the both of us," Alba looks back, eyes mocking. "I have the lowlands she has the high," he snorts. "She wants Rome or Albion to kill me off. Doesn't want to let go of her country, doesn't want to die, so she' hoping to use me as a sacrifice." Alba laughs and his eyes are burning brightly. "But, I'm not going down easily! Then I'll take her land from her… then I'll sort out a better border with Albion- if he's still alive that is."

And he grins at Cymru, his eyes terrifying and he's gone; Cymru has to wonder was it wise to tell him about the names?

Don't-Worry-Alba's-Just-Going-Through-A-Phase-After-All-Wouldn't-You-If-Your-Mother-Is-Trying-To-Use-You-As-A-Sacrafice?

A/N: So chapter 6 is slightly smaller than the last chapter and I'm not as happy with it… but it will have to do!

History notes and such:

-Gallia is future France, Gaul is his Mother and is the woman that's speaking to Rome when they first come ashore.

-Italy brothers made a brief appearance, but they're not too important right now, so –shrugs-

-Hispania is future Spain and Lusitania is future Portugal, you know I thought it would be nice for England to meet his future's worst enemies and greatest allies.

-Mentions of St Andrew, with the cross, he was crucified in Greece (which thankfully worked into my plans) and Albion doesn't really think too much of him right now, because he's young and doesn't know much about Rome's religion and such… YET! Also I guess that's the first religious mentioned thing, so don't find it offensive (though I don't know how you… could), but you know religion, myth and history go hand in hand! Oh and St Andrew was said to die mid to late of the first century, so I went for a time in-between both.

-Greece is Ancient Greece (can't call her Ancient yet cause it's still her time in this part of the story), and how she's connected to Albion's Mother we shall see NEXT chapter!

-And I started hinting towards Albion's future relationships, such as his and Alba's border disagreements, his hatred towards France, his love of the sea, etc.

Anyways. Hopes you've enjoyed another chapter. I shall update again tomorrow (yes I am trying to avoid doing college work and asking what my teachers what I've missed cause half of my teachers are scary/ iffy modes, I wish my Art teachers were my only teachers they're lovely!)