With the war between England and Ireland over with, they now have to change their names. A little dispute after the arrangement motivates Northern Ireland to further separate from Ireland. This also causes England to remember about the day the twins became a part of him.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'm sorry it's kind of short.
Also! I don't really know what happens when you get your name changed, so if this seems odd or completely wrong, I'm sorry.
"Put the name you currently have here and the one you're changing over to here."
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland were all gathered in front of the judge to have the Irelands' names changed. England's name also had to be changed because Ireland as a whole wasn't a part of him anymore.
Ireland, North, and England took turns signing the document before giving it back to the judge. The judge looked it over before addressing them.
"The southern part of Ireland. You wish to change your name to the Irish Free State, correct?"
"Yes, your honor."
"The northern part of Ireland. You wish to change your name to Northern Ireland, correct?"
"Yes, your honor."
"And, finally, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. You wish to have your name changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, correct?"
"Yes, your honor."
"It's official then." The judge put his seal of agreement on the documents before putting them away. A copy of the documents will be given to them later on.
"So, we'll be going home now, England?" Wales, their eldest brother, asked.
"Yes. There's nothing more for us to do here."
England turned to leave but stopped when he heard Ireland ask the judge a question.
"Your honor, would it be possible for me to change my human name as well?"
Everyone but the judge looked at Ireland in surprise. England turned around to stare at his older brother in confusion.
"What more do you want to change, Seamus?"
"If I'm no longer a part of the United Kingdom, wouldn't I have to change my last name as well?"
"What would ever give you that idea?"
Ireland looked at England with resentment in his eyes.
"I'm no longer a part of this 'family' by breaking away, am I?"
"Of course you are! Why would you ever think-"
"Well, technically, he's right," the judge replied, "By splitting away from the United Kingdom, the Irish Free State is considered his own independent nation. So, yes, having his last name changed would benefit him."
"We don't have to do this right now, do we?" England asked, making sure he sounded more annoyed than upset.
"It will only take a few minutes," Ireland answered before turning his attention back to the judge. The judge pulled out another document and showed Ireland where to sign. After doing so, the judge went over the change with him.
"Mr. Seamus Kirkland. You wish to have your human name changed to Mr. Seamus O'Connor, correct?"
"Yes, your honor."
England watched in horror as the judge finalized the document. Not only had Ireland changed his name but he dropped his last name as well. The name he and his brothers shared for centuries. The name that was their only connection as brothers was now replaced by a more Irish name. This was a huge slap in the face for England.
The brothers filed out of the court-house into the cloudy December day. Scotland pulled out a pack of cigarettes and began smoking.
"So, now do we go home, your highness?" Scotland mocked his youngest brother. England became irritated quickly and turned to look at his older brother.
"Yes, Scotland, we're going home now," the Englishman said through gritted teeth.
Once the brothers were out of sight of the court-house, Northern Ireland punched his twin in the back of the head. The older twin staggered forward for a moment before turning to look at his attacker.
"What in the bloody hell was that for?"
"You idiot! How dare you change your last name! Do you really think you're not our brother anymore?"
"What's the point in keeping the name when I'm no longer a part of you?"
"You're still our brother no matter how you look at it!"
"This was my decision, North... Northern Ireland. A decision I've made to express my independence."
Northern Ireland stared at him for a moment before the look of anger grew on his face.
"Are you saying... you don't want to be our brother anymore?"
"North, that's not what I'm say-"
Northern Ireland slapped Ireland across the right cheek roughly. A red mark formed over the older twin's freckles as the pain slowly ceased. Ireland looked at his brother calmly. Northern Ireland was really upset with him. He didn't blame his younger twin.
"Don't ever call me that again, Irish Free State."
Ireland turned around and walked away from his brothers. They all knew the separation wouldn't be easy, especially on the twins. The Irish Free State and Northern Ireland were always so close. Northern Ireland, usually so shy and reserved, was always by Ireland's side. They'd never spent a single day apart until Ireland declared his independence. That was when they started sleeping in different rooms and avoiding each other.
Today, Northern Ireland had finally let his true feelings show. He wasn't just uncomfortable with being apart from Ireland. He didn't like that Ireland seemed to not want anything to do with their family anymore.
England was taking this pretty hard too. He and Ireland use to be so close before he pulled him and his twin into the United Kingdom. Everything was so perfect. They were all together as one kingdom in England's house. Even if his brothers were unbearable, he at least had Ireland.
Sadly, Ireland didn't share that same feeling with England. He was always finding an excuse to stay out of the house and avoided England at almost all costs. England thought Ireland just needed time to adjust but Ireland continued to act this way. He eventually realized that Ireland was uncomfortable being in the United Kingdom. He didn't come to this conclusion until it was too late, however.
England could remember so clearly about the day he made Ireland and Northern Ireland a part of the United Kingdom. It was a few decades after America had gained his independence. It was a very sad moment in England's life, Ireland's revolution being just as depressing.
Ireland and his twin brother, nicknamed North for his representation of the northern part of the island, were busy farming one morning. It was sunny that day and the sun's merciless rays beamed down upon them as they worked. Despite the hot day, the two laughed and joked about numerous things to pass the time.
From almost out of nowhere, England showed up with his hands hidden behind his back. The twins didn't notice him as they continued to work and converse with each other. England came closer to let his presence be known.
"Hello, North and South," England said in a slightly cheerful voice. The two stopped at what they were doing to look over at England. North looked annoyed at the sight of England. He, like his older brothers, didn't really care for the British nation. South, on the other hand, looked happy to see him. Unlike his brothers, South actually loved his youngest brother England.
"What do you want, England?" North asked, his annoyance thick in his voice.
"Oh, hello Deartháir Beag!" South said happily, "What brings you here?"
"I just wanted to propose something to you two," England answered South. He ignored North, who was growing more annoyed the longer he stared at England.
"What would that be, Deartháir Beag?"
"I want you and North to join me in the United Kingdom. That way, we can all be together as one."
This didn't seem to faze North while South wore a worried look. The southern part of Ireland had watched as his youngest brother formed a union with their two oldest brothers Scotland and Wales. He wasn't sure how they felt about the union. For some reason, when England said he wanted them in the United Kingdom, South had a sinking feeling in his gut.
"I'm not sure about this, England," South told his brother, "I mean, North and I are doing fine on our own."
"Really? Are you sure you don't wish to be closer to our brothers?"
"We don't have to be united to still be brothers, Deartháir Beag." South put a hand on England's head and ruffled the messy blond locks. "Things are fine as they are."
"But I went through the trouble of making these for you." England pulled out two collars from behind his back, one a pale green, the other a dark green.
"What are those for, you little freak?" North asked, eyeing the collars in disgust.
"They bind us together as the United Kingdom. See? Like this."
Before the twins could even blink, England wrapped the collars around their necks and clicked the lock shut. A chain formed from the collars and connected Northern and Southern Ireland to The United Kingdom of Great Britain. They were now part of the United Kingdon.
"England!" South's mood changed immediately as he tried to tug the collar off. "Why did you do this?! I thought I told you we didn't want to join!"
"That's the point." England's voice became eerily calm as he spoke. "You wouldn't have joined willingly so this was the only way."
"You little brat!" North raised his rake to strike at England but South stopped him.
"North, violence won't solve anything. But, England, I'm asking you again. Why did you do this?"
"So that we can be together as one happy little family. United under one roof, never to separate."
There was an unsettling silence between them as England smiled up at his brothers. The look in his eyes said everything South needed to know.
You're not running away from me like America did.
"What the hell are we suppose to tell people when they see these things around our necks?" North broke the silence.
"Oh, they won't see them," England replied, "You see, the collars are magic. Only those who can see supernatural creatures like us will be able to see them. So, don't worry about any of the other nations thinking that something's going on."
England walked off, leaving this incident to faze the twins. South looked down at the chain that connected him to England with distaste. He raised his shovel and brought it down hard onto the chain. Nothing. He brought the shovel down harder, again and again, getting more frantic when nothing happened.
South finally stopped when he ran out of strength to continue hitting the chain. He pulled the chain up for him to examine. Not even a dent was made into the metal. He threw the chain down in frustration.
"By the way," England, who had been watching the whole thing in amusement, said suddenly, "If you try to break the chain or collar, it won't be easy. You can bring an ax to the chain or a knife to the collar and you won't come close to tearing them apart."
It would take hours later for South to give up on sawing the collar off with a razor to realize England was right. England saw the indentions where South tried to cut through the fabric of the collar in vain. Again, he thought South just needed to adjust. He had no idea he was pushing South to make the decision to become independent. He wouldn't know until almost a century later that South did this because of him.