Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter! It really made my day to get so many great responses ^_^
England finished doing up his tie and checked his appearance in the mirror. Perfect. He was getting ready to go to the world meeting that had been scheduled for today and he didn't want to look anything less than impeccable. Despite what people liked to think, appearance did matter. Who wanted to form a trade alliance with a scruffy-looking idiot? He had a reputation to maintain, after all.
"Whatcha doin'?"
He spun around to see Scotland lounging against the doorframe, arms folded. "I'm getting ready to leave. The meeting starts in an hour and I'd like to get there early."
"Can I come?"
"Of course you can't. I represent the UK in things like this, remember? You don't need to bother yourself with it."
"I'm nae botherin' meself, I just want ter come! I've never been tae one of these world meetin's before and they soond interestin'."
"Well they aren't." England picked up his briefcase and pushed past Scotland into the corridor. "They're just a bunch of countries arguing about pointless things and never actually accomplishing anything."
"Soonds like fun!" Scotland was hurrying along behind him as he picked up his pace. "I willnae be a bother, I just want ter 'ave a look."
"You're staying right here," said England, with an air of finality that shot right over the Scot's head.
"Staying right where?" Wales emerged from his bedroom door, still dressed in his sheep-print pyjamas, just in time to follow the older nations into the living area.
"In this hotel room. You're lucky I let you come to Berlin with me. Don't push that luck, now."
"Luck?" Now it was Northern Ireland's turn to appear, this time from the bathroom.
"We werenae talkin' aboot you," said Scotland, still closely shadowing England. "This gowk crabbit willnae let us come ter the world meetin' with 'im."
"A world meeting? Can I come?"
"If he gets to come then so do I!'
"We willnae be any trouble!"
"Please, England," said Wales, looking up at him with pleading eyes. He was the smallest of the four and quite cute when he wanted to be, and he'd figured out how to use this to his advantage. His eyes swelled to twice their normal size and shimmered gently, suggesting tears forming just out of sight.
England stared down at him for a moment, then turned on his heel and marched to the front door. "No. None of you are coming. You'll get bored and you know what happens when you get bored." Wales seemed to deflate somewhat and, shoulders slumped, disappeared off into his room.
Scotland, however, was not one to give up. "I willnae get bored! I need the experience fer when I move oot of this hoose!"
"You know you'll never actually do that, Scotland. You'd have to cook for yourself and wash your own clothes and do all your own accounts."
"I could do that!" He folded his arms and glowered at his younger brother. "Yer just havenae given me the chance ter prove it!"
"I could help you!" pleaded Ireland. "I could take your calls and do your paperwork! I could say hi to South again!"
England scowled at him. The Republic of Ireland always took her seat as far away from him as physically possible and avoided all eye contact when she wasn't glaring at him and snapping pencils in a way that more than implied she was imagining they were his neck. "She won't even talk to you if you're near me."
"Oh," Ireland looked a little disappointed, then perked up again. "I don't mind! I still want to come!"
"Come on, England," said Scotland, trying to imitate Wales's cute face and failing miserably. "Let us come. We willnae get up ter any mischief."
"I wish I could believe that." He opened the hotel room door and set off down the corridor to the lifts.
"I'm ready!" Wales bounced back out of his bedroom and raced out after them, now fully dressed in a musty-smelling tweed suit and wellies. "Wait for me!" He caught up just in time to slip through the lift door before it closed.
"What the bloody hell is that?" England stared at him in horror as the floor numbers slowly decreased.
"It's my formalwear! I haven't worn it for a few decades but it still fits!" Wales was bouncing on the balls of his feet, a big grin splitting his face. "Can I come now? Please?"
"No!" The door pinged and slid open. England strode out into the lobby with his three brothers still sticking to him like glue. "Go away!"
"Why not? Just give us a chance! We'll won't be any trouble, I swear!"
"We're countries too! I dinnae ken what the big deal is!"
"Yeah, let us come!"
"And me!"
"You arenae leavin' me behind!"
"NO!" England's voice cut through the cacophony of pleading cries, silencing the brothers completely. "NO! YOU CAN'T COME! NONE OF YOU HAVE ENOUGH INDEPENDENCE TO REPRESENT YOURSELVES ON THE WORLD STAGE AND NONE OF YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE TO SIT THROUGH AN ENTIRE MEETING WITHOUT CAUSING SOME KIND OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY, SO STOP DELUDING YOURSELVES AND GO BACK TO THE ROOM BECAUSE I AM NOT LETTING YOU COME WITH ME!"
There was a moment of quiet. England glowered around at them, his temper still at boiling point, and they stared back with wide eyes and shocked faces. The entire lobby seemed to fall quiet as all everyone turned to look at them. The silence stretched and expanded, rolled and crested, then...
BEEP BEEP!
The car had arrived.
"YAY!" shouted Scotland, Wales and Ireland in unison and surged forwards, knocking England sideways as they shot through the revolving door, pushing each other out of the way in their eagerness to get outside. They piled into the back of the taxi like sardines as the slightly bemused driver shut the door behind them.
England stomped through the doors after them in the sort of mood that made good men into murderers. He thought about shouting at them all to get out and go upstairs before he was forced to put a curse on them, but they were better at magic than he was anyway. Besides, he knew it wouldn't work and they probably wouldn't hear him anyway, thanks to the chant of "WE'RE GOING TO THE MEETING, WE'RE GOING TO THE MEETING!" that had erupted from the back seat of the taxi.
Sighing, England climbed in and buckled himself into the passenger seat. Maybe it wouldn't hurt that much to give them a chance. They were nations, after all - small nations that all sat under the banner of the United Kingdom, but nations all the same. If the worst came to the worst, at least they would make the meeting a little more interesting.
He just did not need Scotland to meet Prussia.