The World is Snowblind Chapter 10, a hetalia - axis powers fanfic

December 16, 1773~

I've had my bag ready for about three weeks. I would stare at it, watching it sit in the corner. I had fights inside my head about what I should. Yes, go. No, don't go—I felt like a mad person. I made lists of pros and cons and flipped a coin over and over again. I figured that the only things keeping me here were Alfred and Miss Mary and Davidson.

I actually decided to not go but then Arthur and Alfred had a fall out all over the dining room. That was yesterday, today, or tonight as it is, I have no hesitation about my choice.

A man that worked by the docks told me that he could set up a small ship for me and some other men to sail to France in a day. I thanked him and all was set from there. He didn't have a problem for a child leaving for Europe unaccompanied but when I ask if we could depart at night he raised a brow.

"I'm very sensitive to the sun," I had said, spur of the moment. "Can't be in it."

The man just shrugged and took my money.

I began to get dressed in all the warmest clothes I owned—layers and layers of thick shirts and at least two pairs of pants. I pulled out Alfred's large snow boots that I had snuck from his room from under my bed. I brushed them off and slid them on. With the stacks of socks I had put on my foot fit perfectly in the shoes. I was taking them with me so I could pretend that Alfred was with me. I wished so deeply that he could take him, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Alfred was stronger than me and would never run away.

I picked up my bag and flung it over my shoulder. I didn't know where I was going to go when I reached France, but I would think of something, anything other than living with him again.

Stepping out into the dark hallway I went heel-to-toe over to the stairs. I slowly crept by Alfred's room and made it to the top step. I shot a glance over at Arthur's closed door. He's probably not even in there, I thought. Off getting drunk in his office more like it. I snorted at the thought and started down the stairs.

Moonlight illuminated the bottom story. The dining room, sitting room and front room all danced in blue lights. I stood motionless in the middle of the front room for a moment, just looking. I knew I would miss everything, or most things, but I pushed those thoughts back. Once I was in France I could mourn the house, but not till then.

With a deep breath I walked out the front door.

It was cold but only my bare face could feel any of it. I trudged down the pathway slowly but steadily. I could feel the warmth from the house slowly fading as I came to the edge of the town. Every house and building was blocked out in the shadows of the night leaving perfect cover for my secret trip. As I came closer to the docks, the soft sound of the sea graced my ears. My fingers twitched in anticipation. I was really doing this and I was really getting away with it. I turned past the last building separating the docks and stopped.

Half of the ships that were normally strung all along the sides of the docks were all pushed to one side. They swayed next to each other, so close that their ropes swung over each other. I spotted my ship stuck in the middle of two foul smelling fishing boats. I began to look for the other colonists who would be joining me when I saw the cause for the tight arrangements.

Two giant ships were sitting in the middle of the harbor. They rocked and swayed and the moon lit up their gold trimmings. I stared in awe at the massive things till I saw their names: E.I.C—East India Company.

I cringed. British ships.

I ducked past them and down the docks railing. The moon shone on the ships mast and sails. They looked monstrous. Only a day ago did they sail in, full with boxes and bags, all containing tea; retched, retched tea. For some reason that was beyond my understanding, the colonists needed their tea and went through extreme precautions to get it to the harbor safely, even if it means paying for the extra cost of a fine ship.

I found my ship—stuck helplessly between to foul smelling fishing boats. I wasn't expecting any king of large ship but one that didn't look like it was going to snap into once out at sea. I looked around for any sign of the other men that would be joining me but in vain. I pondered the idea of jumping in and waiting though if I sat down I feared of falling asleep. I stood dumbly at the edge of the docks. I didn't know what I was doing, but that wasn't going to stop me.

Throwing my bag first I carefully started up the very short ladder. I was on the second to last step when a noise caused me to stop. My head turned quickly, my heart beating wildly for some reason.

Shadows greeted me. The sounds of footsteps and hushed voice came from the sides of the walkway. I hung on to the ladder so tightly that my knuckles turned white. My mouth opened to ask who was there but no sounds came. There I stayed, unmoving, chest pressed up close to the wood steps, waiting for whatever evil things that lurked in the dark to sprint out and grab me.

A clatter caused me to whip my head to the left. A man stood holding his shin, presumably caressing it after slamming into the pile of boxes near him. He hissed through his teeth as he rubbed his leg. Another man came from the dark and slapped the other. "Hush up, Cain!"

The man, Cain, leg down his leg and shot the other a glare. "You."

"Both a'ya," said another as he stepped from the alleys of the buildings.

One by one, fourteen or so men came into the section of the docks. Some had bags strapped over their shoulders and others held feather headdresses atop their heads. I quietly watched as some pulled out hammers and other tools from their bags while some drew two lines of red paint on their cheeks. They spoke in mere whispers. When one got to loud, one would shhh him, and the same for him. They stayed like this until one last figure emerged from the buildings. Yellow hair flashed in the moonlight:

"Quiet and listen. We got to do this thing quick, right?"

My blood froze. The man was Alfred.

"Whose going up first?" one man asked.

"Me." Alfred brushed by all the men and walked to the side of one of the E.I.C ships. He looked up at it before tightening his legs and springing into the air. His hands just grabbed the sides of the railing. He grunted and for a second he dangled. He flung a leg up high and his heel caught the ship. All the men watched as his body finally disappeared over the ships side. He popped up with a rope in his hands that he threw down to the nearest man. "Quick now."

As the men started shimmying up the rope, I jumped down from the ladder. I slowly walked over to the ship next to the one they were climbing and hid behind its bow. My breath came out as puffs of heat that traveled across my freezing cheeks. What was happening?

Cain scrambled up the rope only to immediately jump back down. "Al wants us to take the other," he told the men still standing on the docks. They moved to the other ship and Cain mimicked the same movements Alfred did, only less gracefully.

My eyes moved to the ship Alfred was on. I looked for him past all the other moving shadows. When he popped into view I saw he was carrying two heavy boxes, both with the stamp of the company's design.

All the men moved aside from him as he came to the side of the ship. With powerful arms he raised both the boxes over his head. He held: before I knew it, Alfred threw the boxes into the dark sea below.

"Woo—" Cain shouted from the other ship as he watched the boxes fall. He pulled back his leg and kicked off a box himself. And suddenly, the waves were swamped with tea.

Many of them laughed as they heaved box after box down to the waters. Alfred, incredibly impressive, managed to pick four boxes up at once. As they ran about the ship, some made howling calls, their mouths forming an 'O's and patting them. They threw the ropes that hung around and hit at the sails. Cain shouted as he danced around: "Blow, blow, blow ye winds, blow!" Two men that jumped down to the docks began taking turns smashing the planks of the ship with rods and hammers.

I stared in complete awe as the dark blue water slowly turned brown. A spread of tea was reaching out through the harbor. What a sight, I thought and that's when I slipped.

I fell flat on my stomach as my feet came out from under me. I smashed my chin against the wooden boards with an awful groan. It seemed all movement and sound stopped. All eyes landed on me as I struggled to get up. I froze as I heard the cock of a gun.

Looking up slowly I saw Alfred, right next to him a man holding a long rifle. They stared at me for a moment before Alfred twisted up his face in a frown. "Mattie?"

At the recognition in Alfred's voice the men began to move around again, this time quieter. I waited till the man dropped his rifle to move. I walked to the ship and stared up at Al who came to the side. He stared down at me. "What are you doing here, Matthew?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I said after a moment.

Alfred snorted. "Well I'm sure you're not taking a midnight stroll," he paused to help a struggling man next to him push over another box, "and I'm sure Arthur didn't let you out so…"

I was taken aback by the aggressiveness in his voice. "I was...I was…" I stopped to watch the tea in the water. "What are you doing, Al?"

Alfred gave me a long stare before leaping off the side of the ship. He landed with a firm thump that jostled me up the spine. He straightened up and his face was covered by the shadowed sky. He looked so big at that moment. "I'm making a statement—we're making a statement." He turned to the ships and called, "Are we drinking this filthy shit anymore, boys?" An echoing "Hell no!" came from all bodies. Alfred turned around with a cold smile. "We won't drink it," he pointed to the sleeping town, "they won't drink it. We stay on a schedule set by the Brits, but not anymore."

He leaned down and picked up a piece of broken wood. "No more tea time, no more soldiers, no more taxes," with each no, he snapped the wood in half, "no more Parliament, no more bloody King George!" He jumped back and threw the small bits of wood far out into the ocean with a yell.

The men around him joined in the yell. The Cain fellow jumped down and ran over, placing a headdress on Al's head. The others jumped down too, after making sure all boxes were floating off in the waves. They had come to cause havoc and they had; now it was time to sneak back home. Alfred turned to me. "Get back to the house, Matthew. I'll be coming." I took a step back when he added, "And Matthew, don't go telling. This didn't happen…you weren't here."

Something in his eyes made my skin crawl. Without saying a word I turned and went back to my ship. I climbed the ladder in a daze and grabbed my bag. I would never get to use it.

—

I was already awake when morning came. I never went to sleep. I listened to the frantic stomping of feet as Arthur finally woke and finally found out what had happened. I decided not to leave my room. I didn't want to get in the middle of things.

I got up from my bed and stared out the window. I could see out to the docks and I could see the enormous crowd that had gathered there. The sea looked tinted and brown. It was actually quite a lot fun, watching as men pulled out boxes and yelled and ran about. It wasn't hard to spot Arthur out of the chaos—standing right in the middle of the boardwalk, pointing at the stained waves in fury. Dear God, he was a mess.

My door opened with a creak. I jumped and turned. Alfred stood there, one hand on the doorknob one hand holding himself up as he leaned on the doorway. "Hey, Mattie."

I nodded over to him awkwardly. "Hey, ah, Al…"

Alfred smiled and tapped his fingers on the door. He looked around my room, and sighed. He seemed so blissful. "Well, let's get some breakfast." He stuck out his hand and waited for me to come.

I looked at him tentatively. "Yeah…" I walked over and took his hand. I stared up at his face. Even if when he smiled, his eyes still burned. "Oh, Al…" I whispered as we made our way down stairs.

Is this chapter 10 already? Whoah... Thank you all for reading! Please review :)