Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 13

Arthur kept his head turned towards the Capital as they sped away through the grey snowy landscape. Their escape was a surprise to the patrolling soldiers outside the castle and by the time they had received orders and organized to chase them, they were already far out of the troop's sight. The Faris was a huge help as well, galloping faster than usual, eager to leave the confines of the tall walls and out onto the open land. But even so, they were tiring out and everyone agreed they were due for a much needed rest.

"We could rest there for the night." Yao said languidly, motioning towards a huge rock with an overhanging edge that formed a shallow cave by a snow covered cliff.

They merely nodded, got down from their Faris and went under the tall leafless bent trees whose shadows stretched far, as if trying to avoid them. Ivan did a quick check before motioning the rest in with a smile as they slumped down onto the ground dead tired.

"Is everyone alright?" Kiku asked as he carried the still unconscious Feli down and lay him softly onto the ground.

Arthur averted his eyes, biting his lip as he stood up quickly, almost tripping over himself. "I'll go look for some twigs to start a fire with."

"Is it really okay to let him go alone?" Alfred frowned as everyone else went about their own activities, ignoring the stumbling figure walking off.

Antonio shrugged winching as Yao tended to his wounds. "I doubt we would be able to do anything right now."

"But still –"

"Stop complaining. Saying anything will only make things worse, especially now that Feli is still asleep. Just sit still and let Ivan look at your injuries." Yao snapped, pulling the thread firmly to close Antonio's open wound, causing a yelp.

Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but closed it shut when he saw the look on everyone's faces. Even though nobody was saying anything, the look that they wore said enough. Even the ones that were most affect tended to their wounds silently. He remained silent, clenching his mouth shut as Ivan examined his injuries.

"Could you tell us what happened before we met?" Yao enquired as everyone huddled around the small fire that Arthur had made.

Kiku turned to look at Arthur for a moment before speaking. "We were looking through some documents on the Monte right after you left. That was when Arthur-san realized that something was wrong. It was due to his quick thinking and reflexes that we managed to break down the door before the barrier around was fully formed. Still, it was not an easy task, as the barrier was created to be much stronger inside the room. We faced quite a few challenges in breaking it down even in its weakened state."

"So how did you figure out something was wrong." Antonio wondered out loudly.

The campsite turned quiet as everyone waited for Arthur to speak up. Finally he sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "As everyone would know, the Monte are known for their monstrous ways of ripping anything living to shreds. What we witnessed at the village was abnormal."

"Well not everybody." Ivan grinned as Alfred quickly turned away, hiding his surprised face.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "It was strange, so I tried to look for anything that could explain this occurrence. That was when I remembered the documents on how the presumed leader of the Monte, Germania, could control hordes of those monstrous creatures to do his bidding, even if it meant going against their usual natural instinct."

A loud gasp sounded across the campfire, as what Arthur said settled in.

"This whole incident points to the fact that Germania has indeed returned. If it was just one or two it would have been easily dismissible. But when we were riding pass, most of the villagers survived. Not dead in pieces. But alive and corrupted." Yao noted, deep in thought.

"But what about that child?! He was mangled up so badly, it was a miracle that he was still alive when we saw him! There's no way you could say that those monsters were holding back!" Alfred argued, jumping to his feet.

"Germania cannot go against nature, Monte are mindless monsters to begin with." Antonio explained empathetically as Alfred sat back down defeated.

Arthur lowered his head in bitter acceptance. "It makes sense, but that doesn't explain why Urbis seems to be the only nation that is affected so badly. Yes, there is an increase in Monte activity in the other nations, but from what I know there hasn't been an attack of such depth and ferocity. Furthermore, the fact that villagers are risking the dangers to escape to another nation instead of just seeking refuge in another village or the Capital itself is strange. Do you recall that family? It took a handful of soldiers three weeks to cover what we took only days."

"As Ivan had mentioned before," Arthur paused, giving Ivan a slight nod who was smiling at him before continuing on, "the positioning of the soldiers were suspicious. I still had my doubts then, but what Kiku said made me realize and confirmed my suspicious." Arthur took a deep breathe. "Emperor Roma is most likely working with Germania and the Monte."

The silence that enveloped the campsite after what Arthur said was deafening. Even the crackling fire seemed to have grown quiet from the sudden proclamation.

"It makes sense after everything that happened. But to assume that before the attack… Forgive my rudeness but are you sure? How did you know?" Yao enquired, clearly shaken by the news.

"Kiku mentioned the word 'light', and that made me realize that throughout our time in Urbis, the whole place seemed darkened even with the sun up bright,. What's more, everything seems to be dying and lifeless, and up until now, we have yet to see a single animal." Arthur pointed out.

"Krolik has been hiding under my scarf ever since we stepped into Urbis." Ivan added. "And the Faris have been edgy as well."

Arthur continued "I had presumed that it might be due to the season or the weather, but the weather was fine, and it isn't the cold season, the trees and animals shouldn't be hibernating yet. That rose my suspicion that something was wrong. The Monte prefer dark lifeless environments, and the state that Urbis is in is almost ideal for them to be running wild in the open. It could very well be something wrong in Urbis, but if it is, then why has Emperor Roma done nothing to quell the spread of the Monte? Emperor Roma is not known to be, forgive my language, a cowardly man to hide behind his subjects. In fact, he is said to be the strongest Emperor of Urbis since the founding of the nation. Even if the problem is in the Capital, stationing a needless amount of soldiers inside is ridiculous."

He took a breath, looking up into the eyes of every single person. "All of this, in addition to the fact that we were just attacked, points to the fact that Emperor Roma might be working with the Monte. We, our nations, are all in danger."

Silence once again befell the campsite as everyone tried to process what Arthur just said.

"There is one thing though." Yao finally spoke up. "What about Nullus? We did not see the nation's representatives when we were in the castle. Could it be that…?"

Kiku nodded. "The representatives from Nullus could very well been killed as well. It would make the most sense. Siding with the Monte would bring nothing but trouble. Plus there is no reason for Nullus to side with Urbis and the Monte." Kiku placed his hand on his chin in thought. "What I'm curious is what could be causing Urbis to turn into the state it is now. It is highly doubtful that a person, or even a group could do this to the entire nation. It might be possible for Germania. His strength and magic capabilities is unknown. Still, it would take a lot of magic and concentration to sustain a spell of such size."

"Maybe the main Astral Crystal in Urbis is dying." Alfred remarked.

Arthur turned abruptly to face him, fuming. "Bloody idiot! Don't you dare say such a thing so casually! Such a large Astral Crystal dying is unheard of!"

Alfred merely shrugged, ignoring the emerald eyed man's outburst. "It is a possibility, small pieces of Astral Crystal shards do die off."

Nobody noticed that Feli had woken up, and was staggering softly off towards the Faris, until one of the Faris neighed in surprise.

"Ah Feli! You're awake! What are you doing?" Antonio rushed forwards to his friend who had tears in his eyes.

"L-Ludwig… I got to, I got to go save Lud…" Feli sobbed, looking down at the ground as everyone crowded over.

"F-Feli… I, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Because of me Ludwig is –, it's all because of me…" Arthur stuttered, tears welling up in his eyes as he clenched his fists tight, his shoulders tensed up and stiff.

Everyone merely stood there unmoving, not knowing what to do to break the tension and silence that was growing.

"It, it's not your fault." Feli finally whispered, forcing his head up to look at Arthur with a smile, tears continuing to flow down his eyes. "Ludwig said it. Y-you are the Prince and we have to protect you. He made his own choice, so it's not your fault."

He turned, shaking hands grabbing the reins of a Faris, trying to untie it from the tree. "I-I have to go save him, I have to."

His hands slipped as the reins came undone from the tree, causing the Faris to neigh excitedly, turning to run, but was caught by a quick swipe of his hand by Ivan, standing close by ready.

"Ah! Ah, erm I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. B-but the Faris, I have to…" Feli trembled, tears continuing to fall from his face as he turned to face Ivan. "P-please I have to. Ludwig is –." Feli stumbled, face almost hitting the ground if not for Kiku who managed to catch him in time.

His whole body was trembling uncontrollably now, as he kneeled on the ground, huge droplets of tears falling down onto the soft snow that was starting to pile up. The rest stood there silently, watching the snow fall as Kiku consoled the sobbing figure in his arms.

"Come now, you're in no condition to go anywhere Feli-san. Ludwig-san wouldn't want to see you in this state as well. Don't worry, he did say that he would be fine. Plus he has a promise to keep with you doesn't he? Everything would be alright. For now you have to rest. We will go help Ludwig-san when we're all recovered." Kiku smiled as Feli slowly looked up at him, hesitating for a moment, before bursting out crying, hugging the stunned Kiku tight.

"Looks like everything's okay for now." Antonio sighed hopefully than in relief, as he helped pry Feli off the now stuttering Kiku who had no idea how to react, and brought him towards the campfire.

"I'll tie the Faris back up and take first watch then." Ivan hummed, receiving a nod from Yao while the rest too returned to the warmth and safely of the fire.

Alfred sat beside Arthur who was busy trying to wipe off all his tears.

"You okay?"

"That was unsightly of me."

"Glad you know at least that much."

"Humph." Arthur looked up towards the direction of the Capital, a pained sorrowful expression on his face. "I hope Ludwig is alright."

Alfred grinned. "Don't worry, I'm sure he will be."

A/N: So… I remember promising that things would get more interesting, well here is it is, hope it's interesting enough for now :D The next chapter is still in production so don't hold your breath. But I promise it would be out soon …maybe. Well a big thank you for the likes/fav and for putting up with my slowness for those who have been following since the start. I know I'm slow, but I'll try my best to be faster. Doubtfully