Edinburgh was the farthest city after the others; it was nearly time for England's team to set out.
"It would be much appreciated if you didn't make our farewell sound so permanent." England coughed to Germany at the doorway. "It makes me uneasy."
Germany considered getting a book on how to say farewell to people without sounding like they were going on a suicide mission, but at the situation they were in, it was very difficult not to.
"I hope to see you all again someday-" Germany started,
"No. It still sounds like we're on a suicidal mission." England interrupted.
"I'm sure we'll cross paths-"
"Try again."
"Take good care and don't come back in bits and pieces. And also, don't bleed over my car seats-"
"How is that any better?"
Germany shook his head and growled, "Forget it. I'm not good at this. You know what I mean. Just go."
England nodded at Germany and glanced back at his team. He, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Sealand, and Ladonia made up Team Seven. The Nordics excluding Sweden, who was with America (England wondered how they were doing), were double checking their supplies. Sealand, to England's discomfort, was in the driver's seat of the car, playing with the steering wheel. The car was already on, and England didn't want Sealand to run over someone accidentally.
That would be very bad.
Ladonia was watching Sealand with a mixture of irritation and impatience, exactly the expression England himself wanted to express. Liechtenstein was with Switzerland by the car. Switzerland was talking to her quietly, and Liechtenstein looked like she wanted to say something but held her peace.
"Listen to your captain, alright? He's got enough sense to get your all out safe." Switzerland was saying to her. I hope. Switzerland couldn't help but think.
Liechtenstein nodded and opened her mouth a little to say something but Switzerland didn't see her inclination to speak and spoke over her, "Don't be scared, don't make unnecessary noises, stick with the group, don't dawdle, don't play around, always keep your gun out, remember to keep it clean, and don't play with the gun."
Liechtenstein nodded again.
When Switzerland was satisfied enough to leave her, Liechtenstein straightened her poise and watched Switzerland walk away for a brief moment before calling, "Big brother!"
Switzerland stopped and looked at her, and so did anyone else that had heard her call. Liechtenstein hurried over to Switzerland and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Taken aback, Switzerland could only stare at the top of his sister's head.
"Oh come on." Denmark said from the car.
Switzerland glanced up at the tall Dane.
Denmark was smiling at him, jerking his head in Liechtenstein's direction. "Hug her back. That's what big brothers are for."
Switzerland looked back at Liechtenstein and rested a gentle hand on the top of her head before giving her a quick hug back.
England watched them for a while, then he lifted his arm to look at his watch. It was three in the morning according to Germany's time. The night was dark; the only light source was the brilliant moon and the artificial lights from the car. The car alone would not bring them to his home (actually, they'll be stepping into Scotland's home; Edinburgh was at his older brother's house, and England wasn't sure what to think of that).
The car was to take them to a plane, like the ones that China, Japan, and America's team had taken.
"Alright everyone." England called, stepping down from the steps from the porch of Germany's house. "It's time to go."
As Sealand hopped out of the driver's seat and Switzerland let go of Liechtenstein, England rounded the car to the driver's seat. He stared at the wheel for a while as the others piled into the back with Denmark claiming the passenger seat.
That was on the right side.
Why is the driver's seat on this side and the passenger seat on the other? England thought in dismay. Ah, I'm not used to driving on this side...
England looked at Denmark in the passenger seat. "Denmark, why don't you drive? I'm not accustomed to driving on this side."
"Y-you're asking Denmark to drive?" Finland asked nervously as Denmark eagerly climbed behind the wheel.
"Yes. Why?"
Finland glanced at Norway and Iceland. Norway regarded England uncertainly. "He's good at driving, but he tends to be eager. You know how he is."
While England wondered what he meant by 'eager', he didn't have to wonder much anymore. Denmark laughed and turned in his seat, giving Norway a grin. "That's an understatement. I'm just practicing to be a race car driver."
"Since when do you want to be a race car driver?" Iceland asked.
Denmark shrugged. "Dunno. But it could happen. England, are you going to go sit down now? We need to get going. We're losing time."
"At the speed he likes to drive in, I doubt it." Norway murmured under his breath.
A few minutes later, England regretted asking Denmark to drive; he should have asked someone else who drove on the right side of the road. Denmark sped along the streets, disregarding stop signs and red lights ("No one's here anyway." Denmark said cheerfully.) It was just like having America drive, and the fact that they were driving on the right side of the road made England have a heart attack. He often forgot that Germany and most of the other countries drove differently; there were times where he thought they would crash at every corner.
The moment they reached their stop, England stumbled out of the car, collapsed onto the ground, hugged it, and cried out, "Safety, oh how much I love safety!"
Denmark got out of the seat and closed the door, glancing at England embracing the pavement. "What are you doing?"
"Taking time to praise the solid ground." England murmured, eyes closed and his cheek gently nuzzling the cool sidewalk.
Denmark raised an eyebrow and looked back at the others. Finland was helping Liechtenstein recover from her carsickness and Iceland was trying to calm down Mr. Puffin, who was squawking in alarm. "The man's out to kill us, I swear it!" Mr. Puffin insisted, flapping his wings in panic.
"It wasn't that bad. Think of it like a roller-coaster." Iceland said soothingly.
"But I hate roller-coasters, damn it!"
"Why is everyone so noisy? I thought we were supposed to get on the plane and go." Denmark said, looking from a bemused Norway to a pale and unsteady Ladonia.
"It's amazing how you can drive so fast without hitting anything." Finland said with a small laugh. "Next time, slow down and enjoy the ride, okay?"
Mr. Puffin shot Finland a bewildered look. "Next time? You mean he's gonna drive us again?"
"Oh, please, no...don't." England moaned on the ground. He was joined by Sealand and Ladonia, who lowered themselves to lie down on the sidewalk. After a minute of recollecting themselves, Team Seven boarded the plane wearily, glad that Denmark wasn't the pilot.
The German pilot had been watching them from the cockpit, and he raised an eyebrow at them when they passed him. Whether it was a good eyebrow raise or not, he didn't say anything. He made sure the countries were safely belted in and promptly saluted England before starting the plane.
"Germany's men have amazing discipline." England said to himself. He stopped talking and shot a look towards Sealand, who was starting to poke and prod at the insides of the plane out of curiosity.
It was going to be a long trip.
Surprisingly, it wasn't.
England could have sworn that it took a mere hour. When he looked at his watch, he saw that it did, in fact, take an hour. Sighing to himself, he fixed the time on his watch to correspond with the location.
"Wow, this place is amazing!" Denmark whistled, looking up high in the sky to see the rooftops of the buildings.
Edinburgh, according to England, was the capitol city of his older brother, Scotland. The hideout was located in Old Town part of the city. When Sealand asked why part of the city was called 'Old Town' and why the other part was called 'New Town', England said, "The city has preserved many buildings dating back centuries. The buildings from then are considered the ' Old Town' part. The buildings built within this century or the last is considered 'New Town'. Are you even paying attention?"
Sealand hastily looked away from the tall, looming buildings and nodded at England enthusiastically. "Yes, I paid attention."
"These buildings bring me back to the old days." Finland said, smiling. "To think it was three hundred to maybe seven hundred years ago. Maybe a thousand. Feels like it was last century."
The buildings stretched up to tower above them; they carried the ancient feeling as they passed by them. The wide open windows were dark and seemed to be left untouched, though England claimed that people often toured inside the majestic St. Giles Cathedral.
When they passed by the St. Mary's Cathedral, half of the team slowed their pace to a halt to look up to the very top. "The largest of all." England found himself saying. He stopped himself and scowled, "Oi, shouldn't we be getting to the hideout? We can't become tourists and stop at every other build-hey! What did I just say?" England marched off to a wandering Denmark, dragging him back to the team.
"Honestly, what am I going to do with you all?" England scowled.
"What's a little look?" Mr. Puffin asked. "It's not like we get to go from place to place and tour often ya know."
"Let's...let's just get to the hideout. If we succeed, then we may stay back for a few minutes before setting off to help the frog if he needs it." England sighed to them, wondering if he could pull the mission off.
England led the team to the top of the Royal Mile, a series of streets paved throughout the Old Town. At the top of the Royal Mile, a castle greeted them with an aura of foreboding danger.
"Best. Hideout. Ever." Sealand said in a hushed voice, each of his words dictated. "Even better than underwater!"
"Shh." England clamped a hand over Sealand's mouth. "Be quiet. You don't want to get captured this early in the mission."
"'This early'? You make it sound like we will eventually." Mr. Puffin snorted, ruffling his feathers.
England gave Mr. Puffin a look and then regarded Iceland urgently, "Can't you make him be quiet? It's bad enough we have this one on our hands." He nodded at Sealand, who squirmed under England's arms.
As Iceland tried to silence his puffin, Finland asked, "How are we going to get in? Going through the front isn't the best option; that's suicide."
England shot suspicious looks down the street and beckoned for everyone to follow him into the nearest alleyway. They shuffled past a series of small tables and chairs on the sidewalk belonging to a street cafe and into the dark covert of the alley. By the time everyone was hidden from the castle, England said in a low voice, "I know from many experiences that this place can be difficult to get to safely. Today, it's a tourist place-"
"No, it's a hideout." Sealand said.
England gritted his teeth. "Okay, fine. Today it is a hideout. Before the doppelgangers, it was a tourist place. People usually go up the Esplanade to the ticket booth and past the gatehouse and the Portcullis gate. If this place really is a hideout, then there's bound to be prisoners. We're still missing the majority of the countries.
"From what I last remembered, there's a prison that used to keep prisoners until..." England paused for a while, thinking. "1923, I'm certain. The more people we rescue, the more people we have on the team. The more people on the team, the better the chances are of success. Usually." he added under his breath.
Denmark grinned at England and propped his axe across his shoulders. It astonished England how Denmark seemed to carry the weapon around so conveniently; he always seemed to have it with him when at first glance he didn't. "So where's the prison located at?"
"South, adjacent to the barracks."
"Wait, wait. Before we go, how are we getting in?" Finland asked again. "The walls look too high to climb, the front entrance is too obvious and we'll be seen."
England scanned the team and took a deep breath. "How fast can everyone run? No, better question; how fast can everyone run while being silent?"
"What kind of question is that? It's not like we check." Ladonia scoffed, crossing his arms haughtily.
England scowled, "Well it's not like we have any other choice. We have to be silent or it won't work. The night will cover for us, but don't rely on it all together. Use the shadows, watch the windows and the walls. Watch where you're going and don't talk." He specifically aimed the 'don't talk' part to Sealand.
Sealand cocked his head in confusion when England stared at him. "What? What did I do this time?"
Shaking his head, England stepped out into the moonlit street and stared up at the Edinburgh Castle. It had been years since he last stepped foot within the perimeter of the castle. His most recent visits were peaceful as peaceful as it could be. The older visits brought back memories of defeat.
Well played. England thought as they lurked in the shadows, staying close to the ancient buildings. To make such a place a hideout. Well played.
The Esplanade sloped upwards towards Castle Rock, where the castle was built upon. To their surprise and silent relief, they ascended safely without any event. England led them past the gatehouse and down through the Portcullis gate and the Argyle Tower.
They stopped and pressed their backs against the stone wall when two figures patrolled above them on the wall overlooking the city to the north. Whether they were doppelgangers or regular people who were taken over by their own hatred, they couldn't tell. The guards were silent as they passed each other, a strong beam of light from their flashlights sweeping the path in front of them.
As soon as they were gone, England and the rest of the team let out a long breath before continuing on.
Liechtenstein hurried her pace to catch up to England and timidly tapped him on the shoulder. "Um, what should we do if a doppelganger spots us?" She wanted to know if there was a plan if something should happen. The lack of information of a back-up plan pestered her, and she knew she would fuss over it if she didn't know, causing distraction.
England glanced down at her, slowing down a little. "If that happens, then I'll take care of it." he said to her reassuringly. "Just don't panic, don't make a sound, and follow my lead."
Though it wasn't necessarily completely reassuring, it did good to know that there was indeed a plan. The others behind them became slightly more relaxed when they heard England had something in mind. They only hoped it was a good one.
The prison was guarded by Dark Norway, and they were stuck. England murmured that there was no other way getting into the prison. "The front is the only way in unless you blow up the place."
Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland shuddered at the sentence. "Blow up?" Iceland repeated uncertainly. "Why does it feel like that the phrase is so..."
"Sinister." Norway murmured.
The Nordics exchanged looks. England sighed and murmured, "It's only two words. It won't do any harm."
"So how are we going to get over there?" Ladonia asked, peering around the corner with Liechtenstein and Sealand.
"The only way possible." England whispered. He scanned the ground for a pebble; not too big or Dark Norway would see it in the air, but not too small that it wouldn't be noticeable when the pebble would hit the ground. When he found one that suited him, England chucked the pebble into the air, hoping that the pebble would attract Dark Norway's attention.
Dark Norway's head snapped to the left at the sound of the pebble rebounding off the cobblestone road. The doppelganger was still for a moment, and then he motioned for a guard perched above him from the wall to go check the sound out.
England's shoulders slumped at the failure and the rest of them sighed. While England thought up of another plan, he felt a tiny tug on a strand of his hair. He glanced up and shaded his eyes at the sudden glow. "Miss Fairy, what are you doing here? It's too dangerous for you to come with me." he chided quietly to the outrageously glowing fairy.
England ignored the blank expressions from the others, except Norway who was watching silently.
"Oh, go home to the others. You're like a flashlight here. You'll attract the attention of the enemy." England was saying, grinning to an invisible thing that seemed to be circling him. He kept on turning his head this way and that, keeping up with an unknown force that they couldn't see. Except Norway; his gaze was fixed where England's gaze was.
After a few tentative seconds, Norway brought England out of his 'conversation' with 'Miss Fairy'. "Send her out as a distraction." he said to him.
England gave Norway a shocked look. "You want me to send Miss Fairy out there? Why?"
"Her glow will lead Dark Norway away. She can fly to safety when her job is done." Norway said in a business-like tone.
England glanced from the stoic Norway to the bubbly fairy. Miss Fairy gave England a smile and nodded her head.
"You want to help us, Miss Fairy?" England asked.
The magical creature nodded.
England crossed his arms and tossed a look towards Dark Norway, who was diligently guarding the prison. "Alright then. Have a go at it. But once we're out, go fly back home, okay? And tell the others not to come or I'll change your curfew to ten p.m."
The fairy did a small back flip in the air and flew down to hug England's thumb. England chuckled and patted the fairy's small head. "Alright, alright. Just be careful. Go on now. We can't waste time."
England and Norway watched the fairy fly off, oblivious to the stares from behind. "What the hell did we just watch?" Ladonia murmured.
Sealand's shoulders slumped in slight depression. "And I'm supposed to be related to him?" he whispered to himself.
Since the rest of them couldn't see 'Miss Fairy', they relied on England and Norway to give them the signal. England and Norway kept their eye on the fairy and Dark Norway, who was bound to see the magical creature at once due to her natural mystical glow. Dark Norway watched the fairy zoom across the court for a split second before scowling, following it.
"Watch the prisoners!" he commanded to the remaining guards from above on the wall.
"Aha. So there are prisoners." England smiled. He waited until two guards took Dark Norway's place. They weren't doppelgangers; they were regular people. They shouldn't be a problem, he assumed.
"Norway, go up to them and pretend you're the doppelganger. They shouldn't' be able to see their eyes in this darkness. By the time they notice that your eyes are normal, you would have already taken them out." England whispered.
Norway nodded curtly and slipped past him. The guards thought Norway was the doppelganger, just like England predicted. Team Seven watched as Norway passed them, back still facing them, and stopped, saying, "I found nothing. A mere illusion my eyes have played on me."
"Is that so? Then we better get-" the first guard was saying in a gruff voice, but he was cut off.
"Wha-"
The second guard was too cut off.
It was difficult to see what exactly happened from England's point of view, and he assumed that it was also difficult for everyone else to see what was going on as well. They could only make out Norway's silhouette reaching out from behind the guards, then a lot of thrashing, and then they were still.
Norway's silhouette crouched down to lay the guards down on the ground before he stood up and looked expectantly towards them. England and the others lightly ran towards him, inspecting the unconscious men.
"Wow. I couldn't have done it better myself." Denmark whistled.
"Hide them. When Dark Norway gets back and sees them, he'll know." England ordered at once.
"Where?" Iceland asked, helping Ladonia heave up the first guard.
England gritted his teeth again. There were no immediate hiding spots, and he didn't know how long Miss Fairy could keep the diversion up. "In the prison. Come on, let's hurry!"
The prison was dark, and they had to pause for a few anxious seconds to allow their eyes to adjust to the change. Once their eyes allowed in more light, England waved a hand to the right, signaling for them to take the unconscious guards into the room on the right.
There was a metal staircase right in front of them that led up to a cell and possibly other cells. England took up the lead and slowly ascended, cringing every time someone made a sound much too loud for his liking.
It was a wonder how they got up the stairs without alerting any other guards that might be lurking around, or even Dark Norway if he returned to his post. England quickly counted the numbers of the team and mentally sighed in relief when he counted them all.
"We're all here. Everyone doing okay?" England asked with a tired smile.
"Doing great." Denmark smiled. "Although it's kinda uneventful. When are we going to take the doppelgangers down once and for all?"
"As soon as we free the countries here." England said, turning to face the cells. "Let's hope we can raise our number."
Mr. Puffin squawked quietly as they ventured further down the hall. "It's dark here. And the cells must be old. I don't like it here; let's go back."
"What do you mean 'go back'?" Iceland murmured quietly. "We can't do that. Just shut your beak and we'll be fine."
They were getting near the end of the hall, and England was starting to have second doubts. Maybe there were no prisoners. Maybe Dark Norway was there to fool them into thinking there was. Maybe the doppelgangers planned for them to walk into their own cells!
"Are you okay?" Liechtenstein asked nervously. "You look pale, England."
Pale? Maybe it was just the lighting that made him look pale. But that was beside the point. England was about to usher everyone back outside but a drawling, familiar voice stopped him.
"Well would ya look at that...he's alright after all."
That voice.
England heaved a heavy sigh in his head. Of course...I should have known. Then he straightened up his posture, turn a calm face towards the very last cell at the dim end of the hall, and met his older brother's eyes that bore into him indifferently.
"Hello, Scotland."