Genere: Historical.
Theme: Oath
Note: This is for @hetalia-writers-monthly. I got inspired in the quote. “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to wake”.
It was a night in the middle of The Great War when America was seated in a trench waiting. He had been looking for the stars in the sky but it was pretty cloudy.
The trench was wet and dirty. Alfred didn’t like being there. It was pretty silent outside. In war silence sometimes was horrible. All the men around were tensed. They were smoking, praying or humming a song. America decided to inspect his gun as it was more interesting than anything that was happening.
The soldiers started to shout as some cans were falling out in the trench. Some yellow smoke was emanating from the cans. It smelled horrible and hurt the eyes of the men. Alfred tried to cover his nose and desperately tried to go out the ditch, yet some bullets flew over his head. America came back to the trench with all the yellowish smoke. He couldn’t see well, he was hitting himself with everything around. He was lost. Then someone dragged him from his arm. He felt he was being moved, but he didn’t know where. They talked English, with a British accent. He was safe someway, but didn’t know where he was going.
Then he understood he was in some kind of hospital. Men were crying or screaming because of pain. He felt he was placed in a bed. They injected him something, and felt calmer somehow. Doctors treat his wounds. It hurt a lot, so he fainted.
When he woke up he couldn’t see. He thought it was because the bandages, he took off the bandages. Still he couldn’t see very well. He thought he had his eyes closed but when he touched them they were full open. So he screamed and cried. He was blind.
“Alfred! ALFRED!” Someone was calling his name. He was trying to calm him. “It’s Arthur!” England said. “I’m here.” He murmured.
“Arthur! I can’t see! I can’t see! Everything is dark! I CAN’T SEE!” Alfred shouted scared. Arthur hugged him, and America cried. “I don’t even know where am I.“ He cried again like a child.
Arthur took him by his arms solidly. He had a very serious semblant, though Alfred couldn´t see it.
“You are going to heal. You are a nation! Nations can pass away like a mortal human but they revive. I died a lot of times. War is like a nightmare, and when you die…” He stopped for a moment. “And when you wake up you are in the same nightmare. History is the nightmare that you would like to wake up, but you don’t. We belong to history. We’re never going to be free. That’s a horrible true.” Arthur said as he caressed Alfred’s hair, he had stopped crying. “I’ll take care of you until you can see again.” England said.
“Is it a promise? I don’t believe in your promises! You almost always break them!” America shouted as he tried to separate from Arthur, but he didn’t let him.
“If it isn’t a promise, it will be an oath!” Arthur said. Alfred didn’t believe him at all. He may have broken this oath.
When the war came to end, Arthur took Alfred with him to his home in Westchester. The Englishman had to lead Alfred to everywhere he would like to go. America never could get used to be blind at the time he had this condition.
It was about 1930, when the Great Depression had started that Alfred got his vision back. He was in bed, because the big hit for his economy had left him hospitalized.
Arthur was by his side though he had to fix a lot of problems for his people. In fact, England was signing paper in a seat next to Alfred’s bed. Suddenly, America woke up. Kirkland stood up next to him, ready to call the nurse but the American was in shock.
“Arthur… I can see you!” Alfred was happily shouting. Arthur felt like his oath was complete, but… “Arthur, are these worlds a little blurry?” He asked about his documents.
“No. They are pretty clear.” Arthur answered.
Alfred waited some time with the hope that his sight would be normal again. Five years later, it wasn’t getting better.
“Alfred, it’s time to go with the doctor. You need glasses.” Arthur said, feeling like his oath wouldn’t never come to an end.
“NO! WAIT!” Alfred shouted, trying to avoid the reality. “I can’t be…”
“It isn’t that bad.” Arthur said.
“It is.” Alfred felt like crying, he couldn’t accept his vision wouldn’t be normal again.
It was about 1943. They were in war again. Alfred was trying to analyze some maps with his glasses. The glasses fitted him, but it was difficult for Alfred to accept he couldn´t pilot a plane in the war. He found it disgusting. He had always liked the sky, now he couldn’t be there.
Arthur entered the tent and seat next to him.
“Are there news?” England asked.
“It’s a nightmare.” Alfred answered.
“What are you talking about, Alfred?” Arthur approached to Alfred. The American hugged Arthur.
“Did you remember when you told me that history is like a nightmare? Well… It seems humans can’t stop doing war. Blood is dripping everywhere. Still…” He stayed some seconds thinking. “I felt when a lot of my men died in Normandia. I felt like I lost all my body’s blood. It feels like it will never ends…” Alfred looked at Arthur’s eyes. England was sad, like the younger nation had just understood the meaning of being a nation’s spirit.
“You are too young… You still have to comprehend a lot of things. You are still too blind.”
“ Would you light me up?” Alfred asked.
“Yes. It’s a promise.” Arthur said.
“You break your promises.” Alfred added, sad.
“It’s not a promise. It’s an oath!”