Be Well, My Darling (Fruk)

8

November 4, 1914

The fateful day will always be known as the Rape of Belgium. The day that Germany showed no mercy toward her citizens and to her. When he ruthlessly invaded to give warning of what he is capable of. This war had begun for many nations, but I knew deep down it was far from over.

Despite all of this chaos...Francis, me, and Matthew found some normalcy in something so tragic.

"We are gathered here today to bear witness to an amazing individual. He was strong and smart and made a huge impact on all of our lives, especially mine," I spoke. I pursed my lips looking down toward the grave. "He was always happy and never went a day being sad or angry; although he was spoiled, he was reliable," I smiled.

This war...

Sucks...

I looked over to the small 'crowd', and seeing Mathew crying. There was an empty seat next to him for Alfred, who didn't show up. This day was supposed to be normal, but it started terribly. In recent news, Alfred had officially declared himself neutral, and with his Monroe Doctrine, he didn't want to see Francis and me near his place. The only hold I could have in the New World, was because of Matthew...he was part of my commonwealth.

I wish I was young again, I know it wasn't the best, and I had my own sets of problems, but...at least it wasn't this. Anything but this...

When I was younger, I did not have to be heavily involved with politics, but now that I am older, It was expected.

"Would anyone like to speak on his behalf?" I asked. Francis nodded, standing up. "Yes!" He spoke. He slowly approached us and looked down at the grave sadly. I couldn't believe he died...he was the only thing in my life that would constantly bring me happiness and a sense of home. "Yes, I would like to say that, even if he didn't like me too much and constantly attacked me, I'm grateful that he looked after my dear Arthur! My only wish is that Alfred could have been here to see him off, I know that even though Alfred didn't like us too much, he loved him, and that is all that matters now," Francis started.

He dropped a rose into the grave, and I could hear Matthew crying harder. He also loved him and always visited him regularly. "For us, time is constant, so it is odd being pulled back into reality when someone close passes," Francis spoke. I nodded in agreement and dropped a flower in his small grave.

It was a lovely day out, a bit cold, but the sun was out and shining, just as he liked it.

Maybe if this war hadn't started, I would have had more time to spend with him on his last days, but no. I come home to the news. What makes it worse is he was alone, probably scared, wondering where I was.

Matthew finally approached us, wiping his eyes. "I'm glad we were able to have this ceremony for him, it is nice to get away from all this fighting for a bit," Matthew spoke. I smiled, nodding at him, even though I knew he didn't really need a break with all of his constant battle wins.

"Of course, and it is always nice to see you, my dear boy!" Francis cheered. He pulled Matthew into an embrace and began holding him. "Mr.France, I'm no longer a child," he laughed.

"Oh? Why so formal? What has all the winning done to you?" Francis laughed. I rolled my eyes at their silliness and began to pour the soil over my Darlings grave. "Ah! Arthur! Do not bother getting your hands dirty; allow me!" Francis chirped.

"What? It's only soil, I can handle this much. If anything, you shouldn't bother touching it. With those cuts on your hands, it would be troublesome if you were to get an infection," I spoke. He shrugged his shoulders and began helping me. "Awww, the two of you are so cute," Matthew mocked. I glared at the young nation, and he laughed, trying to look away. He always teased us anytime we showed a bit of kindness toward one another.

Matthew began looking at his watch, brushing his hair back. His hair had gotten a bit longer but it still looked like he managed to get it out of his face. Unlike Francis over here, who had his hair all over the place. "Wow! Look at the time; I must go!"

"What? Really? Or are you saying that to get away from us?" I laughed.

"No! Really! Honestly! I'm needed at the western front by tomorrow morning, so I must be on my way," he laughed nervously. My eyes widened hearing what he said, and I grew worried. I knew he couldn't die, but the thought of him being out there scared the hell out of me. "Oh...I see...well...I will make sure to see you soon; I'll bring a care package!" I cheered.

I nudged Francis, but he bore the same expression. The western front was a scary place to be; most soldiers died there. The disease was everywhere, and there was nothing to be done about it.

"Alright, no need to worry about me! Have you tried asking Alfred for help?" Matthew asked. Both Francis and I froze as we stopped covering my old puppy in the soil. "Ah, he won't even answer my calls, I believe he is serious that he doesn't want to be involved in foreign affairs, and I don't blame him. He is your brother after all, and I can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do," I spoke. Matthew shook his head in annoyance and placed his hands on his hips. "Which is bullshit! He didn't seem to care about shoving himself into other affairs when it comes to South America, especially Mexico! Now he wants to stay out of people's business? I think it is because this war doesn't benefit him, that's all!"

Yeeesh...

Talk about pent-up anger.

"We all have our problems... sometimes said problems are the fault of our leaders if his boss says he can't help, then he can't. It is hard to get his side of the story, and I assume that his avoidance of talking to us is not to get emotional and beg to help. He has problems with Ms. Mexico, and we can't judge..., especially me..." Francis laughed.

Ahhh...I love it when we have to deal with our own war crimes...it builds character.

"Fine, I can agree with that, but he needs to pull himself together," Matthew spoke. He looked at me sadly as I stopped burying my dog. "Will you be alright? Arthur?" He asked. I smiled at what he said and nodded. "Of course, now you must go; I wouldn't want you to be late for any meetings. I am sure we will see each other once again and very soon," I spoke.

I finally stood up straight and grabbed his hands to hold. They were rough and cold. How could they be anything else? I'm sure mine felt worse. "Goodbye, Matthew, write to us until we meet again," Francis spoke. Matthew smiled at the two of us, nodding. "Of course," he spoke.