With love, Spain

VI.

-Prince Spain, don't you plan to stop them? asked the English Emperor with a raised eyebrow.

My little brothers, in order to protect Peru, used branches as swords and prevented the British children from approaching them.

Even girls participated in this fight, something inappropriate for their gender, according to the norms of that time.

I sighed tired.

-Children!-He yelled loudly, making them tremble- Put down the sticks and play normal.

-But...- I try to speak Chile.

-But nothing, play healthy. If something happens, I'll intervene.

With that promise, the children put down their weapons and agreed to a truce. How wonderful are children, who can put aside their grudges to play together as if nothing had happened.

Now they were chasing each other, plus Thirteen Colonies had trouble keeping up with the others, moreover, their main focus was to take Peru's hand or even call it. But as soon as I came into contact with him, my little brothers would push or pull the boy to another side.

"They are being very rude to my son," UK complained, but he would not intervene, after all, he was a faithful believer that the storm forges character, even if his son looked on the verge of tears and frustrated, he would not get up or I would go comfort him.

"They act like that because they misinterpreted my words," I began to narrate, seeing that chubby child with guilt.

-Excuse me?

-His son asked for the hand of Peru. I have to admit that I panicked at such audacity and mistranslated the words of your child- I confessed with some sorrow.

-It cannot be! My son is not awry, he is a good son of God and ...-UK had been so shocked that he jumped up and started yelling at me. I felt sorry for the chair that fell on the grass and for me.

"His Majesty of him," I interrupted him, "they are children. Also, if you look at my little brother, with his long hair and round features, it doesn't surprise me that he mistook him for a girl.

-Oh, of course-only then did he adjust his posture-Thank you- he muttered when a waiter rearranged the chair.

At that time I was not surprised by the emperor's reaction, after all, homosexuality was something abominable and sacrilege. But, also something that, like any sin, could be purged.

Honestly, I feel like the father-son relationship of those two got worse after that visit.

-Llu mayesti  (His Majesty in terrible English) - We were suddenly surprised. Rio de la Plata had slipped in behind us, his cheeks flushed with exertion. Well, at least one of my little brothers was trying to learn the language of our guests, even if his pronunciation left a lot to be desired.

-Flaguer  (flower in bad English)- my little brother extended some white flowers to the emperor

-Thanks- UK accepted the gift with a confused gesture and I shrugged. For some reason, Rio de la Plata seemed to put the emperor on a pedestal, imitating him and looking with the admiration that should have been directed towards me.

The boy just smiled and ran away again. UK and I exchanged a look, the more we downplayed his behavior. Our eyes returned to the rest of the children playing, where Thirteen lay on the ground, breathless, while his sister seemed to fan him with a handkerchief and Nueva España poked him with a stick.

Shortly before the family's farewell, I found out from one of the servants that Thirteen Colonies got mad at his father, even throwing things at him and he slapped him. Quite a scandal.

I think that, from then on, there were very few occasions on which I came to coincide with Thirteen Colonies at a party or meeting, just as his visits to the rest of the continent were null. His father, perhaps as punishment or wanting to cure his "illness", isolated him.

You will see that this does not work. I can't put my hands to the fire either, but I feel like his overreaction could only come from fear. I remind you, the imposed colonies are usually faithful copies of the main territory, so if his son was a deviant, what did that say about him?

Anyway, I was incredibly relieved when the UK decided it was time to go back to their island, something had to be sorted out with his fiancée or God knows what excuse I had.

If perhaps the only thing he regretted while the viceroys also said goodbye to the representation, were the teary eyes of Thirteen Colonies and his cheek more inflamed than usual.

-Peru- I took the hand of the little one to my right- go with Thirteen and say the following.

I approached the boy and whispered in his ear, also making sure that he would pronounce them correctly.

"But, you told me that he won't bring me near," he reminded me with his innocent little eyes full of indecision.

"Don't worry, if you tell him that, he won't hunt you down" I promised him and he smiled.

I took him by the hand and went down the stairs with him, after all, I also had to say some parting words to the English monarch.

Peru bowed awkwardly, wished a good trip, and then stood in front of the chubby boy. I saw how his lips moved and he smiled sweetly, in response, Thirteen gave such a big and happy smile that it seemed it would break his face.

-I hope you have a good trip- pronounced returning to the UK-, that the grace of God gives you his blessing and you arrive safely at port.

"Thank you, prince." Apparently, he wasn't the only one impatient for the English family to retire.

I took Peru's hand and stood him next to me, the boy raised his hand in farewell as the emperor's car drove away. The viceroys and we return to the mansion and go our separate ways.

- Are you hungry? - I decided to excuse them from their afternoon classes, that day the weather was ideal, somewhat hot but with heavy clouds and wind that filled the atmosphere with freshness.

A storm was approaching, but as he decided to take his wrath out on us, I decided to play with the children, forgetting the etiquette of royalty.

I was just another child among them, we ran, played and fell exhausted in the grass, looking at the gray clouds gathering and colliding with each other.

We had to go inside for shelter soon or we would end up soaked.

-Sniff- scared, I turned to see Guatemala, the girl held Nueva España's hand tightly and wiped her face with the sleeves of her dress.

"She misses mom," he explained, acting brave, as if the mention of the woman who gave him life was unimportant, to no avail.

Next to him, the others were also depressed and, even if we were together, each one was alone, absorbed in their memories.

The image of the Kingdom of Castile came to my head. The memory of that woman full of life that seemed to only live in my childhood contrasted with the withered flower that I left in my territory. My heart ached.

"Let's go in before it rains" was the only thing I managed to say.

Since my arrival in those lands, since I met them, I had never wondered about those women or even imagined their existence.

What had become of them?