The Hero

20: Hope

(A few bad references. Please don't take to heart, I mean nothing by it.)

I've been interrogated countless times in the past week. Everyone wanted to know which country I was and where I was located. But no matter how many times they hit, shot or threatened me, I wouldn't tell them. I had citizens from every country there.

"Tell us who you are!" Germany yelled at me. Somehow I had managed not to break down and tell him everything.

"I already told you no." I said rubbing my forearm. It still kind of hurt from when they had tried to put the tracking device in it. Somehow when they went to gas me I didn't pass out like they expected me to, so when they came to put the chip in my arm I was awake. I had made sure that I didn't get a tracking device in me.

"Why won't you tell us?!" He yelled and threw one of the lamps at the wall. "It's been a week of you being tortured and you won't spill a Gött damn word!"

"She is a tough one to crack but we'll get there." America said from beside my brother. These two had been the ones in charge of interrogating me from the moment I was brought in.

"I'm not going to tell you shit. I don't care what you do to me, I'm protecting people by not spilling a word." I hissed. I had really come to hate the people who did this to them, even if I didn't know who those people were.

"I will personally shoot you in the head if you don't tell us." America threatened.

A single tear threatened to spill. I truly wanted to give up and tell them everything I knew, but I knew I couldn't. So I kept up my act. "It's not like you haven't already done that."

"Well we already had Russia in here with his pipe. And it's not like we can actually kill you unless we know where you country is so we can kill all of your citizens." Germany said.

My number of citizens were still the same as they were before this all started. Everyone who had come to fight, I had brought them all back one last time as I was being dragged away. The last face I saw was Zoey's face as I was being dragged away. She looked as if she wanted to help but was held back by Marc, the only one of Natrista's citizens who had chosen to come.

"Just put her back in her cell." America said to Italy And Romano who had just walked into the room. "Make sure not to give her any food. The hungrier she gets the bigger chance of her telling us something just so she can eat."

Italy and Romano both nodded and grabbed my arms. I let them pull me along as I looked down at the floor. This whole building was made up of iron and stone so I couldn't use magic. The only time I had actually seen the magic trio in here was to ask me the spell I had used against them. Of corse I didn't tell them and surprisingly they gave up after I told them that I'd tell after all of this crap was over.

"Where's the Italy I know?" I muttered. "The one who has the iron cross that Germany gave you. The one who loves pasta and nap time."

Italy looked up at me and for a moment his eyes seemed to clear. He hesitated for a moment in his strides. He looked up at me in shock, like he knew he was supposed to remember me. But he soon shook his head and continued walking with me in between the two Italians.

They got to my cell and Spain came and opened the door so they could throw me in. Knowing that they were all listening I quickly crawled to the door so I could yell. "Where do you think your going you damn tomato bastard!" I yelled using my best impression of Romano. Romano hesitated a step, just as Italy did. But then continued to walk away until all three of them were out of earshot.

I sighed and slid down the wall. I put my head back and stared out the little window I had. I couldn't reach it, but I could smell the flowers that were outside. There must be a pond or something since I could distinctly make out the scent of waterlilies, my national flower.

I whistled a low note not knowing if my call would work. But when I heard the slight sound of fluttering wings I knew it did. I waited until the flapping got louder then whistled again. Then the next thing I knew was a great horned owl came hopping past the bars and glided down to the floor beside me.

"You followed me, didn't you Hundan?" I asked and it seemed to nod. Hundan was my companion and national animal. He has been with me ever since I was a small nation, although I had no idea how he stayed alive since my one thing to keep alive was Old Fritz. I knew that it wasn't Natrista since she already was keeping alive something else.

"You've over watched all of this, everything that's happened?" I asked out loud.

'Yes, Riley. And I'm sorry I haven't been able to help.' Hundan spoke in my head. Not many people knew but it was possible for animals to have magic and Hundan had mind magic so he could speak, in a way. Natrista was the only one I was able to speak to fully through the mind, unlike Zoey's mom.

"It's alright. I'm glad you haven't been, if you were you might of got hurt like everyone else." I said and Hundan nodded before fluttering his wings without moving from the spot he was in. Someone was coming, it was his silent signal that he would always give me when we went out hunting.

"Who are you talking to?" America yelled as he came stomping down the hallway. I looked at Hundan wide eyed. If he moved or stayed America would see him either way since he was too close now.

"She was talking to me." I heard Italy's voice say. He walked from around the corner that was there as Hundan hopped into the darkest corner of the cell so he wouldn't be seen.

"I'm sorry that we bothered you but I think she has something to say to you." Italy said and I was confused and didn't say a word. America looked at me with a look of disgust.

'He means that you should tell America something that meant a lot to him. Try maybe the war of 1812 or the American Revolution.' Hundan suggested and I nodded.

"I know how much it hurt you to leave England." I said. "But you left him so you could prove to him that you were strong. And I know that it hurt you to attack Canada but your boss told you to and you can't go against your boss, except for the one time when you kept fighting when he told you to stop. You were fighting for something you believed in when no one else agreed to what you were doing. You were a hero that freed many. If it weren't for you black people would probably be our slaves today. You were a true hero."

As I said this I saw the cloud in his eyes lift once I stood to look at him. He looked at me and his eyes widened. He still couldn't tell who I was, but he did realize the situation he was in. He didn't like to take prisoners when he didn't need to.

"What's going on, who are you?" He said pointing his finger at me. I waved away his question.

"It doesn't matter. Italy are you back to normal?" I asked and he nodded. "Who else is back to normal?"

"Big brother Spain and Romano." Italy stated and I nodded. Then I whistled beckoning Hundan to come to me. He flew to me and landed on my shoulder.

"Okay so that means we have six nations who aren't being held by their spell anymore. But the only down fall is I'm the only one without a tracking device."

"Wait you said six nations. There's Spain, Romano, Italy, you and I. Who else?" America asked.

"Besides Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Zierstien, who are neutral, we have Natrista as well." I said and that's when I heard feet coming down the hall. I look in the direction they came from and saw Natrista. "Speak of the devil."

"If we're going to act, we have to act soon. Riley," she said using my human name, which I had already given away. "They plan on killing you once and for all."