Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 106~!

Still Matthew's POV~

"Hey, why're we going toward the cliff?" Lume asked me curiously from her perch atop my head. "Let's go somewhere else, like the lake!"

"I need to go this way," I explained quietly. "Home is that way."

"Home' is by the cliff? Are you crazy?" my new friend exclaimed, taking flight and hovering in front of my snout easily. She rose and fell slightly with each beat of her little wings. "There's nothing there, just a bunch of rocks."

"I-I know it sounds crazy, but I just have to go that way," I told her, trying to make her see it my way. "I shouldn't stay here very long. How long will those knights be unconscious?"

"A good two hours, at least. I went easy on them," she responded with an air of cockiness about her.

Lume couldn't have been longer than a foot, which really made her look small compared to me. If I had to hazard a guess, I was the length of a regular school bus from snout to tail!

'This is so weird' I thought, sitting back on my haunches and reaching a surprisingly dexterous hand back to feel my wings. They felt so foreign, so different... If we ever found Alice, I would have one hell of a story to tell her!

I casually examined the little blacks stripes across the backs of my hands. My whole body was artfully decorated with them, in fact.

'I wish cameras existed here. This would blow America's mind to no end' I thought with a chuckle I couldn't fully contain. 'Everyone's mind, in fact.'

"Wait a sec... Didn't you say you can't fly earlier?" Lume asked me, peering into my face until our scaly noses were inches away. I struggled to not go cross-eyed when I replied.

"Y-Yeah, I did," I answered.

'Wait, was she going to suggest...?'

"We need to fix that!" Lume announced, rising a few feet and turning figure-eights in the air. "Let's go to the lake, I can help you learn how."

'She was...' I thought with lowered eyes. 'Merde.'

"I-I don't know..."

"What if more knights come and you're cornered?" Lume inquired suddenly, "and the only way out is if you fly? Who's ever heard of a dragon as big as you not being able to fly?

A way to reply didn't come to mind.

"Uuh..."

"Exactly. Don't you try to say no! Let's go to the lake, you'll like it there. Besides, you're probably thirsty from running so much, am I right?" My little yellow companion's snake-y lips parted in a razor sharp, knowing smirk.

I sighed. Why was I such a pushover? "Okay, I guess so."

"Yay!" Lume cheered, cartwheeling in the air happily. "Alright, let's go!"

I lumbered after her as she constantly switched what side of me she was flying next to. A little smile grew on my face as we traveled through the trees, heading toward the lake I kept hearing about. What would be there? More dragons, maybe? 

The thought of that made my skin prickle. Yikes... I didn't need to be interrogated, no thank you. And least of all by scary dragons that were probably bigger than I was.

And meaner...

And tougher...

'Kadi, if you're playing a prank on me by telling me to come into this dimension... I swear...'

~

A great castle loomed over him, making the nation feel small and insignificant despite the obvious fact that he was most certainly not insignificant. Yet, the estate was familiar, in a way. It cropped up a sense of nostalgia, of longing, of imagination and wonder...