Swapped Around

Five~ Seaside Town

I watch with concern as America plays tag on the beach with England and France. I admit, he would make a better, more fun parent than most of the other countries, but there was no way we could keep the two due to his irresponsible reputation.

"America!" I call across the beach, my quiet voice muffled by the rushing if the waves. France is the only one to look back at me and catches the others attention. I hurry across the wet sand to them.

"If we want to make it to the world meeting on time then we'll have to catch the boat now." I inform my brother.

"Aw come on!" He whines. "Just five more minutes?"

"Honestly you act more like a child than England sometimes." I sigh. "We have to go, now. You can play tag later, okay?"

"You're not the boss of me!" He yells, charging off with England and France in tow. I take off after him, catching up easily because he had to let the little ones keep up with him. Hoisting France and England over either shoulder, I smile at him slightly as he glares at me.

"When did you become the bossy one?" He demands loudly.

"When you became the childish one." I reply smartly. What? I don't act quiet and shy all the time. Just when loads of people are around.

America groans slightly, before taking England out of my arms and lifting him back onto his shoulders. England smiles happily and pats America on the head, fluffing up his dirty blonde hair.

"This way to the harbour! Follow the hero!" He yells, marching off along the beach. I jog a little to catch up, France on my shoulders as well.

Soon the little port town from where we would get a boat came into view. Seagulls cawed overhead, the little whitewashed houses in neat rows, pastel coloured doors framed with flowers or other plants. By the seaside, where a thin wooden jetty sticks out into the blue-grey ocean, market stalls line the coast, packed with things like fish, fruit or strange trinkets and jewellery.

"Whoooooo! We're at the sea!" America shouts, running in circles a few times before dashing over to the nearest market stall to look at the goods on sale. Walking over to keep an eye on him, I hear him talking to England.

"Oh, look at that pretty necklace, isn't it nice?"

"Yeah...... I like that one over there."

"Which one? That one with the blue stone in the middle?"

"Mmm hmm."

"I like that one too. Hey! Look, that one has a weird lizardy thing on it!"

"That is a dragon. They are fantasy creatures that are the beliefs of my country."

"Cool, dude! Do they exist?"

"Of course they do!"

The man running the stall smiles at England, in a kind of patronising way. I wonder if Dragons really do exist, or if it's just the young country's childish imagination. By the look of it, large lizards with wings that breathe fire aren't real.

"Ame- Alfred!" I call him over, nearly forgetting to use our human names around mortals. Now in the presence of lots of other people, my voice goes unnoticed into the crowd.

"Who is zhis... Alfred?" France asks from my shoulder. I smile slightly. At least one person can hear me.

"America's human name. We can't call people by their country names in case it causes confusion." I tell him. "My human name is Matthew. What about you?"

"Um..... Well, before I knew I was a country, I was called by mon amis as Francis." He tells me.

"That's good, so if we call you France by mistake we can just say we shortened it from Francis." I hear him laugh softly. "What about England?"