Arthur sat couped up inside his house, sitting in his breakfast nook while he gazed out the window to observe the rising sun shine its clawed rays of light across the landscape. He typically spent his mornings doing this, sipping at a cup of Earl Grey tea and nibbling on the few scones he had, albeit poorly, made even earlier that morning. While he peacefully watched, he silently thought to himself. Halloween was merely a few days away, and while he was [i somewhat] excited for the holiday, he was already mentally preparing himself for Christmas; he needed as much of a start as he could, considering he never knew what to get for most of the other countries of the world; aside from India and Japan, they both seemed happy with some of his favourite high-quality tea. Just because he interacted with the other countries didn't mean he always knew what they liked, but damn did he try his best. With a quiet sigh, Arthur pulled his gaze away from the window to look at the table, grabbing himself another scone and munching down on it.

Peter Kirkland was oftentimes ignored, but he was, in fact, his own country! He may be small, but that doesn't mean he can't stand up to the other countries! He looked around a bit as he ran down the hall he was in, his eyes falling on the very door he was looking for before he ran up to it and knocked on the door eagerly. "Mister England! I'm here!" He called out so that the other could hear him, excitedly grinning as he waited for the door to be opened. Arthur was a big inspiration for the smaller country, and he was excited to see his idol again as he almost seemed to vibrate with it. He fidgeted with his small sailor's cap as he waited, folding and unfolding the things that needed to be folded and softly plopping on the floor to be more comfortable while he waited. He didn't know if Arthur was even awake yet, although he suspected he would be given the schedule of the meetings he went to.

Arthur's gaze flickered from the scone he was eating to the door, blinking a few times in slight surprise that somebody else, especially Sealand nonetheless, would be awake at such an hour. However, he shoved that thought off to the side for the time being, setting down what remained of his scone as he stood up from his breakfast nook and made his way over to the door, unlocking and opening it promptly. "Hello there, Sealand, it's nice to see you again," The English man greeted with a small smile, leaning down a little bit to gently pat the top of his head before he continued speaking to him. "Can I help you? Did France bribe you to try and distract me so he could get to our meeting first?" Arthur lightly suspected, though he meant nothing more than to huff out a tiny bit of distrust he had for the Frenchman since they didn't exactly get along despite being allies.

"Huh? Oh, no no! I just wanted to see you! You're kinda one of my only friends...and I thought you might like some company!" His tone dropped a little for a moment, but he quickly brightened back up as he stood up and smiled up at the taller country. Peter loved running around and visiting with people, especially the allies of Arthur's. America seemed to like him, France treated him about as well as England did, while Russia merely threw smiles his way without speaking to him. Peter could handle the mildly cold treatment, especially since Arthur had told him that he didn't really speak much to others in general, and that he most likely had no hard feelings towards the tiny country. He readjusted his bandanna around his neck before grinning up at him excitedly, bouncing a bit. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept just fine, thank you kindly for asking," Arthur responded, offering up a brighter smile to the child in front of him as he side-stepped and motioned for Peter to come inside if he so wished to. "You can come in if you'd like. I can pour you a cup of tea; I made a pot not too long ago, so it should still be plenty hot... I don't [i entirely recommend] eating the scones set out on the table, though. According to the other countries, my food is 'bland, boring, tasteless garbage' or something of that sort." He advised softly with a quiet sigh, all too well aware of that fact considering his own cooking usually wasn't all that great. Oh well, at least frequenting restaurants and take-out were a thing now unlike in the past. "How did you sleep, though? Have you been doing okay?"

"Me? Oh, I'm doing fine! Admittedly, I'm not very good at expanding, but I'll get there! I'll be as big as you someday!" He chirped, a determined look on his face as he looked up at him with a soft grin. The small country was absolutely determined to be as big and powerful as Arthur someday, and he was peacefully oblivious to the fact that it would take a lot of sacrifices and conquering that would need to be done for that to happen. He looked up at him before smiling happily as he squished his own cheeks, trotting over to the table and letting him pour a cup of tea for him as he pulled the bowl of sugar towards him. There were a few sugar cubes there, and he grinned softly as he took one and popped it into his mouth before placing a few into the tea and putting some milk in as well. He seemed quite happy to be spending time with him, grinning softly as he sipped the tea slowly. "Mmmm...thank you, mister Arthur!"

Arthur quietly laughed at how excited Peter seemed to be at the idea of becoming as big and influential as he was, attempting to mask his mildly worried gaze and the concerns he held for the small country with said laugh. He made a mental note right then and there to properly educate Peter on the costs one made in order to conquer new territories, and the potential effects it could have, so that the kid wasn't nearly [i as] innocent about it later in the future; a cruel lesson the great country of England had to learn himself. That would be for another day, however, considering that Arthur really didn't feel like playing the ''bad guy'' at the moment. He instead settled with sitting back down at his table where he was sitting earlier that morning, sipping at his own cup of tea for a moment. "I know I've probably said this a time or two before, but you remind me a lot of a younger Finland; I'd bet you two would be good friends. Maybe you could be friends with Italy too, you remind me of him sometimes as well," Arthur noted aloud with a soft hum, politely setting his cup of tea back down onto its respective small china plate when he had finished it.

He hummed as he sipped at his tea casually, then looked up at Arthur with a curious look. "You really think so?" He asked gently as he watched him, then traced the rim of his cup with his finger as he thought about it for a moment. It made him smile, the idea of having more friends. He'd always seen Arthur with all his friends and felt envious, so he was excited for the idea. He set his cup down politely after a moment as he looked up at him, tilting his head softly. "You really think they'd like me? Nobody but you has really noticed me before, and I-I don't want to bother them..." He mumbled nervously, tapping his fingers and sighing softly before glancing up at him with a soft hum. "You're the only one I'm really not worried about bothering. You love it when I bother you!" He chirped out happily as he finished his tea, swinging his legs under the table happily.

Arthur blinked a few times, softly nodding at the question he was asked. He truly did think that Finland and Italy would get along well with Sealand, only offering out ideas as to who the micro-country could be friends with as he never really saw him hanging around with anyone aside from having the small chat or two with Arthur's allies. It saddened him a little bit, so he couldn't help but offer out his ideas as to how to correct that fact, since he did want to see Peter happy and having a good time, not just with himself, but with other countries as well. Consider it a fatherly love; wait, no, that'd mean Sealand would leave the metaphorical nest one day and gain independence away from the great country of England. Such a thought made him physically sick, swiftly covering up his mouth in order to prevent anything from leaving his system as a tiny trickle of blood dropped down from the corners of his mouth. It was a common occurrence anytime the mere idea of independence crossed his mind; it got a much worse reaction whenever someone talked about it or tried to declare their independence from him, of course; but he tried his best to swiftly shake the thought out of his head. "O-oh yeah? You're always welcome to chat with me, I suppose I can see why you're not worried about bothering me as a result."

Peter immediately noticed and got worried, staring at him for a moment. "...Are you okay...?" He whined out as he reached up with his handkerchief to wipe at the edge of Arthur's mouth, the micro-country giving him the most worried look. He then stood up and held his face, looking extremely worried about whether or not the bigger country was going to be okay. He wanted so badly to help him, but he didn't know how. That just made him panic more as he hugged him tightly, letting out a soft whimper as his eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to lose you, please don't be hurt!" He whimpered out as he held onto him with a fierce will, burying his face into the bigger's shoulder as he sniffled.

"I'm fi-fine Sealand, I just thought of something horribly vile is all," Arthur tried his best to soothe the micro-country, gently patting at the top of his head while still struggling to keep his own thoughts at bay. Sealand was such an innocent kid, England was sure he would never dare to try and forcefully declare independence from him. Wait, the same thing had happened with America and India, and they both were the sweetest children at first, too. Arthur silently gagged, though he managed to keep it all in, specifically for Peter's sake given he didn't want to worry the poor boy any further. It took him a moment, but he redirected his train of thought successfully after a few failed attempts, gently rubbing the back of the micro-country's head once his sudden and momentary sickness had died away. "I'm not hurt; not in the slightest; it's just some silly sickness that plagues me and me alone whenever a... Erhm, [i certain topic] is talked about or whenever I think of it. I'm sorry for worrying you," He said softly, though didn't specify what exactly had happened as, one, he didn't want describe what had happened and thus risk getting sick again, and two, he thought Sealand didn't need to know about such trivial matters at such a young age.

He looked up at him before taking off a small pendant he had around his neck, putting it around Arthur's as he smiled. "There! That should protect you!" He chirped out, seeming entirely confident that a pendant of Sealand's flag would be enough to fix Arthur's sickness. Of course, he knew medicine existed, so he hoped Arthur had some sort of medicine for whatever was going on with him, but for now he just decided to try and be nice to him. He smiled up at him before hopping off of him and grabbing one of the scones. He didn't care if it was dry, he was hungry and wanted food.

Arthur softly blinked a few times, looking down at the pendant that had been wrapped around his next while he wiped away any remaining small trails of blood seeping from his mouth, visibly a mixture of shocked and touched. He opened his mouth to gently spill out his thanks, looking back to Peter before pausing a moment at the sight of the micro-country eating the scones he had horribly made, falling into momentary silence. "I- erhm- those- probably don't taste good, my apologies. I have, uhm, little to no sense of taste myself... I can make you another cup of tea to wash it down..." He muttered out quietly and apologetically, genuinely hoping whatever shred of cooking abilities he possibly once had would shine through so that the scones didn't taste terrible as he had been told numerous times by other countries that they did.

The scones might've been a bit tasteless, but he hummed in happiness as he ate it. "It tastes okay!" He chirped out, poking at the pendant he'd given to Arthur. "Take care of this, okay? It'll be your reminder of me whenever we're apart!" Peter put his arms behind his back as he swayed softly on his feet, closing his eyes in his happiness as he stuck his tongue out gently. "You're amazing, mr. Arthur!" He chirped out as he kept swaying, shifting slightly before moving close to hug him again. "I'm glad you're here for me..."

Arthur couldn't help but fall back into his wordless silence, looking down at the pendant once more at tears slowly welled up in his eyes. Well, shoot, was he really about to show weakness to one of his own micro-countries? Yes, yes he was, and he softly sniffled a little as he more than gladly pulled Peter closer into his lap so he could properly hug him. "You're pretty amazing too, little Sealand. Or, as America might say, '[i you're really radical, dude,]" Arthur offered out, doing his best America impression simply because he felt like doing so, surprisingly good at mimicking accents.

Peter let out a happy, bubbly laugh as he held onto him, snuggling into him sweetly while sighing happily. "America's a doofus!" He giggled lightly as he booped the other's nose gently, grinning up at him for a moment before humming lightly and leaning into him with a soft hum. "Mmmm..." He sounded quite comfortable, cuddling with him on his lap while laying his head on his shoulder in order to keep himself calm. He loved it when he could cuddle with people like this, especially with the more paternal country. His eyes drooped a bit before mumbling to himself, trying his best to stay awake for a while before slowly drifting off on him. A soft sigh escaped him as he fell asleep, relaxing immensely as his breathing slowly became more even.

Arthur quietly hummed a soft tune to himself, smiling fondly at the little country he had curled up in his lap, letting out a content sigh upon realizing he had fallen asleep. For once, though, he didn't seem to mind; it was still early morning, after all, so he couldn't blame the kid for falling asleep. Instead, he switched the song he was humming to an English lullaby, gently picking Peter up and carrying him to the one guest room he had to let him peacefully sleep for however long he wished. Well, he called it a guest room, but Peter was typically the only one who ever used it, so, by a technicality, it was Peter's room, though he didn't pay any attention to it for the time being. Instead, he simply tucked the micro-country into bed, gave him one last gentle pat atop his head, before leaving the room. "What did I have to do today... Right, my meeting with the other countries," Arthur said aloud, grabbing his coat and sliding it on. One thing that was clear as day to everyone was that he trusted Sealand, so much so that he felt comfortable leaving the kid by himself in his house so that he could go off on meetings. Which is precisely what he proceeded to do; leaving his house with the trusting care of sleeping Sealand, knowing that if Peter wanted to talk later, then he would still be hanging around by the time Arthur returned.

Sealand slept for a good few hours, letting out a soft groan as he sat up. The colors of the evening had deepened, and he slipped off of the bed before humming and trotting through the house. "Hmm...it looks like mister England isn't here..." He mumbled to himself before trotting over to the kitchen as he climbed up onto the counter with a happy hum. He knew he rEALLY shouldn't be doing this, but he didn't care. He just quietly grabbed at something to eat, hopping down and nomming on it in happiness as he grinned happily. "Egeee...food food..." He mumbled to himself, sitting on the floor of the kitchen and continuing to eat as he snatched a book from a bookcase.

Arthur went about his day as he usually would, sitting through the usual meeting with the same lack of patience he typically displayed during them, running his mouth off on America a few times from the North American country's slight stupidity and France for his narcissism, as per his always. Now he was walking home, cheerfully talking to seemingly nothing, though he was having a happy conversation with a unicorn he had found, a joyous smile on his face as he talked away. Arthur walked back into his home, inviting the unicorn inside of course, swiftly going to see if Peter was still there. "Hello again, Sealand! I've come back, and I brought a friend! They're a unicorn, isn't that something?" He happily asked, gesturing to his side where a unicorn stood; at least in his sight it did. Not many countries saw reality the same as he did, since he was able to see mythical creatures while most simply believed he was crazy.

Sealand didn't see the unicorn, but simply shrugged as he smiled at him before going back to his food and book. "I hope they don't dirty up the house." He hummed softly, being slightly tired since he had only woken up a small while ago. His eyes glimmered softly as he looked down at the book, turning the page and finishing up his food. He stood up after finishing his food, closing his book and putting his plate into the sink as he looked over at England. "How was the meeting?"

Arthur sighed out, visibly slouching a little as he slid his coat off of himself, gently setting it atop the back of his unicorn friend, the jacket seemingly floating mid-air to other people. "It was annoying... America and France decided to team up against me today and nitpicked every single idea I had until I simply gave up and tried to have a peaceful conversation with Canada, but even then they continued to whine and bicker." He answered honestly, rubbing at his temples a bit as he let out another sigh, shrugging it off in the end. "Though we did get some things done; China isn't as scared of Russia anymore, and the Netherlands agreed to a slight wealth distribution amongst Europe so our economies can effectively stay stable; which, I'll admit, was a smart idea on Germany's part." Arthur added on, soon shaking off everything related to his meeting as he slid over and took a seat at the table. "How was your nap? Did you sleep well? You seemed pretty tired when I left the house."

Peter smiled and laughed as he watched him. They had a good time that night, but a few months, it all turned on it's head. Sealand had decided, even after Arthur had told him not to go try to conquer people, to try and conquer a small place. However, he had been pushed back roughly, attacked back with force, and it had absolutely screwed him up. His eyes glimmered softly as he tried to go after someone, panting softly as he slashed them across their chest. Or, tried to. He missed and fell down, coughing softly before looking up at them. It hurt as they kicked him in the head, passing out from both blood loss and a concussion. His soldiers were all taken down, and he was finally brought down, his flag ripped and torn up.

Arthur had been out with his allies that day, for once having a peaceful and somewhat enjoyable discussion with them while they all casually talked about how things were going and any important updates the other countries of the world might wish to know; countries were able to keep information to themselves if they so chose to, after all, it wasn't like they were all forced to share every detail of what might be happening. Which was how the English man first came to somehow pirate the news from the other countries that his micro-country, Sealand; his own little boy; had the brash and bold idea to try and conquer another land. Hell, it was one of the first things brought up, as a matter of fact, but Arthur couldn't believe it. He knew Peter was no idiot, he himself having taught the boy not to invade until he was ready to do so, but he also knew that the other countries were no idiots themselves. Worry flared through him as he hastily left after properly being convinced that, without a doubt, Sealand had decided to do something stupid, bolting around as fast as his legs could carry him. He was no track athlete however, he was a pirate; bound to the sea rather than the land, which was a fancier way to say he had little to no stamina when it came to running. Even his internal compass had failed him for a second, getting Arthur turned up accidentally and losing precious time he could have been using to forcibly drag Sealand out of the thick of battle. Though, no matter how fast the English man could have possibly ran, nor how far he could have gone on boat, the time allotted for him to get there had ticked its last second: Arthur was much too late by the time he finally arrived.

The few people that Sealand could have brought with him to fight were all laying on the ground with many many wounds, some all but gone while others were getting there. In the middle of them laid Peter's small figure, his once-white-and-blue outfit now stained pink-purple with his blood. He wasn't dead yet, but he was slowly bleeding out as the remains of his flag rested next to him, not yet blown away by the wind. A weapon lay next to his hand where he'd fallen, a dagger for hand-to-hand that he'd learned from China. The ground around him was fully covered in the crimson fluid leaking from him, and when he was turned over, it was clear he'd been hurt in the head too, probably what'd taken him out.

Arthur ghostly silently and hastily treaded through the gruesome scene; he had seen tragedies at least a thousand times more horrific than the one before him, but this one? This one was the one that finally made him crack, his eyes scanning for Sealand and even the slightest hope he was still alive, saline tears rapidly pouring from his eyes once he finally found the boy. Even grown countries such as himself sobbed like children sometimes, even if it wasn't all that common. The English man made his way over to Peter's bloody small figure with shaky steps, visibly trembling about as badly as an earthquake while he sat down on his knees just before the micro-country, reaching a hand out to shakily cup one of his cheeks and gently rub it with his thumb as he usually did, only getting himself to spill more tears from his eyes in the end. "H-hey, hey there Peter, c'mon la-lad, talk to your old m-man, plea-se?..."

Soft pants came from him as he woke up a bit from his passed-out state, his eyes being cast up to him as he let out a soft laugh. "H...hey..." He whispered out as he managed to put his hand over Arthur's, swallowing heavily as he winced and hissed at the bleeding wounds. "Sss...ow..." He hissed out as he gripped onto the other's hand, panting lightly and looking up at him. "Y-you probably think I'm...a real idiot for this, huh...?" He mumbled in his weakening state, sighing shakily as he rubbed at his hand. "Hhhmm...it...feels like everything's spinning..." He sighed as he closed his eyes, the micro-country seeming ready to just give up at the moment. It was a miracle he was able to keep like this since he was so small, looking up at him for a moment before struggling to sit up and hugging him tightly. "It hurts...I'm sorry..."

Arthur was swift to return the hug, ever so gently pulling him into his lap so he could properly hold him. If the child he boldly proclaimed to be his son was dying, then he'd die in his arms so he could at least have that little bit of comfort, damnit. "No, n-no, you... You did a g-good job, I'm prou-proud of you for trying, Peter, just... St-stay with me sonny, I can't... I can't lose you; yo-you're going to be a-okay, ya hear me? We'll try co-conquering a-again when you're ready, sou-sound good?" The English man shakily asked, gently rubbing at the back of Peter's head to try and comfort the both of them, even if by just a little, while he coughed out a smidge of blood, watching as it painfully dripped down and mixed with the pool below him that had seeped out of Peter; his ''loneliness sickness'' had kicked back in at the worst possible timing, but he paid no mind to it for once.

Peter's breathing was shaky as he held onto him, closing his eyes again and softly gripping onto his jacket. "I tried...I-I tried so hard..." He sniffled softly as he held onto him, swallowing for a moment before letting out a light pant. "But I put up a good f-fight..." He mumbled out as he smiled self-importantly, holding onto him for a moment before closing his eyes again. "Don't...m-miss me too much, yeah...?" He mumbled out as he curled into him, America having ran up as his eyes widened. He knelt down nearby, Peter's eyes flicking up to Arthur before putting his hand on the pendant he'd given to him. "...Keep this safe, okay...? I'll be back someday..." He mumbled out, then sighed as he felt his conscious flicker a bit. It became harder to keep his eyes open, just looking up at him so that he could see Arthur before his consciousness was snuffed out again. He went silent, no longer moving as Alfred slowly moved closer.

Arthur tightly him tightly for a few moments whilst muttering out now meaningless promises before reluctantly setting the motionless boy back down onto the floor, still being as gentle with him as he would be in any other situation, softly manually shutting his eyes closed as he choked out a cruel mix between a sob and a bloody cough. He clutched at what remained of Sealand's tattered flag, holding it close and protectively while he let his emotions run rampant as he mourned the loss of his son, occasionally screaming out his sobs, not caring if anyone could hear him. It was just the English man and what little remained of Sealand in his mind at the moment, not acknowledging or even noticing Alfred as he came closer. He was both physically and mentally at his weakest whilst he cried his heart out and violently coughed out blood so badly it felt like he was trying to cough out a lung, giving the perfect opportunity to anybody to take him by surprise. Though, Arthur didn't care, if he were to die that day as well, he would be happy to accept that fate, that is if someone killed him before his coughing potentially killed himself, only adding to the bloody pool that was spilled out around him.

Alfred sighed as he looked down at him, putting a hand on his shoulder while kneeling down by him. "I'm sorry, Arthur..." He mumbled softly to him as he looked down at the motionless figure down on the ground, then back to Arthur. "I'm sorry, he was pretty close to you, right...?" He mumbled out, then lightly put an arm around the other as he sighed softly. He knew how it felt to lose others, and he could only imagine how it felt to lose someone like Peter, especially with how close Arthur and Peter were. He slowly gathered Peter's body up, holding him gently as he looked down at him. "We can give him a good burial..."

Arthur didn't respond, instead sloppily wiping at his face with the sleeves of his suit; why not get it further coated in blood and tears than it already was, after all? He tried his utter hardest to stabilize his breathing while he did so, taking deep, slow breaths to try and help himself calm down so he wouldn't be crying nearly as violently, the English man slowly rising to his feet after doing so and delicately tucking away the remaining pieces of Sealand's flag into his pockets. He stared at Alfred for a few moments before moving forward to gently yet forcefully take Peter's body from him, not giving the American much of a choice, his gaze swapping from being mournful and tear-filled to cold and otherwise expressionless. "What business do you have including yourself in my son's burial, Alfred?" Arthur asked with the same cold tone his eyes now held; he couldn't help himself, it was either sheer and utter devastation or turning his emotions off, and he opted to turn his emotions off while in the presence of somebody else, it was just who he was. Regardless, he took a few steps away from the gruesome scene, wanting Peter to have the pleasantry of having a nice place to be put to sleep rather than the bloody mess known as the war zone.

"I- I'm just trying to help ya, man." Alfred protested a bit before crossing his arms lightly as he sighed softly, giving him a softer look. "'Sides...kid liked me too." He tried his best to speak gently as Peter rested in Arthur's arms, Alfred lightly placing the small boy's sailor hat on his belly so that it could be with Peter as well. "Come on, man, please. I know you're hurting, but you don't need to act like that..." He mumbled out as he moved closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can help you, but only if you let me. Come on..." He begged lightly, subtly brushing a bit of the small boy's hair out of his eyes.

Arthur fell back into his cold silence, staring at Alfred once again while he narrowed his eyes in thought, giving it some consideration while he moved his sights from the American to the small boy he held in his arms as nothing but sadness almost instantly filled his gaze. He shakily sighed out, holding Peter a tiny bit tighter and closer to himself, opening his mouth to speak while nothing came out for a few good moments. "Fi-fine... You can help, but for just this one time, u-understood?" The Englishman tried his utter best to bark it out as he normally would, but his voice quivered and his cold gaze gave into what appeared to be pure sorrow without a single shred of any other emotion.

"Come on, man, let's go..." Alfred smiled hesitantly before leading him out of the war zone, humming softly before trotting alongside him. He was more somber than usual, sighing softly as he looked down at the door. "I...I'm sorry, Arthur...he was a good kid..." He mumbled out as he put his hands into his pockets, looking down to the ground and sighing softly. He'd never really lost anyone like that, and he wasn't sure how it felt, but he knew it had to hurt, especially since he knew how it felt to lose someone in your family. He felt bad for him, but he didn't really voice that. Not yet, anyways, and he kept stealing glances at Peter's silent body. He knew they'd have to patch that, or at least cover it, but he'd rather just let Arthur grieve.

Arthur solemnly hummed out a single note, not taking the time to provide much more of an audible response as he was too wrapped up inside his own head to clearly speak, much less keep a strong, firm voice. Oh, all the things that just got added to his plate made him literally and metaphorically queazy; he had to make a gravesite for all those who lost their lives; that is once he figured out who everybody who died previously was; a proper memorial to pay respects, the tombstones and the caskets, notifying all the families what had happened, and all while dealing with the loss of his own son. As a bitter sprinkle on top, he himself didn't know who was responsible for such a thing, so he couldn't exactly claim revenge, and gosh did it sting like hell considering how badly he wanted to do so, if not for himself, then for the honour of his son. Tears rapidly sprung back to the Englishman's eyes, but he managed to force them not to fall as he had ''more important things'' to focus on at the moment, such as trying to think of a memorable place to bury Peter and all his fallen soldiers.

Alfred looked over to him before sighing softly as he patted his shoulder, making a call to some of his own soldiers to help get the bodies gathered up respectfully. He had made burials plenty of times, and he knew how it went. "You...could bury him behind your place..." He respectfully suggested after a while of walking, gently squeezing Arthur's shoulder. "I have a feeling it's where Peter would want to be." It took him a moment, but he smiled softly before walking off to take care of some things, leaving Arthur to deal with the sorrow for a while. Peter looked supremely peaceful, as if he was just sleeping and would wake up at any moment. Maybe in the future, Arthur could bring him back, rebuild him, but he was gone for now.

Arthur blinked softly a few times, his eyes looking back to Alfred for a moment whilst his tears freely flowed from them. For once the American hadn't made a half-bad suggestion, and it was something he personally approved of himself, though he wouldn't verbally admit that, instead looking down to the child in his arms and softly nuzzling him for once last time before he made his way back to his place to do just that; bury him behind his house, and he dutifully did. At least it meant he could easily look after the gravesite, keep it clean, and visit it whenever he wanted, that brought him a tiny bit of comfort at the very least.

The sun shone on them peacefully, giving Peter's face a halo while he was laying there until the dirt covered him. The nature around him was peaceful, and the little unicorn that Arthur had befriended a while ago slowly trotted up to rub it's head on Arthur's hand. It looked down at the small mound, then whinnied at Arthur as it nuzzled him gently. It's tail twitched softly as it looked up at him slightly, then sat down and laid it's head down on the ground. It seemed peaceful, happily laying beside him as it laid it's head on his knee slowly. It sighed quietly at him before looking up at him, neighing softly as if trying to get his attention. All it knew was that Arthur was unhappy.

Arthur looked down to the unicorn that was resting its head in his lap, sighing softly as he shifted his hand to gently pet at its head, being mindful of the horn since he didn't feel like getting his hand stabbed that day. "He-hey, uni, how're you doing? I hope you're doing alright..." He mumbled out sadly, knowing he couldn't exactly get an understandable verbal response from the unicorn, but he still wished it well regardless. After all, one of the things running through his mind was how easily he could lose somebody else, which included the unicorn, only making him frown evermore as he continued to gently pet at its head. "You wo-won't leave me, will you...? Sealand did... And I don't even know where A-America is right now..."

It nuzzled at his hand slowly, letting out a gentle whinny as if trying to comfort him. It didn't want him to be upset, but looked up as it heard someone coming in. It was America after all, holding a bag of food as he sat down next to Arthur. The unicorn gently nuzzled at Arthur's hand since it wanted to stick around, but at the same time, it didn't want to be seen by Alfred. He didn't know that Alfred couldn't see him, the American gently offering a fry to the Englishman as he watched him softly. "I'm sorry about Peter, again. I don't know why he did that, but we've got everyone gathered up, so..." He sighed as he trailed off, quietly eating a burger to himself.

For once, Arthur didn't turn down the American's offer for some of his food, quietly accepting it and munching at the fry for a bit while he stared off at seemingly nothing, offering a small goodbye wave to his friend unicorn since he was well aware that his mythical friends didn't entirely like to be seen by others, even if others outside the Kirkland family couldn't see them. He let out a small sigh once he had finished munching on the fry, looking back to the grave in front of them and frowning once more, gently fiddling with his won hands. "He wanted to be like me and conquer places like I used to do... I knew I should have kept a closer eye on him..."

He sighed lightly before patting his shoulder, being gentle with him. "Look...we can...figure out how to bring him back eventually..." He mumbled out as he watched him quietly, humming softly before just giving him the carton of fries. The American knew that food helped [i him] feel better, so he was trying his best to help Arthur feel better, even if he knew he was grieving. He'd never really lost anyone like this, and eventually leaned on him as he sighed lightly. "He'll be with us still, though. Remember what you used to tell me?" He looked over at him before adjusting his glasses. "The dead stay with us in our hearts as long as we hold onto them, right?"

Arthur let out a dull hum, munching away at the fries he was given as if eating would help fill the newfound void in his heart. It didn't, sadly, but at least he didn't feel nearly as violently sick upon getting something into his system, even if it was deep-fried salty, and trashy fast food. Good thing he didn't have much of a sense of taste, though, otherwise he might just have lightly complained and bickered about it. "I'm a little surprised you bothered to remember that..." The Englishman murmured out quietly, looking down to the dirt in front of him before sighing in the same dull manner he hummed out in. "I guess that's true, though... He'll be back in no time, right?" He asked softly, glancing to Alfred for the tiniest bit of confirmation, eating another fry or two while he did so.

Alfred hummed as he finished his food, thinking silently to himself before flinching at the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket. He looked down at it before standing up a bit, looking over at Arthur. He slowly sighed as he put his hands onto his waist, looking down at him before humming slightly. "I need to go to a meeting...I, um...good luck...?" He mumbled out as he trotted off, leaving him behind as a small bunny came over to Arthur to snuggle with him since it felt bad, having been told about this by the unicorn. It sniffled at Arthur's fingers and licking at them since they tasted like salt.

Arthur looked down to the little bunny that was licking at his fingers, humming out in the same sorrowful note he had been since tragedy struck earlier that day. While he wasn't physically alone, he definitely felt mentally alone, stuck in his own thoughts while he got to thinking, allowing the bunny to lick away at his hands as they were covered lightly in salt. Oh, how in the world was the Englishman going to be able to let Sealand go? ...Unless he could bring him [i back]. Arthur was quite knowledgeable in the world of magic, hell he could see mythical animals for Christ's sake; surely there would have to be [i something] in one of his old runebooks that held a spell or two about bringing back the dead. Arthur blinked a few times, the sorrow he held in his eyes easing up a bit and mixing with a spark of an idea he had. Surely magic wasn't the ethical way to get about this, but it would work, [i wouldn't it?] So, with a determination in his gaze, the Englishman stood up from where he was and swiftly made his ways into his house and down the stairs into his basement where all his magic-y items were kept; he brought the bunny with him too, as he needed a companion at the very least. "Alright, let's see..." Arthur muttered out, beginning to gloss over his bookshelf jammed full with various runebooks, some ancient and some from closer to modern times, trying to find one that matched what he was specifically looking for.

The little bunny looked around curiously, settling down on the surface that Arthur had set it on as it watched him in slight confusion. It didn't know what he was doing, but merely waited there as it watched. There was soon a book that rested heavy on the shelf, nearly falling apart since it was so old and frequently used. It's pages were old and yellowed, and he had to be careful when turning them since if he wasn't, they'd fall apart and crumble in his hands. It held the spell he needed, however, and most of the ingredients were pretty simple to acquire. Things like goldenrod, candles, salt, paper for writing the name of the person you want to bring back, and clothes they used to wear.

Arthur ran his finger over the spines of the books he came across on the shelf, actively trying to recall the lists of spells inside each of them in search of the one book he needed, finally finding its tattered spine after looking over a few of the other books. He gently pulled it from its resting place, bringing it over to a table where he set it down and lightly flipped through the pages, being as humanly gentle with it as he possibly could be. It took him a few moments to scan over the language the book was written in to find the spell he was looking for, and a few more silent moments to read what all he needed to gather in order to perform such a ritual. Arthur let out a quiet sigh, hastily leaving the room once he memorized the small list. It was easy enough to gather the things he required; he grew goldenrods and other various effect-based plants in his backyard, he had plenty of candles scattered downstairs likewise with paper, and he made sure to keep a steady supply of salt from Greece- Greek salt worked the best, as Arthur had painstakingly discovered in the past- and a change of clothes the Englishman swiped from Sealand's room. He speedily returned to the room once he had gathered everything, gently setting it all down before following the spell word for word after he had set his things up.

The spell slowly began to glow where he'd set up, the salt slowly glowing under the English man. The magic wrapped around the small boy and began to heal him, although it took a while since he had to pull himself out of the dirt. He'd managed most of it, but he winced softly as he hugged himself and gripped onto the ground under him. He squeezed his eyes shut slightly before hugging himself and falling onto his side, whimpering softly as his tears fell down his cheeks slowly. It hurt to be revived, and he sniffled before continuing to cry. He hated it when pain was inflicted on him, but he didn't know why he felt like this...he thought he was dead...

Arthur resisted the urge to leave where he was out of respect for completing the spell, not wanting to risk any consequences for leaving the spell unfinished; he had enough of such silly mistakes from when he was younger and still practicing magic, after all, and he sincerely didn't want the magic to undo itself. The second he was properly done and the spell had ceased to sap the mana from him and glow, the Englishman figuratively dropped everything to bolt to Peter's side, scooping him up in his arms, staring down at him with worried, tentative, and teary eyes. "Peter, are you alright?? Oh good gods, it worked, I thought I lost ya lad!"

The small boy panted lightly as he looked up at Arthur, staring at him for a moment before looking at his hands. His whole body was regrown, and he seemed extremely confused by the fact that he was alive again. He let out a soft pant before coughing up a bit of blood, covering his mouth and catching it since his body wasn't used to being alive again. Of course, he couldn't speak since all his memories were gone. "Huh...?" He whimpered out as he looked around, then looked up at Arthur before flinching as he swallowed softly. He didn't recognize him, all he knew was that there was a blurry figure there as he whimpered again. Peter had begun to cry, curling up in the fetal position and trying his best to defend himself from any potential hits that could come his way.