N:   Wald, since he was awake, noticed the glowing from outside, so he went to check what was happening, but what he saw was everyone sleeping in the tent. He shook his head, wondering if he was imagining things, and finally concluded that he wasn't getting enough sleep, so he went over to his tent and slept.

Hours later, a few people began to stir from their sleep, the first this time was Maria. She was getting increasingly worried for Mandoria and Rowen, so she decided to check on them. When she entered the tent, she was confused as to why Saxon was sleeping there, and her entering brightened up the tent. Johann, woken up by the light, looked up at her, asking if they had to go now.

"I would have to ask Wald about that," she smiled softly as she saw the rest of them sleeping peacefully, "although everyone else is waking up, take your time as you must be tired from treating Mandoria."

"We couldn't help him-" he began, but when he turned around to see his father, he was confused, "where did the marking go?"

M:   Rowen jerked his head up with a snort, subconsciously startled by the noise, "What happened, Saxon took over Mandoria's care while I slept, is something -," he stopped when he saw Saxon sleeping nearby and Mandoria without the black mark. Confused, he ran a gentle finger over the brand and was surprised that it didn't bleed on contact, Mandoria woke up from this and gave a weak smile. "Mandoria, how are you feeling," Rowen tentatively asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Ok," Mandoria murmured, to his husband's surprise, "better than before, what was in that paste you used?"

"I ... don't know," Rowen said, dumbfounded, "it was one Wald got from the nearby village, I thought it was just something to numb the pain, guess we'll have to save it for later, huh."

The country quietly chuckled and sat up slowly with Rowen's help, he felt dizzy so he ended up resting his head on the other's shoulder but otherwise felt no more pain.

"I think you should rest just a little more," Rowen said, "let the nausea pass and we'll get you something to drink, would you like that?"

Mandoria nodded and lay back down, closing his eyes again and taking another deep breath. Rowen reached over to Saxon and shook him a little, "Wake up Saxon, you were supposed to be watching Mandoria."

N:   Saxon woke up with a start, his eyes fluttered open to reveal his duller blue irises, not having the same electric blue that they usually have. Since performing rune magic uses up one's life force, especially using more than one rune, the entity felt much weaker than usual. He knew that the only way to being back to full health was plenty of rest. He looked up to Rowen, initially with confusion, but the memories of what happened earlier finally returned to him. "Oh, umm," he stuttered, "the paste was working really well, and when I saw the Mandoria was fine, I rested." He tried to sit up but began to get a headache, so he held onto his head, "but it's fine, Wald was awake anyway."

"Are you alright, Saxon," Maria asked, "you seem...different."

"I'm fine," the entity dismissed, standing up, although he did stumble a bit, "I'll just go and check with Wald for any updates." With that, Saxon walked out of the tent, rather sluggishly, and headed to the insurgent's tent.

M:   Rowen was deeply confused and concerned about Saxon, but very slowly the gears started turning and he wondered if Saxon did something he doesn't want the others to know about.

"Johann, why don't you and Maria go and check on the others," Rowen said, "we still don't know if whatever Mandoria had is contagious so I want to make sure they don't have anything, and on that note make sure to take a bath, Johann, wash away any germs, I'll be taking one later too."

When the two left, Rowen turned to Mandoria and gently shook him to get his attention, "Did Saxon heal you with magic, don't lie to me because I know that a simple herb past wouldn't make that mark disappear in a matter of hours."

Mandoria open his eyes and sighed, "Yes, he did, but you can't tell anyone, ok."

Rowen nodded and let Mandoria go back to sleep, staying with him to make sure he would be ok.

N:   Johann followed Maria to where everyone was; awake and going through their day. Maria, before Johann left to take a bath, handed him a change of clothing, "I don't know if you had any spare clothes," she said, "and I slightly overpacked, so take these." In his arms was a dark pair of trousers, paired with a green jumper, so he nodded in thanks.

When he found a secluded part of the river, he undressed and dipped in, put off when he saw his scars. After washing himself off, he began to bop his head just above the surface, took a deep breath, and sunk into the water. The river wasn't fast-moving, so all he heard was the rushing of water past his ears. He found the sound soothing and calming, and he didn't register how long he was underwater. Suddenly, he heard someone calling out his name, and his eyes snapped open, he watched a dark being approaching him in the water, so he tried to swim away, thinking it was a certain kingdom. The person grabbed onto his shoulder, so he tried to shake them off, and he broke the surface.

"JOHANN," Heinrich shouted, shaking the Mandorian as he spluttered out water, "what the hell were you doing?"

Johann just stared at him, who had his Prussian coat and cape on the shore, his white shirt soaking wet as the other looked at him with worry. After a moment, his predicament finally sunk in, so he pushed the Prussian away, his face red with embarrassment. "Were you watching me," he asked quietly.

"No," Heinz said quickly, his face also red, pointing at the musket behind him, "I was out hunting when I saw your hair in the water, and I waited until you would break through the surface, but you didn't." When he saw how uncomfortable Johann was, he sighed, "Just, finish quickly. Ok?" With that, he waded out of the water, picked up his uniform and musket, and walked away.

The Mandorian breathed out in relief, quickly finished off, and came back to the group, and Maria noticed the awkward atmosphere between him and her son.

M:   Rowen had exited out of the tent and prepared to head to the river too when he also noticed the tension between Heinrich and Johann, but what he also noticed was the Prussian's soaked lower body. Not knowing what happened he glared at the Prussian and walked up to him.

"Heinrich, might I inquire as to why you are soaking wet, after I told my son to go wash off in the river," he growled, "I swear if you laid a single finger on him ..."

N:   Heinrich backed up when Rowen approached him, not sure what to say when Johann stepped between them.

"Hezyka, it's ok," Johann reassured his father, "he didn't hurt me, rather he snapped me out of my trance." He glanced back at the Prussian, smiling weakly, "I was underwater for a long time, and he came and brought my head above the surface, reminding me that I had to breathe. I am thankful for what he did, but it became ... awkward."

The knight looked between the father and son, until he just smiled awkwardly, not sure what to do.

M:   Rowen looked between Heinrich and Johann then sighed, "ok then, sorry about that, Heinrich, though I'm sure you understand where I was coming from, I just don't want Johann to go through any more suffering, he's already been through enough in his life."

With that, he turned and left for the river, but not before saying, "Oh, and Johann, you've got a leaf in your hair," and then walked away.

N:   "Huh," Johann spoke, and he ruffed his hair, watching the leaf fall, and he pursed his lips, "Well, that's embarrassing."

"What do you mean," Wolfgang chuckled, "your top makes you look like a leaf," to which Johann laughed back mockingly before sitting next to the campfire. The Mandorian watched as Heinrich excused himself to change into dryer clothes, and when he left, Maria pestered Johann to see if he was fine.

After a while, Saxon came with Wald, and joined the group, although the entity looked like he was about to fall asleep any moment. "As soon as the sun sets," the insurgent said, "we are going, and Mandoria seems like he is fit enough to travel too."

M:   The next two hours were uneventful, Rowen made sure Mandoria would be ok to travel and everyone else just mosied around waiting for nightfall. At one point Edel decided to play keep-away with Heinrich's musket so the two spent most of the afternoon chasing each other.

When night fell and the group was leaving Mandoria was still a little dizzy and unsteady on his feet so Rowen rode with him to keep him from falling off Edel.

"We're ready Saxon," he said, "are you sure you don't want to ride with us or in a cart, you could rest if you do."

N:   "I'll stay in the cart," Saxon replied, leaning against one side of the cart, "Wald, take us home."

The insurgent nodded and flicked his reins, and they continued their journey. Almost immediately, the entity leaned his head on the cart and dozed off, and seeing this, Maria grabbed a blanket and covered Saxon. The next couple of days were tense, Wald keeping a constant lookout for any Prussian knights, completely avoiding any settlements.

To keep up the mood, the parents decided to retell stories of when their children were little, making the others laugh. Saxon eventually woke up from what seemed like an eternity of sleep, and he seemed to be his normal self, full of energy, so when he heard the stories, he chuckled and began to tell stories of when England was little. "But remember," he added at the end, "you didn't hear it from me."

Eventually, after days and nights of traveling and resting, the group finally reached the border between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Dutch Republic. Seated at the entrance of a tent was a British general, and when he saw the travelers, he stood up in attention, further away was a larger group of tents with the British flag flying in the air. "Well, it seems like this is where we part ways," Wald said solemnly.

M:   "Thank you for everything Wald," Mandoria said, "we couldn't have gotten this far without you."

"Agreed," Rowen added, "You're a good friend, Wald, it was an honor to meet you, and maybe someday we will meet again, but until then, stay safe and try not to get captured again."

Edel nuzzled Wald and whined, saying he was going to miss him too.

N:   Wald smiled softly as he petted Edel, "It was an honor to help you all, and I'm going to miss you too Edel." He waved goodbye to everyone, wishing them a safe journey, mounted, and began to head back.

"Wald," Saxon called out, to which the insurgent turned around, "you know the consequence of being caught now," and he added with a lighter tone, "Don't screw up."

"Me, screwing up," Wald replied with a mock shock, "no, I will make sure I will do what I was born for, and besides, I know the risks of being an insurgent. It is what it is." Bidding farewell, he rode off back into the Kingdom, disappearing in the treeline.

Saxon shook his head as he hopped off the cart and greeted the general, they exchanged some words, and afterward, the general packed up his tent and ran towards his soldier. The entity turned back to the group, "The general said that the soldiers will escort us, in case of an attack, and will reach the ports, where a ship is waiting to take us home." He went and sat beside Wolfgang, and they followed the general to the camp, where the soldiers were already ready to leave.

M:   Mandoria and Rowen exchanged glances, it was hard to contain their joy, they were finally leaving the Prussian kingdom, they were free. Well, almost, they still had a long journey to get to the British Isles, weeks perhaps, and a lot could still go wrong during that time but they didn't care, as long as the Mandorians were out of the kingdom it was a win for them.

The days passed by slowly but weren't as tense as the ones in Prussia, there weren't any attacks either, any human who they happened to meet, be it traveling merchants or hunters, were always shocked or thrilled to see that Mandoria was alive. A few asked him if he was going to free the world of Prussia's rule but he never answered, always feeling upset that he let everyone down.

"Saxon, do you think I let everyone down," the former king asked one day, "those last two hunters we met got me thinking about just how many people relied on me defeating Prussia, not just my kingdom or my family, it's like I've let down all of Europe, perhaps the world. It's not like I can take him on again, my time as king is over, but I've let the title go to a tyrant, and now everyone is suffering, because of me."

N:   Saxon sighed when he heard the country, "See it this way, you didn't hand over the title, you fought for it, and you gave your best to keep the title, so when you lost, we know that you did your best. Yes, there may be people who were let down, but we have come to respect you even more, standing up against Prussia, even with the odds against you, so in the end, you were raised higher than him." The entity paused a bit before he continued, "although times may be tough now, there is no point being king if you don't have respect, created a martyr, and that you will not be alive forever."

Saxon left it at that as he rode ahead, since he acquired a horse from the soldiers, and silently continued with the journey. They continued for days until they saw the faint line of what seemed to be the sea, and they cheered when it was confirmed to be true. When they arrived at the docks, Dutch Republic was waiting for them, wearing a tricorne as he watched them approach.

"Ik kan het niet geloven (I cannot believe it)," he gasped when he saw Mandoria, "you are alive." When he saw Saxon, he scoffed, "This is the only time I'm doing a favor for you Brits."

"It's not a favor," the entity smirked back, "you are doing a public service." He dismounted and approached the country, "by the way, how is your brother Belgium doing? Is he taking in my ideas?"

"Don't you dare go near my broeder (brother), he's already annoying as he is." The entity shrugged as he boarded the ship, getting an annoyed stare from DR.

M:   Mandoria chuckled as DR mentioned Belgium, oh the trouble that country got into was always amusing.

"Dutch, my dear friend, it's so good to see you again," Mandoria smiled, pulling his old acquaintance into a hug, "you have no idea how much this means to us, thank you."

He pulled away and his face turned to one of sorrow, "I'm deeply sorry for what Prussia did to Commonwealth, I know you two were close, he shouldn't have tried to avenge me and I'm so sorry I caused his death."

N:   DR's face fell at the mention of Commonwealth, "he was doing something he believed in, and that's what matters. He knew what he was getting himself into, and for who he was fighting for." The country took in a deep breath as a lump formed in his throat, "anyways, it is good to see you again, Mandoria, and you should be heading off now."

He stepped aside to allow them on the ship, the soldiers assisting so that the carts were boarded and taken below deck. Once everyone was boarded, he ordered the dockers to release the ropes, and he watched as the vessel left the port.

Johann had stepped out of the cart, his legs cramped from sitting down for a long time, and he walked up to the top deck, he watched as the Dutch shoreline shrunk in the distance, and he smiled, "finally," he said, letting out a sigh as he took in the breeze.

M:   "Yeah ... finally," Mandoria muttered, though his voice sounded less enthusiastic, sure he was happy to be heading to Britain but there was something else eating at him.

"You're thinking about Mandara and Derogan, aren't you," Rowen said, coming up to his husband.

"Yes," Mandoria sighed sadly, "I feel like if they are alive that I'm abandoning them on the mainland."

Rowen nodded and took his hand, "I feel that way too, but it's more dangerous for us there than it is for them, and if we get caught then we'll never find them, we just have to have faith that Saxon can find them."

N:   "You will see them again, Father," Johann said, walking up to Mandoria, "we will see them again, I'm sure of it."

The Mandorian turned when he heard footsteps approaching, and Erna's head poked through the deck, "hey, do you guys know if Edel is alright on boats or not?"

Confused, Johann headed down to check, following the Prussian to where the dragon was lying down, and he asked, "Edel, are you alright?"

M:   Mandoria and Rowen followed them to see Edel, the reptile was huddled in the back and looked like a dog in a thunderstorm, he didn't like the rocking of the boat or the sound of the waves on the hull.

"He's never been on a boat before so he's probably just a little nervous," Rowen explained, sitting down next to Edel, "is that right buddy, are you nervous?"

Edel whined and curled up tighter, Rowen just chuckled and pet his fur, "It's ok, we'll be off the boat before you even know it."

N:   Saxon came down from the deck, and when he saw Edel curl up, he whispered to Mandoria, "The boat ride will bring us to the end of the day, so you might as well get yourself comfortable."

The entity invited the group to eat while the rest of the soldiers worked in the boat, sailing from the Dutch land towards Dover. Hours upon hours had passed, and the Prussians rested in the designated rooms, Saxon staying at the helm, waiting to see the English coastline.

The sun was lowering in the sky when the white cliffs could be seen, and the entity could just make out the outline of a country standing in the port, their golden wings standing out from the cliffs.

M:   The Mandorians were still in the cargo hold with Edel, huddled up in their sleep pile again, though this time Mandoria was just lying there awake, thoughts running through his head and preventing him from sleeping. After a moment more of restlessness, he squeezed out of the pile and went to get some air, climbing onto the deck and headed towards the bow where Saxon was.

"Evening, Saxon," he greeted as he walked up next to them, "are we nearly there?"

His question was answered when he saw the distant cliffs, his eagle eyesight spotted Anglo on the docks and he smiled, "I'm glad that Anglo's ok, I was a little worried about him and Prussia but from here it looks like he's been getting by. I am surprised that England isn't there to greet us, you'd think he'd want to see his mama hen again, huh."

Mandoria nudged Saxon with his elbow and chuckled, joking about England and Edel.

N:   "I thought he would," Saxon answered, however, he was more worried about England, "it is just that, England hasn't been himself ever since he heard about the destruction of your kingdom, especially about losing Edel. We will just have to ask Anglo about that."

When the boat docked and the gangway was lowered, Saxon called below deck, alerting everyone that they had arrived. The British country had changed his appearance, his hair was no longer at the shoulders but at the jaw, but it kept its floofiness. He waited at the bottom, nodding to the soldiers that poured out, thanking them for their service, and when he saw Mandoria, his face fell. Yes, he was overjoyed to see the former King Wing alive, but seeing his wings, he could only imagine what he went through.

Saxon came down first, and the country immediately hugged him, and when Mandoria came down, he lowered his wings in respect, "Welcome to Great Britain, Mandoria, and it is nice to see you after all these years." Looking up to see the rest of the group, he smiled, "And I see you have brought the Saxons too."

M:   "Yeah, we couldn't leave them behind," Mandoria said, "Prussia would have undoubtedly killed them if we did." When the country turned back to Anglo and saw his wings lowered he frowned, "Please Anglo, you don't have to lower your wings anymore, I'm no longer king so am not worthy of it."

Just then the ship rocked rather violently, seconds later a giant pink blur lept off the boat and crashed through the dock into the water below, splashing everyone nearby.

"Edel, you're being overdramatic," Rowen called, taking the safer route as Edel pulled himself out of the hole and onto dry land, "it's just a boat, not a damn monster."

Edel wasn't having it and hissed at the vessel before trudging off, Mandoria only chuckled, flicking the water off his wings, "Sorry about that Anglo, guess Edel just really doesn't like boats," he apologized, "Though that reminds me, how is England, I heard he was hit pretty hard after what happened to all of us, Edel especially."

N:   Anglo absentmindedly flicked his wings before answering, "he's not great at all. The last couple of years were bad, he refused to go outside, eat, drink, or do anything but stay in his room in silence, but it sort of got better when he began to eat. When we got the letter from you that you were coming, his mood definitely brightened up, but as soon as we heard the issue Prussia gave, he crashed again."

He rubbed the back of his neck, tired from having to stay awake for his son, "Celtica is with him now, since recently he had gained an unpleasant habit of drinking." He sighed tiredly before putting on a smile, "But I know as soon as he sees Edel, he will get better."

He waited until everyone had disembarked, the carts brought to solid land, he led the group to a series of carriages, the coachmen waiting for them. "It will take us to the night to reach the royal compound," the country said, "so rest while we will take you there." He eyed the Prussian knights, and he asked, "May I ask if you could remove your cloaks, so you at least look less like ... knights." Wolfgang and Erna nodded and gladly took off their cloaks; however, Heinrich was a bit hesitant.

"I'll take it off later," he said quietly, "not now." Anglo nodded and opened the doors for them, and when everyone was ready, the coachmen flicked the reins, starting the journey toward Windsor.