N:   England soon walked into the room, since he was checking on Edel, and he was surprised to see Esha in the library. Walking up to the dragons, he gently stroked Edel and asked if Scotland was alright, to which the other simply nodded.

 "What should we do with Esha," questioned Royal, walking up to the group.

"Just let her rest," the Scot replied, "she deserves it. And don't worry about me," he ran his fingers through her fur, "I'll be fine being a pillow for the day."

M:   The rest of the day was quiet after that, most everyone just hung around and popped in periodically to check on Esha. The female eternal eventually freed Scotland from being a pillow when it became late and went to sleep outside under the moonlight, something she always did when she needed some time to think.

When morning finally came, Askad was trying to help his mate to walk. After Uskaine woke up from being healed, he fell better than he had in months and was eager to start walking again, though was a little wobbly on his feet.

"You need to slow down Uskaine, you're still too weak, you need to regain your energy," the naga insisted.

"I know, but I don't want to feel like a burden either," Uskaine replied, "I at least want to get up and stretch my legs, they are really stiff."

"And you will, just not right now," Askad said, gently laying him back on his pillow nest, "let me go get you some breakfast, then after that, we can try walking." He then left before his mate could protest.

N:   Meanwhile, two young men were sitting in the corner of the dining hall, devising a plan for the day, and anyone could see that one of them was clearly wondering if he should be there.

"-Jo, could you at least wait before causing any trouble?"

"Heinz, come on," the Mandorian replied, "I haven't pulled a prank in a while and this guy," points at himself, "is in the mood of pulling one."

The Saxon only sighed as he continued, "How do Rowen and Mandoria survive with you giving them heart attacks all the time? Fine, I'll help you out, on the condition that if you get into trouble, which no doubt you will, you're not getting any support from me. Drücke ich mich klar aus? (Do I make myself clear?)"

"Ja, ja," Johann brushed aside, before getting up from his seat, "let's just get the stuff ready and I'll meet you later," and with that, he rushed out of the dining hall with the other shaking his head disapprovingly.

M:   Askad was slithering by when he bumped into Mandoria, quite literally since the former king was rushing around.

"Oh, terribly sorry Askad," he apologized, "I didn't mean to run into you, I was looking for Johann; he, Rowen, and I had shared a bed last night and when I woke up he was gone, I'm worried that he's up to no good."

Askad chuckled at that, "Ah kids, you turn around for one second and they vanish into thin air, that brings back some good memories. He's probably just in the dining room getting breakfast, I was heading there anyway so why don't we check together."

Mandoria nodded, he was probably right, "Yeah, I think you're right, I just can't help but get scared when he disappeared like this, especially after what happened to us."

"He'll be fine," the naga reassured him, clasping a hand on his shoulder and leading him to the dining room, "he's a grown human, he can take care of himself."

The two headed to the dining room, they passed by Wolfgang, his father, and Saxon and Mandoria took the opportunity to ask if they saw his son.

N:   The three of them shook their head and Wolfgang spoke, "I'll see if anyone else knows," as they entered the dining hall, he looked around to find Heinrich sitting on one end but was confused that a finished plate was placed in front of him. Curious, he walked over to him and placed a hand on the other's shoulder, "Say, dear Heinz, have you seen Johann?"

"Everyone has seen Johann," Heinrich replied, not bothered by the other as he continued eating.

"As in today," the Saxon asked, and before the other could answer he added, "And don't bother lying, we've both been through the same training, and the plate is a huge giveaway."

Heinrich sighed as he pushed off Wolfgang's hand, "he's off doing his own shenanigans, don't worry about him," he turned around and faced Wolfe, "And if he was in trouble then I would tell you."

M:   "Or you could tell his father," Askad butted in, "that would be a smart thing to do."

"It's ok Askad, if Heins says he's ok then I trust him," Mandoria said, sitting down, "this is a normal thing for him, it just means that we need to watch our backs because he's going to pull a prank on someone."

The winged country smiled slightly, "normally I wouldn't be too happy about him getting into trouble, but this time it's different, after everything he's been through, that we've been through, it's a blessing to see that he had returned to his old self again," he looked up at Saxon, "thank you, Saxon, for everything, my family and I owe our lives to you."

N:   "You helped me out in my time of need," Saxon replied, "and it only made sense to reciprocate the deed."

While they were speaking, the three British brothers were sat at the other end of the table, and the empire and the Irishman were quietly throwing insults at each other while they ate, much to the Welshman's dismay. The entity overheard them, so to separate the two he suggested, "Ireland, since you're so great at finding people, why don't you go search for Johann, just to give Mandoria some peace of mind?"

"Since when have I been good-" Ireland started but a stern look from Saxon made him stop and sigh, so he got up and left to find Johann.

"I swear," Wales muttered, "Dads' arguments passed down to you too."

———

Meanwhile, Johann rushed to where the pens are in the compound and came across Erna, and after explaining his plan, she agreed to assist him, showing to where her parents worked and where a certain animal was kept.

"Perfect," he smiled as he leaned to stroke the animal, "just the one I needed."

M:   "I don't understand it, to be honest," Mandoria added, "Mandara and Derogan never fought so much, sure they had the typical brotherly bickering, it's to be expected with two boys who were five years apart, but they never hated each other as you and Ireland do."

He stood up and sat next to BE, "What's the reason for the fighting, I mean, he's your brother, you're supposed to look after each other and care for one another, why are you so hostile to each other?"

N:   "He just doesn't understand," the empire huffed with annoyance, "he doesn't know that he is just dividing this family while I'm trying to keep it together, and the Irish are not helping."

"Maybe if you didn't send your people to rule over his," Wales pointed out, "and that the English constantly invaded the Irish."

"Well, that's a problem he has to deal with Father, not I. He's just irresponsible and thinks he can do whatever he wants."

 "And you had that Catholic king, rem-"

"I was not going to have another civil war," BE snapped, startling his brother, "that goddamn king was Catholic, and I don't care if the Irish are too, but so long as the king is not Protestant, there will be a revolt." He stared down at his plate and muttered, "You weren't there when the war happened, brother, and you would understand that you wouldn't want another civil war."

"So you let politics dictate you and your brother's relationship," Heinrich asked.

"If it keeps the people calm," the empire replied, "then so be it."

M:   "No, not so be it," Mandoria said firmly, irritated by BE's stubbornness, "family always comes before work, you say he is being irresponsible yet you ignore how you are acting towards him. You are being nothing more than a bully BE, you push your ideologies on your brother when he clearly wants to lead his own way. So what if he has a Catholic leader, I am not Protestant and my kingdom flourished."

The country placed a firm hand on BE's shoulder, "you claim that you are trying to keep your family together, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe your oppressive behavior is what drove your brother away in the first place? I'll be honest, if I was in his place, I would have left too, and if you don't see your mistakes soon, you might just drive off the rest of your family."

With that, Mandoria stood up, "I hope you take this conversation into consideration, your family is the only one you get, make sure that the things you do to protect them aren't things that are hurting them." he left the dining room, not wanting to be around the empire for the moment.

N:   BE sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what Mandoria said before shaking his head, "That's wishful thinking, the only way to achieve unity is with power, if Ireland doesn't see that then that's on him."

"Then how are your American colonies going," Saxon jabbed, and the empire just scoffed before getting up to leave for work.

———

"Come on, Ire," Wren spoke as she lean against the doorframe, watching as the Irishman was packing his stuff, "you've barely been here and you're already leaving."

"I've never liked this place," he replied as he tied up his bag, "the world is just calmer and better back home, but here," and he just shook his head.

"Fine," the hybrid shrugged and smirked, "should I fly you over there," to which the other viciously shook his head, much to the hybrid's amusement. "Come on, just think about it," she continued as she took a step in, "it would be quicker, and the plus side is I get to visit your place."

"I don't need to imagine," he chuckled nervously, "I clearly remember when you carried me with a rope tied to my leg."

"Ahh, wonderful memories," Wren smirked, then she clasped her hands, "Well, best be off, Royal gave me the day to take control, so I'll be using it to the fullest, bon voyage Ire." With that, she turned to leave the room.

M:   Before she could leave, Mandoria walked up to the open doorway, slightly frowning when he saw Ireland packing.

"I don't blame you one bit for wanting to leave," he sighed, "I always knew that BE wasn't the best person but I never would have imagined he'd treat his family so poorly, especially after what happened with England and I. I know I can't speak on your brother's behalf, I wouldn't even know what to say, but I do apologize for what you have to go through."

He stepped into the room but not too close to intrude, "Perhaps I can speak on your behalf though, BE and I were close allies and friends, and although times have changed he might listen to me a bit better, is there anything at all you want me to tell him, I want to help you, and this may be the only way I can."

N:   "There's nothing you can do," Ireland spoke, resting his hand on his bag as he muttered, "This has been going on for so long, and every issue is deeply rooted in my country to the point it would take decades to get rid of his influence."

He turned to see a painting of himself with BE and Wales altogether, all much younger and looked happier. Walking over to the painting, he picked up the small frame and softly smiled, "The only reason I bother to stay connected with my family is because of Wales, he understands me the most and honestly the best brother I could have."

His face then suddenly turning serious, the Irishman turned to the Mandorian, "Go tell Great Britain to go fuck off and leave me out of his drama." Grabbing his stuff, he marched right out of the room, not wanting to be anywhere near the place.

M:   Mandoria wanted to follow but thought it better to give the Irishman some space and time to himself. He felt useless, normally if his sons were fighting with each other he would have known immediately what to do to make it better, but now he didn't.

With nothing else to do, he bid Wren good morning and left, walking out to the garden and sitting on a bench. He was so lost, he felt like he didn't understand anything anymore, not what to say, not how to help, just nothing. His racing mind ultimately caused him to brake down and start crying, he didn't know why he was crying, it felt like the only thing he did know how to do at that moment.

N:   Heinrich happened to be walking about, partly to find his mother but to walk Alcis at the same time, when he stumbled across Mandoria. The Greta Dane immediately left his side and ran up to the country, squishing his head between his arms and plonking it on the Mandorian's lap. The knight chuckled a bit before walking up to the country to ask if he was alright.

M:   Mandoria was startled at Alcis's intervention, but smiled slightly and pet his head. "Y-yeah, I think so," the country muttered, wiping his eyes, "I was just overwhelmed and had a bit of a breakdown, I'll be ok."

He took a minute to calm himself down before explaining, "BE and Ireland were fighting and Ireland is now going to leave, normally I can resolve situations like these with ease, I raised three boys after all, but this time I didn't know what to do. I just feel useless, I can't fly, I can't help people, I still can't hardly understand birds, I just can't do anything I used to, I don't know who I am anymore."

He leaned down and hugged Alcis, needing the extra comfort, "why was I given a second chance, if I can't be who I was before, then why am I still here?"

N:   Heinrich was quiet for a moment before answering, "Not only you were given a second chance. Rowen and Johann also got theirs, and because of that Wolfe, Erna, and I got our second chance. It's all a learning process, finding out what the world has prepared in this new life of ours, but you still have your family and I've found my best friend who I thought was killed."

He walked up to the country and crouched beside him, "You're being too harsh on yourself. You escaped from King Prussia not that long ago and you've seen two brothers fighting who've probably done it for a long time. Look after yourself, and although it is good to help others out, there is no use if you're not in good shape yourself. Do you understand?"

M:   Mandoria looked at him for a moment and nodded, "yeah, I guess so," he simply said.

He hugged the Great Dane for a moment more and then let the two continue their walk, eventually just leaning back on the bench and closing his eyes, spreading his wings to catch the sun.

Back in the castle, Rowen finally came down for breakfast, his hair was messy and he looked like he didn't sleep at all. Neflen and Odrus were there too and the former was taken aback by the human's morning face.

"Geeze, what happened to you," he asked, "you look like you stood too close to a thunderbird, your hair is standing on end."

"Nightmare," Rowen muttered, flopping into a chair and resting his head on the table, "I couldn't go back to sleep. Hey, Saxon, what's the strongest coffee you got, assuming you have coffee since you British have an obsession with tea."

N:   "Triple shot expresso, coming right up," Saxon spoke as he called over a servant to bring Rowen his coffee, "and if you need any more, we've got plenty of coffee to practically stay up for a week."

"There is no way that's good for you, don't you need rest," Heinrich pointed out.

"Not if your my brother," Wren commented as she walked in, sitting beside Wales as she snatched a pastry and bit into it, "Will practically lives on the stuff, and if you're the one helping BE, sleep is a luxury."

M:   Rowen chuckled at that, "Yeah I can imagine that ruling over a third of the world doesn't allow for much rest, back in our kingdom, Mandoria and I were fortunate to balance our duties with a healthy sleep schedule, though it was hard to be able to find time to spend with the boys."

 Rowen raised his head and looked around, "Where is Johann by the way, Mandoria was going to look for him but I guess he hasn't found him yet?"

N:   "Jo is off to whatever he's doing," Heinrich answered, "and Mandoria left a while ago."

"Mandoria actually found Ireland and I while Ireland was packing to leave," Wren told everyone while eating her next pastry nonchalantly, "and after that, he seemed a bit sad when he left."

"IRE'S GOING," Wales exclaimed, jumping up from his seat, "and you didn't think to tell us?!"

"He's his own man," the hybrid shrugged, "you better catch him before he leaves. I've already told Scotland along the way and a carriage is coming to take him to the port." In a split second, the draconic country already was sprinting out of the room.

"Did you bother to check on Mandoria," questioned Saxon.

Again the hybrid shrugged, "None of my business."

M:   "You have no sense of loyalty, do you," Neflen said bluntly, "just because it's none of your business doesn't mean you should ignore people who might need help."

Odrus smacked his friend on the back of his head, "Don't be so rude Neflen, you don't know her enough to say that."

Before Neflen could talk back, there was the sound of slow hoof clopping coming from the hall, soon after, Askad and dragon Esha came in while supporting Uskaine. The centaur was wearing an animal wheelchair that you see on dogs, he had been off his feet for so long that he needed to build up his muscles and relearn to walk.

"Uskaine!" Neflen and Odrus exclaimed, rushing over to welcome their friend back, all five of the Eternals group hugged, so happy that they were all together.

N:   Wren raised a brow from what Neflen said but didn't comment, but when the Eternals all grouped up, she subconsciously flicked her wing, annoyed by the amount of noise they were making. "I need to go and stab something," she muttered.

Saxon was happy to see the Eternals all together again, seeing their joy made him smile, but when he hear the hybrid he spoke, "There are some dummies back in the armory, and you might as well see to your training while you're at it."

The hybrid huffed but accepted the proposition, so she got up, not before stealing a final pastry, and left, quickly smiling as she squeezed past the group. 

As she did, the servant finally brought the coffee and placed it in front of Rowen. "Careful," they warned, "it's pretty strong."

M:   "Is that a challenge," Rowen smirked, he then took the cup and down it in ten seconds. He shuttered a bit and smiled, "mmm, not bad, that's actually quite sweet, I'd like another one please."

"Geez, you really do have an addiction to coffee," Esha said as the Eternals led Uskaine to the table, "I thought Mandoria and Johann were just messing with you."

Rowen shrugged with a smile, "What can I say, when you used to be the captain of an entire army and then the secondary king, old habits die hard, I'm sure everyone here has their guilty pleasures, right Saxon?"

N:   "We need something to cheer us up every now and then," Saxon smirked as he watched the servant shake their head disapprovingly and walk out to get Rowen's second coffee, "be careful when you start drinking a lot of coffee when Wilfred comes around, he'll think you're stealing it from him."

"Speaking of Wilfred," Celtica walked to the dining hall, "a falcon just came in with news that he left India."

The entity nodded with approval as he got up, "and I'll be on my way to search for a certain insurgent."

M:   "What's an insurgent," Askad asked, "is that a subspecies of the modern eternals?"

Before anyone could respond, there was loud screaming coming from outside, Rowen jumped up when it sounded like Mandoria and was about to run out to help him when a large creature crashed through the window.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!!!" The animal screeched, flopping around on the glass-covered floor, feathers flying everywhere.

"Mandoria," the human exclaimed in surprise, "Honey, is that you?"

"What is going on," Mandoria cried, "I turned into a bird, why is this happening to me."

Rowen ran over to help his husband, who somehow turned into a giant eagle as large as Alcis, he still flailed around and cut himself up on the glass, he just didn't understand what was going on.

"Mandoria relax, you just transformed into your animal form," Esha said, "it's completely normal for an Eternal to do that, now calm down before you keep hurting yourself."

N:   Saxon jumped a bit when Mandoria flew in and narrowly dodged as glass shards flew everywhere. "Mandoria, calm down," the entity said as servants came to tidy up the mess.

"Wait," Wolfgang questioned, "how did you even fly over here? Aren't your wings, you know, not exactly in shape."

M:   "I don't know, one minute I was in the garden and the next I was crashing through a window," Mandoria shrieked, "this has never happened to me before in my life, don't you understand how freaked out I am right now!"

"Get a grip on yourself Mandoria," Rowen raised his voice, "you panicking is not making anything better, now man up and quit acting like a child."

That did the trick and Mandoria immediately quiet down, just laying down on the floor and not uttering any more noises.  Once he was calm, Rowen asked Esha, "So how long is he going to be like this?"

"Well, since it's his first time shifting, apparently, he'll need help shifting back from one of us, though it's good for him to be in his animal form for a time so he can get used to it, I'll give him ten minutes then shift him back."

Mandoria whimpered at this but said nothing, he just had a "what happened to my life" look on his face.

N:   "Let me just inform Jo," Heinrich said as he got up from his seat, "and tell him to pause whatever he's planning since it would clearly make things worse."

"What do you mean," Wolfgang asked but the other Saxon already was up an out of the dining hall while Alaric shook his head in disappointment.

Seeing him as an eagle, Saxon asked Esha, "Do Eternals need a sort of trigger to shift into their animal forms, or does it randomly happen?"

M:   "It happens by thought," Esha answered, "basically, we think that we want to shift and we shift, the same goes for unshifting though that's harder to do for a newbie."

"Wait, so you were thinking about eagles then, Mandoria?" Rowen asked.

"I was thinking about flying," Mandoria muttered, "I was reminiscing about soaring in the sky and for a split second I thought about eagles. I've thought about eagles before though and haven't shifted, why now?"

"Probably because you've reached maturity," Askad suggested, "you are very young for a true Eternal, probably 14 to 15 years old in human years, children can't shift very well if at all, so you've simply grown up."

 "Wow, how reassuring," the former king grumbled sarcastically.

N:   "On the plus side," Saxon said, "you now have another way to learn how to fly."

 Soon, shouting could be heard down the corridor followed by running and barking. "Johann, wait," Heinrich yelled further away, but the footfalls came closer until the door slammed open, revealing a very confused Johann.

"YOU'RE AN EAGLE?!" the Mandorian shouted in surprise. He didn't believe it when Heinrich first told him what happened to Mandoria, but now that he's seen him with his own eyes, he still doesn't know how to react.

While he just stood there, Alcis ran in, and when he saw Mandoria, ran toward him to play with him.  "Nein, Alcis," Heinz shouted as he chased after his dog, "lassen Sie ihn in Ruhe (let him be)!"

M:   Mandoria didn't move, he let Alcis run around him and chew on his wing, he was just too done with life to care, which made Rowen chuckle.

"He doesn't exactly know how to handle anything right now," the human explained to his son, "he's just having a rough day, aren't you my little birdy boy."

"Dispense with the mockery, Rowen," Mandoria grunted, "you can't make this situation more humiliating than it already is."

N:   Johann just walked up to Mandoria, not saying a single word while Alcis continued to play with the country. Wordlessly, he crouched down until he was at eye level with Mandoria and slowly grinned.

"At least now I don't have to crane my neck to see you," he pointed out, patting Mandoria's head, "you wouldn't want me to have any neck pain, do you, Father?"

Heinrich chuckled as he came forward, "Come on, Jo, give him a break."

Totally ignoring the advice, the Mandorian continued, "Hopefully this isn't permanent, how would you ride Xanthos?" Actually pausing to think over the scenario, he wondered out loud, "How would it look exactly when a bird rides on a horse? Would you just bop up and down? That would be fun to watch."

M:   Mandoria grunted and slightly snapped his beak at Johann, but otherwise remained how he was.

"It's not permanent," Askad reassured the boy, "it's his first time shifting so he needs one of us to help him unshift, but soon he'll be able to do it on his own."

With that said, Askad touched Mandoria's forehead and spoke a spell, transforming the other back to normal, though Mandoria didn't move.  The country hid his face in the floor and said something, though it was muffled out.

"Oh come now Mandoria, quit being so dramatic," Rowen joked, "you don't want to be a grumpy goose after all."

Mandoria responded with more muffled words, and throwing up a very nice hand gesture.

N:   Johann mockingly gasped in shock as he got on his feet and softly chuckled, "I would return the gesture but who knows what Hezyka would do to me if I did?"

"Los, ich fordere dich heraus (Go on, I dare you)," Heinrich muttered, glancing at the Mandorian with a smirk.

"Nein, I choose life," the other shook his head, then sighed, "I might as well cancel our plan then, Father is not particularly in the mood and I might make things worse." The Saxon shrugged as if to say 'I told you so'.

M:   "Why might you make things worse," Rowen asked, "you weren't planning on pranking anyone, were you?"

"At this point, I don't care if he does," Mandoria mumbled, "he can feed me to Sleipnir for all I care."

"Alright you big baby, I think we should get you back to bed," Rowen teased, "maybe when you wake up you won't be so grouchy."

He whistled real loudly and a minute later Edel came in, he seemed to already know what was going on since he immediately picked Mandoria up by the back of his shirt and followed Rowen out of the dining room, the countryhuman still making no effort to move.

"I admit that was quite dramatic," Esha commented, "I've never seen an Eternal panic so much over changing into his animal form, I thought he was going to implode there for a second."

"Hey Johann, what kind of prank were you just about to play," Askad asked, "I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious."