June 15, 1776

For as long as Delaware had been British, he had been sick and weak. He had struggled with his health, seemingly on the verge of death. When he had gotten some autonomy from Pennsylvania, it had helped a little, his weakness fading somewhat. He had been able to talk to his father more, but the weakness still persisted.

Autonomous or not, he was still only the autonomous zone of a colony that was an autonomous area of their grandfather's mighty empire. If his siblings were to be considered second class, then Delaware was third class, one of the lowest types of countryhumans on the totem pole.

The only ones worse off than him were the ones without a country.

Delaware had figured he would live like that forever. Why would things change? He had figured he would forever be a part of Pennsylvania.

Then came the conflicts with their grandfather, and things began to change. Suddenly, the possibility of being forever a part of Pennsylvania changed, and Delaware released he had been presented with an opportunity to become something more.

No longer the Lower Counties on the Delaware, but simply just Delaware. A colony in his own right. And...if they did vote for it, a country in his own right.

While most of his family had been excited by the idea, Pennsylvania seemed...well, not mad, but saddened by Delaware's decision. Delaware knew she was going to miss the closeness that their present arrangement provided for them, but at the same time, Delaware knew she understood how important this was for him.

While he did have his own delegates at the Continental Congress, if he didn't establish himself as someone different, as something different, before they declared independence, then he might lose the chance to be a part of their new nation, might be transformed into just another part of Pennsylvania.

He couldn't let that happen.

So, for the first time since he was New Sweden, Delaware was going to be his own entity.

The downside of being in the same body as his father, however, was the fact that he didn't know when that was going to happen.

So he waited and waited and waited some more, hoping that it would come soon.

Then, it happened. He didn't find out from a letter to United Colonies about his new political status or from an announcement to Congress by his delegates; no, Delaware found out when he was in the back of his father's head.

He found out when, for the first time in his life, strength flooded into his body. His body was suddenly flooded with power and strength, nearly knocking him off his feet with the intoxication of it all.

He could almost cry from how good it felt, from how it seemed to wash away the aches and exhaustion from his body, sensations that had been there for so long; Delaware had never known what it was like to live without them.

It felt...freeing.

He was free—not just from Pennsylvania, but from Britain.

He was independent. He was no one's autonomous zone, no one's colony.

He was Delaware. Just Delaware.

And he had never been happier.

• ───────────────── •

June 28, 1776

Scotland was still stuck in the Carolinas. He figured after the failed battle at Moore's Creek, Britain would order him back to the Isles to rejoin whatever force he had created to attack the Rebels.

Then again, Britain always liked having a man on the ground.

Scotland knew that this mission was critical anyway. He knew the capturing of significant ports in the Southern Colonies was part of a strategy to try and rally the loyalists they knew existed in the Southern portions of the colonies. Scotland couldn't help but worry that all the attacks would just drive more people to join the Rebels.

He knew the royal governors had insisted that a large show of force would rally loyalists and defeat the rebellion in the Southern regions, but a part of him remained skeptical.

It didn't help that the rebels, as few as there allegedly were, had a heck of a lot of fight in them. They certainly knew how to give Ireland a run for his money in terms of stubbornness and sheer audacity, something Scotland didn't think was possible.

The port they were attempting to take this day was Charleston. They had arrived off the city's coast on the fourth of June, and reconnaissance had declared the city undefended and, therefore, easily taken.

When troops landed on the island north of the rebel-controlled fort, Scotland sighed, realizing that the reconnaissance reports had been painfully wrong. The troops landed on the seventh of June, and they still had yet to move any further South down the island, stopped by the rebels.

So, they decided to force an entrance by bombarding the fort and the rebel position. It seemed like a reasonable solution to their problem, but the rebels managed to surprise them once again. Although Scotland's force must have had many more guns than their fort, they did not give in and instead damaged a great many ships.

Especially the flagship, the ship that Scotland and Commodore Peter Parker were on. They seemed to be targeting it, most likely in an attempt to drive off their force.

It was working. Commodore Parker had been injured.

Despite not being able to neutralize the rebel fort, three ships still attempted to force their way into the harbor, all three running around. Luckily, they had been able to save two of the ships, but one remained stuck.

Scotland knew Britain would not be happy about this, and Scotland shuddered to learn which colony would bear the scars of his anger. It made him wish for much more that they had managed to take the fort.

But when night fell, Charleston remained in rebel hands, and the British officers decided to abort the attempt to take it and make their way to New York, where Britain's force was gathering.

Looking back over the darkened harbor, Scotland could taste the change on the horizon. He didn't think Thirteen Colonies would win, but he had just changed his life forever.

Scotland only hoped he could convince Britain to temper his rage when they found Thirteen Colonies again.

If not, Scotland feared he would kill the poor boy for doing the mission that God had given him. Thirteen Colonies was supposed to follow Britain, yes, but before that, he was supposed to follow his people.

Scotland hoped he could remind Britain of that.

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

My dearest father,

I know I have angered you, and I know your anger is justified, but I beg of you, please read this letter in full before you destroy it. Allow me a chance to plead my case to you and, in turn, plead my case to the Lord himself. Please allow me the opportunity to explain, from my point of view, how we have gotten to this point.

I am sure by the time you get this letter; you will be aware of the fact that I am now a country. Whether you felt the gentle ropes of our bond snap as I did earlier today or you found out through the declaration my people have written, I know you are aware of my independence.

I did not want it to come to this point. Father, I begged and pleaded with you to listen, and you rebuffed my people and I time and time again. I tried so hard to reconcile with you, to build back the shaky bond. I never wanted to hurt you in this way.

I know I have wronged you. I know I have wronged Uncle England as well. He hurt me back during the Boston Massacre six long years ago, but that gave me no right to hurt him back. I was angry, and I was not thinking straight. I have pleaded with God many a time to forgive me for that sin, and I beg for your forgiveness and for Uncle England's forgiveness. Whatever the cost of the physician was, I will pay it as best I can. It is the least I can do to start off our diplomatic relations in a better light.

While I beg for your forgiveness, I cannot take back my independence. My people have declared it and voted for it, and there is no turning back for them and, therefore, no turning back for me. I will stand by them as you stand by yours. I regret that Providence has put us on these paths, but I hope that one day, that can lead to us standing side by side once more.

I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you.

Your son,

Edward Henry Fitzroy

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

My dear uncle,

I know you are not eager to hear from me, so I will keep this as short as possible.

I am sorry for the misery that I caused you. I know you were just doing your job and trying to look after me. I know that you did not mean to shoot me. Your concern and care in the days were proof enough of that. I let my anger blind me, and that was the flaw that led to me hurting you.

I am so sorry. I will pay for whatever treatments are required to heal it, and if you have already made payments, I will pay you back. I never meant to cause you so much pain in an effort to be heard.

I beg for your forgiveness.

Edward Henry Fitzroy

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

Uncle Scotland,

I thank you for all that you have done for me. I thank you for your kindness and everything you did to help raise me. I have heard a rumor that you are in the Carolinas, so I'm sure by the time you receive this letter, you will have long since heard of my independence.

I do not regret it. I refuse to. For there is no turning back from where I am, so I must accept things as they come, however much I do not want to.

I wish we could have talked more before things came to this point. If I had known that this was going to be the conclusion of it all, I would have pushed you all away less and enjoyed the last years I would have had as a proper member of your family.

I am sorry I did not give you that.

I beg of you now, dear uncle, please return to your own nation. Please go home and let me live in peace now. I do not want to lose the familial relationship I have with you, but war has a way of destroying the most precious of things.

I love you so much, Uncle Alba. Please do not make me fight you. I do not want to.

Edward Henry Fitzroy

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

My dear Uncle Wales,

You and I have a shared common experience now, in hurting Uncle England and regretting it, knowing that that action will haunt you for years to come. I ask for your counsel on how to deal with the grief and pain that comes from that action. I am afraid that I will never stop being haunted by the memory of that.

I do not know if you have been sent to my country at this point or if you are caring for Uncle England. I find myself at a loss of what to say to you, how to express the confusion and the fear and the exhilaration that floods through my body at this new crossroads I find myself in.

I wonder what you have been up to in the many years since I have been gone. I miss you dearly. I miss you all. Make sure that everyone, from my uncles to my father to my siblings, to my cousins, and nephews and nieces, make sure that all know that my independence does not mean I love them any less.

I do not love you any less. Thank you for all you have taught me.

Edward Henry Fitzroy

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

Quebec,

My dear brother, it is not too late to join us. I know we have just declared independence and that there are soldiers in your land, but it is not too late to send delegates to Congress and secure your own freedom.

You have no idea how freeing nationhood is, the chains weighting you down that it lifts. It is freedom and strength, the likes of which you have never felt before. It is a glorious feeling, one that you deserve to feel as well.

I eagerly await your answer and hope to have you by my side in the trials to come for my—perhaps our, newly independent country.

With much love for you and your people,

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

Dearest cousin,

Nova Scotia, I feel that you and I have drifted apart throughout the years. I do not know all the causes, although I'm sure you and I can both trace part of it back to the troubles that have plagued my relationship with Father. I feel as if I am losing much in this attempt at freedom.

Of course, I have regrets that haunt me, but I am determined not to regret this. I know that perhaps it would have been better for me to have just kept my head down, do what I do best, and obeyed my father, but my people could not stand for what was happening, and in the end, neither could I.

I want you and little John to join me, but I will not plead for you to do so in this letter. I know you love your father, and I respect Uncle Scotland too much to try to tempt his daughter and grandson away from him. I just want you to know that my home will always be open to you both.

Lastly, dear Elizabeth, I ask you, while I know my father is not home, please, any of my belongings that you can find, please take them back to your home in your land so I may one day retrieve them. I love my father, but I believe in his anger that he will not consider the consequences of destroying such things. And I want something to remember you all by if I truly am disowned after this.

With love and respect,

Edward

P.S. Tell John I love him. And I am going to change my human name soon. Do you have any suggestions for me?

• ───────────────── •

2 de julio de 1776

Querido East Florida,

I wish you joined me, I really do. You are such a good friend and an incredible person, and I am sorry to have left you the way that I did. I hope that it did not result in any punishment befalling you. I hope, not being a sibling of mine, that Father spared you his anger. If he didn't, you have my sincerest apologies.

I wish to see you again someday. I will not encourage you to disobey my father, but in the future, when things die down between my father and I, I hope that we can meet again.

You are a good friend and a great father. Give West Florida my love, and know that you are welcome in my home and in my country. Should you and your daughter want to join my nation, you are always welcome, too.

Con todo mi cariño,

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

My dear Aunt Jersey,

I don't think I can explain all the ways you have helped me in my life. I can never repay all the injuries you patched, the wounds you healed, the stories you told, and the comfort you brought. I am so so sorry about what I did to Uncle England. I didn't mean to hurt him. I didn't want to.

Please do not hate me for it. I will accept it if that is your judgment, but I do not want to be hated by you. You mean more to me than you will ever know.

You have always been good to me, and I regret betraying your trust like this, but if I am ever to be happy in life, then this is the action that I must take. I am so sorry for all the pain I have caused.

With love,

Edward

• ───────────────── •

2 July 1776

Dearest Aunt Guernsey,

I am so sorry for the pain I know I have caused Aunt Jersey and for the wounds I inflicted on Uncle England. Please forgive me. I do care deeply for them, even if I have not been very good at showing that these past few years.

Please forgive me.

Edward Henry Fitzroy

United States of America

• ───────────────── •

July 4, 1776

Two days ago, Congress voted for United Col—for the United States of America to become independent.

Two days ago, United States stopped being a colony and became a country.

The feeling of becoming a country was indescribable. It was power and strength and feeling heavy, invisible chains being lifted from his soul. The colonies within him were all celebrating and laughing, and United States felt at peace, felt whole, felt so many wonderful sensations and feelings that he was sure it would take him weeks to come down from the high.

While independence had been voted on two days ago, today was the day that they were signing the Declaration of Independence, the official declaration that would be sent to Britain and his people for them to read and know why it had come to this, why the loyal done of their empire had been pushed to this point.

United States had written a letter of his own. It was his way of getting closure with his father, of trying to apologize for how it had come to this and for all the harm he had done to them leading up to this, and of pleading with them to leave New York, leave his country, return to their own country, and let him live peacefully.

It was a foolish hope, but he wanted to try it anyway. It was better to try and fail than never try at all.

"Maybe we can at least make peace with Grandfather on a personal level, if not political," Virginia murmured. United States nodded minutely, agreeing with his eldest daughter.

"I think he will take this as a great insult and not want to rekindle any personal relations. We still don't even know his reaction to what Massy did to Uncle England," Maryland said, worry in her voice. United States wished he wasn't in Congress right now so he could reassure his daughter, but in order to maintain the illusion of sanity, he would have to stay silent.

United States watched with a broad grin as his people, his (very temporary and extralegal) government, walked up one by one to sign his Declaration of Independence. With each signature, it almost felt like he was getting stronger, although that was surely a sensation made up by his over-excited mind.

Finally, when the last man was done, United States stood to walk to the center of the room.

"I am signing as well. It's a way to guarantee that the people and government of the British Empire know that this Congress and this declaration have my full backing," United Colonies said, smiling as he took the pen from John Hancock.

With a flourish, United States sighed and signed the document with his new name, a name free of the chains on his soul. He smiled, wishing his children could be beside him to sign their own names.

Then, pausing, United States signed the declaration again, this time with his human name that had been crafted for him by his father.

"Who is Edward?" John Hancock asked.

"It was my human name, the one my father gave me. I think signing with both is the best way to signal to my father that all parts of me want this. The country side made up of everyone within my lands and the human side, myself, and my thoughts. We all want this. This is to show my father how much."

He only hoped that his father would back down now that forcing him into line was impossible.

"War is inevitable," Connecticut said.

United States knew that. He just wanted to cling to the hope of peace for as long as possible.