The West Wind Howls

A Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfiction By Snakefire

CHAPTER ONE

A storm on the prairies. It's a hell of a sight. You can see it for miles, building and growing and raging in the distance as it approaches you. It's vast and unstoppable, a mountain of towering clouds blacker than night, carrying rain or hail or snow or sleet; an arsenal of deadly weapons, all ready to rain upon you like the judgement of god.

And then there's the wind.

It rages across the flat plains, howling and screaming in its indignant fury and drowning out the cries of all in its path. It blows the flags from the poles, the buildings to boards, the bones of the earth to dust.

And yet it is not often that the west wind howls.

It was late afternoon in Kingston, the dying September sunlight shining in wheeling shafts through the ancient windows of the meeting hall. The government building that the Provinces were seated in wasn't some wing of Ontario's legislature, but a historic thing of stone and mahogany, steeped in the British mentality of opulence.

The more relaxed atmosphere of past meetings was long gone, the current hall charged with a palpable sense of indignation. Not from all the provinces; PEI had taken to counting the squares on the ceiling, and Manitoba was playing Angry Birds on his phone as Ontario droned on about something to do with oil and gas. Or something.

"Any questions?"

Ontario's voice echoed through the spacious hall, his light brown eyes going over each of the provinces in turn. There was a lot of nodding from the Maritimes and Québec, as he expected; BC and Manitoba's approval he had also anticipated. Saskatchewan was his usual stoic self, his face a hard stone mask, nearly impossible to read. The glint of irritation in his green eyes betrayed him, telling Ontario all he needed to know of the farmer's opinion.

Newfoundland was aghast, and on the cusp of real outrage- but before the fisherman could rise to his feet and let his opinion of Ontario's proposal thunder through the meeting hall and shake the roof's timbers, Alberta stood.

Ontario gulped.

She had said nothing through his entire spiel, staying as stoically quiet as her twin brother. But her face. It was her face that betrayed her unending rage, betrayed a fury that Ontario hadn't seen...well, since the last time Manitoba lost his shit, actually. And considering Manitoba schooled the prairie twins in the subjects of Rage and Hating Ontario, that was hardly surprising.

Alberta was looking down at the table, blue eyes hidden beneath the brim of her cowboy hat. But he could see her shaking. He could see her shaking with fury.

"You propose to shut down the oilsands."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Ontario sighed.

"No, Alberta, that is not what I'm proposing. Some higher royalties, less licenses issued, higher restrictions on-"

"You're asking to shut down the oilsands."

"-An' me offshore drillin'-" Newfoundland interjected, before being swiftly cut off. Alberta looked up, staring straight into the elder province's eyes.

"Shut it, Newf."

Newfoundland took a step back, legitimately frightened of the young whippersnapper for the first time in his long, long life.

And Alberta turned and looked Ontario right in the eyes.

"Ten years." She said flatly, "It's been ten years of this shit. Look at me, Ontario. Fucking look at me. I can't do this anymore."

Alberta and Saskatchewan were young provinces, and their bodies should have reflected that- babyfaces that occasionally got them carded when buying booze and smokes, free of wrinkles and worry. But Alberta was...gaunt. Tired. Sick.

She coughed a few times, the sound echoing off the ancient oak beams of the roof.

"It's been ten years since you...you...you refused me." She hissed, eyes narrowing, "Ten years of forcing me to go on like this, ten years...and now you want to take away the only thing keeping me alive? Your environmental BULLSHIT HAS SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING ELSE I FUCKING HAVE!"

"Alberta, I-"

"I SHOULD BY ALL RIGHTS BE A HAVE-NOT PROVINCE, ONTARIO. TEN YEARS AGO I SUNK THAT LOW, AND WHY?! BECAUSE OF A RETARD GOVERNMENT, AND YOU. YOU AND YOUR FUCKING CRONIES IN OTTAWA, YOU SCUM-SUCKING, MONEY-STEALING, PARASITE!"

The word "parasite" echoed through the hall in silence.

Alberta opened her mouth to continue with her rant, but Ontario cut her off.

"Alberta, Alberta- please- please stop. Let's be reasonable about this- Calm down and tell us what's wrong-"

Alberta twitched.

"what's wrong?" she hissed, eyes narrowing, "You've had TEN FUCKING YEARS TO LISTEN TO WHAT'S WRONG!"

Ontario started talking again, but Alberta wasn't listening. She was staring straight at Québec. Staring at him with an almost predatory gaze, face hard and judgemental. The expression on her face was enough to make the Frenchman shiver and stare at his watch.

"I'm going to separate."

Time stopped.

Ontario's eyes bugged out at those four little words, instantly thrown decades into the past. When a certain other madman had said those very words to him right before attempting to tear the country apart.

The only difference was that Québec had said them in French.

The entire meeting fell silent as Alberta slipped on her coat, grabbed her briefcase, and walked for the door.

A/N:

Hey All! I'm back after an eternity of being dead to the world. Sorry about that. But I'm back, and here's some alternate history/What if type fiction! Kinda. You can think of this as a straight-up AU if it makes you feel better.

Next chapter will be posted tomorrow! I know, because it's already written! Hah!

Comments, Follows, and Favourites are greatly appreciated!