Act 1: The Horror Begins

Hey! You've reached the home of Elizaveta Héderváry- And Gilbert Beilschmidt! Shut up Gil, you don't even live here! You need more awesome in your answering machine Lizzie! Leave a message, and I'll get back to you when this moron's not bugging me. Hey you don't really mean th –Beep-

Friday, 1:24am

"Hey Lizzie, it's Gil. Just calling to let you know I just got in, so you can stop worrying like always. I would've called sooner, but the flight was delayed and all the usual travel bullshit. You're probably asleep now. Gimmie a call when you wake up! Love you!"

Saturday, 9:26am

"No way you're still sleeping Lizzie. Did you go drinking without me? Very unawesome. In that case, I hope your hangover is vicious right now! Am I yelling loud enough?! Call me! And tell Mathias he's a traitorous dick while you're at it."

Saturday, 11:06am

"Did you have a meeting or something this morning that I didn't know about? See, this is why you should have a cell. You know, so I can call you when you're not at home. Seriously, how in the hell have you survived this long as a businesswoman without one? Even Roddy has one Liz. Listen to that sentence again and think about it. Roddy has a cellphone, and you don't. Call me."

Saturday, 12:34pm

"Okay, now you're starting to scare me. Are you alright? Are you mad at me or something? What did I do? Aside from the usual stuff I mean. Don't make me leave mushy messages! You know I will!"

Saturday, 12:48pm

"…Okay, it would be very unawesome of me to leave mushy messages, and you know I know it. Seriously babe, give me a call. One call, that's all I'm asking. I just want to be sure you're not mad or hurt or something."

Saturday, 1:52pm

"Liz? It's Laura. Gilbert said you weren't answering his calls. He sounds really worried. Which is bad. Especially for him, you know that. Like, he sounded about to pass out. I hope you're okay. Let one of us know? Soon? Please?"

Saturday, 3:58pm

"Pick up Lizzie. For God's sake pick up the damn phone! Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up! Be okay! Shit. I'm sending Roddy over. Don't you dare be hurt Lizzie, you hear me? Don't you dare!"

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Sunday, 2:45pm

By mid-afternoon, the last of the nations had arrived at the conference building in Vienna, wearing unfamiliar mourning clothes. The sea of black moved slower than usual, and barely anyone spoke a word, except to console another. Austria stood at the head of the table, outwardly as cool and collected as usual. Beside him, Prussia looked a complete wreck, hair and suit dishevelled, usual grin vacant from his pale face.

"I'd like to get everyone's attention, if that's alright. There's much that needs doing."

All eyes flickered over the table, and silence fell instantly.

"Thank you. Now, I know this is going to be hard on everyone. But we need to get things settled immediately. Hungary, Elizaveta Héderváry was discovered yesterday evening…" He paused, heaved a great sigh, and continued, "yesterday evening, drowned in the pool behind her home. We waited the traditional twelve hours before confirming that she wouldn't be reviving this time. She's gone."

The last two words rippled across the crowd. They all knew why they were there, but hearing it right then made it seem all the more real to them. The only way they knew of where a nation could die and stay dead was either by suicide, or to be murdered at the hands of another of their kind. It was for this reason that nations never personally used mass-casualty weapon. To minimize that risk in warfare.

But that was why they now sat where they did. To determine which of the two options had ended Hungary's life.

"Time of death, as determined by the coroner, was Friday at approximately midnight. We've brought in several, well-trusted human detectives. I'm afraid you're going to have to present an alibi for Friday night, from 11pm to 2am. Otherwise, you'll be considered under suspicion of murder."

If anyone was annoyed at the sudden suspicion, not one showed it. After all, nothing like this had ever happened among them. Not since Holy Rome had been killed in battle. But that was centuries ago, and everyone knew who had done it almost right away. This was a bit more frightening than anything to think that anyone among them could have done this in cold blood.

So one by one, they sat down with a human, and explained exactly where they'd been. England had been attempting a trans-universe-portal spell with Norway, which had failed, and the two went for drinks afterwards. Security camera footage caught them going into a pub at midnight, and leaving at three, appropriately drunk.

Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Canada had all been at an Arctic conference that ran well into the morning due to the subject constantly changing to hockey. Security cameras again, proved that they'd been inside until 5am.

It seemed that everyone had an alibi, with video footage, or ticket stubs to back them up. Not a single nation went unaccounted for during the possible hours of murder, which left only one more option.

"You can't possibly think it was suicide!" Gilbert shouted when Austria announced everyone's apparent innocence. "There has to be something else, Lizzie wouldn't do something like that!"

"At the moment, that's the only plausible-"

"No! You don't get it Roderick! Lizzie was completely terrified of drowning. There was a hunting accident when we were kids, she fell in the river, and after that, she told me that she would rather die a thousand times through fire, through hailstorms of arrows, through torture, anything but drown again! So she couldn't have!"

No one said a word after his outburst. He stared out desperately to the table, wanting someone to agree with him. When no one offered, he slid back into his chair in defeat. "She couldn't have." He repeated quietly.

"Hey-uh guys?" Everyone glanced up at the new voice; barely surprised to see it was America. Even at a wake he couldn't stay quiet for too long. "You know, it's a bit soon to rule anything out. And the wound still being fresh and all. Maybe, we could… I dunno… let those detective guys do their job, and we could grieve and stuff? Come back with a clear mind?"

"So what you're saying is that we reopen the idea of someone in this very room being a cold-blooded killer." England snapped.

"No! I mean… there could always be something about us that we don't know?"

"The idiota is kind of right." Romano added. "We're all pretty invested. If we continue like this, then we either think of Hungary as a coward, or end up pointing fingers at each other. Let's just hang onto the possibility of some third option for now."

"Thanks Lovi! I knew you'd back me up!"

"Don't call me that." He shot back quickly, and a bit more quietly than usual, as if concerned that his usual bitterness would be considered tacky at such a time.

"I agree with fratello." Italy chimed in. "Let Miss Hungary rest now."

"All in favour of a grace period for all of us to breathe?" Austria called out. He was met with murmurs of agreement. "Then that is what we'll do. If anyone finds any new information, then we must revisit this. But until then, you can all go home."

The echoes of grinding chairs, and shuffling feet filled the hall as everyone left, some more lost-looking than others, until only a few remained.

"You know this is only going to be a lot more painful if and when we revisit this Gilbert." Roderick muttered, folding his hands under his chin.

"I can't imagine that right now."

"Alfred might have given some of us peace of mind with his childish third possibility, but the rest of us know that it's just not possible. It's one or the other."

"I know, Goddammit!" He yelled. "I know, that you're gonna stick to your facts, and believe that every single one of us is a fucking saint who wouldn't touch a hair on anyone's head unless there's a declaration of war behind it. You're just going to sit there, and believe that Lizzie was a coward who would just end it all for no reason, after everything we've all been through together!"

"Maybe she wanted protection that you couldn't give."

"Oh, so you're calling her a hopeless wreck because she divorced your pansy ass for me? Just because I have no government to call my own, I can't protect someone who shouldn't even need it?"

"You're getting your arguments confused Gilbert!" He retorted, flushing dark crimson.

"Like hell I am! Insulting me is one thing, but you say another word that I could even possibly think is an insult to Lizzie, and I will personally see that you join her, so she can kick your ass in the afterlife!"

"You're tired, Gilbert. Go home, or out drinking with Francis, frankly, I couldn't care less. But just get out of my sight, and get wasted enough that you can forget about this whole thing like the rest of us wish we could, but can't because some of us have to act like adults here."

"Get fucked."

Before Austria could reply, Belgium hurried up behind Prussia, and pulled at his arm. "Ludwig is looking for you. Come on, I'll make dinner for you two tonight, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks Laura." He muttered, still glaring at Roderick.

As the two disappeared through the ornate doors, Austria fell back into his seat with a heavy sigh.

"Well that was a bit rough, wasn't it?"

He started at the voice behind him, and for an instant, he thought that he was seeing a ghost. But after seeing the woman for a moment longer, he realized that she looked nothing like Elizaveta, save for the length and colour of her hair. This woman stood a few inches shorter than himself, and was probably even shorter than that, but just holding herself much higher. She looked straight at him with light violet eyes, matched by the long gown she wore, and the bejewelled clip in her hair, opposite a long cowlick.

She could've been his sister. They even had matching moles.

"I'm sorry, but who're-?"

"I couldn't help but overhear the conference. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but-"

"I think I might know what happened to your friend."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I didn't do it, if that's what you're thinking." She laughed lightly. He recognized it as the polite laugh of a noble woman, making a joke at a ball to break the ice with someone she felt was below herself. He'd heard it more times than he'd ever be willing to admit, but not in decades, at least.

"But, how could you possibly know how Elizaveta died?"

"Let's just say I happen to pay attention to things in this world that would otherwise go unnoticed. Shall we walk?"

He hesitated. On one hand, she could be a witness to Friday's events. On the other, this strange woman, who had entered the conference room without anyone noticing, could be involved with Hungary's murder.

That would just have to be a risk for him to take, if only for the sake of ending this mystery once and for all.

They left out of the room, and wandered about the now-empty halls. "Well Roderick, I must admit that you've handled the situation nicely." She began. "You seem to have covered all the possibilities for your friend's death… except for one."

Was this it? America's third option? "What is that?"

"That you've missed a suspect in your interrogation."

His face fell, the feeble hope crushed. "No. There was no one left."

"Come now. You've forgotten many other nations in your search. You can't rule out murder at all. And that Prussia fellow seemed rather adamant that it wasn't suicide, so that leaves a missed suspect."

"Just how much do you think you know? Really? You shouldn't even be here!" He snarled to this horrible liar, frustrated that she spoke as if she knew everything about nations, when she was clearly in the dark. How could he miss a nation when the conference had included every single one – even Sealand – for the past few decades? Every single nation and micro nation had been proven innocent.

"Shouldn't I? I'm sorry, allow me to introduce myself." She held out one small hand to shake.

"Please do." He accepted it, noting that her hand was calloused, her long fingers carrying an immense strength that was unbecoming of her dainty appearance. This woman had seen hard labour, and possibly combat. But she couldn't be old enough to have seen the wars her strength implied…

No.

"My name is Sophia Edelstein."

His eyes shot open in a mix of horror and shock, and he tried to pry his hand from hers, but she held firm, and pulled him closer. The all-too familiar sensation of a blade throbbed from his stomach, and she finally let go, sending him to the cold tile floor. "But you can call me Austria."

Roderick opened his mouth to scream for help, but no sound would come out save for a low whine. Sophia frowned at the noise. "I heard that your Hungary fought better than that. Right to the end, she kicked, and bit. Or so I've been told. I didn't lie to you Roderick. I had nothing to do with that woman's death. But our dearest Daniel does like to brag, it would've been hard not to know what happened the other night."

She tore the blade from his stomach, and he threw back his head to the floor at the new pain, gasping for his last breaths. "You… witch." He managed to hiss.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Vielgeliebtes Österreich." She cooed softly, taking a step back to observe her handiwork. His vision began to fade, but the last thing he saw, was the faintest trace of a smile gracing his double's face.

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Thanks for reading.

Translations:

Auf Wiedersehen – German – Goodbye

Vielgeliebtes Österreich – German – Beloved Austria (It's the last line in the Austrian national anthem)

So… this is a lot darker than what I usually write, if you haven't noticed already. I get the feeling my usual chipper Author's Notes are going to be horribly out of place, so I probably won't have them at all outside of translations.