Hi, guys! Here's another little story, I'm not even sure if it's a one shot, since it's so small... This time it's about Holy Rome, on the night before he left.

The soft, snow white, silk bedsheets remained untouched on his small wooden bed, it was barely eight in the evening, but he had locked himself a couple of hours ago, saying that he needed some rest for his big day. It wasn't working though, since he was so anxious that he couldn't bring himself to even try to sleep. It seemed as if it was going to be a very long night. He was fairly sure this moment of peace was his last one in a good while, but even then, he couldn't do it. As bad as it was, and as much as it contradicted his strict sleeping schedule, the young boy wasn't able to go to sleep.

Uncertainty was filling his mind, and his small body was trembling slighly. He knew it was his duty to act tough, to encourage anyone that was willing to risk his life in his name, at the very least he needed to believe that they had a chance. After all he was a strong empire, and he wasn't alone on this fight, failure wasn't an option. But he felt uneasy, and had a weird feeling about it. Obviously fear was not unexpected before going to the battlefield, but this particular night his nerves were getting the best of himself.

His eyes were tightly closed as he sat on a tall chair in front of his desk, the big house seemed so dark at the moment, and he barely heard any noise at all. But as he listened a bit more carefully, a soft, melodious voice reached his ears. Miss Hungary was singing a lullaby in one of the nearby bedrooms, and even though Holy Rome couldn't understand the words, her song was already calming down his soul. There was a second of silence before she started singing again, this time accompanied by a second voice, one that wasn't as harmonious, but it made him smile widely.

That voice, that childish, innocent, and jubilant voice. If only he could take it with him to the battlefield to remind himself that the world wasn't such a terrible place. But on second thought, he would never want her to experience the horrors of war. Her bright hazelnut eyes should never see someone dying in front of her, her small hands were more suited to paint, or pick up flowers, than killing. No, she should remain cheerful, and innocent.

His memories of that smiling face, and that joyful singing voice were the only ones that he could take with him.

"If I ever become a really big, and strong empire, I wonder… I really do wonder if then I would be able to protect you from all of this…" His own words alarmed him a little, since he was not so certain about the future.

Suddenly, her laugh reached his ears, and he felt thankful for whatever it was that made her so happy.

"I wish I could hear it for one more day, even if I was never going to see you again…" By now he knew that he needed to stop, but his thoughts were getting real dark, and helpless. "Would you cry…if there wasn't a next time? I would hate to make you cry…" It was really hurtful to even think about it.

That was the last thing he wanted to do, he needed to protect that smile, her happiness, her innocence. So he stood up and made a promise that no one else heard. " No matter what, I'll protect you, even if a day ever comes when I can't be here, I'll find the way to do it. Just you wait, I'll become very strong, so big no one can defy me. So don't cry, don't you worry, because I won't let anyone hurt you. And please, please, just show me that beautiful smile of yours when I come back. "

The young boy finally felt his confidence coming back once again. He knew he had a big day ahead of himself, and so he needed some proper sleep, he wanted to be ready to do his absolute best, because he had a promise that he could never break. He got himself into bed, and almost immediately, he noticed his eyes were closing.

The lullaby, and the sweet girl's voice kept him company until he fell asleep, completely unaware that in a nearby room, miss Hungary and little Italy kept on singing to cheer on him. Even if he wanted to act as a big, tough empire, there was no way they could leave him alone. Because big, tough guys never say it when they are scared, but it's really easy to tell for the ones that care about them. And they knew he was overwhelmed. And even if it seemed like nothing, this little thing would make him feel happy, and bring some peace to his dreams. At least for one more night.

And that's it, I hope you liked it, thanks a lot for reading!