His wavy, golden hair was tied in a long, blue silk ribbon. His sword was in its holster connected to his belt, just waiting to cut through the soft flesh of its oponents. Its hilt had two rubies plastered onto it on both the front and back. France smiled as he walked the spacious hallways of the castle.

He finally came upon a huge, magnificent door. France opened it, not bothering to knock; he knew that he was always welcome.

A man in French military attire looked up in suprise. "Y-You're here!" he said with a stutter. "I thought you'd be on the battlefield..."

France flashed a seductive grin at the young man. "Non, I came here to take a small break. Why, do you not approve?"

The man shook his head. "It's not that. I just thought General Bonaparte would want you on the field at all times..."

"My little Nappy understands that I need to rest every now and then. I've been fighting non-stop for what seems like centuries now. Besides, our army is big enough to let one man relax." France stretched his arms and sat in one of the chairs, crossing his legs and resting his chin on his hand. "Well? Has he contacted us yet?"

He didn't have to say the name for the man to know who France was talking about. He shook his head again. "No, sir. He's acknowledged the coalition but has not made any attempts to be a part of it."

France laughed. "My, my. I expected my little Britain to be on top of things like he usually is! Oh, whatever. Less trouble for us, then." He continued to laugh until he saw the man looking at him with a concerned expression on his face. This slightly irritated him. "What?"

The man hesitated before he spoke. "It's just...you're not usually like this. I mean, not saying that you're not usually happy. You just seem...very different ever since you met General Bonaparte..."

The statement made France chuckle. "I see. I understand what you're getting at. Things have just been alot easier for me ever since Napoleon made himself noticed. He really has boosted my confidence."

The man nodded in understanding. He knew exactly how France felt. He decided not to go on with the subject. "Sir," he said, walking up to France,"Since you are not fighting at this very moment, would you want me to take your place for the time being?"

France nodded gratefully. Before the man left, he stopped him. "Oh, before you go."

The man stopped abruptly and looked over his shoulder at France. "Yes?"

France flashed another smile. "Do bring me a bottle of my favorite wine, s'il vous plaît. I feel like celebrating."

/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/ "Please do try to stay still."

Austria tried very hard to follow Hungary's orders, but he still flinched whenever she tried to apply something to his wounds. Hungary frowned. "Ita-chan, where is the bucket of water I asked of you?"

Italy came in a rush. He placed the bucket next to Hungary and wiped his hands on his apron. Hungary got a rag and dipped it in the water before placing it on Austria's forehead. Not only was he badly wounded, but it seemed that he was also coming down with a fever. Hungary wanted to treat it before it got any worse.

"Damn France..." Austria said through gritted teeth as Hungary treated his wounds. He had taken off his glasses, and everything seemed extremely blurry and confusing. He stared up at the chadelier that hung high above. "I can't believe him...Declaring war on me out of nowhere and then...Tch. I don't even know where he got this sudden burst of power."

Hungary frowned and placed an affectionate hand on his cheek. "Try not to talk, okay? We can rant about how terrible France is later," she said softly. She looked over at Italy and saw that he was almost close to tears. He had never seen Austria in so much pain, and he certainly didn't like it.

"Ita-chan," Hungary said.

"Huh?" Italy asked in that tiny voice of his.

Hungary patted him on the head. "How about you take the rest of the day off, hm?"

Italy sniffled. "A-are you sure that's ok...?"

Hungary smiled at how small and innocent he was. She gave him a small hug and nodded. "I'm positive. Now, go on. Enjoy yourself," she said.

Italy nodded with a small smile and left. "Well. I didn't know you were permitted to give the servants orders," Austria joked weakly.

Hungary shot him a look. "Of course. When the master's down, who better to take his place than me?" she asked, and then smiled. She got up and dusted herself off. "France really did alot of damage," she said with a sigh. "You should be better in a few days..."

"I don't have a few days," Austria argued. "I need to be out there fighting with my men."

Hungary shook her head. "I know. I understand completely. Still, if you go out there in the condition you are now, you'll be nothing but a nuissance to the other soldiers. You need to rest."

He knew she was right. He let out a groan and shut his eyes. "France is going to pay for this. Somehow. I know he is."