"Hey, (f/n), (f/n)!" called a young boy with silver locks.
"Huh, Gil? What is it?" replied the young girl with (e/c) orbs.
"You know vhat? I got a new boss!" cheered the boy. "He's big und nice, his name is Frederick but I just call him Old Fritz! He asked me if I vanted to play, do you vant to come play vizh us?" he hopefully inquired.
Not even a minute had passed before the girl answered:
"Okay, lets all play together!"
Both children cheered as they ran and played tag on their way to the silver-head's house. It didn't take them long before reaching their destination, seeing as (f/n) was from a small generally ignored micro-nation almost glued to the prussian capital.
Arriving, they found a tall blond man awaiting for them; the man received them with a bright smile and, while the girl stopped running, the boy ran right into the man, hugging his torso as far as his not-so-large arms could.
"Hello Gilbert!" greeted the blond, softly caressing the young countrie's hair; only then did his gaze fall upon the female form. "Are you (country)?"
A shy nod was performed as answer. Smiling, 'old fritz' presented himself.
"I'm Frederick, Prussia's new boss as he puts it. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Hi..." complied the girl.
"Come on, (f/n), Old Fritz, lets go play!" shot the ruby-eyed prussian, a wooden sword instead of his real one already tightly grasped on his hand, giving away part of his ideas to play.
"Alright, vhat do you vant to play?" asked the prussian ruler, revealing a very fatherly tone.
"I..." started the (nationality), but the albino boy immediately interrupted her:
"I'll be a knight und Old Fritz is zhe big mean beast vhich I have to kill so I can save zhe beautiful princess, (f/n)!"
"But I don't want to be a damsel in distress!" argued the girl with a whine.
"You're a girl, vhat else do you vant to be?" pouted the small prussian.
"Well... I... Why don't we just play tag or hide and seek?" suggested the girl.
"But zhen I can't be zhe awesome hero knight..." disagreed the albino.
"If I may..." intervened the blond man. "Why don't we play a game of hide and seek where the big mean beast is searching for the knight and the princess?"
The two young nations traded a suspicious glance, but quickly turned to the ruler with bright smiles while cheering in agreement.
-
The two stood in front of an abandoned forest house not so far from the prussian castle.
The house was made of wood, old and clearly falling to bits; it's aspect was suspicious and (f/n) felt a bit scared, wary.
"I don't think this is a good idea." muttered (country), eying suspiciously the building as she noted the daylight starting to fade.
"Come on, (f/n), zhis is zhe perfect hiding place!" urged the ruby-eyed boy. His expression suddenly turned smug as a question left his pale lips:
"Or are you scared?"
"Scared?" blinked the (h/c) head. "I'm not scared! Of anything!"
"Zhen vhy don't you vant to go in?"
"Fine!" she huffed, finally acceding the boy's pleas. "Lets go in!"
Prussia grinned enormously and proceeded to enter the shack, (f/n) quickly following.
The front door screeched as it opened, startling the (nationality); the prussian laughed silently at the slight jump performed by the girl.
Inside, there wasn't even a single candle in sight; entering the house was like being engulfed by darkness. (F/n) remained close to Gilbert, not wishing for any kind of beast that could be lurking around the darkest corners to grab her and drag her to the feared darkness. The clinging sound of something connecting to the ground startled both kids; even the prussian who hid in the building ever so often stiffened.
"What was that?" whispered the (e/c)-eyed girl.
"I don't know..." he whispered back. "Supposedly no one should know about zhis place..."
The familiar thumping sound that announced someone's steps approaching their position caused them to step back silently. Out of fear and in search for comfort, (f/n) caught the boy's hands with hers and moved to hide behind him at the best of her abilities.
"Gil, I'm scared..." she breathed soundlessly, her grip on his hand and cape tightening.
"Don't vorry, I von't let anyone hurt you!" he assured, his tone low.
Before any of them could notice, the (h/c) head was snatched away from the albino for someone who had creeped out behind them and three more people, villages for what it could be told, bursted into the room.
"NO, LET ME GO! GILBERT!" cried out the young girl as she saw her friend being taken away without being able to retaliate; the villagers had bounded the boy who struggled trying to get free.
Her yells only ceased half an hour later, but she kept ignoring the villagers' explanations of how the boy was a demon and how he would've killed her once he had the chance.
When they finally let her go, she immediately ran back to the castle, crying and calling for Old Fritz. The blond man didn't take long to find the girl's position. A couple minutes were spent as (f/n), between hiccups and tears, explained her distress.
They found the young nation crying out in pain as he stood bounded in the middle of a fire, where the villagers had left him before returning to their homes, hoping that the 'demon' would finally die...
"You can stop crying now, I'm okay." muttered the silver head, his gaze avoiding the other three nations' eyes. (Country) was still crying after a day.
Hungary and Austria had appeared for a visit; young Roderich did his best to get (f/n) to stop crying as he didn't like to see a friend sad; Elizabeta had yelled at Gilbert for making her friend cry that much and had demanded strongly that someone explain her what had happened.
"B-but..." she sniffed in answer to the albino.
"I'm fine, see?" he grinned. "Und zhey didn't hurt you, just like I promised!"
"Hm..." she nodded. "But they hurt you..."
"Ja, but do you know any knight zhat didn't get hurt to protect his princess?" he inquired.
"No..." she muttered incomprehensibly, feeling a little embarrassed and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"See how I vas right? I'll keep protecting you as zhe strong nation I am, okay? Und so you never cry again, I'll get even stronger!" he assured, giving the girl a goodbye hug. "Because a knight alvays protects his princess like in zhe stories!"
The two parted with bright smiles and (country) joined Austria and Hungary who would drop her at her house on the way to theirs. But before Prussia could go back inside, she promised:
"I'll be back in a few days so we can play again, okay?"