Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me. Also, Anabela= Nyo Portugal
Alice Kirkland hated balls. She always had, given that everything about them just seemed so...fake.
Everyone acted so out of character, at balls, she found. Was it the atmosphere, which made someone tomboyish like her sister, Amelia, don a hideous daffodil-yellow meringue dress? Was it the atmosphere which made Chiara politely refuse every 'nice young gentleman' who dared ask her to dance, instead of telling them to fuck off, like she would in any other situation?
Or was it the knowledge that none of the girls could escape from this ball? Or the next one, and the one after that...There was one reason, and one reason only why all these girls met time and time again, at balls, and that was because their parents were determined to make them find husbands. Act like ladies, they were told, you need to be good wives and mothers, they were told. Being themselves was an absolute no-no. Goals besides men and children were completely unacceptable to Alice's parents, as well as the parents of every other girl attending the stupid ball.
Men. The idea of going near one, let alone being a domestic slave to a man and his children for the rest of her life was completely disgusting to Alice. But what could she do? How could she escape her prison, decorated with gold and pretty jewels and important sounding titles? Oh yeah. She was the daughter of a wealthy viscount, so she always got plenty of men asking for her hand. Money, that was all they wanted from her, and she knew it!
In her blue satin dress, supported by a ridiculous amount of petticoats, she waded through the room, through the girls doomed to the same grim fate as her, hoping to find something she could do to waste the night...
And then she saw Carmen, her only friend, sat on the balcony.
Yes, Carmen, the Spanish girl Alice had met...How many balls ago now? Whatever, Carmen was one of the only girls who openly despised going to balls as much as she did. Every time she saw her, she feared that it would be the last time, mostly because almost everyone that Carmen knew was determined for her to marry some grumpy Italian baron...And once she was married, she couldn't come to these balls anymore.
"Evening, M'lady," Alice greeted, curtsying instinctively.
Carmen's scarlet lips turned up, as she teased, "Well, if it isn't Viscountess Alice Kirkland! I never thought I'd see you again!"
"Why, because my parents nearly engaged me to that Alfred fool last time?!" Alice spat. Just the mention of his name made her blood run cold...
"That, and the fact that I thought you'd have done something about your...situation by now," Carmen said suggestively.
Alice lifted her dress and petticoats up, letting her legs hang over the balcony as she softly asked, "And what, exactly, could I do? Run away?! I have nowhere to go!"
The Spaniard reached for her sleeves, examining the seams of the tight red fabric. "I have nothing too, except a friend in Portugal who says that she'll let me stay with her. I've already thrown everything away, see?" and she reached into a hole in the seam of her dress, pulling out a large wad of cash.
Alice's eyes widened in shock. "Where did you get that?!"
"I took it from my father. He hasn't even noticed it's gone yet," the girl responded. "I can't go back now. I decided long ago that I wouldn't marry Baron Vargas, or any man, so I'm running away before my parents force me into a life I don't want!"
"And why are you telling me this?" Alice enquired, "Surely anyone's who's going on the run would have the brains to keep silent about their plans!"
Carmen threw her a look, as if to say, you really, don't get it, do you? "I wanted to take you with me. Alice, you're my only friend, and I can't run away if it means that I'll never see you again..."
"Carmen..."
"Alice, if you don't want to be married to a man who only wants your status and your money, come with me," Carmen demanded, "I thought you'd have tried to do something by yourself by now, but since you haven't, I'm giving you the chance to run, right now!"
Marry a man she hated, and bear him some snotty brats, or run away with her only friend, to an unfamiliar place? It was a no-brainer.
She tugged the blue ribbons out of her hair, dropping them off of the balcony as she uttered the words, "I'm going with you."
The Spaniard followed, pulling her hair free from its tight bun. "Then let's go. On three!"
And on the count of three, the two girls dropped from the balcony, their dresses billowing before they hit the ground.
Though they struggled to run in their dresses and heels, the girls eventually made it to the port, hopping on a boat bound for Portugal.
"What do we do when we arrive?" Alice enquired.
"Look for my friend, Anabela. She'll tell us what to do from there." Carmen answered.
And off they went, ready to begin their new life together...
