Chapter 1 – Fang-cy Dress
Author note: In this, the term 'micro-nation' refers to all the children, including Moldova. I'm well aware that Moldova is a country in its' own right, but when referring to all the children, he's included in the term simply because it's easier than saying something like 'the micro-nations, plus Moldova'. When referring to him separately I use nation or country instead. Sorry Moldova.
"Yo, dudes, glad you could make it!" The loud American voice greeted everyone as they entered the wide double doors of the world meeting centre. This year, it was Alfred's turn to organise the annual Halloween party, and he was going all-out in typical American fashion to celebrate the spooky event. Colourful streamers hung from the chandeliers and windows; twisting ribbons of red, green, purple and orange. Cauldrons filled with mysterious liquid bubbled, foamed and hissed; skeletons reached bony hands from shadowed corners, and pumpkins galore were set into the alcoves lining the walls at regular intervals, their leering faces throwing flickering lights from the candles placed in their carved insides.
The many tables laid out along the back wall were covered in bowls and platters of yummy treats, with an appropriately All Hallows Eve twist. Cocktail sausages served as severed fingers, marshmallows melted like gooey eyes, cakes were iced to look rotting and moist, and cookies in every freaky shape imaginable were piled high in staggering mounds. Of course, for the faint hearted, or those who simply wished their food to look less intimidating, there was also a table filled with normal, undecorated food.
To get to the main hall, the guests were ushered down a series of twisting corridors, lit with an eerie glow. Cobwebs and dust sheets hung from the curtains and gathered in the corners, and the long-dead subjects in the paintings seemed to watch as the living passed by. A panoply of helpful undead were on hand (or paw, bone, or ectoplasm,) to guide the way – grinning skeletons, cackling witches, shuffling zombies and moaning banshees. They were, of course, the ever-present staff, who relished the opportunity to forego their day-to-day tasks in favour of something far more entertaining.
Passing through the murky passages, the guests reached the main hall, appreciative murmurs and gasps leaving their mouths at the sight of Alfred's efforts. Matthew was there to greet the guests as well, handing out party bags with an assortment of candy, toys and accessories, each one tailored to the country receiving it.
Just as the last of the countries arrived and had been given their gifts, the lights switched off, plunging the room into an eerie gloom. Not pitch-black darkness, no, but a weird watery green that was somehow far spookier. The effect was of being underwater, lit by a fluorescent glow. It was, in fact, the light from the fire escape signs, but it proved a very effective addition to the atmosphere.
After allowing the darkness to continue for a few moments, the lights switched back on, this time in the form of the spotlights centring on the stage. Alfred stepped up, taking the microphone off the stand as he addressed the crowd.
"Welcome, ladies and gents, boys and ghouls, to the World Meeting Halloween party! Since it's the hero hosting, I promise you're gonna have an awesome time. Everyone got their gift bags?" a chorus of cheers and thank you's, and Alfred nodded. "Great! So, since we're all here, it's time to start the party! Let's make this Halloween the most awesome one yet! Everyone cheered and clapped again, and the lights came back on, alternating colours flashing in the typical disco arrangement. Music started blaring from the massive sub-woofers, and people started drifting towards the snacks or their friends.
Alfred jumped down off the stage and went to greet his guests.
"Yo, Iggy, great to see you!" he greeted England. "Cool costume, by the way. Love the hat!"
Arthur nodded at the compliment. "You too, the costume looks great." he replied. The Englishman's outfit consisted of crisp white trousers worn over black boots, a dark cream shirt with grey strips, and a blue waistcoat with a short cloak, tied with a large bow, worn over the top. A small bowler hat of the same colour rested at a jaunty angle on top of his head. Small fangs peeked out from between his lips, and a little felt bat perched on his shoulder.
Alfred beamed, adjusting the mask on the side of his head. "I know, right? And it's totally a real Friday 13th today, too! How cool is that?" Arthur smiled at the American's enthusiasm, then nodded as he excused himself to go and greet the other guests. Arthur watched his friend for a few moments as he bounced from group to group, excitedly admiring the many costumes on display, then turned at the sound of his name being called.
The voice, which sounded distinctly Transylvanian, belonged to Vladimir, Arthur's friend and fellow magic user. The Romanian was accompanied by his friend Dmitri and younger brother Alexandru. The trio, as far as Arthur could tell, were dressed exactly the same as usual – Vlad in his red trench coat and baggy brown trousers tucked into black boots, Dmitri in his smart soldier's uniform, and Alexandru in a cream coat with velveteen brown cuffs and little brown boots, both of which were far too big for him. Their concession to the festivities, however, was that the three had let their vampire nature fully show instead of toning it down like they usually did. Thus, three pairs of eyes shone a brilliant, unholy crimson, sharp canines poked out from behind blood-red lips, and little bat wings were folded behind their backs. While the brothers' eyes were naturally red anyway, Vlad must have used his magic to colour the Bulgarian's normally green irises.
"Hello," Arthur greeted them. "Blimey, you really pushed the boat out, didn't you?" he asked. As usual, it was difficult to tell if the Brit was being sincere or sarcastic.
Dmitri raised an eyebrow, unsure how to respond, but Vlad shrugged. "Might as well go with the stereotype once in a while," he replied. "Since it's Halloween and all." The Bulgarian beside him nodded in agreement, and Alexandru grinned, showing his delicate fangs.
Arthur nodded at the logic, then opened his mouth to speak. "Actually, about that, I…ah, no, never mind, it doesn't matter." He began, but hesitated before falling silent again.
Vlad gave him a curious look. "What is it?" he asked.
"May I ask you something?" Arthur asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, though." He added, ever polite.
"You already did, but go on." Vlad replied, already knowing what the question would be.
"Well, I've always wondered…The whole vampire thing, are you really…?" he trailed off, unsure how to ask without sounding rude.
Dmitri sighed and shook his head as Vlad answered. "No, we're not." He stated. "At least, Dmitri isn't at all, he's just dressed like that 'cuz I made him." The Bulgarian nodded in agreement. "Me and Alexei, though…it's a bit different."
"Different how?"
Vlad sighed. "It's what people think, isn't it? Romania = Transylvania = Vampires. Neither of us are actually vampires, because our people are human, obviously. But because it's what other countries associate us with, we can take on aspects of vampires as we choose. Like, we can grow fangs, we can see clearly in the dark, we can grow wings. Basically, whatever fiction decides vampires can do that humans can't already, we can choose to replicate."
Arthur nodded at the explanation. "I see. And is your magic part of that, or due to your heritage as a nation?"
"A bit of both." Vlad replied. "We Magyars have always had a deep respect for magic, and practised it, but some fiction has vampires as magic-users too, so I get power both ways."
"I can't use magic though!" Alexandru, who had previously been silent, piped up. "I can make my fangs go away, and big brother is teaching me to use my wings, but I can't do spells."
"That's because you're too young." Vlad told him. "Give it a few centuries and you'll be able to. I couldn't either, at first. At least, not very well."
Alexandru nodded, satisfied with his brother's reassurance, then looked around, abruptly bored with the adults' conversation. Seeing his restlessness, Dmitri volunteered to get drinks and food, taking the younger nation with him. Vlad and Arthur's talk moved away from the relative humanity of personified countries, in favour of more mundane, everyday topics. The conversation continued until the Bulgarian and Moldovan returned, along with some new companions.
"Mind if we interrupt?
A/N: Hey guys, Emi here. First ever chapter of my first ever fanfic, yay! Just a quick author to say that, as this is my first fanfic and my first attempt at writing in general outside of English lessons, I'm bound to have a few mistakes here and there, so I apologise. I try my best, but I can't always catch everything, so if you see any spelling/grammar errors, translation errors (Google for the win, and we know all know how accurate that is!) or it just isn't flowing right, please let me know so I can fix it. Any feedback, whether positive or negative, would be very much appreciated, so long as it's constructive. Otherwise, hope you enjoy the story, and see you next chapter :)
