Warnings: lots of OOCness, slight BOYxBOY, Disney-like plot, character death (read to find out)
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Axis Powers Hetalia; therefore the characters DO NOT belong to me. I take credit for the plot and the fictional places, though. Took me a long time to make them, too!
"Oh, Elizaveta! It was awful!" Lili sighed as the brown-haired woman assisted her in changing.
Elizaveta Hedervary was silently nodding, pulling the Princess' dress over her tiny head. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad, your Highness…" she comforted.
Lili carefully sat on the edge of her bed, clad only in her corset and underwear. "It was terrible!" she complained, spreading her arms for emphasis. "T-T-The entire throne room was filled with laughter! All the knights were laughing at me! I even saw mother and father stifling giggles!"
The older woman listened, secretly amused at how the usually quiet and shy Princess was talking so loudly. She hanged the light blue dress inside the huge wardrobe across the room. "Well…" she said, "If I may, your Highness, it was your fault for rushing into the room like that!"
The blonde pouted, "I wish they had already forgotten about it today…" she continued to sigh.
Elizaveta laughed, placing a maroon dress in front of her. "Hurry and change, your Highness…" she requested, "Or else you'll be late for Roderich Edelstein's piano lessons…"
Lili curled up on her bed and rested her head unto her lap. "I feel humiliated…" came her muffled voice, "I do no wish to attend Mr. Edelstein's lessons…"
Elizaveta sighed. "Your Highness…" she called, "Get changed before…"
She was interrupted mid-sentence when Vash Zwingli came prancing in, oblivious to the fact that Lili was still undressed. He was fully clad in armor, his metal boots making weird sound as it came into contact with the carpet.
"Excuse me, your Highness…" he said, "But Mr. Edelstein is looking for-"
Both women stopped what they were doing and just stared at Vash as if he was a ghost .When he looked up, his eyes widened at the site of Lili; her small breast hardly visible through her light blue corset, her hair was a mess that pooled at by her knees. Her underwear, with bear prints on them, slid a little low down her narrow waist, though not low enough to reveal everything but enough for a blush to creep unto Vash's face. Lili's mouth was ajar as she continued to stare at him, her eyes in complete shock.
"Ah, uhm…"he stammered, his hands just hovering over the knob. "Uhm… Ah… P-Pardon for the intrusion, your Highness… I-I-I'll be leaving now…"
He left the room as quickly as he entered, leaving the two women gaping at the door. They paused for a moment, unable to get over what had just happened. The first to break the silence was Lili as she gave a rather weak cry before collapsing unto her bed. Elizaveta rushed to her side, trying to soothe the already humiliated Princess. Lili repeatedly muttered about how no bachelor on Rosaria was going to take her as a bride. All she could do was just to sit beside her on the bed, trying to think of words to make the younger woman feel better.
Vash Zwingli just stood outside the Princess' door, albeit a little dazed. A drop of sweat dropped from his shaggy blonde hair unto his face. He leaned back, his hand gripping his forehead. Since when did he forget to knock before coming into a room?
"What's wrong with me?" he mentally screamed, "Why did I just barge in like that? The Princess was changing! She was clad only in a corset!"
He walked to the wall across him, stopped only a few inches short of it, then began hitting his head against it. He swore words in a variation of languages, cursing himself for being such an idiot. This was the strange state he was in when a certain albino walked past him.
"Hey, Swissy!" he called, stopping a few feet away. He ran back to where the blonde was hitting his head and forcefully turned him around. "Swissy!" he screamed, "Being a knight zat hard for ya?"
Vash snapped back into place after hearing Gilbert's voice. He immediately recomposed himself, shaking his head vigorously. "Of course not, Gilbert…" he lied, "I just stumbled upon something that I shouldn't have seen…"
He blushed upon hearing the words stumble out of his mouth. Gilbert felt that something humiliating must've happened. Vash wasn't the type of guy who would blush for no reason. He glanced at the door across them, realizing it lead to the Princess' room. With a twinkle in his amazing scarlet eyes, he looked back at the blushing Vash.
"Vat happened in za room with ze Princess?" he smirked. Vash looked at him with a surprised look, making him even more curious. "C'mon, Swissy…" he teased, "Vat did ya see?"
Vash blushed even more, turning into the color of the fruit that Gilbert's friend was fond of. Gilbert felt proud of himself, being able to make the stern man blush that way. He felt like he wanted to tease the shorter man even more.
"I-I-I saw nothing…" Vash lied, looking sideways at the room. A memory of Princess Lili sitting half-naked on her bed flashed across his mind. He turned a shade darker.
"Don't lie to me, Swissy…" Gilbert continued, "I can tell zat you saw something…"
Vash pushed him away, the usual stern look coming back to his face. "I told you I saw nothing!" he denied, "Whether you believe me or not, it is not my choice. Rather, it's yours…"
He walked back to the door, lightly knocked, then took the Princess' petite hand as she opened it. The two blonde's walked away, leaving Gilbert just standing there. Elizaveta came out shortly afterward and glanced at Gilbert.
"Do ya know something, Veta?" Gilbert asked.
Elizaveta smiled knowingly, "I'll tell you over at Antonio's tonight, Gil…"
They nodded, smiled and then went their separate ways.
The music room was a spacious area with marble pillars and a high roof from which dangled a lavish golden chandelier. Each and every note of Pachelbel's "Canon in D" echoed through the entire room, placing a smile on a certain man's face as he closed his eyes and listened to the Princess' play the piece on her flute. Elizaveta and Vash, who were standing by the door, kept silent and just let the music wash over them. Even Gilbert, the usually restless and boisterous one, shut his mouth as he too closed his eyes. The room was filled with the joyous melody until…
"SCREEEEEECH!"
Lili, for what seemed like the hundredth time, blew the flute too hard. The beautiful melody was once again replaced by Roderich Edelstein's heavy sigh. Lili cringed, hugging the metal object closer to her chest. She prepared for whatever Roderich had to say to her.
"How many times has it been?" he simply asked, pushing his glasses higher up his nose. His brow was visibly twitching in annoyance and a drop of sweat was forming on the one unruly curl on his brunette head.
Lili blushed, "I… I haven't been counting, Mr. Edelstein…" she replied cautiously.
Roderich's hand curled into a fist. "I see…" he said under his breath.
"It's only her twentieth mistake, Roddy!" Gilbert yelled from where he was standing, "Give Her Highness a break already, princesszin!"
The man in white turned to glare at him. Gilbert just responded with a cocky grin, sending unnecessary shivers up Roderich's spine. He rolled his violet eyes and spoke softly: "Is anything the matter, your Highness?"
Lili quickly shook her head. Her eyes momentarily glanced sideways at Vash, who at that moment was watching her. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before she returned her gaze towards Roderich and his gaze on something invisible on the floor. Unfortunately for them, Roderich's eyes were sharp enough to see what had happened.
"Take a short break for now, your Highness…" he said, walking away. Lili nodded vigorously, eyes fixed on the ground.
Roderich approached Vash, ignoring the fact that Elizaveta was giggling beside him. Gilbert, too, had been watching him closely. Despite reminding himself that Gilbert could never affect him, he couldn't stop but feel nervous.
"Vash…" he whispered, "What just happened?"
Vash looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean 'what just happened'" he asked back.
"You know exactly what I mean… Your eyes only met for a second and she was already blushing like crazy…"
The latter's hand twitched. "Is that so? I didn't notice…" he lied.
Roderich sighed. "I have a feeling it would be a bother to try and coax you to tell me the reason why Princess Lili is nervous with you around…" he said, "I might as well ask Elizaveta.
He turned to the green-eyed woman whose eyes were glued on the little Princess fidgeting in her seat. She knew Roderich was going to ask her about what happened, so she couldn't help but smile to herself.
"Elizaveta… I-"
"I'll tell you over at Antonio's tonight…" she hurriedly replied, "Gilbert's been pestering me about it, too. I'll explain it all later…"
Roderich could feel a lump suddenly appear in his throat. "G-Gilbert's coming?" he swallowed, "I-I-I don't think I can come to Antonio's tonight…"
Elizaveta smiled even wider. "Oh, Roddy…" she teased, "I remember you telling me yesterday that Gilbert doesn't have any effect on you… Where's all that attitude now?"
Roderich huffed, making her giggle a bit. He turned on his heels and walked back to where Lili had been sitting. He continued with his lesson, occasionally catching Vash glancing at the Princess. And at times, he would catch Gilbert smirking at him.
Later that evening, as the moon watched over the sleeping kingdom and a black cloak of darkness hung on the castle's shoulders, one small remained lit in one of the castle's higher towers. And from the tower peered a young blonde, long hair flowing in the wind. By the light of the full moon, her façade looked ever beautiful to the men working down below. But, she did have a rather melancholic air about her.
"Do you have to go, Miss Elizaveta?" Lili asked, moving away from the window.
"I am very sorry, your Highness…" she apologized, "But I have a very important appointment tonight and I am not allowed to miss it…"
"I have to meet Gil and Roddy at the pub tonight…"
Lili sighed, jumping unto her bed. "I am not used to falling asleep after you leave…" she confessed, "You have always waited for me to drift to dreamland before you left…"
"She' so cute I could just eat her up!" Elizaveta thought.
"If it makes you feel any better," she replied, "Vash I just outside and you can call on him if ever you get scared…"
Lili blushed. "V-V-Vash?" she stuttered, "T-The knight Father assigned to guard me?"
Elizaveta nodded.
"But Miss Elizaveta!" she exclaimed, "I-I-I…"
"You're embarrassed to see him after what happened earlier this morning…" Elizaveta finished. Lili nodded in reply, burying her head on a soft pillow.
The woman just sighed. "Well, your Highness," she said sternly, "You have to deal with the fact that he would be your companion for the night. He has done nothing wrong and he has been doing his job with perfection. Trust him and put aside what happened this morning."
Lili tried to protest, but Elizaveta raised her eyebrow. She just slipped under her covers and tucked herself in. The chambermaid smiled, curtseying. She took the candle stand by the door then looked back.
"Good night and sweet dreams, your Highness…"
"Wait, don't-"
Elizaveta left and the entire room was filled to the roof with darkness. Darkness; something Princess Lili was absolutely terrified of. She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to focus on the light of the moon.
"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound…"
She repeatedly sang to herself the lullaby her Mother had been very fond of. Though she was not as good as the Queen, she was able to comfort herself with the sweet melody. Just when she was drifting into slumber, the tall cypress by her window creaked. She opened her eyes in fright and saw the cypress branch that looked eerily like a monster's hand.
She screamed. Vash heard her.
He immediately opened the door, hand on his sword, ready to attack anyone who would charge at him. Lili had other plans though as she rushed to him, enclosing his neck with both her arms and hugging him very tightly.
"Uhm…" he began, "Is something the matter, Princess?"
Lili looked up at him, her eyes a bit teary. "M-M-Monster…" she stammered, pointing towards the window.
Vash narrowed his eyes, unable to see anything in the dark. He grabbed the torch that was hung in the in the hall and proceeded towards the eerie hand.
Lili grabbed his hand and pulled on it. "Don't!" she begged, "It'll eat you! I don't want anyone to be eaten! Not in my kingdom!"
Vash was amused at how childish the Princess was acting. He could feel her hand shaking as it latched tightly unto his. "I will be fine, your Highness…" he assured her, glancing over his shoulder. "I have been trained for this…"
He cautiously walked towards the hand, leaving Lili clutching the door's edge. He could hear her telling him to be careful as he got closer and closer. Finally, when he focused the torch's light on it, he saw it was just a tree branch.
"There is nothing to be afraid of your Highness…" he called back, "It is just a tree branch. It won't eat you…"
Lili hurriedly ran to him, hiding behind his back. "A-Are you sure?" she asked.
Vash nodded.
She jumped back into her bed and pulled her blanket over her body. She peered through the covers and looked at him. Her face still looked very scared.
"Vash…" she had said, "C-Can you leave the light? I… I'm afraid of the darkness…"
Vash smiled. "Of course, your Highness..."
"And..." she hesitated, "C-Can you wait here until I fall asleep… If-If it doesn't trouble you… Miss Elizaveta left for the day and I'm not used to sleeping alone…"
He nodded in response, leaving the lit torch in on the stand in the room. He walked towards her bed and sat on its edge. He watched as the Princess closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Her breathing was rather quick and irregular, telling Vash that she was still a bit shaken of what happened. He repeatedly ran his fingers through her hair, humming a sweet lullaby. Soon enough, she her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The knight stood up, whispered "good night" and walked back to his post.
Meanwhile…
The trio, after Elizaveta finally got Lili's permission to leave early, went straight to the run down pub situated at the heart of the town. Gilbert had been waiting for her in front of the castle gates, dressed in his casual clothing. Roderich, though reluctant at first, was standing beside the albino when Elizaveta reached them and there was a tinge of pink on his cheeks when she winked at him.
When they reached their friend's pub, the Casa de España, they seated themselves on the high stools in front of the long wooden counter. An overly cheery man with brown hair and sparkling green eyes greeted them with a wide grin.
"Long time no see, mi amigos!"
Gilbert raised his right hand and the man smacked it with his. "Sure was a long time! How ya doing, Antonio?" he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo smiled even wider, if that was even possible. He leaned in and whispered something into Gilbert's ear, making Elizaveta a bit suspicious. When the tanned man finally backed away, Gilbert started laughing uncontrollably.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Elizaveta complained.
"Oh! You're here, Veta?" Antonio exclaimed as if he just noticed her.
"Don't act dumb, Tony…" she sneered, "All of us know you're notthatdumb."
"Sorry, amiga!" he apologized, "Did you want something?"
Elizaveta raised and eyebrow, "What did you just tell Gil? And why the hell is he laughing his ass off?"
"Oh…" Antonio began, "Well... I guess you could say I told him that my love life just got a bit interesting…"
He winked at her and her eyes grew wide. "You better tell me everything that happens between you and whoever it is or I will castrate you!" she threatened, barring her teeth at him.
Gilbert leisurely put his hand around her shoulders. "Chill, Veta…" he crooned, "Vhy are ya so interested in this anyway?"
Elizaveta looked at him with eyes that sent shivers down any man's spine. "Don't ask…" she warned him, motioning for a beer Antonio put in front of her, "Let's just assume that ever since I started dating a certain man I could never look at any other man the same way…"
Roderich cringed, feeling that she was referring to him. He cleared his throat and grabbed the other mug of beer Antonio prepared.
"Elizaveta!" he mentally screamed, "I thought we discussed this! There is nothing amusing about a man preferring other men!"
"So, Veta…" Gilbert interrupted, leaning on the counter, "Care to tell me and Roddy here about what's happening between Vash and our Princess?"
Roderich inched closer, expecting Elizaveta to finally answer their question from earlier. Antonio also leaned in, his attention caught by the words Gilbert just uttered. Elizaveta took a swig of her beer then started to tell them what happened.
She told them about Lili's embarrassing entrance during the knighting ceremony, ignoring the peals of laughter from Gilbert and Antonio. She described how romantic it felt when Vash helped Lili up from the floor and led her towards the King and Queen.
"Kesesesesese! So that's what happened!"
"Shut up, Gil! I'm just getting to the good part!"
She then proceeded to the incident in the Princess' bedroom. She told them how Lili was only wearing her underwear and corset when Vash unexpectedly strode into the room, unaware of what state the Princess was in. She told them about how funny he looked when he finally realized that he entered at a bad time. The three men laughed when Elizaveta described Vash's silliness as he tried to leave the room as quickly as possible, his face a crimson red.
"You should've seen Vash's face when he saw Lili on the bed! He was as red as one of Antonio's tomatoes!"
"Was he that red? My tomatoes are known as the reddest in the kingdom!"
"I assure you, Tony… He was that red!"
"I never thought there was a day when Vash would forget his manners… For him to walk into a room like that without knocking, it's so unlike him."
"You got a point, Roddy… Kesesesese! So Mister I-Always-Know-What-I'm-Doing isn't always so hot, huh?"
The drunken albino laughed heartily at his own joke, pounding his fists on the long wooden table. Elizaveta took a swig of her beer and slammed the mug on the table, laughing. The brunette just looked at them, pushed his glasses up his nose, and quietly giggled. Antonio was smiling like an idiot as he and Gilbert put their arms on each other's shoulders.
And that's how the four spent the night, laughing and talking about the innocent Princess and the slightly awkward knight. After a few short hours and a couple dozen drinks, Gilbert and Elizaveta were completely intoxicated. Roderich, who only drunk one mug of beer, felt only a bit light-headed.
"Ugh…" Elizaveta grunted, "Antonio… Is your cousin Laura here? I think I'll just go back with her…"
"Si, she's in the kitchen…" Antonio replied, "I'll go ahead and tell her."
"E-Elizaveta, I'll think I'll go now…" Roderich announced, getting up from his chair.
Elizaveta quickly grabbed his shoulder and gripped it tightly. "Not so fast, Roddy…"
Roderich turned and she pointed towards Gilbert who was declaring his awesomeness at one corner of the pub. He blushed, his eyes widening. "You don't mean I-"
"Take Mister Awesome here home," she said, "I'm sure you'll have no trouble in doing that, right?"
Roderich sighed. He wanted to protest and say he was too drunk to help the man home, but that would mean going against his principles and lying to a drunken woman. In the end, he gave up and walked towards Gilbert.
"Enough of this nonsense, Gilbert!" he demanded, "Let's go home!"
Gilbert looked at him and smirked, sending invisible electric currents up his back. "Who says I'm gonna listen to you, prinzessin?" he challenged, pulling him closer by the hip.
Roderich huffed, furious at the taller man's behavior. "Let go of me this instant, Gilbert!" he yelled, kicking him.
Gilbert released him, laughing. Roderich just stared at him, nostrils flaring. "Gilbert, you're obviously drunk and I am taking you home!" he declared.
Standing up, he grabbed the albino's arm and practically dragged him out of the pub. Elizaveta, who was silently watching from the counter, waved a small piece of cloth in the air as if to cheer Roderich on. When the men had left, she fell fast asleep. A woman with short blonde hair arrived later on and carried her on her shoulders.
"Gilbert, you're heavy…"
"Nein… Ich bien awesome!"
Roderich rolled his eyes. Gilbert had declared himself awesome for nearly an hour now as the two of them staggered through the town's square. As Roderich held Gilbert's arm in place over his shoulders, he could not ignore the stench of alcohol that hung unto Gilbert's clothes or the fact that albino's face was pressing against his cheek.
"Get yourself together, Roderich. You just need to get him back to the knight's quarters in the castle. That's only about thirty minutes away… Endure this."
"Ich liebe dich, prinzessin…"
Roderich's eyes widened at what the man had just uttered. He glanced at the albino's face and he could see he was staring right at hi with those scarlet eyes of his. He could feel a blush creep up his face as he quickly turned away; hoping Gilbert didn't see his reaction in the dim light of the moon.
"You're drunk, Gilbert. Stop sprouting all this stupid nonsense…"
He kept his eyes on the ground, his heart thumping as he felt the man's cold breathe on his nape.
"I might be drunk Roddy, but I'm not crazy…"
"Shut up already."
"Ya know, a friend of mine once told me that people speak the truth when they're drunk. Do ya believe that?"
Roderich could feel his heart pound loudly against his chest. Gilbert sure picked the wrong time to sweep him off his feet. Could the albino just shut up and let him carry him home in peace?
"No, I don't. Now go to sleep so I can carry you home quietly."
Gilbert was silence for a while, making Roderich sigh in relief. Maybe he finally listened to him and was sleeping soundly against his shoulder. Unfortunately for the brunette, Gilbert had other plans. He used all his remaining strength to push Roderich down on the cobblestone road.
Roderich felt a sharp pain as he fell forward, his glasses flying off into the darkness. Gilbert was on top of him, supporting his body with one hand beside Roderich. He smirked, stroke that unruly curl on the latter's head, and kissed him.
Roderich felt fireworks go off inside his head as Gilbert's tongue intertwined with his. He felt his arms going around the albino's body pulling him closer. He felt so lost in that drunken man's arms, albeit confused as to how it turned out that way.
"Fate is a cruel mistress. This was not what I imagined would happen when I agreed to go drinking with Elizaveta. This was far from what I imagined."
When Gilbert finally broke the kiss, he stood up and offered Roderich his hand. The shorter man reluctantly accepted it, looking at the ground to hide the fierce blush on his face.
Gilbert pulled him close and whispered in his ear. "Let's go home, prinzessin…"
(And somewhere in the corner, Hungary is squealing her heart out! She's very proud of Little Roddy right now!)
Kasumi Note: Sorry for the late update and the short(?) chapter. I wish I could give you more but my internet is currently dead and my Mom is too cheap to buy me one of those USB-stick-thingies that give you access to the internet. Well, even though I won't be able to give the third chapter for a while, I was hoping you'll settle for this one instead. Thank you for your patience and I promise to reward you with a good third chapter!
By the way, the song Lili sang to herself is "Safe and Sound" by: Taylor Swift. To those who haven't heard it yet, I suggest you do. It's a really nice song and it's what inspired me to write this fic. So if you have time, listen to it on youtube, kay?