Kasumi Note: Okay, chapter three is finally out after what seemed like an eternity of writing it. I got writer's block after writing chapter two, so I had to ponder for a while on how to start this chapter. I hope you guys didn't get bored of waiting, cause I really didn't mean to make you wait so long. And I'm sure some of you are guessing that I don't have a BETA. Your guess is right *sigh* I really don't have a BETA. So I hope you guys will forgive me if I've committed some grammatical errors! Gomen ne!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia and I'm pretty sure I won't own it any time soon. The plot and the fictional places are mine, though.
The first rays of dawn had started to filter through Princess Lili's bedroom window when the sleeping princess stirred awake. She had heard faint sounds of people arguing in the room beside her, something that caught her attention.
"Who could be arguing at this hour?" she asked herself as she gently wiped the traces of sleep from her face. She flung her feet off her bed and tossed her blanket aside. Slipping into her fluffy white slippers, she walked unsteadily over to the door.
Turning the knob, she took a peek outside and discovered her room was unguarded. She felt a pang of disappointment when she could see Vash was nowhere in sight. Nonetheless, she made her way to the room beside her.
Just as she was about to reach for the door, she heard her mother's voice say: "What do you think they are planning, Leonhard?"
Lili froze in front of the door, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. Elizaveta told her once that eavesdropping was bad, but she had no other choice.
"I myself am not sure what that despicable kingdom is planning, but as what I've heard from Queen François they are planning to raid our kingdom… " her father's voice replied.
Lili cringed. She wanted to barge into the room and demand her parents to explain everything she had heard, but that would mean confessing that she had eavesdropped on their conversation. She decided she'll just keep quiet and listen.
"We must act quickly, then! Those pirates may arrive at our docks sooner than expected!" Queen Elise panicked, pacing around their spacious bedroom.
"Do not fret, darling. The kingdom of Ciel is willing to assist us once they arrive at our shores." King Leonhard assured.
"Our little kingdom can't possibly stand against those pirates. The kingdom of Rouge can be so unruly! Why do they choose to include peaceful Eiweiß in their strife with Ciel?!"
"I'm sure their king, if Captain Arthur Kirkland can be called such, has some sort of evil plan in that tormented head of his…"
"That name! Don't you dare mention that ungrateful pirate's name! Arthur Kirkland! Just the mention of his name makes my blood boil!"
"Calm yourself, Elise. I know that he had been your student, and mine, once before… I just can't comprehend what lead him to live a pirate's life…"
Lili shivered at the though of her parents teaching Captain Kirkland, the most feared pirate in Rosaria. It must have taken her parents a week, at least, to contain that person in a room. She knew it was not n easy task to get Arthur Kirkland to listen to you.
As Lili stayed glued to her parents' bedroom door, her thoughts began wander about. She imagined what it was like to be teaching someone as notorious as Arthur Kirkland. She was lost in her own fantasies that she did not feel Elizaveta's presence behind her.
"Your highness…" she called, tapping her foot on the floor.
Lili quickly turned around, a blush creeping unto her face. "I hope Elizaveta didn't think I was eavesdropping on Mother and Father…"
"Oh! Good morning Miss Elizaveta! I'm sorry, I did not see you…" she answered.
Elizaveta raised an eyebrow, hands folded in front of her chest. Lili saw a frying pan was in her right hand and she gulped. Had Elizaveta caught her eavesdropping?
"I hope you were not doing what I think you were doing?" she asked, something menacing in her tone.
"W-What did you think I was doing?" Lili asked her back, pretending to be innocent.
Elizaveta rolled her eyes and grabbed the Princess' arm, leading her far from the Royal Couple's door. She then eyed the halls to see if anyone was approaching. Satisfied that no one was in sight, she turned to Lili.
"What did I teach you about eavesdropping, your Highness?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"Uhm… You told me not to do it?" she shrugged, shrinking away from Elizaveta's dominating presence.
Elizaveta nodded. "Good" she said, "I'll pretend I did not see you eavesdropping at your parent's door. So if you'll follow me, you have your fencing lessons…"
Lili meekly nodded. She followed two steps behind Elizaveta as the latter sashayed down the halls. She kept glancing back, half-expecting her parents to go out of their room. But the King and Queen were far too busy discussing the probability of a war to even think about going out.
"You're late, your Highness…" was the first thing Vash said when Lili approached him. He was clothed in a fencing suit, leaning on the fountain placed in the middle of the courtyard.
Lili shrugged, struggling to zip up her own fencing suit. "I-I'm really sorry, "she apologized, looking very sheepish, "I was. I was busy doing something. I didn't mean to make you wait, Mister Zwingli…"
Vash cleared his throat and stood erect. "It's fine, your Highness…" he assured her, "I did not wait long. And, I had some company to keep me distracted…"
Lili smiled, causing Vash to stare at the ground. The latter was never really good with women and girls. He probably wasn't really good with any female, as his horse tends to disobey him a lot.
"M-Moving on…" he began, "Let us start our lesson. Please put on you protective mask, your Highness. As your knight, I do not want to see you getting hurt…"
Lili did was told and covered her face. Both went into their fighting stance and seconds later, the sound of clashing blades filled the courtyard. Elizaveta stood at the sides, watching the fight. She smiled to herself, remembering the time she dressed as a man and joined the military.
"If the Princess was with me when I was in the military," she thought, "She would have been a formidable opponent…"
Her words were nothing but true. Princess Lili was small in stature, but she was agile. With every thrust of her saber, Vash would have trouble dodging. She controlled her blade with as much ease as a pianist moved his hands over piano keys.
"She's good…" Vash thought, trying to keep his pace.
Lili remained emotionless behind her mask. One strong thrust and she sent Vash crashing to the ground. Unfortunately, she did not notice that Vash had gripped her blade. So when he fell, she followed and lay right on top of him.
Vash turned red and it seemed like steam was escaping from his ear. Lili, too, lost her focus. She quickly removed her mask simultaneous with Vash. They bother stared at each other, green orbs meeting emerald ones.
"Ah, uhm, ahn…" Lili stuttered, her eyes swirling, "I-I-I… I'm uhm, I…"
Vash didn't say a word. He just sighed and looked at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Can't Lili stop stammering and just get off him?
As if she could read his mind, Lili began to slide off him. She knelt down next to him, muttering incomprehensible things that sounded like apologies. Her face was flushed and she kept staring at the ground, Vash doing the same.
"It seems like the Goddess of Love wants these two together…" she told herself, watching as Vash took Lili's hand and pulled her up. Something in the way Vash looked at Lili told Elizaveta that love was just around the corner.
Evening was drawing near and the sun had painted the sky a reddish orange hue. The street peddlers who were usually out until late midnight hurriedly gathered their goods and made fast towards their homes. A heavy mist enveloped the kingdom, making the desolate central square look even more desolate. All doors were locked and all windows were closed. No one stayed out on the streets.
The castle as well seemed oddly lifeless. Everyone spoke in hushed whispers, avoided eye contact with each other and hurriedly walked away the moment they were seen by a member of the royal family. Word had spread about the upcoming invasion of their humble kingdom making everyone jittery and nervous. To add to their anxiety, rumors of a possible treason circulated amongst the servants and knights. The people didn't know who they could trust anymore.
"Well, this is boring!" Elizaveta yawned, leaning into the kitchen counter. "Lili's fallen asleep, I can't go out cause the King says so, Gil's out on some errand and even Vladimir* decided to disappear today! Who am I supposed to talk to? Hell, even Roderich's off somewhere!"
The girl from the other side of the counter giggled."I'm still here…" she replied, "Or are you waiting for me to go off and disappear too?"
"Not funny, Laura…" Elizaveta sighed.
"Oh Veta… Still grumpy as always, I see…" Laura van Rijn joked, waving the spoon she had been holding at the other's face.
Elizaveta grumbled. "I'm not always grumpy… It's just this whole treason thing that's getting on my nerves. I mean, who would spread such lies?"
"The one who's planning to commit treason, that's who!" Laura replied, "He's spreading all there rumors to cause trouble within the castle. When he sees that everyone is distracted trying to find the traitor, bam! He launches the invasion!"
"Sound plausible…" Elizaveta murmured, sunk in thought. "But, who is the traitor?"
"That's the question…" came a voice from the door.
The girls turned to see Gilbert leaning by the kitchen door. He had the Cheshire cat's grin and an odd yellow bird decided to take refuge on his shoulder. As he strode towards Elizaveta, he picked up an apple from a nearby table and leisurely threw it in the air.
"And what're you doing here? I thought the King sent you off to the next village to do an errand." Elizaveta said, kicking one of the stools so it glided towards the albino.
"Well, I finished it quickly. There's nothing someone as awesome as me can't do!" he bragged, taking the stool. "So, about the traitor…"
"Do you know who it is?" Laura interrupted, leaning in with a bowl of dough still in her hand.
"No…" Gilbert replied.
Laura quickly leaned back, disappointed. "I thought you knew because you were acting so suspicious!" she whined.
"Laura, honey, Gil has always been suspicious. Trust me." Elizaveta joked, raising her eyebrow at Gil.
"Shut up!" Gilbert yelled, "Listen. I may not know who it is but I've got my suspicions…"
"But everyone has their suspicions… You're not the only one…" Elizaveta pointed out.
"Ah! But, Veta dear, unlike those idiots my suspicions are backed up by reliable sources…"
"Like who?"
"Take Antonio, for example. You do know what he was before he owned Casa de España?"
"I'm sure my cousin was a pirate. That was before…" Laura whispered making sure no one heard her, "Before that Captain Kirkland decided to burn his ship. I think he's still in contact with his former crew members, though."
"So? What's the connection with Antonio's former crew members to the traitor?" Elizaveta asked.
"Antonio's former crew happens to be working for Captain Kirkland…" Gilbert answered, "And those idiots are as loyal to Antonio as that bastard is loyal to his tomatoes..."
"And what did they say about the traitor?"
"They told me very valuable information…" Gilbert replied, "First of all, our traitor's no adult. He's a little kid. A kid younger than the Princess."
"A kid?!" the girls chorused, "Are you serious?!"
"Ja. The kid's got blue eyes, blonde hair and eyebrows that look like caterpillars." Gilbert continued.
"Do you think it's fair to just arrest some little kid for treason? I doubt that he even knows what he's doing!" Elizaveta started to complain, pushing herself away from the counter.
"Veta, please calm down!" Laura begged, placing her bowl on the counter, "Let Gilbert continue. I think he's not finished."
"Vhy don't ya wait?!" Gil called out, "I got another source to back me up!"
"Who?"
"The Prince of Ciel himself, Prince Francis Bonnefoy…" Gilbert replied, a grin spreading across his face.
"Francis?!" Laura cried in shock, "It's been a long time since he last talked to us! How'd you get him to leave his precious palace?"
"I didn't do anything. He just barged in at Antonio's yesterday, spouting all this nonsense like 'I have a little brother' and 'Mon dieu, why didn't maman tell me'. I thought he lost his mind or something. But then he saw me and called my name out so it was all good. He even ordered the usual red wine he used to order…" Gilbert recalled.
"What else did he do?" Elizaveta asked.
"He started telling me 'bout the treason the little kid's planning…" Gilbert continued, "He said the kid belongs to Captain Kirkland. Something he had when that bastard decided to have some fun with the women in Rouge. He said something about the kid wanting to be like his father. Poor boy thinks Kirkland's supposed to be his mentor and does whatever he says…"
"That includes infiltrating the palace and betraying the King…" Elizaveta interrupted.
"Ja… That sums it up…"
The room fell silent. Elizaveta silently shook her head at the ground, Laura trying to comfort her by rubbing her back. Gilbert just watched her carefully, analyzing what she would do next.
"So…" she finally said, "What's the boy's name?"
"Peter…" Gilbert replied. "Peter Kirkland…"
"You may come in now, Peter..." Queen Elise called.
The door to the Royal Library slowly opened, revealing a small boy the age of twelve dressed in a blue sailor's uniform. He held his blue hat within his hands and was nervously wringing it. As he walked towards the Queen's chair he kept his eyes fixated on the carpeted floor and never once raised his head, even while bowing.
"What did you call me for, your Majesty?"
"It's about this, Peter..." Elise began. She opened a small drawer from the right hand corner of her desk and brought out a crisp white envelope sealed with snowy wax. She held it up to the light to inspect its content then nodded when she saw they were all there. Gently, she took Peter's hand and placed the envelope there.
"May I ask what it is, your Majesty?"
"It's a letter for the King, my child. I trust you will be able to give it to him right now, yes?" Elise replied as she patted the boy's head with a warm smile. "I take it that you're not busy?"
"Oh, no, your Majesty! I was just wandering around the garden. I can definitely take this to King Leonhard…" Peter hurriedly replied, his eyes sparkling.
"Very good. Now go."
The lad excitedly put his hat back on and ran out of the library. The Queen just smiled after him, unaware that the letter was never able to reach King Leonhard.
When Peter noticed that he was a good distance from the library, he grinned and darted towards the courtyard. Hiding the letter in his shirt, he smiled and waved at the other servants who passed him by. He even stopped to talk with the grumpy old cook who just looked at him with disgust.
"Jolly good afternoon Mister Renwick! What're we having for supper tonight?"
"Gah! Off with you, little rascal. I have no time to talk with ya young 'uns!"
Peter giggled and continued to run. He hastily entered the house where the young servant were staying and directly went up to his room. Once there he locked the door and tried to catch his breath.
"I have the letter, Cap'n!" he gleefully announced, holding up the crumpled letter with pride.
"Very good, lad…" a man in a white dress shirt replied. He was seated rather arrogantly on the boy's bed with one foot over the other. A devilish grin was plastered on his face as he stretched out one laced finger at the boy and beckoned for him to come forward.
Peter did as was told and proceeded to move forward. He handed the letter to the older man whose grin widened as the gesture.
"You've done quite a good job, my boy!" he praised, "I reckon your father must be very proud of you."
"Is he really, Cap'n Kirkland? Oh, if only he could see me now!" Peter cried with joy.
The man's emerald eyes danced with warmth though his expression remained the same. With one gloved hand, he reached inside his pants' pocket and pulled out a small dagger. He ripped the envelope open and devoured its contents.
"I see. They don't seem to be very bright when it comes to war. All the more fun to see them in the battlefield…" he laughed to himself. He returned the dagger to its sheath and placed the papers in his coat.
"Cap'n…" Peter softly called out, "You're not gonna hurt the Queen, are ya? She's been real nice to me and a good lady like her doesn't deserve to die…"
Captain Arthur Kirkland smiled. The same smile he gave to all those children whose mothers he defiled and whose fathers he killed.
"Don't worry, pet…" he said affectionately, "I will spare her Highness…"
Peter sighed, relieved.
"For it brings me more pleasure to see her plead for her daughter's life than to see her beg for her own…"**
*Vladimir – it's the human name I gave to Romania. I just couldn't resist putting him in here!
**For it brings me… - it's italicized for a reason since it's only said in Arthur's thoughts and Peter never heard a word of it.
