Chapter Four
And At Sweet Night You Are My Own
Iceland wasn't sure what he was doing here. It had been a stupid idea when he had first thought it up, so why he decided there was a need to follow through on it, nobody could really know. Regardless of the circumstances, there was no changing the fact that the small nation was now standing in the backyard of a certain large mansion he had visited only a couple times before. The night time dew had turned his shoes damp as he walked around the large home. It was late enough that all the lights were off in the home, leaving it, and the outside area surrounding it, dark.
The longer Iceland stood there, the more he realized how stupid this was. What had he even been thinking? In what book was sneaking into another country in the middle of the night so you could throw rocks or whatever at windows a good idea? There was no reason for him to be avoiding Switzerland, no matter how intimidating he may seem. He didn't even know which window was Liechtenstein's! He could easily throw a rock and end up waking her brother and then he would really be in trouble. While he didn't know what had been going through his mind to land him here, it didn't change the fact that he did want to see Liechtenstein and talk to her without the pressure of her brother hovering over him. Why he thought this would be a good way to go about that would remain a mystery.
He sighed and shook his head. There was no point in contemplating things that would never be answered, the point was that he was here now and he had to figure out what to do next. More specifically, which window belonged to Liechtenstein.
He knew her room was on the second floor, so that was a start. He wasn't sure which side of the house though and with little to no light to work with, he had to simply pray that he chose the right window.
Finding a handful of rocks in the garden that bordered the house, he stepped back, shuffling them nervously in his hand. He stared at the rows of windows on the second floor, three on this side. He could just barely make out curtains on one so he decided to go with that.
He could only trust he was right.
Pouring the rocks into his left hand, he took one in his right and threw it gently at the window. It didn't even reach the house.
Shifting slightly closer, he threw the next rock a little harder. It hit this time, but missed the window, hitting the brick beside it.
He started growing frustrated as his next three tosses missed as well. Had he always been this bad of a shot? Perhaps he should have brought Finland with him. Granted his expert shot was with a gun, Iceland wasn't sure what his throwing was like and a gun would have been far too extreme in this situation.
Blaming his nerves for his poor aim, he threw another rock, gasping when he heard the tap of its contact with glass. He waited with bated breath, for a sound, a light, anything. There was nothing.
Letting his breath out slowly, he cautiously threw another. Again it hit. Again there was nothing.
Five rocks later, with only three of them hitting, a light flickered on. It was dim, leading Iceland to believe that it was a nightlight or bedside lamp that had been turned on. Suddenly he realized that if he had gotten the wrong window and ended up waking Switzerland, the last thing he wanted was to be standing in the middle of the man's back hard looking as guilty as a child with their hand in the cookie jar. Backing away from the house, he stood under the shade of a nearby tree, hoping it was too dark for him to be seen.
When there was no movement from the room, he decided to try another pebble. Throwing it a little harder than before, he was almost elated when it hit the glass pane.
There were several moments where nothing happened. No breath, no air, no noise, no movement.
And finally, finally, a figure appeared at the window. There was a gentle sliding sound as it opened and Liechtenstein's sweet gentle voice called out into the darkness, whispered, but easily heard in the silence of the night.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Relief flooded over Iceland as he stepped away from the tree. "It's only me Liechtenstein," he called back quietly.
There was a gasp as she turned to face him, her figure silhouetted by the lamp's light. "Mr. Iceland. What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Let me go get Big Brother."
"No!" Iceland called quickly, stepping forward as if that would stop her. "Please, I just want to talk to you, nothing is wrong, I promise," he said.
Even in the darkness, Iceland could sense her uncertainty.
"Do you mind if I come in?" he asked.
She hesitated but then soon nodded and disappeared into the room once more, closing the window behind her.
He walked around to the front of the house where Liechtenstein opened the door moments later. She had turned on the foyer light, but as Iceland stepped inside, allowing her to close the door behind him, he could tell that she had left the rest of the house dark.
She wore a pale pink night gown and Iceland blushed slightly as he realized this, there was just something embarrassing about seeing her in her pajamas, even if they were in no way revealing. It was strangely intimate and something he was in no way prepared for. Her hair was a little mussed and she looked tired. He instantly regretted waking her, but part of him found that she was incredibly cute and endearing in such a state. He wanted to tuck her back into bed and stroke her hair until she fell back asleep in his arms. It was a silly urge and easy to resist, but it was there all the same.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Iceland?" she asked, rubbing her eyes as she yawned.
That was a question he wasn't sure how to answer, so after a few moments he went with the truth, as silly as it seemed. "I wanted to see you," he said.
She blinked slightly. "You could have come tomorrow." It wasn't condescending or angry, it was simply an observation.
"Yes well…" he sighed. "I wanted to talk to you without your brother for a little bit," he said finally, hoping the comment wouldn't offend her.
She tilted her head in confusion. "Why?" she asked.
For someone so strangely innocent she could be frustrating.
"Because… Well, I don't think he really approves of me and I would like to get to know you without him breathing down my neck."
He was being strangely honest tonight.
She was silent for a long moment and Iceland was worried that he might have upset her.
"I understand," she said finally. "Switzy can be intimidating at times. It would be nice to talk to you when you are more relaxed Mr. Iceland," she said with a light smile.
With these words, Iceland relaxed considerably. He hadn't even realized how tense he really was. It wasn't like him to care so much, usually, he was fairly blasé about most things. Liechtenstein was clearly having a bigger effect on him than even he expected.
"Why don't we go up to your room?" he asked, his voice came out a little more nervous than he wanted. "There's no use in standing around here, and we don't want to risk waking Switzerland."
Liechtenstein nodded. "You must be quiet though, Big Brother is a very light sleeper," she said, leading the way carefully out of the foyer and back up the stairs.
With the door closed safely behind them, Iceland was allowed to look around the spacious room that Liechtenstein called her own. It was simple, a couple shelves, a desk, a large bed with a large chest at the foot of it and a night stand, a pair of doors he assumed opened to a closet he could imagine being filled with simple yet elegant dresses, and another door across from the bed that he figured led to the bathroom. All in all, the whole place was neat and surprisingly plain, though obviously a girl's room.
Liechtenstein took a seat on the edge of her unmade bed and Iceland took the seat at the desk. He noticed that she looked a little shocked, did she expect him to sit with her? He wasn't sure if that was something he could handle or would be advisable right now.
"How was your day?" he asked, starting the conversation quickly.
"It was very nice," she answered. "Big Brother and I went on a picnic since it was such a nice day and then we had lessons and I did some sewing."
Iceland nodded. "That sounds pleasant."
"How was your day?" she asked.
"Nothing special," he answered. "Norway was being a bother as always, I spent some time by the ocean for a bit, hanging out with Mr. Puffin." He wasn't about to admit that that was what took up the majority of his day. Sometimes he needed a break from the rest of the Nordics who seemed to be showing up at his house more often now with no explanation.
"That sounds wonderful, I bet the ocean is beautiful from your house."
He shrugged. "It's the same as the ocean anywhere else."
"I've only seen it a couple times when I joined Big Brother for meetings at places like Mr. Italy's house," she said.
Sometimes, as an island nation, he forgot that Liechtenstein was landlocked, even if that was one of the main reasons Switzerland was not happy about his interest in the girl.
"When you come to visit you'll see it," he said, wishing he could use sometime more poetic. Still, these words seem to light up her eyes. It was fascinating how easily she could see everything in beauty and wonder.
The next hour or so was filled with whispered conversation, talking about nothing at all, simple and casual, as if it wasn't the middle of the night and Iceland hadn't snuck in without Switzerland's knowing.
Iceland felt like such a child. All they needed was a flashlight and to hide under the covers while their parents believed them to be asleep.
Liechtenstein's occasional giggle didn't help with this and Iceland soon realized that he didn't mind.
At some point, Iceland hand moved to sit with her on the edge of the bed, sitting a little closer to her than was probably necessary.
"What's your favorite memory?" he asked.
She tilted her head at the strange question but then looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Probably when Big Brother found me. I was all alone and just as small. I was suffering from poverty at the time and just when I was sure I wasn't going to make it anymore, Switzy found me during a rainstorm, soaking and tattered in an alleyway. I was so lost and afraid and it came up to me and asked if I was alright. He even asked if I realized if it was raining." She chuckled, the question seemed so silly now that she thought about it. "Then he took me to his home and fed me and adopted me as his little sister. It wasn't until later that I found out that he didn't even have food for himself at the time."
Iceland listened closely, a little shocked. He realized he knew very little about Liechtenstein's history and how she came to live with Switzerland. It was sad and heartwarming at the same time. Who knew Switzerland could be that type of person to go out of his way like to help a dying country when he could barely take care of himself.
Iceland thought about his own answer even though she didn't ask, he knew she wanted to hear it. He was tempted to say meeting her for the first time, their first 'date' when Switzerland took them out for ice cream, but he quickly realized that that wasn't true, as much as he wanted it to be, that wasn't his favorite memory.
"My favorite memory… well I don't really remember it much, but I was very young, it was the dead of winter and the snow was deep so it was hard for me to walk. I remember that it was very cold and that I loved to watch my breath make clouds in the air. Denmark was there, and so was Norway. It was a clear night and we had walked out to a clearing when Denmark lifted me up onto his shoulders to watch the Northern Lights. I know I had seen them before hand, but this is my first memory of them. I forgot all about making clouds and shapes with my breath and watched the greens and blues dance across the sky. I reached up, higher and higher, trying to catch the light in my hand, to bring it home with me and keep it forever. Nobody said anything, we just watched the movement of the lights as if it was a show just for us. It was peaceful and as I grew older, they became my lights, the lights that shone over the snow of my land. It was such a simple yet powerful feeling to grow up and never have them change, to know that they stayed with me since that night. It's nice to remember such a gentle moment with Denmark and Norge, back when there was so much fighting going on. You can't tell them, but I like to go out to that spot every year in the winter, when the skies are clear and watch them."
She sat in raptured silence and after she gave him a moment to add anything more if he wanted to she finally whispered. "That was beautiful."
"You're beautiful," he said in response. He internally screamed at himself for such a terrible reply, but laid off a bit when he noticed her blush and smile.
` "That is very nice of you to say Iceland," she said softly, finding an interest in her bed sheets to avoid looking at him.
Finally, she looked up, her cheeks still brushed with pink.
"Liechtenstein, may we try something?" Iceland asked, nerves quickly building as the idea that had been stirring around in his head, finally started to take flight.
"Sure…." Liechtenstein answered slowly.
He lifted a hand to her and moved a little closer until their legs were touching.
She took it, tilting her head curious as to what he wanted to do. Her innocence made him all the more flustered.
"Before we… do anything I want you to know that you can stop or pull away whenever you want."
She nodded.
Letting out a slow breath he raised his other hand to her cheek and swallowing he leaned in. He saw the realization dawn on her just as he closed his eyes.
The moment their lips met was nothing fantastic. There was no heat, no fireworks, no passion or need. It was nothing like you saw in the movies. Neither of them parted their lips, and neither of them dared to move until they pulled away again.
Still, both their faces were flushed, their breath a touch faster than normal. It wasn't tense even if it had been a little bit awkward. Iceland swallowed again as he pulled his hands away. There was an odd silence as neither of them really knew what to say. Was that good? They both knew that it wasn't anything particularly special. Really, Iceland welcomed the silence, it allowed him to get his thoughts in order, and anything was better than Liechtenstein shunning and pushing him away. He had to take this silence as a good sign.
Finally he stood. "I should go before your brother wakes up," he said, still a little flustered.
The broken silence seemed to relax Liechtenstein from whatever trance she had fallen into and she nodded. "Of course," she said, and Iceland could have sworn there was a hint of disappointment there.
"Promise me something Liechtenstein," he said as they stopped at her door.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Promise that you won't tell your brother about this. I would like to see you again."
She looked uncertain for a moment but soon gave a firm nod. "I promise Iceland." Dropping the formalities had become more common as they talked through the night and Iceland considered it a step in the right direction.
He nodded, wished her good night and left the house as silently as possible. No, the kiss had not been anything spectacular, far from it, but Iceland realized, as he made his way back home, that he would do it again in a heartbeat.
