Hello! Here is the chapter, as promised...yes it is late. I apologize for that and the author's note-I really did not want to include that. -_- So, here is the chapter with a cliffhanger and another chapter planned for late Wednesday. Have a wonderful time reading and please do R&R before you go so I may improve and be overjoyed. ^^ Thanks!
The Maple Leaf Crown Chapter 10: Visits and Interruptions
Once again soft light fell through the lace curtains by Liechtenstein's bed, but something was different. A loud giggling interrupted her pleasant dream as she rolled over to avoid it. The noise continued, forcing her to cover her head with a pillow. All sound stopped immediately as a feeling of nervousness crept into her sleep-fogged mind. *yank* Her bed went flying into the air, with Liechtenstein wide awake on top of it. A small squeak came from her mouth as the mattress met the ground with a hard plop.
"What was that noise?" Canada comes running into the room, only to see his brother standing victorious over a slightly shaking Liechtenstein. He sighed, grabbed his brother by the arm, and drug him out-closing the door with a loud snap behind him. The female nation stood quickly and fixed her bed the best she could. It was not the best she's done, but it would have to do.
The kitchen had an interesting aroma….a mix between maple syrup and buttery pancakes with frosting covered donuts and fresh squeezed orange juice. She walked in to see the brothers cooking side by side, one clearing more annoyed than the other. America scolded Canada as he poured a whole container of syrup on his pancakes, rolling his eyes when he got a tongue out. Liechtenstein giggled from the doorway, alerting them to her presence. All arguing stopped immediately as she stepped in the room, yawning slightly.
"Guten morgen. Did you forget to wake me up so I could help with breakfast?" The female nation made eye contact with a chagrined Canada, but America immediately moved to hug her in a death grip. The air was squeezed out of her lungs way faster than humanly possible.
Another pair of arms rescued Liechtenstein and placed her safely on a kitchen stool.
"I believe you have something to say to Liechtenstein." Canada crossed his arms over his chest as he stood protectively over her stool, nodding towards the girl underneath him. His brother sighed in a dramatic way and dropped to both knees in front of her.
"I am sorry for yanking your mattress out from under you earlier this morning. I should have waited longer before going to extreme measures, will you forgive me?" The speech sounded practiced as his voice sounded insincere. His eyes sparkled with mischief and Liechtenstein did not believe the apology for a single moment. The force behind her grunted with acceptance and moved back to its seat, only to be tripped by the American nation. A single glare and a full on wrestling match took place right on the kitchen floor. She watched the match with amusement for a moment before getting a plate of food and started to eat from her safe vantage point.
Having been finished with breakfast for a good hour, Liechtenstein sat in her favorite chair by the front door and started a new embroidery pattern. Delicate cream strands of snow flew across sharper shades of pale blue sky. She placed the final stitch of cream snow as the doorbell rang. The loud and quiet mix of conversation was still prevailing in the kitchen, just loud enough to cover the sound of the bell. Placing her embroidery carefully off to the side, she stood and answered the door. Cold wind blew into the house but its chill was forgotten when she saw Germany at the front door. He stood perfectly erect and straight, allowing barely a soft smile to grace his features when he saw the girl in front of him.
"Guten morgen Liechtenstein, may I come in to speak with your guardian?" An auburn head of hair peaked out from his left shoulder as a head of black hair popped out from the other side. Pinching his nose in frustration, Germany corrected his statement. "May Italy, Japan and I come in? Sorry, I was expecting to
come ALONE." He glared over his shoulders to the sheepish nations behind him. Japan formally bowed to her, which she copied to the best of her abilities-having only met the man once in her life. The Japanese male gave her a small smile, so she assumed she did it correctly. Firming up her posture, she turned to face an excited Italian full on as he glomped her to the moon and back-the sheer strength nearly forcing her to the ground.
"Buon giorono bella! May we come inside before the pasta freezes? Please?" Flushing at her lack of manners, Liechtenstein moved gingerly from the clingy Italy to allow the other two in. She closed the door behind them and heard a large groan. Turning around quickly, she saw America and Canada already seated with a familiar looking mop of white hair. Prussia sprang up from the ground and clapped his angry brother on the shoulder. She watched the others sit down in various spots, all centered around the fire the Canadian nation must have started when she was talking to Germany.
"Bruder, vhy are you here? Actually, better yet…Italy!" Germany snapped his fingers at the rolling Italian, gaining immediate attention. Both Prussia and Italy saluted strong in front of the German, earning a loud snicker from America. Glaring at him, the German nation yanked up the protesting American nation and put him in the lineup-hand saluting with obvious reluctance.
"Now zhen, you three…children, need to place yourselves in a place I cannot see you while I talk with Canada! Go und play with each other in the backyard, and Japan…you are in charge of watching them so they behave. Understood?" Three voices yelled out confirmation as three pairs of feet thudded against the floor in an effort to get to the back door first. Somewhere a door slammed with great force and muffled yelling could be heard in almost perfect clarity. Japan gracefully stood from his comfortable chair and slipped after them. The yelling stopped as the door softly closed behind, bring Liechtenstein's attention fully back to the silent nations staring at each other.
"What do you wish to talk about?" Canada's soft voice, literally opposite than the German's commanding and loud one, drew attention to his almost ghost-like appearance. The fire seemed to flicker through him instead of around him, causing Germany to blink a few times to make sure he was still there. Intrigued, Liechtenstein sat down in her favorite chair and studied her guardian with intelligent eyes. His pale skin and hair led to speculations about his invisibility…..was he just so pale that other countries believed him to be a ghost? However, Canada's tall stature and lithe build surely would make him stand out among the others.
"I came to discuss your obvious attraction to the girl here, and its implications…." Germany lowered his voice and leaned forward to talk, gesturing for Canada to do the same. Tuning them out completely, Liechtenstein continued to stare at her guardian in sweet consideration. His hair was like France's, just as her's was like her big bruders, and had a cute little curl swinging cheerfully out of it. Was that not clear enough, or did they simply not look for him? A calm presence at a World meeting had to be appreciated, compared to the other louder and more aggressively opinionated nations. He was very kind, especially offering to take her in without any sort of hidden agenda or reason, and never raised his voice against anyone…..except America. The female nation sighed, and tried to concentrate once again on her embroidery-stitching tiny details onto the icy blue backdrop. However, her eyes were drawn from her work to admire the way the flames danced off his violet eyes and the flush the flames brought to his cheeks.
"Who are you and why are you staring at…whoever he is?" Kumajiro climbed onto the female country's lap after his loud question, startling her. A blush rose to her cheeks, quickly spreading all around her face. She had not realized that she had been staring for such a long time. Liechtenstein looked up and noticed two pairs of eyes watching her very closely-making the blush worsen. A chuckle came from Germany's throat as he watched Canada flush a little more at her blush. It was quite clear that Canada did not have one sided feelings, even if Liechtenstein had not even realized hers yet. The guardian thing could be taken care of...later.
"Her expression tells me everything I need to know. Canada, do something about it! The threat can be dealt with later...hopefully." Germany stood up straight, saluted the stunned Canadian nation with a small smirk, and gave Liechtenstein a very light hug. He could literally feel the heat radiating off her cheeks as he lightly squeezed her. Once again straightening up, Germany opened the front door and called for his friends. The back door whooshed open as Japan silently walked by with a small bow of the head to the red occupants. Italy winked at both of them before quickly attaching himself to Japan and Germany with a loud yell. Prussia laughed at his friend's flushed face and whispered in his ear, making poor Canada turn a firetruck red. The front door slammed shut and the house was quiet once again. Canada softly cleared his throat before making his way to Liechtenstein's seated form.
"Um…Liechtenstein, would you do the honor of being my-THE HERO IS BACK!" America's deafening voice interrupted Canada's sentence with utter disregard. The interrupted nation frowned and stood up slowly. The fire went out with a slippery hiss as a hand covered Liechtenstein's widened eyes. The silence stretched until…
"Dude…I am so sorry. It won't happen again." America apologized and Liechtenstein could hear a faint click as a bedroom door opened and closed again. The room instantly warmed up again as flames could be heard spluttering and sputtering back into existence. The large hand covering her eyes shifted, causing her blush to spring back up in a way that confused her. As if feeling the heat, the hand immediately drew back and she could once again see her guardian standing in front of her.
"Before I was interrupted, I meant to ask if you would do the honor of becoming-CANADA! Swiss is on the phone!" Face palming in defeat and anger, Canada gestured his brother forward and put the phone to his ear-not once shifting from his position directly in front of Liechtenstein. The female nation and actually serious-looking American nation leaned forward as Canada greeted her big bruder with a firm 'hello'.
The End of Chapter10I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R&R before you go as always. Thank you so much for reading thus far, and thanks for any review you may give me. See you next time!
~gabbysqueek~