Wow. It's not often I wake up without any aches and pains. At my age, it's practically a miracle. Considering the day I had yesterday, I'm amazed. This is nice. I got out of bed, cracked my window, and crawled right back in. That fresh air and that warm sun were always such a nice combination. It made me hopeful for what the day had for me, curious about who I'll meet, where I'll go. Right then and there, I felt completely at peace.
Crrreeeeaakkk...
"Terra?" a soft voice broke the silence, "Are you awake, cheri?"
I couldn't hold back a smile if I wanted to, "Oui, Papa."
"Could I come in?" he asked, keeping his voice down.
"Of course," I moved over, making space for him on my bed, "Is everything ok?"
"About yesterday," France began, taking a seat next to me, "With you and Russia...I mean...You can't blame me for being a little protective of you, can you? Papa doesn't want anything bad to happen to his little girl. You're very precious to me."
I cuddled into France's lap, "It's ok, Papa. I understand. Just be a bit nicer to Russia. He really is a big sweetheart."
"Gladly," he draped an arm over me, "Especially if it means making you happy. I want nothing more for you."
"Thank you," I wrapped my arms around him, getting a kiss on my head in return.
"My pleasure," France held me against his chest, running his fingers up and down my spine. If I'm not careful, I may fall back asleep.
"Papa," I let out a tiny yawn, "I'm kind of hungry."
"Well then," he helped me up, "Why don't we go downstairs and get some breakfast? Before your father does something ridiculous like try to cook."
"Is Britain's cooking really as bad as everyone says?" I wondered, slipping my hand into his, "Or has everybody just been over exaggerating?"
"It is," France confirmed, "Have you ever heard of Chernobyl?"
"Yeah."
"Britain went to Russia's house and offered to cook," he explained, "To this day, Russia regrets letting Britain turn his oven on. To save face for Britain, Russia just called it a nuclear reactor meltdown."
"Yikes." I guess it is as bad as everyone says.
France and I went downstairs into the dining room and what I saw I wasn't expecting. And I don't think France did either. A little kid in a sailor suit stood rocking back and forth on his heels. Almost as if he was waiting for someone. To be honest, though, he looked like someone shrank Britain. Or at least turned the clock back a few centuries. France stood back and let me handle it.
"Excuse me," I walked over to him, "Are you looking for someone?"
"Hi!" Oh my God...One word. That's all it took. One word and the most beautiful and innocent smile and I'm in love.
"Aww!" I gushed, "I'm sorry. I know we just met, but can I hug you?"
"Sure," he allowed, "Are you new here?"
"I am," I wrapped my arms around him, cradling this little angel against my chest. I love him, "Does your mommy or daddy know you're here?"
"How young do you think I am?" the little peanut in my arms squeaked. Looks like Britain. Quick tempered like Britain. He had to be a country. And I can just about imagine where he came from.
"Bonjour, Sealand," France greeted him.
"France?" he gave him a look, "What are you doing here? I thought Brother hated you."
"I live here," France explained, "Did you recently escape Berwald's basement?"
"Shut up, you frog!" he snapped. Oh, yeah. There's no way he didn't come from Britain in one way or another.
"I really did raise you well, didn't I, Peter?" Speak of the British devil, "What are you doing here, Sealand?"
"I need your help," he requested, "You're pretty big on the world council, right?"
"I have been," Britain confirmed, catching a glimpse of me out of the corner of his eye, "Hold that thought. Good morning, Terra."
"Good morning, Britain," I smiled, keeping a hold of the little one.
"I see you've met your little brother," he pointed out.
"Brother?" I wondered.
"That's right!" I want to keep him, "I'm Sealand! I used to be a British naval base, but now, I'm my own country!"
"Settle down, Sealand," Britain kept him in line, "You're a micronation. I wouldn't call you a full-blown country. This is your new big sister, Terra."
"Are you a micronation, too?" Sealand asked me, "Because if you are, I have a support group you can join!"
"No," I shook my head, "I'm not. I'm sorry."
"Oh," he pouted, "Great. Someone new that's already a full-fledged country. Bollocks..."
"Sealand!" Britain scolded him, "Why are you here? What do you want?"
"Micronations deserve a seat at the world meetings!" Sealand whined, "Why can't we come and play with you guys, too?"
"I've told you this before," Britain rolled his eyes, taking a seat at the dining room table, "You're still too little. When you get a little bigger, a little older, then we can talk about you getting a seat at world meetings. Until then, you have to settle with the newsletter."
"I don't even get the newsletter! Come on, Britain!"
"Really?" Britain wondered, "I really need to get a better secretary, don't I? Regardless, you still can't have a seat at the world meetings. Unless Sweden brings you along and even that may be iffy."
"Who's Sweden?" I wondered.
"He's who I live with," Sealand grumbled.
"Sealand is saved in Sweden's phone as Mail-Order Son," France teased.
"I am not!"
"Yes, you are," Britain nodded, "Sorry, Sealand."
"Sweden bought the rights to Sealand on e-Bay," France filled me in, "What was it, Sealand? Six hundred million pounds?"
"WAHHH!" Sealand buried his face in my shoulder, "Terra! Britain and France are being mean to me!"
"Aww..." I melted, hugging him tight, "It's alright, sweetie. Tell you what. From now on, you no longer belong to whoever this Sweden guy is. I'm keeping you. You're mine. I don't care if I have to fight him for you."
"He won't put up much of a fight," Britain assumed, "Sweden may be an ally, but it's also Sealand."
"Britain!" I snapped, glaring a hole through him, "Sealand's got enough of a complex as it is. Leave him alone."
"Thank you, Terra," Sealand smiled up at me.
"I don't think you realize what you're getting into, Terra," France warned me, "You're still just a baby yourself. You don't need to be taking on new territories."
"He wouldn't be my territory," I assured, kissing Sealand's little, round cheek, "He'd be my equal. The way it should be with all of you, but heaven forbid. Egos get in the way. Come on, Sealand. Let's go have fun. Just the two of us."
"Yeah!" Sealand didn't think twice. But then, his infectious energy started to drop, "I have to ask Sweden first. He gets angry with me when I don't tell him where I am."
"Alright," I nodded, "Then, let's go pay Sweden a visit, yeah? Seems easy."
"Be careful, Terra," Britain and I exchanged kisses, "Sweden has a bit of a stick up his ass."
"But he calls said stick Finland," France giggled, "Then again, maybe if Sweden had a little more of that stick, he'd be more pleasant."
"Oh, hush," I gave him a little shove, "Come on, Sealand. Let's go pay Sweden a visit."
"Ok!"
And so, my new little friend Sealand and I took off for wherever this Sweden guy lived. If I have to, I'm going to give him what for. Sealand deserved the world. Besides, he was just a kid. It's a shame he's been shuffled around so much. He's so damn cute! I just want to keep him in my pocket. When we walked up to a big, wraparound porch, Sealand pushed the door open. Was this Sweden's house? Not bad.
"Sweden!" Sealand called out, "I'm home! Where are you?"
"What do you want, Sealand?" a tall, angry blonde man walked down the stairs. That narrows it down, doesn't it? I've met far too many angry, blonde men since I've been here. Britain, Germany…This guy was somewhere in between Britain and Germany. I hate to say it, but damn, Germania got around, "And who is this?"
"This is Terra," Sealand introduced me, "Terra, this is Sweden. She's been staying with France and Britain lately."
"Another micronation?"
"No," he shook his head, "She's not a micronation."
"Although," I chimed in, "A lot of people seem to think I am."
"What are you then?" Sweden poked at me, "If you're not a micronation and you're not a country…"
"I'm just a friendly face passing through," I assured, "Nothing more. Nothing less."
"Terra and I are going to go play for the day," Sealand told him, "Is that ok?"
"Yes," Sweden spoke flatly, "Do what you will."
"Can she keep me?"
"No. I own you, Sealand. Run along and play."
Well. This guy is a regular barrel of monkeys, isn't he? Nevertheless, Sealand and I began our great, grand search for something fun. And I thought that, since it is such a nice, warm day, going to the beach didn't sound like a half bad idea. I could stand some time in the ocean with the sand between my toes. And who better to do that with than Sealand?
"So, Terra," Sealand started working on a sandcastle, but by the way he was drawing lines in the sand, he had more intentions of a sand fortress, "How did you come to end up with France and Britain?"
"It's a funny story," I started construction on the western wall, "I woke up in an alley in England with nothing on me. It was pouring rain. And the only one that had the decency of stopping to help me was France. He was already on his way to Britain's house, so he brought me along with him and I've been with them ever since. At first, Britain called me a stray, but he's warmed up to me, too."
"Why would no one stop and help you?" his heart broke, "You're so nice and so sweet."
"Thank you, Sealand," I smiled, "But some people are just jaded like that. Hopefully, that'll turn around one day, but unfortunately, that's wishful thinking. There are always going to be people in the world that are too stubborn to change even though they know what they're doing is wrong. It's truly a shame. But that's why we have to value the good people that are already here. Kind of like taking the good with the bad, you know?"
"I think so," Sealand came back around, putting up another tower, "It's kind of like how all the other countries are kind of jerks to the micronations just because we're little. The only one that can remotely relate to us is Canada. But that would mean someone had paid him any attention."
"Then, why don't you ask Canada for help?" I suggested, "I'm sure he could give you a little pull at the world meetings. Whatever they are."
"You don't know what the world meetings are?" he gave me a look, "You really are new here, aren't you?"
"Explain it to me like I don't."
"The world meetings are when all the countries come together," Sealand explained, "They discuss their politics, their current events, any sort of trades and alliances. It all happens there. It wouldn't surprise me if you've come up at one of them."
"I don't know," I shrugged, "I don't think so. France and Britain hardly let me out of their sight. Except for when they recently went on holiday together, but France said they went to the country for some quality alone time. And when they were gone, I stayed with Spain and Romano. I think they'd probably be there."
"Yeah," he nodded, "So, there hasn't been a world meeting in a while, then?"
"Probably not."
"Then, I could sneak into the next one!" Sealand's face lit up, "If you get an invitation to the next world meeting, Terra, could I come with you?"
"I don't know, Sealand," I had to side with France and Britain on this one. Sealand was just a kid. Then again, maybe he could give a fresh perspective. He will be a full-fledged country one day, "I doubt that I have any pull."
"Aww…" he pouted, "Come on! I want to be in the world meetings, too!"
Sealand was still just a kid, "You probably wouldn't want to be in those world meetings anyway. A bunch of boring, old countries sitting around complaining about the others. Do you really want to be in on that?"
"I guess not…" Sealand came around.
"Can I just keep you?" I threw my arms around him, "We don't have to tell Sweden. You can be unofficially mine."
"Of course!"
Yeah. I'm keeping him. We finished our castle and splashed around in the water for a while. Lightly sunburned and tired, I carried a sleeping Sealand on my back and brought him back to Sweden's house. He's all tuckered out. In his defense, we had a big day. Between all the running around on the beach and all the swimming we did, I'd be tired, too. I tucked him into bed before Sweden even realized I was there. Good night, my little micronation friend.
A/N: So, hi! Sealand. Sealand is such a sweetie. I love him like I love Italy. I think of them the same way. They both have that sort of air of innocence about them. But! Now, Terra knows about the world meetings. Could that mean there's a world meeting coming up soon? Actually, there is going to be a world meeting coming up soon. That's something to look forward to. That's going to be a delightful world meeting. I do have a few things I want to button up before I drop the world meeting, but all that aside, do you know what else today is?
It's the obvious. It's Valentine's Day. In all honesty, it would've been a good idea to do a special with France, but I had no idea it was Valentine's Day until this morning. My days have been blurring together lately. Nevertheless, I do have a sort of special themed question for you this week around. If you have to have a one-night stand (because, let's be honest, Valentine's Day is the hotbed for one-night stands) with ANY country, who would you pick? The answer for me is obvious. I'm sorry. But France. France has a very special place in my heart and I feel like he wouldn't allow it to be a one-night stand. France would call in the morning. Or roll over in the morning and ask me if I wanted breakfast. Because THAT'S THE KIND OF GUY FRANCIS BONNEFOY IS. He's so sweet. I love him. Or I have him built entirely different in my mind than what he is in canon. Either way, I'm taking France. See you next chapter! xx