[Part 2]

The Force

It all began on October of 1922. One year has passed since the separation. At first it made everyone empty, such a feeling when someone important is take away so suddenly, like a death in the family. It's like they were in mourning. Romano and Seborga kept their distance from Italy, as for a while he was cold and had a very short fuse. Maria kept away as well, though from time to time she would enter his room to bring him dinner. That all changed one day when Italy boss took her away.

Romano fought with harsh words, because that's what he does, to keep his niece at home, but in the end it failed and left him exhausted. She was taken to a whole new house, one only for her. Guards were posted at the door, keeping her from escaping.

Once Italy emerged from his room upon hearing the scuffle stop, his sight was Romano who was being looked after by Seborga. Both looked up at their brother and froze. His face no longer held anger or a cold nature, but that of a lost child.

"Where's my daughter?"

Both kept quiet for some time, before Feliciano asked again in a more forceful tone "Where is Maria?"

"She's gone. They took her away." Seborga answered, Romano looked at the ground. He felt as if he'd failed.

Italy began wailing and ran to the door, opening it and yelling some words neither could understand. After a few minutes of that, he gripped onto the doorframe, letting his head dangle and began sobbing.

"They took my Ludwig, now they take my daughter…" He wailed, then dropping to his knees and bring his fists to his eyes. Romano and Seborga watched in helplessness as their brother wept. How could they do anything? It wouldn't replace what had been lost, what had been taken.

It had been many long months of solitude in her new home. She kept the windows open some nights, letting the winds blow in and remind her of those nights long ago she would spend with her family, gazing at the stars. However, when her posted guards noticed the opened windows, they would shut and bolt them. How unfair was this? A young spirit being locked away for a reason she didn't know of.

Being alone for so long, she soon learned how to function as a lonely state. She would wake, cook her meals and eat alone. She would be allowed only a few hours outside, so she would garden bright colorful flowers in which she would then pick and put into nice vases on her table, trying her hardest to brighten the mood. It barely worked at all.

She felt herself growing, somehow. No longer just a young teenager, but now she figured the physical age of seventeen. How could this be? A nation only grows by its population, economic strength and relations with its neighboring nations. She didn't understand one bit.

That is, until 1926. Five years it had been, since she'd seen or heard from her family in the house of Italia. Now, it all started one morning as it normally would. She woke, washed herself and now was preparing breakfast when someone knocked on her door. Figuring it was one of the guards, she did not expect who it really was.

"I-Italy…!" She gasped. Strange, that word tasted so strange in her mouth. She'd wanted to say something that felt more…meaningful, but for some reason, it just wouldn't let out.

When he looked at her, his eyes were cold and empty. He looked somewhat pale, but otherwise healthy. She waited for him to hug her, but nothing happened. She hesitated, and then cleared her throat "Would you…Like to come inside? It's rather cold. I have some tea if you'd—"

"Südtirol. I have important matters to discuss with you, it will only take a moment." His voice was so automatic, like it'd been rehearsed over and over again. She could tell, only a little that he was forcing the words out. She nodded slowly, not to dare speak.

It took only ten minutes, maybe a few more, until he nodded curtly and left. She stood propped in the doorway for a good amount of time before slowly walking back inside and closing the door. What he had said had shaken her, but what scared her most is that…that was not Italy, not the one she knew. It was like he was sick or something, possessed. Something was not right, but she refrained from questioning this, for fear of not her life, but his and her family.

She cried a bit at the table, but then pulled herself together and accepted that there was a meeting soon, one she could speak to bother her parents at. Simple.

However, she never made it to the meeting.

"What do you mean 'I can't go'?" she hissed at one of the guards.

"Order's, Ma'am. You are to remain here until the end of the week."

"No, I need to be at that meeting!" she bellowed, but the guards stared forward and ignored her pleas. Soon she gave up and went back inside. Sitting stiffly onto a chair at her table, she stared at the wood beneath her fists. Why wouldn't they let her go? She was cut off the from the world, but she didn't know why!

She soon would.

The Wall

It was now 1939. It had been sixteen years since that fateful night when Germany left, thirteen years since she was taken from her home. She now saw them both. She was forced to witness a signing between their leaders for the people of German-speaking in Italy to have a choice to speak Italy or not. What that it? All that loneliness, all that pain and suffering, was over something as stupid as that? She balled her fists at her sides in silence as she understood what really happened. Her mother told her nothing, nor did he tall Germany what he had learned from that meeting the day of the shooting. Why?

After the signing, the two nations and the state were allowed to speak with each other. The first thing she did was punch Italy, her own mother nation, right in the face. Germany was taken aback, eyes wide.

"Maria-…A-Are you mad?" he spat.

She glared at him "Yes! Yes I am! And how are you not!" she hissed, looking back down onto her mother's crumpled form on the ground, still regaining stability from the shock of the hit. She reeled back her leg, ready to literally kick him while he was down, when Germany grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to face him.

"Stop! Why are you doing this! Have you not missed us both?"

"I missed you and Italy more than anything. Then as time passed, I let go of false hope!" she spat, her eyes becoming more glazed "He told us nothing! Nothing! He let you get forced away, let me get take away! Did he do anything! No!" she yelled, small tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"M-Maria…please." Italy whimpered from the ground. He had a black eye and a split lip which was still bleeding "I did what I did for my nation! My people…"

"No! It was my people in danger, Italia, Not yours! I was in danger, yet you cowered like a dog under its master's boot." She spat, small drips of spit lining the side of her mouth like a rabid dog.

"Look, we can be together again! The signing…all of its over!" he tried to smile, but it just hurt his face, so he tried to sound upbeat. Südtirol only responded with a disgusted face.

"No, we can't. I can't forget how starved I became, how alone I felt. What I learned alone." She looked away "Now, I will stay in my house. I will be my own family." She began to walk away when a choked whimper came, followed by a yelp

"Maria! Wait, please!"

She turned empty eyes as stone "My name is Südtirol."

Returning home, she slowly let her anger boil away and looked back on what she said. She knew it wasn't just rage-filled words; they'd been real and straight from the heart. After a few months of not answering calls, one day Italy came by. She offered some tea and was kind to him, as kind as one nation could be with another. They spoke about different things, speaking for hours on one thing at a time. Soon, when Italy was leaving, he promised that he would let nothing bad happen to her ever again. She believed him.

He lied.

In late 1939, Italy's boss constructed a wall. She knew nothing of it, until one morning she couldn't stand. She was sick, coughing up blood. She called Italy's house first, only to have no answer. Then to Germany's, again with no answer. She felt as if she were dying, only she wasn't. After weeks of regaining her health, months of dealing with slight numbness of the lower half, she lived with it.

In the next year of 1940, there was a world meeting she was finally allowed to attend. Italy searched all over for her, giddy with excitement that they could all be together. Romano and Seborga went with him, eager to see their niece.

They found her speaking to Mongolia. She was different. Physically, she was now the same age as Italy which was around twenty. She was tall, had a more feminine version of Germanys face and topped it off with Glasses. Italy gasped in horror. Nations only wore glasses if something horrible had happened to their own nation in the past, such as a great war, or a loss of one. For Südtirol, it was the wall that cut her off.

When the meeting began, she took her place with the other small states, ignoring everything but the speaker. Italy refrained from speaking to her from then on because he felt as if he'd let her down, promising that she would not get hurt. Since then, the two have not spoken.

End.