Then I was Young and Unafraid

Austria woke up. Yawning, the boy frowned at how awkward and constricting his clothing felt. Opening his eyes to the bright daylight, he gasped. His hand was larger, not grown (far from it, he'd say) but his appendage looked less like a toddler's and far more capable than it had been the morning before. Grinning, he jumped out of bed and wrapped himself in his sheets. The clothes he'd gone to sleep in were torn and taunt in odd places and he'd rather not walk into the kitchen looking like a waif. Fixing his sheet in the fashion of a toga, Austria took off.

Thumping down the stairs, he skidded into the kitchen where nearly everyone (besides Prussia, it seemed) was up. "Look!" He cried joyful.

Three heads turned. Germany smirked and Switzerland quickly averted his eyes with a low grumble. Putting down the coffee pot, Liechtenstein was the one to exclaim "We'll have to get you some new clothes!"

He laughed, feeling very elated. "Ja! In another veek or so I should be myself, no?"

Dabbing at his mouth, the German man seated at the table nodded. "You'll be back to work in no time."

"Ugh," Austria muttered with a crinkled nose. He'd forgotten about that.

Giggling, the teenager beckoned him to the table. "Come eat," she said. "You can sit next to bruder."

The pre-teen stumbled over, taking his seat with a smile. "Vhat is there to eat?" He asked.

"I made sausage and eggs," the girl told him. When he saw the frown forming, she began to offer; "Maybe you'd like bread and jam instead...?"

"Ye-"

"He can eat vhat everyone else is!" Switzlerand snapped. "He's not a little bub, a real meal might do him some good!"

Everyone blinked. The outburst odd to them. Shrinking back in his chair, Austria nodded. "Okay."

"I have vork to do," the Swiss grumbled as he got up, leaving a half-plate of food behind.

"Are you going to feed the goats!?" Austria called after him as he saw the slight blond pull on boots. "I vant to-"

"Sit down," Germany ordered. "You do not have proper attire to go out yet."

He blushed. "Sorry."

The man sighed and looked the green-eyed man's way. "Don't vorry about it," he muttered. "I'm done eating, I'll go pick you up a couple outfits."

"Danke!" Austria called as the man headed for the door. Once alone with Liechtenstein, he inquired; "Is your bruder in a bad mood again?"

"He vas being a bit broody vhen he came down...but it vasn't so bad until now."

Looking glumly to his breakfast, the child whispered; "I think he likes me less and less as time goes on."

"Nein don't think that..." she murmured leaning over and lifting his chin. "He likes having you here," smiling she made her eyes go wide as she confided in him; "In fact, if you really vant to know...I don't think I've ever seen him be more considerate! I've seen him check in on you from time to time in that room you've locked yourself away in. I think he likes watching you play the keyboard, it's soothing."

Austria perked up. "Truly? He likes my piano-playing? Most people are always telling me it's a vaste of time vhen I have so much vork to do..."

"Hobbies are important," the teenager asserted. "They keep you happy and your life vell-balanced. I like to cook and Vash likes to shoot, does that seem frivolous? I don't think so."

He grinned at her. "You are too kind, it's no vonder vhy your bruder cares for you so much."

The girl blushed and righted herself. "Since Vash isn't here...vould you still like some bread and jam?"

"Please!"

Outside feeding the goats, Vash breathed in sharply. "Get a hold of yourself..." he hissed. "At this rate, Prussia vill take him away before you can get him to remember!" And he really didn't want that. Because as betrayed as he felt by his ex-friend for forgetting him over the years, this was his chance. Maybe his only one. If he couldn't get Austria to remember now...he might never get an answer. Switzerland didn't know if he could live with himself knowing he'd let the possibility of learning why slip through his fingers.

What about him had been so awful that Austria had to completely blank him from his memory? Had he not been a good friend? Saving him from getting his butt kicked on a regular basis? Trying to teach him how to defend himself? Carrying him back home when he was hurt? There had to have been something he had or hadn't done that made the Austrian block him from his memories.

A goat butted his knee gently. Reaching down, he rubbed his hand between the animal's two horns. "Good boy..." he mumbled. Taking the bucket he had hanging on the peg on the other side of the fence, he poured the contents into the trough and watched quietly as the goats fought for their breakfast. When he went in, he should probably apologize for snapping at Austria as he had. It hadn't been right.

Turning away from his animals and heading back for his home, he noticed a white figure in one of his windows. Looking up, he saw Prussia watching; lifting a fist in greeting, he wondered if the other was trying to scare him. Or warning him. Either way, the ex-nation would not get his wish. He would not be taking Austria away. Not yet.

Austria grew up a little? What do you guys think about that? Interesting? Not interesting?

Before I get to everything else, I want to address the questions the lovely reviewer Mite asked.

First Q: Why does Switzerland wanted/s to kill Austria?

A: Before I can really answer that, I have to explain the concept I'm working on. Nations are representations of their people, right? But they're also people themselves. So, I think that it's likely that they are influenced by the over-arching feelings of their countrymen (like fear if they were recently attacked by, say, a terrorist or elation at winning a world-wide event, like the Olympics) and so that affects them to an extent. But then they also have personal, individual feelings. Like real people.

Now to answer the actual question. Switzerland personally feels betrayed. He thinks Austria forgetting him is a sign that he wasn't a good enough friend-even after all he did. Add on several hundred years for this to stew and well, he's at a snapping point. He can either let those personal feeling drive him to do something shameful, or like a real person, he can learn to let his anger go and forgive Austria for forgetting.

Second Q: Why did PRUSSIA want to kill Austria before?

A: This is the nation-feelings part of the equation. Remember the War of Austrian Succession? How a lot of Europe went to war because they didn't believe a woman (Maria Theresa) could take over the throne? Well, in actuality, it was pretty much about having the most land and what not-as it usually is. When you want to take someone's stuff; land, house, clothing, ect. Instinctively, you want to get rid of the signs that it ever belonged to someone else because, you know, it's mine. Prussia wanted to kill Austria then because he wanted the power Maria Theresa was about to have. He wanted to make it his in essence and to do that, you have to eradicate that their was ever anyone before. This is why he wanted Austria dead, so he could pretend that the power had always belonged to him and so he wouldn't have someone in the shadows waiting to get back at him for taking what hadn't started out as his.

I hope I answered your questions for you Mite!

To reviewers, Mite, Vanessa15975329, Marik of Yami, and Onyxlark36; thank you all so much! You make my day guys. And remember, if I have fifty reviews by chapter fifteen...reviewer fifty-one will be getting a one-shot of their choosing.

Also, I have posted a Frozen fic called The King's Daughters and a 2P!Canada fic you can check out if you're interested in either of those.

Thanks for reading and pretty please review!

P.S. Don't forget to vote on my poll if you haven't already!