Aiyaaah, this is the last chapter of this story! D: Makes me sad, I loved writing it. All these 13 chapters are for you, DrivebyReader! :3
I hope you enjoyed, and I also hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
The sun shined soft orange colours through the low clouds in the morning. Lili's breath formed little, puffy clouds in the cold air. An icy gust of wind sneered over the five figures outside. Even though it was early, many nations were already working. These few nations though, standing in front of the Soviet estate, temporary had other plans. A mixture of emotions danced through the air, giving a different touch of feelings to every nation. The sky was bright, with a few grey-white stains, clouds. It was a cold day, as any other, but there was a feeling of refreshment lingering through the air, a feeling of change. Many nations had looked up to the sky that day, through glass or not, and felt a spark of hope.
"I guess, Liebling, that we'll have to be patient", Gilbert whispered in her ear. He held her in a tight hug. Her wonderful scent filled his lungs; he didn't want to lose it. Prussia didn't want to let go of her, not yet, just a little longer. It felt just right, so good, with her in his arms, near his heart. "Ja. But we'll be together, later. Time will guide us back to each other. You will return to me." There was a short silence before he parted his lips, "Ja, meine Dame. I promise."
They let go of each other. They had hope, for each other, for their love. They knew the flames in their heart would not fade away, wouldn't freeze in the cold. But there was also sadness, for their goodbye. They didn't want to say the word, to say out loud that they would part. And a hint of fear was also present. Russia watched over their head; his eyes gazed dully at the sky. He didn't feel that hope. Ivan had long stopped feeling the real fire of hope in his heart, so long ago.
Liechtenstein turned away from Prussia; his soft red orbs followed her small figure. The little nation went to the big, blond lady that stood near them. Ukraine had tears in her eyes, but a kind smile curved her lips. "Lili, I'll miss you so much! And you don't have worry about us; we'll be fine! I hope that you will be fine too! but I'm sure everything will be alright in the end!" Yekaterina said and she wiped the tears away with her gloved hands. Liechtenstein embraced her and they held each other tightly for a few moments. "I'm sure, Katyusha, that we'll see each other again in the future! Take good care of yourself!"
Lithuania's motor already roared and Prussia turned his vehicle on as well. He helped his lady on the mobile and tenderly kissed her on her forehead. The motors roared louder. Just before they drove off, Liechtenstein caught a male, low, but slightly husky voice. "Goodbye, Lili."
At high speed they left the two nations behind them and raced through the forest. The day was still young; the fresh, cold air constantly brushed against them. Time passed by as they drove at a high pace through the forest. Trees flashed by and the sun crawled higher and higher. It took them about two hours to reach a nearby little village. There they left their vehicles somewhere hidden and went by foot to Moscow, which was just about a half hour of walking. They arrived at the railway station somewhere around noon. Since Lili's train would only leave within another half hour, they decided to quickly get some food. In Liechtenstein's backpack she had been provided of food for the journey, but now they'd get some soup at a nearby bar. Lili would travel by train through Ukraine and then to Austria. From there out she would take the trains to Switzerland. There was no possibility of going through Poland, since you needed a special paper to enter the country. Poland had a strict rule that only allowed you to enter or leave the country when you had the so-called Visa.
"Lilichen", Gilbert whispered in her ear as they stood next to the iron monster that would carry the little girl away from her knight. The train would leave within ten minutes. They held each other in a tight embrace, his nose hidden in her blonde locks. "Dear Gilbert. I'll miss you so much." Her words were smothered in his clothes. He caressed her back and had his eyes closed. "I'll miss you too. But my love for you will be my fuel too keep going, my dream that brings me to a peaceful sleep and my bright star that guides me through the night." Tears welled up in Liechtenstein's closed eyes, but she forced them back.
They took a bit distance, and their faces were drawn to each other. Tenderly their lips touched. A firework of emotions fired up in them. The sweetness of their breath, the warmth of their touch, the magic of their eyes, it burst in a melange of beautiful colours. But there also was a pale and black edge with loneliness, pain and a heartbreaking feeling of separation to it. Slowly they let go of each other to catch their breath.
Lithuania didn't comment and his presence was barely notable; he stood a few meters away, staring at the humans passing by. Through his usual realistic, if not pessimistic, thoughts, there was a grasp of hope. It felt like someone had played a soft note, it gently echoed through his head. His tired body was hungry for change, for a fight, for freedom. He knew everyone in the house had been suffering for so long. But Toris forced the thoughts about old pain away. Because he knew that they had survived already for so long, and they would go on. The war had already ended, only Communism was left. There was hope for all of them. Everyone living underneath the hurtful circumstances of Socialism was going to be free. Whether the nation was living completely under the law of Communism, like himself and the two other Baltics, partly, like Prussia and Poland who got to spend certain strict times of the year in their own nation, or even Russia himself. The Soviet would be gone. Soon.
"Goodbye, Liebling", Prussia stroked her face and a single tear escaped his fiery red eyes. Her little hand stroked it away, "Auf wiedersehen", she muttered and smiled. Before she left, she bent closer to him, her lips brushed against his ear. "Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up. Does not behave indecently, does not look for it's own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Her lips softly kissed his warm skin. "How close is that to our love?"
Prussia blinked and listened closely to his lady; he recognised the words from somewhere. "Meine Liebe, that is our love, ja? And if it is not, we'll have to shape it like that. Because for you, I will be long-suffering and kind. And I won't feel jealous, will not brag, won't get puffed up, won't keep record of complaints, if that is your desire. I will rejoice over the truth, and I will make my dream to become the truth, to love you forever." He softly took her face in his hands and planted his lips on her forehead. "I'm not perfect, Lilichen, but even with our mistakes, our love is just right." They stared in each other's eyes for a moment.
"Ich liebe dich", she whispered and he smiled. She let go of him and stepped back, took her valise in her hand. Before she could step away further, he gently took her free hand. He kissed the rug of her hand softly. "Ich liebe dich."
Just a little longer, just a few more seconds, minutes. He didn't want to let go. For any time he had to let her go, it seemed like now was the worst. And he had been prepared for it; he thought he'd just let her go and watch her leave. But every extra second, every little moment he could still feel her, still see her, it was as a gift from the heavens. They both had a smile on their face as the distance between them got bigger. Every step she made weighed heavy and she felt invisible strings pulling her back. He had to firmly hold his body in place, not move it; Gilbert would leap forward and run after her if he could. He couldn't. Finally, her figure disappeared in the train; she was swollen by the people in the iron machine. The last picture they had of each other was carved into their orbs, a gentle, loving smile.
"Ich liebe dich", he whispered softly; his words perished in the wind. Lithuania's hand softly touched his shoulder. "You'll see each other again", he said, "I'm sure." He almost sounded casual, or dull or even cold. But there was a hint of strength and truth in his words. It was highly unusual for the Lithuanian to say something optimistic anyway. Toris watched together with him how the old, iron monster came to movement. Silence.
"You have that feeling too?" Prussia said, almost inaudible. His eyes still followed the slow train that was calmly building speed. He still wanted to rush over to the machine and jump on it. Gilbert couldn't bring himself to move. "That feeling?" Lithuania softly answered. "Hope." His hand rose to his stomach, and then slowly crawled higher to his chest. "It's like a little flame." Lithuania stared at the sky. He didn't felt the flame, nor any fire. But he did feel hope, only in a different way. "Yes", he said, almost as silent as Prussia.
"Lets go home", Toris said. The train had become a faraway dot that was near disappearing. Gilbert turned his head to the brunet next to him and frowned. "Home?" There was a short silence. Lithuania was still gazing at the sky, "Yes, lets go home. Not now maybe, but soon." The two men stared at the sky for a few moments. Slowly they started to leave, a feeling of both hope and insecurity, fear, lingering through their head.
The sphere in the house was heavy. Everyone was noticing the change. The nations were doing their chores like always, but their chattering had changed. Sometimes their hushed whispers were about the new hope, their wished and plans for freedom. Slowly the attitude over the nations started changing, even though they were weakened and hungry, the hope danced over their daunted bodies and lifted their heads. Russia became more silent. His punishments became fewer, still harsh and painful, but less. The tall, mighty man was suffering, and getting weaker. His body was being destroyed underneath his own rules. And with every step closer in his own misery and pain, the other nations took a step closer into the change.
Liechtenstein was in Vaduz. After spending two weeks at her brother's place, she was finally allowed to go home. The biggest problem was of course explaining when she had been. She couldn't say "somewhere in my nation", because Liechtenstein was so small that he probably tracked down the whole land multiple times after her. She did feel sorry for him; it was her fault that he had walked around in fear and worry for the past few weeks. Even though she hadn't been gone for that long, Vash had been worried and frustrated day and night. It was visible on his pale, tired face. The dark skin underneath his eyes from the restless nights and the little weight he had lost over time. She was so sorry.
Their first meeting had been emotional. When she had seen him she had dropped her valise. Her feet had carried her with all the energy she had left, to run to him as fast as she could. He almost dropped his gun when he saw the tiny, fragile girl running through the snow. Her blonde hair, her bright green eyes and the tears on her cheeks had made him feel shocked. "Bruder!" she had cried and jumped in his arms. He had held her tightly, "Lili! Are you okay?! What happened?!" They just stood there for a few seconds, holding each other tightly. "Lili, I'm so happy you're back. I'm so glad you're here again. You're safe now." He didn't say anything more. She had been incredibly tired from the journey and Switzerland had then taken her in his arms, gone to pick up her valise and carried her home.
Even though Switzerland had insisted that she had to tell him what had happened over time, she said she couldn't. But she promised him that sooner or later she would tell him, in all honesty. And after a while, he had sighed softly, and believed her. Lili would tell him, someday, but not now. She knew very well he'd be mad at her, scold her, but she also know that he was right for doing so. There was no discussion about whether it had been dangerous to travel to Russia all alone. Luckily, she could let it be for now. There was time.
She stared out of the window to the little landscape of Liechtenstein. Underneath her hand rested a paper. An old newspaper. Every heartbeat sent a vibe of pain through her chest. "The Warsaw Uprising" she mumbled as her eyes wandered over the title and text. It had started the first of August, so many years ago. It had been the greatest operation to liberate a country from the Nazis during the war. But they had lost it. Liechtenstein sighed. It was years ago; it was over. But when she had seen the old newspaper in her brother's house, she hadn't been able to stop herself from taking it with her. And after reading everything, and having done some research in other papers and by asking some people, she had felt her hope cringe painfully.
That slender, skinny, famished, beaten up man called Feliks, he had fought. Fought for everything a nation could fight for. Alone. All his Western Allies seemed to have abandoned him, forgotten about his existence. Days kept passing, and the Soviet had made a smart move, giving the Nazis more chance of fighting back. Her little hands clenched into tight fists, and her knuckles became white. "Damn it", she whispered and she forces the burning tears away. The other nations, England, America, all the Allies, they had never helped the nations that struggled with the powers and torture of the Nazis and Communism. Liechtenstein had realised that none of them were going to help. Past, present or future, the Slavic nations had to stand up against everything all alone. A miracle had to happen to save them.
Tears fell from her eyes. It was cold. Even though the room was warm, and the fire in the fireplace was bright and hot, there was a cold, poisonous feelings pumping through her heart. Making her shiver and her tears splatter apart underneath her. She looked at the sky, the grey, clouded sky, and blinked. But she silently reminded herself, that behind those clouds was a sun. And that sun always shined, no matter what clouds hid its light and warmth. He promised; she recalled it every day. "Deine Ritter, un deine Liebe, für immer". She stood up and tiptoed to her bed. There she collapsed into the softness and pressed a white shirt against her. A white shirt that smelled like everything she loved. Her eyelids closed and she thought to herself, "Love, it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Many weeks passed, months. All that the nations that lived underneath Communism actually needed was a miracle. No, there didn't happen any miracle. There happened something else, hard working, blood, sweat and tears, battles and death, sacrifices and losses. They had fought for a change. It had started with Kazakhstan. Many riots and general clashes happened and there were many still going on. But the newspapers Lili read gave other numbers every time; once it said only a few thousant people were there and others said over 40.000 people had gathered.
Then Latvia started a protest. About 300 working-class Latvian youths had gathered Riga's Cathedral Square and marched down the Lenin Avenue to the Liberty monument, shouting "Soviet Russia out! Free Latvia!" Even in Moscow there had been a demonstration. The winter from 1986 to 1987 seemed to be the beginning of much more.
Liechtenstein smiled; she sat at the dining table with Switzerland. He told her every once in a while some news about the events in the Soviet. Even though he was neutral, and strictly wanted to keep it that way, he did talk to her about the war around them, but only if Lili asked about it, of course. And she happened to ask the most questions about the Soviet.
Time passed, every night she thought about the nations that were fighting for independence and trying to gain freedom from the torture they had lived with for too many years. Lili'd close her eyes, inhale the smell of her knight, and empty her mind.
It was summer, June; over 5.000 Latvians had gathered to lay flowers for Stalin's victims. And just two months later, all three Baltics had huge protests with many demonstrators as well. The nations closest to Russia, geographically, were the ones that were lashing out to Socialism first.
1988, this year begun with violent riots in Azerbaijan and demonstrations in Armenia, through time Liechtenstein had found her connections with people that knew about these things, and she got regular updates about what was happening outside. While in 1986 and 1987, Latvia had actually been the most rebellious Baltic, there was a change in 1988. Estonia took over the lead role with the first Popular Front, to influence state policy against Communism. Shortly after that Latvia also got a strong Popular Front in the policy. Only days after that Lithuania also got it's Popular Front. The nation's Popular Fronts were strong enough to allow the rising of their national flag again and have them change the official language of the nation back into it's original (So Russian became Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian). Belarus seemed to have followed their example and also had gotten a Popular Front. By the end of the year, Georgia had it's first demonstration. Throughout the whole year Ukraine had also started of with little gatherings of a few hundred people, up to protests of many thousands of people.
Liechtenstein had heard enough times that the six nations, Eastern-Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, weren't really part of the Soviet. They were all satellite states. Yes, they didn't live fully at Russia's house, only at certain times of the year. But everything they did was checked, controlled by Russia. They had very limited "freedom" and any move towards independence was suppressed by the military. Lili didn't know whether that was much better then the actual members of the Soviet.
Time kept slowly passing by. Slowly, very slowly. Lili lay in her bed. She hadn't got up for the past few days. Her face was pale and her eyes closed. Tiredly, her chest rose and fell. But she was awake. She couldn't sleep. Two, almost three years had passed. There hadn't passed a day that she did not miss her knight. And she still cried some evenings. There were days, even weeks that she locked herself in her room and just cried. Liechtenstein didn't feel like a part of the world. Now seemed to be one of those periods. But she knew that sooner or later, things would get better again.
There were also periods that she would look hopeful at the sky. Then she'd smile and know that they would be fine. Other moments she would close her eyes from the darkness that came with the thoughts of the Soviet. Lili'd read a book, make a long walk through the forest or did other things. But Prussia would always linger somewhere in her head.
Lili closed the door behind her. Vash would arrive today; he'd spend about a week at her place. It was the first day since a while that she had crawled outside her room. She had taken a shower and eaten a bit. Her eyes avoided the mirror firmly. She lost weight, and she already was such a tiny, fragile thing. Her ribs were visible and her arms and legs ridiculously thin. She looked weak, flat and empty. But today, she felt a spark of vividness return in her forest green eyes. Switzerland would be saddened when he'd see his little sister like this. She had dressed in a shirt and a sweater and some thick pants with tights underneath, hoping it'd be less obvious.
The fresh air filled her lungs and she instantly felt a bit better. The landscape around her greeted her; the nature and little creatures around the house were something she had missed very much. A sigh rolled over her lips and she decided to sit down in front of her house and enjoy being outside for a while. Her brother would be here within a few hours. She had time enough to relax a bit; her eyes closed and the outside air did well to her.
The sound of hooves marching their way through the small path in the forest reached her ears. Her eyes slowly opened. There weren't much horseback riders in the neighbourhood. In the distance a white dot was coming closer at quite a speed. Lili's eyes wandered of to the sky and she wondered how much time would've passed, not much probably.
"Meine Dame!" a voice shouted and she froze. Her eyes were struck on the horse and it's rider that were coming closer. It wasn't just someone horseback riding, the person was dressed in a full knight outfit. The metal shined underneath the gentle sun and a sword blinked at the hips of the rider. He was galloping towards her. He stopped right in front of her, the horse reared but the knight skilfully kept his balance in the saddle and stopped the horse. Lili couldn't move. Her breath was struck in her throat. Her hands shook a bit.
"Meine Dame", the warm, steady voice behind the iron helm spoke. He slowly took his helm off. Two fiery red eyes appeared, and his short, white hair became visible as well. She grasped for air and jumped with a cry. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up on the horse. Their lips met for a short, hungry kiss. "Gilbert", she whispered, still not believing that she actually saw it. "I came to fulfil my promise, meine Liebling." Tears started welling up in her eyes and rolling over her cheeks. "Gilbert!" She chocked and embraced him. It was real; it wasn't a fantasy or dream of her. He was holding her again. "Ja, I'm back, for you", he whispered in her ear and he kissed her hair. Her wonderful scent entered his nose again and it filled him with joy. "Ich liebe dich", she softly said and raised her head to kiss him tenderly. Their kiss was gentle yet passionate. And for a moment they let go of each other, and simply stared in each other's eyes.
"I'm free, Lili, can you believe it?" he said with a big grin. "Finally!" She could feel the energy from within him. A big smile crawled on her face as well. "I can't believe it", she muttered and stroked his face. "Well, time to wake up from your beauty sleep, meine Dame! Want to go for a ride?" his nose softly touched hers and their foreheads touched. "I'd love to, but my brother can arrive any moment as well."
"Yeah, she's right. Her brother can arrive literally any moment", another male voice said. The two nations were startled and looked aside. Switzerland stood a few meters away from them with a frown. He then shook his head. "I understand. I'll be in the bathroom." The nation sighed and walked away with his valise in his hands. Lili turned back to Prussia and their lips were sealed. "Meine Ritter", she whispered as her lips brushed against his. "Meine Dame", he answered softly. "Ich liebe dich."
D'aww, how cute? XD I can only wish that you had a good time reading this, and that this story was a pleasure to you :3
So, this is the end, sadly enough. Thanks for reading!