ay came out of his unexpected slumber to the sound of two people arguing. Quietly, and outside the room, but… well, he did know what people arguing sounded like.
"Not yet, Sweetheart. He needs more time-"
"Danmark, please, let me!"
Who was this lovely sounding young woman with the slightest hint of a French accent? And why, IN ALL NINE REALMS, was Denmark referring to her as 'Sweetheart'?
It would be a lie to say that Norway did not have a streak of jealously in him.
Norway considered throwing something at the door (there was a lovely glass pitcher nearby that would do admirably), but the door opened. His jealously was instantly forgotten.
A young girl, about six years old, walked into the room. It would, in fact, be more accurate to say that she floated into the room.
He knew her at once: her enormous sea-blue eyes, her golden-blonde hair, the way her eyes sparkled, as if she knew a secret and was about to tell.
"Émelie…" Her name was the only word he could find. She was growing up so fast- much faster than the others. Would she, too, leave soon?
Her face lit up with a smile. "Papa!" She ran over and hugged him.
Over the little girl's shoulder, Norway caught Denmark's eyes with his own. A million questions shone there, but the Dane merely smiled.
"Papa, I'm really glad you're back. Could- could you tell me a story? Dan-Dan says you're really good at telling stories…"
Norway smiled softly. "Of course I will. What story would you like to hear?"
"Your favorite."
Norway's grin (there was no other word for it) grew broader. "Once upon a time there was a poor countryman who had many children and little to give them either of food or clothing. They were all very pretty, but the prettiest was the youngest daughter…"
A/N: I realized that it's been a month since I last updated... I'm just glad you guys didn't decide to make a petition to help Normandy secede...
Anyway, the story at the end is, of course, East of the Moon and West of the Sun. (I was going to have the opening of the Little Mermaid, but then I remembered how it ended.)
So, yeah, I'm still breathing. Just busy. However, I have a week-long break from school coming in a week, so hopefully, I'll be able to finish this then. (Note: I have been in school for two months now, because my school district decided to make us go back to school in August 1st.)