Little Nordic

December 20 & 23

Amalia was very anxious for the holiday. She had been planning out their day from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep. She was overly excited to be celebrating Christmas for the first time. Though, she didn't know if the Nordics have traditions, but she remembered Emil saying they only spent a few hours together at Tino's house for Christmas, then be on their merry way. Amalia didn't like that idea, and now that they lived together, she could spend the whole day with them.

She had also been informed that most of the countries get together for the Christmas dinner, which was usually held in America, and that their Christmas day at home would be cut in half. She was slightly disappointed, wanting to spend the whole day with family, but understood that it was more for obligation than the want to go. Apparently, it wasn't pretty sometimes, and Alfred went a bit overboard on some things.

The Greenlandic girl had gotten gifts for her family members, with the help of Lovino and Feliciano. They were the only two non-dangerous nation that could watch her for a few hours as they went Christmas shopping. It turned out that Feliciano was a real help with gifts and Lovino knew a lot about fashion, for he bought her a new outfit for the Christmas party. They even treated her to an hour in the art store and, though he claimed he wasn't as good as his brother, Lovino helped her pick out art supplies as their Christmas gift to her. She said she didn't need them, but they argued that Christmas was the time of giving and they wanted her to grow in her magnificent gift. She decided to surprise them with a gift of her own art from the supplies she got from them.

And as Amalia grew restless, her habits seemed to be worse. She wasn't so hungry, sleeping was filled with nightmares, and she didn't seem to want to do anything but color. She usually loved it when Peter asked her to play in the snow with him, or when Emil offered to watch a movie for the night while everyone else was gone. She denied both.

Mathias was greatly worried by his daughter's actions, so one day when it was his turn to watch her, he told her to come with him. She hesitated, but toddled over and grasped his hand. They went through the halls and up the stairs. Amalia stumbled over her questions of 'Where?' and he answered with a beaming 'You'll see!'

As they approached the attic, Amalia noticed the lack of dust and spiders that her attic once had. That had always been a safe haven to her. The only place in the house her kidnappers did not look for her. Now that she was loved and cared for, with an actual room, she no longer needed to climb those steps.

Mathias went first up the stairs, the largest grin on his face. Excitement gleaming in his eyes as he glanced back at her confused face. As soon as the little girl took that last step, she realized why her papa was so enthusiastic about the attic. The whole floor was covered in block-like pieces creating houses, structures, construction zones, government buildings, every single building you'd find in town. There was even a little area for a few farm houses. The only way to get through to the other side was a mat separating it right down the middle.

Amalia took cautious steps forward, nearly tripping a few times if Mathias hadn't been right behind her to catch her. She looked with bright, amazed, blue eyes at the work done with a simple child's toy. She had heard of Legos before from Peter, but had never seen one because Tino thought she was still too young. With the few empty cardboards boxes labeled 'Legos' she knew her papa was a bit of a collector.

"Papa," she whispered, bending down to look at a few of the tiny block people. "They're so cool."

Mathias chuckled, kneeling down next to the little nation. "Ja. This is what I do in my free time when I'm not around Norge, or you. Or when I used to get bored, I'd come up here and build. It's like a safe place for me."

Amalia looked up to him with wide eyes and a small gasp. "Me too! I-I'd come to the attic since-since Ingrid and Jacob didn't know I was there. But it's okay 'cause now I'm here with you."

Mathias gave her a crooked smile, ruffling her hair before turning back to the Legos. He explained that some had sentimental meaning behind them, others he got when he was bored out of his mind and needed something to do. She asked since the mansion was abandoned for so long, how come the attic and his collection looked fine. He answered truthfully, saying he visited the mansion a few times a week when he was having a bad day and none of the other Nordics could help him. He had kept the mansion messy since no one used it and occupied the attic since no one entered it. She admired his intelligence.

"I was going to wait until Christmas to give you this, but it seems you need something to occupy that little brain of yours," Mathias said, going behind some boxes and rustling things around. Curiously, Amalia tiptoed over and watched her papa struggle. He straightened, coming back up with a rainbow cone hat crooked on his head, earning a laugh from his daugher. He gave her a sheepish grin before putting it back and treading out from behind the boxes. He knelt down and handed her the rectangular box. She gasped and her eyes sparkled with delight and excitement. The box was a Lego set; a simple two story home that separated to access the inside and held many pieces of brick furniture. It included characters that looked awfully familiar, along with two pets.

"I had it specially made for you. It's all of us, with Hanata and Mr. Puffin, as the Lego people. I thought maybe we could build it together," Mathias explained shyly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The Christiansen family was more than happy to make me one of these, especially when I told them it was for my daughter. I used to be best friends with the founder."

Amalia giggled up at her papa. "Was he a nice man, Papa?" she inquired.

"One of the greatest men I have ever had the fortune of knowing, Ams," the Danish man said, smiling fondly. "Now! Shall we start working on this puzzle?"

For the next few hours, Mathias and Amalia worked on their little Lego house. It was mainly Mathias with Amalia playing with the characters, but the girl assisted when her papa couldn't find a piece or something was complicated. The Danish man was proud that the nation he adopted as his own was far more intelligent than he had been at such a small age. She had a fast working mind when it came to solving problems, which would be helpful in her older days.

"Papa, why does Uncle Sve look happy?" Amalia inquired about the Lego character. She was looking at them all when she found that Berwald's lips were up in a smile when they were usually straight with lack of emotion. It was a bit odd to her

"Because one of the current owner's wanted to make fun of Sve. He knows how Sve can be so he wanted him to be happy for once, he said to me, but I still don't get it," Mathias answered with a shrug.

"Oh," she said simply, then glanced at the instructions when she noticed her papa having some difficulties.

They finished just as they heard Lukas and Tino call for them. Mathias quickly adjusted the house around his own city, while Amalia put away the instructions and hid the box. The former pointed at his daughter's face once they paused. "Don't tell Norge," he commanded and she nodded without hesitation, remembering that it was supposed to be a surprise. He picked her up on his hip and rushed down the attic towards the foyer. They found the others taking off their coats and shoes.

"Hello, Den," Tino greeted cheerfully, helping Peter take off his coat.

"Hej, Fin. How was your day?" he replied back.

"Fine. Minus the fact that Sealand nearly destroyed valuable documents," the Finnish man said, pointing a glare towards his own adopted child. Peter shrunk back.

"I said sorry. It was a just an accident!" he defended.

"An accident that nearly made Mr. Poland mad. Again," Berwald commented.

Mathias moved his attention to Lukas, who was in a heated conversation with Emil. They were arguing, if Emil's reddened face wasn't evidence enough. The Danish man saw his daughter tilt her head to the side questioning.

"Papa, why is Ice not happy?" Amalia inquired naively, fisting his shirt in her fists.

"Something must've happened today. Don't worry, Ams. It happens all the time," he reassured, rubbing his thumb against her pale arm comfortingly. However, the statement didn't convince the little nation otherwise. She didn't see them flustered or angry often, especially not towards one another. It shook her to the core.

"Come on, Sea and Amma," Tino said, smiling gently. "Let's start getting dinner ready, Okei?"

Peter took his surrogate mother's hand and Mathias put Amalia down so she could hold Tino's other. She glanced back at her parents and brother to find Emil glaring at Lukas and Lukas conversing with Mathias. The Danish man seemed to be trying to control the situation and calm them both down.

Amalia turned back around and her eyes fell to the floor as she shuffled into the kitchen behind her short uncle. Tino saw her depressed look and tried to excite her with a bit of cooking fun, but she didn't partake. Lukas, Mathias, and Emil were caught up in country issues and, usually, they didn't bring this home, but Emil was pissed off at Lukas for one reason or another and couldn't let it go.

"Uncle Fin, may I go upstairs, vær venlig?" she murmured, tugging on his sleeve as she stood on her stool.

He smiled sadly and rubbed her head gently. "Of course. I'll bring you dinner, okei?"

The little nation nodded and slid off her chair, picking up her blanket and toddling out of the kitchen. Tino sighed helplessly and felt arms wrap around his waist from behind. He didn't need to look back to know it was Berwald.

"It'll be okay. They will figure it out," the Swedish man assured.

Tino watched Peter run around the kitchen getting ingredients and whatnot, humming a small tune to himself. He gave a small amused smile and leaned back into his partner.

"I hope so."

Amalia heard banging and cursing from behind the door Papa said she shouldn't enter if she didn't want to be scarred. After his warning, he earned a smack from Lukas on his head and gave a playful chuckle. Lukas simply warned her not to go down, unless she hears something suspicious. A boom and shouting seemed suspicious to her.

Pushing herself up with a groan, she slipped down from the couch and made her way over to the door, ignoring the TV show that was playing on the TV. On her tiptoes, she turned the handle and looked into the doorway. Icy eyes widened as she saw a dark staircase and the bottom was illuminated by purple and green light.

Swallowing thickly with a pounding, anxious heart, Amalia gripped her blanket and took hold of the railing, shuffling her feet down the stairs one by one. Her steps were light, but her heart felt heavy as fear overtook her body. The place was dark and scary, shadows creeping on the walls, and sounds ricocheting through the room.

Once the little Greenlandic girl made it to the bottom of the staircase, she no longer felt afraid, her eyes widening in awe at the scene before her. Potions of all colours were glowing, some having items floating in them. Tables were against the walls and in the middle of the room. One wall was a bookshelf holding only books ranging from the tiniest of novels to the fattest of books. Tiny fluorescent creatures flew through the air, voices high pitched and low as a whisper. Three flew close as though they were chatting together, before zooming close to the baby nation and curiously observing her.

Amalia stared with large, shimmering eyes, trying to keep up with the creatures' movements. Once they paused and released a soft awe, leaning against each other, Amalia realized that they were fairies with flapping transparent wings, matching hair and clothes too. They wore dresses of different designs from pointy-hemmed and short sleeved to long, flowy and sweetheart neckline. The three surrounding her were red, blue, and white, reminding her of Daddy and big brother's flags. The fairies giggles, the blue one watching as the red one sat on Amalia's shoulders and the white one was playing through the girl's hair. Amalia giggled along, observing them in astonishment.

Their moment was interrupted as another clash reached the tiny country's ears. She jumped, startled at the noise, and the fairies shrieked, hiding behind Amalia. They heard coughing and swearing, smoke rushing to the ceiling.

"Master isn't happy," the red fairy squeaked.

"He's been trying all morning!" the blue fairy exclaimed.

"But he's unsuccessful," the white fairy muttered sadly.

Amalia heard their words, cautiously stepping forward, despite the little creatures' protests to not intervene or disturb their master. She turned the corner of a table in the center and found her daddy at a table on the wall with his back to her and his shoulders tensed painfully, arms on either side of him as all weight was placed on the appendages down on the table. He wore a black cloak with his hood down.

"D-Daddy?"

Lukas's shoulder relaxed at the familiar voice, his stance calming. He slowly turned to her, his face stoic like a stone and covered in soot with a few slowly healing cuts. She noticed how harsh his eyes seemed, gulping and taking a step back. His cobalt eyes softened slightly at the action as he walked up to her and knelt down. She looked like a cornered pup about to be caught by the pound, backed into a corner. It made his heart freeze.

"Why are you done here, liten pingvin?" he questioned gently.

Amalia blinked away the tears nearly appearing in her eyes. "I-I heard something. A bang, s-so I didn't know," she answered hesitantly.

Lukas's expression smoothed out more at the explanation. She was simply curious and worried for him. He had left her upstairs when she fell asleep for her nap and she must've woken up at his last attempt at a certain formula. He worried her.

"Jeg beklager, liten pingvin," he whispered, brushing his hand through her hair comfortingly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She gave a wry smile and leaned into his touch. It was then that he noticed the three fairies hiding behind his daughter's shoulders. "I see you've met the troublemakers," he teased.

The fairies gasped offendedly, red and blue putting their hands on their hips. White, being ever so slow, looked at them and followed their actions. Amalia giggled at their silliness.

"Amalia, this is Freja, Sassa, and little Kari. They're all sisters," Lukas introduced as the little sprites flew around his head and nuzzled his cheek or fingers.

Amalia's eyes were enlarged with fascination. "How did you met them?"

Lukas gave a slight turn of his lips. He shuffled until he was comfortable sitting on the ground, legs criss-crossed. Amalia took the opportunity and sat in his lap, leaning against his chest.

"Many long years ago, before I met Ice, or Fin, or even Den and Sve, I was alone. There was nothing but forest for miles and I was a small child with no idea what was happening. All I knew was my name. Much like yourself. Then I discovered these three and a troll. Unlike me, they were ancient creatures. They were around during the first days of the world, when all there was were small tribes that fended for themselves and hate nothing but meat. Freja is the eldest sister, keeping track of her younger siblings and making sure they were safe. Sassa is smart, tactical, and is one devious pranker when provoked."

"What about Kari? You called her little," Amalia inquired, not meaning to interrupt her daddy with her curiosity, but a child will be a child.

Lukas huffed a laugh. "Yes, because Kari is the youngest and smallest. She was born a few hundred years before I came about, but a few younger than her sisters. They don't mind however, despite the age difference, they care for her no matter what. Kari is a little slow, but mischievous and naive," he explained.

Amalia tilted her head to look up at him. "So she's like me? I'm much, much younger than you and Papa, and big brother is still much older than me by a lot. But you love me even so!"

The Norwegian hand ran through her curly locks and she sighed at the soft, comforting touch. "Yes, that's true. She is much like you. Perhaps you two will become best friends."

"You think so, Daddy?" Amalia asked excitedly, earning a larger smile from him.

"Yes. I do believe so, liten pingvin."

They fell silent as they watched the three fairies play and talk around them. It was short for Amalia remembered why she was down in the basement with her dirty-faced father. "Daddy, they said that you've been trying something. What have you been trying?"

Lukas sighed, tossing her onto his hip and moving towards the boiling cauldron that blew up moments ago. "Sometimes, I like to make random potions. On occasion, they can be as easy as counting. Other times I need a challenge so I find the hardest potion in my books. This is one of them, but I do not know what I am doing wrong," he answered her, looking over the ingredients and chants.

"Did you add deteration?" she asked, leaning over to see purple liquid inside.

Lukas raised a brow, bumping her up onto his hip as she began to slide. "Deteration?"

"Ja!" Her icy blue eyes lit up. "Uncle Tino said it comes from the heart and if you really want to do something, you have to be that to get it."

The Norwegian father chuckled, ruffling her hair. "You mean determination, and it's not a physical thing. There's no way to add determination to a potion.

"Oh," Amalia said, a bit dejected. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out, Daddy. You always do!"

"Takk, liten pingvin. Now, let's get you upstairs and into the bath," he said, turning and waking up the stairs with the three fairy not far behind.

Amalia whined. "No! I'm clean, Daddy! I didn't go out to play in the mud like Hanata or Sea," she defended.

"You haven't bathed since Ice took care of you. You are in dire need of a bath," he answered, resulting in a fussy child. He swung her over his shoulder and held her upside down.

"Daddy!" the Greenlandic girl squealed, giggling uncontrollably as her tiny fists pounding into his back. It didn't hurt with how little she was. He hoped Mathias didn't get the idea of putting her through karate or jitsu anytime soon. Then it would be bad. "Put me back! I'll-I'll take the bath, just put me back!"

"I'll put you down once we're in the bathroom," he compromised.

Amalia kept giggling, swinging on her daddy's back, watching the world go by backwards and upside down. The fairies laughed, observing the girl and flying around her. After ceasing her own cackles, Amalia huffed, crossing her arms and trying to swing back up Lukas's shoulders, but she was too weak and gave up. She fell submissive to the ever horrifying bathtime.

After bath time, which was nearly an hour long of Lukas trying to keep his daughter in the bathtub rather than running around the house in the nude, Amalia changed into fuzzy, polka dot pants that came to her toes and one of Emil's sweatshirts he had gotten from one of his nation's universities. The sleeves were long so Lukas rolled them up until the tips of her fingers poked out. She giggled, swigging her arms around in amusement. Her daddy rolled his eyes and scooped her up into his arms, making his way to the couch.

They watched TV, but they ignored it instead to talk because Amalia was filled with sudden questions and wouldn't get off the topic of Christmas. He answered her patiently, keeping her on his lap with her squirmy legs around his waist. She picked at his shirt sometimes, leaning her forehead on his chest or playing with his hair. It also seemed like she was analyzing every single feature of his with her glistening eyes bouncing across his face.

The others came home and, surprisingly, they found the two in the kitchen surrounded by baking supplies with said supplies on their clothing, on their skin, and in their hair. Amalia was giggling on her stool, icing a cookie with an icer filled with lavender icing. Lukas was in the same position, sitting on a stool with the tiniest smile ever, icing a cupcake with light pink icing.

"Well, there goes dinner," Tino commented, slightly deflated and pleased because he had no idea what he was going to do for the meal.

"Looks like we're ordering out!" Mathias said excitedly, making Berwald go over to the home phone and begin calling takeout.

"Hey, Nor, wasn't Ams supposed to take a bath?" Emil questioned, nabbing a cookie and giving it to Mr. Puffin. Amalia glared at the bird for eating the cookie whole and because she still wasn't over him eating all her candy, again.

Father and daughter shared a look, before the younger's eyes widened and the elder's eyebrows rose. "Not another one!" Amalia exclaimed, pouting slightly.

Mathias rounded the counter and stood behind his daughter, looking to his lover. "You already gave her one?"

Lukas shrugged. "We hadn't planned on baking. Amalia was asking about Christmas and I said baking was a tradition amongst many households, so she wanted to bake," he answered.

Tino's ocean blue eyes widened looking at rack upon rack of the sweet treats ranging from cookies to cupcakes to truffles. "There's has to be over three dozen made! Of each!" he exclaimed in disbelief, picking up a peanut butter cookie.

"Daddy made it so four trays could be in the oven at the same time, which made things bake faster. We didn't have to wait," Amalia said, grinning widely. She turned with the child friendly knife full of icing on it and stuck in on her papa's nose. She laughed at his shocked face before squealing in surprise when he pushed his nose into her powder covered cheek.

"I gave her a bath earlier. It's your turn," Lukas told the Danish male, who widened his eyes and turned to his innocent looking child. She sat smiling as she kicked her legs back and forth.

Mathias sighed, slumping. "I'm going to need reinforcements."

The others dispersed from the kitchen, minus Peter who was next to his cousin munching on a vanilla, green iced cupcake. Mathias looked incredulously around the room, before growling. He looked to Amalia again and found her trying to lick the icing off her cheek by reaching with her tongue.

The older nation chuckled, picking her up on his hip and walking to the bathroom. Peter followed behind, eager to help his uncle as he had been the only one to be part of his reinforcements to which Mathias was grateful. However, teasing her papa and daddy, Amalia sat perfectly still as she played with a few toys with Peter sitting next to Mathias outside of the tub. With her occupied, the Dane was able to wash the powder, peanut butter, and dough from her short hair. How she managed to get it all up there, he would never know.

Translations

Norwegian

Jeg beklager - I'm sorry

I wanted to give you guys a little chapter before I probably go MIA for a little while because my 1st quarter is ending and ALL, I mean ALL, of my teachers are giving me hours of homework I don't wanna do.

Okay, so please ! review because I love reading them and some of you guys are so cute and make my grey days better. Thank you so much!

Bye babes x

Message Update

OKAY LISTEN if I mess up in any translations DON'T BE AN ASS I SPEAK ENGLISH AND SOME SPANISH.

Just tell me what I got wrong. Don't say anything else Just 'English - Other Lanuage' and I will immediately change it. No arguing.

I've gotten a few unwanted comments saying 'Not to be rude' (which means it's rude) and only one that was interpreted as a nice correction.

Just tell me the translations.

Thank you

Bye babes xx