Ameripangled

The little girl with the long blonde braids looked out the window with big, green eyes. She then turned abruptly back inside, her braids smacking her mid-back. "The coast is clear," she announced.

Three men emerged from various hiding places around the cottage, still cautious. The blonde with the slicked back hair slit his eyes. "You're sure?" he asked.

The girl nodded, smiling innocently. "You can get to the roof up that ladder," she explained, pointing to a rickety wooden ladder that led to the hayloft.

She knew these men; they often sought refuge before and after their big adventures (while her brother was out, of course). The talkative albino and the silent blonde with the slicked back hair were siblings, and the third seemed to be, well, different. He had a playful glint in his blue eyes, which were hidden by rectangular glasses. His smile was dashing, and his blonde hair was in desperate need of a cut by how it flopped in front of his face. But he was handsome all the same; she noted as the climbed the ladder quickly.

"Hey, girlie!" the albino called, tossing a small bag to the girl's feet. "Buy yourself something nice."

The girl picked the small bag up and held it to her chest. This would help her brother out very much. "Thank you, Mister Gilbert!" she called back, gleaming.

The dashing blonde climbed back down the ladder and kissed the top of the girl's head. "Thanks for everything," he said, grinning. "Really, you're such a help to us, Lili."

Lili blushed. It was what most girls did in his presence. "You are always welcome, Mister Matt."

Matt—yours truly—climbed back up the ladder and winked before leaving the young girl to tend to her chores.

~~~~~

I personally never expected to become part of the thieving enterprise, but when one wants to make a quick fortune, sometimes desperate measures are called for. And after that priceless bracelet was stolen from a noble, I just couldn't stop. There's this… feeling one gets after stealing that makes the experience so enjoyable.

But soon, little trinkets do not satisfy. Which was why we—myself and the Beilschmidt siblings, Gilbert and Ludwig—were scaling the rooftops in the capital of Hetalia to reach the majestic castle.

One could call a crown a mere trinket, but if one were to steal the lost princess's crown… well, that was a different story. That crown was going to make me—er, us—very rich.

We found that scaling rooftops was much more convenient than lurking in the shadows to wait for guards to pass. It was a clear path up to the castle, and we were very determined.

Sure, guards were posted everywhere on castle grounds, but did they ever think to look on rooftops? Sure, I had a secret admiration for King Ivan and Queen Yanmei's rule, but in order to thwart a thief, they're going to have to start thinking like one.

We slid down one panel of a tower and up another. An inside source had given us an exact location and how to get to the crown, now all we had to do was put out plan into action.

The tower we recently scaled had an excellent view of the port and the vast ocean. "Wow." My voice was breathy from running and climbing. "I could get used to a view like this." Sky and ocean so blue, air so perfect with a hint of sea salt, seagulls gawking… it was very amazing. I wonder if the King and Queen had picnics or something outside, just so they could enjoy their great view.

"Hey!" Gilbert hissed. He was really ruining my mood. "Come on!"

I held up a finger. "Hold on." Just a moment longer… "Yep. I'm used to it. Guys, I want a castle," I announced, the picture committed to memory. If I could have a view like this every day, my life would be pretty much complete.

Gilbert growled. "When we do this job, you can buy your own castle." He sneered, and I swear, the scar on his cheek seemed more aggressive than usual. Ludwig yanked my by my collar, and they tied a rope around my waist. The point of our mission was to steal the princess's crown silently from up top instead of creating a diversion like most fools would do. Since the guards around the crown faced outward, this would be cake.

They slowly lowered me down, and I tried to keep my cool. I pictured myself stealing the crown and making a fortune. I pictured owning the view from the castle; I pictured my dream. Closer, closer, closer… I quickly and silently snatched the crown and stuffed it in my satchel, my handy dandy thieving accomplice. Honestly, no thief is complete without it. Where else would we put our stolen goods? Our pockets?

"Achoo!" Whoops, I was taking too long. A guard had just sneezed. Hey, I could have fun with this. After all, it was what I was infamous for, for teasing my victims before vanishing without a trace.

"Ugh," I commented. "Hay fever?"

The guard didn't bother to look back. Whatever, the boys were pulling me up at my sudden outburst.

Before I reached the roof again, the guard actually replied, "Yeah."

The he noticed the crown was gone, and the chase was on.

~~~~~

There was some sort of commotion going on, by al the screaming and yelling. Ivan looked up from his book, as did Yanmei. Perhaps something positive had happened? They tried to keep hope, although their eyes were weary and tired with unhappiness.

Ivan peeked his head out to see the guards running around in a frenzy. He grabbed Toris, who had been promoted to a knight ever since he'd helped save Yanmei. "What is going on?" he demanded, his brows creasing.

"I-it's the princess's crown, your Excellency," Toris stuttered, scared by Ivan's fierce, violet eyes and how he would react. "It's… it's been stolen."

Yanmei, who had approached her husband, overheard and immediately burst into tears. The one valuable remnant of her baby and it was stolen. Would their misery ever cease? Could it? At that moment, she succumbed to believing in Natalia's curse from beyond the grave. Her precious girl's crown was gone the day before her birthday, and eighteen years she truly began to think that Kiku would never come back to her loving mother.

Comforting his wife, Ivan began to feel a rage like never before. He wanted the thief dead. No. He wanted to kill this thief with his bare hands. Ivan was quite sensitive with anything that concerned his lost daughter.

"Find the thief," he growled at Toris, his eyes dark with fury. "I want him alive so that I may rip him apart myself." He allowed his sobbing wife into his welcoming embrace and she buried her face in his chest. Ivan stroked Yanmei's hair reassuringly, but even he was feeling rather uneasy by the situation. He made up for his sorrow through anger to keep his false demeanor as a strong king, when really, inside he was reacting like Yanmei was.

Toris bowed, his blue eyes wide in fear. "Yes, your majesty," he answered obediently, abruptly leaving to dutifully fulfill Ivan's orders.

~~~~~

Now, I'm not much of a runner, but it's kind of a necessary thing one has to get used to in the thieving business. Of course, having a horse would have been more convenient, especially in a situation involving royal guards. But, since we never dreamed of getting caught in the first place, running it was. Although, it was useless for us to be trying to lose the guards in the city. They knew it too well.

So, here we were, Gilbert, Ludwig, and I making a beeline toward the woods, where few lived and where nature was our ally. I could feel the princess's crown jumbling around in my satchel, and I felt that thrill that just gave me a boost of energy I could use to my advantage.

The boys were still mad at me for alerting the guards, but the chase was half the fun! Maybe I could ease the mood if I changed the subject and talked about the future. "Can't you just picture me in my own castle?" I asked, starting to run across the bridge into the woods. "'Cause I sure can! All the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning! Boys, this is a very big day!"