[Scandinavia] Cold Hearts [Port]

[Andorra]

Anaïs was, at the moment, dreaming. Which was very strange, because it was midday. Dream Anaïs of course didn't realize this; too bad, because it was very important. But she was preoccupied with her dream. Which was arguably just as important.

"What are you doing?" someone asked. Anaïs turned to the voice; it was oddly familiar. Which it should, because she was apparently talking to herself. Indeed, a seventeen year old girl stood behind her; same face, same voice. But Anaïs knew, somehow, that it wasn't her.

She didn't like the tone of her doppelganger. "W-what do you mean?" she asked, worry etched in her voice.

The other Anaïs' face was confusing. She looked angry, sad, and terrified at the same time. She folded her arms, cross. "I asked, what are you doing?" She shook her head. "You shouldn't be putting yourself in danger for those people."

Anaïs looked even more confused. "Wha- who?"

The doppelganger looked disappointed now, and the sadness overtook the anger. "You still don't remember who you are."

It was Anaïs' turn to look sad. "....then who am I?"

The doppelganger looked desperate. ".......me." Anaïs looked shocked, and wanted to ask more, but she was interrupted. "Take my advice." The copy said, pained. "Never get too close to humans." Her pained expression grew to an agonized whimper. In fact, the copy's chest started to bleed. A....gunshot? She clutched at it; the blood running through her fingers. "I-I made that mistake. D-don't repeat-!"

Anaïs woke up, startled. She was breathing hard; the residue of that horrible dream was still vivid in her mind. What did she mean, not to get close to humans? She was human...wasn't she?

But her confusion had to be cut short, because she realized she was tied up. Panic quickly spread, and the memories of the last three hours [or maybe it was longer. How long had she been passed out?] began returning relentlessly. She had been...shopping, with someone. Who was it? Then-then another crew showed up and hunted them down! Something about territory....respect? It was all in jumbles. But who was with her...? Afonso! It was Afonso!

She quickly rolled over, searching for him. He was beside her, tied up like she was. It seemed he was still unconscious. He looked uninjured, and she too didn't feel like she had been hurt...she guessed drugs must have been used. She did feel sick...but she had assumed it was because of her dream. Apparently not.

She looked around; their kidnappers were not in the room. Thankfully they were not gagged. "Afonso?" She whispered, nudging at him. "Afonso, are you awake? Please be awake!"

Please please be awake.

[Portugal]

”-ease be awake!”The almost frantic whisper drew Afonso back into consciousness. Groaning he tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt heavy still, his mind sluggish. Honestly he would have liked to just go back to sleep. Even with his eyes shut it felt like everything was spinning. What had happened? He remember being on La Madre Maria then Anaïs asking him to help her with shopping and then there had been a fight. Afonso had gotten caught off guard. A sweet smell had overcome him – drugs? It had to be as after he had inhaled the scent everything had begun to blur together. His vision had darkened; he’d heard Anaïs shou-

Anaïs! An overwhelming panic rushed over him. His eyes opened, and relief washed over him when he saw she was right beside him, looking relatively unharmed. ”Graças a deus…” He murmured beneath his breath, shutting his eyes for a moment. Everything tilted uneasily to one side, a side effect to whatever those bastards used to drug them probably. Reopening them he glanced around. Alright, whoever had kidnapped them were gone, they were in an empty room tied up… Well things could be-

A cold wind suddenly hit him and all at once alarming Afonso to the fact that wherever they had been put was cold. Great… Just great.

Shaking his head he looked around the cell. They were in quite the pickle weren’t they? Well, first things first. He had to make sure she was alright; even if she looked it she could still be hurt. ”They didn’t hurt you, did they?” God help them if they did.

[Andorra]

Anaïs sighed with relief, thank goodness he was alright. "No, I'm fine. They didn't hurt me at all." She shivered. "But I'm really col-" She stopped mid-sentence. She spied an electric thermometer. The temperature read three degree's Celsius. And it was apparently dropping.

Oh no.

She shot up, panic once again pumping through her veins. There had to be a way to escape, there had to be! She couldn't get very far while she was tied up. She recalled something that at the time was sort of funny. Before this, Afonso had...attempted to teach her why it was important to carry a knife around, especially in a well hidden place, such as his boot. She had initially shrugged it off, believing she wouldn't need one.

Well, she learned the lesson the hard way.

She gave Afonso a smile that indicated she was trying her best not to flip out at the moment. "Please excuse me." She immediately began pulling his boot off with her feet, a task that took sweet, precious time that they really needed. Once the small knife slid out of his boot, she quickly fumbled with it; and eventually opened it, with a few scratches that were inevitable in order to get the thing open with tied hands. Only a little blood trickled down her hand, which brought a horrible reminder of her dream.

Must not think of that, must not think of that!

After one failed attempt to cut the rope, she eventually managed to get the rope off her hands. She then cut the one around her ankles. Then she moved on to Afonso. She quickly cut off his ropes.

She shivered, clouds of fog forming around her mouth. "Haha, quite the situation, huh?" She tried to not sound too hysterical.

[Portugal]

Another cold breeze, or was it even colder? It couldn’t be colder though, right? Afonso was just more aware of the cold now that he was conscious. Or at least that’s what he tried to tell himself. Seeing the panic on Anaïs’s face however crushed any hope that those thoughts were correct. This was not good. But he had to remain calm. Because it most certainly wouldn’t help if he panicked too.

It took him a moment or two to figure out just why Anaïs was attempting to remove his boot. Really they should be looking for a way to esca-

Oh right. He resisted the urge to hit his head against the ground. In his own attempt not to panic he’d forgotten one of the lessons he’d tried to teach her. To always keep a knife or some sort of weapon hidden. And in his case that would be in his boot. Well, at least she had been paying attention to his lessons. ”Be careful.” He murmured once she’d retrieved the small knife, fumbling to open it and cut through the ropes. Had it been a better time he probably would have worried about the blood he spotted n her hand. But it wasn’t.

Now free Afonso stood, scanning the room properly and spotting the thermometer that was dropping. His stomach fell.

He hardly heard Anaïs’s comment, only the near-hysterical. Taking a steadying breath he turned to look at her trying to ignore how cold it was. Smiling he knelt down pulling her into a hug that was hopefully reassuring. ”We’ll get out of this. Don’t worry, alright irmãzinha?”

[Andorra]

When Afonso hugged her, a lot of her fear and desperation melted away. She hugged him back gently, not knowing if the shivers she felt was his own fear or the shudders due to the cold. But, when he had called her irmãzinha, little sister, something clicked. An intense headache pounded at her skull.

She snuggled up to him more, to hide her confusion. it could fool him into thinking she did this because she was scared. But in fact, Anaïs, no Andorra, was piecing together lost memories of her brother, Portugal.

A long time ago, he was so much taller than her. He still was taller, but he used to be a giant compared to her! She had always been a shorter nation, being a micro nation usually meant you were a bit smaller than the others. She remembered they were playing. He had lifted her onto his shoulders, she covered his eyes, teasing. He pretended to be captured, but when she let her guard down he tickled her. Then someone else, her other brother she reasoned, attacked both of them and stole her. Brown hair, pretty green eyes. Portugal wasn't happy with him, but she still burst into giggles as her other brother swung her around in circles.

Happy days.

Then she remembered many years later. His crying face. She was wearing a uniform. For....war. He begged her not to get involved. But, she knew she did. Then she....Gunshot to the chest. Alone.

How did they feel, her brothers?

Anaïs snapped out of it. Indeed, Anaïs was not ready to lose herself just yet. Andorra would have to wait.

But it was only a matter of time.

She broke out of his hug. She smiled at him. "I know we will Port." Her old pet name slipped out without her knowing. She turned towards the large door. "Let's see if there's a way to unlock the door."

[Portugal]

While he would never admit it aloud, Afonso was afraid, terrified really. They were trapped and unless they thought of something quick they would freeze. Then even after escaping, they had no idea where they were or how to get back to La Madre Maria. If they were to die here then no one would-

Afonso cut himself off mid thought. No he wasn't going to think that way because they wouldn't die. And when Anaïs shifted closer he tightened his hug. They wouldn't die. He wouldn't let her die again.

Again? Inwardly he groaned. He was not in the mood to deal with odd thoughts and notions. Nor was he in the mood to deal with the headache forming. Then again those odd notions of deja vu just seemed to love creeping up on him when in a dangerous situation like this.

Breaking away from the hug he continued to smile at her. It was true he was frightened, but he didn't want her to know that. What if that made her even more panicked? He had to be brave. He had to stay calm.

Not even seeming to notice the old pet name (as it just seemed to oddly fit) he rose to his feet again. "Sim. That would be a good idea."

He reached out to ruffle her hair, giving her another reassuring smile before turning his attention to the door. Frowning he approached, seeing if maybe he could push it up. No luck, but of course that would've been too easy. Reaching back he pulled his ponytail over his shoulder, beginning to fiddle with it. He really needed to break himself of the nervous habit.

Glancing around the room he tried to see if there was anything they could use to break down the door, or something. There wasn't much they could use. Actually, the only thing in the room was the thermometer that continued to taunt them by dropping. Though maybe... "Anaïs, can I have my knife?" Maybe he could use it to jimmy the lock open? It was worth a shot.

[Andorra]

Ah....that smile. The ruffling of her hair. It was....so nostalgic that it hurt. Again, her head began to throb, and for the first time since she had died, Andorra resurfaced.

Afonso had his back turned to her as he fiddled with the door, pushing at it. Andorra stood there, motionless. She couldn't speak. The being that is Anaïs still wouldn't let go, therefore Andorra could only stand there and look at him. Her expression immediately changed, from a young innocent seventeen year old to a being hundreds and hundreds of years old. One that had experienced the world through eyes untouched; but was brutally ended by the whim of a soldier. She stared at the brother who lived farthest away from her, the intelligent one. Clear-headed. Kindest soul, whom she loved very dearly. That smile. That pat on the head. That was Portugal.

She wanted to hug her brother. She wanted to be his little sister again, and cry, while telling him her death wasn't anyone's fault. That it didn't hurt, even though that was a lie.

She lied to him about injuries all the time when they were younger. Every time she tripped and fell, scraped her knees, banged her head, she said they didn't hurt. Of course, Portugal would still tend to her carefully, placing the band-aid exactly where it hurt the most, with a small kiss to make it feel better. Damn you, human! Let me speak! You and your life is taking away mine!

Afonso turned to her. Whether or not he saw the glimpse of his sister was unknown, but her expression in the few seconds it took for him to turn and look at her, must have been completely different to the girl he was used to seeing. She blinked, and Anaïs was back.

"Oh, your knife?" She reached down to grab it. She ignored the cuts on her hand and handed it to him. "Here. Are you going to try to pick the lock?" She smiled. "That would be a great idea!"

The thermometer read one degree Celsius.

[Portugal]

”That’s the plan.” He gave Anaïs another smile as he took the knife from her. His hand was shaking, as was the rest of his body. Shivering in the cold, it took everything in Afonso’s power to keep his voice even and teeth from chattering. Turning his attention back to the door he slipped the blade into the lock, trying to keep his hand steady. It was easier said than done, and a knife was really not the ideal tool for picking a lock. But beggars couldn’t be choosers. White mist formed with every breath, and Afonso knew with each puff of air more valuable time was being lost. His heart pounded against his chest as he continued his efforts. He did his best still to keep his voice even, not allowing the overwhelming panic that was forming to shine through ash e called back to her. ”Wh-when we get out of this let ge-get hot chocolate, or some-something.”

His teeth began to chatter and he couldn’t help it. Afonso didn’t risk looking back to see if the thermometer had dropped below zero.

”Deus… Espanha’s going to kill me when we get back to the ship.” He could just imagine the lecture the captain would give him allowing Anaïs to become in such a dangerous situation. When they got out of this situation. Because they would. He wasn’t going to let Anaïs freeze to death. He wouldn’t let her die again.

Again…

Afonso practically dropped the knife, a pained hiss escaping him. His headache had grown, pounding against his skull at the mere notion. Unconsciously his free hand rose to grip his head, his breathing quickening. Images flashed through his mind. The memories of another life, one he was not ready to remember fully. He remembered –

Andorra, when she had been small. How she would demand bed times stories from him when he visited. How when she was hurt she would try to be strong, but he always knew. Portugal had always been able to tell. The games they would play, sometimes with Spain. How during that frustrating Union she would come find him when he was trying to hide away from the world. How she’d just sit with him, sometimes in silence, other times telling him stories herself. And when things would become too much for him she would sit beside him and sing. She had always known how to make him smile. She was one of the few who could during that time.

- But it wasn’t time for Afonso to remember all that. As frustrating as that was for both he and Portugal.

The images came to an abrupt halt as they so often did. The Portuguese man leaned against the door, trying to catch his breath, eyes wide. He’d managed to hold onto one image, one memory though it made no sense to him.

The image of Anaïs lying still. Dead. Andorra’s death.

His breathing became quicker, the panic gripping him. His hands shook, despite how he tried to keep them steady. It wasn’t working. This wasn’t working and the temperature was dropping. The temperature was dropping and they were trapped and the image of Anaïs dead continued to play in his mind.

”Foda!” The shouted curse echoed in the room, Afonso throwing the knife to the ground. It was useless. Completely useless. He was useless. Helpless. He was always helpless.

”Foda! Merda, merda, foda!” He began shouting a string of expletives in Portuguese, each on accentuated by the dull ‘thud’ of Afonso’s fist slamming into the steel. And soon blood smeared the steel, Afonso’s knuckles splitting with each punch as he screamed himself hoarse. [/color]

[Andorra]

She immediately began to calm down as Afonso began to fiddle with the lock, as he seemed to be joking around. She giggled. "Mm, that sounds great! M-maybe s-some warm F-fillozes too?" One of her favorite Portuguese desserts. Ahh, she shouldn't think of food right now. Her tummy was growling.

She shook her head at him. "Ca- Antonio w-won't be mad at you. Y-you didn't do anything w-wrong." She motioned a mock karate chop. "And i-if he does, I'll h-have to deal with him!" Her teeth began to chatter, but she didn't dare look at the thermometer. She didn't want to know if it was freezing temperature. If it was, it was only a matter of time...

She didn't notice his change at first. He was quiet, but he worked at the lock in concentration. There was no need to worry about him right now. She decided to concentrate on her own headache at the moment. Ever since she left home, she had been getting these frequent headaches. She could always tell these particular headaches from other ones, as they had a unique pain. It seemed she always saw strange images whenever they occurred. Maybe....maybe there really was an important reason they are happening... maybe something...or someone, is trying to tell her something. But, what-

Her thoughts were interrupted by loud swearing. She jolted up, not ever hearing Afonoso sound like that. "A-afonso?" Her eyes widened as he started hitting the steel door repeatedly. Eventually she saw the smear of blood from his hands. "Afonso!!" She rushed to his side grabbing desperately at his hands. "Stop! Please s-stop! You're hurting yourself!"

[Portugal]

Afonso didn’t hear her, all he could hear was the way his heart pounded in his ears, the frantic breaths he took as he freed his hand from her hold, continuing to slam his fist into the goddamn door no matter how it throbbed. But it just wouldn’t open. Maybe if he hit it hard enough it would break down. But that was silly, because the goddamn door wasn’t going to open and it was freezing and –

”Da-Dammit!” His voice broke as he sunk to his knees, eyes wide and glazed over. Afonso’s entire body was trembling, from the cold, from the fear and panic. He couldn’t catch his breath no matter how much he tried. Puffs of mist formed with each frantic breath, glazed eyes staring at the ground without even seeing anything.

He could remember that day, the day Anaïs had died. Or at least the day Portugal had been informed. But he shouldn’t be able to remember it because it couldn’t be real. Anaïs was alive. She was with him not –

But they would die, a voice in the back of his head decided to remind him. They were going to freeze and he couldn’t do anything about it. Maybe the memory (was it a memory?) of Anaïs’s death was a premonition of sorts. He would watch her die, was that what his mind was telling him?

Everything was spinning, Afonso couldn’t think straight. Tears fell from his eyes, the temperature continuing to drop lower and lower. He was wasting time panicking like this, a reasonable part of his mind shouted. And he knew that. But he couldn’t calm down.

He cradled his bloody hand against his chest, leaning forward into almost a fetal position. The movement causing the map piece he wore around his neck to fall out from its hiding place under his shirt, the jewel glinting in the rooms light. Afonso made no move to hide it again though, or rather he hadn’t even noticed.

Calm down he had to calm down. He had to ignore the images of death that played through his mind.

(Gaaah, this did not turn out how I wanted at all orz;; sorry Dorra) [/color]

[Andorra]

Any previous nation issues that had surfaced and threatened to take control of the seventeen year old took a backseat as soon as her beloved crew mate began to have a complete panic attack.

"Afonso!" she pleaded desperately, "You have to calm down! You have to-" But Afonso either couldn't hear her or he was ignoring her. Oh god, what do I do? Anaïs had never experienced a complete meltdown such as this, so she was entirely blank when it came to solutions.

The way that Afonso twisted and swore was truly terrifying. This was the very first time Afonso scared her, but it was sort of a relief it was not intentional. But it did not make it any less frightening. She had to fight back her own tears, her own fear because Afonso absolutely needed her right now. She didn't have the time for her own attack. She crawled closer to him as he cradled his hand into his chest. She had to get him out of his own mind. She gently reached towards the sides of his head and softly placed her hands on his temples.

"Afonso, you have to look at me." He protested and tried to squirm, but Anaïs held firm. "No, you can't look away! You have to look at me!" Her voice was not harsh, but she used an authoritative tone to get him to pay attention. He stopped squirming eventually, but his eyes were still full of fear. She placed her forehead onto his, in a semi-hug.

"Shhh, it's OK Afonso. It's OK." Still, nothing changed. What do I do, what do I do-

Then it hit her. What she always did. That was the answer.

She smiled gently at him. "Afonso, I need you to listen to me. I can calm you down, you just need to listen, alright?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she began to sing.

"Você é o meu sol
meu único raio de sol
você me faz feliz
quando o céu está cinzento
Você nunca saberá querida
o quanto eu te amo
Por favor, não leve o meu sol embora."

Why did that song hurt to sing? She blinked when she had finished. Her chest began to hurt as she sang the lyrics. She translated the song into Portuguese for Afonso, knowing he would receive the song better if it was in his own tongue. But why did it hurt to sing?

She remembered rain. Pain in her chest. The same song, but...in another language. Spanish? No. French? No, not that.

Catalan. Her chest throbbed, but she ignored it. Afonso still needed her.

[Portugal]

It wasn’t to say that he couldn’t hear her. He could, but her voice was distant, garbled. As if he was listening to her from underwater-

Underwater. Something about that thought made his stomach lurch and then he couldn’t breathe at all. It was like he was drowning. And those notions sent his panic up a notch, pushing away the rational part of his mind that was trying to get himself to calm down.

And just as quickly as the strange feeling that he could only describe as drowning overcame them, it vanished when the feeling of someone’s hands against his temples. For a split second he forgot that Anaïs was with him, thinking that she was someone else as he tried to break away from her surprisingly firm hold. Then at long last her voice broke through the panic. Afonso stopped his squirming, looking up at her with wide, frightened and tearful eyes. Something that when this was all over, when they had both safely escaped and he was in his right state of mind, Afonso would be embarrassed to have allowed her to see. Big brothers were suppose to be strong for their siblings after all.

But now wasn’t that time. Instead he took a shaky breath when she placed her forehead against his trying to focus on calming down, on her words. But he couldn’t manage to squash the panic that continued to grip him, couldn’t escape the terrifying thoughts of death and the images that accompanied them. Everything was becoming hazy, his head light. It was becoming difficult to make out Anaïs’s words. At this rate he was going to-

"-de sol. Você me faz feliz.”[/b] Her song broke through the haze in his mind, through the panicked and jumbled thoughts. And Afonso held onto it, focused with all his might on her singing. Slowly the panic ebbed away, his breathing regulating until it could be deemed almost normal. He let go of his injured hand slowly, before wrapping trembling arms around her and hugging her properly

Taking another shaky breath he realized just how much colder it had gotten since his panic first begun. A lot colder. Mentally he cursed himself, he’d cost them valuable time. ”I-I’m- I… Des- desculpe…” His voice was hoarse, uneven. And as much as he wanted to say more, he could only manage a sorry. [/size]

[Andorra]

When Afonso embraced her, Anaïs immediately felt relieved, and truth be told, a bit warmer. She smiled gently at him. "It's OK, we'll get through this." She shivered, the cold becoming worse. Now that Afonso was alright, her instincts to protect him faded, and thus, the effects of the cold began to threaten her more prominently. She started to feel much weaker, her limbs feeling stiff and numb. Her exposed flesh, especially on her face, felt like they were burning. They had to find a way out soon.

She glanced around their frigid surroundings, only briefly noticing boxes with writing she didn't understand. Her eyes drooped. She looked around the walls and ceiling, but nothing stood out. She was getting too tired, her mind threatening to shut down and fall asleep. But there was nothing. Nothing to save them, no way to get out. She looked at him guiltily. What good were her words if she couldn't back them up?

"Nnn," She muttered, "'m getting sleepy..." Falling asleep would be the absolute worst thing she could do in this situation. But her eyes began to swirl and images of her surroundings molded together. Her limbs were so cold she could no longer feel them. She teetered forward, falling out of Afonso's hug, but thankfully he caught her in time before she fell flat on her face. He quickly hugged her again, a bit tighter to prevent her from falling over again. But her eyelids felt so heavy. She needed something to keep her awake...

"A-afonso?" She stumbled weakly, "Can...can we play a game?" She snuggled closer. "Like, the question game? I..I can't fall asleep. Not here. Not now. But I need something to keep me awake." Her eyes closed for a few seconds, but she forced them open again."Please?"

[Portugal]

He nodded at her words. They would get through this, right, they would. He just had to keep repeating that to himself. Taking another steady breath, he couldn’t help but wince. The air was so cold now; it felt like he was breathing in knives. His body was becoming alarmingly heavy, and he knew none of this boded well. It was the effects of the cold, something he’d managed not to notice during his attack.

Doing another sweep of the room he tried to see if there was anything they had missed earlier. There was nothing, just a few boxes and while part of his mind was telling him those could be helpful, the rest of his mind couldn’t understand how. They were just a pile of stupid boxes in a stupid freezing room.

”Nnn, ‘m getting sleepy…” His eyes widened at Anaïs’s voice because she sounded sleepy. Afonso cursed mentally, half wishing he’d had a jacket or something to wrap around her. Sleeping would do them no good. If either f them fell asleep they were as good as dead. And when she teetered forward he feared she’d done just that, fall asleep. He caught her, heart leaping into his throat as he hugged her close. When she spoke he couldn’t help the almost broken sounding chuckle. Thank God. She was still awake. Weak, but awake.

He rubbed his frozen hands up and down her arms, hoping that it could provide at least a little bit of warmth for her. When she suggested a question game he couldn’t help himself from laughing again. His mind drifted back to when he’d played that same game with Arthur over dinner. It felt so long ago… He smiled at her, giving her a tiny shake when her eyes slid shut. ”O-Of course we can.” It would help keep them both awake. It could buy them a bit more time to figure out how to get out of this. ”What’s yo-your biggest wish?” [/color]

[Andorra]

Despite that her mind was slowly slipping in and out of consciousness, Afonso's question made her laugh. It was such an obvious question for the situation at hand, but she knew he meant no hilarity from it; he was just being honest and helpful. Regardless, she responded with a grin on her face. "Well, to get out of this freezer, that's for sure!" She nudged him, very weakly mind, playfully. "But I think that answer doesn't count."

She closed her eyes, briefly, contemplating her answer. It was a difficult answer, because she could think of many things. But deciding what she wanted the most...that was hard, because she had two families now. Would it be selfish and presumptuous to want the best for both of her families? Or wishful thinking? Would Afonso be offended if she put her birth family first[irony]? Probably not, but perhaps he still would feel that way deep down, without realizing it. Perhaps some ambiguity was in order?

"I still...I still a-ache to find that treasure for my f-family. I want them to be safe and happy. T-to wish for anything else....it just wouldn't be m-me."

Maybe he would interpret that as her birth family. Maybe he might conclude she meant the Madre Maria. But she really meant it for both. But shhh, that would count as two wishes, wouldn't it? Sometimes you cheat for the ones you love.

"W-what is your family like? If you want to s-say anyway..."