Of Ice and Scales. Nordics x reader part 6

      The trip to Italy wasn’t as terrible as you expected it to be. You had gotten a couple odd stares at the airport from security, but it had only taken a word or two from the others and you were soon walking by without question. Apparently being a country had its perks. The only downside was the actual trip on the plane. You had only ever flown as a dragon, and being trapped in a large metal contraption suspended in the air was very uncomfortable for you.


      Once you had arrived in Italy the six of you were escorted to a waiting car to take you to the meeting. Lukas and Tino spent the entire ride giving you tips for the meeting. You weren’t really paying attention though, you were far too busy with the scenery.


      All your life you had lived in the snowy landscape of the north. To say that the climate here was different would be an understatement. You stared out the window, enthralled by the immense greenery that passed. The others eventually noticed this and let you enjoy your new surroundings. You were almost sad once the car slowed to a halt next to the meeting place, but quickly recovered once the doors opened, taking the opportunity to sprint to the gardens outside. Ignoring the others’ shouts of protest, you knelt down and examined the flowers growing in the rich soil. You gently touched the petals and smiled. Something like this could never grow in the harsh snow.


      “They’re just plants, why are you so excited?” you heard Mathias ask from behind you.


      “I’ve never seen one up close before,” you replied, not taking your eyes off the flower. You stood back up to face the others, only to see them all watching you, some with slight smiles. You blushed and coughed.


      “Right then, let’s get going shall we?” you said, gesturing for them to lead. They turned and started heading to the large building, you following close behind. To your relief, you didn’t meet anyone on the way to the meeting room. As you walked in, you noticed a large conference table with only about half of the chairs were filled, the people in the room making light conversation with each other. You took a seat between Berwald and Lukas.


      “You should be fine, (y/n).” Lukas said, “The meetings usually devolve into fights and arguments fairly quickly, so you probably won’t be noticed by anyone.”


      You gave a nod in response. They had told you that usually only countries were allowed into meetings, but since there were so many they probably wouldn’t notice an extra member. However, as the start time drew nearer and more people began to fill the room, you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.


      ‘What if one of them does notice me?’ you asked yourself, watching a dark-haired man with a ponytail enter the room, ‘Would they realize I’m a dragon? Would they kick me out? No! I need to stay positive. I can’t be worrying about this the whole time.’


      “Ciao everybody!” you heard a cheerful voice exclaim. You turned to find the speaker. You found a ditzy looking male with brown hair and a curl on the left side of his head.


      ‘He must be Italy.’ you thought to yourself, briefly noticing that he had started rambling on about food, ‘Isn’t this meeting supposed to be about country affairs?’


      Your thoughts were cut short when a stern-looking man with slicked-back blond hair cut him off and began to berate him. You gave a slight smile, judging by the blond man’s exasperated tone, he must be used to this. He gave a sigh and told the brunette to sit down.


      “Well then, since Italy can’t seem to take this meeting seriously, I guess it’s up to me to lead it. Again.” He said, stepping up to the head of the table. Once he began the meeting you started to zone out. You really didn’t understand the matters they were talking about. As your eyes roamed around the room they fell upon the man with the ponytail from earlier. With a start you noticed that he was staring straight back at you. You quickly glanced back at the blond speaking, waiting a few moments before looking back. You noticed him speaking to a man with messy blond hair, occasionally making small gestures towards you. Your heart skipped a beat when both of them turned their eyes towards you from across the table. You again shifted your gaze to the man speaking, determined to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of their eyes on you.


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      Sure enough, the meeting was soon in chaos. Between the objects being thrown across the room and the shouting of insults, Germany, as you learned was his name, called for the meeting to end early, much the relief of those dodging said objects. Mathias had been knocked out in the fight, so Tino decided that you should wait in the hall while they attempted to wake him up. You quickly agreed, eager to leave the stuffy room.


      You leaned on the wall outside the door for a while. Apparently Mathias had been hit harder than you thought, they still hadn’t come out yet. You let out a sigh but stopped short when you heard someone speak to you.


      “Ni hao,” you slowly looked up and paled when you recognized the two standing there, “My name is China and this is England. We were wondering which country you are, neither of us have seen you here before.”


      You stared at the dark-haired man and his blond accomplice. Their smiles looked a little too faked. Did they know you didn’t belong here? Were they trying to get information out of you? Lukas and Tino hadn’t prepared you for what to do if someone came up to you.


      “Are you alright there?” England asked, “You look rather pale, are you feeling well?”


      You noticed the smirk on his face and swallowed. They definitely knew that you didn’t belong here.


      “These meetings can be so exhausting sometimes, you know? Sometimes I wish I could just fly away. Just like a bird. Or maybe a dragon. Don’t you?” He added, the smirk on his face growing.


      Without another thought you turned and ran.


      You turned down each empty corridor at random, attempting to find an exit. Your stomach dropped when you heard two sets of footsteps swiftly following behind. Your eyes widened when something bright and green shot past you and hit the wall, leaving a black mark.


      ‘They can use MAGIC?!?’


      You turned another corner and almost wept with joy when you saw the exit. You quickened your pace with renewed strength now that the end was in sight.


      ‘Finally! Now I can get outside and-’ you cut your thoughts short. What could you do? You couldn’t transform in the middle of the city, even if your wings were healed. And you definitely couldn’t outrun them with the trick you pulled on the frozen lake, you wouldn’t be able to travel fast enough to dodge any magic they sent your way. So, fight and flight were out, the only option you had was to hide. But where? Suddenly it hit you.


      The gardens.


      As soon as you leapt past the door, you headed straight to the gardens you saw before, diving headfirst into some of the heavier foliage. You curled up into a tight ball and held your frantic breaths, listening for your pursuers. After a moment, you heard their footsteps run straight past your hiding spot, heading away from the building in search of you. You let out a shaky sigh once their footsteps faded.


      Alone in the bushes, the sun quickly setting, you silently wept.