Operation Luxembourg

Step Three: Set Your Boundaries

“Alright, Louise! Listen, I know you’re in there. Now, there’s going to be a few changes around here, got it?” Switzerland called loudly from behind her door, pacing in the hallways with his hands behind his back.

“Changes?” came Louise’s innocent, muffled voice. “What kind of changes?”

“Open up and I’ll tell you.”

“Be patient!” He could almost hear her enjoying this, making him wait. “I’m getting dressed!”

He cringed. He didn’t need to know that. Why was this naughty little girl so different from Liechtenstein? How were they even related, personality-wise? Lili was so much easier to handle…

Finally, after a few minutes had passed, the door cracked open, very slowly.

Impatiently, Switzerland rammed it open, but once he did so, he had almost regretted his existence. There she was, little Louise, with nothing but layered blue silk wrapped over her chest, and a short skirt barely concealing her thighs. Her long golden braids were plaited with matching ribbons.

“L-LOUISE!” he stammered furiously for the second time that morning, shielding his eyes from view. “What the hell do you think you’re wearing?”

“Clothes,” she answered casually, leaning against the doorframe. “I’m off to visit my cousin, France, after this.”

His voice echoed down the corridor. “You’re visiting WHO? In THAT?”

She tilted her head to one side. “Problem?”

“Yes!” he stormed into the room, shaking with rage, and began digging through the pile of clothes Liechtenstein had outgrown and left for her sister to wear. He selected a faint blue flowery dress that stopped at the shins, with a white undershirt sewn into it, and tossed it to her.

“Speaking of changes, you will not be wearing such attire in this house!” he barked, folding his arms, “And furthermore, you shall not leave without supervision, and that goes for you and your sister. Especially not to see France!”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Anything else?”

“Put that on,” he fumed. “And call me when you’re finished.”

With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

She rolled her eyes again. “As if,” she muttered.

However, once she had reluctantly slid her delicate body into the slightly oversized dress, she hollered for ‘Switzy’, feigning annoyance. Sure enough, the impatient boy burst in again, grinding his teeth in annoyance at his new nickname.

“Well?” Louise demanded, popping her hip out to one side.

“Sit down,” he pointed to her bed, and she lazily slumped over, plopping down at the edge of the mattress.

“Right, so, first off,” he cleared his throat, folding his hands behind his back. “No leaving the house without permission and supervision.”

She stared blankly at him.

“Next,” he continued gruffly, “No disrespect. I don’t want to hear your backtalk every second minute, got it? It’s annoying.”

She pursed her lips, struggling to contain herself.

“Third. You are not to wear any explicit clothing, and there will be no boys over at the house at any time.”

“I think that counts as two,” she commented airily, dangling her head off the edge of the bed and looking at him upside down. He flinched at her posture and rushed forward, jerking her back upright.

“Don’t do that!” he snapped, holding her by her shoulders. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

She shouldered her way out of his grip and flopped backwards carelessly. “Get this over with, Switzy.”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why? Have you got somewhere to go?”

“I told you, I’m visiting my-,” she broke off, seeing his eyes widen in frustration, and remembering the fiftieth rule, “My… conscience. I’m going to sleep. I went to bed too late last night.”

“I told you,” he huffed. “And you wouldn’t listen. Anyways. No waking me up such as you did this morning.”

She snorted with laughter. “What? That was hilarious.”

“No, it wasn’t!” he argued testily. “Next. No wasting. We like to save money in this household, and-“

“Oh, so you guys are cheapskates?”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” he glowered dangerously at her. “Carrying on. You will behave and listen to your sister when I’m off to war, or at a World Meeting.”

“Oh, a Meeting! I haven’t been to one of those before-“

“And you won’t be for a very long time,” he interrupted sharply. “You are too young. Naïve. They’ll eat you alive.”

“Except for Italy,” Louise grinned. “I heard he only eats pasta.”

“Contain yourself,” Switzerland rolled his eyes. “I’m not even going to risk the chance of giving you a gun, so you will solely depend on Liechtenstein and I for protection. Meaning, you are not, for any reason, to leave our supervision. That is all.”

Louise watched him leave with a contemptuous snort. Why the hell did Lili have to live with this täuschen anyways? He was incredibly bossy, and not to mention, freakishly paranoid.

She slid off her mattress, with determination flickering in her eyes. She was going to get out of here some time or another. She wanted to see the World. All Louise had known since she had run away, was hunger, emptiness, and the suffocating sensation of when she was attacked by bandits.

But this, this was different. Some of these countries were even related to her, such as her cousins France, his twin sister Monaco, Germany and Italy, and her Uncle Austria. Even Switzerland, was related to her, he was genuinely her half-brother, although they had never met until now. Until she had dared to escape.

Escape. That’s what she had to do. And she would in good time, when her siblings weren’t looking. Just to have a glance, just to see what was in store. Luxembourg knew it, she was quite a curious little thing, and she just knew that she would experience something wonderful behind Switzerland’s doors.