A Waltz in the Dark (Norway + OC Hetalia fanfiction)

Chapter 8

    “That’s a pretty one there,” one of his Viking crewmen said, gesturing to one of the nuns they had captured. Norway glanced over at the young girl who sat huddled with other women about to be taken to the slave auction. They were all bowing on the shore of his land, praying to their God.
    “I’ll pay a high price for her,” the burly man said, walking over and kneeling next to the girl. Many of the women gasped and backed away, but not the young nun. She had dark, brown hair and hazel green eyes that stared at the Viking for a moment before lowering to the ground.
    “Nei, you should keep her,” the voice in his head said. Norway blinked and caught a glimpse of the familiar spirit. “She’s young, pretty, ja, and your house is empty.”
    Norway sneered and then said out loud, “I’ll trade her for that chest of gold I saw you take from the abbey.”
    The man looked back at him and grinned sadistically.
    “I accept your terms.”
    The girl screamed as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward his cart. She pleaded in a language Norway knew the Norseman didn’t understand.
    But Norway turned his back. The trade was done.



*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:**･



    Norway sat up quickly, his breathing deep. He jumped up and ran toward the sliding doors that lead out onto the patio. It had snowed over night and Norway ran out into the coldness, dropping onto his knees and sticking his head into the wet whiteness.
    He took deep, quaking breaths, trying to separate the present from the past. Shutting his eyes for a brief moment, he saw the ghost’s smile.
    “I vill not give in to you,” Norway whispered.
    Silence was his only reply.



*



    It wasn’t until he reached the classroom that he realized he had forgotten to give the big assignment yesterday.
    But then again, he’d been preoccupied.
    Norway went right up to the white board wrote the word “assignment” on the side, mostly to remind himself, but also to warn the students. They had had reading assignments for the past two weeks, but nothing too hard until now.
    The students began filing in a few minutes later and Norway reviewed his notes. At the stroke of nine he began his lecture, but it was painful.
    The one thing he had been trying to keep his mind off of as of late was the one thing he was required to teach.
    Norway paused several times during his speech to focus his distant mind or to push away unpleasant memories. But no one noticed; no one cared.
    Well, except the girl in the front, maybe.
    He took a deep breath and scanned his notes at the end of the lecture, trying to find something else to add. He was already at the end, but he had twenty minutes left to teach. There was nothing else for him to say, however, so he decided to wrap it up and get done early for once.
    “If you are interested in vhat I have been saying, I can recommend some resources for deeper study,” Norway finished, “Vhich I vould recommend, for, if you noticed my note on the vhite board here,” he tapped the board, “you have an assignment due next veek. You have until next Friday to write a two-tousand vord essay on one of the events or people ve have discussed. I hope you have been paying attention.”
    He paused and looked over the students. They mumbled to themselves and some actually appeared to be taking notes. Norway shook his head and looked back at the white board. He began to write down the details they would need to know for the layout of the paper— the font size and type, what information he would need for the citation… things he wasn’t sure they’d remember, but hoped they would for the sake of grading.
    “If you have any questions,” he said, turning back toward the students, “come and talk to me. I’ll be avaiting your papers next Friday. Class dismissed.”
    It took the students a few seconds longer than usual to begin to move. They were obviously surprised to be let out early. But once it became clear that they were free, they were hurrying out the door in their usual way.
    No one stopped by his desk to ask questions, of course. Norway watched as they each walked out without looking back.
    “Hmph,” he mumbled, sitting down in his chair. He shut his laptop and grabbed his satchel.
    “Hei.”
    Norway looked up and wasn’t surprised to see his gem standing there.
    She smiled and his lips twitched upward.
    “How can I help you?” he asked.
    “I had two questions for you,” she said, folding her hands behind her back.
    “I have one for you, too, actually,” he said, leaning back in his chair. She cocked her head to the side curiously, but he gestured at her with his hands.
    “But after you,” he said.
    “Okay, right,” she said, looking down at the ground. “My first question is about the paper… I was wondering what the word limit was?”
    Norway blinked twice, slightly confused.
    “You, uh, mentioned the word minimum was two-thousand words, but you didn’t say what the word limit was,” she clarified, looking back up at him.
    “Oh,” Norway said, shaking his head. And then he scratched his neck. He had never had to give a word-limit before. “I vould say… maybe… four-tousand vords? Five-tousand? I don’t really care. If you write me a five-tousand vord essay I vill be extremely impressed.”
    She giggled, almost nervously, it seemed.
    “And your second question?” Norway prompted, standing up to begin gathering the rest of his things. He turned his back on her and began erasing the words on the white board.
    “Yeah, I was wondering about that… thing,” she said.
    “Vhat thing?” Norway said indifferently as he worked.
    “The thing that’s floating by the side of your head?”
    Norway froze mid-swipe.
    My ahoge? His heart began to pound. No, she couldn’t possibly be talking about that. I put a spell on it long ago. No mortal can see it.
    He turned back to her.
    “Vhat do you mean?” he said, trying to stay calm. “You mean this?” He touched his cross-shaped barrette.
    “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean that.”
    She pointed toward the right side of his head and his heart nearly stopped.
    “It looks like a piece of hair, but… it doesn’t look like it’s attached to your head.”
    She could see his ahoge. She… she can see through my spell! How—?
    “How did you do that?” she asked, coming around the side of the desk, squinting slightly.    “I, I, uh I don’t…” Norway stammered, her nearness making him nervous, though she stood an arms length away.
    But an arms length was too close.
    “I mean, it seriously looks like it’s floating!” she said. “Really, how did you do that?”
    And then what Norway most feared happened.
    She reached for his ahoge.
    Adrenaline surged through him as he jumped away from her.
    “NEI!” he shouted, fear and fury pulsing through him with every beat of his heart. “Nei, nei, nei!”
    She retracted her arm instantly.
    “Don’t you dare do that again, du mindreverdig kjøter!” he continued in a loud voice, glaring at her viciously. Her face contorted in surprise and she stepped away.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t know—“
    “Go! Get out!” he interrupted, hurriedly gathering his things together to keep his hands busy.
    “I— I didn’t mean—“
    “Just go!”
    She turned and ran, the door slamming shut behind her. The sound echoed through the room, causing Norway to pause. His heart still raced and his breathing was quick. He put his hands on his desk and shook his head, shutting his eyes momentarily.
    The ghost laughed at him.
    Norway caught his breath as he opened his eyes. He glanced toward the door.
    And then he realized he never got to ask her his question.
    I still don’t know her name.