Lady Liberty

Chapter 1~ Just the begining

Author's Note: So, this is one of those stories that I've wanted to write for the longest time, but never had the time or courage to actually write. Please let me know whether you'd be interested in reading more of this story by leaving a review or favoriting/following it. As usual, thank you for the amazing support. :)

I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling, and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.'"

–The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

She was just about the most beautiful thing in the world in that little moment that they shared together—he was sure of it. It was a pure and unadulterated beauty that wasn't commonly seen, left untouched by scars and insecurities in such an obvious way that he envied it, wondering how anything could ever be so free.

He admired her as she stood in the straw-like grass that reached just up to her waist, curious blue eyes peeking at him uncertainly. Immediately, he felt an inherent magnetic pull that reeled him over to her, realizing rather belatedly in his confusion that he had uncovered a part of the New World, and that she was an embodiment that had been previously left invisible to the rest of the earth.

And she was just a tiny doll, wheat-colored hair spilling over her thin shoulders as she looked up at him as though he were some sort of deity.

"Who're you?" she mumbled around a thumb that had found its way to her mouth, brows furrowed suspiciously.

He nearly laughed at her adorably affronted look and took off his feather-adorned hat with a humble bow, boots crunching against the soil. Carefully, he took her hand in his and planted a gentle kiss on it politely; a common gesture in his native land.

"I'm terribly sorry for not introducing myself sooner, my dear. I am the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And, I suppose that you must be America," he said, eyes flashing with all of the opportunities he saw for this child.

She cocked her head to the side in response before pointing to a spot quite some distance away. "Did you come with that other strange man?"

He took a moment to follow her inquiry. "France? Don't pay him any mind—he's notorious for doing more harm than good, I'm afraid. Now, aren't you cold? How long have you been out here unaccompanied?"

"No, I'm okay," America assured with a little squeak, cowering ever so slightly. "I've been in the woods since forever."

"Forever, you say? That's a rather long time, hmm? Well, out of mere good conscience, I can't allow for that. Why don't you come along with me? We'll find you some proper attire and a warm meal."

America simply shook her head for a moment and took a step back, wary of his intrusion upon her land. However, there was something about this man that seemed homely and familiar, as though she'd been missing his presence all this time. After some deep deliberation, she ventured a few steps forward, accepting his proffered hand with finality.

And she seemed to know, almost instinctively, that he was one of her kind. It filled her with relief to know that she was not the only one—not the only being who grew so slowly and seemed to age just as gradually.

Or so it seemed. Though she did not know it yet, she would one day discover that she and this man were not as alike as she would have liked to think.

"I will be your guardian from now on," he said with an awkward and uncomfortable smile.

Not truly understanding the implications of such a statement, America nodded, walking away from her life and delving into a history that she never sought to seek.