Old, old, old piece that I wrote when I was like the biggest fan of reader-inserts and wanted to write one myself - not my first one, note, but those will probably never see the vastness of the internet. I wanted to write something about child!France, and for whatever reason got a headcanon of sorts about Gaul and Rome and decided to make it into a reader-insert. I did consider making Gaul into a sort of OC buuuut eh.

Anyway, enjoy~

The sky was a dusty blue, as the sun traveled slowly but surely towards the west, where it would eventually disappear for the night. That wouldn't be before a good amount of hours however, and the forest with its inhabitants would be able to bask in its golden warmth for the rest of the afternoon.

You took a deep, relaxed breath, enjoying the smell of the forest as you took graceful and almost soundless steps in the undergrowth of the vast forest. You had been born and grown in these woods, you knew them as well as the back of your hand – they were your home. Your people and yours. A gentle smile appeared on your face as you thought of the strong and stubborn people inhabiting the many villages scattered around the Gaul. Your people, that you were proud of – you were honored to be called their representative, their nation. The people living there were independent and easily held their own for a long time, making you strong as well.

You crouched down and took your small, silver sickle from your belt to snatch a few herbs from the ground. You set the plants in the basket held on your elbow before getting up again and setting the sickle back, continuing your walk. Your soft leather sandals were soundless and left almost no traces at all on top of the thick moss.

Yes, life was... had been peaceful and abundant for a very long time. Times were changing, however. There weren't many like you, that you knew of, but now some new faces had appeared. Some were mere children, some had grown as big and strong, if not even stronger than you and your peers. The biggest thorn in your backside was the one called The Roman Empire, or Rome.

Your previous smile had died and was replaced with a scowl as you bent to pick up a few mushrooms using your sickle again. Rome was a strong empire, and his imperium was still growing larger and larger. Some of your Gaul villages were already under his rule, and as much as you hated to admit it you knew very well that it would be only a matter of time before most of if not all of Gaul would be his – including you. The ways with which that man conquered new land sickened you; what Rome's leader liked to call divide et impera, "divide and conquer". It was a terrifyingly effective tactic, that broke the targets defenses from the inside by making the enemy turn against each other. That was not, however, the only reason you detested the dark Mediterranean. He was too touchy feely for your tastes, treating women like objects more than anything, the only thing he cared about was a shared night with a pair of big busts, preferably more than just one pair.

He wasn't all that terrible looking, you had to admit, and he did have the charm. You stopped in your tracks when you realized your own thoughts, and shook your head to force them away before continuing, picking herbs and plants every now and then. That was pretty much the biggest reason you hated Rome – for the fact that you actually did feel drawn to him, with his trained body and tanned skin, and no matter how much you tried, you couldn't get rid of the feeling. You were strong and independent, and didn't want any man to order you around, but you knew very well how lonely life could be for a nation as old as you were.

You heaved a small sigh as you thought about the other nation that was a proof of much different times that were about to come. A nation not nearly as fierce or strong as Rome, but possibly even more dangerous, though not due their own purposes or wills. Now your features were graced with another small, but sad smile as you pictured the young blond waiting back at the village you took residence in. The wavy blond hair, sparkling blue eyes... he would certainly grow to a beautiful and handsome nation in time.

You had found the young boy amongst the woods not long ago, and you knew instantly what he was. He would become your successor, once your time would be over. But he wouldn't be the only one. After going through it once, you now recognized the feeling and knew that it wouldn't be long until another one would appear, possibly yet another after that – who knew how many of those young to-be nations already were around the world? As time went by, the little villages merged into larger ones, until they were towns, then cities, uniting the people as well into something smaller but much tighter than the Gaul was. The boy was the first sign of it happening. And that would mean your disappearance – once the people reformed the nations, you would not be needed anymore. Knowing all that, you still took the boy in, cared for him as your own son, because strangely, you were not afraid of your own future. You had lived long, it was time to give way to the young and the new.

Your thoughts were cut off as you heard a twig snap about ten meters behind you. You narrowed your eyes and straightened your back, showing no signs of surprise or nervousness, you knew exactly who would be there.

"Come forth, Rome. I do not wish to play your games", you called with a soft yet clear voice, loud enough to be heard but not too loud as not to disturb the calm afternoon forest around you, not turning to look at the direction of the intruder.

For a while it was quiet safe for the sounds of life around you, then a low chuckle was heard, and now you turned around just in time to see the dark haired man emerge from behind the trees and to take a few steps towards you.

"Sharp on senses as ever, decor", he noted with a small, approving bow, stopping a bit too close for your liking. You stood your ground, giving him a blank stare, with only a hint of a frown visible on your brows.

"Gallia", Rome continued, giving you an all over, making you almost instinctively correct your posture. You fought it however, remaining still. You would not give that man the satisfaction to let him see that he'd have any kind of power over you, not just yet, at least. "It's been a long time since the last time", he continued.

"Not quite long enough", you replied with a cold look. "What do you want, Rome?"

The man seemed unfazed by your rejecting attitude as he only chuckled once more and closed the distance between you to stand right in front of you.

"Oh, you know what I want alright..." he said, lifting a few strands of your _[h/c]_ hair to his face, smiling in them as he took in your scent. It took all your willpower to keep your cool as his chocolate brown eyes never moved from your _[e/c]_ ones. Still holding the strands of your hair he started to circle around you, letting the wisps to fall as he walked to stand behind you, forcing you to slightly turn your head to keep him still in your view.

"I want you, _", Rome had leaned in to whisper right in your left ear, you could easily hear the smirk in his voice. The hot breath on the sensitive skin made it tingle, and you took a strong breath through your nose to force your breathing to stay normal.

"And that is what you cannot have", you answered through almost gritted teeth and took a few steps forward to gain distance between you two before turning around to look at him.

"If that was all, then you should go." You turned away and started walking, but didn't get far when a large hand grabbed your arm and yanked you back. It took you by surprise, sure Rome touched and occasionally groped you but he very rarely used strength like this.

"Unhand me this instant", you demanded once you got over the initial surprise, fixing a cold glare at the man still holding your arm.

Rome's smirk only widened as he leaned in, mere centimeters away from your face.

"What if I won't, amīca?" he whispered, his lips ghosting right over yours. With a fast and practiced movement you withdrew your sickle and placed it on top of his wrist that was holding you, the trick taking Rome for surprise this time. A small smile twisted your lips when you noticed the tiny faltering in his smug expression.

"Then I suppose you don't want to stay intact to your hand, hmm?" you answered with feigned sweetness. You could see how he pondered his options. You weren't bluffing, you could assure that much. Also, the sickle was easily sharp enough to cut bone – it was of the finest Gaulish handicraft, after all. And lastly, what came to the matter of nations being near immortal and couldn't be harmed by a man... When the blow came from another one of their kind, they could rather easily be wounded.

Apparently Rome arrived to the same conclusion as he slowly removed his hand before you could remove it for him, but only leaned a bit farther to have a better look at you. You kept yourself at the ready, not putting the sickle away just yet as you looked right back at the man in front of you.

"You can have any woman in the world, Rome", you broke the silence with a cold voice, "so leave me out of your schemes."

"Exactly", Rome answered, seemingly a little out of breath, "I can have any woman I want", he locked his dark eyes on yours, holding you in your place as he slowly raised his hands to almost touch your shoulders, "so why can't I have you, _?"

"Because", you started, noticing to your surprise and shock that you were panting so very slightly yourself, "I am not 'any woman'."

"Exactly", the man repeated himself, "and that is why I want you..." he leaned in once more, it was like some sort of magnet was pulling your lips together. His gaze was so deep and hypnotic and you barely noticed yourself how you too leaned closer to slowly close the cap.

When you felt the gracing touch of his lips on yours you finally snapped out of the trance you had fallen into and took a few frantic steps backwards. Your breathing was now heavier as you forced your head to clear before glaring at him with piercing _ eyes.

"The one you cannot have", you repeated your words from earlier, now putting the sickle at your belt and turning around and striding away with long steps. You managed to hear a few heavy footsteps to follow you when you were once again yanked back, this time you were pulled against a toned, armored chest while two strong arms wrapped around your torso, trapping you effectively against the Mediterranean.

"You do know, Gallia..." the low voice in your ear and the way he ghosted his lips over the exposed skin on your neck caused your breath to hitch in your throat, "that I am going to get you, eventually. You will be mine."

You swallowed thickly in order to answer. "Not if I have a say in it." The following chuckle caused goosebumps to run up and down your spine, and you just barely suffocated a sigh. Still holding you tight he span you around and crashed his lips on top of yours in a fierce but still immensely passionate kiss. All your struggles were in vain as his other hand moved to the back of your head and the other circled around your waist to keep you in place, your hands trapped in between your bodies pressed tightly together.

And as fast as it started, it was over. Rome released his hold from you and took a few steps back, leaving you standing breathless and slightly disheveled after the surprising kiss. Though not before you had managed to give him a strong, loud slap to the face. It didn't seem to face him much thoguh, to your dismay.

"Just a little something to remind of me", Rome said with his voice husky, a mischievous smirk on his lips as he winked. "Do keep up that fighting spirit, diletta. Until next time." And with that, he gave a theatrical bow before turning around and disappeared amongst the surrounding woods. You stood still until you couldn't hear his fainting footsteps anymore at all, and only the sounds of forest were once again the only things you could gather.

You took your time to recover. A colorful collection of emotions were clashing inside of you, and you didn't know which one you should listen. You were angry. You were confused. You were sad. And, what shocked you most, you felt longing. It had been a long time a man had held you in his arms, even if what Rome just did was against your will. And what made you sad, and also frustrated, was that he was right. If things continued the way they were going, Rome and his Caesar would eventually have a hold of all of Gaul, and of you. You and your people wouldn't give up easily, but it was only prolonging the inevitable, if even that.

The sun had set almost fully, the red of the dusk coloring the forest through the branches. You turned and continued your way to the village, the people would start wondering where you were. You already had all the herbs you originally came to look for anyway.

It wasn't a long walk, and you didn't even notice how soon it was over as you walked deep in your thoughts. The sun had disappeared behind the forest clad horizon and the scenery was lit only by bright moonlight by the time you reached the gate, and you were brought back to earth with the villagers circling around you, asking worriedly what was wrong. You assured them that you were alright, and handed over the basket to be brought to the druid of the village before heading towards the cottage you called home.

You opened the door to the dark building quietly and carefully made your way inside without lightening a candle, not wanting to wake up its other residence who you figured would already be asleep. And sure enough, once you made it to the large bed you shared with the young of your kind, soft breathing was already heard and you could see golden locks glimmering in the sliver of moonlight peeking through the windows.

You sat next to the sleeping child, gently stroking the soft, curly locks, smiling softly as the child mumbled something incomprehensible and unconsciously turned towards your hand. You felt tears gathering to your eyes, and you lifted your free hand on your mouth to muffle the soft sobs escaping through your throat. If you fell under the Roman rule, what would become of this poor, young, innocent child, or the others that you knew would come after him? He was so graceful, so beautiful... so fragile. Even if this boy would be the end of you, you still loved him – he was the unification of your people, your very own son. Even if he was not physically your flesh and blood, in a way he still was just that, through your people. You had vowed to raise and protect him until he would one day be strong enough to fend himself, and you had grown to love him dearly.

The tears were now streaming freely down your cheeks, and it was all you could do to keep yourself silent, the hand still softly fondling the golden hair was shaking ever so slightly.

"Maman?" an innocent, groggy voice caused you to silently gasp in surprise. The sleeping child slowly sat up and blinked his sapphire eyes open, furrowing his little brows in worry when he noticed the wet streams on your face.

"Maman, why are you crying? Are you hurt?" the young boy crawled closer to give you a hug. Your face melted into a warm smile, even if the tears were still overflowing from your eyes.

"Francis..." you hugged the boy back gently, caressing the blond strands on the back of his head.

"It is going to be okay, my dear, it will all turn out fine..." you weren't sure if you were trying to soothe the little nation or yourself. The younger pulled back a little to look at you.

"Don't worry maman, I'll protect you, the whole village will", Francis said and flashed a beautiful smile, one that was certainly going to melt and break millions of hearts, if the boy ever learned to use it to its full potential. Right now the smile was innocent and sincere though, and you couldn't help but smile back at the optimistic promise.

"I know sweetheart, I know", you answered softly and planted a gentle kiss on top of the boys golden crown of hair, "as will I, as well and long as I possibly can", you counter promised, hugging the boy once again against your chest. For a while you remained like that, you had now ceased from crying and a feeling of ease was starting to settle in despite the restless times that were sure to come.

"But now, it is time to go to sleep, magus. We both have much to do tomorrow", you said and released the young boy from your arms.

"Oui maman", Francis mumbled sleepily and laid down once again. You followed the suit, not bothering to change your clothes, only removing your sandals before going under the covers. Once you had settled you felt your son instantly cuddling up against you, and you responded with wrapping your arms protectively around the fragile being.

"Bonne nuit, maman. T'aime", you heard him mumble, before his breath fell completely regular, signaling he had fallen to sleep.

"Bona nox, leux", you whispered into his soft hair, determined to hold your promise and fight for your freedom and for Francis' future as long as possible.

"Eu te amo."

Translations

Rome:

decor – (latin) beauty

Gallia – (latin) Gaul

amīca – (latin) mistress

diletta – (italy) beloved

Gaul:

magus – (gaul) young

bona nox – (latin) good night

leux – (gaul) light

Eu te amo. - (gaul (if I remember correctly)) And I love you.

Francis (Even though they're pretty obvious...):

maman – (french) mother

oui – (french) yes

bonne nuit – (french) good night

t'aime – (french) (I) love you