The Princess' Dragon (Hetalia)
Author: Ashynarr
Summary: As a child, Emilie was sent away for her own protection from an evil curse, only to be rescued by the most unlikely of duos. Years later, she's found again and brought back to her birthland, with protests, but family has a way of coming together again, even in the more unlikely of circumstances.
Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.
Warning: 1pAme/1pNyoCan, fantasy AU, dragon!Alfred
First request fill, for princessofthereach, who wanted AmeFem!Can (but didn't give me a prompt). This sort of popped into my head while I was thinking over what to write, and I loved it too much to let it go. It also sorta got out of hand, so this is only part one of two or three depending on how it goes from here.
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Emilie was six when her parents sent her away, wrapped in confusion and peasant's clothing as she was ghosted away in the dead of night for the far reaches of the kingdom. She'd only half an hour previously been woken by her tearful parents, both of whom promised that one day they'd bring her home once she was safe. She did not understand why she was being taken from her home, having never been told of why everyone watched her so closely.
Emilie, the crown princess of the Kingdom of Andaca, was from birth cursed to have her heart stolen from her by a dragon, the most terrifying creature to rule the western mountains.
The warlock who'd casted this curse had laughed in some private amusement after this declaration, vanishing in smoke as the guards futilely attempted to seize the madman.
Having no other means of protecting their firstborn, the king and queen had increased the guards around and within the castle to keep out intruders, and made certain that the young princess was always being watched by at least one of their loyal retainers. They also set out patrols to drive out the dragons who had moved too far within the borders, determined to keep the beasts far away from the heart of the kingdom.
In the center of all of this, Emilie was nearly lost under the constant gazes that made her choke on her words and fears. As a child she was quiet and awkward, unable to make friends her own age and unable to bond with the adults the surrounded her and stifled her. Books were her only relief, an escape to places far away from the grey and white walls of her home.
But all of that was gone now, quickly fading from view as the trees grew larger and closed around the horse and riders. Emilie found herself scared of this wide world, for the first time wishing to be back in the safe embrace of her bed. The night seemed to drag on, the only sign of progress the movement of the horse beneath her and the patches of moonlight the streamed in from above.
The journeyed for three days, travelling at night and resting at an inn during the daylight hours. Emilie would cry herself to sleep silently in the uncomfortable beds, ate the bland food without a peep, and clung tight to the unknown rider who took her further and further from home as they rode.
On the fourth day, they reached the eastern mountains, beyond which Emilie knew from her lessons was the kingdom of Meracia, which overlooked the grand Caltatin Sea. The going was slower, though, as the mountain paths were not always safe, and several times they had to turn back for lack of path.
One such detour turned out to be a trap - the falling rocks spooked the horse, sending the riders to the ground and dazing the princess. They were surrounded by bandits, all much crueler and more terrifying than the storybooks had seemed to make them.
Then again, those bandits had been going up against knights and heroes, not a frightened little girl and her escort.
In his favor, the man had tried his best to protect her, but he was clearly untrained in combat. She'd screamed as she watched him fall, the bandit's cruel laughter making it all the worse. Emilie kicked and screamed as she was dragged up by her hair, tears staining her dirt-smudged face. They howled in amusement at her struggles, jabbing at each other with words she didn't know but made her body crawl.
One hand had already reached under her shirt, making her squirm away futilely, when a screech sounded above them. They all looked up at the same time, the bandits rapidly paling as a large form of blue and white quickly descended towards them. It took a second for her to recognize it for what it was-
"Dragon!" One of the bandits yelled, all of them now scrambling for cover, but it was too late - the beast hit the ground, sending up dust and rocks as it snarled at them. The bandit who had been dragging her along quickly let go, more concerned with his own life than that of some child, no matter how pretty.
With a few more swipes and snarls all the others were gone, leaving Emilie alone with the massive beast. A part of her yelled at her, demanding her to run as far as she could, but she was frozen in place, unable to tear her wide gaze away from the beast that was staring down the path the bandits had fled along.
It snorted, ruffling its wings. "Stupid bandits…" It complained to itself, the voice not quite fitting with what she imagined the beasts to sound like. "Attacking innocent travelers like that… don't they know better?"
It finally noticed her, seeming to shift back as it looked her over. It didn't feel like the stares of the castle, but it was still unsettling, making her shrink into herself. Surprisingly, the dragon seemed to make itself a bit smaller too, less threatening.
"Hey, you alright there? They didn't do anything to you, right?"
She shook her head slightly, tears welling up as she tried to swallow back her fear. It- He? stepped forward, head lowered so that she could better see his face.
"Hey, hey, don't cry, please-" His voice was pleading, soft in a way she wasn't used to. "-I promise I won't hurt you, dragon's honor."
Emilie sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. "I wanna go home…"
"Do you remember where that is?" He asked, patient. "I could take you there if you like."
She almost agreed, before remembering why she was so far from home in the first place. Her head hung, her chest aching deeply. "They don' want me anymore."
"Are you sure?" His face furrowed in what she realized was concern. She nodded her head, and he sighed. "Aw man… do you know anyone else who can take care of you?"
Again, she shook her head. He frowned. "Dang… and Art's not around, so he can't help…"
The dragon stepped forward, making her shiver again, only to be surprised at the gentle way in which he picked her up, cradling her to his chest with one large paw. "Shh… I promised I wouldn't hurt ya, and I'm gonna keep it."
Flying was much different from riding a horse, Emilie quickly discovered. Each wingbeat dipped and rose in time with his breaths, each pulse warm against her. The claws her small hands clang to desperately were smooth and steady, enclosing but not trapping like she'd feared. The view was breathtaking once the initial panic had passed, the snow of the high peaks soft and bright from this distance.
It didn't take long for them to begin descending, confusing her until she saw the large cavern start to emerge from the surrounding terrain. Was this his den, then? It seemed so… small.
The dragon, still cradling her, sheathed his wings once he touched down, heading down the sloping tunnel until they emerged in a much larger cavern. She was surprised at how well lit it was, eyes darting between the holes in the wall where she could see fires burning without any sort of fuel.
"Art made those so he could make his way around without stumbling over everything. I don't mind 'em - they make the place feel a bit more comforting, even if I don't need the light."
He finally set her down, her feet landing softly on on smooth stone floor. As she took in her new surroundings, he shuffled his way over to another doorway that was much smaller than the one they'd entered in from. He didn't attempt to enter though, only sticking his long neck through for a minute, returning with what she realized as he approached was a basket of berries and fruit.
Emilie's stomach growled - she hadn't eaten since sunrise, and it was well into the afternoon now. He set the basket down in front of her, stepping back and making himself comfortable while she eagerly dug into the sweet and tart treats. She managed to make her way through a fourth of the basket before she felt full, sitting back and wiping at the stains on her face in a way her mother would have chastised her for.
The remainder of her parents made her tear up again, startling the dragon.
"Were the berries bad? Oh man, I should have checked before I gave them to you, but Art said he put spells on them to keep them fresh-"
She shook her head, unable to bring herself to explain how much she missed home. The dragon had been very kind so far, so different from all the stories she'd ever been told, but she still wasn't sure he would get it - dragons didn't really have families, did they? But he kept mentioning someone called 'Art'...
"Do you want to get some sleep? I can show you where Art's bed is-"
Sleep did sound nice, actually. She nodded, awkwardly getting to her feet at the same time as the dragon, following him as he made his way to the other opening in the cavern, which opened up into a smaller room containing a small mound of treasure. For a brief wild moment she wondered if she would have to sleep on that before he directed her attention to the small, human sized cot to the side.
Well, it probably wouldn't be any less comfortable than the inn beds.
To her surprise, it was much softer than it had looked, the blankets warm and comfortable when she wrapped herself in them. It wasn't her old bed, but it was nice. Yawning, she allowed herself to fall over so her head rested on the pillow, eyes slipping shut as the day finally caught up to her. She barely even noticed the dragon walking back out to the other room, leaving her on her own for the first time in her life.
~0~0~
His name was Alfred.
Emilie found he was more than willing to talk about anything she showed interest in, and slowly she allowed herself to be more forward, her natural curiosity overcoming her fading fear and sorrow. She learned all about his warlock friend, who was actually called Arthur, and was shown the library the man had collected in one of the side caverns.
"Just make sure to put them back where you found them," He'd muttered to her as she'd gaped. "He gets really fussy when his books aren't where they should be."
She also learned that he had moved here from the western range because of the increasing competition from dragons being forced back by the kingdom, and how he was the only one in the area because most dragons weren't fond of the heavy human traffic that went through year-round.
"Don't you get lonely, though?" She'd asked, shocked that any being could willingly live so far from others.
"Nah," He'd replied casually, ruffling his wings in a shrug. "I have Art to hang out with me."
"But he isn't here anymore."
"He'll be back eventually, and besides, I have you around for now, right?"
Emilie was also beginning to learn her way around the kitchen, which while clearly designed for an adult didn't pose too much trouble for her once she found the footstool. Her diet mostly consisted of what she could find in the cupboards and whatever Alfred brought back when he went hunting. He'd clearly learned how to cook the meat so that it was safe for her to eat, his aside of having to spare his poor cavern from being smoked out every week making her giggle in mirth.
It was all so different from what she was used to - struggling to dress herself, having to get her own food, and in one unfortunate moment of thoughtlessness scraping her knees when she tripped over a book that'd fallen to the floor and having no one to wrap it - but she had never felt more relaxed in her life. Alfred held no expectations for her, didn't tell her what she could or could not do beyond what would keep her from hurting herself, and was kind and thoughtful.
He was everything she'd ever wanted in a friend, so she could hardly be faulted for getting attached to him in the two weeks it took for Alfred's warlock friend to finally return.
Arthur hadn't even noticed her at first, too busy grousing to Alfred about the 'bloody horrid journey' and how he refused to ever set foot on a ship from Naips or Laug again. She'd ducked into a small alcove as he'd passed by for the library, the bag over his shoulder much larger than she'd expect.
"Alfred, have you been moving my things again?" He'd called out, returning from the library with no bag in sight.
Alfred poked his head in, huffing. "No, I haven't. You've scolded me enough about that."
"Then please, tell me who else could have moved all my books around and left the bed a right mess-"
He locked eyes with her, tired green widening as it registered her presence. She shrank into herself slightly, not moving as the man shut his eyes and breathed in. "Alfred?"
"Yeah?"
"Why is there a child here?"
"Because I rescued her." At the skeptical look he received, he continued quickly. "Look, she and the guy she was with were attacked by bandits, and she has nowhere else to go. It's not like I could just leave her there on her own!"
Arthur sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "And when, pray tell, were you going to take her back to her family?"
Alfred ducked his head. "She said they didn't want her."
The warlock seemed to have a complete reversal of personality after that, his face much softer as he looked back to her. "It would probably still be better for her to be raised by a normal family, not a couple of recluses like us."
"Well, it's not like I could just bring her into town and ask if anyone was interested, now could I?" Alfred rolled his eyes.
"Damnit, I know that." Arthur bristled, shooting a glare at Alfred before calming himself down again. "To be frank, I'm glad you didn't get it in your head to try. Lord only knows how that would have ended."
"Rude." Alfred finally turned his attention to Emilie, who had been keeping quiet out of habit - children weren't supposed to heard, after all. "Hey, would you be alright with going to this guy to town to see if anyone would take you in? I promise he won't try and eat you, no matter how scary his eyebrows are."
"Hey!" Arthur snapped, eyes twitching. "You promised to lay off of that!"
"I promised to lay off commenting on your cooking, not your eyebrows."
The warlock huffed, returning his attention to Emilie. "I apologize for you having to put up with him for this long - he can barely behave himself at the best of times, and when I'm around, well-" He waved between himself and the dragon, who was attempting to look innocent in the whole matter and failing.
"It's alright; he's been very nice to me so far." She replied, straightening up and biting at her lip. "Do I have to go? I won't be any trouble, I promise-"
"I hardly believe you would be, dear." Arthur replied kindly. "But as I already stated, this isn't really a suitable place for a young girl like yourself to grow up. Wouldn't you rather have a regular family to grow up with?"
She looked down at her dirty shoes, saying nothing. It would be nice, but a part of her was terrified that whoever took her in would eventually send her away as well. She swallowed, wondering if that was what these two were trying to do as well. They had seemed so nice, too…
"Hey, don't cry, Em." Alfred stepped forward, nudging her gently. "We aren't trying to get rid of you, promise. We just want you to be safe."
"Really, Alfred? Must you shorten everyone's name?"
"Well, Emilie's a bit of a mouthful, am I right? And she hasn't complained about it yet, so I'm pretty sure she's okay with it."
Arthur froze in place. "...Emilie? As in, the princess of Andaca?"
She nodded her head slightly, flushed in embarrassment.
"Wait, princess?" Alfred looked back and forth between the two. "You gotta be kidding me, right? Why would a princess be all the way out here in the mountains?"
"I would assume her parents were sending her into hiding, although why I couldn't even begin to fathom." Arthur rubbed at his face, looking older than he had a few moments ago. "This makes things a lot more complicated."
"You're telling me. A princess, wow." Alfred settled down, looking at Emilie in a new light. "Isn't this something that's supposed to be in all those old stories of yours, Art?"
"That usually involves the dragon kidnapping the princess, not rescuing her. And I thought you complained about those stories."
Alfred shrugged. "Well, yeah, because they all make us out to be big and dumb creatures. Doesn't mean I don't pay attention when you read them out loud."
"You could have mentioned that sooner…"
"Does this mean I can stay?" Emilie asked, shrinking slightly when two sets of eyes turned back to her, before returning to each other.
"We don't have a choice, really. There would be too many people eager to take advantage of your status should they find out, and too many risks if we said nothing and someone who knew you came along in the future. I could try looking into where you were originally bound, but it's extremely likely only a handful even know you've left the castle."
Alfred rested his head on the ground, huffing in amusement as he side-eyed the young princess. "Looks like you're stuck with us for now; hope you don't mind."
Well, it wasn't home, but Arthur and Alfred seemed nice enough. Maybe everything would be okay after all.
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AN: I like dragons. I also like subverting fairy tail plots. Naturally, I found just the niche for this pairing in both. (And thank god I got rid of the stockholm potential because that is just ew). And yes, I am reposting this in its own story rather than keep it in the Ice Creamery.
