Author's Note: Alright, so this is my first real Hetalia fan fiction that isn't crack. Haha. It's based on Disney's Sleeping Beauty, with a LOT of twists and added characters. First, let's go over the pairings, because I know pairings are a big part of stories and I usually judge whether or not to read a story because of them. Sometimes.
Pairings
Main Pairing: Spamano, Prumano...Love Triangle.
Secondary Main Pairings: GerIta, UsUk, Franada, DenNor & NorIce Love Triangle, & RoChu.
Small & Mentioned/Hinted Pairings: GiriPan, VietWan, AmeriNam, FrUk, & Americest.
Those are the pairings for this story, so if you don't like or can't stand one of them, please leave now. I would like to keep ship wars at a minimum, or even better, no wars at all. And now, for the full summary.
Full summary: It started with 'once upon a time'. Shouldn't it have ended with 'happily ever after' instead of 'and so, they lived a broken, shattered life full of death and despair'? Sleeping beauty was a male who fell into eternal sleep after being killed by his true love. The dragon that was killed was a prince...slayed by the one who was in love with him. Just how much pain does one have to suffer to get a happy ending? Let's take the shattered road, hand in hand...perhaps we can make it out alive together, my love...at least, once upon a dream. I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. And I know it's true that visions are seldom what they seem. But if I know you...I know what you'll do...you'll KILL me at once...the way you did once..upon.. a dr-e-am...
That's about it. Also, please do not assume I'm making some characters evil and some good. This is only the prologue, don't be fooled by who is the good and bad so easily...the story has yet to progress.
And also, though this may be a fan fiction that takes place when there were still kings and queens, I am changing a few things so that a few things that existed today exists in this story too, so it is not historically accurate.
Human names are used.
Thank you and enjoy reading.
Prologue
Long, long ago...in a far away kingdom. There once was a man who was waiting outside of his bedroom, pacing back and force with a serious frown on his face. This man was the King of this land. His wife, the Queen, was giving birth to twins. Their twins. He had been pacing so impatiently, worry written all over his face.
Suddenly, a high-pitched scream that came from his wife caught his attention, and he immediately burst through the doors.
"M-My king! The twins have been born successfully!" A female servant cried out happily, holding the healthy twins in a wrapped blanket, but the maid who was helping the Queen had a grim expression on her face.
The king quickly made his way over to his two boys and felt tears coming to his eyes. They were his sons, though they were both crying so annoyingly, they were his sons. The future princes of the kingdom. He felt overwhelming happiness wash over him as he quickly took his wife's hand, but quickly noticed how it didn't feel very...warm anymore.
He turned towards the maid, heart racing. "Bella...what has happened to my wife?" The king only hoped nothing bad had happened to her.
Bella only slowly shook her head, her eyes downcast as she stared at the ground. "..I'm sorry, my king..but the queen is.."
That was all he needed to hear before he snapped. "She can't be dead! Wake up, love! Open your eyes, look at our beautiful children!" He cried, shaking his wife frantically, his teardrops cascading down onto the soft blanket.
Bella looked over at her friend, a female servant of the Vargas family. "Come, Katyusha. We should leave his highness alone…" She waved the other female over to the door and Katyusha nodded in understanding, her once happy expression faded away as she walked outside with the two baby boys in her arms.
The king stood next to his dead wife, holding her body close to him as he sobbed into her shoulder. "...M-My dear..I love you too much to let you go...I shall join you in heaven soon." He murmured into her ear, his tears still flowing. He laid her down back onto the bed and took out an ink pen and began writing a letter.
'To those who find this letter,
I, Head of the Vargas Kingdom, withdraw my status as King and give this title to my Father, the last King. Romulus Vargas shall rule this Kingdom once again.
I have decided to have the same fate as my love, for without her, the twins would have never been born.
Please tell my boys I'm sorry for leaving them, but I am sure their grandfather will take of them just fine.
Leave my boys, Lovino [the older one] and Feliciano [the younger one] in Bella and Katyusha's care.
-Signed, King R.V.'
The king stamped the letter with the royal seal and placed it on the desk next to the bed, along with his crown. He smiled lightly before grabbing a pocket knife in his robe and climbed into bed with his dead wife. He kissed her cheek and whispered 'I love you' before plunging the knife into his heart and lay as still as his loved one.
o~=Once=Upon=A=Dream=~o
The next morning...
"T-The king is dead! He left a message for us! Quickly, find Romulus!" Someone shouted throughout the crowded hall.
Servants were quickly moving from one place to another, searching for the former king. Without a leader, no one knew what to do except find the last leader.
Suddenly, a large figure that everybody recognized right away stepped out into the hall from his room, yawning. "Haah. What on Earth is going on so early in the morning?" Romulus asked sleepily, scratching the back of his head nonchalantly.
A servant with the letter quickly stepped forward. "This is for you, my king."
The old man raised an eyebrow. 'King'? He was no longer king. What the hell was this servant talking about? He took the letter and brought it to his eye level before scanning through the short sentences, his eyes becoming wide. "So, I am to be the new King again? Ohoho, feels just like I'm young again!" Romulus laughed, holding his stomach.
He received wary looks from the people in the hallway, wondering why he was not worried or angry that his son had just killed himself.
The new/old King stopped laughing heartily and stared down at them. "What? I support my son's decision. It was his choice to leave this world, and none of us could have stopped him. Once he decided on something, he would go through it no matter what. That was my son indeed." He said with a small chuckle, "Well, what are you waiting for? Continue your morning duties...and send Bella and Katyusha to the King's quarters. I shall send some people to place the king and queen's corpses in a coffin and make time for a burial for them in a few. Also...a celebration party for the two new princes will be held soon, so send invitations to everyone worth inviting...Just not that stupid witch man. Now get to it!" His loud voice boomed in a demanding tone, making everyone jump and run about, carrying out their orders.
o~=Once=Upon=A=Dream=~o
Bella and Katyusha walked into the King's new bedroom. This time, Bella was holding the twins. They had been fed healthy milk and were burped. Now, they were sleeping soundly.
"Your highness called for us?" The Belgian female asked, giving the male a small bow along with the Ukrainian, careful not to drop the twins.
Romulus smiled at the sight of his new grandsons. They were both beautiful indeed, just like his own son and son's wife. "Ah, yes. Please raise your heads."
They obeyed and looked back up.
"My son has ordered the two of you to take care of his sons. That is a huge responsibility. But, I will not protest his wishes...he'd surely yell at his old man for that." He said, joking just like he did in his old days. "So I hope the both of you take care of them together as they grow, alright? I leave them in your care."
Bella brightened up immediately. "Of course we will, my king! Right, Kat?" She asked, nudging the other female. She loved children, so it was a wonderful job for her, of course.
Katyusha nodded as well, just as excited as Bella. "Yes, we will do anything we can to care and protect the princes!" She exclaimed as she bounced, eyes sparkling happily. Now it will feel like taking care of a younger brother again!
Romulus gave a hearty laugh at their enthusiasm and smiled. "Alright, the ceremony for their birth will be in one month, so be prepared!"
The two females nodded, gave another slight bow, and quickly left the room, giggling happily.
o~=Once=Upon=A=Dream=~o
The next month, it was time for the kingdom to celebrate the news of having two new princes. The funeral of the last king and queen was placed a week after their death. Royal families from other kingdoms had come to the ceremony, three fairies to bless the Vargas twins were invited as well, and of course. The older twin, which was named Lovino by his father and was born first before Feliciano, was meant to become king in the future. Therefore, he needed to be engaged to another member of a different royal family. Romulus, who was close to a nearby kingdom that was run by his old friend, decided that Lovino's fiance' would be Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, who was five years old.
The two twins were placed in a comfortable casket filled with the finest silk and fabric and the softest pillows anyone could ever imagine, right next to the King and Queen's chair up in front.
The castle was filled with life, people were talking, dancing, and eating as orchestral music filled the atmosphere.
The young prince, Antonio, slowly walked up to the casket curiously. He stared inside with a little bit difficulty, and saw the two twins inside. They were twins indeed. One had darker hair than the other, it was more..brown, and he had green eyes. The other had lighter hair with amber eyes. Both of them had strange curls sticking out of their hair that went the opposite direction of the other's.
Antonio made a delighted face when he poked the one with emerald eyes on the cheek, and the twin immediately protested and whacked his hand away. "S-So cute!" The young prince squealed. Though he was only 5, he knew that he was going to have to marry one of those twins in the future.
Romulus had walked over to the casket, where Antonio was playing around with both of the twins. He leaned over to the young boy and ruffled his hair happily. "Do you know which one of them you're going to marry, boy?"
Antonio stared with wide eyes at the sight of the large man before shaking his head no.
"Hahaha! So innocent! You will make an excellent husband for my Lovino!" The man hoisted the young prince up so he could see the twins better and pointed at the one with darker hair and emerald eyes. "This one is going to be your husband, the one you'll be marrying in the future, so you better remember that! Don't you dare get him mixed up with Feliciano, boy!" He laughed loudly. "He will not be a happy husband if you did!"
"B-But it's hard to tell which boy I have to marry. They look the same." Antonio said, frowning a little.
"Trust me, Toni. You'll see the difference when they grow up!" Romulus answered, giving him a pat on the back before placing him back on the ground. "Now, go back to your parents. I have to summon the fairies up for their blessings."
The brunette happily nodded and skipped back over to where his mother and father were.
The King stood up taller, his crown on his head. "Ladies and gentlemen, the ceremony of blessings shall now begin! Come forth, fairies!"
Everyone and everything went silent as the three fairies stepped forward. One male and two female fairies.
"Greetings, my name is Mei Xiao." The fairy with the brightest smile stepped forward and curtsied, her appearance was cute and adorable to all eyes.
The second fairy stepped forward as Mei stepped back. He bowed politely. "It is an honor to meet you, your highness. My name is Kiku Honda." This man was very nice and a bit shy sometimes, the polite one of the group. The male stepped back.
"Hello." The last female fairy gave a slight bow as well. "I am Lien Chung. Pleasure." She was the most quiet out of the three, and didn't smile. But she was was nice, nonetheless. She, too, stepped back with the other two.
"Hello, Mei, Kiku, and Lien. It is quite an honor to have you three fairies here to bless my grandsons with your magic!" The King grinned widely. "Welcome to our kingdom! Please, start when you are ready!"
Kiku nodded and looked over to Mei, gesturing her to go first. She nodded in understanding before walking up to the casket where the two twins lay, her wings fluttering a bit. She took out her wand and began to chant, "I grant the oldest to have a fiery passion for the things and those he loves, and the youngest a kind and innocent soul that will have sympathy for weak things." With those words, fire red magic enveloped the older twin, Lovino, while water blue magic enveloped Feliciano. A flurry of images were seen before everything disappeared, and the spell was casted. She stepped back with one last curtsy with her skirt, before Lien stepped forward.
The Viet fairy flew up to the casket and made her wand appear before she began speaking. "I grant the oldest a strong and determined will that will keep him standing through the toughest times, and the younger one a sense of protection and care that will help the wounded and ill." A blue dragon made of sparkles appeared and it entered Lovino, while a pure, white flower entered Feliciano before they disappeared and she stepped back.
Kiku nodded, knowing it was finally his turn for his gift to the two. The Japanese fairy flew up to the casket, but suddenly, puff of smoke enveloped the whole room and everything went black for a while.
The people inside were coughing before the smoke dispersed and revealed...a crimson-eyed witch. Everyone knew who that was. "..Kesese~! The awesome me is here!"
Romulus stood up from his seat and glared at the witch. "You damned witch! Why have you come to my grandsons' ceremony, you evil thing?!"
The witch threw his black cape over his shoulder and he laughed. "Kesese! I came because I wasn't invited, and you know just how much I love crashing parties! You can't have a blast without the awesome me, so I figured I'd invite myself here! And I'm not a witch, I'm a sorcerer! Witches are women!" He stuck his tongue out at the King, his black skull staff in his hand.
The King's eyes narrowed as he glared at the 'sorcerer'. "Leave, Gilbert! We don't need your mischief here!"
Gilbert only feigned a look of hurt. "But why? I was just going to give one of your twins a gift from me, isn't that awesome? To be blessed by someone like me?" He laughed before he used his levitation spell and levitated one of the twins up from the casket. In a flash, Lovino, the oldest twin, was sleeping in Gilbert's arms.
"You fiend! Give me back my grandson, you-GUARDS!" Romulus screamed, and the knights began running towards the sorcerer quickly. But they were not quick enough.
"...I grant the remaining twin the gift of death. On his 16th birthday, he will be killed by his true love and will never see the face of the world ever again." Gilbert chanted. A black skeleton fog went inside of Feliciano before Gilbert smirked as his crimson eyes gleamed in amusement. "I'll be taking this little twin. Lovino, was it? Don't worry, my king! I will take care of him for you~! Kesese! Bye, suckers!"
"GILBERT! DON'T YOU DARE-!"
A puff of black smoke once again enveloped the room, and the sorcerer was gone.
There was an eerie silence in the room as Romulus, the furious king punched a nearby wall. His face was contorted with anger. "DAMN IT!"
"..Your highness. I haven't given Prince Feliciano his gift yet. Perhaps I can save him." A voice spoke out as Kiku once again stepped forward, bowing his head.
The king's eyes slowly traveled over to the Japanese fairy and felt his anger dissipate at his words. "You can save my grandson? What about my Lovino?!" He asked a calmly as he could, though his voice was shaking.
The male fairy shook his head. "I can't save Prince Feliciano from his fate...but I can somehow change it, even if just a little bit. As for Prince Lovino...even my powers cannot save him, nor my powers combined with Mei and Lien. A person with such strong magic cannot be stopped. I am sorry, my king."
Romulus grit his teeth and his hands became fists once again, but he sat down in the King's chair and growled. "I will find my grandson. Please, go on and give your gift to Feliciano."
Kiku simply nodded and flew back over to the younger one of the two twins. Using his wand, he began to use his magic. "I grant you the gift of eternal sleep...on your 16th birthday you will not die, but fall into eternal sleep and will revive with true love's first kiss."
Yellow butterflies that were sparkling enveloped the sleeping prince and all was calm again.
"The prince shall not die, your highness. I will make sure of that." He said with a curt but determined nod.
"Than you, Kiku Honda. May you and your two friends help look after my Feliciano. I have to send out my trustiest knights out into the woods and find Lovino."
Lien and Mei looked at each other, giving each other worried looks. "Permission to speak, my king?" Lien spoke up before Romulus could order his knights out.
His eyebrows furrowed as he gave a small nod. "Speak."
"...Gilbert's location is incredibly hard to find. Even if all of the fairies and knights went out to search for where he is, the chances are incredibly slim. He can change his location anytime, at any moment." She explained calmly as she kept eye contact with the king.
"I don't care!" He roared, anger evident in his eyes. "I need to at least try to find him! If I don't...my son in heaven will not accept this!"
Mei shrank back in fear and hid behind Lien, but Lien was still calm and expressionless. "Yes, my king." She replied plainly. They were all excused as Lien, Mei, and Kiku flew back into the crowd as Romulus called for his top 4 strongest knights in the castle.
"Send them out! Quickly!" One of the guards exclaimed as four knights were suddenly pushed out into the open. The king's patience was short now, they had to make haste.
"You four! You're the four most strongest, correct?" The older male asked, staring down at them. "Introduce yourself, now!" His voice boomed throughout the room before a blonde knight with blue eyes and glasses stepped forward.
"Pleasure to meet ya, your highness! I'm the hero, knight Alfred F. Jones!" He smiled, unable to read the atmosphere and gave a quick bow.
A blonde that look similar to him sighed at his brother's stupidity and also bowed. "Hello, sir. My name is Matthew Williams." But it didn't seem like anyone heard him because everyone's eyes were on the next male already.
"And I'm Mathias Kohler!" Another cheerful blonde spoke up, grinning like an idiot along with Alfred. Matthew rolled his eyes again.
"Ivan Braginsky, and I am at your service, your highness. Kokokol.." A Russian man smiled, yet it looked like some kind of evil aura was coming out of him.
"You four are aware of the current situation, correct?" Romulus questioned with slight disgust in his voice. He was usually such a carefree man...but not now. Not when his grandson was kidnapped and the other was cursed!
The four of them nodded in unison.
"Then you know what your orders are?"
More nodding.
"Then go, quickly! If you find any clues or hints, report back right away!"
They all scrambled towards the exit towards the horse stables quickly (besides Ivan, who was taking his time walking) and began getting ready for their quest.
o~=Once=Upon=A=Dream=~o
As soon as they left, the four knights began talking among themselves.
"I told you I'm one of the strongest ones here, Mattie! And you didn't believe me!" Alfred boasted as they walked towards the stables.
"I only said you were weak with reading the atmosphere!" The one called Matthew huffed, walking next to his brother and Mathias.
"Hahaha! I'm not weak in anything, because I'm the hero!" The younger brother exclaimed confidently, pumping up his fist.
"And I'm obviously the most awesome one here!" Mathias said, also pumping up his fist with Alfred cheerfully.
"No, dude! The hero is always the most awesome one, not the sidekick!"
"Whoever said I was your sidekick?!"
"I did!"
"I'm not your sidekick!"
"Yes you are, haha!"
The two began to argue who was who while Ivan walked silently next to them, smiling all the way to the horse stables. When they got there, he turned to the two who were still fighting and giggled. "Why don't the both of you become my sidekicks and become one with me, da?"
Alfred yelped and hid behind Matthew. "N-No thanks, dude! You're scary!"
Mathias hid behind Alfred, who was hiding behind Matthew. "Yeah, no thanks!"
Ivan only continued to smile creepily. "Okay, let's just get our horses and leave already, da?"
Matthew sighed.
As the four knights got their horses ready, they packed a few snacks and necessary items needed on their quest and quickly set off into the woods, where Gilbert's home was rumored to be seen.
o~=Once=Upon=A=Dream=~o
Late at night after the ceremony, a late guest arrived at the castle. It was completely dark, which meant everyone was asleep.
"...I'm too late...Ah, I suppose it was expected." A female voice said, clearly disappointed. "Oh well! I'll just go find the prince, bless him with a gift, and go home."
The fairy flew into different rooms, until she found one with a sleeping baby boy in a cradle. "Oooh, he's so cute! Too bad one of them was kidnapped.." She sighed as she took out her wand. "I heard you were cursed, little one. No worries, I'll make it all better!"
And she began her chant.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the prologue, the next chapter will hopefully by up soon. Oh! And I forgot to mention, this is also based off of 'Once Upon a Dream' sung by Lana Del Rey. It was inspired because of the dark, mysterious lullaby remix of the real song. If you haven't heard it yet, I highly recommend doing so!
So, until then...ciao, and have a...Maleficent day. Get it? Ahaha..yeah, I'm not good with jokes, sorry. Eheh.
Signed, M.S.