Inspired by Majulah Singapura. Features tons of OCs, and a Hetaliafied retelling of how Malaysia came to be. Enjoy. This will be updated sporadically, and is not related whatsoever with my other fics, although some of the Hetalia characters eg. England, China will probably come up later. Forgive me if I get my facts wrong, it's been 2 years since I touched my History text book! Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
Chapter 1: The Malaccan Empire
Parameswara sat underneath the tree, his head bent with exhaustion. He had spent the last few months fleeing from first the Majapahit empire, and now the Siam army. He cursed his greed that had gotten him in this problem in the first place. "Celaka! How could I have been so blind?" Leaning his head on the trunk of the tree behind him, he closed his eyes. "Temagi may have been a tyrant, but killing him was a foolish act. Now Siam is after my blood, and I don't even have Temasik! Celaka!" He clenched his fist in anger and shame. "I have to find a new site for my kingdom, but I need to find a strategic location, or Siam and Majapahit will rub me off the face of the world before I lay the first stone!" But he had not been having much luck in that. Most of the places he had passed by already had a king ruling them, and if his previous encounter with the ruler of Temasik had proved, simply murdering a king to gain his crown did not guarantee his sovereignty.
He glanced at all the men who had come with him. Some of them had been part of his army from Srivijaya, some of them had joined him along the way. There were even some woman and children, family of the soldiers who had decided to accompany him. He really didn't have much to offer them, but they still pledged their loyalty to him. He shut his eyes tight and cursed his weakness once again.
Suddenly, he heard a ruckus up ahead. His eyes snapped open.
One of his hunting dogs was chasing a mousedeer. His animal was fierce, and it's teeth and claws were sharp. By right the docile mousedeer was as good as dead. But instead, it fought back. Using it's hoofs, it battled the dog, right to the river's edge. And there, the mousedeer kicked the dog hard. The dog yelped in pain and surprise, before hitting the water's surface.
As his men ran to rescue the hunting dog, the mousedeer turned it's head and looked at Parameswara. Their gazes met. Parameswara felt himself holding his breath in as he felt the power and wisdom radiating from the mousedeer. The graceful creature inclined its head slightly, and bounded away. One of his men had taken out a spear to kill it, but Parameswara immediately raised a hand. "Berhenti." He ordered. His soldier looked slightly confused, but obeyed.
Parameswara didn't know exactly what just happened, but there was one thing he was certain off. Looking around the area, his gaze fell on the tree that he had been sitting under. "What's the name of this tree?" he asked the local guide. The man replied "It's the Malacca tree, Tuanku."
Parameswara smiled. "Very well." He turned to address his people, his eyes bright and renewed with a vigour that had previously been stomped out by the months of running and hiding. "My people, I have decided. This place shall be our new home. This will be the site of our new kingdom!" All those who had followed him, both young and old, man and woman, cheered. The refugee king was a refugee no longer. Raising his keris to the air, he yelled to the skies above.
"Long live the Malaccan Empire!"
It's been a long time since Parameswara sat underneath the Malacca tree and met the mousedeer. Now an old man, who looks onto his beloved city from his palace and feels proud at all he's accomplished. What was once a small grouping of villages scattered here and there was now a walled city, bustling with life and activity. And everyday, more and more territory was being added to his kingdom. The Malaccan Empire had grown and survived, despite the odds.
Parameswara walked back to his room. These days he wasn't feeling too well. He was feeling colder, and his limbs were getting stiffer. He sighed in frustrations as his joints creaked. "Celaka..." he grumbled. As he passed a window though, he caught sight of something at the corner of his eye. Startled, he looked again. There, standing at the entrance of his palace, was a mousedeer. And it was staring at him with the same intensity that had rendered him speechless all those years ago...
The mousedeer suddenly darted off into the bushes. Parameswara snapped out of his trance. "Wait!" he called out frantically. He ran out of the palace, ignoring the surprised cried of his guards. There was the mousedeer again, standing at the edge of the jungle. It waited for him to get closer, before heading deeper inside. Parameswara peered at the trees carefully. It wouldn't do to run into a tiger while chasing the mysterious animal. But he had no choice. He gripped his keris tightly with one hand and plunged into the green. Somehow, he knew this was a challenge by the mousedeer, to test him. For what, he couldn't say, but he won't fail.
The mousedeer leads him deeper and deeper inside. He finds himself getting caught in the roots of the trees more often. His royal clothes are starting to get muddy and torn, and his breathing is ragged. But he carries on anyway. He will not lose to the mousedeer. He gritted his teeth and whacked a vine in front of him away with his weapon, only to come to a clearing.
And there was the mousedeer, standing there in the middle. But now, there was a child next to the animal. Parameswara's eyes widen as he stares at the boy. He looked no bigger than five, but he was definitely one of his people. The dark skin, brown eyes and black hair don't lie. He wasn't wearing anything, but there was a keris in his right hand.
The boy on the other hand just stares back, curious, but apprehensive.
Parameswara's eyes flicked from the child to the mousedeer. The animal bowed its head at him. He gasped when a voice spoke to him. "Take care of this boy. He is the Malaccan Empire. As long as he lives and grows, so shall your kingdom prosper...But you must make sure that this knowledge is known only to a few, for if harm would ever fall on him, your kingdom will crumble."
He whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was nobody else around. Turning back, he was shocked to see that the mousedeer had disappeared, and that the boy was toddling over to him. The child stopped in front of him, and held out the keris in his right hand.
"Yours." He whispered.
Parameswara's hand trembled as he reached out and grasped it. The sheath was heavy, made of gold with patterns of flora and fauna all around it. The blade, when he took it out, was keen and sharp, and seemed to glow with an unnatural light. The hilt was comfortable and surprisingly, the keris was very light.
Turning back to the child, who was now shivering, he couldn't help but feel protective over him. The voice had told him that this boy was his Malaccan Empire, and while he could not understand how that was possible, who was he to argue with the semangat of the jungle?
He hitched the keris onto his sarong and offered his hand to the child. A gentle smile on his face, he spoke to the new Nation. "Come, let's go home."
The boy looks at his hand with wide eyes, and then back at him. For a moment, Parameswara fears that the boy does not trust him. But then a tiny chubby hand slips into his, and for the first time, the Malaccan Empire looks up to him and smiles.
"Baiklah."
Translations (Malay) Celaka: Damn it Temagi and Temasik: Temagi was the representative of Siam, sent to rule over Temasik, which was a city in a what would be called Singapore today. Berhenti: Stop Keris: A traditional Malay short sword Baiklah: Alright.