Here we go. This story is a prequel of the story: Bites, Blood, Immortality, a DenNor vampire story, with Iceland as one of the more important characters. But, because all the Nordics are in it, and I really didn't get a ton of things said about Sweden or Finland, I decided to make this prequel. This is a vampire story, but I kind of concocted my own version of vampires mainly based on the actual European myths, some additions from the TV-series blood ties. I hope you enjoy!

This story can well be read on its own, and won't spoil the other story. It's not extremely related to the main story, more than to explain how Berwald (Sweden) and Tino (Finland) met.

Pairing: Swe/Fin and hints of Nor/Den

Genre: Romance/Fantasy

Rating: M (for blood and adult hints)

Ps: I know Berwald's speech is incredibly poor throughout the beginning of this story, but remember... we're in Finland in this story. Finnish is nothing like Swedish, hence I would guess he would be near incomprehensible. His speech will improve as the story goes on, but for now I'll put his speech inside (...)-marks.

Bites, Love, Hunger

Chapter 1

A new dawn breaks,

but you stay on your guard.

I know what you might think. My mother must have dropped me or something shortly after birth. Why else would I have been like that. Grandma used to say I had an imagination that rivalled those of the renaissance artists. What I saw that day probably changed my life for good, and cursed me as well.

I am Tino. I was born in what used to be the Swedish region of Finland. Back then, Finland was not a nation, it had since long been claimed by the Swedish monarchs and stayed as a large part of Sweden for many years. And because of this, I, who was born within the nobility, had to keep close to these traditions.

Not that it ever mattered to me. I was always the oddball in the society, but maybe I should tell you what happened from the start.

-000-

Tino was only six years old when he first saw a vampire. Therefore, he had always believed in their existence. His room had access to a hanging ivy, and back then he was light enough to climb down it. This was something that happened whenever he felt alone, which often happened because his parents fought verbally.

His grandma had died the year before. She had been the one who cared for him the most, and when his worst fears stroke, usually involving the horror od death she would say: "When people died, they became stars." Tino was small and believed her. He would, whenever the nights were clear, climb out of his room, down the ivy and walk away from the towering mansion to try and go to the stars. It never worked, they were too far away. So he would talk to them, hoping to find her among them.

But at the same time the stars were frightening. They seemed so alone up there. And they had to be so lost and lonely. No, dying was something he didn't even want to think of. Every time he did he just got the worst of nightmares.

His short legs brought him to his favourite spot. It was a clearing by the trees in the forest closest to their mansion. Here no one would look for him, and it was quite safe. Sure, there were animals and an occasional wolf, but he was good at climbing and thankfully predators could not climb.

He sat down on a rock, and gazed up.

"Hello up there grandma, wherever you are. Mommy and daddy fought today. Daddy was going on about mommy wasting money, and that there is some sort of problem. I don't know what they were talking about, but no one would explain to me. I tried to ask my nanny, but she told me not to bother."

He sighed.

"I don't think mommy and daddy loves me. Mommy walked by the nursery, but she shouted at nanny and told her to leave. Then she came to lecture me, saying I was useless. I don't understand grandma? How can I make mommy love me? She blamed me for a lot of things, most I couldn't even hear because she was so angry."

He hugged his knees.

"I am scared grandma. I don't think mommy loves me. Daddy doesn't love me. I want to be loved. It's all I want."

He looked up, hopefully to see if his grandma would answer him, but there was nothing. There were no answers, not even a twinkle from the star. As always they were cold and distant. He sighed. Maybe his grandma had a different star, one he couldn't see.

He decided to head back home, when he heard rustling in the bushes. Thinking it was a dangerous animal he scrambled up one of the birches, and hid among the branches.

Two shadows emerged, and it was just by pure luck that he noticed them. They moved in an ungodly speed. He was frozen in fear as one of the shadows suddenly stopped. It was a man, a man dressed in ivory dark clothing, with brown, long hair tied in a ponytail.

"I won't allow you! These are my grounds, and I will not give them up!" the man hissed at the other figure, who also stopped.

This man was blond, and very tall. He seemed taller than the men Tino had seen in his life.

"Th's 's m' t'rr't'r'. (This is my territory)." the taller man stated.

The shorter man snarled and they lunged at each other. But the taller man seemed to be much stronger. He grabbed the shorter man mid-air. Threw him at a nearby tree. Tino watched as the taller man walked over slowly.

"'t 's m'n' (It is mine)." the taller man said, and somehow ran his hand straight into the shorter man. The shorter man gasped, as his body started to shake. Then it exploded into a cloud of dust.

Tino watched as the taller man seemingly relaxed. Then he suddenly turned to him.

The poor boy couldn't move. That's how scared he was when the man slowly approached him. Soon he was yanked into open arms. The man's chest was surprisingly warm.

"Wh' 'r' y'? (Who are you?)"

Tino hiccoughed. "I just wanted to see grandma." he said, tears in his eyes.

Suddenly the tall man patted him on the head.

"'s 'k'y, 'll t'k' y' h'm' (It is okay, I'll take you home."

Tino sniffed.

"I live... I live by the mansion up the hill."

"Th' m'ns'n... V'n'm'n'n? (The mansion... Väinemöinen?)" The man asked. Tino nodded. The taller man softly picked him up, and carried him lightly.

Then the man started to walk. He walked for a few minutes until Tino could see the mansion. The tall man continued to approach the large building. He was silent, but Tino could hear he was breathing heavily.

"Are you okay, sir?" he asked, worried that the man was hurt.

"Y's, b't h'ngr' (Yes, but hungry.)"

"Hungry? Oh, we have food in our kitchen. I can ask a servant to..."

The man shook his head.

"N', y'r f'd w'n't f'll m'. I 'm s'rr'. Wh'r' 's y'r r'm? (No, your food won't fill me. I am sorry. Where is your room.)" the stranger asked.

"Up there" Tino said, and pointed at his window. The man grunted, and climbed up to the window. Bare handed. Tino didn't know how, but he didn't ask either.

The man put Tino down by the open window. Tino thanked him, as he let go.

"My name is Tino, what's yours?"

The man shook his head.

"'t's b'tt'r 'f y' d'n't kn'w. (It's better if you don't know.)" he said and kissed Tino's small hand. Tino felt something sting, and he yelped.

"I 'm s'rr'- I sh'll g'. 't w's n'c' t' m't y' Tino. (I am sorry. Hungry. I shall go. It was nice to meet you Tino.)"

And he was gone, just like that. Tino stared down at his still stinging hand, to notice a small puncture wound on it. But as he watched the wound closed, and disappeared without so much as a scar.

No one believed him the next day when he went to tell his parents. His mother told him he had just been dreaming, and that he should start to act his age, and not bother about such things. What a mother to a six year old could mean with that is a mystery. His father on the other hand didn't even listen to him, but told him to go back to his classroom, where his teacher would wait with an open book.

-000-

1782

That had been a little over ten years back. He was soon to turn 17 now. Things had not really improved much since then. His parents had stopped seeing each other altogether, even if they lived under the same roof. His learning period had continued, and didn't seem to get any easier. The expectations for him were high. And still, no one believed that he, Tino Väinämöinen had truly seen and been held by a vampire.

And no matter what, he had become the oddity of the entire nobility in Turku. The shame his father felt for him, the unpleasantries his mother told she suffered for his constant melancholy mantras. But, Tino would never forget what happened that day so many years ago, when vampires stumbled into his life.

-000-

A new dawn breaks,

but you stay on your guard.

-000-

A/N: Here we go again... this first chapter is quite short, but I didn't want to a, put all the background on you in one go, b, drag on and on about things that would utterly be boring and c, write something like a prologue, even if this is actually chapter one.

The length of this story will be 26 chapter, 2 more chapters than Blood, Bites, Immortality. If you like the Nordic pairings I advice that you go and read it.

And please tell me what you think about the story... I do like reviews, even if I am not one of those who write solely for reviews, and this story will not stop if I do not receive them. But feedback and such is a good way for me to improve my writing, criticism is completely fine, but please don't be that guy/girl who shouts flames, and nothing else... I tend to ignore those, since flamers has been around so long now.