Lost Little Viking
By: Aubrie1234
1400s:
"Papa?" He turned his head to see his son walk up to him and sit. He slid an arm around the young boy, who was wearing a heavy fur coat and pants, but still shivered.
"Where's your helmet?"
"Don't need it."
"Ulf, you wear a helmet so you don't get too cold."
"Then why don't you wear one?" He smiled, taking his son into his arms.
"I've been around much longer than you, I know how long it takes a barn to freeze." Ulf huffed.
"I'm not a child! I've been around for a long time!"
"You're the age of one and certainly act like it." Ulf glanced up at his father.
"Why don't you call me by my nation name?" He looked down, meeting his son's eyes.
"Why do I need to?"
"Well, aren't you afraid I'll forget who I am?" He shook his head.
"No, you won't. You will always be my little viking." Ulf snuggled into his arms.
"Okay, Papa."
I opened my eyes. Shining through the window was the morning sun, and downstairs, I could hear Tino making breakfast. A few doors over, Matthias' snores were piercing the quiet. Briefly, I wondered if Emil and Lukas were still asleep with that snoring; it reminded me of how I could sleep through the snoring (I tried to go to sleep before the Dane).
"Gotland..." For the past several days, I'd been having dreams about the little island I had once called a son. It gave me heartache just thinking about it. I grabbed my glasses and slipped them on as I sat up. Today was a World Meeting, here in Iceland, so Emil would be hosting and more excited than usual. As it was, I could also see Roderich and Elizabeta, who were the only ones who knew about Ulf.
As I dressed, I wondered why the dreams and flashbacks were happening. I hadn't had them for decades, ever since Ulf... I shook my head. It hurt much worse when I thought about what happened that forced me not to have Ulf anymore.
"Glad to see you're up!" Tino chirped when I arrived.
"Yeah." I muttered, grabbing Matthias' cereal. We all had our preferences, but I usually have his not only because I like it, but to also spite him.
"Morning." Lukas yawned. Emil raced down the steps before him, a bit more excited that usual. It wasn't the first time he held a World Meeting, but all nations get excited when it's their turn.
"Hey, don't be so down!" he told me, "You've been looking more of a downer lately, Berwald!"
"He's right." Lukas said, "Are you having nightmares or something?"
"It's nothing." I assured them, glancing to see Tino trying to listen in. Matthias was still snoring away, "Shouldn't you get him up so we won't be late?"
"After I eat." Lukas grabbed his cereal from the cabinet before returning to the table. They may have been best friends, but he and Matthias fought more than I did with the Dane.
"By the way, have you seen the news?" I glanced up as Tino turned up the volume on the mini-tv which sat on a counter in the kitchen. It was in Icelandic, but since we've lived with Emil for so long, we knew the language well enough to understand most of it. Mostly, it was weather- and local-related, but nothing really interesting.
"What's so special you wanted me to see it?" I asked.
"Well, last night, there were reports of a missing tourist. I wonder why they aren't mentioning it now..." Tino mused, "The strange thing about it was, he sort of looked like you, Berwald." I paused, putting down my coffee.
"Really?" No, it couldn't have been...
"Blue eyes, blond hair," Lukas listed, "but he didn't wear glasses. The similarities were scary, though, even though they said he was Austrian-Japanese." My grip tightened on my cup. I knew exactly who he was talking about, but I thought Roderich would have told me first. But then, where was he? I hoped he was okay. Roderich and Elizabeta have a lot to answer for.
As soon as Ludwig called for break, I went to talk with Roderich and Elizabeta. It took all of my will not to run over and drag them away. I could tell the other Nordics were suspicious since this morning, when I had tensed. I still was, even hours later.
"We need to talk." I said quietly, but it still startled them.
"Of course." Roderich composed himself first and nodded, leading the way outside to a tree, far away so we wouldn't be easily overheard.
"We saw the news and tried to call you, but it was too late for you to still be up." Elizabeta confessed once we were sure no one was listening.
"That doesn't give you any excuse not to call." I growled, making them flinch. I sighed, trying to ease up my worry, but couldn't, "I'm sorry, just please help me find him. I don't want to lose him, not again."
"We know, and we're doing our best, but this is Iceland. The best help in searching for him is to ask Emil." Roderich reasoned.
"You know I don't want to ask him if I don't have to. The less people who know about this, the better."
"If this goes on, you may not have a choice, Berwald." Elizabeta pointed out, "The more time that passes, the less likely he'll be found." She was right, I knew.
"I'll think about it, but at least see what you can do." They nodded and we went back inside, but I couldn't help but feel we were being watched, and not just by the other Nordics. Taking a subtle glance backwards, I saw Vash watching us. He didn't like Roderich, I knew, but did he suspect something? I narrowed my eyes, hoping my intimidating aura would drive him off. Though, seeing as he wasn't intimidated by anything, he gave me a small glare back. He knew something was up, and I doubted that he wouldn't try to see what was going on. I had to shake off his suspicions somehow. However, if either of us tried to confront each other and someone saw, it would also seem pretty suspicious, and the less suspicion the better.
What surprised me the most, though, is that Vash never went near me. All he did was glare throughout the meeting, until it ended. As the others filed out, he walked by me.
"Let's talk later." he murmured, quiet enough so only I heard. Glancing at him, I saw him walking away with Liechtenstein. He would probably call me later to set up a small meeting, so I would have to be prepared for his questions. However, I didn't think he could be so secretive. Usually he was as blunt as his guns, but I guess he knew that this was a secret and didn't want to attract attention.
"Is it just me, or did it look like Vash was mad at you?" Matthias and the other Nordics came up and we began walking to the car. As this was a World Meeting and not a G8 one, we would be coming back all week until it was over.
"Maybe." My eyes never left Vash's back until he was out of sight.
"And you've been acting strange all day." Tino added.
"How was I strange?" I only raised an eyebrow, trying not to convey my feelings.
"You were talking with Roderich and Elizabeta earlier, and don't think we didn't see you tense when we mentioned the news." Emil listed, "Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"
"...Yes." They gave me skeptical looks until we reached the car. A part of me wanted to tell them everything so we could go searching, but another part wanted to keep him a secret, because who knew what the other Nordics would do if they found out I had a son?
Darkness surrounded him, but he could make out two voices.
"Papa, I'm scared." The first sounded eerily similar to his own.
"I know, I know. But I will protect you, don't worry."
"But what does the gold-armored dragon want with me?"
"I don't know, but I won't let him hurt you or touch you. I promise."
You broke your promise, Papa. You broke it badly...
When I opened my eyes, I didn't expect to see anything new. I was still tied up in the warehouse, a piece of tape over my mouth and my digivice gone. Gaomon and the others were probably worried sick, and I didn't blame them.
Lately, I had been having strange dreams about a man who wasn't my father, but my dreamself considered him one. From the way he talked, I guessed he was Swedish, so four days ago, I had caught a plane from Japan to Sweden, taking Gaomon with me. No one else knew where I was, because I wasn't sure I wanted to tell them about my dreams. I hadn't even told Gaomon...
After arriving in Stockholm, I began to search for someone who I may look like, that had the same voice as the one in my dreams. I was lucky when I was mistaken for someone who looked very similar to me, named Berwald. Apparently, he worked high up in the government, and if I hadn't used my voice, they would have thought I was him.
When I asked the government official that had found me about Berwald, she was reluctant to answer, but told me in English that he had gone to Iceland for a big meeting and shouldn't be disturbed. A day after that, I left for Iceland. It was when I arrived in Reykjavik that things began to go downhill very fast. After I left the airport and began my search, I found nothing the first day and retired to my hotel room. However, I was ambushed my a digimon and had no time to call out Gaomon. When I woke up, I found myself in this place with my digivice gone. It's been two days, and I was weak. I couldn't break the rope and my wrists were chafed from struggling. I was having hunger pains and was very thirsty, but I hadn't seen the digimon since I had been captured, and I couldn't tell what digimon it was except it was humanoid.
Even after I had been captured, I still kept having the strange dreams. What did they mean, exactly? Who was the man I thought was my father? Was it really Berwald, or someone else? It made no sense, really. They were dreams, I knew, but seemed like memories... I just hoped someone found me soon, because without some water, I wouldn't last much longer.
"I can't believe we actually have a son, Berwald."
"I know. It isn't forbidden, exactly, but nations tend to not have children." Sable glanced up at her husband.
"Why?" He sighed. He was afraid to tell her this.
"Well, when we do have children, they tend to be a part of our countries and are just as immortal as we are. So, in a way, he may never know you."
"He will always know his mother's touch." Sable held the sleeping babe close, "I will make sure of that."
Sable... I had another dream, this time of my wife and Ulf. She had been my first wife, and only human one. I guess the reason I thought of Tino as my wife was because he had such a similar personality to her's. As Matthias' snoring filled my ears, I looking to the clock. 11:26, I could make out. With all that snoring, there was no way I was getting some sleep.
When I went downstairs to get away from the snoring, I found Emil still up, watching the news. He was so focused on it that he didn't notice me and jumped when I set beside him.
"Don't scare me like that!" he hissed.
"Couldn't sleep." I answered, "Why are you up?"
"I always stay up, to check on my people. Don't you do the same when you're at home?" I nodded. Many countries did, and they still kept an eye on home while away. Alfred did the most out of everyone, with the recent attacks on his country, and no one gets angry with him when he suddenly has to leave a meeting or starts screaming in pain. Though his country may not, even Ivan has begun to feel sorry for Alfred.
"So, why can't you sleep?"
"Bad dream." Memory, actually, but I can't tell you that. At least, not yet.
"I see."
"And the tourist?"
"Nothing on him yet. You seem so concerned over him, Berwald. Is he one of your citizens?"
"No, but I know him." Now's the time to ask, I hope. He seems trustworthy enough, even though I doubt him. I've known him for years, and yet... "...Emil, could you do me a favor?" He glanced up at me.
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Could you ask your police to make an extensive search for the tourist? I just want to make sure..." Emil blinked.
"Uh, sure, but why?"
"..." I leaned back and closed my eyes, "Promise me you won't tell anyone. This is very important to me, Emil." I could feel from the way the couch moved that he had adjust himself, probably to straighten up.
"I promise, Berwald."
"Do you?" I opened my eyes, "This is more important to me than anything is the world, and I positively don't want anyone else to know." I could see him shiver under my glare, then nod.
"Y-yes, I promise I won't."
"...Good. The tourist is very special to me because I think he's someone that's been missing in my life for decades: Ulf, my son, who represents Gotland." Emil's jaw dropped.
"R-really?! I mean, I knew Alfred had his states and Matthias has Aeruna and some other islands, but I never thought you did, too."
"I wanted to keep him a secret from everyone, especially Matthias. I was able to do so for centuries and he grew up to be in his early teens."
"Then what happened?" I thought back to the event and cringed.
"It was decades ago, shortly after WWI. Ulf and I were in the fields near Stockholm, playing together, when we were attacked by a mysterious bipedal dragon with golden armor. We escaped, but it came back and attacked Ulf, knocking him out before I could make it flee. When I got him to a hospital, Ulf didn't remember a thing. Not me, not his life, nothing. I was at my wit's end on what to do when Roderich and Elizabeta came by for a chance visit. When they heard about Ulf, they helped me be integrating him into the Austrian adoption system and promised to keep an eye on him for me."
"So that's why you were talking with them today?" I nodded.
"Yes. Ulf was adopted by a high-ranking noble Austrian family, called the Norsteins. He lived there a few years ago, until he moved to Japan. Roderich and Elizabeta would surprise you with how they managed to keep an eye on Ulf without Kiku noticing."
"But then he disappeared, and with the description from this morning, you think it might be him." Emil stated, "Alright, I'll do everything that I can to help find him. Don't tell Lukas, but if he had gone missing and I was in your shoes, I would do anything to find him as well."
"Thank you very much, Emil." I was truly grateful for it.
"Here, let me get the search started." He stood and went over to the telephone, where he began to dial. Now that I knew there would be more people looking, I was a little calmer and was able to drift to sleep, hopeful that Ulf would be found soon.
New story I got from comparing two certain characters. For now, their POVs are going to be separated by the dream sequences until they get together, where I'll specify it then. Here are some of the notes about the story:
Ulf is a Swedish name meaning 'wolf.' Gotland is Sweden's largest island.
Barn is Swedish for 'child.'
Sable is a Swedish name meaning 'black-haired.'
Aeruna is my name for Greenland, just so you know.
Anyway, read & review!