Author'sNote: I had the idea for this story when I read a doujishin (inescapable) of Denmark and Norway and that story just really moved me. It has a dark Denmark in it and I feel that the character of Denmark is really fascinating. Also, I initially had an idea of writing a rather dark DenmarkxCanada story, but that never happened. However, that story then inspired me.
This is the main idea of the story: Canada, as Vinland, was taken by Norway and she then becomes his little sister. The story is focusing on Denmark and Canada, although the prologue focuses more on Norway and Canada, as it is Norway that found Vinland first.
Even though this is a Hetalia fan fiction, I want to point out that this is not going to be a historical story. The reason is because I do not wish to be bound by history, as that would limit my plot. So there would be a lot of time when you see historical inaccuracy.
Not only have I decided to make Canada a female, I have decided to make Sweden a female as well, and there would be NorwayxSweden. Unlike the other stories, I would be using human names for this story. As some of the Nordic's names are sort of still wavering, I just decided to use the ones that I like.
Denmark- Mathias, Norway- Lukas, Sweden- Susanna
And for some crazy idea, I decided to use extracts of songs on the beginning of titles. I don't know why, but I always like doing that. I have done that for both my Haruka and Fushigi Yugi fan fictions, by using character songs from that fandom. However, for this story, I decided to use the Eurovision songs of 2009, 2010, 2011. I guess it is because I have been watching Eurovision lately. Even though the songs that I am using for the prologue and the first chapter (which I hope to put up soon, as I've got it written, I just need to type it) are a Nordic country, this is a mere coincidence. I would be using songs from other countries too.
Disclaimer: None of Hetalia belongs to me. If it does, then Canada would never be ignored like this.
Prologue
I don't know what, you have a special something
I don't know what, oh something I just can't explain
And when I see your face, I want to follow my emotions
I don't know why
~Je ne sais quoi (Iceland, 2010)
The lands were eternal, because they continued to exist despite what was done to them. The people were fleeting, because their time begins for the sake of ending.
The nations were the ones who must exist for the sake of the changes made by the humans. Though their name changes, they rarely completely disappear, for they are also the representation of the people. As long as they were acknowledged by the people, then they were able to continue existing. (1)
To be a nation was almost a curse. Though they were almost able to claim immortality, they could not be free of the emotions felt by the humans. Yet because they lacked mortality, they lacked a remedy for pain.
To be a nation was lonely. They would live on while the humans die. Therefore, they could only seek everlasting companionship from the other nations. However, this was not easy because nations could only exist with independence if they were separated from one another. (2)
There can be no such thing as living together.
All nations knew this, yet many nations would make the mistake of believing that they could be different. Perhaps the two of them could seek comfort in this, but they would always admit that they might all have been much happier if they did not make that mistake.
The stories of the mighty Roman Empire and the two women he loved were too grim a reminder. (3)
They had heard of this story when they were simply two little boys called Mathias and Lukas, as this was before they received the names Denmark and Norway. At the time, they had both pointed out that this was very foolish, because who would willing be captured and live like a prisoner?
Back then, their life was very idyllic, as they were both very young. Therefore, each day simply passed and begins. However, their life was to change rather dramatically.
It was all due to this one announcement.
"We found a new land." Lukas' boss said to him. "I want you to go and take a look. The trip would be a secret as we do not wish for my cousins and neighboring countries to know."
So this meant that Mathias would not know. Lukas nodded in agreement because he felt that his best friend, for the other could not be anything but that, was not that good at compromising.
After all, this was why Mathias and his cousin Susanna were always fighting and arguing. Neither was willing to back down. Not even for the sake of convenience.
"I will go and see who is there." Lukas declared out.
Even though lands were eternal, they would still need time to recover from what was done to them. Lukas was glad of the company of his people, but there were still times when he would think of the time before that- when only the wild mountains and river spread before him.
There was no such thing as houses, as there were no humans.
As he stepped onto this new land, he was able to remember what it had been like because there was nothing but nature in front of him.
He knew that there were people although he did not see them, but these people were very different. They mingled their life with nature. It was not a complete mingle as they were humans, but it was very close.
"Who are you?"
Immediately, he knew that the speaker was a nation, because the language was their own language. It is a language common to all nations, but a language that humans would never be able to comprehend. (4)
The speaker was a child, a little girl.
She was a child with very fair skin, which he would later discover to be very different from the people that her land had. The pale and fair complexion was actually almost identical to his.
Her hair was a very light blond and it grew long and unkempt. Even though Lukas was one of the last people who would care about such a thing, he actually felt that she needed to do something about it.
"Who are you?" the girl asked once more. Initially, her violet eyes seemed to be very gentle, but he suddenly saw firmness in them.
He should have remembered the day of their meeting better.
"…you can call me Nóregr or Lukas." He finally said.
"What is the difference?"
"The first is my name as a nation and country, but the second name is my own name."
The first could change quite often and even though the second could change too, as it was given by human as well, the second name rarely changed. This was because nations tended to hold onto it.
It gave them a sense of consistency, which they needed.
"I have no such thing." The child said.
Before, she was only a conscious, an essence. Only very recently, did she begin to have a form. As a result, she did not really know her people yet. That was why she would end up looking like Lukas, because the first human shape that she met looked like that. If she had left, then she might have ended up looking more like the native people.
At this time, the people of Canada did not have a clear national identity yet, and that was why she was like this.
"My people call you Vinland." He told her.
"But that is not my own name." She was clearly a smart child and this made him smile slightly. After all, this was quite a change from his friend- who rarely paused to think.
"No, because your name is given to you by someone special." he explained before he thought of how he had his own name.
"…I guess Vinland would do for now." she decided. "But if you are here, then would more of your people be coming?"
"I do not think so." he said thoughtfully. "At least not now, your land is not without resources, but it is too far."
And he was not very sure whether he wished for people to be coming here. After all, the beauty of this unmarked land moved him greatly.
But the nation was a little child- what could she do if someone decided to conquer this land? He thought of what Rome and his sister did, and he was not naïve to think that such a thing would never happen again.
That would be a tragedy instead of being the way of the world.
He was filled by a sudden desire of looking after this child, and it was something completely new to him.
"I will look after you." he declared out as he crouched down to be on the same eyelevel with her.
It was the promise of Lukas, not Nóregr. He looked after her and sought to protect her from all harm, but he actually did very little for the land and people.
"You will be my little sister and I will be your big brother." He continued. "You may can me oniichan and I will protect you."
"But how will you look after me?"
"I will take you with me and when you feel that something is wrong with your land, I will help you." he decided. "All of us can sense when something is wrong with our land, even if we are not there."
In a way, this logic made sense. By having her with him, his people can claim the land without the need of spending resources by travelling back and forth.
The girl continued to stare at him and he was starting to think that she did not care for his idea when she suddenly embraced him.
"I like you." she declared out. "And I feel so lonely here."
"Then I will take you back with me."
"But I cannot just leave here forever. I must come back because this land is all of me" she pointed out, her face extremely serious.
"You will be coming back." He assured her before he smiled. "Will you let me…will you let oniichan be the one to give you a name?"
He would be the one to give her the name; that would not change.
"Ranveig." He told her as he traced the runic alphabet with her hand in his. "Ranveig. And you will be treated as a princess."
The trip excited the child but she was not noisy like Mathias, yet she was a much better companion then Susanna.
One of the first things he did was to get her some proper clothes to replace the furs she had draped over herself. In addition, he actually found a comb and began to comb the tangled hair.
Obviously, the strategy of placing the comb on the very top and pulling it until it reached the end needed to be changed, because she was almost crying.
"I will do it lighter." He promised.
Due to fearing her discomfort, the procedure was extremely slow. At one stage, she actually dozed off.
When the brushing was done, he decided to move onto the next part- which was braiding it, as that was how the woman of his nations did their hair.
The final result made the little girl giggle, but she then hugged him affectionately, as she told him that no one has ever did such a thing for him.
"That is what big brother does for little sisters." He explained.
"And I will live with oniichan, right?"
She had never been with anyone and was it really her fault that she wished to accept his love? That she wished to be happy by getting rid of her loneliness. It was true that she was a bit worried at leaving her country, but this was not that unacceptable.
As for him- there was an instant bond between the two of them. He wanted to look after her; he wished to be her elder brother. He did not know how to explain his feelings but it seemed right when she called him oniichan and acknowledged him as her elder brother.
He was very happy at this.
Yet he never lived with anyone before, saved for the time that he camped with Mathias and Susanna, or the times when he had to stay with his boss. Unlike before, the prospects were not unpleasant at all.
"This is my country." He told her as he showed her the best map that he had. "And this country right beside mine is Mathias's country Danmǫrk. Mathias is my best friend since childhood."
"Would I meet him then?" she asked before she frowned. "This is such a small country."
"Perhaps, but Ranveig, it is not the size of a country that determines its power."
After all, the lands that she possessed were much larger than most other countries, but she was all but defenceless now.
"It is Mathias that holds the most power now, yet Danmǫrk is the smallest country." He said as he gestured to the other countries nearby. "This is Svíþjóð, - Susanna's country. Susanna is Mathias' younger cousin and her country is also being looked after by Mathias' people." (5)
"Like how oniichan looks after me?"
"No!" he said this perhaps a bit too quickly. "It is very different."
He knew what Susanna was like and on the time that he would think of such a thing, he was certain that things would not be so if Susanna was a man. Even though Mathias was stronger than both Lukas and Susanna, Susanna was very capable too. However, because of her gender, it seemed that she had to be ruled.
But to them as nations, it was different, yet their fate was affected by the humans on their land.
If Susanna was a man…Lukas had no doubt that she would already have achieved so much more.
"You have what I wish, yet you do nothing." Susanna had once said very angrily. "If you had been more pro-active then you could be as powerful as my cousin."
"You do not understand Mathias that well then. He does not truly seek an empire. The king of Northern Europe did not even seek to rule. He merely like the title as it meant that he is called the best." (6)
Something would probably happen especially now that Susanna was older. However, it did not really concern him, as it was what would happen between Mathias and Susanna.
"And this country is Suomi." Lukas continued. "It is the country of Tino. However, this country is now rules by Mathias' people, which means that Tino now works for Mathias." (7)
Yet a different type of relationship, which only confused Ranveig even more. (8)
"It doesn't matter that much, because all you have to know is that you are my little sister." Lukas finished before he gestured to a blank part of the map. "Let us draw your country on."
His house was like all the other nations' dwelling- it was of some distance away from the rest, as their existence was a secret for only their bosses to know. There were times when they might choose to live in a neighborhood but this was a risky decision. In return for doing this, they must endure the long period of isolation that would follow. (9)
However, it seemed that he had visitors.
Lukas frowned slightly and he actually contemplated about whether he should hide his little sister. However, he reasoned that the others probably already heard about what had happened during his extremely long absence. Even though Mathias could be a failure at compromising, he was a generous person at the same time.
The treasures that he took from his raids-they were valuable because of what they represented, not always because of what they are. Therefore, he was willing to share them.
Mathias would not take his possessions from him. What Mathias wanted from Lukas would be the opportunity of beating him in a fight, which did happen now and then. (10)
"I will carry you." he told Ranveig as he lifted the little girl into his arms.
Mathias was sitting with a large drinking horn that was filled with ale. The ale was from one of the barrel in front of Lukas' house. However, who the ale belonged to was questionable since it had been one of the barrels that Mathias brought as a replacement for what he had drank the last time he came.
Beside him was the axe that he simply threw to the ground. Even to the people that prided themselves on their strength, it was a weapon that was hard to lift. (11)
Yet there was no doubt that the one beside him would be able to so with a same ease as him. She herself had a heavy broadsword, although she would never be so careless as to leave her weapons lying around. Susanna stood beside her cousin, dressed in a very similar way, but with her weapon in her hand. Due to the way she dressed as well as how strong her body was, it would not be unreasonable to mistake her as a man. (12)
If it was not for her hair. Unlike Mathias and Lukas, who both choose to shorn their hair short, Susanna choose to grow her hair very long. In addition, it was braided in a female fashion.
"Lukas, we have been waiting for you for ages"!" Mathias yelled out. "What is the meaning of not telling us and going off by yourself?"
"Boss' order" Lukas said simply. He had his mace in his other hand because his friend was one who might just suddenly want a friendly fight.
"But surely you could have told me" the other continued his complaining.
Susanna, however, noticed the more important thing.
"Who is that?" She asked.
"Vinland. Ranveig." He then smiled at his younger sister as he said the final title: "My little sister."
"…she is very young." Susanna commented, but that was all she said.
"Let me have a better look at her." Mathias told Lukas, who retorted: "Are you blind?"
"How can I look at her when you are clinging onto her like that? It is not as if I am going to steal her from you." Mathias pointed out. "Besides, can't you see that she wants to get down and move?"
At such a time, Lukas would wish that all his hope of Mathias being observant would not be granted so quickly.
"So you are Ranveig." Mathias commented as he crouched down so that he would be on eyelevel with the child. "If you are Lukas's little sister then you will be our little princess."
He was charmed by this child too, the way that her violet eyes seemed to be so innocent. He was filled with a sudden impulse of hugging the child, but he knew that this was not the time to do so yet.
"I will give you a gift." He said as he took out a jeweled broach and pinned it on her cloak.
Much to his satisfaction, he was rewarded by a smile.
"I am going to show her my home." Lukas said abruptly before he took Ranveig home. "I will talk to you two later."
Unlike the elder brother, the sister was friendlier by giving them a little wave.
"…a new nation, yet a nation that lives here" Susanna said thoughtfully. "I wonder…"
Her cousin, however, was not paying any attention to her. He was still thinking of that little girl. He had been a young man when Susanna was still a child but there was always a certain detachment from her, as he always seemed to be frowning at her.
'Which did not change', she thought as she turned to Mathias. In addition, she was always talking of things that Mathias did not want to understand. He felt that she always has to make things more complicated.
Susanna stopped as she noticed that Mathias was clearly not paying attention. He was her cousin and she did care about him. Yet it was frustrating that all he sought was a good fight for the sake of claiming a victory.
Changes would have happened anyway, but now that Ranveig came, she could not help but to wonder at what changes would happen due to the young girl.
As for what she herself feels…she was still thinking. Unlike the two men, she would carefully think about all aspect before she makes up a decision.
A few days later, Ranveig met her brother's boss. However, she had little time with him as his wife soon came and began to dress her up as well as decorating her hair. (13)
"As beautiful as a princess" The human princess had told her.
There was to be a banquet and she was very excited about it. Partly due to the finery and exotic food that was there as well as seeing the others.
Mathias was nearby and she thought that he looked very handsome in his finery and catching his gaze, he smiled and winked at her, making her laugh as she waved.
"But oniichan, why doesn't Susanna wear a dress like me or the princesses?" Ranveig asked in confusion.
"Because she is different, she prefers to dress in such a way." Much to his surprise, he was starting to lie quite a lot. Yet there was much that he wished to hide from his sister.
The world was a cruel place, but he wanted to prevent her from knowing this. That another nation who stood to greet her might choose to be her master instead of her brother.
"But I think she will look like a Queen if she dresses like the Queen that Mathias is talking to."
However, Susanna does not wish to be a queen. She would be the king.
"A drink to her is in order." Mathias suddenly said. "I will drink to Vinland."
"She is too young." Lukas immediately protested.
"She is a child Lukas, not an infant." Susanna said logically and because of this, Lukas had to allow the young girl to take a sip from the drinking horn.
To Ranveig, the banquet had been a very happy event. She thought that everyone seemed quite happy since many of them were laughing. For those who were not, they were smiling.
"I wish that we would always be happy like this." the little girl said that night. She knew that the others were mortals and would one day die, but the three other nations were different.
Yet not even they could have such forever.
Note:
(1) This is my explanation in regard to why some nation disappears- because I feel that people no longer identify themselves as 'Romans'.
(2) Because it seems that if you live together permanently with someone then it is because a new Kingdom is made, or you would be working for them, or you are their colony
(3) My idea is that Rome conquered Ancient Egypt and Greece as he was in love with them. but this only caused them to be bitter
(4) I get the impression that the nations do speak different languages and have a fondness for using their own language I am pretty sure that there is a common language that they can all somehow understand. Because I don't believe that there is any one language in the world that everyone knows.
(5) Sweden's name in Norse was really problematic for me and I still have no idea whether it is right, but I decided that I am going to use this one.
(6) I feel that Denmark is like this and I feel that this is due to him being a Viking. Even though the Viking liked to fight and they did take many slaves and loot from Europe, it seems that they really just want to fight for the sake of fighting, and they actually does not seem to want to have an empire. In this aspect, I feel it is a bit like Alexander the Great, who I feel just wanted the prestige of having won all the battle.
(7) Suomi is Finnish for Finland (I think)
(8) What Norway is saying is that Sweden is being looked after by Denmark, so that they are making their decisions for them, but it is more like a ward instead of like a subject, which is a contrast to how they treat Finland- who is a servant.
(9) Even though Japan (at one stage) seem to live in a neighborhood with other people, I think this would not be a permanent arrangement, because surely people would notice that they are different. So I feel that they would have to go in hiding for a while if they live among the humans for too long.
(10) I think Norway was worried that Denmark might take Canada by wanting to be the first to claim the land, as it is the glory that he wants. However, if she is his sister, then he knows that Denmark would not do such a thing as taking her away by force
(11) The picture we have seen of Denmark in his Viking outfit and even in his medieval outfit has Denmark using a broadsword, but I feel that Denmark is more likely to use an axe (since he is now always seen with using a axe and people seem to refer to him using an Axe more). So I have decided that Denmark would be using an axe.
(12) I think Sweden seem to use a staff more but I feel…someone has to use a sword, since I am letting Norway use a mace- a stridsklubba (thanks to Xylla)
(13) My idea is that because Sweden is sort of rules by Denmark while Norway depends on Denmark a lot, it is only Denmark that has King and Queen. The rules in Norway and Sweden are 'Prince and Princesses'
Author'sNote: As mentioned before, this story is not historically correct, so just enjoy it as a story. As mentioned before: I have taken a lot of creative liberty here. Denmark would be coming out more in the next chapter but the beginning of this story is focusing more on Norway and Canada because as a little girl, she spent much more time with him.
When I had the idea, I wanted to give Canada/Vinland a Norse name as Norway was a Viking when he took her in. I found this website that would generate a name if you type your name in. So I typed in Matthew Williams and the name it generated is Ranveig. And after checking the meaning…it is oddly suitable due to what happens in my story.
There would be a dark Denmark in the later chapters.