A/N Hello! Kiki here. (new readers can ignore this. I'm very happy you decided to read this, and I hope you enjoy it! I'm trying for a more comedic angle this time, so please let me know if you' enjoy it or not.)
For those who've been following this already, a quick explanation. I really wanted to go for a more comedic and (hopefully) almost crack angle with this. To that end, having basic chapter titles (chapter 1 and so on) was terribly boring and rather bland. I have therefore decided to go back and do what I should have down from the beginning. Therefore, don't panic if you see this has suddenly updated. All I've done is put in proper chapter titles and a little summary of each chapter to inject some much-needed humour and a bit of personality.
Nothing has changed of the chapters themselves, it's purely titles, summaries and any author notes.
With that in mind, here's Chapter 1!
Summary: The nations all meet up for a week of games, drinking and general relaxation. Things are rarely that simple, however. When an attempt to make things a little more interesting goes awry, the nations are about to find out that imagination can become a little too real after all…
Day one: In which Matthias is overjoyed, Lukas keeps his cool and Emil is decidedly not amused. The weather doesn't help either, but is necessary for dramatic effect.
A board is set up, a rulebook produced. Chairs are pulled back, and the players sit down. Pieces are placed, carved figures move to the sound of a rolling dice, and the game begins….
It was raining, as it had been all day. Now dusk was settling in, taking what little visibility the day had had with it. A group of figures stood together, silently staring out across the landscape.
They were standing in the middle of a large plain, grass rolling out in every direction in uneven tussocks and bends until, far in the distance, it reached tall mountains stretching up to snow-covered peaks. Small streams wound throughout the grass, spreading out across the wild, untamed land. A lone eagle flew overhead, calling out mournfully.
The travellers looked up at the sound, then back at each other. They shuffled, trying to shield themselves from the worst of the rain. One, the tallest, had the worst of it, his head uncovered by cloak or helmet. He drew the eye with his tall frame, his status as a warrior immediately evident by the two-headed battle axe that rested between his shoulder blades, the counter-balanced pole almost touching the ground. The other two were shorter, their builds hidden by the cloaks they wore. One blue, one brown. To a casual observer it was merely a choice of fabric, but to them, it signified their disciplines – the former the earthen tone of healing, the latter the deep tone of power used for attack.
It was the one in blue who spoke first. His voice broke the silence softly, yet cutting.
"Well, I suppose we ought to find shelter for the night, then." he said, emotionlessly.
The tall blond looked down at him in surprise. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Or we could just camp!"
The brown-cloaked one spoke next. His voice was high, revealing him to be just a boy. "NO. You must be joking, Den."
The blond pouted. "But Ice, we used to all the time. And in worse weather than this."
The boy wasn't impressed. "That was because you were out in the middle of Gods know where preparing for Viking pirate raids, or something. And I wouldn't know anyway. I wasn't born then, remember? Or found. Whatever."
"It doesn't matter," the other replied. "Matthias, Emil is right. That was the past. This is…different. We should try to find the others tomorrow. For now, let's find an inn or something. We can't be far from a town."
Matthias pouted a little at apparently being deprived from the 'fun' of camping, but relented. The rain was becoming harder, anyway.
"Fine. We all have enough gold for it?"
The other two nodded. "OK. Let's go then." He strode off, only to turn back a few paces later with a rueful expression.
"Lukas, which way is the nearest town?" he asked.
The younger man shut his eyes for a moment. He held out a hand, the air around it glowing blue for a moment. He frowned, concentrating. "That way," he pointed.
"Good. Let's go then! Better hurry or I'll have both of you whining at me in the morning."
They set off across the grass, heading in the direction pointed out by the mage. Soon, they reached a path, little more than cobbles set unevenly into the dirt, but with a wooden signpost pointing the way. They followed it, hoping it wouldn't be long before they reached the comfort of a warm bed.
True enough, barely an hour had passed before the road widened into a street, properly cobbled and obviously well-travelled. They stopped outside the huge gates that signalled the entrance, manned by a couple of sleepy guards who were trying to hide under the broad arch to get out of the rain.
"Halt, travellers. What brings you here?"
After a quick glance at the other two, Matthias stepped forward. "We were exploring, and got a little lost. Before we knew, it was dark. Lucky Lukas was able to guide us, or we'd be stuck out there all night! So we made it here in search of a warm bed and maybe a mug or two of ale to keep us warm?"
The guards weren't impressed by his friendly babble, simply holding out a hand. "Fine. 20 coins each to enter. Don't make any trouble or you'll face the Jarl. Got it?"
"Sure thing." Matthias gestured to Lukas, who stepped forward and deposited the coins in the guard's outstretched hand. Satisfied, the guard signalled to his partner, and together they heaved open the heavy gates.
Inside, the town was like any other. Houses and shops sat huddled together in a mish-mash of buildings, streets formed more through chance than any sense of order. They asked directions from the guard, then hurried to the inn.
Once inside, they shook off the worst of the rain. Taking a look around, they were immediately drawn to the long fire that stretched in a deep pit along the length of the room, benches and seats placed around it.
Matthias went up to the bar and, after a brief conversation, exchanged a few coins with the woman there. He gestured the other two over to him.
"You three together then?" The barmaid asked.
Matthias nodded. "Is that a problem?"
She shook her head. "No. One of you will have to sleep on the floor, though, 'less you want a double room. Which is extra."
They shared a glance. "One room is fine," Lukas said. "Myself and my brother will take the bed. He will take the floor." He nodded at Matthias, who pouted slightly, then nodded resignedly.
The woman raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "This way then." She led them up a narrow staircase, away from the main room. Opening one of the doors with the chain of keys that hung on her belt, she showed them in, then left, after telling them that they were welcome to come down for food or ale at any time.
They waited until she was gone, then turned to each other.
Emil spoke first. "Well, this is fun, isn't it?" he accused scathingly.
Lukas turned to him, his face uncharacteristically apologetic. "I'm sorry, brother. We didn't mean- "
"What? Didn't mean what? You were the ones who started this stupid thing in the first place. We were only supposed to be playing. Just a simple game, that was all! I wasn't even playing! Now because your of your stupid 'magic trio' and that guys' useless magic, we're all stuck in this stupid place with no way of getting out! And worst of all, we don't even know where any of the others are, let alone how to get back! I seriously hate you right now, brother!"
His normally pale, emotionless face was red with anger, glaring at Lukas with blazing amethyst eyes. Lukas bore the accusation calmly, looking at his brother coolly.
"Are you finished?" he asked.
Emil flushed further, his face deepening to a dark blush. "I-I didn't mean- "
"No, you're right. I'm sorry, Lillebrør. I didn't think that Arthur's magic would go quite so far."
Emil blinked in surprise at his brother's apology. He looked away, his brows drawn. "That doesn't make it any better." he muttered.
"Hey, Ice, don't be like that!" Matthias drew an arm around the teen's shoulders, ignoring his attempts to throw the taller man off.
"It'll be cool, you'll see. We'll start finding the others in the morning, OK? It'll be an adventure. We've got all our stats and stuff, so it's not like we're in any danger. Besides, this is like old times, isn't it, Nor? You, me and little Ice, travelling across the land, searching for treasure, you using magic. Only now Ice can use healing magic, so we're even better off than then! Just enjoy this, yeah?"
"I am not little, you oaf." Emil countered. "And don't use those names. If we're stuck in this stupid game we'll have to act like it. That means no using our normal names. We'll all have to use our human names."
"True." Lukas laughed softly, making the others turn to him in surprise.
"What'cha laughing at, Nor-Lukas?" Matthias questioned.
The blond smiled. "You were right, Matthias. This is like old times. We're lucky."
Emil scoffed. "Lucky? How on earth are we lucky?!"
Lukas smiled at him. "Remember what we were playing, brother?"
The pale-haired teen thought. "So?"
Another smirk. Understanding dawned for the other. "Oh, I see. Still doesn't make it any better."
Matthias looked from one to the other, confused. "What? What? Lukaaaaaas, tell meeeee."
The youngest Nordic turned to him. "What do the others call us, Denmark?"
He looked confused. "You said not to use our names. Why would-ooohh." The other two smiled as he realised it.
"We're the Nordics! Now we're Nords again!" he grinned happily. His face fell slightly. "So we're fine. But the others aint' exactly gonna fit in. Are they gonna be ok?" He looked worried.
Lukas thought about it. "Well, we can't be sure until we know for certain who's here. I have a theory, but I can't confirm it until I find Arthur. If I'm right, then most of us will be alright. Some of us might be a little…far away, though." He didn't elaborate any further, leaving the other two puzzled.
Matthias shook himself suddenly, making his hair bounce. "Oh well. That can all wait till tomorrow. For now, bed. Ic-Emil, you're gonna fall asleep on your feet any minute now, I can tell. For a kid who spends so much time on his phone I'd've thought you could stay awake longer. You used to when you were a kid. Bed, now." He pointed to the furniture in question. Emil gave it one look.
"I'd rather not." He said, the disgust evident in his tone.
Lukas sighed. "You have become completely spoiled, lillebrør. A few centuries of comfort and it's like you never lived like this. It's not like you haven't slept like this before."
"That's because I didn't!" he retorted. "I lived in a castle, if you remember. And before you say anything about before you found me, I barely remember that. I was a baby. And it wasn't like you ever took me out on raids with you, so no, I haven't slept like this before. I didn't ask to be here, I don't want to be, and I certainly don't want to be here with you. So excuse me if I'm not overjoyed at returning to the 'good old times' like him!" He thrust his chin to Matthias, glaring.
Seeing the glimmer of tears in the teens' eyes, coupled with the rising hysteria in his voice, Lukas went over to him. Drawing him into his arms, he shushed him calmly, ignoring the protests. He stroked the teen's white locks soothingly.
"It's alright, lillebrør. Don't be scared. We'll get out of this, don't worry. You're with us, we won't let anything happen."
Emil tried to protest, but he couldn't deny the comfort his brother's solid arms gave him. Matthias walked over and joined in the hug, his arms going around them both.
"Hey, Ice, if it helps, think of this like a game. I mean, it already is, but don't think about it. It's not real, yeah? It's just gonna be a day or so till we find the others, then we'll be back in that boring hotel with everyone else, OK? Just, like, pretend we're acting, or something. It'll be fine, you'll see. Like Nor said, we're both here, and we ain't gonna let anything happen to you. We can't; you're our healer, yeah? We need ya. Let's just have some fun. I'll even teach ya ta be a proper Viking while we're at it." he grinned.
Lukas elbowed him, making him draw away. "What was that for?" he whined.
"Shut up, stupid Dane" he said.
"Nord" Matthias countered helpfully. "We're Nords now, Lukas. Gotta get it right."
"Of course. You idiotic, dumb Nord, only good as our hired muscle. By the way, how did you find an axe so close to your own in this game? I don't remember you buying it."
Matthias grinned. "No idea! Guess it was the eyebrow guy's magic?" he said happily.
Lukas rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
He turned back to Emil. "Whatever the case, it's late and we'll need our strength tomorrow. We're in a town, so there's little chance of being attacked. Get some sleep, lillebrør."
Whether from the late hour or the combination of fear, exhaustion and relief, Emil couldn't find the energy to argue. Taking off his cloak, which had sheltered him from the worst of the rain, he sat down on the bed, pulling his boots off and placing them next to the bed. He could feel his eyes drooping in tiredness, and he reluctantly gave in to it. Lying down on the bed, he listened vaguely as Lukas removed his own cloak and boots, then felt the bed dip as he lay beside him.
He made a token effort to protest as he felt his brother draw his arms around him, pulling him close, but gave in with the murmured 'sleep, lillebrør'. It was hard to resist the undeniable sense of safety his brother's presence gave him. That, coupled with the warmth of the room and his sheer exhaustion, allowed him to finally relax, drifting off to sleep. He couldn't quite deny the strange sense of nostalgia and the tiny voice inside his head that whispered that this could be a rather exciting adventure after all.