I got bored and wrote this little re-tell of Rapunzel, with Hetalia characters!
It's weird that I would choose Italy to be Rapunzel, but he has a brother so I thought that would work better than my original choice, France. Plus he was kind of Austria and Hungary's kid at one point anyway, so yeah. I also considered making America be Rapunzel, and then his brother could be Canada, but his brother is supposed to be a hero. That meant I could make Canada Rapunzel, but then I didn't know who America's husband would be if not England, who is the evil warlock. I don't ship America with anyone other than England.
So basically I just settled for the Italy brothers.
I'd already written this and was ready to post it, but then I realised that it was just too quick. Not as many words or descriptions. So I went through and rewrote, fleshing it out a little and stuff. As per usual, I'm sorry for any mistakes I might have missed…
I hope you enjoy this Hetalia fairy-tale, because I might be writing some more!
By a deep forest and a roaring lake there once was a kingdom. This kingdom was ruled by King Roderich, and his heavily pregnant wife, Queen Elizabeta.
They lived happily in love, but one day Roderich noticed that his dear Elizabeta wouldn't come away from the window in their bedroom. She had been staring out for most of the day.
"Why won't you step away from the window, my love?" He asked gently one afternoon, approaching Elizabeta. She gave a sigh, her eyes unmoving.
"Do you see the garden? Those mushrooms… they just look so appetising. I must have some."
Roderich stepped up to the window to follow Elizabeta's unwavering gaze. She was staring into the garden of a warlock, a frightening man with a sinister glint in his eyes. His garden was fenced off; nobody but the warlock was allowed to set foot in it.
"Never mind the mushrooms." Roderich said offhandedly. He knew that wanting anything from the warlock's garden would prove to be useless. Nobody had ever dared to enter that garden, no matter how tempting everything inside was.
"I'll play the piano for you, if you come away from the window."
But no matter how much Elizabeta listened to Roderich play his sweet melodies on the piano, her mind stayed on the mushrooms. She longed for a taste so badly that she thought she might die without savouring it.
One afternoon, Roderich came back from a council meeting and found Elizabeta staring out of the window, as had become habit for her. "Please, come away from the window. It's not healthy for you to waste away here, wishing for things you cannot have." Roderich implored, reaching out to touch her arm. She spun to face him, pulling her arm from his as though it burnt her.
"Roderich, I fear I will die if I do not eat some of the warlock's mushrooms! You must go and get me some! You must!" She cried out, her voice desperate.
Frightened that his wife would die and take the child with her, Roderich did as he was told. That night, he snuck into the warlock's garden and stole some mushrooms. The garden was not guarded by anything; no dogs, no magic, no warlock in sight. It was almost too easy to take some mushrooms and leave over the fence.
When Roderich returned, he had the cooks prepare the mushrooms for Elizabeta. She sat impatiently, shouting for the cooks to hurry. Roderich noticed she was becoming less and less like herself the more she craved the mushrooms. When they were brought to her, and stabbed one with her fork and put it in her mouth. She paused for a moment, and then closed her eyes as she began to chew.
When she had finished, it was like she was back to normal. She smiled, and leaned over to kiss her beloved husband. The taste of her lips was sour, but Roderich was so happy that she was pleased that he kissed her back regardless.
Elizabeta then demanded that she must have more, and Roderich would get her some the next night. Roderich was hesitant, but he knew now that without the mushrooms, Elizabeta would fall into madness.
Roderich entered the warlock's garden under the cover of night to fetch her more mushrooms. But as he approached the mushrooms, he felt eyes upon him. He turned, looking around until he suddenly found himself face to face with the warlock.
His hair was dirty blond, mattered and long. His eyebrows were thick and in a perpetual frown. His green eyed gaze was disturbing, and threatening.
He smiled a crooked grin, his teeth rotted and yellow, and he gave a slight bow.
"Your grace!" He proclaimed, and then straightened up and tilted his head to the side as he glared at Roderich. "Did you really think me so foolish that I wouldn't notice some of my enchanted mushrooms had gone missing?"
"Please, it's for my wife. She craves the mushrooms- she's pregnant you see. If she doesn't have them, she says she'll die. I can't lose her. I love her." Roderich began to plead, and the warlock let out a low laugh.
"She's not lying, either. Not now that she's had a taste. Without a taste, she would have simply gone mad. But now she's had some. And she will die, if she doesn't continue eating them every night, for the rest of her life. But now… you mentioned that she's pregnant? I think I can imagine a little deal." The warlock drawled, his smirk haughty. Roderich was desperate to save Elizabeta, and eager to hear the deal.
"You can enter my garden and take some mushrooms, and whatever else you like within reason, once every night. And in return, I only ask for the child. I have never had one, but I've always wanted to raise a young child. I will keep it safe, and love it as my own."
"M-my child?" Roderich stammered. He wondered if saving Elizabeta was truly worth it, but without the mushrooms the child would perish anyway. The warlock watched him, waiting for the answer. Roderich gave a small nod. "You may have the child."
And on the night that the child was born, the warlock appeared. Roderich and Elizabeta were sleeping soundly as the warlock gazed down into the cot at the son she had birthed. He looked healthy, and happy. His hair was just auburn fuzz upon his head, and his eyes were a bright hazel colour.
He picked him up, and the baby did not cry. It just smiled at the warlock.
"I'll name you Feliciano, little one." The warlock whispered, and then disappeared back to his home. For years, Feliciano and the warlock lived in the house with the beautiful garden quite happily. Roderich would take ingredients every day, but was forbidden from seeing Feliciano, in case he should ever wish to take him back. Feliciano was an adorable child, and the warlock adored him.
Then one day, nearing the day Feliciano would turn fifteen, the warlock noticed how handsome he had grown to be. The warlock was greedy, and did not want his son to gain any attention. He left his garden behind, and took his son away into the dark forest to a tall tower, with a single door, and a single window in the top room. That would be where Feliciano would stay. Once they were inside the tower, the warlock used his magic to fuse the door shut.
Without the presence of the warlock's magic, the garden began to wilt and eventually died. The queen could no longer eat any of the mushrooms. No matter how hard Roderich tried to revive the plants, nothing would work. He gathered the best gardeners in the kingdom, and not one of them could help. The queen grew ill.
The warlock and Feliciano lived peacefully for an entire year. Through all the time Feliciano had been his, the warlock made sure Feliciano never once cut his hair. The warlock was never able to have beautiful long hair of his own, but he decided his son should know the pleasure. Feliciano's hair was a lovely auburn colour, and ever so soft to the touch.
The hair also served another purpose. The tower only had one way in, one way out; the window on the top floor. Feliciano's hair would serve as means for the warlock to exit and enter the tower.
"Feliciano, Feliciano, let down your long hair!"
And Feliciano would do as he was told, throwing his locks over the windowsill and hauling the warlock up. At first it hurt him, but he grew used to it.
One day, the warlock left to collect some ingredients for his alchemy. Less than an hour went by, before Feliciano heard the whinny of a horse, and voice telling the horse to halt. Feliciano ran to the window and nervously looked down. He was surprised to find a face that looked much like his own staring up at him.
The warlock did not know, but Elizabeta had given birth to two sons that fateful night. Her second son had been hidden away in another room when the warlock had taken Feliciano. They had kept the twin, Lovino, a secret. Yet since the garden had died, the queen had been sick and quite angry. She wanted the warlock to pay for making her ill and destroying her perfect garden. She sent Lovino to rescue Feliciano and lure the warlock back to his old haunt to bring life back to the garden.
Lovino called out; "Feliciano! I've come to bring you home!"
Feliciano did not reply, for the warlock was approaching. The warlock saw Lovino, and his face went red with rage as he let out a harsh snarl.
"Stay away from my son!" He demanded, and Lovino leapt from his horse and drew his sword. Feliciano turned away from the window, so that he did not see them fight. But he heard them; the clashing of swords, the sound of magic flying through the air, shouts and yelps of pain. Soon the sound of a horse racing into the distance could be heard. Feliciano kept his eyes squeezed shut, wishing the fight to be over.
"Feliciano, F-Feliciano… Let down your… your long h-hair…"
The warlock sounded hurt. When Feliciano hoisted him up, he saw that he was bleeding. Before Feliciano had time to ask if he was alright, the warlock pushed past him and stole away to his room to tend to his wounds. He stayed there was weeks. Feliciano did nothing the whole time but lay in his bed, and wander around his room aimlessly. He had nothing to eat but the moss that grew on the walls, and bugs that strayed too close. Nothing to drink but water that gathered on the windowsill or ran from the roof.
Then one night, he heard the sound of hooves once more. He hesitantly tip-toed over to the window and gazed down to see some dismounting his steed. The man had slicked back, light blond hair. He looked up, and his brilliant blue eyes met Feliciano's hazel, and he looked taken aback.
"I am Ludwig." The man called up to Feliciano, who felt his cheeks heat up. The man- Ludwig- was so terribly handsome that it made Feliciano's hands shake.
"I am Feliciano." Feliciano replied nervously, smiling down at Ludwig. Despite himself, Ludwig found Feliciano very attractive as well, and couldn't help but ask how to get into the tower.
"I will let down my hair. You can hold onto it, and I shall lift you up." Feliciano said, so taken by Ludwig that he forgot about the warlock. He let his hair fall over the side of the tower, and Ludwig got a good grip so that Feliciano could hoist him up. Once inside the tower, they saw each other close under the light of the candles Feliciano had lit. Feliciano could properly see how defined and masculine Ludwig's face was, and Ludwig could see how long Feliciano's eyelashes were around his pretty eyes.
"You're beautiful- but sickly."
"I haven't eaten any real food in weeks."
"Are you being held prisoner here?
"At first I wasn't, but lately it feels as though I have."
"Here, I have some bread with me." Ludwig reached into his satchel and handed Feliciano some bread. Feliciano ate eagerly, savouring the freshly baked taste. When he had finished eating, he was so happy that he couldn't help embracing Ludwig.
Feliciano had never seen another man, other than the warlock and his brother. He fell hopelessly in love with Ludwig quite quickly.
That was the moment that the door opened, and the warlock stepped into the dimly lit room to see Feliciano in Ludwig's arms.
"How dare you enter Feliciano's chamber and try to steal my Feliciano away from me!" He shouted. "You, Feliciano! Did you let him in here?"
"No!" Feliciano cried, but he paused. "Well, yes. But he wasn't trying to steal me, I swear-"
"You vixen! I'll show you what happens to boys who defy their parents!"
Before anyone had time to do anything, the warlock had crossed the room and grabbed Feliciano forcefully by the hair. Ignoring his cries of pain, the warlock reached for his dagger and sliced the long hair off. Feliciano fell onto his hands and knees and let out a wretched, pained sob. The warlock threw the hair down onto the ground beside Feliciano, who looked at it with tears falling from his eyes. The warlock then turned to Ludwig, who stood watching in shock.
"And you! This is what you do, climbing into towers to steal the dignity of virgins? You won't leave this tower alive!" The warlock proclaimed, and with a wave of a hand a burst of energy shoved Ludwig back through the window. He landed on the ground below with a loud thud, and never moved again.
The warlock beat Feliciano for his disobedience. He was left with a bloodied nose and a black eye, and the warlock returned to his own room to continue resting.
Months passed. Feliciano continued eating moss and bugs, and drinking dirty water that had run off the roof and pooled on the windowsill. He grew more and more ill- as did his parents the king and queen. In fact, they had grown so ill that they had died.
Not three days after the king and queen's funeral, Feliciano woke to the sound of horse hooves outside the window. He arose from his bed, and stumbled weakly to the window.
"Feliciano! I'm back to save you, and I've brought help! We need you back home, mama and papa are dead and we have to look after the people! I need you, I can't do it alone!"
Feliciano narrowed his eyes, confused.
"The warlock is my papa." He called back, and Lovino shook his head. "No, no he's not! Feliciano, you're a prince and I am your brother. We're the sons of a king and queen. You were taken in exchange for free access to the warlock's garden, but now the garden is dead and so are our parents."
The man Lovino had brought with him had perfectly tanned skin and glistening green eyes. He yelled; "Can you get down?"
"No. The warlock cut my hair. I have no means of escaping." Feliciano replied sadly. Lovino looked to the man. "Antonio, did you bring the rope? Good. Feliciano, Antonio with throw some rope up to you. You are to catch it, and tie it somewhere sturdy, and then climb down. Hurry, before we wake the warlock!"
Antonio flung the rope upwards. He had to throw it four times before Feliciano could catch it. Once Feliciano found somewhere safe to tie it, and began to climb down. He was frightened, and worried he would fall, but he made it. When he reached the ground, he felt life inside of him. The grass between his roes, the feeling of wind over his entire body- it shattered his torment and gave birth to freedom.
"Quickly, we need to get out of here!" Lovino ordered as Antonio helped Feliciano onto his horse. They were about to ride away back home when they heard a furious shout.
"Come back here with my son!
They turned to see the warlock standing at the window, his eyes wide open as he shook with rage. He lifted his hands high into the air, crying that they would regret trying to steal Feliciano away from him.
Thorns arose from the earth around Lovino and his horse. They entangled him, and his horse began to panic as it was sliced. The thorns didn't want the horse, however. They continued up until they reached Lovino, and they tore his eyes from his face.
"Lovi!" Antonio cried out desperately, horror in voice. He leapt from his horse and reached for the bow on his back. With impeccable aim, he fired at the warlock. The arrow hit the warlock directly in the middle of his forehead. The warlock tumbled from the window, and landed hard on the ground beside Ludwig's remains. There, the warlock took his last breath. The thorns retreated back into the earth, and as soon as he could, Antonio fell by Lovino's side, and Feliciano the scene anxiously watched from the horse.
"Lovi? Can you hear me?" Antonio asked gently, pulling the bloody body onto his lap and staining his clothes red.
"Toni…? I can't see… I can't see you…" Lovino whispered. Antonio shook his head, gripping Lovino's hand tightly in his own and wiping his hair from his sticky forehead, trying not to look at the bloody holes where his eyes once were. "Shh… it's alright. It's okay. The warlock is dead." Antonio replied, his voice quivering, tears welling up in his eyes. Antonio had never said anything, but he loved Lovino with all his heart. That was why he so willingly volunteered to help Lovino rescue his brother from an evil warlock. Why he would be so willing to risk his life. As long as it made Lovino happy, Antonio would do anything.
"I can't see…"
"I know, I know."
"I'm scared."
"I know, Lovi, but it's going to be alright. I'm going to get you on the horse with me and Feliciano, and we'll take you back home…"
Antonio lifted Lovino up, and Feliciano pulled him onto the horse. Lovino sat between Feliciano and Antonio, getting Antonio's back all bloodied up as he held onto his waist and rested his forehead against Antonio, sobbing from the pain. Deep down, he knew what had happened. Deep down, he knew he would never see again.
The ride back to the kingdom was long and painful, but they made it back safely to find throngs of people in the streets that showered them with flowers and congratulations. Lovino was locked away with the best doctors and healers in the kingdom to be treated. He missed Feliciano's coronation, but Feliciano didn't mind. His first proclamation as king was to have the warlock's house destroyed, and replaced with another garden- this time, a flower garden with a small pond, tended to by the children of the villages.
Feliciano would spend a lot of time there; playing games with the children and helping them pick flowers or catch frogs. He loved to go along with their games, as he had never had anyone to play with when he was a child. When Lovino could finally leave the confines of the healing rooms, Antonio walked him around the garden and described things for him.
"The flowers are in bloom. They're all different colours. Yellow, white, blue, violet, red, orange… Like a rainbow, only one you can touch." He handed Lovino a flower, and Lovino smelt it. A smile tugged on his lips, and Antonio held Lovino's arm a little tighter at the sight.
"Your brother is over there. Can you hear the clapping? He's dancing with a little girl, ribbons in their hair, and smiles on their faces. This place is beautiful… but do you want to know what I think the most beautiful thing in this garden is?"
Lovino nodded his head, and felt Antonio place something in his hands. A small box, it seemed. Lovino frowned, and opened it. Inside, he felt something round, and it took him a minute to realise it was a ring.
"Toni, this is a ring…"
"I think you're the most beautiful thing in this garden. In this kingdom, and the kingdoms surrounding it. And I want you to marry me."
Lovino was silent for a moment. The clapping had stopped; Feliciano and the children were watching with anticipation.
Lovino couldn't hold back his smile, and he nodded his head. Antonio pulled him into a tight hug, feeling elated. Feliciano dabbed tears of happiness from his eyes, and the children burst into applause for the two.
Feliciano never truly got over Ludwig's death, so he never married. But he was, of course, all too happy to attend Lovino and Antonio's wedding.
And everyone lived happily ever after.