Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. It belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz.
Part 1
It was a cloudy afternoon when Berwald jumped aboard his ship to sail across the ocean to the east. He didn't know what laid there but wanted to – and had to – find out seeing as his Scandinavian neighbour in the south always caused him trouble. Their kings kept going to war for landmasses and thrones. For now the Danish Kingdom ruled Scania but Berwald had heard that his king was planning on taking it and make it Swedish, but first he wanted Berwald to go to the east and hopefully discover something to the Swedish advantage.
Out on the sea it got sunnier and warmer for every hour that passed but eventually he could glimpse land. The closer to land the small ship moved the more could be determined about it; a lot of trees, no civilization as far as the eye could reach, silent and untouched. There seemed to be no other settlers around here, but who knew how big this place was.
What could this place be?
When he stepped ashore he looked up at the clear blue sky and saw the golden sun about to set. He wondered if this place belonged to anyone. In any case he wanted it. It was beautiful.
Leaving his vessel tied firmly to a secure tree the tall blond walked into the dense forest without finding any trails. The ground under his feet felt soft and a little moist, as if it had been raining recently. Every now and then a fallen twig gave in and cracked under his weight. He walked for quite some time before he, as if having a sixth sense, stopped and spared a moment to actually look at the mossy ground beneath him. A cone lay peacefully in a footprint that was significantly smaller than Berwald's own. A human footprint. Berwald's eyes followed their trail to the left and then peeked to see if there was anything within eyesight. It was dead silent, safe for a foreign bird calling for a mate, but the Swede couldn't stop sweeping his gaze along the trees in the direction of the footprints because he knew he was not their creator.
Half a second later his blue eyes registered a movement among the thick stems, far ahead. Whatever or whoever it was, they were quick! Immediately Berwald hurried in the direction he had seen the swift cloud of light colours move.
He panted as he kept on chasing the other person, determined to catch him or her, but said stranger was much faster and obviously used to these woods. They kept confusing Berwald by running in their own footprints and taking turns around stems and rocks, hiding and turning back when Berwald had already passed them without realizing until it was too late. No, if he wanted to catch up with this person he had to predict their movements and put some of his trust on luck, because it was obvious that just blindly chasing them would do no good. He stopped and caught his breath while quickly analysing his surroundings. Standing in a small grove he had trees surrounding him and no idea which direction north was. Judging by where he assumed the sun was he was standing with his nose pointing west, but he wasn't certain. Whoever was in the forest with him was running around in circles, Berwald was sure of that now. He was caught like prey, yet he kept his ground without as much as flinching, trying to predict where to go next to lure the other presence.
Again it was silent. Not the smallest noise was heard and Berwald wondered if the person had stopped or simply moved as quietly as an eagle flew. Either way he again quickly analysed his situation and surroundings. There were only trees nearby; he didn't see any rocks or hills, just plain ground with thick stems everywhere. They had left the mossy ground already and he now stood on solid dirt instead. The ground was nothing in particular, but it was in a way strangely pleasant to stand on it.
Berwald took one step forward, aiming for one of the bigger stems where he would begin his own cat and mouse game, but before even being able to put his foot down he felt something cold and sharp touch the back of his neck. The stranger spoke to him in a foreign language that Berwald could not understand. The voice indicated that this person was young.
Young and with a sword.
Berwald wasn't scared at all, even though he had to admit he had been surprised. He sighed but not loud enough for his captor to notice.
Again the boy spoke to him, this time it sounded like he was commanding him. His language was nothing like Berwald's own. Neither was it Latin or Slavic. It was different and to the Swede it sounded kind of cosy and soft, yet firm.
He turned around and was met by a significantly shorter boy holding a sword steadily against the Swede's throat. His eyes looked at him with a burning will to defend himself at all costs. Violet, passionate eyes.
Again he spoke in his foreign language. It sounded like he was asking something. "Kuka olet?" This time he seemed a little milder.
"I d'n't 'nderst'nd."
The boy's face suddenly changed. He now looked almost nervous or even uncomfortable. To Berwald it was nothing uncommon for people to suddenly get unpleasant in his presence. Sometimes he didn't even need to speak, but he was pretty sure that this time he hadn't been frowning at the boy – just kept his calmest expression – and therefore the little blond didn't begin to feel nervous until Berwald spoke. However, he quickly tried to hide his fears and the blade of the sword was still placed close to Berwald's throat as a reminder who was in charge.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice determined but mild. The accent reminded him of the language he had earlier spoken, that softness. It could be compared to a a bag filled with clear water.
"N'me's Sw'd'n", he replied truthfully.
After a little while the boy eased up a bit and straightened his back, still with a questionable face expression. No matter how much he probably tried he didn't look all that intimidating according to Berwald. It actually seemed like he wanted to lower the sword now that they were half acquaintances.
"Why are you here?"
There was no need to be dishonest, really. "I w'nt th's l'nd."
Here's my first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! :)
Translations:
Kuka olet? = Who are you?
