AN: So this is my official first story since my revamp. Hopefully this doesn't suck too much; I'm a bit rusty in the writing department. Before you ask, this will NOT have a set schedule. You'll just have to wait until I manage to make a new chapter. After all, this should be done for fun, not because you feel pressured to.
All Hetalia characters used belong to Hidekaz Himaruya
Tangled belongs to Walt Disney Animation Studios
One night centuries ago, in the heart of a deep forest, a single drop of sunlight fell between the clouds from the heavens. As soon as the drop hit the earth, the soil and sunlight melted together, and a beautiful golden flower sprung up from the ground. An old wizard traveling there witnessed the flower bloom, and went to investigate. With help from his book of spells and enchantments, he discovered a melody that would activate the flower's healing abilities. With this new power, the old wizard hid the flower for himself and used it to remain young for hundreds of years. Nobody has ever managed to find the flower, thus leaving its gifts hidden from the world.
...-...-...-...
King Julius Vargas squinted in the dim lighting as he reread the story, making sure to absorb every detail he possibly could. After being certain he hadn't misunderstood anything, he closed the book, placing it down on the bedside table. He turned to look up to his Captain of the Guard, a serious look invading his normally bright and optimistic face.
"You're certain that this flower you found is the one from the legend, Beilschmidt?" he asked.
Captain Torvold Beilschmidt bowed his head slightly. "I cannot say for certain, Your Highness, but it does match the description."
King Julius sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. Normally he would have jumped right into the idea that that flower was indeed the one from legend, but due to the circumstances he had a difficult time trying to think positive.
Queen Helena had fallen ill. Not even the best doctors or medicine men could identify what it was or what caused it, but it was slowly stealing the life from his beloved wife. To make the situation even more grave, Helena was with child, meaning that two lives were weighted on a single flower that may or may not have magical abilities. The whole thing made Julius want to crumple on the floor and just wait for the hell to be over.
A small hand laid itself on top of the king's large one, and he looked to see olive green eyes staring into his golden brown ones. Queen Helena squeezed her husband's hand slightly, giving him a weak smile. Her health had deteriorated to a point where she could barely even speak anymore, and it nearly shattered Julius's heart to pieces.
Helena nodded once, giving Julius a look that said 'It's worth a shot.' He replied with a nod of his own, knowing that this was their last possible chance. He looked back to Captain Beilschmidt.
"Very well then," he said, his voice steady and hard. "Do what you must do."
Torvold bowed once more and quickly exited the room, barking out orders to the guards standing outside the door. Julius turned back to his wife, lacing his other hand on top of hers. They stayed in that same position for what felt like years until a guard rushed into the bedroom with a wooden bowl in his hands. The king sat in his seat by the bed anxiously as the bowl of crushed herbs was fed to Helena.
Once the entire bowl had been emptied, Helena closed her eyes for a brief moment as her paling skin gained its color back. She opened them and turned her head to Julius, gazing at him with soft eyes and smiling sweetly.
"I guess the legends were true after all."
...-...-...-...
Nearly a month after Queen Helena was cured of her illness, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with long brown hair. There was much rejoicing as the entire kingdom celebrated the birth of the little princess, with joyous music playing and hundreds of people dancing and singing. As the festivities continued, the king and queen lit a small floating lantern and set it off into the sky, as a symbol of a bright future for their kingdom.
As the princess slept that very night, a hooded figure hid within the shadows of the palace. They silently scaled the walls, and climbed over the balcony to her room with ease. The figure came closer to the sleeping baby, then carefully took a small lock of hair between their fingers.
"Flower, gleam and glow," they sang, and the princess's brown hair sparkled with a radiant golden light. As the figure continued to sing, they pulled out a pair of sewing scissors with their free hand.
"Let your power shine.
Make the clock re-" The figure gasped in shock as they cut the hair, which had immediately lost its magic glow. Turning their head wildly, an idea quickly formed in the cloaked person's head.
As silently and carefully as possible, he picked up the princess from her cradle and held her in their arms tightly. They turned to make a quick getaway when footsteps pounded down the hall from outside.
Before the figure could do anything, the doors to the room slammed open as a hoard of guards flooded in, with Captain Beilschmidt leading them.
"Who goes there?" he shouted, drawing his sword from its sheath.
The figure turned to look at the guards, only giving them a brief look at his wrinkled face and mysteriously bright red eyes before a sudden cloud of smoke appeared from seemingly out of nowhere.
Torvold and his men were merely left standing there, the smoke sending them into fits of heavy coughing. He managed to squint through the haze to try and locate the intruder, yet nothing remained from where they had previously been standing.
He returned his sword to its sheath, crying out, "Dammit!" Torvold veered around and began ordering his troops. "Half of you search the west end of the kingdom. The other half will go east. I'll round up the rest of our men to search the north and south. Do not rest until the princess and her kidnapper are found!"
...-...-...-...
King Julius sat at his throne, his hand clutching Queen Helena's as tightly as possible without crushing any bones. The hall was eerily silent compared to the chaos that had recently sent the entire kingdom into a frenzy. No shouting of commands to soldiers, no heavy footsteps dashing from one place to the other, no panicked conversations between the palace staff. All of that had been replaced with nothing but quiet, like the kind that meant that something terrible was coming.
As if on cue with the king's thoughts, the large wooden doors at the end of the hall creaked open. Both royals snapped their heads up to identify the sudden guest.
Captain Beilschidt walked along the velvet carpet to their thrones, a sullen look hidden on his hard features. He kneeled before them, keeping his eyes away from their anxious ones.
"Your Highnesses," he greeted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Julius leaned forward a bit in his seat. "Any progress, Captain?" he asked.
Torvold seemed to flinch at the king's words, as if they caused him physical pain. He stayed silent for a long while, not bothering to lift himself from his kneeling position.
"Well, Beilschmidt?" Julius continued, edging closer towards his Captain of the Guard. "Have you found my daughter?"
Another moment of silence passed, neither of the two men willing to say anything else. Helena squeezed her husband's hand tighter as her stomach filled with dread.
After what seemed like an eternity, Captain Beilschmidt spoke in a hesitant tone. "Your Highness... The entire kingdom has been searching for the princess and that intruder for two weeks now... Your Highness, we-" He cut himself off, knowing that he would hate himself after he said those next few words. Taking a breath, he raised his eyes to meet the king's gaze, vibrant blue locking with soft amber.
"We must call off the search."
Time seemed to slow to a stop. The sentence hung in the air, each word echoing deep within Julius's mind. Thousands of emotions flashed through him: shock, anger, frustration, sadness, despair, confusion, and many others battling for dominance. Yet all the king could do was look off into the distance, his face an unreadable emotion. It was quite a while before he stood up, causing both Helena and Torvold to gasp silently. He walked over to one of the balconies connect to the hall.
Putting his hands firmly on the stone railing, Julius spoke in a voice barely loud enough to be heard. "You're certain that no one has found my daughter?"
"Yes," Torvold replied, confusion managing to sneak its way onto his face. "We know they couldn't have gotten too far, but no one has made any reports."
Julius nodded slowly, not looking back to him. After a moment, he spun back around with a fire in his eye. "Then if we can't find her, she'll have to find us!"
The two other adults let out an audible "huh?!" in unison. What was the king implying by that?
Julius walked swiftly back into the hall, ordering a nearby servant to fetch a lantern. Catching befuddled stares from both wife and captain, he explained himself as the lantern was brought out.
"She'll have to escape that kidnapper at some point. After all, she is the daughter to King Julius and Queen Helena Vargas! Fighting and defending for herself should run through her veins!" He grabbed the lantern from the servant, lifting it up slightly into the air. "So until then, each year on her birthday we'll light hundreds- no, thousands of lanterns into the sky! That way she'll be able to find her way back home to us."
Helena smiled softly, noticing the small tears forming at the corners of her husband's eyes. She might as well act optimistic if he can do it so easily.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she said, walking over to Julius and leaning against his body lovingly. Julius returned it by wrapping his free arm around her, pulling them closer together.
Torvold gave the royals a quick bow. "I shall inform the herald to make an announcement." Receiving an approving nod from the king, he briskly exited the hall, the doors creaking shut behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Julius wrapped his remaining arm around Helena, pulling her into a strong embrace. Helena hugged him back with an almost equal amount of strength as the lantern fell to the floor forgotten. That one hug was all they could do to try to mend their shattered hearts.
...-...-...-...
Deep within the forest, where the trees gathered so close together that they almost acted as a barricade from the other side, a small meadow lay hidden. Within the meadow stood a tall, singular tower. The bricks, though covered with vines, still held well and strong. A moderately sized room rested at the very top, with only a small window to let the natural light in.
Inside the tower, a man with slightly graying brown hair kneeled behind a young girl brushing her hair. His skin had some minor wrinkles and his piercing red eyes seemed a bit dull. The girl looked to be about three or four, and as she sang a sweet melody her hair glowed a radiant gold.
"Heal what has been hurt
Change the Fates' design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine."
As soon as her song ended, the man's features began to change. The wrinkles that had plagued his body were wiped away, and his hair regained its full color, which was a light brown. His eyes turned to a much more vibrant shade of red, and even his teeth became a bit more pointed and white. After his transformation, he looked to be in his early twenties.
"Big Brother Vladimir?" The girl asked timidly as the now younger man finished brushing her hair, which had lost its golden light. "Why can't I go outside and play?"
"The world is a dangerous place, little flower," Vladimir replied, setting the brush down beside him. "It's filled with too many horrible, selfish people. I wouldn't want my little sister to get mixed up with all those people, would I?" He picked up the girl and hugged her tightly from behind, causing her to squeal and giggle.
"Lemme go, Vladdy! You're squishing me!" she cried out, wriggling in his arms slightly.
Vladimir laughed and exclaimed, "I can't help it! You're just so squishable!"
After a few more minutes of the girl struggling to free herself as the man laughed, he spun her around so that her emerald green eyes could see his face. "So you'll be sure to stay in this tower, okay?" he asked, giving her the kindest look he could possible give her.
The girl frowned for a moment, but soon replaced it with a small smile. "Yes, Big Brother."
Vladimir mentally smirked as he gave the girl another hug. Her response had been exactly what he had been hoping for.