Author owns nothing. Gets nothing for this, except some praise :D
Rated M. Dedicated to my reviewers that wanted Romerica! Sorry, the muses took a while for this one.
I do not own Hetalia. Based off some Sci-fi books I have read. A combination of about sixteen. As well as DND.
OmegaVerse to follow.
Yeah. You read that.
OoOoOo
He was a gifted man, and he had been gifted since his childhood.
Romano was touted to be a mage of superior skill, though his temper was considered a detriment. His magical ability to pull upon the Ether to create and give boosts to the nature surrounding him was cause for some murmuring amongst the warrior class.
If he could prove himself, by binding to a guardian, he would be allowed to seek a stable position with a kingdom of his choice. Since he was of common birth and a neutral land, Romano was permitted to seek out his own fortune, as were the others like him.
War, was a common enough problem.
And where there was war, there was a great need for mages. Mages like those already in their circles, inside the main runes, summoning their guardians. The beings that would protect them in this life, and the next.
The runes parted, admitting him in as he watched, the mages around him, those also vying for the most powerful being they could bind to them. The creatures begotten from these rituals were what kept a mage from being slaughtered by the common folk. It was also what kept them safe in battle as they headed up legions of soldiers.
He had been training a lifetime for this, though he was only in his second decade of life. This was the age to prove himself and pay back what his master required for the lessons of helping Romano through his gift. He did not have the lineage to cover the cost of such valuable information.
Should he fail here, it would spell disaster, for a bargain had been truck when he was still in the tender age of childhood. This ritual would show all the power he was capable of exerting and that would make him valuable. As if being a mage were not that already.
They were far more rare than anyone wished to speak of. The ritual was only held once every three years, so that all apprentices from far and wide could be present. With a look of steel in his light-brown eyes, and a firm grip on his staff, Romano tried to calm himself.
He watched as one by one, the others managed to call forth a counter-part from the Ether or Nether and all elements in-between. Fierce creatures with deadly claws, fearsome jaws, and vicious abilities sprang forth from the circles. Some so large and terrifying that even Romano had to gather his courage.
Some were able to call the guardian of their familial line. If the guardian had been bound to the blood. The bindings were not by the choice of the mage, but by what was summoned. He swallowed tightly, feeling that his would be the most fearsome of all.
A creature so startling, that it would give him an instant success with the kingdoms searching to bolster their forces with a mage. He needed to pay back what was owed, and care for his twin brother.
All too soon, with scattered thoughts and a false sense of optimism, Romano strode forward to his own summoning circle. He ignored the gloating face of Arthur as he started the ritual by creating a small cut on his left hand, and allowing the blood to splatter upon the runes that began to glow.
OoOoOo
He channeled everything into the moment. The ritual circle pulsed with the heavy feel of his magical talent. Romano poured out his thoughts into the circle, hoping for a guardian that would watch over him well. Something to rival the massive, hulking, and ferocious creatures that others had summoned.
It was a point of pride now. A need to prove himself and to not back down. Damn that Antonio who had been able to reach forth and bind himself to the guardian of his family line. Romano was a first generation mage.
Even Feliciano, his own twin, did not possess magical abilities. It was only Romano.
He slammed his staff on the ground, calling forth for whatever could hear him. Nothing. He repeated the action over and over. He channeled more energy into it, causing it to give a soft orange glow.
Still nothing.
The stones felt warm on the top, and he could sense the energy radiating from them as he slammed it down once more, in time with the chant.
His staff, a present that his former master -who was spectating from the high ground-, gave a deafening 'crack!' as it snapped in twain. Romano stared at it for a moment, his mouth went slack in horror.
No!
How could he finish the ritual now? His mind drew a blank, except for an impressive amount of curse words that flooded his only true thought. He was... a complete failure. No one would take him in now, as it would be three years before he could attempt to bind to a guardian again.
How... how would he feed Feliciano now? No, worse than that. He would be a burden to Feliciano, who would be obligated to pay back his fees to his former master. How... how could this happen?
The other mages, looked on in varying expressions of pity, sadness, amusement, and out-right glee. The silence was unbearable, as all eyes were on him. Romano. The one that was supposed to be able to complete this ritual without any complications.
Hot tears pricked his eyes. Ones of humiliation and rage.
Then, just as defeat was weighing in on his heart. He felt the backlash of his energy. Someone... something had answered.
Red smoke sluggishly began to bleed from the circle, as Romano watched with baited breath. It nearly hurt him physically to feel the rush of excitement that flooded his veins. White spires, ranging from three to twenty feet began to explode around the border. The spires shielded the mage and the entity as best as they could from prying eyes.
Roots tangled around the spires, as the entity pressed into the circle.
He was nearly spell bound. Though he could not see the creature. Whatever it was. However, he could feel the raw power that filtered back through the ritual circle. It caused him to shiver. Yet, all his training had prepared him for what came next.
The roots lashed out quickly, trying to grip him harshly, but Romano was ready and forced them back with his will.
"Hear me! I am Romano, first mage of the Vargas line!"
There was a slight pause from the entity, and the roots that grew thicker with each passing second.
"And?" The voice that answered him was nearly whisper soft, but clearly unimpressed.
Annoyance flashed across his features.
"And you will answer to me!" He challenged harshly, his light brown eyes narrowed at the sense of amusement that rippled across the distance between them.
"Will I? Really?"
"Yes really!" He shouted loudly, as he made an impatient and angry gesture. "Are you without wits? I will bind you to me. You shall be my guardian."
Something about his question caused the amusement of the entity to pool heavily between them.
"Guardian? Mage, do you know what you are asking?"
"Of course I do!"
"I am not so certain you do." It sounded condescending.
"I know what I seek."
"So many say that-"
"I bind thee!"
Romano felt nothing. No change. No sudden surge of power. What the hell? This was not everything he'd been told it was.
Eyes opened in the red smoke.
"You really are persistent, aren't you?" The blue eyes swirled with wild magic. Romano might have lost himself in the flecks of white intermixed in the blue that flittered about like a violent winter storm. Except, to do so before it was a bound guardian would mean his certain demise.
Who knew just what he had called forth from the magical realm? It could, quite possibly, be anything. The plumes of red smoke that filled the area around them, did nothing to calm his raging nerves.
However, that bit of logic did not work out so well for him. The entity started laughing at him.
"Fuck off!"
"I thought you wanted to bind me to you?"
Without missing a beat or understanding what was actually being asked he snapped again.
"You know damn well what I mean!"
"I do." The smoke turned thicker for a moment as the roots curled around his boots, assessing him. Romano stood tall, if not agitated and furious at the same time. He puffed up his chest, ready to yell at it.
"Alright." The entity replied after a few tense minutes of silence.
That deflated him. He blinked.
"W-what?"
"You heard me." The blue eyes that floated in the smoke seemed to solidify in front of his very gaze. "I shall bind to you."
His mouth gaped open, in sheer disbelief as the entity pressed forward, not wholly complete and there was a pressure upon his lips.
No... no that could not be. The entity had... kissed him!
Romano flushed to the roots of his hair, spouting curses as the white spires receded and the smoke cleared. A gasp and soft hush fell over the cheers that had begun to erupt. Romano was busy wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His light-brown eyes were practically seeped in outrage, when his gaze turned toward his guardian.
And... it was not what he expected.
There was no creature that looked back at him, but a woman. A very... attractive woman. Romano's face flushed further, but not from the same embarrassment as before. She sported two flowers in her hair, both tucked behind an ear. They were nearly the same shade as her eyes.
"Give me a name," the sweetly shaped lips of gentle pink enticed him nearly politely, "Master."
His brain seemed to stutter at the sight of her. The golden hair that cascaded down her shoulders were not nearly as bewitching as her blue eyes. They seemed as boundless as the sky itself. Romano swallowed quickly. His heart hammered in his chest, before skipping painfully.
"I-I-"
What the hell did she just tell him to do?
Call her by a name. Right. Yes. He needed... to do that.
"Were you that desperate for company?" Arthur called from his left with a sniff of distaste. "That you had to conjure companionship? How disgusting." He huffed to himself.
Romano turned to angrily call out the other. However, in doing so, he missed the cat-like grin that spread across the woman's face. The air crackled around them, as she glanced at the gigantic guardian that Arthur had summoned. The fearsome lion-headed dragon that oozed ferocity out of every inch of its body, turned its fiery golden gaze toward the woman.
However, Romano's brain had just caught up with what he was truly seeing.
"You... you're not a beast?" He asked, a little disheartened. Completely ignoring Arthur for a moment. He had been hoping for something that would strike fear into the hearts of warriors. As it was, it was more likely that Antonio was going to hound him for alone time with his guardian.
As if his life could not get any worse. Actually, it could if that bastard Ludwig didn't stop gaping at his guardian. Or if he could stop blushing. Everyone knew the singular thought that flickered across the minds of the male mages present.
"Apparently not," his magically bound counter-part said with a wink.
Romano flushed to the roots of his hair. What the hell had he summoned? And, could he send it back? Possibly to get something more intimidating?
"Don't you morph or change or something?" He only partially growled at the blonde woman. His reluctance toward her appearance, only seemed to make her happier.
"Aw," the guardian cooed at him with an amused smile on her face. "Sorry sugar, but I'm not that kind of guardian."
His blood froze in his veins as his swelling of excitement plummeted into near nothingness.
"...What?" He asked lowly, feeling his temper rise again. He was stuck with a woman as his guardian? Just a plain woman? Not one that could shred iron with her teeth? Or at least something that would warn possible threats off of him. And, to top it all off, he was going to lose her because Arthur had a vendetta against him?
Just when he thought life did not despise his very existence...
Romano scowled heavily.
The guardian laughed heartily, the blue-star flower tucked behind either ear began to unfurl until the blooms gave off a fragrant perfume that was pleasant.
Even if Romano did not want to admit it, it made his heart thump painfully in his chest. As did the way she winked at him flirtatiously.
"You'll see," she promised with a near-purr as she walked forward toward the creature.
"Shall we see how pathetic your guardian is?" Arthur jeered with a maniacal gleam to his green gaze. Like the emerald eyes of a snake, poised and ready to strike. Unease rippled through the other mages. Romano's guardian appeared to be clearly outclassed.
Should Romano's guardian be destroyed, he would be less than if he had summoned nothing at all.
Lukas wanted to interrupt, the stoic mage took a step forward, but his own guardian -an enormous troll like creature- placed an giant hand in front of him to stop him. Lukas could only stare as his guardian moved him further back. His dull blue eyes noted that all the other mages were moving backward as well.
The fight seemed inevitable.
The elder mage, whose beady and hawk-like eyes watched the spectacle, slowly tipped his head in consent. He would permit Arthur and Romano to fight. The details of which would be shared with the kingdoms whom they might seek employment from. Or even the noble houses. Those that were assigned to bear witness to the rituals seemed intrigued by the development.
"Fuck you! She'd wipe the floor with your ass." Romano snarled, already incised that the English Bastard would dare imply that his guardian was lesser. Even if it was a... woman. Romano could not let a woman fight on his behalf. He outstretched his arm to call her back.
"How amusing," Arthur drawled, but his emerald eyes watched as the guardian approached his own. Arthur's fingertips turned dark with green fire as they morphed into nearly claw-like digits. A reflection of his command over his guardian, no doubt.
The creature reared its massive head, erupting a spray of twin green flame to its master.
Romano's eyes widened at the power displayed, as a shout of denial welled in his throat.
"Amalia!"
Her golden hair moved in time as her head turned toward him with a large smile firmly in place. He was struck by how she still seemed... amused. Happy, even. Her blue gaze twinkled, and she did not even face the creature as the fire broke over her.
And... nothing came of it.
The powerful flames billowed outward, roaring as they exploded in all directions, nearly dancing as they caused destruction. A crisscrossing of think bands of leaves bore the brunt of the entire attack, as they seemed to regenerate at a constant rate.
"Is that what you are calling me?" She asked, completely unperturbed. "Amelia?"
Disbelief was etched on every face. The blonde guardian had blocked the flames with leaves? How... how had she survived? Without even moving?
Romano's voice was lower, as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing.
"No, I said Amalia." He argued pumping a fist in the air angrily at her mishearing him.
"I like Amelia better," she commented with a light laugh.
"Well I didn't call you Amelia, idiot! I called you-"
The other mages moved back, barely escaping being singed.
"Destroy her!" The other mage snarled. As Arthur appeared enraged and commanded the beast to attack again. A blatant display of his power.
Amelia blinked, and gazed back at the Lion-headed dragon with her white teeth showing in a nearly feral smile. Her blue eyes clashed with emerald green, and something in them made Arthur's flames falter.
"It is rude to interrupt when Romano is speaking," she taunted with menace.
The star-shaped blue flowers curled up again, waiting to blossom once more. A lock of golden hair stuck straight up, as if waiting for something to happen. Romano could only watch in fascination. His magic pulsed in time with Amelia grinning cockily at Arthur, who took great offense to her expression.
Part of Romano found that utterly hysterical.
Amelia crooked a finger at the dragon to come closer. It briefly glanced at its master, before darting forward. Its large body thundered upon the ground, disrupting several ritual circles. Mages winced at the backlash of energy, but stated back, unleashing protective shields. Magic twisted before them.
Apropos of nothing, water pooled around Amelia's feet. It spread outward as tiny white flowers furled to the surface. It was beautiful, something that Romano has seen along streams once. However, aesthetics was not going to keep the beast at bay.
If anyone had been expecting a prolonged spar, they were severely disappointed.
When it was within three feet of Amelia, tangled wet roots shot out of the water, the plants lurched violently as they wrapped around the creature. It roared in fury and concern as the roots began to worm into its opened mouth.
"It's really best if you don't struggle." Amelia said nearly stoically, with a tone that suggested she was merely commenting upon the weather, instead of being in the midst of a battle.
Her blue gaze focused on Arthur, as if the monster that was his guardian was of no concern. The gargantuan scaled beast began to thrash around. It foamed at the mouths as the roots sunk deeper. A thick sap oozed from the roots. The creature bit some, as it convulsed rapidly. The tail was the most dangerous part, as it slammed into the ground repeatedly.
Amelia looked nearly bored, but there was a warning in her features. Something that promised a pain beyond belief.
Romano watched, in nearly slow motion, as the thrashing grew worse, and the creature burst into a release of green fire. It spread toward the water, only to fizzle out. Countless white flowers fell, in a shower of blossoms. He blinked his light-brown eyes, and took notice of the ground rumbling.
Mages fell backwards, scrambling for footing. Even Arthur, who was dazed at the loss of his guardian. It had been defeated... so easily. Romano could only gawk akin to the elder mage who watched form the high ground, and those that would spread the news of his victory to all the courts of the lands.
A scarlet oak burst forth, harming no one, as it sat, waiting for the tiny white blossoms to fall upon the red branches. The mages looked on in concern as they floated upon the breeze. The other guardians shuffled closer to protect those they were bound to. Amelia smiled serenely then. The blue blossoms tucked on either side of her head bloomed in time with the last white flower landing upon its scarlet background.
She turned to face him then, with her one golden lock protruding proudly. Then Amelia cocked her head to the side and flashed a large smile.
"Are you pleased master?" She asked with a knowing look and a loud laugh.
His light brown eyes widened to nearly comical proportions.
"What by the circles of Nether are you?!" He demanded in a near roar.
His guardian laughed brightly, until she nearly doubled over with her merriment.
"Romano, Master, that is easy." Amelia responded with a glance that nearly froze him in place. "I'm your guardian. I shall follow you through all your days and be at your total command. I thought that much was obvious."
There was a teasing tone to her words, but Romano could only feel his heart thump painfully again. He flushed to the roots of his hair.
However, she was not done yet. Amelia began to walk toward him, her gaze on him fully.
"To put it plainly, I will be with you in this life and the next. Then the next after that. I belong to you now, Romano." She said with a sensual edge to her promise. The words, once spoken, etched into his very soul. As if he could feel them like a physical force.
It marked them as two halves of a magical whole.
She smiled at him then, so close that he could nearly touch her. As she leaned up and pressed their lips together again. The magic rippled between them as she shimmered in a glow of white, and changed form.
Her presence filtered into his cut hand. From the closed wound, a pattern of deep green leaves on a vine, and scarlet blossoms followed the leaves. They were shaped like small trumpets, almost as if they would herald the rallying cry to his defense. The scent of honey lingered in his nose, as he stared in wonder, feeling her in his magic. Dormant, but waiting.
Waiting for Romano to call her name once more.
Forever bound to him.
OoOoOo
Author's note:
Plants and flowers described in this Fan fiction, are native to North America and the USA.
The Blue-Star Flower- Amsonia
The Scarlet Oak Tree.- Quercus coccinea
The tiny white flowers- Water Hemlock. The most 'violently poisonous plant in North America"
The last was Honeysuckle : Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler'
Honeysuckle (According to the language of flowers)
It symbolizes devoted affection in the form of a lover's embrace. If you look at the way the honeysuckle clings to its habitat like a post or a wall, it looks very much like a love bind. In Victorian translation, meant happiness.