Hey there, it's Blue Cotinga Girl again, this time with a oneshot starring our two favorite Nordic brothers!
The idea of a one shot involving at least one of the Nordics had been bugging me for a while, so that's how this came to be.
I wouldn't really say there are pairings in this story, but there is NorIce brotherly fluff, if that counts as being a pairing. And I don't own anything, all credits for Hetalia go to its respective owner.
Other than that, enjoy the story!
Bittersweet: Northern Symphony
Midnight.
In the heart of the Scandinavian winter, a quiet blond nation placed a hand on his heart as he sat outside in the white landscape.
"It's been many years, Norway."
That single sentence echoed through the nature, only to be heard by no one but Norway himself.
"Right now, it's no one but me…" Sighing, he shut his eyes tightly.
"Yes, it's been many years…"
That was indeed true. Many years had come and gone. He had watched the seasons come and go on their own free will, never following any rules but their own.
In the most recent of those years, the young country had felt a great shift in his life. He'd felt it, though deep inside, he knew nothing had really changed at all. The only real changes that happened involved his state of mind.
All he wanted to do was run away. Away from family, away from trouble, away from it all.
The only thing he could do was keep to himself.
In the heart of Norwegian nature, the fjords, the evergreens, the mountain majesties.
The beautiful Northern symphony had always been a great source of comfort to him. The song of the sparrows, the call of the breeze, the swaying of reeds…
Tonight, however, there were no sparrows anywhere in sight, the gentle breeze was now a harsh, Northern wind, and what was once an entire reed field was now blanketed with a breathtaking white cloak.
Breaking all contact with the rest of the world had given Norway a sense of freedom, but now, all he could feel was his bitter melancholy. As the night progressed, the temperature plunged downward- and Norway was aware enough to sense that the cold was taking his strength away by the minute.
As he leaned back on his bench, a warm wetness ran down his face, which quickly froze in the dead of winter.
In complete silence, he welcomed the wind as it stole whatever life he had left in him.
In the past, there were few who could match his strength or determination. He had always been both physically and mentally strong. But most of all, he had never been willing to quit.
"I must keep on believing." He had said over and over again in the past. "I have to keep moving on."
Always reliant on those words, he had never been torn apart, not even by war, disaster, or extreme crisis.
That was the past, though…and we all must let go of the past at some point…
As he laid his eyes upon the shining stars, he couldn't help but think that all was lost for him at this point on.
"There's no way I can push on any longer…"
The green meadows had turned to gray. There was nothing he could do anymore.
As he prepared to take his last breath, he summoned whatever strength he had left to leave a message for the world.
"…Goodbye."
The next thing he knew, he opened his eyes to find himself in a sunny field of reeds.
What am I doing here? He asked himself.
"Nor?" A familiar voice…it could only belong to one person…
"Nor, where are you, brother?" The innocent voice continued to call out.
"Iceland." Quickly, Norway walked over to him.
"I'm right here, Iceland." He put a hand on his shoulder, but to his disappointment, the other took no notice.
"Brother? Please, tell me where you are!" The panic in Iceland's voice was clearly growing.
"Ice, I told you, I'm right here." He proceeded to reach for his brother's hand, only to see something being held tightly in his grip.
A blue forget-me-not.
"Brother, don't leave me, please…"
"But I'm right over here, Ice. Iceland!" But no matter how hard he tried, it was no use. His little brother could no longer see, hear, or feel him.
"Norway!" Iceland suddenly ran off, crying.
"Ice, no! Don't leave!"
The broken-hearted Iceland was already out of sight, never stopping to search for his brother.
Norway sank to the ground and buried his face in his palms.
Ice, you really miss me that much?
The way Iceland has frantically called out his name, the way he didn't realize he was there- those memories haunted Norway's stream of thoughts.
Iceland needs his brother, doesn't he?
"Yes." Norway whispered, "Yes, he does."
He stood up, all hurt gone from his eyes.
"I'm not gonna leave this world. Not yet. And right now, Ice needs a brother. He needs me."
He closed his eyes and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Ice, I'll come back. I'll stay in this life…for you."
All he remembered next was the earth giving way under him as he started falling down, down, down into an endless spiral…
"Brother?"
Ice? Is that you?
"Brother, it's me, Ice." Came the reply, as if Iceland could read his mind. "Open your eyes, please."
Slowly, Norway's pitch-black world faded away to see a pair of azure eyes staring down at him.
"Ice…" Cautiously, he scanned his surroundings to see that he was…back inside his bedroom.
"Nor, it's winter. Why were you outside dressed like this? You could've at least worn a sweater…"
His brother turned away from him. "I wasn't thinking…"
Iceland's eyes widened. "What?"
"I said, I wasn't thinking." He sighed. "Y-you know how it is to feel alone, right?"
"More times than you've imagined."
There was a brief pause.
"Ice, you probably didn't know it, but while I was with the rest of our family, my entire life suddenly began to crash down in front of me. I no longer had interest in anything I liked, so I remained true to my solitude, my only friend…it all kept adding up to my stress until one day, I couldn't take it any longer, and decided to break away."
Iceland nodded. "Go on." He said with a hint of surprise in his tone.
"I headed back to my own house, in hopes that I could keep myself from mentally cracking. But during the winter solstice, I found it quite impossible to do so, and when the northern winds came in my direction, I finally gave in to my fear and stress-and made the decision to let go of my life altogether."
By now, Norway was trying to choke back his sobs.
Astonished, Iceland said, "Nor, I've never seen you cry like this before."
"I'm sorry, Ice, I'm so sorry." He muttered, as the two brothers pulled each other into a hug.
"Well, in that case, I'm glad you're still alive."
"It's all thanks to you, Ice. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."
"There, there." Iceland was beginning to cry a little himself.
For the first time in many months, Norway felt secure and determined again. From now on, he would continue to move on and endure whatever comes along, because now, he had a reason to do so.
As he looked out the window, he could see the same group of stars there, still twinkling brightly as ever. He managed to whisper:
"Through the bittersweet symphony of night, may the stars guide us…from beginning to end."
THE END
In case you didn't get the middle part of the story, Norway gets this kind of vision after he drifts off, and that's what motivates him to continue on with his life and keep on fighting.
This is one of the stories I've worked the hardest on, since this is my first oneshot that isn't based on a song or my past experiences, so I hope you appreciate my efforts.
After you read, I'd like to hear your opinions on it, so please review.
So I hope you have enjoyed it~
-Blue Cotinga Girl