A fairytale will continue until it's had its happily ever after.

Once upon a time. That's how these things usually start, isn't it? Fairytales. Those magical things that always end with happiness and a kiss. The prince will always save the damsel in distress, the evil queen will always die, everyone who helped them gets a happy ending. Any danger is easily removed, anything that could stop them is easily taken out. You know there is no danger because good will always win. True love will always prevail.

This one is different. Most fairytales can get it right on the first try, and if not the second one. Some may have a few kinks put in here and there that will stop them from getting what they want and so they may have to try once more. This particular one has a kink that can be rather hard to overcome if not handled right the first time.

It begins with two children, Alfred and Arthur. Not the usual fairytale, no princess to save, no prince to do the saving. They start as paupers, as friends. They know not what dangers will come to them, they don't even know anything beyond the fact that they're friends. But eventually, a deal is struck, and their hearts are the ones to pay.


"Come on, Arthur! Don't be such a scaredy cat!" Alfred teased, running happily through the forest, climbing over rocks and roots. He was a brave young boy, bright blue eyes that could light up any room, wheat-colored hair that shone even in the moonlight, and a dazzling smile that could put any star to shame.

"If you would slow down!" Arthur puffed, trying in vain to catch up to the hyperactive child in front of him. He was a bit different, with a magic of his own. His dark green eyes easily matched the darkened forest around them and his bright stock of blonde hair made him easy to find in the darkness. "I can hardly catch up with you!"

"Then maybe you should move faster," Alfred laughed, looking back as he stopped next to a tree to catch his breath that he had just noticed he lost.

"Why are we even out here?" Arthur asked once he had caught up to Alfred and sat against the trunk of the tree. "I thought your mother told us not to go into the forest at night." Arthur looked around the forest anxiously, half expecting some monster to come out at any second.

"Nothing bad's gonna happen," Alfred scoffed. "It's the same as it is during the day."

"I don't think so," Arthur rubbed his arms to try to get them warm. It was a little cold tonight… "It's a lot colder."

"Yeah, well, you can deal with that," Alfred laughed. "Come on! I wanna go climb a tree or something!"

"How can you climb when you can't even see anything?" Arthur sighed, looking up at the moon. It was full, which did put him on edge slightly, but it was an odd color. "Alfred."

"It's actually really easy to climb a tree," Alfred said triumphantly, easily ignoring Arthur. "I mean, getting up to the branches in the first place is kind of hard, but after that it only gets easier!"

"Alfred."

"You just feel around for the branch and then you can keep climbing!"

"Alfred!"

"And then once you get to the top, getting back down is as easy as jumping!" Alfred whirled around to face the tree, tracing his fingers along the trunk. "It's really fun. I don't know why you don't try it."

"Alfred."

"What?" Alfred whined, looking back to Arthur, barely able to see him in the lighting.

"The moon is purple," Arthur stayed where he was, staring at the full, purple moon in front of them. Alfred shakily looked up at it. They knew what a purple moon meant, everyone did. It was practically a sign of death to anyone who was caught under it. It was a sign the wizard was coming.

"But the last one was just a few days ago…" Alfred muttered under his breath.

"Apparently it doesn't matter," Arthur could feel his hands shaking, and this time not from the cold.

"We gotta go!" Alfred yelled suddenly and grabbed onto Arthur's wrist. He started running as fast as he could through the woods and Arthur followed silently, he wasn't about to alert where they were to the wizard. Alfred just plowed ahead, he wasn't going to lose a friend, especially this one.

They didn't even make it halfway back to their small village before Arthur was swiped out of Alfred's grip.

"Alfred!" Arthur screeched when he was pulled back so roughly, Alfred's tight grip of his wrist simply slipped over his hand. He felt himself get lifted up by his cloak, what should have been keeping him warm.

"Be calm," an older, male voice said calmly, but Arthur just struggled against him, trying to figure out a way to get himself down.

"Arthur! No!" Alfred yelled once he had managed to recover from his sudden stop. He looked back, ready to face this wizard if it meant getting his friend back. But what he saw made him stand stock still. There was a man in all black kneeling down, holding Arthur by his cloak about a foot off the ground. The man had white hair that nearly sparkled in the odd moonlight and deep pools of purple eyes. This was definitely the wizard.

"You two know better than to travel in the woods at night, da?" the wizard sighed and Alfred gulped, seeing the way he was eyeing Arthur.

"L-Let him go," Alfred tried to demand, but his voice came out small. He tried to hold back tears that were already forming in his eyes. He promised his mom he would be a hero… He had to save Arthur…his only friend.

"Nyet," the wizard calmly shook his head, a creepy smile forming on his face.

"What do you want?" Arthur hissed, trying to see if he could untie his cloak, but Alfred had tied it too tight for him.

"You," the wizard said calmly and Arthur stopped, looking at him with fear filling a pit in his stomach.

"Why me?" Arthur asked, his voice barely over a whisper. The wizard wanted him? The story the parents told the kids back in the village was that he would only pick up bad children in the night, ones that didn't behave. Alfred was the one that made him come outside…

"You have magic," the wizard stated simply and stood up to his full height. Arthur felt for something to cling to with this new found height and only found the wizard's hand. Alfred simply trembled at the giant before him, watching as Arthur was forced to grab onto his hand for help. "A lot of it. And I want it. Simple, da?"

"I don't have magic," Arthur shook his head rapidly. He just wanted the wizard to go away, he didn't want to die…

"Ah, there are many reasons proving you do," the wizard sighed. "But you are too young to understand any of them. So I will just take you now."

The wizard swiftly turned around and Arthur started mumbling to himself meaningless words as he tried to overcome his terror. Alfred stood there, awestruck, as the wizard started to walk away. He couldn't just let his friend be taken! He was a hero!

"Wait!" Alfred cried out, but the wizard didn't stop. What could Alfred offer to him that would make him let Arthur go? He had heard that the wizard was a man of deals, that was how the adults kept the bad children around. He would have to make a deal…but with what?

Alfred charged at the wizard and immediately wrapped himself around his leg, finally making him stop. "Wait…" Alfred murmured. He would have to make a deal…

"Alfred, no…" Arthur muttered.

"Don't take him," Alfred stated, braving a look up at the wizard. He was hoping that he looked a lot more heroic and sure of himself than he was feeling.

"There is nothing which I want to bargain him for," the wizard stated sharply, making Alfred wince. He had to think quickly. What could he give him that the wizard probably didn't have?

Alfred felt his trembling increase dramatically as he got an idea. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists.

"Take me," he said, his voice far louder than he thought it would be.

Arthur stared down at his friend in horror. He couldn't bargain his own life for him! But the wizard knelt down to face Alfred, who looked at him with a surprisingly brave face. Arthur could see him hiding back sniffles and tears and trembles.

"You are young," the wizard stated, looking at Alfred dead center, which made Alfred nearly keel over right there. "And yet you are willing to give your life for him?"

"Yes," Alfred nodded. "He is my friend."

The wizard chuckled and smirked, as if at a new realization. "You will be more than that," the wizard muttered. "It seems you have magic in you, too."

"Alfred, don't!" Arthur cried. He couldn't let his only friend get taken in his place.

"You give your soul in place of his?" the wizard asked, holding out one massive hand in front of Alfred, who gulped. "Deal?"

Alfred and Arthur locked eyes for a moment. Arthur's were screaming at him not to do it, that he could deal with whatever came. But Alfred's were fiery. He made his decision. He would be a hero, even if that meant he would have to sacrifice himself.

"Deal," Alfred stuck out his hand quickly before he could stop himself. The wizard's hand engulfed Alfred's and he felt something strange in his gut. Was this magic?

Arthur was immediately dropped onto the ground, but he was too scared to be able to even stand, so he looked up at Alfred, who was already looking at him. Arthur started crying. It was all he could do. He couldn't stop them now and he couldn't do anything else. He was so useless!

"No goodbyes," the wizard stated harshly and Alfred looked at him.

"Why not?" Alfred asked.

"Because I said, da?" the wizard smiled and started walking, Alfred's hand still in his. Arthur looked up at them and watched as they left, a strange feeling in his heart making it impossible to move. Alfred looked back at him for as long as he could, until Arthur was out of sight.

Arthur didn't care that it was cold, that he was in some mixture of dirt, leaves, and mud. He simply laid there on his side and cried. His best friend had gone in his place with the wizard. He had magic in him, didn't he? Why couldn't he have saved Alfred? This was all his fault…

"What the-" a new voice accompanied by footsteps that stopped as soon as Arthur heard them. "Bloody hell!" the footsteps moved faster and stopped right next to Arthur's head. But he didn't care, he just kept on crying. That was all he could do… "Kid, what are ya… It's the bloody purple moon! What are ya doin' out here?!"

Arthur just shook his head. He couldn't stop crying or sniffling. He couldn't even look up at this new man.

"Do ye have a home?" the voice was closer, like the man had knelt down.

Arthur cringed into himself; he didn't want to answer that. He couldn't go home now. It was his fault Alfred was gone and he wouldn't be able to stand it there without him…

"Ye don't," the voice sighed. "That's not good. I gotta get ye inside, kid. I can't help the legend."

Legend? What legend? Arthur had never heard of the legend… He finally opened his eyes and looked at the man, who was close by him, just about a foot from his face. From what Arthur could tell in the light, he had bright, fiery red hair that looked like it could set flame to anything and shining green eyes that could make him either look happy or angry.

"There are ye eyes," the man smiled at him. "If ye don't have a home to go back te…" he looked up at the moon, a constant reminder for Arthur of what had just happened. "Ye're comin' with me, then."

Arthur blinked at the man, what did he mean? The man easily scooped him up, holding him close to his chest. It was warm there… The man started walking and Arthur tried to look around where. But he was getting so tired…it was so warm and he felt exhausted.

"Don' worry," the man smiled down at him softly as they walked up to a carriage. Arthur yawned and eventually his eyes closed. "My name's Scott," the man smiled down at him. He couldn't believe he was doing this, he had no idea what his brothers would think of him bringing a peasant kid home with him. But he had no other place to go, and at a night like this…

Legend said the evil wizard would someday, on a purple moon, come to find his predecessor, a kid filled with magic. No kid was safe, it was impossible to tell which kid had magic and which didn't. Whatever this kid was doing out here in the forest at night, he wasn't going to just let him sit there and cry.

It must have been destiny, that night. For a lonely kid to be picked up in the middle of the night by a prince just passing by. For him to be brought to the castle and made an adopted brother and therefore a royal. He was just a peasant, moments before in a memory he had forgotten because it was too hard to remember.

Alfred, however, was not so lucky. The wizard brought him to his castle. Alfred had no idea what would happen to him, so he started shaking. He kept on thinking about Arthur, how he could be doing in the middle of the forest, alone. He was never the strongest or most capable, a wolf could have gotten to him or something…

"Come," the wizard stated as Alfred began to slow down. Alfred swiftly nodded and picked up his pace, which was quickly becoming tiring. They went to some stairs that led down, lower, probably underground. There were some torches here and there to be served as lighting, but it didn't do much. Alfred kept on tripping, most of the time on his own feet, but it made it harder and harder to keep up with the wizard.

Eventually, the stopped in front of a large, wooden door. The wizard pulled out a rather large key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open and it creaked slowly. There were more torches in this room and Alfred was led into the middle of it. The wizard turned to the wall, which only seemed to be lined with bricks. But the wizard ran his hand over top of one and it simply slid out, onto his hand. Alfred tried to stop himself from shaking as the wizard turned around toward him the brick in one hand. It almost looked hollow.

"What is that?" Alfred couldn't help but ask.

The wizard softly thumped Alfred on the back of his head and Alfred looked down at the ground.

"No questions," the wizard scolded him.

"Yes, sir," Alfred muttered. He made a deal, he would have to do what he was told.

"Not to worry," the wizard stated and Alfred looked up at him. "I have a simple way to make you obey without trouble."

Alfred opened his mouth to ask a question, but stopped himself, nodding.

"Good, you are learning," the wizard smiled. "Now hold still." Alfred did as he was told and couldn't help but tremble a lot when he saw the wizard reach his hand forward, towards his chest. He saw the wizard's finger tips disappear inside his chest and closed his eyes tightly. What was this? He got the feeling in the pit of his stomach again; it was definitely magic.

He felt something being pulled out of his chest and immediately opened his eyes. He saw the wizard's hand slowly pulling out of his chest with something red in it. It felt like he was being drained and once the wizard's hand was fully out, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. He knew he should feel shocked, frightened, angry…But he didn't feel anything. Not even the feeling he just got of that being pulled out.

"Very good," the wizard smiled and Alfred looked back up at him. "See this? It is your heart." Alfred nodded. He was so confused…but he wasn't. He should have been feeling something. Something…for the kid he left behind in the forest… What was his name again? "You will no longer feel anything and you will obey me."

Alfred nodded without even thinking about it… What as there to think about? Something about a forest…

"If not," the wizard took the red object in his hand and squeezed it slightly. Immediately, Alfred's whole body was overwhelmed with pain and he cried out, tumbling to the ground, clutching at his chest. What was supposed to be there? "Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Alfred muttered and his body relaxed when the pain in his chest went away. He looked up at the wizard as he turned around and put the brick back in place.

"Stand," the wizard stated and Alfred quickly obeyed. "From what I can tell, your name is Alfred, da?"

Alfred nodded. For some reason that didn't matter to him at all, that was the only thing he knew.

"Then welcome, Fredka," the wizard smiled. "You will be spending your life here."

"Yes, sir," Alfred stated and followed the wizard as he left the room.


I got the idea for this earlier this week, when I was watching Once Upon A Time, you could probably tell that. But this idea just wouldn't get out of my head and it won't until I write it all down. Writing this story right now brings me to a grand total of 4 stories at once... Dear God...

Anyway! This Prologue has three parts. The whole prologue is basically an entire fairytale, while the rest of it is something else. Anyway, I'll be updating this once a week because, as I said, I'm writing 4 stories at once.

Anywho, please review and I don't own Hetalia.