Heya guys! It's just lil' ol' me. XD

Anyway, this is a new story - I'm currently still writing the chapter of Shine! and this idea really needed to be let out. TT7TT but anyway, it's a more fantasy!AU where the Hetalia characters are creatures of fantasy, but they either live amongst humans or among their own realms in the magical dimension. :D

Not sure how many chapters it will be, but why don't we see? This is the first part - the prologue, but it'll quickly tie in with the second chapter. :) in our little prologue here, we see the deuteragonist. ;D

Happy reading~

The sound of roaring thunder deafened his ears right after the white flash that blared in his emerald eyes; effectively blinding him in the process. It hindered him for a moment, but still, it didn't deter how fast he continued to flitter his scarlet and gold wings. Panting, he didn't dare look back. No, if he did, he would have to risk looking at such a hideous face.

And that hideous face was the one responsible for all of his misfortunes tonight.

At first, it was just simply a night like every other at home in the peaceful realm of one of the kingdoms that constructed of fairies, which were hidden away safely in a place no human would think of ever searching. He was just moments before, speaking to his cousins Lovino and little Feliciano who still hadn't learnt to properly fly with his tiny, glistening wings yet. Cold dread rained down on him upon wondering how the youngster was – he certainly hoped that he wasn't caught.

For the one who invaded was terrifyingly quick to react.

What was scarier was that the intruder shrugged off the fairy magic as if it was nothing. The spells for the force fields and any incantation of illusion didn't work or had nary an effect on that beast. It moved right past only armed with a tightly woven net made of a strange rope-like material, a few empty bottles, and a menacing grin with the fangs jutted out.

That affable cackle was truly something that the fairy could never forget.

Still, it was baffling – nobody seemed to even notice that the creature was there. The monster seemed to be stalking and watching its prey through the camouflage of leaves, trees and the shadows of the deep, dark night. Even with the glowing light that the fairies provided, the beast couldn't even be viewed. The fairies, totally unaware of the danger as it entered their precious land, simply carried on with their business; their city bustling with joy and life.

It was during this that his father spoke to him. "Someday, my son," he said clearly. "You will be a great ruler of this kingdom. It is small, I know, but I am positive that you will make it big."

He remembered what he had said to him last: "I'll do my best, papa!"

And that was when his cousin Lovino swore up a storm when little Feliciano tried his hand at flying; which resulted in a mess that was created in the banquet hall. He remembered simply laughing along with his papa during that.

The sly predator had cleverly cloaked itself in their midst; becoming one with the shadows among them – practically now a dark ghost. They didn't see or hear it, as they had all carelessly fluttered about in their own merry little business.

And that's when it struck.

A glistening of raven black scales, eyes as red as a drop of fresh blood from a new wound, and fangs that snarled back to reflect the moonlight, with a flying swoosh faster than sound, the monster brought down its trusty net – immediately bagging several fairies at the same time.

The screaming and crying was something he could never forget, either.

His father had tried to take charge by ordering the guards and magicians to attack their invader, but it proved to be futile as the beast simply twisted its long, scaled body around and easily snatched them out of the air with powerful claws before suddenly thrusting them into empty glass bottles. Once it was done with the guards and magicians, it sped after the fairies that tried to flee as fast as they could to the top of the trees.

But alas, that proved to be just as in vain.

Gifted with the power of flight the creature was; it blasted right up into the night sky before snarling again - baring its sharp teeth before suddenly tackling the tree with such overwhelming power, it caused a bunch of them to fall right into open bottles. The ones still hiding up there only motivated it to fly up and attempt to snatch. The luckier ones hid right in thickets of small, pointy sticks among the thick branches and sharp thistles that prevented it from trying.

He wanted to stay behind and help, really. However, seeing as it was a hopeless battle against such a devastating opponent, his father had pushed him as he shouted, "Fly, Antonio, fly! Fly, my son! Get away from here! Go to the White City for there you'll be safe! Don't worry about me!"

And so led to now.

Antonio had attempted to fly up one of the trees, but upon seeing that the monster was far more clever and cunning than its monstrous appearance let on, he immediately tried to flee the scene. Other fairies also followed suit by scattering in several directions.

However, the beast had only laid eyes on him for just a brief second, before rushing towards him in the dead of night with a sinister snigger that made Antonio's blood run cold. He pushed himself to fly faster – faster than he could ever fly before, and that was quite a lot. He was always a fast flier; most especially amongst others of his kin, however tonight was probably the time that he had broken his previous records.

"I'm coming to get you…I'm coming to get you…I'm almost there…"

That cold and quiet voice chilled him to the bone. Antonio was tempted to look back, but he shook his head vigorously as he simply made a sharp turn around some large, heavyset oak trees as he flew left this time. Hearing a horrible smashing sound rip the air as well as a snarl, however he could still feel the monster's breathing…

…and right now, it was angry.

It only took Antonio a moment to realize that the beast had simply crashed right through the great tree upon hearing a low groan as well as a mighty crash that made the very earth tremble. Sweat riding down the sides of his head even more, the red-winged fairy flitted along the trees making a zigzagging pattern, hoping to somehow lose his chaser.

Hearing more crashing however, that definitely didn't seem to be the case…

Licking his lips, Antonio then made a sharp turn upward as he flew this time through the leaves of the trees like a bursting, red bullet.

Hearing more crashing rain down on his ears, the fairy's heart beat rapidly in his chest as he could hear snarls, growls and shrieks of pain and growing frustration that echoed throughout the night. Hearing it start to fade into the dark sky, Antonio kept flying more and more forward; his body now screaming at him to stop due to how exhausted he was becoming. His wings in particular were starting to ache, and the throbbing pain stretched on to his back.

He didn't stop his pace – not at all.

However, he did choose to look back this time.

Carefully, he peeked over his shoulder and saw what appeared to be a still and quiet night with the trees swaying softly along with the cool breeze that began to pick up. The only sound that he could hear were the rustling of leaves, and the whistling of the wind.

Funnily enough, the thunder and lightning that had both blinded and deafened him momentarily before were gone, too.

Sighing in relief, Antonio felt his heart immediately start to slow down to a normal pace as he continued to fly forward. He turned his head around to face the front…

"I've got you!"

Giving a shocked squeal, Antonio suddenly found himself encased in one of the glass bottles. He immediately tried to fly out, but that was when the huge claw slammed down a cork right at the top to seal the opening. Dread bubbling from within his stomach, Antonio immediately took a deep breath as he gazed up, frightened, as the creature sealed the bottle ever so tightly.

"Oh, you don't have to worry, my little winged friend," the beast murmured in its deep, and suddenly smooth voice. However, there was a strange kind of reverb that traced around that minor chord note that simply sent horrible chills to run down Antonio's spine and cause his knees to buckle.

Hearing a harsh popping sound from above, Antonio yelped as he leapt back, only for his wings and back to come in contact with the glass bottle's wall. The monster had used its horrid claws to scratch a few air holes into the cork above. Seeing the fairy's reaction, the creature simply gave a nasty, yet eerily good-natured chuckle, "This should keep you alive until I bring you home with the others…yes…" suddenly, it brought the bottle right up to its crimson eyes, causing Antonio to tremble.

"Why are you doing this?!" the red-winged fairy demanded as his heart picked up speed in such a rapid pace, that he was almost fearful that it was going to burst out of his chest. "What can you even gain from this?!"

The beast simply grinned its cruel fangs, "You will make me very rich…"

"M-money?" Antonio spluttered out in disbelief. "You…you want to sell us...?!"

"Was that notion not obvious from what I just uttered out?" the monster's fanged grin was still present on its face. Because the clouds began rolling in providing a darkened shadow to befall everything beneath it, Antonio could not see the creature's face at all.

It was as if it were hidden in the shadows.

"And you, you will sell quite a handsome price," the beast continued, now placing the glass right close to its burning blood red eye. Antonio shivered as it fixated right upon him; fear now taking hold. He knew he was no longer a child anymore, but still, he couldn't but be frightened – what with such a glaring, glowering, goggling thing surveying him up and down as if he were a piece of fresh meat. "Compared to your little friends, you'll sell for a beautiful price," it mumbled. This time, Antonio could've sworn he saw something that floated alongside its face, but he wasn't sure if it was a whisker or simply another tail, or maybe even some sort of thin tentacle.

'What is this thing?!' he wondered to himself frantically as his captor's eyes traveled up and down his little body. Antonio tried tapping against the glass, but his heart starting to sink when it simply caused pain to blossom on his knuckles if he tried any harder – this glass was extraordinarily thick.

Just as he felt the black seed of despair bloom from within him, he suddenly recalled that the monster had also captured some of his own people. Maybe he could make a bargain here – since it was apparent that he was the one who sold the most, then hopefully his people will make it out of this hopeless situation without any further harm. And so for that, Antonio was able to find himself properly stand on his legs as he cleared his throat. He then approached cautiously to the glaring, red eye that seemed to blink in amusement at his movements. "T-then let all of my people go!" Antonio proclaimed. "If I'm the one who sells the most, then what are they to you? They'd be nothing, right? Just let them go, and take me instead – sell me in their stead."

The cackle that he received as a response was far from what he wanted. His jailor had reared back its head to give an all-mighty laugh that boomed around the mountains and made birds fly out from their treetops in fright. When its bellowing laugh dropped down to a snicker, it crowed, "Such noble words! Just what I expected to hear from the mouth of a prince!"

It suddenly began to shake the bottle hard, causing Antonio's whole world to spin as he yelped and tumbled over his own feet. His hands had only held onto the walls around him as the beast brought Antonio before its eyes again, "But I am also quite happy to make a little extra on the side."

"W-what?" Antonio's emerald hues widened in horror. "N-no! Please, don't do anything to them!"

"You cannot stop me," responded the creature. "No matter how much you beg, curse, scream or cry in my direction, it will not work. Simply because my own greed surpasses my empathy towards you."

"Don't do this!" Antonio desperately banged his fists on the glass as he shouted. "Just leave them alone!"

"You are powerless to do anything here, fairy," the creature suddenly seemed irritated as it brought the bottle up to its face again, giving a snarl that bared its teeth again. Antonio instantly squeaked as he shrank back – his young, handsome face twisted with terror as he could see his captor's nostrils begin to flare. There was what appeared to be steam billowing out from the dark holes, illuminating a frightening face with a long snout that was cascaded with scales as black as the shadows. "You may be a prince in your realm, but here, you are nothing but a pesky little pixie," it snapped its fearsome jaws harshly. "So I suggest that you shut your filthy little trap or else I will truly make your experience a highly unpleasant one."

"Y-you…" Antonio choked out as he shook again. Shaking his head, he cried out loud, "You can't do this! You can't! You won't get away!"

Giving an annoyed growl, the creature scoffed, "Maybe some time in the dark will shut you up…" and with that, the monster suddenly opened what appeared to be a sort of bag around its long body. Flipping it open, Antonio could see that there were several other fairies that were caught during the beast's hunt either banging desperately on the glass, or in a heap sobbing at their situation. He tried to look around, but he could not see his father or his cousins from where he was.

However, instead of placing his bottle inside the bag amongst the other fairies, the monster instead placed Antonio in what appeared to be a pocket. The red-winged fairy could see that there were four other pockets, however they lacked a glowing light, which indicated that they were empty.

Antonio's stomach instantly dropped upon realizing that, 'Just how many of us is this thing planning to capture?! How many kingdoms will it try to invade?' soon, he himself was surrounded by nothing – the forest was out of view, and so was his captor.

Meanwhile, as the beast turned to go, it stopped and looked around the realm it destroyed as it could make out several glows inside the trees as well as among thorns that could only be the fairies that had escaped its clutches. Giving an echoing, bone-chilling roar that caused hair to stand on end and frightening the fairies once more, it declared, "I lurk throughout the night and am embraced by the darkness to hunt all of you. It is pointless to try and hide from my eyes, for your fate is sealed inside of my bottles!"

And with that, giving another roar that was soon followed by a sinister and bemused chuckle, the creature flew away into the night – engulfed by the dark shadows that the grey clouds had formed.

By the time that the clouds had moved on again, it had vanished. And so had their beloved prince.

Antonio was desperately trying to free himself from his prison. The red-winged fairy had tried barging his whole body against the glass surface in an attempt to somehow maybe break through the confined walls, but sadly the walls were very thick. His full strength wasn't enough, and the more he tried, the more tired he became, and the more he began to lose hope. He had also tried to lunge at the cork above him in hopes that he might find escape that way. However, though the bottle moved and bounced slightly from its spot, it slid back down again; going right back into place.

Panting, his chocolate curls started to press against his perspiring forehead, and his sun-kissed skin became flushed red due to the humidity of his glass prison. Still, it didn't deter Antonio one bit – he was determined to get out, find his family and somehow free the fairies who were captured, as well as try and confront the one who was responsible for all of this.

So for that, for now, as his wings were fluttering weakly, his own orange red glow began to falter due to himself feeling fatigued. He leaned his back against the cold wall as his body slid down to the floor as he breathed deeply – in and out, in and out.

Once he was able to rest his body for a bit and catch his breath, he would continue to try and find a way out. He wasn't sure if he was going to continue with what he was doing, but he'd be damned if he chose to surrender and do nothing. No, a flame of determination began to spark from within him – trying to burn away the despair that began to give birth as well. After a minute or two from resting, he made haste and tried again and again – thumping his whole body against the cork and the glass walls in a frantic attempt to escape.

But no crack was sighted, and it seemed no progress was being made, either. And so for that, the despair had grown a lot inside of him – trying to plague his mind into admitting defeat.

Yet still, defeat was not part of his lexicon. Antonio was passionate when he had his mind set on something, and so he tried again and again. For every second that passed by with him doing nothing but remain motionless, he knew with dread that it was a waste of time and that he would sooner come closer to a horrible fate that he did not want to know of.

Questions had started blossoming his mind as he resumed with his attempts. Each one whispering a warning, causing his stomach to twist and knot itself in apprehension.

Who was this monster that was taking him and other fairies into captivity for selling?

What was this monster, anyway?

What was going to happen to him once he got sold?

Who would come and buy him?

Will he be able to get out of here soon?

All sorts of questions of the sort just streamed one after another in Antonio's head as he panted – feeling himself becoming drenched with his own sweat. Wiping at his head again with his arm, he began discarding his crimson coat. He also removed the ivory cravat around his neck, and at once, felt that a large load had been literally taken off of his shoulders as he persisted again and again. He slammed his body this time on the cork above him – hoping to maybe somehow shove himself out from the pocket of the bag he was in and land somewhere else away from this…whatever this creature even was.

'I need to get out of here! I have to get out of here!' he thought to himself as he gritted his teeth. 'I must get out of here!'

Character/s:
- Antonio [Spain] = Fairy

Yeah, I made Spain a fairy prince, the story actually stemmed from the whole "tomato box fairy" thing with Italy, and it just expanded to this. XD

But anyway, just who do you think was hunting down the fairies? What will happen to our poor prince in prison? Will somebody come and rescue him, or will he escape himself?

Tune In Next Chapter: We finally see the protagonist, Vietnam!

Tell me what you think so far! ;)

Peace out!
- Hebi-Kazechi-10