Don't hate me guys plz I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS IN THE SHOWER OK AND I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT XDDDDDD
I do not own Hetalia! It belongs to Hima-papa!
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Two Brothers
The kingdom of Hetalia is a vast and beautiful one. It has from the thickest woods to the highest mountains; to the clearest waters and deepest seas, surrounded by unimaginably green valleys. This kingdom is one of the most ancient ones, its history going back to the darkest times this world has ever seen, its land filled with various individuals. Mythical creatures, which seemed to be all part of fairy-tales, hide from sight in the caves and the forests, and mighty heroes and warriors, victorious in various battles, now rest amongst the common-folk.
This, of course, made it one of the most powerful too, old magic flowing through the roots of the trees, the rivers and its people. Or at least, that's how it had been years ago, when every kingdom fought to establish dominance in their territories.
Magic had been very common back in those days, where Sorcerer or Witch were titles many possessed, both powerful and weak ones. However, as time passed on, these people, who had magic circulating through their veins, started to disappear, because of their deaths and lack of children who could carry on with their powers. Soon, very few 'Magic Wielders', as they called them, were left, and the idea of possessing magic lost interest. That didn't mean, however, that there were no Magic Wielders left.
Near the outskirts of a forest, away from the cities and towns, there's a small and poor village named Caelus. Its inhabitants, humble, kind and rowdy around the edges, care and help each other like one big family, taking turns in tending the fields and watching the animals. Their auto-sufficiency is really helpful, since the merchants only cross their path once a month, and the river that passes through their forest provides them with fishes and water. That's the reason as to why many think they like being away from the other villages; they live happily apart from others, even if they are poor. What they don't know is that a secret rests inside Caelus, one only the villagers know about, for you see, in the tiny house near the start of the forest and the end of the village, there are two twins who are descendants of a family of Magic Wielders.
A family of Alchemists.
This secret is not a dangerous one, and even if it got out, it might not even have an effect in others, but just to be cautious, the villagers never leave the safety of their secluded home. The twins need the calm of a quiet village anyways, so the lack of loud towns and cities helps too.
An Alchemist's magic is of a special kind. They could either use it to transmute elements and brew exotic elixirs, or to control and manipulate the different aspects of nature: water, air, fire and earth. They could be both powerful fighters or skilled crafts-men or medics.
The twins who were born and raised in Caelus are the sons of the powerful Alchemist Alexander Jones, who passed on his magic to them. Along with his wife, a well-known medic named Camila Williams, he taught his sons the arts of alchemy. Sadly, he fell ill with an incurable disease, one not even magic was able to heal, and passed away, their mother dying soon because of her loss, too. The villagers, who considered Alexander and Camila precious friends, and were grateful for the help they lent with their magic and abilities, took care of their sons, who lost their parents at the age of twelve.
Following the steps of his father was Matthew, who studied every day, with the help of the countless of magic books his parents left, to polish his alchemy to the best of his ability; surely to become a great Alchemist one day. He took after his mother, adopting her last name in her honour, because he preferred to specialise in the brewing of curative potions and powerful elixirs. He swore to find the cure to the illness that took his father away from his mother.
Next to him was Alfred, the oldest by two minutes, who would rather improve his skill with his sword than bury his nose inside those 'old and smelly books', and become the best swords-man in the world. Nevertheless, he still practised with his alchemy, but he studied to become an Adept of the four elements, Fire being his main one. He kept his father's last name, since he too was an Adept, and he named his sword (which had been passed on from his great-grandfather to him) after his ancestor, the first Jones, Ley.
Both brothers loved their village with all their heart, and did what they could to help. Matthew was officially the village's doctor, and Alfred went hunting, his skill with the sword being really helpful. They used their magic to help with many things too, such as watering the crops quickly while manipulating the water, or using their alchemy to create fire during the cold winters. They were small tasks, but they helped nonetheless.
What they never suspected, however, was that their powers would have such a great impact in their near future; both in them and the people they would grow to love.
~oOoOo~
''Come on Mattie! I really want to take a bath!''
''Yes, yes, I'm right behind you Alfred.''
The twins were carrying a bucket each, a piece of soap inside Matthew's and two towels inside Alfred's. They, along with most of the young male population of their village (the women had already done this the previous day), were heading to the stream that ran near the side of the river in their forest, most of them looking forward to their bath, while some just wanted to clean their clothes. The twins were going for both, as the eldest twin had a sack of dirty clothes that needed some serious scrubbing slung over his shoulder.
The group moved about the familiar path through the forest, the kids all accompanied by their older brothers or friends, since their fathers and grandfathers would bathe tomorrow. Once the group of kids and teens reached the stream, they all stripped down and got into the water.
Matthew took out the soap and filled his bucket, Alfred doing the same with his. They took turns to drench and clean their hair, and since it was the beginning of spring, they only had to worry about the occasional chilly breeze. They got the bundle of clothes and washed them with their soap one by one, getting rid of the dirt they had, washing their bodies in the process. Working in the fields could give you some nasty stains. After they rinsed their garments they left them down on a rock.
Alfred stepped into the stream and laid his tanned body below the water, since it wasn't very deep. Matthew rolled his eyes at seeing his brother mess around in the water, and smiled when he saw him get up and ran after some kids. He filled his bucket again and poured it over his torso, getting rid of the soapy bubbles. He used his fingers to comb over his maple blonde hair, careful to avoid that stubborn hair that always stood up with a curl, tied his chin-length hair into a small pony tail; his towel around his waist, and trailed after his brother. He made sure to bring Alfred's towel too.
He found his twin running around, his short, honey blonde hair dripping wet, but he too had a stubborn hair, a cow-lick to be precise, that just wouldn't stay down. His sky blue eyes shone brightly, a grin adorning his face as he played tag with three kids, who were yelling in glee.
'He's still a child even at the age of twenty…'
Matthew chuckled and threw the towel at the honey blonde's face, ''Stop running around naked and help me dry our clothes, you dork.''
''Sure thing Mattie! Anyone else wants to dry something?'' he asked the group.
Most of them nodded and grabbed their own bundles of clothes and followed the twins. They all placed their garments over Alfred's and Matthew's on top of their rock, forming a pile. Both brothers stood across each other, the wet clothing pile in front of them. At that, all the kids gathered around them, stars in their eyes.
''Look, look! Big Brother Alfred and Big Brother Matthew are about to start!''
The twins extended their hands forward and closed their eyes. Silvery sparkles flew out of their finger-tips and started swarming around, creating a windy sphere between each of their hands. They pushed forward and encased the clothes inside the spheres, combining them to create a bigger one. Each of the vestures swam around inside the currents of wind created by the two Alchemists, and they were dry in no time.
~oOoOo~
Alfred struck again with his sword before quickly moving back, the worn out dummy losing more of its stuffing.
Attack, and recoil, attack, and recoil.
Ley's blade shone proudly against the afternoon sun, reflecting the powerful rays that poured into the earth below. Alfred's hold on the grip didn't falter as he kept hitting and slashing the dummy, picturing it as a real opponent. Building up the momentum, he broke into a rapid sprint, sword at the ready, and made a deep gash in the dummy's middle, cutting it in half. He stood up straight and sheathed his sword into the scabbard attached to his belt.
The first drop of sweat appeared in the line of his hair and he wiped it off, heading inside his house.
Matthew was sitting in the middle of their main room, a circle and lots of different symbols drawn around him in white chalk. He had his small cauldron in front of him, its contents boiling in water with the fire provided by the young man's alchemy. Alfred let his brother do his brewing as he walked towards the kitchen to wash his face.
Their house was a small one, only consisting of three separate rooms: the bath-room, their bed-room and their main room, where they had the kitchen, their dining table, and tons of books perched on equal amounts of shelves.
After he had splashed some water on his face and washed his hands, he turned to watch his brother mutter some words as he poured a liquid of some sort from a glass bottle at his side into the cauldron.
''How's that brew going?''
The maple blonde turned his head towards his brother for a moment before facing his concoction again, ''could be better… I just need to-''
A small explosion went off inside his cauldron and grey smoke filled the room. The twins coughed and fanned their hands to clear their vision. Matthew stood up and took off his glasses, wiping them off on his shirt.
''Damn it…''
Alfred frowned and approached him, ''you'll get it next time!''
''You know that's not true. If it really were to happen it would already have. Alfred, I tried and used every component we had and they all end up like this one. My magic isn't improving either; I've read all of our magic books five times each! At this rate I'll never better my alchemy…'' Matthew had been walking towards their shared bed-room and sat down in his bed, burying his face on his hands and sighing, ''I'm sorry, I just…''
''Hey,'' Alfred said, gently, as he sat down next to his brother and rubbed circles in his back, ''It'll be ok Mattie, you'll get it right, I just know it. Besides, the merchant will be coming next week, so we can buy some new chalks and ingredients and try again!''
Matthew peeked from between his fingers and lifted his head, a smile crawling its way across his lips, violet eyes brightening up, ''thank you, Alfie.''
Said twin grinned, ''No prob, bro!''
The maple blonde snorted, ''I've yet to understand those abbreviations and strange words you like to use.''
''You know you love them, broha; and 'dude' is not a strange word! One of dad's travel journals is full to the brim with words like these, all from the North! And you have to admit some of them sound good.''
''Yeah, yeah,'' he bonked Alfred's head and got up, ''Come on, let's clean my mess up and start on dinner.''
''Ohhh! I want beef tonight!'' the other blonde said excitedly.
The youngest chuckled, ''Then beef it is.''
~oOoOo~
It was late at night. A man paced around the halls of the great Palace of Blau, home of the royal family, a distressed expression stuck on his strikingly young looking face. He held his calloused hands at his back, letting out an exasperated sigh, long, golden hair trailing behind him as he walked. The door to the room he paced in front of opened and another man, much older than the other one, came out.
The first one approached the latter, ''How is he, doctor?''
The elder frowned, ''He can move just fine, the beating of his heart is normal and his reflexes are as sharp as ever. In all honestly, when I looked at him upon entering his room he didn't seem the least bit ill…''
''But you've noticed, right?''
''Indeed; his wounds take too long to heal. I remember that, when I last visited him three weeks ago, he had recently cut his finger with a sheet of paper… but when I felt his wrist to check his pulse I could see the red cut clearly. It wasn't bleeding… but it was still there,'' the doctor said, his voice taking on a worried tone, ''how did you say you noticed this?''
''He was bitten by one of our dogs last month and I could still see the marks the tiny teeth of the animal left,'' he answered, ''I think they might even still be there.''
''Ah, so that's what those dots were…'' the old man muttered to himself before looking at the other again, ''that is not all I noticed, however. I think my eyes were playing with my mind, but when he stays really still, his skin looks… translucent.''
''W… what?''
The doctor opened his mouth to explain, bit was cut off when the other man collected himself, ''How do we cure him? Tell me, doctor, how can I cure my son?!''
''Your Majesty, please excuse me, but you must calm down! There might be an antidote!''
At that, King Otho of Hetalia took a deep breath and straightened his posture, composing his thoughts and rationality, his stoic demeanour coming back, ''Tell me the necessary ingredients and I shall have them collected immediately.''
''That is the problem, my King. The antidote requires two key ingredients for it to be effective, and they are very difficult to obtain.''
''Which are they?''
''The blood of a true alchemist, and the silver scale of a dragon from the north,'' the doctor said.
The King was confused, ''why, in the name God, would you need those things to make a simple brew?''
''Well, to answer that question I must explain my speculations of what illness your son might have,'' he said, and turned around, ''but for this, may I suggest talking in your study? You seem rather stressed, your Majesty, and I recommend drinking some tea. The last thing we need is for you to fall sick too.''
''I agree,'' Otho replied as they moved to continue their conversation somewhere that wasn't in the middle of a hall.
~oOoOo~
Both men sat in the King's study, each holding their respective cup of recently prepared tea. When the doctor saw Otho relax a bit, he decided to talk, ''shall I carry on with my explanation?''
The King set down his cup and nodded, ''please do.''
''Alright, as I said before, I might have found what illness prince Gilbert has. I've never seen something like this before, but I'm sure that the reason his injuries heal at a very slow pace and his skin appears almost like that of a ghost is that this disease takes his life essence away.''
''His life essence? How is that possible?''
''I still don't know, but I think something like this has happened before; I think it had been a disease that wiped off many people, but I'd have to do some research on it. Anyway, the rest of the medics and I think that, with the components I mentioned before, it's very possible to save him.'' the doctor repositioned himself on the cushion he sat at, ''The four elements of alchemy, fire, water, air and earth, all come from the essence of Life found deep within each and every organism, so, in a way, and Alchemist is able to 'control' this essence to manipulate the four elements at their will.''
''This is the key as to why we would need their blood, or at least a small amount of it, because they have a more 'solid', if you may, concentration of life essence flowing through their veins, for alchemy depends on it. This is what makes their magic so unique, too.''
''So the blood would be used to give my son his life essence back? How would you do that?''
''That is where the dragon scale comes in, your Majesty.'' the doctor explained, ''Dragons are known for having an immense amount of power flowing through all their being, and it is said that, if used properly, one scale could heal over one hundred men. Ancient medics said this could be possible because their skin allowed them to heal at an inhuman speed, hence them being so difficult to kill.''
''The reason the scale is so important for the antidote is, that if the alchemist whose blood is used brews it with their magic, it can 'stimulate' the life essence inside the blood along with the healing ability of the scale. This would cause the life essence to physically materialize, making it consumable; so we could mix it with some regular medicine and create the cure for Prince Gilbert's illness. Sadly, the only type of dragon known to have the required power for the scale to be effective is a Silver one, only found in the North, inside the Ice Caves of Ragknol.''
''…I see.''
They sat in tense silence, the rest of the palace asleep except for a couple of servants, until the doctor said, ''We're sure that obtaining the blood is the easiest one, and even if it won't be able to completely heal Prince Gilbert, it will help him stay alive until we find another way to create the antidote,'' the man looked at the King in the eye,'' So, with all due respect, your Majesty, you should hurry and find an alchemist.''
Otho gave a firm nod and stood up, ''Tell Antonio to prepare his men; ten groups of five each, one with himself in it. Make them look for an alchemist, and bring them to me, if possible. As soon as we get one willing to help, we'll stop the search, but until then, may no soldier rest for more than needed. We'll offer a good reward for their aid, but mention the price after they've shown their abilities. They must leave tomorrow as soon as the sun shines upon the road.''
The medic stood too and bowed, ''as you wish, your Majesty.''
Holy shit you guys this is long! I'll try to make each chapter as long as this one but I won't promise anything lol
So the story starts a bit slow before we get any kind of action or, romantic exchanges XDDDDD BUT! I promise it will be worth the wait~ hehehe
Anyways, I have to say I'm damn proud of this fic, so yeah, WOOOOO!
Hope you enjoyed!
Chau Chau!