Father: Slovakia (Branimir)
Mother: Belarus (Bella)
Brother: Spain (Antonio)
Sister: Italy (Feliciana)
Juniper Tree
Author's Note: This is a co-written fic. by Nurse Steggy and AwesomeMeiMei. We do not own anything in this story. It is based on the fairy tale by the same name, but with Hetalia characters.
"Gather 'round everyone," Arthur called to all the nations in his large library. He seated himself in a large chair at the back of the library with everyone else seated in front of him.
"Alfred! Sit down this instant you bloody git!" Arthur shouted at the unresponsive nation. "And now begins the story by the Brothers Grimm, as they tell the tail of the Juniper Tree."
…
There once was a woman who longed for a child. She tried many times to have one, but was unsuccessful.
Kneeling under the Juniper Tree the woman said, "All I want is to have a child as white as snow and as red as blood." She wept under the Juniper Tree and felt her heart become light as air.
Nine months later she had a beautiful baby boy named Antonio, who was as white as snow and red as blood. Just a few months later the woman died and was berried under the Juniper Tree.
Her husband was distraught. He grieved for many years. When his son was 12 he remarried so his little Antonio would have a mother, her name was Bella. Bella also had a child, she was only nine and came to love her big , on the other hand, hated the boy and all he symbolized. He was the reminder of Branimir's late wife, he was going to inherit everything and he was the reason that no matter how much Branimir loved Feliciana she would never really be his daughter.
One day it became too much for her to bare. When Antonio came home from school Bella kindly offered him an apple.
"Good, come with me to get it," Bella said with sweetness dripping off every word. Antonio, oblivious to his stepmothers malicious intent blissfully followed her. "Right in there, yes, just reach in the trunk." Bella had an evil glint in her eye as she slammed the heavy lid on Antonio's head effectively decapitating him. "If only I could make it so nobody knew it was me that killed him," she thought. Then it occurred to her. She quickly got a scarf from her drawer, put his body on a chair and tied his head back onto his body. Finally she placed an apple in his and left the room to await her daughter's arrival.
Happy as ever Feliciana burst through the front doors, "Mama, mama! I'm home! Where are you, mama?"
"Over here darling!" Bella sang. "You've had a bad day at school. Why don't you go get an apple from your brother?" she said wail ruffling her daughter's hair.
Feliciana ran into his mother's room where Antonio was sitting with his eyes closed and an apple in his hand. "Toni! Toni! Toooniii!" Feliciana shouted wail dancing around her older brother. In an attempt to wake the heavy sleeper Feliciana started to violently shake Antonio.
That's when his dropped to the floor. Feliciana's jaw dropped. She stared in horror at her brother's lifeless body. She screamed as loud as she could but sounds refused to come out. She backed up to the nearest wall, eyes still glued on Antonio, and slowly slid to the floor.
"Feli, what's taking so long?" Bella shouted into the room where the two children were.
No response came.
Bella slowly walked into the room. She scanned in and her gaze fell where she knew it would, on the body of a 12 year old boy sitting in a chair, apple still in hand. "Oh, Feli, what did you do?" Bella gasped.
Feliciana looked up at her mother blankly. "Hi...his...his head. It...it just...it just fell. Did... did I kill him, mother?" Feli rasped.
"Oh, my. It sure does look that way," Bella sighed. "We'll just have to make this our little secret, now won't we?"
Feliciana slowly nodded her head. Her eyes never straying from her beloved brother.
"Cheer up, darling," Bella coached. "Let's go make dinner for daddy."
After dinner was done and everyone was seated Branimir looked around for his son. "Have you seen Antonio today?" he asked his lovely wife.
"Yes. He went to your brother's house. He asked me, don't worry, he'll be home in a month or two." She assured.
"Hmm. But he never said good bye," Branimir mused. "I wish he would have said good bye. I'm going to catch up to him." He made a motion to leave when Bella hastily poured a bowl of soup encouraging him to at least finish dinner before going after his son. He went on to have five bowls of soup, picking out bones and throwing them on the ground the entire time.
Feliciana was looking on with disgust. He was eating his own child. After he had finished what he called a "delightful" meal Braninir left to sulk over the son he had just eaten not saying good bye. Feliciana could not bare the thought of her big brother not getting a proper burial. She picked up all of the bones that she could find and put them in a cloth. Before her mother could see she brought the bones to the Juniper Tree and placed them gently at the base.
There was a small light that started at the base of the tree, then moved onto a single branch. It stayed there until Feliciana went back into the house with a large grin on her face. As she looked away the light dimmed until it left a blue brown bird in its wake.
Antonio, now a bird, wanted revenge on his murderous step mother.
The bird flew to a jeweler's shop in the morning. He sat on a ledge and started to sing...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
The jeweler heard the song of the bird and came out of his shop. "Bird, what a beautiful song. Will you sing it again?"
"No," the bird replied stoically. "I will not sing twice for nothing."
"What do you want? I will give you anything to sing that beautiful song again."
The bird thought for a moment before replying, "I want a gold chain."
The man ran back into the shop and reappeared with a golden chain. He handed it to the bird and waited for the song to start.
The bird picked up the chain and started to sing...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
He flew away from the jeweler and moved onto a shoe maker. He sang...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
The shoe maker thought the song was so beautiful he went and got his wife. "Bird," the man said, "Will you sing that song again for my wife?"
"No," replied the bird. "I will not sing twice for nothing."
"I will give you a pair of my finest shoes if you sing that song again," the shoemaker promised.
"Deal," the bird replied and began to sing...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
The shoe maker's wife smiled widely at the bird as her husband went to fetch the shoes. The bird picked up the shoes in his claw wail clutching the gold chain in his other then flew away.
The last place the bird stopped was a stone mill. He loudly sang...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
And one by one all the masons stopped. "Bird!" They shouted, "Please, sing that song again."
The bird replied, "No, I will not sing twice for nothing. But I will sing again if you give me a millstone."
"Yes, we will give you a millstone if you sing that song again," one of the masons replied for all.
The bird began to sing...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
The men were delighted. They tied a millstone to the bird's neck. Then he flew away.
The bird went back to his home and started to sing...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
As he was singing Branimir came out to listen to the beautiful song. When the song was over the bird dropped the gold chain onto his neck. He walked back into the house with a big grin on his face. "My heart feels so light, and my head so clear!" Branimir announced happily to his wife and daughter. "And look what that beautiful bird gave me," he continued showing off his newly acquired chain.
"No. That bird is nothing but bad!" Bella shouted. "It can't be good. My veins are burning and I feel faint with distress. That awful bird will keep us apart my sweet," Bella complained wail inching ever closer to her husband.
"I want to hear the bird," Feliciana decided. "Maybe my heart will become light as well." Feliciana wailed out the door. No sooner did the bird start to sing...
"My mother, she slew me.
My father, he ate me.
My sister, she loved me.
She collected my bones,
And placed me under the Juniper Tree."
Feliciana smiled from ear to ear even before the pair of shoes fell in front of her. Her heart was light. The bird was almost like magic.
Feliciana skipped back into the house, not only happier, but with a new pair of shoes to show her mother.
"Maybe I will go hear that bird," Bella apprehensively agreed.
Just as she exited the house a heavy millstone fell upon her. She was killed immediately.
Branimir and Feliciana rushed outside when they heard the impact. What they found was blood seeping out from under a millstone and standing beside the millstone... Antonio.
Feliciana ran up to him and embraced him in a bear hug. He kissed her forehead and told her just how much he missed her. He then walked up to his father, with little Feli in tow, and gave his dumbfounded father a hug as well.
"You never were with my brother were you?" Branimir inquired quietly.
"No"
…
"Are you glad you sat down now you git?"
"That story was fine, I guess," Alfred mumbled.
"What have I told you about mumbling?" Arthur asked in an annoyed tone.
"Just fine!" Antonio yelled. "That was a great Fairy Tail. Good prevailed."
"Only if you discount that last murder and all," Alfred whispered to the nation beside him.
"The boy came back! What better ending could you ask for?" Antonio continued.
"Yes, I agree it was a good story, but could we all calm down to hear the next?"
Author's Note: If you want to read a translation of the Grimm Fairy Tail "The Juniper Tree" go to this website... .
We plan on doing a bunch of the Grimm fairy tails with Hetalia characters. We can not emphasize enough that we do NOT own Hetalia, the characters or the ideas presented in the Grimm fairy tails. If you have a suggestion for a fairy tail that you want to hear please contact us. R&R!
