Summary: Feliciano is a peasant boy who dreams of a better life. When he asks for a rose as a gift from his brother, Lovino winds up in the hands of a hideous beast. What happens when Feliciano volunteers to take his place? It's a tale as old as time reimagined with Germany as the beast and North Italy as the beauty who will set him free. GerIta with a side of FrUK.

A/N: Hello, everyone! Long time no see. The other night, I was watching the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast. Nothing can beat the original animated film, but it was good. That inspired me to make it with Hetalia characters! If you know me, then you'll know that I never get around to finishing most of my stories. I will finish this one though. I know that people have done this idea before, but I'll try to make it my own. A line-for-line rehash of the Disney film would be boring and quite predictable, so I'm going to base it on the original fairy tale with hints of the Disney version. Anyway, enough talk. Let's get on with the story!

Disclaimer: Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya. Beauty and the Beast was written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

Feliciano stood outside of his house with his grandfather. He watched his brother get their horse ready for the long journey ahead. As soon as he was ready, Lovino turned to his family. "Okay. I'm ready."

Grandpa Romulus smiled and gave his grandson a warm embrace. "Oh, Lovino. You're growing up so fast. It seems like only yesterday when you were a little boy, just learning to walk."

Lovino turned away, his cheeks red. "Grandpa, please. You're embarrassing me."

Once Grandpa let Lovino go, Feliciano stepped forward. He hugged his brother. "Do you have to go, Lovino?"

Lovino sighed. "Feliciano, you know that this is my only chance to get our life back."

Feliciano gave a sad smile. He knew that Lovino was right. There was a time when the Vargas family was quite wealthy. Feliciano and Lovino lived with their father, Giovanni Vargas. He was a successful merchant. However, just a few years ago, an epidemic swept through their village and took their father with it. Since their mother had died giving birth to Feliciano, the brothers had no choice but to live with their grandfather in the countryside until they were wealthy enough to live on their own. Feliciano adjusted to being poor quickly, but Lovino never quite got used to it.

Recently, word got around that there was a ship full of cargo in a nearby port. The ship was said to have contained the last of Giovanni's wealth. Lovino took it upon himself to go and see if the rumors were true. Knowing this, Feliciano replied, "I know it is. I'm just going to miss you."

Lovino sighed. "Do you want me to get you anything while I'm gone?"

Feliciano thought. Then, he nodded. "I want a rose."

Lovino pulled back so he could look at his brother. He had a confused look on his face."A rose? That's it?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. Like the one in the painting with Mama."

"Alright. I'll do the best I can." He turned to his grandfather. "Do you want anything?"

Grandpa smiled. "All I want is for you to get home safely. Can you do that?"

Lovino mumbled something under his breath. He adjusted the saddle on his horse and whispered into his ear. "Ready, Mario?"

Mario neighed and huffed. Lovino shrugged. "I'm guessing that means yes."

They laughed. Lovino kicked the side of the horse. He started galloping up the hill. As Lovino went further and further away, Feliciano waved to him. He put his hands around his mouth and cried, "Goodbye, brother! Take good care of yourself!"

Lovino waved goodbye. He got smaller and smaller until he vanished completely. Feliciano took a deep breath. "Please get home safe."

It turned out that the rumors about the cargo were mostly a sham. There was a ship filled with Giovanni's wealth, but not enough to amount to anything. It was just enough to pay their family's debts and maybe get Grandpa a doctor for his tuberculosis. To say that Lovino was disappointed was an understatement. He had been hoping for enough to at least get them a nice house. He sighed. "Well, Mario," He said to his horse, "It looks like we've come here for nothing."

The horse huffed. Lovino pulled an apple from his shoulder bag and gave it to Mario. The horse quickly ate the apple. The young man sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Well, I hope that they're not too disappointed with me. At least we can hire a doctor for Grandpa now."

Lovino started to head back the way he came. However, later that afternoon, a thunderstorm came upon the forest. The rain soaked through his clothes and left him dripping wet. The mud made it hard for his horse to travel. If Lovino were less proud, he would admit that they were hopelessly lost. However, he was a stubborn type, just like his father. He wouldn't give up because of some rain.

"Stop whining, Mario. We're doing fine. It's just a small drizzle," Lovino muttered.

BOOM! Thunder burst through the trees. Lovino cried out and buried his face in his horse. Just then, a tall tree was ripped from his roots and fell down into the mud. The tree blocked his usual route, leaving only one path open. When Lovino looked up, he let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Mio Dio. That was close."

Mario cried out and started to turn back. Lovino pulled at his neck with his rope. "It's fine. It's just a shortcut. We'll be home in no time."

So, Lovino went to the left. Luckily, this path was shaded by trees, so the ground wasn't as muddy. After ten minutes or so of walking, Lovino saw a figure in the distance. He squinted. "I think there's a house up there!" He let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he would have some shelter from the bitter cold. He kicked the side of his horse. "Faster, Mario."

Mario sped up to a gallop. As the house got closer and closer, Lovino realized that it wasn't a house at all, but rather an enormous castle. Soon, he was close enough to walk inside. Lovino gasped. The castle was magnificent, but at the same time, it gave him a strange feeling. He felt like he shouldn't be there. However, Lovino ignored his intuition and got off of his horse. "Stay here. I'll be back in a little bit."

Mario neighed to show that he understood. Lovino walked up to the front gate and tapped on it. The gate opened just a crack. He let out a sigh of relief and opened the gate all the way. Lovino stepped inside and shut it behind him. He walked to the door and knocked a few times. "Hello? Is anyone there? My name is Lovino Vargas. I'm looking for shelter from the storm!"

After a few moments of silence, the door opened. He smiled and stepped inside. "Thank you so-" He stopped mid-sentence. No one was there. Lovino shrugged and looked around. There was a large staircase straight ahead. There was also a hallway to his left. To the right, there was a few chairs and a bookcase as well as a roaring fire. Lovino let out a sigh of relief. "Fire!" He ran to the fireplace and put his hands in front of the flames. "Oh, that feels good."

He took off his wet coat and set it on a nearby coat rack. Then, he sat down and laid back. In no time at all, he had fallen asleep. He was awoken by a pleasant smell. He sniffed the air and smiled. "That smells nice."

Lovino followed the scent and went into the dining room. He found a warm meal waiting for him. It was pasta with a side of garlic bread and salad. He sat down and started eating. It wasn't until he took the first bite that he realized how hungry he was. Lovino wolfed the meal down.

As soon as he was finished, he realized that he had no one to thank for this meal. In fact, he hadn't seen anybody since the moment he walked in. "Maybe there's some kind of magic at work here," He whispered. Then, he shook his head. "What am I saying? There's no such thing as magic!" He thought about it some more, but couldn't think of any other exclamation. Maybe his host was just shy.

Lovino stood up and went back into the living room. He looked around but still couldn't find anyone. "Well, um...Thank you for letting me stay here! You're very kind, but I have to head back home. It's been a pleasure."

The young man put on his coat and left the castle. He was about to get back on his horse and leave when he noticed a rose garden. Suddenly, he remembered Feliciano's words. "I want a rose, like the one in the painting with Mama."

Lovino decided it couldn't hurt to get one here. After all, his mysterious host had been hospitable up to this point. Surely, he wouldn't mind if he took a little souvenir. Lovino walked up the rose garden and searched for one that he thought Feliciano would like the most. The rose bush was filled with different shades of roses from deep red to a subtle shade of lilac. Eventually, he settled upon a white rose. He picked the rose, careful to avoid the thorns. He looked at it in his hand and smiled. "Got it." He turned to his horse, who was still waiting there for him. "Okay, Mario. Let's go."

That was when he heard a loud roar. Lovino jumped. "W-Who's there?" A large creature leaped from the shadows. His landing made a startling boom. Mario cried out and ran away. Lovino ducked and covered his head. "P-Please don't hurt me!"

The creature snarled. "You selfish boy. After everything I did for you, you go and steal from me!"

Lovino's eyes widened. So, this was his host? That was why he wouldn't show his face. "I'm sorry. I only wanted a place to stay!"

The creature grabbed Lovino by the shirt collar. "I'll give you a place to stay!"

The man struggled in the monster's arms. "No, please! Wait!"

In the shadows, Mario watched his owner get hauled away by the beast. He turned around and ran straight for home. Feliciano and Romulus had to know what happened to Lovino.

A/N: So, there you have it! As you can see, I did include some elements of the Disney version at the end but tried to keep it faithful to the original tale. For the rose, I decided to make it a white rose because I read that this rose represents innocence. Feliciano is an innocent man, so I thought that suited him. Let me know if you want any more. If you do, Chapter 2 will be out soon.

-Colorful and Free