Author's Notes: As I was thinking about potential stories, I immediately went to two things: Hetalia and Christmas. This story, which is one of my favorite Christmas tales, stars Hetalia: Axis Power's power couple: Austria and Hungary. There is pretty much O. Henry's famous tale with a Hetalia twist.
I am thinking about making more Hetalia/Christmas Tale mashup because I LOVE Christmas immensely.
Enjoy it and Merry (early) Christmas!
P.S. The last line is from O. Henry's story. I could never come up with such a beautiful message to sum up the reason for the season.
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A Gift From the Heart
A Hetalia Axis Powers story
Based on The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
Starring…
Roderich and Elizabeta – Austria and Hungary
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Snow was falling outside the humble apartment of the newly married Roderich and Elizabeta.
They were not rich, but they loved each other dearly enough to make a commitment to each other.
Roderich woke up beside Elizabeta on their ordinary bed.
Elizabeta followed suit soon afterwards.
"Good morning, honey," Elizabeta said as she plucked her new husband on the cheek.
Roderich returned the kiss after that.
"Good morning to you too," he answered.
XX
After that, the morning began within the household.
As Elizabeta was cooking breakfast and Roderich was reading the newspaper, they both remembered one thing.
"Today's Christmas Eve," they both thought simultaneously and they quickly gazed at one another.
After a very awkward smile, they both returned to their previous activity, but now thinking about what gift they should buy for the other person.
XX
After Roderich said goodbye to Elizabeta, he went downtown to look for a gift. As he was browsing at the shop window, he took out his gold pocketwatch – a last memento from his deceased father – to look at the time.
He sighed as he was reminded how his life could had turned out if his father didn't die so early and left him nothing because he didn't approve of Roderich's marriage to the Hungarian.
As he pocketed the watch, he passed by the window and saw something beautiful – a pair of tortoiseshell brushes.
Roderich closed his eyes and, in his mind, saw Elizabeta's long, luscious brown hair, which was the reason he was attracted to her in the first place.
"Ah," he thought as he entered the shop. "This will be the perfect gift for her."
XX
After Roderich left for places unknown, Elizabeta took out his shawl and went down to the other side of town to look around for her husband's gift.
As she passed by a storefront, she stopped and looked in the window to admire her hair.
After that, she sighed.
"If I wasn't so poor," she thought depressingly. "Maybe Roderich would have been given more money from his Austrian father."
Then, she kept walking past the brightly-colored stores and chatty, excited people.
Suddenly, she stopped in front of a watch store, for a chain – a beautiful, platinum chain meant for a pocketwatch – was sitting in the window.
She closed her eyes and saw Roderich taking out that special watch – a memento of the life he had.
"Ah," she thought pushed open the shop door. "This will be the perfect gift for him."
XX
Roderich went up to the counter and saw one of his friends – a Chinese man by the name of Wang Yao – cleaning the counter with such finesse that he looked graceful.
"Merry Christmas," said Wang Yao with a big grin. "Is there anything I can do for you, my friend?"
"Yes," Roderich replied. "I am interested in buying the tortoiseshell brushes you have in the window."
Wang Yao went to the storefront, retrieved the valuable brushes, and put them in front of the Austrian.
"You have good taste," the Chinaman commented, taking out a piece of paper and writing something down. "This is the price for the beautiful brushes."
As Roderich looked at the price, his world froze for a couple of seconds.
Gingerly, he took out his wallet and began counting how much money he had.
"It's not enough…," he thought as he fingered the bills and coins. "It's not enough for the brushes."
Roderich then shook his head in a mournfully and began to leave the shop.
"Wait, my friend," Wang Yao exclaimed, baring the Austrian from leaving. "I can make you a good deal."
Roderich shook his head again.
"I'm sorry," he tearfully replied. "I…I can't afford it."
Wang Yao nodded understandably.
"I know your father didn't approve of the marriage," he said in a serious tone. "However, I do want you to have these brushes."
"I am willing to make a deal that you might either flat out refuse or accept."
Roderich perked up, for he knew that his friend's deals are usually quite good.
"Sell me that pocketwatch and the brushes are yours," the Chinaman stated. "Take it or leave it."
The Austrian picked up his golden pocketwatch and fingered it, feeling the detail of the intricate craftsmanship.
"Do I really want to?" he thought as he gazed at the shiny surface he worked to polish every day. "Is it really that worth it?"
Then, he saw Elizabeta in his mind and he promptly handed Wang Yao the golden pocketwatch.
"She's worth it," he thought as the Chinaman led him back to the counter and quickly began packing the tortoiseshell brushes in a delicate manner.
"Thank you and come again," Wang Yao said as Roderich left his shop. "Also, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
The Austrian waved back with his free hand.
"You too," he replied as his friend went back into his shop.
XX
Elizabeta timidly walked into the watch shop and saw her friend– a German woman by the name of Louise - busy putting away a Rolex back in the counter below her.
After the watch was put away, Louise smiled and greeted her friend with genuine affection.
"What can I do for you, my dear?" she asked. "Looking for a gift for your husband?"
Elizabeta nodded.
"Yes I am," she answered, pointing to the platinum chain in the window. "I want that for Roderich."
With a terse nod, the German went below the counter, pulled out the platinum chain, and put it on the countertop.
"I must inform you that such an item is not that cheap," Louise commented as she handed her friend the price tag.
When Elizabeta saw how expensive the chain really was, tears started to fall out of her eyes.
Immediately, the German went around and embraced the Hungarian to comfort her.
"There, there," Louise said soothingly as she brushed Elizabeta's brown hair.
"I hate being poor," Elizabeta whimpered to her friend. "I just hate it."
As they were locked in embrace, an energetic young lady barged her way through the door.
"Do you mind, Feliciana?" the German scolded at the young Italian.
"We are having a heart-to-heart moment here."
"I am so sorry, my friend," Feliciana answered with pants of exhaustion. "However, I really need that watch in –."
She then stopped and saw the Hungarian's beautiful, sensuous hair.
"My, my," she said as she approached Elizabeta. "Such beautiful hair…"
"I will pay a lot for a wig with this type of quality."
"Would you pay the price for the platinum chain for my hair?" Elizabeta quickly asked Feliciana, who was not only known for being rich but also known as a fashionable wigmaker.
Feliciana took the price tag and slammed a giant pile of bills onto the counter.
"Consider it done," she said triumphantly as Louise, in shock, started to fold up the chain and put it in a nice box.
After Elizabeta thanked her friend and went off with the Italian, she felt her long, brown hair for the last time.
"Was it worth it?" she asked herself as the two exited the watch shop. As she thought, she saw Roderich smiling with his watch.
"Yeah," she smiled softly as Feliciana hurried the Hungarian into her shop. "He's worth it."
XX
When Roderich came home that night, he was greeted by a short-haired, boyish-looking Elizabeta.
"Honey," he replied in shock. "Your hair…it's short."
Elizabeta blushed in embarrassment as her husband stood dumbfounded at her look.
"I decided to change my style," she replied sheepishly. "I thought…I thought it looked cute."
Roderich smiled as he hugged his wife.
"It's adorable," he said, kissing Elizabeta on the lips. "Merry Christmas, my love."
She returned the kiss to her husband.
"Merry Christmas to you too," she replied with an air of gladness.
XX
That night, around the fireplace…
Roderich and Elizabeta were sitting at the couch, watching the embers lick in front of their brick fireplace.
As Elizabeta snuggled beside her husband, Roderich suddenly remembered something.
"Honey," he started. "I have a gift to give to you."
Then, she remembered her gift and ran back into the kitchen as Roderich took the package from beside the couch.
Then Elizabeta returned with a small, yet ornate, box and placed it on her lap.
They both smiled at each other and exchanged their gifts to each other, opening them up with lots of enthusiasm.
As Roderich took out his platinum chain and Elizabeta took out the tortoiseshell brushes, their smiles wavered as they realized the objects they bought for each other were now of no use to them.
"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time to each other.
Then, they both smiled and held their hands together as they gazed at the fireplace in admiration at the thought that they would do something for each other out of pure love.
The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to the new-born King of the Jews in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. In a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.
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