BEFORE THE STORY BEGINS: AN AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Okay, hey guys. Before I start this story, I have a PSA all about Fantalia.

Here it is:

Fantasy + Hetalia = Fantalia. That's where I got the name from. Also, another thing- I know that there may be similar works out there that are fantasy AUs of Hetalia. I don't know if anyone else has used the term Fantalia, but right now I'm associating it with this certain AU that is in this story. I have done drawings for the characters, but haven't uploaded them to the web yet. When I do, I'll be sure to post a link.

Oh, and Hetalia is owned by Hidekazu Himaruya. Not me. I did write this fanfiction, though, and I am mighty proud of it and love its potential. SO please favorite, follow, review, all that jazz if you liked it. Or if you didn't, maybe review why. I would love to hear your imput.

Okay, that's all. Let's cut to the chase-

Here, without further ado... the first chapter of Fantalia: A Hero's Journey. Enjoy.

Once Upon a Time…

A hero was born.

Wait! Wait! Don't go!

Please, don't! I promise this is exciting! Not like any of the other fairy tales you've heard over the years! Please, this is new, this is fresh. This story won't let you down.

Okay, you're ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE you won't leave? Yes? Good. Now that I have your attention, may I please continue with the story?

The hero's name was Alfred. And, well, I'm not gonna lie, he was pretty much like every single other hero you've seen over the years (still, don't leave me!). I mean, he had all of the traits that make a good protagonist in a story! In fact, I've compiled a list just to prove you that Alfred is a true hero.

Reasons Why Alfred is the Perfect Storybook Hero:

Exhibit A.) Alfred had handsomely good looks. With his wavy light brown hair with one part that stuck up in one direction (giving him the "hey-I'm-not-all-perfect!" appearance, although, who was he kidding?), bright blue eyes that could keep a dragon's attention, and a strong, muscular build; he definitely scored in that category.

Exhibit B.) Alfred had charisma no soul could trump. Yes, he had such a "never-give-up" attitude that simply being in his presence made people optimistic. No matter what hardship he faced, he could get through it with a smile on his face.

Exhibit C.) Alfred had a sidekick for comic relief. Alfred had only been a kid when he met Tony, everyone's favorite magical sea serpent who lived on land by drifting around in a magical bubble which never popped! Although, Tony didn't quite have the same "good doer" attitude as Alfred did… He would easily give up and flop down on a bed. However, Tony's attitude doesn't matter because he's not the hero of the story, Alfred is. And Alfred is perfect.

Exhibit D.) Last, but certainly not least, Alfred had dead parents. Yes, it was a tragic event, giving Alfred scars that would never heal. He still wakes up in a cold sweat from dreams of them crying out "No, don't hurt us!" and "We're sorry! We're sorry!" They always gave him such an uneasy feeling in his stomach, like he had just remember that, no matter how perfect he was, he was simply a human, just like you and me. This makes him easy to relate to, reader. Take notes. That he had parents once, once in a time before they were killed by ravenous bumblebees. What? Are you… laughing, reader? DON'T BE SO DISRESPECTFUL! DEATH BY BUMBLEBEES IS A COMMON AND PAINFUL WAY TO GO! SHAME TO YOU WHO LAUGH! Because of this horrible tragedy WHICH NO ONE SHOULD EVER LAUGH AT (I'm looking at you, reader!), Alfred had a chilling fear of bumblebees. This fear was only second to his crippling fear of ghosts. Actually, Alfred was often confused by why he was so scared of ghosts. He never had seen one, but he had heard legends. But… ghosts weren't creatures to be feared. They were mostly peaceful, docile things. So… what was Alfred's need to be afraid of them?

You know what, scratch that. I don't know why I told you about Alfred's fear of ghosts. It's certainly not important to this story. Not at all! God, silly me, getting so off topic. Ha… ha… haha…

Alfred lived alone. But to keep the depression that comes from that get to him, he often stayed with that-creepy-guy-who-lives-in-that-house-on-the-hill-which-oddly-colored-lights-are-seen-from, less commonly known as Arthur. Arthur was an outcast, the town weirdo, if you will. Rumor has it that he turned the bartender into a toad. Wow, don't people just love to talk? Well, I can clarify that those rumors were 100% slander. Arthur had much more creativity than that. He would probably have turned the guy into a toad-shaped balloon. His potential, as the last sorcerer in the area (But that's a secret, reader) was grand. Unfortunately, he was not accepted in society; instead living the rest of his days (which were many, since he was young) out in peace with his magical friends, Flying Mint Bunny being his favorite. Yes, a flying mint bunny is not an actual thing, reader, I already told you about Arthur's creativity with magic. Would you ever think I would lie to you? Today, Arthur was mixing potions when Alfred burst through the door, shouting…

Wait, rewind. Sorry, just thought of a better place to start this story. This won't happen often, dear reader.

Shall we do this again?

Once Upon A Time…

It was such a lovely day today. The sun dappled the dirt roads of Smalltown…

What do you mean that's not a good name for a town? Am I going to have to explain it to you, reader? You see, once upon a time, there was a guy named Richard Small. He founded Smalltown. There, story over. You're welcome.

Can we PLEASE do this without any interruptions this time?

Okay? You're good? No more questions?

Good.

Once Upon A Time…

It was such a lovely day today. The sun dappled the dirt roads of Smalltown, bringing light to the clumps of grass dispersed along the giant rocks marking the streets and avenues. Everywhere, shopkeepers and vendors were smiling as they opened up their businesses, excited about the customers today would bring. Laughing children played around a maypole, the ribbons dancing through the air, the sunlight casting a certain glow on the bright colors. The trickling sound of freshwater could be heard from the Small (named after Richard Small, of course) fountain, right in the center of the town. It was the gathering place for important news. And today was Alfred's lucky day when it came to important news.

Resting under the sheltering branches of a willow tree at the edge of the town, near an old wooden fence that was splintering and decaying, was our perfect hero, Alfred. His attention was brought to a slithering figure climbing along the fence. Once he fumbled around for his "glasses" (an invention created by Arthur to fix Alfred's only physical flaw, bad eyesight), he noticed that the odd snakelike creature had bright, glowing crimson eyes. A magical bubble of the same color surrounded the silver sea serpent. While most common people would be afraid, Alfred broke into a huge smile.

"Tony!" he yelled for his only other friend besides Arthur. (While Alfred was perfect, he did not have many friends. Please understand that this is not his fault.)

"HeLl0 a1Fr3D" Tony replied happily.

"How's your day going, bro?" Alfred asked.

"f1N3, UnTi1 aRtHUr k1Ck3D M3 0uT AgAIn." Alfred frowned at that. While Arthur was like a second parent to him, he didn't particularly like his only other friend that much. It might have been something to do with that time Tony tried to eat Flying Mint Bunny.

"Well, you could always hang with me!" Tony was just about to say something that may or may not have been important to the plot when the pristine sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, swirling ominously over Smalltown. The children at the maypole screamed and ran to their parents. The shopkeepers boarded up their buildings and vendors, and the most peculiar thing of all was how the water in the fountain froze. Alfred looked up to the sky for an answer.

And it came to him in a long and strange way- the darkness lingered for a few seconds until a new light exploded across the sky, so brilliant it burned Alfred's eyes, so colorful it casted a hue upon everything it touched. And there Alfred witnessed a dance of light and dark, a dance of the colored and discolored, a dance of positive and negative.

And that dance spoke to him, in a rather odd way indeed. A miniature human figure with the intricate, blackish wings of a dragonfly, about a fifth of Alfred's size, descended from the heavens. He wore a simple black tunic with charcoal-colored leggings. The only color he had was his olive complexion and deep brown hair, a piece of which was curled in such a way that defied physics. His face was painted with a scowl, while his eyes- oddly pupil-less- seemed to be carrying a storm: the different colors ranging from light grey to pure black, swirling around in his iris.

"Stupid bastard hero." He muttered. Alfred was relatively confused. While he may not of had many friends (again, not his fault), he had never encountered a single person who ever appeared to dislike him. Alfred was, of course, perfect. And who could ever dislike such a perfect person?

The second force, the color, seemed to answer that.

The colored fairy was very similar to his brother (To be honest, Alfred didn't know at the time that they were brothers, however, it seemed pretty obvious that they were of some relation.) in many respects. He had the same style hair with the same odd curl, his facing the left. He had the same build, and was the same size as his brother. But they had their differences: the colored fairy's complexion was a tad lighter, as his hair; his wings were those of a butterfly, painted with all the colors on the spectrum; and his tunic was white with his leggings being a deep, peaceful blue. His eyes were pupil-less, and swirling with all different colors. He smiled and waved at Alfred.

"Don't mind my brother, please, don't!" he called to our puzzled hero. Note: this did not make Alfred any less puzzled. "Once you get to know him, he's really quite nice!" Alfred was unsure of that claim.

"W-who are you?" he asked. The dark fairy scowled. Now, because he was no longer changing the weather, his eyes were changed to a faded green (with pupils, giving him a more human expression). It suited him better, Alfred thought.

The light fairy decided to answer his question. Alfred noticed how his eyes had changed back to their more human state, a lighter brown which, when caught by the sun, appeared amber. "My name is Feliciano," he explained, "I am the fairy of all light, all color. My brother here is called Lovino. He is the fairy of all things dark and stormy. Our grandfather is… was the king of all fairies." Here Alfred just couldn't not notice Feliciano catching himself mid-sentence and staring down at his feet. For a second, a shadow of grief passed on his face. However, he smiled back at Alfred like nothing was wrong.

"Okay… but why are you here?" Alfred asked Feliciano.

"Because… because…" Feliciano gave Lovino a quick glance. "Because… we need a hero."