Full Summary: The Atall Forest has long been a forbidden place to enter. It is said to be the domain of an ancient hell-beast, raised from hell by an evil sorceress, and those foolish enough to enter his realm never return. But Tino has nowhere else to run. Freezing and dying from a mysterious illness, he is rescued by a strange sorcerer named Berwald who cures him and protects him. Tino finds out that Berwald is, in fact, the 'Beast' that everyone fears, but Tino doesn't understand how a man as kind as him could be scary. He learns that Berwald and his household suffer from a two-centuries-old curse that was placed on them by the dark sorceress Natalya and there is no way to break it. Regardless of his apperance, Tino begins falling in love with the Beast.
But with Natalya's return, the clouds of war gather, and everyone Tino holds dear is threatened. What can one small, powerless boy like him do to defend his loved ones from a woman consumed by her own dark powers and her army of loyal followers?
Prologue—Where It All Begins
Our story begins many, many years ago in a frigid, northern land with a young sorcerer named Ivan Braginsky. The Braginskys were the most feared and respected family of sorcerers in all of the north. For generations, this family used their powers to rule over the land, much like a royal family, but they also used their powers to protect their lands and people. Dmitri Braginsky, Ivan's father, was rumored to have slayed a dragon in his youth, and Dmitri's wife and sister, Darja, had cured many thousands of people of the plague.
Ivan, a powerful sorcerer in his own right, was a worthy heir. By the time he was fifteen, he had been able to summon demons and will them into submission. Ivan was twenty-four, and his power had increased seven-fold since then. Dmitri looked on his son with pride, knowing that he would continue their proud family line after he was gone.
Ivan was a tall man with pale blond hair, smooth white skin, and violet eyes. Even without magic, he was quite a formidable opponent, and he could wrestle a bear to the ground with his bare hands. He could have had any woman he wanted, had he been allowed to choose for himself. However, there was a tradition in Ivan's family that required all male heirs to marry and have children with their sister, so as to continue the line of power. But Ivan did not want to marry either of his sisters.
His older sister, Katyusha, probably would have been the more preferable of his two sisters. She was a bit of a crybaby, but she was a kind soul and everyone liked her. However, Katyusha was not a sorceress. Although she was gifted with the power to undo any curse, Katyusha had no power of her own, so she was free to marry whomever she pleased.
His younger sister, Natalya, on the other hand, was a sorceress and a very powerful one at that. Even at her young age, she was quite possibly the most powerful sorceress their family ever had. She was especially adept in the art of black magic, a kind of magic that was heavily reliant on trickery and clever word play. Indeed, she was the trickiest and the cleverest of all who use the dark arts.
She was also considered to be the more beautiful of the two sisters, with her long, slivery-blonde hair and her sparkling, purple-blue eyes. But for all her beauty and her prowess in the magical arts, Natalya was more than a little messed up in the head. She was terribly violent toward everyone around her. The servants in the Braginsky household did everything they could to stay as far from her sight as possible, since she regularly slaughtered servants who came near her, all the while laughing maniacally. On several occasions, Natalya put a nasty curse on some poor soul, and Katyusha was the only one able to put them back to normal.
Natalya was always bitter towards her elder sister for this. She wasn't even a sorceress, yet Katyusha could use a kind a magic not even she was capable of using. Natalya frequently lashed out at her. She would hit her and scream at her. Once she beat Katyusha unconscious, and then cut her hair off. Despite the abuse, Katyusha was always kind and loving to her sister, which only further enraged Natalya. She warned Katyusha that one day she would kill her.
Natalya acted quite differently with Ivan, however. She was not violent toward him in a physical, verbal, or magical way. Toward him, her attacks were more sexual in nature, which disturbed her brother to no end. Natalya was well aware that one day she would marry Ivan, and she accepted her fate with gusto.
Ivan absolutely did not want to marry Natalya. There was no other person he feared more than his own little sister. And so, to avoid his fate for as long as possible (he knew he would not be able to escape forever because Natalya would hunt him down eventually) Ivan left his home with the excuse that he wanted to seek out other sorcerers and learn from them.
Finally free, he set out to the west (after telling his family he was heading south). He had heard rumors that far to the west, there was a sorcerer with god-like powers, so Ivan settled on seeking this man's tutelage. Perhaps if he learned from this man, he could become more powerful than Natalya. The man's name was Oxenstierna, but he was mostly known by the nickname 'the Lion.' Whispers of this great man had reached even as far as Ivan's country. 'Did you hear what the Lion did?' 'Yes, I heard that he raised an entire city off the ground to protect it from flooding.'
After six months of traveling and finding his way by following rumors, Ivan found himself at the edge of a dark, snow-covered forest called Atall. The rumors said that within this forest stood the castle where the Lion lived. The rumors also said that the forest he lived in was enchanted and that the only way to find the castle was to become completely and utterly lost, which was not a problem for Ivan who had decided that the best way to become lost was to enter the forest blindfolded.
He walked around in the forest with his eyes covered for the first several hours, hands outstretched to avoid bumping into anything. It was slow going, but eventually he decided that he was lost enough, so he took off his blindfold. He walked farther and farther into the forest until night began to fall. He started a fire and ate some of his rations of deer jerky. Shortly after, he fell into a deep sleep inside his rollout bed.
Ivan awoke with the bright, morning sun on his face. As he packed his gear, he silently prayed that the rumors had been true and that he was not lost in this wilderness for nothing. But when he slung his pack over his shoulder, he saw something in the distance that he was sure had not been there the night before. Looming over the highest branches, he saw the towers of a great castle. A smile grew on Ivan's face at the sight of it. He hastened his steps, almost skipping in his joy.
When the great door to the castle came into view, he saw blue flags with the image of a golden lion, and Ivan knew for certain that he had found the right place. This castle was a bit different from others he had seen. It had no outer wall protecting it, nor were there any guards patrolling the perimeter, although he supposed that was what the enchanted forest was for. One could literally walk right up to the front door and knock.
After a few moments of waiting, there was a loud clunking sound from the other side as the door was unlocked. The heavy piece of wood opened loudly with a horrible screeching sound from the hinges.
A young, blonde woman, probably in her early-twenties by Ivan's account, opened the door.
"Good morning sir," she greeted in the language of her country. She spoke softly and though she had a deep voice for a woman, Ivan immediately thought it was beautiful. "What brings you to my home?"
"Good day ma'am. I am sorry to bother you so early," Ivan replied in her language. "My name is Ivan Braginsky. I came here to seek the tutelage of the great sorcerer, Master Oxenstierna. I was told I would find him here."
At his words, the woman's face fell. "I am sorry, good sir. You must have travelled a great distance to get here, but my father, the man you seek, has been dead for a year now."
Ivan's heart sank in his chest. "I see," he replied quietly. "Thank you for your time." He turned away from the woman, deciding that he would just have to find someone else to study under. After all, the main point of his journey was to get away from his sister for as long as possible.
"Wait! Good sir," the woman said. Ivan turned back to her. "Please stay and rest before you leave. You must be weary of the road. I can provide you with a warm bed and hot food. And it may not count for much, but you can have access to my father's library, where he collected everything he knows about magic." She had a desperate look on her face. Perhaps she was not able to leave this place. Or perhaps she was alone and wanted company.
Ivan smiled at her. "Thank you ma'am," he said. "That would be much appreciated." The woman smiled back at him and led him inside. The castle seemed empty of life except for this woman. "Are you the only one here? Are there no servants or any others living with you?" he asked.
"No, I am alone here," she said with a sad look on her face. "Before my father passed away, he used his magic to make fake servants that did all the work in the castle. When he died, they disappeared. And there was never anyone else living here, other than my mother, father, and I. My father was quite a recluse. He didn't like people coming around and interrupting his work. He only took my mother as his wife because she was mute." She gave a small laugh at that. "He always said it was her most beautiful quality." The woman looked at Ivan. "I apologize. All my chatter must be terribly boring for you."
"No, not at all," Ivan replied. "It soothes my soul to hear the voice of another after such a long journey and I find your story very interesting."
The woman smiled shyly at his response. "Thank you," she said. They stopped in front of a wooden door and she unlocked it with a brass key. "This can be your room. I believe it's the least dusty since it was used more recently." She ushered him in. "I will leave you to unpack your things and wash up. When you are done, just come knock on my door. It's the one at the end of the hall on the left, and then we can have lunch."
"Thank you ma'am," Ivan said. As the woman was closing the door, Ivan thought of something. "Wait miss! I just realized I do not know your name."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, coming back through the door. "How silly of me to forget to introduce myself. I am Maja, Maja Oxenstierna."
"Thank you, Maja, for your hospitality."
"The pleasure is all mine," she said, and with that, she left him alone.
Ivan unpacked his things quickly and washed himself as best as he could. It took him a few moments to figure out how to get water out of the strange pump in the bathing room. He was pleasantly surprised when hot water came out. Apparently not all of Master Oxenstierna's magic had faded with his death.
As he bathed, he thought about this new and interesting woman. Maja was certainly beautiful, with her long blonde hair extending down to her waist, her smooth, pale skin, and her intense blue eyes. She had the look of a strong, fierce woman. Her nose was sharp, her cheekbones were angular, her shoulders were wide. She looked like she could be a warrior.
When he had finished bathing and dressing, he looked for Maja's door. He found it, knocked, and she answered.
"Are you ready for lunch?" she asked. Ivan nodded and arm-in-arm, she led him to the kitchen.
What happened the rest of that day is not of much importance. What is important, however, is that in the end, Ivan stayed much longer than he had planned. Much, much longer.
He found Maja's father's vast library more than sufficient for his studying needs and he spent many months reading every book he could. But that was only part of the reason he stayed. The truth is that he came to find Maja's company more and more enjoyable with each passing day, to the point where he fell in love with her. When he found that Maja felt the same about him, they got married. Maja knew about his sister and that he wanted to escape her, and she agreed with him that it would be best if he took her name.
They lived happily together in their castle, and while Ivan never could figure out how to remove the enchantment from the forest, he managed to hire a staff of people brave enough to trust his instructions for finding the castle.
Five years after Ivan first came to the castle, Maja gave birth to a strong, healthy baby boy. After much arguing over whose father he would be named after, they named him Berwald, after Maja's late father. From the day he was born, Berwald was a quiet child with an intense stare that reminded Ivan of both Maja and his sister. Berwald grew up quickly. He was very serious and thoughtful, seeming to live in his head. At five, he was very tall and it was clear he got his stature from his father. When he was old enough, Ivan began to teach his son sorcery, which Berwald took to like a fish takes to water. He sucked up all of the information given to him very quickly and was able to remember everything.
To Ivan, it seemed like twenty years had gone by in a flash. He and his wife were now in their forties, and Berwald was now fifteen and almost as good a sorcerer as his father. The majority of their original staff (Maja refused to call them servants) had retired and had been replaced mostly by teenagers and men and women in their twenties, who were desperate enough for a job that they risked the enchanted forest. It had been the best years of Ivan's life and he had cherished every moment given to him.
He did not expect that it would all end in tragedy.
After twenty years, he had almost forgotten about Natalya. He thought that he was forever beyond his violent sister's reach. He never thought that she would be so persistent that she would continue to search for him after all these years. But she did.
She came to them one evening in the middle of a snowstorm with a pouch of deadly poison, her preferred method of execution, tucked into her corset. She knocked on the door and Roderick, their doorman, answered. She told him that she was lost and seeking shelter from the storm, so she was let in and allowed to warm herself by the fire. She had put a glamour over herself, so Ivan did not recognize her.
Natalya itched to murder them all when Ivan introduced her to his wife and son, but she gritted her teeth and smiled politely. When she saw the boy, she realized that she had made a mistake. She had not anticipated a child and had not brought enough poison to kill all three of them. Something else would have to be done with the boy. When night fell and the household retired to bed, she prepared her revenge. She knew just what to do with the boy, but first she would have to deal with his parents.
Ivan and Maja were already fast asleep in their bed. Natalya sneered at them. They'd be sleeping together for all eternity now. She whispered a spell making two cups filled with lethal doses of the poison float toward her victims. The poison she used was called eitr and it was her favorite poison of all. It came from the sap of a pretty, green plant. If you saw the delicate little bush, you'd never guess the dark properties those bright green fronds held.
Simply ingesting the black liquid that the plant bled would cause terrible illness, but it would not kill a person (at least, not immediately). But if injected directly into the blood stream, the eitr sap is lethal. In addition, both ways would allow a dark sorcerer to feed from the life of their victim, although only injecting the poison into a person's veins would allow a sorcerer to drain their magic power.
As Natalya whispered her spell, the eitr flowed out of the cups in ribbons as thin as straw and pierced Ivan's and Maja's skin. They didn't even stir until the poison started to take effect. Natalya felt the precious energy of life flow into her, along with Ivan's immense power. She smirked, realizing that if she had given Ivan a fair fight, he might have been able to beat her, but now all of his power belonged to her. His life belonged to her.
In their final moments, as the poison painfully gouged out their last scrapes of life from their bodies, Ivan and Maja awoke. They screamed, both of their faces were contorted in pain, but through it all, a flicker of recognition passed of Ivan's eyes.
"Na—Natalya," he choked out. He tried to say a spell, but Natalya's power was too great and nearly all of his magic had left his body. Maja's screams died down in favor of sobbing and gasping for her last breaths. "Maja, I'm sorry," Ivan said. He struggled to find her hand in the darkness. He held her trembling fingers and let out a sob when she went completely still.
"Hahaha!" Natalya laughed. "She's gone now, but don't worry. You'll be joining her soon."
Tears streamed down Ivan's face. He could barely move. He couldn't fight her.
Footsteps pounded down the hall outside and the door flew open.
"Mother! Father!" Berwald yelled, shock written all over his face.
"Run Berwald! Get out of here!" Ivan yelled with the last of his strength. But Berwald stood there, frozen in shock, until Natalya smirked and threw him against the wall with a spell.
"You stay right there like a good boy," Natalya giggled. "I'll get to you once I'm finished with your dear parents." Berwald struggled, but he couldn't do anything against her power. She was too strong and she had put a gag-spell on him so he couldn't use any magic.
"Natalya," Ivan whispered. "Please… don't hurt him… he's just a… boy." Ivan fought to keep his eyes open as the fog of death closed in on him.
"Oh don't you worry, dear brother. I won't hurt your little spawn. I'm just going to make him a miserable little rat trapped in a cage for the rest of his life."
The last of Ivan's tears fell from his cheeks. His struggles ceased. Berwald screamed against the gag in his mouth. Natalya turned to him. She had a gleam in her eyes as held a jagged knife to her hand. She pressed the blade to her own flesh and cut a long gash along her palm.
"So, my sweet little nephew, are you ready for your punishment?"
AN: So...yeah, I killed Ivan...I'm sorry Ivan! And I hate making Natalya the bad guy because I love every single character in Hetalia, but somebody had to be the bad guy and I didn't want an OC for that. Natalya just happened to fit the bill better than anyone else.
Tino will show up in chapter 1 and most of this will be from his point of view because he's the main character, although I will be switching POV a lot throughout the fic. I will try to update as regularly as possible. I have the rough drafts for the first twenty chapters written and it's planned to be twenty-eight chapters long (twenty-nine if you include the prologue). It's going to be loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and Cinderella. There are parallels between this and those fairy tails, but it's not a retelling. There will also be a few gender-bent characters because why not? These will be: Norway, Iceland, England, Japan, and Spain.
Fun fact: Atall (which is the name of the forest in case you forgot) means terrible in Old Norse and eitr means poison (because I'm creative at naming poisons).
Until next time,
~Firewolf