The Lost Colonies of Vinland (Hetalia)
Author: Ashynarr
Summary: In 1960, the remains of two Norse villages were discovered in Canada and carefully excavated and recreated over the next few decades. With their discovery comes old memories for the twins and a past no one could have expected...
Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.
Warning: Vinland!Verse (AU to Real Life and Hetalia); Native American Spirits; Culture, History and Lore
Important Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia canon and my canon. You'll be less confused about certain things that way.
Chapter 1: Vinland (Life in the Days of the Vikings' Rule)
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Hóp blinked. "Who?" And with that the image shattered, but Norway still couldn't stop staring at them. Now that the epiphany had come, it was easy to see the resemblances that had been ignored because they had refused to believe that the colonies could survive and thrive on their own.
The two were now the same height as Denmark, and both had also inherited his dusty blond hair. But while America had the same bright blue eyes, Canada's eyes were the same shade of violet as Iceland. Both had the general bone structure of Finland, although he also saw features from Sweden and himself. The image was completed with the glasses they wore, reminiscent of Sweden's own set.
He hadn't realized how long he'd been staring until an ungloved hand snapped in front of his face. "Hey, Earth to Norway; You okay, dude? You look like you've seen a ghost or somethin'." America looked somewhat concerned, but relaxed once he saw Norway snap out of his daze.
"I- I'm sorry, I just..." Norway shook his head. "How much do you remember from before England and France came to your lands?"
America blinked at the question. "...not much, just wandering a lot." He turned to Canada. "What about you, bro?"
Canada shrugged, the movement waking Nanuq, who had been asleep in his arms. "Just wandering with Nanuq. I don't remember ever not having him nearby. Why?" The last was directed at Norway.
"...well... it's just... you two look just like the colonies I and the others found and raised a long time ago."
Canada was quick on the uptake. "You mean the villages they're excavating? But that was..."
"...a thousand year ago. I know."
America frowned in confusion. "But isn't that, what, a five hundred or so year difference between when you left and England and the others came?"
Norway sighed. "That's what's confusing me; there's no way for you – them – to have survived that long without people to represent. Or that's what we thought, anyway..." He trailed off, sounding unsure.
The twins glanced at each other, before Canada spoke up. "Why don't you tell us about them? Maybe it'll help..."
Norway was silent for a moment, mulling over the idea. He took a breath, and started speaking.
~0~0~
((late 900s))
Norway stood back, surveying the village he and the colonists had worked hard to build over the long summer. Originally Denmark, Sweden, and Finland had been here as well, but once the buildings had started to go up they had taken some of the colonists further south to where (if the reports were to be trusted) there was more than enough easily-gathered food to last both future villages through the winter.
So when one of the men who had been ordered to chart the area returned with a sleeping child in hand, he and Iceland (still a child himself) were the only ones available to report to.
"Sir, it's bizarre. I know none of the women were with child on the voyage over, and we didn't bring any children along either - other than the young man beside you, of course. He isn't native, either; in fact, he almost looks like the captain..." The poor man looked lost, trying to figure out a riddle with no easy answer.
Iceland wanted a closer look, so he tugged on the man's arm, who obligingly crouched so the boy could get a better look. The slight movement nudged the little one awake; he yawned and blinked sleepy violet eyes, staring straight into the surprised gaze of the older boy. Norway nearly choked when he saw how closely their eyes matched.
"Let me see the child." He was quickly handed over, and Norway looked the child over with a critical eye as the boy gazed with curiosity at the person holding him. Yes, the child did seem to be a strange mixture of all five Nations, and that was all the information he needed to figure out who this boy was. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Is your name Vinland?"
He was shocked when the boy shook his head. "My name is Lef – Leifsbudir." The boy stumbled over the name, but quickly corrected himself. "Who're you?"
"...Norway. And this is Iceland." A growl sounded out, and Leifsbudir blushed. "Are you hungry?" A small nod. "Alright then, let's head back to the village. I'll take him from here." He said the last to the other man, who nodded in thanks before leaving.
The three left returned to the village, where the women who were just finishing lunch spent some time fawning over the newest addition to the village. Leifsbudir blushed from all the attention and tried to hide his face, which only encouraged more fawning. They were just finishing lunch when someone yelled about returning ships.
Norway stood nearby as the lead ship pulled in, Leifsbudir in hand, and patiently waited for the other Nations to disembark. What he didn't expect was the small boy – who looked just like his own except for those blue eyes – in Sweden's arms. Finland, having rushed over, blinked confusedly at the boy with Norway, before looking back at Sweden. "Two of them?"
Leif found the other child fascinating. "You look like me!" He said in surprise.
The other laughed. "No way, you look like me!"
His cheeks puffed out in frustration. "Oh yeah, says who?"
"Says me!" The other declared proudly, sounding remarkably like Denmark.
Sweden put one of his large hands on the boy's head, earning a squawk of protest. "Be nice, Hóp. H's your br'ther." He got a light nod of confirmation from Norway.
"This is Leifsbudir. One of the scouts just found him today, but from how dirty he was, he was probably wandering for a few days."
Finland blinked, surprised. "That's how we got Hóp here. We were just getting ready to leave when the scout came running up, boy in hand. Denmark decided to bring him along, and we found out along the way who he was."
As the two were talking, Leif used the distraction to escape from Norway's arms, making his way over to the man holding his twin. Sweden bent down, and the boy crawled into his arms next to Hóp; the two then started eagerly chatting. A light smile was on the man's face as he held both, a rare expression for him.
Denmark chose that moment to join them. "Everything's off the ships, and we definitely have enough food for the winter... hello, who's this?" He finished as he caught site of the second child.
"Leifsbudir." At his name the boy looked up, prompting his twin to mirror him.
Denmark blinked. "Uh... which one?" The one on the left shyly waved his hand. All the older Nations looked at each other wearily.
"We're going to be doing that a lot, aren't we?" Denmark asked, resigned. Sweden silently nodded, answering for all of them.
~0~0~
Winter passed, and with spring came the time to head south again. The five had agreed to keep the twins together, spending half a year in each village so neither was ever away from their 'land' for too long. However, it seemed Hóp had suffered few, if any, ill effects from being away from his village for several months despite how young he was. Maybe it was a side effect of them both being Vinland, much like their identical looks and constant proximity to one another.
Whatever the case, both children were more than excited to head south, and the entire trip was spent with Hóp detailing everything he remembered of the surrounding land to his enraptured twin. When the ship pulled into the dock, the two were off like a shot into the village.
Some of the villagers approached Denmark; while they quietly spoke his face gradually fell into a frown. Finally he nodded in thanks and started walking down the path to the edge of the village. Norway's gaze followed him for a bit, curious as to what had suddenly put the other into a bad mood.
Later, he would find out that the natives had come during the winter, looking to see who the newcomers were. They seemed to ask for the leader, but when he came forward the natives grew frustrated and left. Of course, Denmark realized that they had probably been asking for him, so he had to gather a small group of men and go to them.
He never said exactly what happened, but soon after he returned the natives agreed to start trade. The Nordics were very careful to make sure no iron weapons or tools made their way out of the villager's hands, but otherwise the trade was rather open. A steady peace was maintained.
Summer came and went, and with it the first ships to return home with wood and food. All the Nordics except Finland went with them; he had decided to stay and keep an eye on the twins. A year-long rotating schedule was set up so each Nation would spend time in both Vinland and at their homes, since they had duties in both places.
And thus the years passed. The twins didn't age, and at some point the villagers realized who they were but agreed to keep quiet about it. They were always together, which while making hunting them down easier, also made it all but impossible to tell them apart for long periods of time. Their need to trade clothes on a whim didn't help, because they couldn't just put them in different outfits and use that to tell them apart.
Then one year it all fell apart.
~0~0~
((Early 1000s))
It had been a simple mistake. One of the young native men had found an iron ax left by itself while its owner stepped away. When the man had returned to see the other waving it like a weapon, he had panicked and attacked the boy, injuring him.
It turned out that boy was one of the chief's sons, and he had deliberately mangled the story to where he was a innocent victim of a 'unprovoked attack'. It was one of the rare times where all the Nordics were present, and they tried their best to explain the accident, but the chiefs and local personifications refused to believe it.
The first attack on Hóp was unsuccessful, as the Viking nations stood ready, fully decked in armor and weapons ready. The sight was imposing, and the natives fled. A heavy sentry force was set up to keep vigil at all times, and all the villagers started sleeping with weapons within arm's reach.
Several weeks later, there had been no sight of the natives, and tensions were high. Then a scream pierced through the air. One of the villagers had checked in on the twins' room when she hadn't heard them stir by their usual time, only to find the beds cold and empty. A search of the village proved fruitless, and the only solution anyone could thing of was that somehow the natives had snuck in and grabbed them before making their escape in the darkness. How they had gotten through the guard was a mystery, and it had everyone even more on edge.
Norway had gone out with the search party, using his spirits to try to find a trace of them, but nothing came up; a very unusual occurrence. When news of the approaching force reached him, he was forced to return to defend.
They held out for nearly a week, having abandoned the village proper to take up a defensive position further inland. Eventually the drove the natives back, and in the respite the villagers quickly grabbed everything they could and piled onto the ships, leaving the village behind. They arrived at the same situation in Leifsbudir, and ultimately were forced to completely abandon Vinland.
It was a blow to their pride and their hearts.
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AN: Just in time! There isn't a lot of information on what exactly went on during that time period, just a few sagas which may have evolved and mutated in the 200+ years between when people actually lived in Vinland and when the stories were written down. So I'm pretty much taking liberties on the stuff going on. Yeah...
Apparently this story'll only be 4 chapters long. There's only one big chapter like this (for explaining what the twins went through between Vinland and The New World) and the epilogue, which will wrap thing up and create a nice set-up for any future stories in this 'verse.
I've tossed up a poll on my page for what story/stories you'd like to see next, with an option for sending in your own ideas (if you're interested). Don't be afraid to ask for pairings to go with them, just be aware that I might not write them because a) I'm not sure how to or b) it doesn't work with the story well.
If it comes to either a good plot or the pairing, I know which I'm picking.