Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and The Beast nor Hetalia.
"Pity about that one, eh, Kyle," mumbled Christian slowly from his post on top of the stone wall. The marble sentry stared into the distance while his companion looked towards the sky. They'd heard their master's roars followed by screams and had let out a sigh. There went their chances of becoming human again.
"We never should've let him in." Kyle reached down and held on to the gate to keep it from creaking, "We aren't going to let anyone else in."
Christian sighed again, "That's not fair."
"No, what's not fair is us letting people in knowing what Berwald will do to them. I won't have any more blood on my hands."
"Hey now, no one said anything about there being blood." Christian lowered his own hand to grip the gate shut as well, "We only have a few weeks until it's his birthday and I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired being stuck like this." When his companion didn't say anything, the sentry rolled his eyes, "I'm also getting tired of only talking to you."
"Quiet," hissed Kyle, "Someone's coming." They watched in silence as a short blonde and his horse walked up to the gate.
Tino pulled his hood off his head as he and Panic approached the castle. Anxiety was gnawing at his belly, eating his insides almost rabidly as soon as his horse deviated from the path that would take him to the Inventor's Guild Annual Festival. His nerves were almost near breaking point the deeper they ventured into the thick woods though it wasn't necessarily all from fear. Sure the dense fog and occasional whine from Panic-Sardine at every howl he heard did little to soothe him, but it was the fact that there was absolutely no sign of Mathias, save a broken lamp that, that had him twisting the fabric of his cloak until it wrinkled.
Panic-Sardine whined in protest when his master hopped off his back and touched the gate. Tino patted his head reassuringly, "Shh, Panic, its ok. We'll be fine." Gasping, the blonde slid through the bars and picked up his brother's little black hat. "Mathias, where are you?" He ventured towards the castle itself in hopes that the Dane had sought shelter inside from the cold.
The older of the two sentries grinned at his companion, "Come on, Kyle, this one is definitely the one. You'll see; Berwald won't hurt him."
Kyle rubbed the back of his head and opened the gate to let the horse in after his master, "For his sake, I hope you're right."
~.~
The screams had died down sometime earlier that morning much to every one's relief. Mathias had actually managed to escape Berwald's grasp just as the prince was going to offer him a room and had ran in the direction of the dungeon. With Berwald at his heals, the blonde had also locked himself in a cell, the one that nobody had the key for. The prince had spent most of the day trying to find the key and eventually gave up and instead had Arthur dig up a drawing of the key so that he could make another one. Peter had wanted to help but Berwald simply patted him gently and told him to stay inside lest he get hurt.
The little cup had also wanted to go talk to Mathias some more, maybe ask him if he would marry his papa when he got him out but Alice told him that it wouldn't be a good idea. It wasn't that he hated being a cup…rather he wasn't fond of it. His choices for what he could do for fun were severely limited do riding Hana around the house and…well maybe swimming in Alice's wash bin, but that lost its charm after a while.
"Hello? I-is anyone here? Hello! Big brother! Big brother, are you in here?"
Peter looked up from where he was sitting with Hana and saw another blonde enter the castle through the foyer. He grinned and motioned for his dog to take him to the kitchen, "Alice, guess what?!"
"What is it?" Alice pulled herself straight after pouring water into her bin. She watched as the other dishes jumped in for their bath before looking at her little brother, tiredly.
"There's another man in the castle!"
The Teapot rose an eyebrow, "Now, Peter, what have I said about making such wild stories?"
"It's not a story, sissy, I saw him. I bet papa will love him."
"Not another word, young man." She lifted up her young brother by his handle and deposited him in the bin, "Be sure to soak a while."
"Miss Alice, Miss Alice," cried Michelle as she skidded to a stop in front of the Kirkland siblings, her dust covered feathers flying around her excitedly, "There's a man in the castle! Oh, he's so adorable!"
Alice blinked and turned to her brother who giggled from under the water, "See? I told, ya."
~.~
"Couldn't keep quiet, could we," snapped Arthur irritably as he paced on a small table. "Just had to invite him to stay, didn't we? Serve him tea, sit in the master's chair. Pet the pooch!"
Francis crossed his arms with a huff, "I was just trying to be hospitable."
"Hospitable? No, you were just being an irresponsible, devil-may-care, waxy-eared, slack jawed…" Arthur trailed off when he heard a voice call out 'Mathias.'
Both he and Francis froze as Tino stuck his inside the room they were in, "Big Brother? Where are you?" Shaking his head in disappointment, the blonde stepped back out and continued his search.
"Did you see that," asked Francis in wonder, "It's a man!"
Arthur rolled his eyes, "I know it's a man. What of it, frog?"
"Don't you see? He's the one. The one we've been waiting for. He's come to break the spell!"
"Yeah, that's what you said about the other—Oi, where are you going? Did you learn nothing from yesterday?!" Arthur scrambled after the candelabra just as Francis opened the door that led to the dungeon. The clock pulled Francis behind the door, "Are you mad? What if Berwald sees him?"
"He's going to love him, you'll see." Francis winked at Arthur and hurriedly hopped up the stairs so that Tino would follow him.
The blond tightened his cloak around him. Something was incredibly off about this place but he couldn't leave; not without his brother at least. He saw a glow going up the stairs and trailed after it, "Hey, wait! I'm looking for my brother and—huh…that's funny." Nobody was around save for a candelabra sitting alone on one of the shelves. Tino walked passed it and down the rows of empty cells, "I could've sworn I saw somebody…I-is anybody here?"
"Tino," croaked Mathias as he sat up in his cell, "Little brother, is that you?"
Rushing forward, Tino let himself fall to his knees so that he could reach through the bars, "Mathias?" Cold fingers wrapped around his warmer ones, "You're hands are ice cold! How did—never mind, we need to get you out of here." He took in the Dane's appearance; his skin was flushed and slicked with perspiration, his still wet clothes clung to his body and his blonde hair fell limply around him as if to mimic his sickly body.
Despite it all, Mathias managed a small smile, "I'm glad I could see you again, little brother, but you have to get out of here."
"Are ya crazy? I'm not leaving without you!"
"You have to," argued the elder Nordic, wincing at his sore throat. "He'll get you too if you stay."
Tino furrowed his eyebrows, "He? He who? Who did this to you?"
"There's no time to explain." Mathias tried to pry his fingers away from Tino's hand but his younger brother was strong. "Tino, please you have to go. "
"I said no." Looking around for something to help him get his brother out, Tino finally found a sturdy piece of metal. He quickly picked it up and placed it against the door, "I'll get you out, you'll see."
As he worked diligently, Mathias continued to beg him to leave in between bursts of coughs. Berwald hid in the shadows as he stared at the man in wonder. He'd just come up from forging a new key to let Mathias out and had caught scent of something that made his heart skip a beat. It smelled just like the loud mouth blonde that had gotten himself stuck inside the dungeon only more potent. Curiosity got the better of him and Berwald had decided to follow the sweet smell in hopes to find what was causing it.
A petite blonde with soft features certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting. Berwald watched as Tino brought a swift kick to the metal bar, the sturdy wood of the cell still holding strong but he knew that it was only a matter of time before it would yield. Perhaps he wasn't all that soft after all. Still…it took great courage to even come this far and seeing the man working so tenaciously to free the loud mouth Nordic, it gave Berwald a sense of hope that maybe this one could be the one.
He sniffed the air quietly again and felt himself blush under his fur, 'He smells really good, like pine trees and earth. I could certainly get used to that smell.' Shaking his head, Berwald brought a paw to his snout. What was he thinking? As soon as he'd get a look at him, the man would no doubt leave him without giving him a chance. The beast inside him chuckled cruelly, but the man had fought his way through with vigor, 'Ya don't know if ya don't try.'
There was only a few weeks left to his birthday if memory served him correctly. That panic was starting to grate at his nerves. Most of his servants had lost hope but he still had those few that haven't, Peter being one of them. Maybe it was fate that the idiot blonde had gotten himself trapped in that cell; without him, this other nicer smelling one wouldn't have come along. And here he thought he would have to try his luck, and patience, courting him.
But if he wanted for things to go well, these next few minutes were going to be critical. Berwald pocketed the key in his tattered clothes and sat back on his haunches and thought. The beast didn't give him much time to plan out a strategy, lashing out at his more human side at the sight of more wooden slivers falling to the ground with another kick from the petite man.
Mathias looked over his brother's shoulder and panicked, "Run, Tino!"
"No! Not without yo—oh!" Tino yelped in surprise when he felt something large grip his arm back to pull his torch away from him. The little light that they had dissolved into darkness with the exception of the beam that snuck in from a hole in the ceiling. He strained his eyes to see who had touched him.
"Tino! You stay away from my baby brother, you monster!"
Tino backed up until his back was pressed against his brother's cell. His mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to figure out where the person who had touched him was standing. He called out, "Who's there? Who are you?"
Tugging at his fur, in hopes that the pain would keep his irrational anger at bay, Berwald griped at the marble pillar he was hiding behind. When he was sure that he wouldn't lash out again, he finally spoke up, mentally wincing at how harsh his voice sounded, "Th-th' mast'r of this castle. What are ya doin' here?"
Tino closed his eyes despite not being able to see much aside from a large shadow. He hadn't expected for the person to sound like gravel. Still, he forced his eyes open and stood on his knees, "I've come for my brother. Can't you see he's sick?" As if to prove his point, Mathias fell into a coughing fit. "What were you even thinking sticking him in there in the first place?!" The blonde gasped and covered his mouth. He didn't mean to say that last part out loud but with his brother coughing up a lung, it sort of just happened.
Berwald's claws dug into the stone and before he got a chance to keep his temper in check, he growled out, "He shouldn't h've trespassed then if he didn't want t' get locked up!"
"But he could die," cried the Nordic in a panic. He wrapped his hand around the one Mathias had gripped around the bars, "Please, I'll do anything. Just please let him go."
The begging soothed the monster within but not enough to reach Berwald's humanity. Shaking his head pulled his tattered cloak around his body and turned away, "Th're is nothing you can do. He's my prison'r now."
'No, wait that came out wrong', hissed Berwald at himself, 'We're supposed to show him we're good! If we let his brother out, he'll trust me. If he trusts me he won't fear me. If he doesn't fear me he could love me.'
"Wait!" Berwald vaguely felt a tug on his cloak, making him freeze and curl his tail around his feet. Tugging insistently, Tino crawled closer to the man and looked up with wide eyes. The light made him look angelic, almost making his skin glow paler. He bit his lip and turned to look at his brother once before making his mind, "Take me instead."
Berwald swallowed thickly, marveling at how cute the man looked before turning away, "Y-you would take his place?" Well this certainly wasn't how he had planned on things to go but he would take what he could.
"No," shouted Mathias. "No, he won't. Tino, don't do it!"
Ignoring his brother asked again, "If I did, will ya let him go?"
The prince carefully turned around so that he faced the small blonde but still stayed hidden in the shadows, "Yes, but ya h've t' promise you'll stay here forev'r."
Tino rubbed his arms nervously. Forever? He had figured that he could make a run for it with Mathias as soon as the guy let his brother out. He looked at his brother again who sent him a pleading look and shook his head slowly. No, he couldn't do that. Mathias needs help; he'll die if he didn't promise. Only problem…he was a man of his word stranger or not. And who knew? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad living here; if not then he could make a run for it later. He was a fast runner after all…but then again so could this guy. Looking back at the shadows, he squinted. Maybe if he knew what the man looked like, he could assess his chances of survival.
Berwald waited patiently for the small blonde to make his decision, his heart racing wildly at the prospect of him saying yes. He shifted his weight from one paw to another, time panning out a lot longer than he thought and felt himself grow frustrated. But before snapped, Tino spoke up, "Will ya come to the light? I want to look at you in the eye."
Clenching his jaw, Berwald backed away until he felt his back hit the stone wall. No. He couldn't do that! The little angel would leave for sure and where would that leave him? Curling his tail around his feet again, the prince sat on his haunches and shook his head, "Nh."
Tino frowned and tilted his head to the side, "How do ya expect me to stay with ya if I don't even know what ya look like?"
"He's a freaking beast, Tino," screeched Mathias grabbing at his brother's shoulders to shove him towards the exit. "Run now while you still can!"
"Mathias," admonished Tino, when he saw the shadowy form curl in on itself. "That's no way to talk about someone."
The older Nordic stared at his brother like he'd grown another head, "He freakin' locked me up!"
"And I'm tryin' ta getcha out! Shut up and let me handle this." Turning back to Berwald he moved a bit closer, "Please, I would like to see ya."
"Nh…" Berwald contemplated it for a few more seconds and figured that it would be for the best if he did as Tino asked. Slowly and carefully, as to not frighten the poor man, he stepped paw first into the tiny beam of moonlight. He tried not to let it sting too much when Tino yelped in fright and fell backwards. Ashamed, Berwald looked down at his dirty paws and rubbed the back of his head. He should just let them go…
"Ok."
"What," screeched Mathias just as Berwald widened his eyes in disbelief.
Tino took a deep breath to calm his nerves and walked up to Berwald, "Y-ya have my word."
'Oh sweet carpentry! He agreed,' cried Berwald mentally. 'He actually agreed ta stay!' Without thinking twice, Berwald reached into his pocket and pulled out the key, "Done." He moved to release Mathias and in his excitement, he didn't pay much attention to the way, Tino crumbled to the floor in silent tears.
Mathias ducked under Berwald's arm and crawled over to his little brother, "No, Tino, take it back. Tell him ya won't do it. You don't have to do it. I'm old, I've lived my life!"
Curling deeper into his older brother's embrace, Tino managed a small laugh, "You're only eight years older than me, silly." He was about to return the hug when he fell forward on his face. Confused, the young Nordic looked up in time to see the beast drag his brother out the door, "No, wait!"
"Tino!"
"Wait!"
On their way down the stairs and out the castle, Mathias thrashed his legs and arms in protest. He even tried grabbing onto the furniture but the table simply tugged it's leg out of his grip and sniffed indignantly at him. Extending his arms and legs out he dug the feet into the door frame while his fingers did the same. The Nordic whimpered as Berwald tugged on his coat in effort to dislodge him, "Please, take me back. I'll let you eat me but please just spare my brother!"
Berwald scoffed, "I don't w'nt ta eat ya." Grabbing him from around his waist, the prince maneuvered them both out the door and up to a carriage. "Don't worry 'bout him. He's no long'r yer conc'rn." He stuffed the Dane into the carriage and shut the door, "Take him to th' village."
The carriage shivered as it sprouted spider like legs. From above the towers, Tino watched through tears as Mathias was transported away, his loud yowls for release and for his brother becoming a whisper the further away he got. The blonde's lip quivered until he couldn't keep it in any longer. He curled up in the hay against the window and cried into his brother's hat, breathing in the inventor's scent.
Francis sighed sadly from his spot on the shelf and rubbed at his waxy head with his other candle. He could hear Tino's broken sobs through the dungeon and couldn't help but feel guilty. On the plus side, Mathias would be able to get some help for that nasty cough he'd developed over night. Heavy footsteps echoed upward and the candelabra realized that Berwald was coming back up. Francis waddled to the edge, "Uh…master?" He fell onto his rump when the prince stopped in front of him, his stoic blue eyes seemingly glaring at him in a silent question. "I w-was just thinking that, since the boy is going to be staying with us for quite some time…that perhaps we could offer him a more comfortable room?"
Berwald rose an eyebrow at how Francis ended his though in a question. He'd seriously thought that they were past this by now about apparently he still frightened the poor man. Nodding, the prince continued his trek to his small guest.
"Ya didn't even let me say goodbye," cried Tino as soon as Berwald walked up to the cell. He brought his knees up to his chest in a fetal position and covered his face, "I'll never see him again and I d-didn't get ta say g-good bye!" His tears ran like ferocious little rivers down his reddened cheeks and the sobs that burst through his trembling frame were heartbreaking.
Even the animal inside him felt guilty at the sight. In his eagerness to start the courtship, something that he couldn't do with the loudmouthed brother present, he hadn't considered Tino's feelings. Strike one.
Wrapping his paw around the corner of his cloak, Berwald thought about what Francis said. He spoke slowly so to not further excite the poor blonde, "I'll…I'll show ya t' yer room."
"M-my room?" Tino slowly sat up and hugged his brother's hat to him, "But I thought…" He glanced around the tiny cell then looked back at the beast, "I thought this was where I was going to s-stay…"
Berwald looked around as well, mentally taking measurements and assessing whether this would make proper living quarters for his little guest. It was unacceptable. He would barely be able to fit a bed in here let alone one big enough for them to be able to cuddle-woah! Berwald flushed under his fur and shook his head. Now wasn't the time for such nonsense. First thing first was to calm down Tino. Then they could move up his mental check list of their courtship.
He motioned around him, "Do…do ya really want t' stay in th' tow'r?" Tino shook his head 'no' and Berwald couldn't help but think that the man was adorable. The prince walked back out and motioned for the other to follow after him, "Then come with me."
Tino meekly trailed after the beast, making sure that he stayed a few paces behind him. His cloak was brought snugly around his shoulders and he had his brother's hat in a tight grip. They walked through bleak halls in silence with only their footsteps to keep them company.
The walls were lined with strange paintings and the carvings within the marbled pillars frightened the poor Nordic. The blonde pinched his arm and winced. No, this wasn't a dream. This was real. He bumped into a ferocious looking statue with a body of a dragon and a face of demon. Gasping in horror, Tino ran to catch up to the beast; choosing this time to walk a little closer.
Berwald could sense that the poor man was shivering in fear and wanted nothing more than to find some way to console him. However to do so would prove far too embarrassing…He risked a look over his shoulder to see how Tino was holding up. His heart broke a little more when he found that the blonde still had a few tears rolling down his rounded cheeks. Sighing he run his claws through his unruly mane, 'What should I do?'
As if sensing his prince's distress, Francis wiggled in his prince's grasp to gently nudged Berwald to get his attention. He whispered, "You should say something to him, master."
"Nh," murmured Berwald with a shake of his head, looking down at his feet. What could he say that would cheer up the little blonde? It was his fault Tino was so upset to begin with. He felt another encouraging nudge after Tino gave another broken whimper. "Uh…I-I hope ya like it h're," he said finally. When Tino didn't say anything, Berwald looked at Francis in panic but the candelabra simply gave him an encouraging smile and motioned for him to continue. Swallowing, Berwald added, "Th' castle 's yer home now, so ya can go anywh're ya want. 'cept th' west wing."
Tino wiped his eyes and stared at the beast in confusion. His home? Well, yeah, he supposed that was true but that didn't change the fact that he was still this creature's prisoner; even if he was allowing him freedom to wander the halls. Eyeing the macabre décor he wrinkled his nose in displeasure. It wasn't like he would want to wander around this place to begin with. Still, it reminded him something out of one of those books he read with the prince. He wondered if there had been a prince like that that lived here once upon a time…maybe he resided in the west wing and that's why the beast didn't want him going near it. Frowning, Tino asked, "What's in the west wing?"
If there was a prince then perhaps he could go save him and together they could leave this dreadful place. Maybe the price could be like the one in his dreams and they could be friends. Tino withdrew to his mind momentarily and didn't see that the beast had stopped walking. He bumped into his furry chest, getting a nose full of his scent. Strangely enough, given the guy's appearance, he didn't smell all that bad. It was nice. Flushing furiously, Tino shook his head and backed away, only to have a rough paw grip his arm and another force his face up to meet the beast's blue eyes. He yelped and tried to jump out of the creature's grip but Berwald held tight as he spoke grimly, "I won't limit yer access t' my castle but I do forbid ya from going t' th' west wing. Please do as I say."
Tino nodded slowly and froze when Berwald reached over his head. Closing his eyes fearfully, he felt a claw graze over his hair before pulling away. He slowly cracked an eye open to see if the beast was going to follow through and kill him but found that he was already walking away, "Holy Martin Luther, that guy's scary." The blond slowly continued to follow; this time carefully watching the beast in front of him as he carelessly dropped a piece of straw to the ground. Confused again, Tino ran a hand to his hair and was surprised to see that he still had a few smaller pieces from when he had thrown himself in the nest of hay.
They finally arrived before a large door and Berwald carefully opened it to let Tino in, "If ya need an'thing, my s'rvants will attend t' ya."
"Dinner," whispered Francis as he tugged on Berwald's fur. Berwald's eyes widened and anther flush stained his snout. He fearfully shook his head no but Francis insisted, "Ask him, master. Ask him to dinner."
Licking his chops nervously, Berwald stood stiffly, "Y-ya will join m' fer dinn'r. That's not a request," he practically growled before slamming the door shut in humiliation.
Tino gasped from the sudden burst and reached out to try the handle but thought better of it and chose to instead run for the bed to hide under the covers. Frustrated and hurt, the Nordic curled in on himself, screaming into the pillows as rain and snow fell from the night sky.
The spider like carriage stopped it's journey just outside the village. If it had eyes they would've been red with exasperation and fatigue. Mathias had proven to be a rather...handful passenger to say the least. The Dane had tried to gnaw at the wooden bars, which the carriage thought was rather disgusting given but he had no mouth so he couldn't voice his displeasure. When that hadn't worked, Mathias had thrown himself at the walls in effort to break them. Again, that had earned nothing but annoyance from the carriage.
To say that he was happy to finally be rid of the annoying blonde was an understatement. No wonder the master hadn't wanted him. The carriage convulsed until it spat out the Dane, spitting his coat after him before making its way back home.
Mathias glared in the carriage's direction, "Thanks for nothing you stupid-" He yelped and ran towards the village when the carriage stopped and charged back towards the blonde. It wasn't actually going to do anything to him but...a little scare never harmed anyone. Mathias looked over his shoulder, sighing in relief to see that the carriage had decided to give up and leave. "Don't worry, little brother. I'm coming back for ya." He ran towards the bakery but found that Lovi and Antonio had already closed for the night, "Where on earth could they be?"
Cheers and laughter from the tavern caught his attention, "That's right! Maybe with those guys, I can get Tino back." Ignoring, the freezing rain, Mathias ran towards the gold light, "Just hold on, Tino. I'll save you."
I'm sorry this is late. I don't have an excuse other than school I'm afraid T_T I can't seem to find the time. To make up for it, I've already worked half way through the next chapter. I WILL HAVE THAT UP BY THIS WEEKEND OR SO HELP ME, I WILL...well I don't know what I'll do but it'll not make me happy. I hate that I can't keep up with my writing T_T anyway, a huge thanks to every one who has added this story to their Favorites as well as to their Follow list =3
Berwald's speech pattern is a pain to write lol...there may be some inconsistencies but I'm going to try my best to make them as few as possible. Thanks again for reading.
ps- How is everyone? Anybody going to prom? Graduating? If so I wish you all the best =3 Have fun you guys ^_^ Also, for those in college good luck on your finals. Study hard! Actually that goes for everyone still in school, study hard and lets end this school year on a high note =D
pss- HeroinOfDarkness is writing a Hetalia adaptation of The Producers if you guys are interested you should go check it out. So far so good! =3
~Until Next Time
VivaAmerica: I did pretty terrible on it lol...but it's ok. My professor drops the lowest test grade and replaces it with our final. Hopefully I do good on that one. And yes, I can't wait to write the part where Tino uses a firm hand on Berwald =3
aycee-san: Oh gosh, Alfred being like that with Arthur made me feel fluffy lol. I think they're pretty adorable together yeah? I'm glad I was able to make you laugh, though I am sorry that it's taken so long for an update T_T
HeroinOfDarkness: I did, lol. Figured it would be a good name for a rooster =D Thanks again for letting me use the name! Happy to see ya saw the reference lol. Also, your second chapter was freaking amazing ^_^
zoewinter1: lol =D
pastaaddict: No he is not =( Poor Feli...I personally never liked how everyone was so enamored with Gaston so in this one, I have a small group who are annoyed by him, one of them being Ludwig. I'm glad you picked up on it too lol and I'm more than happy to have made your day ^_^ Thanks again for letting me use it!
The Little Chibi: First let me say that I love your name, it's so cute =D And yes, lol Tino did name them. (The names actually came from Pastaaddict and HeroinOfDarkness) Thank you so much for the review!
