"Hey Gilbert!" Matthias walked into the bar, holding Emil's hand.

Gilbert looked up at the sound of his name, and instantly grinned when he saw who it was. "Well well someone looks happy today!"

The Dane sat down at the counter, facing the albino. "So..." He said casually, picking up a beer. "I heard you came back from the dead?"

Ruby eyes widening, Gilbert quickly rang a bell on the wall. "We ran out of beer! Everyone out while I get another barrel!"

With many grumbles and muttered curses, all of the other customers left the bar. Gilbert was
very secretive when it came to his beer, and wouldn't let anyone see where he had hidden it. No one knew how it was made or what was in it either. But whatever it was it made the best beer in the world.

Matthias stared at him. "What was that for?!"

Looking around anxiously, Gilbert leaned in close. "You can't just tell anyone that. They'll want to bring back their loved ones too, even though it was already their time to die. Imagine all the chaos and trouble it would cause."

Understanding, the Dane gave a nod, taking a sip of his beer. "Okay. now how did you come back?"

"I'm afraid I don't really know." Admitted Gilbert. "But I know someone who'll know exactly what to do."

"Who?" Asked Matthias.

"Andrei Kogalniceanu. He's a mage up in the North. Very powerful." Gilbert cleaned out a few shot glasses with a dry rag. "I think he's in the village Tamoth. Your home village was Vadir, right? It's only a days journey past that. Should get there in around five days, maybe a week."

"Okay, thanks buddy." Matthias turned to Emil, who had been sitting quietly throughout their conversation. "Can I trust Gilbert to take care of you?"

Emil glanced at the grinning albino, then turned back to Matthias with a blank expression. "Nei."

Chuckling under his breath, the Dane ruffled his hair. "I mean- can I trust you to take care of Gil?"

"Yeah...sure."

"Good." Matthias gave him one last hug and picked up his knapsack, slinging it over his shoulder. "So long, Gil. I'm taking your advice. I'll be back."

"See you later, buddy!" Gilbert waved at the retreating Dane.

Once he had left the building, the albino turned to Emil. "You're going to follow him, aren't you?"

"Of course." The Icelandic boy stood up. "If I can get away from you, that is."

"Oops. I guess I accidentally left the door open one day..." Gilbert grinned maniacally.

"Good." Emil began searching the pantry and packing. "Because Matthias won't be the one to bring big brother back. I will."

X X X

Matthias hadn't left the village in three years, so it was no surprise that he got lost.

Everything looked the same to him. Every snow covered rock, tree and frozen stream. His map was slightly outdated, and places where it said had a big, ravishing forest only had burnt down stumps and fallen branches. After a few days of walking, Matthias began to wish he had brought Gilbert with him.
With an exasperated sigh as he ran into the same cluster of boulders yet again, the Dane sat down in the snow, pulling out a piece of jerky out of his bag for lunch.

"Well what do we have here?" A silky voice purred.

With a start Matthias jumped, looking up at the man standing in front of him. "W-who the hell are you and how did you get here?!" He demanded.

The man just smiled, revealing abnormally sharp and long canines. He stood up straight, adjusting his red coat and the matching small hat on top of his head. "I have many names, so it depends on which one you want. And I'm here because I simply decided to be here." He said cryptically.

Matthias rolled his eyes, standing up. "Can you direct me to the town Tamoth? Or Vadir?"

"I can't." The man said simply, brushing his reddish brown hair out of his face. "I'm not a director. Tried to direct a play once, ended up in a disaster." With a sigh and a flourish he pulled out a map. "But I can give you a new map!"

"Thanks!" Matthias reached out to take it, but the man pulled it back.

"Nu, nu, nu, have patience, stubborn man." The stranger grinned wickedly. "I need something in return."

The Dane's eyes narrowed. "Of course...what do you want?" He looked through his pack, frowning when all he saw was the necessary supplies.

The man's smile grew wider, if that was possible. "It's simple really." He said, crossing his arms. "I want your suflet."

"My...suflet?"

"Your soul."

Matthias froze in shock, staring at him. "Y...you want...my soul?"

The stranger suddenly broke out into laughter. "Nu, nu, nu,stupid man! That's just a thing I say to scare off tourists." His laughter dying down to a psychotic giggle, he ignored Matthias' annoyed glare. "Any candy will be welcome."

Very tired and annoyed with this man's cryptic and insane ways, Matthias searched his bag. "Nothing. No candy." He spat.

Pouting, the stranger sighed. "Alright. What do you have then?" He sat down next to Matthias, taking his bag from him and searching it.

"Hey!" Matthias grabbed the bag, standing up and glaring at the stranger. "Don't try and steal something without me not noticing!"

"What?" The stranger asked, nibbling on one of Matthias' apples. "Oh...here's your map for this apple or two."

Taking the map angrily, the Dane marched off into the forest, muttering many curses under his breath.

"And don't come again!" The stranger bid farewell.

X X X

As the day grew dimmer and began to be taken over by the night, Matthias knew he should find a place to stay for the night. He trudged through the ankle-deep snow, his finger tracing his route on the map. Ah, according to this, he should be coming up on a house soon on the outskirts of a village.

Looking up, the Dane saw a few lights in the distance, twinkling and begging him to come forth. Putting the map back inside his pack, he began to run, knowing the exercise would warm him up. He reached the house, panting, and knocked on it weakly.

The door opened and Matthias grinned. "Hey...could I stay the night-" He froze when he saw the figure standing in the doorway.

"Matth's. W-what are you d'ing h-h're?" Berwald said sharply, the effect ruined by the stutter that haunted Matthias' thoughts. The Swede towered over him, arms crossed, lips pressed together in a thin line.

Squirming under his glare, the Dane stared at his feet. "I...I need a place to stay for the night." He said quietly. "I know things haven't been the best between us, but I was hoping we could forgive each other and put the past behind us..."

Silence. Matthias couldn't tell if Berwald was taking him seriously, or deciding how he should kill him. After a few intense minutes Berwald finally began to speak.

"M'tthias-"

"Berwald? Who's at the door?"

Matthias looked up in surprise at the timid voice. A smaller man clung to Berwald's arm, staring at Matthias like he was a mad man. Maybe he was. He certainly looked the part.

"Wh'ts a matter, Tino?" Berwald asked, not taking his eyes off Matthias.

"W-well..." Tino stammered, looking at his feet. "P-peter's fever has gone down, but he's coughing."

"Berwald, who's this?" Matthias interrupted, giving Tino a friendly smile, which the Finnish man returned with his own nervous one.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Berwald wrapped a protective arm around TIno's shoulders. "My w'fe, Tino. Where's L'kas?"

The Dane swallowed nervously. He should of known. Berwald had finally settled down, just like he always wanted .And he even had a kid to raise as his own, which was a lot more than Matthias had right now.

"Lukas..." Matthias trailed off, trying to think of a response, face grim. "Has been taken away. I'm getting him back."

The Swede turned to Tino. "Go b'ck to Peter. I'll be there in a m'nute." He said quietly.

Nodding in confusion, Tino waved slightly to Matthias and returned to the back of the house. You could dimly hear him calming down someone in the back room, then singing softly.

Berwald glared at Matthias. "So...you th'ught you could just w'ltz on in like ev'rything's okay?"

Matthias stared at him in confusion. Was Berwald serious? "N-Nej! Berwald listen-"

"Nej. That's not how it w'rks anymore." The Swede spat. "I heard the news 'bout Lukas. He's dead. If it w'sn't for you it would've never h'ppened."

Looking anywhere but at Berwald, Matthias shook his head. "N-Nej! It's not-"

"SHUT UP." Berwald shouted. He glanced back into the house, then turned back to the Dane, calming down. "Leave. You're not w'lcome here."
"Berwald please..." Matthias pleaded. His only answer was Berwald stepping back into the house, closing the door behind him. Leaving Matthias alone in the harsh blizzard.

((Nei/Nej/Nu- no

suflet- soul (romanian)

I'm so sorry for the long wait! DX I was distracted by Christmas and stuff (and just plain lazy). I started writing the first part of this Chapter instantly after I wrote after I finished the last, but from then on I got distracted/lazy.

But we only have 3 chapters left! 3 I added Romania a bit early in this chapter, and you can see him more in the next! 3 Thank you for 20 FREAKING FOLLOWERS. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Thanks for reading! Please favorite, follow, review, share and stay fabulous!