Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 7

"I think we need to take a break," Lukas said, looking up towards the sky. "The sun is getting intense."

"Agreed," Arthur said. "Do you have a tent? We could wait for the heat to die in the shade."

"Sorry, no."

"I've never been in the sun for so long," Vlad said.

"Really?" Arthur asked. "I… I thought that… s-slaves…"

"I worked inside my master's estate. I wasn't someone that worked outside. And… my master wanted to keep me as pretty as possible for any guests. They didn't want to look at ugly slaves."

Arthur and Lukas looked towards Vlad, their eyes being a combination of anger and horror. Vlad, on the other hand, immediately regretted what he'd said. No one knew what to say after that. Lukas halted his horse, and the others turned towards him.

"If we don't have a tent, then we can use magic to create some shade," Lukas said. "And while we wait for the sun to cool down, we can help Vlad with the basics of magic."

Vlad blushed. Arthur turned towards Vlad before he nodded.

"Alright," Arthur said. "Let's get to work then."

Vlad could only watch as the two set to work, and soon enough, they were sitting in a circle of shade. Vlad couldn't see the source of the shade, but the sun didn't penetrate at all, and he was thankful for it.

"I have to say, our magics work very well together," Arthur said. "I'm surprised by how compatible we are. Now then…" He turned towards Vlad, who lowered his eyes. "First, you shouldn't look away when we look at you."

"Sorry," Vlad said, raising his eyes. "Old habits."

"But you don't have to worry about any of that anymore," Lukas said. "We're equals, alright?"

Vlad's mouth twitched into a small smile, and the others decided that it was a victory.

"Let's start with what you already know about magic," Lukas said. "So, did your parents teach you anything?"

"They… They only managed to teach me to not let my emotions take over and let my magic out," Vlad said. "I used to be so good at it. It's how I managed to stay alive all this time. But, yesterday… I don't know what happened."

"Well, I think all our magic seemed to have grown more powerful," Arthur said. "What do you think, Lukas?"

"I've felt it too." Lukas said. "I also had to work harder on maintaining control. I didn't cast too many spells when we were still travelling, but I kept feeling as though my magic wanted to break out. I had to pay close attention to make sure that I didn't accidentally cast a spell."

"So, I think we all need to go back to the basics and prevent accidental magic," Arthur said. "We need to close our eyes and focus our thoughts."

"So, what do we need to do?" Vlad asked, looking between them.

"Close your eyes and focus on the here and now," Lukas said. "Use your other four senses. Think about what you hear, what you smell, what you feel and what you taste. Though, all things considered, taste might not be that important. Once you're aware of your surroundings, try to find your magic. It could manifest itself in many different ways. You need to find your magic, and you need to bond with it. That should help with the primal magic at the very least, and it would help you maintain control."

Vlad nodded his head, before he closed his eyes. The other two did the same. They remained like that for a while, and then, something bizarre happened. The three of them found themselves together in a stone courtyard. The sky above them was dark, and they could see little more than each other.

"Is this normal?" Vlad asked, looking around.

"Not at all," Arthur said. "I have no idea what's going on. Weren't we just meditating in the desert?"

"That's what I remember too," Lukas said. "It's just like the dream we had last night. I think… the three of us are linked in more ways than one."

"What does that mean?" Vlad asked.

"I don't know," Arthur said. "But it might be worth it to explore this a little more."

The three of them immediately turned towards three sources of light that appeared in front of each of them. Arthur was staring at a green light, Lukas a blue light, and Vlad was looking at a red light. After a few seconds, the lights took shape. In front of Arthur was an owl. A dolphin appeared in front of Lukas. And a wolf appeared in front of Vlad.

"What's going on?" Vlad asked.

"And… how is this dolphin doing this?" Lukas asked, staring at the dolphin floating in mid-air.

"Could these perhaps be the manifestations of our magic?"

"I don't know," Arthur said. "Last time I manifested my magic, it took the form of a stag. I think this is something else."

"Do you think we can touch them?"

"I don't know," Lukas said. "We could try."

They each hesitantly reached out their hands, but just before they could touch them, the animals disappeared. The three turned to look at each other, the same expression of surprise on each of their faces.

"What's going on?" Vlad asked.

"I don't know," Arthur said. "But… suddenly I feel… cold. Almost empty."

"I feel the same way," Lukas said. "I think we should go back now. I don't know how long we've been here, and for all we know, time might be distorted."

"And… how do we do that?" Vlad asked.

"Um, just try to think of what you remembered about what you felt, smelled and heard before we ended up here."

Vlad nodded, and they all focused on their sensations from before. One by one, they opened their eyes, and they found themselves in the desert again. They were surprised to see that the sun was much lower now.

"How much time passed?" Vlad asked.

"A few hours, I'd wager," Arthur said. "It doesn't feel like it, though."

"That's what I was thinking too," Lukas said. "Either way, I think we'd be able to continue our journey now."

"Aren't we going to discuss what happened?" Vlad asked.

"We don't know enough to discuss this," Arthur said. "We shared another experience, but we don't know how we got there, or why we shared it. The same with the dream last night. We can discuss any new information that we might receive, but until we know enough, there's not much we can say."

Vlad flinched. Lukas placed his hand on Vlad's shoulder, and the smaller male turned towards him.

"It will be okay," Lukas said. "These experiences don't seem to harm us, and I'm sure we'll figure out what this is about before too long."

Vlad smiled softly. Arthur turned away, staring at the horses.

"Let's get going," Arthur said. "Hopefully we can find a place to rest for the night."

…

They managed to find a city, and just as before, they managed to find an inn. The horses went to the stables, and they found a room for all three of them. There was just one problem.

"There's only one bed," Arthur said.

It was large enough for two people, but that would imply that they had to sleep close to each other. And there were three of them. They stared at the bed, trying to find a solution to the problem.

"I could sleep on the floor," Vlad said. "I'm used to it."

"Absolutely not," Arthur and Lukas said simultaneously.

"If anyone's sleeping on the bed, it's you," Lukas said.

"I agree," Arthur said. "You are getting the bed."

"But…" Vlad started.

"No," Lukas said. "Your old life is over, and we're keeping you as far away from any reminders as possible. And that means that you're sleeping on the bed, understood?"

Vlad's eyes widened, before he hesitantly nodded his head. He still couldn't understand how anyone would want to do something like this for him. It was still unusual. But the other two… They were insistent on knowing how Vlad was feeling, if he ate enough, and whether he was still comfortable. And during conversations, they always made sure to involve Vlad.

They were right. His old life was over. But that still scared him. Because now, he didn't know what to expect. And he knew, if he was left on his own, then he wouldn't be able to manage. He needed the two of them, but they didn't insist that he should follow them. They wanted him to walk beside them.

"I think there's a simple way to solve the matter," Arthur said. He turned to Vlad. "Since you'll be sharing the bed, who do you want to share with?"

"What?" Vlad asked.

"That's not a bad idea," Lukas said. "Who do you want to sleep on the bed with you, me or Arthur?"

"D-do I have to choose?"

"Well, considering you're the one that will be sleeping in the same bed as one of us, you get to choose who it would be."

Vlad looked between the two of them, who stared at him calmly. He didn't know what to do. He looked over towards the bed and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"W-why don't we try sleeping together?" Vlad asked. "A-all three of us?"

"I don't know," Arthur said. "I mean, it would be a tight squeeze."

Vlad looked towards the bed again. He cocked his head to the side as he realised something.

"It's not as bad as the sleeping quarters for the slaves," Vlad said. "With the size of this bed… There would easily be six or seven of us sleeping on it."

"You can't be serious!" Arthur exclaimed. "You wouldn't have had any room for yourselves."

Vlad just shrugged. Lukas and Arthur just stared at each other.

And that was how, hours later, the three of them were on the same bed, with Vlad sleeping in the middle. Or, he was trying to sleep. It just seemed so much different than when he was a slave. For one thing, the bed was much too soft. And for another…

It felt different to sleep with Arthur and Lukas on either side of him than with his fellow slaves.

Vlad was very aware of their presence, and he suddenly regretted not insisting that he should sleep on the floor. Their two scents mingled, and while it wasn't unpleasant, it was difficult for Vlad to relax enough to sleep. He wondered if they could smell him too, and what he would smell like. His was probably an unpleasant scent.

Arthur smelled like trees. It wasn't something that Vlad had smelled often enough in the desert, but the oasis from the previous night certainly helped. There were also other times when his master had decided to get a potted plant for decoration, most often some sort of tree, and Vlad had tended to those trees on occasion.

Lukas, in the meantime, smelled like something Vlad had never experienced before. He smelled like clean water, but for some reason, the scent of salt was mixed with the water. It smelled strange, but it was rather pleasant.

Vlad tensed when Arthur stirred next to him. Arthur turned around to where he was facing Vlad, and Vlad could see that the other was fast asleep. But then, Vlad tensed again when Arthur threw his arm around Vlad, pulling him closer as he did so.

He didn't dare move. He didn't want to wake Arthur. If he felt uncomfortable about their current position, then how would Arthur feel? Through the dark, Vlad could see Arthur's mouth, parted slightly in sleep, and his eyelids were fluttering like a wounded butterfly. Vlad wondered what Arthur was dreaming of.

He was lying on his back, and moved his head so that he was staring at the ceiling. He knew he should get some sleep, but he was too tense now.

Vlad grew even more tense when Lukas also threw his arm around him. Vlad could feel Lukas moving closer towards him. He turned to look at Lukas, who was also fast asleep. Vlad could smell Lukas's breath, and he was surprised by how sweet it smelled. It started to help him relax.

As he relaxed, he realised that the arms holding him didn't make him feel trapped. On the contrary, they made him feel protected. There was a warmth there that stirred a memory he didn't even know he had. His father had his arms wrapped around him as Vlad saw his baby brother for the first time, cradled in his mother's arms. He remembered reaching out with his hand, and his brother grabbed onto his finger. He remembered smiling as his mother stroked his hair. He was surrounded by the warmth of his family.

He relaxed further with the reminder of the warmth. Even though the majority of his life had been spent in the cold, he would not think about it now. He was warm, and he was safe. He knew that Arthur and Lukas would never hurt him, and they would protect him from other people that would want to hurt him.

The warmth and the safety allowed him to close his eyes. He smiled as he felt himself being lulled to sleep. He knew that, as long as he was with Arthur and Lukas, everything would be okay.

…

Lukas slowly felt himself return to the world of the waking. He could hear the people in the streets, and he could feel the sun on his face. He didn't know what time it was, but he wasn't ready to get up yet. He felt comfortable.

He felt a breeze and smelled something sweet, and so reluctantly opened his eyes. It took his mind a while to process the sight in front of him, but once he could comprehend what he was seeing, he was wide awake.

Vlad was lying on his side, facing Lukas. Arthur had his arm around Vlad, and the two were spooning each other. But that wasn't all that Lukas noticed. He also had his arm around Vlad, and that hand was holding Arthur's hand that wasn't draped around Vlad. Vlad, meanwhile, was holding Lukas's other hand.

He didn't know how they ended up in that position, but it would be best to extricate himself before one of the others woke up and the situation became even more awkward. Lukas carefully freed his hands from the others' grips and slowly pulled away. Vlad moaned in his sleep, reaching out. Lukas had to move out of Vlad's reach, though his chest hurt for some reason.

Lukas stared at the scene for a moment longer. Arthur and Vlad appeared serene. He especially paid close attention to Vlad's face. All nervousness, timidity and fear were erased, leaving behind Vlad's naturally calm face. He liked this expression on Vlad's face.

Lukas felt his face heat up as he continued to stare at his two sleeping companions. He turned away. Perhaps he should use this opportunity to get a bath. They still had a while to go before they reached their destination, and it would be nice to wash away the grime.

As Lukas gathered his things he paused, realisation hitting him. The previous night, he'd had no dreams. None at all. And ever since he was told about their mission, he'd had a strange dream every night, most containing Arthur and Vlad. But there was nothing the previous night. And for some reason, it bothered him.

He would have to file away that question for later. For now, he would need to carry on with his life as though nothing strange was going on. He wasn't on a mission to stop a demon god. For now, he was just someone travelling with two companions whose company he enjoyed.

…

"I am really starting to hate the desert," Arthur groaned.

"Hopefully, the next jewel is in a better place," Lukas said. "Somewhere with shade."

Arthur looked up at the sky. They had been travelling for a few hours now, and he was starting to marvel at the patience of their horses. He made a mental note to give them treats when they next had the chance.

"So, what's it like where you guys are from?" Vlad asked. "Is it different from the desert?"

"Very," Arthur snorted. "I've been surrounded by forests since I was born. The summers are occasionally hot, but it tends to rain a lot there, so it's not as bad. But the winters can be quite harsh."

"And I grew up by the sea," Lukas said. "My friends and I would do a lot of different jobs if it means that we can go on a ship, whether it's helping the fishermen, or joining the merchants, or going exploring. The sea might be rough, but it's liberating."

"It all sounds nice," Vlad said. "I don't even remember that much of my home. Just bits and pieces. But… I think there was a rose garden. There were roses in all kinds of colours. My favourite was the red, but I remember the blue and the purple and the white. I hated the white roses, but my mom loved them."

"That also sounds nice," Arthur said. "My parents died when I was young. Disease. It's been my brothers and I for a long time."

"My parents died too," Lukas said. "They were lost at sea. It happened when I was about eight."

Arthur frowned.

"That's odd," he said. "I was eight as well. Vlad, how old were you when… when you were taken?"

"I was seven," Vlad replied.

"And… I'm eighteen now, how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Lukas replied, frowning.

"Seventeen," Vlad added. "I think."

"It's odd," Arthur said. "Do you remember in what season it happened?"

"Spring," Lukas said, while Vlad shook his head.

"My parents also died in spring."

They were silent as they understood that they'd lost their parents around the same time, possibly, and wondered how much of a coincidence it could be, if at all.