It has been a few days since the children and their adult caperons set sail. No land had appeared in sight yet. Xavier was becoming homesick. Despite Arlo's pep talk before they left, the blonde still felt some guilt.

Xavier sat against the looking tower with his spell book, trying to distract himself.

"He's really killing the atmosphere here." Ronald pouted. "A little bit. This is supposed to be an epic adventure." Mateo sighed as he steered the ship.

"Leave him alone. He has never been anywhere without his family. So this whole quest is unnatural for him." Erika huffed. Arlo rolled his eyes, "Well someone cheer him up before he gets the idea to turn the ship around." He grumbled.

Lovino nudged Alfred, "I'm horrible at cheering people up. You do it." He huffed. "Why me? That kid has ice powers. I know he can't control his magic if he's too anxious and I do not want to become an ice sculpture." Alfred whined.

"W-well in all fairness, mister Alfred, you are the cheeriest person amongst us." Elois smiled sheepishly.

Gale nodded, "Yeah. You were as excited as me when we set sail. Go lift his spirits." She pleaded.

Alfred caved and walked over to Xavier who immediately squeaked in surprise. The older blonde insisted he meant no harm as he took a seat next to him.

"Whatcha reading in there?" Alfred asked curiously. "Just normal wizard stuff. Nothing exciting." Xavier mumbled and looked away. Alfred smirked and snatched up the book.

"H-hey! Don't touch that." Xavier gulped. "Oh come on. There's no harm in me looking. I look at my brother's spellbooks all the time." Alfred laughed as he gazed down at the open pages, "Ah! You're looking at fire spells. Doesn't sound like a good match with your ice powers." He observed.

Xavier looked at the man in shock, "Y-you can read the old language of wizards?" He stuttered. Alfred nodded, "Yeah. My older brother Arthur was a wizard and so is my twin brother Mattie. I studied with Mattie. I can read everything. I just can't use magic. So I bulked up instead. That way I could help out Mattie." He grinned.

"You and Matthew are twins. How the fuck did you not inherit magical abilities?" Lovino questioned. Alfred shrugged, "Don't know. Maybe Mattie hogged all the magic in our mother's womb." He snickered and focused his attention back on Xavier.

"Hey Xavier. I know you miss your family. I know the feeling. I lost my big brother in the war sixteen years ago and just ditched my brother to go on an adventure that could get me killed." Alfred slung an arm around the teen, "But you can't mope around forever. You've got killer ice magic and are basically the nurse on this ship. We need you not down in the dumps."

"Are you saying to forget about my family?" Xavier whined.

Alfred shook his head, "No. Use your love for them as strength on this adventure. Doesn't your dad say something like that?"

Gale knelt in front of Xavier and took his hand, "Yeah. Mister Tolys told my parents that just before the war." She smiled. "My parents used their love for me as strength to push forwards. And you know what happened?"

"That evil man kidnapped you and my mother, using it as leverage against your parents and my father?" Xavier blinked. Gale laughed nervously, "W-well yeah. That did happen. But I meant the good thing that happened."

"Erika, Lukas, Julchen, Ned, my brother and your dad used the power of love to defeat that evil guy!" Alfred cheered. Lovino ruffled Xavier's hair, "We're gonna face some dangerous shit once we make it to the mainland. We may need to do something similar to that feat and we'll need you. So buck up. We're here to talk if you get cold feet again." Xaver seemed less blue and perked up from his saddened state.

A few hours later, a storm began to brew. Mateo and Ronald gave orders to prepare the ship, as there was no way to avoid it.

"These waves are gonna make me sick." Elois gulped. "How the hell are we gonna get through the storm? This boat will be ripped to shreds! Do you see those clouds?" Arlo groaned.

Xavier paced around the ship before he gasped, "I know a forcefield spell! If you gather around me, I can create a forcefield around us to protect us." He suggested.

Lovino raised an eyebrow, "How long can you hold it?" He questioned. Xavier gulped as he gripped his staff, "Five minutes? Maybe seven." He muttered. Gale put a hand on Xavier's shoulder, "I have magical powers too. Allow me to aid you. I know that spell as well. Together we could double that time." She smiled.

Xavier nodded, "Alright everyone. Gather around!" He ordered. The rest of the group circled around Xavier and Gale. Mateo grunted as his twin clutched onto a battle axe, "Must you hold that so close to you?" He huffed.

"It's one of mama's axes. I can't lose it." Ronald pouted. "And this is why I use swords." Mateo sighed.

"That statement didn't make any sense." Elois blinked. "Quiet now. We must focus." Gale shushed and closed her eyes. Xavier followed suit, keeping a firm grasp on his staff. Gale clapped her hands together. She had a staff as well, but never used it so she could use her magical abilities to their fullest.

As soon as the ship drifted into the dangerous storms, the two blondes activated the spell. It created a blue, pearlescent bubble around the company. Even if it wasn't necessary, everyone silently agreed to hold hands. Although the forcefield didn't block any sound or light. Thunder and lightning went off around them. So much was happening for several minutes. Then everything went black.

xXx

What seemed like hours later, the party washed up on a sandy beach. Gale was the first to wake up. She was exhausted and very cold, which wasn't good for her. Her vision was hazy and her mouth tasted of salt. The blonde looked around and breathed a shaky sigh of relief when everyone was accounted for.

"We did it. We made it." Gale mumbled. One by one, everyone else began to sit up and take in their surroundings. They were on a beach. But a tree line spread for miles both left and right several feet away from shore.

"Oh yay. A forest. We don't have that back on the island." Arlo scoffed. "It is rather peculiar to see these kinds of trees so close to shore. Our forest is in the center of the island, has similar trees and is nowhere close to the shores." Xavier raised an eyebrow.

Alfred helped everyone to their feet. The teens could stand on their own, except for Gale. She immediately fell back onto the sand.

"What's wrong with her?" Elois gasped. Xavier knelt down beside her, "She's a dragon shapeshifter so anything too cold can make her sick." He explained as he checked her pulse and her breathing.

Mateo stuck his hand in the lapping water on the shore, "Oh yeah. That water is bone chilling. We need to get her dry and warmed up." He blinked.

"We should remove her clothes. They must be damp." Arlo suggested causally. Elois blushed, "B-but she's the only girl in the group. Stripping her in front of guys would be bad." He bit his lip.

"No. He's right. Whether or not I use the warmth of my flames to dry her clothes will mean nothing if her skin and hair are still cold." Lovino sighed. Xavier took off his cloak, "Dry my cloak. So you have something to wrap her up in once you remove her clothes." He smiled.

Alfred patted the blonde's head, "Quick thinking kid." He winked and turned to the other boys, "Now turn around. Gave Gale some privacy." The teens complied and faced away from them. Lovino dried Xavier's cloak and had him face away. The brunet carefully undressed Gale, handing the damp clothing to Alfred before wrapping the girl in the cloak.

"You're good now!" Alfred announced, allowing the teenagers to turn back around. Lovino scooped up an unconscious Gale in his arms.

"Hey, shouldn't you dry Gale's clothes?" Arlo snorted. Lovino rolled his eyes, "I can't. I'm using my warming abilities to keep Gale's heart rate stable. Once she wakes up, I'll dry them off."

Alfred rolled up his sleeves as he threw Gale's clothes into a bag, "For now we need to find supplies and build a shelter. We won't explore until all of us have recovered from the storm."

The boys nodded, although a couple groaned in annoyance. Xavier kept his eye on Gale, keeping a mental record on her heart rate. He paused to hear a low growling noise, grabbing his staff.

"What was that?" Mateo looked around as he unsheathed his sword. Ronald pointed to the forest with his battle axe, "It's coming from there." He panicked.

A red claw stepped out of the treeline and a large dragon emerged from the trees. Smoke came of its nose as it glared down at them.

"Oh shit." Alfred gazed at the beast, "Lovino. You're the only one who can shapeshift and hold your form right now. Do something!"

"No! If I put Gale down, she will die of hypothermia." Lovino snapped, "Being a dragon shapeshifter, she needs to stay with something that radiates heat. Me being a phoenix is what is keeping her alive!"

"A dragon . . . shapeshifter?" The dragon spoke, lowering themselves to the ground and walking out of the trees as a human man. He had messy blonde hair with bright blue eyes. He appeared to be tall and wore a black cloak with a red tunic, tan pants and black boots. The man came running up to Lovino.

"Yes. That is what she is. I don't care if you're like her. Stay away!" Lovino hissed as he sprouted his wings from his back.

Xavier put his staff in between the man and Lovino, "I can use ice magic. Come any closer and I won't hesitate to blast you away." He glared at the tall man.

"I can help her. She needs more than warmth. She's sick and needs proper treatment." The man insisted, "Please let me help her and all of you."

Lovino glanced at Alfred who eyed the man suspiciously. The blonde made eye contact with the brunet, giving a nod of approval.

"Alright. We'll go with you. Try anything and I'll let these boys loose on you." Lovino huffed.

The man nodded and put a hand over his chest, "The name is Mathias. Please follow me." He turned tail and walked back to the tree. Alfred ushered the boys forward to follow Mathias.

xXx

Mathias took them to a small village. He stayed true to his word. A blonde woman, who gave off a similar vibe to Lukas, took Gale and put her in warmer clothes. She gave the teenage girl some herbal medicine and laid her down to rest.

"Thank you, Lovise. You are the best little nurse." Mathias cooed to the woman. "No cutesy voice in front of strangers." Lovise said in an icy tone before walking away.

"That was strangely similar to an interaction between Erika and Lukas." Arlo quirked an eyebrow. "Oh I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Xavier chuckled.

Mathias addressed the group of boys, "She'll be okay. A couple days of rest will do her good. This tent is big so you're welcome to stay here. A friend and I will collect some blankets and warmer clothing for you all." He informed them.

"Thank you for your help. We've been through a lot so your kindness is much appreciated." Alfred smiled. Mathias laughed and slapped him on the back, "Oh don't mention it. I love helping others. Now I'll leave you alone and let you relax." He walked out of the tent.

Lovino did a headcount and noticed someone was missing, "Boys. Where is Elois?" He asked.

"He stepped out a few minutes ago. He said he wanted to explore the village." Ronald replied.

Although what Ronald said was only a lie Elois thought up. The blonde had climbed a tree to the top. He gazed upon a pretty sunset before pulling out a shiny blue stone. A puff of smoke came from it and a face appeared.

"H-hello father Ivan." Elois gulped. "Oh sweet boy. I am papa, remember?" The man responded.

Elois nodded stiffly, "R-r-right. Sorry papa. You are my father. I shouldn't be so formal." He stuttered.

Ivan chuckled, "So I see you made it back here. Excellent. How is it going with the halfling?" He questioned.

Elois looked away and then back at Ivan, "It's going well. She likes me. She's my friend now." He smiled nervously. Ivan clapped his hands, "That's wonderful to hear my son. Keep charming her with that shy, introverted personality of yours. It won't be long until she falls for you. And we can put phase four into action." He cooed.

"Papa, I don't like tricking her like this. She trusts me a lot and is none the wiser. She's my first friend. I don't want to lose her." Elois gulped.

"Sweet boy. You won't lose her. You'll gain her as a wife. Doesn't that sound much better than a friend?" Ivan glared at him.

Elois bit his lip, "That sounds lovely but . . . I want that to happen naturally. Tricking her into liking me is wrong." He muttered. "Elois. You know why I sent you to the island. To meet the halfling, gain her trust and then bring her back here. Back to me. With the power I gave you as your father and her combined abilities of a wizard and a dragon shapeshifter, your children will be all powerful." Ivan explained, "Now don't back out on this plan. You know what will happen if you disobey me."

Another puff of smoke showed a pretty blonde woman with blue eyes. Her hair was in a bun. Although she looked miserable. "Mama! Oh papa, please don't hurt her. Not anymore than you already have." Elois whined.

Ivan snapped his fingers and made the smoky image of the woman disappear, "You don't want your precious mama hurt? Then stick to the plan. Get rid of the ugly panther-wolf spawn and Tolys' little parasite if you must. Stick to the halfling like glue." He snapped and put on a childish smile, "If you still have trouble, use that potion I gave you. To speed things up."

Elois panicked and shook his head, "B-but papa. That potion. It's the same one you forced Tolys to use on Gale's parents. We're still young. I don't want to do that to her!"

"Then keep up with that enduring and naive act. Girls can't resist a shy boy." Ivan winked, "Now. I must cheer up your mother. I"ll leave things to you, my sweet boy." The smoke disappeared.

Elois sniffled and held the stone to his chest, "Don't worry mama. I'll save you and Paris. And we'll run away from him. Far away from him and be happy somewhere else."

xXx

"You want me to do WHAT?!"

A week has past. Feliciano arrived in the Northern Kingdom with his family and his brother's family. Martina and Roderich personally escorted the families to the castle to explain the situation. And to ask Feliciano for help. Their request made the color drain from the man's face. From shock and fear.

Martina took his hands, "Please Feli. Our children, your brother, is out there; across the ocean! We need to bring them home."

Tolys stepped forward, "Feliciano. It's more than likely that a storm destroyed the ship and they washed up on the shore of the mainland. Erika is too large to navigate through the clouds. Also, you have a special bond with your twin. You'll be able to find him, Alfred and the children quickly." He added.

Feliciano pulled his hands away from Martina as he began to nervously pull on his hair. Emma, who had become Lovino's wife later on, grabbed the short man's shirt and pulled him up against her so she was in his face. A pair of grey wolf ears appeared on her head.

"That is my husband out there Feli! The father of my son. He needs to be here! You have to do this." Emma growled like a wolf. Feliciano squeaked as he began to tear up. Ned intervened and pried Emma away from him, "Sister. Don't terrify him. You know he's skittish." He grumbled.

Feliciano squeaked again when a boy with messy brown hair and big, green eyes pulled on his shirt, "Uncle Feli. I want my papa to come back. I was sad when he didn't travel with us." He gulped. The man turned away from the boy, "Roman. Don't use those eyes. Please." He sniffled.

Julchen walked up to Feliciano's family. It consisted of Eva and a little girl the same age as Roman. The girl had long auburn hair with the blue-green eyes of her mother. Eva had longer hair worn in a braid tied off by a purple ribbon.

"Perhaps his family should help him decide." Julchen suggested. Feliciano turned to Eva and their daughter, "Eva. Carrina. What should I do?" He asked softly.

Carrina hugged her father's stomach, "Go save uncle Lovi." She cooed. Eva caressed his cheek, "I'd rather you not go somewhere unknown but . . . this is an important mission. Your brother and several others could be in danger. And only you can deliver the message. You must do this. Come back with good news." She smiled.

Erika put a hand on Eva's shoulder, "If him going alone is what you're most worried about, I'll accompany him. He just has to fly above the clouds by himself. I fly that high and I'll more than likely freeze from the cold air." Ella and Lukas immediately protested this suggestion.

"No mama! You can't leave too." Ella whined as she clung to her mother's legs. "I've lost you once before, Erika. I am not losing you again." Lukas huffed.

Erika patted Ella's head, scooping up the little girl and looking down at Lukas. "I don't want to leave you two here. But, as Eva said, this is an important mission. And I have no problem joining Feliciano. You both know, heck everyone here knows I'm very strong. I am in no way fragile. I'll handle myself." She rested her forehead against Lukas'.

Lukas was quiet for a long moment before he sighed in defeat, "Damn. How can you be so nice yet so stubborn at the same time?" He smirked. "It's a gift. Remember you fell in love with all of me. Not just my good things." Erika teased.

And the plan was set in motion. Early the next morning, the families saw Erika and Feliciano off.

"Now, you don't have to necessarily come back with them. But that would be nice." Martina laughed nervously. Erika rolled her eyes, "Despite my size, I would not be able to bring them all back. My scales are smooth so if it were to rain, they'd fall right off and I am the wrong animal to be diving into that cold sea." She sighed.

Ella gave Erika a quick hug, "Come back safe mama." She mumbled. Erika kissed her head, "I will. I promise." She assured.

"Hey Rika. Catch!" Ned tossed a long handled battle axe to Erika who caught it with ease, "Just in case."

Erika snickered, "I haven't used this in years." She carefully ran her finger along the blade. Martina's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Do you still know how to use it?" She cooed.

The blonde gripped the handle, "Let's see if I do. I must be out of shape. It seems heavier than I remember." She smirked. With a swift arm motion, Erika managed to spin the large axe in a circle a couple times before gracefully slicing the blade along the sandy shores. Martina, Emma and Julchen cheered gleefully.

Lukas, Matthew and Tolys looked completely bewildered. Erika never used a weapon due to her ability to shapeshift so seeing her wield something as powerful as her animal form was something very shocking.

"Powerful yet done with such elegance! I love it!" Martina grinned, "I can only hope I taught Ronald well enough to use one."

"I'd be happy to teach him. A battle axe, especially one with a long handle like mine, is not easy to master." Erika winked. "I've taught him to use one similar. I myself use a long handled battle axe." Martina giggled.

"She's very good with it. It's scary." Feliciano shuddered. Erika seemed entrigged, "Really? Then allow me to spar with you once this whole situation is done with." She chuckled.

Matthew hid behind Julchen, "Remind me not to get on their bad sides." He gulped. "Don't worry about the axe. The only way it can seriously hurt you is with a swift motion." Julchen laughed.

Emma grinned, "Oh yeah. Fast movement can be deadly. Once Erika used it to stop a bandit from terrorizing our village. She sliced through one of his legs like butter."

Ned nodded, "She cut his leg clean off. Muscle, bone and all."

Sakura lightly touched the two katanas on her back, "My swords are nothing." She said softly.

Lukas stepped forwards, "These two must be going now. We've wasted enough time." He sighed. Erika nodded to Lukas and then to Feliciano. The blonde woman put the axe on her back. Her and Feliciano spread their wings, quickly changing into their animals forms before flying off towards the clouds.

xXx

A couple more days passed. Gale has fully recovered and was happily discovering so many new things with the people of the village. She learned that dragons shapeshifters still existed and chose to live a more simple way of life away from the Cardinal island.

Mathias took the group to other surrounding villages, telling them everything he knew. Mateo and Ronald even struck up some diplomatic trade deals with various leaders. Xavier and Gale ate up every new detail, scribbling everything into journals. Arlo learned cool and more efficient ways to hunt, as a human and animal. Alfred was able to learn how to use potions, giving him a connection to small amounts of magic. Lovino ate up a lot of food and learned different cooking techniques. Elois learned with everyone but he seemed very skittish most of the time. This made Xavier and Arlo suspicious so the two kept an eye on them.

In the late afternoon on this day, Mathias brought the company back to his village.

"I'm glad you all are enjoying yourselves. I've never seen so many people this eager to learn." Mathas chuckled.

"Xavier and I are wizards. We're naturally curious about everything." Gale smirked.

"The mainland is not at all what our mother described it as. The people are very nice and the only dangerous thing is that almost everyone living here is an animal shapeshifter." Mateo inquired. Mateo nodded in agreement.

"People acted so horribly to keep pirates and other dastardly sea goers away from our peaceful home." Mathias sighed, "It was a method to protect us."

"Well now, you have us to rely on. We can keep the peace here and make an alliance." Ronald smiled, "Ma used to be a sea traveler herself. She'd be able to navigate the waters."

"We don't have anything like royalty here so I do hope we can trust your parents." Mathias nodded slowly.

Alfred yawned and stretched his arms, "Enough talk. Why don't we get started on some grub? We walked more than usual today."

Mathias snickered, "Certainly. That sounds like a great idea."

Just before they could leave the tent, a smoke bomb was released into it. It created a thick fog and lasted for several minutes. Once Xavier and Lovino were able to clear it up, they did a head count.

Mathias coughed as he waved away leftover smoke, "What in the world was that?" He blinked.

"Gale and Elois are gone!" Alfred gasped. "Ah shit." Lovino groaned.

Arlo balled up his hands, "I knew that Elois guy was suspicious. He ran away with her somewhere!" He huffed.

"Easy Arlo. We don't know if it was him." Ronald laughed nervously.

"No, I agree. He has been on edge ever since we came here! He's hiding something." Xavier snapped.

"Guys calm down!" Alfred shouted to get their attention, "Let's not go pointing fingers just yet. That will get us nowhere."

The group of boys began to talk and argue inside the tent. Behind a tree, Elois stood with Ivan. Gale was thrown over Ivan's shoulder, passed out.

"Good work with that smoke bomb. You're getting better at your magic." Ivan snickered softly.

"P-papa, we need to head back home before anyone notices." Elois gulped. Ivan nodded curtly, "Yes. Let's get moving before the halfling wakes up. My magic is getting stronger but it's not like it used to be." He ran deeper into the trees. Elois looked at the tent before following after his father.

xXx

After a couple hours of shouting and arguing, Mathias and Lovise forced the boys to stop and eat. Mathias wanted the arguing to stop and Lovise was worried about the food getting cold. She was also very annoyed. It was a very quiet and tense meal.

Just as they were finished eating, a blonde girl around Arlo's age came running up to Mathias. She had long hair and kept it pulled back in two pigtails.

"Dad, a man and a woman with wings have landed on the shore!" The girl gulped. Lovise got up with Mathias, "Gunvor. Keep an eye on the village while we investigate." She ordered. Gunvor nodded.

Mathias shapeshifted into a dragon and flew ahead. Lovise made her way through the trees. Alfred and Lovino silenced the boys but urged them to follow them and Lovise. When they made it to the treeline, Mathias landed just to the left of them and roared.

"Like I'm scared of you! I can do that too!" Shouted a woman's voice.

Lovise gasped, "Another female shapeshifter?" She stared in awe.

"God dammit." Lovino and Alfred said in unison.

"Hey Mathias! Don't do anything. We know them!" Xavier called out as he stepped out of the treeline with everyone else. Mathias nodded and shapeshifted back to his human form.

Feliciano squealed when he saw his brother and tackled him in a hug, "Oh thank goodness. You're okay!" He began to cry.

Lovino grumbled as he patted his twin's back, "I'm not weak you know. I can fucking take care of myself." He scoffed.

Erika walked up to Alfred and promptly punched him in the jaw. Alfred fell to the ground.

"That was from all the parents with missing children. Damn you for supporting their reckless adventure!" Erika hissed and kicked him in the groin, "And that's from your brother. He says you're an idiot."

"I deserved all of that." Alfred tried to laugh it off. Xavier healed the older man's jaw, "I'm shocked she didn't break it." He gulped. Erika took her battle axe off her back and pointed it at Alfred's neck.

"He's lucky I didn't use my battle axe. I didn't because I would've cut off his head." Erika snorted, pulling the axe away from Alfred and looking at the kids, "Where is my daughter and that Elois kid?" She questioned.

Xavier bit his lip, "Them, yeah. Th-that's a funny story. A really funny story." He chuckled nervously.

"They got kidnapped. Something along those lines." Arlo finished in a blunt tone.

Feliciano let go of Lovino and Erika dropped her battle axe, "THEY WERE WHAT?!" They both shouted.

Oh heck yeah. Things are heating up now! I finally figured out what I wanted to do with this story. And I am looking forward to writing more. I will be starting on another story along with writing this one. So that way if I get stuck on this or need a break, I can go to another story.

The other story is gonna include a ton of my Hetalia OCs. More specifically, the OCs I created of the 50 states. I've got some stupid, dramatic story in mind for it. And I plan on writing it in a first person perspective with one of the characters. Look forward to that.

I also may write something completely different. I have several smaller story ideas to choose from. Until next time my fellow Hetalians, hasta la pasta! ~Mistress Churro