One Last Fairytale: Someone's Waiting for You
As a new morning rises in the castle of Main Hetalia, things once started to get lively. Every single occupants in the castle rushed about to get things fixed up for the upcoming event.
Alfred woke up with a yawn when rays of sunlight shimmered through his closed eyelids. Groaning, he sat up on bed and found himself covered on his brother's Ivan favourite purple blanket. Sitting up on his bed, his sky blue eyes scanned the surrounding, finding himself to be in Ivan's room, not his room.
"How'd I get in here?" He asked himself.
"If it wasn't because of a certain self-proclaimed hero got a nightmare and snuck out of bed again." Ivan suddenly appeared at the door, fully dressed for the day already.
"Stop making fun of me, heroes don't do that!" Alfred whined in protest.
"But I thought you enjoy listening to my story about a prince and his beautiful servant girl." Ivan continued to tease the younger prince.
"S-Shut it!" Alfred yelled back, his face was flustered red. He was about to fire a string of cursing words but Arthur suddenly appeared by the doorway.
"Alfred, why are you still in your nightclothes while being in Ivan's room?" The scowl in his father's face told him that he won't be able to get away this time. "You sneaked out at night again?! Seriously, I thought I taught you better than that bloody frog. Just when will you stop all this? What will people think about you if they see the crown prince walking down the hallway in the middle of the night wearing nightclothes while finding shelter just because of a nightmare? You know how embarrassing it was for someone like you who is going to turn eighteen soon."
Alfred let Arthur continued with his rambling non-stop while kept nodding his head. His parents have been quite pesky lately as his eighteen birthday was approaching. All these days were like hell to him, days of endless classes and lessons, later hand-to-hand combat as well as swords practicing, and followed by etiquette class. After all that, he has to go through several fitting session for his birthday where his parents had decided to throw a ball where he could chose his future queen-to-be or spouse or whatever. To be truth, Alfred had never liked any of these. Well, for the least, he once dreamed to be a king like his fathers but that thought blurred into nothing after the incident eleven years ago. He wishes to have his own life like the prince and princess who gave up their royal title just to be together, or like the prince who ran away with his lover. That was the happiness he had wished for. Though he doubted having that kind of ending, but his brother wanted him to believe in these stories, in hope that he will get his own Happily Ever After. Alfred couldn't care less about that, though he did noticed that his brother would be in a depressed state from time to time that he would scared people off.
Arthur had finally let Alfred returned back to his room after his lecture that could probably last for an hour. Alfred had himself dressed in fine silk clothes Arthur had specifically picked it up for him. His schedule would started out as usual. In the morning, he would have breakfast with King Francis and King Arthur in private as a sort of family bonding time. After that, he would go through several boring lesson like history, politics and meeting with the officials, he could paid less attention for that. His physical training came next until the sun had finally descended in the horizon only then he will drag his lifeless body back into the castle to have dinner and enjoyed a little freedom he was allowed.
Francis was already at the dining waiting for them the moment they arrived the royal dining hall. He smiled a little when welcoming them while hugging Arthur before planting a kiss on his cheeks. Alfred couldn't help but noticed how much Francis and Arthur had aged since the last time he saw them (back then when he was just seven years old). Those smooth skin were now marked with some fringes and wrinkles and were no longer as bright as before. He certainly had outgrown them due to his strength and now they appeared small and low to the ground when compared to him. He soon realized that how much he missed spending time with them, but he had let those time go waste.
Alfred sat across his parents on the table while the family began digging in their food. All the time Alfred could feel the stares emanating from them and felt uneasily. They were monitoring his etiquette, table manners to be specific. Under their pressure, panic taken over him and he picked up the wrong spoon to scoop his soup. The moment when he realized it, it was too late. He could saw Arthur scowled and shook his head in disagree in the corner of his eyes, Francis on the other hand tried not to show his expression but Alfred could noticed the hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"Alfred, how many times should you pick the wrong spoon? We are running out of time." Arthur complaint.
"But I'm trying…"
"Cheri, I think we should leave him alone. He seems nervous under our watch." Francis suggested helpfully.
Arthur just sighed at what Francis said. "If he had been like this, then how is he going to react in front of our guest?"
"You seems like you're behaving like your father." Francis commented.
"I won't be like him and I'm not him." Arthur corrected. "To tell you the truth, I handled my class way better than him but that bastard father of mine still think I'm not enough. You should be glad that I'm considered lenient already."
"If it's the case, you shouldn't force me into marriage." Alfred whined while making puppy eyes. His expression failed to win over Arthur's sympathy, even Francis did not buy it.
"It's tradition that all crown prince must ascend to the throne and get married by the time when he turn eighteen. Though we will still rule by your side, but someday the nation will be on your shoulders once we passed away." Arthur said as if he recited those words out from a book.
"And in the end, you still forced me into marriage." Alfred said sullenly.
"Non Alfred, have you learned about the history of the Old Northern Kingdom?" Francis asked back. "Do you know what caused the West Kingdom and Southeast Kingdom to rebel against Main Hetalia?"
Alfred wondered why would Francis brought up his history lesson, maybe he was testing him on something. He thought back what he had learned during his lesson, somehow finding the incident quite related to the story his fathers had told him before. "It's because that you and dad were in love but the old king whom you said to be my grandpa forbids your relationship, so papa saved you and escaped to the North Kingdom. Grandpa got angry, so he attacks the North Kingdom."
Arthur found it embarrassing when Alfred related the story that he punched Francis weakly on the arm (he also got furious on Alfred's bad grammar on you and dad). "F-Francis, you bloody frog. Why do you make him say this?"
Francis grinned a little that he stretched one of his arm to envelope Arthur in a hug. "Oh hush, mon Cherie. I'm just going to teach Alfred a lesson."
"And what's this thing all about?" Alfred asked, hands on his hips.
"If it wasn't because of us, you wouldn't have been here anyway." Arthur reasoned.
"And because of that, Mattie left me…" Alfred grumbled on, which caused Arthur to smack him on the back.
That wasn't the point, you idiot!" Arthur practically yelled back at him. "It actually means that we don't want you to go through what we have been through. You can have all the freedom you want in picking your spouse, we won't object lest that person is good to you and us."
"And you are still forcing me into marriage."
"Alfred, this matters your future." Francis said, his tone was serious, which was unusual. "On your birthday night, you'll be introduced with all eligible young man and woman where you'll pick your future spouse."
"This is not fun at all." Alfred whined, "I can only marry someone whom I love."
Francis laughed a little at Alfred's little complain. "No worries, you'll fall in love with someone sooner or later." He made a wink at Arthur but the later pretend not to see it. "Just like how me and your daddy fell in love at the first sight. I'm sure you will find someone you like in the ball. And soon, you'll know what love is like."
Alfred wasn't in any much of a mood to listen his parents but he obeyed them willingly since everything has been done according to the plans. He sighed a little, thinking about what the future was like getting married and sitting on the throne his fathers' once sat on. It would be tough having to deal with another half. He highly doubted that he could find the right person whom he will be spending the rest of his life with. Still, he found himself getting anxious about his birthday as the days were approaching. His fathers will be reopening the castle to the public (the last time being Alfred's seventh birthday) where he can finally see the outside world again and meet with lots of people. Excitedly, he left the dining hall to continue with the schedule his parents had planned for him for the upcoming days.
Summer has finally come in the North Kingdom. Little flowers and greenery can be seen covering the usually snow covered land, giving it off a little of life and colour.
High Princess Natalia woke up early in the morning. As usual, she would take a bath and clean herself before getting Felix help on getting dressed. Kiku would brought her breakfast after that before she started off her daily routine.
Natalia had been crowned High Princess of the North Kingdom a year ago where she soon ascended to the throne that once belonged to her mother. For her, being orphaned as an infant to grow up as a strong ruler of the kingdom. It was something to be behold. Just nineteen and already ruling the kingdom to peace, prosperity and tranquillity with much power in possess. Yet, rumours had it that she's an ice princess because of her cool, cold and calculating behaviour. Many eligible royals had come to ask for her hand in marriage but she would turn down their offer.
"You look, tote like, fantastic, my lady." Felix took a moment to marvel at the dress he had specifically chosen for Natalia today. Natalia examined her outfit at the mirror before sitting down before her dressing table where Felix would help her brush her silver blonde locks.
Kiku brought breakfast the moment when Felix had finished brushing Natalia's hair. "My lady, here's your breakfast." Kiku said with a slight bow. Natalia eyed the tray of food before gesturing Kiku to place it on her table.
After finishing her breakfast, she stepped out from her chambers, with Kiku at her side. Rows of servants and maids greeted her a good morning as she walked down the hall towards where the meeting room would be.
"Good morning, your majesty." Three men greeted her as she arrived in the meeting hall. Natalia recognized them as Toris, Eduard and Raivis. Eduard is her adviser in both military and politics, which he was very smart in it. Raivis is a messenger in charge of delivering message from kingdom to kingdom. The last of all, Toris is her personal bodyguard whenever she has to go for a trip outside the castle. There's also a rumour had it that she had feelings for Toris because she treated Toris better than anyone else.
"Is there any important thing today?" She questioned. Raivis shivered a little at her cold demeanour. Shuddering, he walked up to her and handed a sealed letter in front of her. "Y-Your majesty, I-I received a letter f-from the king of M-Main Hetalia…" Her eyes widened at the news from her parents that she snatched the letter from Raivis hands. "Do you know what this thing is about?" She asked the messenger boy. Raivis shivered even harder before replying, "I don't know exactly what the content is about. But from what I heard, it must be an invitation from Main Hetalia to attend Crown Prince Alfred's eighteen birthday."
Natalia eyed Kiku from the corner of her eyes. Though the servant tried to hide his expression, she could notice that his eyebrows seemed to raise a bit at the news and his eyes shone with anxiety. She knew what was in the servant boy's mind but decided not to bring it up in front of the people. So she choose to ignore Kiku for a moment while focusing on her work.
"Is there anything else?" She asked them.
Eduard pushed his glasses up his nose before flipping through several pages on his file. "It seems like there's some riots happening at the west of the North Kingdom. Matthias and Berwald brought us news that people were rebelling there because of a lack of resources and how they didn't get what they want."
Natalia knew well enough about that. It has been years since the Old Northern Kingdom collapse and yet part of the kingdom was still in desperate state to recover. The west part especially was badly damaged and wreaked that resources were cut off after the war. Though help has been given, it was not enough, so reconstruction was out of the question as well.
"The rebels are requesting that their needs is provided as soon as possible. They also request that you could develop or open up that area so that it is easier to be access from the outside city." Eduard continued. "If you are alright with that, then Toris will accompany you to the west area to meet them."
Natalia pondered about the situation in her mind. She really wishes to go and meet the people who were desperately in need but then she had a meeting with the officers later too. "But I already had an arranged meeting with some officers in the afternoon."
There was a knock at the door. Liech came in with some papers with her. "Sorry to interrupt, your highness, but I got something to tell you." Natalia waved her hand as a gesture for Liech to continue. "The officers had requested for the meeting this afternoon to be cancelled."
What perfect timing, Natalia thought to herself, but why? "Did they state their reason for not attending? It's not possible that the three of them couldn't attend together in one time."
"The west rebel has been concerning. They wished to go oversee the place while trying to help out the people there." Liech informed. "Is that alright with you?"
Natalia nodded in agreement while planning out her schedule for today, "Since I also planned on going to the west for some errand, we could have the meeting cancel if it's not anything important." She then turned to Liech. "I trust on you and Vash to manage the castle while I'm away. Toris will accompany me to the site." She then turned around to order Kiku to help her pack her stuff.
Everything was soon done in a rush. The officers which Natalia originally planned to meet, Lukas, Emil and Tino had decided to accompany them in another carriage, which Natalia was extremely grateful of them for giving her some private space. They are officers from different parts of the North Kingdom and she trusted them enough in maintaining peace in the kingdom.
They departed for the west area as soon as the packing were done. Toris will accompany Natalia in the same carriage. One of the knight in training, Peter, whose appearance always reminded her of her father Arthur's thick eyebrow was so persistent to go with them, believing he could prove himself useful to the team. It was strange though, for a boy at the age of twelve to be serving the military, energetic and flowing with (over)confidence. No one could convince the child to stay, so they decided to just bring him along where he would be in the carriage with the officers (since Tino is good at handling him for some reasons).
As the carriage soon made its way across the street, Toris noticed Natalia straying elsewhere. Her deep blue eyes locked outside and stared across the deep horizon as if in search of something. Those eyes that could paralyzed people were now so soft and unnatural, as if a sudden movement will ruin it.
"Natalia?" Toris was the one who broke the silence. Natalia snapped from her thought and turned her head back to face her personal bodyguard. "Yes Toris?" She asked, Toris noted how gentle her voice sounded now. "Is there something bugging you? I notice something… wrong with you when Raivis brought you the message from Main Hetalia."
Natalia stiffen a bit at what the young man had said. She really have to give credit for his skills in observation. "Regarding that letter, it has something related to Kiku." Natalia answered back. "That servant boy?" Toris questioned back, Natalia just nodded. "It's… A very long story… Like a once upon a time…"
It was another boring meeting in the castle of the west kingdom. All the while Gilbert would try to keep himself awake but to no avail. He can't even listen properly to what the person was delivering. Still, Ludwig remained as attentive like the serious boy he used to be. Gilbert found it admiring, for his brother still remaining alert throughout the lengthy meeting.
"Bruder, you're slacking off again in the meeting." Ludwig nudged his brother on the shoulder once the meeting was dismissed. "But west, don't you ever feel boring? It's all the same everyday, talking about economy and politics and discussing issue."
"But it's our job," Ludwig reasoned. Gilbert just shrugged his shoulders, "If only you're born older than me, then maybe you will take my place instead." Ludwig chuckled a bit and slung one of his arm over the albino's shoulder. "I guess it's a no, thank you."
The two brothers walked into their study room where they could have some privacy. Gilbert walked to his desk and unloaded his file which were full of paper chunks. He leaf through them in one glance before trashing all of them into a dustbins beside his table. They were after all, just trash of drafted sheet that had gone waste. He was about to continue with his job but something in the trash bin caught his eye.
"What is it, bruder?" Ludwig walked up and asked in concern. Gilbert bent down to retrieve the piece that gotten his attention. It was a sealed letter. But when did it appeared inside Gilbert's file, among a pile of useless documents? Perhaps someone dropped it, or someone slipped it into his file without him noticing.
"When did this letter appeared in my file?" Gilbert asked himself, Ludwig just shrugged. "It must be something important if it is for us." Ludwig then took a good look at the seal and immediately recognized it. "That seal… It's from Main Hetalia." Main Hetalia? Gilbert perked up immediately, it has been awhile since they received news from Main Hetalia. What is it about this time?
"One way to find out." Gilbert said as he took out a small knife he kept in his desk drawer. He cut the waxed seal before taking out the piece of paper in the envelope. Ludwig edged closer in hope to find out the content in the paper. Gilbert's crimson red eyes scanned through the paper before he let out a gasp.
"What is it about?" Ludwig asked in concern.
"Not much of a matter." Gilbert replied, "It's an invitation from King Arthur and King Francis regarding a masquerade ball to be hosted on Crown Prince Alfred's eighteen birthday."
Ludwig reached out for the letter from his brother's hand and read through the content. "It says here that all eligible young man or young lady who had not married or engaged were invited to attend. Classes and social status were not a matter."
"Sounds like a good time for a break, kesese…" Gilbert chuckled a bit. "I bet King Arthur and King Francis must be trying to find a suitable spouse for Prince Alfred."
"Are you interested in winning Prince Alfred's hand?" Ludwig joked.
"Nein!" Gilbert protested, "I just want a break. It's been awhile since visit Main Hetalia."
There was a knock at the door and in came Roderich and Elizaveta. Both brothers turned their attention to their guests. "I thought the two of you should be working. It seems like the two of you are slacking." Elizaveta made a mischievous grin.
"It won't harm, right?" Gilbert retorted back, "After all those boring meetings, I just need some time for myself."
Roderich noticed a piece of paper laid on the table and went to read it. "So I see, we got an invitation."
"What is it, Roderich?" Elizaveta moved closer to her husband to get a peek of the letter.
"Arthur and Francis were planning to hold a masquerade ball so that Prince Alfred could find his future spouse." Roderich replied.
"It has been a long time since we last met." Elizaveta said. Ever since that incident, Arthur had requested that the castle door remained close for a certain amount of period of time. During those moment, the castle lived on like a dead shell. Visitors were limited, even the royals and nobles from other kingdom were not allowed unless it was something urgent, so it was quite rare for them to receive their letters these days. Not too long, Elizaveta told herself, the castle door will soon opened up again become lively again.
"I would like to attend." Elizaveta squealed. "It has been awhile since we attend such a grand event. Also, I miss my cousin and his husband very much. I would like to see them."
"And don't forget us." Gilbert proudly proclaimed himself. "How can you forget the awesome us who were also part of the nobility?"
Elizaveta rolled her eyes at Gilbert's behaviour before saying, "I didn't say you're not allowed to attend. You are now the ruler of this kingdom, so it's up to you to decide yourself whether you're going to go or not." Roderich caught the smirk on his wife's face and felt something not right. "Elizaveta, is there something you're planning on?"
"Oh, you're a sharp one, Roderich." Gilbert and Ludwig felt their blood went cold as they saw the devious smirk appeared on her face. "It's time that the two of you went to the ball and find yourself a suitable spouse."
"Are you expecting us to find someone we love in the ball and married them? What ridiculous thing is that?" Gilbert exclaimed while Ludwig flushed in embarrassment.
"The invitation here says that all young man and women who had not get married were allowed to attend, and status was not a matter in here. I doubt that you can't find the person you like amongst so many of them."
Gilbert gave Roderich a pleading look in hope that Roderich will try to persuade Elizaveta from forcing them into marriage so soon. But Roderich was undaunted as he adjusted his glasses. "For once, I agree with what you say, Elizaveta. It should be time to let the boys learn to be a true adult."
She said while placing both her hands at her hips, as if she was their mother. "Moreover, you're already twenty-six and still not married. This is seen as a threat to the kingdom as other nobles will try to win over the throne with their heir."
"But that's not fair. I can only marry the person whom I truly love, not by the first sight or just a moment of pleasure." Gilbert lamented.
"You won't know until you find out yourself." Roderich told him calmly. "I know the chances you find someone you may be one in a million but it is still better than zero chances."
"Fine, I will try if I could woo anyone." Gilbert said as he slammed his fist angrily on the table before walking out. Roderich and Elizaveta shook their head disapprovingly. Ludwig watched his brother left the study before decided to follow him. He knew there was something up in Gilbert's thought, just that he was too stubborn to admit it.
Ludwig found Gilbert walking up flight of stairs that led up to the part of the castle which was usually abandoned. This place, if he remembered clearly, was once their playroom where they spent the most of their childhood hidden in the depth of the castle while keeping them away from the adult world. But now, this place has only became the mere shell of their memories.
Gilbert walked into their playroom, now dusty and covered in cobwebs. Their toys were put away, being left to ignore. Ludwig watched as Gilbert went to open a drawer and pulled out something that looks like a fabric out from it.
"West, I know you're out there." Ludwig flinched a little when Gilbert said that. Slowly, he stepped into the room like a child who was caught red-handed. "S-Sorry…" Ludwig said sheepishly, "I'm just… worried about you…"
"I always know you understand better than me." Gilbert said. He held the piece of fabric on his hands, the scarf that once belonged to Ivan. He had spent some of his free time threading and mending it, trying to revert it back to its original one. Sadly, it can never remain as new as before. Gilbert had joined all the fabric together back into one piece with strings of various colours. The red hearts he once sew for Ivan were still intact and new like before. In the middle of the scarf, Gilbert had embroidered a blue heart.
For once, Ludwig admired his brother's skill in embroidery. He had learn this since he was a young boy. And no matter how cruel his hands may be from all the sword training he has been through, he still can have his soft spot from time to time. Gilbert ignored his brother's stares as he gently folded the scarf and placed it back into the drawer with utmost care.
Ever since they left Main Hetalia, both princes were being thrown into an endless training sessions. They could care less things around them, being trained by Elizaveta and Roderich 24/7 to get themselves equipped with their duties as a royal. They could hardly take a break, and it has been a while since they last saw the children from other kingdoms. But then, Ludwig knew more, Gilbert must be thinking about that person whom he cares a lot when young.
"Are you still thinking about that person you wished to meet in Main Hetalia?" Ludwig asked knowingly.
Gilbert was silent for a moment. He then sat on the bed pondering about his jumbled feelings. Ludwig followed soon, sitting next to his brother like those days they were little children. Ludwig don't have much memories about his parents, he didn't even utter a single word in front of them before, and so Gilbert is the only person whom he could confide in.
"West, do you remember what I say on the day before we left for Main Hetalia?" Gilbert asked, breaking the silence.
"I remembered you spent the whole day training with Roderich. You must've want to train yourself stronger, wasn't it?"
Gilbert nodded, before pressing on, "West, what will you do if you lost someone important to you? Or what if that person was sad and despair? What would you do to help that person you cared about?"
"If it is for me, I will do my best to protect the person I treasured even though it may cost my life. And also, some comfort to cheer him up." Ludwig replied, his blue eyes gazed across the distance as if thinking something.
Gilbert smiled a bit at the answer received. "I'm glad that you're willing to give everything to protect the person whom you treasure. But the problem is, what will you do if you failed to protect him?"
"I will try harder." Ludwig answered, "Make him realise my effort for him."
"You may think it's easy, right?" Gilbert questioned. "But it seems like it was harder than I thought." He leaned on his brother's shoulder while thinking of the past. "I had tried to protect him, but ended up hurting him instead."
At this point, Ludwig was silent. He knew there's no other word to comfort his brother. He know Gilbert has someone whom he treasured, but he never truly know the full details about it. All he knew was, his brother was determined to protect that person. In the end, that person ended up having a sort of depression which caused them to separate.
"But, since you're going to meet him, sooner or later. So don't you think this is an opportunity to mend the past?" Ludwig asked.
"I would hope so." Gilbert said. "This time, I will truly protect him, and tell him what I felt about him."
Ludwig decided to use this as an opportunity to dig out his brother's scarred love. "But then, you never tell me what actually happened between you and that person. So how am I going to help you when you're in trouble?"
"It was because that you're too young to understand." Gilbert replied in a mocking way. "But since you're my awesome bruder, I will tell you. Just don't tell other people, ja?"
"Ja," Ludwig replied simply.
"It began on a certain very ordinary day or perhaps so as I thought…"
**Natalia and Gilbert's thought in parallel perceptions. A change of paragraph means the change of perceptions. Italic belongs to Natalia's viewpoint while Gilbert's story was in Underline.**
Once upon a time, there were two princes living in the beautiful Hetalia kingdom. The older one was strong and charming, the younger brother was smart and courageous.
Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince from the North Kingdom, soul and arms of steel, but luckless on his love. He falls in love with a beautiful servant that had taken care of him since young.
Since young, they had a company, a young servant who was almost at the same age as they do. They spend a lot of their time playing together in the castle garden. Over the time, the elder prince started to have feelings for the servant as well.
Then one day, the prince met a prince from the West Kingdom when he was off visiting. They are the most awesome friends ever. But then, the West Kingdom prince can never win over the prince heart as he knew that the prince was in love with the beautiful servant girl. He was jealous, but was not willing to break up them, so all he could do was to pray for the prince's happiness.
But one day, the castle was being attacked by a group of mad soldiers. The king woke the two princes and told them to run and get out of the castle. The two of them ran down the stairs and headed off to the exit. But the elder prince suddenly thinks of the servant whom he cares about and went off to rescue her, leaving his other twin who was still on the run.
During the time when the West prince stay in the North prince's place, the North Kingdom castle was being attacked by a group of rebels. The princes who were playing in a room got shocked by the attack that they quickly ran down the hall to escape. On their way, however, they got surrounded by the rebel soldiers, so they had to fight through them. But then, in the midst of the fight, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, which separate the two princes. They cannot reached out to each other so they have to run on their own and find their way out alone.
The other prince who made his way outside the castle soon discovered that his brother was nowhere to be seen. He was afraid that his brother was still trapped inside the castle. Worried, he ran back inside to search for his twin brother. But the moment when he stepped back into the castle, the mad soldiers caught up with him and killed him.
While the North prince was busy fighting off the soldiers, he did not noticed another soldier sneaking behind him planning to give him an ambush. All he could heard was a shriek before he felt someone lunged onto him from behind. He turned around only to find the servant girl fell onto the ground, lifeless. Her body a crimson red and a knife on her back. Angered, he killed the other soldiers while the rest ran away. He tried to wake her up with true love kiss but she never wake up, which leave him devastated.
The king recovered the younger prince's body and mourned over his son's death. The older prince managed to save the servant and get out of the castle unscathed. But when he received news of his brother's death, he thought that it was a lie and was not willing to accept it. The servant did her best in comforting him but he was too stubborn to accept the reality. At some point, he finally snapped and banished the servant from his side. The servant had gotten really sad at what the prince had done to her. In the end, she left him and the castle as well…
After the death of the servant girl, the North prince shut himself away from the world. The West prince tried to make him open up but he refused to. No matter what the West prince had tried, the North prince remained unhappy, particularly blaming himself for not able to protect the person he loved. Albeit reluctant, he West prince was forced to return home because of his duties for the country, the North prince was once again being left alone…
"And since then, they had not met…" Natalia sighed as she watched a distance away, remembering the painful separation.
"But he still remember him…" Gilbert let his mind wondered back to those time where he wished it had never ended in this way.
**Both having the same thought**
It's a fairytale, a story that went wrong.
It's a fairytale, but remained incomplete, waiting to be finished.
If only things are different…
If only we could go through that fate…
If only we could go back…
If and only if…
I only wish to make them smile.
"No way, you're cheating, again!" Alfred yelled when he failed to defeat Ivan again for another time.
"I didn't cheat. It was you who didn't learn well enough." Ivan grinned mischievously.
"You are no fun at all." Alfred spat out his tongue at Ivan while swinging his sword.
"And you're bad in fighting too." Ivan teased.
"Nonsense! I'm the hero, and hero will continue fighting until they win, cos' it's justice that will prevail."
"Try if you dare." Ivan glared back menacingly.
"Alfred, Ivan, it's getting late now. Why are you two still at outside?" Arthur called out for them, "Get inside now, dinner will be served soon."
"I guess it's next time." Ivan said as he went to keep his sword into its sheath. "Count yourself lucky this time. But I'll be back, you better remember that." Alfred spat in disgust.
The two prince ran back into the castle where they got changed and ready for dinner. Once done, they quickly approached the hall where the rest of the royal family is waiting. The servant served them their dinner and everyone ate in silence.
Alfred soon decided that it was some time where he could talk with his parents began to open his mouth which was full of food. "Dad, can I succeed the throne without getting married?"
Arthur scowled a little at Alfred's behaviour. Francis just shook his head, meaning that he was not allowed too. "Non Alfred, you can't rule the kingdom if you don't have a queen, or another king by your side."
"But…" Alfred was about to continue protest but Arthur's face got even darker and Francis stern look told him they had enough of his complain. "Listen to your parents, Alfred." Francis reminded him. "I know it's hard for you, but soon you'll get used to it."
"Fine…" Alfred whined and made a pout face while he just gave in to his parent's decision. Ivan just looked at him with some sort of expression he couldn't comprehend.
"Where have the two of you been to?" Elizaveta questioned them the moment when Gilbert and Ludwig returned back to their study.
"Just mopping around…" Gilbert simply made up an excuse in hope to stop her lecture.
"I know you two need a break but just don't go too long, you still have work to do." Elizaveta reminded them and gestured to a pile of documents before leaving. "Roderich and I had done those parts already. Please check through them before certifying it. And those papers were directed to you."
Once Elizaveta left, both brothers sat on their respective table with a huff. "W-Well…" Ludwig smiled an apologetic smile, "Back to work, I guess."
"Yeah…" Gilbert sighed as he reached out for the papers to read through. "But at least you're better than that aristocrat and that skillet lady."
"Say brother, why don't you attend that ball?" Ludwig brought up the topic.
"I have to go anyway. As the leader of the kingdom, and being invited to be there."
"No, not attending just because of a political reason." Ludwig made it clear. "I think this can be a good opportunity for you to meet that person whom you missed."
Gilbert smirked at his brother's suggestion. "I have been thinking about that. And I bet you will find an awesome spouse too. That's an awesome plan for us the awesome brothers."
Things had gone wrong. Natalia was supposed to just visit the West area for three days but ended up being a week. That place seemed like it had been remained like this since the fall of the Old North. She couldn't help at how scarce the food seemed to be at that area and how the war had left the mountain road blocked and broken and entering and exiting the place has become a problem. She had sent soldiers to help clear the path to the village. Next up, she had to plan some ways to help rebuilding the place.
Toris escorted her back to her chamber before he took his leaving. Natalia heaved a sigh before entering the room, only to find Kiku being inside her room cleaning up.
"A-Ah, P-Princess Natalia, i-it's a pleasure to see you back." Kiku made an awkward bow and smiled sheepishly when he saw Natalia by the doorstep.
"Thank you, Kiku. I hope you have been doing well as well." She said as she stepped into the room to her desk.
"Is there anything you need me to do?" Kiku walked up to her side and asked politely.
Natalia paused for a moment before finally facing Kiku. "There's something I need to talk to you."
At once, Kiku felt his heart skipped a beat. What was Natalia going to say to him? Is it good news? Or bad news?
"I'm sure that you've heard about the invitation from Main Hetalia regarding Prince Alfred's birthday." Natalia glanced at the servant boy and noticed hope tugged onto him. "And so I asked, do you have feelings for Prince Alfred?"
Kiku blushed at Natalia's question. He never thought that Natalia would question him about this. "W-Well… I-I guess… I had…" He said almost inaudibly.
"I can't hear you." Natalia demanded him to repeat. Flustered, Kiku just nodded his head in response. After receiving his response, she let out a sigh before saying, "Just as I thought. And, do you want to meet Alfred, for another time?"
Deep down in his heart, Kiku had always yearned to be by Alfred's side and live with him, but he knew that such dream in beyond the impossible. He was just a servant, and servant is not allowed to be involved in royal activities. Trying to hold down his blush, he shook his head, he was lying.
Natalia, however, was not satisfied by his answers. "Kiku, I know you better than anyone else here. When we were young, you always followed Alfred anywhere even when you're stuck with your job. During the time when we left Main Hetalia, you cried a few days because you're not able to see Alfred one last time. Are you sure you are not going to see him? Are you just going to shut yourself away from his life forever?"
"But my lady, I'm just a servant. Prince Alfred will never a lowly person just like me." Kiku said, "Moreover, what if he rejects me? What if he won't recognize me? It hurt too much if this thing ever happen…"
Natalia frowned a bit at Kiku's answer. "Kiku, think about it. Are you willing to see Alfred marry a stranger which he don't even know? How are you so sure that Alfred will be happy married off to a stranger? If you wish to make Alfred smile, then you should try to approach him. Even if he rejects him, pray for his happiness if you want him to be happy. With that, you'll be happy too." She gently nudged Kiku at the shoulder. "Do you think you will really be happy if you continued like this? I think it's time you should enjoy the life of your time."
"My lady… I'm not fit to do so…" Kiku protested weakly, tears streaking down his face.
"At least see Alfred for one last time? It won't hurt that much, right?" Natalia persuaded. "You should learn to appreciate the little freedom you're given." She picked up a box not too far from her desk. The one her servant left in her room not too long ago. "I have asked Felix to pick a suitable clothing for you. You can wear it for the event." She said and placed the box in front of him. "It's up to you to decide whether you want to attend the ball or not, I can't make the decision for you. But I advise that it is better you come so that you won't regret about it."
Kiku held the box in his hands as he processed what Natalia had said. He looked at the content in the box before bowing low before her. "Thank you for all the trouble you have been through just for me, my lady. I will have to consider about it." He said before leaving her room with the box. Natalia watched him leave and silently wished that Kiku made the right choice.
xXx
And finally, the new chapter is up. I have a hard time writing the part when Gilbert and Natalia were telling the stories from their respective views. I made it to be some twist, because it would be boring if things were repeated again. Also, Gilbert and Natalia actually weren't quite clear about Yao and Matthew's death during the incident, so they actually made up their own stories.
In addition to the children approaching adulthood, I have also added some new characters in the Northern Kingdom. Of those are the Baltics, Toris as Natalia's bodyguard, Eduard her adviser and Raivis her messenger. Felix was Natalia's groom. There also features the Nordics where Matthias is a general, Berwald as one of the marshall. The rest are Lukas, Emil and Tino, the three of them are representative that governs every part of the North Kingdom. Oh, and Peter too, he's a knight in training while he tries to act like an adult. Hope you like with this.
And so, I have heard that marriage among same gender had finally been allowed in America. Congratulation, I should said. Though the thought of two people of the same gender getting marry in the real world still terrified me at some point… It was another gigantic leap in history for America and I bet America must have ran off to propose to England right away so that they could get married. 8D Haha, just joking.
The next chapter will be featuring the masquerade ball taking place in Main Hetalia's castle. The characters will be reuniting once again!
And here is the present hierarchy list as given by the original author (edited by me):
Hierarchy of Hetalia Kingdom from highest to lowest (Present day story arc)
- King Arthur and King Francis (Main Hetalia)
- Crown Prince Alfred (Main Hetalia)
- Crown Prince Ivan (Main Hetalia)
-High Prince Antonio (Southeast Kingdom), High Prince Gilbert (Western Kingdom), High Princess Natalia (North Kingdom)
- Ludwig (Western Kingdom), Feliciano (Southeast Kingdom), Lovino (Southeast Kingdom)
- Liech (North Kingdom), Vash (North Kingdom), Elizaveta (Main Hetalia), Matthias (North Kingdom), Lukas (North Kingdom), Emil (North Kingdom), Tino (North Kingdom), Berwald (North Kingdom)
- Roderich (Western Kingdom), Feliks (North Kingdom), Toris (North Kingdom), Raivis (North Kingdom), Eduard (North Kingdom), Peter (North Kingdom).
- Kiku (Nation across the sea)
- Commoners
tsuxken: Thank you so much for reviewing. I have been waiting for this little reward forever and finally! XD I'm glad that you enjoy reading this story. Hope you will stay tune as I continue with my update.