15 years later…
"Well Mr. Kirkland, it was a long night for you, but in the end it'll all be worth it when I show those wankers." A twenty two year old Arthur muttered to himself before he entered the bedroom of his small flat, crashed on the bed, and began snoring.
Arthur had been fortunate to find a relatively cheap flat to live in after he graduated college. Between paying off his student loans as well as buying necessities, Arthur was glad to not have to pay a large rent as well.
Arthur's alarm began beeping and he resisted the temptation to press the snooze button, instead choosing to roll out of bed and drag himself into the shower. After his shower, he dressed, grabbed an apple out the fridge for breakfast and headed out the door.
He had gotten two jobs after graduating, both with each of his parents. On weekdays, he helped out his father, Berwald at an IKEA not too far away. At nights and on the weekends, Arthur would aid his dad, Tino in planning events.
It was a rather hot day and he welcomed the blast of cool air that hit his face as he strolled through the automatic doors. He caught sight of his father and waved to him and the other nodded back. Berwald was a man of few words and he and Arthur didn't interact too much at work. Arthur then headed toward his cashier's station.
By the time his lunch break rolled around, Arthur was relieved to escape the boredom, if only briefly. He decided to buy lunch at the café next door where he usually spent his lunch breaks.
He had brought his journal with him, now somewhat worn from use due to his writing all over it as he fantasized and created characters and settings that he sketched in words on paper. Because he had worked hard in school and college, and now that he had two jobs, Arthur had experienced problems with trying to squeeze in time to write his book. But after a few years, the time spent on the book had added up and Arthur had just sent a manuscript to the Hetalia Books publishing company and was waiting for a response.
After buying and settling down with a cup of tea, a sandwich, and a scone (the café's were good, but of course, his were much better), Arthur was about to begin eating when he was interrupted by a group of his coworkers. Arthur tended to avoid social situations, as they made him feel uncomfortable, so even as an adult he still had very few friends (and even then, he felt closer to Flying Mint Bunny and Miss. Fairy, neither of whom he had seen yet today).
"Yo Arthur, we're gonna go to a club tonight. Wanna join us?"
Arthur was annoyed at being interrupted from his lunch and not at all eager to go and end up pissed drunk in bed with someone he didn't know (he'd experienced this far too many times in the past to not be cautious of such situations).
"No thank you." Arthur sniffed. "And while you're at it, kindly stop massacring the English language." He only tolerated bad grammar from Felix.
His coworkers were miffed, but they knew Arthur and his scowl well enough to know not to push it.
"They probably would have left you on your own anyway, the sodding gits." Arthur reasoned to himself to justify his rude answer. But he wouldn't apologize, why should he? He hadn't done anything wrong.
Arthur looked up, when he heard someone sit in the chair across from him, and was about to snap at the person, until he realized it was Toris.
"Hey Toris."
"Good Afternoon, Arthur." Toris had not changed very much from his childhood. He was still rather shy and quiet and a bit of a worrier. "So how's the book coming along?"
"I think I've found a good company, and I sent it in. I should get a reply from them today." Arthur was about to continue when the door flung open and Felix ran straight to their table.
"Oh my God, Artie! Toris! You will totally not believe the news I have for you!" Arthur and Toris were privately relieved that Felix wasn't cross-dressing today. Not that they minded, but it could be awkward at times. Today, he simply wore a "wicked hipster pink" button up shirt and slacks. "So like, I heard that Prince Francis Bonnefoy, the crown prince of France is coming here! Righteous! They say he loves both men and women so I have a chance! And even better, my dad invited him to come to our masquerade ball tonight! And the prince'll be staying at our house during his stay!"
"That's great, Felixs." Toris finally managed to say when Felix paused to take a breath. Arthur thought that Toris sounded a little upset, but he might have imagined it. "You always said you wanted to marry a prince."
"Like, I know right? Oh please, tell me both of you will come tonight. You know how I get around strangers." Felix tended to become rather anxious when he met new people.
"Of course we will." Arthur assured Felix, who beamed. "We wouldn't miss it for the world."
Felix whooped. "Tonight, my prince is coming, and I am totally not gonna let him go!" he rushed back out leaving a stunned Arthur and Toris.
Toris was the first to break the silence. "I'm such a coward," he sighed, laying his head on the table. Arthur blinked as he realized what was going on,
"You mean…?"
"Yeah, I've loved him for a few years now and only God knows why. I mean he's annoying and selfish and impulsive and yet I don't care. Don't tell him, but I kind of like it when he cross-dresses." Toris' face became an unusual shade of red.
"You really should tell him. He deserves to know." Arthur urged him. "Why don't you tell him tonight? I mean, chances are, a prince would only end up breaking his heart. Also, I think you're the only person who can handle him." he chuckled.
Toris bit his lip. "I suppose so," he murmured, still unsure.
Roderich Edelstein took in a deep breath and let it out. He repeated the process a few more times in an attempt to calm down. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, trying to flatten a single stubborn lock of hair before giving up. For a young aristocrat like himself and as an assistant to the prince, losing his temper was out of the question.
Where on earth was that damn prince? If he didn't find Prince Francis soon, they would both be late for the masquerade. Not that he was in a hurry to find his over affectionate master. Not only did he romance beautiful young women (and men), but he had even tried to seduce Roderich more than once which led the latter to dislike Francis even further.
A familiar laugh reached his ears, and Roderich adjusted his glasses. Sure enough he saw his master strolling through the park with a woman on each arm. Francis' long wavy hair shone bright gold in the sunlight and his clear blue eyes sparkled with life and a charm that drew people toward him. A little bit of stubble grew on his chin, but it suited him very well.
"Sire!" Roderich called as he raced after Francis. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Ohonhonhonhon." Francis laughed. "Roderich, mon ami. Can you not see zat I am a leetle beezy here? Of course you can join in ze fun eef you want." he winked and Roderich fumed.
"We need to go, your Highness. We are expected at the Łukasiewicz mansion for the ball and we are late. Might I remind of the old phrase 'time is money?' You of all people should know that now that you've been cut off by your parents. Remember, either you marry that rich boy or else you get a job if you expect the King and Queen to even consider giving you back your title."
Francis frowned as the ladies drifted away, bored by the conversation. "D'accord," he sighed, before perking up. "A ball you said? Well zen, I suppose I shall 'ave to find somezing suitable for ze occasion. I am always 'andsome of course, but I zink I'll want somezing special."
Thank goodness, Roderich thought. Once you got Francis on the topic of fashion, it was at least possible to keep his thoughts on the right track. He more than anyone else, wanted to see Francis settled down with his hands far away from Roderich's privates.
"Hello gentlemen." said a voice from behind Francis and Roderich. They whipped around to see a man with a friendly smile on his face and an…interesting appearance.
He had longish shaggy strawberry blond hair and eyes colored like garnets. He wore a long olive green trench coat and a small top hat tilted to the side. As he smiled, one could see a fang peeking out of the left side of his mouth.
"I thought I would welcome you to our lovely city and make your acquaintance. My name is Vladimir by the way." Vladimir shook their hands eagerly as he spoke. Roderich wasn't sure, but he thought his accent was Romanian. "It's nice to meet you Prince Francis and Mr. Edelstein. May I call you Roderich?"
The two of them looked a Vladimir, their mouths hanging open slightly. How did he know so much about them? It would make sense if he knew about Francis but how did he know Roderich's name? Vladimir merely laughed and took out a card, which he gave to Francis.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. I specialize in magic, specifically charms. Don't worry, my magic is for good stuff, no dark magic, though I do find it fascinating… Anyway, is there anyway I can assist you?"
"Well you see-" Francis began, and Roderich was about to shush him, not trusting the cheerful magician but Vladmir beat him to it.
"No wait! Let me guess! Oh you know what, come with me to my emporium. I haven't tried reading the future for a while and I don't want to get rusty!" Vladmir was clearly keen on showing off to them.
Roderich figured that since he and Francis were already late, it couldn't hurt to stay a little while. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. It would not be good if they missed the ball and started an international incident. So he and Francis followed Vladimir who led them to a small plain looking building.
"Welcome to my parlor. Go and make yourselves comfortable." Vladimir said as he opened the door and snapped his fingers making numerous candles placed around the room light up at the same time on their own.
The room was filled with just about everything one could think of relating to magic. A bookcase ran along one of the walls, their titles mostly written in Romanian and Latin. Tables were covered in old parchments and strange objects and artifacts.
"I hope you don't mind the mess, but I'm very unorganized. Would you like some coffee? Oh wait, I've only got instant, never mind. (There's the instant coffee joke I never made in Birdie and the Beast) Would you like to hear a joke? I know lot's of great ones about Hungarians." Vladimir chatted as he retrieved a deck of tarot cards and placed them on the table before Francis and Roderich. "Anyway, here's how it works: I'm going to read your past, present, and future try to figure out what you want, and see if I can fix you up a charm to help!"
Vladmir shuffled the cards and told Francis and Roderich to each pick three cards. First he looked at Francis' cards.
"Let's see, your past is pretty simple: You're a prince from France with bloodlines going way back. I already knew that so let's move on. In the present you love living life to the fullest, only the finest food and clothing and women for you. However your parents have stopped your allowance shall we say? And now you want your high lifestyle back again. And yet concerning your hopes for the future, you're a romantic and are waiting for that one special person. Therefore you don't want to marry someone you've barely met just so you can be rich again. So to sum up, you want to find true love, but at the same time, wish for the life you had before your parents took away your money." Vladimir nodded to himself thoughtfully, tapping his chin before turning to Roderich and his cards.
"Your past is also pretty easy. You were a weak child and were burdened with too much for you to handle meaning, which led to your quiet personality today. I can also see a young woman and a divorce. Nowadays, you would rather focus on your piano skills rather than on your work. You don't particularly care for how things are now, and want to be free. So your wish is to get away from your current circumstances so you can go back to your piano and your lady."
Vladimir sat back and pondered what he had read for a few moments. Then he looked back up at them. "I think I have just the thing. It'll take care of both your problems, but I need permission from both of you to perform the spell."
Francis and Roderich looked at each other, shrugged and nodded. Vladimir took out some chalk and began drawing strange shapes on the floor, while reciting some kind of incantation in a mixture of Latin and Romanian.
"Are you ready?" He asked Francis.
"Oui."
"All right then." Vladimir rubbed his hand together and stretched them out before holding his hands above his head and chanting another spell in a louder voice. Francis watched as the candles began glowing purple and red and green and a strong wind blew around him. All the bright colors in the room seemed to blend together and swirl around him. Francis tried to move, but he couldn't and began to panic. Odd figures and shapes similar to those that Vladimir had drawn on the ground seemed to fly around him. Francis' senses were confused and overwhelmed. He thought he could see Vladimir's silhouette and the last thing he heard was his voice as he lost consciousness.
"I hope you're satisfied with your spell. Come back again, and remember, no refunds or exchanges unless- oh dear, this is not what I intended to happen. Funny how much things can get screwed up when you mispronounce just one word…"
