(Sob!) Finally the last chapter, not only of this story, but of the whole saga. I want to thank everyone who's read, followed, favourited and reviewed. Particularly Scarlet Phantom, Ishikawa Miki, Takuya, FireFox Vixen, Themusicalcat, EverythingMath, ArtemisIsis13, Cardfighter by Maple, Briana. Schmidt1, Superwholockingers, Chanceoutof20, Normandy, Nightshine315, Phantomgirl338, AriaYuuki and Pandoala for your wonderful reviews which have kept my going. You're the best, you rock, all those good phrases.

So without further ado, the very last chapter!

I don't own Hetalia!

Chapter 9 : Happy Families

"She's onto us!"

Lukas shouted the warning as he helped Matthias to his feet. He called out, "Aleks, you need to light the oven. Now!" Aleks ran from the behind the tree he had concealed himself behind, heading for the cottage, transforming as he ran. Arthur and Vladimir ran for the door, hoping to reach those inside before Anya could do them any permanent harm.

Berwald carefully removed the painful manacles from Emil's wrists to avoid causing the half-ling any more pain than necessary. Francis finally managed to break the lock on Matthew's cage and the violet-eyed little boy leapt into his arms. He took Alfred's hand and Berwald assisted Emil as they got up to leave.

Anya burst into the cottage and waved her wand. Emil and Berwald flew backwards and Anya aimed her wand at Francis and the twins.

"You're not going anywhere," she declared. Suddenly, a blur of white decimated the window and knocked Anya to one side. Poking through the window was a white dragon's head. Francis realised it was Aleks.

Arthur and Vladimir burst into the cottage, followed by Lukas, supporting Matthias. Vladimir waved his wand and the large cast iron oven door flew open.

"Now, Aleks!"

The white dragon took a deep breath and blew it out, sending out fire like a flame-thrower. Most went into the oven and it burst to life and began to burn fiercely. Lukas aimed his wand at the oven and began to chant in Latin.

Aperuit ianuam!

(Open the gate!)

Umbras!

(Call the shadows!)

Comedet potestatem!

(Devour the power!)

He chanted it three times and the fire began to burn blue. Then it began to swirl like a whirl-pool and every magic being began to feel the pull. Aleks stayed in dragon-form and the wall prevented him from being pulled into the cottage. Lukas had time to put the woozy Matthias in one of the cages before he had to grabbed hold of the bars as the draw of the portal threaten to pull him off his feet. Arthur and Vladimir had already grabbed Emil and put him in the other cage before holding on to the bars of that one. Berwald, Francis and the Twins were unaffected but it was still terrifying for the boys.

Anya felt the portal's draw and looked around for something to hold on to. She tried to reach the door handle and managed to grab it but she was pulled back before she could get a firm grip. Her hand slipped from the door knob and she fought the vortex as hard as she could but she was pulled off her feet toward the oven.

She threw her arms out and caught the sides of the oven with her hands, holding on against the strength of the portal, despite the iron beginning to burn her hands as the pull was grew stronger, affecting all the magic users.

Matthias and Emil were pulled up against the side of the cages but the bars prevented them from going any further. Lukas was losing his grip on the bars. He held on as tightly as he could but his fingers began to slip. He finally succumbed and was flying toward the oven when he was caught by his wrist by Berwald who grabbed one of the bars. Arthur was also losing his grip when Francis grabbed a bar of the cage on one side of Arthur and grabbed a bar on the other side of Vladimir and held them in place with his own body.

The twins realised that they needed to do something before the good guys with sucked into goodness knows where and they ran to the oven and began to pry Anya's hands from the sides of the oven. Anya screamed at them. No! She could not lose! She was so close and she would not be defeated by two snivelling little brats so she resisting their actions but with the iron burning into her skin and the two boys peeling her fingers away from the side of the oven, she could no longer hold on and, with a final scream, she disappeared into the portal and the twins slammed the door shut.

The pull of the vortex was cut off and the Fae relaxed, no longer in danger of being condemned to the Shadow World. After taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh of relief, Lukas turned to Berwald.

"Thank you!" he said. Despite it being said in an emotionless tone, it still sounded heartfelt.

"N' probl'm!" Berwald replied. They went to help Matthias and Emil who had slumped in the cages when the vortex was contained. Francis had let Vladimir go but was still holding Arthur against the cage with his body and Arthur, blushing bright red, was struggling to get free.

"You can let me go now," he insisted.

"Maybe I don't want to, mon chèr," Francis smiled down at the blushing Brit.

"Perverted frog!" Arthur pushed him away and went to the two boys. He knelt down beside them as they stared at the wings protruding from his back.

"Are you two all right?" he asked, putting a hand on a shoulder of each of the boys. They nodded still staring at his wings. Emil had told them Arthur was a Fae but seeing it for real left both boys speechless. Arthur glanced over his shoulder at what they were staring at and chuckled.

"Yes," he said. "I have wings. I'm a Fae."

"Can you do magic too?" Alfred asked. Arthur nodded.

"Cool!"

"Arthur," Francis said as Lukas shut down the vortex in the oven. "Emil and Matthias need medical care and we should get the boys out of here." Arthur nodded and picked Alfred up and Francis got Matthew. Matthias and Emil were helped by Berwald, Lukas, Vlad and Aleks. Outside, the trolls had gathered, nursing their injuries. After bringing everybody together, the three Fae raised their wands, cast their magic and everyone was transported to the troll camp.

Matthew's teddy bear still sat on the tree stump. Footsteps sounded as Kiku approached the stump and gently picked the bear up and smiled. Everything had gone to plan, there were just the little things to take care of now.

Then he walked away.

Margrete was called into service again, dealing with Matthias's woozy head and Emil's damaged wrists. Emil's wrists needed more attention because of iron contamination but they were soon coated with a magic ointment and bandaged. He currently rested on the bed in the royal tent while Lars and Emma sat glaring at Greta who was in the royal tent under guard. Greta could not look them in the eyes and kept her gaze on the floor.

"Why?" Lars demanded, causing everyone to look at him and Greta. "Why did you do it? My sister! The others! What gave you the right to do that?" Greta closed her eyes tight, unable to answer. Arthur put his hand on Lars's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lars," he assured the boy. "Both she and the Mayor will answer to the King for what they've done. And the Dark Fae won't harm anyone again!" Alfred and Matthew sat with Francis and Emma who was seeing to the two boys like they were her little brothers.

"What now?" Aleks asked.

"Now," Lukas replied. "We pick up Mayor Gruber and take both of them to face the King for justice. They have not only defrauded the crown's public purse which is bad enough, they've done it with the lives of innocent children. That will not go down well!" Alfred got up and went up to Arthur.

"Are you going to leave now?" he asked, twisting the hem of his shirt. Arthur knelt beside him.

"For a while," he replied and Alfred's face dropped. "And then I'll be back. I have to come back for my boys, haven't I?" He put one arm around Alfred and held the other out which Matthew ran into and he hugged both boys who hugged him back. Francis knelt down and hugged all of them. After a while, the group disengaged and Arthur stood up, looking at Matthias.

"Can your people look after them while we deal with this one and the Mayor?" Arthur wanted the boys with someone he could trust and Matthias had more than proven himself. Matthias nodded.

"Lars and Emma have asked to stay with us," he replied. "Two more won't be a problem. I'll watch over Ice ('Ice' raised an eyebrow at that) while he recovers too. I want to wait for Norge anyway." Lukas rolled his eyes but secretly, he was happy that Matthias was willing to wait around for him.

"Perhaps you can convince him to call me Big Brother as well," he said.

"He already did!" Alfred chirped up. "He called you his Big Brother in the cottage!" All eyes turned to the Icelandic half-ling on the bed who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Call me Big Brother!" Lukas said.

"You heard the kid," Emil pointed out. "I already did!"

"I didn't hear it," Lukas replied. "Call me it again!"

"No!"

"Big Brother!"

"Not doing it!"

"Big Brother!" Emil put his fingers in his ears and went, "La la la la la!" The other Fae chuckled.

"I think it's time to tie up loose ends," Vladimir said.

"Agreed," Arthur replied. "Let's go get the Mayor!"

Mayor Gruber was huddled in the corner of his house, trembling at the sounds of angry people outside. From what they were yelling, it was obvious that they knew what he and Greta had been doing but how had they found out?

The window smashed and a rock bounced across the floor as cries of rage followed it into the room.

"How many children did you feed to this thing!"

"Murdering scum!"

"Is that what happened to my son!" he heard a woman screeched, her voice filled with rage and grief and he wondered how he was going to escape with his life.

Outside, a crowd swarmed around the Mayor's house and the mood was ugly. They had the usual angry mob accessories. Torches, pitchforks, even someone carrying a rope in a noose. Children were dead, eaten by some dark creature and the Mayor and the orphanage manageress had colluded with it. Did they think the townspeople would not care because the children were only orphans? Children were children and it lead to a child with parents being taken! How many more children had been endangered by Gruber's and Eisenberg's actions.

"Get out here, Gruber," a man, the vanished boy's father, shouted. "I want to know what happen to my boy!" There was no response from the house.

"Right!" another man shouted. "Burn it down!" And people moved forward with torches.

Inside the house, Gruber began to panic. He could either stay in the house and burn or go out into the crowd and get lynched. Neither was very appealing. He could see the glow outside the window as the fire torches came closer.

"STOP!"

When the Three Fae and Aleks, with Greta in tow, appeared back in Holzstadt, it was to a scene of chaos. They arrived at Mayor Gruber's house to find enraged people surrounding the building with hostile intent. Arthur decided that they needed to intervene, not because he was worried about Gruber's life but to allow these people to take the law into their own hands was not only wrong but would be damaging for their souls.

"STOP!"

Everybody stopped and turned toward the group behind them. Then they saw Greta in their midst and move forward. The Fae readied their wands, just in case things turned ugly toward them.

"Who are you?" a voice demanded from the crowd. The carer from the orphanage stepped forward.

"They were sent by the King," he said, causing Arthur to wonder how he knew. "I overheard you when you came to get her." He pointed at Greta. "The Williams Twins, did you find them?"

"Yes," Arthur replied. "They're safe with friends and the Dark Fae is gone. She won't harm anyone again!" The man sighed with relief and Arthur turned to the crowd.

"I understand your anger!" he said to them and turned to the mother and father of the missing boy. "Especially yours! I understand your desire to punish these people but it must be done before the King, before the whole kingdom so everyone knows what they did and how they will be punished. Do you want to lower yourselves to the level of a murderous mob! We're taking them both before the King to stand trial! Please allow Justice to take its course!"

"Can you guarantee that they'll pay?" the father demanded.

"We have all the evidence we need," Lukas replied. "I swear, they won't escape retribution." The crowd began to calm down and Arthur took Greta's arm in a firm grip.

"Go get Gruber!" he said, quietly to Aleks. "The sooner we get these two out of here, the better. This could erupt again, very soon." The crowd parted as Aleks went to the house and broke in. He found the Mayor huddled in the corner. He grabbed his arm but Gruber pulled away, recognising him as one of the men who guarded the Oxenstierna cottage.

"If you want to live past tonight," Aleks warned. "You'll do as you're told and come without a fight." He took the Mayor's arm again and this time, Gruber did not fight him this time and allowed Aleks to pull him outside.

There were hisses and insults hurled at him and a few people spat at his feet but no one moved to grabbed him from the dragon-shifter. When they reached the others, Vlad took Gruber's other arm to keep him more secure while Arthur turned back to the crowd.

"We'll return to let you know what their punishment is," he promised. He would certainly be back for personal reasons, namely one infuriating Frenchman and two adorable little boys. The Fae raised their wands, cast their transportation spell and the group and their prisoners vanished and all that the townspeople could do was wait.

Tino paced the cottage nervously, waiting for Berwald to return. Peter finally fell asleep and Tino put him in the room that would be his if the adoption ever went through but Tino had nothing to occupy his mind as he fretted about his husband and what might have happened to him. Just as he was considering going out and looking for him, the door opened and Berwald stepped through. Tino ran up to him and wrapped his arms around Berwald's waist, hugging him as tight as he could. Berwald hugged him back.

"Did you find them?" he asked. Berwald nodded.

"Y's," he replied. "Alfred and Mat'hew ar' safe 'nd the creature's gone." Tino gave a sigh of relief.

"Peter will be so happy," he said, pulling away.

"Wh're is P'ter?" Berwald asked, looking around.

"Asleep in his room," Tino replied. "He tried to stay awake but he eventually drifted off. Where are the others?"

"Gone t' get the M'yor," Berwald told him. "They're takin' 'im 'nd Greta t' face the K'ng. They'll b' back. Alfred and Mat'hew ar' at the troll camp with Fran'is."

"The children that went missing?"

"Lars 'nd Emma w're rescu'd by the Trolls," Berwald replied.

"The others?" Tino asked. Berwald shook his head, remembering what he had seen at the cottage. Tino hoped that, whatever Gruber and Greta's punishment was, it was what they deserved. Tino hugged Berwald again.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he said. Berwald kissed the top of Tino's head.

"We're all safe n'w!"

It had been two weeks since Arthur and the others left to take Gruber and Greta to face justice. The children in the orphanage were scared when they found out that four of their fellows had vanished, despite being reassured that they were fine, that Peter was with the Oxenstiernas and Alfred, Matthew and Emil were in the care of friends as explained by Berwald, the children were still scared so Tino and Berwald were asked to bring Peter to the orphanage to show the children that he was fine. But they did not really calmed down until after the full moon when, for the first time in eight months, no one disappeared.

At the troll Camp, Francis and the boys were getting antsy, wondering if Arthur and the others were coming back. Francis tried to keep the boys spirits up. After all, Arthur promised he would come back for them but it had been so long. Francis watched out for Arthur too. Was his petit lapin coming back? Even if Arthur had decided that Francis was not for him, he would still come back for the boys, surely?

Matthias was also wondering if his Norge was returning. He had believed that Norge felt the same about him as he did about Norge but it was so hard to tell with him. He did not do facial expressions. Matthias had never felt like this about anyone before and it would kill him if Norge did not return. He distracted himself with looking after Lars, Emma and Ice but he missed Norge.

Having nothing to do, Matthias got himself a large flagon of ale and sat down, taking a big swig and wondering if he would ever see his Norge again. He was five flagons in when Lukas entered the tent. Matthias had not even used the same flagon. The empties were piled up on the table beside him. Lukas surveyed the damaged and snorted.

"By rights, I should strangle you for doing something so unhealthy to yourself," Lukas's voice said from the tent flap. Matthias turned to see the blue-clad Fae staring at him with his usual blank expression. Matthias put his flagon down and got up. Staggering toward the Norwegian, Matthias grabbed Lukas and crashed his mouth down on his.

"Never leave again, Norge!" he ordered.

"My name is Lukas!"

"Norge!" Matthias insisted and kissed him again.

Lars and Emma were trying to lift Alfred and Matthew's spirits but every day that Arthur did not return, the boys got more despondent. Emil had recovered enough from the iron poisoning to come outside. He stood beside Francis watching the children play or at least play at it.

"They're missing Arthur, huh," he said to Francis. Francis sighed.

"They're not the only ones," he admitted. "What can be taking so long?" Emil put a reassuring hand on Francis's shoulder.

"They'll be back," he stated. "Lukas will certainly be back for me and Arthur will certainly be back for you and the twins. How can you doubt it?"

"Well, we haven't known each other for very long," Francis replied. "And we bickered for much of that …..." Emil snorted.

"Fighting your feelings," He declared. "At least that's what Lukas said. Trust me! He's coming back. For the boys and for you. Now relax and let's go get some of Matthias's ale!"

"Are you old enough to drink?"

"Francis, I'm over a hundred years old!"

Arthur stood and watched for a little while as the boys played with Lars and Emma. He had missed the twins while he was attending to the king. And he had missed that irritating snail-eater too. He had wondered if time away from Francis would lessen the attraction but absence made the heart grow fonder and he missed the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, bearded Frenchman.

He stepped forward toward the boys as they played with the brother and sister but their hearts did not seem to be in it. Well, maybe he could change that.

"And where are my boys?" he said, loudly. Alfred and Matthew looked around at the sound of his voice. Matthew's eyes lit up and Alfred gave a dazzling grin when they saw him standing there. He knelt down and they ran into his arms and hugged him as hard as they could. Arthur was surprised at the strength of Alfred's hug.

"Why did you stay away so long?" Alfred asked him. Arthur look apologetic.

"I'm sorry, poppets," he replied. "King Wolfgang needed us to stay for a while, otherwise I would have been back sooner." The boys hugged him again.

"I'm glad you're back," Matthew said, quietly. "We've been sad without you and I lost my bear!" Arthur gave him another hug.

"Never mind," he told him. "If we can't find it, we'll get you another one. Now where's Francis?"

Emil and Frances went into the royal tent to be greeted by the sight of Lukas and Matthias making out in Matthias's chair. Lukas leapt up, a blush his only sign of embarrassment. Emil rolled his eyes while Francis went Hon hon hon!

"Get a room, you two," Emil huffed.

"This is my room," Matthias pointed out.

"Tent!"

"Details!" Then Francis realised something. If Lukas was here …..

"Lukas, where's Arthur?" he asked.

"He's around somewhere," Lukas replied. "Vladimir and Aleksander didn't returned with us. Vladimir received a summons from the Kingdom of Romania so he went home with Aleks. Arthur's probably looking for you and the boys" Francis dove out of the tent. Emil smirked.

"Completely smitten!"

If there was one place he was going to find Arthur, Francis knew it would be with the boys so he went back to where he left them and, sure enough, there he was with both boys in his arms. France smiled. Arthur would make a good father. Then Arthur looked up and his green eyes met Francis's blue ones. He let go of the boys and stood up, walking toward Francis and stopping a couple of feet in front of him.

"Bonjour, mon chèr," Francis greeted.

"Hello, frog," Arthur replied. Francis wrapped his arms around Arthur and kissed him, passionately. Arthur momentarily stiffen but then relaxed into the kiss. This was what he had been missing and what he would always want. Francis, Alfred and Matthew.

Time to make this permanent.

Everyone returned to the town, including the twins and Matthias. When they were spotted, news spread through the townspeople and soon a crowd was gathered in the town square, including Tino, Berwald and Peter who had been allowed to stay with them. Someone had been sent to manage the orphanage and they had reviewed their bid to adopt Peter. It was looking good for the three of them. The people wanted to know what had happened to Mayor Gruber and Greta Eisenberg and they would not go without answers.

"What did the King say?"

"How were they punished?"

"Are they going to be executed?"

Arthur raised his hands to indicate for silence. The crowd's chatter dropped to a smattering of whispers.

"They were not executed!" he revealed. An outraged murmur ran through the crowd so Arthur raised his voice.

"Only because King Wolfgang felt that, in view of their crimes, they would be getting off too lightly!" he added, the crowd growing silent at his words. "That's why we were away so long. The King was deliberating over what punishment would be appropriate."

"And what did he decide?" a voice in the crowd demanded.

"Well ….. "

They awaited the King in the throne room as he decided what justice he should mete out to these people who had decided that it was all right to feed innocent children to a creature of darkness. Execution, he decided, was too good for them but so was prison, hard labour or any of the usual punishments. The Three Fae, along with Aleks, wondered what Wolfgang would come up with. Greta and Gruber languished in the dungeons while the King decided their fate. After ten days, the royal court had been called to session.

The court turned as the main doors opened and the prisoners were brought in under guard and made to kneel on the ground before the throne. Then the doors by the side of the throne opened and King Wolfgang came in and sat down, his eyes sweeping around the throne room. He had only been King for a few months and this was his first big judgement. Given the crime, he wanted to get this right!

"I have considered long and hard about what punishment is appropriate for the vile crimes these two have committed," Condemning eyes glared at the two on their knees. "Charged with the welfare of innocent children who had suffered the misfortune of losing their parents, these two appropriated compensation for children no longer under their guardianship from the Royal Public Purse, thereby defrauding the taxpayers of the kingdom. While bad enough, this pales into insignificance when compared to the fact that the children they no longer care for were given to a vile creature to be devoured." The court erupted into horror and outrage while Greta and Gruber shrank lower to the floor.

"Do the prisoners have anything more to say in their defence?" The King did not feel that these two deserved a last minute plea but it was the law so he had to give them their chance.

"Please, Your Majesty," Gruber begged. "The Dark Fae threatened to destroy the town and kill the people if we didn't do what she ordered. We had no magic to defend us, what else could we do?" King Wolfgang glared at the man.

"Inform me!" he pointed out. "The way that Berwald Oxenstierna did. In the end, that was all it took. Had you done so, innocent children would still be alive and I doubt the Dark Fae forced you to claim money for children you no longer had in your care!" Gruber shut up.

"I have considered, long and hard about what to do with these two," the King continued. "And I believe we have come up with an appropriate punishment. We believe it is only fitting that, having conspired with this creature and costing the lives of seven innocent children and endangering the lives of four others, namely Alfred and Matthew Williams and Lars and Emma Van Dyke, these two should share her fate. It is, therefore, my judgement that they be condemned to the Shadow World!"

Greta and Gruber looked up in horror. A shocked murmur rippled around the court, even the Fae were shocked. While it was possible for non-magical beings to be sent to the Shadow World, it had never been done. But that being said, the crime was revoltingly shocking. It required an appropriate response.

King Wolfgang turned to the Three Fae.

"Can you open the portal without risk to yourselves?" he asked. "I want no one else endangered because of these two!" The Fae consulted each other. After a whispered conversation, they looked back to the King.

"If certain precautions are taken," Lukas replied. "It can be done!"

"Then make preparations!" the King ordered. "I want these two gone as soon as possible." With a contemptuous glare at Greta and Gruber who were pleading for mercy. The King just wanted to get as far away from these people as he could. He had a new-born son and a three year-old step-son himself so as a father, this crime was particularly repugnant to him.

He wanted them gone!

An iron arch was prepared in the dungeons and guards held the prisoners so they could not run. All magic users, with the exception of the Three Fae, had been told to leave for their own safety. Arthur took out his wand and cast a spell at the arch and magic fire burst into life. The Three Fae then stepped behind bars and Lukas began to chant the incantation. The fire became the whirlpool and Arthur, Lukas and Vladimir felt the pull but were stopped by the bars. The humans remained unaffected so the guards began dragging the prisoners to the archway. Gruber yelled and fought his captors but there were too many. With a final shout of 'No!', he was thrown through the arch. Greta began screaming for mercy but the guards did not listen. She was even less able to fight the guards and she was pushed, screaming, into the blue vortex. Lukas chanted the counter-incantation and the fire stopped whirling around and died.

It was done!

Greta and Gruber landed in a forest as they came through the other side. It was night and a blood-red moon hung in the sky. The forest was full of strange noises, even for a forest at night and the trees looked like they had black leaves and bark of a sickly yellow colour. They look round warily.

"Where are we?" Greta asked, terrified. Gruber did not answer. Greta turned to face him and found him in the grip of a man with short, ice-blonde hair and cold, lavender eyes that looked hollowed. The man also looked somewhat insane.

"You're in the Shadow World, my dear Greta!" Greta turned to see Anya behind her. Anya looked as hollow-eyed as the man and her hair was straggly. She looked ….. haunted. Anya indicated to the man holding Gruber.

"Allow me to introduce my brother, Nikolai," Anya said, as if they were at a party. "He was sent here over a hundred years ago with the others. I so wanted to free him but somehow the Three Fae found out where I was and now I'M HERE!" She screamed the last part. Greta backed away from Anya.

"I swear I had nothing to do with that," Greta plead. "I didn't know where you were living anyway."

"I know," Anya replied. "But I must have someone to punish! And I'm not the only one!" Small figures came out of the darkness and, as they approached, looked familiar.

"You see," Anya explained. "The Shadow World is not just a place to be banished to, it's a place to be punished! Every evil act is visited back on you, every life taken comes back to haunt you." As the small figures came closer, Greta and Gruber recognised them as the previous victims they had sent to Anya. The children continued to move toward them, Greta and Gruber tried to move back.

"You see them, don't you?" Anya said. "So do I! And every other offering I devoured. I can't touch them, I can't devour them. I CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THEM! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SAVE MY PEOPLE FROM! DO YOU GET IT NOW? WHAT THIS PLACE REALLY IS? IS IT WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING? IT'S NOT FIRE AND BRIMSTONE BUT IT'S STILL HELL!" Anya's sanity finally snapped as she ran toward Greta with her hands like claws and Nikolai's hands tighten on Gruber.

Screams echoed through the forest of the Shadow World!

"So they were sent to the Shadow World?" asked Tino, putting arms around Peter from behind and hugging him.

"Yes," Arthur replied. "Two non-magical humans in a world full of dark magic beings. I really wouldn't want to be them."

"Will they suffer?" the father of the four year old boy asked.

"Oh yes!"

"Good!" the mother said, adamantly. She was not about to cry for their fate!

"What now?" A man's voice asked.

"Well, the threat has passed," Arthur replied. "Time to recover. You'll need to find a new mayor. Someone who won't throw his people to the wolves. I recommend Berwald Oxenstierna since he was the one responsible enough to act in this crisis. Berwald! Tino! I have something for you from King Wolfgang." Arthur handed Berwald a parchment carrying the royal seal which Berwald broke and read the letter. Surprisingly for the townspeople, Berwald face lit with emotion. Surprise and …. joy!

"What is it, Berwald?" Tino asked. Berwald, never a big talker to begin with, could not say a word and handed the letter to Tino who read it.

"HOLY MARTIN LUTHER!" he cried. "Holy Martin Luther, Holy Martin Luther, Holy Martin Luther!" Then he jumped up, wrapping his arms around Berwald's neck and hugged hard. Berwald's arms came around Tino and hugged back.

"What does the letter say?" Peter asked, wondering why the two people he loved most in the world were acting in such a strange way. Berwald put Tino down and Tino knelt down in front of Peter.

"It's a letter from the King," he replied, excitedly. "Saying that we can be your parents." Peter gave a cry of excitement and threw his arms around Tino's neck. They hugged and then Peter ran to Berwald who picked him up and spun him round. Francis watched as the whole new family hugged in happiness and looked at Arthur and the twins, wishing it was them and Arthur turned and looked back at him.

And Arthur smiled.

"By the power vested in me," the priest droned. "I now pronounce you man and husband. You may kiss the groom!" Francis smiled and moved forward, placing his lips on those of his new husband, Arthur. The ceremony had been performed in the town square with all the townspeople in attendance and as the new couple kissed, the square erupted with applause. Alfred jumped up and down with excitement and Matthew smiled the biggest smile anyone had ever seen on his face.

Then something happened. Arthur began to glow and the glow grew to include Francis. The couple seemed to be frozen in the kiss and then the glow faded and Francis and Arthur moved again, ending the kiss.

"Mon Dieu!" Francis breathed. "Mon chèr, what was that!" Arthur blushed.

"When a human marries a Fae," he replied. "Their life forces become joined. Your ageing has just been slowed, you're going to live a lot longer than you would have done."

"Longer!"

"That's right!" Francis smiled.

"More time with you, mon chèr!"

Berwald and Tino were not the only ones who got a surprise. After having a word with Berwald and Tino, they all went to the orphanage to collect Peter's belongings. Emil and Lukas also came along to get Emil's stuff too. Or so he said.

"Boys!" Arthur said to Alfred and Matthew. "You need to gather your stuff too."

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"Because from now on," Arthur replied. "You'll be living with Francis and I. The King authorised your adoption by us from the moment we married." He knelt down to the boys.

"You're now our sons," he announced. "I'm now your father and Francis is your papa!" For a moment, the boys could say nothing. Then Alfred found his voice.

"Can we call you Dad?" he asked.

Arthur laughed and hugged him. He then took the hands of each boy and their hands glowed. The boys looked at him, wondering.

"I'll now know if anything happens to either of you," Arthur explained. "So I'll always be there for my sons. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again!" Both boys hugged him and Francis hugged them all.

When everybody got their things together, they went out to the door with the other children waving good-bye. The orphanage had changed since the last full moon. No more children vanished and prospective parents were now regular visitors to the orphanage. Everyone was happy now and, in the background, out of sight, were Hercules and Kiku, smiling at a tale brought to its proper conclusion. Kiku was hugging Matthew's teddy bear but he was not giving it back just yet.

When they reached the door, the adults hung back while Emil gathered the boys together.

"What's going on, Emil?" Alfred asked.

"We have a promise to keep, remember," Emil replied. "We promised to leave the orphanage together." The boys giggled and Emil took Alfred and Matthew's hand and Alfred took Peter's and they kept their pinky swear promise as they walked out of the door as one.

Arthur took his new family to Italy where he was working for King Romulus while Lukas accompanied Matthias and his people to Denmark, Lars and Emma going with them. Emil received a urgent summons from King Ivan. Princess Natalya was becoming ever more erratic and now Princess Katyusha had disappeared and Ivan wanted everybody to help in the search. There was good news from the Ice King, however, as King Romulus had announced that he and his Queen were expecting their first child and possible heir.

In the woods, by Arthur and Francis's home, Kiku and Hercules, the Keepers of the Hetalia Tales, stood hidden as they watched the twins play. They smiled at each other and Kiku put Matthew's teddy on the ground. Both Hercules and Kiku put their hands over the stuffed bear and as sparkling lights fell from their palms, the fake fur became real and the eyes began to gleam and real eyelids blinked. The now live polar bear cub gave a yawn and climbed on all four paws, looking round at the two men. Hercules nudged the cub in the direction of the boys and it ran toward them.

Matthew spotted the white blur, running up to them. He moved toward the bear and when they met up, the bear sniffed at Matthew and then rubbed against him like a cat and Matthew picked him up.

"I'll call you Kumajirou!" he announced and took Kumajirou to show Alfred and to ask his fathers if he could keep him. Kiku and Hercules watched the two boys and the bear disappear into the house.

"The first of the tales ending the way it should," Kiku commented while Hercules put his arms around his lover.

"The hard work is yet to come," he warned. "This is just the beginning!"

And right back to the beginning again. The FACE Family are together, Berwald and Tino have Peter, Lukas and Matthias have hooked up, Anya, Greta and Gruber are gone and all's right with the world! :) Well, not quite all! Natalya's starting to lose it, it seems but you know how that turned out! XP I always intended Kumajirou to have a magic origin (although I hadn't decided how until I started writing this) and having him originally been Matthew's teddy bear seemed a good way. I hope you liked that!

To AriaYuuki – Well, I haven't played Pokemon so I wasn't aware of that. I've read, in folklore, that certain magical creatures, like faeries, are weakened by iron and I've read head cannons that Scotland can see faeries, like England, but isn't fond of them and wears an iron earring to ward them off. Sorry about that! I'm an evil user of cliffhangers! I AM THE CLIFFHANGER QUEEN! MUAHAHAHAHA! XDDD Sorry! Had a moment there! Hope the last chapter lived up to your expectations and, as you see, they all lived happily ever after. For a while, at least! XP

To Normandy – May I say that your brothers are useful in a scrap! I have heard that about D-Day, a lot of terrible things happened. Such is war and should be avoided. Alas, that's not human nature :'(

To Scarlet Phantom – Yeah! That's a good title but I decided to go with the original as it's closer to A Christmas Carol so people would be sure what it's based on but, good suggestion! :) Yay! DenNor! Although that must have been awkward for Emil, kind of like walking in on your parents DX. Anya definitely had it coming and I always had the oven in mind, as anyone who knows the story of Hansel and Gretel might have guessed and, awwwh! Alfred and Matthew, the little heroes and I've just realise that none of my villains have died (with the possible exception of The Chamberlain), I guess I'm just too soft-hearted! (I need to worked on that :P)

To EverythingMath – That's just what I was hoping for! I've looked at my writing and you have a point and I'll try to address that problem. Constructive criticism always welcome! :)

To themusicalcat – Hey, no problem! And I'm glad you had a good time! :) I think Anya crossed the line a long time ago D: Poor Emil, Alfred and Matthew but they were all saved in the end and all the bad guys have been punished. Unfortunately, Anya couldn't be punished in the way you described, It took what they had just to banish her and then they needed the help of two little boys ;P Yes, I know! Last chapter1 :'(

To Phantomgirl338 – You're welcome! And more cookies! I'm going to get fat! :D

To ArtemisIsis13 – DON'T UPSET THE TSUNDERE! And messing with his little boys will definitely do that! :C Greta's lies were bound to unravel at some point. You can't lie for that long and not be found out. Greta might not like the Fae but that's her own fault. Berwald was the only one with any sense and he didn't even know the whole story at the time. He just sensed something was wrong and did something about it! He'll make a great Mayor XD. The tavern! Not just people, DRUNK people! You know what that lead to XP Horrible, horrible fourth wall! DX Anya can't win and she didn't. She can't harm anyone again (with the exception of Greta and Gruber) and yes, lovely little, Arthur soaked daisies! Anya wouldn't have been merciful so it's just as well the Fae went in for the attack then because I shudder to think what she would have done to Berwald and Francis if she'd had the chance. And Matthias is back to his usual self (is that a good thing or a bad thing? :P) I imagine it isn't! In the eye! (shudder) Sorry if I turned you grey but if these were nice, mellow stories, you'd be bored and I hope the last chapter was everything you hope it would be! :)

And that's that! The last Hetalia Tales is done T_T and once again I would like to thank everyone who supported them. I posted the first Hetalia Tales and, incidentally, my first story on 20th of June LAST YEAR. In that time, I written 25 stories and I've had 39301 views and 408 reviews. I'm over the moon (blue moon at the end of the month) and I hope you enjoyed these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them! :)

Now, on a serious note, the next story I had hope to have ready for next week is nowhere near ready due to a massive amount of Writer's Block where this story is concerned so my dilemma is this! Should I wait until it's ready or should I post it next week and hope for the best. Anyone who has read Big in Japan might remember Kiku's manga Demonic Romeo! Well, this story is about that. Arufureddo is a demon who falls for Āsā, an angel but certain citizens of Hell would not be happy about that if they knew. I only have less than four chapters done so what do you think? Should I post it next week or wait to get it finished? If I wait and work on it, I'll try to get other Hetalia Tales one-shots done in the mean time. Tell me what you think and I'll make a decision next week.

And check out my story A 4th of July Carol if you haven't already. Two chapters to go, the last one on the 4th of July! :)

So till next week (or not),

Hasta la Pasta!

P.S. Themuscicalcat thought Anya got off lightly and I agree so I rewrote the Shadow World scene to give her a tougher punishment. Hope it meets with your approval! ;P