Hetalia – The Cold of War

Chapter 4! I am very sorry about the late update, school has been overbearing. In future I will try to write ahead and update with prewritten chapters :) Without further ado, we jump into Arthur's first (and not the last) vision.

Enjoy!

Arthur's Mindscape, The North, Unknown

The Seer found him brooding outside beside the circle of frost covered rune stones. The man stood against the weak sun, the ever constant snowfall had decorated his clothes and auburn hair with small white flakes. His lips were chapped and his elder green eyes narrowed against the biting wind as he stared upon the southern horizon. His visitor sighed and padded carefully on the footpath leading up to his friend. The path's stones partly concealed by the fast falling snow. When the blind man reached the end of the path, the man didn't turn around but rather kept his eyes forward.

"Why do you feel?" The blind man asked as he paced over to his old friend, tugging his black weathered cloak tightly to his person. His friend's cold eyes briefly flicked over to him before returning to their original position, his brows drew together over them.

"In general or on what's ta come?," The blind man's friend spoke as bitterly as the winter winds edge. "Because if it be the latter, then the sun won't set fast enough" The blind man grimaced the cutting undertone in those words, a sharpness that didn't exist years before.

"Impatient as ever. You are aware that he will be arriving with the Rebel group" The blind man pressed cautiously, treading on thin ice. It was a topic that was often avoided. His friend was stubborn and would refuse to discuss it in depth.

"Aye I'm aware. He is still naïve as when he was a wee babe. Sometimes I get glimpses of him, but they are never clear. They," His friend snarled the word "are shielding him from ma sight"

"It won't matter when he's standing in front of us. With the alliance, we'll have the enough manpower to lay siege on the Winter Palace" The blind man replied optimistically with smile, feeling the flutter of hope inside his chest. The wind continued to howl and rush over the barren wintry wonderland, almost omen like.

"When he gets here, I'll taking him far away where no one will be able ta hurt us eve' again" The man gritted in his heavily accented voice as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Don't be a fool Allistor. It's wistful thinking that he'll agree. Not only that but the King and Ludwig would never allow it, they wouldn't let you deprive them of a single drop of magical blood. If you take Arthur away, you'll have three relentless forces pursuing you" The blind man snapped at the foolishness of Allistor's plan, the sheer ignorance of it.

"And would yours' truly be involved in this hunting party?" Allistor pushed with a raised eyebrow at the challenge his friend threatened him with.

"Allistor. When will you understand that this is so much bigger then you and I. You think you're saving your brother, but what about the people who need him? The King will need all of us there when we go south. We'll finally avenge our fallen kin" The Seer finished on a somber note, his quivering voice uttered through dry cracked lips. Allistor looked as though he wanted to argue and yet was conflicted between emotions of stubbornness and empathy. He always put on a hard front, but Allistor was not heartless and so empathy won his internal struggle.

'I to desire revenge old friend, for Seamus, Dylan and all the others. However you are the fool if you think I'll let ma family be taken from me again. Bastards like them, they're all same," Allistor spat with his lips pulled back over his teeth like an animal baring its fangs. "Ludwig, Ivan, Them. Bah! the list goes on and on! Hasn't he been through enough!? He's just a boy!," Allistor's voice trembled with rage before it cracked "He's just a boy…"

There was a profound moment of silence between those long time companions. The blind man saw without seeing, he didn't need eyes to perceive a bleeding man.

"I understand how you feel, old friend. All we can do is keep the ones we love safe to the best of our ability. But justice must be done or we are no better than those who do us wrong," He softly said to Allistor, placing a comforting hand on his cloaked shoulders, "I think we'll all learn something very valuable off one another. Especially Arthur. It'll be like the past time for you two, mentor and student reunited". Allistor looked to the place where his friend's eyes would be and gave a half hearted smile.

"I hope so, Lukas. I hope so." Allistor wistfully said before immediately dropping his short lived smile and resuming the family scowl. His face twisted in suspicion as he scanned the area for something unknown.

"We're being watched," Allistor stated firmly before gathering and focusing his magic. His friend bowed his head and searched with his own mind, finding no physical form for miles. A astral projection then, he concluded grimly. Though it should have been impossible with the warding stones. Allistor had finished concentrating his magic and bellowed a banishing spell of his own design.

"Uentis!"

The Gallon, Cabin Quarters, Cabin One.

"Arghh!" Arthur screamed as he jolted upright in his creaking bunk. His head collided with something hard causing Arthur to fall back onto his pillow, clutching his forehead in pain.

"Ow ow ow ow, ow. Dude! Okay, okay! I'll never try to draw on you again, Jeez!" Alfred's voice shrieked in a high pitch voice. Arthur winced as he rubbed his throbbing face, his vision came into focus on Alfred. It appeared that Alfred had previously been leaning over Arthur as he mumbled in his sleep, preparing to vandalise his face before Arthur had accidentally head butted him.

Arthur groaned and shook his head to try and clear his chaotic thoughts. He felt like he had been in a deep sleep, dreaming. But he couldn't for the life of him remember what he had been dreaming of. The rude awakening didn't help either.

"You absolute wanker Alfred! You were going to mess with my face while I slept? Some friend you are" Arthur scowled as he rose off his bed, ducking his head under to avoid the top bunk and pulling his boots on. Alfred stuck his tongue out and swaggered backwards towards the door, reaching behind he gripped the handle and tugged it open. Arthur rolled his eyes and followed Alfred out of their cabin onto the breezy deck.

Arthur took in a deep breath of the early dawn air, the new day sun's first rays peeking over the clouded horizon. There were a few grey snow clouds crawling across the low sky and the air was crisp and cold. Alfred loosened up his tense back muscles by stretching his muscular arms above his head as he wondered over to the ships' ledge.

Arthur shivered he leaned over to watch the city passing by below, the clouds above had started frosting the world with icy puffs.

"What were you dreaming about? You sounded like you were having a debate with yourself or something" Alfred asked to the Brit as he recalled the memory of Arthur's sleep gibberish. It seemed not matter what medicine Arthur took, it didn't do anything to cease his midnight mumbles.

"I don't know. I think it was somewhere cold though, really cold" Arthur replied scrunching up his face as he tried to remember what his dream had been about. All he could pull together was the fragmented memory of entering his mindscape. Everything else had kinda swum and dissolved into something he couldn't clearly remember.

"Cold places aren't going to be a uncommon thing anymore. Hey what's that?" Alfred pointed to a white graceful shape that was soaring towards the ship. Arthur laughed at the sight of his faithful owl magnificently glide and sink its powerful talons into the once smooth polished ledge. The owl's pure white angelic wings were perfect as per the usual and its Amber eyes closed in delight as Arthur scratched the sweet spot beneath its chin.

"And this must be Francis' reply" Arthur said to himself as he carefully uncoiled the folded parchment from around his owl's leg. Alfred had edged closer and was trying to get the Owl's attention, the owl refused to acknowledge Alfred's attempts and snipped at his intruding fingers. Arthur smiled bemused at the exchange before he turned his sights to Francis' letter, which looked like it had been crudely torn out of a diary or some kind.

'To my dearest Arthur,

I write to you with haste. Your feathered friend wouldn't allow me to write at any other speed. I do not deny that the news your letter carried sat with ill feelings on my heart. I only wish that I was there by your side to express these feelings to your face. You won't need to worry about me, Antonio has allowed me to stay at his manor. I told him I would find some way to repay him however the old dog says my companionship is payment enough.

Arthur, I wish you had at least spoken to me before we had parted. But I suppose I cannot do much about it from miles away. Bet on your ridiculous eyebrows that you'll get the thrashing of your life when I see you again. On a more serious more note, Arthur I must tell you something I should of told you a long time.

For you see, the truth is…'

Evil cliffhanger is evil :) So a lot of revelations in this chapter, we not only see Allistor for the first time in forever. But we are also introduced to the blind seer Lukas (Norway) and one of the important locations in the North. I guess we finally know the owner of those sorcerer's eyes sold at the auction. Poor Lukas. We'll learn more about you in later chapters.

Translation: Uentis means 'Begone' in Latin. Simple yet effective for a banishing spell

Unlike most snowy owls, Arthur's owl is completely white with little to no black markings. Just a little fact for you all ;)

There was a lot of information in this chapter that lead up to so many more questions! What has Allistor been doing all this time while he has been in the Nordic Kingdom? What did he mean by They and why does he hate them so much?

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you are liking this story and you want to see it continue, please take the time to leave a review telling me your thoughts,opinions and questions on it. They really mean the world and motivate me to post chapters at a fastest rate.

Until next time folks!