Disclaimer: The Hetalia characters and their personifications belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. 日丸屋 秀和

A/N - This is a preview for a possible Nordics story to explain how their gang got together. So this whole chronicle would be like a long backstory!

Accidents Happen

(At present...)

Time seemed frozen.

The small boy, who had had the misfortune of entering the room at the worst possible moment, reached down with a trembling hand and plucked the arrow from his thigh.

Mathias stared at the child in horror, the gravity of his unintended action only just beginning to sink in.

The boy had light, dusty hair; rounded cheeks which professed his alarming youth; and large, expressive eyes - swirling with shock, pain and confusion - which were just a shade lighter than the archer's.

He wore a light gray vest and was bundled in a thick wool cloak. The garment was clearly too large for the boy's small frame, but the fur around the cloak's hood and cuffs undoubtedly kept the wearer insulated. Immediately Mathias noticed the growing bloodstain on the child's pants. By the time the child removed the arrow, it had nearly soaked down to the boy's boot.

This mysterious youth also had that wintery air about him. Just like the archer, the tinges of red on his nose and cheeks were the only areas of color on his pale face.

The thing that disturbed Mathias most about this boy's appearance however, was what he did not see.

This youngster carried no weapons. No arrows, no knife, no sword, no stick. His belt was empty.

There was absolutely nothing threatening about him - no violence nor aggression written in those large, confused eyes.

And Mathias had just thrust a poison barb into his leg.

Nice.

After crying out initially and removing the arrow, the shaky child buckled to his knees.

The man across the room appeared to have gone even paler (if that were possible) and darted forward to catch the feeble child in his arms.

"B-brother...?"

"Emil, Emil! Dammit, what are you doing here? I told you to stay hidden." The elder whispered desperately. Tears pricked the corners of the older sibling's eyes.

"I... I'm sorry, Brother. I just- I heard a shout and I knew you were in here and I just wanted to make sure you were- Agh!" The child clutched his chest painfully. "Lukas... my leg... and my chest-" The child's speech became fragmented by tears. "-th-they hurt really bad."

A short distance away, Mathias forced himself to fend off off the waves of shock and dismay which had begun to turn his body cold and chose this moment to step in.

"The antidote," he commanded. "Let's see it. Now. Or your brother dies!"

Lukas, as the injured child had called him, held his little brother close and turned fiercely to the Dane.

"I don't HAVE THE ANTIDOTE, YOU IDIOT!"

"WHAT?!" Mathias cried, sitting up straighter as he clutched his mid-section with one arm. "Who the hell carries a quiver of poison arrows and doesn't bring the antidote?! Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'accidents happen'?"

"I don't carry an antidote because I don't intend on reviving the people I SHOOT!"

"Well congratulations. The kid's gonna die and it's your own fault. Way to go, bro."

"I DIDN'T STAB MY BROTHER! YOU DID!"

Mathias rolled his eyes. "Well now you're just getting technical about it. I'm not the one who was careless enough to play with poisonous weapons with little kids running around. That's just irresponsible. ...And I am the last person who should be giving a lecture on responsibility," he emphasized.

Mathias remained slumped on the floor as he spoke. He once again placed a hand over his chest, clawing at a pain he couldn't reach beneath his flesh. His body ached but, he had to admit, the burning sensation was beginning to recede.

"But, Brother, what about your book?"

Lukas looked at the younger boy incredulously. "The book," he repeated, as if struggling to remember something in his state of panic.

"Book? What book?" Mathias looked between the northerners before him.

Each time the Dane spoke, Lukas sent him a bone-chilling glare.

"His magic book," the child explained, not catching the silent tension growing between the adults.

Lukas shushed him.

"It's not magic. It's just a book of elixirs and medicines."

"Potions!" the younger corrected. "And there's stuff about trolls and fairies in there too; I've seen the pictures!" The boy continued to protest. Mathias couldn't help but shake his head slightly at the child's naivety. He still believed in fairies? Damn, this kid was young.

Lukas shook his head, "No, Emil, that stuff's not... that's a very old book. Not all of it is real." The elder paused, eyeing the discarded arrow on the floor. He continued, although he seemed to be speaking to himself now. "But... the ingredients for this poison were in there." He turned to his brother. "If there is a cure, that book is our best chance."

Emil gave him a pained smile and nodded.

However, before the pair of siblings could speak any further, the forgotten third inhabitant of the room reasserted his presence.

Mathias used the wall to push himself to a standing position. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get that book!" he declared, some of his usual vigor returning. The burning had dulled quite a bit.

"What the hell makes you think you're coming with us?" Lukas demanded coldly.

Mathias was all too prepared for this response. He leered down over the pair and intentionally lowered his voice for dramatic effect.

"You hear all that racket out there? Those are my guys keepin' it nice and messy for me. They're here to keep anyone from trying to escape while we're working. You honestly think they're just gonna let you two walk outta here?" When he received no answer (other than a frosty glare), Mathias added. "Hell, this place is small enough; they might just decide it's easier to kill everyone before they leave!"

The child gasped and clutched his brother's arms tighter.

"Stop that!" Lukas scolded protectively.

Mathias shrugged. "I'm just sayin', if you want outta here, you're gonna need my help."

Lukas glared daggers at the man before him. His eyes told of a burning hatred that would make anyone cringe under their intense gaze... but not Mathias.

The morally-deprived rebel held Lukas' stare easily, unflinchingly.

At the moment, his prerogative was to get the antidote and stay alive.

Honor, morality and humanity be damned.

After a few beats of silence, Lukas looked away pointedly. "Fine," he grumbled.

Mathias buoyantly slapped his back with a cheery expression. "That's the spirit!"

It was all Lukas could do not to withdraw the knife from his back pocket, dig it into the thieve's stomach and twist it.

As the brothers rose to their feet, the blond with the messy hair practically shoved his hand in the other man's face. "Mathias Køhler, escape artist, daredevil, viking-pirate-con-man extraordinaire! Pleasure to be working with you today Lukas and Emil...?" he waited for them to provide their surname.

However, his extended hand remained unacknowledged, and he was only met with that cold, dead-pan stare.

"Just. Get. Us. Out." Lukas bit.

"Jeez, okay," the Dane rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in mock defeat. "So anal."

"MY BROTHER IS DYING!"

Mathias casually strode over to the far corner of the room and began scanning the back wall.

He pressed his ear against the thin boards and occasionally rapped his knuckles against the wood.

Unsatisfied with his findings, he moved to the adjacent corner, shoving aside several heavy barrels of alcohol and fumbling miserably with a pile of old rope.

"What are you doing?" queried the child. He remained half-tucked behind his sibling's legs, voice hesitant but curious.

"Just lookin' for something," Mathias replied coolly, knocking gently on the wall once more. "Places like this always have a little back-door escape route incase guys like... well... me show up. Huh. Kind of ironic isn't it?" At that moment, dragging a wooden box to the side, a distinct square of wood panels slightly lighter in color than the rest of the wall was revealed. Mathias quickly got to work prying away the already loose boards of the cubby hole and, "Ta-da! One small exit passage to the outside world! Please, please, no applause. Just watch your step on the way out."

Daylight appeared through a rectangular opening large enough for perhaps two men to squeeze through. They could see the yellowed grass and sandy soil just an arms-length away.

Lukas rolled his eyes deciding that meeting this unbearable Danish racketeer was undoubtedly the worst thing ever to befall him during his life. He took his brother by the arm, dragged the youth toward the corner and bade him go first.

Once Emil slipped through the little square of light, Lukas followed directly after.

Mathias was the last to exit. He carefully replaced the boards as he backed out of the hole, uttering one last curse as a jolt of pain shot through his stomach. Then, he went jogging after his two new acquaintances...

and his only chance of survival.