Once Upon A Time | A Hetalia x Reader

Chapter 42: Forever Runaways

[ Timeskip to five months later ]

It has been a year and less than a half.

"(Name), you can't be distracted. Put your arm up higher, keep the sword parallel to your ear."

Life hasn't been all that...great, really. Luciano has currently invaded 26 villages throughout the past year, reigning over two kingdoms as he passed. His army is very controlling and powerful. Much more powerful than my own. It seemed that his algorithms have changed each time he came into war.

Just to find me.

"That swing you took isn't strong enough. Do it again, cut deeper into that tree over there."

"I'm trying."

"You're not trying hard enough. Do it again."

Alfred has definitely changed over the past months. Whenever he looked at me...it always looked like the glare of hatred. As if I was the one to blame. But who could stop him? I tried to tell him that Arthur's in a better place, but he wouldn't listen. And...I tried to understand how he's feeling.

In denial. Losing all hope. Realizing how he had lost his family.

Am I missing something?

"Your blows are too rigid. Why are you so hesitant? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

I should've done that a long time ago.

Just as I finished my training, Alfred stormed away. He seemed to mumble incoherent words that I of course didn't bother hearing, knowing that they were just another set of discouraging phrases that can put me down. He normally hurts me mentally. Rarely, he would hit me with a stick. Especially if I never did anything right. I'm quite glad that this time he was going easy on me.

What happened to the happy, flirtatious Alfred I knew?

The letters I sent to Feliks have not been recieving any replies lately. I was getting pretty concerned about what happened to his kingdom. Are they doing okay? Maybe they're currently fighting off Luciano. Maybe they're still fighting Luciano. Or maybe that kingdom's gone too. But I can't say that. Sadik, Feliks, Heracles...they're my friends. I should at least have some faith in them.

And what about everyone else?

I'm surprised I still remember them. Vash, Lily, Michelle, Emma, Natalia; Feliciano, Ludwig, Kiku...there were some kind strangers in which I never caught their name upon, and even Oliver. What happened to Oliver?

As I looked up to the sky, I saw all the grey clouds looming before me, threatening to spill its contents. It looked like it was about to cry. It's...been awhile since I've last cried too.

-

Since we were backtracking, it became much more difficult to search for assistance. Everyone stranded their homes and villages. We had to keep cover, and hid in the shadows.

...my first kill wasn't nice.

Hiding and running and hiding and running was all I ever did as I went through village to village. Fires, painful massacres, and torture were seen left and right. Women raped, little girls screaming bloody murder, calling for their mothers who were dying. I wanted to help, but Alfred pulled me back into the darkness.

"Don't. You'll get killed like the rest of them."

I felt like being the rest of them.

And then we arrived at the first village that I ever went to when I first started this journey. The town was deserted. It seemed as if no one was there, and we ended up looting the place made sure if Luciano's gaurds were anywhere to be seen.

Bread, rice, fish, corn...

I found a lot of blood stains here and there, but they weren't recent. The villagers here must've been killed and thrown into a river. Typical murderers and their sick ways of discarding the evidence.

"Do you think that she's alive?" I suddenly asked, not bothering to be more specific. The memories...the talks....the only moments that can try to make me remember about all of this. Why I'm here, who my real parents were... Just a photo, I thought. All I have is a photo.

"Seems unlikely. Last time I checked, she was too weak and frail to even hurt a fly," he answered bluntly, walking right past me as if he didn't know how sensitive the topic was.

So having no family left really hurt him bad, huh? Do I have to be blunt about that too?

Soon we continued on the usual route back to my kingdom. We didn't stay out in the open though. Hiding between trees and thickets. Bushes and thorns. It was clear to me that Luciano's gaurds aren't really here. Maybe hiding, but just not here.

The silence definitely ached me.

-

So after two days, we finally rested.

The fire was faint but it was able to keep us warm, even at its slightest. I looked through my belongings, seeing all of the weathered books and supplies that I brought with me throughout the journey. I never had the time to actually read any of those books, so all I ever did was leave them in the depths of my satchel, never to (possibly) be seen again.

I stumbled upon the locket and my first parent's photo that I brought with me from the castle.

Well, my consideration of a photo was a simple drawing I made. I framed it because it was the last drawing I made of them from since then. I smiled weakly, knowing that my younger me didn't know how to draw facial features and appearances. Even with this drawing, I can still say who is who, but I never knew if it was really them.

The locket was something that my first father had apparently gave me. It couldn't open, unfortunately, so I was left with carrying it around and wondering about its contents.

When I placed the things back into my satchel, I slowly stood up and wore the scabbard on, also including my sheathed sword inside of it, too.

I stole this sword.

"Where are you going?" Alfred asked from afar, not looking at me but into the burning fire.

"I'm going for a walk."

He sighed, slowly standing up as well. "I'll come with you."

"Don't."

"And why not?" he asked, looking irritated.

"I know that you can't stand my presence right now. So I'll give you some space."

He seemed very reluctant, but he ended up letting me go in the end, without any further convincing. I nodded knowingly (only because he now knew clearly that I really was giving him space), and turned my back to walk away.

I took slow steps as I followed my way to the main path. Stepping over stones and gushing rivers, through streams and bushes and trees.

And I knew, just by then, that we were forever runaways in this trail that we took.

- 

"There are multiple paths to take that don't always lead you to a good end."