CinderIce: Iceland x Finland Hetalia!

3

CinderIce raced outside and found Mister Puffin sitting on a pumpkin. "Okay, what now?" He asked the bird. "Gimme that stick." Mister Puffin commanded. CinderIce handed him a weird-looking stick and stepped back a bit. His bird friend said some weird things and the pumpkin turned into a carriage!

"How'd you do that?" CinderIce looked at his bird friend with a shocked expression. "It's called magic. Get in, I snatched a few mice, I can turn them into horses and we'll be on our way."

"Who's going to steer them?" CinderIce looked back as he entered the carriage. "Me, of course!" Mister Puffin cackled, "I can turn myself into a human. Oh, only until midnight, though. Keep an eye on the clock. It's ten right now."

"Alright, Mister Puffin!"

A few moments later, the carriage started moving and they were on their way to the castle. They got there in fifteen minutes, and human Mister Puffin helped CinderIce out of his carriage. "Thank you, Mister Puffin."

"No problem! Don't get caught, okay?"

"I'll do my best. Come back around eleven thirty, okay?"

"You got it, tough guy!" Mister Puffin took off with the carriage as CinderIce walked inside to the ballroom. He felt extremely nervous, he's never been to one of these parties before.

He hid behind a pole and saw his stepbrothers greeting the prince as everyone else simply talked or drank punch. The prince looked bored in his eyes, but he held a strong smile. 

CinderIce's stepbrothers made their way back to Master Denmark and argued about who the prince may like more. Shaking his head, he walked out from behind the random pole and wandered around, exploring the new area. The ballroom was absolutely stunning, there was a giant chandelier and many, many windows. The walls looked as if they were made of pure Gold!

As he admired the room, he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He spun around and saw it was the prince! He bowed to the future leader. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there, your highness!"

"It's quite alright. I don't believe we've met before. Of course, you seem to know I'm prince Finny!"

"Yes, you are. My name is CinderIce. It's a honor to meet you."

"CinderIce, that's quite a name! Would you like to dance?" Prince Finny held out his hand, and CinderIce happily took it. "I would love to."

They typically made their way to the center of the room and slow danced together. Over prince Finny's shoulder, CinderIce could see his stepfamily glaring at him. They obviously recognized him, and he panicked. He jumped away from the prince and ran to the balcony. "Oh, no. I'm so dead!" CinderIce mumbled to himself. He looked at the giant clock. Eleven fifteen. Mister Puffin would be here soon and he could leave.

"Why are you dead, CinderIce?" He shrieked and turned around, scaring the prince. "Oh, your highness! I didn't mean to scream at you, I just...my stepfamily, they're here and..." He felt his heart leap into his throat and he couldn't speak. 

"Did they not want you here?" Prince Finny looked at him with concern, "You can tell me. I promise!"

CinderIce took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I've been their slave for years, I just wanted one night away from that terrible place and now-"

Ding dong!

"I'm sorry, I need to leave!" CinderIce turned to leave, but prince Finny grabbed his hand. "Why do you have to leave?"

"I just have to! Please, just let me go!" He broke free from the prince and ran down the large steps of the castle. CinderIce's shoe fell off, but he didn't care. He had heard the prince call for the gates to close and he needed to escape. He managed to slip through and hopped into his carriage. "Hurry, Mister Puffin!"

"Hold on tight, it's gonna be a rough ride!" Mister Puffin snapped the rope and the horses took off down the road. Mister Puffin and CinderIce quickly made it home and ran to hide in his bedroom. 

Moments later, he heard the front door slam closed. "CinderIce, come down here right now! You disobedient little rat!"

CinderIce sheepishly and foolishly approached his stepfamily and was met with a slap in the face. "I ought to kill you for humiliating us like that! How could you do that to your stepbrothers?"

Nordrella and Swestasia watched in horror as Master Denmark pulled out the long, Black stick and started beating CinderIce to the ground. It seemed like forever, but only five minutes later the hits had stopped coming. Cinderice laid helpless on the floor, bleeding and hurting all over. 

Master Denmark violently dragged him up the stairs and tossed him into his room. "Now you can stay in here and rot! Nobody will ever find you." He locked the window and door with a key and left.

CinderIce managed to crawl up to his bed and cried. How long would he be here? Until he died? "Well, this is bad." Mister Puffin squawked from the closet, "I'm amazed you actually listened to me, tough guy."

"Shut up, Mister Puffin."

"Alright. If you're going to sleep, just know that I'm sorry for getting you killed."

With those last words, they both fell asleep.