Disclaimer (because this time, we actually need one): No, Tomatoes and Turtles do not own Axis Powers Hetalia or the idea of the fanfiction at all. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. The original concept was inspired by a prompt from Hetalia kink meme (though there is a major difference between that and our fanfic) and premise of the fanfic belongs to Alowl. All we did was take her idea (with permission, of course) and ran in the opposite direction. However, the prologue and the first two chapters are based scenes from her original story.

So, without further ado...

Chapter 0: Prologue

Once upon a time (but certainly not the last time) …

Arthur Kirkland, King of the Eastern and Western Lands was in an awful position, to say the least. He was anxiously waiting in the darkness of the night in the forest located right behind his palace, carrying someone very dear to him. As the shadows played tricks on him, he began to regret coming here at all.

Yet here he was, making the sacrifice which would determine the fate of his kingdom.

A few minutes later, the mischievous shadows began to reveal what he was dreading the most. He could barely make out the features of them, waiting by the tree line farther from the castle. At the very sight of them, he gently fell to his knees, tightly clutching the soft bundle in his arm and begging through his tears, "P-please don't make me do this."

Ruthless black eyes glinted in the light of the moon. "You dare go back on your word?" The tension-filled question was whispered, yet it was loud and clear through the billowing wind.

Suddenly, the desperate king found the last bit of courage to blurt out, "Yes – I dare!" His panicked stare tried to avoid the dark eyes of the figure hidden in the shadows. "I – won't," he slowly got up again, tightening his arms around the child. "I will not give him to you!"

"If that is the case, you will die," the figure's answer was definite. "And your kingdom will suffer dearly the consequences of your decision," he hissed with the wind. "If you do not give into our demands, we shall plunge your kingdom into darkness." The figure walked with the silhouettes of the night as they grew closer to the king. "No one shall be spared." He stepped forward, "Not your men," and got closer, "Nor your women or children," and closer still, "Absolutely no one." Two gloved hands roughly grabbed the young king's robes, pulling him closer to the figure, forcing him to meet the man's merciless gaze. "Your precious prince will die regardless…"

The death-like grip on the ruler's robes was suddenly released and the figure impatiently waited for his response. The young ruler inevitably met the man's black void-like eyes, and soon the monarch's face read submission.

Arthur looked down at the small boy in his arms one last time – no longer a toddler, but still a very young child. He gently placed his hand on his downy golden hair, his fingers lightly tracing down to his soft cheeks which were slowly starting to lose baby fat. The father's face contorted into an expression of indescribable pain as the child giggled with glee and huddled deeper into his father's arms. Arthur closed his eyes and held him close, taking in every last detail of his son – down to the homely scent left on his clothes.

"Take him," he whispered, his quiet voice filled with self-abhorrence.

And unwillingly, he released his snug grip on the child.

A gust of wind blew and one flurry of motion later, the boy was swept away from his loose embrace and the entourage that took him was nowhere to be seen.

The king somehow managed to get to his feet and clumsily advanced, tears blurring his vision. He sprinted through the playful shadows and the mocking wind, frantically looking a way to reverse his decision. Only did he stop his distraught search when he tripped on a tree root, collapsing on the cold, hard ground. Arthur turned to his side and curled into a ball, miserably reflecting on what he had done.