The knight shivered as he drew his coat tighter about him, wishing that the lands were not so cold, but he had to be here. This was the realm of the ice princess. A person whose heart was as frozen as the lands she ruled. And the only way to break the spell was to defeat the evil sorcerer, the General of her army.

The knight knew that man. And despite the fact he knew that he would probably lose to that terrible sorcerer, he could not help his heroic nature that insisted he try. He gritted his teeth and glanced at his companions. The coyote grinned impishly at him, even if he shivered as well, while the polar bear just ambled along. The knight scowled and simply pulled his coat even tighter.

"Pebon took a new name Matuau." He said angrily, the Coyote nodded and sent a glance his way. "Oh come on Matuau, you are used to this weather. And why are you using my pelt? Where is yours?"

The coyote shrugged and bared his teeth, blue-violet eyes glinting cheerfully. The knight laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "OH... Right... I kinda spilled jam all over it huh? Well, no matter~ I, the Head Knight of the Kingdom of America, Lord Alfred F. Jones, shall save the Princess and you, the Shapeshifter of the Kingdom of Canada, Prince Matthew Williams shall be my side-kick~"

The Canadian Prince frowned at the Lord Alfred's behavior and sighed. "And as a 'sidekick', I think you should give up this foolish adventure and go back to the Kingdom. You imagine Lord Arthur's face if he finds out you've gone and killed yourself for a path to defeat some sorcerer?", the shapeshifter asked rather troubled, "I imagine he'd bring you back only to yell and kill you again!"

"Oh, please, Mattie! I've been in this Hero business for awhile! Besides, your lands are affected as well! If we don't kill the sorcerer and save the princess, then your summer may not return, either!", the American ruler defended.

The Canadian could only sigh once more as he goes on to follow Lord Alfred's lead. The two walked couple of minutes of what seemed like random circling before Prince Matthew looked at Lord Alfred's confused face.

"You forgot how to read the map again... didn't you?" Matthew asked bluntly.

Alfred could only frown deeper as he starts turning the map in every direction before finally giving up and passing the paper to Matthew.

"Can you figure it out? I swear it's not in English! It's a stupid map, really!"

As Matthew takes the map he wonders how he ever got caught up in this mess. "That's because it's written in French, Alfred. Why couldn't you say we were lost from the start?!" Matthew says bothered.

"I knew that!" He grinned sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head again. This was going to take a while. Even when he COULD read the stupid things he got lost easily. But that was why he had Matthew~ The shapeshifter was an awesome tracker and was always able to-

"I can't tell where we are..." the annoyed shifter deadpanned angrily. Not only were they lost, but in a snowfall which killed any scent path and without any visible markers for miles around. When they got out of this, Alfred wasn't going to have to worry about Lord Arthur so much as he would have to worry about Matthew killing him with his staff. He sighed, folding the map and handing it back to the shellshocked knight, "Let's just keep going. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a road or something."

He started off, leaving Alfred where he stood. After a few moments, Alfred managed to get a hold of himself and followed, yelling for Matthew to wait for him.

"Seriously, Mattie! What good's a side-kick if they can't help a hero out once and awhile?" The knight-head complains. "Once we kill the sorcerer, I am so calling the princess, now! I was going to be nice and let you have a shot at her but now I'm totally going to make her fall in love with me instead!" Alfred boasted, "I hear she's a real babe, too! Like, huge rack or something and nice and tall! She'll totally love me!"

Matthew could only kick the armored knight for his ridiculous claims and smirked. "Oh? Well that's good. From what I hear, 'She' is a giant with a disgustingly big nose and a demented, sadistic smile. I bet 'She' would rather beat you with a pipe and set the body on fire with vodka than even thank you..." Matthew teased knowingly.

Alfred pouted at his brother's cruel words and continued on. "Nuh-uh! I even hear there's a pretty albino servant you could totally hook up with! I get the beautiful princess and you can have the normal servant lady! It's perfect!" the honey blond exclaims pumping a fist in the air.

Matthew shakes his head and wondered exactly how well his brother was listening to those rumors. "Whatever, Al. There's not even a reason to begin disagreeing with you and ARGH! You stupid idiot! You got us lost to a point I seriously don't know where we are!" The younger ruler yelled.

Alfred only smirked his cocky grin and chuckled. "Oh? Well look a bit over yonder, I doth think that thine eyes 'ave spotted me a castle of sorts!" Alfred explained as he points to the eerie and large castle ahead. "I believe my awesome map skills got us to the castle, right? Right!"

Matthew just rolled his eyes. Why did he have to be related to such a moron again? They had to look alike... but whereas Alfred could only change into a coyote, Matthew could transform into anything he could get the skin of. A fact Alfred was secretly jealous of. But he was much stronger than Matthew, so it evened out... sort of.

----

"Hey~" the silver-haired knight called from the window he was sitting at, not bothering to look at the man he was addressing, "Your lordship~ Sere's some guys out sere. Vant me ta go kill sem for you?"

He hated being just a servant to the guy, but Prince Ivan had a pact with the Winter spirit. No one knew exactly what the pact was, but it didn't seem good for anyone but Ivan. General Winter was a nasty person to cross, and the silver-haired knight made sure he stayed well away from the creature. And made sure that the Spirit and the Prince had no reason to summon his younger brother.

----

Matthew pulled Alfred and walked more carefully closer toward the castle. Neither knew what to truly expect, and were both on guard as they began approaching the entrance. Everything seemed too easy so far.

Within moments a tall and handsome silver-haired knight appeared before the duo with piercing red eyes and the look of no good on his face.

"Hey! I suggest you leave this castle now, or die a slow and painful death at my Master's orders!"

Alfred puffed up indignantly at the strangers tone. How dare he talk to a powerful knight and a prince like that? His hackles raised and he opened his mouth to snap at him. Matthew quickly slapped a hand over his mouth before he did something stupid like kill they guy who was just trying to do his job... or get killed by the guy, either one would send Lord Arthur into a foaming wrath.

"Let ME do the talking," he hissed warningly in his brother's ear. Alfred nodded sulkily and licked His brother's hand. Matthew grimaced and wiped the spit on his brother's coat before turning and looking at the knight. He inclined his head respectfully towards him while Alfred merely crossed his arms and looked away, Matthew sighed at how childish Alfred was.

" Good knight, My traveling companions and I are lost. We only wish to seek shelter for the night and to get our bearings. We are searching for the castle of General Winter. This brave knight wishes to do battle with the man to win the hand of... The ..." He trailed off as a fit giggles burst forth.

He couldn't help it, his brother was kind of oblivious, but to not know that the princess was really a prince? Come on! Even The Elder King of Italy knew about it, though he was more interested in finding the missing younger king who had disappeared several years ago.

The silver haired man smirked as he walked up to Matthew cockily to place a lustful kiss on his hand. The silverette licked his lips and leaned in closer to the poor wavy haired blond and introduced himself.

"Ah. Well then, dearest traveler, you may come right on in. My name's Gilbert. You, though, cutie, can call me Gil and I'm the serva- I mean totally awesome care taker of this castle and it seems like you've found yourself in the right place... I would love you to join us, company hasn't come... in a long while. Sad that they miss out on the totally awesome me, right?!" He says seductively into Matthew's ear.

Alfred shuddered at someone trying to make moves on his brother. Seriously... His BROTHER?! By a guy no less! And seriously! This guy was hitting on an enemy!

Alfred quickly drew out his sword and ran up to thrust it in the albino looking man's side but was stopped by another blade. The damned albino was holding Matthew in front of himself like a fucking shield!

"You bastard! Let Mattie go!" Alfred yelled not attempting another attack with Matthew in such a dangerous spot.

"Oh? So Mattie's your name, huh? It's kinda cute. It fits ya, even though it's not NEAR as awesome as Gilbert!" he said cockily as he pulled Mathew closer to the point of cutting of the poor boy's oxygen off. "I'd like to be moanin' that name tonight. How 'bout it? I kidnap you and we ditch the loser brother?"

Alfred broke past his logic point and went at Gilbert with all new force before the albino just moved away.

"Damn, dude! I have your sexy brother and everything! Look, I'll be taking him with me, now. You don't have a shot at getting him back, either. No one ever gets to leave until Master says so. If you still want to fight General Winter even though you lost a strong ally and you're bound to die, come save us. We need you..." Gilbert warned before running back to his hidden room.

Alfred howled in outrage and attempted to follow the silver-haired knight. Once he got his hands on that guy he was going to be dead meat! He charged into the castle, holding his massive bastard sword like a bat. Who cared what 'the master' wanted, no one harassed Alfred's brother and got away with it. At least, not without some major repercussions.

It didn't take him long at all to become hopelessly lost in the winding passageways. He kicked a wall, frustration making him twist his face into a pout as he yelled again, his voice echoing loudly in the seemingly empty stone. "Damnit! face me like a man you coward!" He panted heavily from a mixture of anger and tiredness as he continued running around, unaware of the amused regard of the dark-shinned man idly smoking a scented cigar. The dark skinned man shook his head in amusement as he faded back into his enclave, sure that the loud-mouthed teen would be taken care of by the Master... or by the General.

---

Meanwhile, Poor Matthew was in the hands of the psychopathic Silver-haired knight. In his room. On his bed. And when did that guy have time to tie him up?! He sulked, staring at Gilbert as he jabbered on enthusiastically. At his side sat his decidedly unhelpful animal... Kuma...Kuma.... Kuma-something He'd remember it eventually. Either way, all the animal did when he asked it to help him was ask who he was.

"DAMNIT KIRUMAJI!" he yelled at the bear, "I'm MATTHEW! You know, The guy who FEEDS you!"

"Never heard of him," it said calmly, flicking an ear and curling up next to him as he fell into a gloomy pit of despair.

Matthew would have face palmed at the bear's forgetfulness if not for the constricting ties around his wrists. Wiggling around a bit and changing the shape of his hands, he managed to get the rope off while his kidnapper has his back towards him ranting. Like an animal, Matthew charged at the knight in the form of a wolf but was dodged and pinned down.

"If you wanted me, you could have just said so, Mattie. I put you on the bed for a reason. The awesome me doesn't normally do floor sex, but..." Gilbert trails off with a wide smirk as he looked fondly at his captive.

There must have been something sickly funny about pinning poor Matthew down to the cold floor because Gilbert was smirking like a maniac as he cocked his sideways a bit. A smirk growing ever-wider. He rested his head in the blond's neck and sucked. The albino kissed and bit down as he kept the poor victim's hands at bay to leave undisturbed love marks.

Matthew shuddered as the bites stopped and was mentally cursing himself for not struggling more and being affected so easily, the blush on his face reddening by the minute. Slowly, the hands let go and Matthew saw the cold purple eyes behind Gilbert and felt like he was truly going to die.

----

Alfred stared darkly at the tanned man in front of him and sneered. "Look, if you're not the General or the damned albino freak, move out of my way! I got no time for you!" Alfred hissed venomously.

The tanned man smirked as he followed the blond's orders. "Oh, I'll definitely not interfere, fool. My master would like to ripe your limbs off piece off slowly himself. Don't worry, though. You'll see me again as I watch a pompous idiot like you suffer." he threatened sadistically as he suddenly vanished.

Alfred cursed himself and all the freaks in it as he went bashing more room doors open. 'Damn it, Mattie! The hell are you?!'

----

"Who is this, Comrade Gilbert?" the deceptively soft tones of the man seemed almost childish, if not for the miasma of displeasure that seemed to ooze out of him in dark waves. When he gave the albino permission, he had intended for the man to kill the intruders, not leave one running around the mansion screaming bloody murder while molesting the other. He sighed and looked almost apologetic, "I am supposed to think it is a blessing to have the former prince of Prussia working for me... I should have taken your young Brother instead. He is much more obedient, da?"

He was distracted by an approaching sound. Bangs steadily growing closer as well as yells that were growing increasingly familiar, much to the man's annoyance. Whoever was approaching was going to be suitably punished. Maybe by being beaten with a metal pipe until he died. Even if that seemed like a bit of a mercy. The guy sounded really quite annoying. He was probably fat and useless... unlike the little shapeshifter Gilbert had been molesting. Having a beastmaster working for him had its perks. He eyed Matthew appraisingly. The boy was practically shivering in terror. He shrugged.

Gilbert shuddered when the large man left and looked apologetically to Matthew."I... yeah. Look, don't mind him too much. If you do as he says and stay by me, you'll most likely be fine... As for me, well, trying to save your cute little ass might just get me beaten..." He muttered bitterly.

Matthew looked mildly shocked by the Albino's words and reached out a hand. For the first time, Matthew was able to feel how truly cold Gilbert seemed, how sad he looked. In a moment of confusion, the other words he could get out was a soft "I'm sorry."

Gilbert started to smile once again and laughed a little. "Naw, it's fine. It's my own fault. I just couldn't resist those eyes, y'know? Anyway, I need to be here and do this. If I didn't, Prince Ivan, or Master, would go after my brother. Trust me, I'm a lot less of a valuable person than West..." he smiled hurtfully.

Matthew could only nod and pet Prussia's head as he brought the other's face to his chest. "Just... why did you try save me? Is my brother... he'll die!" Matthew sobbed out.

The Prussian just lifts his head from the warm body and smiled. "Now I seriously doubt that, Mattie. Don't worry! I know he'll be okay! Otherwise I'd have taken him prisoner, too. I think there's something about that idiot - like a sun or something- that may be able to actually get us all out of here and kill General Winter!" Gilbert explained proudly.

Matthew just nodded and smiled weakly. "Yeah, that stubborn idiot doesn't go down easy... Thanks, Gil..." Matthew said blushing slightly.

Ivan went around to the castle's lower floors to see a young and handsome blond knight kicking down anything that was in his path. The expression on his face was mixed with both fear, worry, and determination. And, as annoying as he may have seemed, Ivan stared at the creature curiously. It seemed as though his first thoughts of him were wrong.

Alfred felt another person and turned a head. The last thing he needed was another freak to show up, but, alas, it appeared a very large one just came out from the corner.

Annoyed, Alfred turned to the man and snapped, "Look, I really don't have time for you castle weirdos right now! I'm looking for my brother and I need to kill the General dude so either join me or draw out your weapon!"

The larger man giggled at the smaller man's reaction and smiled childishly. "Oh, come down. You do not truly think you can beat the best and most powerful sorcerer in all the lands, do you?" he asked innocently, pulling out a pipe

"Most powerful?" Alfred asked, looking him up and down critically. The guy was impressive, whoever he was. But he wasn't the guy Alfred was looking for, "You sure don't look like Pebon. I'm here to fight General Winter. Not his kid brother. So scootch along and go play plumber with that silver-haired jerk... And tell him to give me back my brother while you're at it." He added the last bit as an afterthought, unaware of the increasing miasma surrounding the purple-eyed man.

"You know what? Why not? I'm pissed off anyways. Let's do it," He growled and pulled his helm closed, the snarling mask painted with the face of his personal animal. He swung his sword idly with one hand, treating it like a toy dirk, while he pulled out the second sword. He didn't have as much finesse with his other hand, but he didn't need to. That was his hacking and slashing hand.

Ivan glared at the impudent knight in front of him, gripping his pipe tightly in anger. This was ridiculous... Not only was his knight canoodling with one of the intruders, but the other one was a total moron. What kind of idiot put a wolf on his helmet? Of course this guy did seem to be pretty up there in the idiot department. He sighed.

----

"You know, I think I have an idea of how you can thank me~" Gilbert purred, picking up Matthew... Despite the fact he was at least an inch shorter than the blond. He carried the Canadian over to the bed and dropped him onto the soft sheets, laying down next to him and curling up against him. "You have no idea how cold it gets. This is as close to spring as we get here. And the longer you stay, the colder you get. I can't stand it. But I can't go home. Prussia was destroyed years ago... It's a part of West's kingdom now."

The Canadian prince shuddered at the cool touch and groaned softly. The blond couldn't help the dark flush sweeping across his body. "A-ah!", he gasped out heatedly, "St-stop it, Gil! I... um... Please? I don't know what you're doing!" He commands shy, but firmly as a hand sneaked its way up his back.

"Shh. Don't worry, Mattie. I'm not going to do anything to you. Well, not if you don't totally want my awesomeness and beg for it, of course." The Prussian spoke gently despite the cocky words. "I just want to touch you a little. It's going to be rough later on so please just fall to sleep now. With any luck, your brother with be fine and free us soon."

Matthew only nodded lightly as he closed his eyes. He wondered how on earth his fool of a sibling could handle himself alone. It angered the blond somewhat he wasn't off with him. "Why... why can't we help him?!" he sobbed out with tears forming at the edges of his eyes.

Gilbert used his other hand to lovingly stroke Matthew's hair and smiled sadly. "Because... I just... don't want to see your beautiful body hurt. You fail to realize how powerful our General is. Please, whatever you tried to do would only distract Alfred. He manipulates his enemy's feelings like that. Taking him on is a one man show. Besides, I'm cursed to serve that bastard until the day he dies..." he explained kindly.

Matthew took the words to heart and snuggled into Gilbert's chest deeply as he let his tears flow. 'Please, God Al... Be okay...!'

Maybe letting the kid use Gil as a personal body pillow was a bad idea... Nope. It was pretty damn sweet. Matthew was warm and oddly cuddly and smelled like maple syrup. Gilbert hugged him closer and inhaled slowly, taking in the scent, which made Matthew stiffen slightly, but he didn't do anything else. Something tickled his nose and he opened his eyes, not realizing he had shut them, and looked at the weird curly-cue sticking out of the teen's forehead. The knight reached up and began tugging on it lightly, trying to pull it out.

----

Alfred lay face-down from where he collapsed after his latest attempt at defeating that guy. This time had resulted in what should have been a skull-crushing blow to the head. If it weren't for the fact his favorite helm was enchanted, Alfred was sure he would have died many times over. As it was, he was pretty sure the room wasn't supposed to be fading in and out like that. He felt the vibrations of his opponent's approach and swing out weakly, brandishing his sword out of sheer pig-headed stubbornness. The reprimanding tap on his wrist made him drop the weapon, his hand withdrawing to press against his breastplate as he panted lowly.

"That was fun workout, da?" Said the Master as he stared at the intruder. It had been interesting to see the knight go from blustering and fairly useless to deadly serious and a threat. In fact, if it weren't for the defensive ice magic the master knew, Alfred had landed some pretty vicious and almost fatal attacks. The master smiled nastily, grabbing the helmeted head to peer at the intruder through the skull's eye-sockets. He was surprised at how Blue they were. Like a perfect midsummer's day sky. But his surprise didn't show as he chirped innocently at his new toy, "You lose comrade~"

Alfred looked deeply in the soft violet colored orbs staring at him. They certainly held some cruelty and evil in them... but it almost seemed as there was some poor child in there. Alfred felt as ready to try and kill his holder as opposed to hug him. It was then Alfred wondered if the purple-eyed giant was really doing this of his own free will or if he was like a damsel in distress, waiting for her knight to come.

Alas, the giant seemed to hold Alfred's head tighter and was positioning himself for a final blow. Alfred's eyes widened as he did what any desperate guy would do to another male as a last resort, knee his enemy in the groins. It wasn't the most brilliant plan or noble of attacks but it seemed to have worked in making the large enemy before him let go and wobble slightly.

Smiling cockily, the blond knight prepares his blade again and gets into another attack stance. "Oh? Maybe for you it is. I've barely begun!" he announces proudly at his opponent.

----

Matthew let out one of the most glorious moans ever to reach Gilbert's ears as he fiddle with the curly hair.

"A-aaaaaaaaaah! St-stop that, Gil! You'll rip it o-out!" The blond shapeshifter begged sensually.

Gilbert let go, but only out of shock, for a brief second. Really, hearing those sounds from the sexy beast laying on him was enough for him to go spiraling into desire. In reality, though, Gilbert was comfy with Canada just laying on him... But the ache in his pants was growing strong.

Matthew and Gilbert did what was not to be done and made eye contact. The very awkward, lustful, "take me now" sort of eye contact that actually made the Canadian Prince be the one to make the first move as he locked lips with the albino beneath him.

----

"Ublyudok..." He croaked out, pain evident in that angrily hissed word as he glared at the blue-eyed teen. He was simply going to knock out the brat and lock him up, but for that... He was going to die. Alfred looked at him blankly, but was ready for the attack that came on the heels of that odd word.

Almost. He cried out as the ice shard nicked his arm. He had deflected the worst of the damage away though, and that was all that mattered. He couldn't lose to this guy. Alfred was going to rescue his brother then kill General winter and save the princess. But first, this guy had to get out of the way!

----

Gilbert was surprised at the teen's forwardness, but there was no way he was going to bottom. Not a chance! While Matthew was distracted, he quickly looped the curl around his forefinger and tugged lightly. Matthew groaned into his mouth, the evidence of his reaction showing in the way he weakened enough for Gilbert to flip them over. Now that the younger male was below him... He had to figure out how to take him. The kid was a shifter, so doggy-style might be fun~ But Gilbert liked being looked at... Ah well. Maybe next time he'd do something different...~

But first. Time to get naked~

Gilbert began to nip down Matthew's neck and left small love marks as he made his way lower down to the Canadian's collar. Not liking the restricting clothing, the albino half ripped off the first part of Matthew's upper layer. He started with the light armor/pelt he had and followed with the thick shirt.

Once Gilbert saw the naked upper body of his new lover, his smirk grew ten-fold and he began to peck at a contrasting nub on the pale chest. Playing with the stub with his tongue, the mewls from the blond were starting to drive the albino crazy with lust and he cut the contact to remove his own clothing.

----

Alfred looked at the giant and started to feel something near petty as he noticed the still painful expression on his enemy's face. Desperate or not, it was a low blow. Literally. Alfred would be pissed off too if he had to deal with that in a fight.

But yet again, Alfred's sympathy was cut short at the continuous attacks. As much as he hated talking with enemies, he felt the need to try to converse with the childlike sadistic man.

"Hey! Why are you trying to attack me?! Sure, that was a low blow, but you can't have been this mad in the beginning of the fight! So, how 'bout it? Wanna help me defeat the General?!" he cried out hopefully.

"I vos not mad until you kneed me in the gonady, you prostofilya," he growled, brandishing his pipe with deadly accuracy. But to his ire, the teen managed to avoid being hurt as much as he should have. At the repeated mention of the General, Ivan let up slightly on the attack. He wondered why the blue-eyed boy seemed so intent on fighting General Winter when it was obvious he was from a kingdom the General barely touched.

"The General and I have made an agreement. He protects my lands and I allow his powers to lock the kingdom in eternal winter. It has benefited the both of us..."

----

Gilbert quickly shucked his heavy outer coat and the chain mail and leather jerkin, the clothes clinking and thumping as they hit the ground, before returning to his cute prince. He ran his tongue around a nipple again before biting lightly and tugging on it. But that wasn't his entire focus...

Matthew yelped at the bite, though it wasn't painful, and tried to push Gilbert off. But the knight was like a rock, completely immovable. Matthew blushed as he felt a hand trail down his bare chest, sliding across his stomach and towards a very... intimate place. He squeaked as Gilbert seized his belt, ripping it off and yanking the soft breeches down to leave the poor innocent prince completely unclothed.

"Du bist so schön," Gilbert purred, stroking the ever-brilliant lock of hair that left Matthew putty in his hands. He idly wondered if Matthew's brother had that curl too, but dismissed that thought in favor of the boy in front of him. He had to know if Matthew was already bound to a Beast master. And if so, who...

"Have you ever done this before Matthew? Have you ever joined with another?"

Matthew found his flush deepening even still and moaned at the wanted touches. "N-nooo~ I-I've not t-tried this... ah! With anyone!" the poor virgin prince confessed timidly.

Gilbert found himself very pleased with the response but still had the curiosity nagging in his groin. Poor albino needed the blond and needed him now. He needed to prove the words true and needed to take the man's last piece of innocence.

With skilled hands, Gilbert slipped a hand around the other's throbbing member and gave a light squeeze. Everything was just turning him on more as his dear prince moaned even more beautifully. The begging making the arousal in his own pants tighter and tighter, until he literally found himself ripping the constricting pants off with his free hand.

Matthew went slightly wipe eyed at the newly shown skin and gasped at the other 'five meters' worth of manhood. Feebly, the innocent blond began protest and rejected the idea of such a great length being able to fit inside him... But he hushed up once he felt the knight's skilled tongue tracing over his most sensitive region.

----

Alfred gave the man before him a 'what the hell' look and tsk'd. "Look, that may seem like a fine and dandy reason on the front, but seriously, dude! Have you seen your outside? I'm starting to believe there's truly nothing here. That this land is a true wasteland. No offense, but c'mon! Look at the way you control yourself! There's no reason for this! You can protect your kingdom all on your own! You seem like you'd be a kinda swell guy if you know, you didn't try to kill people... How 'bout it, Mr...?" The stubborn knight trails off with an extended hand hoping for one in return and a name.

"I am Vanya, but outsiders call me the Ice Prince of Russia." He commented softly, despite the fact that Alfred seemed to have no idea who he was and that pissed him off a lot. This brat entered his kingdom in search of his General and didn't have the decency to make sure of whom the ruler was? He scowled, "And General Winter helped me drive off those that attempted to invade. My kingdom is the largest in the world. That is why people want it. I first met him when the king of the Mongol kingdom invaded my lands and held me captive. I was barely more than an infant."

Alfred winced at the icy tone of the Prince. Because of his stunning lack of geographical knowledge, he had not known how big Russia really was. And since all he knew was his own kingdom's history, this story was news to him. He shuddered; thankful he was from a Democracy like Heracles. Their royalty were figureheads, though they could run for ruler-ship if they desired, but they were often more interested in protecting then leading.

----

Gilbert pulled away to look at his prize. The poor boy was completely at his mercy and he intended to make this an unforgettable experience. But to do that... He needed Lubrication. Without that it would hurt like a bitch. He reached over to his bedside table and pulled open a drawer in search of the small bottle of oil. After a moment he sat back looking annoyed and confused. He was sure he put it in there... So where did it go?

"One second bitte~" he said, getting up to check the drawer more thoroughly. After a moment he shut the drawer and looked at Matthew apologetically, "schiesse... I can't find it... guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way Mein Vöglein."

"Wait..." Matthew was already apprehensive, but to hear Gilbert say 'Old fashioned way' in such a carefree manner... He really began to feel nervous, "W-w-what do you mean?"

"Just lay back and let the awesome me take care of you Schön~" was the reply as Gilbert came back to his vital area. The former Prince put his fingers in his mouth slicking them for the job they had to do to prepare the shifter for Gilbert's soon to be very thorough invasion.

----

Alfred brought a small smile to his lips at the giant's words. 'Vanya, huh. Sounds familiar... Like... from a fairytale... about ice princesses and heroes and knights and crap. It suites him.' the ignorant blond thought contently. 'He doesn't even seem so bad.'

Alfred retracted his hand thinking this 'Vanya' in front of him was going to meet it and spoke up once again. "Well, Mister Vanya, it's nice to think that you have protection but it's not affecting just you. So much of my dear brother's lands have been hit and... well.., really have you met my brother? Dear boy's lands very large- almost as big as yours, but trust me when I say he doesn't need this constant cold. Everyone, self included sadly, tends to forget him. But anyway! Please. Stop doing this. Let me destroy the General so the lands can be strong again! A constant Winter may seem strong but it can only ever make a nation's heart weak." Alfred scratched his head looking for the best way to continue and reaches for his sword as he holds it loosely in his hands. "Look, the point is, if you, as a prince of this land, doesn't wish to see the best path for your people, than I will defeat you and do it myself. I don't want to have to do it alone, Vanya, but if you oppose, I'm going to have to save you, Mattie, this kingdom, and the princess!" Alfred said speaking out heroically as he got into a better fighting position.

"There is no need to interact with outsiders. Only my lands and my people." Ivan spoke without any emotive inflection to his tone. The general was all that was needed. His people were strong. They learned to deal with the eternal ice and snow. Or they died. That was the way that General said his people were to learn to endure and to become powerful enough to take away the emptiness, "And my people are strong. And they are as many as the drops of snow. I am not about to let things weaken because of some strange dislike you have for the General"

"Hey wait! I- Whoah!" Alfred barely managed to duck as the pipe aimed for his head slammed into the wall behind him. 'What is this guy's problem?!' he mentally shrieked as he dodged and parried the crippling blows. He opened his mouth to try and reason with the guy, but Ivan continued to speak while still attacking.

"I do not need to be saved pridurok." he hissed icily, "Nor do my sisters. They have their own kingdoms to run. They did not like my General and He did not like them. I am alone except for Gilbert and General Winter. And I am happy that way."

Alfred gave Vanya saddened look as went to attack mode with the Russian. If the Prince wouldn't hear reason, he'd just have to show him!

"Okay, fine! But I assure you, this doesn't always mean the best for your people. Strength is empty if a person has nothing to fight for! Tell me, what do you truly fight for, Vanya!" the knight cried as he went in for another attack.

"I fight for my people. This is my land. And I will not see it fall!" the Russian giant swung wildly, anger making him lose focus as he attacked the teen. "I need the General! He is always here to protect my lands. He should have kept you out! You should never have found this place!"

Alfred was getting tired of this. Vanya seemed to be getting stronger, the blows he had to parry were making his arms shake with pain and fatigue. There had to be a way to make him calm down or something. But this guy was obsessed with being alone... or being safe. He wanted to protect his lands from everything. He was trying to be a hero too. But what he was doing wasn't heroic at all...

Ah! So thank you all so much for reading until the end of chapter one! Should you all like it then please thank Miss akuoni who is my lovely co-writer! Thankfulness that can be showed in the form of reviews and comments~! Please? Think about it! You can make two people happy with one review~ doesn't that seem nice?