The Lost Colonies of Vinland (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In 1960, the remains of two Norse villages were discovered in Canada and carefully excavated and recreated over the next few decades. With their discovery comes old memories for the twins and a past no one could have expected... History AU (Co-features Nordics)

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: AU to Real Life & Hetalia; Native American Spirits; Culture & History

Important Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia canon and my canon. You'll be less confused about certain things that way.

Prologue: Lost and Found (The Loss and Rediscovery of the Twin Nordic Colonies)

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((Early 1000s))

Denmark ground his teeth, resisting the urge to slam his fists on the rail as he watched the island slowly disappear over the horizon. Norway and Iceland stood behind him, silent, but he knew they were also annoyed at the situation they were in. Sweden and Finland had disappeared below deck, and Denmark couldn't blame them; the loss of the twins – their colonies – was a blow to all of them.

Leifsbudir and Hóp; the twin colonies of Vinland and energetic young troublemakers. They had mostly taken after Finland in looks, but while Hóp was more like Denmark in personality, Leif acted more like Norway. Both, however, absolutely adored Sweden and were often found playing by him when he worked around the villages. When he wasn't available, Iceland was often found running around with them and mostly keeping them out of trouble.

Several days ago, though, they had disappeared without a trace. All suspected the two to have been kidnapped by the natives, but the only expedition to track them down had failed and had to be called back for defense. The village of Hóp had to be abandoned because of the unrelenting attacks, and when they arrived at Leifsbudir, they found the villagers there packing and ready to leave due to similar attacks.

Now they were sailing away, perhaps for good, and they all idly wondered about the fate of the children. None held any hope that the two would live; the chances of them surviving on their own, without any people to call their own, was very low. It was depressing, but they accepted it.

The island disappeared from sight, and Denmark turned away. He had ships to run.

~0~0~

((Mid 1600s))

Finland smiled as he took a walk around the gardens of his and Sweden's villa. Yes, America was a lovely place, and certainly warmer than his house back north. The air was clean, the land was pristine, the food was plentiful, and he only wished he could stay there all year round. Responsibilities, however, found a way to call him back home constantly, leaving him little time to simply kick back like he was now.

A rustle in some nearby bushes caught his attention, and he turned to see a pair of bright blue eyes watching him with curiosity. For a second he fought off a sense of deja vu, before he bent down to get a better look. The movement startled the child, and he fled into the woods. Finland stared after him a moment longer before shaking his head and returning to the house.

When he told Sweden about the encounter, the man was silent, deep in thought. He then got up, muttering about seeing the kid for himself. An hour later, the taller man returned, looking vaguely baffled. He had also seen the boy and experienced deja vu. His attempt to capture the kid, however, had sent the child fleeing deeper into the woods. Both only caught glimpses after that, and it wasn't until Netherlands kicked Finland out of the villa (and claimed it for himself) that he ran into the kid again.

Sweden was away at the time, so Finland sat by a creek, crying and generally complaining to England and France until the latter asked what was wrong. They looked unsympathetic to his loss, but perked up once he mentioned the kid he'd seen running around. All three came to the realization that the kid must be a Nation like them, and was probably America.

When they ran into the kid, England and France immediately pointed out features like their own which 'obviously proved' he was their baby brother; when Finland asked about how much the kid took after him, both paled and stammered about how looks 'didn't matter' and that they should 'focus on catching the young boy's heart'.

The next day America was asleep in England's arms, and while Finland supposed it was fair (since the man had supposedly gotten up early just to get some time alone with the child), he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of loss. He soon moved back to his land, and in the intervening years forgot about the incident.

~0~0~

((Late 1700s))

Sweden stood in the meeting room, the ambassador to France beside him. They were waiting for America and his own ambassador to arrive so they could finish working out their treaty, and in the silence the Nation thought about the newly independent Nation. He knew very little about the other, as England had generally been very clammed up about it.

France, Spain, and Prussia had all helped the young colony fight for his independence, but they too were quiet on what the boy was like. The only bit of information they gave was a light grin and "You'll know him when you meet him; he's very spirited." Like that was helpful in any way.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and two people walked in. The first he knew to be Benjamin Franklin from what he'd been told by the ambassador, and the other...

For a second he thought Denmark had entered the room, but this boy was too young and wore a suit more suited to the British than the outfits he knew his former captor wore. However, the grin on his face was eerily reminiscent of the other, and the eyes and hair color – each just a shade off – only added to the awkwardness of it all. He hadn't realized he was staring until a cough beside him broke the daze.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, and as the ink from the signatures dried the two ambassadors shook hands, leaving Sweden and America on the side. The latter nudged the other, and gave the taller man a grin once he had his attention. "Hey, thanks for recognizing me as a Nation, Sweden. I was kinda worried earlier when you were staring at me – did I do something wrong?"

Sweden slowly shook his head. "No, you j'st supr'sed me 's all."

"How come?" The young Nation asked, curiosity in his voice.

"...Y' look a lot like someone I know. Thought you were h'm for a sec'nd."

America tilted his head (just like Denmark, Sweden idly thought) at the answer. "Oh. Yeah, I guess that'd throw me off too if I saw someone who looked like Ar- England."

Sweden nodded silently, and soon after the two parted ways, but Sweden could never shake off the odd similarities between the two Nations.

~0~0~

((1960))

"...discovered at the northern tip of Newfoundland..."

"...proof of European presence in North America long before Columbus..."

"...second village was discovered in New Brunswick last week..."

"...large island at the fork of the Miramichi..."

"...some of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century..."

"...near perfect match with historical records..."

"...excavations are to be started in cooperation with archaeologists from the Nordic countries..."

"...lost Norse colonies found..."

Norway stood on the beach, looking out across the water. Behind him, his people were working to carefully excavate the ruins of a village he hadn't set foot in for almost a thousand years. His mind was lost in memories of the past, back when he and the others had struck fear in most of Europe. He could still see where the buildings had stood, even if they were just memories and ruins now. Perhaps he'd stop by the southern excavation later; Iceland was there now and he wanted to see how his younger brother (by blood!) was fairing with the memories.

Voices drifted across the beach, young and definitely not from the archaeologists who were all busy working. Still partially lost in his thoughts, he turned to see who was invading his privacy, and the words died in his throat as he took in the ghosts before him. Even if they were older and now much larger in the world, seeing them side by side made it all but obvious who they were.

"Leifsbudir? Hóp?" He asked dazedly, not seeing Canada and America, but the villages founded and abandoned long ago.

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AN: Alright, this is my first full story in the little universe I'm tossing together. It's inspired by a very well written oneshot where Canada turns out to be Vinland; while I like the idea, I also like America and Canada being twins, so I had to find something to justify having both as canon.

The other thing this is based on is the fact that America and Denmark, in the 'official art', look eerily similar, and also act similar as well. Of course there are plenty of differences, but when one attributes it to having a mixture of five different peoples, I think I can make it slide.

When I went to look up information on Vinland, it turns out that there was plenty of evidence to suggest other settlements that haven't been found yet. Several hours of research and map-searching later, I decide that Beaubears Island (an island sitting in the Miramichi River in New Brunswick) was a perfect spot for the second village, since it's one of the only spots in the region that hasn't been excavated.

As I've warned, this is AU to our universe and to Hetalia canon. This story right here is detailing the major difference. There won't be too many chapters (I'm guessing about five or six, including prologue and epilogue). If you want to know all the changes in my universe, please check out my author's page – I've made sure it only has the essential information for my stories and the characters.

Oh, and don't forget to review~!