Okay, this is my first fanfiction, and I know it still needs a lot of polishing. A couple of warnings before I actually post the story.
One, this story came about after spending several months reading through posts on the Kink Meme. I can't point to any specific requests that it fits, but it did influence parts of my headcanon. This story was partially written to work out my headcanon and to get in the habit of writing before Nano, so there are some digressions, but for the time being I'm leaving them in. Also, I used the name Scandia for the father of the Scandinavian countries, and I saw that name somewhere on the Kink Meme and kind of borrowed it. I don't know who came up with it. There were in a few other things in the original draft of that story that I saw on the Kink Meme and borrowed, but I think I removed all those when I edited.
The actual warnings. This story contains references to child abuse, and also mentions of past Mpreg. Some of the abuse is actually shown, as well.
The final warning. I used an online translater for some of the foreign languages used in this story, although I also used my Scandinavian phrasebook, and a couple of other sources. Any errors in the languages are probably the result of the online translator, because I'm not sure how far I trust it's accuracy.
Oh, and I don't own anything except the plot of this particular fanfiction.

Family Secrets

There have been stories told about what happened when Rome and Germania visited their descendants. Less well known are the events that occurred when Scandia paid a visit to his kids. This may have to do with the fact that a long held secret was revealed.

It all started on an ordinary enough day. It was about a month after Rome and Germania had shown up to begin their visit, and Germania had come up north to attend a family dinner with his nephews.

After dinner, the family had gathered in the living room of Sweden and Finland's house. Sweden's adopted son, Sealand, had gotten out a video game and talked Iceland into playing it with him. While the two youngest members of the family played their game, the others enjoyed the opportunity to visit with each other.

"Your father's coming to visit next week," Germania said.

That got the attention of the two younger members of the family. They paused their game, and Sealand started to ask a bunch of questions, such as why this was the first time he had ever heard of his grandfather.

"We sp'nt m're t'me w'th G'rm'nia th'n w'th 'r f'th'r," Sweden explained to his son.

It took a few moments for Sealand to mentally translate his father's speech and ask his next, quite basic, question, "Why?"

"F'th'r l'ft 's w'ith G'rm'nia 'ft'r 'r m'th'r di'd."

This statement was followed by Denmark and Sweden both sharing several stories from their time with Germania. These stories were new to at least the two younger members of the family, as they were more used to hearing stories from the Viking Era.

The stories were interesting, in that they showed just how much the modern countries had been together as children. Since none of them had really been nations yet, these incidents were not an official part of their history, and yet, there were things that had happened back then that mirrored things that would happen later. That helped to make the stories especially interesting.

"Of course, the two of you got into just as much trouble as the other kids," Germania pointed out. "I'm not at all surprised by what you got into when you were a little older. Although, some of that was your father, too. He was the seafarer in the family, after all. The two of you may not have spent much time with Scandia, but you are still his sons."

"You mentioned that your mother died," Iceland commented, referencing a comment from the beginning of the storytelling session. "So, who was my mother?" The others rarely talked about their parents, so he had not really thought of this before. At one point, before the DNA test, Iceland had actually thought he wasn't related to any of the others at all.

"I didn't even know Scandia had a fourth son," Germania answered. "He never mentioned that he was involved with anyone, although . . . he was reluctant to leave, so he may have known he was leaving behind a child that he would not get to see grow up."

"Y' sh'ld 'sk N'rge ab'ut th't. H' w's th' 'nly 'ne 'f 's th't our f'th'r act'lly ra's'd."

"Then why do you never talk about him?" Iceland asked his older brother.

"There was never really a reason . . ." Norway answered, with his usual lack of noticeable emotion.

"Come on, Nor. You must have some interesting stories about the time you spent alone with our father."

To an outsider, there would appear to have still been no change to Norway's usual expressionless visage. But the other four Nordics knew him well enough that, had any of them been paying attention, they might have caught a flicker of some emotion in his eyes, which disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. If any of them noticed, though, none of them commented.

"Nothing ever happened," was the only reply he gave. He stood up from the chair where he had been sitting. "I have an early meeting with my boss tomorrow." And he left before the others could say anything to stop him.

He knew that it had been rude to just leave like that, but couldn't take anymore of their questions. After all this time, he couldn't let the others find out the truth. Of course, once their father arrived next week, he probably wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.

Norway didn't have far to go to get home, as he lived next door to Sweden and Finland. He was about halfway across the yard when he noticed someone was following him. A little on edge from the things he was remembering, he turned around quickly and then relaxed when he saw that it was just Iceland. His relief quickly faded when his brother spoke.

"What is it you don't want us to know?" Iceland asked.

Why did this have to the one time that Iceland decided to actually speak to him. They rarely spoke to each other about anything, at least, not the way their relationship indicated that they should. Neither was really the talkative type, though. Of course, this issue was something that Iceland would decided to press, though. The boy was kind of the family historian, as all written records of the Viking era were in his possession. In fact, those books were Iceland's national treasure. So, of course he would not let a mystery that involved the family history go unsolved.

But, Norway didn't want to lie to his brother anymore than he already had. And he had only two ways to answer the question that Iceland had asked earlier that night. He could tell him the truth he had kept concealed for several years, or he could make up an actual lie. Neither of those options was very appealing. "Island, . . ." His voice trailed off, and he looked away in the direction on his house.

"Don't I have a right to know who my parents are?" Iceland asked.

"Island, you're better off not knowing." Norway answered, still not looking at his brother. In the shadows, in was impossible to tell if there was an expression on his face, but his voice didn't quite have its usual monotone. "Just . . ." He seemed to be considering whether or not to say anything more. "Just promise me that you will be careful while our father is here."

"Why? Are you afraid I might take away your position as his favorite?" Iceland was beginning to get angry at his brother's reticence. "That's what this is about, isn't it? He gave you special attention because you were the youngest, and now you're afraid that I'll take that away."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Island."

"I would if you would just tell me what it is you're hiding!"

Norway didn't say anything, and still refused to look at his brother. He could no longer maintain his usual non-expression, and he did not want to risk Iceland seeing the emotion on his face.

"You almost never say anything to me except to ask me to call you by some childish nickname that I am too old to use! Why do you even care what I call you, it's not like you ever talk to me or anything. You talk to nonexistent creatures more than you talk to me! It's like you're some kind of freak of nature or something! And I wish I wasn't related to you at all!"

Silence fell after Iceland's outburst, and neither one made any move to break the silence, or to walk away. Some moments passed, while Iceland waited to see if he would get some noticeable reaction out of his brother. Part of his regretted what he had said, but another part of him was still angry.

Norway was keeping his emotions in check by sheer willpower. The wall that he usually kept his emotions locked up behind had been broken down by that night's events, and he knew it would only get worse the next week. But he would not let himself break down in front of his little brother, and certainly not when they were still so close to Sweden's house. He couldn't be sure that the others would not observe his breakdown, and that would just raise more questions he did not want to answer.

"I am afraid that you might become his favorite," he whispered, the tremor in his voice more noticeable now. "But not for the reason you think." With that he turned and walked to his own house, leaving Iceland standing alone at the edge of Sweden's yard.

When Norway reached his own house, he unlocked the door and stepped inside, turning on the light closest to the door as he did so. Then, he locked the door behind him, and bolted it as well, so that even the members of his family that had keys would not be able to enter his house. Then, he walked into the living room, where he collapsed on the couch, and finally surrendered to the tears he had been fighting to keep at bay.

A week passed and the day of Scandia's arrival came. None of his kids had contacted him directly, and all arrangements had gone through Germania. It had been arranged that the family would get together at Sweden and Finland's house, as that was where most family get-togethers ended up being held. It just made sense, since two of the members of the family lived in that house. They sometimes got together at the other houses as well, but only rarely. Norway and Iceland both tended to keep to themselves when not forced into attending family get-togethers, and Denmark was likely to go off drinking with his friends (England and Prussia usually) or something and forget he had company. Therefore, it just made sense for Sweden and Finland to host the get-togethers.

The rest of the family was already present when Scandia arrived. He greeted his three older sons first, before being introduced to the others. There was nothing particularly worth noting about Scandia's greeting towards his two older sons. Then he turned to his third son, Norway. Scandia walked across the room to his son and embraced him. Norway's expression didn't change, although a look of what might have been apprehension appeared briefly in his eyes. Scandia whispered something that none of the others heard and then released his son and stepped back, his attention turning to the other three people in the room. "And who are the new members of the family?" he asked.

"M' w'fe, F'nl'nd, 'nd our s'n, S'l'nd."

"I'm not a wife," Finland protested, as usual. Also as usual, his protest was ignored.

"So, you married the kid from next door," Scandia commented. "And your son looks a lot like Britannia's youngest kid."

"We adopted Sealand," Finland explained, before anyone could explain that Sweden had bought Sealand on e-bay. Buying a kid kind of a gave a bad impression.

Scandia excepted the explanation, and then turned his attention to Iceland. "So, you must be my youngest son. Germania mentioned that you were with the rest of the family now. I was hoping they would find you."

That was the first thing Scandia had said that didn't quite make sense. They already knew that Germania had not previously known that Iceland even existed. If Scandia had been so worried about his fourth son behind found, then why hadn't he told someone about the kid before he left? However, it wasn't that big a stretch to assume that he might have told Norway, since Norway was the one who had found Iceland.

The days of Scandia's visit gradually passed mostly uneventfully. It had pretty much been decided that while he was there, his kids would show him around their countries. He hadn't been around since the early Middle Ages after all, and a lot had changed in that amount of time.

For the first day they all just stayed at Sweden and Finland's house in the alternate dimension where all of the countries had their houses. Of course, they had houses in the real world too, but they found the alternate dimension to be the most useful for dealing with each other, as countries that bordered each other in the real world had houses next door to each other in the alternate dimension. Countries which were separated by bodies of water were only across the street from each other. There were paths that followed the borders between some of the more surrounded countries, and some countries had their property completely surrounded by fences. Some only used fences on a border with a country they did not have the best relationships with. Since the Nordics all had good relationships with each other, the borders between their houses were pretty open. About the only parts of their property that were fenced off were the places were Norway and Finland had borders with Russia. No one wanted an open border with Russia (except maybe Belarus).

For their homes in the real world, all countries had houses or apartments in their capital. That was where they usually stayed when they had any kind of extended business with their boss, although the portals between each countries home in their alternate dimension and the real world always led to their capitals anyway. Even if their capital changed, the portal somehow changed with it.

Anyway, after a day spent at Sweden and Finland's house, they left there and went to stay at their house in the world. Since they had already been at their house, it seemed like that was the logical place to go next. (By the way, Finland did have his own house in both the alternate dimension and the real world. He just chose to live with Sweden because they were in a relationship. And with their countries being so close, it was easy to go back and forth if they needed to. There were even two cruise lines that went back and forth between their capitals every day and night.)

As time wore on, some of the members of the family seemed to notice that something didn't seem quite right. Their father always seemed to try to be around Norway, and Norway made no obvious attempt to make Scandia leave him alone. This surprised the older siblings somewhat, as they were beginning to tell that something about their father's presence made Norway uncomfortable, but he never said anything. However, they always found some way to explain it away, even as signs that something was wrong began to add up.

It wasn't until they started discussing whose house they were going to next, that the others really noticed that something was wrong. Although he never came out and said so, it somehow seemed clear that Norway did not want their father to go to his house.

The others also noticed that Norway always seemed to watch whenever Scandia was around Sealand or Iceland, especially if none of the other adults in the family were present. And he seemed determined to make sure that Scandia was never alone with the kids.

In the end, they all went to Denmark's house. He actually remembered he had company long enough to get them settled in before going off to do who-knew-what (probably drinking). The others were used to this, and Scandia didn't comment one way or the other. Technically, this visit was the most time he had ever spent with his two older son since anyone in the family could remember, so it wasn't like they had a close relationship or anything.

It was sometime after midnight when Denmark got home, and he assumed that the others would have all gone to bed before he got back. So, he was somewhat surprised to find that Norway was still up and sitting on the couch in the living room. There was only a single small lamp on the room, and the dim light only served to heighten the almost unearthly quality that Norway had a times. He did not have his usual emotionless mask, either; instead he looked sad, almost haunted. He was wearing a large white sweater that was slipping down a little off of one shoulder, and that also heightened the look of vulnerability. In other words, nothing about the scene was normal.

"Nor?"

At the sound of Denmark's voice, Norway tensed briefly, and then relaxed again, his face assuming its usual non-expression. "Oh, it's you."

It may have surprised anyone who didn't know the family that well, but Denmark was capable of being serious when a member of his family was in trouble. He wasn't the oldest brother for nothing, and anyone who hurt one of his little brothers would regret it. And, as dense he might seem sometimes, Denmark could tell that something was wrong. "Are you all right?"

Norway refused to look at Denmark, keeping his gaze focused on the wall. No expression could be seen on his face, and his voice, when he spoke, was the usual monotone. "Yes . . . I just couldn't sleep."

Denmark crossed the room to stand in front of Norway. He reached out his hand, and placed it under Norway's chin, forcing the smaller man to look up at him. "Norge, I know something's wrong."

Norway smacked Denmark's hand away, and turned back towards the wall. "You don't know anything," he said. "Now, please, leave me alone."

Denmark reached from him again, and again Norway slapped his hand away.

"Norge-"

"You're just like him. You can't take no for an answer. Why can't you just leave me alone?" By this last question, Norway was no longer able to keep the emotion out of his voice. He backed up against the back of the couch, and with his usually emotionless mask gone, he was obviously frightened.

By this point, there could be no doubt that something was wrong, but Denmark still had no idea what. Which is probably why his next move was the wrong one (again). He once again reached out towards Norway. This time, Norway made no move to stop him, and Denmark was able to put a hand on the smaller man's shoulder.

"Don't touch me." The words were normal enough, but the tone was off. For one thing there was noticeable emotion in his voice, for another that emotion was fear. Fear was visible in his eyes as well.

By this time, Denmark was starting to get even more worried. He couldn't remember Norway ever having acted quite like this before, or at least not since a long time ago. And he couldn't think what might have happened to cause it, either. Then, he saw something that made him really worried. Where the sweater had slipped down off of Norway's shoulder, Denmark could see a bruise shaped like a handprint. There were anger simmering now under the worry; he knew what a bruise like that meant. "Who did this?" Once again, he forced Norway to look at him. "Norge, who did this?"

Norway closed his eyes, to hide any emotion that may have been in them, but he still seemed frightened. He did not answer Denmark's question.

There was no one in the house except for their family, and Denmark didn't think that Norway would have left the house that evening. But, he also couldn't believe that a member of their family would do this. He did briefly wonder if it might have been Sweden; after all, Sweden had attacked Norway during the Northern Wars. But those wars were over years ago. The family spent too much time together now, for something like this to have gone unnoticed, but then, Norway had been acting strange since Scandia had arrived. And that was when the pieces fell into place.

"Norge, gjorde vores far skade dig?"1 Denmark asked.

"Ja2," Norway whispered. He still kept his eyes closed, refusing to look at Denmark.

Denmark released Norway, and turned to leave the room, his anger taking him over completely. He was going to get his ax, and go order Scandia out of his house . . . Or maybe he would just kill Scandia for what he had done to Norway. Before he could actually leave the room though, a noise behind him made him stop. He turned around and saw that Norway was crying. Denmark quickly walked back to the couch, and sat down beside Norway, pulling the smaller man into his arms. His anger would have to wait until later; right now, Norway needed him.

Norway tensed at first when Denmark touched him, but he gradually relaxed in the larger man's embrace. There was no point in worrying about looking in weak in front of someone who already knew just how weak he had been. He knew that in the morning, the others would find out as well, and he would have to deal with their contempt, especially once the whole truth came out, and they knew just how much of a freak of nature he was. But for the moment, he was unable to stop the tears, and he hid his face against Denmark's shoulder, and just let out all the tears that he had been holding in since Scandia had come back into their lives.

They were still sitting on the couch the next morning when Sweden and Finland came downstairs. Norway had worn himself out crying, and was now sleeping, his head resting on Denmark's shoulder. There were tear-stains on his face. Denmark was holding him protectively, and had stayed up all night watching over him. When he saw Sweden and Finland, he gestured for them to be quiet, and then carefully stood up, and laid Norway gently down on the couch. Then he walked over the where Sweden and Finland were standing.

"Is Norja alright?" Finland asked.

Denmark shook his head, and lead the other two into the kitchen so they could talk without disturbing Norway. Before he could tell the other two what he had learned the night before, they were joined by Iceland and Sealand. It appeared that Scandia might be sleeping in that morning.

"Island, Sealand, I have to ask you a couple of questions," Denmark told the boys as they entered the room. Something had occurred to him the night before, while he had been watching over Norway. If Scandia had been hurting Norway, and had probably been doing so before, then it was possible that he might have hurt the boys as well.

Sweden and Finland exchanged concerned looks. (Although only Finland was able to understand that Sweden's expression indicated concern; he was only one capable of interpreting Sweden's expressions, which always looked like the same "scary" expression to anyone else.) They both wondered what Denmark needed to ask their son about, but they were still in the dark about what was going on.

"Has Scandia behaved in any way that made you uncomfortable around him?"

"We haven't even been alone with him," Iceland answered. "Noregur was probably afraid one of us would take his position as Scandia's favorite." The brothers still hadn't made up after their quarrel the night that Scandia's visit had been announced. They had basically been avoiding each other ever since, at least, as much as they could when the entire family was together.

"Why are you asking them this?" Finland asked, although by this point, both Sweden and Finland were beginning to suspect what was going on. They had all seen the signs of what was going on between Scandia and Norway, but none of them had paid attention.

"F'ther w's ab'sing, N'rge, w'sn't he?"

"Yes. How could we not have noticed? This has been going on while we've all been together! It has been going in our houses! We should have seen something."

There was silence, as they all realized the signs they had missed: Norway's reluctance to talk about anything involving Scandia, the way Scandia was always around Norway, the fact that Norway had not wanted Scandia to come to his house, and the fact that Norway had actually shown fear or apprehension when Scandia was around or even mentioned. The signs had all been there, but none of them had seen.

They were all jolted out of their self-recrimination when they heard a cry from the other room. They rushed to the living room, where they discovered that Scandia had come downstairs while they were all in the kitchen. Even having guessed what was going on did not prepare them for the sight that met their eyes. Norway was still laying on the couch, but he was now awake and struggling to get away from Scandia, who was on top of him and pulling at his clothes.

Denmark immediately crossed the room and pulled Scandia off of Norway. "Get away from him!"

Scandia seemed unconcerned with his enraged eldest son. "My relationship with Norge is none of your concern, Danmark." His gaze returned to Norway, who was now sitting up, huddled in the corner of the couch, as if trying to disappear. "If the little freak wanted out of the relationship, he would have said something years ago."

"You were about to rape him, and you're calling him a little freak?"

"So, you really don't know what the little freak is capable of. I know you used to be married to him . . . and you were as well." At this last, Scandia looked at Sweden, who was still standing by the door, along with Finland and the two kids.

Sweden and Finland were the only ones who realized what Scandia was referring to. It was something was known only to those countries who were magic in one way or another, and those who they were willing to trust with the secret. Finland was one of the magical countries, since he was Santa, and he had trusted Sweden enough to let him in on the secret, but neither of them had really thought about the fact that it might apply to Norway, as well. The spell that allowed two male countries to have a child together was more or less common knowledge. What was not common knowledge was that those countries that were magical automatically had the ability to bear children. It was something that had been kept secret because those who were part of the secret all know what could happen if that knowledge fell into the wrong hands.

"W' d'dn't h've th't k'nd of m'rr'ge," Sweden said. In truth, no one in the family really considered the union between Sweden and Norway a marriage. It had merely been Sweden's way of rescuing his little brother from an abusive union, a rescue that had almost been too late. And now, it seemed that Denmark and Sweden had both failed to save Norway from an even worse abuse.

"Please don't tell them," Norway whispered, fear evident in his tone. It was bad enough that the others knew what Scandia had been doing to him . . . if they found out the rest, he would never be able to face any of them again, especially Iceland.

Scandia took a step towards Norway, and was immediately blocked by Denmark. Scandia once again ignored his eldest son, and although he came no closer, he did keep his eyes focused on Norway. "They wouldn't have to know if had done what I told you all those years ago, and gotten rid of the child."

At this point, Sweden and Finland both left their place by the doorway. Sweden went to stand next to Denmark; the two of them now fully shielding Norway from their father. Finland went over to the couch, and carefully reached out and placed his hand on Norway's shoulder, trying to comfort him at least a little. Norway made no attempt to get away from Finland's touch, but did not really seem to acknowledge it, either. He was looking in the direction of where his father and older brothers were standing, but his eyes were unfocused and he was trembling slightly.

Sealand and Iceland were still standing in the doorway, neither one fully comprehending what was going on. Iceland was old enough to understand a little more than Sealand did, and he at least realized that Norway had not been acting out of jealousy but to keep them safe. But he completely in the dark as to what Scandia was referring to.

Scandia still seemed unconcerned with the attempts of his two older sons to protect their little brother. Unlike most of the world, he was not at all intimidated by Sweden's scariness, which was even more evident than usual due to the anger he was feeling. "You two certainly took your time before deciding to get involved. Neither one of you cared about the little freak before."

"That's not true. If we'd known what you were doing to him, we would have gotten him away from you." For once, the two brothers presented a united front in their defense of their little brother.

"I know more about your history since I left than you might realize," Scandia commented. "I know that he was never anything more to either of you than another piece of land to fight over."

It was the one thing that neither of them could really deny. Scandia's accusation wasn't exactly true, but at the same time, it wasn't entirely false. And their lack of denial sent the message that Scandia must have known it would.

It also provided enough of a distraction that Scandia was able to get past them and reach Norway. He reached out and caressed his son's check, in what would have been taken as a gesture of affection if not for everything that had happened. His words, when he spoke were far from affectionate, though. "You know the truth, don't you? You know that they never cared about you, only about increasing their empires. That is why you never told them the truth about what you were capable of, about how much of a little freak you are. You knew it would have just given them one more thing to use you for. You should have done as I told you and left the kid behind to die on a deserted island."

"He was the only good thing that came out of that." Norway's expression was back to normal, and he spoke in his usual monotone, even though it seemed that there should have been some emotion behind that statement. The others were just relieved that he seemed back to normal, they did not stop to think whether that was a good thing . . . whether his normal behavior had ever been.

And by this point, the rest of the family wasn't willing to let this scene drag on any longer than it already had. They were relieved that Norway seemed to be back to normal, but they were worried that Scandia might hurt him further. Also, everyone except for Sealand had figured out what Scandia was referring to, and who the child he mentioned was. It was after they figured out what Scandia meant that the older brothers realized something else . . . how young Norway had been when he "found" Iceland. In human years, he had been only a little older than Sealand. And that made them even angrier.

Scandia could tell that he had made the rest of the family angry, and so he decided to take his leave while still had the upper hand. "I can see I am not welcome here anymore, so I will take my leave. It was nice seeing all of you again." He turned and walked out, knowing that by leaving rather than being kicked out, he was winning, at least in his mind.

After Scandia left, Norway had gone upstairs, claiming that he wanted to be alone. As this was more or less normal behavior for him, the others didn't really think that much about it. Most of them (meaning, everyone except Denmark) realized that he would need space to deal with everything that had happened.

It was late afternoon before the others decided to check on him. They had had plenty do in the meantime. Sweden and Finland had needed to explain things to Sealand, since he had witnessed the whole scene. Denmark had gone off somewhere for several hours. He later revealed that he had met with his boss to find out if there was any way to declare war on an ancient power. No one ever learned what Iceland had done for those hours, but he had plenty he needed to deal with as well. The kid had just learned more than he was ready to deal with about his origins, and he needed to decide what he could say before he tried to talk to Norway.

Once the others had all dealt with their own issues, they began to worry about Norway, as they all realized that he would need help to deal with everything. So, late that afternoon, they went to check on him and found his room was empty. An envelope addressed to Iceland had been left on the dresser. Next to the envelope lay the cross barrette that Norway always wore. A quick search of the room revealed that he had taken his identification and money with him, but seemed to have left everything else behind.

Iceland picked up the envelope on the dresser and opened it. He glanced briefly at the latter inside, but did not want to read it in front of the others. He ran his fingers over the barrette, but made no more to pick it up, before turning and leaving the room. The others also left the room and went out to look for Norway. They left Iceland back at the house to give him a chance to read his letter, and in case Norway came back, even though they doubted that he would.

Once he was alone in the house, Iceland took the letter into the kitchen. He intentionally avoided the living room, after what had happened to Norway there.

Iceland no longer knew how to think of Norway after that morning's revelations. Was there even a right way to finding out that someone you believed was your sibling was in fact your parent . . . and your sibling? He regretted having been so insistent on learning the truth before Scandia's visit, and he really regretted what he had said to Norway. He could only hope that he would still have a chance to make up for all that. For now, though, all he could do was read the letter that Norway had left for him.

Eirik,

By this point, I guess I owe you an explanation, but after all this time, I cannot tell you in person. You do have a right to know who your parents are, but I did not want what happened to become known. I believed that I was protecting you from the pain the truth would bring, but I may have been protecting myself from the truth just as much. I wanted to believe that you were only my little brother, and not my son, because my admitting the truth, I was admitting what our father did to me.

I do not remember when it started. Unlike Danmark and Sverige, I remember very little from back then. I know that I was alone with father almost all the time after he came back to get us from Germania. I tried to remember more about when it started, so that I could tell you the full story, but most of those years are a blank. I believe that father started it very soon after that, but I don't know for sure one way or the other.

The earliest clear memories I have are after Germania was gone, and Danmark and Sverige were around more. You know this part of the story already, so you know what we did at that point. What you do not know is that part of the reason I joined them in that was to get away from father. It worked, but I still had to return to him in the winter.

Father never stopped what he was doing, and I never found the strength to stop him. He said that I had to submit to him, because mother's death was my fault. I don't think anyone knew how weak I really was back then. Well, actually, there was a woman that still lived near us back then, and I think she knew something, but no one else was aware until today. She was also the only on who knew about you, besides father and I.

Father made sure that no one ever knew about you. He said that it was so no one would know what I was capable of. As soon as he learned, he sent me away, even though it was almost winter, and he said not to come back until after you were born. I don't remember much about that winter, or about the months that followed. I was alone for those months except for the fae. If it was not for them, I doubt that either one of us would have survived, as they were the ones who helped me through your birth.

From the moment you were born, I knew that I could not do as father had commanded and leave you behind to die. I want you to know that, Eirik. Regardless of the circumstances leading to your birth, I never regretted having you. I do regret not having been a better parent to you, though, but I know it is too late to change that, and I know that you won't forgive me for not telling you this before. Please remember, though, that I always loved you, and I always will.

I'm also sorry that I did not have the courage to say good bye to you and the others in person. I cannot stay here, now that they all know the truth. Now that you know how weak I really am, things will go back to the way they were before I got independence. And I know that all they will be able to see anymore is what father did to me. If I can no longer fool them into believing that I am strong, then I cannot stay here.

The letter had been left unsigned, and it seemed almost like it just trailed off, as if maybe he had planned to say something else, but hadn't.

They were able to learn enough to discover that Norway had gone back to his own home, but they were unable to trace him any further. All attempts to contacts him went unanswered. They only other thing they were able to learn was that he had contacted his boss and requested a leave of absence unless some emergency came up.

That had been in mid-July.

At the world meeting at the beginning of August, the other Nordics gave an explanation for Norway's absence, but did not give any details of what had occurred. A few nations were annoyed that someone had skipped a meeting, but no one really pressed the issue.

When September's meeting came, and he still wasn't there, more nations expressed opinions. Apparently the few that actually expected to get anything accomplished during the meetings claimed that it set a bad precedent to allow someone to miss two meetings in a row. It might be understandable if he was sick or had some kind of national crisis going on, but missing two meetings for no apparent reason was just not allowed. The other Nordics continued to make excuses for him, while trying to hide their growing worry. To their relief the subject was soon changed when America revealed his latest "heroic" plan and the meeting dissolved into the usual chaos.

By October's meeting, no one commented. The meeting just went on as usual, and, also as usual, nothing was accomplished, because all the nations were too busy either arguing or trying to ignore the chaos.

The other Nordics were all very worried by this point, since none of them had heard anything from Norway in over two months. Their only hope was that he would be at the Nordic Council later that month, or at least contact them if he couldn't make it.

They weren't really surprised though, when he didn't show up for that either, or even send them a message. They may not have surprised, but they were even more worried than they had been, and they actively began to search for him. But they had waited too long and whatever trail there might once have been had long since gone cold. By the end of November, they were forced to give up and admit (at least to themselves) that unless Norway came back on his own, they might never see him again. They did their best to ignore the possibility that he might be dead and they should be looking for his replacement.

As much as they tried to ignore that possibility though, it was never far from their thoughts. All they could do was cling to the increasingly slim hope that they would see him again.

Soon it was Christmas Eve. Although all of their countries had the tradition of having family get-togethers on Christmas Eve, the Nordics always had their big celebration on Christmas Day, due to how busy Finland was on Christmas Eve. Denmark, Norway, and Iceland often did something on Christmas Eve, but Denmark and Iceland had decided not to bother that year. Neither one was really in the mood to celebrate anything when they hadn't found Norway. They were too aware that a member of their family was missing, and might never return.

To be honest, none of them were really in the holiday mood that year. They were all too worried about Norway.

Sweden and Finland did go ahead with their usual holiday traditions, mostly for Sealand's sake. Finland had convinced the others to go ahead with their usual Christmas Day gathering, saying that it was important that what was left of their family be together for the holiday.

That night, when he did his rounds, Finland hurried through them the way he had back in the 1800s. Back then, it had been so that he could spend a few hours with Sweden before having to return to Russia's house. This year it was for a different reason . . . something that he had been considering since the end of November, but had not spoken of to the others, for fear of raising their hopes in vain. Part of his ability this night was the ability to find anyone, and he hoped to find Norway and convince him to come home.

It turned out that he had been in a place the whole family knew about, but none of them had thought to look. All of the Nordics had cabins in the northern parts of their land that they used every few years when it was their turn with General Winter. (There was an agree that once a decade a Northern nation would let the General have his way with them for one night, so that the world would be spared his full wrath. The nations included in this agreement were the Nordics, Russia, and Canada.) Since this was not even a year that the pact would be enforced, no one had thought that Norway might have gone to that cabin. It was basically understood that the cabins were too dangerous to use at any other time, just in case the General got tempted.

The door was unlocked, a fact which Finland found almost more worrying than the fact that Norway would come to this cabin. It was almost as if he was inviting some kind of trouble. It was very dark inside the cabin, and at first it seemed empty. In fact, if Finland had not been to the cabin before, and known where to look, he would probably have just left. He stood for a moment, debating between checking out the living room, or going upstairs to check the cabin's single bedroom. His moment of indecision was ended when he heard a sound from the living room.

By this time, Finland's eyes were adjusting to the dark, and when he entered the cabin's living room, he was able to see Norway, who was sitting on the floor, with his back against the wall. His knees were drawn up to his chest, and his arms were wrapped around them. He was clearly startled and frightened to have heard someone else in the cabin. The dark kept Finland from being able to make out any other details about Norway's condition.

"Norja," Finland said quietly, taking a couple of steps into the room. He was being careful not to frighten Norway anymore than he already was.

Norway gave no sign of having heard Finland, and seemed to have not even recognized him yet. He was only aware that someone else was in the place where he had been alone for five months.

Finland did not move any closer to Norway, and tried to seem even more unthreatening than usual. Which was pretty difficult, since, unless he had a rifle, he never seemed very threatening. "Haldor?" He used Norway's human name, this time.

That seemed to get through to Norway, as he looked directly at Finland for the first time since the other had entered the room. Recognition dawned in his eyes, and some of the fear melted away, but he still seemed wary. "Tino, what are you doing here? How did you . . .?" His question trailed off, as he realized the answer on his own. "Oh."

"I was looking for you. We've all been so worried about you since you disappeared."

"You shouldn't have bothered," Norway said. He looked away again, seemingly retreating into himself.

"You're part of our family, Norja. We couldn't just forget about you."

Norway gave no sign that had heard Finland.

Finland took a few more steps into the room, hoping to draw Norway's attention to him. He just hoped that he could get through to the other before it was too late and he could no longer be reached. "We all care about you, Norja, and we want you to come home."

"I don't want your pity."

"It's not pity . . . we really do care about you. Tanska and Sve are-"

"Probably just waiting for the chance to take control of me again, now that they know how weak I really am."

Apparently this was going to be even more difficult than he had thought, but Finland was relieved that Norway was at least responding to him now. "They're both sorry for the way they treated you before, and for not knowing that Scandia was doing to you. Tanska is still trying to find a way to declare war on your father."

There was no response. Ordinarily, Norway would have said something about how Denmark was an idiot, but now he was silent. He didn't seem to be losing focus yet, at least.

"And what about Islanti?" Finland continued. "He finds out that he's your son, but you didn't even take the time to talk to him before leaving." That came out a little more accusatory than he had meant it to."

"Island hates me now," Norway whispered. "He wished we weren't related even before he knew the truth. They all thought I was a freak before, and now they know how true that is."

Finland crossed the remaining distance, and knelt down in front of Norway. "Norja . . . Haldor, you are not a freak. What happened to you . . . it can happen to any magical nation." For a moment he debated what else to say, as the proof of that was really England's secret to reveal, but then, England should have realized that there was at least one magical nation that wasn't in on this knowledge. And then, he realized that not only had England known; he should have known as well. "England has several kids, including Peter, actually. He never wanted to acknowledge Peter, though, which is why Sve and I adopted him. We've known about this since we helped him cover up the fact that he had had a child the first time it happened. France and Spain were also in on it, and they had a child together as well, a long time ago, but I don't know which of them actually had her. France was the father of England's kids, though. And England did mention at the time that there was another magical nation that had also had a kid, but that the nation didn't exist anymore. Which is why we never realized he was referring to you, because Sve and I knew you were still alive."

Norway looked at Finland again, but he seemed to be losing focus again, and it was unclear how much of that he had followed.

Even in the darkness of the cabin, Finland was close enough now to make out some of Norway's condition. He had clearly lost weight, and he had been thin enough before. Any other details were still hidden by the lack of light, but between the weight loss and the inability to focus, Finland was worried that something might be seriously wrong with Norway. He realized now that he could not leave the other man in this cabin, or the family's worst fears might in fact come true. He could only hope that there was still time. "I'm worried about you, Norja. Hiding out here like this isn't good for you." This cabin wasn't a safe place to stay for any length of time, and Finland was worried about the effect kaamos3 might be having on Norway's already vulnerable emotional state. "Please, let us help you."

"I can't. The price for their help is too high." The last time Norway had let Denmark and Sweden help him, it had taken him 519 years to regain his freedom. He would not go back into the cage, however well-meaning it may have been.

"What if they promise not to interfere in anything involving your people?" Finland would find a way to make Denmark and Sweden promise that, if that was what it took to save Norway. "Can you let us help you if your independence is not affected."

"I . . . I can't trust them. They're too much like father. They just take what they want. Danmark never saw me as anything other than a possession, and Sverige was just trying to replace you. And he stopped caring as soon as he thought he could get you back."

Finland knew he should be relieved that Norway was at least talking to him, but he was worried about exactly what was being said. He tried the last way he could think of to get through to the other, and get him to accept him. "Do you trust me."

For a few moments it seemed like Norway wasn't going to reply, but eventually, he whispered, "Yes." The reply was almost too quiet to hear, but it was a reply.

"Then please come back with me."

This time the reply was even longer in coming, but eventually he agreed.

The journey back took more time than it usually would have, but eventually, they were back in the other dimension, in a location a few kilometers from their homes. It was a location that in the parallels between their dimension and the real world would correspond to the North Pole. There were a few buildings there, one of which had been set up for use as living quarters, if necessary. It was usually empty, but Finland had used it frequently while in Russia's house. It was once they were in this building, that Finland was first able to really see the condition that Norway was in.

Norway was even paler than usual, and there were dark circles under his eyes, that showed he hadn't been sleeping. He was far too thin. And despite his usual resistance to the cold, he was shivering, and it wasn't that cold now that they were inside. He seemed almost unaware of his surroundings, and it was clear that he was in a really bad condition.

Finland realized then that he would need help getting Norway back to the house. He knew that there was no way the other nation would be able to walk that far, as he hadn't even been able to walk the short distance into the building on his own. Well, he was capable of walking on his own, but his movements were stiff and awkward, and he was limping slightly.

Finland helped Norway over to a chair, and got him settled. Then, he went and found a blanket, which he wrapped about the other. "I'm going to call Sve, and ask him to come and help get you back to our house. Is that alright?"

When no answer was given, of either consent or refusal, Finland was even more worried. It seemed like Norway's condition was getting worse than it had been back in the cabin, and getting help was absolutely imperative now. Finland called Sweden, and filled him on the situation, and he immediately agreed to help.

It was about half an hour later that Sweden arrived, probably making the fastest time ever getting there from the house. Finland had enough experience at reading Sweden's moods to see just how relieved the other man was that Norway had been found, but there was also worry at seeing just how bad off he was.

Finland had been trying to keep Norway focused on some conversation or something, anything to keep him from drifting away again, but he had very little luck. However, Sweden's entrance did get a reaction from Norway, just not a positive one. Of the three brothers, Sweden was the one that looked the most like Scandia, and that fact, coupled with the fact that he could be somewhat scary anyway, was too much for the traumatized man. Norway had immediately curled into himself as much as his limited movement would allow. He was clearly frightened.

Sweden crossed the room and knelt down in front the chair that Norway was sitting in. There was a look of tenderness in his eyes that was usually only seen by Finland and Sealand. It made him look less intimidating than he usually did. "Norge," he said, trying to speak as clearly as possible. "I won't h'rt you." He didn't like seeing his little brother frightened of him like that.

Norway looked up at Sweden, and although he did not relax any, recognition gradually dawned in his eyes. He seemed to be trying to relax, but could not completely let go off his fear.

"W'll you l't m' h'lp you?" Sweden asked. He did not want to make Norway anymore uncomfortable than he already was, but he could see just how urgent it was that they get him to safety as soon as possible.

"No." The reply was barely a whisper. The look of recognition was fading from his eyes, once again being replaced with fear. In the confused state that Norway was in, he kept thinking that it was Scandia kneeling in front of him. "No." He whispered again. He tried to get as far away as he could, which, since he lacked the strength to get up from the chair, meant that he just ended up huddled against the back of the chair.

Sweden seemed to at least partially understand the reason for this. He tried to keep his expression as gentle as possible, which was no easy feat for him. "Norge, f'ther 'sn't here. You're s'fe. N'one 's going t' h'rt you."

Norway managed to focus on his actual surroundings again, and his time, he did relax, just a little. "Søta bror4." The whispered words lacked the irony they usually would have held, instead they were a recognition, a sign that he did in fact know that it was one of his brothers, and not his father, that was in front of him.

"We're g'ing t' t'ke you h'me now, 'kay?" Sweden stood up and gently lifted Norway into his arms, making sure that the blanket stayed wrapped around the smaller man. He tried not to dwell on just how light the other felt in his arms.

By the time they made it back to Sweden and Finland's house, Norway had either fallen asleep or passed out; they weren't really sure which. Sweden carried him upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms, while Finland went to the phone to call Denmark and Iceland. It was still very early in the morning, but Finland knew that they needed to be told right away that Norway had been found.

About half an hour elapsed between the call and when Denmark and Iceland arrived. During that time, Sealand had woken up, so Sweden was downstairs with Sealand while Finland was upstairs watching over Norway. When Denmark and Iceland arrived, Sweden let them in and directed them upstairs.

Norway was still asleep when they entered his room, but it was obviously not a peaceful sleep. Finland had pulled a chair up to side of the bed; he looked up when Denmark and Iceland entered the room.

"Tanska, I need to talk to you about something," Finland said. He needed to tell Denmark about the promise he would have to make.

Denmark and Finland went out into the hall to talk, and Iceland was left alone with Norway. He approached the bed, and sat down in the chair. For a moment, he studied his brother, before reaching out to take hold of his hand. "Bróðir. Ég er því miður5," Iceland whispered. He had had five months to regret what he had said to Norway when they had argued, but he knew that he couldn't unsay it. All he could do was hope that he could convince Norway that he hadn't meant those words.

For several minutes, Iceland merely sat there, holding his brother's hand and watching him sleep. He could hear raised voices from outside the room, and was able to tell that Sweden had apparently joined Denmark and Finland, and they were arguing about something. He couldn't tell what through the closed door, though, and anyway, his attention was focused on Norway.

As the voices from outside the room grew louder, Norway's sleep grew more restless. His eyes were moving behind his closed eyelids; he was obviously dreaming. A look of distress was on his face, even in his sleep. A soft cry escaped him, and soon he was actually crying in his sleep. Even though he was safe back with his family, the nightmares that had troubled what little sleep he had gotten in the past months, would not loosen their grip on it. After several moments of increasing restlessness he awoke, and looked around the room, not really seeing it, and not fully out of the grip of the nightmare. There was something off about the way he was breathing.

Iceland squeezed Norway's hand, trying to draw his attention. He could feel his brother's pulse racing, and he didn't like seeing his normally emotionless brother so terrified.. "Bróðir, please calm down."

Norway looked at Iceland, seeming to notice him for the first time, but he did not calm down. "Island, you shouldn't be here. He might hurt you, too. Please . . . I don't want you to be hurt, too."

Iceland tightened his grip on Norway's hand, as he tried to reassure his brother. "He's gone," he said. "And he won't be coming back. If he ever comes anywhere near you again, Danmörk and Svíþjóð will kill him."

Norway seemed to calm down a little, and his breathing returned to normal. His eyes drifted closed, and it seemed like he might fall asleep again. But, after a few minutes, he opened his eyes again and looked at Iceland. "You don't have to stay in here," he whispered. "I know that you hate me."

"Noregur . . ." Iceland started to say, then stopped. Calling his brother by his country name seemed to impersonal for the situation. "Haldor-" But that name wasn't right either. Iceland knew that he would have to say what he had tried so hard to avoid saying since he had gotten the DNA test results. "Bróðir, I don't hate you. And I am sorry about what I said to you. You have always been the person I cared most about . . . you . . ." It was so much more personal than anything they usually talked about, and they had grown apart so much since being separated from each other. But he knew that he needed to say it. "You have always been the one person I could count on. You are the home of my heart, and I don't want to ever lose you." There was more that he would have liked to have said, but the words wouldn't come, and silence fell again.

Norway weakly squeezed his brother's hand, and his eyes drifted closed again. He could hear the others talking out in the hall; although they were now talking too quietly for any words to be made out. For the first time, the knowledge that he was safe and with his family really got through to him. Anchored by his brother's hand, and letting the sound of the others' conversation wash over him, Norway drifted into his first peaceful sleep in months.

When the rest of the family looked in on them a few minutes later, they found that Norway was sleeping peacefully. Iceland was still sitting in the chair next to his bed, and the two brothers were still holding hands. That sight brought a bit of relief to the worry they had all been feeling. They knew now that although there still might be a long road ahead, their family was together again; and they would get through whatever might still be ahead as a family.

1Norway, did our father hurt you? (Danish)

2Yes. (Norwegian)

3Finnish word for the twenty-four hours of darkness during the winter in the Arctic Circle.

4Sweet brother (Norwegian)-This a name that Norwegians sometimes use to refer to Swedes.

5Brother, I'm sorry. (Icelandic)

Author's note: Just wanted to put a quick note at the end about the human names, and how I used them in my story. I actually had more uses of the human names in an earlier draft, but took them out while editing. According to my headcanon, human names are used in two situations. When there are humans around, the human names are always used. The other time human names are used are to show that what is being said has nothing to do with national issues. In other words, using a human name shows that what is being said is addressed towards the person, and has nothing to do with politics.

Also, the human names that I used for Norway and Iceland are names that I have seen used in various stories. When I was writing this story, I made a list of all the human names I saw used for the characters that did not have official names, and then looked up the meanings and picked the ones I liked best. Oh, and Iceland's human name is actually Eirikur, since that is the form of the name used in his country, but the others call him Eirik.