That's The World?!『A Hetalia FanFic』

Chapter 49~ Kimiko And Coming Home

Long ago, in the time of B.C., a young girl wandered far from home. She lived in a house of wealth and power, but she saw how the commoners were living and felt remorse. Because she was born into royalty, she got everything that she wanted. But others suffered and worked hard to survive. She could do nothing to change this, she was just a child. So, in rebellion to her way of life, she ran away.

She had hair that was as black as night, perfect peachy skin, hand-crafted golden hairpins, and exquisite silk robes that signaled her place in society. She was a kind spirit, always wanting to help the lower class. Although, her kindness has raised suspicion: Was she fit to be princess? Was she fit to become the future empress? She was punished once for giving her silk to a poor farmer, she suffered four days and four nights without food or water. However, her spirit kept her alive, she knew that she had to stay to help those who needed it most.

Over the hills and through the wood she traveled across the land. After surviving three days on berries and other extremes, she found a poor village and stayed there as an orphan. She cut her long hair and ripped up her royal clothing, rolling in the dirt to make them soiled. She then hid her golden hairpins in her clothing to keep her identity low. No one would notice her here, no one could take her back home to parents who only cared about the next heir to the throne.

After wandering endlessly in the village for weeks on end, an elderly couple finally took her in. They always wanted to have children but the woman couldn't bare a child. This beautiful orphan was a blessing to them. After a month, the girl felt like she belonged there. She smiled so much that she felt that it was all a dream.

The couple worked on a farm in the mountains. Rare fruits and vegetables from far off lands resided in the field. The land was blessed with fertile soil and adequate rain fall. The three never ran out of food to eat. But, they were still poor in money. They wore rags to be able to buy food in the winter, it gets real snowy up in the mountains. At night, wolves would prowl and search for food, the girl was always told to never go outside at night.

Of course after all this time the palace would have gotten word of the missing princess. Word of her disappearance spread all throughout Japan, everyone was on the lookout for her. After all, there was a big reward for the person who returned her. That person would never have to be poor again. The girl confronted her caretakers about her true identity and hoped that they wouldn't turn her in. In return, she would sell her robes and golden hairpins that she hid from sight. The couple willingly agreed and kept their promise.

Although, when she still wasn't returned after a month, the emperor took more drastic measures. In every village across the land, the residents were ordered to line up their daughters in the center square. Villagers that weren't accounted for were invaded by the palace guards. The elderly couple saw the guards coming up the mountain and told the girl to hide. The child was smart and ran out the back door. She knew that they would search the house and field for the missing princess, so she hid in a ditch that was half a mile away from the residence.

She was right, they searched every nook and cranny of the house, no matter how many times the couple said that they couldn't have children. When they finally left and were safely off the mountain, the couple went looking for the girl. The girl had seen the guards go down the mountain from her hiding place, the guards actually walked right past her on their journey back to the village. When the path gathered its silence, she scaled up the mountain to her home. Although, she had already lost her way, she hadn't noticed that she ended up in the wood... where the wolves prowl.

Hours passed and the girl hadn't returned. The couple came back up the way to their house to see if she passed them. But the shack was deserted. Darkness engulfed the lonely mountain and the woman began to sob. The only child they had would be eaten alive by the merciless wolves. The girl was just a child, she could not defend herself.