A/N: Translations and historical notes are below :)


Ivan stormed up and down the corridor."No, I do NOT want to meet her!" The sudden change in tone scared the elder girl, who had been trying very hard to calm him down for the past last hour.
"She's your new boss, Ivan!" exclaimed Katyusha, or Ukraine. "You need the respect her and-"
"She's a foreigner, damn it!" His voice echoed, as the sound waves ricocheted off the walls of the palace, making him sound even more ominous than his obvious intent.
"The Queen is ready to see you now" The messenger was met with the taller man's violet eyes, and Ivan waved him away dismissively, saying that he'd be there soon.
"Think it through, Ivan. Don't be rash" murmured Katyusha.

"So, Ivan, is it? Tell me first - what are you grouses?"
Ivan still didn't look up, as he mumbled "Nothing, Tsarina*."
"Ivan, look at me."
He looked up to see the slender, dark-haired lady opposite him looking at him intently.
"I'm not stupid, Ivan. Tell me, what is wrong. I happen to be your new boss now, and I think we should at least be able to communicate clearly, if not so childishly"
Instead of forcing his gaze down, this time, he looked straight at her.
"You're not Russian, Tsarina*. How could you be their queen?"
Sophia, or Catherine as she was known as now, sighed heavily. "Ivan, dear, I was not born Russian, but that does not mean that I have not tried. I've learnt your language, taken your religion…but, what, I hope, makes me Russian is the fact that the people and I can have the same goal – I want Russia to be greater than France and England ever were. And, that zeal that I share with the people, I think makes me Russian enough, do you not think so, Ivan?"
As much as Ivan hated to admit, he could feel some grudging respect form for his Tsarina.


"I-I'm not too keen about being…in air, Amelia" Alfred really was nervous, and Amelia's enthusiasm was not helping.
"You'll be fine, Al!" she exclaimed, grinning broadly. "It's not all that scary!"
"I've never flown an airplane before, Amelia"
"But you've driven a car?"
Alfred nodded.
"Steered a yacht?"
Alfred nodded again.
"So, why is this any different?" Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but closed it promptly, as Amelia hadn't finished. "You're gonna say 'it's in air, and dangerous', right? But, really, now, you could die driving too! Or sailing."
She stepped in closer, to look at Alfred's face better, now all downcast. She lifted his chin, so that he would look at her, directly. Taking the packet she'd hidden beneath her jacket, she handed it to Alfred.
Alfred looked at her, dumbfounded. At her insistence, he opened the parcel, to find a brown leather jacket – like one he'd seen Amelia wear often when she went flying.
"The fear's only within you – but so is the strength." She whispered to him. "Find the fear, and you'll find the strength as well."
"I'll remember that, Miss Earhart" he mumbled, before pressing his lips to hers.


Arthur gently closed the door as we walked into his Queen's chambers. Elizabeth gestured to the seat at the table across from her. He placed his hat on the table and bowing quickly, took the seat, the look of concern on his face.
"I have…heard…that you have been rejecting all of your suitors, of late, my Queen" spoke Arthur.
"I really do not see how you receive all this news in the high seas, Arthur. It makes me think that you are spending far too much time in ports."
"News of the most fair gets about easily" Arthur smiled briefly, and continued "my Queen, the suitors, though-"
"Arthur, really. Half of them are brainless sods. I really could never be with them…"
Arthur chuckled. "So, from what I gather, from previous conversations and this, my Queen needs a smart man, a man with a sense of adventure, one who can understand her sense of humour and a man who can spend time riding with her, correct me if I'm wrong, your Majesty."
Elizabeth smiled. "He does not have to be smart, so to say. I would much rather prefer him to be witty."
"My apologies, your Majesty. A witty man, then?" Arthur replied, bemused.
"Indeed. That does sound like a fine list – but that is not the reason for me not choosing a suitor."
"But…then, what?" Arthur mused out loud. Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice Elizabeth get up and stand beside him. Bringing her face near to his, she kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear "I am married to England."


When Antonio saw Isabel sitting by the window, he had almost failed to recognise her. The auburn locks he remembered playing with as a child had almost completely whitened now, the wrinkles seemed etched on her face, the eyes listless – but what stunned him the most was the loss of vitality in her – she only seemed a shadow of what he remembered.
"¡Mi Reina!**" He couldn't help gasp, as he rushed over to her and knelt, forcing himself to study the patterns on the wooden floor, so as not to rudely gape at her. He looked up as he felt a hand familiarly run through his hair. Forgetting protocol, he took a seat by her feet, knees pulled up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them.
"I'm not the queen anymore, Antonio." She said, still ruffling his hair.
"You'll forever be my queen." He mumbled, as his breath got caught in his throat. He was trying intensely not to cry. Resting his head on her lap, he repeated his words. "You'll forever be my queen."
"Don't be foolish, Antonio. You will get new queens and kings."
"But they won't be like you!" Antonio always felt like a child around Isabel, and she aptly treated him like a child too. The tears were flowing freely now – he didn't even try to hold them in.
"Antonio… escúchame***…do you think of me as your mother?"
Antonio looked up, furiously trying to rub away his tears and nodded.
"So…will you listen to what I say?" Antonio just looked straight at her, and she continued.
"I'm very happy with how you've turned out, Antonio. You'll be the greatest the world has ever seen, and the New World will all be yours, just you see…but you must remember one thing, Antonio."
"W-what?" he managed to stutter out.
"You must smile, Antonio. Be happy. The lives of the five from my womb have been shattered, and they have forgotten how to smile. I fear that I might be forgetting how to smile, but I don't want you to ever forget, Antonio."
Antonio clung to Isabel's leg – he knew that the former queen was slowly fading away, and that this might've been the last time that he would see her.
Why are the ones you wish immortal finite?
"I promise, Mami. I'll always be happy."


He stood there, the rain making his hair stick to his face, as well as covering up the tears.
The rain fell down heavily, reminding him of English weather, and then of England himself, making his anger rise yet again.
Francis was trying really hard not to cry, really hard. This was not even a real funeral, of sorts. The coffin was empty – barely anyone was left alive to even attend the funeral.
He tried to think of happier times, sword training with Jeanne, the golden fields where they would train, her open smile and careless laughter…
Can you hear me?
Are you near me?
Can we pretend to meet and then -

He was called upon to throw in the first fistful of dirt, after the priest. Quietly, he stepped up to the edge of the dug grave, gently letting the soil filter through the gaps between his fingers.
What's the worst that I could say? Things are better if I say so long and good night…


Translations (Do correct me if I'm wrong!):
* Tsarina - formal title for Queen
** Mi Reina - My Queen
***escúchame - Listen to me

A little bit of info on them (and correct me here, too!):

1) Catherine the Great and Russia:
Peter (Catherine's husband) was an idiot, and Russia had suffered heavy losses in the Seven Year's War, against Prussia. Then, the Prussian wife of Peter, Catherine too active part in a coup against her husband and he was overthrown and soon killed "in an accident", making her the Empress of all the Russias.
Do you blame Ivan for being cynical? I don't...but Catherine gave Russia many reforms, and made them recognisable as a world power, even if she increased serfdom.

2) Amelia Earhart and America:
I won't drone on much about this - but Amelia was smart, intelligent, a pioneer, set quite a few records and most certainly charismatic - making her an embodiment of the "American ideal" - the golden era of the United States.
how could Al not fall in love with her?

3) Queen Elizabeth I and England:
She made England what he was - the British Isles unified under her, England became a force to be reckoned with (Ask the Spanish Armada that!) and she brought the Renaissance to Britain. However, the biggest thing, I think, is the fact that she dedicated her life to her country, herself saying that "she was married to England".

4) Queen Isabella and Spain:
While it's true that Spain, technically did not exist then, When she married Ferdinand, their combined lands essentially created what we now know as Spain - which is why I give her a motherly role in relation to Spain. Of course, yes, she led the Inquisition, which caused the death and expulsion of many Jews and , but she also funded Columbus' expedition to the New World, helping Spain gain a footing into the New World (and, heck! Look at South America, and you'll see how THAT made a difference!) and essentially made him into the power he was those days!

5) Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) and France:
If you really want me to explain this, well, I will.
Yeah, France was fighting with England, and totally getting their arse kicked.
Than, Jeanne comes along - she raised their morales completely, when there was a serious threat of England maybe taking over France - she got back the crucial town of Orleans for them too, and she really was their saviour.