Lithuania hesitated.
"Do not hesitate. Be decisive. You must be strong to survive in such a situation, da?"
Russia's presence didn't help. He was surrounded and had two choices. Victimize Poland? Or allow himself to be shredded apart again, the way he had so many times before?
Vilnius. That was the reason he was called here anyway. A territorial dispute, nothing more. Why hadn't he brought it up with Feliks? He frowned once again.
"All's fair in love and war, da?" Russia commented, nudging the smaller with his elbow. "It is not like you will lose. You could ally yourself with a superpower, or allow yourself to be subject to any and all attacks from any nation, and I will not intervene."
Lithuania steeled his gaze. "It's not like you intervened before."
His war history was flashing before his eyes so quickly the mutterings of "Kol kol kol" hardly registered.
Poland lay bleeding on the grass, staying partially upright only by hanging on to the hilt of his sword. Lithuania bent down to help him as best he could, the other three nations arguing amongst each other but knowing better than to draw a blade.
"Stop. Russia, Prussia, that's enough. They'll slip up and surrender. You don't need to hurt them again."
"Austria, it'll be easy. Smite down the blonde one and Lithuania will give up. Right, Russia?"
"I just want to hit them, da?"
He knew that Russia had gotten his way—remembered the way that he had been physically torn to the point of certain death, the way he was quickly bleeding out his life, the way he knew he couldn't die, wasn't able to die, even though death would be so welcome…
He remembered the way his brothers could do nothing but watch him suffer, watch him be bodily shredded, nothing but watch in their wretched weakness and merely stand by as the union was dissolved, watch the commonwealth be crushed by an unyielding cruelty…
His memory flashed and faded, replaced by a harsh throbbing in his shoulder. Lithuania tore his eyes from the papers and dipped the quill.
The instant he did it, he knew that it was wrong.