Belarus is sitting on the stairs waiting for her brother to get home from the war. The Czar's messenger said he'd be getting home today. Even Украіне, who is usually out working in the fields of the nearby peasants, had come back and cleaned up and put on a nice dress and she hopes her brother will be happy. All she ever wants is for her brother to be happy.
She'd followed Украіне one day to see why working with the peasants made her so happy, and had watched Украіне laugh when the farm boys playfully bounced her breasts. She had a sudden thought that it might feel nice to have Расія fondle her breasts, even if they weren't big like Украіне's, but she pushes those thoughts aside, because he's her brother. She thinks that's why Украіне cries so much, because they are always dying.
Finland is following meekly behind Venäjä, as Venäjä leads him up the walk of the grand house, as befitting an empire. He thinks that it's nothing like the small cozy cabin Ruotsi built for them in the woods, nor even like Tanska's old stone castle they'd run away from. It's large and intimidating but in a stately way, and it reminds him of Venäjä.
He misses Ruotsi, loath though he is to admit it. He had very little to say in this war and was taken by Venäjä, who had gotten involved in a war between Ruotsi and Tanska. It wasn't Ruotsi's fault and probably wasn't even Tanska's, because Tanska had wanted only wanted Norja back and was willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve that goal. Tanska didn't even know Venäjä was going to take him until after the fighting stopped, and had argued against it.
She sees her brother coming up the walk through the large windows in the front hall and her heart leaps, until she sees the skinny blonde man following meekly behind. She had hoped that Расія would not bring back any hostages. She didn't like having to split her brother's attention with anybody. She determines that she will not like this man, but comes to the conclusion that her brother will want her to be nice to him, so she will pretend to.
The door opens and she runs forward to embrace her brother. Літва often tells her she should be more lady-like, but she's stopped listening to Літва since the annexation. After all, why would she listen to Літва when she has her brother now? Расія returns her embrace slightly hesitantly, but she ignores this and kisses Расія, who pulls the other man forward quickly and says, "This is Финляндия." She hears him mutter, "Suomi," under his breath so her brother can't hear, but she's doesn't say anything, because this man has violet eyes like her brother.
Her face betrays no emotion as she holds out her hand stiffly and says, "Nice to meet you."
He thinks that she is beautiful when he sees her. Her eyes and hair are colored like Norja's, but they have some quality that makes then somehow different, although he's not about to delve into meta-physics. She is stiff and emotionless, but he's used to dealing with people like Ruotsi who don't show their emotions and he can tell she doesn't like him. He's curious as to why, but takes her outstretched hand anyway.
When Украіне notices that there's one more person at the table, Украіне tells Латвіі to set another place, and Латвіі, without thinking, sets him next to her. They don't talk all through dinner, but she begins to notice that he has a very nicely shaped face as she sneaks glances at him throughout the meal. He notices this, and although he tells himself he would rather be seated next to Viro, he can't help but by fascinated by her.
That night, she dreams about her brother, and they aren't exactly clean dreams. She thinks perhaps a little fresh air will clear her head, so she heads downstairs. He can't sleep after sharing a bed with Ruotsi for so long, so she finds him just outside the back door, looking at the moon, because it's still not quite winter yet. She comes out and he turns to look at her noting that she looks absolutely gorgeous in the moonlight. She sees the way he's staring at her, and hoping to forget her dream, she closes the gap between them.
They share a kiss, and since it's not really that cold, they begin to strip before easing themselves to the ground and making love. Afterward's she's the first to move. "Valkovenäjä," he says as she pulls her nightgown back on, which is what he thinks her name should be in his language. She glares at him, and he frowns as she snaps, "That's not my name," because she initiated it.
She says coldly, "Goodnight Фінляндыя," and walks back toward the house. He stares after her for a minute before he begins to gather his own clothes.
The next day, he sits next to Viro at breakfast. She sits across from him, and treats him with cool indifferance. He follows her lead and they never mention that night again.
Украіне- Ukraine (Belarusian)
Расія-Russia (Belarusian)
Venäjä-Russia (Finnish)
Ruotsi-Sweden (Finnish)
Tanska-Denmark (Finnish)
Norja-Norway (Finnish)
Літва-Lithuania (Belarusian)
Финляндия-Finland (Russian)
Suomi-Finland (Finnish)
Латвіі-Latvia (Belarusian)
Viro- Estonia (Finnish)
Valkovenäjä(Valko-venäjä)-Belarus(Finnish)
Фінляндыя-Finland(Belarusian)