Songfic of 'Once Upon a December' from the movie 'Anastasia'. All rights belong to 20th Century Fox and Hidekaz Himaruya for the characters; I only own the story.
Human names:
Alexandru - Moldova
Katyusha - Ukraine
Alexandru awoke suddenly from a dream of blood and smoke. He bolted upright, panting heavily as his eyes darted wildly around the room, unable as yet to distinguish between fiction and reality. He could still hear the flames crackling, hissing and snapping as they greedily devoured everything in their path; still hear the screams of fear and pain as the tongues of fire licked at those unfortunate enough to be caught in their way.
Wispy tendrils of insidious grey smoke snaked through the air, growing far too quickly into thick grey clouds that obscured the air and robbed the body of both breath and sight. Everything was a blur of red, yellow and black as Alexandru ran blindly through endless corridors and open rooms. He was lost, alone, and scared. No one could help him; the faces of the people around him were unfamiliar, their features distorted by panic and horror. Their words made no sense to him, their voices a jumble of curses and cries for help. Alexandru's own voice wouldn't come out; his throat made too sore and rough by the smoke to do more than croak hoarsely as he tried to call for his brother, for his guardian, for someone, anyone, please help me!
The corners of his vision began to blur as he doubled over in a bought of coughing, trying desperately to bring much-needed oxygen to his burning lungs. It only served to give him a mouthful of dirty smoke, making his eyes stream with tears. The moisture dried on his cheeks almost immediately, but he couldn't stop sobbing as his legs grew weak and he tripped, tumbling to the harsh marble floor. He picked himself up immediately – he had to keep going, had to get out. He had to…had to…
"…dru"
"…andru!"
"Alexandru!"
A voice was calling his name, but Alexandru was still too wrapped in the dream to understand it. Blindly, he thrashed against the arms holding him, calling out for help.
"Frate! Vă rog! Ajută-mă! De unde esti? Frate!"
"Shhh, shhh, little one, it's alright, you're safe, shhhh, calm down!"
The words were meant to help, to soothe, but instead they seemed to make things worse. Alexandru's struggles increased, his efforts to escape fuelled by mad panic.
"Nu! Lasa-ma sa plec! Frate!"
"Shhh, it's alright, you're safe! Alexei, calm down!"
Huge brown eyes, their pupils blown wide by terror and shiny with tears, turned instinctively to the sound of the voice. A moment later, the trembling body launched itself at the source of the voice, sobbing in relief.
"Brother!"
Arms came up to enfold the frightened child in a hug, delivering the comfort he sought. They rocked Alexandru back and forth, their voice murmuring soothing nonsense as they traced gentle circles on his back.
"I know, little one, I know. It's alright, you're safe now. It was just a dream, you're safe."
Gradually, Alexandru's sobs quietened into sniffles and the occasional hiccup. He drew back from the hug, tear-stained face raised to look up at his saviour.
"Big sister?" he asked, looking into Katyusha's warm blue eyes.
The girl in question smiled down at him.
"That's right, little one." she said. "Big brother isn't here, but it's alright. You're safe. All better now, da?"
Alexandru sniffed and nodded shakily. "D-da." He made as if to wipe his nose, but Katya stopped him.
"Don't use your sleeve, Alexei." She chided gently. "Use a tissue instead. Here." She reached over to the bedside table, handing the container to him. Alexandru obediently blew his nose, and Katya rewarded him with a kiss from the plushie; a gift from Yao, fashioned after a prop from one of Kiku's anime shows. The dog's curly brown fur brushed Alexandru's cheek as its' button nose touched his own, making him giggle.
Katya smiled again and placed the tissue plushie back where it belonged. She wiped away the remnants of Alexandru's tears, then tucked him back into bed. He snuggled down, clutching the teddy that had been retrieved from the floor after it had fallen off the bed during Alexandru's fight. For a reason Katya did not understand, the bear's left arm was coated in smooth silver fabric, making it look like it was made of metal. At the end of the bed he had another bear, this one plain brown and almost as big as Alexandru himself.
"All better?" she asked once Alexandru was settled down again.
He nodded sleepily, tired from crying and the after-effects of stress. Katya nodded, bending down to place a tender kiss on Alexandru's forehead. He closed his eyes, but opened them again as she turned to go.
"Wait!" A little hand tugged on the sleeve of her nightgown, halting her exit.
She turned back with a questioning look.
"What is it, little one?"
Alexandru's eyes were wide as he stared at her imploringly. "Will you stay? Just until I fall asleep? Please? Big brother used to…when I had a bad dream…he'd stay with me, so the bad dreams go away." His pleading tone, coupled with worried eyes, tugged at Katya's already motherly heart.
"Of course, Alexie. I know I'm not your brother, but I promise I won't let you have any more nightmares." She came back to the bed and sat down, tucking the covers more securely around her young charge. Alexandru nuzzled into the hand stroking his head, eyes drifting shut as Katya opened her mouth and began to sing softly.
Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
Alexandru smiled sleepily at the familiar words, the image of an auburn-haired girl in a long tan coat immediately coming to life in his mind.
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memories
Katya hummed the accompanying melody in a slower, gentler pitch than the original, turning the song into something more befitting of a lullaby. In Alexandru's sleepy imagination, the images in the song came to life. A huge ballroom filled with people dancing, their gowns swishing out as their handsomely-suited partners swirled them around in elegant arcs. And in the centre of them all, a happy family moving oh-so-beautifully to the beat. As he slipped further into sleep, the faces of the girl and her partner blurred, being replaced with those closest to the boy's heart.
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away
Long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Things it years to remember
And a song someone sings…
Katya's beautiful voice, already quiet as she sung the lullaby, dropped down almost to a whisper as the song came to an end.
Once upon a December
She held the last note on a long breath, finishing in an inaudible whisper of air. Alexandru was fast asleep by this point, having been soothed almost as soon as she started singing. His face was smooth and calm as he slept, limbs relaxed and breathing slow and even. She waited a moment longer to make sure he was settled and wouldn't be disturbed by her movement, then carefully got up and placed a gentle kiss on his temple, her lips brushing him as softly as a butterfly's wings.
"Dobroy nochi, little one" she whispered, turning to look back at him one last time before gently closing the door and treading quietly back to the room she shared with her sister. 'Alexei, a nightmare' was her answer to Natalya's sleepy question, and the latter merely hummed in response before pulling the covers back over her head and falling back asleep.
Katya glanced out the window at the flakes swirling around, drifting down silently to cover everything in a layer of pristine white.
The boys will be happy, they can make snowmen tomorrow, she thought absently as she, too, snuggled into her covers and drifted off to sleep.
Safe and warm, indeed.
Translations
Romanian:
Frate! Vă rog! Ajută-mă! De unde esti? Frate! - Brother! Please! Help me! Where are you? Brother!
Nu! Lasa-ma sa plec! Frate! – No! Let me go! Brother!
F-frate? Eşti tu? – B-brother? Is that you?
Russian:
Dobroy nochi – Good night
A/N: hey, back again! More Alexandru, because he's utterly adorable and needs more hugs. I didn't use nationalities at all in this one, so you can decide for yourself whether it's a human AU or whether they're still full countries. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the 'boys' means Moldova and Latvia, since Raivis is still a child as well.
Anyone get the reference for the small teddy? :)
As always, any errors are accidental, but please point them out anyway.