Ivan watched his sister from across the desk; he watched her turn the page with one slender hand, pause, turn back, pale eyebrows furrowed on an otherwise clear face.

The document was in Russian - Ivan had done this on purpose, and watched Katya stumble through it, fingers trembling under the careful examination.

"You're not serious." Katya said when she was finished - she pushed the document away from her with the tips of her fingers, a disgusted motion. Ivan tilted his head.

"I am perfectly serious." he replied softly. He watched his older sister tremble and then, with a tone that belied the facade of calm intent, pleaded, "Please, Ivan, I can't do this to them. It's important to us that we keep what is ours - "

"You don't need it." Ivan interrupted. He placed his hand over hers, cool leather against her flesh. Katya shivered. "It is irrelevant, you don't need it. Russian will work just as well..."

"It's irrelevant?" Katya repeated, and slid her hand out from under his. Ivan sighed, a patronizing sound, and Katya felt heat rise to her face. "Ivan, it's my language. It's...why don't you understand that?"

"It's not a real language, Katya." Ivan explained, patiently, like he was berating a child.

Hot pricks gathered in the corners of her vision. "You always say that." she accused breathlessly. "I trusted you, Ivan. You told me...you understood, you promised you would work with me, and now you throw this in my face?" she gestured wildly at the document, voice rising in pitch and volume.

"Katya." Ivan's voice was cold and she stilled, suddenly fearful. His hand was back, he had taken off his gloves - Katya could feel the cold through her skin.

"You took care of me when I was young." Ivan told her, and his free hand reached up to rest lightly on his scarf. "Now it's my turn to take care of you. You'll see. I'm doing this for you. Don't be ungrateful."

Katya could never argue with Ivan, not even when they were children. She lowered her eyes to the desk, could just make out the document's heading at the top of the page - Эмский указ.

"It's for the best." came Ivan's reassuring voice, and the words seeped into her head like the cold into her skin. She wanted to cry, or throw up, or both. Betrayal rolled in her stomach.

"Yes," she murmured, and remembered - remembered folk songs and stories and poems (all gone, all taken away like her land and her identity and her Ukraine).

"It's for the best."

"The importation into the Russian Empire, without special permission of the Central Censorship over Printing, of all books and pamphlets in the Little Russian dialect, published abroad, is forbidden" - Ems Ukaz, May 1876

The Ems Ukaz (Эмский указ) was a decree signed by Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1876 banning the use of the "Little Russian" dialect (Ukrainian) in print. Russia did not consider Ukrainian to be an actual language and feared separation attempts if people became too proud of the Ukrainian culture, and this was part of a wide spread "Russification" campaign that was taking place.

The decree was lifted in 1905, restored again in 1910, and was never re-lifted (it became void after the Russian revolutions of 1917/1918).

Ukraine signed a "protection" treaty with Russia in 1654, but that quickly turned into tsarist control over the country.

I think that Katya felt deeply hurt and betrayed by her little brother throughout history - the relationship between Ivan and his sisters is so awful because of all the things that have happened between the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. I would really like to see more stories detailing their relationship - then again, anything involving Russia and its relationship with neighboring countries is usually very, very tragic.