Not That Bad
Ivan Braginski smiled as his older sister Katyusha held up the child for him to see. "This is our baby sister, Ivan," she told him, speaking like a schoolteacher since Ivan was, after all, younger. "Her name is Natasha." The baby gave a little squeal as she moved about in her blanket.
Ivan looked down at the perfect little infant head, the little button nose and tiny hands and feet. "Can I pet it?" he asked Katyusha, who acted as if this was a very silly question but nodded anyway. Ivan stroked the tiny head, which was soft and warm and downy. "Natasha," he repeated. "Is she a nation too?"
Across the world, since life began, there were some who personified and represented the nations of the earth. Katyusha was the Ukraine, and when he was older Ivan would be Russia. "Yes," Katyusha answered, "she will be Belarus."
"Belarus." Ivan liked the name. "Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus." He wondered what it would be like, someday, to be the great nation of Russia. He had seen his land, it was enormous, bigger than any other he had ever known. All the vast amounts of snow and sunflowers would be his someday. And Katyusha had Ukraine and little baby Natasha would have Belarus. He thought it would be nice that, unlike some countries who were separated by land or sea, he and his sisters would all be right next to each other. The mighty empire they would create, hand in hand. They would be so close… wouldn't they?
-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia
It was so cold. Ivan was outside skating with his sisters, since he'd heard that keeping moving was the best way to stay warm. But he was almost too cold to move, and he was accustomed to a wintery climate. Natasha, now older and a remarkably beautiful young girl, seemed to have no trouble at all, and skated circles around her older siblings. Ivan sighed and wished he could have a cup of hot chocolate.
Katyusha skated his way and studied his face. She had the same whitish hair and bright blue-violet eyes, but his were red and watery. "Are you cold?" she asked tenderly. Ivan nodded, and Katyusha took off one of her scarves and wrapped it around her brother's pale neck. "There you go, ДoРoгoй," she cooed, adjusting the scarf until Ivan warmed up.
"Cпacибo," Ivan told her, skating again to keep up with his sisters.
"You know," said Katyusha wistfully, "you have so much land, Ivan. You appreciate that I took care of you, da?"
"Da." What was she getting at?
"So since I am always having to work to cultivate my land, why not, since it is nearly my birthday, you grant me the Kiev territory?"
Ivan gasped. The Kiev was a gift to him! He had to work for it making alliances with both Lithuania and Poland, aka Toris Laurinaitis and Feliks Lukasiewicz, simply to gain control of the land. And Katyusha knew this right well. Now she wanted it? Had she only shown him concern and given him the scarf to manipulate him into giving her Kiev?
"You always were a schemer, big sis," he muttered, and skated off to get a cup of hot chocolate and have some quiet time alone, away from his sisters.
