Chapter Two: Vati

"Vati," the baby pointed his chubby finger at Germania.

A million thoughts flashed through the nation's head at hearing this damning proclamation. He was the father of these children? Him?

It was impossible! …wasn't it? No matter how hard he tried, Germania could not deny that these two little ones resembled him in an eerie fashion. Especially the smallest one; the little one that was currently glaring at him, apparently not appreciating being held away at arm's length. The oldest one Germania might have been able to deny, with his elfish features, but he claimed the youngest as brother, and both claimed Rugii, so Germania knew he was stuck.

"Ja, Bruder, we're going to go find Vati," the eldest child said dismissively, still not quite aware that his guide had halted. "Our friend is going to take us to the village to find him."

Still shocked, Germania began walking again, quickly catching up to the elder boy. Mind numb, the man settled the baby closer to him again to continue walking, while the little albino chattered away. But Germania did not listen to all of the many great explorations that the boy had indulged in, and instead set his mind to working out the problem that came to him in the form of two small children.

The older child was Rugii's replacement, that much was very clear. Apparently she had raised him and hid him away from Germania because she knew that he might want to have the boy killed so that she would live. But that was not the issue. Rugii was already dead and the older nation knew that he had to let the boy live. There was no way around that as the land needed a personification.

But what about the youngest child?

Glancing down at the baby in his arms, Germania took a moment to actually look the boy over. Before the infant had just been like an extra bag as far as the German was concerned. While he slept, the tiny blonde had been of little consequence to Germania and therefore he did not even really take the opportunity to inspect that baby. But now he did, and what he found was truly disheartening.

Blonde hair adorned the littlest one's head, straight, soft as it hung down against the head looking like a waterfall of gold more than tresses. The boy had icy blue eyes that seemed uncommonly good at turning into a glare, like the child knew what all was happening. After all, the baby had already accused Germania of being his father, and the old warrior knew that he would forever be trapped if the albino boy weren't so thick and actually listened to how his brother had said that oh so condemning name. And to house all of these noticeable features was a small body with white, soft skin only found in infants. Truly the boy was beautiful, but frightening.

Along the way, the little albino began to tire from the long trek, and eventually began slowing down. Of course the fiery little rabbit did not voice his fatigue, and instead pushed on. It was admirable how the boy was willing to go on, how he never did complain, but it was foolish. If Germania would have guessed, the older boy only looked as though he were six human years of age, though he could not be sure. After all, he had never been around many children before.

Whatever his age, Germania could see that he was tiring fast, and so, to keep the promise to himself, he paused to let the little albino catch up to him before picking up the child as well. "Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, red eyes wide.

"Going on."

And that was the last of it. Germania did not explain further, and whether from embarrassment or exhaustion, the boy did not question again. Continuing, Germania found that the night was swiftly approaching and soon he had two little boys snuggled in his arms, both falling fast asleep. It would have been a treasured moment for any parent, but considering everything that he had been through and discovered today, the blonde man could hardly appreciate what he had. Instead, he panicked and began walking faster than before. It stood to reason that the faster he got to where he was going, the faster he could leave these children and be on his way and never have to see them again.

So lost in thought was Germania that he did not realize that he had turned long ago from the path towards the village and instead automatically began wandering home. It was only when he walked out of the woods and into the clearing where his house stood that he realized where he was. He cursed softly under his breath. He had really wanted to be rid of these children!

When he had stopped, the little albino perked up, waking and looking about him. A frown came easily upon his lips before he turned to peer up at Germania, an accusing look on his face. "This isn't a village!" the child shrieked, trying to get out of the big man's hold. "You lied!"

It had been a long time since someone had last called Germania a liar, and they were dead now. The blonde scowled, insulted, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he also tried to keep the boy from falling. "This is my home," he said simply. "It is closer to the village and is where we will be staying the night."

The older boy did not lose the suspicious glint in his eyes as he continued to inspect the man, but he ceased his thrashing. "We'll keep going in the morning to find Vater?" Hearing that name again truly made Germania have to fight an uncomfortable squirm, but he managed it somehow.

Vater. It felt so wrong when he heard it directed at him, and yet it seemed natural. After all, he was known as der Vaterland, wasn't he? So why then was he frightened at the aspect of someone simply calling him Vater? It didn't make sense, and yet it seemed to make all the sense in the world. The facts were literally all before him, screaming at him, and yet he just could not grasp them. It was all just too surreal.

"J-ja," he muttered quietly before walking towards the house.

That seemed to pacify the fidgeting little albino for the time being, and before Germania could do anything, the boy jumped from his arms with a big yawn and a stretch. Looking up at the older man with bright red eyes that reflected the moonlight eerily, he turned his attention to his brother, who was now also awake due to his brother's movements. Surprisingly, at least to Germania, the baby did not start crying. He just looked sleepily down at his brother with an almost annoyed expression, as though he were used to his brother's wild behavior.

"Don't worry, Bruder!" the albino exclaimed, not at all deterred by the frown he received from the littlest one. "Our friend is going to let us stay with him tonight before we go find Vater in the morning."

The tiny blonde's frown only increased at hearing his brother's words. Icy eyes turned to Germania, and the large nation could almost feel his heart stopping as a sparking sensation shot up his spine. "Vati," the baby spoke for the second time that day. Just like before, it made Germania nearly have a heart attack from the firmness of the decree.

But luckily the albino did not understand the baby's simple proclamation and instead confused it just the same as he had before. "That's right, Bruder!" the other boy praised. "We're going to go find Vati soon and soon the three of us can be a family!"

The infant pouted slightly, making Germania sweat. "Vati!" he said more forcefully, this time outright glaring at Germania, as though daring the man to contradict his statement. The older blonde could do nothing but stare back helplessly.

Germania was just about to crack and start yelling, to admit to the world that he was more than likely the children's father, but stopped short when the albino smiled fondly at the younger boy. He held out his hands demandingly and it took a moment for Germania to realize that the albino wanted to hold his brother. More than happy to comply and be rid of the baby that unnerved him so completely, the man placed the infant in the child's arms. It was only after he was no longer holding either child that the man realized how tired and stiff his arms had become.

When the albino had a hold of his brother, and the two stood there in the moonlight, something in Germania's chest twisted as he stared at them. The pale light bathed them both with its astral glow, making both children look more like elves than humans. For just a moment, Germania believed that they were Loki's helpers come down to torment him in his sorrow, but he knew that was not so. Strangely, both children looked…beautiful, in a way. They were so innocent and vulnerable in the world, alone with no mother to protect them now…

The older man was startled from his thoughts when he realized that the little albino was already stalking off towards the house. Again, the older German was surprised that the boy could so boldly march into another person's home without any embarrassment or awkwardness whatsoever, as though feeling it was his right, but then again, this boy was Rugii's son, which meant that arrogance and audacity flowed through the child's veins.

It really wasn't that big of deal as Germania easily caught up to the children and ended up opening the door for them to enter, but he found he could not dismiss his annoyance with the albino's manners. The boy was truly someone that Germania would have to watch closely. If indeed the child inherited Rugii's land and her personality, then this little one was going to be a fighter, one that would be hard to handle. He was going to have to watch the little rabbit closely and make sure that he kept the boy out of needless danger. And the littlest one…

Once more, Germania paused as he looked to the tiny blonde that was nestled into his brother's arms. What was he going to do about the littlest one?

"So!" the older boy exclaimed once Germania had lit a fire. "What now?"

The older blonde looked around his modest home and wondered just that. What were they to do now? What was he going to do with two small children?

"You may sleep here tonight," the blonde pointed to his bed. It was close to the fire and would surely keep the children warm throughout the night.

The albino flashed him a smile, but did not thank him. Instead, he walked over to the bed, arms still laden with his brother, before he set the younger boy down. Then, he took his mother's cloak and placed it around the baby. In a matter of minutes, he had made a sort of nest around his brother so the baby would not roll off the bed before he jumped up and removed his boots. Then he took the blanket that was at the end of the bed and draped it over himself and his brother. Once that was done, he looked over at the baby once more, deemed that the blonde was comfortable and well placed before settling down in the bed as well.

Germania watched all this in silence, his heart beating wildly in his chest. "We'll leave first thing in the morning, right?" the albino asked.

Slowly, the old German nodded, feeling numb. "Yes."

The older boy smiled again before nodding. "Night," he called, before turning over to sleep.

After a few minutes of standing in the same place stupidly, Germania decided that perhaps it was time to move. Slowly, he took a deep breath, not realizing that he had not been breathing during the entire exchange. Once he was certain that he could breath normally, he slowly uncoiled his muscles that seemed to have stiffened due to tension and ached from traveling several hours with his arms burdened with the children.

It took another moment for his brain to start functioning again, and once he could do that, he realized how insulted he was. That older boy was truly a rude little brat and Germania could more clearly see how he favored his mother that way. But thoughts of Rugii left the man feeling once again depressed and oddly hallow.

The blonde needed time to think, needed to sort all of this out before he did anything else. The concept of him being a father was simple enough. He knew that he had slept with Rugii, knew that that was how women conceived. He had even admitted to himself that the albino child looked and acted astonishingly like Rugii. He could accept that, but what he could not accept was the youngest boy. The child who, as of yet, had no land.

Sighing, Germania walked out of the house and began walking around in the dark. It was not a wise thing to do, to walk around alone in the woods where any manner of animal or person could potentially attack you, but the nation was not necessarily worried about that. A part of him actually wanted something to happen to him, that way he would not have to deal with the problem of the children that seemed to have come in to ruin his life. But as soon as he thought of that, he scowled.

If he died then that little blonde brat would just inherit his land that much sooner and Germania really did not want to give up his life just yet. He had so much he wanted to do, so many things he could do!

Would his time come soon now that there was a replacement? Did Germania even have a say in the matter anymore? The baby was still quite young, that was true, but what if the child was old enough that Germania would not be able to kill him? Perhaps that's why Rugii had kept them away from him so long, to make sure the youngest was strong enough that he could fend off any attacks from his father?

No, that was impossible. The baby was just that, a baby. The little blonde could no more withstand a blow from Germania than a butterfly could the beak of a hawk. The infant was completely helpless. If it had not been for the older boy, Germania was certain the baby would have fallen prey to some hungry animal by now. Without the older child, the younger didn't stand a chance.

So why? Why had these children come to him? Why had Rugii sent them out looking for him? She must have known that he would not be pleased at all with seeing two children, so why? Now that Rugii was gone there was little point in harming the albino child. Rugii's land needed a personification and that boy was the one for the job, it was what he had been born for. She must have known that Germania would not harm the eldest child, that much the blonde nation could understand.

But why had she sent his replacement to him so completely vulnerable? She had known that Germania's will to live was strong, that he would not leave the world easily. Sending the infant to him was like sending a lamb to slaughter. All of Germania's instincts told him to kill the baby, that it was just the nature of the world and it was either him or the baby. There was a very great temptation to just go in there and take the baby out of its brother's grasp and rid himself of it. Perhaps the little rabbit wouldn't even stir and the older nation could dispose of the littlest one quietly without a fight.

Not that it would be much of a fight. Germania was a large, strong confederation of states, he could handle a little upstart personification like the little rabbit. But in his mind, the blonde did not want to have to fight the older boy. It was truly a bad thing to start off a domination of a territory with a conflict. The albino would be displeased with Germania should he kill the baby. But then Germania had started off conquering nations in much worse ways.

Walking back into the house, the Germanic nation found the children fast asleep in his bed, right where he had left them. He stalked up to it and peered down at both children. The albino was curled around the little nest he had created for his brother, while the baby slept on its back.

The older nation took a moment to observe both little ones as they slept. The albino looked restless, his face scrunching up every so often, apparently having troubling dreams. The baby slept soundly, its mouth slightly parted, looking wholly content with the world. Even like this, Germania had to admit that they truly were beautiful. Just like their mother, he thought sorrowfully. The resemblance the children shared with Rugii was stunning.

Something stirred in Germania's chest as he stared down at the boys. It was difficult to think of one as a land owner already and the other waiting to encroach upon Germania's own. It wasn't fair. It really wasn't. What was he suppose to do with these two little ones? He was not a father, he couldn't be! He knew next to nothing about children nor did he care to learn.

Germania's hands balled up into fists as his thoughts became more and more agitated, panic started to set in where calm would normally be. These two were his children. His. A wave of possessiveness flooded over the nation's senses, nearly overwhelming him. These were his. These were no one else's, just his.

His expression became cold as his regard for the boys soured. They were beautiful, but in a false manner. They were not elves, they were demons. Demons sent to torment him, mock him in his greatest hour of pain. It was Rugii's final taunt, giving him these two children, leaving them to mock him with her features, to smile at him with her eyes and feral grin. They were Loki's minions sent to distress his heart.

But they were his.

Scowling, Germania reached out and picked up the baby. Again, another jolt flashed over him as he took the child in his arms. The infant squirmed, face scrunched up into something akin to pain, but he did not wake. Germania sneered before turning to walk towards the door. He only looked back once when he opened it to make sure that the albino did not wake. When he saw that the other slept on, the blonde continued out of the house with the baby securely in his arms.

After walking about five minutes or so, Germania came to a stop along the large creek that he had built his home near. It was fairly deep as far as creeks went, about three to four feet deep, and its width made it possible to cross the creek easily enough with only having to step on a few stones to get there. It was a slow flowing creek, taking its time to meet up with the larger river that would lead it down into other parts of the country. But it would serve Germania well.

The large territory knelt down next to the water on his knees. He took a deep breath and looked up at the moon. It stared back at him, its light accusing him silently, but he turned his face away from it. He felt almost ashamed that there would be light to shine on him in this black moment, but it had to be done. Germania had a strong will to live; this was his right after all. This child was his and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Germania prayed to Wodan that his soul might not be cursed before he leaned forward and began to slowly lower the baby towards the water. It would not be very hard, nor would this take that long. All Germania had to do was hold the infant under for a few minutes, and when it ceased to move he would simply let the body float down stream and away from him forever. No one would ever know about this child. It would simply go back into the earth from which it was made. It would become one with the land it had been trying to steal from Germania.

As he lowered the baby down, Germania could not help but look over the child again. It truly was a striking child, its pale golden hair shining in the moonlight, its skin so fair, without blemish. He knew that underneath closed lids there were two gorgeous ice-blue eyes that could rival the beauty of any precious gem. Truly this child was perfection.

Germania's hands started to shake as he got closer to the water. The moon's reproving beam burned into his back. But he had to do this. He was not ready to die yet. Who would protect his other children from the likes of Rome? Who would fight for them? Who would keep them together and safe from foreign invaders? Certainly not this little one! This boy couldn't even speak properly! How would it lead armies into battle?

An image of the albino child came up into Germania's mind. What would Rugii's child think when he woke in the morning to find his brother gone? Would he accuse Germania of stealing him? Probably. Would the boy understand what Germania had done? Would the boy realize that father nations had the right to kill their children? Probably not. But the boy was smart and he would probably figure it out.

And what then? Would Germania spend the rest of his life trying to quell the rebellions of the albino? The boy would certainly not cooperate should he find out that Germania had done something to his brother.

No, that could not be helped. If the albino was to truly become his own nation he would have to learn that there were times when sacrifices had to be made, and that sometimes, for the greater good, you had to give up others along the way. It was not a particularly pleasant truth to learn, but it was inevitable and there was no use trying to hide it or sugarcoat reality. Life was hard and sacrifices were expected.

Yes, that's what this was, a sacrifice. Germania was doing this to help everyone else that resided in his territory. He was doing this to protect his other children and that was all. He was not being selfish, he was just being rational. This baby could no more lead or control the other nations anymore than Germania could fly. For the sake of the land and the people, Germania had to do this, there was no other choice.

In the darker recesses of his mind, however, Germania betrayed himself. Was he really just being rational or was he being a coward? Death was admittedly a frightening thing. Many men spent years fearing the day that it would come to them. It was a thing that could reduce the greatest warriors into quivering masses, leave grown men weeping. As a nation, Germania had the advantage of fooling death many times over, but even he could not ultimately escape it in the end. All nations died at some time. Nothing could last forever. He knew that. So was he really thinking of the wellbeing of others at this moment, or just his own?

No, this was a test. Wodan was testing his conviction. This had to be done, the fact that it would save Germania in the end was just a byproduct of the action. This was not only his right, but his duty. He owed it to his children, to his people, and to himself to do this.

Germania tried not to look at the baby's face as the backs of his hands hovered above the water. But in the reflection of the water and the moons iridescent blaze, the nation swore that he saw the face of his deceased lover, her blue eyes shining with fury and sadness. What overwhelmed her expression, however, was the look of betrayal shining deep in her orbs. Her eyes seemed to ask "why", and even though Germania knew the answer, was certain of why he was doing this, seeing that look in Rugii's eyes crushed all his convictions.

When the back of his hands touched the cool surface of the water, Germania lost his courage and gasped. He stared into the water and his heart broke at seeing his lover's sorrow. He had been wrong. This was not his child, or at least not his alone. This was Rugii's child as much as his own. She had given him this child, not to deal with as he willed, but to take care of. She had given him the responsibility of raising her children, his children, in faith that he would be a father to them, that he would love them. She had not sent these children, this child in particular, to harm him, but to bless him. Somehow he just knew that she had wanted him to feel the joys of parenthood as she apparently had. For all that Rugii had been, for all of her past misdeeds, her cynical nature, she had loved these boys and she had wanted to share them with Germania so that he, too, might grow to love them as much as she had.

The blonde gasp as his hands froze, just grazing the water's surface. Still trembling, he looked down into the face of the infant that was dangerously close to losing his life. Germania was shocked when he found blue eyes staring up at him, the glow of the moon reflecting in them, giving off an unworldly appearance.

"Vati."

If there had been any conviction left in Germania to end the child's life, it shattered the moment he heard the tiny being call out to him. Unfamiliar emotions overwhelmed the man and nearly consumed him in their flame. A single sob escaped the territory's mouth before he bit down on his bottom lip so hard it drew blood.

He couldn't do it. He could not harm this little one. It wasn't in him and it never had been. This child was Rugii's, he had known that from the beginning and he knew that he could never harm anything that was of her. She had bewitched him mind and soul, cursed him into the slavery of love. No matter what she did, he could never curse her back, nor could he harm her. This child was one of the last connections she had to the earth and Germania did not have it in him to destroy that link. How could he?

Feeling suddenly drained of all energy, the nation lifted his hands out of the water and cradled the infant to his chest. The tiny boy stared up at him with large, frosty eyes not unkindly. The baby seemed confused, but the trust Germania beheld in their depths shamed him more than anything else ever had. Another sob wanted to escape him, but he simply clamped down harder on his lip, unable to break eye contact with the child.

"Vati," the baby said again, reaching out pudgy hands to Germania, as though wanting to embrace.

Germania felt nauseous. He felt so ashamed that he had to look away from the eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul. Somehow the baby knew. The boy knew what his father had been going to do, Germania could see it in the cold eyes that stared up at him, and yet the infant also radiated trust. It was as though the baby knew his father would never harm him in the end, and forgave him for his moment of weakness. It was unnerving, yet in a way, a relief.

Taking a shuttered breath, trying to calm his racing heart, Germania stood from the water's edge and slowly made his way back to the house. He tried not to let the guilt of what he had almost done consume him, but it was difficult. The only way he managed to suppress the remorse was due to the baby's forgiving expression. He wondered how the child could forgive so easily, or how he even knew what Germania had been trying to do in the first place. With the way things were going, Germania decided that perhaps it was just better that he never know.

When he entered the house again, the German made sure that he was quiet so that he did not wake the sleeping albino. The last thing he wanted to deal with tonight was the constant questioning and distrustful eyes of the older boy. The little rabbit already held an unearthly look about his eyes and the large nation wasn't sure he could handle trying to explain to the elf what he had been doing out late at night with his younger brother.

The baby, too, seemed to understand the importance of remaining quiet and simply gazed about as though looking for where his brother had been left. Once they neared the bed, the baby started squirming slightly, as though trying to get close to his older brother. It made Germania wonder just how close the brothers actually were. Even at such a young age the two seemed to have made an unbreakable bond. It was touching in a way, though Germania knew that it would more than likely cause problems for the two in the future.

The large blonde settled the baby back into the nest his brother had created for him as carefully as he could. Irrationally he believed that he might actually be capable of breaking the child. After all, the infant looked so fragile.

Once snuggled in, the baby cocked his head to the side as he stared up at the large man innocently. Again, Germania felt a stab of guilt at knowing that only a few short minutes ago he had been very close to drowning the baby. But the child seemed to hold not resentment and simply reached up again towards the man.

"Vati," he whispered, as though knowing he should not speak too loudly, lest he wake his brother.

For the first time since learning the truth, Germania smiled down at the boy softly and stroked the downy golden hair in something akin to fondness. "Ja," he whispered back.

It was at this affirmation that Germania saw the baby smile for the first time. It was breathtaking to see those pale eyes light up and the fair face beam. It stopped the man's heart for a moment, and it was then that he knew he had done the right thing by letting the baby live. How could he have almost destroyed such a beautiful creature?

The smile only lasted a moment longer before the boy closed his eyes, hiding away the brilliant orbs, as he went back to sleep. Germania waited several minutes to make sure that both children slept peacefully before he turned and left the house once more.

He had work to do.

Author's Note: Hello all, and sorry for the delay. 'Been doing some "grownup" like business, what with apartment shopping and getting ready for college again. If you haven't noticed already, this family is not going to be particularly "fluffy" in the conventional way. They're not going to be openly lovey dovey. I always saw them as a family that based their feelings in the whole "actions speak louder than words" philosophy, so if you're wondering when Germania's going to say "I love you" to the kids you're going to be waiting a long, long time for that.

(And if you noted how Germania noted little HRE by calling him "it" that was not a mistake, thank you, it was intentional. Dehumanizing a person makes it easier to do something bad to them, right? So please don't call me out for not using "the right pronoun".)

All right, so thanks everyone for waiting patiently, and please drop me a review on your way out if you could be so kind, I'd really appreciate it. :) Thanks again!