Eduard now lives in his own home at least, tucked away in Tallinn and not safe at all because he knows there is Russian forces surrounding and occupying his home, just as they had managed to do the same to his brother in the south. He curls up tighter in his bed, coughing and clinging to the blankets he feels a burning sting in his lungs. Pain clearly etched across his face, he can't even bother to be thankful that he's not yet living with the violet-eyed Russian. ,
Something is burning, and he feels it not only on the inside but his fingertips are red and raw with burns. He blames Ivan, Ivan must be up to something, and his coast is in danger and he can feel almost everything. There's nothing he can do though, other than hope that the flames stop soon.
Miles and miles away, Nikolaj is just glad to be back in the war, and he's allied and made treaties with everyone who equally hates Sweden. He's only just learning about how everything has gone on without him, and knowing that Eduard is in Ivan's hands is knowing that Eduard is within his reach at least.
That's when he learns what Sweden is doing, acting like a child and launching attacks against Estonia because he figures if he can't have it, neither can Ivan or anyone else. His navy sets to burning places along the coasts, and it only gets the Dane's blood running hotter as well.
No matter how many times Nikolaj tries to coax Ivan over the next decade, helping him in every way possible that he can and giving his livelihood to the other nation, he faces the sting of betrayal. He's alongside Eiliv and watching Ivan with hatred in Nystad, loathing the fact that they're on Swedish ground with every last bone in his body. The Russian hasn't even allowed Eduard to be a participant in this, nor his brother, even though it's them that he's formally receiving now. He's kept them in silence and as far from Berwald the past decade as he could.
The only reason that Nikolaj bites his tongue is because as a nation, as something that stands for more than just a person, he's not nearly as human as he once thought he was. He doesn't want to seem foolish for his feelings of love that no one else seems to understand.
"You're going to live with me now, little Eesti."
He bristles at the almost pet name tacked on to the end, refusing to look up from behind his glasses until the Russian tilts his chin up. Even then, he's just pouting with a cold stare.
"Is that not your correct name?"
If he wasn't so petrified, perhaps he would have stepped away, but Ivan is taller than him and it helps in his favor to intimidate the Baltic. He only grips his chin harder when he receives no response at first, and Eduard can feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he tries not to tremble.
"My name is Eduard."
The teenaged nation is stubborn, but a quick slap to the face makes shock overcome his other senses. It's the first step to dehumanizing him, making him feel as if he is nothing but a ward to serve the now great Russian Empire. Eventually in his plans, there won't even be an Eduard or Estonia left, just the Russian Empire and the empire only.
"Your name is what I tell you it will be. I'm very in favor of what my tsar, your owner, picked out for you. My Governorate of Reval.."
Immediately the Estonian hates it, and he takes a step back from the larger man. Biting down on his bottom lip, he turns his head away and refuses to look back with a defiance to his expression. His name is not Reval, and to him it never will be Reval. There's no way that he's going to allow the Estonian to do this to him, and he's just going to keep fighting anything he says.
He just doesn't yet realize how long he'll actually be doing it.
"Thank you, Ivan. Really. But my name is not Reval, if you want, you had it right the first time, actually."
"Have you been to Saint Petersburg, Reval?"
"I don't believe that I ever have, no." He collected himself in calming breaths, reaching a hand up to his own face to rub at the still slightly reddened skin. Ivan notices how the Baltic's fingers are marred with strange scars, ones that he never even was aware happened. Grabbing his hand abruptly, the Russian pulled his hand forward, looking carefully over the thin white scars that seem to not even have a pattern.
"You will like it there. Your brother is there, and it won't be too long before the other two join him and you there as well."
Ivan seemed so confident in his words, and the staring just made Eduard more nervous. Chewing on the inside of his lip bitterly, he tried to get used to the idea that he'd have to just be a part of another empire.
"It's... in Ingria, isn't it?"
"...It happens to be in Russia, now." He let go of the Estonian's hand, finding himself losing interest after enough inspecting. Eduard was worried when he thought of being that far away, and already he could feel homesick and it was then that it hit him, how far away he'd be from Nikolaj if he did go. If only he had a choice, but the loneliness and fear he felt right then was gnawing away at him.
"It will not be a bad thing, Reval. I know that you love your family, and that's why you're worried, yes? I don't want to break your family, though. I have a family too, they live with me as well..." When Ivan thought of his sisters, he couldn't help but to smile. Perhaps if he showed Eduard kindness, and how much alike they were, he'd be a much willing participant of his empire. Already forgetting his previous hostility towards the other, he patted the top of the spectacled teens' hair.
"There is Natalia and Yekaterina, and I'm sure you will get along with both of them very well."
If only the Russian knew how different and alienated he was from his brothers anyways, he wouldn't have tried to be so sympathetic. Eduard just nodded, though he vaguely recalled meeting both of them while with Berwald and hadn't had very good impressions of either. Whichever one of them he met first had been rather cold to the both of them, and the second, who did bare quite a resemblance to Ivan, hadn't even struck Eduard as being a fellow nation until she had introduced herself.
"How long do I get to stay here?"
"Hm... I have to give you a little while, at least, to take care of your things... No longer than a few days. After all, I'm being gracious to you, allowing you entrance into my home..."
With bitterness, Estonia didn't really think the situation could be called gracious at all.
"Berwald, please, you have to help me."
Initially the Swede had been shocked to see the blonde nation crawl on his doorstep, but he brushed off the surprise quickly. Tino had probably helped him, that wouldn't have been too surprising, but he couldn't do much other than cross his arms and wearily stare.
"Can't do anythin'."
Reaching out and grabbing his arm, the Estonian continued to pleadingly look at him. He needed someone with more means than he had, someone who could easily get in touch with Nikolaj. The stronger nation is unmoving at such a request, and too shaken and broken on his own to bother with helping anyone else.
"Please! Please, Ivan is going to keep me away from anyone, and-"
"What'd he say t'you?"
"That... that I could keep things how they are in my land, but he wants me to live with him, and that there is no Estonia, just his empire, and Berwald, please, I'll never see Nikolaj again unless-"
"Can't help you."
The Estonian's shoulders dropped, and he stared at him with his mouth slightly open. He held on to the larger man with his other hand as well, trying to remain as calm and composed as he could in the situation.
"Sweden—Berwald,please, I never...I never asked you for anything. Not once."
"Asked me t'let that Dane in m'home, 'n who knows, y'probably put the idea in his head with th'war t'fight against me..."
"Berwald, no... I never would have done that! Please... It's over now at least, right? You never have to see Nikolaj again, I promise, I'm just asking you to help me see him, just once."
Although he could almost feel bad for Eduard, he kept his position and shook his head. He wouldn't do anything to risk getting Ivan upset again, since the other had proven himself as quite a formidable adversary, and besides, he owed nothing to the either of them and there was plenty still to be upset about himself.
"Please!"
"Can't do anythin'."
"I'm asking you as a friend, Berwald, I-"
"Nej."
The Estonian closed his eyes, reaching out to grab a hold of the Swede's hand. Before he could really stop and think about him, he was on his knees. Clutching onto his hand, he just grabbed and held onto him like a last lifeline. He tilted his head forward, tugging on the stronger man.
"J-just once, just one last time, please, help me..."
He rested his cheek against the cold hand, wishing that he could do anything in the world other than go live with Ivan. There was just too much about the Russian that made him feel uncomfortable, and didn't want to get used to having to be with anyone else for as long as he lived. Just this once he resorted to begging and pleading, and it does nothing for him because the Swede of all people just won't be moved.
"Does Ivan know y'r here?"
Letting go of the hand and slinking back, again he gets the same feeling that people will be asking that of him for quite a while. With all the immediate anger and resentment he feels towards the Russian, he can't even bring himself to respond any longer.
"And this, Reval, is where you and your brother shall be staying. Try to get settled in, yes?"
Eduard smiled bitterly, holding one of his bags close to his chest. From living so often with others, he didn't have very many possessions of his own besides clothing. With every new kingdom he became a part of came a new language, so no books; a new culture, so only things that were close and dear to him about his own.
He doesn't even turn his head back to acknowledge Ivan as the older man leaves, stuck instead beside his brother that he's warred with plenty of times before.
"Don't even look at me, you idiot, this is your fault."
Of course Eduard immediately looks at him, noting that the Livonian is teeming with a lot more anger than he is. Being your own land and having a close alliance with another is what he was used to, not the past burden of Sweden and now Russia's rule.
He pushed his blonde bangs—all the Baltics, they may not be brothers of true blood but he's never cared to notice enough about Livonia that their hair shares the same color-back from his own forehead, staring at the barren room before taking the first few steps forward to sit on the edge of the bed. With that, he glares up with clear blue eyes at the Estonian, and Eduard takes this chance to look away finally.
"I didn't even have an army. If anything, you could have been the one to prevent this."
It's calm words for someone who's clutching his bag of belongings even tighter than before, but he steps forward and kneels beside the bed. He glances up at his brother only when the other decides to pull out a rosary, filled with dark red beads that look like blood and silver strands that connect them to pray with. Instead of responding to the biting sarcasm, he's praying instead and the sentiment strikes Eduard hard.
Then Eduard realizes, and he hates himself for not doing so before, but Ivan must have his own ideas and traditions on religion. Berwald had never cared much, and for the past few decades he never even had to think of the fact that there's religions still out there.
"Liivimaa. Do you know what... religion... Ivan is?"
He has the beads wrapped tout around his fingers, his lips pressed into a thin line as he looks down at Eduard.
"Catholic. The wrong kind of Catholic."
So now, on top of everything, he expects things to be different in that aspect. He digs to the bottom of the bag, seeing the flash of red and white before he reached in just to touch it, to feel close to the person who gave it to him again. It's been packed up so small for so long, always in his attempts to keep it hidden, and his throat feels dry and his eyes burn.
"...Eduard." The Estonian doesn't glance up, just holds on briefly to the red flag and thinks about how right Nikolaj had been to chose rose madder, the flag still looked so well after so long. He misses the Dane, misses the brightness that the other always brought to him.
"Eduard.. Come on. Don't look like that. I mean, Raivis will probably join us soon too. He can't do anything on his own."
At that moment he couldn't even care about Raivis, too busy wishing that Nikolaj's coat had never been submitted to so much wear and tear so he could keep him even closer. There's still the ring on his finger at least, and he twists it subconsciously, because all of this feels like a very bad vacation that he doesn't know when he'll get to leave.
WELL.
not the most pleased with this chapter, but I'm never really pleased when I'm trying to write a romance fic and the chapter can't.. really include both of them. For angst, I think this hits the mark but geez I'd like more romance already... D|
Rambling aside, historical notes |:
I consider Livonia as Estonia and the other Baltic's brother, yeah. even though I keep using the term brother loosely, since as far as blood goes, they're not close.
During the Northern War, although Danish forces were initially told to gtfo (last chapter lol) they rejoined the effort later. Russia took over helping gain Estonia and Livonia, and when Sweden was losing land to Russia, they decided to just try and.. burn.. villages and buildings along the coast where they could get to.
Russia kept the two Baltic states (Livonia and Estonia) very secluded and withdrawn from other nations, and actually had occupied them for a few years before formally gaining control of them in the treaty of Nystad.
Russia changed the name of Estonia (more commonly known to the world as Estland anyways) to being known as the Governorate of Reval. it'd stay that way for quite a while.
St Petersburg was founded in Swedish Ingria as well.
Liivimaa is Estonian for Livonia. and yes, with the whole old crusader mindset, there's a wrong kind of these things. More Russia and more Denmark next timeeee.