Chapter Fourteen
His journey to find his sisters had to wait until his injuries healed. Luckily, General Winter did not return. He spent his days resting in bed drinking vodka to dull the pain. When he was able to walk long distances, Ivan set out toward Europe.
Finding Katyusha was not as difficult as he thought it would. She had her own country to live in and protect. Their reunion was brief, but his sister welcomed him with open arms. Katyusha helped Natalia establish her own place as well just north of her own home. Ivan would be able to visit her…
XX
The pen finally stopped writing. In front of him –written in his own black lettering- was his story. Ivan's heart could rest easy knowing the difficult part was over. He slipped the pages into a large envelope and sealed it with his personal stamp.
Stretching as he stood, Ivan placed the envelope inside his inner jacket pocket. The house was quiet as usual, but he knew that he could find Toris working in the kitchen at this time of day. Announcing his presence by clearing his throat, Ivan still managed to startle the smaller nation.
"Mr. Braginski," Toris squeaked almost dropping a sauce pan he had been washing. "I did not see you there. May I help you, sir?"
"My sister, Natalia, has been given a room, da?"
"Yes, sir."
"When she wakes, we will be dining together. Bring her to the terrace when she is ready. We will take our meal there."
"Yes, sir."
And so Ivan waited for his younger sister in the open air of the terrace. The world was white and grey, ice and snow, wind blowing loose powder up into the air to create a restless foamy sea, and though it appeared barren it was not lonely. It was the world that his family formed.
"Hello, big brother. Have you been waiting long?"
Natalia sat across from him with her back to the view opting instead to stare at her brother. She looked much better after gaining some sleep. He offered her a thin smile. "Not at all. Did you sleep well? I trust that the room was satisfying."
"Yes," she answered while fiddling with her hair. "I slept well."
Toris approached with two large plates holding a balanced mix of breakfast and lunch on each. Ravis followed behind him with a pitcher of warm cider. The two nations set the table and left when Ivan waved them away.
"Natalia, I have a favor to ask you," he said before either touched their meal.
"What is it, big brother?"
Ivan pulled out the large envelope from under his jacket. "When you leave today, would you please take this to be copied and sent to all the World Conference attendees?"
Natalia took the envelope and held it in both hands. "Of course. You can trust me with such a small task."
"This is a very important letter; please see to it that it is delivered properly."
"Yes, brother."
At last, the other nations will be able to understand. Now we can become friends.
X End: Who I Am X
Natalia was practically skipping for joy down the snow crusted path clutching the thick envelope close to her chest. It was not often that her brother trusted her to run errands, so her heart was filled with happiness. She delighted in the fact that the envelope still smelled faintly of her brother.
"Natalia!" a voice from behind called her.
She quickly returned to her cool, composed demeanor before turning to address her caller. "Big sister?"
Katyusha came running toward her and almost toppled over when she came to a clumsy stop. She was panting heavily as she spoke. "You got that from Ivan, didn't you?"
Natalia quirked one of her brows. "Yes, he asked me to have it sent to all the member of the World Conference."
"You cannot send it."
"…What?"
Her sister looked deeply troubled. "You cannot send that to the other nations. It will only end up hurting Ivan in the end."
"But, big brother trusted me to do this for him. Besides, I will protect him from anyone that tries to harm him."
Katyusha sighed. "You don't understand. Ivan blames his sad childhood on General Winter, but that isn't right. The letter is based on a lie he has told himself most of his life. If an enemy were to somehow find out the truth, they could ruin his reputation and who knows what would happen to his mental state."
Natalia began to feel nervous. Her sister's plea was so adamant. "What do you mean? What does General Winter have to do with anything? He leaves big brother alone now."
"I can explain." Katyusha placed her hands on Natalia's shoulders and looker her directly in the eye. "There never was a General Winter."
X Hello and thank you for reading this to the end. Your kind reviews have been a joy to read. I apologize for all the horrible things I put little Ivan through. Chances are you are wondering what is with the extra text after the end point of "Who I Am." Well the extra was just my way of teasing you into reading my next piece "Who He Was." This will be the sequel– or maybe it is a prequel- to this piece from Ukraine's perspective that will better explain that last sentence she just said. I look forward to writing more for you to read. Once again, thank you for staying with me and reading my first fan fiction. X