Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia

Happy new year everyone! I hope you guys like the chapter. Thank you guys for reading this far. Read on!

Ivan anxiously paced along the long aisles of one of the large infirmaries in the palace. The palace had 10 infirmaries in total with the capacity to hold 300 sick patients at a time. The large room was unusually tense and the few dozen patients either craned their heads to see the revived legend or cringed at how tense he was.

Matthew laid on one of the beds, he was covered in a cold sweat and he would occasionally groan in his sleep.

Ivan clasped his hands behind his back and walked in a zigzag pattern around the beds. The stone walls echoed his constant footsteps and he always checked on Matthew every time he passed by the bed. The court healers had no idea what sickness Matthew had and many of them suspected he was under some sort of malicious spell.

"We cannot do anything until we know the spell and point of origin. Otherwise we risk harming him." One of the Chevolek-Lycans politely informed him in English. There was a rumor circulating around the palace that Ivan was much less quick to show his temper when he was spoken to in English. And so far it was proven correct.

Ivan tried to appear calm but his worry seemed to have shown through his somewhat tense behavior. "Da, I understand. Please keep me informed." Ivan stiffly bowed his head and continued his relentless pacing.

Damn it, he wished that he and Matthew still shared a dream world. For some reason their dreams had separated and neither of them could discover why. Perhaps the magic within the palace prohibited it? When he suggested this to Matthew, he quickly shot it down for some reason. Neither of them knew why Matthew could no longer enter Ivan's dreams. It was troublesome.

"Ivan Braginsky!" Nina's accusatory voice echoed throughout the room and interrupted his inner musings. Ivan closed his eyes to try and calm himself before he faced his mortal enemy with a poisonous smile.

"Nina Vendor Boracrius. A pleasure, as always." Ivan's voice dripped with sarcasm.

The Arch-Healer scowled and strode over to the tense general with an angry huff of air and slammed her staff into the ground.

"I've heard reports from the nurses. You tried to stay in the infirmary during the night? Ridiculous, what effect does your presence have here? None, that's how much. In fact, your presence here is a hindrance. Do you understand how many of my female assistants came crying to me last night because they were just barely able to make you leave?" She angrily shouted at the General, who merely shrugged and pulled his scarf over his face.

"If they were frightened I apologize. But I left. And now I am staying."

Nina leaked out her potent yellow aura and Ivan let out his equally as menacing purple one. Really, for such an intelligent strategist this man was too stubborn for his own good.

The patients in the room all watched the two superpowers battle it out on the infirmary floor with great interest. "You are doing nothing but making the other patients tense. What value do you have here? None. Absolutely none. You belong in the barracks with the rest of the troops to give them instruction.

"Go and rest, Ivan. You fretting about him won't help." Nina's words were softer towards the end and she had to force herself to keep a smile from her face. It was actually kind of cute how the great and mighty General Braginsky refused to leave Matthew's side. He was like a gargoyle.

Ivan let out a low growl and crossed his arms. "Don't tell me how to mind my troops." He snapped. "They are now gathering experience, I've handed them my strategies and told them where I would be should they have any questions."

Nina sighed and briefly looked up to the stone carvings of Fenris on the roof of the building and sent a brief prayer for something to come and strike this man unconscious. After a tense minute passed in silence, she realized that she would have to physically battle Ivan to make him leave and relented on a single condition.

"You," She jabbed her staff in his direction, "must keep your ass down in that chair, you hear me?! You're going to wear down the stone floors at this rate. If you want to exercise do it out in the courtyard!" Ivan glared at the Chevolek-Lycan before grudgingly taking his seat next to Matthew. The woman curtly nodded and twirled her staff a few times before slamming it back down onto the floor. Various yellow runes popped up and she vanished in a plume of smoke.

Ivan heavily sighed and leaned back against the chair. He ran a gloved hand through his platinum hair and glanced at his friend and felt a sudden awkwardness appear.

What would a friend do in this situation? Ivan automatically reached out and grabbed Matthew's hand in his own. Was this normal? Ivan ran his thumb over Matthew's hand before abruptly releasing it. This was disgusting, he thought. What was he doing to Matthew while he was unconscious? Ivan's shoulders drooped and he wet a small washcloth to wipe his friend's face and neck.

"We must be comrades. We must." Ivan muttered to himself. His violet eyes flickered over Matthew's pained form and crossed his arms. He would wait here until Matthew woke up. Because he knew Matthew was a workaholic like him, and because he was a workaholic there was no way he was going to miss another day of work.

"Here lies the secret…

Magic circles can be forged from…

Fool! You are a dreamer Iris

TheSecretOfTheSpellIsThisDon'tLookAwayIRIS!IRIS!IRIS!"

Matthew clasped his hands over his ears in the dark void of his dreamscape and shivered as hundreds of years of magical research tore into his brain. It hurt so much and his head felt like it was going to explode. The voices drowned out any and all thoughts he had until finally, he heard silence. Matthew hesitantly uncovered his ears and closed his eyes. It was over.

Matthew awoke with a gasp and bolted up from his bed. His vision was tinted with white as his eyes adjusted to the light of the infirmary, "I-Ivan?" He automatically called out his friend's name.

He felt someone seize him by the shoulder and a relieved laugh. "Matvey, you must take it easy da? You had a high fever-" Matthew found himself shaking his head at Ivan's words and grasped his arm. "I-Ivan, you have to take me to Fenris." Matthew stuttered. Iris' words were coming back to him and he had to tell the king before he forgot.

Ivan didn't question his sudden request and helped Matthew walk to the royal courtroom. The faces of the startled court members were all but a blur to Matthew and he hastily explained the situation. The court silently listened to his explanation and his encounter with the tree god. He was able to verify that he was telling the truth by telling Fenris the dragon's full name.

The large wolf inspected the magician with his different colored eyes. He assessed Matthew from head to toe and softly exhaled. So the child had inherited Iris' magic. He never thought he would see her magic circles again- that's why he was so taken by Matthew the first time they met. So it was like that eh? The old hag finally passed down her magic.

"I understand, this is no longer the time to conceal it. We are now preparing for war! Let it be known. Toris, inform the other kingdoms of the situation and that under act 4, section three of our universal treaty agreement- I, King Fenris, call a need to prepare for war. Depending how things go we may have to force Myrle to allow for our such, inform Myrle first. Thank you Instructor Williams. You must be exhausted yes? I will handle everything from here." Fenris excused them from the court.

Ivan and Matthew bowed their heads and left the courtroom. As soon as the doors behind them shut, Matthew allowed his exhaustion to show and leaned against Ivan for support. The last of his strength was gone and Ivan hefted Matthew onto his back and brought the mage back into his own room.

"That was… an interesting presentation. Matvey was off doing mysterious things in his dreams again." Ivan lightly joked as he gently placed him on his bed.

Matthew felt his dampened spirits lighten up and spared the energy to roll his eyes. "T-Thanks Ivan…" Matthew yawned and curled into his bed. The soft mattress entreated him to continue sleeping. Ivan absently scribbled a few runes into the air and cast them at the fireplace. A soft orange flame emitted from its stone prison and Ivan absently began to adjust the flame.

"It seems Matvey has become stronger. I can't fall behind." Ivan threw around a few jokes and stopped fiddling with the fire- the flame was no different than the one before. He let out his hundredth sigh that day and distractedly fascinated himself with the ceiling.

"If… Matvey is feeling too unwell, perhaps it's better for you to stay in my room? I have enough room for two beds. The infirmary is the wretched dwelling of Nina and I strongly oppose for you to return." Ivan tentatively extended the invitation. Of course his actions were purely out of concern, it was normal right? For another friend to look out for one another like that… right?

Ivan grew anxious when Matthew didn't reply and quickly retracted the offer. When there still wasn't a response, he called out Matthew's name again. Curious, he walked closer to the bed and discovered that Matthew had fallen fast asleep. His dark blond hair splayed itself across the bed without a single care in the world.

The Russian watched Matthew's chest gently rise and fall and chuckled, this mage was really to trusting for his own good. Ivan carefully extracted Matthew's glasses from his face and placed them on his desk. He pulled out a pen and paper and left a neat note on his desk stating to call him if he needed anything.

When Fenris finished issuing his orders, he retired back to his room. He sent ten messengers to deliver ten messages to: King Lodwig, King Arthur, King Francis, King Yao, King Kiku, Queen Elizaveta, and many other kings and queens of the smaller countries. The King laid down on his throne of pillows with a deeply troubled look on his face.

There were many things he's learned to worry about in his kingdom. Taxes, the welfare of the people, corruption, famine, war, peace, public safety, royal appointments, such things were the backbone of the country. But later on in his life he learned to worry about the more trivial things in his life, because the small detours often brought him the most pleasure.

There was the pressing matter of Ivan and Matthew's relationship. He'd never seen such blatant resistance to love in his entire life, especially in Ivan's case. Both of them were to hesitant to make the first step, and knowing Matthew's personality, Fenris knew that Ivan would have to step up to the plate.

The god heaved a great sigh and rested his head on the pillows. What could he do to help their relationship?

The King's head bolted up from its resting position and he immediately stood. Yes! He thought, he could do that. With a mischievous smirk, the king trotted away to make the arrangements.

Ivan returned to the Winger's training ground with lightened spirits. The soldiers all anxiously gathered around him and asked how the instructor was doing. Since they were on duty, they were prohibited from leaving the outer perimeter of the castle and their training grounds. None of them could visit Matthew while he was unconscious.

Ivan assured them of their beloved instructor's good health and dismissed them. "You will all be briefed by an official later today. I will go with every anti-vernan team to hasten the destruction of Vernan. You should take it easy today." Ivan's declaration caused great excitement in the camp. The Russian brandished his sword and cracked his neck, they should be back by dinner.

At Night

Ivan ate with the rest of the troops for once and raised an eyebrow at their energetic behavior. They smashed their metal mugs with their comrades shoveled their food into their mouths. It was like they had been starved for months. Ivan sat down at the end of the table and silently slipped away.

He jogged over to Matthew's room, only to find a note on the door.

"According to the ancient wartime laws of this country, it is deemed appropriate for General Braginsky and General Matthew Williams to share living quarters in the military officers' wing of the palace. Your room number is…" Ivan read the number of his room and immediately ran over. He could vaguely recall Fenris enacting the same policies when they were at war, but there wasn't any immediate danger. What was that King thinking?

Ivan's boots clacked against the polished stone floor until he reached his room. There were two silver nameplates on the right side of the door that read:

General Ivan Braginsky
General Matthew Williams

Ivan immediately opened the door and took a step inside. The room was definitely fancier. The room was triple the size of his original one. There were two beds on opposite sides of the room with a large window in the middle of them. There were two beds, two desks, two dressers, and one fireplace. There were also bookshelves lined with various books that Ivan suspected came from his room.

As he scanned the room, he spotted Matthew laying under the covers one of the beds. Ivan awkwardly walked over and maintained a distance of four feet from the bed and assumed his friend was asleep.

"This is an odd arrangement. I suppose it's fine since I'm sharing a room with Matvey." Ivan muttered to himself. He lit a fire in the fire place and sat down at his desk. He needed to finish up some plans before the morning so he would stay up just a little bit longer.

Matthew was not in fact sleeping, but was wide awake. He'd been awake for about half an hour now. He tried to calm his breathing and discretely wiped away his tears from before. There was nothing wrong with crying! His friend had just died after all.

Still, he didn't want Ivan to see him like this. The Myrlian took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he just needed to do what he'd always done. He would just lock up his sadness for the time being, there was no use crying over it.

Still, still, still, his tears came out. Matthew buried his face in his covers and shakily inhaled. Why? Why was this happening now? She was a tree, a fucking tree that turned into firewood. An image of the kind dragon flashed across his eyes and he rested his head against the cool stone wall next to his bed. He was nineteen already, he was almost an adult and look at him. He cried over every single little thing. It was pathetic.

"…Matvey?" Ivan's inquisitive voice made Matthew pull the covers over his head. He had been found out.

"Y-yeah?" Matthew's voice hitched. He silently begged Ivan not to get any closer but the Russian ignored it. He tugged the covers away from his head and his violet eyes only held concern.

"…Is…Everything okay?" It was a dumb question. Of course he wasn't. But it was an invitation from Ivan to talk about it. Matthew wasn't prepared for his sudden outburst of emotion. He recalled the times he spent at the tree with sad smiles and spoke of Iris' death with tears in his eyes.

"I-It's so d-dumb. S-She's a t-tree and I don't k-know why I'm s-s-so emotional-" Matthew accepted Ivan's proffered tissue and blew his nose.

Ivan's eyes shifted as he seemed to come up with something to say before he seemed to resolve himself to do something. He placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder and brought him into a slightly stiff, but warm hug.

"It is because you are kinder than anyone, da?" His voice held not a single sliver of insincerity and Matthew couldn't stop a blush from coming onto his face and returned Ivan's hug.

Crying seemed to have exhausted him and he fell asleep shortly after. A serene silence settled into the room and Ivan quickly changed into his night clothes. Troubled thoughts occupied his mind when he slipped into bed and stared into the darkness for a good half an hour. Now he could see how love could ruin the sharpest of soldiers and hamper any and all rational thought. This was maddening.

Hira snickered at Ivan's agony. Their little Vanya was lovesick. He never struck her as a timid romantic type. She'd seen something good tonight.

Ivan was rudely awakened by the sound of thirty hungry pups invading their room and begging Matthew to cook them pancakes. "Please Matvey, we're so hungry." One of them whined.

The Myrlian cracked open a hazy bluish purple eye and snatched one of the wolves and brought him into the sheets.

"Only if I can eat you." He sleepily muttered.

"Nooooooooo!" The pup's horrified screams were muffled in the blankets. The puppies giggled when Matthew released the giggling pup and he groggily sat up in bed.

Ivan's eyebrows raised, Matthew's Russian was much better now. Save for Matthew stealing Ivan's unique accent- he would've passed him off as a native speaker. "Matvey, are you feeling better?" Ivan startled the pups with his question.

The Myrlian nodded and got dressed. In his morning haze he disregarded that fact that Ivan was in the room and took off his shirt. Matthew's bracelet clinked against his dresser and pulled out a clean shirt. He pulled it over his head, changed his pants, and then left in a zombie like state to the kitchen.

Ivan closed his eyes to calm the rage that was building in his chest and got dressed as well. The scars on Matthew's back and the mark of an exile were all too prominent on his fair skin. Matthew knew so much about Ivan's past, and yet it seemed like Ivan knew nothing about Matthew's.

Ivan grabbed his saber and Matthew's rifle before he strode out of the room. He wouldn't pry for now, but he had to do something about his rage. This unbearable rage that boiled in his heart had to be relieved. He needed to exercise. A lot.

Within the Fenrican court, a heated debate raged on between the nobles. What was the issue on hand? It was the fact that Fenris had appointed Matthew as the secondary general of their Anti-Vernan army.

Surprisingly enough, the court seemed to be divided. Some took issue with Matthew's speedy appointment, but seemed to reason that it was necessary considering the looming threat while others argued that it just wasn't right.

"Sir, the ancient law of this kingdom dictates two things regarding the appointment of military officers. One, they must have the proper qualifications such as knowledge, strength, and intelligence- which Matthew has.

"But he doesn't possess the second requirement. He is neither a citizen of this Kingdom nor is he a Lycan. General Braginsky became a naturalized citizen at the time of his appointment as a general so there were no issues. Matthew… is a much different matter." An aged white werewolf in blue and white robes argued.

"He is an exiled noble of Myrle, and he is from the royal family to boot. Even with all our power, we cannot bring him into Myrle with us." There was a murmur of agreement from the court members.

Toris raised his staff to speak, "However, in that case General Braginsky cannot enter the country either. They were both exiled." Toris pointed out.

Fenris nodded and sighed, "There are many things we must discuss" Fenris emphasized the last word, "with the kingdom. There are many grievances to be addressed, but we must push them aside for the time being. Nina, you will be in charge or pressuring the kingdom to revoke their sentences. As for Matthew's appointment, his appointment is only that of a provisional general. After the war is over he will return to being an instructor." Fenris reminded them of the non-permanence of his position.

The Lycans deliberated among themselves for a few minutes and remained decisive on the issue. "My King, there is also the issue of him being… human. While Matthew is not a pure bred human, he is still human. I'm not sure how the other military officers will react. Even Ivan experienced difficulty for the first few months of his appointment, did he not?" The same white werewolf brought up the issue of racial discrimination.

Fenris nodded in acknowledgment of the problem. "Yes, that is true. However, Matthew is different from Ivan. Their circumstances and personalities are different. I will set the facts straight. Matthew is a necessary part of the war effort.

"My guards have occasionally listened in on the conversations he has with Ivan and confirm the fact that they are on similar intellectual planes. He is also an adept marksman and possess an ancient and advantageous type of magic. Three is better than two. Along with the current General of the Army, newly appointed General Howel, we can increase the potency of our forces by seven-fold."

Again the court deliberated and Fenris sighed when they were again still indecisive. "Now it is simply an issue of his acceptance. If you still hold doubts about his ability to assimilate, visit the food court. We are going to take a twenty-minute break. Dismissed."

The court did as they were told and headed into the cafeteria.

Buler glared at the cooking pancake in front of him. His spatula was ready to flip it over on Matthew's command. "Now." Buler immediately flipped the pancake and grinned when one side came out a beautiful golden brown for the first time in six pancakes. Matthew smiled and pat the large werewolf on the back with approval. "Now wait for thirty seconds and it's done."

Matthew was surprised when all of the platoon leaders were waiting for him on the cafeteria with the requests that he teach them how to make pancakes. They argued that it was his job to teach them as their instructor. It's not like Matthew was against it or anything, he had just been a bit surprised. The kitchen became livelier and the cafeteria was filled with Winger soldiers and pups.

Ivan sat at the table full of children and treated them with the patience of an amiable dragon. His anger had been let out on a poor boulder somewhere in the distance. He suspected that he wouldn't be able to punch or destroy any trees for a while.

The court members couldn't believe the sight before them and immediately pinpointed Matthew at the center of this commotion. He emerged from the kitchen with two large stacks of pancakes and placed it down in front of the children.

The destruction of the two towers of pancakes only took a few minutes.

Ivan and Matthew amiably chatted as they ate their fill until one of the children urgently pointed to the kitchen.

"Matvey, Matvey, the kitchen is burning." Katyusha pointed to the black smoke that was beginning to leak out of the kitchen. Matthew immediately bolted out of his seat and cast a circle to suppress the smoke and dove headfirst into the warzone. He quelled the small fire on the griddle and gave a thorough lecture about the cooking time of pancakes.

"If they're smaller then of course they'll need less time to cook. Dummies." Matthew sighed and quickly cleaned up the mess. The soldiers sheepishly apologized and took Matthew's playful abuse with a smile.

"He's turning our soldiers into cooks." One of the members of the court muttered under his breath.

"But he's tamed the wild beast." Another pointed to Ivan.

Toris immediately rejected the analogy. "No, he hasn't tamed a beast. He's made him kinder." Toris supplemented. No one could deny there was a good atmosphere present in the air. They helped themselves to a few pancakes Matthew offered them and returned to the courtroom.

Fenris resumed the court and asked them for their votes once again. There were still a few people who opposed Matthew's appointment as a general but the court was more or less in agreement.

Fenris nodded and looked at his scribe. "The decision stands. Matthew is to be the secondary general of the army but he is a provisional general and his position will be reconsidered for revocation once the war is over."

The decision had been carried out.

Myrle, Yaaron

Gregory grit his teeth and massaged his temples. Word had gotten out. Now he either had to adhere to the treaty agreement or start a war with the countries. How did they even gather so much information? Why were they so far behind the times?

"Where's Alfred?" Gregory asked the court. He needed a small brain break. The General of their army raised a hand to answer.

"Prince Alfred is out leading a group of soldiers to keep the Vernan at bay. They have been hunting since early this morning." He informed.

The King nodded and signed the documents before him. "There's no choice. Even Lady Noel has decided to trust this information…What's this?" Gregory opened up a folder that held documents form the kingdom of Fenris.

The court went dead silent as he read over the forms and stiffened. "He's making a fool out of me!" Gregory threw the documents across the table. Everyone flinched when the King angrily stood from his seat.

"Do they think I'll so readily bend to their will? I refuse to pardon Ivan Braginsky and I certainly will not pardon Matthew."

"But sir, if you do not pardon them then the Kingdom of Fenris shall refuse to send their army." Samus immediately protested.

Gregory glared at the court mage. Ever since the failed attempt at destroying the orb he's gathered quite the influence.

"And, my king. May I remind you that King Fenris did us a favor by calling all the countries? It is unlikely they would've come if we called. Although it is regrettable, if the Fenricans are not permitted to enter this country then things may not end well." Lady Noel pointed out.

Gregory grit his teeth and stood firm. He absolutely wouldn't allow this to happen. Matthew was not setting a single foot back in this country for as long as he lived.

In the mountains of Corded, Venetia

Darius and twenty other familiars took shelter in a large cave protected by high level magic. There, six hundred familiars waited for them. The earth trembled as the mountain was assaulted by Borag and his forces. The war wary griffon checked in with one of the dragons. "How much longer can we last?" asked Darius.

The dragon shook his head, "We will last two weeks at most. Our spirits will not waver, but we are limited with our supplies. Our spies have yet to return from the other side."

Darius nodded and checked up on the rest of the rebel soldiers. "And? What of Sura? What's she doing at the moment?" He asked one of the centaurs. The centaur pointed to a large tunnel, which led even deeper into the mountain. "She is keeping the barrier and is preparing for the final fight. True to her title, a Jjord-class familiar is certainly special. Her magic is fearsome."

The mountain shook as a powerful attack tried to pierce through the shield. Darius nodded, "I see."

A commotion grew near the entrance of the cave and a white tiger unsteadily came onto his feet. His green eyes were wide with urgency and he called Darius over.

"Sir, I have terrible news. Borag, he-"

The tiger explained Borag's plans to the panicking familiars and Darius commanded order.

"Very well. In a week we shall strike, gather up our forces and prepare for the final battle!"

I hope you guys are having/had a great New Years! Bad news, I'm not sure if I can make the Saturday update. I'm going somewhere into the mountains (no joke) and I have no idea if they will have internet/if I can even bring my laptop. If I can I will definitely try to find somewhere to update the next chapter. Well, I wish you guys a great new year! You guys are the best :)

As always, criticism and thoughts about the chapter are always appreciated. Make sure to favorite this story if you liked it and follow it to get regular updates :) Hope you guys liked the chapter!

~Preuss