I don't own Hetalia okay? As per usual any foreign languages are obtained via Google Translate and there will be a guide at the end. Anyway, enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
Natalya had come back with Doctor Héderváry who had confirmed what was suspected, that Kalina had indeed passed. "You have my condolences. Like I said earlier, if you need any help let me know. I can tell you that the grave will be hard with the permafrost this time of year." She said. "If I am not busy, I will be willing to help."
"Thank you. Matthew and I have this." Ivan said. "I don't want you hurting yourself over someone you didn't know well."
"Nonsense. I am not a delicate little flower like many people want to make me out to be just because I am a woman. You think I would be up here if I was? I am here to help people and your family seems to need a lot of it. However, duty does call. You know where I will be until Sunday." Doctor Héderváry said as she left. "I should have the death certificate finished and filed in the next day or two. I will deliver you your copy for the family record when it is done."
"Thank you Doctor Héderváry ." Matthew replied as they walked out of her bedroom.
"It is my duty." She bowed as she closed the door behind her.
Natalya paused and looked at the room. "I will inform the undertaker and pick a decent outfit for Mama to be buried in. I happen to know the undertaker as he comes to the saloon I work at a lot and doesn't need to be kicked out."
"Thank you mladshaya sestra" Ivan nodded. "Well I don't know about what you would think," he said looking at Katyusha who was wiping her eyes and looking at the babies who were still peacefully asleep. "But we can bury Mama by Papa's marker."
"Your father is buried here?" Alfred asked.
"Well not exactly." Ivan said. "He was lost at sea after saving a crew member that fell overboard during a storm."
"Ah." Alfred looked at the back door to where a stone cross was and over to the left of it a few yards off was what looked like a large dog house with a fence around it. "You have a dog?"
"That's Kumajiro's house." Matthew said.
"That bear cub?" Alfred asked.
"He's not much of a cub anymore. I mean he isn't the size a polar bear should be for his age, but he kept me company down here and acts more like a dog than a bear. We just keep him outside because while too small to be a proper sized polar bear, he's defiantly bigger than any dog we can keep inside." Matthew shrugged.
"Sounds cool."Alfred smiled before having another coughing fit.
"Well, if we are going to get this taken care of, we have to start soon." Matthew said. "You want to help Ivan?"
"Naturally." Ivan nodded.
"I can help too." Alfred said, feeling guilty that his illness was keeping him from taking a bigger role in helping Ivan come to terms with this.
"I will not hear of it." Ivan said sternly turning to Alfred. "You can help by resting, and if she thinks it okay, keeping Katyusha company."
"Matt?" Alfred asked.
"I agree. No offense Alfie," Alfred looked annoyed at the old childhood nickname. "But I don't want to see you get sicker over this."
"Fine." Alfred sulked.
"Don't feel like you are not helping Fredka." Ivan said hugging him.
"I guess." Alfred sighed.
"Don't worry Fredka. I'll look after you while they handle it. You must have some stories about Matvey he is too embarrassed to tell me." Katyusha said as she led him to the couch.
"KATY!" Matthew blushed.
"Oh I have a few." Alfred said with a smirk looking at his brother. "Did he tell you about the time he fell off the mule that pulled my family's wagon while it wasn't going anywhere?"
"AL!" Matthew yelled blushing.
"It's alright." Ivan said dropping his voice to a whisper. "I have a few things embarrassing Fredka did on the trail I'll tell you. But you know as well I do you need to keep him in the house or he'll work himself to death and not heal."
"True." Matt said as they headed outside.
While this kept Alfred entertained until Katyusha had gotten up to make dinner for the family, and Natalya proved to be a poor conversation mate. It was starting to get dark and while he had offered to help, Ivan and Matthew would not allow it and allowed Doctor Héderváry to help before they would him, even letting her hit him in the face with her frying pan for trying."You have pneumonia and the flu and don't try to say you do not! I am the one who diagnosed you Mr. Jones!" She yelled. However they could not stop him from looking at the job. They had decided to bury Kalina beside the marker in the backyard for Ivan's father where he was lost at sea, there was no body to bury. Seeing he couldn't do much, he headed over to Kumajiro and looked at the small bear. "So, you kept Mattie company?" He mused looking at the bear. Kumajiro looked at Alfred and brushed up against his hand. "Cute." He smiled but looked over at the efforts. "I got an idea that might help this move along."
"You are not helping for the- how many times have we said it?" Ivan sighed.
"I lost count at 52." Matthew sighed.
"Well maybe you should think smarter not harder." Alfred smirked more at Matthew than Ivan. "I imagine you are having a hard time shoveling the dirt deep enough because the ground is still hard, even though it's the middle of March."
"Yeah. This is Alaska, not Idaho, back there we'd be be getting further along." Matthew said.
"Well I did manage to get some panning done in Dawson. You see Berwald and Tino did find something after you had left, which I need to discuss with you once things settle down. And there is a way I got the slush to pan in freaking December." Ivan's eyes grew wide because he knew what Alfred was talking about. "I see you know what I am talking about Vanya."
"What, set the ground on fire overnight?" Ivan said.
"Yep." Alfred said.
"Well, worth a shot. It's getting too dark to even see much anyway." Matthew said. "The firewood stack is over there, so let's try it. What can it hurt?"
"Dinner is ready boys!" Katyusha called.
That night, Alfred headed back into the bedroom and finally got to writing his parents as he promised himself he would when he hit Valdez. "Dear Mother and Papa. Oh boy where to begin on this one. Starting simply, made it to Valdez alive. Apparently I had walking pneumonia and whatever flu is going around. But that isn't the least of things. I found Mattie's whereabouts. Turns out he's been living here since last February. Yeah, back before the 1898 planting season. I was told by his companions in Dawson City he indeed at least tried to write when he left but I guess it got lost in the mail. But it gets better. You see he met a girl and married her. That girl? Ivan's sister. Funny huh? And they recently had kids a few months ago. But sadly Ivan's mother passed away so I will be staying up here while we sort that out and then he will be joining me heading back home. He's going to need some time away after this. He nearly throttled Mattie when he found this out too. Like I said, he married his sister and I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Ivan and he's very protective of his sisters. Mattie said he's getting some pictures of him, Katyusha, that's his wife's name and the babies before he sends his letter your guys way, but I figured I'd let you know as well in case THAT one gets lost too. I anticipate heading out of Valdez at the end of April, gives me time to recooperate, get everything sorted out and spend some time with Mattie as obviously he seems to be pretty settled in. He's apparently business partners with this guy who owns the big general store in town and quite the craftsman from what he picked up in Dawson. So all in all, a happy ending to this tale. Don't take me getting sick like something bad. Ivan won't let me do anything to make it worse and I am sure he could get his younger sister to do anything to make sure I don't. His younger sister Natalya can be creepy at times. Toughest girl in Valdez as she is called... But I promised the update and there's that. Love, Alfred." With this he sighed and lay back on the bed.
"See you finished that." Ivan said. "I'll make sure Matthew writes his." Alfred gulped, knowing that he meant business when it came to that. "He has a lot to apologize for because if you were worried Fredka, I am sure your parents were too and they were even more worried when you left."
"So did you guys get my idea done?" Alfred asked.
"Da." Ivan nodded. "Can't believe she is gone though."
"Sure wish I could have known her more than I did. She seemed pretty cool. But I told my parents you were coming with me back home to Idaho, so I am going to hold that to you. A change of scenery will be good. And you heard your mother, she's watching over us and with her nature, I don't doubt it. I can't offer much more, having never really lost anyone close myself honestly. Most people my age can say they lost a grandparent or something but Mother and Papa were both orphaned when they came over." Alfred sighed.
"Just you trying means a lot." Ivan smiled. "But take your medicine or you're not making it out of here to get back home."
"Fine Vanya. Harsh much?" Alfred said. "That stuff tastes like crap."
"Medince isn't supposed to taste good Fredka. And I could talk Natalya into supervising your healing." Ivan said with a glare.
"I'm fine." Alfred said as he gulped the medicine with a smile. "No need to worry her..."
"That's better." Ivan said. "I'll brew up the home remedy and bring it to you. Just worry about getting well."
The next few days were filled with solum preparations for the funeral that weekend. The priest at the church had been informed and agreed to speak. Alfred was slowly making marked signs of improvement and was helping where he could before he came down with another bout of weakness. "It's all a part of getting better." Katyusha would always assure him. "Took me a few weeks to feel like normal after giving birth to the twins." She turned to the stove where she poured him a cup of coffee, knowing that it was his favorite. "Oh and Matvey came back with our pictures today. I already gave one to Vanya, but we had one taken for you too. I was told about the little photo album you had by him and I hope you can find somewhere to put it."
"I think I know." Alfred pulled his photo case from his pocket and placed the new one that showed Matthew holding Yvonne and Katyusha holding Fredrick over the one he had of him and Matthew back when they were 16. "This world is changing fast."
"You can certainly say that again. This town was tiny when Vanya left and now it's growing so fast. We can send telegraphs back to the mainland, and Dyea has electricity too. That would be a wonder to have." She smiled. "No need to change the oil again."
"Yeah. Don't know what I will do now that I am going to go back to Idaho." Alfred sighed.
"Well, what did you think of before you went to look for Matvey?" Katyusha said.
"Not much. Take care of the ranch until I die." Alfred sighed. After being on this voyage, that seemed rather boring and routine now.
"Well you seem like you are rather depressed at that idea." Katyusha said. "Much like when Vanya realized he couldn't handle it on the sea after Papa died."
"Really?" Alfred asked. Ivan hadn't talked about that much and he didn't want to push it.
"Well poor thing got sea sick and you can hardly be a captain if you cannot keep down what you had eaten. But thing is that Papa was a naval captain on the Black Sea before he met Mama and well, Vanya wasn't trained that way. He was too determined to be what Papa was he forgot what he was. I would like to think that being a guide did teach him something or showed him something. Matvey's trip gave him strength he didn't know he had. Gave him a chance to learn things he didn't think of back growing up. Look what he's got now. He came in hopeless but found things he picked up along the way that changed his goals." Katyusha said.
Alfred paused. She had a point. He didn't have to settle for what he had known or keep his parent's dream alive as they were living it now. They had left hopeless situations and settled to have their own patch of land, which was near impossible for them back in Europe. Two people who in typical circumstances who would never have crossed paths, brought together and made something for themselves. And this would be his shot to do the same. Just what do I want to do now with the rest of my life? I could go be an Arizona ranger, if I didn't get too used to cold that I burst into flame in the sun. There's that lawyer joke I told Vanya back in Dawson. Maybe not a joke? His arm healed up pretty well after getting shot, maybe become a Doctor? Katyusha noticed the look on Alfred's face. "No one is going to make you decide now Fredka." She hugged him, making him feel slightly uncomfortable with her chest being so close to him. "All I may suggest is write out your story into some exciting novel or something. Just what you have told me would make a fantastic story."
"I may do that. Someday." Alfred said.
The next day, the funeral was held setting Kalina to rest beside her husband's memorial on the patch of land overlooking the sea. "Today we send Kalina Braginsky to rest and back home to the Heavenly Father." The priest began. Alfred held onto Ivan, who he knew was putting on a brave face as the eldest son with a duty to look after his sisters but felt like the sad child he was deep inside.
"I'm here Vanya," Alfred whispered as he pulled out a handkerchief. "It's too cold to let those tears stay on you too long."
"You're too good to me." Ivan said.
"No you're too good to me." Alfred said hugging Ivan's arm. The priest paused and Ivan took this as a hint to head over and speak about his mother but just couldn't.
Seeing that Ivan wanted to say something but didn't have the courage to start, Matthew swallowed his pride and spoke. "Well, Kalina always wanted me to call her Mama like Katyusha since I started dating her and even after we married. Most women would not be trusting of someone like me who blew into town with next to nothing but she saw beyond that and treated me as good as she did her own children. She had a big heart and knew just who to trust and how to mold people into what they really can be. She helped me to become the husband and father I am and an inspiration to be a good parent. It will be weird without her, but she will be looking over us and a great guide from beyond." With this everyone nodded and Ivan got the courage to speak.
"Mama passed when I had just come home from my work as a guide to bring home money to support us. I strived as hard as I could to come home to her and my sisters. She taught me to be true to myself and to be an honorable man. Without her, something seems missing but I know she is watching over us now and finally back with Papa once again. I can't think of much more, but I can think Proshchay, mama, ya uvizhu tebya snova v sleduyushchey zhizni"
"You said enough my son." The priest said as he headed back beside Alfred. The sky clouded over and a sleeting freezing rain began to fall as the priest said a prayer. "May God bless you all and keep you at peace. Amen." With this the family headed inside and sat around the table as Natalya brought tea for everyone.
"So, we're here. Have each other. We're not alone." Matthew said.
"Da." Ivan nodded.
"Things are changing all around us." Katyusha said. "We must stick together."
Language Guide
Since there was a request in previous reviews, I will post it here. Obtained using Google Translate:
(in order of first appearance)
mladshaya sestra-Russian-Little sister
Da-Russian-Yes
Proshchay, mama, ya uvizhu tebya snova v sleduyushchey zhizni-Russian- Goodbye mother I will see you again in the next life
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. I did want to give those of you who were getting to like Kalina some sort of comfort after that last chapter. I know this was more of a fluff type chapter but we're getting to the point where the characters figure where we go from here. And back in the late 1890s and early 1900s a lot was changing and many things expanded. It can be quite a time period to learn about. Anyway, I don't have much else to say here, so remember to read, well you just did, and to review. Ciao for now,
otherrealmwriter
aka
Realm.