Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, do not use this story as a reference for history.

Hey guys, I know this chapter is a little overdue. I went to the Japanese festival in DC on Saturday... and then I got food poisoning. I've only just started to feel better, so of course the first thing I'd do is edit and post this chapter. That's my excuse for posting so late, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!


Matthew ran down the stairs with Toris to try and stop the fight between the three nations, but he could already tell that there was little they could do. The other nations, who had probably attempted to stop the fight, were now hiding behind concrete statues and benches. Matthew dove behind a concrete statue and poked his head out from the side.

Edward shakily held his sword out in front of him, and Sweden easily picked up his large and heavy sword with ease.

"You... surrender." Berwald pointed the tip of his blade in the Baltic nation's direction. Edward thickly swallowed, "O-Only if you promise not to touch the Mochi!" He shakily replied.

Matthew did a double take and was about to march up to the three nations with a pistol. They were fighting over a Japanese pastry?

Upon further inspection of Estonia, Matthew spotted a strange creature hiding behind Edward's leg. There was a small, white-roundish creature hiding behind him. It had eyes and glasses, and it somehow reminded him of America.

"Hand over that abomination this instant!" Arthur demanded with a look of absolute fury on his face. His large eyebrows were scrunched together as dozens of flowerpots and steak knives hovered around him.

"Don't hurt me bushy eyebrows! I'll sue you!" The little mochi shouted in England's direction. Edward nervously glanced behind him and his sword began to shake.

"H-He can't help it! He has turrets-" Edward never got to finish his sentence, because Arthur sent a few knives in the mochi's direction. He snagged the white confectionary and rolled behind a concrete pillar.

"Keep Frankenstein away!" The mochi screamed when Sweden took a step forward. Edward gagged the insensitive desert with his tie and froze in place when Sweden looked absolutely murderous.

"Not…Frankenstein."

"No! You aren't, don't kill him- he's only a child!" Edward desperately shouted. Berwald swung at the pillar and created a sizable dent in the column and it took him a few seconds to free his sword. Estonia seized the chance to dive behind a concrete flowerpot (that was conveniently attached to the ground) and paled when England's knives shaved off slivers of his exposed hair.

Matthew pursed his lips and left the safety of the statue to head for his former guardian. While he had to admit that the tiny mochi thing was quite annoying, Arthur and Berwald's reactions were unreal. They were grown nations for crying out loud! Since when did a few distasteful words matter so much to them?

Matthew checked the magazine of his pistol and undid the safety when Arthur continued to destroy the concrete flowerpot.

If things did turn ugly, he could at least shoot the knives out of the air to prevent anymore substantial damage to the hotel's property. When he was just 25 feet from the two violent nations, Ivan beat him to the punch. He crashed down from the sky and stunned everyone with his rather flashy entrance.

Ivan had a playful look in his eyes and his smile was, as it always was, overly friendly.

"Privyet, comrades. I couldn't help but notice your little catfight from my room." Ivan obscurely pointed to a window near the top of the hotel. When the three didn't say anything more, the Russian pulled out his trusty steel pipe and expertly twirled it with his gloved fingers.

"You are too loud, be quiet. Do not bully Estonia, that is a privilege that only I have." Ivan sinisterly told the three. Arthur was the first to recover from his surprise, and scowled. "Bugger off Russia, this is our business." He snapped. Matthew felt the air become a few degrees chillier, and he took a few steps back.

Ivan's smile widened, and he smashed all of the knives from the air with just two swings of his pipe. The metal shattered and harmlessly fell to the ground. Ivan swiftly turned to Sweden with a look that begged him to try and tell him the same thing.

Berwald stared at Ivan for a few seconds, before he merely put his sword back in the folds of his coat.

"…Just kidding. I was joking, perhaps joke was not funny." Berwald mumbled under his breath and he walked away.

Relief washed over Matthew and he put away his pistol. Everything could've ended well, if Arthur didn't look so horrified. Matthew walked towards the two nations, who were both staring at something on Ivan's pipe. When he got a little bit closer, Matthew realized that there was some sort of strange, green liquid dripping off of the steel pipe.

"Flying mint bunny!" Arthur cried and bent down to an empty spot on the grass.

The only indication that there could be something there, was the green blood that dripped from Arthur's apparently empty hands. Ivan curiously brought his bloodied pipe closer to his face and sniffed it. "It smells like lavender." He observed.

"Oh no, come on you bloke. Don't die now, Ivan!" Arthur stood from his spot and turned on Ivan, who responded with a grunt.

"You lied to me. You said that your pipe was a mixture of lead and iron with a coating of stainless steel." Arthur said accusingly. Ivan failed to see the point in his statement and chose to remain silent.

Arthur took this as a sign of his guilt and grit his teeth. "You're a liar, your pipe is a combination of platinum and silver- isn't it? Mint-bunny's injury is proof of it!"

Ivan scoffed and wiped his pipe on the grass, "Da, it is. I have seen my fair share of strange creatures in my lifetime, and I assure you that I did not make my pipe for the sole purpose of destroying your imaginary friend."

Matthew winced at Ivan's insensitive words and got a little closer, he didn't want them to fight anymore.

Arthur shook with rage, and he whipped out something that looked like a flash bang. Jumbled and satanic words flew from the nation's mouth- and before anyone could stop him, he pulled the pin and chucked it at Ivan.

Matthew's body took on a life of its own, and he tried to tackle Ivan out of the way.

"Look out!"

Matthew couldn't push Ivan out of the grenade's path in time, and the grenade exploded. The two nations coughed when a strange purple substance entered their lungs, and after a few seconds of coughing and sneezing- their worlds went black.


-A week after bloody Sunday, Tsarskaye Selo-

Ivan stood outside the palace to wish Toris a safe travel back to Lithuania. Even though it was windy and lightly snowing, the Russian still helped Toris pack his bags and make sure all of his documents were properly organized.

Toris blushed when Ivan reminded him for the seventh time that day to wear always wear a coat until he arrived back at home, and handed him another sunflower for good luck. The past week had been particularly rough for Ivan.

It had been difficult for him to learn how to cope with his new role in the palace. Nikolai rarely spoke to him, strikes were occurring all over Russia, and Ivan was expected to simply observe in silence.

Ivan was initially very stressed and depressed about the whole situation, but had Toris managed to convince him that there was little he could do. He taught him how to deal with his excess free time and promised to send a telegram every now and then.

"It's not so bad. Think of it as a vacation." Toris had advised him. Ivan, of course, was a little less optimistic. "Da, an unwanted vacation when the nation needs me the most." He humorlessly advised.

Toris responded with a reprimanding punch on the arm and sighed, "The humans can't always rely on us. The Romanov's have relied on your help for centuries, I think it's time you took a step back." He countered Ivan with his own argument from a few decades before about no longer interfering in the human's wars. This seemed to pacify, or at least satisfy Ivan.

Ivan had now more or less accepted his position at the palace. While he still had brief bouts of stress, he was at least trying to enjoy his newfound freedom. "...Safe travels, Toris." Ivan wished his friend good luck when all of his belongings were loaded into the carriage. The Lithuanian smiled and they exchanged a brief cheek kiss goodbye.

"I will. Take care of yourself Ivan. Don't be afraid to stop by every once in a while, you're more than welcome." Toris got into the carriage and shut the door. Ivan curtly nodded and waved goodbye when the driver urged the horses forward and the carriage rolled away.

He watched the carriage until it disappeared into the trees and went for a rather frosty walk along the icy gardens. He needed to have a clear head when he returned to the palace.


Inside the palace

Maria nervously glanced around the halls as she and her other two sisters waited for Anastasia to picklock Ivan's door.

"Hurry up!" Olga hissed, they'd been there for ten minutes already!

Anastasia ignored his sister and concentrated on raking the tumblers inside the locks. After a few more failed attempts, the door clicked open- and Anastasia victoriously pushed the door open.

"Done! Tatya, can you keep an eye out for Ivan?" Anastasia asked her older sister. Tatiana nodded and discretely spied on Ivan from the window.

Olga and Maria dragged some party streamers, colorful paper decorations, and a few board games into the room.

"Anastasia, set up the decorations on Ivan's wall. I'll get the streamers to hang from the ceiling. Maria, get the board games ready." Olga instructed her two sisters, who eagerly went to work.

They worked with astounding speed, and they finished twenty minutes later. The four sisters stepped back to admire their work before Tatiana voiced her uncertainty about the whole plan. "What if Ivan doesn't like it?" She asked them.

The three sisters thought it was a ridiculous question rolled their eyes, "Of course he'll like it. Who doesn't like a party?" Maria happily chirped. Olga and Anastasia nodded at her solid reasoning, but it wasn't enough to convince Tatiana.

"But we don't even know why he's sad." She countered.

Anastasia giggled and coyly circled around Tatiana, "I know why. It's because Papa doesn't talk to him anymore. I know what will cheer him up! It's going to be a surprise!"

Tatiana would've argued with her more, but Ivan's distinctively heavy footsteps caused them to dive behind different parts of the room to hide.


Ivan brushed off the snow from his coat at the entrance of the palace and walked to his room. As usual, Nikolai was avoiding him. Before, Ivan used to regularly eat with the Tsar and his family to discuss policies and crop yields. After their little fight, the atmosphere was quite uncomfortable at the dinner table and he decided to take his meals to his room.

He rarely saw the Tsarina anymore, and even the children seemed to become more wary of him. What was worse, Nikolai seemed to hide their newborn son, Alexi, from him. Although he asked and asked to see the child to check his health, he was always denied permission.

Ivan heaved a great sigh and reached for his keys when he was in front of his door. Was Nikolai so uncomfortable with him that he planned to keep the Tsarevich hidden from him until he was an adult?

Ivan's thoughts were heavy when he shoved his key into the door lock and turned the key. The key easily turned in the lock, and Ivan tilted his head. Was his door unlocked?

He cautiously opened his door, and was surprised to see colorful streamers and cut out paper stars and animals pinned to his walls.

"Surprise!" Four screaming little girls popped out from their hiding places with handmade paper hats. Ivan blinked, he couldn't believe this was happening.

"How did you get in my room?" Was his first question. Since he knew that neither the maids nor Nikolai had the key to his room, he couldn't fathom how they managed to unlock his door.

Anastasia shamelessly held out her lock picking tools and cheekily grinned.

"I read it in a book." She proudly declared.

Ivan half-smiled and he pat all the children on the head. You could find anything in a book these days.

"I see. What's the occasion?" Ivan asked while he hung his winter coat in his closet.

Olga responded for the group with a shrug, "You've been sad lately. Parties always cheer people up, because only fun things are allowed."

The four sensed that Ivan was a little less than thrilled at their little surprise, so Anastasia decided to pull out the ace hidden in her sleeve.

"Vanya! Sit down on the bed, I'm going to do something that will definitely cheer you up!" She more or less forced the nation to sit down on his bed. Ivan reluctantly obeyed her command and was surprised when the child climbed onto his lap and quite suddenly, pressed her lips against his.

Ivan froze into place and was shocked at what Anastasia was doing. When the 5-year-old was finished, she expectantly looked into his eyes- but was pulled away by a horrified Tatiana.

"Anastasia! What do you think you're doing?" Olga hissed and dragged the youngest to a separate part of the room.

"The servants told me that people kiss like that to show people that they want to always be best friends! They said it also cheers sad people up!" Anastasia said, she couldn't comprehend why her sisters were acting so strangely.

"No, no you little imp! Does Ivan look happy?" Olga pointed to Ivan, who had become very quiet.

Maria fell face down into his bed to hide her furious blush, and Tatiana seemed unsure of what to do. Their plans had gone awry, this wasn't what was supposed to happen.

Ivan was the first to recover. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself and beckoned for Anastasia to sit next to him. The girl happily climbed onto the bed and expectantly looked up at the nation.

"Malenkaya," (little one) Ivan began by addressing her with her nickname. Anastasia was clearly surprised when Ivan used her nickname, which he rarely ever did.

"I suppose the servants are also the ones who taught you how to pick locks?" Ivan took a stab in the dark. The uncomfortable look on the girl's face told him all he needed to know, and he simply laughed.

"I thought so. Listen little one, you must understand that the kind of kiss you gave me is something that can only be done by married people, or by your boyfriends." The three older sisters blushed at the mention of a boyfriend, while Anastasia simply tilted her head.

"Boyfriend?" She cutely asked.

Ivan cleared his throat and looked up at his ceiling. He couldn't believe that he was telling her these things.

"A boyfriend is a man who loves you very much, and he is also someone who you love very much. It's something that should be done when you're older." The Russian explained. Anastasia rolled her eyes though and hopped off the bed.

"But I love Vanya, a lot! We all do! And you love us too, right?" Anastasia gave Ivan a look that dared to challenge her. Of course the nation couldn't deny it, and he simply nodded.

Anastasia victoriously smiled, "Then that makes you our boyfriend!" She concluded.

Olga burst out laughing and leaned against a wall for support. "T-That's not how it works Nastya!" The atmosphere became noticeably lighter when everyone realized that the little princess' actions were entirely innocent.

Ivan rolled his eyes in response and lightly tapped her on the head.

"No, it's a kind of love. Anyway, I can never be your boyfriend. You cannot kiss people like that until you are thirteen." Ivan told all of the girls. Anastasia crossed her arms and pouted, "But!" Anastasia whined. Ivan broadly smiled and pat her head.

"In European countries, and even here it can be customary to kiss cheeks in greeting. I think that would be best." Ivan offered an alternative. Anastasia and the rest of the girls happily accepted his proposal, and kissed him on the cheek all at once.

"Don't be sad Vanya. We know that you and Papa aren't very happy with each other right now. But don't worry, we'll always be your friends." Tatiana mumbled into his shoulder. Ivan found that it was very difficult for him not to cry. He wrapped his arms around the girls in a large hug.

"Thank you, I feel much better now." Ivan truthfully told them. The four girls cheered and wiggled their way out of his grasp.

"Let's play chess!" Maria declared. Ivan made room on his bed for the girls and helped them bring the chess board onto his bed.

"I am very good at chess." He warned them. The four girls playfully stuck their tongues out and put a party hat on his head. "We have more people!" Maria challenged. Ivan grinned and gave them the honors to move first.

"Size isn't everything."

The game was extremely entertaining. Ivan skillfully manipulated the game on the board so he didn't completely crush the group of princesses while he also gave them the feeling that they were going to win- but that was simply an illusion.

Every time a piece would be in danger, the four would fiercely, but playfully argue with each other- and Ivan easily won in the last three moves.

"We almost won." Olga said under her breath as they cleaned up the chess pieces. Ivan popped a few bones in his back and took a look outside. It had stopped snowing, and it was bright and sunny out. Maria followed his line of sight and excitedly jumped up and down.

"Let's go out and make a snow castle!" Maria exclaimed. Her sisters immediately agreed, and proceeded to drag Ivan along with them. Anastasia dragged Ivan's winter coat out of his closet and handed it to him.

"Come on!"

They brought him outside and began packing the snow down. A few servants hurriedly came out to give the children some proper clothes for the snow, and a few guards came out to watch over them. Ivan helped the children build large snow-forts as tall as him.

While Ivan busied himself with their impressive snow-fort, the children were up to their mischievous ways. They threw snowballs at Ivan's back and dared him to try and attack them.

The Russian grinned and glanced back at them with an evil, yet innocent gaze. He rolled up a large snowball the size of Anastasia and held it above his head. The four girls screamed and ran away from the nation. Ivan playfully pursued the princesses up their snow fort. They thought they were safe, there was no way Ivan would be able to reach them.

The Russian took this time to reflect on what he was doing. Instead of worrying about politics, he was playing with the girls. Instead of stressing out, he was having fun. Ivan rolled up his sleeves and retreated several meters from the fort.

Upon further thought, he supposed this was much better. While he couldn't be a direct force in Russian politics, he could at least be a part of the children's education. By educating and nurturing their intellectual growth, he would prepare them for their future roles. Ivan could, he realized, greatly improve Russia's situation by molding the four into great rulers.

"You~ can't~ touch~ us!" Anastasia taunted him from the top of their fort. Ivan smirked and stretched his arms. He could help his people, and have some fun on the way. Ivan charged at the fort and broke through the wall like a battering ram. The children screamed in surprise and laughed when they hit the soft snow underneath.

"You're such a brute." Olga called Ivan out. The Russian playfully stuck his tongue out and headed back to the palace.

"Say the little savages who attacked me while I was slaving over your snow-fort."

The four girls unburied themselves from the snow and tumbled after the nation. "Let's go to the library after this!" Tatiana declared. Ivan raised an eyebrow, why would the children want to go to the library? He didn't argue with them though, and obediently followed them. He quickly realized that they weren't heading to the library, but to the dining room.

The girls were trying to get him to make up with Nikolai.

"We'll talk to you if Papa isn't ready yet." Anastasia assured the unenthusiastic nation. Ivan's fake smile took root on his face, and Tatiana smacked him as soon as she saw it. "Don't use your scary smile." She whispered to him when they opened the doors to the dining room.

Ivan wryly smiled when he and Nikolai made eye contact.

"Hello…" Ivan took a deep breath, "Nikolai" he reminded himself he was here to try and repair his relationship with the Tsar, not ruin it. It seemed like Nikolai had other ideas though, and barely acknowledged him when he sat down.

The four girls immediately sensed the tense air and had Ivan sit on the other end of the table. Alexandra uncomfortably glanced at Ivan and moved the baby basket that contained Alexi a bit further away. It was an action that greatly offended Ivan. Did she think he would hurt him?

The uncomfortable silence of the table was filled with the four girl's endless chatter. They excitedly told their parents of the great fun they had with Ivan, but they wisely chose to omit Anastasia's kiss. Ivan ate in silence, afraid that he would say something nasty, and simply listened to the four girls chatter the evening away.

"I'm glad you had fun with Ivan." Alexandra said with a strained smile.

Ivan needed no more evidence, and he stood to leave. "It was my pleasure." Ivan said and bowed his head. It was clear that the Tsar and Tsarina no longer considered him as a friend. Perhaps they even thought of him as an enemy. The girls were greatly upset when he decided to leave, but they didn't try to stop him.

Ivan left to take another long walk in the dark around the gardens. It was snowing pretty hard, and he could barely see a meter before him. But he knew the gardens like the back of his hand, and he didn't worry about getting lost.

It was clear that Nikolai had no intentions of rekindling any form of their former relationship. Ivan thought let out a misty sigh and smiled. Perhaps it was better this way. This way, he had no illusions about their future relationship. Ivan nodded to himself and headed back inside.

The snow continued to pile up and Ivan washed his face in a metal basin in the restroom. He was surprised when a servant rasped against the door and asked him if he knew where Anastasia was. When Ivan replied no, he followed the servant out of concern. There he saw Nikolai mobilizing the guards, and the three other girls worriedly talking amongst themselves.

"Maria, Tatiana, Olga, what is happening?" Ivan asked the trio. The three girls panicked when they saw Ivan, "Anastasia didn't find you outside?" Tatiana asked. When Ivan shook his head no, the girls cried.

"A-Anastasia said she w-was going to find you." Maria hiccuped. Ivan couldn't believe what he was hearing, "And you let her go outside in this weather?" He demanded. Olga shook her head, "The weather was better when she left."

Ivan paused and did the math in his head. The storm picked up about half an hour into his walk, and he had walked for around three hours, and an hour had passed since his walk…

He sharply inhaled, "She has been outside for four and a half hours? Why didn't you tell anyone sooner?" Ivan could barely conceal his anger in his voice.

"W-We thought that s-she was with you." Maria said in between sobs. Ivan realized that he was needlessly making the children feel bad, and instead enveloped them in a reassuring hug. They were just children, it was their job to come up with unreasonable decisions.

"W-Will you find her?" Tatiana asked between hiccups. Ivan kindly smiled to the three and released them.

"I am a professional at hide an seek. I'm sure you three remember." Ivan brought a small smile to their faces. The Russian straightened his back and made sure he had his metal pipe before he walked over to where Nikolai was.

"How long have they been searching?" Ivan asked. Nikolai ran a hand through his hair, "They have been searching for half-an-hour already."

Ivan looked out the window and tensed It was clear that the storm wouldn't let up for a while. He knew what he had to do, and instructed everyone to move away.

"General Winter, I have a favor to ask." Ivan called out in a language long forgotten by the humans. The candlelights and electricity flickered, and a cold breeze washed over the room.

"Vanya- it has been a while since we last spoke." The General greeted. His ghostly image was only visible to Ivan, and his words were in the form of obscure and terrifying whispers to the other humans.

"Da, it has been." Ivan responded.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" The general absently floated around the room. Ivan crossed his arms, "There is a child missing from the palace and we cannot find her in this storm." Ivan gestured to the small blizzard outside. The General laughed and floated around Ivan.

"It's unlike you to take such a keen interest into your ruler's well being." The General dangerously whispered. He floated over to one of the terrified girls, who could see the General because they were still children.

"Should I remind you of my teachings?" He placed a hand underneath Olga's chin, and Ivan immediately retaliated. He brought out his metal pipe and slammed it across the General's face. He drove his pipe against Winter's neck and pinned him against the wall. "Do not touch them!" He snarled.

The ghostly figure disappeared and reappeared a few feet behind him. "Please Vanya, you know I cannot understand you when you speak in that language."

The general taunted him. Ivan exchanged a few more blows with the mischievous and unlikeable ghost. His movements were fast, agile, and powerful. Finally, he landed a powerful blow into the General's chest that smashed him into the ground.

The entire palace rumbled, and blue blood dripped off of Ivan's pipe. The blood turned to ice as soon as it hit the palace floor, and there were horrified gasps from behind him.

"He's a pagan!" One of the soldiers exclaimed when they heard Ivan speak in his strange tongue.

"You have gotten stronger. It seems I can no longer keep up with you." The general's wounds slowly began to heal, and his blood faded away into nothing. There was an affectionate, even fatherly smile on his face and he pat the nation on the shoulder.

"I just want to make sure you understand that you are going to hurt yourself." The general referred to the short lifespans of humans. Ivan shrugged and placed his pipe against the wall.

"That is my decision." Ivan said defiantly. The General nodded his head and gave Ivan something that looked like a shining star in Ivan's hand.

"I will allow you to do the honors, however you will still need a blessing from me every time. Consider it as a long overdue birthday gift." General Winter chuckled as he faded away into the walls.

"I will help myself to one of your drawings though. You were always an artist." Winter's voice echoed. Ivan waved him off, "Do as you please."

As soon as the General left, the air was noticeably warmer and the room became brighter.

Ivan looked out the window and closed his eyes. He could feel every contour of the nation. He saw breathtaking visions of his snow-covered lands; he felt the warmth of the south, and the blistering cold of the north all at once. He could also hear the cries and laughter of his people. He was conscious of everything that was happening within his borders all at once. Just when he thought he could see and hear everything, his vision disappeared, and he opened his eyes.

"Stop." Ivan commanded.

Instantly, the snow ceased to fall, and the winds died down. Ivan wasted no time in searching for Anastasia. Although the feeling was fading, he could more or less sense Anastasia's presence, and he eventually found her huddled beneath a tree. Relief flooded his senses, and he called out her name.

"Anastasia!"

The girl immediately popped her head up and stumbled towards the nation. "Vanya! I was so scared. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." She sniffed when Ivan lifted her up into his arms. He wrapped his scarf around her red ears and carried her back to the palace.

"I am just glad you're safe." Ivan rubbed her back. Anastasia sniffled and wrapped her arms around Ivan's neck.

"Do you know someone called Mr Winter?" She asked as they marched up to the palace doors. Ivan was surprised that she knew his name, and said that it was an old friend of his. Anastasia looked up into Ivan's eyes with her teary, but cheerful gaze.

"He's really nice. He showed me where the tree was, and he made me really warm. We played a card game, but I always lost. He left before I could say thanks- but then you came right after. Did he come and tell you where I was?" Anastasia inquired. Ivan laughed and shook his head, that old coot. As always, he had a soft spot for children.

"Yes, he did." He handed Anastasia over to the relieved servants. Anastasia turned around and waved goodbye to Ivan.

"Can you tell him I said thanks?"

Ivan smiled and waved back, "Da, I will tell him."

The Russian immediately leaned up against the wall to catch his breath. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt like he had just ran a hundred miles. Ivan closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Like he thought, stopping such a strong snowstorm required too much energy. If he hadn't asked for Winter's help, it was likely that he would've fainted the second he stopped the storm.

Nikolai caught him trying to recover from his impressive feat, and helped Ivan up. There was little the Tsar could do, considering that he was significantly shorter than the nation- but it was the effort that counted. Nikolai lead Ivan to his room, and watched with concern when Ivan looked like he was about to faint.

"It takes a tremendous amount of energy to manipulate my climate like that." Ivan explained when Nikolai opened his door for him. "It's been a century or two since I have."

Ivan walked into his room, and was surprised when he saw Alexandra with little Alexi in her arms. The two were seated on one of his chairs, and the empress apologetically smiled.

"I know we've been a bit cold to you lately, and it seems like our worries were unfounded… But we have been distracted as of late because of Alexi."

Ivan glanced at the sleeping child and shed his coat. He sat down on his bed and leaned against the wall.

"I see." He tiredly replied.

Nikolai gently grabbed their son from his wife and offered Ivan the chance to hold him. "We've been meaning to tell you for a while, but we kept putting it off. I think now is the best time for you to know." Nikolai explained. Ivan carefully took the child from the Tsar and gave the Tsarevich a long overdue greeting.

"Hello little one. He looks very healthy." Ivan remarked. He adjusted the cloth that was wrapped around the future Tsar, and was caught off guard when he saw various purple bruises all across the child's arm.

He looked up at his rulers, and exchanged looks with them. Dread filled Ivan's heart, and he suddenly felt like he was holding a soap bubble.

"He has hemophilia." Ivan deducted when he gave the child back to Nikolai.

The Tsar merely nodded and handed the child back to Alexandra.

"Yes. The doctors are at a loss of what to do. A friend of Alexandra's recommended a faith healer. I believe his name is Rasputin, and he's from Siberia. He is known for performing miracles and healing the sick." Said Nikolai. But Ivan was far from impressed and laid down in his bed to rest.

"Be careful of what you bring to the palace." Ivan expressed his disapproval. Faith healers were normally just quack doctors who were only interested in getting as much money out of their client as possible. Nikolai noted Ivan's input, and decided it was time for them to go.

"I'm sorry Ivan. It's just that it's been so stressful, trying to run the country. I'm truly grateful that you helped us." Nikolai hesitantly held out his hand for a handshake. Ivan could barely keep and eye open, and merely slapped his hand in a tired high-five.

"It is a tough adjustment… goodnight Nikolai." Ivan mumbled into his bed before he fell asleep. The Tsar looked at his hand and smiled when he hit the light switch for Ivan.

"Good night, Ivan."


Matthew's painfully throbbed when he woke up. The lights of his hospital room temporarily blinded him, and his throat was sore from disuse. How long had he been asleep?

He sorely rubbed his head and tried to recall the strange dream he had of Ivan. Was that his memory? Matthew shook his head and sighed, of course it wasn't. How could he dream about Ivan's memories?

Matthew tried to recall what he was doing before he fell unconscious, and vaguely remembered that Arthur had cast a spell right before he gassed them. So perhaps he did see Ivan's memories.

Matthew yanked the cords from his arm and got up from the hospital bed to stretch his aching joints. Why had they put him in a hospital anyway? He glanced at a calendar on his wall and raised an eyebrow. He'd been asleep for four days.

"Oh shit." Ivan groaned in Russian behind him. Matthew turned around and was surprised to see that Ivan's hospital bed was right next to him. The Russian blearily opened his purple eyes and muttered Russian oaths under his breath.

"I feel like I have a hangover." Ivan grunted when he got up from his hospital bed as well. Matthew wryly smiled and was about to ask Ivan if he saw anything strange, but like before- Ivan beat him to the punch.

"I suppose that's why you love your bear so much." Ivan said nonchalantly. Matthew wryly smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose that's why you always carry around your pipe." Matthew responded. The two sighed, it seemed like they had some talking to do.

The two walked out of the room and walked back to the hotel. Matthew had to make sure Berwald and Arthur paid for the damages done to the hotel, and Ivan had to make sure that England would never do something like that to them ever again. But, Matthew glanced at Ivan, perhaps he learned a little bit more about Ivan's true personality- if just a bit.

But just when Matthew thought he understood Ivan's personality, a question popped up. So far, he learned that Ivan's personality wasn't nearly as unstable as it was now. The Canadian uncomfortably shoved his hands in his pockets, and he fixed his gaze on the sidewalk. So what had happened?


Phew, this is one long chapter. But I tried to make it a bit longer since I missed the update date. Sorry, I'll try and have this story back on schedule with the next update. I hope you guys liked it!

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