Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Do not use me as a history reference.

I'm a liar. This is a chapter, a week overdue. My schedule is jam packed with AP testing prep and finals. That's my excuse, so I might not be able to update as frequently as before, but I will finish this story. I promise.

"Release me!" Ivan angrily tried to shove the nations out of his way. Toris, Matthew, Alfred, China, and Berwald were serving as a physical barrier to prevent Arthur's imminent destruction, and they all exchanged nervous looks.

"Dude! Ivan, chill- give Iggy a chance to apologize!" Alfred grunted when the Russian slowly, but steadily made his way towards the uncomfortable Englishman. Much to Matthew's relief, Ivan paused and took a deep, calming breath. His breath was icy, and his purple eyes seemed to glow with barely concealed rage. But he plastered a smile on his face and crossed his arms.

"One minute, da?"

Matthew and the rest of the nations who were holding onto Ivan dropped to the ground, absolutely exhausted. Alfred kept a watchful eye on Ivan when Arthur walked up to the large nation and held out a sunflower with a gift card.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I was just upset that mint bunny was hurt, but I forgot that mint-bunny is immortal. So it was really unnecessary in the end, I truly apologize." Arthur bowed his head, and Ivan accepted the gifts with a grain of salt.

"It is good that your imaginary friend is okay." Ivan said with forced friendliness. He reminded himself that he was a diplomat, and diplomats solved problems with words- not fists. Arthur walked over to Matthew and helped him to his feet. He brushed off his jacket and straightened his tie with an awkward smile. "Are you okay lad? I didn't mean to get you too." He pat Matthew's shoulders.

Matthew smiled and assured the older nation that he was okay. "I just feel a bit groggy, but it was a nice nap." He joked.

Arthur lit up and gave him an enthusiastic slap on the back. "That's a good lad!"

Ludwig sighed and decided to cancel the meeting. It wasn't like they were going to get anything done today either. As the nations dispersed back to their rooms, Matthew and Ivan walked to a nearby park to talk for a little bit.

"I hope Toris did me some justice." Ivan jokingly said as they walked through a large park in Toronto. Matthew laughed, "He did a lot more than that." He assured the older nation as they walked along the gravel paths. Matthew revealed what he learned about Ivan, and Ivan revealed what he learned about him.

"…And it stopped right after you learned about Alexi's hemophilia." Matthew finished.

Ivan thoughtfully hummed and kicked a pebble into the bushes. Although he tried to hide it, Matthew could tell that Ivan was a little less than pleased about what he had learned.

"At least you and Nikolai made up." Matthew offered after a few moments of silence passed. Ivan's smile became bitter and he shook his head, as if he could read Matthew's true thoughts.

"I am, and was, under no illusion about our new relationship. We used to be friends who had absolute trust in each other. But after Nikolai relieved me of my duty, he broke that trust- and he likely never came to truly trust me ever again." Matthew winced at Ivan's bitter words and wanted to apologize for bringing it up, but Ivan waved his oncoming apology away.

"We were only united in our love for his children. It was difficult for me to play with Alexei because of his hemophilia, but the Tsarina allowed me to be left alone with him when he was a little older. " Ivan grimaced at the mere memory, and Matthew didn't have to ask to know whom he was talking about.

(1907)

It was early in the morning. The sun was barely rising off the horizon, and the birds were just beginning to sing. The morning would've been perfect, if a mischievous little girl hadn't snuck into Ivan's room.

"Vanya!" Anastasia whispered into the sleeping nation's ear. Ivan immediately awoke, but pretended that he was still half asleep. "Nastya?" Ivan mumbled and half opened a purple eye. Anastasia grinned and dove under his covers. Ivan raised an eyebrow and watched as she hid.

"Anastasia, what are you doing?" Ivan asked the six year old. The girl covered his mouth and made a shushing gesture.

"Pretend you're asleep." She urged. Ivan rolled his eyes and adjusted the sheets so she seamlessly blended into the covers. There was a soft knock on his door, and Anastasia's doctor poked his head into the room with an apologetic smile.

"You haven't seen Anastasia, have you? She needs her massage." The doctor said in a quiet voice. Ivan blinked a few times, as if he was trying to wake up and shook his head.

"No, perhaps try the garden?" Ivan feigned a yawn. The doctor immediately left to go search, and Anastasia giggled from under the covers. She poked her head out from the sheets and held her hand up for a high five. Ivan did it with a frown on his face, he wasn't sure if he should be encouraging this kind of behavior.

"Anastasia, you can't hide from your doctor forever. The massages may be painful, but it's for your own good." Ivan lightly chastised her. The little girl rolled her eyes and slipped out of bed.

"But I don't like them." She said childishly.

Ivan rolled his eyes in response and sat up. "Next time I will lock my door." Ivan threatened. Anastasia stuck her tongue out, "It's only for a little while. I'll eventually go to him." Ivan was satisfied with her answer and pat her head before ordering her to turn around while he quickly changed into his day clothes. The girl chatted away while she faced the wall, "The others are awake too. We were thinking about pretending to be knights this time."

Ivan wrapped his scarf around his neck and told her that she could turn around. He disliked the idea of her going out to play before her massage and tried to persuade her to get it over with, but the little girl pouted and latched onto his left arm.

"Well I feel better when I'm around you." Anastasia climbed up onto his shoulders like a monkey. Ivan grunted and ducked her head when he walked out the door.

"You're just saying that." Ivan reached up and poked her chubby cheek with his gloved finger. She really would say and do anything to get out of her massages. Anastasia lightly bit the finger and whacked him on the head.

"I'm not lying!" She said with a pout, "The pain really goes away when I'm near you!" She insisted all the way down the hall.

Ivan laughed as Anastasia directed him to where the other girls were. For the past two years, all he's ever done was play with the four girls, occasionally take care of Alexei, and attend the nation's meetings. And although he loathed to admit it, he was enjoying himself.

Ivan loved to act as a sort of uncle to the children, and he preferred them to the babbling government officials any day. Before he would shy away and become awkward when the girls hugged him, gave him gifts, or greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. Now he was more or less used to it, and even looked forward to it. The feeling- although strange, was pleasant. Just like a summer breeze.

"So why have you gotten me so early in the morning? You don't normally wake up for another three or four hours." Ivan walked in a zig zag to coerce an answer from the giggling, yet scared princess.

"Olya said I had to keep it a secret until you came to our room." Anastasia responded when their doors came into view. Ivan hummed and knocked on the door before entering. He plucked Anastasia off his shoulders and plopped her to the ground. "Tatya? Olya? Mashka? I'm here." Ivan called out to the seemingly empty room.

A pained groan from the bathroom caught his attention, and Tatiana and Maria popped out. They quickly closed the door behind them and nervously looked upon Ivan.

The nation was naturally concerned and asked what was wrong. "Olya has the curse." Tatiana said uncomfortably. Ivan tilted his head, a curse? He was pretty sure there weren't any witches or warlocks left in the country. His confusion was painfully obvious, and Maria tried to describe it as delicately as she could.

"Um, it's the thing mother sometimes gets once a month?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh, because that would be insensitive. But it was very funny that the first person they would go to was him. Considering he was a male and all. Still, it wasn't like he hadn't been through this before. Ivan cleared his throat and gently knocked on the door to the bathroom. There was no way he was going to enter the bathroom, he would just be there to offer some moral support and send in a more appropriate helper.

"Olya, I'm going to get one of the female servants okay?" Ivan said against the door. Olga groaned and told him not to.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed of. Every woman goes through this." Ivan tried not to laugh when Olga groaned again.

"I have to do this every month?" Olga moodily shouted from the bathroom.

Ivan shrugged, "I do not know. Ask your mother."

Once a female servant came to assist Olga, the morning crisis was over. Olga came out with a tired and angry expression on her face. She marched straight past them and slammed the door to her and Tatiana's room.

Anastasia mimicked Olga's actions with an imaginary door stifled a laugh. Ivan clicked his tongue and motioned for the rest of the children to follow him into the palace library. "It's not nice to make fun of your sister." He chastised.

Anastasia merely shrugged and went to explore the vast array of books in the library while Tatiana pulled out her own book and Maria absently drew on the floor. Ivan lazily walked over to Maria and took a peek over her shoulder. His shadow cast over her drawing, and the princess childishly shielded her masterpiece from the nation. Ivan's curiosity was piqued and he crouched next to Maria to see what she was hiding.

"What are you drawing?" Ivan asked.

Maria grinned and pulled the drawing closer to herself, "It's a secret. I'll show you when I'm done." She winked at him. Ivan snorted and pat her on the head. The children were growing up so fast, it was hard to believe that Anastasia was once a slobbering, babbling baby. Ivan glanced over to Anastasia, who had fallen asleep next to Tatiana, and retracted his earlier statement.

Anastasia was still a slobbering, babbling child.

A servant lady interrupted the morning peace and hurriedly curtsied.

"Mr Braginsky, your presence is needed in the infirmary. Young Alexei is very sick."

Ivan immediately stood up and followed the servant to the sickly prince. It was quite easy to tell which room Alexei was in, because that was where the most noise was coming from. Ivan took a few deep breaths and entered the room with a calm, but annoyed smile.

The doctors' bickering immediately ceased, and they all flooded Ivan to receive his opinion on what to do. Alexi was hemorrhaging, and although they gave him the drug that was thought to cure nearly any illness, aspirin, the boy was getting worse.

Ivan snatched the bottle of aspirin from a doctor and threw it into the trashcan. Although he didn't know what the drug did, all he knew was that every time Alexi was given even a small dosage of it, his condition deteriorated.

"I've told you every time to stop giving that child this drug! His body doesn't like it, therefore you shouldn't give it to him." Ivan's purple aura commanded temporary obedience, and he walked over to the young child. It was a pitiful sight, the little baby was whimpering, and a part of his skin was a sickly purple.

Ivan was surprised when Nikolai and Alexandra weren't in the room. When he asked where they were, the doctors seemed uncomfortable. "The Tsarina couldn't stop crying, so the Tsar is trying to calm her down." He informed.

Ivan internally sighed and took off his gloves. He couldn't blame her for having a nervous break down. Alexei's health was not good. Well, perhaps that was an understatement. Trying to keep Alexei healthy was like trying to walk across a tightrope. A single bump against the cradle could prove life threatening, and a single scratch was deadly.

"Get a cold wet cloth or ice if you can." Ivan commanded the doctors. He placed his cold hands onto the toddler's hot chest to act as a compress until the doctors could get something better.

Ivan tried not to show his annoyance as the doctors scrambled to follow his orders. They were in charge of the Tsar and his family's health, and they couldn't do something this simple? Alexei's cries quieted, and he opened his blue-grey eyes to curiously stare up at Ivan.

"Cold, nice. Ba ba da ma." Alexi babbled. Ivan raised an eyebrow; he was having a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Hello little one. You are quite a handful, always making me come here when you are ill." Ivan lightly tapped the child's nose and affectionately smiled when he laughed. "You should become healthier, so you can rule for a long time."

"We've brought cold water!" The doctors returned. Ivan nodded and removed his hand when the doctors put a cool cloth over the child's chest.

"There is little we can do. Do not ice him to death, but only stop when it seems like the bleeding has stopped." Ivan instructed the doctors. Alexei's face was once again contorted by pain and the nation watched the doctors work until he was sure the child would be fine.

Ivan reluctantly left him to the care of his doctors and lapped around the palace a few times before he returned to the four princesses.

After they all ate lunch, the three children decided to camp out in Ivan's room. Olga joined them after supper and slept on Ivan's bed. The Russian sighed and covered the eldest with a blanket. Being a woman seemed to be a tiring job. Anastasia was out getting her massage at the moment, and Tatiana was working on her embroidery on the floor.

Ivan sat in a chair in the corner and was reading a few medical textbooks. According to what information he had, there was little to no chance to cure Alexei's disease. Ivan flipped through the colorful pages full of diagrams and tossed the book aside. It was apparent that his disease was incurable. Now he just had to convince the Tsarina of this. He felt a headache come on and massaged his temples. That was the real problem.

"I'm finished!" Maria proudly declared. She popped up from the floor and handed Ivan her drawing. Ivan temporarily cast his troubles aside and accepted her gift with a smile.

"What do we have here?" He asked and looked at the drawing.

It was a drawing of him, the four girls, and an older Alexei in a field of flowers. They all wore broad smiles on their faces and were playing some sort of hand game with each other. Ivan was greatly impressed by her drawing, while it wasn't fantastic, it was certainly impressive for her age.

Maria watched with a broad grin on her face when Ivan tacked the drawing next to the dozens of other things she drew for him. Tatiana, not wanting to be outdone, handed him her finished piece of embroidery. Ivan thanked her for the flower and tacked it on the wall as well. The nation happily looked over his wall and hoisted the two girls onto his shoulders.

"I'll have to start finding more space on my wall." Ivan remarked before tossing them onto the bed with Olga.

Olga groaned and buried her face in Ivan's pillow, only wanting some peace and quiet. Tatiana and Maria yawned in unison and decided to take a nap as well. Ivan playfully huffed and tucked the drowsy girls in. His room had become a nursery. Ivan straightened when someone entered his room and was surprised to see Anastasia peeking from his door.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She rarely ever came in without knocking.

"A-Alexei is getting worse!" Anastasia's eyes were glazed over with tears. Ivan swore under his breath and swooped her up into his arms with a reassuring smile. "Let's go see what we can do, da?" Ivan said cheerfully while he hid his own doubt. It was worrisome because the cold press should've been enough to stop the bleeding.

When Ivan arrived, he was surprised and displeased when he saw the Tsar, Tsarina, and the doctors watch Rasputin 'heal' Alexei. Rasputin closed his eyes and seemed to mumble a prayer. Ivan detected something in the man's words that made his jaw clench in anger and forced him to set Anastasia back down on the ground.

Rasputin looked up in the direction of the sky and shuddered. He eyed the child, and then eyed a familiar bottle in the doctor's hands. Ivan could tell it was the bottle of medicine he had thrown out earlier.

The monk walked over to the bottle and poured out its contents into his hand.

He raised the medicine up for everyone to see. "I sense a dangerous, evil presence in this medicine for the child. If you will only stop giving this poison to the prince, then he will live. Fear not Tsarina, your child will live because he has the love of God. Let us all pray for his recovery." Rasputin led a short prayer and assured Alexandra that her son would be okay.

Rasputin greeted Ivan and sadly shook his head. "The child is being fed incompatible drugs. With the divine will of God, he will survive. However as long as he is being poisoned, he shan't live for long."

Ivan's smile was icy, and he asked Rasputin to step out with him. The faith healer politely declined and bowed his head. "I apologize, but I have business to attend to in the capital. Perhaps next time."

Alexandra and Nikolai followed Rasputin out, and the doctors left as well. Ivan looked down at Anastasia and urged her to leave as well.

"What're you going to do Vanya?" Anastasia curiously asked when Ivan ushered her out of the room. "I am checking to make sure little Alexei will be fine."

Anastasia curiously tilted her head sideways, "But God will heal Alexei." She said with a bit of confusion. Ivan nodded, "Da, He will. However even gods need help sometimes." Ivan winked before he shut the doors. Once he was sure there was no one left, he angrily slammed his fist into the wall.

The doctors had deliberately ignored his orders and nearly killed Alexei. What was more, Rasputin was using some sort of combination of hypnosis and strange magic to cure Alexei. Rasputin was an unwelcome presence in Ivan's opinion. He was meddling with forces he couldn't hope to understand, and his personality, although not terrible, was unlikable in his opinion.

His habits outside of the palace were sure to bring rumors onto the royal family, but he couldn't find a way to expel him from the palace. The Tsarina, along with Nikolai, no longer trusted him like before and often second guessed him. Not to mention that the Tsarina deeply trusted Rasputin for his mystical 'powers'. Ivan clenched and unclenched his fists to calm down. He would deal with Rasputin later. Right now, he needed to focus on Alexei.

Ivan lifted Alexei's shirt and winced when he saw what was underneath. The child was noticeably calmer, but he could tell he was still bleeding. Ivan took off his glove and used his hand like an ice pack. He couldn't dare to ask the doctors for help. Considering how much they distrusted his advice, he was almost certain they would pin Alexei's resumed bleeding on him.

Ivan absently pat the baby's head and affectionately ruffled his copper colored hair. "You should say something if it still hurts." Ivan chastised in a gentle voice. Alexei grabbed Ivan's dangling scarf and gnawed on the soft fabric. Ivan laughed and moved his scarf away. He reminded him of Anastasia. Alexei giggled and babbled in his cute voice.

"His name is Vanya!" Anastasia startled Ivan with her voice. The nation was about to send her out, but the girl put out a halting hand. "I promise I won't tell. I closed the doors behind too. What are you doing?" Anastasia curiously watched her younger brother try to eat Ivan's scarf.

The nation merely sighed, but allowed her presence. He explained to her what he was doing, but the little girl was puzzled. "Cold?" Anastasia said uncertainly.

Ivan nodded, "My hands are very cold, so it's like ice." He further explained. Anastasia tilted her head, and touched Ivan's hands with a small frown on her face.

"Your hands aren't cold. They're warm."

This time it was Ivan's turn to be confused. He put his hand to his face and his hands were, as always, ice cold.

"They aren't warm, they're cold." Ivan pressed his hand against her neck. Anastasia slapped his hand away and giggled.

"It was cold, but it was also really warm." Anastasia tried to describe what she felt. It was all nonsense to Ivan though, "Very funny little one."

Anastasia pouted and crossed her arms, "I'm telling you the truth! Your hands are warm, but they also feel cold- but a good cold. Like the kind of cold you feel when you stretch." She insisted and put her hand on top of Ivan's. "It's warm." She affirmed.

Ivan chuckled and focused on Alexei, who was getting sleepy. Ivan carefully removed his hand and sighed with relief. The bleeding had stopped, and the little Tsarevich was no longer in pain.

"ibbaaavaaananaa." Alexei tiredly yawned. Ivan's heart became inexplicably warm, and he allowed the baby to grasp his fingers.

"His name is Vanya. Van-Ya." Anastasia sounded out Ivan's name. Alexei tiredly glanced at Anastasia, "Van-ya." Alexei dutifully repeated. Ivan chuckled and removed his finger from the infant's grasp. "Da, Vanya. Goodnight Alexei." Ivan gently tucked him in and left the room.

The exhausted child's lids grew heavy, and he yawned once again. "Goodnight Van-ya." Alexei mumbled before falling dead asleep.


"Vanya's hands are magical!" Anastasia happily exclaimed and she grasped his ungloved hand. Ivan's arm flinched, and he quickly put on his gloves. It felt weird when he had them off for too long. Ivan easily hoisted the child onto his shoulders and hummed an old Russian tune. "You also have magic."

Ivan leisurely walked towards his room. Anastasia leaned forward so she appeared upside down in Ivan's field of vision. "Magic? What kind of magic do I have?" She asked, bubbling with excitement.

Ivan's smile became more thoughtful, "Well," he began, "You certainly have a knack for mischief and evasion. However, your magic is being able to make people smile." Ivan took her down from his shoulders and opened his door. Anastasia didn't seem very pleased though, and she crossed her arms. "That's not cool at all." She pouted.

Ivan clicked his tongue and motioned for her to be quiet since her sisters were still asleep.

"It is an invaluable skill and very few have such a talent. I am very impressed by your magic, because you make me smile." Ivan took a seat at his desk while Anastasia made room for herself on the bed. She kicked off her shoes and snuggled into the blanket next to her sisters. "But you always smile." Anastasia grumbled, but from she was obviously quite pleased by the way she said it.

Ivan rolled his eyes and began to sketch on his desk. "You know what I mean, good night." His words were like a magic spell, and Anastasia fell asleep. Ivan watched the four girls sleep in his bed and shook his head in disbelief. He wouldn't have dreamed of this happening in his lifetime.


It was about four in the afternoon when they finished their walk and headed back for the hotel. Matthew thought he was going to die from laughter, "She came to you for that?" Matthew said incredulously. Ivan grinned and kicked a rock off into the streets. "Da, she did."

Matthew shook his head, the four girls certainly had character. As they walked into the hotel and were about to part ways, he had to ask: "So were your hands magic?" Matthew asked. It was meant to be a joke, but Ivan's surprised expression made it seem like he was serious.

A complicated expression danced across the Russian's face, and Matthew got the impression that he had touched upon a taboo subject. Ivan's sigh was long and tired. He ran a hand through his platinum hair and merely waved goodbye to him.

"That is a story for another day. I will talk to you later Matvey."

Matthew nodded, "Take care Ivan." He watched Ivan disappear into the elevator of the hotel and scratched the back of his head. If he thought about it- that was the first time they've had a normal conversation in weeks. A small tug on his pants broke his attention.

"Hey, you." Kumajiro asked with a bit of anger in his voice. Matthew gasped and scooped the bear into his arms. That was what he had forgot! Kumajiro didn't know that he had been in the hospital.

"You left me. Without feeding me. You've done that a lot." Kumajiro indignantly sniffed and mouthed his friend's arm. Matthew winced and soothingly ran his hand up and down the bear's back. "I'm sorry. I was in the hospital for a while, let's go to a buffet eh?" Matthew cooed and turned around to head back out into the city. Kumajiro shook his head though and buried his face into Matthew's jacket.

"Are you still sick?" He mumbled. Matthew's heart melted and he sighed, it seemed like he had been unintentionally neglecting Kumajiro.

"No, I'm all better now." Matthew assured the bear.

Kumajiro seemed unconvinced though, and decided that they should just get room service.

"Let's watch the nature channel." Kumajiro declared once they were settled on the bed. He curled up in Matthew's lap and eagerly awaited the vivid images of the tropical jungles of South America.

"Sure." Matthew flipped the channel and fell asleep with Kumajiro by his side.


"You are meddling with forces you don't understand, Rasputin. I ask you to only use hypnosis, and nothing else." Ivan said in a low voice in the dim hallway of the palace. The monk yawned and made a religious gesture, "I only request for God's mercy." He evenly replied. Ivan was baffled and treaded carefully. He wasn't sure if Rasputin was bullshitting him or was sincere.

"I ask that you only use Russian to ask for God's mercy." Ivan reworded his request. Trying to read Rasputin's facial expression was like trying to look through a concrete wall. It was an impenetrable fortress, but Ivan could at least see that the monk was disturbed.

"God understands all languages of man. This has been an enlightening conversation, but I really must go to sleep." Rasputin bowed and quietly shuffled back to his room, leaving Ivan troubled. It would've been easier or Rasputin was more easily riled, however the man was the epitome of calm. Ivan sighed massaged his temples. Perhaps he should just get rid of this faith healer now- it would probably save the Tsar more trouble in the end anyway.

Ivan's thoughts immediately drifted to the Tsarina, and he immediately dispelled the idea. While his methods were questionable, he did benefit Alexei. Ivan's chest constricted with bitterness, and he grit his teeth. Rasputin held a certain amount of trust in Alexandra's mind, and as long as the Tsarina trusted the faith healer, the doctors were obliged to obey.

The nation resignedly groaned and headed back to his room. If keeping him around would halt the administration of aspirin, then he would tolerate his existence in the palace. Ivan cracked his neck and locked his door behind him. As long as he helped Alexei, he supposed all was well. Once Rasputin was no longer of use, the Tsarina would simply discard him- because he couldn't fathom how she could so easily trust an outsider to treat her son.


Ivan downed a shot of vodka in his room. He grimaced at the bitter liquid and leaned back in his chair. If only he had killed Rasputin right then and there. Because he knew that it was his fault that Rasputin was able to gain such power. All because he wanted to keep a secret.


Yeah, that's it. I really want to get this thing back to Saturday- but it'll be hard with exams and stuff. So sorry for any future delays. I really hope you guys liked this chapter, and again, I'm really sorry.

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