Anastasia 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Do not use me as a history reference.
Hey! Wow it's been a while. I just want to say that the events here are all fictional. Thank you guys for being so patient with me. I hope to update a lot more often now, but finals are coming around... Well, I've made you guys wait long enough. I hope you like it.
The horse's hooves slowed down as the train station came into view. Ivan pat the horse on the side of its neck. Even with the invention of cars and carriages, he still greatly preferred riding on a saddle more than anything else. Nearly a thousand years of habit was hard to shake off, and more importantly- horses didn't judge him the way humans did and made great companions. They only knew him for his actions- nothing else. Well, that and for his weight as well.
His horse tossed its head when they were a few meters from the entrance of the train station. Ivan easily hopped off the saddle and didn't bother to tie up the reins. He trusted his horse to kick anyone who tried to steal him.
"I will be back. Don't wander." Ivan absently told the horse as he scaled the stairs.
The train rolled in just as he entered the loading platform and tooted its horn in greeting. Ivan waved at the conductor and his smile became a bit more sincere. It'd been a while since he had gone down to the city.
"I bribed the guard. We've captured ten of the other guards, and our boys are hunting the rest of them down. We'll have them stripped in no time." Sergey, the second in command told the ring leader of this operation. Kruschev nodded his approval and glanced down the road Ivan went.
"We must finish this early. I suppose we only have two or three hours until that monster comes back." Kruschev said under his breath. It had taken them four long months to put their plan into play. They had to find a guard who was willing to take a bribe, secretly map out the palace grounds at night, and convince one of the female servants to map out the palace's floor plans.
Kruschev's fingers twitched. He could really use a smoke right now, but he couldn't risk alerting the guards of their presence. He sat down in the tall grass with his four other friends. They were all silent, they all focused on the task at hand.
They would rid Russia of their cold, detached, and uncaring rulers- and they would have a new country. A democratic country, or even a country where everyone was equal. The rich would no longer be extravagantly wasteful, and the poor would no longer starve in the streets. Kruschev closed his eyes and imagined such a world with a tense smile on his face.
It was wishful thinking, but he was still hopeful that one day, his children at home would no longer worry about when the next meal was. And that his neighbors wouldn't be dying of starvation while the nobles gorged themselves on expensive meals that were worth thirty.
His hopes seemed to dull the mounting nervousness and fear that was building up in his chest. A few men discretely returned with sacks of clothes. Sweat glistened on their brows, and one of them had a cut above his eyebrow. The shortest of the three spat out some blood and rubbed his jaw.
"Those assholes didn't go down without a fight. One of 'em got Adrian above the eyebrow with the butt of his pistol and the other guy got me in the jaw." Mikhail sorely rubbed his jaw and tossed the sack of clothes on the ground.
"We got all of them, except for those group of guards who we paid off." Adrian said a bit sourly. The blow had obviously hurt, and now he just wanted to get this done as soon as possible.
Kruschev pat Mikhail on the arm and they all began the process of changing out into the uniforms. "Good. According to the nurses, the Tsar and his family will have lunch together in about half an hour from now. At 45 minutes, we'll subdue the servants and place the entire family in the nearest room. No fooling around. We kill the Tsar, the heir, the Empress, and three of the girls. Take the youngest one as hostage and once we're in the clear, kill her. Got it? No funny business."
Mikhail looked at his comrades square in the eye. They couldn't let their plans fall awry because some sadistic bastard wanted to torture the family.
"Our other guys are already inside. Remember who you guys are, and don't move a second before 45 minutes. See you guys later." Everyone exchanged handshakes and casually dispersed across the palace estate.
30 minutes until assassination attempt
Ivan did his best to maintain a neutral expression when a rather devout preacher tried to convince him to orthodox Christianity. As much as religion fascinated him, its followers sometimes annoyed him. He just wanted to buy some candy, bread, a couple of toys, and a few sweets. He didn't come out to the streets to be converted, he came out to buy stuff.
"…Thank you. I will certainly think about it." Ivan accepted the proffered pamphlet and promptly left the rather stout man, who beamed with approval.
"I will be waiting for you!" He called after him.
Ivan waved goodbye and walked as quickly as he could to the street markets to avoid getting pulled over by another preacher. "Ah, Ivan! I haven't seen you in a while!" An old woman from a stall called him over.
Ivan's smile broadened and he walked over to the wrinkly, but hardy grandma. He had known her for years, and they were quite familiar. Ivan had been buying pastries from her family for two generations.
"Ah, Vera. I'm glad to see you well." Ivan leaned over the wooden shelves to hug her. Vera's blue eyes sparkled with youthful warmth and affectionately whacked Ivan on the back of the head with a newspaper.
"I'm not going to die anytime soon. What do the kiddies want today?" She referenced the Tsar's children. Ivan clicked his tongue, "The usual. How are your children?" Ivan made conversation as the woman speedily put the warm pastries in paper bags.
"They work long and hard hours in the factories. And for what? They can barely afford to rent out an apartment, let alone children. They are scraping by thanks to you. However they are grateful that they have something to eat every night." Vera handed Ivan several bags of warm pastries before she scooped more pastries from her bins.
"Your debt to my great grandmother has been repaid. I'm sure there are other bakers who use much higher quality ingredients." Vera reminded Ivan.
Ivan laughed in response, "Yes, but there isn't exactly much love in the food." Ivan easily replied as he took his remaining pastries from Vera's worn hands. He took out a couple of old gold pieces and put it in her palm.
"Your grandmother returned my scarf to me. I am eternally grateful, and I still prefer your stall over all others." Ivan gave her a hug. Vera snorted and tossed him a slice of sweet bread.
"Such a flatterer. That's all you get for your efforts. Take care Ivan." Vera slapped him on the shoulder. Ivan smiled and kissed her on the hand, "And you as well." Ivan slipped away and absently strode through the streets.
He remembered when Vera had been a slobbering, screaming, and unruly baby. And now look at her, she was old, she was the same age as her great grandmother when he first met her. It was funny, Ivan was so much older than them- and yet they seemed to be more mature. Ivan checked his watch and adjusted his backpack's straps. There was a train that was going to leave in half an hour, but it wouldn't hurt to catch the train after that. He wanted to soak up his capital's condition first hand.
-Tsarskaye Selo-
Anastasia dramatically sighed on her cot and looked at the clock on the wall. "Maria, when do you think Ivan is going to come back?" Anastasia drawled.
Maria barely spared Anastasia a glance and answered while never once stopping her pencil. "I don't know, in an hour?" Maria mumbled under her breath.
Anastasia was unsatisfied with the answer and looked up at the ceiling. She didn't like it when Ivan had to leave- it made her worried. What if Ivan got lost? Or if he was hurt? He was always really clumsy, he knocked things off shelves, bumped into paintings, and sometimes even bumped into her.
Anastasia heaved another dramatic sigh, but Ivan did have good reflexes. He would catch things before they fell, and he could balance a lot of books on his head at once. So perhaps he would be okay…
"Anastasia, Maria, it's time to eat lunch." A servant's head popped into their room. Maria barely moved, and Anastasia outright refused. "I don't want to eat without Ivan."
Maria silently seconded Anastasia's statement. She wasn't that hungry anyway. The servant frowned in return, the two siblings always became like this when Ivan went away. "I will tell your father you two will be in the dining room in 15 minutes." The servant swiftly left the two sulking siblings to prepare for lunch.
Kruschev checked his watch and took a deep breath to calm down. He was just outside of the palace gates. In order for their plan to work, he needed to seal off the front gates. He checked his watch again and wiped the sweat off of his brow. He needed to relax, he couldn't be tense when he approached the servants. He just needed to wait for the signal…
"Ah, I must've slept the wrong way last night. My left shoulder is sore." Another guard groaned as he exited the building.
Shoulder, there were four servants inside. His shoulder was sore, which meant that they would be easy to silence. And because it was his left shoulder, he needed to shove them into the first room on the left.
"Who the hell left a nail here? I've stepped on it, can one of you help me pull it out?" The same soldier beckoned a male and female servant out of the palace. He glanced at Kruschev and pretended to sneeze. It was go time.
He carefully pulled out his sling shot and aimed it at the side of their necks. He just needed to make them unstable for a second or two. He whirled the swing shot over his head and released the first marble.
Smack
The male servant collapsed to his knees. Kruschev fumbled for the next marble and hurled it into the female servant.
Crack
Kruschev flinched when his mark missed and he hit her temple instead. The girl crumpled to the ground, and his friend gave him the stink eye. It was more weight to carry.
Kruschev quickly went in and subdued the other servants. "I'll tie them, we're already behind. Sergey should already be at the dining room by now. You have your revolver, yes? I will join you shortly." He told Kruschev. Kruschev nodded and jogged down the halls. It wasn't hard to find his comrades, he just had to listen to where the shouts were coming from.
"Damn it!" Sergey swore. He had the Tsar and Tsarina being guarded and scowled when he saw Kruschev.
"The two youngest girls aren't here. We must sweep the palace floors, we'll take these two to a different room." Sergey signaled for the men to escort the five family members.
Nikolai calmly stood from his seat and firmly grasped his wife's hand as they were escorted out. Olga carried Alexei in her arms and Tatiana tightly clasped her book to her chest. Please, Nikolai prayed, please, let those two escape.
"You must hide, don't come out until they leave." The same servant who came to get them for lunch shoved them into a cabinet near the floor. It was a bit cramped and it was impossible for Anastasia and Maria to not completely violate each other's space- but they fit.
Anastasia frowned while Maria tightly held on to her when the servant shut the doors. "What's going on?" Anastasia softly whispered.
Maria made a shushing gesture with her finger. It was nearly pitch black in the cabinet, save for a single stream of light from the seam of the cabinet's doors. Anastasia pouted, but obeyed the silent command.
"…Take her away, search this room."
The two siblings held their breath as boots stomped into the room and armored men, probably soldiers, began to open every box and cabinet they could find. Everything seemed to fade for Maria, the voices grew dim, and everything seemed so surreal. Was this really happening to them? Were they going to be found?
Not on the servant's watch. The woman glanced down a hall and feigned panic, "Run Anastasia! With your sister to the woods!" She screamed in the loudest voice possible. Anastasia flinched at the call of her name, but Maria held her steady and squeezed her arm. She knew that if they would be discovered if they made even the slightest noise.
"She saw them! After them!" Their leader shouted. The soldiers sprinted out the room, and it became quiet again. When she was sure that no one was around, Maria let out a sigh of relief. She would have to thank the servant later.
Anastasia hesitantly cracked open the cabinet door and crawled out. They had to do something. Perhaps she should take Anastasia and hide in the palace until the guards left. Maria mentally smacked herself, that was a dumb plan. The guards would realize before long that the servant had been lying and would continue to search the palace for them. And then they would be captured.
Maria's thoughts immediately went to the rest of her family. She hadn't heard any gunshots, but she was almost certain that they had been captured. Every day they had lunch around this time, so it was only natural that the family members in the dining room were captured first.
Maria felt like she was about to cry. This was too much, there was nowhere to go. Their guards were missing, and Ivan was gone.
Anastasia observed her sister with a curious gaze, before she tugged on her sleeve. "Mashka, we have to go." Anastasia pulled her reluctant sister out of the cabinet. "Where to Natsya? There is nowhere to run to." Maria's voice hitched.
Anastasia tilted her head, "We have to tell Ivan." Anastasia said it as though it were the most obvious thing to do.
"We can't escape the palace." Maria peeked out from the window and saw the guards fan out on the large expanse of their estate. "They're searching everywhere for us."
Anastasia shook her head, "No, we just need to tell Ivan." She insisted. Ivan always told her that if something bad ever happened to them, all they had to do was tell him and he would fix it.
Maria shook her head and put her hands on her hips, "And how do we do that?" She exasperatedly asked.
"Isn't there a telegraph that goes to the big palace in the city?" Anastasia inquired. Maria paused, "Well, yes. However they wouldn't get Ivan. They would probably send in more soldiers." Maria said slowly as she thought about the idea. Anastasia immediately rejected it though. "No, we have to get Ivan. If soldiers come then Mama and Papa might be in bigger danger. Do we have one that goes to Aunt Olga's house?"
"Yes, but we don't know Morse code." Maria realized. It would be impossible to send a message over the telegraph, even if they could get to it.
"I can do it! Ivan taught me once." Anastasia boldly declared. Maria gave her a skeptical look. She remembered that 'lesson'. And by lesson, she meant that Ivan had run through the alphabet a few times before they played tag for the rest of the day.
Maria glanced through the window and saw that the soldiers were still preoccupied with searching for them in the forest. She clenched his hands into fists, and she sharply nodded.
"Okay, let's go." Maria took Anastasia's hand and they quietly crept to the room that held the said telegraph. Every tiny sound they made seemed to be amplified by seven fold. Maria constantly looked over her shoulder until they arrived in the room. She quickly closed the door and handed Anastasia the headphones. Please, she thought, please don't let them be found.
Aunt please..
"I found them! They're in this room!" The guards shouted. Maria locked the door and braced it with a table. "Anastasia!" She urgently shouted.
Anastasia knitted her brows as she slowly made out the letters.
Get Ivan to
"Open or we'll shoot!" a man warned. Maria closed her eyes and kept her back to the door, "Natsya!"
Anastasia grit her teeth, it was annoying when she kept calling out her name. She could hear the guards too.
Cdme back.
Anastasia ended the message, and shoved the telegraph behind a stack of books, out of sight.
The soldier broke the door down and roughly grabbed the two princesses. "Found them. Tell Sergey that I found them." He hollered down the hall. Anastasia and Maria exchanged glances and closed their eyes. They could only hope that Ivan came.
Ivan sat down at a local café and read the newspaper.
Asteroid crashes in Tunguska!
Ivan sipped on his cup of tea and rubbed the back of his neck. So that's why he was a bit sore this morning. He cracked his neck and put the paper down. There was nothing interesting, it was all propaganda and gossip. Lies and fantasies, that's all they were. He looked down at his half full tea cup and tilted his head. When was the last time he had gone out for a drink?
The last time he had any alcohol was when he had a few glasses of wine with the other nations in Spain- but he hadn't even touched his precious staple, Vodka, for a few months. Well, he thought, perhaps that was for the better. If There was no reason for him to drink, then why should he?
Ivan finished off his tea and set his paper aside for the next customer. He wanted to visit a few more shops since Anastasia really wanted a cowboy hat, and he knew a store around here that sold them.
"Ivan!" A familiar voice rooted him to his seat.
The entire café went silent and its patrons rose from their seats to pay their respects. Ivan did the same with an amused smile, "How did you find me? I didn't know you went to places like this." Ivan called out in greeting to Olga.
Olga rolled her eyes and gave Ivan a small kiss on the cheek. "Well if I recall, a very irresponsible nation used to bring me here every week."
The nation laughed and pat her on the head. The action caused a few people to gasp in horror, and he suddenly remembered where they were and apologized. Olga didn't seem to mind, but she did flash him a smug smile.
"I came here because I received a telegram from Tsarskaye Selo. I believe one of the girls was playing with the telegraph and told me to tell you to return to the palace." Olga told Ivan the reason for her unexpected appearance.
Ivan blinked, "They telegrammed you?" He mused. That was new. While the five of them were impatient, were rarely this impatient. Maybe they were having a fight.
Ivan's smile widened and he nodded his head. "Well then, I should return to the palace. Until next time." Ivan waved goodbye. Olga waved goodbye, "Until next time." She said a bit softly. Her two guards balked when she sat in Ivan's seat and decided to have tea as well. While the quality wasn't nearly as good as the tea in her house, she found that she liked this place's tea as well. She had many fond memories in this place.
Ivan brusquely weaved through the crowd of workers on the sidewalk. The more he thought about the telegram, the more he worried. It was very unusual for anyone to send a telegram to Olga, and it would be the first time the children had even sent a telegram. Ivan all out sprinted to the departing train and barely boarded it in time. He barreled through the doors and nearly crashed into a table.
The conductor looked like he was about to admonish Ivan and kick him off the train, but Ivan showed him his identification that marked him as a very, very important person. It also helped that he was a good foot taller, and was much more muscular than the old man.
"Please take a seat." The old man grumbled. Ivan ignored the stink eye the other passengers were giving him and plopped down at a booth.
He forced himself to stay calm and took a deep breath. There was nothing wrong, the children probably just got into a fight or something. Ivan was the first one out of the train once it reached the station. He adjusted his backpack and hopped onto his horse and urgently tapped its sides to put it into a gallop. "We must be quick yes?" Ivan pat the horse's neck as they rushed along the dirt roads.
Sergey lazily sat in front of the Tsar and his family. He absently tapped his fingers on the barrel of his rifle and yawned. There was little he could do, Mikhail said that he couldn't kill any of them until they were all in the same room. Nikolai held his children and his wife close.
"Is it money you're after?" Nikolai asked him and the three other rebels. Sergey glanced at the Tsar, "Shut up." Sergey growled.
Nikolai didn't say another word.
Anastasia panicked as the rebels dragged them through the halls. Maria had a vice-like grip on her little sister, but she could barely walk herself. They were going to die. The guards coldly shoved them around, until they were only a hallway or two away from their parents. Anastasia had to think quickly and took a deep breath before she bit the inside of her cheek. Hard.
The pain shot up through her skull, and tears ran down her face. Endure it, she thought. She couldn't let her sister die.
Anastasia violently began to cough, immediately catching the eye of the guards around her. She coughed until her throat felt like it was being ripped apart by knives and spat out the blood from her cheek into her hand. "A-Anastasia!" Maria exclaimed.
"What the hell is wrong with her?" One of the rebels asked the elder sister. Before Maria had the chance to answer, Anastasia collapsed to the ground and began to tremble.
"M-Mashka, m-my medication. I-I left it in the-" Anastasia violently coughed again and clutched her chest. "m-mother's r-room." Anastasia's voice was raspy. Confusion flashed across Maria's face.
Medication? The younger of the two grasped Maria by the arm and discretely squeezed it three times, hoping that she would catch on. For whatever reason, the guards had talked about how they couldn't kill anyone until they were all together. If she could just buy them some time.
Maria's heart skipped a beat, and she thickly swallowed. Anastasia wanted to buy them time. But what she probably didn't know, was that there was a pistol in the room as well. Father's pistol. "I told you to take it earlier this morning!" Maria pretended to be angry at her sister. Her acting skills weren't nearly as good as Anastasia's, but she could pass it off as being worried.
"What the hell is wrong with her?" The rebel asked again, only a bit more forcefully.
Maria glanced at the guards, "A-Anastasia h-has very weak lungs and must take medication for it. S-She just recently recovered from a flu. She has to take her medicine or she will die." Maria felt Anastasia's head and kept her hand there to generate some more heat. One of the rebels shoved her hand away and felt for himself. He frowned, "She is a bit warm sir. Should I go and get the medicine?"
"You don't know where their room is… Hey, can't we just kill them now?" One of the members complained. Anastasia violently coughed and began to hyperventilate. Her vision went a bit fuzzy, but she could fight it.
A few of the men moved away from the children, as if they were afraid to catch her disease. "…No, Mikhail said we needed her. You," the leader pointed to Maria. "Bring her to your parent's room and get her medication. If you're lying or try to do anything funny, I'll kill both of you on the spot." He threatened.
Maria furiously nodded and helped Anastasia stand. It was all or nothing now.
Adrian scowled as he looked over the estate from the gardens. He was forced to watch over the roads in case anyone came. Not that anyone would. That Ivan guy, he wouldn't be back for a couple of hours. He couldn't understand why Mikhail was so afraid of him. Even if Ivan did return, they could just kill him. He was neither a monster nor a god. He was just a man. A very big man, but a man nonetheless.
Adrian rolled his shoulders and glanced behind him. It would be great if they just hurried up.
ThudThudThudThud
The Russian's blue eyes snapped back towards the road as he heard something approach. He instantly crouched behind some flowers and got closer to the road. He strained his ears, those were definitely the sound of hooves. But they were a little fast to be from a carriage. Was it a messenger? He got a little closer to the point where he could look down the road. His entire body seemed to freeze when he spotted the source of the noise. It was Ivan.
I'm so mean. Yeah, that's the chapter that's been brewing for about an entire month. I really 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
