Anastasia 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Definitely don't use me as a history reference.


Arthur did say that he should follow this through, but how could he do it? Matthew thought as he walked along the streets of Moscow. It'd been nearly a week since the party, and he and Ivan had barely talked since then. Perhaps it was because of the sudden influx of work, or maybe it was because neither of them felt like continuing their routine, but they rarely made time to see each other. Until now, that is.

Conveniently, the next World Meeting was being held in Moscow. Matthew checked his watch and adjusted Kumajiro in his arms. He was a bit late to the after party Ivan's boss was holding for the nations, but it wasn't like they would notice. Or so he thought. There was actually someone waiting for him at the party, and he was immediately dragged to a corner sofa.

"I-Ivan!" Matthew stuttered when he was forced to it down next to the nation. Ivan looked up from his book and inquiringly looked up at the Canadian. "Ah, Matvey." He mused.

"Don't, Ah, Matvey- me! What is this?" Matthew loosened his tie and protectively held Kumajiro to his chest.

Ivan remained clueless and tilted his head, "It is a party? And you have sat down next to me?" Ivan deliberately said, as if he was afraid Matthew was hysterical.

Matthew scanned the room. That's right, Ivan had been reading when he was thrown onto the couch. He wasn't the one who had forced him over here.

Poke.

Matthew jumped when he felt a cold finger poke his side and he sat closer to Ivan.

Smack

Matthew angrily swore in French when an invisible little shit- er, an invisible creature, knocked the glasses right from his face.

Ivan, bless his soul, seemed to know what was bothering him and he silently took out his metal pipe. Matthew cautiously picked up his glasses and breathed a sigh of relief when the teasing stopped. "Senile old man." Ivan muttered as he took another shot of his vodka. The Canadian grabbed a glass of wine himself and idly chattered with the Russian. Matthew deliberately tried to avoid the topic of the Romanov's, and of course Ivan managed to thwart his plans.

Eventually, Matthew ratted out Arthur for telling him about Ivan and his heart. Although Ivan didn't seemed displeased, he wasn't exactly happy either.

"…Ah, I see. So Arthur told you, da?" Ivan muttered under his breath. He rubbed the spot where his heart fell out and sighed. "Yes, I did use the magic for Alexei. However I was very hesitant to do so, and I only used it because the Tsarevich's life was on the brink of death."

"Why?" Matthew asked. If this spell was so powerful, why was Ivan so hesitant about using it?

Ivan's smile widened, "Ah, Matvey knows me so well." He mused.

Matthew realized the implication of his words and he felt his stomach drop. Ivan waved away his guilt though, "You are not incorrect. It is a very insightful question. I was very careless back then. No, I did not care about what happened to me. However, a side effect of the spell is that Alexei would become entirely dependent on it. He would fall incredibly ill whenever he was separated from my heart for more than a week. If he were separated from it for two weeks, then he would have likely died from his hemophilia. He probably forgot to tell you." Ivan contemplatively crossed his arms.

"However that is skipping ahead of the many little details in between, first we must start with Olga's Birthday."


November 1st, 1911. Livadia, Crimea.

Maria rested her head on the table of her room and absently doodled on her math homework. Her window was open, and the curtains were drawn to reveal the seemingly endless expanse of sea. The scenery was beautiful, and she thought that it would be a waste to not capture its beauty. Her math tutor was less than impressed though, and he lightly chastised her.

"You must be as equally smart as you are beautiful." He said with a tone of disapproval. Maria groaned and smacked her head into the table, "It's too boring." Maria whined.

Her tutor sighed once again, "Please show a little more restraint. Do a few more problems and you can take a break." He finally gave up. Maria popped up from the table and quickly finished her assignment before bolting out the door. The math tutor merely shook his head and tucked away her worksheet into his folder.

"Natsya! Let's play!" Maria excitedly shouted to her younger sister. Anastasia popped up from her hiding place and grinned.

"I am playing hide and seek with Alexei, join me!" The mischievous girl made some room in her cabinet and beckoned for her older sister to hide with her. Maria eagerly joined and they tried to contain their giggles in the darkness of the cabinet.

"Alexei will never find us." Anastasia whispered. Maria nodded and stifled a laugh when a servant walked by.

"I found you!" Alexei ripped open the cabinet doors. Anastasia jumped and playfully stomped her foot. "How did you find us?" Anastasia demanded in Russian. She carefully watched her brother's gaze and caught him guiltily glance at one of the servants. Those traitors!

"Traitor! You sold us out!" Anastasia accusingly pointed her finger at the female servant.

"Unfortunately, it's time for lunch. The game couldn't have gone on forever." The female servant unapologetically curtsied before ushering the hyperactive children into the dining room.

They all greeted their parents before they took their seats at the table. Anastasia enthusiastically ate her lunch, but she stopped when she noticed the unusually tense atmosphere. An uncomfortable silence had settled in the room, where nothing- not even the scraping of forks and knives against the plates- could be heard.

"Is something the matter?" Maria timidly asked. Nikolai had a terribly troubled look on his face, and their mother didn't seem too terribly happy either. Nikolai shook his head and put the napkin on his lap on the table. Anastasia glanced at Olga and realized that Olga was the reason for this awkwardness. Perhaps she had gotten in a fight with their parents?

"Children, there's something that I must discuss with you." Nikolai unenthusiastically began. Alexandra looked uncomfortable as well as she sipped her glass of water.

"We told Ivan last year that he is free to return whenever he likes. However he has not responded since then. Therefore, there is little that we can do if he does not wish to return."

At this, Olga angrily huffed and glared at her parents. "I don't believe it. I saw our letters to Ivan in your drawer! You never sent them!"

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that. However I really did send a telegram to Ivan, and he only confirmed that he received the telegram. Nothing more, and nothing less. We cannot force him to do anything-"

"But you forced him to leave." Olga pointedly interrupted.

Nikolai drew in a deep, calming breath. "Yes, we did. We did it for your safety."

"But Ivan would never hurt us!" Tatiana burst.

Alexandra looked scandalized when Tatiana, her favorite, quiet, and polite Tatiana also joined in.

Nikolai sternly looked at his two eldest daughters, "No, that is where you're wrong. Do you understand what Ivan is? He has no allegiance to a single family. His allegiance is to the kingdom of Russia and her rulers. If another family were to take power, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you off. Do you understand this?" Nikolai angrily asked them.

Olga shook her head, "No, I don't." She stubbornly replied. "Ivan has his duties as a nation. But that doesn't mean that he can't form human bonds with us. He loves us. And we love him. And you can't deny that."

"No, I can't. Ivan does love you children, but I'm saying that he would kill you, despite his feelings." Nikolai explained as patiently as he could.

Olga pushed her chair out from the table and angrily stomped back to her room. Tatiana uncertainly looked at her parents before she quickly followed Olga out as well and left the rest of her younger siblings to fend for themselves.

Nikolai put his head in his hands and sighed, Olga's wish was a troublesome one. All she had wanted for her past birthdays was for Ivan to visit her. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, all they have wished for was for Ivan to come back. They didn't realize how impossible this request was.

"Father?" Anastasia's cutely asked.

Nikolai raised his head and offered a tired smile, "Yes, Anastasia?"

"Maybe Ivan would come back if you invited him to Olya's party." Anastasia suggested. Nikolai wryly smiled and shook his head, "But I don't know where he is right now, Anastasia." Nikolai took a sip of his water.

Anastasia shook her head, "Then ask his friends to tell him." She practically countered. Nikolai paused and eyed his daughter. He had certainly raised a formidable child. "I see, I will do just that. Aren't you such a clever girl?" Nikolai praised her.

Anastasia blushed and excitedly looked over to her little brother. "Isn't this great Alexei? We will get to see Ivan!" She happily exclaimed.

Alexei confusedly smiled, "Who?"


November 3, 1911, Kiev.

"Vanya~ would you like some tea? Arthur mailed me some." Katyusha called from the kitchen. Ivan draped himself over the couch and childishly pouted. "Only if there's a lot of honey in it."

Katyusha popped her head out of the kitchen door and disapprovingly frowned. "You will get cavities." She challenged.

"We can't get cavities." Ivan refuted.

"I can't say that I approve of you eating so much sugar." Katyusha said, but added an extra spoonful to the mug anyway. Ivan happily hummed and hopped over the sofa to take a sip. Ivan discretely waited for his sister to turn away before he added a few more spoons of honey. Katyusha had been watching though, and she worriedly took the honey jar away from Ivan.

Ivan's smile widened and he took another sip of his tea, he supposed that it was sweet enough. Katyusha put a hand on his forehead and frowned, "Are you feeling alright Vanya? I thought something was off, if you're feeling unwell because of how your kingdom is doing then you should've told me. I would've gotten you some honey tablets." Katyusha lightly chastised her younger sibling.

Ivan's smile broadened, "It's not a problem. This cup of tea is enough." Ivan nonchalantly pecked her on the cheek before he left the kitchen. Katyusha rolled her eyes and tossed him a muffin. "I won't tell anyone… But if you ever need anything-"

"Da, I will ask you. You worry too much." Ivan pat the empty spot on the sofa. Katyusha huffed and plopped down next to Ivan. Ivan could tell that she was angry, but he knew that her anger wouldn't last long. He gazed out the window and carefully inspected the building across the street.

It seemed like they had given it a new paint job. Ivan sighed and brought out his sketchbook from his inner coat pocket. The leather cover was worn with use, and the pages were stuffed with various sketches and drawings of the city. There were only a few blank pages left. Ivan absently sketched yet another field of sunflowers and propped up his elbow on the armrest of the sofa.

It'd been about three years since he had left Nikolai and the children. His 'exile' had officially ended a few months ago. But Ivan had to be careful. He didn't know what the mood in the palace was like, and he wasn't sure if the children wanted him to come back. Ivan sighed and put down his pencil.

It all came down to the children. He vaguely remembered Natalya informing him of a telegram from Tsarskoye Selo about how much everyone missed him, but he knew that the contents of the telegram were bullshit- through and through. Olga was so diligent in her studies, Tatiana was happily busy with work, Maria was paying more attention in class, and Anastasia had matured. It was as if the telegrapher was intentionally saying, 'the children are so much better off without you. They barely even think about you.'

It was even more concerning that Alexei had been completely omitted from the telegram, was he unwell? Ivan closed his eyes as the contents of the telegram became clearer.

"V-Vanya?" Katyusha's concerned voice broke through his thoughts. Ivan immediately opened his eyes and he realized that he had broken the pencil in his hand in half. Ivan sighed and tossed the pencil into the trashcan, that was the seventh one this week.

"…As I thought, you really must not be happy here." Katyusha said more to herself than anyone. A wave of guilt washed over Ivan, and he immediately denied it.

"Nyet, I am very happy here. However sometimes I get stressed thinking about what it's like in the palace." Ivan assured her. It was the truth after all.

His sister seemed unconvinced though and she took her mug to the kitchen. "I know that my home is modest in comparison with yours, but I'll help you with anything you need."

Ivan's smile became a bit more genuine and he took another sip of his tea. He came to Katyusha's house a little more than half a year ago. And in that span of time, he was almost reluctant to leave. It was much warmer here in comparison to the palace. Not to mention that he was with his sister. But he couldn't burden his sister for much longer.

Katyusha watched Ivan's internal mulling with a disapproving frown and declared that they should go to a candy shop. "Let's go, let's go!" Katyusha bubbled with enthusiasm as Ivan put on his boots.

The Russian raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't able to remain idle for long. As soon as he finished lacing his other boot, Katyusha grabbed his hand and dragged him to her favorite candy shop. Ivan tried to stifle a laugh as her sister's boobs greatly interfered with her running and pulled her back so that they could walk instead.

"I am no longer a child Katyusha." Ivan playfully pouted as she pushed open the door to the shop. Katyusha stood on tiptoes and pat her younger brother on the head, "You will always be a child to me. Go and get as much candy as you want!"

Ivan rolled his eyes at her words, but he obediently began to browse the candy store.

As he strolled the candy store, he noticed a very crisp looking guard approach his sister. His anger briefly flared when the said guard took a glance at his sister's chest, but it subsided to an icy simmer when he realized that the guard was simply handing her an envelope. Ivan quickly paid for the candy himself and easily strode up to his sister and the guard.

The man took a quick glance at Ivan, and he must've put two and two together because he suddenly became very pale.

The Russian's smile turned sinister, and he crunched on his hard candy. "Sister? Who is this?" Ivan's sickly sweet tone was laced with poison, and the guard immediately saluted.

"I was just here to deliver a letter to Ms. Braginskaya." The guard reported.

Ivan nodded and extended his hand out for a handshake. "Hello, I'm Ivan Braginsky. It's a pleasure. Carry on." Ivan happily introduced himself. The guard developed a cold sweat and he hesitantly shook Ivan's hand.

"The pleasure is mine, sir. I will take my leave." The guard was out quicker than a candlelight in a hurricane, and Katyusha playfully bat Ivan's arm.

"Ivan! You nearly gave him a heart attack." She tried to contain her laughter as they walked out of the store.

Ivan smirked and offered Katyusha some of his candy. "It's good if they know that you have a brother." Ivan defended his actions. Katyusha grabbed a few pieces and popped them into her mouth.

"You paid for them!" Katyusha suddenly exclaimed as they walked along a busy street. Ivan raised an eyebrow, that was a little late.

"Yes, I did."

"I was supposed to pay for them."

"Next time."

Katyusha exasperatedly sighed and held out the letter she had received to Ivan.

Ivan hesitantly accepted the rather fancy looking letter of invitation.

To: Yekaterina Braginskaya

If possible, please deliver to Ivan Braginsky.

From: The Tsar and his family

Ivan stared at the letter and uncertainly glanced at his sister. Katyusha smiled and motioned for them return to her house. Once they were back, she left to go and make some more tea. Ivan took a deep breath before he carefully opened the envelope and read the letter inside.

Ivan, it's been quite a few years since you were last here. The children all long to see your face once again, and I could think of no greater occasion for you to reunite with them than Olga's 16th birthday. All she has asked of us for her birthday is for you to dance with her. Even if you deny this invitation or choose to remain in silence, I will reserve a spot for you. I will hope that you will come to stay, as everyone, myself included, miss you. It will start at 6:15 in the evening. Please dress accordingly, in a frock with epaulettes or your evening dress with a white tie.

-Nicky-

Ivan read the letter a few times over before he handed it over to his sister. He traded the letter for another cup of tea, and he silently waited for her input.

"So? When are you leaving?" Katyusha plopped on the sofa right next to him. She had changed into a lavender colored sweater, and had her hair up in a small ponytail. Ivan nearly spit out his tea, "What?" He coughed.

Katyusha rolled her eyes, "Vanya, unless you want the children to hate you, you must go to Olga's birthday. She's turning 16! Don't over complicate things." She admonished her little brother. Ivan faintly smiled, off to war he went.


November 13th, 1911, Livadia palace

Olga's smile stretched ear to ear as she flew over the dance floor. The stars were out, and the entire palace bubbled with life. Her other three sisters enjoyed a fair amount of attention themselves. When they weren't dancing, they would play with their cousins. If only she had that kind of luxury, she thought with a sort of giddiness.

The men and boys all vied to dance with her and she was worried that her feet would fall off from all of the dancing. She glanced behind her to where her mother was supposed to be and sighed. She hoped that her mother felt better soon, she always seemed to fall sick whenever there was a party. Olga gracefully bowed once the music ended and took a seat to take a quick break.

She had to be careful to not overexert herself, because a princess couldn't be caught drenched in sweat during a formal event.

Olga paused in wiping her face with her handkerchief. If she remembered correctly, it was Ivan who had told her that. The eldest Grand duchess absently stared out the window. Ivan hadn't come. His seat during the banquet had been left empty, and even now when there were only a few dances left- he was not here. Olga took a deep breath and popped back onto her feet.

So what if Ivan didn't come? It wasn't like he had been there for any of her other birthdays. Why had she expected him to come this time? She was so silly. Olga put on a brave face and took the hand of another handsome military officer for the next dance. Maybe next year..


Ivan fiddled with the buttons on his frock and he fought to keep his purple aura in check. He glanced at the paper parcel in his hand, and he looked up to the stars. If any sort of deity existed anywhere, he prayed that they would protect him from the wrath of Nikolai. Really, his present didn't befit that of a princess at all. But Katyusha had insisted, and he had relented.

"You! State your business!" One of the guards caught sight of Ivan and raised his rifle. Ivan's smile widened and he tilted his head, "I'm really stressed right now. It would be great if you moved. Although I am a bit late, I am a guest. See?" Ivan's Russian was smooth and unafraid. He held up his ragged, but intact invitation.

"S-Sir Braginsky! Pardon my subordinate's rudeness, please come right in." The person whom Ivan believed to be his superior opened the door for him. Ivan took a deep breath and dispelled his purple aura as if nothing had happened. He strode through the door with his usual smile on his face, but he couldn't help himself. No one pointed their rifle at him without a little bit of teasing.

He stopped right next to the guard who had pointed his rifle at him, and he said in a low, but pleasant tone. "You have a good commander. It would do you well to follow in his footsteps." Ivan relished the look of fear on the guard's face and happily strode into the hall. He would have to put a good word in for the soldier later, it was nice to blow off some steam every once in a while.

"M-Mr Braginsky! Thank God you're here! Come, there are still a few dances left!" One of the maids passing by instantly began pushing him towards the ballroom. Ivan's purple aura leaked out, and he slid his eyes over to the rather bold made.

"You have become quite bold." He icily noted. The maid developed a cold sweat, but she continued to hurry him along the halls.

"Forgive me, but the Olga's happiness is more important at the moment." The maid was about to push open the doors for him to enter, but Ivan stopped her. He didn't want a flashy entrance, he just wanted to quietly slip in and surprise Olga and the rest of the children.

"I will take care of the rest." Ivan assured her. The maid nodded, but only stepped back a couple of meters. She was undoubtedly making sure that he didn't run off at the last moment. Was he really that unfaithful? Well whatever, he puffed, he didn't come all the way to Lividia for nothing. Ivan paused for a moment and made sure that his smile was firmly in place before he quietly slipped into the room.

The room was very much alive with music and idle chatter. Ivan instinctively stuck to the wall and watched the four Grand Duchesses dance with the men. He leaned his back against the wall and his smile lost its unnatural edge to it. They seemed to be having so much fun. He looked around the room for Nikolai, and spotted him playing cards with some of his friends on the other side of the room.

As usual, Alexandra was absent from the party. Ivan slid his present behind him and contented himself with just watching. It was pathetic, how could he be so satisfied with just watching?

"G-General Braginsky!" One of the guests finally noticed him. Ivan clicked his tongue and quickly hid his annoyance. That man had ruined the moment.

While the music continued to play, it seemed as if everything else had frozen. The dancers had stopped dancing, and the card players had paused their game to catch a look of him. Ivan detached himself from the wall and politely bowed, "Correct, although I had hoped to announce myself after this dance. Long time no see." Ivan glanced at the now pale man.

"He really came." Nikolai breathed. He stood from his chair to greet him, but his eldest daughter beat him to the punch.

"Ivan you idiot!" Olga stomped up to the nation. Ivan raised his eyebrows in alarm. Olga should never speak like that in front of so many people, it was bad for her publicity. Although knowing her, she probably couldn't care less about what he thought.

"You just left us! You never said hi, or sent a letter, or anything! What have you been doing for the past three years? We were so worried!" Olga couldn't stop the tears that ran down her face as she berated Ivan for how reckless he was. Ivan blinked and blankly stared at Olga as she scolded him like how a mother would a child and tilted his head ever-so slightly. When had she become so... emotional?

"Y-You're mean. You're the meanest of the mean, the worst villain. I missed you so much, we all did." Olga cried. Ivan knelt down to Olga's level and wiped her tears away with his handkerchief.

"I'm sorry, Olga. I should've wrote a letter every now and then. Don't cry little one, princesses don't look good with swollen eyes." Ivan stood up and gave Olga a hug. The eldest sniffled and buried her face in Ivan's coat. Ivan could tell that she was trying her hardest to keep the rest of her tears for later, and awkwardly pat her back.

"…e" Olga mumbled into his coat.

Ivan raised an eyebrow, "What?" He asked.

"….Anymore."

"What? Speak up Olga."

Olga lifted her face from his coat and wiped her tears away.

"I'm not little anymore Ivan. I'm sixteen now." Olga tried to smile and dabbed her eyes with Ivan's handkerchief.

The guests watched with a mixture of awe and disapproval, but they didn't dare show the latter.

"Vanya! Vanya is here!" Anastasia excitedly shouted as she dashed over to tackle hug him. Ivan chuckled and carefully pat her head in a way that didn't mess up her tiara.

"Hello Natsya, you seem to have grown." Ivan observed. Maria quickly followed suit, but Tatiana had the sense to stay back. Ivan could tell that she wanted to hug him too, but she was too socially aware. The Russian rewarded her restraint by kissing the back of her hand instead.

"You are all much taller than I last remember… Where is Alexei?" Ivan asked when he noticed that the young Tsarveich was absent.

"Alexei had to go to bed." Anastasia piped as they dragged him to the dance floor.

Ivan heavily resisted, "I'm out of practice, and the others-"

"Can wait. Dance Ivan, it's been ages since I've last seen you dance." Nikolai walked down to greet his friend.

Ivan didn't fail to notice Olga's scowl when her father came near, but he pretended that he didn't notice it. He firmly shook Nikolai's hand, "Hello Nikolai. You've gotten older." Ivan playfully observed.

Nikolai nodded and left to return to his game of cards. Apparently the Tsar wasn't in a very playful mood, Ivan remarked to himself before he turned his attention to the four excited children. Ivan first offered his hand to Olga and led her in a lively, but graceful dance.

"You're a good dancer." Olga complimented when the music ended. She was a bit out of breath, but she felt like she could dance forever. Ivan dramatically bowed and winked. "Who do you think taught your father?"

Next he danced with Tatiana, then Maria, and then finally, Anastasia.

"I'll lead you!" She boldly proclaimed while she took Ivan's large hands in her own. The men and women around them stifled their laughter when Ivan allowed Anastasia to lead the dance. Anastasia huffed as she tugged Ivan all over the room with the rest of the dancers. Ivan admired her strong will, it was both her strongest asset and her greatest weakness.

"Ivan, dancing with you is too hard. You're too big." Anastasia exasperatedly let go of Ivan's hands mid-way through the dance.

Ivan's chest became lighter, and his smile broadened. "Ah, then let me lead you. Perhaps when you are older you can lead me, but for now allow me." Ivan didn't wait for her response and grabbed her hands.

Anastasia couldn't stop laughing as Ivan seemed to glide across the floor with her. Olga no longer had any interest in dancing, and she turned her attention to Ivan for the rest of the evening. Ivan entertained them with hilarious tales of his travels. He was careful to keep his conversation light.

"Ah, that's right. I got presents for all of you, although I'm unsure if you'll like them." Ivan brought out four paper parcels from his jacket.

"First Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and then Anastasia… and I suppose that I can hand Alexei his present later." Ivan said that last part to himself.

The girls didn't hear him though and Olga happily tore open the parcel. Ivan watched with concealed nervousness as she held out a faintly lavender colored scarf. Olga inspected it with great interest and she rubbed the fabric between her fingers.

"It's so soft… where on earth did you get this?" Olga unfolded the scarf and gasped when she saw that her name had been skillfully embroidered in gold on the end of the long fabric. Ivan scratched his neck and looked away, "Katyusha taught me how to make it. She said that you would like it if I made it for you, however I wasn't sure if it was a present befit of you." Ivan's voice held no trace of his inner turmoil, but it seemed like he had been worried over nothing.

Olga loved it, as did the rest of the children and their gifts. They were all scarfs, and each of them had a subtly different color. Tatiana was particularly impressed with his handiwork and hugged him, "You must teach me how to embroider this well." Tatiana whispered. Ivan smiled and returned her hug, "It will be a group lesson."

Maria smiled and ran her hands over the fabric, "Is it just like yours?" Maria asked.

Ivan nodded, "Yes, it is. It will last you a very long time if you take care of it."

"Alright, it's time to bid goodnight to the guests. A servant will lead you to your room, Ivan." Nikolai came back to reclaim his daughters. Ivan nodded and bid goodbye to the children. "I will see you all in the morning." Ivan assured them.

"You better." Olga playfully warned.

Nikolai clicked his tongue in disapproval and led his children away. Ivan nodded to the servant to lead him to his room, and he settled in for the night.


"Oh, poor boy. He is bleeding again?" Rasputin sadly put a hand on Alexei's sweaty forehead. Alexandra nodded and clutched her hand to her chest, "Please, take care of him. I must return to the party for half an hour, but I will return." Alexandra grasped Rasputin's hand. The priest solemnly nodded, "Take care of your duties as the Tsarina, I will handle this." He urged her to leave.

Alexandra nodded and left, taking comfort in the fact that Rasputin would heal her son. Once the doors were shut, and Rasputin was alone, he rolled up Alexei's sleeve and ran a hand over his arm.

The child moaned in pain and he screwed his eyes shut. "Hurts, Hurts."

Rasputin felt pity for the child and quickly put him under hypnosis to ease his pain. "It's okay, I am simply going to check your blessing." Rasputin muttered. He spoke a few unintelligible words, and frowned when Alexei's arm glowed a sickly green. Just the day before, it had been a brilliant blue. Now the color was much more sinister.

Rasputin redid the spell once again, and smiled when he saw a crest appear on Alexei's pale arm. It briefly flared in size before it disappeared once again, and Alexei's pain subsided.

"I must leave right now, but I wish you good health until you return to Tsarskoye Selo." Rasputin brushed Alexei's hair aside before he quickly left the room. A few minutes later, the same crest reappeared on Alexei's arm and it quickly became black. Alexei groaned in his sleep, but he fell back into peaceful silence when the crest disappeared. He was fine, for now.


Sorry for not updating a lot more frequently. I'm actually going to be a bit busy for the next month or so, but my ultimate goal is to have this story done by the end of summer vacation! Thank you for your patience, and a huge thank you for taking the time to read up until now!

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