Anastasia 15
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Don't use me as a history reference.
"…It was a very happy reunion." Ivan remarked as he took another shot of vodka.
"It was happy, but things had obviously changed."
Matthew flinched when Ivan's purple aura reappeared and scooted a few feet away. "Da, it was then that I resolved to kill the ignorant starlet, Rasputin." Ivan spat out Rasputin's name.
December 20th, 1911. Tsarkoye Selo
Ivan drummed his fingers on his desk. The windows in his room were wide-open open, and allowed the frigid air to completely consume his living space. It couldn't be helped though. The room had absolutely stunk of dust and stagnant air after so many years of disuse. He had to aerate it for his health. Ivan leaned back in his chair and flipped through a random book on his desk.
Ivan and the rest of the royal family and servants had arrived at the palace a few days ago, and things were a bit different now. The servants and children had adapted to his absence. They never bothered as much as they did before, and the servants didn't ask him for help.
Well, perhaps that wasn't a bad thing. Ivan reasoned as he straightened out his room. It was good that the girls were more independent, and the servants needed to grow some backbone too. He glanced at the journals that littered his desk, each were chalk full of information about hemophilia.
Ivan ran his gloved fingers over the old journals before he shoved them into an empty part of his bookshelf. Who knew that the answer he had been searching for was not scientific, but was something as archaic as magic? Ivan's expression darkened at the thought of magic because it reminded him of Rasputin.
Ivan shut his windows and pulled his scarf a little tighter around him. That's right, he thought. Rasputin had done something to Alexei while he was gone. He couldn't believe it when Alexei had absolute no recollection of who he was.
"Ah, if it isn't little Alexei!" Ivan happily greeted the young boy. All of his sisters expectantly waited for their little brother to greet Ivan, but were shocked when Alexei shyly hid behind his father.
"Father, who is he?" Alexei audibly whispered.
Ivan froze for a second, but he quickly recovered. He put on his best face, and he knelt down so he seemed less intimidating. "I am Ivan Braginsky. I took care of you and your sisters since you were little babies. But I've been away for a long time. You might not remember me, but that's okay." Ivan beckoned for Alexei to come closer. The child hesitantly obeyed and tilted his head when Ivan handed him a paper parcel.
It pained Ivan to see how timid Alexei was around him, but he kept up a good face. He should've expected as much. The little Tsarevich had been much too young to clearly remember him.
"Wow! It's so soft!" Alexei gasped when his fingers came into contact with the scarf. Ivan chuckled and pat the child's head before he stood back up.
"Well, it seems like all of the gifts have been handed out. I will be waiting in the carriage." Ivan nodded to the family before he swiftly walked out of the palace. However instead of boarding one of the two carriages, he opted to absently pace in front of the palace.
Alexei's lapse in memory troubled him. If he recalled correctly, Alexei was about five years old when Ivan had left. If Alexei had only met him a dozen or so times, Ivan could've accepted being forgotten. However Alexei had spent nearly half of his life playing with him. It was unsettling to say the least. Ivan kicked a stray stone into the grass and sighed, well there was nothing he could do about it.
"Ivan! Let's all ride in a carriage together!" Anastasia excitedly called Ivan over from one of the larger carriages.
Ivan smiled and put his hands behind his back as he walked towards the carriage. "I'm afraid the horses will faint if they have to bear the weight of five children with the inclusion of me." Ivan mused.
"If we can fit, then they can handle it." Maria cheered as she shoved Ivan into the carriage. Ivan couldn't help but roll his eyes, but he obliged. Sure enough, they all fit. That was, everyone except for Alexei.
"No, you can't ride with them. It's too cramped, what if we go over a bump? You might get injured if there are so many people in the carriage." Alexandra pulled her son away from the crowded carriage. Alexei pouted, but complied with his mother's wishes. Ivan watched from the carriage window and drummed his fingers on the windowsill.
"Girls, when did Alexei forget me?" Ivan asked them once the carriages were in motion. A look of surprise registered on the girls' faces, and they all exchanged uncertain glances. "A week or two ago?" Anastasia uncertainly answered.
"I didn't know that he had forgotten you until today." Olga confessed with a worried look on her face. Ivan raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, this was troubling indeed. Well, he thought, he could worry about it later. Ivan quickly brushed the topic aside and happily chatted the day away with the girls until they got to the train station.
"…But he was very handsome, and I couldn't stop looking at him." Olga sighed as they got out of the carriage. Ivan snorted, and the rest of her sisters made a face.
"He's butt ugly too." Tatiana muttered.
Olga smacked Tatiana's arm and scowled, "Well excuse me! He's a very nice man-"
"With terrible table manners." Anastasia chimed in.
"With no tact at all." Tatiana added.
Ivan playfully wrapped his arm around Olga, as if he was shielding her from their criticism. "Be nice children. He might be better than you think." Ivan tapped the three younger siblings on the nose.
Olga smiled and put her hands on her hips, "Thank you!" She beamed.
Ivan straightened up and removed his arm from her shoulders when Nikolai and his wife came into view. He immediately spotted Alexei and shot him a friendly wave. He was surprised to see the child suddenly hide behind his parents once again as they approached. His strange behavior caught the attention of Anastasia, who grabbed Ivan's hand and led him to Alexei with a big smile.
She was undoubtedly trying to get her brother to relax around Ivan.
"Alexei~ How was the ride?" Anastasia chirped as the entire family began to walk to the train.
Alexei uncertainly smiled, and glanced at Ivan. "G-good… Anastasia?" Alexei tugged her sister away from Ivan.
Ivan wasn't offended by Alexei's behavior, he was rather alarmed by it. This was not the Alexei he remembered. Nikolai left to make sure that the train's arrangements were all sorted out, and Alexandra went to check on the luggage. Ivan took this chance to approach Alexei, but was put off when the child hid behind Anastasia.
Anastasia seemed at a loss for words at her brother's behavior, and she gently bopped his head. "Alexei, don't be mean to Ivan." She said in a half-joking manner before forcing him to confront the larger Russian.
Ivan knelt down in front of him and pouted. "Alexei, do you not like me?" Ivan's tone was childish at best, and it managed to make the little Tsarevich crack a smile.
"Who are you?" Alexei asked with genuine curiosity.
Ivan froze in place for a few seconds. Surely Alexei must be joking. Ivan told himself as he scanned Alexei's body language. But why was it, that the question sounded so sincere?
Anastasia frowned, "Ivan introduced himself earlier today, right before we got into the carriage." Anastasia slowly explained to Alexei, who seemed puzzled. He looked up into Ivan's purple eyes, and for just a second, Ivan saw him blank out.
"Who?" Alexei slowly asked.
A flicker of panic flashed across Anastasia's face and she turned Alexei around to face her. "Alexei, are you feeling okay? Are you in pain?" Anastasia put her hand on her brother's forehead.
Ivan slowly stood up and stared at Alexei, he could help it. The child assured his sister that he was fine, and seemed to completely forget about Ivan until he turned around. Once he made eye contact with Ivan, he repeated his previous actions. Ivan's blood ran cold, and he instinctively took a step back. What if Alexei's brain was bleeding?
"…Alexei, how could you forget about Vanya? He was the one who used to help you before Rasputin." Anastasia went on to describe every time that Ivan had helped him, and Ivan silently stood there. He needed to see Alexei's reaction.
Alexei quietly listened, and he attempted to correct his sister. "It wasn't Ivan. It was Rasputin." He insisted.
Anastasia frowned, "No, Ivan was before Rasputin. Don't you remember?"
"No, Vanya can't help me." Alexei automatically answered.
Anastasia recoiled a little at how quick Alexei's answer was, and she looked like she was on the brink of tears.
"A-Alexei-"
Ivan stopped it there, and he put a hand on Anastasia's shoulder. "It's fine. He is probably tired, why don't you go join your parents. I will be with you shortly." Ivan kissed the top of her head.
Anastasia looked like she wanted to say something, but she opted to remain silent and led Alexei away. Ivan kept his smile fixed on his face until he was sure they were gone before he let out his menacing purple aura.
Rasputin, that low-life, brainwashing, corrupting piece of shit. It took every ounce of Ivan's self-control to not take off for Rasputin and bash his head in with the bottom of his boot at this very second. Alexei had been hypnotized- brainwashed -by that ignorant piece of trash. All of the signs were there- what a nice present Rasputin had given him.
The train blew its whistle, signaling that it would be departing soon. Ivan took a deep, calming breath and bottled up his anger. His smile turned icy, and he chose to ride in a separate car. He would find a way to have his revenge on Rasputin. Whether it be death, or a lifetime of misery.
Ivan slammed his fist onto his desk, and the floor cracked a bit. His purple aura thoroughly permeated the air, and he felt a familiar bloodlust rise up in his chest.
Knock knock
"Ivan? It's me, Nikolai." Ivan flinched when he heard his voice. He struggled to reign in his anger for a few minutes before he opened the door.
"Ah, hello. Forgive me, I'm sorting my things." Ivan apologized and invited Nikolai in. The sovereign slowly inspected Ivan's room before he opted to remain standing.
"It's a bit chilly in here, isn't it?" Nikolai let out a frosty breath for emphasis.
Ivan barely spared him a glance as he rummaged through his closet. "Yes, I was aerating the room until a few minutes ago." Ivan grunted, obviously uninterested in small talk.
Nikolai sighed and crossed his arms. "Ivan, it's my understanding that you aren't particularly fond of Rasputin." He cut right to the chase.
Ivan betrayed no emotion and he held up an old scimitar to the sunlight. "You are correct." Ivan confirmed with his usual light tone.
"Is it… jealousy?" Nikolai hesitantly said the last word.
Ivan glanced up from his scimitar, slightly annoyed. "No, it isn't. Although I believe it's the other way around."
Nikolai took a few steps back so he could lean against the opposite wall. "How so?" He inquired.
The Russian put down his scimitar and sighed. Nikolai really seemed to not understand the situation at all.
"I believe that you are aware that Rasputin uses a mixture of… traditional medicine and hypnosis to cure Alexei, correct?" Ivan looked for confirmation. Ivan internally sighed when Nikolai's expression registered surprise instead of agreement.
"Or not. Well that is my conclusion." Ivan continued as he pulled things from his closet.
"…His methods are effective to a certain degree. However I think you should be wary of his hypnosis." Ivan knew better than to directly accuse Rasputin of his suspicion. Nikolai understood the implication of his words and sighed. "Don't tell me you're suspicious of him just because Alexei forgot about you?" Nikolai skeptically asked.
Ivan's smile widened in an attempt to mask his anger. "It's his behavior around me. Tell me Nikolai, is it normal to suddenly forget someone's name and face within mere hours? Perhaps. Mere seconds? I think not."
"You have no proof."
Ivan humorlessly laughed. "I have all of the proof I need. These are my personal speculations Nikolai. Whether you choose to trust me is up to you."
Ivan caustic remark ruffled Nikolai's feathers a bit, and he disapprovingly clicked his tongue.
"I will remind you Ivan, that I am the tsar. The ruler of this kingdom, and your superior." Nikolai firmly reasserted his position. Ivan could've cared less, but for the sake of peace he lowered his head.
"I apologize." Ivan's words had not a single ounce of sincerity in them.
The Tsar sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "That being said, I have approached you as Nikolai. Not the Tsar. Is it true that Rasputin uses hypnosis?" Nikolai asked, clearly troubled.
Ivan didn't know why he felt so irritable towards Nikolai today. Maybe it was because of the weather.
"Da. I confirmed I with my own two eyes. You can't prove anything to anyone else though. Rasputin is very careful of how he does things. He is not oblivious to the stigma attached to hypnotism…" Ivan sat down in his desk chair and propped his arm onto his desk. A dangerous smile made its way onto his face, and he rested his head on his hand.
"I don't like him, Nikolai. For more reasons than one." Ivan's forcibly light tone caused Nikolai to involuntarily flinch, and he pursed his lips.
"Well, you have barely interacted with him, yes? Perhaps you simply need to get to know him better. He is a bit strange, but he is a very kind and pious man." Nikolai vouched for Rasputin's worth. Ivan held back a scoff, and leaned back in his chair.
Nikolai was undoubtedly securing Rasputin's future safety. It was a wise move, considering how much Ivan despised the man.
"Well," Ivan got up from his chair and cracked his neck, "I suppose I will talk to him again… I don't think that my opinion of him will change though." Ivan motioned for them to exit his room. Nikolai relaxed at Ivan's words and waved off his doubt.
"As long as you approach him with an open mind, everything will be okay."
Ivan said nothing in return and aimlessly walked throughout the palace. He glanced at the Tsar, who followed him wherever he went and withheld a sigh.
"I am simply exercising my legs at the moment." Ivan said in an apologetic voice. Nikolai laughed, "So am I." He easily replied.
Annoying.
Ivan didn't speed up his pace, because that would be too rude of him, and decided to make some small talk.
"How is Alexandra? Alexei's health must be tough on her." Ivan said conversationally as they walked down the stairs. The Tsar wearily nodded and heaved a dramatic sigh.
"Yes, we must be very careful with him. Sometimes I think we are too protective- but it can't be helped. He is too fragile, too precious."
Ivan automatically nodded, "I see." Ivan replied. He slowed down his pace and internally mulled over how he could lose the Tsar. The man obviously wanted something from him, but he wasn't exactly in the mood for indirect requests.
"…Is there anything else you need of me?" Ivan asked.
Nikolai merely shrugged, "No, nothing."
Ivan's smile widened and he internally sighed. Perhaps that was too direct. After several more minutes of aimlessly walking, Nikolai eventually initiated a conversation.
"I… I want to let you know that your words hold greater weight in my mind than Rasputin." The Tsar clapped his hand on Ivan's shoulder.
Ivan slowly came to a halt and laughed.
"Really? I'm honored, Nikolai." Ivan's words came out to be much sharper than he had intended them to be. Perhaps his hidden bitterness had come out. He had been with Nikolai since he was a drooling baby.
He had also been helping to treat Alexei way before Rasputin, and yet it seemed like he had to compete for Nikolai's trust. It was absurd, how this man- claiming to be an envoy of God –was able to so firmly gain the Tsar's trust in a few years.
Nikolai tightened his grip on Ivan's shoulder before he let him go. "I just wanted to remind you of your place in this palace." Nikolai said with a small smile and left to go to the library.
"Thanks, Nikolai." Ivan called after him. The tsar swiveled his head back towards Ivan and waved before he disappeared around the corner.
"I really need to be more mature…" Ivan sighed as he walked back up the stairs. Nikolai was obviously trying to repair some of the damage in their relationship, and the least Ivan could do was acknowledge his efforts. He rubbed the back of his head and resumed cleaning his room. He could talk to Nikolai later.
"Natsya!" Maria exclaimed as soon as she opened the door to their room. Anastasia instantly looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. "Maria." Anastasia greeted.
Maria rolled her eyes and sat right next to Anastasia on her cot with an expectant smile. "Ivan's birthday is coming up. How's the 'best candy in the world' coming along?"
Anastasia blushed and hid her face behind her book. "I-I'm already having it made! Auntie Olga is going to give them to me the day of." Anastasia mumbled. Really, her present was the most childish out of all of theirs. She regretted tasking herself with such a gift, and it was so embarrassing, thinking about how proud she had been of her idea.
Maria smiled and playfully pushed Anastasia's head. "Is it going to be in the shape of a ring?" Maria teased.
Anastasia flinched and instinctively punched Maria on her shoulder.
"W-what? That's not funny. They're going to be animal shaped. What about you? Did you draw him a picture of your wedding together?" Anastasia shot back with a victorious smirk. It was Maria's turn to blush and she glared at Anastasia with as much animosity as she could muster.
While Ivan had been away from the house, Maria and Anastasia used to have frequent discussions about marrying Ivan so he would never be able to leave. Now that they were a bit older, those discussions had become something like a stain on their childhood. Maria internally screamed and covered her face with a blanket. She could just picture Anastasia using it as leverage in the future.
"No! Of course not! I painted a sunflower for him!" Maria shouted into the blankets. The blankets muffled her voice though, but Anastasia was more or less able to guess the meaning of her words.
"Hm, what about Tatiana and Olga? Did they get the… shot glass?" Anastasia lifted the covers so she could hide with Maria.
Maria nodded, "They wouldn't let me see it though. They said that it was a surprise."
Anastasia rolled her eyes, "It's a surprise for Ivan, not for us."
Maria fiercely nodded and threw the covers off of them in exasperation. "That's what I told them! But they wouldn't listen to me."
The two girls animatedly chatted until they heard a scream coming from one of the rooms. They jumped and immediately went to see what was happening.
Ivan had been sorting out his shelf when he heard a scream. He jumped and immediately grabbed his metal pipe before he sprinted to the source of the screams. The maids and palace doctors ran to see what was happening, and Nikolai was already on the scene.
Alexei wildly thrashed on the floor with a pained expression on his face. "I-It hurts!" Alexei curled into a ball. The doctors quickly moved him to the bed and urgently asked the child where it hurt.
"M-My arm." Alexei gasped. The doctors rolled up Alexei's sleeves and remained rooted to the spot when they saw his arm. A strange, almost demonic, symbol seemingly pulsated on his arm. Everyone except for Ivan crossed themselves, and the doctors shook their head. "I have never seen this before. It must be the work of the devil."
Nikolai looked like he was about to faint, and he turned to one of the maids. "Where's Alix?" He asked them of his wife's whereabouts.
"S-She is still asleep in her bedroom. Her cold has not disappeared."
Nikolai nodded, "Good, I can't let her see Alexei like this. What of Rasputin? Try to get ahold of him."
As the palace scrambled to get the starlet, Ivan couldn't stop staring at the symbol. This was no work of the devil, Ivan thought. He took off his glove and ghosted his hand over the angry looking symbol on Alexei's arm and flinched when he received a nasty shock. Ivan straightened up and looked Nikolai dead in the eye.
"You know that this isn't the work of the devil." Ivan blatantly told the Tsar.
Nikolai said nothing though, and remained by Alexei's side while Ivan left to send to telegram to Arthur. The magic Arthur had taught him was something to fight illnesses- not magic. He couldn't risk mixing two unknown types of magic together. Ivan flexed his fingers a bit before he began to work the telegraph.
Arthur
It is urgent. I'm sorry for imposing on you so suddenly, however Alexei has been cursed with magic. I do not know what to do, please respond quickly.
Ivan Braginsky
Ivan paced in the room for a few minutes until he got a rather speedy reply.
Gandar
Page 21. Diagram 5
Ivan frowned and stared at the title of the book. It seemed rather familiar… The Russian ran up to his room and opened his closet. He rifled through the dust and junk until he found a large leather-bound book.
Ivan checked the title and smirked, "Gandar By Arthur Kirkland." Ivan read it out loud. Now that he thought about it, Arthur had given him this book as a present a while back. Ivan's trip down memory lane was interrupted when Alexei screamed again, and he hastily opened up to page 21.
"Chalk, a medium, and seven candles." Ivan listed the necessary materials and grabbed the supplies. Ivan sprinted down the hall, book in hand.
"Any word from Rasputin?" Ivan asked Nikolai as soon as he was in the room. Nikolai shook his head, "He can't be reached at the moment… What do I do, Ivan?"
Ivan merely smiled and forced Nikolai to stand. "I need you to leave." Ivan cheerily shoved the Tsar and the rest of the attendants out of the room.
Nikolai resisted and shoved him away, "Don't touch me! I won't leave Alexei in his time of need-"
"I cannot help him if you're here." Ivan firmly pushed Nikolai out of the room. The Tsar grit his teeth and took ahold of the door. "If he dies under your care, I will kill you." Nikolai snarled before he slammed the door shut in Ivan's face.
Ivan looked down at his leather bound book and grit his teeth. Just how far was he willing to go for this child?
Yeah, I'm slacking guys. I'm sorry, but thank you guys for your wearing patience. I'm going to try to write a lot more chapters the next few weeks. I think I'm getting back into the flow. You guys are awesome for reading this far, really- I can't thank you guys enough.
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
