Keri: Fuck, I'm sorry this is took so long. I was going to break it up into two chapters but I told the RussLith club at LJ that this chapter would have Russia and I didn't want to be a liar, and it's my first year of college and OctoberNovelFest and now Nano-! Enjoy, god.

As the fall turned into winter, and the crops were harvested, bundled, and stored, as the days grew shorter, and the night colder, and as snow covered the land, Toris grew. It wasn't a slow process, like with humans where the change is gradual and unnoticeable until the child outgrew their clothes, but more of once a week his parents would see he had added an inch to his height and by the time the winter solstice had hit, Toris had become the middle child.

It unnerved the members of the Lorinaitis household, and in hushed voices while the children played, Mykolas and Audra mused if what the child had tried to explain to them had been true. For every time the mother would try to prompt the boy from his stories and tell her what horrors he had endured, it was the same insistent word of "Lietuva".

Toris felt embarrassed of himself once more for his siblings had at first been wary of him, the boys warming up to him much more quickly than the girls, thinking he had some secret for hurrying them into adulthood. But Ugnė held the same unease as her parents, while Milda shyly wondered if Toris was too old now to want to play dolls with her.

Still, Toris stuck fast to his usual routine of helping the women in the kitchen, despite his father's comments that next planting season he'd be strong enough to help.

When the holidays came, Toris was more than eager to learn, listing to the tales his father told with much more interest than his siblings who heard these things every year. He helped Audra cut a twig from the cherry tree in Valdas' yard, placing it in water, and checked every day the progress of the plant as the roots began to sprout. Not wanting to miss a thing, he even played games of farming with his brothers, and strew about hemp seeds with his sisters, even when the twins mocked him that such a thing was supposed to bring fortune to finding husbands. He sat at Mykolas' foot as the man taught him the songs for Kaleda, and was rewarded with pieces of sweet bread for being so clever.

The week before the actual holiday, Toris would sit on the floor of the living room, all his family gathered too – save Audra and Ugnė who were cooking away. Mykolas had explained that the house needed to be cleaned and decorated properly so as to perfectly symbolize the meaning behind the holiday. Toris worked with his ears open as the man guided his hand, and he realized that this was no time for idle merriment, but was a deep time for one to reflect about one's place in the world, in the circle of life, and to celebrate not only the life they still held, but all life in general and to not fear the death that would befall all at some point or another.

Toris would stand with Milda and watch their father hang these things which were made each year, and Toris felt a sense of pride that something he had made with his hands would not only be appreciated by the family, but played such an important part of the holiday. Rings of dried straw were hung about the house, each with little birds carved from wood placed within, a candle or two stuck inside. Toris was at first panicked when Mykolas lit them, fearing the house would catch fire, but was eased when he remembered that the family was good to Gabija, honored her daily, and so long as Toris had faith she would not harm them.

Under every grove was placed a wooden stool, atop was placed loaves of bread, bowls of salt, and bowls of kucia. This was left alone for the spirits of those long dead. Toris, Petras, and Liudvikas tossed handfuls of hay about the floor while Milda and Ugnė set the table: a layer of hay first, then a tablecloth, before decorating the center with a bundle of unthrashed rye.

On the day of Kucios, Toris sat in the yard with his siblings and watched the sun set and the sky darken. He bounced with excitement as the sky began to turn a dark blue as the orange ebbed away. "The first star, right?" he asked.

"The first star," Petras confirmed.

"Any star?"

"Any star, anywhere."

Toris paused. "What if it doesn't rise on this side of the house?"

The children considered this and Ugnė made small sound of amusement. "Too clever for his own good," she mused under her breath. "Come on Milda, let's go around to the other side to watch." The girls stood and moved away, leaving the boys to sit on their blanket in the snow.

Silence befell them and Toris moved over to where Milda had sat, allowing the twins to spread out more comfortably, though Petras still kept close, causing Toris to blush. The day the two had kissed had not been forgotten, and in fact had been explored in more depth. Petras had taken Toris up to the hay loft where they had lay together. True to his word, the older boy had not hurt Toris in anyway, and in fact had asked before even so much as holding his hand. Although it made Lietuva blush and fluster, he had accepted the advances and had taken to sneaking into Petras' bed at night after Liudvikas had fallen asleep.

The brunette wasn't sure what he wanted, still finding that every time their bodies brushed his heart rattled with the fear and shame that his rape had caused. Toris was certain he didn't love Petras, didn't want more than comfort and a few gentle kisses, and he had told his brother that. He didn't feel right trying to be a human, and every time Petras made an advance towards him, the thought flared up in his mind. He would not die, at least not until hundreds of years had passed, but Petras would be gone in the blink of an eye by his time. Toris had already been alive for nearly twenty-five years, even if he was stuck now in the body of a seven year old.

Marijus was asleep next to him and Toris absentmindedly fingered the toddler's hair, his emerald eyes searching for any slight twinkle of light. A smile pulled at his face, all thoughts banished, as he spotted one, hearing Milda yell that she had found it. The boys stood and Toris took Marijus into his arms, passing the bundle to Ugnė as she came back around. Liudvikas picked up the blanket as he and Milda ran into the house to tell their parents.

The family gathered at the front door and Audra handed out their scarves and coats, helping them dress and changing their house shoes for their boots. They piled in the cart, with the children in back and the adults and the napping Marijus up front. Toris moved close to Ugnė as she wrapped an arm around him to help keep him warm. They stopped at Valdas' house and their family joined in the back, the brother sitting between the twins and Diana cuddling close to him. Pilvi and Milda sat together, holding hands and giggling quietly to themselves.

"Is Morta's family coming?" Ugnė asked, looking across the cart at Valdas.

"No," he answered, ruffling Liudvikas' hair as the boys tried to pull him over. "Aras dragged her out to Vilnius, wanted to open up a shop out there. You know, be able to make more money."

Ugnė made a small sound of understanding, and fell silent again. Toris held her about the middle tightly, watching his brothers rough-house and hearing his sister and niece gossip amongst themselves.

Eventually the cart stopped at a small wooden house. Toris' brows knit together as they all piled out, Mykolas led him and his brothers to the left of the building while the girls went right. "Now Toris," he explained, "this is a sauna. It's part of the tradition and helps you to cleanse yourself. You get undressed and put your clothes here on this bench, then we'll go in and sit for awhile before we go home and eat."

Toris nodded and was thankful his blush couldn't be seen under the candle light. He still felt uncomfortable being even half dressed around anyone. But if this was meant to clean him, then he figured he would feel better afterward. He did as he was told and set his clothes aside, following close to his father as the entered a fogged up room, his brothers still trying to tackle Valdas to prove to him how strong they had become.

The entire building smelt of wet wood and a bit like rot, but it was warm and as Mykolas poured water over the hot coals set in the middle of the room, he felt himself relax. The family stayed for nearly an hour, Toris figured, and as he dressed and stepped back into the crisp night air, Toris did in deed feel like a new person. Like all the wrong and all the bad had been stitched into his old skin, and while dozing in the warm, thick clouds he had shed it and left it all behind him. No more was there pain in his heart and Toris' smile had never felt more real.

After bidding goodnight to Valdas and his family, the group circled the house three times, playing make believe as their father changed and entered the house under the name of Dievulis. They took their places at the table and Mykolas spoke words of wisdom and broke the first loaf of bread, passing it around for everyone to have some. They prayed to Zemynele, lifting their bread towards the heavens. Mykolas then passed around a goblet of beer and they each had a drink, spilling a few drops onto the floor for the dead.

Once that was completed, Mykolas sat at his seat and looked around the table. "Now then, who would you each like to forgive on this day so that in the coming year you may enter it as friends and begin anew?"

Ugnė cleared her throat first. "Tėtis, I wish to forgive the drunkard that killed my fiance. May the gods take pity upon him and bless his house." She bowed her head in a slow nod before looking back up again, her face strong and set, but her eyes glazed with unshed tears.

Mykolas squeezed her hand under the table and nodded his head. "Does anyone else have ill feelings of another they would like to forget?"

The others were quiet, the twins already selecting with their eyes the loaves of bread they would like and calculating how much of each food item they would be able to fit on their plate. Toris wondered if living within just the house made it so that the children had no bully they would like to forgive or any friend they had fought with they wished to make up with, but Toris found it odd they were all so quiet.

Toris took a deep breath, wanting to continue into the next year feeling as good as he had coming out of the sauna and he knew he couldn't do that with anything lift uncleansed. "I would like to forgive someone too, Tėtis," he said quietly, looking down at his lap. He felt a gentle hand on his head and looked up at his mother's soft smile, before taking a deep breath and locking eyes with his father. "I want to forgive Novgorod for hurting me. I know he only did it because he had to."

Getting a nod from the aging man, Toris felt a weight lifted. The food was passed around and a content silence washed over the room. Audra had set aside half the food for the animals, as the entire meal was vegetarian, and had set it out earlier that day and the family had strewn seeds about outside for the birds, for today was a day for animals to be given back to by man for their sacrifices throughout the year.

After everyone had eaten, they family each pulled a piece of hay from underneath the tablecloth and Mykolas used it to predict their fortunes. Ugnė's reading happiness with many children, Petras' with health, Milda's said wealth, Liudvikas' with power, Toris' startled Mykolas and made his brows furrow. He turned it over a few times to see if it could be read another way, but he cleared his throat and explained that it read a long life, but one that would be filled with trials and hardship.

Toris frowned deeply at the news and Audra cleared her throat. "It's just a silly game," she said, her husband's words having lowered a dark curtain upon the family's mood. She stood and ran a hand through Toris' hair, ushering them into the living room to burn their grains and birch twigs before bed.

-/-

The next morning the family once more piled into their cart, each bundled up tight against the biting winter air. Each of the children wore a necklace decorated with sun shaped beads and they carried suns made from woven hay. From over the side of the cart they waved to the other families, yelling good wishes and a happy Kaledos.

When they reached the nearest town, Mykolas tied up the horses and helped Audra down from her seat. Petras and Liudvikas stood and jumped onto the dirt, hurrying to say hello to the first people they saw, while Ugnė helped Toris and Milda get down in a much more dignified manner. "Now Toris," she said, taking his hand, "don't just rush around like those two, eager to finish this and get home, you have to mean every word you say, alright?"

Toris nodded, holding the toy close to his chest. He could feel the merriment in the air, everyone was gay and the decorations were hung from every window and every door frame. The keepers had all closed shop in favor of passing out free items, all with the same sun print theme. He saw his mother chatting with another woman who then presented her with a bowl while his father was shaking hands with each shop keeper and blessing their sales.

He smiled wide and allowed himself to be led along by his sisters, receiving free snacks of bread or crisps when they stopped to chat. Toris could feel the same feeling of new, of fresh, of clean amongst all these people, and everywhere he looked it seemed to radiate warmth and safety and happiness.

It was nearly noon when the family sat together on a set of benches in the road, Toris and his siblings held loaves of bread stuffed with stewed rye and beans while his parents shared a glass of ale. Ugnė was across the road talking with a group of girls about her age and Petras and Liudvikas were in a contest to see who could eat the most at once without choking.

Toris looked around at all the people who were congregating more to chat idly than they had earlier in the day. He raised his lunch to have another bite, but lowered it again as a vibrating wave washed over him. It was a low, buzzing hum in his ears and he felt goosebumps prickle on his skin. Suddenly, he felt very cold, and very fearful. Toris looked around, eyes scanning for the source of the shift, a change he knew his family couldn't feel.

He didn't have to look for long as the crowed turned and parted, whispering behind their hands as two men on horseback, followed by a procession of guards carrying weapons, flags, and packs off food, entered the square. Toris hopped to his feet, looking up at them. At the front was Novgorod, riding high and in full armor – shiny mental and tight leather covering every inch of his body, save his head for his helmet was underneath his arm. Riding next to him was a man Toris had never before seen. Even so, he could feel Nation on him.

The man had yellow skin with slanted eyes, his hair was black and matted underneath, brushed only at the top most layers. In the dip on his chin, where the teeth pushed out his lip, there was a thin, pointed beard with an accompanying mustache. He too wore armor, but instead of the single slab that Novgorod had, it consisted of several plates, layered over his torso. This man wore his helmet only because it did not cover his face like Novgorod's would; the top was decorated by two long, antenna-like feathers that fluttered behind him in the breeze.

Mykolas too stood as the men stopped before them, motioning for his wife and children to stay behind. "Labas," he said, bowing at the party for their importance was obvious even without him having to feel their Nationhood. "What may I do for you sirs?"

Novgorod kept Toris' gaze for a moment before looking at the man. His expression was flat, almost tired. "Da, we have been sent by Duke Mindaugas to collect this boy," he motioned to Toris. "He has been left to his own devices for long enough."

Mykolas shifted uncomfortably. Toris knew the man could not refuse a direct order from his leader, but hoped that he at least felt ache at having to let Toris go. He looked over at his father as he spoke again. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to do that."

Nodding at his response, Novgorod removed a scroll from where his belt held it against his waist. He handed it to Mykolas. "This is the order, read it for yourself. We will not leave this place without him – whether or not we have to use force shall be up to you." After a moment of watching Mykolas look over the papers, brows furrowed for he could not read, he continued. "My comrade here will teach this boy what he needs to know to survive. He can teach him what you haven't the knowledge, the money, or the time to teach him."

Mykolas sighed to himself, eyes fixed on the seal at the bottom of the page – his only clue to it's authenticity. "Toris..." he said quietly, looking at the boy. He got on his knee, looking the child in the eye. "Toris do you want to go with them? I'll do what you want and if you want to stay, I'll do everything I can to keep you."

Toris' eyelids fell half way and looked at his hand, the hand that still held his lunch. He wasn't a peasant, he wasn't a human, how long could he honestly continue on with this charade? "Lietuva," he quietly corrected. "Tėtis," Toris looked back up at Mykolas, eyes glazed over with tears, "I don't want to go. I want to stay here, I want to be your son. I love you and Mama and all my brothers and sisters." He sniffed wetly. "But I'll go with them – I have to."

"Good then that is that," Novgorod said before Mykolas had a chance to respond to his son. The horse he rode snorted and kicked at the dirt, though the empire held it in place. "Say your goodbyes."

Toris looked over at his family, there was a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes. His hand lowered and he didn't care as the insides fell onto the ground. Audra was looking at him with the same pain as if it were her own child being ripped from her arms, Milda and Liudvikas were looking at him, confused and sad, but Petras. Oh Petras. Toris couldn't meet his eye, but he didn't have to, for in an instant the other boy had jumped up, too abandoning his food in the dirt, to wrap his arms around Toris' neck.

"You can't go," he whined quietly in his ear. "You can't."

"I have to," Toris wrapped his arms around Petras' waist, loose at first, then squeezing tightly as he felt a sharp pain run through him.

Mykolas allowed them a moment before pulling his son off of the nation, Toris could see the confusion, but a spark, a spark of belief in those tired eyes. His family finally believed him. Audra was next, holding him close to her breast as she tried not to cry, and Toris felt just as warm and safe as he had on that first day that now seemed so long ago. "I love you, you will always, always, be my son," she said.

Milda pushed herself into the hug, and the two allowed her. Toris kissed away her tears. "It will be okay, Milda," he said gently and she shook her head, kissing his cheeks.

"You're my best friend," she said, her fingers clenching and unclenching against his chest.

"You're my best friend too," Toris said. After a moment of soothing her he looked over at Liudvikas, who was standing by the bench, just looking at him. He heard footsteps approach them and he knew it was Ugnė without even having to turn around.

The two boys looked at each other for only a heart beat. Liudvikas was jealous of how close Toris and Petras were, and Toris knew that. He was sure that the younger twin was happy that Toris was going and he would have Petras once more to himself, but he hoped that there was some trickle of pain, of sorrow, of loss that Liudvikas felt. When the twin came over, he held out his hand and Toris shook it, their eyes never once breaking. He stepped away so that Ugnė could pick Toris up, holding him in a tight hug.

Once he was set back on the ground, he went to the bench and kissed little Marijus on the forehead. Toris looked over his shoulder at his family, all standing in a clump, watching him. He took a deep breath and walked through them to where Novgorod had stepped off his horse, waiting to help him up.

-/-

It had been only a day to get back to Kaunas, which was nothing. They ate and changed, Lietuva was scolded by his boss, and he and Mongolia were loaded into a carriage.

Mongolia sat across from the boy, studying him. Toris felt uncomfortable under that strong gaze, it was judgmental, critical, and Toris wasn't sure if it was because the the strange eye shape or the way he looked own his nose at him, his entire body ridge and straight. Mongolia was out of his armor now and was wearing what Toris could only call a dress that shone in the sunlight, it was made of colored yellow and black silk that had a barely visible, dark-blue pattern. The collar was high at his neck with a slit down the middle. He had pants of a solid yet matching yellow, the legs of which were baggy around the ankles, rather than tight down. His shoes were black and the tips curled up back onto the top of his foot. He had on a hat that looked like a fabric bowl.

Lietuva thought he looked strange, awkward next to his own clothes – normal leather shoes, by his standards, with stockings and pantaloons that were so green they were almost black, with a matching vest and a white, long-sleeved shirt with very puffed up sleeves. "Where is your house at?" he asked once the carriage had crossed the country side.

It took the man a long moment to reply, Toris figured he was trying to convert his thoughts into Lithuanian. "Is seven suns," he finally said. When Mongolia spoke, Toris noticed that the only parts of him that moved were what parts of his body were needed for speech. The boy found this to be curious.

"What am I going to your place for?" Toris asked, not missing a moment pass after Mongolia answered.

The man's face twitched a bit, and Toris wondered if he had bothered him, but Mongolia took a breath and he was calm once more. "Novgorod and I have high hopes for your country. We know you will be great, with cultivation. I will train you to be a great empire." And that was all Toris could get him to say.

Mongolia's home was less tall and more wide than Toris' castle in Kaunas. In fact, it was sprawling. It took two hours for Lietuva to be given a tour, and Mongolia assured him that he would never get lost.

"Why?" Toris had questioned.

He had been answered: "Because you will stay in one area. You will have a training room, a bed room, a wash room, a dining hall, and a study. You will never leave that area."

Toris had been curious, though, wanting to sneak about the palace, which he did for a few days. He would follow the servants that would come and go from his wing until he'd seen every room a handful of times. He made himself an impromptu map and after awhile, he had memorized the layout.

But after two weeks Toris learned why he had been closed off: It was certainly not to keep him in check.

Having stolen an apple from the kitchen, Toris was wandering down a narrow hallway, the walls of which were decorated with elaborate rugs and paintings and wall scrolls. He had been given clothes similar in style to Mongolia's and he had to admit that they were very comfortable, unlike the constricting clothes the royalty wore in his home. He was trying to figure out the writing on one of the scrolls when he heard a hurried stream of yelling and what sounded like apologies in a language that he didn't speak, or even recognize. Toris felt a lump form in his throat and he ran to the sound.

No, being locked away was not for Mongolia's convenience at all. Toris' eye widened and his apple dropped to the floor as he saw what the commotion was. His new master was beating one of his slaves with a thin, long tree branch. Toris knew that Mongolia had both human and nation servants alike, and Toris wasn't sure which was the victim, but he knew he didn't like it.

"Stop it!" the boy screamed, running into the room. "Stop it! Stop it!" Toris tugged hard at Mongolia's top. The sound of the branch whistling through the air and the sick snap it made against the poor woman's back was sickening.

Much to Toris' surprise, Mongolia did stop, and the servant scrambled away. There was a gaggle of other girls hiding in the corner, and they held her close, ushering her out of the room. Toris swallowed thickly, taking a step away from his master. His face was hard in defiance, his fists clenched.

"What do you want child?" he hissed, looking down his nose at the boy. "You have no right to interfere here. You should be in your room."

Toris shook his head. "No, no! You can't hurt people!" He flinched as a hand was placed on his head.

"You will be a kind king some day, Toris, but what is respect without fear?"

Toris had been shuffled to his room and locked inside.

The next few days were spent alone in his room, pouting. He didn't understand how someone could beat another, and if one must, what reason warranted it? Toris used this time to think over what the man had said and wondered why respect could not be out of love? But maybe those were his human values influencing him.

Mongolia had unlocked his door after a few days and told him to keep to his rooms or in the area outside nearest his rooms. So Toris pulled on the coat he had been given and went out into the snow. Winter wasn't as heavy in this land as it was in his own, and Toris was happy for this. He had a large yard to walk in, with trimmed bushes and short, fat trees. In the distance Toris could see a forest. Grey clouds were slowly rolling across the sky.

Aimlessly he wandered, this was the first time he had been outside since he had come here nearly a month ago and he wanted to enjoy it. Toris breathed deeply, feeling his chest fill with cool, crisp air; it felt almost as though it were burning his nose and throat, but he certainly felt much better than he had days before.

He heard a rustle in the bushes and he blinked. "Hello?" Toris called out, going over to the plant. He had not seen any of the animals from Mongolia's place, aside from the dogs and cats that roamed the palace, and Toris was curious as to see the natives. He saw a tuft of ashy blonde poop up out of the top of the bush and he smiled, thinking it was a fawn.

But as it stood higher, Toris realized it was a dirty and frightened boy. He spoke quietly to Toris and he noticed that the language was close to what Novgorod spoke. "Hello?" Toris tried again, he only knew his own tongue.

"Is he gone?" the child asked. He was only visible from the bridge of his nose up, small hands pushing the bush down slightly. "Is Master not around?"

Toris shook his head. "Why are you hiding out here?" He had never seen any children around the castle before.

Slowly the boy left the bush, he would have been Toris' height if he stood on his tip-toes, but his face was round and soft, his eyes large on his face, it was obvious he was younger than the Lithuanian was. The shirt he wore was too small and there was a hairline of skin visible above his waistline, and his pants were too big, covering his feet. He had to keep pulling them up. He had on a scarf that was much too big; it was wrapped around his shoulders four or five times and still trailed behind him at at least his own height. "You...you are the new apprentice da?" he asked quietly. "Master...Master made me learn this for you." Toris assumed he meant the language.

"Why are you hiding out here?" he asked again, moving close to the dirty child.

He took a step back, hands pulled up to cover his nose and mouth. "I wanted to run, do not tell please. I do not like this house... Master hits me, he will hit me, if you tell, please..."

Toris felt a chill run through his veins as the child begged him. "I won't tell. But he will find you."

"Did...did he hurt her?" he asked.

"The servant girl?" Toris blinked, was she this boy's nanny? Was that what was wrong? "Did you run away from her?" When the child nodded, Toris sighed. "He beat her, yes."

The boy whimpered and pulled the scarf up and over his face, trying to muffle the sob that broke his lips.

Toris felt his heart break for the boy and he reached out to gently pull the scarf down. He tried not to laugh at the large nose that took up a good most of the boy's face, but the boy covered it up with his hands again, pink on his cheeks. Toris gently pried the hands away. "Why do you do that?" he asked gently, a smile on his face.

"Because I'm ugly," he said, sniffling. "And fat too." He pulled his hands away from Toris to pull his shirt down again. "Master does not let me eat, I need to lose weight, he says. I hate it here! I want to be back with my sisters!" Purple eyes desperately search Toris' face. "He says that Papa does not love me, until I am good I can not see my sisters!"

Again a tremor of pain. "Come with me," he said, holding the boy's hand. "Master will not find you, he doesn't go into my bedroom. You can't stay in the cold."

The boy was hesitant to follow, but eventually he followed Toris inside. He looked around the large bedroom as Toris shut the doors and removed his coat and shoes. "Lietuva?" he asked after a moment.

"You can call me Toris." He took the boy's hand and pulled him over to the fire place, sitting them down on the fur rug. "What's your name?"

He shuffled before sitting next to the kind boy, holding his hands out to the flames. "Muscovy," he muttered.

Toris made a couple of faces as he worked out if that was his country or his name. "You're...like Master and me, right?" At the nod he got, he added: "Do you have a human name?"

The boy shook his head this time, flexing and bending his fingers to get some feeling back into them.

Toris watched him sadly, leaning to the side, using one arm to prop himself up. There was a deep frown on his face and his brows were knit slightly. So Mongolia didn't feed him and beat him and called him names? The man seemed to be even more cruel than he had thought. "I don't think you're fat," he said after a few minutes, "or ugly. I think you're cute, in fact."

Muscovy blushed again, burrowing his nose back into his scarf. "You are teasing me."

"What makes you say that?"

He shuffled and pulled his legs out form under him and up against his chest. Muscovy watched the flames dance and the logs burn and fall, listening to it all crackle and pop. "Because you are pretty."

This took Toris by surprise. He didn't think he was that good looking at all. "What does how I look have to do with how I think you look?"

"Because!" the boy insisted. "You are here to be like him!" Muscovy hid inside his knees, shaking visibly. "You...you are going to get him and laugh while he beats me!"

Toris grabbed Muscovy's arm, forcing the smaller boy to look at him. "I don't want him to hurt you or anyone else! I'm going to keep you safe from him, okay?" he said firmly, looking at Muscovy hard. He watched Muscovy tremble beneath his hands and, with a small sigh, Toris let him go, making him stand up. "You must be tired," he said much more gently, he didn't want to frighten the boy. "You can have a nap in my bed, and after dinner I'll bring you some food, okay?"

Muscovy pulled his arm away and shook his head. "I-I will sleep on the floor, it is okay! A-and do not give me your good food!"

The Lithuanian shook his head and pulled Muscovy back to the bed, pushing the blankets down for the boy to get in. "Please sleep in the bed, I will be sad if you sleep on the floor."

Toris watched the mental battle waging in the boy's head, but Muscovy eventually crawled onto the down filled mattress and allowed Toris to tuck him in. Toris too climbed onto the bed, sitting next to Muscovy, gently petting his hair.

Muscovy closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, moving closer to Toris. "Are you going to be my friend?" he asked sleepily.

Lietuva smiled and slid so he was laying next to the little lost boy, who was so cold, even now that he was under the blankets near the fire. "I'll be your friend," he said quietly.

Historical Notes:

• To be fair about Mongolia and Lithuania's relations, the only reason Lithuania became an empire, was because Mongolia just stopped conquering once they reached Belarus. Just humor me while I take historic liberties. Although, Mongolia did treat the Grand Duchy peacefully. I don't really want to go out and find a more reliable source, like I usually try to, so settle for Wiki. My friend also confirms this from some history book she read. [ www dot en dot wikipedia dot org forward slash wiki forward slash Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania ]

Just to give you some perspective: Novgorod invaded the Prussians/Lithuanians/Swedes in 1240, Mongolia held Muscovy from 1240 to 1380, the Teutonic Wars start in 1295 and go until 1316, Lithuania truly starts expanding starting in 1316 and goes until 1341, and unites with Poland in 1386.

Oh, and Muscovy is baby Russia. Just in case you didn't know.