Backstory. Running Out.
The blood, the screams, the city he'd seen so many times torn apart. Ivan had to sit and swallow all of it. Well…not exactly sit. He had to go forward, make more blood mark the streets, cause those screams…tear apart that city. So he marched forward, the soldiers that followed him…a stupid twenty-six year old…they did what he told them. He told them what he was told. He had joined this revolution for innocent purposes.
He thought this was for the better. He still did.
This country, the country he lived in, was just a mishmash of different kinds of people that none of the three surrounding countries wanted anything to do with. But they held control. They made it a "country" by name only. It held no real power. There were a king and a queen and their two baby princes. They were figureheads, ruled by the leaders that surrounded them. Ivan was tired of it. So when he saw people turning to the streets, attempting to change something for the better…he joined them. He left his sisters behind and told them to keep each other safe while he fought on his own.
Leaving his sisters was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. Their parents had died years before due to lack of food, they wanted their children to survive. Ivan was not the oldest, but he was the man of the house, so he had to act like it. His elder sister, Katyusha, was kind-hearted, almost too much for her own good. Ivan had to chase away many suitors that only wanted her for her breasts. His little sister, Natalia, was…crazy, yes. But she was fiercely protective over Ivan, it took quite a lot of coaxing to convince her to stay. They were everything to Ivan, the reason he was trying to better this country. And, eight years later, as he marched down the streets in the capital, he hoped and prayed that they were alright. They had to be, so far from the capital.
Eight years…Yes, it had only been eight years. Ivan was a fierce fighter, wanting nothing more than to better this country for the sake of everyone in it. He was more than willing to give his life. During a battle when the soldier in charge of him and his "battalion" (if it could even be called that) died, Ivan didn't hesitate to take over, accomplishing a vital victory over a small town just outside the capital. It had a strategic location for rocket launchers. Since then, Ivan had been…a figure. A symbol for the revolution. The nobles that had sparked this revolution with words and sat back while it was fought with weapons appointed him higher and higher. Up until that moment, when he was the main general, marching to the front of the capital building. He could hear cheering among the screams, those few people alive that supported him and his ideal.
Those nobles were there now, years ahead of him in knowledge about everything. Ivan was just some citizen, he didn't mean anything except to fight. These men…they were wise. They knew what was best. They were to be protected at all costs. The soldiers that came forward were fought back easily, especially by Ivan, who, even with a vast array of technology available to him, fought with a sword.
Finally, they reached the doors, Ivan spearheading this tidal wave of chaos. He kicked the door open and walked in as the soldiers around him flooded in as well. Soldiers of the crowns of the surrounding countries surged towards them, but they fell easily, and with plenty of blood. Ivan grimaced, but continued forward anyway, running to keep up with this frenzy.
When he opened the door to the throne room, it all happened too fast for him to register. The nobles had guns, yes, but Ivan had assumed they didn't know how to use them. He was proven wrong when the nobles stepped before him and didn't hesitate to shoot the king and queen, who barely had a chance to stand in shock.
"Braginski," one of the nobles ordered him and Ivan turned to attention. "Shut those damn doors."
Ivan obeyed immediately, he shooed out all of the soldiers inside and turned to leave, shutting the doors behind him.
"You, stay," another noble said clearly. Ivan nodded carefully and shut the doors closed, locking himself inside. It was amazing how much sound was muffled just by those doors and Ivan sighed. That was when he heard it. The crying. Of two infant children. Ivan clenched his jaw tightly, hoping the crying would stop. He was not here to harm the innocent, like those children lying there, unaware of the world but knowing the chaos. He was there to get rid of the corrupt.
He heard an infant screech and immediately turned to face the nobles. They were…laughing. Cruelly. They stood around the twin cribs, one of them with a sharp dagger in hand. It was dripping with blood. Both infants were screeching now, the unharmed one terrified for his brother.
"What are you doing?" Ivan demanded, storming up to the nobles. Their position be damned, he would not sit back and allow them to do this.
"Come now, it can't be that difficult to kill a baby," one noble had the gall to smirk and Ivan felt his anger fume. He reached the cradles and saw that one of the twins had a massive slash across his eyes. Before Ivan could react, another noble had a dagger and did the same to the other twin. Their screeches were deafening.
"Stop!" Ivan commanded. There were about seven of them, but Ivan was, by now, a trained soldier. They were far from it. "Continue and I will-"
"You will what?" a noble snapped. "Kill us?"
"Don't think I won't," Ivan warned. "I joined this to help the innocent, not cause them harm."
"Their blood is far from innocent!" another noble laughed and Ivan gripped his sword tight enough to cause his hand to tremble.
"Think about your next step carefully," another one smirked, holding his bloody dagger happily in the air. "Or perhaps we could do the same to your sisters."
Ivan froze, his eyes wide.
"What." Ivan took a deep breath to steady himself before he did anything rash. "Did you do." Another deep breath. "To my sisters?"
"Nothing yet," a noble smirked and Ivan's stomach twisted into terrible knots. He had left his sisters alone, he had assumed they could protect themselves…But this? What kind of people would dare do something like that? Why would these nobles want this leverage on him? He'd hardly even met the men before. "As long as you obey."
"And," one of the nobles with a knife chimed, slamming his knife down without remorse onto one of the twins. The baby screeched as his arm disconnected from his body. Ivan felt his breathing grow uneven. He had to stop them from doing this…but his sisters were possibly in danger…He couldn't… "Don't interfere."
"What do you want with me?" Ivan asked, his voice shaking without his control as another arm was disconnected from the baby. They should have just killed the children, not forced them through this torture. Not forced Ivan through the torture. He hoped the child would simply bleed out soon, end his own torture.
"You're a symbol, Ivan," one of the nobles said happily, a wicked smile on his face. "We'll need someone like you."
"Why?" Ivan asked darkly.
"We didn't fight," another one shrugged. "We don't mean anything to those savages out there. You, on the other hand. You are very influential."
"We are offering you a position you have no way to refuse," a noble with a knife said. Ivan felt about ready to puke. He could hear the sounds of celebration just outside the door. But all that registered were the screams of the children before him. A leg was disconnected.
"You want me to act as a leader?" Ivan asked carefully.
"This country needs a king to get back on its feet," a noble shrugged.
"Don't worry, you won't even need to make any decisions, we'll do everything for you," another one said. The last leg was gone. Why didn't they just kill the child? "Disobey, and I think you can assume what will happen."
"Fine," Ivan said. Anything for his sisters. As much as it would make his skin crawl to have these men in control of the country, a position like king would give him some leeway, he could do some right to correct all of this wrong.
"Then you can leave, my liege," another noble laughed and Ivan winced. He almost turned to leave. Almost. He saw one of them raised his knife once again on the other twin.
"Stop," Ivan said, his voice near the point of begging. "Please."
"Why?" a noble scoffed. "These vermin deserve this."
"They are children," Ivan snapped. "They won't remember this day or their parents." He had to think of something to convince these men to keep the children alive. Their shrieks were growing weak. "They could be useful to me. Please."
"Let me think," one noble mused, taking a long pause that made Ivan flinch. "Perhaps they could be useful. But you can't slack. Make them completely devoted to you. That would surely be fun."
"Fine," Ivan said.
"And we'll have to work on your tone, you don't sound like a king at all," a noble laughed.
"I am going to fetch a doctor," Ivan all but growled, calmly stepping out of the room. The second the doors closed, however, he started sprinting, moving as fast as he possibly could. He glanced around feverishly, glancing past the soldiers that wanted to toast to him. He found a doctor, who was currently tending an unimportant wound on a soldiers arm. He wasted no time, yanking on the man's shoulders and turning him towards him. "Help."
Ivan was exhausted. He was about ready to fall asleep, on his desk while he worked. 5 years. He had been a king for 5 years. He was hardly allowed to sleep with the amount of work poured on him for the sake of his new country…No, it wasn't his…He was a puppet, an empty shell. None of the orders or laws he passed were of his own will, anyway. He had even forced back any opposition he had for a law they forced him to pass about slavery, basically allowing it, if not promoting it. He obeyed orders for the sake of his sisters, though he'd never been allowed to see them. Only one picture had been given him at his coronation. As a gift.
"Your Majesty?" a small voice asked from his side and Ivan jumped slightly, looking down to the voice. He knew exactly who it would be.
"Alfred," Ivan smiled slightly. Sure enough, Matthew was standing there, too, hiding shyly behind Alfred. "Matthew."
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" Alfred asked. His glasses drooped on his nose and he clumsily pushed them up his nose, nearly injuring himself with the force of it. Ivan chuckled slightly. The boy never really got accustomed to the strength that came with the fake limbs. Thankfully, their eyes had also been saved thanks to an emergency surgery, though their eyesight was less than desirable and so they required glasses to see properly. Contacts couldn't work over the scars barely visible in their eyes.
"I am fine," Ivan nodded. "Just a bit tired." He had no idea how the two managed to find him, or even get into the capital building in the first place, but they had this uncanny ability to sneak around without being caught. They cared so much for Ivan, it was obvious they were willing to do anything for him, even die. It nearly made Ivan sick to his stomach.
"Then you should sleep, Your Majesty," Matthew spoke quietly, bowing his head as he did.
"I wish I had the luxury," Ivan sighed. "You two should return home." It was a rather large house for just the two of them, just a short distance from the capital building. It had enough rooms to house six, leading Ivan to believe that the nobles above him had a plan in mind he wouldn't like.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Alfred nodded. "We…I mean…Mattie was just worried about you."
"Alfred," Matthew pouted at him and Alfred shrugged innocently.
"We will get out of your way," Alfred muttered and turned to leave. Ivan noticed as he walked that his steps were uneven and Alfred almost seemed to be in pain by the looks of it.
"Alfred," Ivan said and the boy turned to face him. "Do you need new prosthetics?" The boy grew incredibly fast, needing new prosthetics practically every month. It was immensely expensive, but Ivan felt no remorse stealing money from those nobles to help the boy.
"No, Your Majesty, I am fine," Alfred bowed his head, biting his lip slightly.
"If you require new ones, all you need to do is tell me," Ivan sighed. "It is no bother to me, do not hesitate."
"You don't need to care about something as small as that, Your Majesty, you need to sleep," Alfred nodded, standing straight and trying to sound official. Ivan chuckled slightly.
"I will schedule a time for the new surgery," Ivan smiled slightly. "I am sorry, but you will have to deal with the pain for a few more days, most likely."
"Don't worry about me, Your Majesty," Alfred beamed happily. "Thank you for your kindness."
"Thank you," Matthew mimicked him quietly. And then they left. Ivan shook his head, massaging the bridge of his nose. He cared for the boys more than anything, though perhaps they were second only to his sisters. He knew nothing of raising children, though the nobles had no problem with Ivan's one wish of keeping the boys alive. They had proper care, as shown by Alfred's constant need for new prosthetics as he grew. Ivan just wished he could help them more.
Ivan blinked down at the child in front of him. He had grown accustomed to two children in the past 10 years of his life, but this child was... more new to him. He looked very serious, his brown eyes betraying no emotion and his neat black hair blocking only small bits of his face. He bowed before him. Alfred and Matthew were behind him on either side. Ivan was at a loss for words, glancing to the nobles that stood behind them. They would not rise unless Ivan gave the order, he had already learned that. Whoever had taught them that, Ivan had yet to know.
"This child is named Kiku," a noble man informed simply, a fact Ivan already knew. "He is from that village on the border with Yao's country, as you know."
"Why does he kneel before me?" Ivan asked carefully. He had taken the boy in hoping that he could get along well with Matthew and Alfred. Not to make him like them.
"As a part of your plan, of course, Your Majesty," another noble said and Ivan felt his eye twitch in annoyance.
"Of course, my plan," Ivan sighed. He knew nothing of this plan. Those damn nobles, deciding things without even a word of his own input. "And he will be staying with Alfred and Matthew."
"Of course," a noble nodded. "Your Majesty."
"You may rise," Ivan said simply and the three boys stood, looking at him but not in the eyes. He damned whoever taught them that, too. He missed the boys that would look him in the eye, full of curiosity, didn't care about his standing. Now they were just subjects, completely loyal to him and every word he said. "Kiku. Alfred and Matthew will take good care of you. Please, return to your home."
"Yes, Your Majesty," all three said at once and Ivan visibly winced, though they didn't see it. Ivan watched them leave, closing the door behind them.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ivan demanded from the men in front of him.
"It is our plan, the one you started with those two boys," a noble said simply. "Surely, you do not think that those two have only sat around these past 10 years."
"What have you been doing to them?" Ivan asked, almost scared for the fate those boys had been through.
"In the future, they will be your personal assassins, willing to do anything you wish of them," a noble said and Ivan sat in a stunned silence. Assassins? "Currently, they are training and you are left unprotected, my apologies, Your Majesty."
"Kiku is from a village known for its assassin services, as mercenaries, as you know," another one continued. "He has already been somewhat trained and will be a good example to the twins. And we will be gaining more in the future. That house is far too large for only two of them."
"I do not approve of this," Ivan said simply. "You cannot simply abduct children and expect-"
"What choice do you have, Ivan?" a noble asked coldly and Ivan glared at him from where he sat on that stupid throne.
"If you expect to use my sisters as leverage for me," Ivan breathed evenly, "perhaps you should allow me to see them, even once. At this point, I consider them dead."
"Good guess," a noble laughed and Ivan felt his blood run cold.
"What?" Ivan asked, the word barely making his past his lips.
"Ivan," a noble smirked. "They've been dead for, maybe, 11 years now."
"What?" Ivan snapped.
"I believe you never asked," another noble laughed.
"You…" Ivan was at a loss for words. They had killed his sisters and used them as leverage this whole time? Why? To keep him as their obedient, little, puppet? "Why?"
"I believe the answer to that question is obvious," a noble shrugged. Ivan breathed deeply, ensuring the tears that were racing to his eyes did not show in front of the demons before him. "What do you wish to do, Your Majesty?"
Ivan felt his hands shaking as he stared down the men before him. They had controlled him for ten years, saying his sisters could be in danger. But they were already dead. He was almost happy that they hadn't been tortured through the past 10 years he had thought they were. But now…what did he have left? He was the king, he had no friends, he had nothing. No family.
The closest he had were Matthew and Alfred, the boys that constantly looked up to him and were willing to be completely faithful servants to him. Willing to kill for him.
Ivan hung his head. He was useless, that was what he was. Useless garbage. He was in a place of utmost power, but he was completely powerless. He had no words to describe how much of a…failure he was.
"Exactly what I expected," a noble scoffed and they filed out of the room. Ivan felt himself tremble as the door closed. His sisters had been gone this whole time. They had him on a leash for nothing. Now all he had were the boys. Surely, he couldn't leave them alone.
Ivan balled his hands into trembling fists as the hot tears slipped past his guard. When had he become this empty shell? Devoid of all ability to fight back? Was he any better than the boys brainwashed into obeying him?
"We need to fight back," a noble said simply.
"Fine," Ivan muttered. "Then we will."
"These revolutionaries need to be stopped," another noble said clearly.
"Do you think the boys are ready?" another one asked.
"It's been three years of rigorous training, will they be any more ready?"
"I will send them if you believe I should," Ivan said simply. Even Kiku was completely devoted to him. Over the past three years, he had offered so much to Ivan, his life, his devotion, everything he had to give. Why? For what? Ivan wasn't anything worth giving something so important to. "If you say they are ready, then they surely are."
"Well, they won't die," a noble laughed. "That would mean disappointing the king they love so much, right? Failure isn't an option for them."
"You are right," Ivan nodded.
"Then we start attacking these revolutionaries," a noble said proudly. The irony was not lost on Ivan. They had been revolutionaries just thirteen years earlier. Now they were fighting back revolutionaries that thought they hadn't done a good enough job. Ivan completely agreed with them.
All of the goals he had, everything that he wanted to accomplish by fighting…none of it happened for him. A new set of nobility was simply placed in power. They would most likely be replaced by other nobility soon, anyway.
Yes, Ivan lied about killing their parents. Yes, Ivan lied about chopping off Alfred's limbs. No, Ivan did not sign that law about slavery voluntarily. This is our last backstory. It gives a nice glimpse at some of the history I've mentioned throughout our story. If it's not clear, their country was created by the three countries around them, kind of this little mishmash of a bunch of different ethnicities and peoples. They placed figure-heads as the King and Queen, which where the people the revolutionaries killed. This broke them off from the other three countries, who teamed up with the new revolutionaries to get the country back under their control at the end of our story.
Also, we get to see Ivan's motives. Why he did what he did. If any of you were wondering why I didn't put in his sisters, there's a reason. The nobles pulling Ivan's strings knew exactly how to manipulate him and did it very well. That is, if it weren't for Alfred and Matthew, the last things Ivan had left to hold onto. He thought all of his fight had left him, but Alfred and Matthew and their struggles inspired him to rebel just once. And he did everything that he could with that one rebellion. The reason he said what he did to those two before he died was because he wanted not only for Alfred and Matthew to kill him now that his job was done, but also to hate him enough to join with the revolutionaries, who Ivan believed in. He thought the revolutionaries could better his country, but in reality nothing changed with the leadership, there's still figure-heads in charge, being controlled by rich people in the background. I hope everything has fallen in place for all of you by now, if not, feel free to PM me and I'll answer any questions you guys may have.
Anyway, this was fun, the story was fun, the backstories were fun, but now it's all done. Completely and absolutely over. This was the last backstory you're gonna get and now I can move onto a new story! How exciting.
Anyway, this was fun, and I thank every single person that reviewed, favorited, followed, or even just read. It's that counter that tells me how many people read that kept me going, no matter how many people reviewed. Even if no one reviewed, I saw people were reading it and so that's why I updated. Thank you everyone, every single review meant a lot to me, I read every single one of them and took them all into account. And all of those favorites and follows mean so much to me, they really do.
So, thank you everyone.
And, for the last time, I do not and never will own Hetalia, in any of its many forms.