A Different Route (Hetalia x Female!Reader)

10: The One with the Battle on Ice

Something wet and warm keeps sliding up your cheek, asking you to wake up, and so you do.

   The first thing you see is a sad and lonely sky, colored blue and lined with silver. Your finger twitches and you feel something soft and cold pressing against every inch of your bare skin.

   'Snow?'

   A whine-like bark snaps you back into reality and you twist your head, your neck feeling stiff, to find a certain puppy with his tongue hanging out his small mouth.

   You smile despite the aching of your body "Aster..."

   He barks and licks your face again, causing you to giggle.

   "Okay, okay. I'm getting up now, see? ...Huh?" As you sit up, you realize one thing: you're in a thick forest with even thicker layers of snow covering every available surface.

   Your memories return and you let out an exhausted sigh, "Aster... we're not in D.C. anymore, are we?"

   He barks.

   "Don't panic, Name" you pull your knees closer to you "Don't panic. This is just a bad dream. Worst-case scenario is that this is just you hallucinating—yeah, that's better, you idiot" tears begin to prick the corner of your eyes.

   Aster whines softly and nudges your side with his nose, rolling his head on your jacket.

   You sniff and giggle, "You're right, I should calm down" you pat him on the head "Thanks, boy. Now come on" you get up "Let's go and find civilization"

   The moment you move your foot, you hear someone crying from a distance. Hopeful, you follow the voices, but...

   "No, just leave me alone. This is not a good idea!"

   "Just fight me like a man, you cry-baby!"

   You put both hands on your mouth as you find two very different brigades of soldiers on different sides of a frozen lake. But the detail that deserved the most attention?

   The boy standing in front of one group, that boy with that nose is unmistakably—"Russia, you wimp, come here!"

   And the one with the pale-as-paper skin and red-as-ruby eyes is... "Go away! Go away, Teutonic Knights!"

   Your brain, in a slow and steady manner, starts to piece the puzzle together. Baby Russia + Baby Prussia who is currently referred to as Teutonic Knights + soldiers on a frozen lake.

   You finally realize two things: you're somewhere in the eastern region of Eurasia and it's the fifth of April... year 1214.

   'I am definitely dreaming.'

   "CHARGE!" The small-version Prussia bellows, raising his sword.

   "No, wait, the ice will break!" The small-version Russia tries to stop them, but it's too late. Prussia and his men are already stampeding towards his side of the lake. However, for a battle, it's so... surreal, like a cartoon.

   Moving on, in the end, Russia has to pull Prussia from the water. He also begins to... strangle him?

   Aster nudges at your ankle and you nod, "We should probably go. Even if this is a dream or hallucination or me simply in a state of hovering between dead and alive, I'd rather not mess with history. Let's go"

An hour later, or maybe it has been three—you have no idea, and you couldn't tell. Your wristwatch with its glass cracked, has been left on 11:11.

   For who knows how long, you've seen nothing but the same trees with the same snow-covered branches. The jacket is beginning to feel less warm by the second. What's worse, it just began to snow.

   You stop walking.

   Aster does the same. He looks up at you.

   "...raAAaarRGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" You suddenly pull on your hair. "WAKE UP. WAKE UP!" You pinch your arms hoping to bring your mind back to the reality you know, but when that doesn't work, you put your wrist to your face. You open your jaws wide and then, you bite down, you bite down so hard blood is drawn.

   You bite again. Then, to the other hand.

   Again, again, again.

   You collapse down to your knees, on the two-foot deep snow.

   "I can't..." You cry out to Aster whose shoulders are now drooping along with his ears.

   "I don't know what to do..." you begin to sweat, your heart palpitating inside you "OH, GOD, HELP ME!" your starting to stiffen, you feel your limbs grow heavy.

   "Are you okay?" A small voice asks.

   You shake your head, not looking or turning "Everything sucks. This snow, this... this cheap jacket from the flea market—EVERYTHING!"

   You hear the person wince, flinching perhaps at your snapping. You want to apologize, but your panic attack isn't helping you think.

   "I-I'm sorry to hear that" the voice says "I used to think so, too, but today I made a new friend and the world isn't so bad anymore..."

   You feel yourself starting to calm down now, which is actually amazing, it's like voice has this magical charm that instantly makes people feel better despite what science says "Oh?"

   "Uh-huh. His name is Teutonic Knights"

   You chuckle and pull yourself together before standing up and facing the boy, "And you're Russia, right?"

   He makes a visible jump, "How do you know that?"

   You offer him a smile as you bend down to put a hand on his head. He jumps again at first, but doesn't stop you, in fact, he seems to be welcoming it. "I had a feeling it was you"

   "What do you mean?"

   "You see, I've read somewhere before about this country named Russia. He was often picked on and he was almost always alone, but he was kind and gentle and he loved sunflowers"

   His purple eyes glimmer and his pale cheeks are dusted pink "Really?"

   You nod "Mm-hm"

   He looks down on his shoes and smiles to himself. He seems so... happy, and seeing him happy fills your stomach with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

   The quiet moment is cut short when Aster makes his presence known with a bark.

   "Huh?" Russia crouches down to take a better look "What's your name?"

   "He's Aster, I'm taking care of him for... a friend"

   "Aster? I—wah!" Russia is then taken by surprise when the puppy attacks him with kisses.

   You laugh "He likes you"

   "This is so... odd, but nice. Animals don't like me. Not usually"

   "What's not to like? Aster and I think you're a real sweetheart, right, Aster?"

   "Arf!"

   The boy turns back to you "What's your name?" But before you can answer, he grabs your hands and examines them.

   "What happened?"

   "Oh, just silly me, playing with knives again" you lie.

   He shakes his head, "That's bad, you shouldn't play with knives"

   You giggle. He's simply too adorable.