One for All: A Hetalia Fanfiction

Chapter 1: The February Revolution, Part One

Ivan woke up on his bed, aching all over. It was nothing new; no one had been able to afford new beds in years. Even hay was more comfortable at this point. As he got adjusted to his damp, dark room, he realized there was some kind of a noise coming from outside. He opened his window to see hundreds of workers on strike.
"Another riot," he said to himself, tired of it all at this point. But that's when he looked at his surroundings.
All the factories were at a standstill, no smoke from the smoke towers. Every place of work was nearly empty, it seemed as though almost every worker in Petrograd had joined this revolution. The reinforcement troops, attempting to leave the city to the battlefield, had been brought to a stop. Some troops even joined the fighting, but the ones loyal to the Tsar joined the police force in fighting off the workers. Suddenly there was a knocking at his door. Deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to get to the battlefield that day, Ivan quickly got on his long gray work coat, brown faded leather gloves, black muddied boots from years at war, and his beloved pink scarf from his older sister, Irunya, also known as Ukraine, which he wore with him everywhere. At the door, dressed in a shiny crisp uniform atop a groomed white horse, was a royal guard of the Tsar.
"Mr. Russia, the Tsar must speak to you in his house," said the guard, in an official voice that made Ivan groan under his breath.
"Of course, sir," mumbled Ivan. He hopped up onto the horse as they rode above the rioting crowd, towards the Tsar's palace, which was flooded on the outside with even more workers.
There must have been thousands rioting today, Ivan thought to himself. He knew that things would soon get violent, and hugged the end of his scarf tightly.
As he reached the front door of the Tsar's home, the royal guard tackled back the angry rioters while Ivan entered the door. The parlor was decorated lavishly, with fancy paintings and carpets, and wooden carved shelves and tables. There was a large fireplace that looked like it had just recently been put out. Light shone in through the windows.
It was nice to be in a house that wasn't falling apart for once, Ivan thought to himself.
On the several extravagant chairs sat the several other countries in the Russian Empire. They, like Ivan, looked very out of place, with their dirty working clothes. There was his sisters, Irunya and Natalia, or Belarus. The Baltics, Eduard, Ravis, and Toris, or Estonia, Latvia, and Lituania. Also there sat Poland, or Feliks, donning a ragged dress, contrary to what Lithuania had begged him to wear. Finland, or Tino, sat in a very important looking chair, rumor had it that he had allegedly been trying to escape the Empire. If he was here, it must have been an important meeting.
Suddenly, the door on the other side of the room opened, and out stepped Tsar Nicholas II, Ivan's boss. He didn't bother to dress modestly. He had made sure to wear the most embellished of clothing, making the countries feel weaker then they already were. He pushed Tino aside to sit in the important chair, and looked at the countries with a flustered expression.
"My friends," he declared officially, "It seems that my people still refuse to hold out to the end of this war. They don't understand what it is like to make these decisions. I'm afraid I may have to use force against the rioters."
"You can not!" erupted Natalia. Due to her age, she oftentimes lashes out without thinking, but Ivan thought she may be right to speak this time. "Don't you see, my Tsar? My people are starving due to this accursed war! They die here of starvation as much as they do in the battlefield! You must put an end to this!"
"My dear girl," Nicholas said, carefully. "To end this war would be seen as shameful to our empire. We already have lost to Japan, if we lose to a country as insignificant as Germany, we will be the laughingstock of countries."
"My Tsar, pardon me, but Germany is strong! He is the strongest empire of this decade! We had a good run, we tried our hardest, but without another country to back us up, we have no chance in this war!" Natalia looked out of breath. She had poured all of her emotions into that statement.
Ivan and the others looked on silently as the Tsar glared at Belarus. "I have spoken to America's boss," said the Tsar. "He said that if Germany does any more to provoke the country, the U.S. will enter the war. If we could hold out a few more months then-"
"We don't have a few more months!" Irunya stood from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. Never had Ivan seen her so angry. "In a few more months, everyone in this country will have killed each other or died of starvation, this must stop now!" Ukraine was in tears. Ivan stood and quietly hugged her, as Belarus joined in.
"I agree, my Tsar. Maybe the protesters are right. Maybe this empire should end." Ivan said calmly.
"Enough of this," the Tsar said sternly. "I don't care what any of you think. I will tell the police force to stop the demonstrators by any means necessary." As he turned and walked out of the room, the guard ushered the countries out the entrance.
As they left the Tsar's home, the rioters circled around them, and became quiet. They were all staring, mostly at Ivan, craving answers. It was Belarus who spoke.
"A revolution is upon us, my friends," she said, excitedly. Irunya stepped forward and held her sisters hand. "These days will be the last of the Tsar!"
They all erupted into cheers as Ukraine and Belarus were engulfed by the crowd. As the rest of the countries walked back to their respective houses, Ivan stood alone at the end of the Tsar's estate. He wasn't as brave as his sisters. He didn't want to join their revolution. But as he stood at the border of rich and poor, proletarians and bourgeoisie, he realized that may be the way things were turning.