All's Fair In Love And War (RoChu, Hetalia)

The Beginning

It was a cool spring morning when it all started. Spring mornings in the Soviet Kingdom tended to be rather on the cold side, like all weather in the Kingdom, but nonetheless it was beautiful. It was especially beautiful in the gardens of the castle Kremlin, in the heart of the city of Moscow. The gardens were filled with crocus flowers, azaleas, orchids, roses, and lilies. The petals of these flowers were speckled with dewdrops that slowly rolled and dripped off each time a cold wind blew through them. King Ivan was gazing out his window at the beauty of these gardens.

King Ivan was the ruler of the Soviet Kingdom. He liked to think he did a good job of it, but in reality the Kingdom was crumbling. It had been on a steep decline for centuries, and the Kings through the generations were of no help at all, preferring to indulge their own pleasures than ensure the safety of the people. Ivan was no different.

Not that he didn't want to help the people, he simply didn't know how. Himself and his two sisters grew up in a world where everything was handed to them on a silver platter, and it was hard to break that mentality when he took the throne. So he settled for a rule of mediocrity, hoping that his heir - if he had one - would be a better ruler than him.

It was that mentality that his father, the previous King, probably had, but Ivan hardly let that thought bother him. King Zima had always been distant to him as a child. He always helped him when he needed it, but mostly his parental figure was his older sister, Princess Irina.

Since Ivan had no friends or lovers, his two sisters were the people he loved the most in the world. The three were all very close, having no one else but each other to spend time with. However, at that moment Ivan didn't know where his sisters were. He supposed Natalya might have been sleeping still, as it was early, but Irina usually got up much earlier than he.

Putting aside thoughts of his sisters, Ivan continued looking out the window at the beauty of the morning. Early morning was his favourite time of day. The world seemed to be waking up at this time, but not like it was in a rush to get things done. In the early morning, the world woke up sweetly and slowly, starting with the sun. After the sun would be the flowers, petals opening and stems perking up. Then the bugs and birds would start to move, and soon all of nature would be in perfect harmony.

Until the people woke up, that is.

People were loud and noisy, they yelled and they laughed and they disturbed the serene beauty of nature in all its glory. Ivan had nothing against the people in the city, but when they started to wake up, he would usually go back to sleep for another hour.

Ivan yawned, running a hand through his messy platinum locks. He was still in his sleep clothes, and his eyes felt tired from staring out the window for so long. It was time he got ready for the day.

He drew the curtains again and walked over to the washbasin in the corner of his room. He blinked a few times, getting used to the dark again, and splashed some cold water onto his face from the basin. He washed his face, shaved, got dressed, and tamed his hair. The last step was his old scarf, which he wrapped tightly around his neck.

Ivan was opening the curtains again when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in!" He called, not turning around.

He heard the door opening, and a footstep inside. "Vanya, I think you need to see this." Irina said from behind him.

"Good morning, Irunya." He smiled at his sister. She did not smile back.

Irina's bright blue eyes were full of worry as she looked at her younger brother. Her pink lips were pressed together in a frown, though however worried or anxious she was, she looked stunning. She was wearing a casual green dress with a white fur trim, and she picked up her skirt to take a step forward, revealing the white underskirt patterned with yellow flowers. On her collarbone rested a heavy gold necklace, and her blonde hair was in its usual braided updo, a piece of semi-transparent fabric half concealing it. Ivan noticed she was holding a letter.