Alstroemeria

Chapter 18

I think I had said Levirasnia was an ancient? Hes not, he was colonized in the 15th century, when he was 'founded'.

-Marzia

"Oh! Hallo!" The figure waved at you, as you got closer you recognized her as Liechtenstein. You had forgotten she was going to bunk with you.

"Oh. Hello Liechtenstein." You greeted as you put your keycard in the door, hearing a 'beep' you opened it.

"I vould have gone in myself but I didn't want to be rude." The girl said, sheepishly.

"It's fine, I understand. You can set your bags in the room, if you'd like."

"Thank jou." She shuffled into the hallway leading to the only bedroom. Where was she going to sleep?

"Uhm, pardon me, but vhere will I sleep?" She asked you.

"You can sleep in the room, I will take the couch." You said.

"Oh, no! It's okay, I'll sleep on the couch." She insisted. Wasn't she cute?

After a bit of back and forth, she agreed to sleep in the bedroom and you would sleep on the couch. You had got some sheets you found in the top shelf of the closet on the couch and used the throw blanket. As you drifted off to sleep you once more pondered your day. It was a good day.

You were shaken awake. Liechtenstein? It's too early.. You opened your eyes to find it was not, in fact, Liechtenstein, but your grandfather. He was a rather young looking man for his age, but he did look older than most countries--they looked like young adults while your grandfather looked like a proper adult. He had dark brown hair and y/e/c [your eye color] eyes. He had crows feet on the sides of his eyes and plenty of smile lines, he was also slightly tanner than you.

"Granpai?" You said, groggily.

"Hed, barushnia!" He said, happily.

"Why..?" You meant to say more, but you just stopped speaking for no reason. (does this happen to anyone else?)

"I figured we'd talk before your poor roommate woke up." He said, you noticed, in the dim light of the room, that his face did not match his happy tone whatsoever.

"Is this about my 'origin'?" You asked, slightly afraid of what he'd say.

"...Jer."

[Old Belvisidan/Levirasnian: Yes]

"Oh." Oh? Was that all you could manage? Your grandfather flicked on a floor lamp and sat on the smaller couch.

"Listen, barushnia. Our land was formed after the Bering bridge disappeared. You know this, right?" You nodded.

"Once formed, our land was never inhabited until the 15th century. Then, that was when the Russian expansion began."

"Russia? What does.." You began, your sentence fading off as you saw his expression. He wasn't finished.

"Russia claimed our land as their own, we became Levirasnia, a colony. I was born and raised by Russia, himself. My earlier years weren't the best, my people suffered, but I lived. And then, in the mid 1700s, the British kicked Russia out as they had been colonizing in that area, specifically America. This was before the American Independence.

"After America claimed independence, the Russians saw the British weak. They invaded Levirasnia, trying to take the colony back, and succeeded. Kind of"

"Kind...of?" You asked, your voice shaking, you already felt the stinging in your eyes, tears were soon to follow.

"Our country was split in half. Belvisida and Levirasnia. Though at this point, you didn't exist." He gestured to you, as if to say 'the personification didn't exist'.

"Eventually, after a while, both halves of the country rebelled against their respective master countries, and claimed independence. I was now a true country. One again." You heard the slight strain in his voice, pain was present in his eyes. What did they do to him?

"After a while, in XXXX (120 years prior to present time, 1900 if you're reading in 2020.) The country had a revolution against the socialist government. The government was overthrown, and a democratic government replaced it, claiming the name of Belvisida. And so I found you, barushnia." His voice was cracking a bit, there was fatherly love in his eyes as he looked at you.

"You, barush, were a surprise. A good one. I was a fairly adult country, or ex-country, and now I had the responsibility of raising a young country."

[Belvisidan: Daughter]

"Eventually, you were grown enough, and so I decided to travel. Not only for the sake of adventure, but because that place caused me pain.

"I c-cause you pain?" Your voice was shaking, tears streamed down your face. Is this why he never visited? Because your country hurt him so much?

"No, no no, barushnia, not you, the land, the memories. You bring happiness, barushnia." He comforted you, now sitting beside you and holding you. The poor old man was crying too, his tears hit your scalp.

"When your incident with America happened, I came back, right? I thought it would be hard, to see the dirt and mud battlefields that littered the country. But when I returned it was green, barush, alive. Flowers, grass, children playing. It was back the way it used to be." He released you from his grip, sitting back against the arm of the couch.

"But... there might be a universe where you don't exist."

"Oh." That was all you could say--barely--through your fit of tears. Do you belong to Russia? Who are you? You rebelled against your grandfather, you took his country status. You don't exist? Who am I? Am I who I think I am?

Even once your grandfather said goodbye and left back for his hotel, telling you to get sleep, you still cried. You were crumbling, you were having a crisis. You continued to stay, wrapped up in the throw blanket, on the couch while the T.V. played in the background. Even when Liechtenstein woke up, got ready, and asked if you were coming (you said no), you continued to stay in your blanket. You probably missed a few classes by now, and you were too embarrassed to go to class now, even if you were over your breakdown.

Cocooning yourself further into the blanket you thought about what he said, the pain in both his voice and his eyes. You thought about what he said last.

"But... there might be a universe where you don't exist."

"...there might be a universe where you don't exist."

"...a universe where you don't exist."

"...you don't exist."

You don't exist? Are you even supposed to? Were you ever meant to be alive? You stole your grandfather's life, his basic identity. What's wrong with you?

Suddenly, through your sniffling and whines, you heard a knocking on your door. It repeated in an ear catching rhythm.

'Knock, knock, knock...'

Belvisida's origin! Its here! Also, Old Belvisidan/Levirasnian is technically Levirasnian, but since it was used in Old Belvisida, its also considered Old Belvisidan.

Translations

Old Belvisidan/Levirasnian

Yes (jer is pronounced 'yur')

Belvisidan

Daughter