Forget Me Nots

Chapter 2

The sun was already setting when they arrived back at home, scampering over the fence as not to wake the sleeping maid, and chasing to the door, pounding their fists against it until it was opened by a taller male, who looked a lot like Turkey, other than the mustache on his face and the fact that his hair was dark red, falling onto his broad shoulders in locks, compared to Turkey's black short hair. " Baba!" He yelled, jumping up at the man to hug him. The man hugged him back, before looking at Armenia, and giving him a warm smile. " Hello!"

" Barev..."

The man looked inside, gesturing to the living room with a nod. " Your Papa is inside, watching the films." He explained, and Armenia walked past the two, heading through the huge hallways to the even bigger living room, where his father was sitting on the couch, lazily sprawled out on the huge beige pillows, his long hair tied in a small ponytail. Armenia jumps to him, excitedly. " Is Tzar visiting today?" 

" Mhm-" The Armenian Empire gives his son a tired look, smiling a little as he rubs his head. " Bales, go shower. Get dressed, he'll be here in thirty."

"Mhm-" He nodded, running up the stairs, where he suddenly collided with a taller boy. " WATCH IT!" The other snapped, pushing him back. " Sorry, Artsakh!" He quickly called, running past him to his room. He grabbed some clothes, hopping into the shower.

When he got out, he already heard chatter downstairs. A joke in Russian, then loud, booming laughter. Armi chased down the stairs, almost knocking into Ottoman, and lunging himself into the arms of the tall Russian. He spun him around, laughing. " Privet, malinki!" He set him down, while Armenia hopped up and down. " Here, I brought you these-" He fished a chocolate bar out of his pocket, handing it to the child, who snagged it from his hands. " Spasiba!" He grinned widely. " Share with your sister, alright? Artsakh took hers." The Russian told him, before letting him run off.

" Lori!" He called out, climbing into the broken down cave where he and his sister played a lot. The younger girl is in a corner, crying a little. " Lori, look, I got chocolate!" He called out, walking over to her. " You don't have to rub it in!" She snapped, turning away from him. " What? No! I meant we can share...if you wanna..." He sits down next to her, breaking part of the bar off and pressing it into her hand. "...ok." She shoves it in her mouth. She'd always been...a messy eater despite her small frame and height. " Can I braid your hair?" Armenia asked quietly, brushing through it with his hand. " Mhm!"

He sits down behind her, parting her hair into three strands and starting to braid it while they talk. "...I heard Papa and Ottoman fighting again..." She mumbled. "...again? About what?"

" I dunno...something about the heir..."

"...oh."

" Yeah...it's ridiculous- I mean, why can't he let Artsakh take the throne until Turkey's old enough?"

" Because he thinks he won't step down. And let's be honest, he wouldn't."

" Yeah, I guess."

He finishes, using a piece of cotton to tie the end of the braid, placing it to the front so she can see. " Merci!" She smiled. She had a habit of saying Merci, being obsessed with French Culture. " Wanna head back to the house?"

She nods, getting up and brushing the dust off her once-white dress, which now looks more grey. "...can we walk through the forest?" She asks quietly, and Armenia nods with a small smile. He grabbed her arm, pulling her through the forest. It was getting darker and darker, and he just hoped to get home soon. He pulled his sister through the woods, as she stopped every now and then to pick up a feather or admire some mushrooms on a tree stump. Finally, they made it home, where Artsakh opened the door when they knocked. " Shh-" He hissed, pressing his finger to his lips in an animated gesture. " Be quiet!" He pulled them in, carefully closing the door. They could hear arguing in the distance. " Lori, go upstairs. Get in bed, and wait, we'll come in a bit." Artsakh told the younger sibling, shooing her up the stairs.

" What are we gonna do?" Armenia raised an eyebrow at his elder brother as they watched Lori leave. " I wanna see if we can listen in to the fight."

They find a spot on the top of the stairs, close enough to the top to get to their rooms before the two men get to them, and close enough to the bottom for them to hear and glimpse through the crack of the door every now and then.

" MY son is going to be MY heir!" Ottoman sounds pissed, his booming voice ringing through the house.

" I never said he would not! But your time's running out and my Artsakh is more suitable for the position!"

" Bullshit! You just wanna take over my Empire!"

"It's meant to be OUR empire!"

" Like hell it is! I just let you live here, I never agreed to that!"

" It's kinda expected when you date someone for seven years! You share shit!"

" As if! You think I haven't noticed your little trips out of town? I know damn well that Lori's mother is that fuckin Frenchie!"

" Leave my daughter out of this!"

" No! She's just as terrible as the rest of your family!"

" OH YOU WANNA INVOLVE MY FAMILY IN THIS? YOU INBRED BASTARD!"

" I swear I will cave your skull in, you pig!"

" Get one step closer and I'm calling the police!"

" Shut up!"

Then a loud bang. Someone breathing heavily, coughing. " Armenia!" His father spotted his son peering down. Blood dripped down the side of his face, as he limply reached out. " Run! Get your siblings, run!" He pleaded, trying to scramble up. " Papa!" Armenia started to sob, the situation finally registering in his mind as he tried to chase down stairs, being stopped by his brother, who had tears streaming down the sides of his face.

" Go!" His dad called out one last time, before suddenly, Ottoman appeared behind him again, a large mallet in his hand. He swings it down, crashing it into the back of his skull, sending blood and bone splattering on the floor. Armenia let out a choked scream, wanting to throw up at the sight, again lurching towards the body, before being dragged upstairs. " Lori!" Artsakh called her, running to the empty guest room on the edge of the floor. From here they could slide down the side of the roof, and hop into the hedges, and escape. However when they get to the window, Turkey is waiting there, tears in his eyes. " Turk! Let us through!" Armenia begs, grabbing his arm, but he just pulls it away. "... Armi, I can't...I'm sorry...." He cries, grabbing Armenia. " My dad said...I can't let you escape..."

Armenia pulled his arms away, crying. " What?"

" I-i can't let you go-" Turkey's voice is shaking, but his eyes look determined. They can hear Ottoman thumping up the stairs now. " Move!" Artsakh screams, pulling Turkey and tossing him to the side. " Go! Now!" He spins around to his younger siblings, then hesitates, pulling them closer to him one last time to hug them, placing a kiss on Lori's cheek. " Take care of her, alright?" He tells Armenia, running his hand over his cheek as his younger brother sobs silently, shaking his head. " You can't stay!"

" Armi! Listen to be, you need to go, fast! I can keep him off for a few minutes, run to our cave!" He turns, pushing them to the window again. " Now go!"