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hetalia2010-08-31 11:32 am
nike2422.livejournal.com) wrote in hetalia2010-08-31 11:32 am
Entry tags:
[Fanfic] Belaya Rus’: An Autumn Day in 1517
Title: Belaya Rus’: An Autumn Day in 1517
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nike2422
Rating: G
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Belarus, Lithuania, Russia
Warnings: Russia invading dreams.
Summary: Belarus still bears the pain of the battle of Orsha. Lithuania tries to cheer her up with a gift.
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6
Older Stuff
Belarus tried to keep her footing as she stepped over the slippery, moss-covered tree roots that gnarled together, giving treacherous footing to the girl trying to find her way out of the thick, dense forest. The wind howled in the branches above her, catching her clothes and hair. In the distance she could hear explosions and see flashes of light, but no matter how long she walked, or stumbled actually, she never came any closer to the edge of the forest, or saw anyone who was responsible for making so much noise. Clutching her writing materials closer, a gust of wind roared through her, seizing loose pages from her hands and carrying them away. The wind tore her cry away from her lips before she could hear it.
The thundering noises grew louder; in the distance between the wet, dark tree trunks the flashing of some distant light gave her hope she was almost out of the forest. Belarus used the lights and noise to guide her in a direction that she earnestly prayed would take her away from that dark, terrifying forest. Another strong gust of wind tore more pages from her arms and she cried out as she tried to grab them before they completely blew away. One sheet of parchment stuck to the wet trunk of a tree; Belarus stumbled to it as quickly as she could reaching at a corner of it still flapping in the wind, when a large hand reached down and peeled it off the wet tree trunk before she could reach it.
Belarus blinked at the hand, her eyes traveling up the arm, then shoulders, finally to the man’s face, partially concealed by a large scarf, both ends flew in the air behind him. He looked to be about Litva’s age, but much taller. His light colored hair whipped round a very childlike face. His eyes caught her attention the most – they conveyed amusement instead of distress, despite the current situation they were in. She stared up at him, wondering what he had to smile about.
“Sister! I’ve found you!” He shouted cheerfully, holding his arms out to her.
Belarus looked at his arms, then back up into his face. “You’re that boy I met before. You gave me a ribbon! ” She’s not sure if he heard the last part, because the explosions were getting closer, and louder. “Your name is Muscovy!”
The tall man grinned down at her and nodded. “That’s right! You remember me. I miss my sisters, I want them to come home with me!”
Belarus stared at him. Something seemed familiar about him; she knew she had seen him a long time ago when she was younger … but was he really her brother? “But … “ she looked down at the armful of papers and writing instruments in her hands. “… My home is with Litva, I do important work for him!”
“What could be more important than being with family?” He cried out in the wind, the smile fading from his face. “You belong with me! I want my sisters to come home!” His arm shot out and snapped like a vice over her left shoulder.
Belarus cried out with pain, both hands went to the man’s wrist to try and pry his hand away from her shoulder. There was a loud explosion and a flashing light, and the girl’s eyes widen with pain and shock when he jerked her closer to him …
Belarus sat up with a jolt, blinking and looking around the room. The candle on her small writing desk had burned almost to the socket. The manuscript she worked on to finish for Litva by morning was nearly finished; only a few more words to copy. Her eyes turned at the flash of light from her open window followed by a rumble of thunder. Rubbing her eyes, she stood from her seat and walked to the window. Watching the late-season storm approach, her sleepy head focused on the last remnants of the dream before they faded from memory.
When the first drops hit the windowsill, Belarus closed the window and went back to the writing table. She could finish this up in the morning and still have it ready in time for Litva. Cupping her hand around the last bit of candle burning, she blew it out, and then made her way to her bed, rubbing her left shoulder that still felt sore. She crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers as another flash of lightning outside lit up her room. Laying in bed and watching the storm, she thought about the dream she just had. Although some of the details were fading, she did remember the tall man with violet eyes telling her he was her brother. He had told her that before, when she had encountered him in the forest a long time ago. She watched the rain hit the window, and slowly fell asleep; trying to remember what it was … there was something about him that seemed so familiar …
*~*~*~*~*~
Lithuania watched the supply wagons come across the bridge and into the courtyard of the castle, splashing mud at a small flock of geese as they passed by and headed to the back where goods were inspected and unloaded before being taken into the store rooms. When he caught sight of the foreman in charge he picked up his pace and trotted over to him. “Good morning, were you able to get the those things I asked for?”
The foreman nodded, reaching inside the wagon he stood on and produced a wrapped parcel. He handed it to the young nation.
“Thank you!” Lithuania greeted him; he then turned and picked his way around mud puddles and geese as he walked to the castle entrance. He knew where Belarus was, because at breakfast she informed him she had a little more work to do on the manuscript he needed before his next visit to Poland. He had a special gift for her, and he hoped it would pick up her mood. She was growing up, but the sweet, cheerful little girl she once was had been overshadowed by an uncertain young lady in her early teen years. With any luck, the present he brought her would bring the smile back.
He walked down the corridor toward her room, noticing that the house was quiet during the daytime when everyone was about doing their day’s work. Belarus’ door was slightly open, but Lithuania raised his hand and lightly rapped his knuckles on the wooden panel out of courtesy. “Bela, may I come in?”
The girl looked at the door. “Yes Litva, come in please.” She answered quietly, she looked down at the last words she had written; the ink was still wet and glistened in the light. “I just finished the manuscript, but it still needs to dry.”
“That’s fine, I’m here for another reason.” Lithuania said as he entered, giving her a soft smile. “You’re getting taller, you need a new dress.” He said as he watched her stand up from the desk and come toward him. She was indeed getting taller, and her body’s shape was also maturing. “I have something here for you,” he added, closing the gap between them and offering her the parcel wrapped in a piece of cloth. “I think you will be surprised. I knew I was when I first heard of this man in Prague, and what he was doing.” He watched her face as she looked at what he offered her, then reached out her hand to take it.
“Thank you, Litva,” she replied as she untied the rough bit of string holding the cloth around the contents inside. She pulled the fabric away and stared. She held two brand new books, beautifully bound in leather. “Books for me? These are really nice Litva.” She ran her hand over the cover of the top book.
Lithuania smiled. “Open it up and look at it Bela, this book is different.”
“It is? Looks like any other book,” she replied as she opened it and looked at the cover page. Images of twining oak leaves surrounded the words Biblia Ruska. Her eyes grew wide when she realized what she was holding. “ … Litva, is this the bible in my language?”
Lithuania smiled at her. “It is. Look a little closer at it. Do you notice something different about the writing?”
“The writing?” Belarus looked at the page again, noticing how very even the writing was. As she studied more, she realized that there was no variation in the letters at all. “Who wrote this? I’ve never seen calligraphy like this before.” She ran her fingers over the text, and was surprised she couldn’t feel any indentations or raised letters.
“This book wasn’t hand written Bela, it was produced on a printing press.”
“A printing press … I don’t understand.”
“It’s a machine that can produce an entire page of writing at once. They’re new, but becoming very popular.” Lithuania smiled at her, enjoying the look on her face as she thought about what he said.
“An entire page at once …” Belarus looked at her own ink stained fingers, thinking about how long it took to write the single page for Litva the night before. “If this machine can write an entire page at once, then the work would be much faster, and you could produce more. Just think … everyone could afford books with a printing press.”
“That’s right. Everyone could afford books.” Lithuania picked up the bible, looking at the cover page. “When I heard about this man in Prague, and that he was producing books in Belarusian, I ordered these books for you.”
“That was very nice of you Litva.” Belarus replied, opening the cover of the second book. “This is a Psalter!” She turned the pages, looking for the current day, then read the first kathisma. “The calligraphy is amazing, it’s so clean and neat … a machine made this. I would like to see this machine.”
“I thought you would, I want to see it too. I’ve invited the man who made these books to bring his printing press here.”
“Litva … you did? Do you think he will come?” Her face lit up with excitement, which made Lithuania smile. This is what he hoped the new books would do.
“I think he will. A printing press in Vilnius would be wonderful.”
“I hope he does come. This is a wonderful gift!” Belarus exclaimed excitedly, hugging Lithuania tight.
“I’m very happy you like it, Bela.” Lithuania said, returning the hug. “Perhaps the day will come when spending so much time to write one document is a thing of the past.”
“Maybe,” she replied, letting her arms drop and stepping back. “But not too soon, I like doing this work for you.”
“Then you will continue doing it for as long as you want, I promise.” Lithuania watched her face, enjoying her happiness at the new books.
Belarus walked over to her writing desk and picked up the document she had written. She brought it over to him, holding it out to him. “I intend to, Litva.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author’s Note: In 1514, combined Polish-Lithuanian forces defeated a much larger Russian army at the Battle of Orsha in eastern Belarus. Russia’s desire to control the lands of Kievan Rus was a main reason for the push westward into Lithuania’s empire.
Francysk Skaryna was studying medicine in Prague when he came into contact with Guttenberg’s amazing invention. While in Prague he set up his own printing press, and published works in Belarusian. In 1517 he published the Psalter in Belarusian. From 1517 to 1519 he translated the books of the bible into Belarusian. In 1522 Francysk Skaryna moved his printing press to Vilnius and printed books there for a short while. He also tried to set up a press in Moscow, but the invention was not well received. The people of Moscow considered it the work of the devil and burned all of Skaryna’s books.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses in protest of Johann Tetzel’s selling of religious indulgences. Luther’s essay condemning the religious practice quickly spread all over Europe thanks to the printing press.
Author:
nike2422Rating: G
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Belarus, Lithuania, Russia
Warnings: Russia invading dreams.
Summary: Belarus still bears the pain of the battle of Orsha. Lithuania tries to cheer her up with a gift.
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6
Older Stuff
Belarus tried to keep her footing as she stepped over the slippery, moss-covered tree roots that gnarled together, giving treacherous footing to the girl trying to find her way out of the thick, dense forest. The wind howled in the branches above her, catching her clothes and hair. In the distance she could hear explosions and see flashes of light, but no matter how long she walked, or stumbled actually, she never came any closer to the edge of the forest, or saw anyone who was responsible for making so much noise. Clutching her writing materials closer, a gust of wind roared through her, seizing loose pages from her hands and carrying them away. The wind tore her cry away from her lips before she could hear it.
The thundering noises grew louder; in the distance between the wet, dark tree trunks the flashing of some distant light gave her hope she was almost out of the forest. Belarus used the lights and noise to guide her in a direction that she earnestly prayed would take her away from that dark, terrifying forest. Another strong gust of wind tore more pages from her arms and she cried out as she tried to grab them before they completely blew away. One sheet of parchment stuck to the wet trunk of a tree; Belarus stumbled to it as quickly as she could reaching at a corner of it still flapping in the wind, when a large hand reached down and peeled it off the wet tree trunk before she could reach it.
Belarus blinked at the hand, her eyes traveling up the arm, then shoulders, finally to the man’s face, partially concealed by a large scarf, both ends flew in the air behind him. He looked to be about Litva’s age, but much taller. His light colored hair whipped round a very childlike face. His eyes caught her attention the most – they conveyed amusement instead of distress, despite the current situation they were in. She stared up at him, wondering what he had to smile about.
“Sister! I’ve found you!” He shouted cheerfully, holding his arms out to her.
Belarus looked at his arms, then back up into his face. “You’re that boy I met before. You gave me a ribbon! ” She’s not sure if he heard the last part, because the explosions were getting closer, and louder. “Your name is Muscovy!”
The tall man grinned down at her and nodded. “That’s right! You remember me. I miss my sisters, I want them to come home with me!”
Belarus stared at him. Something seemed familiar about him; she knew she had seen him a long time ago when she was younger … but was he really her brother? “But … “ she looked down at the armful of papers and writing instruments in her hands. “… My home is with Litva, I do important work for him!”
“What could be more important than being with family?” He cried out in the wind, the smile fading from his face. “You belong with me! I want my sisters to come home!” His arm shot out and snapped like a vice over her left shoulder.
Belarus cried out with pain, both hands went to the man’s wrist to try and pry his hand away from her shoulder. There was a loud explosion and a flashing light, and the girl’s eyes widen with pain and shock when he jerked her closer to him …
Belarus sat up with a jolt, blinking and looking around the room. The candle on her small writing desk had burned almost to the socket. The manuscript she worked on to finish for Litva by morning was nearly finished; only a few more words to copy. Her eyes turned at the flash of light from her open window followed by a rumble of thunder. Rubbing her eyes, she stood from her seat and walked to the window. Watching the late-season storm approach, her sleepy head focused on the last remnants of the dream before they faded from memory.
When the first drops hit the windowsill, Belarus closed the window and went back to the writing table. She could finish this up in the morning and still have it ready in time for Litva. Cupping her hand around the last bit of candle burning, she blew it out, and then made her way to her bed, rubbing her left shoulder that still felt sore. She crawled into bed and snuggled under the covers as another flash of lightning outside lit up her room. Laying in bed and watching the storm, she thought about the dream she just had. Although some of the details were fading, she did remember the tall man with violet eyes telling her he was her brother. He had told her that before, when she had encountered him in the forest a long time ago. She watched the rain hit the window, and slowly fell asleep; trying to remember what it was … there was something about him that seemed so familiar …
*~*~*~*~*~
Lithuania watched the supply wagons come across the bridge and into the courtyard of the castle, splashing mud at a small flock of geese as they passed by and headed to the back where goods were inspected and unloaded before being taken into the store rooms. When he caught sight of the foreman in charge he picked up his pace and trotted over to him. “Good morning, were you able to get the those things I asked for?”
The foreman nodded, reaching inside the wagon he stood on and produced a wrapped parcel. He handed it to the young nation.
“Thank you!” Lithuania greeted him; he then turned and picked his way around mud puddles and geese as he walked to the castle entrance. He knew where Belarus was, because at breakfast she informed him she had a little more work to do on the manuscript he needed before his next visit to Poland. He had a special gift for her, and he hoped it would pick up her mood. She was growing up, but the sweet, cheerful little girl she once was had been overshadowed by an uncertain young lady in her early teen years. With any luck, the present he brought her would bring the smile back.
He walked down the corridor toward her room, noticing that the house was quiet during the daytime when everyone was about doing their day’s work. Belarus’ door was slightly open, but Lithuania raised his hand and lightly rapped his knuckles on the wooden panel out of courtesy. “Bela, may I come in?”
The girl looked at the door. “Yes Litva, come in please.” She answered quietly, she looked down at the last words she had written; the ink was still wet and glistened in the light. “I just finished the manuscript, but it still needs to dry.”
“That’s fine, I’m here for another reason.” Lithuania said as he entered, giving her a soft smile. “You’re getting taller, you need a new dress.” He said as he watched her stand up from the desk and come toward him. She was indeed getting taller, and her body’s shape was also maturing. “I have something here for you,” he added, closing the gap between them and offering her the parcel wrapped in a piece of cloth. “I think you will be surprised. I knew I was when I first heard of this man in Prague, and what he was doing.” He watched her face as she looked at what he offered her, then reached out her hand to take it.
“Thank you, Litva,” she replied as she untied the rough bit of string holding the cloth around the contents inside. She pulled the fabric away and stared. She held two brand new books, beautifully bound in leather. “Books for me? These are really nice Litva.” She ran her hand over the cover of the top book.
Lithuania smiled. “Open it up and look at it Bela, this book is different.”
“It is? Looks like any other book,” she replied as she opened it and looked at the cover page. Images of twining oak leaves surrounded the words Biblia Ruska. Her eyes grew wide when she realized what she was holding. “ … Litva, is this the bible in my language?”
Lithuania smiled at her. “It is. Look a little closer at it. Do you notice something different about the writing?”
“The writing?” Belarus looked at the page again, noticing how very even the writing was. As she studied more, she realized that there was no variation in the letters at all. “Who wrote this? I’ve never seen calligraphy like this before.” She ran her fingers over the text, and was surprised she couldn’t feel any indentations or raised letters.
“This book wasn’t hand written Bela, it was produced on a printing press.”
“A printing press … I don’t understand.”
“It’s a machine that can produce an entire page of writing at once. They’re new, but becoming very popular.” Lithuania smiled at her, enjoying the look on her face as she thought about what he said.
“An entire page at once …” Belarus looked at her own ink stained fingers, thinking about how long it took to write the single page for Litva the night before. “If this machine can write an entire page at once, then the work would be much faster, and you could produce more. Just think … everyone could afford books with a printing press.”
“That’s right. Everyone could afford books.” Lithuania picked up the bible, looking at the cover page. “When I heard about this man in Prague, and that he was producing books in Belarusian, I ordered these books for you.”
“That was very nice of you Litva.” Belarus replied, opening the cover of the second book. “This is a Psalter!” She turned the pages, looking for the current day, then read the first kathisma. “The calligraphy is amazing, it’s so clean and neat … a machine made this. I would like to see this machine.”
“I thought you would, I want to see it too. I’ve invited the man who made these books to bring his printing press here.”
“Litva … you did? Do you think he will come?” Her face lit up with excitement, which made Lithuania smile. This is what he hoped the new books would do.
“I think he will. A printing press in Vilnius would be wonderful.”
“I hope he does come. This is a wonderful gift!” Belarus exclaimed excitedly, hugging Lithuania tight.
“I’m very happy you like it, Bela.” Lithuania said, returning the hug. “Perhaps the day will come when spending so much time to write one document is a thing of the past.”
“Maybe,” she replied, letting her arms drop and stepping back. “But not too soon, I like doing this work for you.”
“Then you will continue doing it for as long as you want, I promise.” Lithuania watched her face, enjoying her happiness at the new books.
Belarus walked over to her writing desk and picked up the document she had written. She brought it over to him, holding it out to him. “I intend to, Litva.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author’s Note: In 1514, combined Polish-Lithuanian forces defeated a much larger Russian army at the Battle of Orsha in eastern Belarus. Russia’s desire to control the lands of Kievan Rus was a main reason for the push westward into Lithuania’s empire.
Francysk Skaryna was studying medicine in Prague when he came into contact with Guttenberg’s amazing invention. While in Prague he set up his own printing press, and published works in Belarusian. In 1517 he published the Psalter in Belarusian. From 1517 to 1519 he translated the books of the bible into Belarusian. In 1522 Francysk Skaryna moved his printing press to Vilnius and printed books there for a short while. He also tried to set up a press in Moscow, but the invention was not well received. The people of Moscow considered it the work of the devil and burned all of Skaryna’s books.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses in protest of Johann Tetzel’s selling of religious indulgences. Luther’s essay condemning the religious practice quickly spread all over Europe thanks to the printing press.
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Become one with RUSSIA!
Seems like Belarus does variety works for Lithuania... Lucky for him to have a hardworking & pretty assistance. Who will not fall for her >_
Re: Become one with RUSSIA!