The Violinist (Ch.6)

[librasweets]

Characters/Pairings: RussLat, Lithuania, Estonia
Warning: Fem!Latvia, intense tension, extreme angst from big brother Estonia
Summary: Some detail into Ivan's comrades; Estonia attempts to find Regina

On the edge of a town no one had heard of, a small clinic, if the small shack could be called that, was nestled between many trees and dirt roads. A facility that was normally immaculate, inside and out, it was slowly falling into disrepair.

The clinic had four rooms, and the largest of them was a wreck of disorder. Papers scattered, medical tools idling on their rusting trays, a light bulb that was flickering with its last bit of strength and a collection of coffee mugs half-finished.

It was a bitterly cold day. He should've been warning the townspeople to bundle up, stay inside, light a fire. He should've been doing the same thing, resting in his favorite chair, listening to his parents talk, butting in occasionally to give his hard-headed opinion. His sister would've been wrapped in a bundle of quilts, quietly laughing at him.

So many should'ves, would'ves. The house hadn't been warm in a long time.

Eduard's mind was in disarray. He tried to force himself to his work, to stay away from that house that was now heavy with heartache. His parents were mourning, as if Regina had passed away. But it was worse; she was miles away and they had no idea what her condition was.

It had been three weeks, and already they were falling apart with worry and stress. They were pariahs in the town, avoided because no one wanted to ask where the small girl who would run all over town disappeared to. Everyone had seen the muscle car, and the intimidating man and woman in their expensive clothes.

Rumors surfaced, she had been taken to the work camps, or sold to some royal family as a servant or performer… or something worse, every mother's nightmare. Regina was a pretty girl…

Eduard stared intently at the stacks of papers that had names, so many names of locations and people that Regina might've come in contact with. Her coward of a teacher ran away after she was taken. He had no leads, and he knew none of this would help him. But he kept reading over and over, as if he'd encounter an epiphany if he tried hard enough.

The young man didn't notice he was dozing off. The papers slipped out of his thin hand and glided to the ground, adding to the pile already there.

His mind became hazy. He began thinking of his small sister, but slowly, she drifted away. She was so close, he could've held her hand, but she slowly faded into the thick fog. When did fog come into the village? He looked down and his hands were disappearing. He wanted to shout out to her, but he could feel his throat and body dispersing.

Eduard's breath hitched and his features hardened as a hand was placed on his shoulder. Mrs. Galante sighed at the condition of her oldest child: Having restless nightmares, surrounded by smeared paperwork in a stuffy office. She was getting tired of these dangerous, mounting habits.

"Eduard, darling, please wake up." She said softly, but her shaking was anything but. Her son bolted up with a start, his eyes startled and bloodshot.

"I-I-! Mother…!" He adjusted his glasses with clumsy hands. The tired young man tried to focus, but his head was swimming with vague memories of his dream. "Why… Why are you here?"

Mrs. Galante tried her best to settle his wild blonde hair. It hadn't been brushed properly in days. "Eduard, you are coming home right now."

"I-I have work…" It was a weak protest.

"Driving yourself insane with no sleep or food is hardly work. When have you slept more than three hours? Get up," She had to help him.

He stumbled, slowly awakening. He was ashamed for having his mother come all the way to the clinic at this hour, but he had to find Regina. Somehow, these papers, maybe they had something. All he needed was an inkling, a small sign…

"Careful now." His mother led him up the steps of their doorway into the house. "Now, just rest in the living room. I'll bring your dinner."

Eduard mumbled thanks as he collapsed on the couch. It was warm and soft, opposite of his creaky chair and desk. His father had probably got to bed hours ago, and the candlelight in the room caused the shadows to flicker across the old wooden house…

In the morning he awoke loudly and startled his parents, who were already up and going about their day. He had fallen asleep the minute he sat on the couch. After being nearly force-fed a large breakfast by his mother, and being shoved in the bathroom by his father, he was walking back to the clinic.

The food and washing had given him energy. He was ready to return to his search.

Eduard didn't like worrying his parents or the townspeople, but since he was a child, he had silent determination. He wasn't hot-headed or overbearing, only intense resolve.

He'd never felt such a growing… anger? Protectiveness? Willpower? Something was driving him to make sure the only sibling he had, his first friend, his greatest confident was safe and happy. His parents gave up, he never would. He resolved to bring his sister back. If that was truly and completely impossible, Eduard would go to her.

"I hope you won't have to wait long, Regina."

"Your own performing hall? Here?"

"Well, I don't own it, but my troupe and I spend almost all of our time there."

Regina had spent most of the afternoon speaking with Toris in the gardens. He was terribly humble and kind, the sort of person who could get along with anyone. He had been telling her why he visited Leningrad all the way from his home in Lithuania.

"The Braginski family heard of my work, and was generous enough to grant my troupe permission to perform all over Russia, mostly here and in Moscow. It provides amazing opportunities for my students."

"Yes, I can see that," Regina said, remembering her own performances. She was surprised at how much she missed them. She disliked having attention drawn to herself, but if she was playing the violin, it was just fine.

They walked on the cobblestone path, the snow cleared just an hour earlier. The wind and snow stopped but it was just as cold, so the two were bundled up in thick furs, making their arm movement a little difficult.

Regina's new boots clicked with each light step she took. She was so embarrassed when Yekaterina presented them to her, but she had never worn any shoe with a high heel, and it made her feel… almost grown-up. Even if she was stumbling for several days, trying to get used to them.

Toris sensed her clumsiness and allowed her to take his arm. They continued their walk like this, making small talk and admiring the winter scenery. Somehow, the wide and towering mansion seemed more inviting than when she first arrived.

They had already walked around the mansion gardens twice, and decided to go a different route, to the large gazebo where Lady Braginski held her dining parties for all her high society friends. In the spring and summer, it was probably a beautiful place- large trees circled it, almost making it a secret little house. But in the winter, it was almost a dull ruin. The trees were bare and the gazebo seemed to sag under the weight of the snow.

That didn't stop Ivan Braginski from setting up a game of chess in it. A handful of his comrades were with him, intent on the game before them. Ivan was playing against Colonel Vadim Komorov, a young man just a year older than him and equal his rank. The two put on the façade of being close friends, but there was deep resentment between the two. This only seemed to surface during their many chess games on the gazebo.

Regina and Toris slowed their pace as the party came within their view. "O-oh, is that Colonel Braginski…?" The small girl asked, somewhat cautious. While the only son of the wealthy family wasn't as hostile as his mother or cold as his father, he was still unnerving.

"Ah, yes, it is. He often plays chess with his fellow officers when he's free."

"A-aren't they cold?" Regina had thick layers, but she still felt a slight chill. She couldn't imagine the flashy, meant-for-show military uniforms were made for bitter cold.

Toris chuckled. "They're very intense about their games. I doubt they notice the weather. I've never had much skill at it, so they don't invite me, haha."

She nodded in agreement. Regina didn't understand the game at all, either- there were only a few chess boards in her village, and it wasn't considered a productive thing to do with your pastime.

"My, my. You're catching up, Colonel." Komorov chuckled good-humouredly, but irritability was evident in his sharp eyes. His Rook just got picked off with a skewer- god, how did he not see it coming?

Ivan smirked slightly, his own eyes just as cold. He was winning, but he hardly slacked- his pieces were controlling the center. Komorov was in check, so he moved his King to a protected area. Defeat was evident, but the stubborn Colonel still felt he had a chance. The three men around them still thought he could back a comeback, the fools.

Within minutes, Komorov was put in checkmate with Ivan's Rook. His praise was too well-worded, his tone sour. "Well played, but I couldn't expect less from you, Colonel Braginsky."

Ivan no longer felt sweet victory from these matches. For all the thought and strategy they required, the checkmate didn't give him much satisfaction. However, Komorov's defeated, bitter eyes were always a treat. Always.

A servant delivered lunch and drinks to them, so the men decided to take a break- not only for the food, but to ease the tension between the Colonels. Komorov and Braginski had an uncanny ability to drape any room in thick tension, no matter what they were doing.

"Whose the little red riding hood that keeps walking past with that Lithuanian?" Lieutenant Colonel Motova asked, his last word spoken with obvious disdain. The two were several feet from the gazebo, but the girl's maroon coat seemed to burn into the white snow.

"That is Katyusha's ward, a violinist." Ivan replied simply.

"Right, she was talking about the girl earlier. A Latvian, da? She's got a small body." The man was interested but clearly unimpressed, if that made any sense.

Lieutenant Colonel Zenchikov was the most mature of the group. "She's still a child, Motova. Don't eye her like a woman."

"I wasn't!" The heavy weight man responded defensively. "I was just observing!"

Major Brize was the youngest of the five men, but just as sharp. "Hey, you have a fiancée waiting at home, unlike some of us. Appreciate what you have." He gave a boyish grin.

"That prude is as dense as her parents. I can't stand being alone with her." Motova took another deep swig, seemingly used to the strength of the vodka. "Brize, the other day, I meant to ask you…"

Ivan toned out of their idiotic conversation, as he often did. He hated being subjected to these materialistic, showboating idiots. But he had to keep up appearances, even if he could think of a thousands different things to do…

"Was I not a challenge for you, Braginski?" Komorov said softly, but Ivan could hear him clearly.

"Should I be honest, Komorov?"

"Please."

"You were careless and readily took all the bait I set."

The man's knifelike eyes flickered behind his glasses. "Harsh language for someone who admires your skill, Ivan."

Admire. Cajoling charlatan. Ivan kept his sneer down, turning to focus on the house looming over them and the gardens around it. A scene he viewed at least hundreds of thousands of times, but it never ceased to relax him. "Gentle words do little for a learning student, Vadim."

Learning student. Arrogant daddy's boy. Komorov adjusted his glasses with an inaudible mumble, which always seemed to be dangerously close to slipping off his nose. His body tensed and he took a drink. Ivan succeeded in silencing him for the rest of the outing.

By the time his comrades had left, Regina and Toris had finished their fourth lap around the grounds of the Braginski estate. Her feet were getting sore and Toris had to get back to his troupe, so they decided to go separate ways.

"Are you sure I can't escort you back?" Toris looked down at the girl with worry. It wasn't a long way back to the mansion, but she just seemed like a little girl, especially in that coat that was too big for her.

"Ny-nyet, I know wh-where to go." Regina didn't want to make him late, and the sun was quick to set. Driving on icy, dark roads was hardly a good time.

"If you insist! Goodbye Regina, it was a great pleasure talking with you." He gave a sweet smile and headed for the driveway.

It would be getting cold quick, but her sore ankles and the fear of a painful slip of her heels kept her walking slow. Well, one more look of the grounds wouldn't be too bad- since she'd be here for who knows how long, wouldn't it be good to remember where everything is?

Too bad she somehow got turned around, despite the pathway. The cold was beginning to eat through her coat and boots straight to her skin. She shivered and hoped she wouldn't cry, that wouldn't help. But with her fear mounting and the sun getting lower, she was ready to start crying.

Why didn't these grounds have lights? They could afford it! Or maybe they were smart enough not to wander past sunset- Oh! Regina recognized the gazebo and relief washed over her. She knew how to get back to the mansion from there.

Regina stopped in her tracks, her heels jerking her ankles at her sudden halt. If she hadn't done a double take, she would've missed him.

Ivan was still sitting at the table in the gazebo. Regina was quite a few feet away, but she could still see his rigid figure, a trouble expression. Wasn't he freezing? Had he been thinking so intently that he lost track of time?

Her sense told her to keep going, to hurry inside before she became a little block of ice. Instead, Regina swept up her hood and tucked in her hair. Regina blundered through the thick snow, her shoes and skinny legs protesting with each step. Finally, she reached the cement ground of the gazebo.

She didn't think just those few feet would be so hard to waddle through! She tried to catch her breath, then became a shaking fit as she realized she had nothing to say to the powerful man she just approached.

Ivan though her mere arrival was stranger than her lack of conversation. He glanced up at her, his all-consuming, deep thoughts slipping away with surprising speed. He didn't mind that much- his sister and mother got so worried when he spent too much time alone, thinking.

He stood up from his seat and looked directly down, since the girl was only a few inches from him. The two were already aware of their great height different, but she looked even smaller with that fur-lined coat framing her face and covering everything but her shoes and gloves. Up close, even with the dim light, it was a raw shade of maroon.

Unfitting for her meek personality, but it complimented her appearance. The passionate red made her flushed cheeks and lilac eyes similar to that of a doll.

Yes, that's exactly what she was. His sister's doll. He spent a few minutes pondering all this.

Regina was seriously, completely, absolutely, regretting walking up to him. Yes, he acknowledged she arrived, he even stood up, but she her words twisted in her throat. She didn't even know why she did this in the first place…

Oh! Now she remembered, sort of. "I-It's b-b-b-becoming l-late…" She struggled with her words, the combination of her natural stutter and her body's shivering butchered her nerves. "I-I… W-well, I-I was a little concerned…"

One of Ivan's eyebrows raised a bit. She was the one who looked ready to pass out. He had been through worse weather.

Nevertheless, "Ah, I am fine. But I should go back… You too."

"Y-yes! O-o-of course, I was, b-but I got lost… Th-then I saw you." She had a feeling that he spent long periods of time alone.

"Hmm?" Ivan made a thoughtful sound, a little smile playing at his lips. "Were you concerned?"

The two struggled across the snow, Regina having a great deal more difficulty than Ivan, who strode effortlessly. She flushed in embarrassment, although her face was already red from the cold pinching at her cheeks. "Y-yes, th-there's no lights o-out h-h-here. It'll g-get s-so dark…"

Lights. That'd be a smart thing to add to the gazebo, and around the pathway. He made a mental note and responded, "I don't often stay out during the winter." In truth, he bitterly despised cold. It was strange how he was so unaffected by it.

"St-st-still, y-y-you could- Ahh!" Regina cried out as her thin heel jammed into something buried in the snow and stopped her so abruptly that she fell forward. The girl scrunched her face and expected a chilly collision, but instead felt something tight wrap around her arm and pull her, rather painfully. Then her face got smacked into something hard.

"O-oww-!" She grimaced, and wobbled a set back… Oh, she was on the cobble road now…

The large hand removed from her arm and a dull throbbing started there. "Ah, I'm sorry." Colonel Braginsky didn't mean to hold so tightly.

Regina felt her whole body overheat when she realized she had been bumped right into his chest, his, Ivan Braginski. And he helped prevent several bruises (although causing one) by pulling her away from the root sticking out of snow-!

"Th-thank you!" She exclaimed, her shaking continuing after a second pause. Why was she so surprised he'd help her? He wasn't openly cruel…But she thought he was still very intimidating. Even if he had a smile that was akin to a little boy playing a prank…

"You really do look much smaller with that coat."

"I-I… Um, y-yes…" What was the proper response to that? She doubted he heard her, because he had just walked briskly in the opposite direction, away from the mansion. Regina turned on her heels. "C-C-Colonel Braginski-!"

"I will be staying out here, for just a little longer." Ivan said, the smile still playing at his lips. "Don't lose your way home, little Regina." His father would reprimand him for staying out and his sister and mother would rattle off all the horrible things they thought happened to him. He really didn't care.

But Regina certainly did, didn't she? That was bothersome too. She watched after him for only a few moments, and decided to turn around and go back to the mansion. She really didn't want to leave the tall man out here, but it's not like he couldn't take care of himself…

She arrived quickly, and the moment her coat was taken off and her boots were put away Yekaterina asked for a chat. They sat on over-stuffed leather furniture, sipping hot cocoa in front of a massive fireplace. Regina felt very uncomfortable with it all, she thought she'd never really get used to the finery. At least Yekaterina was a kind woman to talk to.

After an hour, she asked suddenly, "Oh, where's Vanya? I wonder if he's in his office."

Had he come home yet? Regina shrugged and sipped her drink that was now cold.

Yekaterina's face showed noticeable worry. "Oh, well… He's just busy, then."

Regina shivered in her night dress, even with socks, with was cold. She began closing all the drapes in the room, and was thankful Felicja replaced the thin curtains with these thick, warm ones.

The last window was right by her bed, and gave a lovely view of a full moon. It was pretty, but she preferred warmth over a nice view. She looked down and realized she could see the gazebo, although it was somewhat sheltered by all the trees. Just as she was about to close the curtain, her heart twitched with dread.

A large man, only visible because of the full moon, was leaving the gazebo. Was it… Colonel Braginski? There was no greenery for the gardeners to care for, and no one would be out at this hour anyway.

She had half a mind to go to his office and see if he was there, but instead, she pulled the drapes shut and curled into her blankets.

"Eduard! I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Ah- hello ma'am…" He gave a small wave to the general store's wife. The doctor was still lacking in energy (despite being force fed so many thick soups) and was there to run an errand for his father. The older woman smiled and went back to her friend, who she was gossiping with.

"Didn't both your girls head for the city?"

"Yes, they were offered jobs as nannies for a large family. It pays very well, although we can only see them on the holidays…"

"I guess you have no choice, there's no money here."

"That's what they said, and they send most of their money to us, to rid our debts…"

Eduard gathered the last of the things he needed and stood by the counter, patiently waiting for the women to notice him.

"So many young people are getting hired by these wealthy families in Moscow. They hire all the Baltics, Poles and Ukrainians for all the demeaning jobs they don't want to do." The old woman said bitterly. "And such minimum wage…"

"It keeps us going, and my girls are allowed to stay in their masters' mansion-" The other woman sighed.

"I'm sorry," Eduard interrupted. "Is that why so many young people are leaving?"

"Yes," The store owner's wife said. "They're offered good jobs to work as servants."

"Who offers them?"

"The families advertise in the paper," She handed a stack of water-warped papers to him. She frowned, "You're not thinking of leaving us, are you Eduard?"

He didn't answer, instead, he flipped to the 'doctors requested' column. Arranged by city, several families were asking for someone willing to be a personal family doctor.

…All he needed was the family's name. There were so many on this paper, he was so sure, so positive, one of them had Regina. He scanned the whole page within seconds, straining his eyes, but he had found it.

'Braginski.'

"Are you alright Eduard?" The women were genuinely concerned by his paling face. "Do you need to sit down?"

'Braginski Family, located in Leningrad: In want of personal family doctor. Must have experience. Boarding, food and transportation will be paid for, salary is…'

Swiftly, he ripped out the page and ran from the general store. The women calling after him were ignored. He found his energy as he went for home; he couldn't remember running this fast before.

The door in to the small Galante home flew open, and his mother nearly dropped her dishes in surprise.

"E-Eduard-! What-?"

"I found her," He breathed, his chest swelling up and down as he tried to grasp his breath and speak. "I-I know where she is,"

His mother didn't need to be told who 'she' was. "H-how…?" She breathed shakily.

"Here," Eduard slumped to the floor and unraveled the paper, he didn't notice that he crumbled it so bad. "I know where… where she is."

She paused, her breath stopped short. His mother sat on the floor next to him. She took the paper, looking down at it carefully. "Are you sure?"

He coughed harshly into his hand. "Yes."

"…How long will you stay there?"

"I won't. I'll take her and leave."

----

Que a James Bond-style rescue mission with Eduard wearing a suit and going, "Galante. Eduard Galante." You have Ashley Sensie to thank for Eduard becoming the Braginski's personal doctor! :D

Waah, why are all my chapters just cliffhangers? XD Nothing actually happens! Oh well, I like building up suspense. I wrote Ivan's comrades names for a reason, they are important. Oh, and I finally got off my lazy ass and looked up military ranks in Russia. The real names were painfully long, so I put the English equivalents. Now I have to go over all my chapters and replace 'Sergeant Ivan Braginski' with 'Colonel Ivan Braginski' xD

And lots of thanks to my brother, who helped me with all the chess terms. You'll be seeing a lot more- This is RUSSIA after all O:

As always, thank you SO SO MUCH for your patience! Keep giving me ideas and some suggestions for things you'd like to see in future chapters!