A Small Hope (Dark!Poland+Reader) *Requested

No one had ever expected anymore war that was so great after ‘The War that would end all Wars’ back in the early 1900’s. Europe was in total turmoil and chaos, countries undergoing depressions left and right, money had no value, there were no jobs and people were starving. Yet he was finally free to be on his own. He was finally his own nation and free from the grasps of the more powerful nations, Prussia, the couple Austria and Hungary with their powerful union. He thirsted to gain back what was rightfully his, his land that had been so viciously taken from him. Yet time and time again, he failed. Instead he ended up settling with the land he had to begin with after the Great War. Later on, he was taken in once again, no matter how much he tried to fight off the advances of the Nazi army, it was simply too much for him to bear. He kept a happy face for his people, yet he knew deep within, he was beginning to feel a darkness haunting him.

He was trapped in the dark, he was trapped and his spirit was becoming heavy with hate and rencor. The life he once had in his emerald eyes became dull and dead. He was growing weaker, but he didn’t want anyone to know he was. He was slowly growing bitter towards his superiors Germany and Russia. He lost a great amount of his people, he had lost so many that he couldn’t shed tears any longer. He felt a pain that was so great that he felt empty and broken. He was going progressively weaker. After the next world scale war, known as World War Two since it was even larger than the war that previously occurred in the early 1900’s, with Hitler’s defeat and suicide, the Nazi’s reign of terror was finally over a new power rose up in the Eurasian continent.

Russia, the ‘ally’ of America and the rest of the allied powers from the second World War, was growing strong at a pace that was terrifyingly and agonizingly slow. His influence was reaching out and slowly taking countries under his wing. His ‘teacher’, Mister Stalin, was the one who was behind it, he wanted power. By the late 1940’s and into the 1950’s, it was already too late for many nations. Many nations suffered from the separations, including Austria, his marriage to his wife, Hungary, was dissolved and she was taken into Russia’s control. Hopes and dreams of people were shattered, homes and families lay in ruins.




Present-day (Sometime during the Cold War)

Her eyes fluttered softly as she dreamed, there was no pain and suffering for her people, happiness and peace reigned. Her sleeping face smiled gently as the colors and figures flashed across her vision. This was the only time she could be happy, only in the little amount hopes and dreams her people dreamed of. She sighed in contentment until a voice, that was once happy and bubbly, deep and gruff spoke.

“________, Time to get up.” Her body shifted on the makeshift bed, which was a mattress on the floor. The man stood and watched her sleeping form. Oh how he wished he could laugh and smile, if only he could remember. He remembered when they were young and they would run freely and played til the sun set the sky ablaze into a fiery mix of red, orange, and gold. He remembered when he could laugh and have a good time, yet it felt like an eternity since he last had enjoyed himself, more importantly, since his people were happy.

“Didn’t you hear me?!” His boot clad foot kicked the mattress, yet he was careful enough to not hit the woman lying on the small and dirtied piece of furniture.

“Yes, I did.” Her voice was husky from sleep and a loud yawn filled the room.

Her smaller body rose off of the bed and stretched as a cat would after awaking from a deep slumber. A few grunts erupted from between her full lips and a few ‘pops’ could be heard from her awakening body and joints.

“Hurry up and get up, you know that Mr. Russia and his teacher don’t like to be kept waiting.” His voice carried a thick accent and was extremely heavy as he sneered out ‘Russia’ and ‘Teacher’.

“Yes, yes. I know very well that they don’t like to be kept waiting for anything. Thank you Poland.” She smiled warmly at him.

His response, a blank expression and a slam of the door that separated her and the rest of the nations beginning housed here. Her smile melted into a deep frown and her face appeared much older than she was. Yet, she still kept her people’s hopes alive within her, and that was what kept her going. Her heart ached and yearned for a better future for her people, yet she knew that she couldn’t escape this. She sighed and finished dressing. Her eyes raised to the ceiling, and a single tear slipped down a dirt and grime coated cheek. Her heart sent up the many silent prayers of her people before regaining her composure and heading out for another dull and difficult day behind Mr. Russia’s Iron Curtain, also known as his home.

She and all the other nations worked diligently and silently around the house. No one complained, no country made a fuss out of fear of being punished severely by their superior. Few words were exchanged so they would maintain their sanity and keep just a bit, a shred of their humanity and dignity. The woman would speak amongst themselves, having a bit of girl time, acting as though everything weren’t tense between one another. The men would give each other glances and grumble at one another. Nothing too serious, and quite innocent.



“Poland, again?” He shifted on the cot in the ‘infirmary’ that Mr. Russia was so kind as to place in the large home.

“If it’s for my people, yes.” His voice rough and he spat out blood into the bowl she held in her hands.

“Why must you get into so many fights with Mr. Russia? You’ll simply get hurt like this again and be sent back here.”

“My people want me to fight back,” He thumped his chest weakly, “They want justice and freedom, I want and must do as they please. I want nothing but their happiness. Even if it means I must be stomped on by that bastard.”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she gave him a pleading look, “Please be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt, I only want your safety.” Her lids hung low as she tended his wounds.

She gave his soft words of comfort as she fixed his broken skin. He gritted his teeth and his green orbs were shut tight from the pain. He refused to look and act weak in front of the country he had known for so long. He was confused, extremely puzzled as he watched her continue to work swiftly and efficiently.

“Why?” His mouth had asked the question before he could stop himself.

Her eyes rose and met his hardened gaze, showing he had her attention, “Why what?”

“Why do you care so much?” She smiled lightly as she paused to take a quick break to rinse off his blood from her hands.

“You are very,” She paused once more and thought about her words very carefully. She didn’t want him to know her true feelings for fear of rejection, yet she didn’t want to lie to him and simply say that this was her job.

She dried her hands as she continued, “You are very special to me and I care very deeply for you.” His tired eyes watched her as she began to work on his wounds once more.

He nodded slowly as she finished up her work...temporarily, “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled at him once more.

“Why are you always smiling? How can you after everything that’s happened?”

“Hope. My people still have hope. That is enough to keep me going and keep a smile. If they can then I can as well. I do it for them.”

He nodded slowly as he took in the information silently, he wished so desperately to smile, at least once, to her. He wanted to smile so much, yet all he could do now was grimace and sneer.

“I’m sure your people still have hope as well.”

“How?! How would you know?” He growled, appearing menacing with the dried blood stuck to his face and his greasy and blood matted hair.

“I can see it, well, feel it emanating from you. It’s weak, but I can feel it.”

Now that she had mentioned it, he felt a strange warmth, a tiny one, like a small burning candle against the darkness, but it still buried deep within him. It burned brightly in his core and it warmed him just enough. He could see the smiles of his people, there were still children who dreamed big, and most importantly, there was still love and hope among his people. The corners of his lips turned up slightly and his hand was placed unconsciously over his heart, it beat unevenly and weakly, yet it still kept going. Despite everything, his heart still pumped blood through his veins. His own hope began to burn along with his people’s hope.