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When an animal is threatened to a corner, stuck between a rock and a hard choice, to whom would it choose to go to?
Turaŭ chose Lithuania.
Turaŭ died.
And here he was, right in front of her, staring at her directly to her eyes, with him knowing full well that she can see him.
Well, his father was one of the few soulseekers. It's unsurprising that he became one in the end as well. It's reasonable for him to know that she's just ignoring him.
"Grandmother."
Russia couldn't ignore that, can she? Ah, Turaŭ knew which words to choose when it came to this.
"Dziyanisiy Dzmitriyjevič."
As much as his expression showed that he'd rather not the formality, this was how Rus Land and Moscovia treated their principalities and fellows, by their full name at first greet.
"At least you are acknowledging me compared to how you treat Arey."
He noticed that as well? She shouldn't find that unexpected. She has no idea what is with the huge influx of ghosts lately, so it isn't surprising that at least one of them realised that she could actually see them.
Turaŭ was one of the few who always thought of Moscovia as Rus Land.
"I have acknowledged him, actually. It's just that neither of you saw that that day."
And that was true, she wasn't lying for once. He slept sitting down right next to her, then she groomed his mane slightly afterwards. It looked unkempt.
"I see."
People might think that a successor of Moscovia would rather choose not to converse with a traitor. To someone who rejected Ruthenia's rule in favour of Lithuania. Many thought that this treason was why she holds a sort of hesitation to Belarus and Ukraine.
It's not that.
It's never that.
She does not hold grudges, at least after one life has passed. What happened in the past, stays in the past. There is no need to bring a long-forgotten issue to the present.
"Do you still hold them in high regard?"
That was an ambiguous question coming from Turaŭ.
Expected coming from one of her descendants. He was the oldest—like his father—after all. Unsurprising that he picked up Rus Land's habits the most.
"To them, you mean your still-alive-or-so father and aunt?"
Belarus wasn't exactly alive. Neither was Volyn. Halych was, though. Funnily enough, the fourth of the seven was the only one who hasn't died yet.
"If by aunt you mean whatever the equivalent of Ruthenia is now, then yes."
Yes, Ukraine is Ruthenia. To an extent. There was still a difference. An easy way to differentiate was that Ruthenia was more Volyn, while Ukraine was more Halych.
"Of course I still do. Why would you think otherwise?"
"Because they were like me."
So, Turaŭ also thinks that the treason was one of the undoing of the relationship. How wrong he is.
"Hardly so. I still view you in high regard."
"Why?"
Why? Such a great question, why. She asks herself that a lot too. Why did she did what she did? Perhaps she'll find a reason why, but Turaŭ's question was more specific.
Perhaps she can give an answer for this. Not for the more broader sense.
"If given the choice between your own mother who would kill you, or to find yourself ruled by a greater power who rivals her, is the answer not obvious—"
"But—"
"—To a Zemstvo?"
Ah, now he understands. It is part of the greater duty after all, to sustain their own life so that they can serve for much longer.
"Well, it is if you put it that way."
It wasn't even a betrayal in the first place. They just couldn't stand upon the might of the Balts. It wasn't their fault that they did not end up facing against Moscovia.
Russia would dare that it was better that they didn't.
For they didn't meet the same fate as the rest of their brothers and sisters.
"Lull those grudges, Dziyanisiy. There is no need to harbour them for so long."
And now he seems confused. Of course he was, she was being vague as she always does.
"To whom?"
She was referencing something old, yes, but she could still feel the distaste, even if it wasn't upfront as it once was. She can feel it herself.
"Your father."
A long sigh was drawn. He knew, then. He just didn't wish to believe that what he thought of was correct.
True to the Rus fashion of denial.
"I have."
He was a terrible liar. He was a terrible liar just like her.
"No you haven't."
One must learn how to relieve all those grudges. She did that already, though it most certainly took too much time. It was unbelievable that she herself hadn't managed to do so until victory was achieved by the Bearer of Victory.
As easy as it may be for her to learn certain things, it's even harder to unlearn them.
"How do I do that?"
Turaŭ asked after a long line of silence. He's quick to accept that.
"Go meet your father. He can see you."
There was something in Turaŭ's eyes when she said that. Perhaps shock over her own statement, that his father had died like her. And Turaŭ didn't bother to say anything to her after that. Which was fine, less things to say, the better.
Turaŭ will learn to relieve himself of grudges, even though it may be after his life. At least he still had done so.
Unlike her, who never learnt such a thing for over a thousand and a hundred years.
Russia understood Turaŭ's choice, because she did the exact same thing with the matter between Vladimir and the khan.
Vladimir died.
Moscovia chose Golden Horde.
She can't hate someone for doing what she did. Because that was the only way to sustain yourself when faced with certain death.