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Turaŭ has returned, after a long while since the last time they've met.
Why is it that his visit coincided after when she last saw Tver? At least a few months after. Whether or not Turaŭ returned to the afterlife, or chose to follow anyone around like Tver, is unknown to her.
If he took in what she said last time, she was sure he'd had left this world and went back to that other one. Though the dead would usually not remember what they saw when dead, they retain what they've learnt. So, Turaŭ still had it in himself. As expected from a descendant of Rus Land.
That phrase will always be funny to her, because to all those who have never met Rus Land, they all belive that Moscovia and her successors are included in such a phrase.
Which, no! Hardly so! Russia has no genetic relations to any of them. Is she related to Rus Land's sister, Österland? Oh, definitely so. But to Rus Land herself? That's impossible. They'd have to re-literate themselves in what the meaning of "being related" was defined by.
"What are you thinking about?"
Oh, so that's how Turaŭ starts the conversation? Well, it wasn't the worst one she'd ever heard in her life, so she should react accordingly. At least his first words wasn't a question about whether or not she kidnapped all her children—which the answer was no, obviously.
"How was it that you were the lone few who believed that Moscovia was your grandmother rather than your long-lost secret aunt?"
Alright, that might as well be a lie. She wasn't really thinking about that, but it was close enough. Russia actually wants to know why.
"Because it was really obvious considering how awful you looked when people called you your own daughter?"
A bland and direct response, but she wasn't surprised. Really, everyone knew she reacted weirdly when that suggestion was made. They were all just in denial. And that deniability was just reinforced when Moscovia kept killing Rus Land's children.
Because Rus Land would never do that.
Damn right they were. Because Moscovia wasn't Rus Land, Moscovia was herself.
"Oh, Moscovia looked visibly taken aback, did she not?"
"Clearly."
And that was hardly her fault. If anyone were to say that she had a secret biological daughter, and that daughter was herself, how would she even react normally? Surprise was the only reasonable expression from her way. Giving birth to one's self is impossible.
The concept of asexual reproduction was another thing. Alaska wasn't the Russian Empire, after all.
"Well the rest of the principalities were staunch believers that you were otherwise. Even Przemysława believed so."
"Poland was blind unlike Lithuania."
Of course she didn't mean it literally. Though the Poland of now certainly wasn't like her mother. At least her Poland was more eye-opened compared to any other non-East Slav. The only other contender to that position was Czechia. Bulgaria was... well, she supposes he could be included.
"Did the other nations of Europe believe so as well?"
Ah, this is a really nice question. Maybe her feelings to what this perception of herself was would be told to her grandson. He lived longer than most, either way. He was killed by Tatars, not by his own kin.
"Nearly all of them do, actually."
Which is amazing, because yes, Rus Land most definitely die, but she did not have a secret biological daughter, ever. Especially Moscovia. They weren't related, and neither was Moscovia to Tsardom, or was Tsardom to Empire, or was Empire to Soviet, or was Soviet to Union, or was Union to Federation. Those people were separate things. But perhaps the line does blur when it comes to Soviet and Union.
"That is a pity. Do they even have the same context as the other principalities?"
A useless question, but Russia entertains such a thing. One could even say that all the things she's thought about were useless, because she already found the answer long ago. Does it really matter, though? As long as her mind is occupied with trivial matters, things should be where it should be.
"They don't. It's just one assumption after another."
"The assumption that all your 'predecessors' are part of your larger family?"
Family. She had that conversation with herself not long ago. She supposes that, yet, the larger family Turaŭ meant was hers.
"I am part of my larger family."
"Well, yes, I mean from Rus Land the line goes to her daughter Moscovia, then to her daughter, then to her daughter's daughter, then to her daughters' granddaughter, and then to you."
"You can put their perception that way."
Ah, the complexities of technicalities. It was both the bane and the saviour of her life. Though it was more bane when used against her. Everyone knows what happened in the one time she didn't factor in the technicalities. That was paid with her life.
Was she even herself in this moment?
She supposes that she is. As complicated as it may be.
"Why are you this way?"
"What way?"
"So technical with words."
That, she'd rather not say. But who is she to deny the wishes of her grandson? It's hard doing that to her children in the first place. Even more so with their own children.
"Before I met Novgorod—"
"Before you met Novgorod?"
"—yes, it ties back to the sole reason why I left Uppsala in the first place."
Visiting that shore a few years back brought many memories to resurface in her head. Whether she liked it or not, it wouldn't and didn't care.
"So you did not come to Ladoga for trade?"
"I came to Aldeigja to calm myself down."
There was always a reason.
"So something you would rather not say happened before you met her?"
"Garðaríki—or rather, Valgerðr Styraldsdottir—named herself Vyachegneva for a reason, Dziyanisiy."
Turaŭ seemed taken aback over her words. Perhaps it was more over the fact that he hadn't heard those old names of hers for so long.
"Well, you always have a reason."
"Of course I do. Why would I not?"
He expected that response. Really, if he thought of any other response from her, would that really be the son of Polotsk and not an impostor? One cannot be too sure, so she'd leave that thought behind.
"So you do admit that you are both Rus Land and Moscovia."
Really, the only way to stay sane was to separate her lives from one another.
So her answer is no, she never said that.