No footprints disturbed the snow as General Winter weaved through the forest. Animals inched back upon feeling the intensely cold air floating around him. Even the trees seemed to shiver, their branches, breaking under the weight of the snow, swaying back and forth in the strong gushes of wind that followed Winter's passage. The gaze on his face would have left spectators wondering what it was he felt, had he had any spectators, though anyone who got to know him would recognize a hint of sadness amongst Winter's stern expression. The snow crunched silently under the weight of small feet, scurrying behind him, attempting to catch up to him.

"Winter." Silence took over as both General Winter and the young boy to whom the feet belonged to stopped. "Winter, are you leaving us?"

As though in slow motion, Winter turned around, and shifted his attention to the young boy. His hair was a curious mix of platinum and blond, and his purple eyes stood out from his face, pale from the sub-zero temperatures.

After a long silence, Winter turned back towards his destination.

"Yes Russia. That I am."

Three figures stood huddling in the snow, their backs to an old birch tree. All three were young children, two of them girls, and one a boy. The eldest child was holding a long white scarf, which she proceeded to wrap around the other boy. All three shivered in the cold, and the youngest, a girl, clutched onto the arm of the boy. None of them carried food and their clothing was thin and torn. For anyone but themselves, the circumstances would mean a long and slow death, however there was something special about them, something that set them apart, and allowed them to live; they weren't entirely human, they were nations.

It was in this cold and dreary December that the three siblings encountered General Winter.

"But why?" Russia's question echoed back from between the trees, sounding repeatedly, until it faded into the early morning air.

A blasting cold stronger than any they had felt before enveloped Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, forcing the siblings to scoot closer to each other. A startle cry escaped the youngest sibling as she glanced up. Before them stood General Winter, his face hiding curiosity, the snow swirling in circles around him. His aged face showed both signs of harshness and strict softness. The gazes of the three small nations met that of Winter. Both sides realized who it was they were facing, though neither the siblings nor the general could explain how. After a moment of silence, General Winter crouched down, and held his hand in front of Ukraine. Slowly, the eldest sibling reached out her hand, allowing Winter to take it. Almost instantly, a certain immunity to cold seemed to come upon her and her siblings.

"It is because I am Winter."

The immunity flowed through Ukraine, and onto Russia and Belarus. All three loosened at the warmth spreading through their bodies. Despite being faced by this strange 'person', they allowed small smiles onto their faces. None of them had yet to notice the strange connection between them, though in the weeks that followed it became more and more apparent. It was almost as though General Winter was a part of each of them; a part of their people; their lives. Though the cold Winter brought was hard to bear, as long as they were close enough to him, the immunity would spread through them, letting them feel warmth on the most freezing of days. In the shortest of times, the countries and General Winter became dependent on one another; Winter protected the children from hardship, driving away and fighting attackers, while the children eased the loneliness he had lived in for all his life.

"My heart is cold. Yet somehow, you and your sisters managed to warm it up, when it was supposed to stay cold for all eternity. I cannot exist when it is warm. That is why this is farewell."

Sometimes, Winter was their friend; other times, he was like their father. Hunger became less of an issue, and the cold no longer affected them.

"Will we ever see each other again?"

A smile fell onto Winter's face; the first smile Russia had seen from him.

"Of course we shall. Every year. After all, I am not just any winter. I am your winter."

As General Winter drifted farther and farther away, the immunity around Russia and his siblings began to disappear. In the short time they had known each other, the general and the nations had become dependent on one another. All four of them felt as though something was missing from their lives, something that would never be restored. No matter how many visits General Winter paid them, their connection had been lost.

A/N: Thank you to the awesome jayjane for editing this.

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