Autumn, 1927
Next two months had passed. The summer turned into autumn. Trees in the garden gathered colors of yellow and red. It was still pretty warm, so most the time they were spending in the garden with their charges.
This afternoon Anya and Dimitri sat on a bench in the corner of the garden, looking over the children playing a ball.
"You know, for last few days I'm thinking of Ilia. He was always like a brother for me. I really miss him... Do you think I could try to find him?"
"Why not." Dimitri replied with a smile. "I guess I know, how to help you... What was his last name?"
"Vlashnikov. Ilia and Katia Vlashnikov."
"Is their father named Sergei?" Dimitri asked surprised.
"I don't know, I never talked with Ilia about his parents. I met them once, when they came to take Ilia and Katia home. Why you're asking?"
"Sergei Vlashnikov was my father's friend."
"If it is the same guy, maybe you will find out what happened to your father?"
"Perhaps... I haven't seen him for almost eleven years... Oh, never mind." Dimitri cut off the conversation. He seemed like not really wanting to think of this any longer. He got up and joined the children.
′Why he's always hiding his feelings? Can't he just admit that he misses his father? It's obvious.' Thought Anya. She already knew when the memories were to hard for him to think of them - then Dimitri was always going away. Anya didn't have much time for thinking, however, because Sasha joined her.
"You already have enough of playing?"
"Mmhm. Whewe's Pooka?"
"I guess, he's in my room, but let him rest. Today you really exaggerated. I hate to moralize, but the dog isn't a toy, and it also gets tired. So, please, just leave him alone at least till evening, alright?"
"Okay."
"Mamma, whewe's Petewsbuwg?"
For a second she was silent. She even didn't realize what the question was about. What coughed her attention was how this little boy just called her. So, did they give him what he needed the most? Anya smiled, and tried to focus more on the answer for Sasha's question. The boy was too little to understand that she's not his mother; he already didn't remember that he actually was an orphan. So why to remind him about that?
"St. Petersburg? Well, it's in Russia. Very far from here." She replied.
"Annushka said it was vewy bad thewe. She was in owphanage."
"Like me. For maybe three years we were living in the same orphanage, near Petersburg."
"But…"
"Yes, I do have family, but only for last two years. I have you, Dimitri, my grandmother, and your step-siblings."
Now next to Sasha sat Annushka, so the boy was between them.
"Anya, did you take Pooka somewhere? I'm looking for him for over an hour!" Said the little girl upset.
"Yeah, I let him have a rest. But please, don't look for him today, okay?"
"Oh, alright." For a second she was silent, but then she had next question. "How did you get to Paris?"
"Oh, that's a very long story…"
"But in short… please…"
Anastasia looked at the sky like she was searching for help there.
'Give me patience to this child!' She called in her thoughts. But she knew she had to answer. "The whole journey lasted over three months…"
"Why so long?" Annushka kept asking questions.
"Because a bridge was destroyed, so we couldn't continue the train ride. We had to walk."
"Who was with you?" It was hard to stop Annushka from as king so many questions.
"Dimitri, Vlad and Pooka. We walked all Poland and half of Germany, till we rented horses, then we had to go by free cutting alloy, and then bikes. And the last part of the voyage, probably the most interesting, a sail across the Baltic sea. And that's how we got to France."
"So, you know where you have your necklace from?"
"I got it from my grandmother. As a child I was about to go to Paris, because in Russia was too dangerous for me and my family. Unfortunately only me and my grandmother are alive…"
"Why?" Anya was already tired with Annushka's questions, especially that she had no idea how to answer for this last one. She didn't want to tell it when Sasha was near to not scare him, and even Annushka was too little to understand. "Anya, why?"
"One day, I'll tell you."
"Why not now?"
"Dimitri!" Called Anastasia. She had no idea what to do, so she hoped that her husband-to-be will help her.
"What?"
"Please, take care of Sasha for a while, alright? I'm going to the kitchen."
"Something's wrong?" He asked like he was reading her mind.
"Yes, and no. Never mind. I'll explain it to you later."
"Anya, I won't let you go until you tell me what's wrong."
"Then come with me. I hope they won't get hurt if we'll leave them alone for few minutes."
As they were inside the house, Anya began her explanations.
"Annushka constantly asks me questions. And I have no idea how to answer for the last one, especially to still little child. How am I to tell her that the tsar was..." Because Dimitri was still holding Sasha, she whispered. "That he ended his life in basement in Yekaterinburg?"
"Perhaps, that he was simply... shot by Bolsheviks? Or rather on Lenin's orders, by Yurovsky and his soldiers? But how you will explain that you and the empress escaped, without mentioning little Dimitri?"
"This is the smallest problem. It's enough that I won't say who was our savior. She won't guess that now he's my husband-to-be."
"So, you have one problem solved. I'm sorry that I forced you to tell me all this. I had no idea that you gotta explain such things to her."
"Well, it's not so hard, actually. At least I didn't see the execution. All I knew was that someone had broken into the palace, and that was all."
"A blessing in disguise..."
They even didn't notice that they could talk normally, because Sasha had a very hard sleep. The little boy slept in his step-father's arms. Anya smiled at this. They looked so cute together.
"Take him to bed. He's terribly tired, since the morning he was playing with the others."
"Oh, how I wish I could do the same, and just have an hour for reading a book or just take a nap… I'm struggling on my feet. Good luck in talking with Annushka." He was in the door way when Anya stopped him.
"Dimitri! If you're tired, I guess you can have a rest. I'll be alright."
"Are ya sure?"
"Yep."
"Well then, ... If you say so... Just wake me up, if I'm needed, alright?"
"Fine. Don't worry. I should be alright with them."
However, soon she wasn't so sure of what she said, cause she was joined by Annushka.
"Anya, why only you and your grandmother are alive?" This child was more stubborn than Anastasia and Dimitri together.
"Sit down, I'll finish you this story, but you gotta help me."
"Okay."
"So, just dry these plates."
"Alright. But, you gotta tell me!"
"Fine. So, where I had to cut off? Oh, yeah, right, at the part about my escape. I don't know that much. All I can remember was that someone attacked the Winter Palace, and then the escape with my grandmother through the servants quarters, on the back of the building and then to the train station."
"What about the rest?"
"They're said to have been taken to Siberia, I guess the town was called Yekaterinburg."
"And what was next?"
"The rest you already know. I was taken to Phlegmenkoff's orphanage."
"But… you escaped from the palace?"
"Well, yeah. Like everybody – my family, servants and the rest of staff. But they were cached…"
"So, you're a princess?!?"
"Yep."
"Which one? As far as I remember the tsar had three daughters…"
"Four, and one son."
"So, which duchess are you?"
"This is going to sound crazy, but I am Anastasia."
At last Anya said something that stopped Annushka from talking for longer than few seconds!
'So it was that easy? At last!' Thought Anya glad that at least for a while her little reflection will be quiet.
Anya couldn't fall asleep tonight, so she decided to stop tossing in her bed, and just went to the kitchen. As she entered it, she noticed that the door leading to the garden was opened. As she stood it its way, she saw Dimitri sitting on a bench. She came to him.
"Sleepless night?" She asked sitting next to him.
"Yeah. You know, I'm thinking of your friends… Do you remember when they left the orphanage? I mean the year."
"Yeah, 1923. Exactly three years before I left."
"Ilia and Katia Vlashnikov, was it?"
"Mmhm."
"But you don't know the names of their parents… and that might be a problem, cause…"
"Yeah, I know, but I still remember their birth dates, so I guess it might be helpful." She grinned.
"Fine, so in the morning, please, write everything down on a sheet of paper, and just give it to me. It's all you have to do."
"And I am to believe that you'll find them?"
"Perhaps, all depends on how detailed information you'll give me."
The very next morning Dimitri went out just after breakfast. Normally when he was going out, he was allowing the younger orphans to go with his, but this time, he told them that he has to go on his own. Anya had no idea where is he going, but she knew it had to do with searching for Ilia and Katia, since Dimitri asked her to write all the information about this two before he went out. And she was right. Dimitri met Vlad at Eiffel Tower.
"Hey, Vlad!" Called Dimitri seeing his friend looking around in the crowd.
"Dimitri, glad to see you. Do you have this information?"
"Yeah." He replied handing the older man a peace of paper. "Not much, but hope it's enough…"
"We will see…" Vladimir read the notes Anya did. "Ilia and Katia Vlashnikov… No photograph, and no parents' names either… But at least she remembers when they were born…"
"Not so optimistic as you expected hah?" Asked Dimitri with rather sad voice.
"I'll see what I can do about that."
"Vlad, remember that the costs aren't important. I'll just do anything to help Anya find her friends! Even if this would mean, searching on my own throughout all Soviet Union! You, know maybe this will sound insane, but I will be happy only when Anya will."
"I can't believe you're saying something like this." Laughed Vlad. "Not so long ago, you would never thought that you may love her…"
"Better late than never." Grinned Dimitri.
Vladimir said good-bye, and went to see someone who was "the right person to look for help at". Dimitri hoped that he will be able to go too, but he ended up alone, in the crowd of people under the Eiffel Tower.
'I gotta try another way of getting the information…' Thought the man and narrowed to one of the poorer districts of Paris, where a small newspaper's office was. Even thought it wasn't a big corporation the magazine printed here was pretty popular in France, mostly cause of good information and low price. 'May Russians moved to France after the revolution… Maybe by chance these two did so too?' With that thought he entered the office and asked one of the workers:
"Excuse me, I'd like to give a small announcement about searching for a family of mine…"
"Of course, monsieur. I will need their detailed information about them."
"Well, I only have their names, and dates of birth. They actually are my siblings-in-law, but it passed five years since my wife have seen them for the last time. All I know is that they're names are Ilia and Katia Vlashnikov, and they were born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1907 and 1914. The boy is older. I don't know the names of their parents."
"This might be difficult to find them, especially that from you've told me, you cannot be sure that they moved to France, maybe they still live in Soviet Union? But, of course, I will put your request in tomorrow's number."
"Thank you very much. Oh, and please, repeat this entrance also in next ten ones." He added the contact details in case the Vlashnikovs would read the article, and waited till the officer will note everything.
"That would be 30 Franks."
"Here" Said Dimitri putting the coins on the desk, and left the office hopping that this will help. He was about to go back to his car, when he passed a candy shop.
'Well, Anya will make me hurt, but… at least the kids won't.' He said to himself in his mind, and entered the shop.
It passed only two weeks when they got a letter from the man, who was to find the Vlashnikovs. Dimitri was right that they moved to France. They actually lived in Dieppe, in the north part of France, at the La Manche Canal. Dimitri couldn't help but just stared at Anya, as she was reading the message from the office for probably millionth time. He had no idea that this may make her so happy.
"Are ya gonna write to them? Or maybe you wanna go and see them?" He asked standing behind her, and kissing her cheek.
"I guess I'll write them a short letter. Maybe they could come here for few days?"
"I have nothing against it. But, maybe you would write the letter in the evening, when the kids will go to sleep, hah? I guess Annushka won't leave you alone…"
"She won't. You're right I will do that later, but it's just I still can't believe that…"
"I know. I just hope they will answer soon."
Just as she said, in the late evening Anya sat in the living room, and started her letter.
"How is it going?" Asked Dimitri, sitting next to her.
"I'm still thinking what to write… I'm afraid I might spend all night long on that…"
"Well, if so, maybe I will take care of Sasha tonight? When you'll be done, you can sleep in my room, and I'll take yours."
"Fine. Good luck with Sasha."
He decided to wait till Sasha will fall asleep, but looked thereon that the boy won't fall asleep till the very morning. Resigned Dimitri based his elbows on the side of the cot.
"What happens, Sasha? Why you're still awake?" He asked softly. "You wanna wait for Anya?"
"Mmhm."
"I'm afraid she won't come before very late night. You know her, when she starts something, she won't stop before she's done."
"The music box"
"What music box?" The little boy pointed a small golden casket on a cupboard. "Oh, that one." Dimitri took the box. "I won't open it..." He said more to himself than to the child.
"Why?"
"How Anya opens it?"
"She has a locket."
"Exactly, she has it with her for all the time. Tonight you have to be satisfied with your teddy bear." Dimitri began to be skeptic about convincing the boy to finally fall asleep. "No, Sasha, please, don't do that! I'm beggin' you, just don't cry! Anya will kill me!" Said Dimitri scared, as he saw child's frown.
The little boy looked at his step-father with curiosity.
"Spasiba." Dimitri said relieved. He scanned the book shelf next to Sasha's bed. "Maybe instead of the music box, a book for children? What you think of such exchange?"
"Yep"
When taking out a children's book from the shelf a big book covered by black leather, almost fell on his head. He opened it. Dimitri recognized Anya's handwriting at once. 'I will check what this, as I'll be sure Sasha's seeps.
After twenty minutes the child fell asleep. Dimitri took the notes of the girl. He wanted to just check what this was, but after the first page he got interested in this. He knew very well that if Anya would see him reading her diary, she'd got really mad with him. He thought however, that when Anya was too busy with her letter, so he had plenty of time for reading. He rested on the bed and began reading attentively.
It took him long to finish the book. Not only cause it was long, but also cause it really showed how hard life Anya had before she found her family. But even though she was very strong and could find something positive in even very bad, and almost fatal situation. The way she ended her diary moved him deeply:
'The life writes different screenplays. But even when lose faith, one day on our way, we will meet somebody, who will remind us that it's only the beginning. I met somebody like this. And I'd like, every orphan to never lose hope and be desperate to realize one's dreams. Even these most crazy ones.'
'Oh, God… Anya, how much you had to go through to find your happiness…' Thought Dimitri, and stood up from the bed. He replaced the book, and looked at his step-son, who was sleeping peacefully in his little bed. Dimitri had no idea that he might be so happy to take care of a child. That was it. A father, that's who this little child was thinking of Dimitri. The man smiled at this thought. Not wanting to wake Sasha up, he just left the room. As he closed the door, he saw Anya still writing her letter.
'It takes her way too long…' He thought and went to the office where they had the wine basement. Dimitri took rather strong and sweet kind, then two glasses from the kitchen, and back to the living room. He sat next to his wife-to-be, and put the stuff he was holding on the table.
"How is it going?"
"Could've been better… But I always had the problem with writing something short." She replied with tired voice.
"So maybe you could make a short break? What you'd say for a glass of good wine?" He asked jaunty.
"If you'll make me drunk, and I won't finish this letter tonight, I promise, I'll make you hurt!" Laughed Anya, as Dimitri handed her a glass of dark purple liquid.
"So, for soon replay from your friends." He smiled, and hit his glass against Anastasia's one.
"Yeah. I just hope everything will go right."
'So do I…' Thought Dimitri, but he also meant something else… "But you know, until now everything went well, and just as you intended it to, so I guess in this case it will be the same."
"Stoic, as usual… That's all you…" She mumbled ironically.
"Anya, have mercy, at least tonight, please…" He said entreatingly. "Maybe you wanna some more wine?" He asked as he finished his glass.
"Well, why not." She smiled. "I guess it will even help me with the writing…" Added Anastasia drinking up her liquor.
"Yeah… wine has lots of advantages…" He whispered.
"May I?" She asked coquettishly putting her glass in front of him.
"Sure. I guess me as well..." Ascertained Dimitri, and spilled the rest of the wine to their glasses.
"You know, I think I can finish the writing in the morning and I won't blame you for not finishing it tonight…"
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness." He grinned, and held her close to him. Anya put her head on Dimitri's shoulder. It was so wonderful to be in his arms and hear the rhythm of his heart's beating. He also began to think of how right she felt against him. Slowly, Dimitri began to kiss her cheeks, and lips and in the end Anya's neck. The last cares was something new for her. She never felt something like this. The princess looked into deep brown eyes of her fiancé.
"Not so long ago, you weren't so confident, when you wanted to kiss me…" She giggled.
"Many things had changed…" He replied with lowered, full of unknown for her feeling in his voice. "For example the fact that we're engaged now..." He added with even lower tone.
She wasn't sure of what to think of this. She had no idea of the feeling that was overtaking her so strongly. Is it what people call the passion? She had no idea. She still didn't know many fillings; only now she learned what love exactly is. Yeah, sure she always dreamed of it, but she couldn't even expected that this feeling could be so all-embracing. "So, if you're not too drunk, maybe you wanna go to bed?" As usual Dimitri asked something ambiguous. Of course, he meant something more than the basic meaning of this question, but he hoped Anya won't notice that.
"And I guess you think I will let you sleep with me?" She also asked him the same kind of a inquiry, but she meant the basic meaning of it.
"Why not? We're not kids anymore."
"Well, fine, but one condition. Don't talk anymore." She said and leaned towards him. He could see her shining eyes and the wine dallying in them. They had too much of alcohol…
"Anya, can't you stop this? You know I love arguing with you, but not now…" He said and kissed her passionately. They lasted in the cares for long, so long that they felt dizzy, and only then they parted. Somehow Anya knew that it wasn't the end, and what Dimitri meant by going to bed wasn't what she thought…