February 28, 1933

Northern German Countryside

As the train sped along the tracks, Theo looked across the passing land with amazement. He had never been on a train, or outside of Berlin for that matter, since he was brought here when he was 9. The four of them were able to secure a small suite to themselves, where they could be alone and speak freely. Part of Theo felt sad, for Berlin was the only home he'd ever had, and he knew he would probably never go back. He was also anxious, because he did not know what waited for him in Copenhagen. He would need to find a job, a place to live, and decide if and how he wanted to find his grandmother, if she was even still alive. There was a small part of him that was glad he wasn't doing this alone, but a part of him thought his new companions would leave him after getting his story.

"So, Theo," Stiles finally spoke up, breaking Theo from his trance, "Ready to start the interview?"

"Oh, yes, of course, though I do not think you will find my story very interesting," Theo said, turning his attention to the journalist, as he noticed that Lydia was fast asleep in her seat.

"I'll be the judge of that," Stiles said eagerly as he grabbed his notebook and pen, ready to write down anything that Theo said."So, Theo, have you lived in Berlin your whole life?"

Theo shook his head, having expected this to be the first question. "No, I have only lived there since I was nine," He answered, not giving up too much information. He realized that this probably made him an annoying interview subject, but if Stiles wanted something out of him, he would have to ask.

"Very interesting," Stiles replied, scribbling that down and then moving on, "So where did you live before Berlin then, and why did you leave?"

"I was adopted, by my parents at that age. Before that, I was an orphan in Russia," He answered. He did not like to think of his days in the orphanage, or in the Soviet Union for that matter. It was cruel and the head of the orphanage was ruthless. When he received word that he was leaving to be adopted, it was the best day of his life. He knew when he felt the warm embrace of his parents, that everything was going to be ok.

Stiles's eyes widened, and Theo could not realize if he said something right, or something wrong. Nudging Lydia until she was awake, Stiles wrote a few more things down and then continued, "You were in orphan in Russia? How did that happen? What happened to your family, if you don't mind talking about it."

Theo nodded, "It's fine. Truthfully, I don't mind talking about it, because I don't remember. They said I was found on the side of a road. Probably an orphan from the Revolution or the Great War. My first memory is being found by them and led to the orphanage. I wish it was more exciting than that, but I just don't remember. The nurses think I hit my head, and that caused the memory loss."

Moving closer, as if on the edge of her sight, Lydia displayed in an interest in Theo that she hadn't had before. "So you don't remember anything? At all?" She asked him, her demeanor was different than before, and Stiles only smiled.

"I mean, I remember somethings. I knew I was 8 when they found me, but I don't know my birthday. Sometimes I get flashes of splashing in a lake with other kids, siblings maybe, but their faces are long gone to me now," Theo explained. His memory was strange to him. "At this point, I don't know what is real and what is in my dreams. I figure if my life was interesting, I would remember." He said with a small laugh. He never really talked about this before, so he did not realize how upset this made him until now. He never realized how truly painful it was to know that he had a life and family that he can never remember. Part of him felt guilty for forgetting the family he now didn't know. "I do remember one thing that I know is from my old life. A lullaby, I think, but I don't know the words."

Stiles motioned for Theo to hum the tune, so Theo agreed. He starting humming a soft yet haunting tune, sounding just like a lullaby. When he reached the end of the tune, during the last few notes, Lydia sang softly, almost as if it were instinctive, the words, "Once upon a December." Hearing her say this caused Theo's eyes to widen, "Lydia! That's it! Those are the words!" Almost like a flood, the memory of the song came back to him. The twinkling of the music box, the old yet melodic female voice of whoever was singing it to him came back to him. Starting the song over, he and Lydia sang the song again. "Hear this song and remember, soon you'll be, home with me, once upon a December."

Liam and Stiles both sat in amazement at the moment they just witnessed. "Lydia, how did you know that?" Liam asked, still astonished by what just happened.

"Its a common Eastern European lullaby," She quickly answered, "My grandmother was a Russian immigrant. She used to sing it to us as kids. It took me a second to realize it, but I recognized the tune when he hummed it." Lydia smiled a bit, seeming that this moment had softened her view towards Theo. Something certainly shifted. Perhaps it was the kinship of having similar ancestry, regardless of whether he was the Prince or not.

Part of Theo wondered why Mr. Stilinski did not just write stories about his own team. Lydia was the granddaughter of a Russian immigrant and Liam, well, Theo did not know much about Liam, but something was clearly going on there. So, he could not really fathom why Mr. Stilinski would be interested in his story. Even still, he had to be thankful for their help, and even Lydia's, because she triggered a memory in him that had been lost to him until now. "Lydia, I cannot thank you enough. I could never remember the words until now."

"It actually awoke a memory in myself as well," Lydia said with a smile, as tears began to form in her eyes. She wiped them away gently and then stood up, "I am going to go to the dining cart. I just need a second." Stiles and Liam offered to go with her, but she was overcome with emotion and requested to be left alone. Exiting the cart, she closed the door behind her, leaving the three men alone.

Stiles looked longingly at the door as Lydia left, but then turned his attention back to Theo. "We can pivot topics now," Stiles continued, flipping to a new page in his notebook, "This may sound random, but stay with me. Are you familiar with Anna Anderson?"

Theo sighed, he probably should have seen this coming, especially after reading the article. "Yes, I have heard of her, and I read your manuscript. Like I said, if you're wanting a Russian citizen's thoughts on the Romanovs or their possible survival, you have the wrong person. I don't remember my home. They have been dead for as long as i can remember. I would not have any first hand opinions that would benefit you."

Stiles nodded, scribbling some more things down, and then pulled out a couple of pictures of Anna Anderson, and one other woman. "Yes, yes, ok sure. But just as yourself, how do you feel about the whole thing? Or maybe Eugenia Smith, the woman who also claims to be Anastasia," He said, gesturing to the picture of the other woman. "Do you think one of them could be Anastasia?"

Theo sighed, truly having no clue, and he really did not care either. "Your article spins an intriguing tale, so I could never say never. Personally, Anderson does't really resemble the pictures of Anastasia that I have seen. Honestly though, there's a slim chance that any of them got out alive. Weren't they killed in a basement? Thats not really conducive to an epic escape."

"So you think any one who claims to be a Romanov is an imposter?" Stiles asked, raising his eyebrow.

Theo was starting to think he was offending the journalist, "I am not intending to offend you. I honestly do not know, and you have studied this more than I have, so I will defer to your opinion. In truth, I do not really care about exiled royalty. They are probably better off remaining in secrecy, if they really did live."

"I can respect that," Stiles responded, clearly debating on whether or not he wanted to continue his line of questioning.

As Lydia walked through the dining cart, picking up a small cup of coffee, she tried to shake her sense of sorrow. Of course she missed her grandmother, but she was a professional, because this trip was not about her. Looking out the window as the train sped through countryside, covered in a thin layer of snow. She did feel a sense of relief leaving Germany. She hated what was coming over this country, and she feared for their safety. Soon, they would be in Denmark where they would be safe from Nazi oppression. Hitler was many things, but he was not a conqueror.

Lydia turned as she heard heavy footsteps enter the dining cart. It was about four guards, with the Nazi symbol already plastered on their arms. She tried to discreetly watch, as they walked up to passengers and searched their bags. She slowly backed away, before one pointed her out, "Ma'am, we will need to see your passport and travel papers."

She smiled, hiding her sense of fear, "Of course, but I left it in my suite in the back of the train. Would you like me to get them?"

The guards looked at eachother and then shook their heads. "Return to your suite and do not leave. We will be there momentarily to check your papers and your belongings." She nodded, thanked the guards, and quickly rushed back to their suite.

Stiles finished scribbling down a note, before turning back to Theo, "Are you familiar with Grand Duke Kons-" Stiles was cut off by Lydia quickly sliding open the door and the closing it quietly.

"We have a problem," She whispered.

'What is it?" Stiles rose from his feet defensively. It was safe to say, Lydia was not easily shaken. If she was worried, then something must really be wrong. In that sense, Stiles more than trusted her judgement.

"The guards, they are asking for documents, and searching bags," She quickly replied, peeking out the window of the door to their suite, checking to see if the guards were close. When no one replied, she could tell they did not understand her fear. "The four of us aren't exactly inconspicuous. Two Americans, a German, and a Brit, all traveling to Denmark? They'll search our bags and find that we have a coded communist message!"

"But they can't imprison us, we are foreign citizens," Liam interjected, knowing that such an event would cause a diplomatic crisis that even Hitler would not want to enter.

"He isn't," Lydia replied, gesturing towards Theo, "He's German, so they'll imprison him, and the three of us will be deported!"

"Maybe," Stiles said calmly, placing his hands on Lydia's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "These guards are just following procedure. Most of them are not out to get anyone for just no reason."

"Do you really want to take that chance?" Lydia asked, her eyes flashing over to Theo then back at Stiles, heavily implying, 'do you want to take that chance with him?' Lydia did not know if she believed he was the Last Prince of Russia, but she knew Stiles did. If they imprisoned Theo, even if he was found innocent of communist collaboration, if he really was a Romanov, they would surely do something to him. Lydia was at least convinced enough that they needed to protect him.

"Ok, what should we do then?" Stiles relented.

The baggage cart was cold, and mostly dark save for a few dim lights. Theo and Liam sat on the floor, trying to find some ways to pass the time. Lydia and Stiles remained in their suite. Since Lydia talked to the guards, they knew she'd be expecting to see her later, and since Stiles and her had American passports, it was determined that they were best suited to stay behind. So, Liam accompanied Theo in the baggage cart, surrounded by luggage, where no one would go. Once the train stopped in the next station, Hamburg, all four of them would get off, and try their luck with a boat to Denmark.

"You doing ok?" Liam asked Theo.

"Me? Oh yes, it's cold, for sure, but this doesn't compare to winters in Russia, or even the coldest night in Berlin," Theo chuckled, but he could tell that Liam was not so used to the cold. He took off one of his jackets and handed it to the other man. "It doesn't get cold in England?" Theo had never been to England, but he assumed it would get pretty cold their as well.

"Not like this," He smiled a bit, taking the jacket thankfully and covering up, "Besides, I usually spend winter holiday in Italy with my family. It doesn't get like this in Italy, at all."

"Oh, I see," Theo replied, thinking of what a glamorous life Liam seemed to have. Rich boarding school, winter vacations to Italy, and he chooses to be an assistant to some nobody American reporter? "Sorry you're doing all of this for me. I did not mean to cause anyone any trouble. I don't know why Mr. Stilinski even wants to help me," Theo sighed. Liam was about to reply, but Theo put his hand up to stop him, "And don't give me that story bullshit. There is no story with me, and he is going to be disappointed. He interviews royalty, or celebrities, I guess he just felt bad for me."

Liam frowned, and looked down at his hands, huffing a small puff of air trying to warm his fingers up. Stiles's plan to do a hefty interview with Theo on the train had been spoiled, so maybe Liam needed to reveal the truth. After all, they can't have Theo running off out of guilt. "Have you heard of Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov?"

Theo held back from rolling his eyes. He was getting exhausted of being asked about the Romanov or the Revolution, when he had mentioned many times he did not remember a thing from his childhood. "Sounds familiar, but I have told you, numero-"

Before he could finish, Liam cut him off, "Stiles thinks you're him." Upon hearing this, Theo stopped in confusion and shock. "There have been so many rumors about a surviving family member. The murderers themselves even allege that all of the bodies were not accounted for, and you look just like him. If I am being honest."

Now, at least it all made sense. This was why Stiles had wanted Theo to do an interview and go to Copenhagen. However, there was one thing that Theo knew for sure, he was not royalty, and he would not be Anna Anderson and manipulate the public into making him a celebrity. "He thinks that I could be royalty?" It still just didn't make sense. Perhaps Stiles was unaware of just how many orphaned children came out of the Revolution or the Great War. Theo was just one of them.

"But what if its true?" Liam asked, raising his eyebrow slightly. "Think about it. It sounds plausible. You don't know what happened to you, and no one knows what happened to him."

"I do know what happened to me!" Theo snapped back, "My parents died, because our country literally collapsed. I was one of hundreds of children my age in the orphanage. And we know what happened to him. The poor soul was brutally murdered with the rest of his family. You and Stilinski need to give it a break and let their souls rest in peace." Theo stood up quickly and looked out the tiny window to the outside, watching the hills fly by.

Liam, on the other hand, was not giving up. Standing up too, he spoke a little louder now, "You're looking for family in Copenhagen, and his only family, is in Copenhagen!" Theo looked at Liam confused, so Liam elaborated. "The Dowager Empress of Russia lives in Denmark with her family. Stiles has met her, actually, and I imagine, he wants to show you to her. Thats how much he believes in this."

Theo took a deep breathe and tried to consider it. Truthfully, it was hard to imagine, but if it was true, then he knew where his family was. The woman who wrote the note would know she wrote it and maybe it was the Empress. "Every little boy dreams of being a prince when he's sleeping on a damp floor." If he really was dedicated to finding his family, he would have to explore every possibility, even this one. "I guess you're right. Who's to say I'm not a Prince or a Duke or whatever he is. And if I'm not then the Empress will know right away and its all just an honest mistake."

"And if it is true, then you will know who you are and have your family back!" Liam said, partly victoriously. It felt nice to contribute something useful to the team. He and Theo had some sort of bond, or connection of something. So, Liam knew he was probably the perfect person to convince Theo of this. "And Russia will have its heir and the continuation of the Romanov dynasty."

Before either of them could say anything else, they heard someone attempting to open the door to the baggage cart.