As the Romanov family and their loyal staff descended the paved path towards the beach, Dmitri followed behind them. A few guards carried a Kodak Brownie camera. Walking with a refined gait like a noble would, Anna Demidova descended the path down the palace hill. The sounds of seagulls and the waves soothed her ears. The sounds of the Grand Duchesses talking and laughing sounded harmonious to her ears. If heaven had come to earth, Livadia would be the closest place to it.
Nicholas and Alexandra led their children and their handpicked escorts down the last few steps. They stepped off the stone path, and their shoes touched the soft sand. Anastasia held the rubber spider in her pocket. She kept herself composed, as she wanted to prevent her oldest sister from becoming suspicious of her. A true prankster makes her pranks unexpected. Unaware of what Anastasia planned to do, Olga chatted with Tatiana.
"The weather is good this time of year. I wish that we could stay much longer, to get away from the trouble of the empire," Olga said.
"I wish that too, but that could never happen. Papa still has his responsibilities to face," Tatiana replied.
Both Nicholas and Alexandra placed their suitcases down and they sat on the sand, watching the waves lap against the shore. As the Big Pair entered their changing tents, Anastasia looked at Maria with a devious grin. Maria shook her head, imploring her youngest sister to leave Olga alone. Anastasia ignored Maria, and she snuck to the changing tent where Olga was changing her attire. Taking out the fake spider, the youngest Grand Duchess knelt down in front of the tent before slipping it underneath the entrance. Suppressing a giggle, she ran back to Maria.
"You should run, Nastya!" Maria warned, starting to step further from the tents.
Anastasia scoffed. "Calm yourself, Mashka. She will know that it is only a prank, and-"
A shrill scream broke the soothing harmony of the crashing waves and seagulls. Startled by the scream of their oldest daughter, Nicholas and Alexandra quickly walked over to the tents. Even from a distance, the Little Pair could see the concerned expressions on the faces of their parents. Nicholas spoke into the tent, and he stepped back. A moment later, Olga exited her tent dressed in her dark blue swimsuit, clenching her fists and scowling. She looked around the beach, and her gaze focused on the Little Pair. The next thing the Little Pair knew, their eldest sister was sprinting at them. Maria shook her head, and she pointed at Anastasia.
"Sorry!" Anastasia yelled before breaking into a sprint down the length of the beach.
Maria watched Olga run past her, and she said, "Oh Nastya, what will your future husband do with you?"
Anastasia had never run this fast in her eleven years of life, and nor had she been as frightened before. Only a few things could scare the willful, stubborn Grand Duchess: death and her enraged oldest sister. At the moment, Anastasia thought that being tackled by her eldest sibling was scarier than eternal damnation. She heard her tempered sister yell, "I will get you, Nastya!"
"Please, Olya! It was only a prank!" Anastasia cried out, looking over her shoulder.
Olga did not listen, and she ran even faster. Ignoring the shouts of her father, she was focused on just one thing: catching up to her youngest sister. Anastasia made a sharp turn around the tents, but her sister could not make the turn as well. She stumbled on the sand, falling to her knees. To her relief, the sand cushioned the impact on her legs. Panting for breath, she watched Anastasia continue running around the tents. She remained in the same location to catch her breath, and her father approached her. Following behind him was her diadka, Pavel.
With a look of disapproval, Nicholas lectured his eldest daughter. "Olga, you must be at ease with your sister. She needs to enjoy this trip in her own way as much as we all do."
"Sorry, Papa. I just felt so angry with her," Olga said, standing up.
For a moment, Nicholas was silent, only interrupted by the sounds of crashing waves. "I accept your apology, but you will have to apologize to little Anya."
"But, Papa-"
"Now."
"Yes, Papa," Olga said, relenting to the wishes of her father.
Pavel stopped his stride beside Nicholas, and he grinned again. As Pavel and Olga walked away from Nicholas, Pavel spoke. "You run quite fast, Your Highness. Perhaps you could make a good marathon runner."
Olga sighed. "Oh, please. That was only because I was enraged with my youngest sister, that little imp."
"Really, your family calls her the imp?"
"Yes, my Papa calls her his little shvibzik."
Pavel laughed, his brown eyes crinkled from his laughter. "Well, now I see why Her Highness Anastasia is nicknamed an imp."
"I do not find her pranks very amusing, except for the incident when Anastasia painted Tatiana's dresses black."
"Funny indeed. Reminds me of a cousin that I used to play with, and we would prank my aunt. At least she forgave us every time."
"Not to be nosy, but... what happened to your cousin?"
"My cousin? He moved to Moscow for a job, and I never saw him after that."
The eldest Grand Duchess, a compassionate person at heart, said, "I am sorry to hear that. But, I can keep you company-"
Olga stopped her sentence in the middle of her speech, as she realized the context of her words. Pavel smiled, and he playfully elbowed Olga on the arm. To the young officer, Olga was easy to read. She was quite straightforward in how she expressed her feelings except for her possible crush on him. The unconscious implications within her words gave her true feelings away. This did not surprise the officer, as he already attracted plenty of attention for his handsome physique. Few could resist his charms, including a Grand Duchess of Russia. However, he knew that they could not be together regardless of how they felt about each other.
Olga felt an uncomfortable feeling. Her heart began to beat faster as she looked up into the eyes of her diadka. His brown hair seemed lighter in the sun, and his neck had a light tan akin to a caramel hue. She looked away to hide the blush on her face, but Pavel touched her hand. A strange energy coursed from her hand through the rest of her body, making the hairs on her neck stand up. She moved her hand away, as if she were shocked.
"What were you going to say?" Pavel asked, feeling amusement at the reaction of the Grand Duchess.
"Nothing, I was trying to say that we could be..."
"Lovers? But-"
"Friends. Only friends," Olga interrupted.
"Me? A junior officer as the friend of an esteemed Grand Duchess of Russia?"
"Precisely. You do not know how lonely we are, being forced to reside in our own sheltered world of palaces and gardens. I want a true friend, not just a servant or accomplice. I want someone besides my family who I can trust."
Pavel nodded. "Then I will keep you company. I promise not to harm you in any way."
Olga returned her smile, but she still felt a yearning for her dashing naval officer. Her heart throbbed for him, but she reminded herself that a romance would never be allowed. She was a Grand Duchess, and her crush, Pavel, was only a naval officer. Women of her prestige were forbidden to marry below their station. Holding back her rising tide of emotions, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
Anastasia had long since stopped running, and she changed into her pink swimsuit within her changing tent. She emerged a few moments later, stepping onto the sand. Olga and her newfound friend returned to the changing tents. Now, Olga would apologize for her enraged chase.
Anastasia stepped back from her oldest sister, feeling her heart beat faster. "You will not spank me, right?"
Pavel chuckled, and he said, "No, your sister only wants to apologize."
"I am sorry for frightening you, Nastya. Can we put this behind us?" Olga apologized.
"Of course! I promise not to do any more fake spider pranks in return," Anastasia said, giving Olga a hug.
Embracing her sister, Olga smiled. Pavel, watching the two sisters hug, felt relieved. At least there would not be a fight under his watch. He distanced himself from the sisters to allow them some solitude. He waited beside one tent, and he watched Olga and Anastasia embrace each other. In the distance, he saw a servant boy approaching, and he could make out his features: a brown-eyed, brown-haired adolescent boy dressed in a plain white shirt and gray pants.
Anastasia looked around, and she spotted Dmitri. "Dmitri!" she called out.
"Anya!" Dmitri said.
Anastasia let go of her sister and ran to Dmitri. He smiled, and he gestured for Anastasia to follow him. They walked back to the tents, and Maria and Tatiana emerged in their swimsuits. Maria wore a light blue swimsuit that matched the color of her eyes. Tatiana wore a canary yellow swimsuit, as yellow was her favorite color.
"How is your first time at the beach, Dmitri?" Maria said.
"I enjoy it. The weather here is good, much better than the snow and ice back in St. Petersburg."
"I am glad to hear that."
Olga approached the group, and she made a suggestion. "Tatya? How about we all build a sandcastle together?"
"That would be a good idea, Olya. But make sure that little Nastya does not knock it down before the photo," Tatiana replied.
Anastasia frowned. "But, I would not do that again. Olga yelled at me last time I did so."
"It is fine, Nastya. Even though your pranks may be a pain sometimes, you are still my sister. Nothing will change that."
Anastasia smiled, and she said, "Well, what are we still doing here? Let us get started!"
The four Grand Duchesses raced to the water, leaving Pavel and Dimitri alone. Dmitri looked back to where the Tsar sat beside his wife. He saw Viktor walking towards them while leaving a group of officers and royal guards who were drinking. As he got closer to them, the servant boy knew that the officer was holding one cup in each hand. Turning to face Dmitri, Pavel decided to talk with the new servant boy.
"So, I see that the royal family has hired you only a few years ago. Now that we have met for the first time, how did you get here?"
"It was three years ago when I was passing the palace grounds, but some guards attempted to take my bread. One of the Grand Duchesses came to stop the guards from doing so. After that, I favored the Romanovs much more after playing with them in a snowball fight. Once you get to know them, including the Tsar, they are really just a close family. After I told him my circumstances, he offered me a position in the kitchens out of pity."
"Yes, they are close-knit and lively for a family. The Tsar is a good-hearted man, and I respect him for that. Since seven years ago, I have been serving the Tsar on his special escort and later his yacht. The years have passed, and I believe that the Romanovs are good natured people. I wish no harm to come to them."
"But with all the rioters and the revolutionaries on the edges of Russia..."
"I know, Dmitri. This is why I worry about them, including one of the girls with her bright mind and inner fire."
"You mean... Olga?"
Pavel nodded, watching the eldest Grand Duchess build a sandcastle with her three sisters. He wore a longing look on his face, and he sighed. Dmitri felt sympathy for the officer. He knew exactly what the sailor felt for his darling princess. So far, he had not seen Olga return any signs of affection. The thought of unrequited love hurt.
Viktor came next to his friend, and he patted him on the shoulder. "Everything will get better, Pasha. Soon, you might find someone else."
"Nyet, that would be unlikely," Pavel said.
Viktor gave his friend one small cup of wine, and Pavel sipped from it. "Thank you, old friend," the junior officer said.
An hour later, the four Grand Duchesses completed their masterpiece: a meter-wide sand castle with a moat. Olga and Tatiana smiled from satisfaction. The Little Pair called out to their parents. Alexandra, who enjoyed photography, carried her Brownie camera. An officer walked besides her, carrying the tripod stand. The officer placed down the stand before the Tsarina mounted the Brownie camera upon it.
"My little darlings, it is time to take a picture!" the Tsarina spoke, aiming the camera.
All four Grand Duchesses smiled at the camera, and it flashed to forever immortalize their moment in black and white. Nicholas, Dmitri, and the two officers watched the scene. All of them felt at peace, with no worries from revolutionaries, political tensions, and riots. In that moment, Livadia felt like paradise on earth. Eventually, the Romanovs returned to the palace grounds. However, Nicholas and Alexandra saw a blonde man in uniform waiting outside the palace. Nicholas the Second felt uneasy. What was an agent of the Okhrana secret police doing there? The four Grand Duchesses wore confused expressions on their faces. Dmitri felt concern. Something wrong had happened.
"Agent Sasha. Your presence is unexpected," Nicholas said, giving an intense gaze at the agent.
"I deeply apologize, but we have received a letter from spies, specifically those who have monitored the whereabouts of Mikhal Vaganov. He is a dangerous Bolshevik, and my fellow agents have tracked him to Yalta in the proximity of Livadia. Several known sympathizers and other Bolsheviks have followed him. At this moment, they may be planning... an attack," the agent said, maintaining a cool composure.
Alexandra gasped, and the four Grand Duchesses shifted their feet with unease. Nicholas narrowed his eyes. "How has he gotten this close to our destination?" he hissed.
"I believe that there is a traitor in the ranks of your escorts."
"Have you found out who?"
"No. His real identity remains unknown to us."
"Then this issue is worse than I thought. Tell your fellow agents to apprehend Mikhal Vaganov as soon as possible."
"As you command, my Tsar," Sasha said, bowing.
The agent entered the palace, disappearing around a corner. The Romanovs entered the palace, as their escorts followed them, shutting the doors behind them. All their happiness from their earlier frolicking had been replaced with fear.
"What will happen, Papa?" Anastasia asked, her face etched with worry.
"I do not know, but we must remain cautious. We must stay within the palace building. I will talk with the staff and my guard commander to prepare for an attack."
"Oh, Nicky... how can we remain safe?" Alexandra asked, clasping her hand together in fear.
"Do not worry, my Sunny. A few damn Bolsheviks will never hold up against over a hundred armed guards and officers. We will be safe."
