August 11, 1914

Anastasia and Maria sat on a stone bench, surrounded by tall oak trees. Standing tall and still like servants at the ready, the trees provided shade for the Grand Duchesses and a familiar kitchen servant. The now adolescent kitchen boy, Dmitri Ivanov, rolled his eyes when he realized that the two younger Grand Duchesses were talking about him. He was actually standing behind a tree listening to them. Out of their sight, he cupped one hand on his ear to eavesdrop on them.

"His hazel brown eyes are so welcoming and warm that I could look into those eyes all day. In future years, I want a real man to be with me," Maria said.

Dmitri fake gagged. He was accustomed to the comments that Maria made about her crushes on palace guards, as the Grand Duchess Maria had reached adolescence. However, being the target of her affections was not a priority for him. In fact, it was on his mental list of things to avoid.

"He is only a boy, Mashka," Anastasia said.

Maria shook her head. "I did not mean what you thought I meant. I was talking about a soldier or a guard."

"You and your crushes, someday you will deal with the pain of birth and years of raising a child who does not always listen to you... I would rather live without those."

Dmitri was relieved. At least he and his Anya were just friends. Romance was something that he would rather save until his later years. For now, he would continue to serve the four surviving daughters of the kind Tsar who took him in. Regardless of their status, Grand Duchess or Tsarina, he would always feel close to them. His friend Anya may have been stubborn at times, but her willpower attracted Dmitri like a moth to a light. He often felt happy with her, feeling his heart warm every time he met her. Olga was the leader, stubborn and wise. Tatiana was the governess, reserved and stern like her late mother. Maria and Anastasia were the energetic two of OTMA, and they would be his closest friends. Anna Demidova, or Miss Demidova to Dmitri, had a motherly nature to him. She was like the mother he never knew, an often silent caretaker watching over him.

The Little Pair resumed their conversation. Dmitri kept silent behind the tree, listening to every word.

"I believe that someday you will fall in love and forget all of that," Maria said.

Anastasia scoffed. "I doubt so. Even Mitya is just a good friend of mine."

Dmitri exhaled with carefulness as to not make a sound. He did not go unnoticed for long. A thin twig snapped under one of his shoes. Alerted by the noise, the Little Pair turned around to see Dmitri, who stood still. He was somewhat shocked by the loss of his cover.

Anastasia could feel her cheeks warming in slight embarrassment. "You were listening to us the whole time? Oh, I feel so..."

Dmitri shook his head. "Don't be, Anya. Even I feel that romance and crushes are not important now."

"Thank you... but at least you could have done better with the sneaking around."

"I know how to cook and organize things, but not much else. You expect an awful lot from a servant, Your Highness," Dmitri teased, grinning.

"I was just teasing you, Mitya. But I think that it is lunchtime now-"

"Mister Ivanov, Nastya, Mashka, all of you should have gone with another guard to be supervised. I was beginning to get worried, I searched throughout the palace and the back gardens for you three!" a familiar voice said.

Both of the younger Grand Duchesses and their friend noticed that Lady Nyuta, or Anna Demidova, had arrived with two palace guards beside her. Maria opened her mouth to explain, but she was speechless. Anna was right. They had forgotten to have a guard accompany them. Despite less unrest and revolutionary activity in Russia, a chance of risk still remained.

Maria finally thought of a reply, but she was interrupted. "But Miss Nyuta-"

"You must return to the palace, your eldest sister wants your presence," Anna said to the Little Pair.

"Yes, Miss Nyuta, we promise to have a guard with us when outside," Anastasia said.

Anna smiled. "Good. Also, there is good news."

Dmitri raised an eyebrow. "What good news?"

"I will tell you all once we reach the buffet room."

The royal handmaiden, the two younger Grand Duchesses, and their befriended kitchen servant made their way into the palace. They went down the main hall that stretched from the left wing to the right wing, approaching the dining room. Before, the spacious hallways of the palace felt strange and unfamiliar to the kitchen boy, but after four years, they felt like a new home for him. Within moments, they reached the buffet room. Dmitri began to wonder what news had arrived. Was it about the Austro-Hungarian Incident?

The two guards opened the doors, revealing the buffet room. A rectangular table stood in the middle of the decorated and furnished interior. Behind it, the kitchen boy noticed that the old painting of Alexander the Third was replaced with a painting of Catherine the Great. Raised in Orthodoxy before he was cast to the streets, Dmitri Ivanov wondered if this was a sign. Was a new age arriving for Russia? Olga had been ruler for a mere two years, but her mark had already been made. Olga and her cousin Dmitri Pavlovich sat together in front of the portrait. Tatiana sat in silence beside Olga, hands folded.

"Come, Nastya, Mashka. You are also welcome, Mister Ivanov," Olga said.

Anna took her seat beside Tatiana. The Little Pair and Dmitri Ivanov took their seats at the other side of the table.

"I know that all three of you are wondering why I called for you. Well, I will waste not a minute explaining why."

"You mean..."

Olga smiled. "Yes. The Serbians have decided to follow my advice in my letter. As I speak, a small delegation of Russian diplomats with the Austrians are doing the paperwork for the reparation payments. I was honestly surprised to find out that the Austrians did not request for much money for such a serious deed!"

"So... no war?" Dmitri asked, looking from Olga to Tatiana.

Tatiana nodded. "Exactly, Olya is definitely a worthy leader for Russia. I find it funny how I acted more like a leader in our childhood, and our Tsarina here was following me before!"

"You do not have to remind me, you would always scold me for every outburst I had. Even a mistake in my dressing," Olga said with a pensive expression on her face.

Dmitri Pavlovich sipped from his glass of aged Spanish wine. The Grand Duke thought to himself with amusement. "This conversation will get interesting very quickly, especially if cousin Olya loses her temper." he thought.

"Yet here I am, ruling the Russian Empire... at around nineteen years of age. If my relatives continue to intend so, Cousin Mitya will become Tsar. I hope that he focuses more on the people rather than his womanizing."

Dmitri Pavlovich felt annoyed that his cousin had picked on him. He blurted a comment that he soon regretted. "At least I use rubbers!"

Tatiana blanched, gasping. Anastasia looked at her first removed cousin with confusion, while Maria and Dmitri Ivanov burst into laughter. Anna cleared her throat and shook her head. Olga stared at her cousin as if he grew another head. No proper Russian royal would mention such a thing!

"Mitya, there are young girls here! Please watch what you say!" Anna scolded.

"My apologies, it was a mere slip of the tongue," the Grand Duke sighed.

"Perhaps from excessive drink, Cousin Mitya. You are a Grand Duke, not the next Rasputin," Olga chided.

Dmitri frowned. "I abhor being compared to that raving monk. In fact, I doubt that he is even a true holy man."

Olga shook her head. "Do the saints themselves have not any transgressions? Even apostle Peter himself denied the Christ."

"It depends on if the heart is willing to make up for such past mistakes," the Grand Duke retorted.

"That is true, but there is no guarantee that they may change. The same can be said of the radical revolutionaries who killed Mama and Papa."

Everyone in the dining room became silent at the comment from the young Tsarina. The idealistic young girl he knew in his childhood was gone, replaced with a pragmatic and wary leader. The loss of his adoptive parents, the late Nicholas and Alexandra, had hurt him deeply as well. Although he did not see the mourning ceremony, he understood what it was like to lose a parent. First, he had lost his mother to childbirth complications. After that tragedy, he was removed from his father. Nicholas the Second had cared for him until the Livadia Raid of 1912. On that night, everything had changed for the young Grand Duke. When it was time to bless the meal, he pleaded to God that things would improve. He did not pray very often, but at that moment he felt it was necessary.

The prayer ended a few minutes later. Dmitri Pavlovich began to enjoy his lunch. Taking a bite of stroganoff, he savored the taste. The sensation reminded him of the occasional meals served by his original father. Over twelve years had passed since he had seen his father, Grand Duke Paul of Russia. He yearned to see his father again, and he could only wonder if the new Tsarina would allow the return of Grand Duke Paul.

"I would also like to mention that I am planning to make an appearance for us. Still, I am making preparations for such an event."

Tatiana, who often kept silent, spoke. "I do not think that it would be a good idea. Do you remember the discussion about Report 128?"

"No, I do not."

"Does the name Gleb Vaganov come to mind?"

Olga stopped lifting her fork, and she realized what her sister referred to. "The son of the late Red Bear."

"Exactly, dear sister. I do not want us to be easy targets for an assassination, just like the Austrian Grand Duke who was assassinated over two weeks ago. I implore that we do not make an appearance yet!"

"I know why you fear, Tatya. I could check if the security arrangements are enough, but the appearance has not come yet. For now, let us enjoy our leisure and peace. Certainly, little Nastya here must have an idea of how to do so."

Tatiana stuttered. "But- but the risk-"

"Is in good hands," Olga reassured in a calm tone, looking at her sister.

"If Cousin Olya solved the Serbian Crisis, then I believe that she can deal with a single revolutionary, Cousin Tatya," Dmitri Pavlovich said.

The second eldest Grand Duchess still could not dispel her fears. She sighed. Olga was as stubborn, intelligent, and kind as her father. Yet the doubt persisted. Her eldest sister had skillfully avoided a crisis, but how would her reign fare after a few decades? Time changed, and so did people.

Anastasia was confused about the issue of Gleb. She looked at her best friend Dmitri, who shrugged. Maria patted her sister on the shoulder to comfort her, and Anastasia thanked her. With the leadership of her eldest sister, she believed that the situation would continue to improve. Eventually, Russia would finally raise itself out of the rut of stagnation and shine as a world leader. Everyone in the dining room hoped that they would see that happen. Everyone would each play their small part in achieving that dream.

A.N: Congrats for making it this far, you have passed the halfway point of my alternate historical fanfic! Although this may not be strictly based on the animated movie, there will be plenty of references about the lives of the real Romanovs. I did my best to capture key personality traits of the Romanov daughters and their relatives. Even the actions of our young Tsarina were deliberately based on key personal traits: her stubbornness, her intellectual nature, and her temper. The real Olga in our timeline never became Tsarina, so everything she did here is pure speculation. That being said, I should start responding to my loyal reviewers.

To Firemangan: It is still possible that WWII could still happen, but it will be very different. Without WWI, Germany will take a different path. For example, figures such as Adolf Hitler may never rise to power. He may end up as a lowly soldier or painter.

To Gabros: Grand Duke Dmitri is a playful, humorous, and bold playboy, and Olga is a serious, moody, and proper person. They are still opposites like in the original timeline. It will be fun writing their interactions, especially when they get politically married. Clashes between them would definitely be a thing. If Olga were to fall in love with Dmitri, it would be an intense passion!