May 20, 1917
Soon, Saturday arrived. But to Anastasia and Dmitri, their time waiting seemed like the longest day they had ever experienced. Every passing hour was agony. The wait for the talk between Olga and Tatiana to reach a resolution grated on their nerves. Dmitri and Anastasia waited in a guest bedroom within the Alexander Palace, their home for over a decade, knowing well that they could be expelled from it. Also, they could be shunned by the aristocrats, royal family, and staff! Dmitri had been in good standing with his fellow servants and palace staff, and to lose that would hurt. The same could be said about the youngest Grand Duchess, who feared being torn from her sisters and family…
Dmitri Pavlovich had also caught word of the incident, and he offered his sympathies to Anastasia in secret, not wanting to upset his fiance.
"There will come a time when wrongs of old will be the rights of the future," Dmitri Pavlovich had spoken.
Anastasia could only nod. Like herself, the bold and free-spirited Russian Grand Duke lived with such vigor, such energy! Before courting Olga, the Grand Duke often enjoyed horse racing and wooing the noblewomen of the Russian Court. There was nothing like the thrill of feeling the wind blow through his hair, riding on a speeding horse like the valkyries of old. There was also a thrill in enjoying precious moments frolicking with a beautiful woman with dark blonde hair-
The future Tsar did not yet confess his changing feelings for Olga, but he felt attracted to her very persona. The eldest Romanov sister herself held a large heart for others, as seen by her voluntary service at hospitals. But what about her temper? If Dmitri Pavlovich were honest with himself, he liked her even more for it…
Except for what Olga had planned to initially do… to separate Anastasia and Dmitri, with the latter going to Siberia for "taking Nastya's innocence from her". The future husband of the headstrong and tempered Empress would not approve of this!
In another room, the two forbidden lovers sat on a couch, looking at each other with their eyebrows scrunched. Nerves were tense, and their apprehension and fear almost radiated off of them like an aura. Maria, who sympathized with her little sister and her love, thought of what to say. How could she comfort her little sister, Nastya?
"I'm scared, Nastya… what will Olya do?" Anastasia whispered, looking at her sister Maria and her love.
Dmitri frowned. "She may separate us, Nastya. If that happens, what could we do?"
The young kitchen servant, now lover of the youngest Grand Duchess, wanted a better resolution to the issue. But something would likely go wrong. Horribly wrong.
"Nastya, no matter what happens, I will find a way for us to be together," Maria said, hugging Anastasia, who teared up.
After another few minutes of waiting, the doors to the lounge opened. There stood Tatiana, Dmitri Pavlovich, and Olga herself. Olga held a scowl, seeming almost angry. Anastasia averted her gaze, looking at the floor instead. She could usually face her eldest sister, but this time, she had to deal with an Empress. The Empress of Russia and the head of the royal family, Olga I of Russia.
"I am more than disappointed in you, Nastya! Do you realize the stakes of what you have done?" Olga shouted.
Anastasia kept silent, yet still winced at the force of those angry words. She would rather not speak of her love for Dmitri as a mistake. It was meant to be… It must be! She would rather be born common than lose her now beloved kitchen servant, dear friend, and a fellow prankster!
"Olya, please. Yelling will only worsen the situation for all of us as a family," Tatiana chided, giving Olga a stern gaze of gray.
"I agree with Tatya, you should calm yourself, dear," Dmitri Pavlovich said, smirking at Olga.
Olga harrumphed, and thought for a moment. "Fine, I will let Nastya speak, and then Dmitri next. I do not know exactly what happened, so I will listen to them."
The still angered Empress frowned at her youngest sister. "Why did you do it?"
"Papa and Mama… they never told me about being intimate. I only wanted to understand it, and I really felt for Dima…" Anastasia said, her voice becoming uncharacteristically quiet by the last word.
"Go on, Nastya. I know this is difficult, but we only want to help you," Tatiana spoke.
"Which is more important, traditions or family?" Anastasia asked, staring at her eldest sister.
"It hurts me, but I have realized that the needs of the few are less than the needs of the many. As the matushka of Russia, I still have a duty to fulfil for goodwill and honor. I promised Papa that I would make Russia stronger and better, Nastya. You have eyes, but you do not see why I am doing these actions!"
"It is obvious that I am no Empress-to-be, I would rather live free and happy, perhaps to become an actress someday."
"You are being selfish. Your affair with Dmitri has threatened the image of our family! What would the common people think of my sister doing such acts under my reign? If it happened, then to them, I must have allegedly allowed it. If I allegedly allowed it, that would imply that I condone such a vice… that is how my image would be ruined."
"And furthermore, without a good image for our family, the revolutionaries will have more leverage! I want all of us to be safe! What would Mama and Papa think?" Olga added.
Anastasia shook her head, denying the harsh and logical words of her sister. Each part of her argument had been like a blunt strike to the chest. It stung, and she no longer wanted to listen. She had also realized that the possibilities of her life were limited by the rules and traditions of royalty. But with Dmitri, she could gain her freedom, a shared love, and her happiness! Why did Olga not understand her?
"Keep Papa out of this! I would rather lay with Dima, rather than a distantly related royal who I have no interest in," Anastasia spat.
Dmitri Ivanov put a hand on the shoulder of his love, hoping that she would calm herself. But that had little effect, as the situation had escalated much further.
"How- How dare you! Cousin Mitya is a good man, and we are growing to like each other!"
Dmitri Pavlovich cleared his throat. He frowned at the youngest Grand Duchess. She had crossed a line with her insensitive comment. Anastasia felt a twinge of guilt at unintentionally insulting her distant cousin, but she did not show it. She, too, was as stubborn as Olga.
Maria looked at Tatiana with her large blue saucer eyes, pleading silently for her to do something. But it was too late.
Before Tatiana could speak, Olga held her hand up towards her. Even the Governess had to yield to The Empress of All Russias.
"If you continue to act in such a horrible manner, then you are not worthy to hold the title of Grand Duchess."
"So you are going to cut me off from the family? Papa would be disappointed in you, splitting up our family over something quite normal. Mama was right, your temper-"
Anastasia then felt a sharp sting on her cheek, and blinked hard. She began to tear up again, not only from sadness, but anger at the realization that Olga had slapped her. Breathing heavily and standing tall over Anastasia was her eldest sister. Olga grabbed Anastasia by the arms roughly, and began to berate her.
"You must let go of love, just as I had for Pasha! Do you not understand?!" Olga shouted.
"No, I would rather sink into obscurity than lose Dima! "
Olga felt more anger well up within her. She clenched her fists. She wanted more than ever to call in the guards to forcibly expel Dmitri from the palace, and keep Anastasia in her room. But something stopped her… the words of her late father.
I would rather die a hundred times than betray my flesh and blood, my family.
The young Empress glanced at Tatiana, who shook her head at her with disapproval. Maria sat closer to her younger sister, as if to say, "If she leaves, I leave."
Despite being the Empress, Olga had placed herself between a rock and a hard place. Either she would uphold the traditions she had taken an oath to preserve, or break that oath. Yet she still felt agony at the thought of causing her youngest sister to suffer heartbreak. She would not admit it by word, but the Empress understood. She understood what it was like, to sacrifice her connections with her first love, Pasha.
"Calm yourself, Olya, please. For our sake," Tatiana said, holding Olga by an arm.
"I disapprove of Nastya's words, but neither yelling at her will solve anything," Dmitri Pavlovich spoke, crossing his arms.
A moment passed before Olga left the room. She then made her way to a guest bedroom where she could decide what to do with her sister. This would not be an easy choice for her.
"God, what will I do?" Olga asked, looking upward at the ceiling.
No audible answer came… but Olga felt a conviction against separating her youngest sister and her lover. It felt wrong to do so, considering how she had felt after letting go of Pavel Voronov. Even thinking about Pavel saddened her. She frowned, burying her face in her hands. If only her father were with her in person. Papa would have known the right course of action, she thought.
Olga thought back to the argument, and she felt angry again. How could Anastasia insult her future consort? But the fact that she had almost fought her youngest sister implied something surprising… She held feelings for Dmitri Pavlovich, strong ones indeed! She was falling for him!
The young Empress blushed at the thought of him kissing her. But she was not ready to marry just yet. There was still plenty of courting to do, and she did not feel familiar enough with her fiancé. And she was far from the appropriate mood for romantic affairs.
Olga thought back to the argument. Her youngest sister, witty as she was, had a solid point. She needed to act not from anger, but with calmness and rationale. She laid back on the bed, and took a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, she thought of her late father. Nicholas II too, had a quick temper. Despite this, he had learned to control it.
A half hour passed as the young Empress thought and thought over what to do. Only a compromise seemed reasonable. Her sister would leave with her lover to Britain or Denmark, but Maria would not take the separation from her sister so well. It was now certain that Maria would remain with her sister. She hoped that Anastasia would not make a fuss…
July 3, 1917
Six weeks passed, and Olga had sent letters to the British King and the King of Denmark. Obviously, Germany was out of the question. Still, after multiple letters and bits of communication, the arrangements were made. Anastasia and Maria would be sent to Great Britain, specifically the Osborne House. There, the Little Pair would feel somewhat at home in the Italian Renaissance style building resembling the Livadia Palace.
"It makes me sad to do so, Nastya, but I must do what I must," Olga said, her voice almost as quiet as a whisper.
Anastasia whimpered. Her lip trembled as tears began to fall from her blue eyes. "You are my sister! Why do you do this to me?"
"Because you broke a major rule of the family! We are not commoners, we are royalty with much responsibility! You gave me no choice!"
"Then you are no sister of mine! At least Maria will stay with me."
"I will stay with Nastya. She needs me now, especially considering that she will no longer receive an allowance… or an acknowledgement as a Grand Duchess of Russia," Maria said, frowning at Olga.
It was the last time the two sisters would make eye contact for many years.
A few Cossack Guards then escorted Anastasia and Maria outside the palace, helping the Little Pair carry their suitcases. Dmitri Ivanov followed close behind, and he looked back at Olga, who seemed worse for wear. Her face was stone hard, but her heart ached with agony. Every step that Anastasia and Maria took only seemed to tear the unseen, immaterial, and special bond of sisterhood. She looked at a torn half of a photograph in her hand: the one taken in Livadia in 1911 for her sixteenth birthday. Only the side showing the Big Pair remained.
"Thanks, Your Majesty, for everything," Dmitri said, before putting on his hat and following Anastasia.
"So you have done it. Nothing will be the same for all of us evermore." Tatiana spoke, her gray eyes watering from unshed tears.
"It hurts me, Tatya, but I must be consistent as the Empress of Russia. I do not want to dishonor the legacy I was given by Papa..."
Olga then sobbed and buried her face into the shoulder of Dmitri Pavlovich, who put his arm around the young Empress. This gesture of affection did not go unnoticed. Tatiana mustered a brief smile. At least her sister would be loved by her fiancé.
"All will be well again, Olya. They will return to Russia one day," the Grand Duke whispered.
And so, the two remaining Romanov sisters in the palace watched the car holding the Little Pair drive away until it went out of their sight. Now…. the future seemed more uncertain. What would happen to all of them now?
A.N: I know that the story is getting darker and more dramatic, but there will be more lighthearted material coming up! Next will be the marriage between Dmitri Pavlovich and Olga! :)
