The group had to go to Paris by foot now after the destruction of the train. Lu kept whining and complaining as they went along, mostly she was hungry or thirsty and that her feet were hurting. She wished Lancelot was here for her to ride on his back and she would dangle some food from a stick and string for him to keep going.
"We'll take a boat in Germany." Dmitri told them as they kept going.
"Oh, then we're walking to Germany." Anya retorted.
"No, your grace, we're taking a bus." Dmitri corrected.
"A bus," Anya smiled. "That's nice."
"Why don't you two just get married already?" Mike rolled her eyes at Anya and Dmitri's interactions.
The group kept walking. It even lasted more than just a single day to cross the country. They were now crossing a bridge together.
"Sophie, my dear, Vladdy's on his way!" Vlad called as they walked.
"Sophie?" Mike, Lu, and Og asked.
"Who's Sophie?" Anya asked.
"Who's Sophie?" Vlad repeated her, then did a little dance like he was very happy now. "She's a tender little morsel."
Dmitri seemed to be trying to shut Vlad up about this Sophie person.
"A cup of hot chocolate after a long walk in the snow." Vlad continued.
"Vlad, ix-nay on Ophie-say." Dmitri nearly hissed.
"She's a decadent pastry filled with whipped cream and laughter," Vlad continued, ignoring Dmitri.
"Is this a person or a cream puff?" Mike scoffed.
"If she's a cream puff, can I eat her?" Lu begged.
"I believe Sophie is an angel in Vlad's eyes..." Og assumed.
"She is the Empress's ravishing first cousin." Vlad concluded about Sophie.
"But, aren't we going to see the Empress herself?" Mike asked, playing along with this.
"Yeah, why are we going to see her cousin?" Anya added. She then sent a long look on the younger man accompanying them on this long-lasting trip. "Dmitri..."
"Well, nobody gets near the Dowager Empress without convincing Sophie first." Dmitri answered, trying to be classy.
"Oh, no, not me," Anya shook her head. "No, no, nobody ever told me I had to prove I was the Grand Duchess!"
"Look-"
"Show up, yes, look nice, fine, but lie?"
Mike rushed over as Anya was storming away to the bridge. "You don't know it's a lie, it could be true. How would you know, hmm?"
Anya shook her head. "You guys coming?" She asked the kids as she was walking off.
"This appears to be disastrous..." Og murmured.
Dmitri went over, finding out a way to stop Anya. "Okay, so it's one more stop on the road to finding out who you are. I thought this was something you had to see through to the end."
Anya sighed and she turned back. "Look at me, guys... I'm not exactly Grand Duchess material here!"
"Lu's not princess material either, but she never shuts up about it." Mike stated.
Vlad came to Anya as Og came too, the boy had a flower. "Tell me, child. What do you see?"
Og handed the flower to Anya with a small smile.
Anya took the flower and looked down to the river under the bridge as it showed their reflections. "I see a skinny little nobody with no past and no future..." she took Og's flower, and simply dropped it into the water to get washed away.
"That's not what we see," Vlad informed her, referring to him and the children. "We see an engaging and fiery young woman who, on occasion, has shown a regal command, equal to any royal in the world. And, I have known my share of royalty..."
The three kids smiled at that.
"You see, my dear," Vlad continued. "I was a member of the Imperial Court."
Anya blinked and smiled a bit. The three kids were a little surprised, but since Anya was happy again now, that must have been a very good sign on their journey. Dmitri then went to join them with a friendly smile.
"So, are you ready to become the Grand Duchess Anastasia?" Vlad asked the unknown royal.
Anya smiled to him and her new friends, but looked to Dmitri. She was still mad at him and walked from him. The kids watched her go, then glared to Dmitri.
"What?" Dmitri asked, feeling he didn't do anything.
"You know what you did." Lu folded her arms as Mike and Og nodded.
"There is nothing left for you back there," Vlad told Anya. "Everything is in Paris."
"Come on..." Mike took Anya's hand, looking right into the woman's blue eyes. "Do it... For us..."
Lu and Og smiled friendly.
Anya looked to them, at the two men, then narrowed her eyes in slight determination and smiled. "Gentlemen... Start your teaching."
Vlad smiled. "I remember it well."