To The End With You

C h a p t e r S i x t y - O n e

Photo: Maria, Olga, Alexei, Maria and Tatiana 1917

Chapter dedicated for LePuresten

October 1917
Just like that a few  months go by, a life time has happened. Olga and Igor had a small ceremony. Alexander of Yugoslavia asked for Tatiana's hand in marriage but she said no. The whole of February I was preparing for what I have to do. Papa abdicated in March. We got put under house arrest by the new government and life was very different from then. I eventually told Tatiana what would happen, about the execution. She was in utter shock but I promised her she is safe for now and that I won't let it happen.

Currently it's the middle of the night. All the guards are not in yet so this is a perfect chance. I get up and so does Tatiana. She takes out the rope she made out of a few blankets as I open the window with my bag ready. "Stay safe Valentina" Tatiana whispers as I get down onto the ground. "Don't abandon us" she says with a hint of panic in her voice. "I won't Tanya, You will see me soon" I promise her. I blow her a kiss as look around and start to run.
***
I get to the center of town and take off my wig. The day before I shaved my head to make my appearance more manly. I am glad that I saved up all of my rubles over the years because I would have no where to go now. I put back on my wig as I check into a very poor looking inn. In my luck no creepy men were around to do anything. I quickly ran upstairs and shut the door to my room. I take off my wig, I start to undress and dress up in the typical clothing of a man. I take a look in the mirror, I almost look the part. With the dirty water from the pipe I rub my face with it to give off that peasant look.

I look back into the mirror and I see a man looking back at me. Perfect, my plan is coming to place. In august Tatiana and I sent out forged letters to extended family members telling them it's not safe and that they should leave Russia. All of them listened as we forged Papa's signature for a good cause. Now the only ones stuck in Russia is my family and Igor.

I go to bed and wake up in the morning at 7. I walk out to the streets and automatically notice the chaos and Bolshevik propaganda everywhere. I see an area of men lined up and decide to see what it is about.  I stand behind the last person in line, "Excuse me sir, what is this line for?"I ask politely. The man in front of me ignores me but he seems to be waiting in line with another man. He turns around and gives me a friendly smile, "This is the line for joining the new governments army." He explains to me.

"The Bolsheviks?" I ask to make sure. "What do you think?" The other man snaps at me. "I apologize for him, I'm Penny" the nice man introduces himself. I shake his hand, "nice to meet you" I smile back. "This is Greig" penny introduces the rude man's name. "What is your name?" Penny asks me. I freeze as I am caught off guard. Different names run through my head as I finally settle, "O-Oleg, my name is Oleg" I say.

"Well nice to meet you Oleg, you seem nice, I hope we get stationed at the same place together" Penny says. He seems nice but I mean he is becoming a Bolshevik, he must hate my family then, I can't get too close with them. "I hope so as well" I say as the line moves forward. As we stand in line Penny tells me about his family and now he got here. He is close friends with Greig the grump as they are childhood best friends.

We get to the front of line, "Papers" the middle aged man grumbles. My heartbeat quickens, "P-papers?" I stutter thinking myself as stupid, of course they wanted papers! Have I forgotten what the real world is like? Is my memory slowly fading? I don't even remember what my old family looks like or who was in it. I don't know them. "I-Um, I don't have any I come from the peasant lands" I manage to lie.

The man gives me an exaggerated sigh as he hands me papers to fill. Once I put in my fake information I get an ID and I am shown to a different room. We get more identification papers and get walked to a room with uniforms. We pledge our loyalty to the party and get out official badges. The main headquarters are in a small building. I go to the room with my fellow comrades and get assigned a duty which is guarding the streets for now.

I need to infiltrate, I need to be assigned to guard my family. I must prove myself at first I guess. The day is soon over and I walk to my rented room. I walk by the paper stands and pick up a paper. Without looking at it I walk straight to my room and look at the paper. My jaw drops to the ground as I look at the front cover.

"secret daughter of the Tsar exposed"

I drop the Apple I was eating and collapse on my bed and scan through the paper,
***
Through his whole reign the Ex Tsar has kept his daughter, Ex Grand Duchess Valentina Nikolaevna a secret, stating she was the child of Ex Grand Duchess Ella and Sergei. Could this be the secret love child of the dreadful Alexandra and monk Grigori Rasputin? Was this child the result of an affair by the German bitch? Why was this daughter kept a secret? The result of an affair as witnesses state?
***
Anger boils in me, they met Rasputin way after Alexei was born, how dumb can these morons be? How brainless are these people? In a rage I crumble the paper and throw it across the room. Dumbass bitches only causing gossip, making me so mad I want to scream.

I try to calm myself down and out of exhaustion I lay down on my bed again. It will be alright, I will save them, it will be okay, we will escape and we will be far away from these horrible people. My eyes grow tired as I shut them, dozing off.