A Night in July CH2 + Plus

[TheAce1918]

After a whole ten minutes of terror in hiking for the awaiting bus, Charlie helped the rescued family aboard; the soldiers went last, still armed, taking no chances.  As Charlie helped each family member, he noticed they were gazing at him quite a bit.  Olga had the look of a curious five year old, Tatiana had a simple terrified look, Marie’s stare was the most impressive.  She was not scared but yet not left without emotion, though she said nothing, her eyes bit into Charlie.  He knew she had quite a bit to say, but there would be time for that later, now it was escape.  Anastasia repeated her question from before.  
      “Are you really from America?”  
      “Yes,” He said annoyed.  “Live and in person, ooga booga!”  He waved his hands making a sarcastic face.  Anastasia smiled and shook her head as she boarded the bus.  Charlie looked around and noticed he was only one not on; he jumped on the platform and smacked the rear of the vehicle.  The driver took the signal and stepped on the gas, the bus jolted to life, speeding down the muddy road.  Onto the train station where a locomotive was waiting with more troops, bound for Kiev.  
      Charlie took a seat next to Nicholas; he emptied every gun and reloaded them promptly.  Setting his BAR on the floor, he took out his trench shotgun; he loaded it with a massive shell and pumped it.  He heard someone gulp aloud and noticed it was Aleksey, the boy was still sobbing and now terrified at the huge weapon.  Charlie quickly laid it in his lap.  He stuck his head out the window; no one was trailing them…yet.  It would only be a matter of time until someone or several people knew what the hell was going on.  From the corner of his ear, he heard Olga’s voice for the first time.  She was comforting Aleksey as much as she could.  
      “It’s alright Baby.  We are going to be just fine, please don’t cry love.”    
      On a whim, Charlie stood up, back to the bus’ rear window; he was going to attempt to relieve some of the hell that they all had just gone through.
      “Okay everyone, you will have to listen to me for this whole trip.  Right now you may not talk to anyone else outside of this bus.  This is a covert mission of the utmost secrecy.  However, in light of the situation, you are now free from the Reds.”  They looked at him unsure, what if the Soviets catch up?  What then?  Charlie tried to smile; he told them over and over that everything was going to be just fine as long as they listened to his every word during the evacuation.  Even though the Romanovs were still shaking badly, they managed to put on some smiles, hope still in their hearts.  
The driver in the front said another few minutes and they would be at the train yard.  At that exact moment, the two large trucks from the mansion zoom up behind them.  Guns blazing, ricocheting off the bus’ metal skin, busting glass in every direction.  
      “Mama!”  Aleksey wailed in fright, Alexandra and Olga went to him, wrapping him in their shielding arms, comforting him as best as they could, he couldn’t be allowed to make himself sick, he was in dire conditions as it was.  Marie and Tatiana held each other sobbing as did the Tsar and Anastasia.  
      “Not again!”  Charlie moaned as he picked up his shotgun.  Busting out the rear window with its butt, cocking the gun back, he opened fire on one of the trucks.  The shell hit the first truck’s fuel-line which so happened to border its engine, within seconds a large fire ignited and was quickly spreading over the vehicle.  A few men jumped from it, while others too slow to beat the blaze were swallowed up by the intense flames.  The driver swerved off the road and crashed into a tree, the truck exploded.  The other truck however was untouched, and when Charlie cocked the gun back again to fire, it did the unthinkable.  It jammed.  Charlie smacked it hard with his hand, but nothing, he threw the gun back to the floor and pulled out a grenade.  Before he had time to pull the pin, a bullet slithered past his right shoulder, he dropped the bomb.  Ducking behind the rear of the bus, Charlie frantically tried to find it, when he managed to get a hold of it, the truck was closer.  Pulling the pin with his teeth, he hurtled it towards the windshield like a baseball, it busted through spraying the drivers eyes with glass, instantly blinding him, the truck skidded to a halt and by the time the rest of the soldiers found out what was going on, the grenade exploded in the truck, causing it to blow up itself.  Now that was a spot of luck.
      Charlie spit out the pin, cursing at the burning corpses.  “Rot in hell you fucking sleazebags!”  He sat back in his rickety seat, instantly petrified, he didn’t even eye anyone on the bus; he was ashamed he had cursed in front of ladies.  

[TheAce1918]

When the bus pulled up to the train yard, several hundred White troops jumped from the rear boxcars forming a human barrier for the Romanovs.  They quickly left the still running bus and made a large beeline for the train, its whistle blowing to life as the locomotive began to exhale its steam.  Marie was last in line, running frantically, she suddenly tripped, falling on her hands and knees, she was shaking so bad it was hard for her to get back up.  But she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, a pair of strong guiding hands.  She quickly turned her head around and found Charlie helping her up to the middle car of the train.  Before she could thank him, he turned and headed for the main engine, shouting something to the conductor.  Without hesitation all the doors were sealed, the White troops boarded the boxcars and with a sudden jolt, the train slid down the black railroad tracks.  Its next stop was several hundred miles away in the Ukrainian city of Kiev where another train was waiting to take them all the way to Livadia. They were once again ordered to remain calm and quiet, only when the train chugged down the misty hills of the valley did anyone notice that it was camouflaged to look like a troop vessel.  
        

      Three hours passed by.  The Romanovs were honestly assured that the dangerous part of the trip was over, that they could rest again.  Reluctantly, one by one they all dozed off.  Some were in each others arms, others were not far away.  The soft rocking of the locomotive lulled them to sleep.  
      Charlie walked in on them, snoring away.  He did not want to disturb them so he tip-toed passed them towards the bathroom.  Once inside, he gazed into the mirror.  He chuckled; several days of combat had turned him into an old man.  The dirt was caked into his face, he had grown a slight beard, and his eyes were bagged from lack of sleep.  Come to think of it, he hadn’t slept in days.  He threw some cold water on his face, the best he could do until they made it to the Crimea where the British battleship would take them to Greece then Egypt.  A funny thought had occurred to him, by this time now the Germans had control of the Crimea region.  How was it possible to do such a mission?  He remembered asking one of the soldiers aboard who instantly told him that this entire mission was so well guarded, that if the Reds did find out, they all would have been dead long ago.  He also told Charlie that the sooner the Romanovs were out of Russia, the better and that their escape ship, the HMS Sword, was camouflaged in with other shipping vessels in the area, the perfect makes for a quick getaway.  His mind finally at ease, he left the bathroom and went back into the lounge car.  The Romanovs hadn’t moved from their slumber.  Sitting down at the end of the car, he kicked up his feet and laid his head back, attempting to get some sleep.  
      “I never got the chance to thank you kind sir.”  A tiny squeak invaded his slumber.  He looked up groggily and found Marie awake in the settee across from him.  This was the first time ever that he had gotten a good look at her.  She wore simple peasant clothes of a work shirt, a skirt, old purple stockings and big black farming boots.  In fact, once he looked more carefully, they all were dressed alike.  Her beautiful face like his was covered in mud and tears but her eyes, her gorgeous beautiful eyes still shone proudly.  He blushed when her gaze locked with his.  
      “You are welcome your majesty…”
      “Marie.”  She said firmly.  
      “But you’re a princess…shouldn’t you be called by your royal name?”  
      She smiled, the first time he had seen her smile, like her eyes, her grin tore right through his heart.  “Marie will be just fine…Charles is it?”  
      “Charlie.”  He said in a friendly tone.  
      “Charlie.”  She repeated the name, already enjoying how it sounded to her.  “May I sit next to you?”  
      He looked at her, that same adorable look she wore in that picture from 1906 stared right back.  He nodded and like a puppy wagging its tail, she jumped from the settee to the chair next to him.  Charlie smiled, trying to hide how much he was blushing.  Quickly turning to the window, he said,
      “We should arrive in Kiev in a little while, then after that we board another train for a short ride to Livadia, where this British battleship is supposed to carter us to Egypt or Greece or something like that.”  
      “Livadia.”  She sighed, looking down at her feet.  
      “What’s the matter?”  He asked, concern in his voice.  
      “Livadia was our home during the fall and spring.  A gorgeous palace at the tip of the Crimea, and now from what Papa says, the Germans have control of it.  The worst part is our grandmamma Minnie is there and we don’t know if she is alright.”  A tear came to her eye.  Instinctively he took her hand, totally unaware at how shy he felt.  
      “You’ll meet up with her.  Everything will be alright, I’ve gotten you this far and I’m going to stick to my promise.”  
      She gave him a hopeful look and laid her head back, her eyes grew heavier and heavier until she fell asleep again.  Charlie soon after, the last thing he looked at was his hand, sweetly caressed between hers.  

[TheAce1918]

The deafening steam whistle sounded the wake up call across the box car.  Jolting awake, Charlie found that Marie’s hands were gone from his, but she however never moved.  She was slumped to the side of her chair, snoring away.  Gently, he shook her awake.  Her pretty eyes fluttered until she remembered where she was.  Turning to him, she smiled and stood up, stretching.  She and Charlie went around the train, rousing everyone from their slumber.  
      “Where on Earth are we?”  Aleksey yawned.  Charlie looked outside, noticed the sign above the main office of the station.  
      “Looks like Kiev everybody.”  Just then, a White soldier burst into the boxcar, eyes wild with fright.  
      “Comrade!  We must board the next train immediately; word across the land is the Reds are on our tails.  We will escort you all the way to Livadia, and then the British will take over from there.  We’ve no time to loose, we must hurry!”    
      “What of our belongings?”  Nicholas asked the trooper.  
      “They will be packed in the boxcar behind yours your majesty.”  The man said bowing.  
      “Alright everyone you heard the man, let’s get out of here!”  Charlie said, throwing his ammo bag over this shoulder, his BAR tucked in his hands.  Before they boarded the train in Yekaterinburg he gave his shotgun and its remaining ammo to a platoon of White’s, hoping it would give them more luck than it did him.  Once again, the Romanovs jumped off of the locomotive, and onto another one facing the opposite direction.  Alexandra and Aleksey had to be wheeled faster on carts as they were both ill from the night before and besides that, they were exhausted.  Charlie admired their courage deeply.  
      “Papa, what if the Germans capture us?”  Aleksey asked wide-eyed in fear.  Nicholas shook his head.  
      “No need to worry my boy, this train is being used as a basic transporter of goods.  According to Captain Andrews and the Whites, we will be perfectly safe.”  Charlie overheard the Tsar.  
      “Yes, we all will be fine, the Germans do have men there but since this train is being used for commerce, it is the perfect hiding place until we get to the Crimea.”  
      It sounded too good to be true, but the Romanovs held their heads high and pressed on to the waiting train, its black smoke stack puffed out soot and coal as its brakes hissed and churned on the nearly rotten iron tracks.  Once everyone was on board, the grand duchesses took a table in the box car.  They peered out the window; the sun had just risen and covered their old train with a beam of light.  They could see several hundred men hopping into the cars, armed with rifles and other accessories.  Obviously they were heading to where they had just escaped from.  The war.  
As morning rolled into noon, the Romanovs were treated to something they had not had in a while, a decent lunch.  Simple sandwiches and bits of fruit from local farms did more than kiss their taste buds with delight.  For some time now, the emperor and empress gazed at Charlie, as though he were an art piece.  Every now and then, his own gaze would become locked with theirs.  He read their eyes; he felt that they did not trust him whatsoever.  It made him feel beyond uncomfortable.  After a while, he discovered that not only were they staring at him, but they were talking about him too.  Annoyed he stood up and walked over to them.  
“Listen, I somewhat understand what you all have gone through.  But talking about me behind my own back is a little discomforting.”  
Nicholas and Alexandra looked up shocked, yes they were talking about him, but it wasn’t negative.  Nicholas opened his mouth to speak but Charlie cut him off.  
“Let’s get something straight…forgive me for not being rich, forgive me for being American and of course forgive me for participating in that little fiasco in Yekaterinburg.  But if there is something about me that annoys you…you had best tell me.”  He narrowed his eyes sarcastically, his mouth a thin line.  The couple was beyond startled.  
“Captain Andrews, there certainly isn’t anything about you that annoys us at all!”  Nicholas began.  “The empress and I are more than thankful for your services and are glad you are around.  But please believe me; we are not talking about you in a negative way.”  
Charlie stood up straight, distrust still in his eyes.  He felt the gazes of the grand duchesses on him.  Afraid to even glance at them, he abruptly turned around and headed back to his original seat, placing his head in his hands.  
“Oh my.”  Alexandra said shaken.  The imperial children were now standing around their parents, curious and alert.  
“Go now and eat my children.”  Nicholas pointed to the large table.  He wanted to finish his conversation with Alexandra.  The stricken empress looked at him amazed.  
“And you wanted to get to know that boy.”  
“I still do Alix; he is definitely a most interesting lad.”  The Tsar said, staring at Charlie’s direction.

     Olga bit into a sour apple, the sweetness of the fruit made her crack a smile. Grabbing another sour apple, Olga walked over to Charlie, saying nothing at first, but then she handed it to him with a smile.  
      “Here, you look hungry.”
      “Are you here to spy on me?”  His face sprouted up from his hands, his eyes bled with tears of anger, feeling ridiculous.  
      “Well I…I’m sorry Captain Andrews,” Olga began.  “But my parents did not send me over to ‘spy’ on you.  Instead, I wanted to talk to you…you know, just a conversation?”

[TheAce1918]

Charlie looked at the apple, it looked delicious.  He wanted to refuse it, but he couldn’t just say that to her.  So he reluctantly took the apple, staring at it for a moment then bit into it.  
      “Thank you.”  He said with his mouth full and watering.  Olga smiled at him, she noticed a hint of innocence in him and she wanted to take the advantage.  
      “May I sit with you?”  
      “Sure…I guess.”  He glared into her eyes, trying to find some sincerity in them; he did and eased his looks as she sat down across from him.  She followed his empty gaze into the landscape they were crossing.  At one time, this was her home, a place she loved and was so proud of it she vowed never to leave it.  And now, she actually was leaving it, possibly never to return.  A pain of homesickness welted in her heart, with sad eyes, she immediately changed the subject.  
      “So, where in America were you born?”  
      Charlie raised his eyebrow, suddenly curious as to why she would care to know something like that.  
      “Cleveland.”  He replied.  
      “Oh…where is that?”  
      “It’s in the state of Ohio.”  He said, not daring to look into her eyes again.  
      “Ah…well that’s nice.”  
      Charlie shrugged his shoulders, he didn’t care, he was out of that hell and into another circle of it.  Olga felt ridiculous, obviously he didn’t want to chat otherwise he would be flapping his gums out.  She bit her lip, feeling nervous all of a sudden.  
      “Oooo, and what are you two chatting about?”  A voice teased.  Charlie and Olga turned around.  Anastasia was munching on a handful of grapes staring at them with interrogating eyes.  
      “Oh Ana!”  Olga said sounding relieved.  “I’m glad you’re here, we were just discussing the state of…Oh…Oh…?”  
      “Ohio.”  Charlie slowly answered. Anastasia caught his sarcasm naturally; she gave Olga a comforting look and took a seat next to her.  
      “I hear that that is a lovely state.”  She chimed, trying to bring light to the conversation.  In all honesty, neither of them knew about America that much.
      “Yeah, it’s nice sometimes.”  He said nervously.  He felt cornered, as if they were ganging up on him or something.  But why should he be afraid of them?  They aren’t blood suckers; they were the high princesses of Russia.  The same little angels from that photograph that made him smile.  Except now they were grown women, and they were talking to him.  Something he wasn’t good at, nor did he expect.  Anastasia and Olga exchanged glances, desperately trying to figure out this puzzle of a soldier that had saved their lives.    
      “Hello all!”  Another voice beamed through.  It was Tatiana finishing her sandwich.  Without hesitation, she sat directly next to Charlie, who turned beet red and madly tried to scoot further away.  But by now he was bumping into the window itself.  Tatiana was no stranger to shyness, she herself being openly friendly with people; but she also was notoriously shy when it came to meeting new faces.  The look on Charlie’s face screamed shyness.  She understood well and felt sad for the boy.  
      “Captain Andrews…”  She began happily
      “Charlie.”  He corrected her.  
      “Charlie…yes, um…”
      Charlie still stared out the window. He fumbled the apple in his hands.  Then unintentionally he dropped it to the floor.  “Oh!  Excuse me a moment.”  He asked, mumbling curses to himself as he felt around for the apple.  He felt like a true idiot.  When he finally ran his hand over the dirty piece of fruit he plucked it up looking at it with a twisted face.  No sooner had Charlie sat up, when he found Marie staring back at him with questioning eyes. He froze, afraid to say anything.  His hands and face began to perspire.  
      “Charlie…”  The poor girl couldn’t even finish her sentence.  
      “Oh my!”  He exaggerated, faking illness.  “Pardon me ladies, I don’t feel so well, this train is making me queasy!”  He stammered as he hobbled to the bathroom.  
      Marie turned to her sisters who were grinning ruthlessly.  She felt awful, had she scared him away?  
      “Was it something I said?  Or tried to say?”  She asked taking his place on the seat next to Tatiana.  
      “Mashka, didn’t you see the look on his face?”  Olga asked, her smile reaching each ear.  “Clearly this boy is a shy one…and apart from that, he is an American man in uniform!”  The other girls teased Marie relentlessly.  She pushed them off, still feeling awful for making Charlie nearly sick.  When he returned from the bathroom he was still blushing, afraid to look at either one of them.  When he first gazed into their eyes the night before, he instantly saw the four little girls from 1906.  Since they bloomed into adulthood with flying colors, he felt the natural ‘boy meets girl’ phase tearing him up. He noticed they all were huddled around each other, giggling like schoolgirls.  Nervously, he approached them.
      “I’m really sorry about that.”  He said, face pointing to the ground.  His voice sounded like a little child.  “I guess I am just a little…shy.”  He barely got the word out, but once he did, he felt a little better.  The duchesses exchanged warm glances; they knew he would definitely be a character.  The first phase of their plan had worked, bringing out the innocence in him, now the next part was to get every bit of his personality out as well.  
      “Don’t you dare be sorry, it’s quite alright.”  Marie said in a voice so smooth, chills ran up his spine.  When he finally glanced up he saw her standing.  She gingerly made her way towards him.

[TheAce1918]

.  He slowly reared away, he didn’t like the way he looked, or smelled come to think of it.  He wanted to shower so bad, he still felt the dirt in his skin.  Her aroma dizzied him, rendering him helpless.  “Would you like something to eat or…my God!  You are wounded!”  She said pointing to his bleeding arm.  
      “Oh, that’s nothing, honestly.”  He began, feeling lost in her worried look.  
      “Nonsense!  Tanya and I are nurses, sit down.”  Olga said, taking command of the situation.  
      “But…”  Charlie began, turning around to them.  
      “Sit!”  Olga boomed picking up a medical kit from the emergency box on the train’s wall.  
      “Yes ma’am.”  Charlie sat down pulling off his jacket and shirt.  Tatiana poured some water from an adjacent jug onto it, cleaning the dirt and dry blood from the wound.  Olga poured on some rubbing alcohol that stung for a moment but gently cooled. Applying some medicine, the two hummed a perfectly sweet song as they tended, before he knew it, they were finished.  
      “All done.”  Tatiana said in a sing-song voice.  Charlie took his eyes off of Marie, whom he had watched the entire time.  The funny thing was that he didn’t even flinch in pain; her gaze seemed to numb it.  He thanked them dearly and stood up.  Marie instinctively took his hand. It felt smooth and warm to the touch.  It felt as if a jolt of electricity zapped through him.  Charlie and the grand duchesses made their way over to a table strewn with food and drinks alike.  Picking up some sandwiches, a plate of fruit and some cups of juice.  Charlie took his share and Marie led him once again to another table where they sat down.  
      “So, tell me about yourself.”  She said as casual as possible, biting into her sandwich.  The other girls took an opposite table.  Charlie shook his head in disbelief.  
      “You don’t wanna know.”  He chuckled in odd humor.  But Marie refused to be stopped.  
      “It’s a long journey.”  
He found himself once again being stabbed by her blue ‘saucers’.  Quietly nibbling on his sandwich, he felt himself give in to her question.  After a short sip of juice which tasted a bit like cherry or something of the sort, he began to open his heart, mind and soul to her.  
“Well, like I said I was born in Cleveland, Ohio.  Your typical American boy, at the bottom of the food chain so to speak.  When I was ten I went to work as a paperboy, not making that much.  I lived with my grandparents and my twin brother John for as long as I can remember.  John’s in France fighting the Huns, he’s in the Marines.  Let’s see, I love to play baseball, I read as much as I can.  Oh, and I have the tendency to daydream, a lot!  My teachers in school were always annoyed by my ‘imagination’.” He smiled at his own comment.  
Marie’s mouth dropped.  “I love to read, and write too!  And during our classes I constantly daydreamed.  But what is baseball?  I mean, I’ve heard of it…but I don’t know what it really is.”  
He laughed aloud.  The first time she had heard him laugh like that, so pure, so fun, and so…delicious.  She bit her lip.  
“Maybe, if fate allows it, I’ll teach you how to play baseball.  I’ll teach you everything about it!”  He teased playfully.
“I’d like that.”  She smiled.  She would like that a lot.  She moved her head slightly and saw the other three duchesses sitting behind Charlie.  Their eyes and faces were lit up with an unfound joy that had been missing from them for months.  Marie looked back at Charlie, who was staring at her intensively.  She focused on his eyes.  They too were blue, though they weren’t large blue eyes like hers; they were deeper, more direct and piercing.  She knew that they held secrets she hoped to uncover someday, she knew that there was more to him than just a gun and a uniform and by God she was willing to risk it all just to find out.  For over the next hour they would talk nonstop about their favorite authors, books, global issues and of course the differences between America and Russia.  
“You speak how many languages?”  Charlie asked curiously.  
“I know four.”  Marie replied setting her glass down on the table.  “German, French, obviously Russian and English.  I speak English and Russian fluently, but my French and German are awful.  Aleksey however mastered them as did Olga and Tanya.”
Charlie sat back amazed.  He hardly mastered the English language.  He immediately felt lower. “We are backwards”. He thought. Marie took his look in good nature.  
“If you’d like…I could teach you all I know of the languages…that is if you want.”  
“I’d love to learn a whole new language.  But I warn you, I’m also the most difficult student around.”  
“I’m not so sure about that, you should have seen my sister Anastasia when our tutors lectured.  Downright comedy!”  
Charlie gave her a warm smile.  Before she could speak once more, the train came to an abrupt halt.  Outside they had heard the sound of seagulls and the splashing of water.  They were in the Crimea finally.  Laughing, the Tsar who had been watching his daughter and the American with fascination, gazed over to his wife who had the same amazed look.  
“I told you he was an interesting boy.”  He said with a grin.  Alexandra only smiled in humble defeat.  
  A loud Ukrainian voice shouted on the car’s loudspeaker.  
“Livadia!  We have arrived, let’s get moving!”  

[TheAce1918]

With the man’s words bleeding through, Charlie hopped up from the table and ran to his arsenal of weaponry on the floor at the end of the car.  Walking back from there, he slung the bag over his shoulder.  Looking at Marie longingly, he whispered “Thank you!”  
Smiling back, she whispered “You’re welcome!”  When they exited the train they saw a large ship floating in the Black Sea.  Sailors tended to her massive guns, orders were being shouted in English.  Charlie stared at the flag on the top of the crows nest, the crosses of St.’s George, Andrew, and the Irish cross…Britain.  The captain of the vessel dashed across the beach, bowing to the Romanovs.  
“Your majesties, it is my duty as well as honor to serve you.”  A woman came up behind him, easily recognizable to the family.  
“Grandmamma!”  Aleksey exclaimed running to them.  The Empress Dowager Marie, whom everyone affectionately called ‘Minnie’, had remained in the Crimea, swearing to God she would never leave Russia without her Nicky and his family.    
“Hello darling Aleksey.”  The old woman said kindly.  Looking up at the rest of her family, she saw that their eyes were covered in tears.  Nicholas walked up to her.  
“Mama.”  Was all that came out of his mouth as he embraced her.  She held him tightly, sobbing.  
“My sweet Nicky…God has saved you my son!”  
“Indeed he has, however poor Eugene and our loyal friends were taken by God. Our own survival would not have been entirely possible had it not been for this man right here.  Captain Andrews.”  
Charlie bowed his head.  “Your majesty.”  
“You are American?”  Minnie asked surprised.  
“Why is this so fascinating over here?”  Charlie joked.  They laughed, the first time in a long time.  Nicholas once again turned to his mother.  
“Mama, where is Olga Alexandrovna and her husband?  The rest of the family?”  
Minnie’s eyes were sad.  “Olga, Nikolai and Tekhon are all in England.  They shipped out there from Denmark last week.  The rest of the family has already been evacuated to England as of last month.  I’ve been here since the revolution began darling.  I vowed never to leave, I knew you all were still in Siberia…I just never gave up hope my love.”  Just then Marie squealed.  
“Oh!  Baby Tekhon…I so wish he was here!  It was sad we were in Tobolsk when he was born.  We never got to see him, how is he grandmamma?”  
“He is just fine my dear, a healthy plump bouncy boy…like your father here.”  Minnie said smiling, her arm draped around her son.  Marie smiled warmly.  
“I beg your majesties pardon, but we must get moving.”  The captain warned.
The Tsar nodded his head, as did his family.  The captain looked at Charlie, who had been standing guard around them, with foreign eyes.  
“Thank you much chap, that will be all, we’ll take it from here.”  
Charlie looked at the officer as if he were an alien.  He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Tatiana.  
“He is a friend of ours and will be traveling with us.”  The man looked at her funnily, switching his head to Nicholas he asked.  
“Sire is this true?”  Nicholas nodded, lifting his eyebrows in humor.  He was too tired to argue and Charlie did after all look out for him and his family.  The British captain shrugged his shoulders.  “Right then, all aboard the ship now.”  As Charlie passed the bewildered captain he launched a sarcastic comment his way.  
“Thank you sir, that makes me feel a whole load better.”  The captain looked back at Charlie as he made his way up the gangplank behind the Romanovs.  
“That’s what we said when you all came into this war three years late.”  The captain said under his breath as he followed suit.  

The large dreadnaught, HMS Sword was a gorgeous battle cruiser.  One of the finest in the Royal Navy and the perfect escort out of Russia.  The Romanovs were placed below deck.  They were told that soon they would be placed in the safety of Greece and by morning the next day, the ship should arrive in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria.  As more orders were shouted across the giant cruiser, the family settled themselves in amongst the crew who respectfully kept their distance.  The ships boilers were ignited to life and within minutes, the Sword was underway, steaming out of the Black Sea and towards neutral Greece.  
“Thank God we got out of there as quick as we did.  I thought the whole damned country would follow us!”  Charlie moaned as he walked towards the upper deck, sliding past Marie.  For some reason he felt strangely at ease with her, and over time his shyness began to die down between himself and the other Romanovs.  Marie laughed at his comment, agreeing completely.  Looking through one of the port holes they all stared back to the land that was once theirs, the land that their ancestors had ruled for three-hundred and four years.  They were leaving Russia, most likely for good.  The emotions were mixed amongst the ranks of the family.  Some where relieved to be away from Siberia and the revolution, others were teary.
“How could I have let this happen?”  Nicholas thought to himself bitterly.  “How could I have led Russia to this?”   He went to confide in his mother.  Minnie was having some tea with Alexandra.  The warm liquid soothed their irritated throats, inside were special throat lozenges distributed by the ship’s doctor.  
“Mama, Alix…may I have a word?”  He asked shyly.  The two women smiled and he seated himself next to them.  

[TheAce1918]

He began pouring everything he had kept inside for so long, tears raining down his face.  
“Nicky, you mustn’t put so much blame on yourself…this has been a problem in Russia for centuries, it just so happened to explode.”  Alexandra offered, wrapping her arms around her shaken husband. She received a nod from her mother-in-law, which surprised the empress; the two women were never really on ‘terms’ with one another in the past.  But Minnie shared a look with her daughter-in-law that said the past was over, the future was now.  
“Look at what you have now son…your family, your freedom…your life.  As of this point, nothing else matters my love.”  Minnie pointed out factually.  Nicholas repeated his mother’s words inside his head.  She was right, they both were.  He immediately began counting his blessings.    
His thoughts were interrupted as the boats whistle blew once, signaling their full steam towards friendly space.  The thought on everyone’s mind was will this radical change be the start of something new?  And if so, would it be good?  As the sun continued to rise above the horizon and the seagulls dived continuously on the great dreadnought, the Romanov family was preparing for something that would indefinitely affect them for the rest of their lives.  A beginning of a whole new life.

[TheAce1918]

On to four?  
Or no more?

[Historybuff_262]

Please keep posting. I love the story.        

[aussiechick12]

Oh yes, do post more!

Emma  

[Aurelie]

I love your story !!!  

[aussiechick12]

Welcome to the forum Aurelie, it's good to have you here!

Emma  

[TheAce1918]

Wow, alrighty then.  I will post CH4 asap, I've been caught up recently, but chances are I should have the next installment by tomorrow night.  

Oh and plus, I need feedback thus far.  Y'know, opinions, thoughts...the usual.  

Peace 8-)

[TheAce1918]

18 July 1918


      The sweltering summer sun hovered over the Black Sea.  Charlie pinched his eyes shut as he stared up.  It was noon on the dot.  Having nothing to do, he walked across the ship, sometimes stopping to chat with sailors.  They talked about nothing to special, the war obviously, different types of music, preferences on guns and sports.  Nicholas, Minnie and Alexandra were invited to the captain’s quarters for tea and a brief meeting on what would take place over the next day.  The rest of the children slept soundly below deck.  Ever since they boarded the boat, they had not left each others side.  They once again took the floor instead of bunks, bundling up next to each other.  
      Charlie leaned up against one of the gun turrets, picking his fingers, desperately trying to find something to do.  They would be passing the sea-lane of Istanbul, the Ottoman’s capital, formerly known as Constantinople; the land of Turkey is what ultimately divides the continents of Europe and Asia.  He remembered hearing a story from one of the sailors about the invasion of the Turkish kingdom, the Battle of Gallipoli.  It had been a disastrous attempt to halt Germany’s weakest ally and to open a gateway for the Russians.  One thing he did hope was that the battle cruiser would steer clear away from the Ottoman border.  Within a few hours they would be in the safety of Greek waters, and then the boat would port in Athens and then steam non-stop to Alexandria.
      He heard footsteps approaching, figuring it was a soldier he didn’t look up.  Then he felt a hand being laid on his shoulder.  A warm, soft hand.  He looked up and smiled.  
      “What are you doing out of bed miss?”  He joked tapping his wrist as if there were a watch there.  
      “I couldn’t sleep.”  Marie replied.  “Plus I wanted to finish our conversation.”  
      “Well, have a seat and then we shall continue.”  Marie gladly sat down next to him, scooting closer.  This time, Charlie didn’t budge.  
      “I’m sorry for my behavior on the train earlier.  I just…”
      “It’s alright.  We all were a little paranoid.  But the look I saw in my parent’s eyes told me that what they were discussing about you wasn’t bad at all.”  Marie said confidently with a smile.  
      “I see how close you all are…I’m sorry for prying but Yekaterinburg must have been bad.”  
She nodded her head, not taking her eyes off of him.  
      “It was, in fact it was the worst place imaginable.  The house commanders would force us to play revolutionary songs on the piano.  Whenever we had to use the bathroom, the guards would follow us.  They would write horrible things on the walls; laugh and mock at us.  It was just a very dim and unwelcoming place.  One guard even tried to…”  She stopped talking, a wave of embarrassment flooded over her.  
      “Tried to what?”  Charlie asked suspiciously.  
      “One of the guards…grabbed me.”  
      Charlie went blind.  Grabbed her?  Did she mean sexually or physically?  He saw tears swell up in her eyes.  Her cheeks were a rosy pink and her beautiful lips were quivering.  He wanted to comfort her, give her a big hug.  But he thought of the Red bastard grabbing at her, he wanted to skin the dog alive.  Instead he chose to keep a respectful distance; he thought that because of the Soviet, she probably wouldn’t trust another man.  
      “Are you okay Marie?”  
      “Yes, I’m fine thank you.”  She mumbled sniffing.  She put her hand on his knee as she returned her gaze to him.  Alarms went off in his head.  What she did next, would completely alter his mindset forever.  Leaning over, her hand firmly grabbed his lower jaw, pulling him over to her soft lips.  He instantly felt dizzy, but in a good way.  He thought of her as a goddess breathing life into him.  When she released his jaw, he was redder than an apple.  “Aww, you don’t need to blush silly!”  
      “I’m sorry, it’s just that…that was my first kiss. And allow me to say that it was the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced.”  
      She smiled at his compliment.  She had this feeling about Charlie, he was a good man, sure he seemed shy, but it appeared to her that once he got to know people, he was a whole different person.  What had really impressed her were his manners, unlike a lot of the royal princes of Europe, his Americanisms fascinated her.  Out of the blue she asked him,
      “How old are you Charlie?”  
      “Seventeen.”  
She was stunned.  “Seventeen?  Wow…I’m sorry, you just looked…older.”  
Charlie looked at her surprised.  
“No!  I didn’t mean it that way.”  
      “Its okay, I’m flattered…nice to know that to someone, I don’t look like a child.”  Then he asked her, “How old are you?”
      “I just turned nineteen in June.”  She took his hand, gliding her thumb over his.  “Is that too old?”  She giggled.  
      “It’s just fine.”  He said smiling, giving her a quick smile that tore her heart.  “I’m the baby in everything, the youngest in my squad, the youngest in my family…I just can’t win.  I’ll always be the baby.”  He moaned.  
      “Yeah,” Marie thought to herself happily.  “But you’re my baby.”    

[TheAce1918]

By the early hours of the evening they had arrived at the port of Athens.  Since they had relatives there, the Romanovs were taken to a nearby palace overlooking the ancient city.  King Christian, like George of England was weary on allowing his distant cousins to stay in his country for fear of rebellious movements.  But Greece too was busy, occupied by the war.  From his room, Charlie could see the Parthenon lit up by a few spotlights.  Prince Michael of Greece, a cousin of Nicholas had arranged not only a car and housing for his cousins but also around the clock protection from the royal guards.  When confronted with the presence of Charlie, Marie took his hand firmly, letting him know that they weren’t getting rid of him.  He always felt better when she reassured him like that.  
      Walking down the large corridors of the palace, the Romanovs settled into one room while Charlie was settled in a large room of his own across the hall.  
  Guards were stationed down the hall and around the corners.  They brandished large daggers and knifes rather than rifles and pistols.  The fat captain, who did have a revolver, declared to the family that if they needed anything at all, not to hesitate to ask and with the turn of his large form, he was out of the room.  
      Charlie hopped into the shower once he was fully settled in his room.  He stood there for a moment, allowing the water to soak his skin.  He scrubbed his hair, his face, his entire body of the stench of war that had trailed him for nearly two years now.  Stepping out of the shower he took his razor blade and began shaving the week old beard that had grown on his face.  Tapping his bare face he left the bathroom covered in a towel.  He rummaged through his bag, he only had one change of clothes and that was his filthy uniform.  Frantically looking about the room, he spotted a fresh robe hanging from a hook on his door.  When he reached for it, a knock came to the door, scaring the dear life out of him.  
      “Just a second!”  He hollered as he snatched the robe, throwing it on and tying the cotton rope around his waist.  It felt really comfortable, as if it had just come out of the wash and was warmed by the sunshine.  He threw open the door to reveal Tatiana in a lovely new dress.  She too had freshened up and looked positively beautiful.  Her golden brown hair fanned over her bare shoulders.  The make-up she applied to her eyes had amplified the glow of her dark amber pupils.    
      “Oh I’m sorry!  I didn’t know you were in the bath.”  She apologized.  Charlie blushed.  
      “You caught me when I just got out!  What’s up?”  
      “We’re all going downstairs to dinner; I wanted to know if you would like an escort?”  
Now he felt ridiculous, this beautiful woman is taking the time out of her night to ask you to dinner with her and her family whom he had taken a liking to.  And here he was with barely a rag on and no fresh clothes.  
      “Tatiana, I’m really sorry…I was running around my room trying to find some clothes and all I have is my uniform and I just sent that to the palace cleaners.  Tatiana didn’t look upset one bit, instead she smiled and replied.  
      “It’s okay Charlie, I just wanted to ask.”  She left the door with a wink and walked down the hall.  When he closed the door, he really smacked himself this time.  
      “Nice going moron, you blew it again!”  
He threw himself on his bed, silently cursing himself.  He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about them.  How funny, sweet and caring they were.  He remembered the communist propaganda had cursed the Romanovs, but the people he saw were basic people, even though a few years back they were royalty.  They were devoutly religious, the more and more he thought of it, they were good intentioned people brought into a really awkward situation.  He thought of Marie, how she kissed him.  How she alone brought down his defenses and forced him to surrender.  But it felt so good; it felt refreshing like a breath of life from an angel.  Her smile, the warmth of her milky voice that so relaxed his ruffled feathers.  He bit his lips, not wanting the memory to fade away. Closing his eyes, he fell into the most comfortable sleep he had had in a while.  
      Another knock on the door roused him from his slumber; he glanced at the clock on the wall.  He had been asleep for only a half an hour.  Swinging his legs off his bed, which he felt was too comfy to leave, he heaved himself too the floor and made his way to the door.  
      “Yes?”
      “Open up.”  It was Anastasia.  He heard separate giggling from behind the door.  When he opened it, all four grand duchesses were standing outside.  “Aww, did we wake you?”  Ana laughed.