The Wildest Mikaelson...
The Happy Homicidal Maniac...
The Willy Fox...
The Worst of the Worst...
All names used to describe the youngest Mikaelson brother. Throughout his long life, Kol fancied himself the black sheep of the family, believing that...
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Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russian Empire, 2 December 1904
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia allowed her short legs to carry her through the halls of the Winter Palace. She dodged servants, almost tripping a few of them over, as she desperately tried to put distance between herself and her tutors who no doubt were chasing her.
It was not the first time the three year old Russian Princess had been seen running through the palace, and it definitely would not be the last. Her young age and innocent smile made many underestimate the second youngest Romanov's mischievous side.
She also had the advantage of being small and able to hide in small spaces or behind the long curtains that covered the magnificent windows. Sometimes it took her tutors and her governess hours to find her.
On her run she noticed how a door cracked open, allowing two servant girls to exit with dirty linens, and she saw it as an opportunity to hide. So before it could close again she made a sharp turn into the large chamber. It was one she had never been in before, but it was none less magnificent than the other guest rooms in the Winter Palace.
Luckily it was empty and she wasted no time running forward and sliding underneath the large king sized bed. Anastasia desperately tried to get ahold of her breathing as she laid on her stomach under the bed. Here no one would find her - she was certain of it.
It was extremely boring to hide, but she suffered through it, believing it would be worth it in the end. The large clock in the corner of the room clicked as seconds turned into minutes. Anastasia was just considering crawling out, thinking that it was safe.
Then the door opened and she froze completely. Holding her breath she prayed to God that she wouldn't be noticed. As long as she stayed quiet no one would suspect she was hiding underneath the bed.
Footsteps came closer and closer and she could see a pair of neatly polished boots near the bed. It was a man. One of the nobles judging by the state of his footwear.
The boots stopped just in front of the bed and the mattress sunk down a little at the edge when the man sat down. If she was lucky he would go to sleep and she'd be able to sneak out. Anastasia just had to wait a few minutes-
"I know you are under there," the man told her casually and Anastasia froze completely, realising that she had been caught. "And I don't have any interest in crawling under the bed to drag you out. So I suggest you do it yourself before I have to call for one of the guards."
Anastasia weighed her options before she slowly started to crawl her way out, making sure to not look directly at the man whose room she had attempted to hide in. He would not hurt her, she was sure, because the only ones allowed to punish her were her parents and tutors.
"I apologise for disturbing you, my lord," Anastasia apologised, knowing that it was highly inappropriate for a grand duchess to break into someone else's room and hide under their bed. Then she made a dash for the door but suddenly the man appeared in front of her.
