Woke Up In A New Decade

Chapter two

1912 September

I stared out the window in the room I was isolated in. As laughs echoed through the Sun gardens outside. The grass looked nice and I just wanted to touch it and smell the grass. The four grand duchesses played and laughed and enjoying themselves with their governess, their maids, and soldiers surrounding them. Cian left the gardens and went inside. I was dressed in a white puffy dress with puffy sleeves, my hair was down and kept away from my face. Cian walked in.

"Don't be too close. Don't want you falling out the window." He teased, I smiled at him. The Tsarina walked in with Alexei. I recently found out I was born in 1900 and the fourth daughter of the Tsar. A bit crazy, but if you wake up in a whole new decade everything is crazy.

"Privet your majesty! Grigori Rasputin has arrived." Cian bowed while talking to the Tsarina. The Tsarina nodded. "Yes thank you Cian."

"Ma'am, it's un actually Kee-an." He corrected. The Tsarina smiled and corrected herself. It's been three days since that weird ritual prayer thing that Rasputin did, he said I can walk around and figure out my surroundings.

"Privet Rasputin! It's very nice to see you." The Tsarina greeted. Rasputin was happily guided outside by the Tsarina. I looked at the young Tsarvich. I sat next to him and we began playing, he had splendid dark blue eyes with a spark of mischief in them, brown hair, and an upright figure. He grinned at me and acted like he bombed down the house we just built. We were playing what he called war and we built so much things. We built this huge castle.

"Boom!" The 8 year old grinned. I acted like I was a scary monster and he acted like he was killing me. We both laughed as the Tsarina and Rasputin both entered again, they were with Anna Vyrubova. "Astrid come with me please, baby bear [Alexei] Anna will stay with you and play with you." The young boy frowned at me leaving. I followed the Tsarina into a new room. It was like the infirmary but more isolated.

"Sit down young child." I did as told so and sat down. "MY CHILD! The devil had made her suffer the loss of memory. But don't fret my daughter. She can still be cured!" Rasputin was surely insane and thought I was mentally ill, he is. "Dr Botkin and Father Rasputin will cure you my firefly." The Tsarina promised. I was angry I wasn't mentally ill.

"You will be joining me in weekly prayers and will attend Church with your mama everyday." Rasputin stated. I sighed, happy they weren't going to rip my insides out or something scary like that. "Is that all?" I asked. "For now, yes my darling." The tsarina told me with pity in her voice. I sighed in great relief. "Don't worry Astrid Nikolaevna, you will remember everything sooner and you can be happy again." Rasputin said in an unsettling to me and I gulped, I wanted to spit on him.

I still couldn't believe what had happened. One day I was in 1987, helping people climb over the wall to the West and now I'm a Grand Duchess in 1912? I peered through the window and saw the garden empty until the door swung open with Anastasia at the other end. The Tsarina angrily looked at her. "Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova!" She yelled and Anastasia winced. "We KNOCK on the door! I taught you this!" She yelled. Anastasia frowned.

"I'm sorry Mama!" Anastasia apologized but she probably didn't mean it and she collapsed on the couch. After her came Maria, Olga and Tatiana with the lady in waiting Anna. "How are you today mother?" Olga asked, sitting on the chair and taking her mothers hand. The Tsarina smiled at her and replied, "I'm doing as okay as I could be in this situation." Olga looked at me and I stared at her, she turned back to her mother quickly. "You should rest, ma. Let us look after Astrid and Alexei!" Tatiana sounded manipulative and begging. The Tsarina sighed.

"I will put Alexei for a nap and you look after Astrid. Only for an hour though." The Tsarina stood up as the two girls smiled. "We won't fail you mother!" They said in sync, Alexandra left and instantly they turned to me. Olga talked to me first. "Hello, I'm Olga Nikolaevna, your older sister." She talked to me as if I was a toddler. I wanted to tell her how she would die with her family from the Bolsheviks but she would think I'm really insane.

"I know who all of you are, you are grand duchesses and I am not." They all looked confused at me. "Tell us your beliefs." Tatiana insisted. I paused for a moment. I was sewing a scarf for Margo, if I ever saw her again. "Okay.. I am born in 1975 in West Germany, I have a little sister called Margo, I'm twelve, and when I came here I wore this necklace.." I admitted.

"We all have similar ones, matching but different." Maria said, she showed her necklace, it was the same but with MNR and a Ruby stone, Olga, Anastasia and Tatiana showed their own but with different rocks and initials. Anastasia looked at me and moved her hair out the way of her face.

"Cousin Mary gifted us this when we met them in 1909, remember, we saw cousin Edward, Georgie, Bertie, William and John." Anastasia said to me the first time. I stared at her blankly, like I was in maths and they were talking about fractions and simplifying it down to other bits. I HATE maths, why do we have to simplify everything? So annoying.. they waited patiently for my answer. I took a very deep breath and turned my head up to them. I sighed and opened my dry mouth,

"No."