The Paleys (1921-1927) - An Alternate Romanov Story

Show-Jumping

Natalia

However much Natalia wanted to hide from society while Nicholas of Romania was roaming the streets of Paris and every conceivable event of the Olympics, the day of Dmitri's equestrian competition soon arrived upon them, and she knew she wouldn't be able to escape that one.

Since they related to one of the competitors, they were given a place at a special tribune with a direct view of the field where the show-jumping competition would take place.

When Natalia and her family arrived, her half-sister Marishka, her husband and their little son Roman were already there, ready to support Dmitri. It had been a while since Natalia had seen her sister. She was always busy with her family, charities and hospital work, which she had never left since the war. They had never been exactly close, although Marishka always went out of her way to be kind. Natalia had always seen her as one of the "grown-ups", someone from another generation who had little in common with her except for the fact that they shared the same father.

Dmitri also stopped by before the competition but was uncharacteristically nervous and didn't look like his goofy, usual self. Although he sometimes made it seem as if his participation in the games didn't matter and was just for fun, he was a true patriot who genuinely hoped to make a good impression and win a medal for his country.

Grand Duke Michael arrived with his family when the competition was about to start. For about three or four seconds, Natalia glanced awkwardly between Tata and Vladimir, wondering how they would act around each other now that she knew about their secret. But there was nothing to worry about. They greeted each other formally, and then Tata sat next to Natalia and started asking her about her day, which made it feel as if Tata hadn't seen Vladimir since he stopped being her tutor. It was strange at first, but it didn't take long for Natalia to get used to it. After all, if they hadn't been talented at this game, they wouldn't have managed to hide their feelings for an entire year.

Finally, the competition began. The riders entered the arena on top of their mounts one by one, trotting in perfect rhythm. There was a series of colourful obstacles that each rider had to face — vertical bars, oxers, and combinations set at precise distances that were meant to evaluate their technical precision. Natalia watched as the first few riders navigated the course, their horses launching into the air with tightly tucked legs, clearing the obstacles without a flaw or, in some cases, grazing the rails just enough to send them clattering to the ground. The crowd reacted to every drop with gasps and murmurs.

When Dmitri's name was called, the stands erupted in applause. For the first time, Natalia felt a sharp jolt of nerves and locked her eyes on her brother as he rode in. She might not appreciate horses, but it was impossible not to feel proud of him at that moment as he entered the field with a straight and steady posture, holding the reins loosely with one hand. He was mounting a sleek bay gelding, which moved with fluid power as if it had trained each step to look a certain way and every shift in its muscles, to be precise. Dmitri tilted his head to the side, scanning the course as if he were memorizing every line and every turn.

Their father leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on his cane. He didn't clap like the others but watched with the sharp focus of someone who knew what to look for. After all, he had been one of the most accomplished cavalry officers in the Russian Army back in his youth.

The whistle blew. Dmitri gave a light tap of his heels, and they were off.

The first fence was a simple vertical, and Dmitri's horse sailed over it like it was nothing, his body perfectly aligned with the motion. The next obstacle, an oxer—a wider jump that required greater power—posed no challenge. They landed cleanly, the gelding's hooves pounding into the turf without missing a beat.