Anastasia

Prolouge- Red In Black

In the darkness, in the pouring, heavy rain, where straw and mud littered the slippery floor, where the only light visible for miles was that of the faint glimmer from the candles in the Windows indoors, a single figure ran. She ran with determination and fright, towards the building at the end of the road. Draped in fine, regal looking black robes, vivid red hair blowing in the harsh wind, she ran on. Trees grabbed and thrashed at her with it's spiky branches, the woman manoeuvring through them.
In her arms, she clutched a tiny baby to her. The child was crying, and so was the woman. She held her child's body close to hers, and she shielded her daughters face from the bitter and sharp rain that fell to the floor all around them.
The woman squinted her eyes to try and make out the way to her destination, not looking back. She never would look back ever again. Never.
A light glimmered and flickered in the dark ahead of her. Stumbling with numb feet and biting cold hands, she banged hard and with all her remaining strength on the hard, wooden door, and it opened instantly and she was hushed inside.

Once she was inside, the woman sank down onto a small chair by the fireplace and began to sob, shaking violently.

There was an uneasy feeling that surrounded her. Like she still considered herself to be more important than others, but like she was slowly coming around. Like.. Like she didn't belong in a place like this.
She had a heart shaped face, with a defined jawline and a slightly pointed chin. She had pale-pinky skin, with light freckles dotted around her entire face. Her dark brown upturned doe eyes shone with tears and desperation below neat, arched eyebrows that seemed to act as a natural extension for her long, upturned, prominent nose, above her thin lips. Her hair was a flaming waterfall that cascaded down her shoulders. Overall, she looked regal but distraught. Like a beautifully crafted precious glass that had been shattered into a million prices with no hope of repair.

The place she was in was not anything like what she was used to. The muffled rain could still be heard from outside, and the sound of the crackling fire that was ablaze filled up the silence. The woman looked around, her eyes wet, and she felt bad. There was no proper floor, just straw that covered up the dry mud and the dead grass. There was an old looking table next to the fireplace, with a few chairs. One of them the one that to woman sat in. A roof that looked like it could collapse at any moment and would surely let at least some of the rain through, somehow stood firmly above them. A roaring fire was ablaze in an old, worn but still useable fireplace, and above it hang what looked like children's
drawings, scribbled on a piece of parchment with a wobbly hand

The other woman, the one that had hushed her in, was bowing to her. She wore what looked like an old, tatty nurses outfit, with a headscarf on. The woman could not make out we fce. As she had it liwed down out of respect. Ice she realised that the woman had a hold with her and was crying however, she stammered her words.

"My Queen, are you alright?" She asked, grace and nervousness adamant in her hesitant voice. The queen didn't say anything. She didn't want to lie, but she isn't want to admit how truly distraught she was inside.
"Please." The queen muttered, barely over a whisper, but the other lady still hear it clearly. "Take my daughter."
As soon as she said these words, the nurse looked horrified and scared, and the queen looked her straight in the eye, pleading silently, and then she looked back at her child, whom was now fast asleep in her mothers arms.

The baby was wrapped tightly and carefully in a white cloth. Her large doe eyes were shut peacefully, and strands of red hair that matched her mothers perfectly poked through the top of her head. The Queen gazed at the child lovingly, as she stroked her hair. "I don't want her to grow up like this. Not with... Him. THE KING can't be her father, I shall not curse my daughter with that. It is only a matter of time before it is decided that I am to be killed, and THE KING knows nothing about the child... Yet. So please, I am begging you. Keep her safe, and raise her well, and whatever you do-" she gulped and looked at the nurse with all seriousness and hope drained from her face, "don't let him find her."
The nurse was speechless. She had no idea what to say. Of course she would do whatever the Queen wished of her, and she would protect the Princess with her life.

"Yes. I won't. Not until the day I die." She said more confidently this time.
The Queen embraced her daughter and wept. She woke up, and began to cry.
"Shh, shh," the Queen told her. " I will come back for you, I promise. I love you and remember that. You shan't remember any of this, but you will grow up in a world, living without fear of THE KING. Your mother loves you, remember that." She kissed her on the forehead and the baby's sobs became silent ones. " I'm sorry."

For a mother and daughter to be parted is the hardest thing ever, for they share a bond, a bond unknown to anyone else. Both mother and child would suffer, but the Queen new what she was doing, so when she left, she looked back to her child, something that a determined and strong willed woman like her never did. In truth, she felt like all her misery and sorrow had enveloped her, with no escape to the happiness outside.
"Good luck," she whispered to no one in particular, "Anastasia."

A/N- what did you think? I would love some feedback in the comments, any constructive critisism is welcome! I shall try to update when I can, and this is my first proper book on wattpad. I hope you liked it, bye!