The Tsar's Wife

Maria's Song

This chapter I'm changing things up a bit and it will be mostly in Maria's point of view and Alexandra's at the end.

Maria scuffed at the edge of the wooden bench she was seated on with the toe of her dance shoes, trying not to look as dreary and unhappy as she felt on the inside in front of her younger sister Anastasia. She knew her sister would sniff out her distress like a hound sniffing out a rabbit trying to scurry away from its hunter, she always knew when Maria was upset. Anastasia was pressing a key of the piano over and over again, seemingly trying to annoy Alexei down below in her papa's office and was no doubt trying to work on a paper. Mari put on her best empress face, mimicking her mother in the most obvious way. "Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov! You know very well Alexei is trying to do some important work just a few feet below the floor, you pounding on that piano isn't going to help." She scolded, her tone sounding more like Tatiana's chiding than her mothers deep, respectful empress voice.

Anastasia rolled her eyes and let out a huff and stopped playing the piano keys, but stayed seated on the piano's bench as she gave a stomped her dance flat clad foot harshly onto the floor below them. "Who cares if stupid Alexei is down there? If he doesn't like it, he'll tell me to stop." Anastasia said, sticking out her tongue in the most ill mannered possible and Maria knew if their mother were with them, she would be appalled by Anastasia's crude behavior. Maria was used to her harsh words and gestures, and she knew that Anastasia could be s very sweet girl under all that teasing and rude comments. Maria furrowed her brow at her sister's words, her face twisting in a slight pout. "He really needs the work Anastasia, he will be Tsar in just a few months, he needs all the preparation he can get." Maria said, trying to make her sister understand by guilt tripping her, though she knew it was a terribly nasty thing for her to do.
Anastasia's hard frown softened a bit, and she stopped stomping her foot, then glared at Maria.

"Why do you care all of a sudden that Alexei's becoming a Tsar? You've known he would his entire life!" Anastasia pointed out, pointing an accusing finger Maria's way as her eyebrows creased, making her look almost identical to their pfever Maria's face pulled into a small pout that she hated,her bottom lick sticking out in a way that annoyed herself for looking so much like impudent child.  "Nastya, he's getting married, and soon after he'll be ruling an entire country. He won't have time for us that much anymore, papa and mama are even giving them the Winter Palace to move into."
Maria said sadly, and Anastasia's hard glare melted away, replaced by a sad smile of her own. Maria knew she was sensitive, and she hated that she was so vulnerable to her emotions and would break down over small little things. She was happy her brother had fallen in love and finally wanted to marry someone he loved, but she wished he could live his soon newly married wife in peace instead of having to worry about becoming the Tsar.

She loved Olive liked another sister, she was so sweet and kind to them all and never once hot mad at them, even when Maria accidentally spilled an entire bottle of Olive's Rose mint perfume all over her bed, leaving a pinkish stain in her sheets and pillows. Olive had laughed, bundling up the sheets and blanket to hand them to a passing maid. "Well, my room will smell nice for a while." Olive had said with a cheerful, which made Maria smile back. She seemed incapable of getting angered at all, or even sad. She had been a bit snappy towards Maria whenever she was sick, but it was the fever taking and Olive didn't have a clue what she had been saying at all. Alexei had picked the most wonderful woman in the world, and Maria thought they were like a beautiful fairytale from a bedtime story, a Prince of Russia and his bride, a simple noble, just like Cinderella.

Anastasia walked over to put a hand on Maria's back, a uncharacteristic gentleness to her actions. "That's not true! Papa was the Tsar and he had plenty of times to visit Aunt Olga and mama even visited with all our aunts in Germany and Russia!" Anastasia pointed out, her face laced with a rare concern that many didn't see. Maria nodded, sniffing back a few tears as they came dreadfully down her face. She didn't want to cry, not here in front of Anastasia, not ever. She felt afraid, she didn't even really know for sure why, she just felt terrified for Alexei and Olive's future. Whenever her papa visited Japan whenever he was 16, a samurai guard had attempted to kill him and had even sliced part of his skull. If that happened to Alexei, he easily would die. He had been put in fatal conditions from simply bumping his leg on something hard enough to leave a measly bruise, he had almost died recently when his arm was sliced open by a piece of medal, and Olive had witnessed it.

She felt bad that Olive would always have to fear for Alexei's life, and could never be sure when he might bump something in the wrong place and his hemophiliac attack would finally take his life. If they had children -which Maria was sure they would, Alexei had admitted he always wanted a big family- Olive's fear would be doubled, not knowing if her children would be fatherless whenever he returned back to his Tsar's duties and needed to leave. Anastasia said nothing as she put her arms around Maria, and Maria smiled through her tears at her small sister. Anastasia seemed like an imp to others, but she really was loving and caring when it came down to it.

The two sat on the wooden bench, their arms tight around each other as they stayed in a warm silence.

Soo I don't have time for Alexandra and all, but I'm glad I got through with Maria. I decided to spice it up a bit and put it in Maria's point of view, which I will be needing in the future of this book. Do you like these chapters? Would you like to see it in someone else's point of view? The picture is of Maria holding an adorable cat! Its so cute!! Anyways, thanks for reading!!! I love you all for it!!!