The Romanov Diary

Chapter thirty seven

July 24, 1918

Anastasia and Alexei were born and raised behind walls of gold, luxury and power. The parquet floors shone as the sunlight flowed through the massive palace windows. The endless amount of jewelry, dresses, crowns and money felt normal to them. They traveled abroad on their private yacht almost every year, and had their lovely summer residence in Crimea. In the Winterpalace in St. Petersburg, they even had an entire room completely made from gold. They had horses and dogs, big gardens and hundreds, if not even thousands, of people working for them. Even while in exile, they lived better than most people.

So when Anastasia and Alexei now for the first time in their lives step into the world outside of the royal walls, they're astonished. In Russia during 1918, there weren't many developed cities, which is why it took them so long to find one. Despite having a population of almost 126 million people, a very small proportion of them lived in real cities and had jobs that didn't include farming. The big majority of Russia's people are peasants and farmers, and those who work in industries are having terrible schedules, tasks and almost no rights. This is one of the reasons why a revolution broke out in 1905 - and 1917 - but things haven't gotten much better since then.

When the group walks down the streets of Perm, it's a very sad and depressing city they see. Children are running around in the dirt, trying to collect money or steal food from the market. It smells awful, almost as if your nose corrodes as you pass the sewers and houses. Anastasia, who has never really seen this part of Russia, feels ashamed of her life and her past. There she was, never worrying about food, roof over her head, medical care or clothes. The people she now sees are suffering, right under her nose and her family didn't do anything about it. She looks at Alexei. He's thinking the same thing. "If I ever get the chance to become czar, I will do something about this." Alexei says in his mind to himself.

The sky is clear and blue, not a single bird or cloud can be spotted above them. It's still warm, they haven't experienced a drop or rain in weeks. They pass horses and cars, people talking about the war and the market makes their stomachs rumble. To blend in easier, Anastasia covers her head with a white scarf and knots it under her chin. Now, they all blend in naturally with the crowds and the rest of the city.

"Okay guys. Let's split up in two. One of us goes and fixes some more and better food while the other group tries to get train tickets" Milo says and puts his hands on his waist.

"One tiny problem..." Anastasia adds. "How are we going to get tickets without admitting our identities?"

They didn't think about that part. The group stands still on the square, thinking of a solution. Since the war and the revolution, traveling by train has gotten far tougher. It's almost impossible to get onboard without a ticket, and if you're planning to leave the country you need visas. And the visas change appearance every other month to prevent illegals from leaving Russia.

"There must be someone in this town that can provide us with fake ID:s? I'm the master of fixing those." Theo grins.

"Of course you are." Ella eye rolls.

"Well, it's the best plan we've got. Ella, Milo and Anastasia will go and get food. Theo, Alexei and I will do our best to get tickets." Ophelia suggests.

The group nods. They 're still carrying their bags and blankets, and their arms are getting heavy. Joy barks as another dog passes by, but she doesn't leave Alexei's side.

"We'll meet back here in an hour. If anything happens, scream!" Ophelia says as they start to walk separate ways.

"Wait!" Anastasia shouts and runs to Theo. "You're going to need these."