The Lives Of The Romanovs

Making Up For Lost Time

Olga

It was around 21:00 and I was in Papa's Maple Room. Everyone had already got to rest in their beds. But I liked to sit in Papa's study and read. There were photos everywhere and different sculptures. This room is where I did a lot of my lessons growing up, either here or in the library. I liked to lay on one of the couches and just read several chapters of a good book. Also, the Mitya situation was still saddening for me. But I was starting to accept that we were both moving forward in our lives.

I heard the door creak open and I immediately looked up. Igor walked in, staring down at a book and having not even looked up.
"Igor." I said. He looked up at me and gave an awkward smile.
"Oh, hello Olga. I did not see you were in here. I thought you would've gone to bed by now."
"I like sitting in here. And unfortunately, it's just one of those nights that I just cannot fall asleep. Why are you in here?"
"The Tsar said I could use his Maple Room anytime I wished. I think we both can't fall asleep."
I shrugged. "My insomnia is only getting worse and worse as time goes on. Having Spanish Flu only worsened it."
"Spanish Flu is monstrous. My mother wrote and told me that George and Vera both got it. Luckily, they are alright now. But so many innocents have died from it."
"First the war and now a pandemic that is killing everyone in its path. How has the world turned upside down so fast? I remember when life was actually enjoyable for awhile. And then the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand happened."
I shook my head with him about it. Igor had been at the front and fought in the war. He watched as his fellow comrades and older brother die. He probably had it the worse out of all of us living in the Alexander Palace at the moment.
Then the silence hit and we were just staring at each other. Igor walked away from the door and to the window. He peaked outside and then looked over at me with a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Do you want to do something fun instead of sitting here and just looking

Igor and I were holding hands as we ran through the snow. We were still in our clothes and did not even bother to try and get our coats on. We were slipping on to the ground and laughing.
While Igor was turned and staring out into the distance, I bent down and slowly patted a chunk of snow into a snowball. I chucked it at Igor's head. He grunted in pain and turned around with his mouth wide open.
"Oh, that came out of nowhere." I laughed. Igor quickly bent down and got a snowball.
"I see how it is, huh!" Igor chuckled and threw it at me. I threw my hands up in self-defense and the snowball hit my arms. We ended up in a huge snowball fight between the two of us. I hadn't laughed this hard in a very long time. He probably hadn't in a long time neither.
"Come on, Igor! I'm beating you!"
"Are you serious? I'm literally beating you! I'm a snowball king."
"Yes, maybe in imagination land." I giggled. Igor scoffed and made a very large snowball. I started to run away from his. "No Igor, don't!" I laughed so hard that I was trying not bend over laughing. But he caught up with me and threw it at my head, knocking me down. It didn't hurt at all, but he didn't need to know that.

"Ow, my head!" I moaned. Igor bent down next to me with a concerned look on his face.
"Olenka, are you alright? Where are on your head does it hurt?" He asked, putting his hand on my forehead. I gripped some snow into my hand.
"Right here!" I shouted and smashed the snow into his face. He grunted and fell over next to me. I started laughing really hard and Igor just chuckled and wiped the snow off of his face.
"I've been tricked. I will get you back one day, I swear it." He snickered.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that." I smiled at him and turned to my side. Igor turned to his side too to look at me. I grinned at him and he did too.
"Olga, you have snow in your hair." He reached his hand over and stroked my hair.
"To be fair, I think I probably have a lot of snow in my hair. I am not wearing a hat. I'm also quite cold."
"That is fair, you are right. The stars are so beautiful tonight, don't you think?" He looked up at the sky. I looked up with him. Igor was right. The stars were so clear tonight. It's much easier to see them when you're out of Petrograd.
"Yes, they are so beautiful." I replied.
"I think you're so beautiful." He whispered. I shook my head but didn't look in his direction.
"Do not try and flatter me."
"Why? Are you scared because it's working?"
"Don't be silly, Igor Konstantinovich. I'm not easily flattered."
Igor chuckled. "I beg to differ."
I just glared at him and shook my head. I looked over and saw him staring at me. He looked incredibly handsome in that moment, but I didn't know what to do about it. Truth be told, I was still unsure about my feelings for him.

"Olga!" I heard someone shout. Igor and I sat up at the same time. Tatiana walked towards us, crossing her arms. She was wrapped up in her coat and hat. I immediately stood up and walked to her. "We should go inside, dear sister. I was starting to get worried when I came down and saw that you weren't in the Maple Room anymore."
I exhaled deeply. "I know, I'm very sorry. We just got a bit sidetracked, that's all." I looked back at Igor. He was now standing and was looking down at his feet. Tatiana glared at him and then looked back at me. She put her hand on my back and we started to walk back towards the front doors together.
"Come on, Olenka. Let's see if we can get a kitchen maid to make you a nice cup of hot chocolate."