Woke Up In A New Decade

Chapter Twenty Nine

Picture: Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, 1913. Her hair was cut short after a bout of typhoid fever.

June 1913
"Wheel me!" I ordered. Finally! We could celebrate Tanya's birthday. Everyone finally arrived and we were going to celebrate, Mashka was wheeling me with Cian and Kitty following after her, to Tatiana. I sat ordering her around and I could tell she was starting to get annoyed, very quickly. I sat with the gift in my lap, impatiently waiting for Maria to take me from point A to point B. Cian held his gift, with Caoimhe holding hers. They were rushing after us.

"Faster!" I commanded. I heard a sigh come from Maria, Cian and Caoimhe slid to a stop. Maria then began running with Cian and Caoimhe trying to wheel me to the big pairs room. I wanted to get this over and done with, I was still mad about not telling me that i technically don't exist, and never will. Astrid Nikolaevna of Russia does not exist. I kept repeating that in my head, no wonder she doesn't exist in the future. The dots were slowly connecting. Who did Malcolm think of when I told him who I was?

I felt that we had slowed down and turned to face Marie. Cian slid to a stop and Caoimhe slipped onto her but before standing up. "Why did we stop?" I asked. She dramatically fell to the ground, out of breath. Sweating. "Just give me a few minutes." She barely breathed as she laid in the middle of the hallway with me and my wheel chair awkwardly placed in front of her, Cian standing on one side and Caoimhe on the other. I rolled my eyes, "You are very out of shape." I turned forward. "I'll do it." I decided happily and began trying to wheel myself but Cian stopped me. Placing his boot into a wheel. "You aren't allowed to do that." Maria managed to say.

We sat in silence, Cian laid against the wall and Caoimhe stood next to Mary, helping her catch her breath. Marie managed to catch her breath and was helped up by Cian. Cian retreated back with Caoimhe beside him.

"Who was that officer you were talking to yesterday?" Maria asked out of the blue. I felt a lump form in my throat, and blush crept up my face. Cian stared at me, with Kiki not being bothered. I kept my face forward and looked down at my hands to Maria, Cian and Caoimhe can't see my reaction. "I don't remember." I stated. Cian chuckled, Caoimhe giggled and so did Maria. "Oh Aska! You may have changed very much since the incident but your unbelievable lies stay the same!" She exclaimed.

"What?" I questioned. Cian stepped in, he looked at Maria. Maria nodded. "You always do this, whenever you lie, look at your hands." He explained. I gave them an annoyed look. Cian smirked and went back to Caoimhe. I didn't dare turn around though. "Whatever, he spoke time because I was by myself." Cian rolled his eyes into the back of his head. "Likely story." Maria snorted at my answer. "A Grand Duchess isnt supposed to do that you fat little bow-wow!" A voice yelled. She was walking up to us, it was Anastasia.

The Denmark Trio (me, Cian and Caoimhe) stared at her in utter shock. She was supposed to be the legend, escaping the Bolsheviks (not with that stupid attitude). I turned to see Maria's face go blank. Cian's face looked like he was about to explode. "Piss off somewhere else with that attitude, Anastasia." He warned. Anastasia walked past us, well more like ran past us. Maria got up from the ground and sat against the wall. "Marie, do you want to talk about it?" Cian asked as he wheeled me over to face Maria. She didn't turn to face anybody. "It's just, I'm the ugliest, the fattest and the stupidest out of all of us! I'm not even smart." Maria sobbed with her arms covering her face.

Cian slumped down next to her. "Maria, don't say that about yourself." I tried to comfort. "I wish to be as thin and as intelligent as Olga, I wish to be as graceful and beautiful as Tatiana, I wish to be as brave and optimistic as you, I wish to be as funny and witty as Anastasia." She continued to cry. I slightly wheeled myself forward so I was closer to her, I took her arm away from her damp face so she had to look at me.

"Listen Masha. You are very beautiful, thin, intelligent, outspoken, strong and funny. You are you. All of us are different in our own way. Don't compare yourself to anyone because all of us our different." I stated. Maria was helped up by Cian. "Let's continue, Maura." Cian said. She dusted off her dress and straightened it. She straightened her hair. We returned and she began wheeling me again. Cian and Caoimhe running after her. "Masha! What are you doing?" I managed to cry out. She didn't say anything, her face was blank, acting like she never broke down into tears.

"Astrid, it was nothing, let's just pretend this never happened." She muttered. Before I answered her we got to the big pairs infirmary. Cian opened a door with Maria opening the over and we shuffled in. We found the big pair with Grand Duchess Xenia. She was happy to see me, when I first met Grand Duchess Xenia she was full of compassion for me and my 'ill' state. Mama explained that I was and not feeling well recently.

The only people that seemed to know my real illnesses were, Grandmother, Cian, Caoimhe, mama and papa, Terrence, my siblings, Aunt Olga, Aunt Ella, and Queen Mary. Mama made her swore she wouldn't tell a soul. I later found out their excuses for my weird behaviour. They covered my 'schizophrenia' pretty well.

Olga got up and helped Maria keep open the door and wheel me at the same time. Maria wheeled me in and Olga shut the door. Cian shut the other. "Happy birthday Tatiana!" I said. Cian gave her his present, it was a scarf and a ring. Caoimhe gave hers too. She loved them. "Thank you!" She hugged them both. Maria handed them her a present which contained a small ring. Tatiana hugged her. I then gave her my present, she opened it with a big smile. "Thank you so much Astrid!" She gave me a tight hug. I awkwardly hugged her back.

She eventually pulled away, sitting onto the couch. "Where is Anastasia?" I asked, quite some time passed since I last saw her in the hallway. "She is getting a massage because her feet are hurting." Olga explained. "Why were her feet hurting?" I asked again. They all looked at each other confused. "Anastasia has Bunions." Cian explained to me.

"Oh, wow I didn't know." I turned away. "How is Denmark?" Xenia asked, changing the subject. "Very different, it's-" I was cut off by a knock on the door. Xenia allowed the person to enter, Cian opened the door for them. A servant came in. "The Czarina requests for the presence of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia." Xenia excused herself and got up, leaving us behind with two ladies in waiting. One of them being Lili.

"Where is Dickie?" Olga questioned. "He is with papà and the others." Maria quickly answered. The big pair and Cian exchanged looms with a smirk. I caught onto their shenanigans. It was obvious that this guy named Dickie had a crush on Maria. Or maybe it was the other way round? It was something like that.

"What?" Maria asked with confusion. I couldn't hold back my smile, Kiki couldn't either. "Have you spent quality time with him?" Tatiana asked, failing to contain her laughter. Maria caught on and her face turned red. It was bright red, she continued to deny everything. Olga started to tease her on the matter and soon the storm erupted.

I took this as a perfect time to talk to Tatiana. The yelling was getting louder and Lili was getting between them so they would stop fighting. I looked over at Tatiana who was enjoying the scene. "Tatiana," I said. She looked over to me and smiled. "Can we talk in private?" I asked. She nodded. She got up and wheeled me to the next room.

She wheeled me next to a chair and went to close the double doors. The volume went from
A ten to a one. She turned around, walking to the chair and sat down. "Tatiana, I would like to speak to you about the incident involving you not telling me that I don't exist in the public. I just want to put this behind us and be friends again." I confessed. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, her arms stretched and she put me into an embrace. "I will always be your friend, we are sisters after all." She said.

We let go of each other and left for the other room, joining them again.