To The End With You

C h a p t e r S i x t y - T h r e e

Photo: The big pair 1918

This chapter is decided to all my readers, I appreciate you all and I love you all very much ❤️

April- June 1918
I sit in the office. "With grave news I must say that Commander Avdeev suffered an unfortunate heart attack and has pasted away in Yekaterinburg" my commander says. "What a pity" I nod before sitting back into my chair. "Yes. With those news there needs to be a new commander and I know you are perfectly fit for the job" he says. "Me? Yekaterinburg? Me and the Romanovs? Me the Romanovs? As in the Romanov family as in-," but the commander cuts me off. "You will be fine my boy, no need to be overwhelmed, it's just a bunch of skeletons in a closet" he says.

"Oh- yes- yes um, when do I leave?" I ask him. "At the end of the day would be preferred, your transportation is ready for you" he explains. "Yes! I- I just have to get my bag!" I jump. My commander chuckles, "I'll be waiting here" he says as I bolt out the room and run to my rented room. I get to the train station with my only bag and start my travels to Yekaterinburg.
***
After a few days I'm finally here. I step off the rus and I'm transported to the Ipatiev house. I get out the car as I look at the blood house myself. Towers of wooden logs used as a fence, windows painted white, guards- the guards aren't as much as I thought there would be. I walk to the inside and look around, it smells like a pig's den down here. The awful smell of sweat makes me want to throw up. I enter the building and am automatically saluted. I see Penny and Greig walk out of some room with some other solider. They freeze as Penny smiles at me. "This is Commander Novikov" some offical solider I don't know states, as I look at his name tag, comrade Popov.

Penny salutes quickly as does Grieg forcefully. "Hello again" I smile, being happy of familiar faces. "You should be introduced to the prisoners" Popov says as he leads me upstairs. I follow him as I am lead to a hallway then to a room. I see that my family is eating dinner. I stand tall, happiness bursting within me as I stand in place as I see that my papa is sitting at the head of the table. Popov clears his throat as everyone looks up at me. My stomach drops at the condition of my family, they all look pale and ill, truly like skeletons.

I don't think they recognize me, much has changed since I have not seen them for a long time. Everyone looks at me with fear or on Olga's end disgust and mama and Alexei are not here. I see Igor sitting next to her as he holds her hand, trying to comfort her. I am glad they have one another, I'm glad that they have someone the both of them can go to. "This is your new commander Novikov, he will be running this house now, any questions or concerns go to him" Popov states as papa stands up and takes out his hand for me to shake. I panic, I want to shake his hand, I don't want to embarrass papa anymore but if I shake his hand I will come off as soft to the other guards and I'm supposed to be commander.

I don't shake his hand, "There will be new rules installed in this house, I expect each and every one of you to follow" I say coldly before walking away They all look worse then I could imagine. Tatiana seem to be in the worse condition so far. I get lead to a room, my sisters room. Photos up on the walls of different officers during the war and I spot an alter with dead flowers and one candle and a lot of photos of me. I push aside my million questions and walk into a connected room. There I see my very very ill brother with my mama.

My heart starts to crack as Popov introduces me. "New commander?" Mama says. "Yes I am the new commander" I say in much of a masculine voice as I can. She sheds a tear as we turns to leave I hear her mutter quietly, "We will be killed just as they killed my Vanya". They think I'm dead? They think that they killed me? I'm very much alive. I get shown into my office and immediately shut the door. I take a deep breath and fall to the ground as reality hits me.

I'm in the Ipatiev house, I'm in the murder house if I mess this up They are going to die and so will I. I crawl to the small bed in the corner of the room and lay down, shitting my eyes, exhausted emotionally.
***
I wake up and get to doing paper work. I have a meeting with some council later today. I start on my paper work as I hear a light knock on my door. "Come in"I say firmly. Tatiana walks in, her hair short and fumbled from the measles they contacted. Her eyes and facial expression as sharp as ever. "It has been two weeks and we have not been able to go outside yet. When can we go outside?" She asks sharply. "You can go today" I stand up. I walk past her and see that Penny is outside my door speaking with Maria. He jumps as I catch him conversing with my sister.