Disney But Gayer

Vol. 16: Anastasia

//TW: This is based on a real Russian tragedy. It's dark. Gun violence, assassination, PTSD-induced nightmare, amnesia, being put in dangerous situations because of sleepwalking, gore, death//
(We used the animated movie plot, but have substituted some details with ones from the Broadway musical)
Word Count: 23,817

~Once Upon A Time~

In 1918, Yekaterinburg, Russia, the house of Romanov was throwing a grand ball for the nobles of the country. While the majority of the Russian people were stuck in destitution and poverty, the palace was bright and warm. The chandeliers glowed, the fireplaces blazed, and the guests weaved together in dance on the floor of the main hall.

Czar Nicholas II was wishing his mother, the Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, a safe journey to Paris, along with his five children.

The tsarevich, Alexei, was clearly the favorite grandchild, though no one said a thing of it. The Empress Dowager watched him clumsily dance with the guests from her throne at the head of the ballroom. She had something for him, but that could wait until he was done. He was having too much fun on the dance floor.

The other children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, were present as well, but they were occupied more with themselves and each other, less with the guests and the party.

"отец!" Alexei beckoned his father toward him. "Come dance with me!"

His father chuckled. "Alright..." He made his way over to his son, dramatically holding out a hand for him.

Alexei grabbed his hand and started pulling him across the floor, leading as if his father were the female dance partner.

He went along with it, laughing softly as they both stumbled along.

Alexei tripped over his father's foot. "Ugh- you're too tall!"

Nicholas laughed, and easily lifted his son over his head, spinning him around.

He shrieked and smacked his father's arms. "Put me down! Put me down!"

His father laughed and set him down. "Why don't you go see your grandmother? I'll work on getting less tall while you're gone."

"Thank you," Alexei said snobbishly, sticking his tongue out and pacing over to the Empress Dowager.

"Grandmama? Do you really have to go to Paris?"

She smiled fondly at him. "I'm afraid so, my dear. But here. I have something for you, to make it easier." She pulled out a little gold and green box from her robes, holding it out to him.

He gasped and gingerly took it from her. "For me? What is it?" He turned it over.

"Here." She held out a little necklace, unlocking the box. It opened up, revealing two figurines in a frozen waltz, and music began to play.

Alexei smiled. "My lullaby..." He started humming along to the tune.

His grandmother smiled fondly at him. Behind the two, a kitchen boy had snuck up with an apple to observe the festivities.

Mostly to see Alexei.

He smiled as he saw him by his grandmother, close by. He didn't dare speak yet, so he just watched him happily, taking a bite of his apple. He was hungry.

The melody ended and the music box closed, breaking the trance Alexei was seemingly in. He looked around, smiling wide when he saw the kitchen boy.

"Dmitry!"

He grinned excitedly. "Alexei!"

"Hi!" He ran over to him and hugged him. "I missed you. How've you been? Are you hungry, still? Look, I've got a music box!"