"There was a time, not very long ago, when we lived in an enchanted world of elegant palaces and grand parties. The year was 1916..."
Royals and nobles crowded into the Alexander Palace to celebrate the three hundred year anniversary of Romanov rule. It was an extravagant ball filled with excitement and cheer, for the privileged at least.
For the blonde boy that spied on the part from behind the throne area, it was only something he could watch and very be apart of. His name was Dimitri Enjolras, the son of a french widow who came to Russia for a new life after her husband was killed in Paris. Then the Romanov's kindly took her in and gave her a job and home for her son, she gave him a Russian name in honor of her very generous hosts.
At this point, he was in his early teens and had the makings to become a handsome man. With striking blue eyes and soft blonde hair, if he were dressed up right one would never think he was a servant. Unfortunately, he had been his whole life. Working in the kitchen with his mother, and he should be there now but he couldn't resist trying to get a peek at the party.
He ducked behind a wall and made sure he was unseen as the Dowager Empress Marie walked in and took a seat to look over the party, greeting her family with a happy wave and calling her granddaughter over to her.
The Princess Anastasia was probably one of the most loved of her siblings. She had a spirit and energy about her that infectious to anyone that spent time with her. She may have only been a child of eight years old, but she could capture anyone's attention when she spoke. Out of everyone, her closest relationship was with her grandmother.
Dimitri sat there watching almost longingly as Czar Nicholas spun his daughter around on the dance floor before releasing her to run to Marie. He couldn't hear much of the conversation over the loud music of the ball, but he narrowed his eyes as the Empress presented the Princess with a small box.
It was some sort of a jewelry box or music box. They opened using something that Marie held in her hands and it started to play music. Dimitri inched closer trying to hear the song the two started to sing together.
"Through the wind,
Cross the sea.
Hear this song and remember.
Soon you'll be home with me.
Once upon a December"
He dared to take another step closer trying to see what it was that the Empress was handing to the girl. He watched as she narrowed her eyes to read something on the object, but then heard footsteps approaching. "Dimitri!," the boy bit his lip and slowly turned around to give the butler an innocent face, "You're supposed to be in the kitchen!" His face fell as the butler reached out and grabbed his arm to pull him away from the ball. Dimitri looked back only once to see Anastasia excitedly hugging her grandmother.
Unfortunately, he had missed the best part of the night. Gossip filled the halls of the palace over the next couple days of how the ball was crashed by Rasputin. An evil monk the family had branded as a traitor. From what Dimitri had heard, the monk swore that the Romanov family would die within the fortnight. No seemed to have taken him serious, despite rumors that he practiced dark magic.
However one day, Dimitri stumbled across a young girl who seemed genuinely scared of this threat. He was helping his friend, Combeferre, place towels around the palace when he walked past Anastasia's toy room. She was crying. Against all voices telling him that it wasn't his place, he slowly entered the room and ran a hand through his hair.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly causing the girl to jump a little bit with a gasp.
"I'm...I'm scared," she hesitantly said before relaxing and looking up at Dimitri, "What if that man succeeds."
"Well princess," Dimitri started as he leaned against a wall, "I hardly think that one man can take out an entire family without being noticed.
Anastasia didn't look convinced as she glanced out her window than back up at the boy, "I heard he practices the dark arts."
"There's no such thing as magic your highness," he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips, but her face indicted she thought he was mocking her and his face fell to take on a serious expression, "If he tries anything there is a whole palace full of guards ready to protect you and your family, you'll be fine. I'll even protect you.
The girl giggled and now it was his turn to feel mocked, "You're just boy... and a servant. What training do you possess?" Her words were very matter of fact-ly and Dimitri just narrowed his eyes at her. Before he could reply, footsteps echoed down the hall and in a panic Dimitri quickly made his way from the room after apologizing to the princess for barging in. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of a man selling his soul for revenge.
Two weeks later, however, the citizens of St. Petersburg charged on the palace. It was a revolution and they wanted the royal family's heads. The family was rushing out, trying to escape. Anastasia was running alongside her grandmother when she remembered something. She stopped in her tracks, "My music box!" She turned around and ran back to her room with her grandmother following her and yelling for her to come back
She got to the room and pulled the music box from where it was hidden in her dollhouse. Her grandmother joined her in the room and closed the door as a large crash echoed down the hall. The two of them in a panic started to for the other door of the room, but out of no where Dimitri ran up and tugged them over to the wall
"Come this way," he said pulling them, "out the servants quarters." He opened up the passageway and yelled for them to go. They both started down the small passageway, but Anastasia tried to come back, "My music box." Dimitri just pushed back in and told her to go before closing the concealed door behind her. Moments later men filled the room and pointed their guns at him demanding to know where the princess was. Dimitri didn't say anything, he just threw a vase at them resulting in the butt of a gun colliding with his head. He fell to the floor unconscious, the princess's treasured music box only inches away from his hand.
Enjolras sat straight up on his bed, startled away from his dreams. Even after ten years, the memories of that night plagued him. He lost that mother that day and had been on the run ever since. He thought he had saved the princess but she never left the country with the Dowager empress, and the men after them were constantly looking for him for answers. He was able to evade them, of course, and started just going by his last name.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and cradled his head in his hands, he knew he was only having this dreams because of his latest plan. This con would be his biggest pay off yet, but it forced him to revisit terrible memories. Enjolras ran a hand through his blonde hair as he walked over to the window, looking over St. Petersburg.
Anastasia was never found, and the rumor of her survival was still alive in this town. Even her grandmother hadn't lost hope and was offering a very nice rewards for her. Despite the little war with his morals, how could Enjolras pass this up?