2 THE FESTIVE SEASON

The morning sun in the wintertime is hardly any.

And today seemed a special day with a little spark of the sun above the horizon.

I felt lucky to be up so early.

After a night of restlessness.

Wearing my acid-washed jeans, emerald green rolled-neck shirt, under my long sheepskin fur coat.

I have braided my soft silver hair and covered it with my floral headscarf with fur.

Lastly, my favorite blue sneakers on.

That's perfect for me.

I am always thankful that Leonid is very generous of me.

He always brings me gifts from his business trips.

Leonid Levidev is a famous merchant and small scale manufacturer of guns and ammunition throughout Europe.

He never failed Nana and our needs.

In our decades of concealment, he used his vast contacts of friends and people to keep us safe.

He may not be that powerful but he is truly kind, a loving husband, a great provider, and a respectable man.

Nana had miscarriages due to stressful travels and changes of locations now and then.

And they never had any child at all.

They are my precious stones, who brings light in my darkness.

Nana Irina and Leonid are my angels who saved me from death.

They give me my second life.

Looking myself at the mirror...

Yes, I am ready!

Today is the day that we have been waiting for, the Music Festival!

We will be with traveling with Lada, the only and truest friend that I have since we moved to Myshkin from Belarus.

She's the same age as me, she's a red-headed girl while I have a soft silver flock.

We are a bit opposite with our bodily structure.

She's a little bit rounded while I have a bottom hourglass body.

She's shorter than me, around 158 cm while I'm 183 cm tall.

She has brown round eyes while I have green emerald prominent eyes with long lashes.

And we have been friends for two years now.

She is also an orphan, living with her Aunt Galina, who's been a friend and confidant of Nana.

We are both excited today.

We will be going to Moscow, for the festival.

It's a bit long travel, around four hours by boat through the river Volga.

Yet, we are so lucky, Leonid makes a reservation of his merchant friend's yacht, named "Freedom".

"Amelia!?!" "Amelia!?!" I heard a voice calling from the outside, of our two-story cabin house.

I opened the doors of our balcony from my room.

Oh, it is cold but not snowy.

And I waved my hands to signal her to come in.

Yes, you heard it right!

People call me "Amelia" in every place we go.

That's the name Nana and Leonid had given me when we first escaped from the time of Revolution and up until now.

Nana opened the door for Lada and she called out "Amelia! Lada is here!"

"Yes, I'm coming Nana".

I went down to the dining area to meet Lada.

While Nana is preparing breakfast of bacon and eggs.

We chatted while I am helping Nana with the table.

And invited Lada for breakfast.

We treated her like family.

"Do you like some tea?" I asked Lada.

She nodded and say "Thanks Amelia!".

We are like sisters, we share the same passion and hobbies.

We love music, we like to paint and play chess.

While we are eating our breakfast and enjoying our teas, Lada announced "Have you heard that there is some rumor that armed men have been around lately?"

I am startled and choked while drinking my tea.

I wiped my lips and take out my dishes.

"Are you done? I asked while checking Ladas plate.

"Yes, thank you...Amelia! I'll just finish my tea.

And she helped me with the dishes.

Then, look at Nana's eyes and it displayed fears and anxieties.

I know Nana well. I could tell what she's thinking.

Then, I asked Lada again "Why is that so? Why would they be armed men roaming around? " while drying off the dishes.

"Aunt Galina said, that one of them asked her the other day if we knew about the last Heiress of Oblonsky".

"Really?!? Did Aunt Galina mentioned, where are they from? and how do they look like?" I asked sternly.

"I think they are from Oblonsky," Lada responds eagerly.

Then she added " How could a Princess live in this small village? Myshkin is a very small remote place. Nothing much to be enjoyable in."

"Do you know where is Oblonsky? Have you been to that place Amelia?" she asked me.

I shake my head saying "NO".

Flashbacks of my past trauma are haunting me again.

The gun fires ringing in my ears.

The smoke is suffocating.

And faces of my father Tsar Dimitri, my mother Duchess Anastasia, Maxim, and Annika.

My body started to tremor.

I am awakened by my reverie when Nana excused herself and started calling Leonid on the telephone.

"Amelia? Are you okay?" Lada asked anxiously.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just I remembered something. I forgot to bring my journal with me. Can I leave you just a minute? I'll be right back" feeling despondency.

She nodded in response while drinking her cup of tea.

I rushed myself into the lavatory.

And washed off my face,

I couldn't stop my body's tremor,

I searched for my journal notebook and found it at the bedside table along with the radio.

I took my journal notebook and the portable radio downstairs with me.

And Nana is still on the phone talking.

Then suddenly she rushed upstairs to my room.

I felt the tension.

"Hey, Amelia! Are you okay? you look so distracted. I felt worried."

"I'm fine Lada! Don't worry about me."

Then, I show her my portable radio.

Lada smiled when she saw the radio.

She loves music as I do, that is why we wanted to the Music Festival, even if her Aunt Galina does not want her to go.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and grin from ear to ear.

Then, I turned it on.

The music filled the air "All out of Love" by Air Supply.

We stand up and started dancing in waltz and singing out loudly.

I'm lying alone with my head on the phone

Thinking of you till it hurts

I know you hurt too but what else can we do

Tormented and torn apart

I wish I could carry your smile and my heart

For times when my life seems so low

It would make me believe what tomorrow could bring

When today doesn't know, doesn't know

She laughed cheerfully and I felt relieved.

Relieved from the anxieties and tensions in my body.

Then, we were seated on the couch.

The music ended and filled with the rhythm of the song of Bill Withers "Just the two of us".

We are humming with the beat.

Oh, how relaxing.

But Nana is still on the phone, restless.