February 18, UNIFIED YEAR 1900,

SOMEWHERE IN RUSSY EMPIRE

The night sky blanketed the earth in a quiet darkness. The only sound in the night came from the shallow breathing of a small, insignificant creature. Atop the stairs of a decrepit and forgotten cottage, layed the innocent creature, wrapped tightly in the skinned fur of a fox. The frigid wind billowed as it stung the face of the sleeping child, turning her pale complexion rosy pink. Time moved forward slowly and indifferent to the child, allowing a bone-chilling bitter cold to gradually seep through the shiny fur that engulfed the child. The child's chest rose and fell slowly allowing its breath to manifest into a foggy mist before dissipating. Though as time marched on, the child's breathing began to grow slower and more shallow as if the cold was pulling the very life from her.

The sound of a door creaking open, followed by a gasp and the clacking of shoes on the rotted wooden porch awakened the child. It's dulled silver eyes gazed upwards into the night sky, only to be met with the bitter cold of the new world she found herself in. The child felt itself lift into the sky as a woman wrapped her arms tightly around the child, holding it close to her chest. As the woman entered the building she mumbled something inaudible before sitting down on an old wooden chair. A comfortable warmth slowly surrounded the child as its body was enraptured by the heat of a nearby fire, bathing the child in a pleasing orange glow. Slowly the woman holding the child rocked back and forth, clutching the child tightly. The child's breathing grew more regular with each passing moment. Gradually the child's eyes slid closed, once again blocking the world out, leaving only the crackling of the fire to fill the silence that lingered in the cottage.

Almost begrudgingly, the child's eyes blinked open, revealing a blurry, incomprehensible mess. Blinking a few more times, the image began to sharpen and shape. The wooden walls of the building had seen better days and were weathered down, with each one holding several shelves nailed to it. Each shelf was holding either rusted tools or dirtied jars of what looked like some paste that tried to pass itself off as food. A rickety wooden table sat in front of the child; it's boards held together by hastily hammered in rusty iron nails. Not noticing until now, the child felt the calloused hands of a woman holding her as she rocked back and forth. The soft cloth around her body provided her with a comfortable warmth while the frosty air nipped her nose.

In a futile attempt to move its limbs to escape from the woman's hold, the child managed to get the attention of the woman holding it.

"My dear Tanya, you're awake."

Looking upwards, the child could see the woman's face, now weathered by age and covered in wrinkles. Her smile creaked upward as if it was a rare commodity to have something to smile about in this world. The child peered into the dim brown eyes of the woman.

Where am I? Who are you?

In a rare moment of clarity, the child began to grasp its surroundings, if only for a moment. Yet, like a forgotten dream, the memory drifted off into the child's subconscious, and the child began to wail. A feeling of shame bubbled up from somewhere deep within the child's mind, but the ability to comprehend the emotion was not currently present within the child, and the feeling was buried deep within the child's mind.

The woman frowned and pushed a bowl towards the center of the table. She grasped the wooden spoon lying within the bowl and spooned out a bit of the mush.

"Open up, dear, won't you please open up?"

July 25, UNIFIED YEAR 1905,

SOMEWHERE IN RUSSY EMPIRE

I shifted myself to a more comfortable position on the ground, pushing my hair to the side of my head. It seemed like my mind was blank as I stared up at the rolling clouds in the sky. The clouds drifted across the sky slowly as the birds glided through the air, singing to one another. I've grown quite accustomed to this kind of living, the almost carefree life that a child leads, free from responsibility and strife. Though, I've never been the kind of person to accept my reality for what it is. Complacency is a corruption, a disease that takes hold and slowly spreads out across your body. I know there's a better life out there for me, a job that suits my tastes, I just need to be willing to take it, and to do that I need to get out of this place.

As I stared into the sky my thoughts drifted in my mind, just as the clouds did before me. Five years, that's how long it's been since Being X forced me into this tiny body. It's a far cry from my previous body. It almost disgusted me to compare myself with my last life. I was once a somewhat intimidating figure, by no means was I built with rippling muscles or the menacing face of a criminal, but I had a rather large frame and, when prompted, could put on a rather good act of intimidation to fool others. To compare that to the tiny body of a child frustrates me to no end.

I guess I'm still intimidating for other reasons. Not many people know of a five-year-old that has the personality of a middle-aged salaryman. The other children don't get along with me, they think I'm weird because I never want to play with them. I've got no reason to do so, what benefits does playing give me in life. Nothing is the conclusion I've come to. I've overheard others speak about my eyes as well; apparently, they find my eyes sharp and unladylike, just another lovely feature granted to me by Being X I guess. Though I shouldn't be too mad, they have served me well by keeping the other children away.

Suddenly, the distant calling of an old woman pierced the calm of the moment and shook me from my thoughts. She seemed to strain her already withered voice. Sighing, I stood from the ground and brushed myself off, making my way over to the woman. As I walked closer, the incomprehensible yelling began to make sense, as the woman's shrill voice pierced my ears.

"Tanya! Tanya dear, it's time for supper."

I raised my hand in the air and shook it to let the woman know I had heard her. After a moment, the woman realized I had heard her and turned to shuffle back inside the decrepit cottage.

Tanya, the name I was given by the woman, or at least she's who I assume gave me this name. I don't particularly hate the name, from what I know it's a derivative of the name Tatiana, that originated from the Russia in my world. Meaning I have to be somewhere in this world's version of my Russia, or at least another Slavic country.

I stepped up to the cottage, the wood beneath my feet bent under my footsteps, creaking as my heel struck. Taking a deep breath before pushing the door open, I stepped in and saw the same sight as every other day. The woman, head of the orphanage dare I call it that, was serving whatever mush she had managed to scrape together in equal parts to each of the children sitting at the table. In total, there are six children here including me. Though, I'm currently the youngest.

Sitting down, I swung my legs under the table and grabbed an empty bowl, holding it out for the woman to fill with the mush. As she finished filling the bowl a quarter of the way full, I pulled the bowl back and began eating. It was some potatoes and vegetables all pressed together to make a stew. The woman didn't have enough money to afford to flavor the food she grew from the garden out back, so it tasted as bland as it did yesterday. I've started imagining the taste now. It didn't help that the little money she made from her serfdom was spent on either preparing for winter or patching up our clothes. Standing up from the table, I pushed past a few of the kids and made my way back outside.

May 20, UNIFIED YEAR 1906,

SOMEWHERE IN RUSSY EMPIRE

The room smelled of chemicals and sweat. Inside several soldiers paced about in heavy clothing, jotting down notes as they examined the other children with bland looks on their faces. The children sat on old wooden chairs lined along the wall, next to a machine sitting on a table. The device was a box with several gauges that swung wildly when activated and a few bulbs on the machine that would spark a dim blue color. Attached by a thick cord was what looked like a metal helmet with several glass protrusions.

I stepped into the room as a soldier placed his hand on my shoulder and led me to the corner of the room. His hand encompassed my whole shoulder, and he pushed me around like I was a doll. It was another cruel reminder of the body Being X had graciously bestowed upon me. It didn't help that the food here could barely support my health much less, provide me the necessary nutrients to grow a healthy body. At this point in life, I was a six-year-old girl but still looked rather small and malnourished, compared to my old body I'm in a prison.

The soldier guided me to a chair, or more accurately, he pushed me into a chair with ease, causing a small gasp to escape my lips. Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes with his other before speaking to the other soldiers.

"That's the last of 'em. I'm going on break."

With that, the other soldiers nodded, and he walked out of the room, lighting a cigarette.

I always thought it was annoying how the soldiers treat us, but to them, we're nothing special so I can't be too peeved. On the bright side, I didn't have to breathe in second-hand smoke from the soldier's cigarette.

Once the other kids were done with the test I was asked to move to the machine. I sprang from my chair in the corner of the room and walked to a seat next to the machine. The soldier jotted down a few things on his form, before grabbing the helmet and placing it roughly on my head, clasping a chinstrap tightly into place to secure the headpiece. He flipped a few switches on the machine and looked at me.

"Alright…" Looking down at the sheet he checked my name, "Tanya, I'm going to need you to do exactly what we tell you, alright?"

I nodded my head slowly. From what I've heard, the soldiers were going around to each of the orphanages and homeless shelters looking for more magically capable citizens. It's a critically manned field in the army, and apparently magic is quite a rare thing to find in a person. What this tells me is that Being X transported me into a parallel world, one with magic, and with that, it means unpredictability. If the world has magic, what else does Being X have in store for me?

The soldier held a wooden ball in his hand, balancing it on his palm, "Alright, when I turn this last switch, I'm going to need you to focus as much as you can and try to lift this ball. All you need to do is concentrate real hard."

With a curt nod of my head, the man flipped the switch. A sudden surge of tension washed over my body, causing my muscles to seize up and shake slightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the lights on the machine flash on and bathe the room in a bright turquoise blue. The machine seemed to have unlocked or at least made it easier for me to access any magical ability I might have.

The other soldiers in the room looked startled as the light flickered on, each looking at each other than me. The soldier with the ball curled his lips upwards into a smile as he looked at the light. Turning back to me, he stared intently into my eyes.

"C'mon, you got this, just focus on the ball."

With all my energy, I focused on lifting the wooden ball. To my surprise, the ball shot into the air with relative ease and began hovering a few feet above the man's hand. My attention on the ball broke when I heard an audible gasp from the soldier that had previously left the room. Looking over I saw his cigarette fall from his hand only to be caught by some invisible force before hitting the ground. The cigarette floated in the air, bobbing slightly.

"What the hell!"

After looking around the room, I saw that almost anything small and not nailed down was suspended several feet in the air, floating as if in zero gravity. The soldier in front of me began furiously writing down on his notepad in excitement as a smile began to stretch across his face. The other soldiers stared in disbelief until the machine was flipped off, causing all of the items to crash to the ground.

Sitting there as the soldiers removed my headgear, I thought to myself, I guess this body isn't all that bad.

November 17, UNIFIED YEAR 1906,

SOMEWHERE IN THE RUSSY EMPIRE

The icy wind billowed stinging my face, causing my cheeks and nose to turn a fleshy pink. The heavily falling snow blanketed the city in a white blanket of virgin snow and blocked my vision. The coat I was bundled up in insulated just enough heat to keep me from shivering. One of the only problems was that my hair whipped around in the wind, and repeatedly got caught on my face. My hands felt like they were burning from holding onto the freezing steel on my rifle, though I couldn't let it bother me. It was important to display excellent military discipline, especially when in the presence of someone this important.

The noble speaking was Alexander Serebryakov, a Baron, and prominent member of the Russy Empire's aristocratic class. He's a hereditary noble from what I know, meaning he's a rare and powerful breed of the aristocracy.

From what I know, we are on a trip to Moskva to meet with some of the Tsar's advisors on how to combat the communist movement that's currently gaining momentum among the disheveled peasants. It seems that the peasants have gotten tired of serfdom and food shortages, not that I blame them. I would have most likely been doomed to that lifestyle if I hadn't joined the Imperial Mage Service. Too bad I had to come in on the enlisted side though, officers have a much less cold job.

Finishing up, Alexander began walking back to the carriage door before stepping in. From within the carriage, I heard him call to me, "Tanya, get in. It shouldn't be long now."

Snapping to attention, I turned sharply to the door, in a rehearsed facing movement, knocking the snow off of my boots before stepping in. The inside of the carriage was freshly painted in a crimson red with black cushioning on the seats. The lining of the cart was gold and silver; it was a luxury almost no one but a noble could afford. Alexander also had the family crest carved onto the door of the carriage.

What was odd about Alexander is, how he called me by my first name. It was rather odd to be referred to as my rank or last name, only to be called Tanya by my superior. I guess it was just Alexander's way of management.

Sitting down, I set the butt of my rifle on the floor, creating a thud while keeping my hand on the weapon. Silently I stared forward, bouncing as the carriage rocked back and forth on the snow. Glad to be out of the cold, I took a deep breath and placed a hand in my pocket. One thing that bothered me was how reluctant Alexander was to travel with a proper escort. I understood that he wanted to appear to be one with the people or something along those lines but, with only two guards I hesitate to think about what could happen if one of us slipped up. In a worst-case scenario, I could die or my career in the armed forces would be over. In my opinion, the opportunity to appease the masses was over and that the vain attempt to appear normal to the peasants was a pitiful attempt at best.

Out of the corner of my eye, the girl sitting next to me began fiddling with her hair. It looked like she was attempting to stare at me without me noticing, which just made it seem even creepier.

"Hey, Tanya…do you ever get cold?"

Turning my head slightly to the left, I could see the noble's daughter, Viktoriya Serebryakov. She looked just like her dad, inheriting his brown hair and blue eyes. Although her face is more round than his, I've been told it's from her mother, although I've heard she passed away early in Viktoriya's life, so I've never met her. Viktoriya's about three years older than me, although she's larger on account of being able to afford to eat food. The coat she wore was made of arctic fox, a rare commodity that spoke to the amount of wealth her family had.

Sighing, I shook my head, "No, I'm fine."

"Okay… do you get bored?"

Raising an eyebrow, I looked over to her once again. To think that people believe I'm similar to her due to our age. She's still a child, and to be honest, I've never liked dealing with children. It saps my patience, so needless to say, being her escort has pained me to no end.

"No, I just do my job."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alexander place a hand on Viktoriya's leg, "Darling, let's leave Tanya alone."

As Viktoriya looked up at her father then back down to the ground, I could see the sadness cloud her eyes. Sometimes I feel I'm too hard on her, she doesn't have many friends due to her status, and she doesn't get along well with the other noble girls. From what I've seen she's more of a tomboy. I'm the only girl relatively close to her age that she interacts with daily, so she thinks of me as a friend. Perhaps it would be better for my career if I treated her better or at least less cold. It is always good to have friends in high places.

"Yes, father."

The disappointment and sadness in Viktoriya's voice as she spoke reminded me of the staff I would fire at my old job.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't mind it. Perhaps it'd make the trip go by faster."

Alexander nodded before eyeing me inquisitively, "Very well."

Smiling, Viktoriya turned to face me and began babbling about whatever had caught her interest. Luckily for me, I've learned from a lifetime of meetings how to drown out idle chatter.

…

Viktoriya managed to talk my ear off for several hours before the carriage stopped abruptly, throwing us forward in our seats. We could hear the driver and the guard talk to one another for a moment before the guard posted up front yelled out, "Hey get off the road!"

Immediately after two loud bangs rang out from outside the carriage, following the sounds, something large fell on the ground next to the wagon with a thud. A tense silence began to settle within the air as we all listened for whatever was outside. Silently I stood up and grabbed my rifle in both hands, motioning with my hand for Alexander and Viktoriya to get on the floor of the carriage.

The two hesitated before moving to crouch on the floor. Alexander pulled a pistol out from within his coat pocket and pointed it towards the door as Viktoriya crawled underneath the seat and hid beneath her fur coat. From beneath her coat, I could just see two eyes peeking out from under it, staring intently at me. I made sure to give Viktoriya a reassuring smile before grabbing the door of the carriage. A moment before I flung the door open I cast a passive magic shell that would block any incoming fire for a short amount of time. I'd have to be careful though, a strong enough caliber bullet could pierce the shell if I wasn't actively prepared to block it.

I swung the door open, causing it to crash against the side of the carriage. I was greeted by an intense snowfall that limited my vision to roughly ten feet in front of me. The swirling cold stung my face and caused me to raise my hand to block it. The snow crunched under my feet as I stepped down from the carriage. I closed the door behind me and braced myself against the wall of the carriage. I held my rifle tightly and began inching along the wall, halting just before I managed to reach the edge of the carriage wall. Taking a deep breath, I stabilized my aim and swung my rifle around the side of the carriage and pointed it up towards the carriage driver seat. I was surprised for a moment as I saw the driver was slumped over, his head resting on his shoulder as a bullet hole in his head leaked blood down the side of his face. While the other guard that was stationed next to him was lying on the ground, his blood pooling around his neck, staining the snow a crimson red.

Shifting back to cover behind the carriage, I took a deep breath. This is an ambush and most likely from the communists or some other fringe fanatical group. If that's the case, I can expect mainly civilians with inferior quality ammunition and makeshift weapons, nothing I couldn't take on with my computation jewel hell I probably didn't even need magic, but while protecting two other people, that's another story. One stray bullet could end their lives. I could either move to get the two out of here on foot or deal with the rebels and risk a firefight, hoping the two don't get killed in the crossfire. Both being dangerous but, the cold could kill us before we would reach somewhere safe on foot, or we could wait here, and there's a chance that the nobles are assassinated, meaning my career would be over and the life of comfort I dream of would be stripped away from me.

My concentration broke as the horse that was previously drawing the carriage began whinnying and pounding its feet on the snow. Shortly after, the sound of snow crunching shocked me back to reality. Several shots hit the edge of the carriage, causing wood chips to explode into the air. Slowly, I peeked around the side of the cart once the firing had stopped, suddenly a bullet passed by my face, grazing my hair before embedding itself into the snow behind me. Pressing myself back to the cart, I could hear more bullets hitting the edge of the cart. After the barrage was over, the number of bullets fired was five. Five shots before their reload. Five shots before their death. Another barrage of shots hit the wooden wall and on the fifth bullet impact, I swung my rifle and stabilized it on the carriage, aiming towards the figure firing.

While the snow had blocked out my vision partially I could see the shining from the sun reflecting off the steel on the man's rifle. With two shots I saw the shadowy figure stumble backward before collapsing on the ground. From beside me, I saw two blurry figures come out of the woods yelling as they ran towards me. An attempt at flanking, not too bad it seemed the man I had just killed was meant to draw my fire as the other two rushed me.

Gripping my rifle, I used my computation jewel to fly straight at one of the figures, utilizing an inhuman burst of speed, I thrust my bayonet out once I got close enough. I slammed into the figure with my shoulder and pushed the blade into its chest until the hilt of the blade buckled against the figure's sternum. The force pushed the man off his feet and into the ground with a crash. As I twisted the bayonet the man writhed in pain. Looking down into the figure's face, I could see it was a peasant, his face was caked with dirt and snow and twisted in pain. He looked back up at me and weakly grabbed my weapon, trying to wrestle me off of him. With a pull of the trigger, the man's chest spasmed before going limp, spraying my coat with his blood. He looked up at me for a moment before the light in his eyes began to fade slowly.

A bullet exploded up against my magical passive shell, causing me to jump slightly. Withdrawing my weapon from the man's chest, I flew towards the second figure as several bullets exploded against my shell. I closed the distance between me and the man quickly, just as he turned and began running through the snow back towards the forest. As quickly as he had turned to flee, I had caught up to him and sliced the back of his neck with my bayonet, continuing to fly by as the man's body collapsed to the ground. He grabbed his neck and writhed on the ground, attempting to staunch the bleeding from his neck.

From the woods, I could hear more voices yelling over one another as bullets began striking my shell. Quickly I darted back to the carriage, pressing myself against its side, breathing heavily. I grabbed my computation jewel and flew into the air. Suspended above the carriage, I hoped to take the fire off from the nobles and onto what seemed like an obvious target. Although I knew the relatively low-grade ammunition they most likely used would take an eternity to pierce my magical shell, especially if I were to maintain it actively. It'd also give me a chance to see where the enemy was.

Just as I expected, the enemy switched their fire onto me, their ammunition exploding just before hitting me. I floated there for a moment scoping out where the fire was coming from before settling on an area only about twenty feet from me where the enemy was grouped. They were each huddled next to a tree. Grabbing my computation jewel I channeled my magical energy and raised my rifle, aiming it at the group of peasants.

Several large and intricate magical circles appeared in front of my rifle, spinning almost as if they were gears. The circles bathed me in a green light moments before I fired.

The explosion from the artillery shot lit up the area in a brilliant orange warmth as the explosive shockwave rocked the surrounding area. The shockwave blew me backward and launched debris high into the air. The billowing explosion faded away leaving behind a crater in the ground and smoke drifting up into the air.

After all was done, the resulting silence that filled the forest was deafening as if all life had halted for a moment to comprehend what had just happened. A smile etched itself on my face as I wiped the sweat from my brow. Slowly I descended from the air, landing softly on the snow outside the carriage door. Looking at the damage done, it seemed the front of the carriage was shot apart, although the center was relatively left as it was. Stepping up to the carriage door, I knocked, "It's Private First Class Degurechaff, sir."

I took the silence as permission to enter and opened the door slowly. Inside, Alexander had Viktoriya wrapped in his arms, protecting her with his body. In his shaking hand, a pistol pointed at my head. Slowly he lowered the gun to his side and gripped tightly onto Viktoriya, mumbling condolences to her. I could hear the girl crying into her father's shoulder as she pulled herself closer to him.

I decided to leave and close the door to let the two have some alone time. I guess not everyone is geared to handle combat. Honestly, sometimes it stresses me out too though, I try not to think about it very often, in the end, all I'm doing is my job. What matters is that I did my job well and made myself a more valuable resource today, which means in a few short hours, I'll have a comfortable bed inside the Tsar's palace with all the food I could eat.

I climbed up to the front of the carriage next to the corpse of the previous driver. Pushing him off the seat, I watched his corpse flop to the ground face first with a dull crack. Grabbing the reins of the carriage, I began guiding the horse forward.

. . .

The carriage lurched upwards as its wheels struck the cobbled roads, making the carriage bounce as it was pulled. It seemed that the snowstorm had yet to hit the city because there was relatively little snow on the ground. The city was an unfamiliar sight to me mostly although I had several other recruits reminisce about it during my time in boot camp. From what I've heard the food here is to die for, so perhaps I'll make an effort to explore the city. The main attraction of the city was my destination though, the Grand Kremlin Palace, the home of the Tsar. Or at least one of his many homes was just a few minutes away.

I pulled up to the front of the building and hopped down from the carriage, walking slowly to the side of the cart. Carefully I opened the door and stood to the side of it, holding it open for Alexander. After a moment, Alexander stepped out of the carriage and brushed his coat off before holding his hand out towards the door. Viktoriya silently grabbed his hand and stepped down from the carriage with his help. Closing the door behind them, I stood at attention before addressing Alexander, "Sir, would you like me to take care of the carriage."

Looking back at the carriage he smirked, "I don't think there's much left of it to take care of is there. I'll have a servant fetch me a new one." Grabbing Viktoriya's hand he began walking towards the Kremlin, "Tanya please accompany us."

Without missing a beat I began walking a respectable distance behind the two, "Yes sir."

The inside of the Kremlin was beautiful with white walls ordained with gold trimmings and ornate paintings along the walls. Grand crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the halls with a comfortable orange glow. Well dressed servants rushed from room to room, cleaning and preparing for incoming guests. The door leading to the meeting room was a large wooden door with complex patterns carved into its glossy surface.

Alexander pushed the door open and stepped into the debate room, where he was met with several other nobles already speaking to one another around a table, with two of the Tsar's advisors sitting down, listening to the conversation. As they heard Alexander's footsteps, the conversation shifted to the nobles all greeting one another. The inside of the room looked the same as the rest of the Kremlin, although, inside the room were several tables set up with snacks and fancy alcohol. Several guards stood by each door, holding onto their rifles tightly. A few servants also rushed between tables cleaning and refilling glasses.

Viktoriya and I walked up behind Alexander, causing the nobles to shift their gaze to us, "Ah Alexander, you brought Viktoriya and… "

Looking back at us for a moment, Alexander nodded, "And Private First Class Degurechaff. She was my escort on the trip here."

The nobles nodded and paid me no attention, shifting their focus back to Alexander, "And how was your trip."

Alexander shifted slightly before speaking hesitantly, "It was… eventful. The communists have stepped up and become more violent. They attacked my carriage. If Tan- Private Degurechaff hadn't been there I don't know what would have happened."

With the mention of the communists, the mood within the room grew noticeably tense with each of the nobles exchanging knowing glances at one another. One of the advisors cleared his throat, "I had wished to avoid this topic before the rest of the nobles arrived. We are continuing the conversation in a few hours if you'd like to settle into your room Alexander."

Nodding, Alexander took a seat, "Of course, I'll avoid the topic until then, Private Degurechaff please take Viktoriya to her room. A servant will show you the way."

With that, a servant walked over from the table, "Please, follow me." He began walking out of the room, with us trailing behind him. A few minutes later, we arrived in a room with two queen-sized beds in it, with several wardrobes and end tables beside the beds. The walls were similarly decorated to the rest of the Kremlin although, there was a large closet inside with a large assortment of dresses. The servant smiled to Viktoriya and I before speaking, "The gracious Tsar had another bed moved to the room, at the request of Sir Serebryakov. Please feel free to relax and explore the palace until sir Alexander concludes his business." With that the servant smiled and closed the door, leaving Viktoriya and I alone.

Walking over to the end table I slipped my gloves off and placed my hat down, sighing I slid my hand through my hair. I guess it's just another day done for the most part. All I gotta do now is walk around the palace with Viktoriya for a few hours before she heads off to bed. All things considered, this isn't too bad of a job. Relatively low danger and in a way I'm living better than I did in Japan, the luxury of living with nobles is not lost on me. Good food, servants, and a warm bed. I mean the most annoying thing I have to deal with is Viktoriya's incessant questioning. Although I guess without her I could be out of a job and stationed on some training base somewhere in Siberia so perhaps she's due some thanks.

Looking over I could see Viktoriya flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. As she sat up in bed supporting herself with her arms, she spoke in a soft voice, "I hate when dad has to do business like this. He never spends time with me anymore."

I turned back to the end table and shook my head, "Sir Serebryakov is a busy man, he's doing important work."

Viktoriya scoffed, "Is business all you think about? He's my father, he should spend more

time with his daughter."

Biting my lip I stared down at my hat, trying to think of what to say. If I ended up angering Viktoriya then perhaps Alexander would have me replaced, on the other hand, I can't badmouth my employer, if Viktoriya were to bring that up in front of him I could kiss more than just my career goodbye, "Viktoriya we're friends right?"

Glancing over I could see Viktoriya hesitate for a moment as thoughts raced through her head. Viktoriya is a rather lonely girl from what I've seen and I heard from her father that after her mother passed away, she became rather isolated, really only speaking to her father. I may be the only other person she considers a friend, and that's something I can use.

A smile began to bubble up on her face before she stifled it, "Yes…"

"Then trust me, your father is doing his best to spend time with you."

Viktoriya sighed and laid back down on the bed, "I guess you're right."

…

I stood at attention beside Alexander as he took his seat at the table. Viktoriya sat just beside him, staring blankly forward. The other nobles chatted amongst themselves as they filed into the room and took their seats. Servants passed around wine and food, which would be a delicacy to the others. The smell of smoke permeated the air, seeping into my lungs as nobles smoked their pipes and cigarettes. After a few minutes when everyone had sat down, the Tsar's advisors stood up and clinked their glasses, signaling for the group to get quiet.

"Gentleman, gentlemen please quiet yourselves. As you all know we were gathered here by the mighty Tsar to discuss the parasite of communism that is currently plaguing the nation."

With that, the room settled down into a dull murmur between the guests. The Advisor continued on with his speech, "Although in the short amount of time you have been here I have gotten word that in Vesvogradski there is a mounting protest at the Winter Palace." The man frowned and took a deep breath, "Hence, it seems the Tsar has decided to send in the Imperial army to deal with the revolt."

The announcement caused the crowd of nobles to erupt into a wave of shouting and bickering amongst one another. Each one either proposing a different solution to the problem or blindly supporting the decision of the Tsar. Alexander sat back in his chair and sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Tanya take Viktoriya back to the room, this is going nowhere fast. I'll contact you with our decision after this mess is done."

I nodded before heading off, waving for Viktoriya to follow me.

…

A knock came on the door after about four hours, after we left the meeting. Before I opened it, I signaled Viktoriya that her father had come. Standing in the doorway was Alexander, with a heavy look on his face. He walked in without a word and leaned on the closest wardrobe to the door. "It seems the situation in Vesvogradski is rather dire at the moment, and they need all the help they can get. The Tsar has asked us nobles to contribute whatever we can to help in the battle against the Communist and Communist Sympathisers." He stood back up from the wardrobe and sighed, "As such, it would look disrespectful to the Tsar if I offered anything but my best support, so I have decided to send you Tanya."

"I..." Words seemed to escape me for the moment, I was removed from my position as Viktoriya and Alexander's bodyguard and moved to deal with a revolt in Vesvogradski. If I know anything about Russian history, this is a terrible idea. This is exactly what Tsar Nicholas II tried and it backfired dramatically in his face, causing him to abdicate the title of Tsar.

Alexander continued, "You will be leaving tonight, and you will be placed under the command of General Khabalov, I expect great things from you."

Suddenly Viktoriya spoke up from the back of the room, "Father you can't! Tanya's my friend."

Sighing Alexander responded, "Vik-"

"No!" Viktoriya stomped her foot as she yelled, "First you never spend time with me and then you take away my friend, what kind of father are you!"

"I…" Alexander rubbed the back of his neck lost for words, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not! You don't care how I feel." Viktoriya spoke in a dejected voice as her eyes began to water.

Taking the cue that this was about more than just me I walked out of the room and closed the door, standing across the hall, leaning on the wall.

An hour passed before Alexander exited from the room, closing it cautiously behind him. "Tanya, it seems you mean a lot to my daughter, but I can't keep you here it wouldn't be a good political move on my part. So, Viktoriya and I have decided we'll see you off and travel with you to Vesvogradski."

I stood upward and nodded, "Of course sir, whatever you think is best."

Alexander started walking off before stopping and looking back at me, "Tanya, this is off the record but you do really mean a lot to Viktoriya, don't do anything that would hurt her. Understood?"

Gulping I nodded, "Of course sir. Have a nice night."

With that, he was off and I was left to my thoughts.