The Lost Prince Ch. 05

Author's Note: Well, it certainly has been a long time. The fault lies with me for this appearing so late. My Beta Reader did her part in getting it to me, but life is full of so many complications. I've had to deal with a major change at work, and was distracted for a long time. Fortunately, I finally managed to find my way back to Valentina and her story. This portion is a bit long, but well it was in the works for a long time. Any historical or technical inaccuracies are mine. This is not meant to be a history lesson. Enjoy.

*****

We stayed on the train for several days. The food was better than what we'd endured on the road, and for us there was plenty of it. I was well aware that the places we passed through had people that were starving. Children would be dying from lack of food or the rising cold. I knew all of that, but we lived inside of a rocking, iron cocoon that was carrying us to a better place. Pieter let me catch up on my sleep, and left me for long periods of time. In a way I was grateful. So much had been happening in my short and rather strange life that I needed time to absorb it all.

He returned twice more and made love to me. Each time it was easier, and each time I felt as though I was doing everything that I wanted. That I was pleasing my lover. He was so gentle and kind to me during that trip. The other soldiers snickered when they saw me, and whispered among themselves. They knew what Pieter and I were doing. I didn't let their judgment bother me. I belonged to Pieter, and he was the commander off all of them. I rarely saw Yuri. He kept to himself, and I sensed that he was greatly disappointed at not getting to have me. This was a great relief to me.

Eventually we reached the capital where the great fortress of the government had stood for years. I watched the city slowly appear in the distance as our train got closer. The lights and the smoke could be seen from so far away it was as though we were entering a place on fire compared to the frozen fields of snow and ice that led up to it. There was a great river that snaked into the city at a curve, and left again. It was like some great serpent come out of the snow to embrace this great bastion of humanity in the cold. Many of the great buildings from my family's dynasty remained. Their colorful towers scratched the sky with their flourished tops. The bulbous tops were still gilt with gold. The fractional light from the weak sun still found ways to shine off them, as though this was the last reminder of the great empire that had once been. Did the peasants that were now supposedly in charge remember the better times? Not according to Pieter. I sometimes look back and see myself as those buildings: a remnant from the past world kept around only for the sake of being beautiful. We remained cold and among new strangers.

The train curved into a great circle when it had entered the station. This was adjacent to a great thoroughfare with more tracks cutting through the heart of it, and several small buildings lining the edges to serve as support for the station. There were scores of horse-drawn wagons coming and going about and taking their fares to or from their platforms. The other people were left to walk into the churning mess of people that was quick to part if a train arrived, but would always reform like mercury on a steel tray.

I waited dutifully in my cabin fully dressed as the train came to a slow stop. Its great whistle seemed to announce our arrival with great fanfare as though it were telling all of the people that I was coming back to the public. Of course that wasn't true at all. That boy was long dead. Now all that remained was a young woman in a nurse's uniform bundled in a great coat and fur blanket. Nobody would recognize this girl with the sad gray eyes. I would be the girlfriend of an officer in the people's army. That was enough for me.

There was a knock on the door of my cabin, and I stood and waited. The door opened, and there was Pieter with his some of his soldiers.

"We have arrived," he said. "Welcome to your new home."

I nodded. Pieter had instructed that it was easier if I spoke little when out in public. He was concerned that I might be moved by false emotions connected to my past self. I had to ignore those, he told me. My name was Valentina, and I was only to think of myself in those terms.

I followed him out of the train, and we entered the great station at the heart of the capital.

"Hurry along," said Pieter. "We are expected to check in today. Otherwise the party may expect that I decided to keep you for myself."

Outside in the station I was instantly frightened by the sheer number of people there. I hadn't seen any such number of people in years. I couldn't help but be terrified that they were surge forward and somehow recognize me for being the person that I formerly was. In their bundled clothing they were nearly sexless as I looked at them in the distance. They paid me no attention. What was there really to see? A nurse was traveling with some soldiers. That could be happening anywhere.

We began the slow journey through the great station. Its buildings were not nearly as tall or glorious as the looming palaces and great cathedral, but compared to them the trains were a new thing. I remembered that the trains had made Moscow bigger than it ever was in the past. That was from my history tutors. Pieter told me that the revolution had only served to make it bigger. Now everyone was able to ride the trains even if they had to wait longer.

We made it to the end of the platform heading towards the city proper when we were met by other soldiers. These ones had much newer and cleaner uniforms than the ones that I had been traveling with. At the head of this group was a short man wearing a uniform much like Pieter's. He was squat where Pieter was thin, and had a beard covering his face as opposed to Pieter's trimmed mustache.

"Good day, Comrade," said this new officer. "We were beginning to think that the great wilderness had swallowed you whole."

Pieter chuckled at the man's joke, but I knew immediately that it was fake laugh.

"No, Comrade," said Pieter. "I've always been too big for any mouth to truly swallow."

Many of the soldiers laughed. Some of them suddenly looked at me. I pretended not to notice.

"So there was no trouble? Those peasants in the east can be rather unrefined compared to us civilized men." Then the man looked me over. His eyes lingered on all of the usual places. There was nothing to do about it. This was after all my ultimate purpose.

"So this is the great prize you have brought back? One of Gorski's?"

Pieter nodded. "I always bring back wondrous things from my journeys."

The squat officer got very close to me. I could smell vodka and sausage on his breath. He found a nonchalant way to touch the side of his short body to mine.

"You are very pretty," he said. "I'm sure that Pieter's charms have worn off quickly. You should come and entertain me and my mine for a few days. I promise that none of us will be as rough as that brute that Pieter keeps with him."

This remark earned a low growl from Yuri. I wondered then exactly what kind of history that all of these men had together. They had survived the revolution and the civil war, and now they fought each other over the spoils.

I wasn't sure if I was to respond, so I said nothing. Thankfully, Pieter intervened.

"This girl is my charge," he told them. "It is my duty to see her to party headquarters when we are ready. If you want to try your luck to get in her good graces then, with Party's permission of course, well, that is your right, Comrade. "

The man harrumphed. "Always a gypsy. That is Pieter. Then and now. Very well."

He handed Pieter a thick card. "Here is the place you will go for now. Clean her up from the road. The Party will be sending its own handlers shortly."

Pieter accepted this gracefully, and then we were off to a group of wagons. I couldn't have been happier to be out of the presence of those men.

The wagons took us deep into the city. The snow there was quite different. Some of it was lined with soot, and smelled like old ovens. I didn't like that kind, but in other places it was a very light and pretty variety. That was the best kind to see covering the buildings. I was excited as we neared some of the palaces in all their grandeur. Pieter said that they were being used as offices for important party members or kept as valuable property of the people. Our ultimate destination was a large government building somewhere east of the main city square. It seemed so bland to the other buildings: a creation of straight angles and rigid bricks. That dead boy that lived in the dark corner of my mind yearned to run to those other more beautiful places. A silly part of him believed that if he made it to one he would find his mother and father waiting for him inside. Fortunately, Valentina had become the better part of me, and she was a very practical person. Pieter was her protection, so she would stay with him.

We stepped out of the wagons in front of the building at its gate. There we saw a group of young men leaving. They were all officers by the look of their uniforms. I barely recall what the others looked like, for among their number was one of the most handsome men I'd ever seen. He must have been near my age, which made his being an officer an odd thing. He was still quite boyish with what could have been very delicate features, but there was something dashing about the way he carried himself. It reminded me of some of the young noblemen who would join the army out of familial duty rather than a tendency to be warlike. They all looked so splendid in their uniforms at the dances. Despite his cap I could tell that his hair was longer than that of the others. It was blonde as opposed to my dark brown. His eyes were green and looked so full of hope. He smiled at me as many officers would prone to smiling at young ladies.

The entire group of them stopped to take notice of us. The young officer bowed to me with a flourish.

"I am smitten to see such a beautiful nurse," he said. "Comrades, here is why we fight so fiercely even in the cold heart of our winters. When our brave men lie dying, at least in seeing this beautiful girl they will have some hope in heaven. That is what I would hope for in a nurse."

The others voiced their hearty agreements. I felt very flattered, and couldn't help but blush. When they saw that they cheered. It all seemed to be such a positive thing, but when I briefly looked at Pieter I could see that he was seething at the young man who had so admired me.

"We all are waiting for the day when you are lying down at death's door, Arkady," said Pieter. "The People's Army will be rid of another unexceptional former aristocrat."

This didn't faze Arkady in the least. He flashed Pieter a smile of bright white teeth.

"Comrade, you are tired from the road it seems. I meant no offense. Do you not believe that this young lady is the most beautiful creature out on this cold morning? If you have spotted another in the bundled masses please share the great knowledge from your travels with us."

"That knowledge is for the Party and so is the girl. Remember your place, soldier. Your old title means nothing now in the new Freedom."

"And yet I seem to have more medals and commendations than you for less than half your time of service. Do not be so cold, Comrade. I have always appreciated the great things you've done. Bringing this girl here is by far the greatest."

"We have business inside," said Pieter, clearly done with the matter. "Go and play act your old rank with some people who care."

Arkady bowed again. It was clearly intended at me.

I don't know what it was. There is no memory as to why I put my hand out, but I did. Arkady took it in an instant, and kissed it as well as any noble ever kissed the hand of a lady.

I blushed again, and had to cover my mouth to stop from giggling. I knew immediately that it was a bad thing to have done. I was not a noble lady. I was nothing more than a servant, and besides that I belonged to Pieter. I only wanted to be with Pieter. But...

We shared a moment outside that building. Our eyes were locked together. A thousand words could have been exchanged in that brief silence.

Pieter grabbed me, and pulled me away. I yelped at the surprise. Arkady was there in an instant, and grabbed me as well. I felt like a toy caught between two boys at play.

"Gentlemen do not treat ladies like that, Comrade," said Arkady with a fury in him. "I should take this lady from you, I think. For her own safety and possibly of yours."

"She is no lady," said Pieter. "And you should truly mind your own business, Comrade."

I could only move my eyes back and forth between them. Both were very angry. I thought perhaps at me for some reason. Their men were equally on edge. Pieter's men gripped their rifles, but Arkady's fellow officers had their hands on the hilts of their dress swords. I stared in wonder at the swords. I hadn't seen an officer with a sword since I lived in my father's palace. That dead boy's sad fantasy seemed to become suddenly more real than ever.

Then as fast as it all had suddenly begun, Pieter seemed to relax. He let out a long breath, and was a different man.

"There is no need for this, Comrade. I apologize. As you say, I am tired from the road. The young lady is perfectly fine with me. I assure you. The Party has trusted me with her, and I have the papers to prove it."

One of Arkady's friends touched his shoulder. "If he has papers, then he has charge of the girl," the man said. "We can't all get caught fighting like this. It will be a fiasco."

Arkady seemed to consider this. Then he relented.

"You're right. Very well, Pieter. You are the girl's custodian...for now. We must go, gentlemen."

He looked back to me. It looked as though he was sorry for leaving me. "We will meet again," he said. "There is no way that I can stay away from the likes of you."

I didn't want him to go then, and rather quickly we were walking inside the building. Pieter's hand gripped me like an iron shackle. I tried to look back, but Pieter moved me forward so roughly. I thought for a moment that I could still see Arkady there watching me.

XXX

I got used to the inside of the building rather quickly. The rooms were all very similar especially upstairs. Pieter looked for the proper room to house me in, and couldn't decide on which one he believed was more secure. I didn't fully understand why he felt so paranoid all of a sudden. Did he really believe that Arkady would be returning to claim me with a different set of papers? That didn't seem possible, and yet there was somehow a deep appeal in that thought, and it made me feel rather guilty. I was a very selfish girl to be turning away from Pieter so quickly, wasn't I?

Pieter finally decided on a bed room on the top floor of the building. It was simple bed room, with no flourish, but the bed was large and looked inviting. He shoved me inside, and ordered me to clean myself. He said that he had to see to his men.

I wasn't sure what to make of all that happened. I went and sat down on my new bed, and waited for some further instructions. I felt so lost without them.

One of the soldiers knocked on the door hours later. He led me to a washroom where a bath of hot water was waiting for me along with some new clothes. He stood outside as I bathed. I wasn't as dirty as I had been at the train station, but the hot water felt wonderful on my naked body. I even felt my cock stir at the warmth, but I wasn't in the mood to pleasure myself. I wanted to ask Pieter what that was all about.

When I was done I dressed in a modest robe with slippers. I had even been given some rather fancy panties to wear compared to what I was used to. This had all been prearranged for me. They were expecting a soft young girl to use this bath. I was the closest thing to that I supposed. The guard escorted me back to my room when I was done. He would not answer my questions. Instead he just pointed, so I obeyed.

It was another hour before Pieter came back. He hadn't changed, and if anything he looked even more road-worn than he had previously. I offered my best smile to him. He grabbed me by the same spot on my arm, and pulled me across the room. He squeezed cruelly, until I cried out.

My arm hurt when he finally let it go. I rubbed at it, and looked at him in sad confusion.

"What did I do?"

"You know what you did," he said. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"Pieter, please, I'm yours. I gave myself to you."

There was such hatred in his eyes. I didn't know if it was me or Arkady that he hated so much.

"You're a servant. Not a street whore. I told you not to do anything."

"You said not to say anything, and I didn't."

He slapped me. I clutched at my face, and moved back from him. I couldn't believe it. Pieter had been so kind to me. Why was this happening?

"You will do only as I say. That is all. Are you too stupid to understand such simple instructions?"

"Why?" It was all I could ask. Tears filled my eyes, and I was shaking.

"What did you say?"

We were alone. I felt that maybe, because we were lovers now that I had the freedom to speak to him as such when we were alone. It seemed to make sense.

"I am supposed to be a woman," I said. "I have seen how many women act among brave officers. I wasn't thinking about it because it all seemed so natural. How can you want me to be a woman and not act like one?"

"We both know exactly what you are. Your destiny is to be decided by the Party, and not some brat of an aristocrat. His people nearly destroyed this nation. Why would you give him the grace of your presence? Why would you offer him what you so privately gave to me?"

"I like him," I said, feeling my stomach sink immediately. "I like his smile, and how he said I was beautiful and kissed my hand, and...I'm sorry, Pieter."

The look on his face then was almost one of sadness. "I thought that you had come so far," he said. "I shared with you things that I've shared with no one. You gave yourself to me."

"Yes. And I meant it. Really, I did." I went forward to him, and tried to take his hands in mine, but he refused. "I'm still yours, Pieter. I'm very sorry for what I did. You're right: I was stupid. I was just a stupid servant girl, but I've learned now really."

I thought of more self-deprecating things to say about myself. Something to make him forgive this very simple mistake. This was about something deeper though. There was something between those two men that I didn't understand at that point. I was just the poor fool caught in the middle of it.

Pieter finally spoke. The emotion had left him again, and it was only the cold, ice blue of his eyes that stood out to me. "I've been remiss as a teacher. A servant must be properly trained. I set an expectation, and it was not met. Therefore the punishment that I told you about must happen."

"Punishment? What...no, please. Pieter, I swear—"

He grabbed me again. I tried to resist, but he was so much stronger than me. Part of me also believed that if I was subservient that he would have pity. That was a foolish thing to believe. Perhaps I truly was stupid.

He dragged me out of the room that I didn't get to enjoy, and took me down the hall to another down by the stairs. A large pair of fur boots stood drying outside the door without their owner in them. I didn't want to believe that it was true. He hadn't really meant it when he said that he'd give me to that brute.

"It's only fair," he said. "He did much more than he ever has before. I kept you from him because I must have been selfish. Well, that is now over. You and I must get back to what the Party has intended for both of us. He has to have his due sometime."