Germany, 1883

NO ONE COULD DENY IT; Princess Ella and Grand Duke Sergei made a very lovely pair.

Anywhere they went together, be it in the gardens for an afternoon stroll (chaperoned by the princess' father and under Orchie's watchful eye) or for casual drives in the Old Quarters, Darmstadt's medieval section, anyone who could catch a glimpse of them remarked how absolutely enchanting the two seemed in each other's presence.

They certainly had much in common, both in their personalities and their interests. While the grand duke was rather serious and spoke with conviction, he had a sensitive side with a penchant for the arts and religious philosophy. Ella found herself passionately discussing her love of music with him and listening to his high praises of Russian composers and painters.

Grand Duke Sergei was very patriotic, as were many of the Romanovs, and Ella couldn't help but to admire the deep love and duty he showed for his country, reveling in its mystic, oriental traditions and admiring its autocracy. (The latter was debated by Victoria, who highly enjoyed discussing politics and preferred the parliamentary system rather than an autocracy, but she never made it a point of conflict for her and the grand duke).

While Irene admired their visitor for his excellent manners, what drew Alix to him were his stories.

She had grown up listening to her father as he read them German fairytales that featured evil witches residing in the woods and beautiful damsels locked in towers before going to bed, and their shelves were full of books about sword-fighting knights like King Arthur, but the folktales Grand Duke Sergei would recite to them when she and Irene finished their lessons at the end of the day were truly magical.

Tales of young maidens falling in love with reptilian, winged beasts and a particularly scary old woman by the name of 'Baba Yaga' sparked Alix's imagination in a way she had never experienced before. She longed to explore the mystical Siberian plains with their endless pine tree forests and to eat all those curious foods the grand duke spoke of like caviar and blinis.

Throughout his one-week visit, the princesses were surprised at how much they liked their guest's company and how differently he described his homeland compared to what had been told to them by the Queen. Could it be that Grandmama might've misjudged Russia?

Whatever her Grandmama-Queen thought of the Russian empire seemed of little importance to Ella now.

Towards the end of the grand duke's stay, he and the princess one day went into her father's study with a determined look on her face. Seeing this, Victoria gathered her sisters who were taking a break from their lessons to eat lunch and persuaded Ernie's German tutor to let him leave his classroom only for a moment, to wait outside the study together.

They all knew what this could possibly mean for them and for their family. Alix nervously held her hands together as she stared at the big wooden door that separated them from what was being discussed between her sister, the grand duke and their father. Would Papa approve? Will he let Ella be taken away from them to go live in the cold, remote Russia?

But at the same time, she found herself being excited at the prospect of Ella being married into the luxurious Romanov family, where they could visit her in her lavish palace and see her parading in the most fashionable ball gowns. Russia was scary, but it promised them a life they could only dream of.

When the princess finally emerged from Grand Duke Louis' study, arm-in-arm with their visitor looking content, Alix knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine was now engaged to wed Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov.

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THE QUEEN WASTED NO TIME in inviting her newly engaged granddaughter to England as soon as she heard the news.

Princess Victoria, who'd been the one to write to their grandmama of her sister's betrothal, was quite worried at first for her. The Queen was not one to not let things go her way when she disapproved, but Ella remained in high spirits as she packed her luggage and was sent off at the train station to join her grandmama at Windsor Castle in late May.

But the day before her sister left, Victoria had asked that her sisters meet together at night in the bedroom she shared with Ella to share some news of her own.

Lighting a candle on her bedside table, the eldest sister sat on her bed, legs-crossed, with a peculiar look on her face. Ella sat next to her, arms linked, as she straightened her sleeping gown. Irene and Alix sat together on the other bed, facing their sisters. They had only a few moments to themselves before Orchie would barge into the room and berate them for ignoring their strict 9 pm curfew.

"Girls," Victoria started, leaning in towards her younger siblings, "what do you think of Prince Louis of Battenberg?"

Alix knitted her brows, confused.

They all knew Cousin Louis very well, he was the son of Papa's old uncle Alexander. She didn't think much of him; he was a nice man, she supposed, pretty good-looking, but he was always off at sea because he was part of Great Britain's Royal Navy. He'd only recently returned to Hesse for the holidays where they had visited the Battenbergs at their palace in Darmstadt, but the prince had now returned to his naval duties.

"Well, he was quite pleasant when he stopped by last Christmas," Irene answered as she shrugged, "why do you ask?"

"He has written to me," Victoria told them, "saying that he would be coming back to Germany to stay with his family in Jugenheim, the same time we'll be nearby in Seeheim."

Irene quirked a smile at the corner of her lips, lowering her voice. "You've been writing to each other?"

"Yes," her eldest sister said in a 'matter-of-fact' tone. "We've been corresponding since his last visit."

Looking down at her feet, Alix shyly spoke at this. "Does that mean you'll marry him?"

Her sisters all silently turned to her, slightly taken aback, but Alix knew that it went without being said; Victoria fancied Prince Louis, and she wished to marry him someday. First Ella, now her as well.

"Well," Victoria cleared her voice, "if Louis asks me, I see no reason why I should refuse him. We get along pretty well and he's been nothing but kind to the family."

"Do you think Grandmama would approve?" Irene asked apprehensively.

The Battenbergs were an illegitimate branch of the Hesse family, since Papa's uncle Alexander had a morganatic marriage to his wife Julie, who was a lady-in-waiting to his sister, Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna, Grand Duke Sergei's mother. Not only did they lack a royal title, they had a lack a funds as well.

Ella placed a comforting hand on Victoria's shoulder, giving it an empathetic squeeze. "One cannot disapprove of two people falling in love."

Even though she couldn't completely understand, it still warmed Alix to see her sisters so besotted. Their mother had always wished for them to marry for love if it was what they desired, but why did love have to come at such a cost as to have Victoria and Ella move away from their happy little family home in Darmstadt?

Her sisters might've been willing to leave everything they know behind for love, but Alix planned on staying with her family forever.

Regardless, after Ella departed for England, the Hesse household finally headed up to Seeheim for the summer, and just as Victoria said, Prince Louis was staying nearby at Schloss Heiligenberg. Thus, visits from their Battenberg cousins were inevitable, but while Louis and Victoria took this opportunity to further develop their courtship, the Grand Duke of Hesse also had the opportunity to enjoy some company of his own.

The Hesse children called her 'Madame de Kolemine'; she was a pretty nice lady who'd been married to a Russian diplomat in Darmstadt and the grand duke had taken a liking to her since they were both lonely without spouses. While Alix knew her as 'Papa's friend', Irene and Ernie often teased that she was actually 'Papa's mistress', which would get them reprimanded by Alix's formidable governess Madgie for using such 'crude language' around the young princess.

Alix herself didn't really mind the lady, as she was quite sweet to them, and she obviously made Papa very happy, but she wondered if, like Victoria and Ella, her papa would ever fall in love with her. Could he even be able to love anyone other than their late Mama..? The princess secretly hoped not.

But her thoughts didn't stop Princess Victoria from approaching their father one day, just as her sister had done, to seek his approval of her and Prince Louis' engagement. The proposal had happened shortly after Alix's eleventh birthday on June 6th, which the whole family had celebrated with glee. The birthday girl even received a beautiful and expensive gift from her grandmama across the sea; a gorgeous, lavender silk shawl from India.

To their surprise, Grand Duke Louis was less than ecstatic about the situation, but he had reason to be concerned for his daughter's future if she were to marry a princeling with little fortune. Luckily for the happy couple, it didn't take too much difficult convincing to reassure the Hesse patriarch, and soon the news was announced to the rest of the family.

Since it caught her by surprise, the Queen immediately sent a disgruntled letter to her granddaughter slightly bemoaning on how quickly things were happening in their household without her supervision. Ella's engagement had already been a hard pill she refused to swallow, and she didn't hesitate praising Irene and Alix for their 'dutiful obedience', but their grandmama nonetheless liked Prince Louis, having met him several times due to his service in her Royal Navy, so she eventually came to accept her granddaughter's betrothal.

This, of course, delighted Victoria, and Alix saw her eldest sister transformed from a rather serious and sensible young lady to a cheerful, animated girl next to her jovial fiancé. She was completely and utterly content.

However, the same could not be said for Ella, who returned in late August from Osborne House where she had been staying with the Queen after they had journeyed from Windsor to Balmoral Castle and then to the Isle of Wight. She had a saddened air about her, not at all like the buoyant betrothed girl she was when she had first left Darmstadt.

"What is weighing on your heart, liebling?" Grand Duke Louis softly asked his daughter as they sat in his late wife's drawing room with the rest of his children, who'd gathered to hear her talk about her stay with the Queen. "It sounds to me like you had a wonderful trip."

Ella nodded, taking in a deep breath. "I did, Papa. Grandmama is always so kind and loving to me and we have so many great conversations, one of which helped me gain some newfound clarity on my engagement to Sergei."

"Clarity?" The grand duke echoed, lifting a curious brow.

"Yes, it wasn't an easy thing to talk about with Grandmama, but I realized that she is much wiser than I when it comes to these things."

"Ella, what are you trying to say?" Victoria took her sister's hand, visibly concerned.

"You were right, you know," she told her, "when you said that Russia has too much turmoil. Even if I won't have to reject my faith, I'll still be risking my safety if I marry the grand duke. Therefore, I'm announcing to you all that I've decided not go through with my marriage to Sergei."

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