a princess though she may be , the feeling of royalty , of having the world at her fingers , comes only now , in the company of he who she has only known for a short time . a surreal happiness overflows , as if anastasia herself cannot behold nor comprehend the good fortune that has somehow fallen into her lap .
soft gaze finds his , mesmerized almost by the state they now find themselves in , together .‘you underestimate the bad decisions i ’ ve madebefore i met you . ’ a moment of levity , though uncertainty presses down 'pon her ribs at his words .‘what? what is it ? ’
Despite COMFORT, how e a s y it was just to breathe when with her, they still have so much to learn about one another. Instead of blood running cold, feet yearning to RUN, it excites him. A curiosity to stay ( && a relief to know that no matter what she has to tell him, he won’t go anywhere ) ; a refusal to even face the possibility of losing her once more.
Devilish gleam, tilt of the chin —— WONDERMENT strikes. A dame of surprise, he’ll never n o t be shocked by her. “Well, you’ll have to tell me all ‘bout those some time … && soon.” Tongue across dry lip, he shrugs, eyes falling ‘pon dirtied shoes. “I knew you were Anastasia before the ballet. At Sophie’s —— that escape, As UNBELIEVABLE as it is … it wasn’t a story you just made up on the spot, Anya.”
stance hard as ice begins to melt with each passing moment , taking a moment of respite in the featherlight touches brushed along her skin . she shakes , the duchess does , a tremor shuddering along her spine at dmitry ’ s words . each passing second draws her closer to him in both physicality and emotion , any and all possible outcomes this scenario rampaging across her mind . a part of her wonders whether the feelings dmitry professes are simply another con , a way to get more money from this unwitting royal . but no , he is kind , and not so cruel to toy with the strings of her heart to such extremes . she takes his hand in her ’ s , folding fingers against her own , grip steady and determined , a forceful reminder that she will not let go , nor that she possesses any wish to be released .
‘not much of my life was easy for a long time . i ’ m used to a complicated life. ’a tremulous sigh to echo his own , the royal orphan ready , at long last , to shatter crumbling walls and lay unfiltered honesty before another human soul . gently so not to break either of them , fingers frame his face , tangled ever so slightly in hair and teeth gnawing at her lower lip , wrestling with indecision before her courage gathers .‘and i want that ; i want… a complicated life with you dmitry. i love you. ’eyes brim with emotion , yet light gaze holds his dark , determined and unwavering in her commitment . the words have been spoken , short and fateful , a declaration that hovers frozen in the sliver of space between them .
Her never failing kindness allows him to sometimes forget the cruel, horrifically unjust life she has led. An orphan —— wandering all the way to St. Petersburg with little to no memory, only know that in PARISsomeone was waiting for her. Dmitry may have had little, but he knew his father, knew that at least at one point there was someone with a heart open enough to L O V E even him. Dmitry couldn’t imagine her situation, it’s why he reveres her so highly / a pedestal he can never climb.
T’was unfair, but done anyway.
Tilt down of chin, he can’t look at her /pain. WHY DID HE HAVE TO LET HER GO && not someone else ?? T’was a job not ready for one that ———— a questioning stare, broad, unblinking. I love you , her statement etched into mind, echoed in ears. H O W?? Tears embarrassingly cloud vision, jaw tight as arms wrap around her, chin resting‘pon her head as a delightful chuckle parts dried lips. He should question it, use malign falsities to push her away permanently. But he can’t bare it. Finally, he pulls away to look her again, flash of white as cheeks already a c h e. “I love you more. You’re brave, intelligent —— beautiful of course. But more than that you — you’re optimistic, CHALLENGING … I’m afraid I could go on forever.” Another L A U G H echoes across the Seine, digits twirling ginger locks. ”There’s so much I want to tell you, things you need to know.”Oh how he wished to be better with words!!
By this point, Anya had been going on &&on for a solid h o u r ( && that was being generous, considering Dmitry had long ago lost track of time ). The way guilt rings its hands ‘round his neck reaffirms that whatever it was, Dmitry was most certain guilty of it. But if asked ?? He couldn’t tell you what it was. Most nights were like this, one upset at the other for something ( usually very, very small, thankfully). So, there he is, pretending to listen as he instead studies that small wrinkle she gets on her forehead, the way her petite frame almost TOWERS over him whenever she’s so adamant about something. Always so passionate, so stubborn.
He loves her for it.
Dmitry smiles, which is bound to make her all the more indignant ; but it only spreads, melting chocolate hues —— cheeks rosy. He stands, prancing off his height as he saunters over to her, stopping a mere inch away. Large hands practically encompass her face as he cups her jaw, lips interrupting her mid - sentence. A firm kiss, short yet never lacking ardor, lingering till heart p o u n d s against ears.
A deep breath, air filling his lungs as PEACE wafts over him. Despite anxiety over just what they’re about to do, this CALM is not unusual, considering the woman beside him, but it is however u n f a m i l i a r —— something he’ll readily get used to. He’ll have to, considering the question he had asked only a few hours ago && the answer she had given (YES, YES, YES —— can you believe it??).
Hand grips her own, t i g h t as russet hues call for her, beg for undivided attention. “Before we do this, && you make the WORST decision of your life.” Dmitry can’t help but jest, though smile diminishes a moment too soon. “I have to tell you something, something that uh — happened. You need to know.” @againrisen // sc.
[ Лисичка
🦊 ]: silly me, for some reason I seemed to have forgotten all the reasons u said u loved me.
[ Лисичка 🦊 ]: remind me of them again? and in extreme detail.
touch grounds her , returns her to the moment at hand and calms her racing heart . protections stripped , she is raw . the grand duchess anastasia , opened and vulnerable and bleeding , exposed before him in a way she has never so been before . as though of it ’ s own accord , her fingers reach up , slowly softly tenderly , to push auburn tresses from his gaze , an unbearable yet pleasurable ache growing in her chest . how to make him see that it was he who had given her everything , in bringing her to this city , to the family she had so desperately craved for so long ? how to make him cast aside his doubts and understand her ? eyes once fluttered shut at the bliss of touch are opened , and the girl fixes him with a stare both even and emotional .
‘no, that ’ s not your decision to make. who ichoose to love is my choice . ’love , love that is her ’ s to give and her ’ s alone , overflows . for years , she has longed for memory , for family , for what she now feels . she has it now , a family and a recollection of her home and a boy and a wall , and in between she found dmitry . she chose him , with every word and expression , and she had no inclination to change a thing .‘i - i don ’ t want some randomprince dmitry ,i want you! ’he is her choice ; her tone enter something near to anger in its vehemence , her determination for him to see . to understand that he has her heart , even if she may not have his .
Dmitry FREEZES as her hand rises to brush auburn locks. It takes him a long moment to process, to feel the warmth of such a g e n t l e caress. T O U C H was a rarity. Most of the time, he expected a hard jab ( someone angered by his thievery ). A holy touch such as this ?? Lip tremors, lids falling closed as head tilts towards the touch. But he can’t for long. Dmitry can practically feel every TICK of time. They had so little of it ; he wanted to take what he did have to memorize her every detail, to s e e her. Not that he could ever forget her —— the great could have been —— THE ONE ( perhaps some of those horrendous love stories held a bit of truth ).
Hesitancy, desperation —— jaw juts out, lips part —— the man could list off thousands of reasons why she was making the WORST decision of her life. If her words were true. REVENGE was not lost ‘pon him. A teasing of his heart, only to continue to wear that gleaming crown, to wave from a carriage ??For all that he had done, that even wasn’t enough payback. Yet, he likes to think he knows her. Unlike him, she’s GOOD —— && for a brief moment he believes she could love him back. A deep breath, saccharine scent — “Your life will NEVER be easy with me, you do know that ??” Thumb moves to graze carmine lips. “&& I don’t want your pity so, so now is your chance to have it all here in Paris with your family because ——” A deep breath, he’s letting himself imagine a future with her, why why why. “If you leave with me, right now, I’m … NEVER going to let you go. Not ever again.”
her turn now , to look away , to feel a tightness in throat and chest from some unknown pressure . she swallows , nails making crimson indents along palms as he speaks . soft and supplicant though his words may be , they bang ’gainst her skull , repeating themselves over and over in the silence that follows . he , who had only found her good for manipulation , was the first to put voice to the growing warmth in her veins ( his too if he truly felt the same ) and anya feels a sting behind her eyelids , a shakiness in the breath she takes . religion has never held much devotion from her , yet the words conjures are more akin to prayer than to conversation.
‘if we ’ re trying to stopper love… ’a crack over the last word ; the grand duchess takes a moment to collect herself , to find semblance of control within her emotional chaos . courage , found deep within , propels another step forward , a hand outstretched ever so slightly . he begs with words , she with gesture , for things both similar and vastly different . ‘ it ’ s too late for me , i think, because dmitry…’eyes shining , lashes wet , teeth gnawing 'pon lower lip , a picture of emotion and uneasiness . no powerful princess now , just anya the orphan with the boy she had fallen for .
The mourning of someone who he could NEVER have was a strange feeling. For his father, it was real ( a sense of loss, numbness that could never truly fade ). But for the girl —woman in front of him ?? As a boy he wanted to hold out his hand, lead her from the parade && show Anastasia the real Petersburg. A little boy with nothing to lose, becoming a MAN still, with nothing. He could imagine a world full of LOVE, culture even, with ANYA —— but just like when he was ten, the dream was out of reach. A realist ——— t’was always best to know one’s place. It would continue to be a life of STRUGGLE, finding food && shelter … what was the point ??
SHARP, STINGING INTAKE OF AIR. Habit, the n e e d to make her pain evaporate drove him forward ( just as it did on the train, && when she SCREAMED from terror from faces she now vaguely remembered haunting her ). A source of her pain, Dmitry knew he had NO RIGHT —— hand clutched her own, the other her jaw as thumb grazes over the apple of rose cheek, wiping away falling tears. Even a touch as gentle as this warmed the chill air, a p e a c e Dmitry had never known. LOVE ( from her ?? impossible ). “I-It’s not, Anya. You’ll be covered in jewels, a late celebration perhaps, when a PRINCE will catch your eye. Someone who can give you everything.” A gentle smile, eyes wary jealous.A tilt of his chin, inching forward despite opposing words —— “You can’t love me, ANYA.”
a meme i’m too lazy to find — the lyric one i think ?? <3 // @againrisen
P A R I S , a city seen in books, dreams, but never in person. St. Petersburg would always have a special place in Dmitry’s heart, but it was time to make a CHANGE. Freedom slips from desperate hands no more. It is now his, to do whatever, whenever he wanted.
Well, after their scheme that is. Ten million rubles would certainly help.
Wide tawny eyes move across the landscape —— comfortable, clean && full ( the streets held him captive, he almost forgot what normalcy felt like ). “It certainly has it’s charms … even if it’s not all that different from Petersburg.” He can’t help but tease, hat covering gaze as leans back, arms crossed above him.
her ribcage expands , a giant weight lifted from her heart and freeing her lungs from the pressure . a smile , gently upwards curvature of her lips , finds its way to her face , and yet the grand duchess makes no attempts to suppress it . where he had once been tarnished copper masquerading as gold , her good opinion of him within the burrows of her mind is restored . a sigh , a breath of relief released by his admission , escapes past her lips , gaze searching for his .
‘i guess you do. ’voice splinters briefly over the words , a tonal stutter that betrays what her words protect . an olive branch extended in the form of a. genial agreement and a single step forward , as much a plea for friendship as a plea for peace .
Dmitry feels her ever radiant s t a r e , && yet bravery escapes him. Irises instead memorize intricate architecture, focusing on the cool breeze that ruffles tawny locks. Chest rises && falls with each baited breath. Would he be shocked for her not to believe, to TRUST in the shaking of his voice ?? No. Anya —— Anastasia is intelligent, && even he wouldn’t believe it.
Her voice echos in his memory —— RELIEF easing his rigorously straight form. F I N A L L Y he meets those Romanov eyes, his own full of an everlasting endearment he can no longer keep hidden. A twitch of lips, he shakes his head —— hands desperately falling to his sides, palms open. “Please.” Strained, quiet, begging. “Don’t come any closer or I’ll do something I SHOULDN’T.” He can’t breathe, brows knit as he forces the words out through tight lips. “&& then I truly won’t be able to ever STOP loving you.”
nobility is not what she knows ; royalty is not what she remembers . loneliness is what strengthened her spine , hardship forged her more than any crown or jewels . pearly teeth gnaw on bottom lip , gaze incapable of meeting his own , words scraping ’gainst her ears as though knives . the wiser course presents itself before them ; they say their piece and he walks away ( she lets him ) as she returns to the glittering life she was meant to lead .
‘did you take it ? ’the words , the very thought of them , make her skin crawl , clog her throat with dirt . spine rigid and still , a steely mask attempting to keep her true emotions beaten down .‘the reward money,did you collect it ? ’
L I E. It would be so easy (utterly believable). A Russian scoundrel auditions girls for the part of a lifetime, only to find out that indeed she was I T?? What a change of luck, what poor man wouldn’t take the money so well deserved. He could see it now, the memory of ten million rubles permanently etched in his memory. It was more than he’d EVER see again. In the end however, t’was more a change of heart ; for how could he bare to hurt HER more than he already had ?? Seeing her gain everything she ever wanted, well it was more than enough.
Feet pause, digits drumming against thighs. If he says yes, he’s guaranteed NEVER to see her again … && yet —— “No.” Voice croaks, turning to face her halfway, eyes ‘pon the Seine River below. “I don’t need it.” Thumb graces over lips, a shrug.“I guess I have a HEART after all.”
