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1916-October-22
Even with the enormous urgency weighing on our shoulders to get as far away from the area of operations as possible before we were discovered, we had a major problem that we probably had not considered.
The people we had rescued were a group of spoiled weaklings. The only one who was truly resilient and strong was the Tsar, who could keep pace even after all the hours we had spent moving by cart. The worst were the Tsarina and the Grand Duchesses, along with Aleksei. Because of his hemophilia, we had to be extremely careful with him, because if he got injured, stopping the bleeding would be almost impossible.
None of them had the endurance to withstand entire days of movement or constant hunger, so we had to steal a pig from a farm so they could eat something, since Russian army canned food was unbearable to them.
With little time available, I had to skin the pig myself and cut out the best portions so they could eat, along with some vegetables we managed to steal from nearby houses.
''Excuse me, good sir… I know that given the situation we cannot ask for much, but… would it be possible to get some salt for the food'' Tsarina Alexandra asked, showing me the bowl where we had placed the pork and vegetables.
I rubbed my temples as I looked at her.
''Did anyone steal salt'' I asked my men, but all of them shook their heads. ''We do not have salt… you will have to eat it like this… hurry up, we need to leave soon'' I said while holding a compass over the map, trying to determine our position.
''We have only slept a few hours… my wife and children will not endure this pace… we need more rest'' Nicholas said, setting aside his food while helping his son Aleksei.
''That comes later… right now we need to keep gaining distance from the first search perimeters, which are probably still near the palace and then around the abandoned trucks in the forest… we have some time before that happens, but we need to be far away before we run into cavalry patrols'' I replied seriously while continuing to orient myself on the map.
''But what is happening? This operation seems improvised… why are the Germans not attacking to rescue us'' the Tsar asked, frowning.
I slowly raised my eyes toward him.
''Do you know why? Because nobody likes you… you were a terrible Tsar… a terrible leader… to the point that not even your cousin can publicly grant you asylum in his empire because of how unpopular you are among Germans… millions died because of your decision to support Serbia… so do not expect German sympathy… more than a few would shoot you without hesitation… and who knows what they would do to your daughters… this operation is secret, to the point that no German must ever know it happened'' I said, staring directly at him.
The Tsar remained motionless, disbelief written across his face.
''Besides… it is not like we prepared this for months… for an operation like this I would have needed much more time to make sure it worked… do you know how much time your cousin gave me to rescue you'' I asked after finally identifying our position.
''How much'' the Tsar asked, clenching his fists.
''Two weeks… that was all the time I had to prepare… if this worked, it is because I have absurd luck and fate owed me favors after all the misery it has put me through… because Alexander Kerensky's government was about to collapse and you were going to end up in Bolshevik hands… and I am completely certain the first one to seize power would put a bullet in your head if they captured you… so I suggest you eat and keep your mouth shut… because we are going to keep moving whether you like it or not'' I said as I stood up, feeling the eyes of the entire Romanov family fixed on me.
''So… where are we'' Ferdinand asked while eating and looking around.
''Near Dno, close to Pskov… so we are already relatively close to the border, though I would prefer to move farther south… they may have alerted the border guards and begun frequent patrols to prevent crossings… if we move farther south, Russian troops will be less concentrated because of the size of the front'' I said, pointing at the map.
''And can that Aleksei keep going? Look how his parents treat him… like he is made of glass'' Ferdinand said.
''He has a disease that prevents wounds from closing… it is quite deadly… so we will have to move carefully even if it slows us down and leaves a more obvious trail… we have no other option unless we want to explain to the Kaiser why his cousin's son bled to death in the middle of a forest'' I said, lowering my gaze while stuffing another piece of bland pork into my mouth.
''How many bullets do you all have left'' Friedrich asked while chewing slowly and checking his magazines.
''I have three magazines and five rounds left'' Ferdinand said, removing the magazine from his pistol.
''Four magazines and seven rounds… remember to save one for yourselves if things go wrong'' I said, looking at my weapon.
''I know'' Ferdinand replied, nodding.
Once we finished eating, we climbed back onto the horse-drawn carts and continued the journey, making sure the Tsar and his family looked like a miserable peasant family. Their clean and shiny hair made the disguise difficult, so we used the cold weather to keep them covered as we advanced along secondary roads heading south.
''Soldiers ahead'' one of my men said while observing through binoculars.
''How many'' I asked as the Romanov family immediately began to grow nervous.
''Four… do we give them lead'' the soldier asked while showing one of his pistols hidden beneath his clothes.
''No… that would leave too obvious a trail… we will see if we can get past them without alerting them… have money ready and vodka too, in case they want a gift to let us continue'' I said, lightly snapping the reins while the carts advanced slowly down the road.
We tried to act naturally, but the soldiers quickly stepped in front of us.
''Halt… where are you going'' one of them asked, blocking the road.
''Ah… eh… to Dno…'' I said, pretending to be nervous.
''What for'' another asked, leaning over to inspect the contents of the cart.
''To sell things… we slaughtered a pig… the biggest one on my farm… and we want to sell vegetables at the market'' I replied with a nervous smile.
''I hope you know there is now a tax for using the roads… five rubles per cart'' the third soldier said with a crooked grin.
''Fi… five rubles… but… that is too much…'' I said, trembling slightly.
''That is the law… either you pay or we throw you in prison'' the soldier replied.
''My lords… I do not have that much… we need to sell our goods…'' I said with a shaky voice.
''And how much do you have, peasant'' another asked, stepping closer.
''A few coins… nothing more'' I answered.
''Fine… pay then… I will collect the rest when you return'' the first soldier said.
I turned around, pretending to be frightened, as I climbed onto the back of the cart. I noticed one of my men showing the pistol hidden beneath his clothes, but I shook my head and pulled out six rubles, trying not to make too much noise with the coins.
''This… this is all I have… I hope I can get more after I sell everything'' I said, breathing nervously.
''Give me that… six rubles… fine, move along… you pay the rest on your way back, and I do not want to see you in this area again without paying the tax'' the soldier said, pocketing the coins.
''Yes… yes… I will pay'' I replied, adjusting my hood as I climbed back up and urged the horses forward.
As soon as we moved away from the checkpoint and left the improvised post behind, Ferdinand let out a small laugh.
''They are idiots… how do they not realize that someone who cannot pay ten rubles owns two horses? Keeping them alive costs more than what we gave them'' he said with a tired smile.
''How was my Russian'' I asked, interested.
''Improving… you sounded like someone who barely knows how to speak… but as a peasant it worked perfectly'' Ferdinand replied.
We kept moving, trying to push the horses as much as possible, but they were getting exhausted because, like us, they had only rested a few hours and had barely eaten. Even so, we advanced for several hours, passing through different checkpoints guarded by soldiers. Some demanded bribes, others only asked questions, and some simply let us pass.
It seemed using peasant clothing and hiding our facial features as much as possible with traditional winter garments was working. Finally, after several hours, we stopped.
I looked at the horses.
''These horses cannot keep going… we will have to continue on foot'' I said, seeing how exhausted they were.
''Can we rest? My daughters are about to collapse from exhaustion'' the Tsar said.
''They will have to find strength… we need to keep moving south. We should be close to Velikiye Luki… a little farther and we will reach the Russo-German border, then we will see where to cross'' I replied, shaking my head.
One of them tried to keep complaining, but I ignored it and we started moving again, making sure the Romanovs followed us as we pushed deeper into the forests, trying to advance without leaving an obvious trail.
''The ground is shaking'' Friedrich said, placing his ear against the soil.
''Hide'' I ordered.
I looked at Aleksei, frozen in fear and unsure what to do, while the Tsar's daughters looked just as terrified. I grabbed the boy and shoved him between roots covered in branches while we forced the rest of the family to hide among the bushes.
We watched several horsemen pass very close by.
It was a large cavalry group, and they observed the area for several long seconds. As I remained motionless among the bushes, I suddenly felt warmth on my leg. I slowly turned my head and saw that one of the Tsar's daughters had urinated on me out of fear.
I remained completely silent while it happened.
After several minutes, the horsemen rode away toward the east.
''Damn…'' I muttered as I stood up, looking at my soaked leg before glancing at the duchess, whose face was red with embarrassment.
''Aleksei… are you alright'' I asked, quickly checking the Tsar's son to make sure he had no injuries.
The Tsar immediately rushed over and grabbed his son.
''He is fine… we need to keep moving. We do not know if they are following our trail or simply sweeping the area… so we need to keep getting farther away'' I said as I began walking again, feeling the wet fabric sticking to my skin.
We kept moving, but before long I heard a thud behind us. When I turned around, I saw one of the Tsar's daughters had collapsed and begun crying.
''I cannot do this anymore… I cannot…'' she sobbed as she tried to stand.
''Yes, you can… you are going to live'' I replied, walking over and lifting her onto my back.
Before turning away, I saw Friedrich pull out his pistol and point it directly at the Tsar's face.
''Let us not do anything stupid… alright'' Friedrich said, aiming at him as the Tsar looked ready to punch me.
''Put my daughter down… you are helping us, but do not overstep with her'' the Tsar said, breathing furiously.
''Listen to the man holding the gun… it is the smartest decision you can make. If she cannot walk, then I will carry her'' I said, adjusting the duchess on my back while she clung to me in terror.
The Tsar clenched his jaw in rage, but eventually turned away and resumed helping his son walk while we kept moving.
''Am I heavy?'' the duchess asked weakly.
''Of course you are… but if you cannot walk, then focus on recovering your strength'' I replied.
We walked for a long time, listening to the animals in the area. Every so often, the howl of wolves echoed through the forest, putting the Romanovs on edge every time they heard it.
''End of the forest'' Ferdinand finally said after hours of walking.
''That is as far as I carry you'' I said, crouching down to let her off my back before approaching with the binoculars.''There is a sign, Ferdinand.''
''We are about ten kilometers from our objective'' he replied after reading it.
''Good… we move into the western forest and rest there'' I said as I started walking again.
I looked at the people we were protecting. They were on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. The only one still standing firm was the Tsar. The rest of the family was falling apart.
''Can we make a fire'' the Tsar asked as he crouched down.
''No… the smoke will expose us. Staying close together will preserve heat better'' I replied while checking the distance around us.
''Please… I do not want my family freezing'' the Tsar said, clearly worried.
''Puff… fine… let us see if I still remember how to do this…'' I muttered as I began digging a small hole to make an underground fire, trying to conceal the smoke as much as possible.
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