Re: Blood and Iron

121  Entering the Tsar's Palace as a Family

By the time Bruno and his family arrived in Saint Petersburg, he was surprised to find that there were members of the Tsar's personal bodyguard waiting there to escort him to the palace. Bruno didn't realize this, but considering he had not actually built an estate in Russia, let alone within the boundaries of Saint Petersburg, he and his family would be personally staying at the Tsar's massive palace for the duration of their time together in Russia. And though Bruno felt slightly uncomfortable with this generosity, he accepted it nonetheless, as it was unwise to reject a gift of such magnitude from a man as powerful as the Tsar. Bruno and his family had rather obviously not dressed up during their journey to the city. After all, the ball would not be held for some time. And because of this, he and his family appeared in their usual working-class clothes. Which was rather surprising for several members of the House of Romanov. Had they not seared the memory of Bruno's face into their minds, they would have mistaken him for a peasant. But after what Bruno did in Russia, there was nobody who would dare speak ill of the way he chose to dress. Not even Nicholas had the nerve to do so as he approached Bruno, even going so far as to comment on him for his "humble sense of fashion." "I almost didn't recognize you… The last time I saw you, you had such a striking visage, and here you are no different from the members of the working class. I must say you have a very modest sense of aesthetics…" Bruno immediately knew what the Tsar was trying to say, even if he didn't dare say it, and because of this, he chose to have him and his family change the moment they were given their rooms to stay in. Had he known he would be staying at the Tsar's palace, he indeed would have worn something more flashy, even if it was lacking in comfort. "Well, to be fair, I did not expect your offer to extend to staying here in your own personal estate. Had I been aware of this, I would have indeed worn something more … appropriate. Not to worry, my family and I brought proper attire, so we will change the moment we have the privacy to do so." Bruno's willingness to change for him and his sense of aesthetics caused the Tsar to sigh in relief. He chose to temporarily postpone any of the events he had planned for Bruno and his family until they were "properly dressed" giving them the utmost courtesy as he did so. "Well then, I will have the maids take you to your rooms, where you will have all the privacy you need. Do come find me when you have the time. There is much I wish to talk about now that you are here in Saint Petersburg." Once the Tsar and his family left, Bruno and his family were led to their rooms where Heidi made sure to chastise their children, telling them to behave themselves while in the Tsar's patronage. "You three better not cause any trouble while we are here in Russia, or so help me God—" Bruno, of course, calmed his wife's tyranny by hugging her from behind and kissing her on the cheek as he assured the woman that everything would be fine. "Relax, the kids know better than to misbehave under such circumstances, don't you?" Bruno looked at his kids with a more kind gaze, which was one of the many reasons his daughters loved it when he was home. They quickly nodded their heads, confirming they would not be getting up to any mischief. Before Bruno had them all get dressed. He would emerge with his family, all of which were dressed the part for this royal gathering, where Bruno wore his Russian Field Marshal uniform, along with all the medals and orders he had been granted over the years. Considering that in Russia, the Order of Saint George came first in the line of prominence, the distinctive orange and black sash was worn around his chest, rather than the striking crimson one from his other order which he had been granted the highest rank in. Frankly speaking, among the Tsar's current generals, Bruno might actually be the only one who had actually been awarded such a pristine honor, as the last time Russia won a war prior to its Civil War was decades ago. Unless, of course, you count the war in the East that Bruno had participated in during his first military deployment, but such a minor conflict did not allow for the Tsar to hand out such a prestigious award. Because of this, there was an instant renown around Bruno the moment he and his family emerged from their rooms. With the young children of the Tsar quickly approaching Bruno's own daughters, acting friendly as they did so. Or at least the youngest of them did so, as they were roughly the same age. However, one of the girls had the nerve to approach Bruno in front of his wife. Which was, of course, the one who had previously thought to herself that he was a monster. She seemed rather annoyed that the man was back in her home, or at least from first glance. But the reason for her doing so was beyond Bruno's expectations, as she crossed her arms and pouted while speaking to him. "You're back… And yet you didn't write me a single letter while you were away!" After saying this, the girl walked off without saying a word. Leaving Bruno in an exasperated state while his wife stared at him from behind with a smile that could only be described as sinister. Her voice contained a tone that sent the hairs on the back of Bruno's neck into a frenzy. "Oh? She seems quite friendly, doesn't she? I don't remember you telling me that you had any form of friendship with the Russian Princess?" Bruno sighed heavily, fully knowing about his wife's more possessive tendencies. He turned around with a forced smile on his face as he made a comment that while he knew would only further aggravate the woman, would also get him out of her crosshairs. "Oh? But she's just one of several princesses who have taken a liking to me. Isn't your husband amazing?" Heidi blushed in response to Bruno's statement. He had a way of snapping her out of her frenzy, and bringing her back to her reverence for him. Indeed, it was pretty damn impressive for him to win the favor of so many imperial princesses. And once she recovered from this state of admiration, she forced a cough before telling the man she would go off and become acquainted with the Tsarina. "That is indeed pretty amazing…. If you will excuse me, I will go introduce myself to the Tsarina. You stay out of trouble, mister!" Bruno couldn't help but chuckle after Heidi scurried off. His mood, however, immediately returned to his stoic nature when he called out to the pair of eyes that had been watching him the entire time. "Are you just going to stand there and watch, or are you going to say something, your majesty?" Nicholas was indeed surprised that Bruno had noticed his presence, but did not even try to hide his eavesdropping as he commented on Heidi and her rather unique personality. "Your wife is adorable… I had heard rumors of her origins, but I never really put them too much thought. After witnessing her in person, I can see why you decided to honor your engagement with her." Bruno didn't say a word and continued to stare at the Tsar as if he was waiting for the man to get to the point. Few men would have the nerve to do something like this. But Bruno and Nicholas were both aware the only reason he and his dynasty were still alive, let alone in power, was because of the ruthlessness that Bruno showed to the man's enemies. And because of this, he was perhaps the only person who could be so openly bold with the Tsar. Ultimately, in doing so provoking the man to finally get on with his main point. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could acquire a moment of your time? There is something I wanted to show you, and I believe your expertise is needed for this delicate matter…" Knowing that this was probably something important, Bruno nodded his head and agreed to follow the Tsar to wherever the man was leading him. "Of course, lead the way, your majesty." With this, Tsar Nicholas II would lead Bruno into his palace's war room. Where he would display the preparations, he was making for the future of Russia. One which would surprise Bruno with its forethought.