Soon, night had fallen across the open sea. The weather had began to change outside, the waves beginning to get larger, while the winds started to grow stronger, making the ship roll in the waves. All the while, the vessel continued on with its path towards Paris, France.
Anya, Braedey, Vlad and Pooka were all now in their cabin, all getting ready to get some sleep and be ready to arrive in Paris by morning. Braedey is already fast asleep in a makeshift bed on the ground, his backpack beside him on the floor. Anya is wrapped up in a blanket next to her bed. Vlad was braced up against the ship's beams, not weathering the storm well.
"Oh... are you all right?" Anya whispered to Vlad.
"Oh, I'm fine, my dearest. I'm just riddled with envy." Vlad pointed to Braedey. "I mean, just look at him. He can sleep through anything the world could even throw at him."
The ship tilted in the waves, and the timbered groaned as a response to this. Pooka climbed inside of Braedey's backpack, knocking it over, and the music box slides out of it and stopped near Anya. She picked up the Music Box, looking closely at it.
"Pretty jewellery box, isn't it?" Vlad commented.
"Jewellery box? Are you sure that's what it is?" Anya asked. She immediately has a sharp recollection, a shock, as she cradled the box lovingly.
"What else could it be?" Vlad asked to Anya.
"Oh well, something else... Something special... something to do with a secret." Anya mused quietly. Pooka then licked Anya's feet, making the auburn hair girl laugh, wanting her attention, and scalping her out of her trance. "Is that possible?" She asked to Vlad.
Vlad climbed up into his berth above Anya's head. "Anything is possible. You taught Braedey how to waltz, didn't you?" He said to her.
Anya secured the Music Box back in the backpack. Pooka begged at Anya's feet to be picked up. She picked him up, as she climbed into her berth, Pooka climbing up on her tummy.
"...Sleep well, your majesty." Vlad whispered, then he fell asleep.
Pooka snuggled up next to Anya. "Sweet dreams, Pooka." Anya whispered, hugging the little dog, as she too fell asleep with Pooka.
Unbeknown to them, Braedey was awake. He looked over to the slumbering Anya and Pooka, then sat up and snuck over to the two slumbering forms, as he gently rubbed his thumb against Anya's cheek, making her smile a little in her slumber.
'Sweet dreams, Anya.' Braedey thought to himself, as he went back to sleep, the gentle rolls of the waves soon putting him to sleep.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, deep underground and in limbo, Rasputin and Bartok were gazing at the image of Anya, as she slept peacefully with Pooka in her arms, eyeing their one target with extreme lust.
"There she is, Master, sound asleep in her little bed." Bartok pointed out the obvious.
"And pleasant dreams to you, Princess. I'll get inside your mind, where you can't escape me..." Rasputin said slyly, and evilly.
He had an evil plot formulating, and it shall be a mental journey for their target....
~*~*~
From under the door to the stateroom, green smokey images silently slithered across the floor like they were snakes. They moved over toward Braedey, sleeping on the floor, unaware of what is around him. Recognising that he is not the right person they are looking for, the green smoke floated across the cabin to his shoes, then up over to Anya's berth and started to swirl all around her. Anya yawned, and she then smiled, as Rasputin's dream began inside of her head. Images of butterflies appeared and circled around her face.
~{𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕒'𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞}~
Anya was sleeping peacefully in a sunny open meadow, wearing a summer white dress with blue highlights around it, relaxing in the flowers. Alexi, Anastasia's young brother, now walked up, surrounded by the large Mystical Dream Butterflies.
He waved to her, and Anya waved back. He motioned the Butterflies towards Anya. They approached her and began to fly around her.
~{𝕆𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕒'𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞}~
Anya's eyes were closed as she smiled in her sleep, sitting up in bed. The Dream Butterflies still swirled around her head. Anya gets out of her berth following them, sleepwalking to the cabin door as it opened, and she exited the room. As the door closed... Pooka wakes up, realising that his owner wasn't with him in bed.
Anya sleepwalked down the hallway towards the stairs, following the 'Dream Butterflies', as they began to approach the top deck of the ship. The vessel was pitching violently in the waves of the storm.
Pooka whined and scratched at the cabin door, crying out for Anya. Braedey was still sleeping. Pooka jumped on him, trying to wake him up. He just rolled over in his sleep.
The ship was rolling in a giant swell of the storm. Anya, meanwhile, sleepwalked along to the upper deck, going on in a trance. ~In her dream, Alexi and the three butterflies lead her up a rock embankment, and through a field of daffodils. Anastasia's three sisters in swimsuits could be seen in the distance. Alexi pointed out to them as they leapt off the edge to the lake below~. In reality, Anya had climbed over the railing of the deck, and was now looking into the black ocean surrounding the whole ship. Smiling, Anya slid back against the ship's railing.
Back in the cabin, Pooka was still trying to wake up Braedey, managing to knock him into the wall, waking him up. "Pooka? Pooka, what's wrong, little buddy?" Braedey asked, picking up Pooka. Braedey then looked up at Anya's empty berth, and he saw she was gone! "ANYA! She's gone!!" He spoke out in shock.
Braedey scrambled out of his makeshift bed, and slammed his way through the door. Pooka and Braedey burst out the door and they ran towards the stairs, heading up to the top deck in a panic. Pooka remained stranded at the bottom of the stairs, letting out whines.
Up on the deck, Anya, who's currently holding onto the guide line, was now teetering on the ship's railing.
~{𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕒'𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞}~
Anya held onto a vine at the edge of precipice overlooking a beautiful lake. Little Alexi pointed down towards the swimmers, the rest of the Romanov family looking up, who were all waving to her.
"Hello, sunshine." Czar Nicholas II called to her.
"Hello." Anya giggled.
"Jump in, jump!" Nicholas smiled, waving to Anya.
Anya watched on, as little Alexi leapt towards the blue water below, and she giggled in response.
~{𝕆𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕒'𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞}~
Anya stood up on the ship's railing, holding onto the guide wire, inching herself closer towards death, the black ocean surrounding the ship ready to swallow the innocent woman down into the depths of the sea.
Braedey was now racing along the deck of the ship, as the stormy sea crashed over him. "ANYA!!" He called out, his voice echoing. He was then washed up into the crow's nest by a wave. Braedey looked around, and he finally caught sight of Anya.
"Anya! Stop! Anya, NO!" Braedey yelled out to her, trying to make her snap out of her stance. He grabbed onto a rope line, and he swung out to rescue Anya.
~{𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕒'𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞}~
Nicholas waved for Anya to jump into the lake and join them. Anya moved to jump in. Just as she was about to jump, Nicholas' face suddenly turned hideous and frightening, suddenly becoming Rasputin himself, as the lake now became a lake of lava and bones, before becoming an entire boneyard of skulls.
"YES, JUMP!!" Rasputin snarled evilly. "The Romanov curse!"
Rasputin continued to grow into an evil god-like figure, as the dwarfed Anya now rose up on a column of skulls, the landscape now being a huge boneyard in an ominous green colour and light. Flying bat-like Minions now started to swarm in a circle around Anya, who was now reacting in unspeakable fear, horror shown in her eyes. A giant Rasputin now towered over her on the column of skulls. His harpy-like Minions were now grabbing at Anya, encouraging her to jump into the depths of hell.
"JUMP!! JUMP!!" Rasputin's voice sounded that of anger and of an unhinged and psychotic demon.
A Flying Minion suddenly grabbed Anya around the waist from behind, as she was now screaming in fright...
~{𝕆𝕦𝕥𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕪𝕒'𝕤 𝔻𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞}~
Braedey held onto Anya's waist as she struggled, rescuing her from her fall into the stormy sea. Braedey lifted her to the other side of the railing to safety.
"Anya! Anya, wake up! Anastasia!" Braedey yelled out suddenly over the noise of the storm, and he shook Anya awake.
Anya jolted awake, terrified of what she had seen. Now, still shaking and almost crying in fear of what she had seen in her nightmare, she looked at Braedey. "The Romanov curse..." Anya began to cry.
"The Romanov... Anya, what are you taking about?" Braedey asked. He was rather confused of what she was talking about.
"I keep seeing faces... so many faces." Anya now hugged Braedey tightly, and she cried into his shirt, tears streaming down her face.
"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. It's all right. You're safe now." Braedey hugged Anya tightly, as she cried into his chest.
Soon enough, the rain stopped, the ship sailing out of the storm, as the waves began to settle down around the ship. Anya sobbed quietly, as Braedey gently picked her up, and carried her back to their cabin.
This was a night Anya will never forget for a very long time.
~*~*~
Back in the underworld, Rasputin was now watching the image of Anya and Braedey's embrace, seething in utter fury and rage. He moaned in exasperation, grasping his head in frustration, his fingers actually sinking into his very skull and flesh.
"NO, NOT AGAIN!" Rasputin roared in absolute anger. His neck was stretching and starting to tear as he pulled on his own head. Bartok backed away from the impending explosion.
"Easy, Master, wow... This is no time to loose your head." Bartok reasoned to Rasputin.
Rasputin exerted a monumental effort to control himself. "You're right." He began to slowly calm down. "I am calm. I am heartless. I have no feelings whatsoever."
"Sir?" Bartok questioned.
Rasputin opens his eyes, suddenly smiling. "I feel a sudden onset of clarity, Bartok. I'll have to kill her myself. In person." He said to him.
"What, you mean -- physically?" Bartok asked in surprise.
"You know what they say: If you want something done right..." Rasputin spoke out.
"But that means ... going topside?!" Bartok asked again.
"Exactly. I have so many fond memories of Paris, and killing the last Romanov with my own hands, will be so dee... licous. Well, time to go." Rasputin then got himself ready.
"But you're dead! You're falling apart! Sir, how do you expect to get to Paris in one piece?" Bartok began to argue.
"I thought we'd take the train." Rasputin laughed. He raised the Reliquary.
Suddenly, thunder and lightning cracked, as smoke fills the room, and finally, with an almighty feat of energy, the reliquary rocketed Rasputin straight through the ceiling of skulls and bones, now heading straight up towards the surface.
It was only a matter of time...