The Last Romanov : Chapter 2
Title: The Last Romanov : Chapter 2
Pairing: RLochte/?
Fandom: RPF Olympic
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Real person fiction; Real person slash;
Summary: Royalty AU; A royal prince seeks a suitable bachelor.
Notes: 2213 words
The next morning, he rose early. Dressed only in his robe, he sat in his drawing room and methodically began to open his gifts.
Clothes, piles and piles of clothes. Leather riding gloves, new boots, an English musket. An organ grinding monkey in a little suit, which was so heartbreaking he ordered it sent to a zoo, and a large curved cage with a single albino peacock inside, wings clipped, that looked beautiful roaming the gardens.
Someone from Germany gave him a sword engraved with his family crest, and Lord Rheston gave him a large box of macaroons and a painting of the Eiffel Tower, both of which he tossed aside in disgust. Each gift had a name on the tag, and he dug through them, trying to distinguish Red Suit's from the others. It was an impossible task, and he's nearly given up when he heard footsteps approaching his chambers.
Devon burst in suddenly, still in his robe as well, "Ryan! Come quick!"
Grabbing him by the wrist, Devon drug Ryan along the halls to the northern facing side of the East Wing. Dragging him past the heavily brocaded curtains, still down to let the royal family sleep in, he pulled him out onto the chilly balcony and pointed down.
It was a horse, tied around the neck with a red ribbon.
Kristin was at his side before he knew it, hugging his arm, "A pony, Ryan!"
Devon scowled, "It' not a PONY. It's a stallion. A RUSSIAN stallion, to be exact."
Ryan leaned further over the balcony to get a better look, Megan and Brandon peeking over each of his shoulders, "It's a hunting horse."
Brandon tugged on his robe, "Oh, let's go! Let's go!"
Megan made a sound of agreement, opening her mouth to speak, when suddenly a thin scream startled them all.
"What are you DOING?!" They turned as one to stare into the eyes of their nursemaid, "Royalty! Out on the balcony in nothing but their dressing gowns to stare at a HORSE!" She snatched at the closest of them, Megan and Brandon, and began dragging them back indoors, "Get inside before the King hears of this!"
Giggling, Kristin ducked under the nurses' arm and took off at a run towards her chambers. Ryan followed her lead, running around the circular hall to get to his own room on the opposite side.
As he stood obediently still for the servants to dress him, he called a page forward.
"Send a message to my brothers and sisters, and the Queen. We're going hunting today. I want to try out my new horse."
The page bowed out swiftly, taking off at a run down the hall. Ryan's manservant spoke up quietly.
"Would his Majesty like to try out his new musket as well?"
Ryan wrinkled his nose automatically, "No. Throw it out."
- - -
Arranged in a triangle, with Ryan in the lead and the dogs to the side, they galloped down the sandy drive.
Devon had to yell to be heard over the sound of the beating hooves, "I asked the stableboy and HE said it's a Russian Don!"
"Russian?" Kristin examined the glossy red coat of the new horse, "Who would have brought a horse all the way from Russia?"
Nobody had a real answer to that.
- - -
Ryan, like his siblings, had exactly two preferences for hunting: the crossbow and the red stag.
As soon as the dogs caught the scent, they were off. The new horse had a short but powerful stride, and he was easily the hardiest of the lot, soon drawing ahead of the others as the chase lengthened.
Splashing through a creek, Ryan ducked close to the neck of the horse as it wove in and out of trees in pursuit of the dogs and the game. Then the chase suddenly broke out onto a field and it was on. Smiling, Ryan rose his crossbow at the same moment as Megan, and they each let their arrows fly.
Hers missed by the slightest of marks, grazing a cut in the flank of the running deer. Ryan's struck home in the neck and, a moment later, the dogs dropped the stag, barking wildly.
Laughing with happiness, Ryan led the horse over, smiling down at his dog, "Good boy, Carter."
A moment later, the rest of their siblings burst onto the field. Lifting a whistle from around his neck, Devon blew it twice, and a moment later, the servants entered the field on horses of their own to retrieve the game.
Kristin sighed, "C'mon, let's not stop now. I haven't even got a shot in yet."
Ryan grinned in agreement, clicking his heels against the sides of his horse to work it into a run, "Alright." He whistled to Carter, "C'mon, boy! Again!"
Leaving the clearing, the hunting party headed deeper into the woods.
After four more deer and an accidental wild goat, shot by Devon, they headed back to the palace, happy and tired. Unsurprisingly, the King was standing on the steps by the time they drew up.
"Father!" Brandon slid off his horse and ran over to him, smiling, "You should have come along, it was excellent!"
The King touched his shoulder affectionately, but his eyes were on Ryan, "Get presentable. Dinner is in the formal dining hall, and your guests are anxious to speak to you about their gifts."
Sighing, Ryan tossed the reins of the new horse to the stableman, stomping up the marble steps and into the palace without a backwards glance.
- - -
An hour later, he was ready to be seen again, dressed nicely in light blue. Making his way down the private staircase, he took a detour through the back of the palace, eyes peeled for the sight of a maid. Finally, he found one, dusting the mantel in one of the drawing rooms.
"Hello."
She startled, turning around suddenly and, upon catching sight of him, dropping into a clumsy cursty.
Ryan studied her closely, "I was wondering if you knew who brought the horse."
"The horse, your Majesty?"
"Yes. The horse. The red horse that was outside this morning. With the bow around it's neck."
"Excuse me, your Majesty, but I believe it was-"
"There you are!" The maid dropped into another curtsy as Megan burst into the room, grabbing Ryan by the arm, "Come on, you're late for dinner."
He didn't have the chance to protest. Muttering about guests, she drug him through the halls and towards the dining room, quieting herself the moment before the servants opened the double doors.
Their father smiled as they entered, "Oh, good, you've found him."
Megan forced a polite smile back, sitting in her usual spot.
As soon as Ryan was seated, the King took over.
"Ryan has expressed to me how immensely pleased he is with his gifts, and on his behalf, I'd like to thank everyone." He took his first bite of the meal, and everyone else settled in accordingly. Smiling, the King turned towards the son in question, "Brandon tells me that you were quite lucky in the hunt today, Ryan."
"Yes, your Majesty." Ryan poked at his food with his fork, pushing it around the plate, "I took down two stag."
"With a musket?" The man with the lemon-face spoke up excitedly. His accent gave him away as the Englishman.
Ryan automatically sneered, turning up his nose slightly, "No. With the crossbow."
The Queen smiled, "All my children are gifted in the hunt. It is a gift I do not possess in any shape or form."
There was polite laughter around the table.
Ryan grinned at her, "Devon shot a goat, your Majesty. I would hardly call that gifted."
There was more polite laughter, but it was outshone by the loud, genuine laugh of Red Suit.
Ryan turned to him, "You enjoy hunting?"
Before Red Suit could answer, there was a loud uproar from the table as the suitors leaned forward, exclaiming of their hunting prowess. Ryan leaned back, startled.
The King cleared his throat, and the din died down, "Yes, well, you have to remember that Devon was on his old stag, Diablo. How does the new horse ride?"
A sudden murmur of protest rose around the table at the mention of such a gift.
Ryan tried his best to ignore it, "Excellent, your Majesty. The second stag took us all the way across the bridge and along the rim of the village, and he wasn't even winded. I've decided to name him Comet."
Red Suit smiled.
- - -
The following morning, Ryan was permitted to sleep til noon, and was once again forced awake by the maids drawing the curtains back, letting sunlight in.
His manservant, as usual, expertly averted his eyes as Ryan was disrobed, "The Queen has suggested that you might like to spend time with your guests out on the West Lawn."
Ryan chose a pair of cropped trousers with the heat in mind, "I suppose..." He stood still as his shirt was buttoned and tucked in, waving a vest away with a face, "They can watch me play a game of croquet."
- - -
"I call hot team," Devon drawled, winging his mallet up to rest it on his shoulder, "There's no way I'm starting with you lot, I'll never hear the end of it."
"Megan, you can be on my team," Ryan smiled, "I'll play black ball if you like."
Kristin frowned, "Oh, Devon, don't make me play yellow, I HATE striking last..."
Megan glanced up the lawn, speaking in a low undertone, "Don't look now, Ryan, but your fanclub is on the way."
It was true. The majority of the suitors had turned out to ogle at him while he played.
"Whatever." Ryan watched the servants set up the hoops, setting his ball down the proper distance away from the first one when they'd finished. Grinning, he raised the club high and gave the wooden ball a hard knock, sending it through the first hoop. His second hit was good, but less successful.
As Megan got in place for her shots, his eye caught the dark red clothes of Red Suit, sitting in the shade of the impromptu tents with the other suitors as the servants doled out tea.
Devon waved Kristin on to her shot with the red ball, leaning on his mallet like it was a cane, "You know, Ryan, just because these idiots are watching doesn't mean Kristin and I are going to go easy on you. Does it Kristin?" Devon lit a cigarette, taking a long drag off it.
"Obviously not. It'd be a lot better for them to find out how terrible you are at croquet now, rather than after the wedding." Smirking, she struck her ball. It was a good shot, knocking Megan's into an unfavorable position. Her second shot nearly got through the second hoop.
Devon clenched the cigarette between his teeth comically and got in a golfer's stance, wiggling his butt liberally as he squinted at the ball through one eye. Covering her mouth, Megan giggled. He finally gave the ball a hard hit, satisfied when it sailed through the first hoop. His second was rather careless, and got no where near the next hoop.
Ryan walked over for his next shot, "Where's Brandon?" He made the second hoop just barely, wincing as the ball rolled quite off course.
Kristin gathered her skirt, dropping down onto the lawn next to Devon, "Riding lessons. I saw him on the East Lawn when I was looking through his room for my mallet."
Megan made a face at Kristin, trying to correct the abysmal location of her ball thanks to her sister with a hard whack, "We should go for a swim after this, I'm sweating like crazy."
Devon snorted, tipping his head back to blow a thin stream of smoke up, "Royalty doesn't SWEAT, Megan. We perspire." He smirked, "And besides. I don't think getting Ryan in a bathing suit would be a very good idea, there might be a mob."
Ryan scowled at him, flopping down in the grass, "Oh, shut it."
- - -
"Jolly good game!"
Ryan was so startled at being spoken to by one of the suitors that it took him several seconds to realize it was the lemon-faced man.
"Pity you didn't win! I myself am quite good at the game. We often played it with mother on the castle lawn at home-"
"Yes, well, that's wonderful." Ryan rolled his eyes, looking away.
To his other side came a recognizable drawl, "I find all mallet sports incredibly dull."
Ryan smiled despite himself, glancing to his left at the speaker.
"But," Red Suit continued, eyes on lemon-face, "Trust the British to enjoy a game where the winner gains nothing but a feeling of satisfaction." He smirked at Ryan, "And I saw you use your foot on that fourth hoop. Shameful cheating, you should be banned from the sport."
"So they don't play croquet where you're from?"
"No, they don't..." He ran his eyes over Ryan's face curiously, "I can't believe someone who hunts with a crossbow would find a mallet sport of any interest."
Ryan frowned slightly, "It's a refined activity."
Red Suit smirked, "Well, so is needlepoint, but that doesn't make it enjoyable."
At some point, they had stopped walking. Ryan could feel Devon's eyes boring into his head from a distance.
Red Suit could evidently feel it too, "Your siblings don't approve of me, do they?"
Ryan fingered the handle of his mallet, "We're close. They don't approve of anyone."
"Answer me this," Red Suit cocked his head slightly to one side, "How are you to be courted?"
Ryan bit back a smile, "You'll have to ask my father about that."
Turning on his heel, he walked away.
Pairing: RLochte/?
Fandom: RPF Olympic
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Real person fiction; Real person slash;
Summary: Royalty AU; A royal prince seeks a suitable bachelor.
Notes: 2213 words
The next morning, he rose early. Dressed only in his robe, he sat in his drawing room and methodically began to open his gifts.
Clothes, piles and piles of clothes. Leather riding gloves, new boots, an English musket. An organ grinding monkey in a little suit, which was so heartbreaking he ordered it sent to a zoo, and a large curved cage with a single albino peacock inside, wings clipped, that looked beautiful roaming the gardens.
Someone from Germany gave him a sword engraved with his family crest, and Lord Rheston gave him a large box of macaroons and a painting of the Eiffel Tower, both of which he tossed aside in disgust. Each gift had a name on the tag, and he dug through them, trying to distinguish Red Suit's from the others. It was an impossible task, and he's nearly given up when he heard footsteps approaching his chambers.
Devon burst in suddenly, still in his robe as well, "Ryan! Come quick!"
Grabbing him by the wrist, Devon drug Ryan along the halls to the northern facing side of the East Wing. Dragging him past the heavily brocaded curtains, still down to let the royal family sleep in, he pulled him out onto the chilly balcony and pointed down.
It was a horse, tied around the neck with a red ribbon.
Kristin was at his side before he knew it, hugging his arm, "A pony, Ryan!"
Devon scowled, "It' not a PONY. It's a stallion. A RUSSIAN stallion, to be exact."
Ryan leaned further over the balcony to get a better look, Megan and Brandon peeking over each of his shoulders, "It's a hunting horse."
Brandon tugged on his robe, "Oh, let's go! Let's go!"
Megan made a sound of agreement, opening her mouth to speak, when suddenly a thin scream startled them all.
"What are you DOING?!" They turned as one to stare into the eyes of their nursemaid, "Royalty! Out on the balcony in nothing but their dressing gowns to stare at a HORSE!" She snatched at the closest of them, Megan and Brandon, and began dragging them back indoors, "Get inside before the King hears of this!"
Giggling, Kristin ducked under the nurses' arm and took off at a run towards her chambers. Ryan followed her lead, running around the circular hall to get to his own room on the opposite side.
As he stood obediently still for the servants to dress him, he called a page forward.
"Send a message to my brothers and sisters, and the Queen. We're going hunting today. I want to try out my new horse."
The page bowed out swiftly, taking off at a run down the hall. Ryan's manservant spoke up quietly.
"Would his Majesty like to try out his new musket as well?"
Ryan wrinkled his nose automatically, "No. Throw it out."
- - -
Arranged in a triangle, with Ryan in the lead and the dogs to the side, they galloped down the sandy drive.
Devon had to yell to be heard over the sound of the beating hooves, "I asked the stableboy and HE said it's a Russian Don!"
"Russian?" Kristin examined the glossy red coat of the new horse, "Who would have brought a horse all the way from Russia?"
Nobody had a real answer to that.
- - -
Ryan, like his siblings, had exactly two preferences for hunting: the crossbow and the red stag.
As soon as the dogs caught the scent, they were off. The new horse had a short but powerful stride, and he was easily the hardiest of the lot, soon drawing ahead of the others as the chase lengthened.
Splashing through a creek, Ryan ducked close to the neck of the horse as it wove in and out of trees in pursuit of the dogs and the game. Then the chase suddenly broke out onto a field and it was on. Smiling, Ryan rose his crossbow at the same moment as Megan, and they each let their arrows fly.
Hers missed by the slightest of marks, grazing a cut in the flank of the running deer. Ryan's struck home in the neck and, a moment later, the dogs dropped the stag, barking wildly.
Laughing with happiness, Ryan led the horse over, smiling down at his dog, "Good boy, Carter."
A moment later, the rest of their siblings burst onto the field. Lifting a whistle from around his neck, Devon blew it twice, and a moment later, the servants entered the field on horses of their own to retrieve the game.
Kristin sighed, "C'mon, let's not stop now. I haven't even got a shot in yet."
Ryan grinned in agreement, clicking his heels against the sides of his horse to work it into a run, "Alright." He whistled to Carter, "C'mon, boy! Again!"
Leaving the clearing, the hunting party headed deeper into the woods.
After four more deer and an accidental wild goat, shot by Devon, they headed back to the palace, happy and tired. Unsurprisingly, the King was standing on the steps by the time they drew up.
"Father!" Brandon slid off his horse and ran over to him, smiling, "You should have come along, it was excellent!"
The King touched his shoulder affectionately, but his eyes were on Ryan, "Get presentable. Dinner is in the formal dining hall, and your guests are anxious to speak to you about their gifts."
Sighing, Ryan tossed the reins of the new horse to the stableman, stomping up the marble steps and into the palace without a backwards glance.
- - -
An hour later, he was ready to be seen again, dressed nicely in light blue. Making his way down the private staircase, he took a detour through the back of the palace, eyes peeled for the sight of a maid. Finally, he found one, dusting the mantel in one of the drawing rooms.
"Hello."
She startled, turning around suddenly and, upon catching sight of him, dropping into a clumsy cursty.
Ryan studied her closely, "I was wondering if you knew who brought the horse."
"The horse, your Majesty?"
"Yes. The horse. The red horse that was outside this morning. With the bow around it's neck."
"Excuse me, your Majesty, but I believe it was-"
"There you are!" The maid dropped into another curtsy as Megan burst into the room, grabbing Ryan by the arm, "Come on, you're late for dinner."
He didn't have the chance to protest. Muttering about guests, she drug him through the halls and towards the dining room, quieting herself the moment before the servants opened the double doors.
Their father smiled as they entered, "Oh, good, you've found him."
Megan forced a polite smile back, sitting in her usual spot.
As soon as Ryan was seated, the King took over.
"Ryan has expressed to me how immensely pleased he is with his gifts, and on his behalf, I'd like to thank everyone." He took his first bite of the meal, and everyone else settled in accordingly. Smiling, the King turned towards the son in question, "Brandon tells me that you were quite lucky in the hunt today, Ryan."
"Yes, your Majesty." Ryan poked at his food with his fork, pushing it around the plate, "I took down two stag."
"With a musket?" The man with the lemon-face spoke up excitedly. His accent gave him away as the Englishman.
Ryan automatically sneered, turning up his nose slightly, "No. With the crossbow."
The Queen smiled, "All my children are gifted in the hunt. It is a gift I do not possess in any shape or form."
There was polite laughter around the table.
Ryan grinned at her, "Devon shot a goat, your Majesty. I would hardly call that gifted."
There was more polite laughter, but it was outshone by the loud, genuine laugh of Red Suit.
Ryan turned to him, "You enjoy hunting?"
Before Red Suit could answer, there was a loud uproar from the table as the suitors leaned forward, exclaiming of their hunting prowess. Ryan leaned back, startled.
The King cleared his throat, and the din died down, "Yes, well, you have to remember that Devon was on his old stag, Diablo. How does the new horse ride?"
A sudden murmur of protest rose around the table at the mention of such a gift.
Ryan tried his best to ignore it, "Excellent, your Majesty. The second stag took us all the way across the bridge and along the rim of the village, and he wasn't even winded. I've decided to name him Comet."
Red Suit smiled.
- - -
The following morning, Ryan was permitted to sleep til noon, and was once again forced awake by the maids drawing the curtains back, letting sunlight in.
His manservant, as usual, expertly averted his eyes as Ryan was disrobed, "The Queen has suggested that you might like to spend time with your guests out on the West Lawn."
Ryan chose a pair of cropped trousers with the heat in mind, "I suppose..." He stood still as his shirt was buttoned and tucked in, waving a vest away with a face, "They can watch me play a game of croquet."
- - -
"I call hot team," Devon drawled, winging his mallet up to rest it on his shoulder, "There's no way I'm starting with you lot, I'll never hear the end of it."
"Megan, you can be on my team," Ryan smiled, "I'll play black ball if you like."
Kristin frowned, "Oh, Devon, don't make me play yellow, I HATE striking last..."
Megan glanced up the lawn, speaking in a low undertone, "Don't look now, Ryan, but your fanclub is on the way."
It was true. The majority of the suitors had turned out to ogle at him while he played.
"Whatever." Ryan watched the servants set up the hoops, setting his ball down the proper distance away from the first one when they'd finished. Grinning, he raised the club high and gave the wooden ball a hard knock, sending it through the first hoop. His second hit was good, but less successful.
As Megan got in place for her shots, his eye caught the dark red clothes of Red Suit, sitting in the shade of the impromptu tents with the other suitors as the servants doled out tea.
Devon waved Kristin on to her shot with the red ball, leaning on his mallet like it was a cane, "You know, Ryan, just because these idiots are watching doesn't mean Kristin and I are going to go easy on you. Does it Kristin?" Devon lit a cigarette, taking a long drag off it.
"Obviously not. It'd be a lot better for them to find out how terrible you are at croquet now, rather than after the wedding." Smirking, she struck her ball. It was a good shot, knocking Megan's into an unfavorable position. Her second shot nearly got through the second hoop.
Devon clenched the cigarette between his teeth comically and got in a golfer's stance, wiggling his butt liberally as he squinted at the ball through one eye. Covering her mouth, Megan giggled. He finally gave the ball a hard hit, satisfied when it sailed through the first hoop. His second was rather careless, and got no where near the next hoop.
Ryan walked over for his next shot, "Where's Brandon?" He made the second hoop just barely, wincing as the ball rolled quite off course.
Kristin gathered her skirt, dropping down onto the lawn next to Devon, "Riding lessons. I saw him on the East Lawn when I was looking through his room for my mallet."
Megan made a face at Kristin, trying to correct the abysmal location of her ball thanks to her sister with a hard whack, "We should go for a swim after this, I'm sweating like crazy."
Devon snorted, tipping his head back to blow a thin stream of smoke up, "Royalty doesn't SWEAT, Megan. We perspire." He smirked, "And besides. I don't think getting Ryan in a bathing suit would be a very good idea, there might be a mob."
Ryan scowled at him, flopping down in the grass, "Oh, shut it."
- - -
"Jolly good game!"
Ryan was so startled at being spoken to by one of the suitors that it took him several seconds to realize it was the lemon-faced man.
"Pity you didn't win! I myself am quite good at the game. We often played it with mother on the castle lawn at home-"
"Yes, well, that's wonderful." Ryan rolled his eyes, looking away.
To his other side came a recognizable drawl, "I find all mallet sports incredibly dull."
Ryan smiled despite himself, glancing to his left at the speaker.
"But," Red Suit continued, eyes on lemon-face, "Trust the British to enjoy a game where the winner gains nothing but a feeling of satisfaction." He smirked at Ryan, "And I saw you use your foot on that fourth hoop. Shameful cheating, you should be banned from the sport."
"So they don't play croquet where you're from?"
"No, they don't..." He ran his eyes over Ryan's face curiously, "I can't believe someone who hunts with a crossbow would find a mallet sport of any interest."
Ryan frowned slightly, "It's a refined activity."
Red Suit smirked, "Well, so is needlepoint, but that doesn't make it enjoyable."
At some point, they had stopped walking. Ryan could feel Devon's eyes boring into his head from a distance.
Red Suit could evidently feel it too, "Your siblings don't approve of me, do they?"
Ryan fingered the handle of his mallet, "We're close. They don't approve of anyone."
"Answer me this," Red Suit cocked his head slightly to one side, "How are you to be courted?"
Ryan bit back a smile, "You'll have to ask my father about that."
Turning on his heel, he walked away.