Watching through the lashes of my down-cast eyes, I see the tsar Alexis turn towards the Modest Five, and away from the Miserable One. I take a few more tiny steps to separate myself from the others.
Chosen from the 200 fine young women of the bride-show, what did he find specially pleasing? What does he see when he gazes upon us? Our elaborate gowns, rich furs, fine jewelry? Our modestly downcast eyes examining his remarkable royal boots? Our pale complexions made paler by fear? Who shall receive the tokens of his affection – handkerchief and ring – the invitation to his marriage bed?
Ivanka, betrays her pride thinking she will be tsaritsa, unclasps her hands. He will turn again. “Not to me,” I pray, taking another tiny step. Perchance I can flee. Run for the Steppes. Run to the taiga. Run far past home.
The room is still, silent except for six pounding hearts, and a man in the shadows, softly humming a popular folk tune.*
For Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge # 21: The Choice; Image: Tsar Alexei chooses his bride by Grigory Sedov.
*Dr. Teagarten has a fondness for young girls and humming. The conclusion to Champagne Love, an earlier Dr. Teagarten story written for Jane’s Microfiction Challenge can be found here. (Key to the Park)
© my frilly freudian slip
Lorraine's frilly freudian slip 
November 11, 2016 at 6:26 am
He’s going to choose her, though, isn’t he? There’s a kind of inevitability to it.
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November 11, 2016 at 7:32 am
I’m not sure if the tsaritsa is really in the picture. They did have an apparently happy marriage. Jane suggested her lover is waiting with fiery dark horses and troika to whisk them away to a dacha on the Black Sea.
I think taiga and a dash to Alaska — becoming dogsledders. But that’s another microfiction tale, lol.
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November 10, 2016 at 10:12 am
Good story!
I think it’s the woman in blue who looks so forlorn and resigned to her fate.
I did not expect Dr. Teagarten to have a role. That turns a sad story to creepy. :)
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November 10, 2016 at 11:19 am
He pops up in the strangest places, but he loves young women. There is a link with this story to a contemporary look at Dr. Teagarten and his “victims” from other stores — Champagne Lovers fills in some gaps.
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November 7, 2016 at 1:46 pm
What wonderful tension! That poor girl, I could really feel her fear, and her desire to flee and be free. Nicely done.
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November 7, 2016 at 8:17 pm
Thanks — I would not have wanted to be in her position. I’m glad I got her fear and tension across.
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November 7, 2016 at 5:04 am
A great story, filled with tension and nervous energy. I wonder if she’d make it to the steppes? Though surviving there is another thing. Just like dating TV shows really – the Bachelor choosing the ‘lucky’ girl. Yuck
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November 7, 2016 at 10:34 am
Rather than a rose, the lucky winner gets a ring and a hander-chief.
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November 7, 2016 at 11:17 am
And a Tsar for a husband :)
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November 7, 2016 at 8:16 pm
Oh, yeah, and that too!
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November 8, 2016 at 3:51 am
Haha! :)
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November 4, 2016 at 6:25 pm
I like the notion of one woman thinking flight…..I could understand that…..but what a terrible situation for those who fronted up and were not selected….I wonder what it did to their self esteem?
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November 4, 2016 at 8:54 pm
I suspect it was what it did to their mother’s tongues, too, that was not helpful. I suppose being rejected by the Tsar still made them good marrying prospects for lesser royals and nobles. I suppose the same goes for self-esteem today when not chosen beauty queen?
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November 4, 2016 at 4:05 pm
And if she did run for the Steppes, then what? I was trying to work out which one she is—the very last one in the line?
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November 4, 2016 at 4:49 pm
I’m awful with left and right — tiny one on the right in red. She’s not got a hope in hell, but she’s thinking flight, not fight. I’m not sure which one in the picture is the actual tsaritsa. He does chose another first who is paid off — long story, not mine — history’s.
Sorry didn’t get her any further than where her mind got her. She had no ideas either.
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November 4, 2016 at 5:14 pm
That was the one I thought you had in mind. Their dilemma is obvious. You see what their mothers are like. If the kid lets the side down I imagine Ma has something really unpleasant in store. I wonder what she did to get paid off? Tried to knife him?
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November 4, 2016 at 5:22 pm
Nothing so exciting! Tsar’s mentor wants to be brother in law of Tsar so has particular girl in mind; when she’s not #1, he pays off father of #1 to pretend to be a fainter, and thus not well enough to be tsaritsa. Then the pair get exiled for fraud! Sometimes rewriting history makes it more exciting.
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November 4, 2016 at 5:41 pm
That reminds me of a Henry James novel, I think it’s The Europeans, where the dastardly European intriguers dupe the gullible naive American girl/guy I don’t remember which of the brother/sister team was doing the marrying.
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November 10, 2016 at 10:09 am
I thought I had read that the first choice was given something to make her fall or faint, and that it actually was bad, even treasonous, for her father because it seemed that he was trying to pass his sick daughter off as perfectly healthy. It sounded much more malicious, but perhaps that was only the source.
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November 10, 2016 at 11:14 am
The father was forced to do so by the tsar’s mentor who wanted to marry the 2nd choice’s sister, thus becoming brother in law to the tsar. The pair, paid well for the ruse as she had been the tsar’s first choice, where then exiled and called frauds although they were forced to play along so the mentor could get what he wanted, or as one story goes. Got this from wiki — needs more research to confirm
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November 4, 2016 at 5:08 pm
Any suggestions as to an answer to “then what”?
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November 4, 2016 at 5:15 pm
Have her lover waiting with a pair of fiery horses and they run off together to a dacha on the Black Sea?
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November 4, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Sounds like time for a rewrite — is longer than 200 words okay?
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November 4, 2016 at 5:41 pm
Write a novel if it works! I’d read it :)
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November 4, 2016 at 2:03 pm
Oh no, he chooses her, I just know he does.
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November 4, 2016 at 4:51 pm
The real “winner” is in there, but apparently it was a happy marriage so I guess his boots showed he had some whimsy and some humour.
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