tsarevnascphia:
≠ — Her brothers words sent a chill down her spine. He had been born for power, and had been raised to be prepared for this, she had not. Knowing that Dmitry had the weight of his family’s lives and that of his countrymen’s lives on his shoulders was not a burden that she thought she could carry. Yet, hearing such an expression come from him made her demeanor turn grim. Rather than focus on such a thing, she turned her attention to his mention of his wife, shaking away the chill that seemed to be staying with her. “Yekaterina has a delightful disposition, I would not think it that difficult.” She mused with a small, tight lipped smile.
She had time. The relief that washed over her almost made her let out a laugh. She did not though, but she physically relaxed, her shoulders having grown tense. “I did not think you would send me away just like that, I may be an inconvenience a times, but I do like to think you regard me fondly.” She teased, her resolve slipping slightly.
“I hope such conversations go well, I would quite like to see how my betrothed reacts to Russia, and I would not like to go to France right away.” She paused then, lips pursed. “Have you met with any of them before?”
he had been bred for ruling, and though his fist might not be made of iron in the way his father’s was, the current tsar knew his duty and the duty of those around him. dmitry inclined his head. “she does indeed,” he remarked, slow to give compliments to anyone, let alone the wife he adored more than most. while the tsar knew his sisters often needed a gentler hand and he was willing to provide it, there were moments he became as unyielding as ice.
the strength of russia was not entirely dependent upon his sisters’ marriages, though the tsar knew that they would play a part. still, he knew his youngest sister well enough to know she would never be happy in france, away from all she knew. “sofya,” he began, his eyes meeting hers. “your marriage and my fondness for you are not mutually exclusive. if our father were still alive, you’d already have been married off.” and probably to somewhere she’d hate even more than france. “we have a duty; i have a duty to russia. your marriage will help to foster good relations and solidify alliances without relying on maximillian.” he supposed he did not expect her to know all of these things, however, and the tsar sighed.
“i have met with the king several times regarding alliances and military.” he had not, however, met the man he’d chosen for her to marry.










