Tsarskoye Selo, September 1914
It seemed only yesterday when the imperial family was on good terms with their German relatives. How times have changed so suddenly. Olga, Tatiana and their mother, the Empress Alexandra, have underwent training to become Red Cross nurses at a private hospital on the family's estate.
Our campaign on the front has been disastrous so far. A close friend of mine fell near Allenstein in late August. The Germans have been proudly calling it the Battle of Tannenberg. One of the wounded survivors at the hospital brought back his personal belongings, which I intend to send to his family. He vaguely remembered my friend's final moments, but I was glad to know that he did not suffer and was not alone when he died. A prayer was conducted but without a burial as his body was not recovered. His death has been difficult to bear.
While I was grieving outside the hospital, I felt someone patting my back. I opened my eyes to see Olga and Tatiana. They consoled me as I struggled with my tears, realizing I had lost someone very close to me. Olga reminisced about her childhood memories of her cousin Ella, who died when she was only eight years old. She struggled to cope with the loss for months. They both hugged me before they had to return to class.
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