BLJaR Meet Anastasia Chapter 4

Chapter 4

*On descending from the mountains, spring is in the air. The crocus' are peeking their heads through patches of snow. The journey of Anya, Dimitri, Vlad, Linde, the Fantasy Adventure Team, and The Trimaxian Adventure Crew is seen through a map that highlights their route to Paris across Russia*

Johnny: *moans* Are we going to walk to Paris?

Dimitri: We'll take a boat in Germany.

Anya: Oh. Then we're walking to Germany?

Dimitri: No, you grace. We're taking a bus.

Anya: A bus! That's nice.

*As they make their way towards a bridge, Vladimir appears to be in a feverish excitement over meeting an old flame in Paris*

Vlad: *calling out* Sophie, my dear! Vlady's on his way!

Linde: Who's Sophie?

Vladimir: *lost in warm memories* Who is Sophie? She's a tender little morsel.

Dimitri: Vlad.

Vladimir: *continued* The cup of hot chocolate after a long walk in the snow.

Dimitri: Vlad, ixnay on the "Ophie-say."

Vlad: *takes Dimitri by the arms and dips him like after a dance* She's a decadent pastry filled with whipped cream and laughter.

Johnny: I'm confused, is this a person or a cream puff? Either way, it's making me hungry.

Rae: *sighs* I think it's romantic when a man speaks of a woman in such a sweet way.

Vlad: *throws aside Dimitri* She's the empress's ravishing first cousin! *scats*

Popeye: Wah? I tots we's gonna sees the Empress 'erself.

Anya: Why are we going to see her cousin? *to Dimitri* Dimitri?

Dimitri: Well, nobody gets near the dowager empress without convincing Sophie first.

*Vladimir hums, gathering flowers in the background, as it suddenly dawns on Anya*

Anya: Oh no. Not me. No, no. Nobody ever told me I had to prove I was the grand duchess.

Logan: I knew there'd be a catch to this scheme.

Dimitri: Look, I--

Anya: Show up, yes; Look nice, fine; but lie? *fiddles with her necklace*

Leo: Now, hold on. We don't know that. For all we know, there's always that small percentage of truth within even the greatest of lies.

Anya: Hmm. *turns to walk away*

Dimitri: *grabs her arm* Okay, so there's one more stop on the road to finding out who you are. I just thought this was something you had to see through to the end, no matter what.

Anya: *sighs* But look at me, Dimitri! I'm not exactly grand duchess material here. *groans and stomps off*

Benny: Poor girl. In some way, I can tell just how it must feel.

Justin: How's that, Benny?

Benny: Let's just say that being a beast means there's no guarantee being "fairest in the land".

Leo: *to Justin* One time, Benny used to be a human prince until… Well, it's hard to talk about it.

Justin: Oh. I understand.

Bonnie: I used to be human too, you know, Benny.

Benny: Really?

Isaac: Yeah, we forgot to tell you that, didn't we?

Loki: *growls, translates* You think?

Justin: It's kind of hard to talk about as well.

Benny: *nods* I understand. *looks to Anya* All the same, if only there was some way to improve Anya's self-confidence in herself.

Teresa: The poor thing's got a lot of trouble on her mind.

Linde: Not to worry. Vlad and I can reason with her. *walks with Vlad to Anya*

Johnny: *eyes widen* Wait! She's a Snow Leopard?

Teresa: *face palms* Ugh…

*To the bridge, as Anya mopes, Linde and Vlad join up with her. Vlad in general directs her attention to the water*

Vlad: *gives Anya a rose* Tell me, child. What do you see?

*Anya looks at her reflection in the water. Her face is smudged and she's wearing boy's clothes*

Anya: I see a skinny little nobody- with no past and no future. *throws the rose into the water*

Vlad: *smiles* I see an engaging and fiery young woman who, on a number of occasions has shown a regal command equal to any royal in the world. And I have known my share of royalty. *looks around* You see, my dear… I was a member of the imperial court.

Linde: You see, Anya? We can't just give up now, not after how far we've gone just to get here. Otherwise, we'll never know for sure if you truly are as people think you are unless we discover the truth ourselves.

Anya: *to Linde* So, you're okay that you can now walk around and letting people know you're a walking, talking Snow Leopard?

Linde: Shh! *whispers* Not so loud. Isaac and his friends made it so that I appear human to Dimitri and Vlad. The point is: If I can truly accept myself for who I am, I think you should too.

*Anya ponders her options for a moment, which was very brief, as Dimitri's face shows up reflected in the pond next to theirs*

Dimitri: So, are you ready to become the Grand Duchess Anastasia?

Vlad: *gives Dimitri a stern look* Hmm.

*Anya is still annoyed at Dimitri for not being honest with her, even Linde gives Dimitri a look*

Dimitri: What?!

Linde: You really know how to kill a mood, Dimitri. Honestly.

Vlad: *to Anya* There is nothing left for you back there, my dear. Everything is in Paris.

Benny: *walks up to them* Besides, we've already come this far. Why turn back now?

Leo: We'll help you one baby step at a time, Anya. That is no lie.

Logan: As your friends, we never do. *looks to Dimitri* Unlike some people…

*Anya thinks it over for a bit. And then, she makes her decision*

Anya: Hmm. Gentlemen... *turns to the group* start your teaching.

Vlad: I remember it well- *singing* You were born in a palace by the sea.

Anya: *singing* A palace by the sea?
Could it be?

Vlad: *singing* Yes, that's right.
You rode horseback when you were only three.

Anya: *singing* Horseback riding? Me?

Vlad: *singing* And the horse…

Dimitri: *singing* He was white!

Vlad: *singing* You made faces and terrorized the cook!

Dimitri: *singing* Threw him in the brook!

Anya: *singing* Was I wild?

Dimitri: *singing* Wrote the book!

Vlad: *singing* But you'd behave when your father gave that look!

Dimitri: *singing* Imagine how it was!

Vlad: *singing* Your long-forgotten past!

Vlad & Dimitri: *singing* We've lots and lots to teach you and the time is going fast!

Anya: *singing* All right…I'm ready!

Vlad: *singing* Now, shoulders back and stand up tall

Dimitri: *singing* And do not walk, but try to float.

*Anya and the girls float, Dimitri and the boys 'sort've' float, while Vlad really floats*

Anya: *singing* I feel a little foolish.
Am I floating?

Vlad: *singing* Like a little boat!

Dimitri: *singing* You give a bow.

Anya: *singing* What happens now?

*Anya curtsies, placing her hand in Dimitri's*

Vlad: *singing* Your hand receives a kiss!

Vlad & Dimitri: *singing* Most of all remember this:

Leo: *singing, takes Anya by the hand* If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it.

Benny: *singing* Something in you knows it --

Benny, Leo & Vlad: *singing* There's nothing to it!

Leo: *singing* Follow in our footsteps

Vlad: *singing* Shoe by shoe!

Benny, Leo, Vlad & Dimitri: *singing* You can learn to do it too!

*As the seminar to be a Grand Duchess is in progress, the group hitch a ride on a swine cart rather than walking*

Vlad: *singing* Now, elbows in and sit up straight

Dimitri: *singing* And never slurp the stroganoff.

Anya: *singing* I never cared for stroganoff!

Justin: *singing* She said that like a Romanov!

Aurora Rose: *singing* The Samovar.

Rae: *singing* The caviar.

Anya: *singing* Dessert and then goodnight?

Linde & Isaac: *singing* Not until you get this right!

*Soon, the group are hitching horseback rides on the countryside. Trotting through fields and over fences, all while teaching Anya how to properly ride a horse like royalty*

Vlad: *singing* If I can learn to do it

Dimitri: *singing* If he can learn to do it

Vlad: *singing* You can learn to do it!

Dimitri: *singing* You can learn to do it

Vlad: *singing* Pull yourself together

Vlad & Dimitri: *singing* And you'll pull through it!

Benny: *singing* Tell yourself it's easy

Sunlight: *singing* And it's true!

Everyone: *singing* You can learn to do it too!

*During that portion of the song, Dimitri is thrown off his horse, that refused to jump over a fence. Several team members laugh at Dimitri's misfortune, preferably Logan. Onward down the road to Paris, Vladimir, from nowhere, produces a huge chart featuring Anastasia's family tree*

Vlad: *singing* Next, you must memorize the names of the royalty.
Now here we have Kropotkin

Dimitri: *singing* Shot Potemkin

Vlad: *singing* In the Botkin.

Johnny: *winces* Yowch!

Vlad: *singing* And dear old uncle Vanya loved his vodka

Dimitri: *singing* Got it Anya?

Anya: *singing* No!

Vlad: *singing* The Baron Pushkin

Anya: *singing* He was…?

Dimitri: *singing* Short!

Vlad: *singing* Count Anatoly

Anya: *singing* Had a… ?

Dimitri: *singing* Wart!

Vlad: *singing* Count Sergei

Dimitri: *singing* Wore a feathered hat.

Vlad: *singing* I hear he's gotten very fat.

Anya: *singing* And I recall his yellow cat!

Logan: *singing* I don't believe you told her that.

*Vlad and Dimitri exchange a baffled glance, as they now help Anya learn to ride a bike, something she seemed rather rusty at. Still, the two men and her friends were more than willing to help*

Anya: *singing* If you can learn to do it,
I can learn to do it!

Vlad: *singing* Don't know how you knew it

Anya: *singing* I simply knew it!
Suddenly I feel like someone new…

Everyone: *singing* Anya, you're a dream come true!

*And finally, after a long enduring travel, teaching Anya everything she needed to know to truly embrace her Grand Duchess persona, the group finally arrives at port where their ship was ready to depart on it's maiden voyage to Paris. By now, Anya was just starting to get the hang of the new life she soon will enter*

Everyone: *singing* If I can learn to do it,

Anya: *singing* If I can learn to do it

Everyone: *singing* You can learn to do it!

Anya: *singing* You can learn to do it.

Everyone: *singing* Pull yourself together
And you'll pull through it!

Leo: *singing* Tell yourself it's easy,

Leo & Rae: *singing* And it's true --

Linde & Isaac: *singing* You can learn to do it,

Anya: *singing* Nothing to it!

Everyone: *singing* You can learn to do it too!