Chapter 27: Early April 1704

“Alexei, what do you think of that building?” Peter asked his son as he pointed to one of the buildings in the far distance.

His son, at the age of fourteen, looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. The Czar hoping to have more reaction from him, simply looked at him, waiting for something to come from him, but he simply didn’t care.

It was the early days of the construction of Saint Petersburg. The campaigns in capturing the fortresses and land by the Neva River were one of the significant successes during the Great Northern War. In 1703, the Czar walked up to the shores that led to the Atlantic and proclaimed that it was time that Russia had a normal port city of its own. Named after the apostle Saint Simon Peter, construction began on May 27th, 1703, and marked the beginning of what would become Russia’s second-largest jewel for their growing empire. Feliks and Bataar would get to participate in its construction, but it was not the best of times either for them.

It is said that the construction of Saint Petersburg was one of the most complicated and often horrific conditions that builders had to go through. Serfs were conscripted along with Swedish prisoners of war in constructing the buildings that were needed. Tens of thousands of workers worked daily to create the structures while Peter made sure to gather every architect, engineer, and scientist to get the city built as quickly as possible. The workers were responsible for supplying their own tools, which barely existed. Some workers had to dig the dirt with their own hands. Feliks and Bataar were responsible, along with the countless other military guards and soldiers, to oversee the workers and ensure none would escape as they watched the workers build. Most that did run would die from disease and exposure anyway. It is said that Saint Petersburg was built from bones by the Russian society for the high mortality rate.

However, that being said, the Czar was correct. Saint Petersburg was doing its job. The Peter and Paul fortress was built to provide protection along with another fort that was being put up at the nearby Kotlin Island, a shipyard was constructed, and the numerous buildings needed to operate it was erected. The shipyards began to pump out warship after trading ship after warship after trading ship in the mad rush to get Russia’s feet in the deep waters. Resource after resource was poured into a city that was, in Peter’s eyes, the most vital city needed in Russia and even its possible capital one day. The buildings themselves were modeled after Amsterdam, Dutch’s capital, and marked a new era in how a city could look and feel to others that saw it.

Alexei finally looked at the building in the far distance and shook his head. “It looks like nothing in Moscow, father. I think it looks horrible.”

Peter stood with his son by his quickly built home that overlooked the buildings that lined by the house. Feliks, Bataar, and two other guards stood on watch, observed over the Czar as they were able to overhear their leader’s conversation. For Feliks, this was another typical day guarding the Czar. He was used to watching his Imperial Majesty always at work overlooking diagrams of the city as it was being built or talking with various dignitaries. However, it was a rare treat when he could see and hear a conversation with his own family members, such as his son, who has rarely been seen since he was kept elsewhere.

“Son ... this is going to be yours one day. All of this will be yours. This will become the future capital of Russia. Your home will go straight to the Atlantic. No longer will you be confined to Moscow and its drab state.”

Alexei seemed disinterested. “I don’t care, father.”

Even keeping a military composure, Feliks himself was surprised to hear the Czar’s son talking the way he was. This was a teen that was going to inherit the throne one day.

Peter towering over his son, got on his knees as he looked at him on the stone path that overlooked the street. “Alexei, my dear son, I don’t know what crap they put into your head. I am doing this for all the Russian people, for myself, and for you,” he put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Please, son, show some interest.”

Alexei brushed his father’s hand away as he walked back into the home, walking past Bataar that walked past her standing at attention as he opened the door. Menshikov, walking out of the house, saw the boy walk past him as he closed the door behind him. He shook his head, seeing the boy’s lack of care. Dressed in formal attire, Menshikov and, on a visit, walked up to the Czar that stood back up. Peter was disappointed as he shook his head.

“Trouble with your son?” Menshikov asked him as he stood next to him.

“Damn that woman and the Boyers for beseeching my son like this! I love my boy. Every time I try to reach out to him, he doesn’t care. This is going to be the heir to the people of Russia. How can he act like this?”

Peter crossed his arms as Menshikov told him the obvious. “How many times are you two together, your Imperial Majesty? I rarely ever see you together. How many times is he with the Boyers that have countless times opposed your views and possibly even conspiring against you when your back is turned? You need to have him with you more if you...”

The Czar interrupted him as he lifted his hand in the air. “I have reached out to him! I invite him everywhere I go! He turns it away or insists on being somewhere else. The boy ... I am trying to be a good father to him. I feel like I have been cursed by God.”

“There is much criticism about the city as well. Many of the Boyers and surrounding officials think the city is just an artificial city rather than a natural one. Some don’t even like the houses or buildings.”

“I suppose they want me to remove the damn beard tax I put down too!” Peter snapped. “That is the old ways, Menshikov. They don’t realize that I am trying to push Russia forward. We will fall behind and be at the mercy of the Europeans. I want us to work together, not be under their heel! I don’t regret my decision to have those men forced to cut their beards off. And those same men conspire against my back ... they try to turn my own son against me.”

“They are adapting, Peter, but they just need time, that is all. I don’t think your decision was a bad one either. Once they see this city in its full glory, I am sure they would love to live here.” Menshikov frowned as he looked down at a makeshift outdoor war table by the house. He tried to change the subject to occupy the Czar’s mind. “We might have this city, but the Swedes will be coming. They know you have a port here now. It is a matter of time before they have a fleet here.”

“What do you want, Menshikov? We already have a fort to protect the city. We already have a fleet being built as fast as we can do it. I go to the ports almost daily to help in the construction of these ships. What more can we ask for?”

“All I ask is that we keep our senses up and be ready for the inevitable. They may come, or they may never come, but we are still vulnerable right now more than you can ever believe, and if they capture this city, your hopes of reaching the Atlantic will fail.”

Peter put his hands to his hips. “They won’t take it. They won’t reach these shores, and they won’t touch a building.”

Menshikov went to the war table as he moved a wooden boat replica of their naval forces before he moved it back. “Sweden still blocks us from the Atlantic. We might have a port now, but they can still harass our ships as we sail past their capital. You have to admit that even with our shipbuilding, their ships are better quality than ours.”

“No doubt they do. All we need is more time.”

Peter sighed as he looked at the city some more. “I do miss Gordon and Lefort. I wish they could have seen this city.”

“Me too, Peter. They both passed away the same year, didn’t they?”

The Czar nodded.

“Seems like yesterday they were here, and now they are not,” Menshikov commented. “Gordon would have loved the fact we have a navy being built right now. It’s been practically four years now.”

Feliks understood what the Czar was talking about. Patrick Gordon was not only a teacher to Peter about the sea but almost a fatherly figure to him. The loss of two prominent characters in Peter’s life left a mark, but it was natural for men to live such short lives at this time. They both passed away in 1699.

“What else do we have on the schedule for today?” Peter asked Menshikov.

“One of your ambassadors from the Ottoman Empire, Raguzinsky, is returning today. He sent word ahead that there was a gift from the sultan to you but said nothing else about it. He should be arriving by later this afternoon.”

“Make sure he shows up here. He does not know the palace has not been fully completed yet.”

Menshikov nodded. “Of course.”

Later that day, Feliks and Bataar were relieved of their watches to catch their breath, get something to eat, and relax their legs, or at least Feliks did. They walked together privately to the barracks that were shared with the four other men.

The stone path was recently placed that led to the barracks. It was a hurriedly built structure along with a series of other barracks homes to fit the military soldiers and officers. In time these structures would not be needed, but for now, they were. Much like the cabin that was built for the Czar, they were protecting the leader of Russia, who oversaw the construction of his new capital. Springtime was upon the town as things were getting warmer. The snow was starting to melt, and plants were beginning to turn green once again. In the distance, more buildings were being erected as construction was still as busy as ever.

Both Feliks and Bataar walked the long path together in full uniform with weapons in hand.

“I promise our child will not turn out like how Alexei and Peter behave,” She quietly told him.

Bataar turned her head to look at Feliks as they now had time to talk to one another in a relatively private manner.

Feliks nodded as he turned to look at her. He quietly responded back to her to make sure any people that might be nearby would not hear. “It is a shame to not see them in better standing. Menshikov was right, too. They are barely together. I don’t know the full back story, but if he is being raised by people that don’t like the Czar, then it is not helping any either. Nonetheless, we will be with our child together when he or she grows up.”

“Two more years until...”

He nodded with a smile to her. “I can’t wait. This has been a rough ride for us, Bataar. We have been lucky these last four years. The most we saw was a couple of battles. We had to go through some rough shit together. Six years ago, when we were part of the trials and executions of the Streltsy uprising, we must have seen thousands get executed with countless others sent into exile. These last few years, we watch others work around us as we make sure they don’t escape. We are practically enslaving the population,” he looked around the walking path as there were a couple of people that passed by them but were disinterested in them. “I have to keep reminding myself that we are following orders for now.”

“I have gotten used to this. At least being here in this city, it is easier for me to protect you,” Bataar told him.

“It is amazing that they still don’t know that y...” he dropped what he was going to say, much to Bataar’s relief as a person walked past them.

“This is bad what is happening, but it still does not come close to the stuff I have seen in the past,” She responded back to him. “There is an end result though that Peter is right about. It is as complicated as it appears for people. The Grand Embassy is paying off what we did so long ago. The technologies are being implemented into the very city’s construction. The changes that everything is happening can be compared in years and years apart alone. Living as long as I have, you get used to days being seconds for you. To me, I can look at this city, and every time I blink, there is a new building or new structure in place. I do feel that the Swedes are coming. There is no way they are going to let this city stand after what it is being used to.”