August 27th, 1926

The family frolicked the city, visiting museums, cafes, shops, and many other places.

Three days before they were to leave Paris, Andrei had a surprise in store for Anastasia. It was a perfect sunny, warm day and the family decided to spend it at Bois de Vincennes, a garden park located in Eastern Paris.

Maria, Valentin, and the others stayed together to roam the area while Anastasia and Andrei left the group to explore together.

While exploring, they walked through a vine-covered tunnel. There, Anastasia started one of her many random conversations.

"Maria says I'm too old to wear a bow," she said to Andrei as she adjusted the lavender bow that was nestled in her strawberry blonde hair.

"Do you think I'm too old?"

"You're twenty-five! Not even old! I think you should wear whatever you want. No matter how old."

Anastasia nodded in agreement. "That's what I've been trying to tell Maria!"

As they strolled, the faint sound of music serenaded their ears. Curious about where it was coming from, they followed the sound to the end of the tunnel.

When they exited the tunnel, they came across a small band of four older men. One held an accordion, one held a violin, another sat at a small piano, and one sat with a guitar. The group was just playing a song and a few people stood around listening to the cheerful music.

Once they finished, the sound of applause filled the air.

"Merci! Merci! Vous êtes trop gentil!" the man holding the violin exclaimed.

Anastasia spotted a few people tossing coins into an open violin case.

"I may have a few coins." she searched her dress pockets for any spare change. When she found a few coins, she placed a few into the case.

"C'était absolument magnifique!" Anastasia complemented.

"Merci beaucoup, madame! Nous sommes heureux que vous ayez apprécié!" the man answered, beaming with pride.

Anastasia turned away to leave when the man stopped her.

"Attendez, madame!"

Anastasia looked back at him.

"Êtes-vous ici avec cet homme là-bas?" the man pointed to Andrei.

Anastasia nodded.

"Bien." he smiled. " Alors cette chanson suivante est pour vous deux."

Anastasia tried to open her mouth to explain that she and Andrei weren't together as in a relationship but it was too late. He motioned for his group to start playing.

"Cette chanson que nous jouons est pour les tourtereaux! Un et un deux et un, deux, trois, quatre!"

Anastasia rushed to Andrei who was confused about what was happening.

"What's going on?"

"Come on!" Anastasia took his arm and led him towards the band. "Let's dance!"

As the beginning of the music played, beginning with the accordion and the piano, Anastasia and Andrei started to dance, holding one another's hands. They both laughed as they spun each other around.

-

As this event occurred, Maria who was traveling alone down the vine-covered tunnel came across her sister and Andrei dancing.

'She looks so happy.' Maria thought to herself. 'Genuinely happy.'

Her eyes shifted to Andrei who was gazing at Anastasia as he moved around her.

Although Maria was so happy for the both of them, she was slightly worried about Andrei. He had come to her alone earlier that morning, bearing news Maria had found shocking. She hoped her sister wouldn't disappoint him.

With one last smile, she went back into the vine-covered tunnel and disappeared from sight.

-

The man with the violin began to sing as more instruments accompanied the accordion and piano.

Love in the streets of Paris!~

Quite the lovely sight to behold!~

Love makes you crazy sometimes!~

At least that's what I've been told!~

Andrei danced freely, his arms and legs extending as he twirled Anastasia around. His tall, slender figure towered over Anastasia, his shadow covering her face. His soft hands separated from hers but always grasped it after a few seconds apart.

I'll find you somehow!~

Yet I always do!~

That's when I realized!~

All I needed in life was you!~

Andrei and Anastasia studied each other's faces and how they both moved so smoothly around each other. No person was leading their dance now, every twirl and step seemed to be planned in advance.

Fools say love is for dreamers!~

But we all know they are wrong!~

Our everlasting love we will cherish!~

Out on the streets of Paris!~

As the last line of the song was sang, the music slowed.

Anastasia bowed jokingly and Andrei curtsied, making the people around laugh. Once the music stopped, the people applauded the two including the band of men.

"Parfait! C'était parfait! Vous dansez à merveille ensemble!" the man with the violin praised.

"Merci! Vous jouez tous si bien! Merci d'avoir joué cette chanson pour nous! Ici. Prends ça." Anastasia pulled a few more coins out of her pocket and bent down to toss them in the case.

The man stopped her.

"Non non. Vous nous avez déjà suffisamment informés. Le pourboire est facultatif, notre récompense est de voir les sourires sur les visages des gens lorsque nous jouons notre musique. Notre récompense a été accomplice."

Anastasia placed the money back into her pocket. "Continuez à jouer, à partager votre talent avec les Parisiens. Vous avez tous des cadeaux et ces cadeaux font sourire les gens. Merci d'avoir partagé le vôtre avec nous." she gesutred to Andrei as she spoke the last sentence.

"Merci. Votre gentillesse est appréciée. J'espère que vous et votre mari vivrez une longue vie heureuse."

"Oh, ce n'est pas mon mari. Juste un ami."

"Eh bien, d'après ce que je peux voir, il est follement amoureux de toi. N'as-tu pas remarqué? La façon dont il vous regardait en dansant. C'est l'amour."

"Tu penses vraiment cela?"

"Je ne pense pas, chérie. Je sais. Il y a quelque chose à propos de Paris et de l'amour qui vont si bien ensemble."the man smiled.

Anastasia couldn't believe the next words that came out of her mouth.

"Je suis d'accord."

"Que puis-je dire? Paris transforme les gens! Eh bien, amis ou pas," the man said with a smirk. "Je vous souhaite à tous le meilleur! Bonne journée!"

Anastasia, a soft smile on her face, traveled back to Andrei. As they walked away from the crowd, they heard another song start to play.

"What were you talking about with that man?" Andrei asked.

"Oh, nothing." Anastasia chuckled.

"Just the music."

-

The rest of the day was spent laughing as Andrei and Anastasia roamed the grounds. They rolled down hills, waltzed across bridges, admired the statue gardens, and watched as the sun began to set.

Although they were far away from where they danced, they still managed to hear the sound of music from the band.

Andrei and Anastasia were alone on one of the park's bridges. Fireflies swirled around them and pairs of swans swam on the water below. The sky was swirling with pinks, purple, and reds.

Andrei couldn't help but feel like he was back at home in Ekaterinburg. He remembered the times that he and Anastasia had walked on the bridge above the Iset river, talking about their plans for what they would do the following day.

His mind drifted from the past and back into the present. Suddenly, he remembered something that would make this day a whole lot better.

'How am I going to tell her?' his mind struggled to think of answers. 'Surprise her? Just say it?'

Doing the one thing his mind thought of, he grabbed Anastasia's hand with his right hand and twirled her around multiple times while his left hand fumbled in his shirt pocket. After letting go of her hand and letting her spin by herself, it was time.

"Andrei!" Anastasia giggled, a bit dizzy. Once she faced Andrei, she was met with a sight that made her gasp in fright.

It was Andrei, down on one knee, a ring of sapphire in his hand.

-

Maria and the family were just walking through a flower garden when she saw Andrei charging toward the exit of the garden. Anastasia appeared a few moments later, her clothes drenched with water, a frown on her face.

Maria sighed. She couldn't even imagine how Andrei felt. Her answer to this engagement was right.

Anastasia had rejected the marriage.

"Why wouldn't you marry him?" Maria asked Anastasia as they both lay in bed later that night. Valentin was sleeping in Andrei's room.

"I just couldn't, Mashka. Andrei is a wonderful man. I love him...just not enough to marry him. Give myself to the restraints of marriage? I don't want to be limited to the things I want to do if I was married. No more jokes? Fun?"

Anastasia's mind echoed with the words Andrei had said to her as they argued on the bridge.

-

"You are always so happy with me! Why don't you want to marry me? We can have a family together! You'll be a wonderful mother! I'll be a father! Our children can remember us! Children or not, please Anastasia. I've loved you ever since I saved you. I'm just not good enough for you, that's it."

"Stop that, Andrei!"

"You come from a long bloodline of royals while I come from a family who just owns a business in the market. I can't compare to you."

"Can everyone stop saying that! Just because I come from royalty doesn't mean I'm any different! Grand Duchess and Tsarina are just titles! I would rather be an average citizen with nothing to her name than be royalty!"

"You snobby ex-duchess! Your blind to the world. Before the war, you hadn't seen such acts of violence and cruelty. You don't even know what we people had to deal with. The sacrifices we had to make. Your perfect princess life. Anastasia Romanov, you are dead to the world."

With that, Andrei threw the ring off of the bridge and into the rushing water below.

In an attempt to get it back, Anastasia threw her shoes off and jumped into the stomach deep water but it was too late. The ring was gone forever.

Once Anastasia had stepped out of the river, she saw Andrei charging away.

-

"Anastasia, I know Andrei would never limit you to the things you want to do-" Maria started.

"I don't want to marry and I don't want to speak about this matter anymore. Goodnight."

Anastasia turned off the room lamp and closed her eyes. Maria wondered where Andrei could be. He had left the gardens and never returned to the hotel.

She felt terrible for him. Eight years of loving someone, only to find out that his lover had never loved him in return such as he did. She was even more shocked that he had only told Maria about the proposal. Everyone gasped in surprise once Anastasia had declared the news.

'He has to come back to the hotel. He can't just wander around Paris for the night,' Maria thought as she lay in bed looking out at the room.

Completely unaware of the betrayal she would face the next day, she fell asleep.