August 27th, 1940

It was nineteen-forty. War still raged on.

There was no news from the men out fighting. The family stuck to the radio every morning and night, listening to the latest broadcast of the war. Places being bombed. People being sent to camps in other places of Europe. America joined the fight. No news was good news anymore.

The lives of the Romanov sisters were crumbling more and more every day but wasn't until an unexpected event one night that would scar them forever.

It was a late August night. The family had just gone to bed. Maria was fast asleep when she was awoken by a loud humming noise. It would cease for a few seconds but then return.

Maria sat up in bed, curious at what the noise was. The noise grew fainter but it could still be heard. An ear-splitting siren rang out.

Suddenly, a whoosh was heard. A loud explosion sounded in the distance which made her jump. More explosions were heard. It then dawned on her. Things she had heard on the radio were becoming true.

Air raid.

Maria sprinted to Vivianne's room. More planes flew above and more bombs fell.

"Quick! Down to the basement!" Maria screamed above the noise of the sirens. The house didn't have an air-raid shelter. The basement wasn't the best place to go, but it would have to do for now.

"Get your siblings! Take them down to the basement!"

Since Vivianne was the oldest, now nineteen, she was in charge of her siblings.

Maria ran out into the hall to see the rest of the residents of the house, leaving their rooms. Maria ran down to the basement where she found her family, the Golovins, and the servants crowded against the wall.

After hours passed, the bombs didn't stop. Everyone could feel the ground shake below them. Nine-year-old Louis began to cry.

"It's alright, Louis! Mama's coming!" Maria called to her son. She began to stand but Anastasia stopped her.

"Don't worry. I've got this, Mashka."

Anastasia sat down next to the boy. He laid his head on her shoulder.

"The bombs sound like thunder!" Louis sniffed. Anastasia remembered something.

"Do you remember that song from the film we watched a few years at the movie theatre? Miss Garland's song?"

"Yes," Louis sniffled. "The one Judy Garland sang in Listen, Darling?"

"Yes, that's the one." Anastasia answered softly. "Judy was singing to the little boy to comfort him during the thunderstorm."

"I like that part." Louis smiled through his tears.

"I'll be Judy. You'll be Scotty," Anastasia whispered.

Much to everyone's surprise, the Romanov began to sing, her contralto voice shining through like sunshine.

♬"Did you ever wonder why in thunder, thunder comes in spring? Once upon a time, it seems all the world was wrapped in dreams"♬

Even though it was hard to hear over the sound of planes, Maria knew it was her sister's voice. Anastasia had never sung in front of people, at least not this good. She always mocked the singer and acted along, but this singing was different. Everyone looked around at one another, shocked. Anastasia was unaffected by the gasps. She simply gazed into Louis's eyes.

♬"Spring is in the air, you know. It's time to wake 'em up below"♬

Anastasia continued to sing, her voice as smooth as a knife cutting into butter. Maria desperately wanted to sing along, but she let her sister have this moment. She found herself close to tears. Bombs still fell but no one heard anything because all ears were listening to Anastasia.

♬"So, when the thunder starts to thunder, don't run home and cry."♬

Andrei was amazed by her voice. He had always found new ways to fall in love with her everyday.

♬"The world will wear a new bonnet, daffodils on it Thanks to the skies above."♬

The way Anastasia bit her lip when thinking. The small glimmer of excitement in her eyes when on an adventure. The way her laughter brought smiles to faces.

♬"Thunders and showers, wake up the flowers. Where there are flowers, there must be love,"♬

But her voice topped it off.

♬"So, laugh at raindrops, laugh at thunder, clouds will soon roll by. They're playing ten-pins in the sky."♬

After singing, the room was silent with shock. Anastasia only smiled, satisfied she had made her nephew happy.

-

It wasn't until after sunrise that the bombs finally stopped. The family walked out onto the porch of the house to see smoke pouring into the air from Kings Lynn in the distance. They were all grateful that Sandringham wasn't hit. The rest of the day was spent resting. Maria prayed another raid wouldn't happen. Of course, she was wrong.

The town suffered many more raids and it wasn't until four more raids passed in the span of two months that the house received a telegram from London.

"What does it say?" Elena asked. Everyone was in the saloon, waiting for Anastasia to read it aloud.

"My god..." Egor breathed once Anastasia had read half of the letter.

"Are you sure that's what it says?" Sinvoia asked.

"Yes!" Anastasia smiled. "The King of England has given us a place to stay during the war!"

"Where?"

"Buckingham Palace."