March finally arrived.

One very early rainy morning, Anastasia awoke to hear screams coming from down the hall. She ran to the room where Maria was staying to see her sister in bed, moaning in pain. Around her, stood members of the household. The children were tucked away in their rooms, unwoken by this commotion. Tears and sweat dripped down Maria's face as the doctor examined her.

"The baby is coming now," he whispered to Alexandra who gripped her hands to her chest. By now, the other servants had crowded into the room.

"Quick! Quick! Everyone out except Alexandra!" the doctor shooed everyone away.

Anastasia stomped toward him in protest.

"I need to stay! For my sister!" Anastasia pointed to Maria, who nodded through her pain.

"Please-" Maria started to explain but was cut off by her screams.

"You're going to have to leave!" he pushed everyone out into the hallway.

Olga and Xenia clung tightly to each other, while Valentin paced the ground, distressed by his wife's cries. Milana and Egor stood next to each other, trying to calm their son. Andrei sat next to Anastasia who prayed under her breath. Thunder boomed outside. Maria's screams didn't cease. Hours passed and Anastasia kept praying, fearful something would happen to her sister.

'I can't lose her, not now.'

The screams still didn't stop. Servants had brought breakfast to the group on plates but Anastasia refused to eat. The thought of eating at a time like this made her feel sick.

Another hour passed and at about one in the afternoon, Maria's screams died down. All was finally silent. The door opened in which seemed like forever and out walked Alexandra, crying softly. Valentin ran to her, alarmed while Anastasia stood up from the ground.

'Is she crying tears of joy? Sadness? Oh no.'

Anastasia feared the worst.

"You can come in now," Alexandra gestured for them to enter. Anastasia closed her eyes as she stepped into the room. She was scared she'd see her sister dead.

Instead, she found Maria sitting up in bed with an awake baby wrapped in a blanket in her arms. Valentin ran to his wife. He bent down next to the bed and looked at his newborn child.

"Oh, Maria." he smiled softly. Anastasia stood in place, shocked. She never thought this day would come.

Anastasia thought her sister's life had ended in that dark cellar two years ago. Now there was a new baby Romanov, squalling in the nursery.

"Nastasia, dear," Maria whispered. "It's a girl."

Anastasia squealed silently, not wanting to alarm the baby. More people, mostly servants, came into the room, gasping at the little bundle of joy.

"What is her name?" Olga asked, looking over Maria.

"We have picked Vivianne. Vivianne Nikolaevna-Golovin-Romanov."

"How beautiful!" Xenia remarked.

"She has your saucers." Anastasia chuckled, pointing to Vivianne's blue eyes. The family had always called Maria's bright blue eyes, Mashka's saucers.

"Yes, she does." Maria laughed.

The rest of the day was spent in the room obsessing over little Vivianne. Anastasia snapped a photo of the pair.

Written on the back of the photo by Anastasia was,

Maria and baby Vivianne - born March 17th, 1921

Later that night after everyone had gone to bed, the sisters talked in the nursery while little Vivianne slept.

"Do you think Vivianne has it?"

"No. Remember Nastasia, girls can't bleed." Maria reassured her sister.

Girls in their family didn't bleed. Only boys.

The girl's younger brother, Alexei, had hemophilia. A disease that caused blood not to clot properly. Maria and Anastasia's mother had inherited it from Queen Victoria and she passed it on to Alexei. A simple bruise or nosebleed could kill. One incident in Poland left the young boy close to death. The family had tried to hide as much of his illness as possible, saying it would alarm the Russian people to know their heir was sick.

Maria feared if she had a son, the worse was to be expected.

-

A few days after the baby's birth, Dasia arrived from Russia with chests of belongings. Once while in her room unpacking, Andrei came in to help.

"Come here!" Dasia alerted her nephew, picking up a picture frame from a box.

"It's a photo of Natalya and Yelena." she whispered.

"Where did you find this? I've never seen it before."

"Tucked away in a box while I was cleaning out the house. Your mother was so beautiful."

Andrei usually didn't cry but he only left an exception for Anastasia and his family. He bit his lip as his eyes filled with tears.

"I miss them so much!" he put his head on his aunt's shoulder.

"I know my sweet nephew. I miss them too."

-

June 7th, 1921

That summer, the family all decided to travel to Hunstanton, a seaside town only about fifteen minutes from Sandringham. One sunny day, the family headed off to the beach.

"It's so wonderful to be back at a beach!" Maria sighed, smelling the sea-salted air.

"It feels good to see the water once again," Valentin said as he spread a blanket onto the sand. The children shrieked with happiness as the waves splashed their toes.

"Vasili, Catia, Sinvoia, Leonid, Mikhail, come get your swimming suits on!" Maria called. She and Valentin had been given orders to watch the children so they weren't up to any trouble.

"I don't need a nanny! I'm eight years old! Too old for one!" Sinvoia insisted as she ran to Maria.

"Too old!?" Maria giggled as the rest of the children ran to her. Soon they were splashing around in the waves in their bathing suits.

"I played a prank on Maria a few years ago when we were at the sea. I pretended to drown! She was so mad!" Anastasia explained as she and Andrei swam.

Valentin traveled deeper into the water with the children while Maria stayed on shore with little three-month-old Vivianne. She had a smile painted on her face until she saw Anastasia chasing Andrei along the shore with something dangling from her fingers.

"Nastasia, what is that?" Maria asked, concerned.

"A jellyfish!" Andrei yelled as he ran.

"Anastasia Nikolaevna! Put that down!"

Anastasia chucked the jellyfish behind her and it fell onto the sand. Maria scoffed as Anastasia continued to chase Andrei down the shoreline. Her sister was always a daredevil and did dangerous things without thinking. Just then Vivianne, who was nestled in a blanket awoke.

"Hello, sweet sunbeam." Maria gazed into her sparkling eyes. Her hair had grown in a bit and it was brown with a hint of gold, just like her mother's.

"She looks like a little doll of you." Anastasia remarked as she ran up to them. She laid back onto the blanket and watched as the clouds rolled by. It wasn't long until Anastasia drifted off to sleep. Just as she did, Maria started to scream.

"Valentin! Valentin!" she shrieked. Anastasia looked at the water to see Valentin playing with the other children while Mikhail was separated from the group, struggling to keep his head above the water.

"Valentin! Mikhail!" Maria ran to the shoreline with Vivianne in her arms. Finally that time, Valentin noticed Mikhail. He pulled him from underneath the water, carried the boy out of the water, laid him on the blanket, and gave him a moment to breathe.

"Mikhail? Are you alright?" Maria cradled the boy in her arm.

"Yes, I think. Just in shock."

"Valentin, you should have been watching him! What if he were to drown?"

"He didn't drown! He's fine, Maria!"

Maria's eyes flashed with rage. She took a breath. She hated being cross. "Just please make sure you watch over him next time, Valentin."

The rest of the car ride back home was silent as Maria and Valentin didn't speak to each other.

It wasn't until later that night when Anastasia was passing by Maria's room that she heard them arguing. She hated the sound of her sister fighting. She was too kind to ever be mad at someone. Anastasia hoped this would be their last fight.