The Romanov Diary

Chapter thirty five

July 20, 1918

Yurovsky hasn't caught up with them. Not yet, at least. It took them a while to realise they had taken the wrong way into the forest, and by then their prey were long gone without a trace.

The last Romanov children and their friends have been on the run for three days now. They've seen nothing but trees, rocks and sometimes animals since they left their truck on the side of the road. They walk for many hours a day with a few breaks for water and food. Then they sleep under the bare stars and try together to process their traumas and get on with their lives. The stars and the moon bring them comfort every night, almost as if they are watching over them.

Protecting them

So does the sun. She provides them with enough heat and light to continue walking. She infiltrates them with energy and constantly reminds them of not giving up. And when she can no longer be in the sky to help them, her sister - the moon - with its stars will take over and watch over them. It's almost as if the animals and Mother Earth are on their side as well. The weather has been very pleasant and they often stumble upon small creeks and streams, filled with fresh and clean water from the mountains.

Ophelia and Theo have also managed to catch a few fish for them to eat in the evenings. Alexei has helped whenever he's had the energy to. Joy has also tried, but not with as much luck. Milo has tried to help Ella as much as possible to read the map. They're very lucky that they came to Russia with the knowledge of speaking the language. Without the art of knowing Russian, they would never have gotten to where they are now.

Both in good and bad.

A few days ago, they lived in somewhat elegance in a big white house with proper food everyday and beds to sleep in. Now, they sleep directly on the ground under the light of the stars and have to fight for food while being chased by the government. They're all dirty, smelly and still covered in blood. And they have one goal in sight:

leave the country.

"I would do anything for a shower right now." Ophelia whines as they continue their journey through the woods.

"Or deodorant." Milo says with Alexei on his back.

"Personally I could kill for a glass of coke." Theo laughs with Anastasia next to him.

Joy whines as they speak, almost as if she wants to contribute to the conversation. She's been living off the same food as the others, and she would probably love some good old bones or a steak.

"I know Joy, we'll get you some food eventually." Alexei looks down at his dog.

They continue to walk in silence, listening to the sound of birds chirping and the wind whissing between the trees and mountains.

"If my calculations are correct, we should reach a city in a few days. And according to the map, there should be a train station." Ella looks up from the map.

"Finally, my legs are screaming from all the walking." Anastasia sighs.

Ophelia looks over at the young girl, and sees how much her legs are shaking.

"You know what? Why don't we rest for a bit? We've been walking since the sun rose." She suggests.

They all pleasantly take a seat on the ground. Joy, the most energetic out of them, finds a branch and runs up to Alexei with a wagging tail.

"Not now, Joy." He says and takes the branch away from her.

She whines and sits down between Milo and Alexei.