Hello Everyone! Hope you enjoy! Read and Review. Much love-C
Disclaimer: I am not Richelle Mead not matter how much I wish I was. On second thought, I would rather be Rose. She gets Dimitri.
DPOV
"Headmistress, I really think this would be a good learning opportunity for Rose," I pleaded my case for the third time that week.
Kirova's face stayed neutral as she challenged me. "Guardian Belikov, what could she possibly learn there that she cannot learn here?"
"With all due respect, mam, that is not my point. I will be gone for a month. A month will be a long time for her not to have lessons with me. She will get rusty, out of shape. She has come so far; I would hate to see her fall back now." I was always proud when I talked of Rose's accomplishments. Sure it made me look good, but I would be proud of my Roza anyway.
"You do make a good point. You are her prime motivator. The princess doesn't push her hard enough. She seems to rely on the bond, like Miss Hathaway did before she came back. She needs Vasilissa for her mental well-being. She seems to keep her calm, but she needs you just as much, if not more."
"I agree. However, I would also like to bring up another point. With everything that happened in Spokane last month with her friends and Mr. Ashford's death, I think it would be good for her to get away for a little while. She may put on a brave face, but I can see through it. She is hurting. I think going somewhere that has no direct reminders of that incident would help her move on."
My heart broke for her. I do not disagree that she did wrongly by going alone, but grief is never an easy thing to handle.
The headmistress sighed and looked at me thoughtfully. "Alright, Guardian Belikov, you have convinced me. Rose may accompany you for the month. However, I would like weekly reports on her activities. I will not let this be a vacation for her. She has a princess to protect in a few short months. If that is all, you may be excused."
I smiled inside. She was never one to beat around the bush.
"Thank you, Headmistress. We will not fail to conform to your standards." I inclined my head politely and proceeded to the door.
"Guardian Belikov," I turned around to face the headmistress once more. "Take care of Rose," she looked at me with a knowing smile.
"You know I will."
I walked across campus reflecting on my conversation with Kirova. It had not gone as badly as I had expected. Of course, she gave me conditions like sending her reports, but I had gone in thinking the worst.
I made my way across the quad to the novice dorms. We would be leaving tomorrow. Rose would for sure give me hell for not giving her enough time to pack. I chuckled to myself. It was not like she would pack in advance anyway. Always doing things at the last minute, my Roza. My heart leaped thinking of her. She knew my feelings for her. I knew her feelings for me. It did not make a difference though. We could not act on those feelings. We had to protect the princess at all costs. We couldn't and wouldn't let our feelings get in the way. They come first I repeated in my head.
I had made it to her door. I took a calming breath before knocking. She had no idea what she does to me. Just as I was about to knock, I heard a sob break loose from her. She always tried to hide her grief from me. It never worked though. I knew her too well. But even now, her sobbing caught me off guard. I had never heard her this vulnerable. She would shut me out even more if she knew I had heard so I knocked loudly and tried to make it seem as if I had no clue what was going on behind her door.
Rose opened the door, no longer crying. The red around her eyes lingered. I kept my guardian mask in place.
"Dimitri, what are you doing here? Am I supposed to be at practice or something?"
"No, I just came to tell you to pack your bags. You have permission to accompany me to Baia for the next month. We are leaving tomorrow at 8:00am."
"Woah. Hold up there comrade. Tomorrow? You could have at least given me a warning. I have to do laundry and then pack and then tell Lissa goodbye. I have to tell my teachers that I will be gone. I will have so much work to do. Dimitri, how could you just spring this on me!"
"Rose, calm down."
She looked as if she was about to retort. Apparently she thought it would get her nowhere, so she looked up at me.
"Everything will be fine. You will be fine. I will be fine. We will be fine. You have time," I said as I pushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. She seemed to calm at my touch. Damn it. This is getting us nowhere.
"I have to be on duty in five minutes. Tomorrow-8:00am." I turned and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind me. A month away from school—just us and my family. She was my student. We could not let anything happen between us. A whole month—could we do it?
A/N-so how was it? Comments and constructive critisism are appreciated!