Hi there! I'm ohayou, and this is my first ever oneshot! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Richelle Mead. I only own the idea for this crazy oneshot. :)
I was walking with Lissa and Christian, trying to ignore the stares and the hushed whispers of everyone we passed. Damn if it was easy to up and leave the Academy and then suddenly return. But that's the way the Academy goes, and since I left after a supposedly badass stint in killing a bunch of Strigoi and helping in a rescue mission, it's no wonder people are curious as to why I left, and why I've returned. Some have a vague idea, like Alberta, one of the guardians, but there are just a handful of people who knew exactly what happened. And Lissa Dragomir, my best friend, tops the list. We had a sort of fallout when I left last time, but now we've patched things up, and that includes her knowing everything that happened during my vigilante mission that took me to Russia. Well, not exactly everything, but I haven't gotten around to telling her stuff I discovered after we talked. Oh well.
"Damn, why don't we just set up a question booth for me so I can answer all their questions. Then maybe they could just stop the creepy hushed whispering thing. It's getting old," I whined to my best friend and her boyfriend, Christian. (Yeah, they're back together, but as to how that happened is a different story altogether.)
"Hah! That's actually a nice idea. Unfortunately, the world doesn't revolve around you, and you're not the talk of the town today," yeah, that's Christian, always sarcastic to a fault. And yes, we're the same in that respect. If only I don't get the "honour" of being sucked into their romantic trysts, then maybe I'd feel better about him. Oh well.
"Good. But then, what's all the commotion about?" I asked them. Lissa answered me.
"The queen," she said. "Queen Tatiana is coming." Through the bond, I can feel her stress, curiosity and excitement. That's Lissa. Even though she's annoyed by the queen's manipulative ways, she still plays her part as the last Dragomir princess, and of course is bound to be curious by whatever political happenings will come with this visit.
As for me, I'm just freaking pissed that I'll get to see the queen, and probably listen to all her side comments about me and my mother all over again. I never really understood what she has against me. Except maybe for the fact that her favourite great-nephew is in love with me, but hell if that makes me a slut. I'm not the one throwing myself at him.
"Really. That's just what I need. A chance for the queen to rub my foolishness in my face. I wish I don't get to see her," I said.
"Rose!" Lissa reprimanded. I just grinned at her.
We entered the cafeteria, and got ourselves some breakfast. I did not pile too much on my plate, seeing as I don't wanna puke all over Her Majesty. Damn. I really don't want to see the queen.
Lissa, as if reading my mind (she wishes; she can't actually do it yet), tried to reassure me. "I'm sure it's just some sort of routine visit, especially since a lot has been happening in the Academy," she said. "And there has been talk that another important Moroi will be visiting, so maybe they're just here for the chance to talk or something, don't worry," she added.
"Yeah, I know." No need to make a big deal out of it. The most is that it will have something to do with Lissa, and so I must pull myself together and be on the alert. After we finished breakfast, we went to the commons, which has once again been transformed to something worthy of the queen's visit. I tried not to think about how the last time the queen visited, I was still coming to terms with my then crush for Dimitri.
Dimitri. Whenever I think of Dimitri, a wrecking ball of emotions threaten to crush me, ranging from love to sadness to annoyance at our seemingly star-crossed fate. I mean, it wasn't enough that he was my mentor and he was seven years older, no, he had to turn Strigoi and be out to kill me. I don't know if that makes me want to laugh or cry. Probably both. Yeah, I'm crazy.
I was jolted out of my thoughts by the entrance of the royals. I remember the last time I saw the exact same thing during Tatiana's previous visit. Well, almost exactly the same thing. Victor Dashkov did not hobble to the front this time. Which reminds me of my next crazy mission: breaking Victor out of prison.
Focus, Rose. I'm already on very dangerous waters in terms of Lissa's guardianship, and it will be a miracle if Tatiana consents to my guardianship of Lissa. One wrong move will cost us our chance, and I can't risk that. I have to behave, whether I like it or not.
Lissa was with the royals, but I can feel her nervousness that is mingled with curiosity, both at its height. I caught her eye and tried to signal her to relax. She understood, and relaxed a bit. My eyes scanned the room, and I saw my mother on the other side of the room against the wall. Typical guardian stance, that's my mom. Like last time, four guardians entered after the royals, then the Queen herself made her entrance.
And Just like last time, the queen smiled and nodded to some of the novices, but when her gaze swept past me, I saw her eyes narrow Her features arranged into royal disdain, and she looked down on me with as much condescension as possible. "Miss Hathaway," she sneered. Several novices turned to look at me, probably surprised at the queen's animosity, but none dared to react. I knelt to my knee, and replied, "Your Highness."
"We see Guardian Hathaway is here as well. This should be interesting," she simply said and continued her walk. I held still for a while, then quietly resumed my position. Inside, I was seething. This was exactly what I do not want to happen. Well, a part of me is just itching for a reason to give the queen a piece of me, but that is the last thing that I need right now: a one-way ticket to prison, aptly named treason.
I fingered the cashmere scarf that I always kept with me, though I didn't necessarily put it on. My mother said it was a family heirloom of my dad's, and so I didn't wear it today, because I'm sure Tatiana would recognize it. But I kept it near me as much as possible anyway. Even though I don't know much of my father (he works beneath the legal radar, if you get what I mean), it was kind of nice to remember the way my father helped me during my stint in Russia. Although I still cringe when I remember that I'm Zmey's daughter. Augh, am I supposed to start calling myself Zmeyette? But again, I am getting distracted by my thoughts. Focus, Rose, Focus.
Once the queen reached the royals, she stopped by Lissa (although not after shooting a disdainful glare at Christian), and motioned for Lissa to come with her. The other royals broke into hushed whispers once they walked past, but the queen ignored them. Anyway, it wasn't that new for Lissa to be at Tatiana's side. It's as if Tatiana is grooming her for something. The royals sat down to dinner, with Lissa right beside the queen.
After the dinner, the Moroi went down to business. Apparently, the queen was only here to check upon the Academy, especially with the rising security threat after the Strigoi attack a few months back. I almost laughed when I felt Lissa's disappointment upon finding out. Shortly afterwards, her boredom settled in, as the queen started on her routine task, occasionally asking for Lissa's opinion. I relaxed a bit and cast a sweeping glance around the hall, taking in the scene before me, when suddenly I felt eyes upon me. Lissa's urgent tone caught me as she alerted me through the bond, telling me that the queen is looking at me.
I finished my sweep of the room then returned my gaze back to the front of the hall. The queen was looking at me with a look full of disguised hate. Others would probably just think that the queen is stressed with everything that is happening right now, but I know better. That look is for me. She continued to look at me thoughtfully, as if pondering how to phrase whatever she wanted to say. She finally said, "We heard you disappeared for a while, Miss Hathaway. We wonder what prompted you to leave the Dragomir princess, who you said you so want to protect?"
I felt like a prey being cornered by a fierce predator. "It was a reckless act, Your Highness. One that is not worthy of your attention," I said, hoping that the queen will not pursue the topic anymore. The experience was still too fresh, and brings up a lot of issues that I don't want to think about right now, especially in the queen's presence.
"Oh, it was definitely reckless. However, we cannot say that it is unworthy of our attention, as it concerns the safety of the last Dragomir princess," Tatiana said. I could feel the growing surprise among all present in the hall, and I felt the harshness of the words like a slap in the face. But apparently, the queen was not yet finished. "We cannot help but feel that it is unwise for the princess to have such an... unstable guardian, or companion, for that matter." Oh. That was the slap in the face. I struggled to maintain my control, because there was no way in hell I was gonna break in front of the bitch-er, queen.
To my complete astonishment, my mother stepped out of her position from the wall and faced the queen. "Your Highness, if I may speak," she said. I looked at her, my eyes wide. This is turning for the worse. I love my mother and all, but this is just playing into the hands of the queen. And as much as I want to make my mom back off, she wouldn't look at me. Great. Her maternal instincts just had to jump out right now. Just great.
The queen looked smug as she faced the fierce Janine Hathaway. She smiled, and I know it was supposed to look understanding, but to me it looked like the smile of a predator that has finally cornered its prey. Tatiana said, "Yes of course, Guardian Hathaway. You may speak."
"Rose has been through a lot for a girl her age. As much as what she did is inexcusable, it is understandable. Any novice who has experienced what she has will definitely feel the need to have some sort of escape," my mother said. I am still frozen, surprised at the way cold, brave, badass Janine Hathaway is putting herself in the queen's line of fire just for her rebel daughter.
Tatiana smiled. "Escape? Indeed, it might be that. Or maybe she has just realized where she truly belongs?"
Lissa gasped loudly and covered her mouth.
That's low, even for you, Tatiana!! My mind screamed.
I saw my mother's eye tighten, and her fists were balled at her side. If she weren't the great Janine Hathaway, with her superior self-control, I'm guessing she would have attacked the queen, laws be damned. That's what I would I have done, if only I weren't used to Tatiana's ways and views, especially regarding me.
Everyone was stunned, especially the guardians, since they all knew what the queen was alluding to. After a second, murmurs started to float around, and I felt a lot of eyes on me. I was still in a state of shock, shock that Tatiana actually went that low. Then I started to shake, because she had no right--absolutely no right--to do that to my mother. I can take anything she hurls at me, but to embarrass my mother like that is something that I cannot just let go.
Everyone was waiting for a reaction, especially since it's the famous mother-daughter tandem that was put into the spotlight. The mother who was known for her prowess and control, and the daughter who was known for her prowess and her lack of control. Obviously, everyone was waiting for us to snap.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the thick tension permeating through the room. "That's a bit too much, don't you think, Your Highness?" the low voice drawled.
I stiffened. I'd know that voice anywhere.
Looking at my mother, I knew that she would as well. But it couldn't be. He's in Europe, right? My mind screamed. What on earth would he be doing in Montana?
Everyone looked to the source of the mocking voice. There, leaning against the wall near the back of the room, in all his dark glory, stood Ibrahim Mazur. Abe, as he introduced himself to me. Zmey, as he was known by the alchemists and the underground world. My father.
This time, I wasn't able to stop a gasp from escaping my lips. Guess I was still hoping that it wasn't him, then. Lissa turned to me, and I can feel her surprise at my reaction. I still haven't gone around to telling her about my father, Zmey, and she's definitely surprised that I seemed to know the man who was now walking leisurely towards the front of the hall. I chanced a glance at my mother, and saw through her forced composure--she was slightly blushing and her eyes were full of surprise, albeit I know the others have no hope of seeing it, except perhaps for the queen, me, and the Zmey himself.
The people around us seemed to have broken out of their trance, and were now whispering furiously to each other, no doubt wondering who the newcomer was. As I looked at the royals, I could see that some of them recognized him, and were quite scared or rather uncomfortable at his appearance. He stopped just in front of my mother, facing the queen. I dread what he'd say next, because if his mocking grin was any indication, then that meant no good would come out of this.
"Rose Hathaway is a very promising novice, and we all know how valuable she was in the recent Strigoi attack on the Academy. I daresay with all that has happened even before that incident, that effects such as this should not be unexpected. In fact, the Academy should be taking care of its students, should it not? What does this show, then? I must say, I am quite disappointed with the way things are being run in the Academy," Abe said.
"Ibrahim Mazur (more whispers at the mention of his name), you know that this matter is none of your concern...or jurisdiction," Tatiana said. She still looked like she did earlier, but I saw a hint of uncertainty...and was that fear?—flicker in her expression. Again, I wonder what happened between my mom, Abe and the queen for them to have such reactions--my mom furious, Abe collected, and Tatiana...unsure, I guess that's the only way to put it. But whatever their history is, the most important thing right now is that I'm in the same room with the queen who is out to humiliate and provoke me, my mother who put herself in the queen's line of fire for me, and a man, who unknown to everyone is my father, who waltzed in and seems to be saving the day. I just hope that the day will really be saved.
"It is my jurisdiction since I have been very, shall we say, generous, in my support of the Academy, is it not, Your Highness?" Abe said, his eyes tightening just a bit, letting me know that he really was not in a good mood, and has probably heard a good part of the queen's tirade against us. He started speaking again, and I focused again on the words he was speaking.
"And as for my concern, I have every right to be concerned, especially if it's my daughter and her mother that is being treated in this manner," Abe continued, speaking in a light-hearted manner, but with unmistakeable venom in his voice. It was in times like these that I don't doubt that he is feared by a multitude of religious extremists like Sydney, or can have access to high-security prisons such as that of Victor Dashkov's. This, is a glimpse of Zmey at work.
I stiffened, gauging the reaction of the whole hall to my father's declaration. I sensed Lissa's overwhelming feelings of shock and confusion, and as I looked at her, I saw myself through her eyes, wide-eyed, and I felt her realization that I knew the extent of our relationship all along. I can feel the hurt and betrayal that followed as soon as Lissa recovered from her surprise, so I held her gaze and mouthed "I'll explain it all later" to her. She didn't seem to be accepting, so I added a "Please," for good measure. Thankfully, she calmed down a bit, and decided to wait for me to explain, although she was still a bit miffed at not knowing. Whew.
Now that the crisis with Lissa was averted (for the time being), I now refocused on the other people involved in this growing mess. The queen was obviously surprised that Abe would actually reveal that he is my father, and her mouth was hanging slightly open, all air of dignity gone. Take that, you heartless bitch! I wanted to tell her, but I don't think that would go very well, and I'm still not exactly sure about how I feel regarding what my father just said.
My mother, on the other hand, is somewhere between touched and mad as hell, I think. She wheeled around to face Abe, and her expression is so strong that it made me wanna step back. Abe, that slimy bastard, on the other hand, started at seeing Janine's expression, but soon had a smirk in place. Again, bastard. Does he even understand the impact of what he just did?
"Old man, can I speak to you outside? Right now?" I said, gritting my teeth as I said the last two words. He cocked his head towards me, thinking over my words. He nodded, and then I followed him outside. We parted the crowds just like Moses parting the Red Sea, and I could hear the furious whispering beginning behind our backs.
I started on him as soon as I was sure we were out of earshot. "What the hell was that? Do you know what you just did? How this would affect me? And not just me, but mom too, and Lissa, and--" I stomped my feet in frustration, and looked at him again. "Well, do you?" I asked.
Abe simply stared at me, wearing that mocking grin that I would love to wipe out with a punch, and took a deep breath. "I'm just here to check up on the academy, as I have a stake in it," he simply said.
Ha. I knew he was the one behind that generous donation that got me back into the Academy. "You know that this endangers the chances of me becoming Lissa's guardian even more. And that aside, you can even be jailed for treason! Why on earth did you do it?" I said. This is turning out to be a very surprising, and confusing day. I don't really think that's a good thing.
"I...I just couldn't help myself from stepping in," he finally said after a few moments of silence. "She had no right, definitely no right, to speak that way. Not of Janine, and especially not of my daughter," he said with such firmness that I can't help but feel touched. I tried to hide my emotions behind a laugh.
"What, you decided that I'm your daughter now?" I said. "I remember we spent quite a lot of time together in Russia, but you never acknowledged me as your daughter," I felt it as I was saying it. Does he regret having a daughter? Or maybe having me for a daughter? His actions in the airport could have been borne by pity. I certainly don't want that, and if that was the case, I'd rather hear it now from him. My hands searched for the cashmere scarf that I kept with me.
"I know what you're trying to get at, and that's definitely not the case, Rose," Abe replied. "Do you think we wanted you to be pulled into my world? You deserve much more, and if to get that I have to stay away from you then that's what I'll do," he said, obviously pissed at my implications.
"It's just that, I practically had no parents all my life and suddenly both of you are now claiming your places as my parents. This is very... disconcerting," I finished lamely. It seemed as if whatever anger and frustration I was feeling has diffused out of me, and I have no more energy left in me. I felt defeated.
"I may have been a lousy father, Rose, but never think that I regret being your father," he simply said, and walked back inside the hall.
I was left in the hall, stunned.
By the time I returned to the hall, the queen had already left, and the people were already going back to their business. Of course, not without glancing at me or trying to take a peek at my father who seemed to be in full Zmey mode as of the moment. I heard from Eddie that after I left, the queen just finished up her business and set off for the Royal Court again, all without acknowledging the presence of my mother in the hall.
"It was as if the confrontation never happened," he said. "I guess she realized that this wasn't one encounter that she could survive, and so she backed off," he continued.
"Nah," Christian said, walking closer to us. I'm pretty sure there's something more than that, maybe something the daughter of the infamous Ibrahim Mazur isn't telling us?" he smirked at me.
"Don't look at me like that, Ozera, I don't have any answers for you," I spat back at him, and he stepped back, mocking grin still in place, palms up as if to say I mean no harm. I love Christian and all that, but I'm not really in the mood for our banter at this point in time. Especially because the one person that I was able to pacify earlier is now coming back to me with a vengeance. She's walking just behind Christian, as a matter of fact. Lissa.
"Rose, can I talk to you for a minute?" Lissa asked, but I can see and I can tell from the bond that she's well on her way to being pissed off again, especially since I was supposed to have told her everything when I just got back from Russia. Of course, I found out that Abe was actually my father after we talked, and never got another chance to talk to her alone about that revelation. I told her just that.
"Lissa, I'm sorry but things just got in the way, and I never got to talk to you about it," I said, hoping that I wouldn't have to explain more about this.
"But it's Ibrahim Mazur, Rose! How could you not have told me?" Lissa said.
"Well, I never really knew that he had that much of a reputation preceding him," I said truthfully. "With the way he does business, I thought he won't be that known to you," I continued.
"I don't actually know much about him, to be honest," Lissa admitted. "I just heard people talking before about him, and it's always with a mix of fear and respect, and from what I hear, he is definitely not one that a person would wanna mess with, dhampir or Moroi alike," she said.
"Yeah, he does have that kind of vibe around him. But I swear, Lissa, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you. Not this time," I told her. Lissa smiled at me, and I felt her forgiveness and acceptance through the bond. "Thanks," I muttered.
I left her with Christian and Eddie, who seem to be half-amazed and half-amused at the whole situation (especially Christian), and went off to search for the other person I meant to talk to.
I saw my mother and Abe talking as he was preparing to leave, probably to return to Europe. Abe looked at me, and I went to them.
"Hey," I said. Abe simply smiled at me, and I fingered the cashmere scarf again. He looked down at my hands, and noticed the scarf. He nodded at me, told me to stay out of trouble (as if he didn't create any trouble in the hall earlier) and with a look at my mom, left to wherever his "business" takes him.
My mom and I watched his car leave, and continued staring out into the direction he went even after he was gone.
After several more minutes of the silence, I finally decided to speak up. "What a day, huh?" I remarked lamely. Yeah, I think the whole mess earlier sucked the wit out of me. I chanced to look at my mom, and her expression was one that I wouldn't want to be directed at me. It was calculating and serious as hell.
"That wasn't the first time that happened, was it?" she finally said. For some weird reason, it made me feel like a kid being given a good scolding by her mother.
"No, not really," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"I figured as much. I suppose this has something to do with the Ivashkov lad, doesn't it?" she continued.
"Is it that obvious? Yeah, she thinks I'm out to seduce Adrian," I said. "You know, I wonder, is there anything to your past that I should know about? Because it wasn't just me that she trash-talked, you know," I added, just for good measure, giving her a pointed look.
"There is something, I'll admit, but now is not the time for that," Janine said, effectively ending that topic of conversation. "What you need to focus on is finishing your studies here in the Academy," she finished.
Whoa. That was weird. Now I'm really curious. Although, I can't quite imagine whatever happened between the three of them. Again, maybe that is something that is set for another day. For now, there are more important things to talk about.
"Why?" I finally asked. "Why'd you risk your position as Guardian for me earlier? You didn't have to do that," I said.
"What else am I supposed to do? I am your mother, and no matter how reckless your act was--and I hope you now realize how stupid that move of yours was--I can't just stand by and watch you being run to the ground just because of one rash act that you made, especially if it was something that I could understand," she said, which completely floored me. I know we've had some progress in our relationship, and we even cried together just recently, but this was her putting herself and her stellar reputation at risk just because of a reckless act of mine, to use her terms.
"I know, but, you didn't have to make such a big gesture; with whatever history you have, she might have used that against you. She still could, you know," I continued, wanting desperately to make sense of something in this mess that is called my life. Everything, everything that I have ever known is being shaken up and I feel like my world is crashing on me. With all the things I still have to do, I just want...to get a grip on my life, for a change.
My mom looked again in the direction where Abe went and then turned to look me in the eye. "Because even if I don't want you to be in danger, and I don't like what you did, I understand why you did it," she calmly said. "If it was him, if he was the one out there, I would also want to do anything that I can for him," she said.
Wait. Back up for a moment. When I said that I didn't have a chance to have a proper talk with Lissa after our heart-to-heart, I also meant that I wasn't able to have a lengthy conversation with anyone. So why on earth does my mother have an idea about what happened in Russia?
"You've been talking to Abe, haven't you?" I asked, my suspicion growing and solidifying as I saw the color rise in my mother's cheeks. "Wow. How Zmey of him."
"Of course we talk, especially since it's about you. No matter what you think of us, we're still your parents, and we care about you. Especially Ibrahim," she said, getting that slightly dreamy expression that kind of makes me want to cringe.
"I know," I said. And I do. My parents may not be the most typical of the bunch, but now that I've been with them, I really feel that they do care for me. They just didn't know how to go about it, and so tried to show it using the best method that they're comfortable with. Hence, my mom leaving me in the Academy, where I'd be taken care of properly, and my dad, heck, my dad practically shipping me off from Russia back to a safer place and getting me valuable information using his underground connections. And Dimitri helped me come to this realization, when we still had that mentor-student thing going on.
Ah, Dimitri. Whatever am I to do with you? My shoulders slump in defeat as I look to my mother, needing the care that I've missed for so many years. Dimitri still wants to awaken me or kill me, but I plan to change that, and it's my mother who's here right now. I'm not gonna screw this up anymore.
"Thank you," I said, tears forming in my eyes. I'm not averse to breaking down in front of my mom now. Aside from the fact that we have a better relationship now, there's something about her that just brings out the emotions in me—even before, when I didn't think much of her.
My mom enveloped me in a hug, and I can feel that she is strongly fighting the urge to cry as well. "Whatever you do next, Rose, I know you can do it," she said. "You have grown to be a strong person, and you will not be easily broken down. Not by being shadowkissed, not by a Royal's words, and not by a broken heart," she added.
I sniffed. "Well, of course. I'm not the daughter of Ibrahim Mazur and Janine Hathaway for nothing, you know. Zmeyette will not go down that easily," I joked.
I realize I have these people with me--a bestfriend who'd rather go into a deadly mission with me rather than be left in safety, and parents who'd cause a commotion in front of a multitude of people risking their reputations just to defend me from a snobby queen, among other people, and with this Rose Hathaway will never be the same again. From now on, I am definitely not alone.
And with that, I knew that whatever I'll face in the future, whether it be breaking Victor Dashkov out of prison, facing Dimitri again, or even just deflecting Tatiana's side comments, I will never go down that easily.
You better get ready for me, Dimitri.
I would just like to thank my awesome beta, Ashemoon, for being patient and wonderful throughout this whole thing. Check out her profile, she also has a oneshot posted!
So, what do you think? :)