Abe

Running through the tunnel I could feel my heart breaking. I had just abandoned the love of my life to leave her with the very same people we had been running from since the begging. I knew why of course. We both loved our daughter as much as we loved each other and all we wanted was to keep her safe. She was perfect. We knew that it wouldn't be easy a dhampir royal was something had never heard of. I never wanted something like this to happen. I knew of my destiny and had agreed to it I didn't want to do anything that could ruin the system we had built for ourselves. The laws were complicated but simple and logical and although I was next inline to the throne I needed another member of my bloodline to become king.

Rosemarie was the only alive person in my bloodline but it was enough. We held off knowing people would try to hurt her to get to me and tried to keep her away from the public. It didn't work very well though. I could still become king and somehow the council had found a workaround. Technically my daughter only had to be alive she didn't have to be with me and they planned on taking her away and locking her away where she could live but know one would know who she was. Then they planned to marry me off and convince the people that what happened was all a joke of some kind. I found that out the day we left. I couldn't tell Janine what I knew but I told her something equally true, that no one would ever accept our daughter and that we should leave to somewhere where she could live like a normal child. It seemed to be enough to convince her but it wasn't for me. The guilt built up inside me and today my nightmare came true. I had no idea what I was going to do but o did know I couldn't stay with her. As long as she was with me she wasn't safe. So as soon as I got out of the tunnel I ran to the nearest town where I had friends waiting who could help us. I ran to Andrea's house. She was an alchemist who I had helped once and owed me big time. And I knew how she could repay me .I knocked frantically and began to panic she had left when she opened the door.

"Ibrahim I wasn't expecting you. " she said looking startled.

"I think I have finally thought up a appropriate payment." I said quietly. The alchemists had eyes and ears everywhere and it would only take one suspicious looking thing to create havoc. Before coming to the town I kept Rose hidden in my coat as much as I could so she could go by undetected. Andrea's eyes widened and moved aside to let me in. once inside she locked the door and clicked the chain lock into place. She walked down the hall way and I followed closely behind her to her living room. Once there she sat in one seat and I sat in one opposite her. I knew how the alchemists felt about us. We were soulless creatures of evil, but Andrea was different. She had her own thoughts of us. A few years ago I had helped her after she had been caught with a dhampir. Justin, I believe his name was.

He had been trapped by a group and managed to free himself and in so doing killed his captives. He called the alchemists and they sent Andrea. She was a dedicated alchemist and followed their laws but even she had to feel sympathy for the dhampir who looked like he was on the brink of death. She took him home with her and patched him up as much as she could. With his dhampir genetics he managed to heal quickly but they still stayed friends and regularly helped each other out. Andrea's supervisor heard of Andrea getting friendly and came one day to take Andrea off to re-education. I didn't know either of them but I saw what was going on and intervened springing a story about how Justin and I were hunting strigoi and I called Andrea to follow us and destroy the evidence and bodies. It took a bit more convincing and quick details but Andrea got off the hook and the both of them decided it would be safer for them to go their own ways. Of course Andrea was grateful and said she owed me her life. I had never thought of anything that I wanted in return, in fact I had never seen the need to until now. She looked at me warily as I just stared at her trying to think up the way to say what I needed from her.

"Andrea I'm in trouble…" I started. I launched into my story from beginning to end but left out the most important detail. She looked understanding as to why I was on the run but looked confused about her part in this.

"Abe that's tragic what are you going to do? Where is your daughter?" she asked.

I took a deep breath before pulling back my coat to reveal my sleeping baby. "She's right here." I answered. She looked torn as she looked at the baby in my arms.

"Abe I know I owe you big but I can't protect you both here a Moroi and a dhampir in my house will get me shipped off to re-education before I can say re-education." I knew what she meant but that wasn't what I wanted her to do.

"No you wont be looking after both of us," I said looking down at my daughter.

"What do you-" she started before cutting herself off. "No I can't look after her. No."

"Andrea please think rationally you just to adopt her as your daughter. The Moroi and dhampir want her dead she's not safe with us."

"And she's safe with me?" Andrea screeched. "No if the alchemist find out she's here it will be way worse that anything for not just her but also me."

"They wont find out. She's a dhampir they look basically human you just have to say you adopted a human baby who's parents were killed by strigoi and bring her us as your own" I explained.

"Oh really is that all? Alchemists pass on their job through their family she will have to become one I cant do that to her she cant grow up hating her own kind you have to take her somewhere else" she said as she stood up and started walking away but I pulled her back with my next words.

"I'm giving myself up. I can't hide from them any longer this was just my last stop before the court" she turned around and came back to the couch. "I need you to do this she needs to live. Convince her she's human, train her to be an alchemist, treat her as a human and nothing more and people will believe it." She looked like she was struggling to make a decision. "Please you owe me and this is the only thing that I want." After a moment of more silence she responded.

"I'll do it," she said. "But I am not just for you. Also because she is a child and I don't want a child of any kind to be in the situation she could be in" I was so relieved. I thanked her before coming to the painful goodbye to my daughter who I might never see again. I knew it was for the best but she was so hard to let go of. I kissed her on the forehead and Andrea and I decided her name would just be Rose. It seemed human enough and she would still have the name we picked for her. With one last hug I handed her to Andrea and whispered: "We'll never forget you" Then I left.

I went back to court at my own free will. They wanted to know what happened to Rosemarie and I told them she never really was my child but I wanted her to be and that was why I was so protective of her. I don't think they were convinced but this seemed to be an answer they wanted. They told me of the murder and how I was king but now that I had no other person of my bloodline I couldn't be king and so Tatiana Ivashkov was elected queen and my family name was taken off the royal families I was no longer prince Ibrahim Mazur, I wasn't even a lord, I was just Abe Mazur. I still had certain privileges at the court and I had found out Janine had been compelled to forget all feelings she had for Rosemarie and me. She was going to be sent to be a guardian for an Szelzky lord. I knew I had to leave. Using the money that the council had unfrozen I travelled to Russia and bought a small mansion to live in far away from everyone I knew. I still thought of them often but I kept busy and soon found a new reputation as Zmey or in English: the snake.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEREVIEW. I feel like I'm doing something wrong if so please tell me what that is because I want to write a good book. the exciting chapters are coming soon s keep an eye out for them cant