Rose knew she wasn't awake, she couldn't be. Her mind was still foggy and she just sort of floated around in emptiness. It had been this way for a very long time. Now and then, she noticed a figure start to form, but it couldn't hold together long enough to see who it was.
After what seemed like an eternity of this, she saw a scene beginning to take form in the distance. She drifted towards it and in her sedated state, realized it was Lissa, standing in a garden plaza. Rose recognized it as Moroi Court. She missed Lissa, and wished she was there with her in person. Though, she didn't exactly know where she was to begin with.
Rose curiously studied the image of Lissa in front of her. She reached out to touch it, and suddenly found herself standing right in front of her friend. She figured out pretty quickly that Lissa couldn't see her, neither could anyone else, so this was either a bond vision, a dream, or she was dead. Each option was as likely as the other. Just then, she was swept into the body of Lissa.
Lissa was tired of standing, and decided to sit down on the bench placed in the middle of the garden area. It was very beautiful this time of year, and she pondered staying there the entire afternoon. She had just peacefully closed her eyes when a voice was speaking through the calm.
"Hello, Princess," greeted Dimitri, sitting down next to her with a creak from the bench. Lissa smiled at him, not minding being interrupted. Dimitri, she had realized in the past months, was not the stern guardian everyone made him out to be, but a soft, caring man on the inside. He just didn't show it around most people. He was very good at what he did, and definitely was the next best thing if Rose wasn't here.
"Good morning, Dimitri," Lissa responded. "You know you can call me by my name..."
Dimitri frowned. "I don't know if it would feel exactly right to call you anything but your title."
Lissa laughed. "You're so respectful all the time, I don't know how you do it, but I would be more than okay if you called me Lissa."
"Maybe," Dimitri responded thoughtfully. "Maybe one day, if me and—" he stopped.
"If you and what?"
Dimitri had been about to say, 'if me and Rose ever got together and came over as a casual dinner or something, I could probably call you by your name then...' But he had a responsibility to say nothing about that. He wouldn't wreck his relationship with Rose over something stupid.
"...Nothing."
Lissa was genuinely curious now. "What was it?"
Dimitri looked at his hands. "I can't say, Princess."
"Dimitri, you're killing me."
"Sorry," Dimitri shrugged, avoiding Lissa's gaze. She could see she was getting nowhere with him and sighed.
"Well, anyway," Lissa cleared her throat. "What's up with you?"
"Oh, the usual," Dimitri told her, waving a hand. "Guarding you, and reading and sleeping in my free time."
"You could take a break, you know," Lissa told him. She didn't like how he was wearing himself out by watching over her so much.
"I have a duty, Princess," he said, standing up. "I was given the job of guarding over you, and that's what I'll do. They come first. That's why Rose is where she is."
Lissa frowned, knowing what he said was true, but his tone sounded a tad bitter.
"You miss Rose, don't you?" She asked softly. Dimitri only lookednat her with a blank face.
"Of course," he nodded, placing his hands in his pockets and leaning on a nearby tree. "She was my only student and it's weird not having to coach her every day."
Lissa sighed. "Don't try and tell me you guys weren't friends. She went to you for everything."
She was just beginning to see a partial truth. Rose and Dimitri acted like Rose would to Mason, almost...she would tell him anything on her mind, would act casual around him, sometimes it almost seemed...flirty. But that was Rose for you, Lissa corrected herself. She flirted with Jesse and hated his guts...
"Yes, me and Rose are friends," Dimitri amended, "but it's still weird not having that student-teacher interaction every day."
Dimitri looked a little uncomfortable, in Lissa's mind. She was about to ask him more questions when a female guardian came jogging towards them. Dimitri stood on edge.
"Guardian Belikov."
"Guardian Ryan," Dimitri responded respectfully. "What is it?"
"A message from the queen. She has requested anyone close to Rosemarie Hathaway to meet with her."
Lissa shot a look at Dimitri, who glanced at her. She could feel worry radiating off her face.
"Why? When?" Lissa asked the guardian. She looked apologetic.
"I don't know, Princess. But she seemed insistent you come right away."
Dimitri nodded, and the guardian gave them directions. She then had to leave to be on guard duty, so Dimitri gestured for Lissa to stand up and follow him.
"What do you think this is about?" She panted, having to jog to keep up with his brisk pace.
"I don't know," was his short reply.
"Where are we going?"
"To get Christian and Adrian," Dimitri responded. "Would you be fine grabbing Christian while I go get Adrian?"
Lissa nodded quickly, and hurried towards her (and Christian's) apartment while Dimitri jogged the other way. She flung open the door and looked around.
"Christian!"
He poked his head out of the kitchen. "What?"
"We need to go, c'mon!"
"What is it?"
"It's about Rose, we have to meet with Queen Tatiana," Lissa explained hurriedly. "That's all I know, but Dimitri's meeting up with us with Adrian, so come on!"
Christian nodded and they headed out back into the morning in less than five minutes. They soon spotted Dimitri escorting a tired-looking yet frazzled Adrian. Dimitri saw them and gestured for them to follow him. They ran to catch up to him.
"Do you have any more information?" Lissa asked. Dimitri shook his head.
Adrian snorted. "He has NO information. He just barged into my room and said, 'let's go.' Direct quote."
Dimitri frowned. "You weren't going to move, Ivashkov. I learned the best way to deal with you is quick and simple instructions."
Adrian glared at him. But he had no time to say anything, for they arrived at the Queen's palace. Two guardians stood in front of them.
"Queen Tatiana has asked to see us?" Dimitri said, sounding professional but unsure.
"You're friends of Rose?" They all nodded. "Head on in, then."
When they walked in, the queen sat waiting at a desk, with three chairs in front of her. Lissa couldn't believe how ornate the room was. The queen looked surprised to see Dimitri there with them.
"Guardian Belikov, I'm sorry, only close friends to Rose, please."
Dimitri opened his mouth to protest, but Lissa butted in first.
"Your majesty, I'd prefer if he stayed here. He gives us all a sense of comfort, I think."
Adrian snorted, but Tatiana gave him a look that shut him up. Then she turned back to Lissa, eyeing her closely.
"Very well, Princess Vasilissa," the queen agreed. Dimitri shot Lissa a look of gratitude that she didn't comment on.
The three moroi sat, while Dimitri stood behind Lissa's chair.
"I've called you here for a reason," the queen told them, and as if on cue, a new guardian came into the room. "Ah, here he comes now."
They eyed him curiously. Lissa sized him up quickly. He looked to be a year or two younger than Dimitri.
The queen gestured to the guardian. "This is Markus. Markus, these are Princess Vasilissa Dragomir, Lord Christian Ozera, Lord Adrian Ivashkov, and...Guardian Dimitri Belikov."
Markus wouldn't meet their eyes. "Hi."
"Markus, a report," Tatiana said, and sat tall in her chair.
"Yes, your majesty," Markus responded quietly. He turned to the group in front of him. "As I'm sure you four know, Rose was sent to this base camp to be a part of a secret mission that I was also apart of."
"'Was'?" Christian asked right away. Markus held up a finger.
"I'll get there," he sighed. "Anyway, two weeks ago, Rose found a lead from a map we had—a map that she figured out was a map of a mall in Spokane."
The four inhaled in unison. Markus stopped. "You guys...are familiar with Spokane?"
"Yes," Christian said shortly. Dimitri nodded gravely. They didn't say anything else, so Markus carried on.
"Well, we made a plan to go to the mall, since Rose figured it was a major Strigoi base that was under our noses the entire time. We were all willing to go along with it, because it was a chance to solve the mystery and come home early."
Dimitri frowned, holding his hand up. "Spokane was a Strigoi base all along? How many Strigoi were there?"
"I'd say over fifty," Markus replied with a tight voice. "Well, we arrived and it was just as Rose had said...and they attacked us and we were in a furious battle."
"Strigoi were all around us and nobody was getting a break, then I saw Rose with a tall, blonde Strigoi who was taunting her about turning her like he almost turned her lover..."
Lissa watched Dimitri's knuckles clench as he took a sharp intake of breath, and his hand reached to touch his neck where he was bitten. He must have been the one to attack Dimitri in the cave! And he thought...
"I tried to reach her but it was too late. The Strigoi had stuck his teeth in her neck."
Lissa gasped and felt tears prick her eyes. Adrian was fidgeting like crazy, and Christian was studying Lissa. Dimitri's hands were clenched hard enough to the point that they were white. Queen Tatiana was frowning, but didn't say anything.
"Thankfully, I was able to make it to her before he could...turn her Strigoi..."
Lissa sighed with relief, and fell back in her chair. "Is she alright then?"
Markus looked at Lissa with a tight look of pity that she did not enjoy. "Well, she was very weak after that, and couldn't really stand without someone to support her, and so Gordon was trying to walk her to the exit I think..."
"And then?" Came Adrian's quiet voice.
"Well, I was almost overpowered by a Strigoi myself, but at the last minute, Rose jumped in with the last ounce of her strength and returned the favor."
Lissa felt more tears coming. Silly Rose, always wanting to sacrifice herself for others.
"So...?" Christian wondered, trying to edge the story on.
"So then, a crash came from the end of the tunnel, and the Strigoi that were left...I think about ten...ran away in fear."
The queen stood up. "They...ran away?"
Markus nodded. "Yes, your majesty. They ran and I didn't want to stay in the same room as something that Strigoi were afraid of. I ordered everyone out, and Rose was so weak I had to carry her."
Lissa could just picture this...a helpless, nearly unconscious Rose clinging to the only support she had...and with a start, realized she had seen this before...when she was attacked by Natalie. A quick glance at Dimitri's tense figure showed her that he remembered as well.
"I tried carrying her out of there, I really did," Markus said roughly. "Everyone else was out safely, we didn't lose anyone to the Strigoi thankfully, though many were injured, and Rose and I were almost out as well. But whatever was coming towards us was advancing quickly, and I tripped and dropped her. We both realized that I wasn't going to make it if I had to stop to pick her up."
Lissa felt her eyes widen. No, no, no...
"She told me to go, and I knew I wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise, especially not in her weak state. So...I left her behind."
Lissa didn't let the information sink in, until she glanced at Dimitri and saw the numb, cold shock on his face.
"No!" Lissa cried. She fell limp in her chair, sobbing. Her best friend? Missing? Dead? ...Worse?
"She can't—" Adrian jumped out of his chair. Christian was holding Lissa in shock. "She's not—dead? Is she just missing? I mean, you don't know what happened to her after you left..she could have fought these people off—"
"No," Tatiana told him and Lissa tried to calm her crying out of respect but couldn't. "You heard Markus. She was weak, couldn't even walk on her own. And whatever these people were, they made Strigoi afraid. I have my answer from this mission. Thank you, Markus, you can go now."
Lissa flew up. "What? You're not even going to care that Rose is missing?"
Queen Tatiana shrugged. "Might I remind you Princess, we lose faithful guardians all the time, and it while it is no good experience, it's not something we can prevent with the evil in the world."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Lissa screamed, trying to leap over the desk, but Christian grabbed her. She flailed against him. "Let me go! You monster! You absolute monster, you WITCH of a human being! She could still be out there just missing, and you're not doing anything about it? I can't believe you call yourself a queen if you're not even going to—GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME CHRISTIAN."
"Get her out of here," Tatiana sighed, waving her hand. Christian glared at her.
"Just because I'm holding her back from killing you doesn't mean I agree with your decisions. It means I don't my girlfriend sent to prison at her young age."
"Then I'm sorry, both of you need to leave," the queen said, gesturing for two guardians to escort them out. "You can wait outside."
The two were lead from the room, one devasted, having completely broken down, and one fuming.
Queen Tatiana eyed her nephew, ignoring Dimitri. "Are you alright, Adrian?"
He looked up at her with a tear streaked face. "How could I possibly be better?" He snarled. "You don't care at all, do you?"
"Adrian, we lose guardians all the time, it's just a way of life—"
"She wasn't a guardian yet," came a grief stricken voice from the corner. Dimitri. He met the queen's gaze with sharp eyes. "She wasn't graduated. You sent her out before she got the chance to finish school."
"Guardian Belikov, I can assure you—"
But he just backed away. "I'm sorry, your majesty, I can't stay in this room with you while I'm in a disagreement with you, it would be disrespectful. But think about it."
He pointed at her, with Adrian and Markus watching in silence. "You sent out a young woman who had just turned 18 who wasn't even done with her training out into the most dangerous mission you could think of? I don't believe that's a good way to rule a kingdom, Tatiana."
And with that, Dimitri walked swiftly out of the door, not glancing back. Adrian gestured to Markus.
"I suggest we leave," he told him. Tatiana held out her hands.
"Wait!"
But Adrian and Markus kept walking. "You had your chance, Aunty," Adrian called, flipping her off as they walked. "And all of my respect for you just went down the drain."
Lissa and Christian were sitting on a bench outside, with Christian's arm around her while she cried, when the tall figure of Dimitri sat down next to them.
"Are you okay, Princess?" He whispered hoarsely. Lissa was shocked at his tone. He sounded almost worse than she did.
"I'm not going to say yes, because I would be lying," she sniffled. "But...are you alright? You sound horrible."
He stood up suddenly. "I...this entire thing is ridiculous. She was too young...she had an entire life ahead of her!"
His voice was cracking and Lissa and Christian sat watching him in silence. They had never seen him burst out like this before.
"She...always reminded me that they come first but how can they when she's...she might..."
"Dimitri," Lissa said softly. He had tears streaming down his face in a continual flow as he turned to face them. Lissa couldn't believe how hard he was taking this. Well, Rose was important to everyone, but why was Dimitri of all people having this big of a reaction? Was it...? No. It couldn't possibly...could it? He was seven years older than her...and her mentor. Stop it Lissa. She couldn't believe she was thinking all of this when her best friend was...gone. She should be comforting him, not judging him.
"Dimitri...we'll be alright. We'll find a way," she told him, and he slowly sat down and put his face in between his hands, stooping over, tremors running down his body. Lissa knew if Rose were here she would hate to see them in this distress. She slowly rubbed Dimitri's back, trying to calm her own emotions.
Adrian and Markus came out to where they were seated. Adrian was furious, and Markus looked so sad and apologetic, she couldn't be mad at him.
"What did Tatiana say?" Christian asked.
"Nothing," Adrian replied hoarsely. "She's a coward and I left before I did something stupid like punch her."
"I'm really sorry, you guys," Markus told them, and Lissa knew from his aura he genuinely was sad. Wait! Auras! Lissa turned and focused on Dimitri's. It was a dark blue, purple, with black thrown in various locations. He was...heartbroken?
"Oh...I forgot one thing," Markus said. They all snapped their heads towards him, giving him their utmost attention. "Rose...before I turned to run...asked me to tell him she loved 'him.' Do...any of you know who she meant?"
Lissa, Christian, and Adrian looked at each other in surprise. Rose loved someone back home? Dimitri stood up quickly and headed into the darkness without looking behind him.
"I guess Dimitri knows," Adrian said sadly, couldn't even make a joke with the knowledge of Rose's dissappearance.
"Or...she meant him," Lissa said quietly, watching his retreating back.
xXxXx
Here's one more chapter before school starts beating me to death again :) Not an enjoyable chapter, is it? Reviews are so much appreciated I'll start passing out virtual ice cream cones!