Chapter 4

AN: here we are again. I own nothing, Richelle Mead owns it all.

Thank you for reading this. I hope everyone likes it. Please review.

So, here we are, back at the reading of Tatiana's will. I had no clue what was really going on. I was still stuck on my father being a Royal. I wondered who all knew. Did my mother know? What about Adrian? His family was the biggest of the Royal lines, not to mention one of the most powerful and one of the oldest. Was it common knowledge to some and not to others? Why had my father given up his birth rite? Tatiana had been ruling for a very long time, how long had she known, and surely if she'd known long, she wouldn't have had such a problem with Adrian and I dating, would she? I just really needed Abe to explain this. I was starting to get a headache.

The reading had finished and I snapped back to the present with a tight squeeze of my father's hand. Damon announced that the reading was done and the aforementioned group was to meet in the room across the hall. Everyone rose and after the Royal Council left, everyone began talking and moving around the room. No doubt the main topic was Abe Mazur, Arcos, being Royal and being named successor. Moroi were suckers for gossip.

I made my way to the hallway to wait for the others. Christian and Jill were already there. Jill was the first to speak. "Hey Rose. Did you know anything about your dad being a Royal? Does that make you Royal too? What does this have to do with all of us?" She finally stopped. She still babbled on and on when she was nervous.

I laughed as I answered. "No, I didn't know. As for the rest, well, we will have to wait and see."

Christian walked over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "So, Princess Hathaway. Do I bow or curtsy?"

"Ha Ha Fire Boy. You are so funny!" I said dripping with sarcasm.

Then he leaned down and whispered, "No, really, how are you really doing, Hathaway?" He was genuinely concerned about me. So much had happened today, and on top of everything else I had to deal with, I was two steps from slipping off the side of a cliff.

"I'm okay. Lot's to think about. Thanks for caring Fire boy." I cracked a smile. I needed a little laugh right now. He laughed along with me.

We heard the doors behind us open and saw Lissa and Dimitri approaching. Christian still had his arm around me. "Now Rose, you're not making a play for my man now are you? Don't you have enough on your plate?" Lissa said with a smile and a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, Liss, that's just what I need. More fire in my life." At that point, Lissa and Jill were both laughing hysterically, but Dimitri failed to see the humor in it.

I wondered what was taking Abe and Adrian so long. Then I turned and saw them walking out of the room with their heads together. Man, I thought, what are they up to now? I walked over and grabbed Abe's arm and said, "Okay, old man, start explaining what just happened in there."

Abe looked surprised that I would take such action, then he thought about it and smiled. "Come one everyone, you all deserve to know, and I intend to explain. Let's go into the office and have a seat and I will tell you all. We can order some food, Janine and Tasha are also on their way, since this does involve them as well."

That surprised me. "Does Mom know?"

"No sweetie, she doesn't." He said.

"Oh, man, she is going to kill you. Are you sure you want to do this in front of all of us?"

"It's better to tell her in front of an audience instead of alone. That way she is less likely to kill me. Maybe harm, but not kill." He said this with a little apprehension.

We walked into the office. I would have called it a conference room. There was a large cherry oak table in the center of the room that was surrounded by about fifteen black leather chairs. The walls were a beautiful oak finish with no flashy pictures, just a simple wall clock. Abe called for a guardian and instructed them to bring in some drinks and some food. Janine and Tasha would be here in about ten minutes.

We all sat in the chairs, lounging, well almost all of us. At first Dimitri stood at the wall with the rest of the guardians, then my father spoke up. "Dimitri, you are a guest at this meeting, you do not need to stand there like a fixture. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Prince, uh, Mazur-Arcos?" was all he said.

"No need with formalities son. I am just Abe to you." He looked around the rest of the room. "That goes for all of you."

Just then the doors at the back opened and my mom and Tasha Ozera walked into the room. Thank God she was just fifteen seconds late to hear Dimitri's response. She would have set off then. "What's this all about Abe? I have guardian duties to attend to. What gives you the right to pull me away?" Mom was not happy.

"Janine, dear, if you would have a seat I have some things to tell you. Some very important things that not only affects me, but our daughter as well. Ah, the food is here, would you like some refreshments before we begin?" Was Abe Mazur, big, bad "mob boss" trying to stall? I looked over at Lissa and could tell she was thinking the same thing. We both cracked smiles at each other.

Tasha took a seat next to Christian, and my mother came to sit next to me. "I'll take whatever Rose is having." She turned to me, "What is going on? I heard there was some big, surprising news that was revealed during the reading of Tatiana's will, but what is this all about?"

"Mom, just promise me, no matter what it is, that you will stay calm in front of my friends?" I begged her.

"Rose, you know something, and you are starting to worry me. Are you pregnant?"

"WHAT? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT." I shouted. Everyone turned to look at us. "This is Dad's deal, just sit back, eat your refreshments and listen. Okay?"

Dad stood up and cleared his throat. "Could I have all the guardians please leave the room? It is time for the private reading of the will at the request of the Queen." The guardians bowed and left.

Mom was just staring, eyes as big as golf balls, and chin resting on the table. "What is going on? Since when does he hold that kind of power to clear a room of guardians?"

I laughed. "Mom, blink, close your mouth and just listen. Maybe you'll learn something."

"Okay. I need to go over some of the original will seeing as Guardian Hathaway was not present at the first reading. Janine, Tatiana has named me her successor to the throne." Abe said this with a kind of apprehension in his voice. Like he didn't want to say anything.

"WHAT? HOW? WHY? Oh my God, I think I am going to faint. Can I have some water?" I think I had just witnessed my mother starting to have a nervous breakdown.

Lissa got up and brought her some water and then sat back down. All the while she was trying to stifle her laughter at my mothers uncharacteristic outburst.

"Anyway, yes Janine, I am to be King of the Moroi. How you ask? Well, my family is the direct descendants of the oldest Royal line, the Arcos family. My legal name is Ibrahim Mazur Arcos. I dropped the Arcos after I graduated from the Academy in Turkey. Mazur was my mothers name so I kept that. Everyone at my Academy used to pretty much worship the ground I walked on because of my lineage and I hated it. I decided then that I didn't want to be known as Arcos anymore. The Royals looked down on non-royals, and I thought that was such a disgrace. It wasn't right. When I told my parents that I wanted nothing to do with the Royal lineage, my father disowned me. While I was in school I took some combat classes in my spare time, and became quite strong. After my father disowned me, I went out into the world. I found that even though I had dropped the last name, people still knew where I came from. Tatiana had just begun her reign as queen and summoned me to Court. She was the last Ivashkov to know who I truly was. I became kind of a 'thug' of sorts. I worked with people who wished not to be named, and did things that had to be kept secret. Sometimes I worked directly for Royals, sometimes I worked for non-royals. I made a name for myself as someone to be feared, as well as respected. I always had support from the Royal Council, well, Tatiana, and she kept me out of trouble if my workings ever came to light. As I began to become more powerful, I was able to out grow my lineage. But of course, Tatiana never forgot. But I never told a sole. Not even you, Janine. I loved you and I didn't want my lineage to scare you away, or alienate you from me. I wanted our daughter to have the same opportunities everyone else like her had. I didn't want her to become like the Royals I grew up with. And I was also afraid she would be crucified being a Dhampir with a Royal father, which in turn, yes, Rose, you are a Royal. I am proud of how you turned out, and I don't regret keeping you out of the headache it could have caused. But now I see that it could be a problem again. Acceptance will be hard to get once this gets out. However, I am hoping that becoming King will change some of the ways of our world. That is why I accepted this offer from Her Majesty to become the next King. I WILL make sure change happens. Moroi and Dhampir will be strong and powerful, together, as we once were."

I sat in awe of my father. He explained it all without so much as one stutter. If you didn't know him, you would think he had rehearsed this little speech. He even kept my mother from interrupting and causing a scene. Now she just sat there at a loss for words.

Dad bent over and picked up the envelope with all our names on it. "It is time to see what Queen Tatiana has to tell us all. Janine and Tasha, I know you are not on the list to be here, but I have a feeling you should be involved in whatever this envelope contains. If you would like to leave, I understand, but you are more than welcome to stay."

"I'll stay." My mom said, but it almost came out as a whisper. "As will I" said Tasha

"Very well, lets begin."