DPOV
Ever wondered what it's like to lose everything you've ever held dear? Your job, your reputation, your soul… the love of your now miserable life. Even after getting almost all of them back, the thing that means the most to me is gone.
Roza… Roza… Roza…
My love, my life. My everything.
The atrocious thing is that I'd lost her even before she'd died. Drove her away from me. At first she didn't listen, but I pushed her away again and again until she finally gave up. It was nothing more than what I deserved. The things I'd done, not only to innocent humans, but to my Roza. The way I'd treated her as a Strigoi was unforgivable.
She'd been gone from me for six years now. Six years of monotony and misery passed me by and I barely felt any of it. During the first year that she'd left I'd spent the time fighting to be allowed to go after her, to be granted some time off. My request was denied, and I just couldn't abandon my duty. By the time that Queen Dragomir rose to power and allowed me to go after Rose, it was too late.
Too late.
All these thoughts swirled around my head as I made the drive to my hometown with the Queen. Thinking of my family, I couldn't help but be assaulted by my thoughts that Rose would never truly be a part of my family.
I knew that she had stayed with my family for quite some time, before and after I was a Strigoi, but by the time I could go and visit them myself after my change back to a Dhampir, they denied any knowledge of Rose having stayed there after she left the princess and me.
The Queen.
Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. I was sworn to protect her and I would with my life, but I held no affection for her. A large part of me blamed her for Rose's sudden departure. At first, I thought it was all on me, but after hearing the rumours about Rose trying to kill Lissa, I knew in my heart that that was utter bullshit. After doing some digging I had managed to learn that Rose had in fact saved Lissa's life but that Lissa pitched a huge fit over it, blaming Rose for everything bad that had ever happened in her life. The exact details eluded me, but I would never give up trying to find out exactly what happened that night.
We sped down the road, the scenery passing in a blur. I couldn't let myself enjoy the fact that I was going home, I was too on edge about the Queen's attack. I felt a foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach, as though we were heading straight towards danger, or that I was leading danger straight to my family's doorstep.
The part of me that blamed the Queen for the gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be, also blamed her for the danger she might bring to my family.
The old me, the rational me would remind myself that it was my choice to go there and that no one had forced me into this decision, but the present me was a twisted and bitter version of myself. How can one see the good in other people, when all of the light in one's own life has been taken from them?
No, no. My fault. All my fault. Not taken, pushed away, discarded, and thrown out like trash. That's what I did to my Roza, that's what I deserve for myself.
The miles flew by taking the hours with it. The sun was peeking over the horizon as we entered the small village just off Omsk that I used to call home. Nothing much had changed and for that I was thankful. This little piece of the world would always remain the same, I didn't have to worry about it changing into something I didn't recognise or of it leaving me.
I shook my head to clear it of the melancholy thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell.
I parked the car outside the familiar house, and I opened the door for the Queen. She seemed a bit shocked at the surroundings, but I figured that if it was this or death, that she'd happily chose this.
We made our way to the door, me in front with Bradley, the other guardian that had survived the massacre behind the Queen. The door opened just before we could reach it, and there stood my entire family, perfectly framed by the edges of the door. They were all there, with the exception of Viktoria, which I took to be a good thing as it meant that she was guarding someone somewhere and not pregnant already.
They didn't seem all the surprised to see me, merely very pleased. Babushka must have seen that I was going to come.
"Dimka!" My sister Karolina cried, my mother echoing her. Before I knew it, I was enveloped in a family hug. I allowed myself to relax into for a few moments before I stepped back.
"The Queen is in need of a place to hide until it is safe for her to leave the country." I heard a small gasp from behind me, but ignored it. I knew that the Queen would not be happy to leave without finishing the reason that she had come here. She thought that I didn't know that she sought the two elusive Strigoi hunters, most importantly the one that reminds everyone of Rose. While under normal circumstances I would've been eager to meet them, but it just wasn't safe for the Queen to be around two highly unpredictable vigilantes.
"Can you please inform the Dhampir community of the Queen's arrival, but also let it be known that the knowledge is to be kept within the towns limits?" I asked my dear Ma.
"Already done," she responded with a smile. "Come in, come in," she urged, gesturing us to enter my childhood home.
As we passed them, I noticed a few stares aimed at Lissa. They weren't hostile or unfriendly, more like they were thinking unpleasant things. I must remember to ask about that when I get a chance alone with them.
Lissa and Bradley followed me to the kitchen with identical bemused expressions on their faces, with my family trailing behind. I offered Lissa and Bradley a seat at the kitchen table since it was only polite. As I was clearly a space on the somewhat cluttered table, an Old Russian text caught my eye.
Paul, looking much older than the last time I saw him, came quickly and snatched the dusty book up.
But I'd seen enough.
"Who's looking into the Sword Kladenets?"
They all seemed to share glances with each other before Ma answered. "Oh, it's just a little project Paul's working on. Can I get you anything, Your Majesty?"
The girl in question laughed. "Oh, please, call me Lissa. A cup of tea would be lovely."
Sonya, who was pregnant yet again, shuffled around the kitchen to get started on that, but I was still focused on the strange reactions they all had.
Before I could get too wound up over their weirdness, I heard someone's hurried footsteps racing up to the house. I was instantly alert, but not too worried. There was only one set of footprints and the tread sounded light.
They didn't pause to knock, but entered the house, slamming the door shut behind them. "Don't panic," an airily familiar female voice called out. "It's only me!"
Everyone froze.
AN; Now, it's not who you think! Well, it might be, but probably not. Not yet anyway. Thoughts on the Dimitri POV? It was a total bitch to write. Sorry for any mistakes, I don't have a beta, and I normally read through each chapter two or three times to pick them up, but it's two in the morning and I'm tired.
Go easy on me. Next chapter will reveal some things finally and will be Rose's POV :)