Hey guys,

This is quite a long chapter,

hopefully you'll learn a few more things about Dimitri and what his life was like before Rose,

Hope you enjoy it

Lybie :)


I'd searched the Novice dorms and cafeteria until I'd finally spotted her walking out of the feeding rooms with the princess. They looked deep in conversation, so they didn't notice me when I walked over to them.

"All right then, we'll see how this goes. If anything goes wrong – anything at all – we leave. No arguments." She said with finality.

"Rose?"

At this point she actually realised that I was standing in front of her and started to look very guilty and self conscious.

What's going to go wrong? Why would she feel the need to run away again? There's something going on with the two of them, and I will get to the bottom of it. But for now I'm got to have to act oblivious.

"You're late for practice." I said in a neutral tone.

"Princess." I nodded then strolled off towards the double doors leading out towards the gym. Hopefully Rose would take the hint and follow me, but I checked to make sure just in case.

Sure enough she was hobbling along behind me but she still had that same worried look on her face, obviously she knew that I heard what she said and was afraid of the consequences.

A minute later the sound of her footsteps behind me stopped.

"Miss Hathaway, we really should get to training, you're already 40 minutes late, we'll be lucky to ..." I grumbled turning around but stopped when I saw the vacant look on her face.

"Rose... Rose are you ok?" no answer. Her eyes didn't even flicker.

I stepped closer, tucking the hair that had fallen onto her face behind her ear and tilting her chin up so I could see into her eyes.

It was similar to the look I'd seen on the plane, but studying it up close was far more unnerving, like she was physically there but her body was vacant and empty, almost like she was somewhere else.

I put my hands on either side of her shoulders and shook her gently, "Rose." Ok now I was beginning to panic a little. Was this normal? Was she ok? Was she having some kind of weird epileptic fit?

"Rose!" I shook her with a little more force than was necessary but it seemed to work because her eyes fluttered.

"Rose? Rose?" She was back again because her eyes focused on mine.

"Are you all right?" I asked, all of the concern and worry evident in my voice.

"I…yeah. I was…I was with Lissa…" she said, placing a hand on her head and wobbled it slightly as if to try and shake off what had just happened.. "I was in her head."

"Her…head?" I said confused. What? Was she ok, had she banged her head or something, she wasn't making much sense?

"Yeah. It's part of the bond."

She?... Head?... Princess?... What?... "Is she all right?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, she's…She's not in danger." She said as if questioning her own words.

"Can you keep going?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

We carried on walking to the gym, Rose went into the changing room, presumably to get changes so I wacked out my old training cards and started coming up with a raceme. Ohh she was going to love me;


Endurance Gym Workout

Warm Up: Dynamic Stretching (Full-Body Mobilisation)

Reps: 20-25 Weight: 4kg

Cable Crossovers (Hands High, Medium, Low) to strengthen Pectoral muscles.

Superset Straight-Arm Pull downs & Wide-Grip Pull downs (to Front) to strengthen Latissimus Dorsi in the back

Superset Leg Extension & Seated Leg Press to strengthen Quadriceps

Seated Leg Curl to work the Hamstrings

Superset Lateral Dumbbell Raise & Dumbbell Shoulder Press to work the Deltoids

Superset Bicep Curl Machine & Tricep Ext. Machine to build up the Biceps & Triceps

Seated Calf Raises to work the Gastrocnemius & Soleus

Core Training: Abdominal Crunches & Lying Hip Flexion to work the Rectus Abdominis & Hip Flexors in the Stomach

Cool down: Jog and cool down stretches


I'd just finished when she walked back into the room in her gym kit.

"You think that maybe you could let me off this time?" she asked.

I laughed, she's got to be joking.

"Why is that funny?"

"Oh," my smile fading. "You were serious."

"Of course I was! Look, I've technically been awake for two days. Why do we have to start this training now? Let me go to bed," she whined. "It's just one hour."

No way was she getting out of it that easily. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave her a serious look. "How do you feel right now? After the training you've done so far?" I asked.

"I hurt like hell." She grimaced

"You'll feel worse tomorrow."

"So?"

"So, better to jump in now while you still feel…not as bad."

"What kind of logic is that?" she moaned

I didn't feel like arguing anymore so I just shook my head and led her to the weight room. I showed her how to fix the weights and told her I wanted 20 reps. I gave her the training plan I'd just thought up and set her to work. She thought she ached now; she won't be able to walk tomorrow. Then i just kicked back in a corner, pulled out my book and carried on from where I'd left off.

"Now, Joshua turned, and barely able to walk, started towards Long Legs. Annabelle ran forward, tears streaming, "Oh Mr. Strongheart. You have been shot over and over."

He grinned, "They are just little holes in me. Don't worry."

Then he fell forward into her arms in a faint. His weight took both of them to the ground. She tried to lower him as gently as she could while falling with him on top of her. He opened his eyes, and was an inch from her face. They stared briefly into each other's eyes, and he smiled.

"Annabelle," he teased, "We just met."

He stood, and she grinning, jumped up, helping him raise up on wobbly legs. She immediately started tearing shreds from her petticoat and started bandaging his wounds. Joshua smiling pushed her aside..."

"Hehumph" she coughed to get my attention as I glanced up at her.

"Errrrr I think I'm done?"

"Ok, we'll do some cool down stretches, it'll help to loosen your muscles a bit and stop you being so stiff." She nodded and began to copy what I demonstrated.

"How'd you end up as Lissa's guardian?" she asked while stretching. "You weren't here a few years ago. Were you even trained at this school?"

It took me a moment to think of what to say. Since id been at the Academy nobody had asked me anything about my personal life, so it kind of caught me off guard.

"No. I attended the one in Siberia." I said casually, although it was obvious from my accent I wasn't from around here.

"Whoa. That's got to be the only place worse than Montana."

I inwardly smiled at that, everyone thought that Siberia was some kind of desolate wasteland, Ivan used to complain all the time about how boring it was, but to me it always had a kind of harsh, unforgiving beauty to it that intrigues me. Being away from it for so long made me really missed it.

"After I graduated, I was a guardian for a Zeklos lord. He was killed recently." I couldn't bring myself to mention his first name; it was still painful to even think about him. "They sent me here because they needed extras on campus. When the princess turned up, they assigned me to her, since I'd already be around. Not that it matters until she leaves campus."

"Did this lord die on your watch?" I flinched at that.

"No. He was with his other guardian. I was away." I'd spent so long blaming myself for his death. It was Paul's 7th birthday and he'd practically begged me to come home.


Flash back

"Эй, мой золотой мальчик, как вы делаете, вырады затвой день рождения"

(Hey my golden boy, how you doing, are you excited for your birthday?)

Дядя Дима, я не золото, я просто мальчик, но я большой мальчик, потому что я собираюсь быть 7!

(silly uncle Dimka I'm not gold I'm just a boy, but I'm a big boy now because I'm going to be 7!)

"Ничего себе, вы на самом деле хозяин дома сейчас! И что я должен получить большой мальчик на день рождения то?"

(Wow, you really are the man of the house now! And what am I supposed to get a big boy for his birthday then?)

I'd gotten him a little duster just like mine because whenever I went home I'd always catch him trying to walking around in mine. Last time he's managed to break mama's glass vase when he'd tripped over the sleeves.

"Я хочу, чтобы выприходите домойна день рождения" he interrupted.

(I want you to come home for my birthday)

"Ohhhh Павел,я действительноне могу" Just then Ivan walked into the room.

(Ohhhh Paul, I really can't)

"But if I came to see you who'd look after Ivan? He's not capable of looking after himself. He can't even tie his own shoe laces." I laughed switching to English for his benefit. Even though Ivan had finished his Education in Siberia, his Russian was shockingly bad, he'd once asked for a steak jacket instead of leather.

"Oi!, cheeky git!" Ivan said with shock horror as he threw a throw pillow off the sofa at me and for once he didn't miss.

"Well I can tie my own shoe laces all by myself now, Vikka's been teaching me, tell uncle Ivan I will teach him." I laughed and relayed the message to Ivan.

"uncle Dimka, please come home for my birthday, mummy said she's going to get me this big red fire truck that shoots water and everything, if you come we can share it and play with it together." He pleaded.

"Is that the family?" Ivan asked

"yeh its Paul, he's telling me all about what he's getting for his birthday" I laughed

With that he snatched the phone out of my hand.

"Just hijacking the phone!" I muttered

"Hey little man, how are the muscles coming along?" I herd something along the lines of "I'm not little I'm a big boy, I'm going to be a guardian just like my uncle Dimka!" Which made me chuckle but I could only hear Ivan talking for the rest of the conversation.

"Yes you are, then you're going to come guard me so you can boss him about"

...

"Yeh thats right... so what do you want for your birthday then ... seems as you're a big boy now maybe I should get you a shaving kit oooohhh or a car, you can drive right?"

...

"No! What do they teach you at school, don't worry I'll teach you I'm an awesome driver, I'm better then Michel shoemaker!"

...

"Well we can't be having that now can we, don't worry you'll have your uncle Dimka for your birthday, I'll even put a bow on his head if you like" He laughed

...

"Ok, I'll see you soon, bye mate" and hung up the phone.

...

"What the little fella wants the little fella gets" Ivan stated.

"What?" i asked confused

"you're going to have some time off, chill out , go see your family and make Paul's birthday" He stated.

"I can't, I'm not leaving you unprotected"

"I have guardian Reeve to take care of me, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm positive, now am I going to have to kick your ass back home or will you go willingly."

"I'd like to see you try" I scoffed as he kicked me in the ass and started off a scuffle with me, he didn't get very far, I just put my hand on his head as he tried to reach me. It ended with me getting him in a headlock.

"Fine... Fine... I give in...YOU WIN!" he gasped, finally admitting defeat after about 2 minutes of struggling.

"That wasn't so hard was it" I laughed as I let go.

"Go pack you чудовищномаленький человек" he said, pushing me out of the door.

"Don't you mean large?" I laughed

"Whatever, go pack your steroids"

"I don't need steroids, I'm 100% prime, sexy, Russian MAN!" I said prancing around flexing my biceps and wiggling my eyebrows. That earned me another pillow in the face so I ran up the stairs to pack.


"Hey," Rose said pulling me out of my memories.

"Did you help come up with the plan to get us back? Because it was pretty good. Brute force and all that."

I arched an eyebrow in suprise "You're complimenting me on that?"

"Well, it was a hell of a lot better than the last one they tried."

"Last one?" I was confused.

"Yeah. In Chicago. With the pack of psi-hounds."

"This was the first time we found you. In Portland."

"Um, I don't think I imagined psi-hounds. Who else could have sent them? They only answer to Moroi. Maybe no one told you about it."

"Maybe," I could have sworn we were the first group to actually track them down. Why would they send psi-hounds? She must have been mistaken.

"Ok I think that's it for today" I said as we finished our stretches. She hobbled to the side, doing a very good impression of an old granny. I started to laugh without realising which got me a death stare from Rose.

"I suggest you go back up to your dorm and take a cold bath, it'll make your muscles ache less tomorrow" I commented trying to bite my cheeks to stop me from smiling.

"Ohhh you think this is really funny don't you! I'm in pain and you've inflicted it" she hissed whilst she grabbed hold of one of the fighting canes for support. That was my undoing; I snorted far too loudly as she met my eyes and tried to stare me down.

"I'm sorry Roza, it's the way you're holding on to that cane, it makes you look like my babushka with her walking stick." She just stared at me shaking her head whilst I grinned at her like a fool, but she finally cracked a smile at me.

"Goodbye Dimitri" she laughed as she walked out of the gym.

"Don't forget the cold bath, you'll thank me for it tomorrow" I called after her before packing everything away and heading off to my own room.


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