Hi everyone! Well, as I promised, here is the next chapter! It's been a real effort to get one this long to you in one day, so I will warn you it might be a few days before i update again; i have a 3000 word essay and an indonesian exam in the next week, so I'll have my hands full. I hope you enjoy this chapter; we get to see the return of some of our favourites, as well as a little problem that arises at the very end. Anyhow, enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Oh and PS- this chapter has a tiny little spoiler for the bloodlines series in it. I haven't included anything from silver shadows because i know most of you probably haven't read it or if you have know people who havent, so if you don't know about the relationships in bloodlines then by all means, please dont continue reading.
I do not own VA, you get the drill.
Chapter 7
I heaved a breath when I finally made it up the stone staircase, my face red and my hair wild. I don't know why out of all the places I could have gone I ended up back in Belikov's rooms; he was the last person I wanted to be close to after the lunch fiasco. Yet I had very little control over where my feet had carried me and here I was now, sweating and exhausted, in the very place I didn't want to be.
As I dragged myself to my little room, the tears I had been holding back for days finally began to flow. I had always known I had control over my own fate, even when things hadn't looked promising, but now even that had been ripped from me. Belikov was in control of that now, and after everything that had happened between us I hated that thought more than ever.
I curled into a ball on the bed then, crying silently. It wasn't long before I heard the door open and close and footsteps heading towards me, but I ignored it. My life had been turned upside down, my pride and respect trampled on and my hope crushed. Belikov could go shove it, I thought as I buried my face in the pillow. He could go to hell.
I felt his heavy weight drop onto the mattress near my feet but ignored him, just as I always did. It was a shock, therefore, when his arm grasped mine and he yanked me up.
"Why are you crying?" He growled at me, his eyes angry.
I knew he might have been upset after I had run out on his family as I had, but I had only ever seen this coldness in his eyes once before, and I had nearly died that time. Catching my breath, I tilted my head up at him.
"I'm crying because I'm stuck with a miserable sod like you for the rest of my horrible life!" I yelled, attempting to yank my arm free of his grasp. He only tightened his hold, however, and I cried out.
"You will not speak to your Prince that way," he told me, breathing into my face. "Do you understand?"
I was past the point of self-preservation now, my temper that usually got the best of me running free.
"You will never be my prince." I told him coldly.
He studied me for a second, ice in his brown eyes. Without warning, he yanked me off the bed and threw me into his bedchamber, his movements unhurried and threatening. I backed up against the wall as he closed the door behind us, his much larger and stronger body towering over my own.
"I have been so very lenient with you," he snarled softly. "I have provided you with luxuries that a slave would usually never see in an entire lifetime. I have defended you and this is how you repay me?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead throwing me to my knees. "You will swear your fealty to me," he informed me.
"No, I won't," I snapped back.
"Swear it!" He roared, shoving my head into the ground in a comical bow. "Acknowledge me as your prince!"
"I will not!" I yelled, leaping to my feet. Before he could stop me, I plunged one finger into his chest, scolding him as a mother would.
"You have taken my pride, my joy and my freedom from me. I didn't want your luxuries, I didn't want your defence, and I didn't want any of this!" I continued, gesturing wildly at the room.
He grabbed me by the waist then and launched me at his bed, knocking the breath out of me. Before I could speak he was leaning over me, his breath tickling my cheek.
"Well then should I treat you as I would treat a free woman?" He asked me civilly. "A free woman would be given an hour in my bed and then be thrown on the streets. Is that what you would like?" He asked.
"It'd be better than spending the rest of my life stuck here," I replied, fear in my voice.
He ripped the front of my dress then, the beautiful silk blue tearing under his rough hands. I gasped in fear; surely he wouldn't go this far.
"Be my free woman then Roza," he snarled, for the first time meeting my eyes. He crushed his lips to mine forcefully and without any restraint, so I did the only thing I could; I bit his lip.
Blood gushed from his wound and he pulled back, his face murderous.
"Get out." He told me, turning away.
"What?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Get. Out."
"B..b…but.."
"You said you wanted freedom," he laughed, red making a tunnel down his chin. "So get out."
I was unsure why his words hurt me so much. This is what I wanted, right? I wanted to be free, I wanted to not be a slave? Why did I feel so… alone, when I thought about life without Belikov then? I shook my head, fighting back the thoughts. I was stronger than this.
"Good luck finding another woman with enough guts to put up with you," I hissed venomously at him, pulling my dress together. With nothing except the dress I was wearing I threw myself from his rooms and down the staircase, fighting back the tears that threatened to overflow.
It was dark outside by the time I reached the palace entrance, and Verex was an entirely different world. Gone was the harsh brutality of life during the day, replaced with a culture both exotic and beautiful. People everywhere, free from daily toils, sat together and ate, singing songs and laughing. I went largely unnoticed aside from a few curious looks from palace guards, which I ignored. Slowly, I made my way through the city streets, the only light coming from the moon and the fires near huts that people were settled around. I was glad for the darkness; nobody could see the mess of my clothing, or the tear tracks that had settled on my face.
"Rose?" The voice was instantly recognisable, and without even realising I began to cry again.
"Lass, what's wrong?" Russell asked. He turned me towards him, face paling when he took in my state. "Who did this to you?" He finally asked quietly, eyes angry.
I laughed then, bitter. "Who else?" I asked him, my eyes blank.
"Come, lass," he finally told me. "I don't live in the barracks like most of the young ones. My wife will be more than happy to have you for the night."
"Wife?" I asked stupidly, allowing him to guide me through the warped streets.
"Aye," he smiled. "Twenty years now I've been with that brute, and not a day goes by she lets me forget it either."
We stopped outside a small but well-kept hut then, with a thatched roof and wooden slats. It was homely, and I instantly felt comfortable.
"Alberta, you old nag," he called affectionately. "We have a visitor."
I watched, torn between amusement and nervousness as an energetic woman bustled through the entrance opposite us. She was about my height, with sandy blonde hair streaked with grey. Her face was stoic but softened with laughter lines. Instinctively, I trusted her.
"And who is this?" She asked Russ, a twinkle in her eye. "Another of your mistresses eh?"
Russell snorted. "This, my dear, is the girl I was telling you about. Rose, meet my wife, Alberta."
"Oh you poor dear," she tutted then, pulling me from Russell's side. "What has that pig of a Prince done now?"
I sniffled, giving her a watery smile.
"No matter," she told me gently. "I'll kick his ass sooner or later. For now, let's get you into some clean clothes and tidy you up."
She left Russ standing on the steps, completely bemused, as she hustled me into her home.
"It's not much," she told me. "But it's ours."
And strangely enough, it was exactly what I would have expected from them. The house was small but cosy, a hearth fire burning low in the far corner with chairs arrayed around it haphazardly. A table sat to the left of the room next to the only window, curtains drawn to give the room a comfortable feel. Rugs lined the floor and two other rooms branched off from the main, one a bathing room and the other, I presume their bedroom. It wasn't much no, but it was all I had ever hoped for in my own home.
"It's perfect," I told her softly, eliciting a bright smile from her that transformed her face and made her look years younger.
"Come," she commanded. "I have just drawn some water for my own bath, and it is still warm. You look like you could do with a wash."
It wasn't much later that I found myself curled on a rug near the fire, wrapped in a warm robe with my hair loose around my shoulders. Alberta's gentle mothering nature had me feeling more relaxed than I had in a very long time, and I could feel my eyes drooping.
"Alberta?" I called softly, knowing I had one final thing to do before I succumbed to my drowsiness.
"Yes, Rose?" She answered.
"Thank you."
As my eyelids drooped even further, I could have sworn I heard her chuckle lightly.
"You're most welcome," she answered, her voice the last thing I was aware of as I drifted off into the deepest sleep I had been in since I had left Andeep.
DPOV
I tossed and turned that night, unable to remove the sight of her fearful eyes from my mind. I had thought that scaring her into submission, that showing her how an ordinary woman would be treated would have made her more docile, yet instead she had reacted in the way I least expected. Looking at the situation in hindsight, I ruefully thought that maybe her reaction hadn't been so uncalled for. I knew this was a girl that had spent her life defending herself from the unwanted advances of men, yet I was surprised by her fire? Groaning, I buried my head in my pillow, unable to sleep knowing she wasn't in the room next to me. After a little while more I finally gave up, throwing a loose robe around my shoulders and striding out to stare at the city.
In the early hours of the morning, everything was still. The embers of fires and the moonlight were the only things illuminating the stillness beneath me, the only things showing me what would be mine one day. Hauntingly, my mother's words floated back into my mind, cautioning me that the greatest power lay in winning the hearts of my people. I felt shame then, a deep and unrelenting shame that made me bow my head. Winning a heart, I knew, could not be done violently. My mother had lived her life in fear and hatred of my father, and I had watched her suffer and swore I would never bring pain to any being the way he did. Yet here I was, a carbon copy of the monster himself. How were my actions any better than Sergei's? How could forcing Rose into swearing her fealty to me ever be the right course of action?
I punched the railing, ignoring the shooting pain in my arm. It matched the stinging sensation that was still coming from my lip, an unwelcome reminder of what had transpired that afternoon. With a jolt, I wondered what had happened to Rose. She was down there somewhere now, I knew. She was down there in an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar people, with no money or shelter. She could be hurt even now, or lost, or cold, and it was entirely my fault. Ignoring the nagging voice that told me she was only a woman, only a slave, I quickly threw on some clothes and boots. If I was going to be a good King, a better king than my father, it needed to start somewhere. And if I could bring myself to feel for a slave girl, surely I could win the fealty of my own people.
I was glad for the darkness in the early hours that masked my presence. Even though I wore a cowled cloak, my height and shape would have been easily recognisable to any who knew what to look for. As the thought crossed my mind a hand grasped my shoulder, causing me to unsheathe my sword and spin defensively. I relaxed when I saw it was only Russ there, one eyebrow quirked curiously at me.
"Christ, Russ," I muttered. "You scared the hell out of me."
"Aye, I bet I did," he answered quietly, his mouth set in a hard line. I relaxed, which I later realised was possibly the worst mistake I could have made.
Out of the blue, his fist connected with my jaw. Hard. It wasn't enough to knock me over, but enough to make me fall back, shocked and angry.
"What the fuck was that for?" I roared, rubbing my jaw furiously. It was then that I saw the cold look in Russell's eyes, a look I had never seen directed at me from the usually jovial man's face. Not many men could instil fear in me, but seeing that look in Russell's eyes sent a slither of trepidation down my spine.
"I have known you your entire life, Dimitri," Russell told me frankly, turning his head away to stare into the darkness. "I was there through every major event in your twenty four years, and I've fought by your side for ten of those years. But," he said, turning to stare at me again. "Never in all of that time could I have imagined you would turn out so much like your father."
I felt cold when I realised what he was talking about. Rose.
"Where is she?" I asked him softly, still rubbing my jaw.
"And why should I tell you?" He scoffed at me. "For all I know, you could well try and rape her again."
"It wasn't like that!" I begged him, reaching out to grasp his shoulder. "I only wanted her to pledge herself to me."
"And why would she do that?" Russ asked, looking tired now. "You took her from her people, took her from her home, made her a slave and abused her."
I was silent, lost for words.
"I don't know," I finally admitted, turning away from Russ. "I don't even know why I care. It's not as though she's a lady, she's my goddamn slave."
"Is she though?" Russ asked, turning my shoulder towards his home to our left.
"She's in there," he informed me. "But be careful. So is my wife."
I shivered as I walked quietly to the porch. Alberta, Russell's wife, I had met once before. She was a no-nonsense woman, and to be honest she scared me, reminding me far too much of my own mother. I knocked softly on the door, flinching when her scowling face appeared.
"How did I know it would be you?" She muttered under her breath.
"I'm sorry?" I asked, perplexed.
"Never mind," she huffed, turning away from me. "Close the door behind you."
I had been in Russell's house many times growing up, and nothing much had changed in the years. Except now, a small figure lay before the low-burning hearth, her chest rising and falling gently. I felt an emotion I had never experienced before rise up in my throat, and I was struck speechless.
"Aye, it's like that isn't it?" Alberta asked quietly.
"Sorry?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"Falling in love."
"I'm not falling in love," I immediately countered, my face feeling uncomfortably warm.
"Aren't you?" She murmured. "Have any of the other ladies you've been with ever made you feel like this?"
I was silent.
"She's a slave," I finally muttered. "It doesn't matter how I feel."
"Your father won't live forever," she reminded me, careful to keep her voice quiet.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded.
"It's supposed to mean," Alberta told me with condescension, "that maybe it is time for a change. The current outlook towards women is a little… antique, wouldn't you say?"
I thought about that for several moments before replying.
"I wouldn't say antique," I told her.
"Tell me, young Dimitri, when was the last time you saw a woman take on a man the way your Rose there took down my husband? Tell me the last time you saw a man show the same courage that she does."
"I can't," I answered truthfully.
"Precisely," she retorted. "Sergei is outdated in his views and the people are beginning to resent him. Make sure you don't make his mistakes when your own time comes." She left me then and retired to her own room, leaving me mulling over her words that were so similar to my mothers.
The stirring of the girl in front of me pulled me out of my musing. Quickly, I hurried over to her.
"Rose?" I asked gently, placing my hand tenderly on her cheek.
"What do you want?" She grumbled, not opening her eyes to me.
"You," I breathed. "Come back with me Rose."
Finally, she opened those beautiful brown eyes. But I didn't see any softness in them; I only saw a ruthless anger.
"Come back to have you tie me down this time?" She asked derisively. "Or come back to have you force me into doing things I won't do?"
"Please Rose," I muttered. "Not here. Let's take a walk."
She studied me suspiciously for several moments, before raising herself to her feet. I took my own cloak off and wrapped it around her shoulders, certain that she would decline. She looked as if she would but decided against it, following me into the cool night air.
"Rose, firstly, I owe you an apology," I told her. "My actions were inexcusable and improper."
"Is that it?" She asked incredulously. "Is that all you have to say?"
"Let me finish," I begged her, feeling grateful when she merely narrowed her eyes at me. She had a strand of hair blowing around her face and all I wanted to do was run it through my fingers, but I restrained myself.
"Rose, you have to understand that I was raised to believe women were stupid and had no rights," I told her, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "If it weren't for Russell, Alberta and my sisters, I probably would have still believed that."
"You're not that stupid, surely." Her voice was like acid.
"Rose, please," I begged. She finally remained silent.
"It's taken a long time for me to get out of that mindset," I informed her. "And sometimes I still slip. Like with you, I slipped. I'm sorry Rose; there's nothing more I can say, and I truly hope that you can forgive me one day."
She was silent, for the first time her eyes unfathomable. I once again had to repress the nasty voice in the back of my head asking me why I was explaining myself to a slave. She might be a slave, I justified to myself, but she is also a human, and she deserves the same treatment that I do.
"What do you want from me?" She finally asked, her voice hopeless. I frowned, the question something I had been asking myself since I had given her a bed in my own rooms.
"I don't know," I told her truthfully. "And I don't know what the future will hold. But I do know that I want to get to know you better Rose, and I want you to know me."
I leaned down to her much shorter height and kissed her cheek then, taking her hand and leading her back towards the palace. I was too preoccupied by her small, warm hand in mine to notice the audience that had gathered behind us.
"Do you think she will be good for him?" Eddie asked Russ, his brow furrowed in thought. He was returning to the barracks from guard duty and had come across the Prince speaking softly to the young girl.
Russ likewise had been standing in the shadows, watching the interaction between the two. He, too, appeared deep in thought.
"Yes, I do." He finally replied. "But I think a lot of people will stand in the way of allowing her to make him into the man he needs to be."
"I agree," Eddie whispered back. "She will need to be watched. I wouldn't put it past certain people," he said the word with disdain, "to use her to get to him."
"Aye, son." Russ sighed. "We'll keep an eye on the girl then."
I pulled Rose into my bedchamber, laying her on the bed next to me. She began to protest, but I was tired of staying away from her.
"Just, stay." I pleaded with her. "Please."
She grumbled next to me but buried herself deeper into my cloak, wrapping it around herself. Exhausted, I closed my eyes, comforted by the warmth next to me. I had never slept next to a woman before, only bedding them when my needs required. Lying next to Rose without any ulterior motive felt strange, but also nice. I heard her breathing even out next to me and knew she had dropped off to sleep again, so I took the opportunity to place my hand on her waist. She was thin but her gentle curve under my hand fit perfectly, causing my breath to catch in my throat. I had never been so taken with a female before in my life, and the thought of the future scared me. I didn't know whether things would go any further with Rose or what would happen between us, but I knew one thing for certain. I was going to unlock Rose's secrets if it was the last thing I did, and rebuild the confident, brave woman I had first encountered fleeing from my men in Andeep.
I was rudely awakened hours later by the incessant nagging of Lissa's voice. Groaning, I rolled onto my side only to encounter warm flesh. I opened my eyes to the figure of Rose huddled still in my cloak, and I smiled. This was definitely one of the better ways to wake up.
"Dimitri, get out of bed!" Lissa was fretting. She barely seemed to be batting an eyelid over the situation Rose and I had found ourselves in, and I wondered not for the first time who would really be surprised if we grew closer. Rose stirred then, burying herself deeper in the cloak to escape the noise.
"Oh no you don't," Lissa said grimly, pulling the material from Rose's face. She moaned, a mewling sound that made me grin.
"Don't you smile," Lissa turned on me, her anger diverted. "You have brunch with your sister's family in an hour and you still haven't got out of bed!"
"Damn!" I yelped, leaping from the bed quickly. Beside me, Rose rolled her eyes.
"Don't you look so amused," I told her. "You're coming with me."
Her mouth fell open in a comical 'O' expression. Even Lissa giggled as she threw herself from the bed even faster than I did.
"But why?" She asked, tripping to the bathing room. I averted my gaze as she began to unlace the robe Alberta had lent her.
"Because," I answered, "Anyone who knows me can see you're more than just my slave. And besides," I chuckled, "I don't really want to go on my own."
"Coward," she muttered as Lissa closed the door firmly on her.
"Rose?" Lissa questioned, her voice muffled through the door. "Where did you put the blue dress from yesterday?"
I cringed, waiting for the answer.
"I burnt it," Rose told her so noncommittally that I began to chuckle.
"You… what?" Lissa gasped, aghast.
"I burnt it," she repeated slowly. "I didn't like it."
"Why do I find that difficult to believe?" Lissa asked her dryly. I couldn't see anything as I pulled my own pants on, but I could imagine Rose shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. The thought made me smile.
It was nearly a full hour later that I entered the dining hall, Rose tucked under my arm. She looked dazzling in a dark green gown that clinched at her waist, with her hair wrapped in a long braid. I wore my customary black, and as I pushed open the doors, I knew we looked good together.
"Dimka!" My sister, Karolina, threw herself at me before I had a chance to gain my bearings. She was a small woman with the same dark hair and eyes that we shared, her skin porcelain. I hadn't seen her since she had married into the Badica family a year ago, a prominent family in Thraln. Andrew, her husband, was a loyal man and brave to a fault, and I had been pleased with the match; they both seemed to care for one another.
"Karo," I smiled, leaning down to embrace her. "It's been too long."
So caught up in my greeting, I didn't notice Rose freeze beside me. I didn't notice her hand drop from my arm, and her face go slack and pale. Looking up, I glanced around the table over Karolina's head. My father was nowhere in sight, but my mother was chatting happily to Viktoria. On her left was Andrew, and on his left was another couple. They both had blonde hair and were beautiful, with the girl adorned on her cheek with a golden lily tattoo. The man, dressed in the customary black of Thraln, had green eyes that glinted with mirth as he held the woman's hand. My curiosity was piqued as I stared at them, and Karolina followed my gaze.
"That's Andrew's younger sister, Sydney," Karolina smiled. "She's engaged to the man next to her. His name is-"
"Adrian?"
The problem was, the voice hadn't come from Karolina. It had come, softly and brokenly, from the lips of another woman in the room, the woman standing next to me. Realisation dawned upon me suddenly as I watched recognition grow in his eyes, followed by a very guilty expression grace his face. He half stood, before setting his jaw and sitting once more next to the blonde girl, who was suddenly very interested in her nails.
Adrian Ivashkov. The man Rose had loved. The man she believed had died was sitting right in front of us, to be married to my sister in law.
Could things get any worse?
Whew, and there you have it folks. Our lovely ladies man Adrian has made a reappearance and its with Sydney, after Rose has been mourning him for so long. What do you think will happen now? Do you think she will ever forgive him? And what about poor Dimitri, now caught up in a love triangle? Please review and let me know what you think will happen :)
