"You said great, great, great, great, great granddaughter right?"
I laughed, "yes, I did."
"So that means we can have children together?" She asked carefully, but also hopefully.
"Yes, apparently we have always been able to do that. Thanks to your shadow-kissed state."
She began laughing and crying at the same time. Then she jumped up and down my lap and squealed, "we can have children of our own!"
I laughed and cried with her, "yes we can baby. Does that make you happy milaya?"
"So so so happy Comrade. I have wished for such a long time, that I could give you the family that you have always dreamed of." She sat in my lap crying tears of joy.
"And I wished that I could give you that." Again I cried with her, at the prospect of our future children. "But even if we could never have children of our own, that would not make me love you any less. We could have always adopted, and we still can Roza." I watched the smile on her face grow bigger and bigger with my every word.
"Let's have our own first. Then after we have all that I can physically deliver, we will talk about adopting some. How does that sound?"
I smiled at her, "amazing, just like the mother of my future children." I assured her.
A few days later it was time for the coronation. I had gone ahead and told Roza about wearing some workout pants underneath her dress for her to fight in, and that Mia was going to bring a pair of combat boots to the coronation. She asked Mia to also bring her a tank top and a pair of socks. She then said as soon as she feels the nausea, all of her guardians were to circle around her, facing outward so she could take her dress off and put the tank top on.
Roza, Abe and I stood at the doors to the meeting hall, nine of her guardians were to lead her in, the other nine were supposed to follow her in. I, being the head of her guardians, and her fiancée, was also supposed to walk beside her. Earlier, while I was getting dressed she had showed me the roses she had asked to be sewn onto the collars of my uniform and the pocket flaps of all her fleets uniforms. Mine however, were different from the others, mine had a heart around the stem of the roses. She said that it was to show me, that I would always carry her heart with me, wherever I go.
The music started, the doors open and we all walked in. When we entered the room, it filled with gasps at my Roza's beauty, poise and grace. The proceeding guardians, stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up to the stage. And split far enough apart for Roza, Abe and I to ascend the stairs. I held one elbow, and Abe held the other, and she lifted the hem of her dress, as she ascended the stairs. Once we were on stage, all of Roza's guardians spread around the stage, again with me being the closest to Roza.
As things continued, Roza took her oath and made her pledge, to be the best queen she possibly could. After she was crowned, she stood and everyone, except the on duty guardians kneeled. Then I saw her head snap up and around to me and I knew what that meant.
She grabbed the microphone and said, "everyone please listen to me, the wards have been breached and there are strigoi inside court. I need everyone that is not a guardian, to get into the safe rooms. NOW!" Our family already knew what to do, so they picked up the kids and ran. Mia ran up and handed Roza the bag, then headed for the safe room herself. Everyone circled around Roza except Alberta, who helped her change, and put her hair up. While Roza was finishing putting her hair in a tight bun. Alberta placed Roza's dress, crown and jewelry on her throne, and out to fight we went. Roza, Eddie, Chris and I had been fighting just like in her premonition, the four of us had killed almost fifty strigoi. For over an hour we fought, when it happened. I felt the snap of my neck, then nothing.
(RPOV)
"No! Dimitri no! Please no. No! don't you leave me; I won't let you go this time. No! Please don't leave me."
"Rosie, you have to shadow-kiss him remember."
"But I don't know how Mason." I was so scared I was going to screw this up and let him die, for good. I was in a panic. Suddenly that light Dimitri told me about, exploded around me. I guess it was triggered by my fear of losing him. But I was too scared and worried about Dimitri to pay any attention to it. All I could think about in that moment was the possibility of losing Dimitri forever. And I knew I would not survive that.
"Place one hand on his heart and the other on his head." I did that. "Now picture his heart begin to beat, and air start to fill his lungs and blood begin to flow through his brain. Throw all of your love into it Rosie."
I did just that too, I threw all of my love, desire, passion, need and fear of living without him into it. I felt Dimitri take a breath and start coughing. "Oh God Comrade, I was so scared." I cried. "I thought I had lost you, I was afraid I would screw it up. I am sorry it took so long baby. I…"
"Milaya, calm down. I am here now, but remember, we need to finish the ritual." He said as he sat up.
"Right." I turned to Mason. "How do I complete the ritual?"
"Use your stake, cut your wrist open and let him drink from you. When you feel that his fangs have grown in, then he will have to do the same for you."
I saw the look on Dimitri's face. "Can you see and hear him too?" He nodded. "See I told you I wasn't crazy." I told him sarcastically, and he laughed at me.
"And if you remember, I told you I never thought you were crazy."
"Ok, let's do this." I did as Mason told me. After Dimitri drank he opened his wrist and held me and let me do the same. After we drank we both passed out.
(EPOV) Eddie
"Rose!" Chris and I ran over to where Rose and Dimitri had passed out. I lifted Rose while, Yuri, Emil, Mikhail and Spiridon carried Dimitri. We all ran, as fast as our legs would carry us, to the hospital. Adrian and Oksana were already there healing the ones that they could. Mark led us to Rose's private hospital room. Which had something I had never seen in a hospital room before. It had freaking queen size bed, in a hospital room now. But it didn't matter, we placed Rose and Dimitri on the bed together and backed away, letting Adrian and Oksana look them over.
"They will be fine. They just passed out from the magic use, and the shock of the change that their bodies are going through." Oksana said. We all let out a relieved sigh.
Over the next few days Rose and Dimitri slept. Somehow their hands had intertwined with each other. No one saw it happen, but Ms. Olena Belikova noticed it and brought it to our attention. Oksana said that it was just their souls reaching out for each other. Thousands of enquires were made as to their health, all to be given the same answer. 'They are doing well, but still unconscious, hopefully they will wake up soon.' Tatiana has been acting in Rose's stead, and ordered a cleanup and head count. At sunset on day three, they woke up. They awoke to a room over filled with flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, fruit baskets, candy baskets and believe it or not, doughnut baskets. The doughnut baskets being from the guardians. Every guardian that knew Rose, knew about her love of chocolate doughnuts. If she were human she could have been a cop because of all the doughnuts she eats.
"I think someone accidentally stored a florist in here."
We all laughed at her, because we knew she was not used to things like this. A few of the baskets addressed to specifically Rose or Dimitri, had notes asking them out on dates when they recovered, and some even had marriage proposals. Which we all laughed at, hysterically.
(RPOV)
The day after we woke up we were allowed to go home. When the announcement, that we were awake, had been made. The reaction was astronomical. Every day more flowers and gifts arrived. Again some with requests for dates and marriage proposals. We all still thought that was funny.
A few days after we got out of the hospital I called a court wide meeting. We needed to discuss what had happened and where we went from here. I had asked Mia to be my personal assistant. And for some reason she was so happy she cried, as she thanked and hugged me. I didn't understand it, but I did tell her she was welcome.
"Mia, do we have a head count of the dead?"
"Yes, your majesty." As much as I hated it, I knew that I must be addressed like that in formal settings. So when she did so, I said nothing. But I could see the smirk on my families faces when she did it, even Dimitri smirked at me. "It is not funny." When I sent him that message he just smiled at me. But I could read his mind, and he thought it was funny.
"There were no deaths or injuries among the moroi, thanks to your early warning. We however, unfortunately, lost twelve guardians."
"Who cares! They are damphires, that is what they are for!" Said a voice, that unfortunately was all too familiar to me.
"Who said that?" I asked.
"I did." And there the smug little bastard stood.
"So you think that the lives of twelve damphir are acceptable loses?"
"Better them than me." He sneered.
"How many guardians do you have Jessie?"
"Three, Rose." His smug face made me sick.
"You address me like that again, and you will be put into a cell. Do you understand me?!"
I could see that he wanted to say a lot more, but when Dimitri walked up beside me and smirked, he bit his tongue. "Yes, your majesty. I apologies." I knew that Dimitri hated Jessie, because of what happened in the lounge. And because of the lies he and Ralf had spread around St. Vladimir's about me. So I knew without the bond the things he wanted to do to Jessie.
"Now, since you think the loss of damphir lives are so acceptable, you are here by stripped of your guardians. Let us see how you like being more vulnerable, due to the lowering of guardian numbers. I know several people who will be glad to receive the guardians you just lost."
He started screaming, "you can't do that to me! I am a royal, I should be protected by more guardians, not lose the ones I have!"
"Well, Mr. Zeklos, if you wish to remain a royal, I suggest shut your mouth. Because I can and will strip you of your title and everything that goes with it. If I so choose."
"You are just doing this to get back at me!"
"Mr. Zeklos, unlike you, and some other people I have met. I am not petty enough to lower myself to your level. Now, one more remark and you will not only be striped of everything you have. But you will also be ban from court, for life do you understand me?"
Although he was fuming he shut his mouth, and kept it shut.
"Is there anyone else that thinks the loss of a damphires life, is any less important than that of a moroi?" No one made a sound. "Good, I am glad to hear that. From this day forth, quite a few things are going to change.
1.) All of our people are created equally. And they will all be treated thusly, or there will be severe consequences.
2.) The word bloodwhore is stricken from our vocabulary. If I hear it, the first time it will be thirty days in a cell. If I hear it from the same person again, it will be thirty lashes. And the punishments go up from there. And don't think you can say it in front of others and I won't know. Because I have spies all throughout our society, and they will inform me. And yes I mean both moroi and damphir, also more than a few royals. So like I said, that word is banished from our world. Which will be the punishment if I hear it a third time from the same person.
3.) Mistreatment of non-royals and damphir will not be tolerated anymore. If you have taught your children to do this, you better convince them. That it is within yours and their best interest to stop. Because that will not be tolerated any more than that word will be.
4.) The moroi that wish to learn to fight, be it physically, magically, or both, will be allowed to do so.
5.) Damphir are as allowed relationships as the moroi are. Just because they are damphir does not mean they are not allowed love and happiness. As I previously said, all of my people are created equally.
6.) If you are suspected of using compulsion to harm someone, be it physically, mentally or emotionally you will be investigated. And if the allegations prove to be true, you will be sent to prison. I will not have another Vasilissa Dragomir. And I expect anyone and everyone to call the guardian hotline, that is soon to be established, if they suspect someone is using compulsion in this way. Your identity will be kept top secret.
7.) Stalking is now against our laws as well. There will be no more Tasha Ozera's either. If you care for someone and they do not return your feelings, move on. I do not care if it is male or female, moroi or damphir, royal or not, if you press your unwanted attentions onto someone else. Tarasov will be your new home.
8.) If there are ever, other restored strigoi. They will not be ostracized because of what their bodies did, while being possessed by the strigoi. It is not fair to the real them, if they were turned forcibly then they are to be welcomed home with open arms and hearts. If they turned voluntarily, they will also be sent to Mariz, to join Natasha Ozera. I, myself, will question them about whether or not they turned of their own free will or not. And trust me when I say, I will know if I am being lied to.
9.) All academy's will begin to teach moroi self-defense, as I said physically and magically. It will be strictly voluntary, and not regulated by parents after the age of fifteen. But before the age of fifteen, the parents can decide if they want their child to learn how to protect themselves. After the child turns fifteen, it is their own decision. If someone is found to be using offensive magic against someone who is not threatening that person or someone else. And over the age of eighteen they will have three months in the cells. If under eighteen they will receive one month. If it happens again the punishment doubles, and as I said before, the punishments go up from there.
10.) There will be no more forced marriages. I know that some people force their children to marry someone they do not wish to. Just for an increase in power and or money, that will not happen anymore. Arranged marriages for those reasons alone will not be tolerated in our world any more. This is not the dark ages, if you want to arrange a marriage for your child, you will come to me. And I will interview all the parties involved. And trust me, like I said before, I will know if you lie. I will know if all parties are involved willingly. And if they are not…it will never happen. And that child will be put under my protection. Does anyone have anything they would like to say?"
