Dinner finished early. it went better than expected but Lissa and Christian kept shooting each other looks. It was almost as if they were the ones bonded and were having a telepathic convocation. They asked us questions, some I felt were a little invasive. I didn't lash at them though, Dimitri grabbed my hand sensing when my shoulders tensed up and he would answer with a simple statement that didn't give too much information into our personal life but gave them enough, so they wouldn't follow up with another question. He always knew the perfect thing to say. Even with his perfect answers, I couldn't take the questioning glances and interrogation on my love life any longer. When we had all finished I yawned and bid them farewell with the excuse that I had to finish packing and I was tired. I knew Lissa had more she wanted to ask but Christian nodded and grabbed her hand walking her to the door. Lissa hugged me tightly and I held back the tears that threatened to spill as I held her back tightly. She was my best friend and bandmate. I was going to miss her so much. Christian pulled me into a hug once Lissa released me which surprised everyone. I hesitated but hugged him back and he whispered into my hair.

"Stay safe, Rose. You have a lot of people to come back to." I nodded and he back up. They both said goodbye to Dimitri and me one last time before walking out the door. I promised I would watch over Lissa no matter where I was. I would also do my best to pull darkness but not too much. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time.

Once they were gone, Dimitri and I cleaned up the plates and got our stuff ready. We would be leaving tonight. Tatianna gave us the time when there would be a meeting in the grand hall which was the perfect distraction for us to get out without being seen. The guardians on duty knew and swore to help us to the waiting jet. The last thing I packed was the silver case with my alchemy equipment. While I wasn't an alchemist anymore, I still had a lifetime of alchemy knowledge and I planned to use it to help our world. I was working on reproducing the golden liquid I had made that killed the Strigoi in Spokane. It would take time, but if I could make it and produce it on a larger scale, maybe the world could finally be free from the constant threat of Strigoi. no more lives lost, Moroi or Dhampir. I was the Dhampir princess, it was time to take a stand. My secret was out, there was no more hiding once I came back from Russia. The Moroi royals may resent me but the Dhampirs would look to me. This was the change our society needed. A Dhampir who understands and can fight for Dhampir rights. Dimitri was right. This was not a curse, this was a gift. It was a chance, an opportunity to make a change to help our world for the better.

The clock hands ticked with each second as the time grew closer. I nodded to Dimitri and we left our room with our bags in hand and made our way to a new wall where instructions had been left from Tatiana. Along the window sill, I found the button and pressed it. the Windowsill moved and was replaced with a keypad. I placed in the new code and the wall split open revealing the open field where a few guardians stood waiting for us. Dimitri and I didn't hesitate before charging out. Eddie was there. He smiled at me but didn't say anything. I knew he understood what I was doing. He led us across the field past the gate to the airstrip where the jet was waiting. My hair flew around my face Dimitri took my bag and I turned to Eddie giving him one last hug before I stepped onto the plane and we were off. Jets were much better than human airports. It was much easier for us to get our stakes passed security and we got their much quicker without. I had travelled first class as an alchemist, but nothing could beat private jet services.

"We actually did it," I said after the plane took off. Dimitri laced our fingers together and kissed the top of my hand.

"Did you ever doubt we would?"

"Honestly, I had a few doubts. It shouldn't have been that easy," I said.

"The queen gave us an easy escape route. Relax and be happy it was easy or else we would probably be getting harassed by angry royals right now." Dimitri was right. I nodded and slumped back into the chair behind me. a headache came again but I ignored it as best I could and closed my eyes. It was going to be a long journey. My walls took a while to go up when once they were up they were stable. I smiled relieved to know there would be no ghosts haunting me now. Masons ghost had moved onto the afterlife not long after he warned me at St. Vladimir's. I wish I could have said more to him, to say one last goodbye but I never got the chance. I had slept for a while and when I woke I smiled at Dimitri who had his nose stuck in one of is beautiful Russian westerns. He looked so content when he was reading. I didn't want to disturb him, but he could probably feel my gaze on him. a concentrated creased brow was on his face as he sped through each page in seconds. This Dimitri was so different from Guardian Dimitri Belikov that if I didn't know him like I did, I wouldn't have recognised him. Suddenly I gasped as a voice entered my mind.

"Rose? Rose!"

"Roza?" asked Dimitri. He had turned away from his book and to me with his face full of concern. "Roza, what's wrong?" he asked. I had the words on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't let them out before Lissa's voice came again.

"Rose! You need to see this!" she commanded. I pulled myself into her head instantly to see the courtroom with a packed room of people standing, shouting and cursing at each other from across the room.

"Dhampir numbers are going down. There aren't even enough for me to have two now. I am the Badica prince, I deserve two guardians." A man shouted.

"Some of us can't even get one and you want two? Maybe if you didn't send your last guardian to the slaughter, you would still have two," a woman in about her early thirties said. the screaming matches continued for so long until Tatiana stood up and everyone fell quiet and sat down.

"Let us discuss this issue in a civilised manner. This is a courtroom not a football game," said Tatiana. A man in the crowd stood up.

"Your Majesty, what do you suppose we do about the shortage of guardians. A plane of recently graduated guardians just landed and yet there aren't enough for the just graduated royal children and other royals who do need a guardian," he said calmer than before but still with a fiery look on his face.

"I am open to suggestions," said Tatianna calmly and she took her seat and the next person stood.

"Your Majesty, there are plenty of Dhampirs out there. More than enough out there for all of us and extras for other things. Why do we not simply force them into duty, surely they do not need the training if they have managed to keep themselves safe from Strigoi."

"That is stupid," came another voice. Tasha stood. "The reason they aren't guardians is because they are raising their children, the bastard children you abandon them with after a night with the bloodwhores. They are raising them alone, so they can grow up to be your guardians. Call them into duty and what will happen to their children?"

"Send them to academies to be raised and trained there." Called a voice.

"Would you do that with your children. would you send them away to be raised by an academy? No. I didn't think so. How can we expect Dhampir mothers to do that when we won't?"

"It's their duty." Shouted the same man from before.

"Most of them gave up duty to raise their children. Other never had that duty and never will."

"What would you suggest then?"

"What I have always suggested," said Tasha. "Fight with the dhampir to rid the world of Strigoi. We have done it before in the past."

"Tasha, we do not need to hear your Moroi defence speech again. we have heard it for years." Said a new voice. The Drozdov princess.

"Then what would you suggest?" asked Tasha talking a seat.

"I suggest we lower the guardian age to sixteen. Send them out earlier." Shouts and arguments broke out again. Tatiana stood to quiet everyone.

"Everyone has a right to speak and we will vote after." The Drozdovs princess continued.

"These children are almost as ready for the field as the eighteen-year-olds. All they need is more training and they are ready to graduate."

"They are children!" someone screamed.

"They are Dhampirs, they know the sacrifices that have to be made."

"They aren't ready!"

"Think of Rose Hathaway." Everyone was quiet instantly. "She was only seventeen when she had her first kills and she had only had a year of training and managed to get to the top of the class and graduate with a record score. She would have made an amazing guardian but then we found out she was a lost royal. Is she going to sit up on the council with us? Shouldn't she be here today? I'm sure we would all like to know her opinion on the matter." Everyone looked to Tatianna.

"The princess, at this time, is unable to attend the meeting."

"Even if she were here, would it matter?" came a new voice.

"Please elaborate Prince Ivashkov," said Tatianna.

"What makes her a princess? She may have royal blood but there are plenty of Dhampir royal Bastards. What makes her different?"

"There are many children out there who have royal blood and are unclaimed. Rosemarie is just like them except her parents were married when she was born making her a legitimate child, not a bastard. Few remember the Mazur's. They were once a powerful royal family. They were strong, which made them a target for the Strigoi. Like the Dragomir's, there was only one Royal Mazur alive, Ibrahim Mazur. He grew up under the protection of our previous queen. Guardian Hathaway Graduated from an academy and was assigned to Ibrahim. They married and had a child. Many people were against them, so they left and went into hiding. They were found but Ibrahim managed to escape and give his daughter to a friend who would keep her safe and raise her as her own. Ibrahim came back to court and was stripped of his title. Jennine Hathaway was compelled to forget and Ibrahim was banished from court. Rosemarie grew up an alchemist without any knowledge that she was a dhampir a princess or the last Legitimate Mazur. While Ibrahim is alive and well and has recently been welcomed back to court now reunited with Janine, his title cannot be given back which means he can never be the Mazur Prince. Only Rosemarie can take that place." The Queen Explained.

"Why do we need a Mazur Family? For years we only had twelve and most people had forgotten all about the Mazur's until you revealed her." yelled the Ivashkov Prince.

"We can forget but the Strigoi don't. To them, this would be a sign of weakness. A once powerful family entirely wiped out. The Mazur Crest still sits on the wall among the other royals and there is a seat for Rose once everyone can accept her. The Mazur Family will always be a dhampir Family now and I know there will be many who will fight this, but maybe this is the change we need." Said Tatiana. "Dhampirs have never had a say or a vote on what happens to their lives. We depend on the dhampirs but at what cost? They surrender themselves to protect us and listen to us squabble about things that involve us, yet they don't get a say, they just stand in the shadows listening but never speaking. Rosemarie is the voice they need. Someone who can understand the dhampirs and get their rights."

"Then why isn't she here? if she is the future as you claim, shouldn't she be here to give her opinion, to stand up for Dhampirs as you said she will? This is a Dhampir Matter after all."

"Rosemarie is unable to attend right now," the queen repeated looking a little defeated now.

"Let's put it to a vote," Said the Drozdov princess.

"Agreed, each of the royal leaders will depart to have a vote, we will announce the results within the hour. Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, would you like to join us?" asked Tatiana.

"Your Majesty, the princess is not yet of legal age or pass the Quorum. Without another family member, the princess cannot have a seat on the royal council." Said another stuffy nosed royal. "A Dhampir under extraordinary circumstances can be a princess as long as it does not break the ancient laws." Tatiana nodded and gave a sympathetic look to Lissa before turning and departing through the double doors with the other royals.

I pulled myself back out to see Dimitri watching me with unblinking eyes full of worry.

"Roza?" He asked Quietly. I blinked a couple of times and tried to steady my breathing as my chest rapidly rose and fell in sync with my racing heart. "Roza, what happened? What did you see?"

"Something bad" I whispered looking down at my fists clenched so tight that my knuckles turned white. I took a deep breath and turned to Dimitri. "We have a problem."