I got my files back YAY! can't wait to bring you all some long awaited updates.
We touched down hours later. I was in such a daze that I didn't notice we had arrived until we pulled up to the house. I was still processing what I had seen through Lissa, but the instant I saw the house and Dimitri's beaming face, every worried thought vanished. I had given so much, lost myself and found myself again only to lose it again. For once in my life I sighed happily. I deserved to be selfish. I had never known my family but I will know Dimitri's because I know if they are anything like Dimitri, I will love them.
Dimitri didn't get the chance to walk up to the house before the doors opened and four women flooded out the doors and embraced him speaking rushed words in Russian. I sat in the car watching the interaction. They were all tall and had the same eyes as Dimitri but their hair was slightly different. Dimitri's was a chocolate brown only a couple of shades lighter than mine. These women all had a lighter colour.
I opened the car and heard the sexy sound of Dimitri speaking Russian. He spoke in Russian a lot, mostly around me, but I had only ever heard a few words, not full sentences. The sound of the door closing behind me alerted one of the women. She was the smallest of the four but was still taller than me. She turned to me and her smile grew wider if that were possible. I didn't have time to react before she threw her arms around me. The other women noticed and turned following her. I stood frozen, unsure of how to react. Dimitri laughed at the scene in front of him.
"Help," I mouthed to him. He shook his head but came closer.
"Don't suffocate our Princess," he said in English. That word was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over them. They all jumped off me, almost in sync. A middle-aged woman, Dimitri's mother I presumed, was the first to bow. My eyes widened in protest as the others followed.
"No, there's really no need for that. I'm not that kind of princess," I said. The women all stood up. The shortest one smiled as Dimitri approached me and put an arm around me.
"Roza, this is my mother, Olena, and my sisters Sonya, Karolina and the youngest Viktoria." He said gesturing to each of the women. I smiled at Olena who still looked like she had the urge to curtsy. I guess it was going to be harder than I thought to escape my title.
"Everyone, this is my Roza," Dimitri continued and kissed the top of my head.
"It's nice to meet you all," I said smiling.
"It's a pleasure, your highness," said Sonya.
"Oh, please, no titles. I'm still not quite used to the royalty thing yet." I said. Viktoria smiled coming forward.
"I knew I'd like you." She said taking my arm pulling me away from Dimitri. "Come, it's time you meet Babushka." She was fast with her long Russian legs. I struggled to keep up with her. I crossed the threshold of their home. My smile fell as my eyes scanning Dimitri's childhood home. He didn't have many personal belongings back at the academy, but here, the house screamed Dimitri. Photos in frames of Dimitri with his family when he was younger, and even a couple of baby photo's I couldn't wait to tease him about.
A shelf held several leather-bound books kept in perfect condition. His westerns. Some were missing from the collection and I suspected they were in Dimitri's bag. He must have been dying to complete the series again. Two children sat on the rub in front of an old woman holding an infant child. The Kids stopped playing to look at us. Their eyes widened and they jumped up running towards us and straight into the arms of Dimitri.
"Dimka!" they screamed and I realised they probably hadn't seen him for years. They would have changed so much and as Dimitri had, only his was not a physical change. I smiled at the picture before me but the lovely image was broken when I felt something solid hit my back. I turned to see the old woman with her cane pointing at me, the child gone from her arms and now cradled in Sonya's. The old woman said something in Russian.
"What?" I asked with a dumb expression on her face.
"She said, 'Don't get clucky'," said Viktoria coming to my rescue. I was about to respond with a snarky remark when Dimitri interfered.
"Roza, this is my babushka, Yeva." The woman raised her eyebrow, the same way Dimitri did. Her cane dropped from my chest and she walked off muttering something as she went.
"I don't think she likes me very much," I whispered to Dimitri. He chuckled lightly.
"Trust me, if she didn't like you you'd know," he whispered back. He took my hand and lead me over to the couches. The rest of the family joined us and the kids went back to playing on the rug.
"So, is it Rosemarie? Or Princess Mazur? Or princess Rosemarie? Or princess Rosemarie Mazur?" Olena rushed out nervously.
"Rose is fine," I said with a small smile.
"So, Rose," started Viktoria. "What's it like being a princess?" she asked.
"Vika!" Olena scolded. Viktoria ignored her mother and leaned in eagerly awaiting my response.
"It's okay," I told Olena. "I don't really know yet. I have known I am a princess for a while but it was hidden and when people found out they weren't very pleased. Let's just say I haven't exactly had the royal treatment." I said. Viktoria looked a little disappointed but the others seemed to understand. I realised, what I had was every girl dream. Young ordinary girl finds out she is really a princess. It wasn't like that. My story was no fairy-tale.
Olena went to make lunch giving Dimitri and I time to take our bags to his room and settle in. I wasn't exactly tired, but after the drama I had witnessed at court, I felt drained. Dimitri had the first shower and I collapsed on the bed waiting for my turn. I took out my phone and scrolled through the list of missed calls and messages from people. Adrian called twice, Eddie called three times and left one voice message. Christian texted me telling me he was worried and asking me to check on her. Abe called once. Lissa sent me two texts. One before I slipped into her head telling me to go into her head and one not long ago telling me what time the meeting was on again tomorrow so I can see the decision they made. I sighed putting my phone down and rubbing my eyes. Dimitri walked out in a fresh pair of dark jeans and a grey shirt. His hair was wet but brushed back and kept in a tie at the nape of his neck.
"Showers free," he said. I didn't look at him. He noticed and sat down on the bed beside me. "Is everything okay?" he asked. I shook my head. "Is this about what happened on the plane? Tell me what you saw." I took a deep breath.
"There was a meeting at court," I started. "They were discussing the guardian issue, and what should be done. The council is voting now and tomorrow their answer will be revealed. There were a lot of suggestions, Tasha was there fighting for Moroi right to using magic. The Royals said that Dhampir children should graduate and become guardians at sixteen." I said.
"What?" asked Dimitri.
"They used me as an example because I caught us so quickly and killed Strigoi before I graduated when I was seventeen."
"surely they know you aren't a regular Dhampir. You lived a completely different life. The queen knows that." I nodded.
"But it's a vote. It's not in her control." I said. "I should have been there. As the Dhampir princess I should have been there to represent them to speak out with the voice I was given. Instead, here I am hiding." I told him.
"There is a reason you are here. You aren't hiding, you are waiting for the people to settle down and allow you to be a princess."
"I should be there for my people."
"Imagine if you were there," Dimitri started. "Do you really think they would let you on the council. Do you really think they would give you a vote or a chance to say anything? If you were there it could be worse, they could send you out on the field as an example. You could kill as many strigoi as possible and it still would not be enough for them. You will have the most power when they finally accept it."
"What if the law passes, Viktoria will be sent out this year. She's your sister."
"My Babushka does not want girls out in the field, she's old fashioned. She believes that all dhampirs should learn to fight but then woman should stay at home and raise the children while men go out into the field."
"There was another idea at the meeting. They suggested calling all dhampirs to service even the ones who have left to raise children. They will all be called in and their children will be sent to academies to be raised. That's your family Dimitri. They won't have the choice. Viktoria won't have a choice." I said.
"Viktoria wants to be a guardian, as for the rest of my family, they are capable but I would not want them out on the field."
"What can we do?" I ask.
"Nothing, not until we know what their decision is and when it will start. If we need to we will go back but not if we can help it." Said Dimitri. I nodded understanding his reasoning. "For now, all you can do is have a shower, have something to eat, sleep and wait for the verdict. I will make sure you see it first hand," he promised. I smiled at him and kissed him quick.
"Okay, I'll be done in a minute," I told him. Dimitri was right, there was not a lot I could do from Russia and the last thing I wanted was to leave, get back on a plane and head back to the one place I had wanted to escape. All I could do was wait, and so I waited.