I've already posted my apology, but here is another one.. I am so so sorry for the delay. But whilst I love you guys, damn it was a good trip. And I've worked hard to get this to you today, so please enjoy.. and I apologise if there are any holes, it's been a while since I wrote.

Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad to know you enjoyed the last chapter- I was a little uncertain about it because it had been quite a while, but I know where I want to take things now.

On that same note, I understand some of you don't like the whole 'Dimitri/Tasha' bit of that last one. I get that, I really do, because I hate that cow with a passion also. But at the same time, it's obvious she's obsessed with him, and there had to be some kind of reason for that; also, that will complicate things for them later on and drama is always good.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Don't hate me too much for this one; maybe you'll love me? Regardless, enjoy!

I do not own VA.

CHAPTER 10

Dimitri POV

I sat astride Nate, the lance heavy on my arm. I had been at this for hours now, sending lances shattering as I battered the targets again and again. Jousting was one of the only ways I was able to calm myself; the morning had taken its toll on me, and I was still seeing red.

Through the haze of anger, I felt a trickle of remorse. Rose hadn't deserved my rage; I knew that. Her eyes, wide and guileless, had shown me that she truly had not meant to stumble into our conversation. Yet, I had taken my anger out on her regardless. The fear in her eyes had almost broken me, but that too had only fuelled my frustration; I was to be a King, and I couldn't be weak over a woman.

But, I thought, smashing the target once again, if I was going to be weak over a woman, better Roza than Natasha Ozera. The thought of her sent disgust crawling down my spine, and I knew that Ronald and my Father had some grand scheme in the works concerning her. I didn't like being manipulated, and I couldn't shake the feeling that all of this was going to lead to disaster.

"Belikov!"

The roar cut through my concentration, causing me to pull Nate up short. I noticed then that he was panting heavily and was lathered in sweat, and once again I felt a pang of regret. I had allowed my anger to prevent me from noticing that my own horse had been labouring, and I knew that was unacceptable.

"Belikov, get over here!"

The shout was instantly recognisable, but it was still strange for me to see my normally placid friend yelling. Christian was hanging off the edge of the fence, his face red and his hair mussed. Frowning, I edged Nate slowly towards him. Something was amiss.

"Chris, what's going on?" I muttered. People were starting to pay attention, and the last thing I wanted was gossip circulating.

To my utter surprise, Christian grabbed me and hauled me from Nate, handing his reigns to a nearby stable boy.

"Take care of the horse," he spat over his shoulder at the boy, who scrambled to do as he asked. My unease grew; Christian was never impatient with servants.

"Chris, what's wrong?" Christian knew the boundaries of how he should act around me publically, and so kept his hands off of me. He stormed away from me quickly thought, leaving me struggling to keep up even with my much greater height.

"Not here," he growled, his movements hurried. It was then I really began to worry.

It was only when we reached the confines of the keep that Christian rounded on me.

"Where is Rose?" He demanded, his eyes wild.

Remorse quenched my fire better than cold water. "What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

"Where is Rose?" He asked once more, narrowing his eyes.

"I haven't seen her in a couple of hours," I admitted ruefully.

"Oh, I know," Christian cut me off. "A servant saw you throw her to the ground, but that doesn't answer my question. Where is she?"

I wracked my brains, trying to remember my words. Relief coursed through me when I did.

"I told her to leave," I told him, surprised at his concern for her. "She's probably just cooling her heels somewhere."

Christian looked at me strangely, his mouth flattening into a straight line.

"Soldiers saw her flee from the castle, but she hasn't been seen in hours," he told me, his voice cold. "How much have you told her?"

"What do you mean?" I demanded, growing angry at his abruptness. "What does it matter what she knows?"

"It matters," he replied harshly, "because we found this on the outskirts of the city." He withdrew from his tunic a small square of black fabric adorned with silver. With a jolt, I recognised it as coming from the dress Rose had been wearing earlier.

"There was one witness to the fight," he continued. "A young boy, says Rose taught him to fight. He goes by the name of Karl. He takes it on himself to follow her around, apparently, and it's lucky he did."

I reached out numbly and took the fabric from Christian, my eyes widening when I felt the wetness of it. Rubbing it between my fingers, my heart froze when the redness leaked onto my skin. Blood.

"This Karl," I asked, my voice hard. "What does he say happened?"

Christian paused, examining me. "He says a man dressed all in black took her," he finally told me. "According to the boy, the man was easily twice her size and didn't seem to care about hurting her in the process."

"Did he see where they went?" I asked, my voice hard.

"The boy tried to follow them," Christian admitted. "But the man had a horse waiting on the outskirts. He couldn't keep up."

I felt myself beginning to panic, but stamped down on the emotion. Now wasn't the time to have my mind clouded.

"Where is the boy now?" I demanded.

"Dimka," Christian said quietly, "You have to be careful."

"Why?" I asked, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Because if Sergei finds out you are spending your time looking for your courtesan," he told me, "it will give him more reason to ensure you don't ascend the throne."

"I can't just let her go," I told Christian, trying to convey my desperation. "You know I can't."

"I know," he agreed. "And Lissa would kill me if you did." I ignored that comment; I knew that Christian and my maid had a hidden romance, but it wasn't my place to judge him for it.

"Just be careful," he warned.

Karl was small for his age, and when I laid eyes on the boy the idea that Rose had tried to teach him to defend himself didn't surprise me. He was sitting on the stone steps leading towards the castle, his head in his hands. I startled the boy as I sat next to him and he leapt to his feet, instantly dropping to his knees in front of me.

"Your highness," he stuttered.

"Enough of that, boy," I told him, grasping him by his upper arm. "We don't have time for that. Tell me what you saw."

The boy, to his credit, raised his head to meet my eyes. He was brave, and I made a note to myself to follow up on the boy later. He would make a fine warrior one day.

"They took Rose, your highness," he told me.

I took a deep breath. "Your name is Karl?" I inquired.

"Yes, sir."

"Karl, I need to know what the man looked like. I need to know where he was taking Rose." I fought down the anxiety I felt rising within my chest- Rose was a fighter, and I knew she would never give up without a battle.

The boy took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders.

"I would have helped her, your highness, I would have!" He said suddenly, his voice passionate. "But he rode off too fast for me to follow."

"The most important thing is you are here now," I told the boy, urging myself not to cave in to impatience. "Now tell me what the man looked like."

"Well," Karl began, "he was tall your highness. He stood an easy head taller than Rose, and he was very strong."

"How so?" I asked, troubled.

"Well, he was twice as wide as Rose," the boy continued. "And he threw her around like she was a rag doll."

"Did you see his face?" I asked the boy. If I could glean even a slight hint about the man's identity, I might be able to trace Rose's kidnapper.

Karl hesitated. "Well sir, I did see something. But I could be wrong."

"Anything you remember could help find Rose," I assured the boy, clasping his shoulder.

"I swear sir that when the man threw Rose on his horse, for a second his glove caught and I could see his hand."

"And what was on his hand?" I asked, trepidation filling me.

"Well, I swear I saw a red flower, your highness. But it may have been a trick of the light."

I fled towards the castle, ignoring the curious glances cast in my direction. The red rose was the crest of a royal family, a symbol any nobleman would recognise. It so happened that select few of said royalty had the crest marked into the skin on their hands, and I knew whom to start with.

"Vika!" I gasped, pounding on the door to her chambers. "Open the door!"

My sister flung open the heavy oak with a clang, her stare cold and hard. "What do you want, Dimitri?" She asked, her voice acid.

"What's wrong?" I asked, side-tracked for a moment. It wasn't like my sister to be so cheerless, or call me by my full name.

"Oh, nothing makes my day like hearing my brother beat my best friend," she replied, staring past me resolutely. I winced- I had forgotten the gathering that Rose had been to this morning, and its proximity to the incident with my father and I.

"Vika, I need your help," I told her truthfully, attempting to appeal to her sensitive side. Instead, I was met with a door slamming in my face.

I swore under my breath. "Vika!" I yelled, pummelling my fists into the door.

"Fuck off Dimitri!" She screamed at me. Not for the first time, I ruefully wondered what would become of my unladylike sister.

"Viktoria Belikov, you can hate me later!" I yelled back. "Hell, you can beat me later. But right now, I need your help!"

"Why on earth would I help you?" She demanded, flinging the door open once more. I flinched as it passed within an inch of my nose.

"Not me," I told her, placing my arm out to prevent her closing the door on me once more. "Rose."

"Why? What's wrong with Rose?" Her anger immediately turned to concern. If Rose lived through this, I would remember the fast friendship they had developed.

"Vika, I need you to show me to Tasha Ozera's quarters immediately."

By the time we reached the guest wing, Viktoria was all but running. Skidding to a halt outside a door, she began to bang on it furiously.

"Ozera, open the door!" She yelled. When no response came, she banged again.

"She's not here."

Viktoria and I span around at the sudden voice behind us. To my surprise and chagrin, Adrian Ivashkov was eyeing us speculatively.

"What do you mean, she's not here?" Viktoria demanded.

"I mean, she's not here." Ivashkov repeated, a smirk playing over his lips. "She left in a great hurry not three bells ago."

It didn't take my mind long to do the math, and comprehend what Ivashkov was saying. I was willing to bet my left arm that wherever Rose was, I would find Natasha Ozera.

I had no time for subtleties, and annoyed at the smirk on his face, I grabbed Ivashkov by the scruff of his neck and slammed him into the door frame. He winced, and reached up to grab his nose as Viktoria shrieked and pulled me off of him. Apparently, Rose's punch had hurt.

"Dimka, enough!" Vika scolded. "If you want his help, you shouldn't beat him up. Although," she spat, her eyes filling with rage, "That is a lesson you should have learned a long time ago."

"Enough, Vika." I said wearily. "We don't want his help anyway."

But Viktoria was eyeing the blonde man figuratively.

"Say, Adrian, didn't you say one day you would make it up to Rose?"

"And pray tell, Dimitri, what would lead you to such a preposterous accusation?"

My father's lofty, obnoxious voice cut through the tension in the room like a knife. I hated having to stand below the man, in a subservient position. I hated his nasally tone, his superior manner. There was nothing in the world I wanted more in that moment that to plunge my sword through his heart.

"Natasha Ozera is missing and Ronald has left the Court," I told my father, trying to keep my voice respectful. "At the same time as my courtesan, whom Natasha made clear she hated, has disappeared. And so Father, I would like to know where Ronald has gone."

My Father surveyed me from the throne, his eyes gleaming. With a sinking heart, I knew he would not aid me in the slightest, but would rather seek to stop me. A stirring suspicion began to form inside of me, but I pushed it down.

"Even if I did happen to know where Ronald Ozera was," Sergei deliberated, stroking his chin. "What in the name of the Gods makes you think I would tell you?"

"She is my property," I countered, attempting to maintain my façade of indifference. "I don't like people taking what is mine."

Sergei's eyes bored into mine, seeing right into my soul. I tried desperately to appear like I didn't care, but I knew he saw right through me. Sergei would never understand what it was to love, and to cherish another. For I realised now that I did love Roza, and if I ever saw her face alive again, I would care for her until the day I died.

"No, my son," he murmured softly. "I think you are lying to me." He turned away, a clear dismissal. "Be gone."

Fuming, I stalked straight past Adrian and Viktoria whom were awaiting me outside the throne room. "Well?" My sister demanded, pulling at my arm as she hurried to catch me.

"Nothing," I spat bitterly. "He will help me with nothing." Giving in to my anger, I punched the wall in frustration. There was no doubt in my mind that Ronald had Rose, and my Father knew where he had taken her. Yet, as he played games with me, her life could be slipping away.

"Stop, your highness," Adrian said suddenly. I turned on him like a wolf, ready to rip him to pieces, but the intense expression on his pulled me up short.

"Think," he continued. "If Natasha only left several bells ago, they must be nearby."

I stared at him blankly.

"Think!" he exclaimed again, pulling me closer to him. "Where would you take someone in the surrounding areas where you wouldn't be found? Come on Dimitri, you know this area better than anyone!"

I forgave his use of my first name only because he had a point. Adrian's green eyes were bright and restless, and as much as I hated to admit it, I knew that he had just as much concern for Rose's welfare as any of the rest of us.

"Secluded," I muttered. "It would have to be secluded."

"And I know you don't want to hear this," Adrian told me, "but it would have to be somewhere where nobody would be able to hear, just in case."

I was reaching for him before he had even finished his sentence, the rage gripping me once more. Except this time, it was Viktoria's stricken face in front of me which stopped me.

"Stop, Dimka," she pled. "We don't have time. Adrian is right- Tasha hates Rose. She will do whatever she can to hurt her."

And just like that, the answer came to me.

"Barknor Keep," I uttered under my breath.

Barknor Keep was once a magnificent fortress. Originally designed as a defence for Verex against the threat of Ilore, the Keep had since fallen into ruin. Crumbling walls and caving floors were only the beginning of the troubles Barknor Keep now faced. Sitting not twenty leagues outside of Mawar, the Keep was a death trap, and not a place many dared travel near. It was a perfect place for bandits to hide in, hunters to camp in, murderers to disappear in and anyone with a problem, to dispose of in.

I tried not to think of the latter as I galloped towards the Keep, Eddie and Russ on either of my sides. Viktoria had begged me to take a larger force, but I had been adamant that the three of us would travel alone. None could know of what we sought, and if we intended to approach quietly, a larger force would give us away before we even caught sight of the castle.

Turning my face, I took in the grim look on Russell's face. He had cautioned me to be careful with Rose, and to treat her well, and I had ignored his advice. There would be a reckoning to deal with after this, but my priority now was to find my courtesan. Not for the first time, my thoughts strayed to Rose. She was the Queen Thraln needed- I could see that now. She was fierce and loyal, beautiful and compassionate. In the short time she had been in my land, she had already won the lifelong loyalty of many of my trusted advisors, and my people. If Thraln were to be brought from the brink of ruin, I would need Rose by my side to help me.

For the first time since I had been a child, I found myself praying.

A few leagues later, the ominous black of the keep loomed over us. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat at the thought of entering the place. A number of myths had emerged about the fort over the years, mostly fuelled by the various disappearances that had been attributed to the ruins. Even though I wasn't a superstitious man, the sheer aura of gloom that surrounded us was enough to send a tingle of fear down my spine.

"Where would they be holding her?" Eddie's voice was hushed and quiet, almost as if he was trying to avoid attracting the attention of anything. He probably was, I thought ruefully.

"I don't know." Russ answered him, his voice grim. "But I'd place a bet that it won't be in any of the guest rooms."

"No," I murmured, my voice dead flat. "They will be keeping her in the dungeons."

"Why the dungeons?" Eddie asked, turning in his saddle to face me, his face troubled.

"The Sanctum." I wasn't the one who answered Eddie. Russ's face had taken on a grey hue as his thoughts mirrored mine, and as one we all urged our mounts on faster.

Soon, we were slipping silently through the ruins of the palace. The horses were tethered outside the fortress, hidden but easily located in case we had to leave in a hurry. Thankfully, Eddie had the foresight to carry several dark cloths in his bags, and we used these to cover our faces. It wouldn't do any of us any good to be recognised, especially if the Ozera's were still slinking around.

I quietly unsheathed my sword from its scabbard, the intricate silver not so much as flashing in the gloom that clung to us. We moved slower than we would have liked, but we had no choice- one of us falling to our deaths at Barknor Keep would surely lead to many uncomfortable questions none of us would be willing to answer. Although, when we got our first glimpse of the infamous torture dungeons, death suddenly seemed all too preferable.

The Sanctum had once been a place that instilled terror in even the bravest of souls. It had been renowned across the lands for its merciless, depraved acts, and had been the single source of interrogations in Thraln. The Sanctum hadn't been used in years, but as I lowered my large frame down into the dank walls, I couldn't help but think that perhaps the spirits of the souls whom had died here might still be trapped.

"Where is she?" Eddie hissed, running ahead of me. Not so much as a glimmer of light aided us in our search, and a feeling of hopelessness engulfed me. If I had this wrong, I had no doubt we would be too late to find where Rose was hidden.

"I don't know," I gasped, slumping to the floor. Without her, my life was as miserable as a starless night. How could I go back to my bleak existence, day in and day out, without her waiting in my bed at the end of it? My self-pity was cut off by Russ, as he smacked me across the back of the head.

"Did I raise you to be a fool, boy?" He asked gruffly. Although his voice was devoid of emotion, I knew Russ was a superstitious man and this place frightened him. "If you didn't want somebody to be found, where on earth would you put them?"

Horror filled me as I grasped the implications of his words. Amongst all of the stories, the oubliette in The Sanctum inspired the worst. It was where prisoners were left to rot by those whom wished them a slow death, accessible as far as the prisoners knew only by a hatch in the ceiling. For those especially cruel torturers however, a single side entrance had been installed leading to outside the Keep, where prisoners were tortured to within an inch of their lives and then left to die, their only hope the side door which, made from layers of stone, would never open for them. The oubliette ensured prisoners could scream for days and none would hear as, trapped in the round room, they wasted away.

It was then that I knew where we would find Rose.

Whew, 4000 words in a day? that's not to bad, is it? i hope it's enough to earn your forgiveness- I'm on a bit of a roll so I think I will jump straight into the next chapter from here on in. Maybe I'll have that up in another day or two? Please leave me reviews to help me keep track of this story- the next chapter belongs to Rose, and I hope that one will be a lot more exciting. Thanks for sticking with me everyone :)