Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy.
Ch. 11 The End
Lissa POV
I awoke the next day to hear screams from Rose's bedroom, which was next to mine. I knew that someone must've found Rose, and my heart sank, even though I knew she wasn't dead. I was probably the only one at this point, besides Friar James and Dimitri...
Oh, poor Rose. She was willing to sacrifice so much so she could be with Dimitri again. I was glad that my love for Christian wasn't as complicated, even if we had to face the disdain of the other royal families…
I jumped out of my bed and hurried to the next room. I had to pretend I didn't know what had happened to Rose.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.
Lord Ibrahim Mazur and Lady Janine Mazur were weeping openly at Rose's bed, with several servants in the room also crying. She lay so still on her bed that she truly looked dead. My breath whooshed out of me, and I was reminded of that horrible carriage accident…
I pushed those awful memories out of my mind. I had to focus on the now. "What happened?" I asked, tears sliding down my cheeks. It wasn't too hard to sound upset and distraught, and it was easy to cry.
Lazy Mazur looked up, her dark eyes red-rimmed from crying. "Our poor daughter. Rose is dead."
I forced myself to look closer at Rose. She was dressed in a red gown, with her long dark hair in stark contrast to the bed sheets. Her normally tanned skin had gone quite pale and there was no rise and fall of her chest to indicate breathing, but I could see that she wasn't dead. Her lips were still red, and there was faint color in her cheeks. Everyone else would be too distraught to notice these little details.
"Why did she die?" Lord Mazur asked, tears in his eyes. He had become very cold and selfish in the last days before Rose's "death" … but I knew he truly mourned her now. I focused on him until I could see his aura. It was tinged with gray – a sign of sorrow and depression. "She was young and full of life. She had her whole life in front of her. And today was her wedding day. She is now married to Death. Oh, God." He wept openly.
I forced tears to fall down my cheeks. "Perhaps…she felt she had no way out," I said, infusing my words with a little bit of compulsion. It was necessary, to soothe them a little.
I was good at compulsion, but I doubted I could use enough to get the Mazurs to overcome their hatred of the Belikovs. The Mazurs weren't the only royal families to hate – or, in most cases, dislike – the Belikovs. The Belikovs were a more "recent" royal family.
"No way out?" Lady Mazur echoed, trying in vain to wipe away her tears. She pulled out her handkerchief and sniffled into it.
"You were forcing her to marry a man she didn't want to," I pointed out as respectfully as possible. "Rose and Adrian aren't compatible with each other. I believe that Rose felt like she had no choice, besides death. It was either marry a man she couldn't love, or to be disowned."
"I am partly at fault for Rose's death?" Lord Mazur whispered, going pale. He turned to Rose – I wouldn't think of that as her body, as she was still alive – and whispered, "I am so sorry, Rose. I should've listened more to you." I hoped once they would listen to her when she woke up.
Lady Mazur kept weeping. "I told you not to force our Rose into an arranged marriage, but you wouldn't listen to me," she wailed. My body went still at that. Had she hoped to save Rose from being married to Adrian? I made a mental note to tell Rose that later on.
"We will prepare for a funeral now, instead of a wedding," Lord Mazur said, standing. "Send word to Lord Adrian, and spread the news."
Within the hour, mourners had arrived to wail and cry over Rose. The wailing and crying made me depressed, so I stepped out of the room for a few minutes. I went downstairs, and waited in the foyer.
Adrian burst into the grand foyer, and I started at his appearance. "What…what are you doing here?" I asked. The words came out of my mouth without any thought.
"Mourning my fiancée," he said quietly. His green eyes were bloodshot, and his brown hair was even more mussed than usual. He was dressed completely in black. Although they hadn't loved each other, I could only imagine how he felt over the death of his fiancée. He sounded upset, although I imagined he would've been more upset if they had actually been in love with each other. "How did she die?"
I flinched. "No one said a word, because we've been mourning, but I believe it was poison." I just hope no one figures out why Rose "died."
"I can't believe she really killed herself," Adrian muttered, more to himself than me. He then focused on me. "Spirit. Can you use it on her and bring her back…?"
I stared. In all the chaos resulting after Rose was found, no one had suggested that I use my powers to bring her back from the dead. Then, I remembered most people didn't know Rose had been brought back from the dead, or my powers. Even her own parents didn't know that she had died and then been brought back.
I shook my head. "I can't do it… I don't know when she chose to poison herself. When she came back the first time…I think it was a few minutes after she…" I couldn't bring myself to say the word. "I don't know how long she's been dead. For all I –"
"Stop lying."
Shock coursed through me at his harsh tone. "Excuse me?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. "I'm mourning my best friend." I forced sorrow and anger into my voice, which wasn't hard. My best friend was in a coma, and what if the drug did its work too well...?
He took a step towards me. "You're lying. I don't know what you're lying about, but I know you are."
I wanted to curse myself. Those damned auras. He must have seen my lie reflected in my aura. "Rose is upstairs, if you would like to see her before she's…taken away." I didn't dare say that she was dead, because he would see that it was a lie.
Adrian stonily stared at me for a moment, before rushing upstairs.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I would have to keep this secret for two more days. Soon, Rose would wake and this whole mess would be over. In the meantime, I had to mourn with the others and help arrange the funeral.
Dimitri POV
St. Petersburg, Russia
I woke Thursday morning and stretched with a sigh. Had it really been just two nights ago that I had seen my Roza and made love to her? It felt like two years had gone by.
Last night, I had dreamed that I lay in a death-like sleep. Rose had come to me, and awoken me with a kiss. I felt hopeful that the dream was a glimpse of the future – that I would be with her soon. I didn't completely believe in being able to foresee the future, even though my grandmother could see the future, but this seemed like a sign. Even better than a dream would be able to see my Roza in real life, I thought.
St. Petersburg was far from Moscow, but close enough that I would still be close to Roza. Besides, my hometown of Baia, where I'd spent most of my life until I turned thirteen, was an obvious choice for me to flee. The queen would've sent guardians to find me there. There were less Moroi and dhampirs here, which would make me less conspicuous.
I got dressed and headed downstairs to stroll around St. Petersburg.
It was a nice city, but nothing could compare with Moscow. That was where everyone I cared about and loved was. There was a majesty and sophistication to Moscow that I hadn't seen in any of the other cities. I supposed I would have to wait at least another week before I could return home. I wondered idly how the rest of the royals would take the news that I had married Rose.
Probably not well, I thought. Especially her father. The thought of informing Lord Abe Mazur of my marriage with Rose was not appealing. Even if we weren't from rival families, I suspected he wouldn't be nice to anyone courting – let alone married – to his daughter. I shuddered. I didn't look forward to the talk I would have with him, because I suspected it would involve him breaking my kneecaps. Still, if we were allowed to be together in the end, I would endure it.
I walked around for half an hour longer before I returned to the inn. A moment after I had set foot in the lobby, a young dhampir man – a messenger, from the uniform he wore – burst in, gasping for breath.
He headed straight for the innkeeper, who I knew was a Moroi. What is going on? I wondered. I got up and pretended to stroll past the two.
"I just got the news from another man," the messenger was saying to the innkeeper.
The innkeeper looked surprised. "You looked ready to start screaming. What is so important? Unless a scandal erupted-"
"It's not that. I've been hearing everywhere that Princess Mazur is dead."
My blood went cold as ice. It couldn't be. Was there something wrong with my hearing? I turned around and went up to the messenger, grabbing him by the shirt front. "What? The princess is dead?" I prayed to God that I had heard wrong, but my heart was sinking before the man spoke.
"Princess Mazur is dead," the messenger repeated, sounding slightly terrified. I supposed I was scaring him with my intense reaction, but I couldn't help it. "Her soul is with the angels in heaven."
"When?" I demanded.
"Earlier today," the messenger stammered. "There's no word on when the funeral is to be held."
I let go of him, and he looked extremely relieved. I ran upstairs to my room and locked the door behind me. Sorrow and heartbreak swirled through me, making it hard to think.
No, no, no. Roza was dead? How could she be dead? She was just eighteen years old. There was no way that she could've died from natural causes.
There was no reason to keep living. I had borne exile from Moscow for her, so that we would be reunited in a few weeks. Exile would've been unbearable without the knowledge that Roza was waiting for me at home.
But now…she was gone. Life had no more meaning without her. How could I go on knowing that Rose was no longer part of this world? If I couldn't be with my Roza in life, I would be reunited with her in the afterlife. I didn't care if she was in heaven or hell, as long as we were together. Even if we wandered as ghosts for the rest of eternity, I wouldn't care – just as long as we could be together forever.
"Before I leave St. Petersburg, I will buy poison and see where Roza lies," I murmured to myself. "Roza, Roza, I am coming to you!"
After two days of non-stop riding to Moscow, I finally arrived home. It was now early Saturday morning, and sunrise was still several hours away.
I had been away from Moscow for only four days, but it seemed so different now. The air seemed like it was filled with despair, and night seemed more welcoming than day.
As I ridden back to Moscow, I had been unable to think of anything but Roza. How lonely it must've been for her, to die alone! I didn't understand why she would've died. I'd heard that she was a fierce warrior, and I had seen her fighting spirit and fire in her eyes.
I suspected she had committed suicide. If she had died by a Strigoi's hand, word would have spread. But where I had occasionally stopped for rests, no one knew how she had died. Rumors were swirling about everywhere. I wondered if it had been my fault she had killed herself, and my heart twisted. Maybe if she hadn't wanted me to come back to her so badly, she would still be alive and not have committed suicide.
But there was nothing to be done for it now. Once I found where she had been laid to rest, I would gaze upon her one more time, and die at her side by poison.
My steps slowed a little as I considered what my family would do when they found out I was dead. Mama would grieve terribly and weep for me. I was her only son, and she treasured all of her children. Sonya and Viktoria would be… oh, God. They would be inconsolable. I was their older brother, and they looked up to me. And Karolina, my older sister…
I couldn't help but wonder if Uncle Ivan would use my suicide as the chance to claim the title of the Belikov prince. Naming one as "princess" or "prince" was very difficult, and it was determined – through very complicated family trees – who had the most blood of the royal family. A direct descendent was often the one named.
However, if there were no male descendents, the title could roll over to a female. There were fewer princesses than princes, since most families waited until they had a son to name them prince of their family.
I shook off these thoughts of royal families and titles. If one of my sisters can take my place, that will be good, I thought. But thinking of these things will not help me now. I am going to spend the afterlife with my Roza.
It was after around twenty minutes of blindly walking through the streets until I found the cemetery devoted to royal Moroi and dhampirs. The moonlight shone on me as I walked through the cemetery. I looked in the Mazur mausoleum, but couldn't find Rose. Was she already buried? I thought in alarm, but shook it off. Tradition stated that a princess or prince would lie in state for a week before the funeral. After the funeral, then they would be laid to rest.
I saw an open-air building on a small incline several feet away from the rest of the cemetery, with something lying in glass. It looked like a temple constructed in the neo-Classical style. I ran up the small hill.
My breath caught in my throat. It was Rose, lying in a glass casket. She was dressed in a red silk gown. Her long dark hair, crowned by a gold circlet, stood in deep contrast to the white of the casket she lay in, and she held a bouquet of roses in her hands. "Rose," I whispered, lifting the glass cover off and leaving it on the ground of the temple so I could see her better.
Even with the news that she was dead, it had felt strangely surreal. Now, Rose was before me, and it was clear she was dead. Grief pierced through my heart, and a tear slipped down my cheek as I looked at her. I would never again be able to be together with her in this life, but I had a chance with her in the afterlife. Seeing her still body drove home the reality of her death.
"How often are men happy before they are to die?" I murmured, gazing upon her. I couldn't be too unhappy that I was about to die. If I could be with her, that would be a happy ending. "Death, that hath sucked the honey of your breath, hath had no power upon your beauty." Even in death, Roza still looked as beautiful as ever. Her lips and cheeks still had a hint of pink in them. "I will come to you soon. I will be with you forever, and I will never leave your side. Why are you still so beautiful, even in death, Roza? Eyes, look your last. Arms, take your last embrace. And lips, seal with a righteous kiss."
I pressed my lips against hers for a brief moment and pulled back to remove the bottle of poison. I whispered, "Here's to my love."
I uncorked it, but before I could raise it to my lips, heard a sound from beside me. I froze. It can't be, I thought.
I looked at Rose, and my heart went absolutely still. Her eyes were beginning to open.
Rose POV
My eyes fluttered open, and I let out a soft yawn. "Napping for two days straight is strange," I murmured, sitting up and stretching.
I was still a little drowsy, but as I took in where I was, my senses kicked back in. I was lying in a casket in an open-air temple. And… Dimitri was here! He was standing by my side.
"Dimitri, Dimitri!" I whispered, holding my arms out to him.
He was staring at me in stunned silence before he came to me and buried his face in my shoulder. "Roza? Have I died and gone to heaven already?"
I cocked my head, not understanding. Then I took in that he was holding a small clear bottle of a blue liquid. Unease stirred in me. "What is that?" I asked nervously.
"Poison," Dimitri whispered as he pulled slightly away from me to look into my eyes. He was still holding me close.
My eyes widened with horror. "No! Why?"
"I thought you were dead, Roza," Dimitri answered, his voice shaking. "I don't know if I'm dead, or dreaming now. Why wouldn't you have told me…"
"But the friar said…" I trailed off, and stared at Dimitri. "You don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" he asked blankly.
I threw my hands into the air as understanding hit me. "Oh, God! We have nearly averted two deaths – our own. After you left me following our honeymoon night, my parents were intent on forcing me to marry Adrian at all costs." Dimitri's eyes turned dark at the mention of Adrian, so I continued. "They wouldn't listen to reason, so I went to Friar James. He told me to take the 'Sleeping Death' on the morning I was to marry Adrian, so I would appear dead for two nights, and he promised to write to you. You were to come here tonight and take me away."
"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Dimitri demanded flatly. "I almost killed myself!"
I gasped, and snatched the bottle of his hand before throwing it away into the darkness. "His letter never reached you?"
Dimitri shook his head, and narrowed his eyes. "But there was news of an illness in a neighboring town…"
That explains much, I thought. Disaster had barely been averted tonight. I reached up, brushing my hand over his cheek. "But we are together now."
"We are," he agreed, lifting me out of the casket and setting me gently on my feet. "I didn't want to go on living without you. How could I keep on living knowing you were gone? So I planned to come here, look at you once last time, and die by your side."
"If I hadn't woken up now, we would both be dead," I murmured, putting my arms around his waist. "I wouldn't want to live without you. I love you, Dimitri."
"I love you too, Roza," he whispered, bending down to kiss me passionately.
I didn't know what tomorrow, or the day after that, would bring, but with Dimitri by my side, we would face the challenges together.
Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story! I hope you enjoyed this little twist on Romeo and Juliet :) It's better than what ended up happening in the original, right? I was surprised that this story got so many reviews and followings. I hope you enjoyed this fanfic, and I'll definitely continue to write in the future!
~ eveningstar 1996 ~
