*Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does!*

Rose's Point of View

The week that passed before the queen came flew by. Everything seemed to be rushed. The guardians rushed classes so they could leave us to individual practice and they could go complete something that needed to be done. The wards were being reinforced every day and there was so much to do, that even the moroi teachers had their hands full. There were so many preparations being made for the queen's arrival that classes were cancelled the last two days before she arrived.

Despite all my free time, I barely got to spend time with Dimitri. He was always in a meeting about this or a meeting about that. They had to discuss new schedules for the time that the queen would be here. They were maximizing security while she was here, which meant Dimitri was pretty much on shift with the exception of when he was sleeping. They also had to go over the itinerary for the queen's stay. The queen had already scheduled a meeting with all the guardians and arranged an assembly for the entire school. Also, my molnija ceremony was scheduled. Apparently the queen wanted to meet me. Ironic considering I was a girl breaking the laws she created to become a guardian.

I also got to have an extremely uncomfortable conversation with Jill and her mother. Jill was still ignoring her mother, who instead of apologizing when Jill had confronted her about Eric Dragomir, reacted defensively. I didn't blame either of them for their reactions. I just felt that both of them needed to apologize for what they had said to the either, but they were too proud to do so. Not that I was one to talk. I would be acting the same if I were in either of their shoes.

It was when I was sitting in Lissa's room, as I had been pretty much the entire week, when we heard it. The unmistakable sounds of a jet. My eyes widened as I looked at Lissa. She looked just as surprised as I did. The queen wasn't supposed to be here for several more hours. Dimitri had told me that she would be arriving just after the sunset.

It was only about 2:00 in the afternoon, human time. Even in the wintertime, the sun didn't set until five or six. I could hear bustling through the hallways as teachers and students alike rushed to see the queen landing. This was the first time something really exciting happened at St. Vladimir's – well something that was a good exciting.

"Um… Should we?" I asked her uncertainly. I wasn't really sure if we should go see this. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go see this. It's one thing to know the queen is coming, but an entirely different thing to see it happening. I wasn't sure I was ready for this.

Lissa bit her lip guiltily. I knew what she was thinking. She was a Dragomir. It would be expected for her to be there. But she didn't want me to do something I was uncomfortable with.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was coming. "Let's go," I said.

Lissa chuckled. "Don't sound so eager Rose," she teased me as she grabbed her jacket. I put on my own baggie hoodie and rolled my eyes at Lissa. She knew why I was so nervous and I appreciated that she wanted to alleviate some of the tension of the situation.

I was silent as we walked to the tarmac that the queen would be landing at. Lissa more than made up for it by talking about our winter break. She was talking about us spending the day at the spa and getting manicures and pedicures. Part of me was grateful for her continuous talking, but another part of me wished she would just shut up so I could wallow in misery and fear. The part of me that was grateful won out and I listen to her ramble on as we walked.

When we got there, Lissa's voice trailed off mid-sentence. I have to admit, my jaw dropped as well. The queen's jet was huge. It was almost as large as a small airplane. That's what I would have thought it was if I didn't know that it was her private jet.

It took almost twenty minutes for the jet to land. The guardians had to make sure the premise was safe and the runway was clear.

When it finally landed, five guardians got out first. I didn't know their names, but I knew who they were. The small red pin clipped to the uniform that all guardians wore spoke volumes. They were the personal guardians of the queen.

Their skills were legendary. They could take out a threat before it became a threat. They were the deadliest guardians in the vampire world. The queen had about thirty guardians that were responsible for around the clock protection. They generally had shorter shifts that regular guardians, but that was because there were so many of them and defending the queen was a demanding job. They didn't just have to take out threats that were strigoi. They had to fight moroi and dhampirs as well. And they wouldn't hesitate to do so.

After the five members of the queen's guard stepped out, it was the queen's turn. I was shocked by how… normal she looked. Aside from the thin golden crown entwined in her hair, there was nothing too flashy. Her hair was braided into a bun, but nothing over the top. She wasn't in a fancy dress as I had expected. Instead, she was in black pants. I couldn't see the shirt she was wearing as it was hidden by a fancy green coat that no doubt cost more than a guardian makes in a year. She was dressed like an ordinary royal. I don't know why, but part of me expected her to be dressed in a ball gown made of diamond or something like that.

After the queen, five more members of the royal guard followed her. I wasn't surprised to see she had brought ten guards with her. She no doubt wanted the additional protection despite the fact that St. Vladimir's was swarming with guardians. The two guest rooms that weren't occupied by my father and Jill's parents, were filled with guardians that had been flown in for added protection.

The queen barely acknowledged the students that gathered to catch a glimpse of her. A small wave and she was gone.

I sighed and looked away. I know she didn't mean anything by it. She's probably exhausted. But I took it personally. She obviously didn't have time to say anything to us. We're only students. Not worth her time.

To me it was symbolic. She didn't care about my life. Didn't care that she had planned a life for me that I never wanted. She would never take the time to consider that isn't how my life should be. It seemed no matter what, I would never be worth her time. And until I realized that, I never realized how much I wanted it.

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