Chapter Twenty Eight.


Guest: Not really. Don't forget, we only saw Dimitri's reaction as soon as he exited the vision. And while he was in the vision, he was not in the position where it would be appropriate to get emotional and upset about the fact that he and Rose were no longer together. He was the King and his Court was under attack. It's one of the things that he's learning, that in order to be King, you may have to make sacrifices, some for the god of yourself and some for the good of your people. When you're trying to become a good King, your focus should be on being a good King. And as you'll see in this chapter, though he pushed his feelings aside while going through the test, it doesn't mean that he doesn't think about it afterwards.

Thanks for the reviews! Onto the next chapter.


"So you really can't tell me about any of the tests you go through? Not even a nod and a wink?" Rose looked disappointed as I shook my head.

"It's strange, but I can't do anything to indicate what happened. I can't even say what the test was or involved. When they said that the contract we signed would be magically binding, I didn't think it would actually be enforced with, well, magic. I thought they'd just maybe have a recording device or someone who followed you around or something."

Rose looked a little grossed out, and then laughed. "When you put it that way, having your mouth kept shut magically doesn't sound so bad. I mean, can you imagine being recorded all the time?" Her voice lowered huskily, and my breath caught as she slid her palm up my chest. "Recording us last night. And this morning. And ten minutes ago?" Just as suddenly she grinned. "Then again, it might be really hot. We could ask for a copy. Like a home-made sex tape. But official. Like they were a bunch of voyeurs using this test as a cover up to listen to horny couples going at it."

"You have a very disturbed mind, hope you realise that. Wanting a bunch of officials to listen to our sex life."

"I don't want them to, I'm just saying, the recording idea has some merit-"

"No."

"Oh, come on, Comrade. Live a little."

"No, Roza."

"Let's just try it one time."

I snorted. "Sure. And then when the tape falls into the hands of another competitor, we can wave goodbye to any chance I have at becoming King."

"It'll help spice things up. And I'll make sure there are no copies for anyone else to get a hold of."

"No."

"Spoilsport," Rose muttered into my chest as I grinned. "What do you think the next test will be?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea. We've had three now and each time I've been completely surprised." I frowned. "I don't think that's a very good sign. To rule you should be firm, strong minded in your decisions. I feel like I keep getting caught off guard."

"No one can be prepared for everything, Dimitri. And I'm sure that since they are, y'know, catching you off guard, they won't hold that reaction against you. It would be pretty stupid if they did."

"Hopefully I'm doing well." Rose pressed soft kisses to my chest as I struggled to find the words I wanted to say. "At first, I was adamant that I didn't want to become King, to have anything to do with the monarchy. Then, after listening to Ivan for a while, I thought it would be funny, a bit of a lark and a laugh to see how far I could get. But now… after seeing just how corrupted and cruel the older generations have become, and seeing what a state we've gotten into as a society because of our greed – having someone like Natasha wearing the crown behind the scenes would just lead to even more of the same. We don't need another Monarch who's just after the power. I want to become King, I want to succeed and change things for the better of everyone – Dhampirs and Moroi, whether they be Guardians or not, Royals or non-royals. I want to make a change. And I don't want to lose myself in the process."

The previous test I'd taken had shaken me up. I couldn't forget the blank look on Guardian Alto's face when I'd asked about Rose. In hindsight, I knew that in that sort of situation Rose wasn't a priority, but the fact that he hadn't known who she was… that becoming King had meant cutting her out of my life… it was hard to swallow. Even worse was the knowledge that in order to save some of my people, I'd agreed to leave others defenseless. Every time 'leave behind anyone who isn't key to our survival' ran through my mind I felt the urge to throw up, and not being able to talk to Rose about it was tearing me up inside. In a way, it only served to make me even more determined to win. With the new Quorum, there was a real chance to improve our world for the better, to get rid of the old pattern of only protecting the royalty, and to start looking after the most vulnerable members of our society.

We laid together in silence for a while, Rose understanding that I needed to work things through in my own mind.

"I know you can't talk to me about it, literally, but I hope that it helps you to know that I'm here for you through it all. It doesn't matter what these tests throw at us. I'm making a promise right now. We will stay together through them. We will face whatever gets thrown at us, and we're going to make it, together."

"But what if we can't?" My voice was barely a whisper, voicing the quiet issue that had been bubbling under the surface ever since the notification of the first trial.

Was our relationship strong enough to withstand it?

"We will. We've been through too much to crash and burn now, Dimitri. It's going to take time and effort, but so does everything that's worthwhile. I want you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And if becoming King is what you want to do, then I'm going to do everything in my power to help you achieve that. You just need to be as determined to fight for us as you are about becoming King. Are you?"

Rose's firm gaze caught and held mine, direct and demanding an answer from me.

"Ya lyublyu tebya. Of course I am."

Screw the vision. I was going to become King, and I was going to keep Rose. I thought of my grandmother's ring, hidden on my bookshelf where I knew Rose would never look.

Like they said. 'Happy wife, happy life.'


Next one in a couple days!