Chapter 29

RPOV

About an hour after our shower Adrian and I were on the way to trail along with Lissa, Christian, and Eddie. Someone had brought Eddie and I a black and white outfit, Eddie wore his I opted of mine leaving folded up in the room while I wore a simple black dress that came down to my knees and a pair of royal blue pumps that matched the belt that I wore with the dress. My hair I had pulled into a loose bun letting the curly end tickle my neck.

Eddie didn't exactly look comfortable in his clothes as he kept pulling at the collar. I kind of felt bad for him. He looks like he was playing dress up in his parents' clothes, probably felt that way to.

The courtroom was over in the large, ornate building we passed upon our arrival. Walking through the halls I saw a mixture of old and new. Outside, it was all arched windows and stone spires. Inside, it was a hub of modern activity. People worked in offices with flat-screen monitors. Elevators led to the upper floors. Yet, despite that, a few antique touches could still be found. Sculptures on pedestals, chandeliers in the halls, the courtroom itself had a beautiful mural that stretched from floor to ceiling, and in from of the room, seals from all the royal family hung on the walls. Lissa stopped as we walked in, her eyes falling on the Dragomir dragon, king of beast. A sea of conflicting emotions swirled within her as she stared at the seal and felt the full weight of being the only one left to carry on her family name. She also felt pride to be a part of that family.

She also felt fear that she would be good enough to live up to the name. Giving her a gentle nudge, I urged her on towards our seats. The seating was split by an aisle down the middle of the room. We sat at the from off to the right-hand section. There were several minutes to go before the proceedings were to begin, but the room wasn't full yet. Due to hush hush nature of the trial I didn't think that was going to change.

Glancing around the room I saw Dimitri sitting among some of the other Guadians that had been involved with that night he was in the middle of a conversation with one of the when he his eyes held a confused look in them as he glanced at what I was wearing. I was not in the Guardian attire that was sent to me. I raised a challenging eye at him in response.

After we took our seats I leaned into Adrian his body was tense but he relaxed allowing me fit perfectly against him and also draw comfort from him. I knew he didn't want me to be here and he just wanted this to be over so he could get me out of this courtroom and away from Victor Dashkov forever. It just made me love him all the more.

Taking in the rest of the courtroom I noticed there was only a judge that sat in from of us and there was no jury. And elevated seat on one side of the room marked where the queen would sit when she arrived. She would be the one to make the ultimate decision regarding Dashkov's fate. That was how crime cases involving the royals.

"I hope she is against him. From the looks of it she will be the only making the decision."

My comment caused Lissa to frown but it was Adrian that commented on my statement.

"Believe me when I say my Aunt has not interest in letting Victor Dashkov free." Adrian said to me.

"Still seems like a lot of room for corruption. With no jury, it seems kind of weird."

"I think that is coming from our time spent amongst the humans." Lissa said with a smile.

Moments later, Prince Victor Dashkov himself entered the courtroom. Or rather just Victor Dashkov did. He was stripped of his title when he was imprisoned and the title passed off the oldest person within the Dashkov family.

Through our bond I felt fear shout through Lissa, and the little bit of color that was in her cheeks had completely disappeared. Mingled with her fear there was an emotion that I didn't expect to feel: regret. Before Victor had kidnapped her, he was like an uncle to her. She loved him and he had betrayed her. I put my hand over her.

"Easy," I murmured. "It is going to be okay."

After Victor had taken a quick glance around the courtroom he was guided to his seat. Not long after Queen Tatiana entered the room. We all stood when she entered the room and then knelt. It was all-archaic but it was a custom the Moroi had held over the years. We didn't rise until she took her seat then the rest of us were able to sit too.

The trial had started and one by one those who had witnessed the events with Victor gave their account of what they'd seen. Largely, this involved the Guardians who pursued Lissa when Victor had taken her away and who has subsequently been about of the raid at Victor's hideout.

Dimitri was the last of the Guardians to go. On the surface his testimony wasn't much different from theirs. They'd all been part of the rescue squad, but his part in the story begun a little earlier.

"I was with my student, Rose Hathaway," he said. "She shares a bond with the princess and was the first o sense what had happened."

Victor's lawyer- I couldn't imagine how they had gotten anyone to represent him-glanced at some of the papers and then looked back up at Dimitri. "Based on the events, it sounds like there was a delay between when she discovered that and when you alerted the others."

Dimitri nodded, his mask of composure never slipping. "She couldn't act on it because Mr. Dashkov had inflicted a charm on her, one that cause her to attack me." He spoke the words so levelly, it amazed me. Not even the lawyer seemed to notice anything. Only I could see-or maybe it was because I knew him-how much it had hurt Dimitri to lie. It would destroy his career if he told the truth and it would also paint me in a bad light. Not that I cared how it would affect me too much. Adrian already knew and accepted what happened that night. But it wasn't a truth that the world needed to know, nor would they ever. Dimitri wasn't perfect, no matter how much I use to think so, but he did try to truthful. Today he just couldn't be.

"Mr. Dashkov works with earth magic, and some who use that power and are strong in compulsion can influence our base instincts," continued Dimitri. "In this case, he affected her anger and violence through an object."

Off to my left, I heard a sound-like someone choking on their own laughter. The judge, an elderly but fierce Moroi woman, glared.

"Mr. Dashkov, please respect the decorum of this courtroom."

Victor, still smiling, waved his hands in apology. "I'm terribly sorry, your Honor and your Majesty. Something in Guardian Belikov's testimony just tickled my fancy, that's all. It won't happen again."

I held my breath, waiting for the blow to fall. It didn't. Dimitri finished his statement, and then Christian was called up. His part was short. He'd been with Lissa when she'd been taken and had been knocked out. His contribution was being able to ID some of Victor's guardians as the kidnappers. Once Christian sat down, it was my turn.

Adrian gave my hand a squeeze before he let me pass, silently telling me that I wasn't alone and he would be here when I was done. Taken that little token with me I walked up, hoping I looked calm in front of all those eyes-and in front of Victor. In fact, I went out of my way to not look at him at all. As I said my name and gave my oath to tell the truth, I suddenly felt the full force of what Dimitri must have experienced. I was standing before all these people, swearing I'd be honest, but I would lie in an instant if the lust charm came up.

My version was pretty straightforward. I had details to offer from before the night of the kidnapping, like about when Victor had laid his sick traps to test Lissa's power. Otherwise, my story lined up with Dimitri's and the other guardians'. I'd said before that I could lie well, and I brushed over the "attack" charm part with such ease that no one paid any attention. Except Victor. Despite my refusal to look at him, I inadvertently glanced in his direction when I mentioned the charm. His eyes bored into me, and a small smirk sat on his lips.

His smugness, I realized, was more than just because he knew I was lying. It was also because he actually knew the precise truth-and the look he gave me told me that he had that he believed he had power over me. The sentiment was enough to make me give him my own smug smile but I reined myself in. Though this information held little meaning to me it could potentially ruin a good mans career. No matter our differences Dimitri didn't deserve to be dragged through the mud because of Victor Dashkov's little tricks.

It seemed to last forever, but I knew I was only on the stand for a few minutes. I finished, sagging with relief that Victor hadn't called me out, and then it was Lissa's turn. As the victim, she offered the first new perspective thus far, and everyone there grew caught up in her story. It was compelling; no one had ever heard anything like it. I also realized that, without even trying, Lissa was using her spirit-induced charisma. I think it came from the same place compulsion did.

People were enraptured and sympathetic. When Lissa described the torture Victor had put her through to force her to heal him, I saw faces go pale with shock. Even Tatiana's stern mask faltered a little, though whether she felt pity or just simple surprise, I couldn't say.

The most amazing thing, though, was how calmly Lissa managed to deliver the story. On the outside, she was steady and beautiful. But as she spoke the words, describing exactly how Victor's henchman had tortured her, she relived the pain and terror of that night. The guy had been an air user, and he'd toyed with that element, sometimes taking it away so she couldn't breathe and at other times smothering her with it. It had been horrible, and I'd experienced it right along with her. In fact, I experienced it with her again now as she spoke about the events on the stand. Each painful detail was still etched in her mind, the pain echoing back to both of us. We were both relieved when her testimony finished.

Finally, it was Victor's turn. From the look on his face, you never would have guessed he was on trial. He wasn't angry or outraged. He wasn't contrite. He didn't plead. He looked like we were all hanging out somewhere, like he had nothing in the world to worry about. Somehow, that made me that much angrier.

Even when answering, he spoke as though he made perfect sense. When the prosecuting lawyer asked why he'd done what he had, he looked at her as though she were crazy.

"Why, I had no choice," he said pleasantly. "I was dying. No one was going to condone me openly experimenting with the princess's powers. What would you have done in my place?"

The lawyer ignored that. She was having a hard time keeping the disgust off of her face. "And you found coaxing your own daughter into turning Strigoi also necessary?"

Everyone in the courtroom shifted uncomfortably. One of the most awful things about Strigoi was that they were made, not born. A Strigoi could force a human, a dhampir, or a Moroi into becoming Strigoi if the Strigoi drank the victim's blood and then fed Strigoi blood back to the victim. It didn't matter if the victim wanted it or not, and once she became Strigoi, she lost all sense of her old, moral self. She embraced becoming a monster and killing others to survive. Strigoi converted others if they found someone they thought would strengthen their ranks. Sometimes they did it just out of cruelty.

The other way a Strigoi could be made was if a Moroi willingly chose to kill another person during feeding, destroying all the magic and life within themselves. Christian's parents had done that because they'd wanted to be immortal, no matter the cost. Victor's daughter Natalie had done it because he had talked her into it. The extra strength and speed she'd gotten from being a Strigoi had helped her free him, and he'd felt his goals were worth the sacrifice. Again, Victor showed no remorse. His answer was simple.

"Natalie made that decision."

"Can you say that about everyone you used to meet your ends? Guardian Belikov and Miss Hathaway had no say in what you made them do."

Victor chuckled. "Well, that's a matter of opinion. I honestly don't think they minded. But if you have time after this case, Your Honor, you might want to consider trying a statutory rape case."

He'd done it. He'd really done it. I expected everyone in the room to turn and point at Dimitri and me. No one even looked in our direction, though. Most people were giving Victor appalled looks. I realized that was exactly what Victor had known would happen. He just wanted to tease us; he didn't actually expect anyone to take him seriously. Lissa's feelings through the bond confirmed as much. She felt like Victor was trying to shift attention off of himself by making up stories about Dimitri and me. She was horrified that Victor would stoop so low.

The judge was too, and she chastised Victor for getting off topic. By that point, most of the questioning was done. The lawyers wrapped up, and it was time for the queen to deliver her verdict. I held my breath again, wondering what she would do. He hadn't denied any of the charges. The evidence was overwhelming, thanks to my friends' testimonies, but as even Victor had pointed out, there was a lot of corruption among royals. The queen could very well decide that she didn't want the scandal involved with imprisoning someone so well known.

Even if no one knew the details, his imprisonment would start a buzz. Maybe she didn't want to deal with that. Maybe Victor had bought her off too. But in the end, she found Victor guilty and sentenced him to life in prison-a different prison, not the one at Court. I'd heard stories about Moroi prisons, and they were terrible places.

I suspected his new home would be very different from the cell we'd found him in. Victor remained calm and amused throughout it all, just as he had yesterday. I didn't like that. The conversation I'd had with him made me think he wasn't going to accept this as serenely as he pretended. I hoped they'd watch him closely.

A gesture from the queen ended formalities. The rest of us stood up and began talking while she surveyed the room with a sharp eye, probably taking notes. Victor's escort started to lead him out. He passed by us again. This time, he stopped and spoke.

"Vasilisa, I trust you've been well."

She didn't answer. She still hated and feared him, but with this verdict, she finally believed he could no longer hurt her. It was like the end of a chapter she'd been stuck in for months. She could finally move on and hopefully let those horrible memories fade.

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk, but I'm sure we will next time," he added.

"Come on," said one of the guardians with him. They led him away.

"He's crazy," muttered Lissa once he was gone. "I can't believe he said that stuff about you and Dimitri."

"Pay no heed to the word of a lunatic Lissa," I told her brushing the subject aside as I took Adrian's hand. It was finally behind us. The crazed bastard was going to jail where he could no longer hurt us or bother us ever again.

Christian came up to her and hugged her, holding her for a long time. I watched them fondly, surprised at my own kind feelings for them.

"You okay, little dhampir?" he asked softly as he pulled me close.

"I am just perfect," I told him as I smiled up at him. Standing on my toes I reached up and kissed him. This day was done. This chapter of my life was over. I was okay to move forward with the threat of Victor Dashkov ever hunting me again.

"Lets get out of here and get some food." Adrian suggest after we finished our chaste kiss.

"That sound like a plan. I am starving."