Vampire Academy: 3rd Times the Prince Charming

Chapter 29 of my Vampire Academy story.

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Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
SadisticallyDelicious: Yeah, it's pretty sad; glad you liked the chapter, here is the next.

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Vampire Academy belongs to Richelle Mead.


Chapter 29

ROSE POV

I awoke and noted I was back in my own bed. At first, I had no real recollection of how I got there, just vague memories of Lissa bringing me here, but then it all came back at once – Mason was dead, killed by Victor. I broke down again, and it was as if a hole had just been ripped open in my heart.

'How could this be…why?' My thoughts were forlorn, almost lifeless. It didn't make sense. It didn't need to happen. No matter what, I would never understand why.

Finally, when no more tears came, I pulled myself up out of bed; even that felt like an effort. Everything did now. I slowly, listlessly, got dressed and, after some hesitation, left my dorm. I didn't have any set destination in mind; I just wandered aimlessly. All around me, I could see the looks on everyone's faces – the sadness, the devastation. Mason's death was felt by, and affected, everyone. A few of the people saw me, but said nothing, just glanced at me, looking lost and unsure. I couldn't blame them, since they were clearly thinking the same thing – what do you say to the girlfriend of someone who just died?

It was only after I stopped walking that I realized where I had subconsciously decided to go. I was at the church. My thoughts raced at this. 'Do I really wanna do this, am I really ready for…' Shaking my head, I forced myself to move and entered the church.

Inside, I could see that preparations had already been made for the funeral. Then, I stopped again, the sight before me wrenching at my heart. For there, kneeling in front of the casket, crying uncontrollably, was Eddie. I bit my lip. I had almost forgotten about how Eddie would have been affected, since Mason was his best friend, after all. It was only when I saw movement that I noticed Eddie wasn't alone. A young blonde Moroi girl was with him; she knelt down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. He leaned into her, still crying. Slowly, uncertainly, I walked up until I stood next to them. Eddie then looked up.

"R-Rose," he choked out when he saw me, hastily wiping his eyes. "I…"

I shook my head. "Don't…I just, I had to see, even if…"

Eddie nodded in understanding. "It's...he doesn't actually…look that bad."

I turned my gaze to the casket, which was open. Eddie was right; other than the fact I knew he was dead, there was no sign of damage or deformation on Mason. He looked just as I remembered him, clad in his best clothes, prepared for the final journey. The sight was almost too much for me to take. I could feel myself shaking again and I knew the tears weren't far from coming. Eddie must have seen this and decided to give me privacy, because I heard him turn and speak to the other girl.

"Let's go Jill; give…give Rose a minute." His voice was soft, still choked with tears but slightly calmer.

I heard their footsteps and then the door as they finally left.

I grasped the side of the casket, looking directly at Mason's face. The mortuary had made it impossible to tell that his neck was actually twisted to an impossible angle. Seeing him like this made me want to believe it was all a cruel joke, that he would wake up any minute. I knew it wasn't true, but I wanted to believe it all the same. If only it was.

"Why…" I whispered. I didn't care that I had already asked it; no matter how many times I asked, the question still lingered.

I wasn't even aware of my surroundings until I felt the hand on my shoulder. I jerked and spun around. It just was Dimitri, an expression of deep sympathy on his face.

"Roza," he said. "I…I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "Why? Why are you sorry? You're not the one who killed him; you were overwhelmed by Strigoi, you couldn't have saved him."

Dimitri then surprised me by embracing me. "I know he meant a lot to you…If I could've done things differently, I would have."

"I know." I choked out as a fresh wave of tears came.

Dimitri didn't say anymore; he simply held me while I cried. When we finally parted, I nodded and we both turned and left. I couldn't help it, however; I turned and looked back once more at Mason's body.

My voice trembled as I whispered, "Goodbye."

I then left the church with Dimitri. However, at the doors I stopped as I saw some people approaching. It was a middle aged couple with rather familiar features. Mason's parents.

I felt frozen. They were the last people I wanted to see at this time. How would they react to me? I could've saved Mason after all; in fact, if it wasn't for me, Mason wouldn't have even been there, I was sure. They stopped in front of me, silence reigning for a long while as Dimitri stepped to the side.

Finally Mr. Ashford spoke, "Are you…Rosemarie Hathaway?"

I nodded, bracing myself for their reaction. To my surprise, Mrs. Ashford let out a small cry and threw her arms around me.

"God, I can't believe this happened," she said, her voice sounded frantic. "You were there, weren't you?"

Again I nodded. Then she asked. "Please tell me; what happened, what made our son risk his life like that?"

I fumbled with my words before finally replying, "He…He was simply trying to do what he had been trained to do…He was protecting a Moroi, from a traitor."

She let out a shaky gasp, and there was another pause before Mr. Ashford asked, "Did he…did he suffer?"

I shook my head. "No, it was quick, he probably didn't even feel it." Finally Mrs. Ashford let me go and I stood aside with Dimitri as they entered the church to see their son's body.

Dimitri did his best to comfort me. "You told them the truth, Rose; you gave some closure at least."

"That doesn't matter," I said sadly. "No parent should have to bury their child." With that I turned and walked away, wandering aimlessly again.

When I finally stopped, I did so because I ran into Lissa and Christian. I could see that Lissa had been crying and Christian was noticeably more sombre than usual. Almost immediately, Lissa threw her arms around me.

"Oh, Rose…I…"

I gently returned the embrace, fighting back tears. "Still don't know what to say?"

Lissa nodded and I sighed. "Then don't worry about saying something. Just...just this is enough."

Lissa nodded and we remained like that for some time. Christian stood nearby, watching us sadly. I looked over at him.

"You've lost someone close to you; how do you deal with it?" I asked desperately.

Christian shook his head. "You're referring to my parents...after what they did, why should anyone grieve them?"

I looked him in the eye and replied firmly," They were still your parents…You can't tell me you felt nothing for them."

Christian sighed and finally nodded, his shoulders slumping.

"I…I don't know. I was upset but, my anger at them was greater, kept me from breaking down. Now I just…don't think about it, really."

I sighed and nodded, appreciating that he at least tried. I knew that Christian could at least partially truly sympathize with me. I just wished it didn't have to be so hard.


End of chapter, read and review please.