Part 2 Chapter 45

DPOV

Songs: While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles, One More Cup of Coffee by The White Stripes, Breathe (In the Air) by Pink Floyd

We picked training back up the next day, neither of us bringing up the hot springs. I thought about asking her why she lied, but instead, devoted all my energy to something else.

Adrian.

In between routines over the next few days, I asked her questions about him. Most of them harmless but opened the door for more inquisition. Usually, she was the chatty one and I remained quiet, responding to her with a grunt or curt reply, so naturally, the change in my attitude pleased her. She answered every question with excitement and in great detail, which was hard to hear a lot of the time but helped me piece together the puzzle that was Adrian Ivashkov.

If he was hiding something, I wasn't stupid enough to think he'd share it with Rose, so on top of gaining information from her, I ordered a few of my men to discreetly tail him and report back to me. There was something there, I could feel it in my gut. It would just take some time to uncover.

"So Lissa's having some fancy dinner tonight to welcome back my mom apparently." Rose reached her arms towards the tips of her toes and turned her face towards me over the crook of her elbow. "You going?"

Vasilisa had mentioned wanting to host something formal for Guardian Hathaway upon her return so I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened. I nodded to Rose from my seated position across from her.

"Not gonna lie, I kind of hate these posh dinners the Moroi put on. The plated food portions are never as much as when they just leave the entire spread on the table, not to mention I'll have to wear something absurdly binding." She let out a huff, blowing a stray piece of hair away from her face.

I had to agree, I wasn't really looking forward to the dinner either, but for different reasons. I should have been anticipating my chance to examine Adrian myself without relying on second-hand knowledge, but the truth was I was anxious about being in a room with Janine.

I'd been doing my best to avoid her since she returned, although it hadn't been that difficult since she was rarely seen around the castle. Apparently, she would roam off into town for several hours each day, but I didn't bother asking where or why, as long as she was far away from me. Her interrogation last time she was at St. Vlad's left me rattled and with all the new events that had come to pass, I couldn't imagine what questions she had in store for me this time.

Rose continued rambling about the evening as we wrapped things up. "Natalie practically begged me to come to her room to get ready. I'm sure she and Lissa plan to dress me up like their life-size Dhampir doll." She let out an agitated groan and I raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"Why don't you just say no?"

She looked at me, trying her best to mimic my expression. "Have you ever tried telling Natalie, no?"

I thought about how controlling she had been during Vasilisa's coronation. No further explanation was needed. "I see your point."

Rose looked over to the horizon as the sun made its final descent over the hills. "Well, I better get going. Wouldn't want to keep Lady Dashkov waiting."

I nodded again and she sauntered off towards the castle. I couldn't fathom how it would take them hours to get ready for a dinner, but the ways of women were never really my forte, even after living with five of them.

/

The castle smelled of rich foods and freshly lit wicks from the extra candles lining the halls. The Dragomir banners hung along the walls reminding me of when Christian had first come to St. Vladimir's.

Vasilisa and Natalie had really gone above and beyond. It was hard to believe a royal Moroi would be celebrating a Dhampir so extravagantly, but it was another reminder of how accepting St. Vladimir's was compared to other royal courts. Not to mention, Janine had played a key role in helping us against the human invaders so I could understand Vasilisa's desire to offer a grand gesture of thanks.

I walked into the dining hall to see our Queen pointing at the dining table and delving out requests for last-minute details.

"I'm surprised to see you here," I called over to her. She tore her gaze away from the large wooden table towards me and her concentrated brow melted back to normal.

"I guess I've always had some controlling tendencies when it comes to these things," she laughed to herself. "Not nearly to the extent of my dear cousin, in my defense."

"It's not that. I just thought you'd want to spend more time with...your family," I bit out. "That's all."

"Hmm, well it has been hard to find time with Rose. Especially since the two of you started training together."

I was at a loss for words. I thought maybe Rose had finally summed up the courage to tell her sister about her training, but another look at Vasilisa's knowing expression squashed that theory.

"How did you know?"

"Being Queen has its perks." She adjusted a sconce in the middle of the table. "Finding out the whereabouts of my subjects at any given point in time is hardly one of the more challenging tasks."

"And you haven't tried to convince her to stop?"

"No." There was a long pause as she dusted off her fingertips and began walking towards me. The uncertainty in her decision was becoming more apparent the closer she grew. "As unsettling as it is, Rose has never been someone to let others tell her what to do. I want the best for her, her recovery at the top of the list, but I think it could potentially be good for the both of you."

I recalled the conversation we had upon Rose's arrival. Despite her many protests, she eventually conceded to keep my past with Rose to herself—although she seemed hellbent on pushing that line to its limits. First, with her practically forcing me to tend to Rose's injuries and now condoning something I knew she felt uneasy about.

"We agreed that—"

"I know what we agreed," she cut in determinedly. "And I've kept my word. I haven't uttered a peep about your past, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand in the way of Rose getting to know you."

I stared back at her with my jaw clenched shut. I was torn between arguing with her as my friend, and obeying her as my Queen.

"Don't do that," she sighed. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but don't deliberately hold back. I'll always accept your honesty whether I want to hear it or not, as I hope you would with me."

I relaxed a little but still remained quiet, deciding that arguing with her was aimless.

"I can't begin to imagine how hard all of this is for you, but the only thing I could see being worse in this situation is her not knowing you at all. It's only natural with your position that she would be interested, even without—"

She stopped herself short and looked away, biting back the words she unintentionally started. There were few things that Vasilisa kept from those she trusted, one of which tended to revolve around unguarded use of Spirit.

"What is it," I quietly asked. "Did you see something?"

The young Moroi bit her bottom lip and wrung her hands at her waist. If I were feeling the least bit snide I would throw her words about honesty back at her, but quarreling thoughts running across her brow stopped me from any childish behavior.

"It's...more of a feeling," she timidly let out. "I—I can sense something in her, pulling towards you. Whether it's bond-related or just purely knowing her my entire life, I can tell. She wants to know you, Dimitri. And not this surface-level version you've been presenting. The real you."

I cleared my throat as the doors behind me yawned open. Vasilisa's jade eyes held me for an extra moment, willing me to give her some kind of answer. Eventually, she plastered a beaming white smile on her face and turned to whoever had just entered the room, giving me space to finally breathe.

When the rest of the guests arrived I strategically placed myself at the far end of the table beside Christian. I knew he wouldn't drag me into an array of meaningless conversations and I could freely observe Lord Ivashkov without constant interruption.

So far, his only unusual behavior had been when Guardian Hathaway had entered. He greeted her with demure and respect, even more so than what was expected from someone in his class, but it was the guest that followed behind her that caused a stir. Abe Mazur slithered in, grinning contently like he had just come from a delectable meal rather than going to one. I didn't think Vasilisa had extended him an invitation, but he had brought her sister home after all. I thought it strange that he would be present on that particular occasion, but as he greeted the Queen with Janine beside him, it seemed as if he and Guardian Hathaway knew each other.

Had he come with her as a guest? Was she the one he claimed to be waiting for?

A mix of reactions splashed across the faces of the room. Rose's lip curled up with aversion as her arms crossed over her chest. Others looked either shocked or offended as if something malodorous wafted through the air around him. The ability for a single man to cause such a strong response just by walking into a room would've been comical if I didn't agree with them.

I expected Adrian to follow suit, given the reputation of the Ivashkovs and their imperious attitudes but was surprised to see him receive Zmey with friendly enthusiasm. He shook the serpent's hand excitedly and gestured for a couple of empty seats for them to grab. Rose took that opportunity to position herself at the opposite end of the table and seemed to be purposefully turning her gaze away from them.

When Vasilisa stood at the head to propose a toast to her guests, Rose glanced at me and offered a small smile. Thoughts of my conversation with her sister began to rise.

So what if she wants to get to know me? She'd said as much on multiple occasions.

But where in any of that is the consideration for my decision? For my stability?

I started to feel a rush of misplaced anger and abruptly turned away from both of them, taking a few gulps of water to wash down the sour taste in my mouth.

As dinner began, so did the topics of conversation. Since this was the first time most of us had all been in a room together in a while, there was no surprise that they headed towards our recent victory.

"It's such a relief to finally feel safe in the kingdom again," began Natalie. "And with so many of you here who played an instrumental role in that. It's a shame Natasha couldn't be here as well."

I peered up to see Natalie looking at me as if I would be the one to provide commentary on the topic.

"Yes, well her duties back home have been keeping her busy," Christian stepped in. "Rumors of uprisings have spread and she's been working diligently to ensure our relationship with the Dhampir community isn't affected."

"I heard this as well in some of the Southern communities." For the Head of Treasury, Shamus seemed to always be well versed in foreign gossip. "There are even a few rulers who have said to have sided with the fanatics and adopted new, ridiculous laws. It's preposterous!"

Murmurs of agreeance echoed around the room. I could see Vasilisa begin to tense and hoped someone would change the subject soon. This wasn't the first we were hearing of this and the Queen had been growing increasingly anxious. Rose reached up to put her arm on her sister's shoulder, offering her a quick moment of comfort.

I'm not sure how it happened, it was mere coincidence really, but out of all the places in the room, my eyes somehow found their way to her exposed arm. Her sleeve had moved almost down to her elbow, revealing the tanned skin, but there was something there marring it. I only spotted it for an instant before her other hand reached up and tugged the sleeve down, but the image was immediately burned into my skull.

Bite marks.

The punctures were faded and small, but I still couldn't believe I hadn't noticed them before. It had been dark in the hot springs, and even with our heightened senses, I was trying my best to avoid looking at her that night. In training, Rose always wore long sleeves but I thought it was due to the cool weather. Could she have been purposefully hiding them?

It would've made sense for her to be ashamed of them. The only ones who wore scars like those proudly were Blood Whores, Dhampir women who willingly let Moroi men bite them during sex in exchange for favors—or even just for the thrill of the high. And that's exactly what this vile, two-faced, narcissistic, sack of shit had reduced her to. A Blood Whore.

"Speaking of your recent victory," chimed Adrian from across the table, "whatever became of that Sage Princess?"

I wanted to drag him out of the room by his neck and slam him into the hard dirt until his eyes bled.

"I—I'm not sure," Vasilisa looked pensively. "Why do you ask?"

"It seems strange that the human King would go through so much trouble to find her, then just stop after one defeat."

"Maybe she was returned to him after all," Natalie supplied.

"If she was," Alberta Petrov added, "It's unlikely the Sage King would set aside his pride to admit his mistake."

The conversation continued but merely became a hazy fog around me. I was engrossed in thought. I spent who knows how long trying to come up with excuses to leave until something Adrian said reclaimed my attention.

"You couldn't be more wrong, they aren't inferior to us. In fact, without the humans, we wouldn't be here. I find them quite fascinating actually."

Shamus quirked his eyebrows at him scrupulously. "Is that so?"

It was obvious Shamus wasn't imploring for more information, but the pompous peacock went on anyways. "Not only are they the source of our life force—a gift, mind you, not an obligation—but they're unity with Moroi resulted in the creation of Dhampir. An entirely new species that never would have been possible between members of our own race."

He took a deep sip from his goblet and turned it in his hand as he set it down, examining the dragon etchings along the silver stem. "Their lives are so delicate and fleeting, yet they live with such passion. Going on quests to prove their honor to their king. Traveling from town to town with endless sleepless nights just to barter trade for their goods. Waging wars against an impenetrable enemy for a lost loved one. It's quite romantic, wouldn't you say?"

"I think the word you're looking for is idiotic," Christian huffed under his breath.

"You know," Natalie chirped. "If you're hoping to learn more about humans you should ask Dimitri." I could feel eyes shift towards me as I kept my focus fixed on my still full plate.

"Mmm-hmm. He spent years with humans in his homeland. Vikings to be exact." She said it like it was a juicy rumor she was itching to get out.

"Natalie," Lissa hissed over to her cousin.

"Really Belikov? I hear Vikings can be pretty unrestrained in their prime. I didn't peg you for the type," Adrian called over.

"I'm sorry, Natalie whispered to Lissa and me. "Was I not supposed to say anything? My father told me once, I didn't think it was a secret."

"You know that Guardian Belikov values his privacy."

"It's fine," I said through gritted teeth, trying not to let my agitation boil over. Natalie was a lot of things; naive, talebearing, and honestly a bit annoying, but she didn't have a malicious bone in her body. Getting angry with her was like getting angry at a new pup for spilling a bucket of water. It was wet and messy, but inconsequential.

Where Adrian was a full-grown thoroughbred, pissing on my boots.

"That's commemorable Dimitri," Alberta nodded in my direction. "It's no wonder your fighting skills are so finely tuned."

"Commemorable indeed," Adrian piped in yet again. "If it wouldn't be a bother, I'd relish in hearing some of your tales alongside them."

Thoughts of another person at the table he'd relish in threatened to send me over the edge and I brusquely pushed out of my seat. "Pardon me Your Majesty, I—"

Before I could leave one of the doors slid open and a messenger came stumbling in. All heads turned to the young lad walking so fast he was practically tripping over his feet. "My Queen," he said with an exasperated bow. "This just came for you from the Western Isles. They said it was urgent."

She delicately took it from his raised hand and ran a finger over the seal. "Queen Tatiana's seal," she murmured to herself before quickly opening it.

When she was finished reading it, she flipped it over to inspect the back and gripped it tighter in her hands. Her head shook back and forth with her eyes still fixed on it as if she couldn't believe what was written across the page. "This doesn't make sense."

"What did it say," Chris rose from his chair to stand beside her.

Her eyes glanced over to Adrian hesitantly.

"What did it say," Adrian repeated as he slowly stood from the table. It was the first sense of seriousness he'd displayed all evening.

We all waited quietly until the Queen finally decided to speak up.

"The—the Western Isles have sided with...them."

"With them," Natalie asked as Chris read the letter over Lissa's shoulder, "Surely you don't mean—"

"That's exactly what she means," Chris blurted. "According to Tatiana, Dhampir in the Western Isles are now being enlisted to join their regiment at 12 years of age and those who cannot fight are being given positions within the kingdom without pay. Just like those íonachta fucks said."

The room erupted.

"What?!"

"How can that be?"

"Treasonist swines!"

"What did you expect? It was only a matter of time."

Adrian strode towards Vasilisa and I planted my feet in his path to act as a human barricade. Without even looking up at me he leaned around my arm and fervently asked, "Can I see the letter? Please."

Unwilling to shift my focus from anywhere but the man in front of me, the letter slowly crept into my vision from behind my back as Adrian gratefully took it and began reading.

"I don't understand," he said as he read over the letter for at least the fifth time. "This is unmistakably her writing, but she would never agree to this. There must be some kind of mistake."

I wasn't sure if he was speaking to himself, or the room but the other guests took it upon themselves to respond.

"That's rich coming from her kin. How can we trust anything you say?"

"For all we know, you were sent here to spy on us."

"Stop acting the maggot, Shamus. You look like a bollox throwing around ridiculous claims like that." It was obvious Rose was trying to diffuse the situation with her colorful cursing, but I could feel her bite sharpening behind each word.

Shamus might have been unwilling to test her limits, but Chris wasn't so easily bent to submission. "What's so ridiculous about it," the young Lord prodded. "Wasn't it his drawing found on those bandits that tried to kidnap you?"

"Yes, and he admitted that." Rose finally stood, her knuckles pressing into the wood surface of the table.

"Pfft yeah. Probably to avoid getting caught."

"Watch it Christian."

"Or what," the Moroi's voice rose to just below a shout as the flames from the candles in the room all simultaneously grew brighter. "Just because you've put your blind faith in this guy doesn't mean we all have to. His goddam kingdom is siding with the very people who want to take your family down and you expect us to just say, 'oh, but not him. He's different.' I'm. Not. Buying. It!"

The room cried out at his side.

"Yeah."

"Here, here."

"Arrest him!"

Rose's palms slammed into the table so hard I thought I heard it crack. But before she could unleash her verbal assault on Christian, another voice joined in.

"If I may." Unlike everyone else at the table, Abe was the epitome of calm. Maybe even slightly amused. You would think one would have had to shout at the top of their lungs to be heard in that room, but Zmey's collected demeanor in that situation was unnerving enough to capture everyone's attention. "Young Master Adrian is not to blame here. I have met many people throughout my travels; young, old, royal, destitute. None of it matters. One must look beyond such things to understand who a man is."

Abe twisted a giant ruby ring on his finger before placing his hands behind his back. "Although he may possess some qualities you all find unappealing, I would hardly say conniving and backstabbing are among them. This man has done nothing but show his loyalty to this kingdom. He not only rescued your Princess, but returned her back to you without asking anything in return. That said Princess stands by his side now, yet you are still skeptical of him. So, what are we to do?"

"Let me guess, you have a suggestion," Chris snidely replied.

Janine Hathaway cast the Lord a cutthroat glare that would have made even the most rigid Moroi blush.

"That, I do," Abe continued, stroking his dark beard with the flicker of a grin peeking out from behind it. "If his word or that of his betrothed are not good enough, then let's say we leave it to someone undoubtedly trustworthy."

Everyone's eyes shifted towards Vasilisa, assuming it was her she meant, until he gave them a reason to all turn to me.

"Belikov, what say you?"

"What," The thought started in my head and came out of Chris' mouth.

"Do you deny it? High Constable Belikov is tasked with protecting this kingdom at all costs. If he deems this man unsafe, then it is law. Same goes for those he considers harmless. So, I ask again: what say you Guardian Belikov? Should we arrest this man?"

Zmey earned his moniker for a reason. He was not only as devious as a serpent, but as cunning as one too. If I had Queen Tatiana's nephew arrested and thrown in the dungeon, it would cause an all-out war with the Western Isles. One that without the help from all our allies, we were likely to lose. They had more money and more resources than St. Vladimir's could afford. Not to mention backing from the íonachta now.

I wanted nothing more than to see that spoiled Moroi wasting away in a dark, sodden cell, but when others in the room began to repeat the question, I replied, "No."

I finally turned away from Adrian, whose face was still fixed on his great aunt's letter. I was pretty sure he hadn't heard a single thing that had happened since receiving it from Vasilisa. Rose's shoulders visibly sagged with relief as everyone else began to quietly murmur in smaller groups.

Except, of course, Christian. "So what, Dimitri. You're saying you trust the guy? That we should believe what he says?"

Rose looked up at me, a hopefulness in her eyes. She was happy to finally have someone on her side besides a known pirate. She must have assumed that all the things she had been telling me about Adrian in our training had sunk in and I'd finally decided to give him a chance. But that wasn't the case. And I wouldn't lie...not even for her.

So without turning away, I replied to Christian and to the room again, "No."

Shock washed over Rose's face and the murmurs grew again. Adrian seemed to finally come out of whatever daze he was in and distractedly said, "If you'll excuse me I must retire."

"Adrian, wait," Rose called after him, but he was already out the door. She shot me a menacing glare that rivaled her mother's as she rushed by me like a whirlwind.

/

When it was clear there was no salvaging the dinner, Vasilisa politely dismissed her guests, assuring them we would reconvene to discuss after she had some time to digest the information. I offered to stay behind and discuss what she'd learned but she told me she needed to look at the facts without any biased opinions first, shooting me and Christian a pointed glare.

I became immediately irritated by that statement. Not because it was discrediting to my position, but because it was true. I may not have shown as much distaste for the Moroi Lord as Christian had, but I didn't hide it either. I hated that my personal opinions of Adrian were clouding my judgment. I needed some time alone to decompress and get my mind straight.

Instead of going back to my quarters, I wandered over to one of the smaller suites that were occasionally used for more intimate meetings or lounging. Tasha had used it often to draft letters to our allies or meet with Vasilisa after our Council meetings when I was unable to. As hesitant as I was to talk to her in the past, I found myself wishing she was there.

I needed someone with an impartial perspective to talk things through with me. Someone to help me see things clearly in order to stop letting my emotions rule my decisions. I thought about sending her a letter, but the amount of time it would take to get there and for a response to come back we could already be sitting in a new pile of shit.

However, writing down my thoughts had helped me sometimes in the past so there was no harm in trying it again—even if no one would be reading it but me. I began rummaging through the desk in the center of the room and found some parchment and a quill and ink. I laid out a few pieces and dipped the tip into the dark liquid, when a storm of fury burst through the door.

"What the hell, Dimitri?!"

I looked around for an exit behind me, but Rose was blocking the doorway and the window was the only other opening. Even if jumping out a window to avoid a conversation with her wouldn't come off as completely deranged, the landing from four stories above wasn't necessarily ideal either.

So instead, I stood there wordlessly hoping she'd just get frustrated and go away.

After a couple of moments she raised her eyebrows and shook her head bitterly. "Seriously? There's nothing you have to say to me?"

Again, I refused to respond, hardening my expression and crossing my arms over my chest.

"That's your M.O. isn't it? When things get messy you just shut down and go silent. Fine, then I'll talk." She slammed the door shut behind her, sending a short burst of air against her loose strands of hair.

"What you did tonight was a total dick move. Even for you." She was clearly trying to get a rise out of me. Rose placed her hands on the back of an armchair and gripped the plush fabric. "Don't think for one second I bought this whole 'let's get to know Adrian' game you've been playing in training. If you truly knew me before, you'd know I'm not that naive."

That admittedly caught me off guard.

"But I thought if I went along with it and gave you the answers you were seeking you'd actually start to warm up to him. Instead, you throw him to the wolves when all he needed was just a little backing up. Is it really that hard for you to see that his intentions are good?"

Good? She was either ignorant or brainwashed if she thought using his future bride as a blood sack was anything but good. "Egotsentricheskiy ublyudok."

"ENGLISH," her frustrated shout reverberated off the walls.

"How can I see good in someone who values his intended bride less than her worth?"

Her nose scrunched in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

I deliberately shifted my focus down to her arm where I had seen the marks earlier before returning back to her incensed glare. It only took a second for realization to strike. Her hand came up to cover her arm, even though the fabric of her dress was already doing the job.

"How did—when did you—" she started twice before wafting her hand in the air. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter." She brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face in an attempt to compose herself a little more. "Despite it being none of your goddamn business, it's not what you think."

"Or it's exactly what I think," I spat out as I finally moved around the desk to sit on the edge.

She let out a huff through her nose as her face contorted into a scowl. "On our journey back to St. Vlad's a horse got it's hoof stuck in a divot and couldn't stop quickly enough. It's leg snapped and the mare fell to the ground. A few of Abe's men suggested we kill it and use it for meat, but Adrian wanted to heal it."

Her scornful look started to melt as she looked towards her arm. "He hadn't had any blood in days and I knew he couldn't handle that kind of magic without serious consequences," her eyes darted up to me, filled with confidence, "so I offered him mine."

When she finished I sat there quietly, this time in contemplation rather than stubbornness. I had automatically assumed that those bite marks were the result of something sordid. Granted, it wasn't exactly a far-fetched notion, many Dhampir had fallen to similar temptations, including myself, but I realized I hadn't even considered giving either of them the benefit of the doubt. I usually prided myself on using logic, but instead, I had jumped to a conclusion and projected my aversion for the act onto them without hesitation.

"You've—you've done it before...haven't you?" She spoke lowly. Like the secret could shatter the room if it rose above a whisper.

I shouldn't have been surprised, the old Roza could read me like the palm of her hand. She was constantly pointing out things that no one else had been able to pick up on, even things that I had a hard time admitting to myself. Yet, it still seemed strange that this Rose—who barely knew me—could still do the same.

"Yes," there was no use trying to hide my shame. "Once. And I vowed to never let it happen again."

She didn't ask for any more on the subject. Instead, she reverted back to her original reasons for barging in. "So let me get this straight," she began counting off her fingers. "You pretend you want to know more about Adrian when in actuality you've already decided that he's a right git that can't be trusted. You use me to try and get dirt on him. And you have Guardians waste their time following him around?"

"Yeah, Adrian told me about those too," she shot at me before I could ask.

"You know, Dimitri, I expected this from Christian, the other guys, and maybe even Lissa, but I thought you of all people would have at least tried to accept him."

Even if Rose couldn't remember anything about our past and my selfish reasons for not liking the guy, I couldn't see how she came to that conclusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rose's anger started to dissolve and a wave of disappointment washed over the room. "From what I can tell so far, you're the type of man whose word matters to him, so when you said you wanted to be friends I thought you meant it. But honestly, you've been acting like anything but."

This time, she didn't bother waiting for a response.

I remained still for a while after she left, sitting on the desk and looking around the quiet room. Eventually, I dropped my arms and got up to walk to the door, but found myself walking back to the desk again. I repeated that same path an embarrassing amount of times when I felt something wet on the front of my tunic. I looked down to see black ink smudged across the left side of my chest.

"Ideal'nyy"

It was then I finally realized I was still holding onto that damn quill. I clenched it in my hand with the intention of snapping it in half, but something stopped me. I thought about what my original intent was and made my way behind the desk. As I sat down, I pulled the parchment towards me and examined the quill. It was slightly bent but the tip was undamaged. So once again, I dipped it into the inkpot, placed it against the parchment, and began writing.

Dear Roza,


A/N: Hi! I know it's been forever. I'm starting to feel very socially awkward. I went from a 3-month maternity leave where I was sequestered to my home with the bb, then had about a 2-month reprieve before all this mess started and was sequestered to said home once again. Someone is going to have to teach me how to interact with people again after all of this is over.

Anyway, I hope you're staying safe and sane and that this chapter could provide you a bit of entertainment to pass the time. Thanks for all of you who have stuck with this story from the get-go and for the newbies who just found it recently, welcome! All of your reviews and kind messages lit that fire under me to finally carve out enough time to get this story updated.

Also, a good friend pointed out to me that there was a post on Tumblr by romitritrashsocialworker naming HW in her top Romitri fanfics. I'm sure this was written decades ago bc it's been about that long since I've posted (heh) but I was floored! I'm always shocked when people actually read my writing but when it's listed as a fav too I get super giddy. So thank you to whoever you are! Also, your posts are hilarious and farrrr too relatable to this fandom.

Lastly, a very special thanks to TiA995 and ohorpheuss for helping me get this chapter finished and for being just all-around awesome people. Even if I wasn't already determined to finish, there's no way in hell they would ever let me give up on HW.

As always, thanks for reading.