Rose's POV
The sunlight on my skin felt like experiencing Lissa perform healing magic through the bond. It was warm and embracing and everything right with the world. I could only enjoy the sunset for a few moments before Eddie was ushering me toward the throne room. I kept a pleasant enough smile on my face the whole way there. "Have you gotten a charge yet? I know I really screwed things up for you, but I thought a handful of Moroi were still interested enough."
Eddie smiled, "Yeah, a Drozdov lord hired me a couple days ago, he's increasing his guard detail. Matthew Drozdov, he's Princess Ava's little cousin. I start tomorrow." This news made me immensely happy, and all my guilt of ruining his chances at guardianship vanished. I knew Eddie would make an amazing guardian.
"And what about Mason? Has he gotten hired yet?" Eddie stopped walking, I turned around to see him staring incredulously at me, "That's not funny, Rose." His voice was ice, piercing through all the warmth from the sun.
My brows furrowed in confusion as Eddie walked right past me. I had to jog to keep up with his new brisk pace. "What gives? I haven't seen him since I got back. Am I not allowed to ask about my friend?" I demanded, I grabbed Eddie's shoulder to force him to stop walking and look at me. He was shaking. "Eddie, what's wrong?" He searched my eyes for a long time. What was he looking for, mockery? Well, whatever he found it made his face drop.
"You really don't know, do you? What the hell happened to you out there?" Eddie seemed extremely sad, especially to be talking about carefree and lighthearted Mason.
I swallowed, fearing the question and the answer, "Eddie, where's Mason?"
Eddie closed his eyes, he took a deep breath, "We'll talk about it after you've met with the queen, I promise. Right now you need to worry about what Her Majesty wants to say to you." And once again Eddie was moving too fast for a leisurely walk. I couldn't get Mason out of my head now, the way Eddie reacted to his name. Fear started to take over, there's only one thing Eddie would want to keep from me, and it wasn't Mason getting a puppy or becoming a member of the royal guard.
I got out of breath before reaching the throne room, damn I was out of shape. I thought that the throne room was an odd choice for a meeting place, but it wasn't my job to critique the venues. The throne room was decorated in Ivashkov red: tapestries, carpets and the velvet on the throne itself. Queen Tatiana Ivashkov herself looked regal in a white business suit with a light purple dress shirt to contrast the vivid red in the room. She sat with a stick straight back on the throne, only standing after I bowed to her.
Standing near her was Dimitri. Why the hell is he here? I recalled the maybe kiss from last night, I had to look at the ground to hide my slight blush. "Thank you Guardian Castille, that will be all for now," the queen dismissed Eddie with the wave of her hand. Eddie squeezed my hand for encouragement before leaving the room. Tatiana smiled at me, a genuine smile that actually reached her eyes.
"How are you feeling Miss Hathaway?" she asked. It was pleasant enough, but something about her wording bothered me. "I'm feeling better than yesterday, your Majesty. With all due respect, Miss? Not Guardian Hathaway?" I asked, well aware of the dangerous territory I was walking into. My voice was laced with a challenge that I couldn't help but include. How dare they strip me of my title.
Tatianna wasn't fazed, "I'm glad you're feeling better Rosemarie. And as for your title… well, that's why we're here today." Great. I was still confused as to how this involved Dimitri. "I'm all ears," I say, spreading my hands open in a resigned gesture. If she was going to tell me I was nothing more than a blood whore she might as well get it over with.
Tatiana gestured to a simple coffee table that didn't seem like it belonged in this extravagant room. All three of us sat down, "Where are your guards?" I asked. Tatiana's lips flattened, "There posted outside the doors, this is a private matter for now, in which I'm entrusting Guardian Belikov with."
I almost fell out of my chair. "You're officially a guardian again!" I directed at Dimitri, unable to contain my happiness and Dimitri gave me a small smile of disbelief. Tatiana studied this interaction with shrewd eyes. That made me uncomfortable for some reason.
Dimitri looked just as surprised as I had at this news. "Yes, he is one of our best guardians, despite what people believe about his transformation," Tatiana faced Dimitri, "You have been given a new assignment. Starting immediately."
Dimitri nodded, "Who is my charge?"
Tatiana smirked, "Rosemarie."
My heart stopped beating. "What?" She couldn't be serious. "Excuse me, your Majesty, I think I mis-"
"You didn't mishear me. Guardian Belikov's duty is to protect you."
"That's ridiculous, I don't need a guardian."
"Yes. You do."
"I'm a guardian."
"Not anymore."
I took in a sharp breath through my teeth. Water started to collect in my eyes. No. I will not cry in front of her. I bit down on my tongue to stop the tears from flowing. Dimitri had been silent since he was given my name, he looked confused and upset. Same here. I looked back at Tatiana, ready to fight my way through this with Rose logic.
"I don't need protecting."
"Yes. You do," she repeated, but this time with more annoyance. I glared at her. She met my gaze evenly, there was a secret on the tip of her tongue. There was mischief in her eyes. "I have much to tell you, Rosemarie. Let me explain," it wasn't a request, but she waited for my small nod before continuing.
"Nobody knows for sure where you were for the past two weeks, but I have evidence that leads me to believe you were taken by Strigoi. I heard about the letter you left for your friends, and I'll admit that is a bit confusing. We'll look more into it later. This lead means there are Moroi and dhampirs within Court walls who are helping Strigoi get information and other things," other things being live bodies. "I received a message from a man who I knew quite well when he was still a Moroi.
"This message regards you, Rosemarie," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a white piece of crumpled paper. She slid it across the table to me, I looked to Dimitri, unsure of what to do. He nodded, urging me to go along with whatever the queen was doing.
I picked up the note, choosing to read it aloud for Dimitri to hear, "'It seems your well accomplished Rosemarie isn't as indestructible as you had thought. Let this serve as a taste of what is to come. Once she falls, you will follow. V.I.'" My head was spinning and at the same time all conscious thoughts fluttered away. A taste of what is to come? I raised my eyes to the queen, a million questions in my eyes. Tatiana saw that and gave me an understanding nod.
Dimitri interrupted anything she might have said, "What about the letter that Rose left for Princess Dragomir?" Finally, answer time.
"I didn't leave a letter." I said, but it's possible I did, since I couldn't remember anything after seeing Dimitri in church. Love fades, mine has.
"Yes, I read the letter," the queen continued as if she hadn't heard me. "Honestly it doesn't sound like something Rose would say. She's rude and blunt but I could never see her saying those things to her friends, especially Vasilisa," the queen replied calmly. Thanks guys, like I'm not right here. "I suspect compulsion has a hand in this."
My eyebrows furrowed, "It's very hard to compel me." That was true, my experience with Lissa compelling others through the bond has made me less susceptible to it.
Tatiana looked like she was getting bored, "Not if you were high off of endorphins and weak from blood loss." See tipped her head forward, looking at my neck. I quickly brushed my hair forward, I hadn't realized my neck was exposed.
"We can get to the details later, Rosemarie. I have a more pressing issue to discuss with you." Her piercing eyes compelled me, figuratively. I mentally prepared myself for whatever could be more pressing than Moroi and dhampirs assisting Strigoi.
"You've killed many Strigoi, more so in the last year than many guardians kill in their lifetime. The Strigoi have begun to notice you as a serious threat to their existence- one they plan to eliminate. The Strigoi aren't the only ones who have recognized your power and importance. Vladimir was right, in the message he sent me. If you die at the hand of a Strigoi, the Moroi and dhampirs will suffer a great loss, a loss that will give the Strigoi an advantage over us," Her eyes were searing into me, imploring me to understand what she was saying.
My mind was still a blank canvas and Tatiana was asking me to see a picture from her marks of black on white.
"Excuse me, your Highness," Dimitri spoke up, his words were coming slowly. He was just as shocked as I was, "Are you saying that the Strigoi are planning an attack on Rose's life?" Well, it wouldn't be the first time.
Tatiana shrugged, "I don't know if they're organizing an attack, no. I do know that you, Rose, are no longer just another dhampir to them. You are the biggest threat since the late Guardian Schoenberg, and I don't think it was a coincidence that his household was raided." My mouth dried up as her words started to make their way into my consciousness.
I wasn't a guardian to Strigoi. I was a target - my dead body was a power play for them. Tatiana looked at me with sympathy in her eyes, "Rose, I know how this seems to you, but there is an opportunity here. An opportunity that will challenge the Strigoi, but it puts you at risk, and that is why I demand Belikov's presence with you at all times." The picture was starting to become more clear in my head, the canvas being filled with more colors and shapes. I was beginning to get scared, not something I like feeling. My throat was so dry that I could barely speak, "W-what opportunity?"
Tatiana smiled, happy to see me cooperating. "We look the Strigoi in the eye and refuse to give them what they want: you. Rosemarie, guardians around the world know your name, you are the reckless girl who can't be defeated. You are a symbol for strength and power. A symbol that if lost, will cause us all to lose hope for fighting the Strigoi. Vasilisa and myself are also symbols for our kind." A symbol for strength and power. Why was she comparing me to royalty?
"So you want to hole me up for my own protection? That's ridiculous, I can't be a symbol for strength if I'm being a coward. I won't hide. I can't hide," I was breathing heavy now, this was all too much. I'm not a symbol, I'm a teenage girl. I'm not powerful, and I most certainly don't feel strong right now. Tatiana was losing her patience with me, her eyes narrowed, all sympathy gone.
"Listen here, you foolish child. You will not be hiding. I believe the Strigoi kidnapped you to put fear in Moroi. You may not agree with this but you are widely admired and well respected as a guardian, despite your reckless behavior. Whatever happened to you," she gestured to my face, "it was a warning to us. The Strigoi won't give us another warning. They will kill you.
"If they get their hands on you then there will be fear, panic and chaos within my kingdom's walls, and I will not let that happen. The Strigoi will expect me to put you into hiding and build up walls around you. I'm doing the exact opposite here - I am giving you more power. And not just you, but all dhampirs. At midnight I will be making the announcement of your new position on the council."
The picture was almost complete, the nondescript shapes had become familiar figures and two pairs of eyes surveyed a crowd.
Her words made my head reel. Council! She couldn't be serious. "The council is for Moroi," I said in disbelief.
Tatiana pressed her lips into a hard line, "I think it's time the dhampirs had more say in their own politics. You cannot actively guard as a member of the council, your priorities will be to reflect the wants and needs of all dhampir kind in regards to the law. I trust your judgement, though we will have to work on your attitude. Considering the age decree that recently passed, we need a dhampir opinion more than ever. I expect you to be on better behavior than the last time you voiced it, though." Nice backhanded compliment. My head was really hurting now. Tatiana didn't agree with the age decree, I wasn't even going to ask questions about that right now.
"So, what. I'll become a councilwoman for dhampir matters? Won't that make the Strigoi want to attack me even more?" My head was pounding, or my heart, I couldn't tell anymore. Dimitri sat there, taking it all in and not breathing a word. Tatiana considered my words, "Probably, but most importantly, it will increase your power amongst dhampirs and Moroi alike. We will not cower under the Strigoi gaze, we will look them head on. And you wouldn't just be a 'councilwoman'. All members of the council derive from a royal bloodline." Her eyes once again help a hidden message.
The picture was complete. It was a portrait in which I was wearing elegant robes of gold and black, and a tiara, facing an angry crowd of Strigoi. Dimitri was by my side, wearing guardian black and white. This picture made me sick. How could I be the inspirational Rose Hathaway if I let others fight my battles for me? Back in the throne room, the look in Tatiana's eyes told me that doing this would be a whole other kind of battle, one that was not ideal to me in any sense, but I couldn't deny that this would put us ahead of the Strigoi. That's all that mattered, right? I took all of the strength I had from Lissa, who had grown up in a life that was being thrown at me. I raised my head high and looked at my queen. She saw that my decision had been made, though it didn't feel like much of a choice.
"As of midnight, you will become Princess Rosemarie Hathaway, Princess of the Dhampirs."