Lissa's POV
Being a princess without a council seat left me clueless when it came to my newfound duties as a queen. For the last several days I've simply been doing what Princess Ava said I should do, or go where the council needed me. I felt like my main job was keeping a calm and collected face for the world to see. I could do that, I've been doing it for years now.
Despite my eagerness to help the Moroi and create change for the better, a lot of people really hated me.
The attacks started as soon as I was crowned queen. The Moroi against me tried to get rid of Jill, which would force me to step down from the throne. I sent her away after only a couple weeks, a small part of me was glad she left. The sight of her always brought up unwelcome emotions. Adrian left the court soon after to be with Jill and Eddie, I think he also left to get away from Rose and Dimitri.
Once Jill was safely stashed away, the Moroi found a new way to attack me: Rose. Her political standing was faltering at best. Very few people on the council respected her as a princess, and the others were finding ways to undermine her.
"Royal bloodlines, Princess Hathaway. How do you plan to bring forth the next generation of dhampir royalty? You're dating a dhampir, so you clearly don't plan on having children with him," Prince Tarus rambled, his face growing more and more red as he spoke. "If you can't provide your people with a future leader then you're just wasting our time here, you might as well resign your position as princess and let the Hathaway name die out with dignity."
As Rose's best friend, I wanted to fight Tarus on the subject, but as queen I simply sat there and observed as Rose chose her next words very carefully. If I came to her defense now it would only make her seem weak in Rufus's eyes. She needed to handle this one on her own. I sent encouraging words through the bond, hoping I could somehow help her. She met my gaze for a second, offering me a small nod before meeting Tarus with a look that could turn a Strigoi to stone.
"Prince Tarus, I appreciate your concern for the future of the Hathaway line, but as you may recall, the late queen crowned me princess. Why shouldn't the next dhampir prince or princess be chosen by the dhampirs and then crowned by our lovely queen, Vasilisa? There is no need for me to have children."
Rufus slammed his hand on the curved table, standing up and jabbing a finger in Rose's direction, "That's absurd! It goes against tradition! Royalty comes from blood, Princess Hathaway. Your case may be special and unique but we will not be making the same exceptions in years to come. You have no brothers or sisters, no cousins. Discluding your parents, as the last of your line it is your duty to provide the dhampirs with a new leader for the next generation."
The other princes and princesses nodded in agreement, looking apprehensively at Rufus. Rufus rocked back onto the heels of his feet, seeming pleased with the point he just made. If it were anyone but Rose under attack, I would have to agree with Rufus. Yet, what he was insinuating would break Rose's heart.
Rose stood this time to meet his gaze across the table, looking incredulously at him, "You're making me choose between being princess and a relationship with my boyfriend?" Rose threw her hands up, she was quickly losing her royal composure. I peeked at Dimitri standing in a line with other guardians against the wall, his face didn't show any emotion but I noticed that he couldn't stop looking at Rufus with a deadly glint in his eyes.
Keep calm, Rose. If you freak out you'll be giving him what he wants, I sent through the bond. Rose closed her eyes for a few seconds. Both of us realized there was nothing to say to sway Rufus on his rampage. He was looking to ruin me or Rose, either of us would do. As long as he got rid of one of the two biggest dhampir supporters he would have more power once again.
Rose took a seat, pursing her lips. Rufus sneered, "Well that settles it. I hope you can prove your dedication to you people, Princess Hathaway. I would hate to call a vote on your impeachment."
Rose jolted in her seat at the last word. Her eyes widened in fear, I saw her physically hold her words back. Tears threatened to fall from her watery eyes. I decided to end this before it got bloody, "Prince Tarus please take your seat. Princess Hathaway's romantic life is none of your concern. May I point out that she is only eighteen, this is no time to make her think of children. The council needs to be focusing on other issues- like perhaps, oh I don't know, Strigoi?"
Rufus sat down, I watched with glee as his sneer turned to a frown. He nodded for me to continue with the meeting. "Great," I clapped my hands together, "Now that that's settled, the original plan for today's meeting was to discuss new strategies for defense against Strigoi. Let's get to that, shall we?"
The princes and princesses all murmured in agreement, flipping to clean pages on legal pads to take notes. Don't worry Rose, I won't let Rufus touch your council seat. I turned to Rose, "Princess Hathaway, as you have the most experience with guardian training and even multiple Strigoi encounters, why don't you start us off?"
Rose beamed at me, all tears swallowed back, she noticed that I was making her seem appealing and necessary to the rest of the council. She gave me a curt nod and started rattling off brilliant ideas. As proud as I was to see her shining as a princess, I couldn't help but fear Rufus's words. He didn't have much standing now since Rose is still young, but the council would soon expect her to provide a child.
I suppressed a sigh, the two of us were stuck in the middle of a political battlefield. After all we've been through, I never thought one of our problems would be Rose and Dimitri's infertility.
"... preemptive strike for known Strigoi hideouts would be ideal, but we have to be careful about sending the guardians into these nests. It can be hard to tell how many Strigoi are living together, if we send too little guardians we could be sentencing them to death," Rose explained with confidence. The council seemed enthralled with her ideas to eliminate Strigoi threats.
They may not want her here for Moroi matters, but the council couldn't help but look to Rose in all matters guardian and Strigoi. I smiled to myself, thinking that Rufus would have a hard time getting rid of Rose completely. As long as I kept the council talking about Strigoi, they would warm up to Rose. It was almost as if the council was under Rose's compulsion, they nodded and scribbled furiously as an effect of her words.
I needed to be a just queen, one that would bring honor to the Dragomir name, Jill needed to stay safe and hidden, and Rose needed to win over the council's hearts. Easy, right?
"How was your day, Your Majesty?" Christian murmured into my hair. I shook my head against his shoulder, "Stop calling me that. My day was awful, Christian. Rufus is still throwing a fit that he didn't become king. He attacked Rose today. He's trying to get her to break up with Dimitri or step down from her council seat. It's all bullshit."
Christian laughed at my exasperated tone. He rubbed soothing circles on my back, "I don't think that's legal. 'You can't be princess because I don't like your boyfriend'? Don't worry about that idiot." I sighed, I could feel a migraine coming on, "Trust me, he's not an idiot. The council might actually back him up if they believe Rose won't have children."
Christian's mocking attitude evaporated, "Oh." The seriousness of the matter sank into him, the possibility that Rose could lose her council seat. Ever since Tasha's arrest, Christian has harbored a grudge against Rose for tearing his family apart, but that didn't mean he didn't respect Rose's position on the council. He knew what she meant to the dhampirs.
I wanted to tell him how it nearly broke my heart to see Rose standing apart from Dimitri as the council left the courtroom. She wouldn't let Dimitri touch her or try to comfort her in the courtroom, she refused to look weak or shaken in front of Rufus. Dimitri looked just as pained as Rose had, I knew how much he hated being the source of any conflict. Though I couldn't say any of this to Christian, it would only make him upset.
"So what are you going to do?" he inquired softly. The question shocked me coming from Christian, I thought he wouldn't want anything to do with this. I pondered his words, I didn't think there was anything I could do about this situation. I can't help that Rose can't have children with Dimitri. I can't control the council's opinion about Rose having her own children.
Come to think of it, Rufus probably wanted to hook Rose up with one of his nephews so that he could influence the next generation of dhampir royalty.
I took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, "I don't know. Rufus might be able to go somewhere with this, but not anytime soon. The council won't be asking for children until Rose is at least in her twenties. The problem is that Rose would totally have kids, I think, just as long as the kids are Dimitri's."
Christian continued to hold me in his warm embrace, the muscles in his arms tensed. "I'm sure Dimitri would love that," he remarked coolly. It didn't take much for me to figure he was thinking of Tasha's offer to Dimitri, a million years ago it seemed. I chose not to respond to his remark, I didn't want to fight with Christian over Rose and Dimitri and Tasha.
After several moments of standing there in comfortable silence, Christian pulled back to look me in the eyes, "Are you still mad at Rose for making you queen?" The question was earnest enough, but there was a double meaning to his words.
"No, Christian. I'm not. She really did me a huge favor. As much as the council gives me headaches constantly, I finally have some power. The Dragomirs aren't the invisible family anymore. And Rose was right, there are a lot of terrible things planned for the dhampirs that she wouldn't have been able to stop without my help."
I narrowed my eyes at Christian's doubtful look. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," I stated as I wiggled out of Christian's embrace. Anger flooded through me, did Christian really expect me to gang up on Rose with him?
Christian shrugged nonchalantly, "Whatever." He walked over to the door, grabbing his jacket. I let my lips form into a pout, "Are you really leaving?" I did my best to give off a sad doe-eyed look, hopefully Christian would stay with me and keep me in a somewhat good mood.
He twisted the doorknob, "I'm going to visit Tasha." He extended his arm out in mock extravagance, "You're welcome to come with me, Your Majesty." He blinked, waiting for my response. I bit my lip, wanting so desperately to cling to Christian and never let him go. Christian raised his eyebrows, becoming impatient.
"I can't. If the council found out -" I was cut off by the door slamming loudly, Christian was gone.
"Rose! Please open the door!" I shouted in the empty hallway, my fist aching from knocking so hard. Two of my guards stood behind me, acting as shadows. I heard thumps from inside the suite and I heard Rose cry out the way she does in battle followed by more thumps. I shot a panicked look to my guards, silently begging them to open the door.
One of the guards, Kristen, stepped forward and knocked again, harder than I had. The shouts died down, Kristen shot me a grin that said thank God I don't have to break down the door. Moments later the door opened, Rose stood there wearing sweats and a tank top with her hair in a sloppy ponytail.
She grinned, "Oh hey, Lissa. Dimitri and I were just sparring." She beckoned us in, high-fiving the guards as they passed.
"Yeah I could hear it through the walls. Out of the honeymoon stage and ready to kill him already?" I joked. Dimitri stood in the middle of the living room, chugging a bottle of water. All of the furniture had been pushed aside to make an empty space in the middle of the room.
"I just wanted to make sure I could still kick his ass," Rose said, winking at Dimitri. I smiled at the couple, at least they had a healthy way of venting off steam, whereas Christian and I slam doors in each other's faces. I sat down on the couch pushed up against the wall and signaled for Kristen and Logan to join me. "Well don't let us interrupt. I've never seen you two go at it," I said.
Rose did a double take and scrutinized me, a look I had come to know well over the years. She was checking my emotions through the bond. She must have found what she was looking for because she raised her eyebrows, "Want to talk about it?"
I gave her a tight smile, "Not right now. I need a distraction." I gestured to Rose and Dimitri. The thought of seeing the two most talented dhampirs I know fight excited me. This would be better than when I saw Rose do a keg stand at a frat party. The awful tasting beer eventually came back up within the hour, making Rose vow to never drink again. A vow which she broke the next week during a string of frat parties and keggers all on the campus street we lived on while away from the academy.
Rose and Dimitri stood at opposite corners of the room, both crouching slightly and staring each other down. There was a playful look on Dimitri's face I had never seen before, Rose's lips pulled up into a seductive smile. "You're going down, comrade," she threatened. My guards sat forward in their seats with their mouths hanging open in awe.
Rose tilted her head to the side, "Lissa, count us down from five, will you?" She never broke eye contact with Dimitri. I realized that this wasn't just a workout for them, it was a game. Dimitri had Rose fixed with a determined look. She matched his gaze with a challenge in her eyes. They both seemed dangerous and beautiful.
"Five!" I shouted with childlike joy. Rose's fingers twitched.
"Four!" Dimitri licked his lips.
"Three!" Rose rolled her neck, I heard a crack.
"Two!" Dimitri's shoulders hunched forward.
"One!" I threw one arm in the air, pretending I was holding a flag.
Rose charged first, moving gracefully yet always emitting lethality. Dimitri ducked to the side just before she could crash into him. With her speed, she should have toppled into the wall without Dimitri in front of her, but her arm snaked out and gripped Dimitri. She used his body to change her momentum and propel herself sideways.
Rose twisted in the air and landed on Dimitri's back. Dimitri gripped her arms and flung her forward, making her fly over his head. I almost yelled out in fear that she would hit the ceiling, but luckily that didn't happen. Maybe it wasn't luck, maybe they were just that good.
Rose tried to curl up so she could land on her feet, but Dimitri used his arms to force her down faster than gravity would have done the job. She landed on her back with a dull thud, thanks to the thick kind of blow would have knocked the wind out of me, but it didn't seem to faze her. She got right back up and aimed a punch at Dimitri's sternum, which he successfully blocked.
My guards cheered for both Rose and Dimitri, shouting out at the awesome moves the couple were pulling off. I felt for a fleeting moment as if the bond was reversed. Watching Rose battle it out with Dimitri gave me a sort of high, I lost track of my worries for the present time. Of course, these were just my own feelings. My high was nothing compared to what Rose must be feeling right now. I could see the euphoria in her aura as she jumped, crouched and twisted her body.
I saw both Dimitri and Rose holding blunt ended wooden sticks- practice stakes. I had no idea where they came from, I didn't notice the two holding them earlier. My guards and I watched as the couple went back and forth throwing punches and blocking attacks. It seemed almost routine, they knew each other's moves so well and neither were going for the kill. Rose broke out of the pattern they had created and kicked out Dimitri's legs from beneath him.
Before Dimitri could stand up Rose was on top of him, her practice stake went in for the blow. Dimitri rolled sideways just before the stake could touch him, causing Rose to fall over. Dimitri roughly grabbed one of Rose's arms and yanked her up. He seemed to get more aggressive now, but I could tell from Rose's grin that Dimitri was only being competitive. He wouldn't really hurt her, but the way he was handling her would have most certainly hurt me, I could help but flinch when he pushed her around.
Rose didn't seem to mind being pushed around in this setting, she gladly took all that he could offer - neither of them were holding back now. I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket which I simply ignored. Whoever it was would have to wait for the battle to be over.
Rose grunted more often as she tried to corner Dimitri. He surprised everyone by surging forward just as Rose struck her arm out. He caught the stake mid thrust and wrapped his hand around it, yanking Rose toward him. Dimitri wrapped his arms around Rose, trapping her in what seemed like a lover's embrace.
Rose wasn't fooled, she pushed and shoved to no avail. Dimitri had an iron grip around her waist. He spun her around so that she was facing the wall and pushed her up against it, using his body to pin her. His arm struck out and his stake connected with Rose's chest. Rose's shoulders sagged in defeat, my guards started cheering for Dimitri.
Dimitri leaned his head down and kissed Rose. "Got you, Roza," he whispered. I don't think he meant for us to hear. Roza was not something I had heard before, but I liked the way he said her name so affectionately.
After Dimitri broke the kiss and let Rose go she kept her eyes closed for a few moments afterward. When she opened her eyes there was a dangerous glint dancing in her brown irises. "Again," she panted.
At the same time there was a knock on the suite's door. The door vibrated with the force of the person's fist continually hitting the door. "Lissa! Are you in there? Rose, open up! It's urgent," Christian screamed from the other side of the door. I mentally groaned, of course Christian shows up just as I'm feeling my headache start to disappear.
Logan shot up from his seat and opened the door to let my frantic boyfriend in. Christian ran over to me and took me in his arms, "Thank God you're here. I tried calling you!" He shot me an accusing look. Christian searched the room until he caught sight of Rose, he seemed to relax a little when he saw her.
I squeezed Christian's arm, "What's wrong?" I remembered him slamming the door on me no less than an hour ago. He didn't look like he was here to apologize and make amends to me. Christian let out a large puff of air and looked up at the ceiling. I saw his lips moving and leaned in to hear what he was saying, "I'm so sorry, so so sorry. You were right, Rose."
No one else heard what he had just said, leaving them looking confused and worried. I squeezed his arm tighter, forcing him to draw his attention to me. "Christian, tell me what's going on. Is Tasha okay?" I asked tentatively, knowing the treacherous territory I was entering by mentioning her name.
Christian shook his head frantically. He looked at Rose with regret and fear in his eyes, "Rose, Tasha's gone. She broke out of the jail cell and no one can find her."