AN: Howdy babes!

So this chapter takes place about 9 years before Vampire Academy (I know, my summary says that all of these stories will take place between the span of the books. I'm sorry. Couldn't help myself.) and it is in Arthur Schoenburg's perspective (If any of you need a refresher on who that is then read the first few chapters of Frostbite). A little different than what we are used to, but I think (I hope) you will like it;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead. I only own Macy and Duke.

Schoenburg: Arthur Schoenburg's POV

I can't believe Hans roped me into this. He knows I hate this kind of thing (which is probably why he wanted me to do this in the first place). I should be at court right now; planning, filing, looking through guardian requests, considering trial scores. There's never an absence of work when you're on the Guardians Council, and here I am, in the-middle-of-nowhere Montana, preparing to give a lecture. A lecture.

"Art."

"Hmm?"

I glance up at Macy, the Moroi representative on the Guardians Council, from my reclined position against the headboard of my bed. She is sitting in an arm chair on the other side of my assigned room, holding open a book in one hand while the other dangles off of the arm rest. Her brunette hair, streaked occasionally with gray, is pulled back in a messy bun (a rarity that only I ever get to see – it's usually in a more professional bun with no hairs out of place). She is smiling, crinkling her laugh lines, and her blue eyes are shinning with amusement.

"I can hear your bitter thoughts from here," she says.

She always can. When you spend enough time with someone there's no such thing as a guardian mask. I feign ignorance anyway because she wanted to come, and therefore is the main reason I am here (that and Hans called in a favor he'd been holding over me for a good decade).

"What are you talking about? I'm reading," I insist.

"Sure you are," she laughs, gesturing to my book with her own. I look down to see my book being held upside down. I've been caught. Sighing, I toss the book aside and swing my legs off the side of the bed.

"I just don't understand why we are here. Any number of capable people could've come out here and talked to a bunch of toddlers about being a guardian. You could do it just as easily as I could."

"They aren't toddlers. They're in elementary school. The youngest child is going to be no younger than 6 or 7" - Same difference - "And no one can do this the way that you can, Art. To these kids you are an untouchable legend, so you're here to tell them how you got to where you are so that they can do the same, and that can only come from you."

I harumph.

"Besides," she continues, setting aside her book. "I thought we agreed on making this a vacation of sorts. We can't be open here, obviously, but it's much easier to get away with...things" - she rises from her chair - "when we aren't under the constant scrutiny that court provides." Now she's walking slowly towards me. I swallow.

Then she is sitting on my lap and my lips are attached to hers and my hands are pulling out her bun.

She's right of course. It's always so hard to get moments alone at court, what with her being the daughter of the current Badica Prince and me being a leader on the Guardians Council. But our busyness and co-working situation aren't the only things that keep us apart. Moroi and dhampir relationships – committed, romantic relationships – are taboo in our society, and, therefore, impossible for us thanks to our titles. If anyone were to find out about Macy and I, we would both get in serious trouble – her more so than me which is why I insist on keeping our relationship a secret. I couldn't live with myself if I were ever the reason for her suffering.

I lay back on the bed and she follows. My hands slide up the back of her thighs and -

And someone is knocking on the door.

"Guardian Schoenburg," comes a tentative voice. "I was sent to give you and Lady Badica a tour of the Academy."

I look up at Macy incredulously. A tour?! I mouth. She bites her lip to keep from laughing. She knew about this.

"I didn't ask for a tour," I reply gruffly.

"I – It was on your itinerary for your stay."

I stare accusingly at May. She has the audacity to shrug.

"Thank you," I say. "I'll meet you in the foyer in a few minutes. Don't bother getting Lady Badica from her room. I'll retrieve her." When I hear foot steps receding I sit up, remove Macy from my lap, and move to put on my guardian uniform because apparently I have a tour to look presentable for. "Really, May?"

"Don't 'really, May' me. You've always liked having your bearings wherever you are. I thought you'd enjoy it."

"I'd enjoy continuing what we were doing a lot more," I grumble, buttoning my jacket.

"Be nice. That boy sounded young. He's probably scared out of his wits. It's not everyday that you get to be around the THE Arthur Schoenburg."

I frown at her, and she smiles and kisses me on the cheek before sauntering into the bathroom to fix her hair and make-up. Our previous activity has left them both more than a little unkempt. When she finishes we both walk down to the foyer where a very young guardian is waiting nervously, shifting from foot to foot. He looks as if he'd just graduated. May smirks as if to say 'I told you so.'

"Lady Badica" - he bows slightly in May's direction then turns to me - "Guardian Schoenburg. I – well, can I just say what an honor it is to meet you and show you around St. Vladimir's."

"Thank you, Guardian…?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I didn't introduce myself!"

He stops talking and an awkward moment goes by so I prompt him again.

"Oh! Right! I'm Alto. Guardian Stan Alto at your service."

"Pleasure to meet you," May says with a smile. She is very fond of young people. "Shall we get on with the tour?"

"Of course. Forgive me. If you both will just follow me."

We do and thus begins the longest tour of my entire life. The tour of the royal palace didn't even take this long and it has way more noteworthy stops and pieces of relevance to see. After two hours we finally…

move on to the primary campus.

WHY, May? Why did you sign us up for this tour from hell?

I catch her staring at me as we make our way down the path connecting the secondary and primary campuses, and while Alto's back is turned she mouths, bitter thoughts. I roll my eyes. She laughs.

Alto hears her and turns. "Did I say something wrong?" (Apparently he'd been explaining something. Unfortunately, I hadn't been listening) He looks very concerned.

"Oh, No. I was just watching the children," she quickly lies, though, there are quite a few children out here.

He visibly relaxes. "Yes, it's their free time right now. These are our 1st through 5th graders."

Macy's interest is peaked – young people and what not. "Would you mind if we went over there for a bit?" she asks, but it might as well have been a demand. What fresh guardian, or any guardian for that matter, would say no to the daughter of Prince Badica?

"Of – of course," Alto stammers, clearly caught of guard by the change of plans. Been there before, buddy.

We make our way over to the area where the kids are playing and sit on one of the many benches. Well, May and I sit. Alto continues to stand at attention like I will reprimand him for relaxing.

"Look at the kids," May muses, low enough for only me to hear. "Moroi and dhampir children playing together with such innocence. They aren't yet worried about status or the restrictive social "laws" that will eventually be placed on them. There's a certain beauty in it, don't you think?"

"If you're asking me if I wish our society's "social laws", as you put it, were different, then the answer is yes. But if you're asking me if I wish I were a child again, then the answer is a definite no."

She chuckles and then goes back to watching the children. Eventually, I do too. Why not, I'll be giving half of them my motivational, this-is-how-you-become-Arthur-Schoenburg speech in an hour or so.

The kids are wild, loud, and full of seemingly endless amounts of energy. (I suppose this is the product of keeping them cooped up in a classroom for hours at a time). They are always moving, running, racing. I hardly know where to look. But then my eyes focus on a close group of them that is actually standing still. Seven kids are clustered together – about 15 feet away from May and myself – but there is an obvious divide between them. Not only by age, but also physically – four older kids (probably 5th graders) stand in a line opposite three younger kids that don't look more than 7 or 8 years old.

"He looks like a carrot head! Mason has a carrot head!" a dhampir boy (one of the 5th graders and obviously the leader of that group) yells, pointing at the younger red head.

The older kids laugh and Mason hangs his head in shame, trying to cover his hair with the hood on his jacket. May frowns, having heard the boy's comment too, and appears to be preparing to say something to the bully, but before she has a chance, a small dhampir girl with dark, long locks steps forward and yanks Mason's hood back off.

"Don't hide your hair, Mase," she tells him. Then she turns to the boy who is not only older than her, but also much bigger, and stands inches from his face. "Congratulations Duke. You know that the color of a carrot is orange. Took you a while, didn't it?"

Mason starts cracking up and so do some of the kids in Duke's posse, but he silences them with a look. When he faces the bold, dark girl again he's sneering.

"You don't know anything, Rose. You're so dumb. I bet you won't even become a guardian," he says.

At this Rose's expression hardens. "I will be a guardian. I will be the bestest guardian that's ever been alive. Just wait and see."

Duke laughs. "Girls can't be the best. My uncle says that hardly any girls become guardians anymore because they're too weak."

Well, that's only half true. Yes, female guardian numbers have declined in recent years, but it's certainly not due to weakness. Some desire a life of pleasure rather than a life of danger – and I suppose that can perceived as weakness, but most simply want to raise their children in peace. And I choose to find honor in that.

Rose isn't fazed. "Well, then your uncle is an idiot."

Duke's face turns deep red with rage. "Yeah? At least he won't be a blood whore one day."

I'm not even sure Rose knows what that means, and my suspicions are confirmed when she replies, "So what? At least my name doesn't rhyme with puke."

Not a particularly clever come-back, but for children that is an ultimate insult.

Rose looks smug and flips her hair as she turns and walks away, followed by Mason and a small blonde Moroi. But Duke isn't satisfied with not having the last word.

"At least I don't have a dumb name like Vasilisa," he calls after her.

Rose freezes and slowly spins on her heels. Apparently Duke knows where to strike her in order to cause the most damage because I have never seen this much fury on a child's face before. Or an adult's for that matter. Rose is ticked.

"What," she growls. "did you say."

Duke smiles. "I said that the name Vasilisa is dumb. Probably the dumbest name ever!"

The blonde girl beside Rose whimpers (Vasilisa I'm assuming), and I think I see tears on her face. Rose takes one look at her Moroi friend's tears before launching herself at Duke like a small, dark panther leaping at a large and very punchable, kickable, and scratchable wart hog.

It takes a grand total of four instructors to pull Rose off of a crying and bloody Duke (she had hit his nose, nothing broke though). Two of the teachers lead Duke away to the nurses office – or possibly the infirmary; Rose got some good hits in there. The remaining two restrain a still fuming Rose and ask her repeatedly why she attacked another student. Though, her response stays the same every time they ask: "He hurt my charge. I couldn't let him get away with hurting my charge."

Her charge.

This girl can't be more than 8 years old and she has already declared a Moroi as her charge. She has already put her friend's feelings and comfort above her own – which is amazing because according to psychology she should just recently be getting over egocentrism. But there is no doubt that she has, what with her very different reactions to the insults thrown at her versus the insults thrown at Vasilisa. She definitely cares more for her friend than for herself. They come first.

Rose's heart is already in the right place, and at such a young age too. She will become a great guardian, possibly "the bestest that's ever been alive", with the proper guidance. And, yes, I can already tell that she will need guidance. Her fighting skills can, and will, be improved through the school's instruction, but her recklessness and impulsiveness will get her killed if they aren't tamed. She will need someone to balance her calmness and patience. Someone who will challenge her with discipline to push herself and teach her self-control. When that person enters her life she will be a force to be reckoned with.

"Who is that girl?" I ask Alto, nodding my head in her direction.

Alto straitens up at being addressed. "That is Vasilisa Dragomir; daughter of Prince Eric and Sabina Rhea Dragomir." He answers with enthusiasm, proud that this Academy is providing the education for such an elite and rare surname.

"No, the dhampir. What's her last name?"

"Oh," Alto's enthusiasm dims. "That's Rosemarie Hathaway."

Hathaway.

"She wouldn't happen to be related to Janine Hathaway, would she?"

"Guardian Hathaway is the girl's mother. Sadly, Rosemarie doesn't show any promising signs of following in her mother's greatness. Pity really."

"Yes," I say, staring at the wild child. She doesn't notice me though. She only has eyes for her friend, Vasilisa. Her charge. All of her worry is directed at the blonde Moroi even though she is the one being pulled away by two teachers. She is selfless. "a pity."

Macy glances between Rose and I and smiles. She knows what I'm thinking. She always does. Alto, however, urges us to continue on with the tour and we comply, if only to get it over with.

An hour later we finish the tour, and I am immediately whisked away to give my "inspiring" lecture – at least that's how Guardian Petrov describes it when she introduces me to the elementary dhampir students. An hour ago I might've rolled my eyes at the brand, but now I really and truly hope these kids will find my speech to be inspiring. I want them to know that becoming a guardian is difficult and then actually being a guardian is even harder. I want them to know that they will face trials of all kinds. Not just Strigoi related problems will confront them. Their own society will discriminate and underestimate them, and they will have to be more than physically strong in order to deal with that. I want them to know that I didn't get to where I am effortlessly and that there is a difference between taking risks and recklessness. There's a difference between being willing to die for someone and being willing to endure anything and everything in order to protect them.

I step up to the podium and look out at the audience. Roughly 500 sets of wide and expecting eyes stare at me like I'm about to give them the secret to life. I, of course, have no such information, but the wisdom I do have I hope doesn't leave them disappointed. I hope my words don't disappoint Rose. I seek her out in the crowd and spot her immediately. She is the only student sitting in the very back row with guardians on either side of her (undoubtedly a repercussion from attacking Duke).

Her eyes are wide, like everyone else's, and she is leaning forward in her seat with rapt attention, ready to soak up everything I have to say. When she notices my stare she becomes self-conscious, leaning back and sitting up straighter. To really overdo it she places her hands in her lap and levels her gaze to mine unflinchingly. I smile. Yes, with proper guidance she will be unstoppable.

I begin the lecture.

AN: Thank you so much for reading! Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!

I hope you liked Arthur's perspective because I really enjoyed writing it. I'm thinking about maybe doing another one from his POV. I think it would be cool to possibly see Dimitri through his eyes. So let me know if you would like something else from Art. Also please tell me what you thought about Macy. She is my first original character that I've posted so I hope you liked her. Plus I added her because I feel like Arthur and Macy's relationship kind of explains why a famous guardian like Schoenburg decided to retire and work for such a small, and not as influential, royal family. I'd always wondered why he chose the Badica's and if you have too, well, now you know:)

Also, can we take moment to appreciate 18 year old Alto? When I was writing the first draft of this, the tour guide was just some random guardian, but then I thought of Stan and was like, "Sure, what the heck." and I kind of liked it. Yes, he was annoying back then too.

And finally, I KNOW for a fact (because you all are very bright people) that you know EXACTLY who will enter Rose's life in the future and make her "unstoppable." Hope that wasn't too cheesy to put it in there like that.

I love you all! Have an out of this world day!