RPOV
She charged at me with a force that caused me to stumble back into Dimitri. He chuckled as he braced against me, keeping me from falling into his lap with Lissa, but I couldn't find the amusement to chuckle as my best friend clung to me.
It was weird not having the bond, to not be able to sense what she was thinking, to not know how she was feeling. I didn't realize how reliant I'd become on the bond to read my best friend until it was gone. It had been there for over two years. It had become a part of me, a part of us. I felt like we would probably need to restart our entire friendship, but that was more to the way I left things between the two of us, the way she'd treated me after Dimitri's restoration, than the loss of the bond.
"You're here." She mumbled through her tears, tightening her arms around me with a strength I didn't know a Moroi could possess. I knew we had a lot of things to work out, but right now I was content to let her hug me.
"I'm here, Lissa," I whispered, meeting Adrian and Christian's gazes across the room. I expected the shocked expressions I found, but I didn't expect either of them to be shedding tears, yet they both were, Adrian a little more shamelessly than Christian.
"Rosie?" Christian hesitantly asked. I narrowed my eyes at him causing him to chuckle. Adrian just stared and stared. It was a little disconcerting to see him so speechless.
"Hey, Sparky." I greeted chipperly. "If it wasn't for Liss, my fist would be in your face."
"I'm sure it would be." He scoffed, quickly wiping the traitorous tears from his eyes, trying to adopt a snarky smirk, though I could see his happiness shining in his eyes.
Our regular banter caused Lissa to release another sob as she continued to hold me close.
"Little Dhampir. Where have you been?" Adrian finally asked stepping slowly toward me. As if sensing someone else might want to embrace me, even though I'd had enough of the hugging for the rest of the week, Lissa released me only to be engulfed by Adrian's warm embrace.
It still amazed me that he had so much muscle on his body. I mean, it wasn't like Moroi were nothing but skin and bone, but it wasn't every day that you ran across one with toned muscle like Adrian, though I'm not sure how he kept it toned, I'd never seen him work out, ever.
"You know me, Adrian, I'm never content if I'm not out on some crazy adventure." I chuckled, breathing in the scent of alcohol and clove cigarettes. Strangely enough, I missed his hugs.
"How are you here?" He whispered. "Lissa said that she felt the bond break."
"It did break," I said, and another sob ran through Lissa who'd fallen into Christian's arms now that mine weren't holding her up.
"Why don't you all sit down, and we'll tell what we can," Abe said gently, guiding Christian and Lissa to a nearby sofa. I went to sit next to Dimitri, but he pulled me into his lap, leaving Sydney between Adrian and us.
"Sorry," I muttered to Sydney, but she waved me off only looking slightly uncomfortable with the playboy Royal sitting next to her.
"Hello, cupcake," Adrian said, pulling his most alluring smile as he looked over Sydney. Jasper released a growl from his position against the wall, but Adrian ignored him as he focused his attention on the Alchemist.
"Hi," Sydney responded briskly, looking more uncomfortable now that she received direct attention.
"How are you alive, Rose?" Lissa asked, her voice still slightly waving, but she seemed to have stopped most of the tears. "I felt the bond break. The only way the bond can break is if one of us dies, but you obviously aren't dead."
"Well, Liss, I did die," I said, taking Dimitri's hand in mine when he tensed below me. I tried my best to send him calming thoughts as I know he really didn't want to have to relive my death again. Living it the first time was enough for him.
"You died?" Adrian asked stunned, his eyes flitted around my body, probably looking at my aura. "Your aura is the same, Darkness is still surrounding it."
"I've still got Darkness, and I'm still bonded, just not with Lissa," I said, knowing that I wasn't really answering any of the questions running through their minds. I didn't realize until Christian walked into the room that he probably didn't know about his aunt and what she did to me. I knew for me to explain everything that happened I would need to tell them how I died, but I'd hoped that I could be vague enough not to disclose the person who killed me.
"I'm confused," Lissa said, though I could have told from her face that she was confused, as was everyone else.
"Why don't you start with what you've been doing since you left Court," Christian said, trying to be helpful, but Lissa put up her hand to stop me from replying to Christian's suggestion.
"No, how 'bout you start with why you left Court without telling anyone." She said, her confusion replaced with anger and betrayal.
"I told Adrian and Guardian Croft," I mumbled quietly but only received an angrier look from the Dragomir Princess. "I never belonged here, Liss. From the get-go, I was never going to become your Guardian. I'd already broken so many rules, so many laws trying to restore Dimitri. I'm a great Guardian, but face it, I'm not good with answering to authority."
"What do you mean? You were on the path to becoming my Guardian!" Lissa exclaimed.
"No, Liss. Hans was never going to give me that position. The Queen was never going to agree to that. You're too valuable for a troublemaking Guardian to be assigned to you. After running away from the academy the second time to go on a Strigoi hunt and taking you outside the wards without informing anyone, I was never going to be able to make it up and become your Guardian. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Hans suspected that I had everything to do with breaking Victor out of prison, but I'm not going to tell him the truth behind that."
"But you also helped save Lissa and me! Not to mention the good you did over in Russia while you were on your Strigoi hunt." Christian interjected.
"It shows I'm good at killing, it doesn't show that I'm good at guarding. Since there isn't a group sanctioned by Court or the Guardian Council tasked with Strigoi hunting, I decided to go off on my own. I'd intended to go alone, backed by my father and his resources, but he insisted that I take some back up. Christopher and Jasper were that backup. Dimitri showed up a few days after I got to New York and wouldn't leave. We worked things out, and he is also assisting us in cleaning up the streets of New York, though we haven't gotten the chance to do much hunting."
"You've been in New York this entire time?" Adrian asked, showing a little anger that I'd been so close to them this entire time, yet they hadn't thought to look this close to home.
"Yep," I responded, only feeling slightly bad for abandoning all my friends. At the time, it seemed like the best thing to do, but now that I had Dimitri back and was thinking in a rational state of mind, I could see how traumatizing it would have been for them.
"How did Dimitri find you? We couldn't even do that." Christian asked gesturing to Lissa and Adrian.
"My grandmother called me the day I left Court and told me a plane was waiting for me to take me to my destiny, or something like that, I can't remember the exact prophetic wording, but the plane took me to Roza, New York technically, though she didn't seem to want anything to do with my destiny," Dimitri said with a pointed smirk. "Abe hired me as her personal Guardian, though, again, she didn't want anything to do with me."
"I said we worked it out," I grumbled before turning back to lighter topics. "In that time, we discovered that the Darkness had completely embedded itself into my being. It was a part of me, but it didn't control me. We also found that Dimitri had something we call Light. Where my Darkness comes from living when I should be dead, Dimitri's Light manifests his life, walking in the light after walking amongst the dead. It's a little confusing when you think of it like that, though."
"We found that my Light balances Roza's Darkness, they work in tandem. They have the same sort of power properties that Spirit has, but we feed off emotions rather than blood. When Roza died, I used my power to bring her back, she's still Shadow-kissed, she's still bonded, but she's bound to me instead of Lissa." Dimitri finished explaining.
"How'd you die?" Lissa whispered, scared to know the answer.
"I was shot," I stated plainly, hoping that they wouldn't ask by whom, but being the good friends that they were, they wanted to know.
"Who would have shot you?" Adrian asked, looking more than a little offended that someone would even think about shooting me.
"His name was Guardian Nelson, he had his reasons and motivations that really make no sense unless you're him." Dimitri established with a far-off murderous look, cutting off any further questions into motivations and reasoning behind the situation leading up to my second death.
"Wow, Little Dhampir, you've died twice in this one life. I don't think anything can kill you for good." Adrian muttered after a little while. I laughed loudly.
"Well, Adrian, I think I'll hold off on the third death as long as possible. You know what they say about the third time." We chuckled at the thought, but I felt that Dimitri didn't find the humor in thoughts of my death.
"So what are you going to do now?" Lissa asked, worry etched deep into her face. I could see then the toll that my abandonment had taken on her. She'd had to grow up. She'd had to take responsibility and face her problems head-on, and now she didn't have anyone to take her Darkness for her, so she'd have to deal with that now, also.
"I'm going back to New York," I said, carefully watching her reaction. She leapt to her feet shaking her head violently.
"No! You can't leave again! You just got back!" She yelled, stepping closer before Christian pulled her back to his chest. Tears began to form in her eyes again.
"I'm right there with her, Rose," Adrian said, though he voiced his complaint a little quieter than Lissa did.
"Look, guys, the only reason I'm here is that I had to come to answer Hans' questions. I never planned on coming back to Court. I don't belong here. I belong out there protecting everyone that isn't inside wards." I said calmly, hoping my soothing tone would ease their worries and protests.
"What if we work to get Strigoi hunting parties?" Lissa said, straightening up from her slouched position in Christian's arms. Though the tears were still in her eyes, she'd adopted a more regal appearance. She looked like she'd move mountains to try to get me to stay, and I suppose with what she was suggesting, she would be moving a metaphorical mountain.
"There's no way that you could get both the Moroi and the Guardian Councils to agree to that. Besides, that would take forever to push through, and, no offense Liss, you don't have a lot of power without another relative for the quorum." I said.
"We're working on that," Adrian interjected.
"But if we could get their approval of a Strigoi hunting program, would you stay?" She asked, looking hopeful.
"If by some miracle, you can get your spot on the Council and get both Moroi and Guardians alike to agree to hunting parties, I would come back and lend a hand, but I can't guarantee anything. I don't know how they would be run, and you know I'm not huge on reporting to authority. Besides, I'm not sure that many Guardians would willingly risk their lives to actively seek out Strigoi as I would."
"We'll worry about that later," Lissa said, a huge smile spreading across her face at my half-acceptance. Not that I had little faith in her, but there was just no way that an age-old law was going to be changed so Lissa could have her rightful spot on the Council. There was also no way that Moroi were just going to agree to put Guardians at risk without any promised results.
Before anyone could determine Lissa's plan, Pavel's cell phone rang. He froze as the person on the other end relayed orders. His eyes flicked to me, and I released a sigh, wondering what I could possibly have done now.
"Rose, the queen has requested you and Dimitri in her chambers immediately," Pavel said after hanging up.
"The queen wants to see me? And Dimitri?" I asked perplexed, looking over at Adrian for answers, but he just shrugged at me with a look of nonchalance.
"That's what Hans just told me," Pavel said with an apologetic and worried expression.
"Well, we better get going?" I stated with uncertainty. Dimitri had a little worry leaking into his eyes, but for the most part, he just looked curious. "Would you guys like to wait here until we get back?"
"Yes," Adrian responded immediately, his eyes cutting to an uncomfortable Sydney, his attention making her look even more uncomfortable. I saw Jasper stiffen from his position against the wall, but he made no move toward the flirtatious Moroi. Christian shrugged, looking toward Lissa for her answer, she just nodded and went back to her thoughtful expression.
Dimitri took my hand and walked us, with purpose, to the queen's chambers. The Guardians on either side of the doors looked at us with obvious curiosity as they opened the doors after announcing us.
Giving my hand a final reassuring squeeze, Dimitri released his grip and pulled on his Guardian Mask. Only at this moment did I realize that he hadn't masked his emotions or expressions in all his time in New York. I pulled my own mask into place as I quickly glanced around the room.
Her quarters were a lot more casual than I thought they would be. For some reason, I thought that she would live in a plush, velvet-lined room, but what I observed was much like the sitting room that Baba's office had, without all the colorful pillows. I also noted that there were no Guardians in the room, only outside. Whatever the queen had to say to us, she didn't want anyone else hearing it.
"Your Majesty." I greeted with a bow of my head. She actually smiled at me! Not a tight smile that meant she was just barely tolerating my presence but a real, genuine smile. I felt Dimitri bow his head behind me, but he didn't verbally greet our queen. I suppose that he believed the real reason the queen wanted us was to talk to me.
"Hello, Rose, it's good to have you back at Court, you as well, Dimitri. Do you plan on staying long?" She asked conversationally, gesturing to the couches opposite where she was seated. I hesitantly complied, though Dimitri decided to remain standing, his mask firmly in place regardless of the stress I felt coming off him.
"We're just here for a few more hours, then we'll be leaving," I stated, trying to get a read on the Moroi Queen. She was a little fidgety, and a spark of anxiety flashed across her face as I told her our plans for departure.
"Well, I was hoping that you would accept a mission. Despite your unpredictability and brashness, you're the only one I can trust with this mission. Of course, I would also hope that if you accepted, Guardian Belikov would help you accomplish it." Tatiana said, jumping back into her serious royal demeanor.
"A mission, Your Majesty?" I asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, but I'm no longer working at Court," I stated.
"No, you're currently on an indefinite leave of absence, but you never retired from your role as Guardian. I'm asking you to end your leave for a Royal Mission. I can't force you to do this, but I was hoping that you would do this to help Vasilisa."
"How would a mission help Lissa? What would the mission be?" I asked, trying to find a hole in her logic.
"I can't go into details until you accept. This would be one of the few ways that Vasilisa can get her seat on the Council. She needs her spot. She needs to be able to vote on upcoming issues. I'm trying my hardest to push back the radical parties, but I can't do it without more support. Vasilisa would provide that support. She has a following even if she doesn't know it yet." Tatiana explained.
"She can't get her spot back because of the quorum. You need to change that for her to get her seat." I explained.
"The time it would take to change the quorum…it would be too late." She said, looking between the two of us with pleading eyes. "Please. I want what's best for my people, all of my people. That includes the Dhampirs. I know you don't think that highly of me, and really that's my own fault. I thought that you were an irrational girl with no respect for authority, but I've come to realize that you're really just passionate about those you care for, and you won't let anything stand in your way, even if it is logic itself. I need your help. I really can't do this without you two. You are the only ones that I trust with this. You're also the only ones that I know can accomplish the impossible. I know because you've done it before."
I looked over at Dimitri to gauge his response. His eyes were already on me, his Guardian Mask in place, though his eyes told me to accept the mission that was being presented to us. I nodded, mentally making my decision and turned my attention back to Tatiana.
"Alright, we accept," I stated, unsure whether or not I should regret my decision, especially since I didn't know what it was yet.
"Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed, slouching in relief. I was shocked to say the very least, seeing the reigning monarch slouching. I saw Dimitri raise an eyebrow and had to fight hard not to laugh at his equally shocked expression. "Dimitri, would you mind joining Rose so we can discuss the particulars?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," Dimitri responded with a courteous nod and moved swiftly to sit by my side. Now that he was sitting next to me, I could feel the anxiety radiating off of him in addition to the stress I felt coming through the bond.
I took a long look at Tatiana as she tried to compose herself. While she wasn't too terribly old for a Moroi, she certainly showed the signs of stress her job came with. Any other time I'd seen her, she'd had this air around her that signified grace and poise, but right now, in her private chambers, I could see she was just tired.
She looked old, but hope shone in her eyes as she looked between Dimitri and me. She seemed to be aging by the minute as she decided how to word our mission.
"I know what you're going to say, but I need you to keep an open mind. I can't be one hundred percent sure that my information is correct, but I trust my source enough to know it is something that's probably seated in the truth. I need you to find someone. I don't know who they are, where they are, or even an inkling on what they look like, but I still need you to find them."
"How do you expect us to find someone when you know nothing about them?" I asked, starting to see how she'd want us to accomplish the impossible.
"I don't know nothing about them, but I don't know a lot about them." She said looking more worried. Perhaps she also recognized just how impossible this mission was. Sure, I found Dimitri out of thousands of Strigoi in Russia, but I also knew him. I knew how he thought. I knew what he looked like, I knew his name. If I don't have at least one thing to go off of, it's truly going to be impossible to find one person out of billions.
"Tell us what you can," Dimitri said, he rich voice soothing my nerves, and apparently, the queen's also.
"I need you to find the illegitimate Dragomir child so Vasilisa can have her spot on the Council." She stated in a rush of air.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that again?" I asked after blinking several times. Dimitri was equally as shocked, though he didn't need a clarification. I'm just making sure I heard her right.
"Vasilisa isn't the last Dragomir. Another lives."