ThePeridotMoon does not own any of the content or characters of Vampire Academy or Reign.

Chapter 6: Rose

"He was so handsome." Natalie swooned from her seat that night. "And so kind."

I tried to hold back a laugh. "It's wonderful that you like him, but unfortunately he is already spoken for. Sorry." I looked at her through the mirror of my vanity.

"Oh please, Rose. As if we actually believe that you don't like him." Lissa snorted, putting down the book she was holding. "You got all protective when Lady Ozera was talking with the prince."

"I did not!" I turned to face the four girls sitting on various chairs. "She was talking bad about me and I wouldn't have it. I was hardly protective."

"What was she saying?" Jill asked, looking over at me.

"That Rose was not fit to be a Russian queen,claiming that she was." Lissa said, running a brush through her sister's hair.

"If I were you, I would have had her tongue cut out. She has no right to say the things she did, especially in your presence." Mia hissed looking at her nails. "She was Lady Moria's younger sister, right?"

"That's what Dimitri said." I moved to a more comfortable seat, near the fire. "Why does it matter?"

"I don't ever remember seeing her in court before." Mia sighed. "It's probably nothing. I mean her sister probably had her sent to a school or something."

"Have you met Mistress Kirova yet?" Natalie asked, looking around the room.

"No. It seems she has made it a point to avoid us." Jill sighed. "I tried taking tea with her and her ladies, but her maid said she was ill."

"Why on earth would you want to take tea with her?" Lissa asked, dropping her sister's hair.

"She's powerful." Jill said simply. "She holds a lot of influence over the king. If she likes me then maybe she can convince the king to give Lee and I's marriage his blessing."

"Why would you need his blessing? You already have Rose's, and if you asked King Ibrahim, I'm sure he would give you his in a heartbeat." Lissa pointed out.

"I don't know. We are Rose's ladies. If she stays here, so do we. It would be nice to have the approval of the king whose court we are staying in." Jill twisted her fingers together. "It was stupid of me."

"Oh no." I moved to sit next to her, taking her hands in my own. "It's not stupid. It makes perfect sense to want King James' aproval. We are part of his court for the time being."

It was true, for the time being anyway, my ladies and I were subjects of the russian king. That could mean many things. In the best of circumstances, I would soon be his daughter-in-law and my ladies would become full members of what would be my court, in the worst, I could very well end up being his hostage, a bargaining chip for him to do with as he pleased.

"Rose?" Jill snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"What?" I jerked myself back into sitting strait.

"Are you okay?" Lissa asked placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

"Because I said your name 5 times and you didn't respond." Mia looked at me, worry evident in her eyes.

"Your eyes were kinda glazed over." Natalie's browline creased. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." I reassured them. "I was just thinking." I tried to sound relaxed but it was no use. I was wound tighter than Lady Tasha's corset. "What were you saying?"

"Oh, just that, based off what you told us about your outing with the prince, you could probably get him to speak with his father about giving Jill and Lee his blessing." She looked me over once more. "You're positive you're okay?"

"Yes, Mia." I rolled my eyes, leaning slightly against the arm of the sofa I was sitting on. "I'm fine, really, just a little tired is all."

"Oh, we can head back to our rooms if you want to get some rest." Natalie offered, her brown eyes filling with worry.

"It's late. We should be heading back to our rooms anyway." Lissa stood. "Let's go."

I said goodbye to each of them, before shutting the door behind them. I had dismissed my maids hours ago so that I could prepare myself for bed in private. I striped the light robe I was wearing over my nightgown before slipping between the silk sheets of my bed.

I felt my eyes close as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I was awakened by the sound of my drapes being pulled open, and sunlight shining into the room.

"Princess, it is nearly midmorning, you must wake." One of the older girls said rousing me from my sleep.

My movements were lethargic as I slipped from the sheets around me into the chilly morning air. "Relight the fire." I said to what looked to be the youngest of the three girls in my room, as one of the other two helped my slip my robe over my shoulder.

I walked over to the vanity, the older two girls hurrying behind me as the youngest worked to fan the embers in the fireplace back to a flame.

They began working on my hair and makeup almost as soon as I sat down. As I slowly woke up, I noticed that they were not the same girls that served me yesterday. There movements and faces were different.

"What happened to the girls who were serving me yesterday?" I asked as they finished pinning my hair back into an elegant turkish style that I had often seen my mother wear.

"They were Princess Victoria's maids. They were to serve you until we arrived." The youngest one said, coming over to join us.

"Anna." One of the other two snapped as my hair was finished. "She was asking us."

"Oh no." I smiled. "It's quite alright."

"You're sure, Your Majesty?" The third one spoke. "Anna tends to have a loose tongue."

"Yes, I was merely curious. Now you're Anna." I pointed at the youngest one. She nodded almost frantically. "And how old are you Anna?"

"Nearly 15, Princess." She said swiftly, keeping her eyes down.

"Stand up strait, Anna. And look me in the eye when you speak to me." I said to the girl, smiling. "You are young, but that is no reason to not be confidant."

"Yes, of course, Princess." He blue eyes met mine.

"Very good." I turned my attention to the girls who now stood behind me. "And your names?"

"I am Nina, Your majesty." The oldest spoke first, following the lesson I had just given Anna. "I am 19."

"And you aren't married?" I looked at her curiously. Most girls were married by the age of 16, it was almost unheard of for a 19 year old to not be wed .

"No, Your Majesty. I was chosen to serve you." She smiled, sticking one last pin into the mess of curls they had piled into a so what reasonable style.

"Really? Do you ever want to be married, Nina?" I asked, my eyes drifting to meet hers in the mirror.

"Mayhaps one day, Your Majesty." She answered looking down, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

"And you?" I said moving onto the last girl. "What's your name?"

Her eyes shot up to meet mine, almost wide in horror. "Vanessa, Your Majesty." She squeaked out, before letting her gaze drop to the floor.

"And how old are you?" I asked, trying to ignore what was her obvious terror.

"16, Your Majesty." She squeaked again, unable to drag her stare from her own shoes.

"Venessa, I really wish you would look at me." I said softly. "I just thought it would be terribly awkward for me not to know your names. I'm sorry if I have frightened you."

Her chocolate eyes rose to meet my own. "It's okay, Your Majesty." She let out a small smile. "Nobles just normally don't give us attention."

I matched her smile with one of my own. "It is no worry."

"Princess." The oldest, Nina, spoke, a letter resting delicately in her hands. "This arrived for you before first light."

"Thank you Nina." I smiled at the girl, taking the letter from her hand.

I looked down at the wax seal, not recognizing the emblem. "Who delivered this?" I turned to her.

"I do not know." She shook her head. "It was slid under your door when I arrived."

"No matter." I gave her a tense smiled, cracking the seal.

"Dearest Princess,

Congratulations on surviving long enough to make it to the Russian court. Now we shall see how long you can survive amongst the wolves. Danger awaits you, Princess.

Be wary of the king. He will do almost anything for turkish ports, even if that means hurting you.

Best of luck, Princess Rose. I look forward to seeing if you will bloom or wilt. And do remember, I am always watching.

Lady in Red"

"Is everything alright, Your Majesty?" Anna asked, her worried tone seeping into my notice.

I shook my head slightly, looking over the words on the page once more. "Of course." I smiled folding the paper once more. "Tell me, are there any loose bricks in this room?" I asked glancing at the tapestries covering the harsh stone walls. I had to keep this from being found, but I couldn't risk burning it. There would possibly be a need for it on a latter day.

"Of course." Vanessa smiled. "I take it you're looking to hide something."

"Yes, and it's very important that it stays hidden." I barely knew these girls but they were my only hope.

"Follow me." Vanessa smiled, leading me over to a bookshelf that had been built into the wall. She pulled out a few books from one of the lower shelves, before pulling free one of the stones. It was hollow.

"Perfect." I smiled at the girl, pulling the brick from her hand. "How did you find this?"

"She was snooping this morning." Nina pursed her lips at the girl. "As much as it payed off this time I think Vanessa best refrain from doing so in the future."

"It's quite all right, and, Vanessa, if you find anymore of these, please let me know." I slipped the folded paper into the open part before handing the brick back to her to put back into place.

"Of course, Your Majesty." She smiled, arranging the books as they were before.

"This is so exciting." I heard Anna whisper.

I smiled at her. "That it is. Now, I think it's best if I finish dressing."

Hey guys. I am so so so sorry. I know this is like 5 months overdue and I promised it awhile ago. I have been dealing with a lot of crap and I understand if you want to quit reading now.

I will be working my hardest on the next chapter but I do not have a set date that I will have it out by. My chapter production will definitely be slow seeing as I am in school at the moment.

I really appreciate those of you who have stuck with me and been patient while I vanished. I don't want you guys to feel like I don't appreciate you because I really do.

Anyway, this is it.

Please Review!

ThePeridotMoon