"And Jesus, this was no high school party. The invitations to a masquerade went out the night we arrived, to be ready for the next night. Until then, the palace staff would be busy ripping the place apart, dusting every corner and loading the building with supplies, food for accompanying Dhampirs, flowers - I felt like I was going to a wedding with the mad rush of tailors and planning.
Lissa demanded that other Guardians, that had been brought for rotation purposes, Sarah Brown, Joshua Tyson and Issac Whittaker, were to take Johnny, mine and Dimitri's place for the night, much to Dimitri's contest.
"Dimitri, it's not as if you won't all be there if something does happen anyway." Lissa had pointed out. "And as I do not believe Rose should be on full duty just yet," she'd turned to me thoughtfully, even without the bond I knew that Lissa was thinking on what I'd said last time I went to Russia, "I think you need a night off. To have a piece of your own life."
Despite Dimitri's protestations that Lissa, so far, was not taking her protection seriously enough, and that Dimitri and I were getting our short break at the end of the week; me and Johnny needed little persuading. She was right, we'd be there if all hell decided to break loose. And if I'm being honest, I'm kind of enjoying this week of rest. Sure, my recovery will be quicker than any humans, my jazzy half vampire genes will sort that out, but the surgery had been a life or death moment so it's better not to push it, whilst I can.
Oh my the dresses. I thought the palace was a perk I couldn't wait to see what we'd be able to get away with for a Royal masquerade ball.
Lissa told me the opening at midnight would be her time to greet official royals and important families, but she was treating it like it was my birthday. And heaven help me there was no drawn line, not just because of the massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, light spray tan, hair masks - honestly, you name it, we had it. But with the one condition, that I wore a ridiculous plastic tiara and birthday girl badge, that sang, may I add, all early evening as we got ready. Lissa had invited Jill to join us for the mani-pedi which I thought was nice, I did suggest she could stay for more, but Lissa made it clear that she was doing her bit to get used to Jill as a sister, but this was a bit of me and her time. It was good to have some again, without the bond, I now felt strangely distant from her. It's not that we weren't almost always in each other's company or talking, but that nudging feeling of her emotions as they came through.. I was a lonely feeling.
"Rose, I know it's been hard since you got back," Lissa said as we sat drying our tan, she thought she'd try one just for a giggle, queen or no, she was still 18. "But I want you to know that although you're not living in my head any more, there's still no one I'm closer to, we both have Christian and Dimitri now..." She took my hand, lightly, "But boys should never come between me and you."
"I promise you Liss, as long as I'm breathing, it's me and you first kid. Trust me." And I sincerely meant it, when in that brief moment before my (In hindsight, thankfully) failing attempt to kill Dimitri, I had made a choice then. It would always be Lissa.
"Bro's before hoe's like me then ay?" Adrian slumped down next to us, "How touching."
"Adrian this is girl time. You can't just waltz in like this." Lissa looked quite put out.
"My apologies your highness, I believed it was a free country-" He missed his mouth with his drink and spilt it on his chin, ugh.
"Well, you're drunk and need some time to cool off before tonight. And, as you pointed out, yes I am Queen," Lissa flicked her hair and lifted her head, "And as queen I am asking you to leave us to our girl time."
"I see no crown your majesty" Adrian slurred back, sassy.
"Well I got one right here," pointing to my plastic tiara, "And a better right hook than Lissa. So go clean up so you don't embarrass her later."
His grin dropped, eyes rippled with drunken anger, "Is that what you think of me Rose?" He said getting up to leave, "An embarrassment." He slammed the door, shattering briefly the peace that lay in the spa rooms.
We both looked at each other, raised our eyebrows and sat back sipping quite happily on our cocktails. Adrian's bitterness was not going to ruin this sweet-ass day for me.
"Your eyes are still closed right? I got it made especially." Yes they were, I'd done as I was told and allowed ladies to attend to my costume for tonight.
"There's no mirrors in here anyway Liss, and its not as if I have another way-" I didn't know what Lissa was hiding from me. She enjoyed the fact I could no longer cheat and look at me through her eyes so I'd been under strict intructions as my hair and makeup had been done, and now I didn't even know what my dress looked like. As I got lead blindly to another room, and turned, I could tell Lissa had entered just behind me. "Now Rose, open your eyes."
I almost didn't recognise myself. My dark hair, half up half down in tumbling ringlets, cascaded over my shoulder, the darkness broken by two silver and pearl droplet earnings. I had warm cheeks and a deep pink shade to my lips, my eye lashes were full but elegant. A dazzling diamond and pearl necklace splayed out across my chest to compliment the pale, champagne, lace dress I wore. An, A-line skirt, with a sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves and a bracelet to match the necklace. My shoes couldn't be seen by the length of the skirt but they were satin heels, giving me quite a bit more height.
I couldn't breathe. How do I say thank you again?
"Rose, I have never seen anything so beautiful-" I turned to her, She too was wearing a ball gown, a deep emerald green, with her platinum hair over one shoulder and crown glinting amongst the immaculate waves she smiled, flawlessly.
"Well Liss, I guess your guests await?" I said shaking,
"Not quite yet," She said handing me a Venetian mask that matched the dress I wore, perfectly, as did hers. "This time, the boys are coming to us." She winked.
"But of course, fair maidens such as ourselves need a mans protection." I said, as she laughed there was a knock at the door. And a member of the Russian palace opened the door, He was a short, older man, with white hair, and spoke with a thick Russian accent.
"Your majesty" He said with a bow, "Lord Ozera, Guardian Brown, Guardian Tyson and Guardian Whittaker to escort your highness, Queen Vasilisa."
"Nice little entourage you have there." I winked, she smirked, queenly duty.
"Dimitri will be here soon no doubt, he'll regret every second he's wasting." She looked me up and down like a piece of her own art, and left the room, I could see her and Christian walking down the corridor together as the door closed, so elegant.
"I waited in my mirrored room, admiring myself, what? I am a birthday princess after all, I thought childishly. And for some reason, I noticed I felt nervous for Dimitri's, arrival. 'Don't be ridiculous Rose, what is wrong with you.' As the thought left my head. The door knocked once more.
"Guardian Hathaway," The doorman nodded curtly "Guardian Belikov to escort you to the ball." The old man hesitated slightly before allowing Dimitri in, he smiled at me, "And may I say madam, you look beautiful." As if I wasn't worked up enough, I almost wanted to close my eyes as the door man stepped aside.
Do you remember, a long time ago, I wore a black dress to a dance, and Dimitri just, looked at me. He looked at me, and that was a damn good sign the dress fit in all the right places. I will never know now if his reaction was magic induced by Victor's love charm or, whatever. But tonight, when he walked through that door, I don't even know how to describe how it felt.
"Roza. I..." Dimitri just stood there. And I'm not kidding, his jaw had dropped.
And in fairness, him, in a tailored suit. I was pretty sure I'd died in surgery and this was heaven.
He walked over to me, almost as if he was scared to touch me. I walked towards him, "Roza," His voice, did it just crack slightly? "I want to remember this forever." I blushed and looked down. Rose Hathaway was never shy, or flattered, what was wrong with me.
"Why, you scared I'm going to get old and wrinkly?" I smiled, his face lit up,
"Roza, I pray every day that you will grow old... And wrinkly" He chuckled, "I pray that I can be there to see it with you." He leaned in to me and kissed me. And this time, it was the room that light up and faded away, just me and him until we parted. And he offered his hand,
"My darling." And I took it, tightly - we left the room and I turned to thank the door man, who simply gave me a thumbs up and shooed me down the corridor.
"As we reached the ballroom, I turned to Dimitri "Comrade, I think you're forgetting something." I said, twiddling my mask in-between my thumb and finger. As I glanced my eyes up, he had placed a black mask on his face, "No Miss Hathaway, I think you're forgetting that I am always prepared." He grinned as the doors opened and we were lead into the glittering ball room.
"Presenting, Guardian Hathaway and Guardian Belikov."
"Oh lord, why was everyone staring and clapping. I looked up to Dimitri, and for someone who I never would have thought would like this attention... As we descended those stairs, he was beaming.
"What are you smiling at comrade?" I laughed,
"That I am currently the envy of every man in this room."
"Oh-" I gave him a light punch, "Shut up."
He laughed, "Roza it is true!" as we stepped onto the floor the clapping ceased and the room, for all its people, fell silent as we stepped towards the dance floor. Okay, just this once, I'll admit, I looked pretty good, and I was being escorted by a God. The silence was a pretty solid compliment to that.
The silence, shattered by a scream that is.
I looked at Dimitri assuming to see him springing toward the danger. But he was stood quite still, always prepared huh? I dived through the crowd.