SURPRISE! I'm uploading this one RIGHT NOW because you guys are so great :)

I was seriously nearly crying at the end of writing this! :L

Chapter 25

Chaos erupted in the hall.

There were people screaming and crying out in the audience.

I would have rolled my eyes if the situation wasn't so serious.

Many shocked stares were also turning in my direction so I guessed Adrian had dropped my disguise when Rose had revealed herself.

As one, the guardians surged towards us, stakes and guns in hand. Just as quickly, Janine and Mikhail moved in front to defend. I made an instinctive move to follow but Rose stopped me.

"Don't," she warned. I looked in her direction. She hadn't moved from where she was standing and she had her hands held up in surrender. I figured she wanted me to do the same. I hated admitting it, but she was probably right. Showing guardians that we meant no harm was the first step.

"Wait," Rose said to them. "Please listen to us first."

The guardians formed a strong tight circle around our group. Abe moved from behind Rose to join Janine and Mikhail blocking us. Jill followed him. This immediately creating a complication for the guardians.

"Haul us off later if you want," Rose continued. "We won't resist. But you have to let us talk first. We know who killed the queen."

"So do we," said a guardian. Looking at him, I recognised his face. I didn't know him well. He was a few years older than me. I had never liked him.

"Now the rest of you," he continued. "back away before you're hurt. These are dangerous fugitives."

"They need to talk," Abe said. "They have evidence."

He spoke with the confidence that Rose often summoned up from somewhere.

"Let them talk." Lissa suddenly spoke up, and pushed her way through the circle. One of the guardians grabbed her arm before she got too close.

"They've come this far," Lissa said. "They were right about…Jill." You could see in her face that it pained her to say so, but there was a certain determination in her eyes. It was a similar determination that I had seen so many times in Rose's face when she was protecting Lissa.

"You've got them," Lissa said. "They can't go anywhere. Just let them talk. I've got evidence to support their case too."

"I'd hold off on sharing that, Liss." Rose muttered to her, earning a confused look from Lissa.

"Let's hear them," another guardian said. "After an escape like they pulled, I'd really like to know what brought them back. But, I'm sure you two will understand we'll have to restrain you before you make your great reveal."

I turned to look at Rose to see what she wanted to do. This was probably the best option we could have hoped for.

"Okay," I agreed, after making eye contact with Rose. "It's okay. Let them get through." I directed the last part at the group who had took up guard in front of us.

"Do it." Rose said, authority leaking into her voice. "Don't end up as our cellmates."

After a minute of no movement, Mikhail backed off. Followed by the others. As soon as they had taken a step, guardians had gotten a hold of them and moved them away from us. Lissa stayed close by.

Four guardians out of the circle moved forward. Two of them moved towards me to restrain me and two went to Rose; one of them being the man who had agreed to hear us out.

"Get on with it," he said from Rose's side.

"I didn't kill Tatiana Ivashkov," Rose said after a moment. "I didn't like her. But I didn't kill her." She looked towards the guardian gripping her arm. "You've questioned the janitor who testified about where I was during the murder, right? And he ID'd the man who attacked Lissa as the one who paid him off to lie about where I was?"

The guardian frowned slightly and then nodded.

"There's no record of his existence – at least not with the guardians," Rose continued. "But the Alchemists know who he is. They saw him at one of their facilities – acting as someone's bodyguard. A bodyguard for someone who was let in to see Tatiana the night she died: Tasha Ozero."

On cue, Tasha leapt from her seat in outrage.

"What on earth are you saying, Rose?" she exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind?"

Rose stood tall, an air of confidence about her as she silently demanded justice.

It pained me that Tasha had been the one to do this. But it was Tasha or Rose.

And there was no competition.

"I wish I was…but it's true." Rose said. "We both know it is. You killed Tatiana."

"I never, never believed you killer her – and I've fought for you on that. Why are you doing this? Are you playing on the Strigoi taint in our family? I thought you were above that kind of prejudice."

We should've guessed that Tasha would not go down easy.

"What I'm saying has nothing to do with Strigoi," Rose replied. "I almost wish it did. You hated Tatiana for her age law and refusal to let Moroi fight."

Another member of the Ozera family stood up and spoke. "Half this Court hated Tatiana for that law. You among them."

"I didn't have my bodyguard bribe a witness or attack Lis - Princess Dragomir. And don't pretend you didn't know the guy," Rose warned. "He was your bodyguard. You were seen together."

"Rose, I can't even believe this is happening, but if James – that was his name – did whatever you're talking about, then he acted alone. He always had radical ideas. I knew that when I hired him as outside protection, but I never thought he was capable of murder."

She looked to the Council, who had been watching the whole ordeal.

"I've always believed Rose was innocent. If James is the one responsible for this, then I'm more than happy to tell you whatever I know to clear Rose's name."

I was starting to feel anger towards her. It would be so easy for her to blame this all on her bodyguard.

Christian Ozera suddenly stood up from his place beside his aunt. "Rose, how can you say any of this? You know her. You know she wouldn't do it. Stop making a scene and let us figure out how that James guy killed the queen."

"James couldn't have staked Tatiana," Rose announced. "He had an injured hand. It takes both hands for a Moroi to stake someone. I've seen it happen twice now. And I bet if you can get a straight answer out of Ethan Moore…James wasn't there the night Tatiana died, was he? And I don't think Daniella Ivashkov was either, despite what Princess Dragomir was told earlier. But Tasha was. She was in the queen's chambers – and you didn't report it."

I don't think I'd ever felt so much pride for Rose.

Ethan looked pale, but slowly shook his head. "Tasha wouldn't kill anyone."

"Rose!" Christian exclaimed angrily. "Stop it!" I knew it was hard for Rose to hurt Christian like this.

Lissa intervened, taking a few steps forward. "I know it's wrong…but if we used compulsion on the suspects…"

"Don't even suggest that!" Tasha shouted. "Stay out of this. Your future's on the line here. A future that could make you great and achieve the things our people need."

"A future you could manipulate." Rose stated. "Lissa believes in a lot of the reforms you do…and you think you could convince her of ones she doesn't. Especially if she's with your nephew. That's why you've fought so hard to change the quorum law. You wanted her to be queen."

Christian moved towards Rose to stop her but Tasha held him back. "That's idiotic," he said. "If she wanted Lissa to be queen, why make that James guy attack her?"

Rose didn't seem to know how to answer that one.

That was one question however, that I could answer.

"Because no one was supposed to die," I said to the room. "You didn't expect a guardian to be with her. James was probably going to fake an attack and run…enough to generate sympathy and more support for Vasilisa. Which it certainly did – just a little more severely."

Tasha's gaze turned to me, looking heartbroken. "Dimka, not you too."

I didn't feel regret. Tasha deserved whatever she got, even if we had been friends for years, I knew that.

"And that's why I took the fall," Rose muttered quietly.

"Hmm?" I questioned. She shook her head slightly. She looked to one of the guardians holding her. "You can take me into custody, I meant it. But you don't you think you've got enough to take her – and Ethan – in too?"

The man just stared at Rose for a few moments as she deciphered what to do. The room held its breath.

"Take Lady Ozero. And Moore. We'll question them," he said finally.

Guardians moved towards Tasha, and she panicked. She fought with all her might, effectively taking down at least one guardian.

The crowd started to also panic and the room became chaos as people pushed and shoved to try and get out. However, all of that noise and movement ceased when a gunshot echoed throughout the room.

Tasha had somehow gotten a hold on one of the guardian's guns, as well as a young Moroi girl. I recognised her as the girl who had gone to Spokane with Rose.

"Don't move!" Tasha yelled at the advancing guardians. She held the gun to the Moroi's temple.

The guardians froze.

Everything that happened after that was so fast and so rushed.

Lissa stepped towards Tasha quickly, begging her to see reason. "Tasha please don't –"

This was the same moment the girl had chosen to break free of Tasha's hold. Tasha, unsure of what had just happened, panicked and her finger pulled the trigger.

I saw the direction the gun was pointing and it seemed as if in slow motion as the bullet was shot from the gun.

I wasn't the only one who had come to the conclusion of who the bullet was about to hit. Rose had realised about one second before I had, and had broken free of her guardians and had managed to get her body in front of Lissa's right as the bullet hit.

There was moment of silence after the gunshot.

I felt frozen. It was the only time that my whole body had been physically frozen in fear. I watched as Rose fell backwards into Lissa's arms and my world came crashing down.

Noise flooded my ears as chaos erupted once again in the room.

"Rose! Rose!" Lissa was screaming as her best friend lay on the ground beside her. I pushed my way through the people in the way to reach them.

As I dropped to me my knees beside her, I saw red everywhere. It was on her clothes, in her beautiful hair, on the ground around her. But the scariest place was at her chest, where it was pooling and spreading fast, like a river.

"Rose! Stay with us!" Lissa was still shouting to her, tears rolling down her face.

It was one of those rare moments when I felt completely helpless, and even vulnerable I couldn't remember anything; my brain my frozen. The only thing I knew for certain was how much I loved the woman before me, and that I was going to lose her…again.

I looked into her brown eyes for what felt like the last time. They looked straight back at mine with an intensity I had never seen. They were so full of love and awe and I saw it…

I saw the forgiveness in her eyes.

Her mouth moved slightly as she looked at me, but nothing came out. She tried again but gave up after that. She was taking short gasps for breath and her eyes began to close.

As her eyes closed fully, Lissa stretched her shaking hands. She laid one on Rose's sweaty forehead and the other took her hand. I was squeezing Rose's other hand tight as Lissa closed her own eyes in concentration.

Suddenly Lissa wasn't there. Guardians had pulled her away; still believing that I was a danger. She screamed and cried desperately to let her go but they didn't listen.

I desperately pulled at Rose's clothes, trying to get a look at the wound but it was so covered in blood that I couldn't. I moved my shaky hands to her neck where I felt for her pulse.

She couldn't be dead. This couldn't be happening. I had just got her back. I couldn't exist in a world where my Roza didn't.

There it was.

Her pulse beat weakly against my fingers. It wasn't strong, but it was there.

It wasn't too late; I would make sure of that.

While I had come to this revelation, I hadn't noticed that someone else had joined me. It was one of the doctors who lived here at Court. He moved my hand out of the way urgently and pressed his own fingers against her neck, feeling for the pulse.

"We don't have long," he said urgently. "Bring her to the infirmary. Now!"

I didn't need telling twice. Scooping her up in my arms, I held her tight to my body as the doctor pushed through the crowd ahead of me.

What felt like hours later, we were at the infirmary and the doctor was shouting orders at every person he saw in a uniform.

I was instructed by a nurse to place her on a trolley and I reluctantly let her out of my arms.

I was broke into a separate room just outside of the surgery room, but was told I couldn't go any further.

I watched in fear as they wheeled Rose urgently into the surgery, wondering if it would be the last time I would ever see her alive.