Drabble:175

Lissa had known Rose for what seemed to be a lifetime.

They had become fast friends on the first day of kindergarten, bonded by a shared distaste for a teacher who thought it fair to make two toddlers write out 'Rosemarie Hathaway' and 'Vasilisa Dragomir'. Needless to say, Rose had set him straight (and earned her first detention in the process).

They had taken family vacations together…i.e. Rose had vacationed with the Dragomirs, when her own mother and yet-absent father had not shown up at the academy, again.

They had slept in the same bed countless times, and shared blankets, sweaters and cosmetics. They had watched innumerable movies, and swooned over dreamy men, and sang bad karaoke together. They had been to plays, and concerts and balls, and shared both laughter and secrets.

They also had bonded over shared tragedies. They had-together-survived countless heartbreaks, betrayals, and a life-changing car crash. They had-quite literally-bonded over that.

They had gone rogue and returned to rule St Vlad's, survived an assassination attempt, and triumphed…together.

Lissa had become the Moroi Queen, and Rose a legendary strigoi hunter, over the years. They both had fallen in love, and found their soulmates. They had been happy, and sad, and everything-in-between. Throughout it all, they had remained best friends, and confidantes.

But of course, they had not always been there for each other.
Lissa had been lost in her own romantic bubble when Rose had suffered through loving a man whom she thought she couldn't have. When Lissa came to know of it, it was already too late. He was gone-irrevocably it seemed-and Rose left Lissa to hunt him down.
Rose had not been there for her when Lissa had been fighting a lose battle to maintain her relationship with Christian while battling her antidepressants. Truth be told, Rose had never understood her depression.

But they had patched up, and sorted out their issues. Lissa understood of course, that her Rose was not only hers to have anymore. Rose had Dimitri to share and lean on, just as much as Lissa had Christian. And yes, it did bother Lissa a bit that she was not the most important person in Rose's life anymore, but it made her immensely happy to know that Rose had Dimitri to build a life with.

And for that, Lissa is thankful. She's thankful to God for Rose and her friendship, and all the memories they built together.

Rose had taken a vow, long before the official ceremony, to live and even give up her life protecting Lissa. Lissa remembers that day clearly….
They had been only ten, and sharing a jug of orangeade in the patio of the Dragomirs' summer home. With her hair braided back, Rose had been fierce and resolute. And it had scared Lissa endlessly, mostly because she knew Rose meant every word of it…..

Rose had died and come back to life, twice. The first time, it had been the car accident that left Lissa bereft of her family. The second time Rose had-medically speaking-died, it had been when she had launched herself in front of Lissa to protect her from Tasha's gunfire. After she had recovered, and joined the ranks of Lissa's Royal Guardians, Lissa had requested-even begged-Rose never to do that again, but Rose had only laughed the matter away, saying 'Of course, Your Highness'.

Rose prided herself on never breaking a vow, especially one made to Lissa, just as Lissa prided herself on honoring her family's legacy. Everything considered, Lissa had managed to uphold her family's stellar reputation, but Rose, her faithful friend though a lifetime of shared experiences, had broken her promise.

She had left Lissa all alone to face the bitter world, breaking her vow to protect Lissa for her lifetime. Though, Rose upheld her promise to die protecting Lissa...

It had been a large-scale strigoi attack on the Royal family as they had been on their annual trip to St Vlad's. 37 guardians had perished in the skirmish, Dimitri Belikov and Rose Hathaway-Belikov amongst them. They had lived and died together, side by side, on their own terms, protecting the ones they loved.

Lissa, rushed back to the school by a convoy of a dozen experienced guards, along with her family, had received the news from the deputy captain of her Guardians. She had held Rose's firstborn, as he'd shed tears for the loss of his parents, and then she'd sobbed-heartbroken-when he'd taken it upon himself to continue his parents' duty, and protect the Royal family, after graduation.

She'd weathered it though, with Christian's unwavering love, and though unchecked tears had streamed down her face, she had been able to bury Dimitri and Rose-her beloved Rose-along with a piece of her heart. She thought of all the times they had, as she laid soil over Rose's grave, and she had found it in her to smile, one last time, for Rosie-posie.

She'd lived, because she had not. And Lissa would be damned if she didn't honor her memories.

Thanks for reading, guys!
Sorry for the somber topic…but it needed to be written. Also, this drabble was inspired by Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, and Everlong by Foo Fighters.
Cheers!

A/N: Is it just me, or has FF been delaying update notifications for everyone else?