Warning: this chapter contains a brief description of abuse. I have bolded and italicized the first few words of the trigger scene. I apologize for the distress this may cause. Feel free to PM me.

Chapter Three: Trouble

Dimitri

Following the conversation with the king was getting harder and harder as I anticipated the return of the princess. My mind was troubled with all these foreign emotions and thoughts. I've never been so enthralled and enraptured by a woman so much that the thought of her with Lord Ivashkov doing who knows what in private made my hands tremble with jealousy. But from the moment I laid eyes on her in the garden, I knew she'd be trouble for me. Hearing her speak with such fondness of her grandfather and longing for freedom, I knew she was different from other princesses. Not to mention her eagerness to learn how to fend for herself drew me in to the point I wanted to know everything about her.

"I will find out more about the princess from Lissa," Christian said as we discussed our first impression of the princess while we got ready for dinner.

After the princess left us, two young ladies showed up to take us to our rooms. Christian and I had been set up in two adjacent rooms both equally large and exquisite. Mine had a king sized bed in the middle with white walls and dark blue patterns, a fireplace and windows with burgundy velvet drapes. I could see the ocean under the stars from my window.

"Lady Lissa," I corrected him as I stepped away from my star gazing. "Don't forget we're here on a mission and can't allow ourselves to be distracted by their beauty. I almost ruined it all with my indiscretion."

"Wait," Christian grinned as he stepped away from the mirror and stopped fussing with his hair. "Did you just admit to finding the princess beautiful?"

"That's not the point."

"That is absolutely the point," Christian scoffed. "I have known you for years, and I have never seen you lose your composure like you did today. You chastised me for behaving like a hormonal adolescent, but you, General, have it worse. I have never seen you so interested in a woman before. With you it's always the sake of the country, the safety of the czar…"

"I made an oath," I narrowed my eyes on him. "The same oath you did when we joined the military. I will not put our mission and the sake of Russia and Turkey at stake for a princess that can't ever be with me whether I wanted her or not."

Christian was silent for a moment before starting again. "You still admitted to finding her beautiful."

"Of course she is," I grunted. "A blind man could see her beauty."

"I will definitely find out more. There's no harm in dreaming." He sighed no doubt thinking of Lissa and his own dilemma. Despite his enthusiasm in spending time with her, Christian knew nothing more than friendship could happen between them.

"No need," I said putting on my duster. "I'm sure I can talk myself into spending time with her. Find out more about the family from Lady Lissa. We need to know who we're dealing with."

So as we waited for the queen and the princess to arrive, the king met Christian and me in the dining hall first to exchange meaningless pleasantries. It was the same question the princess, and later the queen, asked about our travels. As suggested by the princess, I made sure to stroke the king's ego complimenting his country. It was beautiful, but I may have exaggerated though mostly I kept thinking of his daughter and how otherworldly she looked holding her bow. She possessed a raw and wild beauty that I almost didn't recognize her in the red dress. When she walked in with the queen, my breath caught and I felt my heart skip a beat. She looked every bit like a future queen especially with the ruby tiara upon her head. As I bowed down to her, I bitterly reminded myself whatever crazy emotions stirred inside me just by looking at her I couldn't give in to them. She was the future queen of Turkey, and I was a commoner, a foreign general here to possibly overthrow her father.

However, seeing how her face lit up upon laying eyes on Adrian Ivashkov I felt a nasty and ugly pain in my stomach almost compared to getting stabbed and feeling the knife digging deeper. I had no right to feel this way. I wasn't here to fall in love especially not with someone completely out of reach. I was here on a mission to save my country and hers. Even if I threw caution to the wind and romanced the princess, I would be stirring up trouble. The king would surely declare war on Russia because I disrespected his daughter. So I tried hard to keep my eyes away from the door and my mind focused on carrying a conversation with the king and queen. I would be lying though, if I didn't feel relief when the princess returned head held high and her royal guardian, Mason, following her closely.

I was happy Adrian had left. He pushed my buttons in our brief meeting, and I certainly didn't like the prospect of him questioning my identity. I had remained anonymous mostly despite my stellar career in the Russian army. The czar saw to it that my identity was never made public as I served him better in the shadows under false pretenses of being an ambassador to Russia. I hoped Adrian wouldn't be a problem for the sake of the mission and perhaps the princess. I'd hate to have to dispose of the young lord if he was someone she loved. That thought made me wince like I had swallowed vile, so I took a sip of my wine and watched discreetly as the princess took her place at the table back. She was quiet for the remainder of the evening though she responded to questions and comments from her parents.

As the night progressed, the king called for some entertainment in the form of belly dancers who swayed in sync as if one with the music. They were all gorgeous women but when one of them pulled the princess up from her seat, with the approval of the king of course, I knew no one would ever rival her in grace and splendor. The princess danced freely and just as professionally as the dancers around her. I was enraptured by her graceful movements and her bright smile. There was no one else in the room except for her and me, or so it felt. I could have stayed like that forever simply watching her smile and be perfectly content. I wished I could make her smile. I wished we weren't worlds apart. If she wasn't a princess, I had no doubt in my mind I would court her and eventually marry her. I could see her by my side taking on the world. But the light of the chandelier caught the rubies on her tiara, and I was abruptly brought back to the real world.

As everyone joined to dance, even the king and queen, the princess sat next to me breathing heavy and small beads of sweat on her forehead. She said nothing for a while and simply watched her loved ones dancing. Eventually, she turned to me still with a bright and carefree smile on her face.

"Would you like to dance, Dimitri?" She extended her hand out to me. "I can teach you a few moves."

"No, thank you, Your Highness. I'm not much of a dancer, and I'm afraid I'd just embarrass myself. Allow me to keep my dignity."

She shook her head and chuckled. "Then how about a walk?" She stood up and once again gave me her hand. "There's something I want to show you."

I took her hand and interlaced it through my arm as she led me out of the room. "Does the king approve of this?"

"I believe so," she shrugged. "He's preoccupied at the moment. No one will notice our absence."

I looked back and saw Mason and one of the guards I tossed around this afternoon following us close behind. They noticed. I should have known we wouldn't be alone. Did I want to be alone with her? It was a recipe for disaster.

The princess took me through a hallway lined with paintings on one side and floor to ceiling windows on the other overlooking the front gardens. The moonlight shone brightly illuminating the hall far more than the lamps and chandeliers. As we walked past the portraits, she gave me names and few facts about her family members. I tried to absorb as much information as possible, but it was hard to focus on the words when my eyes were glued to her lips wondering what it would be like to kiss them. Or her hand comfortably on my arm like it belonged there, like it had always been there.

"The throne room," she explained pushing the massive door in front of us open. I hadn't realized when we stopped. "This is where my father was crowned. And his father. And every Mazur that ever became king, or queen."

"I have seen the throne room," I said recalling my earlier brief tour with Lissa.

The room was every bit as impressive as the first time. The floors were made of shiny ceramic, and the walls were made of marble. Tall and thick columns rose all the way to the ceiling where a giant glass dome allowed the moonlight to shine over the altar where I assumed the monarch stood above the people he ruled.

"But did she show you the view from up here," she said taking my hand and up the stairs to the altar our footsteps echoing in the large and empty room.

I wanted to protest. This felt sacrilegious and uncomfortable. I felt further away from Rose with every step we took. I could see her taking those steps one day on her own to claim her place as queen. But I felt numb and unable to voice my concerns, so I followed her until we stood under the dome with moonlight over our heads. From up there, I could see Mason and the other guard standing at the bottom of the steps. They said nothing and remained stoic with their hands behind their backs. If they disapproved of a commoner standing where I was, they didn't voice it but surely showed it with their stiff postures.

"Look over there," Rose let go of my hand and pointed straight ahead. "That's my grandfather in his youth."

A painting of a young man hung eye level with the altar. I missed it during our tour with Lissa. The man in the painting had a large crown with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and every imaginable precious stone. The crown almost overwhelmed the late king's head, and he wore a military uniform under a long red cloak with gold flecks. In his hand he gripped a gold long scepter with a giant emerald on top.

"Your father looks very much like him," I commented at the similarities between the late king and the current. "So do you. You have their eyes and hair."

"My most precious attributes, I'd say," she chuckled. "I think he would have liked you. I would have loved for you to meet him. That's as close as you'll get. I brought you to see this painting because I think it's the most accurate out of all the paintings of him in the palace. Look at his posture. He didn't want the throne. In his eyes is fear. He's wondering, 'Will I be a good ruler? Will I let my people, my family down?'" She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands interlaced.

"That's how you feel," I wanted to reach out to her and comfort her, but I couldn't lose my composure. Not again. "You will do well, Your Highness."

"Rose," she looked up and gave me a small smile. "Just call me Rose. If you feel more comfortable, you can call me that when we're alone." She cleared her throat. "It's not just about me though. It's about the people. The family. They all have expectations, and I cannot allow myself to be afraid. But my grandfather was afraid his whole life. He was afraid of one wrong move, one wrong decision could plummet the country into war or economic disaster. I think that's what made him a great king; he was conscious of the power he held in his hands. That's why I think the painting does him justice. I'm not saying he wasn't valiant. He fought in many wars but fighting in a war is different. War is more black and white. Leading a whole country isn't. When you have millions of people depending on you…"

"There's no room for mistakes," I finished for her.

She nodded silently staring fondly and sadly at the painting of her grandfather. I remained silent letting her gather her thoughts and admiring her beauty. Even when sad, Rose was gorgeous. I felt the air leaving my lungs and somehow felt as if I didn't need it any longer simply by looking at her I could survive. At the same time, I wanted to erase the sadness from her face. I wanted to protect her which was ludicrous. She didn't need me. That didn't stop my need, my instinct, or perhaps my savior complex from trying.

"Where's your portrait?" I asked finally trying to steer the conversation in another direction that didn't make her sad. I knew I was being stupid constantly putting the welfare of this princess above my mission but when she chuckled at my question, I felt it was worth it.

"You'll find this hard to believe, but I don't have one," she took my arm again, almost like second nature, and led me back down the steps. "I never wanted one. I always hid or pretended to be ill. The few times I couldn't get away, I was a real nightmare to work with. Eventually, no one wanted to take my portrait. Mason will tell you." She turned to him with a smile reminiscing about her adventures.

Mason stood still and tried hard to show nothing on his face, but I saw the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement.

"This one time," Rose began leading us out of the throne room and down another hallway different from the one we came through. "I had overused my illness excuse, so my mother didn't believe me. She dragged me out of bed despite my protests and the make-up Lissa had painstakingly applied on me to make me look sick. The artist was waiting in the library with his brushes and paints set up. I started fake sneezing all over him; he looked disgusted. At one point, I spilled his paint all over him. Despite my mother apologizing and offering to replace everything, he refused to come back and finish what he never got the chance to start. Word got out of what a spoiled brat I was that no one wanted the job despite the prestige and generous pay that would surely come out of it."

I chuckled at her rebellious story. "Why don't you want a portrait?"

"I just don't think it's necessary," she shrugged. "I suppose I can't get away with stuff like this anymore. I was able to get by without people noticing me too much since everyone focused on my father, the crown prince. Now that I'm next in line, there are certain expectations I can't run away from. I lied. I do have one portrait. You'll like it."

We stopped again this time by the double stairs leading up to the rooms. To our right was a portrait of the king and queen. In the queen's arms was a baby dressed up in a pink dress with a flower crown on her head. Her cheeks were rosy and plump as she smiled.

"That's you?" I pointed at the baby.

"Yes. On my first birthday. I'm sure there are some photos laying around, but this is my official and only portrait." She shrugged. "I don't want that kind of attention. I already have enough. Anyway, enough about me. Tell me something about you, Mr. Belikov."

I chuckled nervously though hoped she couldn't tell. I didn't like the conversation steering towards me because I had too much to lose. I could tell her the truth or lie. Neither one was a good option. "I'm not interesting like you."

"I doubt it," she scoffed and sat down on the steps patting the spot next to her. "I don't travel much as you know. I'd love to hear about Russia and your family. You do have a family, right?"

Family. It should have been an easy topic. I could talk about mama, the girls, and even Babushka. But at some point, the question of my father would come up. I couldn't tell her the man almost ruined our family, my life. I couldn't bear to tell her I didn't come from a wholesome family like she did. I couldn't talk about Russia, for I might slip and say the wrong thing. I sighed and sat down next to her knowing there was no way to avoid this conversation. Eventually she would want to know more and considering how open she had been with me maybe I could give her a bit of insight into my life. I just had to be careful with what I said.

"I do have a family," I proceeded to tell her about my mother, grandmother, sisters, niece and nephew. I was brief sticking to basics like their names and ages. I gave her a few stories about my sisters forcing me to play dress up with them. I kept Rose smiling and laughing. I felt accomplished not having to lie to her and even more so to know she was having a good time hearing embarrassing stories of my past. And if felt good talking about my family. I missed them terribly every day. Being in a different country made me miss them more and feel like I was terrible son and brother. Having them a few hours away from me, and I didn't visit them enough. I didn't have a wholesome family like Rose, but what I did have I kept taking for granted.

"Sounds like you guys have fun," Rose sighed. "I would have liked to have siblings."

"I can't imagine life without the girls," I smiled fondly. "They definitely keep me on my toes. I've had to scare away my fair share of suitors away."

"What about your father?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

I inhaled sharply and held my breath. I knew this would come. "He's not with us anymore."

"Oh," she gasped putting her hand over mine on my knee. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"He's not dead, Rose," I stood up abruptly as if burned by her touch. It certainly felt like I was. There was warmth were she touched me. I could have let her make assumptions. I could have let her think my father was dead and said nothing more. But it felt like I was lying. I hated lying to her. I had never felt like this before. In my profession, I've had to lie, kill, and deceive, and while I wasn't proud of myself for doing that, I was able to live with it. But something about Rose made me want to come clean and be better. "He wasn't a good person. Not like your father or your grandfather."

"I'm sorry, Dimitri," she whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you by bringing up bad memories."

"They weren't all bad," I paced in front of her rubbing the spot where her skin had touched mine. "I remember he traveled a lot, and when he came home, he would bring presents. I liked seeing my sisters smile at new toys and dresses."

Rose stood up and took my arm stopping me from pacing. "He hurt your family, didn't he?"

"Physically, just my mom," I said quietly looking away from her.

I couldn't let her see the sadness or worse the anger building inside me. I could feel it slowly eating me away from the inside. I felt it in my chest like a heavy boulder crushing my heart just thinking about all the times my sisters and I had to run and hide because mother knew what was coming. Hearing the sounds of things breaking and my mother's whimpers though she tried hard to be silent. Then it all faded and I could only feel Rose's hand on my arm squeezing gently and reassuringly. I wasn't there anymore. My mother was safe now as were my sisters. The man had left and never returned. We were better off without him, and I was here with a beautiful princess.

"I'm so sorry," Rose took my fisted hand in hers and held tightly.

"It's okay," I unfisted my hands and allowed her to trace patterns on my palm. Her touched calmed me and made the anger go away. With her touch, I felt more in control. It was more effective than punching walls or men. "He got what he deserved."

"Good," Rose looked up at me, and I saw it in her eyes that she felt no remorse for wishing ill on a man such as my father. I didn't know if that was good or bad. Did it make us bad people? She seemed to be thinking the same because she shook her head and took a step back. As soon as she let go of my hands, I missed her. "I think we should head back. We can meet for breakfast then continue our tour."

"As you wish," I bowed.

When we returned to the dining hall, the dancers were gone. The king and queen sat at the table talking quietly. Christian and Lissa did the same, and no one seemed to have missed the princess or me.

"Rosemarie," the queen said as she noticed Rose. "I believe it is time for bed."

"Yes, Mother," Rose turned to Lissa. "Shall we, Lissa?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Lissa turned to quickly say goodnight to Christian then took her side by Rose.

"Goodnight, Mr. Belikov, Mr. Ozera," the queen said before patting her husband's shoulder lovingly. "Do not stay up too late, dear."

Christian and I stood up to bow as the ladies walked by leaving us alone with the king. His Majesty called for a server and whispered something in his ear.

"I should turn in for the night as well," Christian said a few moments later.

"Stay," the king said as the server came back with two bottles of a white liquid and three glasses. "You are far too young to be tired. Here, have some raki, or Lion's Milk."

We took our glasses, and I sniffed the liquid getting a hint of anise.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said.

"Let us toast to King Idris," he rose his glass. "May he rest in peace."

"To King Idris," I echoed and took the liquid in one gulp. It was strong but nothing I couldn't handle. "I'm sorry for your loss, Your Majesty."

"Yeah," King Abe said pouring more on my glass and Christian's. "You said that before. What you have not said is why you are here."

"To show the support of Russia in your ascension to the throne," I took the second glass.

"Really?" King Abe raised his eyebrows and kept on refilling our empty glasses. He must have thought he could get us drunk, and one of us would tell him all our secrets. He had another thing coming. His daughter's charm was more disarming than liquor. "You people do not know me. You know of me. My battle stories carry all over the world, but you do not know what kind of person I am. What kind of king I will make."

"A good king, I'm sure. You were raised by King Idris, you learned the ropes from him. While he was king, our countries prospered and our friendship grew. I'm sure we can expect the same from you, Your Majesty."

"My father was a coward," King Abe scowled glaring at the half empty glass in his hand. "He was too afraid to make a decision. The people demanded a strong king. A king willing to put an end to this magic business."

I tensed at his words and suddenly what Rose said in the throne room about her grandfather being afraid of making choices made sense. She was speaking of his fear of angering both sides, the magical and non magical communities. I didn't like the direction of the conversation not when the king was obviously intoxicated and saying things he might regret tomorrow. But if he wanted to talk, I wasn't going to stop him. Drunken words were a sober man's thoughts.

"Tell me, Dimitri," he refilled our drinks but didn't pick up his glass. "How did Russia deal with witches? How did your czar manage to keep both types of people, the normal and the freaks, happy?"

I cleared my throat. Magic was discovered twenty years ago by accident in Budapest and even after all that time, people still struggled to accept magic. The stuff of fairytales and myths was very much real in our world. In some countries, magic was banned altogether punishing witches with death. Others were more tolerant incorporating magic into medicine and technology. Those places were small countries like Maldives and Monaco but steadily spreading to other parts of the world. As for Russia, it had been hard, or so Arthur told me. The czar had been confronted by many opinions ranging from the sensible to the outrageous. Some wanted to bring about another witch hunt this time to obliterate them all.

"We allow witches to live normal lives," I said. "Of course there are laws and rules. They can practice in the privacy of their own home never in public. Most importantly, they can't use any human in their rituals."

"And that works?" He leaned forward clearly interested in our way of dealing with witches. "Your people are not afraid? Discontent?"

"There is discontent. Some would have us be radical like making the use of magic punishable by death. But it helps to force them to practice privately."

"Out of sight, out of mind," King Abe chuckled. "I guess shoving the problem under the rug would be effective for a while."

"We're not shoving it under the rug completely. We do routine checkups on witches to ensure they're complying with the law."

King Abe leaned back on his chair and stroked his goatee in deep thought. "What do you do to those who do not comply with the law?"

"Prison and monetary fine unless there was human involvement in the ritual then the offense is punishable by death."

"Thank you for your insight." King Abe got up abruptly after a few minutes of quiet thought. "I would like to discuss this further tomorrow after my meeting with the council. Enjoy my daughter's company and keep your hands to yourself." He chuckled at the last part.

"Of course, Your Majesty," I bowed as he began to exit the dining hall with his royal guard on his tail. "Goodnight, sir."

As soon as the king was gone, I turned to Christian, who looked drunk but not enough that we couldn't discuss the conversation that just transpired. Just as Christian opened his mouth, I shook my head. It was best to discuss this in our rooms or at least away from the servers clearing the table. We both stood up and headed to our rooms. The hallways were empty except for the royal guard patrolling. They ignored us as we continued up to our rooms.

"Do you think he's dangerous?" Christian said as soon as we entered my room.

I took off my duster and sat on the bed running through the conversation with the king. "I don't think he's dangerous to the rest of the world. Yet. For what he has said and my conversation with Rose, the king might be more interested in dealing with the problems at home. I don't think we need to worry about trying to start anything with us or other countries. At least not until the issue of witches is taken care of."

"Sorry about what he said," Christian slapped my back. "He didn't need to call witches freaks. Yeva is not a freak."

"I know," I sighed. "It's best if we keep Babushka's abilities to ourselves though. Something tells me the king doesn't like magic."

"At least we won't have to overthrow him," Christian yawned. "I might have a chance at something more with Lissa. I really like her, Dimitri."

"Don't get your hopes up," I hated bursting his bubble but someone had to before one of them got hurt. "We still know very little about this family."

"I'll find out more," Christian shrugged and headed to his room. "Goodnight, Dimitri."

That night, I found it hard to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Rose. I kept recalling the way her hands had touched mine, though inappropriate, it had felt good. Her touch seemed familiar somehow and comfortable like we had touched many times before. It was absurd that a woman I've known less than six hours had this kind of effect on me, but I had nothing to compare to. I didn't bother with relationships back home not when my job took me all over the world. And I had never before felt the need to settle down yet. I was at the peak of my career, and if I succeeded in this mission, I could command the entire Russian army and at my age, I couldn't think of a greater accomplishment. So why did I feel like I had nothing? Why did I feel like my purpose was somewhere else?

Babushka said duty and what's in my heart weren't the same thing. Maybe she was onto something. Thinking of my grandmother reminded me of the conversation with the king. The way he spoke of witches with hatred made me nervous. But as long as the king was otherwise preoccupied with troubles at home, the world could rest easy, for now. We had yet to see which approach the king would take. As I tossed and turned, I made mental notes to send letters to Arthur and my family. I missed them.

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep. That night, I had the same nightmare. I was running up the hill like every other night. The battle continued on behind me, and it took everything in me to keep running and not look back. There was something more important waiting for me at the top of the hill. This time, I reached the top and saw the crystal blue waters of the ocean glistening under the sun. I heard the waves crashing violently below us, smelled the saltwater in the air, and saw a woman with her back to me. Her dark hair wiped around her and her tattered white dress was covered in blood. My heart was beating fast and so loudly making my ears ring. Everything slowed down then as the woman slowly started to turn to look at me…

I woke up in cold sweat and breathing heavy like I had been running laps around the czar's palace grounds. I looked around me disoriented until I remembered where I was. Kicking the moist sheets with my feet, I lowered myself back on the bed and rubbed my eyes. I wasn't sure what time it was, but after that nightmare I knew I wouldn't go back to sleep. Instead, I got up and pulled the curtains back revealing the sun rising slowly over the ocean giving me a sense of déjà vu. I closed them back and decided to start my day. I showered and got dressed before heading out with my notepad under my arm. Heading out to the tulip garden, I sat on a stone bench and stared at the fountain waiting for inspiration to strike. I decided to write to my family first. Rose made me miss them more than usual. I started by telling my family about her. I wrote to them about her kind yet wild spirit. I told them she was beautiful and one day would be a good queen.

I stopped mid sentence when I heard footsteps approaching. I shut my notepad closed and looked up to find Rose making her way down the steps. Her hair was wild around her like she had just gotten out of bed, which she might have. She wore the royal guard uniform which struck me as odd. However stranger than her clothing was the fact that she walked alone. Mason wasn't trailing her, and the other two guards were nowhere to be seen. Lissa wasn't by her side either. Rose didn't see me as she adjusted the waist of her pants; she probably wasn't used to them.

Finally she looked up and her face lit up with a smile upon seeing me. "Good morning, Dimitri. What are you doing?"

"Good morning, Rose. That's what I was going to ask you," I motioned to her clothing. "And where's your guard?"

She rolled her eyes and pointed behind her. "They never leave me alone. Eddie just happens to give me more space than Mason."

I looked behind her and saw the sandy blond guardian I fought with yesterday keeping a safe distance.

"What's the occasion?" I pointed once again to her clothing.

"Secret meetings," she put her index finger to her lips and sat down next to me. "I'm on my way to sword fight. Mason is getting the swords. He gave me this outfit saying it would help me move a little better."

"I agree," without thinking, I pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. She inhaled sharply but said nothing otherwise. "You might want to tie your hair too."

"I will," she cleared her throat and pointed at my notepad. "Were you writing?"

"Yes," I tucked it into my duster. "Talking about my family made me miss them. I was writing a letter for them."

"Say hi to them for me," she stood up. "I'll let you continue writing. I can't be late or Mason won't let me hear the end of it."

"I can finish later. Do you mind if I come?" I said standing up as well. I was curious to see her in action again. She hesitated before answering. "I promise your secret meetings are safe with me."

"They aren't so secret anymore. Mother has known all along apparently. She has given me her approval." She bit on her lower lip.

"That's good news," and odd, but I left that part out. Why did the queen decide it was fitting for the princess to learn to fight?

"I have no objections to you coming along, but if I'm bad with the crossbow, I am worse with the sword. I really can't seem to do anything right," she sighed.

"You just need practice," I said. "Lead the way."

"Fine," she took my arm and began walking to her not so secret meetings.

Rose took us down the tulip garden and past the rose garden where we met. I couldn't believe our unorthodox meeting was just yesterday. Somehow, it felt a lifetime ago, like I knew the princess longer. Hell, I had come to call her by her first name despite my intensive training, but she made me feel at ease. I hoped my indiscretions didn't make her uncomfortable. But the way she held onto my arm made me think she felt just as at ease as I did. We walked for a little bit until we entered another garden surrounded by four tall hedges keeping us completely concealed. There was a large pond in the center with water lilies and white gardenias lining the pond.

I was surprised to find Christian already there walking with Lissa. He didn't see me as he was engrossed in the conversation. Behind them, Rose's other guard, Grant, walked keeping polite distance. Mason was already there as well warming up with a big sword. Next to me, Rose tensed a little and took a deep breath.

She turned to me. "Wish me luck." And then walked off to meet Mason.

"They aren't real swords are they?" I asked Eddie, who stood next to me.

"Yes," Eddie responded simply. I figured he was a man of few words, but then he continued. "But Mason wouldn't let anything happen to her."

I believed Eddie. Rose's royal guard seemed loyal to her willing to give their lives for her. Still, when Mason began to help Rose swing her sword, which was bigger than her, I began to worry. Rose struggled to move the heavy object, but a few minutes in she seemed to get the hang of it enough that Mason decided it was time to spar.

Mason said as they stood a few feet apart. "I won't go easy on you this time, Your Highness."

"Did I ask you to go easy on me?" Rose responded standing stiffly with her legs too far apart and her sword held up too high. I couldn't bear it.

"May I offer some advice?" I moved closer to Rose.

"What do you know about sword fighting?" Rose asked though she didn't protest to my hand on her arm.

"Enough to tell you," I adjusted her body by twisting her torso. She seemed to stop breathing and became tenser. "You're putting too much strain on your body. Relax and think of the sword as an extension of your arm. You hold it up too high you'll grow tired quickly and will give Mason an easy opening. If this was real combat, you'd be dead in seconds."

"That's cheating, Your Highness," Mason said narrowing his eyes on me.

"I'm trying to learn Mason," Rose responded breathlessly as if she had already been working out. "If Dimitri has some pointers, I'll take it."

"Anything to defeat me, huh?" Mason shook his head. "Let's begin."

"Any last words of advice?" Rose turned her head a little to look at me putting our faces within inches of each other. The world stopped in that moment. I could see in her eyes specks of gold perhaps due to the lighting. She had a few freckles on her nose. She truly was beautiful.

"Your hair," I cleared my throat and stepped back. "Tie it."

"Oh, yes," she lowered her sword and began to search her pockets for a tie. When she couldn't find one, I pulled mine from my hair and offered it to her. She took it wordlessly, quickly tied her hair up in a tight ponytail, and went back in position this time listening to my advice adjusting her posture like I had showed her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I stepped back and joined Eddie. Christian came to stand next to us as did Lissa. They said quick hellos and Christian mouthed an apology for not letting me in on this show. We all turned to watch Rose and Mason spar.

For a few seconds, nothing happened and no one said a word. Birds chirped the first morning songs, and in the distance, I heard the ocean's waves. Rose and Mason seemed to dare each other to make the first move. Eventually, Mason made the first move going straight towards Rose with a high downward move. Rose blocked his sword with hers grunting at the force of his sword colliding with hers. She struggled but managed to push Mason back causing him to stumble.

"Move quick!" I called from the side. "Don't hesitate. Your advantage will be moving fast."

Rose listened moving towards Mason with a battle cry erupting from her lips. She went at him aiming low at his legs which he blocked. It went on like that, and I coached her as much as I could helping her perfect her moves. With adrenaline pumping her veins, and perhaps what she was learning from me, Rose managed to disarm Mason.

"I win," Rose panted keeping the sword right at his chest. "If this was real, my sword would be right through you."

"You're right," Mason smiled crookedly, and I saw what was coming before it happened. "But it's not." He pushed Rose's sword out of the way and reached for her arm pulling her towards him until they both fell in the pond.

"You're a sore loser!" Rose exclaimed splashing Mason. "I won fair and square."

"Lies," Mason laughed. "You had coaching from the Russian."

"But it was all me," Rose said proudly standing taller and a smile on her lips.

"Yes, it was," I extended my hand out, and she took it.

I pulled her out of the pond and once again found her so close to me. She was small in my arms but fit just right like I had been made to hold her. Her smile never wavered and her eyes were filled with light and life. And that's when I knew I was in deep trouble. I knew there was no going back to my old life and pretend I never met her. There was no scenario in which I could forget Rose. This moment, standing so close to me I could easily lean forward and kiss her, I wouldn't forget. I wouldn't forget the way even soaking wet, she radiated warmth. I wouldn't forget the way she made my heart race or how her smile slowly faded suddenly realizing how close we were.

Still, she didn't try to move or say a word regarding the situation we found ourselves in. Instead, she simply looked into my eyes, and I into hers until the world around us faded. We were suddenly suspended in time where only her hands resting on my chest existed. But like a bubble, our moment ended soon with two simple words.

"Your Highness," Mason called out clearly and loudly from the pond.

The moment with the princess had been like a shooting star burning bright and fast across the sky vanishing within seconds, but it had felt like a lifetime. Mason slowly walked out of the pond as Rose stepped away from me avoiding my eyes as if ashamed of what transpired. I couldn't and wouldn't blame her if she was. I was slightly ashamed myself for disrespecting her in such a way. I had to once again find my control.

"Yes, Mason?" Rose said wringing her hair.

"I think that's enough for one day," Mason stood next to Rose as he glared at me. "You have a full schedule today."

"Agreed," she finally turned to me and seemed to have shaken off the situation as if nothing had happened. "Let's head back to the palace. I need to change before we have breakfast." She reached out for my arm which I allowed. There was no harm in that right?

As we walked back to the palace, there was silence even Christian and Lissa seemed to have run out of things to say. I could have walked in silence the rest of the way using the time to gather my thoughts, but apparently Rose couldn't stand it.

"What did you think?" She asked suddenly without providing any context as to what she referred. So I assumed she meant the way I inappropriately held her close to me.

"Disrespectful and it will never happen again. I'm sorry."

"You were very knowledgeable though," Rose frowned looking over at me. "I improved and was able to defeat Mason."

I closed my eyes and chuckled at my own stupid assumption the princess wanted to discuss something that should have never happened, and we might as well add to the list of never mentioning again.

"I just thought… I thought you and Mason didn't need my commentary. He's training you, and I should have just witnessed. But if you would like I can teach you some hand to hand combat. You have very good form and simply need more practice."

Not sure what possessed me to offer to teach her but I did. They would soon know I was no ambassador instead a general in the Russian army. The king wouldn't appreciate having a man with my skills in his home. He would see it as an act of aggression from Russia. However, when her face lit up at my offer, I knew I had to take the chance. I was taking a lot of risks lately all for this woman, what was one more?

"I would love that," Rose grinned enthusiastically gripping my arm tightly. "Neither Mason nor Eddie will teach me. They are so afraid of hurting me."

"I am definitely afraid of hurting you," I replied all too seriously. Her smile slipped and she looked deep into my eyes as if trying to decipher the meaning of my words. I wondered if I meant something else by that. Not even I knew what I was feeling because she blurred every line I ever drawn. I was no longer professional at slipping in and out of people's lives before they had a chance to notice me. Somehow, Rose and I were tangled from now. I tried to make light of my comment to steer the conversation back into safe waters. "I like where my head is at the moment."

"I do too," Rose looked down as she spoke. "I mean, I don't want to be responsible for you losing your head."

Oh, if she only knew. I had already lost it. I wasn't thinking straight. All my control and wisdom was being shattered by her smile, her eyes, her hair I longed to touch, and her lips I wanted so badly to claim.

"When do we begin?" Rose interrupted my thoughts.

"Name the time and place. I'm at your disposal."

"We have our tour today," she bit her lip as she arranged in her mind for a time to meet. "And I have some dress fittings for the party," she winced at that. "Tomorrow, I have lessons in the morning, but I think we can arrange something in the evening after dinner."

"Tomorrow evening it is," I nodded.

"How do you know so much about fighting anyway?" She asked stopping by the fountain in the tulip garden. "I didn't know ambassadors knew how to fight with swords or hand to hand combat."

I expected the questions as soon as I offered advice during her sword fighting match with Mason. And I had come up with a feasible explanation that allowed me to be somewhat honest with her. I never got to explain myself because we were interrupted. There was a lot of that going on.

"Princess Rosemarie," a woman called out as I was about to respond. The woman was in her sixties, tall and with long, straight blonde hair. She wore a sleeved dark green dress and white gloves. Her eyes settled on me then on the princess to whom she curtsied then pulled in for a kiss on each cheek. She looked Rose up and down noticing her wild appearance and grimaced. "Goodness, you are soaking wet, Your Highness. Whatever happened? And what are you wearing?"

"I was out for a run and slipped into the pond," Rose smiled innocently. "Lady Tatiana, this is Dimitri Belikov, ambassador to Russia, and his companion, Christian Ozera. Dimitri, Christian this is Lady Tatiana Ivashkov, one of our most highly respected council members."

Great. Another Ivashkov. I wondered if she would be trouble as well. The way she looked me up and down told me she might be.

AN: Thank you for reading, and I apologize for the delay. With Hurricane Florence hitting the Carolinas I couldn't focus on the story. I'm trying to update every week (I don't have a specific day.) I hope this doesn't seem very out of character for Dimitri or a bit annoying with the whole 'my body says yes but my mind says no' type of thing. But I promise it will get better. I am starting slow because I don't want to feel rushed and out of character. This story is mainly about Dimitri and Rose. I don't have a lot of patience for other characters. I could literally read a story of Dimitri and Rose just talking about the weather and going grocery shopping and be perfectly content, so I'm trying to explore their lives more than others. Other characters will have a bigger role to play for sure though. Anyway, thanks again and do let me know what you think.