Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Since Rose is a Moroi in my version of the story, some events in the books have changed a bit.

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For the sake of context for this book, here's what has happened until the beginning of the book:

✧Instead of 12 royal families, there are now 13 royal families. The Mazur family now has royal blood.

✧Rose was an accident, Janine and Abe didn't plan to have her. Since Janine was still in college, Rose lived at Abe's house, until she went to St. Vladimir's. Abe and Janine weren't in a relationship and Rose's relationship with her mother was rocky until she was 18.

✧Rose and Janine are both fire users Moroi. Janine teaches fire magic in Nepal.

✧It always was public knowledge that Jill is a Dragomir.

✧The accident where the Dragomirs died happened. Lissa brought Rose back to life and she became shadow kissed.

✧While trying to leave the academy Rose and Lissa get caught and taken to Kirova. After explaining everything, she puts Lissa and Miss Karp on antidepressants.

✧The three of them start to do research on their powers and find out what Spirit is.

✧Victor kidnaps not only Lissa but also Rose so she can't track them and tell the guardians. He keeps the girls captive for a year until a team of guardians finds them.

✧After they go back to the academy, Rose feels powerless and wants to learn how to protect herself, not only with physical defense but also with her magic. She then forms a group with Christian (who she knew from fire magic class), Mason (who was a good friend since they were little, still a dhampir), and Eddie.

✧Since Rose and Christian become friends, Lissa and Christian start hanging out too and later start dating.

✧The Strigoi attacks still happen and when they go to the ski resort for Christmas she meets Adrian Ivashkov. He starts helping Lissa and Sonya with their Spirit research.

✧After Mia's mom is killed in one of the attacks she joins their group. They decide to steal information from the guardians and go haunt Strigoi themselves.

✧The Strigoi kidnap them and Mason dies saving the others. When the guardians find them, they had killed the Strigoi with their magic.

✧Adrian went back to St. Vladimir's with the rest of them and helped the girls with Spirit. After spending so much time together, he and Rose start dating.

✧The Academy attack led by Strigoi does happen, Rose and Christian along with Eddie help kill a big number of Strigoi.

✧They graduate from the Academy and go to Court.

✧While visiting there, Victor Dashkov escapes from Tarasov and murders Queen Tatiana. He is then killed for high treason.

✧Lissa runs for Queen of the Moroi world and wins the election. The first thing she does is approve Moroi to fight alongside guardians if they want to, and to be taught at academies defensive and offensive magic.

✧At Vasilissa's coronation, Natalie Dashkov wants vengeance for her father's death and tries to shoot Lissa but Rose puts herself in front of her and gets shot instead. She heals by herself and the girls lose their bond.

✧Needing some time off from her chaotic life, Rose goes to Europe all alone for almost a year.

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Chapter Text

Looking out the plane's window, Rose saw the illuminated landing strip and the glow of the moon. She mentally thanked humans for their night-time flights. She was sure she would faint if exposed to sunlight, considering how exhausted she felt after her journey from Portugal.

While impatiently waiting for her luggage, Rose started wishing she was traveling with only one backpack, to be able to get out of the airport quickly. Once she had all her bags with her and she crossed the front doors, she immediately started searching for the familiar green eyes she had missed so much. She found them near the entrance and walked straight toward her boyfriend, eager to be in his arms.

"Little Zmeytte," Adrian said, hugging her close and kissing the top of her head, "I missed you so much. Spirit dreams don't do you justice".

Rose leaned back from their embrace just enough to look at his face. As she took in his smile, his hair, and his scent, she realized how much she had missed him. Knowing words wouldn’t be enough to properly demonstrate what she was feeling at that moment, she placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer, joining their lips for a tender kiss.

Only after all the hugging and kissing did Rose and Adrian head to his car and drove away.

"Okay, I have good and bad news for you," Adrian said, giving her a quick glance before turning his eyes back to the road again.

"Oh no. What is it?" In her head, Rose was already imagining several bad scenarios. What if something had happened to Lissa since the last time they spoke? What if she was in danger because of the radical changes she was making in the Moroi world?

"Relax, it’s not that bad. You don't have to make that face," Adrian said, chuckling.

"Don't worry me like that!" Rose lightly slapped his arm, "I thought something bad had happened to Lissa".

At that, his smile faded a little. Adrian knew how protective Rose was of Lissa. While the two girls had had their one-sided bond, the caring friendship and sisterhood they had once shared, since their kindergarten days, was forever changed for Rose. Being able to read Lissa’s mind had created a protective instinct for Rose that never went away, even after the psychic bond was broken. Adrian had seen firsthand how rough the month after Lissa’s murder attempt had been for Rose, especially since he had been the one constantly by her side.

"Sorry," he said, placing a hand on her thigh and squeezing it lightly "There’s just been a change of plans. Instead of going straight to Court to meet with Lissa, we're stopping at your house. Your father's orders".

"What do you mean, my father's orders?" Rose asked, with a smirk on her face.

Adrian kept his eyes on the road, but that didn't hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks. Rose laughed, she knew how intimidating the Zmey could be, and the idea of him showing up at Adrian's place to give him orders was something she would have liked to witness.

Adrian could be intimidating when he wanted to, and being an Ivashkov did get people to respect him, but she knew he had nothing on her father. Ibrahim Mazur was the scariest person Rose knew. Every time she saw him working, and even speaking within the high society and with high-ranking figures, her respect for him grew, and she felt even prouder of being Abe's daughter.

"Go ahead, laugh at my misery," Adrian was trying to conceal a smile of his own but failing miserably. As they laughed together, Adrian kept sneaking glances at her, the love he felt for the brown-haired girl clear in his eyes.

"So, you're not mad about it?" he finally asked when their laughter died down.

"Oh I'm mad," Rose said, sobering up Adrian immediately. Sensing his tension, she chuckled and ran her fingers along the back of his neck. "I'm mad at my father. He had no right to do that, I'm legally an adult".

"Rose, he hasn't seen you since you came home for Christmas. It’s been six months, of course he wants to see you and make sure you're okay," Adrian said softly "Don't be so hard on him".

Not long after they left the airport, they were pulling into the Mazur estate and parked in front of the house. They got out of the car, Adrian carrying Rose’s suitcase, and headed to the front door. Just as Rose grabbed her keys, she felt Adrian's hand wrap around her waist, pulling her against him, the suitcase now abandoned.

"We still have to make up for the time you were gone," he said, turning her around so they were face to face, and gently pressing her against the wall. "And I'd rather do it while you're still in a slightly good mood".

Before she could respond or process Adrian’s last sentence, he crashed his lips against hers. Rose kissed him back eagerly. This was nothing like the kiss at the airport. This kiss one was intense, hungry, passionate. This was them when they were together, entirely wrapped up in each other, having fun.

When the sound of the door opening reached them a few minutes later, they reluctantly broke apart. Adrian slid his hands away from her butt, though he still held her close.

Standing at the entrance was a tall man, at least six foot six, probably in his late twenties. His shoulder-length brown hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and Rose only got to meet his dark brown eyes for a second, before getting quickly distracted by his clothing choice.

Really? A duster? We aren't in western Europe, comrade!, **and even as she was having that thought, she wished she could say the long brown coat was taking away from his hotness.

As he stood there, looking at them with an unreadable expression, Rose tried to place his face. Although he had a familiar air to him, she was sure they hadn’t met before. It was clear he was a dhampir, but she didn't remember him as one of the family's guardians or one of his father's lackeys.

"Can we help you?" Rose asked, stepping away from the wall.

The man gracefully swept them a bow, “My name is Dimitri Belikov, Lady Mazur.” His Russian accent unmistakable for Rose, it was one she had heard many times before. And his use of her royal title only confirmed her suspicion that they’d never met, since she didn’t particularly like to use it on her day to day life and was on a first name basis with all the family staff.

The silence that lingered after his presentation and Rose’s expectant look must have made the guardian realize that Rose had never heard of his name, making him clarify his presence. "I am your sanctioned guardian".

Rose waited a few seconds for him to drop the punchline, but as the silence continued, realization hit her. He was being serious, this wasn’t a joke.

"Oh," she growled, walking past Adrian and the Russian guy to step into her house, "I don't think so".

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Chapter Text

"Dad!" Rose shouted as she entered the house, followed by Adrian and Dimitri, "Are you serious?".

"She's alive after all!" Abe exclaimed as Rose came into the living room, where he was drinking his whiskey. "May I know what we’re arguing about?".

"Why the hell did you hire me a guardian?" she crossed her arms against her chest, her fury radiating from her body.

Settling his glass down, Abe stood up and sighed before answering his daughter, "I didn't hire anyone for you," he said calmly "Guardian Belikov isn't unpromised, he was actually assigned to you".

"But I didn't request a guardian after graduation. That's not possible," she said sharply, not believing a word her father said. Rose looked back at the man that was now standing at the entrance of the room, both his face and posture like stone. "Come on, old man, you know I don't need anybody's protection".

"Rose," Abe started in a soft voice, one he reserved only for his family, "We all know you're tough and capable of fighting your own battles, but you're still a Moroi, a royal one, in particular. You need protection".

“Adrian is royal and he doesn’t have a guardian,” she countered, looking at her boyfriend, who stood next to her with a guilty expression.

“Actually,” he started, “since we’re going to Lehigh, I also got a guardian. Lissa wanted all of us to be safe. Especially you.”

“Wait!” Rose said when she finally processed Adrian’s words “Lissa did this? I thought she was on my side!”

“She is on your side Rose! We all are!” Abe exclaimed, raising his voice in frustration. “Why can’t you see that you aren’t unbeatable? The scar you have on your shoulder proves it!” The man picked up his glass to take a sip when he saw the tiniest amount of hurt on his daughter’s face when she averted her gaze, “Strigoi aren’t the only dangerous creatures out to hurt us right now, Rose. And unlike them, you can’t just incinerate a person”.

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, making her stumble back into Adrian’s arms. He caught her and held her steady. She tried to regain her balance, but her vision began to blur.

“Are you okay, little Zmeyette?” Adrian asked in a worried tone as he helped her sit down on the couch.

“I’m fine,” Rose muttered, holding her hand to her throbbing head and blinking rapidly to refocus her vision. She tried to stand again but collapsed back onto the cushions, her legs too weak to support her.

Just then, the nausea that began the day before became too unbearable to ignore. With all her excitement about returning home, she hadn’t even thought about feeding, she’d associated her exhaustion entirely on travel.

“You’re really pale,” Adrian observed, crouching in front of her, with her father and Dimitri coming to stand behind him, concern written on both of their faces. "And your aura looks kind of dull. When was the last time you fed?”

Knowing that neglecting such an important thing as feeding wouldn’t help her case, Rose decided to play dumb. "I ate an apple during the layover in New York."

Letting out a sigh, Adrian gave her a disapproving look. When she looked up, her father wore the same expression, and though Dimitri’s remained unreadable, there was something in it that told her he didn’t approve either.

“Four days,” she admitted in defeat, looking down at her hands. Refusing to meet their eyes, she just listened as her father exhaled deeply and walked out into the hallway, while Adrian ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“Really, Rose?” Adrian asked, making her look up. "You could have told me you were hungry when I picked you up. I would’ve stopped by a feeder bank."

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, her voice cracking, "I was trying so hard to ignore it that I actually forgot about it”.

“I’m going to get something for you to eat, it will help a little,” Adrian said heading toward the kitchen.

Rose looked up and found Dimitri still watching her. “If you’re going to lecture me too, just get it over with, cowboy”.

His eyes stayed on her for a moment longer before he finally shook his head, the faintest smile tugged at his lips. “It is not my place to comment, Lady Mazur”.

He turned away and she closed her eyes. Her thoughts were growing slower by the minute, and the need to sleep getting bigger. She leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, only opening them when she felt her father’s presence back in the room.

“A feeder is coming,” he said. “They’ll be here in thirty minutes”.

Nodding, Rose closed her eyes again ready to drift off. “No, don’t fall asleep. It will be worse for the feeding” Abe spoke firmly. “Belikov, carry her to the kitchen, please”.

Rose tried to protest and push herself off the couch but failed. Dimitri stepped forward and, without hesitation, slid one arm around her back and the other beneath her legs, lifting her effortlessly. They were so close that she could smell his aftershave.

As he set her down gently on a kitchen stool, Adrian placed a plate in front of her. “Pepperoni with extra cheese, your favorite”.

Rose gave Adrian a weak smile and picked up the slice, taking a bite. Before she knew it, she’d finished it, and Adrian was filling her plate with another slice.

For a Moroi, Rose’s appetite was impressive. She had always loved food and ate in much larger portions than most Moroi. In fact, her appetite wasn’t the only thing different from her kind’s normal standards. Her skin, instead of pale, was as tanned as it could be, considering her almost non-existent sunlight exposure. Even though she was tall, most of the time Rose was the shortest of the group, except when Mia Rinaldi was around. And her body’s curves were another thing that made her stand out. Having big breasts and sexy curves wasn’t really common among Moroi girls.

Coming to stand behind his girlfriend, Adrian placed a kiss on the top of her head, “You feel better now?”.

Rose nodded and leaned back into him. After a few minutes of light conversation to keep her awake, the feeder finally arrived. As the Moroi in charge prepared the feeder, Adrian helped Rose get up and guidded her to the middle-aged woman sitting in the breakfast nook.

"I'm sorry," Rose murmured before leaning down and biting the women’s neck.

As blood filled her body, Rose felt the energy filling her back up. Unable to stop herself, she drank a bit more than necessary. Only the thought that what she was drinking was the blood of a living person, one that could easily be killed, made her pull away.

Wiping her mouth, Rose licked her lips and went upstairs without saying a word to anyone. Flopping down on her bed, she closed her eyes and fell asleep within minutes.

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Rose opened her eyes and looked around. Her bedroom was pitch black but that didn’t mean anything to her, even if the sun was blazing outside, she wouldn’t see it, thanks to the tinted windows and thick curtains.

She felt a weight on her stomach and looked to her side, meeting a sleeping Adrian. Carefully taking his arm off of her, Rose got out of bed and went into her ensuite bathroom to take a shower and change from the previous day’s clothes.

It took her longer than usual to get ready to get ready, the warmth of the water too comforting to leave. Only when her stomach growled did she finally head downstairs.

In the kitchen, Rose had already prepared her scrambled eggs and was starting to toast some bacon slices when, out of the sudden, a deep voice startled her.

"Lady Mazur?" Dimitri said from behind her.

Rose jumped, dropping the package with the bacon onto the counter. Turning around, she found the Russian guardian standing a few feet away, looking faultless. He must be one of those lucky people God chose to bless with permanent hotness. I really hate him, she thought.

"Don't do that so early in the morning," Rose said to him with no energy present in her voice. "And don't use titles, it makes me feel old". As she turned her attention back to her breakfast, Rose thought she’d caught the faintest hint of a smile on Dimitri’s face, but she didn’t turn around to make sure.

"Of course, Miss Mazur. I'm sorry," he said, clasping his hands behind his back.

Rose groaned at that, it seemed like it would be difficult with him, "I should’ve been more specific. Just call me Rose, cowboy.”

Silence filled the kitchen then, only the sound of the sizzling bacon filling the air. That and the steady rhythm of Dimitri’s heartbeat that Rose’s Moroi hearing could still pick up, indicating he was still in the room.

"What about a deal?" Belikov asked suddenly, stepping away from the doorway and closer to her. "I'll start calling you Rose and drop the formalities, and, in return, I would like if you’d stop calling me cowboy".

Rose shot him a quick look before turning back around and putting the bacon on a plate, afraid that it would burn. Placing the plate on the kitchen island, she walked around it, closer to him, and leaned on it. "What would I call you then?”

"What about Dimitri?" he asked, his tone even, though there was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite read.

She looked him up and down, her lips curling into a smirk before answering. "Well, if we’re stuck with each other, we might as well be comfortable" Rose extended her hand toward him. "I’d say we have a deal, no more cowboy".

As he shook her hand lightly, a small shiver ran through her. The firmness and yet softness in his touch caught her off guard.

Settling onto her stool, Rose gestured toward the plate. "You can help yourself to some bacon if you want, comrade."

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Chapter Text

"You have to be here tomorrow night Rose," Lissa told her best friend over the phone. The Mazur family had just finished eating lunch when Lissa had called, "It's not just my going to college dinner, it's also yours and Adrian's".

"Liss, you know that if it was up to me I would already be there," Rose said, settling down on the couch next to Adrian and giving a meaningful glare to her father "But Zmey is keeping me here". That statement made a smirk grow on Abe’s face, who was on the sofa across from them.

"Tell him it's a Queen's order. Actually put me on speaker I want to talk to him".

"As you wish Your Majesty," Rose said, putting the phone on the coffee table "You can talk now".

"Hello Abe," Lissa said "How are you doing?".

"Vasilisa" Abe said. For the last three years, since the death of Lissa's family, Rose's father welcomed Lissa into his home like a daughter, whenever the girls weren't at the Academy. He wasn't a soft man but he cared for her "Better now that I'm talking to you".

"Is Adrian around?" Lissa asked.

"Cousin dearest," Adrian said, putting an arm around Rose's body "How's the throne treating you?".

Hearing more movement than usual from the guardians, Rose looked up and found them switching shifts. As Dimitri took his position near the living room's door, their eyes locked and Rose forced herself to look down and focus on the conversation again.

"Well, a lot of paperwork, but besides that, it's been great," she said with a sigh. "But let's not talk about that. Abe, I'm hosting a dinner tomorrow and I need Rose and Adrian to be here, I would also appreciate it if you'd join us. I would like to thank you in person for buying us our apartments".

"Apartaments? As in more than one?" Rose asked, confused "Weren't we supposed to live together? That's part of the experience".

"You will live together," my father said "I bought two apartments. One for the three of you and one for the guardians. "

Adrian and Rose looked at each other as they thought about the same thing, We're gonna have our own room.

"But I made sure that your apartment has three bedrooms" the tone of Abe's voice was really clear, "All of them are to be used".

Through the phone, Lissa let out a chuckle, "I agree with that, I would like peaceful and soundless nights of sleep".

"Oh shut up," Rose said, feeling her cheeks heat up a little "I had to endure your sex life for three years, and more directly than I would ever like to".

"On the positive side, Christian only came along this last year," Adrian said with a laugh, making Rose laugh too.

A sharp cough from Abe made them gain their composer again, "Let's get to the serious business".

"Thank you, Abe, I appreciate it," Lissa said before clearing her throat "If Janine could come, I'd like that too".

"Janine is already at St Vladimir's, I don't think she'll be able to make it," Abe said, "But if it makes you that happy we'll attend your dinner, we'll be there tomorrow morning, right at sunset".

"Thank you so much Abe," Lissa said. "I'll have my best wine served just for you".

"Okay, okay," Rose said, picking up the phone and taking it off the speaker, "Enough with the suck-up talk, how's Sparky?".

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It was now 10 p.m. and darkness had completely overtaken the sky now since the sun had set. Rose and the rest of the group, Abe, Adrian, and their respective guardians, arrived a couple of hours prior and they dispersed to attend to their busy schedules. Abe and his guardians went to take care of some, probably illegal, business of his. Adrian went to his parent's house, and since the guardians weren't necessary for court grounds, Dimitri and Tristan, Adrian's guardian, went off to do their things. Rose, on her end, had gone to Lissa’s place where they were still catching up on everything before getting ready for the night out they had planned.

"I still can't believe Mia is your assistant now," Rose said, laying across Lissa's bed as the queen finished applying her creams in front of the mirror. "She was such a bitch before. Do you remember the drama that she created with Aaron because of Andre?" Rose said, giving a little chuckle as she remembered the feud the girls had had.

"I know right. Do you remember when you broke her nose?" Lissa said with a laugh, getting up and laying next to her friend. “I missed you so much, Rose”.

“I know, I missed you too," she said, picking up Lissa's hand. As she looked at it, the big diamond ring on her finger shone bright, "I can't believe that bastard didn't wait until I was here to propose to you, we didn't celebrate the way we should have".

Lissa ignored the name-calling part, she knew Rose and Christian had a complex sibling-type relationship. "Well, from what I heard we'll make up for it tonight".

Rose scrunched up her nose, "Adrian wouldn't tell me anything when I asked what he had planned for our night out. The only thing I know is that we’ll probably have to sneak you away from your guardians.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Lissa said, the double meaning hinting at the use of compulsion didn’t go unnoticed by Rose and she smirked. “You’re not mad at me because of Guardian Belikov, right?” Lissa, just to make sure.

Rose let out a long sigh and sat up, resting her back against the headboard. “Not anymore, I was for a little bit, but I guess I understand your side. I just wish it wasn’t necessary you know?”.

“Believe me I know,” Lissa said, her tone heavy. Right at that moment, Rose felt as if their bond was still in place and she could read inside Lissa’s mind. She could see in her best friend’s face all the worries and responsibilities she was dealing with at the moment, and she wished that things could go back to a simpler time, before the car accident.

Rose got up and dragged Lissa out of bed with her, “Come on, you might know what you’re wearing tonight but I don’t” she said, “Let’s go to that store we used to go to when we were little”.

A grin grew on Lissa’s face, “Actually, you won’t be needing that. I got you a homecoming gift”. 

"Lissa…" Rose started to protest but one look from her best friend and she closed her mouth. Lissa went into her walk-in closet and a few moments later came out with two black bags made to store dresses inside. She set them on her bed and opened them up.

" Ta-da !" Lissa said with a huge smile on her face. Rose looked at the dresses, both of them were beautiful in their own way. "Why two dresses?" Rose asked, completely taken by surprise.

"Well, I thought you would look good with both, I couldn’t choose". Rose looked at the first dress, it was long and silky black, it had only one long sleeve making it one-shouldered and it also had a split almost as big as her entire leg. The other one was a velvet wine red dress, with a square cleavage, lots of it actually,  long elegant sleeves, and it would fit her a little bit above her knees, hugging every curve she had. She picked up the second one.

"This is the one," she said, imagining herself in it. "This is the kinda dress that makes people stop and admire".

"I'm glad you like it," Lissa said as Rose squeezed her hand and bounced on her toes. It wasn't a common thing nowadays, they both had to mature quickly because of the things life threw at them and Lissa knew Rose had made her life mission to always be ready for the next hit. Seeing her so genuinely happy and light-hearted made it all worth it. "I’m sorry I missed your birthday, I had planned a quick trip back home but I just…” Rose stopped midsentence, not sure how much to give away at that moment, “I just… I couldn’t come back and leave all the research I’d done so far at the moment, not when I was so close to finding out how…”

“Rose, don’t worry about that now, of course, I wish you had been here but I understand why you couldn’t,” Lissa said still holding her best friend's hands and looking softly in her eyes, trying to reassure her, “I understood then and I still do now, I would never hold that against you. But let’s not worry about that now”.

Rose noted a gleam take over Lissa’s eyes and got wary of what her friend had coming, “Liss, what do you have planned?”.

“Well, since we have a few hours to kill before getting ready and Christian is spending the day with Tasha, I arranged a spa morning for us. And guess who was available today”

A smile took over Rose’s face as she remembered the last summers the two had spent at court together before Lissa was queen and she had left for her travels, “Vasilisa Sabina Rhea, you are engaged and I’m… Well, I guess I’m a committed woman as well”.

“That doesn’t stop up from looking at the views,” Lissa said with a cheeky giggle, “And I know you find Ambrose one hell of a view”.

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Chapter Text

"Before we go, I would like to propose a toast, everyone", Abe Mazur said, standing up with a glass of champagne raised in front of him. "To Rose and Lissa, my marvellous girls. And to Adrian.” He added, sharing a respectful nod with him. “To the new chapter of your lives. But keep in mind that I’m too young for grandchildren!". Rose, Adrian, Christian, and Lissa shared a knowing smile as they touched their flutes and downed them in one movement.

Everyone at the table raised a glass and happily cheered, a little too tipsy to feel uncomfortable with Abe's comment. Although it was a small feast meant for their inner circle, the palace’s formal dining room was filled with guardians lining the walls. Their black suits contrasted against the green and gold decorations that matched the Dragomir crest. Adrian’s parents were present. Even if they didn't exactly approve of a Mazur marrying into the Ivashkovs, they were acting fairly pleasant. Rose was certain that it was only because Adrian was resuming his higher education and they knew it was because of her. Sonya Karp, Lissa's mentor, was also in attendance, along with her boyfriend Mikhail Tanner. Both he and Eddie Castile had taken the night off and were there as guests of the Moroi girls. Next to Eddie were Mia Rinaldi and his charge, Jill Dragomir. Natasha Ozera had shown up a little later than everybody else but had managed to get on their level by that point.

Just as their evening together was coming to an end, everyone started to say their goodbyes to one another. While Adrian said goodbye to his parents, Rose was hugging Sonya and Mikhail. The couple had taken Rose like a sort of niece since her early days at the Academy, especially after the Spirit incident happened. “Are you gonna be able to stay out of trouble?”, Mikhail asked her, knowing her tendency to act recklessly. More often than not, he had had to act in Rose’s defense against Kirova, not even her royal status was enough to save her most of the time. “At least Belikov will be there, you got lucky kid he’s one of the best”.

Although Rose trusted Mikhail’s word, she doubted he was right. After their conversation the previous day, Rose wasn’t so against the idea of having Dimitri following her around, but he had also made it very clear that his flexibility had limits. “If you say so”, she said to Mikhail, sneaking a look at her guardian. To her surprise, he was happily talking to Tasha, with a smile so big on his face that it went completely against the image of him Rose had created in her head.

Adrian caught Rose by surprise when he put his arms on her shoulders, bringing her attention back to the group. “Sonya. Mikhail. I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to steal her away now. Thank you so much for coming”. Rose waved to them and the rest of the people she hadn’t had the time to properly say goodbye to as they joined their group of friends at the entrance of the room.

Next to Christian and Lissa, who were entertained in their own world, stood Mia and Eddie chatting in a happy mood. “Rose!” Eddie said, putting a friendly arm around her and ruffling her hair, gaining himself a punch on the ribs from her part, “You were gone for a long time, you think you’ll be able to keep up?”.

“Watch it Castile” Rose said, fixing her hair, “And you should worry about yourself, Russian vodka’s no joke”.

Tristan, Adrian’s new guardian, whispered something to him and a smile broke out on the brunette’s face. “The car has arrived everyone, let’s go have some fun”. At that, the six of them left the palace, talking and laughing obnoxiously, and got in the back of the royal limousine. The court acted as a mini-town, and as they left the residential palace, they passed several guesting house buildings, a small mall-type commercial building, and then some headquarters for the guardians and the official Moroi bureau. Finally, after a couple of minutes, their final destination came into sight. Byzantium could be read on the side of the industrial-looking building in red neon lights.

As they got out of the car right outside of the best Moroi club in the country, they passed the line at the front entrance and entered the club through the side door. They were guided up the stairs to the VIP section and immediately served some top-shelf drinks. One of the four guardians that always travelled with Lissa stayed at the bottom of the stairs, another one stayed at the railing of the small balcony, scanning the rest of the club for strange activity, and the remaining two lined the back of the wall. The club was full for it to be the end of summer so they couldn’t take any risks, always staying vigilant.

The group of Moroi and Eddie took off their jackets and plopped down on the long round velvet couch. As soon as a waitress took their specific orders, Rose climbed to sit on Adrian’s lap and gave him a long kiss on the lips. “Damn. You’re not going to start eating each other’s faces right away, are you? It’s disgusting” Christian yelled from across them, the music so loud that yelling was the only way to communicate.

“Liss, your boyfriend didn’t get enough attention today” Rose yelled back with a smirk.

Christian flipped her off, but Lissa just laughed, her golden hair falling from her shoulders “God I missed you”.

After a bit, when their drinks arrived, Rose picked up her vodka soda from the tray and lifted it up “Long live the queen! And that tonight shall be a fucking good one.”.

🌹

A few hours later, sweat was dripping down Rose’s forehead. She and Adrian were down on Byzantium’s dancefloor, grinding up on each other with drinks on their hands. Christian and Lissa were taking a break from the dancing, upstairs in the VIP balcony, making out and enjoying their time together. Half an hour prior, Eddie and Mia had called it a night, saying something to do with “having to work tomorrow”.

As the music ended, Adrian kissed Rose’s neck and then talked next to her ear loud enough for only her to hear, “Let’s get out of here, this place is getting too crowded”.

“I like the sound of that”, Rose said, taking his hand and going back to their table upstairs, having to squeeze through the crowd. “Liss, Adrian and I are leaving, see you tomorrow?”. The young queen instantly shot up, stumbling a little bit, and threw her arms around Rose.

“But Rooose, we haven’t spent any time together yet” she said slurring her words, and Rose could smell the alcohol from all the Martini’s she had drunk. “Can’t you stay a little tiny bit longer?”

Rose and Adrian exchanged a look and it was clear that whatever the two of them had in mind would have to wait for even later, “Fine, but not here. It’s way too hot”. The four of them left the club and as soon as they stepped outside the breeze of fresh air cleared their heads a bit. Instead of getting in the car, they started walking towards the inside of the court grounds, Lissa and Rose both with their heels on hand. Although the sun was out, being 11 a.m. in human time, there were enough clouds in the sky to not make them feel extremely uncomfortable.

“Hey look” Adrian said, breaking the senseless conversation between them and nodding towards a glass building, “Aunt Tatiana and I used to sneak into that greenhouse to share a cigarette when I was younger, she had installed a sun-blocking system so we could be there when the sun was out”.

“Is it unlocked?” Rose asked, looking up at her boyfriend. When he nodded, she started moving towards the glass structure “Let’s go then, even though I like a tan, I’m way too dehydrated to be out in the sun”.

“Aye aye, captain” Christian agreed, with his arms around Lissa to keep her up. “Besides, this one is too out of it to go back to the palace”.

Before they could enter the greenhouse Lissa’s guardians insisted on doing a sweep of the place to ensure her security before letting the group go in. When they were finished, Lissa insisted for them to stay positioned outside as she and the others got in.

“I'm so tired of this,” Lissa said, as Christian gave her a paper cup full of water that he had somehow found, and Adrian activated the darkening mode. “I hate not being able to go anywhere without guardians just because my ideals are different than the more conservative Moroi. No other king or queen had to go through this”.

"Has it really been that bad over here? You guys only told me that the people were unhappy about certain measures" Rose said, plopping down on the floor.

Lissa followed suit, resting her head on her best friend's shoulder, "They have been protesting, and I've been receiving threats".

"Wait what?" Christian practically yelled, his face masked with surprise and worry, "Since when? Why am I only hearing about this now?"

"It's no big deal. I didn't want to worry anybody that's all" Lissa said calmly, her words still slurring a little bit.

Noticing that Christian was preparing for a fight, Adrian put his hand up to stop him "She's not sober enough to discuss this yet, save it for tomorrow". Rose wanted to demand an explanation as much as Christian but instead petted Lissa's head. "What were they threatening you about, Liss?".

Lissa shrugged her shoulders and spoke with her eyes closed, "It started when I passed the law for optional use of defensive magic. It got worse when I allowed the institution of offensive magic classes at the academies. I don’t get it, if you don’t want to use your magic to fight then don’t do it but why stop the ones who want to?” a moment of silence passed through the four of them before Lissa spoke again, “I don’t even want to think about what they’ll do when we implement the research groups at court that the Council and I have been discussing”.

Rose let out a sigh, “Liss you’re gonna have to tell the Guardians that, they have to know”. By then all four of them were sitting on the ground, the happy mood surrounding them had vanished. In their heads, they were all thinking about how things had changed from when they first got together and all they had to worry about was to keep spirit a secret.
Taking them all by surprise, the greenhouse door sprung open, and at least twenty guards swarmed the group and took Lissa and Christian away with them. “Wait! What the fuck is going on?” Rose yelled standing up and trying to reach her friends.

A hand involved her arm and pulled her back. As she turned around, she saw Dimitri standing there, “Don’t try to interfere, they won’t hurt her.”. Rose looked back at the commotion and saw Lissa and Christian being put in a car. As she paid more attention, she saw the black and white uniform the guardians were wearing. The Queen's guard.

“What’s happening? Why are they taking her?” Rose asked Dimitri, more calmly. He let go of her arm as Adrian came to stand next to Rose. Dimitri looked right in her eyes, trying to convey something that she wasn’t understanding.

Taking a deep breath, Dimitri straightened up and then answered her question, “There has been an attack. They tried to kill Princess Jillian Dragomir.”

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Chapter Text

Looking at the clock on the wall, Rose saw that it had been more than two hours since the guardians took her and Adrian into a small conference room at the guardians' headquarters. After the attack, Dimitri and Tristan were ordered to take their charges to the room until it was considered safe for them to leave. A few minutes prior, a guardian came to take their statements about their night. That was when they got news for the first time about Lissa, Christian, and Jill. Both Lissa and Christian were being kept isolated for security purposes and Jill was heavily guarded at the infirmary.

"Take me to see Jill" Adrian had said to the guardian who interviewed them as he was about to leave.

"I'm sorry Lord Ivashkov, but that isn't an option" he had responded.

Adrian got close to him, and for a moment Rose thought he was about to use compulsion, but he didn't. "Look, if Jill is in the infirmary, that means she was injured, and, in case you weren't filled in, Lissa isn't the only Spirit user at Court. So talk to your superior or whoever you need to, but you have to take me to her so I can heal the princess".

That had done it because shortly after, Adrian and Tristan left to see Jill. Now there were only Rose and Dimitri left in the room, Dimitri standing close to the door, and Rose seated in a lounge chair in the middle of the room. They hadn't said anything to each other since he broke the news to her, and the fact that Rose wasn't nagging him to get as much information as she could or pacing around the room impatiently spoke volumes about how much she'd grown in the last months, at least in her opinion. Suddenly, Dimitri broke their silence when he left his position near the door to walk over to the small table filled with beverages. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked, looking at Rose.

Rose broke away from her thoughts and looked up at him, "Um... No, thank you. I don't touch that stuff".

"What about hot chocolate?" he asked, looking back down at the selection available on the table.

"Sure" Rose answered. She then watched as he dumped two packets of instant hot chocolate into each cup and then filled them with hot water.

"Here," he said as he handed her a cup and then sat down across from her with his own. "Doubling it is the secret". Rose was a bit taken by surprise by his actions but refrained from commenting. She instead continued to think about the events since the attack. About the threats Lissa had received, how someone tried to kill Jill, and the questions she and Adrian had been asked. Something was bugging her about that. Although the guardian had asked mostly about Lissa, a considerable amount of questions were about Eddie. About his mood, the time he had left, and how much he had drunk. Rose had a feeling there was something they weren't telling them.

"Why were so many of the questions about Eddie?" Rose finally asked Dimitri, looking him in the eyes.

Dimitri didn't answer right away, he took a sip from his cocoa and only then met Rose's glance. "From what I heard, in order to protect Princess Dragomir, Guardian Castile killed a Moroi".

"Ok," Rose said, waiting to hear the problem "And what?".

Dimitri held her confused gaze and with a smoother voice continued "Rose, a dhampir killing a Moroi is an extremely hard offense"

"Yes, of course. I know that" Rose contested, the agitation she was starting to feel clear in her voice "But he did it because he had to, Eddie was protecting Jill".

Dimitri maintained his calm posture when he answered her back, "Until they have considered all the factors involved, the guardians are keeping him locked up. Guardian Castile will most likely go to trial too".

"What?" Rose almost shouted, getting up from her seat with the shock, her cocoa still in hand, "We’re talking about Eddie for god's sake. He's the most honorable and, and... admirable guy I know. If he had the slightest chance of not killing the Moroi he wouldn't have done it".

She then looked at Dimitri, seeing his seemingly calm but surprised expression, and sat back down. She didn't mean to burst her outrage on him like that. "Could he be put on suspension?".

"That's one of the possible outcomes. But there's also a chance he'll be stripped of his title and duties"

"Well, that's just fucking stupid." Any efforts Rose had made to calm down, which weren't many, were ruined with that "Instead of wasting their time on Eddie, the guardians should be looking for the people threatening Lissa and are now attacking her family. Keeping a perfectly competent guardian on a cell won't do them any good".

Dimitri didn't respond to her, Rose suspected it was because he didn't want to endorse her opinions about his people, so she took a sip out of her drink to prevent herself from talking anymore.

"I read in your file about what you and your friends did back at St. Vladimir's, when the Strigoi invaded the campus," Dimitri said out of the blue, looking at Rose "It was very brave. Stupid, but still brave". She held his gaze for a while, but the intensity made her look down. It was still a turbulent memory for Rose, never being able to take the compliments that followed all the Strigoi killings she had accomplished alongside Eddie and Christian.

"It wasn't the stupidest thing I've done". Looking back up and with the knowledge that Dimitri knew her record-breaking disciplinary file, Rose carefully analysed his reaction to what she had said. His face didn't let any emotion be visible, like she had been expecting, but she could sense that his posture had become tenser. He most likely knew about the tragic events of Spokane. Not liking to recall what had happened during that Christmas, she tried to approach a lighter topic, "How many days did it take you to read my file?".

A one-sided smile appeared on his face and just when it seemed he was about to answer the door to the room opened. With a speed that took Rose by surprise, Dimitri got up from his seat and was back in his defensive position in an instant. Rose expected it to be Adrian and Tristan coming back but instead, it was her father, his promised guardian, and two other people. "Belikov, Croft wants to speak with you", Abe's guardian said and the two left the room.

"Rose" Abe said calling back her attention from the guardians "This is Jared..." he gestured to the human man standing next to him, he had blonde hair and seemed to be the same age as her father, what draw her attention however was the gold tattoo on his jaw, "... and Sydney Sage". Rose admitted that she wasn't the best when it came to protocol and etiquette, but she knew how to read a queue. So, when the blonde-haired and brown-eyed girl gave her a subtle shake of her head, she pretended that they had never met before.

Even if they had spent crazy days in Europe together.

"Nice to meet the both of you" Rose said, trying to hide her surprised and confused expression.

"Jared and I are going to an emergency meeting. Neither you nor Sydney were cleared to attend it so I thought you could show her the Court grounds until we're finished" Abe said matter of factly, not as a question. In different circumstances, Rose would have pushed to be at the meeting with the men but the chance of talking to Sydney alone and getting out of this building was overpowering her instinct to object.

"Yes of course," Rose said with the sweetest smile she could master, careful to hide her fangs. If Jared was anything like his daughter, and from what Rose had heard he was worse, hiding her fatal characteristics would help.

"We'll be going now then," Abe said looking at the time in his gold watch. "For security reasons, Belikov will accompany you girls. The guardians already did rounds on Court but you're still important to Vasilisa, it's better this way".

Rose only nodded, eager to be alone with Sydney. The two men left and a couple of beats after the door closed the two girls got closer to each other and let their façade break. "You could have told me that your best friend Lissa was THE Queen Vasilisa" Sydney said at the same time that Rose said, "You're the last person I expected to see here".

They were quiet for a second, just looking at each other and remembering the days when they were traveling through Europe, especially in Russia. "It's really nice to see you Sydney," Rose said with a sincere smile on her face.

The blonde alchemist hesitated for a second but ended up letting a half-smile slip into her face, "Yeah. You too."

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