Together Forever

Chapter Eight: The Wicked and Ex-Wicked Witch of the West

Lissa was so excited she practically skipped down the steps. I took a look around at my surroundings and sighed. Quite a few Moroi were standing at the end of the steps, cameras flashing. I grabbed Lissa's elbow, and pointed towards the crowd. She stopped in her tracks. Dimitri came to her other side, putting a hand on her shoulder. As we descended the stairs, the flashes from the cameras were starting to get really annoying. I grabbed the camera closest to me and threw it on the ground. The man shouted at me, but I ignored him. Once we made it through the crowd, we were greeted by Ambrose. Lissa squealed and threw her arms around him. I laughed at their reunion. 

"So, the rumors are true," Ambrose said as he noticed her baby bump.

"Yeah. They are." Lissa was beaming.

"Rose, long time no see," Ambrose joked. He pulled me into an embrace, causing me to laugh. He let go, holding me at arm's length. "So, is it official? You're Lissa's guardian now?"

I sighed. "I wish it were official--"

"It's official, Rose! You are my guardian," Lissa demanded.

"I guess it is official then. Well, it was great seeing you Ambrose. We better get going. We don't want to keep the royal bitch waiting."

Lissa sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Through the bond, I could tell she was laughing on the inside. But, she had to show dedication towards Queen Tatiana, like all royals. We said our goodbyes and headed off towards the Wicked Witch of the West's location. During the walk, Lissa's emotions were everywhere. She was anxious to get her family rights back, but she was nervous that she might screw up (which is impossible). Then she was excited for this meeting with Tatiana, but depressed because her family couldn't be here to witness her pregnancy or her representing the Dragomirs. And, of course, she had mixed feelings about Christian not being here. All this in a fifteen minute walk.  I nearly got a headache from her mood swings.

At one point, Lissa started to cry. We had to stop and sit down. Lissa put her head on my shoulder, telling me she couldn't represent the Dragomirs. That she couldn't be as good as her brother. After we got her calmed down, we kept walking. Five minutes later we were face to face with the Queen Bitch herself. 

"Vasilisa," she greeted, "I cannot believe that you're here." You could notice the disapproving look on her face from a mile away. "I heard about your... predicament last week and could not wait to see you. Please, step inside." As we were stepping inside, Tatiana pulled me aside by my arm. Lissa and Dimitri kept walking towards the chairs. "And you," she jabbed a finger into my arm, "how could you let this happen to Vasilisa? You know she will get harassed for this! This was so irresponsible of you! Will you ever learn?"

My mouth nearly hung open. "You're kidding, right? Is this about her pregnancy?" She nodded. "What was I supposed to do? Walk into her room and tell them to stop having sex?"

"She belongs with Adrian. We both know that."

"Yeah, well, that's not going to happen. Her and Christian aren't going to break up because you don't approve. Sorry to break it to you. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my charge."

I could've sworn she snarled. I walked over to Lissa and sat down next to her. Dimitri raised an eyebrow, but I just shook my head. Lissa asked what happened and I responded with, "Sorry I got you pregnant." She burst into a fit of laughter, guessing that the Queen Bitch blamed me for everything. Dimitri was confused, but it was adorable. I rarely see him like this, and it's a good feeling to know I know more than him about something. Tatiana walked into the room, eyeing us warily. Lissa quickly recovered from her laughing fit, and sat up straight.