Shadow Rider (Vampire Academy Fanfic)

Chapter 2 - Rose

Lissa was stuck in another boring Moroi meeting, which meant that by default, I was too. I distracted myself from my boredom by analysing the meeting hall, constructing about a million different ways of diffusing a Strigoi attack. When I ran out of ideas, I switched roles; imagining that I was a Strigoi wanting to slaughter a room filled with very important royal Moroi. It was good practice, because the whole what-would-I-do-in-your-shoes mind-set allowed me to scheme ways of handling those situations just as well.

A knock on the heavy doors caught our attention. The guard standing there opened it and stepped aside, allowing in whoever was outside.

'Your majesty, you have guests,' said the guard smoothly.

And in came the two most remarkable people I'd ever seen in my life.

That was my first impression. My second impression was: damn, they're tall.

The man who strode in first was easily one of the hottest guys I'd ever laid eyes on – except for Dimitri, of course. He was just as tall, that is, two metres of glory. I could tell that he was Moroi, but despite that, his skin had a golden tan. The only other Moroi I had glimpsed a tan on was Mia Rinaldi, and that was because she spent the vampire night (which was actually day) secretly practicing guardian fighting.

The man's skin wasn't the only thing that was golden. His hair was thick and lush and curled just the slightest bit as it fell over his forehead. Even from such a far distance, his eyes gleamed blue-green. He held himself with such pride and self-assurance, taking long strides as he beamed at every member of this room. His muscular arms swung at his side, and I realised with a start that he was amazingly muscular for a Moroi. His shoulder-to-waist ratio could make even the most devoted nun drool with appreciation. I never thought I would say this after meeting Dimitri, but the golden boy looked like a God.

I heard Lissa gasp, which pretty much summed up every person's reaction to this gorgeous stranger.

The people present in the courtroom drew a collective breath, but even that couldn't have prepared us for what came next.

Following golden boy was a tall, dark shadow.

Well, not really a dark shadow, but she certainly looked like it. A dhampir guardian, I realised, judging by the way she walked behind her Moroi, slightly to the right. Her movements were so fluid it appeared she was gliding over the floor, and it was strange too, considering she was at least 1.80 metres in height, with a sturdy, strong build. In one long sweep, her eyes seemed to register every detail in this room. Her eyes, in startling contrast to the Moroi's, appeared black, like there was no difference between the pupil and the iris.

Her attire was by far the coolest I'd ever seen. She was dressed in all-black, covered from neck to toe, eerily reminding me of the Nazgul in Lord of the Rings, except the hood on her robe was pulled back, revealing her haggard and ragged face. Her features, although beautifully carved, were set in grim, unforgiving lines. A jagged scar cut down her forehead and left eyebrow, reaching all the way down to the tops of her cheek. It reminded me a little of Tasha Ozera's scar, although this guardian's scar didn't disrupt her features as much. No, the scar was beautiful in an entirely malicious way. It framed her face, and she seemed to wear it like a badge of honour.

Her black hair was set up in a seemingly ancient hairstyle. It was pulled back from her face, and as she and her companion turned to face Lissa, I saw that it was braided down her back. The lower section of her hair was knotted into dreads, with ebony feathers and silver rings braided into them.

'Your Majesty,' the Moroi began in a melodious, surprisingly deep voice. It reminded me of sweet honey and melted chocolate at the same time. He bowed gracefully, sweeping his arms out in most chivalrous fashion.

For a moment, Lissa just stared, dumbfounded. A second later, she hastily recovered and rose from her throne.

'Welcome,' she announced, her voice just as alluring, though not as confident. 'I was notified that we were receiving guests, but I wasn't expecting you this early.'

'My apologies, your Majesty. Certain circumstances pushed for our early arrival.' The Moroi dipped his head slightly, as if in preparation. 'Queen Dragomir, I'd like to show you something.'

Before Lissa could respond to that, something truly extraordinary happened. The Moroi raised his hand toward the vases by the door. The neatly cut bushes they held suddenly burst into life, growing twice their size.

All people in the room collectively drew in a stunned breath.

'Your Majesty,' announced the Moroi, 'I am Casimir Andrijevic, and I'm a Scandinavian Moroi.'