Times Change (complete)

Chapter 41

"Just leave her as she is, because if she is reprimanded or punished in any public way. It could have the same effect on the younger generations of guardians and on the novices. If you want to punish her, then I advise that you do it in a way that no one can ever find out about. Such as not allowing her to progress any farther up the guardian ranks. She wants to be the head guardian of the entire guardian corps."

"All right." 

Aunt Tati turned back to Janine. "Hathaway, for as long as I remain alive you are banned from court. Under no circumstances are you to show your face at court. Unless you are summoned by the queen herself. I know that you have put in a request to be transferred back to the states. To court actually, which I was going to have approved, but not anymore. As of right now that request is denied. You will instead be transferred to guard Jesse Zeklos, who is banned from ever leaving New Delhi for the remainder of his life. You will remain his guardian until the day that you either die or retire. If you retire from the guardian corps you are to be removed from our society entirely. Be very thankful for Rose, because if it weren't for her I would have you stripped of your title and in prisoned you in Tarasov for life. You are a disgrace, not only to the title of guardian but to the position of motherhood. From this day forth, you are to forget that you ever gave birth to Rose. Because from this moment on her mother of record will be Guardian Alberta Petrova. Rose's last name will be legally changed to Mazur Badica dropping Hathaway all together. Until she and Dimitri get married then Belikov Ivashkov will be added to her name. Hathaway will be removed from her records completely. From now on you will be forgotten and stricken from the text, record and history books. The only place that you will ever be remembered is in the tally books. And only if your claimed kills can be verified as yours by more than just your word. Now find your charge and do your job!! When the Szelsky family return to Nepal you will pack and go to your new charge. You are dismissed Hathaway."

Janine just stood there staring at my Roza, "Badica?"

Abe laughed, "oh that's right, I never told you who I really am did I?"

Janine looked at him confused.

"My real name is Ibrahim Mazur Badica. I am the oldest son of Marcella Badica. Which means that I am the Badica prince. Which makes my only daughter the Badica princess. So, by trying to abort her you almost committed a royal assassination which is another reason you should be very damn thankful that you weren't successful. Because I would have called for you fucking head if you had been!!!"

For a few minutes Janine just stood there looking around her in shock. And then without a word she turned and stomped out of the tent. But at the entry way she stopped, turned back around and looked at my Roza. Before saying, "you are a worthless bitch, a useless whore who should never have been allowed to be born. You are a fucking parasite that sucks the very life out of every living thing that you touch, you destroy the life of everyone around you. When you fall, I will watch and laugh then I will celebrate your down fall." After she'd said her peace she turned and stormed out of the tent without ever looking back.

I turned Roza around to face me, "I am sooo sorry Roza. I should never have encouraged you to make peace with that woman. If I had only known the things that she has done to you... the things that she tried to do to you. I never would have encouraged you to even be in the same building as her much less the same room."

She reached up and cupped my cheek with her small but profoundly deadly hand. Before saying, "Mitya, you did what you thought was right at the moment with the information available to you at the time. You couldn't possibly imagine a mother who couldn't, or rather wouldn't, love her own child. Because you have a wonderful mother in Olena just like I do in Alberta. And you just couldn't see a mother treating her only child as Janine has done to me. I in no way blame you for any of this baby."