Primal Desires

Chapter 7

AN: Parts of this chapter have been taken directly from Last Sacrifice as I wanted to use bits of Lissa's speech in this chapter. Just a quick disclaimer so I'm not sued haha.

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Rose's POV

"We're a people at war."

Lissa's voice rang out loud and clear. It came out softly, but with enough sternness to convey her authority. This definitely wasn't the first time Lissa was addressing her people in this huge room, but each time she did I was captivated by her words and her presence. I stood to the side of the stage, allowing myself a clear view of the audience and a strong vantage point to protect Lissa should something happen. I scanned the room and saw Christian and Adrian sat in the front row of seats below her. Dimitri and Eddie stood with their backs against the wall just to the side of them, keeping a constant watch on their charges, while also scanning the rest of the room like me. All the while concentrating on my duty, I listened eagerly to her words.

"We are constantly under threat, even more so now with the merciless attacks by Strigoi not far from here. And they are moving closer. They will no doubt be here soon." A wave of nervous murmurs spread across the room as Lissa paused. There had been reports of Strigoi attacks for weeks now, and when we had analysed them and looked at their locations during one of our guardian meetings, we identified that the killings were getting closer as the days went by. Everyone was on edge, concerned that the Strigoi were heading our way, and we had desperately been trying to come up with a plan of action.

Lissa continued. "But we are not just under threat by Strigoi. We are threatened by one another. We're divided. We fight with one another. Family against family. Royal against non-royal. Moroi against Dhampir. Can you see why the Strigoi are picking us off? They're at least united behind a goal: killing."

Lissa paused for affect and looked confidently around the room.

"We are one people," she continued. "Moroi and Dhampir alike."

The murmurs trickled across the room once more.

"And while it's impossible for every single person to get their way, no one will get anything done if we don't come together and find ways to meet in the middle-even if it means making hard choices."

A Moroi girl I didn't know took this moment to stand up and eagerly ask her question. "Is this about the Moroi that want to fight with their guardians? Has that been resolved yet?"

Lissa looked towards the woman, kindness and warmth spread across her features. "I understand that some Moroi are eager to get out there and help. And I am too. I support you." Numerous people in the audience began shaking their heads and folding their arms, physically showing their distaste to what their Queen had said. "But," she continued, "there are some people in this room and on this council that have clearly voiced their concerns about this matter."

"Too right!" A voice echoed from near the back of the room and a man in his mid-forties shot out of his seat in anger. The guardians near him all trained their eyes on him, wary and ready to apprehend if he did anything out of the ordinary. "We shouldn't have to fight! We shouldn't have to put our lives in danger for the likes of them!" Spitefulness dripped of his tongue at his use of the word 'them' as he gestured to us guardians place around the edge of the room.

Lissa spoke up, addressing the man directly. "While I do not appreciate your lack of respect for our friends that protect us, I do understand your concerns. I believe it is important that we have a choice." She began scanning the room again, her next words meant for everyone in the room. "I propose that Moroi have the freedom to fight should they wish to help. Whether physically or through magic, that decision is up to them. We shouldn't have to rely entirely on our guardians. We can be valuable to them. We can help them. We can learn to defend ourselves." Lissa saw the man about to protest again, but spoke up before he had the chance. "However," her voice called out, "it should not be mandatory. If you choose not to fight alongside your guardians then so be it. That's your decision."