Ghost in the Roses

This time I come here of my own will. An idea brought me to her office and it just might work. It has to work. That vision the archangel gave me shook me to the core and something must be done to change the course. If Madam Svetochka agrees to help and set up this meeting, there might be hope for the future.

“Cadet Rivers, I’m surprised to see you. Not many cadets look for an excuse to visit me,” in the privacy of her office, she welcomes me to take a seat.

“Thank you, Madam,” I ease into the soft leather.

“In your message, you said that you have an idea on how to ease the tensions between the royals and Red, but want to meet in person to discuss the details of the plan.”

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about how the response’s due date for the Council’s advice is in a couple of days.”

“So, what?”

“Send me.”

“Send you to do what, exactly?”

“Send me to collect the Green Queen’s response. She will remember who am I.”

“There is no need to play at her heartstrings for what you’ve done for her to get her to cooperate. She informed me that she’s making personal arrangements to step down from the throne and the signed document is just a formality of our agreement. Too bad, I can’t say the same about the others.”

“That’s not the point. The thing is that I won’t be going alone.”

“Are you fucking serious?” she gets the hint.

“Why not? After so many years of assumptions about each other, the two just might clear enough air. If one of the most important players of the Red Movement and a queen make peace, then the transition of the system might go a lot smoother for the rest.”

“And what if she decides to strike down her estranged aunt?”

“That’s where I come into play. I’ll be the chaperone for this secret meeting. Besides, I really doubt Lada would want to harm her.”

Madam Svetochka finds the last sentence amusing. Even though I don’t blame her for chuckling at the such possibility, now is the time to explain why I think it’s a very likely one.

“She’s the one who warned me about the attack. Lada risked making enemies with the rouge revolutionaries who planted that bomb. That’s why I’m certain that she doesn’t want the Green Queen dead. I don’t think she wants anyone dead.”

“Hmm, wow. This might work.”

“Will you be sending me to the Green Domain then?”

“You know what. I think I will. I’ll tell the Green Queen you’ll be coming.”

“Thank you, Madam. I won’t disappoint you.”

“Setting up this meeting will be an easy task for me, but how will you convince Lada to go with you?”

“Madam, leave that to me.”

“No offense cadet, but you are just not that charming.”

“No, but I do know someone who will make her knees buckle,” I think back at what Lada once confessed to me on one of our dates.

Today is the day and it’s time to look for Lada. Right after classes, I collect my flying pass and go clean the saddle for September.

“Hey, before we go to the Green Queen’s palace, I need to make a quick stop in town,” I start working on at easing her into the idea.

Hrrrr? My dragon lifts her head out of the barrel, with pieces of chicken skin dangling from between her teeth. Gosh, this stuff really stinks, but dragons love, love, love fermented chicken and I’m trying by best to bribe her.

“Remember that girl I used to talk about all the time?”

Her suspicious stare tells me that she does.

“Well, we need to pick her up and she’ll be riding with us,” my mouth spits it out. Nervously, I bend and twist my index finger with my other hand and pray that she’ll agree.

Instead, she stares at me and my heart nearly breaks when she opens her jaws and lets all of the poultry pieces fall back into the barrel. The bribe has failed.

“September, please,” I beg her. “This is important. I really need you on this one.”

Grar-rar-rar. My scaled beauty turns away from me and the stinky offering.

“Please?” sweetly, I lean into her eyes. “The Green Queen needs to meet her.”

She growls a little more and endures me petting her neck. In the end, September fails to resist me and with a sigh, I watch her nod.

“Oh, thank you! thank you!” I hug her, but she only returns my affection with an eye roll.

Prffff! She’s annoyed at giving in and I know that I have to make this pick-up worth her while.

“Thank you. What can I do for you in return when we get back?”

With her chin still turned away from me, she continues to play hard to please.

“Do you want to go to the High Mountains at the border and look for more jewels for your collection?” lucky me, I know exactly what she enjoys.

Unable to keep up with the act, September glances at me with a smile.

This partnership is truly the best!

Now, where the fuck can I find Lada?

I have an idea of where I should look first. The orange glow of a late afternoon sun floods the network of roads and soon enough will be overshadowed by the protestors. The night is still theirs. From way up here, it all looks like an emerging ant farm and one of those moving specks must be Lada.

After circling the streets a few more times, I finally spot a brunette in a familiar coat through my binoculars.

“There she is!” I point her out. “Let’s land one rooftop away on the right.”

Still a little displeased about being involved in this, September glides down while mumbling her growls under her nose.

“You’re doing great. Okay, stay here and wait for my signal," I pet her again before diving down to practice my acrobatics on this apartment complex’s fire-escape stairs. Of course, I could climb down like a normal person, but I’m excited to pull this plan off.

“Lada!” I go after her, but she doesn’t hear me. “Lada!!”

Her back is still turned at me and I don’t understand why she’s ignoring me.

“Lada!” My hand catches up to her shoulder, but the person who turns to face me is no one I’ve ever seen before. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I made a mistake,” immediately, I back off.

“Damb right you made a mistake,” she looks me up and down, measuring her disgust with me.

“I’m truly sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“Hmm!” her sharp turn makes her black hair flung across her shoulders.

“Are you looking for me?” Lada’s voice is behind me.

The tables have been turned on me.

“Oh, there you are. This girl looks like you. I really thought she was you from above.”

“She better. She’s one of my decoys. A girl like me can’t be too careful.”

“Good thinking. Sure had me fooled.”

“What do you mean she looks like me from above?”

“Oh, I was just passing by through the neighborhood on my dragon and thought it was about time I fulfill your lifelong dream.”

“And why would you do that for me?”

“Take it as a token of my gratitude for that warning.”

“Adrien, what are you up to?”

“The director sent me to collect the response from a queen and I thought maybe you’d like to fly with me there and back.”

“The responses are collected today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Oh, I’ve got to see this and make sure that the response is to the people’s liking.”

“I can’t take you if you can’t play nice.”

“Don’t worry I’ll play nice.”

That’s exactly what I need to hear and the time to signal my dragon has come.

“Why’d you whistle? Nearly blew my eardrums.”

“You’re coming with me, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You still dream of riding a dragon one day?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, there you go then,” I take her hand and let September’s dive ambush us.

Lada squeals as we get snatched up by the massive claws and thrown into the air. In her rise above the startled crowd, my dragon swoops us into the comfort of my saddle.

“Adrien! You stupid mother fucker! You're giving me a heart attack!” with a death grip, her arms wrap around my waist.

“Aw, what’s the matter grandma? A tough rebel like you can’t hang?” I return the Receiving Ball’s long-forgotten joke and her first encounter with an unfamiliar creature is just as amusing.