MY MOROI IS OUT THERE!

[ season 1 — episode 5 ]

Every year for the Benchmarks, the top five Novices are taken off campus to training areas. There, they were assigned a voluntary Moroi student to escort to a location, which they needed to secure and guard. Once the sun went down, a team of Guardians would stage a fake Strigoi attack, and the goal was to keep the Moroi alive, who'd be wearing the same blood-filled collar.

This year, because of Mischa's respect for the trials, she was chosen as the Moroi to accompany them. While the Novices were taken off campus with bags over their heads and roughly thrown around in the back of a truck, Mischa was being taken in a nice SUV driven by Mikhail as he explained the assignment to her.

"So, is it just you on the B Team?" Mischa asked, leaning her head against the car window and watching Mikhail drive. They were the only two in the car. "Or will Alberta and Dimitri be there?"

She barely noticed how his fist tightened around the steering wheel. "No, Dimitri isn't involved. He's on campus with your sister and also monitoring the progress of the Novices. He wasn't happy about not coming."

"I'll see him when he gets back," she said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll have lots of stories to tell him. This is so exciting."

Then Mikhail sighed heavily. "Mischa... I've known you since you were a baby—"

"You've known me since I was eleven," she said, giggling. But he didn't feel like laughing.

"I love you, Mischa, and so I have to ask," he went on, keeping his eyes on the road. "Is there something going on between you and Dimitri?"

It felt like her veins turned to ice. "W - what?"

"You are close with all Dhampir but you are closer with him, and so I have to ask," he said, shaking his head stubbornly. "Do you have feelings for him? Does he have feelings for you?"

"I... don't know what you're talking about," she said slowly, looking down at her lap.

But that gave Mikhail his answer, as he said, he'd known her for a long time. He had to push back the overprotective instinct that wanted to storm back to campus and beat the shit out of Dimitri. Instead, he settled for a stiff, "Be careful, Mish."

Mischa let out a breath and rolled her eyes defensively. "Not that anything has actually happened, but you can't tell me to be careful as if you're not doing the exact same thing with Sonya. What's so wrong with me having feelings for a Dhampir?"

"For starters, Sonya isn't a princess," he stressed, both knowing she'd get her title back eventually. "And I'm not the second-best Guardian in the Dominion. I'm also not her Guardian."

"Dimitri isn't my Guardian — you are," Mischa said quickly. No official changes had been made while they were all still at the Academy.

Mikhail scoffed, knowing it was a stretch. "Oh, come off it. We all know if Rose can stop fucking things up, she'll be Lissa's Guardian, and Dimitri will replace me as yours."

"I wouldn't have so much faith in Rose not fucking things up," she mumbled half-heartedly.

"She's gonna crush it today, and you know it," he said, letting out a sigh. They were pulling up to the start site, where two other SUVs were pulled up. "We aren't finished talking about this. And don't think I won't be giving Dimitri a piece of my mind. It'll be forbidden once he's made your Guardian."

Once the car stopped, Mikhail and Mischa got out. The Guardian got something out of the back before running around to her side while she opened up her umbrella. Though he'd been frustrated by her feelings, he softened as he held out a coat to her. "It's gonna get cold. Stay warm and hydrated," he instructed caringly. Then he managed a smile. "And give them a hard time as any pain-in-the-ass Royal would."

"Understood," she said, smiling while putting on the jacket while he held the umbrella over her for shade. Then she glanced back to see the five Novices pushed out of the vehicles and onto the grass, still having black bags over their heads. Alberta was waiting. "Alberta doesn't look very happy."

"When does she ever?" he asked quietly. Then he sighed. "I think she has to meet with the Council after starting this, and we all hate meeting with the Council. Sounded important, though. For all we know, they found out you're the one we brought along. It's usually non-Royals chosen just so we don't risk getting a complaint if it's a rough journey."

"I won't complain," she assured him. "I'll take this seriously."

"Good. Now, come on."

As they walked over, the bags were taken off the Novies' heads. It was Rose, Eddie, Meredith, Herk, and Dean who were chosen, each looking quite confused as they saw Alberta. They were all wearing the blood squib necklaces that Mischa was also wearing.

"Congratulations," Alberta said without a smile. "You five represent the Novices who exemplify the acumen fit for our Guardian ranks. Your objective is to escort a Moroi Royal to a predetermined location and secure it by sundown. You will then keep your charge alive by any means. At nightfall, Bravo Team will enter the field and come for you and your charge. If your patch is popped by Bravo Team, you fail. If your Royal's patch is popped, you all fail. If you survive Bravo Team's onslaught tonight, we'll see you on the Royal Tour."

"Rose, since you're atop the rankings, I'm making you team leader and leaving the decision to you.

Rose's eyes widened. "Team leader? Me? But what about—"

"Decision's made," Alberta cut her off.

"Putting Rose in charge of protecting anyone not named Lissa isn't gonna end well. Maybe you should just flunk us all now," Meredith joked while crossing her arms.

"Heavy is the head, Hathaway. You want to be Vasilisa's guardian? Leading your team to victory is a hell of a way to make your case," Alberta reminded her, hoping that Rose wouldn't continue to fight it. "Besides, we have the next best thing."

With that, Mikhail gently pushed Mischa forward and into the Novices' lines of sight. They all looked at her, surprised to see her there. She simply greeted them with a smile, excited to see them operate outside of the Academy.

"Mischa will accompany you, and she is your most important priority," Alberta continued. "In part, she was chosen because of her cooperation during the first half of the Benchmarks, but it's not the only reason."

Mischa frowned, unsure what she meant by that. "What's the other reason?"

"It's to see how your magic performs in a real-world environment," Alberta told her. "You're not to interfere much, as this test is for the Novices. But the Bravo Team is prepared should magic be used in an offensive matter."

Something exciting sparked in Mischa's eyes at the word 'offensive.' She wasn't sure what brought it on, and maybe it was because she was the only one that could harness all four elements, but something had changed. Maybe, just maybe, one day she could make a case for Moroi who might wish to learn to defend themselves alongside the Dhampir at the Academy.

Alberta didn't look nearly as excited as Mischa did, though. Nevertheless, she didn't dwell on her presence any longer and instead looked at a pile of backpacks. "Everything you need is in these rucksacks. Get changed and get going. Good luck."

"Novices, pa-shon!" Mikhail called out the salute in Old Moroi. Moments after the five Novices repeated it, all of the Guardians took off. Mikhail shot Mischa one last, supportive smile before following them.

As soon as the SUVs pulled out, Rose took Mischa and kept her at her side while they all circled around the backpacks. Well, all except for Herk, who suddenly emptied the contents of his stomach onto the grass. Mischa cringed and looked away while Eddie laughed.

"Well, that's a great start," he joked sarcastically.

"I'm good. Probably could have done without that fifth pint," Herk muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, no shit," Dean said, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Kind of fucked up for Alberta to tell you all to celebrate after the church knowing you'd have to do this," Mischa said. Though she supposed it was so they'd be prepared in any kind of condition.

"Here. Hydrate," Rose said, bringing one of the water bottles to Herk. Then she went back to the bags and pulled out a paper map of the area to study it. "Looks like we're heading to a structure a few hours away. Herk, you're with me on near guard. And Dean, you're on far rear. Meredith, navigate and take far front.

"I knew I shouldn't have come back early," Meredith muttered.

Rose ignored her and gave out the last assignment. "Eddie, you'll be a floater. You're higher on the rankings than them and are skilled at all positions."

"Awe, the baby has made Mama proud," Herk teased, earning a shove from Eddie, who was the youngest in their class.

"Now, we've got a lot of ground to cover and not enough daylight to do it in. So get dressed and let's get going," Rose said, tossing the Guardian clothes to them. "Mish, I really hope those shoes are good for walking."

☾

It was a lot of walking. So much walking that Mischa had no problem playing the inconvenienced Royal role she was given. In fact, she and Eddie had been whispering and snickering together, excited to get on Rose's nerves.

"Rose," Mischa whined, dragging her feet. "Rose. Rose, I'm tired."

"We can't stop," Rose said, biting back a smile.

"But I'm so hungry," she groaned, putting a hand on her stomach. It wasn't true — Mikhail gave her a blood bag on the drive over.

In response, Rose stopped to slam a granola bar into Mischa's hand before continuing to walk. Mischa playfully scoffed while holding up the snack she usually would've had no problem eating. She and Eddie shared a disgusted look.

"The Princess wouldn't be caught dead eating food so pedestrian," Eddie joined in.

"I demand my feeder," Mischa insisted, turning her nose up. "Do you know who I am? Know your place, Guardian."

"Mish, I adore you, but eat it and shut up."

"How dare you speak to a Royal in that matter," Eddie said, shaking his head in disapproval. He thought Rose was taking this way too seriously, especially when the sun wasn't set to go down for hours.

"Eddie, I swear I will kick your teeth in," she warned.

"Still not quite sure I get what Mason sees in you," he muttered. Mischa quickly dropped her amused smile, knowing Eddie must have had a death wish to bring up Mason, especially after their fight.

"You really must not want your teeth," Rose said, getting more annoyed.

Eddie shrugged. "I'm just saying, you're rough around the edges and a bit prickly. But Mason seems to worship you."

Rose stopped walking and turned to face him, getting defensive. "I never asked anyone to worship me."

He chuckled at her cluelessness. "You don't know how love works, do you?"

"Mason's not in love with me," she denied, sounding almost sad.

"The hell he's not," Herk interjected.

Rose looked at him sharply. "Mind your own!" she snapped. Honestly, this was the last thing she wanted to talk about after their fight.

"He's just a really good guy, Rose," Eddie went on. "So fly that kite straight or cut him loose, 'cause you've got him twisted in knots."

"Appreciate the unsolicited advice, but that's a really bad metaphor," she muttered before continuing to walk. Regardless of Eddie being convinced that Mason was in love with her, she couldn't do anything about it. The odds of them actually being assigned to the same place after graduation was slim to none. She wasn't going to let herself fall in love and then never get to see him.

The group kept walking, no one bringing up Mason again. Mischa stuck by Rose's side, and that meant she was the only one to notice as some kind of sickness washed over her. Rose began breathing heavier, and a look of worry crossed her face.

She looked exactly how she had that night the Striogi attacked them at the wards.

"Rose?" Mischa asked cautiously, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Rose took in a deep breath before shaking her off and walking up to Meredith at the front. "Hey, Meredith? There are wards set up around the training areas, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" Meredith asked. They wouldn't risk sending five unpromised Guardians and a Dragomir out into the open without wards.

"Nothing," Rose said after a moment, shaking her head. "Let's keep going."

When Rose put her hand on Mischa's shoulder to keep her walking, she didn't protest or pretend to be annoyed. Rose felt like something was wrong, and she wasn't the only one.

Mischa kept it to herself, but her magic started to feel odd right around the time Rose stopped. It was like her power was electrically charged, ready to be used should anything happen. Without even knowing the reason, Mischa's magical instincts were screaming that something was coming. And her instincts were right.

☾

Back at the Academy, in the Guardian control room, many Guardians were monitoring the Benchmark final exam. Dimitri was among them, his eyes glued to the screen with five red tracking dots and one white one. Even without her being in real danger, he was glad that Mischa was surrounded on all sides by the Novices as they walked to their destination.

Dimitri had barely moved from the position in front of the screen since the moment Mischa left campus. He didn't even stop to eat or swap out when shift relief was offered. His Moroi was off campus without him, and so he couldn't help but be anxious in the most horrible way.

It wasn't long before Alberta came into the room. It was her first time being in the control room, as she'd been taken to the castle to meet with the Council upon arriving back within the wards. It was a good thing Alberta was a pro at not giving her emotions away because she was a mess inside after the meeting she just came from.

"Captain," someone greeted, and she waved them off before they could salute.

Alberta walked up to Dimitri's side, keeping her eyes trained more carefully on the white tracking dot. "Status?"

"The trackers in the squibs have Alpha Team arriving to their objective in less than an hour with about forty-five minutes to spare until sunset. Bravo Team arrived in the area about fifteen minutes ago and are setting up base camp," Dimitri explained calmly. He was glad that Mischa would be taken to the church ruins before the sun began to set.

Before Alberta could make a comment, Victor Dashkov rushed in, looking quite frantic as his eyes sought out the Captain. "Alberta. A word, please? Dimitri, you as well," he said, his voice strained as he did.

Alberta nodded before addressing the other Guardians. "Give us the room."

"Yes, ma'am. Everyone clear out."

Once the room was empty, Victor spoke, still keeping his voice low. "Very quietly, I need you to call off the field test and bring everyone in."

"Impossible," Alberta said quickly. She was dreading the conversation to come. "They went radio silent when they arrived on site."

"Then send someone to retrieve them," Victor insisted. But then his face fell, even more, when Alberta simply stared unwaveringly at him.

Dimitri seemed to be the only clueless one, and that didn't settle right with him. "What's going on?"

Victor looked at him, knowing that Dimitri would see sense. "The Royal Council has approved Live Fire."

Fear — genuine fear — flashed across Dimitri's expression, recognizing the code name. "I'll gather a unit," he said, instantly walking off.

"Stand down, Dimitri," Alberta said before he could get out of the room. "That is an order, Guardian. May I remind you that the will of the Royal Council is absolute? Our duty is to protect the Moroi and the Academy, not to coddle our own."

Dimitri and Victor looked at her in disbelief. "You knew about this," Victor said, truly disgusted.

"As of fifteen minutes ago — after we already sent a Moroi out there with them. The Council is aware of her placement. That is who your fight is with, Lord Dashkov, the Council. We follow their orders. If you're willing to risk treason, you will face the consequences alone."

Victor looked helplessly at the other Guardian in the room. "Dimitri—"

"Dimitri will do as he's told," Alberta interrupted him sternly. It was clear she would hear no more, and Victor had no choice but to leave the control room to try and find another solution.

Dimitri was digging his fingers into his palms so much that he nearly drew blood. "Do the Guardians out there know?" Her silence was answer enough. "How could you?"

"Don't fսcking lecture me. I have no choice. I do what I'm told," she reminded him.

"My Moroi is out there!" he shouted, thinking of Mischa, alone and in the dark, cornered by the very Strigoi they captured a few hours ago.

"Mikhail's Moroi is out there," Alberta reminded him, raising a challenging eyebrow. "And Mikhail is on the Bravo Team. Lissa Dragomir is still on campus grounds, and so that is where you will stay."

"But—"

"Have faith in Rose's abilities," Alberta said, softening her voice a bit. "I can't say I like this either with Mischa out there, but all the extra training you've been providing Rose will help. They can handle it. She can handle Mischa. If she can't, Bravo Team will."

☾

It did take all day to reach the ruins of an old church, which was where they were meant to set up camp. Mischa was going to complain about her hurting feet at length to Mikhail once it was all over — she figured she'd also make him give her a piggyback ride back to the car when they left.

The spot the map led them to was mostly rubble with a few stone structures still standing. But it left them out in the open and without the high ground — even Mischa knew it wasn't a great spot to stop for the night.

"Take a quick breather," Rose instructed. Mischa didn't need to be told twice as she dropped down on some rocks to sit down, not caring how they dug into her skin uncomfortably. Rose handed her the backpack she was carrying, which had an additional blood bag for her to drink since they'd be out there for several more hours.

"Well, this certainly isn't the accommodation I was expecting," Eddie muttered, looking around at the ruins.

"Never seen a human church in person before," Dean added, looking at a statue of a woman. "Do you think they know anything about us or St. Vladimir?"

"I hope not. We don't need their shit spilling over into our shit," Rose said, shaking her head.

"I don't know," Meredith said, shrugging. "Human shit's kind of my thing."

Mischa bit her lip while the Novices openly snickered. "That doesn't sound the way you think it does," Eddie warned her with a goofy grin.

"It does explain her bad taste if her crush on Mia wasn't enough," Rose said, clearly judging her.

"Hey," Mischa said, grinning. "Mia's really pretty and not always the absolute worst."

Meredith nodded toward Mischa with a smile. "Yeah. There's a heart in there... if you dig around a bit." The rest of them chuckled, knowing Mia would never be the kindest of souls. Meredith laughed with them this time. "Well, what can I say? I like what I like."

Rose then finished up with her water break. "I'm gonna walk the perimeter — try to strategize a defense."

"Don't bother," Meredith muttered. "By the time you see Bravo Team coming, it'll be too late."

"You noticed that too," she said flatly, looking around the hard-to-defend area.

"It's hard not to when you're standing at the bottom of a bowl."

"Can I see that map for a second?" Rose asked, moving to her side. Meredith pulled the map out, and they looked at it together. It didn't take long for an idea to come to her. "Maybe this is part of the test. To see if we're dumb enough to stay in an indefensible location. There's another structure here. If we leave now, we can make it by sunset."

"It's doable, and it's close enough to set up a communication relay to keep an eye on this area," Meredith agreed, impressed by her quick thinking. Then she looked at Mischa. "Any complaints from our dear Moroi?"

Mischa sighed and got back on her feet while placing a hand to her heart. "I trust my beloved Guardians with my life."

Rose spoke up before they all started to move again. This time, she had a sneaky look on her face. "One more thing. Alberta said to survive by any means necessary." Then she removed the collar around her neck and held it up. "They can't fail us if there's no patches to pop."

Everyone laughed excitedly, thinking it'd be a great way to get the drop on the Guardians. "See?" Meredith said, grinning. "She gets it."

Mischa wasted no time in taking off her collar, which Herk collected. He made sure to leave them in a neat pile on top of some stone before they all went off, determined to survive the night.

Metaphorically speaking, of course. It was just a training exercise, after all.