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It was cold, almost bitterly so. Ravka's former Sun Saint shivered, pulling his knees up to his chest. The children had all gone to bed, safe and secure in the log cabin that Mal and Alina had made a home in.
Mal couldn't sleep. His dreams were haunted by a gaunt man in black. Sometimes the man held out a hand to him. Other times, dark shadows appeared and ripped Mal apart while the man chuckled, his screams and the man's laughter a horrific symphony.
It was the worst when he dreamed that Alina was dead. But that happened far too often, with the man standing over her body and scoffing that his tracker wasn't here to protect him.
He had dreamed of that tonight. After that, he'd left Alina in their shared bed, not wanting to wake her. A snowflake melted on his nose, and he tilted his head to look up at the sky. It was really snowing now. But he felt as if he had been frozen to the ground.
"Mal?" A soft voice jolted him out of his train of thought, and he turned around to see Alina wearing a worried expression and holding a lantern.
"What are you doing out here? You'll freeze!" Worry shone on her lovely face, and Mal turned to look at his wife. She was every bit as beautiful as she had always been, back when he'd hopelessly pined after her. Before he'd discovered that he was a Grisha.
But not anymore, his mind added. The sun has truly left you. He shivered. She wrapped the extra, fur lined coat around his shoulders and plopped down next to him.
"I had a nightmare." He said, hoarsely. "I didn't want to wake you up." Snowflakes dotted her dark black hair and blended into his silver.
Alina shook her head, hard. "Mal, you can always wake me up. I'm your wife."
"I know." He interjected, grinning at her. Alina always had a way of lifting his spirits. But tonight had been a bad one.
Alina sighed. "Was it about the Darkling?" Mal nodded.
"I know that he never cared for me at all, and that he only cared about my powers." It hurt, but he had to say it. "But in this one, he hurt you. And I care far more about you than anything else." Alina scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"I'm not going anywhere. Not even the Darkling can keep me from you." She paused. "Powers or no powers, kingdom or no kingdom. If you'll have me, that is."
Mal did not need to think about his response. "Of course I will, Alina. But will you have me?" She flicked his nose playfully, and he rolled his eyes at her.
Alina reached for his hand. "We will get through this, Mal. Together." He nodded, and she pulled him to his feet.
"Do you promise?" The words sounded far too small. He immediately wanted to take them back.
She turned to him, her dark brown eyes warm. "Of course I do, husband mine. Now let's go inside and stop freezing our asses off."
Together, they started for the house, to a new beginning and their new lives.