Archive of Our Own

Alina knew she wasn't supposed to be out at night. Really she did. She knew it wasn't always safe in the woods and not everyone would be nice to her. But there was something so comforting about the dark, about the silence as it curled around her. At six years old, Alina felt like nothing could hurt her there, not the villagers that turned their noses up at her, not the other children that chased her and pulled her hair. Night has always been her refuge away from the cruel taunts of the day so that's where she hid when the matron denied her dinner yet again through no fault of her own just because she could. Out in the dark woods behind the orphanage where she knew every root and branch and there was no one to hate her for being different.
She always came to the same spot, a little hollow by the river completely invisible from the outside, and the perfect place to hide from bullies. She usually stayed a few hours before creeping back to her bed and out of the chill. That night she stayed until the early hours, having cried herself into an exhausted sleep until the birds began to wake. Knowing she'd be punished more if she was caught out she started to hurry back, praying she'd make it before anyone noticed her absence from her bed that night and unfortunately not watching where she was going, slamming straight into a solid wall she was sure wasn't supposed to be anywhere on the way back. Falling down, she felt a solid arm wrap around her, pulling her back into what she then knew wasn't a wall but the chest of a man.

"Come here little missy you'll fetch me a handsome price over west."

Slavers. Of course, it was slavers. What else could possibly go wrong for her that day? Just for a second, she thought about letting him take her, surely anywhere would be better than here? But Alina, despite being just a child, knew there were worse things that could happen to little girls than no food. Things she refused to think about. Things worth struggling to avoid. So little Alina fought back, digging her fingers into any soft flesh she could reach and kicking at his legs until, surprised, he let go.
Alina tried to run, back the way she came and deeper into her woods hoping she could hide until he left but she didn't make it very far, just back down to the river. Barely half way across she felt her collar dig into her neck where her threadbare dress was pulled from behind and, choking, she fell deeper into the water, still kicking to get across until the same hand found her ankle and she collapsed on her back on the far bank.

"I've got you now, little shu."

He was right, they both knew she couldn't get away now. Terrified, Alina laid there trembling, gasping tears running down her cheeks as she tried to force air back into her body. This is it, she thought, the end of everything I know. At that moment she had the strangest feeling, some sort of warmth pooling in her chest where before there was nothing but fear. As the slaver dragged her to her feet and back into the water she could feel it boiling over, instinctively raising her hands to push him away, a flash of light lit up the dark morning, causing him to fall back and forcing her to close her eyes and duck her face as water splashed on her face. Wait, why was the water so warm?

She opened her eyes and it was all she could do not to scream. She'd never seen a body before, but she knew what death looked like, the way the eyes just freeze and they lie so still. And if that wasn't enough the way his head was just barely hanging on to his neck would've given it away. She'd killed him. It was her, it had to be she was the only one there, but how? What could do that sort of damage to a man? Was it that little puddle of warmth she’d never noticed now sitting comfortably behind her ribs? That warmth that made heat and light out of nothing?

Either way it wouldn’t matter if the matron noticed she wasn’t in her bed in the morning since she’d probably never be allowed out of her room again. Washing the cooling blood away as best as she could, she took off in a dead sprint back towards Keramzin, slipping into her nightdress and under the covers thankfully unobserved as she laid there to wait until dawn. At that moment Alina was elated, she wasn’t just different from everyone else here, she was special. She was Grisha.
---
In the days after discovering her light, Alina kept to the library, trying to find books on Grisha, something to teach her how to channel this warmth and was disappointed to find nothing of any use to her. Not surprising really, since surely books like that would all be at the Little Palace where Grisha go away to train to join the Second Army. Ignoring the snickering of the other kids she figured she’d have to wait for the testers to come and take her away before she could train properly but at least she could work out what type of powers she had? Maybe make up a few useful tricks to show them when they come?

It took days going through dozens of books with any mention of Grisha before she stumbled on the one that told her what she was. The book was about the unsea she’d studied on maps and the so called ‘shadow summoner’ who had created it. An ancestor of the current General Kirigan of the second army by the looks of it. It was there she first found mention of a so called ‘sun-summoner’, a mythical Grisha who could supposedly summon light and tear down the fold. No pressure there then.

Anyway, now she had a name for her warmth she had something to work from, researching anything and everything about light, heat, how we perceive colours, everything she could think of until soon she had read everything she could get her hands on and turned herself to practicing. Though she only let herself do it when she was sure she was alone, she loved calling the warmth to her hands and feeling it grow and swirl around inside her the more she called on it until it was always there waiting for her use.

She learnt all manner of useful tricks in the first year or so, how to bend the light around her to go unseen (especially useful for sneaking the extra food she’d found herself needing) how to make lights of all sizes from glaring spotlights she could only call in the hight of summer in her hidden clearing in the forest, to tiny delicate concentrated light figures that danced however she wanted them to. How to heat things up without any visible light and make things look different to how they really were. The only thing she couldn’t get to happen again was the first thing she ever did, slicing that slaver. She couldn’t get the light to cut anything even if she could make a glowing sword it just dissolved before doing any damage much to her disappointment. Oh well she had time.

Speaking of time, Alina had heard the Grisha testers would be paying them a visit soon (amongst jabs about how any unnaturalness would surely be taken away with them) and she knew she had a decision to make. Could she allow herself to be discovered already? She was in no way, shape, or form prepared to be dragged into the open and held up as a saint who’d probably end up dead sooner rather than later, martyred by the very people so desperately praying for her. Surely they could wait a while longer, just until she felt ready? How hard can it be to fool the testers now she had control of her light?

Very. The answer was very hard. She has no idea how that tidemaker woman did that tugging thing but she very nearly gave herself away before she pulled away much to the matron’s displeasure. They said she was “otkazat'sya” like all the others and left her there just like she wanted. That meant she’d have another eight years before she’d have to join the First Army and as long as she needed to get her powers trained up and figure out how to cut with them and anything else she could dream up that might be useful.
---
She still couldn’t do it. Now thirteen Alina still hadn’t worked out how to unlock cutting like she had the first time, even if she felt she’d mastered everything else, and she knew she’d need to focus on training for the First Army for the time being. Maybe it was the situation she was in back then; she couldn’t force that level of desperation when she was safe in her clearing or at the orphanage. Either way it was time for her to choose her path. Now physically strong Alina may just make it in the main army if she could find someone to teach her to fight with her hands but was that what she wanted? Chances are that’d put her in a situation sooner rather than later when she’d have to reveal herself or risk dying. She was well-read and a passable drawer so maybe research or map-making would be safer whilst still letting her experience the wars as no one special? She’d ask around town.

Map-making it was then. It seemed like the whole village was excited to hear she wanted to join the army, they’d certainly never been so helpful before now, helping find people to teach her to fight (by which she meant beat her up until she could barely crawl home only to repeat again the next day) and encouraging her to practise drawing whenever possible, from blueprints of buildings, to streets and even the surrounding fields and countryside. Though she was saddened by how badly everyone seemed to want her gone she couldn’t help but use whatever resources she was granted, internally snickering when she considered how her revealing herself would be taken here. Would they want her then, these otkazat’sya? Claim her as one of theirs?

She’d never allowed herself to get attached to anyone here. Not that many tried to let her what with her Shu features, but even the few that did try she eventually had to cut out of her life, often after subtle inquiries about Grisha exposed their hate or fear. She’d been fortunate to only have had one serious crush though that too died a quick death when she’d heard the boy, Malyen, laughing at stories of witch hunters and so called scientists killing people like her for no good reason.

It was a lonely life, but she bared with it knowing that eventually she’d be among her own people. People who would never order her execution only to hail her as a saint centuries after the deed was done like it seemed the otkazat’sya had done with countless past Grisha who later ended up in the book of saints to be oohed over.

And besides, could a sun-summoner ever truly be alone so long as she had the dark and her own warm light?
---
In the three years she gave herself to prepare for the army (much longer than any of the other orphans who chose to sign up like Malyen who turned out to be a passable tracker) she became a force to be reckoned with. Physically healthy from the extra food she snuck and the training the villagers had been oh so happy to give her made her front of the line when recruitment came around, joining the mapmakers and quickly making it to corporal without even really seeing the front lines or real fights.

Until now.

Just over three years after signing up she was being transferred north to the Fjerdan border with her 8-man platoon to map out Druskelle hideouts. Apparently, the witch-hunters had been more active in the north lately, raiding villages, and General Kirigan wanted accurate maps so they could root them out and so into the permafrost they went, Alina truly thankful for the heat she could so easily trap beneath her clothes whilst knee deep in the snow.

They’d been making good progress, Alina directing them in pairs to tag along with the scouting groups to build an accurate picture of where the hideouts were before they could piece them together to make a single map to be sent back for the second army to put into use. They had a rough outline done in just the first three weeks and now it was simply getting the exact coordinates pinned down along with all the surrounding terrain for the most useful map possible.

Alina was sitting outside in a rare moment of peace to greet the sun not far from camp when the routine was finally broken. He was magnificent. That’s the only word she could use to describe him, outlined against the rising sun as he was, antlers branching far overhead with dozens of tines – strange given the time of year. Alina couldn’t stop herself from moving closer, the stag strangely staying in place and tolerating her closeness. So beautiful. She reached out to stroke his snowy coat, only to draw back quickly when she felt something tugging on her light for the first time since her testing nearly a decade ago.

How was he doing that?

Looking into the stag’s eyes she felt like a heavy weight had settled over her before he pressed his head against hers and snorted, the tugging becoming almost unbearable before he pulled away, shaking his head. Crack. A single massive antler landed at her feet. Crack. And then the other. Clearly he had been ready to shed them for a while now, though it was undeniably strange he’d seemingly give them to her though she was aware enough to guess he likely felt the same pull she did and she was just the closest Grisha he could find. Be that as it may she would never refuse such an obvious gift, especially when they felt so right in her hands, so she knelt to collect them. By the time she looked back up the stag was nowhere to be seen.

She didn’t like leaving the antlers behind in her tent when she went out in the field with the scouts. Scratch that she hated it. Absolutely hated not having them with her all the time; missed them whenever she summoned without them there. She realised she couldn’t very well lug them into the snow with her given they were wider at the base than her arms, but maybe she could take just a little piece? She’d never been very good at carving but now seemed like as good a time as any to practise.

It took over a fortnight but eventually she shaped the very tips of the antlers (all 36 of them!?!?!!) just less than an inch long and threaded through with braided wire into a three-layered necklace of spikes that was just long enough to be covered almost entirely by her uniform before burying the rest of the massive appendages back where the stag first dropped them. By this point she’d acclimatised to the tugging sensation and it was an almost comforting presence around her neck whenever she turned her thoughts towards it. And then, finally finished with her own project, it was time to get this blasted map completed even if it meant her going out herself for two weeks to check the entire thing.

The first week went by quickly, having already proven capable of looking after herself in the wild, the trackers accepted her into the fold almost as one of them until the time came for her to get her notes out and make comparisons every evening. So far so good, the map seems accurate. At this rate she’ll be back home in a more reasonable climate in just a few more weeks. Which is of course exactly the moment things went so wrong.

The shots came out of nowhere on the 11th night, raining down on the camp and quickly mowing down the trackers standing around the fire. Still in her tent with her notes, Alina had a few extra minutes to scrawl her current coordinates on her arm and set all the notes she’s carrying on fire. No need to let the people shooting at her get hold of all her hard work, the main map was left at base for that exact reason. She ducked out of the tent flat armed with just her twin swords (more like daggers really) and no way to slip away without the snow on the ground giving her away and was quickly cornered by half a dozen of what were easily identifiable as druskelle men given their thick beards and furs.

“Come on girly there ain’t no need ta get yerself ‘urt just put ‘em little toothpicks down,” one called and Alina, seeing the truth in that statement as she couldn’t beat all of them without revealing herself, painted a terrified expression onto her face and allowed them to drop from shaking hands into the snow where they were swiftly collected. “There’s a good girly.”

---
They marched her north for hours through the snow, and without her summoning she likely would’ve gotten frostbite long before they deemed fit to share a fur with her. Alina took it gratefully though still showing a suitable amount of fear, gradually playing up her exhaustion until they got sick of her stumbling and one simply threw her over his shoulder allowing her to better save her strength whilst giving her a higher vantage point from which to map their general location which, judging by where the sun was rising and the glint of a river to the west, was coming up to eight miles past the Fjerdan border, and at least half that again straight back to base.

Alina knew no one would realise anything was wrong until they missed their return date in two days’ time but by that point it would be far too late for anyone to find her, assuming a rescue was even attempted. She’d have to get herself out of this one. Preferably without revealing her summoning and being burnt at the stake for witchcraft.

They kept marching for a few more hours until noon when at first glance they seemed to stop in the middle of nothing and nowhere before the one carrying her dropped her straight into the snow much to the others’ amusement before pulling up a trapdoor that had been hidden by the fresh powder. Lifting her with one arm around the waist, the six of them descended with their prisoner into the torch-lit caves beneath the surface, carting her quickly down several maze like tunnels (left, right, left, right, right, second left) and through a thick wooden door with steel locks to their apparent destination – a cell. One of many in fact. Several seemingly with occupants huddled together making themselves look small as far from the bars as possible.

“Just ya wait right ‘ere girly I’ll be back soon ta ask ya some questions. Take the time ta think ‘ow ya wanna answer ‘em.”

Just like that they were gone, leaving her alone in her cell where she could only just make out the lump of material in the next denoting another prisoner and hear the muffled sniffles. Clearly any refusal to answer would not be well received. Still, they were never going to let her go given she’d already seen where the trapdoor was hidden, and they had to know she was a map-maker and quite likely capable of passing that information along accurately. Alina would have to decide what was safe to tell and where to plead ignorance if she wanted any chance of getting back in one piece-

“hrrmmmggg.”

Alina felt herself go very still. Even her thoughts cutting themselves off at that familiar sound. The sound of someone in pain and desperately trying not to show it. But not just any someone: a child. Suddenly the small forms in the other cells took on a wildly more sinister appearance. That’s what the reports must’ve meant when it said there were more raids in the north. Of course, the witch-hunters weren’t looting supplies they were stealing children. Grisha children. Likely due to be taken for ‘trial’ and inevitable execution any day. This changed everything.

“Hello? Little ones? Are you alright?” Alina called into the dark, praying against all odds that they were okay and would answer her. “Are you Ravkan too? I can’t see how many of us there are does anyone know?”

The silence stretched for several long moments and Alina had almost lost hope when she saw the shape in the next cell slowly inch closer, resolving into a small boy no more than eight, and clearly Ravkan with his tiny golden ringlets though that was hard to see beneath the layers of dried blood caked in. He took a deep breath and seemed to draw courage from it as he stepped right up to the bars between them, resting his separately bound hands against them. Clearly a baby Grisha is considered more dangerous here than a healthy adult woman.

She reached through slowly and held his left hand, not at all surprised when he still flinched. “Oh, little one, what are they doing to you?”

He sniffled just once before he could pull himself back together and when he did his answers were heart-breaking, “it’s n-not so bad missus, whatever I have to do to keep the little’uns safe is worth it. There’s six of us here, seven including yourself. Youngest is three, I’m the eldest at seven. They came in the night, grabbed one of us each and killed anyone that tried to stop them, o-our parents a-and relatives are all gone now I think.”

“And you’re all Grisha? How could they possibly have known who to grab?”

“I don’t know they must’ve been told by someone in the village we barely knew about Roselyn until the day before they came, she’s the youngest and a squaller. Maybe the priest told, he always hated Grisha.” He looked up at her face, finally blinking his watery eyes, silent tears rolling down his dirty face, “We’re not getting out of here are we? Those six men are going to kill us all.”

They heard loud footsteps in the hall and Alina shooed the boy back to the far side of his cell trying to blink back tears whilst she sat back and wrapped her arms around herself. Well he was right about one thing, she thought, bracing herself. Anything to keep the little’uns safe would be worth it.
---
Clearly, she had a death wish, there’s no other possible reason she’d keep taunting them like this. Refusing to answer is one thing but actively antagonising them? She’d clearly lost her mind at last.

They’d brought her straight here when they came back (right, left, right, right) a dark room with a single metal bench and terrifying stains and smells all over. Clearly, they had done this many times before. She supposes she should feel lucky they’ve only used their fists so far and the odd knife, physical beatings and broken bones she could deal with – she had plenty of experience with those- and the more blood she could keep inside her body the better her chances of escape. They kept asking the same questions over and over about supply chains, troop movements, what hideouts they’re aware of, maybe that could be blamed for why her response had developed from silence to vulgar curses and suggestions on where he could shove his rifle. Or maybe she hoped the longer they had their attention on her the longer the children would be safe.

She hadn’t been taken back to her cell since then, maybe two or three days ago? They just left her buckled to the table whilst they took turns coming in and out to question her. At least she’d managed to confirm there were only six of them there at that moment.

Alina figured they’d have to get bored of her soon but until she could figure out how to kill them silently she couldn’t risk lashing out with her powers and bringing the others running. If only she’d figured out how to cut with her light. She could only hope it would be triggered by her desperation soon. If she could get them as they came into the room one by one she might have a chance. At that moment the next druskelle came banging into the room and she could tell immediately that her time was up and they were switching tactics when he wasn’t alone but dragging a tiny sobbing child into the room behind him. They’d figured out her play.

He shoved the tiny girl to the ground, finger shaped bruises starting to form where he was gripping her. “This is yer last chance ta give us wha’ we want, girly, or the witch gets it.”

Alina stared at the girl on the ground, most likely little Roselyn by her size and could feel her resolve crumbling. “I-I can’t -I don’t know anything about supplies o-or troops but I can tell you which hideouts are compromised, p-point them out on a map if you have one just d-don’t hurt her.”

His face was contorted in a triumphant sneer, happy to see they were getting through to her at last. “I’ll be right back wi’ the map, girly, you’d ain’t betta be lyin’ ta me.” He left slamming the door behind him.

“I’m s-sorry, missus, I didn’t want to b-but he hurt Nathan and pulled m-my hair,” Roselyn sobbed into the dirt.

“Shuuuuush, it’s okay little one I don’t blame you just like I couldn’t let them hurt you, I’ll get us out of here just you wait and see. Quick, come and undo this buckle I’ll need my hands for this anyway.”

Just as the buckle slid free, the druskelle came crashing back into the room with the map and one of his friends, pulling the tiny girl out of the way, uncaring where she slipped to the floor. “This ‘ere is the map now yer show us wha’ places yer found!”

Alina sat up, spreading the map open in front of her, it showed the border from about fifteen miles into Ravka and the southernmost quarter of Fjerda with dozens of places marked as hideouts on both sides of the border (many more than they’d been aware of) and several bases like the one they were in further back in their territory. Alina pointed to several of the ones she knew that she had marked on her map back in Ravka and one or two in Ravka she didn’t know about hoping they’d have to evacuate them all to be safe before nodding and pushing it back. “Those are the ones my unit found.”

“Good girly, see how easy tha’ was ta tell us, guess we ain’t gonna be needin’ the witch anymore,” he smirked cruelly as his friend pulled Roselyn up by her hair, causing her to scream before he punched her in the head, silencing the scream into a gurgle. The next thing Alina was seeing was a flash of light and blood spraying, she’d never felt so angry in her life and she could feel her light quaking inside of her wanting to lash out as she finally bent it into glowing daggers and cutting their throats simultaneously before they could do more than realise they’d screwed up. Directing the light blades to the remaining buckles she was quick to cut herself loose and picking Roselyn up from where they’d dropped her, noticing she was thankfully unconscious but still breathing.

“Time to end this.”

Alina left Roselyn on the metal table whilst she hunted down the remaining four druskelle, succinctly slashing their throats and anything else she could reach as she came across them, leaving an indistinguishable mess behind her as she searched the labyrinth of tunnels for her own twin daggers to cover up the use of light swords and any supplies that may come in handy to get a half dozen children and herself, broken ribs and all, nearly fourteen miles southwest in as little time as possible. “Furs, food, water, medicine, god I hope that’s everything…”

Alina collected Roselyn and the Fjerdan map next, tucking it away into her trousers and hoisting her up securely onto her back before going back for the other five kids in their cells with keys to the boy’s wooden bindings in hand. To say they were happy to see her would be an understatement. “Come on little ones, we’re going back to Ravka now. This way.”
---
It took them three days to cross back into Ravka and a fourth to make it within sighting distance of the base. First, she had to deal with keeping them calm and quiet so they could sneak by the numerous hideouts on the map whilst also trying to hurry exhausted little five year olds to walk faster without feeling too guilty when they cried. All that at the same time as balancing carrying little Roselyn and all the food supplies without causing more damage to her ribs she could only hastily wrap before leaving and reassuring the poor little things that of course they’d be welcome at the Little Palace and have a new family together there. By the time they were spotted coming back and soldiers came out to help them they were each ready to drop where they stood and none of the children waited more than just long enough to be sure they were back home and safe before collapsing on the nearest cot.

Alina oh so desperately wanted to follow them into a full restful sleep for the first time in over a week but unfortunately that’s not how the army works and the soldiers half carrying her only allowed her time to unload little Roselyn into the healers’ care before hustling her up to see the captain and explain herself (which was fair enough considering the amount of blood on her clothes and the half dozen unexplained additions). So she did. In vivid detail, leaving out only any mention of her summoning and eventually pulling first her bloody knives and then the Fjerdan map from her trousers when it seemed like he wasn’t going to believe her. She was quickly dismissed back to the medical tent in light of all this new information she had provided where she was finally seen to and allowed to curl up on a cot in easy sight of the little’uns should they happen to wake up first. She slept peacefully through the next 30 hours entirely unaware of the utter chaos her little escape had caused.

When she finally woke Alina found herself at the bottom of a pile up, the golden ringlets tickling under her chin the only clue as to what had happened whilst she slept. One, two, three, four, five, yep, six tiny little Grisha had apparently decided to crawl into bed with her in the night and with her ribs still aching there was absolutely no way she could throw them off even if she wanted to. Oh well. She settled back down, happy to return to unconsciousness where nothing hurt until she felt a suspicious damp spot on her chest. Looking down she found Nathan (yes she’d managed to work out their names over the journey) crying and writhing in his sleep and reached up to run her hand over his back until he settled, feeling herself turn to mush as she watched her rescues sleep on, trusting in her completely to keep them safe.

A soft cough drew her attention away from her charges to find both the doctor and army captain watching her awkwardly. Alina sighed to herself, her reputation was ruined.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“Corporal Starkov. You’ve been reassigned. Now you’ve brought us that Fjerdan map it’s been decided there’s really no need for your platoon to stick around to refine your own which is nearly an exact copy anyway. They’re all heading south-west for Krisbirsk in the morning where they’ll be assigned to another unit whilst you’re healing and seeing your new charges south-east.”

“Sir?”

“That’s right, you’ve been assigned as an escort for the coach taking the Grisha children to the Little Palace in Os Alta by order of General Kirigan himself. Caused a right stir you did, caught the attention of a lot of powerful people, and when I sent the note off I was already anticipating exactly this so the coach is already set up for the seven of you to head off tomorrow morning. Good luck Corporal.”
---
The coach would probably be called comfortable if it wasn’t for the fact it really wasn’t supposed to fit so many people, Alina thought to herself on the second day of the ten-day journey south-east. That and it was clearly built for speed and not comfort as every jolt sent a stab of pain through her healing chest.

The children were piled up together on the seats and floor, talking amongst themselves as the novelty of the coach had already worn off in the first few hours, trying to keep themselves amused so she could rest. Quite sweet of them really, though an absolute pain that they were treating her like glass when she was trying to look after them. And in front of the others as well. Alina had never really interacted with other Grisha before and she suspected this was not the best impression she could’ve made, a seemingly useless otkazat’sya being escorted with their children who seemed to think she was some sort of saint.

Well that was a poor choice of wording.

Anyway, the company seemed to be comprised of six Grisha, two red keftas implying heartrenders (or just healers that didn’t want to help her) and four blue for summoners which was at least one point in the General’s favor for taking the safety of their children so seriously. They’d been riding alongside the coach since they started off, seemingly stopping just long enough to rest their horses and not a second more for maximum speed, clearly anxious to get as far from the border as possible.

It wasn’t until they paused for then night on the third day from the border before any of them deigned speak with her. She’d just gotten her six settled down to sleep in front of the fire when one of the heartrenders slid down quietly beside her on her log and though the other Grisha appeared to be getting themselves settled some metres away she could feel them watching.

“I feel like I should thank you for what you’ve done for them.” He murmured out of the corner of his mouth; eyes fixed on the sleeping little’uns. “They seem to love you a lot.”

“Don’t. I didn’t do it for you or because they’re anything other than innocent children that needed saving. And they latched onto the first adult to help them after their parents were killed, nothing really surprising there.”

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and smiled. “You really do mean that, don’t you?”

“Of course, we orphans have to stick together.”

“I’m Fedyor”

“Alina.”

“I think we’re going to be great friends, Alina.”

“Huh, I wouldn’t know I’ve never really had any before.”

“That sucks.”

“You’re telling me.”

They glanced at each other and giggled, finally breaking the tension that had fallen when he’d sat down. They laughed quietly for a few minutes until Alina broke off with a wince, hand going up to rub her chest.

“I’m no healer but I think I can give your ribs a look if you’d like.” Alina nodded and he placed his hands over her front, feeling out the breaks. “Oh my, I imagine you’re black and blue under that shirt, this is going to hurt some, but it should help.”

It did hurt. A lot. But at least it didn’t feel like she was being stabbed every time she moved anymore so the ache was bearable. She stretched her back, arms reaching up over her head to work out the kinks from the carriage and felt his eyes on her chest, strange when she’d kind of assumed his preferences laid away from the fairer sex and more towards the other currently scowling heartrender. She opened her eyes to his stare fixed on her.

“Say Alina, that’s a strange necklace you’ve got there, I’d almost think it looks like an amplifier save for the fact you’re not Grisha.”

Finding out that she’d accidently acquired an amplifier without even knowing what it was was quite a shock for Alina. Even more so when she realised you were required to kill the animal to gain its power rather than have them give it to her, though that seemed to work in her favour as when she told them the stag was still alive and well they seemed to lose interest. Better keep the rest of that story to myself, she thought as she laid down to sleep.

The rest of the trip was far more pleasant. Now that they were some miles from the border the Grisha seemed to relax and the pace slowed from its breakneck speed to something a little bit more tolerable. That and the fact that the ice was broken at last meant the children were free to be more themselves, asking incessant questions about the Little Palace, the other Grisha, their powers and so on, knowledge Alina too was happy to soak up as much as possible of.

“What’s the Black General like? Is he scary? Everyone always says he’s scary.”

Alina drew her gaze away from one of the tidemakers who were explaining training to the girls and over to Nathan who had asked the question of Fedyor. Fedyor seemed to have been expecting that question for a while now if the way he grinned at his scowling partner before answering meant anything.

“He can be quite scary, especially when you first meet him, but you’ve got nothing to worry about, he loves children. I still remember when he used to come down to see us and put on these little plays with his shadows for us. You’d have to do something monumentally stupid and dangerous to earn his ire.”

Alina felt her mouth drop open and couldn’t help but pipe up, “I’m sorry, us? As in when you were a child, too? Just how old is he?”

“Ah. Well. I’d forgotten we had an otkazat’sya with us. Well you know how Grisha never really get sick? Well powerful Grisha live longer than most people, the more power the longer the lifespan. I for one am nearly fifty and the Darkling from what we know is over a century old and still looks like he could be in his twenties.”

Alina felt her heart clench. How long was she going to live? Would she be alone that whole time, fearing her partner would grow old without her? How long had the General resigned himself to being alone?
---
They reached Os Alta on a hot spring day at late morning, the children pressing themselves against the windows to catch a glimpse of loud bustling streets as the people cleared out of the way of the fast-moving coach. It didn’t look much different from any other village until they reached the inner tiers where the most wealthy dwelled and Alina felt herself scoffing at the abundance of wasted space much to the Grisha’s amusement. Then they at last passed over the drawbridge and into the palace grounds.

Speaking of which…eww.

Hideous. Absolutely disgusting was all she could think. Seemingly made of solid gold and dripping in useless gems any of which could probably feed a large family for a few years, what could only be the Grand Palace loomed up ahead like a beacon of waste and self-indulgence. Her expression must have given away her thoughts if Feydor’s snickering was any indication so Alina schooled her face into a vaguely pleasant smile much to his shock and turned her focus beyond to the much more tasteful Little Palace, breathtakingly beautiful in comparison, with many brightly clad Grisha milling around outside.

This is where the carriage came to a stop, pulling up right outside the double doors whilst the escorting Grisha dismounted and allowed their horses to be led away. Returning to open the door for them, they helped the little’uns out one by one, holding them by their hands and keeping them from running off and disappearing in their excitement until it was Alina’s turn to climb out, Roselyn held securely balanced on one hip.

Fedyor and his grumpy partner led them inside, through the double doors and out of the heat, passing by a number of Grisha seemingly standing around doing nothing but staring at them until their surroundings seemed to shift from the more serious but still tasteful silvers and blacks to more cheerful reds and blues and purples. It seemed they’d entered the children’s wing as confirmed by the loud shrieks of excited children up ahead.

The very first thing that happened when they arrived was that they were greeted by a very familiar woman dressed in a blue kefta and a few servants with a few dozen tiny little child-sized keftas between them for the new arrivals. The woman knelt to greet each of them in turn, starting with Nathan and grimacing when they toughed skin to skin. Ah. That’s where she recognised her from.

She was the tester that came to Keramzin. Best hope she doesn’t recognize her now.

Nathan was given a little red kefta along with the other girl whilst Roselyn and two boys were given blue. Only the last boy got a purple kefta. That done and Roselyn back in her arms they were led unnoticed into a large hall where they found a few adult Grisha attempting to corral over two dozen children anywhere from about five to twelve into seats around a large table for lunch. Well that just wouldn’t do.

Alina chose a chair at random and set little Roselyn down gently, Nathan immediately taking up the chair to her left and the rest of her group quickly leaving their minders behind and following suit. Alina stepped back as maids seemed to descend out of nowhere to serve soup and rolls to the seated six, and seeing the food being distributed, the rest of the children found their own chairs soon enough.

“I’ve never seen them calm down so quickly. You really have a way with them, don’t you?”

Alina laughed, turning to him, “You forget, Feydor, I was raised in a similar group situation, I’ve seen every trick in the book and had most of them used on me at one point or another. In this case seeing someone else get what they wanted before them by behaving made them do the same.”

Feydor found himself nodding along with her logic along with several of the maids who had overheard, and she knew they’d be using that again in future. “I suppose that’ll keep them busy for a little while, is there anything I’ve got to do today?”

“Now you mention it, yes, moi soverenyyi wishes to speak with you at some point and get your account for himself.”

“That will definitely take longer than those kids will spend eating. What would they usually do after lunch?”

“On their first day and at their ages I suppose they’d just be allowed to rest in their rooms until dinner.”

“Excellent,” she beamed, “we’ll go once they’re settled in their rooms then.”

Feydor and now she thought about it pretty much every Grisha in hearing distance looked at her aghast, “you’re actually going to make the Darkling wait however long it takes them to settle?”

“Well of course, what sort of a woman would put a man before the children in her care? One that obviously shouldn’t be allowed to procreate.”

A strangled choking behind her made her whirl to find Feydor’s boyfriend (husband?) turning an interesting shade of purple that clashed terribly with his red kefta. Feydor with a hand patting on his back whispered in his ear “Ivan, don’t forget to breathe” and the heartrender Alina now knew as Ivan quickly collected himself, careful not to meet her eye as he stood up and straightened his kefta. Assuming that was settled, Alina turned back to her charges, the six of them just about half-done with their soup and thankfully not yet covered in it unlike some of the other children though that would probably change.

Not that long later the six of them were wiping around the bottom of their bowls and pushing them away, turning to look for the familiar form of Alina who had been collecting up napkins whilst waiting and was ready for them, passing them out to wipe their hands and faces before letting them up from the table. Herding them back to where their guides were waiting, Alina could see them starting to droop, tiredness setting in now their hunger had been dealt with.

“Just a bit longer, little’uns, I believe Feydor is going to guide us to where you can take a nap.” Alina looked at Feydor pointedly and he nodded, leading them quickly from the room and its prying eyes. They followed him through the corridors of the Little Palace (left, right, right, left, right) until he stopped in front of another set of double doors which seemed to open onto a long corridor of dormitories from which he guided them into one with six beds before leaving them to settle.

Alina had no doubt he was right outside waiting impatiently for her.

She quickly found a cupboard with lots of little nightshirts in it and got them changed and into individual beds before realising they probably wouldn’t want to wake up along and splitting them instead into pairs. Humming under her breathe as she tucked them in, they all dropped off rather quickly, allowing her to slowly back out of the room and close the door quietly behind her just fifteen minutes later.

“Well I suppose that could’ve taken longer. Come on it’s time to go he’s waiting for you.”
---
General Kirigan was somehow both exactly what Alina had been expecting but also completely different. Over the course of her poorly concealed interrogation, she’d discovered he was cool, collected and intimidating, frightfully intelligent and had quite the mean streak though that one may only be in reference to child killers.

Alina surprised herself with how much she found that attractive. Who knew a certain level of bloodthirst was something she looked for in a man?

She’d also noticed he was almost gentle, even kind in his questioning, probing delicately at the most painful memories and pulling back just when she couldn’t say anymore. And then there was the fact that he was almost unnaturally handsome beyond even the standards of Grisha (maybe something to do with having more power than most?) and she was mostly sure that the drawer he’d been closing as she came in was filled with colourfully wrapped sweets.

He had asked an awful lot of pointed questions, getting into specifics she herself had barely noticed and making her think fast several times to cover the use of her powers “how long exactly were you walking in the snow before you were allowed a fur?-” “-when and from where did you recover your daggers?” On and on until she was sure she could recite the entire story in her sleep, and she was sure he thought she was being mostly truthful. A few carefully placed winces ensured he’d assume any lies were to cover her own ‘shame’.

By the time the interrogation was starting to wind down, Alina was tired, hungry and more than a little bit desperate to get out of that room and away from the handsome General and his brilliant mind. Clearly, he’d be the greatest risk to her secrets and it’d probably be best to avoid him as much as possible, disappointing given how charming he was. It wasn’t until long after Alina had been dismissed, after both dinner and finally finding herself alone in a guest room, that the strangest thought popped into her head.

Why should she hide from him?

Alina sat bolt upright in bed, a smile just paying at her lips. Here she was, finally among her own people, in the safest place in Ravka, thinking about isolating herself for the foreseeable future, but why? She’d finally remastered cutting just like she’d always planned, and she’d never felt so comfortable in her skin before now so what reason was there to hide herself away? If nothing else being the Sun Summoner would be more than enough to catch the eye of a certain tall, dark, and handsome General-

Ah. Alina laid back in the bed, smile fading. Maybe using her gift as a tool to catch the General’s eye wouldn’t be all that tasteful. Maybe she should wait just a while longer, just to see if there was anything there before making any sort of move to reveal herself. Scratch that, maybe she should get to know him a little better first, work out if he really is the type of man Fedyor described him as, she wouldn’t want to out herself to just anyone after all. Especially since the moment she becomes acknowledged as Grisha he’d become her direct superior.

Alright, she thought to herself just as she slipped into sleep, maybe not going out of my way to hide then, just nothing too obvious until I know I can trust him even if it isn’t as anything more than as an officer with a superior.

Unknown to a sleeping Alina, she’d already caught the attention of a great deal of people in the little palace just by being herself and, just a few halls away, even the General himself could be found thinking back on their meeting as he readied himself for bed.

She was quite self-assured, the girl, even confident in his presence, strange for any otkazat’sya but even more notable for a woman of no great importance. She was quick on her feet too, sharp, and surprisingly well-educated given her upbringing. Worth keeping an eye on, especially with how attached his newest batch of young ones were, and how attached she seemed in return. He pulled off his dark kefta; he might be paid to arrange some meetings whilst she’d be there. Just to be sure she could be trusted round so many young Grisha, he thought harshly, pointedly ignoring his subconscious commenting on her pleasant appearance. It’s not like she’d remain for more than a few weeks anyway- more than enough time for a quick -no. Never again would he let himself get attached to such a short-lived creature.

Shaking his head, the General climbed under his dark covers, pointedly pushing her from his thoughts.

I’ll go see the children tomorrow, he decided, welcome them home properly. Make sure they know they could come to him for anything. They’re always so fearful at first but eventually they learn they could rely on him to keep them safe. These ones may take a little bit more time given they’d been so hurt before, but then again, they had come down with Feydor and you never quite know what tales he’d tell. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
---
The Darkling always rose early, often before dawn, his work never caring how tired he was where it sat piled on his desk. It was a rare morning indeed nothing would drag him from his sheets before the sun streaming in his windows reached his face.
Laying there just a few more minutes to savour the feeling, he finally pulled himself upright and eventually entirely from the nest of sheets to ready himself for the day. Paperwork, paperwork, meeting with the idiot Tsar about the last failed crossing and the recent success up north, more paperwork, and then he could go and see the children before dinner. Sigh. Well it could always be worse, he thought, sitting himself at his desk and reaching for the first report.

In her own rooms (more like a suite really and definitely the nicest place she’d ever even seen) Alina was furiously trying to scrub the last of the dirt and even traces of blood from her skin in the bath she’d called for when the doors opened -even though she could’ve sworn she’d locked them behind the staff- and admitted a small troop of maids along with the most stunning woman she’d ever laid her eyes on. A woman who very quickly gave her a once over that made her feel about two feet tall before nodding and shooing the maids from the room and closing the doors behind them. Well then.

“So, you’re the one that everyone’s talking about. Both palaces in fact seem to be abuzz about the little shu lady that made the General wait and I knew I just had to come and meet you myself.” Alina felt herself blush, she hadn’t realised she’d made such an impression “Come on now, let me get a look at you, see what I’m working with.”

Fortunately for Alina, her years in the First Army had completely desensitized her to her own nakedness and any sort of propriety or she imagined standing there with just her necklace on in the bathtub for this strangers’ appraisal would’ve been much more uncomfortable. Not that it was all that comfortable standing there in the cool air whilst she drip-dried. Luckily it didn’t take too long before the beautiful (seriously she had to be Grisha) woman turned away so she could climb out and find a bathrobe to cover herself with.

“So, who are you? And what exactly are you here to do? As far as I know I won’t be here long enough to need clothes or the like so what are you ‘working with’ exactly?”

“Genya Safin, tailor, and just because you won’t be with us long doesn’t mean you can go around like some dirty ape. Your uniform is in no condition to be worn in polite company, so I’ll have to make you up a few outfits for your stay here, something befitting a local hero.”

“A local what?!?”

The red head turned, smile seemingly genuine for the first time, and pulled her to sit in front of her at the vanity, hands rubbing her shoulders as they made eye-contact in the mirror. “A hero Alina. To everyone here at least, saving not one but six little ones from the ice courts is a miracle. You saw how many children there are here, every single one is a gift and you saved them all by yourself, getting yourself hurt in the process. You’re a hero Alina, and no Grisha worth their kefta would say different.”

Alina could feel her eyes watering. For the first time in her life she was enough, just as Alina, as herself, these people willing to accept her, shu blood and all without even knowing she was one of them, it was all she could do to stop herself from glowing.

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome darling. Now, I’ll help you with your hair and maybe put a bit of colour in your cheeks before your dress arrives. I know otkazat’sya aren’t really allowed to wear the core-cloth that goes into our keftas but I think in this case we can make an exception. I decided on a dark green since we couldn’t really go with any of the usual kefta colours even though you’d look just fabulous in black or even red.”

The dress was was stunning when it arrived, all elegance and splendour and in no way appropriate to wear for anything short of at least a good party, floor length and a rich forest green she hadn’t even known could be made into clothes. Knowing this was the first of many outfits being made for her was almost enough to make her faint as she slipped it on and stood to look in the mirror, grateful to have been blessed with curves in the right places to hold it up.

“That’ll do nicely for today,” Genya said seemingly satisfied at last with Alina’s appearance. “I hear you don’t have anything much to do today so I’d recommend either the grounds or the library depending on what you like, though do be sure to let people know where you’ll be you never know when someone might send for you. Before that though I suggest you join the adult Grisha for an early lunch just down the hall and on your right and then check in with your little’uns who’ll be eating theirs in the same place as yesterday. If you get lost just ask someone!”

And then just like that she was gone, leaving Alina standing there all dolled up to make her own way in the Palace, maybe to meet some new Grisha and if that went badly at least she now knew there was a library she could hide in. Mind made up, Alina took a deep breath and left the relative safety of her rooms, casting a longing look back at her daggers which unfortunately wouldn’t fit in her dress, to find the adults dining room she’d been promised.
---
Well this was awkward. She’d found the dining room alright, packed tight with dozens of Grisha all sitting in rigid color-coded groups of blue, red and purple, leaving her to stand in the doorway in her lovely green dress feeling like she should’ve begged Genya for blue. I mean, she was technically a summoner after all.

Another few long moments passed before she could bring herself to enter the room properly and make her way to a free chair between the Etherealki in blue and Corporalki in red, trying to ignore the way everything seemed to quiet just for a second before she was served the same sort of broth everyone else was eating. She was nearly finished eating and wondering who to ask for directions before anyone tried to approach her. Two girls from the group of summoners, in fact. who introduced themselves as Marie and Nadia before descending on her like a pair of gossip hungry vultures.

“You’re Alina, right? The one that killed all those witch hunters in Fjerda? I mean of course you are, you’re the only otkazat’sya who’d dare try and eat in here. Anyway, we just wanted to say it’s an honour and you’re welcome to sit with us whenever you’re around.”

“That’s nice of you both, maybe I’ll take you up on that later. For now, I’m just going to explore, maybe go and see the little’uns again.”
“We’ll see you tonight, then? You can come sit with us for dinner and we can all talk, we’d offer to give you a tour, but we’ve got lessons with Botkin this afternoon.”
“Botkin? Isn’t he the one that teaches Grisha to fight? I’d love to come see that sometime, though I’m sure you could all wipe the floor with me. Oh well. Maybe I’ll tag along tomorrow if I can talk someone into finding me something a bit more sensible to wear.”
“Yeah, it’s a lovely dress but not at all suited to the training rings, is it? Oh well, tomorrow it is then, you can show us the sort of thing they teach you in the First Army.”

“First Army? You’re joking, they don’t teach us anything there. Everything I’ve learnt I taught myself from books or more commonly, trial and error. I’ll be happy to show though, maybe learn a thing or two.”

“As intriguing as that sounds, we really do have to go. We’ll see you at dinner Alina!”

And then they were out the door before she could ask them which way to the library. Oh well it had to be here somewhere, so Alina spent much of the first day exploring the grounds of the Little Palace and then the library, gradually reading up on all the theory she had missed when teaching herself the little science, books hidden between more generic titles. She was especially thankful for the light everywhere showing her anyone getting too near that day, even more so when the guards appeared almost from nowhere.

“His most honourable majesty the Tsar has requested your presence in the Grand Palace, we are to escort you to him.”

Oh fuck.

“Of course,” she replied, standing immediately and keeping a pleasant smile fixed to her face “best not keep him waiting.”

What had she done to get the Tsar’s attention? She was on medical leave from the First Army at the Darkling’s orders so it couldn’t possibly be something about deserting, right? Maybe it was about her report or the map if the army had been able to put it to use already? Genya had said even the Grand Palace were talking about her so maybe he was just curious, and it would be fine.

Suffice to say that was one of the most stressful walks of her life.

The guards led her through the building up several flights of stairs to what must have been the throne room with several lords (councillors maybe?) milling about and even General Kirigan all looking up at where the Tsar was seated at the head of the room, the Tsaritsa nowhere in sight.

“Is this the girl? She doesn’t look much like a soldier to me.”

You have got to be kidding me.
---
The Darkling had not been having a good afternoon since the idiot Tsar seemed to want to discuss nothing, but the skiffs recently lost on the crossing. Apparently, there were complaints from the First Army commanders about them having lost one of their best trackers and as per usual it was the Grisha at fault, never mind that several of his had also lost their lives. Finally, he seemed to relent, scornfully asking “Well, tell me you at least have some sort of good news to share?” As if he wouldn’t have known already could he be bothered to do any of the work his position demanded.

“Now you mention it, yes moi Tsar, we’ve recently had a breakthrough in the North, acquiring a Fjerdan map of the southernmost quarter of the country, complete with the locations of several dozen enemy bases and strongholds both sides of the border.”
Chatter erupted in the room, several of the Tsar’s councillors arguing over the merits of an invasion and from where to pull troops but the king kept his eyes on him, assessing.

“Where did my army acquire this map? How sure are we of its authenticity?”

Huh, so he did have some level of intelligence after all, the General thought. Pity he seemed so incapable of using it. “Very sure. One of our own, a corporal cartographer in the First Army, brought it back when she escaped Fjerdan custody with several other prisoners. She’s currently on medical leave here at the Little Palace after her poor treatment across the border but I took her report myself when she arrived yesterday, and it seems credible.”

“Is that so? Send for her then, let her tell us what she’s brought for us herself,” the Tsar sat back looking pleased with himself. “A cartographer would be best to explain a map anyway.”

A runner was sent immediately, and the room settled into a tense silence whilst they waited for the corporal. This is either going to go well or very poorly, the Darkling thought. Starkov has no knowledge of court or politics and is rather strong willed but she’s also quite competent so they might just overlook that.

When she arrived escorted by two guards in what could only be called a ball-gown that somehow seemed to enhance her shu features he knew it would probably end up going very badly. Goddamn it Genya, you just couldn’t help yourself, could you? The brief flash of annoyance on her face when the Tsar spoke made it clear this would be a disaster. Oh well at least he might enjoy the show.

She stopped in front of the throne and curtsied, surprisingly elegant for what was probably her first ever attempt, though still noticeably awkward. “Moi Tsar, you sent for me.”

“I sent for the soldier who brought back the Fjerdan map. I must admit I wasn’t expecting someone like you.” Alina bit down harshly on the inside of her cheek to stop herself commenting on the king’s own unfavourable appearance. “Never mind that, though, tell us about this map you say you found.”

Alina straightened, falling easily into what could only be described as a military ‘at ease’ posture, probably looking very out of place in that dress but still enough to get some of the councillors to pay a little more attention. “Of course, moi Tsar. The map shows the northernmost part of Ravka, approximately the first 15 miles this side the border and just over twice that land mass to the north, or the southernmost one forth of Fjerda. I counted 29 temporary bases, eleven of which were anything up to nine miles south of the border, and six larger strongholds between seven and sixteen miles into Fjerda.” Take that fuckers, I do know what I’m talking about.

The councillors sat in stunned silence for a few seconds before noise came bursting back in, each man yelling to be heard but not really saying much at all. Was this politics? Just idiots yelling about things they don’t really understand? Ugh, maybe Alina should keep herself hidden if she’d have to deal with this later on.

Only the Darkling seemed to have anything useful to add, facts about current military supplies and troop movements though that seemed to be drowned out by the inane shouting of the council. How did they get anything done like this? If they didn’t sort themselves out, she’d have to say something.

It was at that moment she noticed the presence that had appeared behind her, almost too close to be appropriate, and using the light around her she could tell it was a man, maybe a decade older than her and standing almost on top of her. Saints, there was no way someone would try something in such a crowded room, right? Wrong. It was just as an unknown hand seemed to be nearing her behind, she decided to step forwards, putting some distance between them whilst also drawing attention and making it too public for whoever it was to try anything.

“Moi Tsar?” She called boldly. “If you’d be interested, I’d be happy to share some of my own observations with your council, if you think it may help you with your decision.”

The councillors barely spared the effort to just sneer at her, continuing to argue until they saw the man behind her. That stopped them dead, each hastening to bow as he came around her to stand beside the throne. “Moi Tsarevich.” This was the prince? Well, I suppose it makes sense he looked just as pompous and gluttoned as the king. It also explained his utter lack of the most basic respect for women, was he still leering at her?

“Father, when I heard something interesting was going on, I didn’t expect another argument, and definitely not over such a tiny slip of a woman.” Yup, definitely still leering, Alina seethed. “I’d be happy to escort her out.”

The Black General finally seemed to have had enough. Refusing to allow Vasily the chance to attack anyone under his protection he took a half step forward, bowing just barely enough to not be overtly insulting. “There’s no need for that moi Tsarevich. This is corporal Starkov, she was just about to tell us her observations of the Fjerdan front.”

Alina nodded gratefully, gathering her thoughts to make the report to the bumbling idiots that called themselves councillors without letting any venom leak into her words. “I just thought it may interest you to know that based on the sleep quarters in the stronghold they were holding us, each is designed to hold up to eight druskelle and with their relative size the smaller bases likely hold up to four comfortably. Also of note, may be that the stronghold they took myself to was dug into the ground and damn near invisible from the surface with the snow cover so I’d suggest sending trackers or even hounds with the units hitting the larger bases. Finally, the fact they only appear to have one entrance and little to no additional ventilation might be of use if you could arrange to gas them or even set fires to smoke them out though that may be too risky what with the chance there could be Ravkan prisoners locked inside.”

Alina bowed and stepped back, face serene but secretly delighting in the gobsmacked faces of the so-called brightest men in the country, ire receding just a bit. Probably weren’t expecting such a ruthless suggestion from a girl, she thought. Shows what they know.

Once again only the General seemed capable of any sort of higher thinking. “That sounds like a workable plan to me, moi Tsar, we already have a few units of trackers in the area and the gasses could be arranged and transported within the week it would take to push the Fjerdans back beyond the border where they belong.”

“Yes, yes it all sounds very good, I trust you can arrange the appropriate measures, General. Everyone else is dismissed for the evening meal.” Again, bows all round as people started to trickle from the room, Alina among them while the General swept off with barely a nod. Well, I suppose he’s got a lot of work to do now, she thought, work the king should really be doing.

Shaking her head Alina made her way from the Grand Palace, carefully retracing her steps to get back outside and then into the familiar grounds of the Little Palace. Sunset already, damn, the idiot king had made her late for dinner and there’s no way she’d have time to see the little’uns now.

Alina sat with the Etherealki for dinner, the blue-clad summoners welcoming her among them, Marie and Nadia at the helm of the gossip. It seemed word spread fast here, they already knew about the near disaster of a meeting from the chattering maids and Alina found herself being squeezed for details of her afternoon, happily noting the others’ distaste for the Lantsovs easily rivalled her own and was in fact a common sentiment amongst the Grisha.

Then again anyone in such proximity to that level of incompetence couldn’t be unaware of it.

By the time she crawled exhausted into bed she found she’d made several new friends among the Grisha who appeared to share her thoughts on several issues and were actually educated enough for a good debate. As her eyes sipped closed she couldn’t help but picture their reactions when she was eventually revealed and the thought was enough to have her falling asleep with a smile on her face.
---
The next morning Alina woke feeling mostly herself again, only the tiniest shreds of rage remaining from the previous day, most of it having washed away at dinner. That useless tsar and his spineless councillors ought to be deposed. It's not as if they actually do anything for Ravka, yesterday made it quite clear that the only powerful man with even a lick of sense was the General.

And the Tsarevich, ugh, if he approached her again with anything but the utmost respect her big reveal would be her blinding the Crown prince. It couldn't possibly make him any more useless anyway.

Just as she was getting up the doors opened to admit Genya, stunning as always in all her glory. Alina felt the last of her anger drain away as she looked up at the kind tailor.

"Good morning, my friend, I heard from down the grape vine you were hoping for something a bit more practical to wear today, something about sparring lessons? Whilst that dress served you well in court yesterday it most certainly isn't appropriate for that, so I had a few of your First Army uniforms made up, along with some more simple outfits. What would you like today?"

"My uniform, definitely, the unfamiliar clothing may just be enough to cost me a fight if it's not as flexible as I'm used to."

"Oh yes I suppose there is that. I wouldn't want you to be beaten because of my clothing choice. I assume that means you'll be with the Etherealki for your lesson today? Beware of one of the squallers, Zoya, she's known to hate anyone even vaguely as pretty as her and with the attention you've been getting, I wouldn't put it past her to try something. She's one of the best fighters among the students though, at least according to the trainers."

Alina frowned, disappointed that one of the Grisha could be so petty until she shook away the thought. Of course, they couldn't all be perfect, and one bitch was far less than she should've been expecting. "Well, if she does try anything I won't hesitate to give as good as I get."

Genya smirked, "I suddenly find myself hoping I'm nearby when you meet."

Alina had Genya put her hair up in tight braids before leaving for the dining hall, knives tucked securely back in at her waist, better safe than sorry after all.

Lunch went by nearly the same as the day before except for the odd look at her uniform and Nadia and Marie joined her much earlier, excited to hear she'd be going with them. "This is going to be so much fun to see what you can do."

"Don't get your hopes up quite so high I am still self-taught after all."

"You'll be fine, Botkin would never let it get too far and there are healers on standby all the time. And it'll be interesting to see a new style if nothing else."

Soup finished, Alina followed the other summoners out of the Little Palace and into a secluded courtyard where a man (a shu man!!) who could only be Botkin was waiting.

"Will little girl be joining us today?" Alina nodded ruefully, goddamn it she really wasn't that short, barely even below average but that didn't mean people had to keep pointing it out.

"Listen here, we'll start with a run today, a lap around the lake should do it, anyone not back here in 15 minutes will be doing it again in their own time at the end of the session." Good natured groaning followed, more reminiscent of moody teenagers than soldiers as the Grisha headed off towards the lake, Alina quite easily keeping pace in the middle of the pack, staying slow as she didn't know the way they were running. Unsurprisingly, given the threat, there wasn't anyone back late.

"Acceptable. Now into pairs we're going to do some sparring, little girl come here."

Obligingly Alina joined Botkin whilst the Grisha paired up and started to 'spar' though to her it looked more like a choreographed dance, only a few pairs actually trying to do damage and not just repeating the same series of moves in tandem.

"Little girl, I heard you're self-taught. Do they not give formal training in the First Army?"

"Not within the actual army, no, the only men I've seen with any sort of skill were the ones wealthy enough to have paid for private lessons prior to signing up."

"And how much skill would you say you have? Look around and pick the pair you think you'd be on par with."

"I'm not really sure- this style is weird. I suppose because it's just friendly and most of them are pulling their punches. I've never really done that- I learnt early on that if you're not fighting to end it you have no business fighting at all."

Botkin looked at her appraisingly, apparently only now seeing her lithe muscle and her acute awareness of the surroundings. This one was a real fighter, who'd already seen some sort of combat. Not the wet behind the ears recruits he was usually stuck endlessly drilling basic manoeuvres into.

"Little girl is wise. These students are not the right level of experience for you. Stay behind after so I can find you partner-"

"I'll spar with her."

Alina turned to find a pretty blond, hand on hip, and looking her up and down. Well, well, well. This could only be Zoya, so it looked like Genya was right to warn her after all.

"That's nice of you to volunteer, miss, but I wouldn't want to hurt anyone."

Alina could see the other girl bristle at the obvious dismissal of her skill before she turned back to Botkin, waiting. Sure enough, his eyes widened seconds before she heard the whistling of wind behind her. Spinning to the left and simultaneously reaching for the foot in the air she had just been standing in, Alina lifted the leg as high as she could, watching dispassionately as the squaller tipped over backwards. She'd actually attacked her while her back was turned and in front of the instructor! How dumb could you be?

Very. The answer was clearly very dumb as the enraged Zoya almost threw herself at her, despite Botkin's orders to the contrary, throwing well-rehearsed move after well-rehearsed move at her in succession. Each time Alina calmly countered, it only seemed to make her more angry, red face darkening as a crowd formed to watch.

Alina had to end this before she literally exploded.

Dancing out of the way of another failed high kick, Alina moved, seeming to the onlookers to just sweep through her guard like it wasn't there, coming in close enough to hook one foot around hers and pull, sending her back to the floor before following her down. With a move almost like a kneeling cartwheel she rolled her onto her front and settled straddling her back, knees pinning her wrists safely apart and her own hands gripping the back of her neck or free to reach for a blade if needed.

"Oh my god."

Alina jolted, suddenly remembering they weren't alone and looked up to find near every Etherealki in the palace and several Corporalki stood around an impromptu ring, many with mouths hanging open. It seemed Zoya really was considered one of the better students here. Botkin was the only one not surprised to see her come out on top and he nodded his head approvingly, saying "and that's the difference between just training and actual real-world experience. You can let her up, she won't try anything in front of his many people now she's calmed down."

Alina bowed her head, pushing herself up and away from the downed squaller so she could collect whatever dignity she had left, standing to attention next to the instructor. "You've were saying about finding me a partner, sir?"

"Hmmmmm, I'll have to think about it. I don't know there are any stationed here that can match you beyond moi soverenyyi himself or the oprickniki and I suspect any of those matches would result in someone's death. Maybe I'll just have to partner you against multiple people whilst you're here, we'll have to see."

Sensing the dismissal, Alina forced herself to turn back to the crowd and walk out with her head held high through the entryway and back up to the Little Palace, seeing the stares of those inside it was clear world had already gotten around. Oh well, she already stuck out for being supposedly otkazat'sya, at least now it'd be because of something true.
---
The next few days were a lot for Alina. So many people wanted to talk to her that she sometimes took to running to the library invisibly just to hide for a few hours until someone came and dragged her out again. It would seem Zoya had been near the top of the social hierarchy here and Alina putting her on her arse had elevated her similarly, at least in the students’ eyes. If this was what being popular was like, then she was glad she had avoided it for as long as she had.

By lunchtime on the fourth day of this, Alina was at her wits end. She needed a break from pampered teenagers, and she needed it now. At least she still had one escape she could try, she thought, slipping from the dining hall with a well-placed reflection of light to distract the gossip queens.

But where was the children’s wing from here? Oh well she’d just have to retrace her steps from the first night until she found it. From her room it wasn’t too hard to find the General’s corridor and from there the way she’d walked after putting the children to bed. Unsurprised to see they were not in bed at gone lunchtime she let her feet lead her back to the kids dining room where the maids let her know they were out in the woods for their break.

“Alina!”

"Alina, Alina!"

She'd been quickly spotted by her rescues when she walked out into the clearing in the trees near the edge of the grounds where the little children seemed to enjoy breaks from lessons, and they were quick to jump up from the ground and wrap their arms around her taller frame.

"Yes, yes I thought I'd come see how you were all doing it's been half a week since I've seen you."

She sat down on the grass, letting the little'uns all clamour to sit on and around her with a soft smile-it was just like being back at the orphanage before the younger kids learnt to hate her for her slanted eyes. "Come on, now, why don't you tell me what you've done this week?"

They immediately launched into a dramatic retelling of their lessons and the games they'd learnt, soon drawing in the rest of the children, their supervisors watching on with a grin. A while later, when they'd finally run out of things to chatter about, the children fell silent, each watching her from where they were all sat in a circle.

"Well then sounds like you've all been busy, much busier than me anyway, I'm afraid I haven't done much more than just reading some stories in the library." Alina looked up slyly, "I don't suppose you'd like to hear one?"

That was the scene that the General came across later in the day having gone searching for the little'uns when the teachers complained their charges had never arrived at class. To say he was surprised would be an understatement, finding them all totally absorbed by the stories of an otkazat'sya, even the caretakers paying avid attention, was enough to make him pull up short, ducking back into the shadows to watch.

It seems he'd come in the middle of a tale, something about a baker and an amphibian? Well the kids seemed to be enjoying it, anyway, and besides it was far too late for lessons now, he may as well let them hear the ending before he'd walk them back.
"And with that they opened their bakery, which was an instant hit with the town, living happily and in comfort for the rest of their lives and proving that hard work can make almost anything possible."

The children cheered at the happy ending even the adult Grisha clapping along.

"Another, another!"

Oh no, it was far too late for that, they'd miss their dinner if that stayed out much longer. The General was just about to step out from under his cover when the corporal spoke up, laughter in her voice.

"As much as I'd love to, I think it's about time I let you go, besides it seems your escort has arrived to take you to dinner." She glanced up, somehow meeting his eyes through the shadows the twinkle in hers making it obvious she'd noticed him arrive a while ago whilst the Grisha looked around in confusion, the carers finally noticing the late hour and scrambling to get themselves alert. He sighed and stepped further into the clearing.

"Indeed," he drawled, immediately drawing the attention of his Grisha, young and old alike. "You've been out here half the day; the instructors were worried."

He kept his eyes on the otkazat'sya but could see several winces out of the corner of his eyes, carers obviously expecting to be punished for their lack of vigilance. He probably should've taken them to task for becoming so distracted when charged with caring for the tiny treasures, but just this once he was willing to be lenient in light of the unusual circumstances.

"Back to the Little Palace with you all, I might just be able to persuade the kitchens to find something for your dinner."

The Grisha scampered to their feet and in the direction of home immediately, Starkov only a few moments behind, drawing level with him at the rear of the group for the walk back in the dark. She seemed to be amused by something though what he had no idea.

He was such a softy! Feydor was totally right he clearly had a fondness for the younger ones, or he'd never have come out to find them himself but rather sent some of the older recruits to search. Definitely another point in his favour and somewhat reassuring, after all how could anyone so soft on the inside be the same demon people seemed to paint him as? Almost grinning, Alina continued to shepherd the little'uns back whilst also keeping an eye on her surroundings (not to mention the handsome General almost close enough to touch) as was her habit.

The General was against his will intrigued, this strange girl so comfortable and surefooted in the dark gently nudging his children along without seemingly losing awareness of her surroundings, like some sort of mother wolf. Stunning. And she wasn't the slightest bit wary of him, straying close enough to brush against his clothes before darting away to help a little'un up the path. Amazing. He couldn't remember the last time anyone was comfortable being that close without wanting something from him.
Not for the first time he found himself cursing his longevity, wishing he could pursue someone, anyone who wouldn't turn to dust before he saw his first wrinkle. In another life, perhaps this otkazat'sya might've been enough. He's waited this long for his sun summoner, how much longer could his resolve endure? How many more people could he let in just to inevitably lose?

It became almost a habit after that for Alina to visit the young ones on their break and tell them a story or two after a morning of training or reading. At least until the General came to send them back to class (since the carers couldn't seem to remember to watch the time when she was there). Often this meant he'd catch the end of a story, many of which he was sure he'd never heard even in all his centuries.

It was not unusual after such afternoons when the little'uns were safely back in their classes to see the General accompanied by the otkazat'sya walking the grounds, looking in on the other Grisha's training and just seeming to talk, often about the children themselves.

"They really do love you, you know. Many of them were hurt by otkazat'sya in the past so the fact they're so taken by you is extraordinary."

"Not as strange as you think. Besides I love children, all children, I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do to keep them as safe as I can."

"You'll be a good mother someday, Alina."

"I hope so."
---
Alina had been at the Little Palace for just over two weeks when she woke up early one morning and just knew. Knew watching the sun break over the horizon that that day would be different, that somehow, someway that day would change everything. The anticipation followed her in a cloud all morning, Botkin eventually having to dismiss her early after her absentmindedness cost one of her opponents a dislocated shoulder and another a concussion.

“Come back when little girl can focus again.”

She tried to go to the library for a little while next but just couldn’t seem to settle herself, eventually irritating the librarian enough to be similarly removed for the day. Ugh, she shook herself as she walked back outside, if whatever was going to happen would just do it already, preferably before she had a nervous breakdown, she’d really appreciate it.

It didn’t take long for her to find herself in the usual clearing, nearly an hour before the little’uns would even arrive, and nearer two before the General would drag himself from his work to collect them again. What to do, what to do.

Unwilling to risk her powers in such an open spot, she tried to think of something to do but her head was too full of useless information from being on alert all-perfect. She’d meditate, that’d help with the anxiety if nothing else. Alina’s eyes fell on the boulder she’d usually lean on to tell her stories, nearly three feet across and over four high it was perfect for her purpose, if only she could climb on top. Damn her petite (five feet one was not short, damn it!) frame. Nearly ten minutes of struggling later she made it, flopping down and crossing her legs (grateful again for the more sensible clothes and especially trousers Genya had had made), eyes slipping closed of their own accord as she relaxed, time slipping away.

A while later, and finally clearheaded, noise roused Alina where she was seated on her rock, her hand going instinctively to her blades before registering the chattering of children approaching. Oh, yes, the little’uns, it must be after lunch already then.
Just as they were coming in, Alina realised she’d have to get down somehow, slowly uncurling and stretching her legs in preparation of sliding down. God don’t let this be embarrassing, she thought, slowly lowering herself over the edge only to slip almost immediately, roughly hitting the ground feet first and barely keeping her balance. She’d probably have scraped up both her legs if it wasn’t for the corecloth that was woven into her clothes. Looking up she found the carers were grinning but at least none were actively laughing at her, so she’d take it.

“What were you doing up there, miss Alina?”

Ah, little Misha. He was the youngest resident of the Little Palace before Alina’s rescues arrived at just five years old and one of the most confident children she’d ever met. One of the perks of being raised by so many loving adults for almost your whole life.
“That, Misha, was meditating. I do it sometimes when I need to calm myself down or if I’ve been on edge too long and today’s just been one of those days.”

“What’s meditating?” “Is it hard?” “Can we do it?”

Alina couldn’t have held in the laugh if she’d tried, children who wanted to sit still and stay quiet? Now she’s seen everything. The carers seemed to be in a similar state of hilarity.

“Meditating is a way of relaxing yourself and it can be particularly useful before stressful things like tests or even just if you feel yourself getting angry, so no one gets hurt. I think I taught myself when I was small like you so if you tried, I’m sure you could do it. It’s not really very interesting but I think you will have to learn eventually for your training anyway,” the carers nodded, “there you go, so I don’t see why we can’t give it a try. If you really want to, that is?

The children cheered and all found themselves somewhere to sit, most of them crossing their legs and closing their eyes like she had been doing and Alina almost cooed in delight, shooting heart eyes at the other three adults instead, which were returned in triple. So. Adorable.

“Alright then little’uns, if we’re actually doing this, you’re going to have to try and take it seriously so try and stay calm and quiet while I explain and if we all get bored we’ll move on. Now is everyone sitting cross-legged and comfortably? Eyes closed?” Nods, as Alina sat herself down in front of the group, “great we’ll make a start then.”

“Now how I learnt in a little wood like this one was by starting out focusing on my surroundings, on nature. What I could hear and feel. We’ll start on the easiest one, what you can hear. Listen for the sounds around you, the birds in the air and wind in the trees, the rabbits on the ground and the rustling leaves.” Alina took a deep breath and her whole voice shifted, softening, and slowing. “Those are your surroundings, what’s going on around you right now, now I want you to turn that focus inwards. Can you hear the sound of your breath as you draw it in slowly and let it whisper out again? Feel the gentle rise and fall of your chests with each one?”

Alina let one eye peek open when the clearing stayed quiet. Oh my.

19 tiny cherubic faces stared back at her, almost appearing asleep if they weren’t still holding themselves upright. Somehow out of 34 children over half had slipped into a shallow meditation on their first try, the rest, mostly those under nine, clearly napping. Well then, either meditation came a lot easier to Grisha or she was a much better teacher than she knew.

It was this scene the General stumbled upon, Alina somehow leading half his children in meditation whilst the three assigned carers watched on in amazement and saw to those who had fallen asleep in the attempt. Would this girl ever stop amazing him? When she opened an eye, just enough to spot him in the shadows she smiled serenely and started gently bringing the successful children round.

“Alright little’uns, it’s getting quite late now so it’s time to come back to us. Turn your attention back outwards to nature now, hear the wind and the leaves again, the sounds of the other children breathing, and when you’re ready open your eyes.”
Dazed eyes slowly blinked open, the children disoriented for a few minutes before focusing back on their surroundings and what they could see. Nathan, her seven-year-old rescue, seemed to be the youngest of those successful and was also the last to come around, needing a little bit of help from Alina to fully bring himself back whilst the other carers woke the sleeping younger children.

“Alright little’uns the General is here to take you back now, but it may take another minute or two before you’ll be steady on your feet again so don’t get up until you’re ready.”

“I’m actually early today so do take your time, children.” Alina had never heard his voice so gentle and turned to look, meeting his eyes, and catching his smile just before he could wipe it away. Softy. That moment could not possibly have been any more perfect even if she had dreamed it up herself, which was why of course everything had to go wrong exactly then.

It started with a single rustle, just too loud to have been a rabbit or fox, and then she heard the unmistakable snap of twigs to her left where there should be no one. Alina reached for her knives, what the-
---
There were too many of them, was all the Darkling could think of. He’d seen Alina tense and reach for her blades just seconds before he’d become aware of the threat in the trees around them. Several dozen scruffy men, armed with crude swords and even the odd rifle had burst from the foliage in an instant, his first cut taking out a great many and followed quickly by two more before they were too close to the children to risk another. There were still too many of them.

Alina had not been idle, as soon as she’d seen his hands come up, she’d damn near thrown herself over the children who were yet to move, shielding them with her own body whilst the three carers got those that could to make a run for it back home. She risked a glance around, there were still a good thirty-five attackers facing off against the General, a small number for sure if it wasn’t for the innocents still at his feet. She nudged them towards the boulder, trying to clear the line of fire so their protector could let loose but some of the men noticed and came after them. After the children.

Oh hell no.

They were here for the children. These cowards would dare attack innocent children in their own home, where they should be safe. Meditation or not she didn’t have it in her to give them a chance after that, all thoughts of mercy burning away with her rage as she shoved the children behind her, heart clenching at a cry of pain and lifted her hands to Cut.

The General was struggling, and he knew it. It’d been a long time since he was in anything even vaguely resembling a fair fight, as usually he’d cut down such a force with just a swipe of his hands. But with his children in the mix he was forced to take them on almost individually, every second spent killing one putting his little ones more at risk from the rest. There had to be something more he could do. He saw Alina start nudging the children away and almost sighed in relief, as that would let him end this sooner, right up until a good third of their men turned their attention to them.

Oh no.

Oh gods, please no.

He’d never reach them in time.

He fought harder, almost desperately even, needing to kill the twenty in front of him so he could still save as many as possible from the other ten, throwing himself physically into the fight as they got closer to the children, catching Alina doing her best to shield them behind her. 18, 17, 15, still too damn many, still too far away, his ears caught the sound of a child’s cry, no, no, no-
The woods lit up around him.

The man he was fighting fell to the ground, blood pouring from his chest and mouth. One by one the rest of the men followed suit, dropping headless or bleeding from the heart, the final man even turning to flee before he fell in several pieces with a flash before the light seemed to fade back to normal. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it looked like…but that was impossible.

Wasn’t it?

“Alina? You’re Grisha too?”

The Darkling turned from the dead men to see Alina lower her arms, the little’uns still safely tucked away behind her, and go to answer the inquisitive little one but her eyes never looked away from him.

“Yes, Nathan, I am.”

“Alina? You’re a- you’re, I mean what-“

Funny, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d stumbled over his words like that. Not in decades at least, probably longer.

“I think you know, General.”

She was smiling so gently. All his hopes and dreams wrapped up in this tiny little shu package and then she seemed to just light up from within, skin glowing with a shimmering golden hue. He’d finally found her, the only one in the world he could let himself have completely and let them have him in turn.

“Sun summoner,” he whispered. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you, Alina.”

---
So, it turns out her little light show was visible from the upper windows of the Little Palace, and if that wasn’t enough the reinforcements had barrelled into the clearing just in time to hear the General identify her and see her glow. Along with the half-dozen little’uns who had seen the whole thing and were more than willing to re-enact it this meant her secret was well and truly out of the bag by the time they returned to inside the walls of the Little Palace, Grisha and servants of all ages craning to get a look at her as the Darkling hustled her through the masses to his own chambers. He pushed the door closed behind her and she braced herself for another interrogation, turning to face him.

“Now before you say anything General, I-oomph”

Those were…his lips? On hers? And his arms around her back? Whaaaaat? He was kissing her now? Finally. Getting with the program Alina pressed back against him, hands going to his back and neck, fingers just brushing the ends of his hair as she pushed up to her tiptoes with a muffled groan. His hands roamed lower, over the curve of her arse until he could hoist her up onto the war table as they broke for air, gasping into each other’s mouths.

“Aleksander. Not General, not to you.”

She pulled him back in with her legs hooked around his waist, feeling his mouth on her neck, sucking, and nipping desperate marks and she let her head fall back, his arms around her back the only thing holding her up from the table. “Aleksander,” she gasped feeling a shudder run through him, “bedroom, now.”

He pulled back, looking between her eyes as if to ask if she was sure but was too far gone to get the words out. Either way she kissed him again, this time sure he got the message when she was lifted once more and then laid down on a much softer surface, presumably his bed though she’d take a sofa at this point, if it would get them both naked faster. Speaking of which,

“Too many clothes, Aleks.”

Grumbling in agreement he pulled one hand back from where they’d found their way inside her blouse to unlatch the tiny hidden buttons of his kefta and pull it over his head, shortly followed by the shirt underneath.
Saints, it should be illegal for this man to wear a shirt.

The rest of their clothes soon met a similar fate, scattered on the floor as they pressed closer and closer, over a week of growing tension finally being resolved as they joined for the first time, writhing together as light and shadow played in the air around them, dancing in time with their union.

“Aleks.”

“Alina.”
---
They needed to talk; to get up and deal with the clusterfuck of the afternoon. But lying there, intertwined on silk sheets, everything felt right with the world. A peaceful moment of serenity they wished they could hold onto for the rest of their lives if only reality didn’t have to come knocking. Literally. In the form of Ivan.

“Moi soverenyyi?”

Aleksander sighed into Alina’s hair before raising his voice to be heard through the door, “I’ll be with you in a moment, Ivan.” Quieter he informed Alina, “There’s a bath I keep filled through that door if you want to wash up, I’ll send for some of your clothes, whilst we wait for a kefta to be made for you.”

Alina nodded, happy she wouldn’t have to put her bloody clothes back on and slid from the bed, hands just brushing over his body as she walked, naked, from the room. Feeling his gaze on her, she shot a smirk over her shoulder just as she disappeared into the bath chambers, hearing his muffled groan as he got up to dress and meet Ivan.

He let Ivan into the war room from where he was pacing outside -much unlike him- leading him through to his office to hear whatever news he’d brought so urgently.

“Moi soverenyi, the remains of the attackers have been removed for burning, and the little’uns checked over by healers though none had more than scrapes and bruises.” Aleksander nodded, relieved the children would all be alright thanks to Alina, his eyes flicking to lock on his inferior’s when he seemed to hesitate to continue.

“Ivan?”

“The Tsar has requested an explanation for the events of this afternoon and for the Sun Summoner to present herself to him first thing in the morning. Word has already spread out into Os Alta, I’ve heard they’re building shrines for the new Sun Saint.”

“Nothing unexpected then. A pain, but an expected one.” He sighed; the next few days would be crucial. “There’s not much that can be done today, we’ll put in an appearance at dinner to reassure the Grisha, in the meantime ensure security is tightened and inform the Oprichniki they’ll be including Alina in their detail. Have Genya sent to me with some of Alina’s clothes for when she’s cleaned up, hers will need burning.”

Ivan stood and bowed, “Yes, moi soverenyi.” He went to leave before pausing in the doorway and turning back. “Should I instruct the Fabrikators to begin work on some keftas for… moya soverenya?”

Ah. Clearly, he had not been as subtle with his affections as he had believed.

“Do so. Black and gold, preferably having one ready for dinner tonight, and something for court tomorrow, though I may just let Genya handle that.”

Ivan left, Aleks barely waiting for the door to the war room to close behind him before he was opening his bedroom door, finding Alina in his dressing gown towelling her hair dry.

“Anything interesting?”

“Just the king wants to see you tomorrow.” He sat down on the edge of his bed, running his hands through his hair. “We need to talk Alina.”

She sighed and dropped the towel, turning to face him, “I suppose we do.”
---
Alina knew this would be coming, that she’d have to explain herself eventually, but actually sitting here in front of this man who looked at her like she hung the stars in his sky and having to justify keeping herself hidden all these years was impossible. She just couldn’t seem to do it, not even to herself so she stayed quiet, waiting. What would he say, would he regret what they did?

The silence stretched, both just watching the other, as if waiting for an axe to drop before Aleksander chuckled to himself, breaking the tension. “I’ve been searching for you my whole life, and now you’re here I don’t quite know what to say.”

“Why were you looking for me?”

Aleks looked up, mouth opening with a pretty lie on his tongue before he saw her eyes, so open and beseeching and it snapped closed. Centuries of lying to everyone without batting an eye but now when it mattered most, he just couldn’t. Not to her.

“I’ve been alone a long time, Alina, waiting for the only Grisha who might possibly live as long as me, might balance me. You.”

Alina was nodding along, “yes, Fedyor mentioned Grisha live long lives, apparently you’re over a century old.”

“A bit more than just a century.”

“How long?”

“I-I’m not sure. I lost count after the fifth century.”

He looked down, waiting for the inevitable screaming, and crying when she put the pieces together. So long as she doesn’t run, I don’t care, he thought. I can handle anything but that. He heard her stand then, moving across the room and he curled in on himself, hands clenched, waiting for the door to slam closed behind her. A tear slipped free. This was it; his past was finally going to cost him everything.

And then she was right there, arms coming around his back, her heart beating next to his ear, chin resting in his hair. What was-she was, what?

“You don’t have to be alone any more Aleks. I’m here.”

"You're staying here? With me?" The disbelief in his voice was heart-breaking. "Don't you realise what I'm saying?"

"Oh Aleksander, of course I know the story, but I also know you. I know the history. No matter how many have died there, no matter my parents probably died there, I know life for Grisha has never been better. I know we've never been so well protected. You did that. All of the Grisha here, the children, you kept us safe, all by yourself."

"But who was keeping you safe, Aleks? I'm here now, I'm finally ready to step into the light, and I'm not going anywhere."

He could feel the tears running silently down his face but couldn't bring himself to wipe them away as she leant in close to his ear: "You don't have to do it on your own anymore."

That was it, he couldn't stop the sob that escaped as she held him close and just let him cry. Is this what he'd been waiting for his whole life? This perfect moment, this woman who would hold him, stroke his hair and let him be weak for just a little while?
He could vaguely sense centuries of planning falling down around his ears as she held him but right there and then he was sure it would be fine. It would all be worth it if she'd just keep holding him like this.

---
It was nearly halfway through dinner when the big black doors were thrown open and the Grisha fell silent, gaping at seeing their General escorting the woman he'd been not so secretly courting for over a week. The newly revealed Sun Summoner may not have been enough on her own to cause such a lapse of basic etiquette but the stunning black and golden kefta she was wearing sure was, whispers surging as soon as they were seated at the black table which now boasted a not inconspicuous second chair.

"She finally said yes then-" and "Well that's a claim if I ever saw one-" from some of the Corporalki, and "it's so romantic waiting until there weren't any secrets between them-" along with "I cannot wait until I see Zoya's face-" from her friends at the Etherealki table.

The couple ate their meal in companionable silence as the Grisha gossiped around them. Before long it became clear word had spread as the room steadily filled with brightly dressed bodies even as the cutlery was set down. Alina glanced at Aleks from the corner of her eye, nodding gently as they set their own cutlery down together, not surprised in the slightest when heads immediately turned towards them as they stood.

"My Grisha, it’s been an extraordinary day, not only were we fortunate enough to foil an attack on our children here without casualty, but on the back of it we've acquired a legend." General gestured grandly to his companion. "Alina Starkov, newly revealed to be one of us, the Sun Summoner will be joining us here in the Little Palace for the foreseeable future." The Grisha whispered excitedly, the odd whispered 'Sankta' from the maids being quickly drowned out. "Furthermore, the king has requested a demonstration in the morning, anyone who wishes to be present are to gather in the entrance hall immediately after breakfast, we'll make sure those of the Grand Palace know she is one of us first and foremost."

Alina smiled and waved, a lazy sweep of her arm lighting up the room with a dozen glowing suns that exploded into shimmering sparkles much to the Grisha's delight as Aleks escorted her back through the black doors into his rooms. Alina collapsed immediately onto the sinfully soft black sofa, pulling her hair from the elegant braids Genya had woven and kicking off her shoes whilst Alexander poured them both a drink of kvas from his own private stores.

"Today has been just exhausting, and tomorrow will probably be worse when politics gets involved," She sighed taking a sip. "At least I can use this whole Sankta thing the otkazat'sya maids were whispering about if they ask me to explain where I was."
Aleks lowered himself onto the seat beside her, getting a shock when Alina immediately scooted over and lifted his arm to snuggle in underneath. This woman...

"That useless Tsar is probably going to try something, and if that scum that calls itself the Crown Prince tries to lay a hand on me again, he'll lose it."

Could this little lady be any more perfect? He'd be able to share his plans for a coup without fearing for his neck. Wait. Hang on...

"...I'm sorry, what do mean again?"

"Hmmmmm? Oh, when I was summoned last time, if I hadn't seen him behind me at the last second he probably would've gotten away with a quick grope."

"Right. Well. I'm sure I can think of something to prevent such a thing being reattempted."

"Just do it quietly, I'd hate to have to break you out of prison." He looked down at her in surprise. "You had murder written all over your face, Aleks. I hope the second prince is at least vaguely competent, he'll need to be to fix the mess his kin will leave behind."

Aleks coughed, "yes well, about that."

"Alexander, no."

"To be fair I've been doing the Tsar's work for decades, the least he could do is leave me the title when he...passes."

"Aleks..."

"You don't think I'd make a good Tsar?"

"...you are far too old to look that pathetic. Ugh, fine, take the throne, you're already running Ravka it's only fair you get the chance to rule it."

"There are two thrones on that dais you know," any attempts at nonchalance failing when Alina pulled herself up to look at him properly.

"Was that... a proposal? I-Aleksander?"

He put his drink down on the side table, plucking hers from her hands so he could take them in his own, looking into her eyes. "Alina you already surpassed any and all of my expectations when you said you'd stay. If I was a better man that would be more than enough but I'm selfish, I want more. I want everything you're willing to give me. I'll treasure you however you choose to stay by my side, but I would be honoured if that would be as my wife. My Queen."

Alina just stared at him, silently gaping. This was moving too fast, there's no way she should be thinking about this after knowing this man for barely two weeks. No way she should say anything but 'not yet' or 'let's wait and see' at best, and yet. And yet. She had promised she'd stay, so she'd be spending eternity with this man one way or another. The passion was definitely there, but love? Maybe not yet but staring into those dark grey eyes, so open and hopeful, Alina couldn't help but think it wouldn't be long.

"Okay. Okay, yes, Aleksander. I'll marry you."

He kissed her. Well kiss is probably the wrong word to use. In reality, he tried his hardest to suck her heart out through her mouth, dragging her practically into his lap to devour her properly and only drawing back when the need for air became too great to ignore any longer.

"I suppose that means I won't have to go back to my rooms tonight. And I expect a ring."

"Anything you want, milaya."
---
Aleksander carefully extricated himself from the bed and Alina's stranglehold just over two hours before they'd have to be up for breakfast. He had something he had to get done before she was awake. Dressing, and slipping a carefully knotted piece of string into his pocket, he slipped silently from the room, shadows covering his exit and allowing him to make it down to the fabrikator rooms unseen, where he lit the forge. He could've waited and had David do this for him, but he knew it would mean more coming from his own hands.

Who would've guessed those years as a blacksmith's apprentice would come in handy so many decades later?

Melting the metal and shaping it was the easy part, something like muscle memory filling in the gaps of his knowledge. Setting the tiny diamonds and fire opal in a sunburst was not so easy, being something, he'd never really had experience with before. He was sure it wasn't entirely even when he had to declare it finished but that might just be him being critical and comparing it to all the Fabrikator made pieces he was used to seeing. Either way he was out of time and would have to return to wake Alina if they wanted to eat before seeing the Tsar. Collecting Alina's kefta, he made his way back to his rooms and the lady waiting for him there, ring tucked securely in his pocket.

Aleks shook Alina awake and called for breakfast to be brought for them whilst she bathed, hanging up the new kefta for after. When she emerged once again wrapped in his dressing gown he had to look away and recompose himself, knowing unfortunately they didn’t have time to get distracted, not helped in the slightest when she sat there on his sofa, wet hair curling everywhere and nibbling on sweet pastries. I bet she’d taste so sweet right now if I just-

Aleksander, focus.

“Are you alright, Aleks? You seem kind of tense.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she licked flakes from her fingers.

Why that little… quick, distract her before she distracts you.

“Well, I am a little anxious. I made something for you this morning. I didn’t have time to do the box too, but I can still do this mostly properly.”

“Aleksander?”

He stood from his seat, coming around the table to stand beside her before dropping down on one knee, producing the hand-crafted ring from his pocket and presenting it to her. “Miss Alina Starkov, would you do me the honour of being my wife? My eternal companion?”

“Oh Aleksander, it’s beautiful, of course I’ll marry you.”

The kiss that time was much more chaste, lingering and sweet. A promise of more to come.

“Hang on, did you say you made this?!?”
---
In the end the meeting with the Tsar was almost anti-climactic. He took one look at her in her black kefta with golden sunbursts carefully sewn in, engagement ring on display and on the arm of the most terrifying man in Ravka and kept his demeaning comments to himself for a change, merely requesting a demonstration of her power for the court. He even shushed his wife when she went to make a no doubt cutting remark, quite possibly saving her life, at least for now.

The most interesting part of the day, for Alina at least, came before that, when the other Grisha noticed her new ring, though she probably could’ve done without the squeals right in her ear. Watching Zoya storm off was particularly satisfying and at least explained her dirty attitude since she’d arrived, even if it made her even more loathe to deal with sheltered teenagers.

No, it wasn’t until a few days after the demonstration when the royal family made its final mistake. The Crown Prince had been absent from the Grand Palace for the demonstration, reportedly looking at buying yet another horse with the country’s sparse funds but chose to return when news of Sankta Alina reached him. Unfortunately for him, the news of her engagement, or at least of just who her future husband was, did not reach him.

He’d barely been home an hour when that lack cost him dearly.

Vasily had decided that this new Sankta would be his. He was aware enough to know he was not well looked upon by the general population but taking a living saint as his wife would make him the ideal Prince and possibly even accelerate his climb to the top. He could only hope she would be pretty but decided it would be of no real consequence when he could just take a mistress or several. He wasted no time, seeking her out before he had even seen his parents and finding her just leaving a training session with the other Grisha (and really, why would a lady ever need to know how to fight? He’d have to put a stop to that), golden sunbursts on her clothes giving her away immediately.

She agreed to speak with him, of course, and he led her some distance away, into the gardens and out of sight of the other Grisha to make his proposal, barely even noticing the ring already on her hand. After all, what man could possibly hope to compete with the Crown Prince? To his absolute shock she just laughed at him, asking if he was joking before refusing his most generous offer and turning to walk away.

How dare she?

He followed her, angry beyond reason at her slight, not even noticing they’d emerged from the gardens before he reached her, wrenching her around by the shoulders and gripping her wrists so she couldn’t summon.

“Let me rephrase, you will marry me.”

“I told you, if the gods had wanted me to marry you then they’d have let me know but they’ve made their will very clear on this matter and so have I.” The slight glow to her skin brightened as she spoke.

Unknown to Vasily, several loyal Grisha had already taken off at a dead sprint to search for and alert her fiancé and the only reason he wasn’t already dead was that the Oprickniki had already been warned something like this may happen with the royal family and instructed not to step in until it became life threatening. That grace period was quickly running out, however, as he shook her violently by the wrists, oblivious to the growing crowd or the way she dimmed in response, still utterly furious his plans weren’t being immediately successful.

That’s when it happened. Vasily was thrown clear, flying like a ragdoll through the air before coming to an abrupt halt in the branches of a tree, shadowy tendrils curling back to hold Alina gently until Aleksander, having stormed from the gates of the Little Palace moments before, could catch her himself.

“Alina?”

Now it could’ve just been a trick of the light, of their perceptions, but to the many maids and even nobles it seemed to them that the Black General’s shadows and even just his very presence made their Sun Summoner shine brighter, like how the dark sky between made the stars glow. Which was absolutely true, and they didn’t need to know any more than that as she came to and reached for him, lighting up from within.

They didn’t need to know how Aleks and Alina had planned for something like that and a great deal of it was staged when Alina realised how they could use such an occurrence to smooth their way to taking the throne.

After all, who wanted a heretic running the country?
---
It wasn’t long after that things just seemed to fall into place for the new couple, the population easily accepting the illness sweeping through the royal family as their penance for attacking their Sun Saint, especially when it was found that Prince Nikolai who had been out of contact for over a year had also died from the disease. Aleks continued ruling the country, though now with the freedom to actually do some good by stripping out the Grand Palace and bolstering the armies in ways that had never been possible with the Tsar’s frivolous lifestyle, making a start at fixing the damage done by the line of incompetent kings tying his hands.

Eventually he and Alina travelled to Krisbirsk and into the fold, her light carving a solid tunnel through the dark and allowing Aleks to lead the army into West Ravka, crushing the rebellion before it could really start and deposing General Zlattern without much fuss. The rest of the fold was pushed outwards, up north to settle along most of the Fjerdan border and the same to the south for Shu Han, allowing them to recall near all their troops and stop the fights ravaging the country once and for all.

After that it was only a matter of time before it was demanded that they were crowned, and they were, in a combined wedding and ascension ceremony attended by what had to be most of Ravka and just a few visiting nobles who had travelled the long way around the folds and through West Ravka. The new Apparat presided, the old one having mysteriously come down with the same illness as the royal family after trying to order Alina not to marry the Darkling and take the crown on her own as Sol Koroleva.

Needless to say, she didn’t take that very well.

The new king and queen took to ruling like birds to the skies, and without the constant wars, Ravka flourished, eventually getting to a strong position from which they could bargain with their neighbours, securing freedom and good lives for all Grisha born within their ever-widening domain. The only light missing from their lives then was that of their own children, but both had agreed they couldn’t possibly sentence anyone else to an eternity alone or of endless waiting like Aleks had done for so long. They made do with the raising of the many Grisha who came to them for training in the Little Palace, resigning themselves early on to losing them all in time.

But they’d never be alone.

At the very least they’d always have each other. Always.