Chapter Text
Alina trembled with heavy sobs as she kneeled on the floor. The wood was covered in a thin sheen of dust, and spiders and roaches scuttled around her. Webs stretched from wall to wall overhead with small insect corpses wrapped in the centers. Alina did not retain the energy to care about the state of the disused room, despite the fact that she was forced to flick little bugs off of her shoulder every few moments.
“Alina Starkov! You bring shame to the noble name of Duke Keramsov. Reveal yourself at once!”
She buried her face deeper in the space between her arms and knees as the scathing voice of Ana Kuya drifted out from the hall, her footsteps drumming against the ground with a sound that the child could easily have imagined to be the beat of volcra wings. Ana Kuya had always scolded Alina and the other children when they brought up the atrocious beasts of the Unsea, growling that they would have nightmares if they allowed such dreadful thoughts to cultivate in their minds. However, Alina, in her miserable, frightened state, simply couldn’t help but to see Ana Kuya and the Grisha examiners as monsters.
Monsters. They were monsters who intended to tear her away from Keramzin, her only home. They would have her abandon Mal and replace him with their witches who would only ever see her as a freak. Just like the other orphans. They would frivolously attempt to heal the wounds they tore open with a sparkling kefta and a room in a tacky palace.
Alina choked back a cry rising in her throat, terrified that the slightest noise would alert someone to her presence in the room. The moment that cursed burst of light had illuminated the room after one of the Grisha testers pricked her, Alina utilized the distraction and wrenched herself from the Grisha’s grasp and ran. She wound through the hallways, which she had memorized, and, as soon as the shouts faded, ducked into one of the old spare rooms to hide. Blood from the scratch seeped into her top and onto the floor. A bit was smeared on her face as well.
A pair of softer voices echoed through the hall. A couple of the Grisha, Alina thought.
“It’s impossible… Of all the people in Ravka, it happens to be some little orphan girl? I don’t know if I believe it.”
“Nonsense. You saw the beam, yes? It must be her. You ought to count yourself fortunate that we were the ones to discover it. He’s been searching for so long… I would not be in the least surprised if there were to be a lavish reward for us…”
Alina hadn’t the faintest idea what the light beam was, or whether it was normal. Definitely not normal, Alina decided after thinking over the whispered conversation. One might assume that it marked her as special, but Alina was certain from the way the two spoke that it was quite the opposite. They intended to sell her off, presumably to the…
Alina shuddered. She had never harbored a particularly strong dislike toward Grisha until now, but she had always despised the Darkling. Ana Kuya had told a story of the Black Heretic, an ancestor of the current Grisha general, who was the very reason for the horrid state of Ravka and the Unsea. Perhaps it was wrong to judge someone by their family, but the Darkling and his family’s shadow powers had created abominations that preyed on humans. Could a good person truly wield such awful abilities?
Creak.
Alina failed to stifle a whimper. She scrambled backward as a shaft of light shot through the room from the door, her head whipping back and forth as she sought out a hiding place. Her heartbeat quickened in fear as she realized that the room was empty, save for a pair of splintering chairs. However, strangely, the door shut with almost complete silence as fast as it had opened, but not before a scrawny shadow slipped inside.
Mal!
Alina jumped to her feet, launching herself toward the boy. She wrapped her skinny arms around his neck, feeling the flow warm tears that had rolled incessantly down her cheeks finally halt.
“Is it true?” Mal whispered tentatively. He mostly detached himself from Alina but kept a grip on her hand as he led her into the dark corner of the room. The girl nodded slowly, looking at him with wide, doe-like eyes.
”I won’t leave you.” Alina squeezed his hand, her brows pinched together in determination.
Mal shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze. The two remained in tense silence for a few moments until he finally spoke.
”What can you do? There’s only so many places to hide here,” he muttered. There was a hopelessness in his tone that threatened to make Alina’s heart shatter.
“We’ll use every one of them until we run out. Then, we’ll escape. We’ll go find a nicer place to live, away from Ana Kuya and the Grisha. We— I can pretend that I’m normal. We’ll live a normal life,” Alina said, stumbling over her words as she attempted to convince him.
“Remember how we talked about our farm? We planned every detail. We can run away and finally build it! Just like how we wanted. Don’t you want to?” Alina hated the quavering in her voice as tears began to return to her eyes. She hated the way she was pleading. She hated how Mal didn’t immediately say yes.
”I want to, Alina… I do. But… we’re kids. Ana Kuya says we’re lucky to be here, and she’s right. Isn’t it because of the Duke that we didn’t die of starvation or something when we younger? He gave us clothes and shelter… I just mean… it’ll be hard to live on our own…” Mal said. Alina could’ve sworn that she heard the hint of a quaver in his voice, too.
Creak.
Both children’s heads snapped to the door, looking much akin to a pair of rabbits or deer upon seeing a wolf. Ana Kuya stood silhouetted in the door frame, her hands on her hips. The light flooded in, falling upon Alina and Mal and illuminating Ana Kuya’s features enough so that they could see the furious scowl on her face. The look was one the two were all too familiar with, and they clutched tighter to each other. The stern woman strode across the room with surprising speed and pulled the pair up by their shirts.
“What were you two thinking? Never have I seen such foolishness among children in all of my years of service to the Duke! I will not tolerate this behavior,” she growled.
“Mal, leave.”
The two children cried out simultaneously.
”NOW. I refuse to ask again.” Despite Alina’s distress, she could hardly blame Mal for slinking out of the room upon receiving Ana Kuya’s most withering gaze that foretold of a terrible punishment later on.
Try as she did to suppress it, another sob escaped from Alina’s lips as Mal departed.
”Stop this at once. I did not raise you to humor such ridiculous tantrums.” Alina continued anyways. Even if she had desired to, she hardly thought she could blink away the tears.
A bony hand touched her shoulder, sending a jolt through Alina’s little body. She looked up at the blurred form of Ana Kuya in shock at the tender touch. Though the woman did occasionally soften to comfort the orphans, it was a rare occurrence. She had always enforced strict rules that were supposed to mold the children into perfectly polite and calm little boys and girls so as to not tarnish the reputation of the Duke who housed them. She was never known to tolerate any sort of outbursts.
”Now, now, Alina. It’s not the end of the world.” The woman had removed the sting from her words that had previously lashed against the kids. “Chin up, dear. You have a rare opportunity. As lovely as Keramzin is, do you truly want to reside in this drab orphanage until you’re an adult?”
“Drab?” Alina echoed in a small voice. She gaped. Ana Kuya had never uttered a single ill word against the Duke or the orphanage, unless one were to count how she spoke of the young residents.
“Oh, hush. Even I can admit that, as wonderful as the Duke is to provide care for you little ones, it is not the most pleasant place at times. But even if you despise this place, you ought not to forget the Duke’s kindness. How would it show on him and the rest of us if you were to reject your destiny?”
”What… what do you mean?”
”You are… a special girl. Ravka has been waiting for you for quite some time.”
Alina narrowed her eyes slightly. Ana Kuya had not once complimented her, and Alina did not fail to notice the hesitancy in her voice.
“If you were to live among the benevolent Grisha, perhaps you’ll pick up some better manners. And, with the luxurious feasts at the Little Palace, maybe you’ll finally fill out, too. You’ve always been too scrawny.”
Alina released a hoarse chuckle. Ana Kuya brushed a tear off of her face, causing Alina to realize that she had mostly ceased her crying. Ana Kuya rose stiffly, and nudged the girl to mimic her posture.
”Good. If you have gotten that out of your system, you must see the Grisha examiners. You cannot run and hide for all of your life.”
Alina shivered, but miraculously managed to keep herself relatively calm. She nodded.
”You’ll make us proud.” Ana Kuya’s words were so quiet, and so unlike her to say, that Alina was unsure she heard them at all. Still, they stuck with her as she swallowed her dread and followed the woman out of her temporary safe haven.
I’ll make them proud, Alina thought. It was a plea, more of a prayer to the Saints than a word of courage. I’ll make Mal proud.