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Chapter Text

Honestly, these fools weren’t as smart as they thought they were. Impressive they built lights strong enough to chase his shadows away and light up his cell but what they didn’t count on were the grisha still loyal to him. Seriously, most of the grisha had sided with him when he staged his coup, why on earth did they think that they wouldn’t find out he was back and make a plan to free him. He was their protector, their defender, he had made a safe place for them to grow up and had risked it all to get the throne so he could help them even more.

His soldiers had infiltrated the 24 hour guard he had, slipping messages to him when his meals were delivered. They decided they should wait to free him when the palace was hosting a wedding where everyone would be too busy to pay much attention to anything happening at his cell. Such a simple plan. After they would free him, they would take off to Novi Zem and from there, who knew? He had never traveled farther than that but Vlad mentioned talks of an island nation across what was called the Black Sea. Maybe that would be their new home.

Two weeks later the plan was set in motion. No one noticed at all as they celebrated Genya and David’s wedding. Vlad and the others had horses waiting in the woods by the fountain he used to visit. To his absolute surprise, Ivan and Feydor were there. He had hoped they got away safely after he had died. They had been working to help the Grisha who didn’t want to go back to the Little Palace and serve under Zoya and Nikolai. 

“General, good to see you again,”Feydor said with a smile.

“Not really a General anymore. It is good to see you and Ivan again,”Sasha replied as he gave them both a quick one armed hug and pat on the back.

Ivan nodded his head in agreement before saying they did need to get a move on. Time was of the essence. None of them wanted to be caught. They mounted their horses and set off on a determined pace, one that wouldn’t tire their horses anytime soon. It was a tense couple of hours until they felt they had made considerable distance from Os Alta. They took a break at dawn to eat some cold jerky before heading out once again. The next week was a blur of the same. With the Fold gone, it was pretty easy to cross into West Ravka to the True Sea where Vlad’s ship was. Vlad had bought a ship after the Civil War and had been using it to help Grisha refugees go where they wanted. He may have turned pirate also, going after Fjierdan and Shu Han ships, attacking their coasts as well.  

Ivan and Feydor joined him in his cabin to update him more on what had all happened since his death. They and the others in his army had fought back after he was killed by Alina but had lost weeks later to Nikolai. Some had taken the pardons but the rest, like Ivan, Feydor and Vlad, had run after escaping their cells. They took to the forests of Ravka, hiding in caves and the mountains. Many still fought for Ravka but in their own ways. They helped the villages near the borders, they helped train the young grisha who didn’t go to the Little Palace and kept up their own spy network. Nikolai may think he found and commanded Sasha’s spy network but they reported more to Feydor than him. That is how they found out he was back. Most of the spies only stayed in the network to help the grisha they came across, it wasn’t because they were loyal to Nikolai, it also didn’t help that he put an incomptent person in charge of the spy network making it so much easier for them to convince others to join them and to also then spy on the palace.

“How will we get to this Island nation?”Sasha asked them the next day.

“Ekaterina has discovered a river system that would allow Vlad to sail his ship through Novi Zem to the other side. From there we have to cross the uncharted waters of the Black Sea and hope we reach this Island,”Feydor replied.

“If there is one.”Ivan scoffed. He was a bit skeptical that there was an Island but secretly he had hope too that there was one and that it would be a safe haven for them.

“Ahh Vanya, always so optimistic,”Feydor laughed.

  “We have no confirmation that this place is real, only stories. What will we do if they are false? No one we know has crossed the Black Sea and it has treacherous waters from what we have heard.”

“Lucky for us we have plenty of Squaller and Tidemakers on the ship to help us. Vlad has told me he has gathered enough money for us to buy plenty of supplies to last us six months at sea if need be. If we are wrong and we do starve or drown then you can say you told us so, Ivan.''Sasha said with a small smirk.

Ivan rolled his eyes at both of them. 

One Week Later

They arrived at Novi Zem, only going ashore to buy supplies before following Ekaterina’s map of the river system that went all the way to the Black Sea. Everyone spoke of their hope for the future while some,like Ivan, talked of the skepticism of the possibility of there being an island. The one good thing about traveling by the river system was seeing the beautiful landscape and seeing different animals that some had never seen before. Feydor had wanted to try and catch a monkey but unfortunately Ivan said no,bringing up the fact that they may not even survive out on the Black Sea and wouldn’t Feydor be more sad if something happened to the monkey.

It took about three weeks for them to reach the gulf that leads out to the sea.

“Great work,Katya. Those couple of years of you tracing this river system really paid off,”Sasha praised her.

“Thank you, General.”

Sasha shook his head as she called him General. No matter how many times he told his followers he wasn’t a general anymore, they would shake their heads saying he would always be their general. Only Vlad, Ivan and Feydor would call him by his name sometimes. 

As they sailed out into the unknown, some grisha said a little prayer to Rammir, the old Ravkan god of the sea. Sasha closed his eyes and gave a little prayer too, hoping the old gods hadn’t forgotten them. Feydor stood by him at the front of the ship, holding Ivan’s hand. As they exited the gulf into the open sea waters, the sun broke through the clouds in a line of light, like it was lighting the way for them. Perhaps this was a good omen….they could only hope.

Chapter Text

It had been 2 months since they first sailed out into the Black Sea, they hadn’t seen any sight of land yet but still they didn’t give up hope. Feydor and Katya had been so excited to see dolphins. They had only heard about them in books but never seen one for themselves. They both squealed with delight when they first saw them causing Ivan to cringe a little since Feydor was right next to him so the squeal was right in his ear. He gave a light glare at Feydor who only smiled back at him.

“I bet we’ll reach land within a week,”Vlad said looking over at Sasha.

“Hmmmm….I’d say 2 more weeks,”Sasha replied.

“Ivan would say never and we’ll die out here. Always so optimistic that one,”he chuckled.

“He’s often right, unfortunately. Let’s hope he’s wrong this time,” Sasha said with a wink.

“Fingers crossed. What are you most looking forward to if we reach this new land? Do you think the inhabitants will welcome us?”

Sasha sighed,leaning up against the railing of the ship and stared out at the water.

“I’m hoping they won’t have the same superstitions that have plagued our lands these thousands of years. I just want a home for us, where we can have families and just enjoy life.No wars, nothing.”

“Sounds like a dream.”

Sasha nodded before turning around hearing the sounds of the children who were with them. They were playing on the deck, chasing each other around and having the sailors dodge them as they worked. He couldn’t help but smile at them, their innocence and pure joy radiating from them.

“Please, let this new land be a place where they can grow up keeping that joy,”he thought.

“LAND HO!”

The shout startled them all. The sailor up in the crow’s nest waved his hand energetically and pointed to the northwest. Vlad quickly grabbed his spyglass to his eye, smiled with excitement before handing it to Sasha. The sailor was correct, there was land in the far distance. It would probably take till tomorrow to reach it but it was there. Sasha handed the spyglass back to Vlad before heading down to where Feydor and Ivan were.

“Appears you were wrong, Ivan. Don’t be too disheartened, it does happen to the best of us.”Sasha laughed as Ivan rolled his eyes.

“Yes, yes, I was wrong. I’m sure Feydor will remind me of this for the rest of our lives, won’t you?”he said as he turned to Feydor with a small smile.

“Oh, you know I will.”Feydor laughed.

Sasha watched as everyone on board cheered and celebrated that there was land. The kids said they should have a party, that they needed to do something to celebrate. Sasha couldn’t help but agree though there was still that nagging thought in the back of his mind that it was too early to do so, that the people of the land would be like all the others and that they would be hunted once again. He didn’t let his doubts show on his face especially as little Ana grabbed his hand and pulled him to dance in a circle with her as she laughed.

“Let them be happy for now, we’ll deal with reality later.”he thought to himself.

The Next Afternoon

They arrived in the busy port around two o’clock and docked where the port master was waiting. He looked over their ship and called out a greeting, when they looked at him confused as they had never heard the language, he then called out a greeting in Kerch. That they understood and Vlad called back a greeting.

“What’s your business here?”the port master asked.

“We come as refugees looking to start a new life somewhere,”Vlad answered back.

“Where are you from? Why did you have to leave?”

“We come from Ravka and we are grisha. We were persecuted by the countries around us, in Ravka we had to be soldiers just to be able to live,” Sasha answered as he came up next to Vlad, figuring it would be best to be honest.

“Grisha?”

“We practice small science, able to manipulate things like the elements, some of us manipulate the body and some of us are able to make things with chemicals and metals.”

“Oh you’re part of the Blessed Ones, blessed by the gods and fae. You’ll be welcomed here for sure. You’ll want to talk to the royal family, they will help set you and your people up here. Give you a rundown on the laws here. We’ve had other refugees come before but they didn’t call themselves Grisha but they also weren’t from this place called Ravka.”

“How far do we have to go to reach the Palace?’Sasha asked.

“Oh not far, if you follow this main road here,”he pointed north where there was a cobbled road,”you’ll reach their palace. Tell the guards who you are and that McCormik sent ya and they should show you in. They’ll probably question you a little too just to make sure you don’t have plans to hurt the royals.”

“We have no intention of doing so. Thank you, we’ll leave most of our men here while we go. Where should we set anchor?”

“Sail to the west here and there is a spot open next to that ship there with the blue sails. There’s a charge of 3 coppers per day.”

Vlad nodded his head and handed the 3 coppers over before sailing the ship to where they were told. Sasha, Vlad, Ivan and Feydor decided they would be the ones to go meet the royal family while the others stayed behind. Sasha told them to just stay on the ship till they knew it would be safe to disembark. They followed the road that was indicated to them that winded through the town. The smell of spices hit them as they entered where the market was located, along with the smell of pies which made their mouths water. Ivan had to keep a hand on Feydor’s arm so he wouldn’t wander off to go get a pie, only the promise of stopping on the way back kept him from wandering off. It took them half an hour to reach the gates of the palace. There was a moat that surrounded it, looking down into it Sasha could see it was filled with fish. 

The guards at the gate stopped them and questioned them just like the port master said they would. When they heard they were grisha or as they were called here the Blessed Ones, they’re attitude changed a little bit. One of the guards summoned fire to their astonishment and told them they would be safe here. This guard was the one to lead them up into the castle, talked to the other guards, and led them into the palace where they headed to the throne room where the royals were hearing petitions. Sasha couldn’t help but stare at the paintings on the walls and how there were flowers and other plants all around them. The air smelled so refreshing and was somewhat calming. The guard told them to stay out here and he went to tell the Queen about them.

“Look at the gardens! They’re so beautiful,”Feydor said from his place by the window.

“Looks like an enchanted forest from the fairytales,’Vlad replied.

Sasha couldn’t help but agree, he could spend hours outside in those gardens. He noticed that the whole town had flowers and plants everywhere as if they wanted to be one with nature. It was nice to see after being in towns that were either in ruins, rundown or surrounded by nothing but the wealthy’s houses. Everything there had to look so perfect but here there was a sense of wildness to it.

The guard came back out, telling them that the Queen would talk to them in her sitting room. He led them through the twists and turns of the hallways till they reached a quieter part of the palace where they were surprised to see about 10 cats and dogs just lounging around. One cat ,who had fur black as night, came over and rubbed up against Sasha’s leg, purring. He stopped to pet them before following the rest into the sitting room. The cat obviously followed in wanting more attention.

“The queen will be here shortly. There will be guards posted outside.”

Sasha nodded his head, he had already heard steps stopping outside the room after they entered. Ivan and Feydor had heard their heartbeats as well and inspected the room as they waited while Vlad and Sasha sat on one of the couches that faced the door. The cat who followed them in, hopped up and sat in Sasha’s lap. He looked down smiling a little bit as he gave them the chin scratches they so clearly wanted. They could all hear the purring as it was so loud.

“I think you have a new friend,”Vlad commented.

“I think you’re right,” Sasha said as the cat stretched up rubbing their head against his.

Just as Ivan and Feydor moved to the chairs on either side of the couch, the doors opened as the guards announced the Queen, the Prince and Princess. They all stood up as the royal family entered. The Queen looked to be in her fifties while the Prince and Princess looked to be in their mid twenties. 

“Please sit,”the Queen said.

They slowly sat down as the royals sat on the couch opposite them.

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,”Sasha said.

“Of course, we always have time for refugees, especially those running from persecution. We have heard you come from a place full of war and you had to be soldiers just to simply be able to live. I would like to hear your story from the start but first I would like to know your names.”

“My name is Aleksander Morozov, the man beside me is Vladimir Romonov, the man to my right is Ivan Kamisky and the other is his husband Feydor Kamisky.”

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Birgitta, this is my grandson Braden and my granddaughter Amira. Now why don’t I call for refreshments and you can tell us your story.”

For several hours, Sasha and the others told the story of Ravka and the second army. The Royal Family asked questions to clarify but for the most part listened. Amira snorted when hearing about Alina and how she didn’t understand the need to use the fold as a weapon. Ivan was sure he heard her mutter “what a dumbass”under her breath. He’d have to agree with that statement. From the looks on the Queen and Prince’s faces, they seemed to be in a bit of disbelief at Alina’s actions and from what happened from there. The hardest thing to explain was how Sasha died and was resurrected. 

“That’s quite the tale, do soldiers in Ravka normally not seem to understand the chain of command?”Amira asked.

“No, most do but for some reason Alina and her tracker didn’t or they thought they were better. It’s still a mystery to me,”Sasha replied.

“You had wars on all sides, your Tsar was a piece of shit who didn’t do anything and your country was broke, but this girl thinks that you using the Fold was the worst thing? Seemed like the right thing to do, you’d have leverage against the other countries which is how you can end a war with the possibility of not too much bloodshed. I’m honestly surprised the country is still running at this point,” Braden said.

“You and I both,”Vlad sighed.

“Well, you and your people are welcomed here, there is some room here in the palace and I know others who will open their homes to your people until they can settle in and have their own homes. We have tutors to help you all learn the language and if there are children with you, there is a school that they are welcomed to go to. Things are done differently here, your people will not be persecuted here, that I promise,” Queen Birgitta told them.

“Thank you, Your Highness,”Sasha bowed his head at her.

“Please, we are not so formal here, call me Birgitta or Queen if you really find the need.”

Sasha nodded his head with a smile before exchanging looks with the others. Amira said she would join them on the way back to their ship and help his people find the homes they would stay in. They thanked her and made their way back to their people, listening to Amira as she gave orders to the servants to make rooms ready and to notify the villagers and nobles who would gladly host the other grisha. Amira asked them some more questions about Ravka and even personal questions about them. She even answered questions of their own, the most surprising one , to them at least, was the fact that Amira and her family were Blessed Ones as well. Her grandmother was actually around 300 years old but had only been ruling for the past 150 years. 

“How can that be?”Feydor asked.

“The Blessed Ones can summon more than one element or can make things as well. We didn’t have to worry about persecution so we could really explore our powers and connection to the world. Where it seems it was safer for your people to learn one thing and become an expert because you were so hunted. I’m guessing too, that the non-grisha of your country would hunt you down even more if they knew how powerful you could really be.”

“That makes sense,”Feydor said.

“It was hard for our people to even learn that until I built the Little Palace and Second Army. I could remember when some would learn other powers but they were killed and turned into saints,”Sasha informed them.

“You must have lived for quite some time before you were killed,”Amira said with a curious expression.

“Before I was killed, I was somewhere between 900-1000 years old. My birthday was never celebrated by my mother so I’m not quite sure plus the years eventually melt into one another so it’s hard to remember.”

“Well, you look good for your age,”Amira replied, looking him up and down.

Sasha smirked, looked her up and down as well before following Vlad onto the ship. They explained who Amira was and what the plan for the future was at the moment. There were cheers from the people as they learned how they wouldn’t have to live in fear and that for once they were welcomed somewhere with no strings attached, they didn’t have to fight for a place in the world.

“I would love to hear more about your life, Morozov, when you have the time,”Amira stated as she touched his shoulder.

“I’d be honored to do so, Princess.”

“Amira, just Amira.”

“Call me Aleksander, then.”

Chapter Text

3 Years Later

Nikolai stared out at the sea, the waves rolling by and the wind blowing through his hair. He sighed, wondering how it came to this, how did everything fall apart, how had he not seen the signs. He had abdicated his throne to Zoya, believing it was the right thing to do but was it? Did the people really mean it when they said they were fine with a grisha queen, that they’d rather have a leader who had fought in battle instead of hiding behind the palace walls. Maybe they had meant it at the time but in reality had someone else in mind and were just waiting till they could put them on the throne. Thinking about it now, it had been too easy to get them to accept Zoya, to have the Fjierdans accept the Saints and Zoya’s status as a Saint. People who were so zealous against grisha would never change their minds like that, not so quickly. 

“It’s not your fault, you know that, right?”Alina asked as she came to stand beside him.

“How could it not be? I gave up the throne to Zoya who I knew had trouble with her temper but for some reason I thought she’d do fine as queen; that she’d really make a difference and usher in a new era. How could I have been so blind to her faults?”

“She was a good general and had ambition, things that would make a good leader.”

“Was she a good general though? We had 200 grisha along with the Darkling disappear on the night of Genya’s wedding and more have disappeared over the past 2 years. If she was a good general, why would they leave? If we were making a better place for them, why wouldn’t they stay? I’ve talked to some of the others and for the most part people seemed to be scared of her and not necessarily out of respect.”

“Zoya can be intense, some people don’t like that, they get intimidated by it. As for the grisha leaving…I don’t know. I can’t understand why they would leave when you guys worked so hard to make them a haven. We fought a civil war so they wouldn’t be under the orders of a madman, who would have spread darkness everywhere,”Alina huffed and stared out at the sea, her hand clenching.

“Was he mad though? The fold would have been a powerful incentive to end the wars, thinking about it now, maybe it was a mistake to work to destroy it. Maybe I should have tried negotiating with-”

“No! He was insane to think that using something as horrible as the fold to end wars. He would have killed thousands-”

“Didn’t thousands already die fighting the never ending wars? He only killed a hundred when expanding on Novokiribisk. He killed Zhaltan who would have started a civil war if we hadn’t. I’m starting to think he would have saved thousands of lives if he had his way. I was a fool to think I could end the wars with no further bloodshed. We had nothing to leverage against our enemies, nothing to make them consider an alliance. Shu Han was a miracle. We had no way of knowing if it would work but it did somehow.”
“You can’t really think you could have reasoned with the Darkling? He wanted power, nothing more.”

“Did he though or did he want power so he could protect his people?”

Alina stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Shaking her head, she turned away from him, walking to the stairs to go below deck. No doubt seeking the comfort of her husband who would agree with her on how evil the Darkling was. Nikolia only watched her, not surprised at all with her reaction. He had come to realize some time after the whole civil war, that Alina had a habit of coming up with her own ideas of stuff and going with it like it was 100 percent true. Shaking his head, he went up to relieve the sailor steering the ship. 

“I hear you think this was possibly Zoya’s fault or that you could have negotiated with a lunatic. The same one that mutilated my face for letting Alina go,” Genya said the next morning as she entered his cabin.

“Good morning to you too. I never said it was all Zoya’s fault, really the blame all lies with me and yes, I am starting to think it would have been best trying to talk to Kirigin.”

“Really, after everything you think allying with him would have been best? He is a monster who has no regrets about what he did. He has even said he doesn’t regret a thing but you would believe working with him would have saved Ravka?”

“I don’t know Genya but I can’t help but think things would be different if I had. He was doing what he thought right, he wanted to keep Ravka afloat and….he had centuries of experience knowing how things could play out. I can remember being younger, seeing him always with councilors, planning moves, strategizing how to best anticipate the enemy. People used to talk about how he was always seen going around the country, checking up on things and how he would fight with his men when no other general did that.”

“That doesn’t mean he was a good choice. I used to believe that, I fought for that and suffered for it. He didn’t care what happened to me with your father, he just saw an opportunity to spy on him.”

“ Did he? Let me ask you Genya, what could he have done to get you away from my father without there being consequences? I know my father and he wouldn’t like what he considered his being taken away.”

“....Faked my death, possibly. It doesn’t matter, he didn’t help me, he only pretended to care.”

“Faked your death? That’s the only thing you can think of? That doesn’t make you think of how difficult it could have been for him to get you away from my father? Let me ask you, did he ever give you a choice or did he order you to stay?”

Genya looked down at her hands, before answering,” All right, yes, he gave me a choice. I could leave or he could promise me revenge a thousandfold. Revenge seemed best at the time.”

“So not a complete monster then? You made a choice and you want to blame him for that.”

Genya looked slightly ashamed before anger filled her eye,” I was a young girl who could have used his protection and all he saw was a tool to use! He made me believe he cared, that I could be his best soldier, he knew how to use that to make me do what he wanted. I can’t believe you would ever take his side,”she shook her head as she looked at him.

“I’m not taking his side, Genya, I’m saying it is not so black and white. What happened with my father is something I’ve learned happened to a lot of the female servants. They didn’t have anyone give them a choice. I know my father would have punished not just Kirigin but the whole Second Army if he had taken you away. I know also that my mother should have done more to protect you seeing as she used to dote on you like a daughter,”Nikolai looked down at his hands before continuing,” Did you ever consider telling him you didn’t want to be there anymore? That it was too much?”

Genya drew a breath slowly,”Once but I thought of what I would do to the Tsar as part of Kirigin’s plans and decided it would be worth it,”she looked down at her feet, swallowing hard,”I remembered another servant girl,crying because of the Tsar, and I remembered it wouldn’t just be me I’d be getting revenge for. It would be for those who didn’t have the power to do so and who deserved justice as well.”

“So….it wasn’t so simple, was it?”

“No, no it wasn’t,”Genya said as she sat down in a chair.

“I pardoned my Father, which is something I truly regret and maybe in doing so got rid of the person you had anger towards and you moved it to the person who is partially to blame for what happened to you. We can both agree he should have gotten you out of there but that it was very complicated and he had to weigh your life versus the rest of the grisha.”

“What’s one life versus the many?”Genya asked with a sardonic smile.

“That’s a question that haunts leaders. We want to save everyone but in reality we can’t.”

Genya nodded her head in agreement, moving to steal Nikolai’s cup and taking a drink from it. Placing it back on the small table, she got up and excused herself before heading out the door. Nikolai watched her go, pouring himself a stronger drink and pondered on everything he discussed with Alina and Genya.

A month later

They sailed into the port, talked with the portmaster before disembarking and heading towards the palace. Nikolai only brought Alina,Mal,Genya, David, and Zoya with him, leaving Toyla and Tamar to guard the ship. He went over in his head what he would say to the Princess of An Innis `Aigh(The Blessed Isle), how to convince her to help them win back Ravka. He knew she’d be the key to talking to the Queen, who was in the northern part of the country with the Prince,  tending to business at the moment, leaving the Princess and her husband in charge. 

Alina looked over at him and raised an eyebrow in question at the nervous look on his face.He gave her one of his charming smiles saying he was just thinking. She looked uncertain but went back to talking to Genya as they gazed around at the market. They made it to the palace gates where they were questioned by the guards. The Seneschal sent a page boy off to tell the Princess about their visitors. He ushered them into the palace, guiding them through until they were before the beautifully carved, wooden doors that led into the throne room. The two soldiers standing guard outside opened the doors as they reached them.

Nikolai took a deep breath as Zoya touched his elbow, inclining her head towards the throne room. He straightened his shoulders and walked forwards with the others trailing behind him. The throne room was well lit from the huge windows on both sides, the walls were also covered with vines and flowers giving the room a nice, refreshing smell. He could see two figures sitting at the far end on the thrones. There was something familiar about one figure, how they sat on the throne almost lounging on it in a confident way. 

His footsteps faltered at the same time he heard Alina suck in a loud breath. On one throne was a gorgeous young woman, wearing a silver circlet in the form of vines on her brow and next to her, lounging with a very self satisfied smirk was none other than the Darkling. 

“YOU!”shouted Alina.

“Me,”the Darkling said calmly.

“What the HELL are you doing here?”Zoya yelled this time..

“The better question is why are you here?”the Princess asked as she stared them down.

Nikolai composed himself before bowing his head,”We’ve come here to ask for your help, your Majesty.”

“Really, now why would you need my help or should I say the Queen’s help?”

“I’m thinking they want your help because they lost the throne to Ravka,”the Darkling mocked whispered to her.

“Do NOT mock us, you bastard!”Zoya exclaimed as she stepped forward, summoning some wind.

All of a sudden she was choking as the air was drawn out of her lungs. She clasped her hands to her neck as her face started turning red. Alina and Genya were by her side in an instant, panicking as they tried to help her.

“I think that’s enough, Amira dearest,”the Darkling said as he laid his hand on the Princess’s arm.

“If you say so, Sasha,”she replied as she unclenched her hand.

Zoya collapsed as she sucked in the much needed air, coughing hard. Nikolai looked at Princess Amira in shock. He hadn’t expected Grisha to be here or for the Princess to be one.

“You could have killed her!”Alina said with such anger as she took a step forward. 

Nikolai grabbed her arm and pulled her back, giving her a warning look. That’s when he noticed two figures had stepped closer from the side with their hands raised. It was Ivan and Feydor, ready to defend Sasha as always. Ivan had a look that could kill as he watched Alina.

“I apologize for my friends, Princess Amira, they’re tired from the trip and aren’t thinking clearly.”

“It’s not me who you should be apologizing to but my husband,”Amira said as she leaned back on her throne, placing her hand in Sasha’s.

“Yes, you’re right, I’m sorry Kirigin for Zoya and Alina’s behavior a few moments ago.”

“Accepted, Sobachka and it’s Aleksander Morozov, not Kirigin,”he motioned for Ivan and Feydor to relax,” I’m surprised Alina didn’t tell you that after all these years,” he said as he moved his gaze to Alina who was unsurprisingly glaring at him. He smirked back at her and tilted his head slightly.

“Must have slipped her mind, we were all busy after the civil war after all,”Nikolai gave a charming smile with a shrug of his shoulders.

“A civil war that she started?”Amira questioned with an exasperated voice.

“That I started? Is that what HE told you? He is a manipulator and a liar! You shouldn’t believe anything he has told you,”Alina accused Sasha as she pointed a finger at him.

Amira to their surprise started to laugh, looking over at Sasha as he joined her. Shaking her head, she replied,” Do you think we did not ask the others that came over with him about what happened or that we didn’t send out spies to ask around other countries and Ravka to verify things, to get a fuller picture of what happened? Do you take us for fools? Are you calling my family idiots?”

There was a clash of thunder heard outside and the room darkened as storm clouds gathered. Genya was very sure at this point that Amira was the cause and she was a very powerful squaller. They were going to have to tread carefully from here on out if they were even going to have a hope of her helping them.

“No, of course not but I know firsthand his treachery. Has he told you about how he collard me like a slave?”

“A slave? All the collar did was give me access to your powers, I couldn’t control your free will, Alina. If I could then what happened next on that skiff never would have happened,”Sasha explained slowly.

“Not control me? You want-”

“Alina, enough!”Genya said sharpley into her ear.

“Yes, please, that’s enough. I’d like to hear why you’re here so I can go eat,”Amira waved her hand at Nikolai to proceed.

Nikolai gave a warning glare to the rest to keep their mouths shut before facing the Princess once again.

“We were hoping for your country's help in regaining back my throne in Ravka. The nobles who took over are not fit for ruling and would only misuse their power. I fear for the common people and the Grisha there. I know these nobles as does Morozov, they do not care for the Grisha and would sell them to Fjerda and Shu Han for an end to the wars. I don’t want to see that happen so I am begging for your help.”

Amira studied him as he spoke, she could tell he really did care about his people but she also knew he had made mistakes which brought him to this point today. She glanced over at Sasha as he looked over at her as well. She raised an eyebrow slightly in question. He gave her a look that conveyed his uncertainty at the moment for what he thought they should do.

Genya watched them share a look, seeing the silent conversation they were having. Her stomach twisted with anxiety, knowing that there was a very real possibility that Aleksander could convince her not to help but Genya hoped that his passion for wanting to help Grisha would win out against any grudges he felt. David grabbed her hand sensing his wife was upset or worried, he wasn’t sure which. Genya squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile.

“Did you not give the throne to Zoya here? Would it not be her we would be fighting to put back on as ruler?”

Nikolai sucked in a breath realizing what he was about to say would make Zoya very angry with him but it had to be said.

“That was a mistake I made in my foolishness,”he glanced over at Zoya briefly,” I never should have given her the throne, she never had the temperament for it;she barely had the temperament to be a general. I was blinded by love for her so I didn’t truly see her faults. It’s not an excuse at all for my mistakes, I should have done better and not be biased either. To be honest, I was so tired as well of dealing with nobels, government, the wars, everything and craved giving it up, to go back to sailing the seas. It was selfish of me but I hope to do better.”

Sasha watched Nikolai carefully as he spoke, he knew that no other Lanstov would have admitted their mistakes, to take accountability for their actions. He knew what Nikolai said was true, those nobles would sell the grisha in negotiations and they would tax the common people to add to their wealth but was it worth it for the Queen to send her armies, her people to die for a country so far from them and to put someone on the throne who had already failed at being a leader? He looked over at Amira, recognizing the look in her eye as she too was weighing the choices. He gently gripped her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. There was still a part of him that felt a call to defend Ravka, to save Ravka but he was also tired of fighting and had found a peace here. 

“Aleksander, you said you wanted to save Ravka and its people, you owe it to Ravka to keep that promise,” Alina interrupted yet again.

Sasha stared at her in surprise tilting his head with a questioning look,” I do, do I?”

“Yes, it’s your fault for how broken up the country was after the war, you left Nikolai a broken country.”

Sasha gave a dark chuckle, looking over the group noticing Nikolai and Genya looked at Alina with horrified looks while David looked over at Genya with a questioning look. The others seemed to be in agreement with her and were glaring at him. The sky darkened even further as Amira temper started rising, the thunder grew louder and lightning flashed through the sky. He brought her hand to his lips giving a kiss on the back of it  to calm her.

“I gave my blood, sweat and tears for Ravka and my people for centuries.It wasn’t enough for anyone especially you. I saw the wars that tore it apart, I saw my people slaughtered for simply existing, them having to go into hiding, parents killing their kids because they knew their fates for being grisha yet YOU wanted to make me the villain , the monster well, the monster I became. I was willing to do whatever it took to bring an end to the wars so that Ravka could begin to rebuild. I didn’t want my people to have to be soldiers all their lives or for the common people to have to keep sending their sons and daughters out to die. 

You couldn’t see that seeing as you only saw death and never considered the bigger picture, that some lives had to be sacrificed to save the many. There was no way to end the wars without some bloodshed, that is never how wars are won. We had leverage with the Fold and we showed that when I expanded it killing Zhaltan who would have cut off our supplies which would have starved our people. That was not an easy decision to make, I knew I would kill innocents but I also knew it had to be done. That’s something you and your little gang never understood, being a leader means making hard decisions that will result in death and people hating you.

I see no reason why I should help Ravka, not after everything.”

“Spare us the sob story of how tough it was for you to order people’s deaths, you didn’t care about them only yourself. You wanted power and you would do anything to get it starting by controlling Alina!”Mal stated with anger.

“Mal! Alina! That is enough, do I need to send you back to the ship or can you shut the fuck up?”Nikolai whirled to face them.

They both looked at him astonished that he would say that but before they could reply Amira clapped her hands loudly to get their attention.

“That's enough for today, Nikolai. Clearly your people need to take a nap given the tantrums they have been throwing. I will think about your situation and write to my grandmother but I highly doubt she’ll want to help put you back in power if this is your council. For the future, a bit of advice, never insult my husband in front of me. I have no qualms about suffocating you.”

With that she gestured for the guards to escort them out of the palace back to their ship. Nikolai bowed his head in farewell and followed the others out, glancing back once to see Amira leaning her head on Aleksander’s shoulder as he kissed the top of her head.

Amira’s POV

She breathed in Sasha’s scent to calm herself and slowly the storm outside dissipated. She snuggled her head against his shoulder.That group had made her so angry with their childishness at least Nikolai admitted his faults and tried to control them but it also seemed like he didn’t have that much control. She noticed Ivan and Feydor had left after Sasha had dismissed them to go watch Nikolai and his crew to make sure they didn’t try anything.

“What are you thinking,grà mo chroì(my beloved)?”Sasha asked.

“I’m thinking my grandmother will not even consider helping them seeing as they don’t even understand how to rule. She’ll see them as children playing a game. Nikolai has potential but who's to say he won’t want to leave and go on his ship again. He may have ambition but he lacks the determination to keep with it for the long run. The others have tempers, well except for Genya and David but from what you told me David is more of an inventor than adviser while Genya had potential but something happened there”.

“Hmmm, I can’t see your grandmother putting Nikolai back on the throne, not unless she’s going to make Ravka a colony under her rule and Nikolai a figurehead.”

“That would piss them off for sure,”she laughed.

Sasha chuckled leaning down to kiss her which she responded to enthusiastically. They stood up, clasping hands moving towards the hidden doors behind the thrones to go back to their rooms where they’d write the letter to the Queen. Though it may be a couple hours before they wrote the letter seeing as Amira had something else in mind first as she squeezed Sasha’s ass before pulling him to walk faster. He laughed and picked her up, spinning with her in his arms as he walked even faster to their rooms.

Nikolai’s Pov

“REALLY? You couldn't keep your mouths shut?!”Nikolai yelled at Zoya, Mal and Alina who stood in front of him in the captain’s office. He slammed his hands on his desk, glaring at them.

“It was the Darkling! How could I not say-”Alina started.

“No, no, you should have stayed quiet seeing as he was sitting next to the princess meaning he has some status here. Do you three realize you might have just ruined any hope we had of them helping us?”

“As far as we know he has manipulated them and we had to say something,”Zoya huffed.

“You went to attack him, Zoya! He was right next to a royal who you could have injured as well. Amira was well within her rights to kill you if she wanted to. With him being her husband, he is a part of the royal family and attacks against a royal family aren't tolerated,” he was so angry that he was practically foaming at the mouth.

Zoya only grunted in response, crossing her arms and glaring off to the side. She clearly wasn’t going to see anything past her anger. Meanwhile Mal was only standing in silence, staring at Nikolai with anger and disappointment. Nikolai watched them all with anger simmering in his eyes.

“Get out,”he ordered.

“Nikolai-”Alina moved forward.

“Get. Out.”

All three of them spared glances at each other before leaving the office. Nikolai sat down in his chair,dropping his head into his hands. He knew deep down that he would never be able to rule Ravka with them as his advisers. Genya and David,maybe seeing as Genya seemed to be trying to let go of her anger but David was still better as head inventor than anything else. He groaned at all the thoughts swirling through his head.

“I take it that things went bad?”Tamar spoke as she and Toyla entered.

“What gives you that idea?”he asked sarcastically.

“The yelling for a start, the looks on everyone’s faces and the fact Zoya looks like she’s going to murder someone,”Toyla replied.

“Princess Amira’s husband is none other than the Darkling, Aleksander Morozov. You can imagine what Zoya and Alina’s response was. Zoya went to attack him and was only stopped because Amira sucked the air out of her lungs and would have killed her if Morozov hadn’t stopped her. Then Alina had to open her big mouth accusing Morozov of things and blaming him for everything. I’m surprised Amira even let me talk to her about them possibly helping.”

“What did the Princess say?”Tamar asked.

“That she’ll write to the Queen but that she doubts they’ll help if that was my council. I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t.”

Nikolai poured some whisky for them and downed his in one gulp, pouring himself another. Toyla and Tamar exchanged a look before drinking theirs. They sat down on the two chairs opposite his desk.

“Maybe you should go back tomorrow morning and talk to them without the others. It might go better and perhaps you’ll be able to convince her to write favorably to the Queen,”Tamar advised.

“Perhaps you can get the Darkling to persuade her,”Toyla added.

“Should probably call him by his name, Toyla. I think you’re both right, I’ll get up early and try to talk to them hopefully before they send the letter off. Thank you, both, you’ve been helpful.”

“That’s what we’re here for,”Toyla said, clinking his glance against Nikolai’s and Tamar’s.

The Next Day

Nikolai waited in the sitting room,pacing before the windows working on what he could say especially to Aleksander. He was the one that the others had insulted so Nikolai really needed to get on his good side. He blew out a breath and nearly jumped out of his skin when he unexpectedly felt something brush against his leg. Looking down he saw a calico cat sitting by his foot. 

“Meow” the cat blinked up at him

“Hello there,”he said, crouching down to pet them.

“Boedica loves scratches behind her ears,”Sasha said as he and Amira walked into the room.

“That’s a lovely name she has,”Nikolai admired as he stood up to face them. “I want to apologize for yesterday. Alina, Zoya and Mal were out of line, it shouldn’t have happened.”

“As lovely as it is for you to apologize, you are not the one to do so. I doubt you came back to just apologize, why have you come back?”Sasha asked him.

“I was hoping that I could discuss more with you about getting your help without any bad interruptions this time.”

Amira shared a look with Sasha before gesturing for them to sit outside on the balcony. Sasha poured them some wine, gesturing for Nikolai to continue.

“I know I am asking a lot for your help and that you don’t have a reason to but the people of Ravka need help. Those nobles will destroy the country and innocent people will die. I don’t want that and I will fight to stop it. I could use the help though and clearly I’m not going to get that from my comrades given their behavior displayed yesterday. 

Morozov, you don’t have a reason to help us, not after everything but I know that I was an idiot for not trying and negotiating with you before. You had the right idea with the Fold, it was a leverage and after it was gone we didn’t have one. We got lucky with Shu Han, with the young princess but we won’t have any luck with Fjerda. I want to make Ravka a better place , I believe I can do that with your help.” Nikolai took a deep breath, waiting to see what they would say. Boedica jumped up onto his lap and curled up for a nap.

“It’s nice to know that you want my expertise but I have no inclination to fight another war. I’ve found peace here and so have the grisha that have followed me. You said you were tired after only a few years leading, I had been leading for centuries. It wasn’t always big groups of people but I cared for any grisha I came across. I’m exhausted with it all and now I’m somewhere where I don’t have to do that while also fighting for any scrap of power I could get from the Tsar. You’ll get no help from me.”Aleksander told him with finality.

Nikolai nodded his head, he wasn’t surprised in the least. He knew it had been a long shot that Aleksander would ever help but he had to try. 

“I knew it was a long shot but figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask you. Princess-”

“Amira, you don’t have to be all formal while we’re alone.”

“Amira, is there any way you would possibly consider helping?”

Amira looked him straight in the eyes, taking a sip of her wine before answering him.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think there is any way my Grandmother would help you. There is nothing in it for us, not that I can see. The most we could do is offer to take refugees but that is it.”

“I understand, really, but if there was something we could offer then there would be a chance?”

“Ravka is broke, Nikolai, you know that I know that. It will take years to pay off debts, for the farmlands to be fertile again. Our technology is behind the technology here so nothing to offer there. Being allies wouldn’t be beneficial for the Queen and her people,”Aleksander told him.

Nikolai took a drink of his wine,looking out at the gardens. He could feel a weight on his chest at the thought that he had truly failed his people. He had no one else to go to for help, this was his last resort. He could feel Aleksander and Amira watching him as they drank their wine. 

“Thank you for your honesty and the good wine. I’ll get out of your hair,”he finished his wine and carefully set Boedica down, which she protested, before he stood up to leave.

“The Queen may still decide to help your cause but don’t get your hopes up,”Aleksander stated, standing up as well.

Nikolai gave a short nod of his head and said goodbye to them both. He made it halfway to the ship before he had to stop and take some deep breaths. His hands were shaking as he ran them through his hair, sobs tore through his chest at his absolute failure. It took several minutes before he could calm down enough to make it back to his ship, full of people he had possibly failed. He knew deep down the Queen would say no and he had no idea what to do after that. Could he just abandon his country and go back to sailing the seas? Was that selfish of him?

He pulled himself together, wiping his nose on his sleeve before continuing on to the ship. Genya was the first one to notice him. She started to wave as he came up the gangplank but stopped when she saw his red eyes and the dried tear tracks. She quickly walked over to him, wrapping him in a hug.

“I take it nothing has changed, has it?”

“No, they were honest. There is nothing we can offer this country, Aleksander is tired of fighting wars and has found peace here, I can’t fault him for that. They know Ravka is broke, the farmlands are in ruin in some areas, and there’s just….nothing to offer. We have nothing.

How do I tell everyone? That I failed them?”Nikolai asked her with sorrow.

“I…I don’t know. We all had such hope when we came here. We thought anyone who heard our story would help us but we were wrong. I can’t even blame it on the Darkling being here.”she replied as she guided him to the side of the ship.

“Maybe if we had done better, made better plans for Ravka and how to end the wars, then we’d have something to offer. We..I was so idealistic and hopeful, thought I knew best and it turns out I didn’t. Leading a country is far different from leading on a ship.”Nikolai shook his head as he looked down at the waves.

Genya sighed,”We all thought we knew best, that we knew how to run a country. We were arrogant. I thought all my years at the Palace and under the Dark…Morozov’s instructions meant I knew all I needed to. We all had the idea we could end the wars without resorting to violence the way others had, that we didn’t need a weapon as leverage but that is what was our downfall. I hate to say it but Morozov had the right idea. Our people and our enemies only seem to understand a certain kind of strength, one that involves threats and weapons. “She leaned up against the railing with her back to the waves.

Nikolai was about to respond to her when he heard his name shouted by Alina who was quickly walking towards him with Mal in tow. Zoya was not far behind them and boy did she look pissed. He saw Toyla and Tamar appear at his side out of the corner of his eye, looking ready to back him up over whatever was about to happen.

“Did they agree to help? Aleksander has to! After everything he did,”Alina harrumphed, crossing her arms.

“He owes it to all of us for what he put us through,”Zoya added with an arrogant sniff.

“No, they didn’t agree to help. They were honest in saying the Queen probably won’t help us seeing as we have nothing to offer them. As for Aleksander owing us something….he doesn’t.”Nikolai told them tiredly.

“DOESN’T OWE US!” the three shouted.

“No, he doesn’t. He died already, I think that counts as him paying for any crimes he commited.”Nikolai rolled his eyes at their expressions.

“Nikolai is right. He paid for his crimes but he was only fighting for our rights and for Ravka to prosper. He wanted to take down the corrupt monarchy and change things for the better. From how it looks, things fell apart because of us not knowing how to rule a country. All of us fucked up by trying to constantly be the heros and do the thing right morally. That’s why it was so easy for the nobles to trick us and take the throne. We believed everyone would and should be on our side because we were the ‘good guys’. All this is on us and no one else,” Genya glared at them, shifting to be slightly in front of Nikolai.

Toyla and Tamar shifted their weight as well, ready to protect Nikolai if Alina’s and Zoya’s anger took control of them. Zoya looked ready to fight someone, Alina and Mal looked thoroughly disgusted. They looked at him like he was a monster…that maybe the demon inside him was controlling him or that Aleksander was controlling him. He shook his head before pushing past them all to the helm. He yelled to gather the crew’s attention.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he told them all about the situation. He expressed his guilt at having failed them. That it was more than likely the Queen would not help them and they would have to figure something out. There was a chance that the Queen would welcome anyone who would rather stay. Nikolai wouldn’t hold it against anyone who wanted to stay and live in peace.

There was silence for a few seconds before the crew murmured among themselves. Anton stepped forward with his sister and told Nikolai that it was alright. He had tried and that’s what mattered. The others nodded and voiced their agreement. Nikolai felt some tension release from his shoulders but he knew it wouldn’t fully go away till they heard for sure from the Queen.

Five Days Later

3rd POV

Nikolai watched the sun rise, admiring the different colors of the sky and the way it reflected on the water. The seagulls cried out and the wind blew through his hair. His mind felt a little bit clearer after thinking about what he would do. He had come to the decision that he’d go back to his privateering days and help refugees, especially grisha ones until maybe one day he could take back his throne.

“Permission to come aboard, Koyla?”Aleksander’s voice called out from below.

Nikolai turned his head to where Aleksander was standing, with one eyebrow raised in question. 

“Permission to come aboard,”Nikolai replied as he turned to have his back against the railing.

Aleksander walked aboard, coming to stand beside Nikollai, holding out a letter towards him. Nikolai looked down at it before slowly reaching for it. He gripped it tightly before reading it. He sighed as he finished, not at all surprised by the contents but still disappointed a bit.

“She’ll welcome any refugees to her lands and colonies, you’re welcome to stay as well. Other than that, there is nothing else to be done.”

“I understand, I told the others it wasn’t likely we’d get help. Still, there was a small part of me hoping.”

Aleksander studied him carefully,”It’s never bad to have hope, it’s how I made it through all those centuries. What are you going to do now?”

“Go back to my privateering days, rescue refugees and bring them here if that’s alright or to wherever they want to go. Maybe I’ll try for the throne again, after some time if the nobles tear themselves apart but by that point Fjerda or Shu Han might take over as well. Ravka will no longer exist and now I feel like I failed everyone,” the words spilled out of him.

“Hmmm, to be fair, the people didn’t seem to want you. From Amira’s spies, they started turning against you when you ended the Second Army draft but kept the First Army. Not the best idea, I must say,” Aleksander moved to sit on a crate, stretching his legs out and tilting his head back to watch Nikolai.

Nikolai sat down on the crate next to him, the letter held limply in his right hand while his left ran through his hair,”Thanks for bringing the letter and for the somewhat comforting words.”

Right as Aleksander went to respond he suddenly grabbed his throat as if he was choking. Nikolai turned to see Zoya and Alina coming towards them, Zoya’s hand outstretched and a look of fury on her face that was all too familiar. Shadows lashed out at her, trapping her arms to her sides as Aleksander stood up, breathing in heavily. There was a look of terrible anger in his eyes which got worse when a shot was heard. The shot grazed his cheek drawing a thin line of blood as he whirled to face Mal.

“STOP!” Nikolai yelled as he moved in front of Aleksander. “What fuck is wrong with all of you?”

“You let this monster on our ship, you listened to him as he gives excuses and I know he’s the reason the Queen won’t help us. He manipulated them the same as he manipulated us!”Alina’s face was flushed red with anger, her chest heaving with barely controlled rage. If she still had her powers, she’d have used the cut on Aleksander.

“Are you really that moronic? What do you think would happen if you succeeded in killing me? Do you think Amira would just let you leave, think nothing of it?”Aleksander’s voice was tight with controlled rage,”She would hunt you down and kill you in the most slow and painful way she could think of. By the way, I barely manipulated you, Alina, I was kind to you and encouraged you,”he wrapped his shadows tightly around Alina and Mal,”You’re the one who listened to my mother, believing her that I was a monster wanting to take over the world and without any proof at all. You never needed evidence for anything, you just wanted to believe the worst of me and paint yourself as some sort of victim. After that everything was a manipulation to your mind.”

Alina struggled with the bonds looking like she would like nothing better than to rip his head off, Zoya shared the same look. Toyla, Tamar and some of the other crew who were still on the ship, slowly made their way up with shocked looks trying to comprehend what was going on. 

“Please tell me they didn’t try to kill him?”The exasperation was very evident in Toyla’s voice.

“Yes…they did,”Nikolai responded with an equally exasperated look. He moved forward to touch Aleksander’s shoulder.” Please don’t kill them on my ship…the blood is such a pain to clean up.”

The three looked at Nikolai with shared looks of disbelief, surely he wouldn’t let Aleksander kill them? Genya chose that moment to alert them to the fact that Amira was approaching with both Ivan and Feydor. Apparently Amira didn’t trust them not to try something against HER Sasha so she grabbed Feydor and Ivan to come with her.  

The color drained from Alina’s face as Amira walked onto the ship, her face like thunder as she took in the scene. Amira took one look at Zoya who was trying to summon lightning and shoved air down her lungs until they collapsed causing Zoya to suffocate. Alina let out a scream of anguish and anger. 

“Now, how did I know that you three would try something so stupid?”she asked rhetorically.

“You do have good instincts, my love,”Aleksander said as she moved to his side.

“Princess Amira, I am truly sorry for them. I give the remaining two over to your custody so you can do as you see fit. I hope that we can move past this and you’ll still welcome anyone who wishes to stay or any refugees we bring,” Nikolai turned towards her, splaying his hands out in apology.

“Of course, I wouldn’t hold the actions of three against all of your people. Ivan, Feydor please take Alina and Mal back to the palace and put them in cells. Nikolai, you and the rest of your crew are welcome to stay, there’s going to be a celebration in a few days, Beltaine. I would love it if you joined us, right Sasha?”She wrapped her arm around Aleksander’s waist as she asked.

“From what I recall, Nikolai was always the life of the party, it’d be fun to celebrate with him,”Aleksander told her.

“Well, that’s settled then,”she clapped her hands.

Nikolai watched them leave with Mal and Alina in tow knowing this was probably the last time he’d see them alive. He turned his gaze to Zoya’s body lying on the deck. He oddly felt nothing as he stared at her, which he thought he should, he had loved her after all. Genya placed a hand on his arm, checking to see if he was okay.

“That could have gone a lot worse,”Tamar stated.

“I don’t understand what they were thinking, attacking Morozov like that. He has protection as a royal here. Were they always so impulsive like this?”Toyla pondered.

“We were too focused on winning the Civil War and didn’t take much notice, I guess,”Nikolia answered.

“We should probably bury her or burn her if they’ll let us,”Tamar motioned to the body.

“Bury her, she disgraced herself with her behavior and jeopardized everything. She doesn’t deserve a proper grisha funeral,”Genya ordered, David nodding in agreement.

“Do as she says,”Nikolai agreed.

Sasha’s POV

2 Weeks Later

“It was nice of you to honor Nikolai’s request of giving them somewhat quick deaths,”he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Well, I did get to torture them first, so it was fine to kill them quickly,”Amira snuggled into his side as she gazed down at the two bodies still hanging from the gallows. She brought her tea cup to her mouth taking a small sip.

“The look on Alina’s face as she watched Mal hang, to see him struggle for breath,it will be something I’ll remember for all of time,”Sasha stole Amira’s tea as he finished, taking a large sip of it even as Amira glared at him.

She grabbed the cup back from him,”Don’t steal my tea, get your own!”

Sasha laughed, tucking her back into his side as they gazed out at the sunset. His hand rubbed up and down her back as he breathed in the air. He never thought he would ever have this, have peace, a safe place for his people and a person who loved him. 

“What are you thinking about, Sasha?”Amira gazed up at him,seeing a warmth in his eyes.

“How lucky I am after centuries of hiding and fighting to just survive, to find a place like this and a woman like you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such peace and happiness before,”Sasha told her, bringing her to face him as he leaned his forehead on hers.

Amira smiled up at him, carefully setting her cup on the railing before wrapping her arms around his neck,”I’m happy I found you as well. Just so you know, you’re never allowed to leave me or I’ll hunt you down.”

“I can live with that,”he laughed as he leaned down, kissing her deeply.

They stumbled back into their room, Sasha kissing down her neck  as they tumbled onto the bed. They didn’t emerge until late the next day where they did not even try to hide the marks they left on each other. Ivan rolled his eyes at them as Feydor shook his head laughing before pulling Ivan in for a kiss.