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The night was quiet.
After all of the things Ravka was forced to go through and Nikolai’s coronation, he had decided to take you to one of the many palaces the Lantsovs owned, the one that stood on the cliff, looking over the True Sea.
The silk robes felt foreign on your skin after being away for so long, Volkvolny’s cold nights had required something more sturdy, even though sharing body warmth with your beloved helped a little.
You looked back to Nikolai who stirred a little before you stood up from the bed, quietly making your way to the balcony and breathing in the air. You had missed the sound of waves crashing the shore. But it also reminded you what was waiting back home. What had happened since you came back, since Darkling was finally killed.
You barely heard Nikolai rising from the bed or coming behind you, but you still knew when he was there.
“I couldn’t sleep,” you mumbled, turning your head slightly.
“I can see that,” he replied, and stepped onto the balcony with you. He laid his hand over yours on the railing and then fell quiet.
You were both quiet for a moment, just gazing far into the horizon. Looking at the moon laying its reflection on the sea, and for a moment you felt at peace.
But the situation crashed upon you soon enough, and you squeezed your eyes shut. You gripped the railing, looking down at the waves licking the shore, the stones embedded along the cliff. “It’s just… a lot. Darkling took so much away, and now Alina… I would never tell her that, but I feel like she’s changing to someone much darker. She acts like she’s in control but, I think… I think she enjoys having those Shadow Summoner powers. What if they end up corrupting her?”
Nikolai sighed, before he cupped your cheek, making you look at him. Then, he leaned forward, his forehead meeting yours.
“I swore I will make things right once I’m the king, and we will begin the work immediately after we get back. It’s just… a lot of paperwork and other practicalities first, I’m not needed,” he murmured. “But we will get to the bottom of this once I’m allowed to start ruling.”
You closed your eyes for a moment, before you opened them and laid a hand on his chest, right where you had seen the shadowy mark one night. “And what do we do with this?”
Nikolai pulled away, sighing again. “I don’t know. You weren’t supposed to see it.”
You met his eyes again when you whispered, “What if it will kill you?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. But I don’t know what it is exactly. I need to consult some Grisha, maybe Genya or Zoya, to see if they have any ideas. They were The Darkling’s servants for the longest time after all.”
Despite him denying it, you could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes, he was scared it would kill him too. Or turn him into a nichevo'ya, start killing his people, not be in control.
Nikolai pulled you close again, before he ran a hand over the side of your head. “I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”
You knew that at this point, he wouldn’t be able to promise anything, but holding onto hope of a better future was all you could do right now.
And maybe one day Ravka would stand strong again.