Blood Soldiers: The Second Army - Grishaverse Prequel

29 - Yelena

Yelena couldn't believe it. Her mother and father had come to Os Alta. They had come to see her and all that she had achieved.

Unfortunately, she had been forced to return to her meeting with the king shortly after seeing her parents to their room, but once they finished that evening, she had hurried back to see them. After taking them for a tour of the Little Palace and showing them all their training grounds for the Grisha, they went to dinner where an excited buzz could be felt throughout the room.

The Grisha fell silent as she entered, bowing their heads. With so many home for the festivities, the grand hall was packed, the rows of long tables crowded with Grisha in their colourful keftas.

"They look so lovely all together," Yelena's mother sighed as she followed Yelena to the room at the doors at the back of the hall.

All black and inlaid with gold film, the doors to Aleksander's private rooms were rather grand. Yelena had helped him pick his symbol, the sun in eclipse, and the stunning art loomed before them.

The oprichniki on guard opened the doors to her, allowing them through to the cosy common room. To the right sat a set of rooms for the oprichniki, while the door beside it led to a 'spare' bedroom that Aleksander had gifted to her. Beside that was his room, and to the left sat his office.

The common room was outfitted with a large fireplace, couches, and a grand table that had been set for them all. The original Grisha leaders were already seated, as well as their family. Usually, they sat with their second-in-command's, the Grisha they were training to take over when they were ready to leave, but tonight was their night.

Pavel and Yeva winced as their parents again asked what the different coloured threads meant. Eryk and Irina were awkwardly explaining why they hadn't visited in so long, and how they could get married without telling them! Marko stunned the younger children with his flames and exciting stories, while Dima and Sonya explained their new plans to build better irrigation for the poorest of Ravka's farms. Elitza babbled on to her sister about the cannons she had built, and how she had spent the last two months at sea, seeing how they could better use them on their navy.

Yelena took her seat in the centre of the table, across from where Aleksander listened politely to Elitza's mother asking about the party.

"Good evening, everyone," Yelena grinned, and they returned the gesture.

Aleksander seized the moment, standing and raising his cup, "Yes, good evening. I want to thank you all for joining us, and for believing in us to begin with. I can't imagine it was easy letting us go all those years ago, but I think we can agree that everything turned out even better than expected."

Cheers went up around the table as Yelena sat down and her mother squeezed her arm, whispering, "We're so proud of you."

"I want to thank all of you too," Aleksander met the eyes of each Grisha leader, "You made this possible, with your courage, your strength, and your endurance. These years haven't been easy, but I am so honoured to have had you all by my side."

They cheered, sounding their thanks as they raised their own glasses, and then Aleksander turned to face her, offering his hand over the table. Yelena took it, standing opposite him, their hands still joined. "Lastly, I want to thank you, Commander Yelena Lebedev. We couldn't have done any of this without you, your love for this army, your colourful insults, or your incredible mind. Every day you work with the king to ensure our safety and our prosperity, and I thank you."

The others laughed and cheered again. Yelena couldn't even bring herself to glare, her smile already plastered on her face. She shook her head as she sat down and together, they ate.