prisoner (shadow & bone)

Chapter Seven

THE CARNIVAL

Tatia wore a smile on her face for the entirety of the day. She doubted she had ever felt this happy before. The other inhabitants were starting to notice as well, as her smile was contagious to anyone who looked at it for too long.

The general has given her permission to attend the Winter Fete. Usually, during these types of events, she was to remain in her room, and only allowed outside after everyone had left. But this time was different.

She remembered her conversation with the general well.

"Aleksander?" she had asked hesitantly, one time during dinner.

The man had hummed in acknowledgement, as he turned to her, curious of what she was going to say.

"I- I wanted to ask..." Tatia mumbled, her cheeks reddening. This had been a bad idea. She tried it every time, and every time she received the same answer. "Could I- Am I allowed to attend the Fete?"

She had looked down instantly after she had said it, biting her lower lip nervously. The general was quiet. Longer than he usually was. He was contemplating.

Eventually, he spoke. "You are allowed, my dear," he muttered quietly, watching as the girl's eyes lit up with the most genuine happiness he had ever seen her possess. "We will have to take some precautions, but I think it will be alright."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much," the girl had gushed excitedly.

Kirigan had looked at her with a fondness only reserved for her. He loved seeing her this happy. His original answer had been no, but the hope in her voice had shattered his heart into a million pieces, and he simply could not refuse.

Besides, Alina was going to perform a little lightshow at the Fete, and he had promised the girl beside him that he would be the one to show her the true powers of the Sun Summoner.

And that was how she ended up in the best mood she had ever been in. Not even Zoya's glares could ruin her day now, as she hummed to herself and skipped around the room.

She was wearing her usual white kefta as she, Genya and Alina met up in the hall.

"I have already prepared your dress, in your signature color, of course," Genya was telling the girl, smiling brightly. "Just wait until you see it. It's an absolute masterpiece."

"Well, it was designed by you, so of course it is," Tatia remarked, but even she couldn't help but smile excitedly at the thought of wearing a dress for the Fete later that day.

Alina was staring out of the window, and Tatia followed her gaze. She gasped in amazement and hurried to the window, pressing her hand against the glass and watching the commotion outside.

There were people everywhere. Grisha, non-Grisha, most of them performers, who had set up their little colorful tents outside and were doing tricks for the public.

"We have to go outside," Alina gushed, and Genya instantly tensed. She glanced at Tatia; the poor girl wasn't allowed to leave the castle without the general as her escort.

"No," the redhead said with a frown, but Alina pulled her along to stare out of the window too.

"Oh, come on!" the dark-haired girl groaned. "It's like Butter Week!"

"What's that?" Tatia asked curiously, pulling back to face the girl.

"In Keramzin, noblemen would drive around carts with all kinds of cheeses and breads," Alina spoke, happiness seeping through her voice at the memory. "Then they'd open their estates, put on carnivals with traveling troupes."