𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 | 𝐒𝐨𝐂

𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍.

vii: foreign waters 

Sweat beaded around Jesper's brow, grey eyes squinted in concentration. He was trying to crack off the bindings of Natasha's bangles - what bound her to the palaces confinements. They were painfully behind on schedule, and Wylen knew Kaz would scold them relentlessly when they got to the boat.

"Fuck," Jesper yelled, slumping onto the ground. The bangles curled to dust before blowing away into the air. His body shuddered as he picked himself off the ground, jogging on the spot and shaking out his shoulders.

Wylen beamed. "You're Grisha?" Natasha asked as Jesper placed his palm on the square of her back. "I thought you were just a sharpshooter,"

Jesper grinned as Wylen disappeared through the clearing. "I'm also incredibly handsome," He said, flashing her white grin. He held back the vines as Natasha ducked onto the other side, greeted by a handsome boat bobbing on the waters.

"We stole it," Wylen explained, pointing to the Ravkan crest pinned at the mast. He shrugged as Natasha turned to them both with furious expressions. "Nobody was going to use it," He said in his defence. "It was at the very back of the harbour,"

They trekked through the sandy shore, Natasha's feet clumsy in heels. Wylen offered her a hand as they stepped up the gangplank. "Thank you, Van Eck," She said in a courteous voice before shaking off his grip and walking the final steps herself.

Coils of rope, picnic baskets filled with cold cut meat, thick slabs of cheese and fresh loaves of bread crammed inside the ship. "Do you happen to steal everything?" Natasha asked, turning to Jesper.

The Zemeni was whispering in hushed voices to Inej and Alessia, who made sure to speak away from Natasha. "Whatever we cannot afford," He responded before turning to the two girls. Wylen had shimmied himself to sit atop a crate, occasionally offering a word into their conversation.

"It feels odd doing this all over again," Nina said awkwardly. "I guess you're my queen, so I have to address you as Moya Tsaritsa," She bowed in front of Natasha, who eyed her strangely. "I'm Nina Zenic. I'm a corporalki - heartrender,"

"Natasha," She corrected. "Please, call me Natasha," The lace of her gown covered the bruises from her bangles. She pulled down her sleeves further before looking up again to meet their eyes.

Nina beamed, stepping aside and pushing Matthias in front of her. "This is Matthias Helvar," She said. Nina noted the surprise on Natasha's face. "He's Frejdan, but love knows no borders, at least not enough to bother with politics," Her laugh was uneasy.

However, Natasha smiled. "I take that I've met you both before too," Her happiness lessened considerably. "All of you, apparently," Nina nodded, happy that their relationship could start afresh.

"It doesn't matter that you don't remember," Matthias said. "Perhaps it is even for the best," He couldn't help but glance at Nina. "All that matters is that you're safe now,"

Natasha nodded. "I'll take your word for it, Matthias,"

They both shared grins. "We have to go help the others now," Nina explained, gesturing towards Jesper, Wylen, Inej and Alessia. Each passed around guns and ropes, winding them around their belts. "Make yourself at home,"

The Ravkan Queen walked around the deck, studying each one of them. It seemed that they all were dating each other, besides the leader himself - Kaz Brekker. He stood at the wheel, ordering the Capitan around with pinned maps he withdrew from the pockets of his long coat.

His eyes met hers and held for less than a moment. They both cleared their throats - walking in the opposite direction. Out of them all, Natasha remembered him the most. The sound of cane was frequent in her dreams, alongside faded recollections of time at sea and drunken chatter.

However, Zoya had told her they were all parts of her imagination. That the palace was now her home; she needn't worry about what her past held. Now it was all Natasha could think about - what connections did she have to these strange people?

Inej Ghafa was Suli - often referred to the others as The Wraith. She was polite and didn't talk much at all. Daggers adorned her belts, and she never let her guard down. Inej would go missing for hours at a time before appearing silently when the time was right.

Alessia Ivanov was her girlfriend. Shu and outspoken. She had changed out of her cotton dress and into a brown matching tunic, often slipping away with Inej to sit quietly beside her. Alessia cast long glances in Natasha's direction but was never brave enough to confront her just yet.

Wylen Van Eck played the flute. He was the youngest out of them all and babied by the others. Jesper called him Wy, Alessia called him a kid and Brekker only ever addressed him as Merchling. He liked to draw and kept a sketch pad and charcoal sticks on him all the time.

Jesper Fahey was a sharpshooter. He was a Zemeni and Grisha - similar to Natasha. She learnt that Jesper liked to gamble, stressed as a foul addiction by Matthias Helvar. He was loud like Nina and sarcastic like Alessia.

Nina Zenic was a heartrender and proud citizen of Ravka. Besides Matthias, she loved waffles more than anything. She sang while performing tasks and enjoyed poking fun at Kaz Brekker.

Matthias Helvar leapt at any chance to leave his duties and talk with Natasha. He made great conversation and addressed Natasha by her formal title despite her complaints. He was easygoing at heart. Natasha understood why Nina loved him so much. She often caught him staring in her direction - she thought they were adorable.

Kaz Brekker intrigued Natasha the most. It was as if he was going out of his way to stay away from her. The moment she was in a line of sight, he'd turn the other way - occupying himself with documents and tricky maps.

Rotty was the boy steering the ship. He was the oldest of the lot - twenty-four. His buzzed hair made him look older, and his teeth stained with Jurda. An accent was thick in his voice, and he had tried to rob Natasha of the diamonds on her wrist.

Alessia had slapped his hand away and shoved him by the neck. Only then did she turn to Natasha. "We've met," She said, sticking out her hand for Natasha to shake.

"So I've been told," Natasha replied coolly, taking her hand. Nobody had offered her a change of clothes, and she walked around the anchored ship in a trailing black gown and a diamond tiara on her head.

They were both lost for words. "We used to be best friends," Alessia said. "We met whilst training at the little palace. I'm a healer," She added helpfully. Natasha nodded, but none of Alessia's words scratched her memories.

"Can you tell me what I cannot remember?" Natasha asked, holding Alessia's hand tightly. She was desperate for answers, and Alessia had them all.

The Shu sadly shook her head. "Kaz said that you need to remember for yourself," Natasha sighed, letting go of her hand. The disappointment was evident behind both their eyes. "I want to tell you everything, Natasha," Alessia said.

"I hate that I can't hug you and tell you how much I've missed you when you don't even remember who I am," Alessia looked close to tears, and she turned away from Natasha to knuckle her eyelids.

Natasha bit hard on her lip, guilt spiralling in her stomach. "I wish I could too," She mumbled darkly. She walked from Alessia as the moon started bleeding darkness into the sunset. 

A/N

- I wrote this at 3am and I haven't edited it yet so excuse any mistakes. The story is finally picking up! Since I haven't planned the storyline at all I'm just making it up as I go. The story will follow the events of Crooked Kingdom, when they are back in Ketterdam, with certain plot changes. If you enjoyed, please vote and comment; thank you so much for 1k reads!

- rosa <3