Grim satisfaction floods through me when I realize that I mean it, because if there's one thing I'll commit to in life, then this tops almost everything in my list.
Almost everything.
I think of Nikolai, his bright, self-assured grin, the golden hue of his hair that somehow reminds me of the warmth of the hearth and the shine of the son, those hazel eyes that I've found myself pining over since day one.
The forests and rivers of gold could never compare to those irises, those amber flecks of light within his gaze that seem to glow every time he smiles, the eyes of a pure, slightly arrogant and very insufferable fairytale prince.
And, though it's a stretch, I'd like to consider myself his princess.
If this is a fairytale, then where's my happy ending?
I dispel the childish thoughts from my mind as the sound of a loud roar fills my ears. I reach for my weapons then realize I have none, holding up my fists and preparing to reopen the long-gone gashes on my knuckles at last.
Instead, I see a raging river, tiny droplets of water spraying onto all of us.
"You're joking," Genya groans from behind me.
"Apparently not," I muse grimly.
She lets out another miserable sound. "Do you know how long I spent untangling your hair, Yi? You're not going into there," she states furiously.
I laugh. "More of an incentive if I get to have time with you again."
"Now you're just sounding all-too-much like Nikolai," Mal murmurs, the barest hints of a grin flashing over his lips.
Flashes of mist rise into the air from the fast currents, and somehow I'm reminded of the time I stood upon the whaler when I used to serve the Darkling, watching as Rusalye rose from the fog and frigid waters, Sturmhond standing next to me.
I watch the river slosh around as if expecting a beast to rise as it did before, but, of course, nothing emerges.
We all agree on the plan to tie a rope around Tolya's waist and get him to wade across the span of the river then secure it to the other side so we can take turns crossing while tethered. He succeeds in a good amount of time and one by one, we begin to cross.
"Someone keep an eye on Yi," I hear Zoya remark. "She'll be swallowed by the river the moment she steps in."
"Hush, Zoya," Genya scolds.
"Oh, come on. We weren't all going to act like Yi isn't tragically vertically challenged," Zoya remarks, folding her arms.
"Ouch," I mutter as I tie myself to the rope and begin to cross.
I'm disappointed to see that Zoya is right, the water reaching my chin and sloshing onto my nose. I pull my too-large scarf higher up and use it as a protective wall for my face until I reach the other side. Alina hauls me out of the currents and my teeth are chattering from the frigid feel of it drenching my body.
Once everyone finishes crossing, we're all eager to just rest here and set up camp, but Mal disagrees and insists for us to continue.
"I'm drenched," Zoya grumbles. "Why can't we stop in this dank cave instead of the next dank cave?"
Mal pushes on. "Because of that," he shouts over the sound of rushing water. "If we've been followed, it will be too easy for someone to sneak up on us with that noise as cover."
Zoya scowls, but we all soldier on until we can no longer hear the sound of the river.
Finally, we take a break in a hollow of limestone, peeling off our wet coats and collapsing into our sleeping bags like marionettes with their strings cut.
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✵ SWEETER THAN HONEY ― nikolai lantsov ✵
Fanfiction❝ and in a feud with her neighbor, she stole his dog and dyed it key-lime green ❞ © theyluvyvonne Reposting without permission or credits can result in account deletion.
