flashbacks;
(04. - that's my bestfriend / when they first found her)
After the demonstration, Alina was brought to another tent while they prepared for the little palace. Ravenna and Aleksander were sitting on the bed, trying to process everything. Aleksander couldn't believe that he finally found someone who can help him expand the fold while Ravenna couldn't believe that her best friend was the long-awaited sun summoner.
"I can't believe my best friend is the sun summoner!" Ravenna giggled happily.
Aleksander hadn't told her that he is the Black Heretic yet. He was waiting for the right time but it never came. And now her best friend was the sun summoner. If Alina Starkov was not going to cooperate with his plan, Aleksander had no other way but to force her to. He just didn't know what Ravenna would do once she found out Aleksander was torturing Alina for her powers.
He really needed to tell her about his plans immediately before she found out from someone else. But he couldn't do that here.
"I need your help, darling," he pulled her body close to his, arms wrapped tight around her waist.
"What are you planning to do?" Ravenna asked, squinting her eyes at him in suspicion.
Aleksander chuckled, "Nothing, I just want you to help her settle in the little palace. She might have the urge to escape or resist being a Grisha, but I need you to convince her to stay. Use that cunning brain of yours to get her to stay," he nuzzled his head to her neck which made her giggle.
"Why does that sound so conniving?" Ravenna asked, trying to pull away from the tickles he gave her. "Why would she want to escape anyway? I'll be there."
"'ll tell you everything once we get home. Just trust me on this will you?" Aleksander looked at her and felt his heart flutter.
"If that's what you want, sure. I trust your judgment."
(07. - please don't go / when she found out about him)
"But I'm here for you, Aleks. I hope you know that."
"I do."
It was at that moment that Aleksander was certain that he needed to be truthful. He needed to tell her about himself. He didn't care if it was the right moment or not, he couldn't keep it much longer. HIs nightmare just indicated that the longer he prolongs, the bigger his guilt will be and the harder she would take it. He just prayed to himself that she would understand him like she always did.
Aleksander nuzzled his nose into her neck then turned his face so that he could kiss her cheek, "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
Aleksander cleared his throat, pushing her away, clearly trying to gain the courage to tell her. Ravenna looked at him in concern.
"What's wrong you could tell me anything," Ravenna said. "Unless it's about you sneaking off to eat dessert because I will be mad if you do."
"No, I will never. But can you promise me that you will listen to the whole story first?"
Ravenna nodded fervently, so he started to tell her his tale. He told her his full name, his journey, mistakes, triumphs, and plans. He told her everything there is to know about himself without missing an inch of the story.
"So you're planning to expand the fold using Alina's power, usurp the throne, make Grisha the superior, and rule Ravka?" Ravenna asked calmly. He couldn't read her expression which was worrying as he didn't know if what she was asking was positive or not.
"Yes. I don't expect you to understand but I have to do that because-"
"Okay," Ravenna cut him off.
Aleksander stared at her, "Okay?" he asked in skepticism.
"I understand why you want to do that," Ravenna stroked his cheek. "The reason I hid my powers and didn't want to be found was because I am scared. I was scared that I would be hunted and shunned by literally everyone except Grisha. I was scared that the otkazat'sya will exploit my powers because of their greediness."
"So if you want to create a world where I don't have to be scared anymore, I am happy to lend you my power and everything else as long as it is within my reach."
Aleksander has been searching for so long, not for the sun summoner, but for someone who understands him and supports his actions. He always thought that his perfect half would be a sun summoner, but he never would have guessed that the woman who controls fear was actually the one who captured his heart.
(015. - she found out / alina's trying to escape)
"I'm in love with you," Alina confessed.
As Ravenna tried to process the bomb Alina just dropped, Alina dropped another bomb. Apparently, she knew about Aleksander being the Black Heretic and she didn't support his cause, hence the running away. Ravenna wanted to convince Alina to stay at the little palace and how Baghra was lying, but it seemed that Alina was dead set on getting away from Aleksander.
She couldn't demand Alina to stay at the little palace with force as Alina would just revolt and they would lose the sun summoner, so she needed to find another way. The best plan right now was to follow her while informing Aleksander about their whereabouts. Alina's confession to her gave Ravenna more ammunition to bridle her into expanding the fold, Ravenna just needed to find a way on how to do that.
(016. - dark, handsome, mysterious / ravenna informed aleksander)
"Go," Ravenna instructed Alina. "I'll distract them, you need to leave now."
There were two reasons why Ravenna told Alina to split up. First, because she needed a way to contact Aleksander without Alina knowing. She told Alina to mark the trees so it would be easier for her and Aleksander to track Alina. She admitted that it was a good plan.
Second, it would be better if she was the only one that got captured by the trios rather than her and Alina as Aleksander would rescue her anyway. She just needed to give him a good shock first for not telling her about the kiss or anything that happened in between, before listening to his explanation.
So after they split up, Ravenna stole a messenger bird and wrote a letter to Aleksander on why she left and where she was now. Aleksander was reading her letter when Zoya entered his room to receive her orders. He was relieved to know that Ravenna hadn't betrayed him and gave him a lead.
(018. - padfoot killed prongs / ravenna planned to capture alina)
"We need to leave. But first, the lady and I will have a little talk first," Aleksander frowned deeply at Ravenna who glared back at him.
Aleksander dragged Ravenna to a secluded place so they could have their talk. By the look on Ravenna's face, he suspected that she knew about everything that had happened with Alina.
"Before you got mad at me, I only met with Alina because I was asking her about you," Aleksander explained.
"And the kiss? " Ravenna asked with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I knew that she was the one who kissed you, but did you kiss back?"
Aleksander widened his eyes in shock before shaking his head vigorously, "No. I pushed her away, you have to believe me."
"I was so scared- scared that you would leave me."
Looking at her expression that resembled a scared puppy, Aleksander wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled into her neck, soaking in the familiarity of her being in his arms once more.
"I never plan and never will leave you," he whispered. "I was going to tell you everything about Alina at the night of the Winter Fete, but I got turned on by you. I'm sorry."
"Sorry because you didn't tell me or because you got horny?" Ravenna asked. "Why didn't you tell me when you went to my room?"
"I didn't tell you because I thought you would be sad and I want to use Alina's affection for me. It was stupid of me as I didn't want to be someone who was unfaithful to you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as it happened," Aleksander rested his head over hers.
Ravenna sighed, soaked in the feeling of being in his arms, "Aleksander, you have to promise me that you will tell me in advance if you're planning on leaving me."
"I told you, darling, I'm not planning on leaving you ever. You're stuck with me now," he kiss her on the head then cupped her face in his hands to kiss her nose softly.
"By the way, what is up with her? Why the fuckk did she kiss me?" Aleksander asked as he pulled away. "And did you know that she actually like-"
"She likes me? Yeah. She told me," Ravenna cut him off. "Actually she kissed you because she wanted to know why I like you and what I see in you."
Aleksander chuckled, "Are you confessing that you like me?"
"If I'm not, I won't sleep with you, dumbass," Ravenna rolled her eyes once again, is that what he was focusing on. "We need to get Alina fast before she run away further."
"David can feel her a mile away but we still need to find her first," Aleksander looked around, annoyed. It would take a long time to find the sun summoner before they lose her tracks.
"She's in the woods," Ravenna replied. "I told her to mark the trees for me to find her, we can track her through that. By the way, since we know that Alina likes me, we could use that to our advantage, you know."
Aleksander looked at her with interests as he listened to her plan.
"She will not want to go with us to the fold and expand it, but if you threaten me or Mal, she will comply. Especially if she knows that you are willing to hurt me. She will kind of blame herself for taking me with her but it is inevitable. We need to do everything to get her to cooperate, just don't hurt them though, Aleks. They're still my bestfriends," she continued.
"It seems that you have become Alina's Achilles heel. Don't worry, I won't harm your bestfriends," he smiled before pulling her into a deep kiss." You always managed to kept me surprised. I knew there was a reason why I chose you."
"Choose me as what?"
"My equal."
(019. - she can't side with him / ravenna failed in convincing alina)
"I have to go. Just do what you think is best, Alina. Thank you for looking out for me."
Ravenna failed in convincing Alina and Aleksander knew that from her expression.
"Will she escape?" Aleksander asked.
"No, I told her that you will hurt me and when I encouraged her to, she seemed to get the gist," Ravenna said, sadly. "But still she didn't want to help us."
"Darling, I have to push through the plan," he painfully said. Even though he couldn't bear seeing her sad, he needed to expand the fold quickly. "I know you don't want her to be locked up or feel any pain so I'll try to lessen her pain."
"I feel like I'm a bad friend, Aleks," Ravenna sobbed into her hands. "I don't want her to suffer, I- I thought that- that I can convince her one more time to- to help us expand the fold. But I can't."
"All those years of knowing you, but she never truly knew who you are or what you fear. But it's alright because I do and I will protect you," he gently pulled her in for a hug and pressed his lips to the top of her head before resting his cheek there.
"I don't want to hurt her. I'm just tired of feeling scared, Aleks," Ravenna sobbed into him.
"Don't worry, I'll end everything for you."
♕
author note;
aleksander basically confessed that he loved her, in his own way. i'm crying.. why is aleksander so sweet. i'm falling for someone who is not even real i mean... can i become ravenna??
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