ᗯᕼEᑎ ᗯE ᗩᖇᖇIᐯE at the ballroom doors, I take a deep breath. The Darkling looks down at me and offers his arm. I willingly take it, entwining mine with his, meanwhile, the doors are opened to the party. Everyone turns to us expectantly. I feel like I am being picked apart by the hundreds of eyes set on me. As we walk slowly through the parted crowd, I observe the faces. Some are familiar from the wedding reception while many are new.
"Don't be nervous. They are all here to see you. Just be their Sun Queen and you will be fine," the Darkling whispers. I wonder how he knew that I was uncomfortable until I feel how tight my grip is on his arm. I ease up and begin to scan the sea of people again. My eyes stop dead on the far end of the room. King Grimjer is here and he is watching me intensely. Next to him, there is a woman in expensive pastel skirts and a silk shawl draped around her shoulders. At first glance, I guessed her to be the King's wife, however, her style of clothing is not Fjerdan. It resembles something more surrounding the Shu Han culture with the unique designs embroidered on her garment. No duchess would dress this extravagantly. She must be the Shu Han Queen.
The Darkling must have noticed this at the same time that I did because the muscles of his arm twitch under my fingertips. "That King has a knack for arriving unannounced doesn't he," the Darkling seethes through clenched teeth. They both start in our direction. I quickly whisper in Aleksander's ear "both of our enemies talking with each other privately before we arrive at the party. Don't you think that is a little concerning?"
"Very much so, but let me handle it." he says. I fume silently because he will not let me help. "I require a moment alone to speak with Queen Leyti about our supposed peace offer, although I am growing wary of what her true intention is by the second. I need you to lead the Fjerdan filth away by any means necessary." I nod as a knot forms in my stomach. Something is wrong here. I do not know who's story to believe anymore.
"Queen Alina," King Grimjer greets, blatantly ignoring the Darkling. It is nice to finally meet you," he fibs. Aleksander has put a protective arm around my waist and his hand clenches on my side. "And you, King Grimjer," I respond with a fake smile.
"I was just talking with Queen Leyti of the peace treaty that she has suggested with Ravka. This is quite the bold move." He turns to Aleksander now and sets a piercing gaze on him. Aleksander remains calm and replies "yes, Shu Han has realized that Ravka would be a powerful ally to have, considering our new... advancements."
"Ahm, yes. I have gotten word of your further witchcraft that is supposed to make you unstoppable. Amplifiers you call them."
There is a suffocating silence as they stare each other down. Some of the more keen guests who are not too self-absorbed have noticed the tension. All of the Western hemisphere's rulers in the same room with each other only happens once in a millennium after all.
After the long stillness, the Fjerdan King looks from the dance floor back to me. "Would you care to dance?" he asks with an extended hand.
I hide my disgust for the idea and reach out to take it, but the Darkling stops me. "I would prefer the first dance to be between husband and wife if you do not mind." This is no time to be jealous. I glare at the Darkling and proclaim, "I think we can make an exception for the Fjerdan King." I lean into the Darkling, pressing my lips to his ear. Then I mutter under my breath, "by any means necessary, remember."
The Darkling watches with a firey gaze but does not stop my hand as it slips into the King's rough one. Aleksander seems to gain back his composure as he addresses Queen Leyti. Before I can hear what they are going to discuss, I am led out to the middle of the room and the violins flow through the crowd's collective murmurs.
I have never been this close to King Grimjer before. The first thing I notice is his smell. He oddly smells of death, though he does not actively do the killing, he has given orders to murder thousands. Ravkan blood coats the hands that I am holding in my own. I suppress the shiver that is building down the length of my spine and focus on the music.
"Have you given my suggestion any further thought, Miss Starkov?" he says to break the silence.
"I have," I lie. "And have you thought about my offer, King Grimjer?"
"Indeed, I have." We stare at each other without breaking eye contact. We both know that the other is lying, but it is surprisingly him who breaks first. He sighs. "I truly want what is best for you. I wish you would realize that your life is not better with him." I glance at Aleksander, who is still speaking with the Shu Queen, but every once in a while he aims a suspicious eye towards us.
"Respectfully, I doubt you know what is best for me, King Grimjer."
"I beg to disagree. I think you have been blinded by the things that demon has given to you. You would be much stronger alone."
He wants me to take Aleksander's place and rule alone. He thinks that would make Ravka weak with only me as a ruler. Aleksander is the threat, and I the hope. We are stronger together and he knows that.
"Maybe before, but now we are bonded by power. We are one."
His gaze eats through me like acid. I find it harder to look him in the eyes with every passing second. He shakes his head. "You let yourself be bound to him like a slave in chains. I thought you were stronger than that, Alina Starkov. Perhaps I overestimated you."
My rage flows through me, boiling over like a pot of hot anger. "I think this dance is over. Thank you for coming, King Grimjer." I peel my grip apart from his before he can kiss my hand in departure. I hear a voice from behind me say, "I would be more than happy to trade partners, King Grimjer." The air seems to leave my lungs and my eyes grow wide. That voice... Familiar, confident to the point of sounding cocky.
"Nikolai!" I gasp, spinning around. He offers a hand and smiles his princely smile. "May I have this dance?" I ignore his gesture and fling my arms around him tightly, burying my face in his chest.
"Nikolai Lantsov, is that really you?" King Grimjer questions behind me.
"In the flesh," he beams. "Well, mostly flesh anyways. A few scales that weren't there before."
"A lot has changed since I saw you last. You've gone from a prince to a traitor of Ravka in a matter of months. Quite impressive."
"As blunt as always I see," he smirks. I can't bring myself to let go of Nikolai out of fear that he will fade away or I will wake up from this beautiful dream. "H-how?" I stammer.
"How has your favorite prince gotten rid of his wings and cut back on the human diet?" I part from the hug and press a finger to his chest. "That's not funny."
"Don't tell me I've lost my humor along with my fangs." I roll my eyes and observe him closely. He acts like his former self, but there is something off about him. There is sorrow and unsurity in his eyes that weren't there before. As far as physical appearance goes, he has leathery blotches of black skin visible on his arms and neck. There are shadowy scars that run the length of his face that suggests the Merzost is not completely gone. Lastly, his fingertips, which are still dark and scaly, blend into normal skin at the knuckles.
"I thought it was because you destroyed the Unsea at first, but I had seen you undo the Fold and I did not revert to what I am now until weeks after." I ponder what he says for a minute. I remember back to when the Darkling and I were bound through the amplifiers. I had been able to feel Nikolai through the connection. Maybe this is another new thing opened up by the tether. It is possible that I can manipulate Merzost through the Darkling, maybe even enough to where I could regress the effects of Merzost the Darkling has used. There is still so much unknown about Morozova's amplifiers other than the limits of their power is an enigma. I think I am starting to understand just how powerful they really are.
Reality sets back in and I realize where we are. "You shouldn't be here. The Darkling will-"
"Well," a cold voice says too close for comfort. "This night just keeps getting better and better." Aleksander returns to my side and grabs my waist. He acts as if nothing is bothering him, but he is slightly off-put by Nikolai returning to his human form.
"It certainly does," his pleasant tone fades and his eyes narrow.
"Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right now."
"Besides the fact that killing someone as handsome as me would be a sin," Nikolai leans in, "I have information that is of interest to you about Queen Leyti."
"I have no interest in what you have to say, sobachka."
"But you will hear it. This isn't about you. It involves all of Ravka's safety."
The Darkling stiffens at the statement of Ravka's wellbeing. "So then? What is so important that you had to come crawling out of the shadows and pester me?" the Darkling prods.
"I learned a lot from flying around where I pleased. My ears are excellent when it comes to hearing prey and secrets."
"Get on with it," Aleksander growls.
"You know, I really did miss dances and parties when I was trapped as a monster. I did not appreciate them before, but I would love to experience one again now that I am craving pastries instead of flesh."
The Darkling closes his eyes for a lengthy amount of time. He is battling his pride versus hearing information that concerns his country. "Fine. If you tell me what you know about the Shu Han Queen, you can stay for the rest of the party."
"Great!" he hums. Nikolai leans in and looks around before speaking. King Grimjer has wandered off to the other side of the ballroom meanwhile Queen Leyti is within sight, talking with another Shu Han ambassador. "After the Fold was taken down, I flew around in search of shadows to hide in. I learned that people do not pay attention to what lies in the shadows. It was easy to learn things that were meant to be held in confidence. I quickly used this to my advantage and traveled back and forth to enemy countries to find out that..." he leans in closer, "Queen Leyti and King Grimjer have struck a deal. They are both fearful of your new power and what it means for their countries' safety. They may not act like it, but they know how powerful Morozova's amplifiers are. Shu Han has agreed to ship jurda parem to Fjerda. I'm not talking a few doses of it, I am talking enough for mass homicide. The end of the second army. Jurda parem is addictive. All they need is one dose per Grisha and all of them will come running back to get more without second thought."
I gasp. Jurda parem is a nasty drug that enhances Grisha's abilities but deteriorates the body all the same. It is extremely addictive to Grisha and lethal to the normal population. There are few known cases where the victim has lived through its' effects.
"And why should I believe you?" the Darkling asks. "As far as I'm concerned, you are nothing more than a privileged, treasonous ex-prince."
Nikolai looks at him almost offended. "Just because I am not royalty of Ravka anymore does not mean that I would let my country suffer. I still love Ravka. Now, I've told you what you need, I suggest you do something about it, moi tsar." he mocks. After a moment of tension, a group of women take interest in Nikolai. They wave at him and urge him to come over. "I have been summoned," he says, but does not leave. He looks guilty for wanting to leave. "Alina, are you okay here?" Am I okay here? That question is more complicated than it seems. The Darkling growls, "she is fine." Nikolai does not depart until I nod in agreement. I want him to live again. It is my fault that he was turned into a monster. He deserves happiness. Nikolai bows his head to me and starts off towards the crowd of girls, leaving me to the Darkling.
"If what he said is true-"
"It is," I cut him off. "Nikolai wouldn't lie about something like that."
The Darkling nods. "Then we have two enemies here who are looking for war. We need to have them think that we are unaware of their scheme and on their side, so for tonight, pretend that you did not her what you've just learned. They are simply our guests at the ball."
"Act like we are not surrounded by enemies who want to mass murder our people. Got it." My frown deepens. He places a kiss on my temple and departs to a group of foreign diplomats. I leave in the opposite direction to seek someone to take my mind off of the overwhelming news, although I am confronted by quite the opposite. I nearly run into Princess Makhi Kir-Taban when I turn around. She looks just like the portraits I have found of her. I researched her along with the Kir-Taban dynasty when I learned that I was supposed to make conversation with her. That is before everything went downhill. "Watch it, lady," she sneers. I reply calmly, "you must be Princess Makhi of Shu Han?"
"Yes. Should I know you?"
"Queen of Ravka, Alina Stark- Morozova," I catch myself. "Alina Morozova." She sniffs and looks at me through lidded eyes. "Hm. You weren't what I expected."
"What did you expect?" I ask stiffly.
"I don't know, someone with a bit more... class. You just look like a normal village girl."
"I keep my fake smile glued to my face. "Oh, well I am sorry that I am not what you envisioned."
"That is alright. A Queen is more relatable to her people if she is unmemorable like them."
I stare at her wide-eyed. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, I think it is cute. The average peasant girl falls in love with the handsome King and they live happily ever after. You did find a way to use the system, didn't you? For most people, it takes years to climb the ladder as much as you did in less than a year. I suppose it helps that you used your witch charms on him. I am rather impressed."
"Witch charms?" I inquire hesitantly.
"Charms, magic, sorcery, whatever you call it that you Grisha use."
"Small Science."
"Yes, yes. Same thing."
I have never wanted to choke a person from first impressions until now. I need some air before I throttle this royal priss.
"Excuse me, I need some air." She just scoffs at me and turns in the other direction. I practically flee the room to get to the terrace. The cool breeze flows across my face and exposed arms. I am calmed down immediately but my thoughts are still alight with stress. I hate parties. I hate princess Makhi and I hate that I have been called a witch multiple times tonight.
There are footsteps behind me. I assume it is the Darkling worried that I left and I say, "I'm sorry. I panicked. I needed to get out of there for a min-"
Before I can finish, my arms are yanked behind my back. I try to scream, but a cloth is pressed against my face and it muffles my cries. Even in my state of fear, I can tell that the cloth is drugged. I try not to breathe in, but an arm is pushing down on my stomach. I summon light that explodes from my palms, but I cannot direct it anywhere. It must have burned the aggressor because they grunt and tense up, but they only grip me harder. Then, I begin to suffocate and I am forced to take a breath. The light flickers as my vision starts to falter. I panic and do the only thing that I can think to do at the moment. I yank on the tether for Aleksander. I hear muffled voices going in and out of hearing until all of my senses are gone. Gravity becomes heavier and pushes down on me until my legs give out. I fall against the assailant and everything goes black.
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Cue the dramatic music. *Dun Dun Dunnn* Yes, I left it at a cliffhanger and no, I am not sorry. Have a good day. <3