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#Ravka
corpsebasil · 1 year
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nightmares and enemies
In which the King and Queen of Ravka realize they care about each other more than they thought.
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You two had always hated each other.
Ever since you’d been engaged, you hated him. He was arrogant—a cocky, peacock of a man—and the sight of him alone made your blood boil. He teased you, finding new and creative ways to constantly piss you off, and you gave it right back. He even went so far one time as to, when you were crouched next to a river washing your face, come up behind you and knock your ass in.
You’d grabbed his ankle and yanked him in after you, of course, but he still laughed about it for days.
Now, though.
The day Nikolai was crowned, the day blood bubbled from your mouth as the entire throne room collapsed under the power of a drugged Grisha, you could’ve sworn he’d been gasping your name beside you. You could’ve sworn he’d reached for your hand, though you’d only felt the tips of his fingers graze yours before you passed out.
And now.
You were married and didn’t even share the same rooms. But somehow he still heard you when you screamed, thrashing awake from a dream in which you were on that dais, your chest so tight you thought you’d never breathe again, but this time it was Nikolai beside you, unconscious, and you couldn’t drag your weak body a single inch towards his.
And then your husband was dead.
You were terrified. You woke with tears in your eyes, heart pounding, still feeling that tightness in your chest. Your bedroom door flew open so fast you screamed again, unsure if you were still dreaming, but the lamp turned on and there he was, rumpled and alarmed, a large knife in his hand. He looked around the room, checking the window and the open closet door, before turning back to face you.
Nikolai’s chest was heaving, his cheeks flushed, and you stared at him in open mouthed shock as he ran his hand over his tired face.
“I thought—“ he started, voice hoarse, and turned away, leaning an arm against the wall. He stayed quiet for a moment, catching his breath, before facing you again and slowly coming to sit on the edge of the bed. “I thought someone broke in.”
“I’m…” you were still staring. He looked as horrified as you had been. “I’m fine. I was—” You swallowed, mouth dry. “I was having a nightmare. I’m fine.”
He covered his mouth with one hand as he stared at you, then sighed, dropping his head down between his knees, the knife clattering to the floor. His voice was strained when he spoke again, shoulders tense.
“What were you dreaming about, Y/N?” He asked, quietly, and you tried to calm your racing heart. His abrupt entrance had startled you almost as much as the fact that he’d come so quickly when you woke up.
“You were—” your voice caught involuntarily and his head lifted, eyes pinning you with an intense stare. “—you were dead. You were…and I couldn’t—”
You couldn’t stop yourself as the tears welled back up and you looked away, forcing the image out of your mind. The blood—and he was just laying there and—
“Darling, please.” Nikolai’s words were thick with emotion as he moved over to you, sitting next to you against the pillows. He caught your strangled sob against his shoulder when he scooped you into his lap, pressing every inch of the two of you together.
You swayed together for a moment, his voice murmuring calming words against your ear as his hands ran soothing circles against your back and shoulders. You clutched him tightly, eyes squeezed shut, but after a few moments your heart slowed and you managed to take a deep breath.
“I’m sorry.” You whispered against him, and his fingers brushed your hair from your face as you pulled back to look at him.
Softly, so softly it broke your heart, he leaned in and kissed you, and for the first time it seemed real. There was no one around to watch, no courtiers or officials to please with a show of fake romance. It was just you and Nikolai, your Nikolai, and his mouth against yours was so gentle you felt your stomach twist and your chest tighten.
He pulled back barely an inch and ran his nose against yours, a soft smile on his handsome face. You reached up to run a thumb over his cheekbone, marveling over how soft his skin was, and marveled over the fact that he was even allowing you to touch him like this. More than that, that you allowed him to hold you like this, to kiss you like he…like he…
“I’m not going to leave you.” He promised, his eyes kind and tired. “I’m never going to die and leave you alone. I’ll fight the afterlife with my bare hands if I have to.”
A tear rolled its way down your cheek and he wiped it away, his brow furrowing.
“I thought you hated me.” You said, slipping your fingers into his hair, and he shook his head with a sad looking smile.
“You’re about as friendly as a hungry bear sometimes, you know that?” He asked, and you stiffened. “See? You treated me like an ass when we met, and when I messed with you…that was the only time you’d give me an inch of attention. I’ve always been yours. Always.”
“I’m—” You blinked at him, unsure of how you didn’t realize you two had been circling each other throughout your entire engagement, then marriage, coming closer and closer to this moment. “I’m sorry. I wanted to like you.”
“Do you like me now?” He teased, and you couldn’t stop yourself from kissing him again, holding him tightly against you. When you separated he looked dazed, and you felt a pang rush through you at the lovestruck expression on his face.
“I think I might love you, Nikolai.”
When you finally went to sleep, after several long minutes of kissing and reminiscing on the stupidest pranks you both had ever pulled on each other, you curled up next to one another in bed and slept, both of your dreams unplagued by death and horror.
For once, for the first time in a while, you both felt truly, truly loved.
THIS IS SO CHEESEBALLS BUT I AM EMOTIONAL?!/7/$
Remember to check out Tea and Spices on wattpad and send me requests!!
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adriiivna · 1 month
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Alina and the Morozova Stag
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icedcoffee2809 · 8 days
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hey y'all this is your friendly reminder that dark romance is like a popular thing in ravka for some reason
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scheminghotcoffee · 9 months
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It would have been so damn funny if the Crows showed up in Ravka during Shadow and Bone and there was a language barrier. I mean, just imagine.
They're in the little palace, and Kaz and Inej are in disguise, someone asks Kaz something and he just looks at her in panic. So she's just like "Sorry, he's awful with people, what do you need?" Or the exchange with Alina and the Crows. She tries to leave and Kaz stops her with his cane and says something in Kerch, but there's a pause before Inej translates since she doesn't really want to go against her Saint, so there's five seconds of him just glaring at Alina in total silence as Jesper looks between Inej and Kaz, absolutely exhausted.
Or that scene where Jesper is fighting the Grisha guy in a laundry room. They're just shouting back and forth but neither of them can understand the other, so it's just this chaotic vaguely Dutch-Russian sounding exchange of comments that have nothing to do with each other being shouted on screen.
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thechaoticrow · 1 year
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i say “morning” instead of “good morning” because if it was a good morning it’d be march 16th and i would be in bed rubbing my feet together like a cricket and screaming over season 2 of shadow and bone
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savethegrishaverse · 1 month
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Hey Grishaverse! We know that one of the closest things to a ball or formal celebration in Ravka is the Winter Fete. Why not reblog with what you would wear if you were invited to the Fete - a beautiful chance to get dressed up!
(shoutout to our sister fandom Lockwood & Co. for the idea!)
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bladeinthedark · 1 year
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i want all Nikolai haters to shut up because Paddy Gibson just did such an amazing job and he really portrayed Nikolai in the perfect way. charming, dedicated, a leader and a friend.
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Literally nobody ever in any place or any time:
My brain in the middle of the night:
Inej’s POV chapters and experiences as described through other characters highly suggest that Suli is a spoken language only, not a written one. It would make sense for Suli to be a spoken language only, because the Suli people have little cause to write to each other since they travel together and the groups and families they travel with would appear to be the people they have contact with the most. Inej is fluent in both Suli and Ravkan, which makes sense since she primarily grew up in Ravka - with some of the roads her family travelled taking her through Northern Shu Han, but not very often. Following the assumption that the Suli people originated from Ravka, which the descriptions of both Inej and Zoya’s backgrounds would suggest, the need for the Suli people to speak Ravkan is apparent: they may have existed as a secluded and separate people to the Ravkan population, but over time as both cultures changed and evolved it became necessary for at least a certain level of integration - common with most cultures in our history. It appears that most Suli people are fluent in Suli and Ravkan, whilst very few Ravkan people can speak Suli. This highlights the common racism and prejudices against the Suli that are highly institutionalised in the country, particularly emphasised by Inej’s apprehension to meet members of the Ravkan government in Crooked Kingdom. Inej is also fluent in Kerch, and this is the language she primarily uses in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom to communicate with the Crows, since it’s the one language they all share. However, what’s important to note here is that she cannot read Kerch - or at least she couldn’t before joining the Dregs; since she writes notes to Kaz she has presumably learnt to in more recent years. When she is first sold to the Menagerie, we as the reader know that she has at least some understanding of Kerch because she knows what Tante Heleen is saying, and even if she wasn’t fluent at the time she would pick the rest of the language up quickly over the course of a year, and is able to communicate easily and fluently with Kaz when they meet. What she does say at this time, when she would appear to be fluent in spoken Kerch, is that she cannot read it. She tells Kaz that she couldn’t read the contract Heleen made her sign, and when he shows it to her she is still unable to - he explains it to her in terms of the numbers, which she can understand (that links to a interesting theory about their alphabets and numerical systems, but is a bit of a tangent right now). For most people, learning another language relies on writing it down and learning to comprehend words written on the page before entering open conversation, but Inej has clearly learnt by speaking and listening instead; indicative that this is how she learns in her native tongue. Kaz also promises that she will be able to read her contract with the Dregs, and for that he has it written in Ravkan. Not Suli, Ravkan. Now yes, we did previously establish that few people outside the Suli community learn the language - in fact a student at the little palace in the first Shadow and Bone book calls it a ‘dead language’ - but the fact that Kaz was willing to track down a Ravkan translator (we know he is monolingual) in a city with such a low Ravkan population (as confirmed by Nina’s experience in little Ravka in Crooked Kingdom) suggests to me that if it could have been written in Suli, Kaz would have been willing to track down a Suli translator for her.
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tsibeyantiger · 2 months
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You're just not ready for the detailed analysis of GrishaVerse wildlife I'm gonna write when I'm done with my exams
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lpa6zn · 10 months
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kneeling🛐
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moonlightgrisha · 11 months
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All those stories about a Moon Summoner? True.
Masterlist
Backstory 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
Part one
1. First encounter
2. A dance of shadows
3. And then, she woke up
4. Ride on
5. How to lose a secret
6. Show me
7. Make a choice
8. New Moon
9. Everybody knows
10. Little Palace at night
11. The view from the hill
12. Summer Festival
13. The consequence of imagination is fear
14. The gift
15. After me, comes the flood
Part two
16. Wax and Wane
17. The Haunting of You
18. ?
About this story: This is a romance fan fiction about the Darkling and a female OC, born in the royal family with a power that binds her to the moon. I am not a native English speaker and I have not written a fan fiction in almost ten years. I have now actually accomplished to write for a living, as a professional author of books for young audiences in my home country. As much as I like my job, I missed the simplicity of posting online, so here I am, although my identity shall remain secret. I also wanted to experience writing in another language - my English might not be perfect, but I’m having a lot of fun. This story is simple, linear, romantic and maybe a little dull, but it’s something the teenage me would have liked, and I hope it can bring a little happiness to anyone who’ll read it. We always write to escape. So, here’s a little escapism. Enjoy.
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stromuprisahat · 13 days
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Isn’t the status of Grisha much worse after TGT. How are the Righteous Gang claiming to be victors/heroes who made others lives better. From my pov, grisha are much worse off while the otkazatsya are in status quo. Also what was wrong with the grisha coming to LP to live. From the books, it seems that none of them had any connection to their parents/relatives. If so that can also mean that their family did not care enough to reach out to them after they left.
Or did the Darkling ban all communications.
I’m sure the Righteous Gang think that all the cons of their dumb decisions are in fact the Darklings fault. You know because he did this or he did that. They do bot think for a single moment that he was the only one doing anything for them. While the soldat sol (shouldn’t they have been doing some charity work in name of their Saint?) and all other grisha did not lift a single finger to elevate the position of grisha in Ravka through ANY means.
Ironically, the Gang's decision to abolish Grisha draft should serve to further alienate Ravkan commoners and destabilize Nikolai's reign.
"... His serfs will get a taste of money and education and start thinking about building lives and businesses of their own instead of praying for their master’s patronage. ... "
King of Scars- Chapter 11
Nikolai had abolished the practice of separating Grisha from their parents. There was no mandatory draft to pull children from their homes.
Rule of Wolves- Chapter 9
The fact they aren't able to offer protection to any Grisha in Ravka, therefore hardly to children scattered all over the country, AND there's no system of home education, therefore these children might either hurt someone by accident or suffer from wasting sickness, aside...
This should be a gigantic legal issue.
(Although there's plenty of questions regarding servitude in general.)
Pre-KoS Grisha automatically became serfs. Their families were compensated financially.
Let's say Grisha are no longer required to move to Little Palace, otherwise everything stays the same. Are there lists of Grisha serfs to keep track of them? And how do they serve? Why should a family that keeps the amount of pairs of working hands get any money? Does it mean that a family of free- albeit poor- peasants, suddenly include a child serf with obligations of their own? Do these "free-range" serfs get personal assignments? That sounds like a whole lot of extra bureaucracy.
The other option is much more disasterous. If Grisha are no longer serfs, there's no reason to pay their families. They should be recorded the same way other free Ravkans are, and these records don't seem to be particularly meticulous:
Another [Ravkan Grisha] had been hidden in a root cellar when the Grisha Examiners arrived to test her. “My mother told them I’d been killed by the fever that had swept through our village the previous spring,” the Tidemaker said. “The neighbors cut my hair and passed me off as their dead otkazat’sya son until I was old enough to leave.”
Siege and Storm- Chapter 7
A year here, a year there... who'll know if the missing Grisha moved away, died or got kidnapped? But don't worry, the worst is yet to come- otkazat'sya (serfs). Why are Grisha freed as soon as three of theirs start whispering their advices into young King's ear (One of them rumoured to be his mistress to boot!), while common Ravkans keep bending their backs under nobility's jeweled slippers!
This is a starving, war-torn country, through which a wave of pogroms swept only a few years back! The hatred won't disappear only because a dead Saint allegedly appointed three of Grisha to what exactly? Represent? Or rule in the puppet-King's stead?
Sure, Nikolai's (strange, innovatory) reforms lead to more food for the poor... BUT- serfs are still property of their owners, unlike Grisha. West was somehow forced to remain with the East- feeding them, losing money to them. Nobles lost some privilages and whoever's not a complete baffoon will figure out they're losing power. Church should be pissed, because their leader got deposed, religious cult with Crown-appointed head took over and Nikolai cut their incomes too! Anyone even slightly distrustful towards Grisha- and that means all through Ravkan social strata- has every reason to believe they are running the country, which no longer means one black boogeyman, but a Suli whore with the King-killer.
_____
Members of Second Army weren't discouraged from staying in touch with their families, quite contrary. To make it more... well, to make it more KoS-ish, we get some specific data from Zoya:
She’d written every week to her aunt and every week received a long, newsy letter back with drawings of chickens in the corners and tales of the interesting traders who came through Novokribirsk.
King of Scars- Chapter 25
Ivan doesn't mention his family in present time, but I'd like to imagine he used to visit his widowed, almost childless mother until she died of old age.
_____
The only reason all those barely adult Grisha are even theoretically allowed to be teenagers, is that they're safe enough, thanks to Aleksander's work.
He was thirteen, but he’d had a hundred names, a new one for every town, camp, and city ... He would have lived next door to a garbage gully if it meant a roof over his head, hot meals, waking up in the same room every morning without his heart hammering as he tried to remember where he was. ... Grisha living in camps and broken-down mines, hiding out in tunnels. ... No safe place. No haven. There will be, he promised in the darkness, new words written upon his heart. I will make one.
Demon in the Wood
If Grisha are faring better at the beginning of Shadow and Bone, it's his doing:
... though it was smaller than the Grand Palace, the “Little” Palace was still huge. It rose from the trees surrounding it like something carved from an enchanted forest, a cluster of dark wood walls and golden domes. As we drew closer, I saw that every inch of it was covered in intricate carvings of birds and flowers, twisting vines, and magical beasts. ... We passed door after door, until finally we reached a chamber where another uniformed maid stood waiting by an open doorway. Dimly, I registered a large room, heavy golden curtains, a fire burning in a beautifully tiled grate, but all I really cared about was the huge canopied bed. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat?” asked the woman.
Shadow and Bone- Chapter 5
While I can "excuse" some of the "heroes"- victim of otkazat'sya brainwashing institution, unloved privilaged kid with saviour complex, bigoted religious fanatics due to questionable parenting, universal punching bag... LB's new best girl's somehow coming out of it as the worst one.
Just the fact Zoya was saved by the very law she didn't mind abolishing, going from starving asset of her own mother to well-fed, respected soldier, who knows what do sable and silks look like... what a horrible life to lead! Such deterioration! If only the Darkling didn't bother trying, she'd be free to scrape along as she pleases!
Centuries worth of Aleksander's efforts are the reason Zoya gets to whine about her suicidal aunt instead of being maritally raped by some ancient creep, or outright dead after getting pregnant way too young.
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myeur-n · 9 months
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Imagine that Sturmhond reveals himself as Prince Nikolai Lantsov, but you couldn't accept it
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Disclaimer:
This oneshot is purely based on the Netflix series, so some of the lore might be incorrect
y/n is a female Grisha
Angst/Fluff
"Captain, are you sure that the Saint is stable enough to cross the fold?" y/n approached the captain's table and crossed her arms before him. The Volkvolny was beginning to rumble from the calling of the Fold, and as a Materialki, you weren't really fond of how the wooden planks of the ship you had invented with your Captain begun to stir.
"Y/n, how many times have I asked you to address me by Sturmhond?" The blonde and blue-eyed privateer snickered at you, leaning back against his cushioned chair and crossing his legs. You remained silent and only had a concerned look crossing your features. "Come on, then. Call me by my name then I shall answer you," he added and began beckoning you toward him.
"Alright... Sturmhond. Now answer me," you rolled your eyes. "You know how terrified I am of the Fold. If I get caught by one of the Volcra in there, I'll be demanding that you pay for my health insurance even if I'm dead,".
"I would expect no less from you," he pulled a soft smile at your direction, which almost warmed your heart - almost. You shook your head as he stood up from his chair and stood next to you.
"It'll be alright, y/n. Alina's strong enough with her amplifier. You'll be safe, I can promise you that," he muttered, casting a soft smile at you before he climbed the stairs to the upper deck.
"No doubt he's about to show off the Hummingbird," you rolled your eyes and tailed him.
Before you knew it, you were suddenly up in the air and reaching the entrance of the Fold. You looked up at the abyssal storm, growling and calling before your very eyes. Quickly turning around, you saw that only a few of the Volkvolny crew, including yourself and your captain; the Saint herself and her lover were aboard the Hummingbird.
Alina Starkov looked back at the Fold with a determined glare, while Mal's eyes were clouded with his usual protectiveness. Before you could turn to look at Sturmhond, he had already crossed the ship's deck and stood by your side, linking your arms tightly with his.
"It's going to be alright. You don't have to be scared," he mumbled in a low voice, almost to himself. You could hear the slight tremble in his voice, and you knew you weren't alone in this consuming fear - he felt the same way too.
"Sturmhond," you turned your wrists so your palms could capture his. "I trust you," you nodded once before turning back at the starless sky as darkness consumed your surrounding.
Both of you gasped, but held each other tight. The Fold was pitch black and cold - colder than the sea breeze at night. Your mind suddenly travelled to what you could do as a Grisha. You were just a Materialki - a person who could manipulate earth and steel - but, what use is that when it comes to something as powerful as the darkness?
Suddenly, a blinding white light filled your eyes and it came from the Saint.
Sturmhond's blue eyes filled with marvel and wonder, and your heart ached to see them as you realised that he could never look at you the same way he looked at Alina's beautiful sunlight. You pursed your lips and slowly attempted to loosen your grip of his hand, but it won't move a muscle.
You closed your eyes and hoped that this would end soon.
As no light could pierce your eyelids, you thought that the worst is over, but only found that Alina was gasping for air and could not summon the sunlight anymore. Mal rushed to her side to protect her from the Darkness of the Fold, while Sturmhond quickly removed your hands from his and grabbed his pistol.
You rushed to the front of the Hummingbird and placed your hands on the engine of the ship, forcing the gears to work harder so everyone could get out of the Fold quickly. Some of the crew members screamt as they were grabbed by the Volcra and fell to their death.
You panicked as one of the Volcra almost snatched you into the air, but you had quickly picked up a crowbar and shifted it into a sword before slicing it into half.
"Now, that's my lady!" Sturmhond shouted from across the deck as he continued shooting the beasts. You rolled your eyes and with your last effort, you pushed the engines to their limit before they gave out one last revolution and ceased their turning.
And all of you were so close to getting out of the Fold.
"Brace! Brace for impact!" You shouted loud enough for everyone to hear as you shut your eyes hard and focused your abilities to the front of the ship, bending the round-edged wood to become sharp-edged, so that as they land on the ground, it would pierce the dirt and lessen the damage on the Hummingbird. Sturmhond wasn't going to let it go if she had let his precious invention turn into ruin.
The ship dug into the dirt of East Ravka and slid across the grass. Everyone let out a whelp as their knees collapsed from the impact. You exhaled a large breath and wiped a sweat from your forehead. It was definitely hard to use the small sciences without looking at what you're about to change.
Tamar and Tolya were the first to cheer, while Sturmhond quickly ran over to you.
"Are you alright? You seemed to be doing a lot of work there," he spoke - and for the first time, it seemed like it was out of concern.
"Yeah, and it's all because I had to save your damn ship from falling to pieces," you groaned at him, which only received a long chuckle from him.
Out of the blue, everyone heard the marching of more than a legion of soldiers.
"What's going on?" You muttered to yourself, but your eyes held Sturmhond's.
He avoided them and only shook his head.
"Identify yourself!" The captain of the soldier commanded. The Sun Summoner seemed clearly irritated while Sturmhond grasped her shoulder with his one arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I'll handle this," he said and he began to undress himself off his long, ridiculous privateer coat and he seemed to behaving a conversation with the captain. You parted your lips to ask him "Wouldn't you end up naked?", but you quickly took your words back when your eyes perceived Sturmhond wearing a green uniform gilded in golden embroidery, a uniform almost similar to those Ravkan soldiers, but it carried a higher air of command.
"It can't be," the man named Ravski gasped.
"Yes, it is," Sturmhond responded. You unbuckled your knees to get a better view of what was happening.
"Moi Tsarevich," Ravski began to kneel. "My prince,".
You gasped, while Mal and Alina passed each other confused looks.
"I present Nikolai Lantsov, Major of the 22nd Regiment, Soldier of the King's Army, Grand Duke of Udova, and Second Son to his Most Royal Majesty - King Pyotr the Third - Ruler of the Double Eagle Throne!" The captain announced with a spirited voice, while Sturmhond - now Nikolai pulled a smug look across his face.
You couldn't believe your eyes that the man in which you had spent years with was in fact, the estranged Prince of Ravka himself. Your lips quivered as memories came flooding back to you, but you knew that you couldn't cause a scene.
The prince had already been enjoying himself too much.
~•~
Everyone had reached the Stronghold (or moreso like a base) where Grisha who opposed against the Darkling and survivors of East Ravka remained. You spotted Zoya, someone who had always taught you the meaning of hard life back at the Little Palace - greeting Alina Starkov like old friends.
You clenched your fists and held back your tears. Once again, you were a stranger to everyone around you. The only person that you could become yourself was now gone too.
"One week," you took a deep breath in your personal quarters, which was very much far away from Alina and Nikolai's - given your status as a Materialki Grisha. Even Tolya and Tamar's rooms were closer to the Prince's. "Hold on for one week and we shall see," you swallowed the fear in your throat.
Your y/e/c shifted to your modest bed and you laid yourself there - hoping that your memories won't haunt you at night. Everyone was in a meeting to discuss their next move against the Darkling, but you weren't included - as expected.
That night, you recalled the memories from a time long forgotten of you, your brothers and sisters which were called upon to the Little Palace and serve as the Second Army for the Tsar. You shared their excitement when all of you had found out that you were Grisha. Your twin sisters were prodigal Heartrenders like Tamar and Tolya, while your eldest brother was an Inferni and your younger brother was a Squaller. Everyone was suited for battle and talented - but not you.
You were just a plain Materialki - a Durast who was weak and could not bend swords or bullets quickly enough to save your life. And so, you were never ordered to Battle like your siblings since even the Darkling did not acknowledge your abilities.
One day, the Tsar ordered his princes to enter and cross the Fold for a diplomatic mission on west Ravka. Something happened when they were on their way back, and they had to kill as much Volcra as possible along with only a few of the Second Army Soldiers escorting them - with the Heartrenders being your own two sisters and ome of the squallers your younger brother. Almost none survived, with the exception of his princes, as it seemed.
You and your eldest brother grieved their death, and sent many personal letters to both the Darkling and the King, requesting for the return of the bodies of your fallen siblings. However, both of them rejected your requests, giving an excuse that their main priority was to search for the Second Prince - none other than Nikolai Lantsov, instead of bringing their bodies home.
You and your brother were devastated, and he was suddenly being called upon to fight at the Fjerdan borders. You had tried your best to make an armor for him, in which no bullet should be able to pass through - and it worked - only if it hadn't been for the Fjerdans to cut off his head when your brother was wounded.
Distressed, you crossed the the Fold from East to West Ravka by yourself with an invention you had so carelessly made, as an effort to hopefully let the Saints decide your fate in the abyss. And you could have died, if your wounded self wasn't discovered by Sturmhond.
You woke up silently with your eyes brimming in tears. Your siblings' lack of proper burial, Sturmhond's deceit, and your uselessness as a Durast was all too much for you. The very thought of being under the roof of the man which had both killed and saved your life was something your heart could not handle anymore.
You had to leave.
Its not like anyone would realise nor dread your absence.
Wiping the silent and hot tears pouring out of your eyes, you began to pack some clean clothes into your knapsack, a pair of daggers, a map of Ravka, money, food and water. There wasn't much to pack anyway. You put on a cloak and blew out your candle before you opened your door.
"Captain-!" You exclaimed as the blonde and blue-eyed man which had been by your side for years suddenly showed up in front of you with his hands up, and hand balled into a fist, as if he wanted to knock on your door.
"Y/n, you're awake!" He gasped and pulled a cheesy smile. "I guess you've been around me for too long until you could sense me from far away, then?" He chuckled. Slowly observing his formal attire, it was obvious that he had just finished his meeting.
"You're incredibly loud with everything you do, that's how I know," You pursed your lips and forced a smile.
He nodded and began to peek around your pitch black room, past your shoulders. "Your quarters are very dark now, aren't they?" He commented.
"I was sleeping, Capta-I mean, uhm, moi Tsarevich," and you kept a distance away from him as you recalled that the man before you was ranks higher above yours.
"You were asleep with your travelling cloak?" He raised a playful brow.
"You shouldn't be here. Just go to sleep, my prince. You look tired after the meeting,".
"About that," the prince pushed your arm which was blocking the way into your room and lit a match. He searched for your candle for a second and lit it up. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened... earlier," he muttered and his bright eyes searched your room.
"There's nothing to talk about-,".
"Saints, why did they give you such an empty room? There's barely anything in here!" He jumped and began going through your old cupboard. You sighed and closed your eyes, not knowing how to properly deal with the man.
"My prince, you're no longer Sturmhond. Its improper for you to act in this manner. I beg of you, please remove yourself from my quarters," your heart was beginning to ache, but he was seemingly avoiding your words as he continued rambling around.
"The only thing here as stuffed as the king is your-," and his eyes paused at your knapsack. "Why is it packed, y/n? Where are you going?".
"Its none of your concern, my prince," You could not brave yourself to look into his eyes.
"Saints, just call me Nikolai, y/n,".
"How can I just call you Nikolai Lantsov when you've been my Captain and Sturmhond to me?" You snapped as irritation overwhelmed you.
"You don't understand, Nikolai - you're a prince. I'm just a deserter of the Second Army and we're not equals anymore,".
"Come on, you know that I don't think of you that way-,".
"Either way, you can't stop me from leaving," your voice trembled.
Nikolai suddenly crossed his arms and he passed a stern glare at you, a look you had rarely seen him equip himself with. In that moment, you realised that he truly was a Prince - not just any foolish prince like his brother, but a man of command, a man who you could have followed anywhere, even to the edge of the world - if it hadn't been for yourself.
"You can't leave. I forbid you," he stated with his sudden cold blue eyes fixed upon you.
"You have no right to give orders to me," You took a few steps toward him, almost challenging his command.
"You can't leave," Nikolai breathed, voice softening as he slowly closed the distance between the two of you.
"I have no place here - by your side, as a soldier in this war you've involved yourself with. I'm a lesser Durast compared to the ones you've got here-,".
"No one's ever said that to you," Nikolai's hand reached your arm, almost grasping it to not let you go.
"No one needed to say it. I couldn't save my brother because of it. What makes you think that I could save you when you need my help?" your face went hot as you realised how close the both of you were to each other. That panicked heartbeat of yours thundered against your chest and you were worried if he could hear it.
"We made our ship together, y/n. You helped me with my inventions, made it ours and saved me, countless of times during our raids-," he pulled a bittersweet smile as he recalled his days together with you as a privateer.
"Nikolai," your hand instinctively reached his cheek, and he leaned into your touch - blue eyes glowing with a desperate blaze. "Those days are now over. You're a Ravkan Prince and you must let go of things that do not matter anymore - like me,".
He took in a sharp breath and refused to look into your eyes for the first time.
It was true that you had to leave him because there was no chance that the both of you could live peacefully together, sailing away with hopes of building a family together - free from any danger. That was your dream, and not his. Nikolai had always been ambitious, despite his foolhardy efforts to make him appear the opposite.
When he remained silent, you passed by his shoulder and grabbed your knapsack. You crossed your room and to your door, before hesistating to reach for the doorknob. Turning back to him one last time, you stretched a soft and genuine smile of fond farewell to Nikolai.
"Farewell, moi Sobachka. If the Saints would allow it, we'll meet again," you muttered and closed the door behind you as you left.
Nikolai stared at the still door, breathless and heart aching. His heart was heavy, but he understood why you had to leave. With his final breath within your presence, he breathed:
"I love you,".
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aesthetic--mood · 5 months
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Alina Starkov Dark Aesthetic
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simons-no1-defender · 4 months
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the ravka girlies would eat those 18+ mafia boss wattpad fan fictions UP
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jahayla-parker · 7 months
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King of My Heart : Nikolai Lantsov x Reader Series
Description: Princess Y/n and Nikolai have known each other since they were little as their families would visit each other every summer. However, Y/n and Nikolai seemingly always hated each other. To make matters more complicated, their parents arranged for them to marry. Will they be able to get along enough to maintain a political marriage, will they truly fall for each other, or will their hatred continue to tear each other apart until there’s nothing but destruction?
Warnings: angst, hurt-comfort, friends to enemies, enemies to lovers, pining, crush(es), flirting, dancing, arguments, fighting, insults/bullying, attitude, typical Grishaverse topics and themes, kissing and other romantic behaviors and content, misunderstandings, bantering, etc.
Notes: This is an ONGOING series. When a new part is scheduled for release/to be posted, I’ll update this masterlist with those details. I’m hoping to keep updating it frequently and routinely, but please bear with me if that’s not always 100% the case!
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Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Thoughts on if I should continue?
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Nikolai Lantsov Navigation
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