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myhairpintrigger · 4 months

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Grieving for the Living (Aleksander Morozova x fem!reader) Part 3

The entirety of a capricious and treacherous marriage between the Darkling and the Lantsov princess.

read previous parts here!! part 1 part 2

just wanted to say thank u to everyone sending me hate, me & my girlfriend get a giggle out of it. i also want to say thank u to all the cute messages and comments too!!! also i hope everyone that celebrates had an amazing christmas yesterday, and if u don’t celebrate, i hope u had a spectacular monday (do those exist? idk) SENDING LOVE!

word count: 9.7k

warnings: nothing going on here that isn’t necessarily canon. there’s like one part where puking is mentioned. again, i’d be remiss if i didn’t remind u that there are examples of an unhealthy relationship and to read at ur own discretion

taglist: @il0vebeingdelulu @mellowarcadefun @budugu @eir964 @arwensloanebarnes @marytvirgin

“Lots of different precious metals and crystals have different properties. Many cultures believe that precious stones can be healing, in many different ways, take quartz for example…” David, a Durast who was close to your husband, read to you from one of his books and spouted off little facts that he knew about… crystals? You weren’t entirely sure, you were only half listening.

Your husband had left the two of you alone in his carriage while he got out with a handful of his other Grisha to track down whoever. At this point you weren’t sure. David could tell that you were nervous, and he began to read from his book, telling you that it often calmed him down when he read. The air inside the carriage was somewhat warm and you had shed the cloak your husband insisted you wear and instead had it laid out over your lap like a blanket.

You peeked out the window every few seconds until you heard David clear his throat.

“Princess, if I may suggest something.”

You looked up at David and blinked a few times, “Yeah, go ahead.” You mumbled and then lowered the small curtain on the window.

“I just think that you shouldn’t keep looking out the window. Someone might see you, someone dangerous perhaps?” It sounded more like a question, and you gathered that David wasn’t very authoritative.

“I’m just anxious, that’s all.” You mumbled and sat back in your seat, twisting your fingers in the fur along the edges of the cloak on your lap.

And it was true, you were anxious. Anxious that someone was going to get in and hurt you and David, anxious that your husband was going to get hurt, anxious about being away from home, everything.

“Nothing to worry about, Your Grace, The General wouldn’t let anything happen to you. We were briefed before we left, and The Darkling was very clear. We are to protect you at all costs.” David explained, “He also said-“

You wouldn’t get to hear what David was going to say, because he was cut off by an ear splitting explosion not far away.

You let out a yelp, and David lunged toward you awkwardly to shield you with his kefta. When nothing else happened, he slowly pulled away from you and you stared up at him, your pulse racing.

“What was that?” You asked and yanked the curtain away from the window. You peered outside but your line of sight was poor due to the carriage’s position. People screamed and were scrambling around, and you could see a couple Grisha, but you couldn’t see your husband. Panic swiftly gripped you and you stood up and let out a little grunt, pushing the door open.

“Princess y/n!” David screamed after you, “y/n, don’t!” He called, but you ignored him and pushed through a small crowd of people.

You scrambled through a few more small groups of people and you scanned the area for your husband, still unsure of what had just happened. There were no longer any Grisha in their brightly colored keftas remaining in the area and you took a step forward before arms wrapped around you from behind, yanking you backwards violently. You screamed and you tried to squirm away, but you were being easily dragged backwards. You tried to claw at your captor’s hands, but couldn’t with your gloves in the way, and you looked down to your waist to see a pair of purple clad arms. Relief washed over you in a thousand-foot waves when you realized it was only David and you stopped struggling. You allowed the awkward Durast to pull you back to the carriage and once both of you were inside, then slammed the door and he stood in front of it. Surely, he was trying to be menacing; authoritative, but he really just looked as startled as you. Authority and toughness seemed out of place on David. You let out a pent up sigh and you sunk down on one of the seats in the carriage.

“He’s not out there. What if something terrible happened?” You asked nervously, wringing your gloved hands together.

“He is fine, Princess. I guarantee it.“

“How can you be so sure?” You asked, laying your fidgeting hands in your lap, trying to calm yourself.

“Because The General is a smart man, Your Grace, and a determined one at that. He will do anything to return to you.” David said, his voice serious.

This did more to calm your nerves than his entire book of crystals and you found yourself leaning back against the wall, a long sigh escaping your lips. You were still worried, and that wasn’t going away anytime soon, but you were able to somewhat relax in the carriage. David didn’t begin reading from his book again, at least, not out loud. He flipped through it silently on his own, reading faster than you had ever seen anyone read before. You closed your eyes and leaned your head against the side of the wall, counting down from one hundred in your head to pass the time. Once you had gotten one hundred down, you started again, this time from one thousand. You were only about halfway through when you grew bored and opened your eyes again.

You glanced over at David who was still leafing through his book and you reached down and grabbed your cloak off of the floor. You laid it back over your lap like a blanket and smoothed it out meticulously before clearing your throat.

“So,” you began, tapping your fingers against your leg absentmindedly, “What exactly do you do, David?” You asked the boy, trying to pass the time with conversation.

“I make things.” He replied, slowly tearing his attention away from his book, “I made your wedding rings, you know. The General didn’t want the ones the King and Queen were offering up. Said they were too gaudy.”

You looked down at the little bump in your glove over your wedding ring and you hummed once, wiggling your finger a bit, “It’s very pretty.” You commented and David shot you a very small smile.

“Didn’t take me too long, just something easy.” He said bashfully, trying to play off his flattered smile as if the compliment wasn’t a big deal to him.

You smiled too, “Will you read me some more of your book?” You asked and pointed to the book in his lap.

The Durast gave you a nod and he looked back down at his book. He began to read from it in a quiet tone and you laid your head back against the wall. You weren’t really listening, but his voice was something to hear in the background while you tried to relax. You closed your eyes after a while and pulled the cloak up around your arms much like a blanket and you shifted a bit to get yourself comfortable. You felt drained and you tried to clear your mind as best as you could until David’s voice was only a faint hum in the back of your mind.

You had hardly even noticed that you’d fallen asleep, but at some point David must have noticed because he stopped reading aloud. Your sleep wasn’t overly satisfying, but it was enough to keep you distracted from being worried about your husband. You weren’t sure how long you had been asleep, but the carriage around you had gotten a bit colder than it had been earlier in the night and you shivered, pulling your legs up onto the seat with you the best you could , garnering minimal relief. The relief didn’t last long, though, because the doors to the carriage swung open, startling you awake.

“Oh! Hello!”

Both you and David turned to see a man in a long coat wearing a hat standing outside the doors. David scrambled to his feet and he clumsily threw his book at the man before he grabbed you by your arms. By using his own weight as leverage, he tossed you towards the door and you let out a loud yelp, barreling through the doors on the opposite side of the carriage. You practically somersaulted down the one step into the carriage and rolled out onto the gravel with a loud oof.

Your hands skidded across the gravel and you were thankful for the gloves your husband told you to wear. You’d landed awkwardly on your stomach and looked up just in time to see David stumble out of the carriage as well, only to be knocked in the head by a dark haired man with a cane. David fell to the ground unconscious and you gasped, scrambling to your knees.

“David!” You cried, crawling over to the unconscious Durast on the ground. You gaped up at the man who had hit David and he stared back at you, dusting off his sleeve.

“He threw a book at me!” The man from the other side of the carriage had crawled through the open doors that you had just fallen-no, been thrown- out of, and he tossed David’s book aside. As soon as he looked down at you, he snapped his fingers and pointed, “You’re- you’re the princess of Ravka!” He exclaimed, and the man next to him with the cane raised his eyebrows.

You looked between the two of them before you let out a loud, forced peal of laughter, “Not me!” You exclaimed, clumsily rising to your feet, “I’m certainly no princess.”

The man with the hat shook his head and he grabbed the man with the cane’s shoulder, “No, no. You are the princess. I saw you at the fete! In the courtyard!” He snapped his fingers again and shook the other man’s shoulders, “saints! With The Darkling! She’s his wife!” He practically shouted, shaking the other man still.

The man with the cane reached up and brushed his hand off of his shoulder and he raised his eyebrows, “You’re sure?” He asked, his eyes scanning you as if looking for anything to confirm the accusations.

He had dark hair that hung in his eyes and he was tall, not taller than your husband surely, but still quite tall. His lips were pressed together in a perpetual sneer and he leaned against his cane dependently. He wore a long coat that dangled around his ankles and thick leather gloves.

“Yes! I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, Kaz, that’s her!” The other man raved, and you wondered if he was going to start jumping for joy by the look on his boyish face.

The man with the cane- or Kaz, as the other man called him- seemed to think for a moment while looking at you before he gave the other man a short nod, “Get her in the carriage, then. I have an idea.”

You took a large step backwards as the man with the hat nodded and you held your hands out, “No, really, you are mistaken, I’m no princess!” You insisted, backing up slowly as the two men took steps towards you.

“Really? Because you aren’t Grisha. If you were, you’d be wearing a kefta. You aren’t a simple citizen, look at your clothes.” The man called Kaz reasoned, his voice low, bordering a whisper nearly.

You watched them wildly as you backed up. David wasn’t able to help, and there were no other Grisha in the area, your husband was nowhere to be found, so you had to be smart about your escape. You had never been in a situation where you had to think like this, and in such short time, too, so you did the only thing that came to mind in that moment.

You let out a scream that could’ve curdled the blood of anyone nearby and you took off running towards the nearest building, only stopping screaming when you had to breathe, and then you started back up again, hoping to grab the attention of anyone nearby. You heard footsteps behind you and you kept running, still screaming like you belonged in a madhouse.

It was a pathetic idea, really, and probably one of the worst ones you could’ve come up with given your circumstances, but it seemed to do the trick. You rounded a corner and pressed yourself up against the wall of a stone building. You put a hand over your chest, struggling to catch your breath, and you leaned your head back against the wall. Your heart hammed against your rib cage and you very slowly peered around the corner. No one was chasing you, and in the distance, you could see the carriage was gone. The only thing left was the lump on the ground that could have only been David. You panted like an overheating dog and you pushed yourself away from the wall and began to walk out towards David, when a hand caught your wrist and yanked you backwards. You let out the beginning of a scream, but a gloved hand clamped itself over your mouth, and you spun around to see your husband.

You shoved his hand away from your mouth and you threw yourself against his chest, wrapping your arms around him as if someone might try to pry you away from him. The thought of it only made you tighten your arms around him. You pressed your face against his chest and you let out a small cry of relief, shaking your head over and over again. He wrapped both of his arms around you protectively and he brought a hand up to hold the back of your head against his chest.

“You’re safe, you’re completely safe now, little love.” He shushed you, soothingly petting your hair.

He held you against his body so tightly that you thought the two of you might mold together, never to be separated again. He continued to shush you and whisper assurances of your safety into your ear, petting your hair softly. Your heart raced in your chest still and you struggled to catch your breath for a long time. You were thankful that he didn’t ask any questions while you chased desperately after your own breath, and finally, after some time, you had caught it once more. Your heart began to slow down and you began to feel less tense.

“That’s right, darling. Just breathe. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.” He whispered, leaning down to press a few kisses against your hairline.

You let out a long sigh and you held him tighter, acutely aware of the way your hands shook, as well as your arms and your legs.

“Tell me what happened, my little y/n.” He instructed, sliding his fingers into your hair comfortingly.

You nodded once and you grasped the collar of his kefta tightly, “Two men, they attacked David and I, and one of them recognized me from the fete and,” you paused to let out a sharp sigh and then you lifted your head away from his chest and looked up at him, “and then the other one, he said he had an idea, and told the one who recognized me to grab me and put me in the carriage and-“

Your husband reached up and cradled your face in his hands and he stared down into your eyes, “Are you hurt?” He asked.

When he looked into your eyes, you still got butterflies, even though you’d stared into them countless times before, and you were not exempt from that sensation this time.

“No, no I’m not hurt-“

“I heard you scream. I came as quickly as I could because I thought someone had hurt you.” He explained, swiping a gloved thumb across your cheek.

“I screamed to get someone- anyone’s- attention.”

“Clever girl.” He whispered and leaned down to press a kiss onto your lips. His lips were cold, as were yours, but that didn’t stop you from kissing him back as if it were the first time you’d seen him in years. He kissed you hungrily as if your lips could properly satiate a state of starvation and it stole the breath out of your lungs.

Your husband broke away from the kiss and sucked in a well-needed breath, his hands still clutching your face. He leaned down again and he nuzzled his nose against yours, a small smile covering his lips.

“I’m so glad you are safe.” He murmured, pulling away from you.

You didn’t want him to let go of you and you gave him a frown as he moved back. He let out a chuckle and reached out to grab your hand, holding it tightly in his own, making you feel relieved.

He squeezed your hand reassuringly and then he cleared his throat, “Come. We should go check on David with the others.”

“And my brother, Nikolai, he climbed on that horse like it was no big deal. Vasily didn’t really have the same luck and he got his foot stuck in the stirrup, poor fool, and his horse panicked and began to run around and Vasily went flying. He was never quite gifted with the horses I’m afraid.” You recalled.

You had been chatting with David as you, your husband, and two other Grisha, plus David, walked through the cold, snowy forest in search of Alina Starkov, and a boy that she had run away with named Mal. Your husband had seemed much too absorbed with his hunt to carry a conversation with you, so you had opted to talk with David, who you had taken quite the liking to.

“Did he ever ride horses again?” David asked, brushing a few flakes of snow off of his arms.

“Oh, he tried, but Nikolai and I always outshined him so he took up sword fighting, only to be outshined again by Nikolai.” You explained.

You cozied up to your husband’s side as you walked hand in hand, and he glanced down at you, likely to make sure you weren’t freezing to death. Once he had deduced that you were fine, he leaned down and pressed an affectionate kiss to your forehead. You beamed at the show of affection and you giggled. The two of you had been joined at the hip ever since he had found you much earlier that morning after being chased by the men that stole his carriage. He’d not let you out of his sight even once, not even when he’d gone into town to question a few people about Alina’s whereabouts.

Once he had figured out that Alina was in the forest hunting a stag, the six of you had set out into the forest, which quickly became covered in a thick blanket of snow. Aleksander had made sure that you put your cloak back on and he tugged the hood over your head, making sure that you were as bundled up as you possibly could be.

David hummed next to you and he looked around the forest, “So you ride horses?”

“Magnificently. Or, so she says.” Your husband answered for you, letting out a little laugh.

You looked up at him with a broad smile and instantly you were rendered breathless. Snowflakes laid on top of his head gracefully and the apples of his cheeks and the tip of his nose was adorably pink. In the light that had become bluish from the surrounding snow, his skin seemed to sparkle like marble and his eyes gleamed darkly.

He looked like a god.

It was so hard for you to believe that he himself hadn’t been labeled a saint just as Alina had.

He noticed your stare and he leaned down to press a quick, gentle kiss to your lips.

“Staring is rude, Your Grace. Didn’t mommy and daddy teach you that?” He teased, pulling you closer to his side.

“I’m not staring. I’m admiring.” You corrected.

He chuckled and gave your hand a little squeeze as he continued walking through the snow with you, “Are you doing alright? Are your boots getting wet? Shall I carry you?” He asked and you wiggled your toes in your boots.

Your feet were freezing, but nothing had managed to soak through your boots yet, thankfully. You shook your head and leaned against his arm, “I’m okay.”

He nodded and led you through the snow with him. The only sounds around you now was the snow crunching underneath your boots and the small humming sounds David made ever so often. After a few moments of only these noises, David cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Sir,” he spoke, and your entire group stopped walking. Aleksander clutched your hand in his tightly and David continued speaking, “She is close by.” He stated.

You looked around at the snow covered trees and then at the ground for any signs of footprints, but you saw nothing. Your husband took a few steps forward with you in tow, and he slowly dropped your hand, taking one step ahead of you. He nodded once and then looked back over his shoulder at David and the others.

“Good. This is good. You all know what to do when we find them. We must act quickly.” He then turned to you and he gently grabbed your forearms and pulled you close to him, “as for you. You are to stay out of sight. Behind a tree, in a bush, I don’t care, but out of sight. Alina wouldn’t hurt you, that I know. But her little orphan friend… I don’t know him. I know little to nothing about him. I won’t risk it.”

“Why don’t you just leave her with me, General? And we can stay back a bit.”

You both turned around, and a Squaller by the name of Zoya took a step forward.

“I can surely keep her safe.” She added, taking another step forward.

“Or I can.” David interjected.

“No, that won’t do,” he said, talking over the two of them, “Zoya, I need you with the rest of us, and David I’ll need you to extract the antlers on the stag.”

Both of them contemplated for a moment but eventually they both nodded and your husband looked down at you, “You will be perfectly safe, my love. I’m sure of that.”

Perhaps he sensed your trepidation, and you figured he had, because he wrapped you in his arms and he tucked your head underneath his chin.

“I’d take a thousand bullets before I let you get hurt, my dear.” He whispered and rocked you back and forth in his arms.

“That’s what I worry about.” You whispered, hiding your cold face against his warm neck.

“Oh, my little love, believe me when I say, I will always find my way back to you.” He promised, holding you closer. You nodded once and he pulled back to kiss your cold nose, “Come on, we must keep moving.” He said softly and grabbed your hand once more.

He pulled you along and the rest of the group followed suit. You looked over your shoulder at David who gave you a tentative smile and a little wave. Zoya stood behind him and she looked as if it was paining her to not argue with your husband. You slowly turned to face forward again and your throat felt a bit tight. You had a feeling in the pit of your stomach that nothing good could come of this excursion.

You had only walked for maybe half an hour more when suddenly your husband stopped you. He turned around slowly and nodded up ahead, beckoning the other Grisha forward. Something in the distance began to glow brightly, turning the forest blue from the way the light reflected on the snow. Your husband grabbed your waist and he pulled you off of the path towards a cluster of bushes.

He gently pushed you down so that you were hidden behind them and he gave you a very small, tense smile.

“Stay here. You will be safe.” He promised and patted the top of your head once before dashing off, the others following hot on his heels.

For a moment, it was silent. You couldn’t even hear the snow crunching underneath the feet of the Grisha you had been traveling with anymore.

You wrapped your arms around your knees as you sat in the snow behind the bushes and your teeth began to chatter mercilessly now that you weren’t moving, you weren’t staying very warm.

The silence was pierced by a loud, animalistic bellowing, and you jumped slightly, scrambling up onto your knees to peer over the bush. You couldn’t see much now, because the light had gone out, but you could see the moon illuminating the outline of a large stag, flailing about. It tumbled to the snowy ground and you brought a hand up to your mouth in horror. You sunk back down so that you couldn’t see any longer, not wanting to see any longer.

The distant sound of a gunshot made your stomach do a flip and you clapped your hands over your ears, feeling overwhelmed and nervous again. Someone cried out loudly and suddenly you could see bursts of light resonating all over the forest. It cast shadows through the trees and lit up the snow falling around you, giving it a shimmering effect as it floated down to the white ground.

Alina’s power, you guessed, slowly pulling your hands away from your ears.

Another surge of light was cast forth and you worriedly popped your head up over the bushes again, squinting to see in the distance. A large weblike dome of light was shimmering brightly in the clearing, and you could see the impossibly dark form of your husband standing near it. People were speaking, shouting, but you couldn’t make out coherent words. The dome of light tumbled down and faded away, and it became too dark for you to see anything. You slowly sunk back down behind the bush and you pulled your cloak around your shoulders tightly, just in time to hear a great crack echo in the forest around you and a sour taste filled your mouth. You hadn’t seen him do it more than once, only in demonstrations during trainings, but you were certain that your husband had just used the Cut, just by the sound alone.

Whether it was on Alina, her soldier friend, or the large stag, didn’t really matter to you. Your stomach felt upset at the thought of any living thing being split in two by the powerful feat that your husband was capable of.

You suddenly felt very out of place, much like someone who had just seen something that they weren’t supposed to see. An uneasiness spread through your veins slowly, and it seemed to make you colder and colder by each passing second. You longed to be back home in Os Alta, in your bedroom. The one in the Grand Palace. You wanted to have tea with your silly mother and cry in her arms over the fear you felt.

Your eyes prickled with tears and it was perhaps the only warming sensation that you had at the moment. You just wanted to be home. Safe in your bed, warm, just… home.

Heavy footsteps made the snow crack and crunch nearby, and you quickly wiped your eyes and rose to your feet just in time to see your husband come around the side of the bush. There was a coldness about the way he held himself and his eyes were perhaps icier than the snow that was falling all around. He held his hand out for you silently and you tentatively took it. He pulled you against his chest in one fluid movement and you shivered, wrapping your arms around his torso. He pulled the sides of his cloak around you, encircling you much like a cocoon, and you laid your cheek against the center of his chest, ignoring the cold metal on his kefta as it pressed against your cheek.

“You’re freezing.” He commented, his voice almost completely devoid of the tenderness it contained just ten minutes before.

You sniffled and you shook your head, tears finding their way out of the corners of your eyes, “Can we go home?” You asked quietly, your voice shaking.

“There’s more to be done.”

“Then can you send me home?” You begged, holding onto him tighter.

Your husband let out a long sigh and he pulled away from you and grabbed your chin with his bare, freezing hand. His eyes were locked with yours and his face was emotionless, save for the small smile that formed on his lips, that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I am your home.”

“Here, one more, perhaps?” Zoya Nazyalensky suggested, wrapping you in your fourth blanket. You felt heavy underneath the blankets’ weight and you looked up at her, shaking your head.

“Four will do, thank you, Zoya.” You mumbled, giving her an appreciative nod.

You’d never been more thankful for a tent in your entire life. The walk through the forest was the hardest thing you’d ever done, especially at night. The snow and the wind had begun to bite at you and you were so cold that you felt like every movement was akin to the slice of a blade. At some point, your legs had practically given out and your husband had to carry you the rest of the way, but you were sure he didn’t mind all that much.

Now you sat on a cot in your husband’s expansive tent and Zoya was tending to you gingerly while your husband sat with David across the tent at a table. They spoke in hushed tones while David crafted something with the antlers of the stag, and every so often your husband would turn around to check on you.

You had finally warmed up again now that you were wrapped in four layers of blankets plus another one of your husband’s thick cloaks, and you felt exhausted. The weight of the day was heavily sitting upon your shoulders and you pulled your knees up to your chest and rested your chin on top of them, eyes drooping just slightly.

“Zoya. You may go. I can tend to my wife now.” Your husband said from across the tent.

The Squaller nodded once and gave your shoulder a little squeeze before she left the tent, leaving you alone with Aleksander and David.

Your husband stood up from his chair and he walked to you. He sat down next to you on the cot and he reached up to smooth back your hair. Every trace of coldness from earlier in the forest was gone now, and he was staring at you with nothing but adoration in his gaze.

“My beautiful girl. You look so tired.” He commented softly, leaning in to press his lips against your temple.

“I’m exhausted,” you admitted, leaning into his kiss, “and I’d love you to come lay with me. I want you to hold me.” You whispered.

“And I’d love nothing more, little love. But David and I need to get Miss Starkov taken care of.” He murmured, tucking a bit of your hair back behind your ear, “Once we get this amplifier dealt with, you and I can get some sleep.”

You crinkled your brow confusedly, “Amplifier? What’s that?” You asked, looking up at him confusedly.

“It’s like… a very powerful object that can amplify and strengthen a Grisha’s abilities. Some come from parts of powerful Grisha, some come from animals,” he explained, cupping your cheek with one hand, “this is what we needed the Stag’s antlers for.”

You stretched out a bit until you were almost lying down and you slowly directed your head down onto his lap, “Why give it to Alina? Why not keep it for yourself? If she’s so against helping you, won’t that make it so she can revolt on a much wider scale?”

“Well, I am keeping it for myself. Part of it for me, part for her. It will give me, for lack of better word, control over her abilities. Theoretically.” He said, laying his hand down on the side of your head as you laid in his lap.

You nodded once and then he leaned down to kiss the side of your head, “Why don’t you go sit over there with David, love? Ivan will be along with Alina shortly.”

“Do I have to be in here while this happens?” You asked nervously and your husband brushed his fingers across your cheekbone.

“I’m not sending you out into the cold again, so this is preferable. Just sit and be quiet. The sooner we can get this over with, the sooner you and I can get some sleep. How does that sound?” He asked tenderly.

You nodded in response and he slowly helped you up out of the cot. He took your blankets away from your shoulders and he adjusted the heavy, black cloak around your shoulders. He nodded towards David who sat at a little table on the other side of the tent and you quickly walked over to him and sat down.

“Hello, Princess.” David said warmly, not looking up from his work.

You looked down at his project and you tipped your head to the side. It was almost as if he’d made a necklace out of the antlers.

“Is that the amplifier? A necklace?” You asked, the word sounding strange in your mouth.

“A collar,” he hummed, glancing up at you, “You warmed up at all?” He asked before looking back down at the antlers.

“Oh, yes.” You replied, blinking a few times in surprise. A collar?

David rose from the table and he took his work with him, setting it on a table in the middle of the tent instead.

You stayed put in your chair and you watched as your husband stood across the tent and eyed David before turning away. You looked at David, too, who was wringing his hands together for the briefest of moments before he lowered his hands back to his sides. The air in the tent was tense and you folded your hands in your lap and looked down at the ground.

The only thing that dragged your gaze upwards was the faint sound of a struggle coming closer and closer until Ivan entered the tent with Alina in tow. He pushed her down onto her knees in the middle of the space and she protested loudly.

“Get your hands off of me, you brute!” She hissed, trying to squirm away from Ivan.

But Ivan didn’t budge, managing to still hold her down with ease.

You looked up as your husband and gave a nod to David and he stepped forward to grab the antler collar. The Durast grabbed it delicately and took a step towards Alina.

“What are you doing?” The girl demanded, struggling against Ivan once more.

David awkwardly presented the collar to Alina and he blinked a few times, “I’m going to place this around your neck.” He answered, like it was the most obvious and casual thing in the world.

“I meant why?” Alina asked, ceasing to struggle a bit.

You flickered your gaze between Alina and David and you felt… off. Something felt wrong. You felt that consuming feeling again that you were somewhere you shouldn’t have been and you crossed your legs. You stuck your hands underneath your thighs to keep them from shaking and you looked down at Alina with a small, sympathetic frown. No one had really explained to you in detail why Alina was suddenly a threat, but you got the sense that there were a lot of sides to that story, and on the same note, you realized you’d probably never know the true one.

“I didn’t kill the Stag, it’s not my amplifier. He killed it,” she remarked and jutted her chin in your husband’s direction, “he gets its power.”

“You asked for this yourself, when we met.” Your husband spoke up.

Though you stared at him, he didn’t look at you once. You felt uneasy and homesick, though you tried not to be. The feeling would garner no sympathy from your husband.

Your husband took a half step forward and he set his jaw tightly, “To transfer your gift to someone who could use it.”

“I can use it now!” Alina hissed back, leaning forward as if she was going to frighten Aleksander.

Your husband moved closer to Alina and you watched the scene in front of you unfold uneasily. You pressed your lips together before biting down nervously on your bottom lip, an impending sense of doom shrouding your head.

“You know… so little.” Your husband spoke, hands clasped in front of him, “You’ll learn.” He added with a slight nod. There wasn’t a single bit of kindness in his eyes.

“I know things.” Alina protested, “General Kirigan, is it? Or is Aleksander a fake name too?” She spat and you straightened up.

You wondered how long she had known his real name and in what way she found out. You deduced that she had to have known before you, because he hadn’t seen her since you found out that night in the courtyard from Baghra. This realization hit you almost painfully and you bit down on the tip of your tongue, willing yourself not to get up and walk out of the tent.

“Careful with your words, Alina,” your husband warned, “consider whose life is in your hands.”

The girl on the floor looked fearful for just a moment before she grit her teeth and glared up at your husband, “You said you’d let him go.”

You assumed she meant Malyen and you shrunk back a bit in the chair. Your husband was dangling someone’s life above Alina Starkov’s head, like a cruel cat teasing a mouse.

Your husband smirked, “I said I would heal him. What happens next is up to you.” He breathed, tipping his head to the side slightly.

Alina deflated a bit on the floor and she looked around the room wildly. Her eyes met yours for a brief second and you thought you could see tears on her bottom lash line.

“None of this has been up to me!” She shouted.

Your husband now stood directly over Alina and he laid his hands at his sides.

You watched as your husband crouched in front of Alina and he clasped his hands together, taking a moment to think before he finally spoke.

“Do you know the only thing more powerful than you or me?” He asked. When she didn’t answer he pressed on, “The two of us. Together.”

Bile rose in the back of your throat and you nearly jumped to your feet. This was getting out of hand. You miserably placed a hand on your temple and you leaned against your hand, feeling rather deflated yourself. You found yourself wishing in that moment that you were the Sun Summoner. You wished that it was you that could give Aleksander what he craved most, whatever power he sought after tirelessly. You were painfully aware of the fact that you were ungifted and completely ordinary when placed next to Alina Starkov. You blinked back tears that threatened to fall and you cursed yourself, not wanting to cry here. Not now.

“Together, we can end all wars. We can protect our own. Is that not what you want?” He asked her, leaning a bit closer.

You swallowed thickly. Protect our own. He meant Grisha.

You didn’t fall under that category.

“Are we destroying the Fold?” Alina asked sternly, looking defeated.

Your husband hesitated and you looked over at him. His eyes darted to you for the briefest second before he let out a sigh.

“We can do anything…” he said, holding his hands out to Alina, “Together.”

You brought your hand up to your mouth to stop a cry and you closed your eyes tightly as the realization hit you. Your husband didn’t want to take the Fold down, he wanted to use it to strengthen his own claim to power. That’s why he seldom spoke of the subject with you, and that’s why Alina was fighting so hard against him. You felt foolish and you felt faint, as if your world had just crumbled at your feet. You stared at Alina with wide eyes that you were sure had tears shining in them, and the girl looked back at you. Her face showed sympathy and concern, and she took your husband’s hands and he pulled her to her feet, rising to his own in the process.

“You need to let her go, Aleksander.” Alina whispered, “Don’t put an innocent girl through your tyranny.” She begged, but your husband simply shot her a venomous look and walked away from her, towards you. David stepped forward with the collar in his hands and he looked tense.

Your husband stopped moving towards you mid step as if he had reevaluated his actions and he moved back towards David and Alina. You felt as if someone had torn your heart right out of your chest.

David placed the antlers against Alina’s collarbones and she began to breathe heavily as David grabbed another object. Your husband held his hand out towards David.

“What… what’s happening?” Alina stuttered.

David placed what looked like either bone or antler against the back of your husband’s outstretched hand and Alina looked at you, panicked.

“Wait, I don’t understand. What-“

But Alina didn’t get to finish. Behind her, Ivan held his hands up and you watched her eyes droop tiredly. David reached out to touch your husband’s hand and Alina’s collar and he took a breath.

You stood up from your chair as light began to emanate from Alina’s chest. The collar began to melt into her skin as if it were meant to be there and you felt nauseated. The fragment on your husband’s hand sunk into his skin the same way, and a bright light surrounded them.

The sight was macabre at best and your stomach turned. A sour, bitter taste covered your tongue and you clapped a hand over your mouth.

You wouldn’t know what happened next, because you dashed at full speed outside of the tent and your sock-clad feet had only barely touched the snow before you were emptying your stomach and its few contents out onto the white snow in front of you. You sunk down onto your knees in the snow and let out a sob, feeling empty. Betrayed. You felt like someone had completely maimed your insides and you pictured your heart looking like it felt. Visualizing a shredded internal organ only made you feel sick again, and you found yourself retching again. Tears spilled down your face and you reached up to wipe your mouth with the back of your sleeve. The snow soaked through your socks and it felt like you were standing on needles.

A blinding light spilled out from the tent behind you and you shakily rose to your feet and glanced over your shoulder. You waited to make sure no one was going to come after you, and you began to tromp through the snow. Slowly at first, but then faster and faster until you were running as fast as you could away from the tent. Your throat burned harshly and there was a disgusting taste on your tongue, making you gag while you sprinted towards the forest beyond. You let out a wail as you barreled towards the forest, and you almost had time to feel relieved before you felt your chest tighten impossibly. You froze. It was impossible to breathe and you dropped to your knees, clawing at your throat.

This has never happened to you before. Panic gripped you as you tried desperately to breathe, so consumed with trying to get a breath in that you didn’t even have time to react to the two hands that yanked you roughly to your feet.

Suddenly, you could breathe again and you sucked in the biggest breath that you possibly could have. Your relief was short lived, though, because you were spun around to face Ivan the stone faced Heartrender. You shrunk back just a bit before he bent down and lifted you over his shoulder as if you weighed nothing. You pummeled his back with weak fists as he brought you back to the tent easily.

Once he’d gotten you inside, he tossed you to the floor. You yelped as your head hit the ground and you closed your eyes and curled into a ball on the floor, feeling as if you’d been trampled by a stampede of elephants.

“Careful with her!” Your husband barked, somewhere in the tent.

You had assumed he meant Alina, but you were soon gathered up into your husband’s arms. You opened your eyes to see that he had knelt next to you on the floor and he pulled you into his lap, cradling you in his arms as if you were an infant.

You knew you shouldn’t have enjoyed the way his arms felt around you, but the truth was, you did. You felt a bit of pride bubble up in your chest as he held you in front of Alina who was in hysterics on the ground on the other side of the tent. The pride was short lived though, because that sick feeling overtook your system again and you tried to sit up.

“Little love, stay down.” He simpered, running his hand over your hair.

“I want to go home!” You wailed, collapsing tiredly against Aleksander, “Please take me home, I don’t want to be a part of this.”

“Shh, hush, my little princess. Would I ever do anything that would put you in harm’s way?” He asked, his voice as soft as the snow outside, “Answer me, y/n. Would I? Have I ever done anything to put you in imminent danger?”

You thought for a moment and then you shook your head, “N-no.”

“See? Why would I-“

“That’s a lie!” Alina screamed from across the tent, “It’s a lie and you know it! You’re endangering her just by having her here. She is only a girl, Aleksander! An innocent girl!”

Your husband looked up at Ivan and gave him a nod, “You may take Miss Starkov to the other tent, Ivan. She is frightening my dear wife.”

Ivan nodded and pulled Alina to her feet, dragging her out of the tent. She didn’t say another word the entire time. David remained where he stood, frozen in place. His eyes met yours from across the tent and they were full of regret.

“Tell me, sweet girl, what worries you?” He asked, coaxing your head down against his chest, forcing you to tear your eyes away from David. Your husband ignored the Durast’s presence.

You sniffled and you shook your head, “You don’t love me. You want me for power. Like you want Alina for power. Like you want the Fold for power.” You said shakily, though you allowed him to pull you closer.

“The only thing in the world I want more than power is you, y/n,” he said seriously, leaning down to speak into your ear, “I do love you. More than I’ve loved anyone in my life. I want Alina for power, sure, and I’d like to control the Fold for the same reason, but I want you because I love you. Not because I can garner power from you. I want you to be my queen. I want you to join me, be my strongest ally. I want you to be by my side as we rebuild this country. For the better.” He whispered, kissing the shell of your ear, “Don’t you want that, my love?”

You craned your neck away from him and you shook your head. Of course you wanted the country to be better, Ravka needed serious reformation. But not like this. Not his way.

“I want you to let go of me.” You whispered, placing your hands over his arms.

“I can’t do that, y/n. In my five hundred years of life-“

You turned your head towards him and you held your hand up to silence him, “Five hundred? You told me you were one hundred twenty. How can you expect me to be your strongest ally if I can’t even trust the things you say?” You asked sharply.

He looked down into your eyes for a long time and then he let out a slow, bored sigh, “These outbursts-“

“Oh, spare me. They’ll continue.” You spat.

“To what end, y/n? You cannot oppose me forever. It comes down to two options, and I’ll tell you how both will end and you can make your decision now. One, you can join me and stand by my side. You’ll have everything you ask for, you will be integral in the harmony between Grisha and otkazat'sya. You will live a life of free will and liberation as my wife, I’ll protect you always, you will be loved. Is that not what you’ve always wanted? To be loved? Not only by me, but by your entire country?” He looked down at you and he reached up to brush his thumb across your bottom lip, “Or, you can decline to join me and you will have nothing. I cannot offer you protection, and once I liberate Ravka, you will be labeled a traitor. You will live and die your life out in prison, and if not prison then exile. Oh, and until then? Your country will hate you. You will be cursed with the title of my wife for as long as you shall live. You’ll be treated no better than Grisha.”

Your jaw dropped and you looked up at Aleksander, “Even if I take your side, I won’t have free will. Not really. You’ll give me free rein of my pen but clip my wings so I can never get out of it. That isn’t free will, Aleksander.” You argued.

He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to your nose and he let out a sigh, “I will give you a week to make up your mind. Think about what’s at stake, darling.”

The side of your head hurt from where it hit the floor after Ivan had dropped you and your eyes felt heavy, but you refused to fall asleep in Aleksander’s arms. You crossed your own arms over your chest and you stared up at the ceiling of the tent. You watched your husband nod towards David in your periphery and then you heard shuffling near the opening of the tent, then silence.

With a shallow sigh, your husband adjusted his arms around you and slowly rose to his feet, lifting you with him. He carried you off to the other side of the tent and laid you out on the cot before covering you with blankets.

“Get some sleep, darling. We leave in the morning.” He said softly and reached down to smooth back your hair.

And though you closed your eyes, you didn’t get a moment of sleep that night.

Five days had gone by since the night your husband had given you his makeshift ultimatum, and for five days you’d done your very best to avoid him. You had spent four days on the road to the army encampment just near the Fold. For some parts of the day, you were holed up in a carriage with David, which you didn’t necessarily mind. He gave you space and only spoke to you when you initiated it first. Sometimes he’d silently pass his book to you and point at a passage. It was some sort of Grisha history book, you assumed, because the passages he’d shown you all pertained to Grisha magic, the Fold, amplifiers, or theories as to what had created the Fold. When you weren’t in the carriage with David, you were riding in front of your husband on his horse, and this is when you felt most miserable.

Aleksander acted like nothing had happened. He was sweet to you and always fussing about keeping you warm. He’d give you little kisses often as well as frequent affectionate touches, and with each one, you felt more and more confused.

There should have been no confusion, this situation was not a grey area. It was black and white, right and wrong. You wondered how he could claim to love you and then promise you a life of misery in the same breath.

He was right, though. You wanted love. Just… not like this.

You sat stiffly upon a plush chair and looked down at your dress, smoothing it out. You had been up since early in the morning, woken by Genya Saffin and your husband. Aleksander had left just after you awoke, but Genya stayed and got you dressed and ready, as if it was some kind of special occasion. As if crossing the Fold with your husband and Alina wasn’t some kind of fate worse than death. Your hair was piled on top of your head intricately and you had handfuls of fine jewelry hanging from your neck and wrists. You didn’t speak a word to Genya as she readied you, and you didn’t bid her farewell when she left.

Someone cleared their throat behind you and you turned around slowly, dreading the idea of seeing Aleksander.

You felt some semblance of relief when you saw it was only David standing at the opening of the tent holding a brown sack.

“May I come inside?” He asked quietly, looking around the tent. Probably checking for your husband.

“Sure, David.” You answered and he quickly walked inside, coming to stand next to where you sat.

“I um,” he paused for a long moment and then he sighed, murmuring something under his breath before he spoke finally, “I am worried about you, and your wellbeing.”

You shifted your eyes up towards his face and you raised your eyebrow, “I can hold my own. But I appreciate your concern.”

“Well no, I don’t think you can, Princess.” He said quickly, and you noticed how he pressed his nails into his palms nervously, “I don’t think you know the lengths that the Darkling will go to, to get what he wants.”

“I think I’m starting to get a pretty good idea.” You replied, folding your hands in your lap. Your black gown was heavy and thick, and you began to sweat under it, feeling a bit queasy.

David put the large sack he carried on your lap and he nodded at it once, “Inside of that, there are first army clothes. A hat, too. You don’t have long. The General is speaking to the Sun Summoner and then he will be on his way to fetch you.”

You were confused for a moment and you opened the bag, then you understood. David was trying to help you run away. You looked up at him with wide eyes and he clutched his hands together.

“David, I don’t know what to say.” You whispered and slowly stood up from the chair.

“Well, you don’t have to say anything. I just think you deserve a third option. The two that your husband gave you were… rather inhospitable. But I digress. I’ve already got a story worked out, I’ll blame your disappearance on Fjerdans, but if you want a shot at getting away from here, you need to take it now.” David said somberly, offering you a rather sad smile, “There are many places you can go. Or you can go home. It’s up to you. I’ve left a map and compass in the bag as well.”

There were loud voices outside the tent and David stiffened and he grasped your arm, “Whatever you do, though, just take care of yourself.” He whispered and then he was off, darting out of the tent, and likely putting as much distance between you and him as possible so that no one could place him there later for any reason.

You waited for only a moment to ensure that no one was coming, and when no one came, you quickly shed your gaudy black gown. You took the jewelry off of your neck and your wrists and put it in the bag before you yanked out the other clothes.

They weren’t cute and they were likely the least appealing pieces of clothing you had ever seen in your entire life. But you didn’t have the luxury of escaping in a glamorous ensemble. You shoved your legs into the pants and you pulled the shirt on rapidly before shrugging on the long coat that came with it. You sat down on the chair briefly to yank the tall boots onto your feet, not caring that they were two sizes too big. Wasting no time, you pulled your hair out of its twists and braids, yanked out the pins, and you pulled the hat on.

You prayed you were unrecognizable as you wildly looked around the room for a weapon of some sort, one for self defense. The only thing you found was a small, almost decorative dagger sitting on Aleksander’s desk. You snatched it up and threw it in the pocket of your coat, heart hamming against your chest. You took a few long, deep breaths before you willed your feet to move, to carry you swiftly out of the tent.

Once you were out, the cold air was an unwelcome slap in the face, and the unpleasant shiver you got was nearly enough to send you back into that tent. But you pushed on.

You weaved between tents and past other soldiers until you could finally see the horizon rather than just a fleet of tents. You stopped at the edge of the camp and looked over your shoulder. The Fold stood tall and unwavering behind you and everything before it looked tiny and breakable. Like toys in the hands of a destructive toddler.

A group of soldiers rushed past you shouting something in Ravkan repeatedly, and after hearing it about three times, you understood what they were saying.

The Princess has gone missing, find her immediately. Darkling’s orders.

You swallowed thickly and you quickly turned away from facing the Fold and walked as briskly as your feet would allow you, moving faster and faster until you were sprinting at full speed into the forest beyond the camp, far away from the Fold, away from Sun Summoners and Shadow Summoners, away from Aleksander’s promised gold gilded cage and a life of captivity.

Away from the darkness and into the light.

#grishaverse #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone #aleksander morozova imagine #aleksander morozova x reader #the darkling x reader #aleksander morozova #the darkling imagine #the darkling x you #the darkling imagine #the darkling #general kirigan imagine #general kirigan x reader #general kirigan #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes imagine

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shawty-writes-a-little · 5 months

Text

Wedding theatrics

general Kirigan x fem!reader

word count: 3.1k+

summary: they’re just both SO toxic but apparently married

Warnings: angst, sexual puns, cheating, toxic marriages

Most star crossed lovers don’t see their beloved after the fall for their love. Unlike Aleksander and his lady wife, who were still married. Years of marriage, marriage that began with a tender young love, blissful start which was dragged to the point of knives at each other’s throats. What began from the blossom of chivalrous lovebirds, went from lovers’ quarrels to outright battle enemies.

Their spitefulness of each other made them question if the love they once held for each other was a mere illusion. Aleksander truly felt betrayed by his intuition, being around this long, how could one make such a lovesick mistake of marrying perhaps the most perfervid, torrid, frustrating, soul crushing vulture of a woman in all of Ravaka. Y/n too, felt the same of him yet stupid, wasted the brightest of her youth after him. How could she have known though? The beginning, prime of their relationship and then marriage was all she’d ever wanted. She married the man she of her own choice, unlike those ladies of court who’re married off to some lord of some place. The general was all she’s hoped for and more. However with time, their clashing opinions of councils brought distaste into their married life. Aleksander tried to change that, separated her unit from his entirely so their decisions wouldn’t interfere. It was fine until one worked later than the other, half a fortnight worth of nights were spent sleeping alone. For the time being at least they weren’t fighting the rest of the time they were together. To love someone is to fight to fix the bothers. Until the war took place, it was all blissful again.

Worse battles were fought behind closed doors and council meetings between the lady general and the general himself.

“It is all my fault!” Aleksander exclaimed throwing his hands in air to portray exaggeration “You cannot handle authority whatsoever-your decision making power is like that of an illiterate toddler with a pistol and I have given you a seat at the council!”

“Shut your hole. Shut your hole will you?” Y/n said with a scoff as she crossed her arms not even slightly phased by his insult “You know all this melodrama because I refuse to send off more first army men for you to lead into slaughter? And who do you account yourself for? It is my father’s armies and my house’s role in warfare…I’ve had seats and bigger councils than yours!”

“All you’ve ever had to do for that is simply…be born. Given your skillset and mental capacity y/n, you wouldn’t even make a good peasant.” Aleksander responded, this entire scene unfolded amongst the other men of the council. There to discuss camps and aid management, who stood awkwardly in their places unsure wether to intervene or not.

The others present in that room was perhaps the only thing that stopped the two from giving to the sensual frustration all these arguments built between them. Aleksander spewed insults as his mind raced about devouring her on that very table, that is what generally shut her up. Him as well. “How dare you?!” Y/n seethed and lunged the wine glass in his direction. The red liquid poured over the torso portion of his kefta, y/n meant to drench his face but mistakenly aimed lower. Regardless she put the glass down at the table as he scorned.

“Have you lost your mind?!” He exclaimed, her antics never ceased to surprise him. Holding his drenched undershirt away to keep the wine from seeping further.

“Do not test my patience then” Y/n replied mildly neither of them having least bit of decency to behave affront the other council members. Aleksander’s men and hers has probably seen worse of the two.

“It’s a first army battle, we’ll have the first army men fight it.” Aleksander spoke sternly, he was just biased and before y/n nobody objected to his ways.

“Well then let the first army counsel handle it” she said with a shrug, “get out.”

“Excuse me?” He raises a sharp brow, “you don’t tell me what to do.” not hurt just amused, no one had ever in all his life spoke to him in such manner and he’d never been in a position to not do something about it.

“I am telling you what to do, you are the second army general, get out.” She said putting it simply with no frowned face nor harsh tone she was merely stating it, “Take your men with you, Ivan, come on” she gestures Ivan across the room to leave as well. Ivan, more scared of the lady general than his general was already walking to the door but stopped just a few steps before it receiving a disappointing look from Aleksander.

“You are impossible to reason with.” Aleksander said to y/n sighing deeply as he stormed out of the room.

“Thank you very much for your insight.”

With time and more harsh acquaintances, even that stopped, words like daggers stopped as their exchanges stopped entirely. The two completely separated their councils and meetings. Not to interfere with the other, different timings and finally different chambers. Their heated quarrels turned into mandatory distasteful greetings here and there at galas and dinners.

The two left each other to themselves. Their marriage became a sham held in name, annulling it wasn’t an option given both of them held their societal status to a high regard. Y/n didn’t pay much attention to fixing whatever it is they had, as feisty as lover her husband was she found it difficult to match up to him and fight for them, so she ran from that fight in a different direction entirely. Filling his absence with her ever loved status, her mere sign was an important piece of paper to a lot of lords and noblemen of country, counsels she’d been a cupbearer for her father when she was younger-she had one of her own now. She filled her lover’s absence with the authority and work load of her title and she did not hate it entirely.

Aleksander was rather hurt, constantly trying to mend the effect of flown words in all wrong ways. She wouldn’t account for his flowers after he’d demean her and her opinions at court. All his chivalry would amount to nothing after a point, he thought y/n was coldly unforgiving but he never considered the fact that the repetitive cycle of his actions that hurt her were…repetitive. He hated how she’d lost hope in the two of them, their marriage. The thought that she couldn’t care enough to restore what they once had scorned him from the inside because he’d never found himself in a place where he cared more than the other person did, in a long time. He was ready to resort to anything if she’d look at him with her eyes without any resentment again. Anything to laugh in her presence to cherish her the way she used to let him. Apparently he was forced to drift apart, against his will as she indulged herself in her work and titles. The battles and the country issues, selfishly enough he found the battle of her want inside of him far bigger than the ones going on time and time. Aleksander felt half painted by the love and affection she once showed him, it was as if she never continued. She was the despaired painter of the tapestry that was him.

Resorting to lowest of lows when nothing seemed to phase his wife, he resorted to infidelity. Just to see if she’d care then. If he spent a night or two in the embrace of another woman she’d be in an anguish of wanting him back and make this better with him. He assumed the knowledge of it could upset her enough to realise she still loved him enough to find the thought of him with someone else displeasing just as he would if it was the other way around. A part of him broke when even that didn’t seem to phase her. She didn’t initiate to mend things between them she just became more distant than before. As if him cheating didn’t concern her, the thought that she was that detached to him hurt him to a point of resentment for her. Aleksander emoted in extremes, the sight of her even in hallways irked him. He hated being that insignificant in the life of the lady was who was wholly the moon of his life even in a wretched house of a home he had in her. The windows of that home seemed forever shut for him.

Y/n was fixing the last of arrangements in her absence as she was on a trip to one of the neighbouring states for a wedding of one of the lord’s son. Being so intertwined in her work she generally didn’t attend such events: weddings, christenings, funerals. Not unless it was somebody of importance or close, most weren’t. Connections helped being Ravaka’s politics like all. Aleksander attended neither kind, important, unimportant, he always regarded himself higher than these petty gatherings of life and death. “And if a scroll comes from-“ she was standing by the entrance of the carriage, instructing a servant about something when a figure barged inside right past her as if she wasn’t standing there causing her to turn. Her expression fell at the thought of whatever new tantrum of her husband that was to unfold “What are you doing?”

“What?” Aleksander asked mildly as he took a seat inside, he was cloaked and dressed as though leaving for somewhere like her. “I’ve got a wedding to attend.”

“No you don’t.” Y/n said as she opened the door to the carriage a bit wider and leaned by it, “I am going.”

“And?” He asked raising a brow, the invitation always came on both their names but he never did as much as look at those fancy ones, waste of time.

“I am going so…you’re not. I’ll do well to fill in for your absence there.” She said gesturing him to come out of the carriage. The last thing she’d want was to go to the neighbouring state with him, the wedding was to last a couple of days like it usually did for the Royal ones. She was to stay at the castle, the thought of having to share chambers with him was dreadful.

“The wedding invitation was sent out to: General and family. Now I’m sure they wouldn’t be disgracing me considering an animal such as you my family but well…” he took in a sharp breath sighing in exaggeration.

“What reason do you have to attend?” Y/n asked furrowing her brows as she crossed her arms, “You never attend such things, what was it again? ‘I’m far too important and busy for wedding theatrics’” she said quoting him from a conversation they’d had about this once before.

“I have relations to maintain.” Aleksander gave a sly excuse with a shrug.

“No you don’t, you don’t maintain those, I do.” She said sternly crossing her arms. It was true, y/n attended these theatrics often so the general and his wife don’t seem too egoistical.

“And?” He said again, he knew those short unbothered questions-for-answers really got under her skin.

“Aleksander.” Y/n exhaled “You have no reason to attend, you once called the groom a wee clown with hay for brains.” She reminded him of his unfiltered encounters, he had so many and she remembered almost all given she had to clean up after it.

“Did I now?” He took a pause to remember it, he was sure he certainly did but this ordeal was getting a rise out of her so he couldn’t help but enjoy it “Can’t seem to remember. Besides I haven’t paid my in laws a visit in such a long time…” he trailed off, his ultimate reasoning was that. Around her family y/n was rather reserved with him and not as distant and crass because she wanted them to think she was really happy in the marriage with Aleksander. He didn’t see why he wouldn’t use that to his advantage.

“Oh” Y/n nodded as she put it together, this bastard, “You will be creating a scene there now won’t you…” she scoffed deadpanning herself, if her family wasn’t attending she’d bail right this second. So disappointed yet amused how good he played this. “Saints”

“Are you done with your interrogation?” Aleksander asked as he leaned back in the seat making some space for her to climb in but she rolled her eyes and walked away commanding to have another carriage for her, surely she wouldn’t be riding with him for an entire day worth of journey.

The carriages halted at an inn by the countryside, they’d already been riding for eight hours by then. Ivan was seeing to a safe supper being prepared as y/n stood by the small coal fire pit along with Fedyor and Genya. She was telling her red hair something about the countryside winters when David’s face fell to frantic expression, “Lady y/n.” He said with a gasp as he stood to her side trying to keep her from a view “it’s—saints I apologise but don’t look-the general…it’s not the best sight I would suggest-“ David went off as if it was end of the world. Given how reverse psychologies worked y/n and genya both looked back at the moment David told her not to.

Aleksander was only a few steps away, conversing with one of the maids of the inn, his fingers twirling through that girl’s hair, saying something that made her giggle, he too was smiling, as he stood rather too close for a married a man. Regardless y/n didn’t bother stare a moment longer as she made a disgusted face. Not hurt or angry, just mildly uncomfortable like any other person but a wife “what of it?” She said to David raising her brows and averting her attention back to warming her hands by the small fire, Aleksander was not that far off to not notice that his wife noticed and paced to them, “His scandals don’t bother me…” she trailed off with a shrug “What can you do? He is cheap like that.”

“Who is?” The general asked as he walked closer and in front of her by the small fireplace.

“You.” Y/n replied without missing a second.

“Ah yes of course” he said with a nod as David and Genya, shared an awkward glance at one another, excusing themselves with having to help Ivan and Fedyor they left not wanting to be witness the exchange between lady general and general. “Do you think the colourful language you use for me will do well with your mother and father at the wedding?”

“Why are you talking to me?” Y/n asked with a sigh looking away hoping he would leave her to herself as well, she was having a fine enough conversation with genya and David before he ruined it.

“Just curious…if you’d like we can keep this up at the wedding as well. Surely my in laws would be happy to know the state of our beautiful marriage.” Aleksander said tilting her head.

“What is the matter with you?” Y/n asked with a sigh as she looked at him, “Do not create a scene of any sort at the wedding, especially in front of my parent alright?”

“What? I want us to be perceived the way we are what’s wrong with that” he teased, the two often posed as a couple who could stand each other and were remotely in love for such events.

“Do you always have to show your class Aleksander?” Y/n asked as she narrows her eyes at him, “I don’t find this amusing, my father is eight and seventy years old I don’t want him to think his daughter is not in the best marriage possible.”

“Surely they lack of grandchildren will attest to that.” He joked huffing at it, the look she gave him clearly didn’t reciprocate how funny she found it “don’t get mad now we can always change that…” he said in a hushed tone leaning forward.

Y/n felt repulsed by it, whispered swooning and leaning as if she didn’t just see him trying to get it wet with an inn girl. Did he really believe she was another one of his low life subjects. She found the mere thought of intimacy with him sickening given it was something once they held sacred and the moment things went down hill he found it elsewhere. “Bloody degenerate.” Y/n muttered as she attempted to leave but he held her back by her arm, she was stopped from leaving but the glare she shot at his hands holding her bicep, took him a moment to let go off her.

“Apologies.” He said, not clarifying what exactly for. “I shall try and be-“

“Just don’t be the manwhore that you are for three days? Is that difficult?” Y/n asked cutting to no nonsense. He was impossible to deal with and like she mentioned, classless and cheap in her eyes.

“Am I supposed to feel threatened by you?” He asked with a scoff, not minding the particular word she called him, it wasn’t the first time so. When she didn’t reply but just looked at him confidently that she wasn’t just playing about with her words and he knew well enough she could make him more miserable than he already was if she wanted to. He sighed and complied “Fine.”

Upon reaching to the wedding castle, the grandeur was already being set up for the three day function when they entered y/n jumped into her father’s arms, her mother too, brother, her young nephew most of the family members she grew up with and only ever got to see in long time gaps. Aleksander just smiled, making small greetings since he had promised to comply. The sight of her, giddy and affectionate to the people she’d meet once a year and yet so rude and distant to her husband she saw everyday brought a dejecting feeling to him. And she looked beautiful that happy, she looked like herself again. Why couldn’t she have that with him? Why couldn’t they?

Once they two were shown their chambers for their time being at the wedding y/n sighed as the servant shut the door behind them, her smile fell. “Wonderful” she sighed as she looked around, a small table, giant balcony and one bed. The addition of cold in the atmosphere simply made it worse for her, same couldn’t be said for Aleksander.

—

HAIIIIIIIIIIIIII this is NOT a series this is just a two parter but the next part will be ANGSTY as fuck with fluff end if the comments grace me with their choice and feedback on this amskskskskksks anyways have a good day

let me know if you want to be tagged in the second part!

#general kirigan x reader #darkling x reader #the darkling x reader #aleksander morozova x reader #shadow and bone show #general kirigan x reader angst #general kirigan x reader smut #darkling imagine #darkling head canons #ben barnes x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction #aleksander kirigan

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bella-rose29 · 9 months

Text

Arranged Marriages Chapter 2 - The Banquet Nikolai Lantsov x f!reader

Still working on the titles and will probably get something imaginative in 5 years, but this one is exactly what it says on the tin! I might have made up some of the stuff to do with the Tidemaker abilities.

Warnings: Slight mention of past trauma (it’s literally one line but please be aware of it :) ) If anyone notices any others that I haven’t picked up on please let me know!

This one is from Y/N’s perspective.

Translations (might be slightly wrong so sorry if they are):

Zdorov’ya nam - To us

Za novobrachnykh - For the newlyweds

Davayte vyp’yem za to - Let’s drink to that

Word count: 3.2k

Tag list: @kentucky-criedfricken, @polli05927, @kateswone, @historianthesecond

Y/N couldn’t breathe.

Her dress was far too tight and restrictive and not at all like the keftas she was used to wearing, and it itched and scratched and she wanted to burn it. Or rip it to shreds.

She’d been terrified before the service; nobody had told her anything about the new king of Ravka (she’d been in hiding while the civil war went on, protecting her family and a few neighbours with her gifts, so she’d never actually met him), and the rumours she had heard about him being the King of Scars were less than favourable. She had been pacing back and forth around the room she was in, Zoya Nazyalensky draped over a sofa in the middle of the floor watching her with amusement, when an urgent knock on the door sounded. The two women had looked at each other, confusion passing over both of their faces, before Zoya had stood up and answered it. Whoever was outside the door was clearly anxious, but Zoya had stood in just the right place so that Y/N couldn’t actually see who it was, and could barely make out the whispers. She did catch a few words, most notably “The King... disappeared.”

Well. That didn’t help her nerves.

She’d spent the next twenty minutes worried that he knew who she was and what she looked like and found her repulsive because of her features or her status as Grisha or her low birth, or was with another woman (or man), getting his last taste of freedom before this forced marriage. She’d also been concerned that he would be horrible, especially since nobody would tell her anything about his personality.

But then she’d walked into the hall and had seen him standing there and had decided that maybe they would be alright together after all. At least he didn’t look like a monster. No, he looked more like a saint to her.

He had seemed nice enough, offering her a hand to help her up onto the platform and giving her a smile, and she’d smiled back (not that he would see through the veil). When he’d been asked to remove her veil, his hands had been shaking, and she was nervous all over again, worried that he would run away like he had earlier. But he stayed where he was, and they got through the rest of the service, repeating vows and placing rings on each others’ fingers (although why he had to keep the gloves on she wasn’t sure), and then they were walking arm in arm back down the aisle and through the double doors.

She’d felt quite light then, able to breathe and happy with the knowledge that he wasn’t initially coming across as someone to be afraid of marrying, and hopeful that the two of them could make this arranged marriage work.

But then she’d sat down to eat, on the left of her new husband and at the head of the table, and she couldn’t breathe.

Everyone was watching her - everyone - and this time instead of having her back to them she could see each one of their faces. It was putting her off of her food, and the tightness of her dress wasn’t helping. She was hungry: she hadn’t eaten a thing all day apart from a few slices of bread that morning, having been far too nauseous to eat anything else.

Saints, she thought. It’s far too warm in here.

She’d had a few lessons from a noble woman before coming here once the engagement was decided, as she hadn’t been raised noble or for this kind of lifestyle. Y/N had grown up in a small village, not too far from Os Alta, with her small family in her small house. They were farmers, and she often used her abilities to help the village’s crops grow in the height of summer and protect them from frost in the winter. When she had been tested, she’d asked if she could commute from her home to the Little Palace, given it was only a forty minute ride, and she had impressed the Darkling so much within her first week of training that he had allowed it. She looked after her village, using her training to help grow her power and make her stronger, protecting the crops and the people that lived there. Y/N wasn’t sure why she’d been picked to marry the new king, only that once the war was over and she and her family and friends had come out of hiding, she was approached by her old friend. Zoya had told her that Y/N was to marry the king, and her mother was so happy it seemed too mean to refuse in front of her after all the horrors they had experienced.

So she said yes.

After that, her life was a whirlwind. Dresses were measured and made, jewellery bought, and she had temporarily lived on a fancy estate not far from where she had grown up. When she asked why she was the one that had to marry the king, Zoya had simply said “Because you were chosen.” Y/N had assumed that that meant the king had chosen her to be his queen, but him running away and hiding the morning of their wedding wasn’t backing up that thought. The estate she had lived on for the months before the marriage belonged to a widowed noblewoman, Lady Lebedev. She had been tutoring Y/N on how to be a noblewoman herself, since she had grown up on a farm, and that wasn’t acceptable for the soon-to-be Queen of Ravka.

One of the lessons she’d been given was in prejudices against Grisha (although she hardly thought she needed a three hour lecture on the topic, she had a whole life of experiencing prejudice against her people), and Lady Lebedev had said “Whatever you do, do not use your power. Most of the people at court will be like me, otkazat’sya, but they will be far more unhappy about having a Grisha on the throne than I am. Do not give them reason to get rid of you.”

Now Y/N glanced around the room at the people gathered and noted that roughly half were Grisha, and promptly decided that the noblewoman was wrong. She tucked her hands under the table and drew some water out of a jug behind her, forming a mist that settled on her skin and cooled her within seconds.

There, now I can breathe a bit better. Looking left and right she hoped that nobody had noticed, but when she locked eyes with her new husband, she knew that he had seen. He was blinking in slight shock, and when he leaned closer she worried he would tell her off, but instead he just whispered “I don’t suppose you could share some of that with me, could you? I feel like I’m roasting alive in these clothes.” Y/N was surprised at the twinkle of amusement in his eyes, but repeated her earlier actions, drawing a cool mist over his skin. He seemed to relax instantly, but the flush on his cheeks stayed.

Perhaps he’s still too warm, she thought. His clothes look far more stifling than mine.

“How are you doing? With the whole...” he paused as he waved his hands around the room, “being forced to marry a stranger thing?”

He was the first person to ask her how she was feeling since she had found out that she was to be Queen, and it took her a moment to stop being surprised and collect her thoughts. He was still speaking in a quiet voice, and the conversation felt like a secret that was kept between the two of them. Y/N decided that she liked that.

“It’s... alright, I suppose. I’m not... I wasn’t...” She gave up on trying to get full sentences out and slumped slightly in her chair, before catching the eye of an unimpressed noble and sitting up so straight it was as though she had a broom for a spine. Nikolai laughed, clearly finding this all hilarious, and she couldn’t help but frown a little. How was he taking it all so well? She knew that he’d been born into this life, but still, he could make being forced into a marriage look a bit less easy to go along with. “I wasn’t born for this, and I didn’t think I would ever find someone to marry, let alone be Queen. It’s difficult, trying to be something I’m not, but I’m doing my best and I’ll try to be a good wife.”

Then he was the one frowning, confusion crossing his face and his brows drawing together. His tone was gentle when he spoke. “I’m not asking you to be a good wife. I know that all of this is difficult, and definitely not what I wanted and probably not what you wanted either, and I’m aware that it won’t be easy for you to step into this role, both as Queen or as my wife, and if it helps then it’s not going to be easy for me either, the role of King or the role of husband. I didn’t think I would have to be either of those, not like this, anyway. But I’m asking how you are feeling, not what you think I want to hear about how you’re feeling.”

She slumped again, not looking up to see if the noble was watching her. “I guess...” she sighed and lowered her voice. “My dress is too tight and it itches and I’m so hungry I could eat a horse but I can’t eat because I don’t think there’s room for me to fit anything but myself in this dress, and I’m hot and I’m tired and all I really want is to find a large body of water and lie in it.”

He blinked in shock again, then let out a loud laugh. A few people turned their heads to look at the couple, smiling when they realised that she was the reason for his happiness.

“I’m sure nobody would mind if we snuck off early to go find a large body of water for you to lie down in,” he said with a smile and a wink. Y/N found herself returning it, then realised what he’d said.

“We can’t leave early, people will talk! And I absolutely refuse to miss dessert. I don’t care if I have to cut this dress open to fit it in.”

So they stayed, Y/N managing to get a few mouthfuls of the meal down (she did try and stretch the dress out a bit though, it was far too like a second skin), and the two of them finding out simple things about each other, the things they would have known had they met under normal circumstances. Then when the main meals were taken away and the dessert came out, her eyes lit up, taking in every inch of the sweet treat with her eyes in seconds, then taking it all in with her cutlery in just as much time. Nikolai’s eyes widened, before a huge grin broke out over his face and he tucked in to his own dessert. When most people had finished, he picked up his fork and tapped it against his glass, a soft clink clink clink echoing around the room. The chatter died down as he stood up, glass in hand, and said “A toast. To Ravka, and all of her people, and to a better, united future. To us,” - he gestured around the room, then looked down at Y/N - “and to my wife. Zdorov’ya nam!”

She didn’t miss the way that he had emphasised the “all” when he was speaking about Ravka’s people, knowing that he was including Grisha in his sentiment. A chorus of responses filled the room, from “Za novobrachnykh!” to “Davatye vyp’yem za to!”, and the clinking of glasses all over came after. Nikolai sat back down, holding his glass out for her to clink, and she did so with a smile on her face.

“Nobody would notice if we went to find that large body of water now,” he whispered.

She pretended to think for a moment, tapping a finger on her chin, then replied “We can always just say they were drunk if they did.” It wouldn’t be difficult, most people had been drinking for hours, many empty bottles of kvas taken out already. He offered his hand out to her for the second time that day, and she took it for the second time that day, both getting up and sneaking out behind the people stood cheering and drinking.

They were laughing, half running through corridors, and she decided that perhaps her life with him wouldn’t be so bad after all. Then they were outside, by a lake, and she took her shoes off and struggled with the laces on her dress for a while until she gave up and just jumped in. She could hear him laughing through the water; he must be close to the bank. Down here, she was free. Down here she didn’t have to be anyone but herself.

Down here, she could breathe.

She surfaced after a minute or so when she thought he’d start to worry, only to see that he wasn’t there. The moon gave enough light for her to see by, and the stars were bright enough that she could navigate by the constellations, but her new husband was nowhere to be found. She reached out with her power, trying to sense the water in his body, but he wasn’t within the closest 50 metres to her. She panicked, thinking he’d either gone to get help because he thought she was drowning (but he knew she was a Tidemaker, so unless he was monumentally stupid he wouldn’t have done that), or he’d run away again like he had before the ceremony, deciding he couldn’t stay married to her and had gone to get an annulment. She had been left in the dark by a man she thought she could trust before, back when she couldn’t defend herself, but Saints be damned if she was going to let that happen again.

She hauled herself out of the water, taking the damp out of her clothes and drying her hair, then headed back to the palace. At some point, the water must have loosened the fabric of her dress, because it didn’t feel quite so close to her body anymore.

“If he didn’t want to be near me, he could have just said so,” she huffed. She found her way back to her rooms that she had been shown to earlier, letting herself in and closing the door behind her. Y/N redressed into her bedclothes, and then she sat in her bed under the covers and waited. She knew she was expected to wait until he came to her on their wedding night, that she shouldn’t go to him, but as the time passed and it got later, it was soon nearing midnight, and she was still alone.

Not long after, she fell asleep, tired from the stress of the day and the amount of food she had somehow eaten in her tight dress at the banquet. She was woken in the morning by the sound of her door opening, instincts from when she was in training kicking in and making her alert, and she hoped for a moment that it was Nikolai.

When she saw that it was only servants, she deflated, then refused to let them help her when she got washed and dressed. It was still too strange to have people wait on her hand and foot. She did allow them to sort out her hair, which she hadn’t brushed after her time in the lake and was now incredibly knotty after her restless sleep.

Y/N was escorted to the same hall they had had the banquet in last night, and stopped at the door when she saw Nikolai sat in his seat at the head of the table, smiling and talking to his Triumvirate as if nothing had happened.

I suppose nothing did happen, she thought, a frown finding its way onto her face. He still hadn’t said anything about why he hadn’t kissed her during the ceremony, and that combined with him leaving her and then not visiting her chambers left her wondering what it was about her that he didn’t want to be around. She stopped lingering on the threshold and walked into the room, head held high but avoiding eye contact with the king. When she was sat down next to him, she instead spoke to Zoya on her left, saying what a lovely morning it was. She could feel him watching her, and when he cleared his throat and touched a hand to her shoulder to get her attention she turned to face him, keeping her expression as blank as she could.

He was wary, his expression clearly showing it. “Good morning... did you sleep alright?” Even his tone was wary, cautious, and she tried to keep her eyes from rolling.

“I slept just fine, thank you. Although perhaps I would have slept better if my husband hadn’t disappeared,” she replied, her smile sweet and her voice even sweeter. Nikolai looked taken aback, then embarrassed, but he offered no reason as to why he had left or not turned up. His mouth opened and closed like a fish a few times, and she raised a brow when he still couldn’t come up with anything. “It’s alright, you know, I didn’t want this marriage either, but an explanation would be nice. I told you I wanted to lie in a large body of water, and I’m a Tidemaker, so it’s not like I was going to drown. All I want to know is why you left me in the lake. I don’t want some big declaration of love, that’s not what our relationship is, and it probably never will be. I just want to know what was so important you had to leave me in the lake on my own, at night. Think on it for a while if you must, but I want an answer. I suppose I’ll see you during meetings, events and the like, to keep up the ruse that we’re happily married, but if you would rather just keep to yourself then that’s fine. Just tell me what needs to be done as Queen, and I’ll do it. But do not come to me as a husband until you have a reason for leaving.”

He stared at her, cheeks flushed, still gaping. Y/N smiled again, making it seem as though the newlyweds were just having a deep discussion about something interesting, then turned back to Zoya, already asking questions about the position of Grisha in the court and how people in the more rural areas were coping after the war.

If he wasn’t going to do his duty as her husband, that was fine. But she wouldn’t let it stop her from doing her duty as the Queen.

Chapter 3

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lanstov x reader #nikolai lanstov x y/n #nikolai x reader #nikolai x you #grishaverse #king of scars #netflix shadow and bone

63 notes · View notes

chaoticsomeone · 10 months

Text

Bats and their Grisha!S/O

Headcanon

All are different Grishas and their S/O's

+Selina x Bruce x You polygamy

So sorry But i cant write Duke even tho I want to

Richard "Dick" Grayson

Already showed you off in a few galas before

He doesn't really tell anyone the fact you're a squaller(control of storms and air)

Only mentions you as a squaller once when he was arguing with Tim over whos the better couple, you and him and Bernard and Tim

"Yeah?? My S/O can summon storm and lightnings!"

"YEAH? PROVE IT!!" - Tim

"FINE! I'll get them to show you at tomorrow's family dinner"

When he went to your apartment that night he told you abt the fact that you'd have to come tomorrow night to his family dinner

To be fair you only knew of Babs, Bruce and Jason

You donned your blue and black kefta to show that you were Dick's and that you're a powerful squaller

After dinner you all went to the roof and you summoned a storm just above the roof and made the lightning create a sentence "I love Dick Grayson"

Let's admit it Dick will always brag about it

And Dick really wanted to perform a trick so he leapt to the edge of the building without his suit trusting you would use your powers to keep him afloat and get back up safely

Bruce asks you to maybe join future operations and missions

Jason Todd

You're definitely a heartrender

He as Redhood when he was attacking gang members of Harley Quinn and Joker you helped him while peacefully eating your favorite food

He saw you literally stop peoples heart and made the people he's fighting struggle to breathe and having a heart attack

He thanked you and came to you the next day as Jason

You kicked it off instantly because you two fell inlove at first sight

After around 5 months into your relationship he finally decided to tell the family (the girls already knew since they saw you and him going to the library together and sometimes kissing)

He told everyone how you had the power to manipulate people's organs and body

The night Jay told you that tomorrow is going to be the day of a family dinner which you were invited to you were nervous but excited

You came with a red&black kefta and a dragon-scale amplifier around your neck

Jason practically says you're the best and keeps helping him heal hide his scars. (Yes you could act as a tailor)

Forever from then the batfam accepted you and gave you a spot as the bats' Redclaw knocking down enemies with a light hand movement

Barbara Gordon

When Batgirl fell into the ocean when Joker almost killed her. You, a random bystander suddenly got the courage to run and help her

She was worried and told you to run

Until she realized you were helping her get on her feets by drying her off and getting the ocean to be helping you.

She thanked you and asked for your name after

She promised to keep in contact with you and gave you a good name to the Bats of Gotham

You secretly squealed inside because the batgirl you had a crush on actually said to put in a good word and to meet you tomorrow

When she came as Babs you fell and fell inlovee

She was so nice and brought you to the Batfam Dinner one night to ask you to be one of them.

She surprised you by calling you her date/s/o.

You were again a blushing mess

The others asked for proof and babs took the chance to splash the person besides her which was sadly Jason

Jason got mad but she told him how you could dry him off in mere seconds

And you did not dissapoint

The Bats accepted you and helped arranged a proposal of marriage between you and babs

Even though really quick Babs and You were ready and were deeply inlove even though she doesn't really show it.

Cassandra Cain

You were being chased down by her because Bruce had sent her to get you and to keep eyes on you after once learning your skill in tempering with Chemistry, to make sure you aren't using it for bad intentions

When her eyes met yours she fell inlove

She always thought your purple outfits were always so charming

You were really nice and handed yourself in to her and you and her are practically a blushing mess

When you calmed down you told her about you being an Alkemi and all

She told Bruce about you having powers, so Bruce made you a small house with a lab in it besides the manor for you so he could keep close eye on you

Cass visits you everyday

You two finally decides to date

She incorporated purple into her outfit everyday to remind herself of you

You were brought to the next night's family dinner as her "date" rather than as a neighbor

You two told everyone you were dating each other

Everyone supported

At the table you showed them a few tricks

Like using your powers to burn stuff or change the color of some items

They all approved of you and Cass' relationship

Eversince that Dinner you were tasked to create formulas and weapons for the team

And to come every now and then to go agaisnt Bane and Poison Ivy

You'd only go on missions with your Knight, Cass

Tim Drake

He met you when he saw you walking into the library he was working in

You asked him whether or not she could sit near him even though its almost every table is empty

When he really payed attention to you he had experienced butterflies in his stomach fluttering louder than ever

He noticed his RedRobin symbol on your backpack and asked you about it

You told him you just adored RedRobin

More and More butterflies

It turned into a crush and he finally gathered the courage to ask you to meet his family

Before that he revealed himself as RedRobina and you basically swooned over him

He promised to make you two official at tonight's dinner (he arranged his sister and brothers to help)

You then told him how you were a talented Tailor

He thought you were a outfit tailor yk

When you walked up to him and touched his face you cleared up his eye bags

You decided to give him a chaste kiss aswell

He was a blushing mess all the way to the dinner

Everyone surprised you and Tim asked you to be his Girl/Boyfriend

Bruce was nice as you always thought he was and you were so happy to meet all the heroes of Gotham

Babs asked you to show her how you were able to 'tailor' someone's appearence

You showed her by grabbing Jason and moving your hand acrossed his face and getting rid of his scars

Tim was jealous so he grabbed you by the waist and they all laughed

He'd eventually let you go and you got rid of the tailoring on Jason

The bats would often stop by your apartment asking you to hide their scars and such almost every night

Stephanie Brown

It was simply really, She met you when she was running her usual morning runs

She saw you from acrossed the street and gathered the courage to ask you out

It went well and after a month or two of getting to know each other you two were dating

And after 4 months she asked you to join the family dinner where she showed you that she was the one and only Spoiler, secretly your favorite hero

YOU ACTUALLY SQUEALED OUT LOUD

She was laughing and blushing

You two were so happy together

And you told her how you could control fire with ease

Even without any flammables near you

You managed to take the hydrogen off of water and turn it into a flame

It was a trick used at the dinner and everyone loves you

You were the nicest and outgoing person and so was Steph

You two were soulmates

Damian Wayne

You met him when he was in the league, you were a young shadow summoner

He thought when he left that he'd never see you again until he met you confused as you stepped into his school

He instantly greeted you and the flame begin to reignite between you two

After 2 years you asked him to be your boyfriend

You helped train him and sometimes help in missions by disguising him as shadow (Bruce isn't aware of you joining in every mission with Damian)

When Damian told the Jason about you by accident Jason instantly shouted to everyone

"THE DEMON HAS A GIRL/BOYFRIEND!! AND THEY HAVE POWERS!!"

He was forced to invite you for the next family dinner

When the night arrived the evening you were picking out which kefta to wear. You ended up a Black kefta with an embroidened Damian's robin symbol

You were ecstatic and anxious

But it all went away and you were happy talking with everyone

You and Cass instantly 'clicked'

You showed everyone what you were capable

You even managed to create a Volcra then making it dissapear

You're now an official powerful asset to the bat family as The Darkling

+ Damian always always always brags about being able to pull you and Jason being too "undateable"

Jason always says you deserve better than a demon

Bruce Wayne

He met you when he saw you secretly assisting him in some missions

You'd be blinding an enemy from hidden locations

He'd always see a small ray of light from odd locations

After investigating he found out it was you, you told him about being a light summoner and all

After a few months you secretly dated him but the other batfam members catched on quickly

They support

And they were soo.. whats the word.. think you're awesome. You'd always helped THE batman

When he finally brought you to a family dinner you'd show them all your powers

You were happy with them all and sort of became their mom

+Selina Kyle(polygamy w bruce)

She always bragged how she found you first and asked you out first

She asked you one day when you two are on a date whether or not you'd be open to a polygamy with THE bruce wayne.

You agreed and thought she was lying

But oh boy you were glad she didnt

You three were inseperable if not acting as antiheroes or vigilantes. You were always a mix of both as a Durast

You'd sometimes go on heists with Catwoman opening and manipulating materials like steel or even titanium with easee and making it like it never was touched.

And other times you'd create bullets and other weaponry out of your surroundings when helping Batman

The batfam kids always knew of Selina x Bruce but when they brought you along the family dinner they were shocked

Damian thought Selina was cheating on Bruce.

But at the end you'd always been like a second mother to them

You'd create stuff for them on a daily basis leaving random gifts sometimes

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orlissa · 1 year

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10 and 12 for the kiss prompts :D

[This is for #12]

There is no great celebration held in the cathedral. There is no joyful crowd, no gilded carriage drawn by white horses, no breathtaking dress with a train carried by children, no ceremonial uniform with a display of medals, no music, no flowers.

Instead, it happens in the dead of the night, in a small village chapel an hour out of Os Alta. The priest is bleary-eyed, his words slurred, his cassock haphazardly pulled over his nightclothes—he was unhappy about being dragged from his bed, but the right amount of money can make even the holiest of men happy. The only guests—the witnesses—are the two Heartrenders in their red keftas, while the couple is wearing their riding clothes, her braid half-undone, his hem splattered with mud, but they are beaming at each other as they repeat their vows.

It is a hasty affair, but it needs to be so—the spies in the Grand Palace report that the Tsar plans to force the Sun Summoner into marriage with his firstborn. Who is to oppose the Lantsovs, if a real, living, breathing saint bears their name?

It can never happen.

So to prevent it from happening, to be a step ahead of the tyrants, the Sun Saint and the Darkling set out from the Little Palace under the veil of the night to get married, and, possibly—it’s an open secret—, conceive a child tonight.

The couldn’t act like the marriage didn’t happen if the Sun Summoner was with child that is very clearly not the crown prince’s.

I dos are said, rings—mis-matched, hastily procured—are exchanged, and then there is a kiss, slow and sensuous, gentle and caring, standing like an exclamation mark at the end of the ceremony—a daring act, a challenge, a vow.

Fedyor looks at his husband, his gaze almost fearful, almost hopeful.

The Lantsovs don’t stand a chance.

Saints willing.

#ask #drabble #darklina #shadow and bone #fanfic

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prismatica-the-strange · 5 months

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Meet Krynn Falros

Link Link

Disclaimer right up front: I have only ever watched Shadow and Bone on Netflix and my grip on the Grishaverse is loose at best so things may change, idk. This all starts 6/7 years before the events of season one.

Ship Tag: I'll Forgive Your Sins

Krynn found her way to the Little Palace when she was '19', fleeing from an arranged marriage. Everyone there thinks she's running from slave traders.

In my version, it's extremely rare, but once every fifty-plus years or so a Grisha is born with two gifts. Krynn is one of such Grisha. The gift she advertises is that she's Durast, but she also has the ability to manipulate and create plant life.

She tries to keep her second power secret for nearly a year, not wanting to draw any extra attention. But General Kirigan is perceptive and notices immediately how the Little Palace garden begins to flourish as soon as they take her in, and that there are always flower petals in every room once she's been in it.

Like I said she tries, but her plant powers are more second nature than her Durast abilities, but they've never been heard of before.

Kirigan takes an interest in her once she fully reveals the power to him and he spends the next six months studying it with her in secret before she needs to use it on a trip to the fold with him and the rest of their small unit.

By this point though, everyone had begun to assume they were a couple or something and that was why they spent so much time together, but no one was brave enough to say anything.

Of course, they both deny deny deny, but if they're honest they both have a lingering fondness for each other.

It continues to be a rumor around the Little Palace and Krynn doesn't help because she plays into it. Half of the white roses in the garden inexplicably turn black one day, and he finds white petals scattered on the floor outside of his quarters another.

He acts as though the whole ordeal is a daily nuisance, but in truth, he's impressed that she's not afraid to mess with him and the other Grisha in this manner. And that's the real seller for everyone else. If Krynn and General Kirigan aren't together, then why would he let her get away with all this?

It's not two months later when it all comes to a head. A man arrives at the Little Palace demanding to speak with her.

Even when she refuses to see him, he stays outside the wall, yelling that he has to speak with her.

Eventually, Aleksander becomes involved, and while she insists she's fine just doesn't want to see him, there's a glimmer of fear in her eyes, and that is something he will not abide, so he deals with it personally.

He finds a familiar stubbornness to the trespasser but without the levity to counter it. After asking as politely as possible, the man refuses to leave, and Krynn, who is watching from the window and seeing his shadows start to form to forcibly remove him, steps in.

This is when the truth comes out and she explains the man is her father and how she was supposed to be married, against her will, to a horrible man in exchange for an unreasonable sum.

The general doesn't take this well. He was already upset thinking this man was a stranger to her trying to sell her to the slave trade, but the fact that it was her father who tried to sell her enrages him.

She has to step in again so he doesn't kill him, but her father never comes back. And against his better judgment, Aleksander reveals feelings for her he'd been desperately trying to keep hidden.

Fun facts!-

- Krynn is a Durast but she specializes in metals.

- Her first kefta is purple, but shimmers bronze in the sunlight because she's threaded strands of copper into it for emergencies.

- Her second was white and it shimmered silver

- Most of the surfaces in Aleksander's rooms are covered in little copper flowers and trinkets she's made either especially for him or because she's bored.

- Her favorite thing to grow/produce is cherry blossom petals because she loves the smell.

- She thinks the fact she and Aleksander's aesthetics are complete opposites is the cutest thing in the world.

- She can grow literally anything, of course, she smokes weed.

- Krynn would do anything for Aleksander, even help expand The Fold and overthrow the royal family.

- Her irises are white, the first picrew just didn't have that as an option.

#My girl is druid coded #I Have been so down bad for Ben Barnes recently I couldn't help myself #Aleksander Morozova #The Darkling x OC #Self insert #self insert oc #self insert intro #s/i #s/i intro #s/i introduction #self insert introduction #self ship intro #prisma self ships #I'll forgive your sins #shadow and bone

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goblins-riddles-or-frocks · 1 year

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here's some grishaverse ships!!!! darklina nikolina zoyalina genyalina zoyanikolina zoyalarkling nikolarkling? darkling-nikolai-alina? i'm out of names jesper and kaz jesper and wylan just bc they're normal

Darklina

Already did this one!

To give some more opinions, I like it most when he’s either at his cruelest or most pathetic. The best scene was when he threatens to skin her 🤷‍♀️

I love the pettiness of them having a telepathic bond and using it for fucking psychological warfare. Or well the Darkling does. Alina takes way too long to catch on and needle him as much. I wish she’d gotten the chance to fuck him up more. But anyway I generally find it so funny how much of the dynamic relies on her just being… fairly normal and then he’s Like That.

I love Alina as the constantly weirded out, narrative and comedic straight main to his supervillain melodrama.

Nikolina

This has been my TGT OTP for awhile, me and like five other people lmao. I like it most in AU and canon divergent scenarios tbh, partially because their dynamic is really chill and I love conflict and angst. I like it when there’s some aspect of pining, unrequited feelings, or just the shadow of other issues looming over the relationship. Like I love this ship in situations where they’re PerseveringTM together despite The Horrors, basically?

And I mean I’ve already talked a few times about how I really like their polar opposite priorities and ambitions. They contrast each other fairly strongly while still getting along very well. And that’s something I usually find very compelling. I like this ship most for AUs where they like self actualize/compromise/learn to cope with shared trauma etc. I want them to work through shit and learn to be happy!

Zoyalina

Rivals to lovers is soooo fun! Alina can’t go two minutes without mentioning how hot Zoya is. And I think LB genuinely meant it more for reader info/to get into Alina’s insecurity but it reads SO gay.

There’s like two main dynamics I really like for them. Okay three. But one is like a riff on early SAB era, where they bond while still both under the Darkling’s thumb, despite being pitted against each other. The other is like leaning into a devotion, saint and warrior/bodyguard/devotee type thing. Third is post R&R Alina retreating to her orphanage and it being explicit in the epilogue that Zoya visits and writes and even gives her a kefta because she’ll always be Grisha. And idk I’m just obsessed with Zoya, who’s so unused to that sort of kindness, being gentle or drawing her out of her shell in her own gruff way.

Genyalina

I love them!!! But also the plot just doesn’t give me much to work with past SaB. That inherent conflict of Genya lying to her and never sending Alina’s letters, while genuinely connecting with her is SO good. I love it, and that’s my favorite dynamic for them. And I also love the explicit comparison drawn between Genya’s own trauma and being exploited by the king, and Alina being groomed by the Darkling even if Alina’s not herself fully like cognizant of it. (Kind of similar to the SaB era Zoyalina dynamic, girls connecting over being manipulated and controlled by men/the same man even is a dynamic that I find very compelling) But past that point in the series I don’t have as much like… thoughts about them? I still love them and love when they interact but it doesn’t intrigue me in the same way.

Zoyanikolina

Okay okay maybe this is the real OTP… OT3… series ship of all time. KoS (more the idea of it than the execution) did convert me to Zoyalai to an extent, the pining is soooo good. And I already love Zoyalina and Nikolina separately so obvs the best way to go here is to smoosh them all together lmao.

My fave take is facilitated through a Nikolina political marriage that’s kind of complicated for everyone involved. And meanwhile Alina seeing all the insane pining going down and being like. Well. Are you going to do something about this or???

I may be writing this lmao so I’m generally thinking about it a lot. But Alina being the most emotionally intelligent one while simultaneously very NOT self aware about her own feelings is just very funny to me.

Zoyalarkling

So having confirmed that this is Zoya/Alina/Darkling hm! Hm! Not sure I can see this one except in very very particular circumstances. I feel like the Zoyalina dynamic when they’re both still into the Darkling is defined by rivalry and being in competition with each other. So I don’t think they’d be… happy about a poly scenario. But also the Darkling’s probably TERRIBLE enough to be like Ah yes here is my teenaged harem. So I could see a very fucked up version. Meanwhile I just don’t get the sense that Zoya harbors like any attraction whatsoever for him the way Alina does after Everything Goes Down. I could see some kind of insane hate fucking scenario, but like only very particularly?

I can’t help but make Hannibal comparisons when I think of KoS type scenarios/anything where they keep the Darkling jailed. But I could see Zoya as his jailor being very interesting (Chilton or Alana Bloom esque) And we canonically have him like demanding to see Alina, though again canon didn’t do nearly enough with it. So could I see a weird psychosexual SOTL/NBC Hannibal arc for these three? Mayhaps.

Darknikolina

Love them! I’m generally a fan of Darklolai and I think there’s a lot of very interesting unexplored territory in terms of what the dynamic between Nikolai and the Darkling even is. LB, even in KoS, tends to skirt around how they perceive each other fairly carefully? I think probably because she knows how much it’d expose the painfully thin politics and court set up lmao. But I think there’s room for very personal loathing —> fascination.

Anyway I am really interested in circumstances where like Nikolina get married For Politics and then the Darkling’s just in jail 5ever and things get weird. Or alternatively (I basically wrote this already) but a bad ending scenario where the Darkling wins and they’re both basically his captives.

I think there’s also a lot of mileage to be gotten out of the Darkling basically lying dormant inside Nikolai lmao/at least some of his power remaining there. And there are interesting body sharing weirdness places you could go with that. And complicate it even further by bringing Alina into the mix.

Kazper

This was probably my favorite SoC ship dynamic lmaoooo which I mean I knew was never going anywhere! But then gets further tanked by the clear comparison between Jesper and Jordie. I just really liked that initial pining set up where Jesper was desperate to prove himself to Kaz, to just get him to at all give him the time of day. And Kaz is just… frankly kind of cruel to him! Idk the conflict was really interesting. I would’ve loved to see the dynamic explored

Wesper

Eh. I didn’t really like them in the books tbh? I think they had some effective scenes in CK particularly but also like it wasn’t effective in a shippy sense to me necessarily. I did actually like them in the show a lot! So that’s made me more partial to it. But it’s still just not something I’d bother to think about outside of actually watching the show/reading the books.

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #I’m not tagging all the ships lol #ship bingo #ask games #all the bendy punctuations #i ramble sometimes

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amiramorozova · 2 years

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Dual Summoner and the Darkling -Princess verison- pt. 9

After the fete a few days had passed, my days consisted of either walking around the little palace, horse riding or secretly planning to take me away from both palaces. Aleksander had gone today to talk to them about the whole marriage at seventeen talk. I was to be Ravka's savior but the General's wife as I walked to the chair and sat down brushing my hair. I started to see Amira not Princess Amira the longer I was here.

I see me, not some princess that was adopted. I thought

There was a knock as I looked at the door "Come in." I said as Genya walked in. "Saints, you're not going to be ready." Genya said as she went over and started to help me. I was wondering what she was talking about as we looked at each other in the mirror. "Wait for what?" I asked as she looked at me in the mirror. "The General has sealed the deal for your wedding to be next year and he asked to take you with him while he's gone for the week." Genya said as I was surprised. I thought about it knowing, unlike Genya I was pure in the eyes of the people, even if they didn't I hadn't done anything beforehand. "Genya..Do you think that perhaps.." I started

Genya looked at me, I think she knew what I was considering "You think General Kirigan will try to steal your first kiss?" Genya asked as I looked at her in the mirror while she did her tailor small science. "Is it impossible to be thinking such things? The idea of a first kiss at the wedding in front of everyone doesn't appeal to me." I admitted

For a while Genya seemed quiet at the idea of it, she couldn't say for sure what was going on. "I suppose it is possible, but he would probably try to put you both in a romantic setting away from prying eyes." Genya said as I smiled a little thinking about the idea. "I suppose that is fair but I don't really have a ring to even show for the marriage." I pointed out as she laughed a bit as she was finishing up. "He's got everything planned out, trust him Amira." Genya said

If we become the King and Queen of Ravka, I can make life better for Genya. I thought as one perk of having a right to the throne.

When Genya was done I smiled as she got my Kefta as she brought it over, then she started to pick up my necklace for the royals but I put my hand up. "No, I think it's time for a at home necklace." I said as I got in the drawer and I pulled out the family crest of my birth family putting it on. "I am a Silina, even if the others don't know. I'm not a Lanstov." I said as Genya noticed my confidence. She started to leave before coming back with a light bag of things for the trip. "The General wants you to pack light, he will take care of the rest and it's already taken care of ." Genya said

He had a good point, I'll never be free until this marriage happens..perhaps I shouldn't be so cruel to him. He is trying to fix the fold...fix his mistake. I thought

"What are my arrangements going to be while we're out?" I asked as I was making sure I didn't take anything of overly value to have stolen. "The General is going to insist you share a tent with him, he's got two bed cots prepared so that you're securely protected." Genya said as I looked at her wondering if she as joking but she didn't crack a smile once. I just had to take it in stride here.

After packing light, I was led out there to where everyone else was and I saw him waiting with his carriage. I had no use for formalities but Ivan opened the door and he offered his hand to me. I took it as he led me on and helped me with the light bag as we got in. I was going to sit across from him but when Ivan and Fedyor got in and sat across from me that's when I realized he was sitting by me.

"What an honor it is, but I notice you did not wear any of your royal jewels." Fedyor said as I smiled knowing why. I pulled out the necklace I did have "Because I am embracing who I truly am. I am a De La Rosa and Silina not really a Lanstov." I said as Fedyor looked surprised. "It is true, she is adopted. But that still makes her my Grisha soulmate Fedyor." Aleksander said as he adjusted me some and put his arm around me to hold me close.

should you be doing this? I thought

It felt like hours before we made it as Fedyor and Ivan got out first then Aleksander let me go out. As I got out of the carriage and looked around I saw Grisha setting up his tent as he got out after me. Some of the Grisha there looked at us and I swear they wondered who I was. Without my jewels I was just Amira, an unknown Grisha. Yet as I was in my own thoughts I heard a familiar voice and my heard turned quickly. "Nico.." I said as I looked

Nicolas Stark, a connection to my past as a Grisha girl who had once lived in the village. Back then we were only kids but there was just this familiar sense of knowing. Despite hearing Aleks say to stay close I ended up marching right over ignoring Fedyor and Ivan as I had a goal. "Nicolas Stark" I said as he stopped talking with his fellow first army and looked at me. At first he seemed confused as if he didn't recognize me and I faltered infront of him.

"Do I know you Miss?" Nicolas asked as I felt hurt he didn't recognize me. "Amira..we used to run around in a field together as kids before...before I was...adopted" I said as he looked at me and listened intently to my words. The realization was a relief to me as I laughed a bit "Nico, I swear you didn't forget me. Did you?" I asked but before he could answer I felt the shadows coming.

"Soldier, I see Moya Tsarevna seems to know you." Aleksander said as I crossed my arms. "We're old friends, before I became Moya Tsarevna" I retorted as he looked at me. For the first time since the courting I thought I felt my heart skip a beat knowing he was my freedom still...this was freedom in some way. "Yes, General." Nicolas said

"Your name and rank?" General asked as I didn't know what he wanted from me and knowing about my friend. "Nicolas Stark, tracker." Nicolas said as Aleksander seemed interested in that. "Amira is to be kept a close eye on, she dislikes my right hand Grisha so perhaps you would keep an eye on her while she's with me." Aleksander said as Nico nod in agreement.

Aleksander left me with Nico as he showed me around, but people just saw me as a Grisha. "So what is with you and the General? You arrived with him in his carriage?" Nico asked while showing me around. "He's my Grisha soulmate and he's planning to marry me next year." I admitted as Nico got infront of me as he looked at me getting infront of me as he noticed I was not kidding. "So that's it..you'll be a General's wife." Nico said as I sighed as I walked away and he followed. "I have to or I will never be free. DO things like this." I told him

Nico just nod as he showed me around

TagList: @lifeisingrey, @houseoftoomanyfandoms, @mizelophsun11, @budugu

#Dual Summoner Amira #Dual Summoner and the Darkling -princess version-#Amira Silina #aleksander morovoza #general kirigan #darkling #darkling x oc #Team Darkling #the darkling #shadow and bone #shadow and bone fanfiction #Grishaverse #shadow summoner #sunsummoner #tidemaker #original story #ben barnes #princess amira

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jomiddlemarch · 2 years

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My favourite stories of yours are 'what it is to be a thin crescent moon' (natch) 'You have witchcraft in your lips' and everything in 'Marriage of the Two Keftas'!

Thanks so much!

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blushnik · 3 years

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Every Grisha in the Little Palace at the wedding, seeing Ivan smile for the first time ever: *SCANDALIZED SHOCKED GASP*

My favorite canon ship from Shadow and Bone, the cinnamon roll and his grumpy ball 🥰💙 This idea comes from my rp with a dear friend, where Fedyor and Ivan ask the Darkling to do the honors of blessing their marriage when the big day arrives. Nina and everyone ofc attend, the poor woman knew what's up the moment these two met, Ivan's heart was pounding so heart she could hear it from miles xD

Their keftas in the first drawing are directly from the show, in the second drawing I made my own version of "wedding Corporalki" keftas, inspired by the originals ^^

#fivan #ivan x fedyor #fedyor kaminsky #ivan #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #grishaverse #the darkling #darkling #nina zenik #sab #corporalki #myart #blushnik #aleksander morozova #general kirigan #pride month #pride month 2021

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thebadgerclan · 2 years

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The Dark Prince: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Presentation of The Suitors

A/N: I finally learned how the female equilavant of moi tsarevich is Russian 😂

You knew this day was coming, you’d known it was coming for your entire life, and yet you wished it away. It was tradition, your mother said, every Ravkan Princess before you has done it. When a Princess turned 20, noble families and higher born commoners were to present their sons to her, offering their hands in courtship, to strengthen the Lantsov’s claim to the throne. And yet Vasily, your brother, 3 years your senior, remained unmarried and free, though he was the heir to the throne. “It’s the way it is,” your father said. You’d begged, pleaded with your parents, appealing to their softer side, the side that still saw you as their little girl, not as a Princess with responsibilities and duties to shoulder.

But it was a fruitless effort. The presentation was scheduled and happening, whether you liked it or not. The rules were fairly simple, but had to be obeyed to a tee. King Pytor and Queen Tatiana could suggest one suitor over another and attempt to sway your mind, but in the end, the choice was yours. Once a suitor was chosen, there were to be three chaperoned outings, after which your suitor would meet privately with your parents. If they gave their blessing, then three unchaperoned outings could occur before proposing marriage. You also held the right to dismiss a suitor at any time if he displeased you. It was a small comfort that you held a fair amount of power in this game, but there was a larger problem: your heart was already spoken for.

General Aleksander Kirigan had swept you off your feet a bit more than a year ago, and ever since then, you’d been his and he’d been yours. Stolen kisses, fleeting moments in empty corridors were all you had, but your love for him burned brighter than Inferni flame. He could have anyone, and yet, he chose you, keeping you as close as he dared with your position. Weeks where your father was away were weeks where you’d slip into the Little Palace and spend your nights in his arms, only to rise before dawn and crawl back into your own bed to be woken by your maids. It was a shell of the love you craved, but it was all you’d ever have.

As soon as the presentation was being discussed, you sought solace in Aleksander’s arms. “I can’t imagine being with anyone else but you,” you’d cried, soaking his kefta with your tears. “I always knew I may not marry for love, but now that I have it, I can’t imagine losing it.” Aleksander was distraught, but he stayed strong for you. “I know, my darling,” he comforted. “But this is what you must do. You may own my heart, but your duty is to your people.” “I’m not even the heir!” you protested. “Vasily’s the one whose marriage actually matters, and he’s not even courting anyone!”

“We will find a way,” he said, though you knew that was impossible. He was a general and you a princess. Two lines destined to run parallel to one another for eternity. Yet, his promise comforted you, and you tried to let that comfort steel you. When the day of the presentation arrived, you allowed your mother to fuss over you, lacing your gown herself; Lantsov blue and gold, diamonds around your neck, an aquamarine and topaz tiara in your hair. You looked beautiful, yet you couldn’t help but feel as if you were being marched to your grave.

Your brothers stood in the antechamber, Vasily picking at his uniform. “I don’t see why we have to be here,” he complained. “At least we’ll never have to suffer this parade, eh brother?” Nikolai rolled his eyes, swatting Vasily’s hand away from his lapel. “Shut up. You’re just mad that Y/N will be the center of attention and not you.” Vasily flushed and Nikolai laughed, knowing he was right. Before anything else could occur, you entered the antechamber followed by your parents. “There she is!” Nikolai said, a genuine smile on her face. “You look lovely.”

“Thank you, Kolya,” you said, letting your mother adjust your gown. “And don’t worry, Vasily, I’m sure your woman will be waiting for you in Caryeva when you get there.” Your brother laughed, and your father cleared his throat. “Behave yourselves,” he said. “I will not have you ruining this for your sister.” At once, Vasily and Nikolai became the picture of composure, standing on either side of you. At your father’s signal, the doors opened and the five of you entered.

“Their Most Royal Majesties, King Pytor and Queen Tatiana Lantsov, and Their Most Royal Highnesses, Prince Vasily, Princess Y/N, and Prince Nikolai Lantsov!” Despite how you might feel about your family at times, you couldn’t deny that you made a handsome picture. Your father with his regal stature, your mother with her grace, your brothers with their blond hair and hazel eyes, and you, composed and fair. You took your seat on the golden throne between your parents’ thrones while Vasily stood at your father’s side, Nikolai at your mother’s.

“Your Highness, Count Egor Golubev!” Ah, so we’re getting right to it, you thought, trying your best to feign interest at the boys brought before you. Their parents boasted their good qualities, their virtues and glossing over their vices. He hunts very well, rides like a soldier, a master with words, but all you could think was they’re not Aleksander. You knew that you’d have to pick one of these boys to be your husband, so you began seeking the least abhorrible one, but all you could think of was your Aleksander.

Hours later, after meeting the sons of Counts, Dukes, Earls, Marquis, Viscounts, and even a few commoners, you thought you might start sobbing. “One gentleman remains, moya tsarevna,” the court attended, but before he could be announced, the doors flew open, and the breath left your lungs. Aleksander strode in, exuding confidence and grace. “I am General Aleksander Kirigan,” he said, as if he needed an introduction. “And I present myself to humbly ask for Her Highness’ hand in courtship.”

And he dropped to one knee, bowing his head. Your heart was racing and you felt like you could cry, but this time for an entirely different reason. “What is this?” you heard your father sneer, and at your left, your mother had her hand over her mouth. “I am not of noble birth, but I offer my heart to you, Princess. Should you accept, you will know nothing but happiness and love. I am yours if you should have me.”

You wanted to leap from your throne and run into his arms, to kiss him, to declare your love for everyone, but you had to keep face; no one knew you were together. Gracefully, you rose, folding your hands before you. “After meeting the noblemen brought before me, my decision is clear.” You felt the tension in the room rise, and Aleksander’s beautiful gray eyes bore into yours. “General Aleksander Kirigan, I will court you with the intent of marriage.

Your father hissed your name “Y/N, what are y-” “The choice is mine father,” you said, and though you were not the heir, you held the poise of a queen. You lifted your hem and descended the dais, taking Aleksander’s hand when you reached him. “Rise, General,” you said, and he kissed your hand, chivalrous and gentlemanly. “I will be yours as long as you will have me, moya tsarevna.” He slipped a piece of parchment into your hand. You didn’t dare look at it, but as you resumed your place on the dais, you had the brightest smile on your face.

#aleksander morozova x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction #the darkling x reader #general kirigan x reader #shadow and bone reader insert #the dark prince

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atlas-of-a-human-soul · 3 years

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Draw your swords

Summary: In order to keep Ravka intact, general Kirgan, the Darkling, must marry. Needless to say, he’s not happy about it, but neither is his bride.

Warnings: indicating smut, slight angst

============================

Standing at the altar, wearing his black kefta, the Darkling grinds his teeth at the closed door at the end of it.

Any moment now, the door will open and his bride will appear as an angel in white. Except, the Darkling preferred to think of her as devil incarnate.

Although her beauty is without faults, her mind is sharp and her tongue can be sweeter than honey, Y/N Y/L/N is everything the Darkling hates.

She's entitled, bratty, arguably manipulative and downright cruel. She's all that and more, at least to him. But the one thing he cannot forgive her for is her lineage. As a daughter of a man he sought to destroy, Y/N became general Zlatan’s bargaining chip.

“You must marry her and she must be included in all decisions concerning Ravka on my behalf, or we will declare independence.”

General Zlatan gave the emperor no room to argue on the matter, forcing the marriage onto them. As the emperor had no male descendants to marry off, the next in line was general Kirigan. And while the Darkling fought the emperor on this instance, he was given no choice – either marry Zlatan’s daughter or someone else will be ascending as a leader of the Second army.

"Is it too late to run?" Ivan turns to Kirigan and Fedyor with a breathless chuckle, earning a dirty look from the official Y/N insisted marries them. She caved on the Palace setting, but no one could bend her will on who it is that seals their marriage contract.

"You promised." Fedyor reminds him and Kirigan closes his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Maybe some promises are best broken. She'll be the death of Ravka." Licking his lips, the Darkling glances at the door as a faint noise is heard on the other side of the door.

‘Of me’, he thinks to himself, ‘She’ll be the death of me.’

“She is Zlatan’s daughter with no special powers”, Ivan scoffs, “What could she possibly do?”

"I'll make her just as unhappy as I am now. She's never going to love me and I most certainly will never love her," the Darkling huffs, straightening his back as his eyes narrow at the door. “Unhappy women are always dangerous.” He pauses, pursing his lips, “Even if they are just human.”

"You said this is a business deal, so think of it as such." Ivan raises an eyebrow, wondering why is love even on Kirigan’s mind. In all his time serving his general, Ivan never heard the word pass his lips before now.

"I will”, the Darkling rolls his tongue, focusing on Ivan and Fedyor again. "Tell me you’d fight with me to preserve Ravka if I walk away."

"Do whatever you want, but you better be fast because your bride is coming", Fedyor nods toward the grand opening of the grandiose door, revealing a vision in white and the veil covering her face.

"Fuck", the Darkling mutters under his breath, his heart jumping at the sight.

He watched her walk, his nerves gnawing away at him and all he could think about is why his heart is beating so fast. Why would he be nervous? She should be the one drowning in nerves instead of walking so confidently. Why is she not afraid of him?

Folding his shaky hands behind his back, the Darkling could have sworn every step she took closer made his heart drop further in his chest. It was only a matter of time before he had nothing left but to accept his destiny and take an ordinary woman such as Y/N as his bride. Oddly enough, he found comfort in her mortality. She would die eventually and he’ll be free of her. If she angers him or her father stirs up trouble, he’d make sure he’ll be free much sooner.

Finally in front of him, Y/N holds her breath as the Darkling reluctantly pulls the veil up, revealing her face.

When she first met him, it was on a field of scattered, mangled bodies. He looked at the sky like a man would look at a withered flower in which he no longer sees the beauty he plucked it for, thus destroying it.

And when he looked at her, Y/N forgot to breathe.

There are no traces of doubt, no evidence this isn't the happiest day of her life. If anything, the Darkling is in awe of her and her ability to maintain composure without showing the slightest inkling of her disdain for him. He’s looking for a weakness, studying her in order to find something, anything he could use to make her submit to him, but she’s not flinching. Her stare is unyielding, fierce, and she is unbowed, like a rose in the eye of a hurricane.

"You should have worn the white kefta. Black is for funerals", she notes, her voice low and cold and the Darkling can't help but scoff.

“Black is my color. Besides”, he leans in, pressing his lips against her cheek before whispering, "It is a funeral."

While the crowd whispered and awed over the little exchange, Y/N's lips twitched into a brief smile. Reaching out for his hand, she tilts her head to her left, hiding her face with the veil as she scowls at him.

The ceremony begins, but neither the Darkling nor Y/N can truly focus on a single word said. Y/N is busy wondering what she could do best to make his life hell. This isn’t exactly what she had in mind for her future either and being exchanged like a broodmare to delay a war is unforgivable. She couldn’t forgive her father for giving her over to a known monster, nor could she forgive her seconds-to-be husband.

He is cruel, manipulative, a beast hidden under a handsome built and he may be appealing to the eye, but she can feel he’s rotten inside.

The Darkling’s eyes are fixed on her, examining every single inch of her rather small sized body. Though her curves are undeniable, her height would leave him with a craned neck and back pain in the future. Inhaling sharply, he tried to understand why his thoughts of all the things he hates about her include ripping that wedding dress straight off her. She looks far too appealing in a dress for him to ignore and it sparks a fire to further fuel the flames of hate he’s tended to.

Either way, quicker than imagined, the Darkling found himself saying "I do", forcing a smile that matched the one she displayed. Unlike his cold smile that didn't reach his eyes, Y/N was capable of making her smile believable, enough for him to envy her acting skills.

"You may kiss the bride."

Licking his lips, Kirigan's eyes flicker to Y/N's lips. He never kissed her before, the human who perfectly portrayed an ice queen. It would be a lie if he said kissing her never crossed his mind, but it didn't feel like he'd willingly do so even if he had a chance. He didn’t desire her at all. He refused to allow himself as much.

Y/N glanced at the crowd, seeing their little whispers about how long Kirigan is taking and how they pity her for marrying someone like him – a dark shadow, an abomination even in their world.

She felt a shuddered breath pass her lips as Kirigan leaned into her, torturously slow and the worst part? He smells good, intoxicating kind of good. And whether she liked it or not, her heart fluttered as his lips grazed hers and his hand cupped her cheek.

The Darkling's heart quivered, his mind overflowing with frustration. He couldn't comply and kiss her wholeheartedly, but he found himself wanting to turn her over, to have his way with her.

She's infuriating, unlawfully cocky and unjustly stunning. No wonder hell is where most mankind would go considering the beauty of its tempting demons that poise as naïve angels.

Snapping out of the daze, she pulls back first, whispering against his lips. "Hope you enjoyed it, because it will be the last time you’ll ever taste my lips in your lifetime."

Blinking slow, the Darkling smirked, genuinely entertained. "We will see about that", and he took her words as a personal challenge.

He would melt the ice queen and have her on her knees, begging for his love before the year is done. He will demean Zlatan by turning his own daughter against him and he will do so with pleasure.

Part two

#the darkling x reader #the darkling #shadow and bone #aleksander morozova #general kirigan #the darkling au #aleksander x reader #aleksander kirigan #kirigan x reader #the darkling fanfiction

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sellyoursoulforagoodfic · 2 years

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12 Days of Ficmas: Day 11

Family Visiting

Aleksander Morozova x Inferni!Reader

Word Count: 548

“I’ve found my mother, and she’ll be moving into a cabin on the grounds in two days,” were the words that kept echoing through your ears as you stormed into the forest. You were livid, to say the least, but you were pissed to the point where there were tongues of flame licking at your fingers and trailing in your footprints with every step you took.

On the one hand, you couldn��t blame Aleksander for wanting to offer his mother a safe place to live because she was, at her core, his mother. On the other, you were still filled with spite towards the woman because she wanted to leave you behind when you were chased out of your home after the lot of you were exposed as being grisha.

“Dearheart!” his voice called out to you from the darkness of the Ravkan winter night.

At some point, you’d stopped walking, you realized. Blinking, you saw that you were in the familiar forest around the Little Palace. “She’ll take you away from me,” you whispered, head leaning back so you could look at the stars through the canopy of the trees.

“What?” He was right in front of you now. Your Sasha sounded shocked, but you didn’t move your gaze to look at him.

“She wanted to stop you from getting close to me all those years ago, don’t you remember?” You were still speaking quietly, as if you didn’t have the energy to use your voice. You certainly didn’t feel like you could; all you could feel was tired. “As soon as she gets here, she’ll try to separate us.”

Suddenly, his large hands were on your shoulders and he was shaking you slightly. Brows furrowed, you finally met his grey eyes. He looked upset in a way you hadn’t seen him in a long, long time; there even seemed to be tears brimming in those eyes of his. “I would never let her.”

You gave a mirthless laugh. “It doesn’t matter. If she’s here, she won’t stop until she drives us apart.”

“Then marry me,” he blurted, hands moving to cup your face.

“A secret marriage will do nothing to stop her.”

“But will it soothe your worries? You already have my heart and mind, but would the vows assure you of that?”

Your eyes widened. “You’re serious,” you realized with a gasp.

“Deathly. You’ve been by my side longer than even her. Why would I joke about something like this?”

Stunned couldn’t begin to cover it. “Your response to pissing me off by telling me your mother is coming to live with us--”

“Live with us is a bit of a stretch, dearhear--”

“--is to ask me to marry you?!”

“Is this your roundabout way of saying no?”

You started laughing. You couldn’t help it. The disbelief-fueled giggles just bubbled up uncontrollably from the middle of your chest. Tears were running down your face and your stomach hurt from laughing so hard as you grabbed the front of his kefta and hauled him into a hard kiss. “That’s a yes, you fucking lunatic.” A wave of seriousness stole your mirth as your head tipped forward. Seemingly reflexively, he kissed your forehead. “Don’t let her come between us, Sasha,” you pleaded, voice weak once more.

“Never.”

#aleksander morozova imagine #aleksander morozova x reader #the darkling imagine #the darkling x reader #general kirigan imagine #general kirigan x reader #shadow and bone imagine #sab imagine #inferni au

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ahopelessromantic · 3 years

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Children of Sun and Darkness (M)

Part two of A Child of Sun and Darkness

Pairing: The Darkling x Sun Summoner! female reader

Word count: 8,7k (oh boy)

Warnings: once again, spoiler of the Darkling’s name, SMUT, Aleksander being a SIMP, fluff, so much fluff, villainous behavior

A/N: I really, really got carried away with this one. Especially since I didn’t even intend to have any smut in here. But alas, the apology letters to Ben Barnes and Leigh Bardugo are sent once more and I wish you all a happy reading experience. I really do must warn you again of the Darkling as a father though, I don’t think you’re ready.

A gorgeous ray of sunshine was tickling your barely awake self. There were things to do, certainly, but your bed felt far too heavenly to be left already. The air had recently begun to smell like the promise of summer, and it paired so nicely with the flowers Aleksander always brought to your bedside table. Aleksander, you thought sleepily and slowly opened your eyes. You would have loved to curl into his lean body for a few more minutes before getting up, but it seemed like he had already so cruelly abandoned you. You were about to pout like a little baby when a soft morning wind carried the sound of laughter through your window. Aleksander must have opened it before leaving your shared chambers. Wanting to know the source of these joyous sounds, you slipped into your morning robe and stepped in front of the big window. After your marriage to the infamous Darkling, the two of you had moved your chambers to be closer to the Little Palace’s beautiful gardens. From where you stood now, your position on the second floor gave you the perfect view over them.

“There she is.” Your husband beamed with his lovely deep voice. He was looking up to you with nothing but adoration in his eyes, and you couldn’t help but smile yourself. Your daughter, barely even four, shrieked happily at your sight and sent another ray of sunshine your way. “Good morning, my love!” You called out to her. She ran up to her father, who picked her up so she could see you better. Your chest warmed at the sight of the two people you loved most in the world, the serenity in their expressions. “Good morning Mama!” She giggled back. You blew her a kiss, which she caught enthusiastically. “You should have awoken me!” You chided your husband. He smiled. “How could I, when you were sleeping so peacefully? Besides, we wanted to try if Ilona could get her sun rays all the way through to our bed. Did she manage it?” The proudest smile grew across your lips. “She did. You did amazing, honey. So amazing, that when I get down there, I’m gonna have to smooch you all over!” “NOOO!” She screamed and skipped away to the pond to look at her beloved fish. “Are you coming down for breakfast? I already had the servants set out a table.” You sighed happily and just looked at your husband for a moment. “You really do think of everything, don’t you?” The grin he sent you in response caused your knees to weaken. “Who would I be if I didn’t.” To hide your blush, you scrunched your nose and disappeared from the window to get dressed for the day. Only a short while later you had finally made it to the gardens, clad in the same colour as your husband: deep black. Upon seeing you, your daughter began to happily run towards you. Suddenly then she seemed to remember your threat of extra smooches and turned around, but it was too late. You caught up with her and gathered her into your arms, tickling and kissing her all over. She laughed loudly, only half trying to escape. “Good morning, little sunshine.” You finally properly greeted her once you were done, pressing a long kiss to the top of her head. She turned around in your arms and buried her face in your neck. “Did I do good with the sunray, mama?” You smiled and pulled her even closer. “You did so well, Ilona. I love you.” She leaned away to look at you, the brightest smile on her adorable little face. “I love you!” She responded and kissed your cheek. Saints, she was everything good and soft in the world come to life. “Can I go feed the fishies?” She asked enthusiastically. You grinned at her, forever enchanted by the little human that was so you and so Aleksander. “Of course you can. Go ask the servants, they’ll give you some food for them.” The Darkling, who had watched the interaction between you and your daughter, stepped forward with a happy smile. You were about to ask what specifically he was smiling about when he placed his lips on yours in a passionate kiss. There was barely anyone around, but the kiss’ immodesty still caused your cheeks to flush. “My sun.” He whispered, only for you to hear. “I swear you look lovelier by the day.” You sighed, still phased by the kiss, and slid your arms around his waist. “And I swear you get more charming by the day. Is it a thing of darkness, your cheek? I think I see some of it in Ilona.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to your temple. “I think that’s all you actually.” He nodded to where she was knelt on the edge of the pond, apparently talking to its inhabitants. “I only know one other being that can be so kind and yet so fierce.” For a moment, his words rendered you speechless, but then you pinched the fabric of his kefta. “Alright, Mr Darkling, now you’re overdoing it. Where is this breakfast you’ve promised me? I’m starving.”

Giggling like the two lovestruck Grisha you had been years ago, you set off to the little table laden with delicious breakfast foods. It gave you a perfect view of your daughter, close enough to see her, yet far away enough to allow her the space even she as a little person was owed. You and your little family spent most mornings like this: Breaking the fast together, you and your husband watching your daughter play, talking court politics while eating. There were unrests in Ravka again, unrests the old king didn’t seem capable of dealing with. “He’s a fool, and I wished I could see him gone.” You hummed at your husband’s words, staring at your tea in deep thought. If he had only been just a fool, you thought. He wouldn’t be any danger to anyone, then, but his empty-brained attempts at displays of dominance were costing the second army precious lives every time. But he was still the king, and the two of you were still just the second army’s general and his wife. “Careful with the treason talk so early in the morning, my love. I don’t think it’s all that becoming with my sweet roll.” He smiled and took your hand from across the table. You squeezed it and sent him a meaningful glance. “Besides, you never know who might be listening. You know I couldn’t bear it if the Lantsov family were to imprison you.” Aleksander sighed, now, and wistfully looked across the Little Palace’s grounds. Some Grisha were training in the far distance, Inferni, by the looks of it. His gaze was pensive, a look you well knew by now- he was planning something. But apparently, it was too early to let you in on his schemes yet. He just pressed a kiss to your knuckles and looked at you in earnest. “I promise you, my sun. One day, we won’t have to bow to anyone. Our world will only consist of our family and Grisha, and it will be safe. I promise.” An unexpectedly reverent feeling spread across the breakfast table. You nodded solemnly. “One day.” You whispered back. That seemed to please him because his face returned to the kind smiles he usually wore around you, and he pressed another kiss to the back of your hand. “I love you.” He mouthed at you, and you mouthed it right back. Then, as it tended to happen with a toddler child, the two of you were interrupted by Ilona climbing into her father’s lap. “Papa, can I have a dagger?” Both you and Aleksander snorted out a laugh at the determination in your daughter’s voice. She really was a force of nature, your little one- quite literally. Not fully in control of her powers yet, she seemed eternally surrounded half by darkness, half by light. No one had thought it possible, but so far it seemed she had inherited both yours and your beloved’s powers. Ballads were being sung about her in taverns ever since word of her powers had left the Palace walls and witch hunters trying to get to her ever since that, too. Now, Aleksander Morozova had always been concerned with the safety of all Grisha. But more and more often these days you found him pacing in his war room at night, or watching your daughter with far more than fatherly sorrow. It was an all-consuming fear and sorrow for her safety- one you shared. There was nothing you wouldn’t do to know her safe. Once you had been driven by ambition, then by love for your husband. But now such a fierce protectiveness spurred you on that caused you to think yourself capable of far greater evils than your husband had ever committed.

“Do you think the Second Army would follow us? If we were to split from the king?” Aleksander’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, his deep brown eyes finding yours. The two of you had been dealing with some late-night paperwork, General’s duties. As the sun summoner and, in addition, the Darkling’s wife, you almost held as much power and responsibility as him these days. Your husband put down his pen and pensively sank back into his chair. “I don’t know.” He uttered finally. “I wish they would, of course. But some Grisha are as loyal to Ravka as Otkazat'sya. Some of them do wish to serve their country. And some of them do love their king.” He grimaced at that, and you had to bite back a laugh. “Ravka’s eagle is double-headed for a reason, you know.” He continued, and you turned serious once more. The sentiment of Ravka’s duality was a nice one- but one that was destined to fail, in your opinion. The Grisha already lived so separated from the country’s regular citizens that it was almost ridiculous to even count them as part of them. Most Otkazat'sya seemed to condemn Grisha for their powers, and most Grisha seemed to look down on the Otkazat'sya. They both had their good reasons, you figured. But how much contempt, how much annoyance or even hatred separated non-Grisha from Drüskelle? You inwardly shuddered at the thought of Fjerda’s Army, with their repeating rifles and their ruthlessness. Aleksander’s hand on your shoulder caused you to return to reality. “What’s on your mind, my sun?” He asked, his voice ever so soft. Sometimes, with how much love he showed you every day, you forgot about how evil he could be, how hated he was by so many. “I-“ You began, then sighed. “I’m thinking about what you said the other day, at breakfast. About not having to bow to anyone. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, actually. What would happen if we were to take one of the eagle’s heads? Leave the people and their Lantsovs to themselves and found our own sovereign nation of Grisha power. It would be of the tsar family’s interest to stay in our good natures, we could trade their foods and goods for our protection. But on our own terms. And we would be safe, in a city of our own, protected by Fabrikator walls and your Darkness. Ilona would be safe.” Your husband had that look on his face again. That look of deep contemplation. “A safe place for all Grisha. Most importantly, Ilona. That’s all I’ve ever wanted in life.” He said quietly. You stroked his cheek, ran a hand through his hair. “I know.” You hummed. For a moment, you spotted a glimpse of the man he had been when your daughter had been born. He had been so eager to do everything right. So happy, yet so frightened and worried at the same time. His first words upon seeing the little bundle that was your newborn daughter had been “She’s so small”, accompanied by tearful eyes. She had been small indeed, so very little. During the first weeks after her birth, whenever you hadn’t been holding her, he had been. There hadn’t been a nanny, a wet nurse even. The both of you had been far too afraid to let your precious daughter out of your sight. Still were. She was your everything. You felt guilty for steering your nightly conversation down such a dark path, so you took his hand and lovingly squeezed it. “I trust you, Aleksander. I trust you to do what’s right for us as Grisha, and for us as a family. And believe me when I say I will be by your side for anything you ever decide on doing.” The smallest of smiles began to tug at his lips. “Come on now.” You said softly and breathed a kiss against his jaw. “It’s late, and it’s my matrimonial duty to distract my betrothed from any worries that might plague him.” He was fully smiling now, a familiar playful glint in his eyes. He tilted his head and looked at you with one raised eyebrow. “How would you think to go about doing that?” You returned his playful smile and got up to settle yourself right into his lap. Something dark flashed across his eyes, something that told you you wouldn’t yet sleep for many more hours. “What about this?” You whispered and experimentally ground down on him. A devious smile was on your lips. For a moment, he let you have the upper hand. Leaned his head back, breathed deeply. Sometimes, you were allowed to see him like this. To have him like this. Feeling bashful, you leaned forward to place a myriad of kisses against his neck. You could almost hear his heartbeat speeding up, his breathing growing heavier. His hands wandered to your waist, then to your hips. He used his strength to press you down on him, and it was then that you were done for. Your moment had ended, it was his turn now. Aleksander looked up at you with dark eyes, his pupils were blown wide and barely noticeable in the low lighting. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you sometimes.” His voice had dropped at least an octave deeper. “My perfect, perfect wife. My perfect sun, with a body so powerful. A body strong enough to bear life.” Feeling very vulnerable all of a sudden, you had to make an effort to bite back the tears that had risen to your eyes. Your husband truly always knew what exactly to say- even to a mother who sometimes found herself quite insecure in her new curves. “I love you.” You marvelled, kissing him softly. He smiled into the kiss and deepened it until you were both gasping for air. “Shall we retreat for the night, my sun?” You were about to respond when he lifted you up and placed you on the table the two of you had been sitting at. “Or do you want to taint this place forevermore? Curse it, so I think of being inside of you whenever I hold council here?” You innocently looked up at him through your lashes. Then, you smirked. That seemed to have been answer enough, because he was on you again in seconds, devouring every inch of skin he came across. “Do you remember our first night?” You gasped out between moans. Aleksander stopped in his tracks for a moment to look at you, lifted your chin with his fingers. He looked unravelled. Like he was merely dangling by a thread anymore. “You mean when I almost had you in the hallway, of all places?” You grinned and felt your eyes light up. “Exactly.” You whispered and leaned forward to capture his lips again. He groaned into the kiss. “Saints.” He panted. He seldomly addressed saints, if ever. It sent a wave of cocky satisfaction through you. “All this time with you, and you still find ways to catch me off guard.” Chuckling, you pulled him impossibly closer by his collar, crossing your legs behind his waist and grinding up against him. “I think it’s included in those matrimonial duties of mine.” “You’re going to have to- ah.” He took a deep breath. “-Send me a list of those.” You wanted to respond something, anything, but you didn’t get the chance to. Not while your kefta was being unclasped, not while his hands bunched up your skirts around your hips. “Do you want to go slower?” He asked, breathing heavily, his forehead leaned against yours. You closed your eyes for a moment, then smiled. You felt surrounded by your husband, by his scent, his presence, his arms. Most of all, you felt safe. A kind of safety only Aleksander had ever been able to provide for you. After a moment, you shook your head. “No.” You answered, nipping at his neck. “No.” You said again, sliding his kefta off his shoulders. “I want you. I need you. Now.” Suddenly, time seemed to speed up. You helped the Darkling unbuckle his pants, shrugged off your own coat, allowed him to rip most of your blouse open. The thoughts of witch hunters and civil unrests were still heavy on your mind, and you wanted him hard and fast, so he could take away all of your worries. Normally you weren’t as impatient as this. The two of you loved drawing things out in the bedroom, all teasing kisses and devilish grins. But today, things were different. Today you wanted to forget. Today you wanted to be overpowered by him. You didn’t even have the proper time to admire his length, for as soon as it had been exposed, it was already teasing along your folds. You sighed out shakily. “How badly do you want it?” Aleksander asked, one hand playing with your breast. “So badly, Aleksander.” He sighed at that, too. His name from your words would maybe never lose its effect. “If you were taken from me, I would kill. I would destroy entire cities to have you again. To have this again.” Your words almost felt as intimate as your wedding vows. They sent you both forward again, lips colliding in a clash of teeth. His tongue touched yours and sent a bolt of electricity down to your nether regions. “Nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing will ever take me from you.” He vowed back. With that, he entered you, and you both moaned out loudly. “Fuck!” He almost yelled. “How are you still so tight?” It was clearly a rhetorical question he didn’t want an answer for, for his hands were clasped around your neck. You allowed your head to drop back in pleasure and voluntarily clenched around him. “All for you.” You rasped out through his grip. He started fucking into you at that, the both of you losing your ability to form proper sentences once the so familiar fire started to spread between you. Somewhere, the edge of a book was pricking into your side, but it only spurred you on further. You always felt like the queen of the world like this- desired, full of pleasure, the most powerful man in the kingdom losing himself in you. You thought of how he would never be able to look at this table normally again, how he would twitch in that adorable way of his whenever people weren’t paying attention to him. Saints, you loved him. You loved him. Your heart felt warm and full, but so did you. At some point he hoisted you even further onto the table, his pace relentless now. But you didn’t care, you needed more, more, more. “Aleksander!” You gasped out when he brushed up against that place inside of you. “I love you.” You panted, tightening your legs around him. He looked at you like there was nothing else ever worth being looked at. Like you were a painting he could neither understand nor get enough of. With shaky hands he moved a few wayward strands of hair out of your face, then he cupped it in his hands tightly. “I love you.” He answered, stressing each word with a thrust of his hips. “Oh fucking saints, I love you. I’m so close.” “Let go.” You encouraged him seductively, tugging at the hair in the nape of his neck. “Give it to me, Aleksander.” His pace seemed to grow impossibly faster until it grew erratic. “My sun. My love, my goddess, I’m going to-“ With a loud moan, he came, his pulsating member spilling his seed into you. You helped him ride out his high, pulled him closer, clenched and unclenched in his rhythm. He shuddered at that; head buried in your neck. It was your moment once again. He was all yours to have. “I love you.” The two of you whispered at almost the same time and broke out into laughter. But the laughter caused you to clench again, and Aleksander winced from the hypersensitivity. “You’re just too tight, my love.” He almost teased and moved to remove himself from you. He wasn’t really in a state to tease again, yet. You pouted. “But I don’t want you to leave me. I always feel so empty afterwards.” He breathed a kiss to your cheek that could have well been a concealed laugh. Sometimes the two of you would stay connected like that for ages, neither of you willing to end this incredibly pleasurable state of warmth and satiation. But while that was easy to do on a bed, it wasn’t so much on a desk. “Besides.” You continued. “We’re going to make a mess.” Your husband looked at you, his lower lip caught between his teeth. “I like the mess.”, he said decidedly. “Leave it to the servants to be cleaned up. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? For someone to know what cursed, unholy things their Saint does for her evil husband?” You barely even blushed at his words. Saints, he had ruined you- in the best way possible. “Now come on, my sun.” He uttered. “If I remember correctly, you still need taking care of.” You shuddered at the thought of what was to come. His fingers inside of you, his lips on your most sensitive spot. Oh, how good you had it. Smiling and holding his hand, you followed your husband back to your chambers. He stayed true to his promise there- two times. Afterwards, you sleepily held him in your arms, your fingers drawing abstract, invisible designs onto the skin of his back. Through the connection the two of you shared you could feel his peacefulness as if it was your own, a sense of pride filling you. You were the one in whose presence he could relax, let his guards down- no one else. You pressed a gentle kiss to his hair, a silent ‘I love you’. “My love?” He murmured and pressed an equally soft kiss to your shoulder. “Hm?” You hummed in response and watched your husband straighten up so he was able to look you in the eyes. He sighed, visibly struggling to find the right words. “I want more children, as many you’d be willing to have. Brothers and sisters for Ilona, so she will never be alone. More time for us to experience holding a newborn babe again. But I fear for our daughter so much, every day. I fear for any future children of ours, even. And I think we’ve lived in fear for long enough. I’ve lived in fear long enough. I thought if we just waited for the king to die, waited for him to live out his pathetic mortal life, we could seize control one day. But I’ve been patient for centuries, and I’m tired of it. I think the time for action has come.” Aleksander’s words caused you to sit up, too, your heartbeat uncontrollably speeding up. “Will you fight with me, my love?” You pensively moved a strand of his hair away from his gorgeous features, then lifted your chin. “Always.” You breathed. The smallest of smiles lit up his face. Your husband leaned up to kiss you, then pulled you into his embrace. “We’ll change the world. For us. For our family.” You squeezed his arm in response. You truly would.

The next few months were spent meticulously planning the beheading of the ravkan eagle. Your mornings were spent in softness, laughing with your daughter, cuddling with her in bed, and then that softness was exchanged for the coldness of daily council meetings. Spies were seeking out the intelligence of the opinions of Grisha on a potential Grisha state, letters were being sent, fighting styles being trained. The king and queen would pose the smallest problems for your cause- they would either cooperate with the second army’s leaving or leave their lives. Angry mobs were your bigger worry- there was a smart way to go about the splitting off of the kingdom, and you were eager to take it, with as few casualties as possible. Then there was the question of your new country’s location. You didn’t need lands the size of Ravka, but you still needed space for houses, training facilities, farmlands. Surprisingly many Grisha were open to leading a simple life of caring for crops and animals, having long tired of the so-called ‘war effort’. Your council meetings grew with each week, more and more Grisha eager to take part in the founding of a home of their own. Fresh faces kept on turning up every week- a Suli Fabrikator here, a Shu Healer there. The once so spacious halls of the Little Palace were beginning to feel cosy, filled with the hope of new alliances forming. It was getting harder by the day to keep your efforts hidden from the king, and the time to strike seemed to be nearing. Ilona seemed to be feeling it, too. Her new favourite pastime was to make friends with as many of the new Grisha as possible. You and Aleksander had both felt apprehensive about it at first, but once you deemed her safe you realized how much power of her own she truly held. She was a symbol. A symbol of you and your husband’s strength, of a new generation of Grisha. A generation that would grow up in safety, without being trained to be used in fights their entire lives. The people in the Little Palace loved her, they had taken to calling her the ‘Grisha princess’. It made you partly proud, partly uncomfortable. You didn’t want her to be an instrument in your fight for freedom, just another weapon to be used, but you couldn’t hide her away, either. She was still small, and young, but she still deserved a life in the light. Late at night, when he was feeling particularly safe and vulnerable, Aleksander sometimes told you stories from his childhood, his youth. How his mother had eternally urged him to stay hidden in the shadows. It wasn’t a way to live, he had once said. And he was right. Ilona deserved her fishpond, her Grisha friends, her chance to openly use her powers. One day, you and your husband already deep into planning your coup, you watched her play with a young Squaller boy. They were both laughing loudly, their happiness more than contagious. You found yourself smiling, heart and body warmed by the afternoon sun. This was what you were fighting for. What you were always going to fight for. Freedom. Only a few weeks later, the time had come. The king was holding a ball, and it was the perfect opportunity for a show of strength. Countless honorary representatives had been invited, the perfect audience for what you were planning to do. You, your husband, and your legion were hoping for a peaceful encounter. The second army was going to show in its full strength, crowd into the ballroom and declare its conditions. You all hoped the sense of unity you had all started to feel would make itself noticeable, pose a threat. The council meetings with your fellow Grisha had long ceased to feel like generals talking to their subordinates. You were equals in your cause, and as the objectively most powerful Grisha, you and your husband were treated with the respect of such. Almost everyone doubtlessly acknowledged you as the heads of your operation, the rulers of Little Palace. The king, of course, was going to be appalled, yes enraged even over your actions. He would spew harmless threats at first, feeling ashamed and belittled for having missed out on developments of such a grand scale right under his eyes. But his power was by far no match for yours. It had come just as you had hoped it would. The king of Ravka had begrudgingly signed your declaration of independence after hours of discussions, angry tantrums and finally quiet pleads. The Grisha would have their own eagle from now on- no shared heads. You would claim lands west of the fold, protected from each side by mountains, the true sea and the world of shadows your husband had created so long ago. The people already living there would have the choice of continuing to stay there, or move somewhere else for a compensation. Grisha from all over the world would be welcome in this sanctuary- you had space and power enough to keep them all safe. Once the coup was over and done with, you sought out a moment alone with your husband. It was a few days after, and both of you had been stuck in nonstop meetings and conversations with fellow Grisha. There was the name of your nation to be decided on, the flag, the layout of your new city. You had been so busy even, that your victory still hadn’t fully registered with you. “Are you alright?” You nervously asked Aleksander in his private office. It was nicely cool and dark there, a welcome change from the Little Palace’s crowded halls. His eyes met yours at that, a smile reflected in them. He looked the healthiest you had ever seen him, a new vigour in the way he moved. Sometimes you forgot that, while you shared the same cause, it already had been his before that for centuries. His years of pain and solitude had finally paid off. “I am not just alright, my love. I’m overcome with joy. Don’t you see it? We’ve changed the world.” You bit your lip, suddenly feeling overcome with emotion and fairly vulnerable. Carefully stepping into his embrace, you took in his scent, sought out his ever so calming touch. Just like he had done in the very early days of your relationship, he wrapped the two of you in comforting darkness. “I’m a bit scared.” You admitted quietly, choked up with tears. “It feels surreal that we’ve won.” Aleksander sighed and pulled you closer to his body. He knew what you meant- he had felt it too. This fear of everything being ripped away as soon as you’d held it in your grasp. “I know.” He murmured and pressed a kiss to your temple. “But it is done. Our declaration has been signed by the king, his ministers. The first army will allow us to leave- or be met with our collected strength. You’ve seen the halls outside, the gardens. I don’t think as many Grisha as this have ever been in one place, in all of history.” You looked up at his face, the beauty of his finely chiselled cheekbones. He was pure strength, safety. As if to remind you of your own power, you filled the room with a golden glow. You were the legendary shadow and sun summoner, the two strongest Grisha who had ever lived- nothing was going to come into your way. You got onto your tiptoes and hugged him tightly, buried your head in his neck. He reached his arms around your waist, and his so familiar certainty flooded your bloodstream. “We’ll have everything.” You murmured, half incredulously. Your husband chuckled at that and playfully squeezed you tight. “I promised that, didn’t I? I think it’s part of my matrimonial duties.” You both laughed, pulling away to look into each other’s eyes. Aleksander caressed the side of your face, nothing but devotion in his gaze. “I know that this new reality is frightening. We have more to lose than ever. But we can carry this fear together. Turn it into something beautiful, something to last for centuries. We’re not alone as long as we have each other.” At that, you leaned up to kiss him lovingly. You both sighed against the other’s lips. It had been ages since the two of you had last had the time to lose yourselves in each other’s embraces. “We’ll have all the time in the world for this, soon.” You realized suddenly, happily. The darkling smiled. “We will. We will my love.”

A few months later, your husband stormed into your chambers. He exuded a wild sort of happiness, his eyes restless. First, he pressed a kiss to Ilona's head, then he picked her up and twirled her around. She shrieked with laughter, and you lowered the book you had been reading while your daughter had played into your lap. Aleksander’s eyes met yours, untamed joy written in his features. “It is finished.” He spoked, and as if struck by lightning, you got up from your seat. Your book clattered to the floor, and the loud sound sent your heart racing. “Is it really?” You quietly asked, eyes wide and incredulous. He nodded reverently, hugging Ilona close to his chest. “The head of the Durasts received the word just this morning. The Fabrikators have finished our city, based on the drawings we’ve both seen. It’s marvellous, according to their reports.” Your hand wandered to your heart, as if to will it to go slower. You breathed heavily, taking a moment to let the realization sink in. You would be safe, on your own terms. Not the king’s. Both you and your husband had been overseeing the construction of your new city from within the Little Palace’s walls, not wanting to leave until it seemed completely safe. For months, assorted groups of Grisha soldiers, healers and most importantly, Durasts, had been crossing the fold to make your shared dream of a Grisha nation come true. The Darkling stepped closer to you, put his arms around both you and your daughter. A giggle escaped your lips. “It’s done.” You breathed; happy tears in your eyes. Aleksander returned your look with equal happiness and leaned forward to press a kiss between your eyes. Ilona giggled, sensing the happiness of her parents. “We can start the moving nothing shorter than this week if you want to. They’ll need your powers for the fold.” Sending smaller groups through the fold was alright. But for the massive move you were planning, you would accompany the myriad of coaches and carts, to keep the Grisha and their belongings safe. “The two of you will be alright here, for a while?” You poked Ilona’s side, and both her and your husband laughed. “We’ll have loads of fun. We’ll have a parade to say goodbye to all the fish, and we’ll tour the Little Palace to pick out all the paintings Ilona wants to take with her.” You grinned happily. They’d truly be alright.

The move was exhausting but fulfilling. You crossed the fold several times a week, accompanied by carts stacked with furniture, livestock and necessary equipment. Once an Alkemi cart almost eradicated a group of Inferni, a sign of how nervous and eager everyone was to escape into a country of their own. Your favourite part was listening in on the other Grisha’s conversations while guiding them through the fold. There was a group of young tidemakers gushing about the prospect of seeing the true sea for the first time and playing with it, two Alkemi discussing how to maximize carrot harvests with the right mixture of sun and Grisha fertilizer. You hadn’t been to the new capital yet, only seen its buildings gleaming in the far-off distance. You wanted it to be a surprise, to set foot in it for the first time with your husband and daughter.

“Enjoying the view one last time?” You asked gently and leaned against the doorframe. Aleksander turned to look at you in surprise, looking a bit lost in the empty room. The time to leave had come, and he had been quietly saying his goodbyes to the Little Palace for the past week. The two of you stood in what had once been his office, now nothing but an empty room with a pretty view. Your husband sighed, something in his expression calling out to you. You walked up to him and allowed him to put his arms around you. “Where’s Ilona?” He asked softly. You smiled. “With the other children. I think they’re playing one last epic round of hide and seek.” That answer seemed to calm him, free his thoughts for other topics. The two of you stared out of the window in silence for a while. Eventually, he sighed. His chin leaned on your shoulder, and you could feel his apprehensiveness. “I’ve wanted to leave this godforsaken place for decades. To never have to see the Grand Palace again. But despite all of that leaving is…” He trailed off, his gaze wandering into the distance. “It’s harder than I expected.” You placed your hands on his arms around you, squeezed them gently. “You’ve built this place. It’s only understandable you find it difficult to leave behind.” He scoffed, and you knew that sound. He made it whenever he was feeling something he hadn’t expected to feel. “This was the first place I’ve ever felt safe in. The first at least relatively safe place for Grisha there’s ever been.” You gulped down a ball of tears. “You should be proud of that.” You whispered. At that, he finally smiled. “You’re right. This is a first draft- a product of the past. We’re moving into the future now.” Grasping one of his hands, you held it up to your lips to press a kiss against it. “Are there any things you still want to take with you? Any last thing you still want to do?” He turned you around in his embrace and pressed your back against the wall right next to the window. A playful glint was in his eyes now, and you were overwhelmed by the sheer happiness he exuded. “I could think of a few things.” He placed a naughty kiss against the side of your neck, and you giggled. “You’re insatiable.” He straightened back up to look at you again and took an impossible step closer to you. “For you? Always.” He breathed, and the time for laughter was over.

The move to your new home took about three days. You wanted to take your time, show Ilona the parts of Ravka she had never seen. But of all things, the Shadow Fold seemed to have awoken her interest the most. While the other children and many adults, too, huddled close for protection, she skipped ahead. Her head was continuously tilted upwards in an attempt to take everything in. “I think she’s sensing your power. It feels familiar to her.” You smiled, taking your husband’s arm. His gaze was fixed to your daughter’s small figure, and his eyes glistened suspiciously. It was only then it dawned upon you- the Fold had been his biggest mistake, his very own monster- an abomination. Seeing his own daughter treat it with so much innocent fascination must have stirred hurt parts of his soul you couldn’t even begin to imagine. Your smile died down into a face of quiet adoration. You took a step back and left Aleksander to have this moment by himself. After centuries, he probably had been starving for one like it. After a few minutes, he turned around, his gaze seeking yours. There weren’t many Grisha around, most of them had moved already, so he allowed himself to keep his guards a bit lower than he usually did in the presence of other people. You sent him an encouraging smile and caught up with him to take his hand. “Do you want to catch up with her? We should probably get back to the coach if we want to make it out of the fold by noon.” He returned your smile, then took off towards your daughter in quick strides. “I’m coming to get you, Ilona!” She put up quite the fight, but in the end, she curled into her father’s arms, still giggling. She had always loved playing catch with him, even when her legs had barely carried her for more than a few steps. You didn’t miss the way Aleksander first glanced at the Fold around him, kept at bay by your powers, and then buried his face in Ilona’s hair. He was cherishing every moment of this. The next day, Nostova’s walls finally appeared on the horizon. The name you had ended up deciding on for your new country meant home, and you already felt a fierce kind of pride for it. “It’s just like the drawings.” You marvelled while finally riding through the gates. The bright Fabrikator made walls gleamed in the afternoon walls, and behind every corner, something new took your breath away. Eventually, you finally arrived at the most important building- your new home. It slightly resembled the Little Palace but looked… homier. There was enough space for administrative offices, meeting rooms, ballrooms for celebrations and a great hall to receive visitors. Emissaries from Ravka or Grisha with petitions, things of that sort. Walking through it, an eternal look of astonishment seemed to take hold of your face. It took you everything not to openly gape at the beautiful furnishings, the symbol of your nation etched into the entrance hall’s stone. An eagle, half shrouded by shadows, half dipped in light. It looked proud, grim, protective. And not like the Ravkan eagle at all. But what you liked most of it all were your new private chambers. There was space enough for at least four more toddlers, a library of your favourite books, a sitting room with a painting of you and your husband. It felt regal and comfortable at the same time. There was a private little staircase from your and Ilona’s bedrooms to the garden, something Aleksander had specifically requested. The Fabrikators had outdone themselves, and you only hoped they would feel the same pride in their work as you felt looking at it. The compensation they had received for their work would allow them more than comfortable lives in Nostova, lives they would hopefully enjoy. Your heart almost bursting with happiness, you watched Ilona and your husband take your new living quarters by storm, your little princess loudly counting down everything she approved of. With an inward sigh, you realized how spoiled she was going to be here. But whenever you talked to Aleksander about that he never seemed to quite understand the problem. ‘Let her be spoiled’, he only always said. Sometimes you forgot just how wrapped around Ilona’s little fingers he was. An odd thought struck you at the sight of your little family. This, Nostova, would be the first time in so long Grisha families would be able to stay together. Children would have their mothers and fathers again, would be allowed to train their powers with them by their side. “You look a little choked up, my love.” Your husband said teasingly, coming to a halt in front of you. His breathing was heavy from all the running around with your girl, and his hair was a mess. The darkling you had first met at the Fold years ago would claw his eyes out at the sight. You grinned at him, completely at ease with your husband seeing your emotions. “I’m just beginning to realize what all of this means. It’s incredible.” He pressed a kiss to your cheek, at which Ilona demanded he return to her so they could explore the rest of your rooms. You and your husband shared a laugh, taking a moment to revel in your happiness. “I have a surprise for you later.” He whispered into your ear, and then he was gone, back to playing with your daughter. You had to refrain from fanning your face. Your cheeks felt very hot all of a sudden.

“Where are we going?” You whisper shouted, tightly holding onto your husband’s hand. This definitely wasn’t the kind of surprise you had expected. Aleksander chuckled and just kept dragging you in the direction of Nostova Castle’s main wing. After many halls and double doors, he finally came to a halt in front of a set of gilded doors. He positioned himself between you and them, an impish smile on his face. “I know I told you you’ve already seen most of the castle, but I wanted to keep this as a surprise for you. Show it to you when it’s just us two.” You lifted your eyebrows, your excitement starting to match with his. “What is it?” He bit his lips, seemingly conflicted. “Close your eyes.” He finally commanded. You breathed out a laugh in surprise but complied. “For someone who’s centuries-old, you really do behave childishly sometimes.” Your husband chuckled. “Now, dearest wife. Don’t stab where it hurts. Besides, you have centuries ahead of you yourself.” At that, you smiled. You did. Centuries by your husband’s side, centuries to watch your children grow up in peace and find love themselves. Your husband had already led you into the room behind the golden doors. Your steps echoed loudly, a sign of its probable grandeur. The two of you stopped and you felt Aleksander step behind you. “Would you give us a little light, my sun?” Smiling, eyes still closed, you called upon enough light to dip your surroundings in a light glow. “This…” He started, then sighed. “This is the most important room in the castle. We’ll receive guests here, announce decisions… open your eyes. This is our throne room.” Your eyes snapped open, and you couldn’t help the gasp that escaped your lips. Just in front of you, on top of a few stairs, two breath-taking chairs overlooked the room. To your feet, a stunning mosaic of a sun in eclipse was let into the floor. One of the chairs was made of part gold, part glass, the glass reflecting your light beautifully and sending it through the room in tiny specks. The other one was made of the darkest wood, silver stars worked into the back- and armrests. But that wasn’t even the most beautiful aspect of them. The chairs stood a few inches apart, but where they were closest to each other they bled into the colour of the other. The golden one’s side was dipped in black, the black one’s side in gold. They were undeniably yours. Still rendered speechless, you climbed the stairs and sat down in the golden chair. It was surprisingly comfortable, and from it, you could oversee the throne room in its entirety. It was beautiful and regal enough to put Ravka’s Palace’s rooms to shame. The Darkling looked at you nervously, awaiting a reaction. You smiled at him and beckoned him to join you. “It’s beautiful.” You said happily, a smile growing across your husband’s face in return. He sat down in his place next to you, and for a moment the two of you just sat there and took in the view. This was your status now. Sovereigns of your very own nation, with thrones to call your own. You got up from your seat, enjoying the Darkling’s eyes on you. You stepped in front of him and slowly curtsied, conjuring your best demure expression. “Moi soverennyi.” You breathed out, looking at him from beneath your lashes. He chuckled, but you didn’t miss the hunger flashing in his eyes. You had decided to stick with his old title and have people address you as such, too. Nostova felt like it had outgrown the concept of Kings and Queens, but you and your husband both still undeniably held the power over the state. Feeling bold in the dark of the night, you sank into your husband’s lap. He was quick to pull you close, put his arms around you. “How improper you are, my lady.” You stifled a laugh. “I had to see if yours is comfortable, too, didn’t I?” He chuckled and littered kisses against your jaw, your cheek, your neck. “I can’t even tell you with how much joy it fills me to see you so happy here. Ilona, too.” Still smiling, you played with fingers. “I am happy.” You confirmed. “Happy we finally have made our place in the world. Made it ours. At the perfect timing, too.” You felt Aleksander start at that, and he turned you in his lap so he could look at your face. “What do you mean?” He looked confused, and a bit scared. Deciding he could stay like that for a moment, you just took him in, smoothed his hair back. He was beautiful. Powerful, dangerous, yours. “Don’t you feel it?” It wouldn’t hurt him to tease him a bit more. Just like he always did when he wanted to feel what you felt he sought out the touch of your skin on his- and shuddered. “Oh my.” He whispered and touched you again as if to make sure. “My love!” His gaze locked with yours, wide with surprise. Then, the most brilliant smile split his sometimes eternal frown. “Is it really-?” You nodded and placed a hand on your belly. “Ilona will have her first sibling soon.” With that, Aleksander started frantically talking. “I must have been so distracted by all the planning that I haven’t even noticed it, I can’t believe it! Our second child! For how long! We must make preparations at once, call a Healer-” Tears of joy in your eyes, you shut him up with a kiss on the lips. “I’ve already talked to Asa, the same healer as last time. He figures I’m about four moons along. So there’s still plenty of time for us to prepare.” Aleksander just looked at you completely starstruck for a moment. “I love you.” He finally murmured. You smiled, placing your hand on top of his on your belly. “I love you more.”

Soon after, your first son would be born. Your lovely little boy, named Kiran. Ilona was completely smitten with him, just like you and your husband. After him, four more children followed. Some were sun summoners like you, some shadow summoners like your beloved husband, some both, like Ilona. But all of them would gain legendary status throughout the centuries. They would travel the world, help settle conflicts between the neighbouring countries that rose and fell as if in the blink of an eye. Nostova, on the contrary, remained eternal. Like you and your husband. Its peace had allowed Grisha to grow stronger than ever, and your nation now counted many thousand people as its citizens. Sometimes, your children would visit you in your capital. Some of them had settled down there, too, like Ilona. She had married a heartrender, and their children came to play with you and your husband on Sundays. Your life had become gentle, and kind. You could see it in your husband’s face, too, every day. Only the boldest of kings and queens dared threaten your home, and it barely happened for any of them to follow through with their threats. Neither you nor your husband had any regular fighting or defending to do. You had been allowed to devote yourselves to ruling justly and fair, raise a healthy nation. In the mornings, you stood by your bedroom’s window and watched young Grisha train the use of their powers. In the evenings, you fell asleep side by side, still giggling about the day’s happenings just like when you had both been young and restless. Grisha from all over the world had found peace. And so had you.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #darkling #general kirigan #darkling x reader #general kirigan x reader #ben barnes #ben barnes supremacy #ben barnes x reader #aleksander morozova #aleksander morozova x reader #sun summoner #grishaverse #leigh Bardugo #smut #villain reader

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fific7 · 3 years

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Into the Darkness / Part 4

The Darkling x Reader

A/N: The final chapter. This does not follow canon, it’s literally just lemon zest 🍋 ... I have a vision of Ben Barnes in his black Kefta and riding boots permanently stuck in my brain right now. Attempting to write it right out of there.

Warnings: 18+ please due to NSFW content. Some dom/sub interaction, being restrained, coercion, questionable consent (thankfully it takes place in a fantasy universe), sexual content including oral, loss of virginity, very rough unprotected* sex. I don’t mention her actual age, but Reader is not underage.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

[My GIF]

The Darkling looked at you with icy eyes. He took off his Kefta and threw it onto one of the chairs, and began unbuckling his trousers. “Take your clothes off, and get on the bed.”

He was furious. Jealous and furious. He fucked you for so long and so hard that you were weeping rivers of tears by the end of it. He’d stopped several times to pull you into a new position, before thrusting back into you and continuing his attack. Every time you gasped more loudly than usual, he smiled coldly at you.

He was fucking you from behind now. As he was about to come, he grabbed you by the hair and pulled your head back, hissing in your ear, “Remember who you belong to, little dove.” Tugging at your hair, he commanded, “Say it! Say who you belong to!” as he released his come into you.

“You... I belong to you, moi soverennyi!” you managed to say, breathing shakily from his prolonged physical assault on you. That’s what it felt like to you, an assault, a punishment. He’d never been so rough with you before, so relentless while he was fucking you. It was well over an hour since he’d pounced on you when you’d first lain naked on the bed, and he hadn’t let up once.

He rolled off you, got up and stalked into the screened-off bathing area, where you heard him taking a piss. You surveyed yourself while he was absent; bites, scratches and fingermarks - which would surely bruise - were apparent all over your body. Your breasts were sore from his incessant kneading of them, your nipples inflamed and painful from him constantly sucking and biting at them.

Your thighs were marked by his fingers and a pink rash from his beard was already showing between your legs. That same beard had also scratched and irritated your mouth and chin. He’d sucked love bites onto your neck, collarbone and breasts. You groaned and turned over to lie on your back, pulling the covers slowly over your abused body.

He walked back to the bed, pulling the covers back off and barking at you to get up and get on your knees. You sobbed, “Please, please...no, moi soverennyi....” He grabbed your arm and pulled you onto the floor. “Shut up and do it!” You wobbled up onto your knees, aware of his hard cock right in front of your face. “Open your mouth.” You did so, and he thrust into your mouth, pushing in so fast and so deep that despite all his recent schooling of you, you choked immediately.

He didn’t stop or back out, merely began roughly fucking into your mouth. Eventually you managed to draw in a breath, and tried to stop choking as he thrust in and out. You thanked the saints when you felt his warmth flooding your throat, and swallowed it as quickly as you could.

He allowed you to get back into bed, and you sank gratefully onto the mattress, pulling up the covers once more. He joined you, firmly grasping your jaw with one hand, “Never, ever, act like that with one of my men again.” He released you, lying down on his back. “You are mine,” you heard him say in a low voice, “mine!”

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It had taken you forever to fall asleep and when you awoke early the next morning, every single part of your body was aching. You were suddenly aware of a pair of grey eyes on you. His head was propped up on his hand, and he was just staring at you.

He rolled the sheet down until your breasts were exposed. Leaning over, he sucked on one of your nipples, grasping your other breast and groping it. You winced, they were so sensitive after all the manhandling they’d endured the night before. He saw your expression, but kept on doing what he was doing.

“I’m the only one who gets to do this,” he said, giving your breast an extra-firm squeeze, which made you gasp. “I’m the only one who gets to do this.” He kissed you, thrusting his tongue into your mouth. “And I’m the only one who gets to do this.” His head disappeared under the covers, and you felt him tonguing between your legs. “And this.” He parted your legs and you felt his cock there for a split second, before it sank into you. He moved fully onto you, pinning your hands on the pillows above your head and began to thrust.

Your eyes were watering as he ground into you, in pain but trying not to cry out. He reached his climax, and pulled out of you, releasing your hands. He lay on his back, staring at the material of the tent above him. “Your body has made me insane. You have made me insane.” You looked at him, “What do you mean?” “I’ve lost my mind over you, you’re constantly in my thoughts. I will .. not.. have you speaking with or being looked at by other men.”

You sighed, “So...what?....I have to remain locked away from everyone? How is that fair?”

He didn’t answer you, but got out of bed and started to get dressed. “Two of the serving women will come to you this afternoon,” he said, “do as they tell you.” He pulled on his boots, shrugged into his Kefta and left the tent.

You had no idea what that was all about. So you ran a warm bath, soaking in it and tried to soothe away all your aches and pains.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The two serving women in their white and gold Keftas arrived after you’d eaten a light lunch. They’d brought an extravagant black silk Kefta with them, along with some ivory silk underwear, and said it was all for you to wear this afternoon. You were completely confused. Why? Wear to what? But you knew better than to ask them.

They cast odd looks at you, lingering on the love bites visible above your robe, and on the fingermarks on your wrists. You felt jealousy swirling in the air, but steadfastly ignored it. You were used to everyone’s wary, jealous and strange reactions to you these days.

However, you soon found yourself in yet another rose oil bath, this time insisting you didn’t need their help. You could only imagine the rumours that would fly if they saw your ravaged body. After your bath, you donned the silk underwear and put your linen robe back on.

Your hair was pinned up in a loose swirl by one of the serving women, you were dressed in the new finery and were then brought by them to the large meeting tent. They left you at the main entrance, so you lifted up the flap and stepped inside.

You could see him pacing beside the large campaign table. There was an unfamiliar man on the other side of it, dressed in the grey of the Oprichniki. The Darkling turned to you as you entered the tent. His eyes looked like a glacier, freezing you with their icy intensity.

“Welcome to your wedding ceremony,” he said.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d stumbled slightly as he’d said that. “What?” you shrieked. His eyes closed in irritation, “Be quiet!”

He walked over to you, taking your hand in his and lifting it up as if you were going to dance. “We are getting married,” he stated. “It’s the only way I can still my mind, rid it of this unease.”

“What unease?” you asked. “The feeling that if I don’t make this official, it will cease,” he answered. “That someone may try to take you from me.” You looked at him, amazed. Had this all been triggered by a short, innocent conversation with Ivan? “I was merely conversing with Ivan,” you mumbled.

He laughed, but it was not with amusement. “You’re oblivious, aren’t you? All the men look at you with lust in their eyes, and want to possess you. They are jealous of me because I have you. The women are all jealous of you because you’re with me.”

Your gaze dropped from his. “I never asked for this, it’s your doing.” He nodded, “Yes, I know. But if I marry you, it will still all the tongues from wagging. It will also prove that it’s a permanent arrangement. That you will not be replaced. That I will not release you to be with other men.”

He walked you forward to the table. The Oprichnik, meanwhile, went to the main entrance and brought two more people into the tent. One of them was Ivan, the other unknown to you but also dressed in grey. Ivan looked extremely uncomfortable but gave you a short nod. These were the witnesses, you guessed. The original Oprichnik was also an ordained priest, you were told.

You took a deep breath as the brief ceremony commenced. How were you feeling about this? No discussion, no betrothal, nothing - it was all his decision. Anger boiled up in your veins, before subsiding as you realised - and accepted - that it would provide a high level of protection and security for you and your family. And it seemed you didn’t have any say in the matter anyway.

After the Oprichnik finished intoning the marriage vows, you were both required to respond “I swear an eternal oath to you by these vows.” Neither of you would be able to break this contract.

You were surprised when at this point the Darkling produced two black wedding bands from a side pocket, both of them with his symbol engraved on them. Yours was slightly thinner than his, and he slid it onto your ring finger before kissing it, and your finger.

You placed his ring onto his finger, following suit by kissing it and his finger. And that was it. Ten minutes and you were bonded to each other for eternity in the eyes of the saints. He leant in and kissed you softly. It was in complete contrast to his earlier treatment of you, and you felt even more conflicted about this dark, mysterious and still dangerous man.

There were toasts with kvas, and then you both left to walk back to your tent. You noticed that Kirigan had taken a very long and circuitous route back through the Camp, and he had placed your left hand on his right arm. He’d then placed his left hand over yours, so that both rings were prominently on display. You realised that this was his very public wedding announcement to the Second Army. The whispers and wide-eyed looks you both received as you walked through the Camp were quite something to hear and see.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were introduced - albeit it briefly - to an entirely different General Kirigan on your wedding night. One who took his time to remove your clothes, layer by layer. One who tenderly stroked your face as you lay next to him in bed, one who very gently entered you after kissing you until you’d run out of oxygen. One who gasped out, “My wife!” as he released his come into you. Who placed kisses on your breasts as you drifted off to sleep after sex. He didn’t disturb your sleep any further that night.

In the morning, he’d brought you tea and sweet bread to wake you with. You stretched, sitting up as he placed the tray onto the bed beside you. “Good morning, wife,” you heard, as you looked over at him. He was already dressed.

“Good morning, moi soverennyi,” you replied, but he shook his head. “You should address me as moi muzh,” he said, “...which is ‘husband’. Also lord, bedfellow, helpmate.” You nodded, “As you wish, moi muzh.” He smiled at you, gently moving a strand of your hair back from your face. “I will address you as moi zhena.... ‘wife’.”

His fingers strayed down to your breasts, cupping one of them and rubbing his thumb over your nipple. “I wish I could spend more time with you ... and these beautiful breasts....” his gaze dropped to where his thumb was, “...but I have an important strategy meeting I must attend. It shouldn’t take long.”

His eyes darkened to stormy grey, “And I’ll then expect my wife to be ready to pleasure her new husband.”

You nodded, “Of course, moi muzh.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d dozed back off, enjoying some alone time and recharging your inner batteries somewhat. Then you felt a hand on your shoulder, shaking you, and the bedclothes were pulled back. Your eyes opened and met his grey ones. He was already naked, moving onto the bed next to you, pulling your nightrobe up and off over your head, his eyes roaming greedily over your body.

His hands, unsurprisingly, went straight to your breasts and began massaging them. You sat up, moving your arms a bit so that he had better access to them. You’d accepted his obsession with them, and now acquiesced to every touch. Apart from anything else, he was now your husband, and you were under oath to obey him in everything.

His stiffened cock was already leaking pre-cum, and you readied yourself. Not a moment too soon, as he then straddled you, parting your legs and sinking into you. You gasped as he started moving on you, back to a fast pace and deep thrusts.

You’d been moaning softly at each thrust, when suddenly you were aware of another presence in the tent. Your eyes widened as you looked over his shoulder; no-one ever came in except by invitation. A sound of a throat clearing, and the Darkling’s head whipped round. It was Ivan, looking both incredibly embarrassed and in great fear.

“Forgive me, moi soverennyi,” he muttered, “you know I wouldn’t normally intrude but there’s been a report of...”

You’d been shielded from Ivan’s sight by The Darkling’s body, but now he also pulled up the bed covers over the two of you. “Get out,” he hissed at him, “I’ll see you outside when I’m finished.”

Ivan swiftly left, and you wondered if he’d also taken leave of his senses. He surely must’ve had a fair idea of what Kirigan would be occupied with when he returned to his tent after the meeting.

Kirigan turned back to you, he’d slid out of you when Ivan had come into the tent. “Where were we?” he smirked. He pulled you back towards him, giving his length a couple of strokes before pushing back inside you, continuing where he left off. Once he’d released into you, he got up and started re-dressing himself.

He left the tent, returning twenty minutes later looking angry. “That was a complete waste of time.” You were sitting up in bed and smiled at him, “Then what was his real reason for disturbing you, moi muzh?” He shrugged out of his Kefta, placing it on the chair, before turning and looking at you. “Why do you think? He wanted to see me fucking you so he can relive it in his dreams and pretend it’s him, moi zhena.”

You cast your eyes down, “He finds me so attractive?” He laughed, “Of course he does! Every time he looks at you, he wants to fuck you senseless.” You looked back up at him, “Are you going to punish him, moi muzh?” Again he laughed, “No! He is already being punished, every single moment of every single day, knowing that you’re mine and that he will never have you. Why do you think I made him one of the witnesses to our wedding?”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

A few days later, you awoke to a stiff cock hovering at your lips, so you obediently opened your mouth and lay there as Kirigan thrust far down to the back of your throat. You swirled your tongue around it and sucked on him as hard as you could, just as he’d instructed you. When you felt his warm release in your throat, you swallowed it down, coughing slightly when you weren’t quite fast enough.

He’d then followed his usual morning routine of fucking you a short time later, before dressing and going to his first meeting. Once again, an hour later, an Oprichnik came to your tent and said you were to attend at the meeting tent. Now familiar with what this would lead to, you followed him over there and waited in the side room. Kirigan marched in a few moments later, sitting in the chair and pulling you onto his lap as he unbuttoned his fly. His hard length was inside you in seconds, and you moved quickly on him to bring him to his climax so he could return to the meeting.

He pulled your face to his and kissed you hungrily. He drew back, looking intensely at you but saying nothing. You stood up, rearranging your clothing as you did so and preparing to leave. “Wait,” you heard, and you turned to him. He stood up, re-buttoning his fly, approaching you and placing his hand on your cheek. “You know that this is not just about sex, don’t you?”

You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. He continued, “I married you because I wanted to fully claim you. But...” he hesitated then went on, “I also feel love for you.” You gasped, amazed at his confession. “You do?” “Yes, I do.”

You were silent. What did you feel for him? Attraction, fear (still), respect for his power, grateful for his protection, possessiveness.... but love? You looked up at him.

“I do have feelings for you, moi muzh. I think love is mixed in amongst them.”

He smiled down at you, “I’m glad to hear you say that. I hope that love will soon be dominant over the rest.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The next morning after Kirigan had left you, you had to run to the bathing room to vomit into the bucket there. This happened again twice in the afternoon. When this began to happen on a daily basis, he called one of the medics to examine you. Your monthly cycle had been due two days before and it hadn’t put in an appearance yet.

After carrying out a thorough examination and asking several more questions of you, the medic declared that you were indeed pregnant. The Darkling smiled broadly and kissed you, pulling you close against him.

“Well done, little dove. You are carrying my child.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

He was even more attentive to you after that. And as the days and weeks passed, your belly swelled, your breasts became even fuller - much to his delight - and your mood swings were atrocious. Even the Darkling didn’t feel brave enough during those to challenge you, when you said you didn’t feel like sex.

He still got his fair share on a daily basis, of course; since you’d come into his life, the Darkling was no longer prepared to go without sex, so he was still on you at least twice a day but had toned down his dominant preferences due to your condition.

But eventually, one evening you and he were looking at the grey eyes and dark hair of a miniature Darkling, who was named Aleksander.

The Darkling looked at the two of you, a smile on his lips. You saw the love in his eyes for you and this child.

“My son,” said the Darkling, placing his hand on the baby’s head and laying his other hand on your face, “my wife. I love you.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

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