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rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 4 months

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A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter III - Set in Stone

Chapter Summary: You and Aleksander grow closer still. He is your comfort. You are his rock. But are you still friends? Or is there something… more?

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Ivan/Fedyor Kaminsky

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Fedyor Kaminsky, Ivan, Pavel, Baghra, Zoya Nazyalensky

Word Count: 3908

A/N: Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089923471/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089802384/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089794945/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089796653/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089798507/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089949563/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089796662/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089958423/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089792243/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089786954/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089783730/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

Thank you so much for all the kind comments and likes! It really means a lot to me that you enjoy this story and let me know about it. Thank you! ❤️

It's been months since you've started the work on the new skiffs and the beginning of your friendship with General Kirigan. By now everyone knows you two are best friends. It still bewilders them. And makes them jealous. You hear them whispering, talking ill about you. It bothers Aleksander more than you. You're used to such comments. It upsets the Darkling even more. But you somehow manage to stop him from slicing the whole Little Palace with his shadows. Barely.

One day, you take some Grisha and go to another city for materials you need. As usual, you insisted on checking their quality personally. This time Aleksander can't accompany you, so he really reluctantly agrees for you to go. You complain about it, saying he doesn't trust you nor your abilities, nor powers of his own Grisha. He gives up just to stop you talking.

However, you don't return the day you're supposed to. The Darkling gives you one more day, before he takes some of his men and sets out to meet you. Instead, he finds a massacre. All Grisha from your group on the road, dead, bloodied.

'A work of Fjerdans,' Fedyor says grimly, finding a weapon typical for your northern neighbour. But Aleksander doesn't seem to hear him. He looks frantically at the bodies, searching for any sign of you.

'General,' he hears Ivan strained voice. Kirigan rushes to him. He stops, seeing now what his Heartrender has found. Your bloodied and torn kefta. And that's all.

'Must be the work of their wolves,' Pavel, an Inferni, says, joining them. Aleksander clenches his fists. He doesn't comment. He orders to collect the bodies and return to the Little Palace. All but Ivan return. General sends him to search the woods for any survivors.

In the evening Fedyor gives Kirigan his report on the matter in the Darkling's bedroom. Once he's done, he falls quiet. He sees General is lost in his thoughts. He hasn't let his emotions shown all day.

'You're hoping Ivan will find her, aren't you, sir?' Fedyor asks, not being able to hold it. Aleksander flinches. He looks at his Heartrender.

'You think that because we haven't found her body, she's still alive,' Kaminsky guesses. Kirigan doesn't answer at once.

'She was a fighter,' he finally says, looking out of the window he stands by. 'She really was. I've watched people tear her down and then ask for her help. And she would help them. She would spend hours helping them. I've always admired and hated that part of her.'

Fedyor is silent. He knows that by talking about you in such way and in past tense, General is trying not to have too much hope. But he still has it. Even if only a bit.

'I know there's a small chance she's still alive,' he says. 'But like I said… she's a fighter. If anyone made it out, it's her.'

'She doesn't have a battle training,' Fedyor points out. Aleksander smiles slightly.

'She doesn't need it,' he says and turns his back to the Heartrender, letting him know the conversation is over. Fedyor bows (not that the General sees it) and leaves the room.

At night, something awakes Kirigan. He keeps his eyes closed, but uses his other senses to figure out what's wrong. Suddenly, he lunges forward and presses the knife he always has hidden under his pillow to the person hovering about him. He freezes immediately.

'A knife?' you ask, looking curiously at the weapon, and then back at Aleksander. 'Are you flirting with me? Because that's a really pretty knife. Any Durast would start crying seeing such good craftmanship.'

'[Y/N],' Aleksander says, stunned. He drops his knife. In a moment his arms are around you. You're both surprised by this display of affection. Still, you put your arms around him and pat his back awkwardly.

'Yeah, it's me,' you say. 'Don't worry, I didn't return as a ghost to haunt you.'

'Don't even joke like that,' Aleksander scoffs and pulls away. 'What happened to you?'

'I was taken hostage,' you sigh, falling on the bed next to him. 'Apparently, they somehow found out we're trying to make better skiffs. And that I'm responsible for making that happen.'

'So, they attacked your group and took you hostage,' Aleksander sighs. You nod.

'I tried to fight back. I lost my kefta in a struggle. I've heard you found it. The blood wasn't mine, by the way.'

'Then whose?'

'A Fjerdan. It splattered on me after I cut out his eye.'

'… You did what?'

'Well, stabbed his eye, to be more precise. But then it fell out of his-'

'Stop. I beg you.'

'Right. Anyway, they took me with them and set up a camp a few hours away. They wanted to torture me in Fjerda to get answers about how we're doing. And then kill me.'

'But you escaped.'

'No.'

'No?'

Aleksander frowns. You smile softly at him.

'You sent Ivan to find me,' you explain. 'He saved me. And killed Fjerdans. He was very angry. I think he has a soft spot for me.'

'Because he killed Fjerdans?' Kirigan asks, trying to supress a smile.

'That and he kept giving me lectures on a way back,' you add. 'While forcing me to have his kefta around my arms. And he kept asking if I'm alright.'

'He never asks me if I'm alright,' Aleksander says, frowning and almost pouting. You giggle. He scoffs and bumps your shoulder with his. You grin at him. You sigh after a moment.

'I should go,' you say, standing up. 'I just wanted to let you know I'm alive. I'll let you rest.'

General grabs your hand. You look at him, puzzled.

'I'm really glad you're okay,' he says. You smile at him and squeeze his hand.

'Sleep well, Aleksander,' you say. Kirigan lets go of your hand.

'You, too, [Y/N],' he says. You nod at him and leave his chambers. The Darkling falls back on his bed, but it's a long time before he's asleep again. His heart is beating fast and his head is full of images of your face. Of you. Alive. And back with him. He smiles with his eyes closed and finally falls asleep.

Sometimes, it still happens you don't come to your daily ritual tea with Aleksander on time. He could be more annoyed, but he is late sometimes as well, because of some meetings or other business. You never complain. Maybe tease him sometimes. So, when one day you don't show up for a long time again, Aleksander walks to your workshop, not indenting to scold you, because he knows how important is your work to you, same as his for him.

He expects to find you hovered over some materials, trying to figure out how to use them for creating a skiff. Maybe with a deep frown of concentration on your face. Instead, he sees you sitting by your worktable, yes, but with your head placed on your folded hands and staring into the space, with a sad expression on your face.

Aleksander is confused and doesn't reveal himself, trying to figure out what's wrong. He doesn't and he knows you won't tell him if he's going to just ask and insists on it. So, he thinks of an ingenious plan to make you reveal your problems from your own will. Step first: cheering you up. Even if you don't tell him what troubles you, he still has to do it. He thinks of a way and remembers one of your conversations.

You were in his chambers. The sun was setting and it was shining in your eyes. You were narrowing them, so not to get blind. Aleksander covered the room in shadows, blocking the sun a bit. You smiled.

'I like when you summon your shadows,' you admitted. He looked at you with surprise. No one ever had told him they liked his shadows. People were usually afraid of them. And you liked them? He's not summoning them that much in your presence, only when he saw you could use a little dark, but still…

'You like them,' he repeated slowly. You nodded enthusiastically.

'They make me feel safe and… homey,' you explained. 'Maybe because they're part of you and whenever you're around I know nothing bad can happen.'

He looked at you, bewildered. His face made you laugh.

'Oh, don't look at me like that!' you chuckled. 'Anyway, I've always preferred the night from the day.'

And he couldn't help it. He smiled, feeling warm inside.

It takes him a mere second to cover the workshop with his shadows. You jerk your head up, surprised. You smile slightly, understanding, and look at the door. Kirigan already feels proud because of that smile.

'Aleksander,' you greet him. 'I'm late, aren't I? I'm sorry. I will join you in a moment.'

He doesn't walk away. He walks closer instead. He extends his hand to you. You look at it, puzzled.

'Please, dance with me in the dark,' he says, his voice so smooth you shiver.

'But… there's no music,' you say, but still give him your hand. He pulls you up and presses to his chest. He places his other hand on your waist. You put yours on his shoulder.

'We don't need music,' he says and starts leading you in a dance. You're glad it's so dark thanks to Aleksander's shadows. You're sure you're red as a tomato. Because it feels strange and wrong to dance with him, especially like that. But also, it is surprisingly good…

You're not sure how long you two are dancing. Time doesn't matter when you're in his arms, staring into his eyes. But when you two stop and pull away, you almost wish to grab him again. Instead, you two sit by your worktable.

'I'm not stupid,' you say. 'You want me to share my troubles with you.'

'I also wanted to cheer you up,' Aleksander adds.

'Well, you succeeded in that,' you concede. He smiles.

'I'm glad,' he says. 'And about the other one?'

You sigh. You look away. You're silent, trying to gather your thoughts.

'Remember that Durast I was seeing?' you ask finally.

'The one I think is not good enough for you?' Aleksander asks grimly. He has no idea why he doesn't like him. But he feels irritated whenever he sees you two laughing and talking.

'Well, turns out I wasn't good enough for him,' you say sadly. Kirigan stiffens. He feels rage inside him. He calms down for your sake.

'Or rather, it was never about me,' you say bitterly. 'He just wanted to use me to get in your good graces. When he realised that I'm not going to do that, he ended our… relationship. Saying I'm not what he wants.'

'And with that he achieved the opposite of what he wanted,' Aleksander says and ponders. 'Maybe I could send him on the next skiff to get rare materials from the other side of the Fold?'

'Stop it,' you say, rolling your eyes and elbowing General's side. But you're touched he wants to take revenge in your name. You sigh.

'I shouldn't be surprised, really,' you say. 'It's not like the first time. I'm always either used, replaced or forgotten. I understand that. But what I don't understand is why.'

Tears well up in your eyes. Aleksander frowns at you.

'I always try my hardest to make people happy and to mean something to them,' you say, your voice breaking. 'But it never works. I'm always worth shit to everyone, every time.'

You can't stop the tears from falling from your eyes. Aleksander cups your face and swipes away the tears. He looks at you intensely. He wants you to believe what he's about to say.

'Not to me,' he says firmly. 'You're worth so much to me. You're my best friend. And I'd rather fight the army of Volcras then to forget about you.'

You chuckle. Aleksander smiles slightly.

'You are not hard to love,' he says seriously. 'You just asked the wrong person to try.'

'Yeah, my "right" person,' you sigh, looking away. Aleksander frowns. He forces you to look at him again.

'You don't believe it,' he says. 'That someone could love you.'

'Well, it didn't happen so far, did it?' you say, trying to sound nonchalant. You seem to become smaller. And it makes it click for Aleksander.

'Your father,' he guesses and you flinch. 'Your father didn't love you, so you assume no one else would either.'

You're stubbornly silent. Aleksander shakes his head and pulls you in for a hug. You try to pull away but he's having none of it.

'One day, you will meet that right person,' he says strongly. 'The person who will love you. Because that's what you deserve, not the people like that… whatever-his-name-is. You deserve someone who's gonna treat you like you matter every day. Not just when it's convenient for them.'

'Someone like you?' you hum.

'Well, I hope I'm treating you like you matter every day, because you do, but I seriously hope you'll get someone who is not like me,' the Darkling answers. 'You deserve someone better.'

You smile slightly at that. Kirigan answers you with the same.

'Thank you, Aleksander,' you say softly. 'Truly.'

'Any time,' General says. You stare at each other for a second.

'Tea?' you ask.

'Yes,' Aleksander confirms and moves away. He calls his shadows back. He waits for you to gather your things and together you leave the workshop. Hand in hand.

Next day Kirigan is having tea with Baghra, the Grisha's teacher. And, which no one knows, his mother. It's awkward and tense. As usual. Baghra also keeps shooting him looks. Aleksander finally can't take it anymore.

'Just spit it out,' he sighs. 'What is it?'

'I've heard you're spending awfully a lot of time with that Durast girl,' Baghra says slowly after a moment. '[Y/N]. What do you need from the poor girl?'

'Really, mother?' Aleksander scoffs. 'I become friends with someone and you already accuse me of wanting something from them?'

'Friends?' Baghra repeats and chuckles dryly. 'I find that hard to believe.'

'I've had friends before. Not that you were making it easy for me to make them.'

'Maybe, but I find it hard to believe you're friends with a girl like [Y/N].'

'A girl like [Y/N]? Care to elaborate?'

'Kind. Full of light. People like her don't belong with our darkness and shadows.'

Aleksander stares at her. He had such thoughts, of course, he did. But then you said you prefer night from the day. Darkness from light.

'How do you even know what kind of girl she is?' he asks.

'I trained her, too, you stupid boy,' Baghra scoffs and her look softens. 'She was extremely bright for her age. And powerful. But what was always really hitting me, was that look in her eyes. I saw in them-'

'Peace,' Aleksander finishes quietly. 'And gentleness.'

'Exactly,' Baghra confirms. 'That's why she's not someone I imagine as your friend. So, what do you what from her? Because the poor girl has suffered enough manipulation and that's not something that should happen to the person in her age.'

Aleksander slowly stands up. Baghra looks up to meet his gaze.

'That's where you're wrong, mother,' he says calmly. 'Yes, she's gentle and kind. But she's also strong and… full of energy.'

He starts pacing around the old woman's hut. She barely manages not to look at him with confusion.

'Whenever I'm around her, I feel alive,' he confesses. 'For a short while, I can forget about my demons. That's why she is my friend. We both give the other what they need.'

'And that would be?' Baghra asks, irritated. Aleksander stops and looks at her.

'She needs a friend who values her, makes her feel safe and appreciated,' he says. 'See her for who she is. And I need someone who will pull me away from my plans, ambitions, demons…'

Baghra is speechless. Her son stares at her with fire in his eyes.

'I am her warmth,' he says. 'She is my peace. We need each other. So, no matter what will you say or do… and I warn you against doing anything to destroy our friendship… I will not give it up. Give her up. She doesn't deserve it.'

He looks at his mother coldly one last time and leaves the hut, the door slamming after him. Baghra sits in silence for a few minutes.

'Stupid boy,' she whispers after a moment, stunned, and shakes her head. 'He has no idea…'

If she was to follow Aleksander, she would witness him meeting you on the way back to the Little Palace. His irritated walk slowly becomes calm. And when you notice him and smile at him, he can't help but do the same.

'Good morning, General,' you say teasingly. 'What are you doing outside so early?'

'I had some things to discuss with Baghra,' he says. Not a lie and not a full truth.

'Hm, I haven't seen her in a while,' you say thoughtfully. 'Maybe I should pay her a visit.'

Over my dead body.

'I think you're the first person who willingly wants to visit her,' Aleksander says instead of his thoughts. You grin at him.

'I think she has a soft spot for me,' you say. 'She uses a slightly less bitter tone when she speaks to me.'

'Ivan, Baghra… How is it you manage to wrap the grumpiest people around your little finger?' Aleksander asks, raising his eyebrows. You look at him mischievously.

'Don't forget about you,' you tease him. The Darkling laughs.

'I suppose you're right,' he says. He is confused by the soft smile forming on your lips and warmth in your eyes.

'I love making you laugh,' you say, surprising him. 'Because for those few seconds I made you happy and seeing you happy… it makes me happy too.'

Kirigan stares at you, stunned. He smiles after a moment.

'Sounds like a good reason for me to be happy more often,' he says. You grin.

'I'm afraid for that to happen I would have to murder about half of the court,' you joke.

'You jest, but I'm afraid that's actually true,' Aleksander sighs. You tap your finger on your chin.

'Well, I don't think I can kill them… but I can always make them anaemic?' you suggest. General laughs again and you grin, proud of yourself.

'Ah, all that's good has to come to an end, it would seem,' the Darkling says, seeing someone behind you. You turn and see Fedyor coming your way. He smiles to you and stops by your side.

'[Y/N], I'm afraid I have to ask you to stop your magic that makes General laugh so hard,' he says and Kirigan rolls his eyes. 'We need him to be serious and terrifying for the meeting with the generals of the First Army.'

'I was trying so hard to make him laugh, Fedyor, you know?' you ask, in mock offence.

'We both know you didn't,' the Heartrender denies.

'Forgive me, [Y/N],' Aleksander says, wanting to stop you two. You shake your head.

'We both have our duties,' you say. 'Seventeen?'

'On the dot,' Aleksander confirms. You lean conspiratorially to him.

'Remember, say a word "anaemia" and I'll try my best,' you whisper. Kirigan chuckles and shakes his head fondly at you. He squeezes your arm and follows Fedyor. You go your own way. Which happens to be the training grounds. A friend has sent you a note, asking you to meet her there.

You aren't really good friends, but you have a good relationship and can always count on each other when you need it. People are still surprised by it. You think they expect you two to despise each other, fight for the Darkling's attention. But strangely enough, neither of you ever thought of that. You just hit it off one day and ever since spend time together from time to time.

'I really hope you didn't ask me to come here to watch as you kick some poor guy's ass, Zoya,' you say, as you reach your friend. Around you two other Grisha are training with Botkin.

'Even if it's Pyotr?' Zoya asks, giving you a look. You stiffen.

'You heard, then?' you ask. The Squaller scoffs.

'It's all he can talk about today,' she explains. 'And you know how rumours like that love to spread.'

'Great,' you murmur.

'Does General know?'

'Yeah, I told him yesterday. Or rather he tricked me to telling him.'

'Hm. I can't wait to see what he does to Pyotr. He hates when someone hurts his best friend, after all.'

'… He already considers sending him to the Fold.'

'He wants to feed Volcras with him? Not a bad idea, I must admit…'

'For the supplies, Zoya! Saints. It's not funny.'

'I know, I know.'

For a moment you watch the training Grisha in silence. Zoya keeps glancing at you.

'To be honest, you're holding up much better than I thought you would,' she says. You think before answering her.

'I didn't believe he's the one, to be honest,' you finally admit. 'Maybe because I don't really believe someone could love me, thanks to my darling father.'

'Or your heart simply knew it's not him,' Zoya counters.

'And when it does?' you sigh. 'How can one tell it's them?'

'Oh, there are many ways to tell,' your friend says, smiling. 'But I believe in one.'

She turns to face you. You frown at the serious and sincere look in her eyes. And by the warmth in them. Zoya is always cold. Like Fjerda. No, Fjerda is much warmer than her.

'It all comes down to the last person you think of at night,' she says and her look softens. 'That's where your heart is.'

You stare at her, bewildered. In a second, she's back to her cold demeanour.

'Tell anyone I said that, I'll feed you to the ducks,' she threatens.

'Said what?' you ask. Zoya nods with satisfaction.

'Exactly,' she says. Just then Botkin calls for her. She sighs and squeezes your arm.

'I wanted to see how you are and I'm glad you're not in as bad shape as I thought,' she says.

'Thanks,' you say, rolling your eyes.

'But if you need to talk, find me later,' the Squaller says, her words contrasting with a stern look she gives you. You smile at her.

'I will,' you say. 'Thank you, Zoya. Truly.'

Your friend winks at you and hurries to fight a Grisha pointed to her by Botkin. You watch her for a moment longer, then head toward the workshop, feeling better than last night.

The rest of the day you work on the skiff. Pyotr is clearly displeased you're not a mess and that you're even smiling. At seventeen o'clock you have a tea with Aleksander and then you return to work some more.

It's late at night when you reach your room. You sketch some new ideas and prepare to sleep. Once you're in bed, you think about the good things. You smile when your thoughts drift off to Aleksander and how danced with you. You really felt good then. So happy and loved-

Your eyes snap open.

Oh. Oh.

… You're screwed.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could.

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/133572463

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baby-alien11 · 1 year

Note

hi!! i loved your tolya fic, and i was wondering if you could write some more about him?? maybe reader goes with tolya and the crows to fetch the sword and that scene where they're all hallucinating because of the poison and tolya is like trying to protect reader until they all pass out? just imagine the angst and comfort that comes with it and the aftermath </3 thank you so much!!

Hi anon, thanks for sending the request, and I'm glad you liked my previous Tolya fic

I hope you like this one, literally, this one of the first things I saw when I woke up the morning you send it

Of all the adventures that you had been in your time as a member of the Sturmhond crew, well prince Nikolai crew, this was the most important of all

While a part of the crew stayed to control the situation with the Darkling, his sidekicks and the shadow, you, Tolya and Zoya traveled to Ketterdam to recruit the crows to get help to get a sword that would help to destroy the creatures that lived at the shadow

During the trip, Zoya made sure to stay away from you and Tolya to give the both of you some space, but mostly was because she didn't want to hear all the poetry that the heartrender recite to you

Most people would found it annoying, but for you it was lovely because that was the way he made his way to your heart

Convincing the crows to join was easy the moment they knew there will be a economic compensation, so during big part of the day while Kaz and Nina investigate where they could find the sword, the rest of you were gattered around that part of the city, you and Tolya were trying food from the stalls while he explained the plate that both of you were eating

When the night arrived, you, Tolya, Kaz, Inej and Jesper entered the Ohval's house, while Wylan stayed outside, but soon the five of you realised that you were trapped and some orange smoke was entering the small space

But even with your Inferni powers and the efforts of all of you, the smoke was starting to make effect on you taking your breath away, leaving you laying on the floor along with the others, leaving no space to Tolya to try to slow down your heart as he did with his own

When you woke up, you weren't in the Ohval's house anymore, standing up you realised you were in some kind of medaow with a small house a few metters in front of you, so you decided to get closer noticing two figures, one big and one small, playing in the entrance of the house, making your curiosity to increase

Stopping three metters away from the scene, you soon noticed how the two people playing were Tolya and a little girl who was a mix between both of you making you shed a few tears of happinnes of thinking about a possible future with your lover

But almost inmediatly, the tears of joy turned into tears of desperation and screams of pain when the small house and his surroundings light on fire along with Tolya and the little girl getting caught in the fire

Even if you tried to help to stop it, it wouldn't work because you were an inferni, it could be worse

When the fire started to get to you, you suddenly woke up watching Tolya hovering over you with his hand covering your mouth

"It's okay, it's okay", Tolya said noticing your panicked look, "Just eat it, it help with the venom"

Trusting in his words, you started to chew the thing that was in your mouth noticing it was a weird feeling and flavor until you finally eat it all

Making sure that you already eat it, Tolya help you to sit in which almost inmediatly, you hug him thightly remembering the vision you just had

At first, he was a little surprised but he realised you must had a hard vision so he hugged you with almost the same force as you

"We are okay", Tolya said again in a recomforting tone, "I'm here"

"I thought I lost you", you sniffled against his shoulder

"You are not going to loose me", he assured you, "I promise"

#tolya yul bataar #tolya yul bataar x reader #tolya x reader #lewis tan #lewis tan x reader #baby alien creations #shadow and bone #grishaverse #six of crows #tolya yul bataar x fem! reader

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unrequitedloveletter · 1 year

Note

so, it’s probably nothing, but it’s been on my mind sometime and I can’t let it go- hug prompts! The link for those is here, and again, you can send in as many combinations as you want!

nikolai lantsov with 13, 14, and 16??

Well Enough- N.L x gn! reader

this was a blast to write so thank you so much for sending this in! Sorry that your requests are coming out so late, I've just been staying for upwards of twelve hours before I go to sleep lately and twelve hours of awakeness does not bode well for my motivation whatsoever lol.

the prompts you requested: “you almost died” hugs, “you saved my life” hugs, and reunion hugs

fic type- angst with a fluffy ending

Warnings- mentions of bombs, mentions of war, stab wounds, bruises, smoke and soot inhalation, pain from pinkie toe to shoulder

You could barely keep your eyes pinned to one spot as you moved through the crowd. A part of you had the sense to be amazed at the fact that you still stood, the fact that you’d managed to survive several bombs from the Fjerdans in the city of Os Alta, an attack made as the war worsened and tensions rose.

You were standing, even if putting too much weight on your right leg made it go numb for a split second before pain jolted from the tip of your pinkie toe all the way through to the top of your shoulder.

You were standing, a knife clutched in your left hand, even if there was a wound on your shoulder and two more over your ribcage.

You were standing, even if you had bruises on your face, smoke and soot in your lungs.

You were standing. You’d made it out and you’d done so with a blade in your hand and a heart made of steel thumping away in your chest.

You’d lost Nikolai in the thick of it, though. A couple of moves and the correct wielding of the knives you’d always carried on your person had saved Nikolais life as Fjerdan soldiers stormed through the city before the bombs went off, but you’d lost Nikolai in the seconds after he’d pressed a kiss to your lips and you’d exchanged I love yous.

Nikolai could’ve been killed in the aftermath of the bombing, and as your eyes frantically searched the crowd, the idea that you could’ve lost the man you held so dearly was terrifying.

You walked until your feet hurt, asking around and beginning to debate saying a prayer as you hoped to find Nikolai, Zoya, Genya, or the twins. You would’ve given anything, absolutely anything to see Tolya in the crowd, sticking out in the manner of a sore thumb because where Tolya was, Nikolai was never more then a foot or two away.

You jumped, scream falling from your lips as you felt a hand grasp your shoulder. You turned around to see Tolyas face, relieved grin spreading to his lips and joy flooding his gaze.

You found yourself relieved to see him, too. He’d been alive and as much as Nikolai mattered to you, Tolya had been one of your closest friends since the two of you were on Sturmhonds crew, playing cards and winning each others rum rations. He was alive and you hadn’t lost one of your best friends, and in the end, that was all that mattered in that particular moment.

He took a step to the side and let you go, and your heart stopped for a moment before it set off at a racing pace with the sight of Nikolai Lantsov, the man whom you would’ve sacrificed yourself for a thousand times over, the love of your life, the man who you woke up next to every morning and the one next to whom you fell asleep every night.

He looked better than you did, a saber clutched in one hand, soot covering some of his brow and parts of the golden blond of his hair. He had no stab wounds but a couple of cuts on his face and some bruising on his jaw.

He said nothing before he pulled you into a hug. You let him, hugging back just as tightly, if not just a bit tighter. You’d thought him dead, had spent the better part of four hours on your feet searching for him, asking if anyone had seen the king or even thought they’d caught a glimpse of golden blond hair or an ever so handsome smile.

“You saved my life,” he whispered, the hold he had on you tightening just a bit. “I thought you’d died.”

“You almost died,” you cut back. “If I hadn’t stepped in at the right time, even though you’re built like one, the Fjerdans would’ve killed you.”

Nikolai laughed as you pulled away. “Ever the cynic, I see.”

“Ever the cynic who you fell in love with,” you said pointedly, grin coming to your face. “Ever the cynic who society expects you marry by the end of the year!”

Nikolai laughed, looking to Tolya, who had been watching the two of you with a smile on his face, likely making a note that the two of you reminded him of one of his beloved sonnets.

“Still working on the proposal,” he said. Tolya just gave a shake of his head, rolled his eyes.

“Working on it?” Tolya asked. “I would’ve thought you figured it out by now. You’ve been trying to figure out when to propose since before Sankta Alinas martyrdom.”

You shot Nikolai a look, and he only had time to respond to it with a devilish grin before you were hugging him again, grateful that you’d gotten to him in time to save his life, grateful that he’d not died when you’d lost each other in the bombings that occurred thereafter.

He hugged you back just as tightly, grateful for all the same, and when you separated with your hands interlacing, Tolya only scoffed.

“A proposal isn’t necessary,” he said. “Just go through with the wedding. You act like an old married couple as it is, so you may as well skip that step.”

Nikolai grinned. “Alina did give you the Lantsov emerald."

"And she wanted you to propose using it," you said. "At least something small, she said."

“A lie can be fabricated about a proposal," Nikolai said, having known that neither of you much cared if there was a proposal or anything other than a discussion to indicate your engagement.

“I’ll come up with something and have a couple of our spies get the word out,” Tolya said. “I’m thinking sunset, by the lake, private affair with tears on Nikolais part.”

Nikolai only brought your hand up, pressed a kiss to the back of it. “Works well enough, doesn’t it?”

You nodded. “Well enough indeed.”

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix

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spaceagebachelormann · 1 year

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𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔!

HOW TO REQUEST

— state the character, romantic or platonic, the format of the request, and what you want with it

— do you have any specifics for the reader? male, female, blonde, poc, etc?

— requests can be send through inbox or dms, but inbox is heavily encouraged!

— PLEASE ACTUALLY SPECIFY WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOUR REQUEST!! ITS VERY HARD FOT ME TO WRITE SOMETHING THAT JUST SAYS “_____ x reader fluff” WITH NO FURTHER EXPLANATION!! GIVE ME A PLOT LINE!!

WHAT I WILL WRITE:

platonic

romantic

familial

any gender x any gender

headcanons

poly relationships

sensitive topics

x reader

ships (canon or non-canon, so long as it’s not problematic)

i. i WILL write cheating, but not if a character is going it to the reader/another character. i’ll make someone comforting another person after being cheated on, but i won’t write finnick odair cheating on someone

same thing ^^ goes for homophobic, transphobic, ableist topics like that, and. well i guess the same goes for abuse?

WHAT I WONT WRITE:

smut (i’m 14)

yandere

incest

student x teacher

canonically gay character (ex: wylan van eck) x fem!reader for romantic requests

canonically lesbian character x male!reader for romantic requests

songfics (nothing against them, i just don’t know how!!)

things about ocs

ship fics

character list (more to come!)

❍ = easiest characters to write for

bolded — favourite characters to write for

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES

❍ sophie foster, ❍ dex dizznee, fitz vacker, ❍ keefe sencen, ❍ biana vacker, ❍ marellla redek, ❍ maruca chebota, tam song, linh song, ❍ wylie endal, ❍ jensi babblos, stina heks

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

❍ peter pevensie, ❍ edmund pevensie, ❍ susan pevensie, ❍ lucy pevensie, mr tumnus, ❍ caspian, eustace scrubb, jill pole, shasta, aravis

RIORDANVERSE

❍ percy jackson, ❍ annabeth chase, ❍ grover underwood, ❍ jason grace, ❍ piper mclean, ❍ leo valdez, ❍ hazel levesque, ❍ frank zhang, nico di angelo, will solace, reyna arellano, rachel dare, ❍ travis stoll, ❍ connor stoll, thalia grace, magnus chase, ❍ alex fierro, carter kane, sadie kane, lester papadopolous, lavinia asimov

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

❍ christine daaé, ❍ raoul de chagny, erik destler, ❍ meg giry

p.s. i’ll write for the movie, musical, book and 1990 miniseries versions!!

HARRY POTTER

harry potter, ❍ hermione granger, ❍ ron weasley, ❍ luna lovegood, ❍ neville longbottom, ginny weasley, fred weasley, george weasley, ❍ sirius black, remus lupin, ❍ james potter, ❍ marlene mckinnon, mary macdonald, dorcas meadowes, lily evans

RIDE THE CYCLONE

ocean o’connell rosenberg, ❍ noel gruber, ❍ mischa bachinski, ❍ ricky potts, jane doe, penny lamb, ❍ constance blackwood

SHADOW AND BONE

❍ alina starkov, malyen oretsev, ❍ genya safin, ❍ zoya nazyalensky, david kostyk, erm others i accidentally deleted remind me to update this

SIX OF CROWS

kaz brekker, inej ghafa, ❍ jesper fahey, ❍ wylan van eck, nina zenik, matthias helvar

THE OUTSIDERS

ponyboy curtis, ❍ johnny cade, sodapop curtis, darry curtis, steve randall, ❍ twobit matthews, ❍ dallas winston

THE HUNGER GAMES

katniss everdeen, peeta mellark, ❍ finnick odair, ❍ johanna mason, marvel sanford, clove kentwell, cato hadley, ❍ cinna

IT (2017)

bill denbrough, eddie kaspbrak, richie tozier, ❍ stan uris, beverly marsh, ben hanscom, ❍ mike hanlon

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

❍ agatha of woods beyond, ❍ sophie of woods beyond, tedros of camelot, ❍ hort of bloodbrook, ❍ hester of ravenswood, ❍ anadil, ❍ dot, nicola, aric, rhian mistral, rafal mistral, leonora lesso, clarissa dovey

THE LAND OF STORIES

❍ alex bailey, ❍ connor bailey, ❍ red riding hood, ❍ jack, ❍ goldilocks, ❍ bree campbell

SCOOBY DOO

daphne blake, ❍ fred jones, shaggy rogers, velma dinkley

LITTLE WOMEN

❍ jo march, amy march, beth march, meg march, ❍ laurie

A GOOD GIRLS GUIDE TO MURDER

pippa fitz-amobi, ❍ ravi singh, naomi ward, ❍ cara ward, connor reynolds, ❍ jamie reynolds, nat da silva

THE MIGHTY DUCKS

❍ charlie conway, adam banks, ❍ lester averman, guy germaine, ❍ connie moreau, julie gaffney, ❍ ken wu, dean portman, luis mendoza, dwayne robertson, ❍ fulton reed

DRACULA

dracula, ❍ lucy westenra, mina harker, arthur holmwood, ❍ renfield, dr seward, abraham van helsing, ❍ quincey morris

FRANKENSTEIN

victor frankenstein, ❍ adam frankenstein, elizabeth lavenza, justine moritz, ernest frankenstein, henry clerval, the bride

DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE

henry jekyll, ❍ edward hyde, ❍ richard enfield, gabriel utterson, hastie lanyon, lucy harris

MONSTER HIGH

gotta update this one guys,,,

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

john bender , ❍ claire standish, allison reynolds, brian johnson, andrew clark

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS

❍ blossom utonium, bubbles utonium, buttercup utonium , ❍ brick jojo, boomer jojo, butch jojo

DAVID BOWIE

❍ jareth, thomas jerome newton, david bowie

SWEENEY TODD

❍ sweeney, anthony hope, ❍ mrs lovett, johanna

THE ROSEWOOD CHRONICLES

lottie pumpkin, ellie wolf, ❍ jamie volk, ❍ ollie moreno, ❍ raphael wilcox, ❍ anastacia alcroft leblanc, saskia san martin, lola tomkins, mickey tomkins, binah fae

HAIRSPRAY

❍ corny collins, ❍ seaweed j stubbs, amber von tussle, tracy turnblad, penny pingleton, link larkin

MISC. CHARACTERS

sarah williams, ❍ bernard the elf, ❍ rodrick heffley, ❍ varian

#marlee organization <3

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jamestclaiir · 11 months

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I relate to Nikolai a lot because my mind is also ZOYA ZOYA ZOYA RUTHLESS ZOYA DRAGON QUEEN ZOYA ZOYA OF THE LOST CITY ZOYA ZOYA ZOYA NAZYALENSKY

#zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #king of scars #im obsessed with her #and honestly i lover so much #zoyalai

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sleepless-crows · 1 year

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Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. You are strong enough to survive the fall.

#i spent like uhm an hour for this #cant you tell i love her #my edits #sleepless-crows #sabedit #shadowandboneedit #zoya nazyalensky #king of scars #shadow and bone #rule of wolves

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dazedinthehaze · 1 year

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“Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. You are strong enough to survive the fall.”

Here is our dragon queen!

#zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #grishaverse #king of scars #rule of wolves #shadow and bone #leigh bardugo

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lpa6zn · 10 months

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Has anyone else thought about how appropriate and beautiful the union of Zoya and Sankt Juris is? Sankt Juris, the patron saint of the battle-weary and Zoya Nazyalensky, a girl who has been at constant war against the world and fought against her own heart ever since she walked down the aisle in tears at just 9 years old... Could there be anyone in this world more battle-weary than Zoya of the lost city, Zoya of the garden, Zoya bleeding in the snow?

#my favorite girl #<33333 #shadow and bone #grishaverse #zoya nazyalensky #sujaya dasgupta #sankt juris #dragon queen #shadow and bone s3 #kos duology #king of scars #rule of wolves #row

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artofpolis · 1 year

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Zoya Nazyalensky, by Paulina Sieczkowska, 2023.

"Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. The storm is in your bones. You are strong enough to survive the fall."

Portrait of Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya Nazyalensky, from the Grishaverse books written by Leigh Bardugo, and the Netflix series "Shadow and Bone".

Pencil drawing and digital collage.

Zoya Nazyalensky, Paulina Sieczkowska, 2023.

Portret Zoyi Nazyalensky z książek Leigh Bardugo (Trylogia Griszy, "Król z Bliznami" i "Rządy wilków") i serialu "Cień i kość" na Netflixie.

Instagram: @/artofpolis Twitter: @/artofpolis

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meyyy00 · 2 years

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“Do not look back, Zoya. Your future is awaiting.”

“This is where you belong. Here they will see the jewel you are inside, not just your pretty eyes.”

“My brilliant girl!”

“Liliyana Garin? Have you seen her? Is she alive?” —

#zoya nazyalensky #zoya of the lost city #zoya of the garden #zoya bleeding in the snow #you are strong enough to survive the fall #totally broke #grisha trilogy #six of crows #crooked kingdom #king of scars #rule of wolves #Queen Zoya #liliyana garin #grishaverse #leigh bardugo

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a-feller · 8 months

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When reading a book, watching a show or a movie, or even experiencing real life, I often find, when a major character or important person dies, I mourn, not so much the person but more their loved ones, the great bond lost and the incredible damage done to them. Over time, almost subconciously I have grown to value a great bond of love, lust, friendship, romance, great platonic love, or that weird sixth thing two inseperable stray cats have, almost as much as human knowledge, something I greatly revere. This is most prominent in fantasy worlds, where for certain there is some haven beyond the barrier of death, where a person and their knowledge can go to live in harmony after whatever happened to them. Yet leaving their loved ones behind for years to come, perhaps forever. Maybe it is more amplified in the real world, or universes like the star wars one and my belief of real life, where there is no life after death. Just nothing. All bonds severed by death's scythe in one fell swoop.

I will list an example for every book/tv show/movie I can. Spoilers ahead for: The Bad Batch, The Scythe series by Neal Shusterman, Harry Potter, Trials Of Apollo, The Six of Crows duology, The Lord of The Rings

The death of Tech, a clone from the bad batch. His close, paternal bond with Omega, shattered as he sacrificed himself before her eyes, the unrequited mutual love with the pirate lady whom he promised he would come back safely and of course the rest of the bad batch, now a gaping hole within their group.

The death of Tiger, the Best friend of Rowan in the scythe series, slain by people he was played by and his body contorted into a new one for Rowan's greatest enemy. Their friendship gone and spited by the monstosity created from his headless corpse.

The death of Sirius Black and the huge damage it did to Harry and Remus Lupin. Harry losing his first ever loving paternal figure he can remember and Lupin losing a dear best friend (or more considering what half of you post about)

The death of Jason Grace. Killed slowing down an unkillable enemy to save his friends and close-ex-lover Piper McLean, leaving behind at least a dozen dear friends who fought, battle after battle together, almost dying time and time again, only for him to fall far away, after it was meant to be over. And specifically Nico Di Angelo who as anyone who read the book will know had a priceless, unique friendship with him that simply could not be created with another.

The death of Matthias Hevlar, just beggining to fit in with the people around them and his romantic relationship just springing up with Nina, those bonds once again shattered, and the last thing he asked for was a kiss (hold up just gonna go cry for a second).

Edit: The edit is here for the smoothness of the post. I cannot believe I forgot. The very ones who inspired me to make this post in the first place. David and Genya from the Grishaverse and the King Of Scars duology. Another romantic one I'm aware however they had just had a wonderful ceremony, a proper marriage at last. And then David left to go do something and the city was attacked by bomber planes. He wasn't seen throughout the following fight until Genya noticed his absence at the end. They later pulled his body out of the rubble. Some ink Genya was fussing over still there. Queue the funeral, Genya, in private afterwards reads from his notebooks containing all the little things he picked up on that make her happy (hair, skin etc). I am genuinely tearing up just thinking about it. David was also a leader and a role model to the other Grisha, especially other fabrikators. Close friends with Nikolai and Zoya. All of these bonds gone.

The leaving of Frodo Baggins. This one is a little different as he isn't dead but to all of his friends but Gandalf and Bilbo, he is. Never able to be seen or contacted again, no way to hear or feel them either. Sam, who carried him up a mountain. Refused to leave his side ever. Pippin, Merry, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, All his shire friends, All the people they met along the way. Those bonds were shattered as if he was dead.

This last one is very different. It takes place in the real world. This death is obviously a thousand times more important then any of the others. A real human with thoughts, feelings and of course friends. This person is Technoblade. Funny, kind, skillful, he was friends with pretty much everyone he played with, best friends with those like Philza and of course the people around him in real life. The innumerable amount of people he either just made laugh, or helped get through some really dark times. Like me. 10 million people. Bonds reasonably one way but still there. 10 million people. Bonds snapped like rubber bands. All his friends. Online and off. Those he helped, those he inspired. All grieving with that bond suddenly a gaping hole, all lost. o7 Techno. Fly high.

Edit: I cannot believe I forgot. The very ones who inspired me to make this post in the first place,

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the-witch-of-woods-beyond · 5 months

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“Zoya of the lost city. Zoya of the garden. Zoya bleeding in the snow. You are strong enough to survive the fall.”

- zoya nazyalensky, the dragon queen: king of scars, ch. thirty-two

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #seige and storm #ruin and rising #king of scars #rule of wolves #grishaverse aesthetic #grishaverse moodboard #shadow and bone aesthetic #shadow and bone moodboard #king of scars aesthetic #king of scars moodboard #zoya nazyalensky #the stormwitch #the dragon queen #zoya nazyalensky aesthetic #zoya nazyalensky moodboard #pinterest #moodboard

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mery-cm99 · 1 year

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Vixen ~ Nikolai Lantsov (Chapter 4)

Masterlist

Description: Vixen is one of the Crows. Kaz saved her a long time ago. He’s the only one who knows the truth about Vixen. He’s the only one who knows her past, her secret. That’s until a certain privateer shows up in Ketterdam looking for a living Saint.

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x fem!OC

Warnings: Mention of trauma, blood, war and sad stuff in general. English is not my first language, so sorry in advance for any grammar or spelling errors. The sign language used in this story is made up and does not correspond with any official one. The story is based on the series, not the books.

Rating: Teens and up

Chapter 4/6

Word Count: 2,257 words.

The journey to Os Alta was even more tense than the one that had taken them to Shu Han. Vixen had managed to avoid being asked about her grisha identity, but only because she had spent most of her time away from the rest. Her demons stirred stronger than ever, as if the water she had used with her powers had shaken them. She saw her mother more often, saw how she used her powers to create a wall of water between them and the men of the Second Army. She watched as her expression of love as she looked at her turned into one of pain as her heart began to fail. She saw her father pulling her while the column of water crumbled as her mother’s lifeless body fell to the ground. And she saw the grishas dressed in their red keftas chasing after them, trying to repeat what they had done with her mother with her father and herself while they ran through the streets of Ketterdam, streets that they knew by memory. It was clear to Vixen that she and her father had only survived on that occasion because their city gave them the advantage. They had lost them in the maze of streets that made up the Barrel and had hidden in a small space between two buildings that only those who lived in the worst part of the neighborhood knew. Their hearts had pounded loudly, but they were camouflaged among the other twenty hearts that were in that refuge of people fleeing their countries of origin.

And her father, she also saw her father more often. The three-year period when she had seen him lose his head over the death of the love of his life. She remembered having to pick him up at the gambling joints and drag him out while being barely twelve years old. And then watch him slowly rot in Hellgate.

She also remembered all the times she had gone into hiding as soon she had seen keftas in the city. The grisha frightened Vixen, but she was especially terrified of the Heartrender. Nina had been the first one she had had so close to in the five years since one of them had killed her mother. And Tolya now.

So now she had to use all her willpower to join the rest in the ship’s main hall to talk about how they would act when they reached Ravka. As soon as she entered the room, she noticed the look of Tolya and Nina, but the rest were busy talking over a map. Kaz was explaining that they were going to split. Inej, Nina and Zoya would go with the ship to The Fold to bring the sword to Alina. The rest would stay to help the prince and his men protect themselves from General Kirigan and his grisha.

Everyone went to get ready, but when Vixen was going to go back on deck, Tolya called her.

"I’m sorry about what happened to your mother, Vixen. But you can’t run away forever. At some point you’ll have to stop running from your past. You’re grisha, you have a gift the world should know", he assured her. Vixen nodded slowly and climbed the stairs.

When they reached Os Alta, those who stayed to help in the fort got off the boat and the others continued towards the Fold. Tolya went on one side, claiming that it was best to split up into two sides. Kaz, Jesper, Wylan and Vixen went on the other.

“We’re going to need your grisha power, Vixen” Kaz told her when they were alone.

“Did you know?” asked Jesper, so Kaz gave him an obvious look.

“I found her at the docks. She was unable to control her power and I gave her a way to do it: controlling her pain,” explained the boss of the Crows. That had happened right after watching her father die. In the boat back to the city her power had gone out of control and Kaz had found her crying hard as the water swirled around her like a human-sized tornado. Both were grateful that it had been night, because it would not have been good for neither of them to call the attention. “Now let’s focus on the present. Wylan. One of your bombs,” he asked, indicating that he should throw it to where the group of grisha were dressed in colours.

It exploded next to an inferni, which flew at the feet of the other two.

“Where did that come from?” a voice asked. So the crows peeked over the roof where they were hiding.

“My demolition expert,” Kaz replied calmly.

“Expert?” Wylan asked quietly. Vixen was nervous because her worst nightmare had come true. She was in Ravka facing Grisha. But at the time she could not help but smile whens she heard the redheaded. She pointed at him and then made a fist, with which she hit her other hand and faked an explosion. “I mean... Yes. Expert” corrected Wylan, pretending security.

The four went down and Jesper used his grisha power over the doors to open them. Jesper and Wylan went into the trench on the right, with two people in blue keftas, who looked like the good guys, if their position served as a guide, and a girl dressed much like Tolya. It must have been the sister the man had told them so much about, Tamar. Kaz and Vixen went into the trench on the left. As soon as they hid in it, Vixen noticed the other person crouching to her right and felt the air leaving her lungs. Her memory did him no justice. His blue eyes were more vibrant than she remembered, and she could see them very well because they were fixed on her, as if he couldn’t believe they were really there. Considering that the four were the only ones they had seen on their way, Vixen assumed that the situation was not very favorable for that side, and that they did not expect reinforcements. The arrogant smile she remembered seemed distant, behind a worried expression and his blond hair was more disorganized. He had an ugly wound on the side of his head. He didn’t look his best, but that did not mean that he had lost a shred of his handsomeness or prevented Vixen from recognizing Sturmhond. Only it wasn’t Sturmhond. She knew when she saw his uniform, and a voice from the next trench confirmed it.

“What is Sturmhond doing here?” asked Jesper with his weapons ready.

“Around here he goes by Nikolai“ replied Tamar.

Vixen looked back at Sturmhond/Nikolai. It was him. The prince of Ravka who had hired them was the same pirate who had saved them from ending up in Hellgate. That’s why Tolya referred to her as <<Kaz Bekker’s shadow>> because he worked for him. Part of her told her to stay away from the prince. He was Ravka’s royal family. They had sent the grishas to kill her mother. She had to get away from him. But on the other hand, Kaz and her people were there. Their job was to save Ravka, and to do that they had to save the prince.

Her stream of thoughts was cut off when they saw the whirlwind of water generated by the grisha on the other side of the trenches. Under the watchful eye of Nikolai, who kept looking at her, Vixen fixed her attention on Kaz, took her hand to her neck and ran her fingers up her throat, towards her chin. His boss nodded. Vixen took a deep breath and before Nikolai could stop her, comprehending what she wanted to do, the girl stepped out of the safety of the trench and took two steps to get in the middle.

She put her hands together on her chest and focused all her attention on the other Tidemaker. From what she could see, she had an amplifier, but Vixen didn’t care. It didn’t affect what she wanted to do. When the other grisha looked into her eyes, Vixen separated her fingers and used her power to make the whirlwind of water spin in the other direction. She couldn’t help the smile on her lips as the other grisha lost focus in surprise. She might have grown up learning all about her power, but Vixen had learned to use her power and distract her preys to steal their wallet.

As her concentration had diminished quite a bit, Vixen controlled the water so that it pushed the other man and threw him a couple of meters back. Jesper took advantage of that moment to leave behind the trench and shoot at the enemy. But the other tidemaker froze his shooters. Vixen looked at her in surprise. That was new. She couldn’t do that. Jesper didn’t seem too upset, because he used his buttons as projectiles. Vixen, on the other hand, was blocked. All her life she had thought her grisha condition was a curse. Her parents had fled Ravka before the testers discovered her. Her mother had died because she was grisha. She had had to learn to control it when it became impossible for her to hide it —her mother had taught her to—, but she had never seen her power as positive. And now she was back in Ravka, surrounded by grishas that used their powers without fear, like a sixth sense, something completely natural.

“Vixen!“ she heard someone screaming, just before a body crashed into her and threw her to the ground just as a lightning bolt struck the ground where she had been. When she came back to reality the first thing she noticed were the blue eyes that looked at her very closely. They were certainly brighter than she remembered, and blue like the ocean. Though at that distance she could pitpoint little golden specks, as if his royal blood had affected his irises as well. Then she noticed his body, which was on top of hers, holding her to the ground. Vixen hated feeling cornered, but on that occasion all she could think about was the warmth of the body above her and how pleasant the feeling was. She didn’t feel cornered, rather protected. And only her father had made her feel that way before.

The sound of the electricity ended up bringing her back to reality. She squirmed to shake him off her. He was Nikolai Lantsov, the royalty of Ravka. She could not forget that again.

Nikolai had almost forgotten the enemy. Vixen’s lost and desolate gaze had made him wonder what had made her feel that way. She seemed paralyzed by the power of Kirigan’s grisha, but Nikolai wondered why, considering that she herself was a tidemaker. That’s why he had not hesitated to take her away from the path of the lightning bolt when he had noticed that she had not seen the man prepared to attack her.

“Are you okay?” he asked after getting up awkwardly because of his injured leg. Then he offered his hand to help her up. Vixen looked back at him, but this time she frown at him again, as she had the last time they had met. Nikolai wondered if it was his own appearance that caused the girl’s anger. Now she knew who he really was, but she kept looking at him the same way, as if his own person was what insulted her.

Vixen did not reply. Instead she rose without accepting his help and, without taking another look at him, separated from Nikolai and approached Kaz to stand by his side and face the enemy. Kaz looked at her and nodded. After three years, they were able to communicate without words or signs. Vixen crossed her hands over her chest again and focused her attention on the man who had tried to fry her with a lightning bolt.

The trick she was about to do was the only one her mother hadn’t taught her. The woman had always considered that the power of a grisha should be used for good, and never to harm another person. That’s why she always used water as a help or for protection. But at the time, Vixen knew she had to use it differently. She focused on the water running through the man’s body and spread her fingers. She felt how the man’s blood was losing moisture and all the water in his system accumulated in his throat. There was still not enough to drown him, but just enough to make him lose his concentration and the ability to continue using his power.

“Wylan. The poison,” Kaz said to her left, but Vixen did not see what was happening around her because all her attention was on the man. Then a cloud of poison floated towards him and Vixen noticed how it slowed his blood even more. Her power was cut off when Tamar stood in front of the man, preventing her from maintaining eye contact with her target. But she knew it was no longer necessary when Tamar threw her ax at the grisha’s head, without him doing anything to prevent it.

Everyone’s attention turned to the other tidemaker and Vixen saw on her face that she didn’t have many options. She tried to use her grisha power on them, but she couldn’t do it because all her fingers were missing. Vixen assumed it was Jesper’s work. It all ended with a bullet from Nikolai’s pistol.

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