A lone figure was hurrying down the dirt path, his breaths coming in pants as the sky above him thundered on angrily, almost as though the Gods were angry. He was squinting in the darkness, the cover of the clouds hiding the light of the moon, but he paid it no mind, instead running straight for the tent. He looked around the place and once he realised there was no one around, made his way inside, where a lone figure sat tied to a chair.
He brushed himself off once he got in, reaching into his pockets and pulling out the letter from within.
"Mal." His head snapped towards the trembling voice, the exhaustion evident in it and he quickly walked forwards, kneeling in front of the man. "What are you doing here?"
"I have a note...from Alina." The man on the chair was weary, there was blood running down his temple, and under his nose, along with caked blood all over his arms. His wrists were tied to the chair, as were his ankles, but the worst of his injuries were on his chest, a giant gash running down the centre from his collarbone to his navel. His eyes were sunken and dazed, his lips cracked and there were burn marks over his neck. But at the name of his daughter, he looked up, his face contorting into desperation and despair all at the same time.
"From Alina? Open...it. What- how is...she...handling it?" His voice cracked on a few words, but there was no hiding the desperation in his voice for news regarding his daughter. Mal unfolded the note, holding it in front of the man, hoping the dull light from the candle would help him read.
It was an enormous task however, as the candle had been kept there to burn the man and not to help people see. Still, he read the short note, groaning as he did.
"She can't get...away?"
Mal shook his head, he'd been attempting to do that for a while now.
"She's surrounding by the King's guard." For him. Mal didn't say it, and it didn't need to be said anyway.
"When is it? The m-marriage?"
"In a few hours."
"Take her...and run." Mal nodded at the man's words despite his surprise.
Adrian Starkov was known for his pride and his strength of character, so asking his own daughter to run was an unexpected request.
But Mal understood, they couldn't let Alina marry him, not after everything he had done to torture her father.
"I will. There will be no wedding tomorrow. And no victory for General Kirigan."
A/N - So this is just the prologue, this is something that will be very dark and set before Alina's powers as a sun summoner are discovered. Let me know if you're interested in reading more of this story.