The Present: I'm startled awake by a whole host of people busting into the room.

"Saints! Have you ever bathed?" The red head in white comments "Why are you on the floor?And what happened to your face?"

Before I can tell her yes I have, but not properly in a few months that I couldn't get comfortable on the bed and that I was dragged across the ground and punched in my face. She says "This'll take more work than I was expecting." and with a snap of her fingers commands "Fetch me my kit." I'm pulled up from floor, taken to the other room, stripped and made to get into the bath.

"Smells like horse." One servant says to the other in Old Ravkan.

"Horses have use." The other replies both laughing.

"Stop.Stop.Stop." They do "I am perfectly capable for washing myself." I take a sponge from one of them and begin doing it quicker and less harsh "And yes I smell like horse. I was on one for two hundred miles after nearly being killed. Twice." They have shocked expressions "I understand Old Ravkan and that was really quite rude."

I look over to the red head sitting in a chair with a small amused/impressed smile on her face.

"In an hour you are to be presented to King Pyotr." She states "And General Kirigan has asked that I make you look presentable."

I stop "I am to meet the King."

"In an hour." She reiterates.

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh. So let's get on with it." She gestures for me to rises I do.

"If the General thinks any of this is going to persuade me to do anything for him or anyone that isn't someone of my choosing or myself he is sorely mistaken." I get into the robe they hold up for me "Oh Saints! Is this velvet." I smile.

"I'd start by making her eyes less Shu Miss Safin."

And just like that I'm reminded that I'll always be second class even here where I shouldn't be.

"Everyone out." Miss Safin commands clapping her hands.

The servants huff and exit.

"Thank you." I say after they're gone while we both walk back into the other room.

"Happy to get rid of the miserable shrews. I don't pick my staff. The Queen assigns them mostly so she can spy on me" Miss Safin says pulling things from her kit on the vanity.

"Don't change my eyes."

Miss Safin puts down what she has in her hand and walks toward me "I don't care that you're part Shu. I care that you look terrible."

I laugh and she strokes my face "Some of this is surface." She runs her thumb over my lip and weight of my injury disappears "But some of this runs deeper."

I touch my lip "You're a healer." I guess.

"I'm a tailor." She corrects "I can fix, but I can also modify." She strokes my hair line on my right side I feel there to.

"I've never met a tailor before." But I had mastered the ability years ago.

She slowly walks around me "I'm almost as rare as you, but I hardly say saving the queen from sagging tits makes me as important as you. Important to the Queen of course." She stops back in front of me "And she does not like to see cracks in her porcelain." Pulling up the sleeve of the robe and running her thumb over the incision the General made then she goes for the scar on my hand I pull away "No not that one. It's reminds me of home."

"Sentimental I'll have to work on that to." She moves back toward the vanity "But for right now sit." She snaps her fingers.

Handing me a mirror as I do she says "This'll do nicely." speaking about the black pearls she has in one hand while pulling my hair out the robe and running the other over it causing the shine of the pearls to appear "Only last a few days." She puts the pearls back and begins rifling around for whatever else she deems necessary for my presentation.

"How old were you when you knew."

"The testers found me when I was eleven it's when General Kirigan gifted me to the Queen-"

Is that why she spies on you because you're a spy for him

"-but I've been working on myself since I was three." She holds a pair of earrings close to my face "And yourself."

I catch the word same before it passes my lips with a smile at what he had her try I say "Oh I'm not Grisha."

"You may not have known you were Grisha until now but you've been one your whole life." She stands behind me with a pair of earring "And now you're here to tear down The Fold."

"No army uniform includes a veil." I comment later when we're walking down the corridor.

"You look fine." Genya assures me She veers right I follow blowing on the veil.

"Stop that! No one can see you until King Pyotr does."

I lift the veil to look at myself in the mirror.

"Just as well this outfit is not in the least bit flattering."

let it drop.

Genya pulls me along "Sadly this is how the King sees the First Army. He cares little for mud, blood or sacrifice."

I stop "Shouldn't I be in a kefta."

Not that I'd wear it but still.

"Oh no the King expects a humble girl plucked from the ranks of his army." She fiddles with the fabric at her wrist of her own kefta and I notice the library" He'll want to take the credit for you." She motions me along "You'll be given a kefta once he's witnessed your power."

Oh so it's my power now. With how everyone is attempting force out of me for their own nefarious purpose you'd think it wasn't.

"By all accounts. It'll be King Pyotr, The Queen, Crown Prince Vasily and the king's spiritual advisor The Apparat." She puts her up to hide her lips as if she telling me secret even though she doesn't change the volume of her voice "He's this greasy rat-"

"Was that a library? Is it available to everyone."

"Everything here is available to everyone." Genya says "The General built this home so we could thrive." The doors at bottom of the stairs are opened for us and we go through them.

"Has anyone ever escaped?"

"Planning to make a break for it." The General's voice and silhouette appears in my peripheral vision. I stop and raise the veil so I'm not looking at him through lace I look behind me to notice Genya has left me.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you. It's lovely here, it's just-"

What I was about to say is cut off when I see the Grand Palace "Oh Saints!"

"I think the Grand Palace is the ugliest building I ever seen. How was your rest?" He quickly changes the subject.

"I'll rest easier when we get this all straightened out and I'm back with the First Army."

He swings around to block my path "Do you believe I brought you here to make a fool of you or of myself."

"I'm use to people making a fool of me General. And you make a fool of yourself regardless of whether I'm here or not begging lesser men for scraps despite being what you are."

"Perhaps now that I have you I'll no longer need to."

"I wasn't aware that it was the Sun Summoners duty to carry her equal into the winner's circle."

I flip the veil down and continue on without him as I always have in this life.

Of course he catches up so that we can make an entrance together but before he can even get a word out I flip my veil up.

"Hello father."

There are shocked gasps from every direction.

"You are Grisha and no child of mine."

I roll my eyes "You're still on about something you saw once in a moment of grief. Not even the Fjerdans you sold me to in order to fund this war could find any evidence of your claim."

"Perhaps I'll sell you again the money I got for you the first time is about gone-"

"Yeah I've noticed."

"-and I hear there's a hefty bounty on a Drüskelle guide who took the lives of many high ranking members before she disappeared now as you stand before me I can only assume that guide is you."

"Perhaps it's knowledge not money you need to win this war. Knowledge I can provide if you allow me to return to my unit and continue on with my life as it has been since my escape."

"Nonsense you will stay here until I'm sure I've gotten every piece of information out of you. Can't have you disappearing on me now can I."

"Fine but I request I be moved into the Grand Palace."

"You will sleep in the servant quarters and dine with them to, but you may walk about grounds under guard when not in a meeting the first of which will be after I speak with the General here."

The King motions with his hand for a servants to come forward "Show her to her room and get her a change of clothes something peasant like someone will be along shortly to collect you."

We make a quick exit.

"Hi I'm Alina."

I try at making an ally.

"Diana."

I smile.

"Hi Diana. How long have you been working here?"

"Since I was young most servant work at the Grand Palace is done generationally. Mothers to daughters for the house work. Fathers to sons for the grounds and stable work."

"What about you?" She inquires "You were a guide for the Drüskelle."

"Yes beginning almost immediately after they concluded I was not Grisha. I have a sense for direction.I was three"

"Here we are." She turns to me "I'll be back with a change of clothes."

"Would it be at all possible to get a small portion of food. I haven't eaten properly in months. Unless I have to wait to eat along with everyone else."

"I'm sure I can sneak something from the kitchen on my way back."

"Thank you." She departs and I step into the room.

It's about double the size of the tent back at camp. A small bed, dresser, desk with paper envelopes quill ink and lantern on it.

I light the lantern and write just a few lines.

Dear Mal, I've managed to put some distance between the General and I working as an informant out of the servant's quarters at the Grand Palace. I miss you. I'll write more when I have more.

I fold the paper stuff it inside the envelope address it then with shadow light rearrange the words on the envelope and on the letter inside it to say not what I wrote down.

"I'm back." Diana declares.

"So soon."

I see clothes under one arm and a tray with bread and some type of steaming broth on it

"Well I ran to get everything so you could change and eat before whoever comes to get you comes to get you."

"Impressive."

I take the tray from her and she lets the clothes fall into the bed.

"Thank you." her voice says she feels accomplished.

"No thank you."

I put the tray on the desk and pick up the letter "Could you add this to your out going mail. A friend got left behind when the General took me who's view on Grisha are not the best so I'm sure he thinks I'm dead."

"Of course Alina."

Taking the letter she leaves.

I choose to eat then change and after meeting with the King over a map to give him more information on the Shu and Fjerdan places and people he knew about within Ravka and information on places and people he didn't I'm dismissed but to rejoin him once everything I've told him is checked out and we'll go from there.

Saints this will take forever.

"Um excuse me." I say to the young man in a robe that suddenly appeared in my path.

"Forgive me." He bows "I am The Apparat's assistant. He wishes to speak with you."

"Uh okay." I shrug and follow along all the way into the library of the Little Palace where he then disappears again as if he was never there.

Browsing the stacks I find a book I'm very familiar with.

"I know you." I take it from it's place and open it getting a flashback of when I use to have it at my side as I sketched White Stag.

Flipping it open I read "The bone road ebbs and the bone road flows."

"You like books." I jump whirl holding the book like a shield to see it's yet another man in a robe this time much older "You are well read aren't you? Educated."

"Yes the headmistress in the place where I escape to said since I didn't possess any physical talents I should possess knowledge." I slide the book back into it's place.

"Isn't that lovely of her? I am the King's spiritual adviser ." He surges forward with every next word "I want us to be friends. It's important we are friends"

"I was just reminiscing. I'm not Grisha I shouldn't even be in here I'll go now."

I move to leave "Before you do might I curate your reading to something more in depth than a silly children's story."

"Of course."

I walk toward him as he pulls out a book sets it down and flips to the page he's looking for "Here." He gestures to the figure on the page "It all started with this man. The Bonesmith."

I touch the page dedicated to the first child Aleksander and I had together. Longing for the man he was then to return heartache when I realize he won't ever.

"The first Grisha in recorded history made creatures out his own finger bones hence the name to increase a Grisha's power when the animal bones were melded with that of the Grisha that slayed that creature."

"So many bones for only one Grisha. What a waste." I shake my head.

He holds out a red book "A gift. To mark our new friendship."

"The Lives of Saints." I read aloud "Thank you."

I leave and find my way out into the training grounds content to just watch.

"Sun Summoner." The instructor calls causing everyone stop what they are doing "With how you are helping the King with his war perhaps you would be so generous as to help us with ours."

"My name is Alina or Miss Starkov." I say without moving from my spot the Sun Summoner is just a part of me "The Drüskelle fight with conviction the belief that what they are doing is righteous it's why they succeed while every one of you fight with emotion. That and the fact you rely too heavily on your gift is why you are losing."

I walk away.

Dear Mal it'll be a slow process, but I look forward to the day I see you again.