"General Guan Xing, who is he?" Alina asks.
"He is powerful." Fedyor tells her.
"He's the son of the enemy, similar to you but his case is worse. His father is the warlord Guan Yu." Ivan adds.
"I thought he was a myth told to scare little kids." Alina says shocked.
Meanwhile unnoticed by the group the two generals are following after the carriage at a relatively short distance.
"No, he's real. And the green beast is proof. Sorry, that's how Grisha call him." Fedyor asks.
"Why?" Alina asks.
"Because he's not a born Ravka." Ivan replies, when suddenly the carriage stops.
"Stay here." Ivan orders, hopping out of the carriage with Fefyor and they join their small troupe in fighting the attacking Drüskelle.
Not even half a minute into the fight stray bullets force Alina to lie on the floor of the carriage, pulling the bullet resistant kefta further over her head.
When she's lying there, hoping for it to and and her journey to continue smoke starts rising from the cracks of the wooden floor and she stumbles out of the carriage, unfortunately right into the arms of one her attackers.
The Fjerdan soldier pulls her by her feet into a vast field maybe 20 seconds away from the carriage.
Alina manages to turn around while kicking at the man as best as she can, previously being dragged on her front.
She sees a group of five men leering down at her in disdain and hate.
They exchange some words and the man having captured her paws at her cloak and pants, trying to rip her clothes off, only for the group to get weary when all of the sudden, all noise but Alina's screams for help dissipate from the field and general Kirigan appears from a tree line, holding out his palms and a black wavy energy blade shimmers in front of him, before slicing right through Alina's attacker who tries to sexually assault her, slicing through her kaftan and shirt which the man was holding, before falling to the floor in two pieces, half her garments in his clutch with Alina crawling backwards fearfully.
The rest of the men take one more step towards her before they all plummet to the with a loud thud being heard behind them and a furious looking Xing enters her view, unsheathing one of his large blades and strikes the four men down with skillful slashes through their throats.
"Th...thank you." Alina stammers, only for Kirigan to stop beside her and lift her onto the back of his horse, starting to ride towards little palace with her while Xing keeps up with them, jumping like he weighs nothing and seemingly flying besides them.
"Are you alright?" Kirigan asks Alina.
"I think so yes. Thank you both." She says scared, holding onto the black general with one hand while the other keeps her clothes from falling off.
About 15 minutes later Alina asks the general to stop and he does as requested although unhappily.
"Everything alright?" Xing asks, landing besides them while Kirigan helps Alina off the horse.
"I'm sorry. My tailbone is just hurting so much I need a quick break." She says, clutching at her ripped clothes.
"Here. Take mine." Xing tells her, offering her his clothes and lies them down at her feet while turning around the black general and himself, giving her at least a miniscule amount of privacy.
"Thank you." Alina says while taking off her destroyed clothes and slips into the larger and still warm clothes of the young Grisha.
"What about the others? Shouldn't you have stayed and helped them rather than bringing me away?" Alina asks.
"It's you they are after. When they realize they have nothing to gain by the attack they'll retreat." Kirigan informs her.
"I'm clothed again." She says, the men turning around to face her, their faces stoic.
"We should continue." Kirigan says, offering his hand to Alina.
"You're right. But let me take care of the transportations. It'll be more comfortable for her." Xing suggests, Alina being happy to hear this.
"Fine." Kirigan agrees grumpily.
"Get on my back." Xing tells Alina, presenting his naked back to her and she wearily climbs on it, Xing grabbing her at her calves to steady her and to apply his magic to her, Alina feeling like she weighs less than the air around her suddenly with Xing starting to jump after the now galloping black general with giant leaps.
"This is incredible. Are you a squaller?" She asks.
"No. I'm quite unique you could say. I can manipulate gravity." Xing answers.
"These scars, what caused them?" Alina asks, brushing against some of the scars covering half his torso at the least.
"I was a prisoner of war and when my father didn't pay ransom I became expendable and an experiment to find out more about my birth country." Xing answers emotionlessly.
"That's awful." Alina says shocked.
"It's war. War is painful." Xing answers relaxed.
"Look ahead you can see it now." Xing tells Alina, jumping high up, the little palace coming into view for them.
"Let her rest in a room for the night, it's late." Kirigan tells Xing when he lands next to the general, moving forwards with smaller, flatter jumps.
"I'm right here." Alina complains, the black general sounding like she wasn't even present.
"I apologize for my tone." Kirigan replies with a slight bow.
"Why were you at the fold in the first place anyways?" Alina asks the generals.
"To see if the new skiff performs well." Xing says.
"I see." She murmurs.
"It's influencing us because the skiff is moved by a Grisha. We need to know if one Grisha will have enough power to move the skiff through in an acceptable time." Xing further explains, answering her unasked question.
"Thank you." She says smiling slightly.
"You and the black general don't get along, do you?" Alina asks Xing.
"No. He dislikes me for being Shu and I resent him for keeping me locked up for 10 years and playing his own dangerous agenda." Xing says, glancing at the dark-haired man in front of them.
"Locked up?" Alina asks surprised.
"I'm the enemies son. He and the king wanted to make sure that someone with my talent isn't given the chance to flee the country and is bound to it instead." Xing answers.
"Are you? Bound to it I mean?" She asks, asking herself often the same question due to everyone resenting her looks.
"I can't answer that without putting you at risk and don't worry. Shu isn't something you're born as. Either you were raised there and are loyal to it or you're not." Xing tells her supportively.
"Did it get easier for you?" She asks, one hand tracing under her eyes which everyone seems to hate.
"Not really. I just don't care anymore. But then again I'm not a gorgeous woman like you. I'm just a scarred prisoner of war." He says.
"Thanks. Everyone hates my eyes you know. Sometimes I just wish I'd look like everyone else." Alina tells him.
"People are stupid. Your eyes are beautiful the way they are. If anything they make you look better than other Ravka girls. They seem warm and gentle to me. Most Grisha girls I have seen look like they are competing in a staring contest." Xing informs her chuckling, making Alina laugh lightly herself.
"Yeah I know what you mean." She says.
Minutes later they arrive in little castle and Xing leads Alina to a room the head maid prepares for her.
"See you around Mrs. Starkov." Xing tells her, bowing over and kissing her hand before leaving through a window.
"Let me wash that off for you." The older woman preparing her bedsheets says, wiping over the dirty hand Xing kissed with a hankerchief, making Alina looks at her confused but she decides not to comment.
|The next day|
Alina wakes up in the massive bed she's not used to by all means and five women literally storm her room, three of which pull her out of bed and to the adjoining bathroom, where they strip off her clothes and make her sit down in a tub while scrubbing at her body with sponges.
"She reeks of mud and blood." One of the maids says in old Ravkan, making the other laugh.
"Hey! It can't be helped after a man was dissected right above me after he dragged me through the dirt." Alina shoots at the woman, making a red-headed woman only slightly older than her smirk and send the other maids away.
"Who are you?" Alina asks.
"I'm the one who is supposed to make you presentable for your meeting with the king in an hour." The woman replies.
"I'm gonna meet the king?" Alina asks stunned.
"In an hour." The woman adds.
"Damn." Alina curses, hurrying out of the tub and dries herself off after which the woman helps her get ready.