Disclaimer: I don't own the Grisha Trilogy and its characters – it belongs to Leigh Bardugo. I do not own the Shadow & Bone TV series, which was developed by Eric Heisserer for Netflix and based on Leigh Bardugo's books. Any recognisable dialogue is from the books or TV show – some lines may be included verbatim, others in an amended form.
koroleva
"Where is she? Where is she?" Nina cries out, crashing straight into Fedyor in her excitement.
"How did you –" he begins to ask, before just shaking his head.
Nina has a knack for finding out things she shouldn't know. It doesn't surprise him that she's figured out Alina is back when, as far as he can tell, only he, Ivan, the king and a few oprichniki are aware of it.
"She's talking with the king right now," he tells her, "so you're going to have to wait to see her."
"But she'll be ages with the king," Nina complains, "I just wanna say hello quickly."
"No," Fedyor says sternly, "absolutely no one is interrupting them unless the palace is on fire."
"And before you ask," he continues, "you cannot set something on fire just to hurry them up, Nina."
"Fine," she agrees sullenly, "but do you think she brought me any presents?"
"It was more of an educational trip than a holiday," he reminds the young Heartrender, "I doubt she stopped for souvenirs."
"But the king got a sketch from her, and he's the one she was angry –"
Ivan puts his hand over Nina's mouth, muffling the rest of her sentence, "enough, Zenik. Don't talk about things you don't understand."
"I'm fifteen," Nina protests, "I'm not a child."
Ivan snorts, "when you can go a week without waffles and not have a public tantrum then we can talk."
"Don't bring waffles into this," Nina screeches, poking Ivan in the stomach.
Fedyor tunes the two of them out as they bicker, knowing they'll probably keep arguing for ages, entirely oblivious to his presence.
He's anxious, thinking of Alina a few corridors away, reuniting with the king.
Although he knows it was the right thing to do to give them some privacy, he still worries. The king had been so terrifyingly angry when Alina had left, and although he'll surely be relieved that she's back now, perhaps his previous concern will now give way to the fury that he felt at the beginning.
Perhaps the oprichniki will find the receiving room in disarray, smashed antiques on the floor. Maybe Alina will storm off again, vanish for another eight months. It's possible that she will aim the cut straight at the king's head if she gets mad enough, and obviously the king will deflect it, and usually that would mean the perpetrator of such an assassination attempt being executed for treason, but the king isn't likely to have the Sun Summoner put on trial, and yet he'd surely feel the need to issue some sort of punishment, and then …
Saints, he's spiraling like a crazy person.
It's fine. It's all going to be absolutely fine. The king and Alina are (mostly) rational people who are definitely able to talk things over like adults and learn from the events of the last eight months. The king will stop insisting on Alina remaining inside the palace walls at all times like some sort of princess from a folktale, and Alina won't run off in the middle of the night again.
… maybe he should go and check on them. Just in case.
As expected, neither Ivan nor Nina notice as he wanders back towards the king's rooms. They've stopped talking about waffles and are now arguing about Nina's tendency to flirt with the younger guards in order to gain access to places she should be staying out of.
Fedyor hurries down the corridor and slips into one of the secret tunnels only a few people know about. This one leads to a second door to the king's receiving room.
He'll just listen for a few seconds, check to make sure there's no shouting or heavy objects being thrown.
Except … it isn't screaming or the sound of smashing objects that he hears.
It's the low murmur of voices. Then a high, breathy moan.
Saints. Surely it can't be …
The moan is followed by a giggle. And Fedyor knows that giggle, has heard it countless times over the years. He knows the low, rumbling laughter that follows too, although he hears it far less often.
He stumbles away from the door and down the corridor in something of a daze.
When he finds Ivan and Nina, still squabbling, he grabs both of them and forcefully guides them away towards the doors that lead out of the Grand Palace and to the path that will take them to the Little Palace.
"Fedya?" his husband asks, "what? … where are we going."
"You are going to take Nina back to her dormitory and make sure she doesn't sneak back to the Grand Palace where she might overhear something that she absolutely shouldn't. And I am going back to our rooms to get so drunk that I don't remember my own name, why I'm here, or what I just … ugh, I can't even say it!"
Ivan, though clearly curious, doesn't push. As stern and grumpy as his husband can be around others, he is surprisingly sensitive to Fedyor's moods and knows now is not the time to ask questions.
Instead, he grasps Nina's arm and hauls her away, his glare silencing all her questions.
Fedyor heads straight for his room, glad he's still got a few bottles of vodka stashed away in his and Ivan's rooms.
He isn't going to be happy until he can forget what sounds he heard coming from the king's receiving room.
The next morning …
Alright, the next afternoon.
(he works too hard and he deserves a lie-in – the fact that he happens to be dealing with a killer hangover today is entirely unrelated).
Fedyor finds Alina in her room, scribbling notes as she reads through a pile of papers.
When she left the palace eight months ago, she had finished her formal education in the Little Palace. However, she still has eight months of minutes and paperwork from council meetings to catch up on, which is certainly going to be an arduous task.
"Fedyor!" she grins up at him, "it's so good to see you."
It's the first good look he's got of her since her return, the brief glimpse the day before having only confirmed to him that she seems healthy and well.
Eyeing her now, she doesn't seem much different physically, although her skin appears to be glowing very slightly (and he really, really doesn't want to think about why that might be) and she's gained a little muscle.
Looking deeper, however, he can see that the time away has done her good. She doesn't seem as tense as she had before. She's less stressed and much surer of herself.
He thinks, no matter the worries about her safety and the king's moods while she was gone, that the time away has been just what she needs.
"Were you safe?" is the first thing he asks her.
She doesn't roll her eyes, but she does sigh loudly, "I was fine, Fedyor, I promise. No one recognised me … no one even saw me most of the time."
"You could have told me. I would have helped you."
He realises as he says it that he is honestly being truthful. He knows Alina would have gone with or without his blessing, and he also knows that he would have risked the king's wrath if it meant she was a little more prepared for her journey.
She smiles softly at him, "I know you would. That's why I never told you. I didn't want you to get into trouble. Besides, I was sensible – I packed a bag, made sure I had what I needed for the journey."
He's sure that she ensured she was as prepared as possible. She is still barely a woman, though, with years spent living in a palace, never having to cook for herself or figure out the safest place to camp or worry about bandits. There is so much that might have gone wrong.
Thank the saints that it hadn't, that Alina had made it back to them, safe and whole. He shudders to think what might have become of Ravka if something had happened to her.
"Was it everything you hoped for?" he asks as he sits down on the edge of her bed, letting out an amused snort as he catches sight of one of her notes.
Ask Volkov what in the name of all the saints he's thinking with this agricultural proposal … idiot man.
"He's so frustrating," Alina sighs, seeing what Fedyor is reading, "I'm pretty sure Sa- the king has been looking for an excuse to exile him from court for the last eight years, but the man really doesn't have a treasonous bone is his body despite his completely stupid ideas about agriculture … anyway, yes, my travels really were wonderful, Fedyor."
She chatters on happily about the cities and villages she'd visited, the landmarks she had seen, and the new ideas she now has about industry and agriculture after listening to conversations between people who actually worked in those areas rather than the nobles who usually have no idea how the source of the wealth really functions.
"It was nice," she admits, "watching normal people, hearing what they really think."
It must have been a novelty for her. Within the palace walls, Alina is a figure of great importance, with the other Grisha, the guards and the servants usually on their best behaviour around her and often censoring their words in an attempt to make a good impression. It's funny, how so many of them don't understand that the people Alina cares about most are those who are themselves around her, interesting that they don't realise how much trust there is behind the front Alina presents of disliking Ivan (the two of them might fight like cat and dog, but he is probably the person she trusts the most after the king, Fedyor and Nina).
She pulls out two sketchbooks then, each of them filled with drawings of scenes from East Ravka.
The large fountain with the statute of Sankt Juris in Balakirev. One of the canals in Ryevost. A horse auction at Caryeva. A busy marketplace in Tashta. And so many other scenes of everyday life, some landscapes and others with groups of people.
At the back of one of the sketchbooks, Fedyor finds some familiar faces. There are drawings of him, Nina, Ivan and the palace grounds. Most of all there are countless sketches of the king.
Alina flushes slightly when he comes across those, grabbing the books back and shoving them away.
There's nothing embarrassing about her missing them all (really, it's very flattering, makes him feel warm inside), but he isn't going to push her, even if he desperately wishes to know exactly what happened between her and the king on her return (and at the same time, he never wants to think about it again – it's a strange kind of feeling).
She asks about what has gone on in the palaces while she has been away and Fedyor lets her change of topic, updating her on Nina's latest antics, the new inventions the Durasts and Alkemi have come up with and what subjects have most recently been debated in the council meetings.
Nina barges in half an hour later, full of questions and stories she wants to discuss with Alina.
Fedyor slips out not long after the arrival of the whirlwind of a Heartrender. Nina has almost no filter at all and there are things he really doesn't want to hear about the two young women that he considers family.
He runs into Ivan on his way to the library, his husband falling into step beside him.
"Did you see Starkova?" Ivan asks.
Fedyor nods, "she seems good … better than she was before she left, more settled."
"I'd hope so," his husband grumbles, "she caused enough difficulties by running away that it better have been worth it."
"It's true," he adds when Fedyor glares at him, "I know you love the girl, Fedya, but she left us all to cover for her absence and deal with the king – you really don't want to know how much time that man spent down in the dungeons taking his frustration out on the prisoners."
"Well maybe she wouldn't have felt the urge to flee if he'd actually given her a little more freedom."
Ivan scoffs, "she finds enough trouble within the palace walls. I can't imagine the chaos she could cause in the city and beyond."
It's an old argument of theirs, one they've had for years. Ivan thinks it is perfectly reasonable of the king to want to keep Alina within the palace walls for her safety. Fedyor believes a little bit of freedom would have gone a long way. Personally, he believes he was in the right in the end – after all, Alina had been so desperate to see the outside of the palace that she had run away from them all for eight months.
"She was away for eight months and nothing went wrong," Fedyor points out, "no destroyed buildings or riots or diplomatic incidents."
"Hmm," his husband mutters, "and is she at least planning to stay put for the moment?"
"I think so. She seems glad to be back."
"Well, maybe I'll go and observe her training tomorrow," Ivan says, "we have to ensure she didn't get into sloppy habits while she was aware."
Fedyor sighs. He only hopes the two of them don't end up destroying anything.
(he's still getting dirty looks because of the incident two years ago when the two of them smashed one of the greenhouses to pieces while they were sparring, as if he can control two forces like Ivan and Alina).
Alina slots back into palace life almost as if she was never absent.
There are a few changes, though.
She spends a great deal more time with the king. In his private rooms, riding through the grounds, summoning together, talking over strategies in the war room. In the evenings too, she can be found in his rooms rather than her owns more often than not, although Fedyor is careful not to think too much about that.
In addition, there is a new confidence in the way Alina strides through the halls. She's never been entirely comfortable with being called a saint, and he knows she still isn't thrilled about it, but she wears the name a little better. That isn't to say she's lost that wild spirit of hers that all her friends adore, but now she has an aura of leadership and regality about her that she's never quite managed before.
"When did she grow up," he bemoans to an unsympathetic Ivan, "five minutes ago she was running down the halls head to toe in mud and screaming like a banshee. Now she's basically a queen in everything but name."
"I imagine it'll be official soon enough," his husband replies, entirely unhelpfully, "the king was looking at some of the old jewellery yesterday and talking with a few of the Durasts about melting down certain items so they could create new pieces."
"Out," he points irritably at the door, "just … leave me to wallow in peace."
"Cheer up, Fedya," Ivan tells him, "she and Zenik were running around screaming about some new kind of waffles not two hours ago. She hasn't changed all that much."
At dinner later, as Fedyor watches Alina pout as he reminds her to eat her vegetables, giggle with Nina and make the lights dance for the youngest Grisha students, he thinks his husband is right.
The Sun Summoner might be called a saint across Ravka, might match wits with the king himself, might light up the entire palace grounds with her power, might wield the Cut as a dangerous weapon … but she is still Alina.
And that, Fedyor thinks, is an exceptionally good thing.
Sometimes, Fedyor wants to ask Alina about the king's baffling comment that he had heard from her 'in a manner of speaking' while she was away from the palace.
He cannot quite make himself bring up the topic, though.
There is something new in the way Alina speaks of the king. She's always been reticent when it comes to the things that she talks about with the Shadow Summoner, however Fedyor senses an even deeper connection between them now, thinks that Alina will be quieter than ever about what is between them.
She doesn't speak of it, doesn't offer easy confidences in the way she once did.
It hurts a little, even though it is understandable. One doesn't speak lightly of the king, and Alina is old enough that there are things she won't say, even to Fedyor.
Still, Fedyor has always had a strong sense of curiosity.
As a child, it had gotten him in trouble countless times when he had been found where he shouldn't be, or had overheard things he had no business listening to.
Over the years, he'd become stealthier in his efforts, his naturally affable personality a good cover as he attempted to ferret out gossip and secrets.
There's a reason he's such an effective spymaster, after all.
He doesn't go looking for information, not obviously at least.
That would be foolish in the extreme. If the king chooses not to confide in you then you certainly don't go searching for information – to do so risks chastisement at best or treason charges at worst.
Little pieces he picks up here and there, however … that is a safer way to collate information.
Nina is a willing ally in this endeavour. She just as nosy as he is, and she has a special talent for using her Heartrending to 'persuade' interrogation subjects to give up information. With a little more training, Fedyor thinks she'll make a fine addition to his spy network.
Fedyor looks at troop movements, notices that the Grisha stationed near the Shu Han border are being moved further away from the Fold, sees the request to the otkazat'sya generals for them to send their best trackers to present themselves to the king, hears Alina and the king discuss some sort of demonstration to act as a deterrent.
He doesn't have the whole picture, might not even get it until whatever they're planning actually happens.
But he sees and hears and observes, and Fedyor knows something is coming.
Years and years ago, Tatiana Lantsova had worn fine dresses and jewels to visit one of the city's orphanages.
She had paused outside the door, allowing the crowd gathered on the street to get a good look at their queen and her support for the city's most vulnerable children.
Fedyor thinks the woman probably spent five minutes or less actually inside the institution. She patted one child on the head and shook the hand of the orphanage's matron (wiping her hands on a handkerchief immediately afterwards) and then got back into her carriage.
Alina is the opposite.
They've been here since mid-morning and it is hours after noon now.
The Sun Summoner has spoken to every person in the orphanage, from the highest to the lowest, and has happily sat on the floor playing with the children, sketching them pictures and making them laugh and gasp by creating shapes out of the light.
Alina is wearing her everyday black and gold kefta with a plain shirt and trousers underneath, the corecloth material nice but still serviceable. There are spots of dust and dirt on her clothes, together with the marks of the many sticky little fingers that have tugged at her kefta as the children ask for hugs or drawings or more light shows.
"Don't worry," Fedyor smiles at the matron as the older woman worries over the state of the Sun Summoner, "Alina's no stranger to a bit of mess. She won't mind it at all."
It's absolutely true. Alina has never been one to care about the state of her clothes. In addition, she has always adored children, ever since she arrived at the palace.
No matter that she had been kept somewhat apart from the Grisha students by her status and rooms in the Grand Palace, the Sun Summoner had always liked to spend time with the smallest occupants of the Little Palace, loving their boundless energy and innocent enjoyment of her powers.
Children are far more straightforward than adults, and Fedyor can well understand why Alina prefers their company to that of the nobles or ambassadors.
They stay at the orphanage about an hour more and, when they leave, Alina has a list of specific items that are to be purchased and sent to the institution as soon as possible.
She may have lived at the Grand Palace for years, but he knows she still remembers her time at the orphanage in Keramzin – more than most, she is aware of what such places require by way of donations.
Alina doesn't try to be noticed as they return to the carriage, not like the former queen, but people watch and smile approvingly anyway.
Fedyor imagines they will do the same when Alina visits one of Os Alta's other orphanages next week.
It's been a security nightmare to arrange, driving Ivan quite to distraction, but she is determined to personally see every one of the city's orphanages within the next few months.
He has to admire that about Alina. She's got a personal touch, helped by the fact that she is much more comfortable among the common people (even if they do murmur Sankta a little too often for her liking) than she is around the country's elite. The people consider her one of their own, warming to her as they never did to the Lantsov Family.
As they ride back to the palace, Alina shows him a pile of drawings given to her by the children she had been playing with.
Most of them are little more than colourful scribbles, only a few featuring images he can actually recognise, but she seems to love all of them.
"It's quite a decent place, compared to a lot of the others," Alina tells him.
Fedyor had thought it bleak – the staff kind and the children as well cared for as possible, but the building dreary and the lack of toys and supplies disheartening. Still, its location in Os Alta makes it a favourite for donations from noble families, and it is depressing to think it is one of the more well-funded institutions within Ravka.
He remembers how passionate Alina has been when speaking about the plight of orphanages in their council meetings. Some of the more military-minded council members had been dismissive (at least as much as they would dare in front of the king, who looks unfavourably on any perceived insult to his Sun Summoner) but she always makes strong arguments for the importance of educating and caring for all citizens, regardless of class or circumstances. Besides, the hope is that the Shadow and Sun Summoners working together can make the borders safer and reduce the country's more militaristic mindset, allowing focus on growing and improving Ravka, rather than simply surviving sustained attacks from their enemies.
With Alina at the helm, Fedyor thinks that Ravka's orphanages and schools will have a fierce champion indeed.
"A Grisha can only have one amplifier," is the first thing a confused Fedyor says when the king calls him into a meeting with Ivan and Alina to discuss a trip through the Fold and a voyage to search for the sea whip Rusalye for Alina.
A second amplifier is unheard of. There are some things that are just not done, actions that all the texts and Grisha theories state could put the world out of balance.
"Morozova's amplifiers are different," the king responds in a tone that suggests he will accept no arguments to the contrary, "they were created to be used together. And, as Alina's dreams about the Stag show, they were destined for the Sun Summoner."
It's true that the king is the expert on all things related to Ilya Morozova and his quest to make legendary amplifiers. And, surely, he won't have sanctioned this search if he thinks it might harm Alina to take a second amplifier.
The king is willing to make many sacrifices for the good of the Grisha and Ravka, but Fedyor does not believe he would endanger Alina or risk her suffering some kind of divine punishment. He must, therefore, be extremely confident about his theory.
"And have you been dreaming of the sea whip too?" Fedyor asks Alina.
She shakes her head, "I don't think it's the same. Morozova's Stag was something more, connected to the making at the heart of the world independent of its status as an amplifier – I think that may be why I didn't need to kill it to wear the amplifier. Rusalye is certainly a legendary creature, but it isn't like the Stag. We're going to have to find it the old-fashioned way, I think."
"That's why you want the trackers," Fedyor says, suddenly understanding the reasoning behind one of the king's recent order.
He nods, "there will be Grisha in our travelling party, of course, but there are a number of talented otkazat'sya trackers that might be of use."
"The generals have been in touch," Ivan adds, "the trackers should be arriving in a week."
The king looks pleased, "test them when they arrive. I don't want any dead weight on our trip. And then we can brief them on the mission before we leave."
Ivan nods, the gleam in his eyes showing how pleased he is at having the opportunity to put the trackers through what will likely turn out to be a series of gruelling obstacles to ensure they are satisfactory candidates to join the search party for the sea whip.
Perhaps Fedyor ought to keep an eye on his husband, but it's making Ivan so happy, and it won't do to have anyone who isn't competent, not when this is such an important mission, and with Alina's safety to be considered.
Idly, he wonders if any of the Grisha or oprichniki would be interested in a betting pool of how many of the trackers Ivan will make cry by the end of his test.
When the trackers the king has called for arrive in the War Room, Alina is laughing as she tells Fedyor about one of her recent training mishaps.
When she goes suddenly still and silent, her expression turning sad, he looks around immediately to find out what has upset her.
She's looking at one of the trackers. The young man is about a year older than her, tall and handsome with short brown hair and blue eyes that are wide with shock as he catches sight of Alina.
"Mal," she murmurs.
Fedyor's gaze narrows as he looks at the young man who had once been Alina's closest friend. The boy who had let his prejudice against Grisha ruin their friendship.
Mal goes to take a step forward, but finds his way blocked by an oprichnik.
As Alina has never dreamt of the legendary Rusalye the way she did with Morozova's Stag, the king has deemed it necessary to seek outside assistance in order to track the creature. That doesn't mean he trusts those trackers, however, and Fedyor knows all of the oprichniki have orders to keep the otkazat'sya trackers away from the Sun Summoner – they might have been thoroughly vetted by Ivan, but they are taking no chances with Alina's safety.
"If he's going to make you uncomfortable then we can send him away," Fedyor whispers her, "we've still got plenty of other trackers."
But Alina shakes her head, "no, he's the best, I'm sure of it. Even when we were children, he had this almost preternatural sense for tracking. We need him for this. Besides, it's not like I have to talk to him."
Fedyor can see her point. They had it easy with the Stag, Alina's dreams leading them where they needed to go, and, even then, it still took weeks of searching. They have nothing but the trackers to guide them to the sea whip and if Alina says that Oretsev has the skills necessary, then they unfortunately cannot cut him loose.
Still, that doesn't mean Alina needs to talk to him.
Fedyor guides her over to the other side of the room, to the chair with the golden sunburst that matches the king's (which is decorated with an eclipsed sun).
Oretsev clearly wants to follow. Despite Alina's obvious desire to avoid conversation with him, it seems that the boy feels like he has some sort of right to speak with the Sun Summoner.
Foolish, really. And the sort of behaviour he should avoid if he doesn't want the king to slice him in half with the Cut.
Thankfully, the king arrives before Oretsev can do something unwise like challenge one of the oprichniki. He takes a seat next to Alina, and if they entwine their hands under the table in the exact way Fedyor and Ivan do sometimes, then Fedyor is careful to look away and not think about it.
Recently, his protective instincts have been warring with his self-preservation whenever he watches Alina and the king together. It's not a particularly fun state of being.
Ivan tells him that he's being overprotective, that the little hellion (as he continues to call Alina, with an exasperated kind of fondness) is more than capable of taking care of herself.
Fedyor is digressing, however. And right now it is Oretsev, staring intently at Alina, who is making his hackles rise.
He doesn't pay that much attention to the briefing being given to the trackers. He's already aware of their mission, having discussed it numerous times over the past week with the king, Alina and Ivan.
Instead, Fedyor looks around the table, tries to get a feeling for the trackers and which ones might cause issues. Oretsev is his main concern, but there are two other trackers, sitting on either side of Alina's childhood friend, who look like they might go along with Oretsev even if he does something stupid.
Well, that's fine. Fedyor will simply instruct the oprichniki to keep a particularly close watch on the three to ensure they aren't endangering Alina or the mission at all. And if they do decide to ignore their common sense and put Alina in harm's way, then Fedyor will deal with them himself.
And no matter how jovial a man he is usually, he'll make sure it hurts.
When they arrive in Kribirsk five days later, Fedyor is tense and on high alert.
It's times like this that he misses Ivan's presence. His other half has a knack that only the king can best for spotting assassins and troublemakers, and Fedyor knows this place is absolutely full of potential trouble.
Putting thousands of rowdy soldiers together is always going to be chaotic, but adding the king and the Sun Summoner to the mix just has everyone in even more of a frenzy. Even those who do not mean Alina harm are curious and eager to see her, making her security detail an absolute nightmare to organise.
It's lucky they're only staying one night before they go through the Fold. The plan is for Alina to create a tunnel that will allow safe passage through from Kribirsk to Novokribirsk, finally uniting East and West Ravka, reducing the danger of the secession movement brewing in Novokribirsk and making it easier to transport supplies back and forth.
Alina hides her nerves well, smiling and waving at the people that come to see her. But Fedyor can see the way she twists her hands, and how often she looks to the king for reassurance.
It's a daunting task, he thinks, as he looks up at the darkness of the Shadow Fold. Alina is extraordinary, of course, but the Fold is a creation of massive, angry power that has stood for centuries.
And Fedyor worries for her, fears that she might burn herself out in an attempt to give the people of Ravka the passage through the Fold they so desperately want.
It will be fine, he tells himself, she's got one of Morozova's amplifiers, and the king there just in case she needs a boost.
Fedyor is going to be on the skiff. The king too. And neither of them will let anything happen to the Sun Summoner.
Really, it's going to be absolutely fine.
-x-x-x-
Alina's light protects the skiff as the Squallers direct it through the Fold.
It is the first Fold crossing where those aboard the skiff have felt like it is likely that all of them will make it through alive, and there is a jubilant, triumphant feeling among the passengers. Fedyor is a little more vigilant, watching Alina for any sign that she might be struggling, but so far she seems absolutely fine.
When they reach the half-way mark, the skiff comes to a halt to allow Alina to direct her light and, if all goes to plan, create a permanent crossing in the Fold.
Her light is blinding, but Fedyor shields his eyes so that he can still watch her.
Part of it is a protective instinct to ensure she is alright. The other part is a desire to watch this amazing spectacle, history in the making.
The light shoots upwards, burning through the shadows and letting them see the blue sky above despite the fact that they are in the middle of the Fold. He can hear the gasps and cheering, and he almost joins in himself, but he is too busy focusing on Alina.
Alina throws her hands wide then, the light pushing out towards both Kribirsk and Novokribirsk, slowly but steadily cutting through the Shadow Fold that has stood for hundreds of years.
Fedyor can't entirely believe just what he is witnessing, that he is standing right next to the Sun Summoner as she does something no one else has ever managed, finally uniting the two sides of Ravka.
At one point, the light flickers for a fraction of a second. The king steps forward immediately, though, his hand coming to rest on the back of Alina's neck.
She slumps ever so slightly in relief, her light brightening, a determined expression on her face.
Fedyor watches her carefully for any signs of fatigue, but the king's amplification appears to have renewed her strength and the light flows outwards with increased speed.
It's true that the sounds that the volcra make as they come up against the light are rather disturbing, the sort of pained screeches that are likely to feature in Fedyor's nightmares for weeks to come, but it is surely worth it as Alina brings them ever closer to a pathway through the Fold.
He knows the moment that Alina is successful.
The noise is deafening. Screams and cheers and weeping not only from those on the skiff, but also audible from the crowds on both ends of the new pathway.
Fedyor doesn't even realising he is crying until he feels the cool air hit the dampness of the tears on his cheeks. Two of the Inferni who have been travelling with them grab him and tug him into a warm group hug as they celebrate Alina's monumental achievement.
When he manages to make his way over to the hero of the hour, she is barely awake, sat down with her eyes mostly shut as she buries her face into the king's black kefta. Clearly, the exhaustion is catching up with her, although her skin is glowing slightly.
The king's eyes, as he looks down at her, are softer than Fedyor has ever seen them, and wide with an awed kind of adoration as he strokes some hair away from Alina's face.
There will be time to congratulate her later, Fedyor thinks.
Better not to disturb her right now.
After they make a triumphant journey to Os Kervo to board their ship, they are at sea for nearly two weeks before they find the sea whip.
Some days, Fedyor is convinced that Oretsev is stalling. He often seems definite about the direction they should be going, but at other times he has them change course a dozen times in barely three hours.
The king starts to lose patience after about a week. It's really a good thing Ivan is back at the palace keeping order, because Fedyor thinks his husband would have started threatening the tracker even sooner.
Still, once the Shadow Summoner has had a quiet word with Oretsev (and doesn't Fedyor wish he'd been able to overhear that conversation) the boy seems to be a little more consistent and focused.
He also keeps well away from Alina, flinching slightly if she moves within a few feet of him.
Fedyor thinks (with an unusually vicious satisfaction) that it must have been some talk.
On a clear morning, Alina is the first to spot the sea whip, her loud gasp capturing everyone else's attention.
The creature breaches the waves, its body cutting through the water in a sinuous arch, rainbows sparking off the iridescent scales on its back.
The sea whip is certainly worthy of all the legends that are told about it. Terrifying and magnificent all at once, Fedyor senses that this amplifier will not be nearly as easy to claim as Alina's first.
Morozova's Stag had clearly been waiting for Alina, had bestowed antler pieces on her without the need for violence or death. The sea whip, he thinks, will be a different story.
Unfortunately, he turns out to be right.
The king gives orders for the creature to be subdued and brought onto deck, a combination of Grisha power, harpoons and rifles being the weapons of choice.
He bundles Alina into the cabin, despite her very loud protests about being perfectly capable of protecting herself, insisting that Fedyor and two of the oprichniki join her as a final line of defence, and that David (whose experience of combat is almost non-existent and who will be needed to forge the amplifier) should stay with them.
"I can help," the Sun Summoner insists as the two oprichniki stand in front of the door despite her wheedling attempts to get them to allow her out on deck.
"We have to keep you safe," Fedyor says, "I know you're more than competent with your light, but it won't help you much if you get swept off the deck and into the sea."
"What about everyone else, though?" she protests, "what if they get hurt and I could have helped?"
"They'll be fine," Fedyor soothes.
A little white lie, perhaps, but Fedyor knows all the Grisha and oprichniki going on this trip have been chosen because they have experience at sea, so they are better prepared for the dangers. It's true that some of the trackers have only really trained on land, but hopefully they will be alright too.
In all honesty, Fedyor knows that Alina is far and away the king's first priority, followed by the Grisha, then the oprichniki and finally the trackers. If everyone else on this ship somehow perishes in the search, he thinks the king will still ensure Alina survives.
Thankfully, it doesn't come to that.
When they are finally allowed to emerge from the cabin, the deck rather resembles a war zone.
A number of people are being patched up by the Healers, while others are sporting superficial cuts and bruises as they work to keep the sea whip subdued on deck and avoid its thrashing body.
Alina hesitates for a moment, "it just seems cruel to just kill it. Are we sure –"
"It isn't like the Stag, milaya," the king interrupts, although his tone is rather gentle.
She nods sadly, calling the light and blinking back a few tears as she sends a blinding blade of light at the sea whip's neck, ending its suffering and its life as quickly and cleanly as she can.
When the oprichniki have given him a handful of the sea whip's shimmering scales, David works quickly and efficiently.
After a brief consultation with Alina, the Durast wraps the scales around her bare left wrist, giving her a second permanent bracelet and making her the first person Fedyor knows of who has ever wielded two amplifiers.
They know a little of what to expect now, after the Stag, backing away as the shimmer of Alina's skin becomes something more, a searing column of light shooting up into the sky above her.
Unfortunately, it's stronger now than it had been in the forest after the Stag.
The light just keeps coming, the expression on Alina's face turning from wide-eyed to pained.
Something isn't right.
He can sense the air almost shiver, can feel the temperature rise.
Alina is the Sun Summoner, after all, and the sun can be as cruel as it is kind.
"Everyone down," he shouts, as he realises what is about to happen.
They hit the deck immediately, throwing their hands over their heads as the king sends out tendrils of shadows to try and protect them.
And then there is an explosion of light and Fedyor loses consciousness.
-x-x-x-
When he comes around, it is beginning to get dark, the ship floating unmoored on the now choppy sea.
His skin feels warm, and he can see it is pinker than usual, as if he has spent too much time out in the sun.
As he sits up, he can see many prone (but breathing, thank the saints) bodies around him, although a few are stirring.
The only figures who seem to be fully upright, however, are Alina and the king.
The centre of the deck has been bleached white from the force of Alina's light, and she is there, cradled in the king's arms as he murmurs quietly to her.
Fedyor stands up and walks towards them slowly, his feet a little unsteady and his mind somewhat fuzzy.
Alina throws her arms around him when she spots him, "Fedyor! Saints, I'm so, so sorry. Are you ok?"
The king glares, as if ready to maim him if he doesn't reassure the Sun Summoner.
"I'm fine," he promises, "really, just a little lightheaded."
"I … I didn't realise there would be that much power," Alina says quietly, "it overwhelmed me."
"It's an unprecedented situation," the king says, tugging her back into his lap, a hand wrapped around her waist, "and no one was hurt."
"No, just knocked unconscious for hours and given a mild sunburn," Alina sighs.
"They are fine," the king reiterates, with eyes only for her.
"I'll go … help the others," Fedyor says, sensing Alina is in good hands and feeling a little like he is intruding on an intimate situation, even if it is occurring in the middle of a ship's deck.
He moves over to help David seems to have hit his head on the deck when the light exploded outwards. Thankfully, one of the Healers is nearby, a little shaky on her feet but recovered enough to heal the small gash on David's forehead.
When Fedyor looks back at the Shadow and Sun Summoners, he sees they are still entirely engrossed with each other.
And, despite the fact that he could really use their help getting everyone up and ready to get themselves and the ship safely back to Os Kervo, he can't help but smile softly at them.
They don't actually get back to Os Alta for another four weeks.
First the sea journey back to Os Kervo, with the otkazat'sya trackers giving Alina a wide berth, some of them regarding her as a saint and others (like Oretsev) uncomfortable with her display of power.
Then a few nights in Novokribirsk, reminding all the people there of the Sun and Shadow Summoners' powers and ensuring that the vacuum left by General Zlatan (their agents in the city have ensured that his tragic death just days after Alina created the pathway through the Fold cannot be traced back to them) is not filled by anyone with similar secession tendencies.
They make an odd stop in the middle of the new Fold pathway for the king and Alina to leave the skiff for about twenty minutes in order to go into the Fold itself (protected by Alina's light, of course, but Fedyor still doesn't know why). Alina looks a little sad when they return, but the king appears very pleased. They whisper together the rest of the way through the pathway, but Fedyor can't hear what they are saying.
On their arrival in Kribirsk, they are accosted by thousands of pilgrims eager for a glimpse of Sankta Alina, which delays their journey a little further as Alina waves and gives a little light show.
And then, finally, it is on to Os Alta. Fedyor doesn't weep at the sight of his home, but he does let out an emphatic sigh of relief that makes Alina giggle a little.
Ivan is there to greet them, bowing formally when the king and Alina exit their carriage.
He begins to give his report of everything that has occurred in their absence, only to be cut off as Fedyor, entirely disregarding propriety and protocol, hurtles forward to kiss his husband.
(damnit, he's missed Ivan and he doesn't care who knows it).
Alina's laugh is loud and jovial, almost enough to entirely drown out the king's low chuckle.
"I believe we can debrief tomorrow, Ivan," the king says as he and Alina head inside.
Fedyor gives a thankful nod of his head and then returns to kissing Ivan, not giving him any chance to protest.
It's been ages and Fedyor plans on enjoying a very thorough reunion with his husband.
News trickles in a few days later of the Fold's further incursion into Shu Han, engulfing two military encampments and some border forests.
Fedyor remembers the mysterious stop they'd made in the Fold pathway and wonders.
He doesn't ask questions, though. Why ask when you already know the answer.
The ambassadors from Shu Han receive orders from Ahmrat Jen to make a new treaty with Ravka in the light of their military power having taken a big hit with the Fold's movement.
The king smile is cold and sharp, like a knife, as he negotiates favourable terms for Ravka that should greatly reduce the military presence needed on their southern border, freeing up resources to deal with Fjerda.
There are always losses in war, Fedyor tells himself as he thinks of the thousands of soldiers wiped out by the Fold's movement.
And surely it will be better in the long run for everyone if they have more congenial relations rather than the near-constant state of war that has plagued Ravka and its neighbours for centuries.
It will all be worth it in the end, if they finally have some peace.
"Where's Alina?" Fedyor asks Nina one afternoon.
"She's with the king," she tells him, "playing the violin for him."
Fedyor winces. Alina, despite her devotion to practicing, really has not much improved with the instrument. He smiles encouragingly when she plays for him, because she clearly tries very hard, but it really is quite painful to hear her play.
Ivan refuses any and all invitations she offers to her hear her play, although at least he never insults her playing when she is in earshot. Sometimes, Fedyor thinks Alina is well aware of how her playing sounds, since she always issues invitations to Ivan with a sly little smile on her face.
Surely, it must be particularly difficult for the king. Fedyor is one of the few who knows that the Shadow Summoner is a superb violinist himself, although he never plays for an audience.
"I don't think he minds," Nina tells him, "he just muttered something about practice making perfect. Besides, we both know he'll sit and watch Alina do anything, he's so ridiculously besotted."
It's true. Everyone in both palaces is just waiting for an engagement announcement. He's fairly sure almost all the Grisha are involved in the betting pool that Genya is running.
"Where are you going?" he asks Nina as she turns to leave.
"Off to find Genya," the younger Heartrender says, "I want to amend my bet. I had it down for next month but if he's managed to listen to half an hour of Alina's playing and not fled the room then it's probably going to be in the next week or so."
Fedyor watches her go and then hurries off to find Ivan. It seems a good idea for the two of them to make some changes to their bets as well.
The insistent knocking on his door rouses Fedyor from sleep.
Next to him, Ivan grumbles slightly and then turns over to bury his face in the pillow.
Most people assume Ivan rouses at the slightest sound, ready for any emergency. The truth is that Fedyor is the lighter sleeper of the pair, especially in the palace where they feel relatively secure.
He rubs his eyes tiredly as he pads over the carpeted floor to open the door.
Fedyor barely has time to blink before Alina, beaming and practically vibrating with excitement,shoves her hand out, a new onyx and diamond ring glittering on one of her fingers.
He is pleased to see how happy she looks, how deliriously pleased and in love.
That's good. It means he won't feel the need to threaten a man who can cut him in half with barely a thought.
Their noisy chattering wakes Ivan after about five minutes.
He's adorably grumpy as he demands to know who has disturbed him up at the ungodly hour of three in the morning.
Alina pushes her hand into his line of sight, pouting when he only rolls his eyes.
"It's not like we didn't expect it, Starkova."
"Ivaaaannnn," she complains, jostling the bed as she does a good impression of her eight-year-old self and tries to shake him so he's more awake.
"Fine, congratulations, you little menace. Are you happy now?"
"Yes," she smiles at him sweetly, turning her attention back to Fedyor as Ivan pulls one of the pillows over his head.
Feeling a little sorry for his husband, Fedyor persuades Alina to join him in his and Ivan's little sitting room, listening as she babbles excitedly about her new ring and how romantic the proposal has been.
She doesn't give him many details, but he expects that considering how much the king enjoys his privacy when it comes to personal matters.
Still, she does say he's the first person she's told, which makes him feel warm inside and more than a little emotional.
"Will you … will you walk me down the aisle?" she asks him, a little nervously.
"Of course I will," he tells her immediately, "I'd be honoured, Alina."
"I'm a little scared," she admits.
"If the king –"
"No, not of him," she laughs, as if it's ludicrous that her new fiancé would do anything to hurt her, "just … how am I supposed to be a queen?"
Alina doesn't usually sound unsure, but now he can sense an undercurrent of unease beneath her happiness.
"Alina," he takes her hands, "you will be the best queen this country has ever had. And not just because the bar is so low."
She sniffles slightly, "you have to say that. You're like my father."
"I'm saying it because you're kind and you're clever and you care about this country more than generations of Lantsovs ever did."
She hugs him tightly, "I love you, Fedyor."
"I love you too, dorogoy," he murmurs.
They stay like that for a little while, until Alina says that she better let him get back to Ivan before his husband comes looking for him.
"Besides," she says, "I have to tell Nina. She'll be so excited."
That is an understatement. Nina will be bouncing off the walls for days after this announcement.
He goes back to bed with a wide grin that makes Ivan, when he wakes briefly, roll his eyes.
Fedyor doesn't care. The smile will remain on his face for a good while yet.
(Nina wins the bet. She's insufferable for weeks afterwards).
Alina wants a small wedding. Fedyor thinks the king probably does too.
Unfortunately for the both of them, their status makes this wish quite impossible.
The wedding will be swiftly followed by Alina's coronation, and the event will take place in the Grand Palace in front of hundreds of nobles, foreign dignitaries and a carefully selected group of merchants and children from the orphanages Alina supports.
There is a little bit of talk about the fact that the wedding will not take place in Os Alta Cathedral, but the king has not set foot in the place since he took the crown from the old king and clearly has no intention of starting now.
(Fedyor remembers the Apparat, a greasy, grasping man who spoke of suffering with a sickeningly wide smile, and who the king had taken great pleasure in eviscerating as soon as he was no longer useful. The day of the Apparat's execution is one Ivan speaks of with great fondness).
Genya deals with the planning with all the efficiency of a military commander preparing for war. She is in her element with seating charts and dress designs. Ivan is in charge of security, a job he takes so seriously that Fedyor sometimes wakes in the middle of the night to find his husband frantically scribbling notes about oprichniki rotations and security checkpoints.
The king checks everything over, especially the guest list, but for the most part is happy to delegate.
Alina actively flees from most of the planning. She reluctantly stands still for a few dress fittings, but she hasn't got much interest in flowers or decorations. To no one's surprise, the only part she appears for with a smile on her face (and Nina in tow) is when they are testing the menu and cake.
Alina also insists on delivering Baghra's invitation to the event in person.
"She won't come," Fedyor says, "I've never seen her away from her hut. There is an ongoing bet on whether she actually ever leaves it."
Alina perseveres, insisting she wants to make the offer even though everyone seems to believe it will be refused.
She doesn't let Fedyor come into the hut with her, which is absolutely fine with him (it doesn't matter that he's an adult, Baghra still scares him almost as much as she had when he was a child).
When an hour passes and Alina still doesn't emerge, Fedyor starts to worry.
Baghra wouldn't actually kill the Sun Summoner for having the audacity to invite her to a wedding … would she?
But then, just as he is trying to decide whether he should knock on the door, it opens and Alina slips out.
She doesn't seem traumatised. Rather cheerful, actually.
"What did she say?" he asks, even though he's fairly sure the answer is going to be –
"She said yes," Alina looks very satisfied with herself, even as Fedyor gapes.
"She said what?"
"Well, she doesn't care for parties, but she did say she'd come to the service."
The Sun Summoner doesn't seem to realise how crazy this is. The idea of Baghra out of her hut, sitting down in the Grand Palace (likely with a great deal of space either side of her, as no one will want to get close enough to be whacked with her infamous cane) is absolutely insane.
"What in the name of all the saints did you say to Baghra to get her to attend?"
Alina only smiles enigmatically, "that's for me to know and you to wonder."
Fedyor genuinely thinks this mystery will haunt him for years to come.
Fedyor cries when he sees Alina in her wedding gown.
Ivan calls him a hopeless sap (before he rushes off to deal with some security issues) but Fedyor doesn't care in the least.
She looks absolutely stunning in Genya's creation, so grown-up and regal.
"It's got pockets, Fedyor," she whispers conspiratorially to him with a delighted grin as he takes her arm.
It does indeed. Rather large ones too, big enough to fit two handkerchiefs, a small penknife ("from Ivan, just in case," she tells him with a shrug) and a couple of wrapped caramels ("not for me, Fedyor, for my groom – he's got a sweet tooth, but sshh, it's a secret").
Nina and Genya are on hand to help Alina with her gown's long train, thankfully preventing any tripping incidents.
He is relieved to note that Alina is wearing some stylish but sturdy shoes, no towering heels, and feels a little better knowing he won't need to keep an iron grip on her arm to stop her from falling over.
When they reach the Throne Room, where the ceremony will take place, Nina and Genya go in first, each carrying a pretty bouquet of blue irises, Alina's favourite flowers.
The bride has the same flowers woven into her hair, but she wears no veil since there will soon be a kokoshnik on her head.
Saints, Alina is about to be a queen!
"Are you ready?" he asks her, "if you don't want to do this then I promise we can make a run for it, grab two horses and head towards Os Kervo to get a ship over to Novyi Zem. I know the king will follow us and probably slice me into tiny little pieces, but we'll go if you want to."
She laughs, "oh, Fedyor, you're so sweet. But I know you'd miss Ivan terribly and I rather like you alive. Besides, I must admit that I really do love him quite fiercely."
He knows this. Still, it is a relief to hear her say it. After years spent stuck inside the palace walls, having to flee into the night to finally get the freedom she desires, Fedyor just wishes to be sure Alina really wants this marriage.
Then the wedding march begins and the two of them enter the room.
The crowd stands and turns to look at them, whispers of admiration as they catch sight of Alina in all her finery, her skin glowing very slightly.
The moment the king turns and catches sight of his bride, Fedyor knows he cannot doubt his feelings for his Sun Summoner.
Their king might usually wear a mask to disguise his emotions, but Fedyor can sense his elevated heartbeat, can see his eyes go wide and his mouth quirk up into a smile.
He finds himself tearing up again when he places Alina's hands into the king's and then takes his place next to Ivan.
While, logically, he's known for years that it would eventually come to this, it's still emotional to be faced with the prospect of Alina marrying.
In a rare show of public affection, Ivan's hand finds Fedyor's and squeezes tightly, not protesting when Fedyor leans against him and sighs softly.
The king and Alina repeat the traditional Grisha vows, the only change being their omittance of any names.
Fedyor spots Nina, a smug look on her face as a few of her classmates slip her coins. He knows she's been running a betting pool, insisting that not even his wedding would make the king reveal his name to the world.
Who knows if he even has one? Fedyor believes so, but thinks that maybe only Alina knows it, that perhaps it is something the king keeps solely for himself and the Sun Summoner.
"I have seen your face in the making at the heart of the world and there is no one more beloved, brave and unbreakable."
The king speaks the words clearly, with very little emotion, almost as if it is simply another speech or declaration he needs to make.
His expression gives him away, though. He looks at Alina like she is the sun itself, as if there is nothing and no one more important than the young woman in front of him.
It's heartening, really. Fedyor can't help but worry that Alina is too young to tie herself to someone for life, but this is inevitable, really, and he's pleased to know that the king cares as much as Alina does.
Their Shadow Summoner might be able to fake many things, but Fedyor knows the look of love, the slight change in heartbeat that not even the king can hide.
Turning around to glance at the crowd, Fedyor spots Baghra at the back of the room, watching the proceedings with something that almost seems like pride.
And then he is distracted as Alina and the king are pronounced husband and wife, and the room bursts into applause, Nina whooping loudly and Genya sobbing into a handkerchief (although she somehow manages to look as perfect and put together as ever) as she David pats her carefully on the shoulder.
The wedding slips seamlessly into a coronation thanks to Genya and Ivan's extensive planning.
These things are normally hours long, Fedyor knows, but the king has had this service dramatically cut down to the very basics. He has no love for officials droning on without reason, and Alina doesn't have much patience for long, dull speeches.
So, it is only twenty minutes after they are married that Alina is anointed as Ravka's new queen.
The king, wearing his own obsidian crown, takes a magnificent gold and diamond kokoshnik from a velvet cushion held up by a beaming Nina, placing it gently onto Alina's head before he leans down to kiss her again, holding her just a little longer than is strictly proper, although no one dares to complain about it.
The two of them turn to face the crowd, to rapturous applause.
Ravka has its Sol Koroleva, a Sun Queen to balance the Black Tsar.
A new age has begun.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.