AN: It's the last chapter of "misclassification" that I will post here for a long while. I guess not much of the fandom is on ffnet, so before completing the first part of the story I won't bother posting here. In case you're interested, you can find me on ao3 under the same username – that's where I will keep on updating with each chapter. (Unless there are ppl who want me to post here frequently. Let me know)
VIII.
Every Grisha in Ravka (and some highborn otkazat'sya courtiers) loved the Darkling, there was no doubt about that. Whether they were younglings, stealing him away to tell them stories at nights when he came back (which Alina dutifully attended in secret ever since her first one), the starry-eyed teenagers watching him on official occasions or reading and hearing about everything he'd done to make Ravka better and safer for Girsha, or younger and older adults serving under his lead in the Second Army – it was honestly impossible not to love him, Alina observed (clinically, and not at all wistfully) in all those combined weeks he spent at the Little Palace in next few years before her eleventh winter.
She hasn't actually met him, not like others. (Unless you count that disaster in the library when she was nine, but she was not thinking about it, and she didn't even remember it, and did it really happen?* It did not.) Because every year, in the weeks before the winter fete, some young Grisha were being randomly pulled away from classes (Ivan and David both, albeit not the same year) to eventually end up as part of the Darkling's yearly demonstration – or, as otkazat'sya servants called it in hushed voices, the lightshow prepared for the Tsar and his court.
Young Alina wanted many, many things. (Nobody tried to teach her about greed, yet.) One of those things was to become part of the Darkling's winter fete demonstration. It would be silly had it been a show for the Tsar, but to Alina it would be a chance to somewhat prove herself to the Da... to the Grisha. All the Grisha, not one person. Obviously.
Unfortunately, she didn't have anything to show off. Despite her great plans, during her first four years she remained what Inferni and other Summoners called 'slow burn'. It basically meant that so far she wasn't effortlessly displaying her powers like most of her classmates.
With Fabrikators, it mostly came to their experience with certain materials and creativity. Sometimes, when she listened to David's excited babbling about his major classes, Alina wished she was a Durast.
For Materialki, the small science happened inside and started within their own bodies. According to Ivan, the hard part was to use it on others. Maybe, if she was a Healer, or Heartrender, or even Tailor like Genya Safin (that redhead with a hilarious crush on Alina's best friend)... Maybe then she would make a better Grisha.
Apparently with Ethearalki, the small science was about using and affecting the outside. And on her own, Alina could not figure out how.
Unlike most Inferni her age, she wasn't randomly setting things on fire whenever a flint was nearby and she never once sensed a single type of gas, not to mention diverging between them. She began to dread practical chemistry lessons.
As if she wasn't already the shortest Grisha in her classes, she also had to fail with the small science! She wouldn't be lighting up the Fold or slaying monsters anytime soon.
Despite having a neutrally friendly relationship with other young Ethearalki so far, after being declared that volcra damned 'slow burn', Alina noticed they started either acting quite cold or just plain avoiding her. She didn't care that much anyway - she had David and Ivan, and she was fine.
When she was desperate enough to seek out older Inferni and finally even the ever absent Benyamin, they all told her the same thing (insert a wise tone): 'Don't try to force it. It will all come to you when the time is right'. So much for help. And Ben didn't even sound convinced!
When in trouble, go to the library.
Alina did. She didn't find anything she would understand (the volcra damned Old Ravkan!) or comprehend (the advanced handbooks on courses she hasn't even started yet). According to her beloved stories, Alina needed first to acquire one (1) mentor and at least one (1) enemy.
Mentor... Well, when it came to someone to look up to, on the imaginary epic-adventure-and-rise-in-power form she would sign the Darkling. Very vaguely, well, but every Grisha looked up to the Darkling, okay?
An enemy... That one was harder to find.
At least she thought so.
But during her first more practical lesson on the 'Introduction to Summoning' at the ripe old age of thirteen, Alina was noticed by Zoya Nazyalensky. It wasn't a good kind of attention.
During her days at the orphanage, Alina remained safely out of the food chain, but she was observing other orphans out of boredom sometimes, and she had no trouble finding the leader of the pack at the Little Palace.
Ivan was probably the most talented Heartrender - and even Materialnik - so it also meant the most powerful young Grisha among the students at the Little Palace, but he wasn't exactly a social person, nor was he surrounded by a flock of admirers. (But perhaps the lack of them had something to do with one deceptively placid Heartrender at his side called Fedyor Kaminsky.)
Zoya, on the other hand, a girl barely two years older than Alina, was already 'the most promising Squaller to ever bless these walls', 'very intelligent for her age', and basically – the perfect princess of the Ethearalki. It also meant she was the most popular – and volcra damn it, did she know how to use it! In Alina's eyes, the whole Little Palace (except of course Alina herself, David, who didn't really notice popularity contests, and Ivan, who had already disliked the arrogant Squallor) was firmly wrapped around Zoya's finger. It didn't help that she was ridiculously beautiful – all Grisha were, after all, but something about her bright eyes, thick hair and the fact that she was already impressively tall felt personally offending to Alina. Silver embroidery, already present on Zoya's kefta, was just another nail to the coffin.
Alina could probably mercifully ignore all of that, had it not been for the fact that rumors said she was considered one of the Darkling's favorites.
But when it came to action and reaction, Alina was never the former. If Zoya didn't start it, she would probably only hate her from afar. When Miss Perfect finally noticed who is the weakest link in the Ethearalki food chain, she had to make it known. After a verbal attack that had our used-to-physical-confrontations heroine frozen and unusually speechless, having found no equal, Princess Zoya returned to ignoring Alina completely.
Squaller's mocking voice and last words ringing in her ears – You're no Grisha. You're no better than otkazat'sya – Alina ran as fast as she could – Why do they even take filthy orphans in? – as far as she could – Here, look, a flint - maybe, if Ivan or David were there to have her back, like Zoya had her stupid minions - Show us what you can do, little girl – she was not crying, her eyes were just sweating, that's all – I doubt the Second Army will accept a failure like you – finally out of sight, she curled up in the reading nook furthest from the door, a small ball of shock, tears, hatred, fury and fear – You'll have to go back where you came from...
IX.
It took an embarrassing amount of time for Alina to calm down and then some more for her to begin to plot, while of course rubbing her lucky trophy.
She couldn't outdo Zoya in small science – not yet for sure. (Maybe not ever, but she decided to forget it for a while.) If the worst case scenario the best Alina would be able to do would be burning a little those people she was touching, then in order to stay and become a member of the Second Army, Alina will have to master the combat skills. So far she had practically none – unless you count punching teeth out of skinny orphan's mouths or sneaking out for kitchen raids and making sure nobody noticed her and David (there was one time they came really close to being discovered, but she clutched David's hand in hers so hard that later she could swear they walked right in front of the Cook with him not being aware at all). For now, she had to become the best combat student at the Little Palace.
And then she will never have to go back to the Keramzin. Never.
With renewed confidence, she went to the washroom to clean her face up, and then with an almost springly step she joined her classmates on the way to their first serious lesson in combat, finally with Botkin.
X.
Of course, Botkin – as awesome as he was for an otkazat'sya (but also a former Shumercenary!) – turned out to be yet another adult enamored with Perfect Miss Nazyalensky.
He even brought her to the first class to help him with a small demonstration. It was obvious he was holding himself up, but also that Zoya was a very skillful warrior for a teenager. Even with The Rule, written on the wall in fiery red - 'NO POWERS ALLOWED' – she was really good, Alina had to admit. Young Inferni didn't miss a small satisfied look that her enemy shot her after the demonstration's end, when she was graciously accepting compliments before leaving for her own classes. According to Botkin, Zoya has already surpassed her peers and trained with the best and eldest students. He paired them up and started exercises that ended with a very basic fight - more like mild exchange of punches. Alina couldn't focus and was quite easily outdone by her partner, an Inferni named Marie. One of the many Nazyalensky's fans. Without a doubt, she would tattle to her idol after the classes.
Alina's pout didn't escape Botkin's notice. The giant man scolded her at first, but at first sight of shiny eyes, his face softened.
"A tiny thing like you, little one, could become the best fighter here. You could become faster than you think, and having an opponent underestimating you is not that bad strategy..."
With that bit of advice, he left his somewhat consoled student to talk to the others.
XI.
During the next meal she shared with both David and Ivan, she sat gritting her teeth and watching Zoya hatefully instead of stuffing her cheeks like usual. The Squaller willfully ignored the younger girl. When even David noticed his friend's foul mood, Ivan decided to be a good brother and ask what happened. Once Alina finished her anti-Nazyalensky rant (to her companions' mildly terrified stares), her throat was so dry she stole Ivan's mug and drank. She almost choked on his very strong tea, resulting in this exchange:
"What happened to your kompot?"
"Kompot is for babies."
"I'm not a baby, and I love kompot!"
Ivan's smile turned mean. Alina glared. Ivan scowled. David (ever the peacemaker) sighed and poured Alina some plum kompot. And then some more.
At least it wasn't kvas.
But that earlier gulp of caffeine was clearly a mistake – at least in Ivan's humble opinion – because Alina seemed even more edgy and after a while her eyes acquired a maniacal glow. She banged her fist on the wooden table, earning anxious looks from those sitting nearby and almost giving David (who incorrectly assumed the worst was over) a heart attack.
Alina looked both of them up and down (as much as she could while sitting there, anyway), compared David's slim build and Ivan's much more solid one, then hummed wisely...
"You," she pointed finger at Ivan's distressed face, "are going to teach me how to fight."
The older boy scowled at her in consideration. Maybe, if he could calm Alina down with a bit of Heartrending, she would abandon that brilliant idea… He hesitated for too long.
"No, better!" she exclaimed suddenly, waving her hand in excitement. "You're going to teach both of us!"
David, now on the literal edge of his seat, looked at her with betrayal on his face. "Alina, I have far too many projects to finish in the... erm... near future. Actually, I better get going... There is something I really need to take a look at before it-" he didn't finish before Ivan's hand grabbed his kefta's collar. "Not so fast, little Durast. If I will have to suffer through this, so should you." Among his classmates Ivan was a formidable opponent, but when it came to a certain Inferni brat, he knew when to give up. After two rounds of negotiations, David was free to go to the workshop with a solemn promise to show up for their first official lesson with Instructor Ivan.
(If he was training them, he would do it right. And maybe it was his chance to ask Fedyor for help?)
When Ivan showed up with another Heartrender behind him, our wise and ancient thirteen year old Inferni knew exactly what was going on. Ignoring David's confused whisper, she immediately latched on to the opportunity and managed to terribly embarrass Ivan in the first five minutes of the meeting.
The training, of course, could not continue without occasional arguments here and there. By the end, Ivan was almost as tired as his students, David considered taking a nap on the pile of the mattresses, Fedyor was still smiling widely and Alina was soaked in loudest pair was still capable of scowling at each other menacingly, and it seemed to finally break Fedyor. The dark-haired Heartrender bent in half and between near hysterical giggles managed to whisper, "Oh, Vanya! You should have seen yourself! If I didn't know any better, I'd say the two of you are siblings! Actually, now that I think about it, you really act like Alina's big brother..." Once calm enough, he looked at Ivan in awe.
You're welcome, brat – Alina mouthed at Ivan and winked before she left, dragging half-asleep David behind her.
Cheeky... brat.
XII.
Between carefully attending all the Botkin's classes, her sessions with Ivan and a major course handbook 'borrowed' from some distracted older Materialnik, Alina was slowly getting better. Her current goal was to become the best among her classmates and able to move up. One day, she would reach Nazyalensky's level. And then...
When the day comes that Botkin pairs her up with Zoya, Alina will earn another tooth to her collection.
Bonus:
/snowie130 presents: The Library Incident\
Baby Alina: *there to find 'The Lives of Saints, fifth edition, corrected and censored' by L. Bardugo*
Letter B like Bardugo: *is very, very high on shelf*
Baby Alina: *is very, very smol*
A ladder/stool/anything to help: *are not there*
Baby Alina: *unsuccessfully jumps*
The book's spine: *mocks her*
Baby Alina: What's wrong with you, Bardugo?
Baby Alina: *gets ready to climb the bookshelf*
Amused voice from behind: I've been wondering the same thing. Whoever they were, they clearly had a thing against Shadow Summoners...
Baby Alina: *freezes*
Darkles (because, duh): *takes out the book – the only LB on shelf*
Darkles: *gives said book to Alina*
Baby Alina: *takes the book*
Darkles: *smiles*
Baby Alina: *blushes so hard that it humbles Ivan's kefta* *runs away*
AN: F. calls I. "Vanya" because, from what I know, it's a diminutive of 'Ivan'. It's also a female name itself (yes, I had fun naming Ivan's mentor in chapter 2), so to make it a bit less confusing I will spell it 'Vania' instead ;)