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.

Persuasion

Her mama and papa are hiding something.

She knows they have always kept things from her about her soulmark and her power, but now there is something else.

They go quiet when she enters the room, spend the evenings whispering over maps as she tries (and fails) to eavesdrop from her room.

Alina wishes she could talk about it with someone, speculate about what the big secret is. There is only Sasha, though, and she doesn't want to tell him that her parents might be planning something, knowing that he will be suspicious – he already dislikes mama and papa because they are one of the main reasons Alina will not go to him, and she doesn't need him to become even angrier.

She can't be sure, but she thinks might be talking about moving. And not just to another rural cottage, but further afield.

Further, her mind whispers, from Sasha.

He lives in the palace in Os Alta, and so she surmises that he must be very powerful. She doesn't know much about the country's rulers – a deliberate omission from the lessons her parents give her, she has come to realise – but Sasha gives off the impression of an important man, one used to giving commands and being obeyed. It explains why he seems simultaneously baffled and furious about Alina's refusal to allow him to find her.

If her parents are truly planning to move, then she can only imagine they are trying to figure out the best way to go in order to avoid the Shadow Fold.

She supposes they might suspect something about her power, but they are certainly not aware that she has been training, and they would not think she could lead them safely through the shadows. And even with all the lessons Sasha has been giving her, Alina is unsure she could manage to sustain her light for the amount of time it would take to cross the Fold, especially if they were trying to avoid notice from the soldiers stationed there.

Unfortunately, staying out of the Fold involves skirting along the border and probably moving into Fjerda or Shu Han, depending on if they go north or south. Both options are dangerous.

Alina fails to understand the urgency. This nomadic lifestyle of theirs has suited for over a decade and she does not think anything that has changed. Briefly, she panics that they know about Sasha, but she's sure they would have interrogated her if that was the case, wanting to know if she has given him information that would let him find her.

Alina is torn.

She loves her parents dearly, and she has chosen to stay with them rather than going to Sasha, but she also recognises that a soulmark is not something that can be ignored forever, nor can she deny that she likes getting to know Sasha as he teaches her about her power.

So many questions. About soulmarks, why her parents fear hers, what drives them to keep her hidden away, when they will finally be properly honest with her.

There is so much she does not know. Stifled and stymied by the things her parents and Sasha won't say, the secrets they all keep from her.

She feels like she is stuck on a tightrope, trying desperately to stay balanced, juggling competing loyalties and keeping her lessons secret from her parents and not letting slip too much information to Sasha. She's caught between childhood and adulthood, too old to live in blissful ignorance and too young to understand everything that's happening.

Perhaps she just has to wait and see how things play out.

She is stubborn, his soulmate.

It is frustrating, really, how she resists his regular entreaties for information. Oh, she is tempted by the life he offers her – the life he knows that she deserves as his Sun Summoner and future tsarina – but the ties she has to her family are strong and not easily overcome.

Gently, he always reminds himself, you must move gently with her.

Alina is a spirited little thing, but she is sheltered and reliant on her family, likely to spook if he pushes too hard.

(he remembers very clearly how she half killed herself with wasting sickness because she was hesitant to use her power and he never wants that to happen again).

He knows he could extract information from her, but his methods are not the sort he would seek to use on his soulmate, nor the sort that she would easily forgive. He has no desire to make himself into her villain and so he must content himself with coaxing and enticing.

For now, he teaches her everything he can think of. It is not only for his own sake, so that his Sun Summoner will be well-trained, but also for her safety in case she is ever discovered before he finds her.

The thought of someone like the Apparat being within five miles of her makes him shake with fury. He really ought to send a further contingent of oprichniki out to search for the man – he has been an annoyance so far, but with the Sun Summoner out there, he could easily go from nuisance to real danger. Aleksander is sure he'd feel so much better if he could have the Apparat's head on a spike.

A knock on his study door distracts him, "come in."

"The jeweller from Balakirev is here," Ivan tells him.

Aleksander smiles. He's had a number of pieces prepared already, however he's heard good things about this particular jeweller and wants to see what they can offer.

His Alina deserves only the best, after all.

Alina's main sketchbook is filled with images of her mama and papa, as well as their cottage and the surrounding fields and woodland.

Her other sketchbook, though, is a secret. It depicts Sasha and his shadows and her light, things she has to keep carefully hidden from her parents. It is a risk, she knows, but drawing has always been one of her favourite things, a way to relax or pass an afternoon, and she can't resist the urge to sketch Sasha.

He is very handsome, she thinks. She's always been aware that he is almost unnaturally beautiful, but now she has to stop herself blushing in his presence. Mama has explained what it is to grow up, and her monthly courses began a few months ago, just after her fourteenth birthday, but none of mama's talks have really prepared her for the swooping feeling in her stomach when Sasha smiles at her.

It shouldn't surprise her – he is her soulmate after all – but she's been so focused on learning about her power that she hasn't really thought about the other implications of their matching soulmarks.

It's so awkward. She's never much minded her isolation, but she regrets it now that she has all these confusing feelings and nobody to ask about them since she definitely cannot talk to her parents about it all.

Alina misses when things were simpler and easier, but perhaps she was wrong before, thinking to watch and wait. Maybe she is old enough to ask difficult questions and demand true answers.

She only has to be brave enough to face what she might discover.

Novyi Zem is their goal.

Right now, they're hidden near Caryeva, so it makes sense to go further south and through the mountains that separate Ravka from Shu Han. Once they are back on Ravkan soil, it won't be too taxing a journey to get to Os Kervo.

The port city, of course, poses even more problems. It is well guarded and it will take a great deal of luck for them to find a ship that can get them across the True Sea without detection by the tsar's forces.

They spent countless nights whispering plans between them, trying to account for every eventuality and the many things that might go wrong. No plan is perfect, but they are determined to make this one as robust as possible. Too much hinges on their success for them to make mistakes.

Eventually, though, they think they have it all worked out. Unfortunately, Alina doesn't react the way they hoped she would when they tell her.

Nonononononono.

This can't be happening.

It's one thing to move around Ravka, but entirely another for her parents to suggest crossing the True Sea.

For one, there's all the travel involved, days and nights spent in close quarters with her mama and papa, no chance to find a quiet place alone for her to practice with Sasha.

And if she denies their connection, blocks him from contacting her through their tether, then the saints only know what he might do in response.

And then she worries about leaving Ravka. It is the country where Grisha are most protected, and if she is discovered and captured in Novyi Zem then help will be far away.

Finally, there is the fact that she does want to meet Sasha someday soon. She understands that her parents have been trying to protect her, but their attempts at giving her something approaching a normal childhood have ended up isolating her instead. She wants to spend as much time with them as possible, knowing they won't be here forever (while she, if the hints Sasha has dropped are correct, will live a very long time), but her connection with Sasha grows every day and so too does her desire to get to know him in person.

"Alina?" mama asks, "what's wrong?"

"I .. I …"

She doesn't know what to tell them, is torn between competing desires.

"Alinochka?" her papa murmurs, looking worried.

"I … I need some time," she mutters.

Before they can say a word, she is out of the door and running towards the forest.

She slumps down against a tree once she is far enough into the forest to know she's got some time before her parents find her.

Sasha appears before she can even catch her breath, dark eyes wild until his gaze finds hers and he relaxes somewhat.

"What happened?" he demands.

"Nothing, Sasha, I'm just thinking."

"I felt your turmoil, solnyshko. Something is wrong."

She shakes her head. She needs peace and quiet, not only from her parents but from Sasha as well. She can't have anything clouding her judgement.

"I'm fine, Sasha. I'll talk to you later, I promise."

"Alina," he says her name harshly, eyes flashing.

She'll probably regret it later, but she pushes him away, slams the door shut on the tether and does not allow herself to be tempted to let him back in. She needs to think.

-x-x-x-

An hour later, she makes her way back to the cottage.

Her parents are frantic, chastising her even as they hug her fiercely.

She sighs as she sits down, "mama, papa," she tells them, "we need to talk about my soulmark."

"You're too young –" mama starts.

"I've met him," she says, throwing the sentence into the conversation like an explosive device into a room full of people.

Her mama drops the teacup she's holding. Papa swears loudly.

"You can't have," her mama's voice is trembling and unsure, "there's never been a moment you could possibly …"

"It's a connection," she explains, "a … tether, I suppose. No one else can see him except me."

"When?"

"My sixth birthday is the first day I saw him, but we never spoke. He appeared again a year later and told me I was the Sun Summoner. Then, mama was so worried about my soulmark and I got scared, so I didn't let the light out again for years."

"You got sick," papa whispers, "so sick."

She nods, "he came back then, and I was too tired to send him away, and he told me I had to use my power or it would kill me."

"We didn't know what to do," mama says, tears dripping down her face.

"He wanted me to tell him where I was," she admits, "but I didn't wish to leave you. He wasn't very happy about it, but he said he would teach me how to use my power so I didn't get sick again."

"And all this time, up in your room, you've been … been speaking to him."

She nods, a little sheepish. Mama looks horrified and papa terrified.

"When you told me about Novyi Zem," Alina says, "I panicked. I knew I wouldn't be able to talk to him through the tether during the journey, and that he would be concerned if I kept pushing him away."

"But I have a plan," she adds quickly, "I want to get to know him properly, but I don't want to lose you two either. And he's someone important in Os Alta, I'm sure of it. I can ask him to get us safe passage through the Fold and over to Novyi Zem. We can have a life there, like a proper family, for four or five years, and then I'll go to Os Alta."

She watches them both, wide-eyed, waiting for their opinion. Her burgeoning smile fades when she realises they still look upset.

"It's such a nice idea, Alinochka," papa says, "but your … your soulmate … he … he's more likely to have the two of us killed than let us take you over the True Sea for years."

"I'm sure if I just –" she begins, but then frowns, confused, "papa … why are you talking as if you know what my soulmate is like?"

He freezes and so does her mama.

"Papa?" she asks again, more forcefully, "do … do you know who my soulmate is?"

"Alinochka –"

"Tell me," she demands, "tell me right now."

"We suspected," papa admits quietly, "when you were born and we saw your soulmark. It was confirmed not long after by the behaviour of the man we thought was your soulmate."

"Who?"

She sounds desperate, but she can't hide her fierce curiosity. She sees Sasha regularly, but she's old enough to realise he carefully holds back on what he says and is careful with the personal details he gives out, almost as if he is wary of letting her know his true identity.

"You have to understand, Alina," mama pleads, "that we only wanted to protect you."

"By keeping me from my soulmate? That makes no sense."

"You would understand if you knew what we do, Alinochka, if you realised everything that he has done."

"Who?" she asks again, "who is it."

"The Black Tsar," papa's words are barely a whisper.

Alina's nose scrunches in confusion.

Her knowledge of Ravka's history and politics is basic, too many holes for it to be anything but suspicious. Ever since she was old enough to realise she was missing such knowledge, she has assumed there is a reason her parents keep it from her. She had not expected this, though.

"He rules Ravka, Alinochka," mama says carefully, "he is a Shadow Summoner."

She knows about his power, of course, has seen it countless times. And she'd guessed he was powerful. However, it had never occurred to her that he might be this powerful.

"Is … is he a good ruler?"

"He is immensely powerful but he is not good, Alina. He is a fearsome, dangerous figure, capable of great violence."

Alina shakes her head. Sasha can be a little intimidating, and he is sometimes forceful in his desire for her to go to Os Alta, but she cannot believe that there is no good in him.

"I am sorry, Alinochka," papa sighs, "that we kept this from you for so long. It was only because we care about you, and we worried what would become of you matched with a man like him."

"He would never hurt me," she insists, "never."

She knows this, deep in her bones, despite the fact that they've never met in person.

"That does not mean he is not capable of doing monstrous things. The history books are full of tales of his ruthlessness and depravities. It is not what parents want for their child."

"Surely you could not mean to keep me from him forever?"

It would be the height of cruelty, after all, and she hopes her parents would not be so desperate as that.

"We just wanted you to have a normal childhood, safe from the danger and scrutiny you would have as the tsar's soulmate. We planned to explain it all when you were eighteen."

Alina sighs. She cannot be too angry with them, not when she knows they were only trying to protect her and do what was best for her, even if she thinks it was misguided. Still, she is sure her plan can still work.

"If you just let me talk to him," she tells them, "I'm sure he'll agree."

Sasha won't like it, having their tether shut down for years, but she'll be in Os Alta at the end of it, which is what he's always wanted.

"Alina," both her parents look unsure and unconvinced and fearful.

"Please, I'll speak with him. It will be alright."

They nod, clearly reluctant, and Alina breathes a sigh of relief.

Now all she needs to do is convince Sasha that this is for the best.

Aleksander cannot believe what his Alina is proposing.

To lose their connection for five years, to know she is far away across the True Sea, to have her unprotected with only her otkazat'sya parents.

It cannot be borne.

Does Alina not realise the dangers she could face if she were discovered to be the Sun Summoner while in Novyi Zem? Any number of people could snatch her for execution, experimentation or to be sold as if she is chattel.

He will not allow her to put herself in such danger.

Truthfully, he has half a mind to pretend that he agrees and then have her parents quietly disposed of in a way that could be passed off as an accident so that she will be obliged to come to him in Os Alta. Unfortunately, he acknowledges that such a tragedy would be considered highly suspicious and would distress Alina greatly – however much it would make his life easier, he cannot justify upsetting his soulmate in such a way (even if it is for her own good) or risking that she will come to despise him for his actions.

It is … discomforting, the idea of being beholden to another's feelings.

For centuries he has ruled, removing obstacles from his path without regret. And now, when it comes to two otkazat'sya keeping him apart from his destined other half, he must hold back.

His temper has been short these past twelve hours, as he mulls over Alina's proposition. Only Ivan has dared to deliver messages, and only because he knows his worth enough to realise that Aleksander is not likely to kill him in a temper – Ivan is militantly loyal and far too useful to be lost without a truly good reason.

Taking a breath, attempting to calm himself enough so that the oppressive shadows in the room retreat somewhat, Aleksander tries to objectively consider Alina's idea.

He will be unable to speak with her for five years. Flashes of her emotions are likely to filter through, as they did before the two of them began speaking, but that is all he will have.

Loathsome, the idea that they will have no real contact. Unfortunately, more mundane correspondence like letters may be out of the question due to the risk that they would be intercepted.

She will be a distance away and unprotected. Should she be discovered or attacked then it will be near-impossible for him to reach her in good time.

He can send people with her. Loyal Grisha and oprichniki, ones who will never betray him or his soulmate. It burns, the idea of having others protect her in his absence, but it might be the best of a number of bad options.

Her training will suffer without his tutelage. After all, there are no others like them (not with his mother hiding in a dingy cave somewhere, probably cursing his name and refusing to summon out of spite).

He can send Botkin. The man might not be Grisha, might focus on training Grisha to fight without using their power, but he has taught many Grisha and his meditation classes have been known to help many students focus and develop their power. And then there is Fedyor, who has a knack for teaching and patience in spades – he may not be a summoner, but he can strike the right balance between firm and encouraging.

It could work, he knows, even if he hates the very idea of being almost entirely cut off from Alina for half a decade.

At least he would finally know exactly where she is, even if he can't see her. And he can spend those five years ensuring Os Alta and the rest of Ravka will be safe for her when she returns.

Yes, he rather likes the idea of spending some time cleaning house. He craves the opportunity to finally ferret out the Apparat and make an example of the odious man.

Very well, he thinks to himself, he will allow his Alina these few years she craves.

After all, he has the luxury of time.

Alina loves her parents, but they will grow old while she will remain ageless like him. There is no need for him to kill them, really, because time will do it for him. And then eternity will stretch out in front of Aleksander and Alina, countless lifetimes together.

These five years are nothing to the rest of their lives.

Aleksander will have what he wants, soon enough.

Neither Anton nor Keyen are happy as they travel towards a little used section of the Fold so they can cross with the help of those that the Black Tsar has sent to accompany them.

They can guess well enough what the tsar thinks of them, and the only reason they agreed to this – putting their lives in the hands of those loyal to the tsar – is because they know he must be aware that Alina will be devastated and furious if he seeks to harm them.

However, after years of being careful, staying hidden, being unremarkable and forgettable, it makes them both twitchy and nervous to head towards what could at worst be an ambush and at best the start of the clock ticking for the loss of their daughter to the infamous Shadow Summoner.

Alina, at least, seems pleased, convinced that this plan she has concocted is the best thing for all of them.

They will now be able to live without fear of the tsar's soldiers descending on them, if only because a number of his most trusted people will already be in close proximity. And Alina will have some company closer to her own age, they hope, and the chance to travel more freely.

"We do not have to carry on," Keyen murmurs to her husband, "we can still flee while we have the chance."

He shakes his head, "Alina will not have it, and it would put us in even more danger."

"Our little girl, though."

"We still have time with her, milaya, and she will have a less secluded life in Novyi Zem."

"I just worry. She spoke with him for years, Anton, and we never even suspected."

"How could we? We know so little of Grisha power, and even then, this odd tether of theirs seems to be unusual, not even found among other soulmates."

"I just … why her, Anton, why Alina? I have no problem with her being Grisha, but for her to be the destined Sun Summoner and the Black Tsar's soulmate – will she ever be safe?"

Anton wraps an arm around her shoulders. He can't think of anything to say, really, because his wife's words are true enough – as the Sun Summoner and the soulmate of the Black Tsar, Alina will be worshipped and cherished, but also a target for the rest of her life (one that it seems may be just as long as the Black Tsar's).

They've spent the last fourteen years attempting to keep Alina far away from her soulmate. They have, it seems, dodged the inevitable for long enough.

At least they will have these five years with her, though, to be a family together.

They will just have to make sure they use their remaining time together wisely and don't waste a second of it.

Nevertheless, this is a lesson to them both. In the end, you can't cheat fate.

Her parents are talking awkwardly with the small group that will be accompanying them across the Fold and then over the True Sea to Novyi Zem.

They seem most comfortable with Botkin, an ex-mercenary from Shu Han who, despite looking as if he could kill a dozen men with his bare hands, gives off an aura of tranquillity that mama and papa seem to find soothing.

Alina feels at ease with Botkin too. Her favourites, though, are Fedyor (a Heartrender with a friendly, open smile) and Nina (another Heartrender, although she's a year or two younger than Alina and still training). Apart from those three, there are ten largely unsmiling men and women – oprichniki, apparently, part of Sasha's personal guard, all of whom look a little uncomfortable to be in civilian clothes rather than their usual uniforms.

Now, though, Alina stands a little apart from the group, half hidden by the trees, so that she can say a private goodbye to Sasha.

He appears as soon as she tugs at the tether between them, with the same unhappy expression he has worn ever since he reluctantly agreed to allow her family to go to Novyi Zem.

She can't deny that she is sad that she won't see him for years. But it is for the best, she's sure of it. They need some time apart and she has to focus on her family, well aware that they won't be around forever.

"You can come to Os Alta right now, you know that, don't you, solnyshko? Surely you must realise that it's where you belong."

His voice is smooth and enticing, and she can't deny that she is tempted, wanting to meet him in person. Still, she stands firm and shakes her head.

"Alina," he steps forward and brushes her cheek with his hand, looking at her with those dark, fathomless eyes of his.

She trembles, nearly breaks and asks to be taken to his side.

However, she catches a glimpse of her parents, smiling at something Botkin is saying, and she steps back. She is doing this for them, as well as for herself.

Fury flashes momentarily across Sasha's face, but he can't ever stay angry at her.

"It will be barely a blink of an eye for you," she reminds him.

"Hmm," he frowns, "time does not seem to pass so quickly these days – waiting is harder than it used to be."

"I am grateful," she tells him sincerely, knowing well enough that none of them could have stopped him if he had chosen to swoop in and take her, "for letting me go, and for your choice of companions."

The oprichniki all look serious and stern, but Botkin and Fedyor appear to be good men, and Nina is a cheerful girl who had spent nearly fifteen minutes rhapsodising about the perfection of waffles and her favourite toppings.

"Botkin is worth ten men on his own, and I thought he would be able to put your parents at ease. Fedyor will be a good teacher for you, and he has studied the potential of the Sun Summoner. As for Nina, I thought you would enjoy a companion your own age who can know about your powers, although I admit it is a secondary benefit to have her away from Os Alta for a while – she can be quite mischievous and regularly sneaks off to the kitchen to experiment with making waffles."

How nice it will be, Alina thinks, to have a real friend. She's tried over the years to not think about what she has missed out on, but she can't deny she's excited to have Nina around.

"No taking risks," Sasha warns, "no teenage rebellion and running off without sufficient protection. I will have no hesitation razing cities or countries to the ground if you are harmed, and I will not care to avoid collateral damage."

"I'll be careful," she promises, because she knows he isn't exaggerating and she does not wish for her own misbehaviour to endanger others.

"And you must practice your summoning often," he orders, "I do not wish to hear that you have been slacking without my tutelage. You will be my equal, solnyshko, but it will not come easily."

She nods. It is an easy enough thing to agree to. She loves her light and wishes to improve and extend her power as far as possible.

"Finally," he adds, "you must promise that you will contact me if you are ever in danger. I could not," he pauses there, a pained, almost desperate look on his face that she has never seen before, "I could not bear it if I lost you, Alina. I have waited a very long time to find you, after all."

She answers him this time with a hug. His manner with her is usually warm, but he does not have the look or demeanour of a man inviting such comfort. Right now, however, she thinks they both need it.

"I look forward to seeing what you become, solnyshko," he murmurs, pressing his lips to the crown of her head.

And then he is gone, and Alina turns towards this new stage in her life.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.

You can find me on Twitter under the username Keira_63. At the moment I pretty much just post mini prompt fics.