Someone came over saying there was a problem with the other summoners, Aleksander looked like he could care less at that moment yet he brought my hand up kissing the top of it. I knew he'd done it before but I blushed at how much chivalry he could show. More I believe I blushed due to it being in front of my family, some respect I suppose he had instead of kissing me in front of the others.

"Ivan will show you back to your room and your family to some rooms." Aleksander said

"Does it have to be Ivan?" I asked looking past him for a second at the heartrender then at Aleksander. "Do I sense some disdain in your voice for my heartrender?" Aleksander asked. I knew I had quite a bit on Ivan, for one I was always avoiding him because of his behavior. I disliked the heartrender because he was the one who pressured me the most about the fold. I knew Nina was not family and a heartrender as I smiled. "I would prefer Nina Zenik to show us back to our rooms." I said firmly to make sure it was known that I disliked his heartrender.

Aleksander seemed to take my tone of voice and my body language as he was needed elsewhere, he had no idea what Ivan was doing. He looked at Nina as she showed respect to him and I figured it out pretty quickly she was working for him. There were talks of a female heartrender who may or may not have been a spy but she never compromised my location. "Nina, you used to live at the little palace. Show them the best rooms to her family, her guards Marie and Naida have their own rooms and for my fiancé stays in the room meant for my sun summoner in the wing that my war room is in." Aleksander said as he looked at me seeing that I was unhappy he mentioned the sun but he let go of my hand placing it on my cheek "It was meant for the one who was the sun summoner, and I found something better than just a sun summoner. The only Dual Summoner who is a tidemaker and Sun Summoner."

I smiled knowing he appreciated that but I knew that there was so much more than what he was saying. Once he left I relaxed as we went about our walk, Ivan was the least of my concerns when it came to what was going on. Nina led us in and my family took in our location as we walked. Nina seemed a bit confused so I said "Etheraleki are normally in the west wing of the little palace. General's war room and the other room are on the East wing, Corporaleki are behind the red door in the south wing and Materialeki are in the north wing of the little palace. Guest rooms are in the middle or mixed with the Etheraleki." I said

"You seem to know the little palace well." Grandma Catalina said as I nod, "ten years so I know the layout. The Corporaleki and Materialeki have their own color doors as Etheraleki are in blue. The other two are red or purple." I said, Nina nodded as she led the way. "With the exception of the General, he wears black and you being who you are have been allowed to wear it." Nina said

We found my family rooms while Nadia and Marie went to their rooms. I was done with the day already and it wasn't even over. I'd gone through a fight and traveled back here in such a short time but I felt it. The stag's antlers were probably made in to a necklace for me to wear someday. We were almost to my room when we heard running and I looked to see Genya. Genya hugged me and I was surprised as she looked at me.

"The little palace hasn't been the same since you left, who has been working on you? You look awful." Genya said I laughed a bit. "My grandmother's tailor friend, she did well enough so I could enjoy the festival." I said, "ten years of being stuck inside and I finally got to see what it's like to just be normal."

My words struck a chord with Genya and for a moment I felt guilty for leaving the way I did. She'd still been dealing with the king and the rumors she was being bedded by him, I wanted to accidentally blind the royals to help her get revenge but I couldn't. I knew with everything I needed a refresher from a tailor so Genya took me inside my room and then started her work. When I looked in the mirror I looked like myself but the one who I was before I left the little palace.

"I guess I'll have to go to the Materialeki to have a wedding dress made." I said, Geny chucked "they'll insist on a white Kefta." Genya said and I gave a slight gag on white Kefta. If I saw another Kefta that was new I was gonna throw it somewhere. "No, I want a dress. I want to feel normal, not some 2nd army big wedding and besides White is your color, not mine. I'm getting a promotion out of my marriage, I'll be encouraging other Dual Summoners to come out of hiding."

Genya seemed to like the idea that there were going to be more Dual Summoners, I'd promised my cousin a life where he didn't have to hide. Where he could follow me if he desired and I was going to make that come true. She took me instantly to see the Materaleki and when we walked in she started to explain things.

"A white Kefta with her design?" One of them asked and Genya shook her head no. "Amira, wants a white or ombre white to black wedding dress with her design on it. She doesn't want another Kefta but she will need something to show she's not a 2nd army soldier afterwards." Genya said. I knew this was a big request and they seemed to not understand why I needed to be seen as different from the 2nd army. "Who is the groom for this wedding dress?" The Materaleki soldier asked and I smiled.

"General Kirigan, I believe he'd want a happy bride, not one who would be upset with what she wears on her wedding day." I said

They were shocked but said they would figure out something but that they would be making a new black Kefta to represent my promotion. I didn't like the idea that there would be a new kefta but what could I really say. When I left I was walking back to my room where I saw Aleksander waiting at his war room doors. He motioned me to come with him and I ran over going quickly as we walked in. I saw it there on the table waiting for us as I walked over to the necklace and then I saw the piece with the symbol of sun summoner on it.

"What are you going to do with these?" I asked

"they're for us, someday." Aleksander said as he walked over, "Amira, I need you to make a tunnel in the fold. Nobles need to start heading back home and they wish to see the sun summoner show her powers within the fold."

I backed up knowing that I wasn't ready for the fold, at least I thought I wasn't. I didn't want that thing on me because of what it would mean, what he could do with it. Yet I knew I needed to have it to get the rest of the stag's power. A tear fell down my cheek as I remembered that stag was a magnificent creature and he killed it without any regard to its life. I felt his hand on my shoulder as I turned and looked at him. He seemed to notice as he wiped my eyes from where I'd begun to cry.

"You were thinking of the stag." Aleksander said

"I'm not a killer, I can't...I can't kill for power. There was another way to get the stag's power..I could have had that power already instead of you having this now." I said motioning to the necklace and the piece that looked like it would go on a hand, "I don't want to be bound by a collar. If that is your intention tell me now because this only works if we trust each other. You killed the stag, the power is yours not mine." A lie that I knew he didn't have all the power, it was partly already within me but if I couldn't prove I could build enough light for a path he'd put it on me. So quickly I put my hands together on my own and created light using my power and some of the power I'd absorbed expanding it till it covered the little palace as he walked, overseeing the light. "For now you can do it on your own but what happens when you need more power?" Aleksander asked

"I can make Grisha safe, We can make Grisha safe together but only if we have trust." I said, "I will help you get rid of our Fjerdan problem but you have to promise me no innocents are going to be harmed." Aleksander was quiet and I knew there was still the matter of what happened the night of the Winter Fete, we had been on the verge of going to the next level. I knew he'd tumbled with others before and something had gotten in the way that night. "If you won't promise me that then what happened at the Winter Fete?" I asked, knowing if he'd have never left Baghra couldn't have sent me away.

"Your stand-in was attacked, slaughtered by the conductor. A million Kruge bounty has been put on your head to bring you to Ketterdam but that same price was offered to the conductor for you to be killed." Aleksander said I was in shock hearing that one of my fellow tidemakers had been killed over me. My legs started to give in and I heard him rush towards me as I hid my face in his black kefta and started to cry. I never wanted to be the cause of someone's death, nor did I wish for anyone to be hurt because of me.

"How many were hurt that night?" I asked through tears, "The Tidemaker and one of our Inferni was stabbed in the head. I thought you were kidnapped but you clearly were not. Mr. Brekker said you wanted to get far away and another Inferni was killed that night." Aleksander said

Three of our 2nd army are dead. I thought

I blamed myself in a way when it came to the fact only one was because of me, the others were attending the party. How could I have known that there was a bounty on me and who would have thought it was going to be this way.

"It's getting late, stay here with me tonight." Aleksander said as I looked at him surprised, "I think you've been through enough for one day. We can discuss wedding plans tomorrow and you can see some of our new members of the 2nd army."

I wasn't in the mood to argue with him so I just nodded as he led me to the bed and I laid down remembering the feeling of these sheets when he'd brought me in that one night. I felt the other side dip and his arms wrap around me. His hold was secure like he was making sure he never let me go again. I wondered after someone was alone for four hundred years burying friends and allies over that time how much hurt he kept hidden and maybe that's why he was making sure he didn't lose me.

Maybe that's why I get it..I understand how lonely being different is. I thought