I wasn't sure who was more shocked Alina or myself but I recovered quicker than she. "What is it that you need Ivan? I do believe I said that we were to be disturbed in emergencies only." He turned to me "well sir I do believe you will consider this important the princes carriage was seen pulling into the camp."
I stood straight up "shit that little shit actually did send for the damn prince but he had to have done it before he threatened to do so." Ivan nodded "he will mostly likely come straight here to look for you either of you. Also it is likely he is here to drag you back miss Starkov as Dema said." Like hell you little shit was my only thought before they turned towards Alina.
Her face was a picture of horror before she simply whimpered out "I will not go with him, I will not be without you Aleksander. He creeps me out and there are only two other people in the palaces who can do that." Cupping her cheek " if you don't wish to go with him then I will make sure you don't go my sun. However we need to keep our conversation about your dream secret till we speak with Baghra."
She nodded "okay I trust you my dark angel." Turning back to Ivan "if he tires to come here tonight since everyone has had dinner and it is getting late let him I shall deal with him. Though if he is smart he will wait till the morning and I can deal with him then with you here as well Ivan." He bowed "as you wish moi soverennyi I will let your guards know to let the prince past."
Of course I should have known the child would not go to his own tent but come storming into mine and Alina's like he owned the place two hours later yelling at the top of his lungs. "Come sun summoner we are leaving now." She looked at me in horror again so I stood. "Just where are you planning on taking MY sun summoner prince Vasily?"
Finally he looks at me as if seeing me for the first time since entering the tent. "I am taking her back to the Grand Palace. Where she will be living from now on to keep her safe." Growling "seeing as she is a member of the second army, the sun summoner, and the most powerful grisha other than myself. I believe you should ask her what she wants because she will only do as she wishes. I will make sure of that Prince Vasily."
As I spoke he puffed up his chest "I am doing as my father the king has instructed. You would go against your king Darkling really?" Slamming my hand down on the table "to keep my people free yes. To keep the sun summoner free yes. To keep the woman I love free yes and you can report that back to YOUR father the king."
I hadn't realized that I had spoke the last line until both sets of eyes were looking at me completely shocked. "You love her?" "Yes prince Vasily I do." Quickly turning on her the prince started in on her "do you agree with what he has said?" Shacking Herself slightly as if to come out of shock "yes I agree with EVERYTHING he said prince Vasily."
"Even the part where he loves you?" She nods "yes and I love him as well." He isn't using his positing of power over you to make you say these things is he?" "Of course not prince Vasily and i would really appreciate it if you would stop insulting him. Unlike some he doesn't use his title to get women to sleep with him or force himself onto them. I have grown to love the General for who he is and I will not go anywhere without him for I would not feel safe. Plus I am not moving into the Grand Palace where the three biggest creeps are in the country."
"I was ordered to bring you back if you won't come back without him you both need to be ready to leave at sun rise. I want to be back in my bed and be done with this. As for where you will actually stay you will have to take that up with the King i will not fight with you anymore after you have threatened me." With that he stormed back out and I turned back to Alina to make sure she was alright. Of course she was and she was just looking at me waiting for me to say something.
"I hadn't meant to add the last part about me loving you but I am glad that you feel the same way and that stupid prince got the message." She started giggling "yes his face was priceless but so was yours my dark angel. Yours read shit did I really just say that out loud."
Laughing a second before sobering "his read his plans were in ruins and that worries me. For what are his plans? we need to know these things?" Standing she came wrapping her arms around my neck " Aleksander we will figure it out together but for now let's get some sleep it's late." Kissing her "you go ahead and lay down my sun I need to get the plans in place to get ready to leave in the morning."
Alina POV
Trying to get Aleksander to bed wasn't going to work he had to much work to get done and the prince only made matters worse. "Fine but you must promise me you will come to bed when you get tired." He chuckles (I love his laugh) "okay my sun. Now to bed with you, you temptress."
Laughing I go change and crawl into bed making sure Im in his view. When he speaks from his desk "you really are a temptress but would you like me to darken your side of the tent more with my shadows my sun?" " Mmmmmm as much as I want to look at you I prefer sleeping in the dark better. Plus I would feel safer knowing only you or I could get past them. So yes please Aleksander at least till you come to bed." "Okay my sun as you wish" and soon I was in pitch black "thank you my dark angel."
Sitting in the middle of the meadow under the noon sun was my hurt mother. Still in her arms the new born version of me. Running to her this time "how are you here mother? Why now of all time? Why are you hurt? Why not raise me or give me to people who would care about me? Am I truly alone or do I have more family? I know grisha live lives based on their power. I know I will be eternal or near it mother. Won't I? Speaking of family tell me your name or my father's so I can prepare to fight against him."
Sighing "my daughter I am here to help get answers if I can finally not fight. I was hurt by the people who work for your father. For you see I would not go back to him nor would I subject my child to his depravity. I am not going to be able to raise you for I'm going to hide you, heal, then face your father and he is more than likely going to kill me but do not hold it against him. This is my choice I have to try stop him before he can get to you.
As for why I gave you to strangers that was where you were the safest. For family you have me, your father, and my mother but I couldn't find her to give you to her. Plus he would have look there first. You my child I have had a vision will be the strongest sun summoner yet. Being from two so yes you may be eternal other than being killed but you need to know something."
Touching her hand feeling her warmth "what is it mother? I will listen we are fixing to go see Baghra as instructed." Smiling "listen and listen closely light cannot exist without darkness just as darkness cannot exist without sunlight. When you have to much of one the other suffers as does the world and everything and everyone in it.
The meadow dimmed for a fraction of a second before my mother looked back at me. "My daughter my sun you have you shadow, your darkness already who is with you?" "Baghra's son Aleksander." "And he is a Shadow Summoner same as Baghra?" "Yes mother he is why what is going on?" "Good keep him Close to you. Despite what you may hear what he has done you need to trust him."
Shock ran through me "I know he is the black heretic and I trust because I love him and he has proved he will never hurt me. Please mother tell me what is going on." Seeing shock on her face would have been comical if I wasn't afraid and needing answers. "I can't Baghra will give you the answers but I am proud of you my daughter you found your path on your own."
With that the dream ended and I sat straight up in bed crying looking next to me to see Aleksander sound asleep. Groaning putting my head in my hands I tried to calm my thoughts putting them in any kind of order.
Did she mean that I am meant to be with Aleksander or am I on the right path to finding Baghra or that I am just right for trusting Aleksander. Ugh I wish my mother would actually tell me something useful. Like who was my father of even her name something anything.
I wasn't paying attention so when his arm's went around my waist I jumped causing him to chuckle. "My sun your up awful early did you have a bad dream?" Turning to look at him "no I dreamed of my mother again Aleksander."
This caused him to sit up "did she tell you anything new?" Nodding not trusting myself to answer yet. "Alina please I know this is hard but I want to be here for you and I need to know what she said so I can help you through this. I'm the only one who might be able to help till we get to Baghra.
Nodding letting it all spill out without stopping "she said my father's men was the reason she was hurt. She hid me while she healed to go face my father to most likely die. It was clear she feared my father Aleksander but she still went back to fight why? She said she had visions and I was the strongest sun summoner yet but barring I be murdered I maybe eternal as you said my dark angel.
However she did say something that stuck with me 'light cannot exist without darkness just as darkness cannot exist without sunlight. When you have to much of one the other suffers as does the world and everything and everyone in it.' Aleksander I believe she was right she also said no matter what I hear i should trust you."
Darkling POV
Shortly after i went to bed i felt Alina sit up in bed. Wrapping my arms around her trying to get her to open up to me when she finally does it shocks me. "Alina we will get you the answer you are after my sun. If you mother is alive we will find out or if your father is alive and killed her we will find out. I will always be here for you I will be your darkness. Everything will be alright my sun"
Crying "Aleksander that is not the point the point is my mother just told me that my father is most likely the murderer of my mother and she keeps visiting my dreams giving me riddles that I for the life of me cannot figure out. The prince has arrived and we will now have to face the voyage back to the palaces and fight for my right to stay in the little palace. So please tell me how everything is going to be alright my dark angel.
Pulling her into my lap wrapping my arms even tighter around her "it will be alright because we are together and that child of a king maybe arrogant but he will not want to take me on. He hides his fear of my power but it is there and I will use it if I have to keep you safe. Plus once the prince tells him of our conversation from before that will throw in some complications but nothing I cant handle with you by my side. Which is where you belong from now on."
She snuggled in closer to me "Aleksander I will be here as long as you want I love you. We will fight everything together but promise me we will get the answer I need please I have to know." "I promise you my sun we will get you the answers you need and keep you safe while doing it. If this man killed your mother he could try to kill you. Plus we don't know how one let alone two sun summoners have hid this long. I guess you were right when i first brought you to the little palace. When you said the reason we hadn't found any was because they hadn't wanted to be found."
Holding her closely I waited till she fell back asleep thinking about the things that she had said wondering how she was dealing with the fact that her father may have killed her mother. Was her mother telling her she was truly meant for me and I truly meant for her. She was right about one thing my darkness was to much for the world without her the fold was proof of that.
Knowing the shadows around the tent were starting to recede and the sun was starting to rise so we would be having to get up soon. I started kissing on her and lightly whispering her name. She moaned and leaned up opening her eyes looking at me "the sun is not fully up yet so why are we up?" "We need to be up my sun we are leaving shortly. Time to get up and get dressed my lazy sun summoner."
Later as we are sitting in my carriage following closely behind prince Vasily. Alina and Ivan are bickering at each other because he is teasing her as always. "Enough we need to see about what is going on in the palaces, Ivan have you gotten any news from there?" Nodding "I have in deed Zoya has the little palace running smoothly. Though the king has been trying to get guards into the little palace she has been able to keep them out barely."
"The king is trying to put guards into my palace! What the hell does he think he is doing I will kill him for this. Thankfully Zoya has been able to do what I needed her to be and to do." Alina gasped "my dark angel you can't say things like that. Unless you actually plan to kill him and take the throne. If you are doing that I would need to know your plans before I agreed to help but either way i wouldn't stand in your way for he is a horrible king."
It was mine and Ivan's turn to gasp turn and look at her. "Alina do you actually mean that?" "Yes Aleksander you should know by now i don't say anything I don't mean." "I want to take the throne and make you my Queen because the king does not care for grisha nor his people. I believe with me caring for the grisha and you caring for the people we could change the country. Then when you are strong enough we can either move the fold to surround our borders or destroy it all together."
Alina POV
I could not have been more shocked at what he said. "Aleksander I do believe you are right that together like that we would make a better team then the one now but how would we move the fold I don't understand."
"Well my sun we will get you your first amplifier you will kill it but once we go for the second I would have to kill it. Once I would kill it I would have a small part stuck on me while the larger part would be put on you. I would have access to your powers and you would have access to mine."
"How will that work Aleksander?" "I will explain in good time my sun we still have a day of travel and we still need to figure out how to proceed when we get there."
