Author's notes: Thanks so much for the review Elizabethamberlufor! I was having some error on here where it wouldn't show me my traffic data, and I had now clue if anyone was still reading this! She also motivated me to get this chapter out before we left for vacation! Moral of the story: leave reviews and like the story if you want me to write more ;) There will be a little break before I update again (a week or two) due to vacation, but I will continue it as long as people are reading it! Enjoy!
Chapter 4
Tonight was the night. Alina would finally find out why Kirigan had lied to her and what his true intentions were with the fold.
All day she had been fretting. She couldn't control her powers during her lesson, which got her a scolding from Valeriya. Genya had tried to soothe her nerves, but she couldn't help feeling antsy. Genya had also suggested she wear her black kefta as a show of good will, but Alina refused to give in. She would listen to what the general had to say, but she would not be used. She did allow Genya to apply some makeup and put her hair in a fancy sunbeam clip.
Alina started pacing back and forth on her blue carpet by the door. The general would be there any minute, but time was dragging by. She wanted to believe it was all a misunderstanding, but the fact that she was a prisoner in her room showed that some of what Baghra said had to be true. Was all of it true?
"Good evening Alina," a voice said from the doorway and she jumped. She spun and saw Kirigan standing in her doorway.
"You know, a gentleman would knock before entering a ladies room," Alina said, slightly annoyed at the man, partially for not knocking and partially for seeing her pacing.
"I did knock, but when you did not answer, I figured you must be distracted or had run off again," Kirigan said darkly. Alina blushed. She had been so caught up in her thoughts, she had not heard the knock.
"Good evening, lets get going. I don't want to be in this room any longer than I have to be," Alina tried to say lightly, but some of her bitterness crept in.
"Yes, I am eager to get these misunderstandings rectified. Follow me. I've had the servants set up a private room for us." Kirigan said. Those words sent a tingle up Alina's spine. Of course they would be in a private room for this conversation, but it had not sunk in until he said those words. She couldn't tell if she was just terrified or excited by the prospect. She had been imagining their conversation happening in the gardens, but honestly it was too cold to have a leisurely dinner there, plus their privacy couldn't be guaranteed.
"In here," Kirigan said, holding the door for her. She'd been in a daze the whole walk to the room. They had gone up two floors and down a long hallway, and that was all she had noted.
Entering the room, she noticed it was about the size of her bedroom, but instead of bedroom furniture it had a medium table in its center, with counters along its edges holding casks and bottles, and chandeliers giving it a romantic atmosphere. There were plates of food already laid out on the table, steam still coming off the freshly carved chicken and creamed corn. The servants must have just left.
Kirigin gestured to where she would be sitting along the side of the table facing the door. She sat and stared at her plate in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Kirigan grabbing two wine glasses filled with a rose colored wine from the counter, and he set them on the table. He then sat down next to her at the table's head.
He cleared his throat, and she directly looked at the general for the first time that evening. Somehow he looked more handsome than normal. His black hair framing his chiseled face. She had been avoiding his eyes, she realized, afraid of what she would find there. When she finally did meet his intense stare, she couldn't read them. He did have a slight smirk on his lips, probably amused at her for staring at her plate.
"Shall we eat?" Alina asked, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"Of course, help yourself. I won't eat much, as I had a late lunch with one of the ambassadors," Kirigan admitted. He put a little chicken and corn on his plate and started eating. She followed his lead, not putting much more than that on her own plate. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she could not bring herself to eat much either.
"May I ask you some questions?" Alina asked, noticing Kirigan had stopped eating, and just sipped at his wine as he watched her eat.
"Of course," Kirigan replied smoothly.
"You are the black heretic and you created the fold?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Alina asked, leaning forward. He said he would not lie to her, and she had to know the answer to this.
"I did not intend to. They…" and he paused briefly and continued, "the Grisha were constantly tracked down and persecuted so when the king offered me a position as his military advisor, I saw it as a chance to prove Grisha were not the enemy. I did not like fighting and avoided conflict wherever I could at the time, but for the Grisha I entered the king's service and destroyed his enemies."
There was a long pause again, and the general seemed lost in memories. This time Alina cleared her throat, and he looked up at her. Taking another sip of wine, he continued.
"I foolishly thought the king would reward me and offer a place for the Grisha, but instead he betrayed me. He was afraid of the power he saw, in how easily I destroyed his enemies. He wanted me dead so he sent his army to collect me. I went out to them, but the man in charge hated Grisha and hated that they had needed me to defeat their foes. So instead of taking me to the king, he tried to kill me," Kirigan said and took another sip of wine.
"They shot me with arrows, but I kept healing so they knew a healer was nearby. They found Luda in our cottage, drug her out, threw her on the ground, and murdered her in front of me. Luda was the last woman I loved. She wanted me not to fight, for there to be peace, and I tried for her. When they killed her, I was in pain and I killed the men and fled."
"And that was when you created the fold?" Aline whispered, grieved by the pain in Kirigan's eyes. He looked down at his plate for a while longer, and Alina reached over and squeezed his hand that rested on the table. He looked up at her in surprise.
"You continue to surprise me Alina. Thank you. No, not quite then," Kirigan replied with a sad smile. "The king's men didn't stop coming for me, and they had started hunting Grisha again. We were cornered in some ruins soon after Luda was murdered. They were going to slaughter us all. Baghra, my mother, was there and she told me the Grisha would never be fighters, and that they could never defend themselves. She said we should sneak out the back and leave the Grisha to be slaughtered by the king's men."
"I'm so sorry," Alina said, realizing she had never taken her hand away from his arm, but was reluctant to do so. His features were neutral, but she could feel his pain.
"I told her that I would not leave them to die, and I would use Merzost to create an army to defend the Grisha. Baghra warned me that I would not be able to control it, but I was desperate to save them. I went out of the ruins to face the army and I created the fold, filled with volcra. That was my army. I lost some of my humanity that day, but the Grisha were safe."
Alina drew back from Kirigan at this. He said he had not intended to create the fold, but did he regret it? The fold had killed her parents!
"I know you cannot fully understand this Alina. I'd lived for hundreds of years, always hunted. The Grisha, my people, were constantly hunted down, killed, and experimented on. We were treated worse than animals. I do regret that so many died that day. It was not my intention. I just wanted to protect the Grisha."
"I understand that Aleksander, I do," she said and her heart ached for him. "I understand why you made it, but it needs to be destroyed. Will you help me destroy it?" She used his first name, feeling their connection deeply and wanting to reach him.
"Do you understand what would happen if we destroyed the fold today?" Aleksander asked softly.
"People would rejoice, and be able to safely travel from east to the west! Ravka would be united and we could fight off our enemies. We would have access to our port cities and trade would increase. We would be a strong, united nation and people would stop dying in the fold!"
"Alina, if that were so I would go with you and attempt it now," Aleksander said sadly, "Unfortunately, that would not happen. Here is the truth. West Ravka's General Zlatan sent an assassin to murder you. He wants to succeed from the east, and wants Grisha to be eradicated. If we destroy the fold, he will attack us. I don't know if he has the backbone for all out war or if he will start sending more assassins and make treaties with our enemies. Once Ravka is eventually united, our enemies to the north and south will be less likely to attack, and after the fold is gone and his majesty's enemies are holding back, he will not need me anymore. The king will have me killed and the Little Palace destroyed."
Alina looked at Aleksander horrified. Surely that would not happen! Ravka at war with itself. The king turning on them? Just because it had happened to Aleksander before did not mean it would happen again.
"Aleksander, I know you have been betrayed before, and you have reasons to think destroying the fold will end badly, but you did not have me last time," Alina said, this time grabbing both of his hands in hers. "Please, we can figure this out together. I do not know if my powers are strong enough to destroy the fold yet, so maybe we deal with West Ravka first before the fold comes down. I don't want to be your enemy Aleksander, and I refuse to be your slave," a shiver ran through her as she said the last part, but she continued holding his hands.
"I am glad we agree that West Ravka must be dealt with first. Why don't we leave it at that for now Alina. It is getting late," Aleksander said.
"No," Alina said firmly, and resisted the urge to give in to his suggestion. "There is one more thing I must know. Baghra said you were going to make me your slave, and it has to do with the stag doesn't it? Please tell me. Are you planning to try to control me?" And she realized she was holding onto his hands in a death grip, but she couldn't let go of their connection, and she was too scared to loosen her grip.
Aleksander stood, and drew her up with him, stepping away from the table so they were a handbreadth away. They stared into each other's eyes for a minute, and Alina resisted the strong urge to kiss him, to reach out for his darkness, and feel its gentle caress on her skin, to allow him to draw out her light and meld the two together. She was getting lost in his eyes, but she needed to know the answer.
"Aleksander, I need to know," she whispered.
"West Ravka needs to learn to fear Grisha again. He tried to kill you! I wasn't going to tell you this yet," and here he paused and sighed, "but I want you to help me wipe out General Zlatan. He will keep trying to destroy us." He looked almost vulnerable for the first time since she had met him.
"How?"
"I want you to enter the fold with me, with ambassadors from other nations to witness. Then I will crush them with the fold. Once Zlatan is gone and we show the world that the Grisha aren't weaklings to be crushed, then we can destroy the fold," he said passionately.
"And if I won't help you expand the fold?" Alina asked. Aleksander pulled her closer so their lips almost touched.
"You said you understand. Zlatan tried to kill you Alina, we cannot let him get away with that. There is no other way to show the nations; no other way to get them to leave us alone!"
"There is always another way Aleksander. I will not help you expand the fold. Creating more fear will not protect the Grisha," Alina said gently. Aleksander let go of her and stepped back.
"It is showing them our power Alina; showing them we cannot be trampled on. Perhaps you are too young to understand after all," he said, voice cooling, his features becoming blank.
"Aleksander, what will you do?" Alina asked, fear making her voice shake slightly.
"You will find out the morning after the queen's ball. It is scheduled for three days from now. We will make our appearance together to show the world they cannot stand against the Darkling and the Sun Summoner. If you think it will be hard for you to behave that night, there is a certain tracker I can bring back. My fabrikators tell me our research will be done by then, and we will use the stag the next morning."
"You will kill it?" Alina asked. Her mind racing at the implications.
"Yes."
"You will force me to do what you want?" She asked.
"I will do what I must," he said, "come, we have nothing left to discuss." Then he walked towards the door.
Alina felt rooted where she stood. They had been so close. They wanted the same things! Why was Aleksander behaving like this? If he killed the stag, it would ruin everything, including their relationship.
"Please Aleksander! We can figure out another way. Don't you want me by your side willingly? Don't try to deny it! I know you do! I know you are drawn to me like I am drawn to you!" Alina realized she was shouting. Suddenly the room dimmed until she was in blackness. She fell, but someone caught her. She knew it was Aleksander for he whispered in her ear.
"You are so naïve Alina, and you have no idea how much I want that."
