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.
Soulmates
The last time he saw her, she was a girl.
Now, he is faced with a woman.
His Alina. His soulmate. His Sun Summoner.
Finally here, right in front of him.
The tether between them, rusty with disuse, flares to life, his own surge of emotions mixing with hers until, for a few moments, he can't tell which feelings are his and which are hers.
"Hello, solnyshko," he murmurs with the first genuine smile he's worn since she went to Novyi Zem.
"Hello, Sasha," she meets his gaze head on, nervous but determined.
She is here. She is home.
Sasha strides forward, footsteps echoing, and then reaches out, almost tentatively, to touch her cheek.
Her skin tingles, his touch bringing her power rushing to the surface, and she begins to glow, a soft shimmering rather than the blinding white or fiery miniature suns she often summons now.
"Solnyshko," he whispers, awe in his dark eyes, "my little sun."
"Sasha –"
Whatever she had been about to say, and she truly isn't entirely sure what would have come out of her mouth, is cut off as he leans down and slants his lips across hers.
Alina clings to him, her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as she pushes up on her tiptoes, overcome with the need to be as close as possible to him.
Her first kiss, any awkwardness quickly melting away, instinct guiding her initially clumsy technique.
One of his hands brushes her hip, the exact spot where, under a layer of fabric, her soulmark can be found. She shivers in his arms, moaning into his mouth.
In one sense she wonders if it's too fast. They've been apart for five years, after all, and this is the first time they've truly been in the same room.
It feels right, though. They are soulmates, made for each other, and in this moment there is nowhere Alina would rather be than here.
"I missed you," she admits as they break apart, "did you …"
She trails off, ducking her head self-consciously. He is so much older than she is, probably weathered their separation far better than Alina did.
His dark eyes are intense, "I missed you every single day, Alina."
Oh. That … that's …
She kisses him again, desperate and messy and with absolutely no finesse at all, his beard scratching deliciously against her cheeks.
Alina is dizzy and warm, feels almost drunk off his proximity after years apart.
"My Alina," he sighs, still holding her close as if he never wants to let her go, "finally where you belong."
She fits here in his arms. No other embraces, not even those from her parents, have ever felt so perfect.
Of course, she will miss her parents, but Alina is sure they'll come back to Ravka soon and visit her in Os Alta.
There is a lot to be nervous about. A new city. The intimidating mantles of Sun Summoner and tsarina that she will have to shoulder. The Fold that she will be expected to tear down.
With Sasha by her side, though, Alina is sure she can face anything.
He can't stop staring at her.
She's asleep now, snoring quietly with her head resting on his shoulder as the carriage carries them towards Os Alta.
Aleksander mulls over what she had told him earlier, before her exhaustion had caught up with her.
Her parents are still in Novyi Zem, planning to stay a while. He's glad not to have them interfering in his relationship with Alina, but he knows they will return eventually – he wishes to marry Alina as soon as possible and she will surely want her parents around for the ceremony. A pity that he cannot arrange some accident for them as they cross the True Sea, but he refuses to risk alienating Alina when he's only just got her back.
His soulmate has spoken fondly of Nina, Fedyor and Botkin. A good thing, to bind her closer to him by allowing her to bond with them. A way to ease her transition too, having familiar faces in Os Alta.
Still, he can't deny that he desires to monopolise her time.
She's had the others for five years and all Aleksander has had is the memory of their tether meetings.
He wants to get to know his soulmate properly.
There might be some challenges ahead, though.
Now Alina will see him in his home, dealing with the business of ruling. She will be exposed to his darker side, the one he had kept hidden from her when she was younger.
He has no desire to pretend with her now, but he can't deny that it worries him a little, trying to predict how she will react to some of the bloodier elements that are part and parcel when you are running a country.
Alina is incredibly sheltered, the last five years the only time she's really been around other people. And even then, she had limited contact with them for her own safety.
Now she will see the shades of grey her parents have kept from her for so long. Now she will have to learn that sacrifices must be made and traitorous activities punished if Ravka is to survive and thrive.
Aleksander brushes a hand tenderly over her head.
He'll ease her into it, his little Sun Summoner, help her understand that nothing in the world is black and white.
And then they can discuss the Fold and how it can be used to the greatest effect against their enemies and to protect Ravka.
The streets of Os Alta are quiet as the carriage makes its way to the palace. Unsurprising, considering it's the middle of the night.
Sasha had explained, when she'd woken about half an hour previously, that he didn't want to subject her to the rigours of an official entrance to the city.
"Better to let you get used to the palace first," he'd said.
She's grateful for how considerate he's being. She's been dreading the idea of being paraded around a completely unfamiliar city and she's glad she'll have some time to adjust before she has any public duties.
She half dozes the rest of the way to the palace, not able to see much of the city due to the inky blackness of the night.
Half-asleep, she stumbles out of the carriage when they come to a stop, only briefly glancing up to see the cream-coloured stone and idly noting that the palace is a beautiful example of kokoshnik architecture.
It honestly doesn't occur to her, until Sasha leads her down a winding set of corridors, to think about sleeping arrangements.
"These are my rooms and those are yours," he gestures at two doors, one painted black and the other white, "although, if you …"
He trails off, but his hand holding hers tightly makes it clear that his preference would be for them to share.
Really, she should want an adjustment period, but she wishes to be close to him, the bond between them humming in contentment whenever they are touching.
"I'll stay in your rooms for the moment, if that's alright."
He looks pleased, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Just to sleep, right?" she adds, the question slipping out quickly, "I don't … I mean I've never …"
She blushes furiously. It's perfectly reasonable for her to have never been with a man, considering her childhood isolation and then the knowledge of the soulmate waiting for her, but she feels a little like an ignorant child.
"Whatever you feel comfortable with, Alina," he promises, "I'm just glad to have you here."
His sincerity echoes down their bond, a reassurance that he won't push her before she's ready.
She changes for bed in her own room before using their adjoining door to return to his.
Her self-consciousness evaporates when she sees how he looks at her in her nightgown, dark gaze tracing every curve.
In spite of the jolt of attraction she feels from him – mirrored by her own lustful thoughts when she sees him in thin black trousers and an open robe over his bare chest – he remains a perfect gentleman, insisting she take whichever side of the bed she prefers and offering to call for warming stones if she would like them.
It's all very domestic and she can't help but smile.
Alina finds it rather strange, sharing a bed with a man.
She and Nina sometimes shared, when they sat up all night eating waffles and gossiping, but this is very different. She is conscious of every move and sound she makes, and every time Sasha shifts position.
Eventually, her soulmate must sense how jittery she is because he pulls her close, wraps his arm around her, kisses her quickly and then settles back against his pillow.
Alina smiles. She falls asleep with her lips warm and still tingling from his kiss.
"When will we go to the Fold, Sasha?" Alina asks as he shows her around the palace the next day.
"There's no rush, solnyshko. It has stood for centuries and it can wait a while longer while you adjust and train."
It will be a difficult conversation to have with her, one he plans to delay for a while. Besides, he doesn't want her near the Fold until she has the boost of power that an amplifier can provide.
"Oh. I just thought I should go right away."
His sweet soulmate, always trying to help. It saddens him a little that he'll have to disabuse her of the pretty notion that destroying the Fold will solve all their problems, but it is a necessary evil.
"We'll talk more on it soon, I promise. For now, though, I want you to learn to feel at home here."
Soon, he'll introduce her to Genya, and then Nina will surely appear in the next day or so demanding time with her friend. He wants her to love Os Alta, to feel connected in a way she has never been able to before because of her nomadic and solitary life.
"I want to help Ravka," she tells him, eager and earnest.
"You and I are going to change the world, Alina. We will bring Ravka to even greater heights."
"And we will destroy the Fold?"
"We can do anything we want," he murmurs carefully "together."
Thankfully, she doesn't seem to realise he hasn't actually answered her question.
Alina is his soulmate and he does not want to lie to her. A little of holding back the truth is for the best at the moment, though.
She will know all, in time. He just has to tread carefully.
The wedding and coronation – a joint ceremony – are scheduled to take place in a month.
They still haven't consummated their relationship, Alina comfortable enough to tangle her limbs with his, to kiss and touch and learn his body, but not quite ready for the final step. Still, he never pushes, seemingly unbothered by having to wait.
He is insistent about the ceremonies, though, telling her it is important that she is introduced to Ravka as their Sun Summoner and tsarina, and as his soulmate.
She writes to her parents, wanting to make sure they can get to Os Alta in time for the ceremony.
So soon, her mama writes back, her worry evident even though she and papa give their blessing.
Truthfully, Alina cannot wait. They are soulmates, that's true, but she thinks she'd like for it to be official, to have their union declared to all of Ravka.
And then, once the pageantry is over, they can focus on the really important matters.
The Fold. The incursions that Shu Han and Fjerda attempt. Further reforms for the education of the peasantry and ways to improve people's lives.
Alina desperately wishes to make a difference. Sasha has done so much for Ravka, even if he does apparently have a quite formidable reputation, and she wants to be his equal, to be remembered as a benevolent and just tsarina.
It is soon, she writes back to mama and papa, but, oh, mama, I want this, I promise you, more than anything.
Nina watches the tsar and his soon-to-be tsarina carefully.
It isn't her place to interfere in the tsar's affairs, but she just wants to be absolutely sure that her friend is happy.
For five years, she has had the honour to get to know Alina. Not just as the Sun Summoner, but as the bright, artistic young woman who will tame wild horses with her and play pranks on Fedyor and give Nina advice when she needs it.
She just wants her best friend to be happy.
As it turns out, the two of them are adorable.
It's a little disconcerting to see the Black Tsar so soft in private moments, but it makes Nina glad to see that he really does care.
They are rather awkward with each to begin with, a little clumsy as they try to get to know each other after five years apart. Still, the tension melts away quickly enough and they are inseparable quickly enough.
Horse riding. Summoning practice. Reading together. She even catches Alina painting the tsar one afternoon.
Everything, Nina is glad to say, seems to be going smoothly.
Aleksander has little patience for religious grandstanding and long, complicated ceremonies.
His marriage to Alina and her coronation are no exceptions. Of course, he wants his soulmate to enjoy the experience, but he senses she would prefer for the celebrations to be as low-key as possible, an instruction he impresses seriously upon Genya despite her annoyance that there won't be many grand parties that she can design dresses for.
The day passes in something of a blur.
One of the few moments of note comes when he is introduced to Alina's parents. She loves them dearly, it is clear to see (rather a shame, for he knows now he can never harm them and risk devastating her) and they adore her in return. They are quietly disapproving about him, but not foolish enough to voice such sentiments out loud. Still, they make no objections and he is glad to hear they will be returning to Novyi Zem once the ceremony is over so they can wrap up their affairs before they move back to Ravka for good.
The most important part of the ceremony for Aleksander is the vows.
"I have seen your face in the making at the heart of the world and there is no one more beloved, brave and unbreakable."
When he looks back on the day, these words are the ones he remembers and Alina's is the only face he sees.
His soulmate, his beloved, his eternal equal.
Most of this ceremony is for the Ravkan people. Those words, though, are for he and Alina alone.
-x-x-x-
That evening, when they retire to their room, his new wife pauses a moment.
She looks beautiful in her ornate wedding kefta, exquisitely designed by Genya (who had decided that if she could not make a dozen party dresses for the new tsarina then she was at least going to make the wedding outfit as stunning as possible).
"Alina?"
She turns to look at him, her eyes unusually dark, "Sasha … I … I think I'm ready."
He is by her side in a moment, "are you sure, solnyshko?"
He wants her more than he can put into words, but he needs to know she's thought this through and truly wishes to go ahead.
"Yes," she tells him, no hesitation in her voice.
She's clearly decided to be bold, his little wife, striding forward and beginning to unbutton his kefta with nimble fingers.
He laughs when she scrunches her nose in frustration and frowns at him part way through, "why are there so many buttons, Sasha?"
One of his many security protocols. Making it as difficult and irritating as possible for someone to rob him of the safety his kefta offers. He tells her so and she mumbles about how that explains why Genya had included so many fastenings and buttons on her own kefta.
There is some humour in how long it takes the two of them to undress.
Aleksander is glad, for it lightens the mood, helps take Alina's mind off what comes next.
He does not doubt her when she says she's ready, but it is her first time and she's probably nervous.
"It's just me, milaya," he reminds her when they are bare in front of each other, his wife trembling ever so slightly as he lays her out on the bed, "it's just us."
Her soulmark is visible on her hip, matching the one on his ribs. He runs his fingers across the mark on her skin – a wisp of shadow entwined with a gleaming beam of light – and marvels at the proof of their connection.
Alina reaches out almost shyly to touch his matching mark, her eyes wide with wonder.
Aleksander isn't used to being gentle with those he takes to his bed.
Alina, of course, is the exception.
He would swear that he tastes heaven in between her thighs, the little mewls she makes just encouraging him. He wants to reduce her to a boneless mess, pleasure-drunk enough that she won't experience any of the discomfort that can come with a first time.
When he finally pushes into her, inch by inch, she is dazed from three orgasms and he slides in easily enough. She squeezes his hand once, but never winces, and soon enough the look of curiosity on her face is transformed into gasps of pleasure as she clenches around him.
He isn't capable of coherence, just a stream of praise and affection falling from his lips. Moya dorogaya. Milaya. Moya Lyubov. Solnyshko.
They fall over the edge at the same moment.
Aleksander keeps control of his shadows well enough, but Alina glows like the sun.
She is radiant. His wife, his soulmate.
He presses his forehead against Alina's, revelling in the intimacy of the two of them entwined together.
When he pulls out of her, as gently as he can, he watches her carefully for any signs of discomfort.
"Are you well, solnyshko?"
She smiles, soft and sleepy, "it was perfect, Sasha. I love you."
"I love you too, Alina."
Some days, he can scarcely believe he has found her.
How lucky he is, though, to have Alina by his side.
Preparing for the wedding and coronation had taken up most of Alina's time.
Now that she finds herself able to focus on adapting to life in Os Alta and her new role, Alina finds herself a little overwhelmed at first.
She is used to a more relaxed lifestyle. Of course, she always had her training in Novyi Zem, but there was still plenty of time for leisure. She's scarcely had time to see Nina, Fedyor or Botkin since they all returned to Ravka and she misses them all terribly.
Two months pass by without her even noticing and she falls into bed exhausted almost every night, with barely the energy to kiss Sasha goodnight.
"Come to bed," her husband coaxes her one evening as she's looking over budget reports and trying to work out if there is enough money for the new education reforms.
"I have to read this before the meeting tomorrow," she mutters, "and I've still got a hundred pages to go."
Sasha sighs, massaging her shoulders and leaning down to press a kiss to her neck, "you're working too hard, solnyshko. Even Ivan thinks you need a break."
"I just … I want to be good at this, Sasha."
"You're a wonderful tsarina, Alina. And it won't hurt to delegate a few things so you have time to yourself – I haven't seen you paint in three weeks and I know Nina and Fedyor want to take you to visit the Os Alta market."
"It would be good to relax," she admits.
"Take the week off," Sasha suggests, "go to the market with Nina and Fedyor tomorrow."
This will be good for her, she thinks as she puts down the notes and climbs into bed beside her husband. She does need to relax.
And maybe if she can persuade Sasha to go out riding with her, he'll finally speak with her about the Fold, a topic he has been avoiding and side-stepping since they arrived in Os Alta.
Her summoning is strong. Her control is nearly perfect. She feels ready to face the shadowy mass cutting Ravka in two.
If only her husband will discuss it.
"The prisoners are in the dungeons, moi tsar."
Aleksander scowls at the thought of the Apparat's acolytes. The man himself might be dead but it seems his followers are like vermin – hard to kill and always multiplying.
"Keep Alina out of this side of the palace for the day," he orders his second, "I don't want her to worry."
His wife is well able to protect herself, but he is concerned that she'll find sympathy in her tender heart for these traitors and he doesn't want to distress her.
She's been thinking about the Fold again, he knows.
He'll have to talk to her eventually, try and explain his reasoning.
Tomorrow, he decides. They can go riding and he'll talk to her then.
"What!"
Alina can't quite believe what she is hearing.
She'd been so pleased when Sasha had suggested going for a ride and then bought up the topic of the Fold himself.
Unfortunately, it had all become very heated after that.
He doesn't want to destroy the Fold, only move it.
"What about all the people, Sasha. Some of them might be soldiers but plenty will be innocent civilians."
"War requires making hard choices, solnyshko. Sometimes, in order to save tens of thousands later, hundreds must die now."
She hates that he makes a point. Still, she can't get the idea of screaming men, women and children out of her head, helpless in the face of the mass of shadows.
"Surely, there must be another way."
He sighs, "I have ruled for centuries, Alina. I have discarded countless plans. One thing is true, though – the Fold could be the greatest deterrent Ravka has, if used correctly. We might not be in a serious state of war right now, but Shu Han and Fjerda are forever looking for ways to weaken us. If we can move the Fold then we can offer the country a lasting protection."
Alina knows her husband thinks her to be a little naïve and sheltered. Perhaps it's true, in a way, but that doesn't mean she can accept what he says.
"Anyway, there is nothing to be done until you have an amplifier," Sasha tells her, "one of the Morozov amplifiers, meant for the Sun Summoner."
Alina knows the story, had found it in the palace library and thought it a fairytale. Apparently, however, the tale is real.
"But even with the amplifier," Sasha adds, "the Fold … it came from a dark place, solnyshko, and I called on merzost … there is no telling whether it even can be destroyed. And if you manage, then there is still … still no way to be sure you would survive it."
She can see it then, the panic and worry in his eyes. There is no denying that he loves her, even if they disagree when it comes to the Fold.
"A corridor," she says after a few moments of thought.
His brow furrows in confusion, "a corridor?"
"I want to make a safe pathway through the Fold, from Kirbirsk to Novokribirsk. It will reunite the country and allow our people to travel freely. Anything else … we'll talk about it. Properly talk about it, please, Sasha."
"A corridor," he agrees immediately, reaching out, entwining their hands together, a reminder that they are a team, a matched pair.
"And a proper talk," she reminds him
"Of course, solnyshko. I recognise … I know I have ruled alone for a long time and perhaps I sometimes forget that I have you now."
"We will be equals," she says, with a little more force than she planned.
He smiles, "my fierce little tsarina. You are the only one who could rule by my side."
"Together," she says.
"Together," he agrees.
The day goes down in the history books.
In Ravka they speak of how Tsarina Alina, from then on known as Sankta Alina, stood next to her husband, the Black Tsar, and cut through the Fold all the way from Kribirsk to Novokribirsk, creating a safe pathway through to the west of the country, while the shadows inched across enemy lines.
A new dawn for Ravka, they cheered. The unification of the country once more.
In Shu Han and Fjerda, they whisper about the Sun Witch and the Shadow Demon, about the wall of writhing shadows that ate away at their lands and devoured all in its wake.
A devastating blow, one landed to great effect.
The same story told different ways.
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.