Hey, here's chapter two! Let me know what you think. :)

Alina

"Are you ready?" Tamar slanted a sideways glance at me. Her horse shifted beneath her, pawing impatiently at the ground.

I ran one hand down the sleek, white fur on my own horse's neck and nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready. Where's Tolya?"

"He should be coming any minute now. He's going to walk on foot behind us so that he can, um, guard our prisoner better."

"All right."

It was early morning, the sun just now rising above the trees. We were waiting outside the Little Palace, preparing to ride through Os Alta and meet Nikolai. We'd had to have a slight change of plans. Nikolai had business to attend to in the city, so we would be meeting him there. I wasn't fond of the idea of trekking through the crowded streets with the Darkling behind me, hiding both our faces beneath hoods so that no one would recognize us. But it had to be done, so I wasn't going to object. Not even when Tamar tugged my hood down every time I tried to lift it up to see better.

"We ready?" a voice asked from behind me. I glanced back. Tolya stood waiting, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. He didn't like this any more than I did. Beside him, the Darkling stood with his hands bound and a black hood shadowing his features. He said nothing and never glanced at me once. I remembered him saying that he wouldn't give us any trouble, but I was still nervous.

"Yeah, we're ready," Tamar answered her brother. She raised her eyebrows at me. "You want me to lead?"

I tore my eyes away from the Darkling. "Um, no," I replied. "You go ahead."

She dipped her head and urged her horse forward. I started after her, feeling the rocking sensation of the horse's walk beneath me and wishing that butterflies weren't swarming in my stomach. We were traveling through a crowded city to meet the King, with a war prisoner, while wearing disguises so that no one would know that we had survived. This had the makings of a complete disaster. Nerves made me glance back repeatedly, making sure that Tolya and the Darkling were still behind me. Tolya stared straight ahead, the perfect soldier. But the fourth time I looked back, the Darkling moved ever so slightly. His mouth quirked in the suggestion of a smile and he arched an eyebrow as if to say, staring is rude, Alina. My face flushed and I didn't look back again.

I don't know how long it took to pass the Grand Palace and exit the gates to the city. I dozed for most of the ride, wishing I'd gotten more sleep, and remembering with a pang of sadness a lovely dream I'd had about Mal. I noticed the clopping of the horses' hooves on the street and looked up to see soaring mansions and beautiful lawns frosted with dew. It was the upper levels of the city, where the wealthy lived. Not many people were out and the ones that were paid us no attention besides a couple curious glances. I began to relax.

That was before we arrived at the, well, less wealthy parts of the city. Then all my nerves came rushing back to me.

It was bustling with people. Women were outside in their gardens, children were running around, shrieking as they played, vendors were being set up in the marketplace. People had an early start down here, where every minute is a chance to work and make your life better for your family.

I ducked my head and tried to be inconspicuous. I sneaked a glance back at Tolya again. He was still right behind us, and luckily, people were giving him some space. He didn't look like he was leading a prisoner through the streets. A black-cloaked witch, maybe, but not a prisoner. While he shoved past those who wouldn't move fast enough, the Darkling glided along the street like water. It was unnerving to watch and I faced forward again.

A shout from the side made us all halt abruptly. "Hey! You there!"

Heart slamming in my chest, I peeked out from beneath the hood to see an older man ambling over to us. He had straggly gray hair and a beard, and his dark eyes glowered suspiciously up at me and Tamar. He pointed a finger at us. "You want to tell me the meaning of this?" With a sinking feeling, I saw that he was gesturing at Tolya and the Darkling.

"The meaning of what?" Tamar asked, cool and calm. Thank all Saints she was answering the questions here.

"You think we wouldn't notice that that man is in chains?" the old man demanded. The people around him buzzed with curious murmurs and some of them stopped to watch. This was not good.

"He is in chains because he is a prisoner," Tamar explained. "We have discovered that he was involved with the incident on the Fold. He's being taken through the city to be transported to a prison outside of Ravka." Gasps followed her words. The circle around the Darkling widened. Tamar was lying perfectly and I was glad I didn't have to try and explain this.

"The Fold, huh?" The old man took a step closer to the Darkling, studying him a little too closely. "That means you got caught helping that abomination, then, eh?" He kicked at the Darkling and I couldn't tell if he hit him or not. The Darkling didn't respond, but Tamar went rigid beside me and Tolya huffed disapprovingly.

"Sir, please," Tolya intervened. "We don't want trouble. He's been through enough." He was growing more wary by the second; people were pressing close, almost between him and the Darkling. A trickle of ice crept through me.

"Wait a second." The old man bent forward, trying to peer beneath the hood to the Darkling's face. "Somethin' ain't right here. You deaf, boy? Or mute?" He waved a hand in front of the Darkling's face. He didn't respond at all. The old man was too suspicious now. I wanted Tolya to get involved, but he was being jostled too much by the onlookers and they were leading him farther away from the Darkling.

"Just what kind of prisoner are you?" the old man demanded, and in one motion, he reached up and flung the hood back.

A collective gasp and several screams went up from the mass of people. The circle grew larger around the Darkling as they all hastily backed away. Tamar swore under her breath. The Darkling appeared unfazed. He stood tall and raked the crowd with his steel-gray gaze. The old man was shouting something, gesturing at someone behind him. A white flash followed the movement of his blade as he was handed a nasty-looking knife. My heart jumped up into my throat. I frantically searched for Tolya. He was in the middle of the chaos now erupting on the street, struggling to push people out of his way without hurting them. He wasn't going to make it in time.

"I'm putting an end to this abomination!" the old man cried, and he raised the knife high. That bleak look of emptiness filled the Darkling's eyes and he didn't back down. With a jolt, I realized that he was prepared to die.

Ignoring Tamar's startled shout, I leaped down from my horse and shouldered past a man blocking my way. I barely had time to think before I was between the old man and the Darkling, with a knife plunging down toward my head. I lifted my arms to protect my face and braced myself. Pain exploded from my hands as I practically caught the blade as it came down. The street went deadly silent in astonishment. I bit back a shriek as blood trickled down my arms. There was a clatter as the knife dropped to the ground, slick and crimson.

"What in the...?" the old man trailed off and staggered away from me. His eyes were wide and he glanced between me and the Darkling with an unreadable expression on his face.

I took a shaky breath and lowered my hands. I cradled them to my chest, unable to bear the sight of the bloody gashes. When I looked over my shoulder, the Darkling was watching me impassively. Tolya was yelling angrily. In the moment before Tolya reached me, the Darkling raised his eyebrows in a silent question: you okay? I nodded. It seemed like he and I were communicating just fine today without speaking at all. Great.

"You what?"

I tried to face Nikolai without flinching, but it was getting hard. My hands were bandaged and throbbing. As soon as we'd arrived at Nikolai's temporary camp at the edge of the city, Tolya had explained everything that had happened in the marketplace. That included how I'd jumped off my horse and taken a blow meant for the Darkling. It wasn't working out well with the King of Ravka.

"What else was I supposed to do?" I asked. "I wasn't going to watch him die. Those people don't know that he doesn't have his power anymore, so they panicked."

Nikolai was standing with his arms crossed, a very impatient expression growing on his face. He sent me a dark look from his normally-bright hazel eyes. "I understand that, Alina, but I still don't approve of you putting yourself in danger. I would've reacted the same way if you'd jumped in front of Tamar."

"Do you honestly believe that?" I asked doubtfully.

A rueful smile played on his lips. "No," he admitted. "But...Alina, he's the Darkling. He's a murderer. I don't even know why you wanted to have this meeting today because we both know what's going to happen to him. He's going to be shipped off to the permafrost to a work camp, if we don't execute him here."

My stomach clenched unexpectedly. "I don't want him killed, Nikolai," I confessed. "I came here because I need your help."

"What kind of help?"

"I need guards at the Little Palace. Guards that are as experienced as the ones at the Grand Palace. And I need time."

He shifted his feet warily. "Time for what?"

I hesitated. The Darkling was waiting right outside. I didn't even know if he was going to agree to all of this. I remembered that bleakness in his eyes. He was ready to die. The part of me that loved Mal wanted the Darkling to pay for his crimes. But the part of me that had responded to deeply to him wasn't willing to let him go. "I think I can change him," I said.

Nikolai wouldn't have looked more surprised if I'd gotten down on one knee and proposed. He stared at me for a very long moment. "...what?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but—"

"Crazy? Alina, are you out of your mind?" He speared one hand through his golden hair. "You want me to have guards posted at the Little Palace while you try to help the Darkling?"

"Nikolai, please hear me out," I pleaded. "Normally, I'd agree with you. But I've seen a different side of him and I think I can make him change. Besides, he doesn't have any power anymore. It won't matter if I fail because he still won't be able to hurt this country any more than he already has. Just give me some time with him, and if I think it's not going to work, then I'll send him to the permafrost myself."

"He's a criminal," he argued. "He's killed and tortured thousands of people. He deserves to die. Why do you want to even try and help him?" His hazel eyes were open, questioning. He wanted to know the truth. But I wasn't sure I knew it myself.

I bit my lip. "I don't know," I said lamely. "Baghra once told me that she hoped he could be redeemed. She said if he could still feel, then there was a chance he could change his ways. I've seen him feel. I know part of him still cares about people."

He narrowed his eyes. "You want to be his redemption."

I nodded. He turned away from me, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. It was a frustrated gesture that I wasn't used to seeing on him. Becoming King had altered Nikolai. He wasn't as carefree or playful as he used to be, though I'd only ever met with him on serious topics. Maybe he was still the same when he wasn't under so much pressure. Finally, he turned back to me. "I want to talk to him," he decided.

I slowly rose from my chair, all of my nervousness flooding back. "Oh. Well, he's outside with Tolya. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Oh yeah, you're coming with me," he replied, striding for the door. One side of his mouth turned up in the ghost of his old smirk. "I may be ridiculously talented at times, but this is one thing I can't pull off on my own."

Outside, the midday sun shone down brilliantly. Tolya straightened immediately when we approached, casting a worried look toward his prisoner. The Darkling faced us as calmly as ever. He had taken the hood off and the breeze ruffled his black hair, making the cape stir behind him. He resembled a fallen angel, beautiful and unafraid.

Nikolai broke the awkward silence first. "So, what am I supposed to call you now?" he asked. There was a hard edge to his words. "Moi soverenyi doesn't seem right, but neither does 'the Darkling.' Do you have a name?"

Aleksander. I waited expectantly. The Darkling's gaze cut into mine. "No," he said, holding my eyes with his own, "I don't have a name." He looked back at Nikolai then and I exhaled slowly.

"Fine then." Nikolai brushed it off. He probably thought it didn't matter; no one had ever assumed that the Darkling was anything other than "the Darkling." He pointed at me, getting straight to the point. "Alina seems to think she can help you," he said. "She wants you to stay at the Little Palace for a while, instead of sending you to prison or execution. What do you think of that?"

The Darkling shook his head, nearly pitying. "I've lived too long in this world," he stated simply. "Execution."

"What—no!" I exclaimed, before I could stop myself. Nikolai's eyes had widened at what the Darkling said and now he gawked at me too. Tolya made a sound that suggested he was choking. I wasn't looking at them though. "What are you doing?" I demanded. "Are you so arrogant that you think I can't help you?"

The Darkling's hooded eyes were emotionless. "This has nothing to do with arrogance," he told me. "I meant what I said. I've lived too long and I'm no longer Grisha. I'm ready to die."

"So you're just going to give up," I concluded angrily. I glowered at him furiously. "That's not what I expected of you."

Nikolai glanced between us. "Alina..."

The Darkling was unwavering. "I'm done," he said. My heart ached. "There's nothing left for me here."

"You stupid, selfish—" I broke off without finishing. It took me two strides to make it to him and when I did, I seized his face in my hands and pressed my mouth to his. Tolya and Nikolai both inhaled sharply, but I ignored them. This kiss was different from other kisses I'd had with the Darkling. There was no rush of surety, no pure flow of power between us. It was all softness, and beneath the softness there was a slow burn that made my blood sing. The Darkling did kiss me back, though it wasn't with the intensity he'd had before. But when I drew back, he leaned in a fraction of an inch. It seemed involuntary, an unconscious movement that told me he hadn't wanted the kiss to end. I stayed close to him. "What we had," I whispered fiercely, "wasn't nothing."

He waited until I swallowed and dropped my hands from his face. Mal. Oh, Mal, I'm sorry. I was suddenly horrified by my actions. I had nearly stepped away from the Darkling when he spoke. "Fine. I'll stay at the Little Palace."