Thank you for the reviews guys! Haha, I really think you're going to like this chapter. It's a little longer than my other ones, but the dance is a very important part in this story. The next couple chapters were so much fun for me to write and the Darkling really opens up... :)

I hope you don't mind that I've changed his personality just a bit. After all, Alina did say she wanted to change him. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think :D

Alina

The entry chamber of the Little Palace, where the four tables for the Grisha orders had once sat, had been converted into something like a ballroom. Every lamp had been lit and they flickered from the walls to bathe the room in a soft golden glow. The floor was clear and gleaming beneath the massive dome that soared high overhead in the ceiling. A band had come as well, their instruments lovely and elegantly designed; the sounds they made spilled into the air like water sliding over rock, gracefully slow. It was going to be a wonderful party, where every Grisha was invited.

The only reason I'd gotten to see the chamber at all was because Genya insisted on taking me through it on my way to my room. She had two dresses slung over her arm, claiming that both would look positively stunning on me and she couldn't decide which to choose. I had no idea where she'd gotten them. Perhaps her past with the Queen had helped.

Anyway, I caught my glimpse of the band and the vast room where men and women were already beginning to gather. The girls' dresses were gorgeous things made of silk and diamonds, rippling over the floor in every color imaginable. The men's suits varied in color as well, though not as much as the dresses, and they all looked immaculate, handsome. Nerves bundled up in my stomach. Was I really going to try and look like them with my brittle, white hair and sickly appearance?

"Genya, this is ridiculous," I said, as soon as she swept me into my room. "I'm not even Grisha anymore. I shouldn't go to this party. Everyone's going to think—"

"Who cares what everyone's going to think?" Genya asked pointedly. She bustled about the room, setting up a wooden table and chair by the window, spreading her supplies on it, and hanging the dresses from the screen I used for changing behind. "Come on, Alina. I refuse to let you back out now. Now sit down so I can work my magic on your face."

I rolled my eyes at her, but obediently plunked down onto the chair. "And what about you?" I asked, eyeing her cream-colored kefta. "Aren't you going to get ready?"

"Of course I am! But I have to finish you first. Otherwise, I know you'll throw the dresses out the window when I'm not looking and make up some excuse to not go to the party. And you're going."

"I know I said would yesterday, but I'm not feeling too good about it right now."

"You'll be fine," she reassured me. She plucked a mirror from her box of treasures and handed it to me so I could watch her work. "You're going to have a lot of fun, I promise. Plus, I finally got David to agree to come."

"Really?" I asked, smiling at the blush in her cheeks.

"Yeah. Now I won't have to dance alone. And I almost found someone for you too," she added mischievously. She ran her fingers through my hair as she spoke and it smoothed itself beneath her touch, all the frizzy, loose strands disappearing.

I started. "What? Who?"

"Sorry, can't tell you yet." She stretched out one graceful arm to her box. From a glass jar, she picked up the dark green stem of a rose. Its petals were as white as the moon's halo, so white that they almost didn't look real. She took several of these petals and ran them over her own hands; I stared in wonder as the color seeped into her skin. Without wasting a second, she slipped her fingers back into my hair, winding it up on top of my head and securing it with a pin. From her box, she took a length of thin, shimmering black-and-gold ribbon. She pinned it to the side of my head with a glittering golden pin in the shape of winding leaves and threaded it back into the bun. "This'll match whichever dress you pick," she assured me.

She moved to my face next. Her touch was light, tingling on my skin and erasing every blemish. She whisked back and forth between me and her box, choosing different things that seemed completely random to me, but were doing something marvelous to my face. At least, I hoped so. Genya always did a good job, no matter who she was working on.

She stepped back, examining me with a careful eye, then broke into a wide grin. "There! You look amazing! No, wait!" she yelped, snatching the mirror from me before I could look. "I changed my mind; you can't see yet. Go go, put a dress on! Ooh, I hope you like them!"

I stood up and made my way over to the changing screen. When I saw the dresses that Genya had picked for me, my jaw dropped. She hovered behind me, an excited look on her face.

They were incredible. One was glorious, sparkling with gems that winked like stars in the light. It was pure ivory with little lines of gold raining down between the jewels. It would stand out among the other dresses. But I wasn't sure I wanted to stand out. I looked at the other dress and froze. It was black silk. There were no diamonds on it whatsoever. But it was beautiful. It looked like it would fall to just above my knees. Ribbons of gold decorated the neckline and snaked down its length. It was strapless and like nothing I could ever see myself wearing.

"Genya...I'm not sure..."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" she asked. "Just pick one!" She put her hands on my shoulders and admired the dresses with me. "I remembered you looked really good in black, so that's why I picked that one. Honestly, I like it more than the other, but you can choose since you have to wear it after all."

The white one was extraordinary and logic told me that it would be fitting for a Sun Summoner, the one they called a saint. But a dark part of me, a part deep inside, longed to wear the black one. For a reason I didn't know, I had the sudden, powerful urge to feel the fabric on my skin, soft as shadows. Wordlessly, I took it in my hands. Genya gave a tiny bounce of delight from behind me. I stepped behind the screen for a moment and pulled on the dress. It was as soft as I'd imagined and fit perfectly, as though it was meant for me. I ran my hands over the ribbons and wondered if it was possible for a silly girl like me to actually look nice for once.

"Oh my gosh," Genya breathed, when I edged shyly out from behind the screen. "You look beautiful, Alina. Everyone's going to want to dance with you."

"Thanks, Genya," I replied.

"Well, don't just stand there! Go look in the mirror! I gotta go and get dressed! I'll see you at the party, okay? Okay! Bye!" She waved happily and, holding her box to her chest, she opened the door and skipped off down the hallway. I watched her go, feeling lighter inside.

I twisted my hands together anxiously and edged my way in front of the full-length mirror hanging on the wall by the screen. The girl who gazed back at me looked nothing like me at all. She was what a Sun Summoner should look like. Her hair was like tendrils of snow, the golden pin glinting, holding the ribbon in place. Strands of curling hair framed her face and fell about her shoulders. Her eyes were deep like chocolate, and her sooty lashes curved seductively. A blush colored her cheeks and her skin seemed to glow with its own light. The dress clung to her waist and widened at her hips, shifting around her legs like darkness itself. She was a lovely saint, everything the other Grisha wanted me to be.

But I wasn't Grisha anymore.

I didn't deserve this.

You were Grisha. You were the Sun Summoner. And the other Grisha are expecting you there, now that Genya's probably told them all you were coming. You'll be fine.

-o-o-o-

The Darkling

I caught sight of her across the lamplit room, talking to the redheaded Tailor. Laughter danced in her eyes and her ivory hair shimmered. When she moved, I was mesmerized with the bare curve of her shoulders, the way my color looked on her slim form.

I was consumed by only one thought: I need her.

Alina

Genya looked glorious in her flaming amber dress, her hair cascading in waves down her back. I'd caught at least fifteen guys sneaking glances her way since she'd shown up. Even with the old scars marring her skin and her ever-present eyepatch, she was still stunning. David had actually agreed to wear a suit and I'm sorry to say that I cracked up when I saw the discomfort on his face and his mop of messy brown hair. But he loved Genya and didn't want to ruin her evening, so here he was.

Grisha weren't just glancing at Genya; everyone was looking at me, happy that the Sun Summoner had decided to come. They touched my arm as they passed and murmured greetings. All around, I heard the whispered words: Sankta. Sankta Alina. Sol Koroleva. Saint. Sun Queen. I didn't think it would be very polite to correct them. I had nothing. I wasn't their saint or their queen. I was no one. Unbidden, a different word rose to my mind. Nichevo'ya. Nothings, like me.

"Hey." Genya was studying me, a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay? You got really quiet for a minute there."

I forced the unwanted thoughts away and smiled. "I'm fine," I assured her. "Just thinking, I guess."

She returned the smile and gestured around us. "Isn't this wonderful?" she asked. "I didn't even know I missed parties so much until I came here."

"It is very nice," I agreed absently, glancing around at the sound of a quiet whisper of a guest. Sankta. A little shiver ran down my spine. People wouldn't become obsessed with a saint, would they?

"I wish I could stay all night long," she went on. She flung an arm around David's shoulders and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. "Don't you agree, David?"

David looked horrified at the idea. "Absolutely not."

It was nice to see them teasing each other, the love in their eyes. They were a very cute couple. But it also gave me a strong feeling of wistfulness. Mal. I had no one now. "You two should dance," I suggested. "I won't feel bad if you leave me here for a little while. I know you want to, Genya."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You don't have anyone to dance with." She paused thoughtfully. "Well, I did say I talked to someone earlier, but I don't know if he came."

"It's fine, Genya. Really, it is. He'd probably be scared to dance with a 'saint' anyway. You go have fun."

"Alina..."

"Genya."

"Ugh, okay. I'm going." She flashed me a grin as David started to lead her away. She fluttered her fingers at me in a wave of farewell. Then his arm was around her waist and they joined the crowd of people dancing in the middle of the room.

I watched them. Genya was my best friend and the kindest person I knew. She'd helped me when on one else would. She deserved to be happy with David and they were lucky to have each other. But where did that leave me? Everyone here except for my closest friends believed that I was still the Sun Summoner. They believed that I was a saint. What would they think if I told them the truth? I sighed, wishing I could ignore the sadness returning to my heart. This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come.

Just then, a voice spoke in my ear, a voice like black feathers falling to the ground. "No one to dance with, little saint?"

I spun around and found myself face-to-face with the Darkling. Words left me. All thoughts left me.

He was utterly gorgeous. He was dressed in all black, and though there were other men wearing dark suits here, he made his look incredible. His shock of inky hair fell into his eyes, which glinted like quartz. He stood tall and confident, even when Grisha stared wide-eyed at him. They must've been warned of his presence in the Little Palace or they would've been rioting right now.

I finally managed to find my voice. "What are you doing here?" I asked shakily.

One side of his mouth lifted in a half-smile. "I mentioned that I liked parties, didn't I?" he asked.

"I...I just didn't expect you to want to come," I stammered, suddenly very aware of the glances slicing through me and the fact that I was wearing what had been his color.

"I wasn't going to," he told me. "But your friend, the Tailor, she came to me. She told me about all of this and that you were going." His smile deepened. "And that you would be alone."

So this was who Genya had convinced to come to the party. I felt butterflies swarm into my stomach. The Darkling decided to come because of me? I recovered from my shock and lifted my chin teasingly. "It doesn't matter that I came alone," I said airily. "I could dance with anyone here. They would be honored to be chosen by the Sun Summoner."

"Of course they would," he replied, sarcasm dripping from his words.

I pretended to be offended. "It's true. They all want to ask me right now, they're just too scared with you standing next to me."

"Because I'm the Darkling?"

"No, because you're much too ugly."

He chuckled and the sound crawled beneath my skin, leaving delighted shivers in its wake. The music filling the room suddenly changed. It was a different kind of song, played by instruments I'd never heard before. It was slow, haunting, and intoxicating. The sound wound through the air like wind whispering over water. It was the kind of song that made something come loose inside you, made you want to become lost. The Grisha around me began to pair off and head to the center of the room.

The Darkling held one hand out to me. "Dance with me, Alina?"

A saint dancing with a demon. The others will think you're mad. I placed my hand in his.