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.
I decided to increase the chapter count so this chapter could focus on the five years Alina and Aleksander do not see each other. We will therefore not see their proper reunion until the final chapter.
Five Years
"Have you heard?"
"The new decree?"
"Yes. And the reward for news."
"But the Apparat is a holy man."
"The Apparat is a charlatan. And there are many hungry mouths to be fed in this village, especially with winter coming."
"… I suppose you are right. I'll go into town tomorrow morning and find the Grisha lieutenant stationed there."
"Girls," Keyen shouts, "come in for dinner."
They rush in with windswept hair and muddy hems, shooed over to the sink immediately to wash their hands.
"You two better not have been trying to ride that wild horse again," she chides.
"Of course not," Alina says, a little too quickly.
"We were just walking by the river," Nina adds with her best attempt at an innocent smile.
"Hmm," she eyes the two of them sceptically, well aware that they have a running bet on which of them can be the first to persuade the horse that has made the nearby paddock its home to let them ride on its back.
"Are there waffles for after dinner?" asks Nina.
Keyen might have thought the Heartrender is trying to change the subject, except for the fact that she asks the same question every single day.
"Not until Saturday," she reminds the girl.
Nina pouts. Clearly, she'd hoped that Keyen would forget the punishment they'd put in place after the two girls left the kitchen in a mess and their stash of sugar decimated following a midnight waffle feast.
Saints, but they can be a handful. Still, Keyen can't help but smile as she watches Alina and Nina bicker playfully as they eat – after so many years with only herself and Anton as company, she really is glad that her daughter has a good friend with her, even if that friend is only here because of –
No. She tries not to think of Alina's soulmate unless absolutely necessary, having no desire to waste the five years granted to them, nine months of which have already passed.
Anton receives news from across the sea when it is sent from Os Alta to Botkin or Fedyor, but Keyen prefers to remain ignorant of what atrocities the Black Tsar may be committing in Ravka. Eventually, she'll have to let her daughter go to the Shadow Summoner, but until that moment arrives, she'd rather pretend Alina's soulmate isn't a dangerous immortal tsar.
Anton, Botkin and Fedyor all enter together, the latter two muttering to each other with grave looks.
Keyen turns, wide-eyed, to her husband. Anton subtly shakes his head Keyen feels her tense body relax a little. At least she can be assured that the news is nothing that might put her daughter in more danger than usual.
"Everything smells delicious, milaya," Anton leans over to kiss her cheek and squeeze her hand reassuringly before he tucks into a dumpling.
The dinner table conversation is light and pleasant, a rule she had instituted as soon as they arrived in Novyi Zem. It is good, she thinks, to have a communal meal when they do not discuss Os Alta or Alina's training or the tsar.
The girls talk at length about their alleged river walk and everyone politely pretends that they truly believe Alina and Nina's assertions that they haven't been near the wild horse in days. Keyen and Fedyor share some of the news they heard at the market. Anton speaks of his plans to build a small outbuilding for storage. Botkin tells them all about an epic poem he has been reading about the early days of the Taban Dynasty of Shu Han.
This is what she's always dreamed of for Alina. Normality. The chance to socialise with people other than her parents without having to hide who she is.
It's worth it, Keyen reminds herself, thinking of their deal with the devil, it has to be worth it.
"I have waited a long time for this," Aleksander's eyes are viciously bright as he looks down at the rambling, ragged man in front of him.
The Apparat's hair and long beard are scraggly and dirty, his mouth a mess of yellowed teeth and black gums. His robes are torn in places and his stench would make most men take a good few steps back.
Aleksander is not most men. He has endured harsh living conditions and spent countless hours interrogating prisoners in the dungeons below the palace. The Apparat's unkempt appearance and lax approach to hygiene certainly isn't anything he hasn't seen before.
He expects no response to his words. The Apparat has never hidden his disdain for him, and all he has done since his capture two days previously is recite prayers and petitions to the saints.
It's funny, really, how many people forget that the saints were Grisha. He certainly can't imagine that they are inclined to answer a man like the Apparat, who firmly believes that the only good Grisha are martyrs who can be proclaimed saints.
"There are others," the Apparat croaks out, his throat hoarse from screaming, "my message will live on. And you, Darkling, will be slain by the light."
Aleksander is pleased rather than angered by the man's words, taking great pleasure in how he confuses his prisoner by smiling down at him. It seems the Apparat is unaware that he has found his Sun Summoner and that, as expected, the Making itself has blessed their union by making them soulmates.
"Your heresy will be stamped out in the same way I have crushed your ill-conceived rebellion," he tells the snivelling charlatan in front of him. You have lost."
The Apparat refuses to believe him, continuing to mutter that the Sun Summoner will strike him down soon enough.
Even as the room darkens with shadows that begin to suffocate the traitor in front of him, Aleksander can still hear the Apparat attempting to choke out his delusions.
He flicks his fingers and the shadows muffle the Apparat's ramblings.
"Mmm, much better, I think," he walks slowly towards the dying man, "it won't be long now, which is really more than you deserve. Before you go, though, shall I tell you a little secret?"
The Apparat only struggles feebly, his movements more and more sluggish with every moment that passes.
Aleksander leans down, baring his teeth in a sinister smile, "I've already found the Sun Summoner. And I'm afraid you were wrong all these years, when you told whoever could be forced to listen to your drivel that a black-hearted heretic like me would never share a soulmark with the sainted Sun Summoner."
The body on the floor convulses like a fish taken from the water as the Apparat lets out a silent scream, part dread and part disbelief.
"Yes, it's quite true, I'm glad to say. The Sun Summoner is my soulmate and my equal, my destined other half. And she is glorious."
When the Apparat's body finally stills, his horror at Aleksander's revelation is still etched across his gaunt face.
It will make for a potent message, he thinks, when his oprichniki display the body behind the palace gates.
Let everyone be reminded what happens to traitors.
Alina looks around, wide-eyed at the dozens of stalls set out under the bright sunshine, unable to decide where she wants to go first.
Nina says this market isn't anywhere near as big as the one in Os Alta, but it's a source of great excitement for Alina. A year they have been in Novyi Zem and today is the first time she has been allowed to venture into the little town a few miles from their home, following careful scouting by Fedyor and her oprichniki.
It is a simple thing, to explore a market, and yet it is something Alina has never done before. She isn't alone, with Nina and Fedyor at her side, and likely a number of oprichniki blending in with the crowd, but she doesn't mind because it's still more freedom than she ever had when she spent years confined to one house, with only mama and papa for company.
There are candles and perfumes and carved wooden figures and jewellery and books and, most of all, plenty of food.
Nina takes the lead here. She might be the younger of the two of them, but she has far more experience in navigating market crowds and a talent for haggling prices. Alina, having never really been shopping, struggles a little with knowing what constitutes a reasonable price and she has a feeling she would have been fairly badly scammed without Nina to shake her head and name a lower price.
By the time the two of them collapse onto a bench with pelmeni and blini to share, their baskets are full – a perfume bottle each, some candles, a little carved figurine of a mother holding a baby that Alina thought her mama might like, a sun pendant for Alina and a heart one for Nina, and two large cakes to take home – and Fedyor has a stack of books in his satchel that he's kindly offered to carry for them.
"Eclectic collection," he murmurs as he looks through their choices.
The market is full of old books that people are looking to get rid of and Nina tells her there's always something interesting to find. Today's selection includes an old anatomy textbook from Ketterdam University, a thick tome on poisonous plants ("for a friend back in Os Alta," Nina says), a book of Kaelish folktales and a children's fairytale about a magical silver stag.
As they prepare to make their way back home after brushing away some errant crumbs, Nina looks longingly at the slabs of fudge laid out on one of the tables.
"Fedya, can't we –"
He shakes his head, "we have the cake already."
"Listen to your uncle, dear," one older woman standing nearby advises her, "too many sweet treats and you'll be quite sick."
Nina doesn't even hesitate to play her part, hanging off Fedyor's arm and pouting as he leads them away and tells her "another day, Ninochka."
The story they have concocted to explain why they all live together is fairly simple. Botkin is her mama's uncle. Fedyor is her father's cousin and Nina is his orphaned niece. Still, Alina finds it odd to play part of a big family under one roof after so many years living with only her parents. Nina, on the other hand, slips all too easily into the role, although she confesses it is easier for her as she has known Fedyor for years now.
Despite the strangeness, Alina does acknowledge there is much to enjoy about the extended family she finds herself a part of.
She knows Nina, Fedyor and Botkin are not really her relatives, but she grows closer and closer to them each day and she thinks that maybe it is true that family doesn't have to be blood.
She really is thankful for them.
A year and a half has gone by since the Starkovs crossed the True Sea to Novyi Zem.
Now, Aleksander is sending Ivan over for a brief reunion with Fedyor – there is no need for him to remind his second not to be seen, for Ivan is wise enough to know the danger it would put Alina in if his visit is noticed (and the consequences that would have for Ivan himself) – and stands looking over the map that covers the large round table in his War Room, trying to decide the best way to distract himself for the next month.
After all, Ivan will be fortunate enough to see Alina in person – and doesn't it burn, that Fedyor, Nina, Botkin and now Ivan have all had the chance to bask in his Sun Summoner's presence, while Aleksander is forced to content himself with the memory of their tether visits.
He will not kill her parents, he reminds himself, however much he might want to.
Alina would forgive him eventually, with eternity in front of them, but he has already had to go too long without her and he will not extend the already frustrating separation they have agreed on.
Aleksander prides himself on his patience. Time is, after all, something he has in abundance.
Still, the days seem to pass at a snail's pace, the repetitive dullness of ruling interspersed occasionally with more interesting matters like rooting out the Apparat or putting down a rebellion.
It was bad enough for the centuries that he had to look at his soulmark and just wait. Now, though, he knows Alina is out there, has her exact location memorised, and yet he is barred from even seeing her.
He is always in control when it comes to negotiations, but when it came to his bargain with Alina, he had found himself without the comfort of having all the power.
All Aleksander wants is to have Alina by his side, but he knows that to break their agreement and tear her away from her parents early will surely cause an estrangement that it might take decades, even centuries, to heal. And that is something he cannot abide – he has no problem being patient when it comes to amassing power or destroying his enemies, will happily spend years laying siege or decades planning a coup, but now that he has seen her (even if only through the tether) and spoken with her, he cannot bear the thought of going without Alina for any longer than he absolutely has to.
It really is quite inconvenient, having all these emotions stirred up inside him.
He will endure, though, as he always has. And in three years and six months, he will have Alina in his arms and by his side.
Forever.
Sometimes, Alina misses Sasha so much it aches.
It's true that they've never actually met in person, but their tether visits meant a lot to her and every now and then something happens that she really wants to tell him, only to remember that she can't.
Of course, technically, she can call to him through the tether whenever she wanted. She has, in fact, been very tempted to do just that a number of times. However, she reminds herself that this is for the best, that she wants to spend this time focusing on her parents, whose time is limited in a way Sasha's isn't.
It makes it easier to bear, but there is a hole in her heart where her soulmate belongs, a part of her she knows only he will understand.
And although Fedyor and Botkin are excellent instructors in the Small Science and combat respectively, there is no one who can help her with her power the way Sasha can. They are two sides of the same coin, after all.
Still, Alina dutifully pays attention to all that Fedyor and Botkin teach her and Nina.
Sometimes they learn together, studying topics like the philosophical concepts of odinakovost and etovost or the history of Ravka. Other times, Nina and Fedyor look over anatomy books, while Alina sits in her room diligently practicing her own summoning or reading about bending light and the idea that she might be able to make a person or an object invisible.
She remembers what Sasha had told her about how she could be his equal one day. When they meet again, she hopes he will see a real improvement in her summoning – she wants him to be proud of her.
When a Heartrender named Ivan arrives – Sasha's second in command and, apparently, Fedyor's husband – Alina pushes herself even harder than usual.
Ivan, for all the little signs of affection she spots between him and Fedyor when she looks out for them, is a very different personality to his husband. Where Fedyor is cheerful, Ivan is serious and unsmiling, the living embodiment of extra training, an hour more, do you really need that break?
He doesn't give praise, but she does see him nod in satisfaction a few times when she demonstrates her power for him, which Nina insists is a great sign because "if he didn't think you were working hard enough then, believe me, he'd have no problem telling you."
Alina thinks she must do something right, because Ivan presents her with a pile of books and a curt "you're probably ready for these. Just for studying at the moment, not experimenting. If you do anything that dangerous, the tsar will be furious and we'll probably end up with another Fold."
The books are centuries old, the covers so fragile that Alina is almost scared to touch them.
She is careful as she turns the pages, trying to keep her curiosity in check as she tries to figure out what Ivan has given her.
Some of them seem to be diaries filled with theories on Grisha power and how it could be possible to summon without the standard hand movements that most Grisha use. There are others that she thinks are instruction manuals on complex maneuvers like the Cut.
Her understanding is somewhat hampered by the fact that many of the books are written in Old Ravkan. Sasha had told her not long after they had started their lessons together that she should try and learn, but it is a slow process and it can take her an hour just to translate a couple of pages.
Papa and mama get a little worried about the amount of time she starts spending in her room. Despite Ivan's scowls, they conspire with Nina and Fedyor to get her outside regularly, insisting fresh air is important – walks through the fields, rides on the wild horse she and Nina have named Sol (and who now likes them enough that they can gallop across the field on his back) and occasional trips to nearby villages.
When Ivan leaves, she is hopeful that he will give a good report of her progress to Sasha.
As Fedyor harnesses their cart to drive him to the port, Alina waylays Ivan and – with just the hint of a blush – asks him to pass on a gift to Sasha.
The Heartrender raises an eyebrow, but thankfully says nothing about the thin package she hands to him. She thinks she can trust him not to open it and to put it safely into Sasha's hands.
They agreed to no contact, but this isn't contact, not really. In the same way he's sent the books with Ivan, she's now sending something in return.
It's nothing too impressive, just a few sketches she's done – one of Sol, another of the house where they are living, and then two of him (his face a sharp and clear image in her head – she doesn't think she could forget any part of him even if she wanted to). She wants him to know that she is thinking of him, that while she is grateful and happy for this time with her family, he is still important to her.
"Tell him I miss him," she whispers, "please."
Ivan nods. When he squeezes her hand in goodbye, there is something soft in his gaze – she supposes he understands, Fedyor is his soulmate after all.
"He misses you too," he tells her gruffly but sincerely.
Alina goes back inside, wanting to give Fedyor some privacy to say goodbye to his husband.
The urge to tug on the tether is stronger than ever.
No, she reminds herself, this is for the best.
Taking a deep breath, she brushes an errant tear from her cheek and goes to find her parents.
A family dinner is just what they need to cheer Fedyor up now Ivan is returning to Os Alta.
The Drüskelle scream themselves hoarse as the flames on the pyres rise, scorching their clothes and burning their skin, the smoke making them cough and splutter.
They claim to be such stoic soldiers, capable of withstanding all manner of hardship while they undertake their so-called holy mission. And yet, faced with the flames they subject innocent Grisha to, they cry and beg just as he expects.
Under his rule, there is an official peace with both Fjerda and Shu Han. Unofficially, however, the Grimjer and Kir-Taban families look for any possible opportunity to undermine Ravka and Aleksander's reign.
He expects it, even if he thinks it is foolish of them to think they can win this centuries-long war. He can and will outlast them all.
Still, he does not wish to allow his Grisha to suffer and die. As soon as he can burn the Ice Court and raze Ahmrat Jen to the ground then he will do so.
Unfortunately, he is obliged to wait to sate his desire to see his enemies properly crushed. He needs his Sun Summoner.
For centuries, he has imagined hundreds, perhaps thousands, of strategies. His calculations always show the same thing, though – without a Sun Summoner by his side, able to assist him in further controlling the Fold and in facing their enemies, the casualties would be too great, the cost of freedom being most of the Grisha he wants to protect.
For so long, Aleksander has played a careful game, keeping Fjerda and Shu Han from encroaching on Ravka while trying – behind the scenes – to free the Grisha he know still suffer the pyre and experimentation and indentured servitude.
Now, however, he has a time-line. Two and half years have passed with Alina in Novyi Zem, half of the time they bargained for. He has another two and a half years to prepare for her return and to begin putting in motion certain plans.
Starting with a more aggressive response to the Drüskelle and Shu scientists who think they can sneak into Ravka and harm his Grisha.
The flames climb higher and higher, the nauseatingly sweet, putrid stench of burning flesh permeating the area.
Some of his Grisha leave the scene as soon as possible, unable to stand the smell. Aleksander waits until all the prisoners are dead, though – he has found the remains of too many Grisha burned at the stake for the smell to drive him away from witnessing the executions of just some of those responsible.
"Clean it up," he orders his oprichniki, once the screams fade away and all that is left are charred bodies.
He arrives at the War Room a little early for the meeting he has with his generals, but he takes the time to admire the piece of artwork hanging on the wall.
Three of the four pieces Ivan had returned with are kept in his rooms, away from prying eyes. The painting of the horse, however, is less private and he keeps it in his eyeline in the War Room.
A reminder that Alina had thought to send him a gift, one that her own hands had created.
He wonders if she knows how much he loves horses, how they have been his faithful companions for centuries, his current favourites descended from the very first he had owned when he took the throne.
Aleksander will take all the little pieces of Alina he can – the paintings she has sent him, the reports Ivan has compiled, the memories of their tether conversations and lessons.
Thirty months to go.
A boy gives Alina a flower when Fedyor takes her and Nina to the market.
He has a sweet smile, easy and innocent, when he tells her about the dance the village is holding the next month.
She lets him down as gently as she can, awkward and unused to talking to boys her own age. His eyes dim with disappointment, but there is no true devastation in his features – he is a handsome boy and seems nice enough, so Alina is sure he does not lack for admirers.
There is no crime in going to a dance with a kind boy. She and Sasha are soulmates, but they have not even met in person, will not until the five years are up. Alina has no interest in boys, though, and no desire to lead anyone on.
"It's for the best," Nina tells her as they walk back home, Fedyor a little behind them, "there's nothing wrong with a bit of harmless fun before you find your soulmate, but I suppose your situation is a bit different."
Alina nods. She might not be in the same place as Sasha, but she can't deny that he is constantly in her thoughts. And it would be no good for an ordinary village boy to get too attached to Alina – the Sun Summoner hiding her power outside her home, destined to return to Os Alta and with the Black Tsar as her soulmate.
"I don't mind," she admits to Nina, "I've got enough to think about anyway. I think I'm close to figuring out how to bend the light to make an item invisible – I tried yesterday and I swear half the orange seemed to vanish for a moment."
Nina claps her hands in excitement, "oh, this is wonderful. And when you've figured it out, we'll be able to sneak into the kitchen and have waffles whenever we like!"
"I heard that," Fedyor calls out.
"Just a joke," Nina shouts back, although they all know she's absolutely serious.
"Well, with waffles at stake," Alina laughs, "I suppose I better figure it out sooner rather than later."
The wind whips through his hair as Aleksander rides across the fields at breakneck speed, his oprichniki at just enough of a distance to give him privacy but still allow them to aid him if an enemy somehow manages to surprise him.
He knows Alina and Nina apparently ride a wild horse in Novyi Zem, having tamed him enough to trust them, and so he is sure Alina will appreciate his excellent stables.
He cannot wait to show her this place and take her riding. For him, it is a welcome escape from the gruelling work of ruling, a place where secrets and truths can be spoken to one trusted person, or whispered into the wind – he hopes it can be the same for her.
It's strange, really, but he finds himself out here far more often than he used to.
He likes to think about Alina. Wonder what she is doing, how her training is going, whether she misses him.
Ivan would roll his eyes if he saw him now, staring out at the horizon and thinking of Alina. Ivan does roll his eyes quite frequently, whenever Aleksander adds some more jewellery to the collection he's building for Alina or spends half an hour staring at her paintings.
With a sigh, he turns his horse and begins to gallop back towards the palace.
There is always work to be done.
Alina is flat on her back in the courtyard, glaring daggers at Botkin.
"Little girls must be strong for what is to come," he reminds her.
"My arms ache," Nina sighs, "and my legs and my head and my –"
"Little girls must not complain," Botkin adds.
They get to their feet slowly, wincing slightly.
"At least we don't have combat training again for another two days," Nina says.
Alina frowns, "but we have to go and see Fedyor now."
The past few weeks, Fedyor has been trying to get them used to practicing their Small Science while distracted.
Unfortunately, that means they're forced to summon or heartrend while having small objects tossed at them, water dumped over their heads or being forced to listen to Alina's papa play a domra very loudly and very badly.
"Nooooooo," Nina whines, "my bruises have bruises. I don't want to dodge shoes again."
"Well … I might have finally figured out how to hide a whole person."
"Really!"
"I managed on Botkin yesterday, so maybe I –"
Fedyor appears in the doorway, "don't even think about it, Alina. No going invisible without supervision. You know the rules."
She sticks her tongue out at him. It's childish, but she's tired.
"Please don't make us dodge shoes, Fedya," Nina begs.
He sighs, eyeing the pair of them, "I suppose that this time you can spend the afternoon practicing your languages instead."
"Thank you," they chime in relieved unison."
"But," Fedyor adds, "the shoe dodging will commence once more tomorrow morning."
They groan.
"You'll thank me for it eventually," he smiles at the two of them.
"Sooooooo," Nina whispers as soon as Fedyor is out of earshot, "bag of flour on top of his bedroom door tonight?"
"Oh, yes," Alina grins.
He deserves a little payback for the shoes, after all.
A letter from the Empress of Shu Han is filled with polite threats she cannot hope to back up.
Clearly, it is her response to the recent spate of raids on the border which have emptied and then destroyed a number of her country's secret labs.
In return, he compiles a report of what his Grisha had found in the labs, all of which is in clear contravention of the treaty that the Empress herself had signed thirty years previously. He sends it to her with the severed heads of three of the scientists that he and Ivan have executed after thoroughly interrogating them.
An ambassador from Fjerda enquires about the whereabouts of a group of apparently innocent travellers, who may have become lost and accidentally wandered over the border.
"We have seen no such group," is Aleksander's cold response.
The Drüskelle, after all, are far from an innocent group, and those of them killed by Aleksander or on his orders certainly didn't find themselves in Ravka accidentally.
A trade envoy from Kerch arrives, finally offering a half-decent trade deal after nearly two decades of paltry offers.
They reach an impasse, however, when it comes to the issue of indentured Grisha in Kerch.
No matter. He will have his Sun Summoner soon, and together they will demonstrate just how powerful a weapon the Fold can be. Kerch might be an island, and Aleksander may not be entirely sure what the effect would be of attempting to expand the Fold over the True Sea, but it may well be that the mere threat is enough.
He will make his people safe, wherever they are, whatever it takes.
It is only six months and then Alina will be by his side where she belongs.
Alina's parents decide to stay in Novyi Zem.
"Just for a while, Alinochka," papa says.
"So that you can get to know your … your soulmate," mama adds.
They are unsmiling and mama's eyes are red-rimmed. She knows they still fear what Sasha might do to them once the five years are up, no matter how often she reassures them that she has told him how important they are to her. She thinks they might also worry what he might do to her, even though it is madness to think that her soulmate will hurt her.
It is a tearful parting.
Alina had not thought she would be so emotional. It is not goodbye forever, after all.
Perhaps it is finally catching up to her, though, all the changes she will experience when she gets to Os Alta. No longer a girl in hiding, but taking her place on the world stage as Sun Summoner, tsarina and the Black Tsar's soulmate.
Nina, Fedyor and Botkin are quiet on the journey across the True Sea, solicitous but allowing her time and space to adjust to being without her parents for the first time.
She spends a great deal of time in her cabin, practicing with her light over and over again until one of her companions comes to coax her out for a meal or card game or walk on deck.
"Don't make yourself ill by working too hard," Fedyor chides her gently.
"I just …"
Alina doesn't want to be a disappointment. She wants Sasha to be proud of her.
"You are a marvel, Alina. And your summoning has come on in leaps and bounds over the past five years. You have every reason to be proud of yourself."
He ruffles her hair affectionately, pressing a honey cake into her hand with a stern reminder to "eat it now, Alina, and we'll call you for dinner in a few hours."
When she's alone again, Alina pulls out her sketchbook, fingers tracing the lines of her most recent sketch of Sasha's face.
"Please like me," she whispers, "please."
-x-x-x-
The dock is quiet when they disembark.
Too quiet.
The reason for the lack of people becomes clear when Alina spots the black carriage, bearing the Black Tsar's symbol of a sun in eclipse, with a team of magnificent horses.
Her heart skips a beat and then flutters enough that Fedyor shoots her a concerned look.
He's here.
Here.
"In there," Botkin nods to a handsome brick building just ahead, "we'll finish unloading."
Nina gives her an encouraging smile. Fedyor squeezes her shoulder and nudges her towards the building.
Alina walks on unsteady legs, pretending she's just trying to get used to being on land again rather than the truth – that her stomach is twisted up in nerves at the idea of seeing Sasha in person.
She pushes the door open and a little bell rings, making her jump.
The desk is empty, though, and Alina wanders past it and towards an open door.
The room has a high, domed ceiling and rows of benches and desks. Alina looks around, searching, searching, searching until –
There he is, staring right at her.
Sasha is everything she remembers and more.
Real, in a way he hadn't been during their tether visits.
The bond between them snaps back into place, vivid and bright, as if it hasn't spent five years unused and closed off.
Sasha looks at her, something wild in his dark eyes, and then his mouth curves into a smile.
"Hello, solnyshko."
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.
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