As Zoya walked down the aisle, there were hundreds of thoughts running through her head. She saw the faces of the crowd. Most looked confused, some looked disgusted. She kept her head high and ignored their looks and their comments. She also thought about how she was almost married before, and how she would have had to walk down the aisle as a little girl and would have had to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather. It made her stomach turn. But when she arrived at the altar, she saw Nikolai standing there and he smiled softly at her. Her fears seemed to disappear at that moment. She repeated the words from the priest and watched as Nikolai did the same and before she knew it, they were announced as husband and wife. Nikolai leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. His lips were soft and warm and for the first time since she arrived, Zoya felt a sense of peace. Unfortunately it would not last for long.

At the end of the wedding Nikolai took her by the hand and took her to the carriage.

"I have a surprise for you." He said as they entered the carriage.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Consider it a wedding present."

She tried to ask him more questions about their life at the Grand Palace but he kept deflecting her questions or changing the topic, which she found slightly strange. Luckily, their journey was short and soon the carriage arrived at a rather large building. It was smaller than the Grand Palace but still quite impressive.

"Welcome to Little Palace." Nikolai announced as he stepped out of the carriage.

"What is this place?" Zoya asked looking around.

"It is your new home," he said as he walked up the stairs. "Come now I will have the servants bring you your things."

"My house?" Zoya suddenly stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you will live here." He said.

"And where will you live?"

"At the Grand Palace."

"You will live there?"

"Yes."

"And I will live here?"

"Yes I don't understand what is so difficult to understand." Nikolai said.

"It is our wedding night," Zoya said and Nikolai turned and looked at her.

"Are you demanding that I perform my marital duty?"

"No I am not demanding anything," Zoya could feel the frustration building. "But we are supposed to spend the night together."

"Fine," Nikolai sighs and rubs his hand over his face. "I shall stay." He turned around and began to walk quickly into the palace.

Zoya tried to follow him but she was unable to keep his pace in her wedding dress. She called out for him to slow down and he eventually stopped and turned around.

"I thought you wanted me in the bedroom," he said very quickly. "Is this not where you want me to be?"

"No, not if you are going to act like this," Zoya said. She took a breath and tried to compose herself. "You are angry with me. What have I done wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied. "It's just…I would like to go back to the Grand Palace."

"Well then let us go back to the Grand Palace." She began to turn around.

"No!" he nearly shouted.

"You do not want me there," she said as she turned again so that she could look at him.

"I…this is your home," he finally said.

"And the Grand Palace is yours?"

"Yes, exactly." He said. "So you understand now?"

"I do not understand," she said sternly. "Is this how our marriage is going to be? With me over here and you over there?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It…it is easier this way," he said.

"Easier?" Zoya nearly laughed. "Easier for who?"

"Zoya," he began.

"No, tell me," She interrupted him. "Who is this easier for?"

"I am not arguing with you about this right now." He said and walked past her heading back towards the front door.

"I just want to understand," Zoya started. "If you could just tell me…"

"I do not need to do anything. I have decided. I am your king!" he shouted and there was something different about his voice. It sounded almost deeper but Zoya could not quite explain it. She took a step away from him. He had decided to show his true colors, and Zoya felt like a fool for how she fell for his charm earlier in the day.

"My mistake," she said sternly. "I thought you were just Nikolai."

"Zoya…" There was a pained look on his face but she would not fall into this trap again.

"May I leave now your majesty?"

"Zoya, please…this is for the best." He tried to reason with her.

"Of course, your majesty." There was little emotion in her voice. "Whatever you say."

She turned around and walked away before he could respond. She walked into a secluded room and shut the door. She refused to cry, she told herself that she would not let anyone here see her as weak. But the shame and embarrassment she felt was impossible to ignore. The man screaming at her was nothing like the man she met at the garden. It was like he was two different people. She stayed there until a servant found her and asked if she wanted to be brought to her room. Zoya agreed and nearly ripped off the ridiculous dress once she was in the bedroom. She thought about burning it but decided that it would not be worth the trouble. She could see the Grand Palace from her window and her thoughts went to Nikolai. Why would he keep her away from him? What was he hiding from her? She closed the curtains so that she could no longer see out the window and climbed into bed, and eventually fell into a restless sleep.

Most people would enjoy living in a splendid palace, filled with servants who would do anything that you ask. Most people would enjoy being able to eat whatever they want or wear beautiful ball gowns every day. But to Zoya, this palace was just another prison. She could not leave the palace, as she was supposed to be on her honeymoon for the next two weeks, but her husband wanted nothing to do with her. So she has spent every day wandering around the palace, exploring the different rooms until it is time for her next meal. Then she would eat alone and stare at the empty chair across from the table. Nikolai should be sitting there. Did he eat alone at the Grand Palace? Did he have a mistress who spent the night with him? She would finish eating her food in silence before leaving, angry that she would let her mind wander to the king again. She wanted nothing to do with him. At least that was what she told herself every night.

It had been nearly two weeks since the wedding and Zoya felt like she was going to snap at any moment. She had just finished eating her supper and looked out the window where she could see the Grand Palace in the distance. She then turned to one of the servants.

"Ready the carriage," she said.

"Yes, your majesty. And where will we be travelling so late?" the servant asked.

"We are going to see my husband." Zoya replied and walked out of the room before the servant could respond.

When Zoya arrived at the Grand Palace, she was told by multiple people that she could not see Nikolai. It was not until two soldiers from Shu Han allowed her to come inside and told her that the King was currently in his workshop. Zoya walked briskly into the workshop with the two soldiers following closely behind. The room was filled with all sorts of contraptions and inventions. There were drawings scattered all over the place and Nikolai was intently scribbling down notes on a piece of paper, completely oblivious to the three people who had just walked into the room. He finally lifted his head and took a step back.

"Zoya?" he asked. "W-What are you doing in here?"

"The queen requested to see you," one of the soldiers answered. She was a short woman with short dark hair and a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Did she?"

"I did." Zoya responded.

"Very well. Tolya and Tamar, you may leave us."

The two soldiers bowed slightly before walking out of the room.

"What is this place?" Zoya asked.

"This is my workshop," he replied.

"Is this where you have been since the wedding?"

"Yes, I have spent most of my time here. Come let me show you what I have been working on."

"Have I done something wrong?" Zoya asked.

"You have done nothing wrong," Nikolai replied.

"Well, clearly I have done something to upset you."

"Zoya…"

"You have not spoken to me since our wedding night," Zoya interrupted. "I have been forced to move away from my home to a completely new place where I do not know a single soul, except for you. I am not allowed to go anywhere as I am supposed to be on my honeymoon. I am completely alone and you prefer your inventions to me."

"I do not want to fight with you." he said, turning away from her.

"Well I want to fight with you!" Zoya yelled. "Fight with me! Fight for me!"

"Go home, Zoya!" Nikolai yelled back. Zoya stormed out of the room as a large gust of wind shot out behind her, knocking all of the papers to the ground. She was seething by the time she walked out of the castle and saw dark, stormy clouds forming in the sky. Zoya quickly headed back into the carriage as lightning flashed across the sky. That was strange. The sky was clear when she first arrived at the palace.

The next day, three visitors came to meet Zoya. A woman with bright red hair with scars on her face addressed herself as Lady Genya Safin. She was to be a part of the Queen's court after the coronation. She had also fought against the Darkling and was working closely with Nikolai after the war had ended. The other two were the soldiers that Zoya had met last night.

"So," Genya began as she sat down. "When did you first learn that you were a Squaller?"

"Excuse me?" Zoya replied.

"We all saw your display last night. I would say it was quite impressive."

"That was simply a thunderstorm." Zoya said calmly. "I had nothing to do with that." It was easy for her to deny the allegations. Her mother used to make her practice when she was younger, to make sure that no one ever found out her secret.

"She's lying," the taller of the two soldiers said. Zoya glared at both of them.

"Tolya and Tamar are Heartrenders." Genya explained. "So they can…"

"I know what a Heartrender is." Zoya interrupted.

"I'll give it to her," Tamar said. "It was a very convincing lie. Probably would have fooled some of the newer recruits."

"Are you here just to interrogate me?" Zoya asked.

"Look," Genya said. "We are all frustrated with this situation."

"You're frustrated?" Zoya asked angrily. "I have basically been trapped here since I have arrived!"

"Nikolai has…suffered a great deal after fighting the Darkling…we all have," Genya placed her hand on her face, touching her scars. "Spending time in his workshop, working on his new creations, it appears to help him."

"So is this what my life will be like here?" Zoya asked. "Me trapped in here for the rest of my life."

"No," Genya replied. "We all are here to do what is best for Ravka. Reuniting the country has already played a major role, but now we can say that we have a Grisha queen on the throne, creating an alliance between Ravka and the Grisha."

"It will not work," Zoya said. "They would never accept a Grisha on the throne."

"They would have accepted Alina," Tolya said.

"Alina was the Sun Summoner," Zoya said. "This is different."

"We will continue to work with both you and Nikolai." Genya said. "Like I said, he has been improving recently. But we need to know that you are on our side. We have the chance to not only strengthen Ravka but also to create a safe place for Grisha. No more hiding, no more living in fear. With you on the throne, we show the rest of the world that we will protect Grisha from places like Fjerda and Shu Han. So, are you with us?"

Zoya thought back to when she was younger. When she first created wind using her hands and the joy she felt. She then thought of her mother, refusing to let her use abilities. She wondered how many there were just like her, who had to live in shame or in fear.

"I am." She finally replied.