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cloudshuffle · 2 months

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an arrow, a spark. yan!childe

index / next / beta reader @malewifeharem

When they assign you to a new division in the Fatui, you think nothing much of it. People were always being moved around in the organisation, people disappeared under mysterious circumstances, new recruits were popping up out of nowhere.

What was strange, however, was whose division you were assigned to. Fatui Harbinger Tartaglia, all the way in Liyue, no less - or Ajax, as you knew him better.

“I'll be sorry to see you go,” Signora says from behind you.

You jump, nearly dropping the stack of papers in your hands. She stands in the doorway, imposing as always, yet the air she gives off implies she's left off a “darling” at the end of her sentence.

Madame Signora's always been fond of you for reasons you've never known, though that often meant being stuck in dull, dull meetings and organising her paperwork for her.

You salute her, then laugh nervously. In the midst of your packing, your office looks like a hurricane hit it, stacks of books and papers scattered everywhere. Not the best look to put forward to your boss.

“So, Liyue.” She takes a step, placing her right inside the threshold of your office. Behind her, her new bodyguard slash secretary shifts his weight from foot to foot. “Quite a ways from home, yes?”

“It is.” The land of the Geo Archon, Morax, but most importantly his creation of mora. A warm place by far, considering Snezhnaya's standards, but its trade sector was coldly competitive.

“How do you feel about it?”

How did you feel? The question catches you by surprise, much like her appearance in your office. Never before had you been asked your personal opinion on anything before, least of all by a harbinger.

It’s just work.

“It’s a great opportunity to expand my horizons and learn about another culture, ma’am.”

She chuckles elegantly. “A textbook answer. Good. It’d be useful if you kept those same wits around Tartaglia.”

You blink, a cloud of dust distracting you briefly from what she’d just said. “...Tartaglia, ma’am?”

“Oh, yes.” Her red lips curve into a wry smile. “He requested for you specifically. He’s been pestering me, in fact, to let him have you.”

You remain silent, unsure of how to respond.

“But look at me, holding you up. I do hope you have fun while in Liyue - it can be quite the interesting place, after all.”

────────────

You don’t quite know what all the fuss about Tartaglia is about till lunch, when you venture into the mess hall with Nadia.

She doesn't even wait for the two of you to sit down before broaching the topic. “Did you know the eleventh is back is Snezhnaya?”

“He is?” You stab at your potatoes with your fork, eyeing her cheekily. “And I don't suppose you're in the market for a partner at the same time, are you?”

“Oh, not a harbinger.” She laughs. “That’s way too high profile for me.”

You eye the raised platform at the front of the hall where a long table’s been set. It’s more for show than anything else, seeing as how the harbingers have never once found themselves privy to dining with you common soldiers. There are twelve high-backed, intricately carved mahogany chairs, and one in the middle, larger than the rest, gilded with gold and complete with red velvet cushions. The Tsaritsa’s. Yet another reminder of who you all served.

Nadia's chatter washes over you like a soothing wave. You're grateful to have a friend when you go abroad, if only for distractions like this if nothing else.

She wants to marry and settle down already - a noble sentiment for a young Snezhnayan lady. You think any man would be lucky to have her.

For yourself, you're not so sure.

“Ooh!” She nudges you. “Don't look, but Vlad's over there. Isn't he cute?”

Against her wishes, you turn your head. He looks like any regular Snezhnayan man to you, blonde and with an angular face that could’ve been carved from the frozen earth itself. “Well, I guess. He looks kind.”

“And he's coming to Liyue too!” Nadia stage whispers.

“Exciting.” You raise an eyebrow.

You excuse yourself from your meal after a while, leaving the mess hall alone. Nadia's conversation was entertaining but exhausting, provided one could keep up with her endless stream of news and gossip from various sources.

But it's from this river of information that you sift out a tiny gold nugget: that Harbinger Tartaglia would be in the archery fields if he weren't busy preparing for his return to Liyue with his new crew.

Perhaps it's curiosity, or pure boredom that drives you outside into the cold.

The walk is familiar, ice crunching under your boots. It was admittedly difficult to walk on snow and ice - if you were anything but Snezhnayan, born and raised.

Your fingertips tingle with the phantom itch to hold a bow. It'd been a while…

You follow the path, rounding the building to a frozen field. A number of wooden targets and straw dummies are lined up, some in varying states of disrepair. A small hangover, an incline, really, provides minimal coverage against the wind like a very tiny rock against a great river.

As expected, there’s no one there. You feel a small sense of relief at having missed that chance encounter.

The new recruits train elsewhere. It’s a place only for those who want to exercise the muscles you rarely get to use, being cooped up in front of a desk all day.

You take up position at the edge of the field, summoning your bow and fixing three arrows to it.

They arc in a graceful, shining line, each landing perfectly in the middle of its respective target board.

You affix another arrow to the shelf, taking a deep breath. The world narrows to the point of your arrow and the fletching on the arrow you landed.

Dimly, you’re aware of the shuffling of feet behind you, quickly hushed. Probably just another of your fellow soldiers who wanted to get out of the noise of the mess hall. You pay them no mind.

You release the arrow, reload, release, reload. Three arrows land in rapid succession, splitting each of the previous arrows neatly down the shaft.

You exhale, and your senses return to you. The cold embraces you again, and you shake the tension out of your shoulders, putting your bow away. You can almost feel its sigh, already impatient for the next occasion it could perform.

Slow clapping. “An impressive show, soldier.”

You spin on your heel.

Tartaglia stands at the top of the incline, flanked by two bodyguards. As if he needed them within the walls of the Fatui stronghold, the youngest of all the harbingers, who single-handedly dug his fingers into the fabric of Liyue to get the Tsaritsa a foothold.

It’s been quite a while since you last saw him, you realise. He looks a little sharper, a little leaner, his gaze perhaps a little more complex, as if he were thinking of the future while simultaneously discerning all your secrets. The hydro vision on his belt winks at you in the cold light.

Standing on the incline, he looks like a conqueror, surveying his land. It's a good look for a harbinger to have.

“My lord.” You salute him smartly, tamping down your embarrassment at noticing them late. “My apologies for taking up your time.”

“Oh, no need for all that, padruga.” He comes down the slope, the bodyguards following a respectful distance behind. “It's always a delight to watch you in action.”

What had Madame Signora said? “He requested for you specifically”?

Ajax- no, Tartaglia, is a good head taller than you, maybe more. As he approaches, you have to incline your head to meet the unfamiliar gleam in his blue eyes. Whatever could he want from you?

“You've been well, I trust?” He summons his bow, and you take the cue to move a step backward, leaving him room to shoot.

“Well enough, may the Tsaritsa continue to watch over me.”

To your surprise, he snorts a laugh, loosing his arrow. It strikes deep into the wood, igniting a spark as it scrapes against yours. “A devotary? Some things certainly have changed around here.”

One of the bodyguards shifts his feet. You glance back at him, then at Tartaglia. “Is a harbinger not also subservient to her majesty?”

He chuckles. “Of course he is. I’m just… surprised.” Another arrow, another target. “You never struck me as the type to believe.”

You remain silent as the last arrow hits its mark. All just to the right of your own arrows, pressed so close they seem on the verge of falling off.

“Excellent marksmanship, my lord.” The impersonal compliment comes easily to your lips. You clasp your hands behind your back.

A gentle breeze begins to blow (the kind that might have killed a man in lesser clothing), unsettling his already unruly ginger hair. The bodyguards adjust their stances, as if roused by the cold wind.

“Certainly.” He grins, a self-assured smile, unhidden by a mask. You’re grateful for yours in that regard - no need to hide your emotions or expressions too well when all Fatui are shrouded in uniform secrecy. “Nothing but the best to serve her majesty.”

Somewhere deep within the halls, a bell begins to toll.

You snap to a salute. “Thank you for your time, my lord,” you say, as if he hadn’t been the one to seek you out for conversation first. “I must be taking my leave now.”

padruga: friend (female) according to google

— word count: 1598. thank you for reading!

#cloud writes #yandere genshin #genshin #childe #yandere childe #genshin childe #yan!childe #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere #tartaglia #genshin tartagalia

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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 5 months

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Hehe here's a fun one

I offer this mini in the true spirit of the season: what would happen if the M6 got in a snowball fight >:)

Also, I headcannon that this

Is how the snow battle starts (art by aaliyah-draws)

The Arcana Mini-HCs: Snowball fight!

The original art is by @bastart13, the link to which should be here (many thanks to @nabesima for finding it, I scrolled through their blog for over half an hour trying to find the post and couldn't but they did!!)

Julian: he may not have started it, but he intends to finish it. keeps grandstanding and monologueing about persisting even if it leads to a noble death, only for snowballs to keep flying in his mouth

Asra: they only got involved when either you or Muriel asked them to. likes to sneak around the edges of the fight and snipe, aiming for the backs of people's necks so snow melts down their coat

Nadia: completely out of her comfort zone and loving it. her first few snowballs are clumsy and laughingly thrown, but she gets into it after a bit and manages to strategize and rally multiple people to her side

Muriel: busy building a snowfort/wall at Nadia's request to use as a shield from snowballs. keeps getting annoyed that Asra keeps flirting with danger and not hiding behind it with him. invites you in too

Portia: she started it and she intends to finish it. becomes the main fighter opposing Nadia's impromptu stronghold and somehow recruits her brother to her side, even though he was her first victim

Lucio: if he had to pick a side he's fighting next to Portia, but really, he's just riding the adrenaline high of a mock battlefield to keep his mind off of how messy his clothes are getting with all the snow

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #the arcana game #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson

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zermbie-dergon · 6 months

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Little things I learned about the members of Constellation:

- Andreja feels like an outcast to the rest of the group and doesn’t feel like she’s included in their group activities.

- On the flip side, Barrett will try to invite Andreja to join him and the others in said activities and she always declines (this includes things like movie night, dancing, cooking, listening to music, board games and having drinks together)

- The members all get together to have movie night and take turns picking out the movies

- Andreja tries so hard to make jokes with Barrett but he always knows what she’s gonna say. She gets discouraged but keeps trying

- Barrett and Vlad once spent 5k of Constellation’s credits to throw a party on The Eye

- Sarah is completely against Sam bringing Cora along with him. She suggests leaving Cora with Matteo to ensure her safety. Sam becomes irritated and defensive and says Cora goes with him.

- Sam and Barrett are sports bros and love watching games together. If one of them isn’t around to watch the game, the other will record it so they can watch it together later

- Sam has terrible spelling

- Barrett is actually his last name. His first name starts with A but (as far as I know) we don’t know what the A stands for

- Sarah seems to fill a kind of motherly role of the group, checking in with Barrett after being held hostage by pirates, keeping Sam on track, watching out for Cora, reassuring Andreja, etc

- Sam and Barrett seem to cause the most trouble or make the most mistakes in the group. Barrett will try to joke and laugh it off until Sarah threatens punishment. Sam however can get grumpy and irritated when “Sarah Perfect Morgan” calls him out on it.

- Andreja has some knowledge in cooking

- Barrett does as well and will cook large meals for the group

- Cora will occasionally take some of Barrett’s stuff, usually books, without asking leading to Barrett going to Sam to get them back

- Sam seems to get easily distracted while on missions. “Sam, did you check out that thing I asked you to?” “Well I was going to but then I got caught in a goose chase-” “So did you or not?” “I was going to but then there was this thing-” “Should I just assign someone else?” “Uh that would probably be best”

- Andreja really wants to teach Cora self defense and how to fight and use a weapon. Sam is uncomfortable with it and tries to brush Andreja off. She doesn’t get the hint though

- Sam keeps an open tab at the bookstore in Akila City for Cora. She's supposed to be cut off at 100 credits but tends to overspend

- The stress Sarah is under must be obvious to the other members as multiple members of Constellation will ask if she is doing ok

- Barrett tries to get Noel to join them in space but she declines and reveals how much she is overworking herself. She then admits that she had nothing but her smarts to get her ahead in life

- Sarah is Cora’s favorite member of Constellation. Sam is her second favorite

- Not knowing where Andreja is from and her backstory drives Matteo crazy. He will vent to Sam about it who tells him to let it go and everyone is allowed their secrets

- Aja recruited Barrett into Constellation

- Sarah and Vlad recruited Andreja into Constellation

- At one point in his life, some people called Sam “Sammy”, he now detests the name and “goes by just Sam now”

- While Barrett was grieving, Aja sat with him in his room. He doesn't remember what she said but her presence was comforting and that’s what he remembers most

- Despite not having many credits himself, Sam is willing to help out those in need whether it's loaning credits to Barrett, keeping an open book tab for Cora or donating to those in need.

- Sarah is not afraid to ask Walter for money. They have some banter back and forth but Walter always signs the check

- Nadia at SSNN tries to get Sam to dig up dirt on Jacob. Despite the estranged relationship with his dad, Sam refuses

- Barrett and Sam have both been to jail at least once

- Sam and Sarah have an ongoing debate over which is the superior beer. Sarah suggests they go bar hopping one day to test their theory.

#sam coe #starfield #bethesda #starfield sam coe #cora coe #starfield cora coe #sarah morgan #starfield sarah morgan #starfield barrett #barrett #starfield andreja #andreja #constellation #starfield constellation

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seasaltandcopper · 11 months

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Summary: Teddy is a former thrall turned vampire hunter. After a decade of chasing her revenge, she gets wind of a group of Hunters keeping an all-too-familiar monster in their custody. Now finally, after ten years waiting, maybe she'll finally get some answers.

And much needed payback.

Pt 2 | Vampire Hunter AU

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Profanity, non-graphic mentions of torture, violence, imprisonment, starvation, dehumanization, 'it' as a pronoun (only used by one character), referenced past captivity and enthrallment

Teddy left Will to watch the truck while she made the journey into the compound alone to pick up the vampire. He seemed to understand, and didn’t argue or ask why. Just turned up the radio, and leaned back the passenger’s seat to nap until she showed back up to drive them home.

The Hunter Teddy had talked with on the phone—Brooks—led her on a meandering path through the repurposed factory. Past living and dining areas where many Hunters gathered in their off hours, and past the armory in the factory’s basement.

Down, again, to a sub basement that reeked of must and rot and worse. Long used to it, Teddy simply studied the layout, mapping her path back out to the surface, a habit ingrained after years of training in a place not that different from this one.

Brooks led them to what looked like an old walk-in industrial kiln, now fit and reinforced to work as a containment cell. The box was covered in locks and seals, both magical and mundane, layered intricately with each other in a masterful weave.

Brooks glanced over his shoulder as he worked to unlock the cage. “So uh, if you don’t mind me asking, why this one?” He shrugged, clearly asking out of boredom or mild curiosity. “We don’t get many transfer requests out here.”

“Got a score to settle with it.”

Teddy didn’t elaborate, but Brooks didn’t push. The man just nodded, clearly accepting that as answer enough. “Fair enough. Still one less leech I gotta keep tabs on.”

The final lock released with a dull clack, and the Hunter trailed a hand over the wards. They shimmered, pulsing a deep crimson before fading again. Reaching for the handle, Brooks paused long enough to glance at Teddy.

“It shouldn’t give you much trouble, long as you keep it restrained. It’s been here long enough it knows how this shit works by now. We’ve mostly been using it for training and educating new recruits. Put up a hell of a fight when we first processed it though.” Brooks shot Teddy a conspiratorial grin. “I mean, damn. Should’ve seen that motherfucker in the first couple weeks. Had the whole crew taking bets on how long it’d take to finally break it.”

Teddy’s face stayed emotionless, though her eyes flicked to meet the Hunter’s. “How long did it take?”

“Four months, one week, and three days is when Nadia officially called it but—” Shrugging, Brooks gave the door handle a firm yank. The heavy metal groaned, a deep metallic wail like a thing in pain, and swung open to reveal a box of pale firebrick. The creature lay chained on the floor inside. “—between you and me, I don’t think it has yet. You can see it in its eyes. The way it looks at you sometimes.” He shook his head. “Nah. Might be too weak to fight, and smart enough to mind its manners, but there’s a spark of something still in there. Don’t give that motherfucker an inch, unless you’re prepared for it to take it.”

Teddy stayed quiet long enough the Hunter just shrugged again and led them into the tiny room. He strolled inside, aiming a heavy kick at the creature lying curled up on the floor. The vampire grunted, chains rattling with the impact.

“Alright leech, up. You got a visitor.”

Slowly, the vampire moved to comply, pushing himself stiffly up and settling into a kneeling position, bound hands resting on his thighs. He didn’t look up or move beyond the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed air Teddy knew for a fact he didn’t need.

Inclining his head, Brooks stepped aside to let Teddy take the floor.

She’d waited for this moment for over ten years. Before she’d even known she was waiting for it, before she’d been able to hope this kind of reversal could be possible for a vampire’s thrall.

Now that she was here, standing in the room with one of her former masters—one of the keystone pillars of Jericho’s coven, his bloody right hand, his former lover, one of only a handful left that had still been unaccounted for, and the only one left alive who could tell her what she wanted to know.

Teddy still couldn’t believe it was real.

This was a victory. Retribution a decade in the making. Closure.

She drew in a breath. Then stepped forward, heavy black boots thudding hollowly on the bricks. The vampire stayed quiet as she approached, kneeling and hunched forward like just keeping himself upright was a monumental effort. He stared at the filthy floor in front of his knees without acknowledging either of the two humans in the room.

If she hadn’t gotten confirmation of his identity beforehand, Teddy wasn’t sure she would’ve recognized him. Naked, emaciated, filthy, muzzled, bound in iron manacles and so covered in marks of abuse it was a challenge to find an untouched patch of skin. Even the color of his hair was impossible to judge from the matted, shoulder length mess it’d become.

Teddy held her breath. Silence followed. The kind of heavy, pressing quiet, like watching lightning flicker on the horizon before hearing the thunder. A static charge to the air.

She let out the breath in a rush, heart hammering in her chest. Desperate. Frantic. Hopeful.

Furious.

“Mal.” His name dropped from her lips like a condemnation, and that got his attention. He slowly lifted his head, meeting her gaze through a tangled curtain of hair with wary confusion. “Today’s your lucky day, bloodsucker. You’re coming home with me.”

AN: So this is apparently the second time I independently had more or less the same idea. Teddy (and Will) end up in a kind of antagonist role with Mal, and the story progresses as a back and forth between both these povs as they navigate this reversal, and all deal with the messy consequences of the choices they've made and the lives they lived.

If you really want to boil it down to basic tropes I suppose it'd be whumper turned whumpee?

I'm pretty happy with the direction this one is going, I am pondering continuing it. The next 'chapter' would be Mal's pov, so probably much heavier on the whump than this one lol.

Edit: added links to header since this is now an official series

#whump #vampire whump #whumper turned whumpee #original whump #my writing #salt ocs #salt oc: mal #salt oc: teddy #salt oc: will #i actually completely forgot i wrote this #it was older than the other excerpt of a similar idea I posted #apparently my subconscious really wants to put these two #angry feral cats in a room together and see what happens #sorry guys you're my science experiment now #misc aus #vampire hunter au

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memphisnovels · 10 months

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Evermore

Chapter 8. Dark red

Masterlist

Previous chapter

I loved writing this chapter so much! Plenty of Pietro and oh so much arguing xx

pairing: Pietro Maximoff x OFC

warnings: Canon-typical violence, injuries, severe PTSD, soft Pietro, slight protective Pietro, Wanda is trying her best

Steve regarded me with raised eyebrows. “Not a chance.” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest but before I could even begin protesting, he cut me off. “Nadia, you took a bullet to the side less than a week ago, you’re not in any shape to jump back into training.”

“I’m fine, Dr. Cho even said so.”

“Dr. Cho said that you were well enough to be out of bed. She did not say anything about sparring.” Natasha intervened, giving me an amused look.

I rolled my eyes at the two. They were acting as if I were currently on my deathbed. “This is ridiculous, I am not a porcelain doll. I’ve taken far worse than a bullet.”

The two of them held looks of utter exasperation as they stared me down. I did not flinch at their unwavering gazes, unwilling to back down. I’d had enough of pottering around the compound ignoring the concerned gazes of the others as they attempted to babysit me. Natasha glanced toward Cap then, offering him a look that made me rethink pushing the matter. I narrowed my gaze at her as they seemed to reach a mutual understanding despite not uttering a single word to each other.

“Okay, fine.” Steve supplied, running a hand through his neatly styled hair. “You can return to training, on the condition that you take it slow and do not push yourself too hard.”

I shrugged, shoulders tense as I continued to survey the pair before me, suspicious of the unspoken condition I sensed lingering in the air. “We’re training the new recruits currently so to ensure that you actually do as your told and take it easy you’re going to train one of the newbies. That way there’s no high-intensity sparring while you’re still healing.”

Natasha’s words had me tensing further, they could keep dreaming if they thought I’d train that witch. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her, sparring partners was off the table. I voiced this to Natasha and Steve.

“Well then, it’s a good thing you’re not training Wanda Maximoff,” Cap responded, crossing his arms. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

I stared at him in silence for a moment, processing what he meant by that. When it occurred to me that he was suggesting that I would be training the other Maximoff twin my eyes narrowed even further, my gaze no doubt glacial now. “Absolutely not!” I shot back sharply.

Nat grinned at my tone. “You were the one desperate to get back into training, careful what you wish for, Nads.”

“There are other recruits, why do I have to train him?! I’ll take anyone other than the Maximoffs.” I gestured toward Cap. “What about the bird man you’re friends with… Sam? I will train him.”

“Sam doesn’t need as much training, plus we’ve already assigned him a sparring partner. Pietro is the perfect partner for you, he needs a lot of combat training, something you’ll obviously excel in, and his lack of experience means you can teach him without hurting yourself more.”

Natasha gave me a knowing look then. “Plus, if this team is gonna work, you’re going to have to play nice with them. The whole cold shoulder isn’t great for team morale.”

It was evident that there was no amount of arguing that would change their minds. It was either accepting my fate or going back to wandering aimlessly around corridors until I was fully healed. I was under no illusions that I’d ever trust either of the Maximoff twins, nor come to like them, however, perhaps if I help Pietro to become a halfway decent Avenger, they’ll let me off the hook. The prospect of this being only a temporary endeavor had me seeking the silver-haired man out, albeit it begrudgingly, to begin training. The sooner I whipped him into shape, the sooner I could prove to Nat and Steve just how amicable I can be, and the sooner I can escape this hellscape of a partnership.

He smiled at me as I walked into the training room, amusement was evident on his features. Seemingly not too affected by the sharp words I’d spoken to him and his sister the other night. “I was not expecting to see you up again so soon.”

“Oh? Praying on my downfall?”

Pietro breathed a laugh. “No. Just generally it takes longer than 4 days for humans to bounce back from gunshot wounds. You know since we are not made of rubber.”

I rolled my eyes. “You were shot too, and you have ‘bounced’ back.”

“Only in the arm, and I wouldn’t say that. Wanda’s forcing me to be here.”

“How sad for you,” I said, exhaling heavily in an attempt to ignore the shooting pain in my side. “Now, show me your fighting stance.”

His expression turned incredulous. “Why? I already know how to fight.”

“Well, you could have fooled me.”

He crossed his arms then, narrowing his eyes at me from across the mat. The corner of his lip was quirked up, but his expression read irritation. “That is interesting considering I have beaten you before.”

“Yes, because you are fast.” I retorted almost instantly, mirroring his stance as I folded my arms. “Do not confuse your enhancements with actual skill. Without it, you would not have stood a chance, now show me your stance.” Begrudgingly he moved to stand with his feet apart, hands braced in fists before him. I circled him, studying his form. “Really? This is it?” He huffed, dropping his arms to his side.

“I know how to fight, I really do not need your wisdom, thank you so much.”

I laughed at him again, shaking my head. “Get back into your stance.” He opened his mouth to argue but I cut him off. “You are so sure you can fight, so show me.”

He looked at me with wide eyes. “I cannot fight you.”

“Oh, I am aware of that.”

His jaw tensed at my words, and he closed his eyes momentarily. “I cannot fight you because you are hurt.” I was growing very tired of people saying that.

“I am fine. It is not as though you would be able to hurt me anyway.” He shoved me then; it was half-hearted and weak. I barely moved. “That was just insulting.”

He groaned and moved back into his fighting stance, huffing considerably. I waited for him to be ready and jabbed him in the ribs quickly, it was not hard enough to actually hurt him, but enough that he jolted. Before he could respond I jabbed him in the other side, slightly harder. “What the hell are you doing.”

“Your stance is too open; you’re not blocking anything standing like that.” He looked at me with raised eyebrows, his hands moving to sit on his hips. I gave him another once over. “Move your feet, shoulder-width apart.” For a moment he did not move, staring me down stubbornly. I crossed my arms over my chest, watching him with raised eyebrows. Eventually, he gave in, moving his feet to sit beneath his shoulders. “Bend your knees.” He did as I said. I kicked the back of one of his sneakers, causing him to bring it forward. Not without glaring back at me first. I continued to point out each part of his stance that he needed to adjust until it was right.

“Does this meet your standards?” He spoke sarcastically. A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips. I circled him once more, eyes scanning up and down him. His broad shoulders were tense as he held the stance, awaiting my next critique. I took a step toward him, kicking the back of his knee, causing him to fall forward. He groaned; pure frustration evident in the sound. “You are very annoying you know that?”

I scoffed at him. “Oh well there you go, something we have in common after all.”

He faced me then, moving back into the fighting position I’d shown him. A chuckle passed his lips as he watched me. “Okay, so what now?”

“Now you learn to block.”

“Block?”

Before he’d finished speaking, I threw another jab at him hitting him in the side once more. He sighed exasperatedly before telling me to hit him again. I threw a harder punch now, but he caught my right wrist, in the blink of an eye, twisting it to restrain my arm behind my back. “Relying on your enhancement again.” I tsked.

“Why not use the tools at my disposal?”

“Fine. What are you going to do next, Maximoff?” I knew I could get out of his hold without so much as breaking a sweat, but I was curious about what he could do, so I stayed put.

He wrapped a leg around mine. “Now,” his breath was hot on my ear as he spoke, I’d never admit that goosebumps rose across my arms. “I’ll lay you on your back.” There was a smugness to his tone that made what happened next so much more enjoyable. I quickly stepped to the left before pivoting to face him, my arm now straightened rather than trapped behind my back. In a panicked attempt to regain control, he clung to my wrist with both hands. Without a moment’s hesitation, I twisted to step between his legs and bend my knee whilst, simultaneously, pulling him toward me. My thigh jammed into the back of his knee, sending him tumbling down onto the mat. I turned away from him then, squeezing my eyes shut and tensing as that shooting pain in my side returned, almost sharp enough to have me crying out. With gritted teeth, I inhaled deeply through my nose, willing my composure to return before I faced him once more. “That was bullshit.” I grinned despite the agony, ignoring the pain as I glanced at him over my shoulder.

“It’s not my fault you are so shit.” I ignored his glare, turning from him once again. “Meet me back here tomorrow at 7 am. You are going to need a lot of practice if you stand a chance of catching up even halfway to any of us.”

He scoffed. “How encouraging, really you should take up motivational speaking.”

I doubled up on gauze the next day to add extra padding to my wound in hopes it would dull the pain slightly. It did very little. This routine continued, he’d turn up to training, I’d teach him how to block different attacks and he’d attempt to best me only to fail every time. Four days passed and I was willing to admit he seemed far more receptive to learning from me than he had on day one.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I easily blocked Pietro’s attack, he was finally putting some effort into his movements. He was still way behind where he needed to be but in just four days, I’d already seen improvement. I believed I could get up to scratch and then I could rub it in Steve and Natasha’s faces and go back to pretending he did not exist. He caught one of my jabs, twisting my arm behind my back just as he had the first day.

“Really, this again?” I teased, but he pressed a hand in the side of my arm, preventing me from stepping out of the hold as I had before. The corners of my lips quirked up. “You are not as stupid as you look.” He chuckled, tightening his hold, and pushing me down further.

“Huh, I think I prefer you in this position, Prinţesă.”

I rolled my eyes at the cockiness that seemed to emanate from him as he held me. I let him believe he had the upper hand, waiting to see what he did next. However, the moment I predicted his next maneuver, I sent my free arm back toward him, extending at the last minute to slam the side of my fist into him. He let me go and moved quickly into his defensive stance, not giving up so easily. The spike of excitement I felt in that moment at his challenge surprised me, but it also distracted me from guarding my injured side. He side-stepped me quickly and attempted to put me in a chokehold, but I tucked my chin quickly, twisting my body to elbow him hard in the ribs. Not thinking about how the sudden contraction of my side would affect the still-healing wound. Try as I might, I could not stop the cry of pain from tumbling from my lips. The second it did Pietro’s grip disappeared from me, and he quickly appeared before me, concern evident across his features.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Holding a hand to my side, I moved away from him to lean against the wall, before sliding into the bench seat in front of it. I shut my eyes and attempted to wrestle the pain down. It seared through me no matter how hard I tried. “Should I get the doctor? Do you have medicine in your bag?” He continued rambling at me, but I ignored him. “Nadia, tell me how I can help.”

“I do not want your help.” I forced out through gritted teeth.

In a blur he grabbed the duffel I’d brought into the training room, selecting the bottle of painkillers and water before kneeling before me. I turned my face away from him.

“чертов ад” Fucking hell. “Seriously, go away, Pietro!” He ignored me, jerking the painkillers toward me once more. I slapped his hand away from me, causing the orange bottle to fly out of his hands, he watched as it skidded across the mat.

He gave me an indignant look in response, moving to stand before me. “Why do you do this?! I am trying to help you; I want to help you, so why won’t you let me or anyone else do anything?”

“I already told you I do not want your help!”

“Nadia-”

“No!” He was silenced by this for a moment. “You do not know me, Pietro. You met me 5 seconds ago and all of a sudden you think you know everything. That’s why you want to help me because you think you have me all figured out. You don’t… and if you did you would not want to help me.”

He scoffed. “Yes, I would.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m not stupid”

I stood abruptly then, taking a step toward him. “Yes, you are! If you really want to help me, you are. You do not know the things I have done.” He ran a hand through his hair, causing strands of silver to fall around his forehead.

“It does not matter what you have done Nadia.”

“Doesn’t it? Are you sure or is that just what you think because you cannot imagine how awful my past is?”

“My sister and I helped Ultron!” I was surprised by the sudden raise of his voice. “Those people, the ones who lost their lives, all that damage to Sokovia… that is on us.”

I shook my head at him. “That is not your fault.”

He disagreed.

“You made a bad choice, yes, but Ultron was the one who killed those people.”

Pietro shook his head, scrubbing at his face with his hands as he dropped into the seat against the wall. “We could have stopped it before it got that far.”

“So maybe you could have… maybe you couldn’t. You cannot spend your life wondering what would have happened if you chose differently, it’s a waste of time because it’s already happened. There’s no changing it now. In the end, you made the right choice, that’s what matters.” I could feel his eyes on me as I sat beside him. “Your sister said that Stark cannot tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it… maybe none of us can. All we can do is try to make things a little better. We do what we can, and we hope for the best. That is all.”

We sat in silence for a long while. “Is the whole motivational speaking thing something they teach you at Avenger’s Academy?”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at his jest. “I did not go to Avenger’s academy.”

He laughed glancing over at me again. “You know that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” I shrugged, biting back the smile that was fighting to spread across my lips. “It is good advice, Nadia… maybe you should take it sometime.” I bristled at that, but he didn’t seem to notice, or he chose to ignore it. Instead, a blur of blue and silver appeared and before I knew it, he was back beside me, orange bottle in hand. I shook my head at him but he simply extended his hand toward me with a little white pill in the palm and a water bottle in the other hand. “You saved my life, at least let me do something for you.” His gaze was gentle as it met mine, a strange feeling passing over me as I watched him. I think maybe I preferred it when he was the enemy.

“You’re really fucking irritating, you know that?” I snatched the painkiller and water from him, downing both and leaning my head back against the wall. He only laughed in response.

Natasha’s frame filled my line of sight a few moments later, she raised an eyebrow as she surveyed Pietro and me. “Doing okay, Nads?”

I opened my mouth to respond, however, before I’d managed to get a single word out Pietro was butting in. “Her wound started hurting during training.” I sent a sharp glare his way, disbelief no doubt evident on my face as I stared him down.

Natasha had insisted I see Dr. Cho and that she accompany me. I was merely waiting for the lecture as we walked down the corridors leading to the medical wing. She was eerily silent, but I could feel how badly she wanted to say something.

There was blood when the doctor removed my bandages, not an alarming amount, but a steady trickle of crimson escaping my healing wound. The woman before me tsked, cleaning the blood and applying some kind of salve before butterfly bandages. “The damage isn’t too serious, it's just a bit of irritation. I’d recommend keeping the bandages for an additional week, just to keep it safe if you are going to continue training, but after the week I’m anticipating that you’ll have made some solid strides in healing, and it shouldn’t give you so much trouble.”

“Thank you.”

“But again, I would recommend taking the higher dosage meds, they’ll save you a lot of pain.”

I shook my head before telling her the same thing I had told her the last time. I’d stick with the run-of-the-mill painkillers.

“Fine, I’ll give you a refill then.” She paused upon opening the bottle of my current meds, glancing up at me momentarily. “Have you been taking these?” I said yes. “But not consistently? This bottle is almost full, the dosage is six pills a day; morning, noon, and night.”

I shrugged. “I am aware, I did not need that many.”

The room turned glacial. I could feel Natasha’s gaze on me as Dr. Cho reluctantly accepted what I had said and left the room. The glare Nat fixed me with was lethal.

“What the hell, Nadia…” I rolled my neck before unraveling a new sheet of gauze to wrap around my torso. Evidently, my lack of a response prompted Nat to continue. “Not only are you not taking strong enough painkillers, you’re barely taking the others either! Why?”

I shrugged once again. “All these fancy Western medicines have made everyone so weak.”

She regarded me with a hard look, not so much as offering a smile in response to my taunting words. “Why do you do this to yourself, Nadia? Why do you force yourself to endure it all?”

“I’m not doing anything to myself, Natasha. I don’t take the meds because I don’t need them.”

She was silenced for a long while then. Watching me, studying my every twitch and minute expression. “Don’t let him live in your head…” she finally said.

I asked her what she was talking about.

“Weakness leaving the body? That’s what he used to say right?” I looked away from her, closing my eyes for a moment. “It’s bullshit!”

With a roll of my eyes, I regarded her again. “I know that, Natasha.”

“So why won’t you take the goddamn pills?”

“Because I do not want to lose my fucking mind!” I hadn’t meant for it to come out as explosive as it had, it was as if the words clawed their way from my throat and into the air between us. “I don’t want to take pills that make me feel nothing…” I was quieter now. “…I’ve been there and done that, I’m not doing it again. I’ll take all of the pain if it means I know where I am. Know who I am.”

“I get that. Of course, I do, Nadia. But you and I both know there’s more to it than that.”

I finished tying the gauze, choosing to ignore her words. She waited, standing beside the bed for a long while. Eventually, she let out an exasperated sigh, throwing her hands up and turning to leave the room. “Why you punish yourself like this… I’ll never understand, but you don’t deserve it, Nadia.” With that, she was gone, and the room was plunged into silence once more. I pulled my shirt down over the fresh bandages and dragged my hands up and down my thighs.

“Nadia?” I turned my head to see Pietro standing in the doorway watching me carefully. A sour expression was no doubt evident across my face. “What did the doctor say?”

I exhaled deeply. “Just fuck off, Pietro.” With that, I slipped off of the bed and walked back to my room, no longer in the mood for human interaction.

…

Four days turned into 10; 10 days spent primarily in the gym with Pietro. He was definitely improving quickly, it was actually quite impressive, not that I’d ever let him know that. I was tough on him every day, taunting and critiquing. His irritation was palpable and yet, it was making him better. Natasha and Steve had been pleasantly surprised by the strides I’d made with Pietro, though they were only in the training sessions. Outside of that I gave him the cold shoulder or, more accurately the glacial shoulder. He tried to interact with me, often, and each time I fixed him with an icy glare or sharp taunt, yet he kept came back for more. It was almost as if he enjoyed my disdain. It enraged me to no end. I had been lucky enough to be successful in avoiding his sister for the most part, although, evidently, my lucky streak was coming to an end.

I’d sent Pietro off to do cardio whilst I did the gentle rehabilitation stretches Helen Cho had recommended. It was somewhat demeaning to have to treat my body so very cautiously so as not to harm it any further. I sensed someone approaching me from behind as I sat on the floor.

“What do you want?” My tone was cold and indifferent as I regarded her.

She was nervous, I could tell, maybe she hadn’t thought this through. “I-I just wanted to talk to you. To clear the air between us.”

“Consider it clear, witch,” I spoke just as coldly as I had the first time.

“I do not expect it to be easy for you to trust me, not after what I did. But, I do want to try. I want us to be teammates, maybe even friends.” I remained silent, not even sparing her a glance. “It will take time, but I want you to know that I am determined to prove myself to you, Nadia.”

I scoffed. “Why? What does it matter what I think of you? I’m not the captain of this team.”

“No, but you are an important part of it.” Her voice was gentle as she spoke to me, it irritated me. “I know that you don’t particularly like me, and I don’t blame you… but, you have a good heart, Nadia. I’ve seen it, and I want you to know that I am not the person that you think I am despite what I did to you.”

That caught my attention, I glanced at her momentarily, biting back a laugh. “Oh, you’ve seen my good heart, have you? When exactly?”

“In Sokovia.” I rolled my eyes at her, looking back down at my hands as I continued to stretch. “And in the shipyard.” The words stopped me in my tracks. “I dipped into each of your minds to bring your greatest fear to the surface, but for you it was different.” My heart was racing as she spoke, and my stomach began to churn. “Your mind it… it reeked of guilt, it was all I felt when I looked into your memories, it was almost unbearable for me to be in there.” I gritted my teeth, my lungs struggling to take in air as she continued. “I did not see everything, obviously, but what I did see was pain and agonizing remorse. I am sorry for invading your privacy, and perhaps this is out of line but… Whatever you have done, you are not a bad person. You should forgive yourself, Nadia.”

Goosebumps rose across my flesh and there were so many things rushing through my mind that it was becoming overwhelming, yet, at the forefront was rage so blinding it threatened to swallow me whole. I turned back toward her, sharp gaze meeting hers as a venomous, tight-lipped smile spread over my lips. “What did you just say to me?”

“I could feel your pain, the torment you force yourself to endure as penance.”

I gritted my teeth, hands clenching at my sides as she spoke. Heat rose up my spine and rage simmered within my blood. The red was there then, in the corners of my vision, pulsing, calling to me, begging me to let it consume me. “I really do not think it is in your best interest to continue, witch.” Natasha was watching me carefully then; I could feel her gaze on me. I felt like I could barely breathe, there was so much anger filling every crevice of my being that I felt ready to erupt any minute.

“Wanda…” Natasha spoke, stepping forward and giving her a look that was likely meant to quiet her.

The witch’s eyes softened further as she glanced back to me. “I’m sorry, Nadia. I am not trying to upset you; I just want to help you.”

“Oh, you Maximoffs, always so fucking insistent on ‘helping’.” I laughed humorlessly, clenching my fists so tightly I was sure I’d break the skin. “You want to know how you can help me, Wanda?” There was so much venom in my tone I was surprised she didn’t recoil. “You can stay the fuck out of my head!” I was yelling but I could barely hear my own voice. I turned from her swiftly storming out of the room before the red became too much. My legs were trembling as I fled the room, heart racing and stomach churning. I was stumbling down corridors to get away but soon there was too much going on in my head and I fell into the wall, doubling over before sliding to the ground and pulling my knees to my chest, just as I had that day in the shipyard.

“Nadia. Hey, take a breath, it’s okay.” I attempted to move away from the voice, pressing the heels of my palms into my closed eyes to make it all stop. “It’s just me, Natasha. Listen to my voice.” I shook my head, gripping the roots of my hair.

The classical music was back and so was the leotard, it suffocated me, cracking my ribs and crushing my body. It was all back, all happening to me again. The graduation ceremony, the ice water being poured over my frail body, the heavy boots hitting my ribs again and again. The clicking of a gun trigger as it was pulled day after day, pointed at my head, until I stopped flinching at it. The grass crunched beneath my feet as I took a step forward, lifting the gun to aim it at her head. Blood spattered onto my face, my clothes, my flesh covered in it, over and over. I felt their pulses stop beneath my fingertips; I saw the smiling faces of children in frayed pictures that lived in wallets.

I yanked at the leotard trying desperately to pull it off, to let myself breathe.

“Nadia, listen to me, block everything else out just listen to the sound of my voice.” I was trying so hard to only hear Natasha but everything else was so overwhelming it was almost impossible. “It’s not real, not anymore, Nadia. It’s over, I promise, just open your eyes.”

I shook my head; I could feel the hot tears streaming down my face as I gasped for air. “I can’t. I can’t. It’s back.” The words were hard to get out when I couldn’t breathe.

“What’s back?” I kept yanking at the leotard, desperately trying to free myself. “Is it the red? The red is back?”

How did she know about the red?

“You told me about it, do you remember?” Her voice was gentle but sure. “When we were in the Red Room, you told me about the red, but we’re not in the Red Room anymore. It’s okay.” I cried harder; the sound made me sick. “Pietro. Get her some water, now.” Pietro? Why was he here? Why was Pietro in the Red Room with me? A breeze flew past me then. “You have to stop pulling at the gauze, you’re going to pop your stitches, just take a breath.” Why didn’t she get it, Natasha didn’t understand that I couldn’t breathe with the leotard on. The sound of gunshots echoed through my ears. I felt the shrill of his voice as he told me to pull the trigger.

“I need it off. I can’t breathe! I need to take it off.”

Another voice cut through all the others; it was different. It was a voice that had never been in the Red Room. “What is it? What do you need to take off?” Pietro asked. His voice sounded close.

“I-it… The leotard.” I kept yanking at it.

“Okay.” He said gently. “Let me help you.” His hands were warm when they wrapped around mine. He pulled my hands away from the fabric, replacing them with his own as he peeled the material from me. “It’s gone, you can breathe now.” I shook my head opening my mouth, but his voice came again. “Just try, breath in slowly through your nose.” I tried my best, taking in as much air as I could. “Now hold it and breathe out through your mouth.” My body trembled violently making it far harder to follow his instructions, but I did as he said. Eventually, the air filled my lungs, slightly more rapidly than normal but far better than before. I felt what I assumed was his shirt graze my shins. “Will you open your eyes, Nadia?” I shook my head. His hands enveloped mine once more, bringing them away from my sides and pressing them to his chest. I flinched at the contact, attempting to recoil but he held my hands firm. The rhythmic thump of his heartbeat against my palm was too real to ignore. “Do you feel that I am real? I am here with you. You are not in that place anymore. Open your eyes and see.”

I told him I couldn’t.

“You won’t hurt me if you do… I promise.”

The thought of how the world looked bathed in red prompted me to keep my eyes shut tightly. “I don’t want to, but I can’t stop it.”

His hands squeezed mine. “You won’t.

“You don’t know that.”

I could feel the heat radiating from him, it was easy to focus on. “No, I don’t… but I trust you.” In that moment I realized that everything else had disappeared, there were no more gunshots, no more classical music, the leotard was gone and so was Dreykov. I pressed my face into my knees. “Open your eyes, Nadia. Look at me.”

Slowly, I let my eyes open, looking first at my own legs before traveling up slowly. I saw my hands in his, pressed firmly to his chest over the dark blue shirt, his silver hair, and his bright blue eyes that were trained on me. There was no red, no frozen grass, just Pietro. My face was damp, and my body was still shaking. I did not know what to say to him, so I just watched him. We were not in the Red Room; he was kneeling on the floor in front of me. On his lap was the gauze that had been wrapped around my wound, it had never been a leotard, he took it off so I stopped pulling, so I wouldn’t rip my stitches accidentally. He let go of my hands slowly, letting them fall back to his lap along with the bandage. I looked over to see Natasha, she quickly wiped tears from her eyes and gave me a weak smile. “Hey, Nads.” I pulled my legs tighter to my chest, laying my cheek against my knees and looking away from both of them.

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#sarkari googly #sarkari result #west bengal govt job #govt job india #nadia district recruitment

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rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 8 months

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A Tide That Turned Everything: Chapter I - Separated, Hurting, Broken

Summary: Aleksander is alive but he paid a price for surviving. Because of his actions Grisha are hunted and executed. They find a place where they can be safe. There you meet with Alina, Mal and Prince Nikolai. They plan to bring the country back together and destroy the Fold. In the meantime Aleksander gathers his own army. The question is, on which side will you be?

A/N: Here is another fic about General Kirigan and Reader! It's the third part in series about Reader being a Tidemaker. It concentrates of the events in season two of the show. I hope you will like it! As usual, I don't own anything from "Shadow and Bone". But I've almost finished reading the books! The only one that remains is the "Rule of Wolves". But this story still only focuses on the TV show. Also, English still isn't my first language, so if you see some mistakes, let me know. Enjoy!

Chapter Summary: Kirigan is searching for you and nothing will stop him from finding you. Nikolai tries to save his country. Alina tries to gather Morozova's amplifiers. And you? You try to mend your broken heart. Which may be difficult with everyone not trusting you and news you hear from David.

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Ivan/Fedyor Kaminsky, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, David Kostyk, Genya Safin, Fruzsi, Fedyor Kaminsky, Alina Starkov, Nadia Zhabin, Mal Oretsev, Nikolai Lantsov, Zoya Nazyalensky, Tamar Kir-Bataar, Adrik Zhabin

Word Count: 4428

merzost – magic, abomination, unnatural creation, something from nothing moi tsarevich – my prince, son of tsar milaya – sweet girl There is a slight plot from third episode of the second season and also a bit more from the fourth episode. Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089683705/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089584620/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089683695/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089684424/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089559821/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089683637/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389089559895/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

Aleksander and his followers have set up a base in a house of an aristocrat family. Yes, he has survived. But paid a price for it. He created creatures of shadows with merzost, but because of that his health is falling. He's coughing, often with black substance, has headaches and has scars on his face that can't be healed. His condition deeply worries him. But something troubles him even more.

One day another group of recruits arrives. Aleksander immediately goes to greet them and looks at their faces. He's happy to see David and tells him that. Then, he returns to looking around. However, he doesn't see what he wants.

'Was [Y/N] with you?' he asks David, who's retreating with Genya. They stop. The Durast shakes his head with sorrow.

'I haven't seen her since the day we left the Little Palace after…' he doesn't finish. But Aleksander knows what he wanted to say. He nods. He walks to Fruzsi, another Tidemaker.

'Ask everyone who has arrived whether they have seen [Y/N] [L/N] during the last weeks,' he orders her. Fruzsi is surprised by this, but nods. She comes to his room an hour later.

'And?' he asks, expectant, hoping.

'No one has seen her,' Fruzsi answers. Aleksander's shoulders slump. He sighs, and runs a hand through his face.

'Tell the search parties to look specifically for her,' he orders. 'I want her found. As soon as possible.'

'I know she's close to you,' Fruzsi says, frowning. 'But shouldn't we focus on-'

'She's not close to me,' Aleksander interrupts her. 'She's everything to me.'

Fruzsi is surprised, guessing what he means. He turns away from her.

'With all due respect, sir…' she says slowly, '… why her?'

Aleksander turns to her. There's something in his eyes Fruzsi has never seen.

'Why anyone else when she exists?' he asks. The Tidemaker lingers only for a moment longer. But her place is quickly taken by someone else…

'Fedyor!' Aleksander says, happy and relieved. The Heartrender smiles and bows his head to his general. Kirigan walks to him and the two shake hands. The Darkling notices the tiredness and sadness in his friend's eyes.

'Ivan…' he says, his smile falling.

'Is alive,' Fedyor says. 'That's why it took me so long to get here. He's wounded and scarred. Healers are putting him back together at the moment.'

'I'm glad to hear it,' Aleksander says. 'He… he did well in the Fold.'

Fedyor nods. He bites his lip, hesitating.

'Any news of [Y/N]?' he asks. Sorrow fills Kirigan's eyes. He shakes his head.

'Not yet,' he answers and sighs heavily. He walks to his armchair and falls on it. He runs a hand through his face.

'I need her, Fedyor,' he says. 'Every time I turn my face, I expect to find her there. And I find nothing. It physically hurts. I've never known I'd meet a girl like her.'

'[Y/N] is one of a kind,' Fedyor agrees. Aleksander shakes his head.

'It's more than that,' he says and smiles softly. 'When I told her about my past, what I did, what I fear… she looked my demons in the eye and… smiled. She fell for the very thing I thought she'd fear.'

'I haven't met a kinder heart,' Fedyor says with a smile.

'Kind,' Aleksander says. 'Compassionate. Understanding. Gentle. That's who she is. That's why I fell for her. And I failed her. When she needed me the most, when they were throwing Grisha out of the Little Palace, I wasn't there. I even insisted she stayed there. She should have gone with you, like she wanted. But now she may be dead. And it's my fault.'

'She's not dead,' Fedyor says strongly. Kirigan looks at him with doubt.

'How can you be so sure?' he asks.

'Everyone knows she's important to you,' Fedyor answers. 'I think that if they had managed to kill her, they would have made every Grisha aware of it.'

He has a point, Aleksander must admit it. Hope reignites with him once more. Fedyor smiles.

'Fear not, General,' he says. 'She might look like a fragile flower, but her stem is made of steel.'

Aleksander can't help but smile. He nods. Fedyor's eyes suddenly light up.

'What about the gift you gave her for her last birthday?' he asks. Aleksander instinctively touches a ring on his finger. He sighs deeply.

'The problem is, I gave it to her so she would call on me if she needed help,' he says. 'Until she says my name while touching the necklace, I can't use my matching ring to track her. Believe me I… tried.'

'Well, we have David now,' Fedyor says. 'Maybe he could think of something.'

'He'd need something that belongs to her,' Aleksander explains, remembering how the Durast made the ring and necklace.

'And we don't have anything,' Fedyor sighs. Kirigan shakes his head.

'We will get her back, General,' the Heartrender assures him.

'I know,' Aleksander says and a look in his eyes darkens. 'I promised her. That the world can't keep us apart. And that there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep her by my side. I fully intent to keep that promise, Fedyor. No matter what.'

In the meantime, Alina and Mal have teamed up with a privateer, who's just turned out to be Prince Nikolai Lantsov. Together, they hunted the Sea Whip for Alina. She now has two amplifiers. She tried to destroy the Fold, but failed. After that, they head for the Spinning Wheel, a place where apparently Grisha have found a safe heaven – the Spinning Wheel. There, Alina reunites with Nadia… and Zoya. But the conversation with Zoya goes well, to Alina's surprise. They are now allies. After they walk their ways, Nadia joins Alina's side, uncertain.

'Someone else is in here you might be interested in,' she says.

'Who?' Alina asks, frowning. Nadia simply grabs her arm and drags her somewhere. A few corridors later the Sun Summoner sees a familiar back.

'[Y/N]!' she exclaims happily and runs forward, freeing herself of Nadia's hold. You turn around, surprised. You huff, when Alina falls into your arms. You hug her back slowly.

'Saints, I'm so glad you're okay!' she says, pulling away. You force a smile.

'Thank you,' you say. 'I'm happy you're alive as well. After I heard what had happened in the Fold…'

'I made it,' Alina says, smiling, and looks over your shoulder. 'Thanks to Mal.'

You turn your head and see a young man, looking both familiar and unfamiliar. He notices you and his frown tells you he has the same situation with you.

'Mal, look who's here!' Alina calls him, waving at him with enthusiasm. The man joins you, looking at you with interest.

'I hope you remember our dear friend from Keremzin, [Y/N] [L/N],' Alina says, looking between you two. Mal's eyes spark with recognition. He smiles broadly.

'How could I not?' he says and chuckles. 'You almost cracked my skull open once!'

'You definitely deserved it!' you laugh and go in for a hug. You hold each other tightly, then pull away. In a moment Mal's brows cease with worry.

'No offense, but you look awful,' he says. You smile wryly. You're well aware of the dark circles under your eyes, puffy eyes, pale face and so on.

'Well, I sleep with my one eye open,' you say. 'I'm not exactly welcome here.'

'Why?' Alina asks, frowning. You give her a look.

'I was one of Kirigan's most loyal Grisha,' you explain. 'No one here trusts me.'

'But you didn't know what he's planning,' Alina says vehemently. The corners of your lips lift slightly.

'How can you be so sure?' you ask.

'Yes, how can we?' a voice asks. You turn your head and see a young man in a uniform. You bow your head.

'Moi tsarevich,' you greet Nikolai. He stops by Alina and Mal's side.

'So?' he asks, eyeing you. 'How can we be sure we can trust you?'

'Nikolai!' Alina scolds him. You look tsarevich in the eyes.

'I didn't know Kirigan had planned to expand the Fold,' you declare. 'In fact, we haven't been close for a long time.'

'Why?' Nikolai asks, frowning. You smile wryly at him.

'I've been asking myself this question for months,' you answer. Nikolai eyes you again.

'I trust [Y/N],' Alina says strongly. Nikolai looks at her and they exchange a look. Finally, he nods and smiles at you.

'Alina's friends are mine friends,' he says and takes your hand in his, then kisses it. 'Pleasure to meet you, Miss [L/N]. And I'm sorry for the suspicion.'

'Charmed,' you say, smiling slightly. 'And it's perfectly alright. I understand.'

'Come, we have a lot to catch up,' Alina says, taking your arm and you start walking. Soon enough she tells you what happened to her. She tells you how Baghra warned her about Aleksander. How she escaped. How she met with Mal. How they found the Stag. But then Kirigan found them. He killed the Stag and joined Alina with its bones. He tried to harness her powers for himself. He used them to expand the Fold. But there Mal and three rouges from Ketterdam saved her. She and Mal escaped to Novyi Zem. There they met Nikolai.

'And that's about it,' Alina finishes her story a moment later.

'You've certainly been busy,' you comment. Your friend sighs. There's sadness in her eyes.

'I still can't believe I let him fooled me,' she says. 'I… I honestly thought we share some sort of connection, you know?'

'Yeah,' you answer quietly, now sad as well. But Alina quickly becomes angry.

'I still can't believe how cruel he really was,' she says with venom. 'All those people he murdered… because he wanted more power. How could someone be so cold-hearted?'

'Behind every cold-hearted person there is a kind heart which has been treated with coldness for a while,' you say quietly. Alina looks at you with surprise. But you don't say anything more.

'What about you?' your friend asks. 'How did you escape from the Little Palace?'

'I didn't,' you answer after a moment. Alina frowns at you. She looks you up and down, no doubt wondering how you can be here if you hadn't escaped from the Little Palace. You avoid her eyes.

'When the First Army raided the Little Palace, I focused on getting everyone else out,' you start. 'Especially the children. So, when I was about to evacuate myself… it was too late. I was caught.'

'[Y/N]…' Alina says, horrified. You force a smile and shake your head.

'It wasn't really for a long time,' you say. 'I escaped.'

'How?' Alina asks. You're silent for a moment. You try not to think about the time you were a captive. About what they did to you…

Darkling's whore… Filthy witch… Stupid serving girl…

'They were careless,' you answer. 'Thought they broke me. I used it against them. Then I found out about this place. Others weren't exactly thrilled to see me but they took me in. I guess my sorry state made them pity me.'

'[Y/N]… what had they done to you so they thought they broke you?' Alina asks with worry.

'Hurt me,' you answer after a moment and force a smile at her. 'You should rest. You've had a tiring journey.'

'But-' Alina starts, frowning.

'I'll see you later,' you say, hug her briefly, then walk away. Your heart is hammering in your chest. You don't look back. You don't think about what you told Alina. You don't think about it so much, you bump into someone.

'Sorry!' you apologise. The person turns out to be Zoya. She looks you over.

'How are you looking worse and worse every day?' she asks. You smile wryly.

'It's my hidden talent,' you answer and attempt to walk past her. But she grabs your arm. You look up at her. There's seriousness in her eyes.

'You're not alone,' she says, confusing you. 'Kirigan had us all fooled. I know it's hard for you, you were his personal servant and then his trusted Grisha. I know you must have certain attachment to him but… you have to let it go. He murdered innocents. And would do it again.'

'You… "Attachment"?' you repeat with disbelief. 'Zoya, I… He was the first person who saw I'm more than just a plain serving girl. Every time I struggled, he was there to help me. He saved me every time I was in danger. Do you remember Tsybeia? Even before it turned out I'm a Grisha he was always kind to me and protected me. And now… everyone tells me what he did, who he is. But I can't just forget about all the good stuff he did.'

Zoya looks at you. Suddenly, her eyes go wide. You stiffen. You know she realised your secret.

'And you love him,' she guesses and crosses her arms. 'Tell me, if he handed you a bloodied hand, would you take it, only because it was his?'

You stare at her. Tears well up in your eyes. You smile sadly, a bit brokenly.

'I honestly have no idea, Zoya,' you whisper and turn. You walk away, trying to blink away the tears. And you definitely don't think how much you miss Aleksander. Nor how much you wish he was alive.

The night falls. It is a relief to you, because you finally are away from the judging eyes, hurtful whispers. But the sleep never comes easily. Your thoughts are always a mess. Today as well.

You lay down in bed and try very hard to fall asleep. Your thoughts drift to everything that happened that day. You sigh and hesitantly grab the necklace on your neck. Pain clenches your heart.

Aleksander…

Suddenly you find yourself in Kirigan's chambers in the Little Palace. Everything is just like you remember. You look down at yourself and see the clothes you were wearing as Aleksander's personal servant.

'I did miss the sight of that band on your arm,' you hear. Your heart stops. Oh, how you longed to hear that voice. You turn around and see Aleksander leaning on his table. He looks just like he did when you last saw him.

'Yet I still preferred to see you in your kefta,' he says, slowly walking towards you. 'It suited you. It was meant to be yours.'

'Sometimes I wish I've never discovered my powers,' you admit. 'Then I would just admire you from afar. I wouldn't feel this pain now.'

'Do you really?" Aleksander asks. You think for a moment. You smile sadly and shake your head.

'Not really, no,' you answer. 'Because it was worth it. Being with you was the happiest time of my life. Even though you insisted on hiding it from everyone.'

Aleksander stops in front of you. He hands his head.

'Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?' he asks. You're quiet for a moment.

'I don't know,' you answer honestly. Aleksander nods, understanding. He looks up and reaches toward your face, but hesitates. His hand hangs in the air.

'I hate seeing you sad,' he says.

'Then come back to me,' you say, tears filling your eyes. 'I just want to see you. Hold you. Hug you. Touch you. Kiss you. Cuddle with you. Love you. Then I'll stop being sad.'

Aleksander looks at you with pain. He hates to see you like this.

'I want this too, milaya,' he says. 'So much.'

'I waited for you,' you say. 'Like I promised I would. Part of me still does. Even though it's impossible for you to return to me.'

'[Y/N]…' Aleksander whispers. He slowly reaches out to you again. When you don't flinch away, he cups your cheek. The moment he does, your clothes change into your kefta from the winter fete. He smiles softly.

'I didn't even tell you that you looked magnificent that night,' he says quietly. 'Beautiful. And your performance… You were extraordinary.'

You smile. You waited so long to hear those words. You lean into his touch.

'It's hard without you,' you say.

'I know the feeling,' Aleksander says quietly. You touch his hand that is on your cheek. You turn your head and kiss it.

'Everyone is sad to be gone from the Little Palace,' you say. 'They say their lost their home. But I lost mine before the First Army attacked us.'

'Because I was your home,' Aleksander says quietly. You nod. Kirigan presses his forehead to yours. He closes his eyes.

'I wish I was kissing you instead of missing you,' he whispers, his voice shaking from pain. You close your eyes, fighting with tears. You fail, obviously. You can feel them falling down your cheeks.

'Did you think of me?' you dare to ask. 'When you were in the Fold?'

'Yes,' Aleksander answers, clenching his jaw. 'I wanted you to be by my side. And then I wanted to come back to you.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' you ask. 'About your plans about Alina and the Fold? The real ones.'

'Because you have a compassionate heart,' Aleksander answers after a moment. 'You'd disagree with my plan. Maybe leave me.'

'You don't know that,' you say, shaking your head.

'Wouldn't you?' Aleksander challenges you. You're silent.

'I don't know what would I do,' you say and look him in the eyes. 'You robbed me of that choice.'

Kirigan looks down. Maybe he's actually ashamed a bit.

'But I know I wouldn't leave you,' you add. Aleksander's head shoots up. You cup his face.

'I promised you to be with you for better and for worse,' you say. 'No matter what would happen, I would be with you.'

'And then maybe you would die in the Fold,' Aleksander says flatly. 'This one time I wouldn't have been able to save you.'

'Maybe I would have saved myself,' you suggest with a small smile. Kirigan sighs and shakes his head.

'Sometimes I really can't with you,' he says. You grin at him. But then your smile falls.

'Kiss me?' you plead. You don't have to ask twice. Aleksander cups your face and kisses you.

'We shall be together again, my darling, I promise,' he whispers.

'I want this more than anything,' you whisper back. 'So much.'

'Be patient, [Y/N],' Aleksander pleads. 'For me. Please.'

'I'm waiting,' you whisper. 'I'll be always waiting for you.'

Kirigan opens his eyes. He's met with the wall of his room in the residence. He sighs heavily and sits up. His finger caresses the ring on his finger. Then, he lifts it to his lips.

'Please, [Y/N],' he whispers. 'Call for me. Call for me and I'll come for you. I swear. I will always come for you.'

You, Tamar (a Heartrender) and Nadia watch Alina training her new abilities. She thrusts light at her target… but even though it's impressive, it doesn't even reach it.

'Absolute rubbish,' she grunts. Nadia scoffs and gives Tamar a look.

'It's the second amplifier,' the Heartrender explains. She walks to pick up a mannequin. You three follow her.

'With the Stag, summoning came like breath,' Alina says. 'This is like… reining chaos. Crossing the Fold was a disaster.'

'Hey, we'll get you there,' Nadia comforts her. 'If it helps, I could hit you with a switch and call you "stupid girl".'

'It may come to that,' Alina sighs. 'How is it I'm overwhelmed by the second amplifier and at the same time feeling the lack of a third?'

'Well, for now, let's focus on what we can fix,' Nadia says.

'Your aim, for starters,' you suggest. Alina gives you a look and scoffs. You all go back.

'As leader of the Second Army, I need more,' she says. Ah, yes. You had a dinner with the Lantsov family (you were so not happy they've arrived). During that Nikolai announced he and Alina are engaged (yeah, because you didn't see how she and Mal look at each other) and that from now on she's the leader of the Second Army. Not everyone was happy about it (ekhm, Zoya).

'I need to learn the Cut,' Alina says, turning to you. You stiffen.

'That was Kirigan's way, to lead with fear,' Nadia protests. 'You can lead with your heart. The Second Army will be better for it.'

'You make a good point,' Tamar agrees. 'But I wouldn't completely reject fear. Can't tell you how many have taken one look at my girls and… reconsidered. I don't know how the Cut works, that's a top-shelf Etherialki move, but I do know how to direct power. It's all about intention. I like to picture the face of the person I want to crush. Try it.'

Alina positions herself and exhales. She closes her eyes. Soon light surrounds her. A moment later she grunts angrily, waves her hands and light shots forward. You all look at the effect with wide eyes.

'Well, it's not the Cut, but… it's effective,' Tamar laughs. Nadia suddenly straightens up.

'Wait a moment,' she says. 'We do have here someone who's managed the Cut.'

She and Alina look at you. Tamar looks at you, impressed. You gulp.

'Once,' you say. 'I did it once. And I have no idea how. I… didn't exactly plan it.'

'Well, what did you think about then?' Tamar asks and you stiffen. 'What did you feel?'

You see in your mind Aleksander and Alina talking together, laughing. You remember the pain and hurt you felt. You were so overwhelmed you just had to let it go. And slashed the dummy.

'Anger,' you finally answer. 'I felt anger. The kind that was killing me.'

Before anyone can ask you more, you hear footsteps. You turn and see Adrik, Nadia's brother.

'I know, not to be disturbed, but they need you in the war room,' he says to Alina. She nods and looks at others. Tamar and Nadia turn and start walking. Alina grabs her jacket and follows them. But then she notices you're not following.

'[Y/N]?' she asks. You shake your head.

'My presence will not be welcomed there,' you say and smile. 'Go without me.'

Alina hesitates, but eventually nods and leaves. Adrik is behind her. You turn to look at the dummy the Sun Summoner hit. It has a hole coming from the arm to the stomach. Almost like the Cut.

You leave a few minutes later. You take a few turns, heading toward your room, when…

'David,' you say, surprised. David with his hands spread is being led by Tolya (a Heartrender and Tamar's twin) somewhere. They stop, hearing your voice. The Durast's eyes go wide.

'[Y/N],' he says and goes pale. 'Oh, Saints, you're here…'

'Why are you…?' you start but then remember. David was the one who made the collar for Alina. They don't trust him here.

'Come,' Tolya says and continues to take David away. You're left there, stunned and shocked. You can't believe your dear friend is here. And that he is a prisoner, while you walk free…

Later you come across Alina on the corridor. She smiles at you. You look at her, troubled.

'I need to ask you a favour,' you say.

'Anything,' Alina says at once. You gulp.

'I need to see David,' you say. Alina blinks.

'And you need me for…?' she asks. You sigh.

'For getting through the door,' you say. 'Alina, just because you trust me, doesn't mean others do. Please. I need to know if he's okay.'

Alina nods and walks with you to Nikolai. The prince isn't happy but he grants you your request. A moment later you enter David's cell. Alone.

'[Y/N],' he says, straightening up at the sight of you. You smile.

'How are you, David?' you ask.

'I'm… fine, thank you,' he answers. You frown. He's terribly stiff.

'And not exactly thrilled to see me,' you point out. David sighs.

'Forgive me,' he asks. 'Of course, I'm happy to see you. But if he finds out you're here…'

'Who?' you ask, blinking. David stares at you. He stares at you with disbelief, when he sees you're not fooling around.

'You… you don't know?' he asks.

'About?' you ask, confused. David shifts, uncomfortable. He doesn't know if he should say it. But you won't let it go, he just knows it.

'Kirigan is alive,' he finally says quietly. You stumble back and hit a table with your back. You stare at David, shocked.

'No,' you say, your lip trembling. 'You're lying. He can't be.'

'I would never lie to you about this,' David says softly. You stare at him. And see no deception in his eyes. He's telling the truth.

You bring hands to your mouth and let out a sob. You close your eyes and cry. You cry for the first time since the raid. These are tears of anger, sadness, pain, sorrow… and joy.

'How?' you whisper, looking at David again. 'How did he survive?'

'He created something in the Fold,' he answers, wincing. 'Creatures made of shadow. I guess they helped him. But he… he paid a big price for it.'

'What price?' you demand.

'He's troubled by coughs, headaches, pain,' David answers. 'I… I fear only merzost could cure him.'

Your heart aches. You don't know how you feel about all that.

'[Y/N]… that necklace I gave you… where is it?' David asks. Your heart speeds up.

'I don't know,' you lie. 'I lost it when the Little Palace was attacked.'

'Are you sure?' David asks. 'Because if even by accident you call him… he will come here at once for you.'

'Me?' you ask, raising your eyebrows. The Durast looks at you. He hesitates again.

'The priority for him and his Grisha is finding you,' he finally says. 'He… Every day with no news about you is making him more agitated. He insists that he needs you by his side. He more or less admitted that there was something going on between you two.'

You're quiet. You shake your head.

'I'm not the one he needs,' you deny and leave. You stop a few turns later. Your hand reaches to the hidden necklace under your kefta. You stop your hand mid-air. You shake your head and resume walking. You must let go of Aleksander. For your sake. And for others'.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could.

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49965037/chapters/126151432

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