#subject. alina starkov | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marvelmusing · 1 year

Text

Game of Survival

Pairing: Darklina x Star Summoner!Reader

Inspired by the Hunger Games

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“You know who we are?”

Despite the swaying of the carriage as it speeds down the Vy, you manage to remain seated as you look at the two people in front of you. Staring at the man who had spoken, you nod.

“Aleksander Morozova and Alina Starkov. The first, and only, joint victors of the Grisha Games.”

Each year, a region of Ravka is selected and its people are tested for Grisha power. A member of each of the seven Grisha orders are brought to the capital of Os Alta where they will be trained by a victor Grisha of the same order, before they are entered into the Grisha Games for the entertainment of the nation and beyond.

The Games are incredibly popular amongst the otkazat’sya, with the governments of Fjerda and Shu Han offering their own Grisha as tributes.

As Ravka’s only shadow summoner, Aleksander had won his first Games at thirteen, the first year that had eight tributes competing instead of the traditional seven. His victory has allowed him to live in the capital as a mentor ever since, though no other shadow summoners have been discovered yet.

Considered far too young to watch the Games by your mother, you hadn’t seen Aleksander’s power on display as he emerged victorious after a vicious fight to the death with a tidemaker the same age as him.

But the year Alina had been discovered as the sun summoner, you were old enough to watch as she wielded her light ferociously against her opponents. As another unique summoner, Aleksander had been assigned as her mentor.

The year Alina had entered was an event for the history books. In a dramatic twist, the Gamemaster sent Aleksander into the arena and the audience had watched with morbid delight as he had slayed countless tributes to find a wounded Alina.

It was all the people could talk about, whether he would be able to find her in time.

When it came down to them as the final two in the arena, an announcement was made, and they became the first ever dual winners of the Grisha Games. People had been elated, celebrating in the streets, and the parties had lasted all night long.

Some people still believe they should have fought to the death. There can only be one victor of the Games. But looking at the two of them now, their hands clasped together as they sit with their shoulders touching, you cannot imagine either one of them killing the other.

“How long have you known that you’re Grisha?” Alina asks you.

“Since I was ten. My mother always knew I was different, so she made sure I was never tested. I don’t think she ever knew exactly how different I was.”

“You can summon at will?” Aleksander asks.

Briefly, you glance down at the silver cuffs that encircle each of your wrists, you’re allowed normal movement wearing them but they prevent you from using your power. Then you look back at Aleksander and nod.

He studies your expression for a moment, before he nods slowly in acknowledgement.

“Keep that to yourself for the moment. We’ll use it to our advantage.”

The months before Alina had entered the arena, support for her had been mixed. Some people thought her unique power of sunlight was a blessing that would carry her to instantaneous victory.

However, the footage from training sessions and interviews with her had many people convinced that she was a naive young woman with a limited grasp of her abilities.

Now, you wonder how much of that had been a manipulation technique crafted by the man in front of you, who had been subjected to the cruelty of the Games at a young age and has been dealing with the whims of the nobility ever since.

“You’ll be living with us for the next six months,” Alina informs you, though you already knew that.

“Next week, you’re to meet the King,” Aleksander adds.

Nerves bloom in your stomach at the thought of displaying your power to the Court and Aleksander seems to notice your apprehension as he settles his free hand over yours.

“We shall be right by your side.”

“Until it’s time for me to fight to the death against seven other people.”

“Until then,” he agrees. “We will do all we can to ensure that you are prepared for the Games.”

The sound of people gathered on the streets, clamouring for a look at the couple’s first ever tribute, reaches your ears and you’re tempted to cower away from the windows even though the decorative layer of lace acts as a curtain to shield you from their view.

“What do you want me to be?” you ask quietly.

They both stare questioningly at you.

In response, you nod in the direction of Aleksander and begin to explain.

“Before your Games you were small and unassuming, an intentional underdog. Afterwards you’re mysterious and aloof.”

Glancing at Alina, you observe the curious tilt of her head and the intrigued spark in her eyes.

“Before, everyone thought you were innocent and helpless, then strong and brave during the Games, and now you’re Os Alta’s darling.”

Nervously, you look down at your tattered clothing that had been torn during the struggle after your power had been revealed - when you had tried to escape.

Aleksander leans closer, hooking a finger beneath your chin so that you meet his dark eyes. His gaze flickers over your features as if he is attempting to memorise every inch.

“You are going to be undeniable in your power. You will show them that you are bright and beautiful and something remarkable.”

Alina brushes a few strands of hair from your face, smoothing it gently back into place as Aleksander traces a delicate line along your jaw to keep your eyes on the two of them as he continues to speak.

“They will all want you by their side, and not a single one of them will be deserving as your equal.”

His words have you spellbound by his casual confidence, as if he is speaking this all into existence.

“You are going to be our little star,” Alina says softly with a smile that has warmth blooming in your chest. “You’ll never have to hide yourself, ever again.”

Then the carriage jerks to a stop at the gates of the Morozova estate. A crowd has formed by the entrance, otkazat’sya commoners all eager to catch a glimpse of you.

Aleksander steps out of the carriage first, smoothing down the front of his black kefta as his dark eyes skim over the crowd.

He then extends his hand for Alina and the sound of the crowd intensifies at the sight of the sun summoner glistening in her black and gold kefta.

Inhaling shakily, you close your eyes and attempt to draw some strength from Aleksander’s words. You are going to be undeniable.

Head held high, you take Aleksander and Alina’s waiting hands as you step down onto the cobbled path. Some people in the crowd openly weep, whilst others make the symbol of the saints with their hand.

The reverent whispers of your name send a shiver down your spine and as you step through the gates Aleksander ducks his head down to murmur against your ear,

“We are going to change the world, little star.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire @dhampiravidi

S&B Tag List: @motheroffae

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211 @wooya1224 @seronsalk @veescorneroftheworld

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny @two-unbeatable-beaters

#darklina x reader #aleksander morozova x reader x alina starkov #aleksander morozova x reader #alina starkov x reader #darklina moodboard #shadow and bone au #shadow and bone x reader

206 notes · View notes

euphoniumpets · 1 year

Text

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM | CHAPTER NINE

Prompt: ''As long as I can rememer, I've been protecting Alina, it's always Alina who I will protect,'' You told him, looking at Nikolai. ''But who will protect you?''

Warnings: Violence, blood and gore.

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that.

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x Starkov! Reader

Tag list: @lyria-skyfall@khaleesihavilliard@shine101 @waddlingwanderer @clqudias @ducks118 @xceafh@peakyispunk @wilmasvensson @parbatai-winchester @priincehoseok@riot-in-my-soulsoul @feyredarling92 @vendy021 @ssprayberrythings @goldenpoison @shine101 @lili-of-the-dream @xushisuxi @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @jennylil @themermaidscales82

Tag list are closed!

A/N: guys we're soon at the end!! this chapter will send you an emotional wave.

Warnings: slight description of panick attacks at the end.

old masterlist | navi | new masterlist

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine - ten - eleven - epilogue

You kept trailing over the necklace as you rode on your horse while the four of you were trying to find the answer and the location of the Firebird. Baghra was with you and you wondered how the two of you would break the news to them. ‘’I know that look,’’ You heard Baghra comment as you snapped out of your thoughts before hopping off your horse and walking with her. ‘’You’re worried,’’ Baghra replied and looked at the road.

‘’How can I not be?’’ You murmured and glanced back at Mal and Alina who were talking to each other, oblivious to the two of you. ‘’Genya thinks he’s already dying,’’ You spoke. ‘’Yes, polluted with Merzost,’’ Baghra confirmed. ‘’The price of creating those monsters,’’

‘’I’d like to speed this end, but he is your son,’’ You told her. ‘’Have you made up your mind already?’’ Baghra questioned. ‘’About sacrificing yourself?’’ Baghra questioned with a low voice and glanced back at the pair. ‘’You already know my answer,’’ You said with sadness written in your eyes. ‘’I would do anything to save her,’’ You told her.

‘’How about Nikolai?’’ Baghra questioned, and you looked at her. ‘’Don’t think I know, silly girl,’’ Baghra commented. ‘’I know your feelings for him,’’ Baghra said. ‘’Even if you didn’t know it,’’ Your hand was about to go up to the necklace before you yanked your hand away and shook your head.

‘’I’d like to be clear about my intentions of killing him,’’ You told her and changed the subject.

‘’Well, Alina would do mostly the killing,’’ You added. ‘’You’re taking to power well, I see,’’

‘’I won’t deny it, I want Alina to have the Firebird,’’ You told her. ‘’But you also feel drawn to Aleksander,’’ Baghra added. ‘’I don’t know why,’’ You replied and sighed heavily. ‘’Tearing down the Fold won’t kill Kirigan, but we can’t get through him unless we destroy his Nichevo’ya,’’ You said.

‘’Nikolai’s commissioned a hunt for a blade so sharp it can cut shadow,’’ You Informed. ‘’The Neshyenyer blade,’’ Baghra spoke, and you nodded. ‘’Yes? Good,’’

‘’Alina wanted to make an army similar to his but with only light,’’ You told her as Baghra looked at you. ‘’To create such a thing you’d have to use merzost,’’ Baghra explained, and you nodded. ‘’I know, I warned her about it, and she swears to never use it,’’ You responded.

‘’Good girl,’’ Baghra approved. ‘’Merzost creates matter where there was none before, it is magic, not small science, you will not know what price it demands until it’s too late,’’ Baghra informed as you kept walking. ‘’We need a weapon, if not merzost, the cut, or me-’’

‘’You mean to kill him in your tethered space,’’

‘’But only this time we strike harder, he won’t trust me or Alina to go near him, but if he comes to us-’’

‘’He will kill you first, and the chance to save Ravka will die with you,’’ Baghra interrupted and you sighed.

It was evening, and you and Mal had gone to the woods to hunt for some food before the darkness settled down. ‘’Lucky rabbit was just a rabbit, no power in that bone,’’ Baghra commented after the four of you finished eating. You watched her toss the bone into the fire. ‘’Ridiculous,’’ Baghra muttered. ‘’This notion of amplifiers, if it wasn’t for Morozova and his rapacious notion, I might still have my little finger,’’ Baghra spoke as the three of you exchanged a look.

‘’You were very fast at catching that rabbit,’’ Baghra replied and looked at you. ‘’The two of them can make rabbits out of rocks,’’ Alina commented as you gave her a look. Baghra hummed and looked at you with a thoughtful look. ‘’Rabbits, and more miraculous creatures,’’

‘’The Stag and the sea whip,’’

‘’Well, it was Mal who found the Stag first, actually,’’ You Informed. ‘’Well, we’re not having luck this time with the Firebird,’’ Mal replied and looked at you. ‘’We’ll find it once we reach Morozova’s workshop, I don’t know where his amplifier is, but it’s strange to think he was a real person, not just a myth,’’ Alina spoke.

‘’I’m going to tell you a story, I used to tell a little boy filled with shadow,’’ Baghra spoke. ‘’Morozova was the greatest Fabrikator who ever lived, obsessed with the boundaries of Grisha's power, he used merzost and his finger bones to resurrect the Stag and the Sea Whip to act as amplifiers for the Grisha, who would find them, kill them, and take their power as their own,’’

‘’Then he completed the triumvirate by creating the Firebird,’’ You spoke, remembering some of the readings you did back at the Spinning Wheel. ‘’No,’’ Baghra shook her head and you frowned toward her. ‘’And then, his wife became pregnant,’’

‘’While he made plans for the Firebird, the girl who was born started to show a power like nothing ever known,’’ Baghra replied and looked at Mal, Alina, and then at you. ‘’She could summon darkness,’’ Baghra spoke as you saw the dark wisps around her hand. ‘’Morozova was your father?’’ You asked with shock. ‘’The bone smith?’’ Mal asked as the three of you held a surprised expressions.

‘’In the Istorii Sankt’ya, he’s known as Sankt’IIya, bound in chains and drowned in the river for his sins after he resurrected a village boy cut in half by a plow blade, that’s the version everyone’s been taught,’’ Baghra informed. ‘’Only some of it’s true, all families have secrets,’’ Baghra replied and looked at Alina and placed her hand onto hers.

‘’Some more than others,’’ Baghra said and then turned toward you and Mal. ‘’What of your family, what do you know?’’ Baghra asked you, and you frowned and looked at her with confusion. ‘’I only know that Alina and I arrived at the orphanage when we were babies,’’ You revealed. ‘’They told me that I was orphaned in Dva Stolba before I came to Keramzin along with Alina…’’ You trailed off with confusion.

‘’You’d passed through Caryeva and its three orphanages on your way when you were a babe before you met Alina,’’ Baghra replied. ‘’I think I just kept going until…’’

You said before you looked at Alina. ‘’But I thought that Alina and I were moved together,’’ You responded. ‘’I think that they placed the two of you as sisters when you found her,’’ Baghra commented. ‘’I had a sister there, then years younger, before, and otkazat’sya girl who should have lived a boring otkazt’sya life, my father had made this little clay swan for me in a moment when he still thought of me before she was born, I cherished it the way he cherished her, one day when she was six, she broke its neck, I lashed out with the cut,’’ Baghra revealed, and you looked at her with wide eyes. ‘’Tore her small body in two,’’

‘’Surely it was an accident,’’ Alina commented. ‘’What did it matter? The damage was done and I was banished, this isn’t a return home, it’s a return to see the scene of the crime,’’ Baghra replied and began to stand up.

The four of you kept walking again, and you stopped when you saw the look on Baghra. ‘’This was abandoned after Morozova’s death,’’ You commented. ‘’Do you think steel chains could’ve held him by the river?’’ Baghra responded. ‘’You think he survived?’’ You asked and followed after her. ‘’I moved on from this place, other journals have surfaced,’’ Baghra responded as you saw her taking some flowers from the ground with her knife.

‘’Merzost teachings, Aleksander used to create the Fold, a legacy of wrongdoing never made it right, clear us a way in,’’ Baghra responded and looked at Mal. You saw Mal walked to the runestone and began to cut the vines from the passage. ‘’Do I push it or?’’ Mal asked.

‘’Help me up,’’ Baghra replied as you and Alina looked at each other while you helped Baghra. You held her arm as she walked up the steps. ‘’Give me your blade,’’ Baghra told Mal as he handed the blade over to her. ‘’Only a Morozova can open it,’’ Baghra commented and looked at the three of you before her eyes placed on you.

You didn’t think much of it when she turned around to the door, cut her thumb, and looked at Alina. ‘’Give me the lantern,’’ She ordered as Alina handed her over. You narrowed your eyes when you saw her press her thumb on one of the letters and then opened the door. The three of you followed after her inside, and you could see two graves in front of you. ‘’Light the torches, boy,’’ Baghra replied.

‘’Your sister?’’ You asked Baghra and approached her, and you could see Mal had lighted it up. ‘’And my mother,’’ Baghra replied and looked at the grave left to her. ‘’Died of the pox before I was banished,’’ Baghra informed and handed Alina the lantern back and placed the white flowers on the grave. ‘’How my mother feared me, she always told me I was one of my father’s abominations,’’

‘’Well, she was wrong,’’ You replied, and you looked at her. ‘’She was right,’’ Baghra added. ‘’Have you not been paying attention?’’ Baghra questioned you, and you gave her a look before you followed her again. You stepped inside a room and saw maps, books, and the walls written around you. Mal lit the torches up as Baghra looked at her surroundings. ‘’Morozova was corrupted with merzost, seeped into everything he created,’’ Baghra informed.

‘’Are you sure the Firebird was made here?’’ Mal questioned her. ‘’With the Stag and the Sea Whip, there was a frequency I could hear,’’ Mal replied and you looked at him. You remembered when he told you about the frequency when he saw the Stag and you wondered if he could hear the same frequency with you. ‘’I don’t hear anything in this place,’’

‘’You two follow me, you stay,’’ Baghra replied and looked at Alina. You looked at Baghra and saw the glint in her eyes and you begged her not to say it but you knew that the secret would tell itself sooner or later. You and Alina exchanged a look before you and Mal followed after her. ‘’Start sorting through his journals for any mention of the Firebird,’’ Baghra ordered Alina as the three of you walked outside of the cave. You heard Alina’s voice saying his name and you looked at Baghra. ‘’Is this it?’’ You asked her with a low voice as Alina and Mal talked with each other and saw the old woman bend her knee and looked at her mother’s grave.

‘’You know what to do,’’ Baghra commented. ‘’You think he brought her back to life?’’ You asked her and looked at the graves, as you tried to have a conversation while the two of you waited for Mal. ‘’More than that,’’ Baghra replied. ‘’He’d done it twice before,’’ Baghra spoke and stood up to face you. ‘’Resurrected a creature with merzost and one of his finger bones, why wouldn’t it work for her the way it had worked for the Stag and the Sea Whip?’’

‘’She was the third amplifier,’’

‘’An otkazat’sya girl who’d passed on what she was through generations,’’

‘’There’s a reason why you and Aleksander feel connected, and there’s a reason why you and I have a bond,’’ Baghra commented and you narrowed your eyes. ‘’No,’’ You spoke and shook your head as you realized what she was saying. ‘’No-’’

‘’That’s why you’re here,’’ Baghra replied. ‘’You told me that I was a descendant,’’ You looked at her with wide eyes, anger rising through your veins. ‘’To protect you from who you are, but I am afraid that we don’t have time,’’ Baghra responded and looked at you with pity. ‘’How is it that you walked past other orphanages and don’t remember when you were a babe? I guess that the people who found you believed that you and Alina were sisters,’’ Baghra responded.

‘’The one person who is your destiny and the one who you felt the need to protect?’’

‘’And what about Mal? Why can he feel the frequencies but not mine?’’ You asked. ‘’It’s because you can hide it, and Mal? He is connected with you,’’ Baghra responded. ‘’Come,’’ Baghra spoke when Mal approached the two of you.

‘’Close the door,’’ Baghra said and you looked at her, glancing toward Mal. ‘’How do you find yourself unless you admit what you are, girl?’’ She questioned sternly. ‘’Give me his blade,’’ Baghra replied and you handed Mal’s blade. You winced when you felt her cut your thumb. ‘’Do it,’’ Baghra ordered and pressed your thumb against one of the letters and saw the door close. Your heart sank when you saw the door closing and you saw Mal look at you with shock.

‘’There’s a reason why you can’t hear the frequency,’’ Baghra responded and looked at Mal.

‘’It’s because-’’

‘’You’re the Firebird,’’ Mal interrupted Baghra. Baghra looked at you before slicing her thumb and opening the door and walking inside, leaving the two of you alone. ‘’How?’’ Mal asked.

‘’I don’t know,’’ You admitted and Mal looked at you with realization. ‘’How long? How long have you known?’’

‘’Ever since we arrived back at the Little Palace and when I stayed with Alina,’’ You answered and you saw his eyes flash with anger. ‘’This whole time you’ve known when we were looking for the bloody bird, you’ve been there, knowing it was you?’’ Mal exclaimed angrily.

‘’I didn’t have a choice to hide it from who I was,’’ Mal looked at you with a frustrated expression.

‘’You could’ve told us,’’ He replied. ‘’You could’ve told us before and then we could’ve found a solution-’’

‘’To what? To kill Kirigan? Take down the Fold? I’ve already made up my mind Mal, there’s nothing you can do,’’ You spoke with sadness. ‘’No,’’ Mal shook his head. ‘’No, I refuse to believe that you will sacrifice yourself for Alina-’’

‘’We don’t have a choice-’’

‘’I said: No,’’ Mal growled. ‘’Don’t you see it?’’ You hissed with anger and gripped his arm tightly. Mal looked at you with wide eyes and then he heard it. The frequency in his ears. ‘’I have to do it,’’ You told him, your voice breaking. ‘’And what about Nikolai?’’ Mal asked and looked into your glossy eyes.

‘’Does he know?’’ He asked and you shook your head. ‘’He will understand why I did it,’’ You told him.

''He has to,''

You and Mal talked before you heard a shout inside the cave. You and Mal looked at each other with a concerned expressions before you ran inside. You locked your eyes with Baghra as you and Mal saw Alina pinned against the wall as the cloud of light surrounded her. You knew that Kirigan had found you. ‘’I will end this once and for all,’’ You heard Baghra speak and grabbed the torch.

‘’Once I’ve killed my son, my time here is done, all this goes with me,’’ Baghra said before tossing the torch on the books. ‘’You know what you have to do,’’ Baghra responded and looked at you and Mal. ‘’And close the door on your way out,’’

You saw Baghra grab Alina and you widened your eyes with fear when you saw Aleksander choking Alina in front of you. ‘’How? How?’’ You heard his question and looked at Baghra with anger. ‘’Have you forgotten who taught you all the tricks?’’ Baghra questions him. ‘’Amplifier or blood, it’s all connected,’’

‘’No, wait-’’ Alina protested.

‘’Run,’’ Baghra spoke as you saw her using the shadows. ‘’No!’’ You screamed when you saw Baghra projecting her body while Mal grabbed Alina. You looked at her and helped Mal.

‘’We can’t leave her,’’

‘’She’s not coming-’’

‘’She’s not sacrificing herself for me!’’

‘’There’s nothing you can do,’’ You shouted as you dragged Alina away from there. ‘’The Firebird-’’ Alina protested as she tried to grab one of the books.

‘’We know where the Firebird is,’’ You and Mal shouted and dragged her out of the cave. Your heart was pounding and you coughed when you felt the smoke suffocating your lungs while you tried to run away. Once the three of you were outside, Mal and Alina were behind you while you cut your thumb and closed the door.

‘’We have to go, now,’’ You spoke as you didn’t utter a word before the three of you ran there away.

The three of you rode your way back to Nikolai as you stared at the compass in your hand. So far it worked and you found your way back to him. A few soldiers approached you and helped to take care of the horses while you tried to find Nikolai. You breathed out in relief when you saw Genya, Nikolai, and another male, you assumed it was Dominik that Nikolai had spoken about back at the Spinning Wheel. ‘’We lost Baghra,’’ You spoke.

‘’It’s true, she’s gone,’’ Mal added. ‘’She saved my life,’’ Genya replied. ‘’She saved ours,’’ Alina commented as you looked at her with sadness. Alina approached Genya and embraced her. ‘’Before she died, she broke the connection between me and Kirigan, I no longer feel him,’’

‘’Does that mean he’s dead?’’ Genya asked. ‘’Safest to proceed as though he’s alive until we hear otherwise,’’ Nikolai spoke and looked at Alina. ‘’And the Firebird?’’ Genya asked. You and Mal exchanged a look and you just stood there, frozen, not knowing what to say.

‘’They know where it is,’’ Alina responded and gestured toward you and Mal. ‘’Alina,’’ Mal spoke as Nikolai looked at the two of you.

‘’Tell us what you need to find it, everything we have is at your disposal,’’ Nikolai replied. ‘’It appears Kirigan’s on the move, he…’’ Nikolai spoke before trailing off his sentence. ‘’He destroyed the First Army camp at Keramzin,’’ Nikolai revealed.

‘’What?’’ You questioned. ‘’Our scouts say there are no survivors,’’ Nikolai informed while you and Alina looked at each other. ‘’He knows our weakness,’’

‘’Two teams, then, one go with uh…’’ Dominik spoke.

‘’Oretsev, Sir,’’ Mal introduced and shook his hand. ‘’One team goes with Oretsev to get the Firebird, another goes straight at the Darkling to stop him from advancing,’’

‘’Tomorrow then,’’ Nikolai spoke before placing his eyes on you who had a distant look on your face before walking away. You could feel your chest tighten and your heartbeat quickened and it felt that you were on the edge to throw up. Everyone began to separate and you walked away from Mal and Alina without uttering a word. Alina was about to say something but stopped and looked at you with a concerned expression.

You walked away from them, tried to find somewhere else and when you were far away from them as you rounded a corner, you let out a heavy breath that you didn’t know that you were holding. You held your stomach in pain as you leaned against the wall as tears formed down your eyes and then you began to break.

The emotions that you had bottled up from the beginning were about to release and you couldn’t hold them in anymore. You let out a broken sob while trying to keep yourself together, knowing that you had to break up your silence about the Firebird sooner or later.

please comment what you thought of this chapter! remember, reblogging always helps!

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone x reader #alina starkov #malyen oretsev #six of crows #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov #nina zenik #zoya nazyalensky #inej gafha #kaz brekker #jesper fahey #wylan van eck

187 notes · View notes

writerloversjm · 1 year

Text

The Sanktos of Ravka

Darkling x Fem!Reader

A/N: This has no connection to the series or the books in general, so NO SPOILERS from S2.

Summary: After being hit by a wave of Merzost that gave rise to Fold and having become an immortal Shadow Summoner, Y/n decides to stay away from the Grisha. That is until centuries later she is summoned to the Small Palace, and General Kirigan has a quest for you: a little Sun Summoner.

Warnings: Darkling being a mild stalker, canonical level of violence, obsession, bad language, Alina child, child violence, slow burn

Count: 3,2k

________________

You left the cloth you were using to dry the dishes on the counter when you heard a knock on the door. And living in an isolated house, in a small village, there was a very limited number of visitors, there wasn't a really big chance of being a surprise.

But you realized you were wrong when you opened the door and saw a complete stranger. "Who are you?"

The man, clearly Grisha – since it's impossible not to recognize a Kefta from 500 grandchildren away – looked at you impassively before answering. "I'm Ivan, Kirigan's right-hand man, General of Ravka's Second Army, are you-"

He stopped talking when you closed the door in his face. General Kirigan or whoever you were, you weren't going to meet any Darkling, nor would you listen to what he had to say.

Unless...

"He found the Sun Summoner didn't he?" You questioned opening the door again, Ivan was still in the same place. “General Kirigan is summoning you to the Small Palace”

“Bloody son of a bitch, him and every Darkling since the Black Heretic” Damn Mozorovas. You left the door open and Ivan and five other Grisha entered. You went to pack my things. A while later you came down with a small handbag and left the house, accompanied by the six Grisha.

Seven horses were waiting for you, along with a cold that you had not foreseen. Five Grisha mounted their horses and instinctively you walked up to the black stallion, you looked at Ivan who held out a long black coat. You looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “You will arrive faster without switches”

"I hate you Darkling, I really do" you said in a burst of war room as Ivan had indicated. You were so irritated that it was only seconds later that you realized the king was in the room. His next words came out choked. “Moi Tsar”

"Who are you?" The king asked and you looked at Aleksander, who gave you an amused half smile, but turned serious when he saw that you weren't going to answer. "This is S/n Pavlova, she will be Conjurer Alina Starkov's trainer"

“Why does she need a different trainer?” The King questioned and Aleksander's jaw tightened, though the voice remained the same. “This is a personal investment from me in Alina, she is a child who just lost her parents, a friendlier face from Bagra will be better for all of us.”

“That you really pay for it, we are not in a position to afford unnecessary luxuries” unnecessary luxuries because giving quality training to the only person who can save Ravka is less important than his balls. He left the room before you could bow. You waited for him to pull away a bit before you said anything. “What is this idiot’s intoxication level?”

“Are you sure you want to talk about this? You could go rest, we have a room prepared for you” he diverted the subject and momentarily you accepted. You took off his coat and left it on the living room floor. He cracked his neck and heard a knock on the door. “Aleks?”

You would recognize a child's voice anywhere, but you were surprised by the speed with which Aleksander went to the door and opened it. “Nightmares again Alina?” The girl was hidden by the Darkling's frame, but you saw her when he picked her up and turned to you. “Alina, this is your new instructor, Miss Y/n Pavlova”

You looked at the little girl, she was too thin, pale and with bags under her eyes, but her dark eyes were radiant like two Suns, a perfect contrast to your eyes or Aleksander's, which besides being as dark as hers, did not transmit any light. . You used to think it was a reflection of her power. "Pavlova? Like Sankta?”

You looked at Aleksander, who arched an eyebrow. “Yes, Alina, like Sankta” She widened her eyes and you swore her skin glowed, or maybe it was just the protective effect of being between two shadow summuners. “Alina, how about you sit in my armchair while I take Miss Pavlova to her room?”

The girl nodded and got off his lap, you saw her run and throw herself in the big armchair, she settled back and closed her eyes. You watched her until she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder. “Let's go Y/n?

You waved and the Darkling silently guided you to a room at the end of the hall on the highest floor of the Small Palace, when he opened the door you let out a delighted sigh. The ceiling was painted black with countless stars and constellations, there was a huge double bed with a black duvet, there was a bookcase that covered an entire wall and the wardrobe was also black.

You rushed in, opened the wardrobe, took the first shirt off the hanger and ran in front of the mirror. You didn't have to put it on to know it worked. “I am afraid of you Aleksander”

"It's reasonable" He said with a shrug and walked into the room. People either feared him or respected him, a few did both. "I didn't say I'm afraid of the Black Heretic, I'm afraid of you"

Her last line surprised you and you noticed for a second. "Come on Aleksander, we haven't seen each other for almost 400 years and you get my clothes size right"

He looked at you without any remorse. “I'll try to be more discreet next time” you let out a sigh, it had been a beautiful day and you were tired.

“It will be long years...”

3 weeks later...

“I still don't understand why this boy is here” you said to Brotkin while waiting for Alina's History of Ravka class to end. The boy in question was Maly Oretsev, who couldn't let go of Alina and was annoying you for disturbing her classes. But you had to admit he had a knack for fighting and tracking. "We tried to fend them off last week, but it didn't work out so well, we'll try again when she has more control over her spellcasting."

You let out a sigh, and then the bell rang and a wave of children left the classroom, it didn't take long for you to enter a black and gold Kefta. Before you could get to her, Mal arrived and thought he had taken you out of her sight, trying to lead you away from the Little Palace. You wrapped yourself in shadows when no one was around and appeared in front of them. “May I know where you are going?”

“Y/n, are we going to the lake again?” Alina asked excitedly and you smiled at her, not showing your irritation that Mal was gripping her arm so tightly. She tried to free herself but the boy's grip tightened. “Hey Mal, why are you hurting me?”

“We need to leave Alina, this isn't our place.” Shadows formed in the hallway as you walked into it and Mal pulled Alina away towards the stairs, hurting her. “Maly Oretsev release Alina and who knows I might not take you to General Kirigan”

Alina started to cry, and by the time Mal stumbled down the stairs, you'd already caught up with the two of them, and had brought them back into balance. You crouched down to be their height. Alina threw herself at you and hugged her neck, while Mal glared at you. “How about we go down to the infirmary?”

“We have to leave, this is not our place, we have to go back to Keramzin, no one will harm her there!” Mal yelled in her face, running down the stairs. You took Alina in your arms and the girl cuddled into you. "Let's go to the infirmary dear"

“What will happen to Mal?” The girl's voice was muffled against her neck. And then she began to cry, very, very desperately. “What happened Alina?”

She didn't answer you, she just cried more and more. You ran to the infirmary, and flung open the door. “Miss Pavlova, what happened?”

Corporalik asked and you just put Alina on a stretcher, and even sitting down she didn't want to let go of your neck. The woman closed the bed curtains and brought you an armchair, moments later she began to examine Alina, before you could even get the girl to let go. "Alina, I'm not leaving, I'll stay here while she examines you"

After a while when the girl released you, you took her Kefta and held her hands. Corporalik made a face and you looked at her over Alina. "A cracked rib, it's in the process of healing, but it's a little out of place."

"As?" How could a girl have a cracked rib and no one noticed? You felt anger begin to overwhelm you. "When?"

“By the rate of healing, two weeks” the healer replied and you squeezed Alina's little hands, looking at her carefully. “You need to tell me who it was honey”

“She'll hurt me if I tell her, I don't want her hitting me with that wooden thing anymore” Alina started to panic, and in her innocence she didn't realize that she had told you who had done it. The healer inhaled angrily and glared at you. “A Bleeder will need to crack her rib again so I can fix it, I’ll keep her asleep so she doesn’t feel pain”

“Go to the War Room and no matter what meeting interrupts, bring Ivan” you ordered the healer, and for the second you let go of Alina's hands she hugged you tight. She nodded and left quickly. Ivan was the General's right hand man, he would know to keep quiet about what happened, and probably what you would do with Bagra. “Are you leaving Y/n?”

“Never Alina”

------------

You woke up to a soft touch on her face. “Come on milaya, Alina needs to rest” you opened your eyes and met Aleksander's gaze, you ignored him as Alina hugged you tighter. You hadn't even realized you'd fallen asleep while telling Alina a story.

“Your mother broke a child's rib Aleksander” you said bitterly and sleepily, you saw how his gaze dropped. “And there will be big consequences for that”

His murderous gaze eased you, and you closed your eyes again, feeling your body heave with overload and emotions. Soon you felt him lifting you off the bed, his arms passing under your legs and back, you clung to his neck. “Where are you taking me you idiot?”

“You stayed here all day Y/n, you need to rest too” he replied carrying you as if you were a feather, he left the ward and you settled your face better on his chest. "And you? Won't you rest?"

“After you milaya” he replied heading towards his own quarters. You could complain all you wanted tomorrow, but he wanted your scent in his bed. He tucked you in between the sheets and you sighed, pressing your face into the pillows at the scent of Aleksander. “You will sleep on the couch”

You mumbled before falling back asleep and Aleksande found herself giving a small contented smile.

"Sir! General!" Feydor shouted interrupting General Kirigan's meeting with one of the leaders of the first army, opening the door in a rush, at the same time the General felt a shiver down his spine. “I tried to stop them, but suddenly they were out of my sight, I swear I tried!”

Kirigan let out a heavy sigh as the First Army General looked on in confusion. The first heavy snowfall had fallen the night before, and the order he had expressly given you was not to go into the snow. But something he's discovered all too well in his last few months is that Y/n and Alina together have an inexplicable talent for disobeying him. “Give them a few hours, I'll sort this out myself... this woman and this child are going to kill me one day”

“My wife and son are the same way” the man next to the General who, inevitably, overheard the conversation. The General didn't give him anything more than a look, but he didn't bother correcting either. "We'll finish this another time, go see your girls"

After saying so, the man got up and left, leaving Kirigan sitting still with one specific thought in mind. He wanted you, that was clear in his mind, long before you arrived at the Little Palace; but he also found himself wanting to spend more peaceful moments with Alina, whether it was when the girl told her about her day or when he read her some story before bed, and shit, even when she disrupted an important meeting by telling her something she had learned or how she had advanced in her Little Science, even more so when Y/n appeared moments later to take her away with a proud smile. "Sir?"

Only then did he realize that Feydor was still standing in the room. Aleksander let out a loud laugh, and frankly Feydor thought his general was out of his mind. “I can have both Feydors!” After that Feydor saw his general running out of the War Room, literally running.

Aleksander didn't need to ask where you were, he just always knew, ever since you were hit by the Merzost, a strange bond had formed between you, even though Y/n never seemed to be aware of it. Kirigan found you and Alina in the empty gardens at the back of the Small Palace. He stopped short of stepping into the snow, watching what the two of you were doing.

You threw fluffy snowballs at the little girl, and each time the ball hit the smaller one you did it again, but then, sometimes the snowball melted before they got too close to the smaller one, so it was her turn to throw the balls of snow on you. Aleksander felt at that moment that you were the right person to make Alina the greatest Sun Summoner, the girl was having so much fun that she didn't even realize she was casting. “I hope you have a good excuse to be here in this cold weather”

And indeed it was cold, even though Alina was wearing a winter Kefta and a fur coat, her healthy cheeks were red. He didn't even want to imagine how you were without a Kefta. “We are training focus and precision”

“There are other ways to train this, both inside” The General's tone was clipped, and he almost regretted it when he saw the sad look on Alina's face and how you flinched, but he didn't give either of you options. "Alina, go take a hot shower, I'll talk to you later, and Y/n go to my room now"

Alina was the first to move, while you remained paralyzed. Aleksander felt a tug on his Kefta, he looked at Alina. "Please don't fight Y/n, she only came because I asked her to"

“Come in soon Alina” he didn't even want to imagine the amount of illnesses that the little girl could count on being exposed to this violent cold. He would remember to send Feydor to check on Alina once she was dressed warmly. Aleksander took a deep breath as you approached, her cheeks were red and her fingertips blue. "I don't know what to do with you Y/n"

Before you could answer anything, he was already leading you towards his room. He saw the way you took a deep breath as soon as you entered the room and the way your skin prickled at the feel of his breath on the back of your neck. Aleksander couldn't resist the impulse and sniffed her neck, leaving a kiss under her ear. “Go take a bath Milaya”

“My things aren't here” you argued with a quick breath and felt his smile on your skin. “Exactly, use mine”

You didn't protest like Aleksander thought you would, you just grabbed something from his wardrobe and slammed the bathroom door shut on your way in. But he was already used to you doing that. Aleksandr quickly went to his office, getting the Second Army accounts, got comfortable and sat on the bed, with his back to the bathroom door.

He tried not to count every second you spent in that damn bathroom, but it was impossible. Exactly 1,246 seconds later you came out of the bathroom, and not looking at you in his clothes was more painful than using Merzost to create the Fold. “Could at least use a Kefta outside”

He didn't understand why you didn't wear a Kefta, of course he would never force you to wear one, but he saw how your eyes sparkled like a kid in a candy store whenever you saw a Grisha wearing a Kefta. You pulled the perfectly laid down duvet off his bed, and he heard you tugging between the sheets, but he didn't move. “I can't wear one”

He had already heard that answer from her and had found it ridiculous, but now, from the vulnerable state of his turn, he knew there was more to it. Aleksander turned over when you stopped moving in bed. “Why Y/n, why can’t you?”

“What will people think? You are a shadow summuner and General of the Second Army, you created the Fold, you gave the Grisha a chance at a dignified life, I am just a freak that appeared along with the Fold... Your Kefta represents power, control, authority and respect, how many of these traits fit me?” you had your back turned when you answered him, admitting out loud for the first time what had bothered you for a long time. Aleksande's heart sank when he heard what you said.

He dropped the papers, climbed onto the bed, and turned you toward him, climbing over you and cupping your face. “Y/n not even Merzost could create a Grisha, you've always been a shadow summuner, and even when you had no idea you cared for us and protected us, even at the risk of being killed along with us, you trained the greatest Grisha in history after the two of us, and you are a Sankta.”

He could go on for days quoting thousands of things you had done over the years that he admired about you. He let you see it in his eye. You sighed at the intensity of his gaze. “Only because you put my story in the Sanktos book”

“Because you are the only one who deserves Y/n! Not even one of them deserves that title more than you do, every person who prays to you, lights candles, goes to your mass or celebrates your holiday is not doing more than their duty” he was desperate for you to understand that he was worthy of everything and a little more, that you understand that there was nothing he wouldn't do for you. “Why Sasha?”

Aleksander swore that his heart stopped for a few seconds, before it beat desperately when he heard you call him by his nickname. “Why the perfect must be venerated, even by the most sinful of men”

________________

#aleksander x reader #alina x aleksander #general kirigan #shadow and bone #aleksander morovoza #the darkling x reader #sankta alina #Imagine #family au #shadow summoner #sun summoner #merzost #slow burn

165 notes · View notes

savethegrishaverse · 4 months

Text

Hello Third Army members! By now, you’ve probably seen our twitter party adverts on how each day we will celebrate a different piece of the Grishaverse - And now, we are bringing this party to Tumblr!

We at the ‘Save Shadow and Bone’ Coalition are going to spend each week giving out prompts and boosting content about our Grishaverse, and we need your help! Come join us, send us your fanfics, post your art, and make sure to use hashtag #Third Army so we can see each post!

This week (January 7th to January 13th) we want to talk all about parallels! Between Shadow and Bone ships like the slowburn of Kanej, to other fandoms ships Like Locklucy or Wolfstar. Let’s compare characters like Kaz Brekker to Yennefer of Vengerberg, and draw parallels between Alina Starkov and She-ra! I want to hear all you have to offer on the subject! Under the cut are more prompts for you to check out!

Writing prompt: “As the cut sliced through the heartrender with such ease, with an efficiency that she had only seen from the Darkling’s own hands, Alina wondered if she had actually destroyed the Black Heretic - or merely become him.” Continue the story! Write what you think would happen to Alina, now that she has used merzost and can summon shadows!

Writing prompt: Suddenly, your favourite Grishaverse character is stranded in another universe! How do they adapt?

Art prompts: Many Saints in our culture have stained glass windows depicting their stories - Saint Michael, Saint Agnes of Rome, Saint Peter, etc. Draw up your own stained glass window for our Sankta Alina!

Art Prompts: draw chibi or anime style SAB characters! Cross them over with popular shows like Jujitsu Kaisen or Death Note!

Photoshop Challenges: Edit the Grishaverse cast to look like they're in another fandoms show! Or, throw your favorite characters from other sources of media into the Grishaverse!

Photoshop Challenges: Let’s play a round of ‘Say Yes to the Dress’: dress up a Shadow and Bone character in costumes from other shows/movies!

Video Edit Prompt: Do a Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows spinoff intro in the style of another show?

Engagement prompts: Analyzing Alina’s story, we see several moments where she shows true compassion, but also true anger and grief. She shows that there cannot be light without darkness, but there also cannot be darkness without light. Hope has no weight without fear, but fear cannot extinguish hope. This seems to be the theme of how Alina and the Darkling exist throughout the bulk of the story, and once he is gone the balance is taken with him. How would this affect Alina going forward?

Just as Inej has her knives, what other characters stand out when picking their weapons?

Share your happy or hopeful stories about Grishaverse as a fandom space, and tell us how the campaign has effected you! Tell us all about the friends that you've made, and the kindness you’ve seen within the fandom!

46 notes · View notes

readerinsertsaremyguiltypleasure · 2 years

Text

An Unexpected Taste of Love: Chapter Six

Pairing: Darkling x Female Reader

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: You are a servant at the Grand Palace, but when a threat to the Second Army’s General leads to the King assigning him a taster, you are forced into a new role that just may be the starting point for a whole new journey.

Author’s note: I haven’t read the books but there may be a couple of small references to them that I have picked up from other sources (other fics, the grishaverse wiki, etc). Other than that, this fic is solely based on the TV show version of the Darkling.

Warnings: Near death experience, The Darkling is his own warning

Addition chapter note: According to the Grishaverse wiki, nichyevo is Ravkan for “nothing”.

And now the angst begins!

———————————————————

< Chapter Five | Masterlist | Chapter Seven >

The arrival of the Sun Summoner caused quite the commotion in the Little Palace. And for good reason. Finally there was real hope of a literal light at the end of the tunnel Ravka had been stuck in for centuries. And with the threat of the West separating, many were saying it could not have happened at a better time.

For you, though, the timing could not have been worse. You of course shared everyone’s joy and hope, but it was tainted somewhat by impatience and anxiety. For the past few days, all you had thought about was the kiss you had shared with Aleksander, and you had anxiously waited for him to return so you could talk with him about it and find out just what it meant for the two of you. But from the moment he had returned, he had been busy or surrounded by people, making it impossible for you to get a moment alone.

You understood the reasons why of course; you knew just how important this Sun Summoner, Alina Starkov, was… but as the day turned into night, your anxieties started to get the better of you. They even started to make you think that Aleksander was avoiding being alone with you on purpose.

You weren’t surprised when you weren’t summoned to his rooms that night. And you weren’t surprised when sleep just wouldn’t come to you. You spent the whole night tossing and turning until, finally, you gave up and decided to go for a very early breakfast.

The kitchens were empty when you got there, so you got to prepare and eat your meal in peace. Being so early, you even got the last bit of honey left in the servants’ rations to go with your oats. You were cleaning your bowl when Nathaniel, one of the servers, came in. It was clear he was preparing someone else’s meal… and you were pretty sure you knew whose it was.

‘You’re up early,’ he said as he rummaged through the food cupboards.

You hummed. ‘Couldn’t sleep. You must be on early morning breakfast duty.’

Nathaniel nodded. ‘Drew the short straw. I’m just glad the General prefers a simple breakfast.’

Bingo. And if Aleksander was having his meal before the sun came up, then he would most likely be in his rooms. This was your chance for a moment alone with him. A moment to talk.

‘I can take it to him if you like,’ you offered. ‘I have to test it anyway, and I’m here already. No point us both going.’

Nathaniel set the cutlery on the tray and sent you a grateful smile. ‘That would be amazing. Thank you. It’s going to be a busy day.’

You hummed in agreement and took the tray. Nathaniel had already returned to the food cupboards, sorting things and preparing for when the rest of the palace woke up wanting their meals. You quietly left him to it, your mind already working a mile a minute as you tried to think of what you would say to Aleksander.

The walk to his rooms seemed shorter than usual, and by the time you were knocking on his door, you still had no idea how to broach the subject of the kiss.

‘Come in,’ he called, and you took a slow breath before you entered the room. Maybe you would get lucky and he would be just as eager to talk about it as you were.

Aleksander was pacing the room, already dressed in his kefta and ready for the day. His eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment when he saw you, but he quickly schooled his features. ‘You can put it on the table,’ he said, nodding at the tray in your hands. His standoffishness had you pausing; he hadn’t spoken to you in such a detached way since your first day as his taster.

Not a great sign.

Still, you did as he said without complaint, and did your duty as taster. Every now and then Aleksander would look at you, but his expression remained unchanged. You wouldn’t go as far as to call it cold… but it was definitely distant. Maybe even a little impatient.

‘So,’ you said, trying not to sound as awkward as you felt. ‘Big day.’

Aleksander nodded but didn’t speak.

‘Do you think she’ll do all right?’ you asked, obviously referring to the Sun Summoner.

‘She’ll impress the King. I’ll make sure of it.’

This time it was you who nodded without saying anything. For a moment, you reconsidered bringing up the kiss. Aleksander obviously had other things on his mind and you didn’t want to make things harder for him… but you had to know.

‘Aleksander,’ you started, forcing yourself to look up at him. You were so nervous you were sure you were going to rip your sleeves with the way you were picking at them. ‘I know this isn’t the best time, but can we talk about what happened? The night before you left, I mean.’

Aleksander sighed, finally showing a bit of emotion. ‘I suppose we must,’ he said. His words did not fill you with hope.

When it was apparent that he wasn’t going to be the one to start the conversation, you gathered up your courage and asked the question that had burning within you for days.

‘What happens now? I know a proper relationship won’t be easy. It may not even be possible… but we kissed. That has to mean something for us. Doesn’t it? Even if it’s just mutual attraction.’

Aleksander turned away from you, leaning both hands on the map table in front of him. You only caught a glimpse of his expression, but it almost looked pained.

‘No,’ he said.

You blinked a couple of times, thrown by his short reply. ‘No?’

‘No, it doesn’t have to mean something. It was just a kiss. I was merely caught up in the moment. I’m sorry if you felt it was more.’

You had never had your heart broken before, but you were pretty sure this was what it felt like. Waves of sadness, disappointment, and embarrassment washed over you so fast that it felt like you were drowning. Tears pricked at your eyes but you held them back, not wanting to humiliate yourself further.

‘R-right. Of course. Sorry, I… I have to go.’ You didn’t wait for him to dismiss you, you just walked as quickly as you could towards the door.

You were almost out the room when Aleksander called your name. There was something in his voice that tugged at your heart, and your legs stopped despite yourself. But you didn’t turn around. You couldn’t.

‘I really am sorry,’ he said.

You believed him, but it was of little consolation. You weren’t angry with Aleksander. You couldn’t even blame him. Of course he didn’t have feelings for you. Powerful generals did not fall in love with lowly servants.

You felt like a fool for thinking otherwise.

----

Aleksander didn’t call on you to taste his lunch, and it wasn’t until that evening that you found out why. A brief summons to the Grand Palace gave you your answers. It seemed that Aleksander had told the King that the threat to his life had passed and, as the King put it, he didn’t need you anymore, so you had been reassigned.

Somehow, that hurt even more than hearing Aleksander say the kiss had meant nothing.

And you couldn’t even go back to your old room and your old duties in the Grand Palace where you wouldn’t be constantly reminded of Aleksander and could maybe get past this horrible feeling. The King had given the go ahead for Alina Starkov’s training and had made it clear that she was to be protected at all costs. Why send someone new to be her taster when you had so conveniently been made available?

So, come dinnertime, you once again stood at the back of the Little Palace dining hall, waiting for meals to be served. You spotted Alina easily, all you had to do was follow everybody’s curious glances.

Perhaps in another life, another time, you would have been honoured to protect the Sun Summoner – to do your duty to help your country however you could – but at that moment, all you felt was fear and heartache. All you could think about was how the poison had burned your throat a few weeks ago, and how Aleksander was no longer there to save you if it happened again.

Would he even care enough to save you if he was there? You hated yourself for questioning it, but the King’s words kept ringing in your head.

He doesn’t need you anymore.

You were so caught up in your own thoughts, that you didn’t even notice when the meals were being brought out, and you only just made it to Alina in time to stop her taking a bite.

‘Sorry, miss,’ you said, pulling her plate out of her reach. ‘I have to test it first to make sure it’s safe.’ You were a little harried from the rush over, but at least that hid your anxiety as you cut away a tiny piece of perfectly cooked meat.

It must have been a special dish, celebrating the start of Alina’s training.

‘And you have an otkazat'sya taster,’ said one of the women sitting next to Alina in awe. ‘They're normally reserved for the Royal Family. Even General Kirigan didn’t get one until actual threats were made against him.’

You bit back your grimace at being spoken about like you weren’t there and instead focussed on counting down the minute long wait to know if the food was poisoned. You didn’t feel any pain yet, but you knew that not all poisons worked the same. Some were slower.

‘Are you being punished for something?’ asked Alina, and it took you a second to realise she was talking to you. There was a kindness and worry in her eyes that had you relaxing a little.

‘Sometimes it feels like it,’ you said with a sad smile. You put down your fork and pushed the plate back to Alina. ‘It should be fine to eat. It’s very nice.’

‘Don't get used to this,’ the Grisha next to Alina told her. ‘General Kirigan insists that we eat peasant fare to keep us humble.’ The roll of her eyes and the haughty tone of her voice told you that it wasn’t working.

Still, you had a lifetime of ignoring those who looked down on you and the other “peasants”, so you did your best not to let her attitude bother you and instead focussed on your next task.

Your hands shook as you reached for Alina’s drink, memories flashing through your mind. Memories of pain and the certainty that you were going to die. Memories of Aleksander’s hand in yours and his worried shouts as he called for a Healer.

Closing your eyes, you forced yourself to sip the drink.

You almost cried in relief when nothing happened.

Job done, you were just about to get up and leave when Ivan’s voice sounded across the room. He was reading the day’s messages from the warfront, so you remained seated, not wanting to be disrespectful.

Ivan’s voice got angrier as he read out how many lives had been lost. He lowered the paper and glared in Alina’s direction. ‘The Fjerdans will be no match against a unified Ravka. Why are you here eating figs? You should be training every waking moment to tear down the Fold.’

Alina looked down at her lap, embarrassed and ashamed, and something in you snapped. You could already tell that Alina was not only a kind person, but one whom didn’t often get the chance for luxuries such as the figs on her plate; you weren’t going to sit there and let someone make her feel guilty for it. Not after the day you had had.

Jaw set, you stood and turned to glare at Ivan. ‘And how do you expect her to train if she is not well fed and rested?’ you asked, just shy of shouting. ‘She can hardly tear down the Fold if she exhausts herself to death.’

There were a couple of small gasps around the room, from Grisha and servants alike. You had to admit, you were a little shocked at your actions too, but there were only so many things you could handle in one day, and you had reached your limit.

To his credit, Ivan did not take long to recover from your outburst. ‘You dare speak back,’ he seethed, fists clenched around the paper he was still holding. ‘You are nichyevo.’

‘Ivan!’

Aleksander’s voice made you jump, and you whipped your head around to see him standing at the doorway, eyes hard and fixed on his second in command. ‘A word, please.’

Ivan sent you one more hateful look before he left the room. Before following, Aleksander glanced your way. You gave him a small but grateful smile, hope bubbling in your chest. He hadn’t totally abandoned you after all.

But then his eyes drifted past you and your face fell as you turned to see Alina giving him the same smile. It struck you then that maybe it wasn’t you he was there for.

#the darkling x reader #the darkling #darkling x reader #darkling x female reader #darkling x you #general kirigan x reader #general kirigan #aleksander morozova x reader

174 notes · View notes

zepp-l1n · 11 months

Text

My Sankta Alina.

(Part 1 of ??)

Pairing: Alina Starkov x (Healer) GN!reader

summary: the story of the sun summoner and her healer. fic type - fluff, friends/crushes to lovers (kind of in later parts??), some angst warnings - none word count - 2,230 a/n: more cute stuff ig :). Also, this is my first series, so I don't exactly know when I'll update the next parts.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

Alina Starkov had been living in the Little Palace for approximately 3 months when she was first introduced to the Corporalki grisha by the name of (Y/N). She had been on her way back from working with Bhagra, and on a whim, decided to take a walk around the corridors of her new home. Her interaction with the Corporalki had been a complete accident.

The sun summoner walked tiredly through the intricately designed halls. Bhagra's lessons had gone on an hour more than they usually did, and had been far more exhausting. She needed a breather before returning back to her room. Alina let out a soft sigh as her fingers caressed the edges of her blue kefta. The velvety fabric brought her a comfort she hadn't felt since being in the Ravkan army camp.

The shiny halls were quiet - the only sound being the echoing noise of Alina's steps. The quiet was soothing, having been regularly subjected to the fawning and criticism of the more common grishas. As Alina continued to walk she brushed her hand along the carved drawings on the walls. Each was hand crafted and mesmerizingly stunning. Apart from her bed, they were her favorite part of the Little Palace. The carved wood was a surprisingly smooth texture. It reminded her of the wooden bannisters she and Mal would hide behind when Ana Kuya was in one of her moods.

As Alina's attention was solely focused on the carvings, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps coming her way, nor did she notice the upcoming connection in the hallway. By the time she had noticed, Alina had already bumped into the unknown individual, knocking them both down.

"Saints!" the unknown person yelped. Alina franticly glanced over, looking at them. As far as she could tell, this wasn't anyone she had been introduced to in her few months living here.

"Oh my- are you okay?" the sun summoner asked.

The stranger scoffed, dusting off their red kefta. They hurriedly got back on their feet - attempting to look professional. "Yeah, but maybe watch where you're going next time. Not all of us like to be rudely slammed int....." the strangers words got caught in the back of their throat at they glanced up, taking in the form of their accidental attacker. "Sankta Alina, my apologies." they awkwardly bowed.

Alina jumped forward, stopping them. "No, no, it's completely fine. You're right, I should've been paying more attention." Alina reached her hand out towards the Corporalki and smiled. "And please, just call me Alina."

Without meeting her eyes, the Corporalki took Alina's hand, shaking it hesitantly. "(Y/N). (Y/N), (L/N)." As their arm was much closer now, Alina could see the color embroidered onto (Y/N)'s sleeves. It was grey; they were a healer.

"Well, I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances (Y/N). If I had it my way, neither of us would've been on the floor." Alina joked.

The healer and sun summoner smiled at each other. Both casually stood for a moment, chuckling at the ridiculousness of their introduction. Unfortunately, the moment was cut short by a shout from down the hall (Y/N) came from. "(Y/N), what are you doing? You were not permitted to leave your station!" The voice was Ivan's, the heartrender that rode in the carriage that brought Alina to the Little Palace. The healer turned in Ivan's direction, fear evident in their eyes. As he got closer, the heartrender noticed Alina's presence. "Ah, Alina, I'm sorry about my associates disrespectfulness. And (Y/N), how dare you take up the sun summoner's time?" he angrily spoke to both grisha.

Ivan reached forward and harshly grabbed (Y/N)'s arm, pulling them away from Alina. "Once again, Sankta Alina, I'm sorry for their disrespectfulness."

Alina tried to come to the healer's aid, but Ivan dragged them away to fast. She stood in her spot, unmoving, as (Y/N) glanced back her way. They gave the sun summoner a look that she could only describe as apologetic, and was pushed into the Corporalki training room.

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

The next time Alina saw (Y/N) was while she was with General Kirigan at the Grand Palace. The two had already done the winter fete tradition of an important grisha showing off their powers, and were now starting conversations around the room. Alina was in the black, silk kefta and gold accessories and shoes Kirigan had gifted her. Each item flattered her extremely well.

As she looked around the room, her eyes caught sight of of the healer. Alina hadn't been able to keep (Y/N) out of her thoughts sense their last interaction, and she knew that the way they looked tonight would only make it worse. They were wearing a rose-red, silk kefta. It was floor length, and was tightened around the middle by a grey and black belt. The embroidering was a healer's grey, which went across the shoulders and continued down on the hips and faded out like veins. Their jewelry was the same color scheme - mainly being made of grisha-steel and rubies.

(Y/N) must've felt Alina's eyes on them. They elegantly brushed their hair from their face, turned their head in Alina's direction, and smiled.

Alina could feel her heart in her stomach, and she wished she didn't. She had only met them once, and seeing them like this already made her feel far more giddy than she ever had with Mal growing up.

The feeling in her stomach only grew as she noticed (Y/N) walking towards her and Kirigan. At this point, the shadow summoner had also noticed the healer that had stolen Alina's attention. "Sankta Alina, it's nice to see you again." they softly spoke.

Alina grinned. "Once again, just call me Alina. There's no need to be referring to me as 'saint'."

(Y/N) smiled at the comment, knowing that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Kirigan couldn't hold his intrigue any longer. "So, Alina, who's your friend?" he asked.

Alina looked up at the general and then back at the healer before answering. "This is (Y/N). They're a Corporalki - or more specifically, a healer. We met one evening after my training a little while back."

"Our sun summoner ran right into me. She knocked both of us right to the ground." (Y/N) recalled, grinning down at Alina. Kirigan chucked in response of the story, while Alina embarrassingly shrugged.

"In my defense," she started, "I was tired from training and didn't hear you coming." (Y/N)'s laugh doubled at her attempt to make it seem like it wasn't her fault. Their arm reached out, hand going to rest on Alina's bicep. The shu girl's face flushed at the contact.

Kirigan stood to the side of the couple, forcefully smiling at the interaction in front of him. As much as he wanted Alina to focus on her powers and his plan, he couldn't deny that the duo in front of him had some chemistry. And as cute as it was, he couldn't let that happen. It would ruin everything. He had worked so hard to fine the sun summoner and he wouldn't let some healer end it now.

"Well, (Y/N), as nice as it was to meet you, Alina and I now have to be going." as he spoke he reached his arm to the small of her back. At the look he was giving them, (Y/N) removed their hand.

"Oh." (Y/N) glanced over at The Darkling. Both Alina and (Y/N)'s moods seemed to dampen. "Well, it was nice speaking to you both." the healer's mouth twitched as they forced a smile. They respectfully bowed, gave one final look to Alina, and headed back across the room.

Once (Y/N) was out of ear-shot Alina turned towards Kirigan, an unpleasant look on her face. "What was that for? Why'd you shoo them away like that?" she asked.

"Alina," Kirigan roughly whispered, "it's nice that your making friends. But, I need your full focus on your powers. You can't get distracted by some healer - not when we are so close to gaining your full potential." He reached forward, placing his hand where (Y/N)'s had been. Alina felt an unsettling tingle reach down her spine at his touch. "We can't let down Ravka, our home, because of them."

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

Once again, it took a while for the healer and the sun summoner to meet again. Only this time, Alina was on the run.

She and Mal had made it out of East Ravka, and were hiding out in small towns and forests they traveled through. Everything had been going fine, other than the close encounter they had experienced with the first army a few weeks prior.

They had made sure to cover their tracks the entire way, and took every precaution possible.

They had officially set up camp in the woods, planning to stay for the next few days. As Alina used her light to warm herself up, she was startled by the sound of a twig snapping somewhere in the forest surrounding them. "Mal?" she gasped in worry. She received no response. "Mal, I swear on all the saints, if you're trying to scare me I'll blind you. Temporarily, of course." her voice grew shakier the longer the spoke.

Another twig snapped, sending Alina farther into her panic. She threw her hands up, shining her light around her. The light lit up the sight of a familiar healer - one that Alina had found herself missing since she ran away.

"Alina?" they gasped out. The sun summoner's light dimmed at the sight of (Y/N). They took a step forward, a relieved grin on their face. "You're okay?"

Alina stepped back, raising her hands back in (Y/N)'s direction. The healer's arms shot up in defense. "Are you with him?" Alina shouted.

"With who?"

"Kirigan! Are you with him? Did he send you out here to find me?" (Y/N)'s face shifted from one of happiness to one of betrayal.

"Alina, no. For saints sake, do you really believe that I would?" they asked.

"I didn't believe he was a bad guy, and look where that got me." Alina still blamed herself for trusting Kirigan, for letting him get so close.

The healer stepped forward again, this time slower and far more cautiously. "I swear. Sankta Alina, you have far more power and respect in my eyes than he ever has." Alina lowered her hands, and stepped back towards the healer. Her shaking hands reached (Y/N)'s outstretched arms, and she hastily pulled them forward into a hug. Her grip was tight, and took (Y/N)'s breath away. "Huh." she gasped out, "Didn't think the sun summoner would miss me this much."

"I didn't miss some healer - I missed one of the only kind people I met in the Little Palace." Alina mumbled. "Of course I'd miss you." A small smile grew on both the grishas' faces.

A loud 'snap' brought them out of their content moment. Alina's head shot up at the noise, much like before. This time, the breaking of twigs came from the person she was yelling for in the first place - Mal. (Y/N) unlatched themself from Alina, and moved in front of her in a attempt to protect her from the form they didn't recognize.

Mal brought his gun up from his side at their movement. "Hey! Get away from her!"

Alina frantically shook her head before yelling, "Wait! Hang on! Mal, their here to help! (Y/N)'s my friend from the Little Palace." Alina then turned towards (Y/N), "This is Mal. We grew up together. He helped me escape Kirigan." Both teens slowly backed down at her words.

"You got her out?" (Y/N) walked towards Mal, and reached their arm out.

"Yes." he sharply responded. Mal clasped his hand around theirs, accepting the handshake.

"Good. Now, as nice as it's been to meet you and catch up with Alina, I have news about the second army." (Y/N)'s demeanor quickly became serious. "You'll have to move soon. They're still a little while away, but it won't be long before they catch up. Look how easy it was for me to stumble upon you guys."

"How many of them is there?" Mal asked.

"Two groups - one coming from the East, the other coming from the South. Second group has some familiar faces, Sankta Alina." as serious as (Y/N)'s topic was, they couldn't help but grin when they called Alina her nickname.

"Who?" Mal, once again, impatiently asked.

(Y/N) rolled their eyes at the boy. "Ivan and Kirigan." Alina visibly shuddered at the thought of the men. "I was placed in the group under Ivan, but I couldn't go along with what they're planning - not to you."

"Well I'm glad you couldn't. It'll be nice to have someone who knows their plan on our side." Alina sighed. Mal nodded at the girls comment, clearly agreeing. "Well what would be our best bet? How should we out run them?"

(Y/N) smirked at the girl. "You're already on the right path. We've just gotta continue through the woods, and have your soldier-boy keep covering our tracks." The healer patted Mal on the shoulder as they spoke about him, and threw him a grin. "Smart idea, by the way." The trio straight away took to packing the things around them, and continued their way to freedom - now with a new advantage.

#alina starkov x reader #shadow and bone x reader #alina starkov #netflix shadow and bone #jessie mei li #sun summoner #alina starkov imagine #sun summoner x reader #alina x reader #the darkling #ivan shadow and bone #mal shadow and bone

47 notes · View notes

goblins-riddles-or-frocks · 6 months

Note

I wonder why vampires aren't shown to be as depressing as Aleksander is. (Idk anything about this book but since I follow you I have been reading all these metas and DAMNNN)

LMAOOOO first of all formal apology for subjecting all my previous followers who didn’t sign up for TGT meta to all of this TGT meta.

But also, I would argue that some, to even a lot, of vampires are that depressing? The Louis du Point du Lac archetype is a very prevalent one, that then got eventually watered down to the angsty Angels and Edward Cullens of the genre. (I would argue that Aleksander is directly written in conversation with the latter type) And the Vampire Chronicles/Interview With the Vampire itself, with its cast of varyingly wretched, depressed, and traumatized immortals, arguably redefined the vampire genre entirely.

Meanwhile, if you were following my blog before this, I’m assuming you’re here for Hellsing. In that, vampirism is partially a metaphor for trauma, or at least a past that cannot be overcome and turning to self destructiveness for it. Alucard’s entire personal motivation and goal is to die.

In my gradual fandom hop from Hellsing to TGT, I basically just went from analyzing the inner workings of one murderous and miserable, 500+ year old war criminal for anons in my inbox to another— only one of them happens to be Dracula!

(And I have said a couple times before that I think the Darkling is written like a vampire.)

However, I’d agree that there are key differences in the way Aleksander is depressing, and I think that is down to the themes, narrative function, and cultural associations that vampirism frequently lends itself to.

Since you aren’t familiar, I’ll sum up the plot of TGT as briefly as I can. It starts out as a very typical chosen one fantasy, where the protagonist Alina Starkov, an overlooked and unremarkable orphan serving in the military, is discovered to be the lost princess the super special, never before seen magic user with the special type of sunlight magic that the entire country has been waiting for to save it from the shadowy, monster filled dimensional rift, smack dab in the middle of it, that’s been making everyone’s life hell. She’s immediately whisked away to a life of luxury, and taken under wing by The Darkling, the mysteriously goth and pretty commander of all magic users who possesses the antithesis of her power. If she can summon light, he can summon shadows. He’s supposedly “only” one hundred years old, but his ancestor created the Shadow Fold. And he’s soooo sad and guilty about that inherited mistake and he’s determined to fix it. Alina’s supposed to to help him do it— chiefly, through the power of a mythical amplifier that’s meant to enhance her power. But the mid point of the very first book is that shdgdd after a big makeout scene with very dubious vibes, one of Alina’s magic teachers, herself turning our to be the Darkling’s mother, reveals that he’s much older than he claims and that he created the Shadow Fold and has no intention of destroying it, as opposed to using it as a weapon against other countries. And he also means to use the amplifier they’ve been searching for to magically enslave her and take her power for his own. So Alina runs away! And this sets off the rest of the series which is a race to get to each of the three mythical amplifiers before the other does. And generally evading the Darkling who has now gone gloves off and doesn’t mind showing himself to be an unfeeling mass murderer.

The narrative from this point on positions him chiefly as Alina’s foil, as her potential future and worst case scenario. As she amasses her own power and makes sacrifices in the name of defeating him, she’s presented as essentially being in danger of falling into the same path of corruption over centuries. Because, crucially, now that she has the amplifiers, she will also be immortal. And he is both convinced that she must turn out like him, but also that her immortality positions her as his equal above mortals, and as his companion, even if he must capture her and break her will down to make her see that.

The series’ main themes— handled with… debatable success— are that of autonomy, greed, the corruption inherit in accumulated power, and the pitfalls of means to an end morality. The particular ways that Aleksander is a uniquely miserable character are inextricable from his role in the story and what he is meant to represent. But the in-universe circumstances of his immortality also change things a lot.

Vampiric angst is usually tied to the overtly, or otherwise thinly veiled, Christian concept of damnation. Vampirism is culturally a curse, drinking blood to live, and fearing the sunlight is meant to be monstrous. There are individual instances (World of Darkness, some of the True Blood lore) where vampires have their own doctrines and believe themselves to be chosen or better than mortals. But typically cultural associations with them are uniformly negative.

In TGT there is the vague implication of “shadow powers bad” but it’s mostly framed as prejudice against something unknown. Meanwhile magic isn’t inherently awful, and the more powerful a magic user the more long lived they are, hence Aleksander pretending to be 100ish was believable. But hardly anyone else actually lives into multiple centuries the way he has. He’s an aberration. There’s also no element of like readily making anyone else immortal, so Aleksander ends up in this kind of bewilderingly lonely position of being isolated in his power and having no real idea of how or why this happened (beyond his equally long lived mother explicitly trying to have The Most Powerful Child Ever)

I think similarly, immortality as something that’s given to someone at some point during their life, as is the case with vampires, tends to evoke themes of stagnation and being frozen in time. Aleksander is a VERY inadaptable character, who isn’t really able to comprehend how much his sense of morals has been warped over the years. But he’s very driven and forward looking?

I feel like vampires as a concept don’t lend as easily and immediately to the “I am going to create widespread political change” type. And again with no preexisting associations with being cursed or damned, nor their being the inherent need for murder to survive, I think Aleksander ends up being in a position where he’s both more and less morally ambiguous. He’s not inherently monstrous, he only becomes that way through gradual, and inadvertent moral corruption. There’s no element of “succumbing to his nature.” He can keep thinking that he’s fully morally correct as long as he believes his goals are worth it and his sacrifices will have a return on them. The fact that he easily could have turned out completely differently and never been a villain at all is integral to his character.

Vampires conversely tend to deal with corruption of the soul/moral character at the point of immortality, or about consciously trying to combat the corruption of a known and acknowledged baser nature.

I’m aware that I’m making a lot of generalizations and assumptions about the ready thematic functions of vampires in fiction, but I hope this makes sense? Basically I think the tragedy just comes from a different direction.

Anyway, while I’m talking about vampires, I want to circle back to my earlier point about the Darkling feeling Edward Cullen influenced to me. Shadow and Bone was published in 2011, and with how slow moving the traditional publishing industry is, it’s safe to say it was written at least a year or two prior.

This would be towards the tail end of the post Twilight paranormal, and specifically vampire, romance boom. It was not at all uncommon to see unironic romances focusing on impressionable teenaged protagonists with poor self esteem, getting with 100+ year old love interests who, in singling them out (for their “maturity” and discontent from their peer group) validate their self worth, but also completely isolate and impose their own values on them.

The first half of the very first TGT book follows those same tropes pretty closely, and the initial romance heavy book marketing was basically indistinguishable from that crop of books.

To be clear, I think wish fulfillment stories are fine lol, but it’s really interesting to think of SaB (and the Darkling!) as a deliberate deconstruction in response to those trends.

Anyway this kind of went all over the place.

TLDR: I think vampires are?? frequently just as depressing?? They just tend to do it in mildly different ways. Also I have a soap box about Aleksander being a direct take on Edward Cullen (and others of his character type) being easily read as a controlling and abusive groomer.

#I… don’t even know how to tag this #grishaverse #shadow and bone #vampires #aleksander morozova #the darkling #also lol lmao sorry I am not editing or proofreading this I’m too busy #you’re just going to get my off the cuff stream of consciousness #vampire chronicles #hellsing #i ramble sometimes #all the bendy punctuations #a mysterious stranger has appeared #meta #*writer’s cap*

18 notes · View notes

bi-bard · 1 year

Text

girl in red Songs That Would Describe a Relationship with Alina Starkov - Alina Starkov Imagine [Shadow & Bone]

Title: girl in red Songs That Would Describe a Relationship with Alina Starkov

Pairing: Alina Starkov X Reader

Word Count: 1,607 words

Warning(s): nightmares

Author's Note: I'm gonna start using this series as an excuse to show y'all the variety of music I listen to.

---------------------

watch you sleep

I don't ever wanna leave I'll watch you sleep And listen to you breathe I don't ever wanna leave

There was a list of things that I would do in order to lay in bed with Alina just a little longer.

There were quests that I would go on, fights that I would pick, wars that I would start. All just for the chance to spend a few additional minutes with my arms around her.

I knew very well that I wouldn't be able to. Not now, anyway. Maybe not ever.

I knew who Alina was long before there was ever anything between us. I knew before she even got the Little Palace. She was the sun summoner. Whether she wanted it or not, she was the subject of legend. She was surrounded by stories and destiny, and I was just... there.

Compared to her, I was nothing. I was maybe a grain of sand where she was the entire shoreline. And most days, I had trouble thinking I was that much.

But she never looked at me like that. Quite the opposite. Her eyes always seemed to soften when she looked at me. It was strange to someone look at me like I was something more than just... me.

I would give anything to see face first thing in the morning.

I would give anything to see what she looked like when the sun found her face first thing in the morning.

I would give anything to just lay there and watch her wake up. Run my fingers through her hair, touch her skin, hold her, kiss her. Saints, I had never had someone make it feel like I could truly win any fight if it was in their honor.

But I couldn't.

For now, the best I could do was kiss her cheek and crawl out of her bed. All before she opened her eyes. All before the sun came up again.

Sneaking out of the Sun Summoner's room wasn't an easy task, but it was absolutely worth it.

Worth it to see the smile that Alina had to try to control when we saw each other. Worth it to find her again that night and be allowed to wrap my arms around her. Worth it to have someone be the center of my universe and be the center of theirs in return.

Everything was simply worth it.

i wanna be your girlfriend

I don't wanna be your friend I wanna kiss your lips I wanna kiss you until I lose my breath

When Alina asked for my help researching something, I probably said "yes" a little too fast.

She told me about how she had been having these dreams of this stag. She hadn't been having them before arriving at the Little Palace. She didn't have a real place to start.

I was happy to help. I knew about the amplifier, but I obviously couldn't confirm that this was what she was dreaming about until she saw a drawing of it. In my mind, it was just a story.

We were standing in front of one of the shelves, trying to figure out the best place to look. Nothing seemed quite right. There were pieces and hints, but it all felt like it was just barely missing the mark. As if someone was actively hiding the creature's image from us

"This would be easier to handle if there weren't so many stories about the sun summoner," Alina muttered after a while.

"Yes, how dare they write stories about the one they see as their savior and what could help her?" I replied sarcastically.

She chuckled and elbowed me lightly. "You know what I mean."

"Conflicting stories and no facts," I nodded.

"Exactly."

I stepped around to look at another shelf.

It was quiet for a while.

I traced my finger along the spines of the books. Some of the text was faded a bit. I wondered how many people had actually read them. Had they truly been read over time and time again, or did they sit on the shelves with no one looking for decades?

"You don't have to help," Alina spoke up again. I looked at her. "If you don't want to, I mean."

"Why do you think that I don't want to?" I furrowed my eyebrows, fully turning to her.

She paused for a moment. She thought that I felt like I had to be here. Not that I would have said yes to lying in a pit of snakes if I could spend time with her.

"Alina, I would've just said no... or come up with some excuse," I explained. "If I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't make both of us miserable by agreeing."

She just nodded.

I touched her arm. "I promise that I want to do this... and I want to spend time with you."

She grinned. "Thank you."

"I wouldn't say that until we figure out why you're dreaming of a magical stag," I muttered.

"I meant thank you for not treating me like a saint," she replied. "With you, I just feel like another person. It's a little less... intense."

"Oh," I mumbled. "You're welcome."

I don't know what happened in those next few seconds. It was like one moment, we were smiling at each other and the next, Alina had my face in her hands as she pulled me into a kiss.

I pulled away quickly, staring at her for a moment. I don't know what I expected to see, but I knew what I feared. Regret.

I didn't see that.

"Alina... why?"

"I wanted to," she answered simply. "I... I really wanted to. And I still want to."

I felt like my heart had simultaneously stopped and sped off all at once.

"I like you," she muttered. "I really like you. And I understand if-"

I leaned forward and kissed her again. My hands touched her sides, pulling her as close to me as I could. Her hands moved from my face so her arms could wrap around my neck.

I pulled away for a moment to whisper against her lips, "Your general isn't going to like this much."

She pecked my lips before replying, "I don't think I care all that much."

I chuckled as we continued kissing.

And when I say that I would have happily suffocated if it meant that she would never pull her lips away from mine, I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

rue

I remember you stayed up all night To make sure I was alright Believe me when I say I would have done the same

After the fight with Kirigan, I found it easier to simply stay awake.

Not only did it give me the chance to watch over Alina when she gets what little sleep she could struggle to get, but it allowed me to avoid one of too many things that I didn't have control over.

I knew what I would see if I fell asleep for too long. Kirigan's anger and evilness and violence, Alina's pain, the yelling and darkness and fear and just... everything that had haunted me since that day.

Alina had nightmares too. I knew that. And I knew that her nightmares were far worse than mine.

She needed me to take care of her more than anything else.

I was sitting on the small bed of the inn, reading some book that I found for almost free at some small shop. Alina was laying on her front, her head resting on my leg. I ran a hand through her hair.

I remember dreaming about this. Dreaming about holding her for as long as I wanted.

I never wanted it to be like this.

I jumped a bit when Alina frantically shoved herself up.

"Alina," I said, tossing my book to the far side of the mattress.

My hand touched her arm. She jumped a bit, turning to me.

"Hey, hey," I shifted closer to her. "It's alright. You're safe. I'm here."

She moved closer to me, wrapping her arms around my torso as she did. I leaned my forehead against hers, reaching up to touch her face, thumbs delicately running along her skin. I continued to whisper comforting words to her as she calmed her breathing.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, voice breaking from the weight of her restrained tears.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I promised.

"I do," she leaned back. "I dragged you into all of this. You... You could be free, but now, you're stuck worrying about me because I was selfish-"

"No," I stopped her. "Do not call yourself selfish. You aren't selfish. I am here because I want to be with you. Nothing more, nothing less. If I didn't have you, I would still be running for my life, but I would be alone and without any path to save myself. You have given me so much purpose just by loving me. I am never going to let you call that selfish and I am never going to listen to you apologize for it."

She let out a shaky breath.

"I love you, Alina Starkov. That's all there is to it. That's why I'm still here."

She stared at me for a moment. I assumed that she was trying to see if I meant what I said to her.

After that pause, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine.

"I love you too," she muttered between kisses.

I grinned a bit.

That was all I needed. All that I would ever need.

---------------------

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

#alina starkov imagine #alina starkov fanfiction #alina starkov x reader #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone fanfiction #imagine #fanfiction #x reader

32 notes · View notes