#suli sanktas
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Nikolai and Inej: *sharing information, how to be in a romantic relationship with an impolite person*
Zoya and Kaz: *having thoughts whether to fight or calmly go and find their lovers together*
#i just want team kanej&zoyalai#inej is the wisest friend both for men and women#kaz and zoya only pretend to hate each other#zoyalai#kanej#inej ghafa#zoya nazyanelsky#kaz brekker#nikolai lantsov#suli queens#suli sanktas#queen of ravka#knife wife#leigh bardugo#grishaverse#soc#six of crows#crooked kingdom#king of scars#rule of wolves#shadow and bone#sab netflix#sab2#tv: shadow and bone#grisha netflix#netflix shadow and bone
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so like imagine like post RoW, zoya wears a dark blue lehenga to some event/fête that they have at the palace, and nikolai is left absolutely speechless when he sees her in it
idk this was so random it just popped into my head while i was trying to sleep 😭
someone should write a fanfic based on this tho it would be so cute
#pls write this#zoya being the badass suli queen that she is#and nikolai absolutely in love with her#zoya would absolutely slay in a lehenga#sankta zoya#shadow and bone#shadow and bone netflix#grishaverse#sab#zoya nabri#zoyalai#nikolai lantsov#nikolai x zoya#zoya nazyalensky#zoya x nikolai
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so i recently finished the lives of saints and now it's time for my specialty; making everything about inej ghafa. the stories behind the namesakes of all her knives can be found here but the one that stood out to me the most was that of sankt petyr, her first knife. as the patron saint of archers it's likely she named the knife after her family's saying ("the heart is an arrow, it demands aim to land true"). but what stood out to me about it was how petyr died. i've seen a lot of analysis about the water imagery in the series and so i couldn't help but notice that petyr was martyred fighting a demon possesing a body of water, as inej fights slavers on the water. i know she didn't know that she would end up there when she named it but whatever it's symbolism you get it!!
while i was searching tags to see if anyone else noticed this i came across this post that highlights a possible parallel between petyr and kaz which is so delicious since it's known he gave the knife to her. one thing the grishaverse series is gonna do is eat the fuck out of symbolism. it was also not lost on me that sankta margaretha patron of thieves and lost children was kerch that was a nice touch. maybe a future knife name idk a girl can never have too many!
and ps sankta marya being a suli girl and the patron of those far from home made me want to eat the book. what the hell. what the hell.
#grishaverse#six of crows#the lives of saints#inej ghafa#kaz brekker#is this kanej posting#i'll count it#kanej#sankt petyr#sankta marya
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our secret moments in a crowded room
Pairings: Kanej, mentioned zoyalai
Rating: Mature
word count: 1.5k words
There was something about tonight.
Maybe it was the overly extravagant outfits- the vibrant coats with scrunched fabric flowers, the prodigiously flattering gowns and the decidedly complex hairstyles. Maybe it was the aura of effervescence surrounding the vast room as people chattered and drank and ate delicacies passed about by the hurrying waiters. Maybe it was the man across from her, with his sophisticated coat and neatly done hair. The dot of black amongst a canvas of colour.
Or maybe it was just the wine.
Inej stood amid the crowd, just another face, another shadow. An unnoticeable figure in a simple Suli dress. But she didn’t mind. She didn’t require attention. She drew it in bouts when she needed it, when the tightrope walker inside of her shone through. And why would she require anyone else’s attention, really, when the man she loved had his eyes on her so fondly.
The rush in the air had a reason, of course. The reason being the King of Ravka had found his Queen, Sankta Zoya. And they were to be married. The pompous occasion attracted people from all over the world, one of them being Inej. Part of the reason why she was invited was the Suli delegation. And part of it was because she was good friends with a certain Sturmhond.
Of course, the only reason Kaz had agreed to be her plus-one was to spot royal and known nincompoops and possibly loot them in the foreseen future. No other reason.
As if he ever expected me to believe that, she thought dryly as she watched Kaz sneaking glances at her amidst his conversation with a rich mercher.
Inej whiled away her time talking to people she had no interest in making conversation with, and refusing chest-thumping men who wouldn’t stop asking her for a drink.
“You look ravishing, Miss Ghafa, would you like to dance?” one of them, an aqualine Ravkan who called himself Sebastien Vhiel, asked as dipped his bearded chin to look into her eyes. His attempt at being romantic, she supposed.
“I prefer Captain, actually,” she said as she sipped from her verre.
“Oh” His mouth opened as he came to a realisation. “You are the Suli Captain, The Wraith.”
“Yes, well spotted,” said Inej.
“It’s quite bold, dare I say, to be a woman aboard a ship, let alone be its captain.” He was frowning now, as if contemplating the sheer absurdity of the situation.
“It’s also quite bold to spew nonsense in front of a woman who doesn’t give a fuck about what you think, and yet here you are.” Inej resisted the urge to smirk when she saw the man’s face turn red. Now, she’ll have you know, she didn’t like to swear much at all. But after being hit on by such blithering fools, wouldn’t anybody want to pop the F-bomb?
As the Ravkan turned to walk away with his scattered dignity, another man appeared behind him, seemingly proud.
“It appears you are having fun,” he commented as he drew closer to her.
“Why of course, it is such a joy being insulted by idiots with brains the size of a pea.” She rolled her eyes while Kaz grinned.
“Besides,” she looked at him narrowly, “you left me all alone all night.”
Kaz sighed. “I apologise, my dear Inej. But I managed to plan another robbery mere seconds after talking to Mr. Berr. The poor fool gave away too much, much of which was fake. And he thought he was being smart. He won’t see this one coming.” Inej could see the glint that lit up his eyes whenever he talked about a job. This one was going to be fun, that much she could already imagine.
But she wasn’t going to talk about future heists tonight, he could tell her his plan later.
For now,
“Ask me to dance with you,” she all but commanded.
Kaz raised an eyebrow. “You want a cripple to dance with you?”
When she nodded, he curled one end of his mouth. “Why so, love?”
Oh, how she loved it when he called her that.
“As a compensation, for leaving me alone. Ask me for a dance, and ask me nicely.”
“Very well. Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honour of dancing with me?” he said before holding out a gloved hand. She wanted to kiss him.
Instead, she slipped her hand in his and let him lead her to where other couples were already swaying.
Before Kaz placed a hand on her waist, he slowly whispered, “I can’t say I’ve danced before.”
“Me neither,” Inej said as she interlaced their fingers. “But we can learn. Together.”
They danced away from the others, that is, if you could really call it dancing. They barely moved their feet, just a few inches back and forth periodically. It would be scandalous if anybody recognised the Bastard of the Barrel and the Terror of the Seas dancing with their arms around each other, looking like they were madly in love, but a quick glance across the room would have anyone assured nobody cared about anyone’s business other than their own.
The feeling of solitude and secrecy overcame Inej. How ironic to be surrounded and yet alone.
“You’re smiling,” Kaz noticed.
“Yes, I am. This is nice,” Inej replied.
“It is,” Kaz said and Inej almost cried there wasn’t enough light in the room for if there were, she was certain she would catch him blushing. She could, however, see the half-lidded looks he kept offering her every few seconds.
“You’re dying to kiss me, aren’t you?”
Kaz’s eyes visibly darkened, and she could see the gears of his mind working before he gave her a smirk.
“I’m offended, Inej, I thought I was harder to read than that.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have guessed so easily, if it wasn’t for that look you were giving me all night.”
“What look?”
Inej mirrored his expression. “The look you give a pigeon you can’t wait to pickpocket.”
Kaz fumbled with his footing, managing to step on Inej’s foot and earning a yelp and a shove on the shoulder.
A few people turned to stare, and Inej swiftly pulled away from him.
The very next second, Kaz felt a weight drift from the room and he simply followed suit, grabbing his cane from the bar and hoping the spectators didn’t see his face. They’d been careless. If even one of them spread talks, or recognised them, it would be disastrous.
But then, Kaz thought as he spotted the chamber Inej planned on staying in, offered to her by King Nikolai himself, the ignoramuses present there had hardly the wit of an ostrich. For them, Kaz and Inej were but a flustered couple in love.
When Kaz entered the chamber, he saw Inej already unhooking her earrings.
“No plans of returning to the party, then, I suppose?” Kaz said as he discarded his coat.
“None,” said Inej, beginning to unclasp her necklace. Moving in strides, Kaz appeared behind her in the mirror and hesitantly raised his hands toward her necklace. They’d healed profoundly over the years, and yet there was always consent in each and every touch and kiss they planted on one another. Inej nodded, Go on.
Kaz removed the necklace, delicate as it was and laid it in Inej’s palm. He then, yet again, met her eyes in the mirror, seeking permission.
Inej arched her neck, Finish the story.
Kaz lowered his head and placed a kiss at the very spot he’d touched her for the first time ever, back at the bathroom in the Geldrenner Suite. He’d once mentioned to Inej it was his favourite spot to kiss on her body, it was the spot that gave him the most joy being able to touch and it was the spot which reminded him of how far they’d come.
Inej smiled as he trailed his lips up to her ear, her temple and then back to her neck, his hands gently cupping her shoulders. After a few minutes, which Inej was sure she’d spent in heaven, Kaz turned her and pecked her nose.
“Inej, I love you, but the look I have on my face when I want to pickpocket a blockhead is not the same as the one I have on while I'm thinking about kissing you,” he said with utmost solemnity.
A giggle broke out of Inej, but was soon silenced by Kaz’s lips on hers. His kiss was slow and soft at first, gradually becoming more passionate as Inej responded eagerly. Neither of them could ever fathom how quickly things always escalated between them, how fervently they showed how they needed each other and how it was always the same tide of feelings that washed over them each time- of love, security and bliss.
At the end of the night, Inej lay with her hair strewn and lips kiss-swollen, a serene smile plastered on her face.
There was definitely something about tonight.
on ao3
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Ruins of Faith - Grishaverse fanfiction
Also available on AO3
The night – or what passed for it at this time of the year – was not quite over, but the Palaces were buzzing with life.
Genya stepped over the metal construction the Nichevo’ya had knocked from the roof.
She felt her heart sink when she recognized David’s style in the design.
Please, be okay.
She knew the Darkling focused his attack on the main palace, but she worried David might have tried playing hero.
“Impressive build.” her companion, a Suli woman who looked Genya’s own age, despite having been the leader of Grisha forces on the Shu border long before Genya had been born. The other Grisha had called her Karina. The Darkling had referred to her as Marya. “Your boy’s work?”
“Looks like it.”
“If it wasn’t aimed at us, I’d like to see it at work.” Karina chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
“Right.” Genya nodded and followed the Fabricator to the ruins of the Little Palace chapel.
Ruins felt like a strong word, if Genya was honest with herself. Pile of stones and dust.
“There’s no way anyone survived that.” Genya looked at Karina with worry on her face.
“He’s a lot tougher than he looks.” Karina assured her, stretching. “Give me a bit of space.”
Genya wanted to protest there was no way the Durast would be able to clear the rubble by herself, not in a timely manner, anyway, but she remained quiet.
Karina’s confidence left no room for questions.
Karina looked almost bored as she went through her motions. One by one, the stones rose up and moved to the side.
Genya held her breath.
Finally, the stones revealed a figure dressed in a black kefta, though it looks more gray than black under the layers of dust.
He was undoubtedly still breathing.
Genya rushed to his side, rolling him over on his back, revealing a second figure beneath him.
Alina.
Her hair as white as fresh snow, despite much of her being shielded from the dust.
They were both death-pale, breathing shallowly, but breathing none-the-less.
Genya knew it would probably be better to wait for a Healer, but she didn’t want to wait. She slipped one hand through a cut in the Darkling’s sleeve and used her amplified abilities to bring him to consciousness.
He grabbed her wrist and forced it away from his body before he even opened his eyes.
He let go, when he saw her.
“I’m sorry…” she breathed. “I was worried.”
He didn’t say anything, just closed his eyes again and breathed deeply.
“Do you need a Healer? I’ll go find someone…”
“They protected us. I’m just tired.” he replied, propping himself up a little.
“I found another one!” Karina shouted.
He turned to look in her direction, but almost instantly laid down again. “Go look.” he directed Genya.
She stood up, stepped over Alina and went to look at the final dust-covered figure.
“The tracker. Of course.” Genya sighed. He seemed alive, though barely.
“She’s not going to be very happy about that.” Darkling chuckled, already sitting again.
“You look like death, Sasha.” Karina said, stepping closer to him. “Go get some sleep. We can handle the clearing.”
She offered him her hand and helped him stand up.
He looked to Genya.
“Makes sure these two are taken care of. Same rules as on Volkvolny.”
“Both of them to the cells?” Genya asked.
“Him. Take her back to her suite.”
Genya raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
He headed to the Palace and Genya looked curiously at Karina.
“Sasha?” she chuckled.
“Forget about it.” Karina shook her head.
“I’m not sure which is more impressive. That you know his name, or that you talked to him like he was a kid and he didn’t even protest.”
“Let’s just say we’re old friends.” Karina smirked. “You know your task. And I have some cleaning to do.”
(For context, Karina is indeed Sankta Marya, all grown up and helping Aleksander. In this version, she is about Baghra's age and has been doing her best to protect the persecuted (and later primarily Grisha) since she was young, primarily by creating shelters for them (Second Ravka, aka the vast system of tunnel that includes the White Cathedral, may or may not be largely her work). I will go into her backstory/motivations more at some point, because she's one of the more defined allies I've chosen to give to Sasha.)
#siege and storm#grishaverse#grishaverse fanfiction#genya safin#the darkling#sankta marya of the rock#darkling gets himself some saintly ally(s)#alternate ending to siege and storm#loyal!Genya
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Reading Crooked Kingdom and…
So the Ravkan country hasn’t treated the Suli well… and there’s no mention in the show? In the books Inej refuses to be in the same room as 2/3 of the triumvirate. And show Inej is fine with being part of Nikolai’s scheme? The future king of Ravka? Descendant of the Lantsov bloodline? A little mention goes a long way, ya know?
I get it that Ravka is in shambles and there’s no triumvirate. But Inej would be up in arms with the royal family that has been running that country. And yes, she was all “this is about Sankta alina, then I am obviously in”. But you can do both. Ok? Ok.
#shadow and bone#six of crows#grishaverse#sab#sab spoilers#shadow and bone tv show#soc#crooked kingdom#book spoilers#brilligreads#inej ghafa
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I have read copious amounts of six of crows fanfiction in the last week but the one thing that keeps getting me is the common head cannon to make Inej a Sankt. It is so fitting for her with her own reverence for the Sankts and the fact that she never set out to become one. Also the fact that she's not grisha but she doesnt need to be for the good she is doing. She is becoming a Sankt in the way that all the best ones do, by doing what she thinks is right and maybe it ends up being something people pray to you for. Sankta Inej, The Wrath, Kaz’s spider, Inej Ghafa, Captain Ghafa, a Dreg, a Crow, a little Suli acrobat taken from her family who has seen so much but is still so kind, a slaver’s worst nightmare but a slave’s best dream.
#sankta inej#inej ghafa#the dregs#the crows#six of crows#I will die on the hill that Inej becomes a Sankt#I want it to start small and then as her reputation grows she realizes slaves worship her as much as slavers are afraid of her#Obviously the other crows hear about it#Id like to think they keep quiet about it and then one day inej comes back from sea#and they throw a huge party in her honor and Jesper will joke about it to her fr the rest of their days#I say huge party but I'd like to think that its just the crows getting hammered#also everyone outside ketterdam knows Kaz as Inej's crow#but all the city still knows inej as kaz's Wraith#but eventually they both become legends/myths in their own right that cannot be seperated#the ultimate power couple#tea talks
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shadow and bone season 1 episode 6 reactionnnnnn!! also i finished the first s&b book (it was so short compared to soc 💀💀), and i've started reading the next
nina is a spy for the darkling?? interesting..
ok but can they please show nina in this episode its been too long 😭😭
theyre gonna kill him right
yeah (god bless i never liked him anyways 🙏)
fuck if she gets out then kaz wont believe jesper about her being with them all along and he'll beat his ass
oh nvm
crows and alina meeting hell yeahhh 🔥🔥🔥
stop i so badly wanted for inej to say sankta alina or smth like that so they could be friends ☹️☹️
nina mention!!!
matthias mention!!!!
Yessss i am getting her in this episode!!!
yayy theres zoya screen time too!! they really gotta show more of her shes such an interesting character
oh my god wait... he probably made out with zoya and manipulated her too before alina came along..
hes such a hoe hes literally a pedophile too cuz isnt alina like 17??
nina looked so hot in that scene tell me im wrong (you cant)
ugh i think this was the scene in the book where mal came 🙄🙄 but then again after reading the book i've realized that show mal is SO much better i should appreciate him
yeah i was right
stop not nina saying that and literally gawking at his abs afterward 💀💀
everything ab this scene is so awkward i literally cant
aughh the crows finally its been 17903280 years
oh my god if kaz doesnt tell inej later this season or something what he gave up for her im gonna die but i also know its much more realistic if he doesnt 😭😭
them going from a kanej scene where theyre not communicating properly to a malina scene where they do comminute is so CRUEL ☹️☹️
isnt this the scene where the kiss
i dont even care for them but the tension is killing me wtf just do it already
helink are so funny when theyre tryna be enemies
hdhfhfkf i remember that line from the book!! nina is the best 🔥🔥
stop theyre so cute
i hope the darkling and kaz meet... emo boy battle who will win (we all know who)
inej fight scenes are literally the best hello
so are jespers even tho it wasnt really a "fight" scene
oh my god this really is like that one line "a suli girl who became a killer" once she did it for the first time shes js gonna keep doing it (as she should inej can do whatever she wants)
HELP EMO BOY BATTLE i was right
haha ik kaz would win 🔥🔥 stop the darkling must be so embarassing rn that literally some random ass criminal was able to escape him
do they have to show his wounds so close up ew
nina and matthias are actually so cuteauhdhf
stoppp i got so scared for a second there that he was gonna drop her
INEJ NOO ☹️☹️
that one shot of kaz you know what im talking about
wait hello isnt the book that guy threw at jesper shadow and bone??
malina angst is always like. 2 seconds long
i feel like every episode theres less and less of the crows and that makes me so sad 💔 i wish i could have more hope for the spinoff
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Grishaverse reference
Hi Grishaverse moots, idk if someone has already done this before and if they have, sorry, guess we've got two cakes now.
I recently finished reading lb's written version of Lives of the Saints and I have many thoughts. The following are my guesses on nation of origin and grisha power for the saints mentioned in the book, based on the stories provided. There isn't a ton of information, but these are my best guesses, feel free to put these interpretations in your fics!
Also lb's grasp on Russian is tenuous at best, so keep in mind that this list is written letter for letter the way the chapters were titled, not the way these names would be properly spelled.
Sankta Margaretha - Kerch, likely Durast
Sanka Anastasia - Ravkan, likely Healer or Alkemi
Sankt Kho - Shu, Durast
Sankta Neyar - Shu, Durast
Sankt Juris of the Sword - presumably Ravkan but he dates back to before Ravka was a country, his story references one of his miracles not his actual story of sainthood so his Grisha designation is unknown, we do know that he's a two-souled Grisha bonded with the Dragon
Sankta Vasilka - probably Ravkan due to her being described as the first firebird, likely a two-souled Grisha with a firebird, maybe a Durast or Squaller
Sankt Nikolai - unclear nationality due to his being on a ship from an unknown port, potentially Ravkan, Squaller, maybe an Alkemi too
Sankta Lizabeth of the Roses - Ravkan, maybe a Durast, maybe a two-souled Grisha with bees, maybe an Alkemi with plants
Sankta Maradi - Zemeni, Tidemaker or Squaller
Sankt Demyan of the Rime - Fjerdan, Durast
Sankta Marya of the Rock - Suli, Durast
Sankt Emerens - Kerch, maybe Alkemi or Heartrender
Sankt Vladimir the Foolish - Ravkan, Tidemaker
Sankt Grigori of the Wood - Ravkan, Healer, potential Durast, two-souled Grisha with a bear
Sankt Valentin - unknown nationality, potential Squaller or Heartrender, potential two-souled Grisha with a snake
Sankt Petyr - Ravkan, potential Inferni or Heartrender
Sankta Yeryin of the Mill - Shu, likely Durast or Alkemi
Sankt Feliks Among the Boughs - Ravkan, likely Alkemi, the Thornwood grew where he died, two-souled Grisha with a hawk
Sankt Lukin the Logical - unknown, potential merzost-using Healer or Heartrender
Sankta Magda - Ravkan, Healer or Alkemi, maybe secondary Squaller gift, saved Grisha children from pyres
Sankt Egmond - Fjerdan, Durast, forced to create the Ice Court
Sankt Ilya in Chains - Ravkan, merzost-using Durast, potential Healer/Heartrender too
Sankta Ursula of the Waves - from an area in Fjerda where she is called a princess but we known her mother is Baghra and her father a sildroher, making her half-sildroher half Ravkan, Tidemaker
Sankt Mattheus - unknown nationality, Alkemi or Heartrender, turned wolves into dogs, possible merzost using Heartrender or two-souled Grisha with a wolf
Sankt Dimitri - unknown nationality, likely a merzost-using Healer or Heartrender (or a Squaller playing a joke due to his? skeleton being found in a room still praying and also talking)
Sankt Gerashim the Misunderstood - likely Ravkan, potential Durast, his vow of silence makes me think it's more likely that he was attacked and made mute because it says he stopped talking at 15 and didn’t say a word in his defense before he died
Sankta Alina of the Fold - Ravkan, Sun Summoner, obviously
The Starless Saint - Ravkan, Shadow Summoner, obviously
Extra thoughts I had reading the book:
“Half of novokribirsk was lost” - this is how the Darkling moving the Fold was described so I guess we have a better grasp on where the Fold moved to and how many people died
The story with Alina isn't about her own sainthood but about people praying to her, specifically Grisha children who are being sold to Kerch slaver, what a surprise that Alina didn't fix everything governing Ravka (I am bitter as hell and this is sarcastic)
Ulla being described as a princess is odd because what is she the princess of?
We know that dragons and sildrohers exist in the grishaverse but nebulous "demons" are also mentioned as taking over people's bodies. It's unclear how real these might be or whether they were trauma responses or mental health issues.
A ton of these people are hermits, likely because it helped hide their powers.
Lots of saints being accused of conspiring with the “demons,” lots of the saints are described as “witches.”
The prose feels like I’m reading propaganda written by the Apparat. ex: All the saints are described as pious and this is what their actions are attributed to despite clearly being the result of Grisha powers.
It's interesting to me personally lb even included Aleksander or allowed a story to exist that showed how his expansion of the Fold benefitted a Ravkan citizen.
Most Saints are described as weak and sickly, wonder why that is (wasting sickness from hiding their powers).
The Tula valley was desolate before the Fold because Feliks died there and many crops rotted after his death.
A lot of these stories have townspeople and noblemen turning on the saints, also lots of stories of people fighting for royalty then being betrayed by the same royalty (what a sucky trend for Grisha).
Many saints are said to be monks and scholars, this might be Apparat propaganda but it also might be an extension of them being in hiding about their powers.
Lot of saints are Durasts and Alkemi, likely because Materialki powers are the easiest to hide. Possible Etherealki Saints probably didn't survive long enough to be remembered.
A surprising amount of saints were Squallers. This may be because wind is harder to predict than other natural forces and is more likely to be dismissed as nature rather than Grisha power.
Only one saint is a potential Inferni. Probably because it's arguably the most difficult power to hide.
Some of these legends definitely seem older than others because they reference each other and lb does not make it clear where in the historical timeline they fall in relation to each other.
Some of the saints are only described with their miracles not their stories of sainthood, this is a curious choice and I wonder why it was made.
Some of the saints' deaths are written as fade to black while others are described in excruciating detail. Another weird choice.
#ref#grishaverse#grishaverse ref#fic ref#shadow and bone#sab#s&b#aleksander morozova#alina starkov#ilya morozova
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She, Queen of the Kings
Summary: Zoya, The Dragon Queen, Queen of Kings...
A/N: Inspired by “Queen of Kings” by Alessandra. I changed some lyrics to fit the story, but lyrics are italicized. (Also this song? *chef’s kiss*)
Also no real romantic pairing as this is Zoya-centric, but I threw some Zoyalai in there bc yes
No one knew about the prophecy that had been spoken just after Zoya Nabri had been born, that Suhum Nabri had taken his infant daughter to a Suli Seer by the light of a full moon, unknown to his wife, to have her fortune told. It was a tradition amongst the traveling people, but true prophecies were rare, rarer so to be given to a newborn babe.
One moment, the Seer had been holding Zoya’s tiny hand, her eyes closed and brows furrowed in concentration, and the next, her eyes were open, glassy and white, her voice unearthly. “She, Queen of the Kings, running so fast, beating the wind,” the Seer had said. “Nothing in this world can stop the spread of her wings. She, Queen of the Kings, broken her cage, threw away the keys. She will be the warrior of the nation and the world.”
Got raven hair, dark as night, icy eyes, out of sight, out of sight. Zoya Nazyalensky had been a beautiful child, and had grown into an even more beautiful woman. Her beauty was both her shield and her weakness, forming an unapproachable exterior while simultaneously protecting the wounded child within. She could never forget the man her mother had attempted to sell her to, the little gold wedding gown, the wind tearing down the chapel doors. So she made beauty her weapon, another tool in her arsenal. She was weak no longer, she was a warrior.
Her heart, in spite, is warm and bright. Few people truly knew Zoya. Most people saw her as a cold, distant woman, the harsh commander, the most powerful Squaller, a member of the Grisha Triumvirate. But no one saw Zoya of the garden, tending to her flowers, often with tears in her eyes. No one saw the way she looked at a doe nursing her fawn, or how she subtly defended those beneath her. No one saw how her face lit up when the newest shipment of Kerch novels arrived. Zoya refused to lose herself, to lose the warmth, the kindness she’d harbored since childhood. She buried it, kept it safe, but kept that spark alive.
Nothing in this world can stop the spread of her wings. The Fjerdan war had been brutal, but Zoya, with the help of Juris, had led Ravka to victory. And this victory would last, she knew, not only thanks to the dragon’s voice in her mind, but because the people now bowed to her, spoke her name with reverence. “Let the Nazyalensky dynasty begin. All hail the Dragon Queen,” Niklolai had proclaimed on bended knee, and after the shock, the fear, and the urge to murder him in his sleep had passed, once Zoya had adjusted to the thought, to the notion of being Queen, she knew she could at last bring peace to her people. So she shouldered the burden and wore the crown, taking the oath with her love beside her.
The word had spread fast, far faster than anyone could have anticipated. As they often were, the Suli were among the first to know. Zoya’s prophecy had been shared amongst the Seers after its first speaking, but now, those who wore the jackal masks spoke the words once more. “She, Queen of the Kings, running so fast, beating the wind, nothing in this world can stop the spread of her wings. She, Queen of the Kings, broken her cage, threw away the keys. She will be the warrior of the nation and the world.”
Zoya was Ravka’s first Queen Regnant in history, and Nikolai her first Prince Consort. Queen of Kings, they called her, alongside The Dragon Queen, Rebe Dva Urga, and Sankta Zoya of the Storm. She had shrugged the chains of her past, shattered the cage the Darkling had once put her in, and fought for her nation and her people. The Queen was a warrior, both for her country and for the world at large. And when Juris spoke in her mind, nothing could stop her wings from spreading, both figuratively and literally, though she could control the dragon’s form at will now.
Her smile awakes the Northern Light. When Zoya smiled, it was as if a Sun Summoner was in the room with her. Her smiles were far more frequent since her wedding, and Nikolai was almost always the one to cause them. For the first time in her life, Zoya was happy, truly, shamelessly happy. Her people were safe, her nation was at peace, she had a man who loved her, everything felt right. It was no easy job, but for once, Zoya was not alone. She had a council to aid her, her husband to guide her, and people to back her.
Looking out, she calls… who will conquer all? Of course, peace cannot last forever. The Shu were invading, what had started as a simple border skirmish threatened to become an all-out war. Ravka had had a measly 2 years of peace, and Zoya owed it to her people to fight for them, for their lives, for the peace they so desperately deserved. Seated atop her horse on the Shu-Han border, draped in her sapphire corecloth kefta, the Queen addressed her people:
“I will not allow anyone to encroach upon our lands, to threaten your livelihoods, to harm my people, your people. So I ask you this:” Zoya looked out at her soldiers, the men and women she would lead into battle. “Who will conquer all who seek to harm you? Who will conquer any who threaten our nation?” The soldiers, Grisha and otkazat’sya both, cried out in unison, and while their phrasing varied, their answer was the same. She, Queen of the Kings.
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I decided to add something (the beginning isn't mine)⬇️
Inej: we all have our demons.
Zoya, pointing at Kaz and Nikolai: precisely they're ours.
Inej: and we love them.
Zoya: and we.. wait!
Inej, rolling her eyes: you love your husband, Zoya.
Zoya: no. I mean yes, I do. but you? love Brekker?
Inej: he has no manners, but I love him.
Nikolai and Kaz, both breathless: she loves me.
#i just want team kanej&zoyalai#both boys have heart-eyes#suli sanktas#suli queens#inej and zoya#kaz and nikolai#zoyalai#kanej#inej ghafa#zoya nazyalensky#queen of ravka#kaz brekker#kazzle dazzle#nikolai lantsov#king of ravka#grishaverse#leigh bardugo#netflix shadow and bone#shadow and bone#tv: shadow and bone#grisha netflix#siege and storm#ruin and rising#six of crows#the crows#crooked kingdom#king of scars#rule of wolves
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Re sab series
Something’s been off and I couldn’t put my finger on it till recently but
Isn’t Inej’s religion different from Ravka’s? So I was confused why she’d think of Alina as a Saint or look to them as proof of her faith—-I assumed Suli had their own. Or am I going bonkers over here it just doesn’t make sense to me
Also someone had pointed out Inej doesn’t particularly have friendly feelings towards Ravkans as she told Nina in the books, that they were not especially kind to her people. So again it’s bizarre that she keeps affiliating with them in the show
I’m just. What’s with the writers I just don’t get what’s going on in the writers’ room
i haven't read soc/ck in too long so i can't really say how religion works in the grishaverse. i just finished my s&s reread and started by r&r reread and religion is definitely part of the plot as a political force but there's not much world building done in terms of religious practices or different faiths. whatever doctrine the apparat is preaching has saints at it's centre though—saints from different countries, not just ravka. if i remember correctly, it's mostly the fjerdans with their religion of djel where national identity and religious affiliation are closely tied together. so it is possible that there are faiths that are less connected to a specific nationality. doesn't inej name her knives after saints? one of her knives is called sankta alina, right? yeah, i think i remember inej not having the warmest of feelings towards ravkans, but maybe it's different if it's a saint??? idk tbh at this point i feel like it's fair to assume that the writers just did stuff for the hell of it without caring about stuff established in the books, so i can totally see them miss the mark in this way too. wouldn't be surprised if we can add this to the list of nonsense they fabricated just because.
#if i come across info on my reread of soc i might add to this post#but atm there is basically no info about grishaverse religion stored in my brain lol#as a character girlie i don't pay the most attention to stuff like this.#thanks for the ask#i hope you're having a wonderful weekend!! <3#anon#answer
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I made this post for myself for reference, so it’s really just things about the saints that I think would be handy for writing inej & it’s a wreck bc my note taking hasn’t improved since high school, but anyone who doesn’t want to buy/read the lives of saints, here’s some tidbits?????
Every year, lanterns are lit along the canal and prayers are said to Margaretha, the patron saint of thieves and lost children - ketterdam
A servant had observed the whole endeavor, and word soon spread of the healing properties of Anastasia’s blood. Sankta Anastasia is known as the patron saint of the sick and is celebrated every year with tiny dishes of red wine. - tsemna
Every year on his Saint’s day, the people honor Juris by placing bunches of red amaranth over their doorways and welcoming soldiers and veterans into their houses.
But all the time the sorcerer had been talking, he had not bothered to understand just what Vasilka had been weaving—a grand pair of wings. All he could do was stare as she slipped them onto her arms and leapt from the tower. She soared away on golden feathers that caught the light in their glowing threads and seemed to set the last scraps of afternoon sun ablaze. She is said to have become the first firebird and is the patron saint of unwed women.
Nikolai is known as the patron saint of sailors and lost causes, and it is traditional to set a place for him at the table on the darkest night of the year.
So the general gave the order, as generals do, and Lizabeta’s body was torn apart, and the bees hummed lazily in their hives. It’s said her blood watered the roses of the field and turned the blossoms red. It’s said the blooms planted on her grave never perished and smelled sweet the whole year round, even when the winter snows came. But the bees have long since left those hives and want no business with those flowers.If you can find that meadow, you may stand and breathe in the perfume of its blossoms, speak your prayers, and let the wind carry them west to the sea.The roses remember, even if wise men choose to forget. Lizabeta is known as the patron saint of gardeners.
Sankta Maradi is known as the patron saint of impossible love.
at the base of the Sikurzoi, the Suli have always been able to find shelter in the caves that Marya left behind. She is known as the patron saint of those who are far from home.
Vladimir’s body drifted to shore on the tide, and the people of Os Kervo gathered him up and placed him upon a bier covered in lilies. For another thirty days and thirty nights, they came to pay their respects, and to the astonishment of all, Vladimir’s corpse did not rot. On the thirty-first day, his body dissolved into sea-foam, leaving behind nothing but a small heap of sea salt among the lilies.He is known as the patron saint of the drowned and of unlikely achievement.
It is customary for the mothers of brides to offer prayers to Sankt Valentin, and seeing a snake on your wedding day is known to be good luck.
Petyr would not let go. He died that day, but so did the demon. Sankt Petyr is known as the patron saint of archers.
Yeryin is the patron saint of hospitality.
Feliks told them there was no magic, only nature. He refused to confess to any crime and only asked to be turned on the spit so as to cook more evenly. His bones were scattered over the ground, and without his care, the orchards froze and faltered. Ever after, the only tree that would grow in that soil was the thorn wood, its branches thick with fruit that never ripened. The people of the Tula Valley starved along with everyone else and had their equal share of misery. Sankt Feliks is celebrated in the spring with feasts of quince and apple and is known as the patron saint of horticulture.
Lukin’s head was placed upon a golden platter, and from it, he dispensed advice to the new king for the entirety of his rule, which was long, just, and miserable. Sankt Lukin is the patron saint of politicians.
The village continued to starve no matter how many girls they put to death. But the girls who prayed to Magda would often find themselves swept up and carried into the heart of the forest, and so she is known as the patron saint of abandoned women, as well as bakers.
The palace Egmond built was unlike any seen before it. A stone serpent guarded its high towers, its bridge of glass and moat of floating frost, its silver clock tower, and the sacred ash at its heart. Ever since, the Ice Court has stood, its walls unbreached by any army. Sankt Egmond is the patron saint of architects.
The child Ilya had dragged back from the next world wandered the village, asking for his mother and father, begging for a place to sleep. Every door was closed to him, and so he was left to the woods, where he can still be heard crying. Sankt Ilya is the patron saint of unlikely cures.
A chapel was built into the rock on her island, where sailors’ wives still come to pray to Ursula, patron saint of those lost at sea. They leave offerings of bread baked into the shape of fish, and wish for their lovers’ swift return. When they leave, some find bones or sea pearls in their pockets, though no one is sure if these are ill or good omens.(fjyerden)
The good people of the village set the hem of the wolfhunter’s fine velvet coat alight and chased Dag Ivar down the road and out of town. Mattheus continued to visit with the pups until they were grown wolves themselves. They came when he called, lay at his feet, thumped their tails when he told them stories. Their pups were tame in the very same way, and took to guarding the doorways and hearths of the village their grandmother had once terrorized.These were the first dogs, and this is why Sankt Mattheus is the patron saint of those who love and care for animals. (fjyerden)
Dimitri was the son of a king but wished he had been born otherwise. From his early days, he wanted only to contemplate the works of the Saints and study scripture rather than statecraft. When the time came for him to assume his responsibilities as a future ruler and to find a bride, he begged his parents’ pardon and informed them that he had no intention of marrying or of ever assuming the throne. He would give his life over to piety and prayer. At their wits’ end, the king and queen ordered their only son locked in a tower, vowing that he would be denied food until he agreed to wed and become the prince he was meant to be. At last the queen demanded that the tower be opened so that she could see her son. When the guards broke through the door, they found a skeleton sitting at Dimitri’s desk. It cheerfully waved to the queen and invited her to pray with him. The queen ran screaming from the tower, and the king and all their servants followed. Sankt Dimitri, patron saint of scholars, may be praying there still.
Gerasim is known as the patron saint of artists.
#STUDY — & i’m still a believer but i don’t know why *☾#reference.#like these notes are so messy it's funny#the little headcanons I've put together about how inej celebrates their saint days tho
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❝Inej, you're bleeding.❞ ( i had to )
"It's not that bad." She retorted with a hiss as she pressed her hand hard onto the gash in her side. The dark fabric of her tunic started to bloom crimson, despite her attempt to conceal it. Liquid was starting to run down her hand and drop onto the stone floor in a steady stream.
She was lucky, the suli girl supposed, the early hours of the morning had come, dawn lightened the dust grey sky above the city and for a few more precious moments the barrel would be quiet. Patrons made their way home to nurse their sins of a bygone night and unlucky podges started getting up for the early morning shifts in the clubs and pleasure dens of the Barrel. It wasn't peaceful or quiet but it gave Inej enough cover to slip into the empty building. She was ahead of schedule and found only Kaz still inside. The vicious cane and waistcoat accentuated his position of a floor boss that demanded respect. Inej looked up at him through dark eyes.
Her world was made up of hurt. It hurt to move, to keep standing, even to breathe, but she had to keep herself upright. There could be no weakness. Inej placed her free arm against the Crow Clubs counter to support her own weight.
Usually their meeting spot would be Kaz's apartments. Inej would climb through the window and settle into the cushions on the windowsill before taking out her knifes and quietly retell the secrets she stole for him. This time however, it hadn't gone as smoothly.
Breaking in to a Merches house was easy. Find the weak point, open the lock, overcome obstacles, then be invisible and listen. What she hadn't expected was to find the Razor Gulls and Harley's pointer along with a woman dressed in lucious fabrics, blonde hair and peacock feathers all sitting at the merchants dinner table.
Heleen van Houtens laugh startled her. It was beautiful, charming, like a breeze blowing through a chime to produce lovely little tunes that molded into an effortless melody. It chilled her bones and made her skin shiver as panic accompanied the unexpected sound. For a moment she was back at the Menagerie, bells tied to her ankles and golden chains on her wrist as shadows tore open clothes and felt her in places she wanted to be never touched again.
Then Inej slipped, her foot sliding off the wooden beam she perched on, making the one thing the Wraith should never do. A sound. The party looked up and Inej started running. Sankta Lisabetha in one hand. Sankt Felix in the other. Her protectors her friends. Their grips felt like a life line, the only thing standing between her and the shadows. She had called on them, repeated all the names she could remember as her claws found flesh and then steel found her.
A flaring pain radiated from her side where aan who looked to be from Per Haskells times inserted a knife into her side and slid it back out. It was good steel, she'd thought, well kept, slicing skin as if it were butter. Sankt Petyr flew and pierced his throat. It was the opening Inej had needed. She pulled the knife out while running, then disappeared onto the rooftops, now here she was, panting, blood staining the ground beneath her feet with Kaz standing only a few paces away.
She hissed. "van Verent is planning something. He had the Gulls and the pointers there for a visit." She continued her report. Inej didn't tell him about Heleen, about the effect that demon still had on her. Weakness is what got you killed in the barrel and tonight her weakness had nearly succeeded in that endeavor. Inej took a step forward, but her leg buckled from the new onslaught of white hot pain and she fell sideways against his frame before she could catch herself.
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The Lives of Saints part 3
SANKTA MARADI
This is, once again, one of the stories where it’s very easy to see the Grisha work behind everything. Maradi seems to be just a moderately powerful tidemaker, who has a penchant for helping people.
SANKT DEMYAN OF THE RIME
Unlike the story of Sankta Maradi, this one feels like it’s missing something. Like, if what the story tells corresponds at all to the reality, there’s definitely something that has been left out. The pattern of first coming to someone to get them to fix your problems and then immediately pivoting to murder once the solution wasn’t perfect usually needs at least a little more to be happening behind it.
SANKTA MARYA OF THE ROCK
Okay, none of the Grisha powers are explicitly connected to rock, but they could be? So this could be just that the wise old woman knew about Marya’s powers, but on the other hand the last book pretty heavily implied that there are genuine oracles among the Suli, so it could go either way.
SANKT EMERENS
See, the way this story talked about alcohol is how I was expecting Ayama and the Thorn Wood to talk about alcohol, and the way it actually talked about alcohol pulled me out of the story.
SANKT VLADIMIR THE FOOLISH
Again, a clear thing that a tidemaker could do. Granted, according to the story he was able to keep the waters at bay for several days without sleep, but that can be a story that has grown in the telling, and besides he did die of exhaustion afterwards when using their powers is supposed to make Grisha healthier.
SANKT GRIGORI OF THE WOOD
Interesting, Grigori doesn’t get a “new” story, and instead it’s about what we heard in the story proper. Maybe because he had so much focus?
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I do wonder if the regular people ever, like think about how easy it is to map so many of these stories to Grisha powers. Although to be fair, it’s much easier from the point of view of someone to whom both Grisha powers and these miracles round out to “magic” that doesn’t exist in the real world, so the connection is much easier to see.
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stupid question about zoya
so ravkans never knew that Zoya was Suli or at least half Suli??? like... no one at court or anywhere even suspected it??? the very brown woman with the very thick black hair???
#OR DID THEY KNOW???#AM I A DUMBASS??#did I miss something#zoya nazyalensky#queen zoya#grishaverse#ya books#leigh bardugo#nikolai x zoya#sankta zoya#king of scars#rule of wolves#suli#inej ghafa#shadow and bone netflix#shadow and bone
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