CHAPTER TWO . . .  left behind

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"WILL YOU BE QUIET? YOU'LL WAKE THEM UP." A young boy, hardly at the age of twelve, whispered harshly to the younger girl currently making all manner of noises as she followed after him. Why did he ever bring her along?

"You're shushing is louder than my breathing, so you shut up and look where you're going." She whispered back, equally as harsh.

He didn't understand what she meant, he was looking where he was going. But that point was elucidated further upon when he knocked into a small table that acted as a pedestal for an old vase. His reflexes quickly caught it before they could hear a familiar smash against the cold concrete floor. Carefully placing it back into place he turned back towards his friend only to let out a sigh at her face.

She was too smug for her own good. Her arms were on her hips, giving him an 'I told you so look' but he just ignored it and carried on with his short journey to the door.

Once outside they both let out sighs of relief, glad they weren't caught. Except the boy didn't have long to recuperate from the shock as he felt a pain shoot through his shoulder as a result of a direct punch.

"Ow! What was that for, El?" He questioned, an angry tone in his voice.

"First of all, lower your tone, you oaf." She replied, walking beside him with a smug look on her face. Knowing full well how she annoyed him. "Second of all, I punched you because you're clumsiness almost got us caught."

Once he noticed her arms crossed tightly over her chest he realised how cold she was, she was shivering.

Sighing, he begrudgingly gave up his coat to keep her warm. "Here. Have this." She looked up at him with a doe-eyed expression. She was considering it but knew he too would be cold from the frosty night air.

"No. I'll be fine." She smiled lightly at him with her head down so he couldn't see the dust of crimson across her cheeks. He was always doing that. Making her blush just by small actions of kindness. It was getting ridiculous, especially when a couple of years ago he had never caused a reaction like this.

So she did not want to fuel his ego any more.

But he had seen it. And he never wanted her to stop smiling, it seemed to light up the dull world they were forced to live in. She lit up his world.

Knowing she wouldn't take it, he placed it over her bare shoulders. Allowing the warmth of the animal fur and the remnant of his own body heat to warm her. He knew she would have a problem with it, but he didn't care. What mattered was that she was warm and that she wasn't susceptible to hypothermia or other illnesses.

"I wish you wouldn't do that. You'll catch a cold, Alek." She reasoned, trying to persuade him to take it back. While her body did not want her to part with it, for varying reasons. One being that her body did not want to be exposed to the frosty air any more than it had been, and two that she did not want to part with it simply because it smelled like him. She knew how strange it sounded, but it was a comfort to her. But if her comfort was in exchange for his warmth she knew exactly what she would choose.

"I'll be fine." He replied nonchalantly, using her own words against her. Looking down at her, he noticed how interested she seemed to be with the path they were currently walking on. So he tried to bring her attention back to him. "Besides...maybe if I'm sick, you're mother will make me some soup. Her cooking is always better than Baghra's."

Aleksander smiled as he heard a giggle leave Elowen's lips. He was successful in his endeavour.

"Why do you call her that?" She asked, returning to a calm state.

"Who?" He answered with his own question.

"You're mother." She answered as if it was clear for the whole forest to know who she was talking about. "Why do you always call her by her name? You've never told me why."

"I guess, because it's her name." He answered truthfully. He'd never really deemed it unfit to refer to her by her name.

But that answer did not seem to satisfy his female companion. She knew there was another reason, he just wasn't telling her. "That's not it, and you know it."

He sighed at her clear skills of deduction. He honestly did not know why he always referred to her by her name, it was just something he'd learned to do from a young age. Come to think of it, he hardly ever called her mother. Only to her face. And even then, he did not think she deserved the name.

He thought carefully about his response. His face held an expression of deep thought. Until he finally came to a stop, making Elowen stop a few more steps in front of him. He looked towards her with an unreadable look. She could not figure out what he was thinking but she knew he needed to come to a conclusion on his own.

Sighing, he readied himself to speak his answer. "I guess the truth is, I've never really seen her as a mother. She's not like yours El, and I wish she was." He felt disheartened as his own words settled in. Aleksander knew that there was something, some sort of resentment he held for the woman he was supposed to call mother, but thinking it and realising it to be true are very different things. "I wish she cared, that she didn't push me away. I wish that we have what you and Inez have. I wish I had a mum, not just a mother. But I don't."

He felt something cling to the back of his cotton shirt. A crushing feeling overwhelmed him as he soon realised the clingy creature wrapped around him was in fact his best friend. He didn't know what to do at first, she seemed more emotional than he was. But he soon relaxed and succumbed to the comfort of her embrace. Turning around to rest his head on her own that was now nestled up to his chest.

"I'm sorry." She spoke softly. Her words muffled by his shirt, but he heard them just the same. "You're not alone, I'll always be here. For as long as I can be."

He so desperately wanted that to be true.

But all mortals were eventually taken away by death, he just hoped that age did not ravage the light that shone in her eyes. For even though she was her mother's daughter, she was not Grisha, and her story would inevitably end one day. Whether that was tomorrow, a month, a year, maybe ten, maybe a hundred or even more. He would lose her, and on that day he would never be the same again.

But he decided not to dwell on the foreseeable future, at least not tonight, and focus on what was right in front of him. Someone he cared for more than anything in the entire world. He just had to find a way to tell her.

Although, tonight he would just focus on being a boy. A lovesick boy who did not want to grow up.

"Thank you." Was all he said as he held on tighter to her. Never wanting to let go in fear she would never be back in his arms again. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"GET UP ALEXEYEV. WE'VE GOT TRAINING." The noise of her 'friends' bombarding into their shared tent made Marianne wake up with a start. It didn't help that one of them kicked her leg to help nudge her awake.

They laughed at how she woke up. Her hair a mess, and still dressed in her clothes from the day prior. They thought everything she did was hilarious, no doubt believing her to be the First Army's idea of comic relief. Thinking she was the joke of the camp. Useless at pretty much everything.

Which was very different to the way Mal and Alina saw her. They saw her as brave, fearless, smart. Sadly, she was none of those things. She was in fact the joke of the camp, especially in her tent and a few others close by. But that didn't mean she had to accept that. She still tried every day and tried to prove her value. Even though it hardly worked out in her favour.

"Look who's finally up. Little miss sunshine, with her sidekick, Mr Mouse." One of the rudest of the bunch, Annika, remarked. Fake enthusiasm held in her voice as she pretended to be a damsel in distress, hoping to be saved by a hero.

How she knew about the mouse, Marianne didn't know, but she didn't want to stick around to question her about it. The others were just as bad, playing along to humiliate her.

It didn't do much, just annoyed her. Fortunately for her, not enough to get herself in trouble for hunting the bitches down one by one. She wasn't going to give them what they wanted. And that was to see her angry. One day, maybe, but that wasn't today.

She needed to find Alina and Mal. She didn't want the latter to leave on the skiff without saying a proper goodbye.

She was occupying herself with getting ready when she overheard what the girls were talking about. They'd eventually changed the subject. "I'm glad I'm not on the skiff today." Galina, a soldier in her regiment, said as she watched them all gather around the fabrikators' invention. "I've never been more glad to not hear my name being called. Especially considering they're going to have the cartographers on board now as well."

Her words registered in Marianne's mind, a chill going down her spine. She moved off of her small cot as fast as she could to stand in front of the fellow redhead. "What did you say?" She questioned, her heart beating faster than ever.

The others looked at her strangely. She really was a strange young woman.

Just when she was going to ask again, the oldest of the group, Karine, spoke for her friend. "The skiff? They've got cartographers on board now." She seemed confused at Marianne's bewildered expression until she realised she wasn't conscious when the announcement was made not even ten minutes ago. "If you woke up earlier than you did, you'd know that there was a fire in the cartographers' tent. They're sending a group on the skiff to redraw maps of the other side."

Fear settled into Marianne's heart as she realised who must have been the culprit of the fire. That girl was going to be the death of her.

Grabbing her coat she stormed out. Pushing past them. "I need to get on that skiff!" She shouted as she went past.

"How? They're due to leave any minute now!" Karine replied, thinking the woman even more deranged than she originally thought.

"I'll find a way!" She yelled back as she carried on her journey. "I always do." Mumbling the last part under her breath, trying to convince herself that she would make it.

Continuing her run towards the dock of the skiff she saw a silhouette of two familiar people. They were not leaving without her. She would not let them. "Alina! Mal! Wait!" She shouted, but they couldn't hear her, the rest of the camp could though. And they all thought she must have been mad. No sane person would ever want to be on a skiff. But apparently, they didn't know two headstrong women that would stop at nothing to protect those they cared about.

And two of those people were currently standing on the wrong side of the dock. While she was still running to get onboard.

But she was too slow.

They had started on their journey. While she was still running as fast as she could only to be stuck where she was. They were too far for her to jump and they couldn't exactly turn back.

She was too late. They were gone. It was like history was repeating itself, mocking her every day she spent living. Over and over again.

Not wanting to give up she was ready to fall to the sand below and run on foot to the skiff. But it was like a few soldiers near her caught on to her plan as they held her back. She fought them off, trying to scream out Alina's name. Hoping she would hear her pleas and come back for her.

But it was a futile attempt. There was nothing she could do. It pained her to remember the past she forced herself to relive every day, to stop something like this from ever happening. Again. But she had failed.

If only she hadn't slept in. Maybe she could have stopped her. Maybe she could have just done something.

Once they noticed she wasn't moving anymore, the men let go of her, lightly pulling her arm so she would walk away from the edge. Only for her to walk back near the edge just a few steps to the left.

She watched the skiff go by slowly, along with her two friends. Her attention being dragged away as a familiar scarf floated in her direction. Reaching out her hand she grabbed it and held it close to her chest. Keeping it for a familiar raven-haired woman when she returned. When, not if. She would not let herself be defeated by her thoughts.

"Please come back, Alina." She murmured. Melancholy overtaking her entire being. "I don't need you and Mal haunting me too." Completely unaware of the person standing not too far from her, especially who it was.

But she was soon brought to the person's attention leading them to ask a question on their mind. However a shudder went down her spine at their voice, a voice she thought she would, no hoped she never heard again.

"Now, what kind of person tries to force themselves into the Fold?" The person asked it was a man's voice. Deep and stoic, although she could be wrong, she's met a lot of strong women in her long life and she didn't want to start judging now.

But her mind knew exactly whose voice that was, it wouldn't let her forget.

Just out of spite her heart began to flutter like it once did every time he spoke. Her body was betraying her when she needed to stay strong. Perhaps this was karma for all the jokes she'd made towards Mal and Alina and their constant incognizant behaviour. Whatever it was, she was praying to any Saint that would listen to her that she got out of this situation unscathed.

But of course, no Saint would listen to her anymore.

"DO I HAVE TO ASK AGAIN? Why try to force yourself on a Skiff that's headed straight for the Fold?" He asked again, if you couldn't tell. Whether he was getting frustrated with her lack of an answer or for not acknowledging his presence, she didn't know. "Are you deaf, or are you just stupid? You otkazat'sya, always so pretentious."

Now that was uncalled for.

She was going to make him regret saying all of those things about her and her friends. Even if she didn't even like almost everyone in the camp, it didn't mean they deserved to be looked down upon by someone who hadn't even grown out of his goth phase.

She turned around before she comprehended the fact that he would most likely recognise her, and spoke her mind. "Did your mother raise a pompous arse who looks down on anyone whether they're shorter or not?" She asked rhetorically, her anger seething through every word.

He was shocked by her words. But it was more her face that silenced him, leaving him to stare at her with an unreadable expression.

It was too late now. She had her chance, and she blew it. If only she had played deaf, maybe he would have left her alone, maybe she could have run back to her tent as soon as possible and he'd be none the wiser as to who or where she was. But no, she'd acted without thought. It was what he did, he angered her beyond belief, what was once a happy feeling was replaced by resentment and malice.

It was not one of her finest moments at the campsite. Especially when considering the fact that some parts of her hair were still a wreck, but it was the least of her worries.

He remained silent, watching her carefully as if trying to understand how she could be in front of him. It was obvious he recognised her, but ever hopeful to avoid confrontation she tried to tiptoe her way out of it. Both figuratively and literally.

"Now, better get off to training. Don't want them berating me on being late, yet again." She cringed at how awkward she sounded, was that what she had become. She used to be so sophisticated and refined, and now she was like a court jester, useful only for entertainment and tomfoolery.

Just before he went to stop her, they heard a name being called. Well shouted at the top of someone's lungs more like. It stopped her in her tracks as she realised it was her name, her fake name at least.

"There she is! It was her, I know it was!" The cook from the night before shouted, pointing at her with his grubby finger. The other commanding officer from the day prior was with him. She really needed to keep a log of everyone's names, it was getting ridiculous how she couldn't put names to faces.

The both of them having their attention solely on her, along with a few onlookers curious as to who was in trouble. But all of them, including the girl in question, were confused as to why the senile old man was shouting at her.

But the other man seemed to know. His hands were crossed towards his chest as he scrutinised her, not understanding why the man thought she was such a villain. She didn't look like all of the things he had claimed her to be.

"Are you sure?" The commanding officer asked, trying to make sure he wasn't going mad.

"It's her, I know it! She and her Shu friend are thieves, they stole from our tent!" At the mention of Alina and how quickly he was to judge her, she scrunched her hand tightly into a fist by her side. Trying her best not to lose her temper, she didn't have an Alexei to hold her back now. If she wasn't careful she'd be in bigger trouble than what the haggard old man could put her in himself.

Sighing, the commanding officer focused solely on her. Not wanting to have to deal with this situation right now, not when the Skiff hadn't even left dock too long ago.

"Is this true?" He asked her, ignoring the man's remarks and scoffs at his disregard for his opinion. He honestly could not be arsed to deal with the man, he was still trying to get over the dinner he served last night himself.

She stayed silent, not wanting to dig her grave any bigger than it was already looking at the moment. But it seemed she didn't need to, her campmates did it for her.

"No. We didn't see her with anything last night when she returned to our tent." Karine lied for her. She didn't know why she would do that but she was thankful all the same. Even though she did want to say all manner of things to the odious man before her.

"Okay then, that settles it." The officer said, clapping his hands. Glad to not have to put anyone in the brig on a busy day such as today. He turned around, noticing the crowd that had begun to gather around them. "Get back to work, the lot of you." He finished his grumpy attitude back.

"But she brought the rats inside, they were eating at my clothes." The older of the two argued, dissatisfied with the outcome of the situation. But the officer did not care. While a few people around them started to chuckle dryly as they imagined the scenario, Marianne being one of them.

It was one mouse you imbecile, she thought as she watched him be pulled away by the officer. She was glad she wasn't the only one who detested the man.

Karine was soon the only one left there, her arms coping that of the commanding officer's as she looked at the younger woman she'd come to know for almost a month. Why had she lied for her? Especially when she herself could get in trouble for obstructing justice or something like that.

As if she could read her mind she answered Marianne's question. "Nobody likes him, and I wasn't necessarily lying. Annika saw you last night, she told us this morning." She said, watching said blonde currently try to butter up an overly muscular corporal. "She was going to testify against you, but I threatened to tell the commanding officer about her secret stash of luxury items she always brings with her. She won't mess with you again." She finished a smug look on her face.

"Uhh...thank you. But why?" She asked, curious as to why she wanted to help her all of a sudden. Not even a few days ago she was persistently complaining about her tardiness and calling her all manner of names under the sun.

"Because I know what it's like to be the outcast amongst egotistical bastards like them. And that's including the women too." She answered, making Marianne feel a bit more comfortable knowing that she wasn't the only one who felt alone at the campsite. Completely forgetting the obvious fact that similar to Alina, Karine was an outcast because of her ethnicity. For she was a second-generation Fjerdan immigrant, born in Ravka but resembling their other enemy too much for others to feel safe. At least for her, many believed the Fjerdans to be the lesser of two evils when compared to the Shu Han, but it didn't mean they weren't a great threat. But she was Ravkan, and no one could take that away from her. "I was glad to hear you stuck up for your friend. Maybe I was wrong about you. Just maybe though, I'm not holding my breath."

At her words Marianne laughed, watching as the woman walked away to go about her duties. Until her words had finally sunk in leading to numerous questions.

"Wait!" She called after her, but either she hadn't heard or she was purposefully ignoring her. However she still wanted her most important question to be answered, something it would appear she was very confused about. "What did you think about me before? No really, I want to know, unless it's bad. And she's not listening is she? Great chat." Her voice getting lower after every sentence, but she finally just let out a sigh of awkwardness. Glad no one of significance heard or saw that.

Or at least that's what she had thought. Completely forgetting about the person that had apparently stayed through the entire thing, carefully watching her as she interacted with the others. Staying quiet until he finally cleared his throat, advertising his presence to her once again.

The shock of the discovery soon didn't affect her as greatly as did before as she let out a groan of irritation, running her hand up her face. Gripping her thumb and index finger tightly at the bridge of her nose.

She wished this painful day was over.

"I just cannot catch a break today, can I?" She asked herself quietly. Cursing to any Saint that seemed to enjoy watching her torment and simply asked for more. Apparently, it was comedy gold.

"No. It seems you cannot." He replied, making her want nothing more than to burrow deeply in the sand that was amassed to the right of them. His commentary wasn't needed. It just made everything worse. "I have some kvas in my tent, you look like you could use a drink." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

He wasn't pressuring her, he was simply offering a drink. But she knew it was more than that, it always was with him, however, she didn't have the energy to deny the offer.

"Fine." She settled, following him as he walked on. He quickly dismissed a man in a blood-red kefta, black embroidered detailing around the shoulders. Just one look at his face, and the scowl he held upon it, proved to Marianne that they would not get along. Sighing yet again, she disregarded his threatening glare and focused on the dark-haired and dark clothed man before her. "Let's get this over with."

———  APOLLO SPEAKS  ———
I have to ask, I wished I didn't, can you guys please relax the comments asking me to update sooner? It's really starting to affect my mental health. I'm glad you love the story, and I'm so thankful for you reading and voting, so much you have no idea. But I can't always drop everything to write and update, I have a life outside of Wattpad, and whenever I see comments like that it makes me not want to update because it just puts more stress on me. So even though I love to hear you love the story and want to read more, it gets a little bit irritating when you keep asking for an update after every chapter. So please don't skip this note or I'll be really upset and angry, there's only so much a girl can take, you know. Also sorry it's ridiculously long, I just needed to rant for a bit.