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ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕟 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕠𝕧

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A week passed since I arrived at the Little Palace, and things were starting to turn into some semblance of a routine.

I'd wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to combat training, which Tony would still kick my ass in, though I could tell he was being more cautious than before. Either way, I was getting slowly better. At least I'd yet to suffer from another black eye. But the Healers had grown used to seeing me after training.

Next, I would head outside the city walls for Summoner training with my father. When we were finished we'd head back up to the Little Palace and if he didn't have anywhere else to be, which he usually did, we would walk together and talk.

At first, the talks would be mostly silent with a few awkward words thrown in every so often. But as the days passed, I found that I'd become eager for our lessons. They were the part of my day I looked forward to the most.

Each time we trained I was becoming stronger at summoning, especially when it came to shadow summoning. My father did the best he could to help me with my light summoning, but I knew it wasn't his field of expertise. So I had to practice on my own whenever I had the chance.

As for the other Grisha, Tony turned out to be good company after all. He was talkative, meaning as soon as anyone tried to ask their Star Summoner questions, Tony would step in and easily deliver all the right answers. 

But as the Winter fete drew nearer, and I slowly become old news among the other Grisha, everyone was buzzing over preparations. The fetes in Ketterdam had been nothing compared to the celebration about to take place in the Little Palace. Even I had begun to get excited, until the morning two days before the fete.

"Morning Tony," I said upon opening my door, where he was waiting, as usual, to go to breakfast with me.

"The General cancelled your training." He said with a sorry look. He knew how I always looked forward to the two or so hours a day I get to spend with my father. I felt the smile melt from my face and my fingers tugged the sleeve of my kefta. "He thinks it would be best if you stay away from the public eye until the celebrations are over. For your safety, obviously. So you'll continue your training with him after the fete."

"Oh," Was my only response as we took the stairs down.

Tony tried to put on a smile and change the subject. "There's supposed to be lots of important officials coming to the fete. Even ambassadors from Novyi Zem and so forth."

"Mhm."

"They're all eager to meet the Star Summoner." He continued.

"Mhm," I repeated, my mind elsewhere.

"Have you ordered your kefta yet?"

I force my concentration to return, focusing on Tony as we entered the hall filled with Grisha chatting excitedly over their breakfast. "No, I haven't yet."

"You sticking with blue?"

"No, I'm thinking of changing it. I've got a few ideas." I glanced at my father's empty seat at the end of the table. It was tall, like a throne, and black with a pale moon engrave on the back. My seat was beside his to his right. It was made of a light grey wood with a similar pale star on the back.

Tony gave me a curious look. "Really? Mind sharing those ideas?"

"It's a surprise." I made a convincing smirk as I took a seat in my chair. The usual crowd gathered around us, but I knew they were just there to talk to Tony, who easily took up conversation whilst I ate in silence.

I pushed my slice of bread around my plate, glancing at my father's empty chair. But as my eyes flicked once around the room, I spotted Milana sitting by herself like she did every day. She was reading a book, munching on some toast and wiping bread crumbs from the pages. She didn't notice me watching her.

I glanced to Tony, still too busy talking to the other, older Grisha to notice me. How could two siblings be so different from each other? 

Milana had been nothing but horrid to me since my arrival. Between her glares and how she always seemed to be nearby to roll her eyes and grimace whenever I screwed up. I couldn't understand why she hated me so much.

Had I done something to offend her? 

It was upsetting. We might've been able to be friends. She was my age, making us the youngest among the other Grisha. We might've hit it off if she hadn't decided she resented me since day dot.

Technically, I was probably supposed to be in class with other Grisha students my age, but my father had insisted that I was tutored privately in the Little Palace's library at the end of every day.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked and I took in a breath, not realising that I'd stood up.

"Ugh, I'll be back in a bit... I gotta do something."

"I need to escort you if you're leaving," Tony explained, putting his cutlery down. I saw the sad expressions of the other Grisha faces, mostly from the women. 

"No, it's okay. I'm not leaving the mess hall." I said, pushing my chair out and walking away, listening as Tony continued his long complaint on how Grisha couldn't perform at the Winter Fete. Everyone knew Tony would never turn down an opportunity to show off his Inferni tricks.

Milana didn't look up as I drew closer, not even when I hesitantly stood directly opposite her like an idiot. "Can I help you?" She growled, not even glancing up at me.

"Ugh... Aren't you going to sit with someone?"

"Like who? You?" Her sky blue eyes, sharp like a blade, turned up in my direction. Her gaze was challenging as if she was daring me to sit down and see what happens next. 

I bit my lip in frustration as my cheeks turned a startled and frustrated shade of red. "Well, I-"

"Save it." She raised her hand, cutting me off. "I thought I made it clear I want nothing to do with you, Starboy." Her head lowered to her book again, leaving me standing there, wondering whether to stay or go.

My body was tense as I took a long, silent breath, closing my eyes. "What are you reading?" I asked, finally opening them again. For a long moment, I thought she mightn't respond. But just before I turned to walk away she replied. "The Lives of Saints." She tapped the book with her finger.

I was surprised by the relieved feeling settling in my chest. "You believe in saints?"

"No." She said bluntly, propping her head up with her fist. The sun shining through the grand windows of the Little Palace made her strong blue eyes glow like candlelight. "Do you?" Her body language was uninterested, but I could tell the question was a test.

"Well, I lived with one." I half-laughed. But as she remained silent and jaded my small semblance of a smile vanished. I cleared my throat, "No. No, I don't either."

"You don't believe you're a saint." It might've been nothing, but I could've sworn I heard maybe the slightest bit of surprise in her voice.

I took a seat opposite her, happy to be off my suddenly shaky legs. "No. Of course not. And neither does my mother for that matter," I added.

If she cared she did an amazing job not to show it as her eyes drifted back to her book, head still resting on her hand as he long, golden hair wafted over her arm. "You can go now."

"Have I done something to make you hate me?"

She flicked the page so hard I thought it might rip. "It's more like what you haven't done." She muttered.

"And what haven't I done?" It was like trying to punch my way through brick walls. Every time I asked a new question she'd build another one. "Fine," I said, standing up. "Don't tell me. I just thought I might try to give you a chance, seeing as you won't give me one."

"You've done nothing to earn one, Starboy." She returned, roughly flicking over to the next page even though I knew she hadn't finished reading the previous one.

I turned on my heel, catching Tony's curious eye as I left the mess hall, with him quickly scurrying after me and apologising to his friends. As I left, I could feel Milana's sapphire eyes following me. I didn't care if I made a scene. 

More than anything, I just wanted to be alone.

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Hello Readers,

Recently I have been receiving a lot of hurtful comments.

So I must ask that if you do not like the storyline
or my way of writing.

Please refrain from leaving nasty comments below.

It does not help with my writing and honestly just hurts.
I know that I can't make every reader happy.
But it is not right to drag me down because my book isn't to your taste.

There are plenty of other Darklina fanfics out there. 
So if you don't like my book, try reading someone else's.

I'd recommend reading -Stellaric-'s book, 'Sun Queen'.

Thank you.

- DawnTide