TW - some extremely harmful attitudes towards sexual assault (ie. victim blaming). Skip the scene when the religious woman comes to Alina's room if this will be upsetting for you.

*

Alina was having a bad morning. She awoke after yet more dreams of that wretched stag; dreams that occurred most nights now. Dreams she was trying to ignore, and certainly was not going to tell the Darkling about, because the chances were they were not dreams at all, but visions. The idea of an amplifier both repulsed and patronised her; both shadow summoners did not need one, so why should she? She was already strong enough to challenge him, even if she couldn't beat him, and had no desire to artificially augment her power. It felt like a cheap short-cut, like the resulting strength would not be her own. The idea of fusing a part of a living creature to her body also made her skin crawl, not to mention the aversion she had towards a mythical creature that was literally reaching out to her in her sleep.

On top of those unsettling dreams, Aleksandra was acting strangely.

Alina was not the most perceptive of other people's emotions, but she could recognise that something was up. Kira chattered away as always that morning, Alina responding in kind, but the other maid did not interject once, which was unusual; it was like it had been at the beginning, when the tall, blonde girl was still keeping up her reserved, professional mask. She caught Aleksandra glancing at her often, however, out of the corner of her eye, when she thought she wasn't looking. Very odd indeed.

The day progressed in the same dull manner as all her days here did. Alina was growing bored, and restless; a boiling vat of trouble waiting to spill over. She could only keep up her polite, grateful, simpering mask for so long, and it hadn't been that good to begin with. Whilst attending the Queen as she held court, Alina had begun to amuse herself by making herself the centre of attention instead. She befriended most of the ladies there one way or another - making them laugh through witty comments, entertaining stories and being outrageous - which irritated the Queen. The frequency of pointed comments and snide remarks she made towards Alina was increasing, but that did not seem to matter. As it turns out, the Sun Summoner - young, charismatic and purportedly a saint - was more interesting to many than the Tsaritsa herself. Irritating the Queen helped stave off some of the boredom, but Alina could still feel her tongue getting sharper and less guarded.

Next was a discussion with the captain of the household guard about the details of her upcoming visit into the city. This was apparently for security reasons; as though she wasn't capable of killing a dozen men with a twitch of her fingers. Though she supposed it was as much to avoid giving her a chance to escape as it was protecting her. Alina wondered if they knew she could leave whenever she wanted.

After a quick late lunch in the gardens with Aleksandra and Kira - in a secluded spot, so the maids could sit with her and talk like equals - she went to sit beside Ivan on the government council. The King was in attendance that day, arguing in vehement favour of one particular military strategy; sending in the First Army to the latest skirmish on the Fjerdan border near Ulensk, without backup from the Second Army. The Darkling's regiment had not yet arrived from Kribirsk to reinforce them, but was on the way.

"The Fjerdans are expecting us to wait," The Tsar spoke as though his words were the font of all wisdom. "Advancing the First Army now will give us the element of surprise,"

"They are expecting to wait," A grizzled old lord said, barely restraining his irritation. "Because it would be suicidal not to go into that fight without the Grisha," All of the more experienced military men were arguing against this foolish idea, in fact, including Ivan; as much as anyone could argue with a King, anyway.

Angered, the King responded. And responded, and responded and responded, more and more talking, ignoring what all his advisors were saying, going round in circles, meaningless, empty, monotonous circles. Alina's boredom had reached a peak. She was bored of this meeting, bored of being on her best behaviour all the time, bored of playing along. A chronic, dangerous lack of interest or care; in other words, a bad decision waiting to happen.

"Moi Tsar," She interrupted the King midway through his blustering monologue, from where she sat lounging in her chair. Her words quieted the room into a shocked - and outraged, in the case of the King and his lickspittles - silence. Alina continued, tongue running faster than her head. "You can carry on defending this decision with arguments that don't make sense all you like. Everyone around this table knows that you don't want to wait for the Second Army to prove that you can win a battle without the Darkling - they're just too polite to say it," He opened his mouth to protest, but she just grinned, carrying on before he got the chance. "No, no, you don't have to be ashamed - now it's been said, we can put your insecurity aside and never speak of it again. What we can't put aside is that you are pointlessly risking nearly a third of the First Army for the sake of your own pride. The Second Army is Ravka's single edge over Fjerda - use it,"

Dead silence. Half the room seemed horrified at her nerve, whilst the other half were biting back smirks, all waiting for what would come next. Whilst that move would have alienated several on the council, it would win her many more allies. She didn't even care about that; she just wanted to humiliate the King.

"You forget yourself, girl," The man himself was bright red, and furious. "Do not speak out of turn in matters you know nothing of,"

"I am highly educated in politics and military history, and have sat at the side of one of the most powerful men in Ravka's government for almost seven years," She snapped back, sitting up in her chair, the fuse of her limited patience burnt down all the way. "I daresay I know more about these matters than many of the men in this room. Certainly more than Prince Vasily,"

One of the lords cut in before the King could struggle for a reply to that. "Lady Starkova may have worded her argument in a crass and rude manner," He said with a pointed look, trying to placate him. "But she is talking sense - moi Tsar, I beg of you, please consider waiting just one more day. My son is serving at Ulensk. I, and many more, would be most grateful if you exercise the restraint and wisdom that I know you to be capable of,"

But the King would not budge. There was a lot of grumbling and discontent after that meeting once the man left.

"You attacked his pride," Ivan muttered to her, watching the room closely. "He couldn't give in without admitting what you said was true,"

"It is true," She rolled her eyes. Ivan's stony expression told her he did not care. "But he had made up his mind and shut out everyone else's reasoning long before I said what I did. At least I've made friends,"

"True enough," He granted, unimpressed. "But one challenge to the King won't win them over," The man looked pointedly at the lingering lords still conversing amongst each other.

Alina pulled a face. "Do I have to?"

Ivan tutted, scornful. "How does he put up with you? You act like a child,"

"That reflects worse on him than on me," She shot back, though got to her feet and did as he asked; went to make friends.

She was good at it when she tried; or at least when she convinced herself it was a game to prove Ivan was wrong about her being childish. Alina used the opportunity to subtly stoke their irritation with the King, their fears of what was to come, and their need to rely on the Grisha. She was herself at the same time; winning them over with jokes, bold statements and being far too blunt. It worked on some, not on others, though there was a great deal more respect for her afterwards.

"It's a rare day when the King's council are speaking more favourably about the Darkling than the king," She muttered to Ivan as they left together.

"More favourable is relative,"

"Saints, are you ever satisfied? I haven't killed anyone yet, that's an achievement in itself,"

"Achievement is relative," He said, and she scoffed. There was a pause. "You are not doing poorly," Ivan added, to her surprise. "Which was unprecedented,"

"I knew you liked me really," She grinned. "I ask myself what I'd usually do, then do the opposite. This acting business isn't so hard,"

The man glared at her. "Don't push it,"

Alina laughed. "When have I ever done that?" She sobered slightly. "I'd better go. I'm supposed to be walking in the gardens with my beloved husband-to-be before dinner. If those slimy hands of his wander anywhere near me, I'll burn them off," She pulled a face, then gasped as the corner of Ivan's lips twitching upwards ever so slightly. "Was that a smile? Did I finally crack you as well?"

"You are imagining things," Ivan growled, turning away and leaving her standing there laughing.

*

For appearances sake, Alina and Vasily had to be seen to at least tolerate each other - heavily chaperoned, of course - which was what resulted in this forced display of companionship, walking through the gardens. She had insisted on the brightest, most open locations, where there was no danger of his hands wandering; despite the religious woman who accompanied them to prevent that sort of thing, not to mention Aleksandra's presence, she was not going to take any chances.

"So what do you like doing in your free time, Alina?" Vasily smiled indulgently. "I want to know how to make my future wife happy," Fighting, drinking, and fucking anyone that isn't you.

"I like to read," That was as neutral an answer as any. She had almost said riding, which would open a whole conversation she didn't want to get into; Vasily was famous for his love of horses.

"How quaint," The Prince said, in a tone that made her want to punch him. "Do you like romances? My mother and aunts coo over those silly little books,"

"I like reading about advanced theorems of the Small Science," She said, lying; she disliked Grisha theory at the best of times, even if her understanding of it was adequate. There was no chance he was going to find out about her love of adventure stories. "Politics, natural science and history are also fascinating," That wasn't so much of a lie, she did like all of those things, but just wasn't much good at it in lessons.

Vasily laughed. "I keep forgetting how accomplished you are, for a woman. Most of the ladies at court witter on about fashions and gossip,"

She smiled sharply. "You should hear me talk with my friends, we gossip about all kinds of things," Your lack of chin, for one. "Do you prefer discussing natural sciences and military history to more trivial matters, then, your Grace? It would be nice to have someone as well-read as I to converse with," She knew full well from Nikolai that Vasily had been a lazy and uninterested student as a boy, which had certainly not changed since.

A flash of unease crossed the prince's expression. "Perhaps another time," He tried to smile charmingly, as Alina smirked. "I wish to talk about more... intimate matters. You are always so busy that we barely spend any time together,"

"A shame," She said, deadpan, hearing Aleksandra's sharp intake of breath behind as her friend stifled a laugh; finally, some signs of life from the girl that day. Vasily did not pick up on the sarcasm.

"Isn't it?" He paused. "I wanted to reassure you that in our marriage, I will treat you far more kindly than you have become accustomed to. Of course, marital rights must still be honoured, but I believe you will find me a far more gentle, considerate partner than that awful man," So you still plan on laying me whether I'm willing or not, but... gently?

Alina closed her eyes briefly, biting back her initial scathing retort, struggling for the words to respond to that twisted absurdity. "It will take some getting used to, I'm sure," She couldn't bring herself to force any sincerity into those words, but Vasily never seemed to notice, so it mattered little. She hoped it made Aleksandra grin.

"You must have suffered greatly," He ploughed on. "I cannot imagine the indignities you were put through," Alina was imagining them right now, in vivid detail, trying not to smirk. "But all of that can be put behind you and not be dwelled on any further - you are safe here, Alina. I know how to treat a woman properly," Yeah, have her lie on her back, open her legs and stare at the ceiling whilst you rut on top of her, grunting and groaning.

"I can't express how grateful I am," Because if she did, she would likely be thrown out of the palace and sent to a convent.

He smiled smugly at that. "It gladdens my heart to hear it,"

*

"So," Aleksandra said on their way back to the palace, walking back through the more secluded hedgerows. "How is he going to die?"

Alina laughed. "That's an unusually treasonous joke from you,"

"Who said it was a joke?"

She glanced up at her friend at that pointed sentence, raising an eyebrow; it wasn't panic that gripped her at the thought of a non-Grisha finding out, but more the reluctant inevitability of what would have to follow if the girl intended to tell anyone. Because she could very easily prevent her from passing on that information to anyone. She would just rather not.

Aleksandra wordlessly passed her a small envelope from her apron pocket. "I ran into a Heartrender named Mila last night. She knew you. Told me to give you this. Before you ask, no, I haven't told anyone, so get that look off your face,"

Alina felt great relief at that statement, grinning abruptly. "Oh Aleksandra, I'm glad you've got over your ridiculous formality around me, I really don't deserve it," As she took the envelope, her heart leaped at the sight of any correspondence with the outside world.

"No, you really don't," The girl snapped, without much bite. "Open that letter, it's been burning a hole in my pocket all day. And the feeling of my heart being seized by a terrifying Heartrender is burned into my memory,"

"Saints, I'm sorry. That'll be Mila. The woman intimidates me, let alone anyone else. She wasn't too awful, was she?"

"I got the impression she could have been a lot worse," The girl grimaced, which said it all; Aleksandra was usually so unshakeable. "She said a lot of... interesting things. I've got quite a lot of questions, which you're going to answer after you've read what she sent you,"

Alina obliged. There were three letters inside the envelope. One was in Mila's handwriting and was addressed to Aleksandra, so she passed it straight to the girl, who took it, surprised. Alina found her own letter from the terrifying Heartrender; the third letter was written in a very familiar, angular handwriting, and was left inside the envelope for later.

Mila's letter to Alina was not too specific, in case the letter fell into the wrong hands, but gave the impression that something big was brewing, telling her to just play along. It also said that Aleksandra was to be their go-between for now, as she would not attract any attention, as well as confirmed that all the distasteful rumours about the King were indeed started by her and her network.

The latest ones involved the King not respecting the church and taking a cut of their funding to pay for his parties and a solid gold bed-frame, the Prince being close to a halfwit, and the Queen having an affair to produce Prince Nikolai (an old rumour, that one). On top of tales of the King and Prince's lecherous behaviour towards women, both consensual and non-consensual, as well as their uncaring attitude towards the poor, it did not paint a pretty picture. The commoners outside the city were up in arms over all of this, apparently; it was one thing suspecting that such things were true, as they had done for years, but Mila had done her job well and her network had convinced people it was real. The worst of it? A lot of it was.

Alina burned that letter with a twitch of her fingers after she had read it, until nothing but scorched ashes remained. She turned to Aleksandra, only now realising she should not have assumed the older girl could read. Luckily it seemed that she could, though her brow was furrowed and she was mouthing the words slowly with her finger tracing each line. "What was it Mila asked you to do, exactly?"

"Relay messages between you. And apparently now I'm to spy on the whole palace, too. I knew there was more to it," She handed the parchment to Alina. "Can you double check I read that right - I left school when I was twelve,"

A quick glance confirmed it. "Yeah, that's right. She's given you a weekly meeting place and time, you got that too?" The girl nodded. "Will you do it?" Alina asked, curious. "You don't have to. I trust you not to tell anyone about any of this if you decide against it," Mainly because Mila would have also impressed on her the importance of keeping quiet.

"I need to know why," Aleksandra said. "What are you trying to do here?"

"Overthrow the Lantsovs," She shrugged. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it,"

"You say that like you're talking about throwing a party," The girl smiled faintly. "Overthrow them, why? So you and the Darkling can take the throne?"

"Not me," She said quickly. "Just him - I wanted Nikolai, but he insisted,"

"Then why bother helping at all?"

"I don't want to marry Vasily. That was the trigger. But I have hated the way the Lantsovs rule ever since I was a child. The Darkling could change all of that,"

"Why do you think he'll be any different? He's smarter, a more effective ruler, perhaps, but he doesn't strike me as a champion of the people,"

She snorted. "He's not. But there will be less money wasted on feasts, balls and tea parties, and more government and actually helping the country. All these flatterers and lickspittles would be replaced with honest advisors who know what's best for Ravka, not what'll please the Tsar. And, believe it or not, he listens to me. I'll make him do some good,"

"Without being Queen?"

"Without being Queen. If he insisted on marriage, I'd run off into the night and never be seen again,"

"I believe you," Aleksandra smirked. "So that's how you get him to listen to you - he's more attached that you are, and knows you would actually leave,"

"Attached is one word for it," She said. "I know what you mean by that, and the truth is something else entirely. He likes my company more than most people's, perhaps. But it's possessive and strategic, not love," She let out a breath of laughter. "I don't think that man has it in him to love anyone,"

*

She read the third letter alone by candlelight, sat in bed after Aleksandra and Kira had left for the night.

Dear Alina,

It is both surprising and impressive to me that I have not yet heard of the tragic deaths of any of Os Alta's aristocracy. You have more self control than I thought - admittedly my expectations were low. Tarasova has her people watching you - reports on your performance vary from 'eerily, uncharacteristically sweet' to 'I do not know how their Majesties miss the fact she clearly wants them dead, but it seems to be working'. You are lucky that those people are idiotic enough to miss what is plain to see. Do not get too confident, and don't do anything stupid. As you are well aware, there are ways to contain Grisha - they have no doubt been developing them in the hope of containing me if they ever had to, so be on your guard.

Whilst I am sure you have a reply ready, brimming with adoration and flowery words, do not respond to this letter. Once again I wish to emphasise that you can leave at any point if you so choose. I'll see you soon.

The letter was unsigned aside from his sigil, which amused her. He would never refer to himself as others did - 'the General' or 'the Darkling' - nor would he write his real name down. But the tone of the letter was so undoubtedly his that there was no doubt as to who it was from. She had the absurd urge to fold the letter and place it in her bedside drawer. Perhaps read it again later. As it was, her thumb was tracing over the 'I'll see you soon', and she smiled faintly.

Then she caught herself. Horrified, Alina immediately got out of bed and threw the letter in the fire, before stomping back to bed with a groan without watching it burn. This place was messing with her head, making a monster seem... not so bad. She refused to be the silly little girl who was enamoured with a man she had to yell at to convince not to murder a whole town.

*

Of course, Alina didn't get away with her rudeness towards the King in that council meeting. The next day, the same religious woman - nun? priestess? - who had chaperoned her walks with Vasily appeared outside her chambers.

"Her name is Sister Polina - she says the Tsar sent her, my lady," Aleksandra called into the room from where she had answered the door.

"Saints," Alina muttered, knowing already that this was some sort of punishment or other. "Fine, send her in,"

The woman looked to be around forty years old, and wore a grey habit that fell to the floor. Her mousey brown hair was scraped back painfully tight, barely showing beneath the white headdress. She was neither tall nor short, fat nor skinny, beautiful nor ugly, but her face was hard and cold; a face of judgement and eternal damnation.

"Good morning, my lady," The woman said, sounding exactly as Alina had expected from her appearance. "As your maid said - my name is Sister Polina. I have been sent by his Majesty the Tsar to educate you in propriety and chastity,"

One would think Alina and her supposed status as a living saint would have some sort of authority over these people, but it was clear that this woman came from the Apparat's school of 'saints should suffer to become more holy'. Which obviously got her back up almost immediately, memories of being locked in a box, tied to a tree, and her ring finger sawn off, fresh in her mind.

She forced herself to smile. "Of course, Sister. Have a seat," She gestured to the two armchairs arranged by the fireplace.

The woman sat stiffly. Alina made a point of lounging comfortably in her own chair. "I first wish to make you aware of your duties as the wife of the Crown Prince, and what is expected of you in this position. Seeing as it has evidently not been made clear to you,"

"Please," Alina raised an eyebrow. "Enlighten me," This was going to be something she had to grit her teeth and just make it through; play along, and the woman would leave sooner.

"A future Queen is expected to act with dignity, grace and decorum," Sister Polina intoned. "That involves knowing when to speak and when it is better to keep quiet. As a wife, your role is to support your husband, not to outshine him. A Queen is where a King can find relief and solace; whether that is lending a listening ear, taking over less important duties like hosting guests, or in the marriage bed. You must suffer all of it without complaint. And, most of all, never involve yourself in his business unprompted. It is not for you to make decisions about ruling,"

She forced herself to smile. "Those are wise words, Sister. I thank you for informing me. It is hard to transition from how things were at the Little Palace. I had extensive lessons in government, politics and strategy, you see. When I was away with the Second Army at the front, my opinion was always welcome in such meetings - a necessity, you see, as my capabilities were so crucial to whether the battle was won or lost. Of course, things are different here,"

The woman stared at her, long and hard. Alina refused to shift in her seat, refused to break eye contact, refused to let her smile fade. "I see an arrogance in you, my lady, that is unfitting of a Princess, a Queen and a Saint,"

Her smile sharpened. "A good thing, then, that I am none of those things,"

"All you have been through should have made you more humble, my lady. You bear the scars of suffering both on your body," Sister Polina looked pointedly at her missing finger. "And your mind. Yet you have not learned the lessons these scars should have taught you,"

"I learned plenty," Alina said. "In particular, don't trust religious fanatics,"

"What about trusting the Darkling?"

That answer surprised her. "What about him?"

"The King requested that several details about your... liaisons with that man be cleared up, before you marry the Crown Prince. So I must ask you a few intimate questions, if that is acceptable,"

Well that made it certain this was intended as torture, at least. "If it wasn't, you'd ask them anyway,"

Sister Polina stared, unimpressed, before speaking. "At what age did the General steal your virtue?"

He wishes I was still a virgin when I came to him. It was lucky that nothing of the sort had happened; imagine speaking this way to someone who had actually been raped? The worst of it was, Alina had already told the lie; she had to go along with it. Never mind that everything she had done with the Darkling was completely consensual, and the man she was supposed to marry had tried to do the very thing they condemned him for.

"I believe he was one-hundred-and-something. I'm not sure,"

"You know that is not the answer I intended," Saints, this one had no sense of humour at all. "How old were you?"

"Sixteen," Her reply was short and blunt. She didn't want to say any younger than sixteen because that would make him seem even more of a monster, but did not think she could say any older; they wouldn't believe it.

"How many times has he violated you since then?"

Alina shrugged, because what kind of question was that? This was the Darkling's fault, actually; she had wanted to get dressed before that blasted messenger had seen her in his tent, but he had let the man and Ivan enter anyway. He deserved every horrible lie she said about him for making her endure this.

"How many times?" Sister Polina repeated.

"I don't know," She scowled. "I didn't keep notches in my bed post. If they want an exact number, make one up,"

The woman glared at her for a long, excruciating moment. Alina glared right back, wanting to burn that look off her face. Then, "Did you do anything to encourage his advances?"

Alina laughed hollowly. Wrapped my legs around his head, gripped his hair, and moaned his name - his real name. She ignored the sick feeling in her stomach and thought of Vasily, of how it would have gone if she was just a servant, with no powers, no training, no one to care. "Told him no politely. Told him no less politely. Then swore, threatened and fought. He seemed to take that as encouragement,"

"Every time?"

"Every time," Because any other answer would be taken as her letting him do it.

"Did you tell anyone of this?"

"No," Because the King wants this kept quiet.

"Does anyone else know?"

"No," The King wants this kept quiet.

"How do you explain being found naked in his tent the day the king's messenger was sent to Kribirsk?"

"I believe I was wrapped in a blanket, but it wouldn't be the first time a man has lied about seeing me naked," She couldn't help but snap. It went beyond being tired of the questions; it was truly hateful, having to say all this about a man she might not always like, but did respect and (though she rarely admitted it even to herself) cared a lot for. I'll see you soon. She forced down a lump in her throat, delivering the answer the woman wanted. "The messenger requested to come in halfway through. I wanted to get dressed. He didn't give me time to,"

"And yet you still stand up for this man in council meetings? You still argue his corner, even though he abused you, ruined you?"

There was a twisted irony in the fact the Darkling was being condemned for something he did not actually do, rather than the horrendous acts of not only making the Fold, but planning to use it on his own people.

"If you had been at that meeting, you would have heard me standing up for the ability of the Second Army to reinforce the First Army, likely preventing the deaths of many soldiers. I argued in favour of common sense, seeing as there was a considerable lack of it in the room at the time,"

The woman pursed her lips. "Standards may be different amongst the heathens of the Little Palace. Here, however, ladies do not talk about their betters in such a rude manner. You are lucky to have a seat on the council at all,"

"As I have said," She spoke through gritted teeth. "I have as much right - if not more - than many of the men on that council to sit there,"

Sister Polina smiled for the first time; a cruel, faint smile that went beyond general hatefulness and into personal dislike. "Being the Darkling's favoured whore will only get you so far, and you cannot rely on that any longer,"

That was it; that was the breaking point.

Alina got to her feet sharply, summoning a ball of light with a sweep of her arm, shaping it into a furious, snarling beast. "Who the fuck do you think you are talking to?" It was a wonderful feeling, to shout and be openly angry again; her rage had built and built these past weeks, and was unleashed in full force. She could not think of a better outlet. "I could leave this place whenever I want. I'm here as a courtesy - I don't have to take this. I have cut swathes across battlefields, torn down part of the Fold, and can summon the fucking sun. And I'm not a saint, this isn't some divine power - it's just me. Don't ever reduce me to belonging to someone, whether I've shared their bed or not. You can take any more questions you have and shove them up your shrivelled arse. And please, report this to the King - I want to be on the same page. If he tries anything like this again, I'll kill you with a wave of my hand and leave this place for good,"

As she spoke, the golden beast behind her head had gotten larger and larger. The woman had not stood, merely shrunken into the chair with a look of terror on her hateful face. Alina noted that with satisfaction, sending the beast lunging towards her, laughing cruelly at her shriek, only to dissipate the creature inches away from her.

"Get out," She said, smile fading abruptly, her voice cold. Sister Polina needed no encouragement to flee, almost tripping over her long grey habit in her haste to leave.

The moment the door slammed shut, unexpected tears began to fall. Alina hated crying, and clamped her hand to her mouth, an old habit to stifle any sobs, as saints knew no authority figure in her life had ever been sympathetic to tears.

But Aleksandra was at her side in seconds. In her anger, she had forgotten her friend witnessed all of that. "Here," She grabbed her arm, guiding her forcefully away from the chairs by the fireplace and over to the bed, where she pushed her down. "Sit. I know I'm not the friendliest face, but you're allowed to cry, Alina. That was..." The girl shook her head, seeming perturbed. "Designed to hurt you. Made even worse because they think he actually did all the things you said,"

"I'm sorry," Was all she could say. "I don't normally cry when I'm angry, I'm being pathetic - "

"You've just been made to lie, in detail, how the man you love violently raped you for two years, only to be called a whore for not being able to fight him off," Aleksandra said in her usual blunt manner. "You're not just angry - you're upset,"

At that, Alina cried harder. She wasn't a noisy crier; she shook with silent sobs, tears pouring down her face, hand still clamped to her mouth. "I don't love him," But she was missing his calming amplifier touch, against her better nature.

"Fine," She could sense Aleksandra rolling her eyes even if she couldn't look at her friend yet. "But just remember, they want to get in your head. They want to break you, convince you he's evil," He is quite evil, though I knew that already. "But you're going to have the last laugh,"

"Fuck summoning - I'm going to tear their throats out with my bare hands," She mumbled, making the other girl give a short laugh.

"That's more like it," Aleksandra was clearly relieved at a sign of humour. "If it helps, I wouldn't be surprised if that awful woman pissed herself in fright at your temper. Have I said before that you approach every confrontation like you're facing the Darkling himself? On a battlefield, at that,"

Alina snorted, wiping tears off her cheeks, chin and neck. "Serves her right,"

"You did it to me when I first told you you couldn't wear your kefta,"

That made her laugh properly. "Sorry," She patted the bed beside her. "Sit down. I know you don't like hugs, but can I at least lean against you?"

"Are you going to set a golden beast from hell on me if I don't?" Aleksandra smirked, but obliged.

"I might," She bit back, but leaned against the taller girl's shoulder. "Thank you. You're not the most comforting, but you handled my tantrum well," I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here.

"Just trying to earn my promotion when you're the Queen of Ravka,"

"Shut up," Alina said, only grinning slightly weaker than she normally would. "It's working, if you're that keen,"

Aleksandra laughed, and it eased the sick feeling in her stomach just a little. She was glad she burned that letter.

*

Sorry about that hateful last scene, it hit quite close to home for me and was actually very hard to write. However, I felt like it should be included; not as gratuitous humiliation for Alina, but to emphasise how the Lanstovs are disgusting, the attitudes towards women and sexual assault at this time are disgusting, and contribute to the tension and pressure on Alina (because we all know how explosive that gets...).

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, and thanks for reading!