Alina, for perhaps the first time in her life, had prepared for a conversation. Had actually spent a solid fifteen minutes sat at the table in her chambers, writing down points to back up her argument; an argument which the Darkling was definitely not going to like, but one she would make him agree to anyway. Admittedly, she gave up after writing only three points on the list, but she was sure she could come up with something convincing in the moment.

She strode into his study one evening after dinner, determined. "I don't want guards following me around the Little Palace anymore," She continued without letting him get a word in. "They can guard me in the Grand Palace, or at night, or outside the palace walls, but I'm not a child anymore. I like them all, but I can defend myself better than most people here. And I'm so good at escaping the oprichniki that there's no point having them guard me anyway. And - "

"Fine,"

The word stunned her. "You're joking. It can't be that easy,"

"I am not joking," He said, deadpan. "I know you well enough to realise you will not let this idea go, now you've got it into your head. Quite honestly, I am too busy to deal with your stubbornness. I will remove your guards, under one condition," I knew it. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You prove yourself against me,"

*

The next day, Alina and the Darkling rode out to the forest behind the palace. Quite a distance away, though the reasons for that became clear when they reached a clearing that had been devastated by what was clearly a Shadow Summoner. Cracked, dead trees, broken, uneven ground, shattered rocks, the presence of something lingering in the air. The amount of power needed to cause this amount of destruction was... considerable.

"Is this where you go to have a tantrum?" She glanced around.

"This is where I go to practice," He said. "I do not let just anybody come here, Alina,"

"Should I be honoured?" She dismounted onto fractured ground, laughing at his unimpressed expression. "I know you don't think I can do it. This is all just an excuse to get me to shut up about the guards,"

"We shall soon see," He got off his own horse and led the animal away; to the other side of a large, conveniently placed rock. Alina followed suit. "You should be more scared. In the past when I deign to train against young Grisha, they always look terrified,"

"Why should I be?" She raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to do, kill me?" It wasn't empty bravado; no actual damage would come to her at his hand.

They faced each other across the clearing. Darkness gathered in his hands, but Alina struck first and fast, sending a ball of burning light at his feet in an attempt to knock him off balance. The Darkling deflected easily, going on the offensive, and it was all she could do to fend him off with golden shields. But in the midst of defending against the rapid series of attacks, she managed to go against her nature and step back, back, back, until she ducked behind a large tree at the edge of the clearing.

Using the brief moment of respite to her advantage, she conjured up a very vivid illusion of herself; then another, and another. When she stepped out from behind the tree, there were five Alina's and one Baghra, just for a laugh. Whilst keeping up the illusions, she managed to reflect light from many of the trees, conjuring up a bright sphere of her own, causing blinding beams of light to be reflected from all angles. As the darkness smothered one beam or illusion, another popped up. The real Alina was quick and agile, darting around the clearing, sending more burning flashes of light which he managed to deflect. All in all, her strategy was to confuse and mislead, so he didn't know where to aim. She certainly couldn't beat him with raw power, but if there was nowhere to direct that power, what good was it?

The Darkling won in the end, of course, though it was clearly longer than he had expected. The clearing was shrouded in darkness, and he was behind her, arm wrapped around her throat.

"You were better than expected," He remarked, voice irritatingly even as she panted for breath. "Your strategy was... disordered, but somewhat effective only because I am unused to it. That first attack would have felled any otkazat'sya, at least,"

"Get off," Alina wriggled out of his grip, facing him. "Was this just an excuse to prove how big and strong you are? You were holding back,"

"Yet I still won. Did you want me to use the Cut?" He raised an eyebrow. "You were doing the same. You should have aimed for my head first, not my feet,"

She smiled, despite her annoyance at losing. "And how did I know you'd be quick enough to deflect it?"

"Do not make me reconsider removing your guards, Alina,"

It took a moment for that to sink in. When it did, she grinned widely. "Really? But I lost?"

"You were always going to lose against me," He said it like it was obvious, which she supposed it was. "But you would defeat anyone foolish enough to attack you inside the Little Palace. Yes, I will take your guards away. But you are not to leave the palace without them. I will know if you do,"

I'm not sure you will. But that was far more than Alina had expected. "I won't. Thank you," She said. "Why are you being so... agreeable? It's strange,"

"I know you think me a villain who tries to thwart your every move, Alina, but that does not necessarily make me one,"

"Hm," She narrowed her eyes. "Well, when you next ask me to do something I don't want to and bring this up to persuade me, I'll know exactly why. And you are a villain, Black Heretic," She hesitated. "There are accounts in the library that I read before I knew you made the Fold. They say the King betrayed you - that that's why you did it,"

Silence fell over the blasted earth of the clearing.

"The new King decided that he did not need his father's Grisha army, after the Fjerdans and the Shu had been driven off," The Darkling said eventually. "The nobles thought we had too much power, and the commoners were saying their King had been enchanted by witch magic. So the King plotted against us. I heard of the betrayal, and responded in kind - tried to take the throne. It... did not work. Half of the Second Army was butchered. I went into hiding with those of us that were left. But driving me from Os Alta was not enough - the King wanted me dead. We were hunted west like animals. When they killed one of my... valued Grisha, that was the last straw. And thus the Fold was born,"

Alina thought on that for a moment, remembering what Konstantin had told her years ago. "Were you really not plotting a coup before the King's betrayal? That doesn't sound like you,"

He smiled bitterly. "It doesn't, does it?" She remembered Baghra's words, about his cause being a good one, at first.

Another pause.

"Your... valued Grisha. Was she a Healer?" At his raised eyebrow, she quickly lied. "I found an old book in the library. Well, locked away in Konstantin's office," There likely was a book locked away in Konstantin's office that held such information, she just had not seen it.

The Darkling let out a breath of laughter. "Of course it was. That curiosity will get you killed one day, Alina,"

"So?" She grinned, ignoring the warning. "Was she?"

He nodded, jaw tightening. "Her name was Luda,"

"What was she like?"

"Softly spoken. Careful. Witty. Not quite kind, but she tried, which was more than most desperate Grisha then,"

"Nothing like you, then,"

He scoffed slightly. "No. Nothing like me. But that was four hundred years ago," The Darkling glanced up at the sky beyond the trees. "We'd best be getting back before dark,"

"Surely between us we've got that covered," She muttered, but went to get the horses anyway.

*

"He's new," Alina muttered to Katya in their mathematics lesson one morning.

"He is," Her friend followed her stare. "Handsome, too,"

"Ekaterina Volkova!" Alina pretended to be scandalised, then laughed. "You're not wrong,"

The boy could only be a year or so older than they were. Light-brown hair swept gracefully across his forehead, his eyes were a beautiful shade of green, and his pale face was indeed very handsome. He wore a Healer's kefta, grey embroidery on red.

"Come on," Alina grabbed Katya's wrist and tugged her towards the boy, who seemed a bit uncertain. "Hey, you. Yes, you, new boy," She grinned as he turned to them, slightly baffled. "Stop hovering and come and sit with us,"

"Charming," Katya muttered, but the boy smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," He took a seat on the other side of Alina, speaking in good Ravkan but with a distinctly Fjerdan accent. "What are your names, Miss? Misses?"

"Miss?" Alina snorted. "No need to be so polite, we're not in court. I'm Alina, what's yours?"

His eyes widened at that, suddenly seeing her black kefta in a new light. She groaned inwardly. Of course even a Fjerdan recognised the name; her first name alone, not even 'Alina Starkova'. Even without guards hovering around outside her classrooms every day, it was apparently obvious who she was.

But to Alina's surprise, the boy did not say anything about her being the Sun Summoner, even though it was obvious that he knew. "Kasper Falken. Nice to meet you, Alina," He turned to Katya expectantly, and Alina grinned. Oh, I like you.

"I'm Katya,"

"Lovely to meet you as well,"

"I didn't know they made Fjerdans who weren't blonde," Alina said.

"Is my accent that bad?" Kasper said, smiling ruefully.

"Not at all," Katya said at once, earning a smirk from Alina; her friend rolled her eyes in response. "I mean, we can tell where you're from, but you speak Ravkan very well,"

"I only got here yesterday. This place is bigger than any building I've seen before. My family lives in the middle of the woods in a house made of logs - I am not used to glass windows, let alone..." He waved his hands around vaguely.

"I know the feeling," Alina said. "I went from living in a hovel on the Shu border to living like a princess overnight,"

"A princess?" The boy chuckled. "The rooms are much better than I am used to, for sure, but I don't know if a princess would share sleeping quarters with three others,"

"Alina doesn't live in the dorms," Katya said, somewhat slyly. "She sleeps in the Darkling's private wing,"

Kasper's eyes widened, and Alina stepped in hastily. "Not like that! I have my own room,"

Katya burst out laughing, realising her mistake. "Oh, no. Not like that. Sorry, Alina,"

"Forgive me for assuming," The boy said, amused. "Only because everyone says Ravka is more... open than Fjerda. Especially the Grisha,"

"Wait until you meet our friend Nina," Alina said. "She'll give you a conniption,"

That little misunderstanding had broken the ice somewhat, and they fell into easy conversation once the lesson got underway and they were set a series of exercises to do independently. Alina found Kasper to be very intelligent, but not in an annoying way; he was perfectly genuine, with hints of a witty sense of humour. He had Katya's skill at talking her through things she didn't understand without her finding it patronising, which was a miracle in itself. When she called him over, she had only expected the boy's company to be amusing only for a lesson, but she found that she wanted to spend more time with him.

"Walk with us to our languages lesson, you'll be in the same one," Alina said as they left mathematics; classes remained the same for basic lessons. "So tell me - how was it living in a country who hates Grisha?"

"You're so insensitive," Katya elbowed her. "You can't just ask that,"

Kasper didn't seem to mind. "Fjerda is beautiful," He said. "As I said, my family has a house in the forest, with the nearest town far enough away. It wasn't bad, really. Until the Druskelle came looking around," His expression darkened slightly, but he seemed to push himself through it and turn to her with a smile. "I am not that interesting, in truth. What about Ravka's infamous Sun Summoner?"

"Infamous?" Alina snorted, though made a note of what he had avoided talking about. "I'll take that over 'sainted',"

"There are stories about you even in Fjerda," The boy grinned. "Of course, I doubt many are true. Some say that you were raised by wolves in the forest, a half-feral child. That the Darkling smiled when he found you, surrounded by corpses of the men you'd killed. That you are not really a holy saint and kill your own worshippers for fun,"

She smiled sharply. "Two out of three - more accurate than I was expecting,"

When Kasper laughed at that instead of looking unsettled or uneasy, Alina knew that she had found another friend.

Sure enough, the boy was quickly absorbed into their little group. Viktor liked having another boy around, especially after he found he could draw out Kasper's dark sense of humour. Nina was bold enough to get on with everyone, and enjoyed trying to scandalise the Fjerdan by being as shameless as possible. Alina had her concerns about Zoya, but Kasper didn't seem fazed by her sharp tongue, his easygoing nature taking it in stride.

There was only one person who had an issue, in fact. Someone who had absolutely no business having one at all.

"That young Fjerdan Healer," The Darkling said one evening, several weeks after Kasper's arrival, as she wrote a letter to Nikolai next to the fireplace in his study. "You seem fond of him,"

"He's my friend?" Alina said, confused. "If I wasn't fond of him, he wouldn't be,"

"I don't like the way he looks at you,"

She just rolled her eyes. "Then get over yourself. He doesn't look at me in any kind of bad way,"

He just stared back at her, impassive. "I don't like the way you look at him,"

Alina laughed. "You sound like my father. It's not my fault he's handsome," She laughed some more as the Darkling's eyes narrowed. "Why are you so concerned? I'm allowed to think people are easy on the eyes,"

"Men tend to take admiring glances as permission,"

"Speaking from experience?" She dared, raising an eyebrow. Either interpretation of that would irritate him, she knew. That was the point.

He shot her a sharp glare. "Careful, Alina. I'm not in the mood for your cheek,"

"Well I'm not in the mood for your unreasonable temper. I haven't done anything wrong," She got to her feet, resigning to finish her letter another day. "I'm leaving, now. Baghra's expecting me. If you have a problem with that, take it up with your mother,"

*

Alina had evidently underestimated exactly how concerned the Darkling was. Kasper was not in her mathematics class the next morning, nor languages or literacy. She and Katya sought him out at midday, finding the boy sat with Viktor, Zoya and Nina in her favourite alcove in the library, a remote corner that her friends often congregated in.

"Where were you today?" She asked, sitting down on the window seat, her usual place.

"Told you she wouldn't know," Nina nudged Kasper pointedly.

"Know what?" Alina narrowed her eyes, leaning against the wall.

The boy smiled. "The General saw fit to remove me from your classes. And told me quite strongly - threatened, if I'm being honest - to not associate with you anymore,"

She blinked. Alina did not trust herself to speak for how angry she was, though the conversation continued around her.

"I would have cried if he'd threatened me like that," Katya gave a shudder. "That time with the sleeping potion was bad enough,"

"He scares the shit out of me," Viktor said bluntly. That was fair enough, Alina supposed. The Darkling had Cut his mother in half.

Kasper grimaced. "It wasn't exactly a pleasant conversation,"

"I don't know how you talk to him like you do, Alina," Nina, one of the most confident people Alina knew, agreed. "Though it does make me laugh,"

"Why would he threaten you, Kasper?" Viktor wondered. "And not any of us?"

"Oh I know exactly why," Alina made the decision and got to her feet, blood boiling.

"Alina, don't do anything stupid," Zoya warned, watching her. She ignored her friend, getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" She snapped. "He has no right to tell me who I can or can't spend time with. No right to threaten my friends,"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kasper looked a little pale. "Will he even listen to you? He already dislikes me enough as it is,"

"I'll make him listen," She said, setting her jaw.

*

Alina stormed up to the door of the Darkling's study, the oprichniki wincing as she went past; one attempted to stop her, but fell back after she glared and didn't break stride. She flung the door open without knocking and barged inside.

"How dare you - " She broke off mid-sentence, eyes widening in shock as she saw him (thankfully fully clothed) thrusting into a naked woman bent over his desk, her hair wrapped around his hand as her back arched against him.

The woman let out a small shriek at her abrupt entrance, struggling to cover her ample chest. Alina immediately turned away, hand clamped over her eyes, insides curling with embarrassment. But she stood her ground and refused to leave without getting what she wanted. For all she knew, he'd timed this on purpose, to get her to drop the matter. She wouldn't put it past him. Besides, she'd spent years hearing him with various women; seeing it should not make her blush so much. She was rather surprised by the surge of anger that ran through her now at the sight of him doing that with someone, and did not care to examine what that meant.

"For saints' sake, Alina," There were frantic sounds behind her, as the woman scrabbled to put on her clothes. The Darkling did not sound pleased. Nor did he sound at all flustered, just irritated. Bastard. "Have I not told you before to knock?"

"You should lock the door if you're going to be doing things like... that!" She protested, indignant, lowering her hand from her eyes but staying firmly facing the other way.

"At least have the decency to leave,"

Most people would have fled the moment they walked in on the Black General in such a compromising position. But Alina was stubborn, and very capable of arguing with him with her back turned. "As if you have any decency at all! I know you threatened Kasper. You're wrong in the head if you think anything is going on between us, and even if it had, why would you even care?"

"You are the Sun Summoner. You cannot afford distractions from your studies and training. And unlike the other young Grisha, you have a reputation to uphold, which will be ruined if you spend time cavorting with every handsome young man that catches your eye. The Sobachka was bad enough,"

"As I told you, Kasper is my friend, nothing more," She snapped back. "I don't cavort with any young men, least of all him, and it would be none of your business if I did. He's the least distracting of all my friends, and does not deserve to be punished for nothing, so stop being so controlling, you sick-minded freak!"

"You forget your place, Miss Starkova," His tone was icy cold. "I am the General of the Second Army - you are not even a private. If you address me with such little respect again, you will be punished,"

For him to resort to pulling rank meant that he had no true argument against her. Fine, then. She could stray from the point too. Alina knew how to irritate him like no other. "Sorry, moi soverenyi," Never had the title been said so sarcastically. "Does everyone of my lowly rank get chambers just down the hall from your own? Do they get to wear your colours, and attend your private meetings? Do they sit beside you at the dinner table, and get escorted to court functions on your arm?"

"Do not try to be clever," Her shoulder was wrenched around, as he turned her to face him. Thankfully the woman (girl really, she could only be four or five years older than Alina) had put some clothes on and was hovering by the desk, highly uncomfortable. "You know full well that your position is one of great privilege. You'd do well to show some gratitude and humility,"

She shoved his chest hard, to stop him looming over her, to get him to let go of her shoulder. She'd seen him kill men for less. "Do you want me to get down on my knees and thank you for everything you've done for me? Because I won't. I'd survive without you, but you need me. And you keep trying to turn everyone I like against me, punish them simply because they're my friends, that they're people I can rely on other than you and your little spy," If anything, his vehement disapproval just made her more likely to remain friends with Kasper.

It was unfair to bring Genya into this, and Alina saw her as much more than the Darkling's spy, but she was so angry she was just lashing out with the first thing that came to mind.

"I don't know where you're getting these twisted little delusions from," He hissed. "How paranoid are you, Alina, to believe that I would intentionally do such a thing? I have done more for you than anyone else in your short life,"

"Don't make me question myself. I know I'm right," She said. "All you've done for me, you've only done because it benefits you. I don't know what games you're playing, but I won't have you trying to tell me I'm deluded,"

"Even if that is true," Shadows flared behind him, and tendrils of darkness moved to restrain her, but Alina was quicker and a shield of light blocked them. It took considerable effort to keep it in place against him. The young woman shrank back even more, terrified. "I could make your life a whole lot more miserable if I chose to. You are lucky that you are allowed friends at all, that I grant you that distraction,"

"Oh, how lucky I am!" She snarled. "If you really want me miserable that badly then lock me away with Baghra, and have her try to turn me into your perfect little weapon," The strain of defending herself against him grew to be too much, and she cried out in pain, shoving the last of her strength against him. "Stop it!"

To Alina's surprise, it worked. The Darkling looked surprised too, staggering as the shadows were flung back, along with any furnishings within a two metre radius. She was left panting with exertion, her head feeling light and dizzy. There was no chance she would be able to fend off another attack from the Black Heretic. He could beat her even when she wasn't exhausted, as was proven the other week.

"All I want is for you to leave Kasper alone," She said, swaying slightly. "He hasn't got any kind of intentions towards me. And I don't to him. He's too kind for me, anyway,"

To her surprise, the Darkling backed off. The darkness fell from where it had been gathering around her once again. Then her knees buckled and he moved smoothly forward to catch her. His arms were strong and comforting, but even in her addled mind she recognised what he was doing, recognised the touch of his palm on her neck.

"Don't touch my skin," She managed to get out, words slurred. "'M still angry. I want to stay angry,"

He didn't listen. If he had, it would have been more surprising than the fact she'd managed to throw him off. "Leave," Came the sharp command, not addressed to her. "Tell no one of this,"

"Yes, moi soverenyi, of course," The young woman babbled, scurrying out without hesitation. Alina had never obeyed anyone so quickly in her life, and watched her leave with no small amount of disdain.

"Who was that?" She asked, head still foggy as the Darkling picked her up and carried her over to a chaise, sitting down and laying her across his lap.

"It doesn't matter,"

"Poor girl,"

He huffed a laugh, fingers idly twisting in her hair. "You will need to spend the rest of the day resting. Likely tomorrow as well. Over-exertion of your powers is dangerous - if you do not rest now, it will be worse later on,"

"You say that like it's my fault,"

"Whose fault would it be apart from your own?"

"Shut up. I was defending myself. From you,"

"As if I'd have harmed you," He said it like the very idea was ridiculous.

Alina was not mentally present enough to even begin to argue with his nonsense. "Stop touching my hair," She said instead, thinking back to what he'd been doing when she'd entered the room.

Lying in bed that night, she couldn't get the image out of her head. There was a certain amount of scorn Alina felt towards that young woman. Not because she thought the girl was a whore; raised in the Little Palace, most Grisha did not have the same prejudices as those at court, and did not begrudge the idea of sleeping with someone outside of marriage. No, this was different. Despite the fact that now she was older, and could better understand why people enjoyed such an act, Alina could never imagine just... submitting to someone like... like that. Letting a man bend her over, pull her hair, not even pay attention to her face, just what they could take from her.

Least of all the Darkling. Was that how he liked his women? Meek, biddable, and falling over themselves to please him?

Of course, that brought on a whole bunch of unwelcome thoughts. She knew that the Darkling was handsome, and had noticed for some time now. She was allowed to think that - and would've been lying to herself if she refused to admit it - though would never be as foolish as lots of young girls, who desired a handsome, powerful, older man. It might have been easier to get caught up in the attention he gave her, if she hadn't known he was a centuries-old monster. Despite the fact she liked making him laugh, he infuriated her, meddled in her life and with her head. He was controlling, cruel, manipulative and the biggest liar she had ever met. The fact they often got on quite well did not change that she hated him as often as she liked him.

No, she could never truly think about the Darkling that way. The fact that he (fairly) thought of her as an irritating brat aside, how he had reacted today was the true heart of it. She could not imagine him allowing her to be with anyone at all. The man liked to control everything in his power, particularly when it came to Alina. And her very nature recoiled from those chains that tried to shackle her.

*

The next day, Kasper was back in the classes they had previously shared, at her own insistence. No one dared to object.

Still, the boy was rightfully wary. "And you promise I won't get dragged off to the dungeons, or sent to the Fold?"

"I promise," She said, meaning it. "Not for this, at least,"

"Thank you," He sat down next to her, grinning. "I don't know what you said to him, but it worked,"

"I... caught him off guard," She couldn't help but smirk.

"Is there more to that story?"

"None that anyone will hear,"

*

Dear Ma, Da, Misha and Mal,

I made a new friend, a Grisha from Fjerda. Apart from that, not much has happened since I last wrote to you about the expedition to Tsibeya. Sorry for the short letter. How is everything in Temgora? How is your leg after it was healed, Da? Do let me know if you need anything sent from Os Alta. Ma, I've included more of that thread you like, and another book for Misha.

Lounging on the window seat of their spot in the library, her friends all chattering around her, Alina frowned at the painfully short letter. Lots more had happened than what she had written, of course but Alina could hardly tell her parents about her struggles with the Darkling. Not least because if she did, the letter would never get sent. And there was so much more that they just would not understand, such as her classes, or the fact she could now turn herself fully invisible, or that since her outburst at the council they were all treating her a lot more like an adult than a disobedient child.

She glanced out of the large arched window, at the grounds outside. Alina had come to the conclusion some time ago that her family would forever be separate from her life in the Little Palace. As she would be separate from Temgora. But as she grew older, she found less and less to write to them about. And how long would it be before they stopped replying altogether?

Frowning, she finished the letter off.

From Alina, with love.

*

So this chapter features two of the first times Alina has physically gone against the Darkling; she is realising, as she gets older, that she can do more than just talk back to him. I hope I portrayed those scenes well - I love writing those two together, whether it's amusing each other or at each other's throats. This story is tagged Darklina, but I don't want it to seem inevitable as many stories with this ship do; I want Alina to choose it for herself, and even then not fall head over heels but stay disillusioned with him, not let him walk all over her. Also, what do you think of Kasper? He's part of a key plot point coming up, so he's not just here so Alina can have another friend, promise!

Thanks to all my readers!