Alina had thought that watching the trial of the Pyotr and Tatiana Lantsov - along with several Lantsov cousins, and half a dozen prominent nobles who continued to refuse to swear fealty to Aleksander - would be immensely satisfying. It was, in a way, but also managed to be mind-numbingly boring.

The one element of entertainment, aside from seeing the former King and Queen humiliated, was of her own making; she had insisted that the trials be open to the public each day. So along with the ranks of assembled lords and ladies, there was a baying, jeering section of around forty commoners there to bring a touch of reality to proceedings, and spread the word of what went on here. People loved nothing more than to see someone above them fall from grace, and there couldn't be many falls longer than this one.

A large part of her wanted to go and sit in the middle of that crowd - it looked much more fun - but for this first day at least, she probably should remain at Aleksander's side. Well, at his side was relative. He sat on the throne, and she sat to his right, in one of a line of seats on the dais with the major players in the First and Second army and King's council. To his left were the ambassadors from Amhrat Jen, Djerholm and Ketterdam, here to witness the downfall of the old government. They were the main reason they were holding a trial at all.

Aleksander had offered her the Queen's throne, before it was removed from the hall. "Without the title," He clarified. "I know you will most likely not accept, but it would be more comfortable than an ordinary chair, and it sends a message"

He was right on both counts. Her chair was uncomfortable, but she had no intention of accepting the offer. "It sends the wrong message," Alina said, and he knew better than to argue further.

So far, the trial had just been a lot of blustering judges and lawmakers going on and on, discussing terms and protocols and other official nonsense. She perked up a little when the first round of witnesses were shown in; a concerning number of female servants, and even several noblewomen, who all asserted that the King, the late Prince, or any of the men on trial, had assaulted them. Each of their testimonies were far too vivid and emotional to be made up, and whilst it was not the most damning evidence against a King - of which such behaviour was expected - it did stir up rage against the defendants, which was exactly the intention.

Alina was angry too. Throughout the many stories, she noticed that many of the nobles looked unconvinced, like they did not believe them, muttering doubtfully to each other. It went beyond just thinking that these women were making it up; far nastier than that were the whispers that they had actually been asking for it, that they had been trying to seduce them, that they were wanton slatterns who deserved what they got. Many more looked like they did not care if the accusations were true or not; as though it was well within the rights of a man of that station to use a servant as he wished.

Throughout, those in the commons section frequently shouted out like they were watching a play - most of it imaginative abuse directed at the King - and had to be hushed. As solemn as the subject matter was, Alina could not help but find the audience amusing, even as many more serious members of court - Aleksander included - were visibly displeased by this. Her eyes landed on Sturmhond, the silver-tongued privateer, who had somehow weaselled his way into sitting with the nobility. He was clearly finding it amusing as well, though his face had been serious whilst the women were speaking, something that raised her opinion of him.

Then Genya took the stand, and had Alina's entire attention, catching her stare briefly. Her eyes were dry and her beautiful face was stone-cold as she addressed the room.

"I was twelve years old, the first time I was raped by the former King. A child. Many of your daughters are that age or younger, and all were that age at some point. I cried, and begged him to stop hurting me. He did not. This continued often from that moment on, until his unfortunate sickness earlier this year," The irony in her tone was only detectable to those who knew her, and what she had done. "I am twenty-one, now. Nine years. I was never willing, but that did not matter. As the former Queen's servant, she - who had treated me like a daughter up until that point - became jealous of the attention despite knowing it was not consensual, and was nothing but vile towards me.

She turned to Alina, politically savvy as ever. "And for those of you who doubt my testimony, Alina Starkova can back me up. I spent far too much time crying in her arms after such things occurred. If it was up to her, Alina would have marched straight to the Grand Palace the first time she heard and made him pay there and then. She was ten years old at the time, I believe," Genya smiled faintly. "But I did not want to commit treason. Did not want her getting into trouble. And I suppose I did not want anyone else to know what had happened to me. Everyone should be grateful that the Sun Summoner, his Majesty the Tsar, and Lord Vorontsov saw fit to overthrow the Lantsovs. I have spent the most time with them of anyone here, and can vouch for the fact they care only for themselves, and will sacrifice countless lives without a thought to make their own a little more comfortable,"

The commons roared with approval, and even the ranks of nobles muttered amongst themselves. Genya's speech had been the most politically charged of all of them so far. Yet still there were hateful little men looking sceptical, bored or outraged on behalf of the king; Alina's eyes narrowed, making a note of each one of them.

After everyone was told once again to be quiet, the testimonies continued.

"And what would you say to those who would suggest you encouraged the former King's attentions?" The judge asked one girl, not unkindly.

"Look at him," The pretty young maid's tone was riddled with scorn, eyes gleaming with well-deserved spite. "Who would want an awful old man like that slobbering all over you? King or no king, his breath smells like something has died in there, and he has a face that would fit in better in the Fold," The scarred mark on her wrist lent credence to that claim.

There was a shocked silence, even from the commons, until Alina's loud laugh echoing through the room broke the spell entirely. Having had enough of brilliant girls like this being disbelieved and judged, she got to her feet, then, moving to take her place next to that last witness, who gawped at her proximity.

"I don't wish to upstage proceedings," She said to the room, ignoring Aleksander's raised eyebrow and the anxious (or eager) expressions of anyone who had been there for many of her public arguments with the former King. "But I've been noticing some doubt amongst many of our noble guests as to the legitimacy - or value - of these women's claims. As someone lucky enough to be in a position where you have to take me seriously, listen up for your own sakes.

"I can vouch for the fact that the former King, late Prince and no doubt many of the men on trial today committed crimes that would have seen a common man hanged, using their position as a shield. I was sixteen when Vasily Lantsov cornered me in an empty corridor. Whilst I was more than capable of fighting him off - physically or otherwise - " She summoned a ball of light, and a gratifying oooh went up from the commons, many of whom had not seen it before. "It was more than my life's worth to damage the Crown Prince. He would have forced himself on me, had I not threatened him sufficiently that he backed off. When I told him what he had attempted to do was rape, he brushed the accusation off, as good as saying that one of his station cannot rape anyone,"

"Yet you agreed to be engaged to the man?" One of the lords on trial scoffed from behind her.

"I had no choice, something familiar to many of the women in this room. The engagement was ordered, by the former King. Would you have me commit treason?" She smirked as the commons laughed, the irony of that statement quite obvious given the situation they were currently in. "I had to settle for telling Vasily to keep his hands to himself, or else I'd burn them off,"

"Which you did anyway - you burned his entire body to ashes,"

She smiled, showing her teeth. "Yes. I did. I'm sure many here fantasised about doing the same,"

The man struggled to find a reply for that, as a murmur of approval went up from the assembled women.

Alina cast a disdainful eye around the room. "If any of you decide this is not enough of a warning and continue to force yourself on girls who can't say no - " Her stare lingered on some of the lords in the audience who had started to sweat. "I will make you regret it," To emphasise her point, as she returned to her seat, she slashed her hand down, gouging a deep burn mark in the floor about two feet in front of the defendants, whose startled yelps were pleasing.

Sturmhond's eyes were on her now, not the commons, who were cheering Alina's actions. Her repeated visits into the city and plain way of talking had made her very popular, and even if many aristocrats despised her, there were more who liked, respected or feared her enough that it did not matter.

The Apparat had been supposed to testify next. It was discovered the previous day that he had fled in the night, disappeared to saints-knew-where. Aleksander was irritated but no one was surprised. Alina had been expecting him to flee weeks ago. It worked out better for them in the end; the new Apparat was a greedy puppet, firmly in the pocket of the new Tsar, and gave a stellar performance, explaining how the former King had been funnelling money away from the church to fund his own lavish expenses. A lie, of course, one of the few things he had not done, but this would stir up more anger than the truth; that he had been funnelling money away from the poor.

After that came reports from members of the former King's council, citing his plans to implement an outrageous increase in taxes for both the rich and poor. Again, this was not true, just a rumour they had spread, but of everything presented that day, this got the strongest reaction from the powerful men in the room. This was why Alina hated court; everyone's priorities were fucked.

"You did well today," She caught up with Genya after that day's proceedings had wrapped up.

"There was something satisfying in publicly denouncing him, to his face," Her friend said, but frowned. "I'm glad you stepped in, but I wish you hadn't had to. I knew most of them weren't going to take that part seriously - lots were more upset about the church money scandal, and the taxes, which didn't even happen - but it made me so angry,"

"What I said won't have changed many minds," She said. "But at least it will have warned them to keep their opinions quiet,"

Genya hummed her agreement. There was a pause. "I wish I'd had enough time to kill him," Her friend said. "Not that I'm the only one with a grievance against him - far from it - but it feels like a shame. The Darkling - sorry, the Tsar - promised me revenge, years ago,"

"He did, didn't he," Alina's eyes narrowed. "Leave it with me. I'll make sure you get what you were promised,"

"Oh Alina, don't kick up a fuss," Her eyes widened slightly.

"Don't worry, I'm very good at it," She grinned, then let her smile fade. "After everything you did, he owes you that much. Only if it's what you really want, though,"

Genya hesitated, then nodded.

*

"Miss Starkova," An oprichnik knocked on the door to her chambers the next morning. "There is a man waiting outside the palace - he says he would like to speak with you. I can turn him away if you'd prefer,"

"Did he give a name?" She asked.

"The otkazat'sya pirate - privateer? Sturmhond,"

Odd. And quite presumptuous of the man. She supposed he wanted to charm her into pleading his case with Aleksander; not that she would be doing any such thing. But she had liked him, despite any ulterior motives, and was curious to hear what he had to say. "Tell him I'll be out in fifteen minutes,"

She wore her black kefta as she descended the steps of the Little Palace, eyes landing on the odd-looking man. Sturmhond had been having a lively conversation with two of the oprichniki - unusual that the highly trained guards got on so well with a stranger - though his gaze flickered to Alina the moment she appeared. He bade his farewell to the guards and sauntered towards her, with an easy grace and charming smile that struck her as somehow familiar.

"My sincerest thanks for granting your precious time to speak with me, Alina," He had clearly not forgotten the invitation to use her given name, and intended on taking full advantage of it without hesitation. Something few people had the nerve to do. "I can assure you, it will be time well spent," He was arrogant without taking himself too seriously; a combination that ended up being quite charming.

"It won't be a private audience," She said, ignoring his offered arm, which he took in stride, matching his pace to her own. "I was already going into the city. You can tag along if you feel up for a walk, and say your piece then,"

"Does the mighty Sun Summoner not have a golden carriage to carry her wherever she goes?" His tone was mocking but not cruel, like she was in on the joke as much as he was. "Surely an entourage of guards, attendants and adoring followers is incidental to the position?"

Alina snorted. "I can't think of anything worse. If I asked for a golden carriage, perhaps I'd get one. But that would spread the wrong message. And I have functioning legs,"

"Perhaps you are right. In that case, you have me wondering, what is the right message?" He sounded genuinely interested.

"The Lantsovs wallowed in needless luxury while their people fought and starved. The new government is different. Why do you think there are barely any uprisings, despite a Grisha taking the throne? We made sure the people knew exactly what their former King was, and how little he cared,"

"Interesting," Sturmhond said, tone light. "And the new Tsar cares more?"

She gave him a sideways look. "What's it to you?" There was something off about him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The man didn't falter, just smiled and shook his head. "Very little, in all honesty. I mean nothing by the question. So long as he grants my certification again. I was merely intrigued as to why someone as intelligent and free-thinking as you would back a man such as he for the throne,"

"Whatever you want from me, flattery will not work," Sturmhond had an agenda; she had always known that, but now she was realising it went beyond getting permission to be a privateer again.

He took this in stride. "Quite right, of course. Excessive exposure to the leeches at court would do that to you,"

She stopped dead.

"Keep moving," Sturmhond (not Sturmhond) said, that cheerful smile still on his face, but there was a sharper note to it now, confirming exactly what she was thinking. "You can hit me later, if you like. Preferably not in the face, as I happen to be quite attached to my cheekbones. But now is hardly the time, seeing as we're in full view of the palace here. Both palaces, in fact. Or is it three now, since one got cut in half?"

"Was that deliberate?" Alina forced her mouth to move, taking his arm when it was offered; whether to steady herself as they carried on towards the gates, or make sure he did not leave, she wasn't sure. "Letting me know it's you?"

"I suppose it was," The man said regrettably, like this was a minor setback. "I was going to attempt to keep up the ruse for much longer, but the more I spoke to you, the more I realised it would be better to rip the bandage off sooner rather than later. You haven't changed since you were twelve, Alina, in that sense at least," That was rather pointed.

"In what sense have I changed," She was putting off the inevitable.

When he smiled at her she wondered how she had ever missed it. "Why, you are no longer the scrawny child I knew, and have grown into a strikingly beautiful young woman," So he was holding back, for now.

Zoya was beautiful. So was Genya. "Beautiful is a stretch. I'll accept pretty," She couldn't help but grin faintly, no small part of her delighted to see him again, despite (or perhaps because of) the immense danger involved. "I can't say the same for you. I hope a Tailor was involved in this," She waved her free hand at his face.

"Quite a risky thing to say - what if no Tailor was involved at all, and you have just dealt me a grievous insult?"

Alina shrugged, unbothered. "I've dealt with worse princely tantrums," She then remembered that she had killed his brother - and declared to an audience the previous day that she did not regret it - and swiftly moved on. "For now, at least, I'm glad to see you again - I don't want to know why you're here in disguise, or any plans you may have. We're going to go into the city and talk to a lot of people - ordinary working people. You're going to ask some good questions and work out for yourself how much better or worse things are for them now. Once we return to the palace, in private, you can say your piece,"

Nikolai Lantsov opened his mouth, then closed it again, smiling at her. "If it would please her Grace, the Sun Summoner, by all means. For this afternoon, I am at your service,"

"Your flowery words have gotten worse,"

He laughed. "Eloquence is a talent, Alina,"

"I've succeeded well enough without it,"

"I suppose I can grant you that, given what I've heard in recountings of your speeches, whilst being dragged away by guards. Not elegant by any means, but effective. If you intended to incite an uprising, at least, which I suppose you did,"

"Worked like a charm. I hate adoring crowds, but get on well with angry mobs,"

Alina was glad she had brought Nikolai with her into the Outer City. People here knew her and, for the most part, loved her. She had donated enough gifts to various charitable projects, and talked to enough people like they were equals, that she tended to be very well received. Things were not vastly different from before the coup, but change was in the air. Already, many soldiers had returned home, which was enough for most people to celebrate. Grisha could also be put to work on things that weren't just war; Fabrikators and Healers in particular offering their services for free or a pittance, just for something to do. Few from this area had died in the siege, too, and everyone had witnessed the mercy shown to those who surrendered, and the enforcement of the ban on looting.

She knew Nikolai, or she had known him. If he was anything like the boy he had been, seeing the people peaceful and happy would make a difference. If he had been anticipating a scared, hungry people, cowering under the Darkling's thumb, he was not going to find it. He was nothing but charming, of course, making friends with everyone they came across.

"Sturmhond!"

Alina glanced up at the shout, seeing a small woman elbow her way through the crowd. She looked a few years older than Alina, with short black hair and bronze, carrying a pair of axes at her hips. A man who surely had to be her brother followed behind; he was extremely tall, his muscular arms bare even in the Ravkan winter. Alina had to blink at the sight of seeing others with clear Shu ancestry in the midst of an Os Altan crowd. Were they here with the dignitaries from Ahmrat Jen? They were not dressed like they were part of an entourage.

Nikolai's face split into a big grin when he saw the pair, seizing Alina's arm and dragging her over to meet them, away from the crowd. He knew them, then. She was on guard nonetheless.

"Alina, meet two of the most loyal members of my crew - two of the bravest, most talented people I have ever had the pleasure to meet - and two of my closest friends - twins, Tamar Kir-Bataar and Tolya Yul-Bataar,"

"You make them sound like a crowd,"

The woman, Tamar, snorted with laughter, offering a hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Sun Summoner," She was friendly, though there was a gleam in her eye and swagger to her gait that promised trouble if things took a turn. Good fucking luck, Alina thought, almost gloomily; her sleep had been disturbed these past few weeks, remembering her unstoppable advance through the palace to the former Queen's chambers.

She shook her hand, then that of the giant man, Tolya. "Nice to - "

"Sankta!" Someone cried out from the crowd, attempting to rush towards her, and she flinched, flinging up a hand out of instinct but managing to not call any light. Clearly whoever it was was not a local; in fact, those from Os Alta prevented the fanatic getting any closer, much to her relief and satisfaction. More and more people were realising that she hated being treated like that; whether they kept Sankta Alina idols behind closed doors was another matter, so long as they knew better than to show it in public.

Tolya had observed this interaction. "Sturmhond tells us you dislike being addressed as a saint?" His calm tone was one of curiosity, not accusation.

She fought down her instinctive snappish response, something only slightly less snappish coming out instead. "I am no more a saint than you are. I didn't realise they are worshipped in Shu Han," Alina caught herself then, pulling a face. "Sorry, that sounded too much like the bigots in court,"

Tamar just grinned, appearing to warm up to her a little. "So you really don't like being called a saint. Got it. To answer your question, despite being Shu by birth, our mother was Grisha and raised in Ravka. She brought us up in the church,"

Alina stopped herself pulling a face at the mention of the church. "Are either of you Grisha?" She asked instead. "If your mother was," It did not guarantee it, but it was more likely to run in families.

The twins shared a look, which might have not been noticed if she hadn't been looking for it.

"So yes, then," Alina said, ignoring Tamar's hand moving to her axe. "Don't worry. I really don't care, and I've learned much bigger secrets today," She shot a look at Nikolai, which did not go unnoticed. But now was not the time nor place to address that.

"What's stopping you running to the Darkling?" Tamar asked, clearly not just talking about the fact she and her brother were Grisha.

"Spite," Alina shrugged. "It's his dream to have all the Grisha in the world safe and cherished under his roof. So long as they do what he says,"

"I heard you were all but his consort,"

She smiled sharply, without humour. "You heard wrong,"

*

It was hard to shake Tamar and Tolya once they had appeared. They were clearly loyal to their captain to a fault, and had not dropped their suspicion towards Alina, especially now they knew she knew who Sturmhond really was. In the end, Nikolai had to kindly tell them to leave, and he and Alina headed back to the palace. Wordlessly, they made for the woods. No one could listen in there; Alina had never been able to forget Baghra and her spies using the secret passages in the Little Palace. She turned them both invisible, just in case. The last thing she needed was Aleksander getting angry at her being seen going off with another man.

"I won't apologise," She said, the moment they were in the trees. "It was help overthrow a dynasty, or marry Vasily. Your brother was a vile rapist who had my father killed. Your mother would have happily murdered my pregnant mother and younger brother. And your father was a parasite on the whole country and the tormentor of girls who couldn't say no, as we heard from the court,"

His jaw tightened, and he took a breath. "I am not sure what I hoped for when I came here. I was lurking around the city for a month before the audience yesterday, you know. Perhaps part of me wanted to find a kingdom in turmoil, led by a tyrant and fit for uprising, with a discontented Sun Summoner only too willing to turn on him. Instead, I return to Ravka to see that the people adore you, hate my family, and tolerate him because he ended the wars without spilling a drop of Ravkan blood. You have over three quarters of the nobility backing you, and the whole country believes I am a bastard," It did not sound like complaining; more, telling a vaguely amusing story he was resigned to accept.

"If it helps," Alina said, unhelpfully. "I'd much rather be a bastard than a Lantsov,"

He snorted at that. "Perhaps you are right. But it is not easy or pleasant, to hear such stark truths about one's own family. Or not family, as the case may be,"

In truth, she had very little sympathy. He had known what they were, even if he hadn't known the full extent. "Are you going to try to take the throne back?"

Nikolai tilted his head, still wearing that cheerful smile. "Would you stop me if I said yes? Or, dare I ask, might you even decide to help an old friend?"

"I wanted you on the throne, you know. When the news came about the engagement, you were my first choice. Kill the King, kill Vasily, and make your position secure. But the Darkling's mind was made up. I chose the much lesser of two evils,"

"And you went along with it?" He tutted, a sly look in his eyes. "That doesn't sound like the brave, rebellious Alina I used to know. I had always thought that you would leave the moment you were old enough,"

"I grew up with the master of mind games, who loved to mess with my head. It didn't work then, and it's not going to work now,"

"I'm not trying to mess with your head, Alina, I'm telling the truth," Nikolai said, uncharacteristically serious now, all traces of amusement fading. "There are three years between us, which doesn't seem like much now, I'll grant you, but when you were thirteen and I was sixteen, it made a significant difference. I saw how he looked at you, even when you were still a child. He wanted you for his own, he was going to have you, and nothing was going to stop him because he did not believe that anything could,"

Her eyes narrowed. "I've never been his; not his wife, not his mistress, and definitely not his Queen. I am the one person willing to shout in his face and tell him no - and the one person he's forced to listen to. His ascent to the throne would have left a vast trail of blood and corpses without me there to stop him. Don't accuse me of being a meek little doormat, or a victim. The moment my brother or sister is born, I'm leaving Os Alta and doing whatever the fuck I want,"

"You misunderstand me, Alina," Nikolai's apologetic tone irritated her. "What I am trying to get at - and I say this for your own benefit, not to offend, so I humbly ask you to not slice my head off - is that no matter how defiant you are, he does have you. You helped him not only seize the throne, but - crucially - helped him secure it too. He could have taken over without you, but as you say, he would have been hated and feared, so would have been possible to overthrow, given time. Not anymore. He has you on his side, as his friend and in his bed, and has your loyalty and faithfulness. You might not be falling over yourself to please him, but he has everything he's ever wanted from you,"

His words had made her angrier than she'd been in a long time. "Fuck you," Was the most polite, eloquent thing she could force out, because she knew everything he was saying was true. She had thought it all herself, at some point or other.

Nikolai smiled wryly. "I wouldn't say no," His smile faded despite the half-hearted joke. "You have spent over half your life, most of your childhood, under his thumb, knowing that even if you wanted to leave he would hunt you to the ends of the earth. Did you ever have the chance to consider what it would be like without him? Or did you just accept the inevitable?"

No, and yes, because we're both going to live for fucking ever and it's the very definition of inevitable even if I wish it were otherwise. Alina glared at her old friend, who looked sincere, but ultimately unruffled.

"You will never be King, Nikolai," She cut through to the heart of the issue, not wanting to address anything that had just been said. "And you don't owe it to anyone to try. You've analysed me and my life enough. You left Os Alta and all its pageantry to go and crawl in the mud with common soldiers, then instead of going to university you went off to play pirate instead. You hate being tied to court as much as I do,"

"Privateer, not pirate," He corrected with a quirk of the lips, deliberately ignoring what she was implying, just as she had ignored him. She had hit a nerve, as she'd hoped. "I suppose we are at an impasse,"

She rolled her eyes, granting him a reluctant half-smile. "You know full well that privateer and pirate are the same thing, except you hold a fancy bit of paper excusing all your crimes,"

"Ah yes, speaking of - can you go and persuade the Darkling to sign my new papers? Surely if you persuaded him to avoid, ah, 'leaving a vast trail of blood and corpses', this should be child's play?"

"If that's what you wanted, you shouldn't have got his back up by flirting with me at that first audience,"

"Flirting? I would never! How presumptuous of you, Alina. Although if that is the case, surely you can fix it by soothing his ego with your feminine wiles?" His face was innocent, but his eyes shone with wicked amusement.

Alina hit him in the stomach, hard. "Oh don't push it,"

He recovered well, grinning. "I have to say, you hit harder than you did at thirteen,"

"Why the fuck would that surprise you?"

*

It was near evening when Alina returned to the Little Palace. Whilst it had been nice - more than nice - talking to her old friend, there was still a knot of worry in the pit of her stomach, and a flare of anger at the truths he had confronted her with. Nikolai would not be easily dissuaded from his goal of taking the throne, but he was an intelligent man. Surely he could see that there was no chance of him succeeding?

"Were you in the city all day?" Zoya asked her as they ate. The six of them were on the same table; since the Darkling had taken to spending most meals at the Grand Palace, the rigid structure of the Corporalki, Materialki and Etherialki tables had broken down, led of course by Alina and her friends.

"I came back in the mid-afternoon," She replied. "I went into the woods to clear my head. There was another crazed fanatic today," It wasn't that she did not trust her friends; she did, more than anyone else. But there was no reason for them to know about Nikolai's presence. It would only endanger them if things went south.

"You didn't kill one of your worshippers again, did you Alina?" Katya asked in false concern.

She grinned. "Sadly, no. The locals have got good at holding them back before I even need to raise my hand,"

"I saw you walking with that funny-looking pirate," Viktor said with a bit of a leer. "Did he join you in the woods too?"

"Yes, I lay with a stranger on the forest floor, a stone's throw away from the palace grounds," Alina deadpanned, making them all laugh.

As ever, spending time with her friends was a pleasant distraction, but throughout the whole meal she couldn't help but dwell on the problem of Nikolai. Afterwards, Alina decided she was sick of worrying - something she did not make a habit of doing - and made her excuses to her friends, heading for the Grand Palace alone. It was better to be safe than sorry.

The Lantsovs were being held in various cells around the palace; the ones that Mila Tarasova's network had deemed the hardest to be broken out of, and the easiest to defend. Alina was aiming for the former Queen's.

"Tatiana," The oprichnik guard let her into the cell, where the woman was sat on the bed, reading a book. Without Genya's tailoring, up close she looked even more worse for wear than she had done in court. Old, tired and bitter.

Her lip curled. "Starkova. Have you come to gloat?"

"No," She replied. "I want you to help me save your son's life,"

That shut her up. Tatiana's eyes narrowed, but she sat up a little straighter. "This is a ploy,"

"It's not," Alina kept her tone neutral. "I still hate you and would happily see you die, if it didn't mean the end of any good relations with Fjerda. You have to know that once this trial is over, you'll be going back with the ambassadors to Djerholm, no matter what the Darkling threatens. He doesn't know I'm here, by the way. He'll hear about it later, from the guards, but won't know what we spoke of,"

The woman was still suspicious. "Why should I believe you,"

"You don't have to," She shrugged. "But hear me out. Nikolai came here in disguise. I realised who he was earlier today. I know he means to attempt to take back the throne, but even he knows it is a fruitless endeavour. But he will die trying, because he feels like he has to. Nikolai is my friend. I care for him a great deal. Help me give him no option but to surrender. Give me proof that he really is a bastard, is not a Lantsov and has no claim to the throne, and it will be easy for me to persuade the Darkling to give him a pardon and a place on the council, rather than a hangman's noose,"

"How do I know that you aren't just trying to derail Nikolai's possible victory and save your own skin?"

Alina laughed. "The army is on our side, as are the people, and a good portion of the nobility. And most of the country thinks I'm a saint. He's got no chance, no matter how brilliant he is. And just think about it for a second. If the Darkling knew he was here, he'd already be dead. I haven't told anyone he's here except you - if I wanted to betray him, I could have done so with a few words. Hells, I could have killed him myself by waving my hand,"

The woman considered her for a long moment. She might be hateful and cruel, but she wasn't stupid, and knew the position she was in.

When she spoke, her tone was clipped, her eyes slightly glassy. "In my chambers, there is a loose panel in the wall, to the left of the far window. Behind it there is a collection of letters, from a Fjerdan man named Magnus Opjer. Those letters will be sufficient evidence to prove that Nikolai is not Pyotr's son,"

There was a pause.

"I'm glad you've done one non-selfish thing in your life, at least," Alina said, and left as soon as she could, not wanting to spend any more time in the woman's presence, let alone thank her.

*

The letters were exactly where Tatiana had said they would be. Alina took them straight to Aleksander. It was late now, and he was in his study working. She flung herself into the chair opposite his desk, lounging so her feet dangled over the arm.

"I need a favour. One that benefits you, actually,"

He raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead,"

She reached into her pocket and drew out the letters, tossing them onto the desk in front of him. "Proof that Nikolai Lantsov is a bastard, found in the former queen's rooms,"

Aleksander seemed amused by this. "And why have you decided to betray your childhood friend, now of all times?"

"Because if he tries to take the throne back, you'll kill him," She said. "These letters make him no threat at all. You'll earn more enemies if you kill him for no reason, myself included. Your favour to me is granting him a pardon for being associated with the Lantsovs - bear in mind he has not even tried to commit treason against you, yet - and a place on the council if he wants it. In return, you get to eliminate the last contender for the throne by publicly naming him a bastard,"

"He may never forgive you for this," He did not seem concerned by this at all; quite the opposite, actually.

Alina shrugged. "He can hate me, so long as he's alive,"

Aleksander picked up the handful of letters. "These are very useful. So be it. If the sobachka resurfaces, he will not be in any danger from me. Unless he tries something foolish, that is,"

She was surprised it had been that easy, although should have known he'd love to turn one of her friends against her. "Thank you," There was a pause. "Also - Genya gets to kill the King,"

*

Writing Nikolai is hard - he has a very particular manner of speaking that I attempted to get right and am not sure if I did. I tried to keep the fact he was Sturmhond secret from Alina until at least the end of the chapter but it did not work that way at all and felt unrealistic to force it, hence why she guessed/he let it slip almost immediately haha. And for anyone wondering about the lack of Misha, Saran and baby Starkova, they will be heavily featuring in the next chapter.

Thanks so much for everyone for sticking with this story; I think we are nearing the end (although it will likely end up being more because everything manages to get dragged out longer than I think it's going to). And thanks so much to everyone who has commented, please continue to do so, even if it's just a word or two!