𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 — of light and shadow

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 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐓 the centre of them all billowed heavy smatterings of smoke into the air, the logs crackled and amber sparks jumped here and there, scrambling for another piece of wood to chew through. The cold had grown bitter, a light layer of frost crawled up the blades of grass surrounding them, glinting as the sun bounced from the ice.

 Each breath sent a puff of white air high into the sky. Aleksa's cheeks were a vibrant pink, her nose a similar shade as she sniffed from her seat. The Summoner had forgone planting herself on an old tree stump or log like the others and had slumped to the ground, arms wrapped around her knees.

 They were all chatting away; Inej sat by Alina's side with a bright grin on her face. Jesper and Mal were both very animated as they spoke, and Jesper's eyes gleamed when Mal pointed to one of his pearl-handled pistols.

 The pretty Squallor, Zoya, nudged her knee into Aleksa's shoulder, "How long were you at the Little Palace?"

 At this, Alina diverted her eyes from the blade in her hands and waited for the Shadow Summoner to answer.

 "Fifteen years." Aleksa said, voice carried by the light wind.

 "Fifteen years in one room? You never saw anybody else?"

 "I knew Ivan, I knew an Inferni called Patrik and Squallor... I can't remember her name. That was it."

 Alina leaned forwards, and a burst of sunlight bounced from her golden gown, "You didn't train with Baghra?"

 "Who?" Aleksa questioned, her eyes falling between both Grisha. Her voice was growing hoarser by the minute, fatigue pulling her closer to the ground.

 Alina spared Zoya a look, one in which the delightful woman returned. The Sun Summoner could still feel the whips and smacks delivered from Bagra, still hear her old and hard voice uttering away in her head... 'foolish girl' was a particular phrase that stuck out. But to hear that Aleksa had never even heard of her... It might not have mattered, had Aleksa not been related to Aleksander...

 "She's —" Alina swallowed, wishing she could spare the girl from further pain, "— She's his mother... General Kirigans mother."

 "An old hag if you ask me," Zoya said flippantly upon seeing the look on Aleksa's face.

 It was as though the world had flipped once more. She had more family out there, even if it was one old hag. She had somebody out there who shared her blood and yet Aleksander had never introduced her, had never spoken of her. Did this Baghre know anything of Aleksa, or were they kept apart for a reason?

 "She's the one who helped me escape, who told me everything about him." Alina said.

 Silence enveloped them, and though Zoya was still hurt from watching her home get swallowed by shadows, she still managed to find her voice and retort with what would seem like horrible comments, yet Aleksa welcomed them.

 "An old hag and a mass murderer," The Squaller pondered, nudging Aleksa again, "You have a lovely family."

 It was then, before Aleksa could decide to wallow in silence or find her own retort, that she saw a silhouette approaching them. The sharp lines, uneven gait and silly hat were enough for Aleksa to know Kaz was returning with three new sets of clothes.

 They all needed to board a boat back to Ketterdam but they couldn't risk somebody spotting Alina in her extravagant gown, nor Mal in his First Army uniform... As for Aleksa, there were certain people who would most definitely question the splatters of black on her shirt and the way her skin was still stained grey. She looked like she'd caught a nasty disease... and yet, somehow, she still looked as radiant as the Squallor at her side.

 Kaz handed the bag he was holding to Jesper, who in turn handed it to Mal, though not before digging through to procure a new set of black trousers and a somewhat crinkled white shirt. It didn't have the familiar puffy sleeves that Aleksa was sporting, but it'd have to do. Jesper tossed the clothes her way.

 Kaz watched as she caught them with ease, black-stained fingers digging into the fabric as she hauled herself to her feet. There was nothing much they could do about the blood that still caked her skin; she could only dampen her old clothes and hope that scrubbing hard enough would be enough to lift the stains.

 Aleksa slipped from the coat shed borrowed from Kaz, it was still sodden with black blood — though you couldn't tell due to the dark material — and the guts of a Volcra. She'd picked away at the flesh, tossing it aside whilst Zoya had groaned beside her.

 She wouldn't leave it behind.

 "Step one of any good plan: a change of clothes. It's worked for me." Jesper gestured to himself as he nodded to Mal who smiled at the lanky sharpshooter.

 "Thank you." Mal responded, taking the bag into his hands as he looked down at Alina.

 Inej helped the sun summoner to her feet, both shadow and sun were still feeling the effects of their fights within the fold. Aleksa still had the remnants of blood beneath her nose from testing her strength and Alina wobbled like a newborn dear and her head throbbed from lack of rest.

 "So... Will you still be trying to kidnap me?" Alina questioned, her eyes falling on Kaz who swiftly diverted his eyes from Aleksa.

 Aleksa approached them, eyes planted on Kaz as she too waited for his answer. It could go either way for the man; he wasn't forgiving, and he didn't just swap his decisions because someone showed a little kindness. Kaz Brekker did whatever he could to have a stack of Kruge in the palm of his hands.

 Without Alina, his shares of the Crow Club were gone, his late payments for Inej's indenture would catch up to them and Heleen would likely snatch the Wraith back... He wouldn't get his revenge on Rollins.

 Aleksa would understand either response, but she wouldn't help take the girl.

 Jesper answered for him. "'Course not."

 Kaz scowled at his sharpshooter, tempted to slam the bottom of his cane into his foot, "Have you found religion too?"

 "No! I'm just — I'm exhausted Kaz, so are they —" He tossed a wild hand in Aleksa's direction and the other towards Inej, "Besides, it'd be bad to kidnap someone after they saved your life."

 Kaz did what Kaz would always do, he looked to Aleksa and awaited her response. His eyes glinted beneath the light rays of the sun, bitter coffee swimming in an endless cup. His skin seemed paler amidst the frost, but those pearly scars on his jaw were easy to spot.

 Even when Aleksa wanted to topple to the ground and sleep for an eternity, she still admired his pretty face. That look did something to her; Dirtyhands, one of the most well-known gang members and thieves in the Barrel looked to her for her input.

 Her stomach would usually bubble, but now she felt flat. Aleksa shook her head; Jesper was right, they were all far too tired to be kidnapping anyone, and yes, it'd be in bad taste to try and steal the person who had kept them alive in the Fold.

 Alina had been through so much, Aleksa couldn't find it within herself to make the girl's life more miserable. She didn't want Alina to feel as she did; utterly defeated.

 She shook her head, "It's like she said: we're coming back to tear the Fold down, together." She managed a crooked smile but even that felt a hard feat to accomplish, "We can't do that if you're sold like a prized horse."

 While the words made Kaz pause, he turned back to Alina, "You are quite valuable, you know?"

 Alina eyed him warily as she tucked a hand beneath her coat and procured the jewelled headpiece she'd been wearing. The gold glittered like her Summoning abilities, jewels twisted like vines as they tumbled closer to the ground and jostled in her hold. She held her hand out. It was a bargaining chip to convince Kaz to let her go.

 The thief took it into his hands, sure to keep from touching the Sun Summoner. He was not a man that could be brought, nobody would come to him with a sack of Kruge and get him to back away from a fight or a heist, but he had no team now.

 He could have tossed the headpiece to the ground and surged towards her, but what would he have done?

 Inej would draw her single blade, the silent Squaller would summon heavy winds, Mal would draw whatever weapon he still had and Alina would blind him. He knew Jesper wouldn't stand against him, he never had done. As for Aleksa, she looked as though she'd gladly let them fight, far too tired to intervene.

 He scanned the item once more, "I saw this on a portrait of one of those Queens in the Little Palace —"

 "It's not a gift." Alina interrupted with a hard voice, recalling the day she'd hopped from the trunk of a carriage and stood as Kaz tried to coerce her into leaving with them. Then her body slumped, desperation seeping in, "It's to keep quiet about who I am. Where I go from here."

 He tucked the golden headpiece into his pocket before turning to his crew as Inej spoke, "It'll be enough to get your shares back."

 But not much more, were the unspoken words.

 "I made my choice." The Wraith spoke again as she nodded towards Alina, the woman who was a Saint to Inej and so many others. If it meant that Inej had to find another means of securing her indenture was buried, she'd do it,  "I chose her."

 Kaz nodded once; Inej had chosen Alina over her freedom. He'd get his shares back, and have enough for a jumpstart on her indenture — Heleen wouldn't be able to say no.

 Kaz waited a moment, preparing himself for the contact before he held out his gloved hand, "The deal is the deal."

 Alina placed her hand in his and shook once before turning to walk away with Mal to change out of their clothing; the less attention they attacked, the better. There was a new bounty on her head.

 Aleksa didn't bother to follow the two; the Shadow Summoner had never been one to shy away from eyes on her so what difference was this? She turned her back on the crowd behind her, as she unbuttoned her shirt. The material slipped off her shoulder and fell to the ground behind her in a heap.

 She heard Jesper suck a breath of air through his teeth, her delightful scar was on show. Three long and pearly gashes on her side glinted beneath the sunlight whilst the rest of her skin erupted with goosebumps.

 She had no shame, and neither did those behind her, apparently. She could feel their eyes burning into the skin on her side; so many one-time lovers had run their fingertips over the jagged scrapes, professing silly little notions of love that she couldn't have cared less for. Others had deemed them ugly, which she certainly hadn't entertained as she bruised their pitiful egos.

 She pulled the clean shirt on, covering her scarred and bruised skin; it was far too big for her and hung well past the middle of her thighs. The material wasn't close to the quality she was used to wearing; it itched and scratched at her biceps and belly.

 "I have to say," Came Zoya's voice, "If it weren't for the blood, I'd be appreciative of this little show."

 Aleksa smiled at that, "You're appreciating it now, I can hear it in your voice."

 The Squallor merely hummed, grinning to herself as she noticed the way Kaz Brekker was directing a glare her way; one so very scornful. She winked at him.

 Aleksa shuffled into her trousers and tucked the shirt into their waistband before slumping onto the log and tugging her boots back onto her toes. She managed to save her suspenders after plucking them off her old and ruined trousers. She had to pick a piece of Volcra flesh from them, other than that, the black blood blended with the ebony material.

 She had to collect her hair high atop her head, stuffing it all into the hat she'd worn on the skiff; couldn't travel with knotted and blood-slicked streaks.

 She blinked as a coat fell into her lap and glanced up. Kaz stood towering over her, leaning heavily on his cane bare of his wool coat, "I expect the other one to be cleaned and returned along with that one." He said pointedly as he readjusted his collar.

 "Of course, pretty boy."

 He almost sighed at the resurgence of that name. It still infuriated him to no end, but anything was a welcomed sound compared to her silence.

 Aleksa stood to her feet and slipped her arms into the warmth of his coat, relishing in the heat he'd left behind. All that was left was to clear away the grey stains on her cheek, neck and hands.

 Inej approached with a canteen filled with clear water. She scooped up Aleksa's discarded shirt and used the clean back as a cloth. She soaked the fabric in water and gently dabbed at her skin until nothing was left but her desirable glow.

 "There," Inej whispered as she placed the cap on the canteen and tossed the shirt into the fire, "As beautiful as always."

 The Fold looked so different from far away. Like a blot of ink obscuring an old map, Aleksa knew better.

 She had parted from the group to stand atop the rolling fields that looked over the billowing blockade of shadows. The frost still had yet to melt beneath the shining sunlight and each blade glinted like a glittering emerald, like the edge of a knife.

 The chill of the air bit and chewed at her cheeks; they were bright pink.

 She had to get away from the rest of them; Mal's relentless comments about her brother hadn't ceased but she couldn't have possibly told him to stop. Aleksander had hurt all of them and they were more than entitled to a little rage release. She just couldn't stomach it.

 Both Inej and Jesper had offered to join her little sightseeing trip whilst Kaz spared her a look; it was his way of telling her to return quickly and quietly... safely. She was mourning for a man that was hated by so many, and a part of her did hate him; the lies of their relationship, the withheld information of her parents and Baghra, the fifteen years inside a locked cage... And the lies of their mission.

 Still, she couldn't control the ache in her heart. She couldn't force those happy memories she could remember to cease playing within her head. Cas nibbled on her ear, soft chatterings falling from his beaks as comfort.

 The sound of somebody approaching snapped Aleksa from her dazed thoughts; it wasn't Inej, she was far too silent for the grass to crunch beneath her rubber soles. It wasn't Jesper, for his footsteps could cause a city to rumble, and it certainly wasn't Kaz.

 She doubted it would have been Mal, and Zoya had left for Novokribrisk, though not without a farewell for the Shadow Summoner.

 Alina, then.

 "Hello, sunshine," Aleksa called softly without turning her head. Her lashes rested against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, soaking the heat of the sun above the pair of them.

 Alina smiled, "I came to check on you," Her smile crumbled as she placed herself beside her fellow Grisha, "But I won't ask if you're alright."

 "I wouldn't give you a straight answer."

 "Is that a requirement of your crew?"

 A small puff of air escaped Aleksa's lips as she laughed. It probably should have been a requirement, you never did get straight answers when it came to the Crows.

 Aleksa turned her head, eyes drifting over Alina's features, briefly landing where her collar rested, covered by her cloak. Aleksander had marked her with the collar for the rest of her life; it was a permanent reminder for her.

 "Did you —" Aleksa paused, unsure if she should continue. She had to, Alina was the only person like her, a Grisha powerful enough to be seen as a Saint, or aa a Heretic. "Did you care about him, even in the end?"

 "I did." Was her soft response. Alina clasped her hands together and her knuckles grew white at the pressure. She hated herself for it too, she should have loathed the man for everything he'd done... Yet there was still that sense of longing that threatened to draw her to him, even in death, "I wish I didn't, but... But I do. He said that together we'd change the world and I believed him; I wanted that more than anything."

 Aleksa uttered no words but repeated the action Inej would so casually do for her, she reached out and laid her hand over Alina's.

 "You grew up thinking he was your brother..." Alina trailed off, her voice breaking, "I can't — I can't imagine how you feel."

 "You know, all I ever wanted as a child was a family to love me. I never had friends in the orphanage, not one. I was the smallest, the weakest, and they all thought I was a demon. I grew up for those few years thinking that I'd never be cared for. Then Aleksander came to me like a white kinghtband he scooped —" She blew out a pained breath, ducking behind her hair as she felt the tears build in her eyes, "He scooped me up and told me he'd been looking for me, that he had missed me. He carried me into the carriage and opened his cloak so we could share its warmth. He offered me a toffee and he laughed when I watched the view pass us by with wide eyes."

 The tears were streaming down her cheeks now, and as she peered at Alina, she could see the Sun Summoner was crying too, "For the first few days at the place we laughed and talked and he asked me everything. My favourite colour, flowers, sweets... He got me all of them and then he hugged me. I cried. I sobbed. I had finally found where I belonged and who I belonged with. Then as the years went on he grew harsher, trained me harder than ever before and he grew angry if I couldn't get something right. So I left, I thought maybe I could take some time away and get stronger on my own; that I could return and show him that I was ready to take the Fold down. But the longer I was away — even whilst I missed him — I knew the Little Palace wasn't really my home."

 "Ketterdam, the Barrel, that's where I belong." Aleksa laughed, "You might find that strange, that a Grisha, one of us, is happier being a thief and a gambler than a pampered princess... But from afar I could love him without the negatives creeping in. I could forget the punishments and remember the praise. We might not really be siblings, but Alina, he's my brother. He always will be, even after everything he did."

 Alina soaked in her words as those tears continued to race down her face; they were so very similar. Neither girl knew of their parents, they'd grown up in an orphanage with nasty children that had always picked on the weakest of the litter... But Aleksa never had Mal. She never had someone to show her love or kindness or be there through every little thing.

 "He wanted to make Grisha safe." Alina finally spoke, her eyes cast to the sun as she felt it glide across the skin and called out for her powers, "That's what we'll do. We will tear down the Fold, and Grisha will be safe — protected. We'll do it together."

 Alina lifted a hand and called upon the sun; a small bubble of light bounced within the air just a few inches higher than her palm. She could feel its heat, the buzz of the stag's power racing through her bones.

 Aleksa copied, her hand next to the Sun Summoners as she called upon the shadows until a blot of darkness was cradled in her palm. It inched out, weaving through the air and tangled with the sunlight Alina had summoned.

 The darkness didn't drown out the light, nor did the light banish the dark. They tangled together like two old friends interloping their hands, holding on to one another for stability.

 Aleksa nodded once, smiling as Cas chirped, "Together."

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DATE: 25/01/2023

:･ﾟ★ zoya my beloved. kaz my simp. inej my mother. aleksa and alina my babies.

thank you all for the boat-load of interaction on the last part, i thought i'd update again as a thanks... now we only have one chapter left, then it's onto the Six of Crows and the Ice Court heist!!!

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