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The girl retreated to her hut, a shabby wooden shack with ivy crawling up the walls and overgrown grass covering the stone walkway. She lived only with her father, the man broken and unable to be alone. He needed her, so she stayed. Although, it was probably best for them to remain in isolation anyway.
They lived secluded, tucked away in the woods away from the meager village of Serdtse, just north of the Sokol River that cut through the center of Ravka. The rest of the villagers kept their distance. They knew that the two were quite peculiar, though many brushed it off. They believed that it was merely their unshakeable grief due to the loss of the girl's mother.
Once, the family of two lived in the north, in what to some could even be considered Fjerda, but was still claimed by Ravkan borders. It was there that the girl had lost her mother in a raid. The villagers of Serdtse believed it—the Fjerdan raid—to be an act against Ravka that killed the girl's mother. However, it had actually been the Drüskelle, hunting Grisha.
The girl came from a lineage of powerful Grisha. A lineage that meant living a life in the shadows. They had always been careful but sometimes careful wasn't enough. There would always be otkazat'sya out there who wished and strived for their eradication. Trust was something that had become a rare commodity for the girl over time.
The Drüskelle had slain her Tidemaker mother and maimed her Heartrender father to an extent he almost had not been able to escape with the girl. Together, the father and daughter fled south, where the witch hunters would be farther and fewer between.
They took refuge in the woods outside of Serdtse. It was there that the girl nursed her father back to health. She was no Healer, but that didn't mean she couldn't heal. Life was a gift to her. Something she could give and take in a way other Grisha saw as merzost.
But it wasn't creation. Not truly. It always had a price; a balance. So as the girl's father laid against the lush grass, his right arm gone from the elbow down and his left eye missing thanks to the torture of the Drüskelle, she leeched life from the nature around him and granted him a gift that only she could give. His open wounds closed. The lush green around them turned brown and brittle; dead.
The girl was the one who built their home. She was the one who ventured into town when necessary. She was the one who hunted and gathered. All the while her father grew embittered and loathing. He vowed to avenge the loss of his wife, the loss of his power. But, the truth was that he was unable to live up to those vengeful thoughts. He could only sit and seethe in the thin wooden walls of the home his daughter built for them.
The girl grew used to her own isolation. For even with her father by her side, that was what she was; alone. Befriending the otkazat'sya was out of the question. Kind words from her father were uncommon, if not rare. Even other Grisha were sure to cower from her power, fearful of what they saw as merzost—not that she ever showed them what she was truly capable of.
The closest she had to company were the herds of deer in the woods, the wildflowers that bloomed in the brush, and the rabbits she warded off from her garden. Until one day, the girl met a boy—a boy who might just understand her and finally end her loneliness.
***
The wanderer—who was not a wanderer anymore, now a maid—pulled at the restricting white and gold uniform she wore. It was the last time she would dawn the servant's attire as tomorrow she was to be reassigned to the Little Palace.
Not that she was complaining of course. Ever since she had followed her dear friend's advice to settle in Os Alta and take up a job at the Grand Palace, she had regretted it. She supposed that it had been nice, the steady pay—no matter how small the wages actually were—and a constant roof over her head when she retired every night.
It had given her time to save some coin. Perhaps, she could finally afford to cross the Fold, to venture over the True Sea and visit the countries beyond.
Maybe that was where the young prince had disappeared to.
The maid—who was soon to be more than a maid—thought fondly of the young prince. He had been the closest thing she had to a friend around the Grand Palace. The only one who didn't think her dumb because of her status as a mere servant. The only one who didn't assume she knew how to tell fortunes or perform outrageous acrobatics just because she was Suli. The one who could make her shed her stoic appearance and blush like a virginal maiden with just a few words. She had hoped he felt the same—that he could see her as a friend that is.
But, he had left the Grand Palace to "further his education" and she didn't fault him for it. Court was suffocating and she wanted to follow, but as much as she despised life at the Grand Palace without him, she couldn't bring herself to leave. She needed to be there; her purpose and need for remaining unable to be explained to others. They couldn't know and they wouldn't understand.
However, maybe things were about to start looking up. The Darkling himself had requested her for the Second Army, a handmaiden for their teacher, Baghra. The maid knew that this was her chance to put meaning back into her life. She would be more than that a secondary plaything for the King, as the red-haired Grisha would always be his favorite. She would be more than an object of disdain for the Queen or an exotic flower to be admired by the lecherous gaze of the Crowned Prince.
The Little Palace—the Second Army was her key to a greater destiny. She simply had to remain quiet, listen closely, and play her hand strategically. For the maid was not a pawn, not like everyone thought she was.
***
Hello! So the preface is up! This story will take place in two timelines and follow mainly two characters, Tasiya and Yelena, with occasional other characters. The POV will be labeled at the beginning of the chapter and the timelines going forward will simply be labeled NOW and THEN.
If you haven't seen the post on my profile, this will also mostly follow the books with bits and pieces from the show. The show actually provided a bit of backstory for the Darkling that wasn't mentioned in the books and was very similar to what I had planned for this story, however, there will be some slight changes so I would just consider his backstory AU from what was shown in the show to make it easier.
I hope you guys enjoy! Please comment to let me know what you think. Even if you wanna talk about the show (I've binged it all already) just PM me! But, at the very least, if you like this story, remember to hit the vote button! Thanks!
