Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Eight: Prince Nikolai Lantsov

Eight

Prince Nikolai Lantsov

There were plenty of places that Nikolai should have been. In a dark alley way not far from Lord Morozova's town house was not one of them. He hadn't slept all day, instead he had spent the night arguing with his father and his advisors trying to come up with some solution to get Alina back. In the early hours of the morning, when no solution could be reached, he snuck out using one of his disguises and went through the servants quarters.

Now, it was early evening, and he was outside of Lord Morozova's house. Wondering if he could sneak into it and get Alina back without the man killing him. There were very few things in this world that frightened him. But there were rumors of Morozova's duplicitousness. There were some who said he chose to go to war because he liked the smell of blood. That he had watched five brothers and his father die all so he could get his title. He was known as The War Machine, The Great Dictator, The Soulless one....

He was one of few with enough power and enough fear that he could oppose his father's reign as king. There were even some whispers that soldiers in Morozova's units wore the Morozova crest instead of Lantsov, though there had been no proof of that so far that anyone had been able to find.

Nikolai was not sure what he planned to do with Alina. But that he had signaled out his best friend to be his wife did not sit well with him. Alina was one of the few people who did not care that she was a prince. In fact, when she had arrived at school, he had asked her out, and she had punched him in the face for something stupid he had said.

Since then, they had gone out a few times. And fooled around a few times. Alina never took it seriously when he'd looked her in the eyes and told her he was going to make her his Queen. But he'd been serious every time. She was the only girl he'd met who could handle the job.

He'd offered it to Zoya, but Zoya had made it clear. She had other ambitions which did not involve making heirs and standing by his side.

But Alina was uncomplicated. She had no past to speak of. She understood his world. She would keep him honest, but not challenge him too much, which was exactly what he needed. It was why even his own father approved of the match when he suggested it which was something since his father approved of nothing.

But Morozova had taken her from him.

They were getting married on Sunday. She would become The Soulless Ones Wife, and she would be lost to him.

"What are you doing?" a voice demanded from behind him.

He turned, and saw Alina's guard standing there. He frowned. "I could ask you the same question."

"I got kicked out of the house," said Mal, "Morozova's an ass. I've been trying to flirt my way in with one of the servants."

Nikolai chuckled. "Smart thinking. I should have tried that."

Mal laughed. "That's dumb thinking, your highness. Everyone knows who you are."

"Well, if even her own guard can't get in then I'm screwed. But I don't want to think about her alone with that bastard. He didn't even know her. There's no way that he didn't marry her for his own, selfish reasons right?"

"Right," said Mal, "they've got to come out sometime. Somehow I'll get back in."

Nikolai glanced back at the house. "Oretsev, if you get into that house, will you report back to me? Ravakkan law says they have a year to consummate their marriage. If it's not done in that time, it's null and void."

Mal winced. "Not a great law."

Nikolai shrugged. "Blame my ancestors. I've been trying to change it forever, but no one listens."

"Maybe you should be King then."

Nikolai grinned at him. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Oretsev. But those are treason. I don't think my father will see it that way. They'd probably kill you and ask questions later."

"Right," said Mal, "but I'm going to have better luck getting into that house than you are. Why don't you go back to the palace? I'll get in one way or another, and I'll work on keeping track of them for you."

"You'd do that?" Nikolai said.

Mal nodded. "Alina's one of my oldest friends. She deserves the world. I just don't think its with Morozova."

"I don't, either," Nikolai said with a firm nod of his head, "alright. I'll leave it to you. You'll tell me if there's any trouble, isn't there?"

"Yeah, of course," said Mal, "I'll always look out for Alina."

"Good to here," Nikolai said.

He patted him on the shoulder then glanced back at the Morozova house. He didn't want to go but he could only imagine what the man would do if he found him out here. He might have been a Prince, but he was still only second in line to the throne. "I'd better go I suppose," he said.

"Don't worry," said Mal, "I'll make sure that she's safe. She's one of my best friends. I'd never let anything bad happen to her."

Nikolai nodded, and he reluctantly left. For the briefest moment he thought he saw Alina looking out the main window of the house on the bottom floor at him. But he knew that was impossible. He left, only feeling slightly better about the whole thing. At least a guard was better than nothing. But he would have preferred that she was back with him above all else.