Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Thirty-five: Alina Starkov

Thirty-five:

Alina Starkov

The second week of her marriage, Aleksander declared that they should have a picnic together. "A picnic?" she stared at him incredulously as the two of them were at the breakfast table.

From over his newspaper, Aleksander said, "Why do you look at me as if I've grown a second head?"

She smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to. But a picnic seems like the very last thing that you would enjoy."

He frowned. "Why not?"

"Well," she took a sip of her orange juice, "Lord Morzova is the most feared General in all of Ravka and he spends his free time picnicking? That's not exactly the image most people have of the fearsome things. You don't have to keep me entertained like I'm a child. I'm fine spending time in the house or whatever."

"But it's a nice day out," he said, "and I'd like to spend the day with my wife, on a picnic. You can take your sketchbook with you, maybe draw some of the landscapes. There's a lake nearby that you would particularly enjoy."

Alina tilted her head to the side. "A lake?"

He nodded. "Completely deserted, in the most secluded of places."

"Are you certain it isn't a picnic you wish to enjoy, and a rendezvous by the lake with your new, young wife that you wish to enjoy?"

He put the paper down and smiled at her. "That might be part of my motive. If I happened to be fed an excellent meal beforehand, and get to enjoy the lovely outdoors at the same time, as well as my wife, that sounds like the perfect afternoon to me."

"Alright," she said, "we can do that if you wish. Although that still sounds suspicious to me."

"Suspicious that I want to show my wife affection?"

"No. You've shown me affection all over the house," she grinned at him, "very thoroughly. But...I guess if you want to go for a picnic, we can go for a picnic. This isn't going to require me to cook anything, is it?"

"I thought I would," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Can you?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you really think I've made it this long in my life without knowing how to cook?"

"Well, Aleksander.... you are a little...."

"A little what?"

"Privileged," she said, "I don't expect there was much time for little Lord Morozova to spend time cooking in the kitchen by himself. And you do eat an awful lot of takeout."

"I order takeout because I am usually at work late, my impertinent little miss, and I don't like to keep the chef at my beck and call if I don't have to. The servants have lives too, you know."

"Oh, I know. I am simply surprised that you do....so, if this picnic is your idea, you'll be cooking, then?" she said.

"Yes," he said, "unless you have other plans?"

"Genya's visiting," Alina said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Well, I would have told you sooner, but it was sort of sprung on me very rudely this morning in my texts. She's convinced you're hiding me away in a tower somewhere and wants to come make sure I'm alive. Apparently she's bringing David for emotional support."

"Surely you mean protection."

Alina shook her head. "Genya can protect herself. The last time David ran into any real danger, someone tried to steal money from him when he was coming out of the library and all he did was throw a book at them."

"Did he get away?"

"It was a science textbook," she said, "yes."

He smiled. "Well, I've no problem with them coming. I like what I know of Genya, and I work with David frequently. You don't have to hide your life from me, Alina. Your friends can visit. In fact, I encourage it."

"I don't have many friends," she said, "well, outside of Genya there's Mal and Nikki but considering...."

"Ah, yes," he said. "Wait, Nikki?"

"Nikolai," she explained.

He scowled. "You have a nickname for him?"

"You can't very well be jealous. I knew him long before you. He's an old, dear friend. Well...depending on how annoying he is being that day."

Aleksander still frowned. "You don't have a nickname for the guard, do you?"

"No," she said, "but only because Mal is his nickname."

Aleksander raised an eyebrow. "What's his real name?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why?"

"Because you have that glint in your eye that I've only seen reserved for when you are at work, and I've only actually seen you at work once."

"Like what?"

"Like you're planning on destroying the world," Alina said.

"I don't look like that----I mean----" he paused. "Fine, don't tell me. But you can have your friends over if you wish. I don't intend to keep you under lock and key, and you should have a life. Did you intend to go to the University of Ravka?"

"I thought about it," she said, "my only real skill is drawing, but artists don't make any money."

He smiled. "An unconnected artist doesn't make any money. You are married to one of the most powerful men in Ravka, remember? If you want to be an artist, you can be an artist. I noticed you sketch sometimes. Is that your preferred medium?"

"No," she said, "I've actually always loved oil, but I only ever got to use it when I was at school because it was so expensive."

"Your father didn't encourage you?"

She shook her head. "He only tolerated it because he thought it was a 'proper' hobby for a young lady. Other than that, he had my future picked out for me. Honestly, I think the only reason he sent me to private school is that he knew how it would look if he didn't and because it put me in Nikolai's path. You notice he hasn't called or asked me to visit since I've been married?"

Aleksander tilted his head to the side. "He hasn't?"

She shook her head. "No. But I didn't expect him to. He almost never did when I was at boarding school, except for polo matches because it was public and the one time I fell off my horse and had a head injury."

"You fell off your horse?"

She nodded. "There.... well...even in school, there were always rumors about Nikolai and me. Everything from an arranged marriage to that I was his secret girlfriend. It didn't help that my father was always telling everyone we were in love either. In the Spring of my Junior year, I was out riding by myself one afternoon and there was...."

"What?"

"A sound, something like a gunshot. Someone fired, and my horse spooked. I fell off and hit my head on a rock. I was unconscious in the woods for a few hours."

"Alina, someone tried to assassinate you," he said.

Alina shook her head. "Nikolai tried to convince me of that too. He was paranoid, almost tried to force me to have a private security guard he hired. But I'm not important enough to assassinate. I'm a girl from Keramzin. I'm a nobody."

"You aren't," he reminded her.

She tilted her head to the side. "Now, perhaps but..."

"I firmly believe, Alina, that anyone who saw how special you are would wage wars for you. I myself am one of them."

She smiled. "I don't want wars waged in my honor. I would settle for love."

He reached out and gripped her hand in his, stroking the top of it. "I think we're both working on it."

She smiled. "I think so too."