Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Thirty-seven: Alina Starkov

Thirty-seven:

Alina Starkov

"Saints! This house is huge," were the first words Genya spoke when she came in, dragging David behind her.

"Hi, Alina," David said, waving sheepishly.

Alina smiled at him. "Hello, David," she said, "does anyone want tea? I didn't request any, but I think it magically appears on its own if you're alone here. I was sketching and looked up to see a full tea service that I didn't ask for at all."

"Or perhaps Lord Morozova sent it for his wife," Genya said, smirking, "as a sign of his affections."

Alina blushed. "You're a pain."

"You love me," said Genya, beaming, "and if I'm not mistaken you don't look like a girl out of a fairytale whose been taken hostage by an awful beast. Which, I must confess, is how I expected to find you after everything you told me the week of your engagement."

"Come, let's sit."

"Genya," said David, "is it alright if I go find Lord Morozova? He had some work things I thought we could discuss."

Genya squeezed his hand and smiled. "Of course. I know how uncomfortable girl talk makes you."

He blushed. "It doesn't make me uncomfortable per se---"

She kissed him on the cheek. "Go on and discuss your papers and secret nonsense. I'll text you when I'm ready to go."

"Thank you," he said appreciatively and nodded at Alina as he went off.

Alina glanced at her friend. "David's a palace librarian. What's he doing with Aleksander?"

Genya shrugged. "Working on some secretive research project for the war effort. He won't tell me anything, which is absolutely infuriating. But I've never seen him work harder or be more excited which is both good and troubling. Also, did you just refer to one of the most powerful men in Ravka as Aleksander?"

Alina swatted her lightly on the arm. "Yes, I did."

Genya squeezed her shoulder. "Well, it sounds like you're happy then. Happier than when I saw you at your father's, certainly."

She paused. "He's not.... he's not what I thought he would be. Or what people say about him. I know he's done terrible things. But he's had to."

"It's Ravka," said Genya, "who hasn't had to do terrible things here?"

Alina nodded knowingly. "He's insisting on taking me on a picnic this afternoon."

Genya smiled widely. "A picnic? Have you two---"

"Oh," she said, "multiple times. Many times. There were.... yes."

Genya laughed. "Well, I suppose I can tell my dear cousin to put off the rescue mission."

Alina raised an eyebrow. "Nikolai?"

"Yes," she said.

She frowned. "Genya...tell me that wasn't the real reason that you visited me. Tell me Nikolai didn't have you checking up on me."

Genya wouldn't meet her gaze. "Alina, you know the kind of man that he is. The reputation that he has. You know that he's been trying to take over the throne for years. This wasn't a fairytale where you met at a ball and danced. He forced you to marry him because he didn't want you marrying the Prince."

Alina glared at her. "There are all sorts of fairytales, Genya. Even dark ones. Some of them even end happily."

Genya grimaced. "Do you honestly think this one will?"

"What's the alternative, Genya?" Alina demanded. "What's the alternative if I don't think that it will end happily? Just because I was forced into darkness doesn't mean I have to accept it. What's more, Nikolai has no claim on me. You tell your Prince that. He never once told me he loved me, never once seriously 'dated' me. I was just the poor girl with the dead mom he could be friends with to make himself look good, and if we're all honest, that's the real reason he wanted me to marry him, isn't it? For the story of it all."

"Alina, you know Nikki loves you. Why else do you think he sent me here? To make sure that you were okay. That you were happy."

Alina shook her head. "Tell your brat prince I am happy, just not with him. You can go now. I'm suddenly not interested in visiting." She stood up from the couch.

Genya frowned. "You can't be serious. Alina, I'm your friend."

"At this moment, you aren't my friend, and I don't want you in my house." She crossed her arms and pointed to the doorway. "You can show yourself out."

"It's his house, Alina," Genya said, "you don't belong here."

"You don't know a thing about where I belong, Genya," she snarled, "now leave, please."

Genya stood. "Come off it, Alina. I'm your friend. Nikolai is your friend. Your first love. We're all just worried about you, that's all this is. Can you really blame us? You married the Big Bad Wolf."

"To protect your Prince from dying," said Alina, "which you might remind him of the next time you see him. The air he breathes still is because I sacrificed my life for his. Now, get out of my sight. And Nikolai was never my first love. He was always just a friend. He only saw in me what he wanted to see. Everybody just thought that because he was the Prince and I was the girl, he was my fairytale. Nobody stopped to ask me what mine was."

Genya glanced from the doorway back to Alina. "Surely you don't mean----"

"I do," she said, "now go."

"He's gotten to you," said Genya, "he's in your head. He has you all twisted about who you are and what you want."

"He's my husband," Alina said, "he is the only one that doesn't have me twisted about who I am and what I want. He is actually letting me find out exactly who that is. Now, if I have to ask a third time, I'll have the butler throw you out. Leave."

Genya nodded curtly at her, furiously texting David as she left. Alina waited until she heard the two exit the house together, the front door slamming. When her friend was gone, she saw her husband's figure appear in the parlor entryway, apparently having heard at least the end of that rather loud, interesting conversation.